"James Van Pelt - Lashawnda at the End" - читать интересную книгу автора (Pelt James Van)

couple trips around the sun left in her, and her prescription list was a pharmacopoeia of pain killers.

She hadnтАЩt returned by morning.
***


тАЬItтАЩs standard operating procedure,тАЭ said the environmental engineer. She held her report forms to her
chest defensively. тАЬIf the atmosphere isnтАЩt toxic, weтАЩre supposed to vent it in to cool the equipment.
WeтАЩve been circulating outside air since the first day. Thereare bioscreens.тАЭ

First Chair looked at her dubiously. The four of us were crowded into the systems control room.
Lashawnda broke the seals of her contamination suit. SheтАЩd rushed from decontamination without taking
it off. тАЬI should have thought of it,тАЭ Lashawnda said. The helmet muffled her voice. тАЬThe fungi are
opportunistic, and theyтАЩre adept at finding hard-to-get water. You reverse airflow periodically, donтАЩt
you?тАЭ
The environmental engineer nodded. тАЬSure, it blows dust out of the screens.тАЭ

тАЬThe spores are activated by the moisture you vented, and-тАЭ

тАЬIdidnтАЩt ventanything ,тАЭ snapped the engineer. тАЬIt is standard operating procedure.тАЭ

тАЬRight,тАЭ said Lashawnda, pulling the helmet off her head. She brushed her hair back with a quick gesture.
тАЬThe fungus grew through the screen, spored, and thatтАЩs whatтАЩs in the machinery.тАЭ

тАЬTheentire water recycling system? The backup system too?тАЭ asked First Chair, a tinge of desperation in
his voice.

тАЬAbsolutely. There are holes in the valves. All the joints are pitted. The holding tanks would have more
fungus in them than water, if there was any water left. Pretty happy fungus at that, IтАЩd guess.тАЭ She pulled
the top half of the suit over her head, then stepped out of the pants. тАЬHereтАЩs the unusual part: The water
that was in the tank isnтАЩt in the room anymore. There are skinny stems leading to the vent that go down
the shipтАЩs side and into the ground. The fungus pumped the water out. These plants are geniuses at
moving water, which they have to be to survive.тАЭ

First Chair asked, тАЬWhy werenтАЩt the external tanks already ruined when we got here? They were
exposed to this environment much longer than our recycling equipment.тАЭ

тАЬThey landed in the winter. ThatтАЩs the same reason the initial probes didnтАЩt find the spores,тАЭ said
Lashawnda. тАЬItтАЩs spring now. The plants must only be active when its warmer. Bad timing on our part.тАЭ

I looked through the service window into the machinery bay. Even through the thick glass the fungus was
evident, a thick fur around the pipes. тАЬYouтАЩre sure the growth started inside the ship and went out, not
the other way around?тАЭ

Lashawnda smiled. тАЬAbsolutely.тАЭ

тАЬSo what?тАЭ said First Chair. I could see the wheels spinning in his head: how much water did we have
stored elsewhere? How well were the dew-catchers working? Then he was dividing that amount of water
by the minimum amount each crew member needed until the resupply ship arrived. By his expression, he
didnтАЩt like the math.