by Finn Gray
She gently touched a finger to his lips. “I get it. I had a long time to think about it while you were out there risking your life to get help for us.” She paused. “Listen closely because people don’t hear this from me very often. I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.” Rory smiled. “Now, why are you really here?”
Cassidy sighed and leaned back against the wall. “Marson was suspicious of Trent because of her connection to the Stone Mountain Base.”
“But she explained that.”
“He never even gave her a chance. He let the rumor about her slip before he ever talked to her. No one would have believed her at that point, and even if they would have, I think she’d have kept her silence out of sheer spite.”
“Marson.” Rory shook his head. “I was actually considering the possibility that he might not be a total dickbag, and then he does that. Why would he do that?”
“Can you blame a snake for doing what snakes always do?”
Rory reached out and gave her a playful tap on the shoulder. “When did you become a philosopher?” Then he grew serious. “That’s Trent’s reason to stay. What’s yours?”
“I was pissed off. What the Memnons did, how I treated you, what Marson did to Trent.” She bit her lip. “And when he told us you were dead, I didn’t believe him.”
“You thought he was lying?”
“No, it wasn’t that. Somehow, I knew he was wrong.” She lapsed into silence for a few seconds, then gave a little shake, as if taken by a sudden chill. “Anyway, with all of that going around my head, I just could not hop on a shuttle and fly away.”
Rory sensed she was still holding something back, but he reached out and gave her shoulder a squeeze.
“Thanks for saving our asses. I owe you.”
“Gods damned right you do.” Cassidy stretched and yawned. “I am so tired. Tracking your two oafs was exhausting.”
The two stretched out on their backs, hands behind their heads, elbows touching. Through a hole in the jungle canopy Rory caught a glimpse of starlight.
“Do you think they got away?” he asked.
“I think so,” Cassidy said. “But whether they did or not, they’re gone either way.”
Rory’s heart sank. He had tried not to think about that. Jemma was gone forever.
“Do you need a tissue to dry your tiny tears?” Cassidy asked. “Because I don’t have one to give.”
“I’ll be all right,” he said. He didn’t know if it was true.
Chapter 17
The Scarn Nebula
“We’re picking up something on RADS,” Smoke said. There was something in his tone that made Teddy’s skin itch. He sensed disturbing news in the offing.
“What kind of something? Gwen asked.
“Something very large.”
“So, not your organ,” Teddy quipped.
“I’m serious,” Smoke said. “This thing is massive.”
“A phrase you have never heard from a woman, I’ll wager.” Teddy’s heart wasn’t in the insult. He was now looking at the bogey on his own display and he could not disagree. He felt goosebumps rising on his flesh. What the hells was it?
“Could it be a ship?” Smoke asked.
Teddy shook his head. “I don’t think so. Unless our readings are way off, this thing is far too large.”
“Memnons?” Smoke asked.
Neither Teddy nor Gwen replied. As they drew closer, their scanner provided the necessary data.
“It’s an asteroid,” Gwen said, scanning her display. “And it’s huge.”
On the RADS, the massive asteroid loomed before them—black as night within the nebula’s dull glow. It was the largest of its kind Teddy had ever seen.
“We could land on it,” Smoke said.
“And do what?” Gwen asked.
“Get out, stretch our legs, take a break from Teddy’s flying.”
“Hey, my flying got us out of that situation,” Teddy said.
“Your dumb luck, more like.” Gwen’s eyes narrowed and she leaned closer to one of the digital displays. “Something is down there. It’s giving off a weak signal.”
“Really? On an asteroid?” Teddy glanced at the display. She was correct. Something on the surface was giving off a signal. Faint, but it was there. “I wouldn’t mind stretching my legs. Sitting for too long is bad for your health, you know. There are numerous long-term consequences.”
“I hate to break it to you, but if you’re thinking about your long-term health, you’ve chosen the wrong career,” Gwen said.
