Awakening Threat Read online

  Harry peered at the soil in Roberta’s hand. “So something heated the bedrock to melting point, and that resulted in some sort of explosive ejection of the soil above it?”

  “That’s a possibility.” Roberta stared at the exposed rock. “But what could do that is a mystery to me.” She gathered her supplies and stood up. “This is the sixth crater we’ve examined, and they all show the same pattern. Has anyone else turned up anything?”

  “Martin’s people have found some remains and think they can get some DNA results.” Harry grinned. “Rather them than me—the stench was revolting.”

  “I can imagine. Did they recover some bodies from a grave?”

  “Not exactly. The deceased creature had apparently taken refuge in a small cavern when a part of a mausoleum collapsed. The strange thing is that all the sarcophagi are empty.”

  Roberta packed her tools and samples into her backpack and led the way out of the crater. “That is strange, but then this whole place is full of anomalies. I’ll tell you something else.” She pulled out an instrument. “These are the results we got with our magnetic survey.” She handed the device to Harry. “As you can see, the readings are all over the place. Every crater is the same, and there are other anomalies. Whatever happened here wasn’t natural.”

  Harry walked on in silence, deep in thought. “So, it sounds like some sort of assault weapon was used—something that generates tremendous heat in the rocks and disturbs the natural magnetic fields.” He glanced at his companion. “That might explain the damage we have seen here and in the cities, albeit on a smaller scale in those, but would that also destroy the animals?”

  Roberta shrugged. “Something with that kind of power would destroy tissue and probably bone. You’d have to ask Martin about it, but I would expect to see evidence like this where such a weapon has been used on animals and other living beings. Of course, if you herded the inhabitants and animals into compounds and then turned such a weapon on them . . . ” She let that thought linger.

  “Possible, I suppose. Total destruction of the resident population might be desirable for an invader, but why destroy all other life forms as well?”

  “Perhaps they wanted to replace everything with their own ecological species. That would require a change of the environment, including the plant life.” They reached the rest of the team at the lander. “But that’s not as easy as it sounds. You’d have to introduce some very invasive species to accomplish that.”

  Christine Fanner smiled a greeting. “Hi, Roberta, Harry—what are you two plotting?”

  “Nothing fun or exciting, Chris, just discussing what could change the entire ecology of a planet.”

  “Tall order. It would take years to make a complete change, and even then, some species are so completely adapted to their environment that they might be able to resist displacement.” She planted her feet more firmly and got that excited look in her eye that any science nerd would recognize. “The interdependence of species is very complex. It includes bacteria, insects, and the whole shooting works.” She grinned. “Unless you could sterilise the whole place with something and replace it with your own chosen agents, of course.”

  Harry stared at the crater. “I wonder if that’s what caused the craters—an attempt to sterilise an entire world.” He turned to Chris. “Could it really be done?”

  The two women exchanged glances. Christine answered. “It’s possible, I suppose, but why would anyone do that? You could be looking at several centuries before it was complete. Who would wait that long?”

  “And, if you did that,” said Harry, “you’d need an extremely powerful weapon, and you’d probably risk destroying the planet with that kind of power. Perhaps that’s what happened.”

  Roberta’s mind was working overtime. “If you were in a hurry, you could use a weapon that literally burned out the original species, and then you could replace it with something capable of rapid propagation.” She looked pensive. “We don’t know if what is here now was here before. It could be the replacement ecology taking hold. Hell, we don’t even know how long ago these craters were created. The changes to the geology look very recent, but then again, our tests aren’t making much sense either.”

  Harry recalled something they’d seen in the remains of the city. “When we explored the abandoned cities, I noticed that a number of the structures showed the same sort of fusing as your rocks, Roberta. It’s very localised and looks like a miniature crater on walls and sometimes on floors and even ceilings. Everything appears to have been stripped bare. There is nothing metallic anywhere and nothing that even hints at what technology may have existed here.”

  “I noticed that too,” said Roberta. “I suppose the more we dig, literally and figuratively, the closer we’ll get to figuring this out.”

  “The LPSL ship has arrived in system, sir. They’re jamming the hypercoms with their transmissions.” The report from the comms officer dropped into a momentary silence.

  “Damn fools. Well, they’re Captain Greenway’s problem.” Captain Kretzmann closed his link and turned to Commander Polen. “I’ll leave it to Emden and her squadron to keep them off our backs. Has there been any progress on the investigation of that thing that attached itself to Surveyor Two?”

  “Yes, sir. That’s what I wanted to see you about. It’s spreading. It seems to have invaded the hull skin and is now extending into the frame. A number of the systems are down as well. Most concerning of all, it absorbs the metals and converts everything it touches into the same material as itself, whatever that is.”

  “Have the biologists looked at it? What’s their take?”

  “They have. One of them took a sample for analysis.” He paused. “They put it into a container with a metal lid.” His frown deepened. “It promptly melded with the lid and then set about attacking their instruments. I’ve put a total ban on any samples and anything it might have contaminated coming aboard. Dr. Borner is a bit upset to have lost some of his instruments.” He shrugged. “He can see the danger though. He’s working on a way to contain it properly so they can analyse it.”

