“Cross your fingers,” Valerie said.
“I beg your pardon?” Galyan asked.
“Yes,” Valerie said. “You’re right.”
***
Something about Kane alerted Maddox.
They had entered a larger underground area. Here, the floor had planks, and the ceiling possessed lights. Heat units churned causing Maddox to sweat. To the left were large stacked wooden crates. A steep ramp led to a tunnel entrance in the ceiling.
Turning a corner brought the biggest surprise of all. Four people loaded up a shuttle, a big one.
“Professor,” Lank called.
An older man looked up. After a second, he detached himself from the four. He wore a slarn fur and had gray hair and a lined face. He was bigger than Maddox had expected and looked more like a trapper than the galaxy’s most famous professor.
“Lank,” Professor Ludendorff said. “You finally decided to shackle Kane and Meta. I’m intrigued. Who are these others?”
As the professor approached, Lank introduced Maddox, Dana and Keith.
That bothered Maddox. Why had Lank needed to introduce Dana? Had she changed that drastically? Had Dana told him the truth, or were there things she had never confided to him about Ludendorff?
Maddox glanced at the doctor.
It happened then, and it happened fast.
The team approached with Kane and Meta in the lead. The big man stumbled, going to one knee. Then, Kane stood with startling suddenness. One of the links in the leg irons snapped, sending the shards spinning. An iron piece struck a trapper in the face, catapulting the man onto the floor.
Meta shouted. With one hand, Kane shoved her backward. She stumbled against a trapper and against Lank Meyers. The three of them went down.
In those moments, Kane covered ground fast. The big man could move like a rhinoceros and with as much power. A trapper in his way tried to draw a gun. Kane took the weapon from the man and possibly broke the hand while doing it. A left cross literally smashed the trapper’s face, dropping him brutally.
Maddox brought up his Khislack. He’d stopped aiming it at Kane some time ago. By the time the captain had the rifle up, Kane reached Ludendorff.
With one arm, Kane lifted the professor in front of him like a shield, with Ludendorff’s head blocking Kane’s. The other hand gripped the stolen handgun, pressing the barrel against Ludendorff’s head.
“What is this, Kane?” Lank shouted. “Treachery?”
Kane moved fast, backing up until he bumped against the shuttle. “Meta,” he said. “Come here.”
“No,” Maddox said.
“I’ll kill the professor if he she doesn’t come,” Kane said.
With the Khislack pointed at Ludendorff’s stomach, Maddox approached Meta. She’d risen to one knee. The captain glanced at her face. It was twisted with hurt and uncertainty.
“Meta,” Kane called.
“She remains with me,” Maddox said.
Meta looked up at Maddox.
“They did something to your mind,” Maddox told her.
Meta frowned. “I think you could be right.”
“I’ll shoot her if she doesn’t come,” Kane said.
“Then I’ll kill you,” Maddox said.
“Killing Ludendorff in the process,” Kane said.
“If I have to.” Maddox didn’t look back to see if Lank Meyers aimed a weapon at him.
Kane began to move alongside the shuttle toward the cargo bay entrance. “If you shoot me, he dies,” the big man said. “Remember that, Captain.”
Maddox steeled himself, raising the rifle to fire.
“No!” Dana shouted. “Don’t do it, Captain.”
“I can’t let the New Men get Ludendorff,” Maddox said. “We need him.”
“Killing the professor solves nothing,” Dana said. “Let him go.”
Maddox felt helplessness boil in his gut. How could Kane have broken a link in the leg irons? The man must possess fantastic strength. He also moved like greased death.
“This is why the New Men sent Kane,” Maddox said. “They want Ludendorff.”
“Trust me, Captain,” Dana said. “This isn’t over. We have Victory in orbit.”
“We can’t let Kane go,” Maddox said.
“Professor!” Lank shouted.
“We knew this day would happen,” Ludendorff shouted. “The New Men are too clever. Goodbye my friends. I will miss you all.”
“Professor,” Lank shouted, with agony in his voice.
