Chapter 16
Time: Undetermined
Location: Various locations on earth
El’ra Solan’s essence drifted beyond consciousness, only occasionally experiencing the faintest brush of something beyond itself. Like the ghost of a butterfly’s wing, it would pass and then go, disturbing his strange slumber. Still, despite his uncertainty, he could feel bits and scattered parts of himself respond to these touches. Strangely, these aspects of himself seemed to be giving direction and guidance toward a myriad of disciplines.
Still, these impressions were only fleeting and imperfect. El’ra wasn’t even sure if they were real or imagined, but their grand experiment had uncountable risks associated with it. Sending his essence far into the firmament was the easy part, though it had strained the very edge of their scientific knowledge. They had not known where he would go or if he would even stay in the same universe, though the hope was his vibration would keep him within this one.
Ultimately, they had run out of time, and the end of the journey had not been known. That had been the highest risk, which was how El’ra might emerge and carry out his task. Now, it could be in process, or he could merely be decaying into nothingness. Except for these strange sensations and flickers of dreams which he hoped was a sign that he was not disintegrating.
They seemed to be filled with a purpose, scattering across a variety of scientific subjects though in a primitive fashion. Building slowly, it was as if they were offering instruction and building upon itself. He knew that was necessary to not only use technology but to grasp it and make it one’s own.
That gave him hope that he was actually connected to something beyond himself and readying it for his enormous task. Somehow, someway, they needed to stop those that had destroyed his galaxy, and avenge his people.
It was his only hope, and he was not even sure what he was experiencing was real or imagined.
Chapter 17
Time: March 18, 2030
Location: Chinese spy ship just off the coast of Empyrean Island
“What do you mean, there’s no sign of them readying any of their launch pads?” Captain Li Qiang hissed angrily into the radio. “They are scheduled to launch something in a week from this area. Don’t tell me there’s nothing. There has to be something.”
“There is nothing that I’ve been able to find,” Greg Carter said from his secure location on Empyrean. Two years ago, he had gained employment through a sub-contractor tasked with handling low-level airport duties. Half a year after that, he had lost a significant amount of money through online gambling, and from there, had his services purchased by the Chinese Ministry of Secret Service.
To date, his tasks had been light, giving Greg a small sense of relief that he had not been asked to do something either damaging or dangerous. He’d only been asked to report weekly on various happening around the island, nothing that he considered more than rumor or happenstance.
He had not been asked to do more until a few weeks ago when his communication unit had alerted him to a new assignment, providing him contact information and times to speak with Captain Li Qiang. They wanted him to pay particular attention to any movement or activity at the spaceport.
Despite the instructions, he had been told not to take any chances since he was by no means a trained agent. Just to report on whatever he might see, though as he’d just conveyed to his contact, that hadn’t been a lot.
Certainly, nothing that might indicate there would be a launch within the week. Over the past few years, Greg had been witness to several launches of the various vehicles that Empyrean employed. Some had been traditional rockets, while others had looked more like airplanes, though more substantial. All of those had been precipitated by weeks of preparation that were clear and obvious. Greg had reported on all of those occurrences, but it was clear that this time, there were no preparations that he could see.
“Is there anything happening at night? Perhaps they’re moving things in the darkness at times when most are asleep,” Li Qiang suggested, thinking furiously. There was no land within hundreds of miles where there might be another launch facility, and he was reasonably sure that their state satellites would have picked up any other islands that Empyrean might have constructed.
“No, sir,” Greg said. “I work the night shift, so would have seen something, I’m sure. There really is nothing to report. If they’re scheduling some sort of launch, it’s not from here.”
Li Qiang snorted and clenched his fist. “Very well, if you see anything at all, let us know as soon as possible. Don’t wait for the next scheduled contact time. As long as you are careful, you should be fine.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll do that,” Greg said. “Will there…be a bonus, sir? If I find anything, I mean?”
Li Qiang frowned but didn’t let his voice show his displeasure. This was the quality of human they had to deal with, and the MSS had plenty of funds to take care of such matters. “Of course. To be deposited in the usual account once we deem it of value. We are generous Mr. Carter, there is no need to worry, and we are not asking you to do anything overly risky.”
“Will do,” Greg said before turning off his transmitter. He would continue to keep an eye out, watching for anything odd or out of the ordinary, but he didn’t think their information was correct. There was no launch going to happen this month.
***
“Transmission ended,” Tad said in his smooth, computerized voice followed quickly by Piper's maniacal giggle. She had listened to the entire exchange, her computers having long ago decrypted the Chinese transmissions. Nathan was sitting next to her, grinning at Piper’s amusement as he reviewed some information on a floating computer screen.
“They’ll keep trying, of course,” Nathan said. “We’ve managed to catch twelve agents in the past six months, up from a year ago. Ever since we filed for a mid-orbit flight, they smell something is up. Everything else has been low orbit and pretty run-of-the-mill.”
