Return to Dakistee (20 page)

In the medical center, Dr. Johannes and a handful of nurses watched as the box was delivered. The automated process performed as before, and there was nothing to do until the cover rolled down so the staff would have access to a man who appeared to be about twenty in human terms. Dr. Johannes immediately administered an inoculation.

Christa had expected a female, or perhaps a slightly built man, but the male before them was young, extremely handsome, and very muscular. It would seem that Madu had selected some eye candy for her office. However, perhaps Christa was jumping to an erroneous conclusion. The man might be a very competent secretary.

"That's her assistant?" Carmoody said to Christa in a voice just above a whisper.

Christa shrugged and said, "That's what she told us."

"I want one like that too."

Christa smiled and said, "Perhaps for your twenty-thousandth birthday, I'll get you one."

Carmoody barely managed to suppress a chortle.

Christa and Carmoody stayed in the Medical center until the young man was on his feet and introductions had been made. The two Space Command officers then headed up to the Marine mess hall to have dinner. Madu would spend another night in the Medical center where the staff could watch over her. Meals for her and her assistant would be provided from the small kitchen on that level.

"Do you think that's really her assistant?" Carmoody asked Christa as they ate dinner in the mess hall.

"I don't know. I suppose it doesn't really matter. I'm sure she felt alone and isolated, despite our best attempts to put her at ease. Whether he was her assistant or a lover, now she has someone she can talk to— and in whom she can confide."

"May I join you, ladies?" Lt. Uronson asked.

Neither of the women had been aware of his approach but both looked up at him now.

"Of course, Lieutenant," Christa said. "Please sit down."

"I heard you awakened another ancient sleeper," Uronson said matter-of-factly to Christa.

"Yes. Director Ptellewqku requested that I permit her assistant to join her."

Uronson just nodded.

"Have you completed the move, Lieutenant?" Christa asked.

"Yes, ma'am. Everything in Fort Carver that wasn't nailed or bolted down is now in this facility. We placed a large boulder atop the emergency exit into the sewer line and sealed the entrance door with the password."

"A boulder?"

"Yes. The exit tunnel door was already locked, but this makes it doubly protected. Of course, there's nothing left in there to steal, but this ensures that we won’t have to worry about squatters breaking in."

"Very good."

"Ma'am, I've received orders to send two fire teams and one sergeant to HQ for deployment to another site."

"What?"

"It seems there's a bit of trouble in one or more of the other dig sites and Central Command is rushing people in to safeguard the scientists and the artifacts they've recovered."

"But we only have one squad to begin with."

"Yes, ma'am. But I have my orders."

"How soon are they supposed to leave?"

"As we speak. Sergeant Flegetti is handling the deployment."

Christa jumped up from the table, and said, "Excuse me, I have to look into this. I'll see you both in the morning. Good night."

"Hell of a way to run an operation," Carmoody said to Uronson. "You'd think Central Command would at least have notified the outpost commander before ordering half her security force to another outpost."

Uronson just grimaced and began eating his dinner.

"Colonel, I need those people here," Christa said to the image of Lt. Colonel Diminjik, the current commanding officer of Dakistee's Marine Central Command, as it appeared on her shuttle's main viewscreen. "We only just managed to open this facility two days ago. I really need at least a platoon here, if not a full company."

"I'm sorry, Commander. There's serious trouble brewing at several warehouse sites and they're all screaming for more protection. We're also having problems in the larger towns with fights and thefts. By contrast, things are pretty quiet at your outpost so you can get by for a few days. I promise to send them back just as soon as I can."

"Very well, Colonel," Christa said with a grimace. She didn't have the authority to order him to send her people back.

After the connection was ended, Christa prepared for bed. She was looking forward to getting some much needed rest after a tiring day, but sleep wouldn't come. She had a bad feeling about the coming days. She knew Madu would continue to press for more awakenings and, with each awakened ancient, the situation would get more complicated.

She continued to toss and turn for several hours, until she finally drifted off with the thought that maybe she should request a return to Region Two. After all, she had completed the task she was sent here to accomplish. Perhaps it was time for the diplomats and bean-counting administrators to take over.

Christa awoke alert, if not totally refreshed, at her usual time and prepared for the new day. Before leaving to grab some breakfast in the Marine mess hall, she sent a message to Admiral Holt.

"Message to Admiral Brian Holt, Commanding Officer of Higgins SCB with a copy to Admiral Jenetta Carver, Commander of Space Command's Second Fleet and Military Governor of Region Two.

"Admiral, last evening half of my small security force was recalled to Central Command for redeployment to another location. I'm left with just half a squad to protect the facility. Perhaps that would have been adequate for the previous facility but not this one. When transmitting messages not directed to you, I've always included you on the copy list so you remain fully aware of the situation here. I've done my best to keep a lid on information about our discovery, but something this big can't be contained for long. To date, I've fully toured three floors and a small portion of the Medical, Research & Library level. The Vault level is almost virgin ground. I've not found any technology that must be secured, but that could change quickly in the Research & Library areas, and even in the Vault. The stasis process is a technological breakthrough that must be explored, but it doesn't violate any GA laws with which I'm familiar. However, I fully expect at any time to be inundated with scientists from around the planet, all of whom will be anxious to meet the ancients and explore the facility.

"Admiral, I must have a larger security force. I understand that personnel are in short supply on this planet, but my need for at least a full squad must take priority.

"Thank you, sir.

"Christa Marie Carver , Lieutenant Commander, Loudescott Outpost 2 Commander, Dakistee, message complete."

Christa reviewed the message before transmitting it. She wanted it to sound like an urgent appeal, but not a cry of desperation. Satisfied that it was appropriate, she tapped the transmit key, then sighed silently and left for the underground facility.

