The Lost Command (Lost Starship Series Book 2) (28 page)

“Let’s go,” Maddox said. He forced himself through the narrow tunnel. The walls began to squeeze even closer together. The captain kept going, refusing to believe—

The tunnel widened ahead. Maddox raised the dim light. He couldn’t believe it. Exhaling, he shoved through the narrowest part yet and finally slid into the wider area. He was able to move faster now.

Maddox laughed with relief. There wasn’t anything in his life that felt better than this. Another thirty meters brought him to a place where he could stand at a half-crouch.

He waited for Dana and Keith.

“Why is he so happy?” Keith asked. “We’re still trapped under the earth.”

Maddox became aware that his cheeks hurt, he was smiling so widely. He realized he was on the verge of laughing wildly. The tunnels had bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

“I’ve been wondering about these shafts,” Dana said. “Who dug the tunnels, do you think?”

Maddox cocked his head. The question surprised him.

“You don’t think the tunnels are natural, do you?” the doctor asked.

“I suppose I did,” Maddox said.

“No. These were dug—” Dana stopped talking, staring in wonder. “I heard voices,” she whispered. “There
are
people down here. You should probably turn off the light, Captain.”

Maddox studied the communicator. He realized the doctor was right and let his thumb hover over the tab. He tried to move his thumb down, but it wouldn’t respond.

“We’ll leave the light on a little longer,” Maddox said.

Dana studied him. “Of course, Captain,” she said.

“Let’s head deeper,” Maddox said, “see if we can find room to maneuver.”

“Good idea,” Dana said.

Maddox led the way, she crawled after him and Keith followed. Soon enough, the tunnel widened so the captain could stand. Then the passageway expanded enough for Maddox and Keith to walk on either side of Dana. She climbed to her feet and put her arms on their shoulders, limping along with her good leg, keeping the broken ankle off the floor.

“You said someone made these tunnels,” Maddox said. “Did you mean the creatures of the Swarm?”

“I did,” Dana said.

“How can you know?”

“It’s an inference. Out here on the rim, humanity has come upon a few worlds with signs of Swarm occupation. Nothing like this planet, though. Wolf Prime has the most Swarm artifacts of all the other worlds put together. The professor once told me he thought Wolf Prime had been part of the Swarm Imperium.”

“An alien empire?” Maddox asked.

“Not as you think of one,” Dana said. “For instance, we learned from Galyan that the Swarm didn’t possess a star drive or know about Laumer-Points. They used sub-light speed, generational vessels to go from one star system to another. It appears this planet had a Swarm colony.”

“How long ago did they die out?” Maddox asked.

“I have no idea,” Dana said. “I know the professor would like to learn the date. It’s one of the reasons he’s here.”

“Can you give me a ball park figure for the Swarm’s extinction?”

“We know Galyan’s people destroyed the Swarm invasion against their star system. That was over six thousand years ago. Were there other Swarms or was that the last one? Given the nature of the species and their sub-light drive, some might still exist.”

“That doesn’t seem right,” Maddox said. “It was so long ago.”

“We’re alive,” Dana said. “I mean humanity as a species.”

“Humanity wasn’t in space six thousand years ago. Men drove around in chariots back then.”

“That may well be so,” Dana said. “But we have survived the ages. That’s the point. Why couldn’t a branch of the Swarm have survived too?”

“Survived where?” Maddox asked.

“I think many of us would like to know that answer.”

“Is there any evidence of their survival?” Maddox asked.

“None that I know of,” Dana said.

“Does this planet have technological evidence of Swarm survival?”

“That’s another reason Ludendorff came,” Dana said. “He’s been hunting for alien artifacts his entire life.”

“So maybe this is a dig,” Maddox said, indicating the tunnels. “The others we hear are working the dig and we’ve stumbled onto what? An ancient hive of the Swarm?”

“I deem that to be highly likely,” Dana said.

“Which part?” Keith asked.

“Both,” the doctor said, “that others work the dig and this is indeed an ancient hive.”

Maddox became thoughtful, and he asked Keith, “How close did we land to the Morse code-given coordinates?”

“It could have been near,” the pilot answered. “But it could have been over one hundred kilometers away. I’d figure farther rather than closer, but as I said, I don’t know.”

“So we could be walking through an alien-constructed tunnel system,” Maddox said. “One built by an intelligent species of what…super-ants?”

