The Madness Engine

by Paul B Spence

  Macklin nodded. "Well, that's a good argument why we should keep them around. Anyone have an equally compelling argument why we shouldn't?"

  Looks were exchanged, but no one was willing to step forward.

  "Okay, that settles that, then. I wanted to ask about how the Rhyrhan ships are settling in to the Fleet. Admiral Gnarr, if you would..."

  Chapter Fifteen

  If Ana was being honest with herself, she had to admit she was worried. Hunter was, too. They were only able to catch vague feelings from Hrothgar, but what they sensing wasn't good. Ana had awoken screaming from a nightmare of clutching tentacles and sucker-mouths ringed with teeth. It hadn't been just a dream; Hunter felt it, as well. Her lover was in trouble, or had been recently. There was only one man she could think of who could help.

  Hard rains and strong winds buffeted the aircar as she and Hunter flew into Jiangsu, the capitol city of the Sentient Concord. The city had been spared when the bombs had fallen during the great space battle last year, as had her home in Mozambique. Other cities had not been so fortunate.

  Hundreds of Federation warheads had made it past the defenses. Most of them detonated over or in the western ocean. The resultant tsunamis had killed millions in the coastal cities. Some of those cities had been hit by bombs, too, killing millions more. The planet wasn't doing well. Temperatures were steadily falling, despite the best efforts of the Concord to stave off disaster. They were in for a long, hard winter, even down south in Mozambique.

  Ana was accustomed to long, hard winters. When Mason had described nuclear winter, Ana thought it sounded fairly mild compared to normal winters back on Cedeforthy, her homeworld. Still, it was going to be difficult for many people, especially the refugees from the ruined cities of the west. Everywhere throughout Jiangsu, Ana saw signs of the preparations: windows being sealed, thermal units being installed. Even on a day such as this, with torrential rains, workers and robots were out and busy.

  Ana, Hunter and their friends had come back to Dawn with the admiral, from Steinway, just that week. The yard had been a bit overgrown, and they had desperately needed to clean out the refrigerator, but the house was intact. Mason hadn't been sure that coming back was the best option, but Ana wanted to be home, and Admiral Shadovsky had asked them to come back with him. He wanted them close in case something happened.

  Amanda woke up as the aircar entered the garage and settled to the ground near the lift. It's okay, little one, Ana thought soothingly to her as she settled the hood over Amanda's head. The garage sheltered them from the rain, but it was still cold.

  Hunter jumped out first and stood guard as she dashed inside. Ana was amused and awed by the huge cat's affection. Her husband's brother had been a good friend to her with Hrothgar away.

  I try, Hunter thought to her.

  "You do very well," she replied. She held the door for him. The aircar moved off and parked somewhere until she needed it. It was strange how used to such things she had become. It seemed natural to her now to summon a car with her datalink, or pull up an air screen to check things on the dataweb. She honestly didn't know how she'd managed for all those years on Cedeforthy without technology.

  You make do with what you have, Hunter thought to her. You have fingers; push the button.

  You have fingers, too. She pushed the button for the level Mandor's office was on. It was nice that the admiral had given them full security access. It made things much easier.

  Hunter held up a massive paw larger than her head, and a shining metal claw slid out. I'm afraid I'd damage the button.

  Likely excuse, lazy cat.

  "Ana, Hunter, good to see you both," Mandor said as she entered the office. "How is little Amanda?"

  "She is doing well, sir, thank you. You said you had news about my husband?"

  "He's fine," said Mandor. "Come in and have a seat. Would you like some hot coffee? I don't have any tea – sorry."

  "No, thank you." She didn't understand how people could drink coffee, the vile stuff. She moved into the office and sat in the chair offered. Amanda settled down for a nap; she was a good baby. "You didn't ask us here just to say he is fine."

  Mandor sighed and sat down behind his desk. Ana thought he was starting to look old, especially around his eyes. Too much stress. "His mission was a success. He was wounded. I won't lie to you: it was bad. He lost an arm and a lot of blood, but –" he held up a hand to stop her from interrupting "– the medical officer on the ship assures me that he'll make a full recovery. A new arm is being grown as we speak."

