plains and long blue lakes, the vegetation predominantly a covering of purple and violet grassland and forest.
‘The following footage is edited from over four hours of reconnaissance, so it’s jerky and unconsecutive. The planet is prone to violent storms, which accounts for the poor quality of some of the shots. Also, the planet is predominantly in the shadow of Tenebrae, which radiates only about a third of the light of our own sun. Hence Penumbra. We should see the features of interest in a minute or two.’
Bennett sat forward, his curiosity piqued.
The rilled and rucked surface of the land, where foothills buttressed high mountains, passed beneath the eye of the probe. A valley flashed by, and Mackendrick paused the film. At first Bennett could see nothing, and then he made out two rows of orderly shapes in the valley bottom. Mackendrick magnified the image, and Bennett told himself that the shapes were clearly buildings.
‘There,’ Mackendrick said. ‘What do you think?’
‘It could be some kind of village or settlement,’ Bennett ventured. ‘It certainly looks too ordered to be an accidental collection of rocks or boulders.’
‘Ten Lee?’
She inclined her head. ‘Probably,’ she said. ‘They certainly look like constructed artefacts.’
‘This is the only glimpse we get of such features,’ Mackendrick said. ‘The signal was lost soon after, probably due to storm damage. When I saw this I realised that I had to investigate. Not just send some of my men along, but actually go myself.’ He stared from Ten Lee to Bennett. ‘You do realise what this might mean, I hope?’
Bennett said, ‘Sentient extraterrestrial life. Only, what, the second or third discovered?’
‘It depends whether you class the cetaceans of Sirius VI as intelligent,’ Mackendrick replied. ‘I think the jury’s still out on that one. So, if they are what I think they are, the work of intelligent beings, and if they’re not extinct, then we might have ourselves some discovery here.’
‘That’s a lot of ifs,’ Ten Lee pointed out.
Mackendrick shrugged. ‘I’m willing to take the risk. Are you willing to join me?’
Bennett looked at Ten Lee. Her expression evinced no sign of having witnessed footage that might go down as significant in the history of stellar exploration.
At last she blinked and asked, ‘How far is Penumbra from Earth?’
‘Almost two thousand light years.’
‘So it will take us three, four months to reach?’
Mackendrick nodded. ‘About that. Of course, the ship is equipped with suspension units. By subjective elapsed time it’ll take us no more than a day or two.’
Ten Lee blinked up at Mackendrick. ‘May I ask another question?’
‘Go ahead.’
‘What I fail to understand,’ she said, ‘is why you don’t send a fully equipped exploration team.’
Mackendrick nodded. ‘Valid point, but an exploration ship and team takes months, sometimes over a year, to equip and crew, especially for a haul as far as this.’
‘No one’s likely to discover Penumbra in that time,’ Bennett pointed out, reasonably.
‘No, but then I haven’t got a year.’ Mackendrick paused, then went on. ‘Five years ago when I fell ill my doctors gave me four, five years at best. I’m living on borrowed time. I’ll be lucky to last another year. I want to discover intelligent life on Penumbra more than anything else, even if it’s the last thing I do. I need to assemble a small crew on a ship I have ready and waiting, and get there as fast as possible. Does that answer your question?’
Ten Lee inclined her head minimally. ‘My Rimpoche forecast an outward journey. I will come with you.’
‘Bennett?’
‘Union rates?’ Bennett asked, watching Mackendrick.
The tycoon smiled. ‘Damn union rates - a hundred thousand a month. How does that sound?’
Bennett stared at the
‘The following footage is edited from over four hours of reconnaissance, so it’s jerky and unconsecutive. The planet is prone to violent storms, which accounts for the poor quality of some of the shots. Also, the planet is predominantly in the shadow of Tenebrae, which radiates only about a third of the light of our own sun. Hence Penumbra. We should see the features of interest in a minute or two.’
Bennett sat forward, his curiosity piqued.
The rilled and rucked surface of the land, where foothills buttressed high mountains, passed beneath the eye of the probe. A valley flashed by, and Mackendrick paused the film. At first Bennett could see nothing, and then he made out two rows of orderly shapes in the valley bottom. Mackendrick magnified the image, and Bennett told himself that the shapes were clearly buildings.
‘There,’ Mackendrick said. ‘What do you think?’
‘It could be some kind of village or settlement,’ Bennett ventured. ‘It certainly looks too ordered to be an accidental collection of rocks or boulders.’
‘Ten Lee?’
She inclined her head. ‘Probably,’ she said. ‘They certainly look like constructed artefacts.’
‘This is the only glimpse we get of such features,’ Mackendrick said. ‘The signal was lost soon after, probably due to storm damage. When I saw this I realised that I had to investigate. Not just send some of my men along, but actually go myself.’ He stared from Ten Lee to Bennett. ‘You do realise what this might mean, I hope?’
Bennett said, ‘Sentient extraterrestrial life. Only, what, the second or third discovered?’
‘It depends whether you class the cetaceans of Sirius VI as intelligent,’ Mackendrick replied. ‘I think the jury’s still out on that one. So, if they are what I think they are, the work of intelligent beings, and if they’re not extinct, then we might have ourselves some discovery here.’
‘That’s a lot of ifs,’ Ten Lee pointed out.
Mackendrick shrugged. ‘I’m willing to take the risk. Are you willing to join me?’
Bennett looked at Ten Lee. Her expression evinced no sign of having witnessed footage that might go down as significant in the history of stellar exploration.
At last she blinked and asked, ‘How far is Penumbra from Earth?’
‘Almost two thousand light years.’
‘So it will take us three, four months to reach?’
Mackendrick nodded. ‘About that. Of course, the ship is equipped with suspension units. By subjective elapsed time it’ll take us no more than a day or two.’
Ten Lee blinked up at Mackendrick. ‘May I ask another question?’
‘Go ahead.’
‘What I fail to understand,’ she said, ‘is why you don’t send a fully equipped exploration team.’
Mackendrick nodded. ‘Valid point, but an exploration ship and team takes months, sometimes over a year, to equip and crew, especially for a haul as far as this.’
‘No one’s likely to discover Penumbra in that time,’ Bennett pointed out, reasonably.
‘No, but then I haven’t got a year.’ Mackendrick paused, then went on. ‘Five years ago when I fell ill my doctors gave me four, five years at best. I’m living on borrowed time. I’ll be lucky to last another year. I want to discover intelligent life on Penumbra more than anything else, even if it’s the last thing I do. I need to assemble a small crew on a ship I have ready and waiting, and get there as fast as possible. Does that answer your question?’
Ten Lee inclined her head minimally. ‘My Rimpoche forecast an outward journey. I will come with you.’
‘Bennett?’
‘Union rates?’ Bennett asked, watching Mackendrick.
The tycoon smiled. ‘Damn union rates - a hundred thousand a month. How does that sound?’
Bennett stared at the
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