First Contact
Episode 4
Everything happened quickly after that. When the team reached the armory, they were surrounded by quartermasters who fitted them out with all the tactical equipment they would ever need to wage a small war. Rifles, sidearms, specialty weapons and explosives (Lucas was trained with flamethrowers and Chelsea was a demolitions expert) as well as headset displays with full AI interfaces capable of miscellaneous vision enhancements.
They were also kitted out with laser metal cutters, tools, and other basic equipment and rations to last them at least a week. Rylee was right: Captain Jessup spared no expense in decking the team out with all the supplies they could need, including upgrading a lot of their gear with more expensive versions he’d never even used.
But it happened so quickly that Marcus didn’t even have time to enjoy it. As soon as they were geared up and ready to move, another group of soldiers appeared to escort them to the hangar. They were rushed to a dropship that was stocked with even more supplies and already set for launch. No one asked them any questions or even addressed statements at them, and to Marcus, it felt a little like they were walking the green mile.
They were directed to their seats in the hull of the dropship, strapped in, and then, just as quickly, everyone but their team disappeared. The ramp slid closed with a soft whoosh, and they were left alone with their nerves and the hum of the ship’s engine.
Chelsea coughed.
Everyone exchanged nervous glances. Marcus tried to smile back at them, but it didn’t feel natural, and he abandoned the attempt. His hands were sweating, and he felt sick to his stomach, like he was gassy.
An eternity ticked past that was really only a few minutes. No one spoke, but volumes of information were conveyed through meaningful glances. The straps were to protect them while the Endeavor’s gravity systems weighed them down during launch, and Marcus found his ankle itched in a place he couldn’t possibly scratch. He tried kicking one leg into the other to scratch the area, but to no avail.
“Is this a bad time to admit I have to pee?” Nigel asked.
Everyone chuckled, but there was no mirth to be found.
Suddenly, the comms flicked on. “How’s it going over there? Alpha team leader here.”
Vince’s voice chimed in over the speakers, slicing through the tension like a hot knife through butter. He sounded perfectly calm, like they were about to go for a leisurely hike, and not like they were about to fly through a potential death trap.
“Fine here,” Rylee replied. “Bravo team is ready.”
“Good to hear,” Vince said. “Liftoff is in T-Minus two minutes.”
“Oh, good. They actually tell him what is going on,” Nigel muttered. “At least someone knows.”
“What was that?” Vince asked.
“Nothing,” Rylee said. “We’re ready.”
“Who is our pilot?” Lucas asked.
“There isn’t one,” Vince said over the speakers. “The ships are configured with each team’s coordinates and will take you directly to your destination.”
“I’d rather a proper pilot. Chelsea can fly. Why isn’t she doing it?”
“Because I’m not stupid,” Chelsea said. “I have a few months of training and can get a ship going, but the AI piloting systems are way better.”
“Then why not send us with a better pilot? Why are we trusting a robot?”
“It isn’t a robot and—” Chelsea stopped herself, shaking her head. “You know what, I’m not even going to bother engaging.”
“They don’t want to risk anymore people than they have to.” Nigel said. “Now would you shut up so we can get back to fretting over this trip. Some of us just want—”
Suddenly, the ship lurched forward, lifting off the ground and hovering. Marcus sucked in a breath of air and gasped. It smoothed out after a few seconds as the competing gravity systems synced up.
“Wasn’t ready for that,” Lucas said.
“That’s why they strap us in,” Rylee said.
“Here we go,” Vince said, his voice sounding tinny under the sound of the engines. “Time to see what’s on the other side.”
The comm clicked off, and the ship glided forward out of the hangar. Marcus could see through the terminal viewports on the walls as the other two ships headed out into the darkness of space in front of them. The engine hummed, and the crew breathed, but otherwise everything was silent.
They exited the hangar and floated through space away from the ship.
“We’re good,” Rylee said, unhooking her belt. Now that they were away from the ship, they didn’t need to stay strapped into their seats. Marcus unhitched his belt and then followed Rylee as she walked up to the cockpit of the ship. “Let’s get a better view of this void, or whatever.”
Everyone piled into the small cockpit area to look through the front view port of the dropship. Since this was a warship, all the walls were thick and sturdy, so the viewports were digital screen at high resolution. The front one was designed to look like a front window and was the biggest aboard the ship, but right now it was completely dark.
