Omega Force 09: Revolution

by Joshua Dalzelle

  "Just … be careful, Kage," Jason said. "You're getting deeper and deeper into this and there is a risk no matter how much you tell me there isn't."

  "Was … was that genuine concern for my wellbeing, Captain?" Kage said.

  "Yes! You know what a pain in the ass it would be to find another code slicer?" Jason pushed off from the hatchway. "At least a halfway competent one that's willing to work for what I pay you? I can't afford to lose you."

  "So I can keep going?"

  "Yes … for now," Jason said. "You only have a few more hours before we're heading back to Teludal's property anyway."

  "Captain, we've been cleared by orbital control to begin our approach," Doc's voice came over the intercom.

  "On my way."

  24

  "What the—" Jason trailed off as they climbed out of the nondescript utility ground vehicle they'd rented at the starport. They'd been elated when Kage had found out that Krunt Teludal had survived the assault on his home and was being held for treatment at a secure facility. He'd also been happy to learn that emergency crews had quickly put out the house fire he and Lucky had accidentally started.

  What they hadn't counted on was that in the meantime his house and other outbuildings would be razed to the ground. There was nothing but three giant holes and a few loose bricks as evidence that there had ever been a structure there.

  "Are we in the right place?" Crusher asked.

  "Yes."

  "Does he live underground in one of those holes?"

  "No, stupid," Jason snapped. "Someone tore the house down."

  "Why do we care? The thing we want is supposedly a quarter-mile northeast of here," Crusher said, still drilling for the nerve.

  "Because the only reason to tear something down completely and take each and every brick with you is because they're searching for something," Jason explained slowly, as if to a child. "If Teludal had information in his house regarding the hidden lot of battlesynths on his property they'll have found it. They searched and then took it all off-site to sift through every scrap."

  "Someone must have known that he had knowledge where they were," Tauless said. "This is an extreme measure on this planet … people don't tolerate this sort of intrusion by the government."

  "Crusher's right, we should get going and out of the open," Twingo said. "Do you think this vehicle can make it back to where we need to be?"

  "Topographical data shows that it's relatively flat," Kage said. "But it's also in the middle of an overflow zone. All the water comes from those hills there and across the back of this property on the way to the river. Depending on how much rainfall they've had, the ground could be saturated to the point the vehicle might sink. In hindsight the captain should have sprung for a vehicle with repulsor drive and not wheels."

  "When did you become so knowledgeable about … draining things," Crusher said after failing to find a technical term for water runoff. Kage just gave him a disgusted look and walked back to the waiting vehicle.

  Luck was still with them and the ground, while damp, was firm and held the weight of the cargo vehicle easily. With Jason driving and the suspension raised to its maximum, they carefully bounced their way through the overgrowth until the moldering remains of a stonework foundation could be seen jutting up from the ground like jagged teeth.

  They unloaded and efficiently broke out all the gear that Twingo and Kage had prepared in order to try and find the entrance. Lucky walked around the site slowly, trying to see if his ability to sense when other battlesynths were near would give them a general idea of where the main chamber might be located.

  "Over here," Twingo said after thirty minutes of scanning the area. "The moss and stuff over here has definitely been disturbed."

  "It's a different species, too." Doc crouched down and carefully picked at the clinging plant life. "Close in appearance, but definitely not the same as the rest."

  "So likely placed there as camouflage," Jason said. "Good enough for me. Break out the big toys and let's get to it."

  Twingo wrestled a much larger device over and began blasting the area with multi-frequency x-ray beams, looking for a specific diffraction that would indicate the presence of alloy within the rock. There were much more effective methods available for deep-ground scanning, but they were hampered by time, lack of a suitable power source, and the operator's desire to not bombard himself with a near-fatal dose of gamma radiation.

  It didn't take long before he powered down the unit and removed the heavy protective smock he'd donned for the job. He waved Lucky over and pointed at the smallest of the rocks that was covered with the lichen growth that didn't belong. The battlesynth planted his feet and easily pulled the rock away, tossing it away from the work site.

