by Frank Carey
"A trip to an Expanse dig site courtesy of E. R. Dexi Company?" Nebulon said. "Is this for real?"
"Yep," Ciara said. "This company, which is probably a shell corporation, sponsors a working vacation for select professors and students. The professors get to gather data for papers, the students gain valuable experience, and the company keeps whatever is found. This group was the first one to go out."
"We need to get on the next trip."
"My thoughts exactly. No one seems to know where this dig is. The company calls the planet Rhanna, which doesn't appear in any planetary catalog. The Profs said they were in FTL for about eighteen hours. The only oddity was a power surge that occurred halfway through the trip and lasted only a second or so."
"Eighteen hours?" Jason said as he went to the holotable and typed in some commands. "Unless that ship has a jacked FTL drive, this is where it could have gone in eighteen hours, assuming it left from Orinoco.” On the table a spherical volume of space was outlined. "There are no known habitable planets inside the Expanse within this volume."
"If it were inside League space and the person we saw emerge from the orb was there, wouldn't his tag be picked up by SpaceNet?" Carla asked.
"She's right," Ciara said. "In fact, if the ship was using one of the tagged orb generators, it too would show up on SpaceNet. We've checked and none of the tags were found anywhere near the route the ship was following."
"We'll go," Nebulon said. "Jason and I will go on the trip while Carla and Nat act as backup in case the ship returns without us. If we're correct, we have the orb as a backup escape route."
"I'm with Nebulon on this. We can't have any more orbs taking out civilians. We have to find the source, and this is our best shot."
"Nat?" Ciara asked.
"I'm with them."
"Carla?"
"What?"
"Are you going with them on this mission? Did I forget to tell you I talked with Nebulon while you were in route to the Tetrahedron, and I talked with these two while the Doc was getting looked at. They all think you should be part of the team."
"But I don't work here."
Ciara handed her a pad. "Thumbprint here and here. Now you work here. Want to get to work?"
"Yes, I would love to," she said as she started to tear up.
"I'll pull some strings to get you two on the next excursion. I suggest you all go over the reports while you're waiting. I'll let you know your departure time."
With that she ushered them out the door and got to work making arrangements.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Several lunar cycles passed before the sound of thunder reverberated through the village. "Odd, the storms are not due for several more weeks," Kederan, the shaman said as she looked for storm clouds.
"There!" a villager yelled as she pointed to the sky. Slowing for a landing was a small space liner with unknown markings on its hull. It passed over the village on a heading that would take it directly to the ruins. They watched in horror as it landed in the middle of the site, near the orb pit.
###
On the rise, Lexa and Doma were also aware of the landing. They had just relieved the morning team and were settling in when the ship passed overhead and landed in the clear area near the orb pit.
"It's a spaceship, but not one from our past. This part of space was decimated by the war, so where could it have come from?"
Lexa pulled a general-purpose scanner from her pack and aimed it at the ship. "I'm getting neutrino emissions consistent with an antimatter generator. The Fabricator mentioned that the orb generators are antimatter-powered."
"Those idiots figured out how to adapt our technology for use in their ships. We have grossly underestimated them," Veak said as he walked up to their vantage point. "I hope they were able to lick the stability problems," he said as he watched them through Lexa's field glasses. "Hmmmm. More visitors," he said as he watched a group of about a dozen people walk off the ship and into the main tent. They emerged a short time later carrying a variety of digging tools. "Unless I've gone blind, they resemble our archaeologists. Probably here to clean up after that explosion."
"Father, I'm glad you're here. We recorded someone carrying something you might be interested in," Lexa said as she activated the playback on the recorder. On the small screen was a person carrying what looked like a metal book.
"One of the Histories!" he said as he recognized it immediately. "This ends now. Come with me."
They quickly returned to the village where he gathered his finest warriors and set off to the ruins. Knowing the off-worlders were tracking their movements by the bots hovering over the site, he decided that veiling was not necessary.
When they were within twenty meters of the buildings, tall poles shot out from the ground followed by a hum and the smell of electricity.
Veak called a halt and walked up to one of the poles. He took his spear and poked the air between it and the next pole. Sparks arced from the spear tip as sheets of light danced between the two poles. The fireworks display seemed to cause consternation amongst the outworlders who ran up to the fence and motioned to Veak and his people to step back. Veak looked at them for a moment before placing something in his ear and aiming his scanner at them.
"I damn well know what a force field is, so you can cut the crap. I want to speak with your leader, now," he said as the scanner translated. The looks on the off-worlder's faces were priceless.
The woman that Lexa and Doma had seen before, walked up and stood near the fence with her arms crossed. "So, you've got some pretty remarkable tech there. Want to explain what the hell you're doing here?"
"Vacation. What's your story?"
"Field trip. Why don't you and your little troop run off and kill a squirrel while we get about our business?"
"Your business seems to be plundering archaeological sites. Does your government know about this?"
"No, not that's it's any of your business, or is it?"
