Axis crossing, p.11
Axis Crossing, page 11
Briefly, Bethany was annoyed by the laughter. Then she couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Come, come, Commander,” Timor urged. “This promises to be a fascinating story, and we’d love to hear every morsel of it.”
Timor’s unexpected reaction intrigued Bethany, and she found that she was interested in telling the tale of the children’s ingenuity.
With her armored augmentations, Bethany remained standing, while the parents sat on a couch.
Dahlia held Timor’s hand, not yet understanding what had transpired between her partner and the commander.
Bethany related the story as she understood it. Frequently, she was interrupted by short comments from Timor, who accurately guessed what Escher had done with his computer.
When Bethany finished, she requested permission to ask a few questions.
Dahlia was surprised that Bethany would deign to be considerate, but Timor merely nodded.
“Did you know that Escher would react as he did to the presence of my agents?” Bethany asked.
Finally, Dahlia experienced relief. She’d been worried what Bethany would ask. Instead, she sensed curiosity in the commander’s question. “Escher has always displayed this duality,” she replied. “For the most part, he’s been this dutiful child, following the rules, and acting as an example to his sister. However, if he senses something amiss, he reacts quickly and in ways that we often didn’t anticipate.”
Bethany mulled the response over in her mind. It fit with what she’d observed. “What about Escher’s work with his computer?” she inquired.
“Ah,” Timor replied, drawing out the word in admiration for his son. “There’s where Escher is a genius, but I don’t think he recognizes that. I imagine that when he was forced into hiding and responsible for his sister’s safety, much of his hidden talents came into play.”
Bethany grunted in satisfaction. In her estimation, she’d done everything necessary to catch Escher and Allie, but Raw-Mets security and the comtech department were entirely unaware of Escher’s true capabilities. Hamstrung in that manner, it was inevitable that Escher might effect an escape for him and his sister.
9: It’s Done What?
After the commander left the Talons, Dahlia regarded Timor. Doubt and concern were written in every line of her face.
“Why do you suppose Escher and Allie are looping for Naiad?” Dahlia asked.
“They’ve no other safe destination,” Timor explained. “They couldn’t stay on Geneva, with the commander hunting them. Rescuing us wasn’t an option. Naiad was their only choice.”
“You say the word safe like we aren’t?” Dahlia pointed out.
“I’d like to think we can believe Harlyn, but I don’t think she’s the final authority on this project,” Timor replied. “It bothers me that every specialist working on this investigation is from another corporation.”
“I’ve attempted to talk to the other couples who aren’t part of our team,” Dahlia said. “They just turn their backs on me. I think they’re afraid to say anything for fear it will be the wrong thing.”
Dahlia caught Timor chewing on his lower lip. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
Having his worried expression noticed by Dahlia, Timor knew better than to brush off the subject. “It’s my hope that Escher doesn’t try anything foolish.”
“Such as?” Dahlia pressed.
“Like try to rescue us,” Timor replied.
“How could he do that without tremendous resources?” Dahlia asked. Before Timor could reply, she uttered a quiet, “Oh. We just told the commandant that Escher could be extremely inventive under pressure.”
“And for us, he might be prepared to take some inordinately dangerous chances,” Timor admitted.
Two days later, the morning session in the lab began with Harlyn addressing the specialists.
“As you’ve noticed by the trajectory data, the strange ship will pass close to Beta Two,” Harlyn said.
“Don’t you think that’s extremely coincidental of the aliens?” Erin asked.
Harlyn frowned. This had become a constant struggle between the team and her. She’d insisted that they not call the ship “alien,” and they insisted that was the correct way to think of the huge vessel.
When Harlyn appeared to continue with her address, Dan said, “I think my partner deserves an answer to her question, Harlyn. Actually, the rest of us want to hear what you and your superiors believe about the coincidence.”
“We don’t have an opinion on the matter,” Harlyn replied. It was her stock answer for any subject which she wasn’t prepared to discuss.
