The Atlantean Chronicles - Shadow's of Enlightenment

by Kip Hartzell

  “Yes, but mount the spectrilliograph.”

  “Aye, aye,” he mocked.

  She huffed and exited. Asa watched her go, what was that? He thought. She looked back, he smiled.

  “No, no, no,” Samari-A said, to the defenseless data tablet, as she threw it to the deck of the shuttle.

  Asa stood in the flight deck doorway watching the spectacle. “New tactic-beat the information out of the computer-I like it.”

  “Oooh, shut up, and run that scan again.”

  “The shuttle’s already working on it, unless you want to beat it, too.”

  “Uww, don’t you have some flying to do?”

  “For this mundane work, the shuttle is quite capable of handling it. What’s going on, you are much more irritating than usual.”

  “What?”

  “I said, you are much more irritated than usual.” He smiled.

  She found it contagious, and hid it, by picking up the data pad and sitting down. “The Council wants results-soon.”

  “Or what? They will take away your seven science degrees.”

  “No, something worse, take away the backing, and possibly mention my name to the wrong person.”

  “Really, would that be so bad, not to have this kind of stress.”

  “This human gene splicing project means more to me than accolades. I have a nephew that has Aka-Ars disease. My work could pave the way for a vaccine, or perhaps, a cure.”

  “Oh.” Asa sat down beside her. He took the data pad from her and tapped on it. “I think you should concentrate on the CO2 content in the planet’s atmosphere as it relates to the intensity of sunlight, and not on the Ph levels.” He handed the pad back to her.

  She nonchalantly looked at it as she showed, for the first time, actual worth in this person. She stood up, mouth open. “How do-where did-”

  “Maybe if you interacted with people instead of commanding them, maybe you would learn something more beneficial, besides degrees in Mechanical and Bio-Engineering doesn’t hurt either. Now, I have a ship to fly.” Asa made his way to the flight deck and closed the door.

  Samari-A was stunned into silence by the truth, and just sat there.

  Asa set the shuttle down easily, and made his way to the cabin. Samari-A was packing up her things without making eye contact. He felt bad now, and was contemplating apologizing for the truth, when she opened the hatch and stepped out. She turned back to see him in the hatchway. “I know tomorrow is your off day, but would you be available in the late evening, planet time?”

  Asa had nothing better to do. “Around the sixteenth hour?”

  “Yes.” Her face brightened. “You have given me quite a few things to think about. I’ll see you then.”

  Asa smiled as he closed, and secured the shuttle. A few more months of this and he would own the craft. He clapped his hands together, before making his way to his favorite restaurant.

  “I can’t tell you how frustrating she is,” Asa said, to the pale man next to him at the restaurant bar.

  “So, when are you going to court her?”

  Asa rolled his eyes. “Honored Jonah-Athain, haven’t you been listening to anything I’ve said?”

  “Yes, I have listened to you talk about her all night. Ask her, and be done with it.”

  Asa just stared at the blue eyed light complexion of a man, who’s been away from a real sun for a long time. “Uh, I can’t right now. She is still my employer.”

  “Is that just an excuse, or do you still have feelings for your first wife?”

  “Well, perhaps. She was the one who let the contract expire, not me.”

  Jonah knew he had struck a nerve, and moved to change the subject. “How is your boy? how old is he now?”

  “He’s growing like a Tarsas Weed. He’ll be ten next month. They are coming to visit me soon. I haven’t seen him in person in over a Solestial year.”

  “Are they still living on Talis?”

  “Yes.”

  “You don’t sound very enthusiastic about that. Is it because of the heavy NEO influence?”

  Asa looked at him suspiciously. “That’s supposed to be a secret.”

  “If it is, it’s the worst kept one.”

  “True,” Asa relaxed. “I can see the NEO influence she’s inflicting on him every time I vid-talk to him.”

  “You are not a NEO?”

  “Personally, I could care less about either one.”

  “Oh, I have an independent in my midst.”

  “Perhaps, but don’t tell anyone.”

