The Lost Starship

-25-

Captain Maddox sat down in the control room. Fatigue made his eyelids heavy. For the last few days, he’d been berating himself for failing to see the ploy with the hidden mine. Looking back, it was obvious why the enemy had been near the Class 3 Laumer-Point.

Well, he couldn’t help that now. In this new star system, they limped toward the next Laumer-Point, hoping to leave before the destroyer appeared by working its way here through other jump routes. Had the enemy made it through the unstable point? Saint Petersburg’s destruction would be a great stroke of luck.

We could use some of that about now. He would have shaken his head, but Lieutenant Noonan might notice. She piloted the scout. Ensign Maker slept, while Riker guarded Meta as she continued to effect repairs to the engine and propulsion systems.

Maddox knew the importance of appearing confident. Never let them see you sweat. That intimidated opponents and bolstered allies. Right about now, his crew needed all the encouragement they could get.

Lieutenant Noonan took the moment to swivel around and clear her throat. Her intentness alerted Maddox.

“Captain, do I have permission to speak off the record?” she asked.

“Please,” he said.

“Sir… I’m not sure how to say this.”

He waited, feeling as if it might be better if she didn’t.

“Just how serious are Doctor Rich’s injuries?” Valerie asked.

“She’s recovering,” answered Maddox.

While watching him closely, Valerie asked, “Do you believe she’ll come out of the coma?”

“The robo-doctor gives that a high percentage.”

Valerie licked her lips. “Sir… did you drug her?”

“Of course not,” Maddox said.

Valerie brightened for just a moment. Then obvious suspicion furrowed her brow. “The robo-doctor administered the dosages, isn’t that what you mean?”

He didn’t squirm. That wouldn’t do. Instead, he nodded.

“Dana Rich is in an induced coma, isn’t she, sir?”

“No,” Maddox said.

“No?”

He came to a swift decision. “Lieutenant, speaking precisely, she isn’t in a coma at all. By your questions and manner, I suspect you realize I decided to… inhibit her consciousness for a time.”

“Because she’s too dangerous awake?” Valerie asked.

“I agree Dana Rich is dangerous, but that wasn’t the totality of my reasoning.”

“You’re trying to win Meta over to our quest, aren’t you, sir?”

The lieutenant’s perception surprised Maddox. She had guessed that with hardly any clues to work on. He nodded as an answer.

“Your methods are devious, sir.”

“I suppose one could make that argument,” he said.

“That isn’t the way to convince someone we’re trustable.”

“You’re correct,” Maddox said.

“But…” Valerie said. “You’re going to suggest that our mission means we must do whatever is necessary to achieve our goal.”

Maddox waited. There were times when it was wiser to let a person argue a point with herself. The lieutenant knew what would convince her better than he did.

“I can’t say I approve, sir.”

“If it’s any consolation,” he said, “neither do I.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Valerie said.

“Lieutenant, it’s a given that you and I will never do anything as important with our lives than to complete this mission. Without the sentinel, do you think Star Watch can defeat the New Men?”

“We don’t have enough information to make a perfect guess,” Valerie said.

“You’re hedging,” Maddox said. “What we do know tells us we can’t match their cruisers, their advanced weaponry. Three of their ships took out a double-strength battle group.”

“I understand your logic,” Valerie said, “and I’m not saying you don’t have a point. It’s just that I hate to practice deceit on people we’re hoping to trust with our lives. If Doctor Rich ever discovers what you did…”

“I’m telling you this in strictest confidence,” Maddox said.

“Yes, sir,” Valerie said.

A red light began to blink on his screen. Seeing it, a cold feeling worked through Maddox. “Our discussion is over,” he said. He adjusted controls, using passive sensors. A ship had just entered the star system from a different Laumer-Point than the one they had used to get here. The computer analyzed the data and— “An SWS destroyer has just appeared at a distant jump point,” Maddox informed her. A few seconds later, he added, “It’s the Saint Petersburg.” He stood. “Take your station and engage the cloaking device.”

“The cloak is damaged,” Valerie said. “Maybe if we waited to employ it, waited until their Jump Lag wore off—”

“No,” Maddox said. “It’s too risky to cut it too fine. We don’t know how quickly New Men recover from Jump Lag—quicker than us, you once said. Maybe they brought computer systems with them that recover faster than ours do from jump. We have to fade away now and reach our next tramline in secret.”

Valerie stood, moving from piloting to her controls.

Maddox shifted as well, calling Keith on the ship’s intercom.

“Will they try to follow us all the way to the alien star system?” Valerie asked.

“That would be bad,” Maddox said. “How is the cloaking device responding?”

“Do you hear the clicking noise?”

