“Had another run-in with the Peace Promotion Group?” Korinna pushed her empty plate aside. “One of them tried to get the TechRates to ‘strike a blow for peace—just down tools for five minutes.’ My leading ScanTech told her to take a walk—only I think his language was a little riper.”
Harry laughed. “I heard about that. My coxswain arrived just as he did it, and warned her she could be charged with attempting to provoke a mutiny.” He looked around the wardroom dining room. “I haven’t been buttonholed by dear Mr. Montaigne today. Perhaps he’s finally giving up on trying to persuade me to allow him to make a documentary about Ferghal, Danny and me.”
“Don’t be so sure. He’s heading this way.” Korinna scooted back her chair and stood up, her grin directed at Harry. “I’m off. Don’t bite him—he’s probably not that tasty.”
“Ah, Mr. Heron.” Montaigne practically sang his greeting.
Harry cringed and turned to acknowledge the actor as he took a seat at the head of the table.
“Mr. Montaigne. I trust you had a good night, sir.”
“Passable, thanks. One does adjust you know.” He beamed at the others. “A little discomfort in the interests of one’s cause is never a hardship.” He accepted the loaded platter the steward placed before him. “You people seem to manage pretty well, I must say. The food isn’t quite Cordon Bleu, but it’s certainly edible.”
“As you say, sir, our cooks manage pretty well with the supplies we are able to get. Considering the escalation in price at present for almost everything, I should think the Fleet budget must be stretched.”
“You know, Lieutenant, for someone of your background, you have a very astute mind. I wish you’d consent to my proposal. It could make a huge difference you know.” The man shovelled a mouthful of food into his maw and chewed energetically.
Harry kicked Kallie’s shins to silence him as he smiled and managed to say with every appearance of calm, “You may well be right, sir. However, there are perhaps a few small hurdles to overcome. At present we have a fight on our hands, not, as you’ve been kind enough to acknowledge, of my making, and secondly, as I seem to have acquired a certain notoriety in the news media, it is not the best starting point for any such initiative.”
“Nonsense, my boy. With my experience in visual presentation, I could soon change your image and show you how to woo an audience.” He beamed at Harry. “Just put yourself in my hands for a few weeks, and I’ll show you how to have them worshipping the ground you walk on.”
Harry managed a smile and fought down his annoyance at the man’s patronising ‘my boy.’ Nonetheless, he was always polite, and he somehow managed to say, “Thank you, sir. Should I have a change of mind, I shall certainly consider your offer.” He pushed his chair back. “Now I’m afraid I must beg to be excused. My ship demands my attention.”
“I love the quaint way you say that, Lieutenant.” Montaigne ’s smile was either affectionate or patronising. Harry couldn’t decide which, and he suddenly felt sorry for aging actor. “Go to your beloved ship then.”
“Thank you, sir. I don’t think you’ll be short of company. Lieutenant Oosthuizen has yet to finish eating, and several of my colleagues are already heading this way. Good day.” Harry gave a slight bow, his unconscious trademark, which made him even more attractive to the celebrity (had he known this, he never would have done it), and made his way toward the door.
“Harry.” Ferghal hurried toward him. “I was just about to look for you.”
Harry beamed. He’d been missing his friend’s company lately. “Then we’re well met. What sends you on this chase away from your beloved maintenance crew?”
Ferghal laughed. “I’ve just escaped and have permission to embark with you in 847 for your next patrol.”
“And what mischief do you escape this time?”
Ferghal grinned. “I have no idea what you’re on about.” His amorous exploits were becoming almost as legendary as his skill with microcircuits and model making.
Harry gripped his friend’s arm. “Keep your secrets then. It will be wonderful to have you aboard. Has the Commander approved it?”
“Of course,” Ferghal said, as they turned to walk together. “Truth to tell I’ll be glad to have some real spacefaring again.” He laughed. “But it has a serious purpose.” He lowered his voice. “The Siddhiche have been busy, and I am to try a modification in the drive system.”
Harry stopped, frowning. “Will this affect our scheduled sweep? What modification is this?”
