by J Palliser
"I would have to agree," chuckled someone behind them. The voice startled them, and Sonya nearly dove over the rail for cover instead of turning around. "Whoa, take it easy, Lieutenant," Kurtz laughed as they snapped to attention. "At ease. We have been ordered to the Alpha Centauri Yards for a retro-fit. Afterwards, I want you on the rotation for Tactical on the Bridge."
"Thank you, Captain!" Sonya gaped. "As you are aware, this makes you one of the Bridge Officers. As such, you are being assigned private quarters on deck 7. They will be ready for you at 0900," he finished.
"Aye, sir." Captain Kurtz turned to leave, but stopped. "Take tomorrow off, Lieutenant. You look like you need it," he said over his shoulder. Kara turned to Sonya.
"Told you," she whispered, kissing her ear.
***
Deck 7, Lieutenant Sonya Mueller's Quarters, 1000 hours
"This place is awesome, Harry!" Casana squealed, peeking into the head. "Don't call me ' Harry'," Sonya sighed with the last tiny bit of annoyance she could muster. She was sprawled out on her back on the modest bed, eyes closed. She had not slept well last night.
"Aww, are you hung over?" Casana cooed, sitting down next to her, patting her on the stomach. "Hey, paws off my girl!" yelled Kara in mock anger. She was sitting at the small table in the center of the room with Zira, while Dejah inspected the room silently, hands clasped behind her back.
"Yes. Yes, I'm hung over. And I blame you," Sonya sighed, pushing Casana lightly. "The party was your idea, after all."
"What, didn't you enjoy it?" Casana giggled.
"I don't remember," mumbled Sonya. "Good point!" Casana cackled. "That's why I brought you the tea," she said, motioning to the untouched cup on the table next to the bed. "It's my own recipe!" she added proudly.
"Come on Harry, drink it. What's the worst that could happen?" snickered Zira. Sonya opened one eye and stared venomously at her. "I mean 'Sonya'. Or 'ma'am'," she said, raising her hands in surrender. Sonya's eye closed. "Well, I have to get back to the Armory before Schultz blows something up." She stood to leave, waving to each of them.
"I should depart as well," Dejah stated, and left unceremoniously. Kara gave her a pat on the back and looked at Casana intently. Casana mouthed "What?", and Kara motioned to the door.
"Oh, I just remembered! I have to go... do... things," she said, scurrying out of the room with a knowing smile. Once the door closed, Kara sat down gently on the bed and lifted Sonya's head into her lap.
"Okay, you really do need to drink this now, love," she whispered as she grasped the cup. "She tried to kill me with drinks last night. How do you know she isn't trying to finish the job?" Sonya said as she sat up.
"She likes you too much," Kara laughed as she handed her the cup. Sonya took a long drink, and nearly gagged.
"Holy hell, what is in this?" "I don't know, and I don't want to," Kara answered, leaning against her. "Just finish it." Sonya groaned, but tipped the cup back and downed what was left.
"I am going to kill her for this," she moaned, flopping back down on the bed.
Kara lay down next to her, gathering the extraordinarily tired woman in her arms.
22
Twenty-One
But A Walking Shadow...
2301, Deck 7, Main Transporter, 1000 hours
"No. No, I can't do this!" Casana squealed and turned to run, but was blocked by Sonya and Dejah.
"Yes, you can," Sonya reassured her, turning her around. "I can't. Daniel will find out about Shen," she whispered nervously, despite being alone with the two of them in the corridor.
"Lieutenant Commander David is already aware of the sentient," Dejah explained.
"What?!" Casana cried, looking with horror at Dejah.
"It was necessary to inform him in order to maintain your secret." "He'll alter the transporter records after beaming to hide the sentient," Sonya said calmingly. Casana took a deep breath and nodded her consent. Slowly, they coaxed her into the transporter room, but as soon as the door opened and she saw the pad, Casana again tried to run.
"Transporter room, Bridge, what's taking so long?" asked Lieutenant Commander Oslo over the intercom.
