LEGACY OF THE ANARI

Many thanks for the kind comments to chapter 1. Please enjoy chapter 2!

Ashleigh Blayze

Time passed, probably only minutes but they felt like an age. Rin tried his comm guessing it was futile but to his stunned mind it seemed like the thing to do. He was right, there was no signal. He snorted in disgust at himself.

Yeah like you can get a comm signal with a million tonnes of rock on your head. Fuckwit.

He sat in the dark and slumped against a rock pile, mind blanking out for a time, as he gazed sightlessly into the dark. Finally he shook himself, telling himself to get it together. There was no leaving this way for sure, so it was back through the passage and then explore. He gathered his courage, pulling a grim determination not to give up from his anger and fear.

Rin grabbed his equipment and once again prepared to squeeze along the bloody passage. Without the Dtilla behind him the entrance to the small confined tunnel seemed much more oppressive. Pausing as he remembered pushing something out of the passage with his pack Rin scanned the scope around, finding the Dtilla's weapon, and its body or what was left of it.

Grimacing, he quickly searched the remains, finding a couple of ammo clips for the weapon, and a sheathed vibro blade. The handle wasn't shaped for human hands but he could use it if he needed to. The reptilian alien's personal effects were just trinkets of some type that meant nothing to Rin, and lastly what looked in the scope like a credit chip.

Hmm wonder what shops there are down here?

The chip went in his pocket. Finally, conscious of the stink and feeling ghoulish he forced his way back through the passage with his new and old possessions. Once he got through he stacked his gear in a pile then detached the scope from the rifle. It was still a little cumbersome, but at least he look around without the heavy cumbersome rifle. Next order of business was to find the torch.

It took a while but eventually he found it, the mini torch had rolled into a crevice in the cave floor, and after it had cooled had been very hard to see in the scope. Relief took a weight off his shoulders and light flared as he turned it on. Squinting in the sudden brilliance Rin shone it around . The cave he was in was small but tall enough to stand easily in and it looked dry. Seeing no obvious concerns, with his spirits rising Rin turned to his gear to see what he still had. The big rifle was undamaged, but way too powerful to fire in the cave. His ears were still ringing a bit. He still had seven shells in the weapon, 2 full clips in the pack and the empty clip as well, for a total of 23 rounds. After checking the rifle had the safety on, he placed it to one side.

The weapon the Dtilla had used was much smaller. Under the torch beam he examined it. No obvious signs of damage. Checking the gun’s controls he ejected the ammo clip and examined it. A flechete weapon, and the clip appeared to be half full. It fired nasty slivers of ceramic that could rip a person to pieces with ease. Rin had seen gangs in the city slums using similar weapons during the worst parts of the riots, before he had escaped and headed for the plains and the Rijkards took him in. The weapons grip wasn't ideal as it was designed for Dtillas' 4 digit clawed hands, but he could use it with some discomfort. The gun also had a universal mount that the rifle scope slotted into perfectly, making a reassuring click.

This done Rin was pleased, he had a weapon he could use that was a lot more suitable for a cave and he could easily use the scope if necessary without being disarmed, or having to wield the large hunting rifle. Rin realised his mindset seemed a lot more grim and jaded than it normally was, despite his years in the slums but he decided that being buried alive after seeing your friends killed could make you grow up fast. His work belt had space in a pouch so he slipped the 2 spare clips in there, and the knife and sheath were quickly attached as well.. Groaning he realised his own hunting knife had been on the trynlar, leaving him only the sheathed vibroblade which was primarily a weapon and not a tool.

Turning to the pack he emptied it out to check what he had, and what else had been lost with his mount. It made for worrying news, most of his food and water and clothing was gone with the mount's saddle packs as well as his knife, bedroll, tent, stove with heat element, and utility tool. On the plus side the survival pack held his spare ammunition for the rifle, high energy rations for 3 days, a 10 litre water carrier that was half full, a basic first aid kit, one roll of waterproof tape, a spare battery for the torch, compass, survival blanket, a hooded poncho for wet weather, magnesium fire lighter and striker, work gloves, fishing line and hooks and 50m of high strength cord, and a change of dry clothes in a waterproof compartment in the pack.

