Chapter 27

Megan picked up a nearby rock off the cavern floor. She hurled it with all her might, and the minute it struck the wall it froze. Jordan observed the shattered ice upon the ground that was once a rock and held his hand dearly.

'How thick is that wall?' Megan observed it from a safe distance

"What planet do you think you're from?" Jordan investigated.

"How would I know that?" Cameron replied bluntly.

"If it wasn't for the eyes it would be hard to tell," Megan told Cameron.

Cameron said nothing as he touched the wall to examine his work.

"You grew up in Alaska right?" Megan asked.

"I did, but I don't like to talk about it," Cameron replied.

'There's gotta be some way to snap him out of this.'

Megan scooted closer to Cameron while Jordan fed the fire. She grabbed his hand, but Cameron promptly pulled it away. Megan would typically strike him, but the look on his face was hard to ignore.

'Why would he flinch like that?'

This behavioral change was something Megan prepared for. She rummaged through her bag and retrieved a few items. It had an effect when Cameron was normal giving her hope for similar results.

Cameron only retrieved his hand because he was worried about hurting Megan. He turned to apologize and saw her attempting to load a cone. This confused him, but since she wasn't upset he had other matters.

'There was at least thirty of them.' Cameron closed his eyes.

While meditating Cameron pinpointed the unusual auras at the base of the mountain. He was trying to recall the chase for anything else they missed. His concentration broke when a familiar aroma caught his attention.

"Take this." Megan held the joint as far away as possible.

"Why?" Cameron asked.

"Cause I don't wanna hold it anymore," Megan replied.

Cameron took it, but simply held it as he continued his assessment. It didn't take long for him to have a few drags instinctively. Megan endured the odor to sit at his side and observe any changes.

'I was wondering why she bought some.' Jordan smiled as he approached.

While they were partaking in some recreational matters the merger began. It was signaled by a light rumbling beneath the earth. The others were still unaware of it, but Cameron immediately stood up.

Four different rifts appeared, and Aria's crew mobilized. Dropping rapidly from the bottom of the ship are four crafts resembling a tic-tac. Along the sides are several scanners piercing deep into the earth.

Once the analysis was complete they went to work on extraction. The crafts began rotating as beams naked to the human eye began transporting minerals from deep in the earth.

Their transporters were programmed to only dematerialize the designated compounds. This allowed them to mine the earth for resources without the humans ever knowing. The only sign left behind was a faint trace of radiation upon the land.

It wasn't high enough to be dangerous, and the technology they used allowed the traces to fade after a day rather than a century. Each resource was mined with precision, and could only be seen with state-of-the-art infrared sensors.

The excavators contained crystal clear pillars six meters tall, and three meters in diameter. Each craft possessed three floors filled with these containers. Their operation has just barely begun, and several containers were already filled.

"Excavators are in position," Enki relayed.

"Delta team is good to go," Aria ordered.

Enkara's squad was standing in the center of the barrier where there was a ninety percent chance of a rift. They were chatting at the base of the mountains when a distortion gradually appeared. At first glance, one would think it was the cause of heatwaves, but a desert was chilly at night.

Transporting down behind Enkara's squad was Charlie team. They all possessed backpacks filled with drones programmed with homing beacons. On their hips were three metallic cylinders capable of stabilizing a rift.

They approached the distortion retrieving a metallic slab. When the researcher's hands rested on the sides it became a see-through screen. After pointing it around the area they could follow the distortion's trail and found a small rift. Foreign symbols began to fill up the screen as Enkara readied his blaster.

"We found a new carbon-based planet by a level 2 rift." The researcher relayed as orbs launched from his backpack.

Only the researcher could see the rift until his companions stepped forward. Two of them grabbed stabilizers and hurled them towards the coordinates. Only when stabilized could the rift be seen, and in it was a wavy image of a jungle.

Enkara raised his blaster and directed men into formation. Drones launched into the rift and discovered a young planet. A small village could be seen with insectoids roaming about, and a simple analysis showed they remained in the stone age. Their resources were still untapped, and intervening now could allow them to mold their society.

"We have a high priority planet." Enki relayed.

Enki was monitoring the drone's feed carefully for a spot to set the beacon. The Insectoid scavenging nearby notice the drones and flew up to investigate the odd phenomena. It was a female wearing a skimpy loincloth around her waist, and an exposed bust. Being the first time she saw a drone she assumed it was a glowing bug.

On the woman's shoulders, abdomen, and forearms was a natural white armor. The sections in between had a light pink tint that was smooth, and supple. The armor along her shins, and forearms had barbed ridges for striking. Fluttering behind her were two white wings, and as she drew near to the drones she froze.

'That's not food.'

They detected her presence, but the interceptor stayed idle. Enki didn't wanna disturb the woman, and made the drones speed away. Protocols for planets in this stage were very strict, and Enki had to navigate it carefully.

Enki observed a large volcano in the distance, and with little lifeforms surrounding it, he marked its location. The orbs flew directly above the entrance as one of the drones rapidly ascended. Once it was in the atmosphere it began to blink in unison with the ones below.

"Save these coordinates." Enki relayed.

"Great work everyone." Aria praised.

'It's still not enough to tip the scales though.'

"I need an update." Aria relayed.

"One of the rifts is out of reach."

"Why?"Aria asked with an irritated tone.

"The anomaly is blocking the entrance."

"Just give us the coordinates to send a team below them," Aria ordered.

"I'm not sure how, but he is well aware of our presence. Sending a team down there would only complicate matters." Enki told Aria privately.

Enki analyzed the rift from the mothership with only a few gestures.

"That rift is already documented anyway and all though their progress has my curiosity it would be unwise to unsettle him again." Enki relayed.

"You better bring us something substantial," Aria told Enki.