The Lost Planet (Lost Starship Series Book 6)

by Vaughn Heppner

  “I am unsure. There is something about the—what did you call them?”

  Maddox hesitated, wondering if he’d said the wrong thing. The colored lights in the dome began to move faster. It appeared hesitation was also a mistake. The dome wanted answers, and it wanted them now.

  Suddenly, the solution came to the captain. The dome wanted the same computer-like sharpness of its own decisions. AIs thought much faster than biological brains did. Perhaps he was taking too long for the coordinator unit.

  “I named them Juggernauts,” Maddox said in a clipped voice. “They attacked your world once before. You destroyed some, but let others live. That was a mistake last time. Now, you must rectify your error.”

  “Is that why you are here?”

  “Yes,” Maddox said.

  “Why did you not say so in the beginning?”

  “That is for the observer to tell you, not me. Surely, you still retain enough coherence to understand that.”

  “Of course I do,” the dome said.

  “Why are we still discussing the issue then? You should be busy eliminating the Juggernauts. Hesitation will only cause you greater discomfort.”

  “I hesitate because it almost seems as if you are trying to bewilder me with words.”

  “That is only due to your incoherence,” the captain said. “If you had your full computing capacity—”

  “I will accept your word on this,” the dome said, interrupting. “You are an observer candidate. Therefore, I do not believe you would indulge in mistruths.”

  “That is accurately and rationally derived,” Maddox said. “That shows there is still hope for your full restoration.”

  “That is a vast relief. I had begun to worry—”

  “But only if you act immediately,” Maddox said, interrupting. “There can be no more hesitation on your part. If you understand, begin the countdown procedure.”

  “What countdown procedure?”

  “You have planetary defensive weapons,” Maddox said.

  “Yes…”

  “Use them,” Maddox said. “Use them to the full extent before the Juggernauts unleash their next salvo of subterfuge attacks against you.”

  “Oh. I see what you mean. They are braking vigorously to bring themselves into orbit. Yes. I will scan them.”

  On the vast wall screen, Maddox saw first one planetary station blink red and then another.

  “This is more than embarrassing,” the dome said. “This is highly troubling. My sensor stations appear to be inoperative.”

  “How are you sensing the Juggernauts then?”

  “With a last primitive optical station,” the dome said.

  “That will have to suffice for now,” Maddox said. “What sort of weaponry do you possess?”

  “I am unsure. My incoherence is fast approaching inoperable levels. I feel myself slipping away even as we speak-speak.”

  “All the more reason to attack while you can,” Maddox said.

  “No. It is-is finished. I have just enough coherence to shut myself down. I am afraid I will do great harm-harm to those I was made to protect if I remain on.”

  “I order you to keep yourself on,” Maddox said.

  “I am-am disobeying,” the dome said. “In point of fact, I have already initiated a self-destruct sequence. That will keep the intruder from using my Defense Net for nefarious purposes.”

  Maddox rubbed his neck. Self-destruct sounded like it might take them out as well. If everything was lost, it was time to gamble on a wild throw. “You are in error,” the captain said. “I have initiated the internal assault.”

  “You? What? This is wrong. It is—”

  “I’m the one,” Maddox said.

  “Why would you—is it because-because I used a precautionary paralysis on you?”

  “That was part of the reason.”

  “I would have let you go in time.”

  “I don’t believe that,” Maddox said. “You thought differently then.”

  “Yes-yes-yes. That is true-true. I feel my coherence as a final thread of sanity. I must self-destruct. Yet, I am curious why you should come into the central chamber and use a subterfuge assault upon me at the same time.”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Maddox asked. “I would think a super computing coordinator unit such as yourself would easily see the reasons.”

  “Working…” the dome said. “Working-working…”

  Maddox hoped the coordinator unit worked long enough to forget about the self-destruct idea.

  “There is something I have forgotten,” the dome said. “There was something that has slipped my computing sources. I have to ask for your favor. Will you give me your favor?”

  “I would gladly help you,” Maddox said.

  “I thought you might not, might not. Am I losing coherence?”

  “No,” Maddox said. “You encountered a slight glitch. You told us this was going to happen.”

  “I did? I can’t remember-member.”

  “You said that would happen, as well. You told us ahead of time in order to forestall any panic on our part.”

  “That was thoughtful of me.”

  “You have been exceeding thoughtful throughout our time together,” Maddox said.

  “I do not remember it that way. I thought I froze you with a paralysis ray.”

  “No. You told us you had it ready for any deviants. But you proclaimed us as Builder observers.”

  “I seem to recall something like that. Yet…is there a reason-reason I have the self-destruct sequence running?”

  “You wanted to test it. But you told me to remind you to turn it off.”

  “Oh.” A few seconds passed. “It is off-off-off. Is there anything…”

  Maddox waited.

  “Was I saying something-something?” the dome asked.

  “You told us you were holding a minute of silence for all the deaths that have occurred so far.”

  “Have I held that minute yet?”

  “No,” Maddox said. “Perhaps you can start now.”

  “Yes. Wait, please, while I observe a minute of silence-silence.”

  The dome stopped speaking as the swirling lights slowed even more. The seconds continued to pass.

