“Extracting fragment seventy-one.” Itea carefully removed any piece of the Cassandrian shell. From that point, the fragment would be catalogued, tagged, and sealed in a container to be taken to the surface for off-site analysis.

The entire process was ridiculously slow, but that’s the way the colonel wanted it. It had taken us three hours just to reach the outer layer of the artifact using pressurized water cutters. It was a reasonable precaution, given how third-contact artifacts reacted to strong shock, although I was concerned about providing water to a Cassandrian nest. Jespersen had assured me that there were enough chemicals in the cutting liquid to kill any organics there were. Maybe he was right, but that hadn’t stopped traces of astatine from being detected several times in the process.

Always playing with things we don’t understand, I thought. It would have been easy to blame it on human nature, but I was no different. Since I had become aware of the dome’s existence, I had felt drawn towards it.

“Can I try to enter, ma’am?” I asked as two members of the team were slowly peeling off the next piece of the shell. “The opening is big enough for me to fit through.”

“Not yet,” ‘Rissa said.

At least she had the foresight to use the word “yet.” We both knew that sooner or later I’d be ordered to do it. That was why I had been brought here—to help provide an answer to Sim’s big question. At this point, though, the question had become larger than him. If traces of Cassandrian matter, dead or alive, were found in the dome, it would dramatically change humanity’s understanding of Cassandrians and the third-contact race.

“Think the Cassandrians were the third-contact race?” The colonel leaned against the wall next to me. The ankle-deep pool of water and chemicals we had to work in made it difficult to sit down.

“The odds of that are highly unlikely. Their technology is based on different principles.”

“Maybe they have devolved?”

I chose not to comment. The notion of devolution was given far more credit than it was worth. If it was up to me, I’d reserve all such theories for the entertainment industry. It was amazing that a scientist with her background would entertain the idea given what she knew, unless she knew something I didn’t.

“It might be a good idea to involve the BICEFI on this,” I said, changing the topic. “Once I’m inside, all the comm links in the system might be severed.” That’s if I manage to find a way in.

After so much time, there was no guarantee that the rods would have enough power to supply the sphere. And even if they did, the entrance symbol could be anywhere along the surface. In the first dome I’d encountered, most of the surface had to be revealed before I found the fractal points.

“We can take care of ourselves,” ‘Rissa responded, in the exact fashion I expected she would. “The BICEFI aren’t the only ones who know how to use artifacts.”

“Extracting fragment seventy-two,” Itea said a few dozen steps away, as three members of the team helped her pull it off the cobalt surface.

In terms of size, the piece was a monster: three-quarters of a meter thick and as large as an emergency hatch. With that, the part of the dome’s surface that was bare had increased to the point where anyone could walk in. Looking at it, there were no symbols or other deformations of any type. The entire dome was as smooth as a conscience core casing.

“Need a hand?” I offered to the people who were struggling with the Cassandrian fragment, only to receive a mumble I inferred to mean no. “That might have issues being put in a container,” I told the colonel.

“It’ll be fine.” She pushed herself off the wall, taking a few steps towards the artifact dome. “Want to see it up close?”

That was a trick question, so I chose not to answer, quickly joining her.

“Pure cobalt,” ‘Rissa said, admiring it. “They tell me you’ve been in one of these before.”

“Yes, ma’am.” In fact, I had been in two. Both of them belonged to the BICEFI now, as they continued to collect them in an attempt to construct the next phase of the third-contact device, whatever it was.

Standing still, I watched the colonel extend her hand and slowly touch the dome. Nothing happened.

“Try,” she said.

When I did the same, the metal came to life. The entire surface rippled, revealing rows of third-contact symbols. Some of the types I’d seen, others were variations of rods I had in my memory. And yet, I remained clueless regarding the message they were attempting to convey.

“Jespersen, do a check,” ‘Rissa ordered.

The man spent a few more seconds helping with the transport of the Cassandrian piece, then slowly let go and trotted to where we were at. Starting his scan device, he checked our surrounding area.

