A Pattern of Details

by James Matt Cox

  "This is definitely a late-Imperium base. The Collapse didn't hit here for a long time, am I right?"

  "You are," said Jackson, "Why?"

  "This is a cultured crystalline and steel matrix," she said, "Produced with great difficulty in a process similar to how we create oceramet."

  "No blather," asked Jackson.

  "Truth pure and simple. The main difference is there's no 'O' here. It's definitely a crystal ceramic metal, just not grown organically. The knowledge has been around forever, but it wasn't cost-efficient until Edward Ritton discovered how to grow it."

  "There is some oxidation and corrosion," said Morris. He did a quick calculation, "If it's like oceramet the oxidation shouldn't be more than eight millis deep."

  Morris echo-scanned the door and verified it mostly solid. Very carefully he anchored a precision guide to the door and attached his cutter. He set it to hollow-drill a five-millimeter cylinder one centimeter deep. When he extracted the plug and examined it he saw the corrosion between six and eight millis deep before turning to pure, uncorrupted metal.

  "Polar to orbit!" Lace smiled and kissed both of the men. "For luck!"

  Blushing now, Morris put a plug-seal in the small hole and continued drilling. The laser stopped just short of breaching the door and the seal-plug deployed. He removed the guide and attached a pair of fasteners above the hole. Lace locked the bioanalyzer to them, shoved its probe into the seal and pushed it through into the base.

  "There's a slight overpressure," she said, "Atmospheric components... Trace oxygen, carbon dioxide and a few others but ninety-nine percent inert! They sealed it! They sealed it hard!!"

  Morris felt a thrill at that. Although the doorway might not corrode the same could not be said of anything inside, especially anything exposed to oxygen. The inert overpressure meant the former occupants sealed the base before departing.

  "Almost zero biologicals," continued Lace, "With the inerting treatment the gel should show a lot faster."

  She prepared two gel tubes and attached them to the air line. She made sure they'd stay in place, turned and offered Morris and Jackson a nod.

  "Atmospheric analysis is initiated, gentlemen. I am happy."

  Before they left Morris checked the metallurgy of the plug he removed. He carefully traced the seal on the door and applied a de-corrosion gel around it. For safety and contingency he glued a wide strip of tough, inert plastic over it. He applied enough chemical for twelve millis of corrosion, more than enough to unseal the doorway.

  Back at the rover Rackwell all but vibrated with excitement.

  "We monitored everything," he said, "I do hope you are correct, Jena, about the biogel. I don't believe I could wait another whole day before we start."

  ***

  Morris lay back but again sleep stayed away. Polov mumbled incoherently in his sleep, not particularly loud but enough so to keep Morris awake. As he lay growing more and more tired, odd notions whirled in his head. His body grew lethargic as he slipped into a light sleep. He could intuit a pattern but he could not see it. Something obvious kept avoiding his conscious mind but instead of frustrating him it drove him to find it.

  Morris woke to alertness. Something roused him through the fatigue still weighing him down. The tent was dark, or relatively so, Polov was mumbling away and a light breeze was hissing against the wall.

  There! He caught a faint whirring sound. Moving as silently as he could Morris donned his boots, respirator and laser. The tent had a primitive airlock, one that lost a 'lock full of air when cycled but one that operated quietly.

  The camp looked secure. No light shone within any of the tents and they all appeared undisturbed in the dim starlight. Then he noticed a glimmer of light from inside the rover. Someone had deployed the uplink array and the flashes of light on the ports indicated at least one terminal in use.

  Morris entered the 'lock carefully. Before he closed the outer door he silenced the telltale that would sound when it cycled. He cranked the door shut slowly, feeling a bit silly for doing so, and cracked the valves that would replace the tainted air. No one had any business inside the rover and certainly not with the uplink active, unless he or she wanted to contact someone in orbit or beyond.

  Morris drew a deep breath, let it out slowly and hit the crash override on the inner door.

  Within the darkness inside the rover the sole source of light drew Morris' eyes to it. Bathed in the glow of her terminal, startled and shocked by Morris' sudden appearance, sat Crystal Delroy. She had both the computer and communication stations meshed with her terminal and the strange, twisty shapes on its display.

