"Newhavensport?" asked Bruce. "I saw the report. Looks like the Federation is having a difficult time keeping this one quiet."
"To hell with keeping it quiet," Mandor exclaimed. "That'll sort itself out. What really concerns me is the ship that was destroyed in orbit. The enemy is getting bolder and more inventive."
"According to the reports, it seems likely that a Theta invaded the ship. Either the entity caused the ship to overload its hyperdrive, or one of the crew did it in an attempt to kill the thing. We'll never know. The gravitic pulse from the hyperspacial implosion did a lot of damage to the planet. It set off major volcanic eruptions and caused the collapse of tunnels in many of the cities. Initial estimates have the death toll in the millions. It's going to take the Federation years to clean up the mess."
"If they can," said Mandor. "I honestly don't know that they'll bother. Officially, they are blaming the attack on the Wolf Empire, you know."
"I guess it really was too big a mess to hide," Bruce replied. "They needed someone to blame. Was the Wolf Empire even involved?"
"You tell me."
"There isn't much to go on, either way."
"Just be glad they didn't decide to blame it on us."
"You don't think the Federation would," Bruce asked, "do you?"
"I think they're just waiting for the right opportunity, Bruce. Ever since we entered the war with the Nurgg, they've become increasingly belligerent and demanding. We’ve showed our strength. Our technology is better than theirs, and they know it. Without our machine intelligences, they can't keep up with our advances. It scares them."
"I'll hand that one off to Fielding, if you don't mind. We'll see if she can get anything out of our operatives on Luna. I rather hope you're wrong, though."
"Me, too. Yeah, find out what Fielding can dig up. She's good at that. Do we need to worry about Serendipity? Do a little discreet cleanup?"
"The situation seems to be under control right now."
"That's a pleasant change of pace."
"Hmm, that's interesting," Bruce said.
"What?"
"There is a connection between Serendipity and Cedeforthy."
"Cedeforthy? The Theta in the ancient installation?" Mandor asked. "We have three marines who are still out for psychiatric counseling after that mess. It was a very powerful Theta for such a remote locale. What's the connection?"
"It seems that the Federation marine commander who was involved on Cedeforthy was also the one who went hunting for the thing in the tunnels on Serendipity."
"I remember him. Lt. Commander Hrothgar Tebrey," Mandor replied. "The chief medical officer on the Arcturus had a lot to say about anomalies in the commander's DNA. He was worried that the entropic field of the Thetas might have damaged the man on a cellular level."
"Well, no one has ever studied the long-term effects of exposure to such a field," said Bruce.
"That's because we usually don't have a live subject to study," Mandor said grimly. "There aren't a lot of people who survive such encounters, after all."
"I've pulled up the file. Tebrey married a woman from Cedeforthy before he left here to go finish his military service contract."
"Left here? Wait a minute," Mandor said. "He was here on Dawn?"
"That is correct, sir" Bruce said with a grin. "This Tebrey fellow transferred considerable funds over from a Federation account and took a fast courier back to Luna. We have his wife under surveillance."
"Good man," Mandor replied. "How much is considerable?"
"About eight years’ worth of Special Operations pay."
"More than he would have been paid?"
"No, looks like standard pay. The Federation pays them well, you know, not that they usually live to spend it. He didn't use much of it, but I know a lot of soldiers save their money and hope for the best."
"Doesn't sound very sinister. Is there anything else about this Tebrey in that file of yours that I should know about?"
Bruce chuckled. "Quite a bit, actually. He's the survivor of not two but three confirmed encounters with Theta entities: aboard the FSS Kirov, Cedeforthy, and now on Serendipity. Also, his genetic code is anomalous, but it isn't a recent thing. We managed to get a medical file on him from when he first joined the Earth Federation Fleet. The DNA is a perfect match. It never flagged anything before because the anomalies are all in the 'junk' DNA. It's got more code than usual. Now, though, it seems some of that extra DNA may actually do something, at least in his case. There have been some rumors of a Federation military research project based on that material, but nothing solid. They don’t seem concerned enough to pull him from active duty."
