The Lost Colony (Lost Starship Series Book 4) Page 15

  “Boom,” Meta said.

  Maddox glanced back at her.

  “The torpedoes have exploded on the surface,” she said, staring at her board. “Let’s hope the attack subs don’t have any missiles.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about the subs or their missiles,” Keith said. “The air interceptors heading our way are going to be the real problem.”

  -17-

  Far away in Geneva, Brigadier O’Hara stood beside the Lord High Admiral. Cook was a big man, red-faced with thick white hair and a white uniform.

  They both studied a large screen, with various personnel around the room at monitoring stations. On the screen, a damaged submersible increased speed as it floated upward toward space.

  “Clever,” Cook said. “But it won’t be any match for the interceptors.”

  “I’m beginning to wonder if that’s wise, sir,” O’Hara said.

  The large admiral glanced at her. “You’d better speak quickly, Brigadier. In half a minute, the pilots will launch their ordnance.”

  “Victory is in play now,” O’Hara said. “We tried to stop that from happening and failed. I believe the difference changes the equation. If the Adok AI sees us kill Captain Maddox…”

  “Yes,” Cook said, “I see your drift. We cannot afford its displeasure and possible anger.” With his thick fingers, he motioned to an alert colonel nearby.

  She spoke rapidly to the interceptor pilots, forbidding them to launch.

  “Should we call the captain?” Cook said. “Maybe he would be open to reason.”

  “We’re far past reason,” the brigadier said. “I spoke to Major Stokes a minute ago. He admits to attempting to kill the captain.”

  “You’re fond of the captain, I believe,” Cook said after a moment.

  The brigadier nodded.

  “This Major Stokes—”

  “Acted on his own in this,” O’Hara said. “I wish he wouldn’t have fired, but I understand his reasoning. Loyalty to Star Watch motivated him.”

  “Still,” Cook said. “This is Captain Maddox we’re talking about. He has many detractors, for sound reasons, I believe. At times, you’re the only one who has backed him.”

  “I still back him.”

  “Then why let him go like this?” Cook asked. “Won’t he be disillusioned with us?”

  The brigadier took her time answering. She watched the submersible reach the stratosphere, continuing for space and Victory in orbit.

  “I’m afraid for our side,” she said. “The Builders and Ludendorff, and Strand…” She shook her head. “Ever since the Destroyer almost annihilated Earth I’ve been wondering about the wider universe. I don’t know if we’re going to get the chance to build up enough to withstand the challenges out there.”

  “You’re thinking too far ahead,” Cook said in a chiding voice. “First, we must defend humanity against the runaway New Men. We’re well on our way to doing that.”

  “I agree. But what if there are worse things out there? How would we defend ourselves against several Destroyers for instance?”

  “That’s a legitimate question,” Cook said. “The answer is that I don’t know right now.”

  “Neither do I,” the brigadier said.

  “So your point is…?”

  “Maybe Captain Maddox has the right idea. We have the new wave harmonics shields, antimatter missiles and ground-based fusion cannon. Those are pluses. We have greater industrial capacity; meaning if we have the time, we can build masses more ships and those new cannons. But will that prove enough against whatever surprises the New Men have in store for us?”

  “Do they have any more surprises?” Cook asked.

  “You’re making my point for me, sir. We lack knowledge. I suggest that means we need Professor Ludendorff and we need his understanding now. It’s true that I don’t want to risk my boy—er, risk Captain Maddox in yet another hazardous mission. I’m afraid I’ll never see him again. I’m afraid we might lose Starship Victory. I intensely dislike rolling the dice against fate. For a long time, I have believed we should do this the old-fashioned way by outbuilding our enemy. Now I’ve begun to doubt myself. If only we knew more about the New Men and their full capabilities. That knowledge Captain Maddox is seeking, and it may be the edge we need. There is one other critical point. We can’t afford to alienate the Adok AI.”

  “I understand your thinking,” Cook said. “Your captain is forcing our hand, I admit. What I don’t fathom is why you aren’t willing to say good-bye and wish him luck.”

