The Lost Destroyer (Lost Starship Series Book 3) (13 page)

“But—”

“No more questions for now,” Dana said. “I want you to sleep.”

Meta frowned. “Won’t the professor take me away from you if I don’t answer the questions?”

Meta shouldn’t be able to say that
.

“I want to keep working at this,” Meta said. “I don’t want to stop. I have to come through for the team.”

“Sleep,” Dana said, more sternly than she intended. Meta’s tone indicated regression. She spoke like a little girl speaking to a parent. That wasn’t healthy in this situation.

Dana learned near so she spoke into Meta’s right ear. “I don’t want you to worry anymore. Relax. Let yourself move into regular sleep.”

The tension began to drain from Meta’s features, and, her head shifted to the side. Soon, Meta fell into a restful doze, her chest rising and falling rhythmically.

Dana sat in the chair, with an index finger on her lower lip. Meta had referred to them as a team, and she was right.
I’m part of it, too,
Dana reminded herself
. I have to help the team—the family—the best I know how
.

Dana realized that she had more than one friend now. She had several. Surprisingly, Captain Maddox was one of them. They had successfully worked together to overcome several difficult situations. Earlier, Ludendorff had acted as a friend in order to help them free Admiral Fletcher’s fleet. Now, the professor was up to his old ploys, doing things in his highhanded manner.
Not this time, Professor
. She wasn’t going to let Ludendorff ruin it for any of them.

If Ludendorff took Meta, there would be war because Maddox would never accept that. Villars had ensured a bloodbath between them. Dana had to forestall such a situation any way she could. The professor was too useful to throw away, and she owed this to the others.

Yet, how do I accomplish such a thing? Meta simply can’t remember. The mental block is too strong. But if Ludendorff doesn’t get his answers
…

Dana’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Ludendorff must be watching the session through Galyan’s surveillance system. Yes, of course the professor watched. Yet, it had been dim in here for quite some time. He might not realize that Meta had fallen asleep as deeply as she had.

“What was that?” Dana whispered, leaning closer to Meta. “You’re mumbling. I want you to speak clearly so I can understand you.”

Meta didn’t say a thing. She was fast asleep.

Dana’s head moved back as if in surprise. “You can remember some of the events now? Why, this is…is very good, dear.”

Meta continued to breathe rhythmically, never stirring.

“Let me ask you this again then,” Dana said, reading from the list. The doctor waited and then cocked her head as if listening. “Oh, that’s very interesting. Please, continue.”

Dana picked up a slate and stylus and began to write fictitious answers. As Meta slept, Dana wrote what she thought Ludendorff would expect to hear. The made-up answers would quite possibly endanger the starship and the crew, but the false answers would forestall Maddox from going to war with Ludendorff before they defeated the planet-killer.

This unity is going to come at a price. Maybe it would be better to unlock Meta’s mind with the professor’s tools. But I don’t trust the professor. And there’s always the possibility Villars would get to her while she’s in the professor’s custody
.

Finally, Dana stopped asking her softly spoken questions. She urged Meta to wake up, and told the lights to brighten.

As greater visibility lit the chamber, Meta opened sleepy eyes. “Did I remember this time?” she asked, hopefully.

“You did,” Dana lied. “We did it.”

Meta smiled uncertainly. “Why don’t I remember any of it then?”

“That’s part of the healing process,” Dana said. “Don’t let it trouble you. Come. Let’s take this to the captain. He’s going to want to give the answers to Ludendorff. I have a feeling the ship is almost to the Xerxes System.”

“Will entering the system be dangerous?” Meta asked.

“Not now that we know what Kane did there,” Dana said.

“Good,” Meta said. “Because I
do
remember that being in the star system frightened me.”

What have I done?
Dana asked herself. Then, she smiled inwardly.
Kane and Meta survived the Xerxes System. We will too. We have Starship
Victory,
a vastly more powerful vessel than they used. Everything will be fine.

-13-

“Given these coordinates,” Ludendorff said, lifting a tablet. “We’ll use the star drive and appear just outside the asteroid field.”

Maddox nodded thoughtfully. The Xerxes System was a mere three light-years away. Fortunately, for everyone, Dana had come through, piercing the mental block holding Meta’s memories prisoner. That had solved the coming dilemma with the professor. If they followed Kane’s approach, they should be able to successfully navigate the haunted star system. The question was this: how could the star system help them against the planet-killer? Ludendorff still hadn’t spelled it out exactly.

“Are you familiar with the Xerxes System?” Maddox asked the professor.

“Now I am,” Ludendorff said.

“You’ve never been there before?”

“I haven’t dared,” Ludendorff said. He seemed to be in especially good humor today. “You once called it the Bermuda Triangle of space. That’s a good summation. Frankly, I think the New Men have played it far too loose by using the Nexus. So far, they’ve gotten away with it, but I find that surprising.”

Valerie swiveled around on her piloting chair. “I have a question, sir. How did the New Men learn to use the Nexus?”

“That’s an excellent question,” Ludendorff said, “an excellent question indeed.” Unfortunately, he did not expand on the topic.