"The Kirov incident," Mandor said thoughtfully. "I remember that, too. I hadn't realized he was one of the survivors. I wish I'd been able to meet him. I might have offered him a job."
"Funny, that," Bruce replied. "Captain Viknorov of the Arcturus did offer him a job. He declined. Here is an interesting tidbit: his father was Daeren Drake."
Mandor choked on his coffee. "The mercenary?" he asked. "The one responsible for the Hadrian system rebellion in 'Thirty-three?"
"The Butcher of New Jerusalem himself," Bruce said with a slight shudder. "He apparently disappeared after the destruction of the ship that Dr. Amanda Tebrey, his wife, was traveling on. It isn't known if he knew his son survived. The boy was listed as dead in the initial reports from the attack. However, the boy had been rescued during a boarding action by a Fleet cruiser. There is no record of why the cruiser happened to be in range to render assistance. It was an Empire raid that destroyed the ship."
"That is very interesting," said Mandor. His mind was racing through the possibilities. "How much of this is known outside intelligence circles?"
"Very little, I imagine, sir."
"Does Tebrey know? Do we know what kind of relationship he had with his parents? Is it a factor that his father fought against the Federation? Can we use it to leverage him?"
"I don't think so," Bruce replied. "He was only five when his mother was killed. He couldn't have known his father that well. Federation Internal Security flagged his file, and that brought him to our attention just before he disappeared on Cedeforthy for so many months. He seems to be a typically loyal citizen of the Federation."
Mandor snorted. The Concord was filled with former loyal citizens of the Federation. He was one himself. "So the information is intriguing, but useless?"
"Essentially, sir."
"Too bad we don't know what happened to his father," Mandor mused. "From what I’ve heard, he'd make an interesting ally."
"You should be careful what you wish for. I don't think I'd care to negotiate that alliance," Bruce replied. "Some of the confirmed reports we have about him are scarier than the propaganda the Federation issued."
"Hmm. Look into it anyway."
Bruce sighed, shaking his head.
"Is there anything else?"
"Tebrey applied for dual citizenship when he arrived here. His wife is a citizen of the Concord by default, since the annexation."
"If she actually is from Cedeforthy," Mandor said. "Isn't she Thyrna-Shae or something? What is the status of his petition?"
"Still pending," Bruce said, checking his screen. "They must be planning to settle here, though. They bought a house over in Mozambique."
Mandor nodded and stared out the window.
"I know that look, sir. You're planning something."
"I was thinking about going over and paying her a visit when I get the time. Maybe we can convince her to talk her husband into joining us when he gets back. Also, I'm hoping to learn a little about her while I'm there. We need to know if she really is Thyrna-Shae."
"May I remind the admiral that mind probes are still illegal," Bruce said, "at least without a court order?"
"I'm not going to invade her mind, Bruce. I'm surprised that you would think that," Mandor replied, ignoring his aide's amused snort. "I'll just peek at her surface thoughts while I ask her a few questi
ons. There's nothing illegal about that. Arrange some time on my schedule. Now, what else do I have on the agenda for today?"
Chapter Ten
Lt. Commander Tonya Harris watched Dawn slip away behind the Hidalgo, the little courier ship she'd been assigned. Normally on a small ship like this, the cargo – aka the non-navy personnel – would be put in stasis for the trip, and the quiet hum of the machinery filled the small compartment. Tonya had refused to enter the pods; she still had a lot of bad memories connected with those.
You doing okay? Ghost thought to her.
I'm fine, Tonya replied. Just trying not to think too much about the past. She smiled at her neo-panther companion. They'd been through a lot together, not the least of which had been the eternity in hell they'd faced because the ship they'd been on had stasis pods and Thetas liked to play with their food.
