Daughters Of A Coral Dawn Part 11

"Breathable," I shouted. "Breathable air! Twenty-one point-"

"Full EV gear," Ross ordered impa.s.sively, as I knew he would. Commanders become commanders by being cautious, not adventurous or optimistic.

We donned our EV suits, Hanigan included, although he would remain on board for this code four landing and cover us with the EV's weaponry.

The clearing on all sides of us remained empty, vegetation stirring in vagrant breezes. The men scanned the clearing anxiously; I busied myself with taking further atmospheric and soil readings, increasingly elated as optimum figures registered on all my gauges.

"Attention Cruiser EV niner-niner-one" said the cool precise voice, "Our scanners detect electron-charged weapons on board your ship. You are required to deenergize these weapons."

Ross said, his lips thin and tight, "We come in peace. We will not disarm until we are certain of your intentions."

"We greet you in peace. This is our world and you will not be allowed on it unless you disarm your weapons."

I ventured to Ross, "They're not asking that we destroy them, Commander. Only deenergize."

"She's right," Coulter rasped. "We can bring them to power again in less than an hour, Jim."

"What choice do we have?" Hanigan, as usual, had gone to the heart of the matter.

Ross glared at Hanigan and said tersely into the transmitter, "Terms accepted." He said to us, "But first, for security I want all this gra.s.s around us burned off. Hanigan, burn it."

Hanigan had cut the first swath when we were momentarily blinded by the flash of a laser beam over our EV.

"The next burst will strike you. Cease fire immediately. Gra.s.s cover is vital to the ecological survival of this area."

"s.p.a.ce bilge," growled Coulter.

"Acknowledged," Ross said into the transmitter, barely concealing his fury. "We cease fire."

Working the switches in tandem, we disarmed the two electron guns. Ross seized the transmitter. "Cruiser EV niner-niner-one} we have disarmed as you demand."

*"We pick up small weapons readings."

"Sidearms only," Ross protested. "Request we be allowed to retain these. We may need them for hunting, food-gathering."

The voice was flat. "Killing for food is not necessary and not allowed. Disarm these weapons."

"Acknowledged." Ross siammed down the transmitter. "Do it," fie ordered us. "d.a.m.n them, we'll have our day .. ."

As I drained the power pack of the last weapon, a wide scope rifle, the receiver crackled, "Cruiser EV niner-niner-one, you may disembark upon Maternas."

Maternas. The word echoed in me as we donned our headgear and lowered the ramp. My mind was filled with the images I'd absorbed as we had descended to this coral world: great seas, continent ma.s.ses covered with vegetation and magnificent mountain ranges and glaciers and volcanoes ... a varied and fascinating world. I was consumed with curiosity about its inhabitants, hopeful that they would be Earth-like in these Earth-like conditions, like the inhabitants of Verna-III. With language synthesizers in existence for over two hundred years it was not startling that they communicated in our languagea"but out here? There could be no such undiscovered civilization out here. This corner of the galaxy had been sketchily charted, but indeed charted. I had detected no visible technology even as we'd descended to the surface. But then, as we all knew, the Service did have its secrets. Perhaps this was one of our military observation bases, camouflaged and clandestine, on this far distant outpost of the galaxy. But a woman, to command our landing? That wasn't possible . ..

Sifting these thoughts, I followed the men down the ramp and set foot on the lovely world of Maternas, and saw coming toward us six hovercraft.

We stood in our ceremonial row at the foot,of the ramp and stared as the six craft landed in a semi-circle and only women debarked. There was no sign of weapons, no indication that this was either a ceremonial or military delegation. They wore pants and shirts mostly, a few trouser suits and tunics. A distinguished-looking older woman was clad in a blue robe; her fingers moved dextrously over the sensor-plates of a manual recorder. Another woman flung a silver cape imperiously over a shoulder and stood with hands on hips to contemplate us, her lips pursed disapprovingly.

They gathered around, staring at us as we gaped at them. They were handsome women, some much more than handsome. I can only speculate how we must have appeared to them, standing at attention in our white EV suits trimmed in navy and red, navy blue boots on our feet, oxygen helmets on our heads, our shoulders emblazoned with the flags of the Americas.

A gnome of a woman with enormous b.r.e.a.s.t.s stepped forward. She wore a green robe under a green cape which hung slightly askew; she pushed it back impatiently, causing the cape to hang even further askew.

