The Lost Tech

by Vaughn Heppner

  Now, you must surely see it. If not, I will explain. I will eradicate mankind in all his various forms—I mean total genocide for normals, New Men, Spacers, all—and the life force they misused will contract into a seething ball of potential, waiting for the next turn of the wheel. At that moment, I will reintroduce the few Builders left, and the life catalyst will enter and reenergize them so a new era of Builder brilliance will reemerge into the universe. That, my dear ones, is my goal, is my driving purpose. We are at war with crass humanity in order to bring about the perfect Builder Millennium. We strive in order for truth and beauty to exist instead of the maggot hordes of milling mankind.

  What, I ask you, could be nobler than that?

  ***

  Reading, internalizing and memorizing Meyers’s words, Maddox thoughtfully set the device onto the table, looking at his uncle.

  “She’s mad,” Ural said.

  “I have a different word for it,” Maddox said quietly. “Demonic.”

  Ural cocked his head, obviously considering the idea. After a time, he nodded. “Demonic is an interesting description for the Yon Soths, the Old Ones. The one on the Forbidden Planet sent out waves or mind rays, as I’ve said, and as Batrun told you. Might the rays have twisted the minds receiving them into a Yon Soth-like pattern—that is to say, demonically? The Liss cybers certainly seemed devilish enough.”

  “Planning for human genocide, especially now that it’s on such a large scale—greater than Human Space as she’s included you and the Spacers—is demonic.”

  “You’re right,” Ural said. “Mad or unbalanced was imprecise. Demonic better captures the flavor of her thinking. Lisa Meyers is logical, following her ideals with cold zeal, if that makes sense. But for a human—and Methuselah People are certainly that—to think along demonic lines corrupts their essential nature. I would suggest that at this point, Lisa Meyers can make mad or demonic leaps of logic that would baffle someone who thinks along more human or natural lines. Those leaps of logic might even have baffled her old self.”

  “Crazy people are often quite logical, within their own false reality,” Maddox said. “If someone believes everyone is plotting against them, going into a shop and gunning down fifty random people makes sense to that person. But I’m curious about something else. What do you think about her theory?”

  “You’re referring to the life-force idea?”

  “I am.”

  “It’s sheer nonsense.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Must I state the obvious?” Ural asked. “Firstly, the Builders did not sink into apathy after humanity began seeding the stars, but before the human race left Earth. Meyers may have missed that, though, because she was in stasis while it happened. She went to sleep while the Builders were vigorous and awoke with them gone. Clearly, she made her conclusions and developed her theses then. Perhaps the Yon Soth ray corrupted her mind, and this was the conclusion she reached through her ‘demonic’ thinking as you’ve suggested.”

  “Also,” Ural added, “it’s clearly false that vast herds of retards—for instance—trump a lone superior of intellect or ability simply because there are hordes of them and only one of him. As evidence, I cite the Throne World and its denizens versus the seething commonality of submen.”

  “Yet,” Maddox said, “isn’t it true that New Men need regular women to keep their race alive? That doesn’t strike me as a long-term survival trait or a sign of superiority.”

  “You tread on dangerous ground with such comments, Captain, especially as you’ve kept Grace aboard your shuttle.”

  “I see,” Maddox said. “New Men—or superiors, if you wish—dislike examining the truth if it personally hurts?”

  Ural looked up at the ceiling, shaking his head. “Perhaps there is a reason the Spacers think of you as the di-far. You…” Ural shrugged as if losing interest in the subject.

  Maddox decided not to push it. He eyed the reader, thinking. Once he returned to Victory, he would have to repeat Meyer’s writing into a recorder, from memory. He glanced at his uncle as another thought struck.

  “The Yon Soth of the Forbidden Planet is still waging war against us,” Maddox said, “but he’s doing it from the grave.”

  “A poetic way to think of it,” Ural said.

  “Do you believe Meyers is using her normal thought patterns, or taking on more of the Yon Soth’s patterns as time goes on?”

