The Lost Patrol (31 page)

-53-

Sergeant Treggason Riker lay in a regular bed in his chamber, with his hands behind his head. His boots were on the floor beside his bed as he wriggled his sock-clad toes.

Since the surgery to remove the android-fired bullet, he had been on medical leave. The surgeon had done a fine job. The drugs had speeded his recovery in record time. As a bonus, his recuperation had given him time to read.

He’d paged through endless descriptions of various trees and flowers. In his mind, he selected another tree for up near the mound on the left corner of his property back home. It would need a small bed of flowers to match the new tree’s spring blooms. Yes, that would add to the overall effect of his cottage.

With that decided, Riker had started reading fictional mysteries. The stories took place in the distant past before space travel. They were quick tales with a solo brash-talking detective quick with his fists. Of lasers, tangle-guns, gravity dampeners there were none. Instead, the people in the stories used gasoline-burning vehicles and often engaged each other with knives or brass knuckles. In a way, the hero detective reminded him of the captain.

Riker grinned as he set the tablet aside. This was the best adventure he’d had aboard
Victory
. The bullet had been bad at first. A few days later, the sergeant had realized the advantage of his wound. It left him out of the action.

Riker’s grin turned into an actual smile. He’d thought he’d long for the action. In fact, it was relaxing to wait in his room and listen to the occasional report. Perhaps it was time to put in for deskwork back on Earth. He’d been a field agent almost his entire life. He could easily imagine the new life. He would get up at seven, drive to work, fill out reports and drive home to fiddle with his plants and go out to dinner with a lady every second week.

I could get used to that
.

Riker sat up abruptly, frowning at himself. When had he started thinking his life was bad?

He shook his head. He enjoyed his life, as far as that went. It was just… He was missing something.

Riker cocked his head. What was he missing? What did he need to make his life good?

The old sergeant scratched his neck. That was an interesting idea. Maybe he needed more things to do. Maybe for him, lying around thinking too much was a bad idea.

Riker laughed, shaking his head. “Don’t be an idiot. I finally have a sweet assignment and I’m grumbling about it. That’s silly.”

He lay back down, picked up the tablet and felt a small moment of enjoyment as he realized he was going to find out who murdered the heiress. Likely, the detective—

There was a sharp rap at Riker’s hatch.

The sergeant froze, deciding he wasn’t going to answer. He wanted to finish the story and that was that.

Another rap sounded.

Riker muttered under his breath, but stubbornly held to his original conviction. A few moments more passed. He raised the tablet again.

“Sergeant Riker.”

Riker yelped in surprise, sitting bolt upright and bug-eyed, finding Galyan staring at him.

“What do you want?” Riker demanded.

“The captain is waiting outside your door,” Galyan said. “He wants to know why you aren’t answering.”

“So he went and fetched you, eh?” Riker asked.

“That is correct.”

Riker sighed, tossing the tablet onto the bed. He rose with a grunt, heading for the hatch in his socks. “I knew it couldn’t last,” he said.

“What could not last?” Galyan asked.

Instead of answering, Riker pressed a switch so the hatch slid up.

Maddox stood there, looking impatient. “Hurry along, Sergeant. Grab your stunner and gun. I want you with me. And put on your boots,” he added, taking in Riker’s disheveled appearance with disapproval.

“I’m on sick leave, sir. I’m recouping from the bullet wound.”

“Your leave is suspended,” Maddox said. “I’m declaring you fit for duty. I’m going to need you.”

“Begging your pardon, sir, but need me for what?”

“If I’m right,” Maddox said, “for combat.”

“What’s that, sir? Did you say combat?”

“I imagine that’s the most likely outcome. I want an old salt by my side. This could be our hairiest mission yet. That means I need my best people. In these situations, that’s you, Sergeant.”

“What’s been happening that you need me, sir?”

“Quit dithering and get your boots,” Maddox said. “I don’t have any more time to explain. The proverbial excrement has hit the fan, or I imagine it will in another hour or two. If I’m right… Well, never mind. Just get a move on, Sergeant. And start psyching yourself up for a combat situation.”

-54-

Maddox stepped into the medical center. He headed for the security area where Shu 15 was kept. An orderly stepped up, blocking his passage.

“I’m sorry, sir,” the beefy man in hospital greens said. “But the doctor has ordered this place off limits to everyone.”

Maddox didn’t show any surprise or even anger at the intrusion. He simply brushed past the orderly.

“Sir,” the man said, reaching out.

Before the orderly could grab the captain, Maddox spun around. He grabbed the hand reaching for him, twisting it so the orderly cried out in pain as he bent sharply forward so Maddox wouldn’t break the wrist.

“I have my orders, sir,” the orderly wheezed.

“Stun him,” Maddox told a startled Sergeant Riker.

“Sir?” Riker asked.

“Please obey me the first time, Sergeant. We don’t have time for any more delays.”

Riker reluctantly drew his stunner, put it at the lowest setting and stunned the orderly. The man collapsed onto the floor as Maddox released his hold.

“If I indicate someone, stun them,” Maddox said over his shoulder.