“In that case, we should embrace the unexpected. Live life to its fullest.”
“By landing on an asteroid?” Gwen arched her eyebrows.
“Seriously, it could be something important. Let’s check it out.”
“Beats flying through the debris field, I suppose,” Smoke said.
“What if they’re Memnons?” Doubt resonated in Gwen’s voice.
“Good point. That would be information the fleet needs to know. We should scout it out.”
Gwen sat up a little straighter, then seemed to deflate. “You’re going to do this regardless of what I say, aren’t you?”
Teddy did not reply, but piloted their Mongoose in direction of the signal.
“I’m analyzing the signal,” Smoke said. “It’s weird.”
“What do you mean?” Teddy asked.
“It’s a series of symbols, broken up in strings of different lengths,” Smoke said. “A few of them look a lot like letters from our alphabet, but nothing’s an exact match.”
“Record it. Maybe one of the science officers can decipher it,” Teddy said.
“Roger that.”
“If it’s not a recognized language, it’s probably not the Memnons,” Gwen said. “We speak the same language. Language is dynamic, so theirs has probably evolved differently, but the root is still the same.”
“Which leaves two possibilities,” Teddy said. “One is that this is a top-secret facility.”
“What’s the other?” Smoke asked.
“A previously uncontacted civilization,” Gwen said softly.
The thought sent a chill down Teddy’s spine. “I guess we’ll find out.”
He flicked on the Mongoose’s searchlight. The surface of the asteroid was shiny, black, and jagged. He wouldn’t dare try landing anywhere down there. On the plus side, neither would any Memnon with half a brain and an instinct for self-preservation.
“I’m getting a readout,” Gwen said. “There’s a structure up ahead.”
“Any idea what it is?” Teddy asked.
“It’s a dome. Its size and shape are much too regular to be a natural formation.”
“That must be where our signal is coming from,” Teddy said.
As they swept forward, the structure came into view. It was just as Gwen had described: a dome was built into the bedrock of the asteroid. At its apex stood the battered remains of signal dishes. At the base, a large, dark opening in the side of the dome beckoned.
Teddy made a circuit of the dome, taking in every centimeter of its battered surface.
“It’s not much to look at,” he said.
“The architecture is too featureless to make a guess as to who constructed it,” Gwen added. “Recess, are we recording all this on vid?”
“Yes, sir! Got it all, including your voice-over commentary.”
“That’s really not necessary,” Gwen said.
“Just being thorough.”
They completed their trek around the dome and hovered before the gaping opening in the side of the dome. Teddy directed the forward searchlight into the dark space beyond.
“It looks like a hangar,” Gwen said. “Although I don’t see any ships.”
“No knuckle-draggers either,” Smoke chimed in. “But don’t tell the chief I said that. He doesn’t appreciate my sense of humor.”
“Smart man,” Gwen said. She turned to Teddy with a resigned look on her face. “Shall we check it out?”
Teddy
shrugged. “Might as well.”
He brought the Mongoose into the hangar and turned her in a circle, letting its lights sweep the interior, before setting down. There was little to see. There was space enough here to hold a dozen large transports. All around were racks and storage compartments that would normally hold parts, fuel, and weapons. All appeared to be empty.
“It looks like somebody built this place but never used it,” Gwen said.
“Or they haven’t used it in a long time,” Smoke added.
Teddy nodded. That was exactly how it appeared. Abandoned or never occupied.
“Why in the hells would you build a facility on an asteroid inside a volatile nebula like this one?” Smoke asked.
“Because you don’t want anyone to know what you’re up to,” Teddy said, looking around. The hangar bay only occupied a pie-shaped slice of the domed space. His sharp eyes spotted a nearby door. There were no markings on it. “Maybe the answer lies behind that door.”
“Teddy, are you crazy?” Gwen asked. “You have no idea what’s behind there.”
“And I won’t know until I check it out. You two can wait here. I won’t be long.” He began removing the straps that held him in place in the pilot’s chair.
