by D. M. Pruden
Stromm and Kovacs had spent a decade in isolation. When he considered the stealth technology Malkovich had surprised them with on their arrival, he realized these guys might have something unexpected hidden away. He strongly doubted that his host was merely interested in showing off. There was another, more ominous purpose to this little side trip.
They exited the elevator and proceeded down a long corridor that ran the length of Iliad, in the core of the ship. It had a sterile feel. Pavlovich’s anxiety increased markedly as they passed through a third security check before entering a laboratory. Much to his relief, the guards remained outside.
Kovacs invited him to the far end of the room, where there was another hologram display. Floating in the air were at least two dozen oddly shaped objects. Separated, they were arranged as if they were pieces of some elaborate three-dimensional puzzle not yet assembled.
“What the hell is this?”
“Don’t pretend you can’t guess.”
Pavlovich strolled around the image, studying each unique piece, trying to visualize what they would construct when put together. “Nope, I don’t have a clue.”
Frowning, Kovacs waved his arm, sweeping a section of the assembly out of view. At the interior of the yet-to-be-completed structure lay a distinctively shaped void. He reached into the hologram, pulled out an almost real-looking mold of the empty space, and held it up.
“Have you ever seen anything similar to this?”
Pavlovich carefully examined the object. Compared with the other pieces that floated in the display, this one was crude and misshapen. It lacked the intricate surface detail that covered each of the others.
“You’ve got me, Kovacs. What is it supposed to be?”
“Think! In over a decade, you’ve never noticed anything like this on your ship?”
Pavlovich’s eyes widened. “So this is what Stromm is after.”
Kovacs’s brow furrowed and he shouted, “Don’t play the fool with me, Pavlovich! I know you’re aware of the cynosure.”
“It’s a myth; something that couldn’t possibly exist.”
“But you’ve heard of it?” His tone was more hopeful than accusatory.
“I’m sure there are a number of us who have. It was part of the story Thomas fed me when he tried to recruit me. Frankly, I’m surprised he didn’t approach you, from the sounds of things.”
“Oh, I joined with him, as did Stromm and Malkovich.”
Pavlovich couldn’t mask his reaction at the mention of his cousin.
“Does it surprise you that he was in on it with the rest of us?”
“As I said before, we’re related; that doesn’t mean we’re alike. What is it you want from me, Kovacs?”
“Stromm was tasked by Thomas to recover and assemble the device that would reveal the cynosure. Pieces were hidden on UEF ships in thirty-two systems, including yours. He’d managed to retrieve all but two when the light gate collapsed.”
Pavlovich reexamined the three-dimensional image. “You’re guessing what this piece looks like. It’s why there is no detail, like on the other pieces.”
“With two parts missing, we can only conjecture their exact appearance, but we know this one is on your ship.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“Because Thomas hid it there.”
“If he told you that, then you should know where to find it.”
“You knew the old fossil,” said Kovacs. “He wasn’t the most trusting sort. He only fed Stromm the information in drips, presumably so he wouldn’t run off half cocked and think he could build the thing himself and use it.”
Pavlovich chuckled. “He knew Ullie fairly well, didn’t he?”
“He hid the part on Scimitar when he was her commander, long before he understood its importance. It is a key functional component.”
“I’ve commanded her for a long time and never seen anything that looks like this.”
“Then we have no other choice. We’ll have to tow her back to Pictor Prime and tear her apart.”
Pavlovich returned his attention to the object. “Not so hasty,” he said. “I have an idea.”
“I hope it’s a good one.”
“My AI is patterned off my chief engineer. It is possible that the information we are looking for resides in that database. She knows...knew the ship better than anyone.”
Kovacs appeared hopeful. “Do you think so?”
“Maybe, but I won’t know until I get to Scimitar.”
“Okay, I’ll send you over with the squad of my Rangers.”
“They aren’t necessary.”
“If you think I trust you, then you haven’t been paying attention. They will ensure you don’t do anything stupid.”
“And what do you want me to do if I find this piece?”
“You will tell no one, for starters. Bring it here to me.”
“Kovacs, we don’t even know where this might be. For all I know it’s a component inside one of the reactors.”
“Just find it.”
Pavlovich raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t exactly given me a good reason to cooperate with you. I have an idea what you and Stromm stand to gain by putting this thing together. What’s in it for me?”
A sly smile grew on Kovacs’s face. “You are so naïve. Do you think we’ve been entertaining your crew with tea and crumpets while you are on this little mission? Even as we speak, everyone is being interrogated for this information. The longer you delay or try to negotiate some kind of deal with me, more of them die.”
Pavlovich lunged and seized him by the front of his uniform, slamming him into the wall. Kovacs almost seemed amused.
“Get as angry as you want, but I’m the only chance they have. Cooperate, and I’ll help you.”
“Why would you do this? They know nothing.”
Kovacs shrugged. “One word from me and the interrogations stop.”
Pavlovich pressed him harder against the bulkhead. “You set this up, you son of a bitch. Why the hell didn’t you two just ask me?”
