by Doug Farren
“Very well. If you will excuse me, I have a base to pacify.”
The Captain broke the link. After the screen went dark her whole body shuddered at the thought of a cross-species gragrakch. “What is this universe coming to?” she muttered. “Tactical! Link the fleet to us and commence the attack. Beam weapons only. Target defense systems and shield generators. Coms, inform the representative from VDN Industries that we’ll be conducting a live field test of their robots.”
The fleet slowly approached the base, gathering as much information as possible. “There appears to be an unpowered vessel orbiting the planet,” the tactical station announced. “The computer believes it might be the remains of the Spirondak.”
At a distance of 70,000 kilometers, the defense shields went up. Three spherical domes of energy appeared, looking like giant beads of perfectly reflective mercury sitting on the surface. A few seconds later, the base’s primary weapons engaged the fleet. Two powerful beams from separate shielded locations reached out and crashed against the shield of one of the cruisers. These guns had once been the primary weapons of a Chroniech heavy cruiser.
Huge bolts of plasma rolled off the straining shield as it struggled to deflect the massive amount of energy being directed against it. Even though the Rouldian shield had been upgraded to the latest technology, it could only deflect so much energy and was being severely challenged. The energy it could not deflect leaked through and the ship began to take damage.
“Target those weapons!” Harth ordered. “Fire!”
The fleet accelerated their advance as they returned fire. Twenty-eight guns from thirteen ships poured gigajoules of energy into one of the Chroniech shields. The torrential amount of energy reflecting off its surface blasted into the surrounding ground creating molten blotches of red and yellow. But no matter how hard it resisted, the shield was no match against the amount of raw power being directed against it. Several of the beams broke through.
Even though the Alliance beams were reduced in intensity and partially unfocused by their passage through the shield, they still delivered a staggering amount of energy to the target. The armor plating of the Chroniech weapon quickly began to glow, then soften. A portion of the supporting frame shifted, creating a misalignment of the beam resulting in a spectacular catastrophic failure. The explosion scattered pieces of the weapon in all directions and created a three-meter deep crater.
As soon as the first gun was silenced, the fleet swung their weapons toward the second. It quickly suffered a similar fate. Although both shields remained, the weapons they once protected were no longer a threat. After silencing the second weapon, the fleet continued firing, burning through the ground until the beams reached the shield generator. As soon as the shield vanished, the fleet’s weapons swung back to the first target, boring through the stubborn earth until only a single shield remained.
“Slowly move us in closer,” Captain Harth ordered. “Target the remaining shield.”
To her astonishment, the last shield easily resisted their concentrated attack. “Cease fire with all weapons except one,” she ordered after several seconds passed. “Tactical, I want a detailed analysis of that shield. We’ll try to crack it again when we’re closer. The only thing we’re doing now is tearing up the surrounding surface. Coms, get the peacekeepers on the line.”
It took only a moment before Lashpa and Tom’s faces appeared on her central screen. “My tactical computer claims the remaining shield is not of Chroniech origin. It’s obviously far stronger than the other two. Can you explain this?”
“No,” Lashpa replied. “That’s one of the reasons we need to preserve as much of the base as possible.”
“I’ll do the best I can. Harth out.”
“What do you think is going on here?” Tom asked Lashpa after the Captain disconnected from the link.
“I don’t know,” she replied. “The other shields were definitely of Chroniech origin, most likely salvaged from a damaged ship. This third one though concerns me. Could the Chroniech have developed a new shield technology?”
“Out here? We’re talking about a couple of military ships that have been stuck in enemy territory since the end of the war. Survival, not research, would be their top priority. And if it’s a new design, why did they leave it behind?”
“I don’t know,” Lashpa admitted. “Maybe they found something and were- - -”
Captain Harth’s face reappeared on the screen, the yellow border surrounding her image indicating she had flagged this transmission as urgent. “My science team has presented a rather frightening suggestion,” she said as soon as her image appeared. “They’ve been comparing the backscatter emissions from the shield with all known shield technologies and have come up with a possible match. If they’re right, we’re dealing with a Kyrra shield.”
“Kyrra!” Tom and Lashpa exclaimed at the same time.
“You can’t be serious,” Tom added.
“This particular shield pattern has only been encountered once before,” Harth said. “And apparently, Peacekeeper Wilks has seen it first hand.”
Tom’s mouth fell open but his mind refused to come up with anything to say.
“According to our records, you were aboard the Komodo Dragon when it discovered the Kyrra stasis chamber. Not long after it was taken aboard your ship, a shield was activated. The Komodo Dragon’s engineer took some very detailed readings of its structure. The shield on the planetoid has many similar characteristics.”
“A Kyrra shield?” Lashpa asked, still refusing to believe what she had been told. “We’ll end up destroying the base before we can breach that shield.”
“Maybe not,” Harth replied. “The shield’s structure does not appear to be stable. My science staff believes the generator may not be operating properly. I’ll keep you informed. Harth out.”
