“Yes, commander.”
“Then stop complaining, let us concentrate, and only interrupt us if you have progress to report.”
“Yes, commander,” he agreed, his tone dejected.
“And don’t fill Kova’s data pad with silent complaints.”
There was a pause, then a manufactured sigh. “Yes, commander.”
Amused, Simone shook her head. She wasn’t a hundred percent sure the AI would be able to keep that promise.
Poor Kova. On the upside, maybe if T aggravated him enough, the warrior wouldn’t be so quick to volunteer for the next mission.
“What’s next?” she asked Janwar.
“Once T accesses the mainframe, he’ll be able to monitor the locations of all life forms aboard remotely, and the two can begin their search for captives.
As more minutes passed, Simone could empathize with T. The wait was nerve-racking, the tension on the bridge palpable. But she thought they’d timed things well. At the rate they were going, Kova would execute his rescue attempt at roughly the same time she and the others would infiltrate the research facility, so the two Gathendien groups wouldn’t be able to seek help from each other.
Seated in a chair that was now a permanent fixture beside the commander’s, Simone distracted herself from worrying about Kova by focusing on the moon they approached.
It reminded her a lot of Jupiter’s Europa. Like Europa, it orbited what appeared to be an enormous gas giant. But whereas Jupiter was a mass of churning clouds and swirling cyclones with that massive orange eye, this planet seemed almost soothing by comparison. Clouds or gases that ranged in color from cream to sage green formed layers of smooth, linear stripes that looked as soft as cotton candy.
According to Elchan, thirty-three moons orbited the planet. The one they sought was the smallest. It was also one of the brightest, reflecting much of a distant sun’s light. Unlike the moon she’d admired in the night sky back home, this one didn’t appear to be pockmarked with craters, so it must have a protective atmosphere. She studied its smooth, white surface. Gray streaks that resembled scratches marred it, lending it the look of a white ball a cat had played with too roughly. Ragged-edged rust-colored patches here and there made her wonder if it might be volcanically active.
The Tangata approached the moon fully cloaked. As more details became clear, Simone was surprised to discover clouds as puffy as those common on Earth floating above the moon’s surface.
She must have been right about the atmosphere. “Is that ice or sand?” Simone had seen some beautiful white sand beaches and deserts on Earth and couldn’t tell from this distance which lay below them.
“Ice,” Elchan responded. “According to my scans, most of it sits atop a vast saltwater ocean. The dark streaks are fractures, likely caused by the competing gravitational forces of the planet and other moons.”
Since there were thirty-two other moons, that force must fluctuate often. “What about the orange splotches?”
“Glaciers that sit atop rocky landforms rich in iron and sulfur. The moon is also likely volcanically active.”
Those orange patches were few and far between. Did that mean this little moon didn’t have much land?
“How’s the atmosphere?” Janwar asked.
“Too much nitrogen,” Elchan said. “We’ll have to keep our helmets on.”
Simone supposed that meant she would have to don the bulky Lasaran spacesuit. “And the gravity?” The only time she had experienced zero gravity for more than a minute or two was when she’d pushed off the Gathendien ship and jetted into space to catch the fleeing transport the day she had met Janwar. Every ship and escape pod she’d traveled in since she’d left Earth had produced artificial gravity twenty-four hours a day.
She had thought it more for convenience than anything else until Prince Taelon had explained that the Lasarans had learned in their early years of space exploration that long-term exposure to no gravity weakened the crew’s muscles and bones. Much to her astonishment, he’d said it also shrank their hearts by as much as twenty percent per year.
That had swiftly dampened her disappointment that they didn’t spend most of their time floating around like balloons.
“According to scans, there’s more gravity on the moon’s dark side than on this side,” Elchan said.
She frowned. “That’s weird.”
“It’s not as uncommon as you might think,” Janwar murmured, “particularly with so many other moons tugging at it.”
“Oh.” Outer space remained a constant source of wonder. Simone loved it. “How different is it from the ship’s gravity?”
Elchan consulted his console. “The gravity on the bright side is light enough that a little jump would send us up pretty high.”
“Cool,” she breathed, eager to give it a try if she could find a suit that would protect her from the sunlight.
Again, Janwar smiled. “Not really. Though it makes carrying heavy gear easier, it also makes walking and running awkward.”
“Oh.”
Elchan looked at Janwar. “The dark side has about the same gravity as Promeii 7.”
Promeii 7’s gravity had been a little stronger than Earth’s. If a human or gifted one immigrated there, they would feel wearier at the end of each day and build muscle faster. But thanks to her enhanced strength, it hadn’t bothered Simone.
“Which side are we headed to?” As pretty as the bright side was with its blanket of ice, she didn’t want the sun to burn her skin. And she sure as hell wouldn’t remain behind. If she had to use preternatural speed to dart from icy overhang to icy overhang in search of shade, she would. She just wished she wouldn’t have to. The Tangata had spoiled her with its fabulous faux sunlight.
Hmm. She wondered if Chief Medic Adaos could find a way around the photosensitivity that afflicted Immortal Guardians. He was already researching ways for them to safely conceive and bear children without infecting them with the vampiric virus. Perhaps she could talk him into researching both?
“The facility we’ll infiltrate is on the dark side,” Janwar announced.
“Yes!” she exclaimed with a grin.
When everyone regarded her with surprise, she shrugged. “I wasn’t looking forward to the sun blistering my skin.”
Janwar took her hand in his. “It wouldn’t. T and I designed a new spacesuit for you. The helmet includes a special visor you can slide into place to protect you.”
She stared at him, her heart turning over. “You did? That’s so sweet.” Stretching up, she stole a quick kiss. “Would you show me how to activate it so I’ll be ready when the sun rises?”
“Yes.”
“You won’t need it,” Elchan inserted. “Based on the speed of the moon’s rotation, the sun won’t rise again on that side for twenty-one ship days.”
She smiled. “Awesome. Then I can relax and have fun.”
“But not too much fun,” Janwar warned. “Remember what happened the last time you fought those grunarks. I don’t want another scare like that.”
Her eyes narrowed as she recalled how close she’d come to death as a result of the bosregi poisoning. “Oh, trust me. I remember. But those bastards can’t get me with their tail spikes if I remove those tails first.”