  The brigadier forced herself to remain stoic and dry-eyed. She wasn’t going to let the Lord High Admiral see her eyes turn red.

  “I have a gut feeling about this, sir,” O’Hara whispered.

  “Go on,” he said. “Tell me about this feeling.”

  “I think this time…” O’Hara had to pause, biting her lower lip so it wouldn’t tremble. Once the danger had passed, she said, “I think this time the captain is going to need bitter determination in order to succeed. I can’t say why I feel this. It’s…it’s just there, sir,” She broke off weakly.

  “Do you think it is a mother’s feeling?”

  “Please, Admiral,” O’Hara whispered.

  Cook waited for her add a true denial. Finally, the large old man put his hands behind his back, staring at the screen. The submersible had left the blue-tinted atmosphere behind as it headed for a double oval-shaped warship higher up in space.

  “We should be able to stop Victory from leaving, but it might cost us half our battleships. We can’t afford any losses, not after sending so many ships to the Grand Fleet.” The old man sighed. “I dearly hope you’re right about this, Brigadier.”

  “Yes, sir,” O’Hara whispered. “So do I.”

  -18-

  Sometime later, Captain Maddox settled into the commander’s chair on Victory’s bridge. He had run from the hangar bay where the submersible now rested. The sprint had left him breathing slightly harder than normal.

  “Welcome back, sir,” Valerie said.

  “It’s good to be back,” Maddox told her.

  The lieutenant sat at weapons, a panting Keith slid into the pilot’s chair and Galyan stood watching.

  “I take it Dana and Riker are aboard,” Maddox said.

  “Yes, sir,” Valerie said. “We’re all aboard, and this time, it’s just the six of us.”

  “I’m surprised a security team isn’t on Victory.”

  “There used to be,” Valerie said. “I, ah, used a Maddox maneuver to clear the starship a little over an hour ago.”

  The captain raised an eyebrow. “I see.”

  Upon the submersible’s landing in the hangar bay, the starship had immediately begun to accelerate, breaking out of Earth orbit. Victory did so with Luna Base on the other side of the planet, keeping the Earth between them and the huge rail-guns on the Moon.

  “Where are the nearest battleships?” Maddox asked.

  “I don’t understand this,” Valerie said, who studied her board. “None of battleships, no Star Watch vessels, have begun acceleration toward us. I don’t even see any sign of planetary defenses attempting to gain lock-on against us. High Command can’t be under any illusion about what we plan to do.”

  Maddox put an elbow on an armrest and his chin on his fist. He thought about that.

  “Any ideas, Galyan?” the captain asked.

  “I lack sufficient data for a reasonable analysis,” the Adok AI said.

  “It fits with what we’ve seen since leaving the Greenland Archipelago,” Maddox said. “In the atmosphere, the interceptors could have engaged. I doubt they held back for our sakes.” The powder burn on the side of his head still stung too much for him to forget it. Stokes’ shot hadn’t been fake but all too real. “That leaves only one possibility.” He turned to Galyan. “The difference is you.”

  “Me?” the AI asked.

  “Yes,” Maddox said. “Would you take it badly if you saw Star Watch obliterate my vessel with
me in it?”

  Galyan didn’t hesitate. “Most certainly I would, Captain.”

  “That must be the answer,” Maddox said. “I’m guessing the Lord High Admiral decided to let us go. I’m sure they don’t like it, but they’re not going to risk openly upsetting Star Watch’s best answer to defeating the New Men.”

  “Sounds plausible to me,” Keith said.

  “That puts a heavy responsibility on us,” Valerie said. “We can’t let anyone else gain control of Victory.” The lieutenant became thoughtful. “But if you’re right, sir, why aren’t they talking to us?”

  Maddox had been wondering the same thing. He now said, “If they talk to us, they’ll either have to order us back or give us permission to go. They don’t agree with our agenda… So they’re going to go with the fiction that we’re renegades.”

  “What fiction?” Valerie asked. “We are renegades. We…we fought against our own people. I can’t say I’m happy with that, sir.”

  Maddox stared at the main screen.

