Brock sighed. “I think Molly is right about something needing to be quantum,” he admitted.
Pieter nodded while typing something on his holo. “Yeah. That will help with putting the charges in the different areas. I wonder if we can trigger an entangled nuclear reaction…” he mused, his eyes lighting up quietly at the thought of the engineering to do that.
Brock shook his head. “Nah ha. We only want to take out these specific targets. Nothing else; no fallout. That takes nukes out of the equation. But…” He pulled up another screen and shared it with Pieter. “I’m wondering… Oz? Do we know the composition of those EMP-proof walls?”
Oz spoke to them over the local inter comm audio. “We do. Just one moment.” A second later, the wall schematics and materials used flew up onto the shared screens.
Brock dragged his finger inside the schematic, pulling apart the construction. “Okay; it looks like mostly steel and concrete lined with a metal frame, which forms a Faraday cage. That’s the protection.”
He glanced up at Pieter, seeing if Pieter shared his excitement. Pieter waved his hand casually. “Yeah, but that kind of material we could blow out with a normal explosive.”
Brock grinned. “Exactly. So the problem has moved from being how do we blow up the generators using some quantum explosion tech that hasn’t been invented yet, to how do we blast through the Faraday cages, by triggering the explosions quantumly?”
Pieter grinned. “That’s brilliant!” he exclaimed.
Brock shrugged. “No, brilliant would have been inventing a new way of blowing shit up. But this? This might just solve our problem.”
Pieter frowned. “So the detonation could be done with a normal radio pulse, then?”
Brock shook his head. “I don’t think so. I think these guys have been smart about the way they’ve arranged their assets. There is no one point where you could set a radio signal, and have it take out all the cages at once. In fact…” he said, pulling up the map and zooming in a little… “If these guys are as smart as I think they are, I wouldn’t put it past them to have some kind of radio jamming, or to have cages built all over the place, to protect their systems.”
Pieter shook his head. “Wow, the things you need to be aware of when people are likely to come get you.”
Brock looked up at him. “Yeah, I know. Scary, eh?” He glanced around the workshop. “I’ll bet this place was built with all that kinda shit taken into account, too. I mean… why else would they put us on a frikkin’ asteroid?”
Pieter grinned. “Right. It ain’t for the scenery… or the great pizza!”
Brock put his fist out to bump Pieter’s. “Word!” he said before returning to the task at hand. “I don’t believe the Etheric Empire has designed anything quite like that before,” he added seriously.
Pieter brightened a little, his inner inventor hoping he could come out to play. “So we’d be designing it from scratch?” he clarified.
Brock stood up and scratched the back of his head. “Possibly.” He swung his hips a little, and then stretched out his back. “Let me run through our artillery list.” He pulled up another screen. “Okay. Here we are. We have quantum comms, quantum blasters - but all they seem to do is vaporize whatever they fire at…” He kept reading down the list with his eyes.
Pieter had drifted off into his own thoughts, no longer listening. “You know,” he mused, “I’m wondering if the comm devices can be used. They just need to receive a signal, and then that signal can trigger the detonation.”
Brock straightened up and closed his screen. “You’re right! Lemme go and grab a couple more from the store, and see if we can crack them open enough to rewire them.” He grinned broadly, the excitement of tinkering with tech welling up in him.
Oz chipped in. “Good thinking. I’ll see if I can find some schematics.”
Brock waltzed out of the workshop via the demon door. Oz disappeared from the audio feed to access the extensive records ADAM had interfaced him with for the base.
Pieter sat on his own, wondering what he should do. “Right then,” he said to the empty workshop. “I’m going to go get a soda,” he announced, standing up from his workspace and heading into the safe house. He was pleased his idea had moved things on, but his inner child did not like being left alone.
