by Tony Healey
Even the Captain.
*
"So there must be a way of getting down," Jessica said.
"Over here!" Lieutenant Jackson called. They all walked to his location at the edge of the platform. He knelt on the floor, examining a wide circle embossed on the decking. "What d'you suppose this is?"
Jessica got down on her knee and ran her hand over the marking there. Immediately, at the touch of her fingertips, the same glowing symbols they'd observed on the airlocks appeared. She looked up at the Lieutenant. "There's our answer, Jackson."
"Aye," he said and watched as the Captain activated all of the symbols in turn. The two of them stepped back as the circle of metal rose from the decking in a round column until it stood over them at a height of three metres or more.
"Wow."
It was featureless save for a hexagonal embossed area on its front face, and it had risen from the floor without a sound.
Dr. Gentry stepped forward, pressed his hand against it. The hexagon showed itself to be a door, and swung inward. Within the column were dim lights.
"What is it?" Rayne asked.
"An elevator," Gentry said. "I'd bet my hat on it."
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Jessica said. She was first to step inside. "After all, they must have had some way of getting down there. Shall we?"
26.
C-1, or the habitat as some of them came to refer to it, was a bleak and somewhat boring landscape. Entirely devoid not only of life signs, but imaginative design.
"It's as if an entire world has been built, purely to function," Dr. Gentry said. "Designed, and made, for purpose. No flair. No spedazzle!"
"No colour," Jessica said.
"Exactly," Gentry agreed. "Completely dull and utilitarian. I've never seen anything like it. Even on a starship, or a starbase, there is some whimsical feature. Some part of its design that links it to the designer. However, here I find nothing extraneous."
"Fan out into your teams," Jessica ordered. "And I want one member of each team with a firearm at the ready. We still don't know what we're dealing with."
They broke up and spread out. She instructed them to rejoin by the elevator one hour later and to remain in contact the whole time.
"A surprise may present itself at any time," she warned them. But Jessica King had no cause for concern. There would be no surprises yet. C-1 was a habitat built for thousands of inhabitants – but not one of the teams found any evidence of present, or former, occupation.
For all intents and purposes, the Enigma looked brand new inside. Which then posed the obvious question: If no-one had ever lived here, who had it been built for? Was it still, all these years later, awaiting its crew?
The Enigma was a miracle of engineering, and must have taken untold resources to construct. And yet . . . here it was, abandoned.
Who had been meant to live there, and why hadn't they yet? Why was the Enigma, a lifeless world all its own, left to orbit a similarly dead planet?
It didn't make sense.
27.
Captain’s Personal Journal
External log
Standard Ship Time
It’s been several hours since we reached the centrifuge. And as noted before, from what we observed of the Enigma's outer hull, there would appear to be three separate sections. The vessel's constant spin creates a perfect one gee environment, with the inner walls of the centrifuge for the ground. There is air, but it is old, stale. And there is some kind of weather system in here, too, that's just starting to develop.
The Enigma is a world in a barrel.
Moments after entering the habitat we've dubbed C-1, it was as if someone flicked a switch. Almost certainly an autonomous action – unless there really is something, or someone, watching. The lights came on. They protrude from a series of rods at the far end of this centrifuge, and give the equivalent of sunlight. The temperature rose from below freezing to a comfortable level within an hour. Considering the fact the Enigma has been dormant for a thousand years, it's quite incredible.
As for C-1 itself? Well, there is no plant life for a start. It was definitely intended as a living area, and could probably have a hundred thousand people living in it at any one time. So far, we've not spotted any sign of current habitation. There is a kind of rough, stone-like material on the deck. And what can only be described as houses, constructed from thin sheets of metal. They seem intended to house no more than two people at a time, and given the number of them I'd say that's probably about right. There are narrow roads running through them, and we noted several areas that seem to be intended as supply sites – these structures are much larger than the others.
Doctor Gentry suggested they could be religious sites, too.
Who knows?
I've ordered Team Two to remain here in C-1 and monitor any changes they find. The weather system in here could become significantly more active as the temperature continues to rise. I've also left a standing order that one of them remain armed at all times. Even if their weapon isn't out the whole time, someone on each team needs a gun handy. We can't be sure the Enigma is completely devoid of occupants. There are the other sections of the ship to explore yet. And you never know. Maybe I'm just an optimist, but a Namarian might just pop his or her head out at any time to say hello.
Surely, in the annals of space exploration, far stranger things have happened . . .
28.
Jessica did not relish the thought of a twenty kilometre stroll across C-1's bare, monochromatic landscape. Nor were Gary Belcher, Dana Oriz, Olivia Rayne or Selena Walker.
Lieutenant Jackson, on the other hand, seemed to relish the thought of some good physical exercise.
I'm doing well on these new meds, Jessica thought. But Christ, I don't want to push it.
A hike across the whole length of C-1 was not a bucket list objective for her, not yet. Sure, that kind of activity would hopefully be a drop in the ocean for her soon enough, but for now it was out of the question. Her legs wouldn't take it, and the others knew that to be the case. Her medical situation was no secret to the crew of the Defiant.
