Canticle Blue

31. Lost Ship

Music - Angels Of the Deep by Raphael
(Hearts of Space Universe 4)

Long before Pa'Keh and Ip reached the Terreska, they could see its rotation. The patterns of its mottled and weathered surfaces slowly changed in the constant light of Havel's sun, and its six engine cones spun continuously like jewels on a bracelet. It was drifting aft-side down, at a steep angle relative to the orbit of Innis. As they had hoped, it was still intact. Less hopefully, when they were able to calculate its trajectory, they found that the ship would be in very close proximity to Innis in less than three weeks. The timing of the next mission would have to be moved up.

When the two Middi reached the ancient vessel, it looked large enough to be an odd shaped planet rolling through space. Their first inspection of the of the hull showed some evidence of micro-meteor impacts and large areas of oxidation, but no major damage. As they maneuvered the Castel near the three huge main-engine cones, they found what appeared to be a rectangular service door between them. It was not clear if the door control mechanism had ever been powered, but it did have a manual lever to slide the door sideways in small increments.

Because communication with the island would soon be lost due to the planet's rotation, Pa'Keh sent a radio message. "Castel to mission: We will be sending all of our current Terreska data soon, but we have an urgent request. We have found a way into the ship, but one of us will have to gain entrance manually. We believe it will be vital to the next mission to learn more about what is inside. Please advise."

Os Andis replied from the radio room, "Acknowledged, Pa'Keh. I'll call the team leaders and get back with you as soon as possible. What do you want me to tell them about the reason for your request?"

"He answered quickly, "We believe the Terreska could impact the surface of Innis soon. We will be making preparations as we wait for your decision."

After a few minutes, Os called back, "Mission to Castel: You have permission. But we urge extreme caution. Also, try to be mindful of any atmosphere left in the Terreska for future missions. Several of the team leaders will be arriving here shortly and will monitor all your transmissions from now on."

He replied, "Acknowledged, Os. Ip will attempt to enter, then. I will keep transmitting as long as I can."

Shortly after the message, Ip left the Castel and glided to the service door. She
moved the lever slightly and watched the opening as a small cloud of dust emerged. She was about to close the door again when the amount of dust feeding the cloud decreased and then stopped. At that point she called the Castel. "Pa'Keh, I think it is acceptable to proceed inside. I am sure there will be another door, so I will close this one behind me."

"Agreed, Ip. Please keep talking and sending images. If you don't hear me calling you back, it will mean that the interior walls of the Terreska are blocking our signals."

Once inside, Ip illuminated the interior using the E-matter latticework in her wings. As she closed the outer door she began to describe her situation, "There are very large engine components, tanks, and pipes here. There is no light, so I am making my own."

Pa'Keh called back, "I can still hear you, Ip, and am currently seeing what you're seeing. But your signal strength has diminished by forty-six percent with the door closed."

"She responded, "Your signal is weaker as well. I will try to increase mine without causing distortion. There is a large corridor in the distance ahead of me, possibly leading to the habitats. I am moving toward that now. Since I know you want me to keep talking, I will describe my...impressions. Perhaps they will be like stories. I know you like stories.

"Yes, Ip, I would certainly like to hear your impressions."

"I think my current environment is one which could be described as...'ominous.' I
am moving down the corridor now, and that is part of the impression. I cannot see its end yet, and there is no light but my own. Also, there is no air, and no sound except what you say to me. Everywhere there is floating dust and small pieces of debris. As they slowly tumble and spin, they move in and out of the light in...'ghostly' fashion. If I needed to breathe to survive, I could not. And I am surrounded by things which are so gigantic and shadowy that, were I inclined to doubt my significance, I might do so. Although I perceive no threat, my self-preservation directives repeatedly prompt me.

"And yet, I can describe another impression, accompanying the first one. It is a heightened, yet positive, awareness of... anticipation, because this is indeed a great ship with a history which could be called glorious. So much so that, even though I am small and alone, it is as if there is an underlying benevolence here, and even a...wish by something extremely old that, although it regards itself as if dead, it might live again through contact with others. And with a renewed proximity to life, as it was in ancient times, it could learn to reclaim some measure of its own youth."

Pa'Keh paused before responding, wanting to be sure that Ip was finished with her description. "Ip, I have recorded your very memorable story and saved it. I certainly think the islanders will want to hear it, even the children.

"Your signal strength has dropped by another fifteen percent."

"Thank you Pa'Keh. I am at the end of the corridor now, and there is an airlock. I believe I will be able to open it. Communication will likely become even more difficult once I close the outer door. If so, I will still be recording everything in myself. But I would like to try sending messages using a Bryn binary code for segmented letters. I could send one letter at a time, and then repeat each message."

"Agreed, Ip. I think that should work."

There was a window in the second airlock door, and Ip could see the habitat section inside. She tried to send audio to Pa'Keh, but there was no response. So she began to send letters.

"Habitats ahead."

Pa'Keh replied with: "Text received."

She continued: "Inside now. Some light from a very large canopy in the bow of
Terreska. The canopy contains an airlock. Archives describe this as an 'egress port' for the ship's landers.

"Our city could fit in this chamber three times, Pa'Keh. Air pressure here is one sixteenth normal.

"I should describe the...smell. Pa'Keh, we don't have many internal olfactory references, do we? We should speak to Annibet about this."

"What I smell is like...turned earth. It has a...smoky component, and a hint of musk perhaps. That is the best I can do. Taken together, they do contribute to the impression of something very old.

"There are three lander-boarding rings near the egress port. No landers remain. There are three supporting struts for each ring, with reinforced connections to the inner hull. A large tube extends from the third lander ring to the aft bulkhead of the habitat section, supported by similar struts in its middle.

"There is no artificial lighting and no indication of power anywhere.

"Now moving to an electrical panel near the egress port. There is one reference to this in the historical archives for this vessel. All circuit control switches here are in the 'off' position. Voltage, current, and functional labels are shown. The letters are in the colonist script and language. The numerical characters are like our own.

"As I move away from the panel, the walls of the habitat chamber rotate beneath me. I am now catching up with the inner surface to land. My weight here is one tenth normal. I am looking aft at the habitat rings. Most have evenly spaced windows facing the bow of the ship. Only a few are open. All of the rings are connected by conduits, which are probably walkways or elevators.

"There is a large surface area, apparently for cultivation, between the front canopy and the first habitat ring. There are no living plants, but considerable soil remains. There are three transparent domes in this area also, connected by conduits to the first habitat ring and to each other.

"I am now returning to the aft airlock."

"All text received, Ip. I am still outside the service door."