Full realization hit him like a punch to the gut. Suddenly, the enhanced security everywhere and the pervading paranoia made sense to him. “He doesn’t trust you.”
“No one trusts anyone. The clock is ticking. What’s it to be?”
As much as he wanted to snap the other man’s neck, he realized he was trapped. He released him and stepped back. “I’ll do it, but you stop torturing my crew immediately.”
Kovacs straightened his uniform. “You’re in no position to bargain. We’ll talk about that when you return with the piece, not before.”
Snarling, Pavlovich turned on his heel and marched to the door.
“Where are you going?” asked Kovacs, amused.
“Tell your Rangers to meet me at the hangar in ten minutes, or I’ll leave them behind.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Scimitar's Secret
“HAS ILIAD DONE anything besides scan us?” asked Hayden.
“You mean like lock missiles?” said Cora in his earpiece. “No, but they’ve finally stopped trying to contact the repair ship. For the record, I still believe it was a bad idea not to reply.”
“And who would we have pretended to be? Malkovich’s Rangers made sure none of the crew’s remains were identifiable.”
“I could have cracked their security lockout, if you’d have let me keep trying,” she said.
“We need your talents for other things, Cora.”
“It would help if somebody could tell me what this cynosure thing is supposed to be. I have no idea where to look. I’ve already cleared all the high-level files in the database and am now going through the operating kernel, but without knowing what I’m looking for, it is taking a lot of time.”
“That’s why I want your focus there. You have to find it before Malkovich does.”
“Hayden, there is a significant chance that I may not be able to locate it. We are assuming it is hidden in the computer system, but what if it isn’t?
”
“As you said, it would be easier if we understood what we searched for, but we don’t, so...”
“Malkovich hasn’t even hinted at what it is?” she asked.
“No, he prefers to keep me in the dark while he runs his own search. He spent two hours tearing the captain’s quarters apart before he began to concentrate on the archived files.”
“He is currently reviewing all of Pavlovich’s logs and those of his predecessor.”
“Do you think he realizes you’re watching him?”
“Not unless he suspects I exist. We’ve been pretty careful about keeping me a secret from him.”
Why did everything have to revolve around secrets? It seemed like they permeated his existence, and everyone he knew, including his own father, kept him ignorant of the political realities of the empire.
“We should be thankful he didn’t bring any engineers with him,” said Cora. “Keeping the FTL engine hidden would be a bigger challenge.”
“Don’t discount Malkovich’s men. They’ve been patrolling every deck.”
“Yeah, but aside from the routine peek into the engineering section, they’ve left Chin alone.”
“I’m still concerned that his search won’t remain confined to the computer,” he said. “If he starts sniffing around down there, it won’t take him very long to find the false wall. Speaking of that, how are things progressing with the erganium?”
Cora sighed. “That is another issue that would be easier to deal with if we didn’t have unwelcome guests. The mineral I located is sufficiently pure that refining it is relatively simple. The problem is that every time one of the Rangers gets close to engineering, Chen has to tear down the equipment and hide it. The process is taking longer than it needs to.”
“How much more time do you need?”
“Thirty to forty-hours. It all depends on the interruptions.”
“We don’t have any other options. The less Malkovich knows about the FTL drive, the better.”
A lengthy pause occurred before Cora announced. “Uh-ohh! We have a new problem. The Iliad just launched a dropship that is coming our way.”
“Shit, how long until it arrives?”
“Fifty-seven minutes. Based on the comm chatter, Malkovich’s people have noticed too.”
Hayden rose from his bunk and grabbed his jacket. “I’m going to the bridge.” He adjusted the receiver in his ear canal. “Keep me posted on everything.”
“What are you going to do?”
“First? I’m going to ensure Malkovich doesn’t blow that ship out of the skies. The last thing we need is to precipitate a shootout. After that, I’ll be making things up as I go.”
Arriving at the bridge entrance unnoticed, he paused to collect himself before he opened the hatchway and entered.
Malkovich looked up from a console. “Ah, Kaine, your timing is perfect. Stromm’s ship has dispatched a boarding party.”
“Really?” Hayden didn’t think he fooled anyone, but continued, “Aren’t they following standard procedure if they’ve lost communications with the repair crew?”
“Yes, but now I have a decision to make. Do I open fire?”
“What are you going to shoot at them with? I told you; we’re out of ammunition, and even cloaked, your vessel can’t take out two cruisers and the dropship before being targeted.”
“I am perfectly aware of the tactical limitations, son. I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you, remember? I’m hoping you weren’t bullshitting me about having a weapon. Are you sure you still want to go with that story?”
Hayden glanced over to Gunney, who sat stone-faced in his alcove. The old cyborg was hard to read. He wasn’t sure if that was because the gunnery officer had a handle on his emotions or simply didn’t own more than one expression. Malkovich should have been aware the only weapon Scimitar was supposed to have available was the X-ray laser. He couldn’t want to start a firefight. Hayden wondered if he suspected the more advanced Glenatat technology existed and was attempting to force their revelation.
