Artifact: Rise Of Mankind Book 6

by John Walker

  “There you are.” Krilan dropped the blade. “Good day.”

  The Final Star performed a jump and left the system. The screen went dark then showed empty space. Gray sat down in the chair and clenched his fists. No one spoke. Shock washed over them all and even as the horror they witnessed processed, words simply seemed inappropriate. But they didn’t have time to wallow.

  Leonard broke the silence, clearing his throat to lead the way. He turned in his seat, clearly struggling to maintain a placid, professional expression. “Captain, I’ve got the scanners trying to find their destination now but it’ll be tricky.”

  “We may have another lead,” Adam added. He also clenched his fist so tightly his arm shook. “The man they stole the star chart from is still alive in our medical bay…though he may not be for long. He might have some idea of where they were gone, some concept of what they want. Whatever drove them…well…I’d like to know what the Lieutenant died for.”

  “Agreed.” Gray stood up and drew a deep breath. “Let’s cover all our bases. I’ll head down and speak to the patient. You all keep doing what you can to locate where they went. When we’ve got what we need, we’ll track this son of a bitch down and take care of him. No one takes a break until we’ve got him.”

  “Sir,” Adam drew closer, lowering his voice. “Some of these folks have been on for over a shift and a half so far.”

  “Leslie deserves our attention on this matter until it’s totally resolved,” Gray replied. “I’m pretty sure no one here has it in them to leave while her murderer’s at large. Put your best foot forward today, ladies and gentlemen. We’re upping our game.”

  ***

  Doctor Laura Brand took in a variety of casualties from the colony, those too hurt to be cared for by triage and couldn’t wait for the relief of alliance military. They filled up the sick bay along with some of their own. A couple pilots who were hurt during ejection, a man with a nasty electrical burn across his back from a shorted out panel in engineering and the marines who were shot on the surface fighting with the Orion’s Light thugs.

  She went through the roster of injuries, coordinating the medical staff to ensure everyone received treatment in the order of criticality. Checking the computer, she started a plan for her own rounds to check the work of her subordinates. There were some nasty ones but perhaps none as bad as the kielan named Varlin Ki’Lotk.

  Marine guards brought him in and they waited outside. Laura asked them if the man was dangerous but all they’d give her was that they wanted to know when he woke up. Also, some of their own were there so she knew a bunch of their men would be filling the halls shortly. They didn’t require her to restrain him so she assumed he’d be okay.

  When she got over to his table, she knew it was lucky he was alive at all. The blow to his shoulder looked ghastly even after being all cleaned up. The exit wound was large enough to put her fist in. Her scans showed he lost a great deal of blood, enough that they were giving him a transfusion in an attempt to save his life.

  His breathing remained steady though so the doctor who worked on him did an excellent job of stabilizing him. Thank God for a small favor. I’m impressed. Doctor Stavers deserves a commendation for this. His experience with kielan physiology is more impressive than I would’ve guessed.

  Captain Atwell entered the room and hurried directly over to her. “Is this Varlin?”

  “Hello, Captain,” Laura said but she could tell he wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries. “Yes, this is him. He’s lucky to be alive if you’re curious.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. We need to talk to him pretty much immediately.”

  “As you can see, he’s not feeling particularly chatty.” Laura scowled at the look he gave her, an expectant expression that suggested he didn’t care. “Are you serious right now? Do you want to see his wound beneath that bandage? Would that give you some idea of what this man’s been through?”

  “He has information we need to finish this mission.”

  “And you’re saying your mission is more important than his life?”

  “A couple quick questions won’t be enough to risk him dying,” Gray protested.

  “Now you’re a medical professional?”

  “Doctor, I don’t have time to argue. We’re wasting precious moments and we haven’t been able to figure out where the enemy has gone. If we don’t catch up to them, if we don’t have a plan to get there before they do or at least meet them there, then whatever scheme they’re engaged in will come true. Believe me, you haven’t seen what this guy’s capable of.”

