"Strange..."
"Is something wrong?" — Restlessly tilting her head to her shoulder, Tali moved from the pilot's seat to behind my back, resting her chin on my shoulder. Curiosity practically radiated from the girl, though I was more annoyed by the hair getting in my face, escaping from her hairstyle. — "Everything seems fine..."
"No, it's not fine," — it came out a bit gruffly, but I had a reason, — "the Baobabs outpost isn't answering. Solid white noise, jamming the entire airwaves."
"Maybe just simple malfunctions."
A drop of fear and uncertainty slipped into Tali's voice. After our adventure on Mande, the girl had become much more fastidious about suspicious things... Though she still remained a naive bun who looks up to her bosses and Somnia, who love to twist her around their fingers.
"Alright, no time to ponder the peculiarities of female friendship... I'll break my brain that way."
Shaking my head, simultaneously throwing off Tali's annoying strands, I switch to the general channel. Flipping the toggle switch, I searched for any kind of signal, but the only thing that served as my constant answer was the white noise of radio interference.
"A breakdown? An anomaly? Hmm..."
"Is the Spaceport silent too?" — For a moment I even forgot that the little teacher was still standing nearby; the puzzle was just too engaging, considering all other signals from the planet were being transmitted normally. — "Did you check the telemetry? Are the ships in place? They couldn't have flown away, could they?"
Bombarding me with questions like a machine gun, the girl began to pace nervously around the cockpit, biting her thumb nail. She had picked up that stupid habit quite recently, and it didn't exactly suit her.
Slapping my friend's hand, which earned me a look full of dissatisfaction and offense, I begin a second communication session, trying to find anyone.
"Freedom Rider calling Terra Nova. Do you read? This is the ship's pilot speaking..."
A sharp burst of sound in the headphones almost deafened me. A mechanical screech hit my brain, forcing me to quickly turn off the communication device.
"Motherfucker... What was that?"
"Maybe a breakdown..." — Tali was literally shaking. Being a quiet rector-girl, she clearly feared the worst—for example, a pirate attack. — "Let's not fly there?"
"Well, that's clearly excessive," — the scanners were working at full power, so soon a picture of a perfectly cozy Baobab Merchant Fleet base-camp in the middle of the wasteland opened up before us. Many identical objects with a large laboratory in the center, — "we'll fly straight to them then, and find out what's what there..."
Switching the channel to internal communication so as not to scare Tali, I give the command with a series of clicks, receiving a similar confirmation in response. At that moment, two dozen of my boys were quickly donning full gear, preparing for whatever shit might meet us below.
****
"Now even I'm feeling uneasy." — I didn't want to spread panic, but... When something like this happens, it's better to immediately hit the location with orbital guns. — "It's a bit empty here..."
Descending the ramp, I sling the blaster rifle over my shoulder, surveying the deserted outpost. Identical, well-maintained houses, clearly recently printed, stood lonely, and only the wind rushed between them, scattering clothes and some papers.
White walls of houses. Aircars and speeders left nearby. Several construction drones in a powered-down state.
No signs of battle, disease... Hell, there weren't even footprints on the ground. Just a virgin surface that no one had ever walked on. Nothing that could give us a hint about what happened.
"When did you say they were sent here?" — Without taking my eyes off this eerie picture, I give the command to my men, setting up a defense around our ship.
"About two months ago." — Barely keeping her teeth from chattering, Tali nervously surveyed the settlement after me. — "Maybe everyone just left..."
My soldiers, and I myself, gave her such expressive side-eyes that even through the helmets Tali felt all our skepticism. Shrinking back, this flower-girl muttered something clearly profane under her breath, then turned away with a proud look.
"Alright, we'll figure it out." — Turning to the Helldivers listening intently, I grip the rifle with both hands. — "Like in classic horror movies, we're going to split up... Ha-ha."
Supporting my laughter, the soldiers shook their weapons playfully, then became all ears.
"Two teams stay here. Prepare the defense, set up turrets and launch light drones—let them comb the area outside the post, maybe someone wandered into the wastes." — Eight men thudded their fists against their chests, then scattered in different directions, surrounding our lonely little ship from all sides. — "Two more teams will go and check the residential houses. Do not split up, do not go alone. Go from different sides, then enter the complex from the other side; I've sent you the map. Shoot first, ask questions later..."
