“There she is,” said one of them, a woman with blond hair tied into a thick braid that lay draped on her bare shoulder.
“Oh, good,” said another, a man with a beatific expression on his flawless face.
“Are you back with us?” asked another one of the women, a redhead with delicate features that looked lifted from a Renaissance painting.
“Uhm, yeah. I think so,” said Amelia, her head pounding, the voices of those standing around muffled, as though being spoken through water. “Wait, where the hell am I? Who are you people?”
She backed up while sitting until her body bumped into the cool wall behind her. Looking down, she saw that she was wearing a simple white dress that appeared to her like a hybrid between a toga and a hospital gown.
“Where’s my crew? Where’s my ship?” she demanded of the half-dozen men and women who stood in a half-circle around her, their faces and bodies projecting easy calm.
“Both are fine,” said the redhead. “Your ship was struck with a missile designed to disable, not destroy. And your crew is in the other room. All are in good health and good spirits.”
Catching her breath, Amelia looked around the room she was in. It was a large room of clay-colored, glossy stone, bountiful, heavy-leafed plants, and a fountain that bubbled fresh water. It struck her as something like a day spa, or classical bathhouse
“Just calm yourself; you’re safe for now,” said the redheaded woman.
“OK, fine- I’m calm. Now tell me where the hell I am, please, and who the hell you are.”
“I’m Doctor Raylynn Carson of Gray Eden,” she said, touching her chest with her palm. “Or at least, that’s what you would know our group as. I don’t care for the term, personally- it sounds so very drab to me.”
“And what do you prefer?” asked Amelia.
“Why, Green Eden, of course!”
“Green is the color of plants,” said one of the statuesque men, gesturing to the plants closest to him.
“Yes, thank you, Cayden,” said Dr. Carson, a trace of impatience in her otherwise warm voice.
At that moment, Amelia remembered the situation that these colonists were in, with the impending attack by the Lunar Initiative. She felt compelled to warn the group, if only for her own safety.
“We just came from the Lunar Initiative capital, and I don’t know what information you guys are working with, but they’re planning a major attack with some kind of superweapon.”
Dr. Carson’s face remained impassive.
“Yes,” she said. “Our sources at Universitet have told us as much, though the nature of the superweapon was unknown to us. That is, until your doctor, Sasha, shared the data onboard your ship with us. It’s all very troubling.”
“‘Troubling’ is one way I’d put it, yeah,” said Amelia. “They want to wipe out your entire colony.”
“We feared that the LI would resort to such measures, though we had hoped that out-and-out genocide was a little beyond the pale, even for them. But, alas.”
“Well, what exactly are you people planning on doing about it?”
“That, my dear, is why we’re all very glad that you’re back in the world of the living. Come with me, if you feel up to walking.”
Amelia heaved herself up from her lounging position and, after a moment of unsteadiness, felt fine to walk.
“How long have I been out?”
“A little over a day. The rest of your crew was conscious when our scouts found you, but you appeared to have suffered a minor head injury during the crash,” said Dr. Carson, leading Amelia out of the room.
“Yeah, those things tend to happen when you launch missiles at ships without any warning.”
“Our apologies, but it was our automated defense system. We’re a peaceful people, mostly, and sending disabling missiles and determining identity after the fact is a simpler solution. And we can’t be too careful, what with the Lunar Initiative plotting our extinction.”
The hallway that they walked into was a wider, more decorative version of the room that they had just left. Everything in the Eden colony, from the tasteful art of still lifes and nude figures reclining in scenes of bucolic splendor, to the abundant indoor foliage, to the dozens of gently bubbling fountains, seemed designed to impart a sense of calm and beauty. And all along the hallway and into the vast, open room designed along similar lines that they entered, Edeners were lounging here and there, draped across furniture and in one another’s arms, nibbling off plates of exotic fruits and meats, idly flicking through slates, and seemingly concerned with nothing at all. The air seemed fresh and clean, though perhaps a bit sickly sweet to Amelia’s nose.
“Quite a place you got here,” said Amelia.
“Lovely, is it not?” asked Raylynn, stepping in front of Amelia, spreading her arms, a wide smile crossing her face. “Here on one of the most inhospitable places in the solar system, we’ve built a paradise. Free from the constant conflict that runs rampant through Sol, a place where the elite of the former world can enjoy their well-earned rest.”
“Yeah, definitely looks that way,” said Amelia, the flowing dress brushing against her bare legs as she walked past Raylynn. “Where exactly are we going, by the way?”
“Why, we’re going to meet with the rest of your crew, who are already speaking with the Guru.”
“The who?”
“The Guru, the leader of our people, if you prefer that term.”
“Then can we leave?” asked Amelia, eager to get back to the Meridian and get as far away from Luna as the little bit of fuel they had left would take them.
“Of course,” said Raylynn, walking again at Amelia’s side. “But I think you might be interested to hear our offer. You are a team of expert mercenaries, correct?”
“‘Expert’ might be a little generous with how things have been going, but yeah.”
Amelia was growing more and more ill at ease with each passing moment in this commune-like place. But if there was money to be made, she figured she could at least hear what they had to offer.
