by Lee Watts
"But this doesn't just extend life, it..." Alexander paused while searching for the right word. "It cheapens life. Life is precious partly because there's only so much of it. If we could replicate this technology for the masses, then the youth would have no way of attaining their full potential because the older generation would have no reason to give up their work. There could be no retirement. No pension system could sustain infinity. It would collapse every economic system there is. Society would stagnate. Criminal justice would become meaningless. Say you're sentenced to twenty years. It wouldn't matter. On the other hand, what if we couldn't back engineer the device to make more? What if this and the one the Ramillie have are all there are? Then who is to say only you or I are the ones to use it. What makes our lives more valuable than anyone else's? No. It would cause others to want it, and how could they not? You've talked about the life-long obsession you've had in obtaining this. Others, countless others, would want the same. To bring a dead child back to grieving parents. To return a spouse to someone who built a life with them. It would become something that would be the cause of so much bloodshed, and for what, so a few elites could cheat death? No. This device doesn't give life, it takes it. It promises life, happiness, but in the end, it will deliver the opposite."
Salazar's mouth tightened as he listened to Alexander.
"If you don't like it, fine, so much the better. I'll take it off of your hands, and you'll never see it again. I don't see why you have such a problem with it anyway, you've supposedly come back from the grave yourself once."
"That was different. I wasn't defying the laws of nature the Elder set in place. He sent me back. The Elder has allowed death as something to keep life in balance. You mentioned this device is Plyeecian. We've always believed they died out because the Ramillie exterminated them. What if that wasn't the case at all. What if they did it to themselves. You say the device brings sterility. When there are no new lives brought into society the numbers will irreversibly dwindle. Then there are accidents where someone couldn't get to a device to revive them. Crime is undeterred, ambition wanes, economies collapse, and society decays. What was once a thriving civilization crumbles to a shadow of its former self - then the Ramillie come. The Plyeecians resist, but though they are far more advanced, they no longer have the numbers or a driving purpose to continue and are wiped from existence. Instead of cheating death, the Plyeecians courted it and ultimately caused their own annihilation. With them out of the way, the Ramillie claimed the alien devices as their own but were unable to understand how they work. All this until one day, thousands of years later our father finds this device, and the cycle threatens to start anew. No. This machine isn't our salvation, it would be our damnation."
Drawing his sidearm, Alexander switched it to disintegrate and aimed it at the device.
"NO," Salazar cried out and went to stop Alexander, but the trigger was pulled an instant later. Crackling blue energy danced over the ancient machine. Instinctively, the brothers, and the security guards with them all stepped back. Disintegration was usually an almost instantaneous process, but whatever the device was constructed of resisted the vaporizing of its molecules. With two more quick blasts from his weapon, Alexander succeeded in destroying the device.
With a shout of anguish, Salazar watched as the means of his survival was expunged from the universe.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"
"What needed to be done - what had to be done. You're my brother, and I'm willing to help you. I'll have the best doctors in the Realm-"
"NO! THERE'S NO TREATMENT! NO CURE! All the doctors in the universe have all failed to find an answer, but I had it! All I wanted to do is live, and you've taken that from me. You'll pay for this, Alexander. I promise you. YOU, YOUR PEOPLE, AND EVERYTHING YOU LOVE, I WILL DESTROY ALL OF IT! You've sealed both our fates this day. The closed-mindedness of the Lyons killed my grandfather and it will kill me too, but before I go to my grave, I'll see you and your precious Realm are reduced to nothing but ash."
The two men locked eyes, hatred poured from Salazar, and for the first time, Alexander's heart broke for his brother. He stared back at his older sibling in pity. Alexander wondered what lengths he would have gone through to escape such a horrid disease as caryon.
"I wish things could have been different between us, Salazar."
"They might have been one day. We both could have had what we wanted. We might have found peace, but you've taken it away... from both of us."