  “Right. Make sure nothing metal goes anywhere near that damned thing.” The Captain hesitated. “You say it’s replacing the skin of the hull. Is it also causing a breach in the hull?”

  “No. The hull’s integrity is still good, though we have no idea of its strength at this stage. The xenobiologists did manage to determine that whatever it is has a DNA pattern and appears to be a type of fungus. It’s just one that happens to feed on metal, or else it binds with metals to make something else.” He paused. “We took a sample of that derelict and analysed it. It has undergone the full transformation and is now, as far as we can tell, inert.” He frowned at his tablet. “The strange thing is that the oxygen levels in Surveyor Two have gone up, almost as if something is preparing the environment for someone else.”

  The Captain’s head jerked round. “That could be the key. I’ve been wondering why those giant ships don’t follow us into transit. Perhaps they don’t use the same system we do. Maybe they need something they can transform to do the job for them.” He stared at the display screen for a moment. “Where are our pirates, I wonder . . . Heron’s entering transit almost on top of that ship must have scared the living daylights out of everyone—I certainly thought that he’d lost it. Did they perhaps make physical contact with it? Or did they get one of these devices like Surveyor Two did? If so, do they know what it’s doing?”

  James Heron settled into his seat on the barge. The briefing had been necessarily vague as, beyond a few images from the Beagle and her escorts, there was not much information on these strange and very large ships. That they might be hostile was supported by the images of the attack on the man left aboard the survey craft, and the absence of life on the former Consortium ship — and now on a planet.

  “Very well, Flags. Let’s go and see what hornets my ward has shaken out this time.”

  The Flag Lieutenant nodded to the midshipman in charg
e of the barge. “I believe the Vengeance awaits us, Mr. Gunn.”

  Danny grinned. “Aye, aye, sir!” He turned and seated himself next to the helmsman. “All secure?” He checked the displays and listened to the acknowledgement. “Release the docking clamps. Steer for the Vengeance as soon as we’re clear.”

  The helmsman grinned. “Aye, aye, Mr. Gunn!”

  “There’s nothing in the briefing about weapons for these strange ships, sir.”

  “No, Flags, and that bothers me. Those things they attach to a ship apparently disable it, though. It could mean they want to capture the crews intact, but why?”

  “Slaves, sir?”

  “Could be.” The Admiral watched the gaping landing dock entrance, the suited figures of the handling crew miniscule by comparison. “It’s one of the many things we need to find out.”

  Chapter 9

  Revelations

  “Settle down, please.” Captain Kretzmann waved his visitor to the seat next to his. The large conference room, even with all the partitions open, was packed. “Captain Greenway is commanding the squadron sent to escort us.” He waited for the murmur to die away. “As you all now probably know, the thing that attached itself to Surveyor Two is slowly taking over its frame and systems. Some of you may have heard that the derelict ship we found has already been compromised in the same way. I’ve invited Captain Greenway to this briefing so that we can share what we know, what we are currently studying and any ideas you may have on what we have seen, found and observed here and in our first position.”

  Captain Greenway acknowledged the introduction and stood.

  “Thank you. You’ll appreciate that we are up against a number of unknowns. We need to be cautious in how we approach this entity and deal with it.” Captain Greenway let his gaze sweep the table. “Ships of the size you’ve encountered are far beyond anything that we can build at present, and they do seem to be implicated in the apparent disappearance of the population of this planet and perhaps the other that you studied.” He paused. “I think I must make clear that my force cannot engage anything with the sort of weapons they evidently have. If we encounter them again, or they make any hostile attempt on us—and that includes the LPSL ship—I will order your immediate withdrawal and will cover your departure.” He saw Dr. Palmer thrust his hand in the air like a belligerent schoolboy eager to assert his authority and make the teacher look like a dolt.

  “Yes, Doctor?” said Captain Greenway, his reluctance to acknowledge the man evident.

  The doctor snapped, “The LPSL will not tolerate any aggression toward or interference with these aliens, Captain. Our crew will place themselves between you and the aliens if they suspect you have any intention of engaging in a hostile act.”

  “Dr. Palmer, since we have only a vague idea of what weapons these ships carry, or their intentions, I would be failing in my duty if I did not point out that such an action might be foolish in the extreme.” He paused as a buzz of agreement ran through the assembly. “I will add that if they endanger any of my ships, or this one, in so doing, I will not hesitate to arrest them and incarcerate the crew until such time as we can bring them to trial.” He held the doctor’s outraged stare. “Playing with their lives and putting themselves at risk is one thing. Endangering other people’s lives in the process is entirely another. Please make that plain to your team. For the record, we would have been here two weeks ago had we not been diverted to deal with a false distress call put out by another of your ‘direct action’ teams attempting to stop a perfectly legal and fully investigated mining operation. The courts are likely to treat that as an endangerment of life and safety as well.”

  For once, Dr. Palmer didn’t have a retort, and in the space of that awkward silence, Captain Greenway nodded to Captain Kretzmann, who stepped forward to speak.

