Sanctuary

by Ken Lozito

  It took them about fifteen minutes to reach the NEIIS Command Center, the name of which didn’t do the huge complex justice. Dash glanced overhead and saw large monoliths circling the massive campus. This was the area of the city they’d spotted on their approach. There were several large structures ahead and Lieutenant Maddox led them toward the central one. Dash noted the squarish architecture and defensibility of the buildings, and he wondered if this was the NEIIS version of a military installation. He supposed it could have been a government complex as well, but he couldn’t be sure. The central building was forty meters tall, which wasn’t that much larger than what they’d seen elsewhere in the city. He knew the NEIIS could create large structures, but no other sites had monoliths like those that surrounded the central building. They were easily a hundred meters tall.

  “Lieutenant Maddox,” Dash called. “Is the command center you found subterranean?”

  Some of their escorts seem surprised by Dash’s question, but Lieutenant Maddox appeared to file the information away.

  “That’s correct. I see you know how they construct their buildings,” Lieutenant Maddox said.

  “It follows what they’ve done at Sanctuary,” Dash said.

  They went through the main entranceway, which opened into a large atrium with a pathway leading down to lower levels. The way down was dimly lit by temporary lighting the CDF had deployed. The floor was smooth, and though they were now belowground, the air was relatively dry. Dash’s implants adjusted to the dim lighting. The pathway curved around in a large circle until they reached the bottom.

  “Were you able to isolate where the signal was broadcast from?” Dash asked.

  Lieutenant Maddox didn’t even turn around. “Not important. The main consoles are this way.”

  They entered a darkened corridor and Dash wondered why the CDF hadn’t turned on the lights. The NEIIS didn’t work in the dark, but the soldiers were using their own supplies to light the way. They finally reached the NEIIS Command Center where ten consoles were stationed around a large, pyramid-like structure that was upside down. Dash knew from the reports that the pyramids were kept in place using a series of magnets. Two glowing amber lines ran along the base of the pyramids. Just below them were several CDF soldiers clustered around a large mesh screen.

  Lieutenant Maddox strode forward. “What’s your status, Specialist Stackhouse?”

  “I haven’t made much progress, sir,” Specialist Stackhouse said.

  Dash looked at the young CDF soldier, who couldn’t have been more than a year older than he was.

  “I was afraid you’d say that, so I brought you some help,” Lieutenant Maddox said and introduced them. Dash and Brad walked toward the console while the others stayed nearby.

  Specialist Stackhouse looked relieved to have help. “I keep finding these references to ryklars, but I’m not sure what they mean.”

  Dash peered at the screen as he accessed his own translator on his PDA, but the output only appeared on his internal heads-up display. The CDF soldier was using the bare minimum when it came to NEIIS translation. No wonder he was having so much trouble. He shared a look with Brad, who seemed to arrive at the same conclusion.

  “Can you decipher it?” Lieutenant Maddox asked.

  Dash reread the screen and had started to touch the console when a strong hand grabbed his arm. One of their CDF escorts had silently moved next to him and prevented him from accessing the console.

  “I’m afraid we can't have you touching the console just yet,” Lieutenant Maddox said.

  Dash jerked his arm away from the soldier. “I can decipher it and it does have to do with ryklars, but to get to the true meaning, I need to access the console. What we're looking at is something akin to submenu options.”

  Lieutenant Maddox narrowed his gaze suspiciously. “What kind of menu options?”

  “Something called a purge protocol,” Dash said.

  Lieutenant Maddox looked at Brad. “Do you agree with him?”

  Brad nodded.

  Lieutenant Maddox glanced back at Dash and then at Stackhouse. “Alright, Specialist, give up the console for a moment.”

  Specialist Stackhouse stepped away from the NEIIS console and Dash immediately took his place.

  “What do you mean by a purge protocol?” Lieutenant Maddox asked.

  Dash frowned, trying to think of a way he could explain it.

