The Uplift Protocol: In the Beginning

Issue 19: A Simple Survey Mission

Most didn’t pay much attention to my sister. Or me for that matter. On paper, it was a survey mission but in practice? Bricklaying. Not ones that would just observe the movements of Unity corruption. Do you remember that Ark of the Covenant? Well, it was all tied into that.—Jacob Murphy

I hated leaving the kids and my husband behind but Jacob insisted we make this a family affair. Mother decided to come along as well. Something about mending bridges. Curtis, formerly a House page/letter deliverer, and his sister Amanda, now live with us within Project Freefall. My mother has a soft spot for wayward children nowadays. –Samantha Murphy

My children have hints of Weave ability but it’s only a touch. So far only Gwen and I can even sense the embers. In retrospect, that tiny amount is what saved others in the end. They had just enough within their brain chemistry to resist. Ever see what happens to one of the White Owls when it meets the business end of a gravatomic Laz gun?—Anna McQuire

What can I add? Jacob had more going on under that mechanical know-how. The biggest shift is made from the smallest of choices. –Sleeping in Starlight, a memoir of the 23rd century (vol 2)

Edenverse

Survey Sector 183.34

Javelin Bright Dawn

Anna held the probes.

“The Arcane Council put enough holy mojo in here to decimate a white owl hive.” Samantha watched as her mother moved to the next crates. Inspecting the overabundance of Sparklers. The most dangerous things were given such harmless-sounding names. Jacob's voice came over the ship coms, <>

It didn’t weigh hardly anything at all while dormant.

*****

Anna frowned.

“It has all the right atmo readings but to my senses: It's dead.”

Jacob zoomed in. White puffy clouds. Nine Major landmasses. A mottled color of blue-green. Remains of structures were visible.

Sam closed in. Gripping the back of his flying rig. “I’m with mom on this one. Should we go down there? Send a probe first. Don’t want to end up like people in those holovids.” He launched the scouts towards the planet. They were set up to dissolve completely after 2 hours. They waited as the live feed picked up.

Probe 4-1 circled the largest surviving structure. Noting the white gossamer threads curled around the crumbling metals. A faint power source pinged on its external drives. There had been a thriving civilization here once. Just forming into fusion capability. Yet only this building gave off a blip of power. As it ventured closer it breached the thread line. Faint biochemical traces were noted. The bones of the people here had long faded. Yet many had sought refuge here.

As its timer activated, it self immolated.

In the dying light of the fires, shapes formed.

Their dark eyes glittering.

*****

Anna tested out her battle rig. The only thing worth exploring was that old powered structure. Glaive floated next to her. The black and tan bardaxian added additional flame throwers to his rig. In the intervening years, Jacob had made improvements to all sorts of tech surrounding the combat effectiveness of Bardax. Sam would stay with the ship. Of all of them, she was the next best pilot they had. Thanks to Eliza’s tutorlege. Something else the former Banner antagonist had to thank the girl for.

Jacob ran through the various toolkits.

Bringing one of the Sparklers with him.

He spoke into the team coms net, <>

Sam asked, “I'll do the same for the ship. If anything can get to Mom, I'll assume it's powerful enough to hit me here in space.” She had donned her suit as well. Even with the advanced tech they had, it was always a possibility the ship could get a hull breach.

*****

Foilage crunched under her boots as Anna approached the ancient structure. Pinpricks ran down her spine. There was death here. Glaive took point. Anti-grav flamers giving him 360-degree coverage. Jacob held his Lazgun in a ready position. His father often said it hit like a full ship side barrage. He hoped he wouldn’t need it but based on his mother’s reactions, this place was full of ghosts. Real or otherwise. He linked to Sam, <>

The sparkler floated silently behind him.

The holy runes shifting under the light of the white dwarf sunrise.

Glaive growled. Signaling the flamers to go off. The gossamer retreated.

The faint whiff of smoke tickling his nose.

The flutter of wings made the Bardaxian snarl.

