Inadvertent Adventures (40 page)

"Ye set a delightful table Mistress Dihandri," she said as she smiled at the cook, then turned away. Ann was right behind her and guided her to a larger table.

"We've started incorporating several native dishes into our diet, Mom. That steak is from a Cowterpillar."

"A
what
!" Harriet almost squeaked.

Sterling laughed. "It's Frisland's answer to a bison, Ma. They are the biggest land animal we've seen. They have thirty-two stubby legs, arranged in eight sets of four. They're about four meters long, two and a half meters tall at the shoulder, and two meters wide. This one weighed about three metric tons. They don't really look like a buffalo, though. More like a wooly rhinoceros without horns."

"Saints preserve us," Harriet murmured. "Are they dangerous?"

Sterling shrugged and looked at Mandy. "The first trip Mandy and I took to the surface, one chased her, but that's the only sign of aggression we've seen. They seem to be omnivorous, but are primarily herbivores. They aren't too bright. They have prehensile lips for picking leaves and pulling up plants from rocky crevasses."

Harriet gave Sterling a piercing look and took a small bite of her steak. Her eyes closed for a moment, and then she sighed. "Delicious. Much better than mutton. Not quite like beef or pork or anything I remember eating."

"The closest thing I've ever had to it was goat on New Kashmir," Sterling said as he took a large bite.

"The transplanted elk on Nova Norway taste kind of like this, but the meat isn't as tender," Mandy added, looking around. "This is more like slow cooked prime rib."

"’Tis lovely, no matter the source." They continued to eat and talk quietly until Mandy and Bart headed for control. Olaf had joined the breakfast group, and he headed for engineering.

Ten minutes later, Denise and CM came down from control, and Thom came up from the engine room to join them. Thom saw the remnants of Harriet's meal and smiled.

"Did you enjoy the steak, Missus Fairmont?"

"Indeed I did. ‘Tis such a nice addition to the ship's supplies. I'm thinkin' that I might send Cousin Beth a message. She's involved in ranching on New Erin. If these animals can be domesticated, I'm sure she'll be wantin' to invest."

"I think her whole family will, Mom," Ann replied around a bite of steak.

"Don't speak with your mouth full, Annie," Harriet scolded. "’Tis rude, and I raised you better than that. Indeed, I suspect our entire clan is going to be wantin' to invest in Frisland."

"Speaking of which," Sterling interrupted, "who did you contract with to build your station?"

Harriet raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "O'Sullivan and Sons."

Ann choked and grabbed for her coffee as Sterling slapped her back. "Mom, you know--"

"I know, I know. There's a bit o' bad blood between us, but they had the best qualified team. While we were conferrin' in New Frankfurt, they were refittin' the
Narcissus
with expanded berthing facilities to accommodate them here in Farflung."

Ann looked at her and took a deep breath. "I hope you know what you're doing, Mom. Bad blood is a very mild term for the trouble between us and the O'Sullivans."

T
HE SHUTTLE LAUNCHED AS SOON AS
everyone was secure. Ann and Sterling both double-checked Harriet's suit before they would let her aboard the shuttle. She bore the attention with quiet patience, and forbore to mention that she was the one who had taught Annette how to don her suit when she was six.

Sterling piloted the shuttle in a long, circuitous route that took them over some of the Stevenson Continent's most spectacular scenery. Mountains that they hadn't named yet reached six and a half kilometers into the sky, and gleamed under their coat of ice and snow. Great rivers flowed out into wide flatlands and filled deep freshwater lakes. Ann pointed out a herd of cowterpillars. Other grazers were visible as well, though most were less than half the size of the shaggy beasts.

Their goal was a bay on the southern edge of the continent. It was a natural deep-water harbor, with the water remaining a deep azure blue nearly all the way to the shore. Only the last few hundred meters showed the bottom rising.

Ann turned to her mother and smiled. "We're not sure how this was formed. I think it was an impact crater, but Sterling is convinced it was volcanic. Whatever the cause, it's over a kilometer deep just three hundred meters off shore."

"’Tis beautiful," Harriet replied without taking her eyes away from the view port. "What's the water temperature?"

