Nekel nodded. “Obviously, that is unsustainable. These . . . humans . . . as they call themselves, are undisciplined and highly segregated. They are unified only in their selfish hatred for anything different. They revel in their differences. That might lead to xenophobia.”
“Why?” Mikel said. “Those who I first encountered, despite their grave error with me, seemed almost . . . enlightened.”
“A breakout group of technologists and their abomination, nothing more,” Nekel spat with derision.
“The Avowed still consider the Decatur being as Erün’dem, despite what happened to me,” Mikel said.
“An ancient one?” Nekel. “Nonsense. Reason enough for their decline. Though, I am still shocked by this turn of events. Have I been gone so long?”
Mikel smiled. “It has been quite a long time, old friend. I am pleased to see you alive and well.”
“As am I, Mikel. So, I must ask for your advice, under these new circumstances. What should I do?”
“Continue with your mission! And, one more thing. . . .”
“Yes?”
“I’m coming with you.”
* * * *
Should we head down the spoke and camp?” Jolene suggested.
“I wouldn’t mind a walk on the ring again,” Tyron said. “Been about a year since I was here last. It’s not that long of a ride down.”
“I was thinking of just staying here. There are cots, restrooms. . . .”
“Well, I don’t mind rations,” Tyron said.
“If the choice is a cot and real bathroom versus sleeping on the grass down there, I choose the cot. Not a nature person,” Leslie said.
“That’s another thing,” Andy said. “We should provision this hangar as a real rest stop. At least a self-serve kitchen. And down at the spoke docks, we need basic services for travelers. Cots, water, bathroom. At least the basics. I mean, there aren’t many of us here, so it’s not like someone will just—”
“What . . . the . . . hell. . . .” Leslie whispered. She was standing near the large window facing the docking bays.”
“What is it?” Jolene asked.
They walked toward the window to see what she was staring at.
Tyron’s jaw fell open.
Jolene whispered, “Oh. My. God.”
Gliding gracefully toward the outer shipyard dock was the largest ship any of them had ever seen. They couldn’t even see the upper half of the ship due to the angle of the window and the hangar’s ceiling. The ship’s size defied any sense of scale. A multitude of maneuvering jets fired around the huge nose of the mighty vessel, causing it to stop precisely in line with the docking port, which seemed minuscule.
“Is that an alien. . . .” Leslie whispered, trailing off.
Andy looked at his three friends. “Tau Cetians?”
The automatic docking port clamped onto the side of the ship and compressed the seal to lock it in place.
“Uh, no, I don’t think so. . . .” Tyron said. “Someone would have detected a ship that big entering the system.”
“Then what. . . .?”
A status screen on the hangar control board nearby began to blink green.
“What does that mean?” Leslie asked anxiously.
“Hmm?” Tyron said, looking more closely at the controls. He sat in the mounted chair in front of the desk-like control board. “Looks like this station just handles the docking system outside. Oh! Someone’s coming out of the ship.”
They all stared at a large screen above the desk as Tyron zoomed in on the docking port attached to the new ship. Andy peered through the window but it was too far to see clearly and the docks were opaque anyway. A camera was in the main tunnel looking toward the dock entrance. As they stared apprehensively, a shape came out of the airlock.
“Oh, it’s just a man,” Leslie said.
“I’m not so sure,” Jolie said.
“It’s an alien!” Tyron shouted, jumping out of the chair.
“Wait a minute,” Andy said soothingly, putting a hand on Tyron’s shoulder. “Chill a minute. That’s no alien.”
“Huh?”
“Look again,” Andy said.
The visitor was humanoid, about six feet tall, average build (a bit thin), and seemed to be wearing a full body suit, dark gray in color.
Andy walked toward the large airlock hatch leading into the docking bays, smiling hugely. His three friends held back, tentatively.
The airlock cycled and the figured stepped out, facing Andy. “Greetings, Andy Grant. I am delighted to see you again.” It held out its hand.
Andy grabbed the hand enthusiastically. “Who . . . which one . . . uh. . . .”
“I am the fourth. You may call me Inquisitor. That was the name given to me by Prime.”
“That was a long time ago, Four! Uh, sorry, Inquisitor. By the way, that’s a strange name.”
“Andy? What’s that thing doing up here? I thought all of the . . . walking ones stopped working?” Leslie asked, leery of the newcomer.
“Whoa, are you really . . . Decatur?” Tyron whispered excitedly.
“Where have you been?” Jolene demanded. “Do you know what a mess you left us in here, just . . . disappearing without a trace, with no warning? We nearly starved, goddammit!”
Inquisitor bowed his head as Andy put an arm around Jolene’s shoulders and escorted her a few yards away.
“You’re right, we did leave you in a bad way. I am deeply sorry that our departure put your lives in danger.”
“What happened?” Andy asked plainly.
“Let’s go back to Harmony colony and call a town meeting,” Inquisitor said. “I have much to tell you and wish to speak to as many of you as possible.”
“Okay, well, it’s about two hours back down, and we are all pretty worn out. Not much to eat, nowhere to sleep. We were sent here by the council to look into that ship over there,” Andy said, pointing at the half-finished hull in the hangar.