"Maybe, maybe not," he said as he saw them bring out blasters. "One thing though, the devices are old and unstable. The books are sacred. Can I convince you to give us the books without having to shed blood in the process?"
"I'll think about it. Meantime, why don't you and your tribe give us some breathing space?"
"We go by davit. Sure, just don't hurt yourself playing in those buildings. They're unstable. By the way, the name is Veak."
"Well, Veak, I'll keep your warning in mind," she said as she and her men turned to walk away. "My name is Fiona, by the way," she said in passing.
"Fiona, a nice sounding name. I'd hate to see it carved on a tree at the head of your grave. See you around Fiona." Veak said as he turned his group around, veiling as they walked away.
"How the hell do they do that?" Fiona asked as she looked at empty space where the davits had stood only moments ago.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Nebulon sat at the table pouring over the interviews of the scientists and their assistants. They all told the same story. When they arrived on-site, it was overcast. There were several buildings in various states of decay. Most were taped off for later investigation. They all worked in one building where a sort of library had some sort of cave in. Their job was to carefully unearth and catalog a number of metal books which were trapped in the rubble. It was all basic archaeology which was great for both the Profs and the assistants. They took many notes, took lots of pictures, and had a great time.
Nebulon examined several of the photographs, each showing a page from one of the metal books. They were written in ancient Erdexi and what looked like possibly four other languages, all of which were unfamiliar to Nebulon. Jackpot! She thought as she examined the pictures. These could be keys to yet undiscovered civilizations that once existed in the expanse. I need to see these books in person. The books seemed to tell of events that occurred in the expanse when the Erdexi race was at its height, but there were references to a war of some kind. They seemed to be some sort of journal or diar
y. According to the scientists, there were hundreds of them in this one room alone. They said that the books were taken to another room as they were unearthed, presumably for the purpose of cleaning followed by a more detailed examination. One scientist said he overheard someone mentioning Nebulon's name as a source for a limited translation of the books.
Who the hell would be using me as a reference for a translation? Whoever they were, they had to know enough to realize they were dealing with ancient Erdexi, which only a few in her field would recognize, she thought to herself as she examined the pictures. Unfortunately, the photographs only recorded a fraction of the books or their pages. Nebulon felt that she was close to the answer to this riddle. She just needed a little more information.
Hunched over the desk too long, Nebulon stood up and stretched as Natalie walked past. Nebulon looked over and saw her favoring her right arm. Before she could say anything, Jason walked over to her and gently took hold of the limb.
“Nat, is that servo acting up again?" Jason asked as she let him examine her arm. Carla, who had been in the galley fixing a sandwich, moved next to Nebulon.
“Servo?” she asked. Nebulon could only shrug and shake her head.
“Here, let me look at it," he said. He reached behind her shoulder and pressed a spot near the joint. The arm popped off. Jason took it completely off revealing something wraith-like. “Why don’t you take a break, you’ve been in there a while,” he said as he turned his attention to the arm.
“Good idea,” Nat said as she pressed a spot on her neck. “I hope you two don’t mind.”
Nebulon and Carla could only shake their heads and watch in disbelief as Natalie’s body split open along several seams to reveal a glowing, human sized being, but non-human, maybe even non-corporeal.
“Ummm, that feels good,” she said as she stepped out and walked around. She had large eyes, motile hair, and limbs that pushed the boundary between skeletal and tentacle. Most noticeably she looked as if she were on fire.
“You're an Orta,” Nebulon said quietly as she stared.
“What’s an Orta?” Carla asked which elicited a sharp look from Nebulon. "What? I led a sheltered life."
“Carla, my race is one of the founders of the League. Because of our vastly different physiology, most of us don’t leave the confines of our home world. I am one of the few who enjoys it,” she said as she moved around the room, stretching.
“Why the suit?” Carla asked as she examined Nat’s shell.
“Though I can survive short exposures to your environment, I would eventually expire. The suit provides me with the correct conditions while allowing me anonymity and mobility.
"But we were taught you were a myth," Nebulon said as she watched Natalie's fluid motion.
"Yes. Though we saw the necessity of creating the League, most of my kind hasn't found the necessity of interacting with its inhabitants."
"Most of them are recluses, present company excepted," Jason said as he finished the arm. He reattached it to the torso and pressed another spot which ran the appendage through its self-diagnostics. "Good as new," he said.
"That's why we've never been invited to your room and why you don't eat."
"Jason most graciously retrofitted my room with Orta decorating and high-powered microwave generators. While my suit recharges, I gain sustenance from the radiation. Exposure for even a second would kill most League species.”
"We use Nat's room to flash-thaw meals when the galley oven is on the fritz."
"Thanks for the warning," Carla said. "I guess slumber parties are out."
In moments, Natalie had returned to her same old human-form self. "Ah, it feels good to get out, but I was getting cold. Thanks for the fix, boss," she said, giving him a peck on the cheek as she headed into the cockpit.
"How did you two really meet?" Nebulon asked, remembering their previous conversation.
