“The captain of the Lolis II is responding,” Pinter said.
On the main screen, a woman appeared. She was a dusky-skinned, plain individual. She wore a tan uniform and had a dark mole near her left eye. Orange hair sprouted from under her military hat.
“What is the meaning of your call?” she said in a heavily accented voice.
Maddox said nothing, just stared at her.
The woman’s eyes narrowed. “I’m Captain Mayenne of the Lolis II. While we have Earth registry—”
“You’re a Bosk,” Maddox said, interrupting her.
She jerked her head sharply in the affirmative.
“When did the Bosks start allowing their women to become ship’s captains?” Maddox asked, knowing Bosk culture was supremely male-centered.
“Not when, sir, but after,” she said. “After Star Watch incorporated Jarnevon into the Commonwealth of Planets.”
“No,” Maddox said. “Jarnevon is still under military occupation. It’s not yet a voting planetary body. I wish to speak to the real captain of your ship.”
“I’m the captain.”
Maddox eyed her. She seemed nervous, as if she wasn’t playing her part very well. Bosks didn’t like him. Might they have put her in the captain’s chair as an insult to the notorious Captain Maddox, at least in the Bosk way of thinking? That would imply they knew they were dealing with Victory.
Maybe he was giving them too much credit.
“Fine,” Maddox said. “Captain Mayenne, stow your Q-gun and prepare for boarding. I’m going to inspect your vessel.”
“By what right?” she asked.
“Call it…curiosity.”
She blinked several times, glancing to the side, perhaps receiving instructions. She faced him again. “Curiosity is not a right.”
“It is when my ship outguns and outclasses yours in every way,” Maddox said.
“This is—this is an outrage. We are—” She turned her head sharply to the side. Her shoulders slumped and then she bowed her head, quietly rising and stepping away from the main screen.
A bulky, muscular Bosk man stepped into view. He had a mass of black hair, a thick neck and sloping, muscular shoulders. He had dark, contemptuous eyes in a dusky-skinned face and wore a Star Watch commodore’s uniform.
“We are in the process of targeting an electronic eavesdropping shuttle,” the Bosk growled. “You will immediately—”
“Fire on the shuttle, and I’ll destroy your hauler,” Maddox interrupted.
The Bosk straightened as if outraged. “I’m Commodore Jasken, a Star Watch Intelligence operative working under the authority of the Lord High Admiral. If the shuttle belongs to you, I demand a full apology for your electronic surveillance on our vessel. You will then leave this star system as we complete our mission.”
“Do you know who I am?”
“Of course, I know, the notorious Captain Maddox of Star Watch. Now, sir, as my rank supersedes yours—”
“Prepare for boarding, Commodore.”
“Didn’t you hear me? I’m operating under the full authority of the Lord High Admiral.”
“I heard. You’re lying.”
The Bosk didn’t fly into a rage. Instead, so-called Commodore Jasken chuckled, shaking his head. “Captain Maddox, there is an easy way to solve the issue. Let us use your Long-Range Builder comm device to speak with the Lord High Admiral. He will confirm my words.”
Maddox hid his sudden unease. What was going on here? He’d begun to suspect the Bosks had hijacked the Lolis II. Now… How could Fletcher allow Bosks to command a black ops Intelligence vessel? What was more—
“How do you know about the Builder comm device?” Maddox asked.
Jasken spread his huge hands, his smile turning into a smirk.
Maddox turned to the side. “Is Valerie on our side of the planet yet?”
“Yes,” Keith said.
Maddox eyed the pilot before nodding and turning back to Jasken. “Let’s get one thing clear. You’d better put away your Q-gun. If you haven’t done that by the time I come around the gas giant, I’ll put that weapon away for you.”
“That would be an illegal attack,” Jasken said.
“After your Q-gun is disarmed, my Marines will board your ship.”
“I am under the full authority—”
Maddox turned and made a slicing motion across his throat.
Warrant Officer Pinter tapped his board, and the main screen went blank.
Maddox frowned thoughtfully. Just what in the hell were the Bosks and Fletcher up to?
