The Lost Starship

-14-

SWS Scout Geronimo moved silently through the Loki System. The cloak kept the ship hidden from the masses of sensors sweeping the areas between the planets. Each satellite-beacon did so with automated regularity.

Since exiting their Laumer-Point, they’d drifted, using their initial velocity to move. There was a reason for tiptoeing through the void—complications—even more than Maddox had anticipated.

There were four planets in the system. At the center was an F spectral class star, a blue-white fireball twenty percent larger than the Sun. The nearest world was a rare chthonian planet. It was odd for several reasons. Firstly, once it had been a gas giant like Jupiter, which made it strange because the planet was in the inner system. It was rare for Jovian worlds to be so close to a star. Secondly, the proximity to the star had a drastic effect on the gas giant. Through time and gravity, the star had stripped away the gas giant’s atmosphere and outer planetary layers. All that remained was the world’s rocky core. In many respects, the chthonian planet now resembled a terrestrial one.

A Class 1 Laumer-Point existed between the star and the chthonian planet. It was the main entrance into the Loki System—the Geronimo had entered elsewhere. A Star Watch monitor waited to guard the jump point.

Monitors were slow ships, designed to slug it out toe-to-toe with other heavies, using powerful beams. Their deflector shields were often as strong as a battleship’s. Some, like the Archangel out there, had warfare pods attached.

Upon spying the monitor with passive sensors, Lieutenant Noonan had spotted the Archangel’s pod. A quick computer match had told her it contained drones. That gave the monitor the ability to launch missiles. The heavy would likely use that tactic against any starship able to outrun it, staying out of beam range.

Of course, because the monitor remained near the Class 1 Laumer-Point, it could strike other vessels while their crews experienced Jump Lag coming through, making unwanted starships easy targets.

The SWS monitor had a distinct shape: perfectly round except for the attached warfare pod. Every inch of space on that vessel was devoted to its massive engines to supply the beam power and deflector shields. If Geronimo tried to fight Archangel, the monitor would swat it out of existence within the first minute. The trick was keeping far away from the monitor and its long-range beams. The scout was a flea compared to the giant fighting ship.

Archangel’s beam range was almost one hundred thousand kilometers. Because of laser dissipation, the closer one approached the warship, the stronger the beams burned. Fortunately, for the crew, according to the operational plan, Geronimo wouldn’t remotely approach the monitor.

The system’s second planet was Loki Prime, the prison world and target for their venture. It orbited the star at a greater range than Earth did the Sun. Because this star was larger and hotter, it made the prison planet a sauna, carpeted with dense and dangerous plant-life.

Geronimo had entered the system through a Class 3 tramline, the backdoor so to speak. The chthonian planet orbited the star at a Venus-like orbit. The Class 3 tramline was close to the system’s third plant, a gas giant in a Jupiter-like orbit. That meant over one billion kilometers had originally separated the scout from the monitor.

The distance gave them a wide margin of safety from the monitor. It was a slow ship. That meant Archangel would have to accelerate for days to reach the gas giant. Geronimo could be long gone by then, as it was faster than the monitor. However, if the slugger-ship launched seeker drones… that would be a different matter. The scout would have to retreat fast to the outer system Laumer-Point if it saw the monitor launching drones.

The star system’s fourth planet was a distant Pluto-like object, of no apparent worth or interest to the present venture.

Even so, if Archangel or its heavy missiles didn’t unduly trouble Maddox—he had been briefed on the monitor and its Laumer-Point guarding mission—the dark beacons littered throughout the inner system most certainly did. One could as easily call the beacons satellites. Even though they orbited the F-class star, the sensor satellites were small, little bigger than Maddox’s flitter. The appellation “dark” meant they were constructed of stealth material, making them difficult to spot. There were over one hundred satellite-beacons orbiting the void between Loki Prime and the other planets on either side of it.

The danger was this: if a beacon registered the Geronimo, and the scout failed to give the correct security clearance, the sensor satellite would activate the nearest drones.