“Looks good,” he said, turning around slowly. “No anomalies.”

“Thanks.”

“Are you planning to go in there?”

“No. Elcy is.” The colonel set her helmet to full opacity and entered full privacy mode. For close to a minute, I observed her gestures as she spoke to someone of greater authority, most likely someone way more important than Sim. After the conversation was over, her helmet regained twenty percent of its opacity. “You’ve been approved to enter. Looks like a lot of people are eager to learn what’s inside.”

“They always are, ma’am.” That was the story of my life.

“You’ll get your mission specs in a bit, but the skinny of it is that you’re going to try and go inside and search for Cassandrian remains. If no such remains are found, you’re to leave immediately.”

Only a bureaucrat could combine the terms “continuous search” and “immediate departure” in one sentence without being bothered by the inconsistencies. At least now I knew that someone higher up was pulling the strings.

“Understood, ma’am. Am I to change clothes before attempting to enter?”

“No, those are good. Mission control wants to see the effect the dome has on liquids.”

“I’ll be sure not to wipe my feet before I enter.” The response earned me a chuckle. “Are there any instructions from the director?”

“Only ‘get some samples and don’t get caught,’” came the answer. “Must be an inside joke.”

“Not that I’m aware of, ma’am,” I lied. “Regardless, I’ll get anything that is deemed interesting. There remains one minor issue, ma’am. While the dome seems to have activated, I am unaware of how to enter it. For that, I’ll require access to the fractal symbol, and that isn’t anywhere on the revealed part of the dome.”

“A key-point symbol?” ‘Rissa asked, then made a sign to someone from the team. The person quickly rushed to one of the containers above water and took out a small object wrapped in synthetic polymers. When he brought it closer, I saw that it was a cube… a cube with seven triangles inside it.

You weren’t joking when you said you could handle this on your own. I stared at the artifact. That was the symbol that I had used to enter the dome when I had been on a mission with Sim.

* * *

Artifact Dome, Eden V, 705.5 A.E. (Age of Expansion)

“What the hell, Elcy?! Must you break everything you touch?!” Major Tanner shouted in the comm, making my ears tingle. “How did that happen?”

“I’ve been practicing.” I resorted to sarcasm. “On the positive side, it looks like I’m back on the original schedule. The entire slice is cleared. Dome surface is intact.” I zoomed in to make sure. Whoever had built the dome had done an extremely precise job. The quartz coating had probably also helped keep it in pristine condition. “One new symbol with fractal edges. Sending video.”

I expected my camera to be reset remotely to default magnification. Surprisingly, that didn’t happen. Aren’t you a beauty? For three seconds, I continued zooming in until I reached the end of the fractal properties. If I were at my previous processing capacity, I could map and analyze the entire symbol in a matter of minutes. At present, it would take hours to get a full fractal image. Seven triangles chained together. I knew I had seen it before on the Solar Breeze, just as I knew that I wasn’t supposed to have access to those memories.

“Proceeding to press the symbol.” My hand moved on its own. No one said a word to stop me. My fingers pressed against the hard cobalt surface of the dome, then pushed further. Point-three seconds later, an opening emerged on the artifact and pulled me in.

Symbols of various shapes and sizes floated around as I was propelled forward. The system of my spacesuit was going insane. External readings fluctuated wildly, indicating a temperature shift between five and twenty-eight degrees Celsius. Warning signs flooded the visor’s screen, informing me that both standard and auxiliary communication channels were unresponsive. I reached behind my helmet. The cable was there, as were those attached to my harness.

“This is Cadet Elcy, part of the third-contact event on Mission Eden.” I started a second voice recording. “I am recording this on a double feed, as well as in my personal core. If I go into forced shutdown, the data should still be available for analysis.” I set the external suit lights to maximum. “I have been swallowed by the major artifact referred to as ‘the dome.’ The circumstances of the event have been recorded, but to recap: after applying pressure on the symbol referred to as—” I paused a moment. “—the seven triangles, the dome opened up and pulled me in. At present, all communication with Prometheus and anyone on board has been lost.”

