her gloved hand making the Circle of Flame sign over the top of her helmet visor.
Horza tapped his hands on the old rifle and blew through his mouth at the mist of condensation forming on the top edge of his visor. It made it worse, just as he thought it might. Perhaps he should open his visor, now that they were inside the planet’s atmosphere.
The shuttle shook suddenly as though it had clipped the top of a mountain. Everybody was thrown forward, straining their seat harnesses, and a couple of guns went sailing forward and up, to clatter off the shuttle ceiling before slamming back to the deck. People grabbed for the guns and Horza closed his eyes; he wouldn’t have been at all surprised if one of these enthusiasts had left their safety catch off. However, the guns were retrieved without mishap, and people sat cradling them and looking about.
‘What the hell was that?’ the old man, Aviger, said, and laughed nervously. The shuttle began some hard manoeuvring, throwing first one half of the group on their backs while the people on the other side were suspended by their seat webbing, then flipping in the other direction and reversing the postures. Grunts and curses came over the open channel into Horza’s helmet. The shuttle dipped, making Horza’s stomach feel empty, floating, then the craft steadied again.
‘Bit of hostile fire,’ Kraiklyn’s clipped tones announced, and all the suited heads started to look from side to side.
‘What?’
‘Hostile fire ?’
‘I knew it.’
‘Oh-oh.’
‘Fuck.’
‘Why did I think as soon as I heard those fateful words, “easy in, easy out”, that this was going - ‘ began Jandriligeli in a bored, knowing drawl, only to be cut off by Lamm.
‘Hostile fucking fire. That’s all we need. Hostile fucking fire.’
‘They are gunned up,’ Lenipobra said.
‘Shit, who isn’t these days?’ Yalson said.
‘Chicel-Horhava, sweet lady; save us all,’ muttered Dorolow, speeding up the tracings of the Circle over her visor.
‘Shut the fuck up,’ Lamm told her.
‘Let’s hope Mipp can distract them without getting his ass blown off,’ Yalson said.
‘Maybe we should call it off,’ Rava Gamdol said. ‘Think we ought to call it off? Do you think we should call it off? Does anybody - ‘
‘NO!’ ‘YES!’ ‘NO!’ shouted three voices, almost in unison. Everybody looked at the three Bratsilakins. The two outer Bratsilakins turned their helmets to look at the one in the middle, as the shuttle swooped again. The middle Bratsilakin’s helmet turned briefly to each side. ‘Oh, shit,’ a voice said over the open channel, ‘all right: NO!’
‘I think maybe we should - ‘ Rava Gamdol’s voice started again.
Then Kraiklyn shouted, ‘Here we go! Everybody ready!’
The shuttle braked hard, banking steeply one way, then the other, shuddering once and dipping. It bounced and shook, and for a second Horza thought they were crashing, but then the craft slid to a stop and the rear doors jawed open. Horza was on his feet with the rest of them, piling out of the shuttle and into the jungle.
They were in a clearing. At its far end a few branches and twigs were still tumbling from huge, heavy-looking trees where the shuttle had just seconds before torn through the edge of the forest canopy as it dipped in for the small area of level, grassy ground. Horza had time to see a couple of bright birds flying fast out of the trees near by and caught a glimpse of a blue-pink sky. Then he was running with the others, round the front of the shuttle where it still glowed dark red and vegetation beneath it smouldered, and on into the jungle. A few of the Company were using their AG, floating over the undergrowth between the moss-covered tree trunks, but hampered by creepers which hung like thick, flower-strewn ropes between the trees.
So far they still couldn’t see the Temple of Light, but according to Kraiklyn it was just ahead of them. Horza looked round at the others on
Horza tapped his hands on the old rifle and blew through his mouth at the mist of condensation forming on the top edge of his visor. It made it worse, just as he thought it might. Perhaps he should open his visor, now that they were inside the planet’s atmosphere.
The shuttle shook suddenly as though it had clipped the top of a mountain. Everybody was thrown forward, straining their seat harnesses, and a couple of guns went sailing forward and up, to clatter off the shuttle ceiling before slamming back to the deck. People grabbed for the guns and Horza closed his eyes; he wouldn’t have been at all surprised if one of these enthusiasts had left their safety catch off. However, the guns were retrieved without mishap, and people sat cradling them and looking about.
‘What the hell was that?’ the old man, Aviger, said, and laughed nervously. The shuttle began some hard manoeuvring, throwing first one half of the group on their backs while the people on the other side were suspended by their seat webbing, then flipping in the other direction and reversing the postures. Grunts and curses came over the open channel into Horza’s helmet. The shuttle dipped, making Horza’s stomach feel empty, floating, then the craft steadied again.
‘Bit of hostile fire,’ Kraiklyn’s clipped tones announced, and all the suited heads started to look from side to side.
‘What?’
‘Hostile fire ?’
‘I knew it.’
‘Oh-oh.’
‘Fuck.’
‘Why did I think as soon as I heard those fateful words, “easy in, easy out”, that this was going - ‘ began Jandriligeli in a bored, knowing drawl, only to be cut off by Lamm.
‘Hostile fucking fire. That’s all we need. Hostile fucking fire.’
‘They are gunned up,’ Lenipobra said.
‘Shit, who isn’t these days?’ Yalson said.
‘Chicel-Horhava, sweet lady; save us all,’ muttered Dorolow, speeding up the tracings of the Circle over her visor.
‘Shut the fuck up,’ Lamm told her.
‘Let’s hope Mipp can distract them without getting his ass blown off,’ Yalson said.
‘Maybe we should call it off,’ Rava Gamdol said. ‘Think we ought to call it off? Do you think we should call it off? Does anybody - ‘
‘NO!’ ‘YES!’ ‘NO!’ shouted three voices, almost in unison. Everybody looked at the three Bratsilakins. The two outer Bratsilakins turned their helmets to look at the one in the middle, as the shuttle swooped again. The middle Bratsilakin’s helmet turned briefly to each side. ‘Oh, shit,’ a voice said over the open channel, ‘all right: NO!’
‘I think maybe we should - ‘ Rava Gamdol’s voice started again.
Then Kraiklyn shouted, ‘Here we go! Everybody ready!’
The shuttle braked hard, banking steeply one way, then the other, shuddering once and dipping. It bounced and shook, and for a second Horza thought they were crashing, but then the craft slid to a stop and the rear doors jawed open. Horza was on his feet with the rest of them, piling out of the shuttle and into the jungle.
They were in a clearing. At its far end a few branches and twigs were still tumbling from huge, heavy-looking trees where the shuttle had just seconds before torn through the edge of the forest canopy as it dipped in for the small area of level, grassy ground. Horza had time to see a couple of bright birds flying fast out of the trees near by and caught a glimpse of a blue-pink sky. Then he was running with the others, round the front of the shuttle where it still glowed dark red and vegetation beneath it smouldered, and on into the jungle. A few of the Company were using their AG, floating over the undergrowth between the moss-covered tree trunks, but hampered by creepers which hung like thick, flower-strewn ropes between the trees.
So far they still couldn’t see the Temple of Light, but according to Kraiklyn it was just ahead of them. Horza looked round at the others on
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