  "Kage, you're up," Twingo huffed, wiping the sweat from his face and climbing up out of the shallow impression.

  "What's in there?" Jason asked.

  "It's an antique cipher lock," Kage called up, pulling a tablet computer trailing a long lead from his pack. "Give me a minute."

  After selecting the correct interface, he plugged his computer in and with his neural implant began running intrusion algorithms to defeat the outdated locking mechanism. It wasn't even a full minute before there were three loud beeps and a loud pop.

  "The control panel has lifted out of the way and there are three levers underneath. I don't know what these words mean."

  "Allow me," Tauless said, peering into the hole. "They're not words. These are common engineering pictograms used on Khepri that must not be loaded into the Universal Translation Matrix. The one on the left means 'purge,' the middle is 'vent,' and the third means 'open.'"

  "Damn," Twingo said. "That makes me think there's a specific order that needs to be adhered to. Maybe."

  "Maybe?" Crusher asked. "You're not sure?"

  "Wow, you are really dense today, aren't you?" Twingo looked up from the hole. "No, dimwit … I wasn't here when they designed or installed this system, so I have no idea what the order of operation is."

  "What's your best guess?" Jason asked quickly to head off a retaliatory comment from Crusher.

  Twingo took a moment to look around at the surroundings and then back at the corroded panel. "I think they may have anticipated that the area would flood and that, eventually, the chamber could be compromised," Twingo said. "Given that, I think it should be vent, purge, and then open."

  "I agree, Captain," Tauless said.

  "Do it," Jason said. "We're wasting time."

  Twingo reached over and grabbed the handle labeled “vent” and pulled it out. With a screech of metal on metal the handle pulled out fifteen centimeters, but nothing happened.

  "Turn it to the right and then push it back in," Tauless said. Twingo rotated the handle ninety degrees clockwise and depressed the handle. He was rewarded with three loud pops and clods of mud shooting into the air fifteen meters to the south of the foundation. A moment later three pipes nearly twenty-five centimeters in diameter rose out of the ground and the caps hinged open and released a puff of murky vapor.

  "Whoa!" Crusher shouted, snorting. "That stinks!"

  "Stagnant water," Jason said, trying not to gag. "I guess the chamber has been compromised. Go ahead and purge it." He heard Twingo grunting and cursing and then the distinctive ping of metal snapping.

  "Please tell me that wasn't the purge handle breaking off."

  "Okay … I won't tell you."

  "The shaft snapped off pretty deep into the panel, Captain," Tauless said. "I don't think we can easily take this apart and get to it. If it was stuck enough to snap this piece of alloy, nothing we have with us will be able to pull it free."

  "So … now what?" Doc asked.

  "Open the entrance," Lucky said. "Even if the compartment is completely flooded I can go down and try to manually force the purge valves open."

  "You heard him," Jason said. "Crack it open."

  The third handle was pulled and reset and this time there was a deep rumbling c
oming from the center of the foundation.

  "Get clear! Move it!"

  They all scrambled up out of the depression as a large, ovoid shape pressed up out of the mud and silt. The ground cracked and gave way and the platform rose shakily on two hydraulic rams until it was suspended three meters above the ground. Mud and dirt rained off the pitted alloy when it jerked to a stop, revealing a yawning hole filled to the top with foul, brackish water.

  "Holy shit, that's rank." Jason pulled his shirt up over his nose and patted Lucky on the back. "It's all you, buddy."

  Lucky moved over and peered down into the opening. "There are steps that lead down and towards were the vent stacks are," he said. "No sign of anti-intrusion systems or traps." He stepped off and slowly submerged into the inky water.

  "He's going to need to be hosed off before he gets back in the ship," Crusher said.

