“I’m terrified,” the Vendel beside Maddox said. “They’ll destroy us before I can speak to them.”
Maddox focused on landing the flitter. Still, he felt a target on him. Surely, the Vendels had binoculars. If they saw his features, would they open fire?
The flitter touched down. The canopy whirred open. The Vendel turned in his seat and held out a slender hand.
Maddox shook hands with the alien. “Good luck,” he said.
“Thank you,” the former animal handler said. He climbed out of the flitter, spread his arms and shouted a greeting.
Silence greeted him. The cannons still aimed at the flitter and the soldiers aimed at their targets.
The former animal handler began to walk toward the soldiers. He spoke again, loudly. Since it was alien speech, Maddox could not understand the words.
Suddenly, a soldier stood. He lowered his rifle and pointed at the Vendel. He shouted again, shaking his head in seeming astonishment and laughing.
Another soldier did likewise. They shouted at the others. Maybe they recognized the former animal handler.
At that point, the great gates opened. Three blue-robed Vendels hurried through. They started toward the lone Vendel from the vaults.
Another alien stood. This one had a military bearing and many medals on his chest. He roared something, and pointed at Maddox with a rifle.
The former animal handler shouted. Then he spoke rapidly to the three priests. Finally, the priests nodded. The lone Vendel turned to Maddox, and he made shooing motions.
The captain understood, and he acted with haste. The dome whirred into place. The flitter lifted, and he began to turn the flyer. As he did, Maddox looked down at the scene.
The three priests had reached the lone Vendel. Each priest fell to his knees and bowed low to the former animal handler. He took each priest by the hand and pulled him to his feet. Then, the lone Vendel turned and waved good-bye to Maddox.
The captain waggled the flitter before he began the journey back to the vaults.
-76-
“You have completed your mission, Captain,” Sistine la Mort told him in an underground vault.
Maddox waited quietly.
“You returned my emissary to the city,” the holoimage said. “And it appears you were ready to nab another Vendel if the citizens had murdered the reformed one. You have partly atoned for your vicious behavior regarding my children. Now, I will keep my bargain. I will let you return to your starship. And I have considered your latest request. I will let the star cruiser go. That is to show my good faith. I hope your Star Watch sends representatives to Sind so we may negotiate a treaty. The Vendels need allies, and you need my help against the androids.”
“I agree,” the captain said.
“Perhaps by the time your Star Watch sends representatives, the Vendels will have begun to repair the great Planetary Defense Net. I dislike trusting the five Juggernauts to do that.”
“It has been an honor meeting and working with you, Raja,” Maddox said.
“I wish I could say the same about you, Captain. There is too much Vendel blood on your hands for me to wish you well. But I do wish the Commonwealth well. I hope the Builder scanner aides in your species’ survival.”
Once more, Maddox nodded politely.
“Good-bye…Warrior,” the holoimage said.
“Good-bye, Raja la Mort.”
With that, Maddox turned and headed for the waiting jumpfighter.
***
Soon, the jumpfighter folded, disgorging its passengers into Victory’s hangar bay.
Lieutenant Noonan stood at attention and saluted crisply. “Welcome, home, sir. It’s good to have you back.”
“It’s good to be back,” Maddox said.
Galyan hastily appeared. “Hello, Captain,” the holoimage said. “I am sorry I am late to your landing ceremony. I had a final calculation to make for the professor. He is in surgery with our New Man captive, Dem Darius. A stubborn control fiber—”
“Not now, Galyan,” Valerie said. “Let the captain find his feet before you start peppering him with news.”
The little holoimage blinked rapidly. “I am sorry again, sir. I have made a protocol error. I am so busy with the various problems—”
“Galyan,” Maddox said.
The holoimage quit talking.
“Wait your turn,” Maddox said. “I want to give you my undivided attention, as I know what you have to tell me is of utmost importance.”
