Impact! Page 16

  Even when Dex’s meteorite said it was high noon, the dalins could only see a faint glow in the dust above their heads. The dust remained so thick that even in the meteorites’ bright lights they could see no more than about two body lengths. When the meteorites used only infrared light they could see a little bit farther, but not far enough to fly safely. Not far enough to hunt, even if any animals were out there. A few parties had gone out and set snares, but they remained empty. Groups which had gone looking for tubers had found a few, but stumbling around in the dust trying to recognize the plants that grew tubers when you could barely see their dust covered leaves proved to be terribly difficult.

  There had been a few areas where many tubers grew, but they were far enough away that walking to them in this desolate landscape was nearly impossible. In the first place, dalins seldom hiked anywhere, so even if they could see and the world had remained green, it would have been difficult for them to find their accustomed tuber digging grounds on foot. In addition, no matter which direction a group set out, they soon encountered a swath of downed trees. If they did try to climb through the devastated forest, by the time they exited the other side, any sense they might have had of where they were going had usually been completely lost.

  More and more, the dalins of the Yetany tribe stayed in the caves, necks drooping, attitudes flat, despair in their eyes. Syrdian’s parent Tanif led a small group out every day to search for vegetables, but hie was one of the few actively working on survival. Most of the Yetany simply lived, complaining about eating smoked zornit for every meal and waiting for the world outside the cave to repair itself.

  Or for someone else to come up with something better to do.

  Or to die.

  Chapter Seven

  Ell felt a little bit guilty that she hadn’t reviewed any of the data from BC4. She’d stolen a couple of moments once to have Allan show her some of the animals he’d captured on video. They all seemed to have six limbs, but in every specimen she’d seen, one pair had nothing to do with ambulation. The middle pair appeared to have transformed into wings in the few flyers where Allan had been able to get good pictures. Initially she’d thought that the first hippo/triceratops-like animal she’d seen had six legs. It turned out that it, as well as the other BC4 herbivores, used its front pair of limbs to bring vegetation to its mouth. In all the animals she’d seen, the mouth was directly attached to the body rather than residing on a neck. The arrangement reminded her a little bit of a crab, including the fact that the front limbs placed food into the mouthparts, instead of the head and neck carrying the mouth to the food. The mouth opened sideways which Ell found a little disquieting. In carnivores, the front limbs trapped or attacked prey, and then the limbs ripped flesh from the vanquished kill. In herbivores the front limbs generally stripped leaves from plants and brought them to the mouth. Eyes were mounted independently on another pair of small limbs which originated just above the mouth. So far, none of the animal life had looked intelligent and she kept thinking that she should let the teecee team know about the new planet so that they could begin studying it.

  However, she really didn’t feel like she’d investigated BC4 as much as she wanted. She was spending too much time worrying about Phil and the teecees. Just now she’d been looking at video and maps Harald Wheat had sent her of an area 1,800 kilometers east of the teecees cave that appeared to be uninhabited. Tribes of teecees lived in a lot of places, but the population wasn’t dense enough to cover every location by any means. Ell worried that there was something wrong with the area Harald had picked out. Some reason, not obvious to them, why no teecees were living there already. But, the temperature was similar and the vegetation looked to be much the same. A stream had swimmers like Syrdian fished for. Ell had even seen a small herd of zornits.

  Even there, 2,100 kilometers from where the comet had struck, the sky and clouds were a dusty brown. The light seemed dim and in fact, Allan’s best assessment of the number of photons striking the cameras was that there had been a significant reduction in the amount of sunlight. Though the temperature was similar right now, the altitude was lower than where Goldie and Silver’s tribe lived on the mountain.

  Maybe none of the teecees lived here because normally it was too warm? If so it could still be a great place for the tribe to live until things got back to normal at their home location.

  Ell chewed her lip. Some of the vegetation had turned brown. Could that be a lack of sunlight?

