Odyssey (Galactic Neighborhood Book 2) Read online

  As soon as Swanson took his seat, Sam reclaimed everyone’s attention with the final remaining questions. No one was really paying much attention at this point, having been so thoroughly shocked at the bald-faced accusation thrown in the faces of the Pacifican delegation. This type of bare knuckle politicizing went beyond the normal exchange of differing ideas which was typical for the Saharan people, and many Senators were embarrassed and ashamed of what took place.

  The potential loss of Pacifica’s generous aid was enough to frighten the majority of malcontents into line, at least for the moment. Morales was certain Roux and company would find, or create, a way to nurture the seeds of doubt he so effectively sowed today. On the other hand, if all went according to plan, his little stunt could come back to haunt him at a later date, and she was looking forward to it with relish.

  Chapter 3

  First One Sh’zul observed quietly from a hilltop, which included a well-hidden entrance to the underground warrens housing his people. Below him, a number of scouts were busy burying the strange objects left behind by the pale ones. They continued to return each day, using the huge, noisy things to dig what appeared to be an enormous hole in the ground, adjacent to the dry seabed which bordered the nest.

  As always, his people were careful not to be seen by the others, and only worked after the darkness came. There was much discussion about the new activity which disturbed their quiet lives and endangered their young. He decided to try and slow them down or discourage them from continuing. The scouts tried displacing large boulders and filling in parts of the hole, but it had little effect. If this new attempt did not succeed, perhaps he could draw one of the pale ones close enough to taste its mind. Only then would the Rxyl be able to understand these strange beings, and find a way to stop them.

  ####

  Samuel Flynn stood pensively at the set of windows in his private office, looking out over the dry rocky terrain. He sometimes wished for access to the crow’s nest, but this would have to do for his heavy thinking. He and Morales were alike in many ways, which was why they worked so well together. He was committed to helping implement her agenda, but felt betrayed during yesterday’s Q&A session. Sam’s source insisted he was not aware of Roux’s plans, and since he had always provided accurate information up to this point, Sam saw no reason to disbelieve him.

  It was extremely risky, and expensive, to have a mole so highly placed in Roux’s inner circle, but it was the only way to find out what was going on inside the mans’ twisted little mind. Flynn was very careful to cultivate his source without tipping off Morales, thus allowing her to truthfully deny any knowledge of his actions if the person ever became known. Personally, he hated this cloak and dagger stuff, but Roux was a danger to everything he and Morales fought so hard for. He already demonstrated his fixation on power, as well as his total lack of morals, so it was imperative to fight fire with fire. Flynn only hoped he could avoid being burned along the way.

  ####

  Kiren couldn’t believe what she just heard, but her Saharan counterpart sat calmly before her with a straight face. Julane was the chief geologist on the water project and was trying to explain why the prep work was so far behind schedule. Honestly, how difficult could it be to dig a large hole? The equipment the Saharan’s were using was obsolete and rather slow, but their task was very simple – dig a large enough hole to keep the ice asteroids in place while they were being processed. Once the Sentinels delivered them to the planet’s surface, they would use powerful scanning beams to remove all debris, minerals, radiation and other contaminants, leaving only pure clear ice, which would melt naturally and flow from the catch basin into the dry lake bed.

  “I’m sorry, Julane, but I don’t understand. Are you saying someone is sabotaging the dig site? Who would do such a thing?”

  Julane shook her head and brought up several images on the viewscreen in front of them.

  “Something strange is going on over there Kiren, but I don’t have any answers. Look at these images we have recorded, and tell me what you think. One morning we returned to the site, only to find the hole we dug filled back in. The next day there were huge boulders scattered all over the dig, and many of them were surrounding the excavators. It took hours just to free the machinery!”

  “Then this morning, we found the hole filled in again, but the excavators were buried too. In each case there was no evidence anyone was there. No footprints, tracks, nothing. We simply cannot explain it. The end result, of course, is the site is not ready for the first delivery scheduled for tomorrow. It may be more practical to use the beta site instead, or we run the risk of falling seriously behind schedule. It’s your decision.”

  Kiren agreed to look into the matter and promised to get back to her as soon as possible. Julane appeared relieved the problem was no longer hers, and left Kiren’s office with a sympathetic look on her face. The puzzled ensign scanned through the images one more time, but they revealed no further clues. She sat back in her chair, trying to look at the problem logically. It mattered less why it was happening, only that it brought the project to a screeching halt.

  How was anyone capable of doing this without getting caught or leaving traces? It was happening after dark, when none of the teams were on site. Obviously, the culprits wanted to avoid being caught in the act. It could be Roux and his people, but they seemed to prefer very public displays to make their point, rather than this quiet behind the scenes action. No person or group had claimed responsibility or provided a reason for slowing down the work, so it really made no sense at all.

  Without surveillance cameras at the site, there was no possibility of observing the unusual activity. Wait...perhaps there was. Kiren requested a secure channel to the ship, and then accessed the interface with the sentinels and buoys in orbit around the planet. If any of them happened to be focused on the area in question during the night, they may have caught something. It was worth an inquiry, anyway, and it might just turn something up. She uploaded the request, complete with coordinates, dates and proper time frame.

