“What? Could have what?” Damus argued. “You don't
know what has happened to her.”
“But I do! I realize now what has happened.” “What? What happened?”
“Cain. Cain took her!”
“Cain?”
“Yes.”
“He's back? You've seen him?” Damus felt alarmed at
that prospect. He had been witness to how the main
cavern was collapsed to save everyone from Cain's
attack. The stories were near legendary how Utahia and
Camora sacrificed their lives to save the clans. “Li sensed his return. She warned me, and I should
have done more! I should have protected her...” Novia
stopped, but the tears continued.
Damus took her in his arms and held her tight. Novia
clutched hard to his fur cloak and Damus scooped her up
off the floor, cradling her. Novia buried her face in the soft
fur collar of his cloak, as he carried her out of the
chamber. “I will not allow you to fight Cain by yourself.
Pe'Atchdi of Clans or not, I could not allow that to happen!
NOT to you!”
“And--I could not bear to lose another loved one to
that monster.” Novia held onto Damus around his neck.
“Not another--”
***
::I have the results of the latest data search, per your request,:: Xria announced, waking Keja up from a scheduled rest period. ::Please populate an external data sphere,:: Keja requested, sitting up from his sleeping cube, pulling on his jumper.
::Per your search request on any related data on the programmer Anaua. There was a reference to a damaged program file named, 'Mother II,' possibly an artificial intelligence, found in the fire damaged debris, at the personal recreational residence of former Board Member Anthony; Arcquius Resort,:: Xria reported.
“Mother--that correlates to Anaua's known alias. Were you able to find any known definition for the word?”
::No known reference found at this time.::
Keja positioned the reference data within the data sphere for analysis. “My understanding of the incident, the fire at Board Member Anthony's suite caused complete unrecoverable damage to all data systems,” Keja stated.
::There was trace evidence indicating the possibility of a large off-line storage facility within the suite, that was completely destroyed and non-functional,:: Xria clarified.
“Off-line data storage?”
::Unsubstantiated,::
“Pull the final fire investigatory report,” Keja requested.
::The fire investigation has been postponed, due to scheduling priorities and funding,:: Xria reported.
“Evidence collected?”
::Extensive.::
“Elaborate?”
::Three metric tons of material, both identified and unidentified have been placed in inventory at the Makemake, Corporate Security warehousing facility.::
“Are there any functional data files listed in the inventory?”
Xria checked the inventory listings. ::None identified.::
“Arrange transport. I think we need go see what we can find--”
::Arranging.::
*** Cain had no memory of leaving the elaborate hall and the Anima, or Teacher, or whomever he or she was. The facial features were quite striking, but indeterminable as to male or female. Even the voice was non-definitive.
“Are you well, my Egal?” K'nal Lluxi asked, as he helped Cain back onto his feet. “You fell over.”
Cain looked over at the body of the Trupe still lying next to the bone throne. “Have him removed and distributed among the Caps,” Cain ordered.
“Yes my Egal,” Lluxi snapped to attention.
Cain checked the ship’s logistics and navigation. Sensors indicated they were fast approaching the Mars System Interstellar Gate.
“Once again, there has been no resistance as we near the gate, my Egal. Only freighter tug operators requesting they assist in our approach,” Lluxi reported as he directed two more Trupes to remove the body.
Cain climbed back to his position on the bone throne. “Destroy the next one that makes contact,” Cain commanded without hesitation. He felt exhausted yet energized. In a matter of hours he would take his place as Lord and Master of Corporate, then Duissis, then, in time, all of the Other Realms. “My goal is at hand. Just beyond this gate lies my destiny. From this moment forward, you will refer to me as Lord Cain, Master of Corporate, God of Realms!”
“Yes, my--Lord, Cain,” Lluxi affirmed.
