The Lost Patrol (29 page)

-49-

Valerie sat at her board on the bridge. They were in a dire crisis. There could be no doubt about that. Still, they were in the exact situation Star Watch desired.

The starship had made the greatest journey in Patrol history. They were over two thousand light-years closer to the galactic center, and searching for the Swarm Imperium. This shattered star system would indicate they had come in the right direction.

By the words of the Builder they’d found a year ago, the Swarm held ten percent of the galaxy. That was an immense amount of territory. Even so, that was one tenth compared to nine tenths of non-Swarm territory. The Imperium could easily be on the other side of the galaxy, thousands of years away from discovery. However, the present indications showed the Imperium was likely closer. Finding it in the immensity of the galaxy might not be a simple task, though, especially if left to just their starship.

Valerie sat at her place, actively searching for some clue. She studied star after star, using her sensors. She studied the closest stars first. Some were less than a light-year away, although one light year was still an awesome distance.

The sensors picked up all kinds of background data. Specifically, she and the others were searching for radio and other comm waves. They would be very faint this far out from their generating source. Still, a technological civilization would give off signals.

Space was vast, though. This could take weeks.

Valerie spent hours searching. The captain came back onto the bridge and asked for an update. She had nothing to give him. Neither did anyone else.

Valerie took a break later, going to the cafeteria. She spoke with Meta, making small talk and inquiring about Shu.

“I have to get back to work,” she told Meta as she checked her chronometer.

Meta nodded. She clearly disliked the Spacer. Given everything that Shu had done, Valerie didn’t like the Spacer either. She just didn’t dislike Shu as much as Meta did.

Two hours and sixteen minutes after that, Valerie sat up. She tapped her board and zeroed in on a star five light-years away.

These signals were strange, not what she’d originally been hunting for. Who would use such a bizarre mode for communication?

With growing excitement, Valerie recalibrated her focus. Yes. The signals thickened considerably. She summoned Galyan to help her.

“What do you think?” Valerie asked after a time.

“Those are definitely old comm signals,” the AI said. “The patterns indicate intelligence.”

“That’s what I think too.”

“We must tell the captain,” Galyan said. “All the ship’s resources must concentrate on the star system.”

“Go ahead,” Valerie said. “Tell him.”

“You found this. I think you should have the honor of telling him.”

Valerie grinned. Yes, she wanted to call the captain and tell him she’d made a discovery. This was exciting. She wanted to go to the star system and see exactly what she had found.

***

Seven hours later, the captain held another briefing. He called the same people as before, but this time he included Galyan.

First, Maddox had Doctor Rich explain the findings about the alien ship. There were plenty of questions afterward. Ludendorff fielded the majority of them.

“This could explain why the aliens were so xenophobic,” Maddox said. “How could ants—”

“Chitin is probably a better word,” Ludendorff said, interrupting.

“Chitin then,” Maddox said. “How could Chitins coexist with Swarm creatures?”

“With great difficulty, I imagine,” Ludendorff said. “Thus, you see the outcome; planetary destruction. The Swarm may have met their match in terms of ferocity.”

“I feel I should point out,” Dana added, “that most of what we’re suggesting is conjecture.”

“The most brilliant conjecture any human is capable of, though,” Ludendorff said loftily, as he fingered the gold chain around his neck.

“Chitins,” Maddox said, picking up a clicker. “Have we stumbled onto a Chitin-Swarm War? These are the nearest star systems exhibiting the unusual signals.”

The lights in the chamber dimmed as a large holographic star display appeared. It showed their stellar location in red. Then, it showed the likely inhabited star systems in yellow.

“Interesting,” Ludendorff said. “I see seven nearby star systems. The range is thirty-four light-years from the farthest to the farthest. The inhabited systems seem to thicken as they head toward the galactic core.”

“I noticed that too,” Maddox said.

“Does that suggest the Swarm?” Ludendorff asked. “Or does that suggest a Chitin Empire? We must investigate, of course.”

Maddox nodded. “Look at the star system nine light-years away.” He pinpointed the system. “It has the oddest readings. Could the system hold a Nexus?”