Gaitune-67, Base, Artillery warehouse
Molly and Joel watched Sean pulling gear off the racks down one of the aisles. Jack had her arms folded as she wandered over to where they were standing. She stood and watched the activity for a moment, then turned to Molly. “You sure you’re up to this?” she asked quietly. Her face seemed to be one of genuine concern.
Molly was a little taken aback. “Er. Yeah,” she answered, smiling appropriately.
Jack shoved her hands in her pockets, recognizing Molly’s discomfort with the social interaction, and took half a step back. She turned away, putting her attention on Sean, but not letting the conversation drop. “You know, it’s okay not to be okay,” Jack told her. Her voice was gentle, but matter-of-fact.
Joel pretended he was engrossed with checking out the machinery Sean was fussing with.
Molly folded her arms too, mirroring Jack subconsciously. “Yeah. I’m okay,” she said taking a deep breath. “I’ll probably go hit the meditation in half an hour, though.”
Jack bobbed her head. “Okay. But remember, in order for this team to be operational, you need to be functioning.”
Molly smiled, and looked Jack in the eye. “Is that C.O. Nolan speaking?” she asked, a short smile playing on her lips.
Jack grinned her enigmatic smile that lit up her whole face. “You know it is,” she responded playfully.
Molly couldn’t help but brighten up. It was just one of those moments that reminded her how thankful she was to have such a great team of people around her. She flushed with gratitude, despite feeling a little out of sorts.
Sean, meanwhile, had mounted a piece of gear over one shoulder, holding it with his right hand. In the other hand, he carried a black sack that hung down by his legs. He dropped both in front of him, once he was out in the open and clear of the shelving.
Joel regarded the gear on the floor. “So, what’ve we got?” he asked, a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes.
Sean reached down to the weapon he had carried over, and picked it up as one would a gun. Various pieces unfolded and locked into place spontaneously as he did so. It was as if the four-foot-long weapon knew it was going to be used.
Joel’s mouth dropped open. Jack gasped, her face lit with delight. Even Molly smiled, impressed.
Sean grinned his dirty grin, like he’d just scored. “Yeah, baby. You know what I like!” he exclaimed, enjoying the team’s reaction, as well as the feel of the weapon in his hands.
The machinery had extended itself over his shoulder, and curled over his back. It had also clamped around his arm, so that Sean was almost cradling it.
Molly walked around him to get a better look at what had just happened. “Hard to tell if you’re holding the gun, or if it’s holding you!” she remarked.
Joel chuckled. “That’s what you get when you’re half-cyborg!” he retorted, his eyes twinkling, waiting for a reaction from Sean.
Sean narrowed his eyes and pointed the weapon in Joel’s general direction. Joel put his hands up in mock surrender. “Dude, just sayin’!” he exclaimed.
Jack shook her head, smiling at them goofing around. “So come on, what does it do?” she pressed, getting them back on task.
Sean switched into trainer mode. “What you’re looking at is the Barrier Blaster. Out there,” he explained, “waving his arm in the direction of the hangar deck, you’re going to encounter races that can’t be dropped with a normal gun. For instance, the Zhyn, who you met yesterday,” he said, looking at Joel and Molly. “Their skin is too thick for normal stun guns and bullets.”
He shifted the weapon in his arms, readjusting his position, and flipp
ed a switch. The weapon powered up with a gentle hum. Sean’s face relaxed, as if he was comforted to have the weapon activated and back in his arms again.
Jack frowned a little. “Why is it called the ‘Barrier Blaster’?” she asked.
Sean shrugged. “Well, it can also be used to take down barriers — like forcefields. Rips a hole right through them, and then when the integrity of the field is compromised, the whole thing collapses. Plus,” he added, “it wouldn’t be politically prudent to call them ‘Zhyn-Blasters’; especially if we end up welcoming them and their troops into the Federation.”
Jack clamped a hand over her mouth to hide that she was smiling. Sean chuckled a little. “Can you imagine doing this training, and explaining that in front of a class of humans, Estarians, and a few Zhyn? Baaaad idea.”
