Ruins of Talamar (Syrax Wars Book 2)

by Tom Chattle

  The ensign leaned against her console. "Hard to say for certain, sir, but our proximity to the planet and the radiation storms coming off it make it likely we'll blend in."

  Bennett snarled. "That doesn't mean—"

  Arnesen cut Bennett off once again. "Then Lieutenant Chen's idea is the best plan we have. McCann, what's the status on Vega's backup?"

  The First Officer tapped on his datapad. "Jameson was injured in the battle when one of the decks depressurized momentarily. I'm still looking for Khatri."

  A frown on his face, Arnesen walked over to Chen and lowered his voice. "You think you can handle this thing inside there?"

  "I'm not Vega, but I'm pretty confident there's enough room, sir."

  Arnesen patted her on the shoulder and returned to his command chair. "Then, let's get going."

  - 21 -

  2208.10.20 // 07:02

  UVS Valiant, unknown space

  Chen took a deep breath and angled the Valiant toward the planetary remains, carefully throttling up the remaining engine. After a few minutes, the Valiant eased the first wide ring of debris. Chen did her best to avoid the mixed chunks of ice and rock, but several large pieces hit the hull with impacts that made her wince. Knuckles white on the controls, Chen guided the ship through the wreckage of the planet. Whatever had caused it to fracture in this way must have had immense power.

  "Radiation belt ahead," Moreau warned. "Adjusting shields to compensate."

  Digital static flickered across the viewscreen, and Chen licked her lips to try to moisten them. The sheer size of the super-Earth class planet was now apparent. The fissures that loomed ahead would have swallowed battleships five times the size of the Valiant with ease. A city-sized portion of crust rotated toward them, and Chen had to dive the sloped prow to loop under it, the ship groaning in objection.

  "Easy does it," Arnesen muttered from behind her.

  Chen tried to calm her breathing and rotated the ship on its axis to thread between two pieces of the planet. They neared the closest fissure, and Chen cut the engine. The momentum of the ship carried them forward, and the thrusters jetted blue fire whenever she made minor course corrections.

  The Valiant passed through a cloud of minor debris and entered the interior of the planet. Everyone watched their surroundings with tense awe, the bridge left in total silence. Vast pieces of rock clashed and rubbed against one another; once buried mineral deposits glinting in the harsh flicker of the intense radiation storms. Chen almost felt she could hear the deep rumble of the planet slowly dying through the silent void of space.

  With a few more gentle movements, Chen eased the Valiant into a shadowy recess that seemed at least somewhat stable. She set the helm to station-keeping mode, pulled back from the controls, and cracked her fingers to relieve the tension that had built up in them.

  "Nicely done, Lieutenant," Arnesen remarked. "Moreau, do you see any sign of the incoming contacts?"

  She shook her head. "No, sir. We lost sensor data the moment we entered the radiation storms."

  "Good." Arnesen nodded. "With any luck, it works both ways."

  Chen allowed herself to close her eyes while Arnesen conferred with McCann about their next moves. Her right hand began to shake when the adrenaline from the chaos since they had approached the portal bled off. She clamped it to her thigh in anger, not wanting to show how much of a strain piloting the Valiant had been.

  She let her concentration fade, and thoughts and feelings from the surrounding crew crept back into her mind. She hadn't even realized they were gone with how quickly everything had happened. Chen frowned. Perhaps the extreme focus had overcome them. She'd certainly not had anything to occupy her mind during her incarceration...

  "Umm, sir?" Moreau's voice pulled Chen from her thoughts.

  Arnesen glanced over at her. "What is it, Moreau?"

  Moreau twisted her mouth in uncertainty. "I'm picking up some strange energy readings."

  "From the planet?" McCann crossed over to see her data. "Leftover geological activity?"

  "No..." Moreau adjusted the sensor data. "It's definitely artificial."

  Chen's head jerked up. "Syrax?" The last thing they needed was for the enemy to already be inside the spot where they'd chosen to hide.

  The ensign cocked her head to one side and narrowed her eyes at the screen. "No, something different. The signatures are similar to the portal we came through."

