“Blank as in no data whatsoever.” She looked at the captain and first officer. “The most likely explanation is that this moon’s indigenous population has some kind of cloaking technology.”
Decker shared a disappointed look with Kennedy, both recognizing that their chances of an immediate trip to Tolu had dropped precipitously.
Ricci was nodding while studying the data screen. “Well, that would certainly explain why we can’t detect their weaponry, and why that ship ended up where it did.” He asked Aqila, “Can you penetrate the cloak in some way? We need to find out what they’re hiding before sending anyone down.”
Lateef labored industriously for five minutes before announcing, “Nothing at my current disposal is working – not even the lepton-focused sensor arrays. But I’ll get a team on it right away. Unlike the dielectric-barrier around Saclaten-c, this is an artificial phenomenon so we should be able to crack it.” She looked at Ricci and Lindstrom. “That being said, it might take us some time. Could be several hours – or longer.”
“Better get started, then. And get whatever help you need from Engineering,” Ricci ordered. He looked at the rest of the team. It being very late in Lovelace’s day, he advised, “You might as well turn your stations over to beta-shift. Get some chow and rest. I want us ready for whatever Scientific finds down there.”
***
Later that night, Naiche was sleepless in her bunk, though Tal was comfortingly spooned behind her. She was contemplating, not the puzzle of Tolu, but the more personal conundrum of her future with Jacoway. In truth, the discussion with her father had only served to harden her resolve to continue on the path she’d long envisioned. But it had also enhanced her insight into the depth of the loss she was facing. Since the Tactical leads could be called to duty at any time, she knew sleep would be a better choice than these ruminations, but as usual her insomnia got the better of her.
Naiche hadn’t realized that Tal was also awake until he suddenly murmured in her ear, “Can’t sleep?”
She turned towards him, saying, “Nope. Why are you up?”
“I think it’s those waves of anxiety that you’re buffeting me with. They woke me up.” She chuckled softly and he asked, “Worried about this mission?”
It was a welcome feint, so Deck grabbed it. “Who wouldn’t be? I mean, we’ve faced a lot of strange situations but this is one for the record books. We have humans apparently present and in trouble but not answering our hails, a downed ship, and cloaking technology hiding…God knows what. And all that’s in addition to the real puzzle – how the hell did we hear a message from a long-dead human?” Jacoway simply nodded, so she asked, “What do you think is going on?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Tal said, “It’s a little far-fetched…but I’ve been wondering if we’ve somehow made contact with a parallel universe. One where the Valiant wasn’t destroyed.”
“Wow – that would be amazing.” Struck by the implications, Naiche mused, “If the Valiant wasn’t destroyed, they would’ve been able to help the Intrepid…which could mean humans never made contact with the Pakarahova. So, no Eternals and – no war.” Her voice thickened as she added, “In that universe…my mother might still be alive.”
They were both silent, considering the possibilities. Finally, Jacoway asked, “Do you think we would still have met – in that universe?”
“I hope so.”
“How? I doubt you’d have joined the UDC if your mother had lived.”
Pained at the thought of missing out on knowing Tal in any version of reality, Deck insisted, “It could still happen. Shimáá could have introduced us.” Knowing this tangent was leading them to a conversation she wasn’t ready to have, she ran her hand playfully down his arm. “Instead of trying to figure out all of these ‘what-ifs’…maybe we should take advantage of being together – and awake, in this universe….”
Jacoway grinned and said, “You do have the best ideas,” before pulling her into a passionate kiss.
While that interlude proved extremely enjoyable, and actually enabled Decker to get a few hours of sleep, it didn’t solve her problem. The dilemma was once again weighing heavily on her mind during her early morning run through the ship’s passageways with Con and Kayatennae. Afterwards, when they were strolling towards the mess hall, Deck was suddenly aware of Kennedy saying, “Hello? Anybody home in there?”
“What?”
“Twice I asked you if Tal is meeting us for breakfast.”
“Yeah, he is. Sorry – I’m kind of distracted today.”
