“Is that what the Dreadnought will decide?” he asked.
She made a curiously hopeless gesture with her camera pod. “I do not know what the Dreadnought will think. That depends very much upon the level of sophistication of its ability to plan, and we know now that we cannot predict that. If the stations and all traffic in-system was destroyed, then it would probably look to the inhabited planet. There would still be power sources there to draw its attention, if not its fire.”
“Commander,” Tarrel called to him. “Will you have any back-up on this? I know that a Starwolf freighter has been here once before.”
“Yes, another carrier arrived several hours ago and is standing by some distance outside the system.”
“And what about that freighter?” Tarrel asked. “Even if the Dreadnought has not been — or no longer can — follow your transmissions, would the presence of a Starwolf ship in this system encourage it to go into hiding in the hope of ambushing another?”
“Yes, that is a valid concern,” he agreed. “Until you brought that up, I had been very certain that we would not find the Dreadnought here. Now I am given to wonder.”
They could speculate on that matter for a long time, but the moment came at last when the Methryn had to take herself out of starflight. Guided by their discussion, she dropped down from starflight well inside the system, using a minimum of power to brake below threshold and then coasting at nearly light speed. The carrier was running with her shields at stealth intensity and her normal scanners were silent, containing any emissions that might have betrayed her presence. She cautiously began a quick, very low-intensity sweep with her impulse scanner.
“No contact on first sweep,” she announced to the bridge crew. “Scanner sweep did indicate a great deal of debris, including some very large pieces, above the fourth and fifth planets. There are also some two dozen intact and functional ships in this system, mostly of Union military class. It seems that we are not the first to arrive.”
“The Dreadnought might still be hiding somewhere,” Gelrayen cautioned her. “Continue your sweeps at a higher level.”
Valthyrra Methryn needed only a few minutes more to feel very certain that the Dreadnought was no longer in this system. Her own impulse scanners had detected nothing, and she had registered no contact by an impulse beam from any other ship. The Union fleet was involved in some indeterminate work in the wreckage above the fourth planet, unaware even yet of Methryn’s presence. Since there was no indication of danger, Valthyrra suggested that they have a brief word with the Union forces before they continued their hunt for their enemy.
The Methryn settled silently into orbit over the massive gas giant, after a brief run back into starflight followed by a sharp braking maneuver that left Captain Tarrel rather breathless in spite of the suit’s greater protection. Valthyrra kept her shields at stealth intensity, wanting to see what the Union fleet was doing before they knew that she was about. Old Starwolf habits that were not even her own kept her cautious.
She moved in very quietly behind the largest area of debris, where almost all of the Union ships were engaged in, as far as she could tell, mapping and cataloging the pieces of wreckage. It seemed like the silly, pointless sort of thing that the Union would consider very important in a crisis. But that debris was more interesting than she would have guessed, and it soon demanded her full attention. In the past, the Dreadnought had been very thorough in making certain that anything it destroyed was ripped to pieces, but some of these sections of station and factory components were still very large. A few were larger than herself and scores of sections were as large as any Union battleship or bulk freighter, two or three hundred meters across. There was, however, no question of survivors in that wreckage. Every section was tom and twisted, and burnt black by tremendous discharges of power. The fact that there were no bodies drifting in space was an ominous indication of what had happened to anything organic caught in the storm of energy that had raged through these stations.
“Another change of tactic,” Valthyrra reported. “The Dreadnought was in a hurry. It killed, but it did not take the time to obliterate.”
“It might have been overwhelmed by the very volume,” Tarrel suggested. “It would have taken hours to have eaten these stations bite by bite, the way it did the first time we met. Just destroying the first completely would have given them the time to evacuate all the other stations and get every ship out of system. ” “When it attacked the Vardon, it seemed to lack any awareness of tactical priorities,” Valthyrra reminded them. “Does it seem to you that this monster is getting smarter?”
“Actually smarter, as opposed to simply showing us more of its abilities?” Gelrayen asked.
“Exactly,” the ship agreed. “I am reminded of myself, sixty years ago when I was first brought on line. I was dull, remote, and completely unaware of anything going on around me except my programmed function. I was aware of myself, but I did not even know what that meant. It was the need to be able to do the things required of me that forced my development.”
Gelrayen considered that for a brief moment. “Are you suggesting that the Dreadnought is a child, or perhaps a weapon that had never been activated until it drifted into the Union and the presence of ships and stations triggered an automated response to attack? Then it actually would be becoming smarter as it learned how to plan. ”
“That might well be,” Valthyrra agreed. “Or perhaps it was simply shut down to dormant levels for so long that it has needed time to remember how to think and plan for itself. Very much would depend upon how old it actually is. Our suspicion is that, it is ancient because we have no idea who built it, and that it has been bounding around space for a very long time. It might also be very new. I remind you that the Union does not explore outside its own territory, and the Starwolves never have the time.”
They watched the main viewscreen for a moment as the Methryn moved slowly through the wreckage. Blackened and battered pieces of metal hundreds of meters across drifted past, most of diem rolling in an oddly calm, stately manner from the impetus of the force that had ripped them apart. Gelrayen walked over to stand beside Kayendel at the helm station, then looked up at the camera pod.
