The Lost Colony (Lost Starship Series Book 4) (42 page)

-52-

Captain Maddox sat transfixed in his command chair, watching the building fleet with something approaching despair. He hadn’t believed the Lord High Admiral would keep a grudge under these conditions. Maybe as distressing had been the refusal of the Iron Lady to take any of his calls.

Victory
and Battleship
Leipzig
had interposed themselves between Luna Base and the rest of Port Admiral Hayes’ flotilla.

They had come out of the hyper-spatial tube three-quarters of the way to Earth from Mars. That was incredibly accurate considering the distance they had traveled from the Dyson sphere.

The flotilla had accelerated and braked shortly, following the directions of Luna Command. Now, the Lord High Admiral had informed Maddox that he was under arrest as a traitor to Star Watch.

“You are hereby relieved of command,” the Lord High Admiral said on the main screen.

Seven
Gettysburg
-class battleships led the way. Together with a dozen carriers and as many heavy cruisers, they had taken up station near Luna Base. More warships from the Home Fleet were on their way here.

Maddox’s mouth was dry and his eyes had begun to hurt with a gritty feeling.

“You have not yet acknowledged my command,” the Lord High Admiral said.

“I am too stunned to reply,” Maddox managed to say.

“Who is on the bridge with you?”

Maddox stirred, glancing at the others. Valerie stared at him openmouthed. Keith had swiveled all the way around. The Kai-Kaus chief tech slowly shook his head in dismay.

Only Galyan seemed unconcerned. The little Adok holoimage studied the Lord Admiral with interest.

“Lord High Admiral,” Maddox said.

“I have finished speaking with you,” Cook said. “You are relieved of command. You will report to the brig on the double.”

The words drained out of Maddox as he leaned back against his chair.

“This is not right,” Galyan said.

Maddox turned to the AI. “I don’t want to start a fight with the Home Fleet.”

“I haven’t heard a reply,” Cook said, sternly. “I expect even a hybrid like you to listen to orders.”

Valerie sucked in her breath. “I can’t believe this,” she whispered.

“You left Earth and the Solar System against my orders,” Cook said. “You cannot expect any leniency now, Captain.”

For once, Maddox did not have any words. He hadn’t expected this, certainly not from the Lord High Admiral.

“He can’t do that to you,” Valerie said.

Maddox didn’t even glance at her. A feeling of disgust had begun to fill him.

“If you remain on the bridge,” Cook added, “I will order the battleships to open fire.”

Maddox’s head snapped up. A fire burned in his eyes.

Valerie launched out of her seat, stumbling before the main screen. “Respectfully, sir,” she told Cook, “this is a monstrously bad idea.”

“Who are you?” Cook said.

Valerie blinked with astonishment. “Who am I? You know me, sir.”

Cook had a thunderous scowl. Suddenly, he nodded. “Yes, yes, of course I know you. You are Lieutenant Valerie Noonan.”

“How can you say it like that?” she asked. “Is something wrong with you, sir?”

Cook raised a fist and brought it down on his desk. “That is enough from you, young lady. You will return to your station or I will relieve you of duty as well.”

“But—”

“That is an order!” the Lord High Admiral shouted, pounding the desk once more.

Crestfallen, with her head hanging, Valerie shuffled back to her station.

Maddox had become more alert throughout the exchange. He glanced at Galyan.

“The man is an android, of course,” Galyan said. “I did not detect it immediately, but I can see it now. I have been playing back previous files of him and juxtaposed it against what I have witnessed here. The most reasonable explanation is that he is not himself.”

“Right,” Maddox said, quietly. He should have realized it from the beginning. The shock of the command— “I’ve reacted emotionally,” he whispered to himself, surprised.

Galyan heard that and nodded. “It would have been difficult not to have reacted in such a manner. You are human after all.”

“Lord High Admiral,” Maddox said, “I will, of course, comply with your lawful order. It would be wrong of me not to do so.”

Cook scowled but nodded curtly.

“Before I do so, though,” Maddox said, “I had thought you would want me to report to you on your secret order.”

Cook opened his mouth, hesitating before closing it.

“You gave me personal orders, sir, and said that I must report to you in person. You spoke of a conspiracy, one that had infiltrated everywhere—”

“Captain Maddox,” Cook said, sternly. “Why are you speaking like this?”

“I understand, sir,” Maddox said “I wasn’t supposed to breathe a word of this to anyone. But your order just now—”

“Captain,” Cook said. “You will immediately take a shuttle and come at once to Luna Base.”

“I—”

Maddox quit talking as one of the most unusual events occurred since he’d joined Star Watch Intelligence. Guards burst into the Lord High Admiral’s office.

