The Magic Wakes (6 page)

“That will not be necessary. Let’s see inside,” Major Sutton said.

“Very well. This way, please.” Talia led the group to the open airlock.

Cahal, the Colonel and the Major followed Talia inside. The four of them toured the science work station, the med area, the shared living area, gym, and sleeping quarters.

The rooms were laid out in a circle around the central power generator that rose in a column and acted as the central support for the habitat. Each room was accessed by a small corridor that wrapped around the center core.

“You said this habitat would house ten people?” The Colonel’s eyebrows rose in disbelief.

“I never said it was comfortable, but yes, ten can function in this space.”

“It seemed much larger from the outside.” Major Sutton ducked through the door into the sleeping quarters.

Three bunks were attached to the back and left side wall, six lockers on the right. The doorway wall contained a small mirror and sink.

“Six people in a what? Eight by eight foot space?” Major Sutton stretched out his arms and almost touched the side walls.

The Colonel seemed to wake up and take control again. “I’m ready to move on. Do you have a larger area where we can finish the presentation?”

“Of course. It isn’t as nice as the conference room, but follow me.” Cahal led the group out of the habitat and to a smaller room at the back of the warehouse.

The rest of the SEF team rejoined them, making the area feel as crowded as the habitat.

“Would anyone like a drink or other refreshment?” Cahal asked.

“That won’t be necessary; please continue with the moons, Miss Zaryn.” Major Sutton’s firm voice left no room for discussion.

The Major’s tone of voice irritated her, the way he had dismissed Cahal’s hospitality. Confused at her own emotions, she took a deep breath and pulled the presentation file up on the computer.

Sendek filled the screen, a spinning orb of blue and green hanging in the heavens. Its beauty soothed Talia’s nerves.

“Why don’t we start with Daedalus? Although it’s the farthest away, as the largest moon, it will be the easiest to settle,” she stated.

The view panned out, passed a rocky mass and then a smaller reddish gray mass before focusing on the third moon called Daedalus. The frozen ice caps were clearly visible through the thin atmosphere.

“This is your best chance for a successful settlement. The moon’s soil is full of minerals that will be beneficial to growing crops, ore that settlers can mine for onsite construction to save on shuttle costs, plenty of water at both poles, and a thin atmosphere of nitrogen and oxygen. We do not detect any plant or animal life on the surface, but we believe that if we heat up the core of the moon we can catalyze the terraforming process.

“As we heat the core, the polar ice caps will melt, providing the liquid water needed to increase the thickness and quality of the atmosphere. Theoretically, heating the core will also increase the gravitational pull, decreasing the amount of atmosphere that is currently leaking into space. However, you need to understand that we have never actually tried to heat the core of a planetary body; our findings are based on simulations.”

“How exactly would you heat the core?” Major Sutton asked.

Talia pulled up a simulation of the process and let it run while she explained. “After orbiting the moon, a team sends a remotely controlled drill robot to the surface. It drills through the crust, into the core. This robot is loaded with fusion pellets, which compress in the intense heat and pressure of the core until fusion begins. The reaction spreads into the core and stirs things up, if you will, with the new supply of helium.”

“How long before we see the results?” asked the Colonel.

“Almost immediately. The pressure will build quickly, increasing seismic and volcanic activity as the planet finds a new balance within the magnetic fields. The eruptions will saturate the atmosphere with carbon dioxide, which in turn will warm the surface, melt the ice caps and initiate weather patterns not currently found on the planet. The orbiting team will monitor the progress. It’s estimated that things will calm down to a livable state within a year or two of the catalyst.”

“That quickly?” The Major’s voice dripped with disbelief.

Talia glared at him. “It’s a relatively small mass. During the first year, we will seed the moon with vegetation and see what grows. Then it’s a simple matter of funding and recruiting volunteers willing to settle on Daedalus. It will be very hard work, but completely possible. The moon has the resources to support a colony without continued help from Sendek, and there is a high probability that the atmosphere will allow the colonists to work and live without the use of space suits.”

Talia directed her next comment to Colonel Rankin. “I have sent a file that outlines the most feasible scenario and timeline for the Daedalus colonization, along with the most likely challenges to your team.”

Colonel Rankin made a show of looking at his watch and said, “All right. Quickly now, what about Cadmus?”

Bringing up a view of each moon, Talia continued.

“Let’s talk about Atreus first. As the closest moon to Sendek, Atreus may look more desirable from a settlement standpoint. It is possible, but it would be a completely different type of colony than Daedalus. Atreus doesn’t have any atmosphere and no form of water that we have discovered. Since we don’t have the technology to create an atmosphere out of nothing, colonists will have the added danger of living in a vacuum. Space suits and air locks will always be a part of life, but the habitats make it feasible.

“In the beginning, we will need to transport all water and oxygen until we can develop the technology to create it chemically from the regolith that covers the surface. The lack of atmosphere also exposes the colonists to a higher risk of radiation poisoning from solar flares, but there are procedures that can reduce those risks. They are outlined in the full report. Do you have any questions?”

The Colonel shook his head. “I’m interested in the final moon.”

Talia pulled it up on the screen.

“Cadmus.” Major Sutton spoke the moon’s name.

He and the Colonel sat straighter in their seats. Both men stared intently at the red and black ball of rock. The lava flows were clearly visible from space, making it look wild, young, and inhospitable.

