Unknown Cargo (The Meridian Crew Book 1)

by Blake B. Rivers

  “Yes! That’s exactly it!” said Sasha, his face brightening with almost childlike excitement.

  “Gray what?” asked Sam.

  “Gray goo,” said Sasha. “Nanopaste. Nanomachines are basically very, very, very, very tiny robots that work, as I said, on the molecular level. A handful of nanorobots, if such a thing were possible, would look to our eyes more-or-less like a glob of gray paste. Now, it’s possible that they could be programmed to consume matter and use that very same matter to create more of themselves. This was considered for planetary sculpting applications. But the problem is that it could create a runaway effect, so to speak: nanobots consume matter to create more nanobots, which consume more matter to create more nanobots…”

  “Until you’re left with nothing but nanobots,” said Benkei, the idea settling in his mind.

  “Exactly.”

  “So, this could be used to just turn an entire colony to goop?” asked Sam.

  “Yes, it could,” said Sasha. “But the problem is getting it to stop. If the Lunar Initiative wanted to use it as a weapon, then they’ve either got the problem of the runaway effect solved, or they’re just going to use it as is.”

  “Either way could have severely tragic outcomes,” said Benkei. “And ones that we might not wish to have a hand in, no matter how much we’re being paid.”

  “But do we know for a fact that this is what it is?” asked Amelia.

  “We know it’s nanobots, that’s for sure,” said Sasha, “but whether or not it’s a weapon, that’s hard to say.”

  Amelia considered this. The money was good, but playing arms dealer for a colony with genocide on its mind was a little beyond the pale.

  A beeping at Sam’s side cut through the silence. She pulled the slate out of her pocket and looked it over.

  “You guys, you’re not going to believe this, but we’re being pulled out of our jump again.”

  “It better not be the Federation again,” said Amelia.

  “No, it looks like it’s…the Lunar Initiative. And judging by the amount of ships in their little welcoming party, it doesn’t look like they’re messing around.”

  Chapter 13

  The crew rushed back to the flight deck, and once they arrived they were greeted with the sight of a small fleet of white ovoid ships of varying sizes, all silently parked in the space around the Meridian. And beyond them, the gray, stark shape of Luna could be seen, blank and impassive, like the wide-open eye of a corpse.

  “Are we about to get attacked by a fleet of space eggs?” asked Sam, looking over the dozen or so ships that sat still around them.

  “This would be the Lunar Initiative,” said Benkei. “They look just like the pictures. Don’t be fooled by their, ah, less-than-threatening appearance; each of these, well, space eggs, is loaded with enough plasma weaponry to scorch a continent.”

  “Right,” said Amelia. “Just keep us steady, Sam.”

  “You got it, Am.”

  The ovoid ships made no move, staying still as stones for minutes. Finally, the viewscreen flickered to life.

  “I assume this is the Meridian?”

  The man on the screen had a face that could generously be described as “rat-like.” His mouth was small and full of large teeth, his nose was a small nub, and his eyes were large, wild, and searching. His head was bald, aside from a tuft of black hair that formed a horseshoe that connected one temple to the other around the back of his head. He spoke with a pompous, wobbling voice that gave the distinct impression that he was quite certain he was leagues more intelligent that whoever he might be talking to.

  “This is the Meridian,” said Amelia.

  “Good,” he replied. “My name is Doctor Gould Bryson of the Lunar Initiative. I’m here to make sure that the cargo that you’re carrying is delivered safety to its destination.”

  “That’s interesting, Doctor,” replied Amelia, “because I’m pretty sure that that’s my job.”

  Bryson said nothing for a moment. But then his tiny, pursed mouth pulled open into a broad, flat-eyed smile.

  “Then I suppose this particular bit of space is where our goals intersect, Ms., ah.”

  “Amelia Durand.”

  “Am-ee-lia Durand,” he said, looking away as if trying the name on for size. “That’s a name I’ve heard somewhere before. Not quite certain where, however.”

