by Ken Lozito
Dash’s father had died during the war with the Vemus. There were a lot of orphaned children whose ages ranged from the very young to those on the cusp of adulthood. Some were students who rotated through various colony locations, including forward operating research bases called FORBs as well as the encampments. One thing Ashley safeguarded was the education of their youngest colonists. This was all in service of moving forward, and it gave the youngest colonists something to focus on other than rebuilding. All senior research scientists, like Lenora, were required to educate the next crop of young scientists. Because they hadn't gotten to fight in the war, and given that such a short time ago they'd almost died, some of the colonists on the cusp of adulthood had a burning desire to prove themselves.
Dash DeWitt had just turned eighteen. He was smart, competent, and contending with the loss of his parents. Coupled with a healthy dose of youthful vigor and a significant propensity for recklessness, these traits threatened to lead Dash into an early grave. Connor was familiar with the type and had been one of those eager young men himself a long time ago. Dash had come to Sanctuary six months earlier, and by now he should understand some of the dangers they had to deal with, such as the fact that help wasn't readily available due to the remoteness of their location.
Connor used his implants to send a signal to the recon drone so it would scout ahead toward the distress beacon.
Ian pulled up his own holoscreen and then brought up the supply cache’s status. “The cache looks intact so I don't think we need to stop and do a full inspection. We should probably just head on over to the distress beacon.”
Connor glanced at the status update and agreed. He was getting tired of babysitting Dash. What was it going to take for that kid to learn not to get in over his head?
Connor plugged in the new coordinates and increased their velocity. He hoped it was just a mechanical problem with the ATV, but with Dash's history, it really could be anything.
Connor suppressed a sigh and told himself to stop gritting his teeth. Lenora was always getting on him about that.
“Probably best to make sure our CAR-74's are fully charged,” Connor said.
Ian glanced at him and then shrugged. He twisted around and opened the field case behind them.
They were remote from Sanctuary, so everyone had to be armed. At least Connor wasn't carrying the ordinary civilian version of the assault rifle. He’d modified his so it was a bit more powerful—not as powerful as his old AR-71, but it would get the job done and had enough stopping power to put even a berwolf in its place.
“They’re fully charged,” Ian said and turned back around.
Going faster made the ride much more uncomfortable, which irked Connor even more. He didn’t want anything to be really wrong, but he hoped Dash had a damn good excuse for his latest mishap.
Chapter Two
Liking the almost prickly feel of his recent haircut on his fingertips, Dash rubbed the back of his head. He felt a bit of dampness from the sweat he’d worked up as they hiked through a canyon to reach this location. A quick glance at Jim showed him checking his CAR-74 hunting rifle for the umpteenth time.
Jim saw him looking. “We should head back to the ATV.”
Dash suppressed a sigh and glanced at his friend. “We’re just about to the other side and you want to turn back around? Seriously, Jim?”
Jim smiled guiltily and shrugged the narrow shoulders of his tall, lanky frame. Dash knew Jim wasn’t tired at all. He could easily keep up with Dash on long hikes, but remote field surveys left him a bit nervous. Dash expected Jim’s jitters at remote fieldwork would go away after a few more months; otherwise, why would anyone stay at Sanctuary, which was as far removed from the main colonial settlements as one could get these days?
Dash swung his gaze toward the other half of the impromptu survey team. “Do you guys want to turn back now?”
Selena Wilson looked up from the path and frowned. She glanced over at Merissa, who’d stopped next to her. “We haven’t even reached the target location yet,” Selena said.
Selena was in the middle of an educational track toward field biology in hopes of gaining approval to continue in the advanced colonial education program, and Dash knew there would be no lack of enthusiasm from her. She was almost as eager as he was about discovering something new.
Merissa gave Jim a sympathetic look. “We’re fine, Jim.”
Merissa was already in the advanced colonial education system for planetary scientific studies, and her rotation to Sanctuary was highly sought after because it was a competitive program. In the colony, the individual education programs were customized to play to a person's strengths, but it was the fieldwork that would allow a student to be awarded top-tier selections for their designated fields of study. This was the primary reason Dash had pushed so hard to come to Sanctuary and study under Dr. Lenora Bishop.
Dash’s aptitude scores showed a strong inclination toward engineering. He loved figuring stuff out, unraveling the mysteries of the world around them, and there were no shortages of unknowns on New Earth. He had been highly sought after by the colonial rebuilding efforts, but he’d chosen archaeology. The intelligent species of aliens that had built a civilization here on New Earth and then disappeared was the ultimate mystery. This appealed to him much more than rebuilding what they’d lost during the war with the Vemus. He was more than just another engineer.
Selena and Merissa walked on ahead of them and Dash gave Jim a playful swat on the shoulder.
“I was just checking,” Jim said.
Dash leaned over so only Jim could hear. “She noticed, buddy. Your concern was . . . well received.”
Jim jabbed his elbow into Dash’s side, catching him off-guard. Dash laughed.
Jim had only been living at Sanctuary for a month and volunteered in the Field Ops office there, which didn’t qualify him for fieldwork yet, but Dash thought Jim could use some fresh air and a break from his internship.
