Chapter 16:Hunting the Deadly Drones, Part 2

The hunters approached the moon Tantus-The Moon of 10,000 Drones.

Adjusting the visual resolution, it almost appeared to be shrouded in a mist. Could that be the satellites? Indeed these were the cast offs of a previous generation. Far more than ten thousand of the unmanned and now retired, junked, deemed too dangerous to mothball, had been pushed into orbit around the moon, and now whizzed in fury on their paths almost as if enraged at their rejection. How dangerous were they? Might they contain harmful chemicals or medical hazards? Could they self destruct and obliterate anything in the vicinity? There was no way to identify a harmless machine from an engine of death. They were there and if you could get one you could sell it.

As Merkury approached, the three friends were able to actually see some of the closer objects in some detail. One or two looked like crumpled metallic foil. Some were cylindrical and big, some tiny. There were drones that had several different parts connected by armlike members. While some seemed aerodynamic and to have a nose or front, it might be going backward along its orbit. Some constantly turned end over end-tumbling through space. And then there were partials-wounded machines; ripped open, innards exposed, parts missing; circling aimlessly with the others.

As the three companions, shadowed at a distance by the Slight ship, took the drones' measure, they seemed decidedly ominous. For one thing, they were streaking along very fast. They would have to be slowed down.

Vuud had his finger on the button for the sonopulse. Sonopulse is appropriate for moving objects in space rocks, even small asteroids or ships I might be in conflict with for a parking spot. I had not opted for the energy draining ion pulsers, why would I need one? Vuud looked very competent and focused. I was guiding Merkury and Ronnie-

"Coming up on the starboard side, Mica," Ronnie piped, "Another one overtaking it-right thruster!"

I pulsed the thruster. There were just too many of the drones and they were coming so fast. We were hunting them, but they seemed to be attacking us.

"OK Vuud, let's go for a slow one; see if one pulse will slow it down enough that we can maneuver it."

While I was still talking, the "slower" drone came in range and out in about a tenth of a second.

"Let's let these go on by----" I jigged a bit to the left as five of the deadly craft shot past like fatal darts.

"OK,"yelled Ronnie, "This yellow can coming up looks bigger and slower. Let's try it."

As it flashed into plain sight on the screen, Vuud made a small movement and an invisible focused wave intersected the drone. It jolted a bit but instead of slowing, it, it changed its attitude 90 degrees and spurted toward us.

"Stones!" I yelled at Vuud.

"Watch---up above!" yelled Ronnie.

Vuud launched a brace of four stones at the deadly satellite as it rushed in a suicidal arc toward Merkury. Two of the stones hit their target and the small simultaneous explosions ripped it apart just before it could smash us.

"I didn't know they were so damn sensitive, " I muttered-"you'd think they were alive."

We had dived down and gotten out of the path of that batch.

"Let's try again, it can't be that hard," but my slickskin was soaked with sweat.

"If we can slow it down enough, we can deploy the Netinet," noted Vuud.

"If."

We were trying to wrap up one of these murderous to sell-it could be our life's blood; but we couldn't afford to give all our blood to lasso one. I had hoped to get three or four, now getting a single drone seemed a very lofty goal.

As I was thinking this, Ronnie sang out-"OK, looks good coming up slowly to pass overhead.

Again Vuud pressed the button and this time it did slow down. It looked like a silver cone with three thin disks encircling it. Vuud pulsed it again.Again, it seemed to stagger slightly.

"Net!" I yelled.

Vuud had already released them. They were tiny points of a beautiful turquoise blue and deployed a field between themselves that might entangle the drone we wanted. However, it continued on its course, one of its discs cracked off and disappeared but the drone sped off.

"Call it home, Vuud"

Crash! There was a cracking ripping sound. Merkury had been hit.

I guided us outward from our path around this perilous moon.

Vuud was working his way back, searching for damage. "I think it's OK." He called back to us.

We heard a hiss which I hoped was the adhesive injector.

After a minute, Vuud reappeared holding half of a meter wide ring of some hard silvery material.

"They seem to protect themselves," he said. "This had cut through some of our landing apparatus , and through Merkury's skin. The glue injectors filled the hole, and I added some extra hardening material."