“It isn’t working,” Lucas said. “Do they turn the view off when the autopilot is running?”
“No,” Chelsea said. “That is the view.”
“But there isn’t anything there,” Lucas replied. “Not even stars.”
Chelsea stepped forward and tapped the controls. The viewport panned sideways, showing the other two ships off to their right, along with the normal plethora of stars they were used to seeing. “It’s definitely working.”
She tapped again, and the view panned back to normal. Everything turned inky black, disappearing.
“Holy hell,” Nigel whispered. “That’s not right.”
“It’s blotting out the stars,” Rylee said. “Nothing can get through, not even light.”
“Not foreboding at all,” Nigel said.
“How far out are we?” Marcus asked.
“Thirty seconds,” Chelsea said. “And then we hit the wall.”
“Don’t call it a wall,” Nigel said, eyes fixed on the blank display.
“Barrier, then.”
“That isn’t any better.”
Everyone fell silent, watching the display. Nothing changed or shifted, there was no sensation of movement. The barrier was so large that it filled the entire image, which meant that Marcus couldn’t even tell if anything was happening. He took Chelsea at her word, though, and mentally counted down the seconds. At ten, Chelsea began counting out loud.
“Ten. Nine. Eight.”
Marcus held his breath, and the pit in his stomach continued to grow.
“Seven. Six. Five.”
He imagined them slamming into the barrier and crushing against it. Or getting ripped apart by some sort of energy barrier.
“Four. Three. Two.”
There was a slight quiver in Chelsea’s voice, belying her calm demeanor. Absently, Marcus reached over and took her hand, squeezing it for comfort. She squeezed back.
“One.”
The ship vibrated slightly, as though passing through a water barrier, but kept moving. Things shifted in and out of focus for a few seconds and the cockpit dimmed, as though light itself was struggling to maintain its clarity. Marcus held his breath and felt his ears pop as the pressure changed.
He heard a sound behind him, and when he turned, he would have sworn he saw shadowy creatures in the hold behind them, milling about. Just as quickly, though, they were gone.
He must have imagined them.
Then they were through, back into normal space on the other side of the barrier. The viewport lit up like a flare as the sunlight poured over them from the solar system’s star. Chelsea pulled her hand loose and held it in front of her face, blocking the sunlight.
“Gah, that’s bright,” Lucas said, cursing and turning around to rub his eyes. “You could have warned me.”
“We didn’t know that would happen,” Chelsea said. “No one knew.”
“We’re through,” Nigel said, letting out a deep breath. “Holy mother of God and all that is holy we are through.”
“You sound surprised,” Rylee said.
“Are you kidding? Of course I’m surprised. I thought for sure we would die. I figured we would be ripped apart cell by cell, and the only comfort was that we wouldn’t feel it. Probably.”
“That is comforting.”
Nigel hesitated. “Honestly, this is almost worse.”
“What? How could it be worse?”
“They already sent people through, right?”
“They sent a Fist of the First Citizen through,” Rylee said. “He was the first respondent and went through the barrier.”
“That’s the part that is worse.”
“How so.”
“A Fist is like a walking torpedo of death. If he came in here and didn’t make it back, then we must ask ourselves: why? What is down there waiting for us that he couldn’t handle?”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” Lucas said. “He’s probably just taking a vacation before returning back. Those guys can do whatever the hell they want.”
The radio snapped on. “We made it through,” Vince called over the speakers. “Welcome to the other side, everyone.”
Marcus was pleased to hear a slight quiver in Vince’s voice. Apparently, even the golden boy had been a little worried about their chances.
“Wasn’t too bad,” Rylee offered. “How are you holding up?”
“Won’t lie, that was intense.”
“Did you radio back to the Endeavor?”
“Tried to, but no good. The connection broke as soon as we hit the wall.”
“Same here,” Rylee said. “I guess we shouldn’t expect anything else.”
“At least our connections are still up,” Vince said. “And I’m reading everything green down below from the planet. How’s the moon looking?”
Chelsea typed quickly into the terminal and the viewport changed. The sun disappeared and it focused instead of a view of the moon they were heading toward. It shifted focus again, highlighting the moon base that was their destination. It looked quiet and peaceful.