Sterling laughed. "Cold. It varies, but the warmest water we've encountered was just twenty-one degrees C. That was out in the Oslund Islands. Here, it's more likely to be around seventeen or eighteen degrees."

Harriet sighed, "Pity."

Sterling landed them half a kilometer from the shore, and then everyone stripped out of their environmental suits. Ann shook her head and smiled. "One thing we're going to have to send for is more varied clothing. All any of us have that's suited to wear down here is our coveralls. Everything else is designed for wearing in a controlled environment."

Harriet nodded, but she was already standing by the door of the personnel access hatch. Sterling smiled and cycled the door open, and Harriet got her first breath of Frisland air.

"Oh dear," she muttered. "I can't say you didn't warn me. Still, I've smelled worse." She walked forward and was the first down the ramp. She was looking around, not saying anything as she scanned the entire area. She finally said just one word in a breathy sigh. "Lovely."

"Yes, it is," Katrina said as she joined her. She was looking around, and started taking pictures of the new plants, then collecting samples. Behind them, Elrika and Rauld had both stopped and were scanning the area with their rifles at the ready.

The whole group stayed together, and when Harriet headed for the water everyone followed. The waves were fairly large, some topping two meters as they came ashore. They broke with a roar against the sand, foaming up for a moment before receding, only to rush in again moments later.

Harriet was looking closely at the creatures that scurried among the sand and sea-plants, but kept her hands on her knees. "They don't look like anythin' I've ever seen before," she murmured as Katrina joined her.

"That's the fun part. You've got to really examine them to decide what they are." She reached out with a pair of lab-tongs and picked up a small, soft-shelled crustacean. "We've found these in every ocean and sea. They're like little crabs. They even have crab-like claws, except they have four of them." She gently placed the little creature back on the ground and watched it scurry away.

"Ha' ye found larger versions of it?" Harriet asked.

"No. We've found empty shells that may be from a similar species, but no live specimens. Why?"

Harriet smiled. "I love cracked crab on ice, child."

Katrina laughed and shook her head as she looked out to sea.
"Look!"
she shouted as her arm came up, and everyone followed her pointing finger. In the surf, barely visible due to the angle of the sun, was a huge sea creature. It was long rather than fat, but it had the hydrodynamic shape of a shark. Katrina raised her camera, but it was too late. The creature was gone, but its appearance had served as a warning.

"That was bigger than a cowterpillar," Ann said as she continued to stare at the water.

"I'd guess ten meters," Sterling murmured.

"It's not necessarily a predator, you know," Elrika said as she scanned the water for more of the creatures. "Some of Earth's largest sea creatures actually fed on plankton and small things called krill."

Ann nodded. "Marine Science One-Oh-One," she agreed as she looked at the water. "We'll warn whoever comes to study the oceans about it and let them figure it out."

Harriet smiled and continued up the shore. There was literally something new at every step she took, and she was continually pointing out one thing or another to Katrina.

Too soon for everyone, Ann announced, "Time to head back to the ship." There was a chorus of disappointed sighs, but everyone headed for the shuttle.

Once everyone was secure, Sterling contacted the
Admiral Ann's Revenge
. "
Admiral Ann's Revenge
, this is Shuttle One. We are ready to return to the ship."

"Shuttle One,
Admiral Ann's Revenge
Control," Mandy replied. "We have five messages from incoming ships. The Beloofte Universities have their teams onboard four of them. The fifth is the DA-CC Supply Ship
Bremen
."

"
Admiral Ann's Revenge
, Shuttle One. Message understood. We should be aboard in two hours. Shuttle One out," Sterling replied, then looked at Ann. Ann nodded, and Sterling began their takeoff sequence.

Once they were on their ascent, Ann contacted the ship. "
Admiral Ann's Revenge
, this is Captain Stevenson. Relay all of the pending messages to Shuttle One for review." Mandy answered, "Aye, Ma'am," and the squeal of compressed data immediately followed.

