Guardians of the Galactic Sentinel 1: The Deimos Artifact (37 page)

"This is Won Ling-tsu. As you can see, my ships have withdrawn. I request permission to land my shuttle on the moon."

"You can use these coordinates, Mister Premier," sent Ariane, "As you get closer, you'll see two shuttles and a space ship. We've been using the ship as our headquarters. If you land just aft of it, we'll have our personnel meet you on the surface and assist you to come onboard."

As the shuttle made its way towards the moon, Ling-tsu continued to converse with Holger,
"I think you should know that I only ordered my ships to go to high alert because we detected that yours had already done so."

"You must understand that my people have standing orders not to take any chances with our ships or our personnel," replied Holger, "but they also have orders not to shoot first."

"Then why did one of your ships attack an unarmed transport last week?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Holger, "We didn't attack any of your ships. Wait, is that why you attacked my picket ship a couple of days ago?"

"We could not allow such a blatant attack go unpunished."

"You suddenly show up with Soviet weapons and someone posing as a Viking ship attacks one of your transports. I have a sneaking suspicion that someone is trying to stir up trouble between us. Captain Sergei Popov of the Soviet People's Navy is on one of the shuttles down here with me. Perhaps we can talk more about this after you arrive?"

"I would welcome that,"
responded Ling-tsu, "
You must believe me when I say that we actually didn't come here looking for a fight, Holger. We came looking for some answers. A large number of my people have been having some very disturbing dreams lately. I would be skeptical except that I have been having these visions myself. We have been seeing powerful images of a small pyramid covered with glowing letters. Last night we had our strongest dreams yet. We watched as you and your colleagues placed this object on top of a larger base. A voice told us that we must come here, to Deimos. We believe that some of our people are to be put forward as candidates for some kind of selection process. Do you know anything about this?"

Before replying, Holger looked inquiringly at Arnold.

"Those are much like the visions I had last night," said Arnold in response, "The artifact... machine, or whatever is responsible for these visions, must be compelling us to provide the widest selection of candidates that we can put together. The Jovians not only represent another facet of humanity, but they're close enough that they could get here in time for some of them to be considered."

"What are you saying, Arnold?" asked Holger.

"That if they have people who are compelled to be candidates for this process, then we must allow them to be considered."

Holger grew very serious as he replied to the Premier, "Some of our people are also having these visions, Ling-tsu. I'm afraid that this event, whatever it is, may be far bigger than both of us."

"What do you mean?"

"We think the future of the entire human race may hinge on what takes place down here on this moon in the next few hours. Are the people who believe they are to be considered with you on the shuttle?"

"They are."

"Good," replied Holger, "It is also good that you agreed to come yourself, Won. There is much that needs to be discussed."

"I will see you shortly, then. Thank you, Holger."

"You're welcome."

Holger turned to the people on the crowded bridge of the
Capri
, "Now what do we do?"

"For what it's worth," said Arnold, "I know that we've done the right thing. We have to include as many people as possible in this selection pool to make sure that the Human race is as well represented as we can make it. These Jovians represent a large group of remnants of what used to be called the People's Republic of Asia. Surely they should have a voice in our future?"

"It doesn't look like we are going to have much choice in the matter does it?" said Holger, "I'd better tell Sergei that he needs to get back over here right away."

***

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Human-occupied space, chaos continued to escalate as huge mobs of frightened and confused people sought answers to questions and solutions to problems that did not seem to be forthcoming. Rioting was becoming widespread on nearly every planet as those who embraced chaos as opportunity found ways to fan the flames of the widespread discontent. They were aided in this enterprise by shadowy agents whose purpose was to accelerate and enhance the process. Governments that had been at peace with their neighbors for centuries were beginning to lose trust in their allies and becoming even more paranoid in their dealings with known enemies.

Tensions had reached crisis proportions on and between many planets. Anarchy threatened to take over in some places while outright war seemed eminent in others...

Chapter 46.
Summit Meeting.

Voltaire Crater, Deimos, July 17, 2676.

About an hour later, there was yet another shuttle parked in the crater on Deimos. With Zack's assistance, Won Ling-tsu and five other people had made their way over to the
Capri
. As it turned out, there had also been a couple of ships from Earth out at the Jovian colony on a trade mission and several of the personnel on the shuttle were actually representing earth itself. Zack and Cliff helped all the newcomers remove and stow their suits and escorted them to the meeting. The conference room on the yacht was filled with about as many people as it could hold. Over the course of a half hour or so, Arnold, Holger, Ariane and the Professor had brought the new arrivals as up to date as they could.

"This is certainly a fine mess," said Ling-tsu, "You're saying that we now must pick candidates for some kind of contest that could decide the fate of the entire human race?"

"I know it sounds fantastic," said MacPherson, "but that is, indeed, what we must do."

"Part of the problem is that the vile monsters of this Custodian race have been meddling with the process," said Sergei.

