Impulse (22 page)

We were taken down the stairs and rushed into a narrow hallway, through several doors, and then into a reinforced military-style lifter. We said nothing as the lifter seemed to go down very deep in the ground. Instinctively I reached out for the princess's hand to comfort her, and she took it, but when I looked in her eyes she had a serious look on her face, all business. I had forgotten she was not just the emotionally frail young woman of the evening's events, but also a valuable military adviser to the prince.

She parted hands with me as the doors opened, and she pushed past the guards into a short hallway connected to a central, brightly lit room. I followed her in and found the prince, Salibi, Serosian, Dobrina, Marker, and Layton already inside along with technicians at various stations.

The prince's command center was more of a bunker, with a large main plasma display on the center wall. Currently it showed a tactical breakdown of the Levant solar system.

“What's this?” demanded Janaan. I looked behind us as the doors to the room were shut and locked from the outside.

“A hyperdimensional anomaly has appeared, near the artificial jump gate,” said the prince.

“We noticed it about fifteen minutes ago,” added General Salibi. “We haven't identified it as yet, but it is moving away from Levant at a high rate of speed.”

We watched as the object accelerated away from Levant Prime and toward the outer solar system. With their primitive tactical computers it was impossible to determine the size or displacement of the unidentified vessel. I looked to Serosian; concern was etched across his face. Dobrina was all business.

“If it came through the jump gate, then it must have come from the same place they took our vessel, and it must be Imperial in design,” she said, turning to Serosian. “We have to go after it.”

“We can't guarantee it came from the same location, Captain. For all we know these portals are programmable with multiple locations as possible destinations,” said Serosian.

“I'm guessing it came from the same place, Mr. Serosian, which makes it a priority to intercept. Do you have an alternative to offer or are you merely speculating?” said Dobrina, an edge to her voice.

“At this point, speculating. But until we can monitor it with our instruments on the yacht, we can't be sure of anything,” he replied.

Dobrina considered this, then turned to the prince. “He's right, Prince Katara. We must return to our ship and intercept this vehicle, whatever it is. Lives could be at risk over this.”

The prince considered this, then turned to Salibi. “General, can our ships catch this intruder?” Salibi reluctantly shook his head.

“No, Highness, it is too fast and likely too advanced for our ships to catch. The Historian's yacht seems the most likely choice for pursuit,” he said. Prince Katara considered this for a moment, then turned to Serosian.

“Mr. Serosian, my government formally requests under our new alliance with your Union that you pursue and, if possible, detain this intruder into our space. If you are unable to detain it, we request that you destroy it,” said the prince.

“Those actions will be at my discretion,” interrupted Dobrina. “I am the military commander of this mission.”

Prince Katara turned to her. “Then I make the same request of you, Captain Kierkopf,” he said.

“I accept your proposal on behalf of the Union, Prince Katara,” replied Dobrina. “I suggest General Salibi here get your fleet into a defensive position around Levant. This ship is an unknown, and as such, could be very dangerous.”

“See to it,” said the prince to Salibi, who nodded and went to a nearby station, giving orders in the Levantine language. The prince turned back to us. “Now, when do we leave?”

We all looked at each other. “We?” asked Dobrina. “You're not thinking—”

“Of going with you? As a matter of fact, I insist,” he said. Dobrina looked astonished at this.

“Prince Katara,” she protested. “A ship going into an unknown situation, possibly even battle, is no place for the Head of State of Levant.”

He shrugged. “Perhaps so, but I am also Commander in Chief of our military, and in that role I insist on being aboard your vessel for this mission.”

At this Janaan stepped up. “As do I,” she said.

“No,” I replied without thinking. “It's too dangerous.”

“I agree,” said the prince. “Your place is here—”

“In case you don't return?” she finished for him.

“Janaan, this is not the time—”

“For women to get involved. I understand you clearly, Sunil. It is my duty to stay here and tend the house,” she said, fuming.

“We are co-regents, Janaan. One of us must stay here . . . in case something were to happen to the other. Logically, it must be you. Don't you understand?” the prince asked. She crossed her arms, looking back and forth between the prince and I.

“I understand,” she said finally, “but I don't like it.”

“Your Highness,” said Serosian with urgency, “we must be moving soon. That vessel is not getting any closer to us. And if I may offer another solution?”

“I'm listening,” said the prince.

“Command your defense fleet here. Levant will need to be protected, and you can do that better from your command ship than from our vessel. And, quite bluntly, you would simply be in the way on board our ship,” he said. The prince reddened at this, but after a few seconds he gave in to logic.

“Very well,” he said, and motioned for Salibi to join us. “We will head for the spaceport. Janaan will run the government from here. She is not to go up to the surface for any reason until this crisis is past,” he said. There were acknowledgments all around and then we made for the lifter again. Janaan grabbed my arm just as the group exited the bunker.

“Make sure my brother stays safe,” she said to me. I nodded to her.

“I will do my best,” I said. Then she rushed in and gave me a brief kiss before turning away. I hurried out the door and into the waiting lifter.