“We think it’s central to the matter,” Rachner objected.
“Why is that?” Harlyn replied, appearing peeved, but willing to hear Rachner out.
“We shouldn’t have to explain this,” Timor interjected. “The wormhole mouth doesn’t align with this planet. Any ninth-year student could tell you that. This alien ship’s trajectory has been on a gradual curve to approach Beta Two. You might want to consider defensive actions.”
“What type of measures are you talking about?” Harlyn asked. The intense discussion had even the couples who worked in corners of the lab paying close attention.
“Evacuate the domes. Move people deep underground. Shut all connecting tunnel hatches,” Dahlia quickly enumerated.
“Then station your security forces within the shuttleport,” Sherilyn added.
“We believe those types of action are completely unnecessary,” Harlyn replied. Too late, her eyes briefly signaled her fear. She’d implored Doell to take those same precautions, and he laughed at her.
Returning to her address, Harlyn said, “We’d like your opinion on whether it would be worthwhile approaching the strange ship as it passes the planet.”
Despite the unsettled circumstances, the team of six greeted Harlyn’s statement with derisive laughter.
“We just finished warning you about the possible dangers this ship represents, and you’re wondering if we think it’s a good idea to launch a shuttle to poke it.” Erin retorted. “At best, we’d have less than a second to gather data before the ship was well past us. What good would that do us?”
One of the men from Geneva timidly raised his hand.
When Harlyn showed surprise, the team of six turned their heads to observe what had drawn her attention.
“Yes?” Harlyn asked the specialist.
“I don’t wish to sound antagonistic, Harlyn,” the man said, “but I think your request of us might be moot. You should observe the most recent data.”
The team immediately accessed the update, and Harlyn peered over Timor’s shoulder.
Timor scrolled through the data, comparing present indicators to the previous set.
“There,” Harlyn said, pointing at a line in the virtual display.
“Three percent drop in velocity,” Timor remarked.
“Refresh your displays,” Dan advised. The moment everyone did, Dan added, “Line thirty-eight. Comparison to the data from an hour ago.”
“Six and a half percent,” Dahlia remarked.
Timor applied a request to constantly refresh his data set. He anchored the comparison point to when the ship hadn’t begun deceleration.
Timor and Dahlia’s team, the six nervous specialists, and Harlyn watched for the next hour as the alien ship dropped its velocity.
When Harlyn was convinced that the ship was going to come to a stop, she accessed Beta Two’s shuttleport on her slate.
“Requesting a calculation on the strange ship on near approach to Beta Two,” Harlyn said. “It’s decelerating. If the present rate continues, where would the ship come to a halt?”
“Hold, Harlyn,” Ricardo Broadus, the port flight controller, replied.
The comm channel was open, and Harlyn heard Ricardo swear.
“How close?” Harlyn asked, fearing the worst.
“Approximately one hundred twenty thousand kilometers,” Ricardo replied.
“Thank you,” Harlan said. To the team’s concerned faces, Harlyn said sternly, “Stay put. Remember your minders are outside.” Then she exited the lab at a run.
In Doell’s outer office, Harlyn was told that the director was in conference and couldn’t be bothered for the next two hours.
“Emergency,” Harlyn stated firmly.
The assistant hesitated, but Harlyn’s eyes bored into his and challenged him to debate the issue.
As the door adjacent to Doell’s inner office slid aside, Harlyn marched into the conference room. Doell was holding court with the domes’ department heads.
“Rather impromptu of you, Harlyn,” Peter Doell said in his unflappable manner.
“Critical update,” Harlyn replied.
“Make it quick, Harlyn. We’ve important business to discuss here,” Doell directed. His eyes signaled that Harlyn would pay for disturbing him.
“The alien ship —” Harlyn began before she was interrupted.
“You’ve been told not to use that term,” Doell said bluntly.
