Sanctuary

by Ken Lozito

  Dr. Bishop glanced at Connor, who gave her a nod, and she looked back at Dash. "This is very good work. It was a risk taking the data module to the archives, but I don't see how we would've gotten this extra data without it. I like the fact that you enlisted the help of the technical engineers at the archives."

  "Dr. Bishop," Dash said, "I have one more thing to add. The technical engineers were under the impression that we were doing this with your knowledge. Otherwise, I don't think they would've helped us."

  Dr. Bishop frowned and her gaze narrowed thoughtfully. "I see. And you’re worried that I’ll be upset?"

  Dash glanced at Merissa and the others for a moment. "To be completely transparent with you—yes. The technical engineers made an assumption and we didn't correct them."

  "I appreciate your honesty," Dr. Bishop said and glanced at the others. "All of you, that is. In this case, I have no issue with it. Would I have liked to have known ahead of time? Yes. In the future, you will contact me beforehand or at least correct people's assumptions. Regardless, you’re right in your own assumption that I would have made the request anyway. It was a good plan and we got some valuable data from it."

  Dash smiled. "Thank you for understanding. Can we move forward with our proposal? Can we go investigate the new sites? They were active, or at least had the appearance of being online. Given the state of NEIIS technology, I'm not sure how long that will last. Time is of the essence.”

  Dr. Bishop sighed regretfully. "The timing of this is just terrible."

  Dash’s stomach clenched as if he'd been struck. They weren’t going to get approval.

  "All field missions have been canceled for the next few weeks," Dr. Bishop continued.

  Dash felt his insides go numb and he stared at Dr. Bishop for a few moments. "But we may never get this opportunity again," he said quickly.

  Dr. Bishop glanced at Connor, and Dash noticed just a hint of frustration there. "What you discovered is of vital importance to furthering our understanding of the NEIIS, but other things are going on that make a field mission of this magnitude riskier than it otherwise would be."

  Dash felt the heat rise to his chest and he shook his head, trying to tell himself not to get angry and to slow his racing thoughts before he spoke. "I'm really trying to understand. I want to do things the right way. But I'm having trouble with waiting weeks or possibly months before we can go and see these new sites for ourselves. What is so bad that prevents us from going in the first place? Why can't we just go check it out? At the very least, do a flyover and take some pictures. If it's not safe, we’ll come back home."

  Connor placed his coffee cup on the table. "There've been reports of increased ryklar activity north of every colonial settlement. They don't know why and there are Colonial Defense Force patrols currently investigating. The decision to limit field missions comes from the colonial government, and even if it didn’t, we couldn't devote resources to this because we need to bolster our own defenses if the ryklars are heading for Sanctuary," Connor said.

  "Are there ryklars heading here?" Dash asked pointedly.

  Connor regarded him for a moment. "Not yet, but the locations of these new sites you’ve discovered are currently beyond our capabilities of detecting ryklars."

  Dash glanced at Merissa, Selena, and Jim. They looked almost as frustrated as he felt. They were so close he could taste it.

  "What would it take for us to be able to go?" Dash asked.

  Connor shook his head. "Did you not hear what I just said? You don't have clearance to go. Any of you. And it's not just you. It's all of us,” Connor said and pressed his lips together for a moment. “Let me put it to you this way. It would take more than one of our ships to go, and if we ran into trouble, there would be no support at all. The change in ryklar behavior means there’s something else going on, something we don't have a handle on yet, which creates an elevated state of risk for any field mission."

  Dash glanced at Dr. Bishop, looking for some kind of support, but there wasn't any. He turned to Dr. Malone and saw the same resolute posture.

  "What if we accept the risk?” Dash said. “A C-cat has the range to make the trip. We could stock it up and take all the precautions we need, leverage the use of reconnaissance drones and rifles. We’d be extra careful and better prepared than we were before."

  "Do you own any C-cats?" Connor asked.

  Dash clenched his teeth and didn't reply.

