Chapter Eight

Devon whistled for Sammy. The trunk ambled out of the cabin behind its master, with what almost seemed like excitement. Flim was waiting for him in the hallway with a big grin on his face.

“Let’s go, Devon. You and your dog are holding us up.” Flim had a small backpack over one shoulder.

“I’m coming, Flim.” Devon eyed Flim’s backpack with skepticism. “Is that all you are taking?”

“It’s all I need,” he replied with a wink.

They stepped onto the nearest pedway. Other groups of children streamed toward the docking level of the ship. Each had luggage of some sort. Most had large backpacks, but some, like Devon had automatic luggage.

“Are Merrell and Jacinda meeting us at the drop ship?” Devon asked.

“That is what she said yesterday.” Flim winked and grinned from ear to ear. “They spent the afternoon together getting to know each other.”

Devon had been busy almost all day with Blake Foundation business. There were lots of people who had wanted to talk to him before he departed for his trip down to Forrestal. He hated formalities, but considered them a necessary duty to his family and their business interests. He had been eager to spend more time with his friends, but could not until now.

“So, what did you do while I was busy? Devon asked.

“Oh, I entertained myself.”

“That didn’t include spying on Jacinda and Merrell, did it?”

“Just for a bit, but they are boring…” Flim suddenly realized he had probably said too much and blushed.

“It’s okay,” Devon reassured him, “I’m sure you were just making sure that Merrell wasn’t playing a joke on her by signing up as her partner.”

“He is actually a lot smarter than he looks. And he was being very nice to Jacinda. I think he likes her.” Flim grinned again at his last comment.

Devon and Flim shared a short laugh. The other children glanced at them, wondering what joke the two had shared.

“So, did you do anything else? That doesn’t sound like it took very long.”

Flim tried to suppress a smile, but failed. “Ah, let’s just say I helped somebody pack for the trip.”

“Flim, what did you do?” Devon shook his head, having a vision of Flim exchanging someone’s tropical underwear with wool long-johns.

“Nothing bad, just a bit of creative cuisine,” Flim said, acting hurt that he could be accused of misbehavior.

Devon stifled a look of disapproval. He hoped that Flim had not done anything mean. He thought he knew who had been the target of his friend’s shenanigans, but it was too late to worry about it now.

The pedway dropped them near a very large doorway. Jacinda and Merrell waited there. Merrell excitedly waved as soon as he saw them.

“Hi, guys. Are you ready for the drop to Forrestal?”

“Hi, Merrell,” Devon waved back. “I’m ready. How about you?” Devon looked from Merrell to Jacinda. She gave him a funny look, and then waved too.

“Oh, I’m all set,” Merrell said excitedly. “Jacinda and I spent all afternoon deciding what we should take. We have it all planned out. What to wear, what to eat, we thought of everything.”

Jacinda interrupted him. “I’m sure that Devon isn’t that interested in our packing.” She hurriedly changed the subject, seeming embarrassed. “So, Flim, is that all you are taking?”

“Like I told Devon, It’s all I need.” He winked at Jacinda who smiled meekly.

A high-pitched note rang out, rescuing them from an awkward silence.

“Everyone aboard,” Deke’s voice rang through the crowd of children gather near the door. “I assume that everyone followed the equipment list in your datapad. If you didn’t, then it might be a long trip.”

The children moved in a group through the door, which led into the hanger bay. The bay was dominated by a sleek looking craft that had a rounded bottom and stubby looking wings. A picture of an anvil held up by a tiny parachute over the words “Going Down?” covered the nose of the craft. Stewards were directing the children toward a hatch that had opened in the bottom of the drop ship. Each person’s luggage was taken and stowed in another hatch as they boarded.

“Get ready to be stowed,” Devon told Sammy. Several people looked at him as if he were being silly. They did not realize that his luggage followed his verbal commands. This made Flim smile.

“Can he roll over too?”

“Sure, but he doesn’t fetch very well.” All four of the friends laughed. They waited their turn to board. Once on board, the crew seated them, everyone in a seat next to their partner.

One female crewmember, to which all the others were deferring, motioned for Devon and Flim to come to the front of the drop ship. She motioned for them to take the very front row. Jacinda and Merrell were then seated directly across the isle from them.

“I hope these are satisfactory, Mr. Blake,” she asked.

He nodded, looking uncomfortable with the extra attention. Devon scanned his surroundings. He had never been on a drop ship before, but had read enough to recognize most of the important differences between this ship and a regular spaceship. The seats were comfortably padded and large enough for adults, offering plenty of room for the children. A large, rigid safety harness was positioned above each seat. Before the actual drop, these harnesses would be lowered over each passenger and locked into place. These were designed to keep each passenger safe during the rough, atmospheric entry for which the ship was designed. Everything else on board seemed to have been designed to be solid. Devon knew that this was necessary because of the stress that dropping into an atmosphere put on the ship. Drops could be very rough, depending on the speed of the descent and the conditions in the atmosphere.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Blake. She is a good ship,” the crew chief assured him, as if she could read his mind. “We have done hundreds of these and nothing has gone wrong. You’ll be asleep anyway.”

