The Lost Secret

by Vaughn Heppner

  “No, from farther in-system,” Meta said.

  Maddox frowned as he studied the planet on the main screen. “Patch Balron through to my chair. Let’s see what he has to say now.”

  -38-

  “I congratulate you on successfully defending your starship against the Rath,” Balron said. “I was not sure you would be able to do it.”

  Maddox glanced at Ludendorff. “Have you ever heard of an alien named a Rath?”

  Ludendorff shook his head.

  “What’s a Rath?” Maddox asked into the armrest comm.

  “Invincible against you,” Balron said.

  “Is it flesh and blood or an energy entity?”

  “Surely, Captain, you realize I have no intention about telling you more. I have given you its name, its species name. Isn’t that sufficient for now?”

  “We’re not out of its range yet,” Maddox said.

  “True. But you’ve discovered a means to evade it long enough. That would not be the case if you hadn’t first rendered its mental assault null for the moment. That was briskly and cleverly done.”

  “I plan to kill it,” Maddox said.

  “Impossible with your limited means at hand,” Balron said. “Naturally, you have the freedom to try, but it will seriously deplete your missile supply. You’ll want those missiles later.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Yes,” Balron said. “How do I know? The answer is quite complicated. You could call it fantastic even.”

  Maddox glanced at Ludendorff.

  The professor shrugged.

  “Are you at the nexus?” Maddox asked.

  “You’re a clever and resourceful creature, Captain. There is indeed a nexus. I am not at it, but I am near enough. Can you use the nexus for your purpose? I hope so. Otherwise, this has all been in vain.”

  “You make it sound as if you want us to use the nexus.”

  “Yes,” Balron said.

  “Why?”

  “It’s best if I do not say,” Balron replied.

  “Why did you shoot me weeks ago when you pretended to be Ludendorff?” Maddox asked.

  “Survival,” Balron said cryptically.

  “My survival?” asked Maddox.

  “No…” Balron said, sounding sad. “I am not altruistic as you conceive of the term. I shot you in order to ensure…to pave the way for my survival. That makes no sense to you, and it would be terrifying if it did make sense now. In a way, we haven’t even met yet.”

  “You’re right. That doesn’t make sense.”

  “Captain Maddox… You are a unique individual; special would be an appropriate term to describe you as well. I have searched for one like you for…for a time.”

  “You were going to say a long time.”

  “No,” Balron said. “I was going to say eons, but that isn’t exactly correct, either. It would not be exactly incorrect, however.”

  “Why are you being so cryptic?” Maddox asked.

  “You have a unique signature,” Balron said, ignoring the question. “In part, your signature has to do with what the Spacers call being a di-far. In part, the signature has to do with the Erill spiritual energy you’ve absorbed and partially refined. The signature is how I spotted you from so far away. And given our meeting the past few times—”

  “You’re referring to when you shot me while impersonating Professor Ludendorff?” Maddox asked, interrupting.

  “No, no, our meetings,” Balron said. “You always died and I always continued in my forlorn state. This time, however, I believe I have given you the tools to change events in a way that will benefit us both. Your—you will have to discover what I mean for yourself. That seems wisest from my perspective.”

  “You’re talking in riddles,” Maddox said. “And I despise those. You’ve been talking about the last few times we did this—if I understand you correctly.”

  “You are,” Balron said.

  Maddox rubbed his jaw, trying to decipher the riddle, but failing. “You just said a few minutes ago that we’ve never met before.”

  “That is incorrect, Captain. I said in a way, we haven’t met, but not in all ways. I realize that sounds pretentious to you—no, that wasn’t the right word. I think my time here is running short, as I’m failing to use the correct words to make my meanings precise. That likely means the next turn is about to take place. I hope this time you can help me, Captain.”

  “Help you how?” Maddox asked.

  There was a buzz of noise from the armrest comm.

  “Did you just say something?” Maddox asked.

  “I misspoke earlier,” Balron said. His voice was quieter or weaker than a moment ago. “The Rath is a”—a buzz of noise sounded again and then stopped. “This is bad. The creature is interfering with my communications.”

