“What have you got to lose?” asked Snee Vasten suddenly. “My men raped your woman because my Captain was as twisted and violent as the Kuth. He served as a terrible role model and influenced each of us with his cruel streak. I am better off without him and have gained better control of my men. Those who committed the crime against the woman have already been punished by your people. I did not have to throw them in with Yakiir soldiers, but I chose to as a message for the rest of them.”
“That was… unexpected. We are grateful for that.”
“Look at it this way,” Vasten continued. “Your people hate mine and vice versa, so the violence goes on with only the Kuth benefitting from it. Isn’t it time to accept the opportunity we have been given to free ourselves of their influence? Isn’t that worth at least some risk?”
“There is plenty of room in this galaxy,” added Adam reassuringly. “Each clan can have their own world, far enough away from the others to avoid trouble. You can live the lives you’ve fought for all these centuries. It would make the sacrifice of all your ancestors actually worth something.”
Wonin and his men stepped closer to the port window, taking a much closer look at a planet only imagined in their dreams. All three of them were lifers in space – none of them had ever walked on any world even faintly resembling the wondrous sight that now shone brightly in front of them. “So much water,” one of the three mumbled softly. “Without war, there would never again be a shortage of it.” The third man nodded in agreement and their eyes shifted back to the forward window and its view of the Pathfinder, which continued to grow steadily larger as the Ali Rinai closed in on it. She looked huge and menacing now, a massive vessel capable of inflicting quite a bit of damage. I see only one ship, Wonin thought silently, his gaze drifting to settle on Adam. But he too is only one man, and against all odds he has survived, even against the Kuth, long enough to bring us here.
“I will speak to my men,” Kra Wonin declared suddenly, prompting a small smile from Adam. “If you wish to do damage to the Kuth and their facility, we will not intervene. We will give you the time that you have repeatedly asked us for in order to prove your claims are true. I regret not doing so sooner, but until I saw this place there was simply no way to know whether or not your claims were true. Trust does not come easily within the boundaries of the Wasteland, as you well know.”
“Together we will build a new trust,” predicted Adam, right before the Ali Rinai passed through the Pathfinder’s transit portal. In a brilliant flash of green light, the warship returned to the Wasteland just as swiftly as it had left.
But now it was within striking distance of a very large, significant military installation.
PROJECT WASTELAND
Pathfinder Series: Book Two
Chapter XII: The Absence Of Morality
Aboard the Ali Rinai…
Snee Vasten arrived in the starboard cargo bay only moments after the warship arrived at its destination. Adam and his Crasel friends were waiting patiently for him, the former glancing immediately toward Vasten with obvious interest. “Are we in position?” he asked curiously.
“Yes,” nodded Vasten confidently. “All of the external logos on the outer hull have been repainted to match the images we saw on Admiral Deek’s vessel. We’re far enough away from the facility to prevent a close visual inspection, and our damaged, starboard side is facing away. Unless they send out shuttles or other escort craft, no one should notice a thing. That fake communications personality you have running up in Command has already successfully hailed them and received an encrypted acceptance in response. They’ll be expecting visitors, although they were admittedly curious as to why one ship in the convoy chose to leave the others behind.”
“That can easily be explained once we arrive. Or… not explained. Thanks Mr. Vasten.”
Snee held out several black and white photos printed from the ship’s navigation telescope. “Take a look… this installation of theirs appears to be a long, simple pole-shape with a circular habitat ring spinning around the center of it. The whole thing is hovering near a dark, crater-covered asteroid. Estimated crew complement, at least fourteen hundred officers and enlisted men.”
“That’s a lot of people to fight our way past,” grumbled Arte Kasik.
“Relax, our objective on this mission is to minimize confrontation,” Adam replied calmly, flipping through the photos one by one as he scrutinized them closely. “What are these?” he asked, pointing toward a series of white spots barely visible in the asteroid’s shadow.
“Missile racks,” said Vasten grimly. “There are at least three hundred quashing missiles, by our estimates, concealed behind the facility itself. Fortunately for us, only a couple of dozen appear to be armed with a warhead. That would explain why the convoy’s communications traffic went ballistic after you killed the Admiral. I think they badly needed the resources from that planet… a planet that, according to you, is no longer there. I suggest you not be over there when they find out about that.”
“How long do we have until those communications signals arrive here?”
Vasten did the math silently in his head. “I estimate at least ten hours, assuming no other ships are lurking close enough to receive the message sooner. If there are other vessels, they will proceed here immediately upon receiving the convoy’s transmissions. A quick series of PTP transits from a closer location will allow the Yakiir to catch us off guard. Also, as soon as the message reaches a planet or moon-based facility with a high-powered, Point-to-Point transceiver, every Yakiir vessel in the Wasteland will know. There is no way to predict when that will occur.”
“Does this kind of military base have a transceiver like that?”
“Of course. So you might want to keep in mind that, as soon as these people know who we are, the Caucus will know also.”
Buttoning the dress jacket of his Yakiir uniform, Adam frowned deeply. “As soon as you detect anything that seems out of the ordinary or threatens the Ali Rinai, move this ship out of weapons range and transit to a safe location. We’ll find our way back to you, once matters over there are settled.”
