Guardians of the Galactic Sentinel 1: The Deimos Artifact (14 page)

Chapter 16.
Decisions.

Nova York Orbital Station, July 7, 2676.

Zack and Ariane arrived back at the
Capri
without incident some forty-five minutes after the meeting. Having just been through the various layers of security, getting back out to the ship had been a lot less of a hassle than getting in to the Government offices had been. It was late enough that they needed to settle in somewhere and, as Zack had noted earlier, lodgings in any of the hotels on the nearby Orbital Platform were probably going to be expensive. The accommodations on the
Capri
were not only more than adequate, they had the added advantage of not further taxing Zack's rapidly dwindling resources. Besides that, both he and Ariane had rightly concluded that they needed to keep an eye on the ship. As they boarded the old yacht, Zack finally broke the somewhat awkward silence.

"How is it that you came to be assigned to a mission that your father is heading up? Isn't that a little unusual?"

"It was a compromise," replied Ariane, "It's no secret that academic types and the military interact about like oil and water. When my dad heard there had to be a military presence on this mission, he requested me and HQ approved it."

"That makes sense, I guess," he said. After a short pause he asked another question, "You didn't tell your father about my uncle's chip. Why not?"

"I didn't think it was my place to do so," replied Ariane.

"Um...Thanks for that. I suppose I'll have to tell him eventually."

"Probably."

At that moment, Zack decided to ask her if she would help him with Marv's chip. Perhaps it was her willingness to allow him the honor of revealing his secrets in his own way or perhaps it was because the entire affair just kept getting more and more complicated. He still had mixed feelings about Ariane, but this latest expression of respect for his privacy and several of the other things she had said or not said during the interview with her father convinced him that if he was to trust someone, she was his best option. It also appeared as though she was going to accompany her father on a dangerous mission and the members of that expedition were going to need all the help they could get.

"Look," he said, "I know it's almost midnight, but I need to take a look at some of the other information on my uncle's chip. Would...would you be interested in giving me a hand?"

"If you're sure that's what you want?"

"I don't think there's enough time left to get through it all before I have to get back to my outfit. Besides, you have your mission."

"Let's do it then. Meet in the boardroom?"

"Sure. Five minutes?"

She nodded in affirmation and Zack went to retrieve the chip from the galley. A few minutes later, he met Ariane in the boardroom, a space that had originally been even larger until about a third of it had been confiscated to accommodate the
Capri's
weapons system. There was a large, oblong table that ran down the center of the room that had obviously been shortened to accommodate the turret. On the aft end of the room, across the front of a flat bulkhead wall that was equipped with a huge video screen, was a cleared area about two meters deep obviously intended as a place for someone to stand in front of the assembly to lead a discussion or perform a presentation.

They sat next to one another at the large oblong table while Zack accessed the chip, entered the password and brought up the long string of files that he had only looked at a couple of times. He'd had a quick glance at them in his hotel room back at Haven and then he'd looked at them for maybe a couple of hours on the bridge of the
Capri
while Ariane was sleeping before falling asleep himself. After that, they'd been too busy trying to stay out of the clutches of the Soviet ship for him to have had time for anything else.

"Is there anything in there that has photos or video or something like that?" asked Ariane. "If the artifact is on this ship, it would sure be nice to know what it is we're looking for."

"Let me see what I can find," said Zack. He found a file labeled "Physical Properties" and opened it. There was a table that listed some of the physical properties of the artifact including its length, width, height and weight. Marv's verbal description of it was also included. Zack began reading aloud...

"The artifact is shaped like a regular tetrahedron. At first glance, it looks to have been fabricated from some kind of stone. Perhaps it is made from a rock of some kind but, if so, it is like no rock I've ever encountered before. I have been, naturally, reluctant to subject it to too much physical trauma but attempts to scrape material off from its base were unsuccessful. Whatever it is, the material appears to be quite durable. As to its age, I cannot be certain, I think it would be extremely valuable to re-examine the area where the artifact was found..."

Zack would have continued reading but, at that moment, the email chime on his tablet sounded. The warning signal was the one that Zack had programmed in to indicate official Marine Corps business.

"Excuse me, Ariane, I'd better take a look at this."

"I'll go and get us some refreshments. We might be up a while. Would you like me to bring some coffee?"

"Coffee sounds good. Thanks."

Ariane left the boardroom as Zack accessed the communication on his tablet. The official seal of the United Federation Marine Corps filled the screen for a few seconds before fading into a video message from Major Stanford, the overall commander of Zack's unit back on New Slovenia. The Major was sitting behind his desk, looking up at a video pickup some two meters in front of him. As was his way, the Major strove to create a relaxed and informal manner...

"This is a special communication for Corporal Zachary Lynton. I hope this message finds you well and that the business of getting your uncle's affairs in order is proceeding smoothly..."

Zack responded to that with a wry grin as the Major continued,

"...The reason I am sending you this communication is because your presence has been requested for a special assignment..."

Zack felt a prickle of dread nipping at his midsection.

"...Things are winding down out here on New Slav and, while we would certainly welcome you back, another matter of some importance has come up. In fact, this matter actually has some connection with your late uncle's affairs. Senator Dawson, from Central Congress, has made an urgent request that you be assigned to a special mission providing support for an expedition being organized by a Dr. Harold MacPherson. You have a number of unique skills and other qualities that make you well-suited for this role. For one thing, you apparently have inside information regarding your uncle's affairs. You are also on site already and you have custody of his ship which, we are told, has been committed to the expedition.