“Not so loudly. This is why I sought you out. I need to put a team onto 846 and 847 immediately to install a new transit field controller. I am ordered to find you and Kallie, and send you both to see the Commander immediately.” He gripped Harry’s shoulder. “I’d best get moving. The Commander will explain all—and now I must intercept Kallie before he escapes. From the looks of it, I’d better move fast!”
The Grand Admiral stopped midsentence as the apparition formed in front of his audience. This time the figure took the form of a twenty-first century astronaut, causing the commander-in-chief to wonder what this presaged. The audio system came to life.
“You have tested the transit system. You must make haste to adapt all your ships.”
“My staff have it in hand. The modification is not as simple as you suggest for our large ships. They need much more work.”
The figure turned, apparently studying the assembled senior officers. “You must kill the Niburu. We have provided the means to do so in your system.” The figure indicated the Weapons officers. “We provide you with the data your scientists require. Do not delay. You must kill the Niburu. All of them.”
“Kill all the Niburu? We’re already destroying their ships …” Grand Admiral MacQuillie stopped as the figure faced him. “You do not kill them, you merely damage them, You must destroy them all. Kill them.” The figure vanished.
“Damned if I know what to make of that.” The C-in-C gathered his thoughts. “Right, Weapons, tell your people to find whatever we’ve been presented with this time. I expect we’ll need to get it out to Admiral Heron and the Beagle so they can figure out what the hell it is.” He paused. “Kill them all? Destroying their ships doesn’t? What the hell are we really dealing with then?”
“Can’t be as weird as the Siddiche if we can target them and track them,” remarked the Director of Comms. “I wish I knew how the Siddhiche actually do this appearing and vanishing trick – and how they are actually interfacing with my systems at all!”
“Harry, at last I can see you.” Mary smiled at Harry, and he returned the greeting. It was good to see her, and the reception was so clear in the holographic projection that it seemed like he could reach out and touch her. “It’s taken a while to be able to get clearance to make this call,” she added. “All the hypercom channels to ships are restricted at present. Did you get my last letter?”
“I did. Oh, Mary, I miss you. I’ve got another letter ready to post as soon as we touch at the handover point to offload our current crop of passengers.” He smiled and blew her a kiss. “That will have to do for now, my love. So, what have you been doing in Dublin?”
“Preparing for a new concert tour.” She saw his change of expression. “Oh, Harry, don’t worry—the tour’s in Australia. All civilian interstellar travel is restricted to essential journeys only.” She paused. “It’s so good to know you’ve recovered. Promise me you’ll take care. Those Niburu are such awful creatures. Was it difficult being so helpless?”
“It wasn’t easy.” He grimaced. “There were times I didn’t think I would keep my sanity.” His smile returned. “I should have had more faith, I suppose. Don’t worry, darling, I have no intention of letting them catch me again.” He paused. “I see the League have begun their campaigning again, but now with a new slant. They say we’ve left their Peace Fleet unprotected, and our activities have provoked the Niburu into attacking them.”
“Yes, but the League hasn’t the same followi
ng any longer. They’re finding it difficult to get funding now, and their supporters aren’t keen to volunteer for any more expeditions, even if they could get permission to leave our system.” She laughed. “Your aunt has stirred up a few hornets’ nests as well. She’s a real firebrand. She’s got all the organisations she’s patron for campaigning for you guys, and I think her people are winning the argument. Even the president’s wife is actively supporting you.”
“Oh dear, that’s probably blown my credit with the Fleet then.” Harry grinned. “I wish I could show you 847. She’s a real honey of a ship—almost as much fun as sailing my Extravagance in Belfast Lough and the Western Isles.
“Oh, Harry, you’re incorrigible. You’ll just have to bring your 847 to me then. Extravagance is very pretty, but you know I get seasick even on her moorings. I hope I won’t have the same problem with your newest ship.”
“No, my love, I know you won’t. She’s got artificial gravity and all the comforts of a liner, and you don’t get sick on those.” He smiled as his link chirped. “Duty calls, my love, and this call must be costing you a fortune. I must go now—stay safe and take care. We think some of the LPSL ships may be carrying Niburu back to Earth. They’ll be intercepted and checked, but it will give the League more ammunition to spread their lies. Just keep believing in what we’re doing.”