“How?” Vasten appeared to be genuinely confused by the statement.
“You’re about to see a demonstration of Person-to-Point transit,” replied Adam firmly, his eyes studying the lone quashing missile still resting in the cargo bay. Like its former companion, this one was also fitted with a functional warhead and all it lacked was the necessary guidance programming. He chuckled at the perplexed look on Vasten’s face. “It’s the same method of travel that allowed me to ‘walk’ back to the engine room after you and your Captain successfully blew me out into space.”
The Crasel were also wearing Yakiir military dress uniforms and fully armed with brand new rifles, something that Vasten took immediate notice of. “Don’t you usually work alone?” he asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.
An electronic surge of blue electricity crawled across Adam’s body with sudden loud snapping and popping sounds, gradually shifting and altering his image. His height appeared to increase by nearly six inches, and his facial features transformed into a completely different but easily recognizable humanoid. Vasten felt a slight chill as the face of Admiral Deek turned unexpectedly toward him and smiled malevolently. “Adam Roh works alone,” the new image declared bluntly. “But the Admiral never goes anywhere without an escort. By the time they figure out what’s really going on over there, we should be back on board and long since gone.”
“Let us hope so,” agreed Vasten with an appreciative nod. “Are you certain you want us to just up and leave the vicinity if something goes wrong?” he asked reluctantly. “What if you require assistance?”
“Make certain Kra Wonin keeps his word this time,” responded Adam, choosing to ignore the remote possibility. “If any of the Yakiir whose loyalty he guaranteed should try to signal the facility, the communications AI will instantly activate a jamming network and relay locations to you, just as before. Un
fortunately, that will also alert those on the facility and you’ll have no choice but to leave.” He sighed, resigning himself to the fact that he couldn’t save everyone. “If the Yakiir betray us again, then I’ve already decided they do not come with us to Proteus when we leave the Wasteland,” he growled irritably. “They’ll have to make a new home for themselves in whatever conditions we leave behind, with or without Kuth.”
In front of him, a huge glowing sphere of golden energy appeared, expanding fast to a size that could accommodate several humanoids at once. “Follow me fellows,” Adam stated with assurance toward the Kuth. He waved a casual hand toward them for added emphasis. “Our destination is the central computer system on that station. We go in search of their remaining secrets.” The face that appeared to be Admiral Deek turned one last time toward Snee Vasten. “Stand by in Command to receive an upload,” he told his trusted colleague. “The AI will process it automatically and begin decrypting everything immediately.”
Nervously at first, and then more confidently, the Crasel followed him into the center of the transit barrier.
Kuth military base, central level…
Thomas opened the other end of the portal in an abandoned cargo bay on board the Kuth facility, since it was roomy, currently drawing no power, and had the best chance of therefore being empty. It was a huge chamber, and the glow from transit offered Adam a brief glimpse of the interior as he and his four friends emerged on the opposite side of the energy barrier. [“Thanks Thomas,”] he thought gratefully in response. [“No one is here and it’s totally dark… this should give us the tactical advantage right from the start.”]
[“Thank the AI-program, not me,”] his brother suggested. [“The artificial intelligence personality is responsible for obtaining specifications of this facility using stolen military access codes from that convoy.”]
The remains of a smoldering wooden crate that was cleanly dissolved by the portal’s appearance crunched beneath their boots.
The first thing they noticed was that the air smelled awful… it was filled with the scent of rotting things. Next the Crasel activated the search lights on the front of their brand new rifles and began angling the stabbing beams of bright light around, illuminating large, leaking barrels and wooden crates filled with supplies. If the men hadn’t known better, the bay could easily have passed for a similar storage area on the Ali Rinai or on board the supply shuttle with the single exception being that this one was so much larger. Together they moved cautiously and swiftly toward one of the exit hatchways, a large sealed door that opened out into a main corridor. Now that they were physically standing within the facility, Adam’s implant was able to conduct a brief scan of the surrounding area and put up a partial map on his eye HUD. Although Nori was currently handling Sentinel duties, Thomas remained a strong presence in Adam’s mind, softly but surely providing him with instructions.
[“When you leave that chamber,”] Adam’s brother cautioned, [“do not draw attention to the fact that the lights are out. Behave like an Admiral who is moving from an outer docking area toward the critical computer core. Your escorts should behave likewise. There may be personnel outside that door, but they shouldn’t notice anything unless you specifically draw attention to yourselves.”]
[“Most of this cargo bay is empty,”] Adam noted with a quick glance backward, studying the large areas of bare metal flooring as lights from the rifles swept back and forth across the room.
[“I was 90 percent certain,”] his brother replied grimly. [“Stealth will get you farther in a place like that than any number of fighting men will. Just go out there and remember to BE the Admiral you appear to be.”]
