by David Byrd
“I said leave now before I take matters further,” Meska said coldly.
Naldo was livid. He had never been spoken to in this manner and he was sure he would have this man fired as soon as he returned. For his own ambitions though he needed to complete his mission. Naldo had many skills. He could be coldly ruthless. He always kept a very small and highly illegal electron particle gun concealed at all times. The gun worked on the same principal as 21st century military active denial systems that employed short wave electrons in the narrow gigahertz band. Those systems penetrated human skin to a depth of a few millimeters and caused burns. This tiny gun however was much more powerful and used much longer frequencies to penetrate 20-35 millimeters into tissue. It could incapacitate someone with a short burst to the knee or leg but it could also kill if aimed at the heart or brain.
He brought out a data band…similar to the flat flexible medical scanning band used to scan the researchers but this one had special abilities used for different operations. Activating the band and cycling through several menus he found the item he needed, he pointed the band at the panel and a burst of code was sent out. A green light activated on the panel and the hatch slid open.
Naldo stepped into the module which was dimly lit. The place was a complete mess with parts, empty cartons and all kinds of debris laying everywhere. He couldn’t imagine that both researchers were this messy. He approached the comm. center, sleeping modules and kitchen areas but there was no sign of the inhabitants. They must both be in the lab or greenhouse he thought. As he stepped into the lab module he noticed machinery of all types…some of which he could not readily identify. There were parts, half built modules of all kinds and panels displaying schematics on every surface. Whatever was going on here was definitely not planetary research. As he moved further into the lab he stopped in his tracks startled. In the back of the room was a small KT reactor completely open and all components inside were exposed.
“That’s not possible,” he said softly. KT reactors had failsafe’s that could never be broken, but here was one standing completely open. Naldo was curious and also a bit frightened by the danger. He walked to within a meter of the reactor and abruptly ran into an obstacle. He could not approach any closer. Looking closely at the reactor, he could see a very faint golden shimmer in the air…like heat rising from hot concrete. The shimmer extending several meters or so out from the exposed reactor.
It has to be an energy field, he thought. The principal for an energy field was mostly for magnetic containment of exotic particles. This however seemed to be an energy grid that could be projected around an object. The power needed to operate even such a small field must be enormous. Reverse engineering a KT reactor was a death sentence. The company would not tolerate anyone having this knowledge.
Naldo turned to leave the module and was startled see Hollis Meska standing behind him.
“You were ordered to leave,” Hollis said. He was around fifty years old with messy salt and pepper hair that looked like it had not been cared for in months. He looked like he could have been a college professor but somewhat absentminded perhaps with his disheveled clothes and demeanor.
“Doctor, you will face charges for this,’ Naldo said. “I believe they will fire you and throw you into the security center for years he said sneering. Where is Kym Martin? If she is also a part of this espionage she will also face charges.”
“Kym is dead,” Hollis said flatly. “She’s been dead for most of this mission.”
“What do you mean dead?” asked Naldo his voice rising.
“I mean that she died at the start of the mission and I withheld that information from the company to prevent another researcher from being sent out,” said Hollis.
Whatever was going on here was beyond anything Naldo had been briefed on. He had a high intuition quotient which served him well in the company and he could sense danger in this man. There was something wild but determined in his eyes. A ruthlessness that he could see in his own reflection and he knew this man was capable of anything. His thoughts turned to the particle weapon he had in his ankle holster.
Naldo made a sudden move to reach his holster but never made contact. Hollis leapt the last few feet at him and tackled him to the floor. They fought on the floor and then around the room knocking over tables and equipment. Naldo had longer reach but he was weaker in this gravity. Conversely, Hollis was stronger having muscles that had acclimated to the heavier environment. A lucky punch sent Hollis flying back toward the entry hatch. He had just enough time to see Naldo reaching for something and with a thought made a connection to his new KT generator and an energy field winked into existence surrounding the interior of the lab. Naldo, unaware of the field pulled his weapon and fired at Hollis. Nothing happened. Hollis was still standing. He started for the hatch and was stopped again just like when he attempted to get closer to the KT reactor.
“Let me out NOW!” Naldo raged and fired multiple times at Hollis but nothing happened. There was not even a spark in the shimmering field.
“Get comfortable because you are going nowhere Mr. Zel,” said Hollis. And with that he left the module and closed the hatch.
Chapter 9
Inside the Hasten’s habitat, the comm. station sounded. Noel answered and was startled to see Hollis Meska on the line. “Doctor Meska…ah…it’s been a while,” Noel said.
“No time for banal pleasantries. We have important decisions to make and I find myself in the inopportune position of needing to discuss some urgent matters with all of you. Please come to my lab as soon as possible and bring that ape Barlow as well. Everyone needs to know what I have to say.” And with that Hollis cut the connection leaving Noel standing in front of the console dumfounded. The company man Naldo was on his way to Meska’s habitat just a few hours earlier. He had a feeling that whatever Hollis needed to tell them had to be vitally important for him to initiate contact. Noel informed the rest of the group and they started out for the lab…
The four friends met outside the habitat and walked in together. The hatch was open so they took that as their invitation to enter. They found Hollis in the kitchen and they all filed into the space. Their host seemed lost in thought but finally shook his head and looked around the room at the other inhabitants of Trellis II and then began speaking.