Anna’s subdued remark, <>

She dared not use her Weave Sight here. The walls around them held words. Unlike Rosetta Stone, they had no idea how to translate them. They had come ready to demolish this place. Jacob asked, <>

Anna replied, <>

He paused. Relaying instructions to the Sparkler. They would cleanse this planet then link more Sparkers to this system. Just in case.

*****

The White Owls paused in their feasting. The Lady of Rags had left quite a bit for them. Not to make others like themselves but enough for a feast. One hissed, “Speaker.” They glided from their perches. Their black beaks widening as they tasted the singular scent upon the air.

They flew up the ancient airshaft.

Obsidian eyes widening.

Far too large for their faces.

*****

Anna perceived the warning.

What happened to Gwen had rippled throughout the Speaker community. She had made sure they had experienced a partial impression. It had been enough to give all of them nightmares.

She removed the Mari dolls from her belt. They were already pre-loaded with Weave Essence. Just enough to mimic her vitals. Her suit reacted. The pressure was almost too painful to bear but it was what saved her. She dropped the dolls down a side access shaft. Jacob snapped, <> He and Glaive hoisted the weapon in the air.

Holding the Sparkler over the main access tunnel.

The faint flutter of wings growing closer.

Anna ran.

Dropping more dolls as she went. They wouldn’t bother her son or the dog.

They were after her. She took just long enough to isolate some of the gossamer. They would examine the sample later. The roar of ship engines closed in as Sam circled. Anti grav plates dropping to scoop her mother up. It hummed with power. Ready to fire on the building if needed.

******

The lead owl never saw the Laz bolt. It disappeared in a rain of red. The others cartwheeled away. Taking on their true forms. Which made them impervious to normal attacks. Jacob grinned as he and Glaive let go of the Sparkler. Its hum sinking into the startled White Owls. Fire erupted all over their pale grotesque bodies.

The holy refrains of their enemies bursting their eardrums.

Thoughts of the Weave Speaker conversion left their minds.

They raced back down the access shaft.

Their doom floating downward behind them.

The hated chanting growing louder.

Jacob and Glaive lit up their Med Vac protocols. The suits taking over. Moving them through the building faster than they ever could go on their own. The silver and the matted black hull of the Bright Dawn filling their vision. The inner docking plates scooped them up and Sam shot off. The countdown had 20 seconds remaining.

*****

Samantha pulled on the control sticks. Bright Dawn’s engines pushing them out of the planet’s gravity well. A spark lit up the planet. Golden light flooded the place. Reaching beyond the twin moons orbiting the dead world. Her mother and brother entered the bridge. Glaive and his Bardaxian security team were prowling the ship. Watson’s cultured voice reverberated over the ship-wide coms, <>

The basset hound had taken a liking to Samantha and her family. Bardaxian adoption happened when least suspected.

Snoopy added, <>

*****

Anna donned her reinforced Tan Speaker gloves. She didn’t want to get any impressions from that Gossamer sample. Not yet. Jacob ran it through various lab tests. His only remark so far, “It's from another universe. Made for taking life force. The probes said it covered the entire world. Probably what killed everything but those Unity predators.” Anna’s eyes narrowed. She opened a link to Thomas via the jewel he gave her.

Our son had some interesting things to say. Don’t you have a life-sucking zombie mummy issue?

The reply happened within 3 heartbeats.

Tell me everything.

Northern Australia

The Overhang (C.A.P. Personel Wing)

T-Minus 25 Days

Doc was a comforting weight.

One leg curved over my waist.

She was truly asleep. Her breathing was light.

No troubling dreams for now.

I had wanted to head back to the Jupiter Rising but Doc had been recruited to study some top-secret biological substance. They had found it deep within an old Golden City seaside outpost. At least that was the official story. I had been around enough cover-ups to know when I was been fed a line. The Curator had clued me in on the Arcane Council angle in all this. Whatever project Lorain was working on for them was crucial. Even he wouldn’t say what it was but that old saw reared its head once more.

