Warhawk's Sacrifice - Ch. 20 - More Than a Communication Station - Alpha (Patreon)

After takeoff, it was smooth flying until they left Mahad’s atmosphere. With their FTL drive activated, the flight to their destination took as long as from the palace to the resort. Once they arrived at their coordinates, Vi reduced their speed and coasted the ship forward.

Seb retracted the blast shield doors from the front viewport, revealing the darkness of space. An endless amount of stars sparkled in the distance. Beautiful arrays of colors were displayed among the interstellar clouds.

“So what now?” Vi asked.

“Now we’ve got to try to find the thing,” Seb said. He projected a travel map between him and his pilot before asking, “Syn, can you do a scan of our surroundings? Maximum distance. Look for anything out of the ordinary.”

“Affirmative, Captain,” Syn said, still sitting cross-legged in front of the dash. After a few seconds passed, her voice was full of disappointment. “I’m sorry, Captain. My sensors aren’t picking up any anomalies.”

“Are you picking up anything?”

“Nothing.”

Seb spun in his chair. “All right, we’re here. Anyone have any ideas on how we could find it?”

Eni brought up her projected window and said, “Syn, can you show me what parameters you used for your scan?”

“Certainly.”

After she scrolled through the information, Eni typed a few commands. “Try running that.”

Once her scan completed, Syn sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m still not detecting anything.”

Eni threw up her hands. “Well, that’s all I’ve got.”

“What did you do?” Seb asked.

“I just did an inverse of her parameters to see if we’d get anything.”

“It was worth a shot.”

“I’m going to pray and see if Nimora can provide us guidance,” Sister Mischa said before clasping her hands together and lowering her head.

“I have an idea,” Iris said.

“By all means,” Seb said, leaning back. “What are you thinking?”

“It’s going to require me to leave the ship.”

Mischa’s head perked up and shared a glance of unease. “Is this really necessary?”

“I think so. Space is vast and the station could be anywhere. Unless we wish to wander aimlessly out here, I think it would be best for me to try.”

“She’s got a point,” Eni said.

“What are you planning to do?” Seb asked.

Iris smiled brightly. “I’m going to sing.”

“How is singing going to help?” Eni asked. “Sound doesn’t travel through space.”

“It’s not like traditional singing. I’ll send a signal into space and listen for a reply.”

“Is it like how we communicate via the HIM device?” Seb asked.

“Yes, something similar.”

“Whatever it is, we should study it,” Eni said. “Syn, can you make sure you pull as much data as you can from all the ship’s sensors?”

“I can try,” the virtual intelligence said. “However, the systems on the Temptation are rather lacking compared to that on the Amnesty.”

“Ugh,” Eni groaned. “I hate this ship. I wish we didn’t have to do all this sneaking around.” The comm officer’s declaration brought a smile to Seb’s face.

Iris pushed herself up from her seat. “If no one else has any objections, I’m going to go prepare myself in the airlock.”

“If you go all glowy, we’re going to lose communication with you.”

Seb jumped up to his feet. “I brought the HIM device with me. I just need to go downstairs and get it. Come on Iris, I’ll walk with you to the airlock.”

The pair entered the elevator together. They took it down to the common room level. Seb split from Iris and entered his room. He retrieved the nakai key and pressed his hand into it. It clicked in place over his palm and fingers, mirroring the golden shine he’d become accustomed to. After flexing his hand, ensuring a good fit, he met Iris back in the hallway. They took the elevator down to the cargo bay and climbed the metal stairs to the airlock.

When Iris began unclipping the skinsleeve’s supports around her wrist, Seb pointed over his shoulder and asked, “Would you like some privacy?”

Iris shook her head with a bitten lower lip and said, “No. What would be the point? You’ve already seen all of me.”

Seb chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

With the final button press around her neck, the skinsleeve inflated and fell around her body. She raised her arms overhead, stretching, revealing all of her petite frame.

