What’s this?
I just wrote how well the Allenmores get along and one of the brothers just prodded his sister, which provoked a perfect glare in response, though now she’s moving toward Tee. “Sir! I’m Sargent Allenmore. I was... we were wondering... my brothers and I. Ughhh. Sir, my crew and I are hoping to stay on to... help.”
Tee isn’t sure. “There is something... dark and forbidding on the other side of that concealment screen, Sargent. It could be dangerous.”
Not a problem. “If it’s all the same, we eat danger for lunch. Sir.”
Tee’s having a very hard time holding back a smile. “Oh, you do, do you? Very well. Viz will give you the down-low. I believe you’ve met?”
Sargent Allenmore nodded. “Thank you, sir. Yes, we know Viz.”
True-up. And I’ve followed their progress ever since the pentalink incident. She wasn’t bragging when she said they eat danger for lunch.
During the second invasion, when Shockwave needed a very large bomb flash-ported right next to the pentalink, a full-on dreadnaught based pentalink at that, we didn’t have a lot of options. I’m pretty sure they were the only port-team that could have handled the massive lift. There was no hesitation on their part when I asked if they would volunteer for the job.
They confessed feeling underutilized in their military role, just moving big packages from here to there, with no direct action against the enemy. They lost their parents in the first invasion and said they would do anything to strike back. Their sister spokesperson then made the point by saying, “If you asked us to lift the pentalink, asteroid and all, to the edge of the universe, we would do our best to make it happen.”
They’re not only gung-ho, they are also very good at what they do. We needed that oversized bomb to detonate immediately after the port. That would require a top-notch flash-porting skill. Not every teleporter can port, drop, and run in a split second. When I asked about flash-porting, they were all the more enthusiastic. It seemed to me they were a little too enthusiastic. Not a problem, they said, in-and-out in a tenth of a second, tops. I may have sounded a little skeptical when I pointed out that I would be going along for the ride, to provide cloak, and was strongly opposed to being blown to atomic bits.
Sister Allenmore said, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Then she grabbed my arm, and we ported to a lovely tropical beach on some island, then back again. At least that’s what my Ivee-cam showed on slowmo playback. The shift in scenery was so fast I became completely disoriented and fell flat on my... uhhh. I had to sit down for a moment, I was so disoriented. It was then that I pretty much fell in love with these guys. As it were.
Anyway, let’s check in on the progress they’re making to break the already damaged concealment screen. The screen that is only there to block scanning and not to hold in terrible monsters. Even though Carter’s Ivee log most certainly showed all sorts of gruesome monsters.
The engineer, Just Call Me Doris, has been working on a phased array of some sort. Doris says, with the array, she’ll be able to modulate some sort of carrier wave to link with the concealment screen, which will maximize the impact of the gigawatt jolt. Energetic shielding would just scatter the energy harmlessly, but this screen has different properties, that give her confidence it’s going to crash.
There she goes, yet again, moving off to talk with Tee. Doris has been begging him for the opportunity to study the concealment screen, if only for a few days. Tee isn’t saying much, mostly shaking his head no, and pointing to the gigawatt cell.
There she goes. We’ll know in a minute, as the final cable connects the array to the gigawatt cell. Now what’s she doing? Hit the switch, Doris!
Still not happening. Now, Doris is insisting we hit the switch remotely, from a safe distance, with all that juice about to impact an alien system. Actually, that suggestion does make sense. I’ve been kind of saying that all along.
So, here we are, back at camp, watching remotely, as Doris... finally... hits the switch.
DISPLAY.
The entire concealment screen flashes in a cascade of colors, a scorched ring of soil marking the outer diameter, as it cooks-off in catastrophic failure. In the center is a large oblong object, somewhat wider in the center with a moderate tapering toward the outer edge. It appears to defy gravity, hovering several feet above the ground.
END DISPLAY.