  Amelia said nothing, instead waiting to see what kind of game this odd-looking man was playing, if any.

  “Well, regardless, I’m here to make sure that your cargo arrives in one piece. I assume that it is still in one piece?”

  “Just like how we received it,” said Amelia.

  “Oh, good, good,” said Bryson, clasping his hands together. “Then let’s not waste another second. My fleet is going to form up around you in a snug little formation, and from there we’ll guide you in to Universitet, our capital city. It shouldn’t take more than a half hour from here. Until then!”

  The screen went dark.

  “I don’t believe that I’d be speaking out of turn if I were to say that I get a very bad feeling from that man,” said Benkei.

  “Not at all,” said Amelia. “But dealing with weirdos is part of the job.”

  “True, true,” Benkei responded.

  “They’re forming up on us,” said Sam. “I hope they’re good for their word, because I’ve been doing some scans and they’ve got some insane power in those weird little eggs.”

  “More than us?” asked Amelia.

  “Not one-on-one, aside from that one there,” she said, pointing to the largest of the ovoids, “but at this range, in this formation, we’d get taken apart pretty damn quick.”

  “Then let’s get this over with as quickly as possible,” said Amelia.

  She then pulled Sasha up on the main viewscreen.

  “Everything ready with the cargo?” she asked. “I want to make this drop as clean and fast as possible.”

  “As far as they’re concerned, yes, it’s fine. Good as new.”

  “Good.”

  The ships around the Meridian settled into formation, and Sam matched their speed as they escorted the ship to Universitet, the main colony of the Lunar Initiative. They passed the side of Luna that was illuminated by the sun, and moved to the dark side, which, aside from the glittering lights of the Lunar Initiative cities which were arrayed in tight grids, was just as dark and black as the space around it.

  They moved towards the largest spread of grids, which seemed to stretch endlessly across the lunar surface.

  “It looks like we’re just about there,” said Benkei. “And what’s more, it looks as though the choice of whether or not to deliver this cargo has been made for us.”

  “Unless we wanted to just point the ship at the planet and jump right into it,” said Amelia.

  “I wouldn’t even bother with that,” said Sasha from the curved entry to the flight deck. “That material that the cargo is made out of…I’ve never seen anything like it. You could shoot it point-blank with coil guns and it’d still be intact. It’s like the box itself is made from the same nano material inside of it.”

  “Not to mention we’re on autopilot now,” said Sam. “And not because I set it. Our engines are in their control, and our weapons systems are offline.

  “I’m starting to get a really bad feeling about this,” she continued, her eyes on the city in front of them, which was growing larger and larger by the second.

  “Yeah,” said Amelia. “I’m right there with you.”

  “I’m hoping we’re not getting ourselves into the middle of something we should otherwise be staying clear of,” said Benkei.

  The viewscreen lit up once again with the face of Dr. Bryson.

  “Almost here,” he said. “We should have you nice and landed here in the next five minutes.”

  Then it went off.

  The view ahead was completely filled by a massive, bone-white set of dock doors, which were now opening, revealing a bustling fligh
t deck that the Meridian was now preparing to land upon. And within minutes, the ship was landed.

  And on the deck, Amelia saw a small contingent of troops in white armor that matched the color of the Lunar Initiative’s ships. The troops stood in a triangle formation, with a man in larger armor at the point.

  “The greeting party continues,” said Benkei.

  Amelia then felt the opening of the bay doors at the bottom of the ship, followed by the illumination of the viewscreen, a non-descript man with an expressionless face filing the screen.

  “Crew of the Meridian,” he said. “Please exit your ship immediately.”

  “I guess that’s our cue,” said Amelia. “Let’s get this over with.”

  The crew filed out of the ship, making sure to take their weapons before exiting through the open bay doors. They stepped into the wide-open expanse of the docking bay and were greeted by the same troops that they’d seen from the flight deck.