“Well, perhaps you can determine that for yourself, Director,” Harlyn replied tartly. “The unusual ship, which bears no resemblance to anything built by humans, is decelerating. It’s anticipated to halt inside Beta Two’s outer orbit. I imagine you’ll want to prepare yourself to meet with the leader or captain. Now, I’ll leave you to your important business.”
Harlyn whirled and exited the conference room before a dumbfounded director could utter a word.
The assistant watched Harlyn march through the outer office with a satisfied smile on her face.
In Doell’s office, the department heads stared at the director with various expressions of shock.
“We don’t have any means of repelling invaders,” Lemil Boydston, the accounting head, pointed out.
“That would be necessary, if those aboard the ship are aggressive in nature, but they might not be,” Jeffrey Witcher, the engineering head, countered.
“Maybe the ship is automated, and we’ll merely be observed,” Patty Bonnet, the comtech head, offered.
“Observed for what purpose?” Saran Auernhammer, the personnel head, asked rhetorically.
“This meeting is dismissed,” Doell said urgently. His casual style was suddenly absent, as he hurried from the conference room.
The department heads stared at one another for the briefest seconds. Then they leapt out of their chairs and hurried after Doell.
Doell’s elevator car doors closed before the department heads reached him. The last thing the senior employees saw was a grim-faced director.
“Where do you think he’s headed?” Patty asked.
“Where do you think?” Jeffrey replied sarcastically.
“If I knew, I wouldn’t have asked,” Patty retorted.
“Everybody, calm down,” Saran urged. “We need cool heads to understand what might soon happen. The director is probably headed to the shuttle dome.” She’d eyed the engineer, as she’d offered the director’s destination, and he’d nodded in agreement.
The administrative building had elevators that descended to the dome’s main tunnel, and the managers exited their car in time to see the director speed away in his private vehicle. They jumped into their transports and shot after him.
Those riding or walking through the main tunnel were treated to a convoy of the dome’s senior personnel wearing taut expressions. Knowing an alien ship was silently traversing the system, the strange entourage did little to calm the concerns of the X-Ore employees.
When Doell entered the shuttle dome, he hurriedly jumped from his vehicle. It was good that the transport was programmed to stop when the driver exited the vehicle while it was under power.
Racing into the shuttle controller’s office, Doell demanded, “Why do I have to hear from Harlyn that ... that ... the ship is decelerating?”
“And hello to you, Director Doell,” Ricardo Broadus, the flight controller, replied. “It was Harlyn who brought the ship’s change in velocity to my attention. I imagine her team of investigators was monitoring the data closely.”
“Is it true the ship might achieve orbit around this planet?” Doell asked worriedly.
“We can only calculate its approximate final position based on its rate of deceleration, Director,” Ricardo replied. “This assumes the ship won’t deviate from its course. As to whether it’s forced to orbit the planet to keep from being drawn into our gravity well, or whether it can remain aloft in a stationary position, that remains to be seen. My bet is the alien ship doesn’t need to orbit. What’s your thought, Director?”
Ricardo knew he was prodding Doell. Then again, he didn’t like the man or his methods.
Doell refused to rise to the bait. Rather, his attention had been diverted. “Why are people rushing to the security gates?”
“We do have an Axis-ship out there,” Ricardo reminded Doell.
“I know that,” Doell said peevishly. “It’s not due to launch for the wormhole for two more days.”
“Captain’s orders,” Ricardo replied. “He doesn’t want to be here when that alien ship makes orbit.”
“Let me remind you that the Axis-ship above us is owned by X-Ore,” Doell pointed out.
“I’m not debating that, Director,” Ricardo replied calmly. “Per the agreement with Axis-ship captains, which all corporations have signed, the captains are responsible for the safety of their ships. In this case, the captain believes it’s prudent to get as far away from that alien ship as possible.”
