Free FANTASTIC PLANET v2.0 by Stephan Wul Page A

thousands stadia.'
    'Then I see
just one solution: travelling underwater.'
    'We'll never
hold out that long underwater.'
    'I mean dive
as often as we can.'
    'And lose
time', Terr whispered slowly. 'I'll have a word with the quartermasters. We'll
see.'
    He made as
if to go but then turned around.
    'How heavy
is a new born prong?'
    'Ten to fifteen thousand weights.'
    'As much as
the three vessels', Terr sighed. 'Thanks, Sav.'
    All the
ship's bells rang suddenly. Terr sprang up, went through the three rooms and
pounced on the gangway telebox.
    'The Aedile
here!' he screamed. 'What's happening, quartermaster?'
    'Traag
bubble to the south!' the officer announced. 'We're diving, all lights out. I
don't think it spotted us.'
    'What about
the others?'
    'All good! Vessel 3 is following us. The
cables are holding up. We're slowing down to five stadia.'
    Twenty long
hours later, a grubby dawn rose above the water. The wine coloured sea was
split from east to west by a lustrous current: The Siwo.
    The three
ships were travelling in convoy, half a stadia away from each
other . All around them, flying fish were leaping from golden crests to
crimson troughs. They were glistening on the sea like sequins on a coat's
folds. Some occasionally fell on one of the ships' dark deck and jumped about
before getting thrown off by the next roll.
    An hour
later, the first prong egg could be seen, like a greenish rounded hill waddling
in the waves. It was avoided easily. It twirled around for a long time in the
ships' wake before disappearing in the distance.
    But two
giant balls could already be seen looming on the horizon. Travelling at thirty
stadia, the vessels soon caught up with them. Vessel 1 had to tread a delicate
path between them.
    Then there
were groups of five, seven, fifteen eggs which had to be avoided. Time was
being wasted. When the sea was covered in them, Terr, his heart aching, gave
the order to increase the speed and go straight ahead.
    All excited,
Sav had asked to be authorised to climb on the gangway. Five Oms were already
there: the Aedile, the quartermaster, the under quartermaster, the helmsman,
and the telebox operator sitting in a corner. As the three ships had split up,
wireless communication had to be used, using a code.
    The
naturalist took up a position out of the way, his hands holding tight on the
guardrail and his eyes wide open.
    The first
egg was not rammed. It rolled along the hull in a thunderous noise. The second
one collided head on and burst on the bow spurting out a greenish liquid which
spattered the gangway's window. The Oms felt like they were going through a
marmalade jar.
    Going into a nose-dive in a trough, as if it was shaking itself, the
ship washed off the viscous trails spilled across the deck and attacked another
egg. With a terrifying creak, it poured its cream into the waves. Flabby pieces
swept along both sides, mixed with orange embryonic organs.
    Sav looked
at the Aedile, smiling.
    'So far so
good', he said. 'These eggs are still very young. In an hour or two we may well
come across slightly stronger prongs.'
    Terr said
curtly:
    ‘It seems
this makes you happy, Sav!'
    The
naturalist took refuge behind a sheepish expression.
    'Not at
all!' he said awkwardly.
    But the
glint in his eyes betrayed his words.
    The deck was
boiling with spilled acids which were quickly swept off by the waves. From time
to time the two other ships could be seen to the right and to the left. They
were gaily smashing into the balls blocking their way. The telebox brought only
good news on their behalf. It all seemed easy and without danger. At first the Oms tookvulgar sporting pleasure in smashing up the
obstacles. Then, accustomed to the racket and reassured as to the hulls'
relative solidity, they began to find this strange navigation somewhat
monotonous.
    The
explosions carried on. It even seemed like they were more and more successful.
Some eggs exploded like bombs, with a deafening artillery din. Some seemed