“Let me see the readings again,” Ludendorff said.

The captain tapped his tablet, causing the data to appear on the holographic display.

“It’s difficult to say,” Ludendorff said shortly. “The Nexuses didn’t radiate anything unusual in Human Space. I don’t see why they should out here either.”

“I’m open to suggestions,” Maddox said. “We have seven possible star systems to investigate. Should we try to wake Shu again to gain better answers? Should we use the star drive and go to the nearest inhabited system? Or should we head straight for the one with the interesting signals? There is a logical reason for each avenue. I want to know what you people think.”

Valerie was practically squirming in her chair. This is what she’d wanted from the captain for a long time. But now that he asked everyone for his or her opinion, she didn’t feel as certain. When Maddox ordered people around, she actually felt safer. Maybe this was what people called ironic.

“Captain,” Galyan said. “Am I permitted to give my opinion?”

“Of course,” Maddox said. “That’s why you’re here. I value your counsel as much as anyone’s.”

“We all value your opinion,” Valerie added.

“Thank you,” Galyan said. “That is most gratifying. I am particularly struck by your kindness toward me after…after…”

“What’s wrong, Galyan?” Valerie asked.

“I underwent a horrifying experience a few hours ago,” the holoimage said. “Shu 15 attempt to recode me. Oh. Was I supposed to keep that secret?” he asked Maddox.

“It’s fine. You can speak at the briefing.”

“Thank you, sir. I feel better knowing I can relate what happened to me to those who accept me. Shu showed me my past, what I had lost. I believe she did this in order to short circuit my auto-defenses. I realized once again how important you have become to me. Thus, I suggest we move cautiously and slowly, taking baby lunges, as it were.”

“I think you mean baby steps,” Maddox said.

The holoimage blinked for only a moment. “I have corrected the idiom. Thank you, sir.”

“You were saying,” Maddox said.

“We should head to the nearest inhabited star system and investigate at long range,” Galyan said. “This is a precarious time. There is no reason to take undue risks or attempt anything at speed. Slow and steady wins the race.”

“I hate to disagree with you, Galyan,” the professor said. “But I have the opposite advice. Time is precious. The starship has a limited amount of fuel and food. The same is true of weaponry. We must discover what we came to find and then get back to Human Space as fast as possible. That mandates action. I have no doubt that we should go the star system with the interesting readings and see what causes them.”

“Are there any other thoughts?” Maddox asked.

“The Chitins frighten me,” Dana said. “I can’t get the image out of my head, millions of little insects intelligently flying a spaceship. How do they process thought? Can they think even remotely like us? What if it turns out the Chitins are slowly conquering the Swarm?”

“What makes you think that’s possible?” Maddox asked.

Dana shrugged. “No particular reason. I’m just throwing out possibilities.”

“It would seem the Builder would have known that,” Ludendorff said. “The Builder wouldn’t have told the captain about the Swarm controlling one tenth of the galaxy otherwise.”

“Maybe,” Dana said. “Or maybe the Builder lied. Maybe the Builder had his facts wrong. I’ve found that going out and seeing what’s there is far more revealing than simply listening to someone else’s opinion about a thing.”

Ludendorff ran a thumb under his gold chain. “That’s a unique outlook, my dear. But how can you know anything then?”

“What do you mean?” Dana asked.

“Our knowledge is primarily based on other people’s experiences and observations,” the professor said. “You read tablets, watch holo-vids and learn facts in a classroom. That is all secondhand information. If we cannot rely on outside observations, we can actually know very little.”

“This is a fascinating topic,” Maddox said dryly. “You two can continue it later. We’re discussing actions, not philosophies.”

“I merely mean—” Dana said.

“Doctor,” Maddox said.

Dana crossed her arms.

“I will take into consideration this idea about the Chitins,” Maddox said. “I found the primitiveness of their vessels telling. That leads me to believe they have not supplanted the Swarm as the primary enemy. However, I don’t see a way to approach the Chitins as allies.”