  Ana nodded. "He's been wounded worse. Still, I wish I could be with him. When will he be back?"

  "That's why I asked you here. It may be a little while before he can come back. You are friends with Lt. Commander Tonya Harris?"

  Ana blushed. Friends didn't quite cover what she felt for the commander, but he didn't need to know that. "Yes," she managed. "What about her?"

  "Her ship was destroyed."

  "What? Are they okay?"

  "We honestly don't know," Mandor replied. "She and Ghost may have escaped the destruction. In any case, your husband's ship has been reassigned to help find her."

  Hunter?

  Ghost is still alive, he told her. I can't say much more than that. They are too far away, and my connection to her isn't that good yet. I'm sure she is still alive, though. I don't know about Tonya. I'm sorry.

  "Hunter says Ghost is still alive," Ana told Mandor.

  "Really? That is good news. If Ghost is alive, I'm sure Tonya is, too. She had better armor."

  "I hope so. You'll let me know as soon as you know something?"

  "Of course." He paused and looked embarrassed. "Ana, I wanted to ask you about Amanda."

  "What about her?"

  "Has she exhibited any... unusual traits?"

  Ana snorted. "It depends on who you ask. Mason thinks she isn't fussy enough."

  Mandor smiled. "I remember my own daughter used to wake me up all the time. I thought I'd never get a good night's sleep again."

  "I'm sorry," Ana said. "I didn't mean to remind you..."

  "The way my family passed away in no way diminishes the love I feel for them. I'm not sorry that you reminded me of a happy memory of them. But enough of that. Is there something wrong with Amanda?"

  "Oh, she wakes me up at night, make no mistake. She just doesn't cry. She's very content. She lets me know if she needs anything. She has no need to cry."

  "How does she do that?"

  "She... communicates her need to me. She doesn't have a real vocabulary yet, but she's working on it."

  "Telepathically?"

  "Yes."

  "You don't find that unusual?"

  "She is my first child. I honestly didn't know what to expect."

  "I just ask because her genetic workup came back. She is unique."

  "I never thought otherwise."

  "She has many of the same genetic sequences as her grandfather. I think she may actually be expressing more of those genes than Tebrey is."

  "You think she'll be like Drake?"

  "Inheritance genetics is an odd thing, but yes, I do. Just the fact that she's developing psionic abilities so early suggests that she is going to be a very different kind of child from anything we've ever seen before. I'm going to assign a rotating guard to your home. I want someone there who can deal with problems if they arise."

  "You think she'll be a threat?"

  "Her? No. I think the enemy is going to be very interested in her if they find out about her, though, and they will. I want someone experienced with the enemy there to protect you. No offense to Hunter."

  None taken.

  Mandor nodded. "Good. When Harris gets back, I'll assign her and Ghost to you. They're the best I have, next to Tebrey. Until then, I'll have one of my personal guards take turns staying there. You have a room she can use?"

  "Yes, Mason is there, but there is another guest room."

  "Good. I'll make the arrangements."

/>   Ana looked around the office while he made the call. "How are you doing without Bruce around?" she asked when he looked back up.

  Mandor sighed. "I feel like part of my brain is missing. Bruce took care of so much around here."

  "You haven't picked a replacement yet?"

  "No." He scowled. "I don't have much of a budget these days. All available money is being diverted to either the war or damage control here on Dawn. We never thought we'd have to terraform the damn planet."

  "Could I help?"

  Mandor opened his mouth to say no, and then stopped himself. He looked contemplative. "You know, that could work," he replied. "You're already on the books as an analyst for us; you're just on medical leave. Is this something you really want to do?"

  Ana shrugged. "I'm bored to death, to be honest. Amanda doesn't require much attention right now. She eats and sleeps. I can do paperwork and be a sounding board for ideas, maybe more."

  "Okay." Mandor held out his hand. "You're hired. I really need the help. I'd be a fool to turn you down."

  She shook his hand. "You're not a fool."

