by Tom Chattle
"So, his cabin was pretty empty—he's obviously not one for personal effects."
Chen rolled her eyes. "Sounds about right for the sadistic asshole that he is."
"Mhm." Wilde nodded then tapped away on her datapad. "Anyway, the only thing he had of any real significance was a NI secure terminal on his desk."
"I know how impenetrable those are." Chen sighed. "There was nothing else?"
"Oh, I got into it." Wilde chuckled.
Chen narrowed her eyes. "What are you, some kind of magician? They had those in the intelligence and security classes at the Academy. There's no way you could just brute force into one of them."
Wilde seemed as though she was holding back. "I didn't have to."
"So, what, you stole his credentials?" Chen asked. "Had a back door somehow?"
"No, he left it unlocked." Wilde dissolved into tears of laughter.
"You've got to be kidding me." Chen sighed. Of course, Bennett would do something so utterly against the most basic security regulations.
"Nope, but it works to our advantage, right?" Wilde handed over the datapad. "There was a lot of information on his terminal, but the most interesting is this."
Chen peered down at the screen through tired eyes. It was an old report, dated during the Third System War, back when she was a child. The biggest and, hopefully, last of humanity's brutal civil wars, simmering tensions between planets had finally boiled over when Mars had declared annexation of Alpha Centauri. "Old war reports? What's the significance?"
"Keep reading," Wilde suggested.
Chen scrolled down the page and froze when she saw the star system specified in the mission report. "Arcturus..." She went back to the start to re-read the date. "This was over twenty years ago!"
"Right?" Wilde's face was deadly serious. "Someone knew about it all along." She bit her lower lip, and her brow furrowed. "You might need to take a minute with the next part."
Her worried tone and the concern than sparked out her mind confused Chen. Fully awake now, she read the rest of the report slowly. It was sparse on details, but she recognized the descriptions of the Syrax satellites they had encountered months before. Further down was the name of the ship that had made the discoveries. "ESS Hyperion..." A chill shot through Chen, and her eyes bored into the information that followed. "Commanded by...Daniel Chen."
A wave of emotion washed over her, and she dropped the datapad to the bed, unable to focus.
"Auri..." Wilde laid a hand on her knee. "Did you have any idea?"
Chen shook her head and numbness set in. "No. I was only four when he died." She grabbed the pad again and read the date once more. "This was only six months before the battle of Proxima Centauri."
She held her head in her hands and tried to process the information. How could her father have found the same things and she not know about any of it?
"There's not much more information, I'm afraid." Wilde pursed her lips, her eyes wide and sympathetic. "I'm sorry if this information is hard to digest. It certainly wasn't what I expected to find."
Chen barely heard the woman, her mind still reeling. Surely, someone must have known something. Why hadn't they told Chen? Her head snapped up, and she bolted over to the dresser and rummaged around in a drawer.
"Auri?" Wilde questioned.
She finally found what she was looking for where she'd hidden it beneath underclothes. Chen jumped back on the bed and slid the datacard into Wilde's pad.
A tiny figure hovered into view above the screen, and Chen's breath caught in her throat at the sight of her father in his uniform. It looked like he sat behind a desk—probably the ready-room of his ship.
"Evelyn, if you're watching this, then the war finally caught up to me. I've always done my duty and followed orders, but in this case, I believe the information my superiors have suppressed is something that all of humanity needs to hear."
Her father looked just as Chen remembered him the day she last saw him. That must have been just a few weeks before this was recorded.
"This information is of the highest classification, but that hardly matters now. A few days ago, we were in the process of exploring the Arcturus system—on the lookout for a new base of operations to cover this far-flung region of space against Martian intrusion. What we found...well..." He shook his head, the words not coming easily—a feeling Chen well understood.
"We found alien satellites, Evelyn. Old and barely functional, but utterly inhuman. But more than that. On the ground, there's an entire city. The question that we've wondered ever since we could comprehend the stars has been answered, but I've been ordered to forget about it."
