Earth Song: Etude to War (16 page)

Over most of his body, the suit felt like an arctic survival suit. The backpack only weighed a couple kilos and really wasn't perceptible, especially in the light gravity. His right forearm held a specialized tablet to control the suit. The worst part was the helmet. It was nothing more than a moliplas bag that was forced into a fishbowl shape by atmospheric pressure.

Through his mind ran all the various stress and yield figures for moliplas, and that made it worse. Plus, once it was fully inflated, it was like he had no helmet at all. The old suits he'd seen pictures of were mostly metal with a window in front, severely restricting area of vision.

“These are much superior,” the instructor had told him.

Now, as the Rasa began depressurizing the Phoenix cabin, Pip could not agree less. He fought to keep from holding his breath as his heart pounded in his chest and the helmet became invisible. When the door opened and he was staring at unprotected space, he almost screamed.

The Rasa gleefully jumped from the doorway, bounding outside in the one-third gravity. They were natural acrobats and Romulus was an airless playground to them. All except Kal'at, who waited behind Pip and watched him with some apprehension. Unlike the soldiers, he'd spent enough time with humans to know that an incurious human was a not-normal human.

“We will be sure to keep you safe,” he assured pip over the suit radio. “The Rasa use spacesuits often because we go places almost no other species will go. We will be there if anything happens to you.”

“But who's going to take care of you if something goes wrong?” Pip wanted to ask. “I still think this is a bad idea,” Pip repeated and stepped out onto the airless world. A moment later the pilot, who was staying behind, closed the door and sealed them outside.

After a few minutes he was feeling better. His breathing had slowed, and the pounding on his temples had stopped. The suit had micro-miniature motors in its joints and tiny gravitic impellers in the backpack that helped counter the low gravity. “You can walk in zero gravity like normal,” Kal'at explained. “I walked three kilometers outside of a space station many years ago.”

Pip shuddered at the thought. He was only feeling more comfortable because the suit helped overcome the outlandishness of the situation. Ever considered hanging on the side of a space station, a billion kilometers of deep space above your head? Cold sweat dripped down his back and he forced himself to think about what interesting things they might find on Romulus.

Their destination was only a short distance from the shuttle, just out of view behind a series of tumbled boulders. As soon as they came around the rocks, the artificial nature of their destination became obvious.

Where the surrounding landscape was all natural rough rocks and fractured terrain, there was a perfectly symmetrical tower protruding a half dozen meters above the ground. Whoever built it had gone to the extreme measure of also coloring and texturing it to be a perfect match for the surface of Romulus. Considering it was such a small thing, it seemed to be taking camouflage way too far.

“Why this?” Pip wondered aloud. “On top of everything else? There is a massive active stealth network that defeats all but the most sensitive sensor arrays, and then they also visually camouflage the heat vents?”

“It does seem like a bit much,” Kal'at agreed, “at least on the surface.”

“No pun intended,” Pip mumbled below the level the suit mic would pick up, then louder. “Let’s get a better look.”

They examined the vent shaft, Pip and Kal'at using portable sensors to sniff the vented particles for any sign of what might be coming out of it. “It is ingeniously baffled,” Kal'at pointed out.

“Yes,” Pip agreed, “it was only luck that Lilith detected it at all. The shaft was probably venting at just the right moment.” As they spoke, the computer tablet Pip held in his gloved hand lit up and flashed. “It's venting now.”

“I see,” Kal'at said and observed his own computer. The two soldiers eyed the tower suspiciously, taking an unconscious step backwards. Both carried shock rifles tailored to their smaller stature. It was a point of pride for those Rasa soldiers who'd been assigned the impressive weapons, as testified by their presence in such a high-profile operation.

“Pretty clean,” Pip said after five minutes and the venting had ceased.

“But not entirely,” Kal'at pointed out.

“Right, a slight trace of ionizing radiation and some neutrons.”

“What does it tell you?”

Pip tried to reach up and scratch his head, but of course his hand bumped into the bulb of his helmet before it could reach his face. He shook his head and chuckled. “Well, if it was just harnessing the thermal dynamic energy there wouldn't be any neutrons.”

“Ionizing radiation and neutrons are byproducts of nuclear decay,” Kal'at said, reciting from basic physics.

“Yes. You get a little of it naturally in lots of common elements, but not like this. This is the leftover from a fusion reaction.”

Pip walked around the shaft, examining it closely. “This complicated baffle seems to be filtering more than just the heat, it’s also getting rid of most of the nuclear garbage too.”

“There is no sign of an entrance,” Kal'at spoke.

“It must be at one of the other shafts. Or another place entirely. How far to the next shaft?”

“Seven kilometers.”

Pip consulted the suit interface on the little arm mounted tablet and sighed. Of course the suit was good for many more hours. “Okay, let’s take a walk.”

