by Paul Ormond
“What kind of signal are we talking about, General?”
“Surprisingly, it was much like we would expect from the hypotheses surmised by our top scientists. The SETI program has been scanning the stars for decades in search of radio signals from space. And that was exactly what we got when the machine activated itself this morning. Although a portal was not established, we received several bursts of radio data that at first glance appeared to be nothing more than static, but upon further analysis a pattern emerged. As the signal continued, the pattern repeated. It is unclear who or what we are dealing with, but something is clearly trying to communicate with us.”
“When did the signal stop? We’ll need to view it and have it analyzed before we can proceed.”
“That’s just the thing, as we speak we are still receiving the signal. And it has been growing stronger.”
“What do you mean by ‘growing stronger’?”
“It’s as I said earlier, we’re getting a knock at the door. The signal, while faint at first has intensified at a steady rate over the past few hours.”
“Is there anything else you’ve been able to glean from the signal? Is there any clue who may be sending it.”
“We have been analyzing it on site and comparing it to all available data. The signal shares traits with the energy fields present during both incidents.”
“Do you think this could be our people sending us a message?”
“As much as I would like that to be true, it is impossible to say, Madam.”
“Fair enough. What is the next course of action? Do we have any way of communicating back?”
“We’re in unprecedented territory here, Madam President. We have protocols in place for contact, but we have never initiated a call before. Nor did we expect to do so. It was assumed that any contact we received would be hostile, so we’ve only prepared for defensive operations. Outreach, while in discussion, has not been finalized.”
“I believe I instructed all parties involved in these types of matters not to establish or attempt to establish any type of contact with outside entities using these devices.”
“That is correct, but we did not anticipate being contacted in such a way.”
“From what I’ve been able to understand, the intelligence community believes any non-earth entities initiating contact should be considered hostile.”
“That is correct, Ma’am. Under no circumstances does our species fair well against a civilization boasting advanced technology of this nature.”
“But here they are, knocking on the door.”
“That would appear to be the case, Ma’am.”
“And it’s up to me to answer this call.”
“Correct again, Ma’am.”
“If we just ignore it, what will happen?”
“I’d really rather not speculate on that, Ma’am. But as the strength of the signal escalates, I don’t think it will be something we can ignore much longer.”
“Sticking our heads in the sand doesn’t seem like a wise option. If I were to green light contact, how certain are you that we will be able to maintain control of the portal?”
“We have a firm code of conduct within the facility, but how these rules hold up against outside forces, once again, falls into the realm of speculation. After the last meltdown, I feel like we need to approach everything with a heavy dose of caution.”
“No arguments from me on that point,” President Edwards said before she looked off camera. “Looking around the room, how do we feel about this situation?”
“If you don’t mind me saying, Madam President, I feel that we are being lured into opening our door, so to speak,” a voice said as the camera pulled back to reveal a group of people seated around a circular table.
“You are permitted to speak freely, Vickers,” the President replied to a middle-aged mustached man in a suit. “Don’t beat around the bush.”
“Why would anyone knock at our door? If they have all this power, why not just make their own portal and take us over?” Vickers said while he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.
“It is a good point, and one we will consider. Anybody else got anything to say?”
“Madam President, if I may,” a black woman in a blue jacket said as she placed her elbows on the table.
“Just let it out, Sonya,” Edwards said, locking eyes with her aid.
“We don’t have a lot of allies in this fight. What is the harm in hearing what they, whoever they are, have to say?”
“Another good point,” Edwards said before turning her attention back to the screen. “General Vargas, what level of control do you have over this apparatus?”
“That would depend on the conditions, Ma’am,” Vargas said. “There are varying degrees of contact we can establish, and, as I said earlier, we have established protocols for termination should the situation get out of hand.”
“So you are telling me that we could peek through the door and shut it down should things go south?”
“We have run dozens of simulations regarding any plausible scenario, and my team has established a clear code of conduct for anything we should encounter if we were to open the portal. But it must be made clear. We are only drilling on the known knowns. Anything outside of our knowledge pool should be considered a risk.”
“Understood, General. I appreciate your thoroughness,” President Edwards said. “The Joint Chiefs have put a lot of faith in you, and I can see you have earned your merit. If I were to initiate contact with whatever sits on the other side, is there anything I need to know before I plunge into the darkness?”
“Another good question, Ma’am,” Vargas said. “Although we have been able to gather together most of the available data concerning both incidents, we have little to no information about what lies beyond the portal. If you were to reach out, you would be in the dark, so to speak.”
“Literally and figuratively,” Edwards said. “So it seems there are no good options here. Either we ignore the knocking at the door and hope it goes away or we open the door to the big bad wolf. Do we have any precedent for this type of situation? There’s got to be something I can go on here.”
“Unfortunately, Madam President, it appears you are on your own,” a heavy-set man wearing a pair of large glasses said while cracking his knuckles.
“Doctor Nelson, please draw some light upon this situation,” Edwards said.