The Hidalgo was the smallest jump-capable starship the Sentient Concord had developed. It wasn't as fast as the newest battle cruisers, but it was fast, able to make the trip to Atlonglast in just over four weeks if the captain pushed the ship into the third layer of hyperspace, which she was planning to do once out of the gravity of GL 570. Once they got to Atlonglast, Tonya had no idea what they were going to do.
What's new about that? Ghost asked. When do we ever have a plan that works?
Cynic. I'm more worried about what I'm going to do to keep busy on the way there. There were only so many times a person could inspect armor and weapons before it became pointless. At least she'd be able to catch up on her reading. There wasn't a lot of space to work out in, though. She vowed to only inspect her gear once a week during the trip.
Ghost snorted. Right.
Shut the fuck up, would you? Tonya replied affectionately.
The crew of the small ship wouldn't be a problem. It only took a few dozen people to keep the courier operational. The captain and crew would mainly keep to the bridge and engineering section. On a ship this small, there weren't any cabins, just a large hold/crew compartment for whoever or whatever was being transported. The Federation didn't have jump-capable ships this small at all. No one did, except maybe the Thyrna-Shae.
Once they made it to Atlonglast, the Hidalgo would enter the system far enough out not to attract attention. The courier had the best spoofing and counter-detection gear that the Concord could devise. It would insert itself into system traffic and then make its way to the planet. From there they would try to determine if something sinister really was behind the impending collapse of government on the planet, or if it was just a normal rebellion.
Assuming the Federation doesn’t detect the ship and blast us to atoms, Ghost thought.
Let's try to think positively, okay?
Does that mean I'm supposed to hope that it is a Theta, or not?
Tonya sighed. It was going to be a long trip.
Given your tendency to obsess, I think it's a fair question.
You, think? Tonya thought back. I didn't know you did that.
Ghost growled softly.
I honestly hope that we have nothing to do, and can turn around and head back home. But I'm afraid it isn't going to be that easy. The situation on Atlonglast is ripe for attention from a Theta. They thrive on fear and carnage. If one isn't behind what's happening, there will still at least be one watching from the sidelines and soaking it all up. You know how they are.
You hope it's just one. If things are as bad as the reports say, there could be many.
Tonya shuddered. She didn't want to think about that.
Tebrey was catching up on his reading while he waited for his spinal nerves to re-grow. There wasn't a lot of literature about the Achenar, the ancient species that dominated the Orion spur of the Milky Way before humans had developed fire. Still, as the species that was known to have created two of the other species in the local cluster, they were worth studying. There was some evidence that they had visited Earth in the remote past, although no evidence that they had modified humans. Tebrey wasn't sure how he felt about that. Should he be proud that humans had bootstrapped themselves up to be a major power in the local cluster, or should he be embarrassed that humans contained so little potential that the Achenar hadn't bothered?
Then there were the Thyrna-Shae and Taelantae to consider. They were unquestionably related closely to humans.
Hunter snorted derisively.
What?
You and Ana certainly like to get close enough.
Tebrey sighed.
The Thyrna-Shae had begun appearing on the edge of human-controlled space half a century ago. They possessed advanced technology and had a history going back to well before space travel had been developed on Earth. How had they gotten out there? The Taelantae claimed to have left Earth on their own, but there was evidence they had been on Cedeforthy for almost fifteen hundred centuries longer than humans had spaceflight. While there seemed to be a connection between the monumental architecture on Earth and that on Cedeforthy, there was no real evidence of advanced civilizations in Earth's past.
Dr. Seshadri said that was because of the glaciers, Hunter added helpfully.
Still, you'd think that something would be left behind. Is our technology so fleeting that no trace would be left of us if we were exterminated?
Hunter didn't have an answer to that one.
Humanity had faced extermination more than once. The machine intelligences that had created the diaspora had been trying to save humanity. The Earth had been dying. Had it happened before? It didn't seem impossible.
What is impossible? Hunter asked. We just fought a damned demon.
