Remnants of Empire, page 26
part #4 of The Earth Saga Series
“Seen.” Alex replied.
“That’s our first RV point.” Mike knew that the trek up would take the most out of the duo, and since he was unsure of the planets seasons or how long it would be before nightfall, he wanted to make as much progress as soon as possible, and that meant getting up and down the far side of the mountain before temperatures dropped, if they were to drop at all.
Glancing back over his shoulder, he noticed that the large creature had turned around and appeared to be eating some of the green grass that lined the lake, now oblivious to the human’s movement.
Turning back to his front, Mike tried to remember the last time he had gone on a decent hike through the hills. It had been a while, but this time he was carrying only a light pack, and he was well rested. The lack of water and food did worry him slightly, but he wasn’t about to eat or drink anything local until he knew what it was or until he was desperate.
Reaching the first bit of terrain that started to slope upwards, Mike could feel the ground firm up under his feet allowing them to walk at a brisker pace. No need to run, they both knew. A slow, steady pace would see them over this obstacle and onwards to the next challenge.
After three hours of trekking, the duo had reached the summit of the small mountain and had an unobscured view of the vast wasteland that lay before them.
Sitting down, Mike wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked up to the sky, trying to guess how much natural lighting they still had before night set in. Unable to make any sense of the how much time they might have left, he dropped his gaze back down to the long stretch of nearly featureless landscape that lay before them.
Sat in silence, the pair let the wind cool their wet uniforms enough to send a chill down Mike’s back. Pulling out the pair of glasses from their protective case, Mike slipped them on and toggled through the view options until he had found one that offered a 100 times magnification, and offered him a clear view of the path they needed to take once they descended the mountain.
“I can’t see anything, but” Mike pointed in the direction that the little 3D navigation device was telling them to move. “that’s the direction we need to head.” He took off the glasses and handed them to Alex.
The Marine put the glasses on and scanned the terrain that lay in their path. “Nothing. Looks flat, though.” He said with a hint of optimism in his voice.
“Yeah.” Mike said dryly, rising to his feet. “Shall we crack on?” He asked, looking down at the Marine. “Unless you need a few more minutes’ rest.”
Alex looked up at his much shorter comrade with a smile on his face. “That’ll be the day.” The Marine got to his feet. “I could out yomp you any day. On any planet.”
Mike shook his head. “Perhaps.” Taking his first few steps down from the peak, Mike rolled his shoulders before bringing his light backpack up to his shoulders.
It took just over three hours for the pair to reach the base of the mountain, and both were feeling fresh.
“Shall we increase the pace?” Mike asked, already increasing his movement to a smooth trot. Alex responded immediately by increasing his speed and came online with Mike.
Mike wasn’t sure how far it was to their destination, but they’d be able to maintain a ten kilometre an hour pace as long as the weather stayed cool and the terrain flat. It was like being back on Selection for Mike, don’t think, just keep moving.
When Mike finally checked his watch he realised that the pair had been moving for almost ten hours straight, four of which were spent trotting on the open prairie, and a sense of frustration was starting to set in.
“Five-minute hold.” Mike said, slowing to a walk, then stopping. Taking off his backpack, he dropped it on the hard packed dirt. “Sock change.” He said, sitting down on the ground.
Unlacing his boots, Mike lay back, trying to let some of the blood rush out of his feet. Once his boots were off, he pulled off his wet socks and wiggled his toes, and propped them up on his bag and let them air-dry. Laying back, he placed his head on the ground and closed his eyes, trying to relax.
“Glasses?” Alex asked, still standing.
Mike reached into his pocket and pulled out the case and handed it to the Marine along with the navigation device.
Slowing his breathing, Mike waited for Alex to give him the items back, but after about two minutes of silence, he opened one eye and looked up at the Marine who was focused on a point off in the distance.
“Well?” Mike asked.
“Might have something.” Came the response.
Mike propped himself up on his elbows and looked in the direction that Alex was, not seeing anything of note.
“And?”
“Nothing in nature grows in straight lines.” Alex replied. “If that fact holds true on this world, we might have a man-made structure.”
Mike scanned the horizon, still unable to see anything. “I’ve got nothing.” he said.
“In the distance. Looks like a tower. Perhaps a communications relay station. It has that look about it.”
Mike smiled and lay back down. “Bonza.”
Alex took off the glasses and deactivated the nav device then sat down next to Mike and took off his boots and socks.
“Let’s make it ten minutes.” Mike said, his eyes still shut. “We’ll make a push towards that tower, then rest there.”
“Roger.” Alex replied.
Mike’s mind continued to think back to the episode on the drop-ship. He wasn’t convinced that it was an actual emergency, but if it had been a drill, he liked to think that his actions were the right ones. If each of the eleven boxes had identical items, they’d all have navigational aids, and if that was the case, then perhaps the first test was getting off the ship, and the second was a land navigation exercise. Either way, they were alive, and that was always the first thing to take care of.
