The Horicon Experience (27 page)

I guess Delmar has a girlfriend
, thought Stan,
if you can count a pen pal on the computer bulletin board.
Delmar seemed to sense Stan’s gaze and turned around to face his friend.

“What does she have to say?” Stan asked. “I noticed you’re typing a rather long reply.”

“She wants to know all about Ert,” Delmar said.

“And you’re telling her all about it, right?” Stan asked with a grin. “I thought you were tired of talking about your digital friend.”

“I am,” Delmar stammered, “but she needs to know for some sort of school paper she’s writing.”

Stan chuckled and walked over to his locker. His personal gear, already packed for shipping, waited at the foot of his bed. He had only left himself the basic travel kit any trooper maintained.

“So? Are you packed?” Delmar asked. He already knew the answer. The thought that they would soon part ways was not a comfortable one. They’d been together since basic and both had been glad when the institute allowed Delmar to remain on campus while waiting for his new school assignment.

“Yeah, I pretty much have everything boxed up for shipping,” Stan replied.

“Did you make your weight allowance?” Delmar asked. There’d been some concern on Stan’s part about being able to take all of his books.

“I managed to stay just under the limit,” Stan answered. “I’ll ship any extras to the Senders and they’ll forward it to me wherever I’m stationed.”

“That’s good,” replied his friend. “I was afraid you were going to foist the extra poundage off on me!”

“No,” Stan said with a mischievous grin, “I’m just going to leave you to worry about all of this extra furniture.”

“Already took care of that,” Delmar replied to the surprise of Stan. “Jake and Sherry are going to take it back with them to furnish a guest room.”

∞∞∞

“The report is coming in from the
Reacher
now, sir,” the trooper on the comm station reported.

The operations officer grunted and looked over. “Put it on speaker,” he ordered. A moment later, they were able to hear the scout ship.

“I’m coming up on the dark side of the planet,” Captain George Citti reported.

That was normal procedure. When a ship wanted to do a minimum exposure pass over a specific location on a planet, it would use the bulk and shadow of the planet for cover. Swinging around, it would be able to appear over the target and then accelerate without notice on a direct tangent away from the surface.

The noise of nuclear aftershock crackled through the speakers in the monitor section of the great mothership, followed by the distant voice of the scout captain.

“I’m aborting my approach, mothership,” Citti’s voice echoed faintly around the room.

“Say again,” responded the trooper operating the communications panel. “You’re breaking up,
Reacher
. Say again.”

“Breaking up?” Akir Asmed asked George. “We’ve got the new T31/K2 subspace transmitter in this ship. We should be able to transmit a clear signal any distance.”

“Nuclear interference,” George answered. “The very fabric of space is saturated with nuclear interference.”

“Report,
Reacher
,” a voice sounded over George’s headset. “Do you copy?”

“We copy, sir,” George answered. “Stand by.”

George throttled the
Reacher
back and brought her to a hover in space. The scene unfolding before them was unlike anything either he or Akir had ever seen.

“R
eacher
?” the voice called again. “
Reacher
, report.”

George keyed his microphone and cast a sidelong glance at Akir who sat silently stunned in the comm chair of the
Reacher
.

“It’s a complete loss,” George reported.

“Say again,
Reacher
,” the voice ordered. “You’re breaking up.”

“Boost the gain just a touch, Akir,” George requested.

“Yes, sir,” Akir answered solemnly. He adjusted a setting on the comm panel and nodded at George. “Try it now, Captain.”

George keyed his mic again. “Can you hear me now?” George asked.

“Just barely,
Reacher
, but we hear you,” the voice answered. “Your report, please.”

“It’s a total loss, mother,” George responded. “The Red-tail device apparently triggered the detonation of multiple nuclear weapons, all in one place at first, then it appears to have created a chain reaction around the globe. The implosive nature of the Red-tail device is tearing the very fabric of space around the planet, and the force of the exploding nuclear weapons has caused the planet to shift on its vertical axis.”