Luckily they were all spared a long walk – much to Jackson's disappointment. It just so happened that the Enigma not only had elevators to carry passengers from the airlocks to the cylinder surface, but also a kind of tram system. There were four of them, spaced around the circumference of C-1, and each seemed to head in the same direction, a kind of tunnel that, apparently, led into C-2 and beyond.
The trams were cylinders themselves, though the way you mounted and dismounted from them very much reminded Jessica of the trams she'd seen in old San Francisco years before. Though those restored antiques couldn't have held a torch against these svelte creations. They were attached to the Enigma by an impossibly thin track, and they had a short series of steps leading from the platform to the cylinder itself. Apart from their base, they were entirely constructed of tinted glass.
"An elegant design," Dr. Oriz noted as she climbed aboard. She helped Olivia Rayne up.
"More than you'd expect from a race of conquerors," Belcher said. "I'm impressed."
"Shall we?" Jessica asked. She eyed the few controls at the front of the craft. A series of three buttons, and below them a kind of touch pad. She pressed the pad first, and the doors to the tram whispered shut. "Thought so."
She then pressed the middle button, guessing that each signified a third of the cylinder. They had to be in the first one now, seeing as they were at the very front of the ship. The cylindrical tram began to move, steadily gaining speed – though without any real sense of motion. The craft seemed to glide on thin air as it tore across the minimalist terrain of C-1 and bore them steadily toward the tunnel ahead.
"Fascinating," Selena Walker said.
They passed beneath the structure at the other end of C-1, the supports holding the massive suns. Jessica glanced up through the transparent canopy, in awe of the sheer size and scope of the Enigma in almost every way.
It reminded her of the pyramids and sphinxes of Egypt, back on Earth. The way those giant stone monoliths had been left, the calling card of a once great people.
The Enigma seemed to be like that. A technological achievement unsurpassed by anything they'd ever seen. Just the sheer scope of the Enigma made her head hurt. As they entered the darkness of the tunnel, she had to wonder once more about the purpose of the giant ship. The notion that it might be a gigantic Trojan horse had occurred to her more than once. With the tram speeding them to C-2, an as-yet unseen section of the ship, she was glad for the firearm on her hip, if only for the comfort of knowing it was there.
29.
Soft lighting filled the cabin of the tram as it travelled in the darkness of the tunnel.
"So we can simply move from C-1 to C-2 without having to operate an airlock," Olivia Rayne said. "Makes things a bit easier."
"Well, I'd imagine this tunnel can be sealed off from the rest of the ship when necessary," Belcher said.
"I agree. After all, the cylinder's in three sections. It'd make sense to have them capable of being independent from one another," Jessica said.
"Yes," Belcher agreed. "Though I wonder why they'd take that approach."
"What do you mean?" Olivia asked.
The engineer sat forward. "Why compromise the integrity of the vessel by doing that? The Namar must have had a reason, but I can't for the life of me think what it could be."
Jessica contacted Defiant. "Captain here. We're en route to C-2 and should be there in a few minutes. Stay in contact with Team Two."
"Understood Captain."
"We'll update you on our progress," Jessica told the officer on the other end. She didn't recognise the voice. "Has there been any change in the Enigma since we've come aboard?"
"None whatsoever, Captain."
"Readings?"
"No transmissions," the officer told her. "And we are holding our position relative to the Enigma, velocity and vector unchanged from before."
"Very well. Keep me updated. Captain out."
She glanced across at Dr. Oriz, who was watching her intently.
"Were you expecting our intrusion to wake the beast, Captain?" she asked.
Jessica smiled. "Something like that."
"I don't think we’re that lucky," Dana said. "For all intents and purposes, the Enigma seems dead. It's just been out here far too long."
"Are you saying we're in some kind of . . . tomb?" Rayne asked.
Dana sighed. "I believe so."
Captain King looked away, unconvinced. Something told her there would be answers to come. A gut instinct, and that she trusted above all else.
"Well, we'll soon see," she told them.
30.
Team Two chose a square kilometre of the habitat in C-1 to explore, but they did not split up. Commander Chang instead opted for the three of them to remain together, lest a surprise present itself.
And of course there was the issue of the weather . . .
"Feel that wind?" Chang asked.
Peter Davies nodded. "Yeah, I felt it pick up a moment ago. Odd."
"Where's it coming from, do you think? Some kind of air system?" Chang asked him.
"This habitat is heating up," Dr. Gentry explained. "And as it continues to reach optimum temperature, the air in here is going to get all stirred up."
"I see. Hence the wind. The ground is getting warmer, making the air rise," Chang said.
"Yes. Exactly. We'll likely see quite the storm in here soon," Gentry said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "Something reminiscent of the tropics, I'd imagine. I love a good storm, myself."
Chang hit her comm. "Defiant, are you listening to this?"
"Yes. We hear you."