  “I can help with that,” Brad said. “You know how when you access the CDF systems for the Hellcat, as an example. It’s just a hierarchy for the system options for whatever it is you’re trying to do. Almost half of our struggle with NEIIS computer systems is learning their hierarchy. What your specialist stumbled onto is definitely ryklar related, but what Dash is doing right now is backtracking toward the root menu in order to gain context.”

  Dash navigated through the interface, doing precisely as Brad had just described. “We’d always suspected the NEIIS had control over the ryklars, but I’d never suspected it was this granular.”

  “Does this have to do with the ryklar migration?” Lieutenant Maddox asked.

  Dash nodded. “It most certainly does. That’s what I’m just getting to. These options over here have to do with that,” he said and gestured to a series of NEIIS symbols. He was stretching the limits of his own internal translator, but when it finished translating the NEIIS symbols, he snatched his hands away from the console. His eyes widened and his jaw hung. He glanced over at Brad and saw the same shocked expression on his face.

  “What is it? What have you discovered?” Lieutenant Maddox asked.

  Dash’s mouth went dry and he looked at Maddox. The CDF soldier must have suspected something like this. “The ryklars were their foot soldiers.”

  “Are you saying the ryklars were NEIIS military?” Lieutenant Maddox asked.

  Dash swallowed nervously and nodded.

  “Is this happening because of what we did at the outpost, or when we loaded that data module in Sanctuary?” Merissa asked.

  Dash felt the color drain from his face and he looked at Brad.

  “Latent protocols were engaged . . .” Brad muttered.

  Dash swiped his fingers across the NEIIS console. There had to be a way to stop this.

  “I need you to stop what you’re doing,” Lieutenant Maddox said, and something in the soldier’s tone made Dash turn around.

  The other CDF soldiers had closed in and were waiting for a command from Lieutenant Maddox.

  “Sir, we can stop the ryklar migration right here and now. I know it. I just need a little bit of time with the console,” Dash said.

  Lieutenant Maddox shook his head. “You need to step away from the console.”

  Dash edged toward the console. “I just need a few—” He was cut off as one of the soldiers grabbed him and pulled him away.

  “Hey! Hey, let him go,” Jim said.

  Dash struggled against the soldier but it was no use. He wasn’t getting free. Selena gasped and Merissa had started toward him when several CDF soldiers aimed their weapons at them. Dash glanced at Brad, who’d been momentarily forgotten by Lieutenant Maddox, and jerked his head slightly toward the console.

  Brad started toward the console but Lieutenant Maddox noticed the movement. He used the butt of his weapon and struck Brad in the back of the head. Brad collapsed. Dash lunged forward, slipping from the soldier’s grasp. He charged toward Maddox, but the lieutenant smoothly stepped to the side and Dash felt as if a battering ram had struck him in the chest. The air fled his lungs and Dash collapsed to his knees. He looked up just in time to see Maddox’s fist sailing toward his face, and he heard a loud smack, immediately followed by a bright red flash as pain exploded from his nose. Dash went down, suddenly having no control of his limbs. He heard the sounds of people struggling and then a gunshot, followed by screams.

  “Enough!” Lieutenant Maddox shouted.

  Dash lay on his side and pushed himself to his feet. Maddox pointed his weapon directly at h
im and Dash held his hands up. His eyes kept tearing up and his nose throbbed in pain.

  “Now that we’ve covered that, I expect complete cooperation from the lot of you,” Lieutenant Maddox said.

  Dash’s head ached and he glared at the soldier.

  “You’ve no right to do this to us,” Selena shrieked.

  Merissa tried to quiet her down, but Lieutenant Maddox strode over toward the fear-stricken girl. Selena’s eyes widened in terror and she attempted to back away, but a soldier came behind her and held her in place.

  “Stop this now,” Merissa said.

  Lieutenant Maddox used the barrel of his assault rifle to lift Selena’s trembling chin. “You were saying about who has the right?”

  Tears streamed down Selena’s face and her lips trembled.

  “Leave them alone,” Dash said. He had to do something. He glanced around at the soldiers. They were all armed and didn’t look the slightest bit concerned by Dash and the others. “Please,” he said as calmly as he could.

  Lieutenant Maddox kept the barrel of his gun pressed against Selena’s cheek, despite her turning away. She cried out.

