Titan, Deck 1, Anastasia’s office
Anastasia sat in her office, checking daily reports submitted by all departments. Her office was an average-sized space with a ceiling that offered a view of the heavens. The unblinking stars looked as if an artist had methodically painted each one with planned precision. The windows showcased vast corridors that linked the outer rim with the inner rim of the space station. As it was nearing midnight, the passageways were empty. The station was dead silent.
Nothing had changed. Things on Titan were near perfect. As usual, Anastasia worked late while others were already in bed.
She scrutinized proposed projects requiring approval from the Imperial Command. In the long list, she wasn’t surprised to see that Dr. Kent had resubmitted the Phoenix project. She wasn’t a scientist, and she didn’t like Dr. Kent, but she had to admire his persistence.
Over the course of half an hour, she read through and approved ten projects from her crew. They were low risk and needed limited resources. She knew the authorities would promptly approve them. On the long list, she saw a name that brought a smile to her face. Prometheus’s Captain, Mykel Lockhart, had submitted a project called Poseidon. You always knew how to draw attention, Anastasia thought to herself.
Her excitement grew as she read through the project proposal. During its voyage toward Earth, Prometheus had detected a surge of gravitational waves in a binary star system about thirty light years from their position. They couldn’t isolate the source. There was no sign of a supernova. The two stars in the system were not the cause of the waves. There was a possibility of two black holes orbiting each other or merging could create the wave. But Prometheus’s crew hadn’t been able to detect a black hole. From her own experience, Anastasia knew it was a challenge to detect and isolate them. The other issue was that Prometheus was too far away. Due to their obligation to return home, Mykel had transmitted his findings to the Imperial Command and put in a request for the Poseidon project.
It was a high-risk project. It needed a lot of resources and crew and would take Prometheus ten years to complete. Anastasia’s heart sank. Ten years was a long time. But Mykel had been gone for years, and he often left to chase new mysteries. She could still remember the day he’d left for the first mission, and she didn’t stop him. She didn’t want to hold him back. And personally, she was as ambitious as him and didn’t like anyone holding her back. That day had changed their lives. They drifted to different sectors of space, hardly having time to speak. Then she got married, and it felt like Mykel and their love had faded away in the darkness of space.
Anastasia like most nights couldn’t sleep or rather, didn’t feel like it. From the corner of her desk, she picked up a photograph of her girls, who lived on Earth with her ex-husband, Martin. Like everyone who chose this profession, she’d had to make sacrifices. For her, the hardest part had been choosing her career over the man she’d married.
Anastasia had been the commander of Marion for ten years and had not only raised her kids but also tried her best to maintain a good relationship with her spouse. It hadn’t been perfect; it had been hard work. And she thought she wasn’t a good mother; she shouldn’t have had kids. Managing a ship and family had been a challenge that had left her weary, heartbroken and lonely.
Then she decided to salvage what was left of her life. Tired of living on a spaceship, she’d finally taken a major step and decided to give up space exploration. An opportunity to command Titan arrived, and she took it in a heartbeat. It had been a good decision for her family and her relationship. But none of it had lasted.
Over the years, the kids had become more attached to their father because she never had time for them. Last year, Martin had insisted on moving back to Earth, but Anastasia hadn’t wanted to go. She’d found herself asking how much more she should sacrifice. She’d already given up her freedom, her need to explore and discover new things. Should she give up another command? No. She’d decided she couldn’t leave Titan; it meant too much to her. Being in command of the most powerful station in the system gave her a sense of power over her life. It gave her control. It gave her life meaning.
Martin had left Titan with their teenage girls, and Anastasia hadn’t tried to stop them. This had led to a divorce, and she wasn’t surprised. Martin blamed her career, but Anastasia knew better. Yes, her career had been a factor, but there was something else. She realized now how little love had existed in their relationship. There’d been mutual respect and communication but no chemistry; the spark had been long gone. She didn’t want to live with a man who she didn’t love anymore.
Anastasia’s girls were thriving on Earth, though they missed their mother. She wanted them back with her, but their happiness and safety mattered to her more than anything else. A year had passed, and she could see that they were building their lives. They had made friends and attained some stability. They were no longer confined to the boundaries of a spaceship. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at her kids’ picture. Sacrifices, she thought.
Titan, Deck 1, Bridge
Anastasia left her office and soon found herself on the bridge. The lights were dim, and the command center was completely silent except for the intermittent beeps of the consoles. She remembered living on Titan as a child, and her mother was friends with the commander and often brought her here. Never had she thought, one day she would command it.
She could already imagine her routine for tomorrow, and sulk. The three crew members on night shift appeared to be busy on their consoles. Without a word, she turned and left the bridge.
The doors of the elevator slid open on Deck 4. Anastasia strolled silently with her head bowed. She turned left and entered passageway three, which led to the outer section. She paused and turned to look out of the windows, staring at the glowing perimeter. She’d thought she was done with exploration, but for the last year, she hadn’t been able to shake the feeling of nothingness. Maybe exploration wasn’t done with her.
Titan, Deck 10 Hangar Deck
After docking Astra in the hangar, Delta and Emmeline walked toward their quarters. The deck was silent, and all the craft stood under dim lights.
“Are we going to discuss this?” Delta asked in a low voice.
“Let me think about it.”
“If Nemesis was linked with a plaque that existed centuries ago, people should know about it.”
Emmeline faced Delta. “I know,” she said. “I know. I’m worried too. But we can’t go to the science committee without more answers. We need to investigate how and why these two things are related.”
“Can’t you just speak with Commander Waters?”
Emmeline shook her head. “I thought about that, but without more information, it’s useless to involve her.”
The doors to the elevator opened, and they stepped in.
“How long will it take you to decipher it?” Delta asked.
Emmeline felt annoyed. She’d thought that discovering the plaque would lead her to the mythical device. Instead, it had just made things worse. “I don’t know how to decipher it. I need time. I need time!”
Delta grunted, shaking her head. “Alexander was branded as a traitor because he falsified data and then disappeared without a trace. Now you have the plaque, which is somehow linked with that damn comet. This doesn’t look good. We have to be careful.”