“The time has come to tell you of my real mission on Trellis II,” Hollis said without preamble.
“Real mission?” asked Max.
“Yes you simian!” Meska hissed. “Do you think I was here all alone just working my butt off for the blasted company. You’re even less intelligent than I gave you credit for.”
Max’s temper was nearing supernova levels but Jean laid a calming hand on his arm. “Doctor Meska, I’m sure you wanted all of us here for a good reason,” Jean said. “Can you tell us why you asked all of us here?”
Hollis looked at Jean for what seemed to be a very long time. She had that red hair and calming manner reminding him of someone very dear in his past…
He began to speak but in a much more muted tone. He seemed to soften a bit under Jean’s gaze.
“Yes my dear and you can call me Hollis,” Meska said. “I can tell good breeding when I see it. Here it is then. I was recruited by the Brellman Corporation during the last months of Spear training to reverse engineer a KalTraxis reactor.”
There were gasps around the room as everyone started talking at once.
“Yes…Yes I know it can’t be done but you see I have already succeeded.” Hollis said excitedly.
“That’s…impossible,” Jean said.
With a smug look on his face Meska continued his story while looking at Jean and seemingly ignoring the rest of the group. “We all know that KT reactors have many layers of protection. No one has ever succeeded in peeling back all the layers as it were. The secret fail safe to which the Kinsdale Corporation would kill anyone for, is that every KT reactor communicates through the Link network. Everyone has an implant and all implants communic
ate to the Link network. There is always an implant in the vicinity of a reactor no matter where it is. So the reactors send health updates of just a few binary code sequences piggybacked onto normal network traffic. Somewhat similar to a peer-to-peer network update with many parts spread among all the nodes. But since we could not have implants with the Adaptogen treatments to embark upon this planet, our KT reactors were neutered so to speak. It was a simple matter to reverse engineer after that.”
“A simple matter doctor,” Faye said excitedly. “This is the most significant breakthrough in decades. This will break the monopoly that the Kinsdale Corporation has on humanity. It will change history.”
“Child’s play my dear,” interrupted Meska. “I’ve moved far beyond the primitive KT reactors and there are much more important discoveries that must be protected.”
“Perhaps you had better tell us exactly why you called us here doctor,” Noel said.
“Very well…simply stated…there is more KT ore in the sub surface strata on Trellis II than anywhere in the currently explored galaxy,” Meska said. “In fact, this could be the actual source of all KT ore and by rights of claim and salvage, the Brellman Corporation owns it.”
“That’s astounding Hollis but what makes you think that Brellman owns it?” Jean asked. “Kinsdale surveyed this world 5 years ago which started the Spear project and placed all of us here.”
“Well my dear the reason is that Brellman surveyed this planet first. They crashed in that small ravine. Badly injured, the two man crew perished within days but not before uploading a survey data package back to Brellman. It was obviously hacked by Kinsdale who quickly sent their own survey ship.”
“But if that’s true then why is this planet owned by Kinsdale?” asked Jean.
“That’s obvious my dear,” Meska said. “Kinsdale wiped out all trace of the first survey craft and claimed the planet.”
Noel and Max exchanged knowing glances. What Meska was telling them had to be true. They had already discovered a covert plot to shield the ravine from detailed scans. It was obvious that the company would protect that knowledge at all costs and their lives were all suddenly in grave danger.
“Hollis, why did you say that Trellis II was the source of KT?” Jean asked.
Meska looked at each of the others in the room and then settled his gaze on Jean before answering. “My dear, the rings from Trellis I that are always bathing this planet are composed of micro particles of the raw material which constitutes KT ore. Over millennia, KT dust deposits and stellar materials created this planet. But the real discovery is that the ore is active.”
“Doctor what do you mean by…active?” Faye asked.
“The simple answer…the KT here is in a state such as one would have inside a reactor,” he said pausing for a moment to let that sink in. “The gravity and radiation of this ecosystem is similar to the mechanism of activation inside a KT reactor. Kinsdale accidentally learned how to energize the particles, but here they are already energized and the crystal lattice structure aligned to produce energy. Energy the likes of which mankind has never seen.”
Around the room there was stunned silence as each person went through a set of emotions. Everyone was shocked by this revelation but also inwardly reviewing their own purpose for being here. This news would change human history but there was also every reason to be frightened of this power in the wrong hands.
“We have to tell Earth!” Jean said excitedly. “We have the ability to bring millions of people out of poverty and subservience to the corporations. Just think of the good we can do for everyone.”
“Jean…Hold on…I’m afraid we can’t do that,” Noel said. “We are only 5 people against the entire Kinsdale Corporation and they will do anything to keep this for themselves including killing each and every one of us.”
“Yes my love,” Max said taking his wife’s hand. “Noel is correct. We must think this through carefully. There is more here than the discovery. We now have the responsibility that goes with it. I suspect it will be a much larger burden than we think it is at this moment.”