"To what end?" asked Ling-tsu.

"In an effort to ensure our failure, no doubt."

"How do you know this?"

"Several of the creatures had been placed onboard my ship," replied Sergei, "they killed my crew and they almost succeeded in disrupting this entire operation."

"Explain," said Ling-tsu.

Sergei Popov, Captain in the Soviet People's Navy, paused for a few seconds, uncertain of how much he should share of what he knew. He looked around at the assortment of people gathered in the
Capri's
boardroom and realized that, like it or not, the events that would be taking place here on Deimos in the next few hours would have a profound effect on the future of all Mankind. This was no time for anything but the raw and unadulterated truth, no matter how unpleasant or how much it went it against his ingrained habits. He plunged doggedly onward, wrestling against a lifetime of conditioning, but absolutely certain that he was following the proper course.

"Major Dmitri Krupski, my former Political Officer, was knowingly consorting with these aliens," said Sergei, "This means that other members of the Soviet government are almost certainly involved, but I have no idea how high up the chain of command the treason has infiltrated."

He looked back and forth between Holger Tvedt and Won Ling-tsu before addressing the two of them specifically, "I strongly suspect that these creatures and the Political arm of the Soviet Military were involved in providing Ling-tsu's forces with some of our most powerful weapons and then feigned a Viking attack on the Jovian transport that was destroyed. This was done in an effort to destabilize an already volatile situation here in the Sol System by spoiling a successful truce between the two largest and most powerful factions in the system."

"I think the problem may be even more widespread than you think, Captain Popov," said Zack, "The rebel forces on New Slovenia had somehow gotten their hands on Soviet weapons too. It looks like this alien conspiracy, or whatever it is, has been stirring things up all over Human space. No doubt they were also responsible for murdering my Uncle Marvin."

Sergei nodded in agreement, "After the way that the Political arm manipulated me and my crew and used my ship, I would put nothing past them!"

"Is there some way to protest this interference to the authorities?" asked Ling-tsu.

"Unknown," replied the Professor, "Trouble is we don't have much to offer for proof. We have a few video records, but any direct physical evidence was destroyed along with the Soviet ship. Nor do we have any idea who we would lodge such a protest with."

"So it's almost like we are being forced to go through with this extraordinarily important event before we are anywhere near ready," said one of the traders from Earth, "How much does this increase the likelihood of failure?"

"Also unknown," replied MacPherson, "There is also some evidence to suggest that these custodians have been interfering for a very long time, almost since the Sentinel artifact was placed on Earth several thousand years ago."

"They have everything to gain," said Sergei, who was among the most vociferous of those present in his newly-discovered but eminently justified hatred of the Custodians, "If we fail, we will be subjected to their authority."

"That is unfortunately true," said Arnold, "It is also the most likely explanation for the visions of slavery that many of us 'sensitives' have been experiencing. You said that you and your people have been having visions as well, Premier Ling-tsu. What have yours been like?"

"It is as you say," replied the Jovian leader, "Some of them show a bright future with everyone peaceful and content while others suggest enslavement and misery. It appears as though we absolutely must find a way to pass this test!"

"On that we are in agreement," said the Professor, "We don't know exactly how much time we have left before we must present our slate of candidates, but to make sure that we have some margin of safety, we should probably do so sometime within the next ten hours."

"Then we must get on with it," said Ling-tsu.

"I must say that I, for one, am very pleased that you and a large contingent of your people have come here to be a part of this, Premier Ling-tsu," said Arnold, "it is good that you invited the people from Earth to come as well. Call it a feeling, but I believe that our greatest chance of success lies in presenting the broadest pool of people possible. We don't know much about the test, but one of the things that the teaching machine mentioned several times was the need for Mankind to control our aggression and get along with one another. By presenting candidates from a cross-section of Humanity that is as comprehensive as we can provide under these difficult circumstances, we can, hopefully, demonstrate our willingness and our ability to cooperate with one another. I certainly pray it will be enough."

"As do I," replied Ling-tsu.

"How many candidates should we put forward?" asked MacPherson, "As you know, there's a limit to how many people will even fit into that teaching and learning chamber."

"In a way, that's kind of a clue as to how big our candidate pool can be," suggested Arnold, "As a beginning, how about we select at least two from each of the different societies that are represented here? In the interest of fairness, the Federation already has me as a representative. That would disqualify any of the rest of us on our expedition from consideration. That means two Vikings, two Soviets, two Jovians and two people from Earth."

"You're thinking eight people?" asked MacPherson.

"At the very least," replied Arnold, "and we could certainly add a few more; there is ample room in the chamber for at least a dozen people, maybe as many as twenty."

"Then I say we pick twenty and get on with it," said Holger.