"That's great, Vuud. But dammit, I don't know what to do. Do you?"

We passed the piece of drone around. It was heavier than it looked and very strong.

"Maybe we could consult with our friends, our neighbors," said Vuud tilting his long head toward the Slight ship that had stayed with us like a divine guardian.

A great idea! Of course Vuud was right. As he usually was. Maybe the Slight people could help us somehow.

I had received a note from Olivine's own hand today. We were practically dying to see each other.

A woman sits at a slanted drafting table. The table is adjusted to that it is almost flat. It is very old and solid, made from wood taken from Earth before the huge Migration. She has beautiful black hair that falls in a heavy braid alongside and down her white neck. She is wearing a pale blue looskin which does not disguise the shape of her beautiful breasts and hips. Her pinkish brown lips are softly pressed together as she writes. The lips compress and pop open outwards, then they do so again.Such a pretty girl to have such an odd facial tic. Actually, Olive is a bit compulsive. Sometimes when she is sitting thinking, writing, reading, she will slip into this semi-conscious routine. Mica sometimes, if he is around, watching her will softly -say,"Poot-poot". Olive looks up at him instantly, ready: "What's this Poot-poot, Mr. Wash Your Hands Seven Times, Mr. Blink Your Eyes Rapidly?" giving him a hawklike glare. Mica is obviously a bit obsessive-compulsive too. "Hmm", he says with a quiet smile.

"My Dear Diary, what a nice way to be vexed. I passed a thrilling evening with Rogere. He took me out to eat and afterward to a Bloodtest. I confess that I still have a hard time enjoying the spilling of blood for entertainment. On marble, Death can still come quickly and unexpectedly. These Bloodtests are not usually fatal, but I cannot watch them with the whole hearted enthusiasm that women of Wentwotrh display. Last night a man in the square received a blow from an axe, his shoulder spurted blood out into the crowd. A drop landed on the almost bare breast of a lady in green. She pointed to the droplet and her companion leaned across and covered the spot with his lips. They both laughed hugely. The batboys dragged the wounded man away and I wondered what his fate would be---

"Still, around midnight, Rogere asked me if I'd like to visit a drome and I assented. We had a fine time drinking several mildly intoxicating and delicious things and dancing. Rogere is a wonderful dancer.Hetried to embrace me, but I did not allow it. Nor will I. There were many women there who would have, as Rogere is a very attractive person; I felt their baleful eyes upon me with amusement.

"This morning as I began to wake, I felt a curious thing. It was as if the most filmy fish fin had lightly stroked my back. It was Mica. I allowed sleep to engulf me again.

The landscape was Marble. My silicat settled into the pink tuff with a soft bump. I was at the mouth of a dark tunnel that led into a mountain. The echoing sound of fast footfalls came from the tunnel entrance, then Mica shot out, his incredible chrome yellow hair unmistakable. He was chased by two travertines and a Gov worker clutching a black notbook. Mica grinned and hopped in the silicat with me. We tore off followed by the three in their own 'cat. I reached over and embraced Mica, he kissed me long. Suddenly the 'cat flipped and yawed but we didn't quit. We were back on Wentworth in a mossy cave. Dignitaries frowned at us from benches.

Two or three of them held us suspended parallel to the cave's floor still in our embrace and they turned us over and over and we were wrapped in a fine brown fiber into a soft cocoon.

"I woke up again thinking about Mica. He is it. Mica. He is a man. And I have yearned so long. It seems like more than a year. Will he look the same? Will his hair still be that amazing color? Will he long for me the way I do for him? I love the back of his neck. His wrists and hands. I love his back and the deep line of his backbone. I like the way he pays attention to me. But he is also able to concentrate completely on his own projects, his writing, etc.-for days on end. I like the way he will do little jobs for me and it thrills me to do things for him too. He's basically very serious but also is sometimes hilarious.

I like taking walks with him. We hike together around Marble's amazing rock formations and just talk. Sometimes we go to a distant underground pool known only to us and we swim together. We strip off our slickskins, though of course we don't need to, and dive into the cool water. We're both strong swimmers. He'll come up next to me. Sometimes he kisses me all over my naked body.