  What she wanted to see was any movement on the ground at the dig site from dusk to dawn for the last three days. Ten seconds later, a small blinking light alerted her to a large file containing hours of visual records. She began the playback, only to find the images were so dark she could see nothing except some vague movement near the ground. Whoever was out there must be giving off heat, so perhaps an infrared filter would enable her to see what was happening. When the AI finished the requested enhancements, the recording started over from the beginning. Kiren nearly jumped out of her seat as the action unfolded before her.

  Just after sunset, scores of fierce looking creatures swarmed the surface, spreading out over the site. They appeared to be about five feet in length, with four large paddle-like feet, blunt faces, and long tails. They shuffled low to the ground, and were covered in sharp looking spikes. The eerie thing was not their appearance, but their organized activity.

  Whatever these creatures were, they were obviously intelligent, creative, and moved with speed and purpose. Kiren watched, fascinated, as they used their large clawed feet to move massive amounts of soil and rock over the course of each evening. As soon as they were finished for the night, they disappeared into the rocks and were not seen again until sunset the next day.

  Stunned, Kiren knew this discovery could change the entire mission on Sahara. If this was a sentient race, as they certainly seemed to be, the presence of humans on this planet was a violation of one of the basic colonization protocols. If, on the other hand, they were simply clever animals acting on instinct, then accommodations could be made and the work continued. She needed more information before she could take this to her superiors, and so spent the next hour searching the Saharan databases for anything she could find.

  Strangely, there was almost no information available and only a few poor images. The early survey crew called them ‘sand dragons’, but it was clear no serious attempt was ever been made to
study them. It was believed they lived underground in natural caves and caverns, were active only at night, and were very elusive.

  Nothing was known of their population, diet, mating habits, social structure, or even basic biology. The colonists were never able to examine one of them, living or dead, so their physiology was a complete mystery. Apparently, the survey crew made their report in haste or were simply incompetent, as this type of slipshod ‘research’ was totally unacceptable for a proposed colony.

  The basic purpose of the initial surveys was to determine, among other things, if there were any sentient species on the planet of interest. If so, they always had defacto prior claim and the planet would be declared off limits for human colonization. This was a foundational principle accepted long before the colony ship ever left Earth – at least it had been for Expedition. Perhaps the Odyssey launched under a different set of guidelines, but it seemed extremely unlikely to Kiren.

  Her research into Odyssey’s charter turned up very little of use. Supposedly, the early records were lost to some type of computer virus shortly after they arrived in the Wadi system. Since the Saharan’s still retained Earth normal life spans, there were no original colonists still alive. With no electronic records or first hand witnesses to the events, it seemed she’d hit a brick wall.

  On further reflection, Kiren realized there might yet be another source of information. She submitted a routine request to speak to Expedition’s AI, and was connected in short order. Following the unforeseen events regarding Mosis, Expedition’s first AI, all AI’s were now prevented from growing beyond their programming and achieving sentience. They were never given a human name, only a numerical designation. Even the “voice” they used when speaking was mechanical in nature, as a further reminder the machine was simply a tool and not a person.

  “J-95, this is Ensign Kiren Perry. Please confirm voice pattern and input authorization code.”

  Authorization complete. Proceed with query.

  “Have any deep scans been performed on the water project Alpha site?”

  Affirmative.

  “Were there any lifeforms or subterranean chambers detected?”

  Affirmative.

  “Why was this not brought to our attention?”

  Planned activity at the site would not be impacted by their presence.

  “Are these life forms present anywhere else on the planet?”

  Negative. However, many clusters of similar subterranean chambers have been found.

  “Are there any similarities between them?”

  Affirmative. Each one is located near former lakes, seas, or river basins.

  “Speculate – how have the life forms survived in this particular location?”

  A deep aquifer is located at this site. The subterranean chambers provide protection and steady temperatures. Smaller life forms were also detected in this area, as well as limited vegetation.

  “Is there anything unusual underneath the dig site?”

  A series of small interconnected chambers is located directly beneath the site. Tunnels lead from there into a substantial cluster of occupied chambers nearby.

  “What is the estimated population of the large creatures known as “sand dragons”?”

  Approximately three hundred adults. Accurate estimates are hindered by the depth and mineral makeup of the chambers. Additional scans are recommended.

  “Are there any lifeforms or chambers at the water project beta site?”

  Negative.

  “If we were to proceed at the beta site, would there be any unwanted impact on the alpha site?”

  Negative. However, use of the beta site will require more preparation.

  “If we assign the task to one of the Sentinels, could the site be ready for the first asteroid delivery tomorrow?”

  Affirmative.

  “How long would it take to complete?”

  Site preparation will take forty-seven minutes. A sentinel will be available in exactly two hours and thirteen minutes.

  “J-95, stand by while I get proper authorization.”