  They waited patiently for nearly twenty minutes, nobody speaking as they all strained their ears to hear any sign that Lucky was either successful or in trouble. They were concentrating so hard that a loud bang made them all jump. When the sound of gushing water reached them there was nervous laughter and they ran over to where the foundation overlooked the river.

  Further down the embankment an impressive gout of black water was pouring out from a hidden outlet and flowing down into the clear river, leaving a dingy stain across its surface. Jason could hear the whistle of the vents sucking in air further back as the water continued to pour out, and then the system made complete sense.

  "It is safe to enter," Lucky called up from the bottom of the stairwell. "Be careful, the steps are slippery."

  "I'm not going down there." Crusher shook his head, still holding his nose.

  "Baby," Jason muttered. "What's down there?"

  "My brothers."

  "I HOPE you know that I'm not really authorized to do what you're asking. Past that, I'm not even sure how I can help."

  "I understand that." Mok leaned back in the uncomfortable synthetic chair. "But our mutual friend is cashing in all favors."

  "Jason Burke." Michael Welford shook his head in bemusement. "How does he end up in these situations?"

  "It's actually his battlesynth bodyguard that's pushing this," Mok said. "Apparently this deeply involves them somehow."

  "We do owe Captain Burke a great debt, but we're in no position to offer any real military assistance," Welford said. "Earth's fleet is only a handful of the new generation ships, not to mention our crews and commanders are woefully unprepared for a sojourn deep into ConFed territory for a mission that will likely spark off a multi-front interstellar war."

  "We're not asking for military assistance." Mok smiled indulgently. "We'd like you there merely as an observer. He asked for you specifically as someone who could be an intermediary for Earth in the aftermath."

  "You're being a little vague."

  "Intentionally so," Mok said. "We don't know each other, and there's no reason for you to trust me other than the fact Burke told you I was coming, but he seems sure that Earth will be in a position to offer aid directly after this fiasco if it goes as we think it could."

  "What sort of aid?" Welford asked. The former CIA operative and one of the most notorious crime lords in the quadrant were sitting in a sparsely furnished room on Terranovus, Earth's only colony planet. Terranovus was serving as the operational hub for the Fleet and was now thriving as more people arrived each month to settle in one of the six major cities.

  "Captain Burke thinks there will be a need for someone he can trust to accept a small number of political refugees," Mok said carefully. "Understand that this is merely a contingency that may happen, but if it does he would need you to talk to your government."

  "Fair enough, but why us?" Welford asked. "Burke has to have other places he can go that would make more sense."

  "These refugees would need to be hidden someplace where the general population not only doesn't really know them, but won't have access to communications that they could use to alert the wrong people," Mok said. "These beings are … very unique."

  "And why did he send you instead of just calling himself?" Welford asked. "We have a fairly good relationship at this point and he knows my personal slip-com address."

  "That was at my request," Mok said. "I felt it would be good to meet face-to-face. Humans are about to become a known player on the galactic stage and, if you're all like he is, will likely make quite an impact."

  "Burke told me who you are, so you'll forgive me if I'm not all that enthusiastic about accepting everything you say at face value."

  "Captain Burke knows only what I allow him to know about me." Mok bristled then calmed. "Things are not always what they seem. Putting that aside, is this a request you can honor?"

  "A Pathfinder-class ship is more than capable of making the flight," Welford said. "And all of our ships are currently flying registrations pointing back to the Cridal Cooperative so we're cleared to fly through most ConFed systems. Tell Captain Burke that I'll do my very best to accommodate him, but I can't promise anything. Good enough?"

  "It will have to be," Mok said, rising and sticking his hand out for Welford to grasp as he'd seen Burke do. "I thank you for your time, Administrator."

  Outside the squat, utilitarian building he waited for the human guards to hustle over and escort him back across the tarmac. They walked in silence through the sweltering heat to Mok's waiting shuttle. He looked around and was struck by the paradox of the human world. All around him was evidence that they had yet to achieve what would be considered a noteworthy technical or scientific prowess, but sprinkled in among this were ships and weaponry that were significantly more powerful than some of the established powers had.