They were silent for a few moments letting everything sink in. It was almost too much to handle at one time.
Noel suddenly bolted upright. “The company man…Naldo, his data may have discovered more than we wish to share right now.”
“Oh don’t you worry about him; I have him locked up tight as a drum in the laboratory.” Meska said. “He’s not going anywhere. He happened to stumble onto some of my earlier work in the lab including the reverse engineered KT reactor. Then he had the audacity to try and kill me with that little assassin gun of his, so I’ve…imprisoned him.”
Max and Noel jumped from the table and ran to the lab. They couldn’t hear anything so they opened the hatch. There, sitting on a cot was Naldo but facing towards the left side of the door frame and he seemed to be busy with something in his hands. Noel’s training took over and he was ready to leap while Naldo was distracted but as he took the first step into the lab he was stopped cold by the energy field.
“What the hell!”
The others had followed to the lab door and were seeing the energy field for the first time.
“I told you he was confined,” Meska said confidently. “Energy fields were some of my …earlier creations. I assure you he cannot leave unless I allow him.”
Naldo had not been idle in the lab. He had searched the perimeter of the energy field and discovered that it extended to the complete circumference of the lab. I have to get out of here and get this data back to Kindale he thought. Knowing the good doctor’s hubris would have him coming around sooner or later to check his welfare, he would be ready. He identified a few pieces of lab equipment. Moving these together near the hatch, and opening up the panels exposing the power packs. He then moved the cot into clear view of the hatch and also to have a clean line of sight to the open equipment. From outside it would look like his back was slightly turned.
When the hatch opened, Naldo started firing his weapon at the power packs. After about 5 seconds they exploded but he was far enough away to avoid the shrapnel. The lab filled with dense smoke. The explosion was seen outside the hatch but not felt. There was a flash and sound of the explosion but no shockwave. The energy shield had prevented that.
“Meska!” Noel shouted. “You have to deactivate this NOW…we may need him alive to negotiate with Earth.”
Meska conceded and with a thought connected to his reactor and deactivated the field. The smoke started to immediately pour out into the corridor temporarily blinding Noel and the others. At that moment Naldo used the opportunity to strike. He started firing blindly at the hatch corridor and was rewarded with a scream and several cries of pain. He crashed into someone and they rolled onto the floor struggling briefly but he was prepared for this and escaped. He made it outside to his rover and roared off towards the landing pad.
Inside the habitat there was pandemonium. Noel had underestimated the speed at which Naldo had attacked them. The man had obvious special training. He knew someone was down and several others were hurt. He sprinted for the outside hatch and made it just in time to see Naldo roaring off. He could still possibly catch him with the other rover but Faye could be hurt inside. He chose to let Naldo go and went back to help the others.
As he arrived back on the scene the smoke had cleared and Max was sitting up against a bulkhead in a groggy, disoriented state but appeared otherwise fine. Jean was on the floor and seemed to be in some pain. Faye was busily attaching med packs to Meska in several locations. He could see that there was a burn on Meska’s chest and at the temples.
“Faye!” Noel shouted. “Are you alright?”
“I’m OK…but you need to check Jean…She has burns on her arm and neck.”
All of the researchers were well versed in extensive medical training as they had undergone three years of preparation for this mission. Knowing that help could not arrive in time for any major accident, they were trained to handle
almost any situation short of major surgery.
Noel grabbed a med kit and using the synthetic barrier spray, quickly sprayed Jeans neck and arm burns. The spray would anesthetize the area, provide antibiotics and act as a flexible dressing until her skin healed. Checking a med scanner he confirmed there was no other injury and moved on to check Max.
“Hey buddy, stay with me ok. I’m just going to check out that big stubborn head of yours.”
Max made a few incoherent sounds and tried to focus on his friend. Noel used the scanner and confirmed what he expected to find, a mild concussion. He fastened a med pack to Max’s upper arm that would deliver meds to clear his head and he moved on to help Faye.
“How is he?” Noel asked.
“Not good,” she said. “It looks like there was damage to the heart and possibly to the brain. The med packs can heal some of this, possibly even the heart but nothing can help if he has brain damage.”
A few minutes later, Hollis Meska opened his eyes. He was in severe pain in spite of the med packs and it seemed as though he was in a dream…fighting to say something. He knew what had happened but he couldn’t seem to connect his thoughts to his voice and make actual words. He could see the concern in Faye and Noel’s faces and thought perhaps he had judged them too harshly. He had to protect them all. He concentrated and was able to say just one word…protect… At the same time he accessed his KT reactor and with supreme effort, fed a pre-planned sequence to the device and then collapsed into unconsciousness.
While the researchers were handling the medical conditions in the habitat, it had taken Naldo only a few minutes to reach the spaceport and order the pilots to liftoff immediately. With his level access and orders from the chairman, the pilots obeyed without question. As they were ascending there seemed to be a haze forming in the atmosphere below. In seconds it was gone but left behind a shimmer of gold.