by Dan Moren
He looked around, nervous, as though somebody might be listening in. Kovalic hadn’t swept the room for bugs or other surveillance equipment, but if there had been any, somebody probably would have already descended on them. Still, he couldn’t fault the man for justified paranoia.
“But, yes,” al-Kitab said in a low voice. “I think it is.”
Kovalic’s heart thumped in his chest and it felt as though the deck shifted under his feet. Might as well have been the whole galaxy. He drew a breath, and forced himself to exhale it slowly. There were still plenty of steps left. Even if this was an artifact as extraordinary as the Aleph Tablet was said to be, there was no guarantee that al-Kitab’s theory about the map was accurate. They might decode it to find that it was nothing more than a plaque commemorating the species’ existence or a long-lost greeting card to other intelligent life.
And that was assuming they had the right person for the job; his eyes went to the professor, who was still watching the tablet with rapturous delight.
“Doctor… the map?”
Blinking, al-Kitab looked up at him. “What?”
“The map. Can you retrieve it?”
“I’m afraid it’s not as simple as opening a file on your sleeve, Mr Godwin. This artifact is the sum of our knowledge about the Aleph. If their intelligence was as far beyond us as has been theorized, then they could have stored the information in a way that would seem trivial to them – but might very well still be beyond our understanding.”
“You said you had a theory.”
The doctor tilted his head. “I’ve long suspected that the Aleph manipulated matter in much the way that you or I might write an essay or cook a meal. So, if they intended to store information in a way that would be resistant to corruption, they would have picked an appropriate medium.”
Nat’s eyes lit up. “You think they encoded it in the atomic structure of the tablet itself.”
“Wait, what?” said Kovalic, his head spinning.
“With the right technology, you can treat atoms just like any other storage media,” Nat explained. “If you’re using binary, that means adjusting some aspect of an individual atom to represent a one or zero. We’ve been playing with it for centuries, but never had the technology to make it practical on an everyday basis. But if the Aleph were as advanced as people think, it could certainly have been within their power.”
Dr al-Kitab raised hands in caution. “I will reiterate that it is just a theory. Testing it will require access to a lab with a scanning tunneling microscope. Even once we have a full model of the tablet’s atomic makeup – which will be zettabytes of data at the least – we have to decipher the data. This is a matter not just of physics but of xenoanthropology, of understanding how the Aleph’s minds worked. We don’t know how the Aleph conceptualized math or physics, and with no other corroborating material, it might take years. If the theory even proves true.”
Kovalic sighed. He doubted the general or the Commonwealth Executive would be satisfied with that assessment. Why was nothing ever easy? Would it kill the universe to give them a break just once in a while?
A high-pitched squeal blared into his earbud suddenly, resonating all the way down through his jaw. “The hell? Bruiser? Updraft? That you?”
The feedback died, replaced with a silky smooth voice. “Well, I suppose that means this is working. Hello again, major.”
Kovalic’s eyes went to Nat, her stricken expression confirming she was hearing it too. “Madam Xi.” Even Dr al-Kitab perked up at that, peering over the edge of his scanner, his eyes worried.
“Oh, you remember,” said Xi. “How flattering. Adelaide was kind enough to lend me her sleeve.”
“I take it this isn’t a social call.”
Her laugh rang down the line, static bleeding around the edges. “No, my dear major, it isn’t. This is business.”
“I expect no less. What can I do for you?”
Reinforced steel replaced any playfulness. “You can return my property immediately.”
Kovalic glanced at the tablet on the scanner, and al-Kitab’s eyes widened. The professor laid a possessive hand on the device.
“And I know you’ll need an incentive,” Xi continued, “so I propose a trade. The tablet for your officer.”
Nat made a slashing motion across her throat and raised her sleeve, tapping the mute button. Kovalic reached down and tapped the same control on his sleeve. A red line appeared through the microphone icon.
“Simon, we can’t. Sayers will understand – she put the mission first.”
