by Ken Lozito
They left the hangar behind and Captain Ramsey locked it up, not that it would do much good now.
"I'll send some of my guys here to get these C-cats fully registered in case anyone else gets any bright ideas," Captain Ramsey said.
"It's a start. The other thing I can't figure out is why none of the security feeds show them bringing any equipment. I know Dash wouldn’t leave without everything he thought he needed—things like weapons, provisions for at least a week or possibly more, and other gear used for accessing NEIIS systems. I can go on and on, but I know he definitely didn't do this on his own. I’ve run enough operations to appreciate the level of capable execution at work here," Connor said.
Captain Ramsey arched an eyebrow. "Careful now, that almost sounds like a compliment."
Connor chuckled. "I suppose it is. I just wish it was under different circumstances."
During their walk back to the Field Ops Command Center, Captain Ramsey received an alert for a CDF briefing being sent from Sierra at the top of the hour.
"Must be important if they’re letting us know ahead of time about the briefing," Captain Ramsey said.
"They wouldn't send a heads up if it wasn't serious. This isn't gonna be good," Connor replied.
They quickened their pace, and when they reached the Field Ops Command Center, Connor sent Lenora a text message asking her to join them. Captain Ramsey sent a Field Ops agent to register the new C-cats in their hangar.
Connor saw Bernard Duncan leave the conference room with Lenora following. She looked at him and gave him a tight smile.
"I guess I didn't need to send that message," Connor said.
"I was already here, talking to Bernard," Lenora replied in an even tone.
Connor nodded a greeting to Bernard.
"I feel somewhat responsible for what happened," Bernard said. "I should've transferred the registration for those new C-cats as soon as they arrived."
Connor shook his head. "This is hardly your fault."
"But it does reveal an underlying problem we’ll have to deal with," Lenora said.
Here we go, Connor thought to himself.
Bernard's bushy brows pulled together tightly. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean,” he said.
Connor glanced around the busy command center and then looked at the time. "We have about fifteen minutes before the CDF sends its official update about the ryklars. Why don't we go to the conference room for a few minutes to talk?” he suggested.
They went to the conference room and Captain Ramsey joined them.
"Alright, tell me what I'm missing," Bernard said.
“There's been a growing frustration from the people at the Research Institute regarding limitations on field missions, myself included. Waiting for Field Ops to be available for escort duty has put a severe bottleneck on the work we’re doing,” Lenora said.
Connor snorted bitterly. “There's a difference between being frustrated with how things are and just doing whatever you want, which is exactly what Dash has done. And not only that, he's convinced others to join his foolhardy crusade.”
Lenora glared at him. "Sometimes clipping its wings isn't the way to teach an eagle to soar. Dash didn't make the others go with him. He didn't even have to convince them; they chose to go. They tried to follow the rules we laid out for them first, and when that didn’t work, they took matters into their own hands. If there's failure and blame to be had, it's in this room."
"So we’re to blame for Dash’s actions? We made him steal equipment so he could go off and make a ‘discovery?’” Connor said.
"Yes, we did," Lenora said.
Connor glanced at Captain Ramsey and then at Bernard for a moment. "This is ridiculous. We have rules—"
“Don't you dare lecture me about the damn rules," Lenora snarled. "I'm not one of your followers. It's not like Dash, Jim, Merissa, and Selena took the C-cat for some joyride or as an act of latent adolescent rebellion. They took the C-cat so they could explore and further their research. This is not the act of misguided youth. This is the result of you trying to control everything and everyone around you."
Connor's mouth opened wide with surprise. "I'm not trying to control everything."
"Yes, you are, whether you realize it or not," Lenora snapped.
Bernard blew out a breath. "Perhaps we need to take a moment here,” he said and paused before continuing. “Just so I understand, these young scientists made a discovery and took one of the new C-cats to try and find an undiscovered NEIIS site to prove that the map they'd found was accurate?"
"That's part of it,” Connor said. “Also, we have the travel ban that's currently in place and other limitations due to the Field Ops staff shortages you're already aware of.”
Lenora crossed her arms in front of her. "Dash tried to find a viable alternative, but you wouldn't hear of it, and he did the only thing he felt he could do. He did exactly what I would've done in his place."
Connor felt the heat rise in his face. She was blaming him for Dash’s actions. "Then you'd both be wrong. The travel ban isn’t an optional thing. It wasn’t put in place because we think it's a good idea; it was put in place to save lives. The CDF didn't send a heads-up about their upcoming briefing because everything’s okay. There's more going on here than the discovery of another NEIIS city."
Lenora shook her head. "If it were just that, we wouldn’t be arguing. Ever since we discovered he was gone you've been chomping at the bit to go after him. You might have convinced yourself that it's to save him, but what's really going on is that he defied you. How dare he go against the great Connor Gates? Do you want to know what really irritates you about him?" Lenora said, and waited a moment. "He's just like you. You and he are so much alike I’m surprised you don’t see it yourself. Put yourself in his shoes. What would you have done?"
Connor looked away, his shoulders tight.
