Waking in the Stars (Marston Chronicles Book 2)

by D Patrick Wagner

  Two teams of two worked their ways down each throughway, sweeping scanners over every inch of every bulkhead, ceiling and deck.

  Corpsman Stevens stood beside his non-com, waiting for when he would be needed, hoping that he never would. Radioman Davis stood on the sergeant’s opposite side, also waiting and watching.

  Time passed. Nothing happened. Nothing was found.

  Lance Corporal Jackson, of Third Squad returned to his sergeant. “All clear at this end, Sarge. Not a sniff. Everything is dead as Kelsey’s nuts. I couldn’t find a single electronic signal, wave or flow anywhere. No explosives, either. At least not like anything we can register.”

  “Thank you, Corporal. Take ten.”

  Lance Corporal Martinez returned from the other corridor and gave the same report.

  "First Squad, take ten. Second Squad, on guard. Davis, get me the old man.”

  After a pause, Lance Corporal Davis announce, “I have Major Wilson on the com, Sir.”

  “Thank you, Corporal. Major?”

  “I’m here. Anything to report?”

  “Absolutely nothing so far. That’s what I’m reporting. We’ve established a beachhead, secured the immediate area and performed a complete scan. There isn’t a glimmer of anything alive or running. We have a closed hatch that opens to the bow. I’m assuming it will lead us to the bridge. A second hatch leads astern. That one should get us to the engine room. Breaching the bow hatch and moving forward is our next task.”

  “Good work, Master Sergeant. But hold position. We’ve been monitoring across all bands and it’s just as dead out here. So, I’m bringing in the assault craft and docking with the Limpet. I want you to continue to protect the LZ. Then we’ll move out. We’ll use both patrols to search the wreck. The sooner it’s done, the sooner we can get it aboard Odin and the sooner we can figure out how to kill those bugs.”

  “Copy that, Major. Holding until Second Patrol debarks.”

  “Again, good job, Nellie.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  The assault craft docked with the Limpet, established an air-tight dock and began unloading its own patrol. Eighteen more marines invaded the alien derelict, preparing to continue the take-over. With the Second patrol reaching the corridor, Major Wilson and Master Sergeant Nelson stood and scanned their force.

  “I’ll take First Patrol. We’ll head to where we assume the bridge will be. You take Second and work your way to the engines. We get those, this wreck is ours.”

  “Aye, aye, Major.” Turning to the Second Patrol, the sergeant ordered, “Second with me! Demo, check that hatch. Get it open.” He pointed to the stern-facing hatch.

  With weapons at the ready, eighteen men and women moved in force to the rearward hatch. Two demolition specialists moved forward and checked the hatch and its locking mechanism. One returned to the sergeant. The other began setting up the industrial laser on its tripod.

  “Sarge, the hatch is electronic. From this side, there is no mechanical way to open it. We are going to need to burn it.”

  “Carry on, Corporal Ward.”

  “Aye, aye, Sarge.” The demolition specialist gave a casual, respectful salute and returned to his team mate. Fourteen riflemen stood at guard, aiming around the working specialists. Second Platoon’s corpsman and radioman stood next to the sergeant who watched everything with a critical eye.

  A red beam of light as hot as the sun lanced out and began melting the thick metal hatch. The team carefully melted the entire parameter of the door, ending at a lower corner. The entire contingent tensed. Lance Corporal Ward turned sideways, insured his left mag-boot held firmly to the deck and executed and side-thrust kick. His metal boot clanked against the metal door and it fell away, bouncing off the deck and clattering around in the non-gravity environment.

  Master Sergeant Nelson nodded with approval as the exact technique repeated at the opposite hatch.

  “Clear” another fourteen voices echoed down the alien throughways.

  Lance Corporal Powell met Nelson as the sergeant stepped through the hatchway. “This corridor is lined with hatches, sir. They’re all uniformly spaced. They might be quarters of some kind. They are much less secure than the corridor hatches. We should have no trouble going through them.”

  “Before we smash and enter, work the first one carefully. No surprises.”