A few minutes later, the remaining base defense systems opened fire. Sixteen beams shot out and made a valiant attempt to penetrate the shield of the lead battleship. Even though these weapons had been designed to serve as point defense systems, protecting the planet-killer from missiles and small vessels, they were still Kyrra in design and nearly as powerful as the main guns of an Alliance cruiser. For a brief moment, the battleship’s shield was overloaded and several of the beams began chewing through the ship’s armor.
The battleship was spared too much damage though because the Kyrra shield generator chose that moment to fail. A microsecond later, the fleet’s combat computer noted its absence. Electronic orders flew across space to the other ships of the fleet and sixteen Alliance beams quickly turned the Kyrra weapons into molten pools of metal. The base was theirs for the taking.
Chapter 29
“The base is clear,” Captain Harth announced over the common channel. “The Chroniech left in such a hurry they even left the lights on for us. A rough map of the base has been uploaded to your suits.”
“Thank you Captain,” Lashpa replied. Turning to the spacesuited group waiting outside the shuttle, she said, “Peacekeeper Wilks and I will go in first. The rest of you fan out as previously discussed. If you see anything of interest let us know.”
There was a chorus of acknowledgments as the group began to move forward. Their shuttle had landed shortly after the base was declared to be free of any nuclear self destruct devices. They’d been patiently waiting on the surface, near the base’s external airlock, while a team of military robots made their way through the tunnels ensuring there were no booby traps or other surprises waiting for them.
“Peacekeeper Krish?”
“Yes Captain?” Lashpa replied over the private link that had been established.
“I’m sending you a video feed from one of the robots. I think you’re going to want to check this out yourself.”
Through the magic of her cybernetic eyes, the image of a ship appeared in front of her as she entered the airlock. The view shifted as the robot moved in for a better view. The side of the ship had a gaping hole in it through
which the cluttered interior could be seen.
“Where is this?” she asked.
“On the other side of an airlock at the end of a large tunnel near the outskirts of the base. I’m sending you the exact location.”
“Underground?”
“Affirmative.”
“Peacekeepers?” a voice piped in over the common channel. The HUD identified the speaker as a member of the team that had been checking out the small number of previously identified surface installations. Her voice was very controlled but Lashpa thought she could hear overtones of stress.
“This is Lashpa, go ahead.”
“We’ve found something on the surface I think you’re going to want to see.”
Lashpa was now positive the speaker had found something that had upset her. “What is it?”
“I … I would rather not say at this time. You need to see this with your own eyes.”
“I’ll check it out,” she replied. Flashing a command to her ship via her biolink, Lashpa transferred the image of the ship to Tom.
“Tom, you’ll fit inside the ship better than I will; looks pretty tight in there. I’m heading back to the surface to look at something.”
“Roger that,” Tom replied. “What’s wrong? She sounded stressed out.”
“I got the same impression. I’ll let you know what I find.”
The airlock was almost fully pressurized. Tom turned his head and nodded towards Lashpa as the inner door cycled open. A Rouldian combat robot stood on the other side. Its four legs gave it perfect stability. A central column with two articulated arms each bearing a plasma rifle rose from the base. The column was topped by a sensor cluster giving the robot a clear view of its surroundings at all times. Although the robot didn’t move, Tom knew it was continually scanning the area for threats.
The group quickly exited the airlock then split up, heading to different parts of the base. Tom headed toward the ship. Lashpa remained in the airlock as it cycled closed. The tunnel in front of Tom sloped downward at a slight angle and was about three meters high and four meters wide. The walls were sheets of various metals crudely welded together to form an air-tight seal. The downward slope continued for about 20 meters before leveling out. A few meters later it ended at a tee. Tom turned to the right.
Poking his head into an open doorway, Tom saw what looked like an empty storeroom. Rows of bare shelves lined the walls. The floor was littered with small bits and pieces of trash from the hasty departure.
“I’ve found the operations center,” A voice said over the common channel. “Lots of equipment here but all of it’s smashed.”
“Captain Harth here,” Tom heard as he peered into another empty storeroom. “I just received word from the other shuttle. The ship the Chroniech left behind has been positively identified as the Spirondak. It’s been dismantled and a lot of it is missing. They’re boarding now to investigate.”
“I just checked out several rooms that appear to be crew quarters,” someone else said. “The beds and furnishings look like they were taken from a cargoliner.”
Tom was closing in on his destination when he heard Lashpa say his name. His HUD indicated she was using a private channel and the tone of her voice caused him to stop so he could concentrate on what she had to say.
“Channel open, go ahead.”
“I’m standing in front of what looks like a garbage dump on the surface,” she began. “Tom, it looks like … I think …”
In all the years they had known each other, he’d never known her to be so upset. “Lashpa, what’s wrong? Are you alright?”
“They ate them Tom,” she managed to say, her voice actually quivering. “The Chroniech ate the passengers!”
Tom’s stomach knotted up and his mind went blank. He stood in the middle of the tunnel, unable to move, unable to think, unable to comprehend what Lashpa had just told him.
“Tom?” he heard her voice as if from a long ways away. “Tom? Did you hear me?”
