The Lost Swarm

by Vaughn Heppner

  The admiral’s shoulders sagged.

  “No,” Mary said. “Fifteen is excellent and far better than none. Their knowledge about Drakos may be far more important than extra warships, and they must have better tech at spotting stealth vessels than we do.”

  Cook ingested her words before saying into the microphone. “I accept your offer, Emperor. Shall we set a time and date for our joint forces to meet?”

  “I must gather the flotilla and speak to the captains. I’m sure you understand that I must—”

  “Sorry to interrupt you, Emperor,” Cook said. “But I understand that even New Men practice politics, the art of the possible. I await your call, sir.”

  “Yes…” the Emperor said. “Let it be so.”

  -15-

  Valerie raised her head groggily from the deck in the control room of the Darter Reynard. What had happened? Why did she feel so tired, so spent and hungry? She tried to push off the deck, but collapsed back, gasping for air. She felt weaker than she ever remembered feeling. This was crazy.

  She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. Something had happened. It had to do with—

  “Ludendorff,” she whispered.

  Valerie opened her eyes, but it made no difference. It was still dark. That was wrong. She was in the darter…right!

  The events playing up to this moment flooded back in a rush. The damned professor had screwed with the crew of Victory one more time.

  Slowly, Valerie sat up against something. It must be dark because—

  Fear and then terror surged through her. It was dark because the darter lacked power. She found that she was shivering. She figured that’s why she’d woken up now. It was too cold in here, and the air tasted stale.

  Valerie felt around until she touched the cold body of Professor Ludendorff. Had she killed him? She felt along his body and finally found an arm, then a hand and searched for the wrist, feeling for a pulse.

  She exhaled with relief. The pulse was slow, but the professor was still alive. She was about to slap his face a couple of times to wake him, when caution stilled her action. She didn’t want Ludendorff to die, but she didn’t want to wear the collar again. And she’d be damned if she was going to wake him up only to have him screw them over yet again.

  Yet, if he died because of her lack of help—

  Valerie shrugged. Then, the tricky bastard would finally get what he deserved. She would probably feel bad about it for the rest of her life, but oh well. Ludendorff acted like such a shit all of the time.

  With the decision made, Valerie felt around until she found the pilot seat. She climbed into it and stared at the pitch-black controls. There were no lights anywhere, not even emergency lighting.

  She paused but couldn’t even feel the engine purring. “Great,” she muttered. “Ludendorff has killed us.”

  She frowned. Well, maybe to be fair, her actions—the need to flee—had something to do with the present situation. Ludendorff couldn’t take all the blame.

  Valerie now began the long, slow process of crossing the cabin to the hatch. It was an even longer, slower process using the emergency crank working to open the pathway.

  Maybe a half-hour later, she forced her way into Keith’s room. She felt around until she found him in bed. The man was naked under the covers.

  “Keith,” she said, shaking him.

  “Uh, what?” he asked. “Who’s there? I can’t see a thing, mate.”

  “It’s me, Valerie.”

  “He-he-he,” he laughed, sleep-lustfully. “Slipped into me room, have you, darling?”

  “Keith, you idiot, we’re in dreadful trouble.” In a rush, she told him what had happened.

  “Oh. That is bad,” he said, sounding more awake. “Here, just a minute. Let me find some clothes.” He rummaged around in the dark and soon declared he was ready. “I found this, too, love.”

  He clicked a flashlight, bringing light to the room.

  Valerie stared into Keith’s blond features, finding comfort there, and smiled so hard that her lips began to hurt.

  “It’s going to be okay, lass,” he said.

  “I hope you’re right. Now let’s see if we can get power back online.”

  “I’m with you,” he said. “Let’s go.”

  ***

  They found the engine on its lowest setting, which surprised them both. A little checking showed burned-out power lines to the rest of the ship. Had the last jump caused that?

  “I can replace the lines,” Keith said, “if we have some spares.”

  They found some, and Keith with Valerie’s help soon replaced the burned-out power lines.