“Our sensors are picking up electrical and heat signatures. Everything looks normal.”
She tapped a few more times.
“No connectivity, though,” she added. “Either no one is at the response tower or we’re too far out for a strong connection.”
“Same here,” Marcus said. “Could be some interference for a transmission from this distance. We’ll try again when we get closer. Over and out.”
The connection ended and everyone exited the cramped cockpit, heading back to their seats. Marcus stretched out his tense muscles. He felt exhausted from the nerves and worry, like he’d just finished running several kilometers. The worst is over, he reminded himself. They had made it through the barrier once, and that increased the odds of making through again.
“Ten minutes to the moon,” Rylee said. “We’re going to land, check to make sure everyone is okay, and then get airborne again. We will rendezvous with Vince and the other two teams and head back together. Everyone clear?”
“What about the survivors?”
“Our job is to make sure everyone is okay, not take passengers. The priority is getting information back out.”
“What if we get done faster than the other teams?” Nigel asked. “Then can we just get the hell out of here?”
“What? You don’t want to stick around?” Lucas asked.
“Hell to the no. It’s wrong. Just wrong. When we went through the barrier it felt…”
He trailed off, unwilling or unable to finish the sentiment.
“It felt like someone was watching me,” Chelsea finished, shaking her head. “Watching us. I don’t know how to describe it.”
“Yeah,” Nigel said. “Like that. And, if you look behind us, we still can’t see any stars.”
He pointed out the rear window, and the inky blackness behind them.
“Whatever this is, it goes both directions. How do we know we can get out at all? Maybe the Fist tried to get out and report back and that was when he died.”
“Oh, will you just stop,” Rylee admonished. “This isn’t helping anyone. Stop with the god damn ‘what ifs’ and focus on the ‘what is’. We have a job to do, and we’re going to do it well. We can’t control what we can’t control, but we can stop freaking ourselves out about it.”
Nigel hung his head slightly. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. We’re all thinking it, and it doesn’t help to have you keep bringing it up. Stay positive and stay ready.”
“I’m going to try to connect again,” Chelsea said, flipping on the comms. “Pinging now.”
A few seconds passed, and then the connection opened on the other end.
“Hey Starfinder, we read you loud and clear,” a male voice said on the other end of the line.
“Starfinder?” Nigel muttered. “That’s seriously the name of this ship?”
Rylee shushed him, turning to the comm. “Hello, to whom am I speaking?”
“Names Charlie, and I’m the dock master.”
“Hello, Charlie. We are flying in on behalf of the Endeavor to report on the status of the X-95-A moon base.”
“Our status is hunky dory,” Charlie said, “but you’re certainly welcome to land and see for yourself. Sending clearance codes now.”
They heard a ping as the codes were transmitted.
“Thank you,” Rylee said. “We should be arriving in a few minutes.”
“That sounds lovely. We look forward to your arrival.”
The connection ended. Rylee turned to the rest of the group and shrugged.
“That guy was weird,” Lucas said. “Who says ‘lovely’ and ‘hunky dory’?”
“Guess they don’t get out much on the base.”
“At least we know they are alright,” Chelsea said. “Good news for us. This should take no time at all.”
They flew toward the moon and Marcus felt his worries slipping away. Everything was going perfectly, and there was nothing to worry about. It was turning into another calm mission overall, but he doubted even Lucas would be worried about that this time.
“Maybe we’ll make it back in time so we don’t miss our leave,” he offered.
“It’s looking that way,” Rylee said. “Which honestly sound great right about now. I could use a vacation.”
“You mean it sounds lovely,” Nigel said.
Everyone laughed.
The moon base grew as they approached, looming large in the viewport. Chelsea transmitted the landing codes, and the hangar doors opened, letting them fly in. The ship’s auto pilot system took them down for a gentle landing in the center of the hangar, flanked by two other smaller transport ships.
“Alright, let’s go meet Charlie,” Rylee said, punching the button on the wall to open the ship’s ramp.
“Bet he’s a hick,” Lucas offered.
Rylee shushed him again as the ramp opened. She walked down the metal grate, boots echoing in the hangar, flanked by the rest of her team. They all stepped onto the bottom and looked around in confusion.
It was empty. No Charlie, nothing. Empty, and quiet.
“Where is everyone?” Nigel asked.
