Deterrence expedition le.., p.7
Deterrence Expedition : Legacy Earth 3, page 7
Cadence started her descent. Lance followed her, with his team close behind. Sure enough, they passed Justin as they descended the stone steps with a modern hand railing installed. They reached the bottom by the time Justin was three-quarters of the way down.
“Yeah nope, don’t wait up. There’s no need to keep the team together or anything!” Justin shouted in a taunting tone.
His words echoed through the cavern before dying out several seconds later. As they pressed on without a word, Lance looked over the structures as they passed. While they appeared to be made of stone, he noticed small things like rails on the ground at the base of doors, and intricate details around corners and at the base of roofs that held a similarity to the construction on Earth.
The air was cool and damp as they continued to descend down a slanted street toward the base of an ever growing sphere. It smelled of mold and mud. Hammers tapping, power tools revving; they all drowned out any chance at hearing what nature was once inside this mausoleum to an ancient race.
In the center stood a pillar of stone. Or at least what it looked like. Doubt crept into the back of Lance’s mind that the city’s appearance was its true face. The column was octagonal. It spiraled to the ceiling with carvings on each of its eight sides. They followed each face in one continuous motion.
A soft hum thrummed from above them. Lance looked up to see the soft blue glow of a hover platform drifting around the pillar. A strange sense of euphoria washed over the first lieutenant. It drifted through him like a waterfall. It didn’t feel organic, like the joy was from an outside source.
Michael started to hum to himself, a quirk Lance noticed developed by the engineer whenever he got overly excited. As he looked over at his giddy team mate, he noticed Justin bouncing in anticipation, Dexter tapping his fingers, and a wide smile on Mattias’ face, something hardly attributed to the former squad leader.
“Val!” Cadence shouted; even the corners of her mouth curled upward slightly. “We’ve brought your guest!”
The white dome of a hazmat suit’s head cover poked over the edge of the hover platform. Reflecting light off the face plate obscured the archeologist’s face. Surprise set into Lance. He’d never seen her outside of her armor.
“This is amazing!” she shouted as her craft hummed louder.
It descended to the ground, setting down on the far side of the pillar. Several seconds later, Valdivia stumbled out from behind her cover. She bounced, bubbling with excitement before turning toward Lance. She shut off the scanning mode of her multi-tool.
Behind the face shield sat a visage unlike anything he’d seen before. A wide, smooth face with light pink skin was partially lit by the floating orbs. Two small slits sat where a nose would be that opened and closed with each shallow breath. A wide smile revealed omnivorous teeth with slightly elongated canines that caught her lower lip.
“YOU! THANK YOU SO MUCH!” she shouted as she charged Lance.
The soldier’s heart jumped into his throat at the sight of short, yet powerful Jarog ran at him. He planted his feet as she collided into him. Even holding his ground, he slid backwards a few inches. Her arms wrapped around his chest and squeezed. A sharp pain shot through his ribs. He was unable to inhale thanks to her constrictive grip.
“You…” he managed to squeeze out in a gasp. “Let…”
He couldn’t get out the second words as he fought for breath, the joy he once felt overwhelmed by the stabbing pains in his sides.
“I think he’s trying to say if you don’t let him go, you’re going to break a rib,” Justin called out.
Valdivia released Lance and stepped back. Her already pink cheeks took on a reddish tint as she glanced away from him sheepishly.
“Sorry, I sometimes forget you humans can be frail,” she muttered.
“Frail?” Justin asked, almost under his breath.
“I mean… have you looked in a mirror?” Dexter quipped back.
“At least he doesn’t have to take nausea medicine every time he flies,” Mattias chimed in.
“Boys,” Lance shot back, quickly bringing a silence to the team before catching Val’s eye. “There’s no need to thank me. We couldn’t get you back to your people, you’re an archeologist, we had a site. You’ve made more progress in two years than we would’ve made in fifty. So why’d you want to see me?”