Emmeline wanted to tell Delta that it was all a lie, Alexander would have never done such a thing. But the truth was she didn’t have all the facts and history told a different story. Imperial Command did not take disobedience lightly and when it came to the Nemesis, it spared no one. She remembered her grandpa telling her the months of scrutiny the family had to go through after he disappeared. They had confiscated all his data, his work, locked down his accounts and raided the house. But found nothing. Since he had vanished without a trace, and no one knew what happened to him, he remained on the wanted list of the Imperial Command. The link between Nemesis and the plaque wasn’t going to make it easy. She didn’t know how to deal with this information.
The elevator halted on Deck 4. They stepped out and were greeted by a small group of people. They walked through the corridor, and Emmeline came to a stop at door 04-114. “This is me.”
Delta looked up and down the corridor. “So, we keep this between us?”
“For now. Let’s wait until I find out more.”
“Fine.” Delta was about to walk away, but she stopped. “Emmeline, I’m sorry. I should congratulate you. I’m glad you found evidence that a part of the myth could be true.”
“Thank you.”
“But let’s be careful, very careful.”
Titan, Deck 4, Emmeline’s Quarters
Emmeline punched in the codes, and the door opened. Despite all the excitement of her journey, she was glad to be back home. She put her backpack on the chair near the door, then stretched out on the couch.
Her quarters were a small compact space. Her living room was rectangular with three large curved windows. The walls were light gray and decorated with paintings of stars and galaxies. Two vases holding different types of lilies rested on a rectangular metallic table pushed against the wall in front of the couch. On the table were three photo frames: pictures of her parents, her brother, and her grandparents. To one side of the door were six shelves holding several books. To the other side was an orchid plant she had smuggled from the nursery bay.
Emmeline got to her feet and peered out of the window. The giant clouds of Titan danced through the sky, giving the moon a mixed glow of orange and red. The clouds drifted aside, revealing a view of the frozen rocks on Titan’s surface. She wondered about the information she had collected, but her mind was too tired to comprehend, so she decided to get some sleep.
It wasn’t until the buzzer went off that Emmeline realized it was 0700 hours. She rubbed her eyes and stretched on the bed. The buzzer sounded again.
“You have a visitor,” said the computer.
“Yes, I know!” Emmeline thought, getting on her feet.
“Emmeline, it’s your father. Please open the door.”
At first, she froze. Last time she checked, he was on Earth. When did he get here?
“Oh damn,” she muttered, picking up her backpack. She opened her closet, pushed her clothes aside, and placed her right palm on the wall. A rectangular panel moved outward, then smoothly slid sideways. She put the backpack inside and said, “Close.”
The small panel closed. She shut the doors to her closet, quickly checked her appearance in the mirror, and ran back into the living area. She pushed the green button to open the door and found her father, Arthur Augury, standing in front of her.
“Hello, Daddy,” Emmeline said, trying not to show her anxiety. She gave him a warm hug.
Arthur’s face quickly softened. “All right. All right now,” he said as they parted. He entered her quarters, and the door shut automatically behind him.
Arthur was a polite and wise but hot-headed man in his sixties. Emmeline had inherited her father’s facial features but not his hair, which was silver and curly. Arthur towered a few inches above her and had a significantly larger build. Today, he wore a long white coat, which almost touched his feet, over a blue turtleneck shirt and white pants.
“How’s Mom?” Emmeline asked.
“She misses you and wants me to bring you home,” her father told her.
Emmeline just smiled, not knowing how to respond. There was so much going on Titan and in her life, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go back home. “So, what brings you to Titan?”
“As if you don’t know.”
Emmeline shrugged her shoulders.
“You went to Earth without telling me. And then just left! Without visiting your parents?”
“Dad, I’m not a little girl anymore. I don’t have to tell you where I go. I wasn’t on vacation, otherwise I would have come to see you.”
“You went to Sector 1001.”
“So now you’re spying on me!” Emmeline exclaimed, outraged.
“You leave me no choice. Elliot has filled your head with junk. I’m trying to fix the problem.”
“Dad, please don’t say that about Grandpa.”
Arthur walked up and down the room. “You’re out of your senses. Why do you want to follow this stupid story? This myth about this mythical device. It doesn’t exist, Emmeline!”
“I’m just following my in—”
“It was the greatest mistake of my life to give you those diaries,” said Arthur. “I should have burned them!”
“Burn generations of family history?” Emmeline demanded.
Arthur faced her. “Generations of fiction!”
“Dad, I know you don’t believe in myths. Nor do I, but I think. . .”
“You’re wrong!”
“Dad, I just want to see where this goes.”
“It’s going nowhere. You are wasting your time and your energy. Focus on completing your credits, finish your work with Dr. Kent, and return to Earth,” Arthur ordered. “We’ve been waiting for you. It seems you have forgotten us!”
Anger stirred inside Emmeline; she didn’t want to leave Titan. She loved her family, but there was nothing for her back home.
“You’re just like your grandfather,” Arthur said. “Reckless and stubborn. He let the family business die and left his old wife and grandchildren behind to go on a ship that was destined for doom.”
“Grandpa was an explorer, and he followed his dream,” Emmeline countered. “The ship was destroyed in an ion storm. It was a tragedy. Accidents happen!”
“He was stupid.”
“He was your father.”
“Yes, and he left us.”
Emmeline drew in a deep breath. “Dad, just accept the truth. You are angry at him because he followed his dreams when you didn’t!”
“I couldn’t dream. I had a family to feed.”
The same argument again, thought Emmeline. “No, you didn’t. When I turned eighteen, like everyone, I got access to our assets and the vault. We would have been fine without you or my big brother, Warren. We have enough assets to feed the next two generations, even if neither of us earns a dime. Yes, you developed the business and took it to the next level by collaborating with the military to make spaceships. But Grandpa and our ancestors built the foundation of the company.”
Arthur was about to argue, but Emmeline stopped him. “Dad. If you want to give up the business and go on an extended vacation, do it! Warren can take care of everything. You have trained him well. Take a ship and go, but don’t speak ill of Grandpa. And speaking of Grandma, you weren’t even around when I was taking care of her. And you know what? She asked Grandpa to leave, to follow his dream. She had become ill, and it was her wish to stay back and die on Earth in her home!”
