Silver Enigma

by Rock Whitehouse

  There was a separate pallet containing the six Plutonium RTG's that they would have to install and verify before launch. Those should last a good five years according to the specs, possibly more. The RTG and electronics would be part of the star-facing section, with ion thrusters to permit the Sentinel to adjust its orientation when necessary. After release, the thrusters would establish the one-rotation-per-revolution condition which would keep the hot end hot and the cold end cold. It was a slick approach, Ben had to admit, and he remembered the glee in some of the Fleet Intel staff as they explained to him just how slick it was. Ann Cooper's infectious enthusiasm for her brain child was hard to resist. Besides, it really was a pretty cool idea.

  "So, Mister Price, what do you think?" came a voice from behind.

  Ben turned to see the Weapons Maintenance Officer, Lieutenant Natalie Hayden. Taller than average for a woman, with light brown hair and a solid athletic build, Ben thought she looked the part for her job — stern, hard-working, tough.

  "I don't know Lieutenant - are they as ugly to you as they are to me?"

  She laughed, which surprised Ben a little.

  "Yeah, they're an aesthetic disaster, that's for sure. All bug-eyed and boney-legged."

  He laughed at her bent-armed-spider-fingered imitation of the Sentinels.

  "Hopefully they work better than they look."

  Ben nodded. She looked at the Sentinels and then back at Ben.

  "Kirkland asked me to work with you on the launch process."

  "Still mad at me?"

  She shook her head.

  "Nah I think he's over that. Henderson talked to him again, and I think he gets that you had your orders. I actually asked him for this one - he's not that interested in it, and I am."

  They talked about the pre-launch preparation, which made even less sense to Natalie than it did to Ben. They were both concerned about the RTG installation, as neither had any experience with them and fouling the hangar with Plutonium would be a fairly major inconvenience. They talked it over for a while and then finally just opened up the installation panels on the first Sentinel in line and looked at how the RTG would attach. Looking at the actual hardware was easier for both of them than deciphering the drawings in the manual. They then broke open the RTG pallet and looked at one of the units. There was a lot of pointing and words like 'no' and 'yes' and 'what dumbass' and 'oh that's cool' and 'ok maybe' floated around the lively, echoic space for a couple of hours. When they finally pulled their heads out of the back end of the Sentinel for the last time, they understood what they needed to do. It was safe, after all. And really, not all that complicated once they had the steps in the right order.

  "Ok, Lieutenant Hayden, I'll write up the revised procedure and send it to you," he said with some relief.

  "Fine, then we'll dry-run it again and see if there is more to do."

  "Agreed. What about the actual release?"

  Hayden had been thinking about that.

  "Intel doesn't really tell us, they just say it should be released in the appropriate orbit, but nothing about how."

  "Right."

  "Well, the easiest and safest is probably to load them into a cargo shuttle, move the shuttle into the release airlock and take it on out. Then open the cargo doors and reverse the g-field in the cargo bay floor to push it out."

  "That sounds not so simple to me," Ben commented, concerned.

  Hayden shrugged.

  "Well, we really don't have any other method for putting it overboard. The docking port airlocks are too small. They're meant for people. Anything larger we bring aboard has to come through the ShuttleLock that leads into the hangar. We can't just open the hangar doors and shove it out, tempting as that might sound."

  "Ok if that really is our only choice then I would be happy to endorse that option."

  Hayden laughed.

  "We backed ourselves into that one, didn't we?"

  "Actually, I think I was doing the backing, but whatever."

  "Since you're doing the final assembly doc, I will do the release procedure."

  Ben nodded his agreement.

  "So how long is the post-launch checkout?"

  "A couple hours. We need to verify that it has its three stars for orientation and run a self-test of the sensors. This procedure seems pretty good - I didn't see any issues with it."

  "That's all done with laser link?"

  "Yes. Low power, close range."

  "OK, I think we can live with that."

  They parted ways, each to their own work area to write, or rewrite, the procedure they had worked out. Ben walked back to his quarters, opened his tablet, and started pounding away on the new document. He wished Ann Cooper had come along as she had requested. Ron Harris refused, believing that the Fleet would need to understand how to deliver these things and "so they might as well figure it out from the start." Ben understood that position, on one level, but on another, he thought having the designer close at hand might have helped them get through the process that much more quickly.

  Natalie headed back for the Weaps office, dropping in on Jim Kirkland and closing the door behind her.

  "OK, so how was Mister Wonderful?" he asked with his best snark in his voice.

  "You should give him a chance, Jimmy. He's bright, knows his stuff, flexible in his thinking, and does at least his part of the job. I like him. If you're smart, you'll get over whatever you think about what Henderson told him and get with it."

  "Hey - whose side are you on here, anyway?"

  "Intrepid's. As always. This guy is not some concubine like we've been hearing. He's for real." She kept her voice even, sincere without being defiant or challenging.

  "Maybe."

  Natalie looked at her classmate, inclining her head skeptically.

  "No, Jim, not maybe. She brought him here for the right reasons, I think. Get over it."

  "Ok, fine, he's a freaking genius if you say so."

  Shaking her head, she got up.