“Yes, sir,” Riker muttered.

The captain moved briskly. He pointed at three more people, all of them succumbing to Riker’s stunner.

“What’s going on here, sir?” Riker asked, half trotting to keep up with the captain.

“It strikes me as hypnotism or some form of mind manipulation,” Maddox said.

“You mean the Spacer is causing this?”

“Yes,” Maddox said. He almost bumped into the next hatch, which did not rise at his near approach. The captain cleared his throat before raising his voice, “I know you can hear me, Shu. I would like to discuss our coming strategy.”

Several moments passed.

The captain inhaled to shout again. Abruptly, the hatch opened.

“Wait here,” Maddox told Riker. “Incapacitate anyone trying to enter. If your stunner stops working, use your gun and kill them.”

“Sir?” Riker said, sounding astonished.

Maddox strode through the entrance, which immediately shut behind him.

The captain noticed the difference to the large chamber. It no longer seemed like a medical room, but a headquarters or outpost. Several monitoring stations showed various regions of the red giant system. No people sat there. Instead, Shu lay propped up on a medical bed. Her head moved minutely as he approached, letting Maddox know that she saw him.

“Hello, Surveyor,” Maddox said.

“Hello,
Di-Far
,” Shu said.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Some,” she said. “Your AI struck me a hard blow. I had no idea he was a mindtech.”

“I’m unfamiliar with the term.”

“It’s Spacer lingo,” Shu said. “He, or it, or whatever the AI is, found my feedback link. He sent several harsh pulses and then attempted an adjustment. I’m impressed. He’s a quick study.”

“He is an AI.”

“In truth,” Shu said, “he’s more than that. We would call it deification. Much of the AI equipment is higher-level Builder technology. That is odd, to say the least. The last Adoks transferred much of his identity or personality into the AI core. The Adok aspect of Galyan’s personality thwarted me. It would not happen again, though.”

“You haven’t suborned Galyan to your will?”

“No,” Shu said.

“Then why hasn’t Galyan told me about this operation?”

“I’ve hidden from him by rerouting certain interior sensors. In another week, I imagine, Galyan would discover me. Still, you have moved uncommonly fast. I am impressed with you, Captain. The Visionary correctly named you.”

“You accept that I’m
di-far
?”

“Without a doubt or hesitation,” Shu said. “Humanity is about to launch unto a new path, and that is thanks to you.”

“A golden pyramid orbits the red giant?” Maddox asked.

Shu held her breath, finally exhaling as she nodded slowly. “I believe so. However, like you, I won’t know it until we see it.”

“Does a golden pyramid have the ability to project a hyper-spatial tube?”

“I suspect we will find out,” Shu said.

“Why are the Chitins protecting the pyramid?”

“I don’t know. That aspect of the mission surprises me. I didn’t expect them. I didn’t expect the Swarm for that matter. It makes sense, though, if you think about it.”

“In what way?” asked Maddox.

“This is going to sound superstitious, but I don’t mean it that way. You are
di-far
. Thus, the moment the Visionary included you, it meant we would encounter something momentous. In this instance, that means the Chitin-Swarm War.”

“You call it that because you’ve known about it all along, or you’ve listened in on our communications?”

“The latter, of course,” Shu said.

“Why haven’t the Spacers attempted to reach the golden pyramid on their own?”

Shu laughed. “But we have, Captain. Our records indicate such attempts on three different occasions. Clearly, the missions never reached the golden pyramid, given that it still exists.”

“What else could the Chitins be protecting?”

“I have no idea.”

“If you had to guess, why would you say the Chitins are protecting the pyramid?”

“My guess is the Builder in the pyramid originally modified what you call the Chitins. I believe she raised them up into intelligence long before her interment. Thus, I imagine it’s a religious reason. The Chitins, if I were to guess, worship the Builder inside the golden pyramid.”

“How large do you think the Chitin Empire is?”

“Until we reached here, I had no idea the Chitins existed. Again, if I were to guess, I’d say the Builder erected a bulwark against the encroaching Swarm Imperium.”

“You said she.”

“I did.”

“You believe this Builder is a female?” Maddox asked.

“That is what the word
she
indicates.”

“Why was the Builder mummified?”

Shu laughed with an edge. “I imagine Ludendorff told you quite a tale. Mummified indeed. That is how the male Builders think of the females. Ludendorff is an offspring of his dead master, arrogant, boastful and strutting across the stage of life.”

“No one else has told me about the origin of the Spacers,” Maddox said.

“Nor will I do so now,” Shu said. “We don’t have time. The Chitins will soon attempt to overwhelm
Victory
with thousands, perhaps even millions, of missiles.”

“You can talk to them?”

“Not as you think,” Shu said. “I am able to tap into their communications. Because of my adaptations, I have a small ability to decipher clump messages. They believe
Victory
is a Swarm vessel. Thus, they will attack with extreme prejudice and destroy it if they can.”

“
Victory
doesn’t act like a Swarm vessel.”

“Captain, your starship is non-Chitin. I would think that would be good enough for them to want to attack it. You are in their holy star system.”