Seb’s eyes gravitated to her perfectly round breasts that were dotted with purple peaks that matched her hair. She twisted, revealing her plump apple bottom. When she bent over, he caught her seductive gaze between a small window just below her slit.

When he felt Iris prod his mind through the HIM device, Seb opened himself to her. His cock swelled as he felt her rush of desire. She was being playful, but ‌it was clear she wanted him.

“Iris…” Seb said, swallowing hard. “What are you doing?”

Iris straightened and sauntered over to him, resting her hand on his chest. “Do you not like what you see?”

“I mean I do. But this isn’t like you. You’re never been this… forward.”

The act shattered. Iris gave a nervous smile. A feeling of anxiousness filled him through their link. The same feeling like he’d caught her in a lie. Seb frowned and crossed his arms. This wasn’t her.

“Eni put you up to this, didn’t she?” Seb asked

“No…,” Iris said, looking away. “Well not really. She, Syn, and I had just been spending a lot of time together when we were working on the dictionary and translations. Eni and Syn talked a lot about you. The conversations devolved into rather… intimate subjects. In one of those conversations, she said that you like it when the women are forward.”

Seb rubbed his forehead and sighed. I’m going to kick her ass, he thought. He cleared throat and smiled. “Iris. You’re a beautiful woman. But now isn’t the time to work me up like this. We’ve got work to do. And besides, I thought we were going to take things slow?”

Iris lowered her head and nodded. “I know. I’m sorry. It’s just… Since the battle with sectorum, we haven’t really had time together. You’ve been busy with Zara or fixing the ship. When we were out shopping in Mahad, all I could think about was you. How I’d wished you were there so I could have you pick something you’d like. I guess I thought by showing you myself, you might want to spend more time together.”

Seb grabbed Iris and pulled her into his chest. “Maker, Iris. You don’t have to do this to get me to want to spend time with you. I’d want to do that, regardless.” When he pulled away, he looked into her blue tinted, yellow eyes. “I’m sorry that we haven’t had the chance to spend more time together. As you’ve said, everything has just been non-stop. I know you feel it. Nalla feels it. Everyone feels it. Once we find the communication station and finish our mission here. How about you and I spend some time together once we get back to Mahad? Just the two of us.”

“Really?” she asked, the buds of her air raising.

“Yeah.”

Iris wrapped her arms around Seb and squeezed him tight. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. You make me so happy.”

“You’re welcome,” Seb said after kissing her top tendrils. “Now, go out there and find us that station.”

“I will,” she said with a firm nod.

Seb approached the keypad near the airlock door. After it projected a hologram, he used the controls to open the door. He waited for Iris to enter before sealing it. She waved at him as the room depressurized. He waved back and watched as she opened the door and floated into space.

After sealing the door from his end, Seb headed back upstairs. By the time he reached his chair, Iris was floating by the window. She flew farther out in front of the ship and prepared herself.

“Syn, do you have her on radar?” Seb asked.

“Yes, Captain. Pulling up a view now.”

A hologram of the local system appeared in between Seb and Iris. It zoomed on the map until it only showed the ship and Iris, who appeared as a small pink dot.

As Seb watched Iris out of the front viewport, he readied himself for the eventual change. A wave of anger, purpose, and energy flooded him as she covered herself in flame. He gritted his teeth and grunted as he weathered her transformation. But unlike the time on the station, it tapered, replaced with control. As Iris approached the window in her bright, burning glory, she waved.

“Is she smiling?” Eni asked.

“It seems like her training is paying off,” Mischa said with a proud snort.

After everyone waved back, Iris turned around and bolted into the void. Seb watched on the radar as she moved several miles in less than a second. She stayed stationary for less than a minute before darting elsewhere. Her speed was so fast, Syn had trouble keeping up with her location. She disappeared from the radar briefly before reappearing somewhere else. Seb zoomed out the map so they could see the vast area she covered.

“She’s moving crazy fast,” Eni said. “Syn, are you getting anything from the points where she stops?”