Her father grew animated, and an indignant anger overtook him. "Knowing something like this could end this terrible war, bring humanity together. I can't stand by and let Naval Intelligence cover the entire thing up, but I don't have many avenues I can pursue, especially with the war churning on around us." He settled and gazed intently at the camera. "I hope, with your connections, you can make sure this finds its way into the right hands."
A comm chirped off-screen, and he glanced away from the holo-camera for a moment. "I have to go. I'm sorry to burden you with this now, with all you must be going through." His eyes softened, and Chen saw a deep sadness behind them. "I love you and Auri both. Give her a hug from me and look after her."
The video ended, and Chen sat totally still.
- 30 -
2208.10.20 // 12:55
UVS Valiant, Orotari
Before Chen could speak, Wilde wrapped her in a tight hug.
"Auri, I'm so sorry."
Chen felt a bead of moisture roll down her cheek, and she sniffed. "I can't believe it."
"That he found Arcturus so long ago?"
"No." Chen shook her head. "Well, yes, but also the fact my mother never showed me this until now."
Wilde sat back and frowned. "She must have had her reasons. How did you get it now, anyway?"
"She slipped it to me when she came to visit me in the cell NI had me locked up in. I didn't have a way to view it and then totally forgot about it after we came on this mission."
"You're a lot like him, you know," Wilde said. "Not just in appearance, but the way he talked and the indignation he showed at being forced to cover something so massive up."
"That's what everyone always said," Chen mumbled. All this information was already hard to process, and the concern coming off Wilde threatened to overwhelm her.
Exhausted, Chen tried to push away all the emotions that filled her mind and glanced back at the information Wilde had uncovered. "What's this one dated over a year later?"
"Oh, that one's even better, given where we are right now," Wilde answered.
Chen skimmed the report. "They found the goddamn portal?"
"They did more than that. They sent a ship through."
Anger bubbled up within Chen when she read the description of the mission. Someone high up at NI had decided that a mission through the portal could help them find new technologies or weapons for Earth's brutal war with Mars and its allies. They had sent a small scout vessel, which had explored the other side of the portal until they had stumbled across a ship floating dormant around a broken world.
Wilde placed a hand on Chen's arm. "Auri, I think they were the ones who woke the Syrax back up, not us."
Chen didn't respond. She squinted at the report, trying to absorb every word. They had indeed boarded what must have been a Syrax vessel where they had found hundreds of Syrax in stasis. The text wasn't specific as to what, but something they had done woke them, just like the Valiant had done on Arcturus. The NI scouts had fled back through the portal before the entire ship awakened.
She scratched the sore skin around the neural implant on her neck. "That would explain why they are so active here. It seemed strange that one possible garbled communication from Arcturus would be enough to have them patrolling their borders." She shook her head, frustrated. "How could they have covered something like t
his up so thoroughly? More than that, if this happened twenty years ago, why haven't the Syrax arrived long before now?"
"Well, it was war, right?" Wilde shrugged. "I can imagine everyone had a lot on their plates—enough to overlook even something like that. Why the Syrax haven't invaded until now, I can't guess at."
"Even if Naval Intelligence swept it under the rug to try to hide what they found, there's no way Fleet Command had no idea." Chen locked eyes with Wilde. "Someone there knew about this before we ever went to the Arcturus system. My father would have reported back to his superiors. It sounded like he'd tried to get the information out but had been silenced. And Fleet keep their own star maps and navigational databases, so it's not like NI could control those."
Wilde's freckled face paled even more than usual. "You don't think..." She bit her lip, eyes widening. "You don't think my dad could have been in on it?"
Chen paused. Was it possible? Yes. There's a chance Admiral Wilde could have known, but it happened long enough ago that it didn't add up. Chen shook her head. "No, Katrina, I don't think so. He's too junior. I mean, you said he didn't even authorize the mission through the proper channels, right?"
"Right." Wilde nodded, and her face relaxed. "Yes, you're right."