Ann began opening the messages, and smiled as the first one was displayed. The man on the screen had the biggest, shaggiest beard she'd ever seen. "President Stevenson," the image began in a cultured tone, "I am Doctor David Freer, PhD. I hold the Frisland Marine Sciences Chair at Cape Town University, and I'm the senior ichthyologist on this expedition." He grinned briefly, though it was hard to tell behind all that hair. "There are one hundred of us, and our ship, the
Coelacanth
, is capable of landing on the planet as you suggested. Can you make a recommendation as to a good place to start? Our good captain estimates we will make orbit seventeen days after you receive this message. Freer out." The screen went blank.

Ann looked at Sterling and giggled. "Lords of Space, did you see that beard?" she asked.

Sterling was chuckling as well. "Beats having razor-burn and going into salt water. Remember the time you shaved your-"

"Shut up, Sterling," she snapped, but she was laughing. "That really hurt." There was a chuckle from behind them, and Ann turned to look at her mother. "You never warned me about that, Mom."

"Tha's because New Britannia's oceans are hardly salty at all. No need there. Yer father took us all swimmin' many a time an' I never had a problem. Ye don' swim in New Erin's oceans." She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side. "Not if ye wan' to live verra long."

Ann nodded and turned back to her messages. The next was from a geologist wanting information on active geological features. The third was from a microbiologist who was being sponsored by a Beloofte pharmaceutical company. The last was interested in the animal life of Frisland.

Ann composed a generic reply. "Welcome to Farflung, and Frisland. We will provide you with all of the data we have so far collected concerning Frisland, its plants and animals, and its geology and geography, for review on your way in. Please do not attempt to land without contacting the
Admiral Ann's Revenge
first for clearance. We have encountered several aggressive carnivores, and we'll provide you with their descriptions. On behalf of the Farflung System Government, this is President Stevenson. Out." She closed the messages, and then sent it to Mandy.

"And that's that," she said as she sat back to relax for the rest of the trip back to her ship.

* * *

It was seventeen days before the first of the scientific expeditions reached Frisland. Ann had continued the shuttle flights to the surface, and they had compiled a larger database of information for the scientists.

The
Coelacanth
was a small ship compared to the
Revenge
, but that was to be expected. Big ships can't make landfall. She also showed the aerodynamic shape of a vessel that could maneuver in an atmosphere as well as space.

"
Admiral Ann's Revenge
, this is Captain Juvan Lansdell of the research vessel
Coelacanth.
Doctor Freer is with me. Do you have a preferred spot for us to land?"

Ann had been summoned as soon as the
Coelacanth
made orbit, and she answered. "
Coelacanth
, this is President Stevenson on the
Admiral Ann's Revenge.
Doctor Freer, we'll be sending you all the additional information we've discovered about Frisland at the end of this message. We caught a glimpse of a large sea-creature, but were unable to get a record of it. We are going to direct all of the expeditions to the largest land mass. My crew named it the Stevenson Continent." She paused as the captain grinned. The hair on Doctor Freer's face moved, but that was about all she could tell of his expression. "Doctor, there is a circular deep-water bay on the southern shore. That's where we saw the large creature. Did you think to bring along weapons for protection against land and water animals?"

This time it was obvious that there was a wide smile under all that facial hair. Teeth gleamed briefly before he replied, "Indeed we did. I take it that you've encountered creatures you needed to be protected from?"

Ann nodded. "We've catalogued three carnivores on land. I'd expect you to find more in the water. Very well. The location of the bay is marked on the charts we're sending you. It's not named yet, and we'd prefer to reserve that right, but you can name the life forms you find anything you want."

Doctor Freer nodded and smiled again. "Anything, Madam President?"

"Within reason," she replied with a glance to the side. "Within reason."

Doctor Freer and Captain Lansdell both nodded and the captain said, "Very well, President Stevenson. We'll begin our landing sequence as soon as we've mapped the location.
Coelacanth
out." Then the connection cut off.

"Why did you look at me like that?" Sterling asked.

"Who was it that wanted to name that large flying creature a Damnit Bird?"

"It
pooped
on me! What else was I supposed to call it?"

"A Bombardier Bird, just like we eventually did."