  "We should investigate," Chen suggested; the idea of discovering more information on the portal builders overrode her exhaustion.

  "The last time you did that, you woke a hostile alien race," Bennett retorted.

  The kernel of excitement within Chen's chest vanished in a moment. Her jaw clenched, and she stared off at the far bulkhead. Pain, brutality, and Alex's pale, dying face passed through her mind.

  McCann spoke up, an edge to his voice. "I think we could use any information that could tell us more about the inhabitants of this part of the galaxy. This place must have been destroyed for a reason. If any tech that lingers in it isn't Syrax, it stands to reason these people could have been their enemies." He squared his shoulders. "I propose we take a shuttle and check out Moreau's readings."

  "You can't be serious," Bennett scoffed. He turned to Arnesen. "Captain, we should be focused on repairing the ship and getting back home to report what little information we've found to Naval Intelligence."

  Chen glanced at Arnesen. He held his fingers to his chin as though mulling over the idea. "A small team in a shuttle is hardly going to impact repairs. From what the chief said, we'll be stuck here for hours before we can even consider breaking cover."

  Bennett scowled. "This is a huge risk."

  "A risk, yes," Arnesen replied, "but one that could be beneficial."

  McCann stepped forward. "I'll lead the team. We'll take some Marines with us in case of anything unexpected."

  Arnesen nodded. "Chen, Bennett, you go with them. I'll leave the organization of the Marine contingent to Lieutenant Scott."

  "Moreau, you want to come?" McCann asked, a twinkle in his eyes.

  The ensign snorted. "I think I've had my fill of ground missions, thank you, sir."

  Chen's sense of adventure slowly crept back in, and she stood. She ignored Bennett muttering under his breath and followed McCann to the turbolift.

  "Oh, McCann?" Arnesen called after them. "Stay in contact."

  "Aye, sir." McCann nodded and hit the door controls to open it. Wilde strode in from the hallway beyond.

  Her green eyes searched the room. "What's going on?"

  "Interesting energy readings from inside the planet," McCann answered. "We're taking a team."

  Chen caught Wilde's eye. "Me, McCann, and Bennett."

  Wilde's chin lifted as she understood. "Good luck."

  - 22 -

  2208.10.20 // 09:21

  Uncharted Planet

  The shuttle interior was deathly silent while the Marine pilot threaded her way through tumbling rocks and jagged mineral formations. The further into the planet's core they went, the more it reminded Chen of a vacation she had spent caving in Central America as a teenager, granite walls closing in on every side.

  A gentle ping from the cockpit drew her attention. The source of the energy readings was getting close, well hidden within the twisted ruins. A wave of anxiety washed over her mind, and Chen's eyes snapped up to find where it came from. McCann seemed fine. He waggled his eyebrows at her when she caught his gaze. She scanned the shuttle. The Marines exuded nothing but quiet confidence—a mission into the unknown such as this one being nothing new for them. That left Bennett.

  She avoided staring too hard at him, in case he noticed, and observed the man. His face was set in a scowl, but the death grip he seemed to have on the edge of his jump seat and the bounce in his leg betrayed his nervousness just as much as the emotions that pierced Chen's mind. It was something Chen hadn't felt from him before. Usually, the NI officer kept his emotions locked up tigh
tly.

  A low whistle from ahead drew Chen's attention. She stared out the window to see why the pilot was impressed. A cave entrance was hidden in the rough rock face, and a shimmering blue energy barrier closed off the space. The darkness behind it was barely visible, even when the powerful forward spotlights of the shuttle played across it.

  The pilot brought the shuttle to a gentle stop fifty meters from the barrier, and McCann unbuckled and clambered up the short ladder to stare out the cockpit canopy. "Looks similar to the atmo-barriers on the Valiant."

  That made sense. The way it blocked off the entire cave entrance certainly seemed like it was designed to hold an atmosphere inside, just like the Valiant's shuttle bays.

  "Sensors aren't can't pick up anything behind it," the pilot commented to McCann. "What do you want to do, sir?"

  McCann turned back to Chen. "What do you think?"

  Chen shrugged. "We came this far."