This extraordinary personage looked us over with wonderfully vivid green eyes and then spoke the first direct words uttered between us and the inhabitants of this world: "Take off those silly hoods," she said.

"You look perfectly ridiculous."

*I unsnapped my helmet; I would no more have disobeyed her than my own mother.

"Lieutenant!" Ross bellowed at me.

"Why not?" Hanigan said. "We'll have no choice eventually, Jim."

Glaring at me, Ross ordered, "All personnel shall remove their helmets."

A murmur arose from the women as my hair cascaded over my white-clad shoulders. I breathed in air that was sweet, warm, delicious. Then the gnome of a woman said to me, "h.e.l.lo, my dear. Are you by any chance heteros.e.xual? It would be so nice to have another on the planet."

Struck momentarily dumb by this question, I could only croak, "Who are you?"

She shrugged. "You, my dear, may call me Mother."

"Great Grimaldi," Coulter said in a husky, stunned whisper.

"Grimaldi?" The gnome who called herself Mother turned to the distinguished woman clad in the blue robe.

"Twenty-first century United States president," the woman said.

"Of course, Minerva," Mother said. "I must be getting senile."

Ross squared his shoulders and attempted to gain some control over this surreal situation. "Madam, I am James Ross, Commander of Cruiser of the Americas nine-nine-one, and this is my crew. Our navigator, Colonel Rolf Coulter." Coulter stepped forward and bowed awkwardly. "Our systems engineer, Colonel Roger Hanigan." Hanigan stepped forward, fumbling with his headgear, eyes darting over the women. "Our exobiologist, Lieutenant Laurel Meredith." I also stepped forward, irresistibly smiling at the gnome of a woman who winked at me as if this were a joke shared by only the two of us.

"It would be tiresome to introduce us all," Mother told Ross. "And there is only one name you need to know." She called, "Megan? Where are you, dear?"

A tall slender woman strode forward, dressed in black pants and a white shirt. I sensed immediately that she had remained at the rear of the group to scrutinize us, and I somehow also knew instinctively that she was the woman of bell-like voice who had commanded our landing and disarming.

Even among these women she was exceptional. She looked at us with rectangular eyes identical in color to Mother's, and to a ring I worea"emerald, my favorite of all Earth stones. Her eyes were interested and coolly curious as they surveyed me, lingering on my hair which is my one physical pride, its length apparently not the custom here; the hairstyles on these womena"including her own dark haira"were simple, shoulder-length at most, utilitarian. I stared at her; she was the most arresting woman I had ever seen.

*"I am Megan."

If Ross had also been affected by her presence, it was not now visible. Immediately his posture a.s.sumed belligerence; he also had recognized the bell-toned voice. Booted feet spread widely apart, gloved hands on his hips, he glowered at her and asked peremptorily, with a trace of contempt, "Where are your men?"

The green-eyed womana"Megana"crossed her arms and with an impish and attractive grin looked expectantly down at Mother. But Mother merely gave Megan's arm an absent pat; she was examining Ross.

Ross is not tall, but his burly swarthiness, his dark thin hair cut close to his scalp, his flat black eyes, have always reminded me of a portrait I once saw of ancient times, of a Tartar spurring a horse across the Russian Steppes. Mother's expression told me that she found Rossa"for lack of another worda"unsavory.

Ross repeated, "Where are your men?"

"We are of a species," Mother said sk>wiy, her bright eyes fastened on Ross, "that devours the male after mating."

The women roared with laughter and so did I, irresistibly; until Rossa"taken aback as were all the mena"

recovered himself. "Lieutenant!" he bellowed.

I found it difficult to stand at attention while all these women around me continued to laugh, but I did my best.

"Madam," Ross grated, "I see no reason for the levity of youra""

"Phosh," Mother said witheringly. "Did we ask you here?"

"Our ship," Ross protested. "A particle storm strucka""

"A particle storm?" Flinging her silver cape over a shoulder, the imperious woman I had noticed before strode forward, formidably handsome in her maturity. She demanded, "How could anyone be stupid enough to be caught in a particle storm?"

"The matter is complex," muttered Ross, his face dark and suffused with fury as the women again roared with laughter. "How could any of you possibly understand ora""

"Commander," Megan interrupted. Her glance had just left me; I knew that she had seen my amus.e.m.e.nt at Ross's helpless rage. "Commander," Megan said, "this woman who gives you honor by speaking to you is esteemed Hera, an astrophysicist."

