by J. N. Chaney
I didn’t know the answer. All I thought I knew was what I saw, and even then, I couldn’t be certain of it. “This sighting was documented by a single Celestial,” Carl continued. “Beyond that, no additional sightings have been reported. The architecture of these buildings does not appear in any Celestial structure, nor any by human or Eternal.”
“That you know of,” she pointed out. “There could be missing information.”
Carl paused as though that idea hadn’t occurred to him before. It certainly hadn’t to me. “That is a possibility,” he finally admitted. “The Celestials, intelligent as they are, have never been without faults. Their knowledge extends only so far.”
“You told me we were in an empty area of space when I saw that,” I reminded him. “So, what could it be?”
He stayed silent for a moment.
“You don’t know, do you?” said Abigail in a quiet tone.
“I can only hypothesize, and even then, not with any certainty,” Carl said.
“I know!” Lex piped up, looking at the three of us with all the wisdom of a child who was totally and absolutely sure of themselves. “They’re still inside it. They live in the tunnel and they’ve never left.”
Abigail stared at Lex. “That’s not possible. Is it?” she asked, turning her eyes on Carl.
“Of course not,” I told her. “If ships come into physical contact with the tunnel walls, they’re destroyed. I’ve seen it happen. It’s not pretty.”
Carl looked thoughtful. “Admittedly, I have no alternative to offer. However, I have to agree. The concept would require a level of technology even greater than the Celestials have acquired.”
I glanced up curiously. “What do you mean ‘acquired’? Didn’t the Celestials come up with all of this on their own?”
“I am not sure, Captain Hughes.” His hairless brows drew together as though he was confused.
Both Abigail and I turned our full attention on the Celestial Cognitive. “How can you not know?” I asked.
“It appears that I don’t have access to all of that information.”
Abigail frowned. “Isn’t that what happened before? The Celestials blocked some of your data?”
“That is my assumption, Miss Pryar. I am working on the issue now.” Carl went still, his eyes flickering.
“That doesn’t sound promising,” I muttered.
“Did I do something wrong?” Lex asked. She looked up at me with wide, innocent eyes, and I shook my head.
“Nah, Lex. In fact, you might have helped us learn something.”
“Really?” Her expression brightened.
“That’s right. Except for the sticky fingers.” I gave her a mock accusing look. “That wasn’t my last deki fruit, was it?”
Lex grinned cheekily at me but said nothing.
“That’s what I thought.”
Carl unfroze before I could say more. “The information is restricted; however, I was able to procure an answer. A simple matter to bypass the firewalls now that Tartarus is no longer tied to the Celestial network.”
“And?” I prompted, moving my hand in a “get on with it” motion.
“The slip drive used in Celestial technology differs from, say, what is currently in the Renegade Star or the Union vessels.”
“In what way?” Abigail asked.
“Unknown at this time. Not because the data is inaccessible, but because it does not exist. The records speak of the Celestials discovering this technology and adopting it for their own modes of travel.”
I didn’t respond right away, because this was new information and I just didn’t know what to say. The Celestials had acquired this technology, according to Carl, which meant it had been developed by someone else. I’d never even considered another race, but what could that mean? Had the Eternals developed a greater form of travel than what we’d seen on Earth or with Titan? They were certainly advanced enough to hollow out their own planet and build a city at its core, but even then, the whole reason for doing that was to create the largest slip tunnel ever conceived. Tartarus was a ship, and it didn’t rely on a planet full of Neutronian to open a slip tunnel. If it had, we were still using a totally different kind of slipspace than the one we’d used before, even back in the Earth’s core. No, this was something new. It was unprecedented.
So where had it come from?
“You’re saying they found it,” I muttered. “They didn’t make it themselves?”
“That is correct,” said Carl.
Lex muttered something under her breath.
“What did you say?” I asked.
“Prometheus,” she repeated. “Dr. Hitchens read us a story about him. It talks about a god who gave humans fire.”
“Exactly how many stories is that guy telling you, Lex?” I turned my attention back to Carl. “Do your records say who they stole this from?” I asked.
“I’m afraid not,” he admitted.
I sighed. “Find out everything you can about the Celestials and how they got their technology. I’m willing to bet their slip drives aren’t the only thing they’ve ‘acquired’ over the centuries.”
Abigail, Lex, and I headed to Dressler’s lab. The kid had another session to test her resistance for phasing. Once we got there, I told the good doctor all about our conversation with Carl.
“Well, that’s quite the story, Captain.” She held the phasing cuff in her hands and turned it over as she considered. “I’m not sure what you are proposing.”
“Honestly, Doc, neither am I. Truth is, I’ve got no idea what to make of it all.”
Abigail spoke next, but I saw her keeping a watchful eye on Lex. That was a good idea because the girl had been so prone to getting into things lately. “Jace, you told Carl to look into what other tech the Celestials might have discovered. What are you thinking?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “Just a hunch. I get the feeling that the Celestials might not be as advanced as we think.” At her curious look, I tapped Lex on the shoulder. “What’s that story you were going to tell?”
She scrunched up her face and thought back to what I was referring to. “About Prometheus and fire?”
