by H. G Ahedi
“Initiate training,” Argon said.
The target appeared in front of her. Three red circles in a square. Emmeline gulped, stood with her legs apart and held the cold weapon in both hands. It was very light. As soon as her right thumb pressed the button in the middle, multiple small lights glowed for a second, and it made a hissing noise.
The computer stated, “User identification: Emmeline Augury. Status: trainee.”
“Okay,” said Argon.
Taking a quick breath and closing one eye, Emmeline tried to concentrate. Then she fired. The small beam hit the wall meters above the target.
Argon eyed her. He stepped closer. “Your hand should be parallel to your shoulder. Don’t be afraid. Now try again.”
Her heart was beating fast. Sweat gathered and smeared her palms. “I don’t like this.”
“No one likes to kill, but sometimes, it becomes necessary. Remember, someday you might have to protect yourself.”
“Argon, I don’t think this is necessary.”
“Emmeline, it is. Trust me.”
Cringing, Emmeline did as she was told.
“Keep your eyes on the target,” Argon said. “Don’t move your hand backward.” He lowered her hand a bit.
She pushed the button hard and slightly lifted her hand. The beam hit the wall way above the target.
“Target missed,” said the computer.
She fired again and again, but none of the shots hit even the outer edges of the target. A rage grew inside her. She stomped her feet, lifted her hands in anger, and tried again. The beam of light went sideways, hitting the target in the next row. “Ah! I hate this!” she shouted.
“Try this,” Argon said, giving her a knife.
Emmeline glared at him, wondering if he was trying to be funny. She said nothing, handing the disruptor to him and taking the knife.
“You know how to throw it, right?” Argon asked.
“Yes. Grandpa taught me,” she boosted. Why did he think this was funny? It wasn’t.
“Well. Let’s see.”
Emmeline held the edge of the sharp side and threw it with all her might. The knife fell to the floor before it even reached the target.
Argon burst into laughter.
“I don’t believe this!” Emmeline shouted as she marched toward the fallen knife.
“Oh, this is going to be so much fun,” Argon muttered.
“I hate you!”
Titan, Deck 2, Crystal Lab
Training had been frustrating, but it had also been a wonderful distraction. It had refreshed Emmeline’s mind. The day was passing quickly, and with a long list of things to do, she didn’t think she would have time to look at the plaque. She’d just finished working on integrating all the cosmic findings documented by Freedom into Titan’s computer. Freedom had just returned from its voyage to the Proxima Centauri star system, which was over four thousand light-years away. The phenomena were incredible, and Emmeline could understand why Dr. Kent wanted them cataloged right away.
When she finished cataloging two thousand items and transferring thirty-two billion terabytes of data, she stared at the console, asking herself where to begin. She approached Dr. Kent, who said that the first thing he wanted to study was the origin of the gravitational waves Freedom had detected ten light-years beyond Proxima Centauri. The intriguing fact was that Prometheus had also reported the waves, but in a different section of space. Just like Prometheus, Freedom hadn’t been able to determine the source. Where had the waves come from?
She spent two days studying the data. When she had the time, Emmeline pulled up the data about the plaque. First, she checked her analyzes again. Astra’s computers were old, so she thought perhaps she had made a mistake. After an hour, she reviewed the bars. No, she was correct. The composition of the plaque and Nemesis matched perfectly. If she could find out the origin of the plaque, maybe she could understand how it was linked with Nemesis.
She looked around. It was late at night and she was alone in the lab. Emmeline grabbed the plaque. It was made of grayish rock and weighed around one and a half kilos. Its surface was rough. She focused on the seventeen indentations on the back of the plaque, then noted the lines coming out of the semicircle at the top. Placing the plaque under the scanner, she scanned both the front and back of it. Then she put it back in her bag and turned to the screen. She highlighted the visual lines and said, “Computer, save pattern one.”
“Saved.”
She observed the indentations on the plaque and isolated them. “Computer, save pattern two.”
“Saved.”
“Encrypt files and access to all data of Project MYTH.”
“Affirmative,” said the computer.
“Analyze patterns one and two.”
As the computer analyzed the patterns, Emmeline concentrated on reading to identify more tests and analyzes that she could run to unlock the secrets of the plaque. She sat back, thinking. Had Alexander hidden the plaque because it was linked with Nemesis? Or had he just hidden it because he’d thought it was important? Perhaps he’d known about the mythical device. Emmeline would never know. But what she knew was that decrypting the plaque would not be easy. She also needed to study the meteoroid Alexander had preserved. Why had he done it?
“Pattern two identified,” said the computer.
Emmeline sat up straight. “Show.”
“Pattern one is the constellation Draco. Seen from Earth, Draco is the eighth largest constellation in the night sky and occupies an area of 1,083 square degrees. The constellation consists of seventeen stars and lies in the third quadrant of the northern hemisphere. It is visible at latitudes between ninety and minus-fifteen degrees. It was discovered and cataloged in the second century as one of the forty-eight constellations. Draco’s brightest star is Etamin. Draco is located 148 light-years from Earth.”