Captain Ramsey cleared his throat. "When I was his age, I was getting into trouble back on Earth. I know they're good kids, but they should've waited. I’m concerned that other people are going to follow his example. And I don't mean just other kids."
Connor clenched his teeth. Lenora was furious with him. In all the time he'd known her, he'd seen different levels of Lenora’s anger, but this cold fury was by far the most dangerous, and he didn't trust himself to reply to her because he could feel his own anger rising. This wasn’t his fault.
Bernard cleared his throat. "The broadcast is about to begin."
"We can watch it in here," Captain Ramsey said and activated the holoscreen.
The CDF logo showed before the broadcast began. Then, an image of Colonel Sean Quinn standing at a podium and looking into the camera filled the screen.
"I'm Colonel Sean Quinn, commanding officer of the CDF mobile infantry that is tasked with defending the colony. The purpose of this briefing is to apprise you of the current situation facing us. In addition to this briefing, a packet with the supporting documentation has been sent to all cities and forward operating research bases. We have compiled a list of satellite images that shows a massive migration of ryklars moving south. Tens of thousands of ryklars are heading in our direction. We’re not sure what triggered the migration; we just know they're coming. We don't know how far south they’ll actually come, but I’ve ordered the mobilization of CDF soldiers and recalled soldiers who are on leave. I've also ordered the immediate evacuation of all forward operating research bases. Any field research teams away from colonial settlements are to be recalled to their home locations immediately. The CDF will focus its efforts on defending major population centers. These will include Sierra, Haven, Delphi, and Sanctuary. At this time we will not be evacuating any colonists to the bunkers that were used in our war with the Vemus. The colonial government and CDF are meeting with scientific advisors and are formulating multiple plans on how to deal with this new threat. We will send you updates as decisions are made. That’s all for now."
The video feed returned to the CDF logo
and Captain Ramsey turned off the holoscreen.
Connor looked at Lenora, but her face wasn’t giving anything away as she took in the briefing, so he looked at Captain Ramsey. "We’re going to need to study that information the CDF sent. We need to know where the ryklars are in relation to the NEIIS map. Those kids don't know what's coming to them. We need to send another broadcast," Connor said and looked at Lenora. "It's got to come from you. He’ll listen to you. We need to warn him of the danger. Everything else can wait."
"Can we track their signal?" Bernard asked.
"We won't get their precise location, but we can get in the vicinity if he replies. It would be enough to start with," Connor replied.
"You're going after him?" Bernard asked.
"Of course. Most research teams are already at Sanctuary due to the travel ban," Connor said and looked at Captain Ramsey. "I'm going to need some help with this one. This just became a rescue mission. Officially I don't have a position . . .”
"I'll be going with you," Captain Ramsey said. "Just give me a list of what you think we need and I'll get it."
"I'm going too," Lenora said.
Bernard glanced at both of them. "Could you use an extra pair of hands?"
Connor regarded Bernard for a moment. While Bernard was a good man, he wasn't someone Connor would want to take into the field. "You'll be needed here to help organize things. I'm sure the CDF is going to send a few platoons to secure this area."
Bernard chuckled. "Is that your way of telling me I'm no good in the field?" he asked and then held up his hands. "Never mind, don't answer that.”
"Do you think you guys could give Lenora and me a few minutes alone?" Connor asked.
Captain Ramsey and Bernard quickly left the conference room.
"Lenora, I'm sorry."
She stood up but still had her arms crossed in front of her chest. When she looked at him, her eyes were tight with worry. "They're good kids, Connor. They deserve better."
Connor knew Lenora was fiercely loyal to anyone she cared about. Noah Barker was like family to her and somehow Dash DeWitt had become the same.
"We'll get to them in time. I can’t imagine they would just blindly go to any location again after that first encounter with ryklars," Connor said. Lenora didn't reply. "I know you think this is my fault and I don't want to argue about that right now. I just want to keep everyone safe."
Lenora sighed heavily. "That's just it. You can't. Most people accept that fact, but you don't."
Connor's brows drew together as he tried to think of something to say.
"I'm going to send another message to Dash and the others," Lenora said and left the conference room.
Connor watched her leave, hating the tension between them, but he couldn’t dwell on what she’d said for long. If Sean had mobilized the CDF infantry, it meant they considered the ryklar migration a serious threat to the colony. He had to make this right with Lenora, and if that meant finding some sort of compromise with Dash, that’s exactly what he needed to do. But first he had to find him and convince him and the others of the danger they were all in.
Chapter Seventeen
Dash had been on remote field research expeditions before that required overnight trips away from Sanctuary. There hadn't been many of them and they had all been memorable and exciting for the young archaeologist, but none of those trips compared with the night they'd spent at the NEIIS outpost.
They'd worked long into the night. Dash had divided his time between working with Brad, gleaning information off the console, and exploring the nuances of the NEIIS living quarters with Merissa. They'd all taken turns exploring the outpost and doing a field survey of the surrounding area. Dash had painstakingly cataloged all their findings and observations. They'd discovered various storage bins containing items the NEIIS had used and, like the outpost, they were well-preserved. Some of the things they found looked like tools and spare parts for the outpost. They definitely found a spare control panel and what passed for an NEIIS PDA. They tagged the items and stored them on the C-cat.