"But if you were stupid enough to get caught," Hera continued inexorably as if never interrupted, "then proper precautions should have minimized your damage."

*I heard this with bitter satisfaction; and I noticed that Coulter and Hanigan had focused their gazes carefully downward. So Ross's actions had been inappropriate, born of panic. As I had suspected.

"I took the decision which my best judgmenta""

"Details," Mother interrupted, her hand raised in a command for silence. "Bore the girls with all that, not me. I've been trying my best to be civil but. .." Pulling her cape around her, she said, "I know you girls can manage," and stalked off, a phalanx of strong young women surrounding her in a ceremonial if informal guard.

"Who are you?" Ross demanded angrily of Megan. "What are you doing here? Where are your cities? Your towns? Your-"

"You were not invited here," Megan said evenly. "We are under no obligation to answer any of your questions."

"Just a minute, youa""

"Food will be provided, also your other reasonable requirements. You may not leave this area without permission."

"Now just a minute, you can'ta""

As Ross took half a step forward a dozen women surrounded him, silver rod-like objects in their hands trained on him.

Megan said easily, "I'm certain Commander Ross did not intend to be foolish.".

Ross stepped back and squared his shoulder?. "How long," he asked stiffly, "do you intend to keep all of us confined? And uninformed?"

"Until we decide. Lieutenant Meredith?"

I started at my name and rank as spoken by the cool and melodious voice.

"You may accompany us if you wish. However, if you do so you may not return to your ship until our decisions are made." '

I said without hesitation, "My duty is to remain."

She nodded, and added to that a brief glance which seemed approving.

Ross said, "Decide what?"

*Megan looked at Ross, and apparently felt no need to reply.

"To kill us? Is that what you need to decide?"

"We could have performed that act at any time," she said softly.

"We're your captives. Your prisoners,"

"Until we decide the conditions of your release."

"How long?"

"Very possibly a long time, Commander." She turned from us and walked away, followed by all her companions.

The hovercraft soon departed, rising over the sharply canted hills. Ross watched until their craft disappeared. "Lieutenant, perhaps you'd want to . . . run further tests."

It wasn't a question; he hadn't called me Laurel as he usually did. The men boarded the EV and I busied myself with gra.s.s and soil samples. It wasn't the first time I'd been excluded from their discussions, but under these circ.u.mstances it was less infuriating. My separatenessa"my female-nessa"had become even more visible, my allegiance suspect under the domination of female captors who had granted me permission, however conditional, to join them.

Also, I didn't mind this particular ostracism because I needed to sort through my own perceptions. But I couldn't extract much coherency from, a turmoil of mind crowded with images of these confident women, especially the strong and purposeful woman named Megan . . . Never had I conceived of women in ascendancy over men, much less with such ease of control. My ostracism increasingly rankled as I packed my samples; soon unaccustomed anger grew out of my resentment. In defiance of Ross's implied order I stalked aboard the EV.

As I'd expected, Ross and Coulter and Hanigan were in discussiona"heateda"which abruptly halted as I entered.

"I'm a member of this crew" I stated to the scowling Ross, "and if I'm not to be included in your discussions and decisions under these extraordinary circ.u.mstances, then advise these women that I accept their offer."

"Now wait a minute, Laurel," Hanigan said with the facile smile I hated. "I was just making that very point to Jim."

"He was indeed," Ross said smoothly. "And we're all in agreement about it. Sit down, Laurel. Join us."

"We didn't want to worry your pretty head," Coulter rasped.

*For a thousandth time I reminded myself of Coulter's rank, and held my tongue. Their sudden conciliation did not deceive me; I cynically wondered what use they'd been plotting to make of me. But I asked, "Who do you think they are?"

Ross answered, looking at me shrewdly, "Stories circulated some few years ago about a group of women taking a ship and leaving Eartha""

"I heard all the stories." Coulter's voice rose, obviously in resumption of an argument. "They were all officially denied. And anyway, no ship could escape our pursuit craft."

"So they told us it never happened," Hanigan sneered. "I never believe anything I'm told by our sacred government."

"I saw filmed evidence, Rolf," Ross said to Coulter. "An ore carriera""

"Doctored film, a hoax."

"Rolf," Hanigan said, "there's a ship orbiting this planet that looks big enough to be an ore carrier from what I could tell."

"They claimed they blew it up at the EC," Ross said. "And I did see the film."

"Maybe that's the part of the film that was doctored," Hanigan said.