"Call her in. And thank you, Captain.
"I seem to be missing the party," Baran pointed out. "What are our orders?"
"Just keep the Salaxians busy till Captain Harper returns. Then, presumably, gun it for home."
There was a long pause before he replied this time. "What exactly is Harper up to?"
Chapter 14
Veritas
July 4th 2213
1000
Redacted
There was a loud hissing as the breach putty burned through the wall, followed by a sound Harper could best associate with popping the cork on a bottle of champagne, as the now unsupported square section of the wall fell through. Glancing inside, it appeared to be almost pitch black. Apparently, whatever lighting the Salaxians were using was only suited for their visual spectrum.
The SSEALs made their way through the breach, one by one, donning their specialized goggles as they went. Harper and Glenn followed suit once they were all through. Switching on his goggles, Harper found the effect disorienting. He'd used infrared goggles before, but since these were designed to pick up the Salaxian visual spectrum, which goes just below and just above typical infrared, the result was a dizzying mix from deep reds to the lower true colors.
He pulled off his goggles for a moment to consult his data pad, then oriented himself in regard to the layout of the facility, and slipped the goggles back on before silently signaling Kelly of what direction they needed to go.
Kelly nodded and resounded a quiet version of his trademark, "Roger that!" Harper rolled his eyes, but the gesture went unseen. They had made it to the first intersection in the corridor before they spotted movement ahead. The group split up to take cover behind the two corners, just before laser fire started flying down the hall.
Harper and Glenn had taken the right turn with Kelly, who was carrying the explosive charges. "Do you think you can still make it from this junction," Kelly shouted over the return gunfire.
Harper pried off his goggles to glance at his data pad. "Yes, we can make it."
Kelly handed him the bag of explosives. "You sure you don’t want a few of us to go with you?"
"We can't afford it. Not after losing Kramer’s platoon. They should be thinking you're after that generator. So, I don’t think we’ll meet too much resistance." He glanced at the pad again before continuing. “I’ll blow this hall so they can’t flank you, and take another route to our entrance. I’ll signal you when I’m there."
"Roger that!"
With a nod, Harper and Glenn left the firefight, and made their way down the corridor. After another 20 meters down, they came to a junction where the hall turned left and immediately right again. "Cover me," Harper ordered as he removed the pack from his shoulders. The gunfire seemed surprisingly distant, considering the completely metallic environment and the lack of any other objects to absorb the sound. Harper pulled out a brick of C5 and was preparing to break off a piece, but stopped suddenly and examined the walls and ceiling. "I wonder if they brought…," Harper thought out loud as he rummaged through the bag. He smiled as his fingers found a small metallic sphere. As he pulled the device out of the bag, Glenn looked confused.
"What’s that," he asked.
"I don’t know if there’s anything above the ceiling that would cave in if I blew it up," Harper replied as he manipulated the device. He gently tossed it down the corridor and pulled Glenn around the corner. "Plug your ears."
There was a loud series of bangs and the sound of crumpling metal. When Glenn saw Harper unplug his ears, he did the same and stepped back into the hall to investigate. Rather than seeing the damage from a large explosion, it looked as if the hall had been squeezed shut. “Implosion charge,” Harper explained. “Special ops weapon most people don’t even know exists. Let’s go.”
Harper and Glenn continued down the next long corridor slowly, and took a left at the next junction. “How is it you know so much about ground tactics and special ops weapons? That's not part of standard training for pilots or Navy officers,” Glenn whispered.
“The Molina rebellion was a long campaign. Captain McLeod wanted eyes and ears on the ground. Somehow, he convinced the SSEAL Commander to give me a crash course in SSEAL team operations, and I joined our own platoon on the ground.”
"I didn’t think there was any such thing as a crash course in SSEAL training."
Harper smiled. "There isn’t, but I learned enough to keep myself alive. After that, I became McLeod’s first officer." He tried to push out the nagging feeling of loss that was creeping into his stomach. He hadn’t thought this much about the late Captain since the funeral service. His mind wandered and his body went into autopilot. He wondered if he had yet become the kind of leader McLeod insisted he would be someday.
He rejoined reality when the walls suddenly widened. The corridor ended in a large dimly lit room on a raised platform. At the end of the platform was a short staircase leading to the floor below. Just beyond the staircase were two more corridors to each side. A single door was directly ahead, which Harper knew lead into the pyramid.
They slowly made their way to the staircase, but stopped when a figure came through the doorway to the right, running for the adjacent corridor. Glenn raised his gun to fire, but Harper grabbed it and pointed it at the floor before he could pull the trigger. A moment later, just as Harper had expected, a platoon of at least 15 Salaxian soldiers followed the first. "Never assume a lone target is actually alone," Harper explained. "If you had fired, that platoon would’ve slaughtered us."
Glenn grimaced. "Sorry."
"It was an honest mistake," Harper replied, patting him on the shoulder and moving forward.
