Heaven Saga 3: Sojourn Into Despair (5 page)

Brian
entered the bridge once more while trying to shake off the disturbing revelation
of the plague within him.

“What
is it Zae?” Brian asked. On the monitor was a picture of the rocky moon before
them.

“We’ve
detected an artificial satellite in orbit, as well as what looks to be a base
on the moon,” Zae explained. She called up the images on the screen.

The
satellite appeared to be a large sphere in stationary orbit around the moon,
little over half a
ketre
in diameter. The moon base appeared to mostly
be built into the lunar silt, with a number of metallic domes peeking out of
the surface. Part of the moon base appeared to have exploded with little
remaining other than a charred crater.

“Neither
object is emitting power,” Zae added. “We’ve received no messages either.”

“This
doesn’t look like Grey technology at all,” Brian said while examining the
images closely.

“They
don’t even match our equipment,” Zae said. “Pre-interstellar technology is what
we’re seeing on the scanners. Both the orbital satellite and the base have
large nuclear reactors, but neither is active at the moment.”

“Are
there any planets in this solar system capable of supporting life?” he asked.

“None
that we could find,” Zae answered. “Our instruments may have been damaged in
the last attack, but as of now we don’t see any planets able to support life.”

Brian
took control of the science station and began scanning. “I’m detecting no life
forms at all.”

“What
else do the scans tell you?” Baed asked.

“Both
the orbital station and the base appear to have dangerously low levels of
oxygen in them,” Brian answered.

“Should
we send a team in to investigate?” Zae asked.

“Let’s
find a place to start repairing the ship first,” he said. “We can send some
people over tomorrow.”

“Understood,”
Zae said.

“It’s
going to be a tight fit,” Baed said as she steered the Avoni into a large
crater on the moon.

He
looked at the base and the orbital station once more. “I have a bad feeling
about this.”

“I’m
getting the same feeling,” Zae said.

“I
also have the feeling that those two places have a story to tell,” he said.

“What
kind of story?” Baed asked.

“The
kind that’s better left unread,” Brian said.

* * *

The
next morning Brian stood in the launching bay with a dozen Rakna pilots around him,
including lieutenants Meldi and Myli.

“We’ve
detected a pair of objects on this moon worth investigating,” Brian said.
“Meldi, you’ll lead the first team to the lunar base. Myli, you’ll take the
second team and investigate the orbital station. Both places appear dead, and
neither of the locations have had a radiation leak as of yet. I want you to
sweep through and see what’s there.”

“Right,”
Meldi said.

“We’ll
do as you command,” Myli answered. Both ladies took the lead in their Phase
Raknas and led six to each location.

“I
can tell you really want to lead them yourself,” Jesela said.

“The
captain doesn’t get to do such things,” Brian said. “I have to entrust it to
them.”

* * *

Meldi
landed her Rakna outside the massive door leading into the lunar base’s main
building. Two of the other five joined her as she went to the door.

“This
is like looking at an old picture of moon bases we had a few centuries ago,” ensign
Vae remarked as they approached the door.

Ensign
Seli scanned the structure thoroughly. “The door’s power system still works.”

“Good,”
Meldi said. She went to the door and pressed the button to open it. Inside the
massive door was a large warehouse area with little to nothing remaining. All
three took out their lights and switched them on. As they headed inside, Seli
pointed her light at a metal crate with a number of holes in it. Meldi examined
at it closely.   

“From
the point of impact I’d say an old fashioned projectile type weapon,” Meldi
explained. “Given the velocity, I’d guess at some type of rifle.”

“Why
would there be gun fire in moon base?” Vae asked.

“Over
there,” Seli said. She pointed at something on the ground. As the three
approached and flashed their lights on it, the object appeared to be a corpse.
Its body was humanoid in shape, but with lizard like scales for skin. Its skin
was pulled extremely tight. Meldi looked closer before finding bullet wound in
the head.

“This
creature was suffering from severe malnutrition,” Seli said after scanning it
over.

“Suicide,”
Meldi said. She picked up a small pistol near the corpse “Whatever it was it
killed itself.”

“What
was going on here?” Vae asked. She and the others were looking unsettled.

“We
need to go in further,” Meldi said. At the end of the warehouse there were two
more doors, one leading to the right and one to the left. When they reached the
right door they found it was welded shut.

“Do
you want me to blast through?” Vae asked before drawing her pulse rifle.

“Go
ahead,” Meldi commanded. The three backed away before blasting the door down.
One shot from the pulse rifle shattered the weld and allowed Meldi to push it
open. The hallway beyond was filled with metal crates scattered in a defensive
pattern. Everywhere around them the walls were covered in bullet markings. As
they began down the hallway the evidence of blood was stained all over the
floor and walls.

“It
looks like there was a battle here,” Seli said. “The one we found outside must
have welded the door shut behind it.”

The
three continued on until they reached a series of small rooms. Each one was filled
with scattered paper as well as electronic equipment thrown all about. The only
factor that kept appearing was the blood stains and bullet markings. After a
few minutes of looking through the front area they came to a much larger room.

“Lieutenant…”
Vae trailed off.

 She
pointed her light to the floor next to them. On the stone floor was fleshless corpse
with a bullet wound through the skull. Seli knelt down to check the remains.
She picked up one of the bones and examined it closely.

“It
looks like there are teeth marks,” Seli said.

Vae
was extremely disturbed. “What happened here? What is this?” she asked.

