Star Raider

by Vaughn Heppner

  “Engage,” Acton said, “engage now. The cruiser will aim to kill next time. They must.”

  Tanner let his space-suited finger hover over the switch. With a silent prayer, he stabbed down, engaging the hyperdrive.

  -21-

  Dark Star began to shake. Tanner had never felt anything like it when entering hyperspace. A sound like a sea-beast groaning vibrated through his helmet.

  “What’s happening?” Tanner shouted. The words sounded garbled to his ears. A sense of disorientation struck him. With seeming slow motion, he twisted around in his seat, looking up at Lord Acton. The Earthman seemed frozen in shock.

  “Can you hear me?” Tanner shouted.

  Acton made no sound or sign that he did.

  The ship’s beastlike groaning grew worse. It seemed as if the entire raider twisted and that was metal shifting, the hull and the bulkheads in particular.

  Tanner faced the flight board. The shaking made the instrument panel blur. The calculations hadn’t worked just right. That had to be the problem.

  Then, Tanner heard hooting in his comm-link. He twisted to his left. The apeman hooted again. Greco lurched at the board, tapping on it. The apeman withdrew his hands from the blurring panel, unlatched suit seals and hurled the constricting gloves from his hairy hands. With seemingly great patience, Greco tapped, waited and tap-tapped again, studying the board each time.

  That didn’t help at all, though. The shaking around them worsened and the groaning made Tanner certain the raider was about to tear apart and spill them into hyperspace.

  “All or nothing,” Greco said, as if to himself. “Every drummer knows this.” The apeman’s fingers began to tap faster. He looked at the results and tapped another quick sequence.

  The groaning sounds lessened, as did the shaking.

  Greco hooted with apeman laughter. He continued the process, tap-tap, wait, tap-tap-tap and wait longer.

  The shaking abruptly quit and so did the metallic groaning.

  At that point, it seemed as if all of Tanner’s muscles gave out at once. He collapsed against his seat, breathing raggedly. He was alive. They’d made it into hyperspace. What in the heck had just happened?

  He was too tired and relieved to ask just yet.

  Greco adjusted the controls once more. “We’re in hyperspace,” he announced.

  Tanner managed to move his eyeballs just enough to glance at the screen. It showed a grayish universe with streaks of darker color. Yeah, this was hyperspace all right. It was a dreary realm, allowing a spaceship to cross light-years of distance without any time dilation. If the calculations were correct, they would come out of hyperspace just outside the Petrus System in about eighty hours. They would leave hyperspace at the same speed they entered. That should give them an advantage there.

  The thought started Tanner’s mind functioning again. “Are we going to have this problem coming out of hyperdrive?”

  Greco glanced back at Acton. The Earthman still wasn’t talking. “I think it likely,” the apeman said. “I believe we hit a chrono disturbance coming into hyperspace and will probably pass through one leaving it, too.”

  “What did you call it?” Tanner asked.

  Greco sighed. “I doubt I can explain it so you can understand. You know I’m engaged in a serious study of Tesla vibrations, don’t you?”

  “Ah…no,” Tanner said. “I had no idea.”

  “It’s why I originally agreed to join you, in order to fashion a koholmany.”

  “How could I forget?” Tanner said.

  “I’m fascinated with Tesla vibrations. It’s why I suspected we’d entered a chrono disturbance. The time between pulses was wrong. They moved too slowly. If they had moved at regular speeds, the vibrations would have shattered the ship.”

  “Okay…” Tanner said.

  Greco unbuckled, standing. “I must assess the ship’s damage. There could be complications from the overdue stresses. The chrono disturbance might have struck unevenly.”

  Tanner’s mind felt sluggish, but he finally got it. Greco didn’t want to say too much in front of Acton. That made sense.

  “You did well,” Acton said, suddenly. “Your quick action saved us all. I did not realize you understood Tesla vibrations or chrono disturbances. That is remarkable.”

  “We’re a remarkable people,” Greco said, sounding stiff.