“The smallest of Sendek’s moons, it’s believed to be a massive asteroid that got caught in the gravitational pull of the two larger moons and Sendek,” Talia explained. “The gravity is too weak to keep an atmosphere attached to it. It has the fastest orbit and passes between the other two moons four times a year. Each pass exerts vast gravitational pull from both directions causing the volcanic activity. Right now, you can see the enormous amount of seismic activity present for most of the year. If you wanted to live in hell, this would be the place. I don’t recommend trying to colonize Cadmus, but I’ve sent you a copy of the file anyway.”

“Miss Zaryn,” Major Sutton said, watching her closely. “Is there any reason, any at all, for someone to settle on Cadmus?”

“No. Settlement there would be impossible for even the most dedicated scientists. If you timed things correctly, you could mine Cadmus, but the same ores are more easily accessible on the other two moons, or here on Sendek for that matter. The cost and the risk are too great to make the effort worthwhile.”

Colonel Rankin stood up. He nodded to Major Sutton, who also stood.

“We’ll go over the details in your files, Miss Zaryn, and meet again to discuss them if needed.” Colonel Rankin turned toward the door but paused before leaving. “Did you ever work out the double feedback problem with the ferret satellite?”

“No, sir. It was en-route to be tested here when a terrorist group stole it from the tram.”

“That’s too bad,” Rankin said. He and Major Sutton left the room.

“You were distracted by a woman?” Stefan’s eyebrows lifted, and he tried not to smile. “How interesting. What did she look like?”

“It wasn’t like that. Something about her emotional state blocked the others, or covered them. I’m not sure which, but I think we should keep a tap on any communications coming from the SEF offices for a while. I’ll research Miss Zaryn’s records. She was hiding something, and she seemed afraid of me. I want to know why.”

“Was she beautiful?” Stefan lowered his voice and waggled his eyebrows.

“Doesn’t make a difference. She could lead me to the Signum and Werner. Yes, she was beautiful.”

“Good, I was worried about you. Now I know you’re still human. Get a team on surveillance and keep me updated.” Stefan watched two of his advisers go past in the hall. “Maybe I’ll stay in the library.”

Landry winked at him and said, “I’ll start my research and leave you to whatever urgent business they have planned for you.”

“Try to find some time to relax. Maybe take Miss Zaryn to dinner? As research?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Landry left his cousin and headed to a side room to access one of the library’s computer terminals.

After typing in his clearance password, he initiated a search for Talia Zaryn. It only took seconds for the information to come up—travel itineraries, awards, research papers, thesis papers, articles about her and by her, but nothing to connect her to the Signum.

It’s never that simple, or is it?
Landry noticed the most basic documents were missing from the list. There was no record of her birth, hometown, or parentage.

“Computer, pull up Talia Zaryn’s university application.”

A new screen popped up and he scanned the top for her parents’ names. He pulled up their records and found them to be complete, but no record of a daughter being born to them.

I think I should pay Miss Zaryn a visit tomorrow.

When the room cleared of the Signum, Ruin led Jaron down another corridor. “Your mission is to sabotage a section of the ground transport system. Every year the University sends a group into the mountains for a retreat. The brightest students on the planet go on this excursion.”

They reached a door and stepped inside a small room.

The room contained the same lighting as the hallway, a single light bulb hanging on a long cord from the ceiling, creating a circle of dim light around a table and two chairs. A box and an envelope sat on the table.

“In order to get on the tram, you will enroll at the University and sign up for an extracurricular class that sends students to the mountains. There is a list of those classes in this envelope.”

Ruin picked up the envelope and handed it to Jaron. He pointed to the table and Jaron saw that the top was a map.

Ruin tapped his finger on a spot in the upper left corner. “We will blow out the bridge at Kiyan Cross. Your job is to cut power to the cameras, brakes, and doors. No one will survive the crash, no one. Do you understand?”

Jaron examined the map of the tram rail line. He played the part that was expected. “I understand perfectly. What will be the reward for my sacrifice?”

At the end of the table a wooden box sat partly in shadows. Ruin picked it up and reverently carried it into the light, placing it before Jaron.

The box looked ancient. Worn and faded, it had a pattern of intricate swirls and designs carved into it.

Jaron had seen the design before—carved into the walls of the Wizard’s Mountain on Orek, his home world. Thoughts of that life brought Dailya’s face to mind. The familiar ache blossomed, but the demon cut it away, dulling the pain once more.

Focus, and you can have your revenge.
The demon hissed through his mind.

“You will be given the Mark of the Dragon. This is the highest honor the Signum can bestow. The Signum have possessed this brand for seven thousand years. Forged from the silver scales of a dragon by one of the last mages, its mystical properties will ensure your acceptance into the next world.”

Ruin opened the top of the box to reveal a branding iron in the shape of a dragon lying on dark red velvet lining. “Do you accept your mission?”

Jaron pushed his right sleeve up, revealing tattoos and scars. He pointed to his forearm and said, “How about here?”

Ruin removed the brand from the box and placed it into a side drawer that acted as a firing compartment. When the brand glowed yellow-orange, he reached for Jaron’s arm.

Ruin watched Jaron’s face as he pressed the dragon into his skin.

Jaron barely flinched, didn’t make a sound as the brand seared his flesh. His eyes watered, but he blinked them clear as he stared straight ahead. The brand would leave its mark on his skin, and he found pleasure in that thought. He would be tied to the dragons one way or another.

He welcomed the pain and the smell of burning flesh. The magic of dragons would help him return to Dailya when all of this was over.