Salazar turned and began to leave the hall. Alexander gave his soldiers a look, and they moved to escort the visitor out. When Salazar reached the royal conference chamber doorway, Alexander called to him.
"I love you...Brother."
Salazar stopped and stood in silence for a long moment. He thought how this was this first time anyone ever told him that who wasn't hoping to get something in return. Keeping his back to his sibling, he half turned over his right shoulder as he replied lowly.
"Then you're a fool, Alexander. A great fool."
With that, he turned and left.
"You should have him arrested," Cale suggested.
"No," Alexander replied softly.
"But he's dangerous."
"I promised him safe passage under a flag of truce, and I will honor that promise."
"You might live to regret this day, Majesty."
"I already do, Cale. I already do."
CHAPTER 22
"The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want." – Proverbs 21:5
"Approaching the Por Tabello system," announced Jaiden. "But..." his voice trailed off as he was confused by the readings from his instruments.
"But what, Mr. Suchet?"
"But... there's no star," Jaiden answered with puzzlement still in his voice.
"What do you mean no star?" Sosimo asked.
Mei interjected and said she was running a scan.
"He's right, Captain," she confirmed. "Well, sort of. It looks like there once was a star, but it has grown cold. The stellar matter is still there, it's just not burning. I've never seen anything like it."
"This is fascinating," Sosimo began, "for someone who cares about astronomical phenomenon. Fortunately, I don't. What I do care about is the fortune, and of course the Fortune, but mostly my fortune. So, let's get to it. With his map ring now reintegrated to his artificial prosthetic, he greedily rubbed his palms together. "Jaiden, put us in orbit of the third planet. Mei, give it a full scan. Let's see what's down there."
Deftly working the controls, Mei took several moments before answering.
"There's… nothing."
"Nothing?" Sosimo balked in surprise. "What do you mean nothing? There's got to be something on the planet. It may be frozen with the star going out, but there's got to be something."
Examining the readouts, Mei shook her head.
"I'm reading no power sources, no transmissions, no life signs. There are high levels of radiation on the surface. The atmosphere is thin, toxic, and with no star in the system, there's virtually no heat."
"Thankfully, we're not looking for power sources, life signs or a nice vacation spot for shore leave," Sosimo quipped. "We're looking for the treasure. It makes perfect sense for The Vault to be on a dead world in a remote system - especially one without an active star. That way no one would accidentally stumble on it. The Vault is down there somewhere. I've not come all this way just to give up now, not when we're so close. Scan for structures and composite metals. The keeper wouldn't have set everything out in the open. He would have hidden it somehow."
Mei paused. Part of her thought the great search may be over, but she knew if she voiced such it would crush Sosimo. If his quest turned out to be futile, the truth of it would be inescapable soon enough. She decided to comply with her captain's order. If his life's dream was to be crushed, she wasn't going to be the one to do it.
"Aye, Captain," she, at last, answered and continued scanning the plane
t.
After three hours, Jaiden wondered how long this would go on. He dared not say anything for fear of incurring Sosimo's wrath or causing him to lose his already tenuous grasp on sanity. As the young man squirmed under the increasing pressure of the awkwardness, there was the welcomed interruption of two soft beeps from Mei's station.
"Captain, I'm reading a heat source down there. It's weak, but something's generating it."
"Localize," Sosimo instructed with excitement. Rising from his command chair, he crossed to his first mate. "Byron, tie into the sensors and put this area on the screen."
An image of the planet's rocky, wind-swept surface filled the primary monitor.
"Zoom in," Sosimo ordered. "Gotcha," he whispered triumphantly while staring at the large metal hatch built into the ground.
"That thing is big enough to fly a shuttle through," Mei reported.
"Makes sense," Sosimo nodded. "The Vault Keeper couldn't be on the surface because of the radiation. He must have flown inside and stored the treasure beneath the surface. All that rock would serve as an effective shield from the radiation."
