Authors: Vaughn Heppner
Maddox shoveled the last bite into his mouth, tossing the plastic into a disposal unit. As he chewed, he sat
down at his station.
“No!” Valerie said
, watching her board. “I can’t believe this.”
“What’s happening?” Maddox asked.
“The destroyer—it has sent a message of its own to the space beacons near
Archangel
. It’s turned those drones against the monitor. Captain, it looks as if the New Men have hacked the system better than Dana could have done.”
Maddox went cold inside, and the tuna salad in his stomach felt as if it turned to lead.
Here was another example of the enemy’s superiority.
They watched, and the minutes stretched
into an hour, then three hours.
The
various drones kept accelerating at their targets—it took time to move those distances. Space battles were long-term affairs. Many drones raced at
Archangel
, just as many sped at
Saint Petersburg
. Then drones began to detonate, even though they were far from their respective targets. Soon, everywhere throughout the Loki System, drone warheads bloomed into incandescent brilliance.
“What’s going on, love?” Keith asked Valerie.
“If I had to guess,” the lieutenant said, “both the monitor and the destroyer have sent self-destruct messages to the drones. They leveled the playing field. They also turned this place into a radioactive wasteland with EMP pulses everywhere.”
Maddox sat up. “That’s blinding sensors
, yes?”
“Of course,” Valerie said.
“It’s difficult to look through nuclear fireballs or the intense radiation they spew in all directions. It’s like throwing down a stellar blanket, at least until the radiation dies down.”
“Ensign,
” Maddox said. “Get ready to engage the fusion thrusters.”
Valerie nodded
sagely. “They’ve given us temporary cover,” she said. “For a little while at least, it will be hard to see much of anything. I like your idea, Captain.”
“Engage,” said Maddox.
Keith tapped the controls, and the
Geronimo
built up velocity.
***
Twenty-four hours later, the situation had drastically changed for the better for
Geronimo
.
“We’re getting out of here,” Maddox told Valerie and Keith.
He’d let Dana and Meta stew in their respective quarters. They called when they needed to use the facilities. Maddox always stood guard at those times. Sergeant Riker was still in medical. Dana had checked him three different times. Maddox had stood guard then, too.
“Like I told you,” Dana had said
about Riker, “those Loki germs are tough. It was touch and go there for a while.”
“What?”
Maddox asked. He hadn’t known that.
“I didn’t want to tell you. Figured you would think I’m gaming things. Anyway, your man is going to pull through. Leave him
here another three days, though.”
As
Maddox sat in the control room, he grinned as he thought about their situation.
Saint Petersburg
moved like a comet for the unstable Laumer-Point. It looked as if the New Man wanted to gamble with a bad wormhole. That was fine with Maddox.
Archangel
headed for exactly the same point. Four heavy missiles lead the way, barreling at extreme velocity for the destroyer.
“Want to place bets if the destroyer makes it or not?” Keith asked.
“Oh,” Maddox said. “They’ll make it to the Laumer-Point. Whether they survive the jump or not is the question.”
“Those missiles say otherwise,” Keith
told him.
“Seemingly,” Maddox sa
id, “seemingly. I think the New Man will have an ace or two to pull out of his sleeve.”
Valerie looked up from her instrument panel. She’d been tapping it for some time. “I have news I don’t think you’re going to like.”
Maddox swiveled around to face her.
“The unstable Laumer-Point will bring the
Saint Petersburg
to Sigma Gamma Seven,” Valerie said.
Maddox shrugged. “Is that supposed to be significant?”
“I think so,” Valerie said. “That’s two jumps away from where our Class 3 tramline will bring us.”
“We’ll be gone from there before they show up,” Maddox said.
“Good,” she said.
Maddox sat back, thinking about
that. Could the New Man over there know what Valerie had just told him about the various routes? Yes, of course, he did. Was the New Man trying to use the
Saint Petersburg’s
speed against the
Geronimo
? He would race the destroyer through jump routes, trying to work to the system they would enter from Loki. Hmm…The destroyer
had
beaten them to the Loki System.
“Speed,” Maddox
muttered. “Ensign, we’re going to accelerate.”
“That could blow our cloak,” Valerie said.
“The EMP pulses have long ago faded. We’d be in the open.”
“Look at the ranges
between us and the two starships,” Maddox said, shaking his head. “Their beams can’t possibly reach us at these distances. We’re hundreds of millions kilometers too far. No missiles will have time to accelerate fast enough before we’re gone. If the destroyer is trying to catch us later by speeding to the other Laumer-Points, we need to use speed now and outdistance them.”
