
Subj : New Beginnings(42)
To   : All
From : SkyHawk #1
Date : Sun Sep 10 1995 11:09:50 PST

                            New Beginnings(42)
                            By Daniel C. Harrison(skyhawk)

     Candar sipped her coffee down quickly then, she turned to Kerry and
smiled. "Can you have that base station set up in about three hours?"
     "Sure." Kerry stretched. "God, I'm stiff I guess the comforts of home are
long behind us now. I'll have to use the short range comm until I can get the
main one up. That will take a little longer."
     "That's fine. We'll only be a little out of touch then." Candar looked
across the room at Kevin who was talking to men and giving orders. She thought
of Jerry lying in the infirmary. "Tell Kevin if he can to have base camp and
ops fully running by this evening. I may be out longer than planned if things
don't go as planned."
     "Sure thing, boss lady."
     Candar grinned and looked over the small group. There was no telling what
was in store for them now. But, they had to make it. She moved quickly out the
door and through the corridors till she reached, Lock Three. Opening it, she
found the small two man shuttle which would be used in her aerial search for a
new building site. She opened the door and climbed into it. Looking over the
controls she saw, it was a Model G-6, an ancient piece of junk which she hadn't
flown in years. It had been all the colonists could afford not counting the two
full sized cargo shuttles that had been wrecked in the crash. She checked
battery power and noticed, the solar cells were weak. Hopefully there would be
enough to fly. She found the headset and put it on, thunmping the mike to see
if she could hear anything. "This is Candar, Search Two now powering up. Search
One, are you there?"
     "Right here, Governor." William Soreson came back. "We're all packed and
ready. We'll be taking an eastward heading toward the mountains. Figured there
might be something suitable down that way."
     "Good." Candar switched on the engines and purged the main fuel cells. The
gauges moved toward the green and, she nodded satisfactorily. "I'll take west.
Then, I'll slowly begin a cross pattern which should allow me more area to
cover. Because your on the ground, you'll be able to see more detail though.
Don't overlook anything, Will. Test all things that might be edible. We don't
need anymore of our people killed."
     "Amen to that, Governor." There was a moment of silence. "Okay, we'll see
you later."
     Candar brought the engines to full power and, the small craft lifted off
the floor. She manaeuvered carefully through Lock Three to the main cargo door.
"Kevin, this is Candar. Are you on yet?"
     "Here, babe." His familiar voice felt good. "Kerry has a temporary set up
so we can all talk now. Did you know she used to work for United Terra?"
     Candar shrugged. "Not a bit surprised. She has the head for it. Open the
main door so I can get out."
     The door slowly began to open then, there was a loud boom and it stopped
halfway. Candar glared at it. "Can you open it anymore?"
     "The hydraulic pump isn't working. It must have been damaged in the crash.
Sorry, babe." Kevin sounded apologetic. 
     "No problem." Candar activated the G-6's mechanical arms and brought them
forward to the edge of the door. On the end of one was a cutting torch for
ground and space operations. She switched it on and was rewarded with a long
hot flame which lit the darkness. At least that had worked! Not much else had
on this trip. Carefully, she cut along the edge of the door then, as it broke,
there was a crack and it fell outward into the snow. She smiled.
     "Okay, Kev. I guess we don't need a door anymore. Start stripping the ship
for anything you need. I'll be in touch."
     "Good luck, babe."
     She pulled back on the throttle and, the G-6 moved forward. Then, it shot
outward and up into the sky. Below she could see how lucky they had been. There
was a long crack along the top of the Outlander. If they hadn't stopped when
they did, the whole ship would have split up killing everyone. Maybe in some
small way they were blessed. She levelled out her craft and looked at the miles
of open plain before her. The snow was beautiful, just starting to glisten off
the newly risen sun. To her left she could see a ground vehicle moving eastward
toward the mountains. Silently she wished Will luck. She angled the G-6 and
turned westward. 
     For several hours she flew, marvelling in the beauty  of their new world.
Mirinda was much harsher than Hycenda would have been. Yet, it was no less
beautiful. She looked down at what appeared to a  cluster of hills all packed
together. Her curiosity peaked, she nosed downward and turned for a closer
look. Something was gnawing at her stomach. Some errie feeling. She had seen
these type of hills before long ago. Now where...
     Suddenly, she remembered! Then, she saw what appeared to be huge
beetlelike creatures moving in and out from the hills. "Oh god..no! No!" She
turned the G-6 and brought it lower. It was true! The same type of devilish
creatures that had killed her crewmates on Delazer so many years ago were
living here! And, with the Outlander destroyed, there was no escape!
Eventually, they would find the colony. She gasped as one of them looked upward
at her and, several more emerged from the hills. There were hundreds. She
remembered the thousands that had nearly wiped out the Glory Virgin. She
remembered the dead colonists that had thought they were home.
     Turning the ship, she punched the throttle looking downward as she did so.
The creatures were now in mass and moving eastward! She switched her mike
on..."Kevin! Base one, do you copy?"
     "Kev here. What's up babe?"
     "Everything." Tears came to her eyes as she tried to fight them back. "Arm
everyone you can. Set up a full defense perimeter. Have every available man
convert Outlander into a fortress! We're gonna be attacked!"
     "What the hell?" Kevin was shocked. "What do you mean..."
     "Just do it!": She shouted. "Shit, we're in trouble!" She flew faster....
