Wow, the last time such a thing had been seen was more than seven hundred years ago. If I could detect what this mysterious ship was and where it was based, just the location of an unknown race could be sold to interested parties for lots of money, immediately solving my financial issues. And if I could be the first to reach their planet and find some unique artifacts... I checked myself for counting my chickens before they’d hatched.
“Ayukh, is there any way to tell where the anomaly came from and where it was going?”
The experienced navigator spent a long time immersed in calculations after which he turned toward me, his furry face impossibly surprised:
“As strange as it may seem, yes captain! We spent enough time at a short distance from one another, insofar as directionality and distance mean anything in the distortion of hyperspace. So we have a few markers from our locators, that we can use to estimate a trajectory. The object was headed for star system B7670/MP, that’s another arm of the galaxy altogether. At our current level of technology, it would take more than a lifetime to reach. But it started from much nearer by, although it would also be quite the long haul: two tongs minimum not counting time to stop and recharge. The Aysar Cluster. Hmm. That system must be noteworthy for some reason, seeing how they gave it a name instead of just a number. “
“The Aysar Cluster? Where even is that?” I asked, and Ayukh obediently zoomed out the star map, pointing at a point far past Meleyephatian territory and outside the bounds of known space.
I had to admit I was baffled. Why was there a name for this place, a star was hundreds of parsecs from explored space? I asked, and the Navigator opened a detailed guide and read aloud:
“The Aysar Cluster. Triple star. 3B orange dwarf, two satellites of type 7D and 11F. Six uninhabited planets. This star system became famous after one of the largest space battles in the history of the Universe took place there 2.3 tongs ago.* Current sovereignty: Swarm.
*Note: all sources are secondary and require confirmation.”
The Swarm? What was this Swarm? And who was battling who in that distant star system? Unfortunately, there was no more detailed information in the database. Old Ayukh, although he had worked as a Navigator his whole life and knew the star maps and space races like the back of his hand, didn’t know either.
In the end, we didn’t find anything of use. Both the start and end point of the mysterious space oddity’s route were so far away from anywhere we could get to that the information had no practical application. Nevertheless, I asked the Navigator and everyone else there to keep it a secret.
But I was not allowed to sit and peruse the scan in calm. Ayukh was sitting at the navigator’s panel, calculating the potential risk and profit from various trade routes. My business partner was still nourishing a hope that we could work our way back up to a decent reputation and be rid of the black spot of piracy. And she had a plan to tell me. Right after the end of the war on earth we were going to take a few jobs transporting goods to distant colonies that weren’t too squeamish about less than savory traders. A few successful voyages and clients would stop being so worried. Then our unsavory reputation would be washed away in short order. I didn’t have much to say and especially didn’t argue. Still, something was telling me that, with my restless character and talent for getting myself into trouble, that black spot wouldn’t wash out quite so easy!
* * *
“Leaving jump in ninety seconds!” the Starship Pilot informed me, looking concentrated and impossibly distinguished.
“Sufficient energy for hyperjump to Earth,” came the voice of our Miyelonian Engineer, Orun Va-Mart over the loudspeaker. He was now in the engine room.
“Well then, Dmmmitry, I see no reason to dock. Request an acceleration lane from the dispatchers! Vector 114:37:22, distance 4.3 units, I’ve still got it on my palmtop,” the old Navigator from the crew of the Shiamiru had flown to Earth from Kasti-Utsh III a few times before so he had no reason to run the calculations again.
Good thing we had enough power and could go help the faction right away. As it was, Imran and Eduard were going under the Dome then back into the game regularly and, every time they came back, they had worse news. The Rainforest node had fallen. What was more, the Dark Faction had managed to reinforce there by landing just under one and a half thousand marines in three waves via Sio-Mi-Dori antigrav. And by Geckho ferry, the enemy had brought heavy armor and rocket systems to the Rainforest node as well. So now the Dark Faction had a strike force that threatened our whole territory from the undefended south. It was a critical situation. I had no idea where our directors would find the troops to fight on two fronts at once.
But that wasn’t all the bad news. We had confirmation of the seemingly impossible fact that the German capital node had been lost. And now the enemy had captured the island and was using it as a base to send assault groups down our whole coastline. We lost our southernmost Tropics node without a fight. Our fifty players, all from peaceful professions, had no chance against an enemy with such vast numerical superiority. So on an order from Lozovsky, they retreated through a neutral and severely boggy node to the allied German faction’s land. And now everyone already knew that our three hundred H6 players, even reinforced by Centaurs and our fifty builders, had no chance of withstanding a serious attack. The fate of the H6 faction was basically hanging by a thread.
All our hopes rested on my starship getting there as fast as possible. And from there, we could either do it the nice way, negotiating as General Ui-Taka suggested, or the mean way by ruthless orbital bombardment. Either way I was intending to stop this bloody war. It would take nine hours to fly from Kasti-Utsh III to Earth. My faction could definitely survive that long, even if it came at the cost of a few territories. But I was much less sure that my badly-beaten allies could last for nine hours.
But then, finally, we emerged from hyperspace! The local station was not a colossal spindle with one entrance to dock like Medu-Ro IV, but a basically flat metal plate five miles in diameter. And it had many entrances around the whole perimeter, which was very convenient. There was so much going on! There were thousands and thousands of starships, all of Miyelonian design.
