Dead Reckoning and Other Stories Read online

  "Some kind of field effect?" Cat had spotted it too. "A residual from the jump to our Solar System?"

  "Jump?" Devuyst hovered over the controls.

  "If IT came through normal space we'd have picked it up a long time before it was in orbit."

  I twisted the probe on the Y axis to get a passing view. It wasn't as big as Clarke's "Rama", but big enough to be impressive: at least four hundred meters across by my estimate. The outer shell opened up into a matrix of heavy supports that wove around what appeared to be some form of ducting.

  An opening slid onto the screen, a hole with deep, perfectly shadowed walls exposing IT's interior. "My god..."

  The whisper was mine but I heard everyone gasp. Inside was something that looked like a captured star in the inverse—a huge black sphere that crackled as vari-colored plasma waves washed across its surface. "Is that what I think it is?" I asked, not really expecting an answer.

  "If that's a black-hole, something is shielding us from its gravitational effects," Cat mused. "At this distance we, the Earth and Moon, plus anything in orbit would be sucked in."

  Other than the possible black-hole there wasn't much else to see. Rather there was an overwhelming amount to see, but without any kind of reference it was hard to know what was worthy of attention. We could spend hours studying the alien equivalent of a rivet and pass over a warp drive without noticing.

  Cat's probe skimmed just above the surface of IT. The surface tapered slightly, forming a flattened end dominated by an inset crenelated ring.

  "Airlock?" Chun asked.

  "Maybe." Cat checked something. "If it is, it's over fifty meters across."

  "It could be a porthole for a very large weapon," said Devuyst.

  "Can we drop the paranoia?" I sighed. "Any suggestions?"

  "Perhaps we should try communicating with it. We know violence is unlikely to achieve anything." Cat smiled innocently. "Other than testosterone-inspired suicide."

  Devuyst snapped around to face Cat, then took a breath and shrugged. "If you think it will do any good."

  "Now we're talking!" Chun said. "What comms facilities do we have?"

  "We can transmit and receive on all known EM spectrum: radio, light, laser. We also have sealed, encrypted quantum channels and audio."

  "Maybe we should try the last one," Cat said. "If the Lieutenant shouts loud enough, maybe she can intimidate IT into communicating."

  "We should keep it simple." Chun was lost in his own world. "I'd suggest we try light initially—it's probably the most natural communication medium for any kind of intelligent life. It should also be seen as harmless—as long as we don't try something like the Pan-Asians."

  It made sense. The Universe is filled with light and it was the night stars that first inspired an early human race with collective dreams. Although that could be an anthropomorphic viewpoint rather than a universal constant. "What frequency?"

  Chun's fingers stopped drumming momentarily. "We'd have to scan."

  Devuyst turned to the controls. "I can set up a program to fire patterns at random frequencies to-"

  "The military answer—spray and pray. Let me..." Chun caressed his controls, cutting through the various options like he'd been using the system for years. "I'll set up simple repeated pulses at regular intervals. Twenty should be enough. Then we can start in the middle frequency and shift either way using binary partitioning-"

  "What the hell ?" Devuyst turned to me. "He's accessing primary systems interfaces from his console, bypassing security interlocks, running through classified... you're not supposed to be able to do that."

  "Chun, slow down. You need to explain-"

  An oily metallic click caught everyone's attention. Devuyst had produced a heavy looking pistol from bog-knew-where and it was pointing directly at Chun's face. "Hands off the controls."

  "What the hell? Murphy?" Chun's hands trembled as he lifted them. "I'm doing my job."

  "Put the gun down. Are you going to risk depressurizing the whole ship you dumb grunt?" Cat spoke quietly, but her tone told me she was about to do something we'd probably all regret. Why I'd been put in charge of a team like this, I really had to wonder.

  "Yeah, put it down, jeez... I mean please."

  Chun was looking for my support, but strictly speaking I was helpless. Devuyst was right, this was a military mission. We were simply guests who might just happen to be useful at some point. Nevertheless, the situation needed some calm.