“To show you THIS!” she shouted and motioned toward the pillar. “This sports ancient dialects many thought dead. It has a near prehistoric Galio-esk language. A version of my people’s tongue, but infinitely more complex and some that I’ve never even seen before. Like this one!”
She approached the base of the pillar and pointed to strange glyphs. They were triangles attached to straight lines. Sometimes they pointed the same direction. Sometimes they pointed in different directions.
“Hol-LY,” Michael muttered as he approached the stone. “Do you know what this is?”
Lance narrowed his eyes. He shook his head as curiosity swelled within him. Michael turned his attention to his multi-tool. With several swipes of his fingers, its display projected a language that looked nearly identical to the markings on the pillar.
“This is cuneiform!” Michael blurted, excitement overwhelming his own self-control.
His voice echoed through the sphere. It brought a halt to everyone’s work. Several heads poked over the edge to see the source of the disturbance.
“Cunei-what now?” Dexter asked as he stepped next to Lance.
The first lieutenant tilted his head to the side as he inspected the glyphs. Cuneiform sounded familiar. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why, though.
“Cuneiform!” Michael said once again. “It’s one of the oldest languages known to man, found in ancient Mesopotamia, Persia, Ugarit…”
Lance couldn’t hold back a smile as a wave of excitement flowed through him, like a river from what felt like an outside source. He, however, was the source of most of it.
“So this isn’t the first time we’ve occupied Mars, then?” Lance asked, trying to keep his growing enthusiasm in check.
“Either that or the one A.M. specials on the history channels were right and it’s all aliens,” Michael added.
Lance turned to Cadence. The puzzle pieces of Michael’s yammering fell into place on their own. He may have been a soldier and never particularly interested in history or the sciences outside of what had to be known, but the young man knew when something was important.
“I bet there are cuneiform translations somewhere in our archives,” Lance said. “I’m sure it’ll go a long way to translating this pillar and unlocking whatever secrets this civilization may have held.”
Cadence crossed her arms over her chest. She pursed her lips as she tapped her toe while looking the monolith over. Time felt like it slowed to a crawl as she pondered the request. He couldn’t tell if she was just messing with him or really contemplating. Either way, an unnatural amount of impatience welled up within the soldier.
“Of course,” Cadence finally said. “We’ll make sure you have everything you need.”
Relief washed over him. He let out a sigh, not realizing he’d been holding his breath the whole time.
“You want to hold up your multi-tool?” Michael asked.
Lance turned his attention back to his team mate and the Jarog. As they touched bracers, the data on Michael’s “dead” language was sent to Val.
“I’ll get to deciphering right away!” she exclaimed as her four fingers flew around the projection of her multi-tool.
“I know you didn’t call us down here just to show us a pillar,” Lance said, looking at the monolith. “As impressive as it is.”
“Right, yes, ummmm,” Val shifted her jaw to the side as she bit her lower lip and her eyes darted from here to there. Dark pink lines took the place of eyebrows. They arched up as she lifted her finger into the air. “YES, of course! I think I’ve discovered the purpose of this temple, and what killed the planet!”
“Now that’s something I’d like to hear,” Cadence said while she started to examine the multi-lingual stone.
“If my translations are correct, this was a temple to worship some sort of god,” Valdivia said.
“As most temples are,” Dexter murmured under his breath.
“But the translation is tricky. I can’t tell if it was a god of death or a god of immortality, or some hybrid mix of the two,” Val explained. “BUT what I discovered this morning has shed new light on this ENTIRE city! Whatever god this temple was erected to grow displeased with its people caused Olympus Mons to erupt. The eruption spewed out so much lava, it covered the planet, and this temple produced a shield to try and protect its inhabitants from the lava.”
“That could explain why the core slowed down,” Lance whispered, intrigue about the planet growing with each passing second. “So what does that mean for the city?”
