by A. K. DuBoff
“We have new information from Ellen Calleti,” Sandren stated. “She made a discovery on Mysar that connects to our ongoing investigation.”
“What kind of discovery, sir?”
“We’ll discuss at 16:00. Leon and the colonel will meet us in the standard briefing room.”
Kira checked the clock; that was in ten minutes. “Yes, sir. On my way.”
She quickly dressed and then sent Leon a message for them to meet up at the end of his residential hall, which was on the way from her location.
He was waiting for her when she arrived. “Ellen really knows how to insert herself into the middle of things, doesn’t she?” Kira commented. “Not to mention, that woman can’t keep her mouth shut.”
“Ugh, I know.” Leon sighed. “Did Sandren say any more about the new information she discovered?”
“Just that she found something on Mysar that connected to our findings in Gaelon,” Kira replied while they headed for the briefing room. “If Kaen and Sandren have called a meeting with us, it must be significant.”
“Finally putting together a plan of action?” Leon questioned.
“Let’s hope so.”
They arrived at the conference room and found that Sandren and Kaen hadn’t yet arrived. Kira and Leon took seats by the door and waited for the two officers.
“It’s frustrating having most of the image but to still be missing key pieces of the plan,” Leon muttered. “Some of the motivation, some of the means, but it doesn’t connect.”
“As one of those pieces, I can assure you it’s much more unsettling from where I’m sitting.”
He reached over and took her hand. “Sorry.”
Kira quickly extracted her hand when Kaen and Sandren entered.
“It’s about time we take over this conference room and stick up a theory board with lines connecting all the dots, eh?” Sandren jested.
“Does that mean Ellen didn’t offer up a unifying theory of everything?” questioned Kira.
“Not yet, but we did get another clue,” Kaen replied. “Since her debrief following the incident with Chancellor Hale, it would seem Ellen has been on the lookout for suspicious activity. Today she discovered evidence of a pit on Mysar, which sounds suspiciously like the one you found on the planet in Gaelon.”
Kira frowned. “Oh, that sounds bad.”
“It is,” Kaen said with a heavy sigh that concerned Kira more than his words. “We just got the results of the scans for that signal. Aside from the gas giant, it’s also somehow resonating with Mysar and Valta.”
Kira and Leon exchanged glances.
“What was the timing?” Kira asked.
“Too fast to be through normal space. There must be a subspace component,” Sandren responded.
“Hmm.” Leon placed his hand on his chin.
Kaen gave him a quizzical look. “Idea?”
“Sorry, it’s tangential to this. One of the mysteries has been about the nanites’ replication. If this nanotech has some sort of subspace connection, that might explain how the nanites are able to draw enough energy to quickly transmute matter while also venting heat and radiation from the conversion process.”
“I guess that does make sense, in a way,” Sandren said. “The long-range telepathic control seems to operate like a subspace comm link.”
“Which makes the dwarf planet a… giant subspace signal transmitter? But for what??” Kira looked at the faces around the table.
“I suggest we go back to what we learned about Monica’s research on Valta,” Leon suggested. “They were trying to make soldiers.”
“And I was supposed to be the template for that,” Kira said.
“Right. Breaking that template down to its components,” he gave her an apologetic grimace, “there’s a telepathic receptor, enhanced physical strength and veracity, and super-speed.”
“All things one would hope to have in a soldier,” Kaen stated. “Well, except maybe the telepathic part.”
“That’s the key,” Leon said, shaking his index finger. “They wanted a soldier they could control. And control remotely.”
Kira folded her hands on the tabletop. “That’s an interesting point. Is the degree of control based on length of time paired with a host or distance from the transmitter?”
He nodded. “Exactly. Now, Colonel Kaen, Nox was with you for three years. Even after that much time, you were still able to exert enough control to overpower the being for short bursts.”
“Yes,” he acknowledged. “But perhaps it didn’t fully integrate with me in order to avoid raising flags in my medical exams.”
“You modified your own records, yes?” Leon questioned.
“I did, but those were subtle clues. It would have been a different matter if real-time scans found something anomalous.”
“Hmm.” Leon crossed his arms. “Maybe it’s nothing, then.”
“No, go on,” Sandren encouraged.
“Well,” Leon continued, “I was going to contrast Hale’s condition to Kaen’s. Reya had complete control of her, and Gaelon is a lot closer to Mysar than it is to Orion Station.”
An icy vise gripped Kira’s chest. “The control point may be even closer than that,” she murmured.
“What are you thinking?” Kaen prompted.
“That pit on Mysar. What if those pits are their nests, or whatever you want to call it?”
Sandren paled. “If that’s the case, when Hale died, the being never left Mysar.”
Kira nodded. “Reya may never have been based in Gaelon, like Nox was.”
Kaen swore under his breath. “How many more of these nests could there be?”
“No way to know, sir.” Kira replied. “But if the other planets resonated with the signal from Gaelon, that might give us some indication.”
