The Shadow of Cincinnatus (21 page)

He shook his head as he tried to take in the scale of the attack. As shocking as they were, the attacks on Earth were the least of it. The attacks on the industries might well be more dangerous, in the long run. It was quite possible that the attackers had hoped to cripple the Federation indefinitely. If that was the case, there might well have been other attacks...and almost certainly major trouble somewhere else. No one would have committed so much effort towards disrupting Earth – which wouldn’t last, despite the scale of the damage – without having a long-term plan to take advantage of the chaos.

It could be another warlord
, he told himself. There were people who would argue that
he
was a warlord, the most successful one of all.
But it could also be something far worse
.

The thought tore at his mind. He’d known – and reported to the Grand Senate – that there were rumors of at least two undiscovered races out beyond the Rim, races that might pose a threat to the Federation’s security. Nothing had been reported as definite, but he’d known the Outsiders were still there, nursing their grudges and plotting revenge. The real danger had been the threat of them uniting against the Federation and fighting as a unit. And, with the Federation distracted by the Justinian War, they might have had a chance to unify and build up their fleets. It was certainly more believable than an alien race somehow managing to get enough people into place to carry out the attacks without being detected.

“Local space appears to be clear,” the operator reported, finally. She hadn’t given him a name, not once. “Emergency services are tending to the bomb blast victims.”

Marius nodded. The attacks appeared to be over, but he knew better than to think that was the end of it. Most of the terrorists had remained undiscovered...given time, he was sure, the security staff would track them down, but until then they’d have their opportunity to unleash hell across the system. Something would have to be done.

“Summon General Ricardo and...General Thorne to the bunker,” he ordered, slowly. There was no choice. Ricardo was a good man, but he would have to go. He’d been placed in command of Earth’s security and he’d dropped the ball, spectacularly. “And then send a priority-one message to the rest of the Federation. Earth has been attacked and other attacks will be on their way.”

He cursed as he looked up at the star chart, then paced into the barren office set aside for the president. Tiffany was sleeping in the bedroom, trying to relax. Marius didn’t blame her – and besides, he wanted to chew Ricardo out in private. Or, at least, without his wife in hearing range. By the time the two officers arrived, he had worked himself up into a furious state. It would be months before much of the Federation received the alert and God alone knew what would have happened by then.

“I want to know what happened,” he snarled, as soon as the door was closed and locked. “These attacks were unthinkably savage, weren’t they?”

“Yes, sir,” Ricardo mumbled. “I...”

Marius scowled at him. “
What happened
?”

“The attackers were completely under the radar,” Ricardo said, gathering himself. He’d spent too long working for the Grand Senate to have much of a backbone. “Each of the attacks was carefully planned and aimed right at our weakest spots. They managed to...”

“They managed to do more damage than Admiral Justinian,” Marius snapped. The latest reports had warned that it would be at least a year before Earth’s industries were completely rebuilt. And reports through the Gateway stated that Terra Nova had been attacked too. “This is the greatest counter-intelligence failure since the Battle of Spider Bite.”

“Yes, sir,” Ricardo said. He didn’t try to defend himself. “I take full responsibility.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Marius said. Heads would have to roll. Perhaps literally. “You are relieved of duty, effective immediately. There will be a full inquiry into just how this breach of security took place and, if you are found responsible for some of the failure, you will be held fully accountable.”

“Yes, sir,” Ricardo said.

Marius gave him one final glower, then turned to look at General Thorne. He was a hard man, with a hard reputation and a war record that was regarded as somewhat questionable, but he
had
managed to complete his mission reasonably well. The Grand Senate had made use of him, yet that couldn’t be held against him. Marius had worked for the Grand Senate too.

“General,” he said. “I want you to take full command of Earth’s security. A state of emergency is now in effect and all rights are suspended, understand? I want every military base and industrial node under heavy guard. No one is to get inside without being thoroughly vetted, then searched.”

“Yes, sir,” Thorne rumbled. One of his eyes was clearly artificial; the other was a surprisingly soft brown. “I won’t let you down.”

“I want
everyone
who might be even remotely involved interrogated, thoroughly,” Marius ordered. “Go through
everything
. Search incoming ships, probe computer databanks, investigate even the slightest trace of dissident leanings,
everything
. I don’t want you to leave even a single stone unturned.”

“Yes, sir,” Thorne said.

Ricardo cleared his throat. “Your Majesty...”

“I am not a
Majesty
,” Marius snapped. It sounded absurd to be called ‘Your Majesty’ by anyone. “
Sir
is quite sufficient.”

“Sir, the economic effects of such a security sweep will be disastrous,” Ricardo warned. “If even the slightest hint of dissident leanings is grounds for an arrest...”

“Investigation,” Marius said. “Whoever is behind this attack has to be stopped,
now
!”

He forced himself to calm down, taking deep breaths until he could speak clearly. “This disaster happened on your watch,” he added, sharply. “I trusted you to look after Earth. Instead, we’ve had the greatest series of terror attacks since...
ever...
and the start of a whole new war. We must eliminate these bastards before they manage to hit us again.”

“Yes, sir,” Ricardo said.

“Go,” Marius ordered. “The board of inquiry will be organized as soon as we have a preliminary security report.”

It crossed his mind that Ricardo might commit suicide, but Marius found it hard to care. The man had failed spectacularly. Even if it hadn’t been his fault...he caught himself, suddenly understanding why the Grand Senate had spent so much time and effort looking for scapegoats. It was always easier to handle failure or disaster if there was someone to blame.

He shook his head, dismissing the thought. There were too many other problems to handle right now. The attacks had to signify the start of a new war...

...And, along the Rim, all hell could be breaking loose.