  Laura heard about the pilot the enemy executed and she thanked God she didn’t see it. The thought of what the monster did…it boiled her blood but not so much that she immediately jumped to the conclusion of risking a patient. Still, Gray wasn’t wrong. If they were careful, they could likely revive Varlin and give him a couple moments of awareness before he fell back into a delirious state.

  “If I do this, you better keep it simple and to the point,” Laura spoke sternly. “I’m not joking. I won’t lose a patient over this.”

  “I only need to know two things,” Gray said. “Where the star chart leads and how what the coordinates are.”

  Laura sighed. “Give me a moment then.” She grabbed a hypo and loaded it up with a stimulant. She needed to measure properly to avoid further injury and consulted the computer with his vitals and chart on record. Using his weight and the severity of the wound, it recommended a fairly heavy dosage.

  Lord. I think I’ll drop that down a bit. I’d rather he be groggy than suddenly agitated.

  A decent sedative would counteract the effects and she’d give it to him as soon as Gray finished talking to him. She prepared that as well, holding the man’s safety net. As she pressed the stimulant against his neck, Laura bit her lip and turned to the screen displaying his vitals. If they went too crazy, she’d give him the shot.

  Gray would have to understand.

  Varlin began to stir almost instantly but Laura put her hand on his good shoulder. “Please don’t move, sir. You’re very hurt.”

  “I…where…am I?”

  “Aboard an alliance ship,” Gray said. “Recently joined. We found you out in the snow and brought you here for medical treatment.”

  “Krilan!” Varlin’s eyes went wide. “He took my computer.”

  Gray nodded. “He wanted something you were protecting. Can you tell us what that was?”

  “I…” He held his breath, expression turning suspicious. “Prove to me you’re alliance.”

  “First off, I’m a human,” Gray replied. “You’re about the Behemoth, an Earth vessel. We’re trying to stop Krilan. Second, look around. Several of your fellow colonists are here being treated. Director Silar is right over there. She can vouch for us.”

  “Director?” Varlin called out. He was getting weak again. “Director Silar, are you okay? What is this place?”

  Laura shook her head. We don’t have time for this. He needs to tell Gray what he wants so he can rest.

  “Varlin!” Silar replied loudly. “Oh, thank goodness you’re alright! It looked bad…we’re among friends. They saved us. All of us.”

  “That’s good enough for me,” Varlin said. “Captain, I was protecting a star chart which led to a planet once sacred to an ally species. Unfortunately, a virus wiped them out completely and their home became quarantined. Some time ago, a medical ship went back to check on whether or not the place was safe again.

  “They discovered the virus had burned itself out. With no appropriate hosts, it followed those it killed and died off. High command elected to not remove the quarantine status but instead allowed a small group of kielans to build a monastery there, a place they could study from but also hide our people’s secrets.”

  “To what end?” Gray asked. “And why did you have the star chart?”

  “There are three copies,” Varlin replied. “One was given to me when I elected to move to the colony. The next was stored o
n a secret server in our capital, accessible only by the military council. And the third is held by an admiral who is constantly in motion with his fleet. Depending on need, the right people could come and claim it from me.”

  “What sort of need? What’s hidden there?”

  Varlin winced. “I’m not sure of that part, I’m afraid. They let me guard the secret but didn’t tell me what it was. You understand, surely that occasionally we’re given great responsibility in the military without all the facts.”

  Gray nodded. “I do.” Varlin seemed to be slipping. Laura prepped the sedative but Gray waved her off. Leaning close, he lowered his voice. “Do you remember the coordinates, Varlin? We need to get after this guy right now. He jumped out of system and is on his way there right now. If we don’t stop him, he’ll get whatever he’s after.”

  Varlin gritted his teeth, tensing up. The pain started to get to him.

  “Captain, we need to end this conversation,” Laura said. “He’s clearly hurting.”