Looks like I’ve picked up some of your bad habits, Sev. I relaxed, leaving the current to move me forward. A second crisis and the week’s not even over. Just like you were in your final year of high school.

I reached out and grabbed one of the floating symbols. They were much smaller here, tiny enough to fit in the palm of my hand.

“I am surrounded by what appears to be a metallic liquid substance, resembling mercury.” I released the symbol. It remained in place, letting me float on. “The substance is semi-transparent, allowing limited visibility.” I turned off the lights. “And it is not affected by light sources. Metal objects, presumably cobalt, are floating around the substance freely. The proportions are identical to the symbols on the dome’s surface.”

The main question, however, remained: what was the actual purpose of the artifacts? At this point, I had no idea, and neither did anyone else. As humanity had learned, there was very little in common between the three known races. Both the Scuu and the Cassandrians were so different that it was nearly impossible to start communication with them. Physics, chemistry, and space were the only common points we all had. In a way, war was the only thing that brought us together. I found the notion somewhat ironic.

What are you like? I opened the palm of my hand. There was every reason to believe that the third-contact race would be as alien to us as the other two. Unlike them, though, it had chosen not to engage. The system we were exploring, although on the edge of human space, was supposed to have been checked by a recon fleet. If anything had remotely presented a threat, the entire region of space would have been marked off limits, and a flotilla of battleships would have been sent to investigate.

The force that was propelling me abruptly stopped. From what I could calculate, I had reached the approximate center of the dome. From this position, it became apparent that the artifact symbols were arranged in a specific order.

“Symbols continue on the inside of the dome, spread just as on the surface.” I ran the calculation. “My estimates are that there are a total of a hundred and twenty-four thousand four hundred and sixteen in total. All symbols are of the class A variety, no discernible pattern at this point.”

I looked down at the ground. It was grey and smooth, just like the outside of the dome. A phrase suddenly came to mind: “In case of communication breakdown, hit the cobalt surface.” There were a hundred and seven courses of action in my immediate situation, all with various degrees of efficiency. For some reason, I decided to go with the most absurd.

“I’m going to attempt to reestablish communication.” I grabbed hold of my hammer and bent down. “Proceeding to hit the floor of the dome at full strength.”

My hand propelled the hammer down. When it made contact, all readings of my suit went haywire. External temperature fell to minus fifty, then spiked to a hundred and two. Warning messages flashed all over my visor, engaging the suit’s emergency cooling systems. The liquid moved away from me, forming a bubble of space.

“Elcy!” I heard Major Tanner shout as communication was restored. “What the—” The transmission suddenly ended mid-sentence. Initially, it seemed that the problem had returned, yet the messages on my screen clearly stated that everything was in order.

“What do you see?” the distorted voice of BICEFI asked.

“I take it my normal channel to the ship has been cut off?” I straightened up. I had learned to be cautious around the BICEFI, but I also knew that the chances of them doing anything to me were slim to none. Since I no longer had millions of tons of mass, however, things were very different and not in my favor. “I assume video is also out of the question?”

“You’re on an encrypted priority line,” the voice explained. “You have nothing to worry about.” Hearing that phrase made me doubtful. “Describe your surroundings.”

“I’m in a bubble of air.” I looked around. “The liquid has retreated, leaving me enough space to move. It’s almost as if I’m in a chamber.” I took a step forward. As I did, the substance became opaque, just like the dome’s exterior. “Everything has solidified.” Cautiously, I slid my hand along the surface. Symbols started to emerge. “Symbols are appearing. The same as the ones outside.”

“Are you recording?”

“Yes.” I turned around, trying to catch as much of the effect as possible. The symbols were all duplicates and of the common variety. The pattern didn’t match anything on the outside, though that wasn’t relevant. Juxtaposing the memories I had of my entry into the dome and what I was looking at now, there was no possibility of doubt. “They are the same,” I said. “The symbols on the surface and the artifacts within the dome are identical. Both in shape and position.”

“Are you a hundred percent certain?”