  "Lieutenant." I spoke with deliberate softness. "We understand you're in charge here. We're trying to help. We're not used to working under military guidelines, so forgive our ignorance. Chun is a communications expert and, although he got a little too enthusiastic, he certainly didn't mean any harm."

  Devuyst didn't waver. "If he makes another unauthorized move I will shoot him. Or anyone else who tries to sabotage this mission."

  My pulse thumped in my temple. "You don't really want to shoot anyone, Lieutenant."

  "Don't count on that."

  "You'd have to shoot all of us, which I don't think is practical." I reached out slowly, trying to stop my hand from shaking. "I think it would be better if you give me the gun."

  I heard murmurs of agreement and counted seventeen heavy thumps in my head before Devuyst engaged the safety, and reholstered it rather than giving it to me. The collected sighs seemed to lower the air pressure in the cabin several points and I decided not to press the point. "Unless there are any better suggestions, I think we should get closer and let Chun get to work."

  I hoped nobody spotted the trickle of sweat I felt running down the back of my neck.

  Chun turned back to his console and started working the controls very deliberately. "I'm setting up a sequence and programming the sensors to 'listen'. The synchronized readings should be able to match any response to a specific frequency range. These systems aren't designed to work like this, so it will take a while."

  After several minutes Chun triggered the sequence and we watched the graphs. At 730 Nanometers, Chun laughed softly. "Definite response detected. An energy build-up. I'd say we got IT's attention."

  "Dangerous?" I was thinking of the Pan-Asian Sat.

  Devuyst answered. "No. Very low level. Possibly a sub-system activating."

  Chun nodded. "I'll start with a sequence of rising even-numbers followed by primes and then odd-numbers. Hopefully that will establish our signals as both artificial and somewhat intelligent."

  "Hopefully?" Devuyst glanced at Chun. "Aren't you the expert?"

  "I am." Chun smiled, displaying not even the slightest hint of modesty. "But even-numbers followed by primes and odd-numbers might be the biggest insult in IT's vocabulary for all I know."

  Devuyst unlocked the thrusters and another set of controls that I could only speculate on. My guess made me uncomfortable so I kept it to myself.

  Chun triggered the signal and IT's hull brightened as the coded sequences bounced erratically off the ever-changing surface. The broadcast lasted less than a minute before the inside of the Hopper lit up. Every external feed had maxed out and overloaded the screens. Bright enough that Chun could have worked on his tan if he had time. "IT repeated our signal back to us, vastly speeded up and on all frequencies." Chun hesitated. "There's something else..."

  My screen dimmed slowly as the system re-adjusted and, edge by edge, IT came back into view.

  "Does everyone see that?" Cat sounded almost reverential.

  The "airlock" was opening steadily, individual pie-slice segments simply vanishing as we watched. When the last one was gone a pure white light flared up, surrounding the inner surface of what was now a definite hole. I saw Devuyst flick her thumbs to the fire-controls then relax. I was thankful that her judgment was as quick as her reflexes.

  "Let's go in." Cat was always the eager explorer.

  "They might think that's an unfriendly act." Devuyst glanced sideways at me. "Don't you think?"

  I was flattered that she asked. "I'd say t
hat is an invitation."

  "You don't know that." Devuyst said. "And you don't know what's in there."

  I shrugged. "We never will, sitting here."

  "If we send a probe closer, we may be able to see something inside." Chun suggested.

  Cat worked her controls, bringing her probe down and closer to IT, correcting smoothly with the thrusters until the camera pointed directly through the hole.

  "What's that?" Devuyst hissed through clenched teeth.

  It was hard to make out clearly. A shimmering layer filled the opening, an impossible liquid pool that distorted and warped the view inside.

  "An atmospheric meniscus?" I wondered out loud. "It's something we've discussed as a theoretical possibility."

  "What holds it in?" Devuyst glanced at me. "A force field?"

  "Beats me." I turned to Chun. "Can you compensate for the distortion?"

  Chun frowned. "Sorry, Murph. We don't have enough 'horsepower' on board. Maybe back at the office, but that'll take time."