29
The helicopter flight from Lasqueti was over before it had really begun for Keegan Beck who was starting to feel the weight of his responsibilities since the departure of the VLT. It was also probable that due to his rather passive background, Soturi was pushing him as hard as he could, and was starting to act like the de facto dictator of Earth, even if it was on a tiny scale.
The Canadian army helicopter had stayed low over the Salish Sea as it had flown east, and even from twenty kilometres away, Keegan could see the massive amount of destruction that had been levelled on the city of Vancouver. The chopper gained some altitude once it reached Pacific Spirit Park, and made a slow pass down what was once 12th Avenue until they reached Burnaby, where the helo turned south-west and flew over Richmond before cutting back towards the south-east and landing at Boundary Bay airport where the recovery operations were being coordinated from.
When the rotary blades of the helicopter had finally stopped spinning, the passenger door was opened, and Keegan stepped out onto the busy tarmac and was greeted by a member of the Red Cross, one of the several agencies that were assisting with recovery operations in Vancouver.
A quick stroll took Keegan from the flight-line to a series of tents that had been set up by the Canadian army and acted as a command centre for all operations in and around the heavily damaged city.
Stepping into the tent, Keegan noticed the calm buzz that was in the air. The large space was relatively quiet, with military, civilian and alien personnel all working and talking in hushed tones. After allowing his eyes to acclimate from the bright winters day outside, Keegan was led to a large table in the centre of the tent where he was introduced to Commodore Smith of the Canadian Navy who was heading up the recovery operations.
“Doctor Beck.” The naval officer extended his hand towards Keegan, who promptly shook it.
“Commodore.”
“As you know, it’s been 38 days since the attack, and we are only now getting to grasps with a fully-fledged recovery operation. We’ve deployed 4 Engineer Support Regiment, 5 Combat Engineer Regiment, and 39 Combat Engineer Regiment in the city plus we have dog handlers from around the world working with our friends at the Red Cross,” the Commodore gestured to the aid-worker that had escorted Keegan from the helicopter. “Along with some support from the Alliance.” The Commodore pointed at a tall, slim alien that was standing at the other side of the table wearing a dark green uniform.
“What did they deliver on?” Keegan asked, unable to remember what Dinalis and Soturi had promised him earlier.
“They sent some bio-detection units which helped us save some lives, and a pair of what I’d describe as heavy lifters which have been collecting, then flying rubble out into the open ocean. They’re actually creating an artificial reef a few miles offshore, so at least something good will come of the carnage.” He said before turning back to the table, and a large map that was laid out in front of him.
Keegan moved up to the table and examined the map, which was an off the shelf map of greater Vancouver, albeit this one had a considerable amount of areas marked in red and black.
“Right now we’re going through the process of trying to recover all the deceased, which will take some time.” The Commodore said dryly.
“What was the final estimate?” Keegan asked.
“Around 385,000.” Came the reply. “Every building over five stories has been turned to rubble, and almost all the streets are inaccessible.”
Keegan shook his head. “I’m amazed at how much damage was caused by those drones in such a short amount of time.”
The Commodore nodded slowly. “They had numbers, I think 200 to 300 concentrated over the city and they had powerful weapons.” The Commodore swept his hand from east to west on the map. “Our post-attack analysis indicates that the made several strafing runs over the city. They fired at everything.” He looked at Keegan, “If it wasn’t for the arrival of the Alliance reinforcements, I don’t know how we would have stopped them.”
Keegan looked down at the map and noticed that everything east of the easternmost point on Burnaby Lake looked untouched, along with everything north of Vancouver Harbour, and south of the Fraser River. “It seems that the attack was relatively concentrated.”
“It was, but it hit during the middle of a working day. Most of the residential areas were pretty quiet. Everyone was concentrated in the areas they hit.” The Commodore added.
Keegan righted himself and looked around the rest of the tent, then back to the naval officer. “What are your projections for having all the rubble removed?”
“Months.” Was the simple reply that Keegan got.
“And what happens after that?” he asked.
“I don’t know. That all depends on the local politicians and what the people in Ottawa want to do.” The Commodore started to move away from the table and signalled for Keegan to follow him. “I’m not sure if anyone will want to rebuild after that attack. It’s devastated the survivors, many of whom are planning to leave the area permanently. They think being this close to the PCS is too dangerous, and that another attack is going to come sooner or later.”
Keegan followed the Commodore back outside into the cold winter’s day and watched as Smith pulled a cigar from his breast pocket, quickly snipped the end, then lit the smoke with a butane lighter.
“These people want reassurances, Doctor Beck. They want to know that another attack isn’t about to rain down on them from the heavens.” He took a second drag off the large cigar. “Hell, I want some God damn reassurances that this isn’t going to happen again.” He brought the cigar back to his lips and took another buff. “But I suppose we’re in the middle of a war now, wouldn’t you say, Doctor?” he didn’t wait for Keegan to response. “Adapt or die.”
Keegan looked away from the officer towards the mountains that were visible on the far side of the city. They were still as majestic as ever, and to Keegan even more alluring covered in snow. Turning back towards the Commodore, Keegan knew that the man was right.