"So, it didn't reach the eyes of those who might have stopped it for security reasons." Chen placed her hand on Wilde's and squeezed it. "And there's no way your dad would risk your life by not giving us all the relevant data for your rescue mission." Her brow furrowed. "No, this has to be covered up at the highest levels. Someone like Bennett is just a pawn—ambitious and morally gray enough to latch on to the possibility of pleasing his superiors by trying to shove the Syrax genie back in the bottle."
"No wonder he didn't want to head through the portal in the first place." Wilde sighed. "If my dad didn't know about the Syrax, then the information must be buried even within Fleet Command. After the Arcturus incident got enough attention that there was no way Fleet Command could be kept entirely out of it, they sent Bennett to derail our investigation while jumping at the chance to bring his superiors back advanced alien technology."
"Probably hoping the Syrax will stay on this side of the galaxy," Chen surmised. "Totally ignoring the fact that they're not going to stay quiet if they learn more about us." Her face hardened. "And that leaves us without the knowledge to construct proper defenses against them."
The two sat in silence for several long minutes. Chen fiddled with the hem of her shirt as she processed all the information Wilde had found. All the new things she'd learned about both of her parents. That anyone—let alone a powerful enough group to make all this information go away—could be so cavalier with the fate of the human race was unbelievable.
"What should we do?" Wilde asked. The normal certainty in her voice wavered. "We need to expose this, right?"
"But who would we go to?" Chen asked. "This activity is criminal, but we have no idea how many people at the top are involved in it."
"We could go to my dad," Wilde suggested.
Chen closed her eyes. "No. I don't think he has the political capital to do anything with this information right now. Not after Arcturus." She groaned and sat up, her hand rested on Wilde's leg. "Katrina, I want you to keep this to yourself right now. Put together all the information you've found out and link it all up."
"I'll keep digging." Wilde gathered her notes.
"Be careful," Chen warned. "Bennett is a cruel, insecure man. If he suspects you're digging around, he's not likely to be gentle."
Wilde's chin jutted forward, and her eyes narrowed. "I'm not afraid of him."
Faint echoes of pain rolled down Chen's side, and she shivered. "Good, but still be careful."
The cabin door hissed closed after Wilde, and Chen stretched back on the bed, then hit the light switch to kill the harsh illumination. She needed to get some rest while she still could, but the chaotic thoughts and emotions that bounced around inside her head made sleep unlikely.
- 31 -
2208.10.20 // 18:32
UVS Valiant, Orotari
After she collected Sina from her quarters, Chen reached the bridge. One of the NI guards still tailed both of them incessantly, much to Chen's constant irritation.
"Lieutenant Chen, Sina." Captain Arnesen nodded. "Please, be seated. Chief Cartwright gave us a clean bill of health—as much as he ever will, of course." He turned to Vega, back at the helm, bruised and bandaged. "Let's take this slow, Ensign."
"Aye, sir." Vega slowly pulsed the thrusters to maneuver them toward the exterior of the ruined planet.
Chen guided Sina to some observer seats near the nav consoles at the back of the bridge. Progress was slow and tensions ran high while Vega threaded the Valiant back out toward open space. Chen drummed her fingers on her knee and turned to Sina. "What happened to this planet, anyway?"
"War," Sina replied, bluntly. She pursed her lips, and her eyes flicked from Chen to the viewscreen. "In the last days of our struggle with the Syrax, we were all but defeated. This world—Orotari—was one of our last major defensive hubs."
"How had it survived the Syrax virus?" Chen's curiosity overrode any qualms she may have had about asking such painful questions.
Sina turned to Chen, golden eyes filled with sadness. "It did not. The surface was a poisoned nightmare. Only the deep tunnels and facilities that were able to seal themselves off survived." She shifted in her seat. "From there, the remains of my people could control the formidable network of automated defenses."
"But the Syrax came back?"
"In overwhelming force." Sina's eyes were unfocused. "Their fleet bombarded us with so much firepower, it cracked the world to pieces, as you see now."
Chen grimaced. The very idea the Syrax could bring that much power to bear was truly terrifying. "I don't think the entire Union fleet could even come close to that much damage."