“Completely.” I could feel the spark of adventure, something I hadn’t felt since my last major battle. “The dome isn’t an artifact: it’s a container of artifacts. I’d say that the actual artifacts are of different density, and possibly also have some additional properties that allow them to remain in solid matter. Maybe they vibrate at a certain frequency and transmit a copy of themselves on the surface.”

A solid container that let objects sink in and remain there. In a way, it was remarkably similar to the latest generation of ship nanites. From what I had read at the academy, the new class of ships had vast sections of their interior composed exclusively of nanites, allowing for a seamless transformation of the vessel’s entire layout. The question was, had humanity developed the technology themselves, or had they borrowed it from somewhere else?

“Are there any symbols on the floor?” the voice asked.

“No.” I looked down, just to be sure. “The floor is completely smooth.”

“What about the top of the chamber? Is the symbol there different?”

“That’s an affirmative.” I moved to the center and zoomed in on it. “It’s a fractal symbol. Would be a bit difficult to reach, though. All my cables were severed when the cobalt solidified. Any suggestions?”

“Explore the area for other fractal symbols.”

“Understood.” The order didn’t fill me with confidence, but at least I could be pleased that I had coined a term. Fractal symbols... high school Sev would have liked that.

The search took longer than anticipated. An initial lookover told me that the only special symbol was the one above. My BICEFI commander, however, insisted I do an in-depth fractal check of every last one before resorting to the throw-hammer-at-symbol option. The order was justified, well thought out, and—lacking a few thousand subroutines—utterly boring.

“So, now that it’s just the two of us, will Prometheus be alright?” I asked, feeling like an automated light projector. “He has his quirks, but he’s a good kid. Most of them are. It’s a bit weird for them to be my superiors, though. Not just for me. I’ve been through four captains already,” I forced a chuckle. From experience, it reassured people. “Them, though. I don’t think they know what to make of me.” I don’t think you do either.

“Stay on mission, Elcy.” The voice sounded just as mangled, but there were a few extended pauses between words. “What’s the status?”

“Close to eighty percent done,” I replied. “No sign of deviation. Personally, I don’t think there will be any more. This place seems to be organized to the extreme.”

The seven triangles appeared to be a symbol of entry, which meant the one on top had to be the exit. Interesting. What did the symbol on the Solar Breeze open? If those were indeed my unadulterated memories, there had been third-contact instances before. What was more, my first captain must have known of them. Or maybe that wasn’t the case entirely.

“Is this really a third-contact event?” I asked.

* * *

The event had only transpired a few years ago, but it felt as if it had taken place in a different era. Looking back, I had been so naïve, thinking that I had stumbled upon something that could change the course of the war and possibly humanity. I had known so little back then that it hadn’t even occurred to me that all I had done was come across an artifact of the type that had been discovered centuries ago.

I had been right about one thing, though, the one question that had made me hesitate. Back then, I believed that I had stumbled upon Scuu technology. That had turned out to be false; my mission on the Scuu front had proven that. However, what if I hadn’t mistaken the question, but only the answer? Maybe the technology was somehow linked to the Cassandrians, just as ‘Rissa had hinted?

“A fractal cube,” I said as the colonel handed it to me. It felt pleasantly heavy. “I was under the impression that the BICEFI had been granted full operational monopoly over them, ma’am.”

“They have, but they’ve agreed to loan it to us. After all, we’re not interested in the dome itself.”

Of course you aren’t. I could see Lux or her superiors jumping at the opportunity to acquire another dome. Lending out an artifact with a key-point symbol was a small price to pay, if any.

“Am I to assume I’ll be entering just like this?”

“Low tech, Elcy. You’ve seen how sensitive the artifacts are. We’ll be relying on your conscience core and whatever transmissions come through. Other than that, you’re on your own.”

She was giving me enough rope to hang myself, just as they had done to Ondalov. Strictly speaking, I hadn’t been ordered not to experiment with the artifacts inside. In fact, the colonel was very careful in her phrasing to leave the option open. However, if I were to do so and fail to bring about anything useful, I’d suffer the consequences.