The NEIIS PDA was rudimentary when compared with what the colonists were using, but this had been developed by an alien species. It was the shape of a large brick and the outer casing was comprised of hardened plastic. The internal components were smaller versions of what the NEIIS used to construct their consoles. For some strange reason, the NEIIS hadn’t developed glass—or at least none had been found in the buildings of other known NEIIS sites. The NEIIS PDA had a small, pale mesh screen that doubled as an interface for the system. He hadn't been able to get it to power up because the internal power supply had long since been used up. Brad thought he could adapt one of their own power supplies to the PDA and promised to work on it during their trip out to the central NEIIS city they’d identified on the map.
They’d brought several space heaters into the outpost and camped out in the small atrium where the consoles were located. They preferred to stick together, and none of them felt comfortable spending the night in one of the NEIIS living quarters. Dash didn't mind and was actually happy for the company. They'd talked for a long time after the work was done and the recon drones they had patrolling the area hadn't detected anything, much to their relief.
The next morning they packed everything back up into the C-cat and Dash finished a report to send back to Dr. Bishop. He’d decided to include a lengthy summary of everything they'd found so far and had included the location of the outpost. He was standing outside the NEIIS outpost, working with the holo-interface of his PDA. The morning air was crisp and the sun had just started to come up over the horizon in pinks and reds. Merissa walked out the door of the outpost and stretched her arms overhead. Upon seeing him she walked over.
"When are you going to send the report back to Dr. Bishop?" Merissa asked.
"I was just finishing it up now. I'm sending everything we've put together so far," Dash replied. "Do you want to take a look at it? Maybe you’ll have something to add."
Merissa leaned in so she could see what he had on his holo-interface. Dash watched as her eyes scanned the screen. Then she looked at him, her eyes wide with surprise. "You're telling them where we’re going. I didn't think we were going to do that."
"I've been thinking about it all night and I didn't think anyone would have any real objections. Since the NEIIS site is so far away I thought it would be a good idea to let them know where we are. By the time they get this and read through all the information, we’ll already be there, so I thought what the heck. Do you think the others will mind?" Dash asked.
Merissa shook her head. "Not at all, especially since you've tucked it in at the end, which means they'll have to read the entire thing before getting that nugget of information."
"Unless Connor starts with the end, which he might do," Dash replied.
"Do you think Lenora will show Connor the message?"
“Without a doubt. They generally don't hide anything from each other; they just disagree in public,” Dash said with a grin.
They helped the others finish packing up their camp and Dash took one last look around. They'd recalled the recon drones earlier and stowed them aboard the C-cat. Dash used the control panel to close up the NEIIS outpost and was the last to climb aboard. He glanced toward the front and saw that Brad and Jim were in the front seats. Brad had the NEIIS PDA and was tinkering with it while Jim was in the pilot's seat.
"Are you tired of flying us around yet?” Dash asked.
Jim glanced back at him. "No, I don't mind. I figured you guys could use the time to plan our next stop."
Jim engaged the C-cat’s engines and they headed off.
Their Airbus transport had several rows of seats that could be moved, folded down, and reconfigured so they could all face each other if they wanted. There was an open seat between Merissa and Selena, and Dash sat there. Setting his PDA on a small table, he enlarged the holodisplay so they could take a closer look at the map. He then enlarged the portion of the map that show
ed the central NEIIS city they were heading to.
“If this is any indication of scale, this new site could be a lot bigger than what they found at Sanctuary,” Merissa said.
Dash nodded. “I think it will be. Sanctuary was built more recently in comparison to the other NEIIS sites that have been discovered.”
“If that’s the case, the city could have been built using the older construction style and might reveal more about them,” Selena said.
"Have you given any thought to whether we might actually find a living NEIIS in the city?" Merissa asked.
Dash's thoughts came to a screeching halt and his mouth hung open. He shook his head.
Merissa's beautiful face held a bemused expression. "Are you serious? You never considered that we might actually find someone living in the city?"
"No," Dash said quickly. "The Galileo seed ship had about twenty years to study this planet before we even got here and there was no detection of a living intelligent species on New Earth. Plus, we've been here for eight years and certainly haven't been quiet about it. If there were any NEIIS here, why wouldn't they have contacted us?"
Merissa shrugged and pursed her lips. "I don't know. I was just raising the question.”
"You make a good point," Selena said. "We don't know where they went. What if they developed some kind of stasis technology and are simply weathering some kind of catastrophe?"
Dash leaned back in his chair. "Stasis technology isn't the easiest thing to develop. We've had the concept for hundreds of years, but it was only within the last fifty years before the Ark left that we perfected it. Even though the NEIIS cities are impressive and they did develop some technology, we just don't have any evidence to support them having stasis technology."
"Yeah, but they genetically modified certain species on this planet so they definitely were capable of some advanced technology," Merissa said.
Dash smiled. "It would be amazing if we found someone alive, but I just don't think we will."
Selena started making a note on her own PDA. "You might be right, but it's not outside the realm of possibility."