by Jacen Aster
Henry smirked. “You're not the only people with a few tricks.” Standing for a moment, he reversed his jacket again, once more revealing all his tools before retaking his seat.
Looking a little awed, Vix spoke again. “Damn, that's a useful trick. How the hell does it hide all those tools? I'm a damn good pickpocket and I could have sworn you were a merchant or something.”
Henry laughed. “Don't ask me to explain how it works. An old friend got it for me. Whoever made it is a damn genius. The folds and patterns on the reverse break up the lines and hide the bulges somehow. I've spent hours with a mirror trying to sort it out.”
Vix shook her head, but it was Erond that spoke, finally pushing past his shock. “You're an engineer? Oh, thank God! And Rhaye's super cuteness too. Yes, thank God and Rhaye's super cuteness, or perhaps thank God for Rhaye's super cuteness. Whichever works. Come on, come on! No time to waste. You've got to see it.” He was suddenly on his feet and dragging Henry to his. Henry barely had his feet under him when he was rushed right out of the safe area, back into the tunnels.
As a stunned Henry passed the shop door, he pulled back a bit, slowing the charge. “Wait! Where are we going?”
Trailing behind them, Vix chuckled. “He's taking you to the monument.”
Henry opened his mouth, then thought better of it and closed it. After a moment of thought as he followed Erond, he tried a different tactic. “Are these corridors safe? For that matter, how is your...home, I guess? How is your home safe from the radiation?”
Erond finally spoke up, seeming enthused about the question. “Oh that? That was pretty simple actually. Vix found that first store originally. She was looking for a non-irradiated place to lay low and stumbled upon it. Its fuel line had been cut somehow, so the shop wasn't getting much direct radiation. A few stolen rad absorbers cleared out the rest. After she brought me there, and we started picking up more strays like us, we needed more space. By then, we knew it was the fuel that was contaminated, so I just cut the shops and storage areas out of the system. We drag in fuel manually when it's running safe, and voila, we've got our little paradise right in the middle of a contaminated zone where no one will bother us.”
Henry raised his eyebrows at the simple solution. “Clever.” And it was. Impractical on a large scale, but completely reasonable in the small scale they were pulling it off in.
Erond beamed. “Thanks!” He palmed a service hatch release and led the group through, waving at something within. “And here we are!”
Ducking through the hatch, Henry froze at what he saw on the other side. Now he knew why Vix had called it a monument. They had come out into an enormous community plaza and dead center, in pride of place, was a Crystalline Veraseen System Patrol Craft from the Great War. It was mounted, nose up, on a massive stand, easily thirty meters long. More importantly, however, there were crystals growing from it everywhere, stabbing into the surrounding decking. “What the hell!”
Erond gave a dry chuckle. “Looks a sight now, but it was way more subtle before we tried to stop it the first half dozen times or so. How much do you know about the Veraseen Crystal Tech?”
Henry frowned. “Not much. There isn't that much of it left. It was all pretty much a memory by the time humans joined the galactic community. I've always found it fascinating, though limited.”
Erond nodded. “Fair enough. I guess it's story time then.” He waved at the patrol ship. “This ship was one of the very last Crystal Craft. One of the few that survived the end of the Great War fifty years ago. By that time, the Veraseen had mostly been forced over to conventional tech. Crystal ships were powerful but time consuming to grow. At the end of the war, this one was ‘gifted’ by the Veraseen as a monument to represent the peace brought by the end of the war.” He sighed and ran a hand through his wild hair. “From there, the rest of this is just guesswork. From what I've seen, and can guess, some of the Veraseen must have plotted revenge. They rigged this ship to, in fifty years on the dot from its gifting, use its crystal tech to bore through the platform and find the nearest fuel line. From there, it releases nano-crystals into the station's fuel supply. The crystals alter the fuel on a fundamental level, changing it into a dangerously unstable irradiated form. This spread through the whole station, first slowly, then once it blew reactor fifteen six months ago it sped up drastically, using the damaged reactor to mask the cause of suddenly irradiated fuel. By the time anyone realized it wasn't caused by the reactor, it had suffused so much of the station that they couldn't find the source.”
