by Ken Lozito
“They did use highly durable alloys, especially if they were intact on Sagan’s surface. But they also genetically modified several subspecies on the planet,” Oriana said.
Dr. Volker nodded. “Precisely. The NEIIS are an enigma.”
“The question we’re most keen to answer is how a settlement could have arrived on Sagan to begin with,” Sean said, “given the belief that they weren’t spacefaring and knowing that Sagan hasn’t supported life in quite some time, if ever. This is where it gets interesting—trying to find a theory that will fit. So as not to make my educated friends uncomfortable, I’ll propose the theory that might get one of you thrown out of a room full of your peers. Perhaps the NEIIS were working with some kind of teleportation device.”
This drew a few snickers from around the room, and Sean shrugged. “Could it be done?”
“We couldn’t even do this ourselves,” Dr. Volker said.
“That’s not what he asked,” Oriana said. “He asked whether it could be done. In theory, it’s possible, but it’s only been done on a molecular level. Nothing like teleporting an entire town.”
Dr. Volker frowned. “Possible? Fine I’ll grant you that, but highly unlikely.”
“These are the types of things we need to consider when we see the site itself, or what’s left of it. I think we’re going to have to get our hands dirty,” Sean said.
“Are you saying you want to excavate a site where there’s an active volcano?” Dr. Volker asked.
Sean smiled. “Well, it’s not like it’s still erupting. We’ll take every precaution, but we need fringe theories if we’re going to figure this out. I agree with the current standard of thinking regarding the NEIIS, and they were not spacefaring at all. After we try to answer how a NEIIS settlement somehow got onto another planet, we’ll need to consider why they were doing this at all. Was it simply in service of a discovery that pushes the boundaries of even our scientific knowledge? Or was it something else? Could they have stumbled onto something?”
“Like what?” Dr. Volker asked.
“Anything. That’s what I want you and the rest of the scientific team to help us figure out,” Sean said.
Dr. Volker sighed. “How long until we arrive?”
“About thirty-six hours.”
“How long will we be at the site?” Oriana asked.
“For as long as it takes to find an answer,” Sean replied and then held up his hand. “We have plenty of time. We’ll stay as long as it’s feasible, and when it’s no longer helpful, it’ll be time for us to go.”
Sean wrapped up the meeting after that, and soon it was just him and Major Brody in the room.
“Teleportation?” Major Brody asked.
“Maybe they’ll come up with something better,” Sean replied.
“I should get to the bridge. I have the watch this evening,” Major Brody said and left the room.
His XO was a quiet man, but as far Sean could tell he was now performing his duties as expected. Perhaps their little chat had cleared the air.
Sean walked out of the conference room and heard someone clear their throat behind him. Oriana was waiting for him with an arched eyebrow.
“This is not a date.”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t take anyone I really cared about to the mess hall,” Sean replied.
Oriana shook her head. “You know what? On second thought, I think I’d rather eat alone. I’ll write up my report and send it to you tomorrow. If you have any questions, you know where to find me,” Oriana said and walked away.
Sean watched as her tall, slender form retreated from him, and her silky dark hair seemed to bounce along with every step she took. He thought about going after her but decided against it. If she couldn’t handle a little bit of humor, he’d rather not spend any more time with her than was absolutely necessary.
18
Sean sat in the commander’s chair on the bridge of the Vigilant. It was nearing the end of his rotation and Major Brody should be there soon to take over. He looked once again at Oriana’s unofficial report for possible explanations of the gravitational anomaly they’d detected. She’d sent it for him for his approval before it became part of the official record. The first time he’d read through the report, it had been quick, and he tried to reserve judgment until he came to the end. When he finished reading through it the second time, he had a better understanding of Oriana’s initial reticence at including these theories. He imagined that when he forwarded the report through official CDF channels, it would raise more than a few eyebrows. General Hayes might even question Sean’s command capability.