“I don’t like it,” Valerie said.
“I’m open to your reasons as to why not,” Maddox said.
Lieutenant Noonan looked uncomfortable. “Sir, the
New Men outfought von Gunther’s battle group in the Pan System.”
“The destroyer lacks those advanced weapons.”
“I wasn’t finished, sir,” Valerie said. “They also outthought us. I’m wondering if the New Man is doing that here.”
“No
,” Maddox said. “We outthought him.”
“Don’t you think he’s going to know our reaction to his using the unstable Laumer-Point?”
“He has to use that entry point,” Maddox said. “There’s no other way for him to escape the monitor.”
“Maybe he could outmaneuver the monitor and race to the Class 1 point near the
chthonian planet near the star,” Keith said, chiming in.
“If that’s a wiser choice,” Maddox said, “he would
already be doing it. No. This time, I think we’re granting them too much cunning. Ensign, head for our Laumer-Point at maximum acceleration. We want to leave the Loki System as fast as possible.”
Keith glanced
at Valerie. Then he said, “Aye-aye, Captain, sir. I’m engaging thrusters—now.”
***
The
Saint Petersburg
must have laid invisible mines behind itself as it braked for the unstable Laumer-Point. As the heavy missiles neared, the mines began to detonate, revealing themselves and annihilating two of the monitor’s missiles.
Saint Petersburg’s
counter-rockets took care of the third missile, while the destroyer’s lasers demolished the last one.
“Those are new
types of mines I haven’t seen before,” Valerie said. “I wonder if they’re a New Man invention.”
The
Geronimo
had accelerated for a time and now braked hard. They neared the Class 3 tramline. The other two spaceships were hundreds of millions of kilometers away.
“That’s a good question,” Maddox said. Suddenly, a queasy feeling bit into him. “Lieutenant, start searching
this area for cloaked mines.”
“Sir?” Valerie asked.
“The
Saint Petersburg
spent some time here,” Maddox said. “I wondered about that before. Could they have been carefully placing such mines to catch us before we leave?”
For the next twenty minutes, Lieutenant Noonan searched diligently. Finally she announced, “I think we’re safe, sir.
It took another half hour until they reached the Laumer-Point.
Maddox opened inter-ship channels. “We did it. We’re about to leave the Loki System. Get ready to jump.”
Ensign Maker maneuvered the scout for the entry point. “Engaging the Laumer Drive,” he said.
A loud whine started, and the Laumer-Point became visible to their instruments. The scout headed for the wormhole.
At the same time, a hidden device flared with high acceleration. Had it detected the Laumer Drive? Had it waited until the last possible moment? Whatever the truth, the device rapidly closed with
Geronimo
.
“Sir,” Valerie said, “I’m detecting a fast approaching object.”
The object exploded with the same power as the mines that had destroyed several heavy missiles earlier.
The scout
buckled as interior lights began to flash. Bulkheads groaned. Then the stricken SWS Scout
Geronimo
entered the Laumer-Point, barreling down the wormhole. It was anyone’s guess as to whether the ship would survive the stresses of jump to reach the exit point intact.
Lieutenant Noonan felt bone tired, worse than any exercise during her Space Academy days. For fifteen hours, she’d worked beside Meta as they attempted to repair damage to the engines in order to make them workable again.
It was worse outside the ship. Ensign Maker knew more about space
welding than Maddox would any day. The two wore vacc-suits and magnetic boots, working feverishly.
The hidden mine had nearly destroyed the
scout. Upon their exit from the Laumer-Point, the captain had made a fast decision, freeing Meta on a probationary basis. Would he have done the same for Doctor Rich?
Injured in the explosion,
Dana was in medical, in a coma, the robo-doctor straining to keep her alive. The mine had changed many things. If they couldn’t repair the scout in time, the destroyer might show up and that would be the end of the mission and likely their lives.
None of them believed the unstable wormhole had destroyed the
Saint Petersburg
. They weren’t going to get away that easily.
“Ha
nd me the drill,” Meta said.
Valerie plucked it off a
n emergency Velcro-pad. Not only were the engines offline, the antigravity pods refused to function.
The
Geronimo
was a mess. Even so, no one had asked the fundamental question. Did this scrub the mission? Captain Maddox would never agree to that. Valerie had begun to wonder if he was completely…sane wasn’t the right word. The man was logical and rational to a fault. Earlier, Meta had said something that
drove
Maddox. Perhaps that was a more accurate description.
Yes,
Valerie thought
, he
is
driven. He’s compelled to compete against these New Men. Is he wrong to do so? If we fail, what combination of Star Watch ships can defeat the enemy’s advanced cruisers?