We?
Hey, I brought the marines in and saved your ass, Hunter snapped.
Tebrey grinned. He liked baiting his companion, but the turn of conversation was sobering. They hadn't been able to kill the thing on Serendipity. It had escaped again, and Tebrey had no doubt that it would be back.
Every day of the first week aboard ship, he'd lain awake in bed, unable to sleep, certain that the thing he'd encountered in the tunnels was going to come back and finish him off. It wouldn't ever stop hunting him. Knowing that the entity he'd encountered on the Kirov was still out there... frightened him.
It also made him angry. Very, very angry.
He wanted revenge for what it had done to his old companion, Ripper. Tebrey wasn't by nature a vengeful man, and he could dimly sense that the unchecked thirst for revenge could lead to the darkness. In any case, until he could use his arms and legs again, he didn't have much say in the matter.
Its whispered words haunted his dreams. It had been trying to make him into something like itself. He didn't want to ever be like one of those things. He'd kill himself first.
You'll never be like that, Hunter thought to him. I'll never let that happen, don't worry. Wanting to avenge a wrong is not the same thing as wanting to slaughter innocents. That's what those things do. Thetas prey on the weak and the helpless. You and I will be there to stop them. Hunter was vigilantly guarding him even now, and Tebrey had to smile at the fierceness of his companion's thoughts in spite of his mood.
Watch it, Hunter said. I might decide to let you get yourself killed next time if you keep thinking of me as a fur-ball.
You know you love it, Tebrey replied.
Hunter snorted and shook his head in disbelief.
Seriously, Tebrey thought to him. I wanted you to know it means a lot to me. That's all. You're my best friend. My companion. I love you.
You're getting mushy, replied Hunter. It's going to make you soft.
Tebrey grimaced. Laying here in this bed is going to make me soft. I can't even feed myself. I need to get out and run.
Sorry, Hunter thought with chagrin. That may be from me.
It may be, at that, but I do wish I could get up and run with you. Remember how free we felt those first weeks on Cedeforthy? The endless forests? Why don't you go to the gym? Work some of that out of your system? Might make us both feel better.
Not while you can't
defend yourself. I don't trust everyone here.
Nor do I, Tebrey thought sadly. Nor do I.
Chapter Eleven
The city of Mozambique stretched along the arid coast of Dawn's second-largest, and southernmost, continent. The city looked odd to Mandor from the air; there were no towering spacescrapers like in the northern cities. Almost all of the residents of Mozambique were employed by the hydroponics agricultural conglomerates. Ranks of small personal homes stretched around the outskirts of the city.
The Tebrey residence was a rustic-looking bungalow. It lacked the chrome and glass of many of the newer homes. It was, however, well-tended. The yard sported neatly trimmed grass, and Mandor could see a small garden behind the house. He was curious as to why the Federation officer had chosen to settle in such a remote locale. He suspected it had something to do with his neo-panther; it would have been hard to blend in, in a larger city.
He landed in the drive. Mandor double-checked the directions in his mind comp before walking up to the door and knocking. He was only somewhat surprised when a middle-aged, balding man answered the door. "I am here to see Ana Tebrey," Mandor announced.
"And you are…?" the man asked suspiciously.
"Admiral Mandor Shadovsky," he replied, flashing his identification, "Concord Internal Security. May I come in?" Mandor made sure the man knew from his tone that asking was simply a courtesy. The man would have to have been a fool to deny him access, and Mandor was sure he wasn't a fool.
The man sighed and frowned at him. "Come in."
The house was simply furnished, but pleasant and comfortably modern. The climate controls were set to a little dryer than Mandor was used to, but considering the arid conditions outside, it made sense. "You must be Dr. Pierre Bauval," Mandor said as the man closed the door behind him. "I'm not sure why I didn't expect to see you here. May I assume Dr. Amber Mason is here as well?"
Bauval had stiffened when the man named him; now he narrowed his eyes and nodded.
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