by PJ Strebor
Nathan shook his head. She could always read his moods.
“Talk it out, Nate. You know it helps.”
Within the briefing room they could talk openly.
“Something’s wrong.” He rubbed at the bump above his right eye. “It’s something
new but familiar at the same time.”
“Something bad?”
“ Very.” He sighed and shook his head. “It’s so vague I can’t get a fix on it. It’s
almost as if …” his brow furrowed as he shook his head again. “I don’t know. And that’s
driving me crazy.”
“It’s almost as if … if what? Come on Nate, finish it.”
“It’ll sound crazy.”
“So, the usual then.”
They laughed.
“Very well then. It’s almost as if someone’s walking around inside my head. Someone
really dangerous. My Prep screams when it’s happening.”
“Is it like when you were a kid?”
“Yeah, just like that.”
“So when you were a child slave someone tried to get into your mind,” Moe said. “And this felt like that?”
“Yeah, a Pruessen Naval Intelligence officer. A young ensign. I got the impression that
he lacked confidence. Perhaps his training was at fault. His self-assuredness was patchy at best.”
Nathan struggled to remember the details. He’d only seven years-old at the time and the years had long since clouded his memories. Except for the monstrous cruelty that still chilled his heart.
“It reinforces my belief that there’s a sub culture in the Pruessen Intelligence network which has developed such powers. But this is different. Before it was amateurish and benign this is far more powerful, far more malignant.”
“All right hot shot, so deal with it.”
“Deal with what? I don’t have such powers. How do I counter something like this?”
“Take your own advice.” Moe raise an eyebrow. “There’s always another way. Always
another plan.”
“Sounds good in theory but there’s a bigger issue.”
“All right, I’ll bite.”
“I can sense his influence growing stronger by the day as if he’s getting closer. What if this connection with me allows this joker to track me? If he finds me he finds Adroit and Odenwald.”
“Yeah.” She stared at the deck.
Neither of them wanted to admit what needed to be done.
CHAPTER 43
Date: 22nd September, 326 ASC
Position: Odenwald, en-route to rendezvous with Deception. Northern Quarantine Zone.
Nathan briefed Grace as to his problem before adding his solution. Grace stared at him with dull resignation but remained silent while she digested the news.
A silent question hung in the air between Nathan and his very best friend. .
“Very well Moe, it’s time.”
He knew she didn’t want to agree with him and what it would cost her to articulate what she must say.
Moe stared at her hands then looked Nathan squarely in the eye. “If it was just us I’d say stand and fight. But we are now responsible for Odenwald’s families. Women and children. I’ll hate myself forever for saying this but you’re right.”
“Hold on, this is crazy,” Grace said. “We don’t know that there’s someone tracking us. Not for certain.”
“I know,” Nathan said. “Moe’s right. I’ve been procrastinating. As long as I remain aboard, you’re all at risk. So, Moe will take command of Adroit and I will transfer to Deception and make a run for it.”
A hush fell over the room. No one wants this but they know it’s the only way.
“Hey,” Nathan said, “this isn’t a democracy. I could make it an order, but I won’t. I want you both on side.” He held their eyes for a long moment. “Just say something glib like, if you think it’s the right thing to do we’ll support your decision.”
“I feel sick,” Grace said. “There has to be another way.”
Moe squared her shoulders. “There isn’t. I’m sorry, Nate, more sorry than you can imagine. But you’re right. For the sake of the women and kids you must leave.”
“Grace?”
Her lips spread thin, she could only nod.
Moe hugged him ferociously. “If you get killed I’ll never forgive you.”
“I’m not that easy to kill,” Nathan said, brushing her hair back from her face. “You know that, right?”
She nodded. “When?”
“We’ll rendezvous with Deception early tomorrow morning.”
Neither of the women spoke.
“Grace, Deception will need resupplying. Get together with Fish and Odenwald’s supply officer and get it done. She doesn’t have much room so bear that in mind.”
Grace hugged him. “I’m so sorry, Nathan.” Her voice quaked.
“Hey, don’t make such a fuss,” Nathan said. “I’ll be fine. I always am, right Moe?”
“Yeah, you’re nothing if not a survivor. Just don’t die,” Moe said. “Alright”
“Not a problem.”
Of course Nathan knew that his chances of not getting killed were lousy. One thing remained certain. He’d die before being captured and thrown into slavery again.
CHAPTER 44
Date: 23rd September, 326 ASC.
Position: Preparing for departure. Northern Quarantine Zone.
By the time Nathan got to the airlock, the supplies from Odenwald had been loaded aboard Deception’s landing boat. He stopped by the hatch and turned to the two officers.
“Do I need to tell you that this boat cannot fall into enemy hands, again?” Nathan said.
“I’ll hit the self-destruct myself, before I let that happen,” Moe said.
“And if she can’t, I will,” Grace added.
“Get this tub moving as soon as I undock.”
“Hey, Nate, relax,” Moe said. “We’ve got it covered.”
“Nathan,” Grace said, “I’d just like to say that it’s been an honor serving under you. Please take care of yourself.”
