It’s not long before Yulin’s gravity pulls my butt back in the seat. Then we’re falling toward the planet. Fast. I can’t call it flying as the ship’s engine is the only thing keeping us from crashing. As I try not to imagine my life ending in a mangle of metal, we hit Yulin’s atmosphere. Roaring noise, jaw-cracking turbulence and waves of heat are now added to the vision of my fiery death. The light turns orange and I clutch the armrests. I’m never gonna complain about the passenger shuttles again.
The others appear unfazed and right after I’m convinced we’ll be cooked alive, the ride smooths and the air cools. The rest of the trip is pleasant in comparison.
When the ship slows, I brace for a rough landing, but we settle to the ground with a slight bump. The team unhooks their harnesses, but remain seated.
Radcliff enters. “We have three minutes until the port’s temperature and air pressure are stabilized.”
The port is basically a part of the complex that has a retractable roof for the shuttles. There’s an air lock between it and the rest of the base. However, since Yulin’s atmosphere is close to Earth’s I’ve a feeling we will eventually acclimatize to the local conditions in order to save energy.
Radcliff turns to me. “You stay with the pilot for now. Alba will show you what to do.”
“Yes, sir.”
A tone sounds and Radcliff says, “Alpha team with me.”
Five officers including Keir stand, draw their weapons and follow him out. Keir glances over her shoulder and winks at me.
Officer Morgan hops to her feet. “Beta team with me.”
The rest head to the exit behind her. Niall gives me an encouraging nod before exiting with Beta team. I take a breath before fumbling to release my harness. My legs are a bit rubbery as I enter the small area for the pilot and co-pilot. Beyond the window is the port. Equipment crates are stacked to the side and a couple forklifts are parked nearby. Not unusual except there isn’t anyone around. A good sign, but kind of eerie, too.
Alba gestures me to the empty seat and motions for me to put my entanglers in. I do as instructed.
Behind you is a screen, Alba’s voice sounds in my head.
I swivel around. Pictures of empty rooms and empty corridors fill it.
As Beta team advances through the base, Officer Morgan will be calling in their location and status. You’ll be able to track their progress through the cameras. When they clear a section, check it off on the map.
Map?
Bottom right. Focus on it to enlarge.
Oh. The screen fills with a diagram of the base. Some areas are colored red, others are orange.
Orange is Beta team’s route. Red is Alpha’s. I’ll be tracking Alpha. Understand?
Yes. I shrink the map back down.
If you see anything unusual in the cameras or anyone that is not a member of the team, let me know right away and I’ll alert them.
Okay. I scan the feeds. Nothing. But it doesn’t take long until the six members of Beta team show up on the screen. They move carefully and stay close to the walls, walking—not quite sideways, but they keep their bodies turned slightly as if trying to be a smaller target. Instead of going straight through an entrance, they first stand to the side of it as if expecting to be attacked, then, when they go in, it’s done in an explosion of movement. Interesting.
Beta team. Microbiology lab cleared, Morgan says through the tangs.
I open the map and check off the area. It turns from orange to green. Then I return to the cameras. It doesn’t take me long to get into a routine. I have to admit, it’s kind of fun. Of course I’m safe in the shuttle. My team is out there doing all the work, taking all the risks. I smile over calling them my team. No doubt they wouldn’t be as amused.
The research base is big and it takes the two teams four hours to clear all the labs and housing units. After a thirty-minute break, Alpha team will move on to the opened Warrior pits while Beta team returns to the shuttle. Alba offers to share her lunch with me.
My stomach growls a yes in response, but I ask, “Are we going to be weightless on the way back?”
“Yes.”
“Then no thanks.”
She grins at me, revealing straight white teeth and dimples. “I’d say you’d get used to it, but unless you decide to become a shuttle pilot...”
“No.”
“…or a security officer…”
“No way.”
Alba laughs. It’s a sweet sound that matches her petite body. “Then you won’t experience weightlessness enough times to get used to it.”