  Zage came running down the stairs. “Mom!” he said, running over to jump up on the couch next to her. “What’s for breakfast?” His head swiveled to look up at the big-screen. Suddenly distracted, he asked, “Is that TC3 before the comet hit?”

  Ell thought that she should be surprised that Zage had immediately recognized the video as coming from TC3 rather than Earth. But, she wasn’t anymore. The kid frequently knew things about TC3 that she didn’t. “No that’s imagery from yesterday, so it’s pretty current. This is just from a spot about 2,100 kilometers east of the impact so there isn’t as much damage.”

  Zage frowned, “It looks like there’s still quite a bit of dust in the air though, huh?” He shrugged, “But it’s still a lot better than where they live now. Why don’t they move to this spot?”

  “Well, I’m thinking we should suggest it to them. It will be hard for them though. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but they never fly when they can’t see. Probably have a fear of it from running into things in the dark or in fog. We don’t even like to walk fast in the dark for fear of hitting something.”

  “Couldn’t they walk?”

  “Walking is also really hard for them in the dust. They trip over things and move pretty slowly. Going 1,800 kilometers to this new spot would take them an extremely long time because they average less than 10 kilometers a day. At least that’s how fast Allan tracks them when he leads them places near the cave right now. And, as opposed to when Goldie and Silver climbed the mountain, they wouldn’t be able to hunt for food most of the way. They’d have to carry most of their food with them. They might not have enough even after they butchered all those dead zornits.” Ell shrugged, “I think the only way they can do it is to fly. Maybe we can suggest to them that they could fly behind a rocket. They’ve come to trust the rockets pretty well and the rockets can use radar to make sure they’re not about to run into something.”

  “Good idea,” Zage said, dismissing that part of the conversation and focusing back on the screen. “Aren’t a lot of the leaves brown?”

  “Yeah,” Ell sighed, “I’m afraid they’re not getting enough light. Even this far away from the comet’s impact there’s a lot of dust in the atmosphere.”

  “Oh,” Zage said, an intense look on his face as he pondered the problem. Then he turned his face up towards his mother and said, “Couldn’t you ask D5R to hang some ports from balloons to send in extra light from solar parabolic mirrors?”

  Wide eyed, Ell stared at her son.

  ***

  Staring sightlessly out over the dispirited Yetany in the big room of the cave, Dex felt an overwhelming guilt that hie had not been able to work out a solution to this problem. Hie had come to think of himrself as someone who could solve problems, sometimes with the help of the meteorites. But this… mountain sized meteorite… that had crashed into the world, the endless dust, the constant darkness, the depressing sameness of dried zornit at every meal, and the horrible knowledge that someday it would run out…

  His mind had been going in circles for deks now and hie was no closer to a solution. Hie thought fondly back on the trek hie and Syrdian had made up the mountain. At the time their problems had seemed horrific, an insurmountable set of difficulties with no reasonable end in sight—now hie thought of it as hies greatest triumph—yet the challenge had been relatively simple.

  Suddenly hie wondered, could the Yetany climb the mountain like hie and Syrdian had? Maybe there would be clear air up high? Hie got up and walked to the nearest meteorite. As hie
walked there, hie wondered how hie could feel so tired when hie had done so little that day. “Meteorite,” hie asked, “what if we climbed the mountain? Is the air clear up there? Perhaps we could live up there like Syrdian and I did back when you were first with us?”

  For a moment the meteorite said nothing and Dex had time to ponder with some horror the possibility that the meteorite might never speak again. Perhaps it had died? Then it said, “No, the air is very dusty up higher on the mountain also. It is perhaps a bit better than it is down here, but it’s cold and the plants and animals you normally eat are dead or dying. Your entire world has enough dust in the air that the plants everywhere are at least a little bit sick, but it is much better a long way from here.”

  “How far? We’ll start walking tomorrow.” Dex’s hearts had lifted, as much at the prospect of something they could do to better their life, as at the possibility of arriving somewhere better. As hie looked around hie saw that several other dalins had heard what the meteorite said. Their eyes were brighter as well.

