Dangerous Planet
CHAPTER 14 When Stan counted for about two kilometers behind him, he came across the most unexpected way .... an inverted flygrav with a charred body. It was luck!
"Look, you've found it," Stan muttered in surprise, not really believing his own eyes. But the aircraft did not disappear anywhere and continued to lie motionless, collapsed on the starboard side. Something happily washing under his breath, Stan fired from the plasma radiator into the darkening sky and hastily ran to the flygrav. "At last," he muttered with joyful excitement, stroking the rough side of the device. It is visible by an explosion it was thrown out further than others and it has lighted up. True, only the paint was burnt, and Stan, through the translucent dome, was happy to see that everything was intact inside and the screen was not even broken. It was luck. Incredible luck! Jumping up like a boy, Stan issued a victorious cry, then looked around and ran briskly in the direction where he thought the fragments of the ship he had been looking for were supposed to be. They saw them, running only a few hundred meters. The destroyed cargo compartment lay a shallow low and towered above the trees a dark block. Around him in a variety of places and at very different distances the cargo was scattered. There was everything Stan dreamed about: flygravs, flyers, blasters, magnetic capsules, ground scooters, repeaters and their own cargo, which included anti-grains, which he had been thinking about all this time and much, much more. Of course, all these percentages were broken into ninety, or even completely destroyed. The impact of such a force could withstand only large and medium-sized aircraft, such as flygravs and flyers. Scooters and the rest of the ground technique resembled a useless heap of scrap metal, not to mention other electronic husks. In addition, it was still unknown how the computers of the flygravs suffered the blow, which Stan, to his surprise and great joy, counted as many as three pieces. If they are destroyed, then there was no question of raising aircraft into the air. All this Stan understood perfectly, but the joy of it did not diminish, and he continued to rejoice. After inspecting everything that could be inspected and continuing to revel in himself, Stan decided that it was time to return to Jema. He did not doubt that she, like him, would also be delighted with his discovery. Still would! Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow they will be able to launch a repeater into orbit, and if at least one of the flygravs turns out to be right, they will fly there. In addition, Stan did not forget about the ship crashed accident on this planet and now, when he has a flygrav or at worst a flyer, he can easily fly to the site of the disaster and personally find out what really happened there. Stan was not less interested in it than his own destiny. But, all this will be tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, and now it's time to return to Jema. After patting the flygrav with love, Stan called the hunter, who by that time managed to get into a container, and quickly walked back. He was finally lucky, and Stan was very pleased. The protective dome formed by the field generator, Stan noticed from afar. He sparkled a bluish light and seemed to hover above the ground. Jema, as was to be expected, was inside the dome and was preparing dinner. It looked all very home-like, and Stan suddenly came up with a stupid idea that it was not bad if Jema would continue to prepare for his coming. In this ancient ritual there was something attractive, but what exactly, Stan did not begin to think. "Are you?" Jema asked loudly, hearing his footsteps. "Who else," Stan answered with a pleased note in his voice. "By the way, I was about to worry," Jema said, either seriously or seriously. "Yes, well?" Stan wondered, astonished, stopping a meter from the border of the field. "Precisely," Jema confirmed, after which the translucent wall vanished for a few seconds. "Come in," she said, waving her hand. "I come in," Stan took two steps forward, and the power wall returned to our place again. "Well, how?" after a pause, she asked, pretending that she was busy preparing dinner. It turned out this is not bad for her. "I found it," Stan said with a satisfied smile. "It's very close." "Are you serious?" Jema smiled and touched his arm for a moment. "Yes. The cargo compartment is just a kilometer away from this place," muttered Stan, staring at us howling the hand Jema had just touched. This