by Arlin Fehr
'Of course,' the robot turned and left.
***
They watched as the robot walked across the grassy surface and away from them.
'What now captain?' John asked.
Sam placed her hands on her hips and looked out over the expanse before them. Animals were visible all around. A breeze blew gently from one side.
'We've still got a pilot to find, and I'd like to investigate this place further, it doesn't feel quite right.'
'There is no way a PE series Guardian should be looking after a conservatory. They never were able to figure out how to deal with organic systems.' Jing said.
'Organic systems?' John asked.
'I can't really think of a good word for it. They were never good dealing with anything that was alive. They couldn't manage anything with people, animals, or plants. They weren't exactly brilliant. They'd struggle to decide on a course of action in the event of a problem. They needed near constant Advocate support. And yet,' Jing gestured with his arms out, 'here we are in a conservatory full of plants and animals, and according to the Guardian, the Advocate isn't here.'
Sam nodded, 'There's certainly some questions I'd like answered. How are you holding up Dan?'
Dan was still being helped by John, though seemed to be steadier on his feet, 'Whatever the bot gave me seems to be kicking in. I'm feeling pretty good.'
'Keep an eye on your supply, if you start to get low, we may just have to go.'
'Yes Captain.'
***
'For the rest of you, we're going to split up. I want to find that enemy pilot and get us home quickly. The sooner we can get someone back here to investigate, the better, but while we're going around, keep your eyes open, record everything. If you recognize any plants or animals, record it. If you see anything odd, record it. If you have eyes on one of the robots, watch what it's doing and record it.'
'Captain, shouldn't we just be focusing on finding the pilot?' Dan protested.
'There's something odd going on here and I'd like to find out what it is if we can,' Sam said.
'Should we be splitting up though?' Victor asked, 'Let's not forget the pilot is still dangerous, and we don't know how stable this Guardian is.'
'We'll have to stay in communication range at all times. I'll want periodic checks from everyone. As for teams, Victor and Ise, you'll be one team and you'll be heading to the right, towards the next elevator shaft. Dan and I, will be another and we'll go towards the centre Jing and John, will make up the last team and you'll be heading left, towards the shaft on that side.'
'We should keep an eye on the Guardian's robots, we are organic variables being thrown into it's domain, and it's advocate is no where to be found. I'd prefer not to guess how it would react.' Victor said.
'Vick, I don't think we'll have to worry, that thing handled introductions much better than a unattended PE series should have. Maybe those upgrades really worked.' Jing said.
Victor put up his hands, 'I'm not saying anything will happen, but if something does happen, it'd be good to have some advanced warning so we can get to an elevator shaft in a hurry. I don't like the thought of trying to run across this much open ground,' Victor pointed at Dan,' and Lt. Higgins should like that even less.'
'We'll all have to be careful. There's no question there,' Sam said, 'But it's not in our best interest to let the pilot get it's hands on any of the technology here. If it gets the FTL signallers, or the Guardian core, it would be very bad for the war. The Lobsters are tricky enough even without their hands on those technologies, give them the ability to communicate faster than light, and give them computer systems with the compatibility of a Guardian core, and things will get a whole lot worse. Now we've got a job to do, so let's get to it. Stay in contact, and stay safe.'
'I'm sure it'll be fine Vick, you worry too much,' John said.
'Rather not be caught off guard. This place has me on edge.'
'Really? I find it kinda nice. Nothing like a chance to stretch out and go for a walk in a park.'
'This is hardly a park.' Ise commented.
'Well granted, it is hard to imagine you're outside when you can see the roof, but I mean the breeze is nice, and the air has that alive quality you get from a living world.' John said.
'The engineering that went into the place is impressive,' Jing said, looking up at the domed roof, 'and the excavation of this space couldn't have been cheap. I'd like to find out who these owners are.'
'It's another question we can try and answer,' Sam said, 'But I wouldn't try to book this place as a vacation spot. I imagine the authorities might want to have a look around when we get back.'
Jing nodded, 'True enough.'
'Now lets get to work people. We've got questions to answer and a pilot to find.' Sam said.
CHAPTER 6
Conservatory Chamber
John and Jing started off on a path that would take them to the centre of the chamber, keeping the elevator shaft behind them. The other teams would make their way along the edges. John looked around and saw a herd of animals grazing on a hill in front of them.
'Jing, look at that, I recognize those!' John said, pointing.
'What are they?' Jing asked, pulling out a small hand held tablet computer.
'Soci is what they're called, I believe . They come from the colony of St. Patrica.'
The pair walked to the base of the hill. One of the creatures stopped and stared at them. It was standing on four short legs with a short brown fur coat covering it's body. It had an eye on either side of it's wedge shaped head. The top of the head tapered up in a single central horn that curved backwards. It had short ears, which presently were turned towards the pair.
'Don't make any sudden movements, we may spook it.' John said levelly.
'How do you know what they are?'
'I had an Aunt that lived on St. Patrica. My parents dropped me off to spend a month with her when they went off to make a cargo run in dangerous space. The freighter fleet we were part of desperately needed some repairs.'
'Did the run go alright?'