“The hells we will,” Smoke said. “I want to see what’s back there, too.”
The two men looked at Gwen. She glared back at each in turn, but her resolve crumbled quickly.
“You two win. I do want to know what’s inside there. But we leave the engines hot. If at any point, I say we have to go back, we go back. Understood?” Her eyes locked with Teddy’s.
“Trust me,” he said.
“That’s not the same as a ‘yes,’” she said.
Teddy winked. “It is if you trust me.”
They double-checked their helmets and life support systems, then debarked.
Teddy had anticipated a microgravity climate like that of a space station. He wasn’t completely wrong. Each step carried him close to two meters. It almost felt like he was skipping rather than walking. It was not, however, anything close to low- or zero-g.
“You think this facility’s got gravtech?” he asked through the com link.
“It’s not unusual for asteroids to have some gravity,” Gwen said. “The more iron and nickel, the greater its mass, and thus greater gravity.”
“And this is one huge freaking asteroid,” Smoke added.
The touchpad that operated the door was dead, but there was a manual crank in the wall beside it. They heaved and strained, but it refused to budge.
“Looks like a dead end,” Gwen said.
Teddy disagreed. “No way. There’s got to be another way in. Why only one door with a place this size? Let’s split up and make a quick search.”
“Hold on.” Smoke raised a gloved hand. “In every horror vid I’ve ever seen, splitting up is always the wrong decision.”
“It’s a hangar. We’ll be in sight of one another.”
“He’s right,” Gwen said. “Let’s stick together.” She did not wait for the men to agree, but began searching.
They made their way around the debris. Here and there a fallen beam indicated that the structure was in far from perfect condition. Teddy caught himself looking up periodically.
Finally, Gwen spotted a trapdoor. “That might be a way in.”
“Great! Who’s first?” Teddy said.
Smoke folded his arms and gave his head a shake. “First, he wants to split up, then he wants to crawl into the scary hole. What is with this guy?”
“No harm in checking it out.” Teddy knelt and inspected the door. It was a simple release mechanism; no lock. He held his breath and raised it. The beam of his headlamp fell on a series of rungs descending ten meters to a tunnel that led deeper into the dome.
He did not waste time arguing with others. Instead, he clambered down the ladder to the tunnel. They followed along as he knew they would. This puzzle was too intriguing to pass up.
The tunnel led straight back, past a few empty storage bays. Finally, they reached a door similar to the one in the hangar above. Here, too the controls were dead. This time, however, the manual release worked. They threw themselves into the work and managed to raise the door a meter—enough to easily slip underneath.
Teddy shone his light underneath it. The hallway led to a stairwell. That was promising.
“Are your lady parts going to make it through?” Smoke asked Gwen as she slid beneath the door.
“Keep my lady bits out of your mouth, literally and figuratively,” she snapped.
At the base of the stairs, an indecipherable sign was posted.
“What if it’s warning us of danger?” Smoke asked.
“No way of knowing,” Teddy said. “It’s weird. The script is foreign, but this place doesn’t feel alien at all. It feels like countless facilities I’ve been in. Given the size of the doors and stairsteps, the spacing of the ladder rungs, it seems to be built for humans.”
“Or for something else that’s about our size.” Smoke’s voice quavered.
“Something our size that uses doors, stairs, and ladders,” Gwen said. “Which means arms, legs, hands and feet. Smart money says this was designed for people not much different from us.”
That did little to calm the butterflies in Teddy’s gut. He mounted the stairs with a sense of dread. Fear sent icy pinpricks down the back of his neck. But what did he really have to be afraid of? So far, they had seen no sign of life. At the top of the stairs, more indecipherable signs pointed the way to places unknown.
“The signal we’ve been tracking appears to originate from somewhere to our right,” Smoke said, consulting the readout on his wrist display.
“Works for me,” Teddy said.