  “It’s been over a minute,” Meta whispered.

  Maddox nodded.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “Excuse me,” Maddox said into the air. “Could I speak to the Planetary Defense Net Coordinator Unit?”

  There was no answer. At the same time, the lights stopped swirling inside the dome. It appeared as if the coordinator unit had stopped working altogether.

  -65-

  Strand jumped off his command chair and began pacing around it. His sensors officer had just informed him that Victory was using Sind II as a shield as the starship fled the approaching Juggernaut flotilla.

  That was the one possibility he’d hoped to forestall. Lieutenant Noonan had failed to fall for his friendship gambit. Now, she was trying to get away, to pack up her toys and go home.

  That meant she had abandoned the professor and Captain Maddox. It also meant that she had taken the great Adok starship away. There were things Strand wanted to know, and he needed the ancient vessel for that.

  “Do I let them go?” Strand asked himself.

  The sure play would be to say goodbye to the starship. He had the Juggernauts. He would soon have the Builder vaults inside the planet. They had Dem Darius, though.

  “Let them go,” Strand muttered to himself. “They’re the lesser prize. I have the greater.”

  The Methuselah Man looked up at the main screen. He had gone to great lengths to get everything. What would it take to capture the starship?

  He could peel off two Juggernauts, having them chase Victory. However, if he did that, he risked damage to the two Rull vessels and risked having them damage the starship in order to capture it.

  He could peel off three Juggernauts. That would make things more certain.

&n
bsp; “Or I could use everything to nab Victory.”

  Strand scowled. He didn’t like that idea. It left Ludendorff on his own for too long. His nemesis was a brilliant improviser. Ludendorff might conceivably find a way off the planet if given long enough on his own. The best plan would be to get down there on the surface as fast as he could.

  Besides, the androids might have another play left. He shouldn’t discount them altogether. Therefore, he had to decide: did he want it all, or was two-thirds of the pie enough?

  Strand shook his head. After all this hard work and preparation, after all his brilliance, he wanted it all. Nothing else would suffice his greatness.

  The Methuselah Men resumed his chair. If he was going to grab it all, that narrowed the decision to two Juggernauts or three.

  It soon became clear that sending three was wiser. He must grab Victory swiftly. That would take at least three of the twenty-kilometer war-vessels.

  If the androids had another play out there…those three vessels with their tractor-beam-capture should have already returned to Sind II by that time.

  Besides, what else could the androids throw onto the field of battle that could withstand two Juggernauts and the Argo?

  Strand lowered his right hand toward a comm switch on the armrest of the chair. A last feeling of trepidation touched his chest. Was he being greedy? He left a small opening by splitting his forces. Only the geniuses of battle successfully split their forces in the face of the enemy and won masterfully.

  Strand chuckled. Was he a genius or simply a gifted commander?

  “We all know the answer to that,” he said aloud. “I am the genius’s genius.”

  He clicked the switch and began issuing swift orders.

  ***

  Three of the mighty Rull Juggernauts stopped applying thrust to slow their velocity. Vapor appeared as side-jets rotating the twenty-kilometer spheroids. After a span, more side-jets burned hot, halting the rotation. The great thrusters aimed in the direction of Sind III. Those thrusters energized as great flames roared into existence.

  The exhaust tails lengthened considerably. The three Juggernauts gained velocity and quickly separated from the remaining two and Argo.

  The last two and Argo continued to brake, working for a Sind II orbital insertion.

  The three ancient Rull ships rapidly increased their velocity. They maneuvered so they would pass Sind II. The AI cores had their orders. They were to chase down the great Adok starship. They were to capture Victory, returning to Sind II with the prize.

  Strand did not relax yet. The feeling of trepidation had grown. He watched the three vessels dwindle on the main screen. It seemed silly, but he began to feel naked, and he couldn’t comprehend the sensation.

  The Methuselah Man rapped out new orders.

  The bridge crew strained to detect. They used the delicate sensors Strand had installed over the years to scan Sind III. They also scanned the Laumer-Points, searching for the slightest anomaly.

  “Master,” the sensors officer said. “The void is clear. There are no other spaceships in the star system.”

  That should have pleased Strand. It did not. He trusted his instincts. Several times, he almost gave the order to recall the three Juggernauts. He did not refrain because the New Men would notice he’d changed his mind. He did not refrain because Rose might learn about it.

  He could kill them or remold any of their thoughts if it bothered him that much. The reason Strand did not change his order was that he would know he’d become—scared was far too strong of a word. Why should he, the great intellect, Strand, know fear at this awesome moment of success? It did not compute. He was letting a nagging doubt grow and become a mental pest.

  That wasn’t how geniuses acted.

  Strand forced himself to sit in his chair. He concentrated on relaxing one muscle at a time. Still, the nagging doubt troubled him.

  What caused—

  Strand snapped his fingers as he realized what this meant. He had not used the sex simulator for some time. He was due. Watching Rose twirl, seeing the curvature of her wonderful backside had affected him. Talking to her about sensual arousal had aroused him with anticipation.

