by A. K. DuBoff
She frowned. It seemed like an unusually high volume, but it was entirely possible she was making something out of nothing. To be sure, she dug around in the computer system for the Mysaran annual report from the previous year to look at the GDP metrics.
Her breath caught in her throat. “This can’t be right.”
She re-checked her math. Did I get the timeframe wrong?
When she verified her source data from the valley site, the numbers she’d used for her calculations checked out.
“Trisha, Fiona, come in here, would you?” she called over the comm.
A minute later, the two women arrived from their own offices.
“Yes?” Trisha asked.
“Take a look at this. Am I missing something?” Ellen flipped the information displayed on her desk so they could get a better look.
Fiona frowned. “That can’t be right.”
Trisha shook her head. “How could mining production be five times more than all the materials used on the entire planet?”
“I was wondering the same thing.” Ellen slumped back in her chair.
She could understand production being one, or maybe even two, times Mysar’s own consumption, due to trade within the system, but five times… She couldn’t even wrap her head around where the labor resources would come from to extract the material.
“I can’t find records for what happened to any of the ore,” Ellen continued. “It’s noted in these logs as being mined, and then it just disappears.”
“Material on that scale doesn’t just go away.” Fiona crossed her arms. “Someone is hiding it.”
Ellen pointed to the absurd quantity of ore. “Where could anyone possible hide that?”
“In that underground facility, maybe?” Trisha ventured.
“Why pull it out of the ground only to stick it back in the ground elsewhere?” Ellen shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“Do you think it was transported offworld?” Fiona asked.
Trisha scowled. “If that’s the case, then to where?”
“There is one other place I’ve heard mentioned in relation to these aliens,” Ellen replied, deciding that ‘need-to-know’ included these two allies. “Gaelon. As challenging as it would be to get the materials over there, it makes more sense than hiding a bunch of ore somewhere on Mysar.”
“Gaelon?” Fiona said with a raised eyebrow. “There’s nothing in that system.”
“Actually, I had always heard it was too dangerous to venture into because of radiation,” Trisha countered.
“On Valta, they told us it was a bad place but gave no real explanation,” Ellen said. “Needless to say, that’s a lot of talk with nothing to substantiate it. Given we were also not told that the Mysaran chancellor was actually an alien puppet, I think it’s safe to say that we’ve been misled over the years.”
“I can’t argue with that,” Fiona conceded.
Trisha nodded. “Now that there’s a new source of information, we need to reset our understanding.”
“I agree,” Ellen said, “which is why I wanted to run this by you. This evidence points to a conspiracy on a scale that’s beyond our capability to address on our own.”
“Did you find anything else in the data from the facility aside from the mining records?” Fiona asked.
“Perhaps, but I have to admit I’m not sure what I’m looking at. There’s a ton of information here, but it looks like it’s encrypted somehow—or completely disorganized. I don’t know.”
Fiona looked over her shoulder. “Something about this is familiar…”
“If the goings on in that place are as messed up as they seem, we need to get the information to someone who can interpret it.”
Across the table, Fiona’s face paled. “Wait, I know where I’ve seen this code before! It’s what Hale used when she wrote messages to the people we now know were subverted.”
Ellen looked up from the desktop. “We need to get this to the Tararian Guard.”
CHAPTER 12
I’ve never had a mission go so foking wrong, Kira chastised herself while the Raven made its final approach to Orion Station.
She’d tried to keep the thought private, but she felt Jasmine pick up on her feelings.
Kira only shook her head in response.
Sandren had been surprisingly understanding about the situation, but Kira doubted Kaen would be so forgiving. She was already walking a fine line with field ops, following her unexpected upgrade to a Robus, and such a gross error that compromised the Guard’s security might tip her over to a desk job—or worse.
Except I’d die in an office post. Though she was sure Leon would be thrilled, it was hardly a deciding factor when she envisioned her future career path.
Kira didn’t share the AI’s confidence. While Jasmine’s endorsement would carry weight when it came to the Guard command’s review, it didn’t make Kira feel better about herself.
Did the Trols get to me? Or have I just been too distracted by my own issues to focus on the mission the way I should? She didn’t have an answer, but thorough med and psych evaluations were in order either way.
The Raven docked in its typical berth, and Kira went to grab her travel items from the team’s cabin.
“When are we going back there to finish the job?” Nia asked as she grabbed her own bag from her bunk.
“I don’t know,” Kira replied. “There are a few ways this could go.”
“That whole place needs to be destroyed,” Ari stated.
