StudioPC wrote:
Disclaimer: Moldiver is the property of Pioneer, inc. No money is
being made from this and no such intent should be inferred.
Inspiration is drawn from "Moon With A View" by Richard C. Hoagland,
available at http://www.enterprisemission.com/ if you're curious.
* * * *
Spacers called space "The Black", and it was easy to see why. Outside
of the running lights of the Daniel Boone, there was nothing but
darkness and it drove some mad. When they looked at it, and saw a
vast void, they turned away from it, retreating into their own heads
and refused to come out.
Mirai found it fascinating. She sat on her bed in the cabin she
shared with Hiroshi and looked out the cabin window at the distant
stars. They didn't move. They simply were there. Unchanging. A
billion eyes watching the antics of a single planet trying to find
its place in the universe.
She sighed and looked away from the window as the terminal screen
displayed a message from Hiroshi. He wanted to see her in his lab.
She shook her head and began to get dressed. Officially, she and
Hiroshi were on board the Boone to field test a new and highly
classified type of space combat armor in the harsh environment of
Saturn's gravity. Most of the crew didn't even know their last names.
Cover stories should in fact cover what the people being told them will
know. And they'll know whether they'll be dropping by Saturn.
Pulling on the tunic and loose pants, Mirai slipped her feet into the
soft booties and headed out into the corridors. From there, she took
the lift down three levels to Hiroshi's lab, more commonly known as
"The Pond". This was because Hiroshi had three assistants; Two
ratings and an ensign from engineering who followed him around like
ducklings to their mother. In fact, Hiroshi's nickname among the crew
was "Momma Duck", a fact he ignored.
"You wanted to see me, Hiroshi?" Mirai asked. Nearby, one of the
ratings looked up from her work, smiled and then her eyes dropped to
Mirai's chest for just a moment. Then she blushed and looked back at
her terminal.
Mirai hid a smile, the rating wasn't unattractive, but she had other
things on her mind. 'Maybe on the way back to Earth,' she thought to
herself as tapped Hiroshi on his head. "Hiroshi?"
"What? Oh! Yes, Mirai! Yes. Yes . . ." he adjusted his glasses. "Why
did I want to see you?"
Mirai let out a sigh. Engineers.
A that moment, the com crackled to life. "Your attention. Your
attention please. Mr. Hiroshi and Ms Mirai to the bridge conference
room. That is all."
"Oh!" Hiroshi exclaimed, "the captain was going to tell us when the
probe ship started sending data back."
"And you couldn't have told me this over the com, why?" He blinked at
her and she sighed. "Come on."
* * * *
Captain Abe Jensen was a big man. Under his uniform coverall, he
fairly bulged with muscle, giving the impression he could have picked
up the Daniel Boone and thrown it all the way to Saturn.
Mirai nodded to him and to the First Officer, Commander Oshii, and
the Science officer, Doctor Wayne. She was however puzzled at the
other person in the room; a large, brutish looking man with a jaw
that suggested he ate hull plating for breakfast. He wore the uniform
of the Spaceforce Marines, and an unlit cigar was clamped between his
teeth. Mirai eyed his rank insignia and sleeve hash marks and somehow
managed to not let her eyes go wide. The man was not only as senior
as one could possibly be without being an officer, but the hash marks
said he'd been in the Marines for over twenty years.
Does Mirai really have enough familiarity with and respect for the
military to be all that impressed?
"Mirai, Hiroshi," Jensen said as they sat down. "This is Sergeant
Griswold. He's been briefed." The lights in the room dimmed and the
holo projector hummed to life. "The probe has returned enough data to
verify that at the very least, there is some sort of subterranean
structure on Iapetus. Radar imaging has returned several deep craters
hidden under dust and there is a mountain range at the equator
emitting heat traces. So at the very least, there's something going
on under the surface."
"It could be latent geothermal energy," Hiroshi suggested. "Some kind
of volcanic activity."
"That's what we thought," Wayne said. "But then the probe found
these." The holo displayed what was clearly an artificial structure
rising out of the surface. It was coated in dust and pitted by
impacts, but there was no way it was some kind of rock formation.