*** The Elvonian pilot guided the shuttle to the coordinates of a last-known clearing for the village of the Wind Whisperers’ clan. Toolkit had watched from the shuttle side view port, with his visual sensors on full spectrum and at their widest aperture, as soon as they hit the upper atmosphere. Now reaching closer to the surface, he was at near sensory-overload. Reed watched from behind Toolkit, while Kutch and Alex peered out of the view port on the other side of the shuttle.
The final descent was a little bumpier than expected as the shuttle dropped through a layer of storm clouds just before touchdown. Everyone on board was feeling the effects of the additional gravity of Earth, over the gravitational levels felt on Mars and most Corporateregulated facilities. Toolkit kept picking his foot up and letting it drop, allowing his PPD to cushion the increased fall rate to the decking. The sensation was new, scary and yet exciting.
Kutch noted the increased gravitational forces, and felt his muscles already acclimating to the changes. He could see that Alex was feeling the same. Their previous exposure to Earth's atmosphere and gravity created an advantage.
The Elvonian pilot landed and leveled the shuttle before making the atmospheric changes in the cabin spaces to match outside.
“Current conditions outside; windy with gusts between forty and fifty kilometers. Temperature is near freezing at one point zero-seven degrees Celsius, with a steady rainsnow mix. We are at fifty-six point six-nine meters above this planetary sea level, and local time is approximately 08:30,” the Elvonian pilot announced as she climbed down from the pilot’s cabin. Once the pressure differential was completed, she released the locks and opened the main side hatch.
“Have you reached the Elvonians yet?” Alex asked. “Only a beacon, but it's showing several kilometers from this last known location up the canyon. Topography readings showed no viable level landing area for a craft of this size, so I set down here,” she explained.
Alex pulled out an external beacon tracker, and adjusted for the weak but steady signal. “Got it.” She then set an additional tracker for the shuttle beacon.
Kutch had on his long coat and pulled his gear sack up onto his shoulders. Alex helped him get his gear sack settled, then got her own long coat and gear sack on. Reed was helping Toolkit, as the other Elvonians on the shuttle were first to step out to unload gear from the shuttle-holding bays.
Kutch stepped out with Alex close behind, as Toolkit and Reed followed. “This looks different,” Kutch mentioned as he pulled his hood up and over his head to protect himself from the rain-snow mix that was coming down rather heavily.
“This is a winter season. We were here last during a spring-summer season, if I remember correctly,” Alex suggested.
“Yeah, but the vegetation is so over grown.” Kutch pointed to the tall plants and bushes where he
remembered more open areas. “Look...” Kutch pointed again to a log structure that had partially collapsed and was nearly hidden by vegetation.
Toolkit followed behind Reed, trying to gather as much sensor data as he could from his first experiences on Earth. He pulled off his hood to expose the rear visual sensors on the back of his head, and collected additional full-spectrum, three-hundred and sixty degree data views.
“Don't you want to keep your stubbly, bald head covered from the rain and snow?” Reed asked.
“I need the full re
adings,” Toolkit explained. Reed shook his head, as he pulled his hood down tighter against the wind.
Sid pulled up an internal navigational grid and indicated a direction for Kutch.
“According to Sid, we should go that way,” Kutch pointed in the direction indicated by the grid. “Utahia's cedar plant bio structure was that way.”
“Troy said that was destroyed by the landslide that blocked the cavern entry,” Alex argued.
“I know, but I want to see it,” Kutch explained.
“Okay, I guess,” Alex relented.
“If you don't mind, I'd like to look around this area where the Earth people lived,” Reed requested.
“Me too,” Toolkit added.
“Sure. We'll all stay in touch over internals. Alex you coming with me?” Kutch asked.
“I'd better--don't want you getting lost.” Alex smirked.
::Am I malfunctioning? Should I run internal diagnostics?::Sid asked.
::No Sid--you're functioning just fine,:: Kutch assured.
*** “Master, you are hurt,” the black mist animus affirmed the sight of Kyrios kneeling with three dark crystalline spires shattered about him.