"We will notify you if we are about to find shelter. This may cause disruption to our comm. systems, and inhibit contact with you."
"Copy that, Commander," the reply came.
"Chang out," she said and closed the channel. Chang turned to the other two. "Let's see what we can find before the weather picks up."
"We should consider one of these buildings as a suitable shelter," Davies said. "They look strong enough."
Dr. Gentry held up his hands in a defenceless gesture. "I'm not saying this storm will last long. Maybe an hour. It won't take much time for the weather system in here to settle. For all we know, the Enigma has systems that will deal with it."
"True," Chang said. "They've certainly thought of everything else."
Peter Davies stood, regarding one of the larger structures they'd noted were situated here and there throughout the habitat. "So, you think these might be some kind of religious sites, Doctor?"
Dr. Gentry came to stand nearby and looked up at the big metal box. "Could be. My line of thought was that we have not seen any sign of vegetation. No agricultural area. Hell, not even a hydroponics site. This habitat is as sterile as any I've ever seen."
"True," Davies said.
"So I think the Namar must have had their food and water supplied directly in their homes. I can't think of anything else to call them. They are, after all, quite obviously designed with two occupants in mind."
"You think they had couples living together? Men and women?" Chang asked.
Gentry shrugged. "Why not? For that matter, who's to say it wasn't homosexual couples? Whatever the case, there were two in each one. And I believe that if we really looked – and knew what we were looking for – we would find a food and water source."
Chang looked around at the strange world they'd found themselves exploring. A circular world, where the sky was the ground and the ground the sky. "So they didn't just sleep here. They lived here. This was intended as a home from home."
"Precisely. This is why I believe they would have also brought with them whatever religious belief their society acknowledged."
"You're saying these are churches?" Davies asked.
Gentry led the way inside. Behind him, Commander Chang un-holstered her sidearm and turned off the safety. Her caution proved to be unfounded as the building was completely empty . . . of anything. For all intents and purposes it was merely an empty box. A metal shell with nothing in it except a light source in the ceiling, and a weak one at that.
"Perhaps you're right," she said.
Dr. Gentry waved his arms about to indicate the empty space around them. "No seats. Nothing here. Apart from this slightly elevated platform at one end. Not unlike the chancel where a minister might address his flock, no?"
"I agree," Peter Davies said. "And it feels somehow different in here, don't you think?"
"Churches always do," Gentry said.
Chang almost shivered. "Let's continue."
They investigated several homes, and found each one of them as empty as the rest. It should have put her mind at ease, knowing that they were alone in there. But it didn't. All Chang could think about was how eerily deserted the place was. How much like a ghost town it was to her.
And how such an empty world made the hairs stand up on the back of her neck.
Her apprehension was broken, however, when the first crack of lightning erupted over their heads.
Dr. Gentry ducked reflexively. "WHOA! That was close!"
The wind rushed up at them, and Chang noticed for the first time that while they'd been poking about, clouds had formed in the air above.
"Let's get under shelter. I think we're going to experience some of that bad weather you were talking about," she said.
They made for the closest Namarian house, and just in the nick of time. The sky opened up after them, and it began to rain in C-1.
31.
They disembarked from the tram. It had exited the tunnel, only to come to a full stop amid the pitch black. Regardless they filed out, finding themselves on the same nondescript decking they'd found in C-1.
"Again, the air in here smells old," Jessica said.
Smell of a tomb, she didn't add. Dr. Oriz would take great joy in thinking the Captain appro
ved of her notion that the Enigma was some kind of tomb. She personally didn't believe that to be the case at all. After all, why put it here? Why expend so much of their – at the time – very limited resources in building the Enigma only to leave it to the unpredictable extremities of space?
There had to be something here.
"And it's cold in here," Selena Walker said. "If we weren't wearing our suits, we'd be frozen right now."
"Makes me wish I'd brought my helmet and not left it in C-1," Rayne said. "I think my lips are blue."
Captain King's comm. system beeped. She answered it.
"Captain! It's Commander Chang!" the voice on the other end yelled.
"I hear you, Commander. What's wrong? What's that noise?"
There was a loud, almost drumming noise accompanying Chang's voice. It made it hard to hear her.
"Hail!"
King looked up at the others, a frown on her face. "Sorry?"
"Captain, it's hail! We're experiencing some kind of storm in here. We've taken shelter."
"I -- I see, Commander. Very well. Remain there until it subsides. Keep me posted."
"Yes Captain."
The line cut off.
"Hail! Who'd have thought it?" Rayne said in a near laugh.
Jessica nodded slowly. "This place is full of surprises."
There was a dim illumination from the parked tram, but apart from that an unknown darkness that surrounded them.
"Captain, we should probably consider the possibility that the Enigma is a collection of three habitat cylinders," Walker offered. "It would make sense, if it was intended for a vast number of people to live on."
"True, but –" Jessica started to say but she did not get any further. For right then the lights came on in C-2, momentarily blinding them all.
Once his eyes had adjusted, Gary Belcher was the first to look around.
