The airlock's outer door opened and Arepno returned to his land rover and went back to his quarters in the Rd'dyggian dome.
Since returning to his quarters he periodically monitored the information coming back from the human dome using a headset that was not plugged into the Titan network. Even so, he only checked sparingly, assuming the Titans were spying on him in the same way he was trying to spy on the humans. Though he would have liked to unleash his cameras in the Titan's city, he didn't dare for fear they would be detected instantly.
For the most part, Arepno saw little in the human dome that interested him. The common areas between buildings were largely deserted. Occasionally, some lost-looking soul would step out of one of the government buildings and go to a familiar restaurant, only to find it closed, then either proceed to their housing unit or back to the office building they'd emerged from.
One of Arepno's cameras did find its way into the Ambassador's office. He lay on the floor, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. Arepno could not tell by looking whether the Ambassador was alive or dead. However, he guessed that his mind was alive and absorbed by the Cluster—as was happening periodically to politicians on Earth.
Arepno turned his attention to reports of ships arriving at Titan. If he had been a human, he would have smiled. Instead, his purple mustache-like growth simply wiggled a little. John Mark Ellis’ ship, the Nicholas Sanson had appeared in orbit. He activated cameras on his ship in orbit and watched the Sanson's launch as it descended and was pulled into one of the human domes.
He then put on his headset and searched for signs of the craft's occupants. He finally located them on a camera that was hovering near the ceiling of one of the outer areas. The microphone was too far away for him to hear what was being said, but zooming in, he could see Ellison Firebrandt's daughter and Manuel Raton accompanied by a third human—presumably the launch's pilot. Another group of humans stepped from the Navy headquarters. It was difficult for Arepno to tell—especially since humans could be so similar to one another—but he thought the leader of the second group was Marlou Strauss, one of the human admirals. Strauss and her party pulled weapons and led Suki, Manuel and the other woman away.
Arepno removed the headset and considered a set of actions. Ellison Firebrandt had saved the warrior's life and the lives of his crew. The warrior turned and sent a scrambled signal to his ship to be relayed to the Nicholas Sanson. He then stood and waved his hand over a storage locker. The force field in the top dissipated and Arepno began pulling out the tools he would need for the next phase of the operation.
* * * *
Aboard the Nicholas Sanson, Simon Yermakov paced back and forth. He was somewhat relieved to be away from Earth and the Clusters, but given what he'd learned about the Clusters’ activities at the center of the galaxy itself, he'd grown very uneasy. The Clusters needed to be stopped. He just never imagined himself so necessary to the process of stopping them. He dropped into the command seat and looked at the chrono display. There was no word yet from Laura, Fire or Manuel. In and of itself, that didn't bother him. For all he knew, it could take them a day or two before they learned something from the Titans. Still, the fact that Laura didn't check in soon after the shuttle landed was not at all characteristic.
Natalie Papadraxis inclined her head to the side, as though she was getting a signal. After a moment, she turned toward Simon. “I'm getting the strangest signal,” she said, her brow furrowed. “I wonder if the Proxom is still interfering with my communications implant."
Simon stood. “Can you put it on the intercom?"
She reached down and pushed a button on the holographic console. A series of chirpings, whistlings, long plaintive notes and growls issued from the speakers.
"If I didn't know better,” said Simon stepping toward the communication's console, “I'd say that was some kind of sea creature from Earth, like a whale or a dolphin."
Natalie's eyes went wide and looked up at Simon. “No, that's not from Earth at all. I just realized—it's Rd'dyggian."
"Why aren't we getting a translation?” asked Simon, kneeling down next to Natalie's console.
She touched several buttons and checked several displays. In the holographic tank at the front of the command deck, several yellow dots appeared, marking the position of ships. She pointed to one that was blinking red. “That Rd'dyggian ship seems to be sending us this. It's on a tight-beam frequency with an embedded decryption algorithm.” When Simon shook his head, she explained: “They're sending a coded signal right at us. When our computers intercepted it, it included some computer code that automatically installed itself in our computer and began decoding the signal."