Like the star-orbiting satellites, masses of drones moved around the nuclear fireball. These weren’t heavy drones as Archangel carried, and that was a relief. These were smaller but carried nuclear warheads just the same.

If a beacon’s automated sequences decided the scout was an intruder, it would send a radio signal to the drones nearest the Geronimo. The missiles would thereupon accelerate at their ship, attempting to destroy it.

In essence, the Commonwealth of Planets had turned the majority of the void around Loki Prime into a mobile minefield, constantly searching and seeking to destroy the unwanted.

Still, all those factors—the SWS monitor and the space minefield—didn’t trouble Maddox too much. The Lord High Admiral’s computer disc had explained the exact situation. The real trouble was the extra destroyer on patrol around Loki Prime. The starship and its designation clinched it.

Fifteen hours ago, the lieutenant had turned to Maddox in shock. “Sir, that’s the Saint Petersburg out there.”

A week ago, in the Solar System near Earth, the same destroyer had tried to beam them out of existence. What was it doing here, and maybe as importantly, how had it beaten them to the Loki System?

Maddox had brought up the destroyer’s specs. The warship had two medium laser batteries and fifteen point-defense cannons. Each of those cannons fired bigger shells than the Geronimo’s two guns. The vessel had reflective armor plates, and at a moment’s notice, it could raise a deflector shield. The destroyer had a regular crew of forty-seven officers and ratings. It also happened to be one of the new fast models able to outrun the Geronimo. Unlike the massively round monitor, the destroyer was long like the proverbial cigar-shaped starship. It also contained sensor pods to strengthen its ability to sniff out hidden foes.

The Saint Petersburg could outpace and outfight the scout. First, despite its extra sensor pod, it had to find Geronimo. And that might not be as easy as the destroyer commander believed.

As Maddox sat in the wardroom thinking, he watched an image slaved to the scout’s sensors. The destroyer presently slid behind Loki Prime. The opposing vessel wasn’t in Low Loki Orbit, but it could reach there quickly enough.

Drumming his fingers on the table, Maddox wondered if he should attempt sending a computer virus against the satellite-beacons. Maybe he could capture several, force them to fire drones at the destroyer. Of course, that might alert the Archangel’s commander. Still…

Which of Geronimo’s crew had the knowledge to attempt such a delicate task? If Doctor Dana Rich were aboard, maybe she could try it with a high chance of success. The Commonwealth authorities must have known desperate people trying to free their friends from the prison planet would try something like that someday. There would be rigorous safety precautions and security clearances to overcome.

Maddox shook his head. Trying to capture satellite-beacons through computer viruses would likely backfire on them. He had to slip onto the planet and sneak away with his volunteers. He had to do that while Saint Petersburg patrolled the area.

The destroyer’s officers and crew must believe they were doing their duty. It was the orders from above that would be suspect. The New Men must have infiltrated someone into Star Watch High Command.

How do we defeat an enemy with better ships and a superior intelligence service? What’s their weakness?

If they were still human, they had weaknesses, right?

An intercom buzzed. Valerie spoke through it. “Captain, if you could come to the bridge please.”

Maddox headed there. The lieutenant liked to refer to the control room as the bridge. She was pure navy.

Entering the chamber, Maddox asked, “What seems to be the problem, Lieutenant?”

“Sir,” she said. “It’s time to make a course correction. Saint Petersburg is behind Loki Prime, and we’re soon exiting our optimum time of opportunity.”

She meant their velocity and heading. It was easier in terms of fuel and likelihood of remaining hidden to make corrections out here rather than when they were close to the planet. It would take them longer to reach Loki Prime if they braked now, but that couldn’t be helped.

“Ensign?” asked Maddox. “Are you ready?”

“Do you really think this will work?” Keith asked.

“There’s only one way to find out,” Maddox said. “Engage.”

Keith glanced at Valerie before he turned on the special system. Instead of braking normally with fusion-generated thrust, he turned on the stealth system, dumping gravity waves.

The vessel shook, enough so Maddox grabbed his instrument panel. The others did likewise. A strained sound came from the engine room, where the massive gravity generator worked.

