The ship had become a three dimensional maze, complete with hazards and debris, and bodies. The crushed bodies of soldiers and workers lay beneath the piles of rubble. Trails of dried blood streamed out of the eyes, ears and noses of each corpse.
Codon puffed hard as he climbed over yet another fallen chair. By Nova's estimates, they were about half-way to the main door leading out of the ship.
"If you people didn't spend so much damned time sitting down, this would be a lot easier," she said.
Codon didn't reply.
"Or at least if you'd bolt down your furniture. Who in the hell has a spaceship with loose furniture?"
"I'll be sure to mention that to the Confederacy designers," Codon said. "If I ever get off this damned rock."
Nova used both hands to vault over a broken table. She landed on rubble and broken glass. It was as if every inch of floor had been coated in a layer of razor-sharp crystals.
It took them over half an hour to get from Codon's lab to the main entrance area. Unlike the many toppled couches they'd passed, the statues were bolted down and protruded out horizontally from the upturned floor.
The tilt of the ship meant the exit door was sideways, just out of reach.
Codon climbed up onto a fallen table and pressed a green button beside the door. It swung upward to reveal a dark sky outside, it filled the doorway and seemed to press in on them.
Codon climbed higher on some fallen shelves and hauled his body over the door's edge. His feet dangled inside.
"What? I—" Codon spluttered. "It's all gone."
"Let me look."
Codon dropped back into the ship. Nova stepped past and lifted herself into the doorway.
The desert stretched out around the ship but the smooth sand from earlier was gone, replaced by jagged hills and deep chasms made of raw, churned-up dirt.
The smaller ships had been sucked into the ground, hauled into chasms, or tossed about on rising ground.
The smell of smoke and burning plastic lay heavy on their air and stung Nova's eyes.
Most disconcerting of all was the noise, or rather, the lack of it. Before there had been the constant buzz of the excavation, the murmur of voices and footsteps, now there was nothing. A deathly silence had fallen over Archalon and nothing moved.
Small shadows lay about the base of Codon's ship, bodies.
There was nothing left.
Nova lowered herself back inside the ship. Her heart and mind raced. She'd known something like this was going to happen. She had only two kinds of luck; the best and the worst. The words at the entrance said it all. It was both a warning and a promise. But now what? What had the Confederacy released?
"Yin? Trev? Get over here right now," Codon said.
There was no reply.
Sweat poured down Codon's face. He breathed hard and leaned against the wall.
"Yin. Trev. Do you copy?"
"I think they're all dead," Nova whispered. She gazed off into the distance, not really seeing the broken pieces of Codon's ship, but rather seeing the faces of all the workers and soldiers outside.
"How is that possible?"
"Like I said, I'm sure we'll find out soon. Whoever left that writing knew what was coming."
"But that's impossible. There have been no signs of life on this planet for centuries. This was supposed to be my big find, my break."
Codon slid down the wall until he sat in an unruly heap on the floor, or at least what was the floor now but had once been wall. He blended in with the rest of the rubble piled up all around him, just one more relic of a failed mission.
"Listen!" Nova said.
Codon looked up at her and tilted his head to the side.
Nova strained her ears. It came again, a dull thud which shook the ship and sent vibrations through her body. She had the sensation that the noise came from far away and dreaded the thought of how powerful it would be, closer to the source.
"What is it?" Codon whispered.
"I think it's them."
They turned toward the door of the ship.
It hung open, letting in the night air and whatever else might chance upon them.
"The ship's cameras should still be working," Codon said.
Nova nodded and let him lead the way. They had to step over multiple bodies on their way. Each of the Confederacy workers was the same, blood leaking from every orifice and their eyes wide open. Their blue uniforms created a haunting pattern amongst the rubble.
It was a struggle to navigate their way to the control room because of passages that fell away beneath them and insurmountable piles of rubble. Luckily, there were multiple ways to get there, or Nova was sure they would never have made it.
Codon shouldered past the door. The massive walls were covered with smaller boxes, showing images of both the inside and outside of the ship.
"Some of the cameras are broken," Codon said, pointing to four black squares.
"It was a pretty big shock-wave," Nova said. "Which makes me wonder, how did we survive?"
She turned to Codon with her hands on her hips, close to her gun. It still bothered her, it was almost as if Codon had known what was coming.
"I know what you're implying," Codon said. "And no. My lab has the latest in shielding technology. The stuff protecting it hasn't even been published yet. If anything was going to shield us from some kind of shock-wave, it was that shield."
"What about the rest of the ship?"
Codon shrugged. "The Confederacy hadn't bought it yet. Mine was a prototype."
"This place is massive. It could have saved everyone!"
She stepped toward the doctor with her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Her vision flashed red. It was typical Confederacy to hide technology from the rest of the world. What if all of the ships had been equipped with this kind of shield? What if the soldiers' armor had had it?
"Take your sanctimonious tones elsewhere," Codon said. He stood straight and met her glare, their noses almost touching.