***
NOT FORGOTTEN
Pardon my general Journal neglect. It’s June 3rd. After the gigawatt cell crashed the screen, we moving in carefully for a closer look. The object hidden by the screen is a very large spacecraft, like nothing we’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, the ship is surrounded by a defensive dome like those enclosing the teleportation gates on Cygnus Prime. Our access has been denied. But we have one more option to try. My chemical engineering degree may come in handy for that. For now, we’re waiting on some equipment.
In the meantime, a delegation of antiquities professors and archeologists have arrived along with a sizable security squad. Tee was steamrolled when he tried to slow the arrival of the delegation. We’re still picking up odd readings in the vicinity of the ship. Those nightmare creatures that almost got Carter came from somewhere, likely a teleportation gate of some sort. With all that, this planet is a long way from being cleared as a safe working zone. Whatever. It’s out of our hands. We’ve got enough on our plate as it is.
While we’re waiting for the equipment that may help us get through the dome, we want to check on some odd energy readings near the ship. The last thing we need is a bunch of ghouls sneaking up on us when we’re trying to bust into their ship. Actually, it’s probably not their ship after all. Earlier today a science guy on payroll with the SID arrived at the request of Tee. Evidently, he’s the top scientist for all things Dahnahaash. What’s term sounds better, Dahnahaash, or Serpent People? I don’t know.
Tee received quite the scolding for crashing the screen before he arrived. Doris managed a few I-told-you-so moments as well. Thankfully, after Tee showed him all the detailed Logan scans and other recordings, he settled down, and jumped into the data. Then he surveyed the remains of the generator and control system for the screen. Finally, he examined the defensive dome surrounding the ship. His findings were... interesting.
While the dome has qualities similar to those on Cygnus Prime, there are subtle differences. He doesn’t think the dome is Dahnahaash, though the technology is comparable. The screen, however, is very similar to Primer technology, though with considerable advancements. It is his assertion, basically his words, that much of Primer technology, other than the domes, is antiquated, downgraded Dahnahaash table scraps.
He thinks the Dahnahaash set up the concealment screen to hide the ship from prying eyes after they were unable to break through the ships dome defense. Several spots around the ship show evidence of powerful energy spattering, hot enough to turn the sandy soil to glass. He wants one more look at the site while we’re checking on those odd readings. Maybe he’ll have some insight into that as well.
Roddy and Martin will provide an at-altitude overwatch. The rest of us will port in, 3, 2, 1...
Static is building again on our comms. That can’t be a good sign.
Tee looks nervous. “Sky team, do you see anything unusual?”
Martin responds, “No sir. All quiet.”
Smart aleck Roddy has something to add. “We’re up here pretty high. Martin, he keeps poking his finger, like he’s poking something in the eye. Right there, he keeps saying. Right there.”
It’s not the time to be joking around Roddy, as Tee responds, “Come again, Private Rodriguez?”
That brought some smiles. Well, probably not from Roddy. Roddy is a lance corporal, two grades higher than private, and Tee knows that for sure. Roddy seems to move up the ranks, due to amazing feats of out-and-out heroism, then back down the ranks for his regular bouts of attitude.
Roddy sounds like he just took a big gulp of air. “Uhhh... sorry sir. I
t’s all good up here. No bad guys.”
Tee has a little smile to his tone. “Glad to hear it corporal. You two keep a close watch. I’m building up to a bad feeling. Set your Ivees scrolling for best imaging of any anomalies.”
Martin sounds confident. “Copy that, sir.”
Tee has Martin out and about, pushing him to face his fear. True-oath, I’m not sure Martin’s ready for that. Whatever, it’s not my call. On the more cautious side of the scale, there are now two atmospheric PBW emplacements overlooking the area around the ship.
Crud, despite what the doc says, it feels like a BID-ache coming on. So much for the new and improved Brain Interface Device he recommended. Maybe he’s right, and the headaches are caused by focusing too hard to form individual words for the Journal. Why not just dictate, if I’m so concerned about an occasional emotion or stray thought leaking through? Easy for him to say. He doesn’t have to try to delete something from a Journal with an encryption lock. My BID-ache is getting worse, just thinking about it.
