For only the second time since she had taken command of the Rasputin, Susan found herself in the warship's conference room. This time the room was considerably more crowded than the last meeting, with Sarah Chang, Dr. Kozlowski, the engineer Philip Moore and several of the junior officers that Susan still hadn't had time to get to know properly yet. All were busy discussing the situation on the planet below them, the devastation plainly visible on the holographic display system that was built into the ceiling and walls of the room.
Spread across the table in front of them was a collection of large printouts from the warship's powerful sensor system. They showed various scenes of the surface of Arisia 3, and when Susan had first seen the colour images, they had reminded her of what she imagined hell would look like. A scattering of craters from an orbital bombardment were most visible, but also the attack seemed to have set off almost all of the planet's volcanoes and now furious rivers of lava were flowing freely across the rocky surface, quickly obscuring anything of value that might have existed down there.
Space over the planet was even more confused, with thousand of bodies, chunks of twisted metal, and even entire sections of the former factory drifting like a cloud above Arisia 3. Susan had been forced to order the Rasputin to a higher orbit than she would have liked, as the lower orbits were choked with debris. She wasn't sure, but it looked to her as though more than one factory may have been present when the destruction occurred, as there was just way too much debris for a single factory, no matter how large.
"Any suggestions on what to do now?" She asked the command staff as soon as they had settled into their seats.
The officers looked around at each other, as if waiting for one of the others to speak. Instead of one of the ship's command staff, it was the Psi-Cop, Sarah Chang, who spoke up first. "My interest here is only in Mr. Anderson. I want to determine if he is here, and if he isn't, where he has gone. Everything else is unimportant at the moment."
"I wouldn't call thousand's of dead bodies unimportant," Susan replied curtly. "There are a lot of dead people out there." The Captain turned and looked over at Dr. Habbib, who looked a little out of place and ill at ease among the rest of the senior officers. "Any information on the races of the dead yet?" she asked him.
The doctor shook his head. "Not yet Captain," he replied. "I can't get good readings from this distance, and will need to either get closer to the bodies or the bodies will have to be bought on board. I can tell you that most are humanoid, although given the region of space that could mean anything."
"True," Susan agreed, realising that the workers could have come from any one of a dozen major alien races that had either colonies or homeworlds nearby. "If we can find out who they are, or maybe just which races they belong to, then perhaps we can inform their families about what happened."
Dr. Habbib nodded. "I will do what I can Captain," he assured her.
"I am sure you will doctor," Susan said before turning to Major Logan and Lieutenant-Commander Schmitt who were sitting close to each along one side of the table. "I need scout parties sent out to see what they can find, both on the surface and in orbit. Lt. Commander Schmitt, how soon can your fighters be prepared for a scouting mission?"
"Ten minutes," Alister said confidently. "All Starfuries are equipped with basic sensors which, although not as powerful as a destroyer's, should be enough for close range scans. Of course, that will mean getting in fairly close to the wreckage down there, but I think my boys and girls can handle it."
"Good," Susan replied. "As soon as this meeting is over I want every fighter you have out there, looking for any sign of energy readings that might indicate an active circuit and any possible life signs."
"Will do Captain," Alister replied with a quick, almost casual salute.
Next Susan turned to Major Logan. "Major," she said. "Are your marines ready for a trip down to the surface? If Lt. Commander Schmitt's pilots find anything useful I may need to send you in."
Lily looked a little hesitant. "I am not sure about the surface Captain. We will need radiation suits just to move around down there, and fighting will be almost impossible if there is any sort of automatic security system."
"It doesn't look like much is left down there at all," Petrov cut in.
"No it doesn't," Susan agreed. "In fact, most of the surface installations appear to have been slagged by high energy weapons, probably from a large cruiser or destroyer." She turned back to the Major. "How about missions into some of those large sections of wreckage we have seen, is that possible?"
"No problems there Captain," Lily replied. "My men are trained to fight in low gravity situation and our weapons and environment suits are specifically built for space. I am not sure how they will work out on the surface of the planet though." She paused and examined one of the computer printouts. "According to these figures it is over 2g down there, with strong winds and a lethal level of background radiation. Personally, I wouldn't want to spend long down there, but if we need to we will."
"Good," Susan said. "Now has anyone else got anything to add?"
The Chief Engineer Philip Moore and his partner in crime, Dr. Kozlowski, immediately jumped in. "We do Captain," said the chief engineer.
"Go ahead then," Susan replied.
