Four Days Later
She had done it! She'd deciphered the two pages of text in Dr. Solen's notes! One hundred and five hours later, she had finally figured out the system! She's going to have to ask Phoebe if they have any liquor stashed away somewhere, because she deserved a good drink after all that work!
Sure, there was still some work to be done, creating a cipher for Phoebe, reading through the unscrambled notes, summarizing specific instances for further review, but the hardest part had been done. Some parts may not be legible, even with the cipher, but they should be able to piece together whatever is being said with context clues.
She had no idea why Dr. Solen had chosen to use both Latin and Cantonese bases in her notes, but the way she went about combining the two was fascinating. It was looking like the Doctor would use one base for a sentence, using whatever language she deemed worthy for each singular word, before switching to another base at the start of the next sentence. Part of Barbara wondered if the doctor had randomized the order of which each language base would be used in the rest of her notes, but another part of her figured she'd find out once she'd finalized her work on the rest of the pages.
Barbara slumped back in her chair, trying and failing to keep the broad smile from stretching across her face. A delighted and half-crazed giggle rumbled out from her lips as she took in the rest of the lab. All around her, the lab's blue screens were covered in pictures of ancient languages and their various meanings. In the corner, a small stack of trays sat, awaiting their return to the cafeteria to be cleaned. Next to the stack, multiple empty mugs covered what remained of the table's surface.
She then turned her eyes back towards the console in front of her, checking the time and date.
"Damn, I should have set an alarm." She thought silently to herself as she realized nearly sixteen hours had passed since she first entered the lab. Looking down at her clothes, she realized just how disheveled she looked.
"I need a shower."
XXXXXXXXXX
Outside the Katoptris – Three Hours Later
Freshly showered and dressed in another set of clothes from the ship's many lockers, Barbara slowly made her way down the hangar's ramp and onto the grass below. Off to her left, she could just barely make out the sprawled-out form of Kara in the grass, the teen entertaining herself with her tablet while basking in the sun. To the right, a large, fold-out table was set up perpendicular to the ship's ramp. Just beyond the table, a long, rectangular, black tarp stretched outwards, covering the grass.
Placed upon the table was an array of boxes, magazines, and weapons, a few of which Barbara recognized. But it was the ones she didn't recognize that pulled her attention.
One was what could only be described as a sniper rifle, large and long. Its silver barrel seemed to stretch on forever before being hidden away behind the blocky form of the rifle's barrel shroud. Below the shroud was the front grip, as denoted by its ridged appearance. Behind the grip glinted the solid silver of the weapon's magazine, large and boxy, and probably holding a round bigger than Barbara's hand. Just above the magazine sat the weapon's scope, a rounded and boxy design that seemed to have all manner of sensors and enhancements built into its design.
Next to the sniper rifle was a smaller in length weapon, but its barrel was far wider. It also lacked the magazine of the other weapons on the table, instead, it looked like there was a hinge back up near the grip of the weapon. The weapon also lacked a stock and scope, instead using a thin piece of glass as some sort of sight. Scattered out next to the weapon was a grouping of large, stubby, and bronze cartridges that must be the weapon's ammunition.
The final weapon was severely lacking in comparison to the others spread across the table. It was small and blocky and looked closer to a modern-day Glock than some sort of weapon from the future. Its grip was an olive green and its slide a dark gray. Below the barrel and slide, there was a small box-like device that looked like a laser-sight, but was missing a lens.
Turning away from the array of weaponry, Barbara made her way over to Kara. Lowering herself onto her haunches, Barbara reached out and tugged on the edge of the tablet, startling Kara.
Kara blinked up at her, blue eyes narrowing slightly as she tugged her tablet back. "Hi?" she asked, voice still laced with the lazy comfort of someone who had been basking in the sun for a while.
Barbara smirked. "You looked too comfortable. Had to check if you were still alive."
Kara rolled her eyes and stretched, her arms extending far over her head, embodying every teenage girl Barbara had ever met.