  McCann patted the pilot on the shoulder. "Take us in."

  The main engines on idle, the pilot eased the bulky combat shuttle forward on thruster power, its movements deceptively delicate. They slowed even further when the stubby nose came within a handful of meters of the barrier. The pilot took a deep breath. "Here we go."

  Chen winced subconsciously before the shuttle pushed through the energy field. The atmosphere inside the ship crackled with a static charge. Even the Marines were on edge by the time the craft emerged into the pitch-black cave. Lights scanned the darkness, and the pilot selected a landing site that seemed flat and stable to all the sensor scans that constantly mapped the darkness.

  "Atmosphere is breathable," the pilot called.

  They circled to land, and the white beams of light played across some lumpy objects, half-hidden under a rocky overhang. At McCann's direction, the co-pilot played the lights over to them to reveal curved silhouettes covered with some kind of fabric. Whatever they were, they didn't look like Syrax technology.

  The shuttle settled on the rocky ground with a gentle thump, and a fine layer of dust rolled outward across the cave floor. The two mechs deployed from their harnesses immediately, and the remaining Marines charged down the ramp when it opened, fanning out into the darkness, weapons raised.

  McCann followed them, and Chen started after him, but a firm hand clamped down on her shoulder to hold her back.

  "You try anything funny and I won't hesitate to put you down," Bennett hissed in her ear before he shoved her aside and marched out of the shuttle.

  Chen bit back an angry retort and followed. The cold air within the cavern rolled over her. She pulled her jacket tight, removed a pair of gloves from her pocket, and covered her hands for warmth.

  The Marines established a perimeter and searched for exits, but Chen headed straight for the bulky technology she'd seen from the shuttle. Whatever stood underneath was deceptively large, taller than the Marine shuttlecraft, and much longer. She reached out and grabbed the corner of the huge, draped cover that obscured the closest. Chen rubbed the material between her fingers. It was coarse, like a heavy canvas dust sheet, and probably serving the same purpose. With a sharp tug, she pulled it toward her, and the cover slid off in a hazy cloud of dust that tickled the back of her throat.

  What lay beneath was a ship. Unlike anything made by human hands, it was a flattened cylinder. Long fins extended at regular intervals around the rear, and the front was steeply sloped; rounded twin canards on each side formed a squashed x-shape. The hull had a distinct reddish tone as if hewn from sandstone and polished to a fine sheen. Chen laid a hand on the ship. It had a strange warmth that belied the cold conditions around it.

  McCann let out a low whistle behind Chen. "Well, that's certainly not Syrax."

  "Definitely not," Chen whispered. Where the Syrax shuttle they had stolen in the Arcturus system had seemed organic and aggressive in its form—a reflection of its creators—this ship was all about sleek surfaces and clean lines. Just the sight of it had Chen itching to take it for a spin to see what it could do.

  Lieutenant Scott appeared next to them. "My Marines have found a tunnel system. It's too small for the mechs. We'll have to leave them to guard the shuttle." He tapped the nose of the alien vessel with the butt of his rifle. "Think we can use these?"

  Chen shrugged. "There's obviously still some power left around this place. Maybe we can use whatever we find to our advantage, gain some new technology."

  "Well, let's figure out what's in the rest of this place," McCann suggested. "Perhaps we can gain some information on just who these people were and what happened to them."

  They headed to the doorway dug into the rock. Bennett leaned against the cave wall, arms folded while he watched Chen, the edge of his lip curled in annoyance. At least on the Valiant, Captain Arnesen had kept him in check. Down here in dark, unexplored caverns, Chen had a distinctly uneasy feeling around him.

  Scott motioned two Marines forward, and they approached the door. They froze, rifles raised when an abrupt whine started up from it. The door groaned and jerked open slowly. It sounded like it hadn't moved in years. Behind it was pure darkness until lights in the walls flickered to life. They were oddly spaced; presumably, only a handful remained functional.

  The team stepped through into a long hallway. Wide galleries stretched along each side behind rocky columns. Banks of technology, most of it covered in the same fashion as the alien shuttle, lined the gallery walls. Their footsteps echoed through the chambers, and the lights on the Marine's weapons searched the shadows.

