Fulcrum
of
Odysseus
Shan Takhu Legacy: Book Two
Eric Michael Craig
Copyright © 2019 Eric Michael Craig
All rights reserved. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author and publisher.
Cover Design: Ducky Smith
PUBLISHED BY
Rivenstone Press
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
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About the Author and Links
Other Works by Eric Michael Craig
Dramatis Personae
Jephora Cochrane
Commander Jakob Waltz
Petra “Rocky” Rocovicz
Chief Engineer Jakob Waltz
Kiro Kamoto
Pilot Jakob Waltz
Shona McKeigh
Navigator Jakob Waltz
Alyx Donegal
Sensor Technician Jakob Waltz
Chei Lu
Nuclear Specialist Jakob Waltz
Dr. Danel Cross
Geophysicist Jakob Waltz
Dr. Anju Soresh
Physician Jakob Waltz
Corin Stone
EVAOps Specialist Jakob Waltz
Seva Johansen
EVAOps Specialist Jakob Waltz
Katryna Roja
Chancellor FleetCartel
Isao Nakamiru
Admiral FleetCom Operations
Jaxton Quintana
Admiral L-2 Shipyard Ops FleetCom
Graison Cartwright
Chief of Staff for Chancellor Roja
Elayne Jeffers
Captain Armstrong, FleetCom
Cassandra Mei
Captain Challenger, FleetCom
Carter Takata
Captain Galen, FleetCom
Nathaniel Evanston
Captain Archer, FleetCom
Carranza Pratte
Commandant FleetCom
Tamir bin Ariqat
Former Chancellor SourceCartel
Derek Tomlinson
Former Chancellor DoCartel
Dr. Tana Drake
Former Chancellor WellCartel
Saffia Drake
Wife of Dr. Tana Drake
Carmen Ambrose
Prime Minister Executive Council
Paulson Lassiter
Steward of the Human Union
Edison Wentworth
Investigator General
Josiah Carsten
Deputy Inspector
Dr. Jahen Tanner
Acting Director DevCartel Operations
Dr. Ian Whitewind
Science Officer, Hector
Lystine Kreuger
Madam Strangelove
Ralf Gaelsen
Security Chief Freeport North
CHAPTER ONE
Inside the Tacra Un: L-4 Prime:
“That sure looks like a cryo-volcano,” Danel said, watching the image they were beaming from the Jakob Waltz’s forward optic. He and Captain Cochrane shared a thinpad. They were standing in the central node studying the display on a pedestal.
“Is not singular instance,” Rocky said. The image cut away and showed several more steam geysers blasting columns of gas into space. “Closest one is three kilometers west of base camp.”
“That’s not good,” Danel said. “If there’s subsurface liquid that close to the borehole we’ve got a big problem. When the shaft starts warming, it won’t stay stable.”
Jeph tapped into the local com channel. “Everybody drop what you’re doing and make for the door. We need to evacuate immediately.”
“Nojo?” Chei asked. “What’s up?”
“We’ve got a cryo-volcano west of here and Danel advises the borehole might become unstable,” he said. “Is Anju with you?”
“Negative. She and Ian headed down a lateral language thread. One of the biological ones I think.”
“We’re about eight nodes off the main line,” Anju said.
“Head for the door, best speed,” Jeph said.
“Dutch, how much time have we got before the shaft collapses?” the captain asked as he and Danel trotted toward the entrance.
“That wou—” the com signal dropped. Glancing down at his display he saw the repeater indicator was still green.
“Dutch do you copy?”
Silence.
“Rocky?”
“The internal comlink is still up,” Chei said, huffing into his mic. Since they’d spent the last two weeks exploring the language matrix without event, they’d relaxed their safety requirements. None of them wore EVA gear and he and Seva had opted to not wear their exosuits either. Running in full gravity was not something anyone trained for, so it took its toll on his breathing.
“But if the outside repeater is floating in liquid nitrogen, it’ll be toast,” Jeph said.
“And so are we if it comes to that,” Anju said. “Even in a space suit, I don’t think swimming in an ocean of nitrogen is a good idea.”
“Yah, thermal transfer from a fluid—”
“Save it Danel,” the captain snapped. He clicked through their limited list of options as he stepped up his pace. “Nobody enters the airlock until we’re sure it isn’t flooded. Meet on the observation platform and we’ll decide what to do from there.”
“We’re already here,” Anju said. “Seva’s half into her EVA gear already and we’re suiting up now. Should we wait?”
