Allison’s form shimmered into existence. She was still shocked that her nanites didn’t take exception to this at all. They seemed perfectly happy little busy bees even afterwards. She didn’t realize this was because her mother, Amee Morris, or Jace as she was named when president could fully teleport or make temporal jumps, or rather her nanites could and reform her, provided she was genetically genuine, the reason her clone dissolved when she tried it to the twenty-first century was that she was not an exact duplicate.
She looked around herself, there was no water and the air pressure was normal. Strange, since this was likely a temple built by an aquatic species. Her scanners were showing a fully breathable atmosphere, at least for her. She let her helmet sink in and pulled out the communicator provided by the Commander.
“Ma’am, I’m here, atmospheric pressure is perfect for my species, and so is the atmosphere. It appears to be a stone pyramid complex. I’m at the entrance in what appears to be a… circle that has circuitry and projects a magnetic field, maybe to pull in matter transmission beams?"
The Commander responded.
“Keep in touch, Lieutenant, tell us the instant anything goes wrong, and we’ll pull you out.”
Allison nodded, but realized unlike her comms these were voice only.
“Aye, Commander stepping out of the ring now.”
Allison stepped out of the ring, and her scanner started going haywire. She tried to communicate with the Valiant but the communicator just beeped out an error code. Allison sighed and stepped back into the ring everything went back to normal.
“Valiant, the ring is acting like a shield against some sort of interference down here. Not sure what the cause is or the source, my scanner can’t pierce the ring’s shielding and is useless outside of it.”
There was a long pause.
“Lieutenant, we should pull you out, we cannot guarantee your safety.”
“No, I need to retrieve the artifact, or I’ll just get pulled back here over and over again. Better to get it done and over with.”
Before she could receive a response, or a direct order relayed through the Commander she stepped out of the circle and deeper into the complex. Her image recording software was still working, it was just anything that relied on electromagnetic scans, which was pretty much everything else. Even ultraviolet and infrared were useless here. The only thing unaffected was the visible spectrum, and her old school dosimeter which was thoroughly displeased. She’d already been exposed to a lethal dosage for humans, Sauroids and ninety-eight percent of the League of Sentient Races, thankfully her nanites and dhampiric regeneration would prevent permanent damage, she hoped. She spoke to herself as she walked.
“High radiation zone, lethal dosage to most species. No signs of life except some strange glowing purple moss which seems to be thriving here. Taking a sample.”
She took a sample of the moss and continued on. Her holo-phone’s radiation shielding meant the quantum processor kept on ticking along laying out a map and recording all the wall art.
“Besides the moss, this temple seems untouched by time. No sign of wear on the stone. Seems to be carved out of a single meteor based on what I can see. It seems to be carved out of one single mineral, it’s tall enough and big enough it should have had sediment layers. Even caverns would show more variation. Translation matrix provided by the Commonwealth is having no issues translating the xeno-hieroglyphics, why are they called hieroglyphics anyway? I thought those were Egyptian? Whatever… They indicate this was a place of high religious significance. I suspect the tesseract part is what is causing the electromagnetic field. It needs to be removed and connected to the rest of it to prevent damage to the planet’s ecosystem if the water ever subsides.”
Allison moved on; The glowing moss was an adequate light source so she didn’t bother with her own hover light, not that she was sure it would function in this environment. She frowned as she moved on.
“Later writings are indicating several wars were fought over the temple. Some sort of shield was projected to protect it from outsiders. I found the last entry on a wall close to the core. The last priestess recorded the deaths of her fellows. The shield they projected from the device trapped its emanations, they died slowly, from what seems like radiation poisoning. She says, they were proud to die, keeping it out of the hands of those who would abuse it, in service to the Lightbringer, Seraph. Hmm. Well Enid, hope you’re proud, you helped wipe out a species, billions so you could have your family back.”
Allison sighed and shook her head as she traced the priestess’s last recorded words with her finger. Something pricked at the back of Allisons mind as she spoke the words, what if the radiation is what allowed the species to develop sentience at all? She shook her head and moved onwards.
“Starting to get very hungry, radiation is very damaging, do not want to use armor because if radiation is truly as bad as I think it is, it will drain the power, and I might need that if the shield holding the water out collapses after I take the tesseract piece.”
