The mars frontier box se.., p.61
The Mars Frontier Box Set, page 61
part #1 of Mars Frontier Series
"It is easy. Walk away from the probe and you will move out of range of the interface. Return when you are ready to continue our dialog."
Georgia took a step back. This time she was prepared for the temporary dizzy sensation and was able to remain standing. She felt confused and, at the same time, relieved that Uslaw was no longer in her head. She turned and carefully made her way back toward Molloy who was leaning down, ready to help her out of the swamp.
"Did you change your mind?" he asked, a look of concern on his face.
She shook her head. "Uslaw made contact. He's improved the delivery system so that he can now simply appear when I'm close enough to the probe."
"Were you able to have all the questions answered? Has he revealed anything about his purpose?" Anna was eager to find out if Georgia had been successful.
"Yes and no," replied Georgia, wistfully. "Have you decided which of you is going to make contact?"
"Charlie has decided that it should be him. He thinks Uslaw should see that there is more than one gender of human." Anna was clearly not happy with the decision. "I don't agree that gender should be the deciding factor, but I will concede to him on this occasion."
Georgia could see Molloy squirm. Anna was going to make him pay for his attitude. "Get to it then, Charlie. I want to make sure I'm not hallucinating."
Charlie jumped down into the swamp, striding confidently toward the probe. Georgia watch him hesitate as he approached where she'd been standing only minutes before. He took one final step before appearing to stumble backwards and fall to the ground.
Anna gasped, "Charlie are you okay?"
"Just a bit dizzy," he replied as he quickly stood up, brushing dust from his spacesuit. "You're right, Georgia. The disconnection is disorienting." Molloy turned and walked back toward Georgia and Anna, a look of awe on his face.
"You spoke with Uslaw?" asked Georgia. She couldn't believe how quick the interface occurred. When she was speaking with the alien projection, time seemed to pass normally.
Molloy was effortlessly climbing out of the swamp. "Yes, he looked exactly as you described. Other than the dizziness, the connection is virtually seamless. The probe must somehow link directly into our frontal lobe, fooling the synapses into believing their having an actual conversation."
"The probe must understand brain waves," Anna said. "That must have been what it was doing yesterday. Calibrating itself to align with our brains so that it can talk in our languages. That is an amazing ability to have if you want to be able to communicate effectively with unknown alien civilizations."
"Provided it is done passively," warned Georgia. "It makes me feel very nervous to know that I can't control when the probe accesses my subconscious. If that device can access our brains, does it have the ability to manipulate our thoughts?"
"We could never know for sure," agreed Anna. "I understand your concern. Perhaps we should return to the MEV so that we can review each of your responses. It's possible that you had different experiences, which would be interesting in itself."
Georgia agreed. "I'm starting to think I made a mistake bringing us here. We'll follow up with Uslaw once we have a new set of questions. But then I'm taking us back to Alpha Base. This probe is potentially far more dangerous than I realized, and we need a better plan."
"Now that I've experienced Uslaw Haern, I agree that it probably a wise option," said Molloy, stepping back aboard the MEV. "Although I doubt any of us will be allowed to take part in future investigations."
"Leave that to me," replied Georgia, although she honestly didn't know how she'd convince Byrne.
***
Libby Selznick waited until she'd had breakfast before returning Byrne's call. She was in no hurry to speak with him and, in any case, the two Tylenol she'd taken had yet to defeat the headache she'd woken up with. She couldn't be sure if the headache was a consequence of too much wine or lack of sleep. It had been almost two A.M before Evelynn had run out of questions for her.
The colonel picked up on the second ring. "Eugene, you tried to call me."
"That was fourteen hours ago, Libby. Did you not understand when I said it was an urgent matter?"
Libby smiled to herself. She found it much easier to deal with Byrne when she wasn't face to face and it was her turn to have some fun with him. "If it was that urgent, you'd have tried harder. I was out for a meal last night and have only just listened to your message," she lied. "What do you have to tell me?"
"It's Pyke. She's arrogantly disobeyed the president's orders and taken a small group to research the alien cylinder. I had no choice but to promote Dunn as Base Commander. I did warn you that Pyke was unpredictable. But isn't this exactly what you wanted?"
Libby was disappointed by the news. She had chosen to back Georgia Pyke, partly to spite the colonel but mainly because she genuinely believed Georgia was the best person to lead the Mars mission. And although she had not agreed with the president's decision, she had not expected Georgia to so flagrantly disregard them. But were Georgia's actions really any different to divulging the details of the alien discovery to her reporter sister? Either way, it wouldn't reflect well that she may have made the wrong decision to retain Georgia in her post. "I assume you've ordered Pyke and her team to return to base."
"Of course I have. She's reported to Commander Dunn that she has made contact with the cylinder and confirmed that it is indeed of alien origin."
Libby's headache was forgotten about. "Contact? How?"
"If you accessed your messages, you'd have seen the report from Commander Dunn. The probe was somehow able to establish a neural connection with Pyke. Despite her irresponsible actions, Pyke intends further contact with the probe today. To complicate matters further, one of her team is Professor Kozlovsky, the Russian scientist we saved from Derzost. Pyke's actions will have international implications and we won't be able to keep this story secret for much longer."