“No shit. And it isn’t just today – it started before we even reached this place. What’s going on?”
Kennedy listened thoughtfully while Decker filled him in, only interjecting when she got to the part about Jacoway wanting to live in the Centauri settlements. “Why the hell would he want to do that?!”
“I know, right? It seems like only those of us who fought at the front still remember how bad things were.”
They arrived at the mess hall, causing a lull in the conversation. As they walked down the food line, Con asked, “So what’re ya’ gonna do? About Tal?”
“I guess I am gonna have my kids alone after all.” Deck shrugged as she mused, “Maybe Ricci can help me raise them like we talked about once….” She chuckled to herself. “Or you guys could.” When Con didn’t so much as smile, Naiche said, “Come on, that was a joke. I know you’ll be busy with—”
“No, it’s not that. The reason I didn’t laugh is because….” He glanced around to ensure no one was within earshot before continuing, “Aqila and I are having sorta the same problem.”
“Where to raise your kids?”
“No. Whether or not to have them.”
“Didn’t you guys discuss that before you got married?”
“Yeah, we did. We were both on the fence. We finally made up our minds – and came down on opposite sides.” Con heaved an enormous sigh. “I wanta have at least one kid. Aqila would be such an amazing mom—”
“And you’d be an amazing dad.” Kennedy smiled bashfully at the praise. Naiche returned the smile, then asked, “What’s Aqila think?”
“She doesn’t think it’s fair to bring kids into our kind of life – with both of us serving on Lovelace. She thinks one of us would have to take an Earth-side post – which neither of us wants to do.”
“You guys could use an artificial womb like Petrović did.”
“We know. Pregnancy isn’t the issue. It’s afterwards – while we’re both away on missions. Aqila thinks it’s too risky, that we could leave our child an orphan.” Kennedy stopped short since they’d gotten to the seating area and found both Tal and Aqila waiting at a table for them. He whispered, “I say – why live your life based on worst case scenarios?” before approaching his wife for a warm embrace.
After greeting Tal with a quick kiss, Naiche sat down and asked Aqila, “Did you get any sleep?”
“I did. Bly is the one who’s been up all night,” she said, referring to Second Lieutenant Blythe Brodie, one of her top scientists. “She woke me about thirty minutes ago.” With a proud smile, Lateef informed them, “We’re very close to a break-through on the cloaking technology.”
“Great!” Con rubbed his hand together at the news. “This should be good.” With a philosophical nod, he admitted, “Or bad.”
“At least we’ll know what kind of fight we’re in,” Tal said.
With a quick smile and shrug, Aqila suggested, “Maybe there won’t be a fight.”
Deck swallowed down a gulp of coffee and shook her head. “There’s always a fight.”
“I married you for that kind of optimism,” Con said, placing an affectionate hand on Aqila’s arm; he glanced at Naiche. “While I recruited you for that realism.”
Her deep brown eyes warm with humor, Lateef said, “I guess the pinnacle would be to achieve optimistic realism.”
“Not realistic optimism?” Con bantered back.
Decker focused on
her omelet, pretending not to understand the significance of that exchange. The matter was swept to the wayside a few minutes later when VICI summoned Aqila to Science Laboratory-Two. Lateef rose from the table. “I told Bly to let me know as soon as the new sensors were ready. I’ll probably see you all shortly – with an answer.”
***
Decker and Kennedy were silently contemplating the holographic data screen Lateef had on display in the war room. With the improved sensor array able to penetrate the cloaking device, they were looking at an extremely ordinary, very unthreatening, domed city. Con was trying to figure out what key truth they were missing and he could see Naiche doing the same.
The captain was engaged in the identical endeavor – out loud. “This doesn’t make a bit of sense,” Ricci complained. “Why would these people go to all of the trouble of developing cloaking technology to hide what looks to be a conventional city – with, at best, minimal weaponry?”
Sasaki said, “What about the frequent seismic activity Lateef noted on this moon – can that ever affect a ship’s ability to safely land?”