  “Copy that, Sarge.” With a quick salute, the best marksman of Second Platoon returned to the indicated door. Calling over the demo team, the corporal watched as they started the task of prying open the first of many doors.

  After sounding the wall and door, Specialist Ward pulled a drill from his tool belt, drilled multiple holes and stepped back. Specialist Jenkins pulled a small sledge hammer and metal spike from his belt. Squatting down, he peered into the holes, pursed his lips and nodded. Placing the spike in one hole, he raised the sledge and struck it, causing a loud clang and the door to swing inward.

  Ward and Lacey charged in, securin the room.

  “Clear!” two voices shouted. “We have a body!”

  “Corpsman, forward,” the Sergeant commanded.

  Lance corporal Fisher dashed towards and into the breached room. Stopping dead, he saw his first alien. Its spiky abdomen lay, crushing three of its legs. A fourth leg stretched out, as though the creature had tried to take a step. Its thorax, if that was what it was, lay folded back against the abdomen, essentially, folding the alien in half. Its arms and some sort of stubby wings spread to its sides. Its head rested on the deck, turned to one side. A red, sticky-looking tongue hung from its mouth, resting in a slimy mess.

  Overcoming his initial surprise, Fisher came forward, pulled his kit from his back and squatted down. Making sure that he touched nothing and that his helmet cam filmed everything, he carefully eyed the corpse from the crown of its head to its clawed feet. Most of the creature was naked, except for a strap around its chest and strange footwear.

  On an impulse, Corpsman Fisher pulled a pen from his pocket, held it over the sole of one of the alien’s feet and felt the magnetism grab at it.

  Speaking into his recorder, he reported, “Aliens use magnetism to simulate gravity. This particular specimen doesn’t appear military. Possibly part of the ship’s crew.”

  Shutting off his recorder, he pulled a small flask and a small, glass spatula from his pack. Careful not to touch any of it, the corpsman shoveled a small amount of the sticky tongue substance into the flask, and pushed the spatula in after it. Then he screwed down the stopper. Once he completed that task, he inhaled and exhaled slowly, glad that it was done.

  While this one-man task occurred, the demo team had systematically blown the locks on the rest of the rooms. Riflemen cleared them. Every room either stood empty or held one or more alien corpses.

  Advancing towards the stern, the Second Patrol discovered that even an alien ship needed all the same equipment and material that a human ship required. First inspection proved that the technological level of these invading aliens appeared to be comparable to human technology. After the initial excitement of being on an alien vessel, the hours dragged by. The specialists found no electrical flow, no mechanical activity. Everyone found corpses, many corpses. Over the ensuing hours the job became repetitious, boring.

  The constant flow of feeds and reports that Odin received all revealed the same: a completely dead alien ship and crew.

  Major Wilson and the First Patrol experienced and reported the same as they worked towards the bridge. No life, no functionality registered anywhere.

  After his verbal report to Captain Brewer, Vice-Admiral Weiskoff cut in. “Major Wilson,” he heard over the com. “Take a skeleton crew and grab that wreck with your assault vehicle. Get that piece of flotsam back here ASAP. Those bugs are planning something and I do not want to be caught with my guard down.”

  Major Wilson had grown accustomed to the Vice-Admiral usurping the chain of command. And his captain understood. “Roger that, Vice-Admiral.”

  Ab
oard the Griffin

  Suhashi entered the galley just as Dame Srilin, Vidhee, Mack, Sue and Buster’s avatar arrived.

  ‘Thank you, Suhashi,” Vidhee said.

  “Mr. Shukilar, please set the table,” Doctor Ganakin commanded.

  Following his supervisor’s order, the junior researcher began pulling sealed platters of food out of Suhashi’s cargo box and arranging them in the center of the table. Once finished, he patted the synthetic entity’s dome. Suhashi closed his hatches, turned on its four mechanical legs and proceeded to exit.

  “Yes, thank you, Suhashi,” echoed the Princess.

