Pia and the Skyman

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 2Kaire and Sami sat side by side facing a console divided into panels of varying size. Sami felt cramped in the small seat he’d installed at Kaire’s request as there hadn’t been much space between pilot seat and capsule wall, the Sky-ship originally designed for solo voyages. A convex window wrapped around the capsule nose giving a spectacular view of the night sky. Enthralled, Sami gazed at winking stars and a clear outline of Earth’s moon. This was his first flight, and having no knowledge of space other than that gained from school history discs he had assumed the Sky-ship would travel at immense speed in order to overcome the force of gravity and leave Earth’s atmosphere. So when Kaire announced they would not be venturing into space, Sami had struggled to hide his disappointment. Kaire had gone on to explain that a sub-orbital space flight would use far too much fuel and was also unnecessary, Australia being only a short distance away. After a brief ascent, the craft would fly at optimum altitude for a few minutes and then descend directly over the central desert, landing in an area remote from mines or any other form of human activity. The remaining journey to the rendezvous with Kela would be by the land transporter stored in the rear module.

Sami longed to see his partner again. It had been five years since their comfortable life in a southern White Zone village had been terminated by his arrest and imprisonment for crimes against the government. For nearly four years, Sami had had no contact with Kela and could only speculate on whether she’d been implicated in his crimes or had managed to convince the authorities she had known nothing about them. Only since his arrival at Kauri Haven nine months earlier had Sami been given the opportunity to communicate with Kela through the Sky-ship’s secure link and learned that her innocence had been believed. She was now a senior medical researcher.

As an engineer, Sami had been allocated on arrival to the engineering workshop where he was introduced to Kaire and asked to work with him on the vehicle referred to as a land transporter, which lay in pieces on the floor. For some time Kaire had been struggling to repair damage to the engine sustained months before in Australia and welcomed the assistance of an experienced engineer, his own skills in that area being limited. The two men worked well together and had soon effected repairs plus improved the thrusters’ performance. After a few weeks, they had begun to meet after work, initially sharing meals in the communal dining room where they discovered a mutual liking for the wine produced from grapes grown at Kauri Haven. Meals at Kaire’s home had followed, the younger man keen to demonstrate his newly acquired cooking skills. Over interesting, if unusual combinations of ingredients, Sami learned of Kaire’s extraordinary heritage as a descendant of scientists that had colonised an abandoned space station known as Skyz59 in the 2220s. Ever since, the inhabitants had made it their mission to search for another less-spoiled planet capable of supporting human life. Kaire had been one of hundreds of pilots that departed at regular intervals in small spacecraft to undertake galactic exploration. The explanation for Kaire’s presence at Kauri Haven had proven even more fascinating, triggering Sami’s admiration for his host’s resolve to make a pilgrimage to Earth and subsequent decision to assist the Women’s Line. As a result, Sami had felt his own history of seditious activities, imprisonment and liberation from a train transporting prisoners to high-security desert prisons would seem tame by comparison, but Kaire had relished the tale.

After a few months, their conversation had turned to more intimate subjects and Sami had revealed his longing to communicate with Kela, prompting Kaire’s offer to try to locate her using the Sky-ship computer. This had been accomplished with relative ease, the technology far superior to anything Sami had ever seen before, but wisely Kaire had insisted he speak first to make certain Kela wished to resume contact. Sami smiled as he recalled the day Kaire had interrupted work on the land transporter and taken him into the Sky-ship for that first communication.

Kaire looked up from the console and noticed a smattering of stars. ‘Night sky, so beautiful, so enticing,’ he said wistfully. ‘Sometimes I long to leave Earth and its myriad problems, spend my life as I intended exploring galaxies untouched by humankind.’

‘There’s no reason why you can’t leave, surely?’ Sami replied, grateful for conversation to help pass the time until reunion.

‘No reason at all, but to leave now would seem like desertion, the abandonment of hope.’

‘Did you promise Pia you’d stay?’

Kaire shook his head. ‘No, but before I go, there are tasks I must undertake in memory of her mother.’

His former lover, Sami thought, recalling a late night conversation. ‘And after that, will you resume space exploration?’

‘That depends on my commander. He may insist I return my ship to Sky so a more reliable pilot can make use of it.’

‘You don’t strike me as unreliable.’

‘I’ve broken the rules, Sami. I should have left Earth months ago. Commander Breta has been very understanding, but for how much longer, who knows?’

‘Just don’t up and leave me in the middle of the desert, mate.’

‘You have my word.’ Kaire turned his attention to the console. ‘Prepare for landing,’ he advised the computer. ‘Commence deceleration.’

Sami waited until Kaire had raised his head again before asking, ‘How long will it take to reach the rendezvous?’

‘A few hours.’

Sami sighed loudly.

‘Anyone would think you were in a hurry to see Kela,’ Kaire remarked, digging Sami in the ribs with his elbow.

‘Thank the moon the council agreed to my accompanying you. For a while there I thought they’d refuse.’

‘Me too, but my portrayal of love enduring despite long separation managed to sway even cynical Mac.’

‘Thanks, mate,’ Sami replied, his voice wavering.

Kaire nodded and turned to address the communication screen. ‘Sky 323 to Kauri 378.’

After a slight delay, Pia’s face materialised. ‘378 connected.’

‘Descent in progress, suspend communication until advised.’

‘Understood. Connection closing.’

Her image dissolved but Kaire held it in his mind, savouring not for the first time the vision of dark curls framing a friendly face, soulful brown eyes, and lips that puckered when she concentrated. A moment or two passed before he registered that the exterior view had altered and all he could see now were desert sands turned ghostly grey by the night vision camera. A slight bump and the Sky-ship had landed and was taxiing towards an immense sand dune.