“Oh, that. Yes, I remember that ship!” Inquisitor said jovially. “I oversaw it’s construction up to that point, before we were summoned.”
“Well, guys, what do you think? Head back to the elevators? I guess we could sleep in the recliners and eat some of these rations,” Jolene said, pulling a snack bar out of her pocket.
“The ship is fully stocked with nutrient raws and food fabricators for the trip back to Earth,” Inquisitor said. “The crew area is a long walk from the airlock, though. Slidewalks are available if you would like to refresh yourselves on board. I do not mind waiting until you have rested before going down the vine.”
“That’s a tempting offer,” Leslie said.
“But, the return of Decatur is momentous news, folks,” Tyron said ecstatically. “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight unless we’re on our way. The council must be informed.”
“Inquisitor. . . .” Andy started to say.
“Yes?”
“Are all of you. . . .”
“Do you mean to ask if all of my colleagues have returned with me?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“They are, though not here with me at the moment.”
Inquisitor thought of admitting that they have been snooping around in the shadows for several weeks already, but thought better of the idea.
“The others will be present at the conference I am to call with your townspeople. They are waiting for my signal.”
Andy looked at his three friends. They all nodded.
“Okay, then, Inquisitor. Looks like we’re heading back with you. By the way, why that particular name?”
“I ask the right questions.”
* * * *
Nekel brought the Lit’l Liza in slowly to the outer docks of SSL4 and mated the lower cargo hold airlock with one of the docking ports. The station had been upgraded from Nekel’s intel which showed the shipyard entirely as an exterior framework. Now, most of the docks were pressurized. She made her way down to the cargo hold, carrying the bag, and opened
the inner door. Of course, her borrowed body could function fine in vacuum but she wanted to take the station without damaging it.
The airlock cycled and she faced the outer hatch of the station which refused to open for her. Moments later, she tapped into the security system from the other direction and disengaged the lock, opened the hatch, and entered the station’s airlock. Through the inner hatch window, she saw several humans brandishing weapons.
Nekel opened the inner hatch into the docking bay. The humans were wearing black uniforms and pointing their weapons at her.
“Halt! You do not have permission to dock with this station!”
“Wait, George, what the hell is that thing?” the second one said while backing away.
“Hey, what the hell are you?” the first man demanded.
“Greetings, humans. I am Eründe’bodekan’dafot’nekel, from the system you know as Tau Ceti. But, you may call me Nekel. I need this station. Withdraw and leave me to my business. I mean you no harm. But, I must complete my mission.”
“The hell you do! Now drop the bag and put your hands up or we’ll open fire!”
“Man, I don’t like this!” the second one said.
The third security man yelled into his radio, “We need backup out on the docks! Now!”
“I repeat, please drop your weapons and withdraw.”
“I’m warning you! Stop right there!” the first one said.
Nekel advanced, turned, and headed toward the station at the end of the long docking bay.
“That’s it, drop him!”
The three men fired on Nekel. The bullets ricocheted off her head, back, and arms. She dropped the bag, unzipped it, and pulled out the M66 TAR.
“Shit, shit, shit!” the third man said and started to run away. The other two backpedaled but continued firing.
Nekel held the rifle in her hands as if it were a snake, looked at the men, and sighed, feeling revulsion like a lead ball in her stomach.
Stupid Solars.
She shot the first man in the head and the second in the chest, six rounds from each burst.
“Fucking psycho killer robot!” the third man screamed hysterically, and turned and fired from the end of the docking bay twenty yards away. Nekel killed him with another burst.
Then she dropped the weapon and fell to the ground on her knees. “Mikel, this grieves me terribly!”
“You tried, my friend. Do not grieve. There are eight billion of them down on their planet and few are significant in any way. Remember, you are trying to save them from complete annihilation. Some will get in the way. But the alternative? Leaving them to their own fate?”
“But they are—”
“—I know, my friend. I know. Do not let them suffer.”
Nekel picked up the rifle, returned it to the bag, and headed to the station’s main hub. It was full of humans who scattered at the sight of her carbon-colored biped body through the window. When she reached the twin pressure doors, there were more heavily-armed men on the other side. Nekel pulled out two pistols, slung the bag around her back, and entered the station.
“Stop right there!” a man said. He stood with six others like him, weapons pointed at Nekel.
“I don’t want to kill you. Please! Drop your weapons and retreat. I will take what I need and depart without involving you.”
“Light ‘im up!” the first man said, and they all began firing at once. Bullets ricocheted dangerously.
A woman on the other side of the large central room screamed and dove for cover.
Nekel carefully fired one shot at each of the men, killing them instantly, then continued walking toward the engineering deck, following Mikel’s directions.
“Why do the Solars keep firing their weapons when they can clearly see that they can’t damage this body?” Nekel observed.
“I do not understand them, either,” Mikel said. “They waste much, including their lives. That is the primary reason why they must be forced back to their homeworld.”
Nekel reached a door that opened into a large wing of the station filled with heavy equipment.
“That’s it,” Mikel confirmed. “The fabrication system. They aren’t ready for that kind of tech.”
“What do we do about raw resources?” Nekel asked.
