The Dig

[Semir Gerkhan]

30-5-834 AS

Planet Pygar, Amber Citadel.

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PSI Agent Luke Garcia

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Garcia was stationed in the hallway with Ellis and Dominguez behind some makeshift barricades, aiming his rifle at the welded door. From his position he could see the explosive traps that his men had placed on the threshold, just in case the heretics managed to get through. Until now they had been talking to each other in low voices, listening to the intense firefight taking place in the settlement, but Luke had made a sudden gesture with his hand and they had fallen into complete silence. He had heard footsteps coming from the other side of the door, approaching.

Luke activated his helmet transmitter and whispered. "Blue, possible imminent contact at our position. Everything okay there?"

García heard Yang's voice, almost imperceptible, from his position in the throne room. "Blue here, everything calm, Red. Need support?"

"Negative, Blue, hold your position. Everyone alert." García removed the safety of his weapon and checked the slide, while remembering what had happened in the previous hours.

Once the tactical team had taken control of the heart of the Citadel, sealed the access door and locked themselves there with the relic, the cultists had not sat idly by. They had immediately crowded on the other side, shouting and howling with rage, trying to get in. The six PSI agents had barricaded the hallway with furniture as best they could, and then they had divided into two groups, one to defend the main entrance, and the other to guard the crack through which they had entered. They didn't know if the cultists knew about that path, hopefully not since it hadn't been guarded, but Garcia knew that in the field of operations you could never make too many assumptions without dying from them.

During several hours a few enemies were gathered on the other side of the door, and the agents had heard them banging with some blunt object, trying to open it. However, it was a thick metal door, which opened by sliding from top to bottom. Once it was carefully welded, the only way to get in would have been to blow it up, or cut the welding. Luke had feared the cultists might have explosives or some cutting device, but it seemed that wasn't the case and until now they had not been able to access.

The sounds of gunfire outside had begun around dawn. The agents had heard the first shots and immediately heard movement on the other side of the door. The heretics were retreating towards the settlement, probably to defend it from the attacking troops. Garcia knew, thanks to what Orlov had told him in his last communication, that these were the Militia troops of the Pygar Administration, who had finally arrived to bring order and peace.

Luke supposed that it had not been an easy decision for the Director to have to inform Administrator Voncloud of the operation, because it meant losing control of the artifact, but he really had had no choice. García had assured him that it was impossible for the six of them to extract the artifact from the settlement due to its size. The tactical team had managed to reach it and take control, but they couldn't move it on their own. Throughout their call, Orlov had even been considering the possibility of informing His Holiness of the entire operation and ask him for a platoon of Pontifical Guards to assault the settlement. Given the situation, the Pontiff would not deny him, and even he would get a good dressing down for hiding the investigation, they could probably get their hands on the relic.

However, he had ended up ruling it out, because forty or fifty Guards launching a frontal assault with light reconnaissance vehicles wouldn't be exactly discreet, and probably soon it would be known throughout Pygar. Acting with that number of troops on another settlement without the express permission of Jerard Voncloud could be understood as a challenge to his authority, and the Director couldn't allow that. The Church simply couldn't risk losing relations with such a necessary ally. Actually, just the fact that he had sent a covert tactical team could be seen in the same way, although Orlov hoped that Voncloud would see it more as a proof of the NCC's commitment in helping to maintain security on the planet. He had therefore resigned herself to call Administrator Voncloud and ask for help, hoping that he might perhaps appreciate her gesture and allow NCC scientists to participate in a possible study of the relic.

Garcia heard clearly this time the sound of footsteps by the door, footsteps produced by at least two dozen feet. He looked at his men, who nodded, and watched as Ellis grabbed the detonator for the booby traps. He then hunched over the barricade and tensed his finger on the trigger. However, there was only some light hits on the door, as if someone was knocking.

"Pygar Militia! Open the door!" The voice had the tone of someone who was used to being obeyed. "The complex is clear!"

"Okay, we'll open it! I ask you for a little patience!" Luke spoke quietly through the communicator again. "Blue, move to my position, now." Then he stood up and approached to Dominguez, gesturing towards the door. "Get the plasma cutter and open it, quickly"

When the agent was finally able to unlock it, the door was opened from the outside, and the 6 agents waited in front of the threshold, in open formation. Their rifles were pointed toward the ground, but their hands were still on the grips, ready to raise them and open fire if necessary. About twenty men armed with carbines entered, fanning out down the hallway, and Garcia checked that their uniforms matched the one the Pygar Militia wore. The militiamen pointed their weapons at them.

Luke raised his hands. "Hands off guns, boys, they're the good ones." Then he spoke the soldiers. "I'm Agent Luke García of the Pontifical Service of Intelligence. I work for the New Covenant Church. I want to talk to whoever is in charge."

"Beta Team, put the weapons down!" The same authoritative voice they had heard before echoed in the hallway, and the militiamen lowered their carbines.

The soldiers moved aside to let two men pass who stood behind. One of them, dressed in a uniform similar to that worn by the Militia men, addressed Garcia. "I'm Marshal Blaine, commander of the Militia. I'm glad to find you healthy and safe." He moved his hand to the side to introduce his companion, a blond man in a pilot's jacket, high boots and sunglasses. "And here, Administrator Voncloud."

"Good morning." Voncloud smiled behind his dark glasses. "I think you need my help."

