Harvest End

by Max Dane

  “It’s true,” Julian added, “Besides, the Ajax could complete the search in just a few solar days; it would be quick, thorough and complete.”

  Layton added the request to his action list and nodded. “Very well,” he sighed, “I will approach our friend Captain Holt and make the proposal. If he requires any special arrangements, it will be up to you to satisfy them, understood?”

  “Arrangements?” asked Julian.

  “Yes, he is the perfect model for the plodding, military style of operation,” said Layton dryly. “He may very well ask you to have a physical or run a drill of some sort.”

  Julian smiled; his father had been a pilot in the Earth Fleet. Growing up, the ‘military style of operation’ was nothing new to him. “Yes, of course, Director, I can do that.”

  Layton set the datatab down and turned it off. “Well, my friends, this is a very good start. Please proceed as we’ve discussed, and let’s plan on meeting again in a few days. Hopefully, we can piece together what happened here. Good luck.”

  When the others had left the room, Dr. Layton activated his data pad and wrote a brief message to Captain Holt.

  ‘Captain, we are exploring every possibility with regards to locating the colonists of Madras, and find that the Ajax may be able to help. With your permission I would like to send one of our team to your vessel to explain.’

  He re-read the message and with a grimace hit the transmit key. Let Julian explain the details to the good captain; maybe they could work it out without involving him.

  He stood up to leave the room.

  ‘All in all, not a bad start.’

  Bunda System, Mechanical Freighter ID: 21650984A89

  Alex awoke gasping for air on the floor of a cramped, painfully bright room. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes, confused and trying to understand where he was. The light overhead was powerful, causing him to squint and hold his hands to his face. He couldn’t make out anything. Trying to stand up, he struck his head on something hard, and fell back to the ground. With his eyes closed, he felt around the floor with his hands. He seemed to be lying in a large pile of some material; not a fabric, it was too smooth. ‘Plastic’, he thought, ‘a pile of scraps?’

  Suddenly, a mechanical voice said, “Please remain still. You are safe. Help will arrive in fifty-six seconds.”

  Confused and reeling from disorientation, he lay back down and counted the seconds, 56 – 55 – 54… slowing his breathing, and forcing his muscles to relax, he waited.

  And then came the whirring sound of a door. The synthetic voice returned, “Computer, lower the light to twenty percent of norm.”

  He could feel the radiant heat diminish, and opening his eyes slowly, he could finally see. The room looked like an exit portal for small EVA bots, probably some sort of maintenance bay. The ceiling was just scant feet above.

  “We intercepted your beacon and diverted to pick you up. It is fortunate we were able to arrive in time.”

  “Where am I?” he asked, turning to see a small black and silver droid looking up at him. With a single tread supporting a silvery, egg shaped chassis and multiple arms, it was unmistakable. Alex grinned, it was a standard repair bot. Variations of the same design were found in every colony, but Alex couldn’t remember the last time he saw something so beautiful.

  “This is the automated, satellite-maintenance vessel, designation: 21650984A89 of the Bunda colony. You are alive and experiencing disorientation. We apologize that we are not better equipped to address your condition. Our design was not intended to support human occupants. Until such time as we can deliver you to a more suitable locale, this room is the only area to which we can provide adequate pressure, and a breathable atmosphere. Do you understand?”

  Alex nodded.

  Around him lay the remains of a synth-polysteel sample bag, a miniature suit-breather, and an emergency beacon. Not quite an escape pod, but it had worked.

  ‘I’m alive!’ With a loud ‘Whoop!’ he jumped up, banging his head again on the low ceiling. “Ouch, that hurt! But it worked! I can’t believe it worked. Look at me, I’m alive!”

  He sat back down, rubbing his head and said, “Can you tell me where we’re headed, my friend?”

  “We are changing course to drop you at the Bunda space port.”

  “May I speak with the Bunda Port Authority?”

  “Yes, we will be in communication range in seventy-two minutes.”

  “Thank you my small, metal friend; thank you very much. That will do quite nicely.”

  The small droid hummed appreciatively and turned on its treads to leave. Moments later, he was alone again.

  He took a survey of his arms, legs, hands and toes; everything seemed to be working. He couldn’t believe he was alive. Just before the Juliet entered the jump, he remembered throwing the beacon and the modified breather into the extra large sample container. He pressurized the bag and jumped in just in time to hear Sarah count the last few seconds. The ship must have lasted long enough for him to survive the gravitational shear. He lay back down, surprised and very, very tired.

  He wondered what he was going to say to the Bunda Port Authorities.

  ‘If only there had been time to bring a copy of the data from the Juliet.’

  Closing his eyes, he was asleep before the maintenance ship had finished changing course.

  Cetus Beta, the Ajax

  The ship’s clock read 0500 hours. The scientific investigation had barely begun and already Dr. Layton was asking for help. Angry, and standing in his robe, Finn read the message from Dr. Layton again. Just outside his cabin, Commander Alwin stood, waiting for him to respond.