  “There is another possibility,” Galyan said. “They could be trying to lull you, Captain, while attempting an unforeseen maneuver.”

  “Right,” Maddox said. He thought a moment and then clapped his hands, startling Valerie. “We’re leaving under combat conditions. We will not assume anything. That means we’ll use the star drive to jump out of the system. We’re going to use our greater speed to get us to the Xerxes System before Star Watch can send a message to Port Admiral Hayes. That way, we can use the port admiral’s help in the Xerxes System instead of having him fight against us.”

  “What are we going to do once we have Professor Ludendorff?” Valerie asked.

  “Return with him to Earth,” Maddox said.

  “Surrendering ourselves to the authorities?” Valerie asked.

  Maddox looked away as he said, “That’s my plan, Lieutenant. Each of you will have to decide for yourself whether you’ll join me in my surrender.”

  “So this may be our last mission together,” Valerie said.

  Maddox hadn’t thought that far ahead. He nodded. “Yes, that’s a good possibility.”

  “I do not agree,” Galyan said. “If your first theory is correct, that my agreeability is desirable to Star Watch, then you may have many more voyages left.”

  “I call that a splendid point,” Keith said, grinning. “We didn’t know it the first time going out, but we know it now. We’ve become the indispensable team.”

  Maddox found that hard to believe with the throbbing powder burn. Stokes had tried to kill him, and the major had been acting under the brigadier’s orders. Despite their success in reaching Victory, a pang of loneliness touched him. He wondered if that feeling would ever go away.

  The more he thought about that… “Lieutenant,” Maddox said. “I want you to open channels with Star Watch Headquarters.”

  Valerie gave him a quizzical stare but finally nodded slowly. “I’ve opened channels,” she said, tapping her board, “but no one is responding, sir.”

  Maddox cleared his throat. “Lord High Admiral,” he began, “this is Captain Maddox speaking. I’m taking Starship Victory to the Xerxes System. I will aid Port Admiral Hayes if I am able. My primary objective is to free Professor Ludendorff and return with him to Earth. At that point, I will surrender to your authority. If you feel it is necessary to put me back in the Greenland prison…”

  Maddox could not force out the next words. What did he owe Star Watch? What did he owe the Commonwealth? Did his loyalty to them mean he would accept any indignity they put on him? He had served Star Watch and the Commonwealth loyally for years. He had risked his life for both. Didn’t Star Watch and the Commonwealth owe him something? Was it a soldier’s lot to obey any command no matter what it was?

  No. Captain Maddox did not believe that. A man had a higher duty to perform than following immoral orders. If Star Watch wronged him, he had an obligation to himself and to the truth to right that wrong. In this case, the ultimate objective was to protect humanity from oblivion, from extinction. If Star Watch acted in such a way as to ensure humanity’s end, he owed the future of man to do the right thing. Normally, a lowly captain obeyed the higher authority because without order chaos ruled. Realistically, the higher authority should have greater knowledge. In this instance, he could make a case that he had greater knowledge than Star Watch. Was he being presumptuous thinking this?

  Not if he was right. Thus, to surrender to Star Watch for making the correct decision—that sounded foolish.

  I do not plan to play the fool with anyone.

  “Let me amend my last point,” Maddox said. “My plan is to return with Professor Ludendorff so Star Watch can make the best decision regarding human survival. I realize you would like me to apologize for taking such a high-handed approach in this. However, I found Victory for you, coaxed the starship to aid humanity and helped to defeat the first New Men invasion of ‘C’ Quadrant. I also defeated the alien Destroyer. I believe I have earned the right to attempt this mission. I believe Star Watch made a critical mistake putting me in the Greenland complex. Frankly, Lord High Admiral, Star Watch acted in an ungrateful manner toward me and I resent that.”

  Keith laughed as he pumped a fist. “I’ve never heard anyone tweak High Command’s nose better than you are now, mate—I mean Captain, sir.”

  “Furthermore,” Maddox said, while ignoring the ace.

  Valerie clicked a switch. “Captain,” she said. “I think you’ve said enough.”

  Maddox drew a breath. Before he could speak his mind to her, a red light flashed on Valerie’s board. He pointed at it.

