Pathfinder (43 page)

“What the hell? The
Ming Adams
is firing rail guns—”

“Thanks.” Ariane turned the
Pytheas
’s ventral side toward the firing frigate, and tried to angle the bow area out, since the referential engine was nearly indestructible. “Next time, tell me sooner.”

“We’ve been hit!” Elias panicked for a moment. “Thank Gaia, we’ve got smart armor and there’s hardly any damage. Good move—”

“Elias, be ready to fire swarm missiles. Brooke, I expect the
Ming Adams
will move closer.”

“You’re right.”

“Fire swarm missiles,” Ariane said grimly.

“At a TLS frigate? Are you kidding?”

“
Now
, Elias!” Ariane shouted. “Otherwise, they’ll think we agree to being grappled and boarded.”

While Elias hesitantly moved the target- tracking missile array, the
Ming Adams
pulled back and let loose a cloud of expanding chaff on their dorsal side. The swarm missiles detonated in the chaff. Of course, Elias wouldn’t know that unless he was very lucky the missiles couldn’t penetrate the ship’s smart armor. This salvo was mostly a statement of “Stay away!” Unfortunately for the
Ming Adams
, staying away from the
Pytheas
might open it up to fire from the
Bright Crescent
.

“Tell me if the
Bright Crescent
fires,” Ariane told Brooke.

“You mean they might
not
help us?” Elias sounded plaintive.

Ariane was busy trying to stay away from the
Ming Adams
, whose pilot had finally woken up and shown some focus. If someone on the
Ming Adams
wanted whatever she brought back from the Builders’ station, their only option was to grapple and board the
Pytheas
. Under Pax Minoica, that would be an act of piracy upon a civilian ship, or it could be considered an act of war if the
Pytheas
qualified as a combatant—all of which was questionable because it did have weapons.

“If the
Bright Crescent
fires on the
Ming Adams
before it grapples us, then they’d be blamed for initiating warfare. If they fire
after
grappling, they take the chance of hitting us.” In explaining this, Ariane had an idea. “I’m speeding up and leaving the
Bright Crescent
behind. Now, it’s just between us and the Terran frigates, which simplifies the rules of engagement.”

“We don’t have any more missiles.” Elias’s face wrinkled with fear. “And why are you worried about
rules
?”

“Wake up, would you? There’s a Minoan warship sitting near the
Pilgrimage
.” Brooke’s scoffing words came out just as the intercom light lit up.

“Control Deck, you’ve got comm on the standard emergency channel,” the engineer said.

“Thank Gaia,” Ariane breathed. She changed her course to a straight vector toward the
Pilgrimage
, glancing at the others. “And thank you, Brooke, for reminding me of another option.”

With a puzzled line between her eyes, Brooke continued to provide status. “The
Bright Crescent
is falling behind, and the
Ming Adams
is moving into grappling position. The
Percival
is moving up. They’re firing their rail guns, but only as warning, I think.”

“Elias, will you swear that you’re not trained to operate weapons?” Ariane asked. “Particularly if you’re questioned by Minoans?”

“But that’s the
truth
,” Elias said. “Isn’t it?”

She had stopped accelerating the ship and their velocity was steady. Their diagrams showed the
Ming Adams
setting up for grappling. This was always a dangerous proposition, but Ariane was going to make it riskier, and not in the way they expected.

“Exactly.” She turned and began to broadcast on the emergency channel. “This is
Pytheas
, calling Knossos-ship. This is
Pytheas
, calling Warrior Commander and reporting an act of piracy. The
Ming Adams
is attempting to board
Pytheas
, which is a civilian exploration ship.”

She paused and they waited.

“Nice try,
Pytheas
, but you fired on us.” This male voice came from the
Ming Adams
. She winced, knowing this was the hole in her plan, but she could hope.

“Acknowledged, Pytheas-ship. This is Knossos-ship, Warrior Commander speaking.” The Minoan voice she was waiting for came over the emergency channel.

Meanwhile, she realized engineering had comm working with the buoy relays, meaning her FTL diagram was working. They were still several hours from the
Pilgrimage
. The
Pilgrimage
was stationary, but a tag that read “(Minoan)” was beginning to move away from its position near the generational ship.