Silence fell in the quarters.
Emmeline said after a few moments had passed. “I don’t wish to make an enemy of my father. What’s come over you? What’s going on? Just tell me.”
Arthur slowly sat down. “I’m terrified. I feel like I’m losing you too.”
Emmeline’s heart sank.
“I miss you. I miss having you around. The house is too quiet. I am scared. You’re too much like Elliot,” Arthur continued. “I’m worried that you’ll destroy everything you have. I’ve read those diaries too. I’ve thought about all the deaths, mistakes, mishaps, and destruction. I know the misery exploration and curiosity brought to our family.”
Emmeline lowered her head. It also brought progress, she thought.
“Especially the ones that have no name,” said Arthur. “The anonymous journals.”
“The ones from the twenty-first century?”
“Yes. They made so many mistakes. They stuck their noses where they weren’t supposed to. Did you know that one of them was accused of murder?”
Emmeline smiled slightly. “Accused but not convicted.”
“It gives the family a bad name.”
“Dad, that was centuries ago. No one remembers.”
“People remember, and traits pass down through generations.”
“You’re worried about nothing.”
“Really? What about Alexander?”
Emmeline eyed him.
“Since you’ve become so interested in his life, I did a bit of digging,” said Arthur. “He was appointed as a leading planetary geologist to study Nemesis, and he falsified data. He stole data from another team, altered it, and then disappeared with the original findings. It’s believed that he hid a very important finding during his survey.”
“What was it?” Emmeline asked remembering the dead man under the fallen staircase.
“No one knows. They say he corrupted his team, and they went rogue as well.”
“Did anyone find out why?”
“No. No one. They couldn’t understand him. He was given the opportunity of a lifetime. Just imagine what glory it would have brought us! But look what he did. He went rogue and destroyed his life! And he was a criminal.”
“Dad, shouldn’t you check facts before condemning a man? From the dairies it appears Alexander was kind, hardworking, and loyal to his field and colleagues. He wasn’t a well-renowned scientist, but he was dedicated to his wife and family. Has it occurred to you that such a man wouldn’t become a crook without a very good reason?”
Arthur straightened up.
“I’m just saying we should learn more about what actually happened,” Emmeline told him.
“The way I see it, Alexander discovered something, and it was huge. He wanted all the fame and glory, and that’s what led to his doom.”
Emmeline stayed quiet.
“What are you thinking?” Arthur asked her.
“You will not like it,” she said.
“Tell me anyway.”
“What if he found something crucial, but before he could get to it or gather more facts, he died?”
Arthur raised his eyebrows. “You seem very sure of his death.”
Emmeline eyed him. “Dad, he lived a long time ago, and if he was still alive, don’t you think if he wanted fame and glory, he would have come forward with his discovery?”
Arthur looked uncertain.
“Don’t worry, Dad. I will not do anything stupid.”
Arthur narrowed his eyebrows. “I know you already have.”
Titan, Deck 7, Training Hall
After her father left, Emmeline couldn’t rest. His words bothered her. She looked at her schedule. She had training with Argon and then several tasks in the Crystal Lab.
She got ready, and before she headed to training, she stopped by the Medical Bay 1 and asked the technician there to do a DNA test on the bone she’d found in Sector 1001.
Emmeline rushed inside and found Argon already doing laps around the hall. She was so happy that she could train with him. He was her friend, or something more. She didn’t know; she didn’t want to know. She liked the way things were between them. She thought her life was already full of complications, friendship was a safe ground.
Emmeline found Argon very attractive, and she could see the physical changes in his body since he had finished Imperial Command training. He was smart, intelligent and ambitious, like her. What Emmeline loved most about him was that he never stopped her from being herself. If she loved doing something, he joined in. They played games, listened to music, and most of the time had breakfast together. She believed one of the reasons she liked Titan was because he was here. He listened to her talk about stars and comets for ages. Other boys expected her to do things for them, but Argon asked nothing of her. On some level, that bothered Emmeline.
“Sorry, I’m late,” Emmeline said as she arrived.
Argon stopped running and approached her. “Emmeline, you need to be on time if you really want to learn how to fight.”
Emmeline threw her bag in a corner. “Honestly, I don’t think I need to.”
He rolled his eyes, “What did you say?”
“I don’t need to learn how to fight. I have you,” she said, smiling. She knew what would happen next.
His face softened. “Very flattering. It will not work with me.”
“Are you sure?” she teased.
“Yes. If you want your credits, you will need to complete the training. Like it or not scientist and military personnel on Titan or on any other ship have to get basic combat training.”
She smiled.
“Now let’s start warm-up.”
After the warm up, Emmeline trained with Argon using a disruptor. It was a standard hand weapon used on all ships and space stations. Anyone preparing for space travel was required to gain basic knowledge of using weapons to defend themselves in case of emergencies. For pilots and cadets of the Imperial Command, the training was hard and long. For scientists, it was short, just enough to get them acquainted with weapons and basic defense strategies.
Holding the weapon, she felt maybe Argon should have started her training with something else.
“Computer, initiate safety protocol,” said Argon.
“Affirmative.”
An invisible shield separated the shooting range from the rest of the training hall. The shooting range was in the far corner of the hall. Emmeline stood in the fourth lane at the end of the long, wide red stripe printed on the floor. She looked at the smooth black wall in front of her. This felt dangerous and wild, and she couldn’t picture a scenario where she would these skills. Violence was something she had never witnessed or experienced. But she knew this was just the beginning. Once she had learned to use this weapon, Argon planned to teach her how to use the flux rifle, a weapon that looked like a gun but was ten times more powerful than the disruptor.
“Initiate training,” Argon said.
The target appeared in front of her. Three red circles in a square. Emmeline gulped, stood with her legs apart and held the cold weapon in both hands. It was very light. As soon as her right thumb pressed the button in the middle, multiple small lights glowed for a second, and it made a hissing noise.
The computer stated, “User identification: Emmeline Augury. Status: trainee.”
“Okay,” said Argon.