He knew Oriana was angry with him, or perhaps just a bit frustrated, which showed in the tone of her message that had come along with the report. He was more amused than bothered by the terseness of her response. Sometimes one could get an honest answer in the face of frustration, but it was a delicate balance to strike because full-blown anger could also make a person say things they’d regret. In Oriana’s case, her work was quite meticulous. He’d asked for possible explanations for the gravitational waves, but he hadn’t expected those answers to be quite so extraordinary, and certainly not beyond the boundaries of their current science. He needed some time to consider the information, as well as a peace offering so they could even discuss some of her theories.
He smiled at her signature on the report: Dr. Oriana Evans, followed by a list of academic accolades, even though this report was an unofficial version. It was very professional; however, being together in person seemed to bring out a more foolish side of both of them. Of course, now that he was in his own element on the bridge and she was nowhere in sight, he could be completely objective about it. He made a mental note to resist the urge to purposefully “poke” her quite so much when he saw her next.
Sean filed the report away for later consideration and thought about whether he should ask Lester to review it. As if his thoughts had somehow summoned him, Major Brody reported to the bridge fifteen minutes before his rotation was about to start. Dr. Volker and Oriana followed Brody onto the bridge.
Dr. Volker smiled at Sean in greeting, and Oriana simply met his gaze coolly.
“We discussed having some of my senior staff rotate onto the bridge purely as a consultant for any issues the commanding officer may require assistance with,” Dr. Volker said.
“I do recall that,” Sean replied and looked at Oriana. “Did you volunteer or simply draw the short straw?”
Dr. Volker laughed, and Oriana acknowledged his comment with the barest hint of an annoyed smile. “I guess it depends on who I’m around at any given time.”
“I can relate. By the way, I had time to review your updated report and had a few questions I’d like to discuss with you after you’re finished here,” Sean said.
Dr. Volker’s eyebrows rose. “What sort of report?”
“I’d asked Dr. Evans for an alternative explanation for the gravitational waves we detected, and she was nice enough to put together a few well-thought-out explanations that piqued my curiosity,” Sean said.
Dr. Volker glanced at Oriana and then back at Sean. “I’d like to read it.”
“I’d be happy to send you a copy,” Sean said and looked at Oriana. “That is, of course, if that’s alright with you, Dr. Evans. I know it’s an unofficial report, and there might be things you’d like to change or address.”
“It’s fine, Allen,” Oriana said. “I just wanted to draft something quickly for Colonel Quinn to review, but it really does need some polishing before I’d want anything like a peer review.”
Dr. Volker nodded sagely. “I look forward to reading it when it’s ready.”
“There’s a place for you to work at the aux workstation near Tactical. I believe you know where it is,” Sean said.
He watched as hints of an alluring smile tugged at Oriana’s full lips, and she nodded. Then she and Dr. Volker went over to the aux workstation area and sat down.
Major Brody stood quietly by Sean’
s side. “Civilians on the bridge.”
Sean arched an eyebrow. “There are worse people to have on the bridge. I think some of them could be valuable resources. However, you can always kick them off if they prove to be troublesome.”
Major Brody gave him a sidelong glance. “And risk an accusation of being unprofessional?” He shrugged. “I’ll keep it in mind though.”
Sean nodded. “It’s been pretty quiet, and we’ll be ready to insert into Sagan’s orbit in about six hours. I’ll be back for that.”
“Understood, Colonel. Oh, and Captain Halsey was only too eager to finally get the Talon-Vs out of storage. They’ve been brought onto the forward main hangar deck and are being readied for flight status.”
“Yes, I imagine he would be. Thanks for the update.”
There was a staggered rotation for the bridge crew to allow for smooth transitions between the officers reporting for duty and those who had just finished. This also allowed the commanding officer to work with multiple crews, which gave them an opportunity to become familiar with each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
As Sean was leaving the bridge, he glanced toward the auxiliary workstation where Oriana sat and saw the brief flash of an alert from the tactical workstation nearby.