  "Never said that Mister Kirkland, it's just that he's not what you want to think he is, and you need to get past that if you want to think of yourself as a fair-minded officer."

  "Yeah, ok, I hear you."

  His voice made it clear that he didn't. She decided not to push this any further.

  "I hope so, Jimmy. I spent too much time getting you through celestial nav to have you blow it now."

  "Have you forgotten that you work for me, too?"

  "Have you forgotten who also got you through Comparative Stellar Systems?"

  She held his eye for a second before opening the door.

  "Get with it, Jim. At some level, we all work for Henderson, and you know where she is on this."

  Kirkland slapped his pencil down angrily and looked away from Hayden.

  "She disposed of Craig to get this - warrant - in his place. I don't like it."

  "It's not like Craig was marooned or something, Jim. He got another ship, and I know for a fact she made it clear that this was for the convenience of the Fleet and wasn't really about him. He's fine."

  "He's not here."

  "I know, Jim, and you are going to have to manage that on your own. It wasn't personal, and Craig wasn't harmed by it."

  Finished with the conversation, Hayden left and walked back to the Weapons Maintenance Shop just to check in, to make sure there wasn't anything needing her attention. There wasn't, so she returned to her quarters.

  Stretched out on her almost-not-long-enough rack, she found herself thinking about Ben Price, who she realized wasn't nearly as young as he appeared. He was actually a few years her senior. She liked his easy, direct manner; how he could argue a point without being argumentative about it. They had gone back and forth pretty hard over the Sentinels, and Price had firmly defended his position when he was right and easily accepted hers when appropriate. He had a quick smile and a decent sense of humor. She now understood much better why Henderson had brought him here. She also now believed what she had heard, tha
t Price and Henderson were good friends when they were in Plans, but not lovers. As she reflected on the man she had spent time with that day she felt it would have been out of character for him to take up with Henderson in that way, and from what she had seen of the Captain, equally out of character for her. They were better people than most of the Intrepid's officers had expected, and that was a very good thing for Intrepid.

  ISC Fleet Shuttle Landing Area

  Ft. Eustis, VA

  Sunday. July 10, 2078, 1430 EDT

  Carol's return to Earth from Antares' trip to Beta Hydri could not have been more different from her arrival from Inor back in February. No cameras, no crowds, no snow. She just stepped off Antares' shuttle on a blistering, oppressively humid Virginia July Sunday afternoon. She was suddenly aware of just how dry and cool the ship's carefully filtered and sanitized atmosphere really was. The place smelled almost musty to her, the riot of pollen, flowers, the normal smells of human activity, the moisture off the James River, all conspired to give her a mild feeling of disgust. As funky as it smelled to her at first, it was good to breathe the real, wild, natural air of Earth again. She knew she'd adjust, and in a day or so it would all seem normal, and it would be the ship that smelled sterile.

  There was no transport available, so she and Jack Ballard hiked the two miles to Fleet Headquarters around Mulberry Island Drive. No one on the golf course seemed to notice them, something she was always glad of. Carol was happy for the chance to be in real sunshine again, and Jack made a good companion, serious when he needed to be but wry and funny when off duty. They'd spent enough time together on the Beta Hydri discovery to develop a close working relationship, and they were looking forward to this first meeting with FleetIntel.

  "Carol," he started between breaths, "I'm sorry...sorry about Sigma."

  She didn't respond at first.

  "I know, well, I know how that must hurt."

  She stopped in her tracks and turned to him, her face hard.

  "Yeah, hurt, that's a good word, but kinda inadequate. It's more like every day is a living hell now, where he's dead, and I'm alive."

  He took the verbal slap well, keeping in mind how she wounded she must be.

  "I am sorry, Carol, truly sorry. I just wanted to tell you I'm hoping the best for both of you. All of us are."

  She resumed walking.

  "Yeah Jack, thanks, I guess,' she said bitterly, "Let's not mention that again, OK?"

  "Sure. I didn't mean to cause you even more pain, Carol. I just-"

  "I get it, Jack. I do," she snarled. "But just shut the hell up about it, OK?"

  He nodded slightly in response and they covered the last couple hundred meters in an uneasy silence. They were just a short distance from the entrance when Carol put her arm around Jack's shoulder for a long moment.

  "Sorry, Jack, still kinda raw over here," she said quietly in his ear.

  He nodded and smiled slightly. "It's OK, Carol. Just know we're all here for you."

  As they walked through the front doors of HQ, the duty Security tech looked up, then alarmed at who he saw, snapped to attention, dropping his notepad noisily on the floor. Carol and Jack approached the desk.

  "Good afternoon Lieutenant Hansen," he said in a shaky voice. "Welcome to HQ."

  Carol smiled at him, biding time to read his name tag.

  "Really, Mister Orr, I'm just another looey here to do some work. You can relax."

  The tech nodded, still nervous, and enabled their entry into the building.

  "Yes, ma'am. It's just...you're..."

  "Yeah, I know, famous. But don't think about that, OK?"

  "Yes, ma'am."

  Carol and Jack walked through the security point and headed for FleetIntel in the back of the building.