  Everyone was silent. Finally Cat spoke with a distinct challenge in her voice. "Well, we can sit here and contemplate IT, or take action."

  "I agree." Devuyst spoke up. "The situation's unpredictable and potentially dangerous. We should destroy IT."

  I groaned. When would the military mind realize "kill 'em all" isn't a one-size-fits-all solution.

  "How would we do that? Do we have anything that could cause even the slightest scratch to IT?" My patience was running out.

  Devuyst didn't respond. Her chin seemed to get more pronounced as she pretended to inspect the uninteresting display before her.

  "We could send the probe in," Chun suggested.

  It was a good idea and might give us information about what was inside. Assuming IT would allow us to send a probe in. It was also a long shot that we'd be able to stay in touch with it if we did, but had to be worth trying.

  "Those probes cost the government over a million each. Only a civilian would think of throwing that away," Devuyst snapped.

  "We're using it for scientific research not throwing it away." Cat smiled at Devuyst. "Secondly, governments don't have any money —they have the taxpayers' money. I'm sure people would rather their taxes were used to research an alien craft than to kill more people."

  "Not everyone shares your pacifist views, Ms. Storey."

  "Enough." I had to raise my voice, even in the confines of the Hopper. "It's either the probe or us. Your call, Lieutenant."

  I caught Devuyst sub-vocalizing on her secret channel again and smiled. This time she even had the decency to redden slightly. "That strategy is acceptable."

  The probe edged forwards, approaching the shimmering layer at a leisurely two meters per second, hardly fast enough to muss your hair. I manipulated the second probe so it tracked its twin, zooming in to capture as much detail as possible.

  "We're still sending everything to ISHRA aren't we, Chun? I'd sure hate for them to miss this."

  "All permitted data feeds are in the green." He sniffed. "Presumably all the secret ones are operating as expected."

  "Contact in thirty seconds," Cat announced, "And five, four, three, two, one-"

  The front manipulator arm contacted the surface and the probe vanished.

  "What the hell?" Devuyst scanned the controls, her larynx working at a feverish pace. "What just happened?"

  "Cat? Chun? Anyone catch it?"

  "We've lost the probe." Cat's voice was calm and I wondered how mine sounded. "Time sync to the point of contact. Then nothing. No telemetry, remote pickups all show dead, feedback CPR non-existent, no IR or radar signature. It just vanished."

  "Destroyed?" Devuyst asked.

  "Unknown." Cat answered.

  "Inside?" I tried to sound positive.

  "Unknown."

  I hoped the recording from the second probe would show us what happened and replayed the optical feed in slow motion. The close-up showed the manipulator arm brush the "meniscus" and the probe disappeared.

  "It went inside," Cat announced.

  Devuyst groaned. "You're making that up."

  "I saw motion too." Chun said quietly.

  I hated to admit it but Devuyst seemed right. I hadn't seen anything to suggest the probe hadn't disintegrated and said so. Cat didn't agree.

  "If it had been destroyed we'd have picked up a heat signature or something. Play it again, Murph. Slowest rate."

  I restarted the video and watched the probe move forward. It was so painfully slow, you could almost imagine seeing individual atoms if you could zoom in far enough. The arm touched the surface. The probe blurred, and by the next frame it had vanished. "That was definitely motion blur."

  "I saw it disintegrate in a dust cloud." Devuyst stared straight ahead.

  "That's... Murphy, do we really need to listen to this? The meniscus changed as it went through. That thing is an airlock, not a weapon."

  Cat was frustrated and I sympathized. How much evidence of non-belligerence would it take to convince Devuyst? "The three scientists on this mission agree that the probe entered IT. Whatever blocked the neutrino scan is also stopping us receiving any probe data. Just a suggestion, but you might want to communicate that to your bosses. I'm sure they'd agree the next logical step is for us to follow the probe."

  Devuyst hesitated only momentarily before sending her report. I could only wonder what spin she put on it.

  "They'll contact us once a decision is made."

  The Hopper slipped into a silence that extended into long minutes until I would have given a week's pay just to hear someone cough.

  Cat obliged. "Why are you here, Lieutenant?"