"Some minor technical glitches. We'll have it ironed out in a moment, sir." Daniel smiled at Casana. " Pick up the pace. The survey team on the surface needs to be relieved. Bridge out." More than a year had passed since exercises with the Saurians, and theBismarckwas now on the other side of Reich space, surveying planets core-ward of the Reich/Trassian border. They were currently in orbit around a typical M-Class planet with the ruins of a now-extinct pre-industrial civilization. Sonya, now a full Lieutenant, was leading a survey team to the surface.
"Wait, what if there's an accident?" Casana whined, trying to slip by Sonya and Dejah to no avail. "We don't have time for this," Sonya sighed to Dejah. They each grabbed an arm and carried the squirming Arcadian to the transporter pad. Lieutenant Morgan was already on the pad waiting for them, and laughed at the three of them. They lifted Casana up and set her on one of the transport pads.
"Stay," Sonya pointed at her as she took her position.
"Bridge, we are ready for transport," Sonya said.
"Very well. Energize."
***
Surface of Beta Kital IV, Survey Team Base-camp, 0650 hours local In a matter of seconds, Sonya, Dejah, Casana, and Kara materialized on the surface of the planet. They had beamed down a few meters inside the campsite perimeter, a large ring of sensors and force field generators designed to ensure the camp was secure while the team was away. "Oh, god," Casana gasped as she patted herself down frantically. "Oh, god, did it work? I felt something. Something went wrong! Do I still have spots?" she cried.
"You're fine," Sonya said impatiently without looking at Casana. "Let's go. We're late."
The team they were relieving, led by Lieutenant Commander Toyama, was waiting for them in the middle of the camp.
"Gamma team reporting, sir," Sonya said as they approached.
"About time. What took you so long?" he scowled. "Transporter problems. Everything's working now, though." "Alright, fine," Toyama grumbled. "Beta team stands relieved. Bismarck, four to beam up." As Toyama and the three other survey team members were beamed up, Sonya surveyed the camp. A large, prefabricated building had been assembled in the center of the camp, designed to serve as the sleeping quarters, mess, and command center for the survey teams. A small building had been erected next to the main building, housing the scientific equipment and facilities.
Around the buildings were several other pieces of equipment, including an atmospheric monitoring station, an emergency comm relay, and several storage containers. Lastly, there was a six-man shuttle parked on the surface for emergency evacuation.
The survey of the planet had been planned in three phases. Alpha team selected the campsite and constructed the buildings and perimeter, which had taken several days. Beta had been a geological/environmental survey team. They had just finished their two-week survey. Gamma was Sonya's team. Normally, security officers did not lead survey teams, but this system was between Trassian and Reich space, and tensions had been mounting in recent years as the two powers grew nearer to each other.
The campsite was in foothills west of a massive mountain range. The white peaks stretched north to south as far as the eye could see, rising steeply into the sky. The rumble from a number of large waterfalls could be heard in the distance, feeding several small streams that ran around and through the camp. To the west, the streams merged into a wide, deep river. The river wound through the lightly wooded lowlands which stretched several dozen kilometers west to the coast of one of Beta Kital IV's oceans.
In these lowlands, a few kilometers from the campsite, lay Gamma's area of interest. Built into the rolling hills, where several streams met to form the river, was a sprawling, deserted city. Scans had found no power sources of any kind, no trace of industrialization, and no living animals larger than a dog. Gamma had three weeks to examine the city.
"Get set up. We start tomorrow," Sonya ordered.
***
Base-camp, 2340 hours local Dejah sat motionless on her small bed in the main building, a single candle burning in front of her, deep in meditation. She sat, back stiff, legs crossed, hands on her knees, eyes closed, concentrating inward. She focused her mind on relaxing her body. Her heart rate slowed, blood pressure fell, breathing slowed. One by one, she slowed each of her body's core functions, reaching a state of total calm.
Or at least that was her intention. This time, it was different. Regardless of how much she focused, she could not calm her body. It was unsettling for her, something she had not experienced for many years. Dejah was nothing if not persistent, but it was to no avail. She focused harder, pushing the limits of her mental discipline.