Codon's warm breath wafted over Nova's face. A blood vessel pulsed beneath the flesh of his right temple.
"I tried to warn you," she said.
"Yes, I heard you the first time. Now, do you want to get a look at these bastards or not?"
She took a deep breath and swallowed. She forced her fists to uncurl, stepped away from Codon, and looked back at the screens. It wouldn't do either of them any good to argue now. They were the only two left on the planet, the only ones who knew what was happening.
"Cal, send a transmission out to Aart and Tanguin. They need to know what's happening and spread the word. Hell, get them to tell the Confederacy. We need all the backup we can get."
"I'm afraid I've already tried contacting them," Cal said.
"And?" Nova said. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
"Our transmissions can't get through. They're being blocked by the same thing that's keeping us grounded."
"Try again."
"I've tried many times, I've got a continuous loop going, but it's not getting through. No one can hear us."
"Grishnak!" she said and slammed her palm down onto the metal bench.
"What?" Codon said.
"We can't communicate with the outside. We may as well be in a black-hole, because nothing's getting out of here."
"What the hell do they want with us?" Codon said.
"I'd guess it's not to chat."
She righted a swiveling chair and sat, stared up at the screens. Her tired eyes itched and bruises welled up on her limbs from her fall.
"There!" Codon said. "Enlarge feed forty-two."
The screen expanded to fill the whole view. Trees blocked most of it.
"They're alive," Nova said.
"What do you mean?"
"The trees. My laborbot said that my plants died, so I thought maybe the shock-wave was meant to knock out living things, but those are fine."
Codon grunted and continued to stare at the video feed. "What the hell is th
at?"
Nova stared at the screen before her. The trees parted to reveal monstrous beasts with elongated heads of sleek black metal which attached to smooth, reptilian bodies. Sharp blades ran along the outer edges of their arms and their hands were tipped with razor-sharp claws. They darted between the trees and across the sand, their tales whipped back and forth, ending in four long barbs.
"The Ancients," she said.
"What?"
"The ones who seeded Old-Earth."
Her mind raced over everything she had ever read about the Ancients, some called them gods. There were so many mentions of them throughout human history, and yet always they were relegated to myth and legend. Well here they were, as real as anything else.
"That's ridiculous," Codon said. "You sound like a damned creationist."
"The evidence is right there," she said, waving her hand toward the screen. "They use a language similar to that of ancient Earth. Their basic body structure is humanoid but they're far more advanced and much older than we are. It's the only thing that makes sense."
Codon blinked at the screen but didn't reply.
Nova's heart fluttered high in her chest. She'd never believed the Ancients existed either, not until this very moment. Goose bumps covered her arms and cheeks. Her neck tingled, whether from fear or excitement, she couldn't say.
The creatures coming out of the trees became more terrifying as they neared; there was no sign of eyes or other features on their faces, just cold, black metal. They towered high above the bodies of fallen workers; at least twice as tall as any human. A few glanced down at the figures scattered before them, but most walked straight past. They made noises, like the clicking buzz of insects.
"Is your translator working?" Nova said.
Codon frowned and shook his head.
"Mine neither," she said. "Cal, what's going on with the translation?"
"The translator patch doesn't work for the verbal form," Cal said. "There is no reference for such a language."
"But the written language is so similar to other languages," she said.
"They're different; at least as far as the reference databases are concerned."
Nova tapped the metal bench with her fingers and stared at the creatures. They talked to each other, but there was no way to understand what they said. They snatched the fallen ships closest to the forest and hurled them away as if they weighed nothing.
The aliens worked until there was a clear circle extending fifty yards away from the trees in all directions. They dragged pieces of machinery out of the tomb and small groups got together, welding pieces of metal.
"They're building something," Codon said.
"Ships," she said.
"We will have the power to rule the universe," Codon whispered, reciting the words carved above the entrance to the tomb.
"Exactly," Nova said. "I don't know if they were sleeping or imprisoned down there. Either way, you let them out."
"I'm getting off this planet."
"We can't leave! If we don't stop them they'll enter the wider galaxies and destroy every human colony there is."
"They won't find me, or the Confederacy. Oh no, we have measures in place to protect us from this sort of thing."
"You did this. Now you have to stop it."
Codon whipped around and shoved her. "You're nothing but a hunter! You can't tell me what to do."
She stumbled backward.
He came at her again but she snatched his wrist and twisted him around, then pushed him against the wall.
Codon rounded on her. "Touch me again and I'll break every one of your fingers."
"Wake up!" she yelled. "We're the only ones left on this planet. If I wanted you dead, you would be crushed under a couch right now."
"I'm not afraid of you and your empty threats," Codon said. Spittle flew out of his mouth, spraying Nova and the hallway around her.
"I assure you, they're not empty." She kept her hand near her gun. She could take Codon in a fair fight but the fumbling scientist was a thin facade for the soldier underneath. At least for the moment he was afraid of her.
