The Lost Patrol (13 page)

“He must die now,” Hank said.

“Do you truly expect me to believe that you’re in contact with the professor?” Maddox asked.

“We do not care what you believe,” Hank said. “You have become a liability to our existence. You must die in order to guard our lives.”

Maddox laughed, shaking his head. “Nice try. I’m not buying it.”

The first android cocked his head. “You are exhibiting irrational behavior Captain.”

“I can’t believe the sergeant is so stupid as to let that slip about the professor,” Maddox said. “You androids aren’t that foolish.”

“I am not stupid,” Hank said.

“I just said you’re not,” Maddox told him.

“But I did let slip—”

The first android signaled Hank Towns as he began to speak in high-speed chatter once more.

Hank finally nodded as a look of cunning appeared on his face. “You have seen through my deception, Captain. I congratulate you. You are cleverer than I realized.”

“Is Strand behind this?” Maddox asked.

“You are not here to lure us,” Hank said. “We are here to reprogram you.”

“Let me talk to Strand,” Maddox said.

“There will be no bargaining,” Hank said. “Put the meld on his head. We must finish this before morning shift.”

The first android approached with the headband.

“Wait,” the Hank android said.

A light blinked on his monitor. He plugged a device into a slot and put a bud in his ear. Hank looked up sharply at the first android.

“The Adok AI has spotted a cloaked star cruiser in the system,” Hank said. “The bridge personnel are requesting the captain to hurry to the bridge. This is a dilemma.”

“I have a way out of our impasse,” Maddox said. “Surrender to me. I guarantee your survival.”

“You spout deception,” the Hank android said.

“Not so,” Maddox said. “I want you alive—if for no other reason…”

“Yes, for what reason?” Hank asked.

Maddox had almost told the android so he could throw them in the professor’s face. But that would imply he’d lied to them earlier. That wouldn’t do if his freedom hinged upon their believing his promises.

“We could use emergency procedures on him,” the first android said.

“That would be risky,” Hank said.

“Agreed, but that is better than our termination.”

“Yes, much better. Slip the training band back on his head.”

The first android tried to slip on the band, but at the last moment, Maddox jerked his head out of the way.

The android stepped back. “Cease this activity. Otherwise, I will render you unconscious. That could hinder the process.”

“Oh,” Maddox said. “Well, in that case, be my guest.”

The android stepped up and tried to slip the band on again. As before, Maddox violently shifted his head at the last moment.

“You are being unreasonable,” the android said.

“We do not have time to bargain with him,” the Hank android said. “You must use coercive force.”

“I have a question before you do that,” Maddox said.

“Then you will submit?” the first android asked.

“Yes,” Maddox said.

“Ask your question.”

“This is for you,” Maddox told the Hank android. “How were you able to fool Sergeant Riker concerning your humanity? You’re obviously inhuman.”

The Hank android blinked several times, changing his demeanor so he held himself like a jock.

“Is this what you want?” Hank asked. “You feel more at home now?”

“Do you have special circuitry to do that?” Maddox asked.

The change occurred in reverse. “That is two questions,” the Hank android said. “Put the band on his head.”

The first android attempted that, but as before, Maddox resisted.

“You said you would comply after the question,” the first android said.

“I am complying,” Maddox said. “You’ve simply lost your coordination.”

“That is untrue,” the first android told Hank.

“He is lying to you,” Hank said. “Check your memory. The captain is a notorious liar.”

“Yes,” the first android said. “I had forgotten.” He drew his stunner.

At that moment, the lights flickered off so pitch-darkness filled the hold.

“Emergency,” the Hank android said. “The others must be attempting to rescue the captain. Kill him at once.”

“Why not hold me as a hostage?” Maddox shouted. “Bargain with me for your own lives.”

The lights came back on as the first android changed the setting on his stunner.

“You must not harm the captain,” Galyan said, appearing in the hold.

Both androids fired at the holoimage. At the same instant, the main door blew inward. The heavy door flew against the machine, shattering it and crushing the Hank android in the process.

Meta jumped through the opening, wearing a mask. She fired a heavy caliber gun, blowing pseudo-flesh and hard plastic off the first android. Each blast knocked it backward several more feet. Finally, the android slid down a bulkhead as broken wreckage.

Maddox struggled to free himself, but proved unable.

Tearing the mask from her face and with tears in her eyes, Meta rushed to him. “Oh, Maddox, I was so worried about you.”

“Down there,” he said, using his chin to point.

Meta tried to remove the pin but found it locked into place. She used the butt of her gun to smash the lock and then the shackles on his legs.

Finally, Maddox stood. Meta hugged him so tightly he could hardly breathe.

“Hank Towns?” Riker asked, as he stepped into the hold. The sergeant stared at the inert android.

Maddox managed to disengage from Meta. “He was an android,” Maddox told Riker. “The thing actually went through basic training.”

“Are you well, Captain?” Galyan said, appearing once more.

