Sonata in Orionis (Earth Song Book 2)

by Mark Wandrey

  "Wow, the frontier," Aaron said, rubbing his hands together.

  "What's so great about that?" Pip asked as he struggled to put his gear in order. Minu eyed his backpack dubiously. It seemed to be full to overflowing with science kits and tablet computers. "No services, no restaurants, no network!" The last seemed to horrify him the most. As if the very thought of being off line for any length of time would be pure torture.

  "That's what's great about it," Aaron said as he stood, fully geared and ready to go. She smiled at him and he smiled back. He'd gotten a little taller since the Trials and broader across the chest. She felt herself start to blush and looked away to cover it. Pip was still grumbling and fumbling with his gear. It was time to help him.

  "Do you really need all this shit?" Minu asked as she dumped the entire backpack onto a table to organize it.

  "Do you really want me to be able to do my job?"

  Minu rolled her eyes and went to work. She took the standard issue backpack away and returned with a field equipment bag. "I can't carry that on my back," he started to complain. She held up a menacing finger and he shut up. She went to work with self-adhering dividers, straps and pads. In a few minutes she'd transformed the oversized bag into a backpack, complete with segmented dividers with all his gear safely stored. Because of the sheer volume of the ‘necessary equipment’ it wouldn’t hold all his field gear. She decided to distributed part of his kit around the team. Her friends took it without comment while the three new guys gave Pip dirty looks.

  "I guess that will work," Pip said as he slung the pack. Now it was Minu's turn to give him a dirty look. The pack was twice the size of theirs, and at the same time lighter. His equipment was considerably less dense.

  "It better," she told him. He saw the look on her face and nodded. "Let’s check in," she said and led them down the hall. The launch room was just beside the portal making it visible through huge moliplas windows. They walked through scanners that verified their condition and reported to the duty officer. Minu walked over to meet him.

  “Michael,” he said and shook her hand. “First frontier mission?”

  “Minu, and yes it is.”

  “Your mission plan looks solid, I'm sure you'll do fine.” Minu smiled and he turned to look at the computer screens as the scans of Minu and her team appeared. “Let's see how your people look.” He used the scanners to go through their gear and bodies for any problems. The three gold stars glittered on his sleeve as he worked. She was very conscious that like her, all of her team wore five stars.

  "Looks good," he said as he finished evaluating them. He shook his head at the condition of Pip's pack then complemented him on the ingenuity involved in its improvised design. He'd hooked a thumb at Minu and the officer nodded to her, acknowledging a job well done. "Just a couple last pieces of equipment," he told them and left for a moment.

  "Hope it's not too heavy," Aaron said as he tried to resettle the very heavy pack on his back. It was the first time into the frontier for all of them and they were beginning to realize it wasn't as glamorous as they'd been led to believe.

  Michael returned with a long metallic case which he laid on a bench along one wall. He popped it open to show the contents as everyone crowded around. It was full of the Chosen standard issue sidearms and rifles.

  "Oh shit," Gregg said, then looked embarrassed at letting out what he'd been thinking.

  "You didn't think Jacob would send you out into the frontier with only your overdeveloped sense of self-worth for protection, did you?"

  "I frankly hadn't thought about that," Minu admitted. Michael distributed weapons to each of them. The rifles were on the long side but very light, made locally from Concordia components. They were a distant relative of the American made M-4 and Israeli Tavor rifle brought from earth by both the Plateau and New Jerusalem Tribes. These weapons were more versatile and made from nearly indestructible dualloy and moliplas. Each team member got a belt holding extra magazines and a semiautomatic handgun.

  To the last they were all nervous and giddy with excitement. Basic weapons training was of course part of all their training, and the scouts got routine practice. After graduation Minu, Pip and Cherise hadn't touched a weapon, and the ones they'd trained on were not these advanced models. Minu told the Chosen of her concern.