For once, Libby had to agree with Byrne. What was Pyke thinking? Protocols had been put in place for first contact and she was choosing to ignore them. It was imperative that NASA recover control of the situation. "Who else is aware of the matter?"
"I informed the White House late last night. When you didn't respond, I had no choice. The president is chairing a special session of the National Security Committee in an hour. You may want to get yourself an invitation."
"Shit!" exclaimed Libby. The situation couldn't be any worse for her. She was going to have to use all the skills she'd learned during her long career to get out of this hole. She couldn't blame the colonel for this mess. "You did the right thing, Eugene. Is there anything else I need to know?"
"I don't think so. I think you already know that you fucked up big this time." Byrne hung up abruptly, his words ringing in her ears.
She immediately called the White House who quickly confirmed that she was expected to dial into the president's meeting. After taking a note of the dial-in details she opened her messages and watched Commander Dunn's report with a growing sense of anxiety and incredulity.
Chapter 26
The sleek Sentinel vessel hovered in Earth orbit above the South China Sea. Two hundred miles below, and oblivious to the craft's presence, the American Seventh Fleet was playing a game of cat and mouse with the might of the Chinese navy. The slim silver wakes of the ships were clearly visible against the dark blue of the ocean, revealing the complex series of maneuver and counter-maneuver being ordered by the respective admirals as they tested each other's resolve, without engaging in formal combat.
"In all the years that I have been observing your planet, I still fail to understand your species' desire for conquest against one another," said Falmas as he stared at the viewing screen. "Why the excessive obsession with violence and destruction when you could be focused on far better constructive concepts that would ease the hunger and disease that affects large parts of your home world?"
"I can't argue with the futility of war," replied Jim Grant. "From our perspective here, it's almost a sick joke. One small planet amongst so many in the cosmos and humans spend all their time killing one another. I'm unable to explain it in a way that I understand, let alone make you see the rationale. It is a complete waste of resources. We've been stationed here for two weeks now and I'm becoming weary of what I'm seeing. If only someone could open their eyes to the possibilities that await humankind."
"I believe the future of your world hangs in the balance. I have enjoyed observing some of your great nations rise and fall because there was always progress in your evolution. It has been only in the last one hundred years that I have grown concerned that your world's leaders may have taken the wrong path. One that will lead to complete annihilation."
"You have every right to be worried," I can see the situation has deteriorated in the past two years. America and China will come to blows. I can see that it is inevitable. And if either country is insane enough to use nuclear weapons then I do not want to be here to watch it happen."
Falmas nodded in understanding. "I would not wish to see my world destroyed either. You're here to provide an insight into the human condition. Can you offer any evaluation of the events developing below?"
Grant had been giving the matter a lot of thought since they'd arrived. He'd watched dozens of hours of news transmissions from around the world and Falmas had intercepted encrypted messages between the presidents of America, China and Russia. He now probably had a clearer understanding than anyone on Earth of what each nation's plans were. With so much information at his disposal, he wished he could return to his home planet and explain to the World's leaders that what they were doing was so wrong. His ideal scenario would have been to kidnap the leaders from the larger countries and bring them together in orbit, but he knew Falmas would never permit it.
"For some time, the Chinese have been attempting to expand their sphere of control. With large investments in several African states and Australia, they're surreptitiously built strategic allies. At the same time, they've built islands in the South China Sea in order to build military installations in beach of various international treaties. For many years, they were supported by Russia but American and Japan have taken a very hard line. With the recent change of American president, China's government have decided to test the new administration."
Falmas was listening intently but was struggling to grasp the rationale "That seems to be a very reckless ploy. What can possible be gained?"
"It's a power struggle. China's ruling party is feeling vulnerable after the fiasco on Mars. They've seen an opportunity to recover some national pride by challenging the new American president. They want to know what type of leader he is and whether he has any weaknesses. I'm ashamed to say we used to do the same thing on a far smaller scale whenever a new kid started school."
"And in the meantime, both countries let people die through malnutrition and treatable diseases?"
"When you say it like that, it does sound totally ridiculous. But standing by and doing nothing doesn't seem any better either."
"We've had this debate far too many times Grant. You won't drag me into it again. We have no remit to interfere." Falmas was about to make an additional comment when a warning symbol appeared at the edge of the screen. He reached out and touched the symbol with his left hand. His body stiffened in surprise as he interpreted the data.
Grant noticed the troubled look on his face. "What's wrong?"
"The ship has intercepted a transmission. It's not a language that I recognize. If our translators can't decipher it can only mean the message is not from any species in the Confederacy. I don't understand why we would be picking it up in your solar system.
"Do you know the source of the transmission? Is it close by? Is anyone in danger?" Grant's immediate concern was for Earth. If there was another alien ship nearby, what was it doing?
"Just one moment while the ship processes the information." Falmas closed his eyes to concentrate on the data. "It appears to be coming from Mars, or close to Mars. Perhaps from orbit or one of the moons. It's subspace so definitely not of human origin." he exclaimed in shock. "We must investigate now."