The two men looked at each other, wondering which was going to speak, but eventually decided that Philip Moore would speak for both of them. The Chief Engineer tugged a large stack of printouts from a leather briefcase the doctor handed him. He spread the paper out on the table and then began his tale. "We have been doing some analysis of the data collected by the Rasputin's sensors so far," he said, indicating the printouts.
Susan reached over and took one of the papers he had placed on the table. It contained a diagram of some kind of orbital construction platform, similar to the ones around Neptune. "What is this," she asked.
"Well that is what I wanted to speak about Captain," Philip replied. "You see, our analysis indicated that there was more than one orbital factory, possibly as many as three." He paused and indicated the paper Susan held. "Based on the type of debris we have been seeing there was also at least one was a class 5 orbital construction yard."
"Like the ones at Neptune," Susan asked.
"Sort of," Philip replied. "Actually a class 5 platform is the largest currently available, used for building explorer class vessels only. We think the one here was a class 5, although it is possible it was even larger."
"What does that mean then," Commander Petrov spoke up, not certain that he followed what the engineer was saying.
"Well, the Captain was saying that she thought whoever did this was using the orbital factories to built a fleet of fighters."
Susan nodded. "Yes, small raiders like the ones that attacked Proxima."
Philip looked grim. "Well, a construction yard that big couldn't be used to build fighters. It could only be used for larger, much larger, warships or vessels like the explorer ships."
"So do you think Anderson was building a destroyer or similar vessel here then?" Susan asked.
"Possibly," Philip replied. "Maybe something even bigger. As I said there could have been as many as three factories here. One might have made fighters and the others supplied parts for destroyer construction, or maybe they were just transport vessels or carriers. If I remember correctly I heard someone mention a JMC tanker a while back."
Petrov nodded. "Yes, we noticed a tanker jumping out of the Proxima system shortly after the battle with the raiders ended."
"They could have been using the construction yard to build tankers then," the engineer said. "Although why they would build something as innocent as that all the way out here is a bit of mystery."
"So it's a warship then," Susan said.
"That would be my guess," Philip agreed. "Although, I don't know how large, how many weapons emplacements it would have, or anything like that. We will need to collect more data before we can do a complete analysis of what me might be facing."
"Well, we had best get cracking and find you something to work with then," Susan said, a determined look on her face. "Lt. Commander Schmitt, you can get your fighters out there searching as soon as possible. Major Logan, get your men ready for a possible landing on the surface, or an excursion into one of those pieces of wreckage if we detect anything that is still functioning out there. Everyone else, I want you back at your posts in case there is something lurking out there ready to jump on us."
The Earthforce officers saluted and began to quickly file out of conference room, heading towards their duty stations. Susan was left in the room with just Sarah Chang, Commander Petrov, and Dr. Habbib for company. She looked at the Psi-Cop. "And you, Ms. Chang, can assist where ever you think you can be the most help. Scan around local space to see if you can locate anyone alive and that sort of thing."
Sarah nodded. "I will do what I can Captain," she said. "But I don't think there is likely to be any survivors. Mr. Anderson is not known for making mistakes, although I must admit that I didn't think even he could be up to something this big." She walked towards the door then halted, looking back at the Captain. "Whatever you find Captain, I would like a full report. This ship is currently working for Psi-Corps after all."
"You can have access to whatever I find Ms. Chang," Susan replied. "Of course we have to find something first."
The Psi-Cop nodded, pleased, and left the room. Dr. Habbib moved to follow, but like Sarah, he also stopped just before leaving to talk to Susan. "Captain Ivanova," he said. "I was just wondering if you could spare me a moment."
"Of course doctor," Susan said. "What is on your mind?"
"The death of Dr. Taylor actually," Habbib answered. "Ms. Chang sent me the findings of a group of specialists on Mars. They found that there was an unusual chemical in Dr. Taylor's blood. It was already breaking down and very difficult to detect, which is why I didn't find it during my autopsy. They didn't know what it was, but, after I was given the report, I went back and checked my findings again. This time I found a stronger sample still present in the doctor's heart and when I tested it I found a match in the data base."
"What was it," Susan asked.
"A very rare poison," Habbib replied, pulling a data pad out of his pocket and passing it over to Susan.
She took it and scanned through the information on the pad before passing it along to Petrov. "Thorn of Jastill?" she asked, beginning to realise the full implications of what the doctor was telling her. "I don't think I have every heard of that one."