“You’ve sensed religious communications among the Chitins?”

“Yes,” Shu said.

Maddox detected a slight variation in her voice. He wasn’t sure he believed her last comment.

“Let’s get down to the meat of the situation,” the captain said. “What are you hoping to achieve here?”

“I’m surprised you have to ask. It should be obvious by now, especially as you have figured out so much already. I want to revive the Builder. According to our legends, she has slept for an incredibly long time.”

“Why would that benefit the Commonwealth?” Maddox asked.

“Not just the Commonwealth,” Shu said. “It would benefit all of humanity. Think about it, Captain. The Swarm are on the move. The male Builder unleashed Commander Thrax Ti Ix on the universe. Think what the Swarm can do with Laumer Drive technology. It will only be a matter of a few decades, at most, before the Swarm reaches Human Space. Look at their numbers out there. Could the Commonwealth defeat this host if the Swarm had jump tech?”

“I doubt it,” Maddox said.

“That’s an understatement. The Swarm would swamp humanity.”

“Spacers are passive. Your presence here at this time is not a passive act.”

“You distrust me,” Shu said. “I understand. You have listened to Ludendorff’s slurs against us. He doesn’t know real Spacers. Passive? That is a poor joke. We don’t waste our time on frivolities like the rest of you. How humans love to battle over trinkets.”

“You’re not human?”

“I misspoke,” Shu said. “Of course, we’re human. We live in the stellar void instead of on planets, but we come from the same common stock of Earth as you.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Maddox said. “So…you’re suggesting we take the Builder onto
Victory
?”

“Exactly,” Shu said.

“The Chitins would hardly want us to take their goddess-queen.”

“They will fight mandible and pincer to stop us,” Shu said. “Thus, we should avoid fighting them. That means using the star drive to appear beside the pyramid. I will open the way for us into the golden artifact. We will hurry inside, wake the Builder and guide her onto the starship. You will jump to the appearing hyper-spatial tube, and we will head directly to Earth. Does that sound acceptable to you?”

Maddox nodded.

“You still have some reservations about me,” Shu said. “I would like to hear them so I can convince you I mean exactly what I’m saying.”

“How do we know the Builder is there?”

Shu only hesitated a fraction of a second. “We don’t know except for the ancient legends. I must point out, Captain, that those legends have proven accurate to date. How do you think the Spacers have all their advanced technology? We have followed the old legends to ancient caches of Builder equipment.”

“You’re not in communication with the Builder?”

“I wish I were,” Shu said.

“Why can’t you reach her?”

“Distance for one thing,” Shu said. “The other is heavy Chitin interference. It leads me to suspect the Chitins have some idea of what lies in the pyramid. Otherwise, they would not have made such an effort to build jamming stations around it.”

“How do you know about these jamming stations?”

“Captain, you’re much too suspicious. I know because I can feel the jammers out there. It’s faint. But given the distance and the interfering red giant, the source would have to be incredibly powerful.”

“What will your Builder demand from humanity?”

Shu smiled, shaking her head. “Your suspicion makes me wonder if you’re attempting to trap me. Why do you fear me so terribly?”

“Because if I’m right,” Maddox said, “we could be taking a monster into Human Space. The Builders meddled with humanity before—”

“Meddled, you say,” Shu laughed bitterly. “The male Builders were arrogant pricks. The female Builders are doting. We will reach a golden age thousands of years earlier this way. We will find a way to avoid the terrible Swarm menace. The New Men—” Shu snapped her fingers. “The Commonwealth will know healing instead of endless battles. This is the moment to change the course of human history. You are the greatest
di-far
the Spacers have ever found. This is a most wonderful vessel. At last, we will reach the golden womb and bring forth the great healer of the Orion Arm. Do you have the courage to fight for healing as hard as you’ve fought to bring destruction?”

“One last question before I answer,” Maddox said. “Why have you gone to such lengths to engage in lies and deception? It seems—”

“Captain, captain, captain,” Shu said. “You don’t understand the Spacer Way. We do not use big muscles and speed to battle our way to a place. We bend and blend, and slide around obstacles. We soften our voices and hide when we need to. We avoid open conflicts, in that way saving our consciences from shedding blood. You see that as sneaky. We realize it is kindness.”

“I’m beginning to see,” Maddox said, with approval in his voice. “Ludendorff sees that as trickery. He sees your way as underhanded. Yet, in truth, you’re saving the foolhardy from needless pain and suffering.”

“It is encouraging to watch you attempt to understand us. At least you don’t sneer. That is an improvement from our usual experience with others. I imagine your former line of work guides you. Captain Maddox the Intelligence agent understands how subterfuge can bring greater rewards than fisticuffs.”

“I will be honest. I still don’t fully trust you.”

“I would have been surprised if you had,” Shu said.

“Yet,” Maddox said, “I don’t see any other option. We’re stranded too far from home. I’m willing to gamble, if for no other reason than to gain a hyper-spatial tube back to Earth. We’ve found the Swarm Imperium. It’s at least two thousand light-years away. It’s busy in a hard war against Chitins. This is priceless knowledge for humanity.”