Sina smiled sadly. "The Syrax are nothing if not efficient with their destruction."
"Captain, we're coming up on the radiation belts." Moreau's call pulled Chen's attention back to the Valiant's progress.
"Any sign of enemy ships?" Arnesen cradled his chin in his palm.
Moreau shook her head. "Not yet, sir, but I can't get a good read until we get past some of this radiation."
"Understood." Arnesen nodded. "Vega, keep us slow and steady. I don't want any surprises."
The entire bridge lapsed into silence, and they waited for Vega to guide them between vast cliffs of shattered mantle. The viewscreen maintained a constant pattern of flickers and static bursts from the powerful radiation that continuously pummeled the exterior of the ship.
"Sir!" Moreau called, urgency in her voice. "I'm getting readings that are consistent with Syrax power sources."
"Goddamn it," Arnesen growled, hammering his fist against the arm of his command chair. "How certain are you?"
"Pretty certain, sir," Moreau replied. "I can't confirm until we're clear of the radiation, but there are definitely several, and we run the risk of detection as soon as we break through."
Arnesen tapped a solitary finger against his chin. "That's not something we can afford. Vega, pull us back inside the planet. We'll have to wait them out some more."
Vega swung the ship carefully around, and McCann turned to Arnesen. "They're persistent, that's for sure."
"That they are." Arnesen shook his head. "What concerns me is they must suspect something if they're still hanging around."
Chen sighed. They couldn't afford to wait and hope the Syrax eventually backed off. "We have to do something."
Arnesen glanced back at her. "If you have any ideas, Lieutenant Chen, I'm all ears."
Sina interrupted any reply from Chen by speaking up. "I may have another option."
The captain spread his hands and lifted his chin. "Please, go ahead."
"There are routes to the other side of the planet." Sina stood gracefully and strode toward the front of the bridge. She gestured at the viewscreen, the
cracked canyons of rock twisting out ahead of them. "It is not easy, but there are ways."
"Through this?" Chen's eyes widened at the idea. "Is that even possible?"
Sina span back to face the humans. "It is, although I do not believe it has been done in such a large ship before. My people have lived here since the planet was split. We have mapped the interior extensively."
"Um, excuse me, Sina, ma'am?" Moreau raised a hand. "Are the remains of the planet not unstable and in constant motion?"
"They are," Sina acknowledged. "Our charts are not perfect, but we have had success traveling through the planet's core in the past."
McCann stared at the viewscreen, doubt in his voice. "Sounds awfully risky to me."
"What are our other choices?" Chen asked the bridge. "Stay here and hide? Maybe the Syrax will leave, maybe they won't. Worst case is they know we're in here and bring even more ships in to find us."
"I have charts." Sina raised her arm and pointed to the vambrace that covered her left forearm. "I downloaded our navigation database before I left."
Arnesen sat in silence for a long moment. "Moreau, do you think it's possible?"
The ensign hesitated, staring at the viewscreen before bobbing her head. "If we have access to the Talamar charts then, yes, I think so, sir."
Nodding, Arnesen turned to the helm. "Vega, are you up to this?"
"Fly this old rust bucket through the center of a planet?" He grinned. "Be a hell of a bar story to tell. I'd love to."
"Well, I guess it's settled, then." Arnesen sat back in his chair. "Buckle up, everyone."
Sina crossed over to Moreau's console and opened up a hidden compartment in her vambrace. "Here, use this data to help guide us."
Moreau took a few minutes to copy and translate the data, then straightened. "Okay. Putting up a path on your console, Vega."
Vega overlaid Moreau's route on the viewscreen and eased the ship round to meet it. The glowing line seemed to swing straight between two vast cliffs of rock—a gap that looked far too narrow to Chen's eyes. The helmsman kept the speed slow and constantly adjusted the attitude of the vessel to keep it as far from the surrounding planet as he could. The same moment he spun the ship on its axis to fit between the cliffs, the door to the bridge hissed open.