Overall Rin considered that while things definitely could be better, at least he had the basics, for the time being at least. After rearranging his gear with as much on his belt and in pockets as possible, Rin broke the hunting rifle down for carrying and stowed it in his pack, and then after a last scan around with the torch to check for anything left behind, Rin taped the torch to the side of the flechette gun and set off deeper into the cave system.

***

The cave system was huge, and Rin no longer had even a vague notion of where he was. The compass had proved useless, as he walked, climbed, crawled and waded in the cave system, it was just impossible to keep a bearing, so after a while he ignored it and just plodded on, concentrating on putting one foot after another. He thought he had begun searching for a way out 4 days previously, but with no daylight his time sense was shot to hell. Sitting in the dark time seemed insubstantial, a minute or an hour could pass and he didn't know the difference, his world had reduced to his sense of touch, smell and hearing. His ears had gradually stopped ringing, but it made no difference, the only thing to hear was the dripping of water.

The caves were devoid of life, so at least his fear of being attacked in the darkness had gradually subsided, any predator in the caves would have died of starvation long before. The worst thing was there was nothing to burn. Rin desperately wanted a fire to heat himself, he was chilled to the bones and constantly shivering. He thought he was running a fever now, and had taken some medication from the first aid kit, hoping it would do some good. As he stumbled along in the dark all Rin wanted was a fire to dry out all his soaked clothes, and raise his spirits. When he got tired of moving he would huddle in the tattered survival blanket to try and warm himself through, eating more of his dwindling food. He was doing his best to stretch out his rations but food was now very short. In the darkness and with no sense of time he ate when he couldn't stand the hunger any more.

Trying to keep his gear dry where possible was hard and the countless dead ends he had run into were depressing. Mostly Rin was worried about his light. The torch was going strong at the moment, but even though the battery packs were very efficient he'd was using spare now. He did his best to conserve power only using the light when moving. Thinking straight was hard, and he was worried that he would begin hallucinating. He kept the scope on the gun powered down so at least he could fall back on that but the prospect of trying to find an exit from the caves with out light was terrifying.

Stopping for a break, he mechanically chewed an energy bar, eating it slowly to try and get some sensation of fullness, his empty stomach was gnawing at him. He was crouched down leaning against the wet cave wall, in the dark. As he chewed Rin suddenly realised that his left cheek was colder than his right. Concentrating on the sensation he became aware that a very slight breeze was wafting past his stubble. The air was moving. It took a long moment for the significance to sink into his dulled mind. If he could follow the breeze upwind, it should lead outside. He might have a way out. Finishing the energy bar, Rin stood in the dark and orientated himself so the breeze was full in his face, then flashing on the torch he set off again.

The weak draught had been getting ever so gradually stronger. Rin was doubled over at times which was killing his back, as he followed a rock passageway. Now the narrow passage had opened out a little and appeared to be at a dead end, there had been yet another rock fall ahead. The beam of light played over the rubble as Rin looked for the chink that was letting air through. Not for the first time Rin wished he had one of the antique lighters a couple of the ranch hands had owned, a flickering flame would have been so much help at that moment.

After some thought, Rin scraped together a hand full of powdery dry dirt that had fallen, and faced where he thought the breeze was strongest. Aiming the light beam he threw the dirt, and watched for any sign of a breeze affecting the dust. Nothing. Rin tried again. It took 3 more attempts but then the dirt was disturbed as it fell and almost straight away Rin spotted the crack in the rock fall under the torch light. The rock fall didn't look fresh but for a while his confidence was shaken by the prospect of the roof collapsing on him as he dug. Shaking off the foreboding and keeping his gear with him in case he had to move quickly, he cautiously began moving the fallen rock and dirt, digging towards the fresher air.

It took Rin an age to dig through the rock fall. He excavated a narrow channel near the roof of the passage, several times having to search for the draught as he moved from pocket to pocket in the collapsed passageway. As he dug he began to hear the sound of water. He had never suffered from claustrophobia but after this Rin felt he’d had enough of confined places for a very long time. After finally breaking through the last of the rock fall he slumped on the rock floor exhausted by hunger, stress and fear. All around him the sound of running water echoed in a large space. Sitting in the dark for a long time he did his best to breathe calmly regaining his strength before flicking the torch back on.