"Sam!?" — Returning to the conversation, Tali stood nearby, scowling with her hands on her hips. — "What if it's not that bad? What if you wound innocent people?"
"Um..." — I didn't even know what to say to that; I just stood and looked at her for a couple of seconds like a bantha at a new gate. — "Alright, new plan. Face down on the floor; if they resist, then we shoot."
At the first words, Tali nodded contentedly, feeling her small victory. But hearing the end of the sentence, she was again ready to burst into a series of curses and accusations, though this time I didn't listen to her.
Waving a hand to the nearest Helldiver, I pointed at the little one and, under her angry shouts, watched the receding figure. Only when the soldier carried her inside the ship did I turn to the amused soldiers.
"Stop the jokes. The order stands; act according to circumstances." — Pointing to the last team, I signaled them with my thumb to follow me. — "Callsigns one through five... And now. Let's go. Holy Liberty is with us, boys. Good luck to you all."
Obeying the command, two squads of Helldivers moved apart, menacingly pointing their rifle barrels in all directions. Generally, our doctrine doesn't involve this kind of pastime, but... We aren't the original war dogs of Super Earth, so we can deviate a bit from the rules.
"Doctrine, listen to me. I'll be calling it a Code next.... Yeah, the motherfucking Codex Astartes."
Walking through the empty streets of the outpost, I noticed the unnaturalness of this place more and more. Everything was wrong. Too quiet, but not like a graveyard or after a battle, but like a predator lying in ambush has scared off all the other game in the area and is following us relentlessly. I could feel that something similar was here too. With my damn sixth sense, I felt a breath on the back of my neck, foul and vile.
"Teams One and Two, defense established. Launching drones."
Glancing back, I see strings of little ones with rifles attached to them—taking off into the sky and spreading out in all directions. Twelve units—not many, but at least we'll be able to understand if there's anything to expect from the outside.
"This is Third—found the local communication hub..."
Listening to the report with anticipation, I give the order to check the place, hoping it will lift the veil of mystery at least a little.
"This is Fourth, Boss, we found a track. Looks like the eggheads were driving along it toward the Spaceport. And the tracks here are fresh." — Anticipating my question, the soldier transferred the image from his helmet. — "Most likely a couple of cars and speeders... And apparently something else, clearly big."
"A hauler. According to Tali's data, the first group was given a powerful hauler based on an armored vehicle. A huge thing, almost five stories high. Ten wheels and armor like a Frigate."
"Oy vey, I wish we had one of those..."
"Tell that to Somnia's deputy," — the sarcasm in my voice could be scooped up by the bucketful, — "I'm sure she'll meet you halfway on that matter."
"Understood, loud and clear, Commander." — Confirming this not only with words but with actions, Fourth raised a fist to chest level, then continued searching the settlement. — "Shutting up and continuing the mission."
"Joker."
Snorting cheerfully, I again give the command to move out, joining a couple of Helldivers near the entrance to the laboratory.
"Can it be opened?"
"Surprisingly, yes... The door wasn't even locked." — Suddenly snapping up, the soldier pointed his sight somewhere behind my head, but didn't open fire. — "I saw something there... Was I imagining it?"
Turning toward me in confusion, the soldier shrugged, then pressed the button—opening our way into the darkness.
This was all some strange shit. It was also getting hard to breathe, as if we'd been walking in armor through this small town all day. Sweat ran down my back, and thick saliva had gathered in my mouth, which I was tired of swallowing. My eyes were closing as if after a good drinking bout, and the blaster in my hands seemed heavier and heavier...
Shaking off the delusion, I enter first, stopping the others in a kind of vestibule. Gray walls made of plastisteel, several lab suits, clearly for working in a hostile environment. A disinfector in the ceiling and walls.
"Boss, maybe forget it. Let's blast it from orbit and finish off whoever crawls out?"
One of my thugs proposed a generally good plan, and if it weren't for the official contract with the Academy for hire, I would have done exactly that... But not this time, which I informed him of.
"You'll have time to iron planets from orbit, but right now there's a much more delicate job. Forward."