  The meteorite said, “It’s nearly as far as you migrate to your summer living place, but to the east rather than to the south. You could not walk there, you would have to fly.”

  “But…” Dex said looking around at the nearby dalins. Hie saw the shock and dismay in their eyes. Hie lowered hies voice and spoke more quietly, “But we can’t fly!” hie said, trying not to sound despondent. “The dust… We can’t see, and when we can’t see we can’t fly. If we can’t see, we crash into things and die.” As hie said it, Dex thought back to a time when as a young dalin hie and several others had flown into a cloud on a dare. Hie had felt certain that hie could fly in one side of the cloud and straight out the other. Instead, to hies great astonishment, hie came out, having obviously turned down-right-low, even though hie had thought hie was flying straight ahead.

  In its toneless voice, the meteorite asked, “Do you think you could follow one of the meteorites? You’d be able to hear the sound it makes when it’s flying, but it could also make its loud shrieking sound for you to follow.”

  Dex’s head drew up and back in startlement. Flying without seeing? By following a sound? The entire idea was so bizarre hie had a difficult time even imagining it. Visualizing how it might actually work—at first it felt impossible. Hie pictured himrself flying, unable to see anything but darkness with a faint brown hue above. Following a sound! Trusting that sound not to guide himr into a tree, mountain, or even the ground! After hies mind had circled through the concept several times hie began to think of it as, not impossible, merely frightening.

  Exceptionally frightening.

  The meteorite said, “I wouldn’t suggest it except I can’t think of any other way for the dalins to get there.”

  Dex realized that hie had never responded to the meteorite’s earlier question, thus leading it to this new statement. “It would be… terrifying.” After a pause, hie said, “I can’t think of a way to travel that far without flying either. But,” hie felt hies own wings lift and ripple slightly with the terror of what hie was about to volunteer for, “I think I should try flying behind you by myself first. We don’t want to lose the entire tribe if this is impossible.”

  “Okay,” the meteorite said, “will you carry me out to the ledge so I don’t have to make my flying noise in here?”

  Dex’s child Fagan said, “I’ll fly behind the meteorite. I think it would be fun! Besides, we can’t afford to lose you, father, if it goes badly.”

  Dex’s wings lifted in dismay at the mere thought. “No! Absolutely not. You are too young! We don’t put children at risk.”

  The cave was silent for a moment, dalins looking back and forth at one another in dismay. Then Malnot said, “He’s right Dex, we can’t risk you! If you die we all die. Far better that one of the other members of the tribe die if this doesn’t work.”

  “The rest of you won’t die just because I die!” Dex exploded, “That’s ridiculous!”

  Malnot stared at Dex as if hie had just said something particularly inane. “No one can do what you do. You… think of answers that no one else has even considered! And the meteorites talk to you! Yes, we could all die because you died. The tribe can’t risk you.”

  Dex glowered at Malnot, “Will you do it then?”

  Malnot shrank down as if cowering away from something particularly fearsome. “No,” hie whispered, “I can’t do something like that. I’m too…” Malnot trailed off, apparently unable to put words to exactly what it was that kept himr from being able to do it.

  Dex said, “Well then, lacking another volunteer, it looks like it’s up to me.”

  Syrdian stood, “I’ll do it,” hie said resignedly

  Despite a great deal of arguing on hies part, Dex found himrself carrying the meteorite out to the ledge with Syrdian, Malnot, Fagan, Rossa and several other tribe members. On the grounds that it put everyone’s life in jeopardy, hie had been stridently shouted down on any proposal that put hies own life at risk.

  Hie had barely set the meteorite down when its squealing sound began and it lifted into the air. Speaking loudly, yet still in its monotonic voice, it said, “I will fly out and up a ways.” It receded away, but Dex could tell that it was lifting somewhat higher in the air as well. Then it said, “Syrdian can you still hear me easily?”

  Syrdian said, “Yes.” They could all hear it without difficulty.