“Pause,” Emmeline said. She knew all about the constellation, but how did it relate to the plaque or the mythical device? She had no idea. “Computer, analyze pattern one.”
“Analyzing,” responded the computer.
She rocked her chair back and forth until the computer spoke again.
“This pattern was not found in the astronomical database.”
“Okay. Try historical databases.”
She waited.
“This pattern was not found in historical databases.”
Emmeline chewed her lip. “Search all databases.”
The computer became silent again. “Unable to comply. The request is too broad. There are too many references in the database.”
“Computer, merge patterns one and two, then search.”
“Searching . . .”
Emmeline waited.
“No results found,” said the computer.
Emmeline rolled her eyes.
Annoyed because she’d been unable to find anything, Emmeline invited Argon to play hover ball in the gaming room. For the next hour, she felt happy and excited. After their game, they sat on the floor of her quarters and had dinner. Argon talked about his day, and Emmeline listened intently. He had finally figured out how to fix Raven’s AI, with Cyr’s help. He was so excited. Listening to him, Emmeline completely lost track of time.
Titan, Deck 10, Docking Bay
Lieutenant Commander Adrian Olson didn’t know why, but he found himself in the docking bay. He was done with his shift on the bridge and was about to head to Evan’s quarters. But for some reason, he had taken a different route.
He’d heard Astra was leaving again, and he was worried. Since Delta’s father had passed away, Adrian had felt responsible for looking after her. Not that she needed it. She was independent, strong, and smart; she didn’t need a protective big brother. He didn’t want to be her brother, anyway. He wanted more, more than just a friend. Unfortunately, he felt he was nothing more to her than just another guy. She could have had any man or woman on the station, and yet she stayed alone. For the last four years, she’d spent most of her time working.<
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AUTOMATE, a robotic forklift, drawled down the hall, carrying a massive box labeled “Pl – DRILL 2.” Adrian could only speculate the weight of the drill. The forklift turned toward the ramp of Astra and disappeared into the cargo ship.
Adrian walked toward Astra, and his heart skipped a beat when Delta came to meet him. She looked radiant; her blue hair tied up in a high ponytail.
He gulped nervously. “Hey. You’re going again?” he asked, then cursed himself.
She gave him a sly smile. “Yes. The Vesta colony needs a new drill.”
Vesta was a mining colony in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
“What happened?” Adrian asked.
“You know they’re mining platinum. The engineers pushed the drill a bit hard and damaged it.”
“Ouch.”
“Titan is the closest to the asteroid belt and is currently holding three drills. They need it as soon as possible. They fear that if they don’t continue drilling and mine the mineral soon, the Imperial Command might pull the plug.”
“Wow, that would be bad,” said Adrian, trying to understand why he was having this conversation.
“Well,” Delta said. “I’m going to drop this baby off and pick up the damaged one.”
“I’m sure Lieutenant Storm can fixed it.”
“Yep. Titan’s got one of the best engineers in the system. What are you doing here?”
“Uh . . . I was just on my way to Lieutenant Weeds quarters. We’re off to watch a movie.”
A playful smile appeared on Delta’s face. “The Lieutenant’s quarters are on Deck 4.”
“Oh. Well, it’s a nice day for a stroll.”
AUTOMATE reappeared. “Delta Dune. The cargo has been loaded,” it said.
“Thank you.”
“You are welcome.”
Delta walked toward another container. “AUTOMATE, move this one to my personal lot, number 106.”
“Affirmative,” said the robot.
“What’s in there?” Adrian asked curiously.
Delta folded her arms. “Something exciting, hot, and not available on the market.”
Adrian arched his eyebrows, watching as the robotic forklift slowly lifted the container and began moving away. “Oh, come on!”
“Adrian!”
“Oh, all right,” he said, looking at the container.
“Well, I’m off,” said Delta. “This is going to be fun.”
“You’re always looking for the next adventure, aren’t you?”
Delta lowered her eyes. “I am,” she answered.
For a second, Adrian thought that she blushed, but he wasn’t sure. He watched her as she disappeared inside Astra. The ramp lifted and closed behind her.
Sometimes, Adrian wished he had someone he could discuss his feelings with except Evan. Technically he outranked Evan. They worked on the bridge; they were friends and colleagues. When it came to Delta, deep down, he knew his friend was telling him the truth, but he wasn’t ready to accept it. Not now, not for the last four years.
Adrian hadn’t been lucky. His parents were separated. That wasn’t unusual, but his family was complicated, and no one kept in touch with one another. All he knew was that they were alive. His father was a farmer, and his mother was on the Challenger colony. He heard from his mother now and then, but the conversations only ever lasted a minute or two and were always all about her. Her day, her work, her friends, and how her husband had betrayed her. It was the twenty-fourth century, but humans still bickered about these things.
Adrian was the youngest son, and his two brothers had left home a long time ago. When he’d taken up a position on Titan, his mother had complained. She hadn’t wanted him to leave her and had told him he was being selfish. But he’d never felt wanted anyway, and he couldn’t understand why she was pressuring him to stay while letting his brothers leave home. Around her, he felt like he was a tool, something to use, not to respect or love.
