Starfire

by B. V. Larson

  “You knocked the wind out of me,” Sandeep said. “This is my second wreck this week.”

  “Surprised to see me?”

  “Not really. I’ve had the worst of luck with vagabonds and automobiles lately.”

  Brandt laughed, despite his bitterness. He’d always liked Sandeep.

  But, business was business and family was family. In this situation, he was more than willing to kill an old friend.

  “We’ve got work to do, my man,” Brandt said. “Up and at ‘em.”

  Sandeep struggled to his feet under Brandt’s careful supervision. The two men were soon hard at work jacking up the rental car and patching tires. Darkness fell over them, turning the desert first into a purple alien landscape and then into a pitch black hole at the bottom of the proverbial well.

  “What’s the plan, Brandt?”

  “I’m going in for Jenna. You’re going to help me.”

  Sandeep shrugged. “You can get her out any day you wish. All you have to do is trade places with her.”

  Brandt shook his head. “I don’t buy it. Clark would never let her go. He’d tell me he did. He’d tell you he did too—but he’d be lying.”

  Sandeep didn’t reply. There was no point, as both men knew that Brandt was probably right.

  “Okay, the tires are on. What—”

  Suddenly Brandt grabbed Sandeep and pushed him down.

  “Drone!” he yelled.

  Both men hugged the sand until the buzzing passed them by. It was high up, fortunately. It didn’t seem to be searching for them or investigating them. Whoever was piloting it was interested in something else.

  Sandeep sat up, coughing. “You’ve ruined this suit. And that sand is still bloody hot. You’re as rude as they come—did you know that?”

  “Yeah, I’ve heard that before. Let’s go. You’re driving.”

  “You can’t get back through the gates now. It’s after dark. They’ll search the car.”

  “I know that. Drive.”

  Sandeep looked surprised when Brandt climbed into the passenger seat and aimed a gun at him.

  “Not even bothering with the trunk? Wasn’t that your plan?”

  “No. Shut up and drive toward Vegas.”

  Sandeep furrowed his brow, but he obeyed. After a few miles, he became furtive.

  “You’re going to kill me, is that it?” he asked suddenly. “I can’t believe the ingratitude. Did you know I signed two recommendations for you to serve abroad? Despite everything, they let you do it.”

  “That was before my father wanted out. It was a stupid waste of time, anyway. Every site out there in the desert, every potential Artifact—they were all fakes, local legends. None of that crap interacted with me. I wasted my whole youth.”

  “Yes, but that’s not conclusive,” Sandeep pointed out. “Your family has attuned to the lander. That didn’t guarantee you could activate random material from other sites.”

  Brandt shrugged. “I’m done with all that, anyway.”

  “Right—can we get back to the part about you killing me?”

  Brandt snorted. “I’m not killing you. Not unless you screw me. We’re going online and doing a little bit of editing. Early tomorrow, we’ll drive back to the gates and try again.”

  “Even if they let you in, they won’t let you carry a weapon.”

  “I don’t need a weapon.”

  Sandeep finally shut up, which was fine with Brandt. He needed to think.

  Chapter 33

  Lab 126, Alaska

  Day

  Yuki Tanaka hadn’t been able to grasp it fully at first, but now she realized that her drone was lost forever. It had been days since there’d been any contact.

  The data it had returned before it died was supposedly invaluable, however. At least that was what her colleagues at the lab thought.

  She wasn’t so sure. Yes, the drone had found something at the bottom of the ocean. Yes, it was irregularly shaped and there was background radiation everywhere. The obvious explanation for the anomaly was a meteorite. Sure, it was very large, and the depth of growth on the surface indicated that it had hit the Earth within the last century or two, but that wasn’t altogether shocking. The Arctic had barely been explored at that time—there probably wouldn’t have been anyone up here so close to the pole to see it fall. A rocky meteor could have fallen, struck the ice, and broken through, vanishing without a trace. If that had been the case, there wouldn’t be a crater visible today. The ice would have simply frozen over again, completely erasing the point of impact.