  Shortly thereafter, they switched on the lights and restarted the recycler. Warm, breathable air poured from the vents.

  “Much better,” Valerie said, inhaling the fresh air deeply.

  “Not bad work, eh?” asked Keith.

  “You did—” Valerie’s eyes widened. “The control room, the professor—we can’t let him break free.”

  The two ran down the short corridor and found Ludendorff in the lit control room, struggling with his bonds.

  “Oh,” the professor said, upon spying them. “I don’t understand this. Look what happened to me.”

  Valerie and Keith exchanged knowing glances.

  “I’ll handle this,” Valerie said. “But take this.” She shoved a metal rod into Keith’s hands. She’d grabbed it in the engine room.

  “What’s this for?” Keith asked.

  “Stand behind the professor,” Valerie said loudly. “If he keeps trying to escape, bash him over the head with the rod.”

  Keith stared at her in shock.

  “On second thought,” Valerie said, grabbing the rod, tearing it out of his hands. “I’ll do it. I’m going to pay the bastard back for collaring us.”

  “Now see here,” Ludendorff said, who had struggled up to a sitting position. “That’s a bad idea. My brain is all that has kept Star Watch alive these past few years. You don’t want to damage that.”

  “Want to bet?” Valerie asked.

  “I don’t know, Valerie,” Keith said. “Maybe the professor has a point.”

  “He doesn’t. He put collars around our necks. He’s screwed up our entire mission—”

  “The collars were a simple precaution,” the professor said in a reasonable tone. “I knew what needed doing and couldn’t let emotionalism stop us. Come now, Lieutenant Maker—”

  “You know what he’s trying to do, don’t you?” Valerie asked, interrupting. “He’s trying to pit you against me. He thinks you’re the weak link between us.”

  “Quite untrue,” Ludendorff said. “I think Lieutenant Maker is the reasonable one. I clearly can’t reason with you. Ah! Is it that time of the month, perhaps?”

  “You insufferable swine,” she said.

  Keith frowned as he looked at Valerie.

  “What?” she snapped at him.

  “Is it that time?” Keith asked quietly.

  Valerie felt rage burn through her. She couldn’t believe this. “Is it that time of the month for you?” she countered.

  “Huh?” Keith asked.

  “All right,” she said. “I’m going to talk to Ludendorff alone. Why don’t you—” She almost said, “Why don’t you go to your room?” But Keith wouldn’t like that. “Why don’t you check the engine room and the power lines, make sure nothing is going to go wrong with them. Maybe figure out why they burned out in the first place.”

  “I know why,” Ludendorff said.

  “No one’s asking you,” she said.

  “Maybe we should listen to what the professor has to say,” Keith suggested.

  Valerie wondered suddenly what had happened to Keith’s collar. He hadn’t been wearing it when she’d woken him. Something was definitely off with Keith, and she could not figure it out. Valerie eyed him and then glanced suddenly at Ludendorff. She had touched Keith in the dark in the bedroom, and he hadn’t been cold, but warm like people were most
of the time. Now—

  “Lieutenant Maker,” Ludendorff said sharply. “I think this prank has gone on long enough. Valerie is under great stress. I believe it has unhinged her thinking—”

  “Shut up!” Valerie shouted.

  “Do you see what I mean?” Ludendorff asked Keith. “This is too much stress for her. You need to take charge of the situation.”

  “Valerie,” Keith said, turning to her, and his right hand shot out, grabbing her left wrist, the one holding the steel rod. He seemed much stronger than she remembered. “I’m sorry about this love,” he said, “but—”

  As Keith spoke, a terrible certainty overcame Valerie. At the beginning of the voyage, Ludendorff had let Keith and her see each other for a time. Then, the professor had made sure they did not see each other at all. Ludendorff must have had a reason for that. Keith had been warm in the bed all this time, while the rest of them had become cold. Also, she suddenly realized, when had Keith learned how to fix nuclear engine power lines? And when had he gotten so strong?