“Unfortunately, no. The lack of decent sensors and the radiation interference from her form makes it difficult to detect anything.”

“Dammit. This would be good data to have.”

“If you manage to get anything, I would also like a copy of it for her patient records,” Nalla said. “Anything to help me piece together her biology would be helpful.”

“I will, Nalla,” Syn said.

“So, what do we do now?” Roja asked. “Just wait for her to find this place?”

“It’s the best we’ve got,” Seb said, shrugging. “She’s a lot faster than us and her people created the station. So hopefully she’s right that it will respond to her. I mean, they built the place to be undetectable. Makes sense only a nakai would be able to find it.”

After a few minutes of waiting patiently, Vi pointed to the map. “She’s been stationary longer than normal.”

Seb zoomed in on the hologram, filling it just wide enough for their ship and Iris’s dot. When she continued to stay there, the captain closed his eyes and concentrated on his companion.

“Iris, did you find anything?”

Iris’s voice was powerful and commanding. “Yes. I’ve found the station.”

“Should we come to you?”

“Yes. I have halted its movement.”

Seb opened his eyes and commanded his crew. “Syn, update our navigation to Iris’s location. Vi, take us there.”

“Navigation updated, Captain,” Syn said.

“She’s several hundred miles away,” Vi said. “I’ll keep us in sublight. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Seb heard only the soft chips of the crew pressing buttons on the hologram on the flight over. The crew’s anticipation lingered heavily in the air. As they got close, Syn slowed the craft down. Iris’s bright light sparkled like a beacon in the viewpoint.

“There she is,” Seb pointed out in front.

“I see her,” Vi said.

“Just easing us in.”

An alarm rang through the cockpit and the Temptation deaccelerated hard, throwing everyone forward.

“What in the Maker was that?” Seb grunted.

“I don’t know,” Vi said, frantically tapping on the controls.

“I detected a stellar mass,” Syn said. “If I didn’t jerk us out of sublight, we would have slammed into the interstellar mass.”

Seb scoured the view in front of him before double checking it with the map. “I see it on our radar but I’m not seeing anything in front of us.”

“Neither am I,” Vi said. “I’m going to fly us closer to Iris. Syn, if I’m getting too close, feel free to redirect us.”

“Affirmative, Vi,” the virtual intelligence said.

The ship puttered forward and inched behind Iris. Seb turned on the front spotlights. Even though they couldn’t see the structure beyond them, the light flattened on an invisible surface. They watched as Iris swayed side-to-side and raised her hands in a graceful motion.

“What’s she doing?” Eni asked.

“It looks like she’s… dancing?” Seb said.

When she completed her movement, a massive triangular door split open, spewing golden light from inside the invisible structure. Iris floated inside. Seb shot a glance over at the pilot and she nodded before sliding the controls forward.

As they ventured further in, Seb’s jaw dropped. Long stalks of colossal plants rose from a misty earth along the floor. Massive statues of nakai faces were carved into the stone covered walls. Small huts hung from the ceiling like tree fruits.

Just like the vault where Seb found Iris, pockets of the purple crystal peaked through the soil, revealing what Seb assumed was the actual structure. In the sky, small bands of light twisted like millions of strands of DNA. Just above them, a small sun sat secured in a mechanized device.

That’s probably what’s powering the whole station, Seb thought.

As they continued forward, Iris’s movement became more erratic. Seb could feel the mixture of excitement, hope, but also sadness. Everything they passed, pulled her attention. She zipped between each of the hanging buildings, scouring the insides before returning to the front of the ship.

As they ventured further, a small purple pyramid protruded from the center of the station. A ray of light pulsed from the building, shooting straight into the star above. When Iris spotted it, she flew down to the middle of it.

Vi followed her closely behind. As the ship landed, the crew watched as Iris opened a door to the pyramid with a wave of her hand. She disappeared in the darkness beyond.

“Iris, wait for us!” Seb called out. When she didn’t respond, Seb hurried out of his seat. “We should go after her.”

