"Shush." Lysa waved her hand at him. "Jesus, you talk too much for someone who clearly just rolled out of bed. Anyway, I've been working this whole time and have exactly jack shit to show for it. Even with all this stuff... this..." she tapped the table a couple of times, "this gear I've never even seen, I'm in the dark."

  "We'll get it," Kyle said. "Relax a little. It's been three days. It's alien freakin' tech, for God's sake."

  "Ancient alien tech," Lysa corrected. "You'd think that would mean we'd have no trouble figuring it out."

  "We don't know much about their history. This stuff could be top-of-the-line. Absolute best technology of their time. And we already know the aliens have better gear than we do. Hell, we found that out by setting foot on the Triton." Kyle put his hand on her shoulder. "All I'm saying is you have to be patient."

  "They're going to take this away. You know that, right? Soon."

  "No, they won't. We'll get help. I think we'd have it already if they weren't busy with something else." Kyle stood. "Anyway, catch me up. What do you need me to do? I'm happy to help."

  "Are you?" Lysa sighed. "I've run it through every scanning technique I can think of. I've tried to take a sample off the surface. It won't even smudge. And all my data indicates the thing can't be cut. Not that I'd try, but that's an interesting fact. What's more interesting is that we don't even have a name for the material this shell is made of."

  "Okay. So what about all the documentation we have on the walls? Those sigils. They have to mean something. Maybe we can make a case from that."

  "We don't have a place to start." Lysa stood, pacing to the end of the table. All the images they'd taken of the temple were up on the wall, pinned in the order they had been copied from the video feed. She'd watched their march through the place over a dozen times hoping for an epiphany. "We basically don't have a damn thing here."

  "Actually..." Kyle moved to stand beside her. "I got something from our friends on the bridge. A little thing that the Vorka guy Molush sent over for us. He'll be by later today. But right now, we have a lexicon of modern Kahl writing. Which should get us started on this stuff. Or so he thought from the small sample Violet sent him."

  "Wait, are you serious?" Lysa scowled at him. "When the hell did you get that?"

  "About twenty minutes before I got here. Like... I woke up to it."

  "Goddamn it, why didn't they send it here?"

  "Um..." Kyle shrugged. "People like me better than you?"

  "Kiss my ass, they like you better. This isn't about favorites. It's about solving a mystery." Lysa sighed. "Okay, so where is it?"

  "I sent it to your device while you were whining about not having anywhere to start." Kyle moved to let her pass him. He remained, staring at the pictures. "At least we can figure out what all these say, huh? Then that new guy can come in here and give us the alien point of view. By the way, you've gotta be excited about that, right?"

  "Kind of. And not really at the same time."

  "Explain?"

  "I'm thrilled we get to meet someone who isn't human," Lysa replied, "but I really wanted to crack this thing myself. You're the only one I'm going to say that to, by the way, so please never mention it again. I just... I really thought I had it. But as the days are stretching, I feel like an idiot."

  "Nah. You've got... this... wait a minute."

  "What?" Lysa joined him again. "What is it?"

  "This." Kyle pointed at the base where they found the cube. "That thing. The suspensor deal."

  "What about it?"

  "It held the cube in some kind of weird field, right?"

  "So?"

  "So... what if they could access it straight from there?"

  "How?" Lysa paced away. "Because that's what we're getting at here."

  "We scanned the thing, right?"

  "Yes, here are the details." Lysa brought them up on the big screen at the back of the room. "There you go. It pumped out a considerable amount of power coming straight from those generators we blew up. It was a suspension field running at a certain harmonic range. Basically, it held it up by rapidly vibrating particles."

  "Have we tried something to that effect on it? Hitting it with... with sound?"

  "You mean sending vibrations through it?" Lysa huffed. "Of course we tried that. To some extent, at least. That's how the scans work. Wait... wait... wait..." She grabbed her hand scanner, running it over the device again. "I don't get a reaction from it like this, but... maybe I've been too focused on the readings rather than how it impacts the surface."

