Chapter 19

With an audible thud, the airlock apparently completed its hard seal. But to be on the safe side, I had the area scanned again.

" We can breathe here, sir, but the air is a little dusty and stale so it might be wise to keep our breathers handy." I nodded appreciatively. " We'll do just that." Then I unsealed the hatch.

Again that Doom game scenario......

I briefly wondered how long it had been since people had been down here. At the behest of Sergeant Taggert, the Marines were the first through the door.

Then came Serena, the other scientist and I.

We followed the arrows leading to the Alpha deck. While we were walking I struck up another conversation with Serena " Remember ever digging up any kind of castle?"

She nodded " Yes I do, but I never saw this in any desert."

" This is the Alamo, on Mars!" Patiently I explained to Serena what I thought happened here and where we now found ourselves. I added I was also using anything and everything I had learned while investigating Atlantis and our subsequent encounters with the Colonials.

" And, with the Atlantis experience behind us, we're far more prepared now then when we would have discovered this during any kind of NASA mission to Mars."

Taggert, who was walking nearby, politely coughed.

" Sir, do you think there's anyone alive down here? "

" I don't know, sergeant, I just don't know, but what I do know is I don't know if I really wanted to find out."

Walking on, we met the first signs that something serious had occurred. A couple of skeletons. They lay side by side, their heads pointing the directions we had come from. Serena kneeled down to study them as best as she could.

With what little I knew of forensics, I kneeled down beside her and peered in the direction we were heading.

" Escapees?"

" Maybe. It's weird, but, their uniform does resemble the Colonials somewhat."

I looked at the tattered remains of their clothing to see she had a point. " It's as if they're an earlier version."

" At least this," she indicated the remains " Will shut people up about life on Mars."

We left a chemlight marker as a means of finding our way back.

We saw a lot of signs of there having been some combat and also disrepair, but I attributed it to the volume of the dust. It was simply everywhere. Particles were showing up in our lightbeams, slightly blocking their use.

Yet despite that, we made good time.

" Finally!" The door that lead to what I thought was the command center came up in view. " Sergeant Taggert, check the area please."

The Marines cautiously approached the door, weapons at the ready and scanning the area for anything that could remotely be seen as a threat.

Nothing but dust was all they found.

" The area seems clear, sir." Taggert reported as we walked up after his signal.

I nodded my thanks and studied the door. There was basically nothing that indicated any sort of entrance or even something that would let us open the door.

Since the Marines hadn't spotted anything out of the ordinary I used my fingers to feel and look for anything that might make up an electronic eye.

The door hushed open before I knew what happened.

We peeked in. In the far distance I noticed a single computer terminal still active.

Again the Marines went first, and again, they found nothing.

Whilst the Marines kept an eye on us, Serena along with her coworker and I congegrated round the working monitor.

A black screen with a flickering cursor and a slight green background. I exhaled briefly " This is not going to be easy."

Serena nodded, agreeing with me but didn't say it.

I grabbed a nearby chair, removed some of the dust from it and sat down. The arm of my jacket provided another surface for dust removal. This time, it was the monitors turn.

" Well well, what have we here?"

" Looks like a status display of some sort." Serena commented as she saw what came out from under the dust.

" But of what?"

" You are the engineer and the captain, you tell me."

Since the screen showed a form of colonial language I wasn´t familiar with, I would either have to find a translation matrix from here or, just plainly guess. Not something to think about if you consider the possibly powersource we´d probably have under here.

Through a sheer stroke of luck I found the helpfile, and in my best colonial language, I found the translation matrix I was looking for.

I read it out loud "Ares Base status display" Serena would literally have to throw everything she knew and learned out the window now. Somehow I felt a little sorry for her. Yet my own path would probably be just as rocky. Would I be first Captain Kirk or......

The thoughts faded from my mind as I continued on through the display.

" Interesting. This base didn't have any type of fighters, but it did have a number of defensive emplacements, with a rather interesting concentration of them here and here." I pointed them out on screen.

Without really wanting to, I touched the screen.

The screen was immediately zoomed in on the area. I studied the concentration of turrets rather intently.

Together with the second concentration of turrets out there, I figured I knew what kind of base this used to be.

Yet another voice interupted the new line of thinking.

" Interesting, isn't it?"

The three of us turned as one.

To see a man standing right beside us.

I was the first to see that it wasn't John. Serena had the same line of thought apparently as she asked him who he o rather what he was.

The answer was simply stunning.

" I am Ares, commander of this base." He apparently noticed I seemed unsettled.

" This unsettles you?"

" Not quite. I have seen holograms before. Just nothing within your scope."

The Ares hologram didn't quite react as I intended. " Officially my name is Command Assistance Hologram Ares. As is the name for this base."

I nodded. So this was Ares on Mars.

" Alright then, Ares, what happened here?"

The reply consisted of three words " Acessing data archives."

