by Drew Wagar
‘Did that make any sense to you?’
‘Understood every word… ’ Coyote said, with a wry grin.
‘Ok. I’ll ask again,’ Derik said slowly, punching out each word slowly. ‘What-does-it-mean?’
Udian increased his height slightly and looked down on the pair. Coyote and Derik looked up expectantly.
‘It means our little woman is not quite in our universe.’
‘What?’ Derik and Coyote’s exclamations were in unison.
‘Clearly she has some unusual properties and the Thargoid’s consider this of value,’ Udian mused. ‘They recognised this in space and here in the station as well.’
‘When?’ Coyote snapped, frowning.
‘During the attack in the corridor,’ Udian replied. ‘They once again referred to her by the strange phrase they used before. Ragazza dux ducis incolumitas. I should not have survived the altercation, as I advised both of you. Fortunately the Thargoids saw me only as an obstacle, not a target.’
‘They were after her?’ Coyote asked.
‘Yes. You asked me why I considered her a liability. This is why; they want her for something. Something so important it’s overriding everything else.’
‘What is so special about her?’
‘That is a question for which I do not have an answer. She appears conspicuously unremarkable to me,’ Udian’s ocular receptors glowed brightly. ‘I suggest we ask her for the truth.’
‘And if she doesn’t tell us?’
Udian turned slightly. ‘If you two do not have the stomach for such a task, leave the coercion to me.’
‘You aren’t going to hurt her,’ Coyote said, his voice dropping in warning.
‘Am I not?’ Udian replied with faint amusement.
‘No way. Over my dead body,’ Derik added, standing between Udian and the bio-bed.
‘Do not mistake my gratitude for past glories as an inhibitor. This information is mission critical and needs to be appraised,' Udian continued laconically, leaning over the lizard.
Coyote held up a hand. ‘Let’s try just asking her first shall we?’
‘No?’ Jim yelled in annoyance. ‘Then I’ve wasted my time. I should have known better than to expect that I’d gain anything from this…’
‘SILENCE!’ The bird roared, its wings extending again in anger. Jim flinched as the avians enormous wingspan served its purpose in intimidating him.
‘That’s more acceptable,’ Daddyhoggy intoned. ‘You asked for a ridiculously oversimplified response and you got precisely what you deserved. Had you bothered to apply for an appropriate answer I would have responded differently.’
‘And what would that answer have been, pray tell?’ Jim said, still seething.
The bird’s beak opened slightly, in a manner which Jim slowly began to recognise as an avian grin.
‘Ah. In that case my answer would have been… No.’
‘That’s the same as the short answer…!’
‘No… not yet.’
There was a mischievous gleam in Daddyhoggy’s eye.
‘This language has not been used for millennia. There is no one who can directly translate it short of some of the more esoteric linguistic historians and we don’t have any of them present. The key is in the approach. This is a root language. We need to find the path back from where we are now, to an equivalent in the past.’
‘How do we do that?’ Jim asked, his interest piqued.
‘Take this word,’ Daddyhoggy gestured to the paper. ‘Duo. Perhaps some similar modern words would provide a clue. In your language, we have dual, meaning twin. Double, meaning two of a kind. Many old-earth languages have a similar concept; Deux and Dos are representations of the quantities of two.’
‘Numbers,’ Jim breathed. ‘What about Quindecim and Novem? The same?’
‘What does Quindecim suggest?’ Daddyhoggy inquired.
‘Quintuple. Decimal!’ Jim said, with growing excitement.
‘Which is?’ Daddyhoggy prompted
‘A quintuple is a star system of five stars. Decimal is clearly ten. So, fifteen?’
‘Which brings us to Novem.’
‘November? The name of a month using the old-earth calendar. The eleventh month!’
Daddyhoggy’s beak opened slightly. ‘Excellent. Though, we must be careful of assumptions. You are correct in ascertaining the etymology. Unfortunately the calendar in use at the time of this language was slightly different. Fortunately I’m familiar with it.’
‘Which means?’
‘November was the ninth month according to the Roman calendar, not the eleventh.’
Jim looked back at the words ‘So - Two, fifteen, nine. Could that be a date? Twenty one fifty nine?’