“I’d like to add another possibility,” Dana said.

After a moment, Maddox inclined his head.

“Given their tiny size,” the doctor said, “a viable colony could genetically sustain itself inside one of the vessels. A ship full of humans could not genetically sustain itself over time. I point this out to show the possibility that we may have stumbled onto generational ships. Perhaps we battled the last Chitins, those having fled a defeated star system long ago.”

“If you’re right,” Ludendorff said, “that would imply those inhabited star systems out there are Swarm, not Chitins.”

The briefing personnel studied the star map with growing apprehension. Were they headed into the Swarm Imperium?

Maddox cleared his throat. “The briefing has cleared up one thing for me. We know very little about this region of space. We must be ready for anything.”

The captain drummed his fingers on the table. “I agree about practicing caution,” he said, nodding in Galyan’s direction. “But I am swayed by the need for speed. Thus, we will head for the interesting star system.”

Valerie blinked several times, as she realized the captain had actually listened while in Patrol School. He sounded and acted more like a regular Star Watch officer than ever before. Was it a mask, though, hiding his old self? One thing she knew,
Victory
ran more smoothly than at any other time under the captain’s command. Seeing how far they were from Human Space, that was a decidedly good thing.

-50-

Victory
used its star drive, jumping three light-years from the smashed system. It headed for the system nine light-years away.

The star there was a red giant with at least one hot Jupiter-sized gas giant. It was more than possible that the gas giant had once been cold like the one in the Solar System. As the star cooled and became a red giant, however, it would have expanded. In time, Earth’s star would expand to the Earth’s orbital path. There were conflicting theories about what would happen to the Earth when that happened. As the star cooled because it had devoured so much of its fuel, it would lose mass. The loss of mass would mean a lesser gravitational pull. That might allow the Earth a wider orbit.

In any case, the red giant out there might have neared the cold Jupiter as the cooling star expanded. Because it was so much closer now, the greater heat from the red giant and the extra mass gained over time by the gas giant would have turned it into a hot Jupiter.

As the ancient Adok vessel readied itself for its next jump, the science teams continued to scan the nearby stars, searching for clues. At Ludendorff’s suggestion, they looked for anything unusual, no matter how insignificant.

After the second jump, the teams renewed their surveys in all directions. More data kept flowing in.

The captain sat in his chair. He flexed his left hand. It felt stiff. That had begun happening lately after a jump.

Maddox stood as he regarded the main screen. The targeted star system was appreciably closer now. They should start gaining better data about it.

“The energy readings from the system have worsened,” Valerie said.

“How can they worsen?” Maddox asked.

“I’ve been analyzing the various summaries,” she said, “summaries from the different science teams. Dana suggests the readings indicate vast numbers of nuclear explosions.”

“What’s her explanation for the cause of the explosions?”

“Dana suggests two possibilities,” Valerie said. “One, maybe the species there has built vast Orion ships.”

“What are those?” Maddox asked.

“A vessel using nuclear explosions as its motive force,” Valerie said. “Orion ships have thick under-shielding and massive shock absorbers. Such a motive system can reach impressive speeds in relatively short order.”

“And the second possibility?” Maddox asked.

“War,” Valerie said.

The captain nodded. “Since we’re seeing this three light-years out, the data is three years old. If there’s a war in the system, it will likely be over by our next jump.”

“Yes and no,” Valerie said. “This is new territory. We should be open to any possibility.”

“But a nuclear war by its definition is short.”

Valerie shrugged.

Maddox rubbed his chin as he considered the possibilities.

“Captain,” Galyan said, appearing on the bridge. “There is a new development.”

Maddox and Valerie exchanged glances. The captain had never seen the holoimage this excited before.

“Well?” Maddox asked.

“Lieutenant,” Galyan said, “if you would train your sensors at the coordinates 14-31-03 please.”

Valerie tapped her board. Maddox moved to her station and leaned over her shoulder, studying the screen.

“Sir,” she said. “Oh, excuse me,” she said, moving away as she bumped against him.