There will be another Federation military person accompanying you on this trip, Ensign Ariane MacPherson, from Naval Intelligence. You will certainly be expected to accord her the proper respect due her rank; but, since this will be a civilian operation, you will not be under her direct command, particularly in any situation that might involve combat. To avoid any potential conflicts between you and the Ensign in this regard, your field commission rank of Second Lieutenant has been reinstated for this mission.

This will be a predominantly civilian operation and your primary role will be to provide protection. Your assignment will be for the duration of Professor MacPherson's project. I will not need specific information while the mission is underway, but we will expect a full report from you when you return. Contact me through the proper channels when this mission has been completed.

Good luck, soldier. Get out there and do us proud!"

The official seal filled the screen again before fading to black. Zack sat numbly back in his chair. Professor MacPherson had said,
"Assuming we could make some arrangements."
Apparently he not only could but he had and he hadn't wasted any time doing so. The Major had pointedly made no mention of the pending legal action against Zack. Senator Dawson, who was almost certainly the father of the lieutenant that Zack had gotten on the wrong side of, was also involved somehow, probably protecting his son from any controversy that could interfere with the precious young military genius' future. Maybe if Zack accepted this mission, the whole affair involving him and the Senator's son would just blow over.

He could hope.

Zack didn't know whether to laugh, cry or start throwing things.

So much for free choice!

Ariane returned with their coffee and set two mugs down on the table, one in front of each of their chairs.

"You have to see this," said Zack.

She remained standing as Zack, still partially in shock, replayed the message for her on his tablet.

"Omigod," she said, when the video had finished running, "I wish he hadn't done that."

"Your father?" asked Zack, "Why not?"

"Because I think it would have been so much better if you'd had a chance to volunteer."

"I
am
a soldier," replied Zack, "In spite of appearances, I'm used to taking orders. I can't say I approve of your father's methods, but what's done is done."

"So you won't mind coming along?"

"Into one of the most backward, lawless and dangerous star systems in human space? In search of the origin of a mysterious artifact that people are trying to kill me for? What's not to like?"

"Speaking for myself, I'd have to say that I'll be happy to have you on board. By the way, congratulations on being re-promoted."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Actually, this could turn out to be a really interesting assignment."

"Assuming any of us come back alive."

"There is that. We'll have to talk details with my father in the morning."

"Good, because I have a lot more questions." He motioned to the empty chair next to him, "Now that I am officially a member of this ill-advised expedition, how about we get back to work investigating this chip?"

"Lead on," said Ariane. She slid into her seat and sat back with her coffee as Zack re-accessed the chip. He picked up his own coffee, took a sip and set the cup back down on the table before resuming the examination of the chip's content. Ariane sat forward and leaned close to him so she could also view the small screen. Zack discovered that he really didn't mind.

"Looks like there are more locked files on here," said Zack, "The master password to the chip itself was in a letter to me. I wonder if he did something like that with these other files?"

"Are there any file names that look like they might contain more personal notes to you?"

They both looked down the list of file names.

"Here's one," said Zack. He tapped on a file labeled "Graduation Day." The file did indeed contain another personal communication to Zack...

"Zack,

If you're reading this, you're probably as up to your neck in this business as I was. I am truly sorry to have gotten you involved, but the more I've worked on this artifact, the more I've come to realize that it may have a significance that goes way beyond any monetary or even archeological value. I'm not exactly certain why I feel this way, but the extremely determined nature of some of the other people who are interested in the artifact has me very concerned. What are the odds that a thing of such importance could have fallen into my bumbling hands? With all these things in mind, I have been compelled to store the artifact and conceal its location until I can get more information. If you remember the special gift I got for you when you graduated from high school, you can unlock another set of files. Good luck, Zack.

PS: You are almost certainly going to have to meet and interact with Professor Harold MacPherson of Colfax University at some point in the near future. MacPherson is a bit of a windbag, but he's a friend and he can be trusted. Don't be afraid to take his advice..."

Ariane was unable to suppress a grin and a nod of agreement as Zack read Marv's description of her father. "Graduation gift?" she said, "Do you know what he's talking about?"

"Yeah, I do," said Zack, "He gave me his copy of "Paradise Regained" by Arthur Hogan."

The two of them looked down the list of files again. Zack found one labeled "hogana" and attempted to access it. The attempt brought up another prompt requesting a password. Zack thought for a moment and entered "ParadiseRegained," which earned him a "password incorrect" response. He thought for a moment and entered "ParadiseRegained06272668" which was a combination of the name of the book and the numeric designation for the day he graduated from high school. This time the file opened up...

"Zack, elsewhere in this set of files are the instructions to access the next set. Sorry about all the precautions, but I didn't want to take any chances with this information getting into the wrong hands. I gave the artifact to Cliff Bernard, the engineer on the
Capri
, to stash for me. I had placed it in a nondescript storage box and told him it was some of my archeological tools and that I would ask for them later. He put the box into a rack in the workroom down in engineering among a stack of identical boxes. He can tell you which one of the boxes is the right one
.
For the record, Cliff didn't know what was in the box I gave him. I figured it was safer for him and for the artifact if he didn't know anything about it."