Valerie glanced at Maddox. The captain shrugged minutely.

“Lieutenant, plot these coordinates.” The professor read the numbers off the tablet.

Once more, Valerie glanced at Maddox. The captain nodded, and she began to tap in the coordinates.

“The coordinates are laid in, sir,” Valerie said.

“Good,” Maddox said. “Then begin the jump sequence.” After giving the order, the captain sat down, mentally preparing for the event.

Ludendorff also took a seat.

After warning the crew, the lieutenant shut off the ship’s intercom. “Preparing for transfer,” Valerie said. “Three, two, one…zero,” she said, tapping her panel.

Starship
Victory
used its unique star drive, jumping from its location to the one given by Ludendorff three light-years away.

Maddox felt the wavering disorientation. Dizziness made his vision blurry. Then, a klaxon blared a warning. Instead of the awful feeling of Jump Lag, something worse occurred. There was a sliding sensation that made everything lurch within the captain’s mind and body. The universe seemed to turn dark and then explode with brightness. The klaxon’s shrieking intensified, and the brightness pulsated, causing the captain to shield his eyes with his hands. Finally, the lurching sensation ended, and the starship shuddered as gigantic
clangs
hammered against the hull armor and made the bridge shiver with motion.

The captain gripped the arms of his command chair. An intense wave of nausea made his flesh tremble. Maddox struggled to keep from vomiting.

By the retching sounds nearby, others hadn’t been so successful.

Maddox strove to regain the full use of his eyes. They were still blurry. Something had definitely gone wrong with the transfer, and he didn’t know what it was. He spoke but his words came out in a garbled manner. No one seemed to hear, as the retching sounds increased.

Maddox massaged his jaw and spoke again. “Turn that off,” he said, relieved that his words finally made sense.

Valerie dragged a hand across her board and pressed a switch. The klaxon stopped abruptly.

Maddox clutched his head, willing the pain to stop and his eyes to focus. It took twenty seconds of effort. Finally, he saw the main screen. His eyes widened in surprise.

Small asteroids and debris in profoundly close proximity to each other and the starship appeared in an endless succession of rocks large and small. Even as Maddox watched the screen, a boulder grew in size. Then, it slammed against the giant vessel, with a
clang
rocking
Victory
, almost throwing Maddox from his chair.

“All stop!” Maddox shouted.

Valerie gave him a blank look.

“We’re in the middle of the asteroid field,” Maddox said. “Our shield isn’t working yet. We have to halt our momentum or those meteors will pound the ship to pieces.”

Valerie began to manipulate her panel.

Another boulder slammed against
Victory.
The tortured groaning of metal combined with the bridge deck-plates trembling. Then, massive deceleration hit. Gravity dampeners howled with effort, lessening the actual effect on the vessel and crew. The starship shivered again. The engines strained, and yet another large rock
clanged
off the collapsium hull plates.

As the ill effects of heightened Jump Lag wore off, Valerie declared. “We’re at all stop, sir.”

Ludendorff sat in his chair, pale, trembling and sweaty. He produced a rag and wiped his face. Afterward, he studied the main screen. The professor stared for a time, finally turning angrily toward Maddox.

“I miscalculated the intensity of your spite,” Ludendorff said. “You struck me as more rational than this.”

“Beg pardon?” Maddox asked.

Ludendorff stared at the captain, studying the man. “If you didn’t engineer this disaster, then—” The professor sat up. “Dana! This must be her doing.” Ludendorff raised the tablet, studying the figures. “She lied to us.”

“What’s he saying, sir?” Valerie asked softly.

Ludendorff must have heard her. The professor waved the tablet at the main screen. “We’re in the middle of the Xerxes System’s asteroid belt. Only this isn’t a natural field, but a construct of ancient design. The rocks are perilously close to each other. What we felt earlier must have a spatial-temporal side-shifting.”

“What does that mean?” Maddox asked.

“I think I know, sir,” Valerie said.

Maddox turned to the lieutenant.

“We must have jumped into the same space as a boulder,” Valerie said. “If we had materialized with the small asteroid, the two masses would have occupied the same spatial coordinates. That would have destroyed both masses. Instead of that happening, we slipped sideways as the professor suggested. That caused us trauma different from regular Jump Lag.”

“That is precisely what happened,” Ludendorff said. “For such a young person, you have a sound grasp on astrophysics, Lieutenant.”

“Our original destination was outside the asteroid field,” Maddox interjected. “We’re inside. What caused the starship to jump to the wrong coordinates?”

“Our coordinates come from Dana, gained after she questioned Meta. But Meta mustn’t have known, so Dana invented the coordinates to prevent me from taking Meta and questioning her myself. That would have brought a confrontation between us. Dana knows me well enough to understand you would have lost the fight. To save you, she practiced guile against me. I’d forgotten the woman’s deviousness. That is my fault.”

“Sir,” Valerie said. “I think you’d better look at this.”

Maddox glanced at the lieutenant before looking at the screen where she pointed. A thin silvery object slid toward
Victory
. According to the measurements on the screen, the UFO was the size of a Star Watch
Titan
-class missile.

