Legacy of the Argus

by E. R. Torre

  The small black dot grew larger and larger as the two ships neared the end of their journey.

  “All right, everyone,” Inquisitor Raven said. “Here we go.”

  The Cygnusa and Wake emerged into regular space and slowed to a stop.

  “Release gravity hooks,” Inquisitor Raven ordered. “Lieutenant Sanders?”

  “I’m detecting no ships in the immediate area nor defensive arrays, weaponry, or mines.”

  “Wake, do you confirm?”

  “We’re not detecting anything either,” Lieutenant Daniels replied.

  Inquisitor Raven pressed another button and activated the ship’s intercom system.

  “Crew, this is Inquisitor Raven. We have successfully made the jump from The Fields into an unknown system. We detect no hostiles but will remain on red alert for the time being. We must be ready for anything.”

  Minutes passed.

  The Cygnusa and Wake remained near the Displacer, their sensor and visual equipment examining everything around them. Nothing was detected.

  “Tell me about the Displacer we emerged from,” Inquisitor Raven asked Lieutenant Sanders.

  “The Displacer is a Phaecian Type 1,” she said. “I didn’t think any of these ancient models were still in use.”

  “We’re in Phaecian territory?”

  “Very likely,” Lieutenant Sanders said.

  “Can we use the Displacer to get home?”

  “I don’t see why no—”

  Lieutenant Sanders frowned as she worked her computer.

  “Sir, the Displacer’s computer is locked up,” she said.

  “Of course it is,” Inquisitor Raven said. “Can you break into it or do we need to bring Ms. Holland back?”

  “I’ll give it a try,” Lieutenant Sanders said.

  “You do that,” Inquisitor Raven said. “Where exactly are we?”

  “I haven’t been able to determine. The computers are charting the stars and making comparisons, but…”

  Lieutenant Sanders didn’t finish her thought. She frowned.

  “What is it?” Inquisitor Raven asked.

  “I’ve managed to get a clear view of the Displacer’s serial numbers,” Lieutenant Sanders said.

  The numbers appeared on her main monitor.

  “Cross referencing with our data.”

  After a few seconds Lieutenant Sanders faced Inquisitor Raven.

  “Sir, this Displacer was part of the first generation of automated explorers.”

  “Where was she sent?”

  “To the Manon system,” Lieutenant Sanders said. “She never made it there and was declared lost over a thousand years ago. Her last transmission stated she was hit by a meteor and her hull compromised.”

  “I see no signs of meteor hits,” Inquisitor Raven said. “All things considered, the Displacer looks remarkably good. Did someone fake her status?”

  “It’s possible,” Lieutenant Sanders said. “But the last transmission was verified as coming from her. She might have been programmed to send out that fake status.”

  “Why would anyone do that?” Inquisitor Raven wondered. He switched on his communicator. “Lieutenant Daniels, are you still with us?”

  “I heard all that,” Lieutenant Daniels said. “Our computers have determined our location.”

  “Oh?”

  “We have an advantage. From Epsillon territory, we have a better view of this system.”

  “Which is?”

  “Elicia. I’ll send you the data.”

  Lieutenant Sanders received and checked the Wake’s information.

  “Confirmed, sir,” Lieutenant Sanders said. “We are in Elicia. It’s on the fringe of the Phaecian Empire and to date has not been explored. The system has three planets, none of which were considered promising for terraformation.”

  “At least we’re within an Empire’s borders,” Inquisitor Raven said. “Even if we’re locked out of the Displacer.”

  “Between the Wake and Cygnusa, we’ll break whatever lock is on the Displacer,” Lieutenant Daniels said. “We’ll not only figure out why she’s here, but use her to get home.”

  Inquisitor Raven suppressed a smile. Yesterday, it would have been unthinkable for officers from Epsillon and Phaecia to work together. It was a pleasant change, even if the circumstances behind it were near apocalyptic.