  "You can accept the risk, but it doesn't mean you'll get the resources you need to even make the field mission. Missions like this require multiple days of provisioning and coordination with Field Ops. And I can tell you right now that Field Ops is overwhelmed. These are the facts, and I can't change them. In a few months’ time, we’ll have more resources. We'll have a better feel for what's going on with the ryklars and able to continue on with the discovery you've made. You just need to be patient," Connor said.

  Dash's eyebrows pushed forward. “I’m tired of being patient. I'm tired of having all these restrictions," he said and swung his gaze to Dr. Bishop. "How long are we expected to let Field Ops and the colonial government dictate what we get to do? All of us worked hard to put this presentation together. Our research is ready for peer review. I've looked at the approved peer-reviewed papers in the past and there have been forward operating research bases established for a quarter of the work we just did. It's not fair to us. There's always going to be some crisis impacting the colony. Dr. Bishop, please. There are vehicles we can use that are associated with the Research Institute. Please let us use them to investigate these sites."

  Dash could feel Connor's hard gaze on him, but he refused to look at him, keeping his eyes on Dr. Bishop. He could tell that at least on some level she agreed with him. He knew it.

  "It's not gonna happen," Connor said.

  Dash sneered. "I wasn't talking to you," he snapped. He knew he was crossing a line and didn't care. He'd had enough. Dash's lips formed a thin, frustrated line as he looked back at Dr. Bishop.

  Dr. Bishop drew in a steady breath. "Dash, please, I need you to be patient. We need to let the CDF assess the threat. Then we can talk about going to the sites and doing the Field Ops mission the right way."

  Dash's throat became thick. He’d never lashed out at Dr. Bishop, but he wouldn't trust himself to look at Connor. He shook his head and tried to think of something else to say, something that would change their minds, but he couldn’t think of anything. Instead, he walked toward the door, shoved it open, and left the lab. Once he was outside, he blew out a breath that sounded more like a howl. He clenched his hands into fists and kept walking. When the others left the lab, Jim called out to him to wait, so Dash stopped. He didn't say anything and together they walked out of the Research Institute. A few glances confirmed their angry expressions and told him that they were just as upset as he was. He was glad he wasn’t alone in this. They'd done all that work. This was supposed to be the right way and they’d still been denied. They walked in a brooding silence and were almost to the boundaries of Sanctuary before Merissa spoke.

  "Alright, let's just stop right here and talk about this,” Merissa said.

  Dash stopped and turned around. His mouth formed an angry line and he felt the pressure building in his forehead. "You heard them. The answer is no, and I'm willing to bet they’re already taking steps to stop us from going on our own," Dash said.

  The others seemed to consider this for a moment, but it was Merissa who spoke first. "So what?" she said and glanced at the others. "Are you just going to give up now?"

  Of all the responses she could’ve given, this wasn't one Dash had anticipated. He was beginning to wonder if he would ever be able to anticipate what Merissa would say at any given time. "What can we do?" Dash asked.

  Merissa’s dark eyebrows raised and her gaze had a hint of a challenge. “That sounds to me like you're giving up. Are you?"

  "I'm not giving up, but I'm not sure what we can do. Anything I think of would have la
sting repercussions for all of us. I don't want to be responsible for that," Dash replied.

  "They’re backing us into a corner. We’ve been heading this way for some time. Honestly, I didn't even realize it until we started working together, but now I can’t ignore it anymore," Merissa said.

  Selena frowned, her face becoming worried. "I don't think we should be talking about this. We just need to settle down and digest what they said, and make a new request tomorrow. Maybe they'll learn something more by then and realize that the ryklars aren't the threat they thought they were. The field mission ban would get lifted then. I guess what I'm saying is that maybe we should just wait a few days or even weeks if we need to. Is that so bad?"

  "If it was just going to be a day or two, that would be fine, but that's not what they're saying. It's never a day or two. They're worried about something. I suspect maybe they aren't telling us everything, or they're just being alarmist," Dash said.

  Jim cleared his throat. "What if they’re right? What if it's so dangerous out there that maybe we shouldn't go to the sites we discovered?"