“ONLY--by as much as I would ALLOW you or Cain to believe!” Kyrios bellowed with indignation.
“Master, is it wise to allow Cain to believe in a perceived weakness?”
“Do NOT question my PLAN! Cain will not only believe he can defeat me, but also focus more energy on breaching the crystalline wall protecting the Light Realm. Once he has succeeded I will march my armies inside and take all of the Light Realm, once and for all! Then, for my own amusement and pleasure, destroy Cain in a most pain-filled manner.” Thunder rolled into the distant mountains accentuating his statement.
*** The outlying dwarf planets of the Mars home world system, along with various natural and artificial moons throughout the central system, were leased Corporate properties for the exclusive use of Corporate Security, and managed by the Department. Keja's workspace at a Corporate Security facility on Titan, was a convenient central location between the nearby secure Corporate Security operated artificial moon, housing the sixteen sensor-data spheres, and Director Huir's work quarters on a Department satellite station tethered to a surface Corporate Security facility on Ganymede.
Keja often traveled between several Corporate Security sites via transport beam, making many such trips quick and simple; however, his current trip to the dwarf planet Makemake required a shuttle for the final leg. The facilities were primitive in the sense there were no pressurized hangar bays for the shuttle, but instead a docking rig that connected to the outer skin of the shuttle craft, like a long flexible tube.
Keja passed through the flex-tunnel as quickly as possible, as the heating was far less than adequate for the short-comings of his cold-weather gear. Once at the main terminal, and after passing through several security access points, Keja was warm enough to change out of his cold-weather gear. He boarded one of several lifts leading down to the lower-levels, and the holding area where the Arcquis Resort suite fire evidence was being stored.
His heels echoed into the distance, as he walked alone, along a well-lit, wide, and long corridor with large vault-like entries every forty to fifty meters, on either side labeled 'Level Four.' Each were numbered, and contained an inventory summary available through a proximity sensor near their respective entry.
Xria announced their arrival after several hundred meters. ::Level 4, 4-227-B.::
Keja scanned the inventory summary from the proximity sensor. ::I concur. The vault contents summary matches our case file of the resort suite fire,:: Keja verified.
Afer Keja applied his Corporate Security access credentials, the large vault door opened and the internal lighting turned on. Xria sensed the foul odor filling the room and adjusted Keja's senses to compensate. Still, Keja was able to identify the obnoxious smell of various burnt materials.
The large room was filled to capacity with shelving holding cataloged materials, containers of smaller cataloged materials, as well as larger objects, remnants of the structure or pieces of the interior of the suite. Xria directed Keja through several rows to the area of interest, where the charred remains of what appeared to be off-line data storage equipment. To one side, a pristine piece of equipment held the remains of recovered data.
::The catalog summary indicates the 'Mother II' file is located in here,:: Keja affirmed.
::I am searching the files now,:: Xria reported.
::The catalog indicates the file was found within a specific area of the suite, in a communications processing module,:: Keja added.
::I have retrieved the file to your external proximity scanner; however, it does not appear to be complete for an artificial intelligence program,:: Xria announced.
::Thank you Xria, please locate the communications ::Thank you Xria, please locate the communications 1CPM,:: Keja asked.
::Searching catalog records. Is there some question yet regarding the equipment the file was found in?:: Xria asked.
::I'm following a feeling and I just want to be thorough,:: Keja answered.
::The catalog shows that piece located seven rows over, unit thirty-five, second shelf,:: Xria announced as she indicated internally a path for Keja to follow.
The shelving system within the vault was rather well marked and Keja found the location after only a few minutes searching. The communications processing module had sustained heavy damage from the fire, actually fusing two other secondary modules to the communications processing module. Although he only wanted the one piece, for now he would need to take all three.
Keja emptied a nearby container of smaller objects and fit in the three fused modules for transport.
::There are no protocols for the removal of evidence from an evidence storage vault until the completion of the investigation,::Xria reminded Keja as she began to understand his intentions.