The light of five flashlights pierced the gloom of the corridor. As soon as we passed the vestibule, we found ourselves in a fairly spacious room with a security post. Those who had clearly left their post not of their own free will.
"Create a secure perimeter for me; I need a couple of minutes."
Without listening to the answers, I walk around the broken counter with shattered glass. Crumpled sheets of metal, as if torn by a giant child, lay in deformed pieces on the floor. They had clearly tried to rip them out by the roots, but apparently the construction at the base was far better, so the unknowns were left with nothing.
The flashlight beam caught a couple of drops of blood for my eyes, left on the inner side of the armored plating. Very small, lonely, and therefore much more suspicious, they clearly belonged to a human.
Entering the security booth, I scan a similar mixture of tech wreckage and interior with a quick glance, but... Compared to the communication hub, everything here was done much more carelessly, and so a minute later, I was digging into the surviving computer, connected directly to my PDA.
An abundant flow of identical data from a transit point poured onto my unfortunate device. Checks, passwords, reports, and banal log entries marking who started a shift and who went to rest.
"Julius Maginson, senior corporate security officer for the Baobab Merchant Fleet..." — Isolating the last entry, I stare at the ordinary face of a young man who was barely over thirty. White skin, blonde hair, blue eyes—a true Aryan, and only the stunned expression on the face in the personal document photo prevented me from taking him seriously. And he was a bit of an idiot, honestly. It was as if he wasn't writing a report, but a personal diary.
"Well, let's see what you scribbled here..."
Opening the event log of the last day, which was filed as much as a week ago, I begin to read the entries in a whisper, slowly immersing myself in the events taking place in the complex.
Fragments of phrases mixed together, and sometimes it was completely unclear what exactly the log owners were writing.
****
...The power was cut again. The complex was in total darkness for almost half an hour. I did not leave my post.
Screams are heard deep in the corridors. The isolated ones are screaming again. They scream constantly as soon as the lights go out... They whine so much about normal sleep, but as soon as the lights are cut, they put on a concert...
Doctor Emily attacked her lab assistant. The boy miraculously kept his eyes. The frail-looking girl almost tore his face to meat. Luckily, Phil and I managed to tie her up.
Where does so much strength come from in a tiny girl?
She barely reaches my daughter's height. And Christy is half-Zabrak; she should clearly be stronger than some scrawny doctor....
....
...
.....
The coffee machine broke. Tried to call a technician, but the connection is down again, only this time the noise on the air is completely different...
...
I confess to a breach of duty. I fell asleep at my post. I don't know how it happened... One moment I'm sitting here and suddenly.... Strange.
...
.....
Someone is walking in the corridors, violating the curfew. Sent Phil to look, but that stupid oaf still hasn't returned, and he took the last flashlight... Moron.
...
.....
....
The Commander broadcast a combat alert over the internal radio. Says we need to get out of here. At least they work, even if they discharge quickly...
...
There is no siren. Does that mean there is no alarm?
....
...
Tried to call anyone on the internal comms—zero effect. Only interference. Once I got through, but on the other side someone screamed at me in some unhuman voice. Strange, I thought there were no xenos in the expedition...
....
Heard shooting. A couple of blaster bolts flew out of the corridor. And flew somewhere further down the hall. Sitting at this damn intersection like an exhibit at an exhibition...
.....
....
Someone tried to contact me, but apparently no one hears me. The Commander said he is heading toward me.
.....
Doctor Emily escaped from her room. Tried to break open the security post door. She's acting strange; I've never seen her like this... In the end, she hit her head against the armored glass. A crazy day... Like the last couple of weeks.
.....
The light went out for good. Sitting on the security backup generators.
.....
The cameras aren't working, and rustles and children's laughter are heard in the corridors. Such a familiar laugh.... I've definitely heard it somewhere before.
....
...
The laughter is getting louder and I'm starting to distinguish the voice... It can't be. Christy is hundreds of light-years away, on Mande... How did she end up here?
...
I can't listen anymore. She's calling me. And there are some brutes there? I must help my little girl.
....
...
The damn sensor locked the door. I can't get out! I can't help my girl! DAMN DOOR!
.....
She heard me, my girl, my daughter... She's coming to me, I hear her.... Together we will get out.
***
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