touch caused him a rather strange sensation, and he listened with surprise to him. "Are you tired?" Jema asked cautiously, deciding for some reason that Stan was going to stand there until the morning. "Yes, well ... not very," Stan lowered himself onto the transparent floor and seemed to hang in the air. "I just thought about it," he added, noticing that Jema was looking at him curiously. "I too," she smiled and quickly sank down beside him," will you eat?" Jema asked, feeling an incomprehensible stiffness. Stan silently nodded and silently took from her a sandwich, which Jema had prepared a whole bunch during his absence. "Do you like it?" she asked a second later, wanting to break the steady silence. Despite the fact that they were reliably protected by the force field Jema, nevertheless, great nervousness, while Stan examined the next section of the road. If the walls around her from all sides were not so transparent, she might feel much more comfortable and relaxed, and so ... sit and see how a few meters away from you something crochet or silently slides in the rare grass was quite difficult . In addition, in the forest twilight fell and sounds and noises began to appear, which were not in the daytime. All this together did not add to Jema's confidence and she, shuddering nervously grabbed the gun every time, the code cracked the branches or some other suspicious sound. And only Stan's measured movement of jaws mixed with his satisfied sighs somewhat calmed her, and at times caused even a smile. If it were not for him ... however, without Stan, Jema would not even have climbed out of the wreckage of the ship. "Foo," Stan gasped, raising his tired eyes to her. "All right," he added with satisfaction, drawing out his legs that were buzzing with fatigue. Jema asked, sitting down in Turkish. "Now, I think I'll burst," Stan answered, picking his teeth. Jema smiled and straightened her hair. "Tomorrow we will have to work hard," Stan said, throwing a rather indifferent glance at her. "Ah," Jema said, wondering why she could not think of anything else. "Yes," Stan confirmed, remembering, for some reason, about Shirra. "Has anything survived?" Jema asked, packing the food in a kind of backpack. "Yes," Stan changed his position and looked at her carefully. "That is all we need," he added with a satisfied smile. "Can we get out of this planet?" Jema quickly asked, stopping for a moment to sort through the cans and bags. "Certainly," Stan said after a pause, "even more, Jema ... we can fly to the orbit of the planet and wait for the rescue ship there." True, he paused for a moment and thoughtfully passed his cheek over his cheek. Jema was immediately alert, and Stan saw her tense. "No, everything is in order in this plan," he reassured her. "There is enough equipment and outwardly it has not bad suffered a blow from a collision with the surface of the planet. One flygrav burned, but the others look quite normal. If computers are not refused, then we count at home. "And if ...?" Jema did not finish and nervously bit her lip. "Well," Stan sniffed gloomily and looked at the toe of his boot. "Then we put the repeater in orbit, and we'll wait for help downstairs. This, of course, is much more dangerous, but we have no other way out." Jema silently appreciated his words and said: "Let's hope that we're lucky." "You have to be lucky," Stan said confidently, thinking that the on-board computers could well have survived. "Wait a minute," she called out to Jema. "Well?" "How much time do we have to spend there ... I mean the compartment where Jill and Shirra are staying or ... here?" she finished, stammering. "It depends on many circumstances," Stan answered with a shoulder. "First we need to collect anti-graves, tie them to the platform, unblock the transponder ... and that's if we find a sufficient number of serviceable anti-graves." "And if not?" Jema asked sharply. "If," "If," Stan mocked her irritably. "Tomorrow we'll go and find out," he added, no less harshly than Jema asked. "Well, that's enough for that." Stan pulled out the blaster and laid it down next to you. "Let's sleep, Jema." I'm tired, and you, too," Stan closed his eyes and pretended that he was going to fall asleep. Jema nodded, but she still remained seated. For some time, she studied Stan with curiosity then changed her position and, as if summoning up courage, she called him again. "Stan?" "Well?" he did not open his eyes, he grunted. "Let's talk," Jema asked. "What?" "I'm getting nervous when you're silent," Jema explained. "So, do