Nathan cleared his throat. “Same here, Grace.”
Moe hugged him fiercely and held on. “Remember your promise to me,” she whispered into his ear.
“I will.”
When she released him Nathan turned and entered the landing boat without a backward glance.
***
Nathan and Max stepped onto Deception’s bridge.
“Look who I found loitering about,” Max said, around a broad grin.
“Welcome back, Nathan,” Stella said, as they shook hands. “Your presence and skills have been sorely missed. No offense, Max.”
“Absolutely none taken,” Max said.
Nathan took his place at the helm, checked on the condition of the boat, set course due north, then ingressed into hyperspace.
The pain in his left hand had eased over the last six weeks and he’d found that by avoiding the pain medication, his fingers, with the exception of his thumb, worked reasonably well. Enough for him to hit most of the controls on his panel. He had Max take over and stepped to Stella’s station. He nodded toward the briefing room hatch.
“Can I see him?”
Stella stared at his damaged hand. “Yeah. He’s expecting you.”
Nathan stepped through the hatch and took a seat opposite Commander Spotiswood. He’d been in touch with the commander so cut to the chase.
“The joker who’s on my case,” Nathan said, “what can you tell me about him?”
“I’ve been hearing rumblings about Oscar Draeger’s people for years.”
“Who?”
“He’s the head of Pruessen Naval Intelligence and he personally runs a subsection of that organization which is apparently the equivalent of our Special Projects Division. Getting hard intell on anything he does is next to impossible, but people talk, spec
ulate.”
“I’m operating in a vacuum,” Nathan said, “so I’ll take speculation no matter how outlandish it might be. I need to know how to fight this.”
“Very well, here’s what we’ve managed to glean. He runs a small number of special operatives who’ve gained a reputation for accomplishing extraordinary feats. Some suggest that they can even control minds, but that sounds a bit farfetched to me. If half the rumors can be believed, these agents have mental abilities that are well beyond the norm.”
“When I was on the King Charles battle platform I met a Bret Captain called Cowdry, who I believe had been brainwashed. Like the old sleeper program they initiated during Earth’s twentieth century.”
“Yeah, my counterpart in Bretish Naval Intelligence thinks so too,” the Commander said. “Cowdry’s been given every test in the book and we still don’t know how they managed to get to him. It’s a bad sign for the future.”
“Someone called Saxon activated him by a comm message. That would fit with the sleeper idea.” Nathan rubbed the bump above his right eyebrow. “I can feel this fucker inside my head. I can’t block him out. Is it possible he can track me?”
“We know so little about these operatives that anything’s possible.” They fell silent for a time. “I’ve lost five agents trying to get close to Oscar. Five very good men. He seems to have the ability to sense danger. Perhaps even read minds. Remind you of anyone?”
Nathan felt his forehead crease. “I can’t read minds.”
“But quite a coincidence wouldn’t you say?”
Nathan found it curious to hear that someone else could sense danger, but Nathan didn’t feel comfortable talking about it further.
“Good thing we’re on the fastest boat in Tunguska,” Nathan said. The Commander didn’t reply. “We are, aren’t we?”
“Probably.”
“Probably? Come on Spotiswood spit it out.”
“It’s just another rumor, probably means nothing.”
“I like rumors,” Nathan said, “so give.”
“The latest scuttlebutt is that the Pruessens have cracked the Y space protocol.”
“Shit.”
“Like I said it’s probably nothing. I hope it’s nothing because the rumor also says that they have fitted working prototypes to some of their courier boats.”
Nathan rubbed his forehead, a headache forming. “Wonderful.”
CHAPTER 45
You're the predator right up until you're prey.
James S.A. Corey, 21st century novelist. From Abaddon's Gate
Date: 26th September, 326 ASC
Position: Deception. Hyper lag time, normal space. Northern Quarantine Zone.
Nathan could feel the other clambering around inside his mind. With a great deal of effort he’d learned how to keep him out, but only for short periods. Nathan placed a powerful image into his consciousness and concentrated on it and only it. Ellen would forever be a very powerful image. Ellen frowning. Ellen laughing. Ellen snoozing in his lap. Nathan was getting better at blocking Saxon. He didn’t know if it was Saxon but he had to call his nemesis something and Saxon sounded as good as anything.
His eyes snapped open as the alert alarm blared. He jumped from his rack and ran to the bridge.
“What have we got, Trudy?” he asked the tactical officer.
“Hyper egression, one vessel. She’s pinging.”
“Warship or courier boat?”
“It’s at the extreme edge of my scanner’s range, but my best guess would be a courier.”
She appeared to be perplexed that he knew the boat type in advance.
“Stella, how long till our buffers are fully charged?”
“Two hours,” Stella said. “Do we ingress?”
Nathan worked the problem. If it was a courier, and one of the boats equipped with a working Y space generator, the attack force could be days behind her. E boats were the fastest combat boats in the Pruessen navy, so it stood to reason that they would deploy them to pursue him.
“We’ll wait until the buffers are fully recharged.”
“Very well.”