  “Your secret is safe with me. So, is Samari-A getting any closer to her goal?”

  “I don’t think so, even though I don’t know what her goal is. You are asking a lot of questions.”

  “Just trying to keep the conversation alive. Since she’s still using an ‘A’ at the end of her name, I guess she is still uncommitted.”

  “Some OEG traditions still linger.”

  “Well, you had better find out something soon, or you’ll never know. I’ve got to run, Asa, got some boring rescue training in the morning. Goodnight.”

  “Beep...Beep...Beep...

  Asa rolled over and pressed a button. “Yes?”

  “Honored Avion,” Samari-A said, through the communication system, “I trust we are ready to leave?”

  “What?” He looked at his chronometer. “It was this evening, not this morning.”

  “I think I’ve made a breakthrough, and I want to test it as soon as possible.”

  Asa rolled out of bed wearing only his baggy night pants, and went to his ship’s main hatch to opened it. He stepped back, allowing it to open, while, he rubbed his eyes. She stepped in with a satchel full of instruments and data pads. She briefly admired his well chiseled body. He caught her looking before she could turn away. He reached over and closed the hatch.

  “I was told I would find you here.”

  “Sorry about the accommodations. The funding hasn’t cleared yet. Are you hungry?”

  “Yes, perhaps a little.”

  “Good, you’re cooking. Kitchen is that away.” Asa pointed, and walked away before she could protest.

  He took his time cleaning up, and getting dressed, just to see how far he could push her. But to his surprise, she had a traditional morning meal ready and waiting as he came into the Galley.

  “Smells good,” he said, as he sat down and started to eat. “Umm, not bad for a Scientist.”

  “You do know I just read the package.”

  He smiled. “Yes, but heating can be tricky.”

  “Your insight yesterday was enlightening, what do you know of the project?”

  “Not much. My clearance has been delayed.”

  “Not anymore.” She handed him a data chip. “Your clearance has been approved.”

  He took the chip. “How did you manage?”

  “I told them you were vital to the project, and I called in a few favors.”

  “Alright then, what is this vital project?”

  “Orophyte recovery, it is vital to our cause. As you know, it’s very fragile and human interaction is essential. The conditions on Assillins are less than desirable to human physiology. So, instead of spending hundreds of years changing the planet, we will change our physiology, by reconstructing our DNA to help us cope with the harshness of this planet.”

  “So, you want to make people-miners-capable of surviving with less protection?”

  “No, we want our miners to not need any protection.”

  Asa stopped in mid-chew, then swallowed hard. “You want to make a new species. That is radical, even for NEO’s.”

  “Forward thinking,” Samari-A went into her, superior-than-thou, mode. “Computer simulations show positive results. Besides, we are years away from human trials. Further testing and prescreening could theoretically change them back to their original selves in a matter of months.”

  “But at what cost?”

  “You do not sound like a NEO.”

  “Per
haps, I am more of an independent. I need to survive, and you are paying. I don’t really care what you do.”

  “Then maybe we should get started.” Her cold attitude let Asa know the conversation was over.

  “Should it be this bumpy?” Samari-A asked through rattling teeth, as she grabbed the seat armrest.

  “No, not really,” Asa replied, fighting with the controls of the shuttle. “My flight plan read, to expect class three solar flares.” The vibrations became worse. “This shuttle is rated to class five solar flares, but something is different. Asa’s stomach sank as the shuttle lost altitude. He was losing control and couldn’t figure out why. “It should be responding.” The shuttle flat spun out of control toward the unforgiving blue-gray desolate planet. Gravity generators went out, and sparks erupted from parts of the console. “Switching to manual, hold on.” Asa stopped the spin, and slowed the craft by gliding into the high carbon dioxide wind. He bounced the shuttle off of the ground and slid it to a rough stop.

  He shut down all non-essential systems and initiated the emergency transponder. He looked over at Samari-A, who had wide eyes, and the look of shock on her face. “Samari-A, are you alright?” he asked calmly, as he put his hand on her forearm.

