The Tarantula Nebula

by David Kantrowitz

  “What the... oh, you mean the strangers that got into it with the Black Crest, yeah.”

  “Who were they?”

  “I don’t know. They weren’t any race we’re familiar with around here.”

  “Why did they visit the Complexium?”

  “They were looking for Talvanium.”

  If Aldebaran allowed himself the luxury of emotional reactions he would have been surprised. “How much?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Did they get it?”

  “No, none of the merchants here had any. They went to Alpha.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “A Solar Police Force officer has been on their trail. She confirmed that they’d traveled to Alpha to get the Talvanium from one of the old conglomerate mines.”

  “Did they get it?”

  “Presumably so. She nailed them with a tracker and just picked them up on Delta.”

  “What’s the officer’s name?”

  “Fernwyn Rylie.”

  “Rylie.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I have Deltan herbs to trade. Where do you think I can get the best price?”

  “There’s a spice shop on level sixty-one. The owner seems fair.”

  “Thank you, Sergeant Nathalier. You’ve been very helpful.”

  “Enjoy your visit to Gleeful, sir.”

  Aldebaran stood up and walked toward the nearest elevator bank. He grabbed his comlink from his belt.

  “Harrish, it’s me. Fire up the ship and meet me on the roof of the Complexium.”

  “Is everything all right?”

  “Fine, I got what I needed. There’s simply no time to lose. We’ll have to risk detection. I’ll provide a distraction to help cover the pick-up.”

  “Very well, sir. We’ll be there in five minutes.”

  Aldebaran closed the comlink and returned it to his belt. With the same hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small cylindrical device. Before stepping into the elevator, he dropped the device into a trash barrel. As the doors closed, Aldebaran spoke out loud without realizing it.

  “It’s time to introduce these strangers to another one of Professor Talvan’s laudatory accomplishments.”

  16.

  In a northern temperate zone of Delta there was a small glade nestled in a wooded valley. A shallow stream ran through it, and many years ago a mill had been built there. A large stone dam had welled the water enough to run a wheel, and for a while the settlers were happy. Fortune was not on their side, however, as no major towns had sprung up nearby. The mill had to be abandoned, and it remained so for five years. Everything of use had been stripped from the mill, and the dam had been partially dismantled to return the stream to its natural state. All that was left were the stones of the dam and of two walls of the mill. It had only been five years, but the ruins looked many times older.

  Some time much more recently, a ship called the Reckless Faith had landed. It sat in the glade, floating silently about ten feet above the ground. The ramp began to open, and lowered slowly into place. At the top of the ramp there were three figures silhouetted against the light.

  “Take it slow out there,” said John.

  “Seth said he couldn’t read any humanoids around here,” replied Ari.

  “That was from orbit. He wasn’t able to determine if any of the animals were dangerous, either. So be careful.”

  The ramp finished opening and the three friends descended to the earth. John had his Garand, Ray his Remington, and Ari had borrowed Richter’s M4. By now they wore the weapons like an old hat.

  “Seems like a nice enough place,” said Ray.

  “Stay here,” said John. “Ari and I will snoop around a little.”

  “Roger.”

  John keyed his radio. “Dana, close the ramp.”

  The ramp raised until it was closed, casting the humans on the ground into darkness. John looked up and saw that one of the other moons was above. He wasn’t sure which one but it was providing just enough light to see.

  “Don’t you want to begin the upgrades?” said Dana’s voice over the commo.

  John’s departure from the ship was meant for more than scouting the perimeter. He wanted to see the weapons upgrades from the exterior of the ship.

  “I want to make absolutely sure we’re alone first.”

  “Okay. Let me know when you’re ready and I’ll give Seth the go-ahead.”

  “Roger, out.”

  John and Ari moved away from Ray, who seemed content to stay closer to the ship. They eyed the ruins of the mill carefully, and began to try to navigate around the stream. When they were about thirty yards away, Ari spoke.

  “Ray really got a scare from that last firefight.”

  “A failure to stop incident with a thirty caliber rifle and a giant minotaur thingy will do that.”

  “Well, he seems a little rattled.”

  “You know Ray as well as I do. He’ll be all right.”

  John and Ari took turns jumping across some stones and began creeping around the ruins. It was dead quiet. They circled around clockwise until they got to the edge of the old dam, and paused.

  “You could hear a mouse sneeze,” said Ari softly.

  “It seems like a good choice. This is a good vantage point, too.”

  “You mean for the ship?”

  “Dana, this is John. Go ahead and begin the upgrades.”

  “You got it,” replied Dana.

  The outline of the Faith was barely discernable from the dam, but the lighted windows of the bridge and other rooms shone clearly. With a sound like sand being poured onto a kitchen floor, distortions began fluttering around midships by level two, and around the fore and aft cannons. A green dance of light particles jumped across the length of the hull, and two new features appeared on the port and starboard sides. They looked like long furrows that ran almost the entire length of the second level, and they glowed momentarily before fading into the darkness. The muzzle of the new phase cannon joined the already mean-looking business end of the thirty millimeter cannon on the fore end. Presumably the rear cannon had been replaced by one of the same.

