|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Chapter 3
by AC
"Wait!"
Cisia stopped, daring not to breathe. Ahead of her, Talehn pressed his back to the wall, silent.
In seconds she saw why they'd halted. A police car, squat and grey, whirred past the alley, searchlights sweeping the street ahead of it.
The alarm had been sounded. Now they were in a race against time.
When the car had turned a corner, Talehn stepped out into the street. He motioned for Cisia to follow. She did, pulling at her cloak, hoping it hid all of her scars and plugs from view.
Talehn took her hand in his. "Don't try to run. Make it look like we're on a nightly stroll."
Cisia nodded. Two people running would be an immediate tip-off...
They passed a couple who smiled at them. Talehn smiled back while Cisia kept her face hidden. Once the couple was past, they ducked into the next alley.
"Okay," he said. "We're almost at the city limits. We'll have to steal a car if we're going to escape --"
Sounds further down the alley made him stop. As one, he and Cisia turned to the source of the noise.
The thing that they saw was like a large insect, a sphere with six thin jointed legs. A robot, Cisia realized, remembering the squat machines she'd seen in the Core, performing menial or dangerous tasks.
The Ministry claimed it would make enough robots to free the entire district of labours, all powered by Ether, of course. But this machine did not have the standard Ether cells --
In fact, it looked alien.
High in orbit, aboard the Compact survey ship "Izumi"...
"Raoul? Ranger D-6 has made contact."
Raoul Caarter looked at the image being sent by one of their ground scouting robots. Two people were square in its sights, a man and a woman.
Beside him, Ranger Operator Tamiko Hidoshi sat, her face a mask of horror. "According to its sensors, the alley was supposed to be deserted. These two ducked in just seconds ago."
Of all the rotten luck... An icon was flashing beside the image. Raoul touched it, and read the text message that appeared.
Tamiko saw it too, and made an adjustment. The image changed as the robot's sensors switched to different frequencies.
"... several implants in the woman; looks like a fine network throughout her body. The man doesn't have any implants."
Raoul nodded. "I'm calling a ship's council. Have this recording ready for the others to see. In the meantime, order all of the rangers out of the city. Have them find hiding places and wait for further orders."
"Yes sir," Tamiko replied, still looking as if she'd seen a ghost.
"Tamiko, it wasn't your fault. The contact was an accident; neither I or Compact Government is going to censure you because of it."
At that she brightened slightly. "Thank you sir."
The "Izumi", like all survey ships in the Human Compact, had a crew of six: a Commander, a Ranger Operator/Engineer, and a mix of four scientists. Since their mission was studying one of the lost colonies of the First Period, the scientists consisted of a biologist, a linguist, and both cultural and physical anthropoligists.
When Raoul called the ship's council, the six filtered into the command chamber. The last person to enter stomped to her seat. "Why did you recall the rangers, Raoul? I was just about to get a sample of some of the native flora."
"Just sit down, Paula." Raoul turned to address the others. "People, our mission is in jeopardy. Two of the locals has seen a ranger. Tamiko had the rangers to go to ground until we figure out what to do next."
The lingist, a blonde, thin man named Canmat Ivanov, asked, "If they've seen a ranger, then perhaps we should make a formal contact?"
"I'm against it," said Yin Deveraux. "At least for the moment. Everything I've found indicates a rather restrictive culture. They may react violently."
"What kind of damage could they do to us?" asked Raoul.
"Not much," said Yin. "There's no evidence of space travel, not even satellites, so the 'Izumi' should be safe. As for weapons, mostly projectile-based. Like what was common on Old Earth two thousand years ago, before they were banned in favour of nonlethal stunners and security nanites. We should be able to gaurd ourselves against all but the biggest projectiles, except..."
Raoul looked at the anthropologist, puzzlement obvious on his face.
Yin continued, "There's references to a power source that isn't consistent with the development of the culture. The technology is by and large 20th Century style, but we don't see any evidence of fossil-fuel usage, or even nuclear fission. The locals call it 'Ether'."
Paula added, "That's what I needed those samples for... if you hadn't co-opted my rangers."
"What do you mean?"
"The native plant life; this planet has the most unique ecology in the known Galaxy." Paula waved an arm at the window, indicating the planet and stars outside. "This world has a twin sun arrangement, as well as a black hole that is in a highly eccentric orbit around the second sun. Now the hole isn't large enough to swallow this system, but it interacts with the solar wind and magnetic fields in a unique pattern, and those have affected life's evolution on this planet.
"Native plants here not only maintain the atmosphere like Earth's plants do, they actually serve as living particle accelerators, generating a mix of magnetic flux and high-energy particles that the locals call 'Ether'. The native animals have evolved to be able to tap that Ether as a secondary energy source."
"How?" asked Raoul.
"That's what I need the samples for. I have a theory that the unique properties of this system have allowed the plants to tap quantum energy itself, just as we do to power our ships and cities."
At that, Tamiko said, "Raoul? That woman we found... Well, I've realized something about that network in her body." She touched a control and the recording from Ranger D-6 appeared in front of the others. "I'd need a close scan to be sure, but those plugs and filaments are in a pattern consistent with a quantum energy tap."
"In a human being?" asked Sal Oxteb, the physical anthropologist?
"Makes sense," said Yin. "If the locals use this Ether, then they must associate it with the local life. And since they're running out of natural Ether, they must assume that a living being is needed to make more."
Tamiko asked, "How could they be running out?"
"A by-product of their industrial progress," said Paula, her voice edged with disgust. "They're taking more Ether than can be made, and their 'districts' are destroying the native wilderness. You want to know what I recommend. We contact them, and the sooner the better."
Raoul looked at her with surprise. Yin cautioned, "There's still a lot we don't know about them. A premature contact could wreck their culture--"
"Which would do them some good!" Paula's eyes had fire in them. "They're wrecking their planet! In a century there won't be any native life at all! Raoul, this is a once-in-a-trillion find, perhaps the only such ecology in the entire Universe. We can't let these people smash it!"
"I agree," Raoul said, dreading what he had to say next, "But Yin's right. The last time we tried to 'correct' a lost colony resulted in a war that devastated much of the Compact. If we're going to fix this world we need at least a full diplomatic vessel and a team of anthropologists."
"But that will take decades! The damage will be irreversible by then!"
Raoul stood, signalling an end to the council. "I'll send a message to the Compact with your reports attached, but as of now, we're pulling out. Tamiko, have the rangers report to their drop-sites for pickup. We leave in twelve hours."
The others nodded, except for Paula, who said, "You irresponsible cretins," and stomped out.
 |
 |
 |