  As Keith grabbed her left wrist, she shoved her right hand into a pants pocket and felt the small black weapon she’d taken off the professor. Without thinking about what she was doing, she withdrew the weapon and pressed the firing mechanism.

  An intensely narrow hot blue beam burned into Keith’s stomach. His shirt there burst into flames and the flesh underneath began to melt.

  Valerie wanted to wail.

  The flesh bubbled—and metal underneath the pseudo-flesh turned black and began sparking. As she suspected.

  “Mate, mate, what are ye doing?” the Keith android asked her.

  Valerie jerked her firing hand, burning a line up his chest until the beam caught him under the neck, drilling through to his braincase.

  At that point, the android released her and staggered backward. He regarded Valerie, his eyes bright. And then everything shut down as the android replica of Keith Maker shorted out and crumpled onto the deck.

  Rage, terror and something dark indeed burned in Valerie. What was going on here? What had the professor done this time?

  “Nice try, Ludendorff,” she said in an altered voice. “Now let’s see if you’re an android, too.”

  -16-

  “Wait!” Ludendorff cried from the floor.

  Valerie stood across the control chamber from him, with the little black weapon aimed at the professor’s face.

  “Where’s Keith?” she demanded. “When did you make the switch?”

  Ludendorff hesitated.

  “Fine,” Valerie said. “This time you’ve gone too far anyway. I’ve been dreaming about killing you for some time. Looks like one of my wishes this trip is going to come true.”

  “Kill me and you’ll never see Keith again.”

  Valerie shook her head. “That’s not going to work. I’ve watched too many action movies in my life. The hero gets the drop on the bad guy, and does something really stupid, ending up giving the bad guy another chance. I’m the hero in this one, and you’re most certainly the bad guy. Well, end of the line for you, Professor—”

  “Keith is quite alive,” Ludendorff said, interrupting. “He’s in the equipment room in a stasis tube.”

  Valerie’s eyes narrowed. It actually felt like the professor was telling the truth, but it also seemed as if he was trying to pull a fast one. Could he be right? What should she do? There was no way she was going to leave the professor in here alone. Nor was she going to let the professor near her, not even with his hands tied behind his back.

  “I don’t trust you,” she said, lowering the weapon.

  “You don’t have to. Simply go and check.”

  “I will,” she said.

  The smug bastard couldn’t help it. She detected the slightest smirk on his face. That confirmed her suspicion that this was a trick.

  She picked up the steel rod and walked toward Ludendorff.

  “What’s wrong now?” he asked. “I told you the truth.”

  “Turn around, Professor.”

  “Why?” he asked suspiciously. “Do you plan to hit me with the rod?”

  “You got it.”

  “Why then should I turn around?”

  “Because I’m going to hit you on the back of the head to knock you out,” Valerie said. “It’s the frontal lobe where all the intelligence lies? But suit yourself, I’ll smack you across the forehead if you like.”

  “I’m an old man,” he said. “A concussion is a lot worse on a Methuselah Man.”

  “I couldn’t care less.”

  “Just leave me in here. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Valerie stood a few feet from him. She could tell he madly worked to free himself from the belt looped around his wrists. If she hesitated too long—

  She stepped forward and swung the rod. Ludendorff ducked, and the rod slammed against a panel. The professor attempted to use his head like a battering ram, scooting on his butt after her. Valerie jumped back, sidestepped and brought the rod down hard on the back of his head.

  The professor pitched forward as he grunted. He lay perfectly still. Valerie wasn’t fooled. He was playacting. She stepped near and brought the rod down hard again on the back of his head.

  She heard something crack, and he slumped across the deck. He lay very still.

  “No tricks,” she said, using the rod to prod his cheek. The professor’s head moved lifelessly.

  Had she killed him?

  “It’s your own fault if I did,” she muttered. Then, she walked toward the hatch, trying to decide if the professor had told her the truth or not.