The agents stood at attention as a sign of respect, although they didn't salute since they weren't military personnel. Then Garcia took off his helmet and walked forward to address the Administrator. "Nice to meet you sir. I'm happy you're here, and I thank you for the speed in coming. I came to think that we would have to withdraw and blow up that thing and all this place." He pointed towards the door of the Holy Room. "The artifact is in there, in that kind of impious chapel. From what we know, their rituals were carried out in it, in which the cultists exposed their acolytes to some type of unknown radiation that the relic seems to emanate when activated." Luke walked over to the heavy ornate door and pushed it open, so the others could see into the room. He made a gesture with his hand involving the relic and the scientific devices that the agents had placed around it. " We've done a superficial analysis of it, and right now it seems off. However it still emits that glow. It returns certain radiation readings despite its inactive state, but at the moment they're harmless, although unpleasant. We've no idea how to activate it, and of course we haven't tried it either."

Garcia turned to his men. "Dominguez, Mackintosh, pick up the equipment." Then he looked back to Voncloud while the agents entered the Holy Room."My orders from Magister Orlov are to immediately place the relic at your disposal, so it's all yours, sir." He pointed back with his thumb. "I hope you brought something to transport it out of here, this thing is big and heavy. We tried it between the six of us and it was impossible to move it, not even an inch."

The tactical team dismantled the bobby traps and removed the explosive charges that had been placed in the relic. Then gathered their things and prepared to leave the Amber Citadel. They walked through the halls of the complex, climbing many flights of stairs and nodding to the militiamen they encountered. Voncloud's troops were everywhere, and they were searching the place, still clearing some of the rooms. Luke made sure that at all times he and his men had their rifles visible and slung over their shoulders, in the least threatening position possible. The last thing he wanted was for some distracted soldier to shoot them by mistake.

Finally they reached the outer gate, which was at the height of the settlement, and they went out into it. The agents moved away and sat near the rubble of what had been a cabin hastily put together from scrap metal, taking off their helmets and leaving their backpacks on the ground. Luke watched as several platoons of militiamen patrolled the surroundings. They were searching the corpses of the cultist guards that were scattered throughout the poorly lit streets, and securing their fallen weapons. Many of these soldiers looked young, but they were well armed and seemed to take their jobs very seriously. He saw smiles on the faces of some of them, probably happy that his first performance had ended in success. Garcia took out his communication device and called Orlov.

The Director's calm voice rang on the other side immediately. "Report, Garcia."

Luke cleared his throat slightly before speaking. "Your Eminence, I'm calling from outside the heretic complex. Administration's Militia has taken control of the entire settlement, and we've just given them the artifact." He took a look around. "The cultists have been defeated and the civilian population seems to have been evacuated."

"Was Administrator Voncloud there?"

The agent nodded his head, even though the Director couldn't see him. "Yes, Your Eminence. We hand over possession of the artifact directly to him, as you specified."

"Good, Garcia, good job. Deux's will has been fulfilled, congratulate your men for me." Listening to his tone, Orlov seemed satisfied, although Luke had learned that with him you could never be sure of anything. "Now listen to me carefully. The artifact is going to be moved to Central, Administrator Voncloud has taken transports there to load it. Your new orders are to join that convoy and accompany the Militia to their destination. Keep an eye on that unholy thing until it's in Central, under custody."

"Understood." Garcia hesitated for a moment, and then asked. "Do you expect any problems, Your Eminence?"

The Director's voice sounded slightly exasperated. "One never knows. Accomplish with your orders, agent, and Deux be with you." Communication was cut off.

Luke pocketed his device and informed the rest of the team of their new mission. His men nodded silently, and began to check their weapons and equipment. Garcia knew they were tired after all the action last night, and the tense wait, but he also knew he could squeeze a little more out of them. They were well-trained and motivated agents, and in this operation they had shown him what they were capable of.

He pointed to the door of the complex "We've time until Voncloud and his men can get the relic outside and load it. Take advantage of it to rest as much as you can, I want you fully alert later."

Garcia took a few steps away to give his subordinates space. He removed his holographic device from his vest to study the interactive map of possible routes the convoy could follow until reaching Central. While he was watching him carefully, he noticed someone approaching him, and raised his head. It was a middle aged man dressed in a militiaman's uniform, with his carbine slung over his shoulder and his helmet hanging from his belt.

The man saluted militarily. "Are you the commander of the NCC team?" Luke nodded. "Oh, great then, sir. You see, we have an injured civilian in one of our field hospitals, who has repeatedly asked about the NCC."

Garcia immediately thought about Agent Schroeder. Maybe he had not managed to get out of the settlement in time. "Is he an older man, with gray hair and a beard?"

The soldier shook his head. "No, sir, he's relatively young. It seems that those crazy people almost beat him to death, but the docs say that he will survive. He says his name is Arthur."

Luke raised an eyebrow in surprise. Arthur. That name was that of Schroeder's informant who disappeared when he was captured. He hadn't expected to find him alive, but it really might be interesting to question him. He might have some more clues to what the cult had been doing there that he hadn't left written in his notebook, or perhaps something about the workings of the artifact. Surely the Director would appreciate all the information that could be obtained in this regard.

Garcia turned to his men and shouted an order. "Mackintosh, come with me!" Then he smiled at the militiaman. "Take me to Mr. Arthur immediately, please."