The big old man turned around in surprise. “What is the meaning of this?” he shouted.

Guns went off, propelling the admiral off his chair onto the floor. An exact replica of Cook strode forward, a haggard image of the man. He held a big smoking gun, aimed it at the Cook on the floor and emptied the weapon at it.

Sparks showered and electrical discharges erupted from the shattered android who had impersonated the Lord High Admiral Cook.

The big man with the smoking gun turned toward Maddox. His features were slack and his eyes extremely tired.

“It is finished,” the Lord High Admiral said in a tired voice. He smiled wearily, put the gun onto the desk and slumped into his chair. In a bone weary manner, he lifted his arms and laid them on the synthi-wood top.

“Captain Maddox,” the Lord High Admiral said, “once more we all owe you our lives. I realize many of you seeing this transmission must be stunned. I have just killed an android. I, along with many others including Brigadier O’Hara and Dr. Dana Rich have escaped from an undersea base in the Mid-Atlantic Ocean.”

“Yes!” Keith said, slapping his board.

“A pulse signal reached the underwater pyramid with the arrival of Starship
Victory
,” the Lord High Admiral said. “It started the revival process of many of us who had been kidnapped. I don’t know what you did, Captain, but I dearly want to hear about it.”

“I take it I’m not relieved of duty,” Maddox said.

“Is that what that thing said?”

Maddox nodded.

The Lord High Admiral leaned forward, staring into the screen. “Captain Maddox is not relieved of duty. He is a hero to the planet and to Star Watch. I personally congratulate you, sir, for your heroic service in the Beyond. I am eager to hear of your exploits and that of your famous crew.”

“Professor Ludendorff is with us,” Maddox said.

“The real Ludendorff?” asked Cook.

“Yes, sir.”

“Excellent. Bring him to Geneva with you.”

“I have others, too, sir,” Maddox said. “They have—”

“Report at once to Geneva, Captain. I’m tired and need to rest. We’ll speak soon.”

“Yes, sir,” Maddox said. “That was quite an exploit, sir. You held your gun rock steady.”

“Never mind about that,” Cook said, although he smiled as he said it. “I imagine we have a lot to discuss.”

“Yes, sir,” Maddox said. “We most certainly do.”

-53-

Fifty-two hours after Maddox had met with the Lord High Admiral, giving the old man and the Iron Lady a detailed explanation of his time on the Dyson sphere, the captain prowled in a bad quarter of Paris.

He had come for a very specific purpose. Galyan had discovered the situation. It had happened after Dana boarded the starship and reconnected the extra computing chamber with the AI’s backup.

Galyan had immediately spoken with Maddox about the possibility. Normally, the captain would have gone to the Iron Lady with the information. His time with the Builder and his new importance as the spokesman for the Kai-Kaus had shifted Maddox’s outlook.

He would take care of this himself.

Normally, on this kind of foray, the captain would have brought Sergeant Riker with him. Instead, he wore his wristband with a tight-beam connection to the starship in Earth orbit. He also brought along Meta. She was deadlier than the sergeant was and she wasn’t as beholden to Star Watch Intelligence as Riker would be.

The Kai-Kaus were going to change much with their Adok technology. Soon, the first Star Watch battleships with Adok shields and disruptor cannons would heavily shift the balance of power in the Commonwealth’s favor. Depending on what happened out in “C” Quadrant, the invasion of the Throne World seemed more feasible than ever. There was one catch, however.

How close was the Swarm Empire to Human Space? Could humanity still afford the luxury of a deadly war between the New Men and the old-style peoples?

There was no way to contact Fletcher other than by sending a courier ship to him. That could take weeks, even months. Except…maybe there was a way to contact someone far distant in “C” Quadrant almost instantly.

Galyan had informed the captain that Ludendorff had been on the starship several times since
Victory
had come into near orbit. The AI had carefully watched the professor. The Methuselah Man also happened to be under careful surveillance by O’Hara’s best people. None of that seemed to matter to the professor.

Tonight, Ludendorff was in Paris. He said he hadn’t been in the famous city for over four hundred years. Since it was just a short hop from Geneva, the professor had convinced O’Hara to let him take a break from what was going to be a weeks-long debriefing.

“He’s in the cellar of this building,” Galyan said through an earpiece.

Maddox glanced across the street. Meta noticed it as she looked upward at the stars. The crossing of her right hand over her left arm meant she understood his signal.

The captain didn’t sense that anyone was tailing him. The starship upstairs in orbit hadn’t seen anything either. But one couldn’t be too careful. Maddox crossed to a side street, walked down stairs and entered through a basement door.