“How much longer are we going to do this?” Keith asked. “It’s shaking our scout apart.”

“Thirty seconds longer,” Valerie answered, studying her board.

The shaking worsened and so did the noise.

“I don’t know how this will fool anyone out there?” Keith shouted.

“Steady as she goes,” Maddox said, even as his body trembled from the ship-wide vibration.

“Get ready to shut down the stealth propulsion system,” Valerie said. “Three, two, one… shut it down.”

Keith tapped the controls. The shaking quit and the noise rapidly dwindled to normal. The pilot looked up with a grin on his face. “Nothing to it,” he said.

A light flashed on Valerie’s board. She studied it, tapped some controls and swallowed uneasily. “A beacon noticed us, sir,” she said.

“Is it demanding our security clearance?” Maddox asked.

“Yes,” she said, looking up troubled. “What do I do, sir?”

“Give it our code,” Maddox said. “Let’s find out if the Saint Petersburg had the authorization to change the Loki security systems.”

“Begging your pardon, sir,” Valerie said, “but you might want to reconsider that. Even if we pass the security clearance, the beacon will alert Archangel. That’s standard operating procedure.”

“I see,” Maddox said. That hadn’t been on the Lord High Admiral’s disc. Maybe Cook believed he would have already known such a thing. He hadn’t. Maybe a rules stickler had her uses.

Valerie glanced at her board. “The beacon is demanding recognition clearance now, sir. It will alert Archangel any moment.”

“Answer it,” Maddox snapped. “Give it our clearance. Then type in SSA-452-B75-Alpha afterward.”

“What is that, sir?” she asked, as she tapped in the information required by the beacon.

“I’d hoped to only have to use that last code on the orbitals,” Maddox said. “It’s a Star Watch Intelligence clearance, demanding a three day delay on procedures.”

“You mean the beacon won’t alert the monitor for another seventy-two hours?” Valerie asked.

“Exactly,” Maddox said.

Lines appeared on the lieutenant’s forehead as she considered this. Then her head lifted sharply. “Seventy-two hours delay won’t be long enough, sir. I mean long enough for us to reach the prison planet, insert, lift with the personnel and leave the star system.”

“Hmmm, yes,” Maddox said. “That could prove troublesome for us three days from now.”

“What?” Keith said. “Am I hearing you right—Captain? We’re going in, but we’re not getting back out?”

“Nonsense,” Maddox said. “We’ll think of something in three days.”

Keith mulled that over, soon shrugging and returning to studying his instruments.

“Begging your pardon, sir,” Valerie said. “But that would make this a suicide run. A three day delay isn’t long enough.”

“What do you suggest we do, Lieutenant?” Maddox asked. “I’m more than open to suggestions.”

“I’m not sure there is a way to do this,” she said. “We must turn back and rethink our plan.”

“Negative, Lieutenant. We’re heading in.”

“But sir—”

“Lieutenant Noonan,” Maddox said. “I will go down onto Loki Prime and rescue my sergeant. I will then find Doctor Dana Rich and bring her back to Geronimo. Afterward, we are going to find the alien star system. Anything else is a defeat for Earth.”

“We need a plan for getting out of the Loki System,” she said, “a chance for victory.”

“Agreed,” he said.

“You have a plan, sir?”

“What do the regulations say about questioning the commander of his ship?” Maddox asked.

Valerie opened her mouth and squirmed in her seat. Finally, she closed her mouth without another word.

“For your conscience’s sake, Lieutenant, I prefer not to tell you what we’re going to do later.”

She stared at him.

If Maddox had to guess, she didn’t believe he had an idea. The lieutenant must think he was lying to her. Well, he did have a plan. It was risky at best. But at this point, he didn’t know what else to do. He’d worry about it when the time came.

A half-hour later, there wasn’t any change to the SWS monitor many hundreds of millions kilometers away. If Archangel had begun accelerating for Loki Prime, it would have meant the beacon had reported them, but it hadn’t.

“The beacon honored your secret code, sir,” Valerie said.