“No clue,” Rylee said. “Spread out and check the area. Lucas and Nigel with me. Chelsea and Marcus, head up to the observation deck and see if you can find Charlie.”
“Sure,” Chelsea said. She nodded toward Marcus, and together they headed over to the staircase leading up to the observation deck.
“Wonder where everyone is,” Marcus offered as they walked.
“Dunno, but I guess it’s not surprising. I’m sure they don’t get a lot of visitors, so there’s a good chance Charlie runs this place on his own. And, since it’s disconnected from the rest of the facility I’m sure a lot of people don’t bother coming this way.”
“Disconnected?”
“Yeah. Based on the map, we have the hangar and service station over here, and then the glass hallway connects to the cityscape and science labs.”
“Wait, there’s a map?”
“Yeah. In your heads-up display. I skimmed it when we were flying over.”
“Wow,” Marcus said. He pulled his display over his eyes, and it immediately came alive. A few quick eye movements opened the map for him.
Chelsea pinged into his connection, asking to join, and he gave her control. She flashed in front of him and took control as she put on her own display. The map started zooming and pinging out of Marcus’s control and following hers, first narrowing in on the hangar.
“That’s where we are. And that tunnel right there leading east goes to the cityscape.” The map flashed, following her guidance. “I want to go through the tunnel at least once before we leave. It’s all glass and looks like it would have some incredible views.”
“Views of the moon,” Marcus argued.
Even to himself it sounded lame.
She removed the display, disappearing from his viewpoint. He took his own off as well.
She shrugged. “Beautiful, nonetheless. After only seeing the inside of the Endeavor for the last few months, I can’t help but look forward to seeing anything else.”
“True,” he offered.
They started back up the stairs, climbing four flights to reach the observation deck. The door was open, and inside they saw the terminals and equipment used to control the hangar, but no Charlie.
“Hello?” Marcus called into the room. The lights were on, and it had a bay view window with a view of the entire hangar below. “Anyone there?”
No response. It was completely empty. Chelsea walked over to one of the computers and tapped on it.
“That’s weird.”
“What is?”
Marcus strode over to look at the terminal. The computer was scrolling through characters and details, but he didn’t recognize any of them. He pulled the headset down, flicked it to an auto translator, and watched the scroll. After a few seconds, the AI in his headset flashed that it was an unrecognized language.
“Not a known language,” he said.
“You’re kidding?” she replied. “These things can recognize over a million known languages, and billions of unique dialects.”
“Not this one, apparently.”
“We aren’t that far from the core, so it seems odd that they would speak a language we don’t recognize, doesn’t it?”
He shrugged. “I would think so. Let me try to reboot it.”
Chelsea stepped aside and Marcus began tapping on the screen. It didn’t respond to his commands, however, and the scrolling continued.
“Oh well,” he said.
The comm clicked on. “Find anything?” Rylee asked.
“No,” Chelsea said. “No Charlie, and the computers are acting super strange. What about you?”
“A bust here, too. No people. We did find something strange that I need Marcus to look at.”
“I’ll be right down,” Marcus said.
The comm closed and Marcus headed for the stairs. He paused, though, when he realized Chelsea wasn’t following him.
“You coming?”
“You go ahead,” she replied. “Give me a minute to look at this.”
“I can wait.”
“No, that’s okay. Rylee needs you for something. Head on down and I’ll be right behind you.”
Marcus hesitated. “You sure.”
“I’m sure,” she said, smiling at him. “Right behind you, I promise.”
He shrugged and headed down the stairs, meeting the rest of his crew in front of their ship. They were all gathered around a dusty old book lying on the floor.
“What’s up?” he asked.
Rylee pointed at the book. “I didn’t know if, since you were from an outer planet, you might recognize the language that book is in.”
He glanced it at, but it was the same characters they saw in the overlook upstairs. He shook his head. “No such luck. It’s the same thing upstairs.”
“The AI doesn’t recognize it either,” Nigel said.
“Did you find anyone?” Marcus asked.
“No,” Rylee said. “I haven’t seen anyone, or the signs of anyone in the area.”
“Everything has a coating of dust on it,” Nigel added. “Like it’s been undisturbed for a long time.”
“But that’s crazy. We spoke with Charlie a few minutes ago,” Marcus said.