“Ants could be an apt analogy,” Dana said, “or maybe something like bees.”

Maddox didn’t know whether to be amazed or horrified. He didn’t like the idea of Swarm creatures surviving the ages, just waiting to run into humanity. Over a year ago, he’d seen Swarm skeletons on
Victory.
They had been big and nasty, and had left crusted slime trails in the ancient starship’s corridors. There weren’t any crusted slime trails here. Before he could mention that, Dana said:

“The others are near now. Can you hear them?”

“I do,” Keith whispered.

Maddox had been hearing them for some time.

“Captain,” Dana said. “You must dim the light. What if these are New Men approaching? It would be better for us to have the drop on them than the other way around. I know you dislike the darkness—”

“Nonsense,” Maddox said. He held up the communicator, stared at his thumb and willed it to tap down.

Darkness fell, an utter and complete gloom. It seemed to press against him, choking his air. It helped that Maddox heard the voices approaching and heard the scuffle of boots. He opened his mouth, breathing in and out. Then he snapped his teeth together and strove to hold back an irrational fear.

How far were they under the earth? If the rocks above should cave in and crush him, or worse, pin his leg so he couldn’t move…

“Captain,” Dana said. “Surely, you realize these tunnels have stood for over six thousand years.”

Could the doctor have heard his labored breathing? “Of course,” Maddox managed to say.

“Relax,” Dana told him. “Think of this as a giant spaceship. Wolf Prime hurdles through the void just as we did on
Victory
. You are in a passageway, a solid piece of construction. Why should you possibly worry?”

Incredibly, that helped. “Thank you, Doctor.”

“Do you feel better?”

“Quite,” Maddox said. His hands had been trembling, but that had stopped. He could breathe easily again. His mind began to function. Men were coming. How many? Less than a half dozen. Why were they coming all the way down here?

“Do you suppose they know we’re here?” Keith asked.

The pilot had vocalized Maddox’s belief.

“How would they know?” Dana asked.

“Sensors,” Keith said.

“Have you seen any?” Dana asked.

“No,” Keith admitted.

“Why else would they be coming directly for us?” Maddox asked.

“That’s why we turned off the light,” Dana said. “So we can see them first. I think we should try to advance, though, get to an area with more room.”

“What if there are holes in the floor?” Maddox asked.

“Have you seen any holes so far?” Dana asked.

“Right,” Maddox said. He had not. “I’ll crawl just to be on the safe side.”

“Let’s stay close,” Dana said. “We don’t want to accidently split up.”

Maddox thought that sound advice. They began to crawl across the floor, one right after the other. As they did, Maddox felt a greater stir of air on his face. He breathed the air, and found that it was colder than earlier.

“Could we have reached a lower area, a valley?” he asked in a soft voice. “Is there a cave entrance nearby?”

“I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough,” Dana whispered.

Maddox crawled, with the rifle case slung across his back. He certainly hadn’t envisioned crawling underground when he’d left the starship in Keith’s tin can.

The sound of approaching people grew louder. Voices became distinct instead of just a blur of noise. One of the speakers had a deeper voice than the others.

Maddox cocked his head. A woman spoke. It sounded like Meta. Yet, there was no way Meta could be down here in an ancient Swarm tunnel. What could travel faster through space than the ancient starship? Nothing could. Therefore, logically, it was impossible Meta had spoken. But Maddox had clearly heard her voice. He wasn’t accustomed to doubting his judgment or his senses.

“Something is off,” Maddox said. “Keith, come here.”

“Captain,” Keith said.

“Here,” Maddox said, shoving his long-barreled gun into the ace’s hands. “Do you know where the safety is?”

“Aye,” Keith said. “I feel it with my thumb.”

“Dana,” Maddox said. “I have a knife.”

“Give Keith the knife and me the gun,” she said. “With my broken ankle—”

“Say no more,” Maddox said. He took the gun back and handed Keith the knife handle-first. Then he showed Dana where to push the safety.

“It’s ready to shoot,” Maddox told her. “Push the safety to here.”

“I understand,” she said. “I’m ready.”

Lastly, Maddox slid the rifle case off his back and put his Khislack together in the darkness. He put a magazine in as quietly as possible.

“Did you hear that?” a man asked a little ways from them.

Dana sucked in her breath.

“What’s wrong?” Maddox whispered in her ear.