  “I thought I made it clear during our previous talks, that the Ajax would take up position at the jump. We are not part of the investigation; we are the escort tasked with the safety and success of this mission. The logical place for us to be is here, guarding the system from enemy ships that might be linked to the destruction of the Madras colony. Hell, this is the standard protocol for military escort.”

  She nodded, still standing at attention, but would not comment.

  “At ease, Micha; you think we should help, don’t you.”

  “If there are colonists in the outer system,” she said, “then it could be considered our responsibility to help them.”

  “Protecting a system against unknown forces is no small thing, Commander. Someone destroyed that colony; we must be on our guard. The information Dr. Layton collects may help prevent the same disaster from happening again. Our first priority is the safe return of that information.”

  “Yes, Sir, I understand. However, we don’t really know what they are requesting. Perhaps hearing them out will make a difference.”

  He nodded, “Good point, Commander, I agree; send one of the support shuttles over there and pick up this… this Dr. Yates. I’ll get dressed and meet you in the captain’s mess when he arrives.”

  “Very good, Sir.” And she was off to make the arrangements.

  He shut the door and headed for the shower.

  ‘This should be interesting.’

  Within the hour, Commander Alwin arrived with Dr. Layton’s associate. Finn was just finishing his breakfast when she knocked, “Excuse me, Captain, I have Dr. Julian Yates here to speak with you.”

  “Please come in, Commander.” Finn stood up and shook the doctor’s hand. “Dr. Yates, welcome; you look younger than I expected.”

  Julian laughed, “As do you, Captain Holt. If I were to believe Dr. Layton, you would be nearly a hundred and at least nine feet tall.”

  “Ah, the picture of an ogre, yes?”

  Julian just laughed and sat down next to Finn. “Are you going to eat those eggs?”

  Finn grinned, “Micha, please call the kitchen servers, and have them prepare another setting for both you and Dr. Layton.”

  “Of course,” she said, walking over to the ship’s comm panel by the door.

  “Captain Holt, please call me Julian.”

 
“Very good, Julian. But only if you will call me Finn.”

  “Thank you, Finn, your ship is a destroyer, probably a Spartan Class?”

  “Actually lighter than that, the Ajax is a Javelin class. We look bigger because we have an extra set of heavy laser batteries at the fore.” Finn was smiling, “But how would you know that? Are they teaching Fleet classifications now at the Science Academy?”

  The servers had arrived and were setting plates and drinks down for Micha and Julian.

  “No, sir, my father was in the Fleet; he was a pilot on the Relentless.”

  “Really? That was a bit before my time, but my father served in the same battle group. I grew up hearing some pretty incredible stories about those ships.”

  Micha smiled, already Finn was warming up to this man, Julian. Whatever else Dr. Layton may have said or done, sending this man had been a smart move.

  Finished now, the servers took away Finn’s plate and brought coffee.

  Relaxing a bit, Finn smiled, “So, Julian, why has Dr. Layton sent you here? The message said something about colonists in the system?”

  “Actually, Finn, it was my idea. Our entire crew is working to find out what happened here, and where all the colonists are. I’m working with a colleague, Dr. Shea Nash, to find the colonists. While she searches the planet for clues, I will search the system. I’m hoping that there may have been time for some of them to escape. Even now, they might be holding up on a moon or an asteroid somewhere in the outer system. If they are, by now they would be running out of supplies and oxygen.”

  “So on the possibility of rescuing them, you want me to help?”

  “Yes, Captain Holt, will you help?”

  Finn saw the logic of his request, and maybe they could guard the jump and still help in the search.

  “Julian, I must keep the Ajax right here at battle-ready, to guard against hostiles entering the Cetus system. Until Dr. Layton tells me the cause of the destruction here was not from some kind of weapon, I am forced to act as though it was; and whoever did this, might want to return to see the results.”

  “But, Captain, with the Ajax we could scan the whole system in just two or three days.”

  “I agree, Julian, and perhaps we can still help you.”

  “I’m not sure; what do you mean?” said Julian, sitting back, disappointment settling on him like a thick blanket.

  Finn turned to Micha, “Commander how many support ships does the Ajax carry, and how many are prepped for flight?”

  Micha grinned, “The Ajax carries twelve Type-II Kites, each with long range scanners and Vorpal-Ion drives.” Turning to Julian, she smiled broadly and added, “And because the captain has had us holding in battle-ready status since our arrival, I believe all of them are prepped and ready. They could be in flight within the hour.”

  Julian jumped up, “That’s wonderful, thank you, Captain.”

  Finn laughed, “Not so fast there, Julian. You will need to coordinate their sweep from the Ajax. And that means finding someone on this crew willing to assist you, and since I have everyone focused on the jump point… ”

  Micha stood up, “I will assist Dr. Yates; I’m trained in directing maneuvers like this and would be the most logical choice anyway.”

  Grinning, Finn said, “Yes, I thought you might. Well, I suspect the two of you should go somewhere and get started.”

  Micha nodded at Finn, “Yes, Sir, I think I know the perfect place where we can set up. Please come with me, Dr. Yates.” She turned and left the room at a brisk pace.