"Like sun… ocean clean." Kara stumbled out, still needing to be taught a bit more about the English language. No, that she wasn't doing well already. Phoebe had compared her ability to learn to the prodigies of their world, picking up their lessons almost as quickly as they could teach her. Given another week, Barbara was certain that she'd be fully fluent in the language.
"Can't argue with you there." Barbara chuckled. "A nice breeze, some good sun, throw in a few drinks and this would be a hell of a vacation spot."
Kara tilted her head, processing Barbara's words before giving a small, amused nod. "Vacation good. No running. No learning." She paused, then frowned. "Boring?"
Barbara smirked. "Eh, sometimes. But you need boring every once in a while."
Kara wrinkled her nose. "Not sure."
Barbara laughed. "Yeah, I figured. You seem like the 'always need to be doing something' type."
A loud click pulled both of the ladies' attention to the table behind Barbara, as Grim cycled the sniper rifle's bolt and checked his zeroing.
"Speaking of always needing to be doing something." Barbara murmured to herself, lurching back up onto her feet. Below her, Kara returned to whatever it was she was doing on her tablet. Knowing Phoebe's teaching style, it may have been a word game of some sort, or maybe a movie with the subtitles on so the teen could practice her reading.
Barbara made her way over to Grim, watching as he ran his checks on the large rifle, seemingly ignoring her. Just in front of him, on the corner of the table, a small device flickered before displaying the red avatar of Phoebe, who gave Barbara a small wave. Barbara returned the gesture as she sauntered up beside Grim.
Barbara watched Grim for a moment as he methodically went through the motions of adjusting the sniper rifle. The sound of the bolt cycling echoed in the air once more, and she found herself momentarily entranced by the precision of his movements. He was so focused, so deliberate, when it came to his work.
"Is there something I can help you with Barbara?" Grim asked, continuing to adjust the rifle.
"Not really." Barbara answered, deciding that word of her success could wait for a bit. "Just wondering if you ever come out that armor of yours."
Grim's hands paused mid-adjustment, and for the first time, he glanced over at Barbara. His expression was unreadable, locked behind that visor and helmet of his.
"Not while on mission, no." He answered simply
Barbara quirked an eyebrow, "Pray tell, what mission are you working on now?"
"Field testing new ammunition, while also guarding the perimeter," Grim answered easily, as if he had expected the question. Barbara spared a glance towards one of the large turrets that were guarding the perimeter, its chain guns rotating back and forth in place atop its base.
"Guarding the perimeter…. Right." She hummed, earning her what had to be a side-eye from the Spartan. "What about working on your chart?"
"We hit a wall. There's not enough data or evidence to point us in the right direction." Phoebe answered for the two of them.
"Did Batman's records not have anything useful?" Barbara asked.
"The man lives in a bubble." Grim answered, sounding slightly annoyed.
"What he means is, Batman's files generally pertain to crime inside of Gotham. It seems, he keeps Bruce and Batman's identities separate, meaning there's very little about his meetings with senators and other government officials." Phoebe expanded while rolling her eyes good-naturedly, before adding, "Lot of interesting blueprints and research, though. So, it wasn't a complete waste of our time."
"Kinda wish he did have something." Barbara sighed as she settled her weight against the table and crossed her arms. "It's just… freaky to know that everything could collapse at any time, and no one would know who caused it….. It's just insane."
Phoebe hummed, turning to watch Grim set down the sniper rifle, before pulling the grenade launcher towards him.
"I mean, how do you even know you're right, and there is a massive conspiracy? It could be just a massive coincidence and you two are just wasting your time." Barbara continued, pointing out how crazy it looked in hindsight. "Much less, why would you two even care? This isn't your world or your people."
That seemed to get the attention of Grim and Phoebe as the two turned to stare at her. She tried her best to appear nonchalant, gazing off into the nearby forest and crossing her arms. But she wilted under their combined gaze, turning to meet them with a tentative look.
It was Phoebe who spoke for them, "You're right that this isn't our world, but that doesn't mean we don't care. I can tell you for a fact, rthat egardless of his own personal feelings, the big guy over here will do everything he can to defend humanity. It's just a fundamental piece of his DNA. "
Behind Phobe Grim seemed to be weighing Barbara once more with his gaze, before reaching out beside him and pulling the small pistol from the table. He looked down at it for a second, before flipping it around in his hand and holding it out to her.