Fine with me. “Are you coming planetside with the rest of the team?” I ask.
“No. I pilot the shuttles and they stay with the ship.”
Soon Radcliff reports they’re heading into the pits. I track my team. They’re more relaxed and head straight back, but they still keep their weapons drawn. When they enter the port, Alba tells me to join them. She toggles a switch and the door opens, lowering a small ramp. The cool air fans my sweaty face and a musty dry smell fills my nose as I walk out of the shuttle. My heart jerks as the door clangs shut behind me.
Officer Morgan gestures me closer. She sweeps her arm out and does a little bow. “Lead the way to your hidey holes, Miss Daniels.”
The desire to correct her—they’re not mine—pulses through me. And from the smirks on a couple of the other team members’ faces, it’s obvious they also think my claims of hidden areas are ridiculous. I glance at Niall, but his expression remains neutral.
Fine. First stop, the emergency exit in the port. I point to the sealed door.
Officer Morgan raises her eyebrows. “That goes outside.”
“Eventually.” I agree. “There’s a big room in there with pressure suits. No cameras.”
“It’s not on the map.” Doubt laces her tone.
I reach to unseal the door, but Niall knocks my hand away. “Allow me.”
Shoved back out of the way, the others take up positions to the sides and do their thing. They investigate the inside and return with an all-clear.
They wait for me to point out the next area. I meet Officer Morgan’s gaze. I’m not moving without an apology.
“Right then, let’s continue,” she says.
That’s close enough. I take them through the base and show them the weird triangle room, the basement under the astrophysics lab, the blind spots in the supply bay, the oversized ducts that crisscross the labs, the duct to nowhere, and a number of others. When we reach the farthest point from the port, I relax. We didn’t encounter any hidden looters.
Officer Morgan holsters her weapon. “That was the oddest thing. Why doesn’t the base match the blueprints?”
“The construction team must have altered the plans,” one of the guys says.
“But the changes don’t make any sense,” another says.
“Maybe it was in the original plans and they were updated, but the advance crews didn’t get the updated version,” a woman suggests.
“Regardless of why, we need to mark all these on the map,” Morgan says. “Radcliff.”
“Yes, sir,” Niall says.
“See that the changes are noted.”
“Yes, sir.”
I silently apologize to all the bases’ kids.
Morgan turns to me. “Are there any hidden areas in the Warrior pits?”
“No. There are blind areas for the cameras, but Alpha team will see everything when they do their sweep.”
We head back to the port.
Halfway there Morgan slows. “Change of plans. What’s the fastest way to the pits, Miss Daniels?”
I take point and lead them to the archaeology labs. They are along the outer wall of the base and are below ground level. There’s only one main entrance into and out of the pits and it’s through the archaeology labs. There are other emergency exits installed, but they’re only used if there’s a cave-in. To prevent them, the caverns are braced with support beams. And the base pumps in clean dry ai
r. It’s not quite an air lock since it’s the same air that is used in the base, but rather a decontamination area to keep the techs from dragging sand and soil in from the caverns. It doesn’t work. Eventually sand will get everywhere and into everything.
Once we reach the entrance, Officer Morgan takes point and I’m surrounded by the others. A damp chill taints the air despite the base’s dehumidifiers. A wet earthy scent mixes with a harsh mineral odor. White artificial light glows from the ceiling as we follow the tunnel to Pit 1. Then the ceiling disappears into the darkness.
An army of lifelike Warriors greets us. They’re lined up in rows and are all just under two meters tall. Each pit contains one thousand, four hundred and forty-eight Warriors arranged in a giant octagon with a two-meter square hole in the center of each—another difference from the original army on Earth. The archaeologists have determined that each pit contains a battalion of Warriors led by a general.
