The Navigator

Planet Serath

Planet Serath

The ship approached the planet, the green and blue orb hovering in the blackness of space. He watched the viewscreen in awe as the planet loomed large, the instructions for the drones long forgotten.

"What do you know about this world?" Hubbell asked Reese.

"Gravity is human-normal, but the day and night cycle is accelerated due to the planet's faster rotation. It's a warm, jungle planet, with several known species of large predators," she replied, and Hubbell's hand dropped reflexively to her pistol. Dr. Fox felt a twinge of fear creep in. Oh hell, I didn't sign up for alien predators, he thought. He was thankful though, that Hubbell was a part of the expedition.

She exuded confidence. She had kept her cool throughout the pirate encounter. He found it surprising that she and Reese were friends; they couldn't be more dissimilar, Hubbell with her military background and Reese the academic. But somehow, the two shared some sort of bond.

"Emma, are you picking up any energy signals?" Reese asked apprehensively.

"Yes ma'am, we've got a big fat signal originating there." As Emma spoke, a red dot appeared on the planet's image, signaling the location.

"Great! Hubbell..." Reese began.

"On approach," she answered.

The ship wheeled and spun as Hubbell lined up with the approach vector illuminated on her screen.

"Sixteen minutes to atmospheric entry," Emma informed them.

"Everyone strap in," she instructed, and he was quick to obey. "The reentry is going to get a little jouncy."

"Jouncy, is that a technical term?" Hubbell asked wryly.

Emma grinned back. Dr. Fox waited in anticipation, not sure what it would be like. As Emma had calculated, sixteen minutes later the exterior of the ship began to glow orange hot. The brightness grew until it whited out the screens.

"Sensors work, but visuals are lost as we enter a planet's atmosphere," Emma explained.

After several minutes the screens cleared and Dr. Fox could see a massive continent carpeted in a forest of green, dotted by the blue of lakes and rivers here and there. He had to admit it was a magnificent view. The red dot of the energy signature turned into a red line connecting the ship to the point. Statistics read out next to the line, indicating ETA, speed, and angle of approach.

The ship rocketed along as Hubbell dropped their altitude. Soon he could see the treetops. Damn she was flying low. Was she a little crazy? Maybe, he decided, but she seemed to have things under control.

"Approaching the city now," Hubbell informed Reese.

"Let's make a pass around it and see if we spot anything from the air."

The ship began a wide arc, circling the jungle-covered city below. He could see remnants of stone structures, long overgrown by the jungle. Sticking up from the sea of green were several crumbling step pyramids.

"Emma, what's our energy reading," Reese questioned.

Displaying some graphs and readouts on the viewscreen, she replied, "As you can see, the readings are the strongest we've ever encountered, by a lot."

"Okay, see if you can triangulate the source."

"Hey, Reese, how does that clearing look?" Hubbell called out. "I think I can fit her in there."

"Go for it!" Reese said excitedly, then promptly regained her composure.

The ship descended and touched down with a thunk that he felt through the deck. He could also feel the rumble of the engines cease as Hubbell cut power.

"Okay folks, we don't know what's out there so everybody stay alert. Let me know ASAP if there is anything unusual," Hubbell instructed them as she made her way to the airlock.

"Emma, you stay with the ship and keep a monitor on sensors, please," Reese said, patting the artificial on her shoulder.

"Aw mom, I want to go outside and play," she whined theatrically.

Damn was her programming impeccable. Humor had not been what he was expecting. He had done some programming with machine learning at the academy and so understood some of the complexities involved. At least her creators had made her pleasant, as unnerving as that was.

As they reached the airlock, Hubbell drew her pistol and said, "Go to the cargo bay and do your stuff. I'll have a look around and let you know when it's clear to open the big door."

"Be careful," Reese said as she disappeared out the airlock. "C'mon, Chris, let's go get the drones ready and prep the gear."

They reached the small cargo bay, the walls lined with racks of gear and specimens. He desperately wanted to look around and browse the contents of Dr. Phillips, dammit, Reese's, ship. He realized he resented her use of his first name. He was trying to be taken more seriously by going by his honorific. Just because the illustrious Dr. Reese Phillips, PhD. insisted on going by her first name, didn't mean everyone else wanted to, he thought.

"Okay, that crate there has the drones, go ahead and prep them. Coordinate ranges will be pulled from the ship's computer. Check with Emma if you have any trouble." Reese said while starting to unpack and arrange equipment.

The drones were contained in a large, black plastic case four feet long by two feet wide and tall. Dr. Fox unlatched it and lifted the lid. The case was full of fist-sized silver spheres. Resting on top was the control tablet. As he picked up the tablet it flickered to life. Quickly figuring out how to download the coordinates from the ship's computer, he began to program in a search grid.

"Drones are programmed," he informed her a short time later.

There were three resounding knocks on the cargo bay door. Reese hit the control panel and the floor descended, becoming a ramp leading down to the ground beneath the ship. Hubbell stood at the bottom, pistol holstered.

"Looks clear. Just stay alert, though," Hubbell called.

Reese nodded and said, "Chris, get those drones deployed now."

He struggled with the huge case, dragging it down the ramp and onto the stone paved ground. From underneath the ship he could see jungle surrounding them, and the bases of several step-pyramids nearby.

Dragging the case, his back straining and legs trembling, he managed to get it out from under the Falcon. Flipping the lid open, he brought out the tablet, then keyed the activation sequence. The drones began to beep and chirp as they rose into the air. Red lights began to light up, then turn green as each drone began zipping away.

Turning, he jumped and dropped the tablet. Hubbell stood twenty feet away, her pistol drawn and pointed at his head.

"Don't move," she said through gritted teeth.