“Let’s wait,” she whispered. “I want to be sure first.”

“Hello?” a man called. “Is anyone there?”

None of them answered.

“They’re on the scanner,” a different man said.

“We know you’re there,” the deep-voiced man called. “We know you came down from space, and the New Men are after you. We’re with Professor Ludendorff’s people.”

“I’m his chief security officer,” a different man said.

“I’m Captain Maddox of Star Watch Intelligence. Why don’t you walk a little closer where we can see you? Our light no longer works.”

“Don’t shoot,” the deep-voiced man said.

“Don’t give us a reason to,” Maddox said.

The seconds ticked away as several people approached. Soon, a wash of lamplights gave illumination to the cavern.

A normal-looking man with goggles, frost mask and hardhat, holding a bulky scanner, stepped into view. The lamp was attached to the front of his hardhat. The second person was bundled in slarn furs, complete with hood. She pulled the hood back, showing a wide but beautiful face.

“Meta,” Maddox said in disbelief.

The next man was big with flat slabs of muscle. He, too, wore a hardhat with lamplight. He had square features and granite-like eyes.

Maddox knew it was Mr. Kane, the man who had kidnapped Meta out of New York City. The man Maddox has passed in the Dempsey Tower lobby, in the company of Susan Love.

“Hands up,” the captain told Kane, aiming his rifle at him.

“No!” Meta shouted. “Don’t shoot. You have it all wrong. Kane and I escaped from the New Men. We’re here to help you, Maddox. We’re here to make sure you find Professor Ludendorff.”

-28-

“Nice try,” Maddox said, “but I don’t think so.”

He saw three more men behind the others. They wore heavy slarn furs and had weather-beaten faces. They looked like rough men, what the captain expected trappers to be like. They certainly didn’t seem to be archeologists.

“Firstly,” said the man with the scanner and wearing a frost mask, “who are you? Secondly, what do you have against Kane? He’s been instrumental in helping us thwart the New Men.”

“I’m Captain Maddox of Star Watch Intelligence,” Maddox said, as he kept his rifle trained on the center of Kane’s chest. “I used the professor’s papers more than a year ago to find the ancient starship he found in a lost star system.”

“We’ve heard rumors of that,” the man said. “I remember the professor telling me that entering the lost starship would have been impossible.”

“I hate to deflate your image of the professor’s infallibility,” Maddox said. “But he was wrong. We made it inside the ancient starship and brought it back to Earth. The New Men began their attack against the Commonwealth shortly thereafter. I think this was because they fear the ancient vessel. During our original journey into the Beyond, we destroyed one of their star cruisers and survived two others.”

“I’m sure the professor will want to hear all about that,” the man said. “By the way, I’m Lank Meyers, the professor’s security chief. You must Doctor Dana Rich. The professor has spoken about you. You played him a foul turn in the ancient star system.”

“I saved his life,” Dana said.

All during the conversation, Kane kept his focus on Maddox. Meta gripped the big man’s left arm, also watching the captain.

“She’s hurt,” Keith said, indicating Dana. “A slarn rolled over her and broke her ankle. She needs help.”

Lank Meyers nodded. “We’ll help her. First, we have to assess the situation. Captain Maddox of Star Watch Intelligence, you must be an unusual man to have entered the ancient starship. Tell me why you keep your rifle trained on Kane.”

“He kidnapped Meta from New York City on Earth,” Maddox said.

“I know where New York City is,” Lank said evenly.

Maddox nodded. “Kane kidnapped her, and I know he’s an agent of the New Men. The only thing that’s keeping me from killing him is the desire to know how he got to Wolf Prime ahead of me. At best, he left Earth several days before I did. That should be impossible because I traveled here in
Victory
.”

“That’s the name of the ancient starship?” Lank asked.

“Correct,” Maddox said. “The vessel has an independent star drive the aliens developed, allowing it to travel faster than any ship in known space. How did you get to Wolf Prime so fast?” he asked Kane.

“If I tell you, you’ll shoot me,” Kane said. “Thus, I have no incentive to speak.”

“It’s called the Nexus,” Meta said. “It’s a gigantic silver pyramid. Kane went inside and set it. Afterward, we entered a plasma-like opening and leaped over one hundred light years in one jump.”

Everyone but Maddox stared at Meta. The captain kept his eyes on Kane. The slightest twitch from the big man and he would start firing. Maddox believed Kane knew that.

