02 Quetzals Flock

QUETZAL'S FLOCK
There was no sensation, except that when he placed his head through what was
supposed to be the outer skin of the Ship, he looked down and found that he had no
body. He was glad to see that other essential parts began to build as he walked
forward on invisible legs. Finally, all of him was present and he hoped, correct -
provided one didn't count his mental status.
The Bole and Hammadi stood waiting for him. The Bole was non-committal
about the whole process, but Hammadi was crying with laughter. Kane addressed his
son in some heat.
"It might have been fair to warn me!"
"And miss all the fun, my father?"
"Have some consideration for my hardened arteries!"
Kane looked around. They were in the Ship and they were standing on
something tangible. He wondered if the term had real meaning in that environment.
They had passed through what had appeared to be tangible. It had been some sort of
force field, which doubled as the outer skin of the Ship. The floor upon which they
were standing, could have been a continuation of that force field, it appeared solid,
but clearly, matter and energy were transmutable. He was reminded of Lynxe and the
thought energy they used to change energy into matter and vice versa - it was a
variation of the same principle.
The light of the star penetrated the Barrier, but the heat didn't. There was no
sign of lighting from a source within the Ship. Hammadi had said that the Ship was
dead, yet the force field was still maintained. Somewhere in the Ship, was a power
source which supplied that force field. The Ship wasn't completely dead!
"Where's the Control Room?"
"It can't be reached. There's no way of penetrating the Ship beyond the Entry
Barrier. That Sharta, Siyulk sealed the Ship before he rebelled and from that time, it
has been impossible to get to the Control Room."
"How did Obeid teach you about the Ship?"
Hammadi gestured along the curved corridor. Kane followed him.
"Come on, twinkle toes."
The Bole silently added yet another synonym to its list of alternative names,
and complied with the order.
The corridor was high and curved and looked as if it ran round the ship like a
girdle. The inner wall was bland, giving no sign of entry into the vessel. Kane touched
it, it remained solid. They came to a point where there was a variation. A square room
opened out on the inward side. It was lit by the light from the outside, enough to see
that it was sealed off at the far end, by a blank wall. Hammadi led the way to it and
disappeared through the solid surface. Kane followed and emerged into a well lit
chamber. The Bole's front mandibles appeared, followed by the rest of the unlovely
creature.
It was a control room of sorts but obviously, not the one which commanded
the Ship. There was the usual array of dials and control pads. The dials were
motionless and gave every indication that the Ship was as dead as Hammadi had
suggested.
"Is this where Obeid showed you how to work the Ship?"
"This is where he tried to explain how it worked, my father. He could only talk
in theory - nothing can be made to work."
Kane muttered.
"The controls must be locked. Siyulk must have done something to them
before he took off across the desert!"
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