The Vanguard Incident
Part 1
Ceres
2098
A vast, pockmarked expanse stretched out; an endless canvas of grey and darkness under a distant, indifference sun.
Inside of the pressurised transport that rumbled along; Damien McTavin – a man whose Scottish brogue was as ingrained as the lines of experience across his face, circling his light blue eyes as they peered at the flickering screen in front of him, with occasional glances up and into the expanse in front; he had a soldier’s build – hone during the ‘Period of Crisis’ in 2083, it was considered a natural fit for the austere frontier he now found himself in.
Beside him sat Valerie Taylor; a Welshwoman from Cardiff, whose soft voice did little to soften her scientific enthusiasm; she tapped her finger against the screen, a subtle shift present in her eyes, a flicker of curiosity “Anythin’ out of tha’ ordinary then Val?” Damien asked, his tone a careful balance of professional curiosity and casual banter all wrapped within the heavy drawl of his Scottish accent
Valerie gently shook her head, her gaze drifting up to sweep desolate landscape “No…, there is a bit of an unusual signature; faint…, intermittent but persistent but seems a bit too defined for a natural mineral deposit and too erratic for anything in our survey catalogue…, seems almost resonant” she paused, her brow furrowed before leaning forwards a moment “Did you see that?”
Damien’s gaze lifted towards her, a flicker of confusion present “What?” he asked simply
“I am sure I just saw something out there” she answered, her gaze flickering from left to right then left again
Damien chuckled, a low rumble “Seein’ some optical illusions now lass?”
Valerie turned to him, the usual brightness of her eyes seemed to dim as she narrowed her eyes, a flicker of unease within the depths “No Damien; no illusions; it was a movement, a distinct shadow against the permanent shadows of the craters” her voice dropped, the conviction hardening “I am certain”
Damien’s light-heartedness receded, replaced by the instinct he relied on as a soldier – the moment he knew to take seriously; Valerie rarely misspoke, and the spooked demeanour was a rare sight, with a purposeful manoeuvre their transport came to a slow, controlled stop – the silence that followed was profound, broken only by the gentle hum of their life support.
“Right then” Damien said, tapping his helmet before straightening and approaching the back, pushing a button causing a sudden hiss as a hatch opens “Let’s go stretch our legs then”
As the pressure equalised, Damien pushed himself out of the opening and he drifted down with a very slow descent until his boots crunched faintly against the dusty surface; Valerie follow, her movements though where a little more graceful; the transport – a sturdy, utilitarian beast designed for extreme environments bore a large emblem with gold and navy blue with the word ‘Commonwealth’ adorning its side.
Damien took a moment to recalibrate his external optical sensors, scanning the bleak crater-strewn landscape “Where precisely Val?” he asked, his voice a crisp sound through their communication system
Valerie looked at him a moment before pointing – extending her arm, the gloved finger unwavering “That direction, towards that cluster of old impact scars”
Damien gazed at the indicated location, his eyes narrowing a moment – he couldn’t see anything, no signs of movement, but he also couldn’t shake the subtle chill he felt slowly creeping down his spine, as if he was looking at something that his eyes just couldn’t register, but the sense of ‘Fight or Flight’ could; he then looked to Valerie, a thoughtful expression crossing his features “Right then…, near…, what did we call it…, the ‘Dead Man’s Hand’ crater?, it ain’t exactly in our survey path mind, but” he paused, his gaze drifting forwards again
“If there is an anomaly…, well…, that is why we’re ‘ere ain’t it; to investigate anomalies” he grinned “Alright Val, let’s go take a proper look then shall we, for science…, and your sanity” he gave her a reassuring smirk, then gestured back to their transport; Valerie moving first before Damien following as they climbed back inside – the hatch hissing closed and sealing them once again within their mobile bubble of life and light against the silent, watchful void of Ceres
Back in the direction that Damien and Valerie had original come from, the Research Station; Vanguard, was nestled precariously in a deep basin, specifically chosen for its relative shelter and access to the subsurface ice, the atmosphere was one of industrious bustle.
Traversing this facility was various figures of a chosen team, amongst them; six figures in particular stood out; at the main command station; Vicent Evans was the acting commander in Damien’s absence, a man who shared the same military past as Damien, fighting alongside him and had forged an unbreakable bond – he stood surveying the main control room, his hardened features softened as he observed the camera’s currently set over the massive cargo containers being unloaded down in the main hold, hearing some heavy clattering and a distinct sound of glass vials, Vincent turned sharply from the screen and over towards the source “Careful Sebastian” he called out, there was no warning, but a conversational rise in volume “There ain’t any reason to be playin’ American football with those samples” his voice maintained that same firm but jovial playfulness
Sebastian Brown; the only American present on the team, boomed back with an equally jovial voice “Relax Vinnie; you think I can’t handle a bit of weight; I’ve carried heavier things in my sleep”
As Sebastian continued to walk through the command station, he noticed Daniella Morin, the Canadian mechanical expert working with Micheal – Valerie’s Taylor’s younger brother; while Valerie was expertly guiding a drone to finish with the external power, Micheal busied himself with tinkering, though he briefly glanced up at the jovial banter “Eh; you know Sebastian is dying to break things” he called out, a playful jab earning a light chuckle
Meanwhile away from the banter, amidst the wide corridors of the newly built section of the station; Erika Boyko a native Ukrainian whose quietness masked a brilliant scientific mind, walked with Tammy Fournier; a Canadian atmospheric specialist; the two of them were walking to check the new corridor, checking the sensors, their voices echoing through the bare cavernous corridor “Initial readings are stable” Erika murmured, gesturing to the flickering display of her hand-held device “But…, there is something that seems to be giving fluctuations from outside…, nothing critical but…, it’s a bit unusual…”
Tammy turned her upper body a little, turning to get a proper look at the screen of Erika’s device, tilting her head a moment – her eyes drifted across the screen, looking at the readings before turning her body again, her eyes drifting towards the reinforced windows, then she came to a stop suddenly “Hey…., did you see that?”
