Logos (Link Book Three), page 3
Knowing Minister Black, they’d be talking shortly. Jane was glad to be here, rather than in an interrogation room with Darius. From everything she’d learned about the young captain before his time on Excursion One, he was a good person. The man now in charge of their defenses was cutthroat and cold, and the disconnect bothered her.
“The network is being pushed to its limits.” Dr. Lockerbie stormed in and tossed his Slab on the table. “Look at those readings. How can I give my patients the care they need when the power fluctuates so much?”
“They’re your patients?” Kathy asked.
“Clones… whatever. You’re putting us in danger.”
Fred scanned the tablet and set it down. “This is a pivotal moment. If you continue pushing it, we’re doomed.”
Jane’s Slab chimed, and she checked it. “There’s a problem with the filtration. The crops are drying out, and… there’s only enough supplies for another two weeks before we have to start cutting rations if we want to make it through a full growing season.”
Everyone watched her like she could offer a magical solution. “I’m a historian!” They didn’t accept the excuse any longer. “Let me find Cunningham.”
The lights flickered again when she rose.
It was night, but business went on as usual. The colony had become a full-time operation. The inhabitants were broken into two twelve-hour shifts, with one day off each week. The instant food rations were cut, they’d expect more injuries, burnout, and general dissatisfaction, but getting the city up and running took priority, no matter the cost. That was what Cunningham had told her yesterday when she’d voiced her concerns. He seemed to take pleasure in using her as a liaison.
To her right, the machines beeped and dragged large steel girders under the moonlight. On the left, crops went on for miles, with drones flying overhead, recording plant height, sunlight hours, moisture levels, and anything else required for optimal growth.
She found Linus with Patch and Curtis Singh by the water treatment plant, both appearing exasperated.
“Problem?” Jane figured there was one, since they’d needed to repair the pipe connections three times in the last week.
Linus turned the faucet’s handle on the exterior. A single drop fell, landing in the mud. “It’s offline.”
One by one, the floodlights snapped off, and the sound of the excavation in progress ended, throwing the colony into a rare silence. Alien insects chirped on the far side of the lake, making their presence known.
Jane checked her Slab, and the screen grew dark. “This is bad.”
“What’s going on?” William Trellis emerged from a nearby dome, his hair wild.
“It’s finally happened,” Linus said. “The network crashed. Fred’s been warning me, but I didn’t listen.”
Out of the twenty completed buildings, the smallest housed their complex computer system, and that was where Jane headed with Will. When the others tried following them in, she blocked their passage. “Give us some air.”
Linus frowned but conceded, staying outside while they entered.
Without the lights on, the room felt ominous. The windows offered a little ambiance, but cast shadows over the hundred processing towers. Will used a pocket flashlight and held it in his teeth while he operated the main computer. It worked, despite the rest of the colony being offline.
“Any luck?” she asked.
Will passed her the penlight. “It’s bad. We haven’t added the breakers yet because our processing plant is too busy printing stuff for the last residences.”
“How do we fix it?”
The engineer drummed his fingers by the keypad. “I need to remove half the connections and restart the program, and even that might not solve the issue. Jane, we’re in trouble.”
A figure loomed in the doorway. “What about Command?” Fred Wallace asked.
“Command?” Jane remembered the old computer everything had once run through in their original colony. The technology was vastly outdated, but it was important enough to the old assistant robots that they’d kept the module safe while hiding underground for three centuries.
“How do you propose we do that?” Will asked him.
“Hold tight. We’ll bring it.”
Jane waited with Will while Fred vanished into the night. “Do you think it can work?”
“Maybe as a very temporary option.” Will flexed his hand, and she heard his artificial lungs inflate.
“Are you okay?”
“I get nervous when the power’s off. Most of my components are self-regulated, but I do need to charge the heart valves on occasion.” Will smiled in the dark. “But don’t worry. We’ll have this going in no time. And if necessary, I can always use a colony ship.”
She’d nearly forgotten that they had eleven giant ships with power to rely on. The colonists could survive for a while without it, as long as they had the vessels to fall back on, but that wouldn’t help ensure the crops were watered. They discussed finding a manual way to irrigate and came up with a temporary solution they’d try to implement at first light.
A half hour passed, and Fred returned with Atticus, the robot carrying the old clunky computer. He placed it beside Will, and Fred set a crate of miscellaneous wires down. Jane had done her research on the computer, which at the time had been state-of-the-art. William was well versed in the era.
“I love the EE-3362,” Will told Fred. “Life was simpler, but it sure runs slowly.”
Fred chuckled. “It’s better than this crap you’re using today.”
Will glanced at Jane. “Did you hear that? He must be out of his mind. Maybe we can call Dr. Gunther in to do a checkup.”
Fred didn’t take the bait. He grabbed the wires, methodically plugging them into Command while Will found the proper adapter to connect them with his new system. Jane wasn’t much use, so she stayed out of the way, watching the two very different generations work together. They didn’t appear much different in age, since Fred had sealed himself in a cryo chamber after his colony had left with the Locus.
“Why do you think the Locus are on the Hiphol ship?” Jane asked when the pair seemed done.