“I doubt the New Men built the Nexus,” Dana said, “if that’s really how you accomplished your feat. Was the silver pyramid of alien design?”

Kane turned his head, looking at Meta.

“I’ll tell you,” Meta said. “But first you have to put your weapons down.”

Maddox noticed that Dana also had her weapon trained on Kane.

“Forget it,” Maddox said.

“Maddox,” Meta said. “Do you trust me?”

“Not at the moment” he said.

Meta scowled. “You always were pigheaded. Don’t you understand? The New Men are arrogant beyond belief. They treat their best agents like dogs. They reprimanded Kane for a slight infraction, threatening even worse punishments at the end of the assignment. He slipped away, promising to do as they demanded, but he had an epiphany once he put two and two together.”

“What are the two and two?” Maddox asked, “and what’s the four?”

“
Victory
and Professor Ludendorff,” Meta said. “Kane finally realized why you were coming to Wolf Prime. He knows that Star Watch can beat the New Men once
Victory
can use all its old weaponry.”

“You didn’t say anything about this before,” Lank told Kane.

Kane said nothing.

“How has Kane helped you people?” Maddox asked Lank. “And how long has he been here?”

“Eight days,” Lank said. “The New Men scoured the planet for Ludendorff, and we had several close calls. Kane told us the frequency of their scanners and several of their procedures. It allowed us to escape a trap and slip here into the major dig.”

Maddox wasn’t sure, but it seemed as if Kane became more alert. He wondered what had caused that. Something was wrong here, something he was overlooking. What was it?

“Those were your SAMs?” Maddox asked Lank.

The security chief nodded.

“It’s obvious the New Men have inserted an agent into your midst,” Maddox said. “Kane is a plant. My bet is the New Men realized they couldn’t find Ludendorff in time. So they fed you Kane to help you escape a trap, hoping to get him near the professor. I take it the enemy hasn’t even got close to Ludendorff yet.”

“I can personally attest to the fact that the professor is hyper-paranoid,” Lank said. “He trusts few people. He also has a layered and clever security system.”

“Can we talk to the professor?” Dana asked. “It’s vital I see him.”

Lank studied her and must have come to a swift conclusion. Moving away from Kane, Lank drew a compact pistol, aiming it at the big man.

“You have been genetically modified,” Lank told Kane. “Meta has been as well. The clues are obvious. I’m afraid you’re an altered individual as well, Captain Maddox.”

“You’re right,” Maddox said, his estimation of Lank rising. “My mother fled the Beyond. She was pregnant with me at the time. I never met her, as she died soon after my birth. Before she died, she made it to Earth. I don’t know if I have the genes of the New Men, but it’s possible she escaped one of their facilities.”

Kane’s head shifted minutely. Maddox felt the man’s heightened scrutiny.

“Interesting and troubling,” Lank said. “It occurs to me that you could also be one of their plants, Captain Maddox. It would be a complex play, but well within the cunning of the New Men.”

“He’s not one of theirs,” Dana said. “Captain Maddox gave Star Watch the ancient vessel, the only ship that can save humanity from the plague of the New Men.”

Lank stared at Dana through his goggles. Finally, the security chief turned to Maddox. “Captain, if you will allow us to handcuff Kane and Meta, we will return to the base camp. The doctor obviously needs medical attention. We should then decide what to do next. I take it this
Victory
is coming to Wolf Prime?”

Maddox’s nape hairs stirred. Something was definitely off here. He tried to think it through. How had Kane and Meta made it to Wolf Prime faster than they had? What was the Nexus, a giant, silver pyramid? Could that be true? Why had Ludendorff’s people trusted Kane? It seemed inconceivable.

“Yes, the starship is coming,” Maddox admitted. It was an obvious conclusion. He gave nothing away by saying so.

“Kane,” Lank said, as he trained his pistol on the man. “You have a choice. Submit and live, or resist and die. Which will it be?”

“You have handcuffs with you?” Kane rumbled.

“I’ve studied your wrists before,” Lank said. “They’re much bigger than average, too big for normal handcuffs. Fortunately, we have leg irons, which in your case, will act as handcuffs. As to your question, yes, I brought a pair along.”

“On your own authority?” Kane asked.

“The professor suggested it, if that’s what you’re saying.”

“I would like to explain my story to the professor in person,” Kane said.