“Thank you for your confidence, sir. I will do everything in my power to make sure it is not misplaced.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Maddox turned to Valerie. “Tell me about Riker and Dana…”
***
The next few days were filled with work, expectation and plenty of worry.
The professor pinpointed the android-box poison and quickly found the antidote. Sergeant Riker came to almost immediately. Dana proved a tougher case. She stabilized, which considerably improved her odds of a full recovery.
The brain surgery with the New Man Dem Darius proved a total success. The New Man came to seven hours after Ludendorff re-fused each piece of his skull back into place. The New Man demanded to speak with the commanding officer.
Maddox agreed. He donned his dress uniform, including the obligatory belt and holster. He left the holster empty, however. He would be alone with a New Man, although not defenseless.
Maddox opened a hatch and entered a special cell. Dem Darius sat at a table in an otherwise empty chamber.
The New Man stood, an act of honor, and he inclined his head.
Maddox did likewise to exactly the same degree.
“You are a man of true decorum,” Darius said. His voice was a little rough, and he had withdrawn features. Still, the golden hue of his skin shone with health and vitality.
Maddox pulled back his chair. They both sat at the same time.
“I do not mean any disrespect by speaking first,” Darius said. “You captured me. I recall it well. You had aid in the capture, but you won that round. Now, you have done me a service. One of your shills removed the control fibers from my brain. I can feel the independent thought coursing through me. That was a generous act, Captain. I am in your debt.”
“It pleases me to hear you say that. I do have a request.”
“State it, please.”
“I am returning Argo to your command,” Maddox said. “I am also giving you a prisoner to take to the Emperor. I am referring to the Methuselah Man Strand.”
Darius stiffened and his eyes shined with murder-lust.
“My request is that you do not kill Strand. You must hand him over to your Emperor.”
“Yes,” Darius said. “I will do this, although I desire to squeeze the Methuselah Man’s head until I crush his skull.”
“I understand,” Maddox said. “I also appreciate your willingness to do this.”
Darius studied him. “I fail to understand your generosity. May I ask your motive?”
“It is purely selfish. I desire a military alliance of the Commonwealth with the New Men against a fierce enemy.”
“Do you refer to the Swarm?”
“I do. I would like to show you what I found in the Far Beyond.”
Darius considered this, and nodded.
Maddox made a motion, and Galyan started up a holoimage recording of Victory’s last voyage into the Far Beyond to the edge of the Swarm Imperium.
The New Man studied the images. Darius noted the size of the fleets, the awe of the spectacle.
“You returned from that star system?” Darius asked.
Maddox nodded.
“Your technology was good. Your training was solid. I find myself agreeing with your thesis regarding the Swarm and an alliance. However, it is difficult to…”
“Stomach the thought of allying with inferior beings such as us?” Maddox said.
“You have stated my thoughts succinctly. I am curious, however. I thought you lesser races abh
orred the idea of stating such hard truths.”
Maddox debated the idea of reminding Darius the Commonwealth had won the first war, and that the New Men hid from Fletcher’s searching Grand Fleet. Perhaps that would not be wise considering the situation. Still, it galled the captain to remain silent.
“You realize that handing Strand to the Emperor will in time reveal the Methuselah Man’s secrets to us,” Darius said. “It will strengthen our position.”
“You have seen the recording of the Swarm fleet. If the Imperium invades in force, humanity as a whole will need all the strengthening it can find.”
“You suggest we are human as the sub-men are human?” Darius asked.
Maddox felt the anger rising in him again. “A sub-man, as you define it, could conceivably mate with a chimpanzee. There would never be any offspring from such a union. A New Man can mate with a normal human. That union can easily produce offspring. Yes, you and your kind belong to the human race. It is obvious.”
“You argue like a New Man, Captain. I congratulate you. The thesis you propound runs against the grain. Yet…it has merit. I shall consider it, sir.”
“Then you agree to bring Strand and our message to the Emperor?”
“I swear it.”
