by Adair Hart
Dr. Snowden chuckled. “Are all summons this crazy?”
“Not at all. I did one where my mere presence was all that was needed. One decision, and that was it. This is … and not to overuse the word … an anomaly.”
“Well, I’m holding you to checking out your past like we discussed before all this summons business.”
“Of course,” said Evaran.
Emily burst into the room with a big smile.
Dr. Snowden raised his eyebrows. The last time he saw her smile like that was before her prison planet experience.
“Jane’s going to travel with us!” said Emily.
Dr. Snowden snapped his head at Evaran.
Evaran nodded.
A big grin crept onto Dr. Snowden’s face. “No kidding. Where’s she at?”
Emily went to the replicator. “We finished our training session about thirty minutes ago, so she should be here soon.”
Dr. Snowden had figured Jane would join as a traveling companion at some point, but not this soon. Either way, he thought she would be a great fit. There was also the possibility that his relationship with her might grow into something more. He watched Emily take her seat. “I’m glad to see you smiling.”
Emily raised an eyebrow.
Dr. Snowden smiled. Ten minutes later, he stood as Jane entered the room. He walked over to her with open arms. “Welcome to the gang.”
Jane hugged him, then hugged Emily when she came up.
V flew over and planted himself on the table, then opened his arms.
Jane laughed as she bent over to give V a hug. “Thank you, everyone, for the reception.” She got herself a drink and then took a seat along with everyone else.
Evaran cleared his throat. “As you all now know, Jane will be traveling with us. She has a PSD, and V is helping her learn the survival suit. We talked about it last night while I was going over the information that Andrew gave us.”
“I’m ready to do my part,” said Jane. “What did you find out?”
“I believe the situation is worse than we thought,” said Evaran. “According to the information, there are unusual Voss in nine locations, but I suspect there are probably more than that in the Voss Imperium.”
A projection shot up from the table, showing a galactic region with nine red dots.
Jane snorted. “I still can’t believe Billozein is making those things.”
“The problem is that the control communication receptor on the creatures has a range limitation for control. That would mean that each of those nine facilities has a controller, similar to Billozein. I do not know if the controllers are his real children without the receptors, or something else. What is apparent is that he is aggressively building his army and, with the Voss technology, has a head start. ”
Dr. Snowden sighed. “It can never be easy, can it?”
“As of late, I would say no. However, this presents a problem, as we do not know which facility Billozein is at. It is possible he is not even at any of the facilities, and may be on a spaceship or station.”
“I’m guessing you have a facility to infiltrate in mind?”
The projection zoomed into one of the red dots that resided on a planet.
“Yes, we are going here,” said Evaran, pointing at the red dot.
“That looks like it’s deep in Voss Imperium territory,” said Jane.
“It is, and the security is much more lax there relative to ones farther out. With the Torvatta, reaching it will not be an issue. I selected it because traffic seems to be heavier there, so the chance of Billozein being near the action is higher.”
Jane nodded.
Evaran tapped at the table console. A layout of the facility appeared. “This is a facility that the Voss call Malacruuz.”
Dr. Snowden noted that it was built into a mountain. It had multiple levels, with parts of the base extending out over the mountain. It reminded him a bit of the command center he saw on the prison planet.
Jane pointed at a large, open area near the bottom of the facility, which had a tunnel leading out to the side. “What’s in there?”
Evaran shook his head. “I do not know. There was no information on it.” He pointed to one of the communication towers. “However, that will be my way in.”
Dr. Snowden fidgeted in his seat. “Your way in? Don’t you mean our way in?”
Evaran looked down for a moment, then back up. “Not this time. I believe the best chance of finding Billozein is giving him something he wants. I will offer myself and the Torvatta in exchange for not interfering with Earth, Fredoria, and Roeth.”
“They could also kill you on sight.”
Evaran raised a finger. “They could, but then they would lose the one thing Billozein is interested in. Billozein is used to getting what he wants. He is a power-hungry narcissist with a desire to control everything, and a favorable situation will compel him to come. We could try to search all nine facilities, but instead, I will have him come to me.”
Emily narrowed her eyes. “It seems kinda risky to base all this off Billozein’s personality.”
“I understand everyone’s concern,” said Evaran, shaking his hand in front of him. His ancient eyes narrowed. “I … have been around for a long time. Certain traits and personalities become easy to spot. Nonetheless, this is the plan once I am inside the base. I will determine the Voss control communication mechanism and determine how to disrupt it. V will accompany me to that point, then return to the Torvatta with my UIC. Then I will surrender, at which point they will most likely constrain me until Billozein arrives. I suspect they will use Palisin-energy-based constraints given that Billozein has had time to research me and has mentioned Seeros Industries before.”
Dr. Snowden remembered Palisin energy. He saw Evaran take a full shot of it from a bounty hunter. It dropped Evaran fast.
