by Tony Healey
“Ouch, darlin’. You really know how to kick a guy where it hurts.”
Selena smiled. “One of my specialities. Nut cracking.”
“Maybe you can demonstrate some time . . .” Dollar said.
“Get off the air!” she said and broke into laughter. “Anyway, what’re you after?”
She walked away from the others so she could get some privacy. Though they couldn’t hear Dollar on the other end, they could hear her responses. Already, there’d been a few raised eyebrows at her mention of cracking nuts.
“Do I have to be after somethin’ just to hear yuh angelic voice?”
“You old smoothie,” she said.
“Thanks,” Dollar said. “Just thought I’d check, see if yer okay.”
“Yes. I’m all right. We had a bit of drama over here a couple of minutes ago, but nothing too interesting. The Captain dealt with it,” Selena told him.
“Whoever it was, I feel sorry for ‘em if the Cap got involved,” Dollar said, followed by a high pitched whistle that made her ears ring. “I was on my way down to the hangar…”
“To work on your baby,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Her name’s Dragonfly,” Dollar corrected her. “And I’ve nearly got her done.”
“Good. I hope you’ll take me on a ride when I get back,” Selena said.
Dollar sighed on the other end. “I hate bein’ apart.”
“We’re not. Don’t go soppy on me. I’ll be back soon. In the meantime, you’ll just have to . . . play with your spanner,” she quipped.
Dollar laughed. “That’s what I love about yuh, darlin’, you got sass.”
“If I keep eating your southern food, I’ll end up with a whole lotta ass. Now I’m ending this before it goes too far,” Selena said, mid-laughter. “I love you.”
“Love yuh too.”
* * *
“Understood, Captain,” Commander Greene said from the captain’s chair. “We’re monitoring Team Two. I’ll let you know if Gentry shows any sign of acting out again.”
“Good. How’s the Defiant?”
“Same as before,” Greene said. He turned at the sound of someone walking onto the bridge. It was the Chief, carrying two cups of coffee. “She’s in good shape.”
Now he wasn’t so sure he was only talking about the ship…
“Okay. I’m sure she’s in capable hands. Captain out.”
Chief Meryl Gunn handed the Commander his coffee. “There you are. Thought you could use this.”
“It’s been a long shift,” he admitted.
“Yeah and you should have had a rest hours ago. But you’re not to be argued with. So the only option is caffeine.”
Commander Greene threw a sly grin. “You trying to make me hyper?”
The Chief gave him a pat on the shoulder as she left the bridge. “Honey, you’re always hyper. The coffee’s to calm you down.”
He watched her go, his eyes taking in the wiggle of her bottom in her overalls. Greene sipped his coffee. The woman was a temptress . . . that was for sure.
“Okay people, let’s try simulating a coolant leak this time. See how you all fare,” he ordered. They’d already completely twenty simulated scenarios. Anything to break the monotony.
“I’m loving these drills…” Banks said.
“Insubordination will result in a visit to engineering, Mister Banks,” Greene warned him. “And believe you me, that woman does not take prisoners.”
A couple of the bridge hands stifled a chuckle, but a cautionary glare from the Commander stopped the laughter dead in its tracks.
“Let’s begin…”
37.
“So, what surface area are we looking at in here?” King asked.
Belcher looked at his surroundings in C-2. “It’s exactly the same as the other two, by the looks of things. And I’m sure the readings from the probes made it that way too.”
She nodded. “They did.”
“Well,” Belcher mumbled as he did some quick calculations on his tablet. “Roughly 7,500 square kilometres, give or take.”
“Jeez,” King gasped. “I never thought it’d be so much.”
Gary Belcher smiled. “If you look at it from space, it’s sixty kilometres long. That’s goddamn huge. But it’s not a flat piece of metal. It’s a massive tube, if you will. And everything’s lined along the inside wall. Twenty kilometres wide, sixty kilometres long . . . it makes for one big tin can.”
Jessica shook her head as she took it all in. It was getting warmer in there now that they had light. 7,500 square kilometres of floor space in C-2, most of it crammed with ships and huge crates no doubt containing every kind of weapon the Namar had ever conceived.
There were four gigantic ships, at least a kilometre long each. And fleets of what looked like fighters.
“This truly boggles the brain,” Jessica said. “And it makes it perfectly clear to me that this is not simply a ship intended for passengers. But a carrier for an entire war fleet. Now that’s a worry.”
38.
They looked again at the immense axles that seemed to run through the Enigma like a spine, with C-1 and C-3 on either end.
“So how do you suppose the fleet gets out of here?” Rayne asked.
Belcher shrugged. “Dunno. But if I were to design this thing, I’d have C-1 and C-3 come away from C-2 on this axle.”
“So basically, you’re saying you’d have the Enigma open up on either end, separating where the joins are,” Jessica said.
“Exactly. And that’s more than likely how it works. Think about it. All three cylinders are more or less self contained, with full airlocks and seals,” Belcher explained. He opened his arms to indicate the entirety of C-2. “This is basically one big hangar deck.”
“I’m with you. Do you think you can get inside one of these bigger ships?” Jessica asked.