“And they’ll continue to get a big fat zero,” Piper said, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Despite her age of thirty, she still looked like she was twenty-two and had the energy to match. She put her good fortune down to her genes. Something that Nathan couldn’t argue with, since the girl's grandmother was over one-hundred and ten, and her brother continued to look youthful, as well. “Our computer’s and algorithms are ten times more advanced than anyone else. We find them before they’re even sent out. I’m glad you thought about leaving some of their contacts, though. It helped.”
“You have to give them something, or they just push harder,” Nathan agreed. “However, the ships are still a threat. We still don’t know if they intended to interfere and we need to be sure. The two warships are a no-brainer since obviously, they could be a threat, but that would be too direct. There are several nondescript ships with ambiguous registrations off the coast that would be the logical platform to launch a missile or fly a drone.”
“We have the drone angle covered. Any signal they try to send we can block,” Piper said.
Nathan nodded. “The micro-drone swarms are ready to deploy. We’ve sent the submersibles out, and they’ll be within range a few hours after it turns dark.”
Piper rubbed her hands together and once again let out a cackle. “I so cannot wait to invade their ships. They’ll never know what hit them. Hehe!”
“You are taking far too much glee in foiling rich and powerful nations,” Nathan said, shaking his head.
“Well deserved glee,” Piper crowed. “That’s what they get for trying to steal our secrets and stopping progress.”
“What if they’re only there to watch?” Nathan said, giving Piper a look out of the side of his eyes as he continued to work on his report of the conversation between the Chinese and their contact.
“Well,” Piper began and then frowned. “Then, we’ll just make doubly sure, but you and I both know that someone won’t be able to resist trying to ruin our pie, and I love pie.”
“True,”
Nathan agreed, grinning at her enthusiasm. “I love pie, too, so we’ll just see who’s pie we can ruin tonight, shall we?”
“We shall!”
Chapter 18
Time: March 19, 2030
Location: Various locations just off the coast of Empyrean Island
Earlier that day, several small, remotely piloted submersible vehicles had risen from the sea floor to just under the surface. Once in place, they followed their respective targets for the rest of the daylight hours. Even after the sun settled, they waited for the right moment which was just after midnight.
As they received instructions, the rose to the surface and opened several ports in their sleek hull. Out of these ports, a variety of micro-drones rose. Most were small, little more than a tiny floating camera, but there were others designed for a variety of tasks. The largest was about the size of a small, paperback novel and contained a signal repeater as well as onboard programming that could assume direct control of the drone swarm.
Each cloud rose, and then swept toward its target ship that floated innocently in the darkness. Most of the specialized drones assumed station about fifty yards from the hull, while the small camera sensors moved toward the ship. Working their way over the hulks with the assistance of remote pilots as well as several very advanced computers, they moved into and through any gap that was available to see within the target vessels.
Piper and Nathan were on the top level of the command room, looking down on the drone operators and their variety of screens and instruments. A holographic rendition of each ship was slowly revealed above a large table, centered within each team as they began to gather intel. Only occasionally was there a minor alert as a sailor moved about, eliciting a withdrawal of the tiny drones until whoever caused the alarm finally passed.
“Think we’ll find anything?” Piper asked, biting her lip and watching the various sections from on high.
Nathan didn’t even look up. Instead, he took a sip of coffee as he lounged in his own chair. His DPA floated behind him, playing a quiet rendition of some classical music. “If something does come up, we’ll deal with it. However, if you keep clenching your fingers and biting your lip all night, you’re going to be sore in the morning. Relax.”
“Ugh. I can’t relax. it’s just so exciting! I feel like James Bond on a mission!” Piper said, wrinkling up her nose and turning her chair toward Nathan. “Is this what it’s always like?”
Nathan chuckled, rolling his eyes lightly and grinning. “It is when you’re new, but you quickly learn that most of all this is just waiting. Boring waiting. Don’t get me wrong. When things do happen, it can get pretty intense. That’s when you know if you can handle it.”
“Oh, great, so there’s a chance I could melt down and flop around on the floor like a fish?” Piper asked.
“Yep, probably just like a flounder, screaming and crying for your mommy,” Nathan quipped.
Piper harrumphed and rolled her own eyes before turning back to watching the floor below, though she did stop from biting her lip. Truth to tell, she was getting hungry. She hadn’t eaten dinner earlier because she was so nervous, and now was regretting her decision, having believed she would be fine. Now, it was just another added irritation. Just then there was a knock on the door, and when it opened, a pleasant aroma wafted to her nose.
“Ah! Dinner,” Nathan said, pointing to the table in front of himself. The server placed the tray down in front of the big man who dug into his steak and potatoes with gusto. It took several seconds before he noticed Piper staring at him.
“How can you eat at a time like this?” Piper breathed, licking her lips as she stared at the big piece of meat on Nathan’s fork.