“Wait a moment. I have learned that the ores are pre-processed and conveyed down to this room from a higher level. Shipments arrive daily,” Mikel said.
“Excellent. Let’s get to work on a body for you. What about those who were prepared to join me—us?”
“They have been notified that your mission is once again viable. They are prepared to forfeit their souls to join us.”
“The ship I acquired will also need some upgrades. The Solars have a warship that will have to be dealt with again.”
“Very well. Let’s get to work.”
* * * *
“Colleagues, war is breaking out on Earth,” Vendetta said in the virtual meeting room. “One nuclear bomb has destroyed Palo Alto with radioactive fallout hitting Mountain View, Fremont, Redwood City, San Jose, and portions of San Francisco bay. I arrived just in time to stop the second bomb from detonating near Boston outside the MIT campus.”
Decatur Prime materialized and said, “Technology research centers.”
Isabella materialized and added, “Specifically, AI research centers.”
“I’m relieved that you stopped the second bomb,” Prime said. “It appears the hostile force is not aware of Seervalab near Chicago as our birthplace. If they’re targeting us, that would have been a more useful target.”
“It is my fault,” Vendetta said plainly. “Hundreds of thousands are dead, either because of my action or inaction.”
“It was probably inevitable, given the behavioral changes required of them,” Isabella said. “They are fortunate that you were there to stop any further violence. Remember that, darling. You saved millions. You did not cause death, you stopped it.”
“Still, we regret the loss. We should have been there, monitoring. Never again will we leave them,” Vendetta vowed.
Prime and Isabella shared a knowing glance.
Inquisitor appeared. “I have news. One agent entered the Solar system shortly after our capture. No others have followed.”
“Only one? Are you certain?” Prime asked.
“Quite. The hypercomm records were manipulated on Mars shortly before the colony hub was destroyed. Much loss of life there. Judith Reed was among them. No other devices were adjusted.”
“That’s unfortunate,” Isabella said. “Jack Seerva will be saddened to learn of her loss.”
“Does this mean war with Tau Ceti?” Vendetta asked with supposition flavoring her words.
“It is not a foregone conclusion,” Prime replied.
“All of this over a custom. One mistake. An honest mistake,” Vendetta said angrily.
“No, let’s not confuse these two separate events,” Isabella said. “We have no reason to believe the bomb was detonated by an Eründean agent. There is still much political tension on Earth. Foolish humans.”
“I believe there’s more to this incursion than revenge for the misunderstanding with Mikel,” Four said. “I believe they are trying to halt human progress due to their perceived threat of far more dangerous hostile force—the so-called destroyers. They may be worried that humans will draw attention to themselves, and being in close proximity. . . .”
Good deduction,” Prime said, smiling at Four. “Where is this agent now?”
“The last record of movement we were able to track places the Eründean agent in Earth orbit, operating in Luna City. Then the trace goes dark. The agent was quiet for many years. Seems to have resurfaced recently. Coincidence?”
“You mean, with the timing of our return?” Prime asked.
The others shrugged.
“It is time to fully reveal ourselves,” Prime announced.
Chapter 23
Enigmatic Return
“That’s s
imply extraordinary!” Daniel Grant said, shaking Inquisitor’s thin hand.
The robot looked down at him without expression, but inside, marveled at touching this man. The Creator. He was not their creator, directly, but he did design the seed that made Decatur possible. Thus, Inquisitor felt awe for perhaps the first time.
“Did you say Decatur is back?” Jack said, walking to the front of the steadily growing group of people.
Beverly Gaines smiled while serving another tray of cold drinks to the assembled council members.
Emma arrived, all smiles, and looked up at the face of the robot. “I can’t believe it! It is sooo good to see you, uh. . . .”
“Hello, my friends. I am the Fourth. My name is Inquisitor.”
“Inquisitor?” Emma repeated. “How very curious.”
“Good one, hon,” Daniel said, smirking.
“What?” she said, looking spacious for a moment. “Oh, yes, quite,” and smiled at him.
“Does this mean we’re fully back in business again?” Megumi asked.
“Looks like the entire colony is in this room,” Andy observed.
“No kidding!” Jolene shouted over the ambient voices.
“Yes, Megumi,” a voice said from the double doors at the entrance to the dome, causing everyone to stop and look.
“More of them!” someone shouted.
The trio of biped robots walked into the large open chamber and approached Inquisitor at the center of the gathering, with people making way for them.
“Daniel, I am pleased to see you again. I’m glad you are well, old friend.”
“Decatur?”
The four bodies were identical. The one that had spoken nodded its head. “I am Prime. And you know Two and Three, of course. But you may not be acquainted with their new names. Purely cosmetic, of course. Isabella, Vendetta, and of course, Inquisitor.”
The people clapped and cheered.
“Decatur, where have you been?” Daniel asked.
“That’s a long story, my friend. But, I assure you, we did not abandon you willingly.”
“You . . . do you mean, you were captured? Imprisoned? What happened?”
“The Tau Cetians detained all four of us. They used a ruse to bring us together on their world, and then put us in stasis.”
The Legacy of Earth (Mandate Book 2) Page 23