“Yeah,” Rylee said. “Something isn’t adding up. To be honest, though, I could give a damn less. Our job was to get information and then get the hell out of here. We made it, we landed on the moon, and we spoke to someone. Past that, I’m not too concerned.”
“Shouldn’t we speak to a real person first?”
She shrugged. “If one presents itself, sure. Five minutes and we’re getting off this rock one way or another.”
“Sounds good,” Nigel said.
“Where’s Chelsea?” Lucas asked suddenly.
Everyone turned to look at Marcus. “Right behind me. She wanted to look at the computer again.”
“You left her alone?” Lucas asked.
“There was nothing there and you asked for me to come down.”
“Well, let’s go get her so we can leave,” Rylee said.
As a group they headed back to the staircase and up to the observation deck. Their footsteps resounded through the empty hangar as they walked.
“You know, my bet is that Charlie just routes all connections directly to his quarters and doesn’t even bother coming to the hangar,” Nigel said. “That’s what I would do if I had his job.”
“That’s probably it,” Rylee agreed absently. “We can radio again once we leave and see if we can contact him.”
They reached the observation deck without passing Chelsea. The door was still open, and Marcus pushed it open. “Chelsea?”
The room was empty. The computers were still scrolling, but otherwise the room was completely quiet.
“I thought you said she was in here?” Rylee asked.
“She was. Chelsea, this isn’t funny. Are you hiding?”
No response. They filtered into the room, looking around the area. Marcus checked around, but there was no sign of her. He did realize that Nigel had been right, and everything was coated in a thin layer of dust, like it hadn’t been touched in weeks. He hadn’t noticed before.
Suddenly, he heard Nigel gasp. “What?” he asked, rushing over.
In the back corner of the wall was a huge metal grate, and it had been knocked loose and was lying on the floor. The dust in the area was disturbed, as though something had been dragged through the area.
Everyone gathered, looking in the grate. Marcus knelt, peering inside. He thought he could see something just up ahead in the darkness…
“BOO!” Chelsea screamed, crawling forward and leaping out of the grate at him.
Marcus let out an involuntary scream, stumbling back onto his butt and scrambling away. He felt his heart thudding in his chest as adrenaline coursed through his veins. He was aware of his crew laughing raucously in the background but could barely hear it over the sound of blood pumping in his ears.
“Oh, I got you. I got you,” Chelsea said through bouts of laugher, rubbing her eyes. “You should have seen the look on your face. Priceless.”
“That was great!” Lucas said, laughing. Marcus shakily picked himself up and saw that even Nigel and Rylee were chuckling.
“Hey, come on,” Rylee said, coughing and shaking her head. “That’s enough.”
“I wish we recorded that,” Lucas said.
“I did,” Chelsea replied, patting Marcus on the back. “It’s going to play on a loop when we get back to the ship.”
“Funny,” Marcus said, feeling his face flush. “So hilarious.”
“Let’s get moving,” Rylee said, beckoning them all back out of the overwatch area. “Back to the ship.”
“Not to the city?” Chelsea asked.
“No, we’re getting off this rock.”
“Why? It’ll take two minutes, and I want to see the tunnel.”
“Wasted effort,” Rylee said. “It’s not our mission.”
“Please? It’ll take two minutes, I promise.”
“Plus,” Nigel said, “it technically is our mission. You said we were supposed to talk to someone, and so far, we haven’t seen anyone? And just someone’s voice doesn’t count.”
Rylee frowned at both of them, turning to glance at Marcus and Lucas.
“Don’t look at me,” Lucas said. “I just want to shoot something before we go.”
Everyone turned to face Marcus. He hesitated for a few seconds, mulling it in his mind. Technically, the only opinion that mattered was Rylee’s, so he should side with her, but he knew Chelsea really wanted to see the glass walkway.
And, to be honest, he was more than a little curious about the city. From above it looked like a giant metal box, so what would it be like on the inside? Part of him wanted to see how they would build such a small city out here on a moon base.
“I think we should check it out,” he offered. “At least then we can definitely say we talked to someone before we left.”
Rylee thought about it for a second and then nodded. “Okay, sure. Let’s go check out the city, but only for a few minutes. Talk to some people, make sure things are safe, and then we’re out of here. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” the team said in unison.
“Then let’s head out.”