He shook his head. “I wouldn’t have thought so. And I’m not even sure it’d be worth trying. How would you decipher the controls? Let alone get the Enigma to split apart so you could fly one out of here.”
“Understood,” she said. “Anyway, have a closer look and see what you can learn about them. The fighters too. It might help in some way.”
“Aye,” Belcher said.
39.
Jessica watched Gary Belcher walk over to one of the fighter craft, and felt her legs begin to sag under her. She grabbed the closest thing to her, to keep from falling on her behind – and it just so happened to be the arm of Dana Oriz.
“Are you okay, Captain?”
She nodded, tried to brush it off. “Fine. Just a little… tired.”
“Here. Sit. Have a ration.”
“No, no, no, don’t worry. It’s nothing,” she said.
But Dana insisted. She made the Captain sit on the floor and rest while she dug rations out of her own pack. She handed Jessica a dehydrated protein bar, some chocolate, and an energy drink. “Eat the chocolate first, Captain.”
“You always have the best first and the worst last, Dana?” Jessica asked a little groggily as she tore the chocolate bar open and proceeded to eat.
“Only way to have it,” Dana said.
“Oh, that is good though,” Jessica said. She took a few swallows of the energy drink.
Dana crouched in front of her. “I know you have your . . . condition. But I think this is more like fatigue than anything else. Obviously it affects you differently than others.”
“I thought I left the quack on the ship . . .” King said with a laugh.
“I’m just saying,” Dana said, laughing herself. “As long as you’re all right.”
“I will be, Dana. I will be. Like you say, I’m just tired,” she admitted. “Doctor Clayton has me on new medication.”
“He does?” Dana asked. “How’s that working?”
“Fine so far. I think this is some kind of side effect of it,” King told her. “But it’s the only one I’ve had.”
“Good. It must be working, though.
I mean, we’ve done a lot of walking today,” Dana said.
Jessica nodded. “Yes. And thank the maker for these trams, or we would have done more.”
Ten minutes later, Dana stood back as Jessica got up on her feet. She looked better. Her colour had returned, she didn’t look so washed out and pale.
“How’re you feeling now?”
“Like a twenty-one-year-old again,” Jessica said with a smirk.
Dana shouldered her pack. “Then I’ll have whatever you’re having, Captain. Double dose.”
* * *
“Stay in touch at all times,” Jessica warned Olivia Rayne as she, Selena Walker and Lieutenant Jackson boarded one of the trams for C-3.
“We will,” Rayne told her.
Jessica smiled. “Good luck, explorer.”
She stepped away from the tram. The door closed and it began to move off. Olivia was still looking at her through the window as the tram sped away, out of sight. On toward yet another of the Enigma‘s mysteries…
40.
Captain’s Personal Journal
External Log
Standard Ship Time
Team Two have remained behind in C-1 to observe and record what they can. My own Team One will stay here in C-2 to catalogue what we find. There’s certainly a lot to see. If C-1 is the living space, then this central section of the Enigma is the armoury. The sheer scale of everything… the amount of ships in here is unbelievable.
You realise all the more just how much the design of the Enigma is ingenious. The same centrifugal force is in effect here, holding everything to the walls. When you look up, it seems all that hardware is about to drop on your head. But you soon get used to it.
Just don’t go looking for a sky, all you’ll get is vertigo.
Team Three have pushed on to C-3. This isn’t just a floating space station, or a living space. There were notions it could be a generational ship. And while that could still hold true, it is evident to me that the Enigma is a ship. A massive ship of unconventional design. Why build a great number of ships to carry thousands and thousands of people – disregarding all the ships in C-2 – when you can build just one to do the job. A big one. But then I’ve always preferred redundancies rather than putting all your eggs in one basket…
Historians say the Namar were legendary not only in their ruthlessness, but their ingenuity and I’m inclined to agree with them.
Doctor Gentry says that Team Three should find an energy reaction device, and something to do with the engine in there. I’ve told Olivia to maintain communication at all times. Here’s hoping my instinct about her is right.
I sense more danger here than we thought. Something hidden. We can’t get complacent in exploring this miniature world. I’ve a feeling it has teeth . . .
PART III
Pandora’s Box
41.
The tram slowed to a halt. Just as with C-1 and C-2, it took a few moments for whatever sensors controlled the lights to detect their presence and illuminate their surroundings.
“Wow,” Selena Walker said as she looked around at the revealed aft section of the Enigma. “I think we found our engines.”
Neither Olivia Rayne or Mark Jackson could disagree with her. The last section of the Enigma was definitely the source of its power and drive.
“It’s the same proportions and size as the other sections,” Rayne said, looking down at her scanner. “However there is a significant energy signature coming from whatever that is in front of us.”
Where there had hung sources of light in C-1 – replaced with strip lighting in both C-2 and C-3 – there was a huge structure built into the back end of the ship. There appeared to be access hatches into it, and all around the circumference of C-3 were what looked like nodes.
“They could be giant fuses for all we know,” Jackson said.
“True,” Rayne agreed. “And what about those six long outcroppings? The same?”
