Chapter 14

Kerran watched them go. She still wasn't completely comfortable with Regin's company. Something about him made her nerves tingle. She mentally shook herself and turned to Veril and Zev. "Why don't you two make directly to the ship?" pointing as the crow flies. "No point all of us walking double the distance if we don't have to."

"Fair enough." Zev said, picking up his pack as Veril shouldered hers. "See you back there." and they parted ways.

Although Zev and Veril were taking the shorter route, this didn't mean that it would be the easiest. They still had to clamber through undergrowth, over fallen trees and any other obstacles in their way. They came across a large fallen tree, the largest they had yet seen.

"What a monster!" Zev said in wonder, admiring the fallen giant.

Veril clambered up on top and began to walk its length. Moss, lichen and other plants grew from the trunk. She could feel some places sag beneath her weight, obviously eaten out over the years by other insects. She reached the huge base, remnants of the once mighty roots still visible though sadly lacking their original majesty. Close to the end one of Veril's feet punched through the thin bark layer left. She let out a small yelp of surprise as she went down on one knee.

"Veril!" Zev called up in concern.

She waved his worry away. "I'm okay." she reassured him. "I'm not hurt." She began to extradite her foot, kicking with the other to break more bark away so she could easily remove it. Finally she got to her knees, free. Glancing down through the gaping hole as she made ready to stand, she paused. What could she see? She lowered herself further. The sun filtering through the canopy dimly lit the interior of the trunk and glinted on something that was not organic. She slipped her pack around and fumbled to pull her light out.

"What?" Zev called up, watching her motions in confusion. She waved assurance at him, engrossed in her task. She shone the light into the darkness, lying flat on the top of the trunk and sticking her head in the hole as far as she could. Now she could make out a shape, covered by layers of dirt and rotting vegetation and definitely not organic. She scrambled back to her knees and called to Zev excitedly. "Come help!", and he was soon at her side.

"What?" She pointed for him and he made his own inspection. "Well!" he exclaimed, her excitement mirrored in his eyes. He pulled the folding shovel out of his pack and used it to pummel the tree around the hole. Gradually more and more parts fell away and he redoubled his efforts, Veril assisting by using her own two feet. Soon they had a large enough hole at a tight squeeze.

Zev wriggled down and Veril handed him the shovel. "What is it?" she asked still on top, holding a light for him.

"Don't know." he grunted between shovelling in the tight confines. There was silence for a time, Veril refraining from talking so as not to distract him in his efforts. Finally he put the shovel down and began to scrape with his hands and heaved. Veril listened to his grunts of effort at every heave and chewed her lip in anticipation, which was finally rewarded with Zev's cry of triumph as he fell backwards, ignoring the whack of his skull connecting with the trunk as the object loosened suddenly and slid forward. Veril was trying to contain her excitement and curiousity as Zev recovered. He looked up at her, almost cradling the unwieldy object, a bright smile on his face.

"Well, don't just sit there! Get it up here!" she said, tartly.

He saluted jauntily and dragged the object to be directly underneath the hole and with a heave lifted it and Veril caught the other end and continued to drag it out of the depths. Zev struggled out, following it and pushing. The two of them stood to catch their breath for a moment before turning back to their find. Veril knelt down and brushed at the clotting dirt.

"What can it be?" she queried.

Zev squatted next to her and shook his head. "I don't know, but that," and he pointed to a slightly cleaner place where components showed through. "is computer technology. So my guess is that it could be a portable data collection."

Veril looked sceptical. "Buried in a tree?"

Zev acknowledged her disbelief. "That I can't figure out. To be where it was I would say it had originally been put in when the tree was actually standing. So it was hidden and never picked up. Then when the tree came down all the dirt and everything just covered it up. You were lucky to find it."

"Very. But for it to have been hidden in the first place means it was valuable. At least it had value to someone. And they fully expected to return for it. It's not exactly a really secure place to hide something."

"No, you're right. I think whoever put it in there did expect to return. But never did."

"So do we take it with us?"

"Most certainly. There must be something worthwhile. We can't just leave it and never know."

"Okay, you grab one end." Veril said as she shrugged her pack on again and glanced at the sky. "We'll have to go quickly otherwise it'll be dark before we reach the ship."

Zev organised himself and they took one end each and continued on their way.

They only just reached the ship as dusk was falling to find the others had all arrived and were about to form a search party to look for them.

"Where the hell have you been!" Kerran snapped. Veril didn't take offence, she knew it was worry that made Kerran sharp.

"We found something!" Veril said brightly. Immediately this news lightened the atmosphere. Zev and Veril carried their prize into the hold and set it down as Kerran had clearly stated, "Nothing that filthy is coming on my flight deck!"

"What is it?" Calan asked.

"No idea." Zev replied, "but it looks like something to do with computers. I want to get it cleaned up but carefully. It looked like it had been lying where we found it for a very long time. It could be quite fragile."

Calan and Zev, with Regin's assistance began the gentle cleaning process while Veril recounted how they had found it to their avid listeners. Soon they had the object cleaned and Kerran now allowed it to be moved to the flight deck.

They all surrounded the object on the table. It was rectangular, a box of clear substance. Lights, electronics, tarial cells as confirmed by Zev, all lay coiled and curled inside like a sleeping serpent. "There's no damage that I can tell." Zev was saying. "No evidence of any breach in the outer cover, nor signs of any penetration of foreign matter to the interior, even after scanning."

