FIRE!
I felt two small ignition pulses from my forearm mounted weapons. I sat and watched in fascination as the rapidly moving projectiles from all of our weapons started moving along the shallow projected arcs. The shuttles started to lift off the surface. I was just starting to say something to Klutch when I was jerked violently down the hillside by my ankle. I looked down at Klutch as he was sliding down the hill on his back side dragging me with him.
“Klutch, what the hell?”…………………
The massive collection of stars that were above me suddenly disappeared as my helmet blacked out. I could have sworn someone had just hit me in the back as I was bounced off the ground. The reality of what just happened started sinking in, HOLY CRAP! I could not tell if my helmet was still blacked out or not. I had a good display in my helmet but my outside vision was completely obscured. I could plainly see Coonts and Tria’s position indicators and Klutch was about five feet away but I could only get his outline. I was wondering if he was hurt because he was lying on the ground with his hands on his head. Then I started hearing and feeling the large boulders slamming to the ground around us. I rolled forward and curled up next to Klutch. Holy shit Myers, green would have probably been just fine but nooo! I had to crank it up to yellow! What takes the cake is the evil robot could have at least warned me.
Tria was the first to speak. “Commander, now that the debris has quit falling we will work our way back to your position. There will be no need to re-engage any hostile targets.”
Klutch and I got to our feet. I turned around and started back up the hill Klutch had just dragged me down for my own protection.
"Thanks Klutch, I didn’t realize the true potential of our weapons system. I don’t believe I will make that mistake again."
“Commander there is no need for apologies. It’s what I would have done.”
I think Klutch was just saying that to make me feel a little less stupid. It was not working and the embarrassment made my face feel unnaturally hot. As I reached the top of the incline, I was absolutely shocked at what I saw. There was a gigantic crater just in front of where the boulder wall used to be. We had obliterated all but the heaviest portion of it. Large boulders and rubble were still in the process of tumbling down from the sheer rock walls.
Coonts and Tria made it to our position and Coonts said, “Commander we attempted to lower the yield of our weapons but your commands overrode our input.”
Coonts revelation made me understand that Justice was indeed training me to make proper command decisions. I was now very keenly aware those rushed decisions could affect all of those under my command. He also just taught me to use the suits ability to assess the situation quickly and not fixate on trying to adsorb large amounts of information. His teaching style taught me in a rather spectacular way to use his safety parameters as guidelines for survivable weapons release. It would be arguable as to whether my decision to increase the yield of the anti-matter munitions was a sound military tactic. After all I did achieve the overall goal of suppressing the simulated enemy activity. The lessons learned would never be forgotten.
26
My latest Earth boy blunder didn’t even rate a comment from Justice. The possibility of injury to my crew or my self was considerable but deep down I knew Justice would not have let it happen. The learning curve for an extraterrestrial military education was extremely steep. Apparently Justice’s tool of choice to assist me in my climb was the human emotion of embarrassment. It appealed to me to call it a day so I could revisit my moronic decisions in the privacy of my cabin. I looked back at my team mates to see if they had any additional input for my act of stupidity. They were standing with Coonts looking out into the distance at something he was pointing at. My gaze followed his arm and my frown made me quit dwelling on my actions.
“What do you see Coonts?”
“Commander, I can make out several structures that appear to be non-geological in nature. I see geometrical lines common to most race’s manufacturing processes.”
Without saying a word, I blasted off, leaving my crew in a huge dust cloud, and headed in the direction Coonts had been pointing. The big smile on my face was starting to ache and I could not stand it anymore.
"I don’t know why you Throggs are just standing around; let’s go see what’s out there!"
I was sure I heard more than one disreputable epithet muttered over the comms before they went silent. As I scanned the terrain ahead of me I quickly made out several very large rectangular outlines haphazardly scattered down the length on the fissure. I started slowing down and processing what I was looking at. It finally dawned on me these looked a lot like the artifact containers I found back on Earth! I looked at my rear view and saw my crew catching up with me at break neck speed.
I dropped down to a soft landing in knee deep dust that had been pushed up by the front of the giant container I landed next to. The container was crushed in on the front corner and the whole thing had a funny twist to it. Damage like this would have to mean that the container was dropped at a fair clip and it made a very hard landing. I suddenly realized these were from the freighter! The captain had dropped a portion of his cargo before he was shot down. The Prule scout ship apparently did not see him do it or the cargo would have been recovered.
Suddenly Tria hailed me. “Commander, you might want to come take a look at this.”
My helmet display showed my three crew members about a quarter of a mile further up the canyon. I hit my boosters and popped up from the splayed shipping containers. I quickly saw what had caught Tria’s attention. I could count six large cylindrical objects lying at different angles spread out on the floor of the crevasse. My quick scan revealed they were sixty-nine feet long and fourteen feet wide but could get no other information. They reminded me of submarine launched ICBMs I had seen pictures of back on Earth.
“Justice, I am going to need you at this location.”
“Affirmative Commander, ETA forty seconds.”