The drill
whirred
as Meta took off a plate. The woman from the Rouen Colony worked tirelessly. Meta wasn’t only strong; she had stamina. What had really surprised Valerie was that Meta hadn’t been interested in studying the tech manuals.
For some time now,
Valerie had been worrying about that, debating with herself. Despite the loss of his legs, and that he’d been a combat vet, her father had loved playing the piano. It had been the most incongruous thing about him. He’d pushed her to study books in order to get an education. About music, though, for himself, he’d had other ideas. He played by ear, by feel and instinct. Give him notes, and he uselessly pounded the keys. Let him listen, and he produced a musical miracle.
Meta was like that with the engine. Given
that they lacked many of the needed spare parts, that was probably a good thing.
With a
sleeve, Valerie wiped her eyes. She’d have to tell Maddox about her find. Meta’s engineering talents might be priceless aboard the ancient sentinel.
If we ever reach the alien star system
that is
, Valerie thought.
Meta looked up. “Do we have a proton coupler?”
“No.”
Scowling, Meta said, “You didn’t even check your reader
list.”
“Don’t have to,” Valerie said. “I already have it memorized.”
“We need a proton coupler,” Meta said.
“I’m sure you
’re right, but we don’t have one.”
Meta bent her head in thought. “Okay. I know what might work.
There’s a chance it will blow the engine, though.”
“Wait a minute. We should think this through
then.”
“No,” Meta said. “That isn’t how you repair something fast.”
“Who said anything about fast?” Valerie asked. “We have to do it
right
.”
“I thought you
told me you went through the Space Academy,” Meta said.
If someone else had asked her that,
Valerie might have bristled. She knew Meta didn’t mean anything derogatory by the statement.
“I don’t understand
what you’re getting at,” Valerie said.
“
In your academy training days, I bet you had to practice emergency repairs. But you’ve never really needed those repairs done or you’d be dead.”
Valerie thought back to the Pan System Battle.
“On the Rouen Colony,” Meta was saying, “we had to repair broken machinery on the double. If we didn’t, we lost credits and likely lost several meals. We learned to fix things fast, and well. The combination meant food on the table. Here, if we fail, it’s our life.”
That made sense. Desperation changed the rules, and it demanded a level head. Valerie decided she would always remain levelheaded no matter what the situation. No one was going to outperform her, not even Meta.
“I approve your idea,” Valerie said. “Let’s try it.”
Meta disappeared as she ducked down, and the repairs continued at their accelerated pace.
***
Thirty-six hours
after exiting the Laumer-Point into this barren system, an alarm blared. Valerie dragged herself out of bed. According to the clock, she’d slept for four hours, but she was still exhausted.
Her hands shook, and her left shoulder hurt every time she moved it.
Someone knocked on the hatch.
“What?” she shouted.
The hatch creaked open. At that point, Valerie recalled that Sergeant Riker had repaired an antigravity pod. The scout had one-half gravity. It was much better than zero-gravity.
Sergeant Riker poked his head
in. “The captain asked me to help you in the engine room today.”
“Fine,” Valerie said. “
How’s Doctor Rich? Is there any improvement?”
The sergeant’s gaze flickered elsewhere, almost as if he was embarrassed about something. “She’s alive,” he muttered.
“So there isn’t any improvement?”
As he took a deeper breath, the
sergeant shook his head.
Valerie didn’t know why, but
his answer bothered her. The old man was polite enough, but at times, it seemed he was simply an extension of Captain Maddox.
“
You do know that Doctor Rich saved your life,” she said.
“I’m fo
llowing procedures,” Riker said, a little too defensively.
“You have to do more than that,” Valerie said.
“Can you suggest what that is?”
His answer
made Valerie pause, and it surprised her to have said something like doing more than following procedures. Maybe these past days watching Meta had taught her a new approach to problems.
“I’m quite capable of
handling emergency medics,” the sergeant said. “Comas… That’s out of hands. We must let the robo-doctor proceed according to schedule.”
“
Whatever,” Valerie said. “Let’s go. Meta probably needs our help.”
They exited her quarters, and she turned toward the engine room. Riker caught her elbow.
Valerie spun around, staring at him.
The sergeant seemed serene
now. “You must eat first.”
“I don’t have time.
We
don’t have time.”
“No. You need your wits about you. Remember, Lieutenant, Meta is a cunning individual. There’s a reason she was on Loki Prime. We mustn’t forget that.”
