Mosar (Bright Horizons Book 3)

by Wilson Harp

  Williams stood and opened the door.

  “Oh come on,” Alex said.

  “Nope. You are out. Go pace in the hallway.”

  Alex shook his head. He tried to keep a smile from forming on his lips.

  “That smile,” Williams said. “That is why I am kicking you out. It wasn’t enough for you to be nervous and jittery, but you had to spread it to the rest of us.”

  “I’m going, I’m going,” said Alex.

  Williams was right. Alex always felt better when he could spread his misery a little.

  The door shut behind Alex and he thought about heading back to his bunk to see if he could sleep, but he was too wired for some reason. The meeting with the Inado had energized him in a weird way. He always knew this would likely be a one-way mission, but when the Inado had indicated even if Jii succeeded, they may not be allowed out of the system, the rebellious nature of Alex surfaced at every opportunity.

  He knew he would never allow his actions to endanger the others, but for some reason when he felt like he didn’t have much of a chance if he played it safe, he became reckless with his own safety.

  He really felt like heading to his bunk, but instead he turned and walked toward the cockpit. He would just chat with Cowboy a few minutes. He wasn’t sure about what, but he knew he wanted to go to his bunk too much to actually go there.

  “Ramirez.”

  Alex turned to see Jii step out from around a corner.

  “Did you know I was there?” Jii asked.

  “No,” said Alex.

  “I didn’t think so.” Jii tilted his head as he looked at Alex.

  “What did you do now?”

  “I tried to softly convince you to go to your bunk. I was telling you that you were tired and needed sleep.”

  “I’m not your lab rat,” Alex said. “I don’t appreciate you trying to manipulate me.”

  “What is different about you, Ramirez? No other human resists me. Not like you, anyway. I will admit many humans are strong willed, but you are resistant even when you have no idea I’m trying.”

  Alex shrugged. “I don’t know, Jii.”

  “Every race likes to believe they are individualistic. Yes, even those with strict social roles, like the Iltia’cor, still hold to the idea that each one of them is distinct and unique.”

  “They’re not?”

  “I’ve lived almost a thousand lifetimes of some races, Ramirez. It is very rare that a specific individual of a short lived race stands out to me. And yet, I remember something distinct about most humans I have talked to for more than a few minutes.”

  “Well, we are all the same essentially,” Alex said. “I mean, the differences are minor considering our similarities.”

  Jii smiled. “No. Even with as simple of genetics as you have, there is a shocking streak of individualism. And I don’t mean physically. You have a depth of interests which belie your surface appearance, Ramirez. You are in the company of some of the top minds of your people much of the time and yet you maintain an air of disinterested casualness. But I have seen you think your way through sophisticated ideas and abstract concepts better than most Junniji. You have an aptitude for problem solving, and you are not limited in what kind of problem it is.”

  “Half the time I don’t know whether to blush under your compliments or prepare myself for news which will shake my reality.”

  “Not this time. You know everything you need to. And more it seems.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Do you know what caused Tran’dris to finally relent and say he would consider letting us leave Oracos?”

  “Our persuasive power?”

  “No. He would not have been moved by any of our arguments. It was your mention of the Esura.”

  “What? I didn’t mention the… what did you call them?”

  “The Esura. You said the Inado have as much chance of stopping mosar as an Esurak sunrise. Why did you say it?”

  “It was just something I heard. Manny said it to me once, I think.”

  “Do you know what it means?”

  “Not really. Manny said it was a way to say something is unlikely.”

  Jii shook his head sadly. “The meaning of the saying has been lost to much of the galaxy over the centuries. To the Inado, it is the most vile curse and insult you can give.”

  Alex felt his mouth drop open. “I… I didn’t know.”

  “I know you didn’t. For you to curse at him so in the middle of attempting to get him to spare your life would have been absolutely stupid. And you are not stupid.”

  “What does it mean?” Alex asked.