In Levant Space

W
e were powered up and airborne in the yacht in less than thirty minutes. It seemed like a short time, but when you're chasing an object at hyperdimensional speeds, it's valuable time lost. The yacht had taken the down time to do additional self-repairs and all systems were now at one hundred percent after our encounters with the HD weapons. It took me another seven minutes to get a bead on our bogey.

“She's moving away from us at point-two light,” I reported. “Bearing is still a bit unclear, but if we can match her course and speed, I think we can close the gap.”

“We can do better than that,” said Serosian from his command console. “Her drive is hyperdimensional, but it's not as efficient as ours. That indicates an older design.”

“Design of what?” asked Dobrina, hovering over him. The Historian may have been in command of the yacht but it was clear
Impulse
's acting captain was unwilling to take second seat on the mission.

“I'll have it identified in a second. There it is,” said Serosian as the image of an ancient Imperial vessel appeared on the forward plasma display. We all turned to see the 3-D rendering of the bogey. It was essentially a series of three connected cylinders interlocking together, with a fourth cylinder rotating about the main body on a strut. I was no weapons expert, but I recognized a coil cannon array when I saw one. “Vessel is an Imperial Hunter-Killer, sixth generation design. Use was most prevalent in the last half century before the Civil War broke out. I would estimate its age at approximately three and one-half centuries.”

“What's the crew complement?” asked Dobrina.

“This generation of HuK was designed to be automated and operate on autonomous missions for long periods. Mission-critical updates were likely sent via the Imperial ansible network before it was destroyed. No crew. It made for an efficient weapon of mass destruction, though each would likely be a single-use weapon,” said the Historian.

“Automated for attack?” Dobrina asked. Serosian nodded.

“On missions with low survivability outcomes,” he said, not looking away from his board.

“A suicide mission,” I said. They all looked at me.

“Technically there would have to be a living crew aboard for it to be a suicide mission, Peter, but your analogy is essentially accurate. This ship was built to execute a mission with little or no chance of returning intact,” said Serosian.

“You mentioned the ansible network was destroyed during the Civil War,” said Dobrina. “What would happen to a vessel like this in that event?”

Serosian shrugged.

“It's likely many of these devices simply shut down or went offline, awaiting new orders that never came,” he said.

“Which makes them convenient for an adversary to locate and reassign,” said Dobrina. Serosian tilted his head to one side before responding.

“Or, it could be that an event like
Impulse
coming through the gate led to the HuK's programming being reactivated. It could be merely carrying out a mission it was programmed for centuries ago and was never able to fulfill,” speculated the Historian.

“Have you got a better read on its course yet, Mr. Cochrane?” asked the captain. I stopped listening and turned back to my board.

“I do, ma'am,” I said. “It's on a course that will take it to the Trojan point asteroid we detected upon entering Levant space. The one with the HD anomaly,” I said.

Serosian's eyebrows popped up at this. “Then it's got only one mission in mind,” he said to Dobrina.

“Which is?” she asked, stepping up to Serosian's console.

“I can only speculate, but if there is an HD energy source at the asteroid, then the HuK wants that power for something.”

Dobrina looked grave. “Attacking Levant?”

“Possibly.” At this, Dobrina turned to us at our stations.

“Mr. Marker, get us something extra from those impellers, I want to catch this thing before it reaches the asteroid. Mr. Layton, keep us on course, and if that thing deviates one ten-thousandth from its course I want to know about it,” she said, then swiveled to me. “Mr. Cochrane, a word in private, if you please.”

I did as I was ordered, following my commander and Serosian into his private chambers. The Historian's inner lair was, to my surprise, very simple. On the left, an altar dominated the near wall, the only appointment being a padded knee rest I assumed was for prayer and communion. Serosian stepped behind a large, black console to my right. Behind him was a wall-sized plasma display. I was baffled as to what it was, and thought it could be artwork. I watched as colors swam across the wall, some in waves, some angles, and still others as sparkles of brilliant light. In a room beyond the main chamber I could see a simple pallet for resting, though I could never recall seeing the Historian sleep.

Serosian sat down and waved his hands across the console, his fingers dipping slightly into the surface like at the main console on the command deck. After a second or two of these motions he nodded to Dobrina.

“Raise your right hand,” she said to me. I was surprised but did as instructed.

“Do you swear on your oath to the Union Navy to never disclose that which I and Historian Serosian are about to reveal to you, under penalty of imprisonment and discharge from the navy?” she said.

Again, I was surprised, but curious. “I do,” I said. She nodded and dropped her hand. I did the same. We both turned to Serosian.

“This HuK has a hyperdimensional drive, but it is ancient technology. We can close on them, but we can't catch them before they reach the asteroid. We'll have to fight them off when we get there,” he said.

“Why are they going to the asteroid? What's so important about this anomaly?” I asked. “Isn't it possible it could be nothing more than an abandoned Imperial power station from the last war?”

“I'm sorry, Peter, but it's not that simple,” replied Serosian. He looked up to me, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. “This could be a Founder Relic,” he said plainly.