Valerie rubbed her eyes. The sergeant had a point. Captain Maddox was unorthodox and selected unorthodox people. She Valerie knew how to follow orders and do things the Star Watch way. She suspected Sergeant Riker was the same way. People like them needed to stick together.
“Let’s get chow,” she said.
Afterward, they headed to the engine room.
Several hours later, Riker yawned. “I’m taking a break,” he said.
The lieutenant glanced at his bloodshot eye. The old man turned away, staggering as he departed. He was a tough old bird, but he didn’t have their youthful energy. Was he even the right individual for such a daunting mission as this?
Valerie
moved nearer Meta, who had grease stains on her coveralls and a burn across her left cheek. She’d gotten that earlier. Normal lighting had returned, which made repairs easier. Meta stepped away from what she’d been doing and sank onto a stool. Valerie leaned against a control panel.
It
had almost been four days since they’d left the Loki System. Just how close was the destroyer to reaching them?
“We’re mobile
to a degree,” Meta said. It meant the fusion plant was working somewhat. “Since the scout has some power, I’d like to take a break to see Dana.”
Valerie almost
said yes. Instead, she pondered the request. Meta was tough as well as handy with repairs. Something about the two G miner troubled Valerie, though. She hadn’t been able to pinpoint her qualms before this. Now it came to her. Meta felt a lot like one of the Detroit gang members she used to encounter.
“What was it like on the Rouen Colony?” Valerie asked.
The questioned seemed to catch Meta off-guard. Her features closed down, and her shoulders tensed. Then Meta laughed. It wasn’t a happy sound, but bitter. “Why do you want to know?”
The days of working together and her present exhaustion loosened Valerie’s tongue. She
began telling Meta something about her childhood in Detroit. Once she started talking, the words poured out of her. Maybe it was the way Meta nodded in understanding. The woman sympathized, seemed to have gone through similar troubles. Valerie had never met someone who could experientially understand her.
After a time, Meta related a few details about the Rouen Colony
: the harsh rules and that everyone had legally belonged to the Chabot family as property.
“You were slaves?”
Valerie asked.
“Effectively,” Meta said.
“That’s awful!”
Meta cocked her head
as if assessing Valerie’s words. After a few seconds, she smiled.
The smile shocked Valerie. She realized it was the first
time the woman had truly smiled while aboard the
Geronimo
. Despite her growing sympathy for Meta, it reminded Valerie how dangerous the woman was. Those other smiles—
Did she use those to lull us?
“Meta, I hope this doesn’t make you angry, but I’m going to call Captain Maddox. I want his permission for us to see Doctor Rich.”
“Does he control you, then?” Meta asked sarcastically.
“He’s the commanding officer. I belong to
Star Watch. A little over a month ago, I captained an escort. When I gave an order, I expected my people to follow it. If I demand something from others, I should be willing to give it myself.”
“
We’ve worked hard to save the scout,” Meta said. “That has created a bond of friendship between us. Friends help each other.”
“I agree.
But this is a military vessel of the Star Watch. We have rules to govern our behavior.”
“Rules to limit you,” Meta said.
“No,” Valerie said. “The rules give us strength because we know we can trust each other. In that way, we can work together in order to accomplish a greater goal. The New Men have invaded, Meta. We have to stop them. Look what they did to your friend.”
“I don’t know what they did,” Meta said. “I haven’t seen
Dana since the mine attack.”
Valerie took out a comm-unit
, switching it on with her thumb. “Captain Maddox,” she said.
“Yes, Lieutenant,” he said.
He was outside helping Keith weld.
“I would like permission to take Meta into medical so she can see Doctor Rich.”
There was a pause until Maddox asked, “Is there a reason for this?”
“Kindness for one thing,” Valerie said, “for another as a reward for a job well done.
The engine will work, to an extent.”
“May I remind you, Lieutenant, that Meta is dangerous?”
“Ah, sir,” Valerie said, looking up at Meta. “She can hear you.”
“Do you have a reason for this request you’re not sharing with me?” Maddox asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“Very well, you may take her
. But I want Sergeant Riker to join you.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“You’re welcome, lieutenant” he said. “And thank you, Meta, for helping repair the engine.”
Meta stared at the comm-unit
, making Valerie wonder what the woman was really thinking.
***
Together with Meta, Valerie approached the robo-doctor. Sergeant Riker stood near the hatch, with a stunner in his regular hand.
This
and the control room had been the two chambers sealed from Meta.
As Dana Rich lay prone, a
metal dish sat over her skull. She’d received deep gashes there, as well as a broken arm, ribs and leg. In a parody of normalcy, as if she heard them, her brown features shifted into a grimace.