Allison felt guilty because her biological mother caused this so she pushed herself onwards to get images of the whole temple. By the time she was done she was feeling extremely ill and she had thrown up several times. Finally, she formed her helmet and saw her power start to drain steadily. She sighed. The hollow sphere, as referred to by the planet’s native inhabitants, was sitting on a strange technological altar. She saw flashing red lights all over the place. When she knelt down and looked at the displays, they were in Atlantean. She gasped. They were warning about the radiation levels. She placed her hand on the display.
“When the guardians expanded the shielding, they ignored the warnings, maybe they couldn’t understand them, this shield was supposed to contain only the sphere and altar. Nothing else.”
She sighed and stood up with some difficulty. Her body was severely damaged from the radiation she was pretty happy there were no mirrors to witness the radiation show. She reached out and grabbed the sphere. Immediately the pyramid started to shake under her and lights that had long since died started to fall to the floor and shatter. Allison closed her eyes as water slammed into her and smashed her against the altar. She didn’t resist and just let the flow do what it was going to her.
Her armor’s power was starting to tick down rapidly. Once the sphere was in her possession her sensors started working. The pressure was over a thousand atmospheres outside her armor. It had hardened itself into plates. Her form shimmered and she collapsed on the matter transmitter platform. Her armor was at three percent. The plates sunk in and her helmet merged with the armor. Allison was too weak to resist as she was rapidly taken to the medical bay. She’d dropped the tesseract core shield. She looked around in a haze.
“Don’t touch the artifact, dangerous… radioactive.”
One of the medical staff beside her held her down.
“Shh, its already in a stasis shield. We need to get you treated for radiation poisoning immediately.”
Once the doctor saw her he just pressed four injectors into her. Allison’s back arched and her eyes went wide open. Her skin burned as her nanites rapidly replaced the burnt flesh. She was in agony. The nurse who was assisting gasped.
“You’re torturing her!”
Allison’s nanites finished their task and she grabbed the nurse’s wrist she was trying to catch her breath and spoke with broken words.
“I can’t use them my body filters them out like toxins they would have just gotten in the way.”
The nurse who was some form of blue humanoid with larger violet eyes.
“You poor soul.”
Allison released the nurse and sat up.
“I need to get to the artifact; Your stasis won’t hold it for long.”
The doctor motioned with his tentacles.
“Please, give her space nurse.”
Allison climbed to her feet and looked at the doctor.
“I really need that recipe, I’m sure I’m going to pay for this later though. Thanks Doc.”
She stopped suddenly.
“Where is the artifact?”
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The doctor tapped something on his environmental suit and spoke.
“Where is the artifact that Lieutenant Wanjala retrieved?”
A male voice came back.
“It is in Xeno-Lab Three.”
Allison spoke to the computer at the door.
“Computer, where is Xeno-Lab Three.”
She followed the arrows displayed on various wall screens after an elevator ride she found herself at Xeno-Lab Three. After a brief conversation with the Commander explaining how dangerous the artifact was Allison was allowed access. A four-armed alien with brown skin and large eyes was staring at the sphere through a strange set of glasses that had lenses that could be lowered. He had his eyes squinted and he was looking at the artifact through the stasis field and talking to himself.
“Amazing, simply amazing, a whole unknown and untranslatable language. The inside is radiating the entire known spectrum of electromagnetic radiation. While in possession of Lieutenant Wanjala it emitted none.”
Allison cleared her throat. He looked up and rushed over and squinted at Allison through his various lenses.
“Lieutenant, it is so nice to meet you in person. Do you know what this is?”
Allison nodded.
“Yes, it is a very dangerous piece of an artifact that I need to connect to the rest of it, so it is no longer a danger to anyone.”
She reached for the stasis container.
“Wait! You can’t take that, this is, extraordinary! It is older than the universe!”
Allison nodded.
“I know, it is not for mortal hands.”
He quirked his head to the side.
“Then you are immortal?”
Allison blinked a few times.
“So, I’m told, look, this is Angels and Demons, Gods and monsters you cannot science it. It will defy explanation. The language is also older than the universe… the current universe. So just leave it as a scientific mystery.”