“Fine, thank you,” Maddox said. “What took you so long?”

“The ship is on red alert,” Meta said. “Galyan has been frantic over your safety. He’s felt just awful losing you.”

“They must have altered the lining of this cargo hold,” Galyan said. “The interior was impervious to my sight. I did not realize that until only a short time ago. I only discovered my inability through an agonizing process of eliminating every other possible location.”

“That doesn’t explain why you didn’t spot them kidnapping me,” Maddox said.

“I do not know the reason,” Galyan admitted. “I will discover their method soon enough. But Captain, that is not germane now. I have detected a cloaked star cruiser in the system. Valerie believes it may have been following us for some time.”

“Is it close enough to fire at us?” Maddox asked.

“We saw it for a time,” Galyan said. “Now, it is hidden again.”

“What does that mean?” Maddox demanded.

“I suggest you hurry to the bridge,” Galyan said, “as we may already be under attack.”

-20-

Maddox left everyone behind except for Galyan. The holoimage floated beside him, giving the captain a running commentary concerning the situation.

Maddox listened as he sprinted.

The AI had discovered the cloaked vessel a little less than an hour ago. Starship
Victory
moved through the Tosk CL System with its record eleven gas giants. Seven of the giant planets were awash in deuterium with floating mines scooping up the riches. The Wallace Corporation ran the balloon scoops—the same corporation Keith had fought against in Tau Ceti.

Galyan had spotted the cloaked vessel against the background of Tosk V, a super-Jupiter gas giant. It was likely that the extra radiation from the planet had proven too powerful for the star cruiser’s cloaking device. Valerie had hailed the vessel. That’s when a powerful red ray—a New Man’s red fusion beam—had struck
Victory’s
shield. Instead of making the cloaked vessel easier to spot, the attack had allowed them to go invisible again.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Maddox said.

“But it does,” Galyan said, “as the beam came from a hidden drone instead of the cloaked vessel. My sensors lost some of their sharpness after the assault.”

“I see. Why do you believe the star cruiser is about to make an attack run?”

“A tiny anomaly is closer than earlier,” Galyan said.

“That anomaly was what you first picked up?”

“Negative,” Galyan said. “This anomaly is different from the original wavy pattern I detected.”

“It might be another drone.”

“I deem that probable,” Galyan said. “If you will permit me, I will leave to tell Valerie that.”

“Go,” Maddox said.

The holoimage vanished.

It let Maddox concentrate on sprinting. Was the star cruiser part of Ludendorff’s plan? Had the Hank android truly let the professor’s name drop or had that been part of a plan? Might it be a ploy on Strand’s part to divert Maddox?

The captain couldn’t decide. One thing seemed certain. The androids hadn’t been as intelligent as they should have been. Yes. They’d been smart enough to capture him. Their conversation with him in the cargo hold had been less than sterling, however. What had caused their IQs to diminish?

Maddox felt a maddening sense of inadequacy. It seemed as if a fog had drifted into his mind. He wasn’t making connections fast enough. There was a pattern here. There was an enemy goal that should have already presented itself. What did the Spacers hope to achieve with Shu 15 that frightened either Strand or Ludendorff? Or could the androids be acting on their own? Could their less than sterling actions be another part of the elaborate ploy?

Confirming Maddox’s unease, he was panting by the time he staggered onto the bridge. He should have been able to make a run like that without even breaking a sweat.

He sank onto the commander’s chair as he sucked down air and blotted his face with a sleeve.

“Report,” he wheezed.

Valerie repeated what Galyan had already told him.

“Show me the anomaly,” Maddox said, as he sat up.

Valerie tapped her board.

On the main screen, at full magnification, Maddox noticed a slight wavy pattern against the backdrop of space. It was a little over ten thousand kilometers away.

“Do you detect any mass?” he asked.

Valerie eyebrows rose.

Maddox knew he wouldn’t have asked it like that in the past. It was the Patrol Training showing.

“I do not detect any mass,” she said.

“Beam it,” Maddox said.

Valerie paused a half second before she asked, “What if we’re supposed to beam it?”

Maddox scowled. He might be winded. His brain could be clouded. But that didn’t mean he wanted anyone questioning his orders.

“You,” Maddox told the weapons officer. “Lock onto the anomaly and fire.”

The weapons officer was a big man with the blondest hair Maddox had ever seen. The man could have been a holo-vid star.

“Do you have a preference of beam?” Lieutenant Henry Smith-Fowler asked.

“Use the neutron cannon,” Maddox said.

Smith-Fowler tapped his controls. A few seconds later, he said, “The neutron cannon is locked onto the anomaly, sir.”

Maddox glanced sidelong at Valerie. The lieutenant bit her lower lip. She obviously wanted to warn him again but didn’t dare.

“Raise shields to maximum,” Maddox said.

“Done, sir,” Smith-Fowler said while tapping his panel.