“It can...depending on the ship and how sophisticated the landing technology is,” Jacoway answered. “With a ship that size, I could see a planet-quake possibly disrupting its mooring-locator systems.”
“But Maddox mentioned, ‘an attack’,” Decker objected. “Even if it wasn’t was what caused the crash, there must be weapons of some kind, somewhere on this world.”
“Their weapons must be of a sort not easily detected – or we’re not truly breaching the cloak,” Lindstrom said. “Lateef, how sure are you that the sensors are accurately reading the city and surrounding areas?”
“The surrounding areas aren’t under cloak and I’m extremely confident in our results. There’s a greater than ninety-eight-percent certainty that we’re seeing everything there is to see in the city.” With a wave of her hand, Aqila flipped the data on the screen back to the start. “If you’d like, I could walk everyone through how the re-tuned sensors work again?”
Ricci held up his right hand, belaying the repeat explanation. “Thank you, but that’s not necessary. I, for one, do trust your results. It’s just that – there’s no apparent concentration of both technology and life-signs anywhere on this world except in this city. That leaves us with a huge question mark – if the city is not the source of the attack on that ship, then what are they trying to hide?”
“That’s it!” Kennedy exclaimed. When everyone stared at him, Con explained, “They’re hiding.”
Upon hearing Con’s outburst, Decker’s face lit up. “Ohh, right.”
“Thank you, Kennedy, for that brilliant bit of deduction,” Lindstrom said, “but the question remains – what is it that they’re hiding?”
Decker explained, “Commander, the question isn’t what they’re hiding – but what they’re hiding from.”
“Exactly,” said Kennedy. “It’s a pretty safe bet that it’s one and the same as whatever brought down that ship.”
“Meaning, we still have no idea what that is,” Commander Ramsey said.
Ricci leaned back in his chair, murmuring, “Son of a bitch,” while running his hands through his hair.
“As I said yesterday,” Con stated, “the best way to find out, is to send a small, focused Tactical team down.”
Ricci tilted his head and glanced at his Tactical leads. “Yes – and no.” Kennedy and Decker shared puzzled looks before the captain went on to explain, “I’m sending a team down – but not a small one.” He turned to his first officer. “Lindstrom, you’re going to lead the mission. I do want a strong Tactical contingent, but also bring along Scientific and Engineering representation – as well as Medical.” Ricci looked at Dr. Clemente. “Would that be you, or—”
“I think it’s high time we allowed Doctor Uddin to accompany an away mission,” Lindstrom suggested.
Clemente agreed with the suggestion to send Dr. Omar Uddin as the medical rep but Kennedy smiled to himself, noting the slight scowl Rita aimed at her boyfriend. It was well known that Lindstrom disliked situations where Clemente was even nominally under his command. Con didn’t understand the reluctance as he had no problem being in similar circumstances regarding Aqila. But he silently acknowledged that Clemente and Lindstrom had been a couple for many years and therefore must have accepted each other’s quirks.
After Ramsey had volunteered First Lieutenant Avery to represent Engineering, Lindstrom asked Aqila, “Who from Scientific, Lateef?”
“Lieutenant Brodie – and me, of course.” She smiled mischievously at Con. “Unless there are any objections?”
Assiduously ignoring that sly gibe, Lindstrom then asked Kennedy for his Tactical recommendations. Con decided he, Decker, Kapoor, and Quan would go down to the moon’s surface. That would leave Second Lieutenant Evelyn Bayer, with Werther to support her, in charge of Tactical on Lovelace.
“That sounds like a capable team, Commander,” Ricci said. “Make it happen.” He smiled at his first officer. “I know I don’t have to advise caution on a mission with you in command, but I will offer a general injunction to the entire team – stay safe. That’s an order.”
Kennedy joined the chorus of assent but wondered if that last decree was particularly intended for him, Decker – or both.
Chapter 4
Are They Not Monsters
“They that have voice of lions and act of hares, are they not monsters?” Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida
This time Decker piloted the L3 shuttle through an alien atmosphere without issue. Heading for the general area where the wrecked ship was located, she asked Lindstrom, “How close to the other ship do you want me to land, Commander?”