Both men stood. It was hard to do, and at first, Maddox could not. Finally, he held out his hand.
The New Man stared at the proffered hand and then at Maddox. Finally, sighing, Dem Darius reached out. He gripped the captain’s hand.
“Until we meet again, Captain Maddox.”
“Until then,” Maddox said. He turned without another word and headed for the exit.
-77-
Star Cruiser Argo rendezvoused with Starship Victory five and half light-years from the Sind System. A shuttle took Dem Darius and his Methuselah Man prisoner to the vessel.
Darius forced Strand to don a special protective suit. Then, he put his former master in stasis. Afterward, he ordered the crew to their quarters. A few seemed reluctant to go, but eventually they all obeyed.
The commander sought out three others. He put a special disc on the back of their necks. Each disc temporarily shorted the control fibers Strand had inserted in their skulls.
The four independent New Men scoured the star cruiser, but could find no sign of the android Rose. She had vanished. Certain clues led Darius to believe she had slipped off the ship some time ago. Still, where she had gone was a mystery.
Finally, Darius hailed Victory. He informed them about Rose’s disappearance. Maddox suggested they be extra careful concerning enemy vessels during their journey home. The hidden stealth ship had left the Sind System, and who knew where it had gone.
Finally, the two vessels departed, each heading for a different destination.
***
Riker recovered and regained full use of his body a third of the journey home. He tired a little more easily than before. Otherwise, the poison did not seem to have any lasting effect.
Dana also recovered. She was different. She tired easily, and her mind wasn’t as sharp. Ludendorff took her each day, encouraging her to exercise and practice various mental gyrations. Halfway home, the professor declared minimal improvement.
“If she can recover just a little more,” he told Maddox. “I believe she can make a full recovery.”
Maddox hoped so. He told Meta he didn’t understand why Ludendorff worked so hard with Dana.
Meta regarded him with outrage. “Ludendorff loves her. That’s why. Wouldn’t you do the same for me if I were injured?”
Maddox twisted around on the recliner in his quarters that they shared. He stared into her eyes. Meta stood by him no matter what. He could trust her with his life. She had inner and outer strength. She had a deep understanding of him, and still seemed to love him. Yes, he loved her, and he would do more than Ludendorff did for Dana. Meta…was a treasure. She was beautiful, faithful and intelligent—a thought struck him.
Maddox stood abruptly. He took Meta by the hand, making her stand. He gripped her hand, and a feeling of…fear struck him.
He should not do this. Yet it seemed like the right thing to do. He considered it, and realized this wasn’t a rational decision. It was an impulse, but it seemed morally correct. That was important, and he wasn’t sure why.
“Meta…” he said.
“Yes?” she asked, puzzled.
He could not say the words. That was most astounding. He took both her hands in his. He stared into her gorgeous eyes.
“Meta, will you marry me?”
Her eyes grew round with surprise. “Yes,” she whispered, in the softest voice Maddox had ever heard. “Oh yes, Maddox, I will.” Meta threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly and kissing him again and again.
Maddox laughed. He picked her up and held her. This was his woman, and he was going to let the world know that by making her his wife. He should have done this a long time ago.
***
Valerie’s stomach seethed as she paced back and forth in the corridor. She was off-duty, and she had been avoiding this for some time. Now, though, she felt as if she had waited too long.
“What’s wrong with me?” she asked.
She knew what was wrong. This went against her usual ways.
She cursed quietly under her breath. Then, she spun around and marched with determination to a particular hatch. The will to do this weakened the closer she came to the hatch. It didn’t matter, though. She had made up her mind.
She rapped the knuckles of her right hand hard against the hatch. Then she let her arm drop.
Several seconds later, the hatch opened and a sleepy-eyed Keith Maker, with messed up hair, regarded her.
“Valerie?” he asked, surprised.
“What’s wrong with you?” Valerie said.
“Huh?”
“I thought we were going to practice wrestling.”
