Spheria (30 page)

Instead, she dug in to find out
what
data was being sent. It didn’t take long. She found a folder on the root drive called Project Disintegration. Inside was a wealth of information. Financial transactions in Bitcoins funding offshore accounts. Spreadsheets of feeder data. Business rule files containing algorithms to process. And, best of all, blueprints.

Min opened them one by one and was shocked. They represented some kind of large weapon, like a cannon. Yes, definitely a cannon. The next image showed it mounted to the deck of a ship. A close-up showed the connection to the deck, and a room below with wires wrapped around cylinders. A second set of wires led from the cylinders to the ship’s power generator, a nuclear reactor.

It took a while to digest all the information. Min learned that the weapon was called an “Advanced Field Augmented Electromagnetic Linear Accelerator.” It was the latest iteration of a type of weapon called a coilgun or railgun. This design could accelerate a simple projectile to nine times the speed of sound. The stored kinetic energy would produce a destructive force greater than any conventionally delivered explosive. It would eliminate any single target, airborne or ground based. Calculations suggested it could even destroy enemy satellites in orbit.

This technology, unlike versions built so far, required a much faster energy delivery mechanism. It needed a type of capacitor that could be charged to 800 kilowatts and then discharged almost instantaneously. The problem was, such a capacitor did not exist. In fact, there was no known substance that could perform this way. That was the problem being worked on. This entire bank of Qubes, more powerful than any super computer ever built, was crunching the numbers. It was performing chemical simulations to find the perfect composite material for the super-capacitor.
 

Digging further, Min found more disturbing designs. The theory was, once this new substance was found, it could charge portable cartridges, like energy bullets. They’d hold enough power in a handheld laser weapon to kill a human with a single pulse. There would be no delay between pulling the trigger and instant death. And the evidence would be untraceable.

Min’s focus was broken when the keypad buttons outside the room’s door began to beep. She froze. Someone was entering an access code to enter the room. She instinctively looked at the clock on the monitor - 8:50 a.m. She’d been reading all night! Her heart pounded, and she turned to meet whoever was about to enter, fearing for her life.

#

The door indicator showed red, then turned off. The keypad beeped again, and once again the indicator turned red. A third time, keys were used and this time the indicator turned green. The latch clicked and the door swung open. Max entered the room.

He squinted in the brightness and, seeing that the room was empty, closed the door behind him. He stood motionless for a minute, taking in the scene before him, allowing his eyes to adjust. Noticing the open ceiling tile, he walked over to the ladder and peered up. He frowned at the sight of it open.

Min could see him through the slits in the server rack door. Like the room above, this one had an empty rack used for storage. She’d stowed away in there, saved by the luck of Max entering the wrong combination twice. Now she watched in disbelief, discovering that Max was behind this weapons research. Knowing that he violated the trust placed in him by Graham. Knowing that he lied about not wanting Qubes to fall into the wrong hands, at the same time they were his hands.

As if reading her mind, Max scooped up some Qubes from the incinerator pipe opening. He rotated them with his fingers, examining them. Then he walked over to the nearest panel and plugged one in. Like the others, it began glowing bright red. He plugged in another and then another, and stood watching, mesmerized.

Finally, he looked at the computer monitor. He seemed less concerned with it being on and logged into than he was about seeing the opening in the ceiling. He sat down and began examining the blueprints Min had been looking at. He flipped through the designs, pausing longest on the handheld weapon.

Something was tickling Min’s nose.
Oh no
. This room wasn't as clean as the one above; there was a buildup of dust in the cabinet. She pinched her nose, and her eyes watered. Her body convulsed with a suppressed sneeze. Max cocked his head to listen. Another came, and this time Min couldn’t suppress the slight constricted sound from her throat.

Max looked at the cabinet. He’d definitely heard her. She watched him stand and walk toward it, staring and listening. He drew closer and placed his hand on the rack’s door handle.

