The Cartographer (9 page)

“How often is the scouting party in danger during their missions?” I asked, wide-eyed.

A couple more clicks, a whir and a buzz that time. “
Please clarify question. Scouting parties are given many missions throughout the course of a voyage and multiplying that by the amount of IPS class Explorer's League vessels traveling at a time and multiply that by
—”

“OK, Jesus Christ, I will narrow it down. How often is the party in danger during scouting missions to newly discovered planets?” I interjected.

“
Jesus Christ: A legendary
—”

The urge to race across the room and rip off Gard's head swam through my veins. “JUST ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION!” I shouted.

Clicks and clacks that time. “
Based on historical data, the scouting party is in danger seventy-six point nine percent of the time
.”

I fell back and my head sagged in the pillow. I stared at the ceiling and processed what Gard just said. “Well that's just great,” I muttered.

I questioned my decision in accepting the position. I knew there were challenges in space exploration or mankind would have mastered it long ago, and I understood the dangers—thoughts of the Space Shuttle disasters in Earth's history came to mind. However, I never expected being some kind of universal map maker would come with such dangers. As I watched the neon light bars on the ceiling project little green shadows along the walls, more questions came to mind.

“Why so long between Cartographers?”

“
Simple. No one has passed the test, until now
.”

The people I had come in contact aboard the ship seemed intelligent enough to answer the questions.
What made me so special
?

As if reading my mind, Gard clarified his answer. “
As more secrets of the universe were unlocked, Kell made the decision to add a safeguard to the map to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands
.”

“Not much of a safeguard,” I grunted. “Those questions weren't that difficult, although I think I got lucky on the second.”

“
Many among the Explorer's League have tried to unlock the map. It was not as easy as you think
.”

I shrugged. “So, since scouting strange planets seem dangerous, what does the scouting party use to defend themselves? I hope for my sake they don't travel to unknown planets unarmed?”

“
No Nathan, they do not. All members of the scouting party are armed with basic hand cannons and neutralizers
.”

“Hand cannons and neutralizers?” I repeated.

“
Yes, a hand cannon is a compact sidearm designed to fire a maximum of ten rounds which explode on impact. A neutralizer is compact sidearm that can fire up to 400 fiber optic needles before the ammunition level becomes zero. The needles, engineered by Kamilian science officers, are embedded with trace amounts of a toxic plant found in underwater sections of Caelum designed to create a comatose state in the target. The victim emerges from the comatose state after a short time passes
,” he explained mechanically.

“Well, that's good I suppose,” I quipped.

“
G.A.R.D. units are also armed with an integrated EMP device used for situations where the scouting party could be engaged by hostile android units. Most G.A.R.D. units are also equipped with stun sticks designed to knock out hostile foes
.”

“Sounds like you can pack a punch yourself, Gard. You said `most' units so where is your stun thingy?” I asked, straining to see in the dimly lit room.

Several more clicks later he finally responded. “
Well, I broke mine during a routine maintenance mission to Orgell
.”

I rolled over in bed and let my back stare at Gard for a while. Everything he said exhausted me and I found myself struggling with the facts. The fate of the last Cartographer weighed heavily on my mind. I was too young to die but my eagerness to learn more about the universe overshadowed my fear of death. After a brief mental struggle, I decided that, despite the dangers, I would embrace my role within the Explorer's League. My eyes grew heavy but I felt Gard's eyes boring into my back.

I rolled over and peered into those unblinking eyes. “Good night, Gard,” I muttered.

“
Goodnight, Nathan
,” he replied and his eyes went dark, leaving me alone with only the faint light from the neon lights casting their little green shadow army throughout the room.

“Hand cannons,” I chuckled before falling asleep.

Making A Pit Stop

I
finished browsing through the files marked “Geology” and felt familiar eyes on the back of my neck.

“Good morning Gard,” I muttered without turning around.

“
Good morning, Nathan. May I ask what you are doing
?”

“Just brushing up on intergalactic geology,” I replied.

The doorbell interrupted us. I yelled my customary “come in” when Gard gazed at me through a series of whirls and clicks.

“What?” I asked.

“
If I could give you a word of advice, Nathan
,” he said mechanically. “
It would be wise to check the digital viewport to see who is outside your door before inviting them in
.”

“What the heck do I have to be afraid of aboard a secure Explorer's League vessel?” I asked. “Do you guys have intergalactic boogeymen?”

Before Gard could explain further, Calypso entered the room. His demeanor was intense and his fiery gaze shifted from Gard to myself. I squirmed uneasily under their intensity.

“How is your training coming along?” he inquired.

“Gard has helped me cover most of xenoarchaeology and I started going through the geology section…” I trailed off when he crossed his arms and appeared dissatisfied.

I glanced at Gard but he continued sitting in the corner staring at us through unblinking eyes. It didn't appear I was going to get much support from my android buddy during this particular discussion. God forbid I bring up Jesus or the Smithsonian which might cause him to blow a gasket from rambling on incessantly.

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

Calypso shrugged. “Well I hoped that you would be further along in your training, but I'm afraid we will have to conduct the field training portion sooner than expected.”

“Why is that?”

Calypso coughed dryly. “We were on a course for Caelum when the Argus detected a celestial body in the solar system of GX-771. Initial diagnostic scans picked up trace amounts of life on the surface of the planet, but we need to get closer to confirm. A scouting party needs to be ready and in place in the event life is confirmed.” He dropped his hands to his hips and locked eyes with me. “We need to have you ready as well,” he warned.