“What are your thoughts on the subject?” he asked.
“I believe that it was a mistake not to seek the advice of the Aldessan of Valtrys when this affair first began,” Valthyrra answered without hesitation. “They might very well know who built this machine, and how to shut it down. But the ships were not consulted.”
Captain Tarrel smiled to herself, impressed with the censure that the ship was able to convey in her words. Valthyrra Methryn was probably very correct in her belief that development in a sentient machine corresponded to need. She was coming along very smartly.
They came upon the first Union ship suddenly, a small cruiser drifting alongside one of the larger pieces of station wreckage. It had actually been facing away at first, but it reversed itself very quickly in what certainly seemed to be a very startled gesture. Tarrel was given to wonder if its very aggressive stance was as obvious to the Starwolves as it was to her. She could understand the alarm of the little ship’s captain, suddenly finding himself nose to nose with the largest and most deadly ship that he had ever seen, and why he continued to respond to what he perceived to be a threat.
“Valthyrra, do you still have your shields at stealth intensity?” she demanded.
“Of course. I consider that to be a correct response to a situation that is possibly threatening, and I wondered what they were doing.
“I would suppose that they’re probing the wreckage at close-range scan for survivors,” Tarrel told her. “You forget that human instruments are nowhere near accurate as your own. And you had better make contact with the Fleet Commander before you do have a threatening situation you never intended on your hands. That cruiser is about to fire at you.”
“The Fleet Captain’s battleship is approaching now,” Valthyrra said. “In fact, I am bein
g surrounded by no less than two dozen ships.”
“Then I suggest that you begin talking very politely.”
“Can I just shoot them?” the ship asked. “I have never shot anyone in all my life.”
“Valthyrra, behave yourself,” Gelrayen warned. “This is serious. Stand ready to run if things turn nasty.”
“I am not certain that I have room to run, with all of this debris. I should probably just put up my best shields and push my way through.” She paused. “I have an audio-only channel with the Fleet Captain.”
“This is Fleet Captain Cullan,” he began, proud and belligerent. “I demand to know your business here.”
“This is the Starwolf carrier Methryn. I have been fitted with a special scanning device and I am following the Dreadnought in an attempt to learn some way of fighting it.”
“You damned murderers don’t fool us,” Cullan shouted back. “We know that you’re behind these attacks. This is all some great plan of yours, wrecking our systems and pretending to be chasing some great, invisible enemy. Some of us have decided to do something about this, and we might as well start with you.”
“I am sending the packs to the bays,” Valthyrra announced privately before returning to her communication. “Captain Cullan, you are badly mistaken on three important points. First, the Starwolves are not behind these attacks, and there really is a Dreadnought. Second, if we had wanted to destroy you in this way, we could have done so at any time. We do not need sneaky plans. Third, you do not have the firepower to confront me. If you do not get out of my way immediately, I will release my packs.”
Captain Tarrel rolled her eyes. “Valthyrra Methryn, you are the very soul of discretion and tact.”
“It is good to know that I have a soul,” she responded, turning her camera pod. “Starwolf rule number one. No one threatens a Starwolf and gets away with it.”
“Then will you get me a visual channel and let me handle this in my own way?”
Valthyrra turned her camera pod to Gelrayen, who nodded. Captain Cullan came up on the main monitor of the Commander’s station a few moments later. He looked exactly like Tarrel had expected, arch-conservative traditionalist, old and thin and going through life looking as if he had just eaten his shaving cream and could not get the taste out of his mouth. Sector Command tried not to promote these types to captain warships; they believed their own propaganda and were too prone to make egotistical decisions in the field that cost the Union dear. Which was what was about to happen here.
“Captain Cullan, this is Captain Janus Tarrel,” she began quickly, giving him no chance to talk. “I am the Union’s special diplomatic envoy and military advisor to the Starwolves. I carry a special diplomatic pass and I am calling upon you to honor it or face immediate charges of insubordination and high treason. You are employing Union warships against direct orders.”
“The very soul of discretion and tact,” Valthyrra remarked softly.
“You seem to have gotten very cozy with your Starwolf friends in a hurry,” Cullan observed disdainfully, noticing her armor.
“You either wear the best protection you can get on this ship or you end up plastered to a wall,” she answered. “I can tell you beyond any doubt that there is a Dreadnought, and that it is not a Starwolf weapon. I’ve fought the Dreadnought twice myself, and I was aboard the carrier Kerridayen when she fought it and was severely damaged. I’ve seen Starwolf carriers with their hulls ripped to shreds from trying to fight that thing. And now this ship is going out to draw its fire in the hope of finding a way to fight it.”
“I have no way of knowing that I can trust you,” Cullan responded, although he no longer seemed quite so sure of himself.
“Yes, you do,” Tarrel insisted. “Every ship’s captain and System Commander has been told who I am. You know damned well what your orders are. You and your friends aren’t as smart as you seem to think, because you don’t know what’s really going on. You’ve already bought yourself a court martial, since I am going to report this. Right now, I’m trying to save your damned life.”