-5-
Before Victory left the vicinity of the gas giant and began approaching the Lolis II, Andros requested the captain’s immediate presence.
Soon, Maddox stood in one of the most heavily guarded locations in the starship. Andros and he were alone before the first cylinder of the ancient Adok computers that made up Galyan.
“There,” Andros used a stubby finger to point at a burnt, fused area of alien computer circuitry. “That’s where it started. The entire section is gone. There are other destroyed areas as well. I’m not sure what it all means. If we simply can’t communicate with Galyan, or if Galyan is down temporarily—or down for good.”
Maddox stared at Andros in disbelief. “For good? You mean dead?”
“Possibly.”
Maddox blinked rapidly. “There are more destroyed areas?”
“Linked to this one,” Andros said.
“What am I looking at here?”
“Something that hasn’t needed replacing in six thousand years.”
“How could this have happened?” Maddox asked.
“I have no idea other than saying a massive overload started burning out circuitry.”
“Could something on the enemy ship have caused it?”
“I have no idea how,” Andros said. “There are safeguards in place against such a thing, but what other explanation is there?”
“Can you replace the destroyed parts?”
“I told you there are more areas than just this, but this one is bad enough.” Andros stared at the cylinder. “It would help if Ludendorff were here— Sir, Galyan needs an entire overhaul and rebuild. How can I replicate ancient Adok-Builder technology? If I could—and I can’t—how could I ensure that Galyan’s personality and memories remained intact?”
“What are you saying?”
“What I said before. Galyan could already be dead.”
Maddox stared at the first damaged cylinder. No. He refused to accept that. Galyan was nearly indestructible. How could this have happened through his holoimage? What were they dealing with out there? An unexpected feeling of panic welled in the captain’s chest. He refused to let it grow, refused to accept the death of the ancient AI.
He turned on Andros, about to speak harshly. Instead, quietly but intensely, he asked, “Aren’t there any spares aboard ship for this kind of thing?”
“Maybe,” Andros said, “but I have no idea where they’re hidden.”
Maddox inhaled deeply. “Listen to me, Andros. It’s simple. You’ll have to replace all the destroyed areas. You start with this one and keep repairing. You do the best you can because you can’t do any more than that.”
“Oh, sure, that sounds reasonable. But these parts…” Andros shook his head. “There’s nothing like them in Human Space.”
“Improvise.”
Panic showed in Andros’s eyes. “Galyan could already be dead. If he isn’t—”
Maddox grabbed a fistful of Andros’s garment, hoisting him higher. “Don’t say that. Fix him. You fix him.”
“Sir… I’ll do what I can. But if I do it wrong…it could mean no more Galyan.”
“Then do it right,” Maddox said, releasing the Chief Technician.
Andros’s face grew pale as he stared at his shoes.
Maddox relented and put a hand on the Kai-Kaus’s left shoulder. “You’re the only one here that has a chance at doing it right.”
And
ros looked up like a frightened rabbit. “What if my repairs kill him?”
“Is replacing this first area that hard?”
“I’ll have to make the part first. That means I have to figure out what it did and how it did it. We need Ludendorff, sir.”
“He’s not here. You are. How long would it take for you to fabricate the part?”
“Weeks…months, I have no idea.”
Maddox bared his teeth. This was a disaster. This was a— “Would it help to know how the Bosks did this to Galyan?”
“If they did this, I don’t see how, but if they did… Yes, very much.”
Maddox took his hand away as something bleak and stern hardened on his face. “Get started on this, Andros. Do your best and take as much time as you need. Galyan has seen us out of some hard spots. We’re going to do the same for him.”
“Yes, sir, if he’s still—yes, sir.”
Maddox whirled around and started for the bridge. Along the way, Meta intercepted him.
His wife was a platinum blonde, voluptuous and stronger than most men, as she’d been genetically modified and had grown up on a two-G planet. She was also startlingly beautiful in her specially tailored Star Watch uniform.
“How’s Galyan?” Meta asked.