* * *

The second shaft was identical to the first, all the way down to the readings the sensors recorded as it began to emit. “This is not working,” Kal'at said. “The entrance must be somewhere else.”

“I agree,” Pip said. “But there has to be an entrance.”

“Of course, but if it is shielded as well as these shafts, we could wander this planetoid for years before tripping over it.”

Pip couldn't argue with the logic, but he did have an idea. “There is one possibility.”

He consulted his computer and did a calculation before turning to examine the low mountain and then his suit’s oxygen reserve. “We're going to have to hurry though.”

Even though he regularly worked out now, his body had never completely recovered from the years of lying in a coma ward after his brain injury. Even with nano treatments and physical therapy, he'd never regained his earlier conditioning and stamina. Normally it didn't matter to him. He was more than fit enough to meet the minimum Chosen standards of service. His brain was his most powerful asset anyway. But hiking up the side of a mountain, on an airless moon, was when he missed his formerly fit and young body.

The top of the mountain wasn't defined by an obvious peak, only a leveling of the slope. Pip told his computer to begin scanning the area while he stood and tried to control his breathing. The suit’s computer was warning him that he was going through consumables far too quickly. He was still happy that in all the excitement, he had forgotten about his almost crippling agoraphobia. Then the scan finished. The results were less than he expected – and more, as well.

“Nothing obvious,” Kal'at spoke.

“No, it’s what isn’t obvious. There is a geometric shape in the rocks here.” He was still breathing hard as he walked the shape, bringing it into relief for the Rasa.

“An accidental formation?” asked one of the soldiers, the first time any of them had spoken. Until now Pip hadn’t been sure whether they were wearing translator pendants.

Pip shook his head. “With the Concordia, there are no accidents.” He took a small pinpoint sensor wand from his belt and attached the probe cable to the computer. Using a detail scan program, he began walking the same path.

“What are you looking for?” Kal'at asked.

“The doorbell,” Pip answered, not really thinking of who he was talking to.

All three Rasa cocked their heads like mirror images of each other. The rocks formed a pentagram, and on one of the five sides, the sensors found a tiny electromagnetic reading. No more than you could expect from a pocket watch, or the residual leakage from a passive sensor.

“Gotcha,” he said and bent over. Like the rest of the illusion created to hide whatever was below them, a small rock was a perfectly shaped round knob. Shrugging, he reached down and pressed it. It slid neatly into the ground.

There was a slight shuddering of the ground under their feet and a pentagon-shaped section of the ground detached and began to descend. Pip didn't hesitate before stepping onto the newly appeared elevator as it started down. The three Rasa were less decisive.

“What are you doing?” Kal'at cried in dismay.

“What we came here for!”

“That did not include jumping down holes!” Kal'at watched as Pip shrugged and began to descend, cursing in his native language at the careless curiosity of the human species.

“What can be done?” one of the soldiers asked.

“Only one thing,” Kal'at replied.

Before the elevator had dropped too far, he stepped off and landed lightly next to Pip. The soldiers were even less sure than Kal'at had been. But when both of the beings they were charged to protect acted, they were left with no more discretion. They jumped off only a second after their leader. All four looked upwards at a steadily diminishing view of the equatorial sea of Bellatrix until a doorway slid across the shaft, sealing them in.

Chapter 14

March 6th, 534 AE

Chosen Headquarters, Steven's Pass, Bellatrix

Minu didn't look forward to this day any more than a cow would anticipate the slaughterhouse. Despite being good at confrontations, she didn't actually enjoy them. In her core she was simply too emotional and with too short of temper. As a result she tended to rely on intimidation first. As the world famous fiery redhead Minu Groves, two-star Chosen in the command branch, intimidation worked more often than not. Except when it came to her boss.

“So you're here making demands again?” Jacob Bentley reclined in his plush office chair and regarded her. He'd been First among the Chosen for more than a decade now, and he had not grown in his appreciation of Minu one bit in all those years.

His lean average build had not softened in his late thirties, unlike many men; the Chosen lifestyle did not lend itself to sedentary decline. The only real sign of passing years was the occasional gray hair in his neatly cut dark brown, and worry lines around his brown eyes.

“Demands? No, requests.” He cocked an eyebrow and she sighed. “Please consider this?”

Jacob gave the barest hint of a smile at getting her to soften her approach. “Of course I have emails here from a dozen sources supporting your request. Not the least of which is Dram and Gregg. What I don't understand is why, when you want something, every other department has to suffer and accommodate you.”

“You make it sound a lot worse than it is.”

“Would you like to hear a few dozen examples?” she asked.

“Not necessarily.”

“So you concede my point.” Minu shrugged. “So this list of Chosen is really that important to the Rangers?”

“We believe so.”

“Meaning, you believe so.”

