<No emblems or signs anywhere to identify who owns the facility.> Kelem’s voice came over their team Link. <Not a good sign.>
Nerishka pursed her lips. <Just confirms whoever is behind this place wants to remain invisible.>
They reached an intersection, and Dresden directed Kelem and Judith to branch off toward the comm center.
<Who would go to so much trouble?> asked Judith as she followed behind Kelem. <What could be this illegal?>
<Bad stuff,> Nerishka replied. <But if I told you, I’d have to kill you.>
Kelem snorted. <Nice one, Nerishka. I bet you spy types have been saying that forever.>
<She’s not kidding,> Dresden interjected, his tone deadly serious. <I’d have to too, so stop speculating.>
<Shit, really, Boss?> Kelem asked.
<Fuck, Kelem. Just shut up,> Judith swore.
They walked in silence for a moment before Dresden asked. <What are you thinking? Big corporation? Government?>
Nerishka gave an exaggerated shrug as they moved into a long corridor lined with glass-fronted labs some bare, some still containing rows of equipment that Lyra identified as exotic matter containment and analysis systems.
A box lay next to the entrance to one of the labs, datapods scattered around it. <Why do I feel like they left in a hurry?> said Nerishka drily.
<Means they could have left something behind.> Dresden grabbed the data-pods and shoved them into a pouch on his chest before moving inside to clear the room. <This one’s messier. Must have been one of the last to evac.>
<You guys find anything over there?> asked Judith over the comms. <‘Cos you’re gonna want to see this.>
Dresden and Nerishka shared a glance before moving out of the lab and down the corridor to the comms room.
A few minutes later, they entered the room to find Kelem and Judith standing before a console in the center of the room.
<What is it? You sounded like you had something.> Nerishka stared at the pair who were scowling at the screen.
<That’s just it. We found nothing. Everything’s wiped clean. There’s nothing here,> Judith replied.
<What do you mean, ‘everything’?> Nerishka asked.
<She’s right,> Lyra said. <There isn’t even any software loaded on the computers, and the NSAI cores are all pulled. Sure, there may be something tucked in a memory chip somewhere, but it would take years to search the systems and find it.>
Nerishka shared a frustrated glance with Dresden who said, <Well, we won’t find anything more in here. Let’s move out. We’ll have to find another way to ferret out whoever’s behind this place.>
The team searched the entire level, but other than the discarded datapods, there was nothing to be found. They moved to the other floors on the off chance that there would be clues, but they were empty except for old gear left behind by the mining operation when it shut down five decades ago.
<I hate to say it,> Dresden said after they’d been searching for hours, <but we can’t stay here forever. Anyone watching this place could have seen us dock. And after Greshan….>
<I understand,> Nerishka said. <We’ve been over this place with as fine a toothed comb as we can manage.>
Nerishka’s shoulders sagged but she forced herself to remain stiff-spined. They’d come so far, followed the trail all the way to this dumb rock. And her gut had led her there.
There’s always a first time to be wrong.
<At least we tried,> said Lyra, her voice soft and comforting. <Perhaps we didn’t obtain concrete proof that they were testing a jump gate here, but we do know it. We can still use what we do have to find them.>
Nerishka smiled to herself. She wasn’t used to having the need for a pep talk and she wondered why she’d even been disappointed.
<I know. But thanks for saying that. You didn’t need to.>
Lyra sniffed. <Of course, I did. I believe we have crossed the line from partners to friends, Nishka. At least, that is the way I feel. I did consider that you may not feel the same way, so if I am correct I am quite happy with that.>
<Lyra,> Nerishka admonished. <How could you even think otherwise?>
The AI’s avatar shrugged. <I know you didn’t want to be paired with me. And I had accepted that this would be a very short pairing.>
The team headed into the lift shaft, and Nerishka stared at the empty hallway for a moment before they began their ascent to the docking level. <You are right. I didn’t want an AI, but it wasn’t because of you at all. I guess I just preferred to work on my own. I have been for a while. And I didn’t want to go through the whole process again. But thank you for understanding.>
Lyra sent a rush of warmth that almost overwhelmed Nerishka.