Dash took out his PDA and checked the information he’d copied from the alien archives discovered at Sanctuary.
“The map says there should be something at the end of the canyon,” Dash said.
“There better be; otherwise, this field trip is a bust. As it is, we’ll not get back before nightfall,” Merissa said with a hint of annoyance.
They’d left before sunrise and it had taken most of the morning to reach this location. They were over a hundred kilometers from Sanctuary, which didn’t sound very far except that there were no roads or marked paths they could follow to get out here. When they’d came upon the canyon, they realized that going around might have added days to the survey, which they weren’t equipped to deal with, and carried the extra bonus for Dash of incurring the wrath of Connor Gates. Connor would likely be angry with him for this little field trip, but Connor was always irritated by something these days, so Dash considered it a breakeven proposition.
After a steady descent into the canyon the path narrowed considerably, which had instigated the discussion of heading back, but Dash wasn’t too serious about that. Going through the canyon would be the quickest way. Their ATV couldn’t fit through and the path hadn’t widened as he’d hoped it would. They’d decided to take their field kits and hunting rifles and push on by foot. He’d set an hourly check-in beacon for the ATV so they could easily find their way back once they’d finished scouting the area. This whole effort would have been much easier if they could've flown one of the C-cat transports.
“Okay, let’s go over this again,” Merissa said as they walked along the path.
“It’s the same as before,” Dash said.
Merissa arched a dark eyebrow, but her smooth, golden features remained impassive as always. She was a poker player; there was no doubt about that.
“As if you don’t want to talk about what you found again,” Merissa chided.
Dash snorted. “You got me,” he said and stuck his PDA into his backpack. “In the archives, I found a reference to the layou
t of Sanctuary, like a city schematic, but on it were structures beyond the city borders. The locations were marked, but there was no other mention of what they were or how they were used. A few of the locations have been scouted, but nothing was found. Dr. Kabbot thought they might have been marked as future sites for where the NEIIS intended to expand the city.”
Merissa shook her head and rolled her hazel-colored eyes. “I never liked that name for them.”
“New Earth Indigenous Intelligent Species is more of a mouthful,” Dash replied.
“I know. Believe me, I know,” Merissa said.
“We can call them Bobs if you want,” Dash offered.
“Or Janes,” Selena offered gleefully.
“So much for creativity,” Merissa said.
“You can call them whatever you want, but it doesn’t change anything,” Dash said.
Merissa shrugged.
“The reason this site is important—”
“Uh, the reason you think it’s important,” Jim chimed in.
“Thanks, appreciate that, buddy,” Dash said dryly. “—is that it’s the most remote and it heads away from any other settlement we’ve found to date. Since we don’t know what’s beyond, it's incredibly interesting. Worth checking, in my estimation.”
“I thought you said the reference was obscure,” Merissa said.
“It is, but why would they put something all the way out here if it didn’t lead anywhere?”
This drew silent stares from the others.
“Think about it. Why do we place something in a remote location? It could be something used for safekeeping, another storage facility, or a backup site. The possibilities are endless,” Dash said.
“Or it could be as Dr. Kabbot already said—it was marked as a future site for something else and they never did anything with it,” Merissa replied.
Dash shook his head. He’d seen the data and had been around the NEIIS architecture enough to know they didn’t do anything without a reason. “Either way, we’ll find out shortly.”
“What did Dr. Bishop think of all this?” Merissa asked.
Dash's brow wrinkled as he glanced up at the canyon ridge.
Merissa repeated herself and Dash cursed inwardly. He should have known she wouldn’t let up.
Dash looked back at them. “I didn’t tell her about it.”
Merissa frowned in consternation. “What!”
Selena gasped. “You didn’t say anything to her? I thought Dr. Bishop knew about the site.”
“She knows about the site. At least I think she does,” Dash said quickly. “No, she does; I’m sure of it.”
“Does she know we’re out here?” Merissa asked.
Jim gave Dash a helpless look. Jim already knew that no one had given Dash actual permission for this field survey mission.
“Not exactly,” Dash admitted and quickened his pace.
“Let me get this straight,” Merissa said as she caught up with him. “The archaeological team of which you’re a part falls under Dr. Bishop’s domain, but you think that if you make this new discovery you’ll get some credit for the contribution?”
Dash shook his head. “No, it’s not like that at all. Technically, any discoveries made in the vicinity of Sanctuary would be associated with Dr. Bishop.”
Merissa twisted her lips into an unconvinced frown. “So what’s the rush then?”
“I’m not rushing,” Dash replied, and glanced at the others. “The field is where the real work is done. They’ve had plenty of people devoting all their time to Sanctuary and the archives. With the constraints on Field Ops escorts, it would have been months before anyone would even consider coming out here. So I figured, why not gather some of the top people here for a little field trip and perhaps we’ll find something interesting—something that will get the attention this new site deserves.”
Merissa seemed to consider this for a moment and some of her ire appeared to dissipate.
“See, you agree with me,” Dash said.