  Dash heard Jim struggling and knew his friend was moments from being struck down.

  “You said you needed our help,” Dash said. “Tell me what you need me to do and I’ll do it. Just leave them alone.”

  Lieutenant Maddox pulled the barrel of his gun away from Selena’s face and she sagged toward the floor, only to be held up by the soldier.

  Merissa cursed at Maddox through gritted teeth and the big CDF commander stepped toward her with a hard glare.

  “I said I’ll help you!” Dash shouted. “Leave them alone.”

  Lieutenant Maddox grabbed a fistful of Merissa’s hair and jerked her head back. Another soldier held her arms behind her and grinned. “What did you say to me?” Lieutenant Maddox asked through clenched teeth.

  Merissa glared at him. “You're a monster.”

  Lieutenant Maddox sneered. “I am a monster,” he said as if relishing the thought. “Perhaps I’ll have my men take you to the ryklars and then we can talk about who the real monster is.”

  Lieutenant Maddox gestured for his soldiers to take her away. Merissa struggled against them, but it was hopeless. Dash shouted for them to stop, but it fell on deaf ears. He took a few steps toward Merissa and a soldier pointed his weapon at Dash.

  “Your man, the soldier you had working here, damaged the console. Without me, you’ll never control the ryklars. That’s what you want, isn’t it?” Dash said.

  Lieutenant Maddox looked at him.

  “Bring her back and I’ll do whatever you say,” Dash said.

  Lieutenant Maddox walked over to him until his face was inches from Dash’s. “I know you will.”

  “But only if you don’t hurt my friends,” Dash said. He kept his voice firm, despite the shudder that swept through his body.

  Lieutenant Maddox’s hand snapped forward, grabbing him by the throat. “You don’t get to give orders here.”

  Dash heard Merissa’s screams coming from the corridor. He glared at the lieutenant angrily, but there was nothing he could do. Lieutenant Maddox waited for him to come to that conclusion.

  “There, I see it now. You’ll do exactly as I say and I’ll let you live. Try anything stupid and . . . Let’s just say there are other ways to motivate you. Do you understand?” Lieutenant Maddox asked. He spoke quietly but the words were harsh.

  Dash’s stomach clenched and he nodded. He glanced toward the corridor and Lieutenant Maddox followed his gaze. Dash looked back at the lieutenant but didn’t dare say anything.

  The lieutenant watched him for a long moment.

  “Bring her back in,” Lieutenant Maddox shouted and looked at Dash. “Now, you’re going to educate my specialist on how to control the ryklars. You remember how we dealt with the ryklars?”

  Dash nodded.

  Lieutenant Maddox’s fist lashed out and Dash spun almost completely around from the blow. “You’ll answer me when I speak to you, boy.”

  Dash tasted blood in his mouth and a powerful ache wracked his skull. “Yes, I remember.”

  “Good. I’ll have no problem doing the same to you and your friends—make no mistake,” Lieutenant Maddox said.

  Dash felt something cold slide down his back and he shivered. This man wouldn’t hesitate to kill any of them.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Since General Hayes was still at Lunar Base, it fell to Sean to go to the governor’s office in Sierra. Sean’s path didn’t usually cross with that of his mother in any official capacity, unless it was a social occasion. However, since he was the ranking CDF officer in command of the colonial army, he was required to keep the colonial government apprised of the ryklar threat. Colonial government officials hated that term, but Sean didn’t know how else to refer to it. The ryklars were, in fact, a threat to the colony.

  He sat in a spacious conference room across from his mother, Governor Ashley Quinn. The long, oval-shaped table had chairs crafted from a New Earth hardwood similar to that of an ash tree back on Earth. The sturdy hardwood could be bent and shaped, but whereas ash was light brown in color, the New Earth variety was a deep red, similar to mahogany. His father had enjoyed woodworking. He said it helped him focus, especially when dealing with difficult problems. And there was no shortage of those, Sean mused. He glanced at the advisors who sat at the table and wondered if any of them knew Tobias had actually crafted each one of the decorative chairs upon which they sat. His gaze came to rest on his mother. Sean knew she didn’t want to be the governor of the colony. She’d stepped in because his father had died during the Vemus war. She was serving out his father’s emergency term of governorship, which only had another thirty days left before elections were held.