It was dim in the hallways, a rundown place for the poor. Maddox passed a woman who watched him a little too carefully. It made him extra alert. He turned a corner and noticed something on the floor. He pretended to tie his footwear. He wore boots but that didn’t matter for this. As he knelt, the captain picked up an extremely unique piece of fur. He recognized it as slarn fur from Wolf Prime.

“Galyan,” Maddox said, softly, using sub-vocalization from the microphone on his throat. “Do you remember the slarn hunter Villars?”

“Cesar Villars?” Galyan said. “Yes, I do.”

Maddox stood thoughtfully, sliding the piece of fur into a pocket.

The captain had reason to remember the creature and the man. Slarns were vicious hunting beasts from Wolf Prime, famous for their violent temper, dangerous teeth, claws, speed and cunning. Slarn fur was prized throughout the Commonwealth. Rugged men trapped slarns on Wolf Prime. If they survived several years of it, the trappers could become quite wealthy.

Maddox had originally found Ludendorff on the winter world, studying Swarm ruins. The professor had kept bodyguards, one of them being Cesar Villars, a young Methuselah Man of murderous intent.

The white-haired slarn hunter had been blocky with a thick neck and an ugly scar running across his right eye and down his cheek. It had come from a slarn’s claw. The eye-socket had contained a smooth ball bearing, which had really been a tech tool giving the man radar vision.

Villars had been tough, had learned to hate Maddox and desired to kill Meta. The captain had finally incapacitated the dangerous hunter, handing him over to Star Watch Intelligence on Earth during the time of the Destroyer Incident.

Maddox wondered about Cesar Villars, android doubles and Methuselah Men. Maybe one of the android doubles had quietly released Villars from confinement when it had had the chance. Ludendorff would undoubtedly want his bodyguard because the professor implicitly trusted the man. Ludendorff had modified Villars’ thinking, making him completely loyal to him. For all Ludendorff’s help in the Dyson sphere and star system, the professor still had his secret agenda.

The piece of slarn fur meant something.

“Scan the area to see if Villars is in the building,” Maddox told Galyan.

“Scanning,” Galyan said, “scanning. Oh. This is interesting. Villars is here. How did you know, Captain?”

“An educated guess,” Maddox said. “Is Villars with the professor?”

“That is an affirmative.”

Maddox allowed his lips to stretch into a grimace. Villars should have been kept under lock and key for the rest of his life or sent to Loki Prime. If ever there were a candidate for a prison planet, it would be Villars.

What was the professor up to so quickly? Maddox thought the Methuselah Man should have some gratitude for once. Maybe living hundreds of years changed one’s perspective. Maddox liked to think it wouldn’t have changed his, but he had no idea if that was true or not. First, he’d have to live hundreds of years.

The captain’s head twitched. He needed to concentrate. Villars was one of the most dangerous men he’d ever faced. If the professor had brought him here…

Maddox eased down a flight of stairs. Ludendorff must know he—the captain—was coming. That’s why he’d summoned Villars. What else made sense?

“Galyan?” the captain sub-vocalized. “Could you narrow down a beam and strike someone from orbit?”

“Negative, Captain. I lack anything of such precision. If you leave, I could destroy the building, though.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Captain,” Galyan said into his earpiece. “Villars has circled. He is approaching you from behind. The professor is ten doors down from your present location.”

Maddox reacted at once, drawing his suppressed pistol. In three strides, he was around a corner. He took two more steps back, crouched, raised the pistol and waited for Villars to appear.

“Villars has stopped,” Galyan said. “Logic dictates you are under surveillance.”

Maddox continued to wait, wait, wait…

He heard quiet stitching sounds and a thud. Then, there was silence. Maddox scowled. Before he could decide his next action, Galyan spoke in his ear:

“Villars is down, sir. He has stopped breathing. Meta shot him from behind.”

“Say that again,” Maddox sub-vocalized.

“Meta and I agreed it would be for the best, sir,” Galyan said. “I detected Villars before you were aware of him. After informing Meta about the slarn hunter—”

“Galyan, I am in charge of the mission.”

“I understand that, sir.”

“You will never do something like that again.”

“Your odds against Villars were not good, sir,” Galyan said.

“I’ve defeated him before.”

“He had high-tech devices to aid him and a severe grudge against you, sir. He was highly motivated to kill you. Meta is skilled at assassination. Given Villars hatred—”

“Forget it,” Maddox said, standing. “I thought you said we were under surveillance.”

“You are.”

“How did Meta sneak up on Villars then?”

“I…adjusted their surveillance cameras,” Galyan said. “It is good to have my entire arsenal of functions restored. Wouldn’t you agree with that, sir?”