  It was a significant find, certainly, but she couldn’t see why the others were whispering so intently about it. Nor could she fathom why the Russians were willing to create an international incident over such a thing. As far as she was concerned, a sunken space rock wasn’t even worth the loss of her beloved drone, much less killing people.

  But she had to admit that someone had attacked the lab.

  “Dr. Tanaka?” Director Evans asked her.

  She turned her face away from her work. He had a very serious look in his eye.

  This was it, she thought. She’d been expecting this, and she wasn’t upset about it. In fact, she was frankly relieved. She hadn’t enjoyed her stay up here at the top of the world. Her shoulder hadn’t healed yet, her drone was gone, and she had trouble sleeping. All she could think of was gunmen lurking outside her window.

  “You’re kicking me out, right?” she asked. “I can’t say that I blame you. We’ve done all the analysis, and my drone is gone, so—”

  The director laughed quietly and shook his head. “We’re giving you a nice change of climate, that’s all.”

  He sat down next to her and spoke in an earnest whisper. “There’s another project, you see. You’ve been selected for participation.”

  No questions. No sales pitch. No choice. Yuki knew the drill.

  “Great,” she said. “I never should have done my grad work for the government. Where to now? Tibet? The Sahara?”

  He made an apologetic gesture with his hands. “You’re close.”

  The following morning, Yuki packed her bags and flew to Las Vegas. She was told there would be someone there to meet her and take her to her final destination.

  The entire affair was upsetting to her. She couldn’t understand why an aquatic drone-building oceanographer was being dragged out into a desert. Punishment? Maybe. Bureaucratic foolishness? Almost certainly.

  She stopped at an airport bar on the way down to baggage claim, ordering a shot of Glen Livet. The first one burned, but it didn’t change her mood, so she had a second. That did the trick.

  Smiling, she headed down the escalator to baggage claim. She hardly cared if her bags had been stolen or lost in the meantime. In fact, the way her luck was going, she expected it.

  But there was an even bigger surprise waiting for her. A familiar lumpy man stood among the rolling belts and luggage.

  It was Edwin. He was next to the conveyor with a stack of her suitcases. He had already placed them on a cart.

  Her mouth opened and hung there. “Edwin? What—?”

  “Yeah, it’s me,” he said, looking ashamed. “Darn. I did it wrong, didn’t I? I always blow it with the ladies.”

  “Ah, well…what are you doing here?”

  “I’m not stalking you or anything. Don’t get that idea. I hate when people think that. I was transferred down here, same as you. Several people are coming down from Alaska. The place was pretty much wrecked, you saw.”

  “Why do they want us down here?”

  “You mean why do they want me, don’t you?” Edwin asked, still sounding a little defensive and hurt.

  Yuki’s mind was a little foggy from the alcohol and the surprise, but she was beginning to catch on. Edwin was taking everything she said the wrong way. He was worried he’d blown it somehow. She found this endearing. She was no expert with people—far from it—but she knew Edwin was possibly even less socially adept than she was.


  She reached out a hand and touched his. “Edwin, stop worrying. I’m delighted to see you. I was just surprised, that’s all.”

  “Oh. Okay. So you aren’t mad I’m here with your stuff?”

  “No, not at all. It’s good to see a familiar face in a new town.”

  His expression transformed. “That’s a relief. Okay then, I’ll drive you to your hotel.”

  “Um, okay,” she said. “But can you tell me what you’re doing here?”

  “Oh, like I said, I was reassigned, same as you. I asked the travel people if I could pick you up. That wasn’t a bad move, was it? I should have asked you, too—but I wanted it to be a surprise.”

  She smiled. She strongly suspected he’d been worried she’d have said “no” or put him off. Surprises allowed no rebuttals.

  Forcing herself to relax, she followed him out of the building. “Where’s the hotel, exactly?”