“No. Gregg and Cherise are in complete agreement.”

Jacob's eyes narrowed. “And what weight does the opinion of a three-star logistics Chosen have in this decision?” Of course he was referring to Cherise.

“She's just about the best logistics expert the Chosen have. If she wasn't so good at logistics, she would have been a Scout. You know that though, I'm certain of it. I've used her as a consultant when forming the Rangers a dozen times.”

“That is neither here nor there. I'm sure you could produce a recommendation from your husband too, if you thought it would help.”

“My husband is no longer a Chosen, and I would appreciate it if you left him out of this discussion, especially since it was you who got him removed from the Corps.”

“That was a decision of the council.”

“Oh, kloth shit.” Jacob's expression turned to ice. “The council was beaten over the head by you on that decision.”

“You have no proof of that accusation.”

“Pip.”

“Different situation,” he said and looked down.

Minu dropped it, knowing she'd made her point even if the way she'd won it left a bitter taste in her mouth. “So can we come to an agreement on a transfer for the Chosen I’m requesting?”

“I think that is possible.”

Minu was instantly suspicious. Jacob never gave in that easily, especially when he was on firm ground for a decision that would negatively affect her. “Just like that?”

“Sure, just like that.” She nodded and started to get up. “If you can do me one little favor.”

“Naturally.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said I'd naturally do the First among the Chosen a favor.” This time he nodded and smiled. “As long as it is within my power.”

“I need a recon done on a world.”

“With all due respect, First, I haven't done that sort of work in years. I don't even have an official team anymore.”

“I know that.”

“Then I'm sure there are a dozen scout teams that could handle that request.”

“There are, if we had a way to get to the world through the Portal network.”

“Oh.” Minu understood now. “Can't you just ask Lilith to do the recon for you? She is Chosen, after all.”

Minu's daughter had been granted five gold stars in command branch upon her arrival at Bellatrix, her new home. It was with the hopes that it would make her easier to control. Unfortunately for that plan, Lilith was all but uncontrollable, even by her mother. Of course Jacob had tried to force the Kaatan class starship away from her, and nearly paid with his life. The Kaatan and Lilith were as close to one as a machine and a human could become.

“She does not want to go to the world I have requested she scout.”

Minu lifted and eyebrow and Jacob shrugged. “Did she give a reason?”

“She said simply she is not allowed.”

“By whom.”

“If I knew that, I wouldn't be forced to ask you for this favor.”

“Okay, I'll ask her. But you need to understand that I can't order her to do anything either.”

“Even though she's your daughter?”

“Yes. She is her own woman, and has been since she was ten subjective years old.”

“Like mother, like daughter?” Minu looked for a sign of insult in his words, but instead found a grudging admiration.

“Yes, sir.”

Jacob nodded then shook his head. “I'll give you this. You are the toughest bitch I've ever known.”

Minu smiled a predator’s smile.

“Your father would be proud.”

“Thank you, sir.” And she meant it. “I'll see what I can do.”

“Then I will approve the transfer.”

He was in too good of a mood, and Minu couldn't resist. “Now I have something to tell you.”

“Oh, I can hardly wait!” His laughter was genuine.

“I'm going to need a few months off.”

“Well, you certainly have a shitload of accumulated leave. May I ask why?”

“Certainly. I'm pregnant.”

She’d gotten him, and she knew it. He looked like he'd been felled by an axe handle. “Are you serious? Really? How did that happen?”

“I had assumed a grown man like yourself would understand the basic process.”

He turned a little red, then broke into a grin and laughed. “Lilith gets a little brother or sister? Well, congratulations to you and Aaron both! And may the fates help us all if this kid is half as precocious as your first one is.”

Minu stopped outside Jacob's Steven’s Pass office to quickly send a text message to Cherise about the approved personnel transfers. Just as she put away her Kaatan tablet computer, the little implant behind her ear chirped.

“Hi Lilith,” she subvocalized. With the implant it wasn't necessary to actually speak to be heard.

“Hello mother. There is a problem. They have lost contact with Pip and his expedition to Romulus.”

“That was today? I'd completely forgotten.” Once Minu had verified she was pregnant, a lot of things had slipped her mind, at least temporarily.

“Yes, they departed Remus fourteen hours ago and set down on Romulus. They were exploring the thermal vents. Two hours ago, I lost all telemetry from their pressure suits.”

“No warning or communications?”

“Nothing. I have ruled out accidents. Bellatrix primary star is quiet just now, there is no sign of meteor activity, and no other star ships in the vicinity. The Rasa pilot of the shuttle has had no more contact as well.”

“Have you tried intense sensor scans?”

“The planetoid’s active stealth network continues to defeat my scans. I am afraid that perhaps some automated defenses have been triggered.”

“Is that possible in an old installation?”