<Sucks that we got nothing?> Judith grumbled, her eyes appearing tired.
Judith merely nodded then looked over Nerishka’s shoulder at the rest of the crew.
<See, you’re not the only one disappointed. Everyone here was invested in this mission. Just as much as you were.> Lyra’s words hit Nerishka deeply.
How had she failed to see how committed Dresden and his team were? They’d followed him because he was family, but even then, they’d all been passionate about finding who’d killed all those people. They’d wanted justice just as much as Nerishka had. And that meant more than a damn.
<Only difference is, I mean to kill the person responsible and put an end to this once and for all.>
Judith led the way down the corridor, and the team fell silent as they drew closer to the bay doors.
Nerishka let out a deep breath. <Lyra, can you do one final sweep with the drones before we leave this rock?>
Lyra sent an affirmative and fell silent for a few moments. Then she sighed, the sound brimming with defeat. <Sorry Nishka. I’m getting nothing.>
<OK team. That’s it. Back to the ship. We’re done here.>
They were nearly at the doors to the ship’s bay when Lyra yelled out on the comms, <Wait. I see something.>
<What is it?> asked Nerishka as the AI faltered.
Lyra replied privately, <Sorry I shouldn’t have spoken to the team before running it past you.>
<It’s fine, Lyra. If it’s urgent, it really is fine. You are part of the team. Now tell us what you see.>
Lyra send a burst of warmth at Nerishka and said to the team, <Something about the schematics seemed odd to me so I set up some of the microdrones in what appeared to be an empty corridor and I found an almost undetectable energy signature coming from within the station. I tracked it to an eighth level.>
<Eight?> Judith asked. <Level 7 was the furthest one down.>
<Well…it’s either that, or they sunk a power generator into the rock and left it there.>
As one, the team turned and followed Dresden and Nerishka to the lifts at breakneck speed. As they climbed down to the bottom of the lift shaft, no one spoke except for Lyra.
<I am sorry. I just got a little excited.>
Nerishka sighed. <It really is fine. Of course, there are things I’d prefer we keep between us, but some mission-related emergencies are OK, really. Unless they happen to compromise me or my mission, I don’t have a problem with it.>
Lyra sighed with relief and Nerishka found herself frowning. <Why are you so worried?>
Lyra’s avatar shrugged. <No reason. I just thought I’d stepped over the line. I’m the junior partner after all.>
<Don’t worry, Lyra, I trust you to know how to behave. You’ve done fine so far.>
Lyra didn’t reply, but Nerishka got the impression her AI appreciated the faith in her abilities.
They reached the bottom of the lift shaft—which appeared to end in solid stone. The team searched for some sort of access for several minutes, before Kelem simply kicked the stone. With a low groan, it shifted, dropping ha
lf a meter.
<Well I’ll be,> Judith said and settled down on the rock, using her a-grav systems to push on it. <I guess the lifts would just hit it and drive it down.>
A minute later they had pushed open the doors to the eighth level and stepped into the corridor beyond. It ran for just a few paces before opening up into a room that had the feel of an antechamber.
<Just one room beyond,> Kelem said, gesturing to the closed doors at the back of the room.
<I read power down here,> Lyra said. <Be careful, there could be defense systems. Give me a moment to get that door open.>
Only a second later, the door opened and the team rushed to cover as beam fire poured out.
<Here we go again,> muttered Nerishka as she unslung her rifle and returned fire.
BINGO
STELLAR DATE: 10.18.8948 (Adjusted Gregorian)
LOCATION: Yazata Asteroid
REGION: Ayra System (Independent)
<Two drones. Left and right,> called Lyra.
Dresden lay down covering fire straight through the doors, while Judith and Kelem plastered themselves against the bulkheads on either side and sprayed rounds down the corridor beyond the door. They fired in tandem, their fields of fire sweeping across the interior space, eliminating both drones.