"Get off my ship," Codon said.
"What?"
"I said get off my ship. If you so much as think of coming back here, I will have the ship's automatic weapons take you out."
"Look, we can't afford to fight. We're the only ones left and that means we have to stick together, and find a way to beat these things."
"I don't think so. I'm leaving this planet and warning the Confederacy. That's my number one duty. You can do whatever the hell you want, as long as you're not on my ship when you do it."
"But—"
"Get off." Codon flicked his wrist and a gun appeared in his hand, aimed at Nova's chest.
Nova bit her lip. She might be able to get to her gun and kill him before he killed her, but then she'd be alone on the planet. He just needed time to cool down. A few hours alone would see him begging for her to come back. In the meantime, she had things to do.
He followed her all the way to the entrance lounge without lowering his gun. She climbed over fallen furniture to the open door.
"Call my ship, Crusader, if you want to get hold of me," she said.
"I won't."
Nova jumped up to the door and looked out. It was much the same view as before except that now there was a cleared area between the ships and the trees.
The chances were good that the creatures could monitor her heat signal from afar, knowing very well that she was alive. Either way, she couldn't spend any more time sitting inside Codon's ship and hoping for the best. If he didn't kill her, her impatience eventually would.
She vaulted over the doorway, gripped the bottom and hung from the outside of the ship. It was a long way down, five yards at least. She braced herself for the drop and let go.
CHAPTER NINE
Nova's body plummeted through the air. Wind rushed past her skin and pulled her hair up into a wild spread. Her clothes ruffled around her and her thick jacket buffeted up around her ears.
She landed with bent knees and allowed her body to fall and roll, taking most of the force. A twinge of pain came from her ankle, but when she tested it she could still walk.
A bloody corpse lay next to her right leg, one of the soldiers who had escorted her to Codon's ship the first time. Blood seeped around his open eyes and from his nose and mouth. More blood pooled beneath his ears and his left leg lay twisted up near his hip.
Nova drew in a deep breath and turned away from the dead man. She was still here and alive, that's what she had to focus on. She was the only one left who would do anything to stop the aliens and she didn't have much time. They were working hard on their ships. How long before they could fly? One day? An hour? A year?
She shook her head. She could go mad thinking about the possibilities. She had to focus. There was only one way she could overcome the alien threat; learn everything she could about them and use their weaknesses against them.
Easier said than done. She was already exhausted from her long night walking through the tunnels and arguing with Codon. Her ribs ached where Alaina had kicked her, and she had no idea where to start.
"Observe and gather information."
She'd learned that line from a scientist bent on teaching the human colonies about scientific integrity and inquiry. He was a relic from a bygone era; a dinosaur in the unquestioning, technologically-stagnant, modern world. He was similar to Codon in some ways but very different in others.
Nova crept forward, shielded by the fallen ships and raised dirt. Her feet left deep prints in the newly churned soil but she didn't dare take the time to cover her tracks.
She moved in as close as she dared; all the way to the final line of ships. These were all toppled onto their sides and dented from the shock-wave. Bleeding bodies dotted the sand all around.
Nova peered around the edge of at ship.
Bright moonlight illuminated the aliens' metal bodies. Overlapping segments made up th
eir torsos and their legs resembled those of a lizard, with one too many joints; as if they walked on the balls of their feet.
The sounds of hammers, welders, and saws rang through the night air. Metal scraped and clanged and under it all were the alien voices. Nova cursed her translator for not transforming the words, investigating would be a lot easier if she knew what they were saying, what they were planning.
One alien lifted a hand to its neck and felt around. It said something and then lifted the metal casing from its shoulders to reveal an elongated head underneath. The face was covered in scales and the back of the head extended up to a bone crest. Two eyes, the size of Nova's fists, surveyed the landscape, above a tiny nose and a massive mouth that wrapped around the side of the creature's head, filled with razor-sharp teeth.
The creature looked down at the helmet and ran its clawed fingers along the base, where the seal connected it to the rest of the armor. The creature made more clicking buzzing sounds and then tossed the helmet to the side.
A smaller alien hurried over with a new helmet and handed it to the bare-headed creature. The alien grabbed the new helmet and slammed it down over its head, tapping the seal as soon as it was in place.
Nova had to admire the armor. It fit so well and moved so smoothly that she'd assumed the creatures were robots, made of metal. If it was just an armored casing, did they even have tails? And what about the long claws; were they real or just part of their clothing?
Nova shivered.
"Anything?" she asked Cal.
"Some of their features match drawings on file," Cal said. "Other than that, they don't match any species designation."
Nova sighed. She hadn't expected them to register, but it would have been nice if they did. "Which drawings?"
Cal forwarded a collection of images to Nova's chip. The device transmitted the images to her visual cortex, and she could see them as if they were right in front of her.
Just as she'd suspected; the drawings were from ancient caves on Old-Earth, from the walls of the pyramids and other unreachable places.
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