Evaran continued on. “Everyone else will wait outside the facility in the Torvatta, stealthed. When Billozein’s ship shows up, you will follow it in and then put the quantum beacon on it when you can. Although I will be in constraints, my hands should be free. V will get me access via placing my UIC on a console, which will allow me to disrupt the Voss control communications. That distraction will cause Billozein to leave in his ship. I will then need you to bring some orbs to neutralize my constraints, and we will depart.”
“You’ve given it a lot of thought,” said Emily, chuckling.
Evaran nodded.
Dr. Snowden shook his head. “There’s a lot of points where it could go wrong. It could get messy.”
“If it comes down to that, I know a few battle-tested crew members who could help me out.”
Jane chuckled. “We’ll be ready if it comes to that.”
“So … once you’re captured, and we have to come get you, who will we be fighting?” asked Emily.
The projection changed to a lineup of Voss, robots, androids, and other creatures.
Dr. Snowden pointed at one of the creatures. “We saw that one in the testing level.”
“Yes, but these are about twice that size. The collar would indicate some type of control.”
Dr. Snowden gulped. “Oh, that’s great.”
“They are sensitive to vibrations. A repulsion blast should keep them away if we run into them.”
“Right, I remember,” said Dr. Snowden. “How are we gonna get a quantum beacon aboard Billozein’s ship?”
Evaran raised a finger. “Not on board, but on the hull. I have a magnetized container with a chameleon effect. V will place it where Billozein will not notice it.”
“So we might not even see Billozein then, just his ship,” said Jane.
“From your perspective, yes.”
“At least there’s that,” said Jane with a sigh. “What if he doesn’t take off in his ship?”
“That is a risk. However, he is not one of courage and will retreat if he feels he no longer has the upper hand.”
Jane smirked. “I hope your assessment is accurate.”
Dr. Snowden wrinkled his eyebrows. “That makes sense. If he could do it without his ship, he wouldn’t have had to run from us, or contact us from it.”
“Correct,” said Evaran. He tapped at the table console. The projection changed back to the facility he had selected to infiltrate. “There are several landing bays and extensions around the base. They are heavily monitored and appear to have a sizable security contingent. You will need to be careful when you follow Billozein’s ship in.” He pointed higher up the mountain. “For the more immediate goal of entering, I will be going in through a hatch door on the communications tower roof.” The projection zoomed in to the tower sticking out of the mountainside. The hatch door on the roof was outlined in green. “V will fly down and knock on the hatch door, then enter scout mode. I will then jump down and deal with any Voss, and we will both enter.”
V’s lights blinked. “Acknowledged.”
“I do not know what to expect internally other than the layout and lineup of beings that I showed earlier,” said Evaran. “I will set up a display in the holo room where everyone can see what V sees. Get your suits on, and we will head out there.” The projection vanished as he stood. He exited the room with V.
Dr. Snowden glanced at Jane. “Are you ready for your first mission as an official companion?”
“I’m ready. I can’t wait to see Billozein get captured and face justice.”
“Me too,” said Emily as she stood.
“I think I’ll use my light armor on this one. I’m more familiar with it,” said Jane.
Dr. Snowden cocked his head. “This would be a good opportunity to use the survival suit in a real-world situation. Besides, there isn’t much to it.”
“All right. I trust your judgment. Lead on.”
Dr. Snowden smiled at Jane.
They headed over to the survival suit area in the research lab.
Jane touched Dr. Snowden’s arm. “Hey … I wanted to say that I’m glad to be traveling with you.”
Dr. Snowden’s face turned red as he looked down. “Oh … yeah … definitely.”
Jane chuckled as she leaned in and kissed Dr. Snowden on the cheek. “Now help me with my suit.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Dr. Snowden. His nanobots had pulsed when Jane kissed him, like a shock to the system. After helping Jane with her suit, he stood for a moment to enjoy the warmth that had spread over him. His mind ventured into areas he could have only dreamed of with Jane. To think that in all of space and time, at this specific point, he would meet someone he was compatible and had a possible future with. After all he and Emily had been through, maybe this was a cosmic payback of sorts.
Jane swatted his arm. “You coming or going to continue daydreaming?”
Dr. Snowden raised his eyebrows. “What?” He noticed Jane was standing outside the suit area. “Oh … right … Let’s go.”
They joined Evaran, Emily, and V in the command area.
Dr. Snowden observed that they were still in space outside the United Planets station.
“V, take us to Malacruuz. Make sure we stealth before entering the portal.”
“Acknowledged,” said V.
A golden beam shot out in front of the Torvatta, causing a portal to form.
V tapped at the front console. “Torvatta stealth mode engaged.”
The Torvatta flew through the light-blue rippling portal surface ringed by a silver border.
Once through the portal, Evaran placed his fingertips together. “V, take us down to Malacruuz and hover over the communications tower identified earlier.”
“Acknowledged.”
After twenty minutes, Dr. Snowden hustled to meet the others standing on the Torvatta’s ramp. It extended out to the edge of the shielding and, with the Torvatta in stealth mode, was undetectable to those outside it. V had already flown out, tapped on the roof hatch door, and shimmered into scout mode.
After a moment, the roof door slid back, and a burly Voss climbed out. Another followed him a moment later.
