by Dan Worth
‘That’s an excellent idea,’ said Chen and activated her desk console. ‘Mr Haldane, could you have Ms Favreaux sent in here please? I’d like to have a talk with her.’
‘Before she gets here: Do you mind me asking what on earth I was carrying in my hold when I got those K’Soth out of the Empire for you?’ said Isaacs.
‘I’m afraid that information is definitely out of bounds, sorry,’ Chen replied.
‘It was a body wasn’t it? Did the K’Soth give you one of their own, infected with one of those things?’
‘Let’s just say that the current troubles in the Empire are the work of outside influences and we’ll leave it at that.’
‘Jesus.’
‘Understand, Captain, that we keep this sort of information quiet for a good reason. Not only does it prevent the enemy from learning what we know of them, but mass panic would no doubt ensue if word of a fifth column operating within known space got out, especially one controlled by a superior and hostile alien threat. You can imagine the sort of paranoia and hysteria that this would generate.’
‘Yes I can,’ Isaacs nodded.
Anna walked into Chen’s office a few moments later and eyed Chen warily.
‘Something I can do for you Admiral?’ she asked.
‘Have a seat Ms Favreaux, please,’ Chen replied, indicating to the empty chair next to Isaacs. Anna sat. ‘There is something, yes,’ she continued. ‘I have a proposition for you.’
‘I see.’
‘I’d like the Hidden Hand to work for me, act as my eyes and ears in this region.’
‘Well, that’s not likely to happen.’ Anna replied frostily. ‘We work for the Nahabe, and they don’t trust you. Come to think of it, neither do I. Last time we met you killed a good number of my friends.’
‘One of these days the Nahabe are going to have to realise that we are all on the same side. I realise that our military may well have been infiltrated, but this ship is secure. I can provide the scan records of everybody aboard if you like, including myself. Names of course would be omitted for reasons of security, but it’s the best I can do.’
‘Please do. But you’re going to have to do better than that.’
‘Very well. In return for your help I can arrange SOC flights to supply you with anything you might need; weapons, spare parts, maybe even a few ships as well as generous payment.’
‘We can do that through some of our contacts,’ Isaacs ventured. ‘Seems like they had a decent smuggling network operating already, and I know a few more people we could use.’
‘However you like. Furthermore, I can guarantee that the Navy will turn a blind eye to any illegal activities you might undertake, within reason. Smuggling, yes. Piracy’s still a no-go though, but I am willing to forget the events of recent days. However you should still consider any ship under Cox’s command to be a threat. So, how about it?’
‘She keeps her word, Anna,’ said Isaacs, ‘and she pays well.’
‘Yeah? Well tell that to all of our people that she shot out of the sky.’
‘Ms Favreux,’ said Chen firmly. ‘I was doing my job! We had no idea what Cox had found down on that moon. I’m sorry for your loss, but when what appears to be a band of pirates starts attacking a military installation and then on top of it jumps in ships in armed with banned AM weapons, I damn well shoot them down! The rules of engagement make it very clear. If your people or, damn it, if the Nahabe had come to us sooner we could have put a stop to this!’
‘She has a point,’ said Isaacs
‘They don’t trust you,’ Anna shot back at Chen.
‘Well they damn well need to trust somebody!’ Chen snapped. ‘Surely they must have diplomatic contacts with our government with people whom they know to be reliable!’
Anna appeared to be weighing the issue in her mind; she gnawed on a fingernail, pensively.
‘I’m supposed to forget the deaths of my friends?’
‘No, but like I said, it was unfortunate. I’m not about to apologise for doing my duty. You’d have done the same in my position, you have to see that. But you can help me to stop more people from dying needlessly by helping SOC to fight these things.’
‘Anna,’ said Isaacs gently. ‘She’s right and you know it. You can’t let personal issues get in the way of this. Fuck the Nahabe, they knew the risks we were running and they did nothing to warn you. The Admiral here is reliable, I can vouch for that.’
