by Frank Carey
“Dragons.” Percy said nonchalantly.
“Dragons?” Stella said with growing concern.
“Fire-breathing dragons.” Anna added.
“Fire-breathing dragons. No, Command never said anything about fire-breathing dragons.” Stella said as the color drained from her face.
“About twice the length of the APC, reptilian, short legs--think of those dragons you see in Chinese literature--and fire breathing. A lot of the animals here use elemental defenses such as wind, fire, water, even dirt. A lot of the plant life here is flammable and the lower-tier herbivores build up the flammable oils in their fat. Dragons are pinnacle predators, so they ingest a lot of flammable oils which they store in fuel sacks in their necks. Couple that with the high oxygen content and you get fire breathing dragons,” Anna said as she led Stella into the APC.
“Are we in danger here?” Stella asked as she nervously looked around from the top of the ramp.
“Nothing to worry about. The planet has a split ecosystem and the dragons, their prey, and their prey’s food, only exist on the other side of the dust wall. Out here we only have your basic lions, tigers, bears, and chickens, or at least things that look like lions, tigers, bears, and chickens. Just keep an eye out for the chickens. They’re mean.” Percy said, smiling.
“Look, the dragons are semi-sentient with IQs similar to earth dolphins. They don’t usually bother us, but all of the APCs are rated for heat up to and including exposure to lava for twenty minutes,” Anna said as she tried to calm Stella down. “You never know if you are going to come across one in a bad mood or with indigestion. We also worry about coming across something new that breathes fire, but doesn’t have the pleasant disposition of the dragons.”
“Stella, according to the paperwork, you’re a 1A-rated APC fire control specialist, correct?”
“Yes. Per general order 15, anyone wishing to go into the Maelstrom must be rated. They never said why, though.”
“Brontos, an indigenous predator found throughout the Maelstrom. They’re about the size of an earth rhino with a trifurcated, carborundum-tipped horn. We think they hunt very young dragons and APCs of any age. We have .50 caliber guns mounted port, starboard, and roof, as well as a roof-mounted Mk 19 grenade launcher. They aren’t powerful enough to harm a bronto, but the .50 caliber rounds sting and they don’t like the sound the grenades produce when they go off. The guns are primarily for things we don’t yet know about and smugglers.”
“Have you ever encountered a bronto,” Stella asked as she stared at the machine gun.
“Several times. One even ignored the machine guns,” Percy said as he pointed to three long gouges in the duranium hull. “Come on inside, and we can set you up,” he said as he took her arm and pulled her through the hatch.
“This is the fire system control chair,” Anna said pointing to the power seat just behind the cockpit, “and this is your station. If you give Percy your instruments, he can wire everything up for you.”
“Great, thank you,” Stella said as she handed Percy her case.
“Facilities are in back, as is the galley. Feel free to use them. The coffee ain’t fancy, but it is strong,” Percy said as he started installing Stella’s equipment. Meanwhile, Anna went up front and started the pre-journey checklist.
Two hours later, the Armored Personnel Carrier Ryū made its way out of the staging area and onto the road that led to Hanson’s Maelstrom.
The APC slowed as it approached the churning dust wall that marked the boundary of the storm. Just ahead was the wreckage of an APC that didn’t make it out of the Maelstrom in one piece.
“Brontos,” Percy said as he pointed out the wreck to Stella.
“Did anyone survive?”
“They all made it. Brontos aren’t interested in humans, only APCs. The scientists think it has to do with the noise APCs make coupled with their size. It’s like dogs and vacuum cleaners,” Percy observed as they slowly passed the wreck.
“We better get moving, there’s a queue forming behind us,” Anna said as she scanned the rear cameras.
“Alright, then, here we go,” Percy said as he turned on the external lights and engaged the drive. The APC moved forward into the dust wall.
Once inside the wall, the loud hiss of dust hitting the duranium hull became audible to the APC’s occupants. Forward visibility was almost non-existent, so Percy enhanced the view with a mix of infrared and sonics which he overlaid on the APC’s windscreen. Anna connected Stella’s equipment into the APC’s navigation computer. Soon a flashing red dot indicating their destination appeared on the map display.
“Computer says that we should get to the source of the signal in about ten hours at present speed,” Percy said as he read a monitor.
“Stella, how do you like it so far?” Anna asked as she made entries in the log.
“This is incredible. I have never seen anything like this before, especially the static discharges.”
“It never grows old,” Anna said as she looked out the forward view screen at the dust-blasted landscape.
As they traveled through the dust-filled land, Stella monitored her instruments while Anna and Percy drove the APC. Occasionally, they would catch a glimpse of various animals that made this land their home.
“Do dragons come in forms other than the legged ones you mentioned?” Stella asked as she took a break.
“What do you mean?” Anna asked as a reply.
“You know, are there flying ones?”
“There are no official reports of flying dragons, and the scientists say that a flying form would be very improbable, but there have been unofficial sightings,” Percy said.
“Just the usual stuff: people seeing vague silhouettes in the distance, or hearing what sounded like huge wings flapping overhead.” Anna added.