“Scan it,” Maddox said.

“Belay that order,” Ludendorff snapped.

Valerie didn’t pause, but reached for her board to obey the captain’s order.

“Wait,” Maddox told her.

Valerie hesitated, looking up at the captain.

“Why shouldn’t we scan it?” Maddox asked the professor.

Ludendorff laughed. “It should be obvious. Our scan might trigger its offensive mechanisms.”

“Do you know what the weapon would be?” Maddox asked.

Ludendorff turned his head to stare at the captain. “I have no idea.”

“You fear the object’s maker,” Maddox said.

“How astute of you, Captain. Yes, I believe whoever made the Nexus and the planet-killer also constructed the object presently inspecting us.”

“Is this weapon the reason the Xerxes System is a Bermuda Triangle of space?” Valerie asked.

“Let us call it
one
of the reasons,” Ludendorff said.

“The Builders made the object outside?” Maddox asked.

The professor shrugged.

“Do you not know, or are you simply not telling us?” Maddox asked.

“This time, I don’t know.”

“Why do I have the feeling you’re lying?”

“Because you’re naturally suspicious of human nature,” Ludendorff replied. “It’s one of your greatest survival mechanisms.”

A light on Valerie’s board blinked red. “Sir,” the lieutenant said. “The drone is scanning us.”

At almost the same moment,
Victory’s
electromagnetic shield came back online from Jump Lag. A hazy spheroid shape appeared around the starship. It disappeared a moment later, merged into the background.

“There’s an energy spike over there,” Valerie said, as she studied her panel. “Sir, I suggest we destroy the drone before it fires whatever it has.”

“I’m curious,” Ludendorff told Valerie. “What weapon would you suggest we use against it?”

“The strongest we have,” the lieutenant said. “The disruptor cannon.”

“Do you agree with your lieutenant?” Ludendorff asked.

“I do,” Maddox said.

“Galyan,” Ludendorff said. “Start warming up the disruptor cannon.”

The holoimage disappeared from the bridge.

“We’re taking a risk firing at the object,” Ludendorff told them. “But I think that will be a safer risk than letting it shoot us.”

“Why hasn’t it fired already?” Maddox asked.

“I believe it has to go through a matrix of options first. We’re likely in a race as to who fires first.”

“Can we do anything to trick it?” Maddox asked.

Ludendorff snapped his fingers. “Yes. I think we can.” The professor frowned. “But it’s too dangerous to attempt.”

“You mean lower our shield?”

“Remarkable, Captain. Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”

“Lower the shield,” Maddox told Valerie.

“Don’t do it,” Ludendorff said.

Valerie tapped her board anyway.

The professor reached for his flat device.

“I suggest you let us proceed,” Maddox said. “If the drone was created by the Builders, its weapon is likely going to be able to burn through our shield anyway. Thus, dropping our shield doesn’t harm us, but it may give us a little more time.”

“I disagree with your premise,” Ludendorff said. “The Adoks were amazing technicians. I doubt you realize the full power of
Victory
.”

“There, sir,” Valerie said, with a final tap. “The shield is down as ordered.”

“This is a gamble,” Maddox said. “The alien drone seems to be curious about us. We’ve now shown that we trust it. That might slow down its matrix of options.”

“Your philosophy is far too optimistic given the stakes involved,” Ludendorff said. “We must jump out of danger before it fires.” The professor opened his mouth.

Maddox believed Ludendorff was going to summon Galyan and order the AI to leave the Xerxes System. “Maybe the missile is like a dog,” Maddox said.

Ludendorff frowned. “Explain that.”

“If we run, the missile will chase us.”

“It can’t chase us if we transfer with the star drive.”

“If it believes we’re getting ready to run, it might shoot to make sure we can’t.”

Ludendorff squinted thoughtfully at the captain. “Did the Breed Masters fashion you to instinctively make the right choices?”

Maddox stiffened. The idea that the New Men had intentionally bred his mother to produce a certain kind of offspring offended his sensibilities. That Ludendorff knew something about their enemy’s breeding program—and had apparently done nothing to warn Star Watch about it—made Maddox distrust the professor even more than before.

“Interesting,” Ludendorff said, as he rubbed his jaw. “You are a fascinating specimen, Captain. But…” The professor studied the silver drone outside. “I dislike putting myself in harm’s way. The fleet battle several months ago was bad enough. This…”

“The disruptor cannon is ready,” Valerie said.

“Look,” Ludendorff said, as he raised his right hand. “My hand is actually trembling. I can’t believe it.”

“Fire,” Maddox told Valerie. “Then raise the shield. There’s no sense in keeping it down now.”

The professor looked up sharply, his eyes locked on the main screen.

The antimatter cyclers in the distant engine room whined with power as they pumped the disruptor cannon with the needed energy.

Valerie stabbed her board with a finger.

Outside, a glob of energy discharged from the cannon. It sped at the silver drone. Then, the glob reached the object, encircling it, turning the missile’s shield a brown color.

“Fire again,” Maddox said. “Blow down its shield.”