Meldi
shined a light around the room and revealed many more sets of bones strewn all
about. At the other end of the room remained one with flesh and its uniform on.
It lay in the corner, emaciated like the first corpse they encountered. Meldi
went to the storage lockers and found them devoid of anything but papers, devices,
and clothes.

“This
one died of malnutrition as well,” Seli said after scanning the corpse with
flesh on it. She checked its teeth before cringing and backing away. Meldi
noticed the horror appearing on her subordinates faces. She went over and checked
the teeth just like Seli.

“I
see,” she said as she looked at the bones around the room.

“What
is this place?” Vae asked. Her feet were shifting nervously.

“They
were out of food,” Meldi said. “Without food stores and no supplies left, they
were forced to this.” She shined the light on the bones. “The one outside must
have escaped and shut itself away from the rest.”

“You’re
saying they ate each other?” Vae asked.

“That’s
exactly what they did,” Seli said. She went to the door they entered.
“Lieutenant, I don’t want to be here.”

“Agreed,”
Meldi said. “I have a feeling the corpse we found first has something to tell
us.” She led the two back to the first warehouse. On the corpse on the ground
they found a hard disc in its front pocket. “Let’s return to the Avoni.”

“Yes,
let’s do that,” the other two said before running back to their mobile suits.

Meldi
looked upon the lunar base once more.

“The
horrors you must have seen in those final days. By the grace of Kali, I pray
each of you found happiness after this life.”

* * *

Myli
landed her mobile suit on the shuttle attachment of the orbital station. After
opening the door using a Rakna’s blade Myli left her mobile suit and went
inside the station.

“Do
you need any of us to come with you?” ensign Dena asked.

“No,
I think I can handle this one my own,” Myli responded.

The
orbital station was rather small, consisting of a sphere approximately six
hundred
vetres
in diameter. Shining her light right and left Myli saw
blood stains everywhere. She came into the main computer room and saw a number
of fleshless skeletons. Bullet marks and bloody knives filled the room,
floating around in a chaotic manner. She stifled a scream and gathered herself
for a moment.

“Is
anything wrong lieutenant?” ensign Dena asked.

“Are
you seeing this?” Myli asked.

“I
don’t have the video feed on right now,” Dena answered.

“Turn
it on,” Myli instructed.

After
a moment she heard her subordinates outside gasp. Myli shined her light on all
the floating awfulness once more and revealed the scene to her subordinates.

“This
place looks like hell,” Myli said.

She
headed to the main monitor and turned on the station’s systems. The lights
began flashing on as the station lit up. A moment later the station began
turning. As gravity returned all of the weightless objects fell to the ground.
The extent of what had happened was obvious as blood covered everything. Myli
turned to the station’s computer system. She noticed a recording on the screen
containing the last days the station was online.

“Please,
everyone turn their coms off,” Myli commanded.

She
pressed the button to start the recording. She closed her eyes before backing
away from the screams coming from the recording. She watched in horror for a
minute before turning the terrible video off. She pulled out a cord from her
wrist computer and recorded a copy of all the station’s data files. After she
finished Myli turned off the station’s systems. Everything faded to black. She
ran back to her mobile suit and tried not to vomit along the way.

“What’s
wrong lieutenant?” Dena asked when Myli boarded her mobile suit.

“Everything
ensign, everything’s wrong,” Myli said as they headed back to the Avoni.

* * *

Brian
waited in the launching bay for a few hours for the pilots to return. The first
group to return was Myli’s group. Slowly each disembarked their mobile suits
with a strange look on their faces. Myli stepped to the front before handing
Brian her wrist computer.

“I’ll
send you a more detailed report later,” Myli said. “What I saw in the station
was much worse than I could’ve ever imagined. Watch the video I recorded while
I went through the place. Then watch the last video recorded from the station’s
logs.”

He
noticed the horror on their faces. “I’m sorry I sent you into such a
situation.”

“I
think all of us need to go somewhere and forget this,” Myli said. She left with
her subordinates. A few minutes later Meldi’s group landed.

When
the six pilots came down from their mobile suits Brian noticed something wrong
with ensign Vae. Seli tried comforting her friend as Meldi came over to him.

“I’m
sure what Myli delivered to you was much the same as we witnessed,” she said
while Seli escorted Vae out. The other three pilots followed. Meldi checked to make
sure the engineers were on the other side of the room. “The species we
encountered is one we’ve never been seen before. It was also evident that their
technology was far below the level on ours. Not only did they not possess
interstellar flight, but it was obvious from what we saw they had no means to
produce their own food. Ensign Vae reacted quite negatively to the situation,”
Meldi paused to look at the exit, “I don’t really blame her.”

Brian
loaded the images onto his wrist computer and took a look at the scene. He
watched the video while trying to remain stoic. “This is madness,” he looked at
Meldi, “If they had no means to produce food then I can see why this happened.”

“The
mystery is why they would be so far away from any supplies in the first place,”
Meldi said. “There are no planets capable of supporting life in this solar
system. So how did they create a base in this place?”

Brian
looked away from the video. “They did have a home. But it was destroyed. Stranded
without any hope of survival they ran out of supplies and finally succumbed to
cannibalism. But even that couldn’t prevent the inevitable forever.” He turned
on his com. “Zae, run a scan again for this solar system. See if there are any
terrestrial planets in the life zone.” He looked at Meldi. “Would you like to join
us on the bridge?”