Helix Wars by Eric Brown Read Free Book Online

ago.
    “And the problem?”
    “Oh, Yankari-Kranda, there is no problem, as such.”
    “In that case... routine maintenance?”
    The major inclined her head. “Routine maintenance,” she said. “You will head a team with jurisdiction over the dozen subterranean access points.” She handed Kranda a softscreen. “Their positions are detailed in the notes, which I’d like you to assimilate before you meet your team. It is midday at the latitude which is our destination. I will show you around the base-site, and later I’ll introduce you to your team.”
    The major glanced at her. “You look a little... disappointed, Yankari-Kranda?”
    Kranda smiled. “Not at all, Major. I’m honoured to be part of your team.”
    Lan’malan smiled. “All of us aboard this ship have had to start somewhere, Yankari-Kranda. I began as a lowly clerk, would you believe? I was in charge, for ten years, of softscreen data-storage – and you cannot imagine how dull a job that was. It wasn’t until I reached thirty that I was promoted to field duties, and even then they were menial.”
    The major was right – she had no reason to be disappointed. She might be on nothing but routine inspection duty now, but she had been promoted and she was working aboard a premier interworld vessel under a highly respected Engineering Corps Major. She would put her head down, work hard, and in time would come the better postings.
    She considered what Lan’malan had said. “May I ask when the access points were last inspected, Major?”
    “To my knowledge, ten years ago, Yankari-Kranda. Ah,” she went on. “We are approaching the base-site.”
    Ten years, Kranda said to herself as the ship decelerated with a loud diminuendo of main drives. The average inspection cycle of subterranean access points was twenty-five years, so why now?
    The Fighting Coyti came down in a jungle clearing as wide as a city plaza. The comparison was apt, given that the clearing was surrounded by what looked like a makeshift city of bubble domes and inflated access tunnels. As Kranda stared out, she realised that there must be hundreds – make that thousands – of people down there, going about their business with little regard for the landing of the leviathan amongst them. The arrival of an interworld ship in any city on Mahkana would have been cause of much curiosity, and crowds would have gathered to watch it land. Here it went unremarked, just another arrival amid hundreds. Kranda saw fleets of fliers and flitters coming and going, and ground-effect vehicles beetling along makeshift tracks heading into the jungle.
    If this was an uninhabited world, undergoing routine maintenance, then why the overkill of personnel? She had worked on other maintenance projects which had employed just tens of Engineering staff.
    And that was another thing, she thought. The crowds out there didn’t belong just to the Engineering Corps. As the interworld ship settled, she made out the uniforms of at least half a dozen different Mahkan scientific teams. Climatologists, geologists, biologists... among others she didn’t recognise.
    “Come on,” the major said. “I’ll give you that guided tour I promised.”
    They left the major’s suite and made their way through the ship. Personnel passed them, saluting the major and glancing curiously at Kranda.
    The air of this world was thick, humid, and the heat hit them like a warm, wet cloth. The major smiled at Kranda’s reaction. “It does take some getting used to,” she said. “Don’t exert yourself. Take big, deep breaths.”
    The midday sunlight beat down mercilessly. Kranda felt like sitting down and drinking pints of ice-cold water. Instead the major was leading her down a corrugated plastic road rolled out across the clearing. The road branched off, leading to various domes and dwellings.
    “Admin and supplies,” the major said. “There’s the recreation block, sleeping quarters for when you’re back in town, canteen,