Joel laughed too. “I suppose that was the General’s foresight coming into play!”
Sean bobbed his head in agreement. “Yeah, maybe. Though there are some pretty smart people working on this gear. This was probably the brainchild of Jean Dukes.”
Molly noted the name, repeating it in her head a few times.
Why so important to remember?
Sean is still a bit withholding when it comes to explaining everything going on in the Empire. I figure that the more points of reference we have, the more chance we have of learning the ropes. Besides, if we need mods made, who better to ask than the inventor?
I see your point.
Joel grinned, enjoying the process of learning about the new gear. He glanced over at Molly to smile at her, but noticed she was looking thoughtful. “What is it?” he asked.
Molly tilted her head a little and rolled her lips inward. “I dunno. It’s a little…” She hesitated.
Joel stepped closer, allowing Jack and Sean to continue talking about the machinery. “What?” he asked, looking concerned now.
Molly glanced up at him briefly, before hugging her arms tighter and looking at the floor. She took a deep breath. “Well, what I’m about to say isn’t going to sound very military of me.”
Joel eyed her carefully. “But?” he pressed.
Molly shrugged. “Why with all the killing?” She looked up, trying to waylay the protest she knew would be coming from the space marine’s mouth. “I know, sometimes it’s necessary; but it just seems so superfluous a lot of the time. In fact, I’m starting to really wonder if it’s the most efficient way to maintain peace and allow the Empire to thrive.”
Joel had closed his mouth and was listening intently. Molly shook her head, and held her hand up to shield her face from him a little. “I mean, I know that military might has its place — but what if we could achieve our objectives without all the violence? We’re talking about stopping peoples’ hearts, like it’s a computer game. But it’s not. It’s real. And if we can be in and out of an op by just disabling people for the duration, isn’t that the smarter play?”
Sean and Jack caught the tail end of the conversation, and their mood sobered slightly.
Molly noticed that all the attention was now on her.
She dropped her arms to her sides. “Okay, we need to learn how this kit works, so let’s keep going. But I’m going to think about how we can get some of this adapted so that it is more humane for those instances when we don’t have to just blow the fuck out of people.”
The others just stared at her. Molly couldn’t read them, though.
“Look,” she continued, “I know this isn't what you want to hear, but I have to at least consider other options.” She looked from face to face to face hoping to see a hint they understood.
Molly turned to leave. Joel reached out to her and grabbed her elbow. She turned back to him, ready to argue, but his face was serious, and she could tell there was emotion behind his eyes.
“You’re right,” he said softly. “Know that while this,” he waved between Jack, Sean and himself. “Seems like kids in a candy store when we get excited about blowing shit up. We know what it means to take a life. Only the seriously fucked up enjoy killing.”
Molly shook her head a little, trying to understand what he had just said.
“We all know,” he repeated again. This time a little louder, his voice cracking. He looked back at Jack and Sean. “I mean, look at what has happened throughout history when people have grown in military capabilities and gotten more and more efficient at killing each other. It breeds fear; and fear breeds anger, and more armament. Along with a drive to find uglier and bigger ways to kill others.”
He turned back to Molly.
“If there is a way to do what needs to be done without inciting fear and hatred and killing?” His eyes had begun to fill with understanding. “Then we are behind you 100%”.
Sean lowered the weapon he was holding. It seemed to be controlled by his intention somehow, because it retracted and folded itself away back to its original configuration. Sean looked down at it thoughtfully. He rubbed his free hand over his face before looking up at Molly.
“You know,” Sean said seriously, “the worst part of this job is knowing that you’ve taken another person’s life. That stays with you. Forever. And the longer you do it, the more blood you have on your hands.”
He looked up at Molly, and then the others. “And you tell yourself it’s necessary. And you pretend like it doesn’t bother you, and that it’s just a job. But…” his voice trailed off.