Chapter 27
That night, Molloy's sleep was disturbed by Uslaw Haern. He wasn't sure if he was awake or dreaming or even where he was.
His surroundings were like nothing he'd seen before. A deep orange sun, five times larger than the Sun, was the first thing to catch his attention. He could feel it's intense heat burning into his skin. He looked down, surprised to see he was in his shorts and tee shirt, the clothes he's been wearing when he fell asleep in his cot aboard the MEV.
He was standing on a wooden deck, about twenty feet square, surrounded by metal railings. Beyond the railings was what appeared to be a thick forest filled with unusually shaped trees and vegetation. The leaves had an odd red hue that reminded him of autumn. And there was complete and utter silence. No animal or bird sounds, and no sound of any wind through the trees. He was alone.
"Hello," he called out, anxious as to how he's arrived here. His voice was muffled by the trees and he heard no reply.
Molloy turned slowly around, looking for any clues as to his whereabouts. Walking over to the edge of the platform, he looked down sixty feet to the ground below. He spotted a thin path circling the platform but there was no way down. The sides of the platform were sheer drops, with no sign of steps or other means of escape. He was trapped.
"Is this the one?"
Molloy spun round at the sound of the voice. Uslaw Haern was now standing in the center of the platform next to another figure dressed in similar clothes. The newcomer was shorter and more compact than Uslaw, and his features were sharper. Molloy's first impression was this new figure looked like a fighter.
"Yes, he is called Charlie Molloy. He is a scientist but was also a soldier in one of Earth's armies," said Uslaw.
"You have done well," said the stranger
"Where am I?" shouted Molloy, partly in panic. "How are you talking to me?"
Uslaw smiled graciously. "There's no need to be alarmed. My superior, Tremo Shaern, has taken an active interest in my discovery and desires to speak with you. These surroundings are a replica of Arethusa, but we are only in your mind."
"How can you still be in my head? We severed the connection and I'm halfway back to my base."
Uslaw continued to smile, but it was unsettling. "The connection was not broken. I have been waiting in the shadows, waiting for Tremo Shaern to join us."
Molloy looked vainly around for a means of escape. "Get out of my head. This is an invasion of my privacy. You've no right to be here."
His request was ignored. Instead, Tremo said in a menacing voice, "I understand that Uslaw Haern has answered all of the questions posed by yourself and your colleague. He has been open and freely shared information with yourselves. I wish to ask you some questions and for you to reply in the open and complete way that Uslaw has. That seems reasonable and appropriate."
"It would be if you'd asked me in the correct manner instead of forcibly kidnapping me."
"You are confused. We have not taken you anywhere. Your physical form remains within your vehicle. Once you have answered my questions you will be free to return to your resting state."
"Relax," added Uslaw. "We will not take long."
"My first question I need an answer to is how are your people aligned to the Confederacy?"
Molloy was immediately confused. "I don't understand the question. What is the Confederacy?"
The two Arethusans looked at one another before Uslaw said, "Please do not make this difficult. Georgia Pyke asked me if we were part of the Confederacy. Humans are aware of its existence. We would like to know the relationship."
"I've never heard of the Confederacy. You must be mistaken."
"Do not play games with us. It will not go well for you when we arrive at your planet," continued Uslaw. The smile was now gone. There was no longer a need to keep up the pretense. The two Arethusans approached Molloy, cornering him by the rails. "We do have ways of discovering the truth."
"I don't doubt it. But if my physical being is where you said it is, then this can't do me any harm." Molloy grabbed the rail, hopped over it in one easy bound and fell feet first to the ground below.
***
"We need to get back to Alpha Base as soon as possible. Uslaw Haern is not what he appears."
Georgia sat up at the Molloy's warning. "What's happened?" she said into the darkness.
Molloy turned the lights on in the cab, still shaken and disturbed by his experience. "Uslaw fooled us. He's still in my head. He could be in yours. I was just speaking with him and one of his associates on their home world. They were going to interrogate me. It wasn't pleasant Georgia. I think he's a bigger threat than we thought."
Georgia could sense Molloy's anxiety was real. It wasn't like the big man to behave in this manner. Anna was also staring at him with a concerned expression etched across her face. But his tale seemed far-fetched. "Are you sure it wasn't a dream? Or maybe an echo from your earlier contact. We can't be sure there aren't any side effects from the interface process."
"It was real," insisted Molloy without hesitation. "I was on an alien world. Uslaw told me he'd been hiding in my subconscious waiting to contact me again. The other guy was really unpleasant. He was the one asking the questions. He kept referring to something called the Confederacy. Uslaw said that you mentioned the name to him. They both got angry when I denied any knowledge. Do you know what they were talking about?"
Georgia felt a chill run through her. What have I done? "You've just proved it wasn't a dream, Charlie. The Confederacy do exist. Which means we're in serious trouble." She climbed from her cot and fired up the navigation computer. "We should return to Alpha at the earliest opportunity, even though I'm not sure we'll be safe there."