‘I suspect not,’ Daddyhoggy replied. ‘Firstly it is too late. Primitive space flight was already available in the twenty second century. Secondly these are individual numbers. There would have been more appropriate ways to indicate powers of ten.’
‘So what does Vulgate mean? Vulgar? That’s not a number.’
‘I believe the numerics are a reference to the first word. An index if you will, some kind of classification. What we have here is a more elusive beast, I believe we are searching for a proper noun. A person or an event perhaps.’
‘So how do we find it?’
‘How does one find anything?’ Daddyhoggy replied with his avian grin. ‘We must search and research, my dear fellow. Let the quest begin!’
Chapter 8
Rebecca stirred, immediately conscious of pain in her shoulder and a horrible stiffness in her chest. She tried to sit up but her vision blurred and swam in front of her.
'Lay still,’ a voice said. ‘You took quite a pounding.’
‘Coyote?’ she managed to croak.
She saw the heavily bearded face and sombrero lean across her, then she spotted Derik’s reptilian head appear from the other side.
‘How you doing?’ he said, baring his teeth in a draconoid greeting.
‘Hurts,’ she said, woozily. ‘Where am I? The Thargs…’
‘Safe for now,’ Coyote reassured her. ‘You’re onboard the Spectre. Pain will go in a while.’
‘And time for some explanations,’ Udian said, severely.
Rebecca looked up fearfully, managing to focus her eyes on the intimidating machine. ‘What?’
‘No more secrets,’ Coyote added softly. ‘Time to level with us.’
‘About what?’
‘About why the Thargoids are after you.’
‘I can’t,’ Rebecca said, her face going pale.
‘You can,’ Udian rumbled heavily. ‘And you will. One way or the other.’
‘We mustn’t talk about this!’ Rebecca said in alarm. ‘I can’t… Garew will know….’
Udian regarded her steadily. ‘Garew can’t find you here,’ he informed her. ‘The Catechism employs a variety of screening devices of various sophistication. Rest assured, the nanobots are helpless all the time we remain aboard. Unfortunately the equipment that renders them so is not portable.’
‘So he can’t eavesdrop on us?’ Coyote asked.
‘No,’ Udian replied. ‘The nanobots will be quiescent whilst we remain here. A dampening field that covers the complex.’
Derik grinned. ‘In that case. Garew, you’re a…’ he descended into a variety of profanities that even had Coyote raising an eyebrow in appreciation.
Udian leaned forward. ‘Now. Perhaps you can explain why the Thargoids committed suicide and expended all of their resources attempting to reach you, despite being offered the opportunity to deal with me once and for all.’
‘I don’t know,’ Rebecca replied, her voice subdued. ‘I really don’t know why they’re coming after me.’
‘You must know something,’ Derik insisted. ‘Whatever it is, don’t you think we deserve to know by now?’
‘We know how they’re tracking you.’ Coyote said.
Rebecca looked up in surprise. ‘How?’
Coyote gestured to the medi-comp. ‘You’re invisible.’
‘What?’ Rebecca looked totally bemused.
‘To the resonance scan anyway. Udian can explain,’ Coyote continued.
Rebecca looked at the big machine. Udian turned slightly.
‘The subatomic particles that compose your body are out of phase with matter that originates in this universe.’ Udian said impatiently. ‘That’s utterly impossible by any process I am aware of. Why is that?’
Rebecca looked back at the three of them. They stared back, expectantly.
She shook her head. ‘You won’t believe me.’
‘Try us,’ Coyote encouraged her. ‘We’ve all seen some pretty strange frak in our time.’
‘Most of it in the last couple of days and covered in grease,’ Derik cackled.
‘Tell us,’ Udian rumbled. ‘Time is short.’
Rebecca took a deep breath. ‘Eleven years ago. The mission to stop Zerz? It wasn’t quite so straightforward. I was commissioned by the Dark Wheel.’
Coyote blinked and looked across at Derik. The lizard was silent, no wise-crack came.
‘The Dark Wheel?’ Derik echoed.
‘The Dark Wheel was being accused of killing Galcop senior personnel,’ Rebecca said.