  “Indeed,” Acton said. “I shall not forget that. Captain, I must check on my Lithians. If you will excuse me?”

  “Sure,” Tanner said.

  Acton pushed off in the weightlessness. They no longer accelerated. No one had figured out how to do that in hyperspace. The speed was always the same no matter how fast you entered. The difference in flight times was affected only by the distance from one object to another in regular space.

  Tanner understood none of the hyper-physics of it, but Greco and Acton likely did.

  “What just happened?” Tanner asked his friend.

  Greco watched the Earthman disappear down the corridor.

  “Hey,” Tanner said.

  Greco faced him. “Let me check the ship. You should get some sleep. Afterward, we need to figure out what Lord Acton is and why he needs to go to Planet Zero.”

  ***

  After getting lots of sleep over the past thirty-six hours and feeling much better for it, Tanner made sure everyone finished out the anti-radiation treatments. Then, he checked up on Greco’s progress in repairing the ship.

  Afterward, they sipped coffee in the galley. Greco’s eyes were bloodshot and his fur lacked its normal luster.

  “When did you sleep last?” Tanner asked him.

  “Can’t remember,” the apeman said.

  “I’m ordering you to quarters once we’re done talking.”

  Greco nodded as he raised his cup.

  “Better put that down,” Tanner said, regarding the sealed coffee container.

  The apeman stared at the cup, finally lowering it. “My mind is fuzzy. But everything on the ship is working again. I know the Calisto Grandee people went over the equipment, but we’re going to need a real overhaul sooner than ever.”

  “Did the Calisto Grandee people screw us?”

  “No. Their mechanics did genuine work. I suppose that means the mechanics weren’t on our enemy’s payroll except for whoever removed the main accelerator relay.”

  “That’s good news,” Tanner said.

  Greco stood.

  “I’m still curious,” Tanner said. “What was that you said before about the Tesla vibration and chrono disturbance?”

  “I’m tired, boss.”

  “I know. And you should head straight to your quarters. But I’ve been thinking—’

  Greco hooted tired laughter.

  “What was that for?” Tanner asked.

  “Your simian curiosity is showing,” Greco said in an imitation of Lord Acton.

  “Yeah, yeah. Are you going to tell me or not?”

  Greco sighed. “It’s very technical with a lot a mathematical understanding needed. Let me say this instead. We Avernites often have a quest, an area of study that absorbs our thinking in a life-effort. I’m sure I’ve told you about it before.”

  “Maybe you did. It does sound a little familiar.”

  “You probably weren’t listening.”

  Tanner knew his friend was probably right about that.

  “It’s why I love drumming,” Greco said, “or part of the reason. Vibrations fascinate me. I want to make a machine to study Tesla vibrations. I want to see if I can crack a planet in half.”

  “What the heck?” Tanner said. “Why would you want to do that?”

  “It’s an ancient boast made by the original Tesla. No one has ever accomplished it. I would like to be the first.”

  “I didn’t think Avernites liked making weapons of mass destruction.”

  “We don’t.”

  “What you’re talking about would be a planet buster, an ultimate weapon.”

  Greco bli
nked rapidly. “Yeah. You’re right. I had not foreseen that. This is terrible.”

  It was Tanner’s turn to laugh. Leave it to an apeman to forget about something so obvious. They really were a bunch of eggheads.

  “I’m never going to be able to sleep now,” Greco complained.

  “Yeah, you will,” Tanner said. “You look beat. Now go on, get. I need to talk to the patrician.”

  Greco gave him a sly wink before pushing off for his quarters.

  Tanner finished his coffee. The patrician had been avoiding him ever since the insulation room. He was sure it had to do with Planet Zero. It was time to get some facts straight. If brother and sister couldn’t start leveling with him, he wasn’t sure he wanted to continue playing their secret game.

  -22-

  Tanner approached Ursa’s quarters, finding First Sword Lupus floating in front of her hatch. The praetorian underman watched him closely, with a hand curled around a belted baton.

  “Do you plan to hit me?” Tanner asked, floating nearby, with one hand on a float-rail.