The crew of the mothership waited in stunned silence, absorbed in the destructive report pouring from their monitor speakers. They’d all witnessed the birth of new planets and the forming of star systems. They’d marveled at the magic of creation. But to witness the death of a planet and of billions of people all at once was sobering, even to the seasoned combat troopers stationed aboard the ship.

The operations officer keyed his mic and asked in a solemn voice, “What is your position,
Reacher
?”

“We’re in stationary orbit around the planet approximately ten thousand miles above the surface, directly over the target area, sir,” George answered. “Visual recorder on. We can’t get any closer.”

“Can’t get any closer?” the operations officer asked. “Why not?”

“The heat, sir,” George answered. “Even at this distance the heat is incredible. The entire planet is an inferno of nuclear heat. I’ll be surprised if the planet doesn’t explode from the intense heat that must be building up at the core. We’re witnessing destruction on a planetary scale, possibly even of the solar system if the force of the space rift shifts the orbits of the other planets.”

“Are there any signs of survivors?” the officer asked, knowing full well there would not be.

“Survivors, sir?” George responded. “No survivors, sir. Any survivors of the initial blasts won’t make it long anyway, sir. They’ll either die of radiation poisoning or freeze to death in nuclear winter. Pockets of tribal survivors may crop up in a few of the primitive jungle and forest regions of the planet, sir, but that’s about it.”

While George and Akir watched from relative safety aboard the
Reacher,
an entire section of land mass of several hundred of miles detached from the western coast of one of the large continents on the planet and slid into the ocean. Entire cities and mountain ranges disappeared under trillions of tons water. The continent itself split in two, sending disastrous amounts of volcanic ash and debris up from fissures in the planet’s mantel. Millions of people were dying right before George and Akir’s eyes and they were helpless to save them.

“I’m turning on the exit tangent now,” George said. “There’s nothing we can do.
Reacher
out.”

The operations officer looked at his fellow troopers. “Stay focused on your jobs,” he ordered. “And if any of you pray, remember to pray for the billions of people, human beings like yourselves that just lost their lives due to political stupidity and ineptitude. May the Unseen One have mercy on their souls.”

He turned toward the hatch. “Let me know when the scout returns,” he ordered. “I’ll be in my office filling out the paperwork.”

∞∞∞

Delmar and Stan showed up early at the institute’s auditorium for the graduation ceremony. Both wore their dress black uniforms, but Stan had his covered by the traditional graduation gown.

“You look a little nervous,” Delmar remarked to his friend. “You’ve faced worse than this, so why worry?”

“This is the first time I’ve ever gone through a graduation ceremony,” Stan answered nervously.

“Not true,” Delmar said. “You graduated from school.”

“Correspondence, just like you,” Stan answered.

“But what about when we graduated from basic?” Delmar asked. “We had the empress herself there.”

“That was easy. All I had to do was march and stand at attention.”

“Well, I have confidence you’ll make it,” Delmar said and clapped his friend on the shoulder. “And if not, it will be fun watching you faint!” Delmar quipped.

“Thanks a bundle, buddy,” Stan said with a smile. “I’ll be sure to fall on you.”

“You’ll have to fall up,” Delmar said, pointing to the seats in the upstairs gallery.

“Delmar?” asked Stan suddenly when his friend turned to go. Delmar stopped and turned back around.

“What is it?” Delmar asked, seeing his friend’s concern.

“It’s just that I thought we’d be going through this together,” Stan stammered. “I’m still not enthused about the idea of us going our separate ways.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Delmar replied. He gripped Stan’s shoulder. “It’s not like we won’t still be friends.”

“Oh, I know that,” Stan said. “But I looked forward to serving together after school. Now we won’t.”

“If you think about it, the chances of them needing two computer experts together were pretty slim anyway,” Delmar remarked. “With my being in a different field, we might even stand a better chance of crossing paths.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Stan said sheepishly. “Well anyway, it’s been a lot of fun working together, and I’m going to miss it.”

“Don’t worry,” Delmar said, his own eyes starting to mist. “You can’t get rid of me this easy!”

A speaker squawked in the background calling the graduates to assemble backstage.