‘I remember this.’ Coyote said. ‘A number of assassinations on the news channels. The Chronicle did a big feature on it, trying to panic everyone. But it all fizzled out in the end… ’
‘The whole thing was a fabrication,’ Rebecca continued. ‘In reality Zerz was behind it all, not the Dark Wheel. He faked his own death to cover his tracks. He’d managed to get hold of a top secret document. It was unique, outside of Galcop control. For the President’s and Military Chief of Staff’s eyes only. The highest level of security possible.’
Udian leaned forward.
‘And what was in this document?’ he demanded.
‘The secret,’ Rebecca said.
‘To what?’ Derik demanded, equally fascinated.
Rebecca looked up forlornly at them. ‘The technical know-how to create the Plasma Accelerator. It’s not a trivial piece of technology. All attempts to create one have ended in failure.’
‘Indeed,’ Udian acknowledged. ‘Rather spectacular failures. One attempt destroyed an entire Coriolis station along with a sizeable chunk of a moon.’
‘The scientist I was working with, Jim McKenna… we were sent to retrieve it. By the time we apprehended Zerz he’d already created a prototype. We fought him and were nearly destroyed. The radiation from the accelerator almost killed us, it had serious flaws. Zerz eventually died from the side-effects. He literally disintegrated in front of us. Jim was only just able to determine what was happening in time to stop the same thing happening to us. The accelerator that Zerz was using was unstable; it gave off some weird form of energy that disrupted organic matter over a period of time.’
‘And yet the Thargoids are using it?’
Rebecca nodded. ‘They’ve probably already discovered its effects. I’m guessing that’s why they want me. They won’t be able to continue the offensive without it. You saw our altercation with Zerz was captured in his ship’s vid-log – that’s how they know.’
‘I don’t get it.’ Derik complained.
‘Jim came up with a solution to the radiation problem.’ Rebecca continued. ‘He talked about quantum states and frak like that, I don’t understand it but it sounds about right. The Thargoids want that information.’
‘Does Garew know this?’ Coyote interjected.
Rebecca shook her head. ‘He tried to torture it out of me but no… he didn’t get it.’
Coyote frowned. ‘Tortured! When?’
‘Back at Tionisla, before we launched. The nanobots…’ Rebecca winced as she remembered. ‘He nearly killed me…’
Derik started to swear again. ‘Another one to add to the list when we finally get our hands on him!”
‘This is encouraging,’ Udian said. ‘It implies Garew doesn’t have all the information either. If he did, Rebecca would have been locked up or killed the moment he had the opportunity. But how can you be so sure you didn’t reveal the details under the torture? Galcop methods are most effective.’
Rebecca grinned. ‘Because I don’t actually know. Jim and I ensured the details were hex-edited out of our memories. It will only unlock after a period of time. I don’t even know when. We must have worked something out beforehand… ’
‘Smart thinking,’ Udian nodded with approval.
‘So the Thargoids…’ Coyote began.
‘Want you… ’ Udian finished for him, looking over at Rebecca. ‘Because they’ve figured out that you can give them a working accelerator.’
Rebecca slumped back on the bio-bed, tears coming to her eyes. ‘I guess. With that weapon the Thargoids can completely wipe us out, there is no known defence. Unless we stop them, we’re all going to die. Don’t let them get me…’
She sobbed, turning away from them.
‘It still doesn’t explain the attack on Lave…’ Udian began.
‘That’s enough for now,’ Coyote said sternly to the others. ‘Let her get some rest.’
Udian and Derik filed out. Coyote turned as if to follow them and then looked back.
‘Quite a ride,’ he said.
‘Yeah,’ Rebecca replied, wiping at her eyes and looking deflated. ‘Listen, thanks for sticking up for me.’
‘You’ve had a tough time…’ Coyote replied. ‘Big secret to be carrying around.’
Rebecca nodded. ‘Sorry for disrespecting you and everything. You’ve got us this far.’
‘I could have been a little more diplomatic about your old ship.’
‘I’m not usually like that…’ Rebecca looked away from Coyote’s grinning face. ‘Well, I guess I am usually like that. But I am sorry, honestly.’
Coyote regarded her for a moment. ‘Apology accepted. I’ll let you off fixing up my hat.’