  Suhashi tilted its boxlike body in response and returned to its previous duties. With the utility being’s exit, all attention turned to the just-arrived guests. All five bowed with their hands or paws pressed against their foreheads. Buster’s bow slightly following the others, copying their show of respect. Princess Analyn nodded and all five straightened while dropping their hands.

  Vidhee stepped forward. “My Princess, respected scientists, honoured visitors, may I introduce Buster, a sentient, synthetic being of the human race.”

  Stepping aside and turning, the Elonian AI waited for Buster to step forward. Following Vidhee’s lead, the newly created AI took two steps and stood in front of his creators. “Hello.”

  “Buster? That you?”

  “Yes, Captain. It’s me.”

  “This is very strange, having a conversation with the AI that I’ve flown with for more than twenty years.”

  “You think it’s strange? What about me? I didn’t even know I existed. But now, here I am, lock, stock and barrel.”

  “Where’d you get that?”

  “One of your old western vids.

  “This is going to get some getting used to.”

  “You and me, both, Captain.”

  “Sorry, Your Highness. I didn’t mean to impose.”

  “Not a problem, Captain Marston. Welcome, Buster. I hope you have a long and enlightening life.”

  “Thank you, Princess Analyn.”

  “Is there anything you need?”

  “No, Your Highness. Just time to adjust.” Buster walked over and stood beside his captain.

  “Judging by the construction of your avatar, I suspect you will have a lot of that.”

  “I hope so. But my captain does put me in various challenging situations.”

  “Oh he does, does he?” The princess flicked an ear in what Krag had learned to be a light-hearted gesture.

  I am glad that you are all here,” she continued. “Vidhee, Buster, would you help us with a little experiment?”

  “Certainly, My Princess.”

  “Of course, Your Highness.”

  “As Vidhee so kindly delivered, we have a range of Elonian dishes. I would like the two of you to analyse each to determine if they are compatible with the human physiology.”

  “Of course, Your Highness. I just need to retrieve some tubes and spatulas.”

  “One moment, Buster.” Vidhee approached the table, held up her left mechanical paw and extended the smallest finger. Again, using the reader/sensor, inserted it into the first dish. “Buster, if I have your permission, may I transfer some data to one of your crystals? Since you have a more detailed knowledge of your people you can do the analysis.”

  “I have got to get one of those! Of course you can, Vidhee. I will send you the storage sector coordinates.”

  After performing her data collection and transferring it to Buster’s crystal, Buster paused for a few seconds.”

  “My people can consume this dish. There may be some adjustments of the digestive enzymes but this plate is edible. It is high in a protein-type molecule, resembling lamb. There’s an extremely high iron content. Some nutrients are lacking. A vitamin supplement would be required if we ate this for a long period of time.”

  “Thank you, Buster, Vidhee. Please continue.”

  The two artificial intelligences worked their way through the remaining plates and bowls in complete silence as everyone watch the proceedings. The two AI’s analyzed the results, drew conclusions, passed information back and forth at the speed of light. Whole electronic conversations occurred in the blink of a human or Elonian eye.

  After poking and processing the last dish, Buster announced, “Vidhee and I concur that humans could survive on an Elonian diet with some caveats.”

  “And what would those caveats be, my metal friend?” Mack asked.

  “For a period of time, let’s just say, that you don’t want to stray too far from your refresher facilities as your digestive enzymes adjust.” If Buster could have smirked, he would have. “Oh, and increase the air purifying. There could be some fairly pungent odoriferous smells.”

  “So, you’re saying my ship is going to stink like a smelly bog? And we all are going to get cases of the clutch-and-runs?””

  “Only for a short period of time, Mack. And, you are going to need the food replicator to synthesize a package of vitamin supplements.”

  Krag, Keiko, Mack and Sue stared at the various plates, each hesitant to take the first bite.

  “Princess Analyn.”

  “Yes, Vidhee?”

  “Captain Kakkarna has notified me that we have stayed too long. We are to return to our ship.”