“Would that be enough? Who’s to say that’s all of them?” Kyle countered. “This group has shown themselves to be a threat to us, and they’ve been unresponsive to our attempts to open a dialogue. We can’t just ignore them.”
“They’re in an unoccupied system. If they don’t venture beyond that, maybe it won’t matter,” Nia said.
Kira shook her head. “No way. They’ve insinuated themselves into Taran life once, so they’d do it again.”
“Yep, they need to go,” Ari reiterated.
“We’ll obey whatever direction Kaen gives,” Kira stated. She slung her travel bag over her shoulder. “I’ll talk to you after my debrief with Sandren and the colonel.”
Her team wished her well while they exited via the gangway, and Kira headed straight for Medical.
A nurse directed Kira to Doctor Elric in a back exam room. “How are you feeling, Kira?” the doctor greeted her.
“Good, physically speaking,” Kira replied, hopping on the exam bed. “Jasmine was able to counter some negative effects during the op, so it seems to be working out.”
The doctor smiled while he initiated a full body scan. “Glad to hear it. I’ll take a copy of your records from her and look for anything concerning.” He tilted his head. “Is there anything you’d like me to be on the lookout for, in particular?”
“I have no idea what those logs even look like.”
“I mean, do you have any concerns about your state? Any incidents of note?”
“Oh.” Kira looked down. “I guess, shortly after we arrived on the planet, we went into a formation of rocks that we later determined are made of valteron—the same substance as my TR. I got a bad headache, and Jasmine was able to block it out. The only other thing that’s maybe worth
mentioning is that I…” she faded out as she sought the right words. “I guess, I didn’t feel worried at times like I maybe should have.”
“Can you quantify that at all?” Elric asked.
“Not really. And it’s not something I noticed at the time. I only bring it up because Nia asked me at one point why I wasn’t running for the door. Aside from when I almost shifted while we were in battle, I was perfectly calm. I feel like I should have at least been… unnerved when we were walking around.”
“All right, I’ll look at your medical logs and send a copy of the interface data to Jack for analysis. We can run your medical stats alongside the mission recorder from your suit to make sure your physiological reactions are in line with what they should be.”
“I trust my team, and they need to trust me. If something is off, we need to address it.”
“Absolutely. We’ll get to the bottom of it,” the doctor assured her. “It could be a product of the new AI interface, or it might be something related to the nanites. Or maybe it’s nothing at all.”
Kira nodded. “Thank you, Doctor.”
Elric examined the results of her body scan. “In the meantime, everything looks normal. Well, your new normal. The nanites seem to have settled in.”
“How so?”
“They multiplied and embedded in your musculoskeletal system. I believe that must be what’s given you the enhanced strength, and it would also explain the pain during your transformations as some of the nanites stream outward to form the defensive exoskin. That close integration explains why they were never ‘contagious’, since they’re fully integrated with you,” he explained. “Your first full transformation, you didn’t experience the same discomfort because there weren’t as many inside you yet. They absorbed your suit and the decking in order to propagate.”
Kira couldn’t help staring at her hands, searching for any signs of the nanites. “I guess it does make me feel a little better to have some sense of what’s happening during the transformations.”
“I’ve often found that to be the case with any medical condition.” Elric studied her. “Have there been any signs of other abilities… telekinesis?”
“Stars, no!”
“Well, that was one of the goals of these nanites—to replicate TK abilities.”
Kira shook her head. “If Monica succeeded in doing that, I haven’t experienced any sign of it yet.”
“I had to ask.” Doctor Elric motioned her down from the exam bed. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I’ve gone through the logs. Try to get some rest.”
Kira smiled as she prepared to go. “Yes, Doctor.”
As soon as she had exited Medical, Kira messaged Leon at one of the comm consoles. “Hey! I’m back.”
“Already? That was quick.”
“Don’t sound so excited,” she jested.
Leon sighed, giving her a warm smile. “Of course I’m glad you’re back! How’d it go?”
“I’ll tell you when we’re together.”
“Well, I’m at my lab—should be finished with this task in another half hour or so. Should I message you then, or do you want to come here?” he asked.
“How about—” Kira cut off when she saw an incoming message from Colonel Kaen. “Wait, I think I’m being summoned. I’ll get back to you,” she told Leon.
“See you soon.”
Kira switched over to the other call. “Sir, what can I do for you?”
“Major Sandren has filled me in on what happened in Gaelon, but I’d like to hear it directly from you.”
Kira’s chest tightened. “Yes, sir.”
“We’re waiting for you in the conference room by my office.”
“I’ll be there right away.”