  "These weapons are functionally identical to the ones you trained with, just with a few extras." He handed each of them a computer chip. "Here are the details on your weapons in case you need them. I don't have to remind you of your responsibility to humanity as representatives of Bellatrix. We do not fire unprovoked on any alien species, and we do not fire ever on any of the major players." They all knew well who those were. Minu shuddered at the thought of getting in a fight with T'Chillen, Tanam or Mok-Tok. "What is the rule when it comes to armed conflict?"

  "Retreat, reevaluate, and report," they all intoned as one.

  "Always remember the three Rs, they are our ROE, rules of engagement. We are not an army. We're not trained or equipped as one, and we're definitely not in any position to be causing trouble for the Tog."

  "Understood," Minu said, looking around at her team. They all nodded in agreement, none more than Pip. He looked like he'd rather face the kloth back during their Trials than have to resort to using the rifle which he was still trying to sling next to the hulking backpack.

  "And finally," Michael said, "for your commander." He turned to Minu and held out a nondescript black crystalline rod. She gapped at it in.

  "A portal control rod?" Pip blurted.

  "How do you expect to get home, dialing manually? Without this and the access code, it would be impossible to get through our portal. Should the one in Tranquility be busy and you running for your lives, well, that could prove quite embarrassing."

  "Not to mention fatal," William agreed.

  Minu swallowed and accepted the rod. It felt vaguely warm in her hand and weighed next to nothing. The simulation they used in training was a plastic rod with touch sensitive controls. She was being handed a key to the universe and it made her dizzy with excitement. As soon as the Chosen released it she felt a little tingle run up her spine. "Okay, it is configured to you. No one else can use it."

  "What if she bites it?" Luke asked, Minu didn't like the way he asked that, almost like he was hoping that might happen.

  "Yeah., how do we get back?" Chester agreed.

  "You dial through to Herdhome or back here to Tranquility, obviously."

  "But you just said-" William started to complain, the older Chosen cut him off.

  "Look, these are powerful tools. We don't just hand them out haphazardly. No one else can use that rod, and it can be accessed for stored destinations. The more people who have access, the better the chance an enemy could 'convince' the holder to dial one of our unsecured portals. You know the galaxy is not a safe place. We have to keep our little corner as safe as we can manage. Now, if there are no more questions?" Pip looked like he was about to speak until Michael stared him down. He just shrugged instead. "Good, please wait here for your launch window, in about an hour."

  Michael took his place behind the control console and started entering data. The wall behind them, its opaqueness controllable just like the one before them, turned transparent where they could see a pair of Chosen were working as well. Having sat shifts in the command center thousands of meters below their feet Minu knew they were all being watched, perhaps by Dram or Jovich, as they prepared to launch. Outside the portal was inactive, waiting for the signal to send or receive travelers. She felt a little annoyed that they didn't leave for a whole hour. There was nothing to do about it so she sat on the bench and took out a tablet to go over the mission profile.

  The hour passed slowly, much more slowly than she would have wished. The gun slung over her shoulder felt like it weighed a ton as the implications of an armed mission began to sink in. I wonder if they do this to you on purpose, she wondered. It was hard to avoid the thought that you were being manipula
ted, especially after the Trials. While they waited two groups of Chosen left, none of them geared up like hers. They all wore the green stars of logistics, just like Cherise. And then a few minutes before their window a transport arrived from parts unknown. A long cylinder, just like the one she’d taken to Serengeti.

  Then the time was up and Michael waved a hand to get Minu's attention. Her team was already standing by the door, all except Pip had weapons slung under arm in easy reach (his was over his shoulder), just as they'd been trained. Initial transport was always the most dangerous moment.

  "All ready, I see? Excellent. Commander, take your team into the field."

  "Yes sir," she said and opened the door. The all walked out into the cool afternoon and lined up in front of the portal. Minu stood in front holding the control rod followed by Gregg, William, Chester, Pip, Cherise, Luke, and Aaron taking up the rear. "Here we go," she told them and activated the rod.

