Sacrifice

by T. Y. Carew

  “Welcome to Rokku-Sai. The Cordak are pleased to see new faces and show our progress to you, especially when the mighty lady Matt is here to visit.” As if this had been some pre-arranged cue, Matt came hurrying forward and hugged the much larger and taller alien.

  “Thank you, Darka,” she said before introducing everyone to him. She tried to keep the introductions brief, letting Darka have the option to talk, but the usually chatty Cordak was almost as quiet, merely sticking to formalities before he ushered everyone towards the submarine. This one was one of the largest the Cordak manufactured, but it would still be cramped, causing Xander to linger behind the group.

  As the last few humans entered the craft, Xander caught Darka glancing skywards more than once, the smile gone from his face. He made a mental note to check the Cordak scientist was all right as soon as he got an opportunity to do so discretely. This wasn't like Darka at all.

  Since the last time Xander had been on Rokku-Sai, the deployment of habitats and equipment had progressed, everything significantly better hidden and running with the usual gentle efficiency the Cordak race embodied. None of them ever looked to be hurried or stressed, their progress appearing plodding but steady due to their bulk and mannerisms.

  The submarine passed by several well placed small habitats, mostly sleeping quarters for the Cordak, with one looking distinctly more human, with smaller windows and a smaller hatch to allow craft in. All of them were placed out of the way, under stable rocky ledges or within enough aquatic plant and sea life that any life signs would be hard to distinguish from orbit as anything other than native animals.

  “You've done a good job of keeping everything concealed here, Darka,” Xander said, trying to ignore the conversations going on around him. Once more, certain members of the delegation were making their displeasure at the travel method known.

  Darka beamed as they came closer to a large hole within a massive pillar of rock. The submarine just passed through the gap, the lights then illuminating a large cavern. Inside was one of the major reasons they'd come to the planet. A large circular device with alien engravings was slowly turning on the rock face, boring and mining Adamanta as it did.

  Drew's voice immediately cut through the chatter, pointing it out and explaining his theory of how it worked. As they came closer, the submarine slowed and the lights dimmed further until Darka stopped the craft and held them at a certain distance.

  The investors showed only a cursory interest, more concerned with how long they'd be under water than what the technology was doing and how. Xander gave Drew an apologetic look as the engineer returned to his seat.

  “Darka, why don't you take us to the end of the lake nearest the caves?” Matt said as she came forward, having to slide past Kepernick to do so. Instead of immediately complying with her request, Darka shot Xander a look, hesitating.

  “I thought habitats and research labs would be better. To see alien artifacts and bits of technology recovered from the lake floor.”

  “We saw several habitats on Corda-Mara. And I think the alien remains in the caves will be more interesting. Please, Darka.” Matt added the last two words more quietly, but still the Cordak hesitated. Something was bothering him, but he wouldn't say, instead bringing the submarine back to life and reversing out of the cave.

  As Matt returned to her seat, Xander leaned closer so he could whisper near Darka's ear.

  “What's bothering you?” he asked. Darka glanced behind at the others, checking they were once again engrossed as Matt explained where they'd be going next and tried to make the delegation interested once more.

  “I do not know what it was, but our sensors picked up something yesterday. It was possibly Beltine.”

  Xander frowned, not pleased about the news. If the Beltine were nearby, the caves was the last place they wanted to be. It was not only unsafe in terms of detection by the alien race, but also anyone in there would have to fight their way out or run the risk of being overwhelmed if the aliens showed up in any significant numbers.

  “Do you know any more than that?” he asked, aware Matt wouldn't want to put off the visit to the caves if it could be helped.

  “No. It was one of the sensors on the far ridge. The human technology is something our engineers do not understand well. If Drew or Xander would wish to see, more might be learned.” Darka looked sheepish despite the problem not being his fault. When Simon Dantos had pulled his funding of the project, the human race had pulled all their engineers from the planet and the Cordak were left with equipment and technology they'd not been fully trained to use. If anyone should be apologetic, it should be Xander on behalf of his race.

  It did make up his mind on a course of action, however.

  As the submarine reached the surface and the small platform the Cordak had created out of hydrogel on the far side of the lake, Xander moved to keep Matt back briefly.

  “Go carefully. Darka is worried about something one of our sensors picked up on. I'm going to go check it out.”

  “You taking Drew?” she asked, otherwise seemingly unfazed by the news. He nodded, attracting Drew's attention next. A moment later he also motioned to catch Paton's attention.

  While Matt was getting the attention of the delegates and encouraging them to come a few hundred meters with her and Trey towards a herd of Velociquus, he hung back with Paton.

  “I've reason to suspect the possibility of trouble. Help Matt in any way she needs. I know you officially outrank her, but she knows what she's doing here better than the rest of us. If the Beltine arrive, do whatever you need to do to keep the civilians safe. Matt will be the best asset in battle, but she pushes herself far beyond where she ought to. I want you to protect her as much as them, if not more.”