He looked at the small torn hole in his Sombrero. Rebecca smiled.
‘So, just out of interest, how did you get behind me in that fight?’
Coyote grinned. ‘Old school moves. Retro-thrusters. Hardly anyone bothers with them nowadays but they occasionally come in handy.’
Rebecca pondered that for a moment. ‘Hmmm. Might have to check those out.’
‘So tell me…’ he said, looking at her with his intense grey eyes after a thoughtful pause. ‘Just who is Rebecca Weston?’
She looked up in surprise.
‘What do you mean?’
Coyote smiled. ‘You’re pretty much the mystery woman. What do you do when you’re not slaughtering Thargoids, shooting up ships or hex-editing your brain?’
Rebecca shrugged. ‘Trading I guess. Bounty hunting, the odd mission here or there.’
‘Ah… Lone wolf… or have you got folks looking out for you someplace?’
Rebecca shook her head.
‘No one?’ Coyote prompted.
‘Lost my mum when I was a kid. The rest of my family was shot down back in ’38,’ Rebecca replied quickly.
‘You must have someone…’
‘I did,’ Rebecca looked up, her eyes moist. ‘But not now… he… well he doesn’t know what he wants.’
Ah… so that’s it…
‘The scientist you mentioned? Where is he now?’ Coyote prompted, gently.
‘He was over on the east-side. He’s on his way across now. He’s trying to figure out the Thargoid message. If anyone can do it, it’s him. Real smart.’
‘And yet he can’t make up his mind about you?’ Coyote said.
Rebecca shook her head. ‘We were close once. That whole business, we were in it together. Took us long enough to be honest with each other. He says he couldn’t cope with the life I lead.’
‘Doesn’t know what he’s missing,’ Coyote said, lightly.
Rebecca looked up at him. ‘Huh?’
Coyote grinned. ‘I mean, all your positive traits - that anti-
authority attitude of yours, slapping people in the face, shooting folks for fun. The gung-ho, kill-fest, fly-like-a-banshee thing you’ve got going on. Just what are you trying to prove, girl?’
Rebecca smiled faintly and shook her head. ‘Maybe I should have settled down, hung up the flight-suit. He was always telling me I was taking too many risks. We had so many arguments over that, he never understood…’
‘It’s tough out here. Makes you tough. Relationships are complications,’ Coyote acknowledged. ‘Gotta be hard to find a middle road.’
Rebecca’s eyes narrowed. ‘What are you saying?’
‘Just interested in what you want…’ Coyote said. ‘You’re Deadly. That’s a long way along the road. Do you still want to be Elite?’
‘Yes,’ Rebecca said, her eyes bright. ‘I deserve it. I’ve always known I could be an Elite combateer.’
‘You sure?’ Coyote queried.
‘Why? Don’t you think I can?’ she snapped back, looking at him intently. ‘That little fight of ours doesn’t count! I’ll get you next time.’
Coyote held up his hands to fend her off. ‘Woah Tiger. That’s not what I’m asking. Could you give this up?’ He gestured vaguely around them. ‘Freedom of space flight, running the risks, fighting your corner? Looking to be Elite. Do you love that more than anything else? Elite is a lonely place, Rebecca. No space for relationships. You can’t afford to care too much…’
‘I don’t care…’ Rebecca stopped, as her voice trembled.
Coyote inclined his head. ‘Yeah and I’ve got a fat trumble you’re buying from a mangy feline.’
Rebecca seethed for a moment. Coyote saw her hands clench and unclench.
She is so tightly wound up! Like a Torus drive in a mass-lock…
‘I won’t work… it didn’t work!’
‘You can’t live in his world, he can’t live in yours. What’s the solution?’
‘I don’t know!’
‘Does he still love you?’
Rebecca looked away uncomfortably. ‘Maybe… I don’t know.’
‘You still love him?’ Coyote’s eyes twinkled in the shadow under his Sombrero.
She glared at him and then looked away without answering.
Coyote leant closer, his voice dropping to a whisper, ‘You nearly got spaced today, maybe more than once. I’ve seen you in action. You’ve got talent, you’ve got nerve and you’ve got the skills… ’