“Command, Puddle Jumper is initiating injection sequence. All systems are in the green.” Lt. Nadia Laurence said, conscious to keep her voice even, not betraying a hint of the nerves she was feeling.
“Received, Puddle Jumper. Green across the board. You may go when ready.” A solemn voice came back across the radio.
Nadia turned to her left, glancing at her copilot, Cmdr. John Allen who she would be making history with today. His face was serious, filled with the lines and marks of a long career, pushing the boundaries of what humans could achieve. He looked back at her, giving her a wry smile as he spoke.
“They’re playing our song, Laurence. Let’s dance.” He said, turning back to face the view-port monitor.
On the display was hard to describe. Around the surface, space seemed to fold more and more as it got closer, until it seemed that it had twisted in on itself, showing the reflection of unknown stars, far beyond anywhere humanity had travelled.
The Puddle Jumper’s engines fired, accelerating them towards the event horizon, and Nadia was filled with complex and bittersweet emotions as she thought of what was waiting for her.
With each rotation, its destination would change, and for nearly 30 years, humanity had been sending probes through to observe the environment on the other side, all of which had lead up to this moment.
With each probe sent, they had discovered that every destination had one thing in common: atmospheric compositions ranging from 76-80% nitrogen and 20-24% oxygen, with some variation on the trace gasses, surface temperatures ranging from -90C in the absolute coldest regions, to +52C in the hottest, with temperate zones that fluctuated between -25C to +35C in accordance with the seasons.
A new world to live and explore. Nadia thought to herself. She looked to the picture she’d set on her console, taken as they’d left Earth’s orbit.
One last look at home. She thought, silently acknowledging that she wouldn’t be coming back.
Distance seemed to stretch out as they drew closer to the aperture, distorting the image on the panel.
As they passed through the rift in space, Nadia’s world went dark.
~
Nadia woke with a start, the interior of the Puddle Jumper had gone dark, and she could hear the sound of water dripping steadily nearby. The ambient hum given off by the ship’s reactor had gone quiet, and for a moment, she wondered if she were having a nightmare.
“Commander?” She asked, turning to her left, unable to see in the oppressive darkness. “Flight assistant, emergency activation.” She said. As she spoke, a panel on the left arm of her Evo Suit lit up, showing that it indeed had power remaining and giving her some light to check her surroundings.
“Flight assistant active. What is your emergency lieutenant?” A cool mechanical voice sounded directly through her skull.
“We experienced an anomaly when passing through the aperture. The vehicle appears damaged, and power is down. Can you get a reading on Commander Allen’s suit?” She asked, trying to remain calm.
“I’m unable to pick up Commander Allen’s suit. Running a diagnostic… Commander Allen does not appear to be aboard the vehicle, Lieutenant, and one of the survival kits has been taken.”
“Shit.” Said Nadia. He wouldn’t just leave me here… something else must have happened? Fuck. Fuck!
“What about the survey drones and habitation equipment? Can you tell if any of it survived?” She asked.
“It appears that one of the surveying drones is still functional. Most of the habitation equipment is damaged, but the Gradation Assembler should be functional if it can be supplied with power and materials.”
After checking the inventory of equipment still usable within the Puddle Jumper, Nadia began moving. She collected the survey drone and a survival generator to power it, thankful that one of the units was still functioning, even if it wouldn’t be enough to run the Gradation Assembler.
Following that, she went to the ship’s armoury to collect a survival gauntlet and after considering for a moment, she also grabbed a Viper, a long range modular rifle that could be disassembled for transport.
Last but not least, she grabbed several proximity sensors which she connected to her Flight Assistant, setting one up inside the opened exterior hatch of the Puddle Jumper as she made her way out.
She closed and sealed the hatch using the connector from her Evo Suit to power the hatch temporarily, before setting more proximity sensors around the crash site. Looking around, the Puddle Jumper had come to rest in the depths of a jungle, overhung by massive trees and dense foliage.
Tapping the panel on her Evo Suit’s left arm, its form and colour shifted from white, black and grey to a mixture of muted greens and browns, causing her to blend into the surroundings.
Nadia stood at a height of 1.7m, with an athletic figure and modest proportions. Her Evo Suit which would allow her to survive in any environment resembled a skin-tight wet-suit that covered her from her toes to her neck, woven from multiple layers of nanomaterials that could be reshaped and reconfigured to handle most environments, and could completely enclose her head as well, providing a self-contained atmosphere if necessary.
On her back, she carried a survival pack which could be deployed as a shelter, able to be anchored in many places and carried power cells, nutrient supplies that could last her for months, a water reprocessor, air processor, and a comprehensive medical suite, along with the rest of the equipment she’d gathered from the ship.
“Flight Assistant, connect and deploy survey drone. Activate visual overlay.”
With a hum, the survey drone launched into the air, ascending high above the canopy before it began to circle the area. Within a few short minutes, she received an alert about a nearby structure.
If John headed anywhere, it’s that way. She thought to herself, following the indicator that was overlaid onto her vision.