  “Crew of the Meridian,” said the man at the point, his armor clanging as he stepped forward, his face obscured by his helmet faceplate. “I’m Captain Dalton. Welcome to Universitet.”

  Chapter 14

  The hum was the first thing about Universitet that Amelia noticed. No matter where they walked, and no matter in what part of the station they were, a strange, deep hum sounded. It was a deep, almost rich sound, vibrating at a frequency that Amelia could almost feel in her bones, deep in the spine. It reminded her of the ambient sounds of the Geist Academy, those strange, ghostly noises that hummed and thrummed and kept her in a constant state of unease. And maybe that was the point.

  But she wasn’t sure if the hum at Universitet was something that was truly sounding out, or if it was simply something she was imagining, as though the feeling of tension that began when the Meridian first touched down was now making itself known through another sense.

  The stark, barren aesthetic of the city was the second thing to strike her. The walls, floor, ceilings, outfits of the citizens, everything, was all that same off-white of the ovoid ships. It reminded her of a wealthy client on Mars the team had once worked for. An eccentric billionaire, his wardrobe was filled with nothing but the same suit. He said that it freed his mind to concentrate on more important matters. Amelia found herself wondering if this city was that same concept writ-large as she walked through the halls of this colony of scientists.

  “Everything seems to be…quite uniform,” said Benkei, observing yet another group of men and women, all in the same style of lab coat, their hair all in smart, simple styles.

  “Yes, yes,” said Dr. Bryson. “We’re all very single-minded here in Universitet. Think of this city like the most prestigious research institute in the solar system.

  Dr. Bryson met them right as the crew was led out of the hanger by Captain Dalton. He was much taller than Amelia had expected.

  “If you’re the type who’s allowed to live here, you’re likely the type who isn’t concerned with such frivolities as fashion.”

  “Or culture, evidently,” said Benkei, his eyes tracking along the long, bare stretch of the wall of the hallway they were currently walking down.

  “You want bawdy nonsense, go to Mars,” said Dr. Bryson in a dismissive tone. “The discoveries that we make here are changing the solar system every day. Soon, the technological paradise that we have here will be replicated throughout Sol.”

  There was a trace of wonder in his voice, as though he were describing a scenario that he dared not even dream of.

  “I would love to take a tour of some of the labs you have here,” said Sasha, catching the eye of a passing young female scientist.

  Dr. Bryson stopped in his tracks and turned on his white, glossy boots. He had a look that was akin to anger on his face, as though he wanted to scold Sasha for even asking such a thing. But he composed himself before speaking.

  “Unfortunately, our R&D divisions are off-limits to non-citizens. I’ve heard of your work, Dr. Vasiliev, your study on the recent mutations of Venusian reptiles was extremely interesting. If you wish to see about gaining citizenship, I could point you in the right direction.”

  “No. I like where I am. Quiet. Only these three to deal with,” he responded.

  “Thanks for the ringing endorsement,” said Amelia.

  “You’re welcome?” said Sasha, confused as to why he was being thanked.

  They walked into an enormous, open dome that served as one of the hubs of the city. It was tall, big enough to fit the Meridian within its walls many times over. The walls were lined with a gigantic screen that covered the contours of the dome, and it played a broadcast of a sunny spring day, with soft whorls of white clouds and a welcoming, powder blue sky. The temperature of the hub, like the rest of the city, was that of the mildest day of an Earth spring, and the scent of sunflowers was piped into the hub.

  “Impressive,” said Amelia.

  “And expensive,” said Dr. Bryson, looking over the sky with an expression of mild annoyance. “We tried going without such…frivolities when we first established the city, but we learned quite soon that nothing but white walls and the stale smell of recycled air led to some rather, ah, unpleasant mental consequences for the first colonists.”

  “Imagine that,” said Amelia.

  “Personally, I think it’s a waste of time; my work is all I need. But what with this possible war with Gray Eden…well, now’s not the time to go meddling with what works.”