  “No,” Varlin muttered. “No, I can do this. Please just…the coordinates…” He gestured for Gray to draw closer and whispered something in his ear. Laura’s curiosity was tempered by her desire to get the man some help. After he finished speaking, he slumped back and the Captain nodded to her.

  She delivered the shot and Varlin settled down, eyes closed and body relaxed once again. “He…he should be fine.” Laura checked his vitals. “I don’t think we pushed him too far.”

  “Good.” Gray turned away. “He’s a brave man, he doesn’t deserve to have died at the hands of that maniac.”

  “I trust whatever we’re after is worth all this,” Laura asked.

  “We may be stopping a bout of chaos that could sweep the entire galaxy,” Gray said. “You be the judge.”

  Laura frowned. “I didn’t mean to be snippy.”

  “I’m sorry.” Gray touched her shoulder. “I’m still pretty angry about what our opponent did. I don’t mean to take it out on you. Thanks for your help, Doctor. We’re going to be jumping out soon so these patients will be in our care a little longer than we anticipated.”

  “That’s fine, some of them can’t be moved anyway.” Laura followed him to the door. “Do you think there’s going to be a fight? Or will you be able to talk him down?”

  Gray paused, staring off into the distance. He drew a deep breath, seeming to contemplate her question for some time. When he finally turned to her, the look in his eyes made her gasp. He scowled and shook his head. “Oh, I won’t be talking to this guy, Doctor. The time for diplomacy…the chance for him to surrender…passed. Good luck with your patients.”

  She watched him leave, a tremble touching her spine.

  “What’s up?” Brian, her assistant asked. “You look pale.”

  “I’ve never seen the captain quite so upset.” Laura shook off the moment and turned to him. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s get back to work. We’ve got these folks as our guests for a while longer so we should make sure they’re comfortable. Inform the other doctors. I think the next twelve hours might be far more interesting than any of us would like.”

  Chapter 9

  When Meagan and Mick landed, they both hurried over to hangar control to get involved with search and rescue. They coordinated with computer scans so the pods could be easily found and brought back for medical aid. Each person was found alive and well except for Leslie, the bravest of them who pretty much risked her life to ensure they survived the encounter.

  A general message went out to the ship, Ensign Agatha White’s voice letting everyone know they’d be jumping out of system shortly. Meagan turned to Mick who shrugged. She called out to anyone who might be listening. “What’s she talking about? We still have a pilot out there. Can someone let the bridge know?”

  “Search and rescue, please return to hangar immediately for departure,” the deck sergeant made the call and it pushed Meagan’s button. She advanced to him and patted his shoulder roughly.

  “Hey, didn’t you just hear me? We’ve got a pilot still out there. We can’t just leave.”

  “Take it up with command, ma’am,” he replied without looking back. “I just work here.”

  Mick tapped her arm, looking grave. He drew her out of the room to a private area of the catwalk overlooking the hangar bay. Leaning close, he kept his voice low but she could tell something huge was wrong. He never acted so sheepish or felt quite so angry in her presence before.

  “I just spoke to Revente,” Mick said. “He told me what happened to Leslie.”

  Meagan’s heart raced. “Did her pod…it didn’t touch that stuff, did it? Where is she?”

  “The enemy…” Mick swallowed hard. “They brought her pod aboard and then…on the camera for the bridge to see…”

  “What?” Meagan grabbed his arm. “What did they do?”

  “She’s dead. They…they killed her.”

  Meagan leaned back against the wall, feeling as if all the air had been kicked out of her lungs. She pressed the palm of her hand to her forehead and tried to work through the news, embracing what he said. Leslie…murdered. After what she just went through and how she saved them…only to be executed? Those God damn monsters!

  “And that’s why we’re jumping out.”

  Mick nodded. “To go after them.”

  “We need to see Durant,” Meagan said. “Tell him what we saw with those fighters. If we’re going to face them again, we’re going to need some advantage…something to put us on an even footing. They were way too maneuverable for us. I don’t want that to happen again. I don’t…God, poor Leslie…”

  “I’ll tell the others.”