“Oh, give us some breathing room. Say thirty-meters or so.”
“Yes, sir.” She checked the sensor read-outs. “The terrain there looks—” Deck stopped short, receiving an indication that a ship approaching. “Uh-oh. There’s something headed our way.”
“A ship?” Kennedy asked.
“Yeah, looks like a small ship with one life-sign…no, make that three small ships.” Naiche took a second to absorb the additional information streaming in from the sensors. “Weird energy signatures. Or lack of energy signatures.” She enhanced the view screen. “Should be in visual range soon.” After a second spent observing the approaching phenomena, she exclaimed, “Holy shit! Are those…birds?”
“They can’t be birds,” Lindstrom said. “They’ve got to be at least—”
“Sixty-meters long, about 1,000-kilos,” Decker narrated from the data output. Everyone aboard was silent with awe – staring at the white creatures flying towards them on wings as wide as the shuttle.
“They look sort of like Quetzalcoatlus,” Aqila said. “Only larger. And scale-plated.”
“And what exactly is that?” Lindstrom demanded.
“A prehistoric creature of Earth.”
“I don’t know what they are – and I don’t plan to find out,” Deck announced. She steered into the upper atmosphere, intending to evade their notice and then circle back towards their designated landing spot. Checking to see if she was clear, Deck got some bad news. “They’re following us. And they’re incredibly fast.”
Con was studying the sensor screen. “How is something that big, that fast?”
“I don’t know – but I’ve been up against worse.” Decker swiftly employed basic evasive maneuvers from her war pilot days. However, the three creatures proved impossible to completely elude and remained in close pursuit.
Kennedy was asking, “Did you try a reverse-half—” when the shuttle was roughly jolted, rammed on either side by the creatures. “I just figured out what that city is hiding from!”
“Ya’ think?” Decker laughed. Her humor quickly faded at all three creatures started taking turns buffeting the shuttle and one came close to biting off the Nav-sat mount. “Son of a bitch! Everybody, strap in,” she ordered. “This is about to get…interesting.”
&nb
sp; “What’re you gonna do?” Con asked.
While gunning the shuttle into a tight loop, she answered, “They want a fight? Well, I’m gonna give them one.”
“I haven’t yet authorized you to kill these animals, Lieutenant,” Lindstrom retorted. “They might simply be confused, rather than attacking with malicious intent.”
Though the formidable creatures continued to rock and pummel the shuttle, Naiche gasped, “Understood, sir,” while fighting to maintain control of the vessel. One of the animals could be seen heading straight for them. Decker executed a flank-flip to avoid a collision but could not evade the stream of liquid it spewed at them. Shortly afterwards, she received a warning from the control panel.
“Shit!” Kennedy yelled, reading the data output. “Whatever that was – it’s eating into the hull.”
“A vanadinlum hull?” Brodie yelped. “Yikes.”
“You now have my permission to rid us of these beasts, Decker,” Lindstrom said. “Shoot to kill.”
“Aye, sir.” Her first volley narrowly missed the lead animal. That shot seemed to enrage them and their attack escalated into a blistering frenzy. The onslaught came close to overwhelming the shuttle, but her years as a combat pilot served her well and Decker evaded them and their corrosive saliva, while maintaining a scorching return assault. Several shots landed but appeared to have only minor effect. “That scale-plating can at least partially deflect even particle fire,” she announced.
Bracing his arm against the cockpit panel, Con asked, “Do we need to call for back-up?”
“Not yet. Their heads and wings are un-plated – I’m gonna try concentrating fire there.” Decker whirled the shuttle into a wide-circle to obtain a better position. After gaining a little distance, Naiche found it easier to target the now disorganized creatures. Her next shot scored a direct hit on one of them, blowing the top of its skull off; the creature plummeted out of view. She drove towards the remaining two, targeting their heads. The animals abruptly ceased their attack and, in full retreat, wheeled away towards the mountain range.
The Risks of Dead Reckoning Page 4