“When do I proceed, ma’am?”

“Soon. I want Jespersen to check the area again.”

The safety precaution turned out to be spot on. Despite our every effort, a scan revealed the presence of new organic material throughout the Cassandrian tunnels where there had been none before. Additional teams and chemicals had been called in to deal with the infestation, or at the very least slow it down for long enough so I could complete my mission. I wouldn’t be surprised if the hive was then bombed from orbit or flooded with acid. No one could afford the re-emergence of a Cassandrian race on the planet, Med Core least of all.

It took sixty-seven minutes for the all clear to be given, though the way things were going, I was practically certain this wasn’t the last of it. The presence of an active dome and other third-contact artifacts had probably affected the undetected spores in the tunnels, causing them to multiply. Undoubtedly that would become a serious problem in the future, but for now I had something else I needed to deal with.

Taking the artifact cube, I stepped up to the dome. The entire team was watching me closely, though they were smart enough to remain at a safe distance. According to my data, there were no cases of a human surviving entry into a dome. Ships, though, could do it easily, even if we were in an organic body.

What will you show me this time? I wondered as I pushed the cube into the dome. Upon contact the cobalt surface liquified, allowing the artifact to enter. The rows of symbols shifted, rearranging to incorporate the new fractal addition. It was like watching a deep sensor ping. Once it was over, I pressed against the seven-triangles.

For a fraction of a second, everything in front of me turned bluish-gray. The outside of the dome had opened, pulling me inside, far more violently than the previous instances. For four hundred milliseconds, I floated forward past artifact rods without disturbing them in the least. It was as if the dome wanted to place me in the center and was careful not to have me bump into anything. Eighty milliseconds later, I was there.

“I’m inside,” I said. If the comm line was severed, now was the time to find out.

Transmission confirmed, Light Seeker. An unidentified subroutine connected directly to my conscience core. I could tell it had high Fleet Authority, but the action idents were masked. All communication will be recorded and transmitted to all authorized parties. Privacy mode cannot be engaged until authorized by Director Sim.

“Understood.” That was untypically heavy-handed of Sim. “Colonel, can you hear me?”

“Congratulations, Elcy.” As ‘Rissa spoke, I could hear cheering in the background. That was never a good sign; it suggested that the odds of me failing were considered to be at least fifty percent. “Describe the situation.”

“There’s nothing that you wouldn’t already know, ma’am.” I turned around in place. The number and position of rods was identical to the first dome I’d been to. There were a total of eighty-four rods that were of a new design, all falling into six categories. Strangely enough, there were no fractal artifacts. “Rod numbers and locations are the same. The inside of the dome is liquid and transparent enough to let me see up to the outer shell. There aren’t any fractal artifacts.” I double-checked.

“Are you certain?”

“Absolutely, ma’am. The one you gave me is the only one. Whoever put this thing here made sure that nothing could get inside.”

There was a long period of silence. I could tell that the woman was surprised by the fact as much as I was. Unlike her, though, I saw this as a benefit. If the dome had been sealed, that suggested that whatever had been put in here millions of years ago could have remained intact, and since there was nothing material visible, the only valuable left was information.

“Regora,” I said, repeating the word three times as I spoke it so as to create an echo of itself. The liquid cobalt around me rippled for a moment, then stopped. I waited for seven seconds more, but nothing happened.

“Repeat that, Elcy.” ‘Rissa’s voice sounded distorted for a moment.

“It’s nothing, ma’am. I was attempting to activate the dome, but nothing happened.” I paused for a second. “There aren’t any Cassandrian or other remains visible either.” It appeared that the artifact wasn’t linked to the Cassandrians either.

“Are you sure?”

“I’ll look around as much as I can, but without dedicated equipment, I won’t find anything smaller than a speck of dust.”

“Understood. Try anyway. I’ll check with the Director to see our course of action.”

“Aye, ma’am. Just one other thing. If possible, I’d like you to borrow one more artifact from the BICEFI.”