Merissa sighed. “I wouldn’t go that far,” she said and glanced at Selena.
“Dash isn’t wrong about the timeframe for Field Ops,” Jim said. “I hear Captain Ramsey talk about it a lot. Personnel available for field missions are restricted because of the colonial rebuilding efforts going on at the main city sites.”
Selena nodded. “Dr. Wilson talks about it too. We had to wait almost three weeks for escorts for a standard field biological excursion.”
“See?” Dash said. “We’re all being kept under lock and key, doing busy work. The Vemus are gone. I understand that we need to rebuild and that safety is a number-one priority. You can’t be around Connor Gates and not get that message, but still, there comes a time when we just need to get back out there and explore our new home.”
Merissa gave him a long look and then smiled. “Do you feel better now that you’ve gotten that off your chest?”
Dash’s eyebrows drew upward in surprise. “You knew?”
“Of course I knew, and I also knew you’d go anyway,” Merissa said.
“And you’re curious, too,” Dash said.
Merissa cocked her head to the side. “I wouldn’t have come all the way out here if I wasn’t. You’re not as clever as you think you are.”
Jim frowned at them. “Curious about what?”
Merissa didn’t answer but instead met Dash’s challenging gaze.
“Merissa’s research track in planetary sciences includes a specialization in ecosystems,” Dash replied.
“I’m not following,” Jim said.
“It means that since we’re restricted to the colonial city sites or Sanctuary, there’s been a shortage of people willing to put resources toward FORBs. Sanctuary is as close as we can get to research bases out in the field for the foreseeable future,” Dash said.
“You’re remarkably well informed,” Merissa said.
“Not really, just cleverer than I look it seems,” Dash said with a smile. “It’s the same reason I busted my butt to get out here. The reason I came to all of you is because I knew you’d be interested and it could really help us all in the long run.”
Merissa laughed. “Stop acting as if you put this together for everyone else’s benefit. You wanted to come out here to make a name for yourself. You simply needed our help to do it.”
Dash shook his head. “That’s part of it. If that’s how you want to see it, then by all means. Regardless, we’re here. Might as well see what we’ve found.”
Dash walked ahead and the others followed, noting that the canyon had been opening up as they approached the end of it. Dash used his implants to check his PDA again and the coordinates appeared on his internal heads-up display. The marker highlighted a point just over the trees beyond the area where they stood. He tried to peer through the forest but couldn’t see any structures, so he sent a signal to the recon drone he had scouting the area. After a few seconds, he saw the small drone fly overhead. Dash took his rifle from its sling and the others did the same. He kept the safety on, but it didn’t hurt to be prepared. All field teams were armed with at least some kind of weapon; New Earth wasn’t safe enough without them, with the exception of the cities and encampments.
The recon drone sent back a video feed and Dash shared it with the others. The four of them stood in place while they watched, since walking while watching a video feed wasn’t recommended. The drone was in survey mode, which made for smoother flying at slower speeds. The targeting systems cataloged anomalies until they could be identified. Dash studied the video feed, taking in all the details, and saw an area ahead of the drone that looked like a nest of long, thick vines.
“That’s it,” Dash said.
“How can you tell?” Merissa asked.
Dash took a snapshot of the image and set the drone to survey the area. “Because vines like those grow over and around existing structures. That formation isn’t natural. See the curvature?”
Dash highlighted the area on the image on his h
eads-up display and shared it with the others.
Jim blew out a breath. “Good eye, Dash,” he said, sounding impressed.
Merissa regarded him for a moment before giving him a nod.
“Let’s go see what we’ve found,” Dash said.
Chapter Three
They left the rocky remnants of the canyon, which quickly became more forested. Swollen reddish gourds grew along the vines that stretched along the woodland path. Some of the vines windmilled around, forming giant spindles. Dash kept a careful watch on the tree canopy. Some of New Earth’s creatures spent the bulk of their lives among the highest branches, but after a few moments he suspected those creatures were deeper in the forest. Being so close to the canyon, the trees in the area weren’t quite as tall as they would be several kilometers away.
Jim stopped walking and Selena almost walked right into him. “A little warning next time,” she scolded.
Jim muttered an apology while frowning at his PDA.
“What is it?” Dash asked.
“The ATV beacon failed to check in. I hadn’t noticed until now, but it’s overdue by thirty minutes,” Jim said.
Dash pressed his lips together in thought while he glanced back at the canyon. “We’re about five or six kilometers away, but maybe the signal just has trouble getting through.”
Jim glanced back at the canyon in thought. “Yeah, maybe.”
Dash waited a moment. “Come on, it’s nothing. Let’s keep going. It’s not like someone stole it.”
Jim jutted his chin for them to keep going. Dash took point and they continued. Ten minutes later they reached the tangle of vines and Dash couldn’t keep from grinning. His heart was thumping in his chest. They’d found something. He saw the aged bronze metallic alloy the NEIIS used between the thick tawny vines. He was so excited that he grabbed the person closest to him, which happened to be Merissa. She was startled for a moment but then pushed him away, and Selena grinned.