Kovalic rubbed at his mouth, feeling the cords of his jaw tighten. Sayers had sacrificed herself so they could get the tablet; turning it back over to Xi would undo all of that. “Doctor? Where are we?”
“I need more time,” said al-Kitab, concern written plainly across his face. “I’ve only scratched the surface of what’s in here.”
The tablet might hold potentially untold power for whoever possessed it; given enough time, it would shift the balance of the war. Were the millions of lives it could save in the future worth the one that hung in the balance right now?
“I’m sure you’re probably thinking up some clever plan,” Xi’s voice broke in. “So allow me to simplify your decision process: bring the tablet to the observation deck in fifteen minutes or Adelaide dies.” There was a crunch and a burst of static, and CONNECTION LOST blinked on Kovalic’s sleeve.
“Well,” he said, looking back and forth between Nat and al-Kitab. “She’s not wrong about one thing: Now would be a great time for that clever plan.”
CHAPTER 28
Xi made a great show of grinding her spiked heel into Addy’s earbud with grim satisfaction.
“You’re fucked if you think threatening me is going to work,” said Addy, sitting a few feet away. A pair of White Star security guards stood just out of reach to either side, weapons pointed in her direction. “They’re not about to turn over a priceless artifact to save some woman they just met.” A pang in her stomach resonated with that note of truth. I sure as hell wouldn’t, anyway.
“You’d be surprised,” said Xi, taking a demitasse of coffee from the tray held out by one of her liveried staff. “I don’t know your Major Kovalic very well, but he strikes me as a man to whom honor is a lifeline. I suspect letting someone die on his watch would be anathema to him.” She took a sip. “Perhaps I’m wrong, but I hope, for your sake, that I’m not.”
Addy gave a sidelong glance at the guard to her left. A pale blonde man, holding his weapon in a loose grip that suggested he was the less trained of the two; if there were a move, it would be on him. But the woman with the shaved head on the other side stood perfectly erect, and she held her gun like she meant it. Addy couldn’t take both of them – not without some help, anyway.
Damn it, I’m not someone who needs to be rescued.
Xi oozed closer, bending down and putting one finger under Addy’s chin. Addy resisted the urge to try and bite it.
“I am quite disappointed that we couldn’t come to some sort of arrangement,” said Xi. “You would have been a tremendous asset.” The finger smoothly drew up her jawline, then tucked an errant strand of hair behind Addy’s ear.
“Oh, fuck you,” said Addy. “I saw you coming a mile away, lady. Don’t play a player.” She tried not to let her expression waver. Xi’s offer had been tempting, but deep down she knew she never would have seriously considered it. She was just… tired. Tired of running, tired of being alone. But what Xi was offering her was more for the gangster’s good than for hers.
Xi’s face hardened and Addy winced as a fingernail gouged her cheek.
“So ungrateful,” muttered Xi. She spun away, snapping a finger at one of her people. “Have a full complement of security posted around the perimeter of the observation deck. After I get the tablet back, I want Kovalic and his team dispatched.”
The attendant snapped a salute and strode off. Addy looked around the observation deck; the metal shutters abo
ve were closed, the room lit only by the soft lighting from sconces around the edge. Plenty of shadows for snipers. This thing was a killbox, and if Xi was right, Kovalic and the team were going to walk right into it. And there wasn’t a damn thing she could do.
Come on, guys. Don’t fall for it. Stay the hell away.
Eli started awake with a gasp, sitting bolt upright.
Holy shit, I’m not dead. He patted at his chest and pockets, as though searching for his keys, and it took him a second to remember why he was dressed in an unfamiliar uniform.
The last thing he remembered was passing out in a… totally different room? He looked around, taking in the sleek white and stainless steel aesthetic of the compartment that he found himself in now.
“What the hell happened?” he said. A lightning bolt of pain shot through his temple at the words and he suddenly realized his entire body ached like he’d been run through an industrial washing machine.
A hand punched his shoulder. “You took in a healthy dose of Morphex,” said Tapper.