  Hesitantly, Valerie tapped her panel. “Ah, it’s the Lord High Admiral, Captain.”

  “Good,” Maddox said. “Put him through.”

  Valerie gave him a meaningful glance before tapping her board.

  The main screen shimmered. Then, old Admiral Cook appeared, starring at Maddox with flashing eyes.

  “I hope your gall serves you well, young man,” Cook said. “This is a reckless mission, and you’re absconding with Earth’s best chance to defeat the New Men. We need those ancient Adok technologies in the coming conflict.”

  “Sir,” Maddox said. “If our scientists haven’t cracked them yet, I don’t think they’re going to in the foreseeable future.”

  “Do not seek to lecture me, Captain,” the Lord High Admiral said, locking stares with Maddox.

  The captain saw genuine anger there, and for once, it daunted him. Who was he to take on the entirety of Star Watch? At that moment, Maddox knew something about himself. He did this for more than the truth. He had a duty to his mother, to the woman who had risked everything to save a small boy from the New Men. Behind everything, he sensed her courage, the fire in her heart to do the right thing for her unborn son. He was going to honor that.

  “I don’t mean to lecture you, sir,” Maddox said. “You gave me a task several years ago. I’m simply trying to finish the job, sir.”

  “If you mean to return to Earth with Victory—”

  “That’s exactly right, sir, returning with victory against the New Men. This time, I don’t mean the starship, but winning the war. I’ve been with Professor Ludendorff. That causes me to worry about Strand. The New Men have deep knowledge, sir. We need that knowledge if we’re going to defeat them. Maybe my hybrid nature lets me see that truth a little more clearly than others.”

  “Now see here, Captain.”

  “The New Men are better than us, sir. We have an edge, but I don’t think it will be enough to beat off their next attempt, not with Strand helping them.”

  “Are you not aware,” Cook said, “that Strand and the New Men appear to be at odds with each other?”

  “I am, sir. But given their situation, I suspect they will reunite and work together until regular humanity is defeated. That’s the New Man side of me speaking, sir. As I said, I have a greater insight into the enemy’s mindset because I share some of it. You trusted me before, si
r, with the highest stakes. I’m asking you to trust me again.”

  The Lord High Admiral’s features hardened into a flinty look. “Your exploits have unhinged your thinking, Captain. You are not as smart or as important as you seem to think.”

  The powder burn still stung. That kept Maddox from backing down.

  “I am ordering you—”

  Valerie cut the connection with a click. The image of the Lord High Admiral vanished from the main screen, replaced by a dot of Mars in the far distance.

  “Shouldn’t we be jumping soon, sir?” Valerie asked, paled-faced and with shaking hands. Maybe she couldn’t believe what she had just done.

  Maddox studied her, surprised by her daring. This Valerie was different from the one he remembered. She appeared to have absorbed some of the lessons of their last voyage.

  He nodded. The extent of his words and actions just now began to settle in. This time, more than ever before, he was going for broke. If he was wrong—

  I’ll cross that bridge when the time comes.

  ***

  A day later, as the starship skirted the Tau Ceti System, Captain Maddox jogged around the vast area of the hangar bay, burning off excess energy. He had been doing some deep thinking regarding the Builder AI box.

  A moment later, Galyan appeared beside him. That startled Maddox, but he hid it, nodding a greeting.

  “May I speak with you, Captain?” Galyan asked.

  “Of course,” Maddox said, as he ran. He noticed the holoimage floating even with him. “Ah, I would prefer if you ran beside me. The floating is a bit disconcerting.”

  “Oh,” Galyan said. The small Adok moved its legs as if running. “Is that better, sir?”

  “Much,” Maddox said. “You said you wished to talk with me?”

  “I have been processing old memories for quite some time. The extra computing power Dana found has given me these memories and the ability to sort and accept them. However, I am having trouble with one particular set.”

  Galyan glanced at the captain. “Perhaps I should not bother you with my personal problems.”

  “It’s no problem,” Maddox said. “We’re always coming to you for your help. I would be honored if you let me help you.”