“Then wonderful! We are a very wealthy people, as I’m sure you can tell. If you’re able to assist us with, well, preventing our destruction, then we’ll be sure to handsomely reward you.”
The pair approached a massive set of double doors that were ornate, gilded, and taller than Amelia stacked on top of herself three times. Amelia looked the doors up and down, noting the intricate carvings of figures and forms.
“Now, the important thing to keep in mind when meeting with our Guru is to maintain serenity at all times,” said Raylynn, stopping before the doors and affecting a grave tone. “His mind works in ways that people like you and I can’t hope to understand. He is capable of speaking, while also thinking and meditating at the same time. But any disturbance can throw off that delicate process.”
Amelia looked at Raylynn with a skeptical glance.
“Serenity, got it,” she said preparing for whatever lay beyond the doors.
Chapter 23
“There is my newest child!” called out the warm, clear, authoritative voice of the Guru, his words carrying down the length of the room.
The hall was just as ornate as the rest of the city. A long tapestry of deep red hues ran the length of the room, with golden columns alongside it. Amelia looked up, seeing that the vaulted ceilings were decorated with what she recognized as the Birth of Man, a painting that decorated the ceiling of a church on Earth she wasn’t sure still existed. But instead of Adam touching the finger of a white-haired, stern man that represented God, this one featured a group of white toga-clad men and women reaching out to a man with immaculate sable hair, a perfectly sculpted short beard, and a small cybernetic augmentation installed just below his ear.
“Come, come. There is much to discuss,” said Carson, her voice quieter as the pair approached.
Looking around, Amelia could see that the rest of her crew was there, seated cross-legged in front of the Guru, who sat upon a large, gaudy thr
one which itself sat upon a dais up a small flight of stairs.
“Amelia Durand,” said the Guru. “Hero of the Battle of Eros, renegade Geist, and now, leader of this fine band that I see before me.”
“About damn time, lady!” shouted Sam, dressed, as the rest of the crew was, in the same simple white frock.
The Guru and Raylynn winced at this, the former raising his hand.
“Please, young lady- serenity.”
“Oh yeah,” said Sam. “Sorry.”
“Welcome to the stately pleasure dome that was decreed,” said Benkei, rising to look over Amelia. “Good to see you’re back in working order.”
“Something like that,” she said.
Sasha gave her a wave, and Amelia noticed that he was alone.
“All alone?” asked Amelia.
“Yeah, not sure about that,” said Sasha, not seeming too bothered. “She followed after some particularly statuesque men as soon as we got off the ship.”
“Let us attend to the business at hand,” said the Guru.
As Amelia drew closer, she looked over the Guru’s features and noticed that he was the spitting image of the man in the God position in the painting above.
“Subtle,” she said, pointing up.
“It was a gift from my children,” he said, the smile now leaving his face. “If they wish to show respect for the man who made their life here possible, I’m not going to begrudge them.”
“Anyway…” said Amelia.
“Yes, of course,” he said. “First of all, welcome to my humble city of Presidium. This is the cultural center of our people, and I hope, sincerely, that you find your time here peaceful and rejuvenating.”
“Uh huh,” said Amelia.
“We are all trained in the most advanced relaxation techniques,” said Raylynn. “I, personally, have an advanced degree in Quietude.”
The Guru looked upon Dr. Carson with the warm, proud smile of a parent listening to a child brag about her accomplishments.
“There’s a job?” asked Amelia, hoping to get to the point.
“Ah yes,” said the Guru. “My apologies, my mind tends to work at multiple levels. There is a job, and one that I believe we could compensate you for most handsomely. Break back into the Lunar Initiative capital and destroy the weapon and the data.”
“Are you kidding me?” asked Amelia, her voice rising and echoing against the cold marble walls of the hall.
“Please, serenity,” said the Guru, raising his hand and wincing once again.
“You want us to break into the city that we just risked our lives escaping? How much are you planning on paying us for a suicide mission?”
“Allow me to explain: The cargo that you and your crew brought to our fair moon was, as you well know, the payload for a nanoweapon intended to destroy our people so that the Lunar Initiative can seize control of the moon and enact the sculpting process that they’ve been planning for decades, since during the time of the Federation.
“But, as I’m sure you also know, the sculpting process here on Luna was one of the Federation’s first attempts at changing an environment that was cold and dead, unsuitable for human habitation. And it was a disaster, and the devastation on Earth that was wreaked when Crater was formed is our eternal reminder of this hubris.”
Dr. Carson and the rest of the Eden attendants whispered to one another in hushed, angry tones, as if cursing the sculpting incident that broke off a piece of Luna and sent the debris onto Earth, resulting in millions of deaths and the destruction of many cities in the Western Hemisphere.
“And the Lunar Initiative wants to give this another try,” the Guru said, shaking his head sadly. “What will be enough for them? Do they need the entirety of Luna herself to slam into Earth before they learn? No, we will not let them again meddle with forces they do not understand. We will live in harmony with Luna as she is and not repeat the mistakes of the past.”
“And spend your days living in blissful hedonism?” asked Benkei, suspicion in his voice.
“It is the life my people deserve after suffering through the horrors of the Sector War and the tragedies that led up to it. There are worse lives than endless bliss,” he said.
