The Lost Destroyer (Lost Starship Series Book 3)

by Vaughn Heppner

  “Per Lomax has escaped his holding cell,” Maddox said.

  “Don’t you think I know that?”

  “Why didn’t you come tell me?” Maddox asked.

  She didn’t answer.

  “Meta?” he called.

  “I wanted to tell you, but I…couldn’t.”

  Maddox and Riker exchanged glances.

  The sergeant tapped the side of his head, mouthing the word, “Teacher.”

  Hatred for the New Men surged through Maddox. He’d been conceived in a genetic facility in the Beyond. His mother had escaped to Human Space, where he’d been born. Now, the enemy had tainted his lover. Had Meta really become so corrupted that she had aided a New Man against him?

  “I’m here now,” Maddox said. “Unfortunately, the ship is in danger. I need your help.”

  “I’m no good to anyone,” Meta said. “I can’t even trust myself. Just leave me alone.”

  “Listen to me. You have to—”

  The lock unlatched but the hatch remained shut.

  “Wait here,” Maddox told Riker. “I don’t like the direction this is taking. Wait on the other side of the corridor.”

  “Sir?” Riker asked.

  “Call it a precaution.”

  “Yes, sir,” Riker said, with a new, harder edge in his voice. The sergeant drew his stunner, and the tenor of his body language said he was worried.

  Maddox opened the hatch and stepped into Meta’s quarters, closing the hatch behind him. The room was tidy and minimalist. Bloody clothes lay in the small container at the foot of her bed. Meta sat on the bed with a red silk robe covering her nakedness. Her right hand held the top closed, which hid her blood-speckled throat. She looked up at him, with moisture in her green eyes.

  “Can you tell me what happened?” he asked.

  “You don’t want to comfort me first, hold me and tell me everything is going to be okay?”

  Maddox sat down on the bed and put an arm around her. “It will be all right. Now, I need to know what happened. Time is of the essence.”

  “We’re already out of time,” she said.

  Maddox took his arm away and stood up, regarding her.

  The hand holding the robe tightened. Slowly, Meta shook her head. “I don’t trust the jumps. You know that, right?”

  Maddox had heard her say that before.

  Meta waved her free hand. “The jumps negatively affect us and the equipment. I’ve been waiting for Per Lomax’s holding cell to short-circuit one of these times. The shield goes down every jump. The computers quit. Why would a holding cell’s force screen be any different?”

  “A reasonable question,” Maddox said.

  “I usually check on him after every jump.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  “I want to make certain he’s locked tight. What he did to me on the star cruiser…”

  “Do you remember?” Maddox asked.

  “No! But I feel it here.” Meta tapped above her right breast. “The New Men are monsters. Their plans are vile.”

  Maddox had questioned Per Lomax once. The prisoner had told him the New Men planned to “cull” eighty percent of humanity, the so-called useless portion. Under the Throne World’s guidance, the remaining twenty percent would breed in genetically regimented ways, improving the human race.

  “I’ve always felt we should have killed Per Lomax when we had the chance,” Meta said. “Now, it’s too late.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “He escaped into the jumpfighter, didn’t he?”

  “How would you know that?” Maddox asked.

  Meta smirked. “Per Lomax wanted me to join him, you know?” Her features screwed up and she shook her head. “I wanted to go. It would have been the adventure of a lifetime. That’s what’s eating me up inside. I yearned to join Per Lomax. Yet, I love you. So why did I want to go with him?”

  Maddox said nothing, the objective, Intelligence officer side of him overpowering his lover side.

  “It’s because of what the teacher did to me on the damned star cruiser!” Meta shouted. “The teacher invaded my mind. He twisted it. I’m damaged goods. I’m untrustworthy! I’m—”

  Maddox pulled Meta to her feet, hugging her. She clung to him, resting her forehead in the hollow of his throat.

  Finally, she looked up. There were tears in her eyes. He touched her cheek. With a thumb, he wiped away a tear. A moment later, he pressed his lips against hers. They kissed…

  When they finally parted, he held her hands as she sat on the bed. Her robe slipped open. He looked at her charms. Shyly, she pulled a hand free and closed the robe, her fingers tightening around the silk.