you think I'm going to talk all the time?" Stan opened his eyes for a moment and looked at her in surprise. "No ... but ... but ..." Jema blushed and ran a hand through her hair. "You could tell me something ... and in general!" "There's nothing else for me to do." Stan grunted and gathered, turning his back to her. "Well, Stan," Jema exclaimed, grabbing his hand. "If you do not want to talk, just sit with me." "Can I lie down?" Stan asked grimly. "I can," she nodded, "but do not go to sleep." "Stan wanted to swear, but he restrained himself and decided to wait until the tiredness would bring Jema to sleep. "Excuse me, Stan," Jema said hastily, afraid that he might be angry with her. "You do not even know how frightened I was." "You were inside the dome all the time?" Stan asked. "Yes, no." Jema waved her hand and thought for a moment, "when Sean died," she explained. "It was the end. Do you understand me, Stan?" Jema looked hopefully at Stan, but he only scratched his ear. "You do not know what it's like to be alone." "Oh, Jill?" Stan asked. "Yes, Jill," Jema winced and looked thoughtfully through the transparent wall. "She was in shock, and she could not even talk to her. Loneliness was such that even though a wolf howled from despair." "Wolf?" Stan asked curiously. "Yes, a wolf," Jema repeated. "It's such an animal." "I understand," Stan nodded and closed his eyes again. "But you appeared," Jema continued with a gentle smile, "you and Shirra. "And what?" Stan grumbled. This conversation bothered him at the very beginning, but he decided to endure. "I realized that there was hope," Jema concluded, and again looked at him, but her look was now somehow strange and Stan, if he could see it, said – frightening. "Nothing," he said with a sigh, wanting to reassure her. "Everything will be all right." "It will," Jema repeated without a second thought. "What planet are you from?" she asked suddenly. "I?" asked Stan, and he wondered what planet he was from. "Yes." "I was born on Totock," he said after a pause. "A strange name." "Right," Stan agreed, "but I somehow do not care. I have not been there for a long time and I will not go there in the near future." "And I'm from Dorlev," Jema said with a sigh for some reason. "Is it in the Dog Dogs?" Stan asked. "Yes," Jema nodded affirmatively and looked at him curiously. "I had to go there," Stan said slowly. "Long?" "Twenty years ago." "Oh," Jema said, shaking her head, "I have not been around for a long time. "How is it almost?" Stan asked. "I've altered the genetic code," Jema explained briefly and looked away. "Oh," Stan said thoughtfully. "You're one of those ..." he did not finish and looked pointedly at her. "No, you," Jema retorted hastily. "I just crashed in the genetic program." "Oh," Stan said again, and thought that it was long overdue to sleep. "You want Jema, but I go to bed," he said and still turned his back on her. "But ..." Jema hesitated and looked at his head. Then she turned her gaze to the night forest, lit by the faint light of the stars, and her mouth twisted with disgust. How she hated this planet! But there was nothing to be done, and she cautiously lay down next to Stan. He did not even move and pretended to be asleep. "Well, let it be," Jema thought irritably, not knowing exactly who or what it was about her "well, let her". That and to Stan, or to someone else's planet. When Jema finally fell asleep and in a dream clung to Stan, the hunter, who was all this time near their camp, went around his temporary possessions. Carefully moving on thin limbs, he slid in a noiseless shadow among the rare grass, and already ten meters from the border of the power dome he met a creature whose immobility, shape and color resembled a piece of bark falling off from a tree. And when he was only two meters away, the hunter, without hesitation, inflicted a telepathic blow. The creature still immobile was thrown into the air with force and flattened against the tree branch. But the hunter, not paying attention to it, continued to build up the force of the blow and stopped doing this only after a darkish liquid began to flow from the crushed creature with a trickle. Hunter immediately removed the field and a lump of chewed meat clattered deafly in front of him. One of the eyes of the hunter rolled to this lump and, as if with curiosity, he began to examine it. Then he quickly returned to the rest of his eyes on the hunter's back, and the latter, waddling, headed back to the camp. | |
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