Kira was thankful Jasmine left her to her own thoughts for the walk. She already had her talking points in mind for each of the likely scenarios. Aside from being court-martialed for gross negligence, her worst fear was being put on desk duty until her condition was fully understood—if that could ever happen. More likely, only her fitness for command would be questioned, and she would remain in the field as a specialized tool for the Guard to direct as it saw fit. While not ideal, that outcome would still be preferable to the other options.
Trying to visualize a favorable result, Kira strode into the conference room with as much confidence as she could muster. Colonel Kaen and Major Sandren were seated behind the long edge of the table opposite the door.
“Sirs,” she greeted.
“Have a seat, Captain.” Kaen gestured to the chair nearest the entry.
“Sir, if I could explain—”
“All I want to know is what happened to you while you were trying to leave, in your own words,” the colonel interrupted.
The request caught Kira off-guard. Why didn’t he lay into me?
She cleared her throat. “Well, the walls appeared to disintegrate into a swarm of particles. The nearest analogy I can give is that it looked like a sandstorm—except there was no wind. The particles closed in around us, but they let the three other members of my team through, focusing on me. They stuck together and tried to secure me to the ground. We used kinetic rounds to break the bonds, and I was able to escape. They tried the same thing with the shuttle, but we made it out in time.”
Kaen nodded. “By your estimation, could the swarm have disabled the shuttle?”
“With enough time, maybe. Probably.”
“I’ll talk with General Lucian about getting authorization for a strike,” Kaen stated.
Kira gave him a questioning look in spite of herself. “Sir, the external processor—”
“Your team’s activities were interrupted by a hostile alien presence, which attempted to disable you and make it impossible to leave. Is that an incorrect assessment of the field report?” Kaen asked.
“No, sir.”
Jasmine sighed in her mind.
Kira sat in stunned silence as the AI’s words sank in. She hadn’t expected the sentiment to come from that source, but it was the stern talking-to she’d been craving. That she needed.
She returned her attention to Kaen and Sandren. “Sir, do you have a response planned against the aliens?”
“We haven’t made a final decision,” Kaen replied. “We’ve just come into some new information that changes our understanding of the situation.”
“May I ask what that information is, sir?”
“It came from Ellen Calleti,” Sandren explained.
Kira did a double take. “I knew she’d gone back to Mysar, but why is she’s still getting herself mixed up in our business?”
“Not like last time,” he assured her. “In her efforts to help the Mysarans rebuild their government, she came across some records. Well, rather, she went digging. But we’ll excuse her foolhardiness, because she stumbled across a data archive. And the facility bears a striking resemblance to the one on the Gaelon dwarf planet.”
Kira folded her arms on the tabletop. “I’d say that doesn’t make any sense, but we’re pretty far past that at this point.”
“I share your sentiments.” Sandren flashed a wan smile. “At any rate, we’ve just dug into the contents of that data archive, and it tells an interesting tale. Reya and her associates have been very busy.”
“What were they doing?” Kira asked.
“Mining and manufacturing—more than the Elvar Trinary could possibly consume.”
“Is that where the material for the artificial dwarf planet came from?” Kira asked aloud.
“We’re waiting on the conclusive results, but the preliminary analysis of the samples you collected points to an affirmative,” Sandren confirmed.
“What I found more pressing was Ellen’s personal account,” Kaen said. “She spoke with someone whom had worked closely with Reya. That woman indicated that others had relayed information to her about some sort of pit underneath the facility where they obtained the data.”
A chill spread through Kira’s limbs. “A pit like I saw in Gaelon, where they spoke to me.”
Kaen nodded. “That was my thought, as well.”
Kira sat in silence for a moment. “Sir, if the beings live down in that pit, that may mean that Reya wasn’t the only entity on Mysar.”
“I have troops ready to keep the peace, if they try something,” Kaen assured her. “But from everything we’ve seen on Mysar, these beings—the Trols, as I saw you named them—like to manipulate things behind the scenes. I doubt we have concern of a violent uprising.”
Kira wasn’t sure about that, but it wasn’t her immediate concern. “There’s still the processor on the Gaelon planet, sir. They could become a serious threat if they have time to adapt that technology.”
Kaen nodded. “I’m actively working on a solution to answer that threat. Stand by for further instructions.”
— — —
Studying his girlfriend like a lab specimen wasn’t what Leon had envisioned for his new career in the Guard. Even as his tasks kept pointing him in that direction, he refused to lose sight of the person he was fighting for. She was too important to him to be reduced to microscopic datapoints on a screen.