  “Please continue, Colonel,” his mother said.

  Here in this room, among these people, they were not mother and son; they were governor and colonel. Sean sensed some of the nervousness from the colonial advisors. The last time Sean had been left in command of the defense of Sierra he’d orchestrated the destruction of the city to save the colony from the Vemus. Sean had strong-armed the colonial government based on the fact that they were about to die and he had an army at his command. Sean still had soldiers at his command, but he was answerable to the civilian government now. However, there were still too many in the room who remembered Sean’s behavior from a year ago. While the decision had been a tough one to make, destroying Sierra with the Vemus inside had purchased enough time for Connor to take out the Vemus Alpha ship.

  “The ryklar deterrents do work but only for a short time. We’ve dropped several frequency generators in the direct path of the ryklars. They do, in fact, change direction for a short time, but then the NEIIS signal burst occurs and the ryklars change directions once again. We’re actively trying to locate and suppress the NEIIS signals,” Sean said.

  “It sounds to me like we’re in a shouting match with the NEIIS and we’re losing. Does that about sum it up?” his mother said.

  Sean smiled and nodded. “I’m sure some of the scientists would have a much lengthier explanation, but yes, that does sum it up nicely.” He glanced at the colonial advisors. “We do have a military response prepared for when the ryklars reach our settlements.”

  Several of the colonial advisors stiffened at this. Sean had already been witness to a heated debate about the future of the ryklars on this planet.

  His mother nodded. “A military response will be considered when we exhaust all other options, Colonel. Have you been able to discover the source of the NEIIS signals being broadcast?”

  Sean shook his head. “The signals, while powerful, are short-lived. Our search grid is extremely large, looking for any signal source we’re able to identify. They also appear to broadcast at random from multiple locations, which are different from those that previously sent a broadcast. We have our analysts working on it, but I’m afraid I don’t have anything concrete for you
at this moment.”

  “Governor Quinn,” Dr. Burke said with a raised hand.

  Sean recognized the man as one of the scientific advisors. He watched as his mother looked over at Dr. Burke and gestured for him to speak. One thing Sean had noticed was that his mother ran a tight ship, whether it was colonial advisors or the doctors who had reported to her when she was chief of medicine. She’d been firm but fair and had the respect of her peers.

  “I must warn against the annihilation of an apex predator on this planet. It could have unforeseen consequences that may be hard to quantify. The elimination of the ryklars would more than likely allow another predator to take its place, but it could also contribute to a significant surge in a number of other species the ryklars hunt,” Dr. Burke said.

  Sean knew this was the scientist's way of saying he wasn’t sure what was going to happen if the CDF executed their plans to put a significant dent in the ryklar population.

  “Annihilation of the ryklars isn’t our plan,” Sean replied.

  Dr. Burke's lips curled. “I’m well aware of the CDF’s plan for the ryklars.”

  Sean nodded. “Good. Then you’ll acknowledge that it’s the only real plan on the table. We’ve only been successful in delaying the ryklars from reaching our population centers and we can only keep that going for so long.” He’d been about to say something about delaying the inevitable, but he’d learned that sometimes with civilians he had to hold back certain strong language. Sean returned his gaze toward his mother. “Governor, the call is yours to make. I’m merely presenting you with the option, and I don’t like the option any more than anyone else in this room. The ryklars are extremely dangerous. Some of our own projections show a significant risk of the ryklars being able to overwhelm some of our defenses if they attack in force. We need to be proactive in our approach to dealing with this threat.”

  His mother narrowed her gaze. “I thought we were already being proactive, Colonel. That’s why I approved the mobilization of the Colonial Defense Force. However, I’m also aware that there’s a time constraint before a decision must be made and we haven’t reached it yet. We have a significant portion of colonial resources devoted to this effort and we should be able to come up with a solution that will hopefully not include the wholesale slaughter of an indigenous species.”