He started forward, his boots locking on the plates of the deck so that each step required effort. Then he saw Kiely floating ahead of him, grabbing handholds where he could to propel himself forward, his helmet light illuminating the way. Thian lifted one foot free, grabbed hold of a solid spar and yanked the other boot loose and followed Kiely’s aerial example.
Great heat had certainly seared and boiled any organic substances away, leaving only burst containers that had exploded and some that had apparently imploded. Depending on how long ago the catastrophe had occurred, some traces of the contained substances might be found for analysis. They could do that on their return to the shuttle. As he and Kiely made steady progress into the interior, Thian saw nothing very promising, except that the Hive had been transporting an unimaginable amount of cargo or stores. For an hour, they poked, prodded, peered, squeezing carefully into compartments on either side of this broad but squat ceilinged avenue.
According to his understanding of Hive ship construction, this corridor might be just above the doubly shielded quarters where, traditionally, the Queens were sequestered, constantly laying the eggs that would be stored for use in setting up the next colony. But, look as hard as he could, he could find no access to the lower level. when he saw the first of the tubes, he wondered what function it had performed. Then he came upon a cluster and the stingpzzt that had been constantly with him increased in intensity. That alone was unusual enough to make him call to Kiely to come back a moment.
`Whatcha find, Thian?’ `Don’t know but here’s a service door, or something, and – whaddya know, it opens,’ and Thian was as surprised as Kiely when his jerk pulled the panel free and it slowly drifted out.
Thian pressed his foot against the upper half and it settled to the deck.
Kiely, floating above him, poked his head down the opening, the light narrowing as it pierced the blackness of the tunnel.
`Up and down,’ and Kiely experimented with lighting. `Long way up and not so long a way down. Down’s it.’ And before Thian could caution the young lieutenant, he had pushed off down the tunnel.
`Commander,’ Thian said, dialling more power to his helmet comunit, `Kiely and I are investigating some conduits or tunnels that appear to be intact and lead to a lower level. We’ve found nothing else of note.’ `Proceed with caution. Much of this wreck is just waiting to fall apart. Kaldi had a lucky escape when a bulkhead started to go.’ Thian did not go head first: he stepped off the deck and let that impulsion and his own weight carry him slowly down.
Consequently he saw what Kiely had missed: regular openings off the tunnel, compartments that appeared to be sealed with a semi-transparent material which had not boiled, seared, ex-or imploded, and which gave off the most virulent stingpzzt he’d ever felt. Wincing in discomfort, he slowed his descent by one of the apertures and let his helmet light pierce the gloom. what he made out of the occluded interior made him gasp.
`Commander, I’ve found something,’ he said though his mouth and throat were dry with the actinic flavour.
`What, Lyon?’ and the commander sounded annoyed by his vagueness.
`I think it may be Hive larvae, sir.
Kiely’s helmet bumped into his feet, pushing him out of alignment with the opening.
`You what?’ `Belay that, Kiely!’ Thian roared back, grabbing at the smooth sides to try and halt his upward progress.
`I think you’re right,’ Kiely murmured in a subdued tone and shot past Thian to their point of entry.
There was such a babble over the helmet cams that it took Vandermeer minutes to get the noise level down to where individual orders could be understood.
`Just how can that be, Mr Lyon?’ she demanded.
`The probe registered no life readings.’ `Yes, ma’am, but larvae aren’t alive – yet. Besides which, I don’t think the probe’s sensors were programmed to pick up that sort of of unborn things.’ `Point!’ Her admission was not exactly grudging.
`What’s your position?’ He gave it while Kiely jostled him about as the lieutenant tried to see into one or another of the larvae tunnels.