  "Exactly," he said with a wink. "Do you want me to find a place for you here in the capitol, or would you prefer to commute?"

  "I'd rather sleep at home. I just got back. I don't want to leave again."

  "No problem. I'll assign that aircar you came in today to you permanently."

  "Thank you."

  "No, thank you. You'll be a great help. Do you mind starting immediately?"

  Ana laughed. "That desperate, huh?"

  "You have no idea... yet. Say yes?"

  "Yes."

  "Excellent. I'll get some files for you to read tonight. They'll get you caught up on what's going on with the war. Be here tomorrow morning, and we'll go over some of them together. I'd like to get your insight on this Jotnar matter."

  "Jotnar?"

  "It's all in the files."

  "I guess I have some reading to do."

  "Ana," he said as she stood up to leave. "Thank you, and try not to worry about Tebrey and Harris. They're tough as they come."

  "Thank you," Ana said. "I'll see you in the morning."

  Chapter Sixteen

  "When do you want us to leave?" Deegan asked.

  "Just as soon as we finish getting Mr. Meeks outfitted," said the admiral. "Your armor was okay?"

  Geoffrey realized Shadovsky was talking to him. "Hmm? Sorry. Yes, sir. I hadn't had time to pick out weapons, but the suit worked great. I guess." Geoffrey had been thinking about home again, even though he tried hard not to. Drake was back there now, but Geoffrey knew the chance of any of his friends and family still being alive was slim. It was a disheartening thought. He was reasonably safe here, but that was apparently going to change soon. One of these days, he was going have to go home. He'd do his best to set things right, then. Until that time, he'd try to focus on the here and now.

  "Did Riksen check you out on it?"

  "Yes, sorry. He did. He said everything is fine."

  "Good. I'm not happy about starting you off like this, but I don't have much choice. I think Tebrey is going to need you, and you need some experience."

  "I can't say I'm not nervous, sir, but I am eager to meet Tebrey."

  "Good. I'll walk you both up to the armory; I want to speak to Riksen anyway."

  They didn't talk on the way. Geoffrey was certain they took a different route to armory from what he'd taken before. Either that or he was worse at finding his way around than he thought.

  "Do you know what weapons you want, Mr. Meeks?"

  "No, Admiral. I hadn't finished the combat simulations up through the current era. I'm not even sure what's available."

  "Get into your armor, and then look around and see if anything catches your fancy. Meanwhile, I'll have Riksen get you a standard Archangel load-out."

  Geoffrey was more than a little uncomfortable stripping in front of these people he didn't know; he felt himself blushing – again. He undressed as quickly as he could and got into his suit. As before, he didn't even notice any of the hookups that he knew were taking place. His suit seemed more responsive this time. More comfortable. The lining felt odd, like some sort of gel. He supposed it was good at shock absorption.

  The racks of weapons still fascinated him. He wanted to try them all, but he knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. As he looked at the weapons, his HUD described the basic capabilities of each one. Only one didn't register: a small, black pistol that look as if it would fit his hand perfectly when he wasn't wearing a suit.

  He was looking at the pistol when Riksen handed him a rifle and bulky pistol, which he attached to the suit. "This is a thermal impulse rifle – it's basically a more powerful plasma weapon – and a positron pistol."

  "Antimatter?" Geoffrey asked, startled.

  "Yes, why?"

  Geoffrey swallowed hard. "No reason." He wasn't sure how he felt about having that strapped to his hip. "What about this one? It doesn't show up on my HUD."

  "Sub-compact quantum pistol. Just out of the experimental stage, and not for general issue. I don't think you want to bother with that," said Riksen.

  "I'd like to have a pistol I can use when not wearing my armor, and this one looks like it would work great."

  "That's fine, but I don't think you want that one."

  "It won't work against Thetas?"

  "It'll work," Riksen said, sounding irritated. "Any weapon will work against a Theta, if it's used correctly. Hell, you could use your fist. I don't doubt the capabilities of this weapon; it's the side effects that worry me."