"You need to learn to shoot properly." He spoke, drawing a skeptical look from Barbara.
Even Phoebe was confused, staring up at the giant while her systems conducted a quick check of his status within the armor. After a few microseconds, his readings came back as well within his baseline, which made the abrupt shift all the stranger.
"Um." Barbara protested eloquently, "I'm not so sure that's a good idea. I just spent the better part of two days working and I'm starting to have trouble remembering the last time I slept."
"Good. Come over here." Grim continued on, jerking his head to the right and moving towards his small firing line.
After a few seconds, Barbara followed after him, but not before shooting Phoebe a confused look over her shoulder. The AI could only shrug in response as she watched Grim hand her the pistol and tweak her firing stance.
"Don't lock your knees or elbows and only aim at what you wish to hit. Firm up that grip and focus in on the closest target." He ordered stoically, gently guiding her body into position.
Barbara followed along, not understanding what exactly was going on, but she was willing to see what he was playing at. So, she did as he said, lining up the sights on a metal target some twenty-five-odd meters away. It was then that she saw that he had set up a small firing range, metal cutouts placed at various distances so he could practice.
"When you're ready, squeeze the trigger." He said, gliding by behind her and back towards the table.
"Don't you mean pull?" Barbara asked.
"No."
Holding back a roll of her eyes, Barbara focused in on the target. Mentally, she willed away all outside distractions along with the cold feeling in her gut. The last time she had been behind a pistol's sights, she had killed someone. Even though Phoebe had helped her come to grips with her decision, she couldn't help but feel parts of herself freeze at the cool of the metal in her grip. But she pushed through, dropping the three green dots on the target and squeezing the trigger.
CLICK
The slide slammed back, revealing the empty chamber and missing magazine within.
"Hey, I think you…" Barbara started to call out, only to have Grim interrupt her.
"Rack the slide and do it again." He called back, pulling a green object from a drone before it flew off towards Kara.
Barbara blinked, staring at the empty chamber, then at Grim's unmoving figure. "You're messing with me, aren't you?"
There was a brief pause before Grim's voice floated back to her, still that flat, cold monotone of his. "No. I just want you to get used to the feel of it."
Barbara let out a frustrated breath but followed his instructions, racking the slide to reset the weapon, her mind still swirling with the uncertainty of the situation. She squeezed the trigger again, the weapon only bucking slightly in her hold as she felt Grim pass by behind her once more before appearing next to her. She repeated the action another time, racking the weapon and firing off another pretend round.
"Put this on." Grim ordered, holding out one of the helmets Barbara had seen scattered about the ship. Behind him, a drone holding something green raced away.
Barbara sent him a curious look as she handed him the pistol and took ahold of the helmet. With a quick brush, she flattened her hair as much as she could, finding it had grown considerably since she had come to the island, now nearly at the tips of her shoulder blades, and donned the helmet. There was a brief moment of discomfort as her elongated ears fought against the helmet's padding, but a quick adjustment remedied that. A small click then echoed through the helmet as its speakers activated, normalizing themselves with her surroundings.
The pistol was then returned to her with the instruction to rack and fire again. Barbara quickly repeated the action once more, but found that the click was a lot quieter than before. Turning to Grim she looked up at him questioningly.
"Ear protection." Was all he said.
"Ok…" Barbara drew out, "I'm still completely lost as to how we got here, or how this answers my question."
Ignoring her, Grim held out a pair of magazines, both fully loaded with live rounds. He then turned once more and pulled one of the large rifles from the table.
"Put one in your left pocket and load the other." He ordered as he passed by.
Plucking one of the magazines from his grip, Barbara slid it into the pistol with a soft click, racking the slide once more. She then took the second magazine and dropped it into her pocket as ordered.
Grim took up his own shooter's stance beside her, aiming out toward a target in the distance.