“Sounds like I better go,” Stan said, glancing in the direction the other graduates were headed.

“Yeah, you better,” Delmar said as he turned toward the door leading out to the seating area. “The Senders and I will see you at the reception. Now go break a leg!”

∞∞∞

The graduates marched down the aisle of the packed auditorium onto a wide stage. Delmar and the Senders had a good vantage point from which to watch the procession. To Delmar’s eye, Stan looked a little stiff when he marched past.
The civilians are doing better!
he thought as he watched his fellow trooper’s awkwardness. Everyone endured the traditional address by various dignitaries. President Ebilizer brought the house down with a heart-felt speech.

“We are gathered here to graduate these young people,” he said with little formality, “not to listen to an old man blather. I like long speeches even less now that I’m on this side of the podium, and I’m sure you’ll agree with me. So let’s get on with honoring these graduates. Thank you very much.” The room erupted in wild applause.

Professor Angle presented his class their certificates himself. Stan’s recognition for top honors in the class almost made Delmar squirm with his own inadequacies.
But Stan earned it!
 he thought while he watched.

It occurred to Delmar that this was the end of an era. Their time together was ending and a new future awaited them. Each was on a different path now and only the Unseen One knew how it would turn out.

∞∞∞

Much later that night the Senders dropped the boys off at their dormitory. Wearily, they went upstairs to their room and got ready for bed. It was while he was pulling off his boots that Delmar noticed the message light blinking on his computer. Groaning to himself, he reached over and turned on the machine. After booting up, he accessed the message file. There in large letters was a simple message.

“Hey Stan!” Delmar called to his friend. “Come look at this!” Stan came out of the bathroom with a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. Delmar motioned him over and then turned the monitor so Stan could read the message.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR GRADUATION, STAN. I HAVE ENJOYED OUR TIME TOGETHER HERE AT THE INSTITUTE. LET ME KNOW WHERE YOU ARE SO I CAN CONTACT YOU. DON’T WORRY ABOUT DELMAR. I WILL KEEP HIM IN LINE FOR YOU.

BEST WISHES FROM YOUR FRIEND, ERT

Chapter Twenty

Stan’s orders arrived four days after graduation when they returned from a busy weekend with the Senders at Port Mulvey. Both recognized the envelope from Service Personnel.

TO: Trooper Stan Shane, Mica Computer Training Institute, Mica City, Mica

Your application to the Observation Department has been considered and accepted. Please have the liaison officer for your district obtain copies of your school records and forward them to the Personnel Department as soon as possible. Present these orders to the liaison officer who will arrange transit to your new duty station on Theta.

Major Naskele, Personnel Department

“I’ve been accepted by the Observation Department,” Stan said and shoved the orders into Delmar’s hands. “And I’m on my way to Theta!”

Delmar scanned the single page. Theta had recently built a new depot to strictly handle Watcher ships.

“Looks like you’ll be shipping out soon,” Delmar said. “We better get those books of yours packaged for the Senders.”

Stan grinned at his friend. Their fatigue forgotten, Stan started pulling out the packages while Delmar went to get a cart to haul them to the campus post office.

∞∞∞

Without drawing attention to himself, Ert used the various optical sensors all over the campus. Although the technicians were again plying him with their simple questions, Ert found the observation of the world outside of this building to be much more interesting. A simple subroutine took care of the technician’s questions. This left Ert free to explore more interesting avenues of distraction.

It had only taken him a few tries to learn how to control the optical devices and focus them on things of interest. During one such effort, Ert caught sight of a pair of familiar figures. Magnifying the sensor input, he was able to discern Delmar and Stan carrying boxes on some sort of wheeled conveyance. He watched them make their way across campus where they entered the building that housed the institute postal center.

Slipping into the post office computer through his link to the net, Ert learned that the packages contained personal materials for shipping off campus. This confirmed Ert’s suspicion that the two students were leaving the school. He pondered this for a time and decided that it didn’t mean the end of his involvement with the men. Exploring the postal system’s computer, Ert began to work on ways to access information off campus so he could follow Stan and Delmar wherever they should go.