Onis gave her a strange look. “Studying it, of course. What else would we be doing with it?”

  “But it’s level 18,” Cattie protested.

  “Yes.” The Aky made a sour face. “We’ve invested a lot of time in these primitive creature—hoping one would evolve into a broodmother. Unfortunately, the odds are against us as only one of every 10,000 Warped is capable of that transition—and only once they reach level 10. Still, studying these subpar specimens has revealed some interesting data.”

  “Such as?”

  The Aky rolled his eyes. “We’re studying their Tec. The highest branch of science. Nothing a couple of oversized muscle-heads would be able to understand.”

  “Onis, you are being rude,” the Aky next to him berated. Judging by their voice, Nori assumed her to be a female.

  Rinka, Bioengineer, level 13

  “Can you tell us why her weapon didn’t work?” Nori asked the soft-spoken Aky, gesturing at her friend.

  “We have an active nullifier field covering the entire facility, of course. It's one of the many protective measures we employ around here.”

  “A nullifier field?” Cattie frowned. “As in ... it disables all the weapons inside it?”

  “Only unsanctioned weapons. Our security force naturally carries active armament.”

  “I guess that explains why no one batted an eye when we walked in armed to the teeth.”

  The Aky woman nodded.

  Nori raised her left arm and tried to activate her dart launcher bracer. For the first time since she got the device, it failed to produce its miniature missile. She shook her head and turned to the scientists. “Can you tell us a little bit about what you’re studying here?”

  “If you wish. I’m afraid the actual process is too complex to fully explain, but to put it simply, we’re trying to pin down the exact process the Warped use to produce new piTec particles. It is incredibly tricky research to conduct since we must study live specimens, and it takes very specialized equipment to be able to get any reading on them in that state.”

  “Is that what this machine does?” Cattie asked, pointing at the giant contraption.

  “It is,” Rinka confirmed.

  “Any interesting discoveries you can share with us?”

  The female Aky hesitated.

  “You shouldn’t say anything,” Onis said. “They’re outsiders.”

  “Grotula said to treat them as honored guests,” Rinka countered and turned to face Nori. “As a matter of fact, we’ve recently made a significant discovery. Our equipment is capable of accurately assessing the exact number of subatomic particles within a living subject—allowing us to gauge the exact amount of piTec the creature contains.” She looked at Nori expectantly.

  “Hmmm …” Lana’s voice came over their comms. “Sounds like this machine should allow them to track exactly how matter is converted into piTec, don’t you think?”

  With a straight face, Cattie repeated the question.

  Rinka looked at the Sharpshooter appreciatively. “Shrewd deduction, but alas, no. This device is one of the most advanced of its type and it works by extrapolating a lepton-based triphasic …” She paused, seeing the humans’ vapid expressions. She sighed. “Suffice to say that it can only accurately assess the number of subatomic particles, not actually track them in real-time. But even so, we discovered that the creature’s mass being lost in the process is greater than what we can explain by the production of piTec particles.

  Prompted by the women’s continued empty stares she went on further. “We are capable of identifying all 12,002 types of subatomic particles, yet an element unknown to us seems to exist, which takes part in the piTec creation. That is an astounding discovery!”

  “And that means …” Cattie said.

  “We don’t know!” The Aky held up her hands in frustration. “But it’s significant! It could mean the discovery of a whole new field of physics no one has ever explored before.”

  “Or,” Onis said dryly, “the primitive monster could have dropped a dump somewhere, and we didn’t notice.”

  “Warped don’t take dumps!” Rinka said, suddenly outraged. “Their metabolism consumes all matter they incorporate into their bodies, biological, technological—”

  “Yes, yes, I am aware,” Onis said dismissively.

  “So is that what everyone is doing in this facility?” Nori asked carefully. “Studying the Tec?”

  “Oh, no,” Rinka replied. “We have multiple fields of study. All are aimed at investigating the Relict Legacy.”

  “Relict Legacy?”

  “The technology they left behind,” the scientists explained. “The Tec is, of course, the most important of them, but also common technologies we use today: null tunnel drives, personal storage space, and several other, more obscure, fields of study.”

  “And Grotula leads all of this research?” Nori asked.

  The Aky scientist glanced upward at the pulsing stalactite. “Of course,” she said in an overly casual voice. “The lead scientist has a great mind. Our study here pales in comparison to his own.”

  “Which is … what exactly?”

  Rinka bit her lower lip, then looked away.

  “I see.” Nori nodded slowly. “On another note, do you happen to do geological study around here? Specifically, asteroids?”

  Rinka frowned. “Not to my knowledge. We study the Relict Legacy. Trying to unlock the secrets of their great civilization is our one and only goal.”

  “Commendable,” Cattie noted.

  The Aky nodded. “Quite.”

  “We’ll be going now,” Nori said. “Thank you for sparing the time to talk with us.”

  “It was no trouble.”

  ***

  It took a little longer for the four crewmembers to get back to the guest quarters. They often had to stop to consult the public service consoles to find their way, but they managed it without too much trouble.

  Bulco nodded to the pair of women. “This has been an interesting experience.”