Anna threw up her hands in resignation. ‘All right, I’ll need to speak to the others, but I think we can make this work. The truth is I think we’re all getting a little sick of the Nahabe sitting there and doing fuck all whilst they use us as pawns. They aren’t going to like this though,’ said Anna. ‘But, they have a representative aboard our base and he’s… well he’s a progressive, by their standards.’
‘Could you convince him?’
‘Maybe. However I think I can sweeten the deal for you a little. How much were you thinking of paying us?’
‘How does fifty thousand per person, per month sound to you?’
‘Good. But make it a hundred and we’ll spy on Cox for you in Spica, starting from tomorrow.’
‘Done,’ said Chen. ‘Now tell me how you intend to do that from here, given that it’s a hundred light years away.’
‘Yeah, what are you talking about?’ Isaacs asked, obviously puzzled. ‘You don’t have any people up there do you?’
‘Well we can move our base for a start.’
‘Uh-huh. The Nahabe kitted that rock of yours out with jump drives? Neat,’ said Isaacs. ‘But how are you going to jump in without anyone in the Spica system detecting you? That thing’ll make a warp wake bigger than this carrier’s and that system is full of detection arrays. I mean, fuck me, it’s Southern Command’s main naval base. They’ll see you coming from light-years away and we can’t get there by tomorrow.’
‘My dear,’ said Anna, clearly savouring the answer. ‘Jump drives aren’t the only way of moving around the cosmos. The Nahabe have been around much longer than us and they’ve found ways of travelling between the stars that we haven’t.’
‘And?’
‘Well some of them work better than others. One of their more experimental methods is to exploit Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle.’
‘You mean all particles being both a point and a wave?’ said Chen.
‘Yeah, the theory being that the curvatures of the waves are infinite and that the particles themselves exist as a point somewhere on that wave.’
‘Okay…’ said Isaacs. ‘You know I never paid much attention to this stuff in school.’
‘Well essentially the Nahabe have a figured out a way of removing the uncertainty and fixing and then moving the location of the particles in an object by manipulating their wave forms…’ Anna looked at the blank expressions of the others in the room. ‘Don’t ask me how, okay? Anyway, it takes a hell of a long time to actually calculate the jump. The drive has to place everything within the ship in question in total stasis and then record each and every particle and remove the uncertainty from their wave forms and move them to the new co-ordinates. However once the calculations are done, the jump itself is instantaneous, and there’s no residual radiation.’
‘The computing power required…’ muttered Chen.
‘Is phenomenal, yes. The Nahabe rarely use these drives, preferring instead to rely on more conventional methods. Jumping takes too long to initiate and it’s dangerous to jump further than about a hundred and fifty light years as the calculations become far too complex even for their computers beyond that. However it is a convenient, covert way of moving around, if you have the time.’
‘Well, well… I suppose no amount of money I offer you would get our people a look at this drive.’
Anna gave a short laugh. ‘I’m afraid not even we get a look at it. Only The Speaker is allowed to operate the drive and it interfaces with his sarcophagus, so you can forget it. The truth is, I think it was only ever us
ed to secretly move the base into position. I’ve certainly never experienced the dubious pleasure of jumping with it.’
‘Very well then Ms Favreaux, a hundred thousand per month it is, providing what you claim is true.’
‘I too am a woman of my word, Admiral.’
‘Good. I think we’ll continue to use Mr Isaacs as my point of contact. He knows the drill and the code words to set up meetings. I’ll need names and locations of contacts we can ship supplies to.’
‘We could use Shigs,’ said Isaacs to Anna. ‘He’s pretty solid.’
‘I agree. Okay Admiral Chen, you got yourself a deal. Welcome to the Hidden Hand.’
‘My pleasure,’ Chen replied, and shook Anna’s outstretched hand.
Katherine found Isaacs down the flight deck, squatting beneath the curved belly of his ship. He was giving the Profit Margin a once over with the help of a couple of deck hands and was peering intently at the landing gear as she approached.