Her pulse raced, her breathing quickened, and she grew hot. She felt something else, too, something she did not recognize. It was energizing, yet painful. Dejah could not understand the strange experience. She focused harder, but it was useless. She could not stem the tide of sensation.
Her eyes snapped open. She finally recognized what she felt.
Emotion. Rage. Humiliation, betrayal, and rage. Her hands gripped her knees tightly, the nails digging into her bare flesh. She blinked several times, and the feelings began to fade. Slowly, her body relaxed, and she lay back to sleep.
Casana was also unsettled. She was afraid that she would be discovered, that her secret would be revealed. Yet, at the same time, she knew the potential good that could be done. I cannot win, she thought.
The Joining was a glorious thing, and she knew the Reich would benefit greatly from the vast knowledge and experience of the Joined Arcadian. She was certain that the Reich would use this resource wisely. The expertise of the Joined Arcadian could alter the course of history, if used correctly.
But at the same time, she was afraid of what would happen if the Symbiosis Commission found out that she had failed to keep her secret. They had handed out punishments to those that had violated the oaths taken before the Joining, and those punishments were harsh. Besides, if their secret became common knowledge, it could put her race in terrible danger.
Casana felt trapped. Trapped between what she knew should happen and what she could actually do. Sonya, meanwhile, was afraid. It was not a fear that enveloped her, drowning out all other feelings. Rather, it was a fear that sat in the back of her mind, slowly gnawing away at her. With each passing second, it grew nearer, causing her to curl up in her bed. She knew she should know what she was afraid of, but she couldn't figure it out.
It was the kind of fear that haunts. She knew something was wrong, but had no idea what, and was powerless to stop it. It was as though a great storm was brewing over the horizon. It was out of sight, but the perceptive could still sense its approach. And she knew that when it came, she would be in the eye of the storm.
With this realization, panic swept through her. She had to escape what was coming, but no escape was possible. Slowly, the panic receded, and she began to breathe easier. But in its place was something else.
Resignation. Across the small room, Kara watched Sonya toss and turn. She knew that Sonya was under great pressure, and was afraid, but there was nothing she could do. Unlike Sonya, Kara was in the unique position of knowing exactly what was wrong.
Or, at least she thought she did. Kara had seen the burden of command consume people, but she felt there was something else, something she was missing.
Something sinister.
***
Base-camp, 0600 hours local
Sonya snapped the clip into the base of her MOD3 pistol and holstered it. "Ready?"
"Ready, Harry," Casana answered. "Don't make me shoot you," Sonya sighed. "Move out." The four of them set out from base-camp towards the city. Though sunrise had technically occurred a few minutes before, Beta Kital had not yet climbed above the mountains. As they hiked down towards the city, the shadow of the mountains could be seen clearly in the coastal waters of the ocean.
They followed one of the streams down the foothills. The trees grew dense near the water, providing a nearly solid green canopy. The foliage was dense enough that the forest floor was hard to see in the early morning light. After nearly half an hour picking their way through the thick brush, the team emerged from the forest onto a grass covered slope.
"Holy crap," Casana gasped, stopping in her tracks. Before them, only a few hundred meters away, stood a towering gatehouse built into the city's wall. It was made from glittering white stone, eroded heavily but still shining in the morning light. The wall towered more than 20 meters over them, with a gatehouse built in rising another 10. "That is awesome."
"Finally," Sonya smiled. "Eight years. Eight years, and I finally get to see a new civilization." A hand clasped her shoulder, and she glanced back into Kara's shining eyes.
"Let's take a look," she said softly.
"Agreed. Let's have a look."
***
City Gate, 0630 hours local The forest had reclaimed much of the area surrounding the city, but the gate and city interior were in pristine condition. Sonya examined the surface of the gatehouse while Dejah scanned it with her scanner.
"It looks as though there are crystals imbedded in the rock," she observed. "You are correct," Dejah stated. "The surface stones are similar to white marble, with several varieties of crystal. Behind it, the structure is composed of granite." Dejah's raised an eye. "Interesting."