"It is a Centauri poison," the doctor explained. "Very rare, and not in common use. It works by attacking the muscles of the heart, so it appears similar to a heart attack. It fell out of favour with the Centauri though, because it is reasonably easy to trace, too slow acting to be effective, but mostly because it is almost painless to the victim."
"Any idea how it got into her system?" Petrov asked.
"None I am afraid Commander," Habbib replied. "Although the poison is easy to trace it is almost impossible to detect when it was delivered. It is very slow acting and the victim doesn't show any effects until almost the moment of death. Depending on the size of the dose Dr. Taylor might have been exposed anytime in the past two months. The poison can remain in a victim's system for up to that length of time before becoming lethal."
"How does that work?" Susan asked, still a little shocked at the idea that the doctor had been murdered, probably by someone on this very ship. She hadn't been affected that way when she had first heard the news of Dr. Taylor's death, perhaps because she had been more worried about other matters at that time.
"It is a biological poison created from a plant native to Centauri Prime and then enhanced with an advanced nanotech component," Habbib explained. "It is well beyond the capability of Earth's technology at the moment. It is specifically programmed to only become active after a certain concentration is reached in the heart muscles. Therefore, if you give someone a very high dose then death is almost instantaneous but if it is a very low dose then it takes a long time for the poison to find its way the heart muscle tissue. It can also depend on the method of delivery."
"All round, a very nasty poison indeed," Susan said. She rubbed her forehead for a moment, trying to think of what to do now. "Alright," she said eventually. "Keep this under wraps for now doctor. We don't want to start a panic." She turned to her second in command. "Commander Petrov, I want you to look into this matter. Get the Psi-Cop to help you if she isn't too busy. Try to prevent her from getting out of hand though, for some reason she seemed very interested in what had happened to Dr. Taylor."
"Yes Captain," Petrov replied, looking none to happy have being asked to work with a telepath, although he could understand why he had been picked to investigate. Susan wanted to keep the knowledge of the murder from as many people as possible though and, as she was busy with the search of the planet, and the floating wreckage above it, that left only Petrov and Dr. Habbib. Out of those two, there was only one choice.
"Dr. Habbib," she continued. The doctor looked at her expectantly. "I want you to assist Commander Petrov. Put someone else in charge of sickbay for now. Grab a medical scanner, or something that can find this stuff, so you can scan for the poison, and remember, whatever else, keep this quiet." Habbib nodded his agreement.
"Ok then," Susan said. "Everyone has their orders, and I have a search to conduct."
"Yes Captain," Petrov said with a salute.
They all then left the conference room, Petrov and Habbib heading towards sickbay, while Susan walked towards the middle of the command deck and the bridge. Somewhere in the wreckage that surrounded the planet, was a clue that would lead to the location of the telepath Anderson and whatever he had been building here. Susan still didn't have a clue what that might be, but the waste, both in lives and equipment, which was visible around the planet, convinced her that something very big indeed was happening. Now all she had to do was find out what and put a stop to it.
Anderson watched as the bodies of the businessmen were dragged off the bridge, leaving pools of blood on the deck, one final reminder of their existence. Crewmen quickly moved to clean away the mess though, while the soldiers who had shot the businessmen marched off the bridge. Strangely, this time he didn't sick, realising that they had received exactly what they had deserved. The companies that had financed the building of the warship that he now found himself on were too greedy for their own good and had only sought to expand their business empires. Now, just a few of those businessmen had learned the price of their greed.
They had not realised that Kiel wasn't concerned with business dealings, only in restoring the position of Earth in the galaxy, in making it a power to be reckoned with. Kiel knew that Clark had been right when he had said that Earth had to expand to conquer other worlds, or it would slowly fade away. Too much had been given away to the colonies and other worlds and unless the people of Earth took charge of their own destiny, instead of just following the whims of Sheridan and his interstellar alliance, then humanity would soon be left far behind the other races.
Fear was their best weapon, and only through the correct application of fear would Earthdome surrender to Kiel. Because of this, a world was going to have to die, an example of what he could do. When the two million people of Proxima III gave their lives just over three days from now, fear of Kiel, and his ship, would spread across the entire sector. That fear would bring Earth and then, soon afterwards, the alien worlds to their knees, unless they wished to join the people of Proxima in extinction.