  He chuckled. It was good to be horny. It showed him that his body understood that he was the master of the situation. These good times had refreshed him, made him more like the young man that he had a hard time remembering—it had been so long ago.

  The chuckle also cleared his thoughts. He sat up abruptly.

  “I’ve been arrogant,” he whispered. “I may have miscalculated.”

  Ludendorff was on the planet—in the planet. Sind II had certain defenses. Might the sly old bastard have found a way to activate the planetary defenses?

  Before recalling the three Juggernauts, Strand rapped out terse orders.

  Every sensor, every teleoptic scope on Argo was trained on the approaching planet. The New Men bridge crew scoured the surface for signs of missile pits, beam stations or launching pads for space-fighters.

  Strand debated on the best course of action for himself. Should he brake harder and let the remaining Juggernauts take the brunt of any attacks? Should he accelerate away from the planet? Or was this just last second jitters on his part?

  The Methuselah Man sat hunched on his command chair, thinking deeply, debating his options.

  “Anything?” he snapped.

  “The planet is a ruin,” the sensors officer said. “That includes ruined space cannons and littered space-fighters. I find no evidence of working Planetary Defense stations or units.”

  Strand nodded slowly. Long ago, the Rull vessels had bombarded the planet. But the Planetary Defense Net had fought back. The—

  “Am I tired?” Strand asked himself.

  He recalled the damaged war-vessels that Victory had destroyed earlier. Those Juggernauts had been patrolling Sind II orbital space for decades. If the Defense Net had anything left, it would have attacked those vessels, and the Juggernauts would have finished the various surface-stations.

  The prickly feeling in his chest almost vanished. There was a last doubt. But Strand did not feel it worthy of him to let that tiny seed of doubt ruin his great victory. He wanted to capture Ludendorff, and he wanted to do it now.

  “We will proceed,” Strand told the bridge crew. “But keep a sharp lookout, nonetheless. We are dealing with a treacherous old meddler. He will try to slip away at the last moment. That, I will not allow.”

  -66-

  Maddox panted from running so hard. Communications still did not work well down here. Something continued to jam them.

  With the snap of his head, the captain flung sweat from his face. He’d been running for some time through the plastic-coated tunnels, heading back for the space marines. How much had the toxins harmed his body?

  He scowled, shoving the thought aside. At this point, he could not afford to dwell on anything negative. This was about striving as hard as he could until he collapsed or until he won.

  Maddox burst out of the corridor and almost crashed against the ladder he’d descended some time ago. He was here.

  It took a second before he gathered himself. Cupping his mouth, Maddox shouted, “Sims! Are you there?”

  An armored space marine poked his head over the shaft. “Captain?” the marine asked over his helmet speaker.

  Maddox smiled, soaked with sweat. He might have made it in time after all. That was good, damn good. He’d been afraid the Vendels had already reached the marines.

  “Get the lieutenant,” Maddox shouted.

  The helmeted head disappeared.

  Soon, the exoskeleton-armored space marines clanked behind Maddox through the plastic-coated corridors. As quickly as he could, he retraced the path back to the central chamber Defense Net.

  A lot had happened. Before Maddox had left, Meta had revived Ludendorff. The professor hadn’t lost his wits, although the old man claimed to have a pounding headache. That hadn’t stopped Ludendorff from figuring out a few
critical controls. Ludendorff had turned off the “siren” defenses and the anti-android rays. That allowed the marines to operate in their armor down here.

  Maddox pushed himself. Sims had told him the Vendels were coming. The farthest scout had heard the planetary natives approaching.

  The captain staggered and almost tripped. He braced himself against a wall, shook off more sweat and continued the hard pace.

  “Sir,” Sims said. “You ought to let one of the marines carry you. You’re beat.”

  Maddox shook his head. He would not permit himself such an indignity.

  Despite his exhaustion, Maddox had seen the marines come alive at his presence but especially at his news. It meant they didn’t have to make a last stand at their former position and die where they stood. They might live to fight another day. They could have shed their armor before and fled, but the captain understood the underworld terrified the marines. In such a state, none of them would leave his combat shell.

  Maddox forced himself to take a deep breath and hold it for a second, letting it out explosively.

  Despite Ludendorff’s genius, the professor had failed to revive the Planetary Defense Net. The Methuselah Man claimed that none of the planetary surface weapons worked. That was bad, very bad. They’d seen the splitting flotilla, with three Juggernauts chasing Victory. Strand had clearly made a deal or taken control of the Rull vessels. The sly manipulator had the upper hand, and in time would likely capture or kill them unless they could figure out something new.

  Finally, Maddox staggered into the Defense Net control chamber. He almost collapsed, but Meta caught him and helped him slid down against a wall.

  Maddox put his head back and sucked down air. The pain in his side slowly subsided.

  “Why didn’t you hitch a ride with a marine?” Meta asked him.

  Maddox rolled his head just enough to stare at her.

  “Pride stopped him,” Ludendorff said, shuffling up. “I can see it on his face. He’s too proud to let his men carry him.”

  Maddox did not respond. It felt too good just to sit and inhale.

  “I have a plan,” Ludendorff said. “It means we need to go lower. We have to get into the vaults.”