  “If the rest of you will back up to the wall of the ledge, then Syrdian can fly towards me and I will lead himr around in a circle to land back on the ledge. With many of you out on the ledge, I’m worried hie will run into one of you when hie lands.”

  Dex shuffled backwards until hie bumped into the back wall of the ledge. Hie wondered how the meteorite would be able to tell if they all backed up or not. Presumably with the same kind of vision that it was using to lead Syrdian around? Extra infrared vision that could see through the dust?

  In any case, at about the same time that Dex bumped into the wall behind himr. Hie heard the meteorite say, “Okay, fly out towards me. As you come towards me I will back away and lead you in a large circle. I will warn you when it is nearly time to land.”

  Dex presumed that Syrdian must have taken off, because shortly after the meteorite spoke, the sound of it receded even farther and a little bit higher into the muddy sky. Dex’s hearts throbbed with anxiety. Then the sound of the meteorite seemed to move towards the left and eventually to be approaching again.

  In a few centideks the sound of the meteorite flying approached again and Dex thought it might be almost over the ledge. Its voice said, “Okay, I am about to land on the ledge. You are up about three body-lengths… now two… now one and a half… now one… you’re almost down. That looked like a good landing! Are you okay?”

  Assuming that Syrdian would be near the meteorite, Dex rushed towards its voice. As hie approached, hie heard Syrdian say, “I’m okay, but flying like that is terrifying!”

  Hearing that, Dex turned towards Syrdian’s voice and moments later almost collided with himr in the murky air. Throwing hies arms around Syrdian, Dex whispered, “I was terrified for you too.” After a few moments tightly holding hies mate, hie considered what had just happened. “Speaking to the meteorite and anyone else who might be able to hear, Dex said, “Just walking, I almost ran into Syrdian! If more than one of us is flying out here behind the meteorite, we could run into each other even if following the meteorite keeps us from running into a tree!”

  The meteorite said, “Oh. Yeah, that could be a bad problem.”

  Dex felt shocked. Hie had been angry that the meteorite hadn’t told them how they would keep from running into one another, but had not considered the possibility that the meteorite might not know how to keep it from happening! “What… what will we do?” hie said uncertainly.

  Dex heard the squeal that meant the meteorite was lifting up into the air. Its sound receded a little. Then its voice said, “I’ve just turned on one of my lights. Can you see the gl
ow?”

  Dex could indeed see the dust glowing in the direction the voice had come from. “Yes, how far away are you?”

  “Three body lengths. I’m moving farther away. Can you see the glow still? I’m five body lengths away now.”

  “I can still faintly see you, but it’s difficult.”

  “When you are migrating,” the rocket said, “you usually maintain a distance of one to one and a half body lengths from one another in your formations. I’m now one and a half body lengths away. Do you think you could keep formation on another dalin if it was carrying a light like this one?”

  The glow of the rocket’s light had brightened quite a bit and was relatively easy to see, even though details were lacking. It was more like the sun behind the clouds. Dex could easily imagine keeping formation on it though. When they flew in formation, they had a leader with others trailing out to the sides. The trailing dalins could “feel” when they were in the right position because it was easier to fly in that spot just a little behind and to the side. Dex thought that with the light, and the “feel” of the position they should be able to fly in formation. “I think we could, but we should try it with just three dalins before we risk a big group.”

  “Can you carry a meteorite, like you did climbing the mountain when we first met? Then that meteorite could turn on a light and two other dalins can try to fly in formation on you.”

  Dex went back in to get a different harness that had straps with which hie could carry a meteorite on hies back. Shortly, hie had hies old meteorite strapped to himr. Hie knew it wasn’t one of the new meteorites because it didn’t have a large fin sticking off of it. Hie strapped it on upside down so that the end of it which had lights would be nearer to hies trailing formation flyers. Syrdian and Fagan volunteered to fly in formation with himr. For a moment hie considered protesting having so many members of hies own family at risk, but hie didn’t want to get back into another argument like they had before. Dex told the meteorite that they were ready.