No, this is something else. And it’s bad! Horror. Fear. I can’t breathe. Voices, screeching in my head.
Open to us, child of dust. Behold! Power, wealth, delights beyond your imagining. Come, and rule with us. If not, you will instead face our wrath.
NO!
They’re gone. I can think again. The pit has reopened, a whirlpool of dust swirling in rotation. Ghouls, whatever they are, seem to be concentrating on Carter. And Martin! When did they land? They’re so close to the pit!
I can get to Carter, cloak him from the creatures. And there’s Rev. Where did he come from?
Rev has Carter by the arm and is saying something to the... apparitions. “Get thee hence and cease thy accusations. Leave this one aside. No weapon formed against me shall prosper. Thee and thine depart thither! It is in the...”
The ghoulish screams pitched higher and grew louder as the monsters left Carter and joined those tormenting Martin. Martin! He’s no longer fighting, as they draw him toward their awful pit.
Sister Allenmore is screaming in rage. “Bodey! Tether us.”
Brodey dropped to his knees in concentration, and his siblings vanished. He must be tethering their port as the rest go after Martin, braving the horrors of the pit.
A whine from the PBW generator caught my attention, prompting me to wave my arms and call out over the comms. “Hold fire! We have people in the pit! Hold!”
The Allenmores untangled next to their brother, and collapsed, a medic at their side in seconds.
Tee ran up to the group. “Did you see him? What happened to Martin?”
Sister Allenmore lifted her tear-drenched face to Tee. “He’s gone. He’s... just... gone.”
Tee didn’t want to press her, but he had to know. “Tell me.”
Sister Allenmore shuddered, drying her face using both hands. “We Allenmores are very... connected. I don’t know what to call it. We can spread out and track, as long as one of us tethers. They’ve taken him to a place where we can’t go. I don’t even know if it’s in this universe. He’s gone. Those things though, they’re coming. They’re gathering. I could feel it. They may not be coming to Ahaam, but they’re coming. I just know. I can’t explain it. But I know. The Horde is coming.”
The Horde coming, that doesn’t sound good. “When, Amy? When are they coming?”
Amy is back on her feet, spurning the attention of her brothers. “I don’t know when, but it was clear to me, I’ll see them. The Allenmores will fight against them.”
That was enough for Tee. “Porters, gather your people. Tactical retreat. Move! PBWs, light up the pit!”
***
It’s still June 3rd. There’s been a massive quake, centered near the alien ship. A small mountain now stands near the ship, though some of the ground has torn away in a deep chasm. With some of the ship’s underside exposed, the actual spherical shape of the defense shield is plain to see. Thankfully, my meteorite is still intact. I think that’s going to be our way through the... not dome... spherical shield. Our special piece of equipment has arrived, so we’ll know soon enough.
The pit was definitely a teleportation gate of some sort that utilized exotics similar to those used by the Empire. It must have been a very small gate judging by the size of the mountain created in the gravitational tug released when the PBWs wrecked the gate and spilled the exotic material. At least that’s our working theory. Further, the exotics must have been free flowing within the gate. Normally, gate exotics become bound to the gate material and inert, though their gravitational forces still push through the in-between of two gate points in space.
Free flowing gravitational field exotics are dangerous. Good to know for future Dahnahaash gate crashing parties.
You won’t be forgotten Corporal Martin. We’ll do what we can to find you.
Atmospheric readings in the area are normal, so the exotics must now be joined to the soil of Ahaam, allowing us to get to work on the ship. The Dahnahaash, or whatever they were, are gone, assuming our ISR scanning is sufficient to the task.
As we approach the ship, there is a meteorite debris field, signs of intense heat, and some indirect cratering. Quputer modeling of the debris distribution, cratering, and characteristics of the remains tells of a direct meteorite impact to the ship’s defense shield. It was a massive impact. Crossing the elevated lip of the crater for the descent to our promising entry point reveals once again that the shielding is spherical, completely surrounding the ship. Remains of the blasted space rock have rolled down the slope, coming to rest against the shield itself.