Anderson understood the need for the destruction and death but he did not like it. Too many were going to die for the cause, and Proxima, which controlled a fair percentage of industry in the Alliance, would be a major loss. However, as Kiel had said, it could be rebuilt; only this time the people would be under the control of Kiel and his legions of telepaths. The disloyalty that had bought down Clark would no longer be allowed and everyone would work together towards the cause, to make Earth a better world. At least that is what Anderson kept telling himself.
Watching from the shadows at the back of the bridge the alien there knew better. He knew it was unlikely that Kiel would succeed in his attempts to conquer the Earth Alliance, but even the attempt would leave Earth weakened and open for conquest by other races. Chaos was about to spread across this tiny corner of the galaxy and without Earth to assist the Interstellar Alliance then the alien's race would have a much better chance of spreading that chaos.
As the cleaning crew hurried away from the bridge, having wiped away the pools of blood, the alien watched the viewscreen as the devastated surface of Flinn Colony slowly dropped away. An orange rift opened in front of them and the warship slipped though, bound for Proxima III, now just barely three days Hyperspace travel away.
06:08, February 20, 2262.
Susan yawned as she walked down the hallway leading from her quarters to the bridge. She was beginning to feel the effects of lack of sleep, after having spent much of the previous night watching over the crew assigned to scan nearby space for some sign of life, either a living being or an active computer. So far, nothing had been found though, whoever had caused this destruction had been very thorough.
The bridge doors opened and Susan was surprised to find that none of her senior officers was present. Instead, the Psi-Cop, Sarah Chang, was comfortably perched in the command station. A frown beginning to form on her face, Susan walked across to the Psi-Cop's side and noisily cleared her throat.
Sarah looked up. "Captain Ivanova," she said. "What can I do for you?"
"Where is Lieutenant-Commander Heatley," Susan asked, recalling the name of the night watch commander. "She is supposed to be in command here until someone arrives to replace her."
"I gave her the rest of the morning off," Sarah replied casually. "She was tired."
Susan's frown grew deeper. "I would prefer it if you did not start making decisions for me Ms. Chang. This is still an Earthforce ship, despite our current assignment and Earthforce rules apply. I would be within my rights just to toss you off the ship and go back to Proxima."
"And miss finding out what happened to Mr. Anderson?" Sarah asked. "I don't think so. I have noticed that you have been as interested as I have in what he has been up too."
"True," Susan replied. "But my interest is strictly in what is good for the Earth Alliance, not just because he is a rogue telepath."
"Like your mother?" Sarah said, a little harshly. "I heard she was a rogue telepath. Are you sure that you are not just letting your feelings get the better of you?"
Susan froze and her frown changed to a look of pure hatred, Sarah was quite surprised by the reaction that short statement induced in the Captain. "You will never mention my mother again," Susan said icily, through clenched teeth. "If you do, I will toss you into the nearest airlock and push the button myself. You can not compare the beautiful, loving woman that was my mother to the monster who did this." Susan waved her hand at the display, which still showed the carnage orbiting Arisia 3.
"I am sorry Captain," Sarah tried to say, but Susan did not seem at all interested in hearing her apology.
"And you can get out of my station," Susan continued, in a tone that was cold and hate filled. When Sarah didn't move she continued. "Now would be a good time Ms. Chang. Because you have seen fit to dismiss the duty officer, assuming authority you just do not have on my ship, I will have to take over."
Sarah quickly left the command chair; still a little surprised at the reaction she had felt from Susan's mind. Although she was only scanning the Captain's surface thoughts, the sudden change in emotion had felt like a spike was being driven into her mind. She quickly raised every block she could, attempting to block out the corrosive hatred that had erupted from the Captain when she had mentioned Susan's mother.
Realising that words now would be little use, she turned away from the captain and left the bridge. At least now she understood why the Captain hated Psi-Corps so much, the images she had picked up from Susan's mind had been so powerful that she could not avoid feeling the pain the Captain was feeling. For a moment, she felt sad, remembering that she had never known her own mother, having been raised by the Corps. Sarah wondered what it must have been like for the Captain to be the daughter of a telepath, and to feel her mother's love for her in her mind.
Shaking off those thoughts, Sarah headed for the computer room deep in the heart of the warship, making a mental note to stay out of the Captain's way for the rest of the day. She could monitor what was going on just as well from down there as she could from the bridge, although she doubted that it would be quite as comfortable.