“Is this some kind of joke?” demanded the voice from the
Ming Adams
. “Besides, we’re entitled to defend ourselves in time of war.”

In time of war?
She broadcasted again. “I repeat, to Knossos-ship and all ships in the area. The
Pytheas
is a civilian research vessel.”

Another voice piped up on the emergency channel and said, “Knossos-ship, this is the TLS
Percival
, notifying you that Overlord Six has filed a formal declaration of war against Overlord Three, as well as Three’s allies from the Consortium of Autonomous Worlds. However, the
Pytheas
is classified as noncombatant by Overlord Three.”

“Knossos-ship, this is AFCAW ship
Bright Crescent
. CAW also classifies the
Pytheas
as noncombatant.” Edones’s voice was crisp, but notably, he didn’t specify which Overlords were allied with the Consortium. He probably didn’t know yet.

“But
we
have not, ah—Knossos-ship. Not only did the
Pytheas
target us with swarm missiles, they’re carrying stolen materials. Items that are archeological contraband—er—which gives us the right to board.” The male speaking for the
Ming Adams
couldn’t be military; he wasn’t following proper comm protocol and he’d just prevaricated on interstellar treaty law in front of a Minoan warrior.

Brooke exchanged a puzzled look with Elias, who said, “I feel like I’m in kindergarten, trying to please our favorite teacher.”

“Elias, the Minoans are
nothing
like your favorite teacher. They don’t give anyone second chances.” Ariane broadcasted Minoan-style into her mike, “Pytheas-ship to Knossos-ship. We have wounded and under Phaistos Humanitarian Directives, we request safe passage to Pilgrimage-ship. We are a civilian research vessel, and the only material we transported into this solar system is
owned by Hellas Nautikos
. This is Pytheas-ship, Explorer of Solar Systems speaking.”

This time, the answer came more quickly. “Your request for support under Phaistos Humanitarian Directives is granted, Pytheas-ship. This is Knossos-ship, Warrior Commander speaking.”

“Look at the speed of that thing,” whispered Brooke, pointing to the Minoan warship on the FTL data diagram.

After hearing Warrior Commander’s response, the
Ming Adams
gave up on talking and broke off. Ariane kept a cam-eye on them as they first tried to stay close to the
Percival
, then the
Bright Crescent
, but they were anathema to the other ships. For self-defense, the military ships scattered. At that point, the
Ming Adams
tried to run for it.

Unfortunately, they had wasted time and couldn’t get within lock-signal distance of the buoy to drop out of real-space. In a last ditch effort, the TLS
Ming Adams
unwisely fired every missile it had while wildly attempting to out-maneuver the shadowy Minoan ship. Neither produced a reaction from the Minoan warship as it bore down on the frigate.

The directed energy beams overwhelmed the cam-eyes and sensors for a moment, but after clearing, the cam-eyes showed beams
slicing
through the
Ming Adams
. Secondary fires and explosions blazed into violent life before their air dissipated. Titanium and magnesium sparked, burned, then fizzled. From the
Pytheas
deck, they watched, their jaws slack; humans still couldn’t make directed energy weapons with enough power to slice through a ship.

As the
Pytheas
continued speeding toward the
Pilgrimage
, she silently continued to display the cataclysm behind them, using the control-deck view ports. The TLS
Percival
and the
Bright Crescent
were moving in to rescue survivors, while the Minoan warship pulled back and then remained stationary.

“Gaia protect us,” Elias muttered.

“And Gaia have mercy on their souls,” added Brooke.

“They’re fools,” Ariane said flatly. Her exhaustion crashed down on her now that the adrenaline surge had subsided. She sighed, looking at her S-DATS display, which she could use now that she had FTL data.

“
Pilgrimage
, this is
Pytheas
.” Her voice was hoarse with fatigue. “We have two critically wounded casualties, and six others with minor wounds. We need morgue support for three fatalities.”

“
Pytheas
, this is the
Pilgrimage Three
. We have medical staff standing by,” Justin answered, his voice warm. “Come on home, Ariane.”