Kelem surged forward. <What’s the point of leaving drones if they’re this dumb?>
<Kelem, wait,> yelled Lyra as beamfire lanced out from the corner of the room. He grunted and dropped to the deck while Judith stepped in and took out the autoturrets that had emerged behind them.
Nerishka paused to check on Kelem but Judith waved her off. <He should be ok. His armor took most of the blast,> she said as she patted Kelem on the helmet.
Kelem nodded as he rose and rolled his shoulders. “That’s what ablative armor is for, right? To ablate?”
This is why I don’t do teams, Nerishka thought as she tried to compartmentalize the worry she felt for Dresden’s people. Keeping her rifle ready, she eyed the corners of the room, as they moved into the corridor. It was also short, and emptied into another room, this one filled with consoles, arrayed rather like a starship’s bridge.
Before any of them could reach the first console, Lyra said, <Oh dear,> then she paused, <and that’s a holy shit ‘oh dear’, just to be clear.>
Nerishka hid a smile, as did Dresden, but Judith chuckled.
<Well?> Kelem asked.
<You can see for yourself.> Lyra initiated a holo at the far wall and a recording began to play.
“—teams abort. This is not a drill. Evacuate now—no traces. We’re executing lockdown contingency DD-A9. Extract all backups and secure for priority transport.”
<You do know who that is, don’t you?> Dresden asked privately, glancing over at Nerishka.
<Yeah. Makes perfect sense now.> Nerishka stared up at the face of General Azag, second in command beneath President Inanna of the Ayra System. <You think he’s in bed with the president on this?>
<Possible. Just the thought that an independent system could develop a jump gate is terrifying. Are they planning some mass conquest? An Ayran Empire?>
<Either she is, or Azag is working on gaining enough power to topple her from her throne.>
President Inanna was renowned for the changes she’d made in the Ayra System, bringing advancements like affordable mednano to the general populace, who only a century ago, were mostly as vanilla as the day they were born. Not that Inanna was all that wise and loving a ruler. She was also known for her excesses and her aspirations, like her choice in name. Inanna, ancient goddess of power and war. All of which the president craved.
<Damn, I wish we had an FDL transmitter,> Nerishka said to Lyra. <We need to update Jeriah as soon as possible.>
<I’m getting a packet ready. As soon as we get out of here I’ll find a courier to send it with,> Lyra replied, already sounding distant.
Dresden was swiping through a console near the holo display when he let out a strangled grunt. <So they weren’t so smart after all.>
“What?” Nerishka hurried to Dresden and peered over his shoulder at the screen.
“They dumped all their data down here before wiping the systems above. We have records here dating back all the way to before this facility was built. Everything from inbound shipments to arrivals and departures of personnel and ships.”
Nerishka let out a mirthless laugh. “Probably because they believed this level was secure. So…what were they researching?”
“Look at this,” Dresden said as he pulled up a file. “They sent out a report to someone saying that after the incident, work was continuing. Think they up and moved, or was Azag lying and covering his ass?”
“Beats me,” Nerishka muttered as she reviewed the next report.
“Damn.” Dresden shook his head as he read over it, commenting privately to Nerishka. <So they did know that part of their gate hit Xerxes after the explosion here.>
“Damn what?” Judith asked.
“Just more bad people doing bad stuff,” Nerishka replied. “There’s a whole discussion about keeping the crash-site secure and General Azag assures them that he will make sure nothing is traced back to the research.”
“So Azag did erase the records of their clean-up crew arriving,” Judith said, shaking her head.
Nerishka leaned forward. “There’s a confirmation here that a small chunk of the asteroid laden with some of their research had impacted at the settlement. Also, confirmation of the Ir-192 and Au-198 levels. Shit…they cleaned up the iridium, but since the gold has such a short half-life, they opted to just let it dissipate.”