They turned right and followed the hallway that led deeper into the dome. Their foosteps echoed in the eerie quiet. They passed through living quarters. The first cell they inspected contained a bedframe with no mattress, a table, chair, and sink. Smoke tried the handle on the sink. A low rattling sound filled the room, and then a slow trickle of water flowed forth.
“Still works,” he said.
The next few cells they checked were also similarly equipped and none showed evidence of having ever been occupied.
“It’s like somebody built this here but never made use of it,” Gwen said. “Who would do that?”
“The government,” Teddy said. “The armed forces. Why do you think there’s never any money left for us?”
“But why build a facility like this here?” Smoke asked as they continued down the hallway. “There are no habitable planets anywhere close to here to spy on, invade, or colonize.”
“Maybe whoever built this place didn’t know that,” Teddy said.
“But inside the nebula?” Smoke pressed.
“I’ll bet it’s a research station,” Gwen said, opening the next cell door. “Something to do with…”
She let out a sudden shriek, drew her sidearm, and opened fire.
Chapter 18
Battlecruiser Kestrel
Hunter let out a tired sigh as he stripped down to his skivvies and hung his flight suit in the duty locker that had been provided for him. It felt strange being in a ship other than Dragonfly. Hopefully this was only a temporary arrangement. He had the distinct impression that Kestrel’s pilots resented his presence. Time and again he caught one or more of them watching him when they thought he wasn’t looking, muttering or whispering as he walked by. The hells with them. He was merely following orders.
“I am so ready for a shower,” he said to no one in particular.
“Sorry, we don’t allow Memnons in our shower.” One of the pilots, a big man, bald with light skin and brown eyes, glowered at him.
“Ignore them,” Vera said. “We’ll just do our jobs until we get back home.”
Hunter smirked, gave a small shake of his head.
The pair had just flown their first CAP since arriving on Kestrel. It had been just as boring and unevent
ful as any other CAP, with only the fear of a surprise Memnon appearance to add suspense to the otherwise mundane duty.
“When are you going home, anyway?” the pilot who had made the Memnon comment asked.
“Shut up, Hobbs. We’re on the same side here.” The speaker was another pilot. Hunter did not know her name, but knew her callsign was Puma.
“Are you sure?” Hobbs said. “I hear they showed up with a bunch of Memnons in tow.”
“You heard wrong,” Vera said.
“Whatever,” Hobbs said. “I still want you two to leave.” He sniffed the air. “You two stink.”
Hunter’s anger flared and he rounded on the larger man.
“We’d be happy to leave. The problem is, yours is apparently the only bridge crew that doesn’t know how to execute a jump properly.”
That got everyone’s attention. Several of Kestrel’s pilots rose to their feet. Hunter knew he was treading on thin ice. Insult your own commander and crew all you like, but don’t talk about someone else’s ship.
Hobbs took a step closer. He was a good three inches taller than Hunter and broader of shoulder.
“You want to say that to my face?”
“Sure. Turn around.”
It took Hobbs a second to understand the joke. He bared his teeth in a wolfish grin.
“Funny guy. I guess I’d have a chip on my shoulder, too if I was stuck with a Thetan as a captain. You know, there’s a reason he commands the oldest and shittiest battlecruiser in the fleet.”
“Dragonfly might be an older ship, but at least her QE drive works properly.”
The punch came without warning. A wild haymaker that, if it landed, would have turned Hunter’s lights out. But he was ready. He ducked the blow and replied with a left cross that sent the off-balance Hobbs reeling.
Hunter did not wait for Hobbs to recover. He flicked a quick jab that caught Hobbs in the eye, drove another punch into his gut.
Hobbs shoved him away, shook off the fog, and raised his fists.
“Come on!” he beckoned.
The other pilots had formed a circle around the pair of combatants. No one was going to break it up unless someone was in danger of getting seriously hurt. At least, that was how it worked ordinarily. Hunter had a feeling that if Hobbs got the better of him, they might not intervene.