  Kiren’s mind was awash with the information she just acquired, but it would have to wait until the water project was back on track. She keyed in a communications request to first officer Davis and waited several seconds for a reply. Davis was, by all accounts, a tremendous asset to the ship and was well liked by officers and crew. Her own interaction with him was almost non-existent at this point, so she was somewhat nervous about gaining his permission for the change. Her viewscreen blinked to life with his handsome face.

  “Good morning Ensign. What may I do for you?”

  Kiren smiled and forced the butterflies in her mid-section to quiet down.

  “Good morning, Sir. The water project has run into a minor roadblock, and it will be necessary to use our alternate site instead. Unfortunately, in order to remain on schedule, the level of preparation we need will require the use of a Sentinel. I need your authorization to change to our secondary site and rearrange the Sentinel schedule.”

  Davis thought for a moment before replying.

  “Is there an issue I need to be aware of, Ensign?”

  Kiren was hoping to avoid too much scrutiny at this point, but there was nothing to be done about it.

  “Apparently, some of the indigenous life forms are living in subterranean caverns directly beneath the alpha site, and our work there has disturbed them. Switching to our beta location will assure they are left in peace and still enable us to complete our assignment. There is an opening around noon, and we would only need the Sentinel for about an hour.”

  She relayed the information to his terminal and Davis glanced at it quickly.

  “This looks like a workable solution, Ensign. I will adjust the Sentinel schedule to accommodate your request, but make certain you upload your specs for the beta site as soon as possible. I am impressed with your work thus far, and I know the Saharan people are anxious to see the project succeed. One more thing - I would like a full report on your findings by the end of the day. If anything needs my attention sooner, I want you to contact me immediately. Understood?”

  Kiren was so animated and nervous at this point she nearly saluted the viewscreen.

  “Understood, Sir, and thank you.”

  There was a tremendous amount of work to do in the next two hours, so Kiren gathered her team together to relay the news. Some were surprised, but most were relieved the project was still on schedule, even with the change in location. When the hubbub died down, Kiren started handing out assignments until she and Julane were the only ones left in the conference room. The chief geologist crossed her arms and gave Kiren a suspicious look.

  “You found something, didn’t you?”

  Kiren shook her head.

  “Nothing to worry about really. It seems we have disturbed an area occupied by what your people call “sand dragons”. I’m still gathering data, but switching to the alternate site seemed like the easiest way to deal with both problems. I know it’s causing more work for our team in the short run, but it’s nothing we can’t handle.”

  Julane seemed temporarily mollified, and asked if she could be informed of any new information which was uncovered. Kiren promised to do so and retreated back to her office, only to breath a nervous sigh of relief.

  Despite her promise to Julane, she would have to hide her findings from the Saharan staff, at least until she reported to her own superiors. If her suspicions were correct, information like this could have far-reaching consequences. The facts she needed were to be found at the alpha site, and not by sitting in her office, though she had an idea on how to start gathering those facts. Kiren resumed her conversation with J-95, who confirmed the Sentinel authorization from Commander Davis as promised. Since her team’s allotment was a full sixty minutes, she also tasked it with retrieving the buried earth moving equipment from the alpha site.

  After uploading the beta site specifications, she then requested two dedicated buoys be added to the p
roject. The first would be recording the entire water project process, beginning this afternoon, and the second was sent to monitor alpha site. She wanted to see if the “dragons” responded in any way to the retreat from their home turf, and hopefully collect additional information about them. For the time being, the water project took all of her attention and energy, but Kiren felt a personal responsibility to determine the real status of the ‘dragons’. Meanwhile, she would do everything she could to protect them.

  ####

  Though it was long after dark, Worden Roux, like a nocturnal animal, did his best work at night. Reaching for his pants, he looked across the now rumpled bedding at his latest resource. The woman was mildly interesting, though not terribly attractive. She had one thing, however, which Roux wanted – information. If it cost him a few rolls in the hay to keep her happy and talking, he wasn’t entirely opposed to the exchange. When she was no longer useful, he would dig up a bit of dirt to keep her quiet and then send her back where she came from.

  The juicy tidbits he coaxed out of her during their tryst were certainly worth the effort, and he rewarded her with a bit more attention than usual. When they were both dressed, she paused at the door waiting for a kiss. He wrapped her in a hug and kissed her gently on the forehead.

  “Wonderful as always, Julane. I will be in touch.”

  She smiled and slipped quietly out into the night.

  Roux had other business waiting, and hurried to make it to his office in time. The four Senators he was expecting were waiting patiently in the hallway. He pressed his palm against the reader plate and the door opened, allowing the group to enter. It closed and locked behind them, and Roux covertly activated his security system. Everything they discussed here would remain confidential, at least to the public at large.

  Roux made certain to secretly record every discussion and meeting, which was why they always met in his office. He possessed enough evidence to implicate each of these men a dozen times over, and wouldn’t hesitate to use it when the time was right. On the surface, of course, they were all comrades in arms, united against Morales and her inept and corrupt government. At this point, there was no reason to disabuse his cohorts of the idea they were all in this together.