Henry, looking pensive, asked the important question. “So how did you try to stop it, and why does it look far less than subtle now?”
Erond grimaced. “Those are related actually. It was pure luck that we found out what was happening. We are so close to the monument that the crystals being injected into the fuel haven't completely broken down into their nano components yet. They are just barely visible mixed in with the fuel. We tracked them back to the ship, found the places the ship was connected, and hacked away at the crystal. We thought that if we cut off the crystal so it couldn't reach the lines, it would stop.”
Henry nodded, seeing where this was going. “But it didn't. Instead, it saw its mission threatened and sent out a lot more, and more obvious, crystal spikes.”
“Exactly.”
“So...how are you fixing it then?”
Suddenly, Vix, who had drifted off to a few ripped up floor panels with gear around them, rapped a tool against the housing of what looked like...a makeshift regulator? “With this. We found an industrial fuel regulator and programmed it to filter out the crystals while they were still sizable. Problem is, the program in the crystals is smart enough to attack the device. So, the crystals break it, we fix it, and then they break it again.”
“Thus the random spikes and falls of the radiation. Again, clever, but just a stopgap.”
Erond nodded firmly. “We know. That's why we need a professional to fix this. Sure, a few of us might know enough to get this far, but we're out of options for a long-term fix.”
Henry sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Well crap. This is pretty esoteric. I might be able to sort it out, but there's a decent chance it's booby trapped. I should probably go back and try to pull information on the crystal tech. I may even be able to recruit a few people to bring out here and look at this. If I tell them what I ‘found’ out here, they should be willing to commit a team to check it out. We'll have to approach from somewhere else though, so they don't see any of you. Best we hold off on them knowing you're here until I can contact a few people I know on the outside.”
Vix looked worried. “Harper, if they've realized you went missing, it might not be that easy.”
Henry frowned. “You think they'll arrest me?”
She hesitated. “Maybe not, since you're an engineer, but they might. If they know you talked to us, they definitely will. Can't risk you spreading the word.”
Henry hesitated for a moment then shrugged. “It's still the best choice. I might be able to sort this out myself if push comes to shove. With no false modesty, I'm a thoroughly brilliant engineer, but it would still be safer for the station as a whole to have people to double and triple check. I mean, for all we know, the whole thing could blow if we screw up.”
Both Vix and Erond reluctantly agreed and within a few minutes Vix was leading Henry back to the tent city by a different route.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
As soon as Henry laid eyes on entrance to the tent town, he knew he was in trouble. Rilirta was there, flanked by a half dozen security types, and they didn't look happy. Vix had disappeared, smart that one, and Henry didn't even get a word in before he was surrounded.
Rilirta, sounding both angry and smug, spoke over Henry's attempts to explain himself. “Henry Harper of Earth, you are under arrest for consorting with vandals and thieves, as well as for abandoning your team and observer.”
Henry, now in stun cuffs, finally managed to g
et a word in. “It's not like that, Rilirta. They're just scared kids. Besides, they tracked down what's wrong with the station. You should be giving them a medal!”
Rilirta just sniffed disdainfully. “As if those hooligans could operate anything more complicated than a spanner. They are lying to you to gain your sympathy, at best. At worst, you're just trying to get yourself out of trouble. No, you shall not spin your tales to me, or anyone else. You'll get your date in court when the station is safe and not before. Take him away.”
Henry tried several more times, with even less success, to make himself heard. Eventually, he was shoved in a makeshift solitary cell. Minus his tools, of course. It had, in the usual way of Trabella Station bureaucracy, taken several hours to process him. It was now the dead of night and Henry kicked the exosteel sheet serving as a prison wall in frustration.