  “I killed Sten Gorgon,” Meta said, as she stared into nowhere. “I’m…sorry I did. I knew him a little. He was always telling jokes. The professor liked him.”

  “Why did you kill him?” Maddox asked quietly.

  “You’re smart. You should already know the reason.”

  “Maybe I do,” Maddox said.

  “So tell me.”

  “I’d rather hear it from you. As smart as I am, I’m wrong sometimes.”

  Meta turned her head, and her words became monotone. “Right after the jump, after my heart stopped thumping and I could see normally again, I exited my room and hurried for the holding cell. The corridor lights began flickering. I heard the warning about a magnetic storm—and then the intercom system went down. I tried my comm-unit, but only got static. I knew something bad had happened so I increased my pace. That’s when I heard them.”

  “Heard who?” Maddox asked.

  “Sten Gorgon was telling Per Lomax things.”

  Maddox’s eyes shined with interest. “Like what?” he asked.

  Meta slid her gaze to Maddox before her eyes darted elsewhere. “I don’t remember what they said.”

  Maddox didn’t press, but filed the information away for later.

  “As I heard their voices,” Meta said, “something happened in my mind. I could feel a door opening in it. I knew I could help Per Lomax. The next thing I remember, I stood before them. Gorgon stopped short. The New Man studied my eyes. Then, the oiliest smile I’ve ever seen slid onto his face.”

  Meta shivered. “I remembered the smiles Baron Chabot used to give me back on, back on…”

  “The Rouen Colony,” Maddox said.

  “Yes,” Meta whispered. “Because of Per Lomax’s nasty smile, the door in my mind began to close. I think Per Lomax knew that. He whispered to Gorgon. The slarn trapper went for his knife. I charged and hit him harder than I’ve ever hit anyone. Sten catapulted off his feet and slid along the floor. I knew he was dead. My fingers hurt like Hell.”

  “And?” Maddox asked.

  “Per Lomax told me to follow him on his quest.” Meta shook her head. “I can’t remember after that. I refused to join him. The bastard spoke words that did something to my mind. I headed back to my room. I remember weeping and arguing with myself.”

  Meta stopped. She looked up with agonizing eyes. “What’s wrong with me? What did the teacher do to me on the star cruiser?”

  Maddox hugged her once more as a terrible anger burned in his chest. He was going to make the New Men pay for trifling with Meta. The enemy used humans the way others used shoes or credit cards.

  Her arms tightened around him.

  Maddox held her for a time before releasing her, guiding her back to the bed.

  Why had Gorgon helped the New Man? What had the slarn trapper told Per Lomax? Had he worked alone or had he worked in conjunction with Professor Ludendorff?

  Maddox put his hands on Meta’s shoulders. “You should sleep. You’re tired. I’ll be back shortly.”

  “Don’t leave.”

  “I don’t want to, but I must. I need answers.”

  Meta searched his eyes, finally nodding. She let her robe slide off and twisted under the covers, pulling them up to her chin.

  Maddox bent down to kiss her on the forehead. Her arms burst out
from under the covers, clutching his head, pulling his lips down onto hers.

  “Good luck,” she whispered when he pulled free.

  Maddox nodded, watching Meta close her eyes. Then, he headed for the hatch. The professor loved having his mysteries. Maddox distrusted that about the man. It was time to confront Ludendorff and find out just who he really was.

  -4-

  “Captain,” Riker called.

  The two of them marched down the corridors toward Professor Ludendorff’s quarters, with the captain in the lead.

  “Hmm,” Maddox said.

  Riker hurried even with the captain. “If Gorgon aided Per Lomax, wouldn’t it stand to reason that Ludendorff knew about it?”

  “So?”

  “So the professor has another slarn hunter with him and two archeologists,” Riker said. “These aren’t your regular run-of-the-mill archeologists, either, but hardy survivors of Wolf Prime. A case could be made that Professor Ludendorff is one of the most dangerous men alive.”