He was sitting on a ledge that ran the length of a large cavern towards another tunnel. Some 10m below him a small black fast running river was running, twisting and crashing through boulders, stalactites and stalagmites, following the ledge before twisting away and rushing out of the cavern through a low virtually flooded tunnel in the far wall. The breeze that Rin had been following seemed to come from that direction. Shining the torch beam along the drop from the ledge it didn't look like there was any way down that would involve less than a broken leg, and Rin didn't really feel like wading through the no doubt freezing water to pursue the breeze further, so he decided that although it would mean leaving the breeze behind he would follow the ledge, besides he could always back track if necessary. He ate the last of his food and took a long drink while he listened to the river in the dark. Then, break over he flicked the light on, and carried on walking leaving the noisy cavern with only a quick glance back down at the river.

It took a few minutes of walking to realise that this new tunnel was different somehow to the cave system he had been negotiating before. Stopping, Rin shone the torch light around paying attention to the walls and floor, before realising they had been worked somehow, not wholly artificial like a mine working but as though someone had taken the existing natural cave and tunnel and made them more usable.

Tired and hungry he moved on quickly now, eager to be out of the dark, and back amongst the living. As he travelled Rin quickly began to notice more signs of working, a rock wall straightened here, steps carved in the stone there, and at another point the tunnel was clearly braced and strengthened by an arch that looked like it was made with some form of concrete. Rin thought he had travelled at least a couple of kilometres since leaving the river behind, and was wondering where this tunnel was leading when he practically fell over the skeletal remains of a body that lay sprawled in the tunnel.

Swearing he backed up then crouched down to examine the remains in the torch light. The skeleton looked humanoid, and just over a metre tall. In fact if he ignored the fact that humans had only been on Yasm for a little over 40 years local, and then only as refugee workers brought in by the Korkari for their new colony, Rin would have sworn the skeleton was a human child. A human child who from damage to the back of the skull, and the larger wound at the front obliterating the skulls forehead, had been shot from behind.

Rin was young, and uneducated, although he had tried to get what schooling he could from the colony computers in the slums, but he was certain that the skeleton had been there a very long time. In fact from the dust and dirt that had built up around the bones that lay on the rock floor where they fell he was sure they had been there far, far longer than the 40 years humans had been on Yasm. In the slums he had learnt to trust his gut, and his gut said that was a human kid lying there, where it absolutely could not be.

Shining the torch around, he played the beam over the skeleton, then down the arms to the hands. A glint of metal amongst the finger bones caught his eye and bending closer Rin found a ring on the index finger of the skeleton, a greyish metal band with a band of dark green stone inset along the middle. As he touched the band he accidentally jostled the bones of the hand, which collapsed soundlessly into dust.

A very long time.

The ring might be valuable at least so rather than risk losing it in the darkness Rin slipped it on his finger, a little surprised that it seemed to fit okay, but after that he thought nothing of it. He found nothing else amongst the remaining bones, all traces of clothing or other artefacts had vanished long before. The skeleton disturbing on many levels, and muttering an apology for disturbing the body and a small prayer for the dead child he moved on.

Rin guessed it was close to another 1500m before he reached the next cave. Shining the torch beam around, the cave was clearly machined, arched and buttressed over head. Before he had time to wonder about the construction Rin's pulse sped up as the torch beam, suddenly picked out a flat circular wall which he realised was a hatchway of some kind. Wherever he was he had arrived at least. With his mood soaring he hurried across the cave to the hatch, anxious to open it and find a way out on the other side. Rin looked at his left hand, he thought he felt a vibration in his finger from the ring as he moved deeper into the cave. Nothing looked different though and now he could not feel anything either so he carried on walking.

***

The hatch comp was ancient and very basically programmed. It had been in standby mode for so long as to have no meaning. Not that it would or could have cared. The last sequence of events that its base functions recorded was that the Anari Prime key left the site by the hatch followed by 2 more unknown signatures. The unknown signatures were logged as having returned but the Prime key did not. Functions had moved to standby conserving power after no further activity was recorded. Now peripheral sensors recorded the key in immediate proximity and activated lighting circuitry to facilitate entry. The system noted that 60% of the lighting system was non functional, outside acceptable parameters and updated the attached maintenance logs.

