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GETTING THE AIR SUPPLY back on turned out to be quite the simple task. The Relict pointed to the proper room, Tini broke open its locked door in one minute, and the valve to the huge tank of liquid oxygen and nitrogen could be unscrewed manually. But for the time being we were only able to refill the atmosphere inside the station — using the geological analyzer had caused a total blackout in the ancient laboratory, including taking down the forcefield, so all the air outside the hermetically sealed station instantly whooshed out into space.
“Strange. Very strange,” the Technician muttered in surprise, trying unsuccessfully to get back control over the inactive systems. “This situation is simply not covered in the instructions! The distortion forcefield is supposed to be surrounding the laboratory at all times. It cannot be otherwise! Or else the Precursors, who constantly scan the cosmos, will very quickly find and destroy us! What could have happened to the power supply? Unless the reactor was turned off and the batteries were down to zero. But the batteries should have had enough power to last a hundred tongs operating autonomously!”
I didn’t explain to the ancient Technician that I had caused the equipment failure. I just brought it back to what I said before — that it had been far longer than a hundred tongs since he was put into stasis, around two orders of magnitude longer in fact. The batteries actually could have discharged over such a long timeframe. The Relict again didn’t seem to believe me, but this time at least behaved peacefully and didn’t rush to attack.
For starters, Urgeh Pu turned on the power supply from the solar arrays — as it turned out the whole huge hull of the laboratory was covered in photoelectric panels. The energy they provided wasn’t exactly gasp-worthy — the nearest star was still quite distant, but the Technician was at the very least able to turn on the lights and activate the artificial gravitation unit. He set it on power-saving mode — barely even one one-hundredth of terrestrial gravitation, just enough so we wouldn’t be floating through the halls and could walk like normal. The Relict tried to turn on the laboratory’s defensive camouflage screen, but it didn’t work — there wasn’t enough power.
“Now we need to turn on the reactor!” the laboratory director lit up with a new idea, but I cooled his enthusiasm telling him that, when we got to the station, the system informed us there was not enough power to start the subatomic reactor.
The Relict ran some calculations on the terminal and was noticeably disheartened. There was indeed not enough energy. Furthermore, based on the Technician’s calculations, with solar arrays alone, it would be a VERY long time before we had enough power to start the reactor. To be exact, we would need around sixteen and a half tongs, which was fifty-nine years in earth time. But we simply would not have that kind of time because the laboratory would be detected and destroyed by Precursors long before that. After coming to such troubling conclusions, the Technician sank into thought for a long while, then suddenly asked about the Annihilator on my belt:
“Can I see it?”
With a certain apprehension, I unclipped the ancient weapon and, mentally telling Tini, Eduard Boyko and Basha Tushihh to prepare for some action and be ready to twist the Relicts arms if he tried to shoot, I handed my Annihilator to Urgeh Pu-Pu Urgeh. My apprehensions turned out to be unfounded — the Relict, seeing the players watching him tensely, deliberately slowly unfastened the Annihilator grip which had been refit for human fingers. Clearly knowing what he was doing, he opened the weapon up and... crossed two limbs on his chest to express disappointment as he examined the homebrew battery the Kirsan repair bot had whipped up:
“This won’t do! We need a native nuclear battery. That would have enough power to start the reactor.”
A little ray of hope glimmered up in my mind because I did have real batteries — fortunately, I had bought some recently on Kasti-Utsh III. However, before I was going to share the enormously rare objects with the Technician, I decided to dot all the i’s and clarify what we were going to do next. What did Urgeh Pu-Pu Urgeh intend to do after the reactor turned back on?
“The instructions state that, in case of threat of detection, we must change the laboratory’s location as quickly as possible. The station has no camouflage screen now, so it’s just a matter of time before automatic Precursor hunters start showing up. Because of that, we will turn on the camouflage and get away from this compromised position at once. Even if we have to stay in this same star system.”
Hmmm... I was not sure those safety rules were still strictly necessary in these times, tens of thousands of years after the great war between the ancient races had ended. But I didn’t argue. I just asked the Relict whether he would transport my nearby frigate together with the laboratory. He hesitated for a second, then assured me the starship would come along with the station.
Except...
Danger Sense skill increased to level ninety-two!
Mental Fortitude skill increased to level one hundred thirteen!
I do not appreciate being lied to so flagrantly and ineptly! I needed to explain that to the Relict so he would understand. I mentally asked Valeri and Minn-O to be ready to join my attack if I couldn’t manage on my own (the Technician’s level 209 inspired respect regardless), and I turned decisively toward Urgeh Pu-Pu Urgeh. Because there was already enough pressure inside the station, I raised the face guard of my helmet to make eye contact. I must have had a very serious Intelligence advantage over the Technician because I didn’t sense the least bit of resistance and was immediately flooded with a stream of alien thoughts:
“Gnat has sensed something and is on guard. I must have slipped up somewhere. But where exactly? Did I inadvertently think about the automatic activation of the security system when the reactor is started up? Most likely. Sure, our squadron of combat drones would have destroyed the intruders quickly and their starship next to the laboratory to boot. But now I’ll have to do it on my own. Oh well, conflict was inevitable. The six outsiders on the station must be terminated. I’ve learned a bitter lesson. I’ll keep the giant Geckho at bay. I can turn the rest against one another and suck them dry. Before killing Gnat, I need to take the battery from his inventory. But the nerve of that Gnat! He’s trying to read me. He dared challenge me! No matter, I’ll teach him another lesson by jamming his sense organs again! How do you like that, human? Ow! Yeesh... That hurts! How is he doing that? How is he tossing me around like that? Woah! He shouldn’t be... Hey! Broke an arm... Shell cracked... Magic Points running out... Life Points in the red... Okay, okay. I give up!”
