Earth Star(111)

I paused and pointed. ‘Now look up at that flock of grey and blue birds.’

Dalmora gave a frantic look at where I was pointing. There was a moment of delay before she gave me a hand signal. They’d got the birds in shot.

‘The seeds of the true rainforest species are carried here by birds and animals. What you’re seeing up there is a mixed flock of grey parrots, which are native to Earth Africa, and bright blue flying lizards which came from Danae in Alpha sector.’ I pictured Issette’s grazzed expression as she heard that. ‘No, they aren’t here because of a failure of portal quarantine. This was a deliberate introduction of an alien species. Thanks to the Earth data net crash back in Exodus century, we’ve no record of why they were brought here.’

I turned to walk back over to the centre of the clearing. ‘The sled next to me houses the team from Eden Dig Site Command. They’ll monitor suit and sled signals so they know exactly where everyone is, and can make sure one team doesn’t do something that endangers another. If there’s an accident, suit alarms will start screaming, and Dig Site Command co-ordinate rescue and portalling people to hospital. At this point, I’d like to say a special word of thanks from the Military. While most people have chosen to remain in Ark, the nearest Hospital Earth Africa Casualty unit has reopened to provide us with a full range of specialist medical support.’

I paused. ‘The people working here at the moment are from University Earth Archaeological Research Team 2. There’ll soon be a couple of dozen more teams arriving. Pereth of Earth 2 will be acting as my site leader, helping me organize things.’

I moved nearer to the mobile dome that Earth 2 were building. ‘After this, I won’t be talking directly to you, though you may see me on site and hear me talking on some of the communication channels. You can see we’ve nearly completed a dome that will house Earth Rolling News. They’ll keep you fully informed of everything that’s happening, with the help of my cousin, Commander Drago Tell Dramis, and his deputy Major Marlise Weldon.’

I hoped everyone would absorb the point that Drago was another, far more competent, descendant of the legendary Tellon Blaze. ‘Commander Tell Dramis and Major Weldon are flying in a Military survey aircraft for us, and should be arriving here any …’

I was interrupted by a voice speaking on broadcast channel, as Drago took his cue. I heard it inside my suit, but viewers would hear it too, because this was being patched into the vid bees.

‘This is Zulu Survey. Colonel Torrek sends his compliments and instructs me on no account to enter Zulu Dig Site air space without clearance from Dig Site Command. He says he’s already been told off once by a Dig Site Command team, when he crashed Solar 5 on New York Dig Site without asking permission.’

I choked back a laugh. Dig Site Command were clearly struggling to keep a professional tone as they replied.

‘This is Dig Site Command. Our thanks to Colonel Torrek. We like to warn our working teams of aerial activity, because sudden distractions from crashing spacecraft can cause accidents. Zulu Survey, you are cleared to enter Zulu Dig Site air space.’

Everyone around the site stopped work and looked up. The vid bee team adjusted their vid bees to cover the sky. I’d expected to see an aircraft coming into view above the trees, but there was nothing. The Military usually timed these things better than …

There was a sudden flash directly overhead, followed by a sound like thunder. I gasped in disbelief as I saw the dark ring appear and hang in the sky, and the black aircraft appear from it. I’d seen this on vids about Planet First, showing how the Military portalled ships into new solar systems. I’d seen it on Ventrak Rostha’s vid about Artemis, when dart ships portalled in to surround the solar array that was attacking the planet. I’d seen it on vids, but I’d never expected to see it with my own eyes.

The Military had used their most famous technology, the five second, drop portal that had given humanity interstellar travel, and they’d used it here in the skies of Earth!

‘Zulu Survey to Echo Base, Adonis,’ said Drago’s voice. ‘Portal to Zulu Dig Site, Earth completed.’

The dust ring in the sky blurred to become a patch of smoke, then faded and vanished completely, but I still stood there, grazzed, staring upwards.





33





I woke, was bewildered by my strange surroundings, then realized I was lying on a couch in a Field Command sled. My initial gasp attracted the attention of a Military Captain with long blond hair, who looked like a younger and more handsome Arrack San Domex. He came over, sat on the edge of the couch, and smiled down at me. I was lost for a moment, caught in the borderlands of the dream world and reality.