“I will always believe in you, Harry. Good-bye, my sweet man, and remember, I love you so much.” She blew him a kiss. “Take care…come home to me soon. I’ll be right here waiting for you.”
Chapter 29
Special Assignment
“There’s something new from the Siddhiche.” The Grand Admiral glanced around the table. “We’re trying to make sense of it, but as usual, it isn’t straightforward. It’s something to do with the Niburu ships. According to the science team working on the data, we have to kill the ships.”
“I thought we were doing that already.”
“Yes, but this is something different. They’ve provided us with the system they use for transit. It’s been tried on a couple of corvettes to date, and it worked. Now we have to build larger versions for the bigger ships. That’s one thing; the second and more important aspect is the weapon they want us to develop. They say it’s the only way to kill them.” He rubbed his cheek. “They keep using this term kill in relation to the ships. When we say we’re destroying them, they tell us that isn’t killing them.”
“Could be just a linguistics problem.”
“I don’t think so. From what the scientists are saying, they think destroying the ships may not completely destroy whatever controls or creates them. So all these seemingly dead ships we’ve been leaving behind may actually be harbouring the seeds for new ones.” The Commander-in-Chief rested his elbows on the table and folded his hands. “I don’t like that thought at all.”
Harry stared at the bulkheads in his cabin aboard the Prinz. “Are all the cabins like this?”
The chief steward looked uncomfortable. “No, sir. Some are bad, most have some graffiti, and one or two are just untidy, but I’m afraid yours seems to have been especially targeted.” He shook his head. “Seemed like such a decent chap—well spoken, well dressed and tidy. I’d never have thought he’d do something like this, sir.”
“Not your fault, Chief.” Harry glared at the graffiti. This had not been done in a hurry; it had taken planning and time. Around a caricature of himself the words mass murderer, cultural vandal, warmonger and destroyer were among the least offensive slogans, epithets and insults artistically painted and etched onto the bulkheads, the deckhead and every other surface.
“I’ve had the maintenance people in to see it, sir. They say it’s a strip and rebuild job for everything except the bulkheads.”
“I can see that.” Harry’s expression showed a mix of anger, contempt for the perpetrator and disgust. His link chirped.
“Heron.”
“Commander Polen. Come to my quarters, Harry. I’ve something urgent for you to do.”
“On my way, sir.” Turning to the chief steward, he ordered, “Get the videographers in here please. I want it recorded exactly as it is now.” He paused. “I think I know who will know how to use this most effectively—I hope.”
He turned to find Ferghal and Kallie in the doorway. The latter’s face was flushed with fury, but Ferghal’s showed a cold anger. He gripped Harry’s shoulder. “I’ll have my people on this immediately. We’ll have your cabin as good as new by tomorrow, or I’ll be after my lads’ hides.”
Harry returned the grip. “Thanks, my friend, but it will never be the same for me again.” He gestured at the graffiti. “What worm in the mind drives someone to do this? This person never even made themselves known to me.”
Kallie responded. “Change quarters with me. Mine escaped this sort of vandalism. I’ll take these, and you can have mine.”
“Thanks, my friend, but no. If Ferghal can get it repaired, I’ll make do. And, if it becomes too much, I’ll sleep aboard 847.” He hurried away to report to the Commander, leaving Kallie and Ferghal with the chief steward.
When Grand Admiral McQuillie appeared on the holo-screen, Admiral Heron wasted no time getting to the point. “Good morning, sir. I initiated this call to inform you that the Niburu are on the advance again. They’re using these Trojan ships and a number of the ships they captured from the League as decoys. The League ships are still human manned, or at least have humans functioning aboard them, but they’re actually carrying warriors, whose presence is masked by the human crews.” Admiral Heron felt tired, and it showed to his superior officer. He’d had little sleep in the last few weeks.