“You understand the language?”
Allison sighed.
“No but I have a translator for it, it says, core shield, when not in possession of proper holder severe radiation hazard.”
Allison left the poor man staring after her as she walked out with the core. She wasn’t about to put it together on the ship incase it returned her home without Bit. She used the communicator she’d been given to reach out to Commander Yorik.
“Commander, I’m going to remove the artifact from your ship, it is too dangerous to keep here. Could I get clearance to launch my starfighter, please?”
Commander Yorik’s voice came through clearly.
“Yes, Lieutenant, you have permission. Please be careful.”
Allison sighed.
“As I can be, ma’am, thank you for the hospitality and help. If you could get that recipe the doctor was using on me to my aunt, I would really appreciate it, so would she.”
Allison listened for the Commander’s affirmative and hopped into Bit.
“So nice to be home… or well sort of. Everything been good for you Bit?”
There was a warmth to Bit’s voice when she responded.
“I am glad you are alright, Allison, and yes, I have been the middle…woman for negotiations between the Commonwealth and System’s Alliance. Are we going home now?”
Allison looked down at the stasis field that held the core shielding.
“Yes, we’re going to land, put this thing together and see if I can use it to get the poor folks down there home, if not their home, at least one that isn’t swarming with bioweapons.”
Allison launched from the Valiant’s shuttle bay and swept down towards the surface. She received quick clearance to land on the George Washington. She yawned as she reached down and picked up the tesseract then placed it on her lap. She pulled the core shielding out of the stasis field and found it easily split into two halves which she slid over the spindles. The core sealed itself. No abnormal radiation levels showed up when Allison placed it back on the floor of the fighter. She sighed with relief.
“I’m so tired. Their doctor had this stuff that superpowered my nanites and blood but I’m so exhausted now. And my muscles all ache.”
“Scans indicate you have nearly depleted your supply of minerals in your blood, you’re low on everything.”
Allison groaned, she reached into one of her storage compartments and dumped a handful of the supplements that were prescribed to help her nanites and body continue functioning and put them in her mouth and chased them with her last bottle of Synth-O.
“Well let’s see if that helps. I’m starving. Going to get permission from the ship Captains to see if its alright if I try to get them ‘home’.”
Allison hopped out of the cockpit and was greeted by Rebecca.
“You’re back Bit has kept us up to date on what was going on in space. Did she tell you about the shield and air filters?”
Allison yawned and shook her head.
“No, ma’am, what is going on?”
Rebecca motioned to a shimmer above their heads.
“We were provided with a shield to prevent orbital bombardment, apparently you have something… similar on your colony? We were also provided with filtration devices to get rid of the bioweapons because the shield is even keeping the air out. Everyone has been feeling much better.”
Allison smiled tiredly.
“That’s great, I need to talk to the Admirals and ship commanding officers. I am going to try and take you home.”
Rebecca’s eyes lit up.
“Really?”
Allison blinked a few times.
“Oh, I’m sorry, we… you’re… uh, you didn’t time travel, you slipped into another universe, dimension? The Valiant’s crew tried to explain it, but their technobabble made my eyes glaze over. If I understand… basically, you can get into this universe, but you can’t get out, so I can’t send you home, but I can take you to my home, and then the System’s Alliance can help sort out whatever happens next.”
Rebecca’s shoulders slumped. Allison sighed.
“I’m so sorry. Maybe one day… when I get the rest of the tesseract together, maybe I can get you home but right now, its still missing four pieces, I have no idea if, or when I’ll ever find them.”
Allison glanced around.
“I just hope no one else gets dragged into this mess.”
The pair reached the war room that the leadership of the flotilla had been using as their ad hoc meeting room. Allison sat down in one of the pilot’s seats and actually fell asleep while waiting for the rest to arrive. She woke with a start when Rebecca gently shook her arm.
“Everyone’s here, Lieutenant.”
Allison blinked and rubbed her eyes.
“I am so sorry, sirs, it has been an exhausting twenty-four hours.”
She stood up and adjusted her hair before preparing to address everyone.