Just as he was about to flop onto the cell's rickety cot, he heard a small noise from the wall he had just kicked. Moving to put his ear to it in curiosity, he nearly lost that ear to a small cutting torch flame. He had no time to gape at this development, as there was a horrific clang from in front of the small jail, followed by several more, and then loud shouting from security. The flame cutter quickly peeled free a small opening and Vix's head peered in.
“Well? What are you waiting for? Get moving. The others can't distract them forever.”
Henry didn't bother replying. He darted to the wall and squeezed through the small opening, coming face-to-face with Vix and Rhaye. Rhaye tossed him his jacket, complete with tools and portable—he was going to have to get the story of how that had been managed later— then Vix grabbed his arm and tugged him away. Minutes later, they had made it into the winding labyrinth of the station unseen.
Huffing to a stop, all three struggled for air. Henry took a few labored breaths before he managed to get out, “Not that I'm not extremely grateful, but wasn't that dangerous? They'll start actively hunting you now, instead of just ignoring you.”
Vix grimaced. “No help for it. We didn't mention it earlier, but it's getting worse. Erond doesn't think we can contain it much longer. We need a real engineer. One that is willing to help us. You're the only one we know that fits the bill. No point being safe in hiding if we all go down with the station. It's not like any of the Forgotten would make it to evacuation.”
Henry cringed. “Fair point. For what it's worth, you have my help, and for more than just the sabotage. I've got a few friends in high places off station. Once we're sure we're not all going to blow up, I'll make sure you get help. All of you.”
Vix caught his eyes, staring straight into them for a moment before gruffly saying, “Maybe you will. I believe you'll try at any rate. I just hope those friends are as good as you think they are.” Turning abruptly, she made a jerky motion for them to keep moving.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
Henry took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and exhaled in a silent three count. He no longer remembered where he'd picked up the little centering exercise and couldn't say he really used it on any sort of regular basis. Which might be why it didn't seem to be working. Shaking his head, as if to shed the errant thoughts, he focused on the secondary hatch of the Veraseen patrol ship, brutally smothering another random thought, this one wishing Vivian was here. The security on the hatch was honestly beyond him and the kids had told him that bad things happened when you tried to cut your way in. As evidenced by the spiky crystalline shield over the primary entrance. They had apparently tried to get in pretty early on. Erond had nearly lost his arm. Thank God, Vix, and probably a super cute Rashanta thief, had retrieved his portable. Without his personal archives, including a large number of useful programs he'd begged, borrowed, or liberated from Viv over the years, there would be no chance at all he could do this. As it was, he figured it was maybe fifty-fifty.
Vix, the closest thing the Forgotten had to a security expert, leaned over his shoulder. Taking in the streaming lines of code on his portable, she gave a low whistle. “Okay, that looks stupidly complex. You can actually understand that?”
Henry shrugged. “Only about half of it, honestly. The program was a gift from the same person that got me the coat. You'd like her.”
She squinted at him. “Hmmm, I think I would. You'll have to introduce me. If we don't die, that is.”
Henry nodded and tapped more commands on his portable. Suddenly, it dinged. “What? Since when does it ding?” He tapped through several screens, trying to find the source of the ding.
Vix's voice put a few notable deserts to shame. “Not inspiring a lot of confidence here, Harper.”
Henry didn't respond. He'd found his ding. “Oh, oh that's useful.”
Vix's eyebrows rose. “What's useful?”
“It's got a species identifier. I can't break the security completely, but I can add another Veraseen to the approved access list, and you, my delightful young friend, are conveniently a Veraseen.”
She stared at him for a long moment. “You just don't want to try the door yourself, do you?”
He gave a wide smile. “Maybe, but you'll never know. Now, if you can provide your biometrics for the scanner...there we are. Now, open the hatch. Oh, and try not to die.”
She looked at him a bit cross. “I'm not sure if I like you, or I want to kill you.” Nevertheless, she stepped forward, and with only a minor hesitation she tried the entry panel. There was a short pause where they all held their breath. Then the hatch slid open with no more fuss than a slight hiss of air as pressures equalized.