  "Wow. You get that a lot?" Jack asked, surprised.

  "Yes. Fame is going to kill me."

  Jack suppressed his shock at her uncharacteristic language.

  "Well, hopefully not."

  After a moment he said "I never really thought about that, how distracting it can be."

  "Royal pain in the ass," she repeated, venom in her voice. "Just leave me alone to do the work. That's all I want, Jack, is for everyone to stop staring and let me do my job."

  They walked the rest of the way, again in silence, arriving at the FleetIntel outer office. A young woman lieutenant sat at the desk. She looked up and smiled as they entered.

  "Good afternoon, Antares!" she said pleasantly, extending her hand over the counter. "I'm Kathy Stewart."

  Introductions complete, Kathy walked them back to Ron Harris' office.

  "Hello, Jack!" Ron said, shaking Ballard's hand vigorously.

  "Hello, sir, congratulations on the star." Harris frowned slightly, waving away the compliment, and turned to greet Carol. "Lieutenant Hansen, welcome. We're anxious to see what you have."

  "Is that Carol Hansen I hear?" came Rich Evans' voice from the hall outside.

  They embraced briefly.

  "Hello, Mister Evans. Good to see you again."

  "So, you brought us a puzzle, eh Carol?"

  She nodded in response.

  "Sir, yes, we did."

  "OK, well, let's go have a look, right?" They walked a short distance to a larger workroom with several sets of tables and chairs. They picked a table and arranged themselves around it, Carol next to Evans and Jack across from her, between Kathy Stewart and Ron Harris.

  Ron opened the discussion.

  "Jack, I know you've been tasked with a briefing tomorrow. I just wanted to get with you and Carol ahead of time and get a general idea of what you have and what you think we need to do next." He looked from Jack over to Carol. "CINC is going to be asking me these kinds of questions, and I need to know what's in your heads."

  "Well, sir, Carol and I have talked about that quite a bit on the way back." he pulled his NetComp out of his side-bag. "So, let me go through some of what we found."

  They put the display on the large wall monitor and Carol, and Jack took turns presenting their data. They showed the initial pictures of the streets, then the detailed shots of the rows of skeletons. As they went along, they showed the portrait, perhaps the most evocative image of all.

  "Wow," Rich said, "That is one beautiful person."

  Jack smiled.

  "Yes, sir, and it's funny you should call it a person. We all had that same reaction - that this was a being we could relate to, that we could see sitting next to us and having a meaningful conversation."

  "A sentient, sapient being," Ron commented.

  "Clearly, yes, sir. An advanced society our enemy snuffed out."

  "Makes me wonder what would have happened at Inor if Liberty had not been there," Ron speculated.

  "Yes, sir," Rich answered. "But we don't know that is what they had in mind at Inor."

  "Right, Rich — understood. OK, Jack, what else?"

  Jack showed the images they had taken of buildings, with writing on each one. He displayed the lists of symbols they had isolated from the photographs.

  "There appear to be these six which we see together in various groupings. Then there is a second, larger, set of forty or so that also appear in various lengths. But the two sets are always separate."

  "Numbers and letters?" Kathy asked.

  "Maybe," Carol answered. "But we're hesitant to jump to that conclusion. It's almost too easy to think that, but it does seem logical."

  "Interesting," Kathy responded.

  Jack looked over at Carol, who indicated he should continue.

  "Sir, on to the biologic evidence."

  "OK."

  "Dr. Soto did some initial cultures and other medical work on the way back." He pulled up a new set of results on the wall monitor. "She found no pathogenic bacteria in the environmental samples, just stuff that looked pretty much like terrestrial bacteria. She did find some interesting small organisms in the water."

  He flipped to a photomicrograph of a spiny, dangerous-looking organism.


  "She recommends no swimming."

  There was general laughter at that.

  "What about the bones?" Rich Evans asked.

  Jack again switched images.

  "Similar in structure to Earth organisms - and not much different from Inor. She wonders if calcium-based bones are just the universe's general-purpose answer to the need for something solid to build an animal on."

  Carol picked up the discussion from there.

  "Well, three isn't really a very large data set, but Marcia was, as she put it, surprised at how few surprises she found." She turned to Ron. "The rest of the samples will be delivered here tomorrow."

  "Good work, both of you," Rich Evans said.

  There were no more questions, so the pre-briefing was over. Carol and Jack headed for the BOQ to get rooms for the night. Antares would be sending a shuttle down with the Beta Hydri samples in the morning. Dr. Soto was adamant that they be properly packaged, triple-sealed and the containers double-sterilized. Some said she had seen too many sci-fi horror films, but Soto just felt she was doing her job. Either way, she wasn't going to let those samples out of her sight until they were in a biologically secure facility.

  Starbase Tranquility II

  Near Gliese 1

  Sunday, July 10, 2078, 1445 UTC

  Technical Chief Leigh Meyers sat at her Comms terminal, unwrapping yet another stick of gum. Her crew sometimes wondered just how many she could fit in there and still breathe and talk. It was an amazing thing to watch sometimes. She stopped mid-stick as the VHF receiver flickered to life.

  "Tranq...Two...Sig...ing."