“Flight Assistant, proximity scanning please.” She said, readying the survival gauntlet she wore, just in case.
The gauntlet was a low power pulsed-wave weapon designed to work with the Evo Suit. The Evo Suit would harness power from kinetic motion to charge itself and the gauntlet, meaning that as long as the wearer of the suit was alive and active, they could charge the weapon.
The pulse fired from the gauntlet could be adjusted from lethal to non-lethal, and most importantly, it took the form of a glove, meaning it wouldn’t be dropped or lost, even if the user was incapacitated.
As she readied her gauntlet and moved out, the neckline of her Evo Suit climbed, enclosing her head within a helmet that shared the same camouflage pattern as the rest of the suit.
~
It took Nadia several hours to reach the temple, most of which she spent with her Exo Suit in its ‘low-observability’ mode. Like this, the suit masked her body-heat and eliminated her scent; coupled with the camouflage patterned exterior, she could fly under the radar of most animals.
Glad I spent all those weeks with John in survival training… didn’t think I’d be needing it so soon. She thought to herself as she approached the structure.
Its form was massive, but whoever built it had opted to build down instead of up. The crumbling stone surfaces were covered in creeping vines and soil, making it clear that this place was ancient.
No big deal, guys. Nadia just ran into an ancient alien civilisation on some faraway planet. Another day at the office, really.
As she approached the lowest part of the ‘temple’ as she was calling it, she saw a tunnel leading down and paused to contemplate whether she should enter.
‘Flight Assistant, can you give me a radar map of the underground here?’ She subvocalised, remaining quiet and cautious.
“The structure appears to extend downward over 800m… Also, there’s an unknown power reading roughly 200m along this tunnel.”
Could be John… Fuck it. I’m gonna check it out. She thought. ‘Flight Assistant, keep the survey drone watching this entrance. I want to know if there’s any movement.’
Cautiously, she advanced down the tunnel, arriving at the location marked by her heads up display. It’s coming from behind this wall, huh? Taking her time, she examined the surface, eventually locating three loose stones that could be reoriented. As she did so, there wall gave a slight shake before sliding backwards into an angled recess.
There within the hidden alcove was a strange indigo hemisphere with an unfamiliar symbol etched onto its surface. The surface itself was oddly indistinct, as it seemed to be constantly shifting as it refracted light into rainbow hues.
Almost in a trance, Nadia reached out, grabbing the hemisphere from where it sat without thinking. An indeterminate amount of time passed before she was once again aware of her surroundings, and noticed the beeping of an alert from the drone she’d left on watch outside.
“Movement detected. Multiple figures approaching this location.” The flight assistant warned.
Shaking her head to clear it, she glanced down at the hemisphere in her hand, trying to figure out what she should do. Wish they included Active Camo in this model of Evo Suit. She thought to herself as she searched through the radar map for another exit to the temple complex.
Suddenly, the hemisphere she’d been holding released a pulse of indigo light before it seemed to melt into her suit. As the pulse raced along the fabric, the camouflage pattern faded as the whole suit became invisible, with the surfaces taking on a slightly luminous outline when seen through Nadia’s HUD.
Link established. Core active. Aspect type: Armour.
Ability gained: Active Camouflage
Nadia nearly screamed as she felt the foreign object connect directly to her mind. Where before her Exo Suit had fit her like a glove, now it was like her skin. She could feel the way the air and light touched the suit as it made itself invisible.
Holy fuck. What the hell is this? As soon as the question formed in her mind, she received an answer.
Core initiated bond at Host request.
Request!? What request?
Host requested Active Camouflage for the Evo Suit, the Core was able to provide this, and accepted the request.
What’s this about a bond then?
Bond is a symbiotic relationship. Core gains mobility, experiences, life. Host gains power as core grows.
This is too much. Nadia thought with a sigh. How long will the Active Camouflage last?
Active Camouflage can remain active for up to 15 minutes, after which it will need to recharge. The effect may be disrupted by impacts or energy pulses.
15 minutes, don’t run into anything. Got it. Nadia thought, moving towards the entrance as quietly as she could.
Hey, Core… does the Active Camo apply to my pack and rifle? Nadia wondered as she drew closer to the source of daylight.
Active Camouflage effect extends to worn equipment, and hand-held weapons within a limited radius. Extremely large weapons may not be concealed.
Nadia reached the entrance and spotted a group of figures, all cloaked in robes.
“■@▲% ◦$■≈∞!” One of the robed figures shouted in a language Nadia couldn’t understand at the others that seemed to be inspecting the area in search of something.
Are they looking for me, or…? Nadia wondered as she made her way up from the tunnel, careful to keep her distance from the people.
They appear to be searching for Core. Based on their speech, they wish to forcibly extract Core from Host.
Forcibly extract? Nadia was fairly certain she didn’t want to know what that meant.
They believe that killing Host will enable them to claim Core. They are mistaken.
Great.
Reminder, Host has 10:32 remaining in Active Camouflage duration.
… Great.
Thanks for the chapter