  Maddox silently agreed with that. Yet, he said, “Without the professor, Star Watch wouldn’t have Victory. Ludendorff also rid Galyan of the ancient Swarm virus and helped fix the disrupter cannon that freed the Fifth Fleet.”

  “I don’t dispute any of that, sir. My point is that Gorgon was Ludendorff’s man, one of his bodyguards, if you ask me.”

  “A judicious guess as to Gorgon’s real purpose,” Maddox admitted.

  “So it all boils down to this, sir. If Gorgon acted under the professor’s orders, the question becomes: why would Ludendorff help Per Lomax escape?”

  “That’s what we’re attempting to find out.”

  “Are we, sir?”

  “State your objections plainly, Sergeant. Precision is critical in these matters.”

  “If Gorgon worked under orders from Ludendorff, that means the professor aided humanity’s worst enemy, one of the New Men. It could be we’re walking into a trap. Now, I’m aware you’re not worried about four suspects against the two of us. But you should be as Ludendorff is possibly more dangerous than yourself, sir.”

  Maddox halted. Trust the sergeant to play the odds. Riker made good points. “Galyan,” he called.

  A few seconds later, the holoimage appeared before them.

  “Where are Professor Ludendorff and his three remaining assistants?” Maddox asked.

  Galyan stood motionless before responding. “Each of them is in their separate quarters.”

  “Those are next to each other, yes?”

  “Yes,” Galyan said.

  “Lock the hatches. Under no circumstances are you to open any of them except at my command.”

  “It is done,” Galyan said. “The hatches are locked.”

  “How is your search for Per Lomax going?” Maddox asked.

  “I have gone through sixty-four percent of the hidden areas of the ship.”

  “Report to me the instant you’re finished,” Maddox said.

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “Also, at my command—although you don’t need to appear—unlock the professor’s hatch for me.”

  Galyan nodded, waiting for further instructions.

  “That will be all for now,” Maddox said.

  Without a sound, the alien holoimage vanished.

  The two Star Watch operatives continued down the corridor.

  “Why do you think Ludendorff would help a New Man escape our custody?” Riker asked.

  Maddox had been wondering just that. “The professor is an enigma. I suspect the reason would be something neither of us presently expects it to be.”

  “So, like me, you think Ludendorff told Gorgon what to do?”

  “I’m keeping an open mind on the subject,” Maddox said. “That allows me to see what is there instead of what I think I should see.”

  Riker appeared dubious. He opened his mouth to say more.

  Maddox raised a hand and held up the index finger. “If you would, refrain from speaking for a time so that I may process my thoughts. I believe I should be at the top of my game for the next interview.”

  The sergeant closed his mouth, grinning a moment later. He was used to the captain’s cavalier manner. Realizing Maddox was tense—going into high gear—seemed to put the sergeant at ease.

  Maddox noticed the change in his aide, but refrained from commenting. He concentrated on Ludendorff. The professor was supposed to be the smartest man alive. Ludendorff had played his own game on Wolf Prime against the New Men. The professor had an inordinate curiosity about aliens, the ancient Adoks, the Swarm… What did Ludendorff think about the builders of the Nexus? And the gigantic, fifty kilometer vessel in the ion storm…what would Ludendorff think about it? Who could have constructed such a craft? Was it old like Victory or new like an enemy star cruiser?

  If any person could know about such a ghostly ship beforehand, it would certainly be Ludendorff. If anyone could envision where such a vessel would be in the middle of an ion storm, it would be the professor. And if anyone could trick the crew of Victory to be near the magnetic storm and the passing mystery craft at exactly the right moment, it would be the smartest man in the universe.

  A grim smile stretched the captain’s lips. He could appreciate a man purposefully engaged in his own affairs, blithely unconcerned about anyone else. He often operated in such a manner. In fact, Maddox would do so during this interview. The professor could have come to him and explained matters. Instead, Ludendorff had worked around his authority. It had left Gorgon dead and had endangered Meta.

  Remember, Ludendorff helped us against the New Men. Without the disruptor cannon, Oran Rva would have destroyed the Fifth Fleet and possibly Victory, too. Yet, the professor seems to have put our mutual endeavor aside. I would be wise to do the same.