  "Can I have it or not?" The more Riksen argued with him about it, the more Geoffrey was convinced he needed it.

  "Hold on," Riksen said. "Admiral?"

  "What's the problem?" Shadovsky asked. He'd been in animated conversation with Deegan.

  "He wants a quantum pistol."

  "Is that a problem?"

  Riksen sighed. "No, sir. Sorry. I didn't want to authorize something like that without your approval." He waited for the admiral to walk away before turning back and speaking in a low voice. "These aren't toys. I've transferred all of the weapons manuals to your neural computer. You need to read and understand each of those before you try to use these weapons. Especially this one," he said. He held up the small quantum pistol. "This thing is probably the most deadly handheld weapon ever created. Don't be a fool and try to use it before you know what it does." He fitted a small holster behind Geoffrey's back.

  "I won't," Geoffrey replied. "I'm hoping I never have to use any of them."

  Riksen snorted. "Small chance of that, if you're working with Tebrey."

  "You've met him?" Geoffrey asked. "What's he like?"

  "Typical Special Operations," Riksen replied enigmatically.

  Θ

  "Okay," Rachael said slowly. "What the hell was that? Some kind of horror vid?" Harris had stopped the vid just after the scene with the ghost – or whatever that thing had been. Rachael wasn't sure she wanted to know how it ended. That figure with the glowing eyes was going to haunt her dreams as it was.

  "In a manner of speaking," Harris replied. "I want this... machine locked up until we get to Steinway. No one touches it! Do you understand?" She pulled the cube from the reader and pocketed it.

  "I understand the words, but not the reasoning behind them," said Rachael. "You can't possibly think that the vid is real, do you?"

  "It doesn't matter what I think."

  "Things like that don't really happen," Rachael insisted. "I've seen some crazy shit in my day, but not demons and ghosts."

  "I'm not arguing with you," Harris said.

  "That's what bothers me."

  "Just lock it up."

  "I suppose you want it keyed only to you," said Rachael.

  "I don't ever want to see the damn thing again. If I didn't think that my people need to study it and find out what's going on, I'd destroy it now. It's evil, Vardegan. Whatever the Empire scientists were try
ing to do originally, they used it for something else in the end. Key the lock to require both of us together to open it. I don't want any one person to have access to the device." She got up to leave.

  "Commander, things like that don't really exist. You know that, right?"

  "Tell yourself whatever you need to, to sleep at night," Harris said over her shoulder as she walked out.

  Rachael sat and stared at the now blank screen, but the thing that had been on it was burned into her memory. Things like that aren't real, she thought. They can't be. But she remembered Harris' reaction to it, the way she shook, and Rachael started shaking, too.

  Θ

  "If you have anything you want to get from your quarters, now would be the time," Shadovsky said to Geoffrey.

  "I just need to get my clothes."

  "You can get more of those when you reach the Vigilant."

  "Then I guess I don't need anything."

  "You don't have any personal effects?"

  "Your people took everything I had with me when I arrived," Geoffrey said. "Fear of contamination, or something like that. Not that I had anything I wanted to keep. I'd already lost everything."

  Shadovsky rested a companionable hand on his shoulder. "Drake kept you from losing your most precious possession. Don't throw it away out there."

  "I didn't give up then; I'm not going to now. Believe me, I'm going to do whatever it takes to stay alive."

  "Good. You ready?"

  "Sure," said Geoffrey. "Are we taking a courier ship? I've been wanting to ride in one since I first heard about them."

  Shadovsky grinned and turned to Deegan. "How about you? Ready?"

  "You called ahead and made sure that we aren't going to get shot when we arrive?"

  "They know you're coming. Thanks again for doing this."

  "No problem," Deegan said. He turned to Geoffrey. "You ready?"

  "Why does everyone keep asking me that?" he said. "Yes. When are we leaving, already?"

  "Now," Deegan said, touching his arm.

  A wave of nausea and vertigo swept over Geoffrey. It was everything he could do not to throw up in his helmet. He didn't want to do that; he remembered from his training what it was like to die that way.