"There's about six of them. Nearly a mile in height apiece arranged
along the equator about sixty meters apart. There may be more."
That's not a moon...that's a space station!
"What are they?" Mirai asked.
"As near as we can tell, docking towers. Interestingly enough,
spectralnometer scans tell us the towers are built out of a titanium
alloy . . . and that they're at least twenty to thirty thousand years
old."
Commander Oshii leaned forward. "One of the towers has an open door
and it's large enough to accommodate one of our combat shuttles. Ms
Ozora, as Moldiver, will accompany Alpha, Beta, and Delta Squadrons
under Sergeant Griswold's command on a short range excursion into the
interior of the structure and secure the immediate vicinity. If the
interior accessway is blocked, they will fall back to the shuttle and
return to the Daniel Boone. Epsilon and Ro Squadrons will remain with
the shuttle to secure it and if necessary, cover a withdrawal.
Depending on what you find in there, we'll develop an additional
exploration strategy."
"Any questions?" Jensen asked. There was none. "And now we get down
to the fine details. Doctor Wayne, you first."
* * * * *
The next three days passed quickly as the Daniel Boone approached and
then inserted into a geosynchronous orbit around Iapetus, 200 miles
above the surface.
Free time became a luxury few could afford. Hiroshi virtually lived
in the Duck Pond and Mirai spent most of her waking time sparring
with the Marines.
But at long last, the moment arrived. In the Duck Pond and behind a
screen, Mirai peeled off her clothing. Carefully, she inserted the
com-link into her ear and plugged it into the Mol-unit.
This was it. The time was now. She wrapped her hand around the unit
and took a deep breath.
"Metamorforce!" she cried out and the unit flared to life.
On the other side of the screen Engineering Crewman Hannalore Star
stepped back in startlement as a blinding white light flared up and
the screen flew across the room, propelled by some force. She stared,
open mouthed at the impressive amazon who stood before them.
She was tall, with athlete's poised grace. She wore a white shirt
with black under-tunic and leggings, a skirt of lilac purple and
metal boots that came up to just below her knees. Her hands were bare
and she wore a black metal helmet with a blue visor. Brown hair tied
back in a loose ponytail spilled down her back.
She grinned at them and gave them a V for victory sign. Then walked
out of the Duck Pond.
Star watched her go, and tried not to drool.
* * * *
The assault shuttle Dadelus was crowded. There were more then fifty
Marines, plus Mirai, and four combat mecha crammed into the troop
hold and it wasn't that comfortable. Fortunately, they were only
there for the time it took the Dadelus to leave the Boone and cover
the two hundred miles to the insertion point.
Mirai listened as the shuttle's landing gear made contact with the
interior of the tower and locked in the mag grapples. Then were a
series of thunks and and hisses as the Dadelus deployed weapons.
"This is your captain speaking," said the Dadelus' pilot over the com
network. "On behalf of Daniel Boone airlines, I'd like to welcome you
to Iapetus. The temperature is minus three hundred Fahrenheit, the
weather is clear, and we hope you enjoyed your flight. Please check
around your seat and in the overhead compartment for all your
belongings and we look forward to having you fly with us again."
"Damn pilots," a Marine near Mirai snorted as she ran a check on her
suit's seals. "Always gotta make a joke."
"Mirai," Hiroshi's voice came over the com on one of the public
channels. "Remember that this is a baseline field test. Don't try to
use all the suit's capabilities in one trip."
'Translation,' Mirai thought to herself 'don't reveal all of
Moldiver's powers. We may have to fight the crew before this is
over.' "All right," Mirai growled and then smiled. "Momma Duck."
Someone chuckled.
"Mirai!" Hiroshi exclaimed. "Not on the public frequency!"
"Sorry?" she said, "I didn't catch that. You're quacking up. Some
kind of interference."
Several Marines were grinning now. "I think she's right," one of the
Marines said, trying not to laugh. "There's definitely some beaking
up on this frequency."
Mirai heard several others make quacking noises and she grinned evilly.
"King Frog here," Jensen broke in. "Let's all stop picking on Momma
Duck, shall we? The pond has enough clownfish." His voice turned
serious. "Dadelus Insertion, sound off, final equipment check."
