“Do that,” said Tashnakha. “The Ninevehk see the threat that the Machinists and their demon-worship. See to it that your own people learn the wisdom of the hunt as well.”
The transmission ended.
“Looks like you made a new friend,” said Caird.
“Maybe,” said March. “But they hate the Machinists. That might be enough for now. Vigil, contact the Honest Profit and ask for Prince Horgan.”
Vigil sent the transmission, and a few moments later Prince Horgan’s thick voice filled the flight cabin.
“Well, well, well,” said Horgan. “That was quite the little fireworks show you arranged for us, Captain March.” He rumbled out a laugh. “Not even the Machinists can afford to lose that many capital warships that quickly, and it is pleasant to think how replacing the losses will cost them.”
“Yes,” said March. “And as it is, I don’t think we’ll need to ride with you all the way to the Constantinople system. We just need one thing.”
“Oh?” said Horgan. “What is that?”
“A lift to the next system,” said March.
Chapter 10: The Price Of Victory
As it happened, the hard reboot of Vigil had badly scrambled the calibration calculations of the new dark matter reaction chamber. Had they attempted to jump to hyperspace, either nothing would have happened, or the ship would have exploded.
It was just as well that March had been able to secure transportation from Horgan.
Once they reached the next system, the Tiger detached from the Honest Profit, and Vigil resumed the calibrations.
Nine hours later, the dark matter reactor was ready, and March took the ship into hyperspace, with their final destination the Antioch system, not the Constantinople system. March didn’t know if Lorre had died in the purge of Machinist ships and personnel in the Eschaton system, but it was possible that he had escaped, and he had known of March’s plan to head to the naval base in the Constantinople system.
And as they jumped from system to system, March told Caird and Vasquez what had happened during his meeting with Logos and the Custodian, though he left out Logos’s attempt to seduce him.
“Then it just as well that we escaped,” said Vasquez. “Even at such high cost. The Navy and the Admiralty have to be warned about this danger.”
“At least the Machinists only have thirty-six of these Wraith things,” said Caird.
“Thirty-four, since two of them are in the hold,” said Vasquez.
“Yeah,” said March. “But they might find more of these quantum inducers someplace, or figure out how to build their own.” He resisted the urge to scratch at his aching shoulder. His collarbone itched beneath the bandage. “Hopefully the scientists can figure out a way to block or detect the damned things.”
“I was sure that Perry was a traitor,” said Vasquez.
“He wasn’t,” said March. “Not willingly, and maybe not even knowingly if Lorre told him to forget everything that he had done. The Covenant stopped off at Antioch Station before she headed to the outer systems. Lorre must have seen his chance then. Having a mind-controlled agent aboard a Calaskaran heavy cruiser would be invaluable. Figured it was an investment that would pay off later, but he didn’t realize how soon that would happen. Once I took the Wraith from Rustbelt Station, Lorre realized he might need Perry sooner rather than later. He found out where the Covenant was going, and you can guess what happened next.”
“We should say he died in the line of duty,” said Vasquez.
“No,” said March. “We can’t lie about this. It’s too important.” Vasquez glared at him but nodded. “I think we can have the official record say that Perry died honorably in the line of duty. The Admiralty will want to keep this a secret anyway. But they have to be warned.”
A few days later they arrived at Antioch Station.
The Antioch system was on the outer edge of the core worlds claimed by the Kingdom of Calaskar, and the station was the kind of giant space installation favored by the engineers of the Kingdom. Five concentric rings of gleaming metal made up the station, the largest over five kilometers in diameter. Racks of solar panels rose from the rings, and the Tiger’s sensors detected hundreds of ships of varying size docked with the station. The sensors also picked up powerful weapon emplacements, and three Calaskaran Royal Navy destroyers patrolling around the station’s defense perimeter.
March docked, and put in a call to both Censor and the local naval office.
Things happened very quickly after that. Naval police came to the Tiger, and “invited” March, Caird, Vasquez, and the remaining two Marines to the naval office to discuss the loss of the Covenant. The tone of the interrogation changed very quickly once word came down that March was an Alpha Operative of the Silent Order, and two of the Order’s own operatives debriefed March. He spent the next five days telling them everything that had happened and going over every bit of information that the Tiger’s sensors had collected.
They were very alarmed by what he had told them about the Wraith. The interrogators took the Wraith components into custody, and March felt a surge of relief. He had been trying to get that damned machine to the Navy ever since leaving Rustbelt Station. The Covenant had been destroyed and two thousand men killed or taken prisoner to get that machine into the hands of the Royal Calaskaran Navy.
Hopefully, they would be able to figure out a defense against it.
Once the debriefing was over, March was released, and he said goodbye to Vasquez and Caird.
“I’ve been promoted,” said Major Vasquez with a sour expression. “I don’t deserve it, but I’ve been promoted.”
“And I’ve been assigned to a new ship,” said Caird, Elizabeth standing behind him, unseen by everyone except March and Caird. “The Roncesvalles, under Captain Alacon. Good ship, good reputation. Maybe we’ll run into each other again.”
“Maybe we will, but hopefully under better circumstances,” said March. He shook their hands. “Good luck, gentlemen.”
“You too, Captain March,” said Caird. “Let’s never do that again.”
Vasquez snorted. “I can agree with that.”
March went to the commercial concourse and to his favorite restaurant on Antioch Station. It was the kind of place favored by enlisted men and freighter crewers. March ordered a breakfast of eggs and bacon and coffee, and sat down and ate his breakfast and waited.
The call came when he was almost done with breakfast.
“Captain March,” said Censor’s dry voice on the phone.
“Sir,” said March.
“I know you don’t think so, but you’ve done extremely well,” said Censor. “Extremely well, indeed. We know more vastly more about the Wraith device than we would have if you had just delivered it to us. Frankly, it explains some…anomalies that we have encountered recently.”
“It is dangerous, sir,” said March. “Even if we know about it. Thirty-four mind-controlled men at the right time and the right place could destroy Calaskar.”
“Yes,” said Censor. “Which is why, Captain March, it is time for your next assignment. Are you ready to go back to work?”
“Yes, sir,” said March.
Maybe Logos had been wrong about him. Maybe there wasn’t anything more to March than his scars, than what the Machinists and the Final Consciousness had done to him. He knew firsthand the pain they had inflicted on him, and the torment that had unleashed upon countless billions.
So long as he had strength, he would fight to stop them.
“Yes,” sir,” said March again. “I am very glad to get back to work.”
“Good,” said Censor. “We’ve got a great deal for you to do, Captain March.”
THE END
JACK MARCH WILL RETURN
Thank you for reading SILENT ORDER: WRAITH HAND!
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Other books by the author
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Silent Order: Wraith Hand Page 19