“I heard you,” he managed to say. He could tell by the way he was feeling that his ship was doing something to ease his shock. There were tiny amounts of chemicals stored within his cybernetic limbs that the ship’s computer could release to help him cope with emotional stress. His mind began to clear as the chemicals went to work. “Are you certain?” he asked.
“There are a large number of dismembered bodies out here,” she replied, her own voice indicating that her ship was also helping to ease the shock of the situation. “It’s quite obvious, based on the condition of what’s left, that the Chroniech used the passengers as food.”
“That explains why they didn’t attack more ships,” Tom replied. “Even so, I can’t believe they would do such a thing.”
“I’ll alert Captain Harth,” Lashpa said. “They’ll have to identify as many of the bodies as possible.”
“Roger that. I’m almost to the ship.”
A combat robot stood at the end of the tunnel. The airlock door it was guarding stood open. “I have been ordered to accompany you as best I can while you inspect the ship,” the robot said.
“Let’s go then,” Tom replied, closing his helmet.
On the other side of the airlock, Tom stopped and stared. The ship was parked inside an enormous artificial cavern cut into the solid rock of the planetoid. A gap of just over a meter separated the hull of the ship from the rock. High-power spotlights illuminated the entire cavern allowing him to see a good portion of the vessel. The hull directly in front of him had been crudely cut creating a six-meter wide hole in the side of the ship. It was obvious that the Chroniech had dismantled and removed portions of the ship’s internal equipment.
The combat robot followed him through the breach in the hull. The other side was starkly illuminated by temporary lighting. Tom stopped and took a slow look around. The cut ends of supports and bundles of wires indicated where equipment had been removed. Choosing a direction, he headed into the body of the ship moving out of the lighted area. The lights of his suit automatically came on, throwing a bright beam into the darkness. The nimble combat robot managed to stay with him as he climbed through several tight areas.
“This ship looks like it was heavily automated,” he said.
“I agree,” the Orion’s AI replied. “I have not identified any environmental systems and the arrangement of equipment suggests the ship did not maintain an artificial gravity field.”
Tom stopped before a control panel attached to an unknown device. Several unlabeled pushbuttons surrounded a dead screen. Underneath the screen was a line of text. Tom looked at it.
“Can you identify this writing?” he queried his ship.
“Negative,” the ship replied.
“This is Sharwag,” someone said over the shared com-channel. “I’ve located the shield generator responsible for creating the last shield. It doesn’t look like any shield generator I’ve ever seen before.”
Tom stopped moving. “Orion, get me a visual.”
The ship’s computer routed the video feed from Sharwag’s suit to Tom’s eyes allowing him to see what she was talking about. The generator was a very large, spherical piece of equipment. Tom’s heart rate went up but he held himself back from saying anything.
Keying his microphone, he said, “Can you walk around it?”
The image began to move as Sharwag replied, “Certainly.”
After a few seconds Tom said, “Stop! Do you see that large flat area directly ahead?”
“I do.”
“Look for a small circular plate about 400 centimeters in diameter a little further along to your right. It will have three indentations equally spaced along the edge.”
“Tom?” Laspha chimed in over a private channel. “Have you seen this device before?”
“I believe I have,” he replied. “If Sharwag finds- - -”
“Is this it?” Sharwag asked.
“It is. Simultaneously press the indentations in until you feel a click then turn the plate counter-clockwise.
It will rise up enough for you to grab the edge and pull it off.”
“Mr. Wilks, this is Captain Harth. How do you know this?”
“The Komodo Dragon has a Kyrra stardrive,” he explained. “When we were searching for the Kyrra, we used a feature of the drive to transmit a distress signal. If this is a Kyrra stardrive, the interface should be located behind that plate. I will recognize it if it’s there.”
“Proceed,” Harth ordered. “If I recall correctly, the Dragon’s stardrive also serves as its shield generator.”
“That’s correct.”
“How do you know the Kyrra would keep the same design?” Lashpa asked.
“They don’t change things unless they have a good reason to do so,” Tom said. ‘Besides, we’ve no way of knowing how old this ship is.”
Tom watched as Sharwag tried to put her gloved claws into the indentations. Using both hands she could touch two of the indentations but she could not reach the third. Getting the attention of a combat robot, she directed it to depress the third indentation.
“I just felt a click!” she exclaimed. A moment later, the plate rotated and in doing so it rose up away from the surface. Sharwag grasped the edge and the plate came away.
“Let me see inside,” Tom ordered.
The view spun for a moment as Sharwag repositioned herself.
“Well, that confirms it,” Tom announced. “It’s a Kyrra stardrive.” Looking around with a new understanding, he said, “That means this is a Kyrra ship.”
“What’s a Kyrra ship doing here?” Lashpa asked.
“I don’t know,” Tom admitted. “But I’m worried about what the Chroniech managed to learn from it.”
“Let’s hope it wasn’t armed,” Captain Harth added.
“I’m sure it was,” Tom said, reversing himself so he could exit the ship, “This is turning into a nightmare. Kyrra technology in the hands of the Chroniech? We’ve got a big problem on our hands. Captain, this ship as well as the Kyrra stardrive is off-limits to everyone unless they have clearance from sector command.”