“What do you mean, asleep? Devon asked.

“We are equipped with sleep-wave generators. All of you will be sleeping like babies during the descent. The flight crew will be asleep as well. The pilots will be the only ones awake during the drop. It makes it easier if they don’t have to worry about the passengers.”

“I thought that we would get to see the entry.” Devon’s face showed disappointment. “It sounded like it was going to be like the biggest roller-coaster ride ever.”

“It’s a lot rougher than any roller-coaster. I don’t even like drops, but it is part of the job.”

“Still, I wish I could be awake.”

“I’m sorry Mr. Blake. Those are the rules.” The crew chief patted Devon on the shoulder. The firm hand helped reassure him.

After a few more minutes all of the children were seated and their gear stowed in the cargo hold beneath them. The soon-to-be explorers chatted quietly with their partners, wondering what Forrestal would be like. Their conversations were interrupted by a voice over the intercom.

“Okay, people, we are scheduled to drop into Forrestal’s atmosphere in approximately five and a half hours.” Everyone immediately recognized Deke’s voice.

“This is a routine drop, so no need to worry. Just to make it easier on everyone, you will all be asleep for the drop.” A few protests could be heard throughout the passenger compartment.

“That is the way it is, people. So, no need to complain. The crew will engage the sleep-wave generators at 2200 hours, so take care of any final business quickly, if you know what I mean.” A wave of giggles ran through the seated children. Everyone knew what he meant. A handful of students got up from their seats and moved toward the bathrooms in the rear of the craft.

“So, buddy, you ready for the big fall?” Flim asked Devon.

“You bet. I just wish we could be awake.”

“Not me,” Flim answered. “I don’t need that kind of excitement in my life.” Flim leaned across the aisle and tapped Jacinda on the shoulder. “What about you guys?”

“Sure, I love this stuff.” Jacinda nodded as she spoke. “We had a zero gravity elevator in our colony that is a lot like this. Every once in a while they would let all of us kids ride it, but only on special occasions.”

Merrell looked less sure, his face filled with worry. “I really don’t like heights very much. I’m glad I will be asleep.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud voice. “It figures that you’re scared. Is that why you signed up to have a girl as a partner? So you could look tough by comparison?” Terry Jameson stood in the aisle behind their row. There was no way to tell how long he had been listening.

“Go away, Terry! Go bother somebody else.” Merrell was red-faced with anger.

“Shut up Merrell. Nobody cares what you think, least of all me.”

Jacinda put her hand on Merrell’s shoulder, keeping him from standing up and confronting Terry.

“Mr. Jameson, why are you out of your seat?” Deke’s voice boomed loudly in the enclosed cabin.

Terry whirled to find Deke Jacobs standing right behind him.

“I was chatting with some friends,” he answered.

“That’s enough jawin’. If you’ve taken care of your business, get back to your seat. The sleep-wave generators turn on in fifteen minutes.” Deke’s look left no room for argument. Terry turned back for a moment and glared at the four friends then headed back toward his seat. Deke moved to the side, letting him pass, but there was no sign of backing down by either party.

Deke waited for another fifteen minutes and then motioned for silence. Satisfied that everyone had taken their seats, Deke addressed the children.

“We are going to lower your harnesses and engage the sleep-wave generators momentarily. When you wake up we should be in the atmosphere over our landing zone. From there it should be smooth sailing. Any questions?”

He waited for a few moments before continuing. “Okay, then let’s get this show on the road.” Deke walked back to his seat next to Terry and sat down with a sigh.

The crew made a quick pass through the cabin making sure that all personal items had been stowed. The crew chief signaled the pilots that everything was ready. With a soft whir, the safety harnesses slowly descended from the ceiling. As they neared the seats a red scanning laser ran over each child, measuring each for a perfect fit of the harness. The safety harnesses locked into place with a thunk, molding themselves to their occupant. There was hushed silence for a moment and then the cabin was filled with a low frequency hum. The sleep generators located in each harnesses began to hum deeply. The low rumble could be felt deep inside, causing everyone’s stomachs to flutter for a moment. Then, everyone strapped in their seats was enfolded in deep sleep.

Sure that everyone was asleep; the crew busied themselves with a few last-minute tasks and then strapped themselves into their own harnesses. They soon joined the students in deep sleep. The pilots stayed awake, monitoring the progress of the Boadicea, ready to get underway as soon as they reached orbit above Forrestal.