“This is for the best, my old friend,” Ludendorff said. “You mustn’t fret. The enemy is vast and powerful. I trust you understand my meaning?”
Maddox’s trigger finger tightened.
“No,” Dana said.
Something in her appeal stopped Maddox from squeezing the last fraction of force. Then it was too late. Kane darted into the shuttle, taking Professor Ludendorff with him. A second later, the cargo bay hatch whirred shut.
“We can’t let them leave,” Maddox said. “Do you have more SAMs?”
Lank Meyers stared at the shuttle with tears brimming in his eyes. The others in the cavern stood mute and still.
The shuttle’s engine roared with life.
“Lank!” Maddox shouted. “Do you have any more SAMs?”
The security chief turned to Maddox. “What would you have me do? Blow Ludendorff’s shuttle out of the sky?”
“Yes,” Maddox said. “Or make sure the doors down here stay shut.”
The shuttle lifted off the floor. A second later, with a steady whine, it began moving forward.
Maddox stared in disbelief. This couldn’t be happening. The New Men and their agents were unbeatable. Without Ludendorff to help them with Victory, humanity was going to lose the war. This was a disaster.
“You can’t just let Kane take the professor to the New Men,” Maddox said.
“He wanted it this way,” Lank said. “You heard him.”
“I did,” Maddox said. “But he’s the difference between victory and defeat between us and the New Men.”
“No,” Lank said.
The shuttle moved faster, and a large bay door opened in the ceiling. Muted skylight shined into the cavern.
“Have you people lost your mind?” Maddox shouted. He raised the Khislack and began firing, the rounds pinging off the shuttle’s side. Then, the hauler lifted upward and out of sight. It was gone, with Ludendorff heading for the New Men.
-30-
“Maybe we can storm the shuttle,” Maddox said. “Victory should be close. We have space marines who could try.”
“You don’t understand yet, do you?” Lank said. “The New Men are the worst calamity to ever befall mankind. We’re like the ancient Neanderthals. We’re in a species war, and we’re the weaker side.”
“Exactly,” Maddox said. “That’s why we can’t let the New Men get hold of Ludendorff.”
“I’m trying to tell you that this is the deadliest game our species has ever fought,” Lank said. “That means we have to resort to the wickedest ruses possible. We have to make horrible sacrifices for the greater good.”
“What does any of that mean?” Maddox asked.
“That we have another shuttle,” Lank said. He checked his scanner. “It looks as if your starship has reached low orbit. It’s time for you to call them, Captain.”
Maddox couldn’t understand the blasé attitude about losing Ludendorff. “Listen to me carefully,” he said. “We must devise a plan to storm the shuttle and rescue the professor.”
“No,” Dana said. “No, no, no. The New Men aren’t getting Professor Ludendorff.”
“What?” Maddox asked.
“He’s Professor Ludendorff,” Dana said, pointing at Lank Meyers.
“What?” Maddox asked again, staring at the security chief.
The man doffed his hood and took off the frost mask and goggles. He was old and bald with a large hooked nose.
“You’re Professor Ludendorff?” Maddox as
ked.
“I am.”
“Then who did Kane take?”
“My best friend, Lank Meyers,” Ludendorff said.
“And you knew about the deception?” Maddox asked Dana.
“As soon as I heard the professor’s voice in the tunnels,” Dana said.
Maddox recalled that Dana had been startled by the voice.
“Did you know from the beginning that Kane was an imposter?” Maddox asked the professor.
“Not with certainty,” Ludendorff said. “But it seemed the most reasonable explanation. I decided to play it out, keeping Kane from the ‘professor’ because that’s what the man wanted most.”
“But your friend…” Maddox said.
“Lank has some surprises for the enemy,” Ludendorff said. “We had time to prepare, you see.”
“You actually want Lank to reach the New Men?” Maddox asked.
“Want is the wrong word,” Ludendorff said. “But otherwise, the answer is yes. Come now, we must get ready. I’ve been expecting the starship for quite some time and am set to go.”