The three fighters dipped lower, almost scrapping the upper atmosphere of the planet now. Lieutenant-Commander Schmitt wasn't about to go any lower though, especially considering the amount of dust that seemed to be in the atmosphere. Between the volcanoes and the orbital bombardment, thick clouds of dust had formed high in the lower atmosphere, occasionally blocking the view of the surface below.
He had set out early with two other pilots, eager to scan the surface of the world for any sign of life. The rest of the Rasputin's fighters were still on the flight deck, waiting until their pilots arrived to take them out. Alister had been up early and seeing two other pilots lounging around the ready room, he grabbed them and set off to continue the search.
He wasn't sure if they were going to find anything, in fact would be very surprised if they did, but it was something to do while he was waiting for the rest of the pilots of come on duty in an hours time. Of course, they were actually always of duty, ready to leap in their fighters at a moments notice if the warship was attacked, but during a search like this one, a well-rested mind was just as important.
Alister turned his fighter around, preparing to make the journey back to the other side of the planet, where the Rasputin awaited their return. Just as he did, the distant sun began to peek over the horizon. The glare caught the metallic surfaces of the fighter, a beautiful sight the old fighter pilot always enjoyed seeing. He didn't have time to sit around and enjoy the sights though, and he ordered the other two fighters to follow him and set off towards the warship, making one last pass over the planet.
Just as he began the latest of a series of scans, a bright flash from the planet's surface caught his eye. It only lasted an instant, but it was the first sign of life he had seen from the dull red planet so far. He pressed the transmit button on his com system. "Did you see that," he asked his two wingmen. "A sudden bright flash below us. At two o'clock I think it was."
"No Sir," both pilots replied.
Alister knew he had seen something though, so decided to risk a closer look. The atmosphere below didn't look too thick, compared to the large ash clouds rising over the volcanoes. "I am going down to take a closer look," he said. "You two stay up here for now and keep an eye out for anything interesting."
After his wingmen had indicated that they had heard his orders, Alister pushed his fighter downwards towards the planet's surface. At once, the fighter was pelted with hundreds of tiny particles of dust, but so far nothing large enough to cause any major damage. It would ruin the paintwork, and the fighter would need a complete overhaul before it was used again, but for now it seemed to be flying within the safety margins.
He levelled out at about five hundred metres above the surface; still far enough up to avoid the low hills in the region. This area of the planet seemed to have come under heavy bombardment and much of the surface was pitted with craters from the energy weapons, the entire area looking like it was made of smoked glass. Alister knew that was a common effect after an orbital bombardment, as the silicon in the rock was melted by the heavy weapons used by warships. Then, when the molten rock began to cool, it took on a smooth, glass-like appearance.
Alister pushed his fighter upwards a little, almost doubling its altitude, while at the same time looking around for any sign of what might have cause the flash of light. Then he saw it, a low round shape nestled up against one of the larger hills. It was a bunker set deep in the ground that had somehow managed to survive fierce the bombardment. All around it were craters and devastation, but somehow this small building had survived.
He looked down to examine the readout from the fighter's active sensors and was surprised by the tiny blip on the screen, indicating that the bunker did have a small energy signature. It was not enough to pick up from orbit, and had he not come down into the atmosphere he never would have found it. Flying over the bunker, he dropped a small drone, which sent out a powerful homing signal, onto the ground nearby. After to checking to make sure the signal was coming through loud and clear, he pushed his fighter back up towards space, looking around to make sure he had all the local landmarks seared into his mind just in case.
As he scanned the surface, he noticed something that he hadn't even seen on his first pass over the bunker. A long river of lava was slowly making its way across the surface of Arisia, straight towards the bunker. A little more urgently now, he pushed the fighter faster, ignoring the damage the dust in the atmosphere was doing to the outer hull of the fighter. It could be repaired, but if he took too long to get back to the Rasputin and the lava rolled over the bunker before it could be investigated, then perhaps their only chance to discover what had occurred here would be lost.
Susan was still on the bridge when Alister Schmitt burst in, fresh out of his fighter. She look one look at the rumpled flight suit he was wearing and asked, "that does not look like regulation uniform Lt. Commander."
"Sorry Captain," Alister replied, not realising she was just teasing him. "I didn't have time to change. This news was too important to wait."
"Well go ahead then," she said, spinning her chair around to face him.
Alister nodded, and after a brief pause to catch his breath, relayed the information about the bunker he had found intact on the surface. Susan was pleased by the news, happy that finally something had paid off. After all, the Rasputin only had limited time here before it was going to be forced to return to Proxima III and join up with the fleet under the command of Vice-Admiral Emmerton. This news was just what she had been looking for.