  “It certainly has,” Nori replied. She held a finger below her right ear, touching her comm implant. “Lana, you still there?”

  “Hear you loud and clear,” the young woman replied.

  Not stopping to greet the men, Cattie stepped into their room and headed straight to the weapon bundle she had left behind. She moved some aside and drew out her automatic shotgun. With a few, well-practiced moves, she removed the magazine, cocked the empty gun and pressed the trigger. An audible click sounded.

  The soldier sighed in relief. “Thank God.”

  “What is it?” Serk asked.

  “This place has a nullifier field that disables all advanced weapons, but as I just proved, it doesn’t do much to our primitive guns. The bullets themselves use old school gunpowder, so as long as the gun’s striker hits the bullet it should fire. I really don’t think some sort of alien energy field can prevent a chemical reaction.”

  “You are correct, it won't,” Serk said. “But such primitive projectiles will inflict very little damage.”

  “I would rather have one that works poorly than none at all,” the woman replied. “Thank God I brought it with me.”

  “You don’t need weapons in here,” Serk said. “My people are peaceful. The scientists we met have been quite forthcoming.”

  “Ours too,” Nori admitted. “Which only makes me wonder what they’re ulterior motive is. They obviously want something from us. You don’t just invite someone you don’t know into your home and give them the grand tour.”

  “They won’t harm us,” Serk insisted.

  “You’re probably right,” Nori agreed. “Still doesn't mean we shouldn’t be careful.”

  “So what was that deal with the Warped you found?” Bulco asked.

  “The scientists were studying it,” the Navigator replied. “Trying to figure out how they produce new piTec.”

  “And?”

  “They don’t really know. They found some evidence that piTec are partially constructed using a particle unknown to their science.”

  “Huh, so there’s some stuff about the Tec even the aliens don’t understand?”

  “Seems so. What did you find?”

  “A bunch of scientists, studying a bunch of null tunnel engines. Get this: they work by jumping us between parallel realities—or dimensions as they call them. There’s no actual spatial movement. Apparently, the shift itself changes your location. The Tec somehow allows us to make those verse jumps, and they’re trying to figure out how exactly.”

  “So they’re mostly interested in studying the Tec.” Nori furrowed her brow, deep in thought.

  “The Relict Legacy,” Cattie corrected her.

  “What’s the difference?” Bulco asked.

  “Rinka, one of the scientists, told us that they were studying the Relict Legacy. It’s basically anything that has to do with the technology the Relict left behind.”

  Bulco shook his head. “I still don’t get how all this is connected to the Erodium research NO_ONE claimed they have here.”

  “You’re right,” Nori said. “And there’s something strange going on in here aside from that. We’ve been here for several hours now. They deny us access to the person holding the answers while purposely encouraging us to learn more about their work. They’re manipulating us somehow, and I’m not liking the feeling of being pulled on a leash.”

  “What can we do about it?” Cattie asked. “Short of demanding answers at gunpoint.”

  “I will not abide the use of violence!” Serk exclaimed.

  “No, of course not,” Nori agreed. “There’s no need to go to such extremes, especially since we have the means to investigate further on our own.” She looked at their alien crew member, and her lips curved.

  Serk frowned. “What are you getting at?”

  “Tell me, how do you look wearing a scientist’s lab coat?”

  16 - Scientific Exploration

  “This is ridiculous,” Serk said, catching his reflection in one of the room’s mirrors.

  They had found a lab coat that all the local scientists seemed to be wearing and persuaded their Aky member to put it on.

  “I think you look absolutely dashing.” Cattie smiled at the short alien.

  Serk shook his head. “No one will fall for it. I don’t have the necessary clearance to access any of the restricted areas. Their security system will single me out as soon as I try it.”

  “Well, at least NO_ONE will fall for it,” Bulco said with a huge grin.

  Cattie sighed.

  “You don’t have to fool the system,” Nori said. “Just the other Aky. It looks like there are hundreds of your people here. They can’t all possibly know each other. Just go and talk to them. Be friendly. Find what they’re doing in the lower level, or better yet, try to get them to let you in there to see for yourself.”

  “Ooh, I saw that spy movie!” Cattie exclaimed. She turned to Serk. “This is what you want to do: find an ‘authorized personnel only’ door, casually lean against the wall and wait for someone to open it from the other side. Then, before the door closes, you sneak inside.”

  Bulco shook his head. “I prefer the one where they just casually strike a conversation with one of the staff members and walk along with him into the locked-down area, pretending everything is alright.”

  “You have very weird cultural references,” Serk looked at them critically. “I’ve never heard of such ridiculous methods. It will never work.”

  “The fact that you’ve never heard of them means the others haven’t either,” Cattie said.

  Nori rolled her eyes. “He’s right, Cattie. This is not a movie.” She turned to Serk. “Just try to blend in and ask some questions. Try to pretend to be the new guy who’s just trying to find his way around. See what you can get.”

  “Deceit is dishonorable,” Serk said disapprovingly.

  “You don’t have to lie. Just … try to gather information.”

  “Very well,” Serk said reluctantly. “I will attempt to follow your directive, Captain.”

