away and climbed swiftly up the ladder. I watched her almost halfway, then looked at Carla. She had an ironic smirk, as if to say, you’ll have trouble with that one . The only response I could think of was to shrug and spread my hands.
‘That’s life,’ I said, shaking my head, and then followed my new comrade up the ladder and into the ship.
4
THE STATE OF THE ART
The sound of that hatch sealing behind me was the most welcome I’d heard for some time. Tony Girard caught me by the forearms, and then let himself be swept into a hug.
‘It’s great to be back!’ I said when I’d let go of him and he’d stood aside, red-faced, as we stepped out of the airlock. The inner hatch closed behind us and we heard a brief, muffled surge as the airlock filled with water. The deck thrummed under my feet, the curving walls of the narrow corridor enclosed me, the familiar shipboard smells of metal and plastic and blue-green, of endlessly recycled air and water and organics, filled my grateful nostrils. ‘That was a brilliant landing, I must say.’
‘Great to have you back,’ Tony said. ‘Especially with such success.’
I turned the sides of my mouth downward. ‘Wilde would’ve been better. He knows the way—’
‘And who’s to say it still works? We’ll get more out of Malley in the long run. You did fine.’
‘Hope you’re right. Have to dry him out and give his brain a reboot first.’
Tony laughed. ‘Two tabs from the medical bay. I’ve pulled worse cases out of brawls in Aldringrad.’ He motioned me to precede him along the radial corridor. ‘Who’s the little sweetie?’
‘Calls herself Suze,’ I told him. ‘Don’t know her other names. She’s just volunteered. I met her by chance, and she’s been helpful. She’s a sociologist—’
‘A what?’ I glanced back at him. He rolled his eyes up, then down. ‘Oh, right, I see.’ He blinked hard, shutting off his suit’s encyclopaedia.
‘Check her out,’ I advised. ‘She’s nice, but—’ I spread my fingers and waggled my hand where he could see it over my shoulder.
‘Gotcha,’ he said. ‘You had some trouble with the locals?’
‘Minor trouble,’ I said. ‘No tissue damage to anyone—but something serious is going on. Malley was leaned on by a couple of guys who claimed to be from the Inner System’s space defence, and the descriptions of them check out, low-gee reflexes and all that. Hinted that he was a potential source of an outbreak. He denies it, but what he’s actually been doing is teaching electronics to the non-cos—no harm in that, but the grubby sods are using radios.’
‘Mind viruses could have been the worry.’
‘Possible,’ I said. ‘Or maybe the appeasers have picked up some hint of what we’re up to. The local Union rep is looking into it, she’ll be in touch.’
‘I’ll keep an ear out,’ Tony said. We’d reached the internal doorway to the mid deck. ‘Oh, and Ellen …’
‘Yes?’ I paused, my hand on the plate, and looked back at him. He eyed me up and down and mimed disapproval. ‘You can’t face the rest of the crew dressed like that .’
‘Oh.’ I looked down at my torn jumpsuit, stained webbing, scratched boots; thumbed the straps of my backpack. ‘I suppose not.’
I put down the bits of hardware I’d accumulated and hesitated before transforming the suit. In the natural human environment of free fall or low-gee most of us went for some permutation of closely fitting and lightly floating; but we weren’t going to enjoy that comfortable condition for some time, and I’d need some padding. I selected the appropriate parameters, and let the suit come up with something to match them. I found myself in a bulky, quilted one-piece with the arms and legs sealed at the wide cuffs to skintight gloves and socks. It had a thrown-back anorak hood which could quickly convert to a helmet in an emergency. Deep pockets were on the front of each thigh. The whole thing was presumably
‘That’s life,’ I said, shaking my head, and then followed my new comrade up the ladder and into the ship.
4
THE STATE OF THE ART
The sound of that hatch sealing behind me was the most welcome I’d heard for some time. Tony Girard caught me by the forearms, and then let himself be swept into a hug.
‘It’s great to be back!’ I said when I’d let go of him and he’d stood aside, red-faced, as we stepped out of the airlock. The inner hatch closed behind us and we heard a brief, muffled surge as the airlock filled with water. The deck thrummed under my feet, the curving walls of the narrow corridor enclosed me, the familiar shipboard smells of metal and plastic and blue-green, of endlessly recycled air and water and organics, filled my grateful nostrils. ‘That was a brilliant landing, I must say.’
‘Great to have you back,’ Tony said. ‘Especially with such success.’
I turned the sides of my mouth downward. ‘Wilde would’ve been better. He knows the way—’
‘And who’s to say it still works? We’ll get more out of Malley in the long run. You did fine.’
‘Hope you’re right. Have to dry him out and give his brain a reboot first.’
Tony laughed. ‘Two tabs from the medical bay. I’ve pulled worse cases out of brawls in Aldringrad.’ He motioned me to precede him along the radial corridor. ‘Who’s the little sweetie?’
‘Calls herself Suze,’ I told him. ‘Don’t know her other names. She’s just volunteered. I met her by chance, and she’s been helpful. She’s a sociologist—’
‘A what?’ I glanced back at him. He rolled his eyes up, then down. ‘Oh, right, I see.’ He blinked hard, shutting off his suit’s encyclopaedia.
‘Check her out,’ I advised. ‘She’s nice, but—’ I spread my fingers and waggled my hand where he could see it over my shoulder.
‘Gotcha,’ he said. ‘You had some trouble with the locals?’
‘Minor trouble,’ I said. ‘No tissue damage to anyone—but something serious is going on. Malley was leaned on by a couple of guys who claimed to be from the Inner System’s space defence, and the descriptions of them check out, low-gee reflexes and all that. Hinted that he was a potential source of an outbreak. He denies it, but what he’s actually been doing is teaching electronics to the non-cos—no harm in that, but the grubby sods are using radios.’
‘Mind viruses could have been the worry.’
‘Possible,’ I said. ‘Or maybe the appeasers have picked up some hint of what we’re up to. The local Union rep is looking into it, she’ll be in touch.’
‘I’ll keep an ear out,’ Tony said. We’d reached the internal doorway to the mid deck. ‘Oh, and Ellen …’
‘Yes?’ I paused, my hand on the plate, and looked back at him. He eyed me up and down and mimed disapproval. ‘You can’t face the rest of the crew dressed like that .’
‘Oh.’ I looked down at my torn jumpsuit, stained webbing, scratched boots; thumbed the straps of my backpack. ‘I suppose not.’
I put down the bits of hardware I’d accumulated and hesitated before transforming the suit. In the natural human environment of free fall or low-gee most of us went for some permutation of closely fitting and lightly floating; but we weren’t going to enjoy that comfortable condition for some time, and I’d need some padding. I selected the appropriate parameters, and let the suit come up with something to match them. I found myself in a bulky, quilted one-piece with the arms and legs sealed at the wide cuffs to skintight gloves and socks. It had a thrown-back anorak hood which could quickly convert to a helmet in an emergency. Deep pockets were on the front of each thigh. The whole thing was presumably
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