  “While you do that, we’ll assess the status of our ship,” Inquisitor Raven said. “Lieutenant Daniels, I suggest you do the same. If you need any help…”

  “It would be much appreciated,” Lieutenant Daniels said. “We’ll talk again very soon.”

  Later on, Inquisitor Raven walked the corridors of the Cygnusa. The events of the last few days weighed heavy on his mind and he needed to get away from the bridge.

  He heard the voices around him and realized almost every corridor within the Cygnusa was filled with scavenger refugees.

  He walked on, seeing some in their quarters and others receiving care in medical rooms. Many more were out and about, helping his skeleton staff move equipment or repair whatever damage was sustained since Helios.

  His officers interacted with them, both helping and being helped.

  Inquisitor Raven eventually made his way to the main mess hall.

  The place was usually filled with noisy officers on break but today the room was very quiet despite also being filled with people.

  The Inquisitor walked among the young and old, male and female, scavengers all, trying to make the best of a truly awful situation.

  As with those in the corridors, many recognized the Inquisitor and reached out to him. A mother of three very young children cried as she thanked him for saving them.

  “My husband is in sick bay,” she said. “He worked on our shuttle’s engines when we were trying to get away from The Fields. He took a… a heavy dose of radiation… I don’t know…”

  She shook her head.

  “Thank you so much for saving us,” she said.

  Inquisitor Raven stared at the woman’s young children and couldn’t help but think of his own.

  “We’re all the same in the Gods’ eyes,” he offered. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of fruit chews. He then looked around, as if about to reveal a big secret. He handed the packet to the children.

  “Share,” he said, sternly, before the harsh expression on his face was replaced with a bright smile. He then addressed the woman and said:

  “My medical team and the equipment on board this ship are among the best in the Phaecian Empire. Your husband is not only in good hands, he’s in the best hands.”

  The woman wiped tears from her face.

  “Thank you, Inquisitor,” she said.

  Inquisitor Raven felt a buzz coming from his communicator. He was being called back to the bridge.

  Inquisitor Raven tapped the device and it stilled.

  “It is said we should be judged not by our riches or properties, or by how prestigious our jobs, but by how we treat those most in need,” Inquisitor Raven said. “I could never look away. I could not live with myself if I did.”

  With that, he returned to the bridge.

  75

  “What have we got?” Inquisitor Raven asked after exiting the elevator.

  “I’ve managed to download most of the Displacer’s logs,” Lieutenant Sanders said. “I think I know why she came to a stop here.”

  “Don’t keep me in suspense, Lieutenant.”

  Lieutenant Sanders hit a button and a static sound was heard over the speakers at her station. It grew louder, then softer.

  “A distress signal?”

  “Yes sir. Pre-Empire. It’s coming from the area around the third planet in this system.”

  Inquisitor Raven faced the main view-screen.

  “Maximum magnification.”

  The cameras on the Cygnusa zoomed in on that far away planet. From this distance and even with maximum magnification, it was a small blob.

  “Planet’s radius is
4210 miles,” Lieutenant Sanders said. “Circumference is approximately twenty five thousand miles. Surface appears to be… ice. She has very little atmosphere.”

  “Do we have an indication of any Phaecian vessel coming into this system before the Displacer unit arrived?”

  “No evidence at all,” Lieutenant Sanders said.

  “Then how do you explain the signal?”

  “Unknown,” Lieutenant Sanders said. “But given its age, we can assume whatever emergency has long since passed.”

  “After the Wake is up and running and after we get the Displacer operational, perhaps we’ll investigate,” Inquisitor Raven said. “Otherwise…”

  Inquisitor Raven paused and frowned. He noted an all too familiar expression on Lieutenant Sanders’ face.

  “There’s something else you wanted to tell me, Lieutenant?”

  “Sir, could we speak in private?”

  Inquisitor Raven motioned Lieutenant Sanders to a quiet corner of the bridge.

  “Sir, there’s something else I found in the Displacer logs. A starship transport. A recent one.”