"When you're ready, fire at the closest target. But keep it slow, deliberate. Focus on your grouping." He said, before promptly unleashing a three-round burst from his rifle.
Barbara fought back the confused scowl that wanted to make itself known on her face; the analytical part of her mind was incensed at being denied answers. She didn't know what was going on, but there had to be a point to all this. So, she did as he said, centering her sights on the target and letting the first round fly.
It connected with a satisfying ping just below the target's third, inner ring. Adjusting, Barbara fired off another round, this one going high to the left. She had just lined up her third, when Grim's voice filtered into her helmet.
"Valecia was a special planet, not old enough to be considered an inner colony, but also not young enough to be considered an outer colony. Its primary purpose was the production of raw metals, and, as such, it saw heavy investment from the other colonies leading up to the start of the Human-Covenant War. By the time war had broken out, its primary city was well established, with several outlying towns making up its outer edges." Grim spoke, abruptly falling into some sort of story. Just as quickly, however, his tone shifted.
"Fire." He ordered, surprising Barbara and causing her to jump in response. It was this reflex that caused the pistol to fire once more and for the round to fly somewhere into the forest beyond.
"Focus." He ordered sternly before continuing his story, "In 2540, four years after the Covenant had started glassing the inner colonies, the UNSC had received a message from the colony. On its surface, the message appeared routine, listing the status of the colony along with any deep-space probes it had deployed. But, embedded within the message was a line of Morse code, spelling out the words, 'Covenant on Valecia'."
"Fire."
This time, Barbara didn't jump nearly as badly, even managing to hit the outer edge of the target as Grim fired his own rifle above her. He then continued.
"Immediately, the UNSC dispatched the light frigate, Atlas to the system. Only to find upon arrival that it was situation normal on the ground. The colony appeared peaceful and there were no signs of a Covenant incursion anywhere in system. The only reportable item the frigate had was that the local PDF was severely under-armed. But the governor explained that was due to a delay in an arms shipment that was due to arrive in the next few months, a common occurrence with the war going on. So, satisfied, the frigate left to join a new battlegroup."
"Fire."
Barbara's next round hit just to the left of her first, initial, round, closing in on the center of the target.
"ONI wasn't satisfied though. Someone had wasted a lot of the UNSC's time and resources with this little stunt, and they wanted their pound of flesh. As such, the Prowler, Darkstar, and its asset, were redirected to the planet and ordered to find out who had sent the message in the first place."
"A month after the asset's insertion via orbital drop pod onto the planet, their first report was sent back to ONI. Its contents echoed that of the Atlas' crew, situation normal, a slightly underprepared PDF, and no indications of insurrectionist activity. But, it also highlighted something that the Atlas' crew would have never found, colonist disappearances were rising rapidly. Especially among the many mining companies that called the planet home."
"Fire."
Barbara fired, this time, her round it just next to the innermost ring. But unlike the last few times, the slide didn't automatically cycle back into position. It appears that she had run out of ammo in her current magazine.
"Reload." Grim ordered, not even looking over at her as he fired off another burst toward another of his targets. He then turned and made his way back to the table, sparing a glance towards Barbara as she fumbled her reload. He pulled the sniper rifle from the table and returned to his shooting position.
"As such, the asset's investigation shifted." Grim resumed, "They moved their operation out of the main city and toward the mines. Within two weeks, another report came through detailing coordinated shakedowns by the planet's PDF. Colonists would have their savings ripped away from them until they were considered insolvent. At that point, the PDF would seize any assets it deemed valuable until eventually taking the colonist's domicile. After that, a few weeks later, the colonists would be reported as missing."
"That's allowed?!" Barbara screeched nearly rounding on the Spartan. "What about the police? Why'd no one report it?!"
"Many did. A subsequent investigation of the local authorities' systems revealed thousands of reports of abuse and corruption. But these reports became fewer and fewer as time went on, as it became clear to the colonists that the authorities were in bed with the PDF." Grim explained, firing a round downrange.
"The asset's next report outlined a detailed conspiracy that included almost every major player on the planet, up and to the planetary governor. Initial findings showed that an estimated two billion credits had been seized from the population of the planet."