“My working hypothesis is that the shield failed before all the lava could cool,” Val explained. “And that under the layers of rock out there is a preserved ancient and advanced civilization.”
“How advanced are we talking?” Mattias asked.
“It’s beyond anything I’ve ever seen,” Valdivia replied. “They were advanced enough to use the geothermal energy of the planet itself to produce a shield that’s five hundred meters in diameter.”
Lance let out a soft whistle. He crossed his arms, raised his eyebrows, and turned to the colonel.
“That amount of technological advancement could give us a chance to see if anyone is coming from lightyears away,” Lance suggested. “And advance our battle shield technology to be able to take more than just an HRG round before failing.”
“I’ll make sure they get whatever they need,” Cadence said before turning and making her way back out. “Valdivia, I want two reports a day on your progress here!”
“Yes, ma’am!” the Jarog replied before turning her attention to Lance. “I do need to surface. I’ve been cooped up down here for weeks since my designated chaperons have been deployed. I’m going a little stir crazy. Would you mind being my escort so I can get out of this cave?”
Lance hesitated. He glanced around at his team. Michael was enthralled by the pillar. Mattias offered him a thumbs-up while Dexter and Justin both sported wide grins, bit their lower lips, and arched their eyebrows while nodding in unison.
“You both look like psychopaths,” Lance said, causing them to stop before turning back to Val. “Of course. Get your armor on and I’ll meet you at the elevator closest to the south-west entrance.”
“Sounds good, see you there,” she said before turning and disappearing back behind the tower.
Lance took his team, partially kicking and complaining, back toward the elevator. Dexter and Justin teased him the entire walk back just to try and get under his skin. The first lieutenant did his best to ignore it until they reached the elevator and waited.
Ten
Left
“Who would’ve thought a Jarog was so cute?” Dexter asked as they waited for Val. “I wonder how many other hot aliens are out there.”
“A rock would be hot to you if you carved enough curves into it,” Justin countered.
“But her mind!” Michael marveled. “She’s so intelligent, kind, and my goodness, how was being hugged by her?”
Lance gave Dexter a steely glance before turning his attention to the engineer. Catching himself, he shook his head. My goodness, is it a genetic thing? he thought to himself before forcing himself to crack a smile.
“Michael, you’ve already fraternized with an alien species we were in the middle of negotiations with,” Lance said in a taunting tone. “If you go for a prisoner, you’re going to start to develop a reputation.”
“Eh, I think I’m good with that,” Michael said with a shrug.
“Oh my goodness!” Lance huffed, a playful frustration bubbled within him. “Why don’t you go ahead and surface because I really don’t want to A. do all the paperwork explaining why one of my men made a move on our wartime guest, and B. have to visit you in the hospital when she snaps every bone in your body. Because she’s that strong!”
Lance’s hand instinctively moved to his side. He hadn’t noticed until actually mentioning it, but his ribs were still a little sore from her embrace.
“I’d let her break my ribs,” Dexter said under his breath, a hint of innuendo in his voice.
“You couldn’t handle little ol’ me,” Justin chimed in. “No way you’re ready for someone like her.”
“Hey, did anyone else notice that…” Mattias started before Michael elbowed him in the ribs and pointed.
Lance followed the engineer’s finger. At the base of the stairs approached Valdivia. She was covered head to toe in her pink armor. Its paint had faded and chipped over the years without a touchup, but its structural integrity was still very much intact. As she reached the top of the stairs, she offered the team a wave before marching onto the elevator.
“I’m waiting on you now!” she called from inside the box.
Lance turned, walked past his men, and got on the elevator. The other four boarded moments later. Justin stood next to the panel with the up and down buttons. He reached for the arrow pointing above them. His fingers fell an inch short.
The first lieutenant watched as Justin stepped back, looked at the team, and motioned for the controls. No one moved. The pilot’s expression soured. Lance motioned toward the controls. With a grumble, the shortest member of their team faced the arrows again. Jumping, he slapped at the up arrow. He hit it at the apex of his hop. Landing caused a small bounce to shake the box before it started its ascent.