"What?" Casana asked as she examined a small purple flower.
"The wall is solid granite."
"Solid?" Sonya repeated. "As in, one large block?" "That is correct, Lieutenant," she explained. "This section of wall consists of a slab of granite 25 meters tall, 15 meters thick, and 50 meters wide. It has been driven 7 meters into the ground, and covered with a marble facade."
"What?!" Kara cried, looking up from the carvings on the gatehouse she was examining. "That's almost, what, 20,000 cubic meters of granite?"
"18,750, to be precise," Dejah corrected her. "How the hell did they do that? These people had just invented indoor plumbing!" Kara replied. "How should I know?" Dejah snapped at her. The others stared at her in stunned silence. "I apologize, Lieutenant," she said softly. "I have not been feeling well recently. Gravity on this planet is only 86% of Earth gravity, making transport of the rock slabs somewhat easier."
"The rock isn't local?" Sonya asked cautiously, still weary of Dejah. Dejah studied her scanner for a moment. "It's chemical composition matches that of the mountain range to the east."
"How far?" Kara asked.
"Roughly 11.4 kilometers."
"'Roughly'?" Casana said, arching her eyebrows mockingly as she stood, twirling the flower in her fingers.
"The nearest deposit is 11 kilometers and 386 meters away." "They moved these slabs 11 and a half kilometers over rough terrain without electricity," Sonya said to herself, reaching out to touch a carving in the white stone.
"That is correct." "Hey, take a look at this!" Kara called from the gateway, pointing into the city. The others joined her, following her hand with their eyes. A wide street ran from the gatehouse through the city to a large palace nearly a kilometer away. Behind the palace, a massive statue rose into the air.
The metal statue gleamed silver in the morning light. It was a depiction of a young woman. Her hair was covered by a helmet resembling that of a Roman soldier's, with two ridges running front to back on the top of the head. She was clad head to toe in plate armor, with ridges at the shoulder joints. Even from this distance, elaborate carved patterns were visible on the breastplate. The style was not revealing, but was not modest either. The breastplate featured false abdominal muscles, and showed off her small breasts. She was standing with her feet apart, holding a long, barbed spear in one hand, blunt end on the ground, with a massive round shield on her other arm.
"How big is it?" Casana gaped.
"I estimate its height to be between 190 and 195 meters," Dejah said.<
br />
"Let's take a look inside the walls," Sonya said as she stepped forward.
23
Twenty-Two
City Ruins, 0900 hours local
"This is impossible," Kara stated emphatically.
"Obviously, it is not," Dejah corrected her. "I'm going to have to side with Kara on this one," Casana said. The four of them stood in a small square near the city center. Two streets intersected here, both lined with one or two story buildings. The roads themselves were light blue stone, cut into blocks a few meters long and a meter wide, buried into the ground. They were intricately carved to resemble rivers, complete with rapids, fish, and the occasional boat.
The buildings themselves were made from stone as well, though the stone was a pale yellow instead of white or blue. They were built with square foundations, with the corners slightly curved. The buildings had all had stone porches in front, shaded by brightly colored fabric coverings. Many of the two story buildings had similar areas on the second story.
Most of the buildings had clear glass windows, though some of the larger ones had stained glass. Flowers of every conceivable color grew in pots and stone boxes around the city. They were in windows, on the side of the streets, and in the many plazas and squares in the city.
The entire city was in pristine condition. "It is what it is. What we are seeing is possible, because we are seeing it," Dejah said with a hint of annoyance. Kara and Casana glanced at each other, but Sonya looked away.
"Where to now?" Kara asked her.
"I'm not really the one to ask," she said, looking at Dejah.
"The palace. It is logical to assume that the most advanced technology will be there."
"I agree," Casana said.
"Lead the way." This way," Dejah told them as she started down one of the roads. After a few dozen meters they turned onto the main street. It was a long divided road running from the gatehouse to the palace. Running down the middle and along either side of the street were a series of gardens from which grew a line of trees, white flowers in bloom. Buildings of all sizes lined both sides, and banners waved in the wind on poles in the middle of the street.