Omega Force 6: Secret of the Phoenix (19 page)

“We have no help to offer you in regards to De’Astor Ka’s cult,” the A’arcooni said, turning to leave.

“Not that,” Jason called out. “The Travelers themselves. More specifically, the species that gave birth to their civilization.” This caused the A’arcooni to pause in his turn and regard Jason for a moment.

“I’m sorry you’ve wasted your time, Captain,” he said. “Please bother us no further.”

“Have you ever seen one of these?” Jason asked, pulling the antenna out from behind him and holding it up, the sun glinting off the golden alloy. Neither A’arcooni were able to hide their reaction and Jason knew he had them.

“Where did you get that?”

“In a sealed cave on a deserted planet on the other side of the quadrant,” Jason said. “There are two other components that accompany it, but we’re woefully short on information regarding what it is and what it controls.” Both A’arcooni approached them slowly with a hungry look in their eyes.

“We do not know what it is either,” the lead A’arcooni admitted. “But it has the writing of the Ancients all over it. Please follow us, Captain. We will try and discover the purpose of this device together.”

Lucky and Jason followed the A’arcooni across the clearing and towards a break in the rock that was now revealed to be an entrance as they got closer. De’Elefor had said that the tribe had an almost compulsive need to understand the Travelers and their teachings. The Ancients, as Jason was already referring to them, figured heavily in that equation. As he’d hoped, the antenna and its seductive hieroglyphs were just what he needed to gain their willing assistance.

Chapter 20

“The script along the outer ring is most definitely the Ancients’ language,” a wizened, elderly A’arcooni named Ke’Elam said. Lucky and Jason had been unceremoniously turned over to him and the three were now in a surprisingly sophisticated workshop studying the ring. “It isn’t anything profound, however. These are simple instructions.”

“So the user’s manual is printed along the outside,” Jason mused. “That makes sense if you wanted it to last through the millennia.”

“Indeed,” Ke’Elam said, bobbing his head up and down. “But this appears to be only one piece of the machine. While interesting, it is useless without the other two.”

“In theory we have the other two,” Jason said to him. He’d been dolling out the information on the Key slowly, letting the scientist fill in the gaps without any prompting from him. “One other part I have for certain, the other is supposedly hidden on my ship, but we’ve been unable to locate it as of yet.”

“This instruction set only tells us how the antenna is to be positioned in relation to the transceiver,” Ke’Elam said. “Have you attempted to put those two units together?”

“No,” Jason said. “We had no idea as to how the antenna was supposed to be oriented, much less read the text that’s on the transceiver itself.”

“Ah,” Ke’Elam said. “So more complete operating instructions are likely printed on that component. In order to help you I will need to see this other piece, I’m afraid.”

“I can have it brought here,” Jason said slowly. “But perhaps it would be helpful if you came down to where my ship is. It’s separated from the city of A’ara … it’s inside a hangar on the old aerodrome grounds.” He could see the sudden anxiousness and indecision on the elderly A’arcooni’s face.

“We have had no interaction with De’Astor Ka’s cult since you brought them back,” he said. “I’m not certain we’re ready for reconciliation.”

“That’s not what I’m suggesting,” Jason said. “It would be only me and my crew. No A’arcooni from the Traveler ships would be present if you did not wish them to be.”

“Could I have a few hours to consider your request, Captain?” Ke’Elam asked.

“Of course,” Jason said with a nod, forcing himself to keep the frustration from his voice. “Our ride to the aerodrome won’t be back for a few hours anyway.”

Ke’Elam bobbed his head in that odd, birdlike manner the A’arcooni sometimes had and left the shop.

“Do you think he will come with us?” Lucky asked.

“I couldn’t say,” Jason admitted. “While bringing up the transceiver for him to translate would be a tremendous help, there’s no substitute for having an expert onsite while we’re trying to find the encryption module.” He idly walked around the large workshop, looking at various disassembled components and drawings for others that were scattered around the bench tops. “You know, they’re a lot more advanced than you would assume when seeing that they basically live in a series of caves and crude shelters.”

“I get the impression it is the study of what the Travelers left behind that gives their life meaning, not necessarily the application of that technology,” Lucky said.

“I guess,” Jason said. “Just think of the jumpstart the A’arcooni on this planet would have if the two camps combined. All the technology here and all the labor force and production capability down there. Hell, they’d be a spacefaring species again within a decade.”