“Maybe,” he said.
“Why don’t we head for the big kahuna first? It’s closest,” Rayne said, nodding in the direction of what could only be the Enigma‘s drive.
“Sure,” Selena said. She looked over her head. “I still can’t get used to the sky being the ground, you know . . .”
Olivia laughed. “Yeah, I know what you mean. Try not to look up. Come on, let’s get on over there and see what this thing runs on.”
42.
Captain Jessica King nodded as Rayne told her what they were doing.
“Very well, just keep in contact.”
“Yes Ma’am,” Rayne said on the other end of the comm.
And stay safe, kiddo, Jessica thought but did not add.
* * *
It proved easy to access the huge building that jutted from the back end of the Enigma into C-3 like a giant skyscraper turned on its side. Team Three were in agreement in what name to give it: The Chrysler. As with moving from C-1 to C-2, it was made easy. There were no fussy airlock systems. Just hatches that opened and closed automatically. This again seemed to be a functional necessity. Possible crew moving from one end of the ship to the other did not need be bothered with one airlock after another. It certainly made it easy for the teams investigating the confines of the Enigma.
“That’ll be the reactor, then,” Jackson noted. The inside of the structure was actually built around a massive transparent tube. It glowed and crackled with energy, and there was a decidedly powerful vibration underfoot.
This must be how ants feel when they crawl on the skin of a giant, Rayne thought.
“But no way of knowing the kind of drive this thing has,” Walker said.
“True,” Rayne said. “But even if we could understand Namarian, I doubt we’d be able to make sense of it anyway.”
Selena studied the shiny metal consoles that seemed to be located all around them. Not one showed a sign of dust, or wear, and again there was the impression that the Enigma was brand new, despite its age.
She used her scanner to make a sweep of the room. “Well, I’ll see what we pick up anyway.”
“Yes,” Olivia said. “But it seems like a bit of a dead end, to be honest.”
“Strangers in a strange land,” Jackson said as he nosed about.
“What’s that?” Rayne asked.
“Nothing,” Jackson said and continued to look about. Olivia looked to Selena for an answer.
Selena just smiled. “It’s nothing. I’ll tell you later.”
43.
Captain’s Personal Journal
External Log
Standard Ship Time
I’m headed back to the Defiant with Doctor Gentry and Peter Davies. I have asked Dana Oriz to remain on the Enigma, to work with Lisa Chang in C-1. Gary Belcher, meanwhile, I have sent to C-3 to give Olivia and her team a hand. Who better to send to what is obviously an engineering section than him? I don’t think he was able to learn much from inspecting those ships up close. A shame.
I need to get back and rest. Although the drugs Doctor Clayton is administering to me are working – far better than either of us dared to hope, to be honest – I still suffer from some of the side effects of my condition. I tire easily, and today has been exhausting to say the least.
Still, I’ve asked Doctor Gentry to make a preliminary report of his findings and theories about the Enigma. It’ll be interesting to see what he comes up with. As much as he annoyed me before, I still respect his wisdom. In a way, we’re fortunate to have him aboard. But my warning still stands. I’ll gladly lock him in irons myself he pulls a stunt like that again…
So far, for me, this ship is a kind of dead end. A frustrating experience. We’ve found no answer, only further questions. And if there is life aboard – or ever was – I’ve seen no evidence of it.
Both Chang and Oriz, along with Team Three, have elected to stay aboard the Enigma overnight. I applaud them on their dedication, and I can’t fault their performance in any way. I’m sure they’re all aware of the toll this excursion has taken
on me, although I try not to show it. I can only hope the drugs one day eradicate the side effects of the MS completely…
In the meantime, Chang and Oriz continue to monitor the scorpion creatures they observed in the habitat. So far, they’ve not paid my people any attention whatsoever. I hope it stays that way. Doctor Gentry states they are like some kind of caretaker force, keeping everything neat and clean.
We’ll see.
For now, I’m headed back. I still have the Walkway to journey across yet. And a brief check-in with Commander Greene before I hit the rack. That lumpy old bed in my quarters has never looked so appealing. I hope to hear Gentry’s opinion on things when I wake…
44.
Team Three, now joined by Gary Belcher, were inside The Chrysler when the weather started up. As with C-1, the last cylinder had finally warmed enough to create a miniature weather system. And now, after hours of exploring the innards of The Chrysler, a storm had developed.
They stood inside one of the hatches, looking out at the windswept surface of C-3 as the bad weather had its own way for a few hours.
“Well, there’s no way we can go out in that,” Belcher said.
“No. We’re in the best place,” Jackson said.
Rayne contacted the Defiant.
“Greene here,” the Commander said on the other end.
“This is Rayne. We’re experiencing bad weather in here right now. We’ve taken shelter inside the structure containing the power source and engines.”
She had so desperately wanted to say that they’d taken shelter inside The Chrysler, but knew the Commander would think she’d lost the plot.
“Very well, Lieutenant,” he said. “Advise when it calms down in there. If it’s anything like C-1 it won’t last long.”
“Understood, sir. Rayne out.”