Taking a quick breath and closing one eye, Emmeline tried to concentrate. Then she fired. The small beam hit the wall meters above the target.
Argon eyed her. He stepped closer. “Your hand should be parallel to your shoulder. Don’t be afraid. Now try again.”
Her heart was beating fast. Sweat gathered and smeared her palms. “I don’t like this.”
“No one likes to kill, but sometimes, it becomes necessary. Remember, someday you might have to protect yourself.”
“Argon, I don’t think this is necessary.”
“Emmeline, it is. Trust me.”
Cringing, Emmeline did as she was told.
“Keep your eyes on the target,” Argon said. “Don’t move your hand backward.” He lowered her hand a bit.
She pushed the button hard and slightly lifted her hand. The beam hit the wall way above the target.
“Target missed,” said the computer.
She fired again and again, but none of the shots hit even the outer edges of the target. A rage grew inside her. She stomped her feet, lifted her hands in anger, and tried again. The beam of light went sideways, hitting the target in the next row. “Ah! I hate this!” she shouted.
“Try this,” Argon said, giving her a knife.
Emmeline glared at him, wondering if he was trying to be funny. She said nothing, handing the disruptor to him and taking the knife.
“You know how to throw it, right?” Argon asked.
“Yes. Grandpa taught me,” she boosted. Why did he think this was funny? It wasn’t.
“Well. Let’s see.”
Emmeline held the edge of the sharp side and threw it with all her might. The knife fell to the floor before it even reached the target.
Argon burst into laughter.
“I don’t believe this!” Emmeline shouted as she marched toward the fallen knife.
“Oh, this is going to be so much fun,” Argon muttered.
“I hate you!”
Titan, Deck 2, Crystal Lab
Training had been frustrating, but it had also been a wonderful distraction. It had refreshed Emmeline’s mind. The day was passing quickly, and with a long list of things to do, she didn’t think she would have time to look at the plaque. She’d just finished working on integrating all the cosmic findings documented by Freedom into Titan’s computer. Freedom had just returned from its voyage to the Proxima Centauri star system, which was over four thousand light-years away. The phenomena were incredible, and Emmeline could understand why Dr. Kent wanted them cataloged right away.
When she finished cataloging two thousand items and transferring thirty-two billion terabytes of data, she stared at the console, asking herself where to begin. She approached Dr. Kent, who said that the first thing he wanted to study was the origin of the gravitational waves Freedom had detected ten light-years beyond Proxima Centauri. The intriguing fact was that Prometheus had also reported the waves, but in a different section of space. Just like Prometheus, Freedom hadn’t been able to determine the source. Where had the waves come from?
She spent two days studying the data. When she had the time, Emmeline pulled up the data about the plaque. First, she checked her analyzes again. Astra’s computers were old, so she thought perhaps she had made a mistake. After an hour, she reviewed the bars. No, she was correct. The composition of the plaque and Nemesis matched perfectly. If she could find out the origin of the plaque, maybe she could understand how it was linked with Nemesis.
She looked around. It was late at night and she was alone in the lab. Emmeline grabbed the plaque. It was made of grayish rock and weighed around one and a half kilos. Its surface was rough. She focused on the seventeen indentations on the back of the plaque, then noted the lines coming out of the semicircle at the top. Placing the plaque under the scanner, she scanned both the front and back of it. Then she put it back in her bag and turned to the screen. She highlighted the visual lines and said, “Computer, save pattern one.”
“Saved.”
She observed the indentations on the plaque and isolated them. “Computer, save pattern two.”
“Saved.”
“Encrypt files and access to all data of Project MYTH.”
“Affirmative,” said the computer.
“Analyze patterns one and two.”
As the computer analyzed the patterns, Emmeline concentrated on reading to identify more tests and analyzes that she could run to unlock the secrets of the plaque. She sat back, thinking. Had Alexander hidden the plaque because it was linked with Nemesis? Or had he just hidden it because he’d thought it was important? Perhaps he’d known about the mythical device. Emmeline would never know. But what she knew was that decrypting the plaque would not be easy. She also needed to study the meteoroid Alexander had preserved. Why had he done it?
“Pattern two identified,” said the computer.
Emmeline sat up straight. “Show.”
“Pattern one is the constellation Draco. Seen from Earth, Draco is the eighth largest constellation in the night sky and occupies an area of 1,083 square degrees. The constellation consists of seventeen stars and lies in the third quadrant of the northern hemisphere. It is visible at latitudes between ninety and minus-fifteen degrees. It was discovered and cataloged in the second century as one of the forty-eight constellations. Draco’s brightest star is Etamin. Draco is located 148 light-years from Earth.”
“Pause,” Emmeline said. She knew all about the constellation, but how did it relate to the plaque or the mythical device? She had no idea. “Computer, analyze pattern one.”
“Analyzing,” responded the computer.
She rocked her chair back and forth until the computer spoke again.
“This pattern was not found in the astronomical database.”
“Okay. Try historical databases.”
She waited.
“This pattern was not found in historical databases.”
Emmeline chewed her lip. “Search all databases.”
The computer became silent again. “Unable to comply. The request is too broad. There are too many references in the database.”
“Computer, merge patterns one and two, then search.”
“Searching . . .”
Emmeline waited.
“No results found,” said the computer.
Emmeline rolled her eyes.
Annoyed because she’d been unable to find anything, Emmeline invited Argon to play hover ball in the gaming room. For the next hour, she felt happy and excited. After their game, they sat on the floor of her quarters and had dinner. Argon talked about his day, and Emmeline listened intently. He had finally figured out how to fix Raven’s AI, with Cyr’s help. He was so excited. Listening to him, Emmeline completely lost track of time.
Titan, Deck 10, Docking Bay
Lieutenant Commander Adrian Olson didn’t know why, but he found himself in the docking bay. He was done with his shift on the bridge and was about to head to Evan’s quarters. But for some reason, he had taken a different route.
He’d heard Astra was leaving again, and he was worried. Since Delta’s father had passed away, Adrian had felt responsible for looking after her. Not that she needed it. She was independent, strong, and smart; she didn’t need a protective big brother. He didn’t want to be her brother, anyway. He wanted more, more than just a friend. Unfortunately, he felt he was nothing more to her than just another guy. She could have had any man or woman on the station, and yet she stayed alone. For the last four years, she’d spent most of her time working.