Of particular interest is a sizable chunk of rock, now looking very much like a glass shard, alongside the shield. The glass shard part is something new. I’ll explain. Chemical analysis of the shard shows it to be a composite of rare minerals which hardly seems natural. Okay, here comes a full disclosure. My knowledge of chemical engineering was a secondary contribution to an amazing discovery. We hope said discovery will be impactful not only here but also in our prosecution of the war against the Empire. What happened is, I slipped and tumbled down the slope of the crater, which ended in a relatively graceful landing next to the shard.
In defense of my normal catlike grace... ahemm... there was a slippery glassy slag covered by a thin layer of soil. My years of karate practice came in handy yet again, as I maintained a semblance of control while rolling to the bottom of the crater, coming to a stop next to the ship’s shield. Then, after an all-too-common ritual of careful self-diagnostic movements, my hand brushed up against a large rock, and I opened my eyes to behold an awe-stounding discovery.
The rocky outer layer fell away at my touch to reveal the glassy shard beneath, with a small portion of the shard seeming to be on the other side of the shielding. In my resting position after I made the... decent, I was at just the right angle to see it, the Ahaam sun shining at just the right angle. Seriously. You don’t have to tell me. It was another one of those unlikely pile-ups of coincidences that seem to follow Shockwave around wherever we go.
On top of it all, the ghoulish things that set up the concealment field obviously didn’t pay any attention to the rock, or its properties. And, by the way, I know these odd strokes of luck to be providence, if it’s all the same to you.
But think of it. If the composition of this shard is a kind of kryptonite to this type of shielding, we may be able to get onto this ship, and we may be able to counter the defensive shielding of Primer teleportation bases. Can you imagine that?
The shard seems to have a fairly random shape, no tooling marks, nothing to show it was formed by an intelligence. It’s roughly the shape of a cube, five feet on each side. Without a close examination it looks as though it’s just leaning awkwardly against the shield. But, at just the right angle, and with the outer rocky layer gone, you can see a portion is on the other side of the shield. We thought about punching through with a plasma drill. But we want to preserve as much material as possible, necessitating the search for an ol
d boring machine with a hard specialized bit.
We’re now about an hour into the bore, well on the way to finishing off our second bit, with none to spare. Thankfully, the job it almost complete. The two-foot diameter hole, about 0.6 meters, will be a tight squeeze for some members of the team. In the meantime, everyone except the drill team has been ordered out of the area. Just in case.
Tee grabbed a large sample of the meteorite shard as we left the area. “Roll, take this shard sample to... here’s the location, pushed to your pid. They’re expecting it. Hurry back.”
Back at camp, there’s an air of eager anticipation as we watch the action via holocloud. There! The bit’s freewheeling. They’re sending a sensor drone through. Yes! It’s definitely inside the ships shield. Organic and inorganic readings are clean, though not the same as the surrounding area. There’s a much higher concentration of oxygen. Hermetically sealed environment, from an earlier time on Ahaam?
No matter, the readings are good, so it’s time for a nice explore, though I’m not sure how we’re going to get into the ship. There are no discernable seams, no hatchway. It would be a shame to cut into the hull. Let’s hope a closer look reveals an opening. Everyone can at least squeeze through the bore hole, except Big and Bad Communal, though he doesn’t seem concerned. That has me thinking. He would NOT want to miss out on this adventure.
We’re missing something, as we all line up to squirm like worms, and here it comes. “Ehemmm. Since neither the shield nor the shard are intact, wouldn’t porting in be more... convenient? Also, it’s interesting the composition of the shard prohibited teleportation as did the shielding.”
It’s a little disturbing that not even the port-techs made the connection. I don’t have an answer, just the observation. We ported in as a group, only to have our exploration cut short by alarm chirps. Everyone is on edge judging by the sound of all the Longarm blaster scopes scrolling for a potential target.
Invasion: Journal Three (Shockwave Book 3) Page 27