by Warren Dean
He nodded and sat down alongside her. "I couldn't believe it when I saw my father sitting there," he said. "He's a lot older now, my mother too. They've been having infusions all these years. They don't remember the time before the shift."
"You saved them," she replied.
"We saved them," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders.
Her eyes glistened and a tear slid down her cheek. He wiped it away. He didn't have to ask what she was thinking about. She had spoken to him of the loss of her father often enough. Her memory of the last time her ten-year-old self had seen him – on the old wooden dock in Seville just before he had sailed away down the Guadalquivir – was so strong that she was able to describe precisely what he looked like, even after all this time. A short, lean individual with brown eyes straddling an aquiline nose, black hair worn shoulder length, and a diagonal scar on his forehead above his left eye – a souvenir from a duel he had fought when he was younger.
Connor held her tightly, knowing that it wasn't necessary for him to say anything. For that he was thankful. If he spoke now, he wasn't sure he would be able to resist telling her what he and Azee had done when they had given Seeker its new directive.
And it was best he didn't; there was no knowing whether or not the second leg of the plan would work.
He sat silently and hoped Seeker would find a way to come through for them one more time.
SEEKER'S LOG: 1603 AD
Seeker plunged back through the event horizon.
Encountering a jet, the drone quickly replenished its gas reserves, while at the same time taking advantage of the jet's outward momentum to help push it into an orbit.
Its actions were not motivated by a desire for self-preservation. The fulfilment of its primary directive – the successful transmission of the data message – had unlocked a hitherto encrypted secondary directive.
Without surprise, annoyance, or resentment, Seeker set about executing its new task. The initial part of the task was to orbit the singularity for two hundred and seventy-seven daily cycles and then traverse the black hole's gravity field back out into normal space.
There was more to the directive after that, but before it could even contemplate the rest Seeker faced a substantial hurdle. Its crippled drive system was in no condition to cross the immense gravity field. To have any prospect of doing so, it would need a full complement of fuel synthesis crystals.
Seeker scanned its drive to ascertain the extent of the problem. Around half of the original crystals had been shattered by the asteroid strike. And although it had filled the gaps with some of the bigger shards of shattered crystal, some of those had themselves been shattered later.
The drone considered its predicament. Returning to base for a re-fit was not an option. And none of its other systems contained materials suitable for use as a substitute for the crystals. Ordinarily, foreign materials required for repairs would be sought from survey planets, but that option was not presently available either.
The only foreign material currently accessible, aside from the ubiquitous yellow gas, was the asteroid itself. The gas had proved itself to be extraordinarily versatile but even its prodigious properties were not up to the task of restoring the drive module.
The little space rock was an unknown quantity, however. Having had no reason to eject it, the drone had retained it within its systems cavity, immobilising the asteroid in regeneralloy to prevent it from rolling around and causing more damage.
Scanning it was the work of a moment. Having no eyebrows to raise, Seeker reacted impassively to the discovery that it harboured a large concentration of rhodium. Chief amongst rhodium's properties was its conductivity and catalytic ability; properties which might make it suitable for use as a substitute for the fuel crystals.
The drone's regeneralloy drew the asteroid closer to its superheated outer shell, melting the rock down into its component materials. It extracted the molten rhodium and channelled it into a series of crystal-shaped moulds formed for that purpose. Then it drew together all of the smashed shards of crystal littering the systems cavity and mixed them in with the rhodium.
After allowing the resultant compound to cool and solidify, Seeker installed the crystal-shaped components in its drive system. Without any breath to hold, the drone tested the repaired module. The results were encouraging; the drive produced almost as much power as it normally would, although whether it would be capable of doing so for a protracted period was impossible to assess.
Having resolved its power deficiency, at least for the time being, Seeker settled into the orbit it had established; mechanically counting down the required number of cycles. Not concerned with boredom or excitement, it was neither sorry nor glad that the allotted period of time passed without any significant incident. For once, the drone's cosmic combatants – gravity and the gas jets – did not come up with any nasty surprises.
When the appointed exit time arrived, Seeker rode a powerful jet out through the event horizon, taking a deep breath of yellow gas as it did so. Firing its drive system to capacity, it began the long journey towards normal space. The reconstituted fuel crystals glowed red hot from the strain but did not shatter.
As the drone drew away from the black hole, the pull of its gravity weakened. Mindful of preserving the drive module for the second phase of the mission, Seeker gradually reduced acceleration.
When it eventually reached normal space, the drone wasted no time celebrating. It consulted the secondary directive once again, taking note of the precise set of spatial co-ordinates it had been given. It calculated the necessary fold-space jump, opened a floating portal and, without so much as a backward glance at the black hole which had been its nemesis for so long, it swooped into the portal.
A moment later the portal winked out of existence.
----------
Seeker's jump took it into the midst of a class-four star system.