Doell fumed. He hated not being in control. Having cultivated an air of equanimity, he believed that it was being destroyed by the anxiety generated by the approaching ship. Considering how best to regain his pretense of composure, the thought occurred to him to place someone else in charge of the operation. Naturally, it would have to be someone he could blame if that individual mishandled the situation. With that, his thoughts turned to Harlyn.
Doell exited the flight controller’s office, and he spotted the department heads, who were anxiously awaiting news. “Calm, everyone,” he said. “No need for panic. The Axis-ship captain and I have agreed that his vessel should depart early, merely as a precaution. I hurried here to confer with our flight controller and the captain.”
Doell made a show of strolling casually to his transport, turning it around, and departing leisurely.
The department heads weren’t fooled by the act, and they started for Ricardo’s office to hear directly from him.
While the entire Beta Two complex waited anxiously for the alien ship’s next move, several events happened in succession.
Shuttles departed the shuttleport’s landing pad in a hurry, ferrying passengers to the Axis-ship.
The captain waited as long as he dared. Then he shut the ship’s bay doors, waved off the two shuttles en route to his ship, and started his rings spinning. To avoid the inbound ship, he chose a looping curve that would take him an additional three days to reach the wormhole.
Doell tried to maintain focus by reviewing production numbers. Output was falling rapidly. Too many people slowed or stopped work to discuss the ship’s impending arrival. Alarmists spoke of an invasion. The worst of them spread rumors that the aliens would kill and eat them. It didn’t matter to Doell what they were discussing. The fact was they weren’t working, and he harassed his mining department head to restore production levels.
After Doell had time to think through a meeting with Harlyn, he ordered her to his office.
“You’re probably aware, Harlyn, that the ship is continuing to decelerate,” Doell said from behind his desk.
Harlyn merely nodded. When she entered Doell’s office, she’d been tempted to lounge against the wall. But she knew that would only make Doell angry. As it was, she had an inkling that a large hammer was about to fall on her.
“There’s every chance that X-Ore will have a unique opportunity to meet those aboard this ship,” Doell continued. “If they are living beings, who can loop a wormhole without magnetic field protection, then X-Ore has an opportunity to learn their technology. This would allow the corporation to take over the next phase of wormhole travel.”
Doell waited for Harlyn’s reply, but she stood silently. He hated that she was being uncommunicative. “I’m placing you in charge of first contact,” he said, truncating his sales pitch.
“Why me?” Harlyn asked, hearing the ring of a hammer on a metal ingot in her mind.
“You’ve been analyzing this ship’s nature. You’re the best qualified. You’ve repeatedly said it’s an alien ship. Who else is better qualified to meet with them?”
“It’s the specialists who’ve been doing the analyses,” Harlyn pointed out.
“That’s who I meant when I said you, Harlyn. Of course, I expect your team to accompany you,” Doell explained. He liked the fact that Harlyn was fully engaged. This is when he accomplished his best manipulations.
“We’re not alien experts,” Harlyn retorted. “How could we be? We’ve never met an alien. You’re this site’s director of operations. Surely, first contact is your job.”
“Are you being insubordinate, Harlyn?” Doell asked. His mask dropped, and his eye contained an evil glint.
Harlyn was stunned. Doell had thrown at her the most damning threat he could. Insubordination, if declared by a superior, resulted in immediate termination and the forfeiture of a contract’s accumulated credits. It was an onerous policy that served to keep employees in line.
Knowing she was trapped, Harlyn merely nodded, turned, and left the office.
Behind Harlyn, Doell adopted a smug smile. He was proud of his maneuver, believing that he might yet avert disastrous blame from the CEO and the corporate board.
“I’ve a new task for us,” Harlyn said, trying to sound upbeat. Then her façade crumbled, and she sat heavily in a chair.
“Who’s pulling your strings, Harlyn?” Erin asked gently.
“The director of operations, Peter Doell,” Harlyn admitted. She was done with trying to operate as Doell’s firewall between X-Ore’s captives and him. Having used the word “captives” for the first time, Harlyn faced reality.