‘Hey,’ she said, once she reached him. ‘I just thought I’d come down here to say thank you. I hear from Rekkid that you’ll be staying with the Hidden Hand.’
Isaacs’ grease stained face looked up at her.
‘Yeah that’s right. I think finally I found a purpose other than just looking after myself for a change. Besides, they need someone who can teach them how to fly properly.’
‘So I gather. Well that was one amazing rescue mission you pulled off. Some people might say you were crazy, the way you threw this ship around. Personally I’m just grateful you got us out of there. If Cox had taken the pair of us with him…’
‘Yeah, well quite.’
‘So I guess we owe you one.’
‘Well, feel free to buy me a drink sometime. Besides, I think the information you and the Professor have between you will be payment enough if it means we know how to fight those things a little better.’
‘Well, good luck Captain. Hope to see you around.’
‘Yeah, you too. Hey, it’s a small galaxy, you know?’
An hour later, Isaacs swung the Profit Margin around and watched as the massive carrier came about and then jumped, rippling the stars in its wake.
‘There, I think, goes our best hope,’ he said, and turned to Anna sitting beside him in the cockpit.
‘You could have gone with them, you know,’ she replied.
‘I know. I decided to stick around. You guys need someone to show you how to really fly, and besides, I owe those fucking Shapers an awful lot of payback.’
‘Is that the only reason?’
‘No,’ he said, and smiled at her. ‘I figure you and I deserved a second chance, assuming you’ll have me of course.’
‘Well hell, civilisation’s about to collapse, what’s the worst that can happen? Yes, of course I will,’ she replied and leaned over to kiss him.
‘That’s my girl. Now, shall we go and have a little talk with our Nahabe friend, ask him to show us his little toy?’
‘That’s an excellent idea.’
‘Good,’ said Isaacs, and activated the Profit Margin’s jump drive.
As the Churchill initiated its jump, Chen left the bridge and made her way down through the bowels of the ship into a secure aft weapons locker. The hardened chamber was filled with rows of blast proof crates and canisters, securely stowed on rows of metal shelving. This was where the marines aboard ship kept their ammunition. There was everything here from small arms rounds to armour piercing man portable missiles and large drums of belted ammunition for their gatling guns.
She found Rekkid and Katherine waiting for her there, as a well as two guards posted outside the door, fully armed. Once inside the room she dogged the hatch and locked it from the inside.
‘We’re underway,’ said Chen.
‘Where to?’ Rekkid enquired.
‘I’m returning to Bivian. Mentith has moved the Arkari base known as Black Rock there. All of us need to brief him and you two can collaborate with the science teams there. The base is extremely well equipped, and very secure.’
‘It had better be,’ said Katherine. ‘We can’t risk any more mistakes.’
‘I entirely agree. In the meantime I suggest we store the data here. I’ll code the lock to this room so that only a single key in my possession can open it, there’ll be two guards posted outside at all times and they have been instructed to allow no-one to even attempt to open the door until we reach the facility, including us three.’
‘Sounds like a good plan,’ said Katherine. ‘How long till we reach Bivian?’
‘Nine days. This ship’s pretty fast at maximum jump speed, but Mentith’s going to meet us half way and save us all some time. We can brief him, then I’ll continue to Earth if necessary. Now, I’d like a proper look at this thing before we lock it away.’
‘Be my guest,’ said Rekkid and activated the simulation.
Chapter 28
Though the sarcophagus masked its features, Anna and Isaacs could tell that The Speaker was deeply uneasy. Something indefinable about the way the device moved in the air within the audience chamber, the way its manipulators gesticulated, indicated that it was not happy with their suggestion to move Port Royal to the Spica system. They both carefully explained their plan and the deal that they had made with Chen. The Speaker had listened in silence, swaying gently in the air. It was some time before it finally spoke.
‘I am… uncertain about this idea. My superiors will not like it; it compromises the security of this operation by dealing so openly with the Commonwealth Navy.’