::I am investigating the evidence,::Keja assured.
::You have no authorization to investigate this fireinvolved event nor the contents outside of this faciltiy,:: Xria argued.
::Xria, while in the investigation of events involving Anaua, alias 'Mother,' by the direction of Director Huir, I am authorized to follow up on leads that may or may not be within my current jurisdictional area of concern-particularly, IF that investigation of those leads further my current progress on a subject of Director Huir's intense interest,:: Keja explained.
::You believe Director Huir will allow this?:: Xria asked.
::Absolutely.::
Xria took a few moments to analyze and recalculate Keja's argument. ::I concur,::she relented.
::Thank you. Now please show me the way out.::
*** Anthony sifted through holographic reports. Pulling together all that was left behind by Corporate Security was proving difficult at times, as designed by Director Huir. As Mediator, Anthony needed to organize the replacement workforce to fill where Corporate and subcontracted positions were ordered to simply walk away. In some cases, this was an acceptable option; in other cases--not. In the case of the Earth humans in detention on the Moon, conditions that were already beyond intolerable, would soon escalate to conditions beyond imagining.
Presley1285 stepped into Anthony's living quarters on Nibra II; the look on his face answered Anthony’s question for the late hour of the visit.
“We have a situation,” Presley1285 started. “My friend, this whole Mediation is a 'situation,'”
Anthony attempted to keep the tension down, but continued to analyze his resource reports. “We are unable to take control of the detention centers’ systems on the moon,” Presley1285 stated, then let his statement hang for emphasis.
Anthony allowed the silence as he sorted the options in his distracted thoughts. “If the systems were left locked down by Corporate, simply break through. We've done that before without issue.”
“The systems were cleared, as the last teams left the moon, per protocol,” Presley1285 continued, st
ill uncertain he had all of Anthony's attention.
“Then our problem is--what?” Anthony finally looked away from his holograph reports.
“As far as our first response teams can tell, someone else has already taken control of all the systems accesses,” Presley1285 explained, maintaining a calm demeanor.
“WHO?” Anthony pressed, as the gravity of the situation weighed in.
“The first response team is currently attempting entry to ascertain that information. In the meantime, we are currently unable to begin any relief efforts or
evacuations.”
Anthony stared past his friend in disbelief. “Well-that's a terrible situation,” Anthony admitted. “We need full attention placed on that--”
“We are sending additional teams.”
“We need--Real...no, uh, Rawl...no, no. What was his name--who gave us that last detailed report from the detention centers?” Anthony asked with exasperation.
“Rhys, Presley1522,” Presly1285 replied.
“That's him. We need him there now. He must have some insights that could be helpful.”
“He was last reported on his way to Earth, NorWes clans,” Prelsy1285 explained.
“Perfect--he's already close. Get him notified and keep me informed,” Anthony directed.
“As you wish,” Presley1285 bowed before turning to leave.
“My friend--”
Presley1285 stopped and turned back.
“Thank you for letting me know--even at this hour, we will get this fixed,” Anthony said with feeling. He knew all too well the importance of getting the humans off the moon and back to Earth where they belonged, and how Presley1285 took this issue personally.
Presley1285 nodded and bowed once more before turning to leave.
*** The path to Utahia's former home was overgrown but passable. Kutch felt the trip up the side of the bluff seemed to take much longer. Once at the main clearing, the devastation was apparent. A debris field and rock fall covered where the dwelling had stood on the bluff. Vegetation had reclaimed the remains.
Kutch and Alex stood at the edge of the rock field and stared. Even the rain and wind died down as a show of respect. Alex picked through some of the rocks, as though she may find something of interest. She tossed a stone back onto the pile and Kutch noticed something odd where the stone landed--a piece of ceramic. As he pulled the surrounding rocks away, he found the ceramic piece was the spout of a fully intact water pot. Alex helped pull the pot out with care, wiping at the mud-covered sides to expose the ornate pattern.
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