“What do you think Tria? The diameter is too large to be missiles that would have fit the Legacy’s missing launchers?”
Coonts called over to me, “Commander, Klutch and I have uncovered two of the cylinders and they appear to be in perfect condition. They show no damage from the fall they would have had to make in order to end up in this location.”
I was beginning to think something was wrong with Tria because she still had not said a word. I was slightly startled when Justice suddenly appeared directly overhead and started a slow decent to the crevasse floor.
“Tria, is something wrong? Are the cylinders dangerous?”
“Commander, I cannot positively identify these artifacts because I have only seen two large fragments of this technology. But the resemblance to what was recovered by my people is nearly identical to these specimens.”
“I’m sure if your people possess fragments you would have a pretty solid theory.”
“They are believed to be military spacecraft. The fragments were the subject of intense study by some of the brightest scholars from my world. My father was involved in the initial study right after their discovery, but the fragments were suddenly removed from the artifact science labs and it is anybody’s guess as to what happened to them.”
“I intend to take them back to base with us. Maybe the Overseer can shed some light on what they are.”
Coonts had been digging the accumulated dust from around the side of one of the cylinders. By the way he was rubbing his hands over the smooth surfaces he was just as smitten by the spacecraft as he was with the Legacy project.
“Justice, do you think it would be safe to transport them back to base?”
“Unknown Commander, they resist all scanning spectrums.”
“Can we get all of them aboard along with the containers?”
“Yes Commander, they will easily fit in the hanger and I can split the containers up between the cargo bay and the remaining space in the hanger.”
&nbs
p; “OK Justice, load everything while the crew and I do another quick inspection of the area to make sure we haven’t missed anything.”
“Affirmative Commander.”
“Alright everyone let’s make a thorough search to make sure we are not leaving anything behind.”
We all took off and spread out on line with each other. We flew the length of the fissure and back again four times as we methodically searched the fissure. Other than the newly formed crater and the scattering of obliterated boulders our search came up empty. We headed back to the Legacy and a short trip back to our new home base.
Justice set us down in the rear of the large hanger area and began unloading the cargo containers against the back wall of the facility. All the containers had dents and dings but were still sealed and intact. Justice unloaded the long cigar shaped spacecraft and set them on the hangar deck next to the large cargo boxes. They were perfectly round and came to a sharp point on one end. They had a finely detailed metal grill about three feet in diameter on the opposite end. All were glossy black to the point they reflected their surroundings like mirrors. I still thought they were missiles or possibly a torpedo.
Coonts and Tria were inspecting each of the craft for any indication of a hatch. Klutch was inspecting the cargo containers and finally returned to me.
“Commander, I see no way of opening the containers.”
“That is something I hadn’t even thought about Klutch. The containers I have experience with had a key stored with them. I have come to the conclusion the captain of the freighter was in the process of trying to elude the Prule scout ship and knew his time was running out. I think the crew intentionally flew into the crevasse and jettisoned the freight trying to keep it out of enemy hands. The cost of the captain’s success was the loss of all their lives.”
Overseer?
“How can I be of service Nathan Myers?”
“Do you have knowledge of the cargo that was covertly dropped by the freighter?”
“No Nathan Myers. The freighter was not a scheduled supply mission to this facility. The freighter dropped out of dimensional space at the edge of this star system and broadcast a single broad spectrum distress signal requesting emergency assistance.
Only Guardian and Sentinel command personnel would know of this facility's location. This location is only accessible with the proper codes transmitted by an encrypted guardian transponder. It is also common knowledge security protocols prohibit any outgoing communications from this location. I speculate the captain had chanced friendly forces might inhabit this facility at the time of his distress signal.
The Prule scout ship exited dimensional space eleven point three seconds after the distress signal was broadcast, and attempted to engage the alliance freighter. To avoid impending destruction, the captain made the extremely haphazard decision to jump into the gravity well of the planet and this moon. The captain’s risky maneuver created massive ripples and distortions in the gravity well which delayed the Prule scout ship’s attempt to replicate the tactic. The freighter then dropped below the horizon of this moon and effectively masked their efforts to elude the Prule.
I further speculate the captain was aware there would be no armed response from this facility and made the decision to eject the cargo you now possess. I reacquired the freighter as it again became visible above the horizon. It was on an exit trajectory that appeared to be in preparation for another interdimensional transition. I detected an eruption of the containment field on the freighter’s number two star drive, which doomed any chance of an escape from this star system. The Prule scout ship came out of interdimensional space in close proximity to the freighter and engaged it with multiple high energy weapons. The barrage was focused on the freighter's command center and sent the freighter crashing to its present location. In response to the Prule’s execution of the freighter’s crew, I determined a liberal interpretation of security protocols did not in fact include the partial re-transmission of the distress signal recorded from the freighter. The conclusion to the hostile incursion is the wreckage you encountered outside of this facility.