  The underman said nothing nor did he look away.

  Tanner found he didn’t like that. “Get your mistress. I want to speak to her.”

  The underman didn’t move.

  “If I have to draw my gun—”

  The hatch opened and Ursa stood there. She wore a silver one-piece that did little to hide her charms. She’d put her hair up, which helped to show off her lovely neck.

  “I wish you wouldn’t harass my guard,” she said.

  “He’s blocking my way.”

  “He’s merely doing his duty, protecting me.”

  “Okay, I can see that. We need to talk, though.”

  Ursa yawned. “Maybe later, I’m tired now.

  “That’s not going to work. I have grave concerns—”

  “Must I call my brother?” she asked, interrupting.

  Tanner shoved off the bulkhead. The underman drew his baton with a growl, swinging in the same motion. Tanner had already anticipated that, hunching his right shoulder, taking the hit. It hurt, and the blow slowed his forward momentum. The force of the hit also shoved the underman backward so he floated away.

  Lupus croaked in dismay.

  By that time, Tanner reached Ursa. He grabbed her right wrist.

  That enraged the underman, and he shouted incoherently.

  “He’s not trained for zero-G combat,” Tanner said. “Your brother should be using this time to rectify that.”

  “Let go of me this instant,” Ursa said.

  “I have some questions for you,” he said, keeping hold of the wrist.

  By this time, the underman seemed to have figured out what he needed to do. He grasped the nearest float-rail, with his gaze fixed on Tanner.

  “If you don’t let go, Lupus will never stop coming at you,” Ursa warned.

  Tanner twisted her wrist, making her cry out softly. That allowed him to shift her position. He maneuvered Ursa in front of him so he could whisper in her ear.

  “Why do you have to make this difficult?” Tanner asked. “I have a right to know what’s going on. My hide is at stake as well as Greco’s. I owe it to my crew and my mission to know what I’m getting into.”

  “Lupus,” Ursa said. “Stand down.”

  The underman had gathered himself to fly at the two of them.

  “Obey me,” Ursa added.

  Sullenly, the underman shoved the baton back into its holder.

  “You must let go of me,” Ursa told Tanner. “Otherwise, Lupus will call my brother. Then, we will have a true situation on our hands.”

  “Will you talk with me?” Tanner asked.

  “Before I answer, you must let go.”

  Tanner debated options. He recognized the growing fury in the underman’s eyes. He could feel the patrician stiffening, getting angrier by the moment. Part of him wanted to keep doing this. The other part realized he was taking out his anger at Acton on Ursa. That wasn’t fair to her.

  Tanner released her wrist, pushing away until his back bumped gently against the bulkhead opposite her hatch.

  She regarded him, and she finally seemed to realize that what she wore was too revealing. “I will speak to you in fifteen minutes. I must first settle down my guard.”

  “Sure,” Tanner said. “Why not meet me in the galley. We can have lunch together. Maybe keep your pet in your room, though.”

  “I do not appreciate any insults directed at my guardian,” Ursa said. “You can apologize to Lupus anytime.”

  “Thanks for the update. I’ll see you in a few.” With that, Tanner turned away, using the float-rail to shoot down the corridor.

  ***

  Tanner checked his watch as Ursa floated down the corridor. She was ten minutes late. She did look good, although not as stunning as she had in the tight coverall.

  She wore yellow slacks and shoes with a frilly white blouse and white cap. He liked the way her hair curled underneath the hat and noticed she’d put on a touch of makeup.

  “Do you have trouble apologizing even when it’s warranted?” she asked, as she settled into a chair.

  “Nice hat,” he said, ignoring the question. “You look good in it.”

  She touched the hat and seemed to work to keep her lips from smiling. “Marcus bought it for me on Cestus IV.”

  Tanner scowled, his fingers tightening around the saltshaker he’d been fiddling with as he waited.

  “What happened on Cestus IV?” she asked, noticing his reaction.

  Tanner shrugged moodily.

  “A tragedy, it would seem,” she said. “Do you consider my asking about it prying?”