“Running a broad scan like that would take weeks, or longer,” Sandren said.
“Could we put the locations of the planets up on a map?” Leon spoke up.
“Why?” Kira asked.
“If they have nests in Gaelon and Mysar, they don’t need a long-range transmitter to communicate in those systems. So, where else were they planning to send their soldiers?”
Without commentary, Sandren hurriedly brought up a holographic map and plotted the real-time location of the four worlds in question.
Everyone stared at the resulting image in stunned silence. The artificial dwarf planet and gas giant in Gaelon were nearly in line on opposite sides of the system’s star. That line continued through Mysar and the Elvar star, and ended with Valta. The configuration was mere days from coming into full alignment.
“That’s not a coincidence,” Kira whispered.
“No, I’d wager it’s not.” Kaen manipulated the model and zoomed it out so he could extend the line beyond the two systems. Once complete with Valta, it would be headed straight for the worlds in the core of the Taran Empire.
The aliens’ motivations were clear. Kira swore under her breath. “They were never just trying to get the Mysaran military to go after Elusia. They were just waiting to make their big move.”
“Like a parasite,” Leon murmured. “Using up its host and then moving on to the next, to continue to multiply.”
“Are they only after the raw elemental materials? Or the people to make more soldiers?” Sandren cut in. “What’re they specifically after—what’s the end game?”
“Suffering,” Kaen said with a grunt. “They feed on negative emotions. The first step was to cultivate a food source—the disgruntled population of Mysar. It sustained them while they put the next phase in action: creating a militia to be their reapers. Peaceful Elusia was the perfect target destination to send their new soldiers, where they could rain down suffering on the innocents.”
Leon looked like he was about to be sick. “They made all those preparations without us knowing.”
“They could go after Elusia with just anyone—they already had subverted Mysaran soldiers,” Sandren said.
Kaen
nodded. “But those soldiers couldn’t accomplish their ultimate ends of expansion. Elusia would just be a snack to fuel them for the real objective.”
Sandren’s expression turned grim. “Other Empire worlds.”
“Except, following Leon’s hypothesis, it appears that their telepathic influence weakens when it gets too far away,” Kaen continued. “But with a more robust physical form and enhanced telepathic links, the Robus soldiers they sought to create using Kira as a template would likely be effective at longer distances. Having such a soldier as a vessel, the Trols could roam the galaxy to feed on the suffering they inflicted without breaking their connection to their safe base in Gaelon.”
The meeting attendees sat quietly as they processed the realization. Even if some of the details were off, the facts fit too well to dismiss the hypothesis entirely.
“If they weren’t so evil, I’d be impressed with the ingenuity,” Kira broke the silence.
“A planet-sized bio-amplifier is pretty brilliant,” Leon agreed.
“Evilness and aptitude aren’t up for debate here. The question remains: how do we stop them?” Kaen looked around the table.
“The way I see it, sir,” Kira replied, “their plans hinge on the dwarf planet in Gaelon. We destroy that transmitter and it’ll cripple them.”
Sandren nodded. “We need to address that immediate known threat. If Gaelon is a home base, which it seems to be, the best action is to cut off the head of the beast.”
“Agreed.” Kaen nodded. “Based on what we know, any suggestions for the best approach to take these Trols out?”
“Aside from a big boom?” Kira asked.
“I’m not sure we could trust conventional weapons for a task like this,” Kaen said. “Completely annihilating a planet is a tall order, even for a fleet.”
Kira sat up straight. “It’s been done with a single ship, during the Bakzen War.”
Kaen frowned. “That would require calling in the TSS. I’m not even sure if that ship is still in commission.”
The Conquest was famous even outside the annals of the TSS. The ship was fitted with an ateron relay system, specifically designed to focus telekinetic energy. Few TSS Agents had the raw power to operate the weapon, but it could be turned into a planet-killer in the right hands.
“It may be worth considering, sir,” Sandren said. “I know the TSS has started to demilitarize, but a weapon like that would be much more… thorough than anything the Guard could throw at the planet.”
“If I may interject,” Jasmine said over the comm.
Kaen nodded.
“The Conquest’s TK weapon would be effective in the Gaelon System, but addressing the other Trol ‘pits’, such as on Mysar, will require a more targeted approach, due to the nearby populations,” the AI said.
“We can pick off the survivors afterward,” Kaen replied.
“I advise against that approach,” Jasmine stated.
Kaen tilted his head. “Why is that?”
“Because we don’t know how these beings move, or exist, or… anything, really. As a scientist, I must err on the side of caution. Remove the option for the enemy to retreat before you engage.”
“You mean, take out the pit on Mysar first?” Kira clarified.
“Yes. There may be other strongholds, but if we don’t know about them, that suggests they aren’t an immediate threat. Mysar is. Make sure those people are safe, and then blow up that Gaelon planet.”
