Guardian Ruins Part 3
13 Mar 2018MMMMMalcolm
When Kay picked me up I sat in the SRV bay fuming. It felt like every time I took one step forward I was dragged twenty steps back. I was free from the shackles of my guardian but I still felt tainted by ‘The Club’. Like an annoying tune I couldn’t get out of my head, I felt like they were IN me somehow; taunting me with the fact I couldn’t escape them or conquer them.Then what seemed like an easy recon mission for intel and weapons schematics, was actually a month long wild goose chase spanning hundreds of alien sites and thousands of light years. Thargoids will have conquered the bubble by the time I solved this puzzle.
Then there was Ram Tah. I thought I had finally found a magic bullet. He could answer my questions concerning ‘The Club’ as well as provide the tools I needed to fight Thargoids. I thought he would be my ticket to finally making a difference in this galaxy. Turns out I underestimated the heights of his paranoia. His security protocols ensured no one got close to him or his research without his approval. I screamed to the top of my lungs as I sat in my rover’s chair. This trip was looking like a big bust.
“Malcolm,” Kay called over the coms. “Why are you still in the rover bay? Get up here.” I made my way to the pilot’s deck. When I looked out of the canopy I saw we hadn’t left the planet’s surface.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Chase and I have been going over the wreckage you guys found at the site. I’ve also been combing Galnet for any news from commanders that have been here before us. It turns out those rumors you heard were true.”
“Oh, how so?”
“There are reports of ships using guardian weapons taking on Thargoids alone and winning easily.”
“Really, what weapons are they using? Have you found one in the wreckage?”
“No. All we have found in the wreckage are just bits and pieces; nothing that resembles a usable weapon.”
“Ram Tah said the wreckage was valuable in one of his transmissions.” Maybe this trip wasn’t a bust after all I thought. “Ok then, I’ll go back out there to collect more. Tell Chase I’ll meet him in five.”
We spent the next two days scouring the site for guardian materials before we returned to Mitchell Dock in Meene.
“I’m sorry commander but I can’t arrange a meeting between you and Mr. Tah.” I stood looking at the station director with a blank expression, but inside I wanted to explode.
“I don’t understand why not Captain Hunter. He set up this excursion and we’ve done what he asked us to do. Why can’t we discuss our findings with him?”
“Ram Tah is engrossed in his research. He designed his decryption tool to deliver guardian data as it is collected real time. He does not want to waste a single second waiting for data once it is discovered. He gave strict orders that he is not to be disturbed and any data collected above and beyond what you have already given him, I am to collect it for him here. I am prepared to reward you for your efforts.” I let out a huge sigh and rubbed my hand over my face. “I‘m sorry commander, but that is the best I can do. Take it or leave it.” Kay touched me on the arm.
“Alright Captain Hunter, we’ll take your offer.” She transferred eight million credits onto the encrypted credit chip I gave her and we left. I didn’t mention the sentinel wreckage we had in our hold. I wasn’t about to give up any more information than I had to. Back at the docks, I turned to my friends.
“Ok so what do we do with all this wreckage we found?”
“Ram Tah said it was valuable. Do you think he meant on the Black Market?” Chase asked.
“Nah, he’s reclusive but I doubt he rubs elbows with the underworld.” I replied.
“So far Galnet has been our best source for information.” Kay interjected. “I’ll keep digging and see what I can find.”
“Well I’m going to find a cold drink and a soft bunk. I’m beat.” Chase announced as he headed towards his assigned hangar bay. “Call me if you find out anything more.” When he left, I turned to Kay.
“He has a point. I’m so tired I can’t think straight. We could both use some rack time.”
“Agreed,” Kay answered, “But not in the ship. The inside of an Asp Explorer is tiny compared to the Anaconda. I’m tired of looking at those metal walls. Let’s find a decent hotel so I can get a hot shower.”
“And a hot meal.” I added, remembering the ship rations we’ve been nibbling on with a shudder.
Kay had her shower and was sitting at a desk scanning through Galnet. I stood in the doorway between the bedroom and the rest of the hotel suite drying my hair and watching her tap the surface of the desk. Gosh she was beautiful. From her deep black hair to her manicured and polished toes, to me everything about her was beautiful perfection. It didn’t matter that she was wearing an old tattered t-shirt from the Pilot’s Fed Academy that was big enough to reach her thighs. Its shape still accentuated her form and each hole seemed to be placed purposely to just hint at what lies beneath. I struck up a conversation to keep my mind from wandering.
“Find anything interesting?”
“Not yet, but you have some messages you may want to look at.”
I tossed the towel on a couch and grabbed the laptop I brought. The couch’s leather was cold against my bare back. I was grateful I was wearing sweatpants and my thoughts appreciated the shock. After logging into the computer I pulled up the messages. They were all from my mission board.
“It seems three new pilots want to join our wing.”
“That’s great. Who are they?”
“John, Luke, and another pilot named David.”
“Hmmm, sounds like the three wise men.”
“The three who?”
“Nevermind, do they look interesting? What’s their story?”
“Luke says he saw the board and just wants to join. John says he’s a trader and specializes in carrying cargo. He says we need him if we want people to trust us with their valuables. David is the real interesting one. All he wrote in his message was his name and that he was an escaped slave.”
Kay looked up at me. “Careful Malcolm, that kind of hurt is double-edged and cuts both ways.”
“True but I can’t know for sure until I meet the guy. John is in Lembava. Luke and David are near Sol. How do you suggest we make these introductions happen?”
“What’s wrong with the holo-com?” She asked as she went back to her research.
“Nothing, it just feels so impersonal to me.” Kay didn’t respond. She sat quiet, staring into the holo-projection above the desk. After a minute she turned to me with a devious grin.
“I think we can kill four birds with one stone.”
“Four? There are only three applicants and two of them are in the same system. What do you mean by four?”
“OK maybe not one stone but definitely not more than two.” She continued, deep in her own thoughts. “I found a Galnet site called inara.cz. It lists tech brokers and material traders in the galaxy. It says there is one in Ross 490, one jump away from Sol. We go to Ross 490 and meet the broker, then go to Sol and meet Luke, David, and my parents, and then go to Lembava and meet John. Sound good?”
I put my right index finger in my right ear and shook it vigorously.
“I’m not sure if I heard you correctly. What is a tech broker?”
“According to the net they are traders that are taking advantage of all the new guardian discoveries. Somehow they have figured out how to turn sentinel scrap into guardian weapons. It turns out Ram Tah is a peaceful researcher; these guys are the arms dealers.”
“OK, and what was that part you slipped in; something about meeting your parents?” Kay looked down at the floor for a moment then back at me.
“You’re a dear friend Malcolm, a close friend...” She started then her answer jumped with her thoughts. “I’m not proposing or anything, I just want you to meet my family and know more about me, like I have learned about you. That’s all.” I looked at her a long time. Proud and defiant she held my gaze.
“Sure.” I said. “If you don’t have family you don’t have anything. My new family appears to be growing every day. I would be honored to meet them.”
Kay smiled big and rushed over to me on the couch. I moved the laptop so it would not get damaged while we let my thoughts wander.