Lieutenant Jane Russo reacted immediately and quickly navigated through the interface. Sean walked back to the commander’s area.
“Gravitational waves detected, Major,” Lieutenant Russo said and then glanced at Sean.
There was a moment of heavy silence on the bridge.
“Can you trace them to a source?” Sean asked.
Lieutenant Russo’s lips pressed together. “The readings are strange, sir. It’s almost as if they’re echoes and not actual waves. Their intensity pulses, but it’s like detecting two completely different sets of waves at the exact same time.”
“Put the data feed on the main holoscreen,” Sean said and came to stand next to Major Brody. “Bring up the secondary sensor array to confirm these readings.”
“Yes, Colonel. Bringing up secondary sensor array to confirm,” Lieutenant Russo replied.
A few moments later, the very same data feed came from the secondary sensor array. The likelihood that both their sensor arrays were failing in exactly the same manner was almost nil. And Lieutenant Russo’s description had been accurate. “Echoes of a gravitational wave” was a perfect way to describe it. Sean wouldn’t have believed it if he wasn’t seeing the data himself. He glanced at Oriana, thinking of her unofficial report, and she gave him a firm nod. It seemed that they would need to turn to fringe science to unravel the mystery of these gravitational waves.
“What do you need?” Sean asked Oriana.
“Record the data feed and trace it back to its source,” Oriana answered.
Sean looked at Lieutenant Russo.
“They seem to be coming from near Sagan’s orbit. Not the planet itself, obviously, but pretty close to it,” Lieutenant Russo said with a frown.
Sean glanced at Major Brody and nodded.
“Comms, set Condition Two,” Major Brody said.
For the second time on this voyage, the Vigilant was at a heightened state of readiness.
“I don’t understand,” Dr. Volker said. “Are we in danger?”
“That’s what we intend to find out,” Sean said. “Comms, I want the current status of all the salvage teams on Sagan and the neighboring moons.”
“But if there’s danger, shouldn’t we call for help or get some backup? Ready our weapons?” Dr. Volker said, his voice going high.
Several bridge officers glanced askance toward Dr. Volker for breaching protocol.
“We have the situation well in hand,” Sean said, “but perhaps it would be better if you returned to your quarters.”
He needed to get Dr. Volker off his bridge. Fear was contagious and distracting, and he didn’t need it infecting his crew. He needed them to follow his orders and remain focused.
Dr. Volker glanced around worriedly. “I just think that we should—”
“Dr. Volker,” Major Brody snapped, “you will comply with the colonel’s orders.” He gestured toward the CDF soldiers posted at the door.
The soldiers hastened toward Dr. Volker, whose gaze darted toward Sean.
“The Vigilant is first and foremost a military vessel. If there’s a threat that puts the salvage team on Sagan in danger, it’s our duty to get there as quickly as possible to assess the danger and neutralize it,” Sean said and looked at the soldiers. “Escort Dr. Volker to his quarters. Helm, best speed to Sagan.”
“Yes, sir, best speed to Sagan. Course laid in,” Lieutenant Edwards said.
“Very well,” Sean answered.
“Colonel,” Oriana said, “with your permission, I’d like to stay on the bridge and assist with the analysis.” If she was shaken up by Dr. Volker’s removal from the bridge, she didn’t show it.
“I would greatly appreciate that, Dr. Evans,” Sean said.
19
They left the troop carrier and gathered on the beach.
“The equipment we have isn’t exactly meant for going underwater,” Diaz said.
Connor and Diaz stood at the top of the loading ramp. The Nexstar combat suits could function underwater at shallow depths, but Connor wasn’t sure how deep the inland sea actually was. The standard configuration for the suit could function in space and on the surface of a planet. Underwater, however, was beyond its intended design specs.
