John Maddox Roberts - Spacer: Window of Mind (6 page)

"I spotted the location of the signal's source. It was a rather large facility, much larger than any smuggler or pirate base would be. At first I thought it might be a base for a rival line, but after double-checking official records, I was sure that no legitimate concern had filed a claim anywhere in that system. I next considered the possibility of a secret military installation, but soon discarded that."

"They'd never have let you file a spacing plan for that system if that'd been the case," said Ham.

"Exactly," said Ng. "I could see that something peculiar was going on, to say the least. This is what I was watching through my screens." The holo tank showed a series of buildings as seen telescopically from space. They looked small, but there was no scale to judge them by. Their outlines were hazy, apparently from the intervening atmosphere. "I tried to get better resolution through computer enhancement, but was unable to. That should have tipped me off, but at the time the idea of alien settlements was still theoretical. This was, you understand, before news of the
Space Angel's
feat had reached the sector where I was stationed." He favored the
Angel's
crew with another, barely civil nod.

"While debating my next move, I saw this In the tank a ship suddenly appeared from outside the viewer's range, headed for what was obviously a landing apron on the ground. All sat up straight, even Nagamitsu, who, Kiril thought, must have seen this holo many times before. The room erupted in muttering and exclamations from her shipmates. Kiril was no expert on spacecraft, but even she could see that this ship was not of any design produced by humans. It was a collection of spheres of varying sizes, arranged in an irregular circle and connected by a system of delicate struts. The whole thing was colored black.

"Can we get a close-up of that thing?" the skipper asked.

"Certainly," said Nagamitsu, "but you'll be disappointed." The strange craft froze in position and the viewer zoomed in. As the perspective shortened, the resolution got no clearer. Wavy, shimmering lines interposed to make every feature of the ship unclear and hazy. "As you can see, the ship, like the ground facility, employed a masking device, much like the one Mr. Ng used to avoid detection, but far more sophisticated. Please continue, Mr. Ng." ,

"There is little more. I saw instantly that not only was this ship not of human design, but it could not be made to land on a full-gravity planet by any stretch of human engineering. I knew that 1 had made a discovery of the utmost importance to humanity. What I had was maddeningly incomplete, and I wanted to try for more data, but Rule One is very specific on this question. Such data as I had, I sent out on subspace in case I shouldn't make it back, and I headed for home. That system requires an unusually great distance from the primary for the Whooppee drive to function, so I only made it back three months ago."

"Thank you, Mr. Ng," said Pierce. He turned to the
Angel's
people. "Before we proceed further, have you any questions to ask Mr. Ng?"

"You referred to that place as a 'colony,' " said Torwald. "Is it certain that it isn't their native planet?"

"Absolutely," Ng said. "We did a standard scan of the planet, we took atmosphere and water samplings with remotes, all the usual procedures. We found no other settlements, not that that means a lot. For all we know, they might live underground. But the air and water of that world are absolutely unpolluted. Whoever built that ship had a long history of industrial development before they ever got into space, and it would show in the air and water, even if they had progressed to clean industry and energy thousands of years ago. That planet is pristine."

" How far from that little port did the masking effect reach?" the skipper asked.

"Approximately six hundred kilometers," Ng said. "It is far more powerful than anything we have. They could be hiding a lot down there."

"If there are no further questions," Pierce said. "Thank you, Mr. Ng." The Satsurna captain bowed and left the room.

"Who's going on this expedition?" the skipper asked.

" The Council debated that point for a long time," Pierce said. "Yourselves, of course, for the reasons already specified. The naval contingent, headed by Grand Admiral Nagamitsu, will represent the military. The diplomatic mission, which I shall be heading, shall also travel in this vessel. The civilian sector shall be represented by a large scientific contingent, traveling in the Satsuma vessel alongside."

"1 was going to ask about that ship," said the skipper. "Why Satsuma?"

"The Council was, of course, anxious to maintain a complete separation of the military and civilian missions," Pierce said, "and also wished to impress upon the aliens our considerable technology, as well as our military might. The Satsuma Supernova, I'm sure you will agree, is the most spectacular of our civilian vessels, just as this TFCS is the most impressive in the navy."

"If they can make ships like the one we just saw, and land them on Earth-type planets," said Torwald, "they aren't likely to be impressed by anything we can show them."

"All levels of technological development needn't be equally advanced," said Pierce blandly. "They seem to have some kind of engineering new to us. They may well find our own space-going technology equally awesome."

"It will not have escaped your notice," Nagamitsu said, "that those people were using a masking device it is unlikely they would have dreamed up unless they've had experience of warfare. At some time in their history, posssibly recently, they've had good reason to mask their ships and facilities. We have to proceed as if warfare between our species were a possibility. They won't know that the TFCS is our largest and most powerful warship. If it doesn't strike them as all that impressive, we can always leave them with the speculation that maybe we have far more powerful vessels."

"Who's in command of the Supernova?" Ham asked casually.

"Ramon Izquierda." said Pierce. Kiril ignored Pierce and concentrated on Nagamitsu. His face revealed nothing, but something about him changed at mention of the name.

"The directors of Satsuma assured us that only Commander Izquierda could be entrusted with the Supernova," Nagamitsu said thinly. "It's still largely experimental, and they wouldn't have anybody else. The Council seems not to have been inclined to dispute with them."

"I see, " said the skipper grimly. "Are we going to have to ride in your hold for the whole trip?"

"I'm afraid so," said Nagamitsu. "Sorry, but you wouldn't be able to keep up with us to the edge of the system. If you wish, you may travel independently afterwards."

"Just as long as we don't have to travel in Izquierda's ship," said the skipper. The admiral seemed about to snap out a sharp retort, but Pierce stepped in to smooth things over.