  “The Rath is doing this?” asked Maddox.

  “That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” Balron said. “It is not a Rath but a substandard or—what is the word?—a moronic or half-idiotic Yon Soth. That means it is a frail and warped creature—as Yon Soths go—expelled millennia ago from the society of Elder Beings. It has lain dormant under the ruins for eons. It yearns to feed on you and your crew, but if you’re nimble, you can push past its short range.”

  “A weakened, half-idiotic Yon Soth?” asked Maddox. “Is that why you warned me away from the planet?”

  “No,” Balron said. “I said do not come, as I knew it would spur you on.”

  Both Ludendorff and Keith Maker laughed.

  “The turn is about to pull me away as it has…as it has so many times before,” Balron said. “Half-Life is waiting at the nexus. He might or might not be able to help you against the Severn. I realize, too, that I have not anticipated all the ways the confrontation could go. Next time we meet—if we meet—I will not know you, as I will not have met you yet. However, you can be sure that I have provided you with this advanced warning for a reason.”

  “What are you talking about?” asked Maddox.

  “That should be clear,” Balron said. “I am the traveler, caught in a loop of—”

  “Yes,” Maddox said a moment later. “You’re caught in a loop. You set me up so I could do something about…what exactly?”

  Meta pressed several panel controls. She pressed a few more before looking up.

  “What’s wrong?” Maddox asked.

  “The connection is still open,” Meta said. “That would suggest— No!” Meta said, turning back to the board. “The connection just severed.” She pointed. “The red light indicates we just lost it.”

  Maddox swiveled his chair to regard Ludendorff. “What do you think happened to Balron?”

  “He said another ‘turn’ was about to pull him away,” Ludendorff said. “I think that turn just happened.”

  “Or perhaps the Severn he spoke about destroyed him,” Andros said.

  “Check your sensors,” Maddox told Andros. “You too, Galyan. I have to know what just happened.”

  The Chief Technician’s fingers played upon his board as Galyan’s eyelids fluttered. Soon, they both admitted failure.

  Maddox scowled. The conversation with Balron had been weird, the implications wild. He turned to the others. “Does anyone have an opinion about any of this?”

  “I do,” Galyan said. “I have the distinct impression—Balron called himself the traveler, and he spoke about being in a loop. Perhaps he is a time-traveler stuck in a temporal loop. By his words, he has already met you—many times, in fact—but when you meet him next, he will not have met you as he will have begun the loop again and thus not know who you are.”

  “Bah,” Ludendorff said, although he looked troubled. “That’s crazy talk.”

  “I suggest Balron previously met the captain at the Library Planet or somewhere on the other side of the nexus,” Galyan said. “For reasons I do not understand, the Balron we spoke to today is ahead in time to the Balron we will meet at the Builder planet. Apparently, he cannot warn his future self
of our meeting today or the earlier meeting when he attacked the captain while impersonating the professor.”

  “That’s far too convoluted,” Ludendorff said. “Besides, you’re jumping to wild conclusions.”

  “Not at all,” Galyan said. “My theory fits the facts of what he just told us. Balron clearly said that the next time we meet he will not as yet have met any of us. Those are the words a time-traveler stuck in a temporal loop would use—although he called it a turn, for reasons I do not understand.”

  “I still say your idea is a crazy fantasy,” Ludendorff said. “But tell me. Was he warning us about the New Men at the Library Planet?”

  “That does not in any way follow,” Galyan said. “Why would you ask that?”

  Ludendorff scratched his head. “You know, that’s weird. I have no idea.”

  “Forget about that,” Maddox said. “Let’s go back to this time-traveling idea. So…we’ve done all this before? This is the second time we’ve fought the Rath, the supposedly moronic Yon Soth?”

  “That is not necessarily a given,” Galyan said. “Balron time traveled back to us before we made our attempt here. Thus, we have done this just once—the linear temporal path we are now on.”

  “Are you listening to yourself?” Ludendorff asked Galyan crossly. “Time travel is impossible for a number of reasons. I’ll cite the two most prevalent. One, because of the energy transfer problem. Two, the causality dilemma. Balron is screwing with our minds with this talk.” Ludendorff snorted. “He’s like our captain, who makes shit up on the fly and pretends it was all supposed to make sense from the beginning.”