  Maddox planned his line of inquiry, finally stopping before the professor’s hatch. He turned to the sergeant.

  “Be a good fellow and trade me weapons.”

  Riker drew his stunner, handing it butt-first to the captain. The sergeant accepted Maddox’s long-barreled gun in exchange.

  Maddox switched the stunner’s setting to low. Then, he composed himself, put a hand on the latch and spoke into the air, telling Galyan to open the hatch.

  In a moment, a click sounded.

  Maddox swung open the hatch, charging through into Professor Ludendorff’s room.

  Ludendorff sat at a table, with a stylus in his left hand. He was medium-sized and wore a soft blue shirt with black slacks and shoes. The collar of the shirt was open and he wore a gold chain around his neck. The older man was bald, with deeply tanned skin and a prominent hooked nose.

  The professor looked up. The intelligence in his eyes shined like twin diamonds with a hard and priceless quality. He wrote on a tablet, with various items spread out on the table.

  “Really,” Ludendorff said, sitting back. “This is rude. You could have knocked first.”

  Maddox approached the table, with the stunner aimed at the professor’s chest.

  “You must have ordered Galyan to lock the hatch earlier,” Ludendorff said. “I would like to know why you—”

  Maddox pulled the trigger. The stun hit the older man in the chest, knocking him off the chair. Ludendorff twitched on the floor, one of his feet kicking a table leg, knocking it over. The contents clattered onto the floor.

  Keeping his distance, Maddox kept the stunner trained on the prone man. He respected the professor’s deadliness. He would fire again if the man tried to reach into his pockets or reached inside his shirt perhaps.

  The seconds passed as Ludendorff breathed harshly. Finally, the professor rolled onto his back and focused on Maddox.

  The captain gave the older man the same advice Riker had given him a half hour ago after being stunned.

  Ludendorff closed his eyes, resting.

  Maddox continued to watch him.

  “You have a reason for such savagery?” the professor finally hissed.

  Maddox said nothing, letting the m
an’s anger work to his advantage.

  The professor opened his eyes, staring at Maddox. “What am I to conclude from this?”

  Still, Maddox said nothing.

  “Come, come,” Ludendorff said, testily. “Let us act like reasonable men. Your actions are unseemly.”

  “Sten Gorgon is dead,” Maddox said.

  The professor’s eyes brightened. A moment later, they lost their luster as if he deliberately hooded their intensity.

  “This is terrible news,” Ludendorff said. “How did it happen?”

  “That’s one question. Another is why you sent Gorgon to free Per Lomax.”

  “You must think poorly of me to ask such a thing.”

  Maddox stunned the professor again. It left the older man gasping, his eyelids fluttering.

  “Please,” Ludendorff finally managed to gasp. “My heart isn’t strong enough to withstand repeated charges.”

  Maddox made a show of changing the stunner’s setting. “The first two shots were at the lowest setting. Now, I have put it to a mid-range stun. You would be wise to take this change into consideration.”

  “Are you going to kill me, Captain?”

  Maddox said nothing.

  A subtle change came over the professor. All humor vanished, leaving a deadly knot of intent that made him seem more dangerous.

  “Perhaps if you informed me of your game, I could join you in it. At the moment, I am at a loss of what you’re trying to achieve.”

  “I am wary of you, Professor. You tricked the New Men on Wolf Prime, something difficult to do. I believe it more than possible you can trick me. In fact, I think you already have. These shots are to show you my respect for you.”

  “I would rather have your contempt then.”

  “Why did you free Per Lomax?” Maddox asked.

  “Obviously, I didn’t.”

  “Why did Gorgon free my captive?” Maddox asked.

  “I would like to know myself. Your accusation seems…impossible to me. Sten Gorgon committed this wild deed? Your actions show me you must believe what you’re saying. Otherwise, I would take it as a silly hoax.”

  “Let us be frank, Professor. Gorgon couldn’t have timed Victory’s appearance near a spatial anomaly. I suspect you did all this so Per Lomax could board the ghostly vessel.”