I immediately released the Relict, who was curled up in a ball with his limbs pressed up to his chest in pain. I wasn’t expecting how effective the new combat tactic would be — before the blackness overtook my vision, I grabbed my opponent with Telekinesis and flung him against the walls, every time making the throws more abrupt and impacts more forceful. By the way, it was odd that a Technician at the extreme level of 209 would run out of mana so quickly, ending his psionic attack against me almost immediately. I even had two thirds of my Magic Points left. Perhaps the Relict hadn’t yet restored his mana after our last dust-up. Or maybe the Technician class didn’t have a ton of Magic Points to begin with. After all I was reminded that, once upon a time, as a Prospector I had much less Magic Points than the same-level Listener I became.
Psionic skill increased to level one hundred eleven!
Telekinesis skill increased to level six!
Telekinesis skill increased to level seven!
Training skill increased to level four!
You have reached level one hundred one!
You have received three skill points (total points accumulated: six).
Level one hundred and one! Not bad, not bad! All six free points I immediately invested into Medium Armor, bringing it up to 93, all the while tracking my previously chosen course to see if I could use the Tachyon Bender. Then I walked up to the hunched up and painfully shivering Relict. With the fingers of my left armored glove, I grabbed my vanquished opponent by the lower jaw and raised his head so I could look into his eyes. And I was using my right hand to hold my Annihilator to the Relict’s head all the while:
“Urgeh Pu-Pu Urgeh, I’ve had enough of your stubborn foolishness! This is the last time I’ll be explaining and if you don’t learn your lesson this time — it’s on you! The war between the Relicts and Precursors ended a very long time ago. All that’s left of the once mighty Precursor race are scattered pockets on remote planets throughout the galaxy, and our technological level has universally been set back by millennia. Civilization on my planet reverted to a fully primitive state and not even the slightest memories of our former greatness remained. Your race meanwhile, was thought to be extinct right up until my ship discovered this hidden dormant laboratory. A member of my crew sacrificed his own life to save yours because you are perhaps the last Relict in the Universe. And my gratitude for my Gunner is the only thing keeping me from killing you now, even though I generally cannot stand this kind of guile and villainy. Got it?”
Based on the fragmentary thoughts that slipped through, I could sense that the Relict had finally started to consider it and was even allowing for the possibility that a ton of time really may have passed. Urgeh Pu-Pu Urgeh covered both of his eyes with cloudy film, then opened them again. That must have meant “yes.” Okay, let’s keep talking.
“It just so happens that we can help one another. Without your laboratory, my damaged starship will never be able to return home. I meanwhile know where the ship of the Relict Hierarch is located. I believe that there are more living members of your race on it in stasis as well. And so I offer you a choice. You can be completely open and help a Listener and your senior in the Pyramid hierarchy. In that case, I will help you bring your race back from the brink. Or I could act alone without your help. Yes, it would take much longer, but I have enough Intelligence and knowledge to figure out all the equipment here on the station. So, the choice is yours!”
Urgeh Pu-Pu Urgeh’s response came instantly:
“Listener, I recognize your authority from now until we meet the Hierarch of my race, who will have the authority to overrule your orders! I won’t cause any more trouble, I swear by the Pyramid!”
There it is! I lowered the Annihilator wearily. My arms were shaking. I was out of Magic Points. Over the last few seconds, I had practically spent up my Endurance Points as well. Eduard Boyko had to hold me up because my vision was getting blurry in exhaustion. I just about fell over. But that was a small matter. The main thing was that I had achieved my objective! I knew that from now on Urgeh Pu-Pu Urgeh would obey me implicitly no matter what. And it would remain that way right up until we met the Relict Hierarch. And after that (this I also read in the ancient Technician’s thoughts), Urgeh Pu-Pu Urgeh would advise the Hierarch to kill me because I knew too many of the Relict race’s secrets, and thus was dangerous. He would even help the Hierarch to do so. Alarming information, but still it was for the distant future. I didn’t have to worry about the member of the ancient race doing anything rash for the time being.
Psionic skill increased to level one hundred twelve!
Authority increased to 88!
I stashed my Annihilator, turned on my radio and called the Medic and both Engineers over from the frigate. One of the Relict’s four upper appendages was hanging limp, so the Technician clearly needed a doctor. My Medic Gerd Mauu-La Mya-Ssa would also just find it interesting and beneficial for his skills to examine a member of a previously unknown race. It would similarly aid the professional development of Orun Va-Mart and San-Sano to familiarize themselves with the ancient laboratory’s systems. And considering my Mechanics had been guaranteed a few levels from working with ancient artifacts, this functioning Relict station promised a colossal boost to my Engineers’ skills and levels!
After that I took a nuclear battery from my inventory and extended it to the Technician:
“Urgeh Pu-Pu Urgeh, go turn on the subatomic reactor and camouflage screen! And immediately after that, transfer complete control over all laboratory systems to me. Including the security program — the last thing I need is another incident with the artificial intelligence! After that, together with my Pilots, Navigator and Engineers we’ll bring the laboratory closer to the local star given it would be dangerous to spend too long at these coordinates. Once we’ve finished those priority tasks, we’ll fly together to my frigate. I’ll introduce you to the rest of the crew and give you a berth to sleep in. I suppose communicating with members of other races will help you not feel alone and quickly adapt to this new world, which has changed so much in the thousands of tongs since you were last around. And when you do adapt and consider yourself ready for a serious conversation, along with the Navigators and other officers, we can think up the best way to use this ‘ace up my sleeve,’ which can move through the Universe instantly.”
