Ventus by Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 410
down through the atmosphere itself, maybe even touch down
on the surface of Ventus.
Calandria took Mounce by the shoulders. "Do you have
any survival supplies?"
"Y-yes, it’s a institute policy to carry some."
"Where are they?" Calandria vaulted into the ship. "We
need stealth gauze. Have you got any?"
"I don’t--" began Mounce. The voice of the ship
interrupted her. Axel couldn’t hear what it said over the roar of
a nearby fire.
With a curse he hauled himself in the hatch after
Calandria. She was rooting in a suit locker near the lock.
For a second Axel just let himself drink in the sight of the
clean white floors, padded couches and trailing wall ivy
decorating the ship. The Pan Hellenia represented civilization,
with all the amenities--flush toilets, air beds, hot showers and
sonic cleansers, VR, fine cuisine...
"Axel, help me!" He sighed, and turned away from it all.
Calandria was throwing things indiscriminately into a
survival bag. Axel spotted a first-aid kit, diagnostic equipment,
some emergency rations, a flashlight--
"Aha!" He pounced on the laser pistol. "Now I feel
whole again."
"Forget that--help me with this." She was struggling to
unclip a heavy box from the wall.
"What’s that? Cal, it’s way too heavy--"
"Nanotech customization kit. It’ll save our lives, believe
me."
"Okay." He helped her wrestle it down and into the bag.
"Uh, guys?" Mounce stood in the entrance, framed nicely
by a vision of burning forest. "We’d better get going. The
swans are here."