“General, it would be foolhardy to engage either of those ships, even if Scimitar possessed a full complement of ordnance. I hope you have a better plan than one which won’t end well for us.”
“Who do you think is aboard that craft, Lieutenant?”
Hayden regarded the growing image of the shuttle on the screen. “Tactically, it should be an armed squadron.”
“Which, of course, means we’ll have a messy conflict on our hands when the airlock opens. My Rangers are good, but all Stromm’s men need to do is get a short message back to their mothership, and we will be scattered debris within a matter of minutes.”
“You believe Stromm would do that? Destroy the ship he covets?”
“As far as he knows, he left an abandoned warship behind. If his soldiers meet resistance, he can only conclude that I have taken possession of Scimitar.”
“Well, he wouldn’t be wrong.”
“So you see, Mister Kaine, we are damned either way; effectively checkmated, unless you have some advantage that you’ve kept from me?”
Malkovich was one helluva poker player, Hayden decided. The last thing he wanted to do was to reveal Scimitar’s Glenatat enhancements. Their armour could easily withstand any nukes Iliad or her sister vessel tossed their way, and the dark energy cannon would make short work of them before either ship got a single shot off. That scenario, while much simpler, could only play out if he revealed the truth about Scimitar to Malkovich.
He really needed to confer with Cora. Doing so, however, risked revealing her true nature and would create an entirely new set of problems.
“As far as they are concerned,” he said, “their nonresponsive crew is a huge red flag. What if they were to reestablish contact?”
“That would be a neat trick, given their present condition. What do you have in mind, Kaine?”
“Let’s give them what they expected to find; an empty ship. We will transfer to the repair vessel. My AI can crack the security lockout and reply to Iliad from there. The comm glitch will be explained away as an effect of the radiation leak they were supposed to fix.” He hoped Cora was paying attention.
“You want me to hand the ship over to Stromm? Fat chance. I’ll destroy her myself first.”
Hayden scowled, and his voice hardened. “Listen to the entire plan, General. You and your Rangers will return to your stealth vessel but remain docked. Once Stromm’s men board, search and confirm she’s abandoned, they will let down their guard. You will then have the opportunity to sneak aboard and retake Scimitar. Your men are trained for that kind of thing, right?”
Malkovich frowned. “Of course they are. What you’re proposing is risky, Lieutenant.”
“It’s the only idea I have that will keep this ship you want so badly in one piece. Unless you have a better plan...?”
The two men stared at each other for a long time. “Very well, Kaine, I’ll agree, but with one alteration. You will accompany me aboard our vessel. I want to keep an eye on you.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Welcome Home
INSIDE THE CROWDED stealth ship, Kaine and Malkovich were captivated by the image on the viewer. The screen showed a squad of soldiers pouring from an airlock. By Hayden’s count, they outnumbered Malkovich’s rangers two to one.
“This plan is shit,” said the general. “Those are Stromm’s elite personal guard—”
“Stromm has a personal guard? Isn’t that a little, I don’t know, pretentious, perhaps?”
Malkovich snorted. “Think what you will, Kaine, but I know those men. They won’t drop their guard. Sneaking up on them just became impossible. Your plan is starting to stink.”
“I’m still open to another one.”
“Hmph. Is there no way we can use your ship’s AI more creatively?”
In his earpiece Hayden thought he heard Cora snicker at the remark.
“I suppose I could order it to evacuate the air from the ship and
shut off the artificial gravity, but those guys look equipped to handle that sort of thing.”
“How about the emergency bulkhead controls? Can you override them manually?”
Hayden sat back to consider the idea. “You mean divide and conquer? Separate and isolate them from each other? I suppose that might work in the short term.”
“We don’t need long if we plan it right. We can keep a path clear for my men to reach the isolated sections. Then they open the doors and take them out in smaller batches.”
“I thought you said these guys were elite. Besides, even if we go with that idea, we’d still need to jam their comm channels and put a damper field in place to suppress their LINKS.”
“That’s a piece of cake,” said Cora in his ear.
Ignoring her comment, he continued. “On top of that, they have enough firepower to do real damage to my ship during the shootout.”
“Well, you’d better come up with something or—”
“Wait,” said Hayden, raising his hand for silence. His eyes were glued to the screen as Yegor Pavlovich emerged from the airlock, dressed in light armour but not armed.
Malkovich beamed. “Son, things just got a whole lot easier.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That’s my cousin. We have a man on the inside.”
“I don’t know. It looks to me like he’s a prisoner.”
“Naw, he’s exactly where he means to be, just like we planned.”
“The captain? I’m confused. I thought you two hated each other. Your ships attacked us—”
“Did they hit Scimitar?”
“Well, no, but—”
“Look, Kaine, I know of Yegor’s penchant for intrigue and can understand why he might justify keeping you in the dark.”
Hayden knotted his brow and fixed his full attention on Malkovich.
“Yegor contacted me as soon as you arrived in the system. I apprised him of the situation, and we worked out a little plan. We agreed he would worm his way into Stromm’s good graces by turning on one of my ships.”