  “Understood,” Paton replied, meeting his gaze, the meaning clear. They both knew that where the Beltine were concerned people often died, and yet they were still serving in the very thick of the war. If needed, Paton would give his life for the people he was with, and Xander couldn't ask any more from anyone. He even felt guilty asking that much. Matt was his responsibility, but he couldn't be in two places at once and he needed to know what the threat might be to make better decisions.

  As each of the delegation was persuaded to follow Trey's example and mount one of the creatures that had been beckoned over, Xander couldn't help but grin. They were a cross between a horse and a velociraptor but significantly more friendly and sentient than either. Matt's eyes lit up as she was the last to mount her own, and then she was off, barely a backward glance to him and Drew as they stood waiting with Darka.

  “Come on,” he said. “The sooner we get to this sensor and find out what it picked up the sooner we can go join the others and have some fun, too.”

  Chapter 3

  Matt felt the wind whipping her hair around behind her head as the Vel she rode ran through the field, up the slight incline and towards the cave network. She'd missed riding the amazing creatures and felt a special bond with this one in particular. It had come right to her, seemingly recognizing her, as she had it. The last and first time she'd been on the planet they'd spent a lot of time together and had even fought the Beltine side by side in battle on one occasion.

  The potential investors around her had mixed reactions to the animals, Adam once more being the most enthusiastic, while Margaret was the most tentative. Surprisingly, Katrina seemed to take naturally to the ride, having evidently ridden either horses or something similar in the past. It was the first sign that something they were doing held any interest for the woman and gave Matt a deep feeling of relief.

  The men were of varied competence, Karl Granger often looking like he might fall off at any moment. Trey rode close to him, concentrating on the creature he rode, evidently using whatever sixth sense bond they seemed to share to help out. Not for the first time, Matt was grateful to have the burly Lentarin along with her, especially when she lacked Xander by her side.

  Although she'd not complained when he'd told her
he was going somewhere else, she'd immediately felt less at ease. His very presence reassured her, but she also wouldn't forget her experiences on Phoenix almost eighteen months earlier in a hurry. She didn't like being in command of others herself. It was too easy to get people killed by accident, and far too hard not to second guess herself. She didn't know how he did it every day.

  A small part of her had wanted to show him and Drew what had been in the caves, as well. Xander still hadn't stepped foot in them, having been far too busy the last time they were stationed on the planet, and although Drew had seen some of it, and videos of other areas, he'd never made it to the most interesting parts.

  Not to mention all the awkward feelings she had towards Xander and how little time she’d had to process them. After missing the opportunity to see The Tempest with him on Netera, the pair hadn’t had even a second truly alone together. How was she meant to work out how she felt about him when they were never allowed to be her sole focus?

  Matt sighed as Granger wobbled again and proved her point. Right now, securing investors was more important than her emotional attachment to her commanding officer and just how appropriate it was.

  When they arrived at the caves, Matt helped everyone else dismount and gave the group a quick glance over. Without needing any instruction from her, Paton positioned two of his team in the middle of the group and took up the rear with the other member, letting her and Trey lead, with the delegation safely in between them.

  “Hello,” Henton, one of the Cordak scientists said as soon as they stepped into the small permanent camp the aliens had set up in the first large chamber in the cave network. “You are sooner than expected.”

  Matt apologized, knowing the race had hoped to show the investors more of their technology and what they'd created. In truth, it wasn't interesting to the humans, despite being impressive in its own right. It wasn't something the human race could easily implement for themselves, and unfortunately the human species as a whole was often too short-sighted to care about anything they couldn't use for their own direct benefit.

  “Shall we begin the tour?” she asked when there was an awkward pause. The Cordak nodded, but still didn't say anything more, making her wonder how much English he could speak. It was a good thing she'd read up on the current state of things so she could explain as much as possible, especially given Drew was also no longer there to help her.

  “Our first destination is related to the alien technology we saw earlier,” Matt continued, speaking loud enough everyone would be able to hear her as she lifted a set of Adamanta cameras with her mind and positioned them by the entrance. They'd be unnecessary once they reached their final destination, but after Xander's change of plans she wanted a backup till she reached the camera room.

  She tried to keep up conversation, answering questions and pointing out things of interest as they passed through the tunnels, but it was clear the delegation weren't fans of walking in the dark. She didn't blame them. The Cordak race didn't need as much light to see as humans did, and the cables of pulsing light that ran along their path weren't quite enough for the humans to be comfortable.

  It only partially concerned her, however. Once more, she could feel the pull of untapped and unused Adamanta up ahead, and it disrupted her communication with her own equipment back at the entrance.

  She noticed it wasn't as bad as her previous visit, her abilities still growing stronger and her own Adamanta easier to control than ever before. Continued training paid off, that was sure. It also probably helped that all the demonstrations she'd done lately had been pushing her limits on a more regular basis than the occasional fraught battle did.

  Relief still flooded through her when she reached the forge area of the cave network and felt the hush of awe pass over the group. Giving them a moment to merely admire the automatic smelting process the Cordak had got back up and running, she reached for her cameras with her mind. She had to close her eyes to really concentrate on them, but even with so much Adamanta around her and nearby she could just about connect to them and see what they did, something that would have been impossible only a month or two earlier.