<Giving everyone out there an infinity dose of radiation,> Lyra added.
Kelem grunted. “Sure, people too close to the iridium were toast, but they could have evacuated the rest.”
“If you were a tyrannical general out to buy yourself more power, would you trample your underlings in order to get what you want, or would you try for Humanitarian of the Year?” asked Nerishka, her tone hard as she stared at the screen.
“Point taken,” Kelem muttered.
Nerishka leaned closer to the screen, her hip pressing against Dresden’s back. “There…another entry. Yeah, got that one too, has information about where they’ll move to.”
Dresden paused then brought up the contents of the file on the holo, swiping through them briefly.
“OK, Death Dealer,” said Judith, her tone resigned. “I get it now.”
Nerishka frowned and glance over at the redhead. “What?” She didn’t have time to get into a squabble, but she was curious.
“Maybe we need to nominate you for Humanitarian of the Year.”
Dresden snorted as he continued to sift through the data. “You so have her pegged.”
Nerishka grunted and shifted her body away from Dresden’s warmth.
Dresden finished reviewing the data and turned to the team. “We have more than enough. Guess it’s time to move out.”
<Wait,> said Lyra on the team Link. <There’s a message in the comm buffers. One of the last incoming files they received. Azag gave the evac team coordinates somewhere out on the edge of the system, past Sraosha.>
<Another asteroid?> asked Judith, folding her arms as she leaned against a console, her weapon resting in the crook of her arm as though she carried a child.
<I believe so,> replied Lyra. <But it’s not on the public Ayra System maps.>
Kelem snickered. <Maybe it’s an Azag magical disappearing asteroid.>
Lyra let out a dry laugh. <I would not be surprised.>
Dresden turned to face the holo where Lyra displayed a map of the Ayra System, a small red dot blinking out beyond the planet of Sraosha. “That’s the outer asteroid belt,” he said.
<Never mind. Forget what I said,> said Lyra, irritation filling her voice.
<What happened?> asked Judith, frowning even as her tone emitted concern.
<I think that was a red herring,> Lyra admitted. <I used the keys in the comm system to
decrypt some other messages. Yazata’s been confirmed as the only viable location for the tests. Azag was convinced that he could come back here to continue the research once the dust settles. They left the research and all the data secured and in place. It’s waiting for them to return.>
“Which means they are coming back here sometime soon,” said Nerishka.
Dresden grunted. “Which also means they may be watching this rock more closely than we thought.”
“Which means we need to get the hell out of here,” said Kelem.
“No. Wait,” said Nerishka holding her hand out to them.
“Are you nuts?” asked Judith, her eyes narrowing. “We have to get out of here. They’re probably already on the way.”
“Didn’t you hear what Lyra said?” Nerishka grinned. “It’s here. On the asteroid.”
Judith turned to Dresden, her brow lowered. “OK, Boss. You and Nerishka have been playing coy with what is really going on. But now it’s time to come clean. What is ‘it’?”
Dresden groaned, holding his forehead. “We have to tell them. It’s not like it’s a secret anymore.”
Nerishka gritted her teeth and gave a resigned nod. “OK, yeah.” She turned to Judith and Kelem. “The Ayran government is researching jump gate technology, and based on the sample we found, they are on the right track.”
“Jump gate?” Kelem folded his arms. “Is that some sort of FTL system?”
“It is,” Dresden replied. “It’s technically called a ford-svaiter mirror. Sort of like a wormhole, but it doesn’t kill you to use it.”
“Instead of a day to travel a light year, like with dark layer FTL, a jump gate can get you across known space in seconds.”
Nerishka watched as her words sank in. Judith was shaking her head, and Kelem’s eyes were wide.
“What about insystem jumps?” he asked.
“There’s no restriction,” Nerishka replied. “You can jump into, and out of, a system anywhere you want, so long as you have a gate.”
“That would change everything,” Judith whispered.
Kelem’s eyes narrowed. “You two are talking about this tech like it already exists.”