The Warriors were crafted from the same red clay (terracotta) as those found in China, Earth. Even though they’re hollow and one and a quarter centimeters thick, they weigh about two hundred and seventy kilograms each. Their uniform coats go down to their knees and are covered with armor. Chinese calligraphy and a variety of strange symbols decorate the armor (unlike the ones on Earth).
Impressive and daunting, the Warriors stare straight ahead. Their long hair is pulled into warrior knots on the top of their heads and a few have headdresses or caps on just like those on Earth. It’s their faces that are the most amazing to me. Each one is unique. My ancestors.
A brief swell of pride inflates my chest.
The diggers also built a corridor that runs parallel to all the pits, connecting them. We pass through two more pits—identical to Pit 1—and meet up with Alpha team in Pit 4. I stop.
Pit 4 is a disaster area. Broken Warriors litter the floor. Others appear as if a giant has smashed them into pieces, sending bits out in a wave. The ground is scarred and lined with grooves.
“What happened here?” Morgan asks Radcliff.
“I’m hoping Miss Daniels might be able to tell us.”
“Is it safe?” I ask.
“No one is here and the support beams are intact. Is this typical of a dig site?”
“There’s always a number of pits that collapse. Understandable since they’ve been buried for thousands of years, but this doesn’t look like one of those.” Not that I’m an expert, but I remember when there is a cave-in, the Warriors are crushed in place, smashed down into piles, not flung sideways.
I step carefully through the debris trying not to break any more pieces. Some poor tech will be assigned to put this mess back together again. With my luck, it’ll be me. I reach an open area. There are Warriors missing. Then I spot footprints and wheel marks. It appears they’ve been dragged away by heavy equipment. Where did they go? I follow the grooves to a mound of soft dirt and rocks. At first glance it looks like a cave-in, but the marks disappear under it. Which means...
“Your assessment, Miss Daniels?” Radcliff asks.
“Looters.” I gesture to the pile. “They tunneled in here, stole at least five hundred Warriors and then collapsed the tunnel to hide their activities.”
“How long ago?”
I consider. “The marks on the ground seem recent.”
“I concur.”
Which means the looters could still be here.
Nine
2522:087
I scan the others, but they don’t appear as panicked as I am. Am I the only one to jump to the conclusion that the looters could still be on the planet? Obviously.
“Everyone back to the shuttle,” Officer Radcliff orders.
As we jog through the corridor and then the base’s hallways, I consider. The construction crew left many years ago. The looters could be long gone by now as well. When we reach the port, I’m not the last to arrive, but I suspect the two lagging behind me are supposed to be the rear guard. I am the only one out of breath— guess there is a downside to sitting and playing multiple hours of games a day. Who knew?
“Get your B-apps on, we’re going outside,” Radcliff says.
Everyone rushes into the shuttle. I move to follow, but Radcliff says, “Not you, Miss Daniels. You’re to stay with Lieutenant Alba.”
“Yes, sir.”
The others return with masks on their faces and hard rectangular packs on their backs. Ah. B-apps a.k.a. breathing apparatus. The team aims for the outer air lock and I join Alba in the cockpit. But I don’t have anything to do except listen to the team’s status updates as they search the surrounding area.
When the scientists settle into the base, they’ll install cameras outside to record any indigenous wildlife. Not that any have been discovered on Yulin so far.
There’s a crackle of excitement. Well, not exactly, but instead of a dry status update, Officer Radcliff actually sounds mildly interested. A big improvement.
“…found evidence of a ship… staging area… tracks… broken Warriors…”
Mom’s not gonna be happy about that.
“…no signs of life… appears as if they’ve been gone at least a half a year…”
Good news. Hopefully, they crinkled far away and are not hiding in the solar system for another raid.
The team returns. Their faces are red either from the sun or exertion. Sweat shines on foreheads and dampens hair. And the smell—think boys locker room after a big game—a hot funky odor. Plus a peppery sweet scent that must be the outside air. It’s breathable, but until the meteorologists certify that it’s safe, everyone has to stay inside the base unless they wear the proper equipment.
