The CHANGI BULLET

Chapter 28 - In Orbit

As they orbited the planet, there was a scientific conflab at the cockpit door, as everyone with any technical input to offer discussed the battery situation. The batteries were fully recharged, the Izzati was 100% operational. It had just been a disconcerting situation to have all their stored energy seep away so rapidly into the planet's surface, for whatever reason.

Professor Birney put in, 'If the planet has a strong magnetic pull, it could drain the power out. I feel it's risky if we go in again to land. We might not be able to get away again.'

Farrah and Toto suggested ways to divert the battery power, just prior to landing – send more into Charles' greenhouse energy system. Maybe it would be retained better there while they were temporarily on the ground. Inggrid pointed out that the energy displaced while the ship had been in neutral, so there was nothing to suggest they could retain it by moving it around.

Ari sat and listened quietly to all the arguments.

In the Mess, Cerys was, literally, in a mess. She was still terribly upset to have left Ezra and Dr Ghosh behind in that appalling way. At the time, before she knew the seriousness of the moment, she had been yelling for them to wait.

Everybody else sat about, morose. As they orbited, waiting on the "brains" to figure it out, they were very sad to have left two colleagues behind in a strange world. They each wondered what Ezra and Dr Ghosh were going through; whether they were safe or in great danger. Dr Haller tried to stay positive, missing his fellow physician, and Roach and Medina tried to keep their own morale up without the boss being there.

Medina did his best to care for Cerys. He continually made her cups of tea (and occasionally made a nice one). He told her not to fret, that they would collect the two of them soon. Ezra was definitely the right man to keep them alive down there for a few days. Then they would all go on to find a better home. Cerys appreciated his sweet efforts to cheer her up, but her mood remained miserable.

They didn't know it, of course, but Ari and Ezra had exactly the same thought, at the same time. From Ari's point of view, if they were going to move on to the next target planet, then it was irresponsible to hazard the Izzati by picking up two crew members who were fundamentally not important to the overall scheme.

Ezra was out hunting lunch. Squatting in the shrubbery, watching and waiting, he suddenly realized that he and Ridhima were expendable. At some point, Ari would have to come to the conclusion to abandon them and move on – like crew overboard from a ship trying to stay with a convoy during wartime. He decided not to mention his thoughts to Ridhima, unless it became obvious that nobody was ever coming back for them.

Ezra was less impressed with the smaller creatures that came into his sights. They would not be worth skinning and cooking. He had hoped something like a pig would wander along, but clearly no such creature had evolved there, not even a snail pig. With his stomach rumbling, he was left with no choice but to target a snail cow.

He picked out one that was off on its own. He switched his rifle from automatic fire to single shot, and took aim. He put a round right straight through the creature's forehead, and it sank down dead onto its sucker lower half. Ezra stood up and slung his rifle over a shoulder. He brought out his lock-knife as he approached the carcass.

As he butchered off chunks of still warm snail cow, the stench was so overpowering that he almost vomited twice. He thought, where's a survival expert when you need one? Finally, he stood from his grim task, washed his bounty in the nearby river, and returned to base camp.

'Hi, Ezra!' called Ridhima. 'Did you have any luck? I've been busy building up rocks into a fire base, and I crafted a barbecue grill from wire off the jeep.'

Ezra glanced at the jeep, wondering what wire she had decided to cannibalize. 'Look!' He playacted seeking approval for his hunting prowess. 'I have provided.'

She whooped with delight and skipped over to see what was in his backpack. Her black hair was loose, and she had begun to relax. Camping was a total novelty for her but, apart from the giant mosquitoes, she was feeling okay with it all. She had no control over what the Izzati would or wouldn't do next, so she had stopped worrying about it. Still, she stopped Ezra from taking out the steaks with a hand to his chest, and they scanned the sky, as it was time for the Izzati to come over again.

'Farrah!' cried Ridhima, and they both grinned. 'Is that joke getting old?'

'No, it never gets old.'

'Right, I guess we are both starving. Let me cook the steaks.'

He was more than happy to let her do the cooking. He propped his rifle against a wheel of the jeep and sat himself down. He took his boots off and then watched Ridhima cook the steaks.

As she was turning them for the first time, she suddenly paused and looked at him. 'This isn't snail cow, is it?'

Ezra panicked slightly. 'Oh, my God, you don't eat beef.'

'Ezra, don't worry. I am Hindu, I don't eat beef. But this is an alien animal, and we are starving. I was just thinking...really? Smelly snail cow?'

'Well, all animals smell when they're out in the field. Enough talk. Hungry.'

'How do you like your steak?'

'On a plate would be nice. With a nice glass of red.'

As the Izzati continued to orbit the planet, Cerys could contain herself no longer. Up she stormed to the cockpit. Roach was standing there, on guard, which cooled her heels a fraction.

'Can I see Ari, Roach?'

He politely waved her in. Ari was talking with Inggrid.

'Hi, you two. Can I ask what's happening, please? We're hearing nothing downstairs.'

It was Inggrid who turned in her seat. 'Cerys, we think we've damaged the battery capacity. However, we've done the calculations and we feel we can get down to the surface for the briefest of moments, to try to collect our missing colleagues.'

'Well, that's great.'

'But, it's touch and go. It's relying on them being ready to rush aboard. What if we can't raise them, as we come in?'

'If I was there, I would be watching out constantly. I'd be ready.'

'Ari has a different plan.'

Cerys turned to Ari. 'Which is?'

Ari shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. 'Professor Birney has reported on his samples. The water is of high quality. But the soil is extremely low grade. Of course, we've not been able to take samples from other locations. But with the strange battery phenomenon, I feel it may be time to move on.'

'Move on?' asked Cerys. 'You mean just forget them?'

'Dr Ghosh and Mr Walker are not vital to the mission, at this late stage.'

'You're saying...you're saying...that they are of no consequence? How callous is that, Ari?'

'It's not callousness. It's simply a matter of expediency. We have wasted days on unprofessional sentimentality.'

She was shocked. She violently pushed her hair off her forehead, that's how shocked she was. 'That's bullshit, Ari. We came all this way with them. We should at least try to get them back. We owe them a shot. We can't just leave them to die.'

Ari rubbed his face. 'They may survive.'

'Oh, whatever.'

Cerys had a valid point, but his responsibility to the mission was paramount.

'I'm sorry. We move on.'