  The destination was preprogrammed. The portal flashed white and shimmered for a moment before revealing their first destination. It was night on the planet designated as FAX544 many untold light years distant. Snow was falling heavily on the cleared area just on the other side of the portal. An almost imperceptible shimmer of energy hung between the two worlds. They waited for a long couple seconds as they'd been trained, then she holstered the rod in a pocket sewn into her uniform leg, grabbed her weapon by the pistol grip, and ran through.

  The winter air on the other side was so bitter it took her breath away and she almost slipped on the icy ground, just managing to keep her feet. Once she was clear of the portal she took a knee and looked around. There was enough light from a solitary moon overhead to see there perimeter was clear. Some light scrub pants were scattered around, nowhere near enough cover to hide a menacing army. She signaled her team and they came trotting through. Pip failed where she'd succeeded and he ended up skidding past where she was kneeling and fell into a frozen bush. She somehow managed not to laugh.

  Back on Bellatrix Michael was waving to her. She gave the all clear sign and the portal deactivated, cutting them off from home and turning it back into just a glowing white archway. A chill spread through her that wasn't from the cold air as she realized she was in the field on the frontier for the first time, and utterly on her own.

  "What's the plan, boss?" Cherise asked.

  Minu smiled at being called boss again, a habit her friends picked up during the Trials. She was going to do fine. "We get off this frozen rock and get to work," she said and took out the rod again. Pip was trying to wipe sticky wet snow out of his hair and off his belongings. They were all glad the standard issue uniform was designed for all climates. Aaron, Gregg, Luke and William watched the perimeter while she activated the next destination, GBX49881. The portal responded dutifully and bright sunlight spilled through. The scouts on perimeter knew from their somewhat limited training just how visible they were under the sunlight. Minu wasted no time in running through.

  It reminded her of the desert where her Trials finished, except it was in the center of a ruined city. She quickly glanced around and gave the all clear sign. Her team joined her and the portal closed once more. "Okay,” she said, “let's get to work."

  Dram's door banged open to show Jacob standing, his fists clenched in rage. "What the fuck do you think you are up to?"

  "Just following orders," Dram said calmly without looking up from his computer. Jacob stormed over and slammed a fist down on the metallic desk, producing a bang heard all the way to the CIC.

  "Following orders? Who's fucking orders? I said that girl is not to be allowed into the frontier under any circumstances." Dram finally looked up from his computer; his chiseled black features were calm and unconcerned. As usual he exuded strength and patience. He spun the computer around so Jacob could see it. "What is this shit?"

  "Just read it, sir."

  Jacob leaned forward and read the email. His face went from rage, to confusion, then shock. "Why didn't this come straight to me?"

  "It was sent directly to the mission planner," Dram said, “and that would be me. If I didn't know better, I'd think the Togs were afraid you would be reluctant to follow such a request.”

  "You are supposed to forward any such requests to me."

  "I did, about ten minutes ago."

  "About the same time she took her team through the portal," Jacob spat. Dram nodded. "That is insubordination, mister."

  "That is following the letter of the regulation," said Dram, his voice turned hard, "and I don't much like the tone of your voice, sir."

  "Letter of the regulation, indeed." Jacob piled as much sarcasm as he could muster in that sentence, Dram was unmoved. "Again, they have interfered directly. I do not understand this at all. Why are they doing this? The Tog have never been this heavy handed before!"

  Dram could see his rage was now directed away from him and gave a little sigh. Despite his composure he harbored no wish to confront the current leader of the Chosen, and it looked like a confrontation was in the making for a minute there. "They've seen something in Minu," he said, turning the computer back, "something that maybe we haven't seen." Jacob sat heavily on the edge of Dram's desk and looked considerably deflated. "We must trust their judgment."

  "What do they know about humans?” Jacob demanded, not really a question to be answered. “Nothing, that's what I think. This is just because she's Chriso's kid, it has to be."