“Is something wrong?” Mischa asked.

“She’s not responding. She may be overwhelmed. We haven’t been to another nakai structure since we rescued her to the vault.”

Syn disconnected herself from the ship and stood. “Captain, the atmosphere is uninhabitable for the team. It’s minimal and the radiation threat is at a level one. Everyone should wear a skinsleeve at minimum.”

“What about gravity?”

“The gravity is comparable to most GRC station standards.”

Seb turned to his team. “Everyone suit up and meet on the elevator once you’re done.”

After everyone ventured downstairs, they all put on their armor and grabbed their weapons. Eni slung a bag over her back before picking up two more in each hand. Every step she took echoed with the sound of clanking metal and plastic.

“What’s that you’re carrying?” Seb asked.

“Just a bunch of gear I brought with us,” Eni said. “There are various tools for soldering and splicing. Various cables and plugs. That kind of stuff.”

“Need a hand?”

“Nah, I got it.”

With everyone fully geared, the crew returned to the elevator. When the cabin touched down underneath the ship, Seb pulled out his revolver.

“Everyone keep an eye out,” he said. “We don’t know what kind of security this place may have.”

As everyone pulled out their weapons, Seb stepped onto the ground. It felt dense. A small gray haze floated just above it, slightly skewing his steps. The captain glanced up and down as he crossed the open path to the pyramid.

He felt a sense of déjà vu as he stepped inside the purple structure. The metal floor was already lit with a white light, cascading it along the purple crystal walls. He continued forward until reaching a glass elevator. Once everyone gathered onboard, it descended.

Unlike the vault, the interior of the structure was fully furnished. They passed multiple floors of long hallways of sealed doors. When they reached an open atrium, the furniture looked like a mix of primitive building and advanced technology. Twisting woods filled with small lights. Lush flora hung from silver metal walls.

When they descended to the next level, Eni pointed and shouted, “oh I want to get in there!” It was a large warehouse filled with dirt covered floors and tree-like structures. The roots and bodies glowed with multiple lights blinking like racks of servers. Small strands of light connected the tops like spider webs.

However, the cabin continued to descend. When the elevator slowed down to a stop, it opened into a wide open area. Rows of curved wooden and metal desks encircled a massive hologram of the galaxy. Iris stood hunched over something.

Once the glass doors opened, Seb jogged to her. When he got close, he slowed down, noticing what she was looking at. A skull sat wrapped in vines. The tendrils that matched her hair, still bloomed from the decayed body. When he glanced around the room, he saw dozens of skeletons woven into the furniture they sat in.

Seb holstered his weapon and reached out his hand. “Iris, are you okay?”

Iris’s fire dissipated, and she threw herself into his arms. With heavy sobs, she wept. Seb patted her back and squeezed her tight as the others spread throughout the room.

“This isn't just a communication station,” Iris said into his mind. She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. “This was a home. Families lived here. When I saw the buildings and everything still running, I was filled with hope. Then when I came down here, I thought that maybe some of them survived. It was foolish of me to think so. I’m the last of my kind. There’s no one left.”

Seb wanted to tell her that they didn’t know that. That by a miracle there could be more out there. But he knew the likelihood of that was zero, and he didn’t want to fill her with false hope.

“I can’t imagine what that must feel like,” Seb said. “But just know that even though you don’t have your people, you have us. We will always be here for you, no matter what.” Seb wiped the tear from her cheek after she smiled and nodded.

“Is she okay?” Sister Mischa asked, looming over the pair.

“Yeah, I think so.”

Mischa extended her arm. “Come child. Let’s go get you some clothes.”

Seb nodded when Iris looked up at him. “Go with Mischa and grab your skinsleeve from the ship. We’ll be here.”

Seb watched as the pair returned to the elevator. When they disappeared, he returned to the others. Eni was already working with Syn, unloading her equipment and eyeing the hologram projector in the center of the room.

“What do you think this place is?” Seb asked.