Strapping into their seats, the team guzzles water. We’ve been on the planet for nine hours. I buckle in as the shuttle takes off. No one has the energy to talk and the ride up is the same noise, heat, and stomach-flipping turbulence—I clutch the vomit bag in both hands just in case. But this time, I know what to expect and that makes a big difference.
My parents and the captain are waiting for us in the bay. I’d be embarrassed, but I make the mistake of relaxing. Now I’m lightheaded and unsteady. My mom and dad thank the team for checking the base, the captain gives everyone a proverbial pat on the back, and Radcliff dismisses the team. The others break up and head for the exit as Radcliff, my parents, and the captain discuss…er…things. A loud buzzing muffles their voices.
Doesn’t anyone else hear that? I swipe a loose strand of hair from my forehead. My hand is shaking.
“When’s the last time you ate?” Niall asks from right next to me.
I jerk in surprise and just about fall over.
He grabs my arm to steady me. “That answers my question. Come on.” He twines his fingers in mine and tows me from the bay.
I’d like to say I protested and insisted I could walk on my own, but the truth is that the trip is a blur. Eventually we stop and Niall pushes me into a seat.
“Wait here,” he orders.
By the time I think of a snarky response, he’s gone. Instead, I rest my head in my arms, not caring about the strange looks I’ve been getting from the other diners. An incredibly delicious aroma rouses me. It’s meatloaf! The world must be ending if I think meatloaf smells that good.
Niall places an overflowing plate in front of me next to his own heaped portion. I just blink at him. “Go on, Mouse. Eat.”
I wolf the loaf down along with a pile of potatoes and a bunch of carrots that go from yummy to rubbery pretty quick. I must be feeling better. Niall fetches us a couple glasses of water and two pieces of—
“Chocolate cake! I’m not dying!”
He grins. “Relax. It’s part of the special meal for the disembarking passengers.”
Oh right. A tradition for everyone at the end of the journey. A chance to get together with the crew and thank them and make empty promises to stay in touch.
“You missed it,” he says.
“Good.”
“Not a fan?”
“No.”
“Me either. They’re a waste of time. No sense getting friendly. Passengers come and go.” Then his good mood drops and he slumps back in his chair.
No doubt realizing that this time he is leaving as well and there is nothing he can do to stop it. Having seen it on countless kids over the years, I recognize the posture and miserable expression. I wore it myself not that long ago. There are no words that I can say to make him feel any better. I squeeze his hand in silent support.
He meets my gaze. “How many times have you had to leave?”
“Three times, but only the last two…hurt.”
Jerking his hand back, Niall pushes to his feet. “I gotta go. See you planetside, Mouse.”
“Later, Toad.” That earns me a weak smile.
He steps away, but pauses. “Not bad for your first mission.”
“Thanks.”
“You look good in that jumpsuit. Maybe you should consider signing up.”
“Do you think your father would be willing to train me?”
That surprises a laugh from him. “No. In fact…” He yanks my gun from my holster. “I’m supposed to ensure this is returned to him.”
“You’re no fun.”
“There will be a full security force on the planet. You don’t need it.”
“Need? No. Want? Yes.”
He laughs again. I decide I like making him laugh. “Are there brigs on the planet?” he asks.
“Yes, except they’re called detention centers, and, for the record, I’ve never been in one.”
“Uh huh. Guess there’s a first time for everything.” He gives me a mock salute and leaves.
I watch his…er…back. The jumpsuit really is form fitting and he has a nice form. Once he’s gone, I slouch in my chair. My stomach is super full and despite the sugar from the cake, I’m sleepy. I trudge back to our quarters, thinking of napping. As soon as I enter, my parents pounce with the questions. Do I know how many Warriors were taken? Destroyed? Radcliff didn’t know. Neither did I.
But my mom is in full out fret mode. “How many heads did you see? Were there more than ten rows missing?” she asks.
Navigating the Stars Page 11