“We’ve asked the dragons, but they are very tight-lipped on the subject.”
“You asked them?” Stella said, perplexed.
“Yeah. Command brought in some dolphin whispers to work their magic. The dragons will talk your ear off about anything except for flying ones. They will change the subject or just clam-up. Some think they are hiding something, but my personal opinion is that they are just having fun by driving us nuts. Like I said, they’re just like dolphins.”
“Great. Eighty-foot-long jokesters that breathe fire,” Stella said as she got back to work while occasionally looking up through the armored skylights above her station.
Percy called a halt an hour out from their destination. The forward scanners indicated something metallic ahead. Closer inspection of the scan showed something artificial, about the size of an APC. “Protocol demands that we check it out,” he said as he changed course slightly and proceeded to the source of the metal readings. Shortly, they arrived on scene at a massive wreck.
“It’s an APC alright, but I don’t think it’s a sanctioned one,” Anna said as she ran the forward camera images through vehicle recognition. “It’s a Madlin Rhino Mk 6, and it’s not in the databases, so I was right, it isn’t supposed to be here.”
“Great, smugglers,” Percy said as he and Anna got up and headed to the arms locker where they grabbed rifles and pistols. “This happens every time someone finds a planet. First the researchers show up, then the smugglers. I hate this,” Percy said as he checked his weapons.
“I’m coming with you,” Stella said. “This wreck may have something to do with the energy readings we have been getting.”
Anna and Percy looked at each other and shrugged. Anna checked some readings on one of the remote monitors. “Coast is clear. No brontos or other predators around, so you should be ok. Reach behind you and grab goggles and a mask,” she said as she and Percy donned their protective gear. “Just keep a lookout and shout if you see anything that isn’t rock or dirt. Oh, here’s a commlink,” Anna said as she handed Stella a small ear bud with integrated microphone. Once they were set, Percy led the way out of the APC with Stella grabbing a portable scanner on
the way out.
The wind outside was only thirty knots, so they weren’t in too much danger of being blown away. Stella was glad, though, that she had the mask and filter. The trio walked over to the wrecked APC before fanning out to search for survivors and any clues as to the cause of the wreck.
“I found bodies,” Percy said over the commlink. Anna and Stella found him peering through a large gash in the hull. “Four of them and they look like some griffins got to them,” he said as he climbed in and examined the bodies.
Stella climbed in after Percy and scanned the bodies while Anna kept watch outside. “From the lack of blood spatter I would hazard a guess that they were dead several hours before the griffins got to them. Also, the bodies as well as the APC are giving off residual energy readings similar to the ones we are looking for. These people were near the source recently.”
Percy signaled that they should leave. Once outside, he placed a marker puck on the hull so that someone could find it for later retrieval.
“It looks like they were traveling from the west when they hit that outcropping which ripped the hull open and flipped the APC on its side. The griffins got in through the gash. Whatever they were exposed to didn’t kill them immediately,” he said.
“I agree with your conclusions. There is no sign of a predator being involved with killing these people. Evidence suggests they died before the crash,” Stella said as she scanned her equipment. When she got no reply, she looked up to see both Anna and Percy staring at her. Slowly, Percy put his finger to his lips to signal that she should be quiet while Anna pointed to something behind her. Stella slowly turned and found herself face to face with a dragon.
She stared at the creature in fear and awe. Its head was as tall as the APC with iridescent scales that spanned a rainbow of colors. She could see that its body stretched out behind its head at least half again as long as the APC. Its eyes were a striking shade of gold. She could feel the intelligence behind those eyes.
“Mwrrrpurrgroan,” it said as it looked at her. “Greetings human of the fire crest,” the commlink translated.
“What?” Stella said. Her voice filled with amazement.
“It’s your hair. No one stationed here has red hair,” Anna explained. “Reach over and touch its nose just beneath its eyes and bow.”
Stella did as instructed. In return, the dragon made an untranslatable sound, then turned and disappeared into the dust-filled wind.
“What just happened,” Stella asked, stunned.
“I think you just made a friend. That last sound it made usually means that you are accepted by the dragons. She’ll keep an eye on us for the rest of the time we’re in here.”
“She? She’s a she?”
“Oh yeah, definitely a female. Young one, too,” Percy said. “We need to get going.”
They returned to the APC and, as Percy called in a report to Command, Anna drove the APC away from the wreck and got it back on course to their destination. Stella returned to her instruments, while occasionally looking out the windows in the hope of seeing her new friend. All she could see was rocks and windblown dust.
The navigation computer chimed upon arrival at their destination. Percy slowed the massive vehicle while Anna and Stella watched out the windows. Suddenly, a large stone wall appeared in front of the APC. Percy stopped at the foot of the structure while Anna and Stella scanned the area.
“The signal is emanating from inside,” Stella said as she read her instruments.
“Area is clear. No predators, only a few herbivores, and no APCs or people within scanner range. We’re good to go,” Anna said as she looked at her instruments.
“Good, let’s move,” Percy said as he and Anna got out of their seats.