  "So you think this might have some merit?"

  "It might. Which would shock me because you just stumbled on that idea."

  "Not really," Kyle said. "I was staring at the device thing that held it in place."

  "Okay, give me a minute." Lysa set her scanner to hit the device at the lowest frequency then continued upward to the highest output it could manage. It would change every three seconds, meaning she could get through the entire range of her handheld in about ten minutes. "If this thing opens... God, I hope nothing weird happens."

  "Put it in the box thing? You can feed your scanner's probe through the hole on the side."

  "Yeah, thank you. I'm suddenly too excited to be safe." Lysa moved the cube into the safety box the engineering team had put together. It was clear but strong enough to keep in some pretty serious radiation, even tolerate explosions if it came down to it. She thrust the prod through the side, sealing it up. "Here we go."

  "Whoa, try to nudge the thing. Quick bursts so it doesn't open until we know the frequency."

  "I'm not an idiot," Lysa said. "Well... I kinda am cause I was going to do it outside the container but relax." She initiated the cycle, fixing her eyes on the readings as they blasted the cube with heavy vibrations. The first thirty didn't do anything, just as before. She called out the results for Kyle as he took notes.

  Halfway through the cycle, the readings began to change. Minor pings as if the surface reacted to the pings registered like seismic activity. She shouted it out, her heart pounding harder, making her ears thump. Why didn't I think of this sooner? They tried a variety of other tactics. Pushing on it, pulling, tapping, X-rays... none of that worked.

  The cube shimmered, blurring as the vibration neared the higher end of the frequencies. It went back to normal with the next. Lysa stopped it, turning to Kyle. "We had a reaction."

  "I saw." Kyle smiled. "I told you! I told you it was something like that!"

  "Unless we almost blew it up," Lysa replied. "I'll check over those readings and see what happened. You should start working on the lexicon over there." The doors opened as she spoke. "Maybe we can decipher the writing and figure out exactly what we're doing with the device."

  "They're prayers," a tall man spoke up, dark hair swept back from a high brow. Lysa didn't even give him a second glance until she noticed his yellow eyes, pupils slitted like a cat's. He carried a satchel over his shoulder. She blinked, staring at him as he continued speaking. "We've seen them in Kahl temples before. Ancient religious messages to their gods."

  "Hi everyone," Captain Titus Barnes said as he entered with the alien. "This is Molush. He's come over from the Brekka to help with your studies of the cube."

  "I'm sorry it's taken so long," Molush replied. "We had some work to attend to before we could be here. Perhaps you could... oh. Manners. What are your names?"

  "I'm Lysa," she spoke in a soft voice, "this is Kyle."

  "A pleasure to meet you both." Molush turned his attention to the cube. "So. That's a fascinating thing. Their relics are hard to come by. This should be fascinating."

  "More than you know." Kyle dove right in, like Molush was just some guy from the technical pool. "Let me walk you through what we've done so far."

  And I thought he'd be the one who couldn't talk when he met an alien. Lysa thought she'd be cool and logical about it. Instead, she fixated on the man's eyes, the way he moved just different enough to be obvious. His motions were graceful, a touch slower than humans, and the way he moved his head--tilting it to the side--felt unnatural.

  He looks so much like us too. This is incredible! Questions popped into her head about his physiology. How different were they under the skin? Did they share the same organs? How about their brain chemistry? Or cardiovascular functions? I wonder if he'd be willing to submit to a comparative analysis between us?

  "So then we hit it with vibrations just before you got here," Kyle concluded, "which had quite the response actually." He turned to Lysa. "Do you want to explain?"

  "Oh, I understand," Molush said. "I've brought a device that might shed some light on a few things. We can even analyze what will happen if we push it with that vibration."

  "Have you..." Lysa cleared her throat when she practically croaked at him. "Sorry, have you ever seen any of their artifacts before? Have you acquired any?"

  "No." Molush set a tablet on the table. It measured twelve inches by nine inches. "Truthfully, we didn't realize they had temples in other parts of the galaxy. That they spread so far before the wars. The information we possess came from spies. As you can guess, they're a secretive people."

  Titus added, "Some of the Prytins went down to the surface before we left. They're excavating the site where the temple went down."

  "Yes," Molush said. "We gathered some samples of the walls, the stone, that sort of thing. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get any of the technology itself. Your scans are the only records of how their power relays and those generators worked. Wow. To have lasted that long without breakdown? I suspect nanotechnology maintained them."

  "I didn't see any indication," Lysa replied, "though I'm not sure I would've known what to look for."

  "Quite right." Molush drew out a couple chunks of rock. "These are from the walls. The intact letters we could find just in case the images you took proved blurred. I know enough about the Kahl alphabet to state they haven't changed as much as I would've thought. Which is good for us. We can learn a little about their religion from back then."

  "Evidently," Titus said, "they take their divinity seriously. It's by that right they think they're the superior beings in the universe."

  Molush chuckled. "Considering how many of us there are, the arrogance is incredible. Though we are quite certain they have committed genocide already. Possibly more than once. They're currently working on the Dahs, who... for whatever reason... denied our help. We're trying to save them anyway. Unfortunately they're... well..."

  "That bad?" Kyle asked.

  "Bad enough that they've moved on to the Rhulins... and they're in a bad place too." Molush turned the tablet on. "But that's why we're here, right? To save the galaxy and all the people who aren't monsters trying to kill us all off. Anyway, let's get back to something more pleasant. Unlocking the mysteries of this cube."

  "I'm going to leave you to it," Titus said. "Let me know if you need anything. We'll be in the briefing room."

  Lysa watched the captain go before turning to Molush's tablet. "So what's that thing do?"

  "It's a highly advanced computer," Molush explained. "Much like the equipment on this ship, but I've customized this one. The sensor probe I'll attach to it should give us some incredible data. I've been able to scan a ship in orbit while inside a cave. If anything can penetrate the surface of that thing, it'll be this."

  "And if it doesn't?" Kyle asked. "What's the plan then?"

  "We'll get back to your vibrations." Molush plugged a dongle into the bottom of the tablet then drew out a long tube surrounded in white with grating at one end. "And open it up. The reason I would like to test the thing first is for two reasons. One, I think if we hit it with vibrations, that'll be like using brute force. It could damage it.

  "And two, the vibrations may not be attempting to get at the center but rather causing it to destroy itself. I've heard of old relics having safety protocols built in to ensure the wrong people don't get at the information inside. On my own planet, I mean. Not Kahl equipment specifically."

  "Like that super old movie!" Kyle turned to Lysa. "The one with the cylinder where there were letters? And if you screwed up and tried to force it open, then liquid poured inside and ruined the paper. Making it impossible to read." He turned to Molush. "Like that, right? A booby trap."

  "I... suppose." Molush smiled. "I don't know what you're referring to beyond, yes, that sounds about right."

  "It was a book first, jackass," Lysa muttered. "Anyway, let's make it happen."

  Molush held the scanner over the box, pointing the grated part directly at the cube. He tapped the tablet. It beeped three times as an image appeared on the screen; a rendering of their relic. It spun around as a green indicator on the left began to climb from the bottom. The letters were in another language.

  "Is that how long it'll take to complete?" Kyle asked.

  "No, that's how much power it's using." Molush tapped the desk thoughtfully. "I still haven't penetrated it, and this is drawing on more than three-quarters of the power core in this thing. That's... impressive. They should've made their starships out of this metal. It would've made it much more difficult to fight them."

  "I'm guessing it was rare," Lysa said. "It had to have been. In our culture, precious materials were often used by religious groups to craft items important to them. Gold, jewels, whatever else... it helped emphasize the fact that they were sacred."

  "The same is true of our cultures," Molush replied. "Hmm. Well, we have a mystery here. I cannot even tell what will happen when we hit it with those vibrations for a longer duration. That's... frustrating. I'm not usually baffled by things." He tapped the tablet. The power meter began to go down quickly. "One thing I did get is the structural integrity readings."