“What’s Ludendorff doing now?” Maddox asked.

“He has put up a private screen, sir. I can no longer tell. Perhaps he is aware of Villars’ death.”

“Adjust his surveillance cameras again,” Maddox said. “Show me hurrying to Meta.”

“Done.”

With his gun in hand, Maddox sprinted soundlessly toward Ludendorff’s door. He tried to twist the handle and snatched his hand away, biting his lower lip so he wouldn’t yell at the shock of pain.

Without hesitation, Maddox aimed at the lock and shot it out, causing wood to splinter. He shoved the door with his shoulder, bounding in like a leopard. The professor had earphones over his ears. The older man snatched up a laser pistol—

Maddox fired, obliterating the weapon, causing Ludendorff to thrust a portion of his hand into his mouth.

The Methuselah Man’s eyes burned with anger. “You’re making a terrible mistake, young man,” Ludendorff said around his hand. “If I say the word, you’re dead.”

Maddox said nothing to that, waiting.

“This is bigger than you,” Ludendorff added.

Maddox spied the table. On it was a complex machine composed of strange bulbous sections. It had a tiny screen, odd controls and—was that a microphone? It reminded him of machines he’d seen on the Dyson sphere.

The professor removed the hand from his mouth. A spot of blood welled on the fleshy part between his thumb and forefinger.

“This is your final warning,” the professor said

“Villars is dead.”

Ludendorff smiled. “Then what is that shadow behind you?”

“Me,” Meta said, stepping forward.

The professor frowned. “Your assassin killed poor Villars?”

“Villars must have intended to kill the two of us,” Maddox said. “He got exactly what he deserved.”

Ludendorff looked away. He sighed. “You’ve complicated my life ever since I’ve met you. I can’t stay on Earth. You must realize that. I cannot remain in the open with others controlling my comings and goings.”

“You’re not a slug who lives under a rock,” Maddox said. “You’re a person.”

“Captain, there are many factors in play with me. There are too many dangerous people who would rather have me dead.”

“Maybe if—”

“I do not desire to hear your moralizing, young man. I see the big picture better than anyone else does. I must proceed with my plans the best I know how in order to save the human race.”

Maddox stepped farther into the room. It had metal bulkheads and hatches, and contained advanced equipment everywhere.

“Is this a secret bolt hole?” Maddox asked.

Ludendorff watched him.

Maddox glanced back at the door. The wall was thicker than normal. He had shot the outer, fake door. For whatever reason, the professor had not sealed the real hatch that would have secured this place like a bank vault. Could Ludendorff have wanted him to enter here? Then why let Villars loose like that? Did the professor believe he and Meta would have killed the slarn hunter? That would imply Ludendorff had sacrificed Villars.

What was Ludendorff’s game? The Methuselah Man played much deeper than Maddox understood. Maybe he should just stick to the present issue.

“Why did O’Hara let you out of Star Watch Headquarters?” Maddox asked. “She knows how dangerous you are.”

Ludendorff smiled sadly. “After all this time, don’t you realize that I have contingency plans within contingency plans? O’Hara was persuaded that it would be in everyone interests to let me reconnect with Old Earth. No one saw the harm in letting me wander around the planet, revisiting my old haunts.”

“You have agents or helpers planted in Star Watch Intelligence itself?” Maddox asked.

“Leave, Captain,” Ludendorff said in a suddenly harsh voice. “I don’t want to hurt you. I owe you for rescuing me from the Dyson sphere, from the Builder. I try to pay my debts. My programming for survival is too powerful, though, to resist eliminating anyone trying to hinder me for long.”

Maddox’s head swayed. This was a surprise. “Are you the best of the Builder’s androids?” the captain asked.

Ludendorff shook his head. “I am flesh and blood, young man. But the Builder did something to our minds long ago. It’s why Strand and I have survived where the others perished. I have an imperative I cannot ignore. Even with the Builder gone…”

“Don’t you want to be free of its conditioning?” Maddox asked.

“I am who I am, Captain. It’s too late to change that.”

Maddox glanced back at Meta. She held a spring-driven gun. It had caused the stitching sounds earlier. She aimed the weapon at the professor’s head.

Approaching Ludendorff, Maddox sat in a chair across the table from him. The captain laid his suppressed pistol on the table.

Ludendorff raised his eyebrows.

“So that’s it,” Maddox said, indicating the machine with its bulbous sections. “Why couldn’t Riker and I find it before?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the professor said.

“That must be your long-distance communication device,” Maddox said. “Riker and I searched for it after you were captured in the silver drone base. You must have already dismantled it.”