  "What do you mean?" Devuyst's voice was low as she looked at each of us in turn.

  "Murph here is a genius in space construction, or so he likes to tell his all-too-rare dates. Chun is a linguistics, communications and technology expert. I'm a licensed space pilot and qualified chemical engineer. What qualifies you?"

  Cat was trying to goad Devuyst and I should have spoken up, but I was interested in the answer too.

  "I have nearly ten years' combat experience. I'm a fully trained deep-space navigator.' She smiled towards Cat. "Not just a Terra-Luna pilot. I've served in every major campaign since signing up and also three deep-space missions."

  "That's quite a record, Lieutenant." I hoped to forestall Cat, but it didn't work.

  "Murph's right. But there must be many others with similar records. Why you and not them?"

  "Well," Devuyst paused. "I was part of the team that pulled off the only one-hundred percent casualty-free space rescue. Someone thought you people were important enough to get me."

  Chun grinned broadly. "You saved Elvis VII!"

  A hundred or so years back the sightings were just a legend. Who would have suspected the little genetic secret hidden in the bowels of Graceland? Elvis VII was the first truly successful clone. Despite the highly publicized kidnapping and rescue, he had little musical talent and eventually chose to exile himself.

  "What was he like? Did you speak with him? Did he really sing all the way down from orbit?" Chun looked like a ten year old who'd just been given a double allowance.

  "Well, he was like... Elvis." Devuyst shrugged. "He mumbled a lot and did that hip thing too much."

  "Man he had it all: fame, fortune, a great tan, Paris IV. Why would he give that up to become a MusCat Minister?"

  "He had everything—except talent." Cat chuckled.

  "Come on Cat, that's no way to-"

  I was about to wade in to defuse the situation. Chun was the perfect logician in everything, except rock and roll, but a proximity warning filled the Hopper.

  "What?" I checked the screens. "Anyone see it?"

  Devuyst gasped. "It's the probe."

  I flipped viewpoint and sure enough there was the probe floating just outside the meniscus, looking like nothing had happened.

  "Telemetry resumed. Five by." Cat said. "Ninety-three minutes and ten seconds
since blackout."

  "Diagnostics are green." Chun announced. "As though it never left."

  "Data logs?"

  Devuyst worked her controls and shook her head. "The logs are there, but nothing was collected while it was inside."

  "Now what?"

  "Hold." Devuyst said, sending another private communication. Several minutes passed. "They want us to send the probe in again."

  Cat took control and guided the probe back to the airlock and it vanished. Ninety-three minutes later it reappeared unharmed. Two further attempts had the same results. The last time we sent in both probes and they both returned intact.

  After the last attempt Devuyst held up her hand. "Message from Central." She listened intently. "We're cleared to attempt entry."

  "Thank goodness they saw sense." Cat manipulated her controls. "I'll set the second probe to record our entrance."

  "If you want to record a message for someone," said Deyvust, "This might be your last chance."

  I don't think any of us had thought about that before and the walls seemed to tighten around us. Unless we could find a way to communicate with the controllers of IT, this really could be a one way trip. "If it doesn't toss us out after ninety-three minutes, will we be able to communicate with our people from the inside?" I wasn't hopeful.

  "If neutrinos can't penetrate, nothing we have will. Getting cold feet? I thought you were certain the aliens would be friendly."

  "I am..." Suddenly I wasn't quite so sure.

  "Then there's no reason they'd hold us." Devuyst activated the controls. "Thrusters in thirty seconds."

  ***

  The push from the thrusters pressed me back in my seat and we drifted closer. Our velocity seemed to drop as we approached. The instruments showed our speed as constant; any apparent change was purely psychological.

  The silver field filled the Hopper with dancing light. It would have been nauseating if my stomach wasn't already knotted tight. The front of the ship brushed the glittering surface and my insides were dragged in a direction I'd never felt before. My vision blurred with intense smears of blinding light, visible even with my eyes clenched.

  There was a slight clunk and as soon as I could see fully, I checked the external views. All they showed though was a milky whiteness.