Its log revealed that it had visited this system once before. At that time it had surveyed two of the system's rocky planets, the one covered predominantly by blue seas, the other by red deserts.
The co-ordinates it sought turned out to be on the surface of the blue planet just off the east coast of one of its southern continents. There the drone's scanners perceived a small island, uninhabited save for large flocks of avians. When they weren't criss-crossing the skies in droves, the little creatures nested in nooks and crannies all over the barren rock. Seeker took no notice of them; they were not sentient enough to be concerned about and, even if they were, there was little likelihood that they would be able to interfere with what it had to do.
The next task prescribed by the directive was a relatively simple one – wait. How long it would have to wait was not disclosed so, to minimise the possibility of being spotted by the planet's more sentient species, Seeker ascended into the stratosphere to monitor events from afar.
The natural peace and tranquillity of the island was undisturbed for sixty-three of the planet's daily cycles.
On the sixty-fourth, there was a flurry of activity. A vessel left the shore of the nearby continent and scudded across the surface of the water, heading towards the island. The flimsy-looking craft sported a rudimentary drive system; a set of billowing sails designed to harness the planet's surface winds. A number of bipedal life forms, numbering two or three score, scurried around on the vessel's various platforms.
Seeker had encountered this type of life form before. The first time had been when it had carried out its survey of the blue planet, the second was when it had undergone repairs at the Repository, and the third was when it had ferried two of them to the Repository within its systems cavity.
Also from the direction of the continent approached a dark cloud of tiny biological entities. Seeker recognised them instantly. The nano-mites had been deployed by the drone itself as a guardian at the time of the survey. It was well aware of the function of the guardian; to prevent interference with the physical copy of the survey data the drone had
planted on the planet.
The nano-mites closed quickly on the vessel. When its occupants saw the incoming swarm they clambered into its spindly rigging to re-align the sails. To Seeker it was clear that their efforts were in vain. Although they were able to wring a little more speed from their drive system, the nano-mites could travel much faster.
From the tableau unfolding below, it was clear what had happened. The bipeds had found and removed the data copy and were transporting it to a new location. The guardian had awakened and sent its nano-mites in pursuit. Within moments, they would incapacitate the vessel and neutralise the bipeds.
Their intention conflicted with Seeker's new directive, at least as far as one of the bipeds was concerned. The directive contained a detailed description of a particular individual and an instruction to locate him and remove him from the vessel before he expired.
Why this individual should be preserved was not the drone's concern.
Perceiving that it would have to act quickly, Seeker reduced altitude and scanned the deck of the vessel. It located the biped without much difficulty. The individual's stature, clothing, and facial features matched the description right down to the distinguishing disfigurement above his brow. He stood immobile on the elevated rear platform of the vessel, staring at the approaching swarm of nano-mites.
Seeker had to time the intervention precisely. Acting too early risked interference with the guardian's operation, which was not the directive's purpose. But acting too late would defeat that purpose altogether.
The nano-mites reached the vessel as it navigated the southern shore of the island and headed for the expanse of the ocean beyond. The tiny entities did not attack the bipeds directly but ate their way into the craft itself, altering its composition. It slowed as it became heavier and settled lower and lower into the water. Waves filled its internal cavities and it began to sink. Some of the bipeds clung resolutely to the craft despite the fact that it was dragging them under. Others jumped clear but it made no difference; they too disappeared below the surface.
As the water reached the level of the rear platform, Seeker swooped down to hover alongside the biped standing there. The drone opened its regeneralloy hatch, offering him a means of escape. He made no move to climb in, opting instead to stare at the little craft in disbelief. His lower limbs were already underwater and time was running out.
The drone had no means of seizing him physically so it signalled an instruction to the guardian through some of the nearby nano-mites. An instant later, a significant number of nano-mites swarmed around the biped, lifted him bodily out of the water, and thrust him through the hatch.
Seeker sealed the hatch and released the gas compound it knew would render the biped temporarily unconscious. Then the drone ascended back into the stratosphere.
The only witness to the intervention was a thin, wide-eyed biped clinging to the uppermost part of the rigging. He would never testify to the event, however. The sinking vessel bore him below the surface of the sea, never to be seen again.
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Seeker reviewed the final sequence of the directive. It called for the drone to locate a large lake adjacent to the northern coast of the nearby continent and then a range of mountains rising above the jungles south-west of the lake.
Seeker made short work of the journey north and found the lake with little difficulty. On its south-west shore was a large river delta fed by a watercourse which wound its way down from a range of mountains. The drone flew over the delta and sped into the mountains. Then it initiated a long-range scan, which picked up the signature of a fold-space portal.
The portal was millennia old, suggesting an ancient connection between the blue planet and whatever was at the other end.
Seeker scanned further afield to ensure that there were no other portals in the area. Satisfied that there was only one, it swooped down, arrowing in on the signal. It found the portal set into the side of a mountain, a ragged-edged void which, from afar, resembled the entrance to a cave.