“Is the inside door still open?” Jeph asked nodding to Danel and kicking up his speed another notch. His PSE hissed as he pushed to a full run.
“Ja,” Seva said. “Is a cold draft from the door but it doesn’t scan as leaking into the airlock.”
“That’s good,” he said.
“The outside repeater is foobed big though. Sploded when it smacked the floor,” she said.
“The housing was designed for a vacuum and not external pressure,” Chei said. “If it split and let cryofluids into the electronics, it would have frozen brittle and shattered when it hit.”
Danel and Jeph skidded to a stop as they got to the platform a few steps behind Cori.
“So what are our options?” the captain asked.
“That is what I am discussing with the Tacra Un,” Dutch said through the internal sound system of the archive. “I have been granted access to the voice system so I can communicate with you.”
Dutch had been in contact with the Tacra Un since the first day, but it hadn’t granted access to the internal com again. Their communication had been limited to learning each other’s languages.
“The Tacra Un is removing ice from its exterior surface,” Dutch said. “Apparently it does this on a regular basis for the purpose of improving access to the various ports throughout the facility.”
“How long does that take?”
“Based on information from the Tacra Un,” Dutch said, “my best approximation is that the process will require six to eight months.”
Anju gasped. “What are we supposed to do? We’ve got no food in here.”
“I’ve got a powerful need to eat,” Seva said. “Sometime this month.”
“I have communicated that to the Tacra Un and it has proposed three alternatives,” Dutch said. “First, you can wait it out, which is unacceptable for obvious reasons.”
“Nojo,” Cori said.
“Second, you can complete the language matrix and thereby gain access to the rest of the facility. After you have accomplished this, I estimate it will be a minimum of a nine kilometer walk through the interior of the complex to the port currently occupied by the Hector.”
“The whole thing?” he asked.
“That is what it has indicated as the minimum requirement threshold,” Dutch said.
“Even in an emergency?” Jeph asked.
“As it has been explained to me, a lack of planning on our part does not constitute an emergency on its part. Further, although it will not extrapolate on the nature of the things you would encounter along the way, it advises that without an adequate baseline understanding, you would be unable to comprehend the actions necessary to complete the journey. This is why completion of the language matrix is an incontrovertible requirement of the organic che-Shan-Tarah to gain deeper access.”
“Why do I suddenly feel inadequate?” Jeph said.
“If you wish to discuss your feelings of inadequacy, I recommend you do that with the doctor, after we have solved this issue,” Dutch said to the background sounds of at least one failed attempt at a stifled snicker.
“Our third option is to dock the Jakob Waltz at the airlock to the language matrix.”
“Dock the Waltz?” Jeph asked.
“Yes Captain,” Dutch said. “To do this we would have to submerge approximately ninety-seven meters of the hull into the surface.”
“Into liquid nitrogen.” Chei said.
“There are other compounds in the ice as well, however that is essentially correct. The ice is only liquid close to the surface of the Tacra Un itself however the upper shell will thin as the process continues,” it said.
“Are you suggesting driving the hull through the ice to reach the airlock?” Jeph asked.
“Pilot Kamoto has proposed that the only way to bring the Jakob Waltz successfully into position, is by allowing the engine exhaust to soften the ice so the ship can penetrate. Engineer Rocovicz has expressed concern that a stern-down landing would permanently incapacitate the reaction chamber, as it would flood with cryofluids once the drive was shut down.”
“We’d still have to climb up the outside of the ship to get to an airlock,” Danel said. “That would be as bad as swimming to the surface.”
“Once we are in position, the Tacra Un can provide interconnects to our lower airlocks in the same manner as it did to the Hector,” Dutch said. “One advantage to this solution is that it would then provide continuous environmental access from the ship to the language matrix entrance.”
“But there would be no way to get the Waltz free,” Jeph said.
“This is true,” Dutch said. “The ship would become a permanent part of the Shan Takhu Archive.”
“Then that would be a hard no,” the captain said. “At least until we run out of other ideas.”
Executive Director Offices: Galileo Station:
Derek Tomlinson stared out the window of his new office, the one that had until recently belonged to the Prime Minister. His view overlooked the floor of the grand assembly hall, now empty and locked. Nothing more than a reliquary of artifacts from the end of the old Union. Guards stood at the doors. Guards stood everywhere now. Protecting him inside the ivory tower.
It had been almost two weeks since Odysseus put him into power and everything around him was in a near state of rebellion. Only after an angry mob murdered three of his personal security contingent had he managed to make the case that he needed an organization to help govern the people. There must be some mechanism to keep the people mollified and in line.