  “An excellent question,” Ural said. “Her use of drugs to twist submen into Merovingians seems more Yon Soth than Methuselah Woman. However, the truth is I don’t know enough to make a precise judgment.”

  Maddox nodded. “I would like to know where you acquired this text.”

  “I understand, but the Emperor has forbidden me to say.”

  “Perhaps you feel compelled to tell me anyway,” Maddox said. “You are my uncle, after all.”

  “Perhaps I do feel some compulsion in that regard, but you and I must both remember that I’m the Emperor’s cousin first.”

  “I see. Well, do you have any hint as to the means Meyers will use against us next?”

  “I do not.”

  “Do you have any advice?”

  “Diligently hunt for Lisa Meyers and kill her,” Ural said. “That was my goal in following you to find her on Tortuga. If you find yourself unable to eliminate her, capture her as you did Strand. I’ll add one more point. I believe she’s more dangerous than either Strand or Ludendorff. Lisa Meyers may be the most dangerous of all the Methuselah People and you should act accordingly.”

  “I appreciate the advice and the heads-up. Is there anything else?”

  “Indeed,” Ural said. “I suggest you allow me to add a few superiors to your crew in case you come upon Meyers before I do.”

  “New Men on Victory?” asked Maddox.

  “If you wish to say it that way: yes. Remember, Lisa Meyers is extremely deadly, and she wishes to exterminate us as well as you. A few superiors might make the difference to your finding and killing her.”

  “While I appreciate the sentiment, Uncle, I’m going to have to decline the offer.”

  “I knew you would, but the Emperor wished for me to make the request.”

  Maddox wondered about that. Was the Emperor afraid, or as afraid of anything as a New Man would allow himself to be? How would Meyers attack humanity next? Surely, the Merovingians were part of it. The captain inhaled sharply. It was time to get back to Victory.

  Maddox held out his hand. Ural examined it before reaching out and shaking it.

  “Good luck, Uncle. It was interesting being captive together and enjoyable escaping and wreaking havoc on our enemies. If you find and kill Meyers, I hope you’ll let us know.”

  “I will, and I hope you’ll do the same for us,” Ural said.

  “You can count on it.”

  “Until we meet again, Captain Maddox, good luck hunting.”

  “The same to you, sir,” Maddox said. “As soon as reach my shuttle, I’ll send Grace Hyperion though the link.”

  Ural’s eyes glowed with anticipation.

  On that note, Maddox took his leave.

  -23-

  Captain Maddox returned to Victory as the vessel readied for a star-drive jump. He didn’t go to the bridge, but thoughtfully walked along various corridors. During the walk, Galyan appeared to inform him Valerie was ready to make the first jump.

  Maddox nodded absently, instructing Galyan to tell her to go ahead.

  They made a jump of four light-years, heading back toward Human Space and the Commonwealth.

  After recovering from the slight Jump Lag, Maddox headed for the Long-Range Builder Communicator Chamber. Victory was one of the few Star Watch vessels outfitted with the advanced Builder technology.

  Maddox sat at a couch, the bulky piece of communication equipment looking rather antiquated given its function. He unhooked the microphone and initiated a long-range communication back to Earth in Geneva at Star Watch Headquarters.

 
A flunky answered, asking Maddox to wait as she searched for the Lord High Admiral.

  Ten minutes later, gruff-voiced Admiral Cook spoke: “Captain Maddox, is that you?”

  “Yes, Admiral, I’m ready to make a report. Are you recording?”

  “Do you want me to be?”

  “I do,” Maddox said.

  There was a delay. “Go ahead, son. I’m ready.”

  Maddox gave a report about the events on Tortuga, the New Men, the Merovingians, Meyers and her ultimate desire.

  “You’ve been busy,” Cook said. “This is all rather…disconcerting, to say the least. Human genocide by a maniac with the brains to deliver—I don’t like this one bit. We need time to reconsolidate the Commonwealth and particularly Star Watch. Hell, son, we’re in the middle of cleaning up one of the worst messes we’ve ever dealt with. This was the closest we’ve come to a civil war. But you know all that. Meyers and her Merovingians all got clean away, you say?”