“I wish it were that easy, Ma’am,” Nelson said as he stood up from his chair. “Unfortunately, the scientific community has wrestled with this scenario since its inception and there is no clear answer. The late Dr. Hawkings firmly believed we should not seek out or welcome communication with alien civilizations, and for good reason. A civilization capable of communicating in real time across the vastness of space would possess technology far superior to ours. If the civilization in question had the capabilities to travel those unfathomable distances, we would risk inviting an adversary of considerable strength onto our doorstep.”
“That may be the case, Doctor,” Edwards said as she looked up to the ceiling. “But we’re not exactly seeking them out. It appears we have already been discovered.”
“Right you are, Madam President,” Nelson said before he stepped past his chair and grasped his wrists. “As I said earlier, you are venturing into uncharted territory, but, I feel, there is no going back at this point.”
“Carry on, Doctor,” Edwards said. “But I’d appreciate it if you would get to the point.”
“If only I could, Ma’am, but we’re trying to answer a question with no apparent answer,” Doctor Nelson said as he paced the room. “But due to the nature of the situation, we’re no longer thinking hypothetically. And this may work to our advantage when considering a decision.”
“Just what are you mumbling about over there, Doctor?” President Edwards asked.
“Am I not speaking loudly enough, Ma’am?” Nelson said, nearing the president. “The situation is clear cut. We have received
a signal. A signal the scientific community has waited on for decades, I might add. Ignoring this call means we are turning a blind eye to the dangers in our midst. Although opening the door to the unknown may seem frightening, we would be foolish to pass up the opportunity. It is far better to know your adversary than to be in the dark. If whatever it is we are about to encounter has the ability to annihilate us, I think I would like to hear them out before they decide to seek alternative action. We should consider it a blessing they are choosing to communicate with us at all.”
“So in spite of Hawkings warning, you believe we are better to be informed of this perceived threat rather than hope to force it out?” Edwards asked.
“That is correct, Ma’am,” Nelson said, turning on his heel. “We need to look at this situation as objectively as possible. We are a civilization considering interplanetary travel, and a power capable of inter-dimensional expeditions is using its technology to contact us. I do not believe we are in a position to ignore this message. But that does not mean we cannot negotiate from a position of power.”
“And why exactly do we have to negotiate with this unknown entity?” the President asked.
“Please don’t misunderstand me, Madam President,” Nelson said after stopped pacing and turned to face the president. “I’m only trying to intuit the possible outcomes of establishing contact. If what we are dealing with is an advanced civilization, I highly doubt they called us up for a chat. Most likely there is something they want from us. In that we should not appear to be operating from a position of weakness. They want something from us and we want something in return.”
“Finally, I get a straight answer from somebody in this room,” Edwards said before she pushed back her chair and stood up. “From what I can gather, we don’t have much of a choice here. Whoever they are, they aren’t going away and they are clearly after something. If we appear scared, they will walk all over us, but if I’m too brazen, they may consider us a threat. So all things considered, it’s best to remain neutral. We have no intention of negotiating, but we will listen to what they have to say.”
“That is precisely why the American People elected you President, Ma’am,” a man said from the opposite side of the table.
“Don’t be a kiss ass, Jefferies,” Edwards said. “General Vargas, I think it is time to initiate contact.”
“As you wish, Madam President,” Vargas said as he swung around and gripped the yellow railing behind him. “Ladies and Gentlemen, we are executing a code green authorized by President Edwards. Battle stations, everyone.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
“HAVE YOU LOOKED in that cave?” Sage asked as he pulled back on his mount and changed direction.
“I went in there, but those trolls are off the charts,” Gareth said from across the narrow ravine.
“I think we’re wasting our time out here,” Sage said after he swung around.
“Well, it’s either go back down into town and get slashed to bits, or hang out here and hunt for treasure.”
“I know. This whole thing has gone off the rails. I can’t believe how many aggros there are around here. A couple Easter eggs makes everybody go nuts.”
“Uh, I’d say they are more than just Easter eggs.”
“Yeah I know, but it seems like a bit much, doesn’t it?”
“Depends on how you look at it, I guess. Is that somebody coming?”
“Yeah, I definitely hear hooves approaching, fast. Let’s get out of here.”
“Get in the cave.”
“I’m telling you, those trolls are no joke.”
“I can get my gold back from the trolls, but I’m not hacking it out with a clan of cheated up noobs looking for XP.”
“I hear that. Bunch of spammers. The caves it is.”
“Let’s cut these lizards loose. Maybe they’ll chase after them,” Sage said before he dropped off the scaled back of his mount and prodded it with his sword. “Trolls are always guarding something, could be some loot down there.”
“You got a point,” Gareth said, following Sage into the cave.
“Get down, they’re coming,” Sage whispered as the sound of hooves thundered through the ravine.
“On it,” Gareth said, diving behind a rock.
Looking back through the opening of the cave, Sage held his breath while a cloud of dust billowed before the jagged opening. The pounding hooves crescendoed before coming to a sudden halt at the entrance of the cave.