AUTOMATE, a robotic forklift, drawled down the hall, carrying a massive box labeled “Pl – DRILL 2.” Adrian could only speculate the weight of the drill. The forklift turned toward the ramp of Astra and disappeared into the cargo ship.
Adrian walked toward Astra, and his heart skipped a beat when Delta came to meet him. She looked radiant; her blue hair tied up in a high ponytail.
He gulped nervously. “Hey. You’re going again?” he asked, then cursed himself.
She gave him a sly smile. “Yes. The Vesta colony needs a new drill.”
Vesta was a mining colony in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
“What happened?” Adrian asked.
“You know they’re mining platinum. The engineers pushed the drill a bit hard and damaged it.”
“Ouch.”
“Titan is the closest to the asteroid belt and is currently holding three drills. They need it as soon as possible. They fear that if they don’t continue drilling and mine the mineral soon, the Imperial Command might pull the plug.”
“Wow, that would be bad,” said Adrian, trying to understand why he was having this conversation.
“Well,” Delta said. “I’m going to drop this baby off and pick up the damaged one.”
“I’m sure Lieutenant Storm can fixed it.”
“Yep. Titan’s got one of the best engineers in the system. What are you doing here?”
“Uh . . . I was just on my way to Lieutenant Weeds quarters. We’re off to watch a movie.”
A playful smile appeared on Delta’s face. “The Lieutenant’s quarters are on Deck 4.”
“Oh. Well, it’s a nice day for a stroll.”
AUTOMATE reappeared. “Delta Dune. The cargo has been loaded,” it said.
“Thank you.”
“You are welcome.”
Delta walked toward another container. “AUTOMATE, move this one to my personal lot, number 106.”
“Affirmative,” said the robot.
“What’s in there?” Adrian asked curiously.
Delta folded her arms. “Something exciting, hot, and not available on the market.”
Adrian arched his eyebrows, watching as the robotic forklift slowly lifted the container and began moving away. “Oh, come on!”
“Adrian!”
“Oh, all right,” he said, looking at the container.
“Well, I’m off,” said Delta. “This is going to be fun.”
“You’re always looking for the next adventure, aren’t you?”
Delta lowered her eyes. “I am,” she answered.
For a second, Adrian thought that she blushed, but he wasn’t sure. He watched her as she disappeared inside Astra. The ramp lifted and closed behind her.
Sometimes, Adrian wished he had someone he could discuss his feelings with except Evan. Technically he outranked Evan. They worked on the bridge; they were friends and colleagues. When it came to Delta, deep down, he knew his friend was telling him the truth, but he wasn’t ready to accept it. Not now, not for the last four years.
Adrian hadn’t been lucky. His parents were separated. That wasn’t unusual, but his family was complicated, and no one kept in touch with one another. All he knew was that they were alive. His father was a farmer, and his mother was on the Challenger colony. He heard from his mother now and then, but the conversations only ever lasted a minute or two and were always all about her. Her day, her work, her friends, and how her husband had betrayed her. It was the twenty-fourth century, but humans still bickered about these things.
Adrian was the youngest son, and his two brothers had left home a long time ago. When he’d taken up a position on Titan, his mother had complained. She hadn’t wanted him to leave her and had told him he was being selfish. But he’d never felt wanted anyway, and he couldn’t understand why she was pressuring him to stay while letting his brothers leave home. Around her, he felt like he was a tool, something to use, not to respect or love.
It was different on Titan. Adrian had joined as an ensign, and in the last four years, he’d worked his way to become second in command of Titan. He served at the helm and was a trained pilot. He’d always dreamed of flying a ship or doing something exciting, like Delta. He’d been so excited when he’d got the license to fly a craft. Unfortunately, Titan never left orbit, so he felt that his pilot training was a waste.
At first, Adrian had found Anastasia intimidating and demanding, but the more he’d gotten to know her, the more he liked serving with her.
Adrian couldn’t complain. His life was much better than it had been four years ago. He was surrounded by people who liked and respected him, and he had earned that. He could be himself with them. They didn’t mind him reading ancient books and citing them now and then, although Evan never stopped taunting him about his choice of literature. But in the last year, seeing one ship after another leave and getting to know more young cadets like Argon, Adrian had felt like he was meant to do something more significant. Something good, more than just daily routine stuff. Adrian felt he should get out of this system, explore, make new friends, join a new crew. He’d always wanted to be a pilot and had trained for it. What was he doing here?
Adrian knocked and waited for Evan to open the door.
“There you are. Come in.”
Adrian entered Evan’s home on Titan. There were clothes everywhere, and he smelled perfume. The curtains were drawn. The lights were dim. Three plates of half-eaten food sat on the small glass table. “What the hell do you do in here?”
“Is that what you’re wearing?”
Adrian looked down at his uniform.
“We’re off duty. You should try different clothes. How about this?” Evan asked, showing him a colorful shirt.
“No, thanks.”
“You’re late. Dorothy and Claire will be waiting,” said Evan.
“W-what?? I thought the two of us were going,”
“Stop complaining and just come with us.”
“No.”
“Adrian, you need to talk to girls. Girls other than Delta. We’re off in five minutes. Are you sure you want to go looking like that?”
Adrian sulked and stepped into the bathroom and took a good look at himself in the mirror. He looked a bit tired, but besides that, he looked fine. He glanced at the wall and scowled. He stepped out of the bathroom and said, “You still have it?”
“What?”
“The stupid framed picture of the queen.”
“Hey! She was the greatest singer of all time, and this is my quarters. I’ll do whatever the hell I want to do with the place. Let’s go.”
“Don’t tell me you made dinner plans too,” Adrian complained.
“Adrian, live a little, my friend. Live a little.”
One Week Later
Titan, Deck 6, Archaeology lab
The day went faster than Emmeline had hoped. The only time she had fun was when she trained with Argon. Since Argon had finished his exams, he had more time on his hands. He was teaching her self-defense, and she liked it. It was good to feel powerful.