"But there were also a few issues with this report. It didn't provide any sort of explanation for the missing colonists, only showing that they weren't among the homeless population of the planet. Also, of the two billion credits that were missing, one point five billion weren't accounted for in any of the conspirators' accounts. It wasn't shuffled away off planet or invested in the market. No, it looked like the money had simply disappeared, along with most of what they had taken."
He fired his remaining round and cycled the bolt, pulling free the magazine and slotting in a fresh one without even looking away from the shooting range. His helmet then tilted down slightly towards Barbara as he ordered, "Fire" once more. Barbara turned and did as she was told, setting loose another round. Above her, Grim returned to his own targets as he continued his story.
"Another month passed, and the next report ONI received contained a video file. Within this video, ONI could clearly see a line of imprisoned colonists being marched towards an open field, far away from the colony. Unsurprisingly, most of the colonists' number were reported missing persons, but also, scattered in among them, were lawfully detained criminals and parts of the local homeless population. The initial assumption was that this group was being transported to an illegal mine to act as slave labor for the conspiracy, but further viewing revealed another truth."
Barbara turned to the giant once more, completely enraptured in his tale.
"Approximately five minutes after coming to a halt in the field, three Covenant Phantom dropships appeared out of the cloud layer above. The first two came down and established a perimeter around the prisoners, flying in a loose, circular pattern as their lead dropship came to a stop just in front of the PDF's commander. From within in the Phantom, a Kig-yar Ship-mistress and her bodyguards emerged. The PDF Commander and the Ship-mistress exchanged pleasantries as more of her soldiers emerged from the ship. These soldiers immediately took over control of the prisoners and began to load them up into their dropship."
"While all of this was going on, a convoy of vehicles pulled up from the nearby tree line. In their trunks and beds were all the belongings of the colonists that the PDF had taken. The Kig-yar descended on these trucks like a pack of wild animals, wrestling free all manner of furniture and trinkets. These items too would be loaded up on the awaiting Phantoms as the last of the colonists disappeared within the lead ship."
"In under twenty minutes, the colonists and all their belongings were loaded up and the dropships were returning to a Covenant ship above."
"Why? Barbara asked, drawing Grim's attention. "Why would they take the colonists? I thought you said they didn't take prisoners?"
Grim shifted, throwing the sniper rifle over his shoulder and pulling his magnum from his thigh. His arm snapped up, unleashing the first of his bullets downrange.
"After receiving the video, the asset's mission changed. They had found out the meaning behind the message, along with the disappearance of the colonists. But ONI wanted to understand why. Because, before this, there had been no official reports of Human-Covenant interaction."
"It took another month, but the asset came through once more. Having hacked the Planetary Governor's personal computer, the asset provided ONI a treasure trove of information. These documents detailed a complex, handshake deal between the Governor and the Covenant Ship-mistress."
"As part of the deal, the Ship-mistress would keep Valecia's location and colony a secret and would provide regular updates on local Covenant movements. In return, the Governing body would provide fifty colonists a month to the Ship-mistress, along with trinkets and credits for her sole use. Further, all raw materials and weapons manufactured or mined on Valecia, and provided to the UNSC, had to be either defective or not of standard quality."
"But why?!" Barbara exploded before rambling on, "What use did they have for the furniture and trinkets?! Hell, why even bother with credits, it's not like they were trading with us?! And why did they need the colonists?! Didn't they have an entire society behind them?!"
Grim fired another round before he explained, "The Kig-yar weren't like the other Covenant species. They were more opportunistic and while there was no official proof of trades between humans and them, ONI had hundreds of reports detailing exactly that. So, it's not unlikely that a colony would enter some sort of trade deal with them. But this was the first time humans were being traded as part of the deal."
"Why? What use did the Ship-mistress have for them?" Barbara asked.
"They were a commodity." Grim answered darkly.
"What?" Barbara stammered.
"As you know, the Covenant was made up of multiple species. Most of those species subscribed wholeheartedly to the dogmatic religion their leaders preached. This meant they had to conform to an established honor code and practice the Covenant's beliefs. But others, they were just there for the fighting and resources."
