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Stories from the Verse
A Dozen Verses
Chapter 54: Cooper 90
Table of Contents
Previous chapter: Kondor 273
As Cooper was admiring the carved names which had been joined by his own, Ren said, “Come, I know where the entrance to the lower parts is that everyone uses.”
Lodotti replied, “Forget that, we’re not going that way.”
“Why not?” Ren asked.
“Because,” Brian offered, “if we go the way everyone goes, we’ll find what everyone finds. If we want to find something new, we have to find a path that no one, or at least almost no one, ever took.”
The others nodded in understanding, and Lodotti said, “So, let’s spread out and look for a way in that doesn’t look familiar,” and everyone scattered. Cooper admired the carvings for another moment, but managed to pull himself away before anyone complained.
After maybe a quarter of an hour, someone--he thought it was probably Kark--called out, “Over here! I think I found something!” There were answering calls, and back and forth shouts, while everyone wound their way through the echoing maze of ruins to find Kark standing by some rubble.
“I know it’s blocked, but there’s an open space behind it, and it sounds to me like it goes somewhere. The echoes are right.”
“O.K., then,” Ren said, “I guess we need to clear away some of that rubble and make a space big enough for Lodotti to get through.”
There was a bit of laughing at this, but everyone pitched in to shifting the stone and rubble to open the entryway.
As he worked, Cooper wondered why he was doing this. After all, although he was immensely curious about the world around him, he wasn’t certain that delving into dungeons of past civilizations which reportedly weren’t even the ancestors of the present ones would teach him much that was useful. His life as a verser was about serving God, not about seeking adventure, and it wasn’t clear exactly how this was serving God. However, he reminded himself that the way, the best way, to reach people for Jesus was to build relationships with them, and you built relationships with people by sharing their lives. This excursion, for him, was not about exploring the unknown and seeking possible ancient treasure, but about bonding with co-workers, shipmates, so that he could better minister to their needs and lead them to Christ.
That in mind he joined the others as Lodotti led the way into the darkness. Light from the entry showed a descending corridor, and after a few others had followed Ren gestured for him to go, and then followed him.
Someone said, “You think maybe we should have brought some lights?” Someone ahead produced a small light, bright but narrowly focused, and he thought he should probably help. Drawing his sword, he raised it above his head and called on its illuminating ability, and produced enough light for the group to see what was around them. Thus encouraged they continued forward.
Suddenly there was a creaking sound. “What’s that?” someone said, and before anyone could answer the floor below them started to collapse, sliding them down far and fast to some deeper place.
They came to rest somewhere. Cooper had managed to hold on to the sword, so they still had light, and as the dust was settling and some people were coughing he called out, “Is everyone all right? Is anyone injured?”
There were confused responses, but no one was reporting anything serious. Of course, Cooper realized, if someone were truly badly hurt they might not be able to respond--but apparently Lodotti thought of this as well, and said, “All right, roll call,” and began calling out the names of each member of the group individually.
“Ren.”
“Angle.”
“Kark. I busted up one of my hands, but I’ve got three good, so not a major problem.”
“Brimble here.”
“Cooper,” he shouted.
“Not so loud, Afo here.”
There was no reply for a bit, and then Lodotti yelled.
“Hey, Murane. Murane, ABS Level One, report.”
Some scrabbling sound, and then Angle yelled out.
“I see Murane. He’s dazed, blinking, got a head wound.”
Extracting themselves from various quantities and qualities of debris, the others gathered around Murane, and Cooper recognized him as the pale blue Titanian who had carried him, along with another, back to his quarters after he was under the healing ray, just after the fight with the space pirates.
“Mommy,” Murane said to the sailors crowded around.
“Are you being serious now, or is this another one of your jokes?” Kark snarled.
Murane giggled.
“I ought to punch your brains out Murane, except you got none,” Kark griped. Murane grinned feebly.
“Ay, you care.”
“Quit, Murane. Report,” Lodotti ordered.
"Aye. Major headache, bleeding from the head, but it's shallow, and is clotting on its own. Two pulled muscles in my back. I’m still combat capable. I was dazed as I hit a rock with my head.”
The others seemed to take this seriously, and Cooper wondered why even as he helped the wincing manling back to his feet.
As to the old stories that have long been here:
