Impulse, page 19
part #12 of First Colony Series
There were several holoscreens active. “There’s a lot of data here,” Noah said. “I’ve tried a few compression algorithms to see if I could speed up the transfer, but it’s not helping, so we’re just transferring the raw data.”
“Why isn’t it working?” Connor asked.
“To compress the data, the algorithm needs to manipulate every piece of data before it can be transferred. The Bhatdin’s data handling for their repositories already has it in a compressed state for efficient storage.”
Connor nodded. “Got it. Double compression gets us nothing. So, we can’t save time on the transfer. How long is this going to take?”
“Thirty-six hours. Maybe more.” Noah winced.
Connor’s gaze darted to Lenora. They might not have that much time. “I know. I know,” she said. The ground shuddered. “I’m trying to find the physical storage used for the data. If we can’t copy it, then maybe we can take the storage medium with us.”
Her voice was tight with frustration.
“Okay, let’s slow down a second. What if we left the data uplink running and went back to the Hercules? It’s not like we have to watch the data transfer.”
“We don’t know how long the bunker will have power. Urret couldn’t make it to the power station. It’s cut off from the rest of the bunker. Do you know what’s causing the quakes?”
Connor shook his head. “They’re not sure. It might just be in this area.”
Noah arched an eyebrow. “That’s not suspicious or anything.”
“It could just be a coincidence, but I’d rather not get trapped in here.”
Lenora shook her head and sighed. “How long can you wait before we evacuate?”
“I’ve told the other teams to start making their way back to the main entrance. Urret found some equipment they’re bringing out. The team exploring the dormitories found what they think are personal log devices. They’re collecting them. We have a little time if you want to head to the computing core.”
Noah looked at Lenora. “It’s worth a shot.”
She nodded. “I know, but we could lose it all if we’re wrong.”
Connor looked at them and waited.
“If we start removing the storage devices, there’s a chance it could stop the transfer. I won’t know until we go down there and take a look.”
“Okay, two questions first for both of you. Is this really the Bhatdin? Is it their bunker?”
Lenora smiled. “It is. The same logo is here, and the earliest log entries are for when they first arrived here.”
“Is the data here worth the risk of staying longer?” Connor asked.
“I think so,” Noah said.
“If we leave and the bunker sinks, gets crushed, or suffers from some other kind of catastrophe, we could return with salvage teams and retrieve what’s left, but we might lose some or all of the data,” Lenora said.
Connor had expected as much, but he needed to be sure. The information stored here couldn’t be found anywhere else on New Earth. It could give them new insights into the Ovarrow and even the Krake.
“Let’s get moving,” Connor said.
They left the command center. The recon drone had mapped the area, and a path was highlighted on their personal HUDs showing them how to get to the computing core.
“I tried to run searches to narrow down just the important information, but there’s too much here for that,” Noah said.
“Too much here and not enough time,” Connor replied.
The computing core was a series of circular rooms packed with equipment. The layout reminded Connor of Krake facilities he’d been to. How much had the two species’ technology been intertwined? The Krake home universe had contained two habitable planets. One, like New Earth, had been home to the Ovarrow, and the second was home to the Krake. In all the other universes the Krake had explored, their home planet was a lifeless rock while the Ovarrow homeworlds thrived. This revelation had led to war between the two species.
They walked inside the nearest room. There was equipment lining the walls and in the center of a wide metallic column. Green holoscreens were active. Connor circled the room while Noah and Lenora went to the column. Some of the equipment was dark. It must have suffered damage and was now offline.
A comlink chimed on his wrist computer. It was Diaz.
“We’re going to start moving what they found to the Hercules.”
“Understood, we’ll be going back to the main entrance in a little while,” Connor replied.
“Don’t take too long. I don’t want to have to rescue your ass again.”
“I thought we were even,” Connor replied.
He heard Diaz grin as the comlink severed, and he walked out into the main corridor with an answering grin on his face.
Sergeant Tui came toward him. “The other rooms look similar to that one. Mostly in good shape. Is there anything we can do, General?”
Corporal Eldridge and Private Rhodes watched.
“Let’s go see what the experts have for us,” Connor said.
He returned to Noah and Lenora. They had several access panels open at the base of the column.
Noah gestured inside. “They look like they come right out.”
“Yeah, but we need to attach portable power supplies to them to keep them working. We don’t have enough,” Lenora said.
“We’ll need to guess which ones to take, then transfer as much as we can,” Noah replied.
Connor and the CDF soldiers walked over to them. “What have you got?”
Noah gestured inside the access panel. There were glossy, black-colored ovals a half-meter long. A purple glow swirled inside.
“Is that the data module?” Connor asked.
“That’s it,” Lenora confirmed. “They’re similar to the ones we found in the archives at Sanctuary, but these hold way more data.”
“How do we extract them?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Noah said.
“If they work like the ones in the archive, you have to put them on standby in the computer system before you can detach them. Once they’re detached, we need to connect them to a portable power supply and take them with us,” Lenora said.
Noah stood up and began navigating the option on the holoscreen. “Okay, this one should be on standby.”
Connor peered at the data module. It didn’t look any different. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, that’s the one on my screen,” Noah said.
Connor took out his portable power supply and connected it to the data module. There was a dimming of the purple light in the module. He looked at Noah.
“It can come out now.”
Connor reached in and lifted the data module out of the panel. It was heavier than it looked.
“How many of these are there?” he asked.
“One for each panel at the base here. It’s probably the same for each of the rooms in here,” Lenora said.
Connor nodded. “All right then. You and Noah put them on standby, and we’ll come around behind you and retrieve the modules.”
Noah left the room and Sergeant Tui followed him along.
Lenora put the rest of the data modules on standby, and Connor began retrieving them. He handed them to Corporal Eldridge and Private Rhodes. “Bring those to the main entrance,” Connor said.
The two CDF soldiers left.
“We’re not going to be able to get them all,” Connor said.
Lenora nodded. “I know.”
Over the next fifteen minutes as they retrieved the data modules and carried them through the bunker, the seismic activity became more frequent. Connor had hoped they’d be able to come back to retrieve the rest of the modules, but they couldn’t. Not with the bunker as unstable as it was.
Noah had set up a data uplink for the rest but wasn’t sure if they even had the capacity to take it all on their equipment on the Hercules.
“Once we get back to the ship, you can set up another comlink to relay it back to Sanctuary,” Connor said.
“I’ll send word to the Research Institute to get a temporary storage array set up for us,” Lenora said.
The air inside the bunker became much cooler as they reached the main entrance. With so much foot traffic coming and going, the climate controls were having trouble keeping up with the temperature extremes.
Connor heard shouting coming from outside and quickened his pace. He quickly made it through the access tunnel and into the frigid air. Cloud cover had increased, and although they still had daylight visibility, it was diminishing with a coming storm.
Diaz stood with his tri-barreled shotgun pointed at Shuno and other Konus. Everyone had their weapons drawn. Urret and the Mekaal soldiers flanked Diaz and also had their weapons aimed at the Konus soldiers.
Specialist Weps and the other two CDF soldiers had their weapons ready as well.
Connor put down the data modules he was carrying. “What’s going on here?”
“Tell me again how you don’t know about the bombs!” Diaz shouted.
Shuno and the other Konus soldiers crouched in defensive positions.
“Diaz!” Connor shouted. “What happened?”
Diaz kept staring at the Konus soldiers. “There was a bombing at the embassy in Shetrian. The Konus did it. I’m finding out whether they know anything.”
“General Gates,” Specialist Weps said, “we just received an update from COMCENT. It was an alert about the bombing. That’s all we know.”
Connor walked over to them. “Everyone stand down. We’re not going to shoot each other. Lower your weapons,” he said and looked at Shuno and the other Konus. “Lower your weapons.”
Shuno glared at Connor for a few moments and then lowered his weapon. The other Konus did the same, and the Mekaal soldiers followed suit. Diaz didn’t.
“Juan, I need you to lower your weapon. We’ll find out what happened, but I can’t have you threatening them.”
“He knows something. I can tell it by the look on his face. He’s not even surprised!”
Connor came over to Diaz but didn’t reach out to him. “We’ll get to the bottom of this. They’ve been with us, so they couldn’t have been directly involved. I need you to calm down. Let’s get some more information and take it from there.”
Diaz looked at him. “The alert said the Konus were involved. I told you we couldn’t trust them.”
“Juan, you know there’s always more to it. If it’s just an alert, there isn’t any information about the survivors. Isaac could be fine. We can’t find out from here. Come back to the ship with me and we’ll find out what’s going on.”
Diaz looked away from him, but he lowered his weapon. “If anything has happened to my son, there’s gonna be hell to pay, starting with them,” he said and began walking toward the rovers.
19
Connor climbed inside the nearest rover and opened a priority comlink to COMCENT. The others began loading the rovers, except for the Konus. Shuno stood off to the side and appeared to be speaking quietly with his own people.
Connor reviewed the broadcast alert and then contacted Nathan. A video comlink came to prominence on the holoscreen showing Nathan’s head and shoulders.
“Connor, I’m still getting updates, but here’s what I know. There was an attack in Shetrian and bombs did go off throughout the city, including the area around our embassy there. There are survivors. Local Mekaal forces are cooperating with us. I’ve sent several quick-response units to the embassy. Search and rescue efforts are ongoing,” Nathan said.
“Are the Konus responsible for this?”
“We don’t know for sure. The Konus warlord has denied responsibility, but we do have evidence of Konus involvement. However, it gets worse. There’s evidence of Mekaal involvement as well.”
Connor’s eyebrows pulled into a tight frown. “Mekaal?” His mind began to race. “Is the entire embassy destroyed or—who was the target?”
“We’re still working on it. No, the embassy wasn’t destroyed. We’ve got a lot of people working on this. We’re still trying to locate all our people in Shetrian,” Nathan said.
Connor’s lips formed a grim line. “I have a Konus squad with me. I’m going to question them. If I learn anything, I’ll contact you.”
“Understood. When I learn more, I’ll make sure you’re informed.”
“Have someone there send me a personnel list for everyone at the embassy.”
Nathan frowned for a moment.
“Diaz’s son was there. I need to know his current status.”
Nathan gestured to someone off-screen. “Isaac Diaz,” he said to them. After a few moments, he looked back at Connor and shook his head. “I’m sorry, his whereabouts are unknown. They weren’t at the embassy during the attack. His last reported location was with a group heading to the capitol building. Some kind of presentation for the High Commissioner. All the scientists were invited.”
Connor nodded. “Thanks, Nathan.”
“Tell Diaz we’ll find his son.”
The comlink went dark and Connor stepped out of the rover. Diaz waited a few feet away.
“Isaac is missing. They’re looking for him.”
Diaz took several breaths. “We need to go.”
“We will.”
Diaz blinked several times and then nodded. “Was it the Konus?”
“Their warlord denies any involvement, but there were Konus spotted during the attack.”
Diaz regarded him for a moment.
“The Mekaal were involved, too. They’re still trying to piece everything together.”
Diaz turned away from him.
“Isaac wasn’t at the embassy when the bombs went off. He’s missing.”
Connor watched as Diaz squeezed the tri-barrel shotgun in his grasp as if he were choking the life from it.
“Damn it!” Diaz screamed. He spun toward the Ovarrow, and Connor hastened to stand in his way. “I told him not to go, that they couldn’t be trusted. I should have stopped him, but no. You, Victoria, told me I had to let him go. I couldn’t have stopped him. Well, I could have stopped him! If I had, he’d be safe at home in Sanctuary where he belongs.”
Connor stood there watching his friend’s anguish. Several of the others looked over at them.
“He’s not dead,” Connor said.
Diaz glared at the Konus.
“Juan, this isn’t going to help.”
Diaz swung his gaze toward Connor. “I don’t give a fuck about helping anyone. My son is missing. There was an attack on our embassy.”
“Not just the embassy. Bombs went off throughout the city.”
Diaz shook his head. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“No, it’s not. It’s to get you to think. There’s more going on here than we know right now.”
“I told you the Ovarrow were your crusade, not mine,” Diaz said and shook his head. “I should never have come on this expedition. They’ll never be like us. They’ll never be able to live in peace because all they know is war. They’re broken. No, you listen to me now. I know what you’re going to say. We need to let the CDF and the intelligence bureau and every other damn agency out there do their investigation. Find out who is responsible and stop them. But how many of our people have to die for this? How many have to die for them!”
Diaz stormed away from him, and Connor let him go. This wasn’t the first time someone had lashed out at him. He’d done it to others on occasion, but it didn’t sting any less. He remembered when Mekaal insurgents had triggered the collapse of several bridges in Shetrian, and Lenora had been trapped. Connor had gone to the city with an army at his back, and he’d threatened and bullied the Mekaal into cooperating. He looked at Lenora. She was speaking to Kara and then turned toward him. If she’d been in Shetrian during another attack, he’d do the same thing again. The colony could banish him, but he’d be lying to himself if he thought he’d do it any differently. The fact that Diaz had reacted the same way wasn’t a shock to him.
Connor turned toward Shuno and the Konus soldiers. “Sergeant Tui, you and your squad on me.”
The CDF soldiers came to his side and followed him toward the Konus. One of them began to raise his weapon.
“If that barrel comes anywhere within the vicinity of anything but the ground, I’ll order my soldiers to kill you where you stand,” Connor said.
The Konus soldier lowered his weapon.
Connor continued until he stood in front of Shuno. “First Fist Shuno, I need to ask you a question. Do you know anything about this attack? Are you aware of any military operation being conducted by your people in Shetrian?”
“General Gates,” Shuno said, “I need to contact my superiors.”
“As soon as you answer my question.”
Shuno regarded him for a few moments. “And if I refuse? What then?”
“Don’t,” Connor replied, putting even more steel into his voice.
Shuno looked at the CDF soldiers and the Mekaal that had come over to them. He threw down his weapon and ordered the others to do the same. Then he looked at Connor. “I am unaware of any military operation in Shetrian. I am unaware of any plans for a military operation that involves Shetrian, the Mekaal, or the human colony.”
Connor regarded the Konus soldier for a few moments.
“Are we prisoners?” Shuno asked.
“I will allow you to contact your superiors, and you may advise them of the situation,” Connor replied and turned toward Specialist Weps. “Get them a comlink back to Renoya at once. Sergeant Tui, you’ll monitor the whole comlink session.”
“Yes, General,” Sergeant Tui said.
Connor turned to Urret and gestured for the Mekaal soldiers to follow him. He walked a short distance away. Diaz was watching him, and Lenora and Noah stood next to Diaz.
Urret waited for Connor to speak.
“The current intelligence for the attack has both Mekaal and Konus involved,” Connor said.
Urret considered this for a few moments. “Soldiers?”
“Unknown.”
“There has always been some resistance to our alliance with the colony, but to attack the colonial embassy seems far-fetched,” Urret said.