"Why is it in Rd'dyggian?” asked Simon standing and moving toward the holographic tank. “Why didn't they just send the message in terro-generic?"
Natalie shrugged. “It's possible it was meant for another Rd'dyggian ship and we just happened to be in the way?"
Simon stepped into the display. “I don't see any other ships beyond us on that line of sight.” He shook his head. “Can you translate the signal?"
"Sure,” said Natalie with a vacant smile. She turned to her console while Simon continued to walk around in the holographic tank, trying to see whom else the Rd'dyggians may have been trying to communicate with.
A moment later, a singsong voice issued from the speaker. “This is Captain Arepno calling the TransGalactic mapping vessel Nicholas Sanson. This is an emergency. Dr. Suki Firebrandt, Manuel Raton, and another of your crewmembers have just been abducted by one of the human admirals. I will attempt a rescue. You should leave orbit immediately. Jump away from this solar system. Do not request permission. Rendezvous at Alpha Coma."
Simon licked his lips and shook his head. “What the hell does that mean? They were abducted? By a human admiral?"
Natalie looked down at her hands for a few minutes. Finally, she looked up at Simon. “I think Laura was afraid something like this might happen.” She reached into the little satchel she had on her belt and took out the slip of paper that Laura Peters had given her. “Laura said that if anything happened to them, we should send this message to Sufiro."
"Laura said?” asked Simon, throwing his hands in the air. “Just which one of us is supposed to be in command of this vessel anyway?” He took the note from Natalie and stalked toward the command chair. After taking a deep breath, Simon finally felt calm enough to look at the note. As he did, his eyes grew wide and his shoulders slumped as though the weight of being in the center of the crisis had just descended full force upon him.
"Do you know who this is for?"
"It's for Ellison Firebrandt, the pirate who founded Sufiro,” said Natalie, simply.
Simon nodded. “It's a call for help from the resistance on Earth.” He stepped forward and handed the note back to Natalie, then stepped back to the command chair. He sat there for several minutes looking down at the controls. He knew Kirsten Smart had not wanted him to command the Sanson and he knew it was because he was not decisive enough. Now, he was faced with the worst possible decision. If he left, he'd be abandoning not only Suki Firebrandt and Manuel Raton, but also a member of his crew. However, if what the Rd'dyggian had said was true, they would be rescued. He wasn't sure he could trust this Captain Arepno, but the Rd'dyggian had gone to a lot of trouble to get the message to the Sanson. He could return to Earth and ask Ellis and Kirsten what to do, but that would mean that Kirsten was right about him and he really wasn't capable of making a decision on his own. On top of that, Simon actually felt he should go to Alpha Coma and report what they had learned.
He brought up a chart and ran a couple of quick calculations. The jump points were already changing due to the Cluster's interference at the center of the galaxy. Even so, it would be easy enough to jump out of the solar system, deliver the message to Ellison Firebrandt, then continue on to Alpha Coma. If the Rd'dyggian was right, he'd have his missing crewmember back. If the Rd'dyggian had lied, he could return with help.
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Standing up, Simon tucked the corners of his flannel shirt into his trousers, then stepped forward to the Pilot's console. “Natalie, inform crew that we're leaving orbit. Do not, I repeat, do not request permission to leave orbit from Titan Central Command."
Natalie smiled at Simon and then set about her task. In the meantime, Simon brought up his own version of the pilot's console and began searching for jump points. The one for Alpha Coma was more distant than he liked, but he charted course for it, taking note of other, nearby jump points.
"All decks report ready to depart orbit,” said Natalie.
Self-consciously, Simon looked back at the command seat, hoping there would be someone—Ellis, Ms. Smart, anyone—to give the order. He swallowed hard, then pushed the lever forward that fired aft thrusters. In the holographic tank a blinking red dot representing Sanson's position appeared and it began moving toward the jump point for Alpha Coma.
"The Titans have just ordered us to stand down,” said Natalie, all dreaminess gone from her voice. “They say they have armed missiles and will destroy us if we do not resume orbit."