  He turned and clapped his hands together.

  “Well! I hope you all weren’t expecting a guided tour because this is all I have time for. Your ship is going to be held in the hanger until the cargo is confirmed to be in order. We’ve cleared half of your payment, and the other half will be cleared as soon as we’re done. I’ll leave you all here to your own devices.”

  And with that, he was off, disappearing into the shifting crowd of the hub.

  “Bar?” asked Amelia.

  “Bar,” said Benkei, Sasha and Sam nodding in agreement.

  They worked their way through the crowd and found very soon that Universitet had, as Dr. Bryson hinted, very little in the way of recreation. But they eventually found a bar, which was a small, cramped space with bright overhead lights and stark décor.

  “This feels more like a damn pharmacy than a bar,” said Amelia, sliding into a chair at one of the few four-person tables.

  “Yeah, this whole city just puts me on edge,” said Sam, looking over the spartan drink menu.

  “I suppose it would take a certain kind of person to live in a city like this,” said Benkei. “Someone who is very single-minded in their pursuits.”

  “I mean, I could do it. Probably the best equipment in Sol,” said Sasha, looking around.

  Before the conversation could continue further, a pretty young woman, clad in a more form-fitting version of the outfit that every other civilian seemed to be wearing, approached.

  “Hello, friends,” she said, a wide, practiced, customer service smile on her face. “Can I bring you something to drink?”

  “Four beers, whatever’s good,” said Amelia. The girl gave her an uneasy feeling, just like everything else in this city, and Amelia wanted her away from the table as fast as possible.

  She returned within a minute, carrying a tray topped with four glasses of thin-looking beer. Amelia took sip as soon as her beer was placed in front of her, and she found that it tasted as watery as it looked.

  “The beer is about what you’d expect,” said Benkei, setting his glass down, an unimpressed expression on his face.

  “I don’t know, I’m starting to warm up to this place,” said Sasha.

  “Not surprising in the least,” said Amelia.

  Tinny electronic music was piped into the bar and, over the sounds, Amelia could overhear the conversation of the only other two people in the bar, a pair of older scientists, each with a colorful drink in front of them.

  “…a bunch of airheaded rock-worshippers,” said the one on the left, a ma
n with a paunch and a wild mane of copper hair. “I say we just clear the other side of Luna with nukes and move in.”

  “You think you can just nuke everything,” said the other, an older woman with a short, nearly buzzed haircut and soft-jawed face.

  “Why not? Worked for the Federation.”

  “Right, it worked until everyone they didn’t nuke fought back. Besides, I’m friends with one of the girls in Black, and she told me they’re working on something that might win this war for us before it even starts.”

  “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

  Amelia killed her beer and was about to order another when a shroud of shadows was cast over the group. She turned and was faced with the same handful of troops that had greeted them at the hangar. Though this time their intention was clearly less hospitable.

  “Amelia Durand, you and your crew are to come with us,” said the Captain, his voice strangely familiar.

  His hand was near his sidearm, and Amelia could tell that he wouldn’t be shy about using it.

  “Now,” he said. And he didn’t seem like he was the negotiating type.

  Chapter 15

  By instinct, Amelia’s hand shot to her sidearm, withdrawing it and pointing the thick, boxy barrel of the gun at the center of Captain Dalton’s forehead, the blood-red reticle of the sights holding steady.

  “I know your background, Ms. Durand,” said Captain Dalton, his voice calm from behind his faceplate. “And I know the reason you have a gun trained on me right now is that your Geist training has made it more or less instinct. That’s the only reason why my squad hasn’t blasted you and the rest of your team to pieces.”

  “Then tell me what the hell’s going on!” Amelia responded, her voice hard and demanding.

  “We’re taking you and your crew into custody. It appears the cargo has been tampered with. And until we figure out exactly what you or the Orans did to it, you’re going to be kept here in the city. And that’s all the explanation you’re going to get, so you might as well put that gun down right now.”