“How do you propose dealing with this?” Grand Admiral MacQuillie asked. “Have you shared it with Admiral Gorbinsky and Admiral Powers?”
“Yes. They haven’t encountered any of the League decoys yet, but I’ve alerted them to it. We’ve been forced to evacuate ten small mining operations and abandon the colony on Yangtse Five that we’d managed to recapture. Admiral Li’s ships have evacuated everyone they could save.” He paused. “It was a classic deception. First three League ships showed up, requesting docking and assistance. When that was granted, the Niburu warriors got aboard the docks and managed to isolate them before any response could be organised. Then several of the Trojan ships jumped in and started a firefight. With Li’s forces tied down dealing with that, the Niburu managed to put their people on the planet.”
“Couldn’t the ground forces deal with it?”
“Apparently not. They did manage to hold out long enough to get around two-thirds of the populace loaded and clear before two of the big base ships arrived.” He rubbed his eyes. “With Li pulling his ships back, that leaves our flank exposed. I’m pulling back to regroup and secure the next nearest colonies.”
“Very well, James.” The Grand Admiral nodded. “We fully support that. Now, I have some news for you, good news: The new transit field generators have been tested, and they are fully functional and available for use. We’re fitting them as fast as we can in the hope that will give you an edge in manoeuvring against the enemy. It’s Siddhiche tech, and it uses around one-third the power we’ve previously needed, and the transit is instant. It takes two days to fit to the larger ships, though, so we’ll be swapping them round until they’re all fitted.” He paused. “There’s something else coming up as well. The Siddhiche keep telling us we aren’t killing the Niburu, and they’ve been quite worked up about it.” He sighed heavily. “We think we’ve finally figured out what they’re talking about. It’s too sensitive to discuss or commit to signal, so I’m sending it via a special courier with some material for your scientists on the Beagle. It’ll be with you in a few weeks. I’ll relay a rendezvous for a ship from your end to collect it. Sorry I can’t take any risks with it, but you’ll see why when you get it.”
“Okay, I’ll just have to wait on it then.” The Admiral laughed suddenly. “Are we now forced to resort to the same messaging system my former wa
rd still uses? Handwritten letters?”
The Commander-in-Chief smiled. “In this instance, yes. We can’t afford to compromise this, so we’re also encrypting it with a code that probably only your three will even recognise.”
“Take a seat, Harry.” The Commander was studying a tablet, his face in shadow. He looked up. “I hear your cabin is being repaired. Don’t worry, we know who did it, and he will be dealt with, the ungrateful little bastard.” He pushed the tablet across the desk. “I have a rather interesting task for you—an unusual one to say the least. I’m sending you on a single-ship mission. You’re to meet a courier ship from HQ at the coordinates on the tablet.”
“Thank you, sir. I’ll confess that if the opportunity had arisen, I would have been hard pressed not to beat some manners into him, whoever it was.” Harry glanced at the tablet and his eyebrows rose in surprise. “This is at least six weeks out and back, sir. That’s a long haul for my ship without support.”
He regarded Harry for a moment, his face unreadable. “It will be a serious haul for such a small ship, but we don’t want to send anything larger for a number of reasons. I’m sending you because I know I can rely on you to think on your feet and because the relationship between you and your ship is unique.” He paused. “There’s another reason, which will be explained in your orders.”
“Thank you, sir. We can manage it, of course, but it will be uncomfortable, and we’ll have to carry twice the supplies we would normally ship.” His mind was already plotting where the extra stores could be placed as he calculated the needs of the crew. “An extra watch keeper would be useful as well.”
“Yes, I’ve arranged for Lieutenant O’Connor to go with you.” He smiled. “His Commander put up quite a fight, but you’ve got him.” He paused. “Now, this is for your ears only. The ship you are meeting is carrying a special signal and something for the scientists. The Grand Admiral feels it can’t be committed to the electronic message and signal system because he thinks it may have been compromised by the LPSL’s lost ships. Once you enter transit, you must not use your signal emitters at all. Maintain the normal listening watch, but do not respond to anything that is not preceded by the code on this slip.” He handed Harry a slip of paper.
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