Maddox stepped back. He hadn’t realize how tense he was until the lieutenant bumped against him. He straightened his uniform, trying to appear relaxed.

“Sir,” Valerie said again. “I’m picking up hundreds of signals. These are much closer to us than the nuclear explosions three light-years out. The closer signals match the shuttle recordings of the Chitin vessels earlier.”

“How many signals did you say?” he asked.

“These signals are from far out,” Valerie said in a noncommittal way. “If we could get closer I’d have a better idea what I’m looking at.”

Maddox retreated to his command chair as he thought this through. “How far away are these new signals?”

“A quarter of a light-year, at least,” she said.

“How did you find them?” Maddox asked Galyan.

“I didn’t, sir,” the holoimage said. “I was with Dana’s team when the doctor made the discovery.”

Maddox nodded. “We’ll make a short star drive jump. I want to see this.”

***

An hour and a half later, Maddox stared at the amazing scene.
Victory
had made a short star drive jump. Presently, a mere billion kilometers separated them from a stream of Chitin vessels.

“How many ships am I looking at?” Maddox asked.

Valerie stared at her panel in shock.

On the main screen, Maddox saw an endless stream of Chitin ships. The vast majority were SWS destroyer-sized. A small percentage were bigger than SWS battleships.

“Dana must have picked up the battleship-sized vessels,” Valerie said softly.

“There are one hundred of the larger ships?” Maddox asked.

“More or less,” Valerie said.

“That must mean thousands of the smaller craft,” Maddox said.

“Yes,” Valerie said, gulping slightly.

Despite a tightening in his chest, Maddox forced himself to think rationally. “The Chitin fleet is aimed at the star system we’re heading toward. Is that their destination?”

“I can’t know with one hundred percent accuracy,” Valerie said. “But that would be my guess, yes.”

“What about the nuclear explosions at the red giant? Are they still occurring?”

Valerie tapped her board, studying it. “Yes, sir, they are.”

Maddox glanced at Galyan. “What do you make of this?”

The holoimage’s eyelids fluttered. “I suggest this means an ongoing conflict with the Swarm. These are Chitin reinforcements.”

“Given their trajectory,” Maddox said, “where did the Chitin fleet originate?”

“Using the local coordinates,” Galyan said, “Star XZ 23-23-19.”

“One of the original star systems that possessed life-signs,” Maddox said.

“Yes, sir.”

Maddox nodded. “That suggests XZ is a Chitin system.”

“Agreed,” Galyan said.

Maddox glanced at Valerie. “Does that make sense to you?”

“I’m not sure I understand the question, sir,” Valerie said.

“Can two species have an interstellar war at sub-light speeds?” Maddox asked. “That doesn’t seem possible with humans. But we’re talking about two species of bugs, one big and one small.”

“We do not know the precise nature of the Chitin opponents,” Galyan said.

Maddox snorted. “Given the Swarm mines that almost killed us, I’d say we do know.” He looked around. “It seems to me we may have found what we came for: a general idea of the location of the Swarm Imperium.”

“Should we try to negotiate with the Chitins?” Valerie asked.

Maddox shook his head. “We have the advantages of our starship and our overall technological superiority. Let’s use those advantages to figure out the situation before we make any premature moves.”

Valerie grinned so hard it began to hurt her face.

Maddox noticed. “Do you care to share what you find humorous, Lieutenant?”

She wiped away the smile. “I’m sorry, sir.”

“No, no,” he said. “What do you find so amusing?”

“You’re acting like a Patrol officer, sir. It’s an interesting…development. That’s all.”

Maddox understood her deeper meaning. She believed that normally he acted too recklessly. The time might soon come where she would think that again. But if it made her feel more secure to know he followed Patrol directives…

That was good. Let her smile. Let the others on the bridge share in that. They would likely need this heightened morale before this voyage was through.

“We’ll take a breather as the science teams continue to study the nearing star system and the Chitin armada,” Maddox said. “Then, we will jump…half a light-year away from our destination. It might be a good idea to have as much data as we can before we go all the way in.”