We’re at war again, but with a twist. This time we’re on the sidelines, watching the Terrans have a go at one another. Yes, it still means using our money, weapons, and people [
link to report of our commitments
]. I hope we picked the right side. . . .

—
Dr. Net-head Stavros
, 2106.074.09.20 UT, indexed by
Democritus 7
under Metrics Imperatives

 

 

 

M
att ended up watching the episode helplessly, as he rescued someone he wasn’t sure deserved the kindness. He had intended to follow the ships pursuing the
Pytheas
, but it was Muse 3, of all things, that reminded him of his duties.

“You cannot leave Dr. Lowry unprotected in space, Matt. Does that not violate the Spacecrew Code of Ethics, written by St. Darius?”

Matt gritted his teeth. “I need to make sure Ari and Diana are safe.”

“What can we do, that the
Bright Crescent
cannot do better?”

“We’re faster than Edones’s ship,” Matt said.

“But we have no weapons. You requested protection from State Prince Parmet for the same—”

“Be quiet, Muse.” He pounded the arm of his chair to keep from saying something nasty to the AI. But he’d rather face the Great Bull itself, before he’d allow a Gaiab’damned piece of software call him on his ethics!

That meant he answered Dr. Lowry’s pleas, to her great relief. Even though she could keep herself safe from the bot, which was physically tied to the buoy, she’d panicked as she watched her oxygen levels fall. She expected to be abandoned, and Matt told her just how close she was to being right. “If you want rescue,” he’d said, “tell me who’s giving you your orders.”

He’d been uncompromising and ruthless, getting Lowry to confess everything before he moved the ship close enough so she could get into a bay. As he recorded her babble, he watched what was happening to the
Pytheas
, powerless to help. When the FTL diagram showed the
Bright Crescent
falling behind, his turbulent feelings nearly tore him apart. Was Diana safe? Could he lose Ari?

Instead of listening to Dr. Lowry, he followed Ari’s appeal and the arguments on the emergency channel, heard about Overlord Six’s withdrawal from the Terran League, and watched the
Ming Adams
make lethal blunders with the Minoans—then the inner system lit up. Energy beams exposed ship positions to the naked eye as the TLS
Ming Adams
was lanced by the Minoan warship, wrapped in its defensive shadows. Matt was speechless.
I won’t make fun of the Minoans’ inflexible adherence to rules anymore.
He’d just been reminded of their power. He’d become complacent, assuming the Minoans were no different from eccentric human bosses—he should never forget they were aliens, with alien beliefs and logic.

To get back on board, Dr. Lowry told a simple story. She’d taken bribes from Overlord Six’s staff ever since she’d arrived in G-145. The payments were for leaked research data and reports. After the Minoans had hired her by name, she was contacted by Hanson, a Terran xeno-archeologist, who had identified himself as a compatriot and asked questions about what the Minoans were doing. She’d been instructed that after Hanson snatched an important piece of technology and sabotaged the
Pytheas
’s mission, she was supposed to seize the interface to the Builders’ buoy.

The appearance of the TLS
Ming Adams
came as a surprise to Lowry, although it made sense, in retrospect, to send someone to collect the bot, which was extremely interesting to Overlord Six. To Matt, the fact she’d done it for money made her pathetic, even less forgivable than someone like Abram.

“I’m nothing like those isolationists! If things had gone smoothly, no one would have been harmed.” Now that Lowry was safely inside the bay, she tried to justify her actions. “And I needed the money. You Autonomists don’t know what it’s like; surrounded by wealth and you’re—”

Matt shut off her intercom.
Try having a debt- load of eighty-five years, you bitch, and watch how
you
respond to somebody smashing equipment on
your
ship
. Instead, he watched the FTL diagram and tracked status, as he headed his own ship toward the
Pilgrimage
.

 

The first thing Ariane had to do upon returning to Beta Priamos, a day later, was to deliver the “seed” archive to Contractor Director.

“You’re sure that’s what they wanted returned?” Matt frowned at the crystal in the case. “That can ‘grow’ an archive of information? I can’t see the Minoans obsessing about
that
for ten thousand years.”