  "This feels like nobody's stepped in here for hundreds of years," Chen muttered. She could hear the thoughts of the ground team, but nothing else reached out to her from the darkness, no sense of Syrax or other beings.

  "Yeah." McCann brushed his hand against the wall. "But then how is any of the tech still working?"

  "That's a good question," Chen answered. If this species had been the ancient enemy of the Syrax that she'd seen in her visions in the Arcturus system, then anything they could learn from the remnants of their technology could be invaluable in the upcoming war that seemed inevitable. From what she had seen, they had come close to victory against the brutal Syrax empire before being annihilated, so they must have been powerful.

  A sudden noise from somewhere far down the gloomy hallway grabbed everyone's attention, and the Marines snapped from their cautious search to combat-ready mode, rifles trained into the darkness. A rapid patter faded off into the distance, and McCann looked at Chen. "Did that sound like...footsteps?"

  "We should head back to the shuttle," Bennett cautioned, back to the wall while his eyes twitched side to side.

  Chen snorted in disgust. "Where's your sense of adventure, Lieutenant Commander?" She shook her head and set off down the passageway.

  "Get back here, right now," Bennett ordered.

  The thrill of potential new discoveries overcame her, and Chen took a calculated risk. Surely Bennett wouldn't trigger her neural implant with so many edgy Marines around them. She thrust her hand in the air, middle finger extended toward the NI officer.

  A few of the Marines chuckled, and McCann caught up with her while Lieutenant Scott and the others followed. "You trying to get yourself zapped?" he whispered in her ear.

  "I'm just tired of his threats and general uselessness," Chen snapped, irritated by the question. "He's been harassing me for months, and I'm finally back out doing something exciting."

  "Auri, just...don't push him too far," McCann warned. "I've seen men like him before. Embarrassment will only make him angrier and more self-righteous."

  Chen rolled her eyes in the darkness. "I promise I'll be careful, Wally." She scanned their surroundings while they walked. The long side galleries had ended, and the main tunnel narrowed. The closed-in walls began to remind Chen of the endless hallways of the Syrax mountain outpost. She loosened the collar of her jacket and frowned. "Is it just me or is it getting warmer in here?"

  Before McCann could respond, they turned a c
orner, and the tunnel spat them out in a vast cavern. "Holy shit," Chen gasped at the activity that filled the subterranean area.

  - 23 -

  2208.10.20 // 09:40

  Uncharted Planet

  A myriad of sources of azure light brightly lit the cavern that sprawled out before them, but the ceiling rose far into the darkness above. Strange plants flourished under the artificial lighting, but they were like nothing Chen had ever seen before. Broad leaves and vines sprouted from every nook and cranny possible in shapes and colors that were just slightly wrong to her eye.

  "What the hell is this?" McCann wondered. The Marines caught up to them, and their rifles dropped in amazement.

  Chen's eyes darted from one feature to the next in a futile attempt to take it all in. There were narrow staircases that zigzagged up and along every wall and regularly spaced openings in the rock face that almost seemed like dwellings or shelters.

  A fearful scream, heavily muffled, echoed from somewhere in the cavern. Within an instant, the Marines had their weapons back up, hunting for threats.

  Chen relaxed her mind and scanned the area for thoughts or emotions, but all she could detect were the edgy nerves of her fellow crew.

  A flurry of movement flashed through the corner of her eye, and she whirled round to see a tall, lithe figure aiming a stubby weapon at her. Suddenly, the aliens were all around, and the humans were easily outnumbered.

  "Hakesh!" one of them cried, their weapon thrust toward them.

  The Marines jerked their rifles from one alien to the next, overwhelmed by the sudden influx of targets.

  The aliens parted down the middle to make way for a single individual to move through them and approach the Valiant's crew.

  The alien's chin jutted out. "Hakesh valar!"

  Chen held up her hands, palms out. Given the numbers, diplomacy was the only way out of this. "I can't understand you." She slowly motioned for the Marines to lower their weapons with one hand.