Алан Дин Фостер - Relic

They walked for quite a while, until even the beauty of the polished granite that surrounded them grew tiresome. Bac’cul was about to call for a return to the driftec so they could unload powered ground transportation, when the tunnel took a sudden bend to the left. Confronting them were half a dozen identical mechanical complexities. Here at least Ruslan could supply some useful information drawn from his early years on Seraboth.

“Those are lifts. The design is a little different from what I’m familiar with, but I don’t think there’s any mistaking the purpose.”

The lead male researcher considered. “Do you think they are functional?”

“No,” Ruslan replied, “but I didn’t think the outer door was functional, and there was no reason to expect internal illumination in this place to be functional, either. The door responded to Cherpa’s touch. So has the interior lighting.” As he spoke he was removing the glove from his right hand. “Let’s try a gender variant.”

Eying her colleague, the second researcher hesitated. “Do we really want to do this now, here? Should we not return to the driftec and first seek wider concord?”

“From whom?” Her companion gazed back at her. “Sat’shan? Jih’hune? Sectionary advisors on Myssar? We are here; all others are elsewhere.” He looked to Bac’cul. “Any worthwhile discovery embodies an element of risk. But as superior, the decision is yours to make.”

Bac’cul hesitated. Then he turned to Ruslan and Cherpa. “No. This is their heritage. The decision on whether or not to proceed is theirs.”

While the Myssari waited, Ruslan looked over at Cherpa. Her collection pack was overflowing with wildflowers. “What do you think? I’d prefer that you go back to the driftec and wait. You can always come in later and have a look at whatever we might find.”

She smiled back at him. “I’ve never been the one to come in later, Bogo. You know that.”

“That’s what I thought you’d say.” He turned back to Bac’cul and the other Myssari. “I think the first sentient sentiment voiced by my species may have been, ‘Let’s see where this goes.’”

Bac’cul gestured appreciatively. “A little boldness frequently yields worthwhile rewards. But I would try one small experiment first.”

Removing one of his three gloves, he stepped past Ruslan and entered the nearest of the multiple lifts. Three Myssari fingers trailed down the interior wall, over what looked like a bare panel, and across several metallic extrusions. When nothing happened, he replaced the glove and stepped aside. Kel’les, the two cutter operators, and the pair of researchers joined him. With Cherpa looking on, Ruslan repeated Bac’cul’s stroking. Touching the interior wall produced no reaction, but sliding his palm over the naked panel produced a humming noise. Without further sound and as smoothly as if it were a piece of wood settling onto still water, the lift began to descend. As it did so, lights came on to illuminate the shaft around them. Smooth and gleaming, it was a perfect vertical facsimile of the tunnel through which they had entered.

And seemingly just as interminable…

There were no intermediate floors or levels: only surface and abyss. Individual instruments capable of measuring depth all agreed the descent was considerable.

Despite having no idea what to expect when the lift finally slowed, stopped, and allowed them to disembark, it is fair to say both humans and Myssari were initially disappointed. The chamber that illuminated as they entered was exceptional only for its state of preservation. Little but dust marred the vitreous surfaces of walls and floors. Of visible instrumentation there was none. But, Ruslan reminded himself, the impressive surface portal that had barred the way inward had similarly been devoid of recognizable tactilities but had proven to have hidden functionality. Might not the same be true of here… whatever “here” was?”

Other than being a deeply buried and not especially large open space, it was impossible to tell. The apparently empty chamber was hardly awe-inspiring. Maintaining a brisk but not stressful pace, they soon reached the far end. This consisted of a wall of solid black glass, though whether of synthetic composition or something akin to natural obsidian Ruslan could not tell. Aware that from a scientific standpoint he was completely out of his depth, he prudently offered no opinion. There was one thing he did feel reasonably certain of: whatever still-functioning system had turned on the illumination was also providing fresh air. A perceptible breeze caressed his face, and it had been pre-warmed.

In contrast to his hesitation the Myssari were bursting with speculation. That was all they could do in the absence of written or engraved material that they might have interpreted. In the entire amorphous space there was not a single sign, warning, or instruction. Other than the bumps and protrusions that marred its otherwise smooth walls and ceiling, the chamber was a blank slate. Both humans confessed ignorance of their surroundings.

“I’ve never seen anything like it.” Ruslan’s eyes roved the roof and its integrated lighting system. “It has to be a place of some importance. The depth at which it’s located and the impenetrable doorway speak to that.” Lowering his gaze, he indicated the places where instruments ought to be but where only shimmering blank curves of flowing metallic glass gleamed in the subdued light. “My first guess would be that it’s a place to store data of some kind. My people often used deep places to keep valuable information.”

Bac’cul was running the three fingers of his middle hand over one of the nearby wall’s featureless protuberances. “If that is the case, then there should be a way to access whatever is stored here… if indeed anything is. I see nothing resembling a control or even an aural pickup.”

“The outer door.” Excited to be able to contribute an idea, Kel’les sidled up next to Cherpa and put a hand on her shoulder. “It responded to her touch.” S’he gestured meaningfully at the nearest wall protrusion. “Perhaps…?”

The young woman glanced at Ruslan, who nodded encouragement. Kel’les and Bac’cul made way for her as she stepped forward. Reaching out with her right hand, she boldly stroked the lustrous material. Applying varying amounts of pressure, she repeated the gesture several times… all to no effect. Bac’cul consoled the intermet.

“It was a worthy thought and a worthwhile attempt.” His gaze swept the silent chamber. “If anything here besides the facility of illumination is still functional, there must be another way to stimulate activity. Now that we know the location, we can return with specialists who are better equipped to conduct an analysis.” When the intermet did not respond, the researcher added, “Kel’les? Has all the time you have spent in human company rendered you incapable of responding politely to a compliment?”

Ruslan’s minder was not being discourteous. Staring past the researcher, s’he was reduced to pointing.

One of the larger wall outcroppings behind Bac’cul had quietly begun to emit a soft yellow glow. Pivoting, the startled researcher could only stare at it in silence. The same was true of the two wide-eyed humans close by him.

Something was emerging from the base of the outcropping. Shocking in their simplicity and ordinariness, the pair of neatly booted human feet descended slowly into a lower portion of the protrusion. As they did so the outcropping began to emerge from the wall. Turning parallel to the floor, it slowly turned transparent. A tube, Ruslan thought, or capsule of some kind. The shod feet were followed by the rest of the body. It was male, less than two meters in height, and clothed in some understated, velour-like, dark blue material. Its eyes were closed, its hair close-cropped, its features unremarkable save for a somewhat prominent nose. It was undeniably human. Or at the very least, Ruslan told himself through his rising excitement, humanoid.