  The sound of his voice snapped her out of the trance. “Yes, yes, I am unhurt.”

  “Good.” Asa manipulated what controls he could get working. “O2 scrubbers are nominal, battery power, good, structural integrity is in the green. Looks like we’ll be fine until help arrives.”

  “How long?”

  “A few hours.”

  She didn’t look convinced.

  “The ship is stable, just no propulsion. We are fine. All we have to do is wait. The emergency beacon is designed to cut through all kinds of atmospheric interference. Plus, once they realize we’re overdue, they’ll follow my flight plan right to us.”

  Samari-A relaxed, unbuckled, and went aft. Asa followed her up the slight incline of the unlevel ship. She quietly began picking up data chips and equipment. She was putting them neatly in their place, when Asa came in, sat on a counter, and watched.

  “It will be okay, Samari-A.”

  “I am sure it will. Crashing on a hostile planet is the least of my worries. The Science Council is going to replace me if I don’t have progress for them soon. I will not be able to work anywhere.”

  “Maybe the OEG can use you.”

  She smiled. “Well, they get most of their research from us anyway.”

  Asa was about to say something, when a panel next to his head blew off a struck him. He fell off of the counter as sparks flew around. Samari-A raced to him, and helped him up to get a better look at the wound. He brushed her off, and flicked a few buttons on the wall unit. The sparks stopped, and the lighting went back to normal.

  “An overload, I have bypassed it. It’ll be fine.”

  Samari-A was there with a first aid kit in seconds. “Sit, I have to close that wound.”

  Asa had a trickle of blood from his temple to his chin. “Huh, it isn’t that bad.”

  “Bad enough, sit.”

  He did.

  She pulled out the gauze and wiped the drying blood away. She moved in close with a small dermal regenerator, moving it around the small cut. Asa found her blue eyes deep and inviting. She stared back, and allowed him to kiss her. It lasted only a few seconds before she pulled away, blushing. “So,” she said, recalibrating the instrument, “you went to great lengths to get me alone.” She began moving the device around the wound again.

  Asa snickered. “We are alone all the time. Had I known it would take a shuttle crash to get your attention, I would have done it long ago.”

  She blushed again as he moved in for another kiss. It was returned without hesitation. Asa moved back to assess the situation. She smiled, and then ran the scanner over his head again. “What is wrong with this thing,” she said as she took her other hand and smacked it. She ran a diagnostic on it, but it displayed no malfunctions.

  She reached for another one, and it also wouldn’t work, and it too displayed no malfunctions. She reached for a scanner, becoming a little worried, and ran it over the wound. She read the results several times before she smiled. “That’s it.”

  “What?”

  She reached her arms around his neck and gave him a long sultry kiss. Samari-A, then took the scanner, ran for her data pad, and began tying it into the main computers.

  “What did you find?” Asa said, approaching her, holding a sterile patch to his head.

  She worked the computer frantically, as she spoke, “The combination of solar flare photons, orophyte activity, radiation concentration, and our shielding failing for a few seconds, exposed these things to oxygen in the cabin.”

  “That sounds bad.”

  “No, it mutates our DNA to adapt to certain atmospheres. That is why the cell regenerator didn’t work. It could not identify your DNA.”

  “How long until we mutate into frogs?”

  She smiled. “A few weeks, but, by then we will have our DNA restructured back to original. Unless you didn’t leave a pure sample for storage.” She looked worried.

  Asa smiled. “It is a prerequisite for the job.”

  “Good, now if we can only get rescued.”

  Asa didn’t show it, but he was getting worried. It had been four hours since their crash and the backup generators were starting to strain. The radiation shielding might not hold for much longer, but he kept a cheery smile, as he watched Samari-A download all her information into a portable data base. He began shutting down more and more systems. He was reluctant to tell her he was going to have to cut power to her computers. She begged for a few more minutes, he relented. Five hours passed, and he was really getting worried.

  “There, it’s all in here,” she said, patting the book sized data storage box.

  Asa shut down everything, but life support, and the radiation shielding. They sat in the dim emergency lighting, quietly waiting for death.