  ***

  Before she did anything, Valerie searched the rooms until she found her holster and beamer. She buckled on the holster and held the beamer, ready for instant firing.

  She reentered the corridor and walked slowly to the equipment room hatch. Her gut seethed, certain this was another Ludendorff trick. She had killed a Keith lookalike and maybe murdered the professor in cold blood. That didn’t mean she had to play this recklessly now. She was a Star Watch officer. This was a Star Watch vessel. They had paid a lot of money to train her. She couldn’t throw her life away until Star Watch had gotten its money’s worth out of her.

  She stood before the hatch, crouched, pushed the switch and jumped back as the hatch opened.

  An all-metal android looked up in surprise. It stood before a gurney with a female android lying on it.

  “You are not the professor,” the metal thing said.

  “Who are you?”

  “Model—”

  Valerie fired, but she only realized that as a hot beam flashed from her weapon. She burned the head case, killing the android until it lay still on the deck.

  She found herself shivering, horrified that they had been flying around with androids in the darter. This was insane. How had it happened? Why had it happened?

  Still shaking, she entered the equipment room. She saw Keith lying naked in a stasis tube. Was that the real Keith? She hoped so. She looked down at the android on the gurney. Its face was hers.

  The eyes opened.

  Valerie screamed in horror, scrambling back, firing as she did, killing her lookalike.

  After the thing stopped twitching everywhere, Valerie dropped the beamer and dry-heaved. She hadn’t eaten for days, so nothing came up.

  Finally, she picked up her beamer. She felt utterly spent. This was a horror show. Ludendorff had meant to replace her, putting the real Valerie in the extra stasis tube.

  The desire to go back and murder the professor beat in time with her heart. Instead, she entered the equipment chamber, studying everything.

  This was an android equipment room. How had the android and the other two replicas gotten aboard the darter? Was this an android operation or Ludendorff doing something Methuselah Man-like on his own, using androids?

  Valerie determined right there to find out. First, she had to rescue poor Keith. Then, she had to eat and think this through carefully. Star Watch had too much o
n its plate for another android attack to take place as well as Drakos and Swarm attack saucers.

  -17-

  Valerie felt better, but not ready to begin thinking about what to do with the darter. Keith had listened to the story and told her he didn’t remember a thing. He agreed that the professor was a thorough villain.

  They both ate and drank. Now, they sat in Keith’s room, deciding what to do with Ludendorff.

  “We should kill him,” Keith suggested.

  “I’m not a murderer. Besides, the captain might need the Methuselah Man’s knowledge.”

  “Don’t you think keeping him a prisoner is too dangerous for just you and me?”

  “Not if we put Ludendorff in a stasis tube.”

  Keith nodded. “I like the idea, but will it damage his brain if we put him in one while he has a concussion?”

  “I have no idea. But he’s going in there now.”

  “Let’s do it,” Keith said.

  ***

  The two of them carrying the inert professor took some work. Finally, though, they slid the professor inside a tube and sealed it.

  “Do you know how to work one of these things?” Keith asked.

  “I have an idea.”

  “I have one, too,” Keith said. “It may be a bad idea, though. So you have to agree to it one more time.”

  Without hesitation, she nodded. There was no way she wasn’t going to do this.

  “Let’s wake the professor and tell him to explain why he did this,” Keith said.

  “Why? He’ll just lie.”

  “That’s why we’ll tell him that if we believe him, we’ll free him. First, he’ll have to swear not to do anymore of his stunts while we’re aboard the darter.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” she asked, eying Keith closely.

  “No, we’ll lie straight to his face. Don’t worry. I’m not letting the ancient snake run free in here.”

  Valerie smiled tiredly. “We’ll pay him back in his own coin. I like it. First, we’ll have to figure out how to operate the stasis tube. Then, we’ll wake him up.”

  ***

  They stacked the destroyed androids in the back of the chamber, including the Keith android from the control chamber. Then, they tested the stasis-tube controls until they figured out how the machine worked.