Eli rubbed at the sting left by the sergeant’s fist. “Ow. I guess I’m not hallucinating this, then.”
Tapper reached down and helped him up. “No such luck, kid.”
“How did we get out of there?”
“We’ve got our friend Mal to thank for that.”
Eli blinked. Mal? He looked around and sure enough: the tech was crouched by another door, busily tapping away on their sleeve.
“Christ, how much of that shit did I breathe?”
“I’d be worried if I were you,” said Tapper, “because it’s not like you have a lot of brain cells to spare.”
“You’d know, old man. But let’s run this back: how exactly did we escape certain death?”
“Oh,” Mal piped up. “The fire suppression system takes precedence over the security system. Madam Xi cares more about her collection than taking people alive. So I set off the fire alarm and it sucked all the oxygen out of the room – taking the Morphex with it.”
Eli frowned. “Wait, so how come we didn’t suffocate?”
“After the air’s vented, it also unseals the doors, to introduce fresh air for safety reasons. Then I woke up and dragged you out.”
“This kid’s worth their weight in gold, let me tell you,” said Tapper, with a tone of admiration that Eli had never heard in his voice. Certainly not directed towards him anyway. Not that I’m jealous.
“So, now what?” Eli asked.
“Now, what we’re looking for is just on the other side of that hatch.”
“I’m trying to convince the lock to open,” said Mal, squinting at their sleeve. “But I don’t have clearance for this. I still can’t believe you guys are crazy enough to try this!” Their tone split the difference between awed and manic.
“That’s kind of what we do,” said Eli. “Any word from our…” he glanced warily at Mal, “…friends?”
Tapper’s mouth set and he nodded at Eli, leading them away from the door. “There was a transmission about two minutes ago – you were still out.”
“Kovalic?”
The sergeant shook his head. “Xi.”
“On our comms?”
“She wants the tablet back or she’s going to kill Sayers.”
A whirlpool sloshed in Eli’s stomach. Oh no. “What the fuck are we waiting for?” he said, starting back towards the door. “Blow this thing open already!”
Tapper grabbed his arm. “Easy, kid! We gotta be smart about this.”
Eli whirled on him. “Goddamnit, you made me sit by when Page didn’t come back. I’m not letting this happen again. She doesn’t deserve it. Too many people have died. We need to save her.”
“I’m sure the boss has it under control.”
“Just like on Bayern?” In his mind, he saw Kovalic taking a pistol from the lockbox on the Cavalier before his meeting with Page; when he’d come back an hour later, it was with no Page… and an empty holster. Maybe I don’t know for sure what the hell happened, but what other conclusion am I supposed to draw? Was that who they were? “We can’t keep sacrificing people.”
“It’s the job, kid,” said Tapper. “The mission comes first.”
“Fuck your mission,” said Eli, wrenching his arm free. “I sure as hell didn’t let myself get drafted into another military just to watch more people die. Not when we can save them.” He stalked back to the door.
With a triumphant crow, Mal hit a button and there was a beep and the control pad to the door’s left glowed green. “Unlocked!” The tech gave a celebratory fist pump.
“Nice work,” said Tapper, coming up behind Eli. “Now, all we need to do is–”
In that moment, something in Eli snapped. He reached over and snatched their one remaining concussion grenade off Tapper’s belt, then slapped the control panel and yanked out the grenade’s safety tab.
The door slid open on a pair of White Star guards, who looked wary but confused at their appearance. They flanked an airlock door, each holding a bouncer in both hands.
“Wait–” said Tapper.
“Hey,” said Eli. “Hold this, would you?” He lobbed the grenade at them and one of the guards fumbled with his weapon as he instinctively went to catch it, even as his eyes widened. Eli hit the control panel again, crossing his arms and leveling a gaze at Tapper, whose mouth hung open.
A deep bass thump rattled the deck plates. Tentatively, Mal reached up and opened the doors again; both guards were splayed out on the deck, unconscious, their weapons by their sides.
“Well,” said Tapper. “That’s one way to handle it.”