“I think that is what these A’arcooni are trying to avoid,” Lucky said.

It was an hour and twenty minutes before Ke’Elam and a younger A’arcooni walked back into the shop.

“We will accompany you down to the aerodrome, Captain Burke,” he said, much to Jason’s relief.

“And who is this?” Jason asked, gesturing to the younger A’arcooni.

“It is not important that you know who he is,” Ke’Elam said pleasantly. “I’m not being deliberately mysterious, but he will be accompanying me as an observer only.”

“So he’s there to protect you from us, or you from the other A’arcooni,” Jason guessed.

“I was under the impression the Cult was now non-violent,” Ke’Elam said with a smile.

“Not that sort of protection,” Jason said. “He’s to shield you from any influence or undue contact. Not to worry, Ke’Elam. I will ensure the hangar is empty before we get there.”

“Quite perceptive, Captain,” Ke’Elam said with a nod. “He is also to report back on my actions. If I break our pact and make contact with any members of the Cult I will be exiled. But the opportunity your device presents is worth that risk.”

“I’ll make sure it doesn’t come to that,” Jason promised. “Shall we go?”

“Of course.”

“Lucky, call ahead and tell Doc of the conditions we’ve agreed to with Ke’Elam,” Jason said, picking up the antenna. “Let’s not start off with any misunderstandings.”

****

The skimmer dropped all four of them off just outside the hangar before lifting again and heading back to the city. The pilot was given explicit instructions to tell any A’arcooni in the city who asked that Jason had been unable to make contact with the mountain tribe. Doc was waiting for them at the door and Crusher was sound asleep on the landing gear, one of his favorite nap spots.

“Are the other two pulling the reactor apart?” Jason asked.

“Already at it,” Doc confirmed. “He shut it down this morning and purged the main chamber. He’s already dropped the intermix housing.”

“That was quick,” Jason said. “I hope he’s taking precautions. Doc, this is Ke’Elam and his … friend. He’s a researcher with the A’arcooni who survived De’Astor Ka’s purge. He’ll be helping us with the Key.”

“Kellea brought the transceiver this morning,” Doc said. “She’s on the ship now with it.” That part surprised Jason a bit. With a captured warship in orbit and a heavy ground action just wrapping up, he didn’t expect to see much of her before they were all ready to leave the system.

He motioned for the others to follow him and walked into the hangar, ignoring the heavy snoring coming from the landing gear as well as the steady stream of cursing that was coming from an open access hatch near the main reactor. They went up the ramp and into a cargo bay strewn with tools and pieces of the ship that Jason hoped his engineer would remember how to put back.

“It’s not usually so cluttered,” he said apologetically as he led his guests up the steps and onto the
Phoenix’s
main deck.

“It is an impressive ship, Captain,” Ke’Elam said perfunctorily. Jason knew it was a meaningless platitude, but his pride in his ship came out anyway.

“Thanks,” he said. “She’s saved our lives on more than one occasion, not to mention the lives of countless others we’ve helped.” He continued on until he saw Kellea sitting at a galley table with the transceiver case sitting in front of her. She smiled when she saw him and he was relieved that she seemed to be mostly over the stunt he’d pulled in her hangar bay.

“Kellea, this is Ke’Elam,” Jason said as she drew close. “Ke’Elam, this is Captain Kellea Colleren.”

“Ah yes,” Ke’Elam said, “the captain of the
Diligent
.” Jason winced, but remained silent.

“The
Defiant
, actually,” Kellea said smoothly. “The
Diligent
was unfortunately lost some time ago.”

“My apologies,” Ke’Elam said. “It would appear my information is out of date. Shall we get started?”

Kellea gestured to the case and stepped aside. Ke’Elam correctly took this as an invitation and walked over to the table.

He popped the latches on the case and peered into it, catching his breath as he caught sight of the larger component. Reverently lifting it out, he nodded for his observer to move the case and set the device gently on the table.

“This is simply incredible,” Ke’Elam breathed. “A working piece of Ancient technology.”

“How do you know it’s functional?” Jason asked.

“Look at the antenna you’re holding, Captain,” Ke’Elam answered. Jason looked down and saw the symbols around the ring, which had looked to simply be etchings in the metal, were lighting up in a peculiar sequence, each in its own unique color.

“I probably shouldn’t be holding this thing,” Jason said, handing it to Lucky. The battlesynth glared openly at him before placing it on the table at the opposite end of the transceiver.