“In order to do that,” Lank said, “you would have to first submit.”

Kane nodded. “I will submit.” He put his hands before his body.

“Behind your back, if you please,” Lank said. Kane complied

Lank motioned to one of his people. A heavily bundled trapper came forward with leg irons.

Maddox readied himself to fire. He could tell Kane knew that. The big man allowed the trapper to manacle his wrists with the leg irons.

“Handcuff Meta next,” Lank said.

The trapper did so.

“Does that satisfy you?” Lank asked Maddox.

“There’s something going on here I don’t understand,” Maddox said. “This doesn’t feel right. Doctor, do you feel it?”

“I don’t,” she said, sharply. “We can trust them.”

Maddox didn’t agree, but he didn’t know what else to do. “We’ll walk in back, if you don’t mind.”

“Fair enough,” Lank said. “Kane, Meta, you will lead the way. If you attempt anything unwarranted, I will shoot to kill. I have imbibed some of Ludendorff’s paranoia. The New Men are notoriously crafty. Grim determination combined with ruthlessness is the only solution. Do you understand?”

“We’ve already proven ourselves,” Meta said.

“Is that how Baron Chabot felt about you?” Maddox asked.

Meta turned, staring into his eyes. She became thoughtful. “You have a point. I understand,” she told Lank.

“Kane?” the security chief asked.

“Let’s get on with this,” Kane said. “Nothing but the truth can change your minds now.”

“Right,” Lank said. “Let’s go.”

***

At Maddox’s request, one of the trappers took his place with Dana. The stiff pace soon told on the doctor. The captain debated telling the others to slow down. Time seemed too important for that, so Maddox remained silent.

The tunnel widened and they took several different passages. At one point, lumber lay on the floor. The air felt warmer here too.

“How far are we underground?” Maddox asked.

“Approximately four hundred meters,” Lank said.

“These are the former tunnels of the Swarm?”

“That’s what the professor believes,” Lank said.

“Did the Swarm have queens like an ant or bee colony?”

Lank chuckled. “We know far less than that about the Swarm. They are an enigma in too many ways. The professor has said there are reasons to believe the Swarm moved from planet to planet, devouring the ecology until they had to head to a new star system.”

Maddox thought about that. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“Why not?” Lank asked.

“Wolf Prime doesn’t seem devoured.”

“True.”

“That ruins the theory.”

“Not necessarily,” Lank said. “It could be someone drove the Swarm from Wolf Prime.”

“Who?” Maddox asked.

“It’s one of the reasons the professor has remained here for so long.”

“This dig can’t be a secret then.”

“You mean secret from the New Men,” Lank said.

“Right.”

“You’re wrong,” Lank said. “It
can
remain a secret. The professor is more than paranoid, and he happens to be the most intelligent person in the universe.”

“Smarter than the New Men?” Maddox asked.

“Oh, yes. I think that goes without saying.”

Maddox eyed Lank Meyers. “You people are hiding from the New Men. The New Men aren’t hiding from Ludendorff.”

“By your own admission,” Lank said, “the New Men are terrified of the ancient starship. That vessel leapt from the brow of Professor Ludendorff. The ability to enter the craft likely came from his genius as well.”

“You have a high opinion of the man.”

“I’ve seen him in action for many years,” Lank said.

“You weren’t with him on his journey to the ancient graveyard of ships?”

“You’re full of questions, Captain Maddox. Before I answer any more, I have a few of my own I’d like answered.”

“Fair enough,” Maddox said.

Before the security chief could begin, a large device on his belt began to blare with noise.

“Stop,” Lank said.

Everyone halted.

The security chief unhooked an earpiece, listening intently. Behind his goggles, his eyebrows shot up. “We’re on our way,” he said. He hooked the microphone back to the bulky device.

“Starship
Victory
is approaching Wolf Prime,” Lank said. “It appears you’re correct, Captain. Your vessel made a star drive jump. Well, two actually. The professor has kept his eye on the situation above. The ancient craft jumped from the outer system Laumer-Point, escaping three star cruisers. I don’t know where it went, but it must have made a second jump. That one has brought it near.
Victory
is braking even now for an orbital station over the planet.”

“Two star cruisers are in Wolf Prime’s orbit,” Dana said.

“I took on three star cruisers before,” Maddox said. “The ship should be able to handle two. How long until the three that chased the vessel to the Laumer-Point return?”