  “The Esura were a powerful race. They were allies with the Inado from the time they met each other. The Inado were aggressive and practical, the Esura were more relaxed and abstract in their manner. Mosar, of course, influenced both of the races to its own purpose. The Inado were blessed by the technological ingenuity of the Esura and the Esura leaned on the manufacturing and military power of the Inado.”

  “The Otina were, of course, their superiors, but the Esura expanded quickly and soon had a vast empire. They were benevolent rulers and other races gladly joined them in their grand alliance. But then we made a tragic mistake.

  “We discovered the truth about mosar, and we weren’t sure what we should do with the knowledge. After a short while, we decided the Esura were advanced and sophisticated enough to handle the truth. We told them what we knew and how we had been the ones to cause them to become infected. We explained how their exploration was infecting other races they encountered.”

  “What happened?” asked Alex.

  “They were crazed. I don’t know if mosar had anything to do with it, or if it was guilt over spreading it to others, or if they really felt the betrayal that much. But they attacked any Otina they could find. They directed all of their energy and effort into finding a way to destroy mosar. The Inado wanted to help, but the Esura rebuffed them. Their suspicion and paranoia grew daily. Soon, Esura started leaving other systems. Often they destroyed what they could as they left, but they all headed home, all went back to their home system. For almost fifty years they flooded back. Over twenty worlds outside their system were abandoned.”

  “So they became insular. Turned back in on themselves,” Alex said.

  “For a while, but it wasn’t the end of their sad story. The thought of mosar and what it meant was too much for them to handle. The Inado intercepted an encrypted transmission from their planet. They were worried about their old allies and asked us to decode it.”

  “What was it?”

  “It was a simple message. It told all Esura to be ready for sunrise. To make sure they were there to see it. It was an odd phrase and not what any of us expected to go out in such a manner. As we were contemplating this, it happened. They destroyed themselves.”

  “How?”

  “They induced their sun to supernova. We don’t know how, but we detected some serious anomalies in their star. All transmissions between their planets stopped at that point. Two days later, their sun exploded.”

  Alex stared at Jii. “It was an Esurak sunrise.”

  “No. It wasn’t called that yet. No one but the Otina and the Inado knew of the encrypted message. The other races just knew the Esura had gone insane for some reason and then their system exploded. Conspiracy theories abounded. A’nacal used that incident to form the Galactic Council and the Inado were the first to sign on as part of the Higher Council. They had learned about mosar during the mad years of the Esura, but their reaction was different. They saw an enemy which must be defeated. They discovered a way to disrupt mosar using a condensed pulse of radio waves set at a particular frequency. They thought it would be what would rid the galaxy of this parasite. They were driven to defeat mosar. Years later, when the Oracos system fell to mosar completely, the Inado decided they would lead the way in the war and sent their fleet armed with their new weapons. It was a nightmare. They thought they would find an enemy
they could destroy. They were wrong.”

  “What did they find,” asked Alex.

  “What we will find. Indistinct shadows. Amorphous clouds of pure mosar. It can coalesce into a physical point, ripping and shredding anything it comes in contact with. Moreover, it can directly infect a creature. It captured and controlled them. Over half the Inado fleet was destroyed when mosar took control of several ships and had them open fire.”

  Alex was stunned. He wondered how they could fight such an enemy. “One ship escaped,” he said.

  Jii nodded. “One ship, badly damaged, was able to escape the system. Almost two thousand Inado were rescued from the vessel. They were taken back to their homeworld for treatment… and observation. But it was a mistake. The survivors were infected with a highly developed form of mosar. The spread was rapid. Within a short time, it became apparent any Inado who had been in contact with their homeworld was infected. They locked down their own system. The Inado who had been on the deep space missions were the only ones determined not to be at risk. After five years, mosar had begun to manifest itself dramatically. The deep fleet commanders stopped communication with their homeworld due to fears of influence. Finally, the Inado came to a decision. They would attempt to cleanse their system of mosar the only way they knew how. They started breaking the orbits of asteroids and moons, allowing their sun to pull them inward. This caused a massive disruption to the star, causing huge amounts of discharges. This in turn destabilized the orbits of their planets.”