“The language is in a dialect I’m not fully familiar with,” Ke’Elam admitted. “But much of it is still familiar. I’m confident I can activate the device.” Everyone looked to Jason, waiting for his response.

“What the hell?” Jason shrugged. “I haven’t come this far to not turn the thing on. Let ‘er rip.”

Ke’Elam looked at him questioningly for a moment before deciding that Jason’s untranslatable idiom meant to proceed. He began pressing on the symbols surrounding the disc of the transceiver in a confident manner, eliciting a response from the device immediately.

The component began to also emit light, the jewels embedded around the disc glowing from blue to a bright white. There was a sudden bright flash that made them all turn away, and when they turned back the jewels were now back to a muted blue. There was also an additional person standing in the galley.

The alien was tall and thin, almost spindly with narrow shoulders and hips. It had a large cranium and enormous, almond eyes that appeared black. There was no discernible mouth and only a pair of nostrils. It sent a chill down Jason’s spine as he realized, even down to the skin tone, that he was looking at a fairly accurate representation of a “gray” alien from Earth’s modern lore.

“Identify yourself,” Lucky said harshly, moving to step between the alien and Jason. The alien looked at Lucky, then to Jason, before speaking in a language his implant couldn’t translate. Jason looked at Ke’Elam, who simply shook his head helplessly indicating he had no idea what it was saying.

“Can you understand me?” Jason asked in Jenovian Standard. The alien appeared to be ignoring him as it walked over to the terminal in the galley and moved its hand to touch the interface. Before Jason could stop it the alien’s hand sunk into the terminal, only a slight discoloration at the point of contact breaking the illusion.

“It’s a hologram,” Jason said in wonder.

“Are you sure?” Kellea asked. “I’ve never seen one so realistic.”

“Pretty sure,” Jason said. “And it appears to be accessing my ship’s computer. Ke’Elam, shut it down!” Ke’Elam moved to grab the device but the alien looked sharply at them and elicited a high-pitched shriek that seemed to pierce Jason’s skull with its intensity. He dropped to one knee, squeezing his eyes shut and putting his hands over his ears. He was vaguely aware of the others also falling to the deck around him, even the loud clang of a battlesynth. The agony lasted only a second longer before it stopped as suddenly as it started.

“I apologize for incapacitating you, Captain Jason Burke,” a deep voice said. “However, if the integration process is halted prematurely it can be quite difficult to reinitialize.” Jason cracked his eyes open and saw the alien was now standing in front of him. He stood up and shook his head to clear it, looking around to ensure the others were shaking off the effects as well.

“I see,” he said carefully. “So you know who I am?”

“I do now,” the alien said. “I have integrated with your vessel’s main computer in order to perform my function as efficiently as possible.”

“So you’re a hologram being projected from the Key’s transceiver?” Jason asked.

“Essentially, yes,” the alien answered. “The terminology is a bit crude, but you seem to have grasped the basic concepts. I am called Cas. I will be your guide.”

“Our guide?” Doc asked.

“Yes, Doctor Ma’Fredich,” Cas said, his mouth not moving as he did so. “I’ve been able to ascertain that you think the device I’m projecting from is a Key to allow you access to a construct you refer to as the Machine. It is not quite that simple. I am an interface provided with the Key that will guide you along the way.”

“Are you an accurate portrayal of the race we refer to as the Ancients?” Ke’Elam asked in a hushed voice.

“Unknown reference,” Cas said. “I am, however, a serviceable simulation of the species who built the Key. Does that answer your question?”

“It does.”

“I’d like to set some ground rules, if I may,” Jason said, trying to assert some control over the conversation. “I understand you’re performing your job as best you see fit, but I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t access any system on my ship without my permission. It would also be great if you wouldn’t incapacitate us again.”

“Parameters updated,” Cas said pleasantly.

“Thanks,” Jason said absently. “So I guess the first issue we need to tackle is the missing component. Is the piece we’re calling the encryption module somewhere on this ship?”

“Yes,” Cas said. “Would you like me to point it out to you?”

“Uh … yeah, that would be fantastic,” Jason said. Cas set off across the common area on his way to Engineering.

“Do we need to bring the transceiver with us?” Jason called after it.

“The range of my holographic emitter is fifty meters,” Cas said. “Within that range any matter between my projection and the emitter is immaterial.” They all hustled after the hologram as he walked into the starboard engineering bay and scared Kage and Twingo nearly to death.