When Ayukh suddenly fell into silent agitation, I didn’t know what was going on at first. In fact, Uline Tar came on the bridge and wasn’t her usual talkative self either. Also Ayni the translator, who we invited in case the station dispatchers used any complicated terms, had crawled down off her seat and was trying to sneak out of the room. Even Dmitry Zheltov went gray in the face and turned unconfidently toward me in hopes of an explanation, or perhaps further instructions. What was wrong? Then it hit me: here among the thousands of ships, not a single one was noncombat! There were only frigates, battleships, carriers and landing ships, all fitted out for war! We had stumbled upon the Miyelonian fleet!
In the midst of the Miyelonian armada, our little Meleyephatian frigate looked like an unfortunate soul that just wandered into the wrong neighborhood. And I wasn’t the only one who thought so. Our instruments showed that many ships and station systems were scanning us. And why not? I was a free and neutral captain. I hadn’t done anything to the Miyelonians, so I had the complete right to visit the popular trading station. Finally, the monitor lit up, and a young fluffy Miyelonian dispatcher asked:
“Free Captain Gerd Gnat, what is the purpose of your visit to Kasti-Utsh III?”
Purpose of visit? I honestly told the kindly Miyelonian lady that I was not planning to stay here or even dock my ship. Kasti-Utsh III was only a midway point on my route and now I needed a free lane to accelerate for my next hyperjump.
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible, Gerd Gnat,” the cat on the screen bared its teeth predatorily and pushed down its ears, immediately losing its sweet demeanor. “The station and surrounding space are on temporary military lockdown. No starship may use long-distance communication or leave the station for the next five standard days. Such is the order of Commander Leng Keetsie-Myau. So we
lcome to Kasti-Utsh III, Gerd Gnat!”
Chapter Three. Kasti-Utsh III
FIVE DAYS??? But everything would be over by then! Distressed, I tore the ceramoplastic headphones off my head and threw them full force at the wall, smashing the fragile item to smithereens. Nevertheless, I had no choice. I had to obey the dispatcher’s demands and bring my ship into dock. What was more, there were Miyelonian interceptors spinning tight circles around my frigate, showing that we would simply not be allowed to leave.
They did not need my help to translate. The dispatchers spoke Geckho perfectly and our Starship Pilot could directly understand their commands. I ordered Dmitry Zheltov to handle the maneuvering, and headed into my bunk. I was wound up and clearly they could sense that because, as I moved through the corridors, the crew pressed themselves into the wall in fear and lowered their eyes.
“Tini!” I called my ward and a few seconds later the little Miyelonian thief was standing in my bunk. “Go into the real world right now. Get in touch with Great Priestess Leng Amiru U-Mayaoo and explain the situation. We cannot afford to spend five days sitting around here, we have urgent business to attend to!”
The kitten nodded in comprehension and hurried off to do as I said. But before the door closed behind the Miyelonian, I saw Valeri-Urla coming in. And something important must have happened, because the usually tight-lipped and bashful Tailaxian had come on her own.
I invited her in with a gesture and sat in a big comfortable chair. The huge flying armchair was made for a Geckho and I had ordered it for my bunk on Medu-Ro IV to replace the woven Meleyephatian constructions that were here before. They were just too weird and I couldn’t get used to them. The Beastmaster agreed to come in, but insisted that I lock the door first because this was going to be a somewhat delicate conversation.
“Captain, Denni is planning to desert!” The Tailaxian blew up as soon as I’d locked the door. “And he keeps telling me to do the same! He says we should go to the station together, move our respawn points to somewhere in a green zone then leave the game for five days to give you time to fly off and defend your homeworld.”
“But... why?” the news really did shock me. It was not nice to find out that someone wanted to flee my crew. What was more, Denni Marko was the only one who knew how to control the ship’s laser turrets. Without him, we couldn’t do any shooting, becoming nothing more than an advanced artillery targeting system. “Why desert when you signed a contract for five voyages?! No captain would ever take you on again!”
Valeri ignored the question of why, but she answered the second part, getting straight to the point:
“Denni has taken all precautions, even left to the real world to consult with some friends who specialize in space law. He wants to appeal to the labor commission, saying he wasn’t aware of all the conditions of the contract when he signed on. He says he thought he was being hired to work as a Bodyguard as usual. Instead, he was brought onto a pirate ship to be used as a Gunner to commit genocide against a group of fellow humans from outer space. For extreme situations like that, the labor commission usually will annul contracts, especially given that there was no advance payment.”
Okay... But what could I do here? I could, of course, tell the potential deserter he was not allowed to leave the ship and place guards at the airlock. I could even lock Denni in his bunk for a few days and say he wasn’t allowed to leave. But then, once we were in battle in Earth’s orbit, he would have a chance to take out his frustration on his despotic captain by repeatedly missing on purpose. And really, did I even want a soldier I’d have to force to fight? No, threats and pressure alone were no way of dealing with this. What was more, before doing anything, I wanted to find out how his companion felt:
“Your jailers would probably require you to stay on the station then, yes? Nevertheless, Tailax is part of the Meleyephatian horde and I’m sure they would like to observe the enemy fleet.”
Valeri-Urla looked ashamed. Clearly her espionage was something of a touchy subject, but she still answered eventually:
“Weirdly no. I was surprised, but orders haven’t changed. They still want me to stay with the Listener. And therein lies the problem: Denni doesn’t want to let me go and insists I leave the frigate with him. We’ve been together for many years now, and I’m used to having him around. From time