“If I had a guess, probably some kind of command center or observation room,” Eni said.

“Do you think you’re going to be able to plug into this place’s systems?”

Eni pulled out a plasma cutter and smiled wildly. “Only one way to find out.”

“Just be careful. There’s no telling how fragile everything is. It’s been floating in space for thousands of years.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know what I’m doing,” Eni said, cutting into the metallic side panel.

As Seb passed Syn, he leaned in and whispered, “Keep an eye on her, okay?”

“I will, captain,” the virtual intelligence said with a wink.

He walked over to Nalla and Roja, who were gathered around one of the bodies in the chair. Roots claimed the bones, twisting inside of them. Colorful flowers bloomed out of the skull’s eye sockets and from the top of the head. When Nalla tapped on her instrument, a grid of green lasers shot out of the device as she scanned it.

“What does your little tool tell you?” Seb asked.

“Not much. It’s detecting unknown flora. This could be something never before seen. But comparing this to the data I have from Iris, my assumption is that this person was nakai.”

“This whole place could be a treasure trove of new discoveries,” Seb said. “It’s important that we all keep our suits recording and save as much data as we can. We can then give it to Syn to process later.”

“I brought some sample bags with me. I’ll collect what I can and report everything to Syn for cataloging.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“What’s the plan now that we’re here?” Roja asked. “Should we scout the place?”

Seb pointed over his shoulder. “I want to wait until we get Syn connected. Once she is, we’ll have a much better idea of what we’re dealing with. This place is enormous. So, having a map would be ideal. If there’s any kind of security system we need to be aware of, I’d rather have Syn have full control of it before we venture too far. The last vault we went to was rigged to blow. This station could have a similar defense mechanism.”

“Makes sense.”

“For now, I suggest we all limit our movements from here to the ship. Once Syn’s got control over everything, I think we should be okay.”

“Sounds good.”

Eni shouted from behind. “Seb, can you come here?”

“Speak of the destroyer,” the captain mused as he turned around. As he approached the wide-eared pracovi, Seb noticed Syn was sitting on the ground with wires connected from the back of her head into the components underneath and into Eni’s holodeck. The hacker stood tapping on her device, scanning through lines of code.

“Yeah, did you need something?” Seb asked, resting his hands on his hips.

“I just wanted to have you nearby in case something happens,” Eni said.

“What’s going to happen?”

“Hopefully nothing, but we’re splicing into ancient but advanced alien tech that I’ve never seen before, so there is always going to be a risk.”

“Well, if you’re sure you’ve taken every precaution…”

Eni rolled her eyes. “Look at who you’re talking to.”

Seb shrugged. “Then give it a whirl.”

Eni typed on her deck a few more times and then slapped the enter key. The projected hologram shut off. Eni glanced up and back to her screen.

“Shit,” she said, scrolling through the data.

“Looks like it didn’t work,” Seb said.

“Syn, are you getting anything?”

“Based on my interpretation, the system may have detected our intrusion and shut down power to prevent access.”

“Then we need to get to the heart. Did you happen to see where the signal came from?”

“No, but my assumption is that the core systems are controlled somewhere inside this facility.”

Eni rubbed her chin as she thought for a moment. “Hmm… I think I know where. There was that warehouse that looked like a data center above us. Let’s go check that out.”

After hurriedly unplugging Syn and the cables, Eni threw a bag across her shoulder, picked up the others, and marched toward the elevator. When she reached it, she stopped and shouted, “Are you coming?”

Seb felt conflicted. He’d just told Nalla and Roja that they weren’t going to roam aimlessly throughout the facility. However, he’d expected Eni to succeed. He held up a finger. “Hold up a moment.”

He raced over to Nalla and Roja. “Hey, Eni’s test failed. She wants to go to a floor we saw on our way.”

“I’m almost done here,” Nalla said, packaging a sample. After slipping it into a belt pouch, she nodded and said, “I’ve got what I need.”