  “They’ve got us a nice place here in town—the Lucky Seven. We don’t have to go out to the facility until morning. We can even play the slots if you want.”

  As they walked and talked, Yuki thought about all they’d been through together. He was trying so hard to be charming and totally failing at it. The whole thing was cute.

  On the way out to the rental car, she made a decision. Edwin, she thought, you’re getting lucky tonight.

  After all, it had been a hell of a long time for her, too.

  Chapter 34

  Vladivostok, Russia

  Day

  The launch went as planned, but it was hours late. The ship—if one could even call it that—indeed contained alien technology. Lev couldn’t even understand how anyone thought it would fly.

  But it did fly. He’d never felt such terrific G-forces. When it lifted off, there was no flame, just the roar of the passing wind. There was a humming too, and a bluish nimbus of light beneath the vehicle. But nothing like the roaring rocket-ride he’d been expecting.

  “Eight seconds…” said a voice from a speaker.

  The force of the engine was undeniable. His lips slid back, revealing his teeth. He couldn’t seem to control them. His heart felt as if it might burst in his chest.

  He turned his head to the left, straining with the effort. Others sat in rows nearby. They didn’t look like they were enjoying the terrific forces being applied to their bodies any more than he was.

  “Seven seconds…”

  Lev felt sick. He knew he was going to vomit. But he held back. If these bookish science-types could do this, so could he.

  “Six seconds…atmosphere breached.”

  What were they counting down toward? He could barely remember. Was he losing consciousness? The Gs—it was too much.

  “Three seconds…”

  What had happened to five and four? Had they been skipped, or had he missed them somehow?

  He tried to suck in a breath, but he couldn’t. He realized, in fact, that most of the air in his lungs had been forced out. Could they collapse? If enough force was applied, could it kill a man? What level of force was deadly? It already felt like an elephant was sitting on his chest.

  “Two seconds…”

  There. A little better. He could almost breathe. The force—it had weakened by half. Were they slowing down?

  “One second…”

  He blinked, opened his eyes again—and then it was over.

  “Engine disengaged. Escape velocity attained. Emergency medical aid required in row two, seat five. Repeat…”

  Lev slid his numb hand up to his belt buckle. He unsnapped it, and almost fell out of his chair to the floor.

  The drop to the floor took a long, long time. He couldn’t understand it at first. Then he realized they must already be in space. Every second, they were becoming lighter as the gravity left their bodies.

  The sounds of vomit met him. Gases flowed. People choked and coughed. A few wheezed.

  “My ribs are broken. Can someone help?”

  Lev pushed past them all. He moved to Kira’s chair. She was out cold. He ignored the rest. They were someone else’s problem. The Kremlin had charged him with keeping this woman alive.

  He hated her, but he had to keep her breathing. It was a typical irony for him—typical for Russians in general, in his opinion. He understood it, and did not question it. He would follow his orders to the best of his ability.

  He tapped at her face repeatedly and took her pulse. It was thready, but smoothed out quickly. Her eyes fluttered open after a short time. She looked at him in confusion for a moment, then smiled.

  “Lev, dear,” she said. “I didn’t know you cared so deeply.”

  He turned away and went back to his seat. Before he could do more than stretch out upon it, the captain ordered him to help with the injured.

  “Lieutenant Burkov, the Gs were greater than expected. We miscalculated.”

  “Really?” He couldn’t keep the slight edge of sarcasm out of his voice.

  “Go up to row two—I think we’ve had a fatality.”

  “Well then, you hardly need my help.”

  The captain glared at him. He came close and put his face into Lev’s.

  This was a mistake, as far as Lev was concerned. Proximity to another hostile male made his mind race, envisioning ways to remove the man from his presence. All of these ideas involved quick violence.

  “I can see why they send you off into the ice, or the deserts. But I have a ship to run, Lieutenant,” the captain said. His breath smelled of coffee and plastic. “I need your help. Are you going to help, or are you going to be as great a pain in the ass as they told me you would?”f

  Lev nodded. “I will help, if it will make this journey end faster.”

