SG Nova Roma, Chapter 4.12

12 – Dark Secrets Uncovered

(H4A-701 – Settlement – Year 3, Day 67, 1242)

The building was that had survived whatever had happened here, did not match the construction style of the ruins. The broken buildings were brick and mortar, whereas the survivor was steel and glass. As Eli had seen on the Kino footage, all the ruins were overgrown. But they could all clearly see that their destination was untouched. There were some kind of symbols on the outside of the structure as well.

“It’s like somebody added this place as an afterthought,” Volker said.

“That afterthought might have killed everybody on this planet,” Varro said.

“So, how do we find out what happened here ?” Volker said.

“Eli,” Young said. “Send in the Kino.”

Nodding, Eli steered the alien device towards the building. The doors wouldn’t open, but one of the windows was broken. So Eli used that window to get the flying camera ball inside. At first glance, the building looked like a hospital or clinic. But then the Kino flew into a room where several Hal’Iry were strapped to beds. And they were covered in nasty looking, purple boils. Eli also noticed that room could only be opened from the outside. 

“It’s a lab,” Rush said. “A biological lab.”

“The kind that has been outlawed on Earth for decades,” James said. “They were making weapons.” 

“So something broke containment and wiped out this village,” Varro said.

“That’s the most likely scenario,” Rush said. 

“We need to get out of here,” Eli said.

“Eli, turn off the Kino,” Young said. “We’re going to have to leave it behind, otherwise we risk contamination.” He turned to the others. “Greer, Varro, take point, we’re leaving.” 

“I still recommend a day or two of isolation once we get back,” Rush began. “Just to be on the safe side.”

“We’ll radio ahead and set it up,” Young said. 

With Greer and Varro leading the way, the group headed out. They reached the border of the settlement, which Eli now realized was marked by metal poles. Mounted on the side of these poles that faced the town were blue, elliptical lights. They were about halfway up the poles and the size of a football. These had been off when the team had made their way into the town.

~That’s why we didn’t notice them.~ Eli thought. 

Greer and Varro reached the poles, only to walk into a forcefield. It knocked them to the ground. Vanessa James and Rush helped them to their feet. Varro aimed his weapon at one of the lights – which Eli figured was actually an emitter – and fired three shots. Alas, the forcefield also protected the emitters-slash-pole. All three shots were blocked.

“Okay, this could be a problem,” Volker said. 

“It’s a Hal’Iry countermeasure. And it probably extends all around the settlement,” Rush said.

“We probably triggered it going in,” Young said. 

“So, what do we do now ?” Chloe asked.

That was the big question that they were now facing. With a bit of luck, Chaser would check in on them soon. And they had enough food and water for a couple of days. So they were good in the short-term. It was the long-term that was the problem. Looking back towards the lab, Eli got the feeling that he knew where they would end up heading. 

(H5D-228 – Tunnel - Year 3, Day 67, 1530)

The team had done a circuit of the quarry, staying close to the wall. They had found several more rooms, but these had all been mostly empty. What little remained, however, had painted a picture. The quarry had clearly been a major mining operation. And the rooms combined to form a complex that had housed the workforce. Porter and G’Yal had discovered a tunnel that connected them. The only room not tied in, was the one where they had found the remains. At the moment, NR-1 was exploring a larger tunnel that branched off from the room connecting one. Porter and G’Yal were in the lead, while Vale and T’Zalo covered the rear.

“Where do you think this goes ?” G’Yal asked. 

“I have no idea,” Porter began. “But whatever is at the end, it’s going to be far outside the quarry. And the air is clear, so something is keeping the atmosphere from the surface out.”

They reached a corner in the tunnel. After they turned said corner, they found themselves at a pair of heavy metals door on rails. It took both them, but them managed to roll one of the doors aside. MP-5 at the ready, G’Yal was the first to step into the room beyond. It was a large, round room, with a roof that could iris open. There was machinery lining the wall, along with plenty of tools. 

“I think this is where they did maintenance on ships serving the quarry.”

“So, it’s a fancy garage.” 

“To bad it’s empty,” G’Yal began. “I get the feeling that this planet has been abandoned for quite a while. Still, even an outdated Hal’Iry ship would have told us a bunch about their technology.”

“Let’s make sure we’re not missing anything,” Vale said as he joined them. 

“You’re the boss, boss.” G’Yal said.

The team set to examining the room. It was T’Zalo who noticed a passage behind one of the sections with tools. Following it, he ended up in a small supply room. At the back of this room, behind a workbench was a section of wall that seemed off to him. He pulled the workbench aside and examined the section. ~It’s not a wall…~ He pushed against the section and it slid aside. ~It’s a hatch.~ And beyond that hatch was another tunnel. 

“Colonel, I’ve found something.”

=/\=We’ll be right there.=/\= 

T’Zalo waited for the rest of the team to arrive, then made his way down the tunnel. It was narrow, so he had to get through on all fours. Which was not easy in the spacesuit. But all four of them made it, suits intact. The space beyond was dark. But even with just the light of their flashlights, it was clearly not part of the Hal’Iry constructions on the planet.

Instead, it appeared to have been a collection of caves. This was obvious because there were stalactites and stalagmites in range of their flashlights. They could also see that the caves had once been separated by natural walls, but that these had been removed.

“Somebody did some remodeling,” Vale said.

“And expanding,” Porter began. “They connected the caves and made them bigger and then…” She pointed at a constructed wall with her flashlight. “…used the pieces of rock to build that wall, which I figure used to be the entrance.”

“That explains why this place is not flooded with the surface atmosphere.”

“Boss,” G’Yal said, while pointing at a spot next to the entrance. “Is it me, or does that look like a light switch ?”

Vale looked at the spot and saw that it was indeed a light switch. So he flicked it. There was a pause and then he heard the sound of a generator spinning up. He turned back to the cave complex to see several electronic lights spring to life. They revealed a shanty town made out of wood, metal, fabric, stone and other materials. Basically, any materials the locals could get their hands on. There were only a few electronic lamps, but Vale spotted other light sources as well.

“Candles, oil lamps and even bioluminescent moss,” Porter said. “These people got really creative about lighting this place.” 

“Let’s take a closer look,” Vale said.

They made their way into the town. Vale took out a gas-lighter and began lighting the oil lamps and candles as they passed, leaving a trail of light. The town was empty. There was crude furniture inside the shacks that made up the town. But there were no personal items. 

“No clothes, no food, no corpses,” Porter said.

“We’re missing something,” Vale said. “A hidden shanty town, cloaked in the dark. What is this place about ?” 

“Survival,” A female voice began. “This place is about survival.”

The team turned to see a group of Hal’Iry. They were armed with bows and arrows, which were aimed at the team. Vale could see that these were not adults, but children. A young Hal’Iry female – who was clearly in charge – had been the one who had spoken. She was holding a sword, which she was pointing at Vale. 

“We’re not here to threaten that,” Vale said.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” The female said. “Take them away.” 

The children led the team to a collection of cages. Vale knew that they were on the clock and that they could shoot their way out of this situation. But the that was not the kind of man he was. The children took their weapons and locked them in the cages. Vale sat down on the floor. ~Time to earn your paycheck, Marc.~ He began plotting his next move.