Will didn’t look up. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“Give that a try.” Fred flipped a switch on Command, and the screen’s edges glowed orange.
“What’s obvious?” Jane didn’t want to divert the conversation.
Will took a beat. “The Hiphol figured the Locus were behind the Lin’s activation. Because of this, they sent their own kind. Remember what they told us about Cadres?”
Jane envisioned a crew of humans coming to Earth, occupying the Hiphol triangular warship, and shuddered. “Maybe we should take a page from their book.”
“And what, go back to the Sun Colonies to wait for them?” Fred asked. “I don’t always agree with Darius, but there’s a point when you have to stop running. Ethos has fifty thousand people to protect, and that’s up to us. We do it on the ground, while Black and Brooks do it up there.” Fred pointed to the ceiling.
“The transfer is in progress.” Will used the keypad, and Command turned on. “We have a connection.”
“This will only allow us access to the old technology, like the domes and our water treatment plant, but we’ll have water and power while you repair the issues,” Fred told him.
“It’s better than nothing.”
Jane noticed a blinking light on the bottom of Command. “What’s that?”
Fred reached for the controls. “I’ve never seen it before.”
“Atti?” Jane asked.
The robot had stayed silent. “Let me check.” He typed. “Command has a message. It’s dated… right before the Locus escorted us off Ethos.”
“Play it,” Fred ordered the robot.
“01010100…” He read a long string of binary.
Jane laughed. “Pretend we don’t all speak robot, Atti.”
“My apologies… Command says there is a matching ore to the sample from the Link device, then provides coordinates.”
“What ore sample?” Will asked.
Fred pursed his lips, then typed. An image appeared, pixelated at first, then solidifying. Command showed a picture of a Controller.
“Where is it?” Jane squinted as Will entered the coordinates into the primary computer.
“On the other side of Ethos. According to this, it’s three kilometers below the surface,” he answered.
The door flung open, and in walked two Automatons with their weapons extruded. “What is the meaning of this?” Ambassador Cunningham asked.
“Sir, the power failed, so we’re working on a temporary solution,” Jane told him.
When he neared Command, Will closed the program they’d discovered. Jane caught his gaze and gave him a slight shake of her head. Cunningham was no stranger to keeping secrets, so maybe they should do the same until they had better information.
“Very good.” His arms remained tucked into his sleeves, crossed at his stomach. “If you require any extra resources, take them. Put everyone you need on it. I’d like construction to resume by tomorrow evening.” Cunningham exited, and the air seemed thinner at his departure. His robots trailed him, leaving the door open.
“Why didn’t you mention the sample?” Fred asked.
“He’s busy enough. We’ll check it out when we’re caught up,” Jane said, wondering if that would ever come to fruition. She lifted her Slab. “Can you bring these online?”
“Give me a minute.” Will worked, and as promised, the screen shone after a brief hiatus. “Only intercommunications are turned on to conserve power. No music or feeds. Sorry.”
A series of messages appeared on her tablet, and Jane sighed, scrolling through the list of issues. “There’s no rest for the wicked.”
She went outside and gazed at the sky, wondering if Calvin was nearly done with training for the day.
A woman hung in the shadows by Linus’ dome, and Jane waved. Callista Huntington lifted her hand, then disappeared into the dark.
FOUR
“You’re doing it wrong!” Cal shouted. His message played in each fighter running the exercise. “This isn’t like tracking a bogey on land. We’re in space. Haven’t any of you ever…” He felt Sanya’s stare, even though she was in her own fighter. Only a handful of the soldiers in their fleet had been in real combat. Half had been recruits at the end of the Solar War, with the others joining during Minister Black’s latest conscription efforts. He’d gathered the troops over the last five years while building his fleet of fighters and carriers.
“Captain Levine, please show them again.” Calvin flew out of formation and into the waiting carrier. Once inside, he removed his helmet and rubbed his aching temples. He got out, viewing the ten fighters powered off within the hangar. He set a palm on one, surprised Black had been able to create so many of the craft in a limited time. Thousands of the previous generation versions had been lost during the war, many with Cal’s squadmates and friends.
This new generation had signed up because of Black’s call to arms, claiming they needed to keep the Sun Colonies safe from external threats. The population hadn’t forgotten the damage done by the Deniers, and they signed up in droves.
He had a great view of Ethos as they flew by the northern hemisphere a decent distance from their primary colony. Jane messaged him about some problems with the power supply. Why anyone believed they could add forty thousand new residents without any setbacks was beyond him.
Vick and the previous ancestors of the Excursion mission had been extremely helpful, despite being torn from their home to start anew on Ethos. Pathos was an experience Cal wanted to forget, but he couldn’t. Mayor Jonas Vanderbilt had been killed by his own head of security, determined to send Calvin and the crew off. As Cal viewed the skirmish training through the porthole, he wondered if Bill had it right. Using the Link clearly triggered the Hiphol, and now they had a grounded enemy craft, inhabited by none other than the Locus, on Ethos.