'Well enough I suppose. The fleet lost a ship due to system failures, but the haul was enough to pay for repairs on the rest. Unfortunately, I may have cost my Aunt a few years of her life. I was not a very stationary child. Which is why I know about these guys here, I ran across a herd of them and antagonized them until the oldest one charged me. Blasted thing chased me all the way home,' John said with smile on his face.
The creature looking at them resumed it's grazing.
'They don't look that dangerous.' Jing said.
'The horn actually hurts a lot. And almost anything is dangerous if you get it mad enough. Come on, lets keep moving, we'll move around the base of the hill, and give them space.'
'Right.'
The pair started to move around the hill, moving towards the right.
'Are Soci known for anything?'
John glanced at Jing, 'Hmm?'
'The Soci, do they have any kind of economic value?'
'Meat animal mostly. They're very common on St. Patrica.'
'So, nothing really exceptional about them?' Jing asked.
'No, why do you ask?'
'If this is a poacher's facility, it wouldn't make sense they'd capture common herd animals.'
John nodded, 'I see what you're saying.'
They made it to the other side of the hill. John stopped and looked out over the chamber again. There was a rocky outcropping a short distance away from them, with a grove of trees around it. He saw water coming from the rock formation.
'Let's go check out that formation. It's got a water feature.'
They walked towards the rock formation. A trio of dark feathered birds with four wings let out piercing screeches before pushing off of the tree they were perched in and flying off. Jing watched them go. He walked up to the nearest tree and put his hand against it, the bark seemed to twitch under his touch. Jing bent down and examined the roots. The tree wasn't anyth
ing he recognized, the roots were like fine locks of hair disappearing into the ground, and the foliage was a dark shade of orange. Jing pulled out his tablet and stood back. He turned on the camera and recorded a short clip of the tree. When he was done, he turned on his communicator which was built into his suit.
'Ise, you there?'
'I hear you Jing.'
'I've just recorded a video of a tree. Is your link with Lenny still active?'
'It is, but he's still dark.'
'Would he be able to cross reference it with the archive without going bright?' Jing asked.
'Hang on a moment, I'll check.'
Jing looked at his tablet again, and checked a setting. The tablet showed the other similar devices carried by the rest of the crew as all in range.
'He can, but it'll take him longer, he'll have to keep power usage to a minimum.'
'Alright, I'm sending you the video to your tablet now.'
'Roger that, I see it. I'm downloading it now. I'll send it to Lenny when it's done.'
'Thanks Ise.'
Jing closed his link and slid his tablet back into it's compartment on his suit. He walked over to where John was.
John was squatting next to the stream of water and was holding a small cylindrical probe in the water, the other end connected to his suit.
'How's it look John?' Jing asked.
'This is some of the purest water I've ever seen.'
'Or it just has things in it our probes can't recognize.' Jing suggested.
'The probe hasn't given any warning of unknown particles.'
Jing walked a few paces away from John and went close to the rock formation. He stepped onto the rocky outcropping and leaned in close to where the water was burbling out of a hole. He reached up his neck and pressed on a point on the side of his suit. His helmet unfolded itself from it's half ring position on the back of his neck and reformed around his head. He activated the ring of lights around the view plate and leaned in closer. He caught a gleam of something from inside the hole.
'There's definitely a pipe of some kind feeding this spring. I wonder where the filtration system is?' Jing asked, his voice being broadcast to John's communication system in his own suit.
'It could be that one we saw up top.' John said.
'No no, that one was old and cheap, I don't think it'd be filtering water this effectively.' Jing said.
Jing stepped back and folded his helmet back up. He glanced around the area around him and spotted another rock cropping on a raise a few hundred meters away from them, towards the centre of the chamber. It was much larger than the one they were next to and had a large amount of water running down it's face.
'And I don't think the stuff we saw upstairs would be able to handle that much water.' Jing said, tapping John on the shoulder.
John stood up and looked at the formation in the distance.
'I think I'll have to agree with you there. Shall we go check it out?'
Jing nodded and they started towards it.
***
Victor watched a large lumbering and completely alien creature amble by in a near by valley between hills. The creature was shaped like a bowl, with eight legs spaced along the edge of it's body. It had a single eye on a stalk that come up from the centre of it's body. It's eye was focused firmly on Ise and Victor, who stood on top of a near by hill. Victor was having difficulty making out any features such as mouths or ears on the creature. It seemed to be staring at them.
Suddenly it lowered itself completely flat and changed colour, turning into a shade of green that matched the grass. Small tendrils popped up along it's body, masking it even more with the green, until only it's eye stalk was visible. The eye stalk turned orange near the top. Victor frowned at the odd change in colour for the eye and looked around, he noticed some plants that looked suspiciously like the orange eye stalk scattered around the hill he and Ise were on, suggesting more creatures hiding in the grass.
'Ise, come look at this.'
'Hang on, I'm downloading something for Lenny to cross reference.'
Victor pulled out his tablet and started to record the camouflaged creature. As he did he saw a small skinny lizard. It was a matte grey colour, had two large blue eyes, and a whip like tail. It scurried along on four legs, weaving through the grass. It would stop occasionally and look up at Victor, but it's eyes always went back to the orange eye stalk in the grass.