Maddox gave a terse rundown on Galyan and Andros.
“But that’s horrible,” Meta said.
Maddox nodded curtly.
What’s the next move?” she asked.
“We board the Lolis II. We find out how and what the Bosks did to Galyan.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
Maddox glanced at her.
“I’ve spoken to Valerie. She’s worried for you.”
“Me?” Maddox asked.
“She listened to the exchange between you and Commodore Jasken—”
“The Bosk is no commodore.”
“Valerie says this is a black ops Intelligence vessel. The Lord High Admiral backs it.”
“The last was Jasken’s claim.” Maddox halted and put his hands on Meta’s shoulders. “Do you think I should tread lightly with the hauler?”
“I do,” Meta said, studying her husband. “I know you’re worried about Galyan. But remember, Cook is no longer in charge. Mary is no longer there to soften the schemes and resentment against you back at headquarters. Fletcher never liked you, either.”
“I saved Fletcher’s life more than once.”
“Darling, that makes some men hate you more—those with great pride like Fletcher, for instance.”
“What about Galyan?”
“Surely Andros can repair him in time.”
“He’s a miracle-worker, but Andros isn’t a Builder. He’s right. We need Ludendorff, and even then, that might not be enough. Or we need to find spare Adok-Builder parts for Galyan.”
“All we can do is our best.”
Maddox bared his teeth again. He didn’t want to hear that. He wanted success, not just his best. Winning was the only thing. He concentrated. He couldn’t mourn Galyan right now. To fix the AI—
Maddox turned away, thinking, and then faced Meta again. “Why did Stokes send us the original message?”
Meta didn’t shift her thinking quite as fast, but soon she said, “Political infighting seems the most likely reason. It happens all the time. People are jockeying for position and power under the new Lord High Admiral.”
“No. That’s not like Stokes.”
“You’re wrong,” Meta said. “That’s not like you. But almost no one else thinks like you.”
“Which is why Stokes sent me the message,” Maddox said. “He knows I’ll do what needs doing.”
Once more, Meta searched his face. “Darling, all I’m asking is for you to consider the possibility that Stokes might be using you, setting you up for a fall. He’s never been that fond of you, either. You darted him in his office not so long ago.”
“Okay. Maybe you’re right. But tell me this then. Why are Bosks running a black ops mission for Star Watch, a mission with hidden technology able to short or possibly destroy Galyan from a distance?”
“I don’t know. It’s strange. I admit.”
“Come,” he said, turning her with a hand on her arm. “Maybe I can bluff Jasken into telling us what’s really going on.”
“Oh, Maddox,” Meta said with real fear. “One of these days you’ll go too far. You needed Cook. He was a safety net for you. We don’t know how Fletcher operates yet.”
“Less talk, more walk,” Maddox said, propelling her along.
He knew his wife had a point about Stokes and the new Lord High Admiral. But surely even Fletcher would realize that his unorthodox methods had produced countless results. Star Watch owed him something. He would take that something as license to play his hunches and keep doing what he did best. He was the di-far, after all.
A tight smile stretched Maddox’s lips. It didn’t match the stern look in his eyes. What had the Bosks done to Galyan? It was time to find out.
-6-
Three hundred thousand kilometers separated the two spaceships. They both drifted in the dense particle cloud as they faced each other.
The Class-3 hauler was big, a huge rectangular-shaped merchant ship. Yet, as big as it was, Victory was bigger. The starship also vastly out-powered, outgunned and out-armored the hauler. It also possessed a far superior shield. The hauler’s black hull lacked heavy armor, but it did stop Victory’s scanners from telling what was inside it.
So-called Commodore Jasken had not stowed the Q-gun. It was hot and locked onto Victory. Maddox had not yet made good on his threat to take out the gun for Jasken. But the mighty disrupter cannon was aimed at the Q-gun.