  “Another vessel passed through here?”

  “Within the past week.”

  “Have you identified her?”

  “The Displacer’s software is, like the Displacer herself, ancient,” Lieutenant Sanders said. “No ship identifiers were recorded or stored but…”

  Lieutenant Sanders took a quick look around to make sure no one was listening. She faced Inquisitor Raven and said:

  “Sir, I’ve kept this to myself and no one else knows. Not even the personnel on the Wake.”

  “Get to the point, Lieutenant.”

  “Even without the ship identifier information, I was able to extrapolate the size and mass of the vessel that came through. Sir, it closely matches the mass and size of the Xendos.”

  For several seconds Inquisitor Raven was dead quiet. Dark emotions swirled within him and when he spoke, his voice carried a barely contained fury.

  “How certain are you?” he said.

  “The vessel is a ninety six percent match to the Xendos.”

  “Did she use the Displacer a second time?”

  “There was only the one energy burst.”

  “Then the vessel is still here.”

  “Unless there’s another Displacer we aren’t aware of in system or this vessel knows how to jump without the use of a Displacer, then yes, the ship is still here.”

  Inquisitor Raven stared at the forward view-screen and the solar system before them.

  “There’s only one place she would go,” Inquisitor Raven said. “The source of the distress signals.”

  Inquisitor Raven’s eyes were on the small blue dot at the center of the view-screen.

  “Thank you, Lieutenant,” he said.

  With that, he returned to his chair and sat down. He pressed the intercom button and spoke to the ship.

  “Crew, this is Inquisitor Raven,” he said. “We have discovered a distress signal originating from an area around the third planet in this system. We will fly to this planet and search for the signal’s origin.”

  Inquisitor Raven shut off the intercom. Lieutenant Sanders approached his side, leaned in close, and said:

  “Sir, will you tell them about the Xendos?”

  “That’s my business.”

  76

  “I’m detecting heat coming from the Cygnusa’s engines,” Inquisitor Cer said. “She’s preparing to move.”

  “They’ve seen us?”

  “Unlikely,” Inquisitor Cer said. “At this distance their sensor and telescopic equipment would have to be very lucky to spot something as tiny as we are.”

  Becky Waters considered this.

  “At their maximum speed and deceleration, they’ll be near us in two days.”

  Inquisitor Cer was surprised by that quick calculation. Becky Waters waved it off.

  “I’ve always been good with numbers,” Becky Waters said. “I’m also a quick learner. If we need to flee and you need a break, I could pilot this ship.”

  “No offense, but I don’t know about that,” Inquisitor Cer said.

  “The nano-probes on the Xendos are teaching me how to use her. In their own way.”

  “What are they saying right now?”

  “They’re saying I should absolutely not pilot this ship,” Becky Waters said and smiled.

  Inquisitor Cer smiled but the attempt to lighten the mood lasted only moments. Becky Waters leaned in closer to Inquisitor Cer.

  “I wasn’t kidding,” Becky Waters said. “The nano-probes are helping me understand my place in this new reality. They’re also aware of the Cygnusa and Wake’s arrival and are concerned for your safety. As concerned, I imagine, as any low level artificial intelligence can be.”

  Becky Waters was quiet for several seconds before adding:

  “They worry about you, Inquisitor. They fear you will face Inquisitor Raven and will not survive.”

  “Perhaps Inquisitor Raven will see reason,” Inquisitor Cer said.

  “Would you?”

  To this, Inquisitor Cer had no reply.

  Inquisitor Raven made his way from the elevator to the security cells.

  The Inquisitor moved quickly, his face filled with anger and impatience.

  Before the doors leading into the cell area were a pair of security guards carrying heavy weapons. They moved to the side and allowed the Inquisitor passage.

  Inquisitor Raven walked into a corridor and stopped. On either side were the cells. Another pair of guards approached.

  “Bring her in,” Inquisitor Raven ordered.