"Good morning Gracie," Christa said to Carmoody as she placed her tray on the table and sat down across from her assistant. The mess hall, capable of seating about a hundred fifty, was deserted except for the one cook normally on permanent assignment to the Fort Carver outpost.

"Good morning." Carmoody waited until Christa was settled, then asked, "What's on the schedule for today?"

"I'm expecting an easy day. I need one. I want to survey the Research and Library areas first. If we have enough time, we'll examine the Vault in more detail."

"Great. Now that I know the Vault contains sleepers and not dead bodies, I'm sort of anxious to look around myself. I'm excited about the technology that will let someone sleep for twenty thousand years and then be awakened in prime physical condition. I never thought such a thing was possible. If their medical science was so advanced and sophisticated that they could accomplish that, is there any chance we can succeed with the sterility problem where they failed?"

"I don't know. I certainly hope so."

Christa was only halfway through her breakfast when she received a message from Lt. Uronson."

"Commander," Uronson said, "I'm topside at the tunnel entrance. There's a large contingent walking across the base from the direction of the current dig location."

"I'll be right up," Christa said. "Carver out." To Gracie, she said rhetorically, "What now?" and then grimaced as she pushed her tray away, stood up, and stepped away from the table.

Carmoody did likewise and the two officers hurried out of the mess hall.

Upon reaching the surface, they saw an enormous group of Terrans and Nordakians, perhaps as many as a hundred, standing about ten meters from the tunnel entrance where the sentries had halted them. The four Marines were aiming their weapons towards the crowd, but so far their fingers were only on the trigger guards because the crowd had stopped when ordered to do so.

Christa walked forward until she was less than two meters from the group. As she scanned the faces of the crowd, she realized she recognized all but one. She naturally knew all the members of the original scientific group and their clones. Also in the group were the dig site labor supervisor, his chief assistant, several lesser assistant labor foremen, and the site's emergency medical technician. The one person Christa didn't recognize was a woman who would stand out in any crowd. She appeared to be about twenty-two or twenty-three and stood out not only because of her attractive looks, but because while the others were all dressed in work clothes she was wearing a very expensive business suit. Christa thought she might be from Expedition Headquarters here on the planet, or even a representative from Anthius. Looking at Dr. Peterson, who, as usual, was front center, she said, "What is this, Doctor?"

"We want to enter the facility
we
found."

"That's not possible yet. You know that."

"Just what have you found, Commander, that we're not allowed to see? We're hearing all sorts of rumors. We know you've been successful in gaining entrance, so it's about time you came clean."

"As you speculated, I have been able to enter the facility. I'm sure you realized the situation had changed when the Marine presence here was upgraded. But I can’t yet allow any civilians to enter because we haven't finished our investigations. Until I do, I can't deem it safe for you to enter. Plus I don’t yet know if the facility contains contraband material that must be protected from falling into the wrong hands."

"You're saying we're the wrong hands?"

"Anyone who's not legally authorized to posses such material is the wrong hands, Doctor. Since you don’t have permission from the Galactic Council to possess contraband material, yours would be the wrong hands."

"But I do have permission."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I have special permission from the Galactic Alliance Chairman to be granted immediate access to the facility and the right to examine any and all artifacts found inside."

"I'd like to see proof of that. Do you have any with you?"

"I do." Holding out a holo-magazine cylinder, he said," Here it is, Commander."

Christa accepted the cylinder and a document sprung up along the cylinder's length as she activated it. It was a bit difficult to see in the bright light from the rising sun, but she was able to make out the message.

"This is just a general letter stating you have permission to view any artifacts on the planet. It doesn't address the subject of contraband."

"It states that I have permission to view
any
artifacts. It doesn't exclude artifacts that may be considered contraband."

"Neither does it include them," Christa said. "I see this letter was signed by a
third
deputy assistant to the Chairman of the GA Council. Even if it was signed by the GA Chairman personally, it wouldn't override GA laws governing possession and access to contraband property."

"So you're going to ignore our rights?"

"No, I'm going to continue to protect them, as is my duty. That duty requires me to see that unauthorized persons don't acquire or possess contraband materials, and that's what I'm going to do to the best of my ability. No letter from a clerk in the GAC Chairman's office abrogates the law."

"We don’t want to possess contraband material, we just want to examine it— in your presence of course."

"The last time you examined something you should have left alone, the consequences were almost disastrous. I personally appreciate that they resulted in my birth, but the outcome could have been far different. Technically, you have already violated GA law regarding the possession of contraband because you didn't notify Space Command as soon as you discovered the facility. Instead, you spent weeks trying to open it. You could still be charged because you knew the facility itself was sheathed in Dakinium, which is a crime to possess. However, since you were unable to break in, no charges are currently being considered."

"We didn't possess that facility; it was simply there."

"It's located on the Loudescott dig site. You were aware of its presence and didn’t notify Space Command immediately. That technically makes it a crime. But as I said, I'm not pursuing criminal charges at this time— although I still could." Christa hoped the implication was loud and clear. Her only desire was for an end to the verbal sparring, but Dr. Peterson didn't seem disposed to give up that easily.

"Commander, we both know Space Command isn't going to act on such a charg…"

Peterson stopped in mid-sentence as a fighter aircraft suddenly roared over the dig site. The mean-looking little ship had approached at treetop level without warning and the startled spectators were frozen in their positions as it overflew the site from the direction of the current dig. It had hardly passed when a second appeared from the same direction. Although the first had only disturbed the morning quiet, the second began to spit death as soon as it came into range. The first rounds struck the dig area where laborers were toiling to remove millennia of soil deposits, but as it passed over the Marine base location, hundreds of lattice rounds pounded the ground just behind the civilians massed to demand access to the facility.