"Tell ‘em to go to hell,” said Simon, through gritted teeth.
"Do I have to?” asked Natalie, eyes wide. “I don't think they'll like that much at all."
Simon's laugh bordered on hysterical. “Don't tell them anything, then.” He reached over to his own intercom. “Engineering, this is Yermakov on the command deck, I need all the power you can give me."
"What's going on up there?” asked Chief Engineer Mahuk. “Are we running away from Titan?"
"We are,” said Simon simply. He knew Ellis would say something like “cut the chatter, Mister.” Instead, Simon decided to tell the third in command exactly what was happening. “We need to get to Alpha Coma and get help. Things are going wrong way too fast."
Mahuk must have heard the quavering in Simon's voice. “Steady on, Simon,” he said, calmly. “You're the first officer and I'm right behind you, my friend. I'll give you everything I've got.” The first officer felt a surge of strength at the confidence that Mahuk showed in him.
"Oh no,” breathed Natalie. Simon looked behind and saw Natalie staring at the holographic tank, wide-eyed. “They've launched the missiles. They'll overtake us before we get to the jump point for Alpha Coma."
Simon looked up at the display and saw two new points quickly closing on them. He scanned the holographic display for new jump points. Seeing that they were passing near one, he altered course. The missiles turned in a leisurely arc and followed them.
"Simon, that jump point will take us out to the rim..."
"Strap in, Natalie,” he said. “Call an emergency jump warning.” He activated the intercom again. “Mahuk, get ready to jump on my mark.” He heard Natalie calling the emergency jump warning behind him. In the holographic tank, he saw the two missiles closing on them rapidly. A green light started blinking on his console. “Mahuk,” he cried. “Jump!"
* * * *
Roberts hovered back and forth outside the old teleholo booth within the remains of the privateer vessel, Legacy. Ellison Firebrandt, his hair loose about his shoulders, stepped from the booth and nodded to his old friend. “It's as I suspected. They need our help on Earth."
Roberts took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as he looked up and down the corridor they were in. “Is there no one else that can help?” When he saw the chiding look on Firebrandt's face, he held up his hand. “I'm not trying to run from a fight, old friend. But this is an ancient ship. We only have a skeleton crew available and—like it or not—we're two old men who haven't seen action in over fifty years."
"You're right on all counts,” said Firebrandt, retrieving a rubber band from his trousers’ pocket and tying back his hair. “The Sanson is going to make for Alpha Coma. Hopefully they can find help there as well, but the jump points are changing rapidly with the Cluster moving stars in the center of the galaxy. It may take them a while to make it to Alpha Coma and it may take some time for ships to make it back to Earth once they do. Mark, Edmund, and Fire need our help, now.” He reached down and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. “Call in the crew. Have them assemble on the battle deck."
Roberts floated into the teleholo booth to carry out the captain's orders while Firebrandt stepped toward his cabin. Since Edmund Swan left Sufiro, Roberts and Firebrandt had gathered a crew of fifteen. Some were old, trusted friends, but all had experience either with freighters converted from aged privateers like the Legacy or with systems that were aboard the antique vessel. Over the past days, Firebrandt and Roberts had forgone the harvest and worked with their crew of fifteen, getting them ready in the event that they were called upon.
Within an hour of receiving the call from the Sanson, the crew was gathered on the battle deck of the grounded Legacy. The deck had been restored to its one-time glory. The metal surfaces were spotless. The wooden handrails that lined the deck were polished. One of the gunners’ rigs had been modified so that Roberts could operate it from his hover chair. Ellison Firebrandt himself wore the uniform he'd designed for himself many years before. It was a black jacket with black trousers. Underneath, he wore a white turtleneck shirt. On the shoulders were two gold epaulets.