“You all are jerks,” he muttered as Val clapped happily.
“At least we know that your reach doesn’t exceed your grasp,” Dexter teased.
“How does that one classical song go?” Mattias asked. “You’ve gotta get up to get down?”
“Guys!” Lance interjected with a slight scold to his tone. “Don’t be making fun of his stature! Good men like him are in short supply.”
A series of snickers rose from the others as Justin shot Lance a deadpan glare.
“I hate you so much,” he muttered, holding back a laugh of his own before looking at Valdivia. “All I get from these guys are short jokes.”
“Why do you taunt him so?” Val asked as she turned toward Lance. “It seems so mean.”
“It’s a way we show affection to one another,” Lance explained. “We’re like brothers, and families tease each other.”
“Paul Bunyan over here must really like me, then,” Justin said as he motioned toward Dexter.
“Paul Bunyan?” the walking tank scoffed. “Is that the best you got? That’s like me calling you Tyrion Lannister.”
“Mmmm, speaking of which, that reminds me of a joke!” Justin exclaimed. “I once walked into a brothel with a honeycomb and a donkey…”
Before Lance could tell Justin not to finish the joke, the elevator bounced to a stop. When the doors opened Michael, Mattias, and Dexter all pushed their way out with a series of groans and huffs at Justin’s attempt at a joke. The pilot followed.
Once it quieted down, Lance stepped away from Val and motioned toward the exit. She walked to the planet’s surface first. The first lieutenant followed closely behind. Both stopped only a few steps out as the rest of the Hrafn squad made their way to the transport.
“Thank you for escorting me out here,” Valdivia said as she looked up at the dark blue sky. “I greatly enjoy my work, but open space is always welcome.”
“No need to thank me,” Lance replied as he followed her gaze.
Several ships flew overhead in different directions, one higher than the others. In low orbit, several of the new dreadnaughts were visible with the naked eye. A desperate scramble was made to build mobile platforms that could contest with the Galio craft two years ago. A melancholy drifted into the soldier. He clenched his jaw and swallowed hard before turning his attention back to Val.
“I don’t want to do this,” he muttered. “But I have to ask, because it’s only a matter of time before someone else does. What do you know about Galio war strategy?”
“Very little about their modern era,” Val explained. “Their pre-space flight days wouldn’t translate in any helpful way either, as they were forced to space by an invading species. They had to adapt their off-planet tactics drastically differently from their ground strategy.”
“Well then, I guess I’d better brush up some more on the Art of War,” Lance said softly as he looked down and gave a stone a kick.
“Art of what?” Val asked as she turned to face him.
“Art of War,” Lance replied. “It’s a book written by a man considered one of the greatest generals in human history. Even now, over two thousand years later, it’s still taught and encouraged for soldiers to read.”
“I’d like to give such a book a read!” she exclaimed. “Is there a museum I can borrow it from?”
“What? No!” Lance laughed and shook his head. “It’s on our digital library. You can access it with your multi-tool, even with the restrictions we have in place.”
Instantly, she turned her attention to her wrist-mounted computer. Swiping frantically, she made it to the library database. As she opened it, the first lieutenant noticed red crosses over at least ninety percent of the books. Highlighting the search bar, he turned the multi-tool toward the young man.
“I still haven’t mastered your language. I am working on it, though,” she explained. “Can you put in the name of the book?”
Lance obliged. Leaning over, he typed in ‘Art of War’ into the search bar. The book appeared at the top of the list with a yellow cross over it. Val let out a frustrated grumble.
“This one isn’t strictly off limits, but I have to fill out a mountain of request forms to get permission to read it,” she complained.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about that,” Lance replied. “Colonel Cadence is an understanding and generous woman. With everything you’ve done to help us with our excavation and the fact you’ve never once tried to escape, I’m sure she’ll approve your request.”