  "Meaning you know how strong it is," Lysa said.

  "Exactly." Molush nodded. "And I can monitor that while we hit it again." He took a seat on a stool, staring at the cube. "I wonder if we should attempt to cut it open. Hit with a high-intensity laser before vibrating it again."

  "So we can get just below the surface?" Kyle asked. "Or are you thinking about going all the way through?"

  "I'm torn either way." Molush stood, pacing. The act made Lysa smile. They didn't seem all that different after all. "If we can get through it that way, we might know what's inside, but if it's a power source, we might wreck it. Same goes with the vibrations. It's just a hard call. Our primary goal is maintaining integrity so we learn something."

  "Then I say vibrations," Lysa replied. "It seemed to only be impacting the outside. Which should allow us to get at what's inside without risking it."

  "True," Kyle said. "I'm with her."

  "Then I'll support you both." Molush returned to the table, placing the scanner on top again. "I'd rather not place my hand there so I'm going to use a little power to attach it..." He tapped the tablet for a moment. "There, it's sealed. Okay. I'm ready when you are. Be prepared to shut it off if I shout."

  Lysa started up the process, staring intently at the meter. Kyle came to stand beside her with his own scanner aiming at the cube. She zeroed it in on the frequency they found before, shutting down the timer. The moment it engaged, the surface of the relic began to shimmer, visibly blurring.

  "Increase," Molush shouted. "By... three percent."

  "What's happening?" Kyle asked.

  "Think of that reaction like someone answering the door," Molush replied. "Three percent should get us in."

  "I'm increasing now," Lysa called out, juicing up the power. The cube drew her attention, the surface bursting outward then reforming, tiny particles flying about the sealed container. It looked like ash blowing in the wind, but some force held it together, some power at the center of the thing. "Is it working?"

  "Yes, and no," Molush replied. "Shut it down."

  Lysa complied. The cube returned to its solid state.

  "Absolutely intriguing," Molush said. "With the surface burst outward like that, I got a good look at what's inside. I don't think we can keep the external side open long enough to get it out but what we've discovered is a data storage unit. Some kind of records from the Kahl's ancient past."

  "Explains why they wanted it," Kyle said. "Especially if it turns out to be important."

  "I'm sure it will be," Molush replied. "In fact, they put out some big guns to secure it. I wonder though... if they even knew it existed. It may be that we've got something they only peripherally became aware of. The real question is whether or not this is merely a find for history or if it can be used to help us in the conflict with our enemies."

  Lysa shrugged. "Learning more about them has to be a good thing... right? Where they came from should help us understand where they're going."

  "True." Molush nodded. "I have an idea of who might be capable of helping us. A scholar of some renown and one I went to school with. He's been studying all things Kahl for a long time. If I can convince my captain, we should seek him out. He might be capable of opening this thing up. Or he may even know what it is already."

  "That would be great," Kyle said. "Where is he?"

  "Hmm. I do not know." Molush frowned. "But it won't be hard to find him. Some research facility or other. Perhaps on our home. We aren't quite at the same level of conflict with the Kahls yet. They've been working over others. Here." He handed Lysa his tablet. "If you'd like to gather the data off of it, plug it into your port over there. Your device will translate the info."

  "Thanks," Lysa replied. "Will you be back?"

  "I will. If I may, I suggest you translate the text, look over the information we scanned, and see if you can put anything together. Maybe your vibration idea can be made to work. It won't hurt to try while I do my work. Regardless, I'm glad to have met you. We'll talk again very soon."

  Molush left the room. Kyle nudged her. "We did it. We know there's something in there now!"

  "Yeah, I can't believe it didn't work though." Lysa plugged in the tablet then used her device to start downloading the data. "Well, we're closer. That's better than nothing. Maybe he got some actionable stuff during that run. What do you think of him? He seemed pretty great to me."

 

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