Victor watched it's advance until it got right up to the eye stalk.
Victor flinched as the disguised alien snapped it's body up around the eye stalk, trapping the lizard with it's body. The legs that had been around the bottom edge of it all wrapped around themselves, sealing its body closed. Victor could see bulges in the body of the creature being pushed around as the lizard thing struggled to escape, letting out muffled screeches. The bowl creature seemed to squeeze it's own body tighter and tighter around a central axis, stretching itself into a cylinder with a bulge near the bottom. The bulge stopped squirming, and the bowl alien fell over, laying on its side. It's body unfurled and it untangled it's legs, retaking it's original bowl shape. It's eye stalk looked back at Victor as it's large form shuffled over the twisted and unmoving shape of the lizard. It lowered itself down and flattened itself over the carcass. Though Victor couldn't see anything, he heard an unsettling squelching noise. The creature seemed to be feeding.
Ise walked up beside Victor.
'You missed quite the scene,' Victor said.
'I heard it. Something feels off though, I don't think they'd want their animals eating each other.' Ise commented.
'It's a more natural way of doing it.' Victor said.
'Certainly, but it means they have to keep a breeding population of the meat animals,' Ise said, 'Which requires an even larger enclosure. I can't say I understand any of this though. It seems too elaborate.'
'Keep your eye open for any reptilian creatures. If we spot more, and see enough, it may answer the question about if there's breeding populations of the meat animals.'
'Yeah. Anyway, I've got an analysis to carry out with Lenny. Keep watch.'
Victor nodded.
***
'Lenny, did you get the file okay?' Ise asked over the uplink.
'Yes Advocate,' replied Lenny.
'Cross reference the video file with the archives, I want to know what the tree is and where it's from,' Ise said.
'Please stand by. approximate analysis time is twenty minutes. Remaining dark is limiting my processing ability.'
'Keep me posted.'
'Yes Advocate.'
Ise looked around and saw Victor a little way off, recording the area with his tablet.
'It's going to take Lenny twenty minutes to analyze what I sent him. Let's keep looking around.'
'Right,' Victor put his tablet away and pointed to the hill across from them where the bowl shaped alien was still feeding at it's base, 'let's get on top of that hill and have a look around.'
'Sounds good, lets give our friend a wide berth though.'
'Wouldn't want to disturb it's dinner.' Victor said.
They walked towards the base of the hill, giving the creature plenty of space, and started their climb up it. The hill was steep and they had to use their hands to grab onto things and help themselves up.
When they reached the top, a handful of small lizard creatures clustered around a rock and began to hiss.
'Maybe it's a nest? Lets give them some space.' Victor said.
Ise nodded. They moved around the edge of the crest and looked out over the chamber.
One of the large support pillars stood just to the right of them, and an elevator shaft stood in front of them.
Victor toggled his communication system on his suit, 'Lt. Hale to Captain Geer, come in please.'
'Sam here, go ahead.'
'We've got a clear view of the next nearest shaft on our side. We're going to head towards it.'
'Roger that Victor, We're going to head for the far shaft. Swin
g that way after you hit your nearest shaft and we'll all meet up back there.'
'Yes Captain,' Victor toggled his communication off and looked to Ise, 'We're going to head for the far shaft after we check this nearest one on our side.'
Ise nodded, 'Hold on a moment, I've got something coming down my uplink from Lenny.'
'Yes Lenny?'
'Advocate th.. s... an...h...at...' his message was fragmented.
'Lenny, you're breaking up, I can't make you out.' Ise said.
'Exp...t...dif...stand...y...'
'Victor, I'm losing my connection to Lenny.' Ise said, looking over at her companion.
'What?' Victor toggled his communication back on, 'Lt. Hale to Captain Geer, come in please.'
'I read you Vick, what's up?'
'Just checking our comms captain, Ise is losing her connection to the ship. I wanted to make sure we weren't going to lose our comms as well.'
'I hear you just fine. Try and see if you can figure it out.'
'I've got a very limited tool set on this suit, but I'll give it a try.
'Keep me appraised.'
'Yes Captain. Lt. Hale out.'
Victor reached down and pulled his tablet out of it's holding pouch on his suit and turned to Ise.
'Ise, do your internal systems read any faults?'
'No. Want to plug into one of the access ports and see what you can see?'
'If you're not reading any faults, I may have to. Maybe I can patch your Guardian uplink through your suit communication system, we'll try bypassing your Guardian uplink system.' Ise turned her back to Victor and raised a hand to the back of her head, pushing aside some of her short black hair and revealing a small plug on the back of her head.
Victor pulled a cable from a pocket on his suit and plugged one end into his tablet and another end into the plug on her head.
'Do you see my connection?'
'Yes. I see the tablet, I'm giving it permission to access my systems.'
'Got it. Thank you.'
Ise looked out towards the elevator shaft they were heading towards while Victor did his work. She noticed something in the distance, and activated her enhanced eyes. They zoomed in and the image sharpened showing a metallic robot like the one that had met them earlier. It was standing by the next elevator shaft and looking at them.