Captain Cullan suddenly looked very surprised and turned away after muting the channel, leaving Tarrel to wait.
“Tactical re-enforcement,” Valthyrra reported. “They were keeping most of their ships behind us, away from my forward battery. The carrier Maeridan just moved in behind them. Discretion and tact were losing ground.”
“You have to hit an idiot like that right between the eyes or he doesn’t even hear you talking,” Tarrel commented sourly.
“We are in no danger,” the ship insisted. “They carry a light compliment of very ordinary weapons, and my defensive battle shields can turn aside anything they have to throw at me. If they do attack, I will simply push through them.”
She shook her head impatiently. “Cullan has not attacked, and he has not returned to his monitor. I believe that he has just collapsed into complete indecision. Let’s make the decision for him and push on out of here very slowly.”
“That sounds fair to me,” Gelrayen agreed.
The Methryn turned toward an opening through the wreckage and the smaller ships surrounding her, then began to move forward slowly with her running lights engaged. It was a move that was as bold as it was casual in appearance. Captain Tarrel had guessed right, knowing her own people better than the Starwolves or their ships ever could. Whatever Captain Cullan and his cronies had been telling themselves, she had been certain that most of the junior captains were not as willing to believe Cullan’s rather simplistic conspiracy theory. They were certainly hesitant to join in deliberate mutiny on such an insubstantial excuse.
“We are free and clear to run,” Valthyrra reported. “I am taking the ship out of orbit and beginning the climb to threshold. We might as well press on to our next projected target system.” “Yes, we should stay on top of it,” Gelrayen agreed. “Is the Maeridan away as well?”
“Right behind us.” Valthyrra brought her camera pod closer. “Khallenda Maeridan wants to follow us. She says that she will stay well out of system while we do our work, but she would still be there to come running if we got into trouble. I can even share impulse scanner images with her. After she corrects the image from her own perspective, she will see as well as we can.” “If you both like the idea, then I agree,” Gelrayen said as he ascended the steps to the upper bridge. “Captain, we owe* you something for that.”
Tarrel shook her head. “I should have warned you when I heard that our ships were in the system. We’ve been at war for so long that suspicion of Starwolves has become almost an instinct. Hell, my first job was to make sure that the new threat wasn’t Starwolves. Small minds are going to react to their fears. ”
“Well, I hope that is the end of it,” Valthyrra said as she brought her camera pod into the upper bridge. “I would hate to think that the first enemy I ever engaged was the wrong one.”
8
The Methryn dropped out of starflight well inside the system, keeping her speed nearly to that of light, in a manner that was becoming standard in the task of stalking the Dreadnought. The only difference was that this time she expected to find it. Unless it had broken its latest pattern and moved on to its next target, or had moved at random, then it had attacked this system the day before and was still lurking about to see what else might show up. If it indeed was waiting here, then Valthyrra Methryn knew that it would sweep space at unpredictable intervals, looking for Starwolf carriers like herself that were running under stealth. She had to find it before it found her.
On the Methryn’s bridge, the tension was like a storm threatening to break at any moment. Captain Tarrel was again at the Commander’s station on the upper bridge, watching the preparation for battle with the calm objectivity of an observer. The Starwolves were all experienced and professional; they knew what to expect and what was expected of them. The concern was for the ship herself, for they knew beyond any doubt that the Methryn would certainly take a beating in the coming battle. Tarrel wondere
d if, like herself, they were worried whether Valthyrra Methryn was ready for this battle. The ship was like a half-grown child, sometimes very mature and complex, sometimes uncertain and fearful, occasionally sullen or defensive. She had handled the situation with the Union fleet well enough, but that had involved an enemy she had no reason to fear. The Dreadnought had a proven ability to hurt her, and there was no way to predict how she would react when she was actually fired upon.
When the time came, Valthyrra would have to be calm, clever, and brave; qualities that she had never had to demonstrate in her life.
She tried a new tactic, one that she had discussed with her Commander and Helm as a suitable alternative for her present situation. Taking the risk that she could slip in during the interval between the Dreadnought’s routine sweeps, she kept her impulse scanners silent as she made a quick run toward one of the larger planets in the system. She began braking fairly hard at the last moment, knowing what the stress was doing to her human passengers, and began her first low-intensity scanner sweep just as she was looping in for a tight orbit. Then she swung abruptly out from the planet, engaging her main drives until she had matched speed for a more or less synchronous orbit.
“Contact,” she announced. “The Dreadnought is here, sitting off a short distance from the inhabited third planet. I have moved quickly to place this gas giant between it and myself. I have detected no impulse scanner contact so far.”
“Do you suppose it did not detect your own sweep?” Gelrayen asked.
“If it had, I believe that it would have reacted immediately with a sweep of its own.” She rotated her camera pod to glance into the upper bridge. “Commander, will you attend to Captain Tarrel? She was not able to stay with us through that braking.” “What did you puli, twelve G’s?” he asked as he hurried up the steps.
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