Glenn mused for a moment before he responded under his breath, "If I die first, make sure they put that on my headstone.” When they reached the door, Harper examined the area around it for a switch or button. Instead, he found what looked like a biometric scanner. His heart dropped for a moment, but after scanning the device he almost laughed out loud.
Unlike most motorized sliding doors he'd ever encountered, it appeared that activating the door, in this case through biometrics, simply cut power to a mechanism holding back a spring that opens the door. A foolish design for a secure room, as Harper made clear by smashing the device, and thus breaking the circuit. As the door flung open Harper felt a rush of confidence. They were on the verge of completing their mission, and the platoon of soldiers that had passed them were heading directly for the power generator, meaning they had fallen for the ruse and believed that was the target.
Stepping into the small room and pressing the button to open the next-door, Harper was contemplating how such an unintelligent species had dominated so much of the galaxy, and given the human race so much trouble. However, as the next-door opened, everyone was momentarily stunned with surprise. Harper, Glenn, and the Salaxian soldier left to guard the pyramid.
Fortunately, Harper and Glenn recovered from their surprise first. They raised their weapons and opened fire before the Salaxian guard could even grab his rifle. The guard collapsed in a bloody heap in the doorway. Harper and Glenn exchanged a significant glance, and stepped gingerly over the mangled corpse on to the stairway behind him.
Once Harper reached the top of the staircase, he immediately had to grab the railing of the catwalk that stretched out in front of him, as he was overcome with vertigo. The catwalk bridged the gap between the staircase and a platform to support the smaller pyramid inside. Harper slid his goggles onto his forehead, finding that the lighting here went higher into the human spectrum, and got a better view of the room.
Under the catwalk and platform, was what seemed like a bottomless pit. The room itself was like a giant sphere, black with specks of multicolored light. Just like the pyramid in the ruins, it was a representation of the stars outside the atmosphere.
They continued across the catwalk with the constant feeling that they were walking a thin line between a never-ending void and the vacuum of space. When they rea
ched the end of the catwalk and started to climb, Harper found himself slightly disappointed. Instead of the warm colors and soft stone of the ruins, the structure was cold, metal, and completely utilitarian. While the Salaxians had stolen the technology, they didn’t duplicate the cultural or almost religious atmosphere of the original building.
Harper was winded when they reached the top, and from the looks of it, so was Glenn. However, when a voice called out, “Hello, Captain Harper,” they quickly raised their weapons and scanned the area, but were unable to find the source of the voice.
The elevated slab at the top tilted towards them to reveal the speaker. She was tall and slender, and could have been mistaken for human if not for a few distinguishing features. Her skin was as white as alabaster, and cracked like an old oil painting. Protruding from either side of her forehead were horns, striped with gold and dark blue, which ran down the side of her face, pointing out just above her shoulders. The horns brought to mind the pharaohs of ancient Egypt.
The attribute that stuck out most to Harper was her eyes. Jet black and piercing, he had no doubt that one of them was the same one that stared out at him through the crystal. "How do you know my name? For that matter, how do you speak our language," Harper asked.
She smiled weakly and replied without moving her lips, "I know your name because I heard the others calling to you in my former home. I actually do not know your language, but when I speak to you telepathically, it is a transmission of ideas. Ideas are what language describes. They have no language of their own."
Harper looked her over, and for the first time noticed that she was strapped down to the slab. Tubes and IVs protruded from both arms. He lowered his weapon and Glenn did the same, but never broke his wide-eyed stare. "Who are you," Harper asked.
"I am Veritas, of the tribe Aquarius."
Harper couldn’t help but smile a little. "Veritas, like the goddess of truth."
"An Earth legend. Most likely based on my mother, who had the same name."
"It’s true then. You came to Earth."
"What do you mean, Captain," Glenn chimed in.
"Major, you are standing in front of a real-life Martian. Well, at least her ancestors were."
"That is very impressive, Captain Harper. You learned all of that on my home world," Veritas asked.
"You were born on the colony a few light-years from here?"
"Yes, the place where you took the crystal."
"I learned what I could from the artifacts. There is only one thing I still don’t understand. Why are you here? Why did the Salaxians abduct you?"
"She turned her head for a moment, apparently in deep thought. “That would be easier to show you. Both of you, take my hands."
Harper and Glenn exchanged a significant glance, then did what she asked. As soon as their flesh touched, Harper's stomach dropped, and the floor seemed to fall away beneath him.
Chapter 15
The Watchers
It was a feeling like nothing Harper had experienced before. His body felt like it wasn’t there at all. In fact, he couldn’t verify that it was. A hot white light surrounded him and seemed to rush past him as he flew towards an ever-distant black void. Like traveling at warp without a ship. Before he had the chance to fully evaluate the situation, it ended. The white light and the rushing sensation had disappeared. He seemed to be in open space, staring down on that alien looking version of Mars. He opened his mouth to speak but had no sensation to verify the action was being accomplished, so he just thought about what he wanted to say.
"Why can’t I move?"
"I am sorry," Veritas replied. "This is not something I was trained to do. I will try to fix it."
