THE PLANET THAT LOVED PEOPLE (standard:science fiction, 3372 words) [11/15] show all parts
Author: Danny Raven	Added: Mar 09 2016	Views/Reads: 1610/1287	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
PART 2 - CH 11

ELEVEN 

For a full ten minutes after they landed, Kane panned the forward
scanner round the immediate area and everybody looked intently at the 
Observation Screen. This close, the planet seemed quite innocent, even 
quite pretty. 

They'd touched down on a broad grassy field with a luxurious looking
forest running along one side of it. The sky was bright blue with a few 
cotton wool clouds drifting lazily around and the afternoon sun was 
beating down warmly. A few birds flew around in the trees and they 
could hear them singing and calling to each other. 

Kane stood up. “Get ready,” he said to Miller. “You're going out.” 

Miller had fainted briefly when he'd discovered where they were landing.
Now he was shaking visibly, his eyes glued to the Screen. 

“You're going out,” Kane told him again . “Not out there,” Miller said,
his voice quavering. “You know what could happen out there.” 

“No-one else can do the repair,” Kane stated flatly. “You have to go.” 

“Send her!” Miller said, pointing at the Android. “She's not human. It
doesn't matter if she gets bitten.” 

Kane glanced at Muslik who shook his head. “She's only programmed for
piloting,” he explained. “She wouldn't be able to do it.” 

“Couldn't you re-programme her?” Kane asked. 

Muslik shook his head. “We don't carry programming cards.” 

Kane turned back to Miller. “You heard. Move.” 

Miller didn't respond. 

“Move!” Kane yelled. 

“No chance,” Miller said then screamed as part of the chair-back next to
his head disintegrated. 

“Move,” Kane told him, “or the next shot goes straight through your
headband.” He aimed the laser pistol a couple of inches to the right. 

Miller screwed his eyes shut. “Kill me,” he said. “I'd rather die here
than go out there.” 

“Bye bye,” Kane muttered and began to squeeze the trigger. 

“Look at it this way,” Corthan said calmly. “If you sit where you are
you'll definitely die.” 

Miller opened one eye and squinted at him. 

“However if you go out, you may, repeat, may die. On the other hand you
might make it.” 

Miller opened both eyes. “You think I might make it?” 

“You've got more chance of making it out there than you have in here,”
Corthan told him. 

“You're right,” agreed Miller. “You've convinced me. I'll stay here.” He
screamed again as the chair-back on the other side of his head 
disintegrated. 

“Get him a suit and helmet!” Kane barked at the Android. He tossed the
laser pistol aside and looked at Corthan and Muslik. “Let's get him out 
that chair. As soon as we've suited him up we'll shove him down the 
disposal hatch.” 

***** It really was quite beautiful. Quite fucking beautiful. Seeing it
on the Screen was one thing but getting this close to it was something 
else. Since he had no choice about going out, Miller had opted for the 


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