Dr. Snowden noted that both Voss wore a mix of black and red light clothing, with a belt that held various devices. Their jackal-like heads had a metal piece that went from their foreheads to back behind their upright ears. The back chest plate caught his attention. It was strapped on with over-the-shoulder straps at the top and connected to the belt.
“There was something was out here,” said the first Voss.
The second Voss sneered. “Uh-huh …”
Evaran jumped down and swung his extended utility handle at both of the Voss. When the light-blue end touched them, they crumpled to the ground. He glanced at the others in the Torvatta. “Head to the holo room. It is set up to see what is going on.”
Dr. Snowden’s eyes popped open when he entered the holo room and saw a 360-degree view from V’s perspective. He jumped at a sound off to his side. This was more realistic than he had expected. From where he stood, it was like he was floating in the air. He sat down at one of the three seats that were in front of him. While he had seen projections from Evaran’s chest before on the front screens, to watch a 360-degree view in the holo room was a first for him. He focused on the hologram scene.
Evaran sealed the hatch door shut after he began to climb down the ladder. After a minute, he reached the bottom.
Dr. Snowden noted that the corridor Evaran was in was fairly large. The black floor and walls with purple lines zigzagging everywhere seemed to create panels of various sizes. Light strips from the ceiling provided illumination. The sounds of various voices echoed out in the distance.
“This is amazing,” said Jane.
“Yeah, tell me about it,” said Dr. Snowden.
Evaran clung to the walls and crept forward. His utility handle was extended into a baton with a light-blue glowing end. He reached a large half-circle-shaped room.
V flew forward to the other end of the room.
Dr. Snowden scrutinized the area. The front wall was awash with screens showing all sorts of data, from galactic maps to status bars and charts. Some had what looked like broadcasts going on them. It was the three Voss in the room that caught his attention. Two were in a sunken area in front of workstation with a dizzying array of electronics. One stood off to the side, studying the screens that extended to the edges of the room. The ability to scrutinize the environment from the safety of the holo room did not escape Dr. Snowden. The holo presence capability was powerful. While he and the others could freely walk around the hologram, what they saw was dependent on where V was.
Evaran looked around the room for a moment, then nodded at V.
V projected a large robot pod that sat on two legs and bristled with weapons. The robot whirred and said, “Systems engaged.”
The startled Voss ducked to the ground.
Evaran stood, raised his baton, and shot a stun beam at both Voss in the sunken area. The third Voss reached for his weapon. He looked up in surprise when Evaran reached him. Evaran tapped him on the head with his baton. The last Voss crumpled to the ground.
Emily shook her head. “Flawless.”
Dr. Snowden could see how when it was just Evaran and V, they worked effortlessly. He remembered wondering before whether Evaran would make different decisions if he and Emily were not around. Seeing what Evaran and V could do now confirmed that they were more efficient alone.
Jane gasped as she focused on one of the side screens. “Those are United Planets communications.”
V positioned himself to give a better view.
Evaran placed his UIC on one of the workstations and glanced at V. “It would not be unusual to eavesdrop on your enemies.”
“Maybe … but these are encoded messages. The only way to get access to these is if someone gave them access. They must have infiltrated somehow.”
/>
The UIC’s light-blue light stabilized after a moment. Evaran perused his ARI. “Definitely possible. However, as this timeline will change, things may be very different, and this may not come to pass.”
Jane wrinkled her eyebrows for a moment, then went back to studying the screens.
Dr. Snowden watched as a stream of data appeared in the air. It occurred to him that with the holo room, these types of things could be visualized. The UIC looked like a jellyfish as tendrils of blue light snaked their way from it through the workstation. He walked over and stood next to at Emily. “This is kinda cool, huh?”
Emily snorted. “It’s hard to sit by.”
“Yeah.” Dr. Snowden pulled his lips in and walked over to Jane, who had gotten out of her seat to investigate the screens she saw in more detail. “You see anything interesting?”
“Outside of these transmissions, there is lot of valuable information here.”
“You probably never thought you would be seeing the inside of a Voss facility, even if it’s a holo-room version,” said Dr. Snowden.
“It wasn’t exactly on my dream to-do list.”
They shared a laugh as Emily gazed at them from afar.
Evaran rubbed his chin. “Very interesting. That area near the bottom of this base is similar to the progeny rooms we saw, except this is much larger.” He interacted with his ARI, causing a visual of the interior of the bottom area to float near him.
Dr. Snowden’s eyes widened as he saw rows and rows of the capsules.
“There are approximately two thousand of them there,” said Evaran.
“Maybe that is the vanguard of his army or something,” said Jane.
“That is possible. I suspect taking control of these facilities for further conversion is his current priority,” said Evaran.
The projection changed to the layout of the top part of the base. Three levels down was a large square room that had an enclosed central area. A line ran from where Evaran was to the enclosed area.
Evaran pointed at the projection. “That is where I need to go. I cannot decipher the Voss control communications from here. There is an aggressive security AI protecting the outside entry points. I will need to get physically inside.”