  "They've never shown nepotism in regards to a First's descendants before," Dram pointed out.

  "You seem more than willing to help her whenever you can."

  "Maybe I see something you don't," Dram said. And maybe I owe a debt you can't understand, he thought.

  "So you and the Tog are on the same page;, where does that leave me?" Dram didn't have an answer, and soon Jacob turned and left. Dram steepled his fingers in the empty office and breathed deeply, letting the air whistle out between his teeth. He’d really burned some capital by not immediately informing his commander when the specific mission request came in. Just like he'd said, they asked for Minu by name and the target world was very suspect. Dram knew there was much more to GBX49881 than one of Chriso's old caches. True, the First had a nearly legendary ability to find rare and valuable salvage. Deep down Dram wondered if this was all an elaborate plot and he was only playing a part in it. Part of him hoped his suspicions proved true, but part of him prayed they were not.

  Chapter 5

  September 17th, 515 AE

  Galactic Frontier, Planet GBX49881, Ruins

  Even after three days the sunlight was brutal and unrelenting. Day after day of bright orange tinged sky and the furnace of a huge blue star were only broken by bitterly cold nights. After the brief stop on FAX544 it was a roundhouse punch to the senses. The temperature hovered around fifty Celsius, making it rather like sticking your head into an oven. With no humidity to speak of their eyes and throats were sore in minutes. To top it off the map was completely useless. It all added up to a very frustrating mission.

  "Well this is fun," William said over the radio from some distance away.

  "I don't care how much fun you’re having," Minu snapped, "report please."

  "Sector five is clear. I still can't find anywhere that corroborates the damned map."

  "Understood, proceed to your next search sector." Unlike most previous times, he didn't come back and complain again. At least the blast furnace heat had its advantages, even William found it hard to constantly bitch. The insistent complaining wouldn't be so bad if he was a good scout, instead of slow and mediocre.

  "Nothing here," Gregg said.

  "Nor here," concurred Luke.

  "Nope," Aaron finished. "Much as I hate to admit it, I think William is right. The map is just wrong."

  "I don't see how they could give us the wrong map," Minu said off the radio.

  "Just a mistake," Cherise said, shrugging her sweaty shoulders. She was sitting nearby in the shade of a crumbled building working on their tortu
red moisture still. Of them all, the girl raised in the desert was the least effected by the environment. She cursed as she worked with the broken down machine. On Bellatrix the contraption could produce a good five liters of drinkable water per day just from the humidity in the air. Here, it averaged barely one liter. Their meager water stores were critically low and they couldn't afford to have the still off line more than an hour or so. The suspended particulates in the atmosphere just kept clogging the filters every few hours. Minu was beginning to fear they would have to abort and go home without finding the cache.

  "Computers are never wrong," Pip insisted. While not directly participating in the searches he managed to keep from being bored with nonstop reading. He'd brought along a seemingly endless supply of chips full of research. Minu the distraction of classes he'd been in heaven the last three days.

  "Then how do you account for the map?" Cherise asked him.

  "G.I.G.O.," he answered.

  "Huh?"

  "Garbage in, garbage out, it's a computer term." Minu and Cherise both stared at him. "Whoever coded the map screwed it up." The two girls both said "Oh!" Chester only shrugged from where he was doing inventory of their remaining supplies.

  "How long can we hold out?" Minu asked Chester when he'd finished.

  "Food isn't the issue obviously, it's water." Minu looked over his shoulder as he spoke. "We have about five liters left. The still is putting out around a liter a day, but even with our improved survival uniforms we're consuming a half liter each per day."

  "So we're out of water in two days," she said half to herself. Chester just nodded his head. "Any chance of salvaging waste water or digging?"

  "We checked for ground water when we arrived," Cherise joined the conversation. As the groups logistics pair, Chester and her shared the responsibility. Usually only a very large expedition would bring even a single logistics Chosen. The mission of recovering a cache was their specialty. "Sensors said the ground water is contaminated with radioactives."