/ PART THREE /
 

Effluence

Chapter 38 - The Plan

“Sometimes we let life guide us, and other times we take life by the horns. But one thing is for sure: no matter how organized we are, or how well we plan, we can always expect the unexpected.” - Brandon Jenner

“Which way do we go?” asked Hi∙ma.

“Straight, off the trail. We walk straight until we come to two mounds with a tree on each. We go through and then turn right. Then we head toward the highest mountain peak,” answered Pu∙ma.

“Are you sure we leave this trail?”

“Yes. Sa∙ma was specific about that. That’s how the meeting place has remained hidden. He takes a different path every time so that no trail ever forms.”

“Makes sense.” Hi∙ma looked up at the darkening Source. Their travels would become difficult if they didn’t arrive before darkness. “Did Sa∙ma say why we’re meeting like this? I mean, in the dark?”

“Yes. He said it was essential that we keep this a complete secret from the Soldiers. It’s so we’re not seen, let alone followed.”

“This is unusual. It must be important then,” said Hi∙ma.

“I believe so,” agreed Pu∙ma. “He only gave the instructions to six of us and told each to bring another. That way the twelve lead Workers would arrive while minimizing exposure.”

Hi∙ma walked in silence, following close to Pu∙ma. He was curious about what Sa∙ma had in mind. He wondered if it had anything to do with the incident today. “Is this related to the drop?”

“That’s a logical conclusion, but the arrangement was made before the incident.” Pu∙ma recalled the earlier visit from Fa∙ro. She’d been working on unbinding a stack of beams in preparation of lifting more to the top of the tower. Then it happened, and at the worst possible time.

#

Sa∙ma and Fa∙ro walked side by side around the perimeter of the new structure.

“This is quite impressive,” complimented Fa∙ro. “You've exceeded my expectations already with height. Yet it’s much thinner at the base than I was expecting.”

“I understand why you think that. The structures we’ve built in the past, the buildings in town, are all based on stacking rocks. Since they rely on just a push downward for their strength, they have to be wide at the base and taper off at the top. Otherwise, they’d collapse over time. But in my vision, I saw a better way to build things. By using longer rocks and attaching them at the ends with joint pods and making a pattern of alternating left and right angles, we can make a structure that’s hollow, but stable.”

Fa∙ro looked up. Rising over them, perfectly straight, was the tower. It didn’t look pyramid-shaped like his Chamber building. Instead, it looked like something completely alien. It was four columns rising up in straight lines, forming a square footprint. They were connected to each other by beams – some leaning to the left, some leaning to the right, in an alternating pattern. From the Colony, it looked like one giant hollow cylinder. Up close, the emptiness was more apparent and made it look brittle.
 

Workers were climbing up and down the outer beams, using them as a ladder. Some were carrying new beams to the top, others were returning to get more. Fa∙ro marveled at the efficiency of the operation, something he’d never admit to Sa∙ma. He backed up to get a better look, and stumbled over a pile of beams on the ground. Pu∙ma, who was working on getting them arranged, helped him up.

“How dare you touch me! Why’s this hazard in my path?”

“Uh-um,” stammered Pu∙ma. “Sorry, your Majesty.” Fa∙ro raised a leg to swing at her, but paused at the word ‘majesty.’ With Fa∙ro’s rage mitigated, Pu∙ma answered his question. “These are new beams being prepared to carry to the top.”

Fa∙ro looked at the beams then returned his leg to the ground. He watched as a Worker took one from the pile and began carrying it up the side of the tower. His eye sensors followed the activity to the top where two Workers were placing a new piece of the column in place. They seemed to be struggling with the vertical alignment. They both grabbed it at one end and attempted to hoist it up. As it got to about forty-five degrees, they lost their grip and it plummeted down off the tower.

Fa∙ro jumped back, knocking over Sa∙ma, who in turn barely had time to roll away. The beam crashed to the ground, making a large crater and spreading fragments all over them. Pu∙ma ducked the other way, getting as far out of sight as possible.