  "Good evening, Specialist," said Morris, his voice totally cold.

  Delroy stared at him. Her eyes fell to the laser he held pointed at her then traced slowly up his arm back to his face. She opened her mouth as if to speak but said nothing.

  "Tell me, Doctor Delroy, why are you burning up console time at this hour of the night? While you're about it tell me why you have the uplink array deployed." He moved forward. "Remove your hands from the terminal."

  "I... I... was trying to... to contact..."

  "Yes, Specialist? Scoot back from the console. Slowly."

  She complied. As she did Morris noticed she wore her own laser.

  "Very, very slowly, Specialist, remove your weapon and place it on the floor."

  The stranger within him surprised Morris but he made no effort to change it. So far Delroy obeyed without question or hesitation. Now she unclasped her weapon belt and let it drop. When she backed far enough from the terminal Morris stepped forward and swiveled the display so he could see it.

  What Morris saw brought all his suspicions boiling to a head. Something snapped and anger flooded him.

  "These are access routines for the beacon drone."

  "I... I can... explain..."

  "I'm certain you can, Specialist. You know you can't launch it from here, why were you even trying?"

  Rage rose within Morris. He felt himself starting to shake with it.

  "You asked me, Specialist, why this mission might not be completed. You felt quite certain of it. Well, Specialist, I can answer you now. This mission might well fail because of a traitor in our midst."

  Now Delroy started trembling. She worked her mouth but no words came out. Not trusting himself to say more Morris reached for his 'comm.

  "Mister Kody. To the rover please."

  Though fury boiled through Morris he held his laser steady. The rational part of his mind cried for him to stop only to fall under the wash of emotion gripping him. Kody didn't respond.

  "Mister Kody. Report to the rover. Now!"

  Through one of the ports Morris caught a shadowy motion. Then a lightstaff blossomed, then another. He saw figures moving about but the midshipman still didn't acknowledge.

  "Morris." The voice belonged to Jackson. "We need you here. Urgently. There's a matter that requires your attention."

  "Belay that, Mister Jackson. If Midshipman Kody is there tell him to report immediately."

  "Morris, Mister Kody is dead."

  The boiling angry tempest within Morris froze instantly to an icy rage.

  "What was that, Mister Jackson?"

  "Tran Kody is dead. Where are you?"

  "I'm in the rover. Please report here."

  "What?!"

  "Do it!"

  After a moment the 'lock cycled and Jackson stepped in. He took in the tableau instantly, his hand close to but not on his sidearm.

  "Morris?"

  "Mister Jackson please detain Doctor Delroy. I'll explain my reasons shortly but for now know she is extremely dangerous and may be responsible for two deaths already."

  Jackson looked from Morris to Delroy and back. What decided him Morris didn't know but he obeyed. At his direction Delroy rose and preceded him to the 'lock. Morris backed away, wary of a sudden lunge or attempted flight. She started to step into the 'lock without her respirator but Jackson stopped her and strapped i
t on. She shrank in on herself and she moved slowly and shakily.

  Jackson led Morris to where the lightstaves converged and the others milled about. Kody lay in the middle of a pool of heartless light. He looked as though he died in the process of drawing his weapon. He had a small, neat hole in the middle of his forehead just above his respirator mask. The exit wound was neither small nor neat.

  ***

  Images. Delroy trembling in Jackson's grasp. Rackwell with a comforting hand across Lace's shoulder, himself looking no small amount disturbed. Eisley bent over with her respirator up, retching with Garrett and Polov beside her trying to keep the toxic atmosphere out of her.

  Morris felt a heavier weight of responsibility settle over him as he pulled a cover over Kody's body. The midshipman trusted him and Morris let him down. Perhaps now he could begin to make amends.

  "We will meet in front of the rover," said Morris. The emotionless void of his voice surprised him. He knew he should feel something; grief, loss, shock, but... Nothing. "Now. Do not leave the area once you are there. Mister Garrett help me with Mister Kody's body please. Mister Jackson, see to it we are not disturbed. Don't let down your guard."