  Dash glanced around. There was a Field Ops station at the entrance to Sanctuary. Everything looked blissfully normal. "If we were really under a serious threat, there’d be CDF troops here. They’d be handing out weapons and we’d be preparing to defend ourselves. We’re not doing any of that, so that leads me to believe that they’re not sure what's going on out there." He glanced at Merissa. "I'm surprised you're so upset by this."

  Merissa ran her fingers through her hair and pushed it behind her ear. Dash tried not to notice the contours of the smooth skin of her neck.

  “The fact that they wouldn't even consider any of our suggestions really irritated me. You were right. The Research Institute has vehicles that are capable of reaching those areas. We could do an assessment just as you said, and if it was too dangerous, we could leave. I think they're just preoccupied with saying no. And if every request is met with the same response, we continue to ask their permission. We are part of the Research Institute. We have clearance to do local field missions. But this restriction on requiring Field Ops representation for every long-range survey mission is from a time when we first arrived on New Earth. It made sense then because we knew so little about this place. It seems that the colonial government has a propensity for knee-jerk reactions that involve a clampdown on all activity. Well, I’m sorry. I'm done living like that. I want to go out there and see what we've discovered. We've earned it. We can do it the right way, with or without their approval,” Merissa said.

  Selena shook her head. "I don't believe this. You're starting to sound like him," she said, nodding toward Dash.

  Dash smiled. "You say it like it's a bad thing."

  "Just dangerous. If we do what you’re hinting at, which is to take matters into our own hands, then it will be dangerous. What if we encounter the ryklars again?" Selena said.

  "I think we're getting ahead of ourselves here. I don't want to drag you guys out there. I would go in a heartbeat, but this time I’d want to be better prepared. I don't want to get caught like we did before, so we have to do this right. Would you guys even consider going?" Dash asked.

  Selena shook her head. “You see, I knew this was going to happen. Why don't we just wait a day or two and see what they say?”

  "We can, but why don’t we prepare to go on our own anyway? I mean if we’re going to wait a few days, we might as well be doing something constructive," Dash said with a smile.

  "I didn't say I would go," Selena said.

  Dash didn't want to push her too far. If Selena got mad enough, she could report what they were talking about and that might land them in even more trouble. Connor would likely have Field Ops lock him up for a few days.

  "Selena," Merissa said calmly, "I think waiting a day and seeing if they change their minds is a good suggestion. At the same time, why don't we plan to go anyway? We’re just making a plan and we'd have to make a plan for a field mission like this anyway. There are supplies we would need and other things we’d have to take with us. Why don't we do both—hope for the best but be prepared for the worst?”

  Selena looked away from them.

  Dash cleared his throat. “I’m fine with waiting a day. It's likely we couldn't bring something together with the time we have left today anyway. Plus, they would be watching for it. So, that's two of us in favor of going and one of us on the fence about going at all, which is fine. Jim, what do you think?"

  Jim looked at Selena for a moment. "I think waiting a day is the smart thing to do. We should probably calm down, but like you said, we have to plan this mission anyway. That would have been the next step if we had gotten approval. So let's gather some supplies and identify what vehicle we’d want to take. We’re certainly not going to trek out there in an ATV, I'll tell you that much. So it's going to have to be a C-cat."

  Selena's eyes widened in alarm.

  "Hold on a minute," Dash said quickly. "We started this together and I'd love it if we all finished it together, but I don't want you to feel compelled to go. I just hope you don't prevent the rest of us from going."

  Selena looked at Dash for a moment and didn't say anything.

  "Why don’t we split up for a little while and meet up later on?" Merissa suggested.

  They agreed to go their separate ways for a few hours. Merissa and Selena walked off and Jim stayed with Dash.

  "Well, that was unexpected," Dash said.

  "What? The fact that Merissa agrees with you?" Jim said.

  Dash nodded. "Yeah, and the fact that she wants to go. I mean really wants to go."

  "I sometimes think you underestimate how contagious your enthusiasm for all this stuff is. I mean, I can appreciate the research and the work we did, but I wouldn’t be half as excited if it weren't for you. Maybe she likes you after all," Jim said.