The rest of the assembly was in agreement. In the end, they selected four candidates from each of the four societies represented and several additional people. Gertrude was one of the Vikings who was selected while Sergei was one of the Soviets. Ling-tsu himself and three of his fellow Jovians as well as four people from Earth were also put forward. After further discussion and, without really knowing what was wanted or needed from them in terms of candidate material, the group decided to add several of the previously disqualified Federation personnel to be candidates as well. Zack and Ariane, against their protests, had both been included. This topped off their group at twenty.

Twenty people, most of them strangers to one another, and two of them would be selected to join Arnold in some sort of contest or ordeal that would decide the future of the Human race. Everyone, even those who were relieved that they hadn't been selected, could feel the tension in the air.

Once the candidates had all been identified and several of them had been ferried in from the ships that remained in space -- a process that took nearly six of the ten remaining hours -- the time to present the candidates to the teaching machine for the selection process was fast approaching. All of the candidates were informed that they had one hour to prepare.

Zack was in his quarters, and had just gotten dressed after a shower. Unable to think of anything else to do, and too keyed up to do much of anything very effectively, he was attempting to concentrate on his tablet, half-heartedly looking over his uncle's notes one more time on the off chance that there still might be some clue as to what was expected of them. Not surprisingly, he wasn't having much success. Apparently Marv hadn't gotten this far in his investigations; or, if he had, there hadn't be sufficient time for him to get any of it recorded or transcribed.

The door chime sounded.

"Yes?" said Zack.

"It's Ariane...can I talk to you, please?"

He felt a small, unexpected surge of pleasure when he found out it was her.

"Absolutely. Come in."

Ariane came into the room and the door closed behind her. Like Zack, she had showered and put on a clean outfit. He thought she looked really nice; clean, scrubbed and alert in spite of the tension she was under and the fatigue she had to be feeling. She had overseen the entire selection process, keeping everything organized and making sure all of the others involved remained on task. During the process, she had also had to smooth over several of the inevitable disagreements that had ensued.

Zack's quarters were generous as such things went on a small spaceship and the compartment had enough room to comfortably accommodate both of them. He motioned to the empty chair on the opposite side of the small table he had been working at.

"Have a seat. What's on your mind?"

She sat down in the chair and hunched forward over the table, resting her forearms on it. She was obviously nervous, unconsciously rubbing the back of her left hand with the palm of her right. She looked down at those hands while taking a few moments to pull her thoughts together before saying anything.

Finally she took a deep breath, looked up at Zack, and said, "We've been through quite a lot together in the last few weeks, haven't we?"

"That's a bit of an understatement.

"I...I know we've had our differences, especially at first, but because of how well we've been working together since...I feel as though I can confide in you."

"You know you can," Zack replied, wondering where this was going.

"I'm... I'm terrified, Zack! Being a representative to this Amalgamation will be an overwhelming responsibility. What if I'm one of the other two who get picked?"

So she was still worried about the pending selection process, the same fear she'd voiced last night before they had somewhat...unconventionally parted ways after the meeting. With an effort, Zack pushed the memory of that event to the back of his mind.

"It's okay," he replied, relieved that she wasn't here over yet another critical issue with the mission or the other personnel involved. That didn't mean her apprehension was trivial, and he instinctively felt the rightness of helping her talk it out. After all, under the current circumstances, who else
could
she talk to about something like this?

Zack chose his next words carefully, "I feel the weight of it too," he said, "But...what choice do we have? A string of events that we had little control over led us to this and now...here we are. We'll just have to strive to do better than our best, as usual. Besides, there's a ninety percent chance that neither one of us will get picked anyway. That and the Federation already has a representative. I don't think the two of us have all that much to worry about."

"I know all that, I guess, but I'm still worried sick." She looked at him expectantly, apparently wanting or needing something more from him.

The anguish in those deep, beautiful brown eyes and the sincerity of her expression made her look, at that moment, more attractive to him than ever. Over the last two weeks, as they had stumbled their way through the events of this incredible ordeal, he had come to fully appreciate the quick and profound intelligence that lay behind those eyes and realized that, in spite of their somewhat rocky start, he no longer had any concerns at all about the strength or the quality of her character.

In fact, this stunningly gorgeous woman was absolutely top tier in every way he could imagine. That she was reaching out to
him,
opening herself up and revealing her self-doubts during the final, critical stages of this almost overwhelming crisis touched him deeply.

Unbidden, his heart rate increased by several beats per minute and he discovered that he suddenly had a lump in his throat.

A cascade of impressions flashed through his mind in the next few moments, all of them concerning Ariane in some way. Before this impromptu meeting, Zack would have readily admitted that he was attracted to her and that he enjoyed being around her and working alongside her. Over the rush of the last two weeks, while their expedition had tripped over and somehow staggered its way through one gut-wrenching crisis after another, he'd discovered that the two of them made a pretty good team. But...the advent and the intensity of these new feelings surprised and profoundly shocked him.