Maddox listened. He could hear it, and he told Valerie so.

“The cloaking device is straining, sir. I don’t know how long our jury-rigging is going to work. We need a dockyard and a major overhaul. The mine hurt us, sir, worse than I think you want to admit.”

“It’s not how good our ship is but if we can beat the other fellow across the finish line.”

The clicking noises increased.

Maddox swore under his breath. The hatch opened and the sleepy-eyed ace entered. “Explain the situation to him, Lieutenant. Keep us cloaked at all costs. Ensign, at your judgment, engage the gravity generator to build our velocity.”

Keith paused, rubbing his eyes, taking his time digesting the order. Finally, he said, “I’m not sure the scout can withstand more of that kind of stress, Captain, sir.”

“I imagine we’re going to find out,” Maddox told him.

“The cloaking device, sir—” Valerie said.

“I’ll tell Meta to keep it operational,” Maddox said.

“Do you know which Laumer-Point I’m supposed to aim us toward once we jump into the next system?” Valerie asked.

Unfortunately, Maddox did not. A prolonged reading of Professor Ludendorff’s notes had convinced him the text was encrypted. Dana might understand the script, but so far, Maddox knew he didn’t.

“I’m off to see if I can answer your question,” Maddox said.

“You’re going to wake Doctor Rich?” Valerie asked.

“Precisely,” Maddox answered. “Wish me luck on convincing her to stay with us to the end.”

“Luck,” Valerie said.

Maddox exited the control room.

Sitting on a chair, the captain waited with his legs crossed as Doctor Rich slowly regained consciousness.

Maddox had time to ponder his situation. Down on the prison planet, what had the appearance of the New Men truly meant? He kept replaying the incident on Loki Prime. The golden-skinned invader had dodged his gunshots. That was incredible. Only by anticipating the man had Maddox been able to shoot him to the ground. Could a regular man have done as well as him?

That’s what I’m really asking, isn’t it? Am I a normal man, or do I have their blood in me? Was my mother a breeder for the New Men? Suppose she was. What does that mean for me?

The idea of genetically altering humans was repugnant to most people. Making replicas such as clones also made people uneasy. The Clone Laws were there to halt the practice, and yet some rich folk on Earth bought clones from planets outside the Commonwealth.

Did the New Men have feelings of racial superiority? Back before interstellar travel, Earth had fought world wars concerning such matters. The Eugenics War of the Twentieth Century had destroyed the nation attempting to fashion a master race. Had that horror now come to the Oikumene? If he and his crew failed to acquire the alien sentinel, would the Star Watch go down in defeat against the invincible cruisers?

Maddox scowled. The New Man on Loki had fired into the undergrowth, unerringly hitting his targets. That had been uncanny. The man’s running speed was faster than Maddox could have sprinted. He also happened to know that he ran much faster than others could.

Maybe this is my mission in life. I’m alive to halt a monstrous racial war. Yes, I drugged Doctor Rich. I did it to keep her out of the way for a time. The mine almost finished us. We had to fix the scout before the destroyer came and demolished us. The Saint Petersburg may annihilate us anyway. I drugged the doctor because it’s harder for one person to resist others mentally when they’re on their own. According to Valerie, Meta has come closer to our way of thinking. We need her.

On the table, Dana smacked her lips. Even though her eyes remained closed, she reached up and began to rub her face.

Even more than Meta, Maddox thought, we need this unpredictable woman. Without her, the operation is likely doomed to failure. How can I convince her to help us? Do I dare try to trick her? Maybe it’s better to lay my cards face-up. What will sway Dana Rich? What should I base my appeal on? You’re supposed to be a smart operator, Captain. What would appeal to me if I were in her shoes?

Yes. That was the question. Know yourself and you could know others.

“What… what happened to me?” Dana whispered in a dry voice.

Maddox held his breath. Here we go. Then, he stood and approached her with a glass of water.

Dana struggled to a sitting position. Although noticing it at first, she ignored the tumbler in his hand. First glancing around, she asked, “How long have I been here?”

He gave her the number in days.

Gingerly, Dana touched the back of her head. She gave him a suspicious glance as he explained how she’d been knocked unconscious and into a coma.

When he finished, she said, “I haven’t been in a coma. The signs are wrong. The truth is you drugged me.”

“The robo-doctor gave you medicine,” Maddox said.

“You know what I mean. By your decision, you put me under. I want to know why you did it.”

“Here,” Maddox said, pushing the water forward.

He could see in her eyes that she wanted to slap the glass away. Finally, she snatched the tumbler, spilling liquid. He wondered if she would fling it in his face. No. She sipped. Finally, she drank the glass dry. Then, she let the container slide from her fingers to bounce off the deck.