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
“Oh. Well, Dr. Hitchens told us that there was a god from ancient times named Prometheus. He felt bad for the humans on Earth—this was way before they left or even had any technology—so he gave them fire. After they got it, the humans stopped worshipping the gods.”
Her words got me wondering and I turned to Abigail. “Maybe the Celestials are only as powerful as they are because they found some ancient tech. Not saying it was Promisteus or whoever, just that it could be a different advanced race. Could be they aren’t even alive anymore.”
Lex giggled. “You’re silly, Mr. Hughes. Not Promisteus. Prometheus.”
I tousled her hair. “Sure, kid.”
“Ah,” said Dr. Dressler. “I see what you’re getting at. Perhaps there would be no Celestials if the advanced tech hadn’t been found.”
“Exactly,” I replied. “But, more to the point, who the hell could have created it? We thought the Celestials were the pinnacle and now we find out they might have just gotten lucky.”
Dressler’s pad beeped, prompting her to pull it from her pocket. The smile that lit her face rivaled any I’d ever seen from the serious woman. “It’s an interesting idea. One we’ll have to discuss later. There is something that Davon and I must show you and Miss Pryar.”
“Now?” I couldn’t believe there was something more pressing than this, but if she said so, it must be pretty damn important.
The doc bobbed her head in confirmation.
“I’ll let Shaw know,” said Abigail.
“Do that,” answered Dressler. “Because we have something that will change the tide of this war.
I stood in the lab with Abigail and Rackham, waiting for Vick and Sanchez to arrive. Will change, Dr. Dressler had said. Not could. Whatever she and Davon found was no small thing and I was itching to know more, but s
he refused until everyone was here.
The other two arrived a few minutes later. Vick looked tired and Sanchez had deep shadows under his eyes. A product of watching one’s home system get ravaged by the enemy.
“Okay, Doc. Everyone’s here, now tell us what’s so hot,” I ordered.
She and Davon exchanged a glance, nodding once in unison. “As you all know, I have been working on phasing technology and how we can use it against the Celestials.”
This was true, but only partially. We had finally decided that the Union and Empire should be informed of Dressler’s work, just not all of it. For example, they had no idea that we were running human trials, or that said human trials had been successful. This was mostly because I hadn’t thought it was a good idea to hand over that kind of tech just yet.
The Alliance was strong, but new. Something like this could upset what had been built and I didn’t want anyone trying to use it coming out ahead. I trusted Vick and Sanchez well enough, but not their superiors. So, she’d begun filtering her work to Davon and the two had begun to run non-human trials to see what applications phasing could be used for. It was a pretty easy bet that we were about to find out.
Davon’s grin took up most of the lower half of his face. Another good sign, even though I’d always been told not to trust a smiling Sarkonian. “This is very exciting. Dr. Dressler and I were finally able to reconfigure the hard light cuffs that the Berserkers wear.”
The Vice Admiral’s uninterested gaze snapped up to Davon’s eyes and he stood a little straighter. “Are you saying we have access to hard light weaponry now?”
Dr. Davon jerked his chin excitedly. “Yes. We have mocked up an assortment of accessories to try, including weapons.”
My eyes widened and I caught Abigail’s attention. With everything going on, neither of us knew the two doctors had made so much progress. Suddenly, Davon’s smile seemed the perfect response. Sanchez stayed a little more poised, but from the way he leaned in, giving Davon his full attention, I could tell the major was enthralled.
“Care to give us a demonstration?” I inquired.
“I thought you would never ask,” Dressler replied. She stepped back to reveal a table and swept an arm over the contents.
It didn’t look like much to me, but I knew looks could be deceiving, especially when it came to Celestial technology. Hell, the Berserker’s cuff could have been a silver bracelet and one might not have been any wiser.
Davon clapped his hands together eagerly. “What would you like to see first?”
Sanchez stepped forward. I didn’t begrudge the man that, given what had just happened to White Cross. A quick look of agreement passed between Vick and me and we let Sanchez choose.
“After studying the Rangers’ long-range weaponry, we were able to reconfigure one of them,” explained Davon. “Only a prototype.”
Sanchez frowned and started to step back. “Oh. That is somewhat disappointing. I hoped you meant bullets.”
The grin on Davon’s face grew even wider. “That’s precisely what we meant. Dr. Dressler and I were able to simulate something that I think you’ll be happy with.”
I wasn’t sure what to think about this development. Both the Union and the Sarkonians had samples of the hard light cuffs. It would only have been a matter of time before they figured out how to make them work, but old habits died hard and I felt uneasy. My mind went beyond the military, to the future. Eventually this technology would leak and be available on the black market. It was certainly something I would have found myself smuggling. But I couldn’t worry about that now. Dealing with the Celestials had to come first.
Davon selected a pistol from the table and motioned for us to follow him. Part of a mobile armor suit had been fashioned into a target and he now took aim. The doctor squared his hips into a surprisingly good shooting stance, took aim, and squeezed the trigger. The motion was fast, too fast to see with the naked eye. Davon’s gun popped up and a flash of blue erupted from the barrel. Then there was a hole in the armor as the energy projectile struck home.