“Hello, I’ve retrieved the last piece of the artifact that brought us all here, I think… if I understand the instructions on the last piece, we can use it to translocate people… and things. I am sorry I do not have a better way to describe this other than, I’m going to try and activate it and take the ships with me to Eden Prime. With the air filtration, portable life support and shield it will be safe. We’ll have time to get you inoculated against all our known infections and complete the t-cell enhancements. I cannot send you home, but I can get you someplace with other humans. It’s up to you but either way I need to go home. I’m missing school, cheerleading and the Sal’nash could attack at any time.”
Allison blushed when she realized she’d mentioned school, a subject she’d been avoiding. Since they had established contact a few days ago she’d been sent schoolwork to catch up on in addition to what Bit had in her storage so she could tutor the teenager on long missions.
“Sorry, I was ordered home, and I am going to be in trouble for staying as long as I have, and for even attempting this, I won’t bring you with me and I’ll just go through a wormhole. I wanted to give you the option. I can give you a few hours to check with your crews.”
The leadership all looked between each other. Admiral Yamamoto was the first to respond.
“Battlelord, we are with you. It has already been decided.”
The rest nodded in agreement. Allison smiled.
“Well, I know this seems odd, but we need to get everyone on the George Washington. If we need help the Valiant can help, we’ll keep the other ships moored along side but if only one ship comes with me, I want to make sure we get everyone, and no one is left behind.”
The various commanding officers moved off to start the process of gathering all the crews together. By the time it was all said and done, mostly done by matter transmission the George Washington’s deck was filled with crew from the various ships because they could not fit below decks. Allison stood at the center of the ship and thus the flotilla and held up the tesseract. She closed her eyes and focused on the freshwater lake that was larger than all of the Great Lakes on Earth put together, she focused on a point near New Alexandria. Because the ‘lake’ was at least ten thousand kilometers across at its largest point.
She felt the tesseract start to vibrate in her hands and winced when it flashed. When she was able to see again their surroundings had completely changed. She saw a tree line she was very familiar with. The rest of the ships floated around them in the calm waters about ten kilometers off shore. Bit spoke to Allison immediately.
“We are home.”
Allison let loose a cheer. The crews she had just rescued had been waiting for her reaction with bated breath. A few started clapping and cheering. It became far louder when they saw the Colonial Defense Forces fighters that were very similar to their own flying over top. Bit patched comms through to her holo-phone.
“Shadow One, is that you down there? What’s going on?”
Allison smiled at the Major she was very familiar with.
“Yes, it is, Red One, not sure what I can say but, just rescued a bunch of humans from a bad situation. Command will have to fill you in. There is a shield, life support and air filtration in place. They do not have proper t-cell enhancement treatment yet, so area within the shield should be considered a quarantine zone. Automated deliveries only. I’ll call System’s Alliance local command.”
The Major chuckled.
“Roger that, Shadow One, just warn them anyone leaving the shield will be fired upon until we have other instructions.”
Allison nodded.
“I will make sure that is clear.”
Allison sighed with relief. Then realized she’d have to deal with her family, she wasn’t sure who she was more worried about, Aunt Maria, her mom, or her sister Eyre. She broke comms with Red One and opened a communications channel to her father. His face appeared he looked relieved to see her, but he kept things professional.
“Shadow One, what did you do?”
Allison blushed.
“Rescued some people, sir, we’ll need VI transports, medical staff in environmental suits to distribute t-cell enhancement injections and check on the status of the crews of these ships.”
He leaned forward on his desk.
“System’s Alliance command has been informed, and we are making arrangements with Colonial Affairs. They will be taken care of, the President has ordered you to stand down and get some sleep, then after school tomorrow report to the secure comm room on your flagship to provide a full debriefing and get an update on the war.”
Allison nodded.
“Aye, sir, once I’m cleared by medical staff to leave the quarantine zone I will. Uh, did command say what to do with the… artifact?”
He shook his head.
“No, keep it secure, as I understand it if not in your possession it is quite hazardous.”
Allison nodded.
“Aye, sir.”
He smiled.
“Welcome home, see you later after I help sort out this mess you dropped in your parent’s lap.”
Allison smiled and blushed.
“Love you dad.”