“I’ll take it under advisement,” Kaen acknowledged. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some calls to make.”
CHAPTER 16
Kira found her team working out in the gym. The three soldiers were in the middle of a wrestling match, so Kira allowed them to settle the competition before she announced herself.
Not surprisingly, Ari came out on top.
“Well done!” Kira called out.
“Kira? When did you get here?” Kyle asked.
“Only a few minutes ago,” she replied while walking over.
Nia gestured to the mat. “Care to join us?”
“Not now. I came to fill you in on what’s going on with Gaelon.”
The members of her team came to attention.
“I wish it was better news,” Kira continued. “We’ve just learned that the Trols have harnessed a bio-amplifier to boost their telepathic signals.”
“Should we know what that means?” Nia asked, looking around the circle.
“Details aren’t necessary. The point is, that signal strength is about to get a whole lot stronger, and we suspect that the aliens have something planned.”
Ari crossed his arms. “What’s the plan?”
“Kaen is trying to get access to the TSS Conquest.” Kira smiled in spite of herself. It wasn’t every day they got to witness such powerful technology. Not that she had much hope of being able to actually see it in action, but getting to watch the footage from the ship’s records would still be an experience.
“Holy shite.” Kyle whistled.
Ari shrugged. “While seeing a TK weapon in action would be spectacular, I wouldn’t mind getting my hands dirty.”
“Too many firefights in the last two weeks have made you bloodthirsty,” Nia ribbed.
“We have seen a lot of action. I thought we were back to covert ops, and then this whole mess happened.” Kira sighed. “Not to mention everything with me.”
“Yeah, how are you doing with your… condition?” Nia asked her.
“It seems to be going well now,” Kira replied. “I mean, well enough. Nothing unexpected has happened since my pairing with Jasmine.”
“You two still getting along?” Nia looked up while asking the question, indicating that Jasmine was included in the question.
“I am quite pleased with our pairing,” Jasmine replied over the comm. “Kira has introduced me to many new experiences.”
Jasmine smiled in her mind.
Kira returned her attention to her team. “Jasmine and I are working well together.”
Unfortunately, Jasmine’s statement hadn’t been lost on Ari. “That was a deflection. What aren’t you saying?”
Kira decided the best distraction from her new relationship status was to get back to the bad guys. Talk about evil telepathic aliens never got old.
“Before our pairing, Jasmine worked almost entirely in medical labs. We didn’t want to freak you out with the idea of having someone along with no combat experience.”
“You’re the one holding the weapons,” Ari pointed out.
Good, he took the bait. Kira nodded. “Yes, but in this particular matter, she’s helping to regulate my physiology so I don’t transform without meaning to. Some degree of a neurochemical surge is necessary in our line of work—Jasmine is still learning how much is useful to me. We think, back on the Gaelon planet, she may have dialed it back too much for me, and that’s why I wasn’t feeling anxious when it seemed like I should have been.”
Nia eyed her. “Yeah, you were acting off.”
Kira sighed. She was trying to hide the truth, probably because she didn’t want to admit to herself how close she’d come to succumbing to their trap.
“There’s someth
ing else we discovered,” she went on. “When the dwarf planet was sending out those telepathic frequency bursts, it was interacting with me. While we were going down that exit tunnel, I may have been under a subtle telepathic influence.”
Kyle’s brow furrowed. “So, they can get to you.”
“I’m not sure,” Kira replied. “It wasn’t complete. I think it may have been something to do with the proximity to the pit, which seems to be a kind of nest for them. A source of strength and power.”
“Hmm,” Ari mused. “And their control weakens the further away they are, like when Kaen was way out here?”
“Exactly.” Kira nodded. “For all we know, it’s possible that all of us were being influenced in some small way while on the Gaelon planet. This isn’t an enemy we can predict or understand with what little we know about them.”
“All the more reason to blow up the planet and be done with it,” Ari muttered.
“We may still have an issue on Mysar,” Kira continued. “It appears that there’s a pit on that world, too, and that may be where more of the beings live.”
Nia’s mouth dropped open. “And you didn’t lead with that?”
“What’s the plan to deal with that situation?” Kyle asked at the same time.
“It’s a work in progress,” Kira replied.
“Hold on,” Nia said. “That means Reya was close to a pit when you overpowered her.”
“I guess she was,” Kira realized. She’d been so preoccupied with thinking about how Reya may have escaped Chancellor Hale when the body died that she’d missed the other implications. “Maybe I can stand up to them.”
“We always knew that, Kira,” Kyle said with a smile. “Don’t sound so surprised.”
“After what happened on Gaelon, I was having serious doubts,” she admitted.
“Fortunately, you have us to believe in you,” Ari said.
Kira smiled at her team. “I don’t know what I’d do without you guys.”
Ari tapped his chin. “I’m torn between you either wasting your gifts as a carnival-style fortune teller or going dark after pushing away everything you ever loved and becoming a super villain.”