Surprise is always a deadly weapon because it leaves the enemy reeling – and, more importantly, unsure of what is going on. A naval squadron that considered itself connected to an entire navy might find itself isolated, utterly unaware of the fate of its comrades. Thus, such a squadron might seek to avoid battle even when the odds are in its favor.

-The Federation Navy in Retrospect, 4199

Tyler’s Star, 4098

Tyler’s Star – and Tyler’s World – was among the oddest star systems known to the Federation. It had two Asimov Points, but while one of them led back into Federation space the other was a complete mystery. Dozens of ships, some of them heavily armored, had slipped into the Asimov Point...and never been seen again. The other actually existed
outside
the star’s inner gravity field, something that had perplexed the Federation’s researchers ever since it had been discovered. Before then, they’d
known
that all Asimov Points floated within the star’s gravity field. Indeed, the best – or at least most commonly believed – theory for their existence relied on stars providing the gravity field that warped the fabric of space and time.

The system, Roman knew, had once attracted a great deal of scientific attention. There should have been two research stations orbiting the Asimov Points, one probing the mystery point and the other studying the more regular point that drifted at the edge of the star system. But now, the second research station was gone and a very familiar red icon orbited the Asimov Point in its place. There was no trace of any debris, according to the probe, but there might well not have been any to find. The station might just have been shoved into the Asimov Point to be turned into atoms by the gravity tides.

“The battlecruisers are to sneak up on that ship and take her out,” he ordered. Anywhere else, there would be no need to be sneaky. Here, the picket could drop into FTL at any moment and make her escape, if they suspected trouble. “She is not to be allowed to escape.”

He watched as dispassionately as he could as three battlecruisers disengaged from his fleet and crawled forward, advancing on the Asimov Point. They shouldn’t be detectable, he knew; they mounted the latest in military-grade cloaking devices. And yet, the Outsiders had sprung far too many surprises already. What about an advance in sensor systems that would pick up the battlecruisers before they entered firing range? The bad guys might have a nasty surprise waiting for the Federation starships on the other side of the Asimov Point.

They can’t be strong everywhere
, Roman told himself, firmly. Not even the Federation Navy was strong enough to assign an entire battlefleet to every potential destination for his fleet.
And yet they have to know where I would need to go
.

He sighed, inwardly. Civilians saw the stardrive and wondered how starships could ever be intercepted on their voyage from A to B. But they didn’t realize just how much time the Asimov Points shaved off interstellar journeys. It would take months for Roman to take his fleet to Boston using stardrive alone, ensuring that the war would probably be decided, one way or the other, before he linked up with any other friendly forces. No, he
had
to go through the Asimov Points...and the Outsiders would know it as well as he did. They would have a chance to lay an ambush in his path.

But where will they go?
He asked himself.
And what are their objectives
?

The red icon flashed once, then vanished. “Operation complete,” Palter said. “The enemy vessel has been destroyed.”

Roman felt a flicker of sympathy for the enemy crew, even though they would have gladly killed him and his men, given half a chance. One moment, they’d been alone in space; the next, missiles had been fired from what was, effectively, point-blank range. They hadn’t stood a chance. There had been no time to bring up either their drives or their shields before they’d been blown into atoms. And it was doubtful that any of them had been able to get into the lifepods, even if they’d thought there was a chance of being rescued by friendly forces.

“Good,” he said. “The fleet will advance to the Asimov Point, then prepare to launch drones.”

The Asimov Point itself was invisible, at least to the naked eye. On the display, however, it was a tight knot of gravity, twisted into a shape that was never consistent from one moment to the next. Spacers had strange dreams close to the Asimov Points, Roman had been told, although he’d never shared them himself. Perhaps it was the sense of abiding
wrongness
surrounding the points – no one had managed to prove any of the theories that attempted to justify their existence – or perhaps it was just night terrors. It was never easy to relax near an Asimov Point, even in friendly territory. There was no way to be sure that something hostile wouldn’t pop out and open fire.

He recalled, once, a bull session in the barracks, back at the academy. The senior cadets, having taken on the duty of alternately supporting and scaring the hell out of the junior cadets, had whispered a tale about super-advanced aliens creating the Asimov Points. It explained why they were so strange, they’d said, and why they didn’t seem to follow a predictable pattern. The one cadet who’d asked the instructors about the legend had been told, in no uncertain terms, to keep his mouth shut. Federation orthodoxy claimed that the human race was the most advanced race known to exist – and ever
would
exist. Suggesting that an alien race could have created the Asimov Points called all that into question.

“The drones are ready for launch,” Palter said. “Sir?”

Roman looked up at the holographic display. “Launch the drones.”

He braced himself as the drones sped towards the Asimov Point and vanished. They had neither the mass nor the shields of full-sized starships, which meant an alarmingly high number of them would simply be lost to the Asimov Point itself, let alone anything lurking on the far side. It was not beyond possibility that
none
of them would return, even without enemy action. But he needed to know what was waiting for them, if
anything
was waiting for them. Sending his ships through the point one by one was a good way to get them smashed, one by one. And none of them would know they were flying into hell until the missiles were already screaming towards their hulls.

Seconds passed...and, eventually, four drones popped back into existence. It was a better return rate than he’d dared hope, Roman knew, although the drones might still be useless. He watched, knowing there was no point in ordering his crews to hurry up, as the drones transmitted their data back to the fleet. There seemed to be nothing hostile on the far side of the point.

“Send the first formation through,” Roman ordered. If there
was
a cloaked enemy fleet lurking just outside active sensor range, they might well have seen the drones pop in and out of the system. “And hold the second formation ready for immediate deployment.”

The lead squadron of superdreadnaughts moved up to the Asimov Point and vanished. Long seconds passed, then a set of courier drones materialized around the point. Nothing had greeted them, the superdreadnaughts reported. The system appeared to be completely empty.