Emmeline had received the DNA test results. It was Alexander Hendrix. It made Emmeline happy to know that she had found her long-lost ancestor. But she was unsure if she should tell her father. She didn’t know how to resolve this or who she could speak. She wanted to seek Argon’s advice. She had other things on her mind, like the plaque. Her failure to decipher it bothered her, and after trying several times on her own, she decided to seek help.
When she left the lab at dinner time, Emmeline walked cautiously, wondering if she was making the right decision. She had no choice. She’d searched through the databases and run hundreds of tests on the plaque, all in vain. She knew the plaque was ancient, and she hoped an archaeologist could help her. The computer told her Aceline Keston was in the archaeology lab.
When she entered the enormous hall, Emmeline immediately felt nostalgic. The archaeology lab was very different from the Crystal Lab. Her Lab looked like an advanced spaceship, while the archaeology lab made her feel as if she had traveled back in time.
On several benches sat hundreds of artifacts, fossils, and rocks. Emmeline noted that the walls had several shelves, most of them occupied by samples. The wall in front of her had a screen showing Earth. She noticed several blinking red dots on the globe. The picture changed to show a star map. Again, a few lights flashed. Emmeline assumed it showed where the samples had been found.
She slowly walked between the long desks. The surfaces of the desks were white, glowing due to the lights below. She came across a skeleton. She leaned over and observed the head. She was unsure if it was human. It looked human, but the eye sockets were different. The cranium looked bulky and the jaw heavy.
“I can’t believe it either. We’re still finding them,” said a familiar voice.
Emmeline straightened and saw Aceline. Suddenly, she felt embarrassed. She was so plain, wearing the same clothes almost every day. She had no idea how-to put-on makeup or even just lipstick. In front of her stood a woman in her fifties who worked with artifacts, fossils, and dusty things all day, but she looked so fresh. She was dressed in a white blouse and black stylish pants. The fact that she was Argon’s mother didn’t make things easy. If Emmeline married Argon, Aceline would be her mother-in-law. She tried not to imagine what that would be like.
“Where did you find this one?” Emmeline asked.
“It was discovered last year, buried under ice at the South Pole,” Aceline replied. “I got this two months ago, and it’s almost ready to go to storage. Now I’m waiting for Prometheus to arrive.”
“Why?”
“It found a planet where the crew discovered prehistoric rocks and bones of a species we’ve never seen before.”
“Should we be taking other species’ remains?” Emmeline asked.
“Oh, don’t worry,” Aceline said dismissively. “They’re long gone, and I don’t believe in ghosts.”
Emmeline smiled. Nor had she until she’d felt the presence in Sector 1001.
“But something tells me you’re not here to talk about relics,” said Aceline.
“I am here to talk about this,” Emmeline said, handing over a pad. It contained the two patterns she had isolated from the plaque.
Aceline arched her eyebrows and tapped on the pad. “Fascinating,” she mumbled, walking away from Emmeline and over to her desk.
For the next ten minutes, Emmeline watched Aceline walk up and down the hall, humming and smiling to herself. She hoped Aceline would realize she was still in the lab.
“Where did you find this?” Aceline finally asked.
“In the northern mountains on Earth.”
“Really?”
Emmeline said nothing.
“Have you brought the original with you?”
“No.”
Aceline placed the pad on the desk and looked at the image as if memorizing it. “You want it translated?”
“Yes. I’ve looked through the computer, but it couldn’t interpret it. I think it’s something that wouldn’t be in a scientific database.”
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Aceline admitted. “These lines are interesting.”
Emmeline wasn’t sure. “I know you’re busy, and I hope this doesn’t take up too much of your time . . .”
“Ahh, I’ll do it.”
Emmeline was pleased and extended her hand.
“Why so formal? Come here, my dear.” Aceline stepped forward and hugged her.
Emmeline didn’t know how to react. Soon, they parted.
“Okay,” said Aceline. “Now I need to get home before I forget! Goodnight.”
One Week Later
Titan, Deck 1
Anastasia strolled through the corridors of Titan. Even though it was early in the morning, Titan was already buzzing with activity. Three big cargo ships were getting ready to leave the solar system, and Titan was their pit stop for supplies. Anastasia’s job was to make sure the ships got everything they needed for their long journeys. They were the first ships to head off to the Torus colony, which was twenty light-years away from Titan. The doors opened, and Anastasia entered the busy docking bay.
She watched as men, and women rushed across the large hall. Huge boxes were being moved by Automated Hovering Carriers (AHC). These were rectangular floating platforms designed to move the cargo from one place to another. She watched as six barrels of fuel floated just above the floor and slowly moved toward Docking Port 5. Satisfied that her people could do the job; she headed to the bridge.
A familiar voice called her from behind. “Good morning, Commander,” said Lieutenant Cyr Storm.
“Good morning. How are you today?”
“I’m good, thank you. Did you see my report?”
“Yes, I did. Excellent work.”
The doors to the elevator opened, and the women stepped in.
“Right. Thanks,” Cyr replied. “Are you sure you don’t want me to look into anything else?”
Anastasia regarded her. “Computer, stop elevator.” The elevator stopped. “What’s going on?” Anastasia asked lowly.
Cyr hesitated. “Titan is running . . . perfectly. It’s been a year now, and not even a transformer needs fixing. All systems are working perfectly.”
Anastasia smiled. “That’s a compliment to its engineer. You’ve taken good care of Titan.”
Cyr forced a smile. “There was some excitement last week,” she said. “We detected cosmic dust in the armory. There was a small hole in Titan’s hull. It was exciting, especially because my staff fought over the job. To keep them busy, I asked them to check all the systems to make sure the cosmic dust hadn’t done any more damage.”
“Excellent,” Anastasia commented wondering if finding holes was exciting.
“Commander, I need to tell you something. I’m going nuts.”
“Why?”
“There’s nothing to do,” Cyr said. “Everything is the same. Every day is the same. Titan is running so perfectly; I don’t have anything new to do.”
“You’ll find something.”
“More space dust?”
“I’m sure this is just temporary . . .”
Cyr shook her head. “No. It’s not. I haven’t told you the entire story. After my team finished cleaning up the space dust, I found myself hovering over a console. The tactical console. I wanted to fire a torpedo just to make sure it worked.”