  Jii struggled to go on. “They are warriors, you understand? They view their lives as expendable to protect others. The Inado could have easily conquered the Esura. After the Esura, they were more advanced than any race save the Otina. They could have established a vast Empire which would still be standing today. But they knew mosar could use them to conquer the entire galaxy.”

  “What did they do, Jii?”

  “Their inner fleet and defense forces arraigned themselves and when their homeworld was in the right position, they fired all of their weapons at their own planet. The planet wobbled in its orbit. Enough so it started its death spin on that day. Within three months, the planet was wiped clean of life. The inner fleet stayed and watched. Their duty was to destroy any ship which tried to leave the surface. They fired on thousands of their own ships. The deep space fleet was set around their system. Their job was to fire on any of the inner fleet which tried to flee. They destroyed dozens.

  “At the one year mark, the final five ships of the inner fleet set their course for their own sun. The commander sent a simple message: we are going to see the Esurak sunrise tomorrow morning.”

  “Even after their own losses, they still felt the loss of their allies more,” Alex said.

  Jii nodded. “Esurak sunrise is not just something which is almost impossible, it is something that should never have to be. It’s a statement for the greatest sacrifice and a reminder for the Inado of their arrogance and failure.”

  “So that’s what we are up against?”

  “Yes.”

  Alex considered this new information as he ran through the mission on the planet in his mind.

  “The suits you had us design, they also have the moon dust incorporated into their structure?” he asked

  “Correct,” said Jii.

  Alex nodded. “So we slide out of the ship, get you to the lab, you set up the experiment, we get the results, get back to the ship, and report back to the Inado.”

  “Well… yes. But you know what we are up against.”

  “Yeah, I think the lesson is don’t try to go in against mosar with guns blazing. Stealth seems to be our best option. If you’ve found a way to eradicate mosar, then we can start really fighting back rather than just waging a defensive war.”

  “You aren’t scared?”

  “Of course I am. Aren’t you?”

  “Yes. I’m terrified. But you seem very calm for someone who is facing almost certain death.”

  “I’m just ready to do what I have to. Tell me, Jii, why this story? Why did you need to tell me?”

  “I didn’t need to tell you, it was just a way to pass the time. Like I said, I’m terrified and sitting silent for many hours would magnify the terror.”

  “No. You needed to tell me about the Esurak sunrise and what happened to the Esura and the Idano. Why?”

  Jii turned away from Alex. “Because I was the one who discovered mosar. I was the one who told the Esura. I am the one who is to blame.”

  Alex understood Jii. Guilt was a powerful force, and as long as Jii had carried it, there wasn’t a quick way to relieve him of it. And this mission was never intended to succeed. It was intended to pay the debt Jii felt he owed the galaxy.

  “You have eleven suits, Jii.”

  “What?” The alien turned back to Alex. “What about the suits?”

  “You, me, and my team. That’s ten. Why the eleventh suit?”

  “I need Doctor Williams to come along.”

  “Why?”

  “Do I need a reason?”

  “Yes. You do.”

  “I believe the formula will work and I can rid myself of mosar. But if the worst were to happen, I need someone there who can not only record the experiment, but observe what went wrong and carry on my work.”

  “And Williams is your guy?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay,” said Alex. “I need to go get some rest, I think. Tomorrow will be a big prep day.”

  “Have a good rest, Ramirez,” said Jii.

  Alex watched as the alien headed down the hall toward the command room.

  “Roped into a suicide mission once again,” Alex muttered. “I just hope my luck holds out.”

  Chapter 19

  Alex looked over his team as they geared up in the ready room. He was in his suit with his helmet in his hand. On his chest was slung a tilsoc, an advanced hand weapon which worked by destroying mosar. A satchel for supplies and various gear hung over his shoulder.