Harper was unable to move so much as his eyes, locked in a dead stare straight ahead. Finally, he felt the solid ground beneath his feet. More importantly, he could finally feel his feet and other extremities. He was eventually able to decide from for himself where his head and eyes went. Observing his environment, he was able to determine he was standing on the deck of a ship. The planet Mars was actually being seen through a viewport. He turned to his left to speak to Veritas, but was startled to find instead a male of her species, who also appeared to be much more advanced in age.
Harper thought about the implications of this, being that Veritas had to be nearly a century old herself. He heard her laugh, and turned to find her standing behind him. The tubes and IVs were gone, and she looked substantially healthier. She was dressed in a spotless white toga, which given her skin tone, made her appear almost nude, and wearing an ear to ear smile. "You are correct, Captain Harper. I have been living for more than one of your earth millennia, but I am only a quarter through my expected lifespan. Still nearly a child."
Harper was slightly embarrassed that she had heard his rude observation, so he broke eye contact by looking around the room. "Where is Major Glenn?"
"You are both still where you were, and his mind is here, you simply can’t perceive him."
Harper was slightly confused, but there were too many other questions rushing through his mind to ask for clarification. In the interest of time, he stuck with the most prudent. "Where are we?"
She walked up to the viewport. "What you are seeing is a memory. His, to be precise." She nodded towards the Martian man standing next to them, who seemed to be unaware of their presence.
"Who is he?"
"He has no name, or rather, he gave up his name when he became a watcher."
Harper was slightly frustrated that every question she answered brought up another. Determined to learn all that he could from this unique experience, he asked the next obvious question, "What is a watcher?"
"There is a saying on your world, that history is written by the victors. We were aware of this phenomenon as well. We live for thousands of Earth years, and are capable of passing our memories to others through telepathy. The watchers are what keep our history from becoming tainted with subjective opinion. They give up their names, and the right to influence our culture and people, to observe anything that may be of historical significance. These memories are transferred to the people, so that every person can remember history exactly as it was observed. As if we were there ourselves."
"So, his memory became yours, even though you weren’t born yet."
"Exactly. They also went on expeditions when we explored our galaxy and others, so we would all be able to experience far away societies and cultures. That has been our species' biggest ambition for hundreds of generations."
"What is he observing now?"
"The final days of the evacuation from our original home world."
"Mars." He watched several ships, larger versions of the one he found in the ruins, leave the planet surface and fly towards a blue speck of light he knew to be Earth.
"We discovered that a comet was going to hit our planet. We could easily have destroyed it or diverted it, but the elders felt it was wrong to interfere with a force of nature this great. Either option could have unforeseen consequences in the future for other species, so we decided to move on."
Though there was no possibility of actual danger, Harper flinched when the comet struck the planet. It hit with so much force that the molten core was ejected into space, and the landscape was laid to waste before his eyes. The white rushing light returned momentarily, and he found himself standing unevenly with a sand dune beneath his feet, and blue sky above. The area was almost bare, except for a small ancient city in the distance, and a building under construction nearby. "Is this earth," he asked.
"Very good Captain Harper. For an alien, you are able to cope with the memory sharing with very little disorientation."
"Why do you call me by my rank? It doesn't really apply to you, and being a telepath, you must know my real name."
"I would, but until this moment, there was no other name in your head but Captain Harper."
That revelation was disturbing for Harper. He of course frequently thought of his fellow officers by rank or last name,
it became a habit in the military. Harper tried to determine when he stopped thinking of himself as John, but stopped trying when he came to the unfortunate conclusion that he couldn't remember far back enough to find a time that he did.
"What's going on here," he asked, changing the topic.
"We came to Earth first. My tribe came here, to what you would know as Babylon. We taught the people how to record their history, and in exchange, they helped us build a tower. Much like the one you found me in. They called it of the tower of Babel."
"The gate of the gods," Harper remarked, remembering one of the many interpretations for the name of that tower. "Did any of your people go to other places on Earth?"
"Yes. The tribes separated, and had towers like this one built on different parts of the planet."
"What were the towers for?"
She waved her hand, and the tower was suddenly complete. It was a giant pyramid. "When the towers were complete, we told the people how to find us in the stars. The 12 tribes went their separate ways, using the towers to go to their new homes." A beam of light shot out of the top of the pyramid, into the constellation of Aquarius. There, a bright blue orb made of light formed a whirlpool in space. He could see the Martian ships fly into the central void, and disappear.
"Wormholes."
"Very good, John. That is how we travel to far off places. How we explore the universe. Only a few of us in every generation of every tribe is in tune with the universe enough to do this. I am one of them."
"So, the story was technically true. The tower was built to reach the home of the gods."
"From their perspective, yes."
The rush of white light returned. This time, Harper had found to his surprise that he was getting used to the sensation. When it stopped, he found himself in a small ceremonial hall packed with others of her species. There was strange music emanating from instruments he had never seen before, but he could tell from the tone, and the people dancing, that it was a celebration.
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