“What’s the situation with the scout?” she asked. “The engine sounds different.”

Ignoring the glass, he told her about their repairs, and how the Saint Petersburg was in the same star system with them.

Her eyes darted from side to side thoughtfully. When her orbs came to a rest, she said, “Okay. The destroyer is hunting us. Isn’t that what you’re saying?”

“It is,” Maddox agreed.

“I could have helped with the repairs,” Dana said. “I can do more than Meta.”

“I believe you. The thing is, Doctor, it’s easier to trust Meta than to trust you.”

Her eyes widened until understanding fired in her pupils. “Oh, I see. You’re trying to win her over to your cause. With me out of the way, you could persuade her more easily. Yes. I understand now.”

“And?” Maddox said.

“What do you mean, ‘and?’”

“Aren’t you going to tell me that my trickery won’t work?”

“I don’t engage in useless comments,” Dana said. “Of course your skullduggery could work. It’s a common enough tactic, building camaraderie under extreme conditions. Meta hungers for friends. She’s a lonely person.”

“You aren’t?”

Dana smiled as a predator might. “If I thought about it, I might have time for loneliness. Your trouble, Captain, is that you ponder things too much. You’re much more transparent than you realize.”

“Oh?”

“How is it that your people chose you to try to beat the New Men?” she asked.

Tension bubbled in his chest. “Could you explain your statement?” he asked.

“I don’t have to. Your reaction tells me I struck a nerve. Let me tell you something about your operation. Your plan to gain the sentinel is futile. It won’t work.”

“Doctor Ludendorff believed it could work,” Maddox said.

Dana made a dismissive gesture. “Ludendorff is a hopeless romantic. Yes, the man is brilliant. I concede that much. Frankly, that’s part of his problem. His brilliance blinds him to what can and can’t be done. Most of his life, he’s been doing things everyone told him was impossible. Thus, when he finally came to an impossible situation—I’m talking about the alien star system—he was too puffed up to realize we all would have died if I hadn’t acted quickly enough getting us out of there.”

“Why exactly is gaining the sentinel impossible?”

“You’re a smart man, Captain. At least, you seem capable enough. It should be elementary to figure out the reason.”

“Why don’t you tell me,” Maddox suggested.

Dana looked at him as if he’d become simple-minded. “Ludendorff estimated the alien war to have taken place nearly six thousand years ago. Knowing the man, he’s probably right. Let me ask you something. Can you imagine how long ago that was? Oh, I understand that you think you can. You can’t, though, not really. The timeframe contains all of humanity’s recorded history, everything. The sentinel is impossibly old, yet it is still dangerous. Don’t you think others throughout the centuries tried to tame it as you’re hoping to do?”

“I have no idea,” Maddox said. “By the articles I’ve read, the aliens vanished long ago. Maybe this is the first attempt since their disappearance.”

“Even if you’re right, the sentinel would be too different for us to use. Its controls are likely based on incomprehensible alien realities, at least as we think of them.”

“Wouldn’t rational minds think alike?” Maddox asked. “For instance, aliens must have used the same mathematics we have.”

“Clearly, you’ve read Ludendorff’s notes,” Dana said. “He spoke as you do. No! I reject the concept out of hand. Different races from different worlds would think and act inconceivably different from us.”

“Then how do we defeat the New Men’s star cruisers?” Maddox asked.

“Not my job,” Dana said.

“We—meaning you as well—are presently hunted by a New Man.”

“Correction, you’re hunted by a Star Watch destroyer. I’m beginning to suspect your entire story, Captain. I think you have a completely different agenda in mind, one you’re refusing to tell us.”

“No,” Maddox said. “That doesn’t fly. You saw the New Men down on the planet. You witnessed them and you know they’re incredibly dangerous to us. They have several edges over regular humans, not least of which is that they know us but we know very little about them. Tell me, Doctor. What must I do to convince you to aid us?”

“Nothing,” she said, “because I’m never going to help you in the way you want. It’s death to go back.”

“At least show us how to get to the alien star system. I’ll drop you off before we reach it.”

“Forget it,” she said. “Firstly, I don’t trust you. You drugged me, Captain. You lack a sense of decency. Secondly, if you want to go there, you have Ludendorff’s notes. Read them and use them.”

Maddox stared into her eyes, feeling like a deer watching a wolf panting under a tree. “I believe the professor wrote in code,” he said.

An eyebrow lifted. “So, you’re more intelligent than I’ve given you credit for. Yes, the professor was a maniac about security. He put everything he wrote into an inscrutable cipher.”

“I’m sure you could crack it,” Maddox said.