  The captain seemed amused. “I can’t guarantee that. But I’d like to end my first hour without any more deaths.”

  Lev grunted and climbed out of his seat again. He applied his hands to those who’d been overcome by the rough takeoff. Mostly, these were the older people. Their thin bones were too brittle. Their hearts could not pump blood to their vitals under such a tremendous downward pull.

  In time, the crew was all floating in the passenger cabin, and everyone who had survived was awake. A few were still in pain and coughing blood. These were taken to the tiny medical facility below decks.

  Dr. Norin worked hard to save the elderly scientists. This surprised Lev, but he didn’t remark upon it. He touched her arm when she took a break to get some water.

  “You might as well tell me now,” he said. “We’re already in space.”

  “Tell you what?”

  “Where are we headed? Are we going to another star?”

  “I don’t think so,” she said. “We aren’t going fast enough. We reached escape velocity, and we’re still accelerating lightly. But we’re unlikely to travel light years at this speed. If they fire up the engine again for a long time—then we’re in trouble. But at this speed, the destination almost has to be within the Solar System.”

  “What then?” Lev demanded. “The Moon?”

  “No, probably not. We wouldn’t be continuing to accelerate. I’m guessing somewhere among the outer planets. Saturn, maybe. Or it could be Mars. I don’t know.”

  “I thought they would have told you—or that you would have known.”

  “Not me,” she said. “I’m the hated bitch that kicked them in the ass, remember? I’m the one that made this all a necessity. They sensed the signal, and now they’re following it. But as far as I know, they haven’t told anyone other than the flight crew where we’re headed.”

  Lev was annoyed. He turned away from her.

  “Lev? Why do you care so much where we’re going?”

  “I don’t, really. I wanted to have some idea how long this trip was going to take, that’s all.”

  She nodded. “Someone waiting for you back home?”

  “I doubt it now—it’s been too long.”

  “If she won’t wait for you, she’s not worth it anyway.”

  Lev s
hook his head. “You and I do not think the same way.”

  She smiled. “I would be the first to admit that.”

  Lev left her there. He could feel her eyes staring at his back. What was her problem? Why did she treat him civilly now? He’d made his wishes very clear. She was a murderess who should have been left under the ice forever.

  But somehow, even as he thought this, he felt a tiny pang of regret. He’d grown accustomed to her companionship even if she was a mad woman.

  He sighed. That was his lot in life. He’d never had a relationship with a normal, nice girl. They’d all been mean and wild.

  Looking at it from that perspective, Dr. Norin fit right in.

  Chapter 35

  Area 51, Gamma Level

  Underground

  Major Clark was having a hectic day even before Secretary Clayworth called him. Outwardly, few people could have detected his inner state of turmoil. He looked calm and unconcerned. His voice was slow, melodic and thoughtful—as always.

  He prided himself on maintaining complete control over the visible and audible cues that most people left to chance or emotion. Rather than scowling when he was angry, he faintly smiled. He did this in place of expressing frustration as well.

  His body-language only changed when he wanted to emit positive signals. This way, people tended to respond to him with a similar, positive outlook. It worked particularly well on children and scientists. Both were often infantile in regard to their emotional states, allowing themselves to be revealed in every manner possible. If they were upset, they growled and gestured wildly. If they were happy, they grinned and cooed. There were some among the scientists who never seemed happy—but these sour individuals were still sucked in by a gentle word and a prodding insistence.

  There was one woman in particular, however, who’d never responded to Major Clark’s carefully orchestrated persona in the manner he hoped. Her name was Secretary Clayworth. Unfortunately, she was an important person, and she was on the phone haranguing him at this very moment.

  “I have dire news,” she said. “Our satellites in a critical sector have gone dark. Not all of them, but most of them—all the ones that matter.”