It was different on Titan. Adrian had joined as an ensign, and in the last four years, he’d worked his way to become second in command of Titan. He served at the helm and was a trained pilot. He’d always dreamed of flying a ship or doing something exciting, like Delta. He’d been so excited when he’d got the license to fly a craft. Unfortunately, Titan never left orbit, so he felt that his pilot training was a waste.
At first, Adrian had found Anastasia intimidating and demanding, but the more he’d gotten to know her, the more he liked serving with her.
Adrian couldn’t complain. His life was much better than it had been four years ago. He was surrounded by people who liked and respected him, and he had earned that. He could be himself with them. They didn’t mind him reading ancient books and citing them now and then, although Evan never stopped taunting him about his choice of literature. But in the last year, seeing one ship after another leave and getting to know more young cadets like Argon, Adrian had felt like he was meant to do something more significant. Something good, more than just daily routine stuff. Adrian felt he should get out of this system, explore, make new friends, join a new crew. He’d always wanted to be a pilot and had trained for it. What was he doing here?
Adrian knocked and waited for Evan to open the door.
“There you are. Come in.”
Adrian entered Evan’s home on Titan. There were clothes everywhere, and he smelled perfume. The curtains were drawn. The lights were dim. Three plates of half-eaten food sat on the small glass table. “What the hell do you do in here?”
“Is that what you’re wearing?”
Adrian looked down at his uniform.
“We’re off duty. You should try different clothes. How about this?” Evan asked, showing him a colorful shirt.
“No, thanks.”
“You’re late. Dorothy and Claire will be waiting,” said Evan.
“W-what?? I thought the two of us were going,”
“Stop complaining and just come with us.”
“No.”
“Adrian, you need to talk to girls. Girls other than Delta. We’re off in five minutes. Are you sure you want to go looking like that?”
Adrian sulked and stepped into the bathroom and took a good look at himself in the mirror. He looked a bit tired, but besides that, he looked fine. He glanced at the wall and scowled. He stepped out of the bathroom and said, “You still have it?”
“What?”
“The stupid framed picture of the queen.”
“Hey! She was the greatest singer of all time, and this is my quarters. I’ll do whatever the hell I want to do with the place. Let’s go.”
“Don’t tell me you made dinner plans too,” Adrian complained.
“Adrian, live a little, my friend. Live a little.”
One Week Later
Titan, Deck 6, Archaeology lab
The day went faster than Emmeline had hoped. The only time she had fun was when she trained with Argon. Since Argon had finished his exams, he had more time on his hands. He was teaching her self-defense, and she liked it. It was good to feel powerful.
Emmeline had received the DNA test results. It was Alexander Hendrix. It made Emmeline happy to know that she had found her long-lost ancestor. But she was unsure if she should tell her father. She didn’t know how to resolve this or who she could speak. She wanted to seek Argon’s advice. She had other things on her mind, like the plaque. Her failure to decipher it bothered her, and after trying several times on her own, she decided to seek help.
* * *
When she left the lab at dinner time, Emmeline walked cautiously, wondering if she was making the right decision. She had no choice. She’d searched through the databases and run hundreds of tests on the plaque, all in vain. She knew the plaque was ancient, and she hoped an archaeologist could help her. The computer told her Aceline Keston was in the archaeology lab.
When she entered the enormous hall, Emmeline immediately felt nostalgic. The archaeology lab was very different from the Crystal Lab. Her Lab looked
like an advanced spaceship, while the archaeology lab made her feel as if she had traveled back in time.
On several benches sat hundreds of artifacts, fossils, and rocks. Emmeline noted that the walls had several shelves, most of them occupied by samples. The wall in front of her had a screen showing Earth. She noticed several blinking red dots on the globe. The picture changed to show a star map. Again, a few lights flashed. Emmeline assumed it showed where the samples had been found.
She slowly walked between the long desks. The surfaces of the desks were white, glowing due to the lights below. She came across a skeleton. She leaned over and observed the head. She was unsure if it was human. It looked human, but the eye sockets were different. The cranium looked bulky and the jaw heavy.
“I can’t believe it either. We’re still finding them,” said a familiar voice.
Emmeline straightened and saw Aceline. Suddenly, she felt embarrassed. She was so plain, wearing the same clothes almost every day. She had no idea how-to put-on makeup or even just lipstick. In front of her stood a woman in her fifties who worked with artifacts, fossils, and dusty things all day, but she looked so fresh. She was dressed in a white blouse and black stylish pants. The fact that she was Argon’s mother didn’t make things easy. If Emmeline married Argon, Aceline would be her mother-in-law. She tried not to imagine what that would be like.
“Where did you find this one?” Emmeline asked.
“It was discovered last year, buried under ice at the South Pole,” Aceline replied. “I got this two months ago, and it’s almost ready to go to storage. Now I’m waiting for Prometheus to arrive.”
“Why?”