“Until you have to go to war,” said Amelia.
“Regretful, but if I must defend my children, then I will do what needs to be done. We’re not a war-faring people, though we have an ample military. But it will all be in vain if a superweapon can turn our cities and people into this, this horrible paste.”
“But wait, how do we even know they can build this weapon?” Amelia asked.
“They didn’t have the Meridian for long, but they got into our data,” said Sasha. “It was only a matter of time before they figured out how to weaponize the nanobots; they are a colony of scientists, after all.”
“Fine. Then let’s hear what you’ve got in mind.”
The Guru’s smile spread even further across his face, turning from warm to sinister.
“I was worried you’d never ask.”
Chapter 24
The Guru closed his eyes, as though accessing something deep within his mind. The cybernetic implant under his ear lit up, and a projection of a 3D rendering of the surface of the moon appeared in the air between him and the rest of those in the great hall.
“The plan is as such,” he said, a sprawling representation of Presidium appearing on the map, along with a great black splotch meant to represent Crater, and another city meant to represent Universitet. “War is inevitable. If we simply wait for the Initiative to attack, they will wipe us out. Therefore, the only sensible course of action is to launch a preemptive strike, bringing them to heel under the sword of enlightenment.
“The Sword of Enlightenment,” murmured the attending Edeners to each other in hushed, reverent tones.
The Guru raised a hand, silencing them.
“We will begin a frontal assault on Universitet, bringing the full brunt of our ships and soldiers to bear. And while the Initiative forces are engaged, your ship, using its incredible cloaking abilities, will, well, sneak in the back.”
A small red ship that represented the Meridian was shown on the projection to fly around the clashing armies in a careful sideways arc, reaching Universitet unharmed.
“Are you kidding?” demanded Amelia.
The Guru winced and raised his hand once again. Amelia rolled her eyes before continuing in a quieter tone.
“We’re going to break in the back for what, to get ripped apart by the city’s defenses?”
“This is why you must trust the Guru,” he said, his warm smile returning. “We have a secret weapon of our own, you see.”
He waved his hand in a gentle, sweeping motion, the map of the lunar surface replaced with a rotating diagram of a long missile with a chrome body and a black tip, an intricate Eastern-style engraving on the side.
“This is the Jame Hue rocket, an astounding piece of technology that my most brilliant children were able to come up with to aid us in our struggle.”
“Pretty fancy for a rocket,” said Amelia.
“Yes,” said the Guru, his handsome face proud once again. “We take pride in all of our creations. This missile was designed to work on electronic and cybernetic designs, especially those favored by the lunar Initiative. Simply put, once deployed, it can be used to shut down major portions of the Lunar Initiative city. You would be able to bypass their perimeter defenses. And, as their most advanced weaponry is cybernetic in design, that would be disabled, as well.”
“Still plenty of small arms fire once they figure out what’s going on,” said Benkei.
“Well,” said the Guru. “That is what I would be paying you so handsomely for.”
“Wait a minute,” said Sasha, rising and looking closely at the projection of the Jame Hue missile. “I’ve worked on the containment unit for the magnetics that this missile uses; they’re notoriously unstable.”
“Indeed, they are,” said the Guru. “That is why you must
exercise extreme care while this weapon is aboard your ship. A hard enough jostle could breach the containment field, causing the magnetic field to activate on your ship. The effect would be harmless to you, but the crashing of your ship onto the moon that would soon follow might not be.”
“So, fly the Meridian in while cloaked, avoid any fire, blast the side of the city with the missile, go in, and destroy both the nanoweapon and the data.”
“That sounds like everything,” said the Guru, his voice still light, almost carefree.
“Then what? You destroy the Lunar Initiative just like they want to do to you?” asked Benkei.
“No,” said the Guru. “We simply wish to cripple their war machine and capture those who seek to commit genocide on my children. Once their back has been broken, I’m more than content to allow them to conduct their experiments in peace, or whatever it is they wish to do.”
A silence descended on the hall.
“But whatever you decide, please make it soon- the attack begins in a few hours.”
“We’ll do it,” said Amelia. The job sounded dangerous, but she figured it was nothing they couldn’t handle. Not to mention the pay was more than double what they would’ve made from the Imitative.
“Wonderful. Simply wonderful,” said the Guru. “Then I shall leave you to whatever preparations you may wish to make before the mission is to begin. Farewell, my children.”
With that, the Guru closed his eyes and sat stone-still, deep in tranquil contemplation. Dr. Carson and the rest led the group out of the great hall and back into the vast, open space that they had entered from.
“Please, make whatever preparations you need before the attack begins,” said Dr. Carson. “You have full access to your ship. Good luck.”
And, with that, she departed, leaving the group alone in the plaza.
“I’m not sure about the rest of you, but I’d prefer to get out of these white gowns,” said Benkei.
“No kidding,” said Sam. “You look like you’re gonna get baptized.”
“Our clothes are all on the ship, but if you guys have any idea of how to kill a couple of hours before the mission, I’m open to suggestions,” said Sasha.
Unknown Cargo (The Meridian Crew Book 1) Page 10