  He entered a heavily fortified room to his right and, as the guards left, sat before a table in its center. In moments, Catherine Holland was brought in. Energy braces held her hands together. Inquisitor Raven motioned her to sit.

  “There’s another ship out there,” Inquisitor Raven said. “But I suppose you already—”

  Inquisitor Raven stopped talking. Catherine Holland’s expression, from one filled to sadness, turned to one of hope.

  “Is the… is the Xendos here?” Catherine Holland asked.

  Inquisitor Raven was stunned by Catherine Holland’s words.

  “You know about the Xendos?” he said before shaking his head. “Of course you do. You keep holding information from me Ms. Holland. It is long past time you told me everything.”

  Catherine Holland rubbed her eyes. She nodded.

  “The Xendos and the people aboard her just returned from a mission Saint Vulcan had them perform. They went to Homeworld. Earth.”

  “Is Inquisitor Cer aboard the ship?”

  “I just told you the Xendos went to Homeworld and your only interest is whether Inquisitor Cer is on board?”

  “Is she?”

  Catherine Holland nodded.

  “She was on the ship when they left,” Catherine Holland said. “Provided everything went well, she should still be on board.”

  Inquisitor Raven rose from his chair.

  “Inquisitor Raven,” Catherine Holland said. “The person responsible for your wife’s death is the Prototype, not Inquisitor Cer. He’s not only your enemy, he’s humanity’s enemy. You should focus your anger on—.”

  “Take her back to her cell,” Inquisitor Raven ordered.

  He turned to leave.

  “Inquisitor,” Catherine Holland said. “One way or another, this is where it ends. You have a choice to make and I hope… I hope you can see past your emotions and realize—”

  “I said take her back to her cell,” Inquisitor Raven said. “And if she says another word, muzzle her.”

  77

  B’taav stood in the middle of the desert and listened to the sound of a ragged combustion engine echo in the distance.

  A dark dot appeared on the horizon and drew nearer.

  It was an armored vehicle –a tank– covered in a thick layer of sand. In the distance far beyond it was a line of mushroom clouds.

  A
nother noise came from B’taav’s side and he found a familiar looking girl leaning against a boulder. She was dressed in reinforced black armor and, like the tank, was also covered in sand. Her armor was burned and torn, revealing red and very raw flesh wounds. The girl straightened up and reached for a fearsome rifle propped next to her. She checked it and, with a pronounced limp, walked toward the tank.

  She passed within a few feet of B’taav and said:

  “I won’t die here.”

  Even as she spoke, the air around B’taav changed and the sound of distant machines was heard…

  B’taav stood on a sidewalk next to a busy street. It was night and around him buildings jetted up into the sky.

  The city was incredibly large, larger than most he was familiar with, but the technology around him was old. The engines in the vehicles that zipped by rattled with ancient, inefficient combustion engines. The smell of burnt fuel and rotted food filled the area.

  People wandered back and forth along the sidewalk, paying no attention to the Independent. The sun slowly set and, as night arrived, the lights of the big city came to life.

  A truck zoomed by and splashed a puddle of brackish water just shy of B’taav’s feet. The Independent stepped back and bumped into something hard. It was a door. The door opened and a middle aged couple stumbled through. They were pleasantly drunk and from the way they grabbed each other, it was clear their evening was just beginning.

  The door closed and, written in gold letters on it was a single word: Yoshiwara.

  B’taav stepped into the bar.

  “Welcome to the Yoshiwara,” a woman said.

  She was in her mid to late thirties and wore a stained apron. She had a body that, at one time, was very well toned. Her movements betrayed a crispness which hinted at a military background.

  B’taav recognized her right away.

  When they first met, she was an Independent he knew as Latitia. Here, in this reality and within Nox’s mind, she went by her original name.

  “Catherine Holland?” B’taav said.

  The woman’s eyes narrowed.

  “Do we know each other?”

  “I suppose we did.”