apparently decided to get re-familiar with the shuttle controls by diving and swooping all around RL-71. He was obviously out of practice, as the motions of the craft weren’t smooth. Jumper laughed like an infant being thrown in the air by his father as he gripped the handle over the copilot’s door. He glanced in the cabin and saw his two friends both clinging tight to the overhead railing. Kayla made eye contact with him.
“Oh, Jumper’s having waaaayyy too much fun,” she said.
The wall around RL-71 finally lit up in red. Brandon quit fooling around and took the shuttle up and out in the direction of Continent-3. He flew it steady from there and the engine noise quieted down enough for everyone to talk in a normal tone.
“I was beginning to wish we brought the float suits back there,” Alan said from the cabin. He then mumbled something under his breath that Jumper thought sounded like, “Still do, actually.”
“About that,” Brandon said. “Why don’t you and Jumper now tell me what really happened on your overnight mountain trip.”
“What do you mean?” Jumper asked.
“I mean the real story, not the padded version you both gave your fathers. Not that I blame you. The area you were in is close to a hotbed of recent activity, and I may have need of the information you can give me.”
Jumper hesitated. “We…”
“Yes?”
“We didn’t pad it too much. We stayed out overnight because of trouble with our cruiser. I’ll confess that we tested Dad’s new suits on steeper ground than was probably wise, but only after we had good results on the shallow slopes.”
“That still sounds like the padded version,” Brandon said.
Kayla spoke up. “You want the real story, get ahold of his lightpad and read his journal.” She paused and then added, “But if you do, please skip over the parts about me.”
Brandon glanced at Jumper with a look of approval and said, “Journal, huh?”
Jumper didn’t answer. Brandon crossed the sea and reached the shores of Continent-3 before anyone said another word. The sun was low in the sky and shadows were stretching across the valleys.
“Are we really going to the space station in an alien ship?” Kayla asked.
“I think he was joking,” Alan said. “He was laughing when he said that, remember? Right, Brandon?”
Jumper thought he detected a trace of hope in Alan’s voice, so he chimed in to straighten him out.
“Of course we’re going to Cardinal-4. The governor needs to see Uncle Brandon—right, Uncle Brandon?”
Brandon didn’t immediately answer. He allowed the ensuing uncomfortable silence to extend as he looked about over the top of a mountain range they had come to.
Finally, he said, “See how inconvenient it is to be lacking information?”
Jumper squirmed in his seat and wanted to change the subject. Wherever they were going, it was fine with him—as long as he was coming along. He looked down at the mountains.
“Aren’t these the Sinlos?”
“Very good,” Brandon said. “You recognize them from the air, too.” He slowed the shuttle and descended. Soon they were skimming the treetops on the west side of the range. At one spot Brandon slowed to a hover, and then circled around. They came across an open flat area. Half a dozen figures could be seen running into the trees and rock crevices as the shuttle approached. Jumper thought the area looked familiar and became uncomfortable again.
“Careful, Uncle Brandon. The mountain dwellers are armed.”
Brandon glanced at Jumper with his eyebrows raised. He then flew the shuttle off the mountains down into the foothills, slowed, hovered, and landed. The engines turned off. Brandon opened all the doors using the pilot’s controls and vacated the cockpit.
Jumper recognized the place while he was still sitting on board. This was where he and Alan parked their cruiser two days ago, where it had been taken by the Midlands patrol. Brandon landed the shuttle on almost the exact same
“Oh, Jumper’s having waaaayyy too much fun,” she said.
The wall around RL-71 finally lit up in red. Brandon quit fooling around and took the shuttle up and out in the direction of Continent-3. He flew it steady from there and the engine noise quieted down enough for everyone to talk in a normal tone.
“I was beginning to wish we brought the float suits back there,” Alan said from the cabin. He then mumbled something under his breath that Jumper thought sounded like, “Still do, actually.”
“About that,” Brandon said. “Why don’t you and Jumper now tell me what really happened on your overnight mountain trip.”
“What do you mean?” Jumper asked.
“I mean the real story, not the padded version you both gave your fathers. Not that I blame you. The area you were in is close to a hotbed of recent activity, and I may have need of the information you can give me.”
Jumper hesitated. “We…”
“Yes?”
“We didn’t pad it too much. We stayed out overnight because of trouble with our cruiser. I’ll confess that we tested Dad’s new suits on steeper ground than was probably wise, but only after we had good results on the shallow slopes.”
“That still sounds like the padded version,” Brandon said.
Kayla spoke up. “You want the real story, get ahold of his lightpad and read his journal.” She paused and then added, “But if you do, please skip over the parts about me.”
Brandon glanced at Jumper with a look of approval and said, “Journal, huh?”
Jumper didn’t answer. Brandon crossed the sea and reached the shores of Continent-3 before anyone said another word. The sun was low in the sky and shadows were stretching across the valleys.
“Are we really going to the space station in an alien ship?” Kayla asked.
“I think he was joking,” Alan said. “He was laughing when he said that, remember? Right, Brandon?”
Jumper thought he detected a trace of hope in Alan’s voice, so he chimed in to straighten him out.
“Of course we’re going to Cardinal-4. The governor needs to see Uncle Brandon—right, Uncle Brandon?”
Brandon didn’t immediately answer. He allowed the ensuing uncomfortable silence to extend as he looked about over the top of a mountain range they had come to.
Finally, he said, “See how inconvenient it is to be lacking information?”
Jumper squirmed in his seat and wanted to change the subject. Wherever they were going, it was fine with him—as long as he was coming along. He looked down at the mountains.
“Aren’t these the Sinlos?”
“Very good,” Brandon said. “You recognize them from the air, too.” He slowed the shuttle and descended. Soon they were skimming the treetops on the west side of the range. At one spot Brandon slowed to a hover, and then circled around. They came across an open flat area. Half a dozen figures could be seen running into the trees and rock crevices as the shuttle approached. Jumper thought the area looked familiar and became uncomfortable again.
“Careful, Uncle Brandon. The mountain dwellers are armed.”
Brandon glanced at Jumper with his eyebrows raised. He then flew the shuttle off the mountains down into the foothills, slowed, hovered, and landed. The engines turned off. Brandon opened all the doors using the pilot’s controls and vacated the cockpit.
Jumper recognized the place while he was still sitting on board. This was where he and Alan parked their cruiser two days ago, where it had been taken by the Midlands patrol. Brandon landed the shuttle on almost the exact same
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