"Thank you Lt. Commander," she said. "You had better go and get out of that flight suit now, and put two thunderbolts on stand-by, I may have need of them shortly."
"Yes Captain," Alister said, with a sharp salute. He then marched back out of the bridge door and headed off towards the flight deck.
Susan watched him go before turning back to her console and pressing the button that would open a channel to her security officer. Susan had ordered the frequency of the links belonging to each of her commanding officers programmed into her command console on the bridge. That way it was a lot quicker to get in touch with them, instead of waiting for the communication's officer to open a channel each time.
"Yes, what is it," came the reply from the Major, who sound out of breath for some reason.
"Major Logan, I would like to see you on the bridge as soon as possible," Susan said, before closing off the channel and sitting back to look at the planet rotating. Currently the Rasputin was below Arisia 3, on the dark side of the world, while the bunker Lieutenant-Commander Schmitt had located was on the opposite side of the world, right in the searing sunlight. Susan knew it was not perfect, and anyone she sent down there would have extremely harsh conditions to deal with, but it had to be done now. If she waited, then the lava flow the flight commander had mentioned would wipe away any possible evidence.
It took Major Logan nearly five minutes to get to the bridge, a long time considering her quarters, like all of the command staff's, were located on the level below. Susan didn't really notice the time though, busy thinking about the mission she was about to send the Major and her men on. She was so preoccupied with this that she didn't even notice the Major arrive and come to attention, if a little nervously, by her side.
"Captain," a voice called from next to her ear.
Susan turned around and looked at her. "Ah good Major," she said. "It looks like we may have to send a team down to the planet's surface anyway. I want to know if you can operate down there, as I don't want to send anyone to their deaths."
For some reason, Lily looked relived, as if she had expected Susan to reprimand her for something. She straightened her shoulders and her nervousness was replaced with confidence. "We are ready Captain," she replied. "In fact I would personally like to lead the mission."
Susan frowned. "Are you sure Major," she asked. "It may be dangerous down there."
"Nothing I can't handle Captain," Lily replied. Then she paused and hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Dr. Kozlowski has requested that he be included in any mission, either to the surface or into the wreckage floating below us."
Susan's frown deepened. "I am not sure that is a good idea. While attached to the military, he is a civilian and if he is killed down there then I may have to answer for his death."
"I will make a note in the official logs that he requested to go along, and that I advised you to accept his request."
"Well, if you want to make it official..."
"I do," Lily said firmly.
"Then you can take him along," Susan agreed at last. "I recognise the logic of having a specialist like Kozlowski along, but remember this is Kozlowski we are talking about. Try to ensure he doesn't get into any trouble."
"I will personally watch him every moment Captain," Lily assured her.
"Good," Susan replied. "I want you to go and see Lt. Commander Schmitt for the coordinates of the structure we want you to investigate. I need a team assembled as quickly as possible, as this structure is in the path of a lava flow and if we leave it too long it will likely be buried."
The Major nodded. "I will see to it once. I already have a team standing by in the shuttle bay. It is just a matter of collecting the doctor and then taking the shuttle down to the surface. I will need a shuttle pilot though, as none of the men I've chosen for this mission are expert pilots, and given the conditions we will need someone who knows what they are doing."
"See the Lt. Commander about assigning someone suitable," Susan said. "He probably already has someone standing by. However, tell him he is not to go himself. I don't want all my senior officers risking their lives at once."
"I understand, Captain," Lily replied with a quick salute.
"Dismissed then, Major Logan," Susan said as Lily turned to leave, but before the major could depart a sudden though came to Susan and she stopped her. "Just a moment Major. I want you to take the Psi-Cop with you as well."
Lily didn't look happy about that. "Do I have to," she asked.
Susan nodded, a devious smile spreading across her face. This morning she wouldn't have done what she was about to, but after the way Ms. Chang had compared her mother to Anderson she would welcome a bit of suffering on the telepath's part. "I am afraid so Major," she told Lily. "It is her investigation after all, and besides she is a telepath, perhaps she can pick up something from the bunker."
"Very well Captain," Lily replied. "I will go and see her right now." Then with another quick salute she marched off the bridge, looking a little annoyed about having to take the Psi-Cop along with her. Susan wasn't overly concerned though, thinking that a few hours on the hellish world below might do the telepath some good.