Cren Hollis and Tran Wuu emerged though the hatchway first, marching side by side into a corridor that could have easily accommodated four men walking alongside each other. Adam followed, dong his best to maintain an expression that properly reflected the arrogance and utter condescension of the Admiral. They hadn’t met all that long ago, so the image of the man was still fresh in his mind. Bringing up the rear were Arte Kasik and Janney Stox. Stox paused just long enough to push the hatch closed, but didn’t take the time to lock it. He charged down the empty corridor after his friends in a quick run, resuming his position in the group. It didn’t take them long to notice that the walk seemed to take forever – whatever else it might be, the installation they had chosen to visit could never be accurately described as small.
They passed several key checkpoints monitored by armed guards, men who simply waved them through. None of them dared say anything, and it was plainly obvious to both Adam and his friends that the extra green stripes, along with all of the medals and ribbons adorning the Admiral’s uniform, told them everything that they needed to know. So they continued walking, occasionally returning the brief ‘palm to the head’ salutes that they received from the Yakiir security forces. Adam watched the signs on the walls carefully, easily reading and translating the alien script, making certain that they were moving toward the facility’s computer core. Arrows pointed in other directions as well, including references to a ‘bio lab’, ‘detention area’ and ‘missile production’.
“Look at how clean this place is,” hissed Arte Kasik softly under his breath. “The people who work here on a full time basis have probably never even glimpsed the war taking place outside.”
“That cargo bay wasn’t clean,” Cren Hollis reminded him. “Mott’s Ghost, but that stench was bad.”
Tran Wuu glanced at him with a smile. “That’s probably where they keep the bodies.”
“I do not need to hear things like that, mate,” piped in Janney Stox. “Not even as a joke.”
“With all due respect gentlemen, please stow the small talk for now. It will seem very out of place to the locals.” Adam slowed for a moment, turning and glancing sharply at Kasik and Stox just as the Admiral would, causing the soldiers to grow quiet and return their full attention solely to escort duty. Only then did he resume his normal pace, moving forward at a fast trot that carried them down what seemed like yet another endless corridor. [“That’s it,”] Thomas’ thoughts declared excitedly in his mind. [“The main source of the facility’s energy production is directly ahead, along with the vast majority of their computer activity.”] Adam continued walking, digesting the information silently as they approached yet another checkpoint. Two guards were stationed on either side of a large desk, but it was the man sitting behind it that drew their attention. Without the slightest bit of hesitation he looked up sharply and unexpectedly chose to challenge the group.
“Welcome Admiral. I will need to see your official identification and authorization badge, please.”
Adam only partially feigned the anger of his response. “You need to see my authorization?” he growled.
“Aye, sir. It’s just a routine check. Someone was supposed to call me as soon as your shuttle docked, but has obviously dropped the ball. I’ll be sending a message to Administration as soon as we’re done here.”
Accessing the implant’s holographic programming, Adam began to slowly change his projection of the Admiral’s human image, using a carefully rehearsed, pre-recorded sequence. His face lengthened, gradually transforming into a large, wedge-shaped snout filled with double rows of razor sharp teeth. It was a perfect emulation of the very same change he had witnessed both Bok and Deek using and the mere sight of it visibly terrified the soldier behind the desk. Suddenly, only seconds after daring to demand identification from the Admiral, he was staring into the face of a Kuth solider. “Do you really need to see my authorization?” Adam repeated much more heatedly, his tone dripping malevolence this time around.
“No sir,” the man behind the desk replied instantly, visible drops of sweat forming on his brow. “Screw ups in Administration should not inconvenience your schedule in any way. I apologize for my mistake.”
“That’s better,” nodded Adam agreeably, reversing the transformation and reshaping the hologram back into a perfect copy of De
ek. “Come along fellows,” he told his escorts with satisfaction. [“I told you the recording we made of Deek’s transformation would come in handy,”] Thomas whispered in his mind.
Together, the five of them turned right and headed off down the corridor.
*
The hardware for the computer core was stored in a large chamber next to an even larger one housing the access workstations, a setup that at first intrigued Adam. Then he used his eye HUD to pull up more detailed schematics for the entire installation, noting that the nuclear generators that powered its systems were located all the way to the rear, and that feature explained everything. Computer hardware generally needed to function in a cool environment, so keeping the hardware positioned well away from the facility’s centralized power system made sense. Row after row of computers lined the central command chamber, an impressive setup for anyone. Given the constant, unending wars taking place within the Wasteland, the presence of so much sophisticated technology seemed extremely out of place. And yet, as was usual where the Yakiir were concerned, such abnormalities continued to surface everywhere he looked.
There were at least fourteen technicians on duty, but Adam chose to ignore them and continued playing the role of the Admiral. He walked confidently into the communications center and assigned his four guards to watch the door with several casual gestures of one hand. Then he moved over to an empty workstation and simply began working with the utter nonchalance of someone who felt the entire facility and all of its resources belonged to him. It didn’t take him long at all to access the transceiver array, at which point he sent a signal to the Ali Rinai, allowing the AI-program to respond in kind. Once they were linked, he simply selected the ‘upload all’ option and allowed it to run in the background. He was prompted at several points for security passwords, so he simply used the implant technology to read and decrypt the necessary sequences using links to the databases that were tied to the very software awaiting the replies.
The Pathfinder Trilogy Page 63