Life had been so much simpler while running patrols out of Link Station. He’d listen to Kent regale him with stories of his days as a fisherman off the coast of Singapore, or that time he spent five years mining the moon, before the rights were shifted from a private organization to the Diplomats. Cal was never sure how much of the boasting was true or not, and since Kent had been bribed to leave by Minister Black, he doubted he’d ever get to ask his previous subordinate.
That brought to mind Kent’s replacement, Valentina Desroches, who’d gone with Luke to visit the Hiphol home world in search of the abducted colonists. At this point, the duo was probably dead. Scout was gone too, and everyone assumed he’d snuck onto the ship, mostly because Patch had told Jane as much.
Cal had a choice to make: either go back to the training session and stop reacting when the recruits screwed up, or fly to the surface to make that date he continually missed with Jane. He checked the time, seeing how late it was, and opted for the latter. Even if Jane was already in bed, Cal realized he should do the same. The last weeks had sapped him of his energy, with not enough food and too little sleep.
He hopped in the fighter, clasped the helmet to his suit, and ventured into space.
Ethos truly was beautiful to behold. A world humanity could safely inhabit, should they manage to defend her against the Hiphol. Black and Abimbola either believed it was possible, or they were great actors. Calvin hadn’t survived the Solar War by being overly confident. He’d never once doubted the enemy’s ability, and he wasn’t about to start.
Before he reached their colony, his earpiece buzzed. “Go ahead.”
“Admiral Brooks, it’s Atticus. Ambassador Cunningham has requested your attendance.”
The coordinates appeared on screen, and Cal’s cheeks filled with air. He slowly released it. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
The alien ship was huge against the dark backdrop. Lights shone off the large perimeter fence, and Cal wished he could just land within the boundary. Instead, he settled by Cunningham’s personal vessel, where a pilot lingered.
He hadn’t met the woman, but he’d seen her around. “Commander Huntington, isn’t it?”
She’d piloted Passage, the lead colony ship, to Ethos.
“Hello, Capt—Admiral Brooks.” She chewed on the end of a piece of long grass. “How are things going… up there?”
“Excellent,” he lied. Cal wasn’t about to tell a stranger that the fleet wouldn’t be ready in time, and that the incoming Hiphol would face little to no resistance. “Is Cunningham already inside?”
“He asked me to drive you.” She patted the top of a rover.
They had a rule not to allow ships within the border of the fence in case the Locus escaped and tried to steal a ride. The drones were set to fire on anyone not registered in the logbook. Cal gazed at the five weaponized craft hovering above the region.
They entered the energy shield, and the Automatons returned into position. The area was dead silent. Even the previous thrumming of the ancillary power in the Hiphol craft seemed to be turned off.
“We have a mutual friend,” the driver said.
“Is that so?” Calvin eyed her sideways.
“Lex Armstrong.”
That was the name Luke had joined the team under. “You’re with them?”
It took a lot to infuriate Cal. He was presently in a rover with someone he’d tirelessly fought to protect the Sun Colonies from, and it took serious control to stay calm.
“We all did things we’re not proud of,” she said.
“You…” Cal exhaled, gathering control of his emotions. “Luke won’t forgive you. He’s learned the truth. How you destroyed Barcelona, and that it was the Deniers who sent his family to Ethos.”
“We didn’t know what it was,” she admitted. “Someone tracked Henry’s movements and found out he’d tested a weapon. We were lucky to encounter the transport carrying the wormhole generator… well, maybe lucky is too strong a word.”
“How are you still alive?” Cal asked.
“Ambassador Cunningham is aware of who I am. I think it’s why he chose me. I’ll bear witness to the Diplomats’ actions during the next few months. When we get home, he made me promise to disband whatever remnants exist, which, truth be told, amounts to a few others still dumb enough to believe in change.”
“Will you?”
“Sure. Admiral Brooks, there’s a common enemy now. And to be honest, I’m impressed with what you guys have accomplished. Who would’ve thought that Ethos was real?” She pulled up the ramp, parking by the other rover. She stayed there while killing the engine. “How is he?”
“Luke?”
She nodded.
“That depends… he’s grumpy.”
“He always was.”
Judging by the comment, Cal figured the pair had a checkered history that was none of his business. “I like the guy.”
“The famous Calvin Brooks, making friends with a Denier,” she said.
“Former Denier… and also an ex-soldier on my side.”
“Then maybe we can be friends too.” Callista started the rover. “Cunningham’s rules. I can’t stay near the ship.”
Cal hopped out, and before he could say anything else, Commander Huntington drove off.
He used the lift and found armed soldiers where Will had managed to break through. The opening was only three feet high, but Calvin squeezed past the hull. An Automaton greeted him, scanning Cal to confirm his ID before he was permitted to walk on.
It was his first time on the enemy ship, and he gaped at the curved white panels. It was similar to their city and the interior of the towers on Ethos, rather than in the vein of the Locus construction.
The vessel’s power was off, given the security risk, but a hovering drone with a light flew ahead of Cal, guiding his way. The corridors weren’t linear. They bent, and seemed to rise and fall at sloped angles.
It wasn’t long before he encountered the group. William winced when Cal arrived.
“That bad, huh?”