  “Well,” Samari-A started, with a faint laugh, “at least the information will survive in this shielded data case. I would hate to think our sacrifice will be for nothing.” She looked at him lovingly. “I would trade all of this if I could go back before the beginning.”

  Asa put his arm around her. “Don’t give up yet, the Great Creator may have bigger plans for us.”

  “You believe in that mythical stuff?”

  “Well, let’s just say it helps me sleep at night.”

  She lightly laughed. “You sound like an OEG spy.”

  “No, no such theatrics from me.” Asa stirred, his stomach churned.

  Samari-A, too, felt nauseated. “It’s the DNA metamorphosis. If we are not treated soon, I don’t know exactly what will happen, but it won’t be good. That’s if we live that long.”

  “Don’t worry so much, they’ll be here soon,” Asa said, as Samari-A put her head on his shoulder.

  Asa had dozed off, but the pounding in his head woke him-no, it was pounding coming from the hatch. He stirred to life, and moved Samari-A against the bulkhead. She had the data satchel gripped tightly to her chest. He went to the hatch and opened the shade, he was immediately blinded by a beam of light. Blinking it away, while listening to the metal echo, he took a tool out from a cabinet and beat it twice on the door. He got two pings back. Relieved, he opened the manual handle, a gushing stream of fresh air, along with a space-suited person stepped in. It saw that Asa was breathing, and began removing its helmet.

  “There you are,” Jonah-Athain said, with a big pale smile. His jet-black hair slightly matted to his head. “I’ve been looking all over this planet for you. You missed our game night.”

  Asa held up a hand, and smiled. “Sorry, orbital traffic.”

  Jonah laughed as he ran a scanner over him. His smile faded, as he read the readouts. “We need to get you two to the infirmary.”

  “I agree.”

  Jonah moved passed him as another rescuer helped Asa through the force
field and into the large emergency ship. He saw Samari-A leaning against the bulkhead half conscious, clutching a data book. Jonah tried to remove it while helping her up, but she had a death grip on it. He passed her off to a fellow emergency tech. He watched them leave, then looked around the dimly lit cabin. He spied the rows of dead computer banks that wouldn’t power up. “Are you coming?” came a voice from a fellow comrade. “Yes, I’ll be right there. I need to make sure there are no others.” Jonah quickly looked around, and then took out a small data pyramid, and magnetically stuck it to the bottom of a row of computers and left.

  “Your turn,” Jonah said, to Asa through the pliable steel window of the hermetically sealed medical chamber.

  “I know. I just can’t concentrate today.”

  “The good thing is, you’ll be out tomorrow.”

  “Good, they keep telling me my DNA, and sub-DNA sequencing is back to normal. But it is still unsettling.”

  “Unsettling-I had to get a shot because of you, and I think they used a needle on purpose.”

  “Asa smiled at the exaggeration. “Thanks for rescuing us.”

  “You have already thanked me, besides, it’s my job. I’m sorry we didn’t get there faster, but we couldn’t lock in on your bio-signs. Oh, and checkmate.”

  Asa had a disgusted look on his face. “I like the 3-D version of chess better.”

  “No excuses. You owe me drinks when you get out.”

  “I know.”

  “You two are trying to manipulate DNA, why?”

  “I was told it was for medical reasons.”

  Jonah could tell he wasn’t being totally honest, and dropped the subject. He got up and put his jacket on. “Are you going to need a ride to the ship repair facility, tomorrow?”

  “No thank you, when Samari-A and I get out, we’ll be going to collect my wages and repair credits.”

  “Alright call me if you need anything.”

  “How about an escape plan.”

  Jonah, smiled, waving him off as he left.

  It felt good to breathe fresh re-circulated air again, Asa thought as he followed Samari-A to the research center. He was given a clearance tag, and they made their way to the Chief of Research office. She was a tall woman with the rare blonde hair. Her eyes were more blue-green than most Terrahnians. She wore brown slacks with a tan collarless button up shirt.