"It was those species that considered humans to be a rare delicacy. Meaning, the first among the Covenant to establish a sustainable source of humans, that wouldn't be glassed out of existence by their peers, would have a virtual monopoly in an emerging market."
Barbara paled and felt her jaw loosen in disbelief, but it appeared that Grim hadn't noticed.
"ONI wasted no time after having read the report. Instantly, the conspirators were labeled as traitors and convicted of crimes against humanity, with subsequent ratification from a judge on Earth. The UNSC frigate, Emberhold was dispatched to Valecia to carry out the sentence, but ONI had other plans. Twenty-four hours after the official ratification, the asset was informed of the conspirator's status change and charged with carrying out the sentence, prior to the Emberhold appearing in system."
"Two weeks later, the Emberhold arrived in system and was met with a report detailing the execution of all conspirators, and the implementation of a temporary council in their absence. They also received new orders to ensure a proper government was established, and to proceed with a hunter-killer mission to find and execute the Ship-mistress. Further, they were charged with the extraction of the asset for an ONI prowler later in the week."
"How do you know all of this and why are you telling me?" Barbara asked.
"After the war, a freedom of information request revealed this report along with many others for the families of the lost colonists. As for why I'm telling you, I believe you see the parallels." Grim responded, fully turning to face Barbara.
Barbara swallowed, her throat suddenly dry and blood chilled. It wasn't one-for-one, but that didn't mean the connections weren't there. She, as an archaeologist, should know, that history is doomed to repeat itself. It was just surprising that the phrase seemed to apply across universes.
A loud groan drew the two's attention away from one another. As one, they turned towards the grassy field beyond, where Kara had been lying. But now, she was wearing one of the UNSC helmets, and looking far paler than when Barbara had left her.
"Kara!" Barbara exclaimed, dropping the pistol and rushing to the girl's side.
Behind her, Grim picked up the pistol before placing all but his magnum on the table. He then made his way over. Looming above Barbara, he wanted as the archeologist frantically searched the girl, trying to figure out what was going on with her. Stooping down onto one knee, he plucked the helmet from Kara's head and conducted his own check of the girl.
Grim's eyes narrowed as he studied Kara's condition, his fingers brushing lightly over her forehead. Kara's clammy skin left small streaks of water across his gloves as an unnatural tremor raced down Kara's figure.
"She's burning up," Barbara muttered, her voice tight as she gently adjusted Kara's limbs. "But… I don't understand. This shouldn't be happening. Superman never….."
"Take her to the Med Bay and have Phoebe run a scan on her. Maybe its something to do with the island." Grim interrupted, motioning to two drones that had raced over with a stretcher between them.
"I don't if I…." Barbara started to protest, but Grim interrupted her again.
"I need to review the cameras and see if there were any triggers, and I think she'd be better off waking up to a friendly face." Grim explained. As he spoke, he carefully loaded Kara onto the stretcher and strapped her down. The drones then rose once more and raced into the ship, Barbara trailing behind as they went.
He waited till they were all out of sight before shifting the helmet in his grip. He flipped it so that he could see the inside lining, then he reached out for the back pad. With a gentle flick, he pulled the cloth and foam away from the rest of the helmet. Turning the foam around, he revealed a small, hidden compartment that had been carved into the foam. Within the compartment lay a small piece of Kryptonite. Grim pulled the small rock free and replaced the foam in the helmet. He then paused to examine the small rock in the center of his palm.
"I guess that confirms that Kryptonians are weak to Kryptonite." Phoebe's robotic voice spoke from within his helmet.
Grim answered with a low hum in acknowledgment.
"Have you decided which ammo-type you want to use for your little side project?" Phoebe continued, disapproval etched into her voice.
"Use the M225 SAP-HE as a base but reduce the amount of explosive within. If we vaporize the Kryptonite in the explosion, we defeat the purpose of these rounds. Also, model the head of the bullet after the MA5E's shredder rounds." Grim ordered, closing his fist around the small rock.