  “Not Battleship Lauenburg, sir.”

  “Traitors to Star Watch are with that witch, eh?” Cook muttered. “They can give her the inside scoop—what do you propose, Captain? You usually have a plan.”

  “That’s just it, sir. I don’t know what to do other than hunt for her, and I’m uncertain where to start.”

  “What does that snob Ludendorff think you should do?”

  “To be honest, sir, I haven’t asked him yet.”

  “Hmm… I’m not sure I want Victory nosing around the Commonwealth just yet. We have enough trouble on our hands trying to find all the HM agitators, seeing whom we can rehabilitate and who needs internment. Some of your exploits are what caused good people in Star Watch to fall for HM propaganda in the first place.”

  “Yes, sir,” Maddox said.

  “They were wrong, of course, dead wrong. Hell’s bells, son, you saved us from the Liss cybers. Do you think Meyers had anything to do with that mess?”

  “I don’t, sir.”

  “What about the situation in Antarctica when the Merovingians kidnapped the Iron Lady? That happened when we were in the thick of it with the Liss. You’re suggesting that was just a coincidence?”

  “Maybe not completely,” Maddox said. “Golden Ural suggested that the Liss were motivated by the Yon Soth ray. The same ray had pushed Meyers. There doesn’t seem to be any connection between the two other than that. The Merovingians tampered with my grand—with the Iron Lady’s mind. Has anything been done to reinstate her as head of Intelligence?”

  “I’m working on it,” Cook said evasively.

  “Wait a minute. I’m forgetting. Isn’t there a report that Merovingians attempted to kidnap Becker in the Ardennes Forest?”

  “Say, that’s right. I remember reading that too.”

  “The attempt would suggest Meyers was working on her own project while the Liss cybers worked on theirs,” Maddox said. “And that suggests that whatever Meyers intends will take place on or near Earth.”

  “Hmm… You might have a point. I still don’t want you back here just yet. There are too many frayed nerves all around. Remember, that was one of the reasons you headed into the Beyond, to help keep the peace in Star Watch.”

  Maddox drummed his fingers on the table holding the bulky communicator. “The people on Pluto haven’t detected anything?” Maddox was referring to the Builder Scanner installed on Pluto. The ancient device was capable of scanning hundreds of light-years away and could calibrate for wide or narrow scans.

  “Say, that’s right,” Cook said. “There was a report about a horrendous event in the 82 G. Eridani System. It happened to the populated planet of Olmstead.”

  “Uh, what’s that?” asked Maddox.

  “The planet Olmstead was literally pulverized into pieces.”

  “What? How did it happen?”

  “Unknown. No one survived the event.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I don’t either,” Cook said. “The operators on Pluto made a standard sweep and found the disaster with the Long-Range Builder Scanner. Six hundred and fifty million people perished when Olmstead cracked and separated into chunks and debris.”

  Maddox sat back, his chest cold. “That means someone possesses a planet killer.”

  “You think Olmstead has something to do with Meyers?” Cook asked.

  “Don’t you, sir?”

  Several moments passed. “Now see here, son, I’m the Lord High Admiral. You don’t question me. I question you.”

  “Yes, sir,” Maddox said.

  “But you are correct about that being a planet killer. Yes, yes, I remember now. One of the Patrol officers suggested that several asteroids were missing from the system’s main belt. Pieces of what might have been those asteroids were found among the planetary pieces and debris.”

  “That’s it then,” Maddox said. “That was a genocidal weapon.”

  “What weapon?” Cook demanded angrily.

  “Whatever took the asteroids and hurled them at the planet.”

  “That was what some of the Patrol hotheads suggested happened,” Cook said. “But what you and they are suggesting is flatly impossible.”

  “Sir, respectfully, a smashed planet needs a cause.”

  “There’s no denying that, of course,” Cook said. “Does it have to be Meyers’ work, though?”