The sudden light was blinding after days with only the torch and its steadily weakening battery. Rin cursed and flung up his hands to shield his eyes. Squinting and blinking sudden tears away, he headed to the hatchway which was now mostly lit up, although some of the lighting was fitful at best. A small beam of light illuminated a dust covered metal plate at waist height, inset into the wall beside the hatch. He waved his hand over the plate, nothing happened, pressed against it, still nothing occurred. The hatchway itself showed no sign of moving, and nothing seemed to mar its circular metallic surface. Rin looked for some type of retinal scan or a physical lock to try and force or pick but could find nothing. Frustrated he leant against the hatch and forced his fatigued mind to think.

The hatch comp noted that after the specified elapsed time of 200 micro cycles the Anari key was still outside and ingress had not been completed. Locking hatch lighting had activated and although not satisfactory had illuminated the Hatch's activation swipe. Sensors registered temporary pressure against swipe surface but circuit link was not activated. Anari Prime data file recorded as juvenile status- possibility of confusion and or incorrect hatch use. Following its programming the swipe surface illumination was pulsed. Notification sent to House comp of Anari key presence and possible evidence of confusion.

The light playing on the dust covered metal plate pulsed off on, off on, off on, and then stayed on. Rin stood up and examined it more closely.

What's that?

Blowing most of the dust away, he noted a shallow horizontal groove indented into the metal plate.

Some sort of swipe? A key card device?

Wiping the plate with his tattered sleeve removed the last of the dust and beside the groove Rin noticed an etched diagram that was clearly a hand with a ring on it and an arrow from left to right. Feeling like an idiot he place his hand on the plate with the ring's edge resting in the groove and moved his hand sideways left to right. There was a long pause. Stale air rolled out as the hatch began rolling sideways. There was the sound of electricity sparking, and the smell of burnt cabling and with a groan and a shudder the hatch stopped partially open before resuming its sideways motion seconds later to slide open fully. Quickly Rin moved inside. Behind him the lights dimmed then winked out.

Access protocol completed. Access circuit completed. Hatchway motors engaged. Sub optimal efficiency noted in primary hatch motor. Short circuit due to failed primary power coupling. Power rerouted to secondary system. Secondary motor engaged. Hatchway motors engaged. Hatchway opened. Maintenance requirement flagged as urgent. Anari Prime key movement into Hatchway confirmed. House comp notified. Damaged systems protocol engaged. Hatch locked in open mode. Secondary motor power discontinued. Local lighting circuit moved from external to internal modes. Hatchway comp returned to standby mode.

Rin was in a small room that looked like a cross between an equipment locker and the wet room at Rijkard’s Hold where the herders dumped their gear after returning from a long trip. As he walked in internal lighting came on, a diffuse glow that didn't appear to come from any one source. Not caring about anything else at the moment Rin sat on an alloy bench that ran along the centre line of the room facing 3 standing lockers on either side and grinned, just luxuriating in being in a lit environment. It was almost disorientating after spending days underground constantly following a beam of light, and praying that said beam didn't die on you. After a few minutes with his spirits rising Rin looked around to get his bearings and then decided to see if any of the lockers would open. All the lockers had markings in a language he did not recognise.

**

The House comp unit was vastly more powerful than a mere Hatchway, after all it ran the majority of the facility's systems. It too had been in standby mode, and powered up after the activation signal from the Hatchway, starting running diagnostics and then almost immediately began following the Prime Key on its remaining functional sensors. The overall situation had not changed- outer and internal automated security systems and sensors had been almost totally compromised or destroyed during the attack on the facility. The complement of defenders and staff had been eliminated. Facility command had succeeded in rendering the Vault secure and this had remained undetected.

A miniscule fraction of itself noted that it had just received a data packet. Requesting help. From outside. The hard data link had been restored by the House unit. The data packet received all available attention with immediate effect. Less than a millionth of a second later and Paladin was re-established into all the remaining facilities and giving the House a 'good job, I will take over now'. The AI then reviewed all available data from the attack, agreed with the House that the Prime had definitely been terminated, therefore the Key could not be in the House and that this was outside House's program. Next step communication.