"I'm sure you've suspected by now that we've received an emergency call from Earth,” said Firebrandt. He paced slowly back and forth in front of the holographic tank at the front of the battle deck and looked each of the crewmembers in the eye in turn. “This is much sooner than I hoped, but, given the power of the Cluster it's perhaps not sooner than we feared.” He paused and smiled reassuringly at Anne McClintlock. “I don't know how much we can do, but we have a ship with new weapons, a good engine, and a full load of fuel. The first officer of the mapping vessel Sanson tells me that the Cluster is taking actions that could mean the end of Sufiro, Alpha Coma, and virtually every other human colony. It's essential we do everything we can to help. The man in charge of this operation is Edmund Swan—a man I trust implicitly, and I'm sure many of you do, too.” Firebrandt looked at Juan Raton—Manuel's brother who had fought alongside Swan in the war against the Tejans.
"Now, this class of vessel,” continued Firebrandt, stepping over to the rail and patting the wall, “was never designed to land or take off from a planet. However, those of you familiar with EQ engines,” and he looked meaningfully at the mechanics he'd hired, Mary Seaton and Junior Kimura, “know that they work using controlled Quinnium bursts. A gravitational jump point is one way to control the burst and send a ship in a particular direction. However, this ship is equipped to send out a very small burst and jump a short distance without actually being at a jump point. We can use that ability to jump from the surface to orbit."
Junior Kimura held up his hand. “Won't that do considerable damage to the land around the ship?"
Roberts hovered forward, next to Firebrandt. “It'll do less damage than a traditional rocket would. It'll almost certainly destroy the house around us, but not much more. We've cleared several acres around the house just to be safe, but I expect that we'll still be able to harvest our crops when we get back."
"Presuming the frost doesn't get it first,” said Firebrandt with a wry grin. “Any other questions?” He looked around at the nervous, but determined faces and felt a long-forgotten swell of pride at the thought of a crew that was ready to follow him anywhere. “Then let's get to work."
"All hands, to your stations,” barked Roberts.
With less than military precision, the new crew of the Legacy shuffled off to their stations. Juan Raton, Anne McClintlock, and Mary Seaton remained on the battle deck. Anne took the central network station at the starboard side of the deck while Juan took station at one of the gunners’ rigs near the holographic tank. Mary sat down at the engine control terminal on the deck's port side while Firebrandt stood at the ship's wheel console in the center of the deck.
"You may bring the engines on line, when ready,” said Firebrandt. “Mr. Roberts, please close all airlocks an
d make us ready for spaceflight."
Seaton activated several controls, then asked for a report from Junior. A series of red lights flickered on at the engine console. Roberts moved next to Anne McClintlock at the central network station. Together they began bringing other ship's systems on line, including life support, the recently installed graviton generators, and navigational systems. As ordered, Roberts closed all of the airlocks, sealing the ship off from the rest of the homestead. Firebrandt retrieved a pipe from his pocket, packed and lit it, then checked systems on the wheel console. Looking back at the engine console, he saw that most of the red lights had gone green.
Firebrandt started working out the calculation for a jump from the surface of the planet to a position outside the gravitational well. Before he was finished, Seaton announced, “Engines on line, sir. Junior's checking system integrity, but he believes we'll be ready to jump in about fifteen minutes."
"Excellent,” said Firebrandt, his teeth clenched around the pipe stem. “Roberts, check my calculations and make sure I'm not going to send us into the sun."
McClintlock and Raton looked at Firebrandt with wide eyes and Roberts laughed. He brought up Firebrandt's jump algorithm and checked it over carefully. “For an old space dog who hasn't done this in fifty years, you did pretty damn good,” said Roberts. The first mate drifted over to the captain. “Once we get to orbit, we're going to need to do a complete check of hull integrity as well as systems,” he said, quietly.
"I know,” said Firebrandt. “Are the launches ready to go in case this doesn't work?"
"They are,” said Roberts. “We'll be able to get everyone safely to the planet as long as the ship doesn't explode on jump."
Firebrandt nodded somberly and took a few puffs of his pipe. He looked down and saw the crystalline computer network below his feet blinking and pulsing information from one system to another. Once the pipe burned out, he put it back in his pocket.
Heirs of the New Earth Page 19