  “Thanks, Paul. Now, I think our position is clear. We’ll begin the briefing, please. We need to fit this puzzle together as quickly and as accurately as we can.” He paused to make sure that what he said next really sunk in. “It may well be that we are facing a threat to the continued existence of not just ourselves, but of all the life forms that might encounter this new race.” He signalled Harry. “Run the images we have of the derelict, then of that mother ship, and then of Surveyor Two, please.”

  Harry found Martin and Sebastian in the ship’s cafeteria lounge. “I’m not sure that I am comfortable with the idea that we have some sort of predatory race out here,” he said as he helped himself to a snack and a drink.

  “I shouldn’t think that any of us are,” Sebastian retorted, sipping his drink. “We’ve been reassessing the data we got from Vogon. A number of things don’t make sense. First, a Brown Dwarf shouldn’t have had life-supporting planets. Second, that type of star doesn’t go through the cycle of rapid expansion, nor does it shed its outer layers, so why did we see the massive damage on the planet where you found the subterranean tunnels and cities? If the sun had gone through the phase I’ve just mentioned, the planet would have been destroyed by the star, or one could say consumed, as it expanded, not just scorched and melted like that.”

  Harry grinned. “It sounds like you have quite a puzzle on your hands there.” He had watched as the scientists used various mathematical models to create the sort of event that would cause the scenario they had encountered in the first system they visited. “Your models don’t seem to provide many answers—just more questions as far as I am able to judge.”

  Sebastian laughed. “I wondered if you’d been watching. You’re right. The models don’t produce results anything like what we’ve observed. That means we have the wrong models, or something is missing from the parameters we’re using.”

  “At least you don’t try to use them to predict things.”

  “They aren’t predictive!” Sebastian exclaimed, then realised he was being teased. His objections to attempts to make predictions of very complex events or systems based on modelling were well known. He grinned. “No, they can be useful to confirm things, but they are not able to do much more than show a trend, and that is always very subjective because it depends on the data selected for the input.”

  Harry grinned. “I know—you’ve told me often enough. What are the results of your team’s work on our current puzzle, Martin? I heard that the remains you recovered were of a creature with a cartilaginous skeleton, articulated limbs and quite a large brain.”

  Martin nodded. “Yes, and a very interesting DNA pattern as well. We’re still arguing about the length of time the remains were there, and the geologists and archaeologists aren’t much help either. Our best guess is that it’s around a year, but since the insects that would normally be present to assist in the actual decay process seem to be absent, at least from the surface, we’re just guessing.”

  “The archaeology team say they’ve never seen anything like it. Every grave seems to have been emptied. These people must have had a very sophisticated burial system—not just a hole in the ground and a coffin, but a complex necropolis, yet every vault and sarcophagus was empty.”

  “Any ideas on the craters?”

  The two scientists glanced at each other. Sebastian answered. “Probably a particle beam. It would have to be very focused and quite possibly a type of accelerator capable of producing a very intense plasma. If it were directed at something capable of being vaporised almost instantly, like water, you could get the sort of crater that Roberta and company have examined.” He spread his hands on the table. “But to do the sort of damage we saw at 1477, you’d be looking at a weapon capable of creating the same effect as a supernova. That might be something to worry about.”

  “Or you could simply be looking at the result of something crashing into the planet,” interjected Roberta, joining them. “We really didn’t have time to examine it properly, you know.”

  Harry’s comlink chirped. “Heron,” he responded.

  “Please report to the Commander, sir. He’s in his office.”

  “On my way.�
� Harry got up and gathered his glass to return it. “Excuse me, but, as you heard, I am summoned.” He grinned. “I wonder what I’m accused of this time?”

  “Formulating scientific theory when you’re not a scientist? That sounds as good as any other.” Sebastian snapped off the comment with a laugh, and the others joined in, but it was good-natured laughter.

  Harry just chuckled, shook his head, and departed.

  “Come in, Harry. Our pirate ship has turned up, but Emden and her consorts are after them. I want you to rig up Surveyor Two as a Trojan horse. I have a feeling these aliens will be back to check on her, and I want to get something on them.”

  Harry took the offered chair. “Certainly, sir. But how do we avoid having anything that we install on her being absorbed and disabled by this infection?”

  “We will encase the recorders in an inert resin capsule. The resin is completely resistant to the agent at work there, so we may get something if the kit lasts long enough. I’m sending you in charge of this because I want you to try linking yourself to Surveyor Two. If you can, interrogate it to find out what is happening.”

  “I’ll do my best, sir. But if I link to it, and I’m linked to Beagle or the barge at the same time, and whatever is controlling this agent is connected to Surveyor Two, which means it would then have access to the rest of our systems.”

  “I realise that, so I will want you to do this from an EVA suit and instruct Beagle and the barge to close their connections to you until you return, at which time you will manually instruct them to restore your link.”

  “Very well, sir. There is still a risk, but I think I might be able to mitigate it.”

  “Good.” The Commander hesitated. “Look, none of us can even begin to know how your connection works. If you think there is a danger of your becoming some sort of bridge, say so. We have no idea what we are dealing with here, and we really can’t afford to botch it. I have to trust you to do whatever it takes to prevent this going wrong.”