"But how do we get the hatch open?" asked Byron. "Wanna blast it off, Cap'n?"
"No. We don't know what's on the other side. An attack might start a self-destruct, plus I don't want to completely remove what's shielding the treasure from the radiation," Sosimo answered.
"It must take some kind of a remote signal to open it," Mei figured. "Probably a code word or combination."
Sosimo nodded in agreement.
"But what?" he puzzled aloud.
"It's probably some complex cipher so no one could break it," Jaiden offered.
Sosimo considered that for a moment then discounted the notion.
"I don't think so. The Vault Keeper took extreme measures to keep everything hidden. He wouldn't store a complex cipher in a ship's data banks in case the ship was captured, and he wouldn't make the code so complex that he might forget or mess it up. My guess is it's something short and simple."
The pirate captain considered the infinite possibilities then his face froze and a twinkle came to his eyes.
"Mei, send this in a tight beam to the hatch, Vray."
"Vray? What language is that?" she asked.
"It's an old dialect from my home planet, Celtis Po."
"What's it mean?" Jaiden asked, expecting some profound answer.
"Open," Sosimo answered flatly.
Mei shook her head, sighed then sent the signal. All heads turned to the main screen waiting to see if anything would happen. After several tense moments, the hatch slowly began to open. Sosimo smiled roguishly.
"Mine," he whispered. "Mei, Jaiden, we'll take a shuttle down that opening. Byron, you've got the ship. Put us in geosynchronous orbit."
"Aye, Cap'n."
Exiting the Fame's docking bay, a small shuttle sped out. With the planet lacking a substantial atmosphere, they were able to make nearly a straight course to the hatch. Bringing the shuttle level with the surface, Jaiden piloted the craft to the mouth of the opening, and they began their vertical descent. Floodlights from the shuttle's underside illuminated the rocky tunnel, but Jaiden used the instruments to guide the ship as they proceeded downward.
"I'm reading a large opening up ahead," Mei reported. "Heat levels are increasing too. Must be the planet's core causing the heat. Uh-oh."
"I don't like uh-oh's, Mei. You know that. What's the uh-oh?"
"The hatch, it's closing."
Sosimo was unconcerned.
"That's more of an 'oh' than an 'uh-oh' I'd say. It makes sense for it to automatically close. Don't worry about it."
Reaching the bottom of the tunnel, the shuttle entered a wide area with a landing pad directly in front of a massive structure carved from the surrounding rock.
Extending the landing gear, Jaiden brought the shuttle to rest and began powering down the engines.
"I'm reading full pressure, and gravity," Mei commented. "Radiation levels are in acceptable limits too."
"What about the air?" Sosimo asked.
"Still thin and toxic," she answered.
"Alright, everybody grab a breathing mask, and let's get to it," he instructed. Sosimo's heart pounded with excitement. The anticipation of a lifetime of searching was finally before him.
With a hiss, the shuttle's hatch lowered to the rocky ground, and the trio stepped out. Moving toward the gargantuan structure, Jaiden aimed his flashlight at the intricately carved surface. There was some kind of alien symbols etched into the pillars. With the light on it, only then could they tell it wasn't rock at all, but a deep purple crystal embedded in the rock. Jaiden wondered if it was a natural formation of the planet, or if some ancient civilization placed it there.
An arched passageway led them deeper inside the subterranean structure. At the passage's end was a heavy metallic door. Mei scanned it.
"It's magnetically sealed," she noted through her breathing mask. "It's highly dense. I can't get any readings from the other side."
She noticed the outline of a hand on a panel to the side of the door. Placing a hand on it, a green beam of energy glided across it followed by an unpleasant buzz.
"Doesn't seem to like me."
"Let me try," Sosimo said. "Placing his biological hand on the panel, the green light scanned it. A moment later, the door slid apart.
"Just needs a little of that LaRouche DNA magic," he boasted then they proceeded farther into the passage.