Maddox stood. “You have first watch, Lieutenant. Ensign, I want you to get as much sleep as you can. It will be some time before we have to brake again.”

“Sir?” asked Valerie. “Do you think the people in the Saint Petersburg know we’re here in the system, sir?”

“Absolutely,” he said.

“Our cover is blown, then?”

“It was from the start,” Maddox said. “But we’re going to beat them anyway. And do you know why we will?”

“Because we must, sir?” she asked.

“No,” he said. “Because we’re the best at what we do and we have the latest in stealth technology.”

“I’ll drink to that!” Keith shouted.

Maddox and Valerie both turned to stare at him.

“Uh, a turn of phrase,” Keith said. “Maybe it was in poor taste. Sometimes my excitement gets the better of me. I just mean to agree with you, Captain. We’re the bloody best at what we do.”

“Get some sleep, Ensign,” Maddox said. “You’re going to need it.”

“Aye-aye, sir,” Keith said, exiting the control room.

Maddox waited until he heard Ensign Maker’s hatch clang shut. Then he turned to Valerie. “You’re doing well, Lieutenant. I appreciate your steady nerves.”

She was silent for several seconds, finally saying, “I grew up in a tough neighborhood, sir. It takes a lot to rattle me. Uh, sir, I’ve been thinking. You don’t want to tell me your idea of dealing with the beacon because your plan is highly illegal, isn’t it?”

“Why, Lieutenant, what a suspicious mind you have.” With that, Maddox left the chamber. He still had a few modifications he needed to make to the flitter.

During the next forty-eight hours, they made two more course corrections, slowing their velocity each time. Thus, it took two days after the incident with the beacon for the scout to enter Loki Prime’s orbit. They had another twenty-four hours until the beacon reported their presence to the distant monitor. They were far behind schedule for clearing the Loki System.

Because the Saint Petersburg was so close, the fusion generator was presently offline. Geronimo used the cloaking device, a heavy drain on its batteries. As a nearly invisible object to Commonwealth scanners, they had avoided the destroyer as it continued to circle the planet from a far orbit.

Because of Maddox’s orders, the scout entered Low Loki Orbit as Saint Petersburg moved across the other side of the world. Even though there were only two ships close to Loki, it was difficult to spot a vessel doing its best to hide. Orbital space around the Earth-sized world was vast compared to a scout. It was one of the reasons they had a chance of pulling this off.

Maddox sat in the control room, watching Valerie monitor her instruments. He no longer wore his uniform but camouflage gear and cap.

“This place is crawling with detection satellites,” she said. “I don’t see why you think your flitter will make it down undetected, sir.”

“I trust the Lord High Admiral’s codes to see me through,” Maddox said.

She turned around, facing him. “That’s an awfully slender thread, sir.”

“Agreed,” he said. “In the event I fail to return, I want you to slip away. On all accounts, don’t let the Saint Petersburg capture you.”

“Sir, if you fail, I’m never going to make it out of the Loki System alive.”

“You have the cloaking device—”

“Begging your pardon, sir, but it won’t run much longer on the batteries. It will need fusion power.”

“Turn on the engine and keep the cloaking device running. Then sneak out the best you can. Once they detect the scout, flee at full speed. Get back to Earth. Tell the Lord High Admiral I failed. On no account can you let them capture you.”

“I’ll try, sir.”

“Do more than that. The New Men mustn’t learn about the sentinel. If I fail, tell the Lord High Admiral to come with a fleet. At that point, he’ll have to openly try for the alien vessel.”

“That would alert the New Men, sir. Out in the Beyond, they will intercept the Lord High Admiral’s fleet and destroy it.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Maddox said. “There’s a reason the New Men haven’t kept attacking since their conquest of Odin and Horace.”

“I suppose that makes sense.” She looked away, and she seemed embarrassed. “Uh, good luck, sir.”

“Why thank you, Lieutenant. I wish you the same.”

“Thank you, sir. I could use it.”

“Well, let’s get to work,” Maddox said. “We’re under the clock and time is ticking.”