With a burst from its thrusters, the atmospheric shuttle finally made it down onto the hellish surface of Arisia 3. It had been a bumpy ride, as the crew had been forced to sit through nearly ten minutes of turbulence from the rapidly changing atmospheric temperatures. The rise in volcanic activity across the planet had caused severe disruption to the normal weather system, and now large and powerful energy storms were beginning to form over the planet.
No one on the Rasputin was an expert, but the closest explanation anyone could come up with for the cause of the newly appeared storms was the release of particles of Quantium-40 into the atmosphere. Whatever the reason, it reduced the amount of time the landing party could spend on the surface, already limited to a maximum of two hours due to the risk of radiation poisoning. Now, unless the bunker was insulated, they would be forced to spend as little as an hour on the surface before being forced to return to the shuttle and leave.
The shuttle itself had set down on a flat area of rock in front of the bunker. That rock would also serve as the bed for the river of lava that was slowly winding its way down the hillside towards the bunker. Fortunately, the hill's slope was gentle and the flow not particularly strong, and so Major Logan estimated that the team had about four hours before the river arrived. After making a final check of the landscape around the landing site to ensure it was secure, she ordered the team to proceed.
The outer door opened and an extendible ladder dropped slowly down the surface, digging into the hard rock to provide a secure passage to the surface. The marines were first to disembark, so they could check for any obstacles or enemies around before everyone else left the relative safety of the shuttle. Clad in powered radiation suits, they looked a little like giant beetles as they slowly made their way down the ladder.
The suits were certainly not a standard item, restricted to military use only, but they were perfect for this world. Safe within, the marines did not feel most of the 2G pressure; instead the suit's took all the strain. They also had an inbuilt cooling system, something Sarah Chang really would have liked to have when she climbed down a few minutes later, clad only in a standard radiation suit.
The marine quickly scanned the area around the shuttle before making their way slowly across the rocky ground to the bunker. Each of the two men carried a large PPG cannon in their hands. These weapon were normally restricted to ground use only as they were powerful enough to tear holes in the sides of warships. However somehow the Rasputin had been sent a small number and Major Logan believed in being prepared for any eventuality.
Nothing dangerous appeared though and after a quick check of the bunker, which was still in surprisingly good condition, the two marines headed back to the shuttle to assist the rest of the team down to the surface. Apart from Major Logan, Sarah Chang, and Dr. Kozlowski, two other marines made up the team that the Major had put together last night when the Captain had first mention the possibility of a mission to the surface.
Each of the men was experienced with this sort of work, or had skills that Lily thought important to the team. One of her team proved his worth soon after as they realised that the door to the bunker was still locked. Fortunately, the quick application of a lock-picking tool was all that was needed, and everyone piled into the bunker and out of the tremendously hot conditions that had been present on the surface.
Inside was a small airlock, which with everyone now crowded inside was very cramped. Its systems still appeared to be working functioning, but with very little power remaining in the bunker's reserves, it took a few moments before the air was recycled and the inner door opened. Again, the marines went first, to guard against any enemies. However, once again there was no danger awaiting them, just a small room that appeared to be an observation post.
Kozlowski hurried in after them and after checking the radiation readings on a handheld scanner tore off his helmet and took several deep breaths. The rest of the team, except for the marines clad in the radiation suits did the same. Their suits took ten minutes, and a full set of tools to put on, so they would have to remain inside until everyone got back to the Rasputin. Still they were not overly concerned, as at least they did not have to endure the tugging of 2Gs every time they tried to take a step.
"Can you find anything out doctor," Lily asked Kozlowski, after removing her own helmet.
Kozlowski tugged off his gloves and wandered over to look at the computer consoles that lined one wall. "Hmmm," he said, after playing with them for a few seconds. "I believe I can, but I will need a portable reactor from the shuttle before I can access these computers. There is not enough power in her at the moment."
Lily nodded and quickly ordered one of the marines to go back and pick up the necessary part. As he left through the airlock, she turned to the telepath, who was resting against the wall, looking tired after the brief trip across from the shuttle. Of course, on a 2G world every step had a way of making you feel as if you had just taken ten and that short jog was probably the equivalent of a long run.
"Are you all right, Ms. Chang," Lily asked, a little concerned. After all, she didn't want to have to explain how she had managed to get a Psi-Cop killed. That wasn't something the Major looked forward to at all, primarily because of the paper work she would have to fill out.
"I am fine Major," Sarah replied, pulling herself back to her feet and tugging off her helmet and gloves.