The trio found themselves standing in front of a large doorway at the base of a stone building. The building was maybe three stories tall and shaped like a cube, featureless except for the doorway. The ground in front of the building was covered with footprints, as if several people came from the building simultaneously. The footprints ended abruptly at a set of APC tracks that led away.
“It looks like several people ran out of the building and into an APC. The APC then took off in that direction,” Percy said as he pointed along the direction of the tracks.
“No other tracks except for the human footprints and the APC tire tracks. I think we can assume that they left for reasons other than being chased by something,” Anna said as she surveyed the ground.
“Scans show that the energy signature continues to emanate from inside the building. There is also a residual signature in the soil. I’d hazard a guess that they did something to cause it to flare; now it is just quiescent. We should be fine as long as it doesn’t flare again,” Stella said as she stowed her scanner.
“Then let’s go inside,” Percy said as he pulled out a flashlight and headed to the doorway. Anna and Stella followed with activated flashlights in hand.
They found themselves walking down a dark stone-lined corridor. Ahead of them was a single patch of light. The corridor had no other features or doorways.
They entered a large, brightly lit room at the center of which stood a glowing mechanism. Next to the device was some type of cover which had been removed and set aside. Strewn about on the floor were worktables, tools, and instruments. As they looked closer, they saw that many of the instruments were scorched and charred as were many of the tools, as if there was some type of powerful discharge.
“This is the source of the energy readings. It looks like some kind of power supply, Stella said as she walked around the mechanism. “The signal is strong, but we should still be ok. Interesting...the signal disappears when this cover is between me and the supply. I bet that this is some kind of shield, which would explain why we haven’t seen this signal before.”
Anna looked down at the grate floor and saw that a very large bundle of cables connected to the alien device then ran under the floor and into the next room. Seeing what Anna was looking at, Percy walked over to where the cables went under the wall into the next room. He opened a door and went inside. “There are some pretty large sonic shield generators in here. These must be what are keeping the Maelstrom separated from the rest of the planet,” he said as he walked back into the alien device room. “If that supply is the only thing feeding power to those generators, then it has to be maybe a thousand times more efficient than anything we have,” he said as he looked at the supply. “How old is this place?”
Anna flicked some switches on her scanner, then double-checked her readings, “Carbon and silicon dating indicate around 150,000 years. This is definitely pre-human.”
“Actually, it is from a race called the Nyla,” a voice from the entry said, followed by the sound of many gun actions being cocked.
Several well-armed men and women entered the room lead by a tall woman in fatigues carrying a gun. The leader had a thin scar running diagonally down her left cheek.
“You can call me Kestrel. Where are my people?” She asked as she walked up to Percy while the others fanned-out through the room.
“You mean the ones who lit out of here in a Rhino? They’re dead. It looks like they were playing with something that bit them and bit them hard. There are four of them about an hour out from here,” Percy said as one of Kestrel’s people took his weapon.
“Too bad. Well, I guess it sucks to be them,” Kestrel said as her people disarmed Anna and Stella. “You know, you look familiar. Have we met before?” she said as she walked up to Anna.
“No, and I think I would remember,” Anna said with surprising chutzpah.
“Yes, I guess you’re right. Still, I never forget a face. It’ll come to me,” Kestrel said as she absentmindedly ran a finger along her scar.
“Boss, we need to get rid of them,” one of Kestrel’s people said.
“No, not right now. Put them in one of the side rooms and keep them there while we finish up here,” Kestrel said as she walked over to the alien device.
&
nbsp; Two of the others motioned for Percy, Anna, and Stella to go into a side room. Once inside, the two thugs slammed the door shut and braced something against it.
“I knew it, smugglers, only this time they’re getting something huge. Have any of you ever heard of the Nyla?” Percy asked as he paced the room.
“I heard vague rumors about very old, but highly advanced, relics being found on several planets across known space. The stories go that the relics predated humanity, were incredibly advanced, and still functioning. Remember that story about a planet blowing up just after one of our survey ships landed on it? That was supposedly due to the crew finding a Nyla artifact and attempting to bring it back. Imagine something small enough to fit on a survey ship, yet powerful enough to vaporize a planet. What I heard was that Research Command put a lid on any Nyla artifacts due to the danger they posed.” Stella said as she surveyed the interior of the room.
“That’s all well and good, but what about the ecosystem of this planet? That alien device is keeping the Maelstrom separate from the rest of the planet. If they take it, the whole system will collapse and probably drive the dragons and everything else with them to extinction. We have to stop them,” Anna said.
“How do we do that? We are locked in here without our weapons. I was able to attach a tracker puck to the device without being seen, but that doesn’t do us any good if we’re trapped in here, or, worse still, they decide to shoot us,” Percy said as he helped Stella examine the room’s interior.
The door opened and one of the thugs came into the room and motioned for them to follow him. They were escorted out of the building to a spot in front of their APC.
“Well, kids, we’re finished here. The alien device is in my APC. My tech tells me that the alien system will run for a while longer on stored energy, but that the whole system will collapse when that runs out, and I don’t want to be here when that happens. As for you, all I can say is I’m sorry, but business is business,” Kestrel said as she motioned to her people. Several of them lined up in firing squad-style and took aim at the three explorers.