  Numb with shock, the others obeyed Morris' commands. He retrieved a sealed bag from the rover and he and Garrett gently placed Kody's body within it. Gently they put it in the supply tent. That was not proper, thought Morris, but it would have to do. Keeping the living alive took priority now.

  ***

  Morris strode into the pool of light in front of the rover, put his holocaster on the large box someone placed there and gave his name, certification and mission details. The others, seated on whatever they could find, fell silent and looked at him with total concentration. Delroy, seated in front of Jackson and not moving at all, looked past him with shock-numbed eyes.

  "The time has come to address some important issues," said Morris, "What I have to say involves classified information so as acting commander of this mission I do hereby compel you to strict confidentiality.

  "From the time we grounded here we've been plagued by mishap. In truth these incidents began before we grounded. It is astronomically improbable for a mission to have such a series of low-probability accidents and events but it can happen.

  "These accidents, however, were nothing of the sort. Every incident was a coldly calculated and deliberate act of sabotage against the League and the Halcyon region. In a meeting with Lieutenant Harper I presented evidence that what happened to Chief Engineer Keyson was intended to destroy our ship's power network and our ship with it. She then revealed to me that my suspicions were well-founded and we did in fact have a saboteur aboard."

  A brief murmur, words of disbelief. Morris held up his hand.

  "After we grounded and after the fusion plant on the ship was set to planet-side requirements we began having a series of mechanical and system failures. During the course of repairing the damaged float and robot I uncovered a hostile and very adaptable electronic parasite, a metavirus. I subsequently discovered traces of that metavirus in our shipboard systems.

  "Midshipman Kody informed me yesterday that Ms. Harper intended to disinfect, program and launch the beacon drone. I suspect the catastrophic power surge was triggered by that same metavirus in order to prevent the drone's launch."

  The emotionlessness of his voice surprised and chilled Morris. This wasn't him! He felt the start of a cold lump inside him, only to have it washed away.

  "Earlier this evening... morning a suspicious sound brought me out of my tent. When I investigated it I found Specialist Delroy in the rover working on the 'comm and computer stations with an active uplink to the satellite network."

  Some small part of Morris rebelled at his next words yet he forced himself to say them.

  "Mister Jackson I order you to place Specialist Delroy under arrest for suspicion of murder and suspicion of treason."

  Silence. Morris deactivated the holocaster, sealed the recording with his personal crypto and clipped it to his harness.

  "That... You're wrong," said Lace.

  Several others voiced agreement.

  "Ms. Lace, Jena, I didn't want to believe it," said Morris, "Unfortunately it fits. It fits and it is the best fit. It hurt me to think that any of you could betray the mission, could betray us but the facts are there."

  After a long pause Harkin spoke.

  "That's all platinum on a plate, Morris, but how can we know you're not the saboteur?"

  Jackson and Garrett shifted uneasily at this.

  "You can't," said Morris, "but if I set out to destroy the ship I'd have done so. Were I responsible that float would have crashed and whatever accident I arranged to befall the ship would have been totally above reproach and suspicion. I don't even need a metavirus to do that."

  Harkin nodded, albeit uneasily. He didn't look particularly reassured but he held that close since only Morris and Jackson had weapons. No one spoke for a long time.

  "Mister Jackson," said Morris, "I want her prepped for stasis. Can you do that here?"

  "I can initiate it. Slow freeze takes twelve to fifteen hours though."

  "Do it," said Morris. Dawn wasn't far away and he knew he couldn't sleep. "We'll begin investigating now."

  While the others ate rations Morris drank double-strength chog and followed it with some of Lace's blackbean tea. A surreal haze settled over him and he felt his lack of sleep sharply. Deep inside Morris knew this was the wrong way to handle things but he couldn't think clearly enough to formulate anything better. He started to take Jackson or Harkin aside, confide everything and ask for advice. He did not.