"Good," Lily replied. "Can you find out anything?"
"I can try," the Psi-Cop said. "It will take time though." She placed her helmet on the floor and dropped the gloves into it. Then she placed her bare hand on the walls and began to run them along, hoping to pick up some trace of what had happened here. Actually she already knew that there was no psychic imprint to be found, that sort of thing only occurred when someone had died recently, and there was no sign of any dead bodies in the bunker.
In fact, all that was here was a single large room, the airlock and a row of computer consoles that lined one wall, just beneath a series of large windows that now looked out in the direction of the lava flow. Sarah noticed with some concern that it was a lot closer now. In fact, it would not be long before it reached the bunker. She wondered why the Captain had sent her down her, before realising that had they found someone alive, her presence would have sped up any interrogation.
The marine soon returned with the portable fusion reactor and it was hooked up to the bunker's power system. As soon as it was in place and hooked up to the bunker's power cables, the emergency lights that filled the bunker with a dull red glow faded away and were replaced with a soft white light. There was beep from the computer console and then it lit up as well.
"Well doctor," Lily asked. "Is that any help."
"Yes it is," Kozlowski replied. "It appears though that the system has been coded. It will take some time to crack."
"We don't have a lot of time," Lily said, also noticing the approaching lava. "Can you tell if we are going to get anything out of this."
"Yes," Kozlowski answered as his hands and mind worked on the console as quickly as they could. "It appears that it is a communications system for a mining operation that once existed on the plain outside. Somehow whoever destroyed the base missed this system."
"Does it help us at all?" Lily asked. "I mean is there anything useful that we can get out of a communications console."
Kozlowski nodded. "Yes, all the transmissions between the orbiting factories and the mining operation would have been routed through this bunker. It is difficult, but it may be possible to recall some of the data. It shouldn't take more than another half hour."
Lily nodded and went over to the window to watch the approaching lava. It was coming closer every second, but it still looked like it was at least another hour away. Still, she didn't want to be trapped here, so just in case she ordered everyone else back to the shuttle, including the Psi-Cop who looked relieved to be leaving. The shuttle would still be subject to the same gravity, but at least it had nice comfortable seating.
Half an hour later, the doctor was still hard at work, breaking his way through the layers of encryption that had been placed around the data stored deep inside the system. "Are you any closer yet doctor," Lily asked, growing increasingly nervous as each minute passed. "I don't want to be trapped here. We also have nearly reached the end of our safe level of radiation exposure."
"Just about got it," Kozlowski replied. "Two more layers to go. Fortunately, whoever designed this system used a standard Mircotel operation system. That makes it a lot easier to crack."
"It doesn't look easy to me," Lily said as she looked at the furious work the doctor was doing.
"It is if you know what you are doing," he replied. "There, I think I've got it now. Easy when you know what you are doing."
"Good," she said. "Lets get out of here then."
"Just downloading information to a data crystal," Kozlowski said, inserting a small data crystal into a slot on the console. The screen in front of him flooded with data as the computer's memory core was dumped onto the crystal. Fortunately, whoever designed the system did a good job and it took less than two minutes to download the information. Then the two occupants of the bunker put their helmets and gloves back on, hurried out the airlock, and jogged the short distance to the shuttle. Actually, Lily would have preferred to run, but the strong gravity of this world did not allow such luxuries.
As it turned out she had little to worry about and the shuttle was on its way back to the Rasputin before the lava flow arrived. Inside the passenger cabin, those in the lighter radiation suits quickly discarded them, and Dr. Kozlowski got to work on deciphering the information he had recovered.
"Anything interesting?" Sarah asked him from her seat opposite.
The doctor didn't answer at first, instead just looking at something on the screen in front of him. "Oh dear," he said finally. He muttered the same phrase several more times, as he scanned the next two messages he had retrieved.
"What's the matter?" Sarah asked. "Doesn't the information tell us where Anderson is gone after all?"
"Worse than that," Kozlowski said. "It tells us where he is going, and what exactly he is travelling in."
He turned the screen around and Sarah could see a star map on the screen. Carefully marked out were several systems, two of which she recognised as the Sol and Proxima systems. "What does this mean," she asked.
"It means that the companies behind this operation do not intend on just raiding their enemies." Kozlowski paused for a moment and bought up another message, one that displayed a large wire frame schematic of a starship. "They intend on destroying them, along with anyone who works for them."