"It was when I first took command of the Ascendant. I was looking for a First Mate at Orinoco when I found her in a hallway. Her mobile had broken down and she was freezing to death. I got her into Ascendant and threw her into a spare hot-transport module, where she stayed until I fixed her suit. We've been together ever since."
Nebulon looked around and smiled.
"What's up?" Carla asked.
"I just realized that this is the first time I've been part of a rag-tag group of explorers."
"I prefer to think of us as a motley crew," Jason quipped.
"I second that," Nat said as she returned to the cabin.
"Works for me," Carla added.
They all broke out in needed laughter.
Their merriment was interrupted by the beep of the commlink. "Go for Ascendant," Nat said as she slipped on a headset. "Uh huh. Got it. We'll be waiting. Ascendant out. Boss, that was Ciara on the link. She's stopping by for a confab," she informed them as she removed the headset and placed it back on the radio console.
"I need to get ready," Jason said as he pulled out a bottle of bourbon and four glasses. "There, done," he said as there was a knock at the hatch followed by Ciara walking in.
"Ah, you shouldn't have done anything special," Ciara said as she sat down at the table and poured four stiff ones. "Station monitoring picked up an unusual energy spike from in here. Nat, I assume Nebulon now knows your little secret?"
"Yes, ma'am. I ran around the room all naked like."
"Sorry I missed it. The op is on. Here are your credentials and tickets. The ship leaves in forty-eight hours, which gives you plenty of time to go buy some gear and get to the station. Here are the recommended shopping lists, though I would guess Nebulon knows this stuff by heart. You have an open account at stores. Here are your trackers. Remember, they're only good for about eighteen hours, so take them after you arrive."
"Take them? How?" Nebulon asked as she examined the aspirin-sized object.
"Swallow them. By the way, they're disposable and biodegradable. They activate when they hit the stomach."
"The old ones required a different method of placement. They were designed to latch onto the wall of your colon." Jason said.
Nebulon blanched at the thought.
"That's it. Keep safe, keep in touch, and good journey," Ciara said as she left, taking the bottle with her.
"I'm going to prep Ascendant. Why don't you ladies go shopping? Nat knows what fits me."
The three ladies left without argument. On their way to stores, Nebulon broached a delicate subject with Nat and Carla. "I don't know how to bring this up, but Jason mentioned he and Ciara were going to be married, but that he broke it off."
"He left her at the altar," Carla corrected her.
"And you want to know what happened and why they're still friends."
"Yes, but I don't want to pry."
"What do you know about Ciara?" Nat asked.
"You know, like her species," Carla continued.
"I know she's Venlanten," Nebulon said. She had read it in her briefing.
"Right, the source of the Earth vampire legends. Today, there are supplements that eliminate the need for them to feed off humans. When their colony ship crashed there two thousand years ago, they didn't have that luxury." Nat continued.
"But under certain conditions, a Venlanten will have an overwhelming urge to feed, even though they don't need to," Carla said. "They call the condition 'Relapse.' "
"A few days before the wedding, in the middle of the night, Jason woke up and found Ciara about to feed on him," Nat said. "She had Relapsed while sound asleep."
"He grabbed her and woke her. Embarrassed and frightened, she ran out of the room and disappeared for over a year," Carla said. "He looked everywhere for her while he made up the story about the breakup to let her save face. There's a stigma attached to Relapse."
"He eventually took a job with OffSec, hoping he could use their resources to find her. One day, he was sent to pick up the new Director. It was Ciara," Nat said. "They spent the whole trip talking it out."
"They've been friends ever since," Carla said, finishing the story. "We're here."
Nebulon followed them inside the shop, dumbstruck by what she had just heard.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
The Ascendant arrived at Orinoco station where it docked several berths away from the Ionis. The dockside was quiet, as usual, with only a few people out and about. Nebulon looked out the cockpit window and commented, "I didn't realize how much I missed field work."
Jason looked up at her. "When this is all over, why don't you find an expedition to join up with? Hell, I'll bet credits to confections that Ciara already has arranged a few to explore the Expanse. I think you'd be perfect to lead one."
"It's not that simple."
Jason put his tablet down and gently took her hands in his. "You are the lead investigator for Cube Operations. Your work at Tennosh was exemplary. Your work here is exemplary. If Ciara wants something, she'll make it happen. The Expanse has been ignored too long, and it cost us a planet. We have to send the best people out there to find out what's going on, and you're one of the best."
"Would you come with me?" she asked, "I mean all of you?"
"Doc, we're Survey Team One, and you're our leader. Of course, we'd go. Nat loves exploring, and Carla would have all sorts of men around her."
"What about you? What do you want?"
"To fly. To be with the people I care for. I'm happiest when I'm here, taking the three of you to the next great adventure."
Nat stuck her head into the cockpit and announced, "I hate to break this up, but it's time."
A few minutes later, after hugs and goodbyes, Nebulon and Jason walked off the Ascendant and headed down the dock to the Ionis. "Be safe, both of you," Carla said as she and Nat watched them walk away, leaving the safety of the Ascendant behind.