The disclosure by the Overseer it was capable of bending the rules, was another hint the Guardian designers had given A.I.s like Justice and the Overseer the choice of free will. I knew I had met certain criteria for being accepted as Sentinel personnel but the Overseer could have chosen otherwise.
“Overseer, we lack the keys to gain access to the cargo we have recovered. Do you possess encryption keys capable of opening the containers?
“No Nathan Myers. It is common practice for the owners of the freight or the point of final destination to have authorized access keys.”
“Do you think there might be a possibility of recovering an access key from the freighter wreckage?”
“That is unlikely Nathan Myers. Most all encryption keys transmit detectable emanations to prevent loss and to facilitate recovery. Prule forces would have quickly discovered such emanations and collected the keys for decryption and intelligence gathering purposes.”
“Do you know if alternate keys can be obtained from other sources?”
“While that scenario is a possibility Nathan Myers, it is very unlikely. I would suggest you use the tools that are already at your disposal.”
My crew stood around me and we were giving each other the same, I wonder what tools he is referring to look, when we all apparently came to the same conclusion at the same time. I started to hail Justice, but he already knew.
“Commander the Guardian transponder is in the personnel access hatch.”
“Thank you Justice I will be right there.”
I ran to the Legacy and the personnel hatch opened for me and one of Justice’s annoying extruded arms politely handed me the transponder. As I turned and headed back to where my crew had gathered at one of the containers, I again wondered what test I had passed. There had to be something in my observed behavior or communications that would allow the Overseer to exercise his choice of free will. Although the Overseer did not come right out and tell me I had the key, his insinuation directly led Justice and the rest of us to the logical conclusion. I wondered if it was a violation of security protocols for the Overseer to disclose classified information directly to me. I guess my slow return trip from the ship was starting to rub the crew the wrong way and Klutch let me know it. “Commander, if it is your wish for us to age several more solar rotations before you reveal the contents of our discovery we request permission to do so in our bunks.”
My testy impatience to the repeated interruptions of the Prule intelligence briefing was being politely returned. The smiles on my crew’s faces were unmistakable to me and it gave me a warm feeling inside when I happily returned the grin. If I were to take my crew with me back to Earth, I decided it would be advisable to have Klutch and Coonts skip the Earth expression all together. The thought of grown men urinating in their presence, especially Klutch’s presence, might not be a good first impression.
“Alright ladies and gentlemen let’s see what is in box number one.”
I walked up to the huge container and touched the transponder to it and watched as the exterior of the cargo box melted away leaving us looking at a giant block of material that had a corrugated texture to it. Upon closer inspection we could see there were thousands of individual sheets that were less than an eighth of an inch thick.
Klutch looked at me and said, “Commander I was a mercenary not a scientist. I have no knowledge of what we are looking at.”
“Coonts, Tria, I am just a poor backwards thinking child from a primitive planet. Do you have any idea what we have here?”
“Commander Coonts said, it is a flexible super alloy but without proper analysis it would be difficult to categorize its use or identify the artifact number.”
“If you have an opinion Tria, I would like to hear it.”
“Commander, during my salvage career I have seen material very similar to this. I concur with Coonts, it must be a flexible super
alloy used in starship fabrication.”
“Justice, do you have any information on these materials?”
“Negative Commander, the material is unknown to me.”
“Overseer do you have information that might help us determine what these materials were designed for?”
“No Nathan Myers, I have no analytical data pertaining to the contents of the container.”
I started to move to the next container, then after thinking about it for a few seconds; I held the transponder out to Tria. She gave me a quizzical look then smiled and accepted the device.
“Take your pick Tria.”
Tria looked at the containers and then chose the fifth down the line from us. She touched it with the device and the container dissolved away revealing ten large clear tanks filled with a gray metallic looking liquid. Each tank had an instrument panel on it. Tria and Coonts took a close look at the contents of the tanks.
Tria turned to me and said, “Nanites Commander, a massive quantity of microscopic robots. They can be programmed to do most anything. With the proper A.I. programming they can aid in the healing of wounds or become solids that can manipulate objects. These are the devices Justice uses to create appendages. The most technological races embrace their use but a great many of the lesser advanced races shun them. There have been horrific accidents because of a poor understanding of the technology. They have also been used as weapons. I might add that all the technologically advanced races have a ban on weaponized nanites. The Galactic Union has made it unlawful to possess weaponized nanites. Any Galactic Union race that is found with them in their possession, are subjected to severe censor. Depending on the sophistication of the design they can be extremely valuable.”
She handed the transponder to the fidgeting Coonts who made a show of carefully walking up and down the containers. Then hurriedly went running to number seventeen when we all caught the faintest scent of something unpleasant. He reached out and touched the container then quickly handed the device to Klutch who gave me a toothy smile and a wink with both of his eyes. Coonts container contained sheets of a dull black material that seemed vaguely familiar and then Coonts verified my familiarity by declaring it to be artifact 2762. It was one of the materials he used along with artifact 699 to manufacture our assault armor. The material was a valuable trading commodity.
First of my Kind Page 35