‘As I said before,’ said Isaacs, a note of exasperation creeping into his voice. ‘Admiral Chen is not regular Navy, she’s Special Ops. She’s clean, in other words.’
‘You know it’s the right thing to do,’ said Anna. ‘We’ve talked this over with the others and they’re all in favour. Though… admittedly they took some convincing. The action has moved to Spica, there’s nothing here worth staying to investigate. If Cox has been infected then he’ll make his move there. You have to see that.’
‘I will request that my superiors convene a committee to examine your proposals. But I cannot act alone.’
‘Oh come on! By the time they’ve made any decision it will be too late!’ cried Anna. ‘You know that, and you also know that they’ll make a knee jerk decision and say no, and crawl back into isolation.’
‘Ms Favreaux, I am unused to being addressed in such a disrespectful manner.’
‘Oh you are? Well maybe you deserve it! Can’t you make a decision for yourself? What’s the worst that can happen?’
‘My position…. I will be… subject to disciplinary measures. They are certain to replace me.’
‘For thinking for yourself? For taking the initiative?’
‘It is our way. I am too young to make such decisions. If I was older…’
‘But we have to do this? Can’t you convince them after the act? When they see the intelligence we’ve gathered from Spica, won’t they be pleased?’
‘Maybe. I must confess I believe you both to be correct in your assessment of the situation.’ Something akin to a sigh escaped the sarcophagus. ‘Very well. I shall activate the base’s translation drive system. Perhaps a part of me does yearn to rebel. What can I say? Except that maybe I’ve spent too long around the younger races. Your dynamism is infectious.’
‘Uh, thanks,’ Isaacs replied. ‘I’m just glad that you’ll listen to reason.’
‘Indeed. Wait a moment please. I will initiate the drive spin up sequence.’
As they watched a holographic galactic map appeared in the air and then zoomed in through billions of stars until the Spica system was clearly visible. The Speaker appeared to ponder the image, manipulating the diagrammatical representation of the various bodies and their orbits until it selected a point far out in the system’s Kuiper belt. A flashing icon, appended with Nahabe script appeared. Then other menus appeared, overlaying the image. Shifting colours mingled with the alien characters and icons.
A barely imperceptible humming began somewhere in the depths of Port Royal. An asexual, mechanical voice began to intone a warning in the Nahabe language, then repeated it in English and several other human and alien languages.
‘Translation sequence initiated. Stasis will commence in two minutes fourteen seconds. Translation will commence in forty six minutes eleven seconds.’
The humming had built steadily as The Speaker consulted additional information from the holographic display. It activated a few more flashing icons.
‘You may experience a little disorientation and physical discomfort,’ said The Speaker. ‘I can’t say I enjoy using this device at all. Quite how it affects humans I couldn’t say.’
‘I have a question,’ said Isaacs. ‘If this device moves all of the particles within the base by freezing them in place and then moving them, how does the drive move itself?’
‘It doesn’t,’ said Anna. ‘This is a one shot deal. The drive components will remain behind and will have to follow on via conventional means.’
‘So we’ll be stuck in Spica.’
‘Yes.’
‘Ah…’
Isaacs and Anna could now feel the deck vibrate beneath their feet as the mysterious engines inside Port Royal had now spun up to full power. The great devices, massive concentric rings of field generators, now whirled at blinding speed, deep within the core of the rock. Surrounding these, massed banks of hyperdimensional supercomputers were booted up and standing ready.
‘Stasis will commence in ten seconds,’ intoned the disembodied voice once more. ‘Please stand by.’
They waited nervously. Then time stopped.
The field generators within Port Royal enveloped the entire base, save for themselves and the drive mechanism, in a field of total stasis. Time ceased to flow within this isolated bubble. People stood frozen in place. In the hydroponic gardens, water hung in frozen falls, birds suspended in mid wing-beat were caught in the act of flying through air whose very molecules had ceased to eddy, molecules whose subatomic components were now frozen in place too, in definite fixed positions.