The trio joined Seb and climbed into the elevator. When the doors shut, it ascended up. However, once it reached the floor they wanted, it floated past it.

“Wait!” Eni shouted, shoving her head to the glass. “That’s where we want to go. How do we stop this thing?”

“I don’t know,” Seb said. “When we first entered it, it just took us to the command room.”

“There doesn’t seem to be any buttons,” Roja said, glancing around.

“That’s just great,” Eni said, throwing up her hands. “This thing is broken, and it’s the only way to get there.”

“Hold on,” Seb said. “Let me see if Iris has any ideas.” Seb concentrated on his other companion and asked, “Hey Iris, do you have any advice on how to control the elevator?”

“You should be able to control it via the HIM device,” she said.

“And how do I do that, exactly?”

“Much like you’re communicating with me now. You speak to the elevator and it will respond to your commands. Just focus on it and instruct it to take it to the floor you wish to go to. That goes for pretty much anything on the station.”

“But will it respond to me?”

“You are the Inhibitor, much like I am the Divine Equalizer. You are of the highest authorities that remain. So, yes, it will work.”

Seb closed his eyes, extended the HIM device out to the glass, and concentrated on the object. He felt a tingling sensation spread all over his body, and when he opened his eyes, his jaw dropped.

“Whoa,” Seb said.

“What is it?” Nalla asked.

“This whole place is connected. It’s like I can see the wireframe of the entire building. Every plant. Every piece of glass. It’s all composed of the telepathic link that the nakai share. It’s woven into everything.”

“That’s great to hear, but how does that help us?” Eni asked.

When Seb connected to the elevator like Iris suggested, he commanded it to take them to the floor he wanted. The cabin slowly descended. Once they reached the data center, it stopped, and the doors opened.

“How did you do that?” Eni asked.

Seb jiggled his golden hand. “With this.”

“Stupid nakai technology,” Eni grumbled as she stepped into the room.

As Seb followed closely behind, he glanced around. A gray mist hung around the bottom of the floor. Each of the trees was spread evenly apart. Dozens of rows extended in every direction. Small thin strands of light twisted into bundles inside their trunks and underneath their bark. Small glowing orbs hung from the branches like forbidden fruit.

“How big is this place?” Nalla asked.

“My estimate is a hundred thousand square feet,” Syn said.

“We almost need a cart,” Eni said.

“Do I need to carry you?” Seb teased.

Eni raised a finger. “Don’t start with me. I’m not in the mood.”

“Why? Because of what happened back in the command center?”

“Yes! I hate not being able to figure things out. This should be my expertise. But just look around us. These aren’t servers. They are plants! What am I supposed to do with all this?”

“I’m sure you and Syn will figure it out. Just like you did with the codex.”

“I know we will. It’s just frustrating.”

After a few more feet, Eni pointed to the closest tree. “This one is as good as any. Syn, have a seat next to it.”

As the virtual intelligence squatted down. Eni pulled out her tools from her bag. She attached electrical clamps to a strand of light inside the tree. After splitting it into two connections, she plugged the ends into her deck and Syn. She let out a heavy breath before executing her program again. All the light disappeared from the tree.

“Dammit, it happened again,” Eni shouted.

“Let’s try another one,” Seb said. “But let me try to help with the HIM device.”

“What are you going to do?”

“See if I can tell it to give you and Syn access.”

“At this point, I don’t care,” Eni said, stripping the clamps. “We can try whatever.”

Seb waited for Syn and Eni to walk across the path and reconnect to another tree. Once they were ready to initiate the program, again, Seb held out his hand and concentrated. His whole body shuddered. He felt himself being pulled into a tunnel of light. His mind swirled, causing him to feel like he’s falling. When he exhaled, he felt the station breathe with him. They were one.

When he regained his composure, Nalla was scanning him with her device. When she noticed him move, she asked, “Seb, are you okay?”

“Yeah… that was… weird.”

“What happened?”

“When I connected to the tree, I became connected to everything around us. Like I was the station.”