  “Upgrades in place,” said Dana. “Seth is doing a diagnostic on them now. We won’t be able to do a live fire until we’re back in space, though. Not without alerting the locals.”

  “Very well,” replied John. “Thank you, Dana. Scherer out.”

  “That was deceptively simple,” said Ari.

  “What do you mean? We had to go through hell just to get this far.”

  “True. At least now we have Byron backing us up.”

  “You don’t approve of letting him out?”

  “Not really.”

  “I told him he was part of an ancient Umberian prophecy and that his cooperation was essential towards fulfilling the prophecy.”

  Ari laughed. “Are you shitting me?”

  “No, I’m not. Seth told me about a prophecy involving seven saviors from another world. I embellished it a little bit using Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai as inspiration. Hopefully Byron will take it to heart.”

  “Only Byron could buy such a load of crap.”

  John shrugged. The wind kicked up a bit, bringing a chill to the air.

  “You know what this place feels like?” John asked, looking towards the stars.

  Ari took a deep breath. “Yeah, I do. This is just like the night we first met Seth.”

  “Do you miss it?”

  “What, you mean my old life?”

  “Uh huh.”

  “Hardly. It bothers me a little that if I ever see my folks again it’ll be ten years later for them.”

  John raised an eyebrow. “What about the fact that by now they’ll have figured us for dead?”

  “Tough. They’ll know the truth some day.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “Maybe once this whole thing is over we can come back here and spend a few days resting.”

  “You mean th
e crew?”

  “Who else?”

  John shifted his rifle to his left hand and tucked it under his arm. He extended his hand towards Ari.

  “Got a clove?” he asked.

  “Sure,” Ari said, digging into a pocket for the cigarettes.

  John accepted the offered smoke and lit it with a wooden match. He puffed on it and let the scent envelop him.

  “Listen, Ari, about you and Richter.”

  “What about him?”

  “I want you to know that I don’t have a problem with the two of you being together.”

  “Is it that obvious?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about it. Richter is just a pleasantry to me. I don’t have any serious interest in him. Besides, I thought you wanted to keep things platonic between us.”

  “I do. I just don’t want you to think that I’m jealous or anything.”

  “Would you be?”

  “No. I mean, well... no. I... shit, what I mean is that...”

  “Don’t be alarmed!” said a voice.

  John and Ari almost instantaneously flattened themselves down. The voice had come from the direction of the ship, but was only a few meters away. John and Ari tried to bring their weapons around as quietly as possible.

  “I’m a friend!” said the voice. “I only want to talk. Can I come out?”

  John grabbed his flashlight and readied it. “Come out slowly and with your hands where I can see them.”

  A figure moved into view at the bottom of the dam. When it stopped moving John pointed the light at it and pressed the switch.

  An apparently human female stood before them on the other side of the stream. She was of medium height, thin, and had angular features. Her brown hair was streaked with lighter strands and pulled back into a ponytail. She was wearing what looked like a ball cap, a flight jacket and cargo pants. A pistol of some sort was strapped to her side in a drop holster.

  “What the hell?” whispered Ari.

  “Who are you?” said John just loudly enough to be heard.

  “My name is Fernwyn Rylie. I’m an officer with the Solar Police Force. Right now I’m acting on my own behalf. I only want to talk with you.”

  “Are you... human?”

  “Am I what? Oh, no, I’m Residerian.”

  “Are you alone?”

  “Yes. You can scan the area if you want to be sure.”

  “Don’t move.” John keyed his radio. “Dana, this is John. We have a visitor. Have Seth scan the area and make sure that there aren’t any more people hiding in the wings.”

  “Seth’s in the middle of his diagnostic check,” Dana replied. “He says he’s busy.”

  “Shit. Get Richter and Christie out here on the double with their weapons ready. I want to set up a perimeter watch until Seth can clear the area.”

  “Christie is still asleep.”

  “Wake her the hell up, then! Christ almighty this isn’t a pleasure cruise!”

  “Fine! Stand by.”

  “I understand your caution,” began Fernwyn, “I wish there was some way I could prove my intentions to you.”

  “You can start by keeping your hands up. Ray, get her sidearm.”

  Ray appeared in the light next to Fernwyn, startling her.

  “Excuse me, please,” Ray said, unsnapping the thumb break on Fernwyn’s holster and procuring the pistol.

  “Be careful, there’s a round chambered,” said Fernwyn.

  “Thanks.”

  John killed his flashlight and jumped down from the dam. “Ari, watch our rear. We’re moving back towards the Faith.”

  “Understood,” said Ari.

  Ray motioned for Fernwyn to walk in front of him, and with John and Ari directly behind the four of them moved across the glade. John and Ari paid no heed to the water this time, accepting wet feet in order to pay full attention to their surroundings. As they approached the ship the ramp opened. Christie and Richter stood at the top.

  John motioned up the ramp. “Richter, Ari, get out on the perimeter to the north and east. Ray, you watch to the south. Christie, kill the lights in the cargo bay and come help me control our guest.”

  The crew moved to fulfill John’s orders, with Richter and Ari swapping rifles on their way out. Ray handed Fernwyn’s pistol to Christie. John moved up the ramp a couple of feet and sat down.