  “No!” Princess Analyn almost threw a tantrum. Sir Mahajani cocked his head and flicked an ear. She received the message. “But I wanted to begin investigating that device back there.” The princess almost whined as she pointed an extended claw at the make-shift mechanism that housed the alien artifact.

  “It will be here when you return, Princess,” Keiko soothed.

  “Oh well,” Princess Analyn moped. “Captain Kakkarna is the captain. I guess it will just have to wait.”

  “Before you go, Your Highness. Could you do us a favour?”

  “If I can, Mz. Suzume.”

  “Could you have Vidhee download to Buster any data about your civilization that might help us to better understand your people?

  “Of course. If Vidhee and Buster approve.”

  “Thank you, Your Highness. Buster? Vidhee?”

  “It is done, Mz. Suzume.”

  “Thank you, Vidhee.”

  The four humans rose as the six Elonians prepared to leave.”

  “Until tomorrow, Your Highness.”

  “Until tomorrow, Captain Marston.”

  A huge sigh of relief wafted through Krag and his team after the Elonians left. Everyone refilled their drinks and returned to the table.

  “What are we going to do with that?” Sue asked as she waved a hand at the multiple plates and bowls of Elonian food.

  “Well, Lassie, I don’t know about you, but I’m going to try them and take notes. After living on half-rations, and bland at that, I could use a good meal. And, besides, this is a scientific experiment, an effort to learn about our new-found friendlies.”

  “Well, you have more courage than I do. But don’t come running to me if you get sick or anything.”

  “From what Buster said, I won’t be running to you. But I will be running,” Mack smirked.

  He reached over and plucked a bite-sized chunk of something that resembled a meatball out of the first bowl that Vidhee and Buster had sampled. He first held it to his nose and sniffed. "Smells gamy, like lamb. Just as Buster said.” Popping it into his mouth, he chewed slowly, rolling it around, thinking about the experience. “Has the same oily taste. Spicy. A little chewy, but good. I like it. Buster, let’s call this ‘famb’.”

  “Famb?” Krag asked.

  “Ya. Fake lamb. Or faux lamb. Famb.”

  “Buster, what do our new friends call it?”

  “It’s untranslatable. Famb will do. I’ll cross-reference it with the Elonian word.”

  “Famb it is.”

  That started everyone else, picking out samples, smelling, tasting and commenting. A lively discussion arose concerning the naming and categorizing of the various dishes. After everything was sam
pled and catalogued, Krag tapped his glass on the table for everyone to pay attention.

  “This is the first time we’ve had some privacy since our guests arrived. And since Buster got his upgrade. Let’s hear everyone’s thoughts and come up with a plan for moving forward.”

  “Let’s see what’s outside, Cap.”

  “Good idea.”

  Mack hustled over to a locker and pulled out a holo projector. Returning to the table, he set up the tripod unit and flicked two fingers at Sue.

  “You’re up, Lassie.”

  Sue pulled out her tablet, touched some icons and a dome camera atop the Griffin came on line. The projector displayed a three dimensional view of the surrounding area. Everyone saw the same. Darkness. Sue pressed more icons. The image flickered and the same darkness displayed.

  “I first did standard pickup. Then switched to night vision. Whatever we’re inside of, there is no light, Captain.” Sue remarked on what everyone could see. “I could switch to infra-red. There might be something there.”

  “No, I don’t think so. It’s pretty obvious that they want to keep us in the dark.” Krag flicked his brows as he said this. “Let’s leave it that way.”

  Everyone experienced the let-down of not learning anything new.

  ”Captain.” Keiko still wore her professional persona. “There is no way we can unilaterally extract ourselves from this situation. We don’t know where we are. And we have no reference on what kind of ship we are on. The only way we are going to get out of this is diplomatically. Your initial reactions were absolutely right.”

  Krag inwardly basked in the compliment.

  “Taking a reactionary, non-aggressive stance allowed the Elonians the time to study us without feeling threatened.” Keiko paused to collect more thoughts. “Diplomacy has three legs to its table. Equal recognition, Mutual respect and personal bonding. So far, I believe, we have established the beginnings of all three. We stay on this path of openness and communication.”