BtH36

==Chapter 36 - By the Horns==
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Ivan Patrice Computer Sciences Center, University of Taurus
Samantha City, Taurus
Taurian Concordat
November 9th, 3025
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“Doctor Mosley . . . .,” the guard dressed in the uniform of the Taurian Defense Force muttered as he scrolled through a computer pad. “I’m sorry, sir—you aren’t on the authorized list for entry.”
Karl Mosley gritted his teeth and bit back his initial reaction; the myrmidon was just one of five stationed at the main doors of the PCSC, all of whom were armed with battle rifles and wearing combat armor. “My office is inside this building, son,” the doctor sputtered. “What do you mean I can’t go in?”
“Sir, this area is off-limits for all but authorized personnel—and you are not on my list.”
“This is ridiculous!” Karl snapped, as the new pair of female post-graduate assistants that trailed after him exchanged glances between them. “I go to Jamestown at the request of the government to examine the artifacts we recovered from that SLDF cache on . . .,” Karl paused, and he managed to recover his composure. The Celano cache was classified, and he had almost blurted out its actual location. “Never mind. Call Doctor Snyder. He will correct this misunderstanding.”
“Yes, sir; Dr. Snyder is on his way down,” the guard answered as the main doors buzzed, and then opened, and another tall man wearing a lab coat exited the building.
“Karl? What are you doing back here? My god, it is good to see you again—you’ve got to see what we are working on!”
“Matt,” Karl snarled, “these idiot guards are saying that I don’t have authorization to enter my office! Or even the building!”
Matt Snyder blushed and he nodded. “We thought you were going to be on Jamestown for the next two weeks—I’ll get everything cleared,” he answered as he turned to the guard. “Put Dr. Mosley on the list—my authority.”
“Sir,” the guard began.
“He’s one of the foremost experts on pre-Star League computer technology in the Hyades, Corporal!” Matt barked. “If he hadn’t been on Jamestown when our new project arrived, he would have been the one we assigned to unlock its secrets.”
“Unlock? Matt, did you people recover a Core?”
Matt grinned. “That ain’t the half of it, old friend. We have a Data Core—an intact Data Core—from 2596; untampered with and chock full of information that we have to decrypt.”
“The fail-safes?”
“Bomb disposal has deactivated all three of the explosive charges and we have drained the cylinder of war gas—we think we got them all. It’s a Mark XI . . . a Naval Core, Karl.”
“Mark XI, hmmmmm,” the scientist pursed his lips. “There should be one more fail-safe—a second pressurized reservoir containing a chemical agent. We have to disarm that one before we can begin trying to break the encryption—I don’t suppose we were lucky enough to recover the keys?”
“No, not that lucky, but the government has given this top prior-. . .,” Matt Snyder began.
“Doctors, please. This is not a secure area for this conversation,” the guard snapped.
“Sorry, Corporal,” Matt said as he blushed again. “Get Karl cleared—I want him to start his examination of the Core immediately.”
“And my assistants,” Karl muttered. “And get my luggage moved to my offices at once—there are some fragile things in there, so handle them with care.”
“I can admit Dr. Mosley on your authority, sir, but protocol says the post-grads stay out here—along with the luggage until we do a full security scan.”
“Nonsense!” exclaimed Matt. “Corporal, people who work for the PCSC have already been cleared by the government; I know Karl, and if he says he needs those two women, he needs those two women. And his bags. Get them to his office and put all three of them on the cleared list—my authority.” Matt paused. “Unless you want me to contact Colonel Lopez?”
“No, sir,” the guard said as he snapped to attention and saluted. He then lifted a phone. “I need . . . three security and a carryall at the main entrance,” he ordered after appraising the pile of luggage. He racked the phone. “If I can scan your IDs, sir? Madames?”
Karl passed over his University ID, followed by the two very lovely women, and the Corporal uploaded them into his computer. “Wear your ID at all times—you will be detained if you are not wearing your ID in plain view or if you misplace it,” he warned, then he shrugged and stepped back, opening the doors.
“Picked up two new assistants on Jamestown, eh, Karl?” Matt whispered as they entered the building. “Easy on the eyes—but can they actually read and write?”
“Oh, they are bright girls, Matt. Very bright—and very motivated to secure a letter of recommendation from me when they move on to their own careers and research,” Karl said just as quietly with a smile on his face. “I cannot believe they were working for Paterson just cataloguing the Celano artifacts—wasted they were, working for that hack.”
“Paterson is a serious researcher, Karl,” Matt chuckled, “and he doesn’t fool around with his post-grads. Which is why he is in charge of the Jamestown Institute and you still work for me.”
“Politics,” Karl spat. “If there was any justice in the world, I’d have your job and you’d be slaving away for me.”
“No, it’s not politics, Karl; it’s you thinking with your zipper. I’m not going to have any complaints from these two, am I?”
“I didn’t make the first move—they came on to me, Matt.”
“I hope you are right, Karl,” the administer of the research facility said. “God knows, I can’t save your ass if one of them decides to file a complaint—you’ve had too many of those in the past decade as it is.”
“No worries this time, Doctor Snyder,” the scientist answered. “Now when can I see this Core?”
“Soon as we get you settled and you go through decon—I’m not taking any chances of someone wrecking the artifact before we get that information.”
“Good enough—you think this one is the Grail?”
“Karl, I believe this one is the Grail, the One True Cross, the Spear of Destiny, and the Ark of the Covenant all rolled up into one technological prize. If the précis on the contents are correct, this is the motherlode of all discoveries.”
Karl smiled as he pulled off his suit jacket. “Then let’s get to work—girls?”
The two nodded, one of them taking the jacket and the other handing Karl his lab-coat. And they followed behind the two scientists, exchanging another glance with each other.
“The guards are in better shape,” one whispered. “At least they are not fat and entirely unskilled like that buffoon.”
“Yes, but the guards can’t get us direct access to the Core, Sandra. This buffoon can—and you’ve had worse.”
“Don’t remind me.” the second agent from MIM drawled.
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