“We were?”
“We used to,” she said. “We should do it again, say…in another hour.”
“But…” Keith scratched his head. “But, I thought—”
Valerie stepped closer and she quailed at the last minute. Instead of doing as she planned, she pecked him on the cheek.
That brought an instant transformation to the ace. “Oh! Sure. Let’s practice our wrestling.”
“That’s all I’m saying. Don’t read more into it.”
“No,” Keith said. “A half hour?”
“Yes. You’d better not be late, either.” With that, Valerie spun around, marching away.
Keith leaned out his quarters, watching her go. He had a grin from one side of his face to the other.
“All right,” he said, ducking back in to get dressed.
***
Galyan was in his special place. He was worried. The mission had been a success. They had the Builder long-range scanner. Perhaps as important, he had added to his fund of knowledge. He knew more about the androids, and he had learned more about the Builders. He hadn’t learned a lot more, but his understanding of them kept slowly improving.
Galyan paced—floated—in his special place, as he replayed old recordings on the main screen. This recording showed the Swarm fleet of last voyage.
The worry regarded his simulation war-games. He had run thousands of possibilities. As far as he could tell, if the Swarm invaded with just one fleet, that meant the end of the Commonwealth. Humanity might live if the Spacers fled far enough. But Earth certainly seemed doomed.
It seemed that a terrible storm awaited his friends, his family.
“I have to find an answer,” Galyan said. “They helped me. Now, I want to help them against this terrible menace.”
But for the life of him—if that was even the right expression—Galyan could not come up with an answer. The best possibility was that the Swarm Imperium never invaded.
That was an interesting thought. Maybe Star Watch was going to all this effort for a problem that would never materialize. For his family’s sake, Galyan hoped that was true.<
br />
-78-
Many thousands of light-years from Victory, Commander Thrax Ti Ix stood on the hive deck of the Vice Royalty Vessel of the Left Swing Arm of the Gloriously Brilliant Raid Force.
In many ways, Thrax resembled an Earth-shaped insect, the preying mantis. Instead of being minuscule, though, he was the size of a cow.
Thrax wore a harness with various tech tools attached to it and had a glistening brown exoskeleton. He had spoken to the Grand Vizier of the Imperial Family. Afterward, he had undergone strenuous tests, barely passing them. The chief of the Hive Masters had declared him and his modified companions as second-class Swarm creatures. That meant they could join in the conquest of the galaxy rather than entering the food vats as mashed protein.
Thrax presently served in Sector 34: Section 13: Mark 98. Normally, such a posting from the origin point to the frontlines would have taken years if not decades. Thrax had accomplished the journey in three months.
There was a reason for that. He had brought the Imperium unique saucer-shaped vessels with giant bulbous centers. Thrax and his tens of thousands of companions had escaped a Builder’s Dyson sphere through a hyper-spatial tube. That had happened because of a long and secret process.
On the Dyson sphere, as one of the Builder’s pet projects, Thrax had learned much of the Swarm’s history. On his own in the central Builder node, Thrax had read countless files concerning the Swarm. He had finally realized that the only way he could gain his freedom was to infect the Builder with an ancient Swarm virus.
It had taken years to do that. Now, this was his reward?
Thrax served as a technical assistant to the Reigning Supreme of the Left Swing Arm. The Left Swing Arm was composed of all the saucer-shaped starships Thrax had brought from the Dyson sphere. They were unique in the Imperium because each possessed a star drive. Each had Laumer-Drive sensors that could help locate and open jump points.
In the Swarm’s long existence, they had yet to discover jump points. They had found a cruder FTL drive, which involved considerable attrition of vessels and tremendous expenditure of energy. It meant only a few of the Swarm’s spaceships ever used the former FTL drive. Thrax’s Laumer-Point gift to the Imperial Family had already begun to change the nature of the Imperium.
The Lost Planet (Lost Starship Series Book 6) Page 42