  “Peterson, McNeill, double check your straps. When the suit seals up, I don’t want you to get cut on twisted straps,” he said.

  “Ramirez,” Williams said. “I have a surprise for you.”

  “I don’t like surprises,” Alex said. “Not twenty minutes before we disembark.”

  “You’ll like this. Take a look.” Williams gestured at two large crates which a couple of the engineers were bringing in.

  “A little something we’ve been working on in the last month.”

  “What are they?” Alex asked.

  “You know the grenades you had to have?”

  “Yeah, and Jii got all pissed and told me I was an idiot.”

  “He said they were worthless against mosar. He didn’t call you an idiot,” Williams said. “And besides, we were able to figure out a way to use them.”

  Alex opened one of the crates and lifted a grenade. “You modified them?”

  Williams nodded.

  “What did you do?”

  “There’s some repair supplies on the ship. You know, so we could patch up the hull in case of damage.”

  “Yeah, we had to do some patch work in the asteroid field. Jii said we were at our most vulnerable then because any breach could allow the mosar in him to communicate.”

  “Exactly. We were able to get the outer hull patched using the automated systems. But once that was sealed up, I had my guys bring in a big panel.”

  Williams lifted the grenade. “We powered the alloy, checked the consistency, and added some of the powder to the frag matrix.”

  Alex smiled. “So these boomers will spray moon dust.”

  Williams nodded. “Yeah, should be able to clear a path if we need it.”

  “How many were you able to make?”

  “Fifty,” Williams said.

  “That’s five each, sounds like plenty,” Alex said.

  “Plenty of what?” Jii asked as he entered the room.

  “Williams here has found a way to make those grenades useful
,” said Alex.

  “Has he?” asked Jii. “Hopefully we won’t have to find out. You know how to use the tilsocs, I assume?”

  “Yes,” Alex said. “Did you know I was shot by one of these once?”

  “Yes, I heard about that. At the time you were unaffected. Don’t forget it can kill you now.” Jii turned and went to the locker which contained his suit.

  Alex smiled at Jii. “Seems like Jii has a gallows humor about him.”

  “I’m not sure,” Williams said. “If he does, that was pretty dark. Almost as dark as you.”

  Alex kept a close eye on his men as they suited up. They all understood even the slightest opening in their suit would allow mosar to detect and infect them.

  “Approaching the planet,” Cowboy said over the comm. “Landing in 2 minutes.”

  “Everybody grab five grenades and then get your helmets on,” Alex ordered.

  He gathered his allotted grenades and then slipped on his helmet. He heard the solid click as he twisted it into place. The visor lit up with his tactical readout. He tested his communications system. This was a silent operation, no audio channel, and his voice would be muted by the structure of the helmet. Instead, a small bio-kinetic keyboard was in the left glove of the suit. He moved his hands to text the phrase:

  ||Comm check||

  He saw each of the members of his team reply:

  ||Check||

  Alex nodded and motioned Fuller and Hendricks to the front. He would go first, they would go next and the rest of the team would follow. Williams and Jii would bring up the rear.

  The ship’s engines shut down and the heavy hum of the thrusters being fired meant they were on approach to the landing site Jii had chosen. He had said it was a large plaza and should be relatively clear of debris.

  Alex worried about that. It had been thousands of years since Jii had last seen his planet. Hopefully nothing more dramatic had happened.

  The ship hit the ground and the covering over the exit tube slid open. Alex hadn’t enjoyed coming up into the ship through the goo, but at least this time he was going down and was wearing a suit.

  Alex motioned to his men and jumped feet first into the green substance which created a semi-liquid plug between the interior of the ship and the alien planet. He felt like he was on the world’s shortest water slide as he dropped the final few feet to the ground. He dropped with his knees bent to make sure his helmet was clear of the tube and dashed forward a few steps. Fuller would be right behind him on a three count.