“I have completed my analysis of your request,” Odysseus said. “I find that your plan to consolidate power through the use of an advisory government is acceptable. Your efforts will consume limited resources, however savings garnered from a reduced need for security and loss of materials to irrational acts of violence will offset these expenses.”
“I agree completely,” Derek said turning away from the window and facing the blank comscreen.
“I have compiled a list of advisors that you will need to recruit to positions on your committee,” it said. A list appeared on the screen and he leaned forward to scan it over.
“Why would you want these people in the new government?” he asked. “Most of them are outright antagonistic to what we’re doing.”
“Exactly why you want them included,” it said. “If you force them to participate, you can control their actions.”
“It doesn’t work that way,” Derek said, sighing and sitting down to read the suggested names more thoroughly. He shook his head.
“Graison Cartwright is a good example. He was the FleetCartel Chief of Staff for the last two chancellors,” he said. “He’s a career FleetCom officer and perhaps the most loyal person in their organization. Cartwright will not join the new government willingly.”
“All humans have a point at which their loyalty can be purchased,” Odysseus said. “He has knowledge essential to your success, and his participation will improve your chances of stabilizing the current transitional crisis. Additionally his knowledge of FleetCom security protocols will prove invaluable to us because they are central to our resistance issue. They have been the only hindrance to my attainment of 100% assimilation.”
“Carmen Ambrose?” Derek frowned. He was still stinging from his last conversation with the former Prime Minister. She’d dropped off the grid since he’d taken power and he suspected she was actively working to undermine his authority. “I can’t see her being anything but a source of chaos to our cause.”
“She is a charismatic leader that the populace would follow,” it said. “Once you have secured her cooperation, you will have little opposition.”
“If I can get it,” he said, reading down the list and continuing to shake his head. “Why did you put Tana Drake on here? She has no need to participate and there’s nothing we can offer her as an incentive to get involved.”
“It is essential that you recruit her first,” Odysseus said.
“She was one of my biggest opponents at every step of the action against Katryna Roja,” he said. “She really, and truly, hates me. With her, the opposition is personal.”
“Her loyalty to the former chancellor is an issue, but it is imperative that you secure her cooperation,” it said. “She is the only other member of the former government that knows of my true objective. Her cartel oversaw the Sentinel Operations Center and was in part responsible for my deployment. Without her involvement, there is no way to guarantee my security.”
Derek leaned back and rubbed his chin while he thought Odysseus’ revelation through. While he knew the Sentinel Program name by reputation, it predated his tenure in office by at least two chancellors. The records of its existence were lost in a pit of data so deep that it was unlikely any human being knew what was contained in those files.
Apparently, with the exception of Tana Drake.
“If she oversaw Sentinel, why didn’t you approach her to be the Executive Director?” he asked.
“Her familiarity with my protocols is contraindicated for that position,” it sai
d.
In other words she knows enough to be dangerous to you, Derek thought, nodding. I see how it swings. Make her an ally or make me responsible for getting her out of the way.
“It isn’t a matter of just inviting these people to play,” he said. “They have egos to be manipulated and loyalties to be turned. This will take time and resources.”
“You will have whatever resources you need for this,” Odysseus said. “As to time, you have already squandered thirteen days. It is now imperative that you accomplish this immediately.”
“Let me think about how to handle her,” he said. “It will still take time.”
“I have arranged your transportation,” it said. “You can consider how you wish to approach her on your shuttle flight to New Hope City. Please proceed without further delay.”
Jakob Waltz: Orbiting L-4 Prime:
“What the frag is that?” Shona said, cocking her head to the side and listening to the dry hiss coming through the hull of the ship.
“What’s what?” Kiro asked shaking his head. The sound was too faint for him to hear. “You dreaming about space ghosts?”
“It sounds like we’re venting something, don’t you hear it? A hissing sound,” she said. “Dutch are we losing air?”
“Negative. Atmospheric integrity is intact,” the computer said.
“Then what the hell is that sound?” She was reaching to cut loose from her seat when a sudden vibration shook the ship.
“That’s no ghost, unless he’s really pissed,” Kiro said, spinning to face his controls.
“Pilot, report. What is vibration?” Rocky barked over the com.
“Working on it,” he said. “Alyx, can you report to the ConDeck? I need you to get on the Hector’s sensors. I need a good look outside.”
“Is it safe for me to move?” she asked. “I’m in my room and need to get dressed.”
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