  He knew Jason Burke had been very carefully shielding humanity from the outside universe and part of his strategy had been to deny Earth the technology readily available despite the good it could do. While well-meaning, his efforts had backfired when an insane synth attacked his homeworld and left behind a pile of wrecked starships and then, later, a stellar neighbor had tried to manipulate them for their own purposes.

  That species, the Ull, had been providing Earth technology at a trickle so Mok was thoroughly confused by what he saw now. Humans had gone from flying ships he'd be terrified to travel on for even a short subluminal trip to three classes of starship in orbit over his head that would make the Eshquarians jealous. He knew Seeladas Dalton personally and knew her Cridal Cooperative didn't have the means to provide such tech even if they were inclined to.

  It all pointed back to Burke. Somehow he had gotten his hands on technology that exceeded what was widely available in the ConFed and had given it to Earth. Mok didn't begrudge him that at all, but it was a curiosity where it came from. He made a mental note that his neural implant filed away to check his sources within the Avarian Empire. He knew Burke had extensive connections there, but if that came up dry that meant the human had yet another resource available to him and Mok wanted to know what it was.

  25

  "It's not so bad once you get used to it," Twingo said.

  "I don't want to get used to it," Jason shot back, his voice muffled by his hand. They'd managed to get almost all the water out of the chamber and Lucky had found the controls for a system that blasted the room with a harsh detergent-mixed spray that cleared out most of the mud. Once the water jets had shut off, powerful dehumidifiers kicked on and were quickly drying the standing water. The problem was that the rancid stench from decades of standing water wasn't so easily defeated. Now it just smelled like sewage that someone had sprinkled soap on.

  "Look up there." Twingo ignored his complaining. "Those are fill pipes."

  "So?"

  "This elaborate purging and cleaning system wasn't put in as a contingency. They'd always intended to flood it."

  "I wonder why," Jason said.

  "The water would hide the signature of the pods and the battlesynths themselves quite effectively," Tauless said. "Even against act
ive scans the water wouldn't allow for a definitive reading on what's down here. It's clever … the pods don't care about the water and everything else was hardened and purpose-built."

  "So what's the word on the occupants?" Jason nodded towards the thirty-seven stasis pods lined up in the arched chamber. Only thirty-six were occupied since Combat Unit 777 had disappeared before Vulban and Teludal could hide their secret.

  "We've initiated the revive cycles on all the pods," Tauless said. "Readings indicate that every one of them was in stable hibernation. I don't foresee any problems."

  "Unless they're not friendly when they come out of those," Twingo said.

  "Lucky wouldn't take needless risks with—" Jason was cut off by a warbling screech from above. It took a moment for him to recognize that it was Kage … and he was in excruciating pain.

  He sprinted for the steep flight of stairs, smashing into them as his feet slipped on the still-damp floor. Without bothering to climb them he leapt straight up out of the hole and was crossing the ground towards where Crusher and Doc were holding the thrashing Veran.

  "I don't know what's wrong!" Doc shouted.

  "The connection! The link is in the van!" Jason was frantic. He knew Kage had still been working on the problem of finding the source of the trouble on Khepri and had bought a remote network node that would allow his neural implants to connect to the local Nexus. "Crusher, destroy it!"

  Crusher didn't hesitate for even a second. The big warrior pulled his sidearm and fired three times into the open cargo door. Kage's thrashing immediately stopped, but his eyes were unfocused and pathetic whimpers were escaping from his mouth. Jason knelt down and helped Doc lower him completely to the ground, hovering to make sure he didn't begin thrashing again and hurt himself.

  "Kage? Kage!"

  "Not a computer anymore." Kage seemed to be struggling to form the words before his head lolled over and he was completely unconscious.

  "Captain I don't have the equipment here to give him a complete checkup," Doc said. "Ideally I'd like to shut down his neural implant but without knowing—"