Piece Simul ✔

Chapter 24-Russ-Twice Over

As the pod cut through the velvet maw and on to the planet's outer hemispheres, Russ reminded herself of her worth.

Her short stints on the space station were nothing to scoff at. All the same, she hadn't signed up for direct contact. The contract she signed fielded few guidelines, but she recalled the words emblazoned in red letters:

CO-PILOT
TECH

Nothing more. Now she could add 'rescuer' to the list. Twice over.

"Or 'co-rescuer'," the bot said.

He squatted next to her, magnetically adhered in place for once.

"How did you do that?" Russ tapped the side of her head.

She swore the bot shrugged.

"Deep thoughts release heavier particle waves," it said.

"Okay. I'll remember that."

"Yes, you will."

She considered disabling the bot, but then decided on a compromise.

"Sleep mode," Russ said.

"Sleep mode confirmed." The bot relaxed, internal lights fading.

Creepy bastard.

Anything metaphysical freaked her out. Jamilet claimed to have dreams of the future, a fact she chided her about mercilessly. Nobody sees the future, she told her. Might as well read my thoughts.

If she was wrong on one, she still couldn't see how she could be wrong about the other.

~*~

Russ settled on the surface safely, her doors pressurizing without issue.

The other ship was intact, with no discernible activity flashing inside. She wondered if Samuel and Tiptree had dismantled each other yet.

As a courtesy, she rapped on the hub door. While awaiting a response, she appraised the landscape. Green, emerald, seafoam, aqua and so much more of the same. Traveling to a distant planet promised variety, but she saw none of that here. The only promise the planet held thus far was a proliferation of vegetation. At least, she assumed the huge viscous creatures to be plants.

Finally, a face peered in the window of the hub door. Russ squinted against the glint of the three suns on the reflective surface. She made out Samuel's strained smile and took it as an indication to proceed.

"Genly!" she called.

The bot emerged from the open hub door, stepping gingerly and scanning the horizon.

"No life forms sensed as of yet," it said.

"Please assess any damage done along the outer edge of the hub door," she said.

After a moment, the bot cited a faulty lever as the issue. It retrieved a new one from the ship and approached the door.

Holding out equipment, the bot inquired, "Would you like to, or should I?"

She plucked the piece from it's grasp. "I got it, man. Captain didn't send me down to collect plant samples." She swept the immediate area. "Just watch around us, please."

"Yes."

After installation, Russ signaled a thumbs up to Samuel.

After a brief pause, a hiss sounded, signaling a release of pressure as the hub door opened. Tiptree and Samuel stumbled from the pod, shielding their eyes against the yellow-green light.

Immediately, Tiptree asked, "What do we do first?"

"Something science-like, I imagine," Russ said.

Samuel chuckled. "Ah, pilots."

She didn't mention the trouble with Guin, as she was under orders to retrieve them with samples, and get them to the ship without incident.