"Griswold, clear. All green." Griswold snapped as he sealed his suit
and the mood in the shuttle went from humorous to all business in the
blink of an eye.
"Angus, clear. All green."
"Hennesey, clear. All green."
And so it went down the line as one by one, the Marines made their
final checks.
"Mirai, clear. All green," Mirai said. She pulled on the cam headset
over her helmet and settled it into place. The headset also mounted
its own light.
"Daniel Boone, this is Dadelus control." The shuttle pilot's voice
was brisk. "Depressurizing assault bay in five. Four, three, two, and
one." There was a hissing noise that faded away. "Bay depressurized,
doors opening. Good hunting, gentlemen."
"Mecha two and four on point," Griswold snapped. "Delta, back them,
Beta on rear with mecha one and three. Move out!"
* * * *
The Mechas were roughly nine feet tall, bipedal, and mounted a
combination anti-tank laser cannon and missile launcher on the right
and a powerful grasping claw on the left. They didn't so much walk as
they sort of stepped purposefully, the lights on the gun, the chest,
and the head illuminating the tunnel. Frost was everywhere.
Meanwhile, the Marines, dressed in armored spacesuits, carried heavy
guns, also with spotlights and they swung them about at random, ready
to fire.
"Basic search tactic," Griswold explained to Mirai. "If we moved the
lights in a pattern, it would be easy to stay where the lights
weren't. This way, it's harder to hide in the shadows from us. You
never know when the light will swing your way."
"Insertion team, halt," said the Delta squad leader over the com.
"Sergeant Griswold to the front."
The reason for the halt became clear. A massive platform rose from
the floor of the tunnel, and on top, a circular doorway, the doors
open a foot or so. The gap revealed very little, except for more tunnel
On impulse, Mirai knelt and tore away a section of ice and dust.
Underneath was some sort of carpeting, soft, slightly springy.
"You getting all this, Sir?" Griswold asked.
"Loud and clear, Griswold," Jensen replied. "Sitrep."
"We've reached the end of the tunnel, or the base of the tower,
however you want to look at it," Griswold replied. "Gravity is point
nine nine nine luna normal. There is a platform three by five meters
and a door, circular in shape, two panels. Appears to slide in tracks
which are frozen solid. Also, top of the platform appears to have
some kind of carpeting. Cream in color, unknown material. No hostiles
or friendlies encountered or any sign of a security system."
"Copy that, Griswold, can you get the doors open and continue?"
"Negative, Sir, they are frozen solid, repeat, frozen solid. We'll
need a tractor press to get them open."
Might I suggest that you just apply some heat?
"Hang on," Mirai said and walked to the doors and placed her hands on
their edges. Then, she pushed.
...never mind.
The the pseudo molecules that made the suit nigh invulnerable also
The pseudo-molecules
made it possible for an ordinary person to perform feats of strength
that would otherwise be impossible. In theory, the strength limit was
infinite. Mirai had never tested that theory, but she had juggled
ocean liners. The doors were no different.
Y'know, frankly with power like that, even if you didn't feel inclined
to fight crime, you could still make yourself useful just dealing with
natural disasters.
The metal crumpled in her hand, ice flying everywhere as the portal
widened.
"Cancel the tractor press," Griswold said. He actually sounded
impressed.
Within moments, the doors were pushed back enough that the team
could continue.
On the other side of the doors, the tunnel was barely tall enough for
the mechs. Some kind of pots were stationed at regular intervals
along the wall under small horizontal rods attached to the walls. An
examination of the rods showed that they were lights, burnt out for
eons. In between the pots, also attached to the walls, were what
appeared to be paintings and photographs. These depicted landscapes,
or strange cities that Mirai recognized as a blend of Sumerian and
Egyptian construction. There was even a definite South American
influence.
Yeah, yeah, Atlantis.
Curiouser and curiouser.
Abruptly, the tunnel ended, widening out into a vast room. They
walked along a large balcony that overlooked the main floor. To their
right were five more tunnels, evenly spaced at about sixty meters.