Anastasia’s face hardened.
Cyr cleared her throat. “Freedom is planning another deep space mission in the next couple of weeks. They’re looking for an engineer. I’m thinking about taking the job.”
Anastasia felt as if the environmental systems had stopped working. The elevator felt warm, and her palms grew damp. “I see. Are you sure?”
“Lieutenant Baker is an excellent engineer,” Cyr said. “He’ll take good care of Titan. I’ll make sure he does.”
Anastasia did not smile.
“Please. Titan is fantastic, but there’s nothing more to do or learn here.”
“If that is what you want, Cyr, I will support your application,” Anastasia said woodenly.
“Thank you!” Cyr replied.
“Computer, resume,” Anastasia said, looking at the door. She gritted her teeth. She wasn’t happy to let Cyr go and fought the urge to ask her to stay. But then she asked herself if she was being fair. Because when she looked deep inside herself, she didn’t want to stay either.
Titan, Deck 1, Bridge
“Everything is ready to go, Commander,” said Adrian from the helm.
“Good,” said Anastasia. “Open the gates.”
They watched quietly as the three ships left the system. As the ships disappeared from view, Adrian secured the perimeter. “Commander, I’d like to run a diagnostic of the perimeter,” he said.
“Do it.” Anastasia watched the dead space, feeling sorry and sad. Not because they were going, but because she couldn’t.
Titan, Deck 2, Crystal Lab
As usual, Emmeline was the last to finish up. When she was done, she looked blankly at the screen.
The doors opened. “Ah, there you are.”
Emmeline jumped. She calmed down when she saw it was Aceline. “Hi.”
“Hello, how are you?”
Emmeline beamed, “I am well, thanks.”
“I’ll get straight to the point,” said Aceline. “I have studied the images of the plaque you gave me and also the data you collected. You didn’t find this piece of rock in the mountains,” She studied Emmeline’s face. “Darling, look. If you don’t want to tell me something, that’s your business, but this rock could be really ancient. Maybe centuries, even millennia old.”
“What?” demanded Emmeline. “You’re telling me this could be from the ice age? The stone age?”
“The ice age, I believe. We’ve recorded over five significant ice ages throughout our planet’s history, and the most recent one ended around eighteen thousand years ago. While many other species perished, humans adapted to the changing conditions by developing tools, hunting, building fires, and tribes. You see, my dear, there were no alphabets or languages at that time. Man didn’t even know how to speak.” She paused. “When there was no language, there were drawings. Doodles, you and I would say. But it was their way of communicating.”
“What are these doodles?” Emmeline asked, pointing towards the lines.
“It’s an interesting finding.” she said, “What do you think they are?”
Emmeline nudged her head, “They look like sunrays…”
“Yes… that is what I thought. And I ran hundreds of algorithms to test this hypothesis. But then I started thinking… maybe it was something else… I got an idea when I heard Anastasia play the piano in her quarters.”
Emmeline raised a brow.
Stone made plaque (front)
“What if… this is a diagram of a musical instrument with three-level keys…”
Emmeline stood straight. She hadn’t thought about it that way. “What do you mean?”
“Usually, such drawings describe the sun, the moon, the mountains, and the rivers. Some are about animals. But these . . . these could be tunes.”
“Tunes?” Emmeline’s eyes widened.
“Exactly. Although early man was smart, he wasn’t smart enough to develop musical tunes and definitely didn’t have the skills to develop codes. They had music, but they didn’t know how to record it. Methods to record musical tunes were developed around the eleventh century.”
“Wow,” said Emmeline.
“Yes. Have you noticed the length of the lines?”
“Yes,”
“The shorter ones are 1.5 centimeters, the medium ones around 2 centimeters and the longest are about 2.9 centimeters. If you notice, it’s very faint but the medium-sized lines are a bit lighter than the color of the stone…”
“I noticed that… but thought it could be because it is old.”
“I agree. There are discolorations in several parts of the plaque. But let us assume that this is an instrument… that means the key to solve this could be a tune.”
Emmeline folded her arms, “There are too many possibilities.”
“Agreed. Then I remembered the seventeen indentations you mentioned, and you said it’s a constellation.”
“Yes. The Draco constellation.”
“Then let us assume that this musical tune doesn’t have over seventeen notes.”
Emmeline’s eyes widened.
“That narrows down the possibilities,” she said, handing over a pad. “I have recorded all the possible tunes and the only way to test them is to play them near the plaque.”
Emmeline stood feeling a bit dumb.
“We cannot know the tempo or the pitch of the tunes… but as I said, you won’t know until you test it.”
Emmeline looked through the list of tunes. “Thank you.” She felt so grateful. They were different, but Aceline had helped her without judging or questioning her.
“I should thank you! This thing had me baffled for a week, and I loved it! Let me know if you have something else this challenging. I’ll see you around, dearie!” Aceline said, turning to the door. Then she paused, looking hesitant. “You’re interested in the future. I’m interested in the past. If it’s not too much to ask, could you tell me where you found the plaque? I’d really like to study the actual thing.”
“As soon as I finish what I’m doing, I’ll hand it over to you,” Emmeline replied. “I’m really grateful for your help. I was going to give up.”
Aceline looked into her eyes. “You know that’s a lie. Women like you and me never give up.” Her lips spread into a wide smile. “I hope you have a tuning fork!”
Emmeline stood dumbfounded for a moment before she realized Aceline was joking.
Titan, Deck 1, Bridge
As the computer continued to run diagnostics, Adrian lost track of time. Today, he felt excited. Helping those ships depart had given him hope that one day, maybe, he could go on a mission. Titan was great, but four years was a long time. He was so consumed by his thoughts; he didn’t notice Evan sitting beside him.
“Hello there!”
“Ahh!” Adrian cried out. “What the . . .?”
“Yes, I am the ghost from your mythical . . .”
“Oh, shut up.”
“It’s midnight. Don’t you want to sleep?” Evan asked.
Adrian shrugged. “I have the next two days off. I thought it would be better if I completed the diagnostic. That way, I don’t have to worry about it.”
