During the last hour of the approach to Ko-tera Three with three point six gravities of deceleration acting upon the external cargo, the members of the Education Service team and all the contact specialists were quiet and thoughtful. After Kibi finished checking on her passengers, Ilika decided it was time to see how his crew members were doing.
“Any passenger problems?” he asked his steward.
“They’re tense, pondering all the unknowns in the next part of the mission.
We have plenty of packaged food, but they’ll really appreciate fresh grass and fish as soon as possible.”
Ilika squeezed her shoulder and moved on.
“How do things look, Boro?”
“We’re gonna be scraping the bottom, but I still have that little emergency tank. I keep reminding myself that we can do everything with anti-mass and ion as soon as we put that probe thing down somewhere. If Melorania asks for any engine or fuel restrictions for training purposes, say no.”
Ilika chuckled and stepped beside Mati. “How does it look, Pilot?”
“Course and deceleration are perfect. What worries me is that we’re landing in a public park. It brings up memories of a certain training simulation where I had to crush sapient bunnies. I really don’t want to do that here, Ilika, especially since they’re real, and they’re humans.”
“We’ll do everything possible to avoid that situation.”
“Thanks. I’m piloting the final thousand meters myself, just in case.”
NEBADOR Book Nine: A Cry for Help 406
Ilika nodded and stepped beside Sata. “Any flight-plan issues?”
“I’ve been reading about this city, and they sometimes have wires stretched through the air . . .”
“Another reason for a manual approach,” Mati tossed in.
Sata chuckled. “. . . and they change them too often to be on the charts.
Other than that, I’m just nervous because this is the biggest, most important mission we’ve ever been on, even though it’s not the longest.”
“Everyone’s feeling that. Anything of concern, Rini?”
“Air pollution. Moderate over the capital city where we’re going, nothing that’ll give Mati a problem, but it’s much worse over some other cities. Are they trying to be another Sonmatia Two?”
“That’s what this mission is all about.”
Rini nodded. “I can feel the timelines branching out into the future, but I can’t see where any of them go.”
“Maybe we’ll find out.”
“Atmosphere in eight minutes,” the navigator announced.
Ilika wandered up to the passenger area to see if Ashley had any last-minute instructions.
“I’ve already told Manessa the configuration I want when we . . .” Ashley was saying when both she and Ilika became aware that Arantiloria had just materialized on the galley counter. They, and everyone else, turned to look at the training specialist.
“You are a welcome sssight!” T’sss’lisss admitted from a passenger seat.
“There is no need to feel unsure of your decisions, my reptilian friend.
Your instincts and intuitions are right in line with the needs of the mission and the concerns of the universe.”
The half-meter of T’sss’lisss that was out of her coils waved back and forth as she basked in the compliment.
“However, I’m wondering where you’re going,” Arantiloria continued.
“I thought it best,” Ashley began, “to place the malfunctioning space probe in the park of the capital city of the country that launched it.”
“Very good idea,” the spirit began, “but one of you is missing.”
Sata, listening from her station, stood up. “Isn’t Ss’klexna Rrr’tak’fi
NEBADOR Book Nine: A Cry for Help 407
already on Keru . . .”
“She’s right here with you, and wouldn’t miss this event for all the frogs in Nebador . . . even though she can’t eat them anymore.”
Ilika smiled slightly.
“But there is still someone missing, someone who has given nearly every minute of her life to this mission, from birth to this very moment. She’s been awake for more than two days, but has no way to get herself and her team to Capital Park.”
“The Temporandek Teacher, bok!” Kolarrr’ka guessed.
Ilika looked at Ashley.
“Then . . . I think . . . we should fix that problem,” the mission leader said, noticed Arantiloria smile, and looked toward the navigator.
“Can you give us a hint?” Sata begged, sitting back down at her console.
“We have no idea where she is.”
A set of planetary coordinates flashed onto Sata’s display. She quickly had a chart up. “The other side of the continent from the capital city.”
“But there are many, many people waiting for you in Capital Park,” the training specialist reminded them, “and they know exactly when you are supposed to arrive.”
“Perhapsss,” T’sss’lisss began, “we should ssset the probe down in the park firssst.”
“Absolutely!” Boro suddenly agreed. “Then we can use engines that don’t drink fuel like it was pinkfruit juice!”
Everyone chuckled or honked.
“Even so,” Arantiloria added, “the Teacher needs an hour, after you leave the park, to get herself and her team to the pick-up coordinates.” She looked at Kibi with mesmerizing eyes. “Expect twelve to fifteen monkey mammals.”
Kibi frowned and her mind raced as she started looking around the passenger area, wondering where she was going to put them.
“Quiet on the bridge for final approach to Capital Park,” Mati commanded.