‘Apply reverse thrust,’ he advised. Red sand spewed like a blizzard, covering wings and fuselage. ‘Initiate cessation.’ Moments later the craft shuddered and was still. Kaire double-checked the location coordinates to make certain the Sky-ship had landed as planned in the southern part of the desert, far to the west from the rail tracks and paths that linked Brown Zone villages.

Over the past few centuries, the central arid region had crept steadily seaward, swallowing pasture and cultivated land until, at the beginning of the twenty-fifth century, only a narrow green rim remained arable and habitable. Huddled around the edge of their vast continent, Australians could only hope climate change would stabilise before they were pushed into the ocean.

After shutting down all computerised equipment, Kaire directed Sami to follow him into the rear module where the land transporter— a cylindrical vehicle topped with two dome-shaped ‘bubbles’ one behind the other—was stored. Before engaging the thrusters, a smaller version of those that powered the Sky-ship, Kaire programmed the navigation panel and gave the command to open the rear door.

‘Prepare for exit,’ he advised Sami as the transporter began to move slowly towards the opening.

Despite the safety harness, Sami felt impelled to clutch the sides of the seat.

The din intensified and the transporter blasted away from the Sky-ship, sand billowing in its wake like scarlet waves.

Near the eastern perimeter of the desert, a small egg-shaped car with wide wheels stood behind Kaire’s much larger vehicle. Thanks to Sami’s engineering skills, the land transporter had performed well on the journey from Sky-ship to rendezvous. Prior to the engine rebuild, Kaire had been reluctant to use the vehicle except on short journeys, fearing a recurrence of the thruster problems experienced as he and Pia had sped across open grassland in their escape from the Brown Zone one year earlier.

Inside the transporter, Kaire checked the console timepiece before retrieving a small parcel from a storage compartment. Tucking the parcel under one arm, he lifted the front bubble and climbed out onto hard-packed sand littered with small rocks. Sami and Kela stood beside the car, arms around each other’s waists, lips locked.

‘Time’s up I’m afraid,’ Kaire called.

Reluctantly the pair moved apart. ‘Separated for five years and you give us ten minutes!’ Sami retorted.

Kaire hurried over. ‘My apologies, but it’s too risky to hang about, we could be within security beam range here.’

Kela, a tall, slim woman of twenty-seven with the blonde hair and blue eyes of her Swedish ancestors, gestured towards the parcel. ‘Is that for the added diversion Sami mentioned?’

Kaire nodded. ‘We thought it advisable to have more than the five women brought to the surface.’

‘Can I take a look?’

‘Of course.’ He opened the box and held it towards her.

‘It looks just like one of my vaccine phials.’

‘Your diagrams were perfect,’ Sami told her proudly.

Kela swivelled around and flashed Sami a brilliant smile before turning back to Kaire. ‘So what do you want me to do with it?’

‘Insert the liquid with a syringe into various exterior walls as close to ground level as possible.’

‘Prison medical dome or the main building?’

‘Both if you can.’ Kaire closed the lid and handed over the box. ‘How long will your vaccines take to work?’

‘Seven to ten days, it depends on the body mass of the recipient.’

Sami hurried to Kela’s side. ‘Does that mean you have to remain within the prison complex all that time?’

‘Yes, but that won’t be problem, I have a perfectly legitimate reason for being there. I must be available in case there’s an adverse reaction.’

‘Which of course there will be,’ Kaire added.

‘Provided my calculations are correct.’

Sami frowned. ‘s**t, I didn’t realise there was any doubt.’

‘This is the first trial on humans. I can’t guarantee the results.’

‘So the recipients will be at risk?’ Sami persisted, his frown deepening.

Kela sighed. ‘I don’t know.’

‘Let’s presume all goes as planned,’ said Kaire, anxious to depart. ‘What’s the anticipated timeframe, Kela?’

‘At the first indication of a problem, I’ll have the prisoners brought to the medical dome, which will give me the opportunity to view their files. If there’s no improvement after a week they’ll be transferred to the isolation dome. Apparently, I have limited jurisdiction there, so I’ll head home.’

Sami clutched her arm. ‘Can’t you find some excuse to stay in the Brown Zone? We’ll be returning for the women in a few weeks if all goes well. Come back with us.’

Kela shook her head. ‘I must be seen to return home.’

‘But won’t there be trouble from your superiors when you report the vaccine trial went wrong? You could be hauled off to prison for incompetence!’ Sami’s voice resounded like thunder through the still night air.

‘Unlikely, my report will state the phials were contaminated.’

‘But if they don’t …’

Kaire raised his hand. ‘Enough Sami, just be patient. Kela has promised she’ll join you before too long.’

Sami bit his lip and looked down at his feet.

‘We must leave now,’ Kaire said firmly. Turning around, he headed towards the transporter, leaving Sami and Kela to say farewell in private.

All through the night Kela drove at high speed along the eastern flank of the desert, a plume of red dust fanning out behind the car. By the time she turned onto the super-path leading to the prison complex, pale fingers of dawn were creeping over windswept dunes. Prior to the construction of these top-security jails, no paths had crossed this remote and desolate landscape, although it was rumoured a train track had once run from a northern city to a central town, cutting the desert in two like a wire slicing cheese. Sand storms had long since covered all traces of rails, cement sleepers and track ballast. The new super-path failed to live up to its name, being narrow with no guiding path-side lights or rest areas to recharge vehicles and give drivers a short respite from the tedium of travel through such a monotonous landscape.

After an hour’s drive, the car’s inbuilt navigation system indicated a further ninety kilometres to the prison, so Kela pulled over and got out to stretch her legs. Hot wind blew stinging grains of sand over the bare skin below her calf-length white robe and despite protective eyewear she blinked in the harsh sunlight. A few body stretches will have to do, she thought, there’s no point in risking heat stress.