All had doors that were shut tight. To the left, a set of seven
stairs led down to the main floor. From there, curving low walls
directed the eye to a set of metal gates. There was perhaps sixteen
of them. Eight had small podiums in front of them, the other eight
had podiums behind them. At the center of the gates was a square of
counters. Each counter bore three terminals and signs written in some
strange language.
Overhead, the ceiling rose in a sort of pyramid. The four sides of
the pyramid were vid screens, emitting a faint blue glow.
"What the hell is this place?" One of the mech pilots demanded.
"Entry terminal," another marine grunted. "For civvies."
"And what makes you so sure, Angus?" The first Marine demanded. "How
do you know this isn't military? Whole place could be a giant laser
cannon like in that movie. The one with the laser swords."
"Use your eyes, Chase," Angus snorted. "The decor aint military and
and a military checkpoint wouldn't be so big. Too hard to defend if
boarded." Angus pointed at the gates with podiums on the near side.
"Go through there if you're boarding and the other side if you're
leaving. Square counter is probably the service desk." Angus waved a
hand at the doors behind them. "Ship docks, they come through the
doors, down these steps and present documentation at those podiums.
Once verified, they get passed through. Reverse if they're leaving.
Basic security checkpoint."
"Not bad, Angus," Griswold said. "Now how about you use that Ph.D of
yours and figure out how to get the Mechs through those gates.
Noticing Mirai's confused look, a nearby female marine leaned over.
"He really does have a Ph.D," she said. "Got it when he was fifteen
in drive mechanics. But he's an adrenaline junkie so he enlisted in
the Marines and joined the Angels of Mercy."
Mirai swallowed. The Angels of Mercy was the nickname given to 4th
Company of the Marines.
Why DOES Mirai know so much about the military?
The Angels were the Marines whose job it was
to board the wrecks of ships that had been raided by pirates and
worse. They were also the ones who tracked down and dealt with
Pirates and their hideouts. They were heavily armed, highly trained,
and were combat veterans before ever joining the Angels. They saw
horrors that Mirai couldn't even begin to imagine and didn't want to
try. "He's an Angel?" She asked, awestruck.
"Yup," the Marine answered. "We all are. Space Marines, 4th company,
Third Battalion. Also known as the Bronze Barbarians of the Angels of
Mercy. In fact, the head of the Boone's security is the Exec of the
Battalion."
Mirai blinked. It made sense. The Angels specialized in going into
places no one else would and staying calm when anyone else would have
a panic attack. Who better? If there was anyone better suited to be
exploring a potentially dangerous artificial moon of unknown origin,
Mirai couldn't think of them.
* * * *
Angus' solution was direct. He had Mirai tear out three of the gates
on the entrance to make room for a Mech to pass one at at time,
single file.
The rest of the Marines hopped the counters. An easy feat in the low
gravity, even in their armored suits.
Once through, the room widened even more. There were benches and
couches. One wall had a rack of what looked like and probably were
vid-phones. There was even a lounge area and what were instantly
identifiable as bathrooms.
At the far side of the room were three massive archways that led to
huge doors, also sealed tight.
"Sir!" Chase called out. "I'm getting a temp difference reading."
"Temp difference?" Griswold asked.
"By fifteen degrees, Sir." He pointed with the gun arm at the far
left archway, which they'd yet to examine.
Angus," Griswold said. "Take three and go check it out."
Angus and three other marines ran forward and disappeared into the
gloom.
"It's another door, Sir," Angus reported, "and its shut tight. But on
the top of the arch is a red light. It's faint, but it's active.
There's another light next to it, unlit."
Mirai tilted her head back so the light on her headset shone at the
arch of the door they stood at. There were two lights up there as
well. Neither was lit.
"I suspect they're status lights," Angus said. "Red no doubt means
there's no asmotsphere."
atmosphere
"On this side or the other side?" someone wondered.
"This side, duh," Chase retorted.
Well actually no. The people on this side have no need to know there's
no air. They know that from personal experience. That status light
probably means that the airlock behind the door is evacuated.
"We're moving to Angus' position," Griswold decided.
When they arrived, Mirai pressed her hands to the door, letting the
sensors in the faux skin do their work and transmitting the data back
to the Daniel Boone.