“I’d like to go into the city. If it’s permitted.” He asked in the form of a statement.
“Of course.” The Commodore replied before turning to face Keegan. “Of course.”
30
The Epsilon had been hanging in orbit of Darjk for the better part of one day before they got any word from Mechcharga, and the news wasn’t good. Jrr Bak had fallen ill, and Ship Master Tango Lutana and his ship were missing. Added to the body count of Toup Ra and the managing director on Darjk, it looked like the conspirators were starting to close any loose ends that they had suspicions about.
High Councillor San Term addressed Ranix, Joe and Rhea via hologram in the empty dining facility from an undisclosed location.
“I’m not sure what’s going on, but whoever is behind this conspiracy is starting to take steps. You could be in danger right now.” Term said with a tremble in his voice.
Ranix looked at Joe, then back to the Councillor. “We’re in orbit of Darjk next to a major transit lane, it’d be too obvious to attack us here.” He said with a sound of confidence. “The question is where do we go from here?” We know that something is going on, but not enough to build a case on.”
Term nodded. “I agree, and with the death of Toup Ra, and the illness of Jrr Bak, many of those that were supplying us with information have fallen silent, but there is one option we haven’t considered yet.”
“Yes?” Rhea asked, stepping towards the hologram.
“The Solvent Gap.”
“The what?” Joe asked, looking at Ranix.
“It’s a planet in a system not far from where you are now.”
Ranix rubbed his chin. “I’ve heard of the Solvent Gap, but it was only mentioned in dispatches about security patrols, nothing more.”
“The Solvent Gap is a planet that is considered the most exclusive in the Etelainen. It’s almost impossible to live on the world, let alone visit it without approval from the governor of the planet, but it would be a place for very wealthy and powerful people to live or retire to.” Term said. “If large sums of money were being made in connection with the droid factory and this was tied into the conspiracy that we believe is dragging out this war, then perhaps there could be some clues or people who know something there. It is after all where the owners of all the largest and most influential corporations keep residences.”
“Can you get us access?” Ranix asked.
“Probably. Wait for my signal.” Term said before killing the channel.
Joe turned and looked at Rhea. “Clutching at straws.” He said dryly.
Rhea shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe, but if the wealthiest and most powerful people are all in one place, and if they’re involved in the conspiracy, it would be a good place to poke around.” She looked at Ranix. “What do you think?”
“I agree with both of you. We need a major break to point us in the right direction.”
Three hours later news reached the Epsilon that they were cleared for the journey to the Solven Gap. Jump coordinates were plotted, and the next step in the investigation began.
31
A small space station, or more like a tiny outpost, was the only thing in orbit of the planet referred to as the Solven Gap, which derived its name from twin nebulas that bracketed the green world. When the Epsilon jumped into orbit, it was immediately greeted with a standard recording informing all incoming ships that Solven was a restricted world, and entering the planet’s atmosphere was a breach of various articles of Alliance law.
High Councillor San Term somehow had managed to obtain visas to visit the world and get the chance to interview some of the heads of various corporations that lived there. Joe and the VLT had tried to kept their investigations about the state of affairs in the Alliance as low-key as possible, but a conversation he had had with an old Admiral on Mechcharga about off the books operations during the earliest days of the war had sparked his interest. This visit arranged by Term was a chance to follow that lead and now was the opportunity to unravel the mystery.
The controller of the outpost that came onto the comms channel acted like a doorman at a nightclub when he came on the Epsilon communications network requesting information on the purpose of their visit in a very aloof manner.
“Epsilon. State your business.” The voice said the words very slowly and deliberately as if surprised that the Epsilon would even dare to enter SG space.
“Control, we are sending you our authorisation codes now.” Hiks replied.
Ranix looked at Joe. “This should be interesting.” Ranix got up from his command chair and walked to the communications officer’s console before looking back at Joe. “Do you know that I hadn’t even heard of this world until that old admiral mentioned it to you on Mechcharga.” Ranix shook his head. “Off the grid.”
Joe nodded slowly. The wealthy and powerful were always trying to keep their wealth out of the public eye, and certainly as far away from the tax man as possible on Earth. The idea of having an entire planet that most of the citizens of the Etelainen didn’t even know exists certainly helped that cause.
After a few minutes of silence, the controller came back over the bridge speakers. “Epsilon, state destination?”
Ranix looked at Joe and shrugged his shoulders. “Where do we go from here?” he asked looking at the human.
Scratching the back of his neck, Joe looked at the floor of the bridge. He wasn’t sure what the answer was to Ranix’s question. San Term had said that they might find some answers here, but he didn’t say where or how to look for them. “Can we get a map of the planet?” Joe asked, looking back at Ranix.
Ranix instinctively looked up and addressed the controller. “We request a map of the planet, with details of all inhabited sectors.”
There was another pause until the data was relayed to the bridges main view screen. Moving forward, Joe and Ranix examined the map which showed four primary settlements spread out, and all located on the border of the single large ocean that wrapped around the planet.