Maddox stared at the bald man. Ludendorff had just sacrificed his best friend to the enemy. Here was the smartest man alive, the one who had found the lost star system, the man’s whose notes he’d used to get aboard Victory in the first place. After all this time, he had found the professor. Now, it appeared the man had his own game to play against the New Men.
“We do have one problem,” Ludendorff said.
“Yes?” Maddox asked.
“Her,” Ludendorff said, pointing at Meta.
Maddox stiffened. “Why do you say that?”
“She’s obviously been mind-scrubbed,” Ludendorff said. “The clues are in her eyes and the way she moves her head. I’ve seen her kind before. The sweetest act would be to put her out of her misery.”
“No,” Maddox said.
“She’s a Trojan horse,” Ludendorff said. “We won’t be able to trust her.”
“She’s part of my team,” Maddox said.
“Your spirit is commendable, but your logic faulty.”
“This has nothing to do with my spirit,” Maddox said. “No one is shooting Meta. If they do, I’ll kill him and five others for good measure.”
“He loves her,” Dana told the professor.
Meta looked up sharply at Maddox.
Maddox wasn’t sure. There was a stir in his chest, but he refrained from saying anything.
After a moment, Ludendorff said, “You will be responsible for her, Captain.”
Maddox held his tongue. It appeared the professor didn’t realize yet who was in charge of the mission. At the moment, though, the man had more people on the ground than he did. The captain would bide his time, telling Ludendorff the facts of life later.
“We must hurry,” Ludendorff said. “The New Men will act fast once they learn this is our base camp. It’s time to leave.”
***
Lieutenant Noonan sat up, tapping her comm board. “This is Starship Victory,” she said. Captain Maddox, or someone claiming to be him, was calling the starship. “As per regulations, I request a clearance code, sir.”
“Blue Angel Seven Alpha,” the man answered over the comm system.
Valerie grinned at Riker although she spoke into the comm. “That’s a positive six-three. By the way, we saw another shuttle a few minutes ago. It did not respond to our hail.”
On the bridge’s main screen, Wolf Prime spread out below the starship. The enemy star cruisers had made it onto the other side of the planet, and appeared reluctant to show themselves again.
“Ours is the only shuttle Galyan should let board the starship,” Maddox said.
Valerie frowned. “That sounds evasive, sir. You haven’t responded to my comment about the other shuttle.”
“That’s true,” Maddox said.
“What’s he pulling now?” Valerie asked Riker.
The old sergeant shrugged.
Valerie twisted around, looking at Galyan. “What do you say? Are we going to let the captain’s shuttle board?”
“I am detecting fifteen individuals aboard the craft,” the holoimage said. “Meta is one of them.”
“You’re kidding?” Valerie said. “Meta?”
“I never kid,” Galyan told her.
“But…” Valerie frowned. “Captain, there are fifteen people aboard your vessel.”
“That is correct,” Maddox said. “We have discovered land.”
Valerie turned to Galyan. “They have the professor.”
“I understand the coded reference,” Galyan said. “Yes. The shuttle may proceed. I’m eager for the professor to find the ancient Swarm homeworld for me.”
“You’re good to go, sir,” Valerie said. “Glad you made it.”
“So am I, Lieutenant,” Maddox said. “We’re coming up.”
***
Maddox sat in the shuttle’s control cabin with Ludendorff and Dana. The professor had refused to let Keith fly, saying this was his shuttle, and he was the best pilot he’d ever met.
The doctor’s broken ankle was properly bandaged with a splint and sprayed with disinfectant. A slarn trapper had seen to it. The rest of the personnel were in a second, larger chamber behind the first.
“Despite the urgency of the hour,” Ludendorff told Dana, “it’s hard leaving Wolf Prime. I consider what I’ve found here the most important of my life’s discoveries.”
“I still don’t believe we’re getting onto Victory this easily,” Dana said. “The New Men can’t be duped with a mere snap of the fingers.”
“You’re quite wrong,” Ludendorff said. “Even super-beings can be tricked. I refer to myself as an example. Remember when you mutinied on my expedition to the lost star system?”
Dana said nothing.
“Your munity surprised me,” Ludendorff said. “It succeeded, having a profound influence on my thinking. Since then, I’ve learned that supremely bright beings can indeed be tricked.”
“I agree with the doctor,” Maddox said. “I’m surprised the New Men only sent three star cruisers to the outer Laumer-Point after Victory. Events have moved much easier in the Wolf System than I expected.” He thought about the New Man who had saved their lives from the slarn. That event still troubled him, but he couldn’t determine its meaning.
“And people call me paranoid,” Ludendorff said.
“Looking back at events,” Maddox said. “I believe you said that about yourself.”
“To be precise—and precision is important in these matters—my Lank persona called me hyper-paranoid.”
Maddox had been trying to assess the professor ever since Dana had told him Lank was Ludendorff. The man seemed excited, having forgotten about his friend’s horrible sacrifice. Maybe it was too difficult for the professor to dwell on, and this was the man’s way of blocking the event. Yet, the professor seemed positively giddy by the prospect of boarding Victory.
That made sense, Maddox supposed. Seeking the ancient starship had been a lifelong dream. Ludendorff had come close to fulfilling it many years ago, before being forced to leave the lost star system. Did the professor hold a secret grudge against him for being the one to first board Victory?
Through the viewing port, Maddox observed the blue atmosphere begin to fade away as they climbed into orbit. Stars appeared and then a deeper blackness.
“There,” Ludendorff said. “That must be Victory.” He pointed at a blue image on a sensor screen. The professor rubbed his hands together. “I never thought this day would come.”
“No,” Dana said. “Neither did I.”
“You are forgiven your munity, Doctor. I am finally achieving one of my life’s goals.”
“We’re all thrilled for you, Professor.”
Maddox noted the bitterness in Dana’s voice. He wasn’t sure Ludendorff did. Then, despite the critical nature of their flight, the captain’s thoughts centered on Meta. She had been in Kane’s company for quite some time, and the two had used a
silver pyramid called the Nexus, if he could trust the story. Ludendorff had also said something back there that deeply troubled him about Meta.
“Professor,” Maddox said, “you said that Meta has been mind-scrubbed. First, what does that mean? She seems to retain old memories.”
“Excuse me if the term seems overly dramatic,” Ludendorff said. “I did not mean to imply she doesn’t have any memories or most of her former personality. ‘Scrubbed’ in this instance means new loyalty has been forcefully instilled. The New Men have some nasty technology. They have tampered with her. She has become suspect.”
“Can we reverse what they’ve done?” Maddox asked.
“Conceivably,” Ludendorff said. “It would be difficult, though. I’d need to study their machines and procedures, which would mean capturing the equipment. I would imagine such valuable apparatuses would be on a star cruiser. Capturing one of those would be beyond difficult.”
“Is that the only way to restore Meta’s mind?” Maddox asked.
The professor didn’t answer him. “How many space marines would it take to storm a star cruiser full of New Men? Ahhh,” the professor said. He turned away from the sensor screen and peered through the viewing port. Stars shined everywhere. “Look at that. It’s the ancient starship. She’s beautiful.”
Maddox spied Victory in the distance, bigger than a speck so the two oval sections were distinct enough to see.
“Is the starship’s deflector shield down?” Ludendorff asked.
Maddox checked a reading. “Net yet. We want to be careful. The star cruisers are fast and could show up in an instant. They have a powerful long-range beam. We don’t want to give them an open shot against the hull.”
“You’d better inform your crew we’re near,” Ludendorff said. “It would be a pity if their shield burned my shuttle and us in it.”
“Begin braking maneuvers,” Maddox told the professor.
For just a second, it seemed the old man would argue. Then, he nodded. “Yes, you’re right.” The professor’s fingers moved spryly, playing on the shuttle’s flight panel. He did seem to know what he was doing.
The craft rotated. The engine purred and thrust pushed them against their seats as the shuttled slowed its velocity.
The Lost Command (Lost Starship Series Book 2) Page 30
