Chapter 5
A 300-Year-Old Puzzle
Central-Prime, District C-1, Central Sector, Dominion of Nylos
Stabskapitänleutnant Usmanov eyed his surroundings suspiciously as the scanning crew did their work. These ruins looked like they could collapse at any moment. Why could they not just send the remotes in to do this kind of thing?
Seeing the remnants of the housing for the Core Unit sent a chill down his spine when he saw it. He desperately wanted to believe this was something that was settled three hundred years ago, or else their job had gotten significantly more difficult.
The chief of the scanning crew approached him and stood at attention, saying, "Sir, we have the initial results of our scan."
"What can you tell me about the Core Unit?" Usmanov asked, getting right to his biggest concern.
"The shears on the fragments of the housing are recent, sir. We estimate approximately fifty days ago."
"So it's active?"
"Uncertain, sir. We should have been able to detect an active Core Unit from orbit, but we haven't."
"It's dead then?"
"We cannot say that for certain either. We have fresh trace evidence of personnel assigned to this facility. Based on the methylation patterns of the DNA, they're the same age they were in 434."
"Over three hundred years and they haven't aged a day? Were they in stasis?"
"This facility wasn't equipped with stasis pods, sir. We have the body of the Assistant Director, an Oberst Hammann Grummond, whose time of death would match the day of the Skyfall Calamity. We also have the body of Director Vikram Patil, whose time of death we estimate at fifty days ago."
"What's going on here?"
"There's more, sir. We also have trace evidence of a number of unregistered males, but also a civilian who doesn't match the pattern of the facility personnel, only there's no way she ought to have been here."
"A civilian?"
"Yes, sir, a Narumi Takahashi. An administrative assistant at a branch office of Ekko-Anwine. Besides not being authorized for a facility like this, obviously, she wasn't even registered in this district."
Usmanov shook his head in disbelief. The mysteries were only piling up rather than being cleared away.
"That isn't even the strangest thing, sir," the chief said. "We have what seems to be a Beta Hybrid with non-Core DNA matching that of one of the unregistered males."
"Are you saying they activated the Core Unit and used it to birth a Beta?"
"The timeline doesn't match a natural gestation cycle and the people of this world couldn't possibly have the technology for artificial gestation with an accelerated growth sequence."
"If Nature and technology are excluded, we must consider a third option," a woman's voice said.
It was Hauptmann Sohrabian, an Arcanist and a Delta Hybrid, who turned from the Core Unit's housing and walked over to Usmanov and the chief. Her little pet Oberfähnrich Jamali followed close behind.
"So you think Arcana's behind this, Frau Hauptmann?" Usmanov asked.
"I know you would prefer a more mechanical explanation, Herr Kapitänleutnant—"
"Stabskapitänleutnant," Usmanov muttered under his breath.
"—but you do not need a molecular analysis to see that the housing ruptured from the inside. Somebody woke her up and the clock that stopped started up again."
Usmanov hated the habit of Hybrids to humanize the Core Units. The Core Units were not people. They were things. Nothing good ever came of thinking otherwise.
The other thing he hated was the unscientific approach of so many Arcanists. You might as well just call the Arcana 'magic' if you were going to wrap things up in poetic figures and intuition. How could they call themselves a rational modern society when one of their most valuable assets was trapped in the hands of hopeless romantics?
"How do you explain the lack of an energy signature from the Core Unit?" Usmanov asked.
"I would say she's hiding her power," Sohrabian replied.
"Hiding? No Core Unit, especially not a Third Generation one, would have the capacity to—"
"Think for herself?" Sohrabian interrupted. "Well, the answer is quite simple. If you lack something, take it."
"Take it? But that..."
"Would mean the Beta Hybrid is no Beta Hybrid at all."
Sohrabian interlocked her fingers and clasped her hands together.
"Two made one. The power to craft worlds and the intellect to wield it."
Usmanov could feel the sweat beading on his forehead.
"If you're right, the situation has become a lot more volatile. We need to inform the Lord Admiral at once."
"Patience, Herr Kapitänleutnant," Sohrabian said. "Let the crew finish their scans, let Intel finish debriefing the rescuees and interrogating the detainees. Compile all the available data first so we can give the Admiral as clear a picture of the situation as possible."
"If there's a rogue Core Unit on the loose, we—"
"—must hope she does not remember her treatment and hold us accountable for it. She has already been active for some time and I would advise against any hasty measures that might upset her."
Usmanov narrowed his eyes and asked, "Are you saying that as a loyal officer in His Imperial Majesty's Armed Forces, or are you saying it as that thing's 'sister'?"
"I am both, Herr Kapitänleutnant," Sohrabian said coolly, "so it is only logical that I would seek the mutual benefit of both His Majesty the Emperor and my dear sister."
"And if those two conflict with each other?"
Sohrabian smiled.
"I will do what I must."
"If a political officer was here, you could be accused of borderline sedition."
"There is no borderline, Herr Kapitänleutnant. Either an offense is committed or it is not."
"In that case, for your sake, Frau Hauptmann, I hope that you don't find yourself on the wrong side of the line."
Sohrabian gave him a nod and said, "Thank you for the warning, Herr Kapitänleutnant. Now, if you will excuse me, I must return to my work. Come along, Jalal."
With that, Sohrabian and Jamali returned to the Core Unit's housing. Usmanov could not help but have misgivings, but he had never been comfortable around the Hybrids. If only the Empire had learned the lesson of Tianyunzai, they would not be risking a repeat of that tragedy by continuing to meddles with forces outside their control.
"Hurry and finish up your scans," he told the chief. "Collect whatever physical evidence you need and bag those bodies. We need to pull out as soon as we can." He sighed. "We really do have our work cut out for us with this one."