Victory had faced Bosk Q-ships before. At that time, Maddox had learned from Galyan that a Q-ship, also known as a Q-boat, decoy vessel, special service ship or mystery ship, had been a heavily armed merchant ship with concealed weapons. The first known use of a Q-ship had been in the 1670s on Earth, Pre-Space Age. The HMS Kingfisher had been specially designed to counter the attack of Algerian corsairs or pirates in the Mediterranean by masquerading as a merchantman, hiding her armaments behind false bulkheads. The most notable use of Q-ships had occurred during World War I. Then, they were supposed to lure German submarines into making surface attacks. That gave a Q-ship the chance to open fire and sink the subs.
The Bosks had used the idea when they’d worked for Methuselah Man Strand and later Lord Drakos.
Now, a hidden weapon—a Q-gun—had been installed in the hauler. This cannon, according to Valerie’s scan, was a regular fusion cannon, a higher-class weapon, to be sure. Unless the Bosks could unleash unheard-of power, though, it would be useless against Victory.
So, why had the Bosk kept the cannon out, hot and locked-on? That’s what Maddox wanted to know.
He sat in his command chair, and made a subtle finger move. An instant later, Commodore Jasken appeared on the main screen. The Bosk cocked his head, no doubt listening to someone, and turned abruptly to the screen.
Jasken straightened. “This farce has gone on long enough, Captain. I demand that you escort us to the Laumer Point. We’re behind schedule. Several battleships will soon begin looking for us.”
“Uh-huh,” Maddox said, sounding unimpressed. “We can test that, of course. Perhaps we’ll remain here for a week or more.”
A momentary stricken look crossed Jasken’s dour features, until he said, “I think not, Captain.”
Maddox held up a hand. “Sir, this is elementary. I’m about to destroy your cannon.”
“That’s fine with me, Captain, as that will prove you assaulted us. My records will show I told you exactly who we are.”
“What’s in your cargo hold?”
“That’s none of your concern, Captain. Now, will you move aside or not?”
Maddox did not respond.
“This is getting wearisome,” Jasken said.
“Lock onto his fusion cannon,” Maddox said, still staring at the Bosk.
“Oh, I can wait,” Maddox said. “Care to tell me why I should?”
Jasken licked his lips. His former arrogance and assurance had disappeared. “You have no idea what forces you’re trying to thwart.”
Maddox just continued to stare.
“I cannot tell you,” Jasken said. “If it was permitted, don’t you think I would have already done so?”
“It’s your funeral,” Maddox said with a shrug.
That actually caused the Bosk’s lower lip to tremble. “Now…now look here, Captain.”
“I’m done waiting,” Maddox said. “Unless, of course, you can give me a hint about what this about.”
“Huh?”
“I realize you cannot say directly,” Maddox told him. “Give me a hint then.”
“I…I want to. Believe me, I do.”
Maddox kept his features even, but the change in the Bosk’s behavior and features had startled him. Why was the man so afraid? It was positively un-Bosk-like.
Jasken looked down at his thick hands and suddenly looked up. He had agonized features. Those hardened a moment later. “I have my orders, sir.”
“No hint? Not even a little clue?”
The Bosk’s nostrils flared as anger filled his eyes.
“Take out the fusion cannon,” Maddox said sharply.
The Bosk’s eyelids fluttered, horrified, as if he couldn’t believe what was happening.
On Victory, a whine began deep inside the starship. Then, a quick yellow burst from the disrupter cannon lashed out, striking the enemy’s fusion cannon.
The screen showing Commodore Jasken flickered off. In its place was the black-hulled, rectangular hauler. A flare of light showed the exploding fusion cannon. Then—
“I’m showing a massive energy spike,” Valerie said as she studied her panel.
“Get Jasken back online,” Maddox said.
“The spike—” Valerie said, moaning softly afterward.
Maddox looked back at her. Then, a fantastic flare of light starkly brightened everything on the bridge.
Maddox looked back as he squinted at the main screen. The Lolis II was exploding, the black hull flying like grenade shrapnel in all directions. An antimatter fireball consumed much of the interior hauler as heat, EMP and hard radiation ballooned outward.
The Lost Intelligence (Lost Starship Series Book 12) Page 3