  “Have a care, Professor,” Maddox warned.

  Ludendorff rubbed his eyes and shook his head afterward. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said it like that. This is…preposterous, stupid and outrageous. I don’t know what Balron is attempting to do, maybe confuse us with nonsense. It seems to be working with Galyan’s circuits, which are on a loop of their own.”

  “Or maybe Balron spoke the truth,” Galyan said. “There is a phrase to support my position: ‘Truth is stranger than fiction.’”

  “All right, that’s it,” Ludendorff said. “I’m beat and my mind feels like mush. Do you still need me on the bridge?”

  “No,” Maddox said. “Get some rest.”

  Ludendorff nodded, heading for the exit.

  “Sir,” Keith said. “The latest warhead has detonated. Should I launch another missile?”

  “No…” Maddox said. “We’ll take Balron’s word on needing more missiles later. We should soon be out of the Yon Soth’s telepathic range and thus safe from further attacks.”

  “What is its range?” Galyan asked.

  “I should think when it first contacted us would be a good indication,” Maddox said.

  “Ah. Yes,” Galyan said. “In that case, we will be out of its range in six minutes, thirteen seconds. I suggest one more missile might be wise.”

  “You’re right,” Maddox said. “Mr. Maker—”

  “I’m launching, sir,” Keith said, interrupting.

  Maddox watched the missile leave the starship and head for the planet. Was Balron a time traveler? Was such a thing possible? If such a thing worked, even in a limited fashion, the Library Planet seemed like the place it would happen soonest. He exhaled. Half-Life was near the nexus and so were these Severn, whatever they were. If Victory was unable to use the nexus because of these complications—Maddox’s gaze narrowed. Whatever lay ahead, he was determined to beat it so they could get on with the main purpose of the mission.

  -39-

  The next few days proved uneventful as Victory left the fourth planet and the outcast Yon Soth on it behind. The creature attempted to communicate with them several times, using normal channels. In each instance, Maddox forbid Meta to answer. No missiles or beams raced after the ship. No telepathic attacks occurred, at least, none that anyone could detect. Nor did any energy-waves leave the planet.

  “Perhaps it is beginning to slumber again,” Galyan said.

  “Let’s hope,” Maddox said. “One thing is for sure: I don’t trust it.”

  Here in the inner system, the closer the starship headed toward the star, the less prevalent the warped-space bubbles became.

  “I expect the professor’s second theory is correct concerning them,” Galyan told Maddox. “The nexus must be producing the distortions through use of the hyper-spatial-tube machine.”

  Maddox was hitting a heavy bag in the gym, working up a good sweat. Galyan watched, commenting on things from time to time.

  “That, of course, means the nexus is intact for us to use,” Galyan said.

  “Captain to the bridge,” Meta said over an intercom loudspeaker.

  “Go see what that’s about,” Maddox told Galyan.

  The holoimage disappeared and reappeared a moment later. “Andros spotted a bruiser of a warship, sir. It’s unlike any I’ve seen or any cataloged in my files.”

  “How far is it from us?”

  “Two hundred million kilometers,” Galyan said.

  “That’s far,” Maddox said. “I’m surprised we spotted it at that distance.”

  “The ship is massive, fifteen kilometers in diameter.”

  “Wait. What? The ship is fifteen kilometers long?”

  “It is spheroid, sir, like a planet.”

  “Is Andros sure it’s a ship?”

  “Yes, sir,” Galyan said.

  “Okay…” Maddox said, frowning. “Is it a lost Swarm vessel, one of their bigger ones?”

  “It does not conform to any known Swarm specifications.”

  “Captain to the bridge,” Meta said again through the ship’s intercom.

  “Tell her I’m on my way.”

  “Yes, sir,” Galyan said.

  “Wait. You said the ship is two hundred million kilometers away. In what direction?”

  “Toward the star, sir.”

  “The ship is orbiting the star?”

  Galyan paused before saying, “That is correct, sir.”