I was surprised by the statement, and I had no idea what he meant by it. “What's a Founder Relic?” I asked.

Serosian looked to Dobrina, who nodded a final time. I felt as if something very important was about to be revealed to me.

“A Founder Relic is a device or mechanism created by a group we call the Founders, usually left in a time capsule,” he said.

“The Founders?” I said, my curiosity piqued. He continued in a matter-of-fact tone, as if he were giving one of his Lightship Academy lectures.

“The Founders are what we call the original interstellar human civilization that thrived in this part of the galaxy between approximately two hundred thousand and eight hundred thousand years ago,” he said, then let the words sink in. I looked at him for a moment, forming my thoughts.

“
Original
human civilization? You mean, originating somewhere other than Earth?” I said. The Historian nodded.

“We believe their civilization was based near the binary star Beta Lyrae. It's a long way from our space, eight hundred eighty-four light-years, but Founder Relics have been found all over the Sol system and in many other systems nearby. Some were thought to be left as ‘gifts' to us as a successor human civilization. Others are more complex, and their intent is less clear. They may have been stored for safekeeping, or even hidden away during an ancient interstellar war,” he said.

“We, the Historian Order that is, believe Earth was founded and possibly even terraformed as a ‘cradle of life' in case the parent Founder civilization ever collapsed, which it did. The Union Navy has standing secret orders to investigate any potential Founder Relic discovered in any system. This anomaly certainly qualifies, as does the HD cannon in the cavern on the Levant moon,” he concluded.

“I assumed the weapons we found there were left over from the First Empire,” I said. Serosian shook his head.

“Unlikely. The sophistication evident, the level of precision, is beyond the capabilities of the First Empire. Remember, Peter, we Historians preserved as much of the scientific knowledge of the First Empire as could be gathered before the war ended, preserved it so that it could be reintroduced at the proper time. Believe me, I have seen the best First Empire technology and I've seen Founder Relics. That cavern was built by the Founders,” he said.

“But there are records indicating those weapons were active during the Imperial civil war. Salibi told me,” I said. “How could First Empire soldiers have the expertise to operate them?”

“Likely they had help from someone with ancient knowledge,” Serosian said.

“Someone like the Sri?” I asked. He nodded.

“Someone like the Sri,” he agreed. “You learned your lessons well, Peter. Remember, operating machinery is not the same thing as designing and building it. Whatever the case, finding a working Relic outside the Sol system is a rare occurrence. They are highly prized, as they usually contain some form of ancient high technology of the Founders. The Relics are designed to activate like this when they detect a hyperdimensional drive, to attract attention to themselves,” said Serosian.

I was stunned. “So they
want
to be found? And you're telling me that this Relic was activated by our entry into the Levant system, and now this HuK has come here to what, collect it?” I said.

Serosian nodded. “Essentially, yes.” Now Dobrina cut in.

“Every command-level officer is trained in the knowledge of Founder Relics and their known history. And every ship captain and XO in the Lightship program was given this training along with standing orders to locate and obtain any Founder Relic discovered in the course of our mission, at any cost,” she said.

“There is more,” said Serosian. “The Historian Order keeps this information understandably close, with only a select few given full knowledge. Your standing, Peter, as both a command officer aboard
Impulse
and as a potential future leader within the Union demands that you have this knowledge one day.”

“Today is that day,” said Dobrina. “Our mission, above all else, is to obtain that Relic. Do you understand, Commander?” she asked.

“I do,” I replied. “And what of Levant? This places them in great danger, doesn't it?”

“We will do everything we can to protect Levant, but I make no promises,” said Dobrina. “Our priority is securing the Relic and neutralizing that HuK, in that order.”

“So this Relic is more important than a planet with thirty million people on it?” I asked. Dobrina crossed her arms determinedly.

“I have my orders,” she said, then quickly departed for the command deck. I turned to Serosian.

“One day, soon,” I said, “this will change, and we will protect our friends first, above all else.”

“I hope so, Peter,” said Serosian. It was little comfort.

After half a day of acceleration at HD speeds, we were closing on the HuK. It was clear now we would catch it before it reached the Trojan point asteroid and the Relic. The question was, what would it do? Turn and attack us? Destroy the Relic at all costs? Or something else?

Everyone on the yacht was tense as we all stayed glued to our stations: Serosian at the command console, Marker and Layton at propulsion and navigation respectively, and me at the 'scope station, weapons at the ready. Dobrina hovered over Serosian, who in turn was watching my tactical display on the yacht's main monitor.

“Three minutes until we reach firing range,” I reported.

“I see it,” replied Serosian, his attention fixed on his console. I wondered what Dobrina could see there as his display was a complete mystery to me, a jumbled mess of lines and dots, colors and textures, like a fluid, moving schematic that never settled on any one configuration. “Power the forward coil cannon, and prep the tactical torpedoes for launch,” he said to me.

“We have torpedoes?” I blurted out, not thinking before I spoke. This got the Historian to glance away from his console to focus on me.