“You could leave it for me.”
“Nah, it’s okay.”
“Hey, what’s this?” Evan asked, tapping a few buttons on Adrian’s console.
“Don’t!”
“Oh, my Lord,” Evan said, looking at the video feed of the hangar deck. It was Delta. “Are you watching her?”
Astra had just returned after delivering another shipment from Vesta, one of the largest asteroids from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, currently a promising resource for mining platinum.
“Shush! No!” Adrian responded.
“You’re stalking her?”
“You don’t understand!” said Adrian. “I just wanted to make sure she returned safely. She took up the job of transporting miners from Earth to Vesta. That asteroid is unstable. I-I just wanted to make sure . . .”
“Adrian, you have to stop.”
“It’s not what you think. I’m just looking out for her.”
“You’ve been ‘looking out for her’ for as long as I can remember,” Evan said. “Time’s up! Either you ask her out or let her go.”
“I-I can’t,” Adrian said weakly. “I can’t ask her out.”
“Why not?”
“What if it ruins our friendship? I don’t want to take the risk.”
“Buddy, make your choice.”
Adrian’s face hardened, “Goodnight,” he said coldly.
Evan stood up. Just then, a loud beeping noise echoed on the bridge. “What the hell was that?”
“I don’t know. The diagnostic isn’t done yet,” Adrian said.
Evan took his station.
“It’s a signal,” said Adrian. “Something’s out there.”
“Out where?”
Adrian looked at him. “Beyond the perimeter.”
Titan, Deck 4, Emmeline’s quarters
Hours passed painfully, and Emmeline’s head began spinning. She had been playing the tunes, but all her efforts were in vain. The plaque sat silently on the table besides the pad which played one tune after another. Her annoyance grew, and she covered her ears with a pillow and put her feet on the table.
“Oh, this is ridiculous,” she muttered. Maybe it was all for nothing. Maybe Aceline was wrong. One can’t always be right. She should focus on her studies, on her training, and spending more time with Argon. Instead, she felt she was wasting her time listening to an out of tune orchestra.
A tune rang out, and she felt the table vibrate. She looked at the plaque and thought it emitted a glow. She paused the music and then played it again.
“Oh my god!”
As soon as the music died, the pad fell from her hands. She moved away as a bright yellow light began to emerge from the plaque. First, the grayish rock began to crack. Then it withered away until only a black plaque with a smooth surface remained. As if she had opened a closed book, pictures emerged. At first, Emmeline saw what looked like the sun, then three circles. Soon, the entire plaque was filled with symbols she had never seen before.
“What is this?” she wondered out loud.
Her communicator buzzed, but she didn’t want to look away. She was trying to understand what the plaque was telling her.
The communicator buzzed again. “Emmeline, this is Adrian.”
“Adrian, I’m busy.”
“I need you. There’s something beyond the perimeter. I think it’s an alien spacecraft.”
Emmeline froze.
“Emmeline?”
“Yes?”
“I need you in the Crystal Lab. Now!”
“Give me a minute!” She picked up the plaque, put it in the backpack, and returned it to the safe.
Titan, Deck 2, OBSERVATORY 1
Emmeline was puffing by the time she reached. She turned on the gamma-ray telescope and the thermal imaging system.
“Are you there yet?” asked Adrian through the intercom.
“I’m here. Transfer the coordinates.”
“Transferring coordinates.”
The large concave screen in front of her came to life. She stood on the console and began scanning.
“Have you tried hailing?” she asked.
“I have sent several hails; the ship is not responding.”
She didn’t answer him, and looked at the data.
“Emmeline,” said Anastasia. “What have you got?”
“Hold on.”
“Patch us through,” Adrian said. “I’m losing it. The ship is going off my sensors!”
“Okay. I’ve got it!”
The screen blurred for a few seconds, then cleared. She could see a vague long black craft.
“I’m patching the image through to the bridge.” Emmeline continued to tap on the panels. “Lieutenant, the reason it’s vanishing from your sensors is because it’s on the lower orbit of a gas giant approximately two light-years from our position.”
“Wow.”
“Yes.”
“But we weren’t looking for it,” said Adrian. “How did Titan detect it?”
“I don’t . . .” Emmeline was about to reply when a small flash appeared from the ship. “Maybe that’s why. It just emitted some sort of energy blast . . .” Her voice trailed off.
“It’s gone!” Adrian said. “I’ve lost it. Do you have it?”
“Hold on. I’m recalibrating the sensors.” Emmeline’s fingers danced on the panel. “Expanding search perimeters.” She turned on the gamma-ray spectrometer. Several minutes passed.
“Emmeline, try infrared spectrograph,” said Dr. Kent, entering the lab.
“Already on it,” Emmeline replied. “I’m also conducting all standard scans, including UV. Adjusting sensors,” she said.
“I will order the computer to take pictures using the telescopes so we can do a geospatial data analysis,” suggested Dr. Kent. He began working on a console.
“Understood.”
A few minutes passed.
“I’m having trouble keeping track of it. It’s disappearing from my sensors!” Emmeline cried out.
“I’m losing it too!” said Dr. Kent, tapping the keys on the console.
They both looked at the screen. They couldn’t see it anymore.
“It’s gone! It’s gone!” Emmeline cried out.
“Perhaps it has entered into the planet’s atmosphere,” Adrian suggested.
“Checking,” Emmeline replied. There was a long pause. Then Emmeline banged the console. “My scans of the gas giant are inconclusive. I need more time, and we’re just too far away. I recommend sending a ship after it.”
“Hold on. Did you scan for debris? Maybe it was destroyed,” asked Anastasia.
“If it was, it would have shown on my initial scans. But I’ll check,” Emmeline said.
Again, they all waited.
“Nothing,” she reported when the checks were complete.
“So, it appears, emits some kind of beam, and then vanishes?” Anastasia asked.
Emmeline didn’t know what to say. “It seems so. But why did it appear to begin with? Where did it come from?”
“Could it be a sort of communication?” suggested Anastasia.
“If it was why did it vanish?” said Dr. Kent.
None of them knew it but a couple of days later, three similar ships would show up near the perimeter and change their lives forever.