Nathan paused, taking in Piper’s focus and then grinning. he began to wave the fork back and forth, speaking to Piper as if he wasn’t messing with her, but his amusement slowly built as her eyes followed the piece of meat. “There’s never a perfect time to eat or sleep, especially during an operation. You have to make it work. Half those guys down there probably have snacks or food at their terminals. They know the drill.” He gestured grandly, pointing with the fork and meat combo toward the operation floor. Piper’s eyes followed but finally broke away, glancing down at the men and women below. Even as she looked, one of the tech’s lifted a sandwich to his mouth and took a bite even while he fiddled with his screen.
“I suppose so,” Piper offered, glancing back at the big Australian who had since put the bite into his mouth and was chewing happily. A moment later, she turned to her DPA, Tad, in order to pull up a menu. She was interrupted when she heard an alarm coming from one of the teams on the floor.
Nathan leaned over, triggering the com to the tech lead who was in charge of the group with the flashing red warning. “Greg? What have you got?”
A tall, thin man in a collared shirt and tie looked up toward Nathan and Piper before reaching up and activated his mic. Pointing upward toward the part of the holographic fishing vessel he was in charge of, he indicated an area that was now rendered with a red overtone. “We found something odd in the aft section of one of the Chinese trawlers, sir.”
“Odd? How so?” Nathan asked, activating the table and moving his plates to the side. Immediately, a smaller copy of that particular holographic ship popped up, giving Piper and Nathan a closer look. Both of them leaned forward, studying the red-hued section of the hologram.
The man reached out, touching the hologram in front of his team though both Piper and Nathan saw a reflection of his hand pointing to the same area on their copy. “This large object looks like a large winch engine, but if you look here, the cables and interior machinery are fake. It’s a facade.”
Nathan manipulated the table, zooming in on that section and the man was right. It was fake. The tiny drones had easily been able to get close enough to see the reality of the façade, and as more drones focused on that area, it was clear it was designed to break apart and reveal something else. However, there was no way to tell what it might be.
Nathan breathed out a sigh and leaned back, giving Piper a considering look. “We have to get more information. There’s only a week until they float the launch platform.
We can hack their computer systems,” Piper suggested. “It will be a good time to test the drones built for that.”
Nathan nodded, leaning forward and speaking into the com unit. “Greg, see if you can find access to their onboard computer systems.”
The man nodded, then indicated for two of his techs to pilot a different type of drone in toward the ship. They were more substantial than the camera drones and carried a larger onboard processor and storage. It was necessary in order to handle the variety of programs that may or may not be required in order to breach the Chinese security.
It took a few moments to find a live connection. The first two they tried were simply power lines or didn’t provide the bandwidth. Finally, on the third try, the small drone secured itself to the hull around the line, then a tiny arm reached out, penetrated the covering of the wire, and established a direct connection.
This one was active and allowed the massive computing power at their disposal to begin working the encryption and firewalls that surrounded the Chinese spy ship’s computers. While robust according to most of the rest of the world's tech, they were no match for the computers that Piper and her team at Empyrean had developed over the past years.
In truth, they were several generations more advanced than the Chinese system, with Piper having worked diligently at solving the cooling issues surrounding quantum switches. The degradation that had plagued the technology was a thing of the past and allowed the Empyrean systems to dance circles around the outdated software and hardware available on the ship. Within moments, they were deep in the segregated data archives, leaving Piper and Nathan to look at a short message that chilled them to the bone.
“It’s a laser,” Piper said angrily. “Those bastards are going to shoot down our launch.”
“It’s the w
ay I would do it,” Nathan said quietly. “If you use a drone or missile, that’s traceable directly back to the ship. They’d have to scuttle themselves, and even then it would be a lost cause. A laser is much harder to trace, and with all the heat around normal launches, it would be hard to detect at all.”
Piper frowned and started typing, looking through the Chinese system for more clues or perhaps a control suite she could sabotage, but couldn’t find anything.
When she raised that point to Nathan, he didn’t seem surprised. “They probably have it connected to its own proprietary system. So, that means we have a week to figure out what to do about that laser.
Chapter 19
Time: March 24, 2030
Location: Empyrean Island
“I’ve received word that we can help you out, just as long as it doesn’t result in any kind of conflict,” Captain Jeffers said on the video feed. Behind him, the bridge of the U.S. destroyer showed several winking panels and crewmen working at their jobs.
“It shouldn’t require any conflict,” John said. “I figure if you stay within a half-mile of them, that should keep them from doing anything foolish. They don’t want to show their hand with a US ship right next to them.”
“Sounds good,” the captain said. “Is there anything else?”
John shook his head. “Nope, and we’ll have those cases of steak sent over within the week. Thanks again, captain.”
“You’re welcome, Agent Malcom. USS Kincaid, out.”
John grinned at Leann who was sitting next to him, before turning toward Alex and Piper Drake and their security chief, Nathan. “I think that should do the trick,” he said. “There’s no way they can deploy any weapon system with a US ship right on top of them.
“Do you think they’ll try anyway?” Alex asked. He knew he was smart, but international intrigue and relations were tricky business, and he was thankful for the two special agent’s and Nathan’s expertise.
Empyrean Rises Page 8