Two hours later with no sign of warships, Nathan set course north west and ingressed the boat.
***
It took the E boats eighteen hours to respond to Orson’s hyper comm. It wasn’t good enough. He docked with the E 811, arriving at the bridge a minute later. He motioned for Captain Coppins to join him in the briefing room. Unbidden, Captain Reinhart joined them.
“This isn’t working, Captain Coppins,” Orson said. “Eighteen hours is not good enough.”
Coppins outranked Orson but knew better than to treat him like a subordinate. No one messed with one of Commodore Draeger’s people.
“Commander Saxon, we discussed this,” the squadron commander said. “Our quarry is too fast for us to keep up.”
“You’re the commanding officer of this squadron, Captain, so think of something.”
“I’ve been toying with an idea,” Coppins said, “but there’s no guarantee it will work.”
“Let’s have it.”
“If you can give me rough coordinates for the vessel, I will send my boats out individually and attempt to locate her. We might be able to get ahead of her or at least within torpedo range. If we can disable her she’s ours. It’s a long shot but we might get lucky.”
“Anything is better than eighteen hours,” Orson said. “Do it.”
During the discussion Reinhardt had nothing to add.
CHAPTER 46
Date: 29th September, 326 ASC
Position: Deception. Hyper lag time, normal space. Northern Quarantine Zone.
Trudy speculated. “Hyper egression, he’s pinging, but too far out to detect us. I’m having a lot of trouble reading his profile,” she rubbed her mouth. “She could be an E boat, Nathan.”
It was the possibility Nathan had been dreading. The E boat commander had done what Nathan would have done. Disperse his forces and hope for a large measure of luck.
He faced the D-O’s station. “How long?”
“A bit over four hours,” Stella said.
“Trudy, what’s he up to.”
“He’s actively scanning over a very broad area,” she said. “I’m guessing at this range but I think he’s moving slowly.”
If he stays that way we should be out of here before he spots us. But next time we might not be so lucky.
Four hours later Adroit disappeared from normal space.
***
“Hyper egression,” Trudy said. “He’s pinging.”
Fuck, that’s the fourth time they’ve found us in the last week. They were getting closer each time.
“Tell me more, Trudy.”
“She’s running at full ahead, active scanning over a broad area. She’ll be on us in an hour if she maintains speed and direction. Whoa, another one just egressed off our six. She’s adopting the same search pattern.”
“Stella?”
“Two hours left,” she said. “Do we go?”
“Wait one,” Nathan said.
Nathan rechecked his navigation plot. Yeah, we can make it with what we’ve got in the buffers.
“We go.”
CHAPTER 47
Date: 6th October, 326 ASC.
Position: Deception approaching the planet Reynolds. Northern Quarantine Zone.
Nathan pretended to view his navigation plot but had his eyes closed and his mind focused. Having passed through the outer marker he wanted to get as close to the planet’s inner marker as he could before egressing. He had been braking the boat through hyper for just over twenty minutes. If he overshot the inner marker the gravitational forces would rip Deception to sheds. As he felt his Prep scream he pushed the throttles full forward till the boat stopped. He checked his plot, pleased at how close to the I-M he’d gotten. Egression went smoothly and he set course for the planet at flank speed. He applied navigation shielding only
, in order for Deception to recharge her buffers more quickly.
He stood and tried to stretch the kinks out of his back. The low overhead made that impossible. Nathan gestured to Max who took the helm.
“Are you sure you want to do this, Nathan?” Max asked.
“No choice.”
He gestured to Stella and together they stepped into the commander’s lair and took their seats.
“I understand why you’re doing this,” Spotiswood said, “but I want you back aboard this boat. We’ll need your talents if we are to make it home.”
“How much time do you think you’ll have before the E boats catch up with you?” Stella asked.
“The last enemy contact got mighty close. They’ve got this down to an art. Only six hours. So I’ll use that as a benchmark.”
“We’ll wait for you at the I-M for two days. After that we will have to head for the rendezvous with Odenwald.” The commander paused for a moment. “Do you think you can do this?”
“It’s the only thing I can think of,” Nathan said. “If we keep running they will eventually close the gap to torpedo range. Reynolds has only a token military presence so the E boats will have to send down marines to try and capture me. If I can kill enough of them they will either abandon their pursuit or Saxon will have to come to the surface to get me. If he does, I’ll kill him.”
“Or he’ll kill you,” Spotiswood said.
“Maybe. But either way Deception will be safe.”
CHAPTER 48
Date: 7th October, 326 ASC.
Position: Planet Reynolds. Northern Quarantine Zone. Dortmund
Nathan brought the landing boat in low, skimming across the top of the rainforest. Not far from a major road he put the LB down in a small clearing surrounded by thick growth. After opening the hatches he returned the boat to Deception, using a reciprocal course. A half hour walk to the highway where he flagged down a passing ground car, then twenty minutes to take him to the outskirts of the Dortmund Spaceport. He located a gold dealer and exchanged the gold coins, provided by Spotiswood, for credit on his stolen Pruessen navy credentials. A tidy sum indeed and more than enough for his needs.