  The others' actions stopped Morris. Though they'd had a terrible shock they acted swiftly under his orders. Occasionally someone looked at him with no small trepidation yet they completed their tasks efficiently. If he showed any weakness or uncertainty they all might succumb to the anguish they surely felt.

  The rover moved slowly into the cave. Jackson drove with Harkin beside him. Delroy sat in the back, shackled and unresisting. At Morris' request Jackson administered a sedative but she really didn't need it. She moved woodenly at his direction, eyes downcast, and spoke not at all. Now she sat and stared at the floor.

  Morris felt a poignant stab of guilt at this. She was guilty of at least treason and possibly - no, certainly! - of murder, he knew that, but he still felt as though he acted brutally. Well, he had! Still, with clarity restored and a foothold on which to act Morris' conscience sank its teeth hard.

  They reached the dropoff quickly. Jackson parked the rover and locked the controls. Morris locked down the equipment, privacy locked the terminals and disabled the uplink, just in case. Jackson ferried down the gear they'd need then attached a harness seat and lowered Delroy to the bottom. At Morris' orders she and a guard would wait here but he didn't know who to pick.

  "I'll stay," said Harkin.

  "Why, Culle," asked Morris.

  Harkin shrugged. "When we found out about the site all I wanted was to crack it open and explore it. Now... Now all I want is to go back home." He half-grinned, "Besides, I doubt there's any interesting weather in there."

  ***

  Morris examined the door carefully. With plenty of time to work the analyzer reported no hostile organisms whatsoever and likewise the biogel showed no streaking, not even from ordinary microbes. Jackson and Lace both pronounced it clean but not breathable but no matter, they all had air tanks to supplement their respirators. When he checked the doorway itself he found the corrosion gone and the portal itself ready to open.

  "Now for the fun," said Jackson.

  He, Morris and Garrett went to work anchoring and sealing a flexible but tough plastic sheet around the frame of the doorway. Although he worked quickly Morris made sure to seal it well. Once they finished that Morris sealed the edges of the massive sheet together, tapered the resulting tube and sealed it to the portable airlock they brought.

  Morris fought to keep the sheet out of the way as he slowly w
orked the massive doorway open. When he cracked it the overpressure inflated his 'lock adapter. He had an anxious few moments squirting sealant into a couple of leaks but the rest held solidly.

  "Jared," said Morris, "I need some help."

  He and Jackson managed to open the doorway well enough to enter the massive room beyond. It took the others bare minutes to cycle through and join them.

  Their scanners showed no active power but some of the systems had residual power in them. That puzzled Morris until Jackson hit upon the solution.

  "Geothermal generators," said the big man, "With the likely volcanic activity when this base was built that would make a lot of sense. Bury the power with the base so it can't be cut off. Wouldn't take any effort at all to drop a thermal differencer somewhere it would power five bases. Plus the complex outside. That would make a lot of sense, too."

  "Which systems may still be working," said Morris, "Don't touch any switches."

  The room past the doorway turned into a vehicle-sized 'lock. Empty, unfortunately, but with a well-working manual override at the other end. That portal led to a parking and loading deck. It stretched far upward and away and only with their lightstaves on high did they see the full size of it.

  The loading deck led to a warehouse half-filled with ancient crates and boxes.

  "Might what we want be here," asked Garrett.

  "It might, Mister Garrett," said Morris, "but it would take a long time to find it if so. Not to mention the damage we'd do to things the follow-up team would want left whole. Let's see if we can find a map."

  It didn't take long to locate an office and from there a rough diagram of the base. It might have been a disaster escape route or a description of the areas within the place, even Jackson could not translate the Imperialat on the flimsy page.

  "Split into teams," said Morris, "and record everything."

  Morris took Polov and headed deeper into the base. They passed many centuries-ancient wonders but they had a specific goal in mind. Morris lost track of time as they worked their way through the installation, careful to record everything but disturb nothing.

  After a time Jackson called. He, Garrett and Rackwell located the 'comm and sensor complex. As he and Polov worked through the anechoic, dark corridors Morris longed to take just a moment to explore something but he resisted that temptation. They recorded everything and managed a decent map of their paths, that would do for now.