“If it is indeed manufactured by the People, which is not outside the realm of possibility.”

“I'm heading for the factory.”

Less than an hour later, she and Aaron were both jogging out onto the factory’s small tarmac and towards a knot of feverish activity. The prototype for the Phoenix shuttle squatted there with a dozen ground crew rushing to finish prepping it to fly. “How soon can we get off the ground?” Aaron demanded of the crew chief as soon as they were within earshot.

“We didn't expect to ever fly this thing any time soon,” the man warned him, “aside from saving many of the systems and basic diagnostics, it is in identical shape to when you flew it last year.”

“Will it hold up?” Minu asked him, fixing closures on her flight suit and shifting the equipment bag to a more comfortable position on her shoulder.

“It's the same as the production Phoenix, with a few minor differences.” He turned to the crew chief again. “I asked how long?”

“We've almost finished recharging the EPC.” He still looked reluctant. Aaron stopped and grabbed the man by his heavy protective vest.

Despite the fact that her husband was a good twenty centimeters shorter than the crew chief, he was built like a squat Hercules. Aaron routinely pressed two hundred kilos, and his arms were bigger than Minu's thighs.

“Ten minutes, sir,” the man stammered.

“Get it done!” Aaron snapped and let him go. “We're going to start the pre-flight checklist.”

Ten minutes later to the second, the ground crew rushed away from the Phoenix, dragging power and data cables, while Aaron spun up the gravitic drive and taxiied them away from the hanger. Two men were nearly swept off their feet by the swirling gravity wash from the power shuttle’s drives.

“Here we go,” Aaron said and engaged the internal compensator.

Minu felt the familiar tingle of an artificial gravity field surge through her body. A second later the Phoenix jumped into the air and rocketed straight up. The shuttle's new generation, hybrid ion drive screamed a song of finely tuned high technology.

“You didn't request permission to take off.”

“They can fine me,” he said as he nosed the craft upwards, breaking the speed of sound before they passed ten thousand meters.

Minu got on the radio and went through the formalities as Aaron mumbled. “My friends might be in danger, fuck the rules.”

Once she'd filed the belated flight plan she turned to her husband, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Gregg emailed, he has a platoon of Rangers standing by a Phoenix at Ft. Jovich if we need them.”

Aaron nodded.

“He said he can have them up there in under an hour,” she said.

“Let's hope we don't need them.” He worked with the controls for a minute. “Isn't Faye due in only a couple weeks?”

“Yeah,” Minu agreed, “but he's Chosen.” They both nodded, understanding his dedication to his duty.

The shuttle rocketed upwards so fast that the air turned to iridescent streamers of plasma across the windscreen similar to the effects of reentry. A part of Aaron’s mind noted when they made it to orbit five minutes faster than they ever had before.

Minu was also aware he was pushing the prototype dangerously. Aaron had called it a kludge once before; a collection of ideas all holding hands and temporarily agreeing to cooperate. She hoped they’d continue to cooperate until they were back on solid ground.

As soon as they were safely in orbit, Minu started using the radio. “Pip, Kal'at, this is Minu aboard Phoenix 001, do you read us? Over.”

She continued to make the call every five minutes as they broke orbit and made for Romulus. Once they were in space, the shuttle's speed was limited only by the power of its drive and ability to protect human passengers from the massive G forces.

Lacking a gravitic lens drive like the Kaatan, it could only use the ion propulsion system, distantly related to the impulse drive the Kaatan used. Minu watched the navigation data closely. It wasn't that she doubted her husband; it was only that flying manually meant that an extra set of eyes could make the difference.

He pushed the mid-course braking maneuver as closely as he dared. Minu was just about to say something when he flipped them over and began thrusting backwards to kill their momentum.

It was a carefully controlled maneuver; Romulus was several orders of magnitude smaller than Bellatrix and moving in a relatively quick orbit. A moving target.

With no atmosphere to factor in, Aaron brought the shuttle straight down. Minu caught herself gripping the arms of the co-pilot seat unconsciously as they fell toward the moon tail first, riding a column of ionized plasma.

“That is an aggressive flight path,” Lilith spoke into her ear like a conscience.

“He's a good pilot.”

“He is that.” Minu smiled a little under the stress of the approach. Her daughter didn't offer praise lightly.

As the ground loomed, Aaron flared the shuttle and fired its maneuvering rockets to kill the last bit of velocity, bringing them down less than a dozen meters from the other Phoenix shuttle.

“Rasa pilot, has there been any contact with the team?” Minu knew the most likely answer but needed to ask anyway.

“Chosen shuttle, there have been no signals.”

“Understood. Please transmit their last known location and continue to monitor while we go EVA and conduct a visual search.” In the rear of the cabin Aaron already had the suit locker open and was laying out two pressure suits.