  “I think it’s our best lead so far. There were no survivors you say?”

  “None that the Patrol people found. And they swept the system several times, looking for clues.”

  “Lord High Admiral,” Maddox said. “I request permission to analyze the star system firsthand. If anyone has a talent to figure out how it happened, it would be my people.”

  Cook swore over the Long-Range Builder Comm. “I already told you about that, Captain. Just because you think—”

  “Sir, if this isn’t Meyers, who is it?”

  “How in the hell should I know that?”

  “Exactly, sir,” Maddox said. “Maybe it’s someone else with a Yon Soth desire, a demonic wish to murder millions, billions and maybe even an entire race from existence.”

  “Now look here,” Cook said. “According to your report, Meyers was on Tortuga when this happened, or must have been en route to the dwarf planet. How could she be demolishing planets at the same time? While you’re trying to figure out this mystery, she’ll be cooking up trouble elsewhere. You’re not the only person in Star Watch that can solve a mystery, you know?”

  “That is obviously true, sir. However, I am the best we have at it.”

  There was silence on the other end.

  Maddox wondered if he’d gone too far saying that.

  “Son, you’re a royal pain in the ass,” Cook finally said. “It’s no wonder people are always trying to kill you. However, the reason I’m the Lord High Admiral again is I can see past that… Yes. I grant you permission. Come in from the Beyond. Return to the Commonwealth and head straight for the 82 G. Eridani System. Figure out what happened there. And see if you can go there without troubling anyone else. Maybe if you’re quiet enough, you can remain in the abandoned star system until the political heat starts to shimmer down.”

  “I’ll do my best, sir.”

  “I’m sure you will, Captain.”

  “Please give my regards to the Iron Lady. I dearly hope we can find a way to reinstate her.”

  “You can’t do a thing about that, but maybe I can. Good luck hunting, Captain.”

  “Yes, sir,” Maddox said, bemused. That was the second person to wish him that. Did it mean anything? He couldn’t see how, but it was still interesting.

  -24-

  Several days later and many light-years away from Victory, massive Dagobert Dan eyed the men coming toward him with distrust.

  It had been a week since he’d crouched, moving through a gateway made with white lances and powered by packs. There had been a feeling of disorientation and movement, and then he’d stood in a large hangar bay aboard a spaceship of some kind. That ship h
ad soon moved, and it had made everyone aboard sick, causing vomiting, stomach cramps, searing headaches, diarrhea and other maladies. In fact, he had regressed, becoming sicker than most. A doctor had examined him, giving him awful pills to swallow. They had helped, though.

  Now, after being bedridden the longest, the doctor had released Dagobert from medical. He was stiff, but his bullet and lance wounds had healed sufficiently because of the medicine he’d received before entering the transfer gate.

  Dagobert didn’t know the name of the ship, although he knew it was a hauler. It was huge. He should know. He’d been walking a while already, nearing the place the doctor had told him to go.

  The trouble was the four men in armor—Merovingian armor—approached him in a purposeful manner. He finally recognized their leader, Tobias, the Queen’s Champion.

  Dagobert halted. He was wearing a green hospital gown and had started with paper slippers. The slippers had rubbed away, so he was barefoot and felt vulnerable, hating the sensation. None of the approaching four carried lances. They did have leather saps and batons at the ready.

  “What do you want?” Dagobert shouted.

  Tobias spoke quietly to the other three. Two of them laughed.

  The double-sized corridor did not possess any nearby hatches. It was go forward or backward. That was it. In that case—

  “Are you making jokes about me?” Dagobert shouted. In the old days, he wouldn’t have said a thing. He would have been too afraid they would call him names. But he’d talked to the Queen. She’d seen how powerful he was. He’d killed some of the Merovingians who had made fun of him in the past. He was a different Dagobert, knowing something about his combat ability, that it was superior to just about everyone who wasn’t a back-shooting liar like Sergeant Riker.

  “Dagobert, Dagobert,” Tobias called as the four neared. “What are you doing wearing that stupid dress?”