Veril ran her hand over the top edges. "So how do you make it work?"

Zev shook his head. "It may only be a part of something else. I'm not certain if it works in isolation."

"What's this?" Veril's searching fingers found a small indentation.

Zev placed his hands in the same spot and felt carefully. "It could be a key of some sort." he murmured. "Small, rectangular, probably made of the same stuff as the rest. If this was to work on its own then it most like would need a separate key for security."

As Zev described what the key could be, Regin placed his hand over his pocket, fingering the outline of the object he had picked up earlier. Could it be? Could it be the key for this object? How unlikely is that though? This thing was dug out of dirt and fallen trees, he had found the key in the bones of a dead man. The others were still murmuring amongst themselves as to possible reason, whys, wherefores of this object.

Regin pulled his item out of his pocket and looked at it. It was the same clear colour as the box, it appeared to be the right shape. Could it really be? He leant forward and placed it in the slot. He applied a bit of pressure and heard a click as it slid into place. There was nothing for a few seconds and then the lights began to flash and a whirring sound began. All conversation ceased as the others turned and looked at him. He felt the need to justify himself for some reason.

"I found it earlier. Down the hole. It was just lying there. I hadn't even looked at it properly."

They accepted his reasons and now all five looked at the box.

"So?" Veril asked.

Zev shook his head in bemusement. "It's obviously on now." he said. "But I don't know what else to do."

"Maybe you have to press it in harder?" Regin said, and placed his hand on the key to press. "Ow!" he exclaimed, pulling his hand back quickly.

"What?" Kerran said, quickly at this side and taking his hand. A small bead of blood showed from a prick to the top of one finger.

"Welcome, Rog Blake's offspring." a voice snapped out suddenly into the deafening silence.

Regin was completely stunned for two reasons. One that this machine had identified his parentage, secondly that it welcomed him as though it knew him. Or knew his father. He then noticed all the others staring at him, just as shocked looking. Veril's face was completely white.

"Rog Blake was your.. father?" Calan finally said, breaking the silence.

Regin felt his jaw tighten in an automatic reaction to mention of his father. "So?" he said belligerently. He saw Kerran and Calan share a meaningful look, although the meaning was lost on him.

"Are you here looking for him?" Calan asked.

Regin couldn't prevent the short burst of bitter laughter at that suggestion. "Not bloody likely!" he said.

"Then you didn't know he had been here?" Kerran asked, staring at him intently.

Regin stared back at her. His father? Here? "You're lying." he said.

She shook her head slowly. "We were told by a local, one who knew him, worked with him."

"What's it to you?" he wanted to know.

"About Blake?" Kerran said. "Nothing really. We're looking for others. But Blake was part of the puzzle."

"So if you weren't here for your father, why are you here?" Zev now asked.

Regin guessed it didn't really matter anymore if he told them. He doubted this Orac ever existed. "I was looking for an object. Something the Federation had thought was pretty important. It disappeared and so I was going to track it down."

"What is it?" Veril asked.

Regin shook his head. "Not sure. The information was pretty vague but it had something to do with computers. It was called Orac."

"I am the most sophisticated machine ever created and still am from the information I am currently accessing from the nearest databanks." the testy voice spoke again and they all stared.

"Orac?" Kerran said, more in bemusement than a question.

"Yes?"

"It answers!" Veril said in surprise.

"Of course I do!" the voice went on "You ask questions, I answer, as you could never access all the information that is at my disposal."

"It's a self willed computer!" Zev said excitedly.

"Not precisely. My creator programmed me to access all knowledge which I can do through any machine that contains tarial cells."

"Who was your creator?" Zev asked.

"Ensor was my creator."

"But he died years ago." Kerran said. "Even I know that."

"Exactly."

"Then how did you get here?"

"Where is 'here' precisely?" came the terse question.

"Guada Prime." Veril replied.

"That is classified."

"Huh?" Kerran said in astonishment. "Aren't you supposed to answer our questions?"

"Only when it is deemed to be necessary or appropriate. Such information is classified."

"Now see here…" Kerran put her hand out and then exclaimed in astonishment as she felt the prick.

"Ah!" said Orac, with a sound of smugness. "Welcome, Kerr Avon's off spring. By what shall you be known?"

"Kerran." she replied in a soft voice, a little stupefied.

"And Blakes' son?" Orac continued to question.

"Regin." he replied, no less surprised now. His mother had told him of the others in his father's crew. Kerr Avon was one of those names.

"And the other persons present?" Orac wanted to know. "Please place your hands on the key and wait for DNA match if required."

Zev and Veril shared glances and then Zev stepped forward and placed a hand on the key. He barely flinched at the prick as he was expecting it.

"Welcome, Del Tarrant's offsping."

Veril stepped forward, her hand hesitated a moment before resting on the key. "Welcome, Vila Restil's off spring." Veril stepped back to the safely of Zev, as Calan stepped forward.

"Well," Orac almost sounded surprised. "Welcome, Cally's offspring. By what names are you known?"

"Zev."

"Veril."

"Calan."

"Welcome all - Regin Blake, Kerran Avon, Veril Restil, Zev Tarrant, Calan of Auron. I am Orac."