Erika came to a stop as well, turning her body purposely – the suit limiting quick movement as her gaze followed Tammy’s; her eyes then narrowed “Movement?” she whispered
Tammy gave a slow nod – moving forwards, Tammy pressed a little closer to the window “Like something trying to observe but also keep out of sight…, badly….” Reaching her hand to the device at the front of her suit, she pressed her thumb against the radio “Vincent?; Erika and I are in Zone-Seven, we’re seeing something at the exterior window…, any idea if Damien and Valerie are returning?”
There was a pause before Vincent’s voice crackled through “Damien and Valerie have not reported their return, if they were, they wouldn’t be coming from the direction of Zone-Seven; what are you seeing?”
Tammy looked towards Erika a moment before returning he gaze out of the window, her thumb pressing onto the radio again “Uncertain; there is something outside, movement that shouldn’t be there”
There was another pause, when Vincent’s voice crackled through, it was more edged “Anomaly acknowledged; long-range scanner has detected something past the perimeter; too organised for a random rockfall or debris…, stand by and keep watch please….”
Before Tammy could reply; the communication system erupts into a screech of static; a raw, grating sound that vibrated through the bones, then, the internal lights of the station flickered violently before plunging the facility into complete darkness; alarms blare only a second later; muffled and distorted by the sudden power failure.
At the command centre, Sebastian snaps his head up “Bloody hell” he shouts
Vincent’s gaze rapidly flickered across the dark screens, while Micheal immediately moved “Daniella; auxiliary now!” he shouted as he rushed across the room “We’ve got a system-wide depressurisation warning…., wait…, no…, it’s a false-positive…, power surge is external….”
Daniella, equally quick in movement was already opening the back panel and going through the various systems – meanwhile, Vincent began a frantic effort to contact Erika and Tammy “Are you two alright down there?” he shouted “Erika…., Tammy…..”
Glancing up and over, Vincent’s eyes landed onto Sebastian “Make your way down to Zone-Seven; go check on Erika and Tammy…, Micheal, Daniella; your priorities are to get the power restored”
While chaos erupted at station; Damien and Valerie continued their journey; the transport rumbling along the uneven terrain kicking up plumes of fine dust that would settle slowly within the low gravity, the silence that had settle between the two felt heavier now – Valerie’s earlier certainty had infected Damien, replacing his jocularity with a focused intensity.
“Right…” Damien said slowly “According to yer directions Val, we should be approaching the position now” he said, his eyes drifting across the landscape ahead of them
As the transport crested the large, jagged ridge, the view that unfolded before them stole their breath; Damien immediately brought their oversized machine to a halt, its large wheels stopping-mid-motions causing a skid forwards against the ridge; below them, nestled with a massive, ancient crater that dwarfed anything in their survey data was a large structure.
Not a natural formation – it was no geological quick, no eroded rock face; it was impossibly geometric, a dark monolithic structure that simply radiated a silent, ominous presence – it was too smooth, to perfectly angled simply it was too purposeful in design; it was to ancient, too alien and utterly, terrifyingly out of place for Ceres.
Damien stared through the window; he could feel the frantic beating of his heart against his chest as it practically punched at his ribs, he tried to run through every known geological, astronomical and archaeological theory; none of them fit “Holy hell….” He breathed, the words barely audible
Valerie who was usually so articulate, could now only manage a choked sound of awe and fear, her earlier ‘Movement’ now seemed completely insignificant – a prelude to an impossible discovery
Reaching for his radio, Damien pressed his thumb against the button to transmit back to the station “Damien to Vanguard; vanguard, come in…” he stopped when he realised all he could hear was static, his brow raising before turning his head towards Valerie – she had noticed the static too
“Try the orbiting station” Valerie suggested as she reached for the main panel, flicking switches upwards, her eyes drifting back towards the window “Are we in range?” she queried, her gaze drifting back to Damien
“I am not sure” Damien answered as he deliberately changed the radio channel, though static remained constant
“Let’s go back” Valerie said, her eyes locking onto Damien “Now”
Damien didn’t argue; his soldier’s instincts had already come racing to the surface; what they’d stumbled upon was not some simply scientific discovery; it was an encounter and that silence and accompanying static did not feel like a malfunction, but instead, like a deliberate act – with a firm nod “Aye Val, yer right, let’s get back”
As the transport reversed backwards, the dust and dirt kicked upwards; below, the ancient structure watched their departure – unblinking, as if it had been waiting patiently so long, that a little more time would mean nothing.
The journey for Damien and Valerie though, that would feel infinitely longer across the vastness; but it no longer simply felt empty, it now felt as though it was teeming with menace from something unseen.
Written By: Westley H.
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