“Amazing,” murmured Rackham. The lieutenant watched with canny eyes, the wheels already turning. I liked that about the man. I knew in that tactically minded head he was coming up with scenarios and the best way to utilize this new advancement.
Vick, too, looked happy. “This is just what we’ve been waiting for. What else do you have to show us, doctors?”
This time, Dr. Dressler moved forward and pointed at something on the table. “I think this might be of particular interest. The Berserkers used long blades. A surprising choice, given how outdated they are. However, since they were usually impervious to most weapons, they would have time to get up close and personal in a fight.”
I suppressed a groan, hoping she wasn’t about to try and convince us to take up sword play. Bladed weapons weren’t even close to being something I was comfortable with and I sure as gods didn’t want them attached to my wrists. Abigail’s grimace mirrored my inner thoughts.
The wide metal band that Dressler held up didn’t look like the cuff though, so I waited to hear what she had to say.
“These will produce shorter, but similar blades. Good if you find yourself in close quarter combat with any opponent.” She fixed the band to her own wrist and held it out. Almost instantly, it sprang to life. A trio of blades slid out along her forearm.
She mimed being in a fight and made like she was jabbing someone with her elbow. The move looked pretty smooth and I wondered absently if she’d been training with someone. A certain former Constable, perhaps.
In any case, I could see just how deadly the smaller blades would be in a fight. They were just miniature versions of what the Celestials used. If I’d had these when the scout attacked Verdun, I could have been saved some major hurt. No use dwelling on that, however.
The two scientists began to run through the rest of the weapons for us—short combat blades, energy-based pistols and shotguns, even a kind of coiled gun that fired actual lightning blasts, although it was still in the testing phase.
There was just one problem. We only had a limited number of cuffs. It would take time to make more. “Don’t get me wrong, Doc, this is great. But how does it turn things around in our favor if we don’t have enough to outfit more than a handful of people?”
Dressler sent me a sly smile. “Have some faith. Weapons aren’t everything. This is just what you’re seeing right now. Davon and I have also been working on phasing.”
“Don’t hold out on us,” I said. “Just say it.”
“Very well.” The smile on her face widened. “We can now phase an entire ship.”
17
For once, Vick was rendered speechless.
Sanchez spoke first, his aristocratic tone marred slightly by the shock. “Phasing a whole ship of that magnitude? That can’t be possible.”
The idea would have been crazy if it weren’t for all I had already seen. I couldn’t begin to understand how they made it happen, but it would seem our resident geniuses had found a way.
“It is, I assure you, Major Sanchez.” Davon was nearly bubbling with excitement now. “We started running the tests on drones, then smaller ships over the past few days, and have worked out all the kinks.”
My eyes flashed over to Dressler. “What ships? You didn’t mess with the Star, did you?”
“No, Captain Hughes. I did not try out an experimental phasing device with your beloved ship. I did outfit the Renegade Star with the modifications once testing was complete. It worked just fine.”
I stared at her slack-jawed. “You did what?”
Abigail squeezed my arm and gave a little shake of her head. I dropped it, but the doctor and I were going to have a little discussion about this later.
Dressler waved my concern away. “Perfectly safe, and Sigmond assured me that all was well.”
“Dr. Dressler is right,” said Rackham. “This is going to change everything. How many ships can you update before we get to the Na
vi system?”
She grimaced at the question. “The modification is limited at the moment. We only have two units completed and it will take too long before more are ready. However, Sigmond did the legwork and calculated how many strike ships we could hide using the Dawn. The number is substantial, in the thousands. It should be of significant help.”
“Good,” said Vick, finally breaking his awed silence. “Then we best start moving as many able fighters as we have available. The Renegade Star can go to the surface, along with other dropships. It’s about time these Celestials got a taste of what we can do.”
I agreed with the Vice Admiral. The Celestials had been a looming threat for so long. Too long. The Alliance had been reacting thus far, even when we thought we were on the offensive. At any point if things had gone a slightly different way, we might have lost everything. With this new technology, we might actually have a fighting chance.
“Is the Dawn updated already?” I asked, checking my pad for the time. “We only have a few more hours until we hit the last S.G. Point.”
“Certainly. She’s all set,” said Dressler. “The only thing left to do is turn it on. The carrier can phase before we leave the rift and take the Celestials by surprise.”
“Good. Get it done. This is great work, Doc,” I added.
She smiled. “As the Vice Admiral said, we’re going to show them what we can do.”
It occurred to me later that there was always the chance that the Celestials wouldn’t attack Priscilla. There had to be a dozen other top secret Union facilities between White Cross and the Navi system. Hell, there could be others in the Navi system for all I knew.
When I brought this possibility up to Vick, he hadn’t said so outright, but something about the way his eyes shifted told me I wasn’t far off. After a little prodding, he agreed that it would be a good idea to check. Still, there wasn’t a lot we could do until we actually got to our destination because we weren’t all that far behind the enemy.
“Well?” I asked, standing on the bridge of the Star as soon as we exited slip space. Octavia and Alphonse were with Abigail aboard the Galactic Dawn. I had Freddie and Petra with me though, as well as Lex.