“What the Rift!” exclaimed Fa∙ro. He glared down at Sa∙ma, rage filling his being. He grabbed Sa∙ma, dragged him to the crater, and threw him in. He climbed over him and glared down. “If you fail me, with your exotic design, I’ll make good on my threat to have your legs removed one by one and hurl your body into the Rift where you can spend the rest of eternity falling.”

#

“So why did they drop it?” asked Hi∙ma.

“They didn’t drop it; it broke as they were raising it. The push from the Source is getting stronger and stronger the higher we go. It’s nearly impossible to attach any new beams to the top now. The last level took us five times longer than normal. If our progress slows too much, Fa∙ro is bound to notice.”

“Is that what the meeting is about?”

“Probably. I sure hope Sa∙ma has a plan. If we can’t reach the Source, we’re all doomed to a fate like the one threatened upon him. This way.”

Pu∙ma squeezed through a crevice. Hi∙ma saw this was the space between the two mounds with trees; kind of hard to miss. He squeezed through, turned right, and followed Pu∙ma toward the tallest mountain.

The rest of the journey was made in silence. Although neither spoke, they both knew what the other was thinking. As members of the working caste under the rule of a tyrannical dictator, their value to the Colony was diminished. A light ahead indicated the squat opening to the cave. They ducked through and entered.

The inside looked unusual. The walls and ceiling were naturally formed, and as such were somewhat jagged; nothing like the smooth inside surface of their dwellings. In the center of the cave, a large yellow crystal emitted a reassuring glow. It lit the other Polyans who formed a circle around it. A quick count indicated they were the last to arrive.

“Sit,” beckoned Sa∙ma.

Pu∙ma and Hi∙ma did as told, completing the circle of Workers. In addition to the twelve of them plus Sa∙ma, there was one additional four-legged Polyan. They had never seen him before.

 
“Fellows,” continued Sa∙ma, “let me introduce you to my master, Lumen Elder Go∙ma.” Go∙ma stood and bowed.

“How is this Polyan not of our Colony?” asked Pu∙ma.

Before Sa∙ma could answer, Go∙ma did. “I
am
from your Colony, but from a time before you can remember. Being a Lumen Master will drain your life core faster than normal, so to speak, so we grow tired of the role. I know you all believe that a Learner is elevated to Master when the previous Master dies. That can happen, but if the Master lives a long life, as I have, we elect to go into exile, passing the title to our apprentice Learner. Thus I'm a Lumen Elder, a retired Lumen Master. I've been watching the Colony from afar for some time. Nothing like Fa∙ro’s rise and the murder of the Council has ever happened in our oral history. It’s a dark time indeed. I offer you my home here in this cave to have this meeting, where the fate of you all will be decided.” Go∙ma glanced at Sa∙ma, giving him permission to take over.

Sa∙ma stood as Go∙ma sat. “Thank you all for making the trek out here this evening. We need to be brief and then complete our work before daybreak.” He glanced at Le∙ma. She nodded encouragement to go on. “We all, as slaves of Fa∙ro, have been building his tower to the Source so he may join the other gods in their home. We all know this to be an impossibility, as the push of the Source is becoming too great to continue. This isn't unexpected. I knew this would happen, and we’d reach this point where we couldn’t go on.”

“If you knew that, then you've doomed us all and sealed our fate,” shouted Pu∙ma.

“Quite the contrary, my fellows. I've sealed our freedom from the tyranny of Fa∙ro forever!”

His plan was shared, in detail, with the others. They all agreed to participate, not that there was any other option. Still, they were amazed at the resourcefulness of their Lumen Master.

“Elder Go∙ma,” said Hi∙ma, “will you come with us?”

“I’m afraid I’m too old to attempt such a journey. I’ll remain here and keep an eye on the Colony in case I can ever be of assistance again.”

“Thank you, Elder,” said Le∙ma.