Eli grabbed Mal by the shoulders and pointed the tech towards the airlock. “Open that. Right now.”
“OK, so we know this is a trap,” said Nat.
“Definitely a trap,” Kovalic agreed as he checked the power reserves on the bouncer. Still fully charged.
Nat, meanwhile, had unfolded a needleshot she’d acquired and was checking it over. When Kovalic asked her about it, she’d just shrugged. “Mirza’s guy. I figured I needed it more than he did.”
Al-Kitab, meanwhile, was just finishing up a scan of the tablet, his eyes wide as a kid waiting to unwrap a present.
“So, we’re agreed,” said Nat. “What’s the play?”
Kovalic spared a glance at the professor and held back a sigh. He felt like something had fastened a cord around his chest and was pulling it taut. No good options. Maybe that ought to be the name of his memoir.
“Right now, I’m thinking we have to give her what she wants.”
“Simon, you can’t be serious. The tablet could let us end the war. We could be talking about dozens of new habitable worlds to colonize, raw materials for construction, maybe even launching points into the Imperium. It’s worth all of our lives.”
“Potentially. We don’t know what’s actually on it, and it might take years for us to figure it out,” said Kovalic, slinging the bouncer over his shoulder. “Sayers’ life is in danger right now. One life now for maybe millions later?”
“Sometimes we need to make the hard decisions.”
“I am making it. We’re not letting Sayers die today. Any problems with that?”
Nat opened her mouth as if to object, but then seemed to think better of it. “No.”
“Good. Xi’s listening in our comms, which means I need you to find a secure backchannel to Brody and Tapper.”
Furrows appeared in her brow. “I might be able to bounce something through the Queen Amina’s computer direct to their–”
“I don’t need to know the details. We just need to be able to talk to them when the moment comes. Doctor?”
Al-Kitab looked up from the scanner, blinking. “Yes?”
“I’m afraid we’re going to need you to pack all of that up and get ready to move.”
“I don’t understand.”
“There’s been a change of plans, I’m afraid. I’m going to need the tablet.”
Fingers curled around the scanne
r. “But I’ve only just begun my preliminaries,” said al-Kitab, panic flooding his eyes. “You can’t take it away yet!”
Kovalic walked over and put a hand on the open lid of the scanner. “You are welcome to accompany it. But I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist.”
Al-Kitab’s eyes went from Kovalic to Nat, but he found no reprieve there. After a moment, he ducked his head in miserable acquiescence.
“Good,” said Kovalic. “Let’s get ready to move.”
CHAPTER 29
Doors parted onto the dimly-lit observation area. Kovalic held the bouncer ready, finger resting above the trigger and muzzle pointing at the deck, as he surveyed the scene.
A glow of yellow-orange lamps doused the room in soft pools of light. There evidently wasn’t much observation going on at present. A balcony, cloaked in shadow, ran around the room’s circumference. If Kovalic were going to stage an ambush, that was definitely where he’d position his people. So at least he had a pretty good idea of where he’d be shot from.
Beside him, Dr al-Kitab shuffled warily, clutching the wrapped tablet close to his chest. He hadn’t wanted to let the artifact out of his sight; separating them would have required more forceful measures, which Kovalic wasn’t prepared to employ. He was here to save someone, not do more harm.
“Easy now, doc,” said Kovalic, putting a hand out before the professor could step inside.
“Relax, major,” called a voice from the other side of the room. “In my business, you’re only as good your reputation.”
Xi oozed out of the shadows, resplendent in a white dress that stood in stark contrast to her dark skin, like a bright moonlit night. She raised a finger and beckoned behind her.
Addy Sayers appeared, followed closely by a White Star security officer with a weapon pointed at her back. A pair of heavy cuffs held her wrists in front of her and, even at this distance, Kovalic could tell she was pissed.
Granted, there was a fifty-fifty chance of that at any given moment.
Not taking his eyes off Xi and Sayers, Kovalic waved al-Kitab forward. “Nice and easy.”