"Seventeen degrees hotter than the rest of the room," Hiroshi
reported. "Door is made of the same metal as the towers. There's
definitely something warm on the other side. Could be anything."
"Like?" Chase pressed.
"I don't know!" Hiroshi said, exasperated. "There's no way to tell."
"Maybe there is," Mirai said and triggered her flight field. "I've
only done this once before and I'm not sure how I did it. "She tossed
Griswold her headset and began to adjust her density controls.
"MIRAI!" Hiroshi screamed. "What the hell are you -- NO! It won't --NO!"
"Shut it, Hiroshi," Mirai growled.
"You can't!"
"Blow me!" Mirai screamed and then phased through the door.
* * * *
Teareal sighed happily and pulled Lorin closer. His lips on her neck
felt so good and then she bit down a snarl of frustration as his hand
rested tentatively on her breast. Why was it so hard for men to get
the idea? She'd let him undo and open her outer robe, how much more
of a clue did he need?
Instead, she let out a low moan and guided his hand --he had such
long fingers -- to the fasteners of her inner robe. Slowly, he began
to undo the clasps one handed. Such clever fingers!
In the back of her mind, she supposed he might be a little nervous.
Not only because her Grandfather was the Senior Elder, but because
they were on the engine shield of a transport parked at the edges of
the Dead Zone.
Not twelve hetras away, the massive Gate was sealed shut against
Death, who controlled most of the Sutras, while the Tribes stayed --
she stared. There was a light coming from the gate. No, not from the
Gate, from something coming through the metal of the Gate itself!
Belatedly, Lorin realized her distraction and turned to see what was
going on.
It was then that the glow resolved into a woman, head bowed, arms
spread wide. She wore no robes and her face was covered by a visored
helmet. She was also hovering at least a hetra off the ground.
Gracefully, she landed on the floor, lowered her arms and looked
around, finally saw them.
Teareal and Lorin stared at her. She stared back, mouth open, and
then raised one hand in some sort of gesture. "Ano . . ."
"YEEEEEEEEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Lorin
screamed. At first, Teareal thought the strange being was attacking
him somehow and then he ran for the transport's cab and fumbled out a
blaster.
When the lark did Lorin get a blaster?
S-s-stay back!" he yelled at it. "D-don't come near us! You can't
have her!"
Lorin!" Teareal said, "wait, I think --" The figure lowered its hand
and Lorin screamed again, firing one shot. It was all he had time
for. In the blink of an eye, the being was suddenly in front of them,
ripping the blaster from Lorin's hand.
"An'ta baka?" it said, glaring as it stepped back and crumpled the
blaster into a ball. "Tadi no gna chou wou." It dropped the blaster
to the floor where it landed with a thunk.
Lorin let out another scream and grabbing Teareal's hand, shoved her
into the cab before climbing in and yanking the engine's activation
lever. He backed up and turned around and sped off.
Looking back, the last Teareal saw, the being was standing there,
watching them go.
* * * *
It had been the longest five minutes of Hiroshi's life. He'd
practically screamed himself hoarse, calling for Mirai to answer him,
to say something, anything. Paranoid fears that she'd reduced herself
into component atoms fled through his mind and tears flowed down his
cheeks.
"Ow! Damnit, Hiroshi, shut the fuck up!" It was the sweetest sound
he'd ever heard.
"Mirai? Thank God!"
"Yeah, yeah. Captain, we're returning to the Daniel Boone."
"Copy that. Find anything?"
There was a moment of silence before Mirai replied and there was an
odd tone in her voice. "I would like to make a full report in person,
Captain."
"Understood. Jensen out."
Griswold switched to a private frequency. "Bad?"
Mirai didn't answer. In fact, she didn't say a word to anyone for the
entire trip back.
* * * *
Author's note: Mirai speaks primarily Japanese, which Teareal or
Lorin obviously don't speak. Attempts to find an totally accurate
translation online failed so I made up some words to fill in the
blanks. What she's saying is "Are you stupid? I'm not going to hurt
you."
If anyone can give me a more accurate translation, I'd appreciate it.
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