Jack moved her gaze from Sean back to Molly. She nodded her head. “I’m in, too. If we can be safe, and not have to kill people, we have a duty not to.”
Molly felt overwhelmed. This was meant to be a run-of-the-mill training session; not a complete change in their ethos. She felt a weight of responsibility hit her.
What if it isn’t possible? What if I am putting my people in danger? But then, what if it is possible? To not be the cause of so much violence? And with them all in agreement, figuring it out and implementing it will be so much easier.
In that moment, she felt so validated it made her feel strong. Looking at her team, 100% with her on her maverick idea, her heart actually hurt. She took a deep breath, moving the energy through her chest.
She felt her voice catch in her throat. “Okay. Great. For now, I’ll let you continue the training. I need to go meditate, but we can pick this idea up later.”
She excused herself, feeling a little uncomfortable with the strange mixture of emotions as she hurried toward the door and out of sight.
Chapter 8
Gaitune-67, Base, Hangar Deck, On board The Empress
“So how come you call yourself ‘Emma,’ when the ship is called ‘The Empress’?”
Emma’s voice rang through the cockpit. “I thought it would be disrespectful to call myself ‘the Empress’.”
Crash didn’t dare take his eyes from his instruments. “Because that’s Bethany Anne’s title?”
“Correct,” Emma agreed.
“Hmm,” Crash mused, as his grip tightened on the joystick. “I hadn’t thought of that. I just read in the training preliminaries that the convention was that the EI took the name of the ship.”
Crash pulled up a little, carefully avoiding a simulated oncoming magneto cloud.
“A little more,” Emma coaxed.
Crash thought for a second, checking that he wasn’t going to inadvertently knock another parameter off-kilter by resuming the tilt upwards. He decided he was probably okay, and continued with the maneuver.
“You’ve got it.” Emma told him.
Crash exhaled quietly as his eyes scanned both the simulation holo in front of him, and all the instruments he’d been checking on and off for the last several hours.
His brain was becoming fatigued, but the intermittent serotonin hits he was generating every time he got something right, or touched into that bliss he felt when he was flying, kept him from taking a break.
Some of the instruments started detecting a gravitational pull. He scanned the other instruments an
d then the map, looking for what might be causing it. He looked up on the screen that gave him an advanced visual across the EM-spectrum.
Nothing.
“Er… Emma?” he asked, his voice slightly hesitant.
“Yes, Crash?” she responded.
Crash’s normally blank expression portrayed a rare look of concern. “I’m having problems with this one. No radiation spikes. No visuals. But we’re detecting a gravitational pull.”
Emma’s voice was calm and collected. “Okay, so what’s the first thing you should do?”
Crash checked his instruments again. “Drop out of warp?” he ventured.
“Yes,” Emma agreed.
Crash made the adjustments and dropped the simulation out of warp.
“Then what?” she prompted.
Crash searched his mind for the correct sequence. “Check instruments, scanners, the map, and then visuals.”
Emma was silent, as he ran through his routine.
“Okay, all clear,” Crash reported, still puzzled.
Emma entered into teaching mode. “So you have a g-field detected, but nothing else. What could possibly be causing that?” she prompted again.
Crash rolled his lips inward, and then took a deep breath. “A black hole!” he said, his tone suddenly brighter.
Emma remained quiet for a moment. Crash could feel her rolling her EI eyes behind the console. “A black hole,” she explained, “would be emitting energy from its event horizon. We’d have a whisper. Or we’d see light distortions.”
Crash scanned the visual, searching for his theory to be correct. He shook his head as he scanned. “Nope,” he reported back.
“Okay, think of it this way,” Emma said slowly. “What emits radiation in a very narrow plain, making it impossible to detect from certain angles?”
Crash tried to slap his forehead, but then remembered he needed to keep his hands on the controls. “Pulsar!” he exclaimed.
“Right!” agreed Emma. “And you’re welcome.”
The Ascension Myth Box Set Page 95