“So what do you need me to do?” I threw up my hands in exasperation.

Calypso sighed and looked at me sympathetically. “I'm sorry to dump this on you so quickly and I hoped to have more time to get you acclimated to the role, but unfortunately we will be orbiting the planet in less than an hour, so you can see that time is not on our side.” He turned toward the door but stopped before stepping out.

“Satou will put together a course on how to use the equipment. Make sure to listen to everything he has to say,” he said quickly and left.

I stared at the door and wondered how quickly they planned on “acclimating” me to my new role as their map guardian. My thoughts drifted to the previous Cartographer's untimely death and I wondered if I was speeding down a path to a similar fate.

“
Do not fret, Nathan, Satou is one of the best engineers we have in the Consortium. He will help you quickly adapt to the use of science lab equipment
,” Gard offered in consolation.

Before I could respond the doorbell rang again and I looked at the door as if it were about to bite me.

“OK so what's this digital viewer thing you mentioned before?” I asked.

Gard rolled over to the door and pushed on a section of the wall next to it. It popped open, revealing a digital screen that flickered to life. I saw Satou standing on the other side of the door with his arms crossed, appearing impatient.

“
Are you going to answer the door
?”

“Yeah I guess,” I groaned and opened the door.

Satou shambled in somberly and appeared to be as excited about the news as I was.

“Judging by the look on your face, you have already received the news from Calypso,” he grumbled.

“Yeah let's hope I don't end up like your last Cartographer,” I muttered.

A surprised look crossed his face before settling into a cross between sympathy and guilt. “I regret you had to learn about your predecessor in this manner, but be assured that I will do everything in my power to prevent a repeat.” He guided me out of the room and down the hall.

I grunted my disbelief but followed him anyway. At that particular moment I wasn't interested in the other aliens milling around me and kept my eyes trained on the floor. It wasn't until we left the Cirrus and stepped into the Argus boarding hangar that I looked around at my surroundings.

“Why have we left the ship?”

“The science lab in the Argus is far superior to the one in the Cirrus. We will have access to more supplies, equipment and research materials,” he replied, quickening his pace.

As we strolled through the halls of the Argus I marveled at the amount of crewmembers compared to the Cirrus. There was at least five Argus crewmembers for every member of the Cirrus. I observed similar races on the Argus as I had on the Cirrus but there were also strange, new races I couldn't dream of in my wildest imagination. The one that really caught my eye (or rather the corner of my eyes) were the ghosts. Satou watched with amusement when I froze and watched a group of phantasmal spirits gliding along the hall. One casually looked at me and passed through the closed door at the end of the hall, causing my jaw to drop in horror. I stared at the door, half-expecting it to come to life and turn into some sort of gaping maw like a nightmarish funhouse.

“Umbrals,” Satou laughed before looking at me apologetically. “I'm sorry, Nathan, I cannot help it.”

I turned to look at him. “Can't help what?”

Satou put his hand to his chin and stroked his tentacles. “What is it that you humans say? Oh yes, I remember now—it looks like you have seen a ghost.”

Satou brayed with laughter, reminding me of a donkey in heat. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. “Very funny, so what the hell are Umbrals?”

Satou gestured toward the closed door they passed through. “That is an Umbral. They are from the planet Umbra and have the ability to pass through solid objects however, unlike the legends on Earth, they are not deceased. The planet Umbra is comprised primarily of gas, similar to Jupiter, and is very inhospitable to most sentient beings.”

He motioned for me to follow him down the hall. I fell in line behind him while he continued to explain the existence of our ghostly brethren.

“If I can recall correctly, we almost categorized Umbra as uninhabited when we first came across it, years ago. If it was not for the keen eye of our science officer we would have continued on, missing out on the opportunity to learn a lot of our technology from them.”

“Like what?” I asked before we ended up standing in front of a set of double doors.

“Someday I will tell you, Nathan, but for right now my priority is getting you prepared for planetary scouting,” he said as the doors opened, revealing a large research laboratory inside.

I followed Satou inside and admired the amount of equipment lying around. Large bioreactors, stainless steel tables and cabinets, shelves of vials, gigantic ventilation systems, and measurement instruments adorned the lab. There was something different about this room, though, and I hadn't been able to put my finger on it until my eyes fell on a rack standing along the far wall—a weapons rack. There were rifles, handguns, weapons that looked like bazookas and flamethrowers, grenades—stuff that would be out of place in any research laboratory.

“I suppose it looks a little out of place among all of the research equipment,” Satou said, noticing the look on my face.

Turning from the weapons rack I noticed a figure hunched over one of the stainless steel tables. He turned in the direction of our voices and put down the tool he was using to work on what appeared to be some sort of walkie-talkie. I wasn't sure if he was happy, mad or sad to see us because he was missing a face. Well it wasn't really missing but it was covered by a large fishbowl helmet with tinted glass, containing the mystery inside. The only thing I saw was my own face reflected in the glass, so I looked at something more interesting like his wardrobe which was even more mysterious. Mystery Man wore what looked like a suit of armor, but when I got closer I saw that the material was more like an ashen colored synthetic fiber, rather than metal.

“So this is the human,” Mystery Man boomed. His voice reminded me of James Earl Jones narrating a commercial, except more mechanical in nature.

Satou bowed his head slightly and turned to me. “Nathan, this is Kale. He is a member of the Council of Five and is in charge of diplomatic relations for the Consortium.”