“Does anything hurt? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I think so. Maybe a little dizzy.”

“You should probably sit down.”

Seb shook his head. “No… it’s fine. I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, Eni, ‌do your thing.”

When Eni executed the program, Syn’s body jerked and her eyes pulsed with the same frequency with strands of light in the tree. “I’m connected.”

Eni clapped her hands together as she watched the code scroll. “Yes! It’s working.”

Seb released his connection to the station and let out his breath. A bead of sweat dripped down the side of his face. He walked back and forth, shaking his hands as he tried to get rid of the jitters that crawled through his body.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Nalla asked.

“Yeah, it was just overwhelming,” Seb said. “Like connecting with Nalla times a hundred.”

“Okay. Well, tell me if you start feeling dizzy or lightheaded again.”

“I will.”

“I’m currently building an API based on the codex data and dictionary we compiled to translate into the telepathic protocol,” Syn said. “Once it’s complete, I should be able to connect to the systems completely.”

“Just work your magic,” Seb said.

As everyone waited patiently, all heads turned when the elevator doors opened, revealing Sister Mischa and Iris. Iris was back in her skinsleeve and wearing her custom comm device.

When they approached, Sister Mischa nodded toward Syn. “How’s everything going?”

“We just got Syn into the system.”

“Hopefully, what she finds is good news.”

Everyone’s heads turned when Syn gasped. “Marvelous.”

“What’s going on?” Seb asked.

“I’ve just finished the API and am now connected to the network. I understand what the captain meant. The delicacy of interwoven systems… It's a work of art. It’s beautiful.”

“That’s great and all, but focus on what we came for,” Eni said. “We need to find the lost codex data, find details on the Songless, and any information you can find on the vaults.”

“The vaults?” Nalla asked. “I thought we had that data?”

“We thought we did too. But it was included as part of the codex. When we started translating and indexing and everything, most of it was corrupt. If we want access to those vault locations, then we need to rebuild the codex.”

“Unfortunately, there is a problem.”

“Problem, what problem?” Eni asked, pulling up her deck.

“The station appears to be in a standby state. While many of the systems are interconnected, most appear to be shut down to conserve power. This is limiting me from accessing many of the data stores.”

“Well, can you bring it back online?” Seb asked.

“I was just getting ready to suggest that,” Syn said with a smile. “But I wanted to get your authorization first.”

“Is there any problem with doing so?”

“I will have to reboot some of the major systems. For example, the gravity, stealth, and some of the primary power systems will restart. The entire process will take less than a minute. An additional benefit for me bringing the station online would be that it would allow me to fully enable the communication systems. I’ll be able to send a ping to all the other nakai facilities across the galaxy.”

“So we would know exactly where they are and which ones are operational?” Eni asked, her voice dripping with excitement.

“Not only that, but I should be able to bring the other communication stations online and rebuild their relay system. This would grant me access to even more data than what’s just stored here.”

Eni jumped. “Then let’s do it!”

Seb held up his hand. “Hold on. If we are resetting the station’s systems, would we be in any danger?”

“Everyone should be fine in their suits,” Syn said.

“Would someone be able to detect us?” Nalla asked.

“It’s highly unlikely. The communication methods use a nakai protocol. Similar to how Iris and the captain speak. These are telepathic links using nakai broadcast and detection signatures. There’s no civilization that I’m aware of who can detect this method of communication nor interpret it.”

“But wouldn’t someone be able to see us?”

“We’re in the middle of nowhere,” Eni said, waving her off. “They’d have to be nearby and scanning this area of the sector. Even if they did see us, we'd only show up for a minute and then disappear. It’d be chalked up to a blip, most likely.”

“I’m in agreement with Eni,” Syn said, nodding.

Seb nodded and glanced at everyone in the room. They all shared reassuring nods before he issued the command. “Okay. Do it, Syn.”

“Acknowledged Captain. Rebooting the station’s systems in three, two, one.”

As everyone heard the final number, the room plunged into darkness.