Read Alder's World Part One: Mass 17 for Free Online Page A

“ I have to know where he is. Do we
have a tube running into the dome? ”
    “It ’ s still there but
it ’ s not pressurized
sir. ”
    “Damn. Okay, get me a
rescue team in suits. ”
    “Sir! ” Tallen stood up. “ We have injured and stranded crew
all over the ship. We ’ re
registering vacuum outside of twenty-four
bulkheads.... ”
    “Yes, and
Alder ’ s the only one of us
whose shown any hint that he understands why.
I ’ m not moving this ship or
doing anything else until Alder tells me what his nanobots are
doing. They ’ ve eaten through
everything of ours that they ’ ve touched. Now that the cloud has exploded over us, I
can ’ t say that
I ’ m sure why we
haven ’ t been eaten too...” He
paused. “ What ’ s the hull
temperature like?
    “96 K ” Someone responded.
    “Why?” Tallen asked.
    “Have we not heard from
the science bay at all? ”
    “Sorry
sir. ”
    A glance at the monitors
showed that the science bay was still there but missing several
instruments and ominously dark. “ And what ’ s the
temperature around us?” The temperature
outside had been falling steadily since the initial fiery blast had
buried them in the cloud three hours before.
    “128 K and still
falling. ”
    “Sir. If I can
just... ”
    “Shhhh.” Pilton waved a
hand at Tallen. “ Alder said
that heat sped the action of the nanobots. Maybe heat attracts them
as well. ”
    He turned on Rhye. “ Turn it off. Turn it all
off. ”
    “Sir? ”
    “I want to hull of the
ship to cool at the same rate as the space around
us. ”
    “So you want me to put the
reactor in standby and go to quiet
running? ”
    “No. I want you to turn it
off; all of it. I want two things running on this ship; the
shields, and a radio to the rescue crew in the environment
dome. ”
    “But sir.
We ’ ll be unable to
defend... ”
    “I have to tell you
Shalim.” Pilton said to Tallen. “ I ’ m not very afraid of alien marines, or whole planets that
maliciously blow up if you turn a sensor on them, but
I ’ m pretty convinced that
Alder ’ s Technoprey killed
Martin and the others because they were warm. So were the scouts we
sent into the cloud. I understand about hull breeches, and injured
crew. I don ’ t understand
Technoprey. Turn off the environment, turn off the water. Turn it
all off but the shields and then get me
Alder. ”

“Potted”
    It was
strange to be isolated in the Environment Dome. Although they knew
the rest of the ship was still with them, the communications break
down and thick cloud of dust and ash swirling outside made it feel
as if they were a tiny mountain of light and air swimming in the
void. Standing at an observation port staring into the gloom to
where he knew the command pod was barely two hundred meters away,
Alder felt suddenly very sad for the world carrying turtle of
Indian myth. How strange to find yourself swimming endlessly in the
sea of space. Did it know there was a world of life and heat on its
back or was it forced to face forever forward into the void,
swimming alone?
    His thoughts turned
suddenly to Micki Span, a girl from his elementary school in Darver
Town on Make Make where he ’ d
lived for several years as a child. “ Well, I just hope
it ’ s a boy turtle.” She ’ d said
in the hall after a lesson about Terran religions.
    “Why is that?” Young Alder had asked naively.
    Micki Span had rolled her
eyes and gestured expansively. “ Because, if it ’ s a
girl, it ’ s only a matter of
time before some bloke comes along and tries to climb her back.
That won ’ t be so good for the
earthlings will it? ”
    Alder smiled at the memory. His ears
had burned as the children around him laughed at what seemed to ten
year olds like a very funny joke.
    “Commander?” Lieutenant Harshaw, an environmental
Tech ’ s voice broke his
revere. She had slipped into the room behind him.
    “Yes, Allayah?” As third
in command of the Duster behind Pilton and the Chief