  Dash felt a growing excitement in his chest. "Maybe . . . she's hard to read, that one. But you know what really bothers me? The fact that I think Dr. Bishop agrees with me. I almost thought she was going to say yes."

  Jim shook his head. "That was never going to happen—at least not in the lab. Who knows what she’ll be saying once we’re out of earshot? Anyway, let's start planning this new camping trip."

  Chapter Fourteen

  Maddox sat in the copilot’s seat of the Hellcat as it sped north, closing in on the NEIIS signal they’d detected earlier. The tactical display showed they were less than eighty kilometers from their target—too far away to see anything, but he had hoped there would be some signs of NEIIS buildings. There were none, which meant that this was likely a small NEIIS site.

  Lieutenant Mitchell continued to periodically scan for NEIIS frequencies and was unable to detect anything. After the most recent attempt, Mitchell blew out a frustrated breath.

  "I wouldn't worry about it too much, Lieutenant," Maddox said.

  "I just don't understand why it would suddenly stop broadcasting," Mitchell replied.

  "Most NEIIS equipment we find is at least a hundred years old. Frankly, it's a miracle any of it still works, but we have a heading and there’s likely something there," Maddox said.

  Lieutenant Mitchell harrumphed and continued to tweak the communications interface that had detected the signal in the first place. Maddox left him to it. Try as he might, he couldn't take his mind off the fact that the CDF required him to submit to a psych evaluation. And not just him, but the rest of the squad had to as well. So what if they'd killed a few ryklars to protect their fellow colonists. That didn't mean he was unhinged or unfit for duty. He tried to stop thinking about it, but it kept popping into his mind whether he wanted it to or not.

  The Hellcat flew over a sparsely forested area. Spring hadn’t come into full bloom yet so most of the trees hadn’t sprouted leaves. Maddox spotted dark shapes in the forest and Lieutenant Mitchell flew them in closer. Maddox sent a clone of their heads-up display to the troop area where Captain Fletcher was seated and opened a comlink t
o him.

  "Captain, we're approaching the coordinates for the signal and it looks like there are some old NEIIS buildings on site," Maddox reported.

  "Do a quick flyby of the area to be sure we don't have any unwelcome guests, then come join us for the away team. Lieutenant Mitchell, once the away team is off the Hellcat, I want you to immediately take off and be our eyes in the sky. Specialist Stackhouse will stay on board as your gunner. Fletcher out," the captain said and closed the comlink.

  Maddox climbed out of his chair. "Looks like you get to stay here. Have fun, Lieutenant, and don't let Stackhouse shoot any of us in the back,” he said, only half-joking. Specialist Seth Stackhouse had been cleared to use the Hellcat’s weapon systems and the main gunnery chair, but he lacked a certain finesse to pull off any tight-quarter shots that a better gunner would have been able to achieve. Regardless, it wasn’t his call to make, and chances were that Captain Fletcher would much rather have a more capable shooter like Sergeant Flint on the ground with them. Carl Flint was the best shot in their entire platoon. Maddox headed to the rear of the Hellcat and grabbed his equipment, then joined the others and they proceeded to do a check of each other's gear before reaching the landing zone.

  A few minutes later, Lieutenant Mitchell announced that they were approaching the target. Maddox glanced at the heads-up display nearby and saw a small grouping of NEIIS buildings. Surrounding the central disk-shaped buildings were two bronze monoliths. Some of buildings looked half buried, which explained why the signal had been temporary. It was likely that whatever had sparked the signal to send in the first place had fried the aged NEIIS computer systems.

  Captain Fletcher slammed his palm on the door controls and the landing ramp folded away from the ship. The first four members of the CDF mobile infantry ran down the ramp with their guns held ready. They scanned the area, looking for any threats, and then waved the rest of them forward. Maddox clutched his AR-71 assault rifle and trotted down the ramp. The Hellcat’s engines kicked into high gear and the ship immediately took off again. It hovered in the air for a moment and then slowly flew away, doing a quick patrol of the area.