  Bulco opened the door and looked into the hall. “Coast is clear. Go do your thing, little buddy.”

  Serk grumbled but stepped outside and started walking down the corridor in the scientist’s outfit.

  Bulco closed the door behind him. “Think he’s going to find something incriminating?”

  Nori shrugged. “I don’t know, but even if they find him before he’s had a chance, at least we’ve rattled the cage. Let’s just wait and see what shakes out.”

  ***

  Serk was still grumbling to himself as he turned into another intersecting corridor. “Ridiculous … walk around … act as you belong … weird humans.”

  He stopped abruptly as an Aky female nearly bumped into him as he turned a corner. “Ah, hello,” she squinted as she looked at him. “A MechKnight? Are you one of the new security personnel?”

  Serk took a step back and examined the other Aky.

  Tersina, Level 11, Tecysicist

  Remembering Nori’s advice, but still refusing to lie outright, he took in a large breath and nodded. “Yes. I’m new.”

  An idea sprang to his mind. He held up his palm, materializing a small box from his internal storage. “I was looking for a location to deposit my memory cube.”

  “That’s weird.” Tersina frowned. “They should have collected your cube when you arrived here. Only scientists are allowed to enter the lower levels. That’s where the storage chamber is. We have transmitters all over the station to boost the cube’s signals.”

  “I …” Serk hesitated. He didn’t want to speak untruths. No, the best thing was to maintain his integrity and trust in his fellow Aky.

  He opened his mouth, but Tersina beat him to it. “Alright, I’ll get you sorted. Follow me. I have twenty minutes before my next lab shift.”

  The scientist led him to a nearby elevator and used her personal authorization to unlock the security doors. Serk shook his head in disbelief. Bulco’s crazy idea was actually working.

  The elevator shot straight down toward the core of the small planet and opened to reveal what looked like a naturally occurring cave. The floor was uneven, and light fixtures were attached to the walls.

  The weird stalactites he’d seen scattered around in the higher levels were everywhere, pulsing softly.

  A huge door, easily ten meters across, was on the other side of the chamber.

  “This way,” his guide said, pointing toward a tunnel.

  They walked on, passing through several intersections that led to more labs. There were fewer Aky here, and those he saw seemed intent on their studies. The weird stalactites were even more densely concentrated here. Serk bit his lower lip, wanting to ask about them, but he didn’t want his ignorance to betray his true identity.

  “Here we are,” Tersina announced.

  They reached a thick vault door. The scientist tapped her wrist console and the door slid open, revealing neat rows of memory cubes stacked on shelves.

  Serk raised a brow. “Doesn’t placing them so far below the surface limit their range?”

  She shook her head. “Grotula has signal boosters embedded throughout the planet. Our legacy is safe, I promise. Just place your cube on one of the shelves.”

  Serk did as she said.

  “Let me show you the way back,” she said.

  They walked back through the tunnel and reached the elevator when Teresina's console chimed.

  “Oh, shoot,” she said, examining her wrist. “I’m needed in the lab right now.” She gestured at the elevator. “I trust you’ll be able to find your way up on your own?”

  “Quite.” Serk nodded. He watched as the scientist disappeared into another tunnel, leaving him alone. This was his chance.

  He moved away from the elevator and approached the giant door on the other side of the chamber. “Reinforced Lasteel,” he murmured, tapping the metal door. “What sort of research requires high-grade-E plating?”

  He moved over the light console embedded at the center of the door and tapped it lightly. A red light flashed, denying him access. “Naturally,” he murmured quietly. “Personnel only.”

  There was a sudden hiss of rushing air and the door started rising slowly. Alarmed, Serk instantly pressed himself behind a protrusion in the rocky ground and watched. Two Aky scientists exited the doors. They were engaged in discussion and didn’t notice Serk on their way the elevator.

  The giant door started closing behind them. Throwing a glance at the two occupied Aky, Serk lowered his head and slipped through the descending door. He made it just before it closed behind him.

  “I guess there’s something to those silly human movies after all,” Serk muttered to himself.

  The space he was now in was mostly dark, but as he stepped farther inside, more and more lights turned on, revealing the large interior.

  The small Aky’s eyes widened as he took in the sight before him, and he took a step back. “That’s not good.”

  ***

  Nori paced nervously in their guest rooms, while Bulco and Cattie passed the time by playing a game they found in one of the closets.

  “Just take it easy, Nori,” Bulco said, clicking a button on the alien box as Cattie caught the holographic marble it launched at her.

  “I’m worried we asked too much of him,” the captain confessed.

  “The little green guy seemed pretty confident his people wouldn’t hurt him,” Cattie pointed out.

  “And he can take care of himself,” Bulco added. “We all learned that lesson, and that was when he was still only skin and bones.”

  “He does look better now,” Cattie mused.

  “I know he can take care of himself, but it’s been hours. He’s part of the crew now. He’s my responsibility.”

  “Just give him a little more—”

  The door to the room opened suddenly, revealing an alarmed-looking Serk.

  Closing the door behind him, he shook his head. “You were right.”

  ***