“That goes without saying. He was smart. I’m smarter.”

Maddox pursed his lips. “I must say, Doctor. You’re a difficult person to like.”

“All you mean is that I’m not doing what you want. As you can see, I’m too wise to fall for your ploys.”

“Nevertheless, you are in the same predicament as us. You’re in the same craft. The New Men are hunting for us, meaning they’re also hunting for you. What will you do as they close in? You must come to your senses before they trap us, and you, for good.”

“You forget,” Dana said. “I was on Loki Prime, more trapped than anywhere in the universe. Yet, I escaped.”

Maddox could have pointed out that he was the one who had taken her off the planet. Instead, he shifted directions because he realized that an appeal to her better nature wasn’t going to work. Doctor Rich was proud. She was ambitious, and she obviously looked down on others. She was hyper-intelligent. That must have meant a childhood full of loneliness. Maddox knew something about that.

He now snorted softly.

She bristled.

Seeing her reaction, he changed tactics. He would needle her, after all. “You didn’t escape from Loki Prime,” Maddox said. “I did that, taking you with me. Don’t you realize I won’t always be there to save your ugly hide from the New Men?”

“Ha!” she said. “Nice try. I’m not as sensitive or as vain as you seem to think. Let me tell you something. You need me. I don’t need you.”

“If I have to,” Maddox said, “I will decipher Ludendorff’s notes on my own and take us to the alien system.”

“Once you’re there,” Dana asked, “how will you trick the sentinel into letting you board?”

Maddox shrugged as if it would be child’s play.

“You do know that you’re racing to your destruction,” she said.

“Possibly,” he said. “I’m also taking you with me.”

“You’ll have to drop me off first.”

“Under normal circumstances I’d be happy to oblige. I’m afraid with the destroyer on our tail that I cannot.”

“That’s madness,” Dana said. “You’ve already admitted the scout is limping along. They have a fully functional machine. You will not shake them. The only rational choice is to return to a Star Watch shipyard and effect repairs.”

“In this you are correct,” Maddox said. “I am irrational and will stubbornly attempt the mission no matter how poor the odds are of succeeding.”

She squinted at him. “You’re bluffing.”

“Did I try to bluff the New Man on Loki?”

“No…” she said. “You shot him, but he still got away.”

Maddox wanted to shout with frustration, pick up his chair and hurl it at her. What would it take to convince this stubborn genius?

“Look at it this way,” said Maddox. “The destroyer isn’t going to give up. That means we’ll barely stay ahead of them. Whatever else I do, I’ll take the scout into the Beyond. Without your help, I’ll make mistakes deciphering the professor’s notes. That means a longer journey than otherwise. The longer this trip takes, the greater chance that I slip up and they catch us. That personally affects you, Doctor.”

She lay back down and stared up at the ceiling. “At least I get to live longer this way—your proposed zigzag journey through the Beyond. Once we reach the alien system, our lives will be measured in hours, not decades.”

“I know what you’re thinking,” Maddox said. “Let me assure you, Doctor, you won’t hijack my vessel.”

She didn’t answer.

“If it’s in my best interests,” Maddox said, “I can always give you the same drugs as before, put you back to sleep.”

“True enough, you can,” she said, “but you won’t.”

“If I don’t, you’ll be spending a lot of time alone locked in your quarters.”

“We’ll see how well Meta does with that,” Dana said.

Frustration seethed through Maddox. He realized she wasn’t going to budge now. That meant he’d have to start reading Ludendorff’s notes again. He couldn’t believe freeing Doctor Rich had actually hindered their mission instead of aiding it. The scout wouldn’t be in this poor condition if he hadn’t gone down to Loki Prime.

“You know you’ll never decipher the professor’s notes,” she said. “You lack the brainpower. Thus, this mission is doomed to failure.”

“I don’t understand why you’re aiding the New Men, Doctor.”

“I’m not aiding them. I already told you once. I hate the Commonwealth of Planets and think even less of the Windsor League and the Wahhabi Caliphate. Let the New Men make a clean sweep of it. In time, I’m going to get a starship of my own. Then, I’m heading far, far away, Captain. So you see, your threat of heading even deeper into the Beyond is no threat at all, but a boon for my plans. By all means, take us far away from your precious Commonwealth and its oh so high and mighty Star Watch. Good riddance to them all.”

Silently, Maddox admitted defeat. “Very well, you’ve convinced me. Let me help you to your new quarters.”

“I can walk on my own,” she said. With that, she struggled off the robo-doctor and limped for the hatch.

Maddox followed, knowing he’d have to keep a sharp eye on her, or despite his best efforts, she would hijack the vessel.