“Where did those lizard riders scuttle off to?” A voice said through the dust.
“They couldn’t’ve gotten far. Must be hiding nearby,” another voice said.
“Let’s have a look around,” the voice of a young woman said as Sage heard boots land on the ground. “These noobs think they can hide from us. I’ll cut ‘em in half and jack their gold. Nobody is gonna find that Easter egg but me.”
“Hold on, Danielle,” another voice said. “We’re going off course here to chase down a couple hacks. Let’s stick to the mission. Intel says we’ve still got a lot more ground to cover before we reach the Valley of the Damned.”
“Ugh, I really need the coin for my armor. If Mitch Mythic has actually returned, things are going to get turned all the way up to full death mode,” Danielle said before she climbed back onto her mount. “You got lucky, noobs. If I find you, I’ll cut you down just for sport. Nobody messes with the Thunder Riders.”
“Easy Danielle, you don’t have to announce it to the world. That info is strictly confidential, and, as you know, everything around here is listening.”
“I don’t think they will be able to keep it a secret for much longer, Eric. If #epiccrotchshot boy is campaigning in DeathWorld, everybody will know about it soon enough.”
As the hooves pounded away through the dust, Sage and Gareth rose from their hiding spots and peered out of the cave.
“The Thunder riders, what kind of name is that?” Gareth said after he stepped out into the light. “Probably a bunch of low levels out of Vanderton. And what the hell were they saying about Mitch?”
“That was weird. Mitch Mythic is back? He’s been missing for months now. Whatever it is, I don’t like the sounds of it. Either way, those dorks are about to get owned if they’re heading to the valley of the damned. I hear that place is crawling with jacked up Demon forces. I can’t believe I let my lizard go to get away from those turds. I’d reached 75% loyalty already.”
“Uh, I think we’ve got bigger problems than lost loyalty bonuses,” Gareth whispered before he turned around. “Remember those trolls I was telling you about. I think they might’ve sniffed us out.”
“You think,” Sage said while backing up.
A terrific roar shook the surrounding stones as Gareth and Sage dove away from the mouth of the cave. Rolling onto his feet, Sage pulled out his sword and readied his shield.
“You ready for this?” he said to Gareth while keeping his eyes locked on the cave.
“Not sure if we’ve got a choice,” Gareth said, clutching his ax. “We already lost XP for avoiding combat. If we run now, we might get dropped a level.”
“Can’t have that happening,” Sage said without breaking his stare. “We take them down now. 50-50 on the loot.”
“If we survive,” Gareth said.
“If we survive,” Sage replied.
Another roar tore through the air, followed by a barrage of stone. Deflecting the onslaught with his shield, Sage stepped aside as two trolls emerged from the cave and shrieked at the light of the sun. The first troll pounded the ground with its large fists before picking up a boulder.
Spotting Sage, it snarled and hurled the rock in his direction. As Sage dodged away, he looked up to see his attacker lumbering toward him with its arms outstretched. He pushed off the ground and rolled forward to avoid the hulking creature's attack. The troll smashed its fist into the ground only to scream in agony as it was stabbed from behind by Sage. Swinging its massive fists, it spun around to find its prey, but Sage blast
ed it in the face with a spell and it crumbled to the ground before vanishing.
Spinning around, Sage watched Gareth mount the second troll from behind and blind it with a lightning spell before lopping its head off with his ax. He leaped off the creature’s body as it fell to the ground and strode toward Sage.
“I thought you said the trolls in that cave were off the charts,” Sage said, sheathing his sword.
“I did,” Gareth said after he wiped off his ax. “It wasn’t that they were exceptionally strong, it was just the shear number of them.”
“I don’t like the sound of that either.”
“You shouldn’t, but don’t waste any time thinking about it,” Gareth said before a chorus of shrieks echoed out of the cave. “Here come the rest of them.”
Raw guttural hollers burst out of the cave as a swarm of trolls streamed into the valley surrounding Sage and Gareth.
“That is a lot of trolls,” Sage said before he pulled out his sword.
“Now you see what I meant,” Gareth said, backing up. “I don’t see anyway out of this. Not unless you’ve got a summon spell.”
“I used my lasts summon spell on that demon we ran into,” Sage said as the trolls pounded the ground with their fist. “I sent out a distress call to my links, but I have no idea who is nearby.”
“I sent one out too,” Gareth said, pulling up his shield. “But it doesn’t look like anyone is coming.”
“Can’t think about that,” Sage said as the trolls trudged forward. “Just keep swinging.”
“I’ve still got a few tricks up my sleeve,” Gareth shouted before he tossed several glowing cubes in the air. On impact, the cubes exploded, sending the attacking trolls reeling backward. “That stunned ‘em. Let’s charge.”
“Lead the way,” Sage said through gnashed teeth while lobbing projectiles of his own. The explosions forced the trolls further back, but their rage increased as they recovered from the impact.
“I’m not sure if those bombs helped our cause,” Sage shouted before he dodged an attacking troll.