  Matt felt a small smug grin spread across her face.

  “Can you literally connect with all the Adamanta, like, feel it or something? Kepernick asked, disturbing her and bringing her back to the present. She shook her head, the fact that she did feel it tugging on her mind, calling to her to connect with it, her best kept secret. She couldn't put how it felt into words and didn't want anyone to worry if they misunderstood the process.

  So far she knew of no one else so powerful or aware of Adamanta that the raw untapped metal tried to connect to them instead of the other way around. After all, the metal didn't have a life of its own, and she was still the one who decided if it happened or not.

  “I want to know why an alien race would go to all this effort to mine Adamanta and then abandon the planet, especially with the Beltine threat out there,” Karl said, drawing everyone's attention as he poked at some of the strange symbols on the side of a large slowly turning piece of rock-based machinery.

  “Actually, we have progress there,” Henton said before Matt could reply. “We think they lived before the Beltine ever came here. Need more work on translation, but the race is dead, we think, or gone to another galaxy.”

  “Gone to another galaxy?” Margaret's eyes went wide as she exclaimed.

  Henton nodded. This was news to Matt as well, but she hid her shock. It wouldn't help encourage them to invest in her projects if they thought she wasn't even on top of the latest developments. She was surprised Darka hadn't included it in his last message, however.

  “We'll know soon,” Henton continued, pride evident in his voice as he also puffed up his chest. “I lead translation team. We make good progress despite lack of help promised.”

  “Well, hopefully we can work together to get the last of the work done. I know Drew is keen to make more of a contribution, and I'll come back here as often as I'm allowed. There's so much to learn from the technology left behind here.” Matt took control of the tour again, ushering everyone onward.

  She took them down more refined, manufactured tunnels, past statues of the alien race, an evidently bipedal one not too dissimilar to the human race in many ways. This caused more questions, especially when she let out a whistle at the right moment and a secret, previously unobservable door swung open.

  Inside was a storage room of sorts that the humans had stumbled upon during their first visit. The Cordak had been using it since, but it created more questions about finding others like it. Once again, it was an area where the humans had let their research partners down.

  The Cordak race struggled with the phonics necessary to test if other notes and whistles could trigger other hidden secrets. As it was, to open this one they used a recording of a human voice, their bodies unable to produce the whistling sound in the same way. It was amazing that they'd even discovered the initial trigger. A fluke that had swollen the heads of the two soldiers who'd managed it.

  It gave Matt the opportunity to once again give the civilians a direct reason to consider investing. Who knew what other secrets this planet guarded that only they could unlock if they invested. This seemed to hold some weight with Karl, and for the first time he took an interest in the science of it.

  “I know a professor at Netera Academy whose expertise might be useful. He teaches and does research in the area of phonics, and one of his modules is based on phonic encryption and voice recognition. He's responsible for the development a few years back of the security system DynCorp are now famous for.”

  “I'm sure we'd love to involve him. Please pass my details on to him. It would require the same security checks and NDAs you yourself underwent, but we'd be very grateful for his expertise.” Matt smiled at the elderly man, hoping her request would be honored if nothing else. He seemed to straighten up in response, evidently pleased with the idea of making an introduction.

  Yes,
Matt thought. Finally making some progress with this lot.

  “We have one more secret here we'd like to show you,” she said, deciding to capitalize on the current interest while keeping the mystery going. “Something that could revolutionize the way we monitor our own planets and implement early warning systems against the Beltine.”

  She was spouting Drew's excited chatter about the room, not her own. The science was beyond her, and she didn't doubt it would take time to actually gather enough information and implement anything they did learn themselves, but it might just tempt these men and women enough.

  They were only half way to the room when her radio and that of the other soldiers crackled, Xander's voice coming in and out as he tried to reach them. She frowned as she adjusted the frequency, trying to get a clearer reading. Paton did the same at the back of the group, their eyes meeting briefly, the only parts of them showing concern.

  “Colonel, can you repeat?” Matt said as she continued to adjust and listen, but only more crackling garbled words came through, words that had a definite note of urgent command to them.

  While Paton kept trying to reach Xander, she tried to connect with her cameras by the entrance of the caves. The connection was even harder than before, but she could just about see that the camp was still all clear and fine.

  “Is something wrong?” Margaret asked, her voice calm despite the query.

  “Not that I can tell so far. I think we'd best keep moving,” Matt said, her eyes once again flicking to Paton's. He gave her an almost imperceptible nod as he hung back a meter or so, continuing to try and reach the colonel. They both knew, though, the farther they went into the cave network the less likely they would be to reach their commanding officer.

  The signal through the caves had been boosted while the humans were still involved in the project on the planet, but even then it had lacked the necessary equipment to get the communications to penetrate the whole way through. Now it was back to where it had been before. The Cordak just didn't rely on the same sort of communication system, or spend as much time in the caves as the humans had.