Was this a mistake? Maddox’s lips thinned. What was wrong with him? First, his mind seemed cloudy. Now, he distrusted his instincts.

The captain raised his right hand. He would bull through this. So what if he felt edgy? With a downward chop of his hand, he said, “Fire.”

A neutron beam lashed from
Victory
, reaching out ten thousand kilometers. Suddenly, a massive bomb ignited, the explosion almost whiting-out the main screen. The blast threw everyone on the bridge into sharp relief, many of them with their arms shielding their eyes. If dampeners hadn’t been in place, the intense light might have burned out their optic nerves.

As the blast died down, Maddox heard himself say, “Give me a damage report.”

The data came in fast. It showed that, if nothing else, the bridge personnel knew their business. Smith-Fowler reported an antimatter bomb. That would explain the power of the explosion. The weapons officer suggested a proximity fuse had ignited the bomb, meaning the neutron beam had set it off. The main shield had buckled under the blast but held. If the shield had been at anything less than full strength, though…

Maddox nodded as he glanced at Valerie. A strange feeling of chagrin spread through his chest. It was a foreign sensation, one he intensely disliked. He realized his order might have caused injury to his crew. Valerie’s unease had caused him to order a strengthening to the shield.

Maddox forced the words from his mouth. “It’s good you spoke up, Lieutenant.”

Valerie stared at him in shock. As the shock dwindled, a smile grew. She reached up, hiding the smile with her hand. She positively glowed at the compliment, though.

“Sir,” the comm officer said, an Ensign Emily Daggett, a thin woman with an alert bearing.

Victory’s
electromagnetic shield had kept the worst of the antimatter blast from the crew. The same couldn’t be said about the nearest orbital colony near the super-Jupiter. Thousands on an orbital habitat had received severe burns while several hundred were already dead.

“Dead?” Maddox asked.

Ensign Daggett nodded soberly.

A few minutes later, the ensign put Commodore Grossman on the main screen. He was the highest-ranking Star Watch officer in the Tosk CL System.

“What in the hell are you doing over there?” the commodore shouted at Maddox. “This is a populated star system. People are dead because of what you did. Do you realize that?”

Maddox bristled inside, although he appeared calm. “There is a cloaked star cruiser near Tosk V.”

“Are you saying the star cruiser fired on us?” Grossman shouted.

“No, sir. They detonated an antimatter bomb.”

“That’s not what happened,” the commodore said. “Your beam caused the explosion. If you hadn’t fired at the bomb those people would still be alive.”

Maddox leaned forward. “Do you understand what I have told you? A cloaked star cruiser is in the Tosk System.”

“I heard you. Did you hear me?”

Maddox stared at the commodore as the commodore stared back.

“Looking at you, I get it,” Grossman said angrily. “They said you’re half New Man. Now, I know it’s true. You don’t care about human casualties, do you? You’re just as hardhearted as the genetic bastards who invaded us.”

Maddox’s face heated up. Grossman had insulted him in front of his bridge personnel. Then, a cold feeling settled onto the captain. Something was definitely wrong with him. He reminded himself that he wasn’t insensitive to the lost lives. That was a tragedy. Maybe he had made a mistake. Yet, it was the enemy who was ultimately responsible for those deaths. Grossman had a right to his rage. So why did the New Man insult surprise him? Maddox had lived with this for some time.

“Commodore,” Maddox said, forcing himself to speak calmly, “I request your assistance in pinpointing the cloaked star cruiser. If the New Men are attempting another invasion, picking the Tosk CL System for a recon mission…”

On the screen, Commodore Grossman grew pale. He nodded curtly with new understanding in his eyes. “I’ll help. I’ll… Perhaps I shouldn’t have said what I did.”

“We have a ruthless enemy, Commodore. To defeat him…” Maddox decided it was better to let the aphorism go unsaid.

“I guess our enemy wanted the antimatter bomb to go off to help cover his escape,” Grossman muttered. “Maybe he would have activated it if you hadn’t fired at it.”

Yes. That seemed logical. Maddox should have already seen that. It was yet another reason to discover the source of this mental cloudiness.

The commodore signed off. Shortly thereafter, every Star Watch asset in the system strained to find the cloaked star cruiser. All the while,
Victory
continued toward the next Laumer-Point.

“I doubt the star cruiser is following us now,” Valerie said.

Maddox wondered about that. Had the androids aboard
Victory
sent secret signals to the enemy? Were there any more androids on the starship? How many cloaked star cruisers were there? As far as Maddox knew, Strand owned the only one. Did that mean the oldest human in existence was following them? That hardly made sense. Shouldn’t Strand be at the Throne World, helping the New Men rearm with disruptor beams?

Maddox stood. It was time to go on the offensive against these secret intruders on
his
ship. Maybe he wasn’t as mentally sharp—he was going to do something about that! Before he’d been a Patrol officer, he’d been a Star Watch Intelligence operative. It was time to play the game he knew and root out his hidden foes.