Henry let out the breath he was holding as Erond and Rhaye cheered. He smiled and let them have a moment before interjecting, “Alright! Settle down. We still don't know if there's any internal security, so let’s take this nice and slow.”
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
As it happened, there hadn't been any additional security, not even on the ship's computers. Once Henry had gotten them in, with Vix's biometrics smoothing the way, they quickly found the bridge and were able to access the controls for the sabotage equipment. But Henry had been hesitating for over a minute, staring at the controls.
Erond, impatient, finally cracked. “What the hell are you waiting for? Shut it down.”
Henry, instead of complying, shook his head and backed away. “No, it's too easy. Something's wrong.”
Vix nodded, but Erond frowned. “Too easy? After everything we've been through, are you crazy?”
Henry, head still shaking, turned and moved toward the bridge exit. “No, you didn't have a proper engineer. There's really only been one layer of actual security. That's wrong. Sloppy. It doesn't fit. I'm going to physically check the sabotage equipment before we do anything.”
Erond looked ready to protest, but Vix laid her hand on his shoulder, which also prompted Rhaye to grab hold of his leg and look adorable. “Relax. We've waited this long, we can wait a little bit longer. Better to be careful.” Henry wasn't sure if it was the logic or Rhaye that stopped Erond’s protest cold. Dangerous creature that one.
The others followed him as he worked his way through the alien ship, checking every step of the way for any nasty surprises. They found the first such surprise when they reached the hatch for the cargo compartment holding the sabotage gear. There was a second security network for that room alone. Thankfully, this one was of non-Veraseen make and Henry knew the model. It had once been a top-of-the-line unit, but fifty years later it was too old and too familiar to pose a serious obstacle and they were swiftly into the cargo bay. Sitting front and center was a mass of crystal, all originating from a busted open floor panel, under which the seed crystal and programming black box had been hidden.
Vix looked at it with a little bit of reverence. “It built itself. Damn, that's amazing tech.”
Henry nodded as he edged closer, letting his portable do a deep scan. “It is. The Veraseen had some truly amazing, and beautiful, tech. The envy of a dozen systems at least. It was superior to everything else in this region of space but it took too
long to grow the crystals. When they faced a war of attrition their crystal tech, for all its superior nature, just couldn't keep up. By the end of the war, there was virtually nothing left of the crystal nano-tech they had used. I'm honestly amazed they found one surviving that was sophisticated enough to pull this off.”
Vix shrugged. “I'm not. It's probably a relic. While the modern military stuff was all used in the war, plenty of families had, even still have in a few cases I suspect, archaic models. Mostly in private collections. With fifty years to grow, even three or four hundred-year-old systems would be able to do this.”
Henry looked interested and was about to ask if she knew where to find some, when his portable abruptly let out a shrill warning and a piece of crystal flew at him. He hit the deck just in time and all four of them scrambled to get out as the crystal woke and spikes began forming to strike at them. Henry resealed the door, sighed in relief, and then paled as he registered what his portable had been telling him. He lunged to his feet and set out for the bridge at a dead run.
The others, not as used to ships, took nearly a full minute to catch him. They found him speaking to himself as he frantically manipulated the controls. “No! No! No! No! There has to be a way to stop it!”
“Henry, what's going on?” Erond's voice was worried.
When Henry didn't respond, Vix stepped forward and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Harper!”
He batted her hand away. “Not now, damn it! The scan triggered a self-destruct. This ship's core is going critical. I've got to stop it.”
Strangled cries came from Vix and Erond and a whimper from Rhaye as they registered what he said. Erond's voice was edging into panic as he said, “We've got to get out of here. Evacuate the Forgotten to the tent city. It doesn't matter what they'll do to us if we all die.”
Vix took one look at him, another at a trembling Rhaye and closed her eyes. “That won't help. An engine core detonation this deep into the station, the already weakened station, would crack her like an egg.” Proceeding to ignore them completely, she walked up to Henry and bit out, “What do you need?”