"This evening we will be having a formal dinner for the ship's officers and the higher-ranking scientists and diplomatic personnel. Your entire ship's company is, of course, invited. You are, after all. interplanetary celebrities. Everyone would be
most
disappointed if you weren't there."

"That's real democratic of you," said the skipper. "Sure, we'll be there. Wouldn't miss it for anything."

They took their leave and made their way back to the
Angel,
this time without the marine guard. Inside they held a council.

"Skipper," said Achmed, "do you really buy all this stuff about us being valuable in an advisory capacity?"

"Not for a minute," she said. "They don't need us for this expedition. What do we know about these aliens? I can see them wanting Homer. He might have encountered them before, and if not, he could learn their language faster than any human. But the rest of us?" She looked around the cabin at her crew and snorted. "We wouldn't have much advice to give, and they wouldn't take it if we had."

"It's got to be Izquierda," said Ham. "He's behind it, somehow."

"I don't think old Nagamitsu likes this business of Izquierda being along," said Torwald.

"He hates him," said Kiril. "He'd like to see him dead."

"Huh? Why do you say that?" asked the skipper.

"Wasn't it obvious?" said Kiril, surprised. "Couldn't you teli from his voice and face?"

Nope," said Ham succinctly. "Michelle, you think Kiril might be a sensitive?"

I wouldn't be surprised. If she has even a latent capability, living where she did would bring it out as a survival mechanism."

Excellent," said K'Stin, hearing every Viver's favorite word.

"Let's hope she has the talent," said the skipper. "Michelle, I want you to give her the best test series you can come up with. Kiril, from now on I want you with me whenever 1 have dealings with any of those people."

"Sure," Kiril said, confused, "but what's all this business with Izquierda? Why do you all hate him?"

"Back before he became one of the richest and most powerful men in known space," said the skipper, grim-faced, "he was a navy officer, at one time holding the position of commodore of a heavy squadron. He had the task of evacuating the trade station on Delta Orion Five. There were ten thousand civilians working that station, and a couple of thousand POW's in a camp. There were also seven big Satsuma freighters in port at the time."

"He was a stockholder in Satsuma even then," said Ham, taking up the tale. "Under navy regs. he was supposed to dump the cargoes of those freighters and use the cargo space to evacuate the civilians and prisoners. When a Triumvirate force was spotted heading for D.O. Five, he split the squadron and sent half to deal with the enemy. He kept the rest to act as convoy. The full squadron might have forced them to head for home, but Izquierda wasn't taking any chances. He let them be annihilated to buy him enough time to get those Satsuma ships off-planet, with their cargoes. He left the noncombatants to be wiped out by the Triumvirate ships. They sterilized the planet with torch bombs."

"He was court-martialed and Cashiered from the service," continued the skipper. "He had great wealth and influence even then, or he would have been shot. Of course, Satsuma Line was agitating for him all the way. As it was, the trial was hushed up. Bad for civilian morale, the Council thought. He even bought enough influence with the government in the years after the War to have the dishonorable expulsion revoked. He even tried to have the trial records destroyed, but they were already in the Archives and even he couldn't touch them. I still have friends who keep me informed about him. He hates me with a real passion."

"Why?" Kiril asked.

"Because it was me that turned him in."

3

Kiril fretted as Nancy and Michelle stitched her into a dress of Nancy's that was not so large as to be out of the question. In the places where Kiril failed to fill out the dress, Michelle artfully took out the wrinkles with surgical plastiflesh.

"1 want you to remember," cautioned Michelle, "this is a formal dinner, so be on your best behavior."

"Why? We weren't trying to be formal with those marines."

"That was different," Michelle said. "Martinets and bureaucrats have to be put firmly in their place. At an affair like this we have to be presentable, because they'll be expecting us to act like slobs. You understand?"

"I guess so," said Kiril doubtfully.

"The women will be paired with men," Michelle continued, "it's customary. The skipper with Ham, Torwald with me, Nancy with Finn, and you're paired with Lafayette. When we go into the dining room, he'll have to take your arm, so try to remember not to knife him."

"I don't know," said Kiril. "Old habits are hard to break."

"Give it a try, anyway," said Michelle.

When the dress fit to everyone's satisfaction, Nancy and Michelle set about applying Kiril's makeup. There was no way to make her face seem less hollow-cheeked, so it was decided to make that feature an asset. Kiril's face was dominated by her huge eyes, and Nancy cleverly accented the lids and lashes to make ihem even more dramatic. Her short hair had now grown long enough to set in a cap of tight ringlets.

When they were finished, Kiril surveyed the effect in a full-length holoviewer. She was stunned. Her face had changed from that of a Civis Astra guttersnipe to that of a civilized lady. The long, high-necked dress clung closely to her (occasionally artificial) contours, and its billowy sleeves concealed the twin daggers she still refused to part with. She was utterly changed, transfigured. Now, if she could just remember not to stab Lafayette when he touched her!

At the lock they met the others. Finn, Torwald, and Lafayette were wearing formal suits; short jackets with high standing collars heavily embroidered with gold and with matching embroidery on the sleeves, skintight trousers stuffed into high, shiny boots. Finn's outfit was black, Torwald's silvery gray, and Lafayette's bright scarlet. They all wore broad sashes and waist-length capes, and the two older men wore small, discreet copies of their military decorations pinned to their jackets, as was permitted for a diplomatic function.

"And I thought 1 looked changed!" Kiril commented.

"You'd be surprised what you'll find, rummaging through a spacer's bag," said Torwald. "And, may I add, Lafayette is going to be a much-envied man tonight." Kiril refused to blush: it wasn't her style.