  “No. No. That’s okay. My sister—the bloody Coalition killed her during a missile attack. They killed her and her groom on their wedding day. Nice guys, those Coalition bombers.”

  “I’m sorry,” Ursa said. “I know what it’s like losing family to the terrible war.”

  He nodded, staring at the saltshaker, finally moving his head side-to-side. “The past is the past.” He looked up and forced himself to smile. “It’s still a nice hat, though. You look good in it.”

  “Thank you, Centurion. How good of you to notice.”

  His smile became genuine. “Look, earlier, I just wanted to talk, right? I wasn’t looking—well—forget it,” he said, ending bitterly.

  “Lupus doesn’t hold grudges for long if there isn’t any blood involved. But I wouldn’t turn your back on him for a while.”

  “I never planned to in the first place. Hey, what would you like to eat? Or would you rather have something to drink?”

  “Do you have orange juice?” she asked, hopefully.

  Tanner thought about it. “I think I might have a thimble full. Would you like it?”

  “Oh, yes, absolutely,” she said.

  Tanner got up and checked and there was indeed a little frozen concentrate left. He made it and brought the orange juice to the table in a sealed container.

  “I appreciate this,” Ursa said, accepting the cup. “I haven’t drunk orange juice—” She put the straw to her mouth and pressed a button with her thumb. She sipped, savoring the juice as if it was the choicest wine.

  “Excellent, sir,” she said.

  Tanner smiled, feeling absurdly glad she liked it.

  He cleared his throat, deciding this would be a good time to get her talking. “I never did find out if you set me up with a fake Calisto Grandee client. Not that I’m asking you. I already assume you did.”

  “You know what they say about assuming.”

  “I’ve heard it, sure,” he said, making a slicing motion in the air. “But that isn’t what concerns me. I’m not even going to delve too much into Lord Acton. There’s too much that doesn’t make sense with him.”

  “For instance…?” she asked.

  “You’re smart, Patrician. You’d rather get me talking about him so I don’t ask you what I know you dearly don’t want me to ask you.”

  “Oh?”

&n
bsp; “Planet Zero,” Tanner said.

  “Acton was having a joke with you. I wouldn’t take it seriously.”

  “That was no joke.”

  “I assure you—”

  “Don’t,” Tanner said. “I don’t want any false assurances. I want to trust you. But every time you start lying to me, I ask myself why I should bother.”

  “We’re on the same side,” Ursa said. “We each worked with Consul Maximus at one time or another. We can’t let his horrible death go in vain.”

  “I can agree to that. But if we’re on the same side, then you need to start trusting me by telling me what’s really going on.”

  Ursa seemed to think about that, finally saying, “After we leave Petrus I’ll tell you everything. I promise you. I can’t risk it now.”

  “I hope you’re not going to say that if I don’t know, I can’t let anyone torture the information out of me.”

  “You see,” Ursa said, earnestly. “You already know my reasoning. That’s exactly right. The Coalition seeks to learn our plan. There may be others who have discovered bits and pieces and desperately wish to pry as well.”

  Tanner leaned back, eying the beautiful woman. Between Markus and her, she was definitely the smartest. This earnest manner, the asking for orange juice and the wearing of a pretty hat, the makeup and outfit—

  Tanner snapped his fingers. “Oh. You’re good, Patrician, very good.”

  “Pardon?” she asked.

  He smiled crookedly. “I’m a hard case. I always have been. I grew up on the wrong side and I have an attitude. You must have decided by now that an attractive woman is one of my weak links. You want to use that against me. I doubt you showed me the one-piece by accident.”

  “Whatever are you talking about?” she asked.

  He leaned forward on his elbows. “No more blowing smoke in my face. I want to know about Planet Zero. I want to know what we’re after. Why is the Coalition breathing down our necks so hard? Why would they spend money in the Nostradamus System? That isn’t the Coalition way. They don’t like buying anything from capitalists. If there’s one thing I know about Coalition people, it’s that they’re purists when it comes to their social unity doctrine.”