  “Thank you, Captain,” said Julian, quickly shaking Finn’s hand and running to catch up with her. “Commander Alwin, I brought some system data to help get us started. I also have a probe that can help with the data collection. And I thought we might use the main data computer on the Ajax to coordinate the combined retrieval once we begin.”

  Finn could still hear Julian all the way down the hall.

  He laughed and took another sip of his coffee.

  ‘Some days are better than others.’

  Dr. Barringer’s landing party was nearly on the ground. The small research shuttle approached the coordinates of the Madras space port, but only dunes were there to greet them. Dr. Mathis Caset was shaking his head, “We shouldn’t land there; we don’t know what kind of shape the supports underground might be in. If it collapses under us we could find ourselves buried, several hundred meters below.”

  The pilot nodded, “I agree, Doctor. Is there any reason we shouldn’t land on the vegetation just outside the colony footprint?”

  Mathis looked at his partner, Dr. Rachel Neva, in the seat next to him, and shrugged, “That sounds reasonable to me. What do you think, Rachel?”

  “Landing on the jump weed should be okay, but be careful. The colony documents the jump weed and describes it as having a thorny ridge that runs along the edge of each leaf. Very sharp. They say it can cut you, maybe even through the suits.”

  “Very well, Mr. Trask. Take us down over there.”

  The pilot nodded and headed to a spot about a hundred meters to the east of the port area. After touching down he said, “Okay, Drs. Caset and Neva, we’re here; give me a moment to stabilize the shuttle and I’ll open it up for you.”

  “Let’s put on the environmental suits,” said Rachel, “I put them in the back.”

  Mathis nodded and followed her to the lockers where the suits were hung.

  After attaching his helmet and breather, Mathis said, “The droid assist is attached on the outside and will join us after we’ve disembarked. Before we left, I stored our tools and samples cart inside it.” Rachel sealed her helmet and ran the suit diagnostic. A green light on her sleeve indicated the suit was ready.

  The pilot stepped into the bay and said, “The shuttle is secure, and I’m ready to open the hatch. Before I do, do either of you have any questions?”

  They both shook their heads.

  “Okay then, I’m going forward and will seal the airlock behind me. About ten to twenty seconds after that the panels on the side will open.” He held his thumb up, “Good luck.”

  Moments later the panels on the port side of the shuttle folded back to reveal the world outside. The sun poured in causing them both to cover their eyes until their faceplates could adapt. Just outside the ship, the green and red jump weed covered the ground forming a thick matted carpet of low vines intermixed with large lily pad growths, some of them spanning nearly a meter in width. They could hear a loud whirring sound, and turning left, they could see the treads of the droid as it was lowered from the shuttle to the ground outside. With a crunchy splat, it set down and unfastened its harness.

  Mathis stepped forward, “M1, respond.”

  A mechanical voice answered, “M1 ready.”

  “Very good, M1, please proceed to the colony footprint. We will follow behind you.”

  The droid, low and heavy riding on two fat treads, moved ahead like a small tank. It left an easy trail of flattened vines for them to follow.

  Rachel said, “Ah, perfect. This will be easier than I anticipated.” She followed behind the tank, with Mathis bringing up the rear. Together they trudged across the foliage for almost twenty minutes before arriving at the border of the dunes.

  The droid arrived and moved inside the sandy circle several feet before coming to a stop. Mathis and Rachel followed, but stopped at the edge.

  “This feels odd doesn’t it?” She poked the sand with her boot.

  He nodded.

  The abrupt change in terrain was startling; stretching out for miles, a desolate plain of sand and death, silently it watched them. Something was wrong with this place, a darkness incongruent with the warm gritty surface. Mathis could feel the hairs on his arm start to rise.

  “It’s like a beach without an ocean. It feels wrong. I don’t really want to go in there,” he said.

  “Me either, I feel like something is waiting under the sand.”

  They stood at the edge for several m
inutes. It was absolutely quiet except for the wind gusting from the south and the jump weeds rustling behind. Nothing moved across the dunes. Finally, mustering his courage, Mathis stepped across the edge and stood fully in the sand. Seconds passed and nothing happened.

  He took a few more steps, unconsciously holding his breath.

  Moments passed, and yet still nothing happened.

  “Rachel, I think it’s okay.”

  Slowly, carefully she stepped out next to him. “Come on, M1, let’s take a look around.”

  They walked due west for several minutes and then Rachel checked her map. Pulling a tab on her sleeve, she unfurled a flexible display detailing their location on an overlay of the colony. “Mathis, I show this was their main street. Look, there were buildings up and down both sides of the street.”

  He looked where she was pointing, but the sandy dunes had created a uniform texture that yielded no clues. There were no signs of the colony; nothing to indicate a city had once stood here.

  He knelt down and picked up a handful of the sand. Watching it run through the fingers of his glove, he noticed it left a powdery residue.

  “M1, please take three samples from this point.” Turning to Rachel he added, “I think we should stop at three points equidistant from the center and take the same three samples.”

  “Sure, that sounds good. I also want to take deep strata scans from each location.”