  “Get them together,” Meagan replied. “I’ll give them the news. It’s my job. But I hope like hell we’ve got a serious response for this…for everything these Orion’s Light scumbags have done. I’d love to deliver whatever message we come up with in person.”

  “You and me both, ma’am.” Mick let out a sigh and moved away. “See you in ten.”

  ***

  Agatha turned in her seat, still shaken by what they’d seen. She directed her attention at the captain, unable to look at the screen for fear of what she might see. Witnessing the pilot’s death might’ve been the most traumatic thing she’d ever seen. Despite that, she managed to keep doing her job but she realized most her defenses were in place due to shock.

  “Sir, all ships report in. They’re aboard and we’re ready to depart.”

  Gray nodded. “Good. Leonard, I believe you have the coordinates from Varlin?”

  “Yes, sir. Course is plotted and ready to execute. Turning over to pilot.”

  Redding cleared her throat. “I’m ready, sir. I can initiate the jump sequence on your mark.”

  “Gun crews are at the ready,” Adam said. “Pilots as well though…based on the last report, we might want to hold them in reserve.”

  “Understood,” Gray replied. “Olly, I want you to be ready to scan the second we arrive. Don’t mess around. Whatever you see, report it immediately. I want shields up after we jump in and be ready for a fight. They might jump us right away.”

  “We should have the element of surprise,” Clea said. “After all, they thought they killed Varlin. They couldn’t possibly know he provided us information that will get us where we’re going.”

  “Let’s hope for that but prepare for otherwise.” Gray turned to Redding. “Go ahead and initiate the jump sequence, Lieutenant Commander. I’d like to catch up to our opponents if you don’t mind.”

  Agatha locked down communications and sent out the message that they’d be leaving the system in less than twenty seconds. Departments sent their ready check, green across the board and as they did, she made logs for her report. The idea of something as mundane as a documentation ledger felt strange. The regular tasks seemed all the more absurd after seeing someone die.

  I hope we make this right…if we can.

  ***

  Krilan’s ship emerged from jump near a
small moon and he directed the pilot to use the natural satellite to mask their presence while they performed a sensor sweep of the system. The alliance may have placed some kind of defenses to prevent anyone from hopping in and stealing their prize. There may even be additional secrets in that place and only total fools would leave it unguarded.

  To his surprise, they didn’t detect any other ships in the area and only two orbital defense satellites. Perhaps they were convinced no one could even find the place let alone attack it. And if they did, who would know what to take? Pirates would only look for obvious valuables and this place didn’t seem to have any, not for an industrious spacer at least.

  He contemplated the screen, gazing at the only habitable world in the system. A guard brought Wyan onto the bridge, the man walking mostly of his own accord. Their prisoner gave up any pretense he might escape so he simply went along with the situation, following along when told and forced to. Krilan spared him a glance.

  “What do you think?” Krilan asked. “This is what your government was hiding. That small world down there with hardly any defenses and a pathetic monastery. Seems strange, don’t you think? Such a prize as we’re after sitting down there unguarded.”

  “I very much doubt it lacks protection,” Wyan replied. “How big of fools do you think we are? Answer carefully, Krilan. You used to be one of us.”

  Krilan’s temper flared but he mastered it quickly. “And I woke up. Much as you have the opportunity to now. Direct your gaze to the floor near you.”

  Wyan complied and gasped. “What…what is that?”

  “The last worthless meat who defied us.” Krilan stood. “I’ll send a scouting party to check things out then we’ll head down together to see what they have in store for us.”

  “I don’t want to go,” Wyan spoke quickly. “Haven’t you done enough to me?”

  “So far I’ve found you amusing, Wyan. Your reactions to what you perceive as horrors have been educational. I plan on keeping you around to see my coronation as ruler of the galaxy. And just because you’ve been through so much, I’ll ensure you live out the rest of your life in luxury. After all, you’ll have witnessed history first hand. That’s special, don’t you think?”