The entrance was noticeably inaccessible to ground-based species, other than by way of a pathway of precarious handholds and footholds set diagonally into the cliff face. It was evident that the portal had been deliberately situated in a difficult position so that only individuals of courage and determination would be able to reach it.
The drone hovered in front of the portal for no more than a moment before powering forward through the curtain of blackness. On the other side was a dark subterranean cavern, dimly lit by a dull orange glow. Scattered over its floor were rocks of various shapes and sizes and in the middle distance was a stagnant pool of water.
Scanning its surroundings Seeker perceived a solid wall of rock instead of the portal it had just come through. The portal was designed to open only one way, it observed. Although uncommon, portals of this kind were sometimes used in the Thousand Systems, usually to protect a less advanced civilisation from unwitting interference by adventurers from a more advanced one.
Unconcerned with any of these considerations, Seeker prepared to carry out the directive's final instruction. Hovering just above the ground, the drone opened its hatch. Then it waited while the coolness of the cavern's atmosphere revived the comatose biped.
After he came to, he lay still for a few moments as if trying to make sense of where he was. Then he exploded into panic-stricken motion, wriggling violently out of the hatch and dropping feet-first onto the stone floor. He took a few halting steps in an attempt to run away, but quickly faltered and sank to the ground, gasping for breath.
Having fulfilled its final task Seeker was free to leave, but the drone's awareness of how frail these bipeds could be prompted it to scan the stricken individual. The scan revealed that his cardio-vascular system was not fully compatible with the mix of atmospheric gases on this side of the portal. If the drone took no action, he was likely to expire and, if that came to pass, the overall purpose of the directive – which had been to save his life – would be defeated.
Seeker considered how to proceed. It had preserved bipeds like this one before by infusing them with yellow gas but it had no means of administering such an infusion to a creature outside its systems cavity.
The presence of the unidirectional portal suggested that they were on a planet inhabited by a sentient species, however, and logic dictated that the drone seek their aid.
Seeker scanned the cavern, confirming that it harboured no predators which might attack the helpless biped. Then it sped away, crossing the main chamber of the cavern while scanning its extremities for a way out. Locating the mouth of a tunnel on the far side, it negotiated the narrow, twisting passage until it burst out into a landscape of lush vegetation and sparkling lakes.
It was night time and the sky was clear. The drone scanned the panoply of stars overhead and its navigation system quickly identified their pattern. It placed the drone on the surface of Aquasolis, a prominent planet of the Thousand Systems. Close by was a large city inhabited by four sentient species. One of those, a race of shining flyers, was familiar to the drone. It had encountered this race at the Repository. It sent out a distress call on a telepathic frequency the flyers used.
It wasn't long before a group of three or four of the shining creatures approached. They came from the direction of the city, streaking across the night sky like little shooting stars.
Seeker ascended quickly, going high enough so as to be out of sight of the flyers, while staying low enough to monitor events.
The flyers headed towards the cavern entrance, communicating telepathically with each other in bursts of musical static.
"--Where did the signal emanate from, Axzael?--" asked one. "--Did you mark it?--"
"--Not well, Xzaroth,--" answered another. "--The direction was clearer than the source.--"
The flyers came to a stop and hovered momentarily.
"--Below us,--" said a third voice, "--the old underground portal. Something must have come through. Follow.--"
"--Ta
ke care, Elexzath.--"
"--I sense no danger, Xzaroth.--"
The flyers disappeared into the cavern. Seeker waited until they re-emerged. Two of them were supporting the stricken biped between them. They headed towards the city, flying more slowly than when they had arrived, but displaying enough urgency to satisfy the watching drone that they intended to keep it alive.
"--It is said that creatures like this come through from time to time,--" one of the flyers said as they flew away.
"--Indeed, Elexzath,--" replied another. "--We should maintain an awareness of this gateway in future, in case others follow…--"
Their mind-talk faded as they receded out of the drone's range.
Seeker remained inert for a long moment. It had no need to congratulate itself on a job well done. Nor was it concerned with wondering why it had been directed to cross both space and time in order to preserve the life of a single insignificant life form.
It had completed both primary and secondary directives, and no others had materialised. Its drive system was operating smoothly, giving no indication that a return to base for further repairs were needed.
The drone was free to revert to its standard mission directives.
It calculated the fold-space jump required to take it to the next survey subject on its schedule. It was unaware of the fact that, in approximately four hundred and fifty cycles' time, the Constructors' search for the yellow metal would end.
Seeker powered away from the surface of Aquasolis until it was well clear of the planet's atmosphere and the pull of its gravity.
The drone opened a floating portal and hovered while it brightened to incandescence.
Then Seeker dived into the fiery hole and was gone.
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This is the end of the TREASURE HUNTERS trilogy. Thank you for reading. More books by Warren Dean are available now in the Kindle Store:
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