Connor nodded. “We can still bring some of our equipment, just not the heavy stuff. I doubt ryklars are a problem here anyway.”
Diaz raised his eyebrows. “Things must be looking up for us. Or perhaps there’s a giant squid waiting to tear us to pieces.”
Rollins had been standing at the end of the ramp and looked up in alarm. “Are there really giant squids here?”
Connor looked at Diaz. “See what you did?”
“It’s not like it’s that crazy of a question. You don’t know, do you? I’m gonna find out,” Rollins said and stalked off, calling out for Lockwood.
Connor made a quick mental list of the equipment he thought they’d need, which wasn’t very much. They had their armored cases that contained weapons enough to satisfy most Spec Ops platoons. The combat suits simply weren’t practical to bring, so the specialized MPSs would have to do. He and the rest of the team stacked their equipment on the beach and waited. There were two large submarines anchored offshore, while a smaller vessel headed toward them.
A comlink from Gordon opened to Connor. “How many people do you have with you?”
“There are ten of us.”
Connor heard Gordon blow out a breath. “Any chance you’d consider leaving half of them with your ship?”
Connor glanced at the others. “It looks like you have more than enough room for ten of us.”
“It’ll be a tight fit. I have my own team as well.”
“What class submarines do you have?” Connor asked.
“The two big ones are Marlin-class research submarines, and the one heading your way is a Minnow-class observer. It looks like you have some equipment onshore that you want to bring as well. We’ll have to make two trips then, and you’ll have to divide your team between the two Marlins.”
“That’s fine. We can do that.”
“Good. I’ll see you shortly.”
The comlink closed and Connor explained the situation to the others. “We’ll break up into two teams. Diaz, Lockwood, Sims, and Alder, you’re with me. The rest of you are with Flint. He’s in charge.”
Rollins raised his hand to speak. “What if some of us wanted to stay behind?”
“You’d miss all the fun,” Connor said.
Rollins grinned and gave Flint a nod.
The Minnow-class observer came close to shore. At that point, six legs extended from the bottom and raised the vessel above the gentle surf, stabilizing it. A temporary gangplank came from a hidden panel along the hull. The ramp was a mete
r wide and reached the shoreline, where it formed a staircase past the water. Connor and his team carried their equipment to the Minnow.
A wide hatch opened, and a man of average height climbed out.
“Hello, Mr. Gates, I’m Harry Daniels. Welcome aboard the Minnow. You can set your gear down over there. It’ll be a quick trip.”
Behind Daniels was a steep staircase with anti-slip treads. Connor greeted Daniels and climbed aboard.
Ten minutes later, they were just outside the Marlin research submarine. The vessel was twenty-five meters in length with a bright yellow stripe that shimmered along the waterline. They climbed up the ladder on the side to reach the top hatch. Once they were inside and had secured their equipment, they were guided to the bridge by a researcher named Terrence Potter.
As they entered the bridge, Gordon Summers was speaking to an older woman on a video comlink.
“You’ll have a few extra passengers for this,” Gordon was saying.
“Passengers I can handle, but why do they need to bring so much equipment?” the woman said and spotted Connor off to the side. “I thought you just were here to observe and provide guidance for the NEIIS system interface. What equipment could you possibly need?”
“Connor, let me introduce you to Isla Summers, my wife. She’s in command of the Marlin Two.”
Connor greeted her politely. “Gordon told me you’re having trouble with the NEIIS interface, so I needed to bring some equipment for that. The other containers are part of a kit we bring with us to any NEIIS site. I’ll admit I’ve never been to an underwater bunker before, but the protocol we’ve established for our own safety remains the same.”
Isla regarded him for a moment. “I really don’t think your weapons will be much use here.”
“I agree, but I’ve been in plenty of situations where I needed them and didn’t have them. I assure you my team is highly trained. With the exception of Lockwood here, they’re all former CDF soldiers.”
Isla looked at Gordon. “I don’t like this at all.”