  “You people don’t screw around,” said Fernwyn.

  “We did all of our screwing around back on Beta,” said John. “Now why have you contacted us?”

  “I was hoping to find out more about you. Nobody can figure out why you’re here or for whom you may be working. There’s a delicate balance in the Tarantula Nebula right now. I want to make sure the Solar United Faction is on the right side.”

  “What do you know about us already?”

  “I know your ship is Umberian. I know you’re not. I know you needed a large amount of the substance known as Talvanium, which you presumably got on your trip to Alpha. I know that stuff can be used to create some pretty powerful weaponry, which is the main cause of my concern.”

  “Go on.”

  Fernwyn shrugged. “That’s it. That’s all I know.”

  “What’s the SUF’s stake in all of this?”

  “To maintain peaceful relations with the Zendreen.”

  “And do you represent the SUF or do you have your own stake in this?”

  “I’m simply trying to determine the truth of your visit.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  “I mean I’m not representing anybody right now. I’m a plank but this goes way beyond local law enforcement.”

  “Excuse me, you’re a ‘plank’?”

  “That’s slang for ‘planet cop,’ sorry.”

  “John, this is Dana,” said Dana’s voice.

  “Go ahead,” replied John.

  “Seth’s completed the diagnostics and scanned the area. Our visitor is alone save for her ship which is a hundred yards to the north. She must have landed at the same time we did.”

  “Thank you, Dana. Okay, uh... Fen-win?”

  “Fernwyn, yes. You can call me Rylie. So you see I’m alone?”

  “Yes. Perimeter team, return to the ship.”

  John remained silent until the others had returned.

  “Is everything cool?” asked Richter.

  “So far,” John said. “Rylie, why should we tell you anything?”

  “Because as long as you’re not trying to start a war between the SUF and the Zendreen, I may be able to help you. If your mission is to liberate Umber then we have a lot to talk about, as your efforts may lead to a larger conflict.”

  “Let’s say that we are trying to liberate Umber. Why would that effect you guys?”

  “The SUF and the Zendreen have a peace treaty. If they thought that we were helping you then they might see it as a violation of the treaty.”

  “If that’s true then you’re taking a big risk by contacting us like this.”

  “And yet, I must discover the truth.”

  “What can you do for us?”

  “That depends on you. If you tell me your mission I will give you an honest, no wolshit assessment of the situation from the perspective of the SPF and SUF.”

  “Do you have your police credentials with you?”

  “Yes.”

  “If you please...”

  Fernwyn grabbed her ID and handed it to Christie. She handed Fernwyn’s pistol to Richter and took the card.

  John motioned inside. “Christie, take the ID up to Dana and see if Seth can pull any information off of the net to confirm her identity.”

  “Roger,” Christie replied.

  “Run a search on the roster for Beta Station,” said Fernwyn. “That’s my duty assignment.”

  Christie ran up the ramp and climbed the stairs to the first level.

  “How did you find us?” asked John.

  “I caught up with you shortly after you landed on Alpha. Once I knew y
ou were looking for Talvanium it made it easy to find you. Well, I mean at least as far as which buffer zone you’d use to land.”

  “Metzqual.”

  “Uh huh. I still wouldn’t have found you if one of your men hadn’t decided to take a stroll. I tagged him with a tracker before one of the other females dragged him back inside. Your stealth device blocked the signal after that. When you deactivated the device here on Delta I was able to pick up the signal again.”

  “How much trouble are we in for the fracas back at Gleeful Complexium?” asked Ray.

  “You left the scene of a combat action without filing a report. It’s a minor infraction. Since there is clear recorded evidence that you were acting in self-defense I doubt that the prosecution will even charge you.”

  “That’s reassuring,” said Richter. “Say, what kind of pistol is this?”

  “It’s a Res-ZorCon ‘Legionnaire.’ It’s the last of the enhanced projectile pistols. They stopped making them in favor of the new plasma burst weapons about twenty years ago.”

  “Is it obsolete?”

  “It’s obsolescent. It’ll still put a one centimeter hole in you at a hundred meters. I carry it because some of the new bad guys out there are dumb enough to wear armor that is weak against physical projectiles. Energy dispersal armor isn’t exactly well suited against them, no pun intended.”

  “No wonder those Rakhar mercs went down so easily.”

  “I take it your weapons use combustible chemical propellants?”

  “Yeah. And yours?”

  “Mine does too, but there are also four microscopic superconductive magnets embedded in each bullet. There are particle accelerator rails instead of rifling within the barrel. They impart a spin on the round as well as boost the speed by a factor of three.”

  “Muzzle velocity?”

  “Five hundred meters per second.”

  “Holy shit.”

  The team’s radios crackled to life. “John, this is Christie. Rylie’s story checks out. She got officer of the year this year on Beta Station.”

  “How reliable is your source?” asked John.

  “It’s the SPF’s own information site.”

  “Good, thanks. Richter, return Officer Rylie’s sidearm.”

  Fernwyn nodded. “Thank you.”

  “Are we going to tell her our story?” asked Ray.