As the trio passed through the arched tunnel, the crystal walls illuminated the way ahead. Jaiden looked for some type of sensing device but saw only etchings of an alien words. As Sosimo glanced over his shoulder, he noticed the lights behind them were extinguished, and the door had closed. He wondered if the lights keeping pace with them were part of an automated system, or if someone was tracking their progress. Noticing Mei subtly unfastening the strap of her blaster, he realized she must be considering the same possibility. They continued on in silence for two full minutes, anxiety building with each step. Seeing the door ahead, Jaiden wasn't sure if it made him feel relieved or more nervous about what may be on the other side.
"I don't see any controls," he remarked. "How do we get it open?"
Before there was time to answer, a wide beam of soft, purple light washed over them. Instinctively, Jaiden's whole body flinched.
"It's alright," Mei assured. "It's just scanning us."
"Question is," Sosimo added, "is it scanning us, or are they?"
Despite who or what was conducting the exam, the visitors were granted passage. As the door parted open, light poured in from the other side. Sosimo raised his robotic arm to shield his eyes as they adjusted from the dim tunnel to daylight levels. Jaiden moved to step forward, but Mei gently extended her arm to block him. He looked at her to see why she did that. Her eyes darted to the captain and then back to him. Jaiden nodded his understanding. Sosimo had not only looked for The Vault his entire life, so had his family for generations. It should be a LaRouche who enters first.
Sosimo moved forward, his two companions following. Jaiden was in awe of the enormity of the subterranean chamber. Looking down, they saw they were standing atop a large, crystalline ziggurat with a wide staircase leading down to an entire city. When they were going through the tunnel, Jaiden expected that on the other side they might possibly find a few scattered bones of a long-dead civilization, but what he beheld was a vibrant city teeming with people.
"Captain?" he probed warily.
"Oookay," Sosimo quipped in surprise of their discovery. "Not what I expected, but hey, few things are. I expect that expecting the unexpected is what we should have expected."
"Aye," Jaiden agreed, hoping Sosimo wouldn't elaborate.
"How do we proceed, Captain?" Mei asked.
"From this far away, I can't make anything out," Sosimo answered, and then began patting his various pockets in searching for something.
"Ah, here they are," he announced, retrieving a
small container.
Expecting small electro-binoculars, Jaiden was surprised to see the contents were contact lenses. Sosimo used a small bottle to squeeze a drop in one eye then inserted the thin glass.
"You wear contacts?" Jaiden asked.
"Not just any contacts. These are a special set I picked up from a tech dealer on Garesh II," Sosimo explained while blinking. "These contacts are comprised of micro-circuitry that not only magnify an image, but also allows me to see ultraviolet, and infrared among other things."
Mei leaned over, adding, "By other things, he means he uses them to see through playing cards."
"Precisely," Sosimo confirmed. "Gambling is foolish. I only start playing a game if I know I've already won."
He gave Jaiden his roguish, crooked smile then turned to look at the below city. After a few moments, he moaned as if his interest was piqued.
"What do you see that's so interesting, Captain?" Jaiden asked.
"It's what I don't see that's more interesting," Sosimo commented without bothering to explain further.
"What do you not see?" Jaiden asked.
"Technology. There are no computers, displays, or machines of any type as far as I can tell. Mei, do a scan. Tell me what you pick up."
Lifting the portable scanning device at her side, she set it to wide beam and checked the readings.
"You're correct, Captain. I not picking up so much as a flashlight."
"Oh, look at that," Jaiden pointed out.
"What?" asked Sosimo.
"We've been spotted. Look some of the people are heading this way."
"That's more of an 'uh-oh' than an 'oh' I'd say," corrected the captain. "Then again, maybe not. They might be friendly."
Jaiden was concerned.
"But Captain, what about that saying no one ever crash-lands on a friendly planet?"
"True my boy. It's one of the laws of the universe. Fortunately for us, we haven't crash-landed."