Within a few minutes Ares reported back " Observe your screen." A few moments later the imagery began to show.

I watched, saddened, dumbstruck at the same time. Serena however interupted my thoughts by asking Ares a question

" So why is it that you allowed us entrance to your base."

Ares glanced at her. " If you were those you have seen, don't you think the base security systems would have........ tried to hinder you?" I watched Serena gulp. This was certainly something different then any Egyptian Pyramid she had ever been in.

That was when my spider sense kicked in.

" Who would we have seen?"

" Observe." He pointed at the main screen, which suddenly sprang to life. Voices permeated the stale air surrounding us.

" Form scan positive, multicrew attack craft."

" It's them." the voice had a sullen resignation to it.

" Battlestations!" In the distance a siren began to blare its familiar cry.

" Any ships nearby?"

" Yours is the only one left, sir."

" Raise them. Order them to launch all fighters and standby to engage any capitals."

The orders were carried out with the usual efficiency. All of us soon saw the telltale sign of a fighter battle in the distance.

Whoever they were, they seemed to be holding their own. Apparently sergeant Taggert thought the same. " It'll change though."

Taggert didn't know how right he was.

" New contacts." it was the same voice that reported " them"

" All batteries prepare to engage."

Within the cacophony of images of battle yet another voice appeared " What of the project?"

" There 'll be a time for that."

I glanced at Taggart. He glanced back. Sooner then later....

" More new contacts coming in. cruisers and six battleships." The camera changed again to show the ships. They had something familiar about them. I eyed both Serena and Ares. Serena seemed a little skittish while Ares seemed rather composed. Nothing unusual there yet.

" Have the project prepare. Their target will be the battleships."

" Yes sir." I heard how in the distance the orders were passed on.

But then " There's a message coming in, for you sir."

" who is it?"

" It's him, sir." Again that voice.....

" Very well." Again the screen switched. This time a reptilian like creature appeared. It, for lack of a better word, looked rather regal

" Emperor Korian. What brings you to this corner of the universe?"

The creature chuckled briefly. " As if you didn't know Ares. We are the order, you are the chaos. Where chaos reigns order must prevail."

I looked at Ares, who stood unmoving and still.

" So we are the chaos?"

" So you are. The universe decrees that we remove this chaos."

There was a brief pause.

" We fought you during the trek, your highness. what makes you think we can't fight and win again?"

" Observe."

Again the screen changed and this time, it showed a fleet, a massive fleet, arrayed for battle.

" Where are your other ships then, Ares?" It seemed as if the emperor was smiling. Perhaps he even knew the answer.

There was a sigh as I though I heard a whisper.

" On the third planet."

Strangely enough he didn't explain what they were doing there...... and there was that whisper again.

" And we've already gotten the word out that you were coming."

" It is of no consequence. We will eradicate you."

" Maybe, but it will cost you." was the response.

" A price that I am willing to pay, a price that the Empire is willing to pay."

" Then its a price you will pay first. Fire!"

The emperor seemed to have a brief time to wonder before the transmission disappeared into static snow.

" Did we get him?"

" Working on it." It resulted in a brief pause where anything pertaining to the general mumbo jumbo that usually takes places in a battle was heard coming through the transmission.

" Yeah, we got him."

" Good, now what's the status of my ship?"

" She's gone sir." I saw Ares nod. " Right, rig all stations for close combat."

The image was fast forwarded and another voice appeared. " They've past the third line, sir. There's nothing we can do."

" Very well, Evac your men."

The screen blanked out then.

" I won't bother you with the details of the rest."

" When did this happen?"

Serena answered before Ares did " Oh, about twothousand yahrens ago. It may be some more it may even be less."

" What is the special project?"

" You will have to find that out by yourself."

And with that he disappeared.

I looked at Serena. " We're gonna need a heck of a lot of people, again..." There wasn't a lot we could do now with the number of people we were, so I figured we might as well pull out again. Using the chemical lights the Marines had used we made our way back without too much difficulty.

The other Marines were rather pleased that we returned safely, Steve felt the same and stated in no certain terms that he didn't want go 'inside' like this ever again.

I answered that I couldn't really blame him.

We received the message to come to the Pegasus when we were at the halfway mark.

I wasn't really surprised to see Starbuck there when we got there. It was surprising that we weren't brought to the bridge but went to the life station instead.

And it was the back of the station specifically where we went to.

It was here that I met commander Rabb and Admiral Dewey. We shook hands briefly and exchanged pleasantrys briefly until Starbuck came out of the door. He noticed me almost immediately.

" Glad that you came, come on, I need to show you something." He motioned me to follow him.

It was a separate room of the life station. Starbuck and I were the only ones present, and in front of me was a gurney, with a body on it.

" They just told me." He began to remove the cover sheet.

My mouth fell open as I realised who it was. I looked at Starbuck who looked rather unsurly at me. " Sheba's gonna freak."

I nodded " Yeah, but who's gonna tell her."