  “Have we found the nexus yet?”

  “Negative, sir.”

  “How far are we from the star?”

  “Two hundred and twenty-one million kilometers. It will soon become possible to considerably increase velocity. In another seventy-two million kilometers, we will be approaching the third planet’s orbital path. The planet has presently disappeared behind the star in its orbital journey.”

  “Go,” Maddox said. “Tell them I’m coming.”

  Galyan disappeared.

  Maddox headed for the shower. As hot water pelted his skin, he thought about the massive warship two hundred million kilometers away. The warship orbited the star closer than Mercury did the Sun. Presumably, the giant ship belonged to the Severn that Balron had named. It didn’t sound as if the alien vessel had hailed them yet. Was it a ghost ship, an empty vessel? If so, could his team board and capture the alien ship and technology for Star Watch? What relation did the Severn—if this was them—have to the Yon Soth hidden on the fourth planet?

  Maddox finished his shower, toweled off and dressed. He hurried out of the gym and along the corridors. Galyan hadn’t reappeared. He took that as a good sign. Nor had Meta requested his presence on the bridge for a third time.

  Soon enough, he entered the bridge. Keith jumped out of the captain’s chair and motioned for the pilot to relinquish her seat. The ace sat down as the former pilot headed to another station.

  “Report,” Maddox said.

  Andros told him what Galyan had reported earlier, adding, “I have found one troubling point, sir. The ship out there has iridium-Z hull armor.”

  “Like the Rull android Juggernauts did?” Maddox asked.

  “Yes,” Andros aid, “and like the Sovereign Hierarchy of Leviathan battleships we once encountered.”

  Maddox snapped his fingers. “Right, S.H. Leviathan.” He frowned. “The ship would be a long way from home if it’s from the Scutum-Centaurus Spiral Arm.” He
turned to Meta. “Hail the vessel.”

  “Again?” she asked.

  “There were no responses the first time?”

  Meta shook her head.

  Maddox turned back to Andros. “Put the ship on the main screen with as much magnification as possible so I can get a look at it.”

  Andros manipulated his board.

  A fuzzy spheroid vessel appeared on the screen with the star’s surface behind the ship muted as much as possible.

  “I can’t make it any clearer than that, sir,” Andros said. “The star is inhibiting us from seeing more or with greater detail.”

  Maddox nodded as he eyed the giant vessel. Fifteen kilometers in diameter and armored with iridium-Z: the thing must have cost a fortune to construct. The ship was vast and it would likely take a large number of crewmembers to run. Then again, maybe it was a colony ship. Well, if it was from the Scutum-Centaurus Spiral Arm, from the Sovereign Hierarchy of Leviathan, he doubted it was a colony vessel. Besides, who would use iridium-Z hull armor on a colony ship?

  “You called it a warship?” Maddox asked Andros.

  “I detected giant laser lenses,” Andros said. “I took them as focusing systems.”

  “Reasonable,” Maddox said. “If lasers are their best beam weapon, maybe they’re not as technologically advanced as we are.”

  “I tend to agree,” Andros said.

  “Tend?” asked Maddox.

  “We don’t know enough to be conclusive,” Andros replied. “And it is fifteen kilometers in diameter and armored with iridium-Z. We don’t have any ships that big.”

  “The S.H. Leviathan battleships we fought before had fusion beams,” Maddox said. “Do the laser lenses mean the vessel is from somewhere else? Galyan, do you remember the Severn as being part of Leviathan?”

  “I have not cataloged such a race, sir,” Galyan said.

  “What’s it doing so close to Human Space?” Maddox asked. “Did it chase after us when we left? Or does the ship have nothing to do with us? Andros, have you detected any sign of life?”

  “The scanners don’t show any, sir,” Andros said.

  Maddox nodded as he sat back in his seat. If the giant ship was from S.H. Leviathan, maybe the crew had died. Maybe the Yon Soth had rendered the vessel impotent. Maybe one of the warped-space bubbles had done something lethal to it and the crew. They would keep watch of the ship, ready for anything. If the ship truly were dangerous, surely Balron would have said so.