I was on the outside looking in.

The repeated line knocking around my head.

It will know what I know.

So I didn’t ask questions. Much like my early demi career. I crushed the spasm of curiosity. Cats and all that. Ptah’s face came to me. With that lopsided feline grin. White said, <>

A small laugh threatened to escape.

Doc muttered and her head moved. From the curve of my neck to resting over my heart.

My eyes closed.

This wasn’t a bad life. Not by a long shot.

*****

White knew that Ur-Eliza was back. She said via the Dreaming, “Tell Ritark to hide within the shadow of Lorain’s hair. They will be looking everywhere else.”

White asked, “How do we stop you from knowing or looking?”

She replied, “Send me to my brother and sister. Jacob and Samantha. Mention the White Owls. I will follow. I will assume Lorain is on a mission for the Arcane Council. Yet this is truer than I know currently. Chronos and Nyx search for the Council. Not knowing what to find. Warn them through the Leylines.”

White left the C.A.P base.

Her tiger form was a spark of light within the Weave around Earth. Current Eliza’s ignorance would preserve them. While the future grew within.

Waiting to be born.

*****

Anna watched as the Mummy ate away at Eliza. Keeping her conscious of every act she did while compelled by the dark Sphimoning. Lorain could do so much damage. Yet refrained. Because she knew love. This Renenutet was a mockery. A pale yet dangerous imitation. What would have happened if Lorain hadn’t been born into a family aligned with good. Anna studied the scene before her. Knowing that the Weave wanted her to learn. It was more than Black Scrawl. Every step the mummy took, blood marked the ground. Leaving behind more death. She had made every aspect of her body poison.

Blood, bone, organs. Hair.

She examined the black scrawl clawing its way down Eliza’s throat.

Anna beheld the utter terror in those black and gray eyes.

There.

In the space behind Eliza’s tortured glances.

The Mummy could see the Amarche too.

*****

Sam glanced up as her mother shouted, “Back to Earth. NOW!”

She didn’t argue. The normal expanse of space faded. Nestled within the Weave Space was a burst of gold and black. They keyed in on Earth’s Arcway. It rose before them like a giant hammer. Both ends shooting out waves of silver energy.

Five Dyson spheres made up the totality of Project Freefall. Each layer housing a different department. Anna spoke the words and they transferred to real space. Docking with the Titan Hab ring. She broke into Murphy’s direct H.U.D. Using the codes Thomas had given her.

Waves lapping on the shore. White sands. The cries of gulls.

//Brick, where are you.//

Eliza replied, //On Earth. Want me to meet you somewhere.//

Anna started typing but never finished. Murphy stood next to her. Well outside the airlock of their berthing on Titan. Only in that familiar set of Jeans and an American flag t-shirt. With a decent tan for once. The outer door cycled and Eliza floated in. Her face was composed.

Anna dragged Murphy into a side room. Muttering sealing rites. The words were barely above a whisper. “The mummy can see the dancers.” Eliza’s shock was total.

She glanced to the right as her H.U.D lit up.

******

Dad’s orders were swift, <>

Doc forwarded some encrypted pictures. With the message, “Don’t open until this date!”

Anna’s smokey blue-gray eyes held me in place. The Curator was floored as well. He cried out into the darkness, “Hide from the Mummy! You know the one. We are compromised!”

Anna pressed a finger to my face. Right between my eyes.

She turned to the Curator. “See what I saw.”

He shuddered.

“Can her noble mirror see us?”

*****

Lorain watched as the Amarche danced. They didn’t frighten her. Eliza trusted them. That was good enough. Yet if she could see them then she assumed the Ragged One could as well. That was a problem. She watched as they paused. A tremor running through their shadowed frames. One turned to look at her. She moved her gaze to follow it. Sensing Eliza’s concern through the Union brands.

<>

She shuddered.

Hugging herself. Ritark chittered, “I will follow. Since your heart cannot.”