Iapetus Shift

Chapter 12

Olan, Estha and Resa watched on the viewscreen as the dead moon Iapetus swung into view, visible only as a dark spot in front of the majestic rings of Saturn. After four days of nothing to look at but black, it was a powerful sight.

Olan turned to Resa, who handled The Nile's controls deftly. "Can you figure out how to broadcast a signal?"

She nodded. "I know how."

She'd learned every function of the ship in under an hour. Olan had not been looking forward to convincing Adya to make a detour to Iapetus instead of heading straight to Titan. By the time he'd healed enough to stand on his own, though, Resa already had full control of the ship. The pilot currently sulked in his room, knowing he was just along for the ride now.

"Send a signal on this frequency," said Olan. He recited the numbers he'd memorized from Artemis' tablet while Resa typed them out, then she tapped and swiped and leaned back from the controls, looking satisfied as ever.

Estha peeked over Resa's shoulder at the display. "Now they are supposed to respond, right? Is anyone messaging us?"

"Not a message," said Resa, her hands flashing across the controls. "Someone is trying to take control of the ship."

"Let them," said Olan.

Resa narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, then shrugged and pressed a single key before sitting back in her seat. The ship lurched as the engines adjusted to the new course, leading them in toward Iapetus.

The moon's surface became clearer as they approached. The equatorial ridge gave it an artificial feel, as if it had been manufactured, its two halves pressed together in some colossal factory.

The Nile took them down into orbit, swinging them lower and closer to the crater-scarred surface. It was not long before Olan could tell they were heading toward Turgis, the moon's largest crater at nearly six hundred kilometers in diameter.

"Um, are we landing?" said Estha. "There is nothing here."

The rocky, mottled surface rushed up at them until a square of an artificial shade of grey in the center of Turgis stood out.

"Look." Olan pointed at the spot on the viewscreen. As if directed by his gesture, the square broke into two halves that pulled slowly apart, opening a pathway into Iapetus.

"We're going inside?" Estha clapped her hands. "How exciting!"

They swung down and into the opening, swallowed up by the moon in one bite.

Guiding lights flashed past them in even rows; ahead was only darkness.

"Another signal," said Resa. "A message this time. Should I answer?" She looked back and forth at Olan and Estha.

Olan nodded, and she tapped at the controls.

The screen blinked, then Artemis' smiling face appeared.

"Hello, and welcome to my little home away from home. Ghost," Artemis gave a small nod, and Olan could see the confusion in his eyes. "Ah, that is you, isn't it? You look . . . further along than I had thought. I hope you are well."

"Yes, it's me," said Olan, using Kester's voice. "I'm well enough." He cursed himself silently for being on video. Of course Artemis would know the effects of his own device, and now that he'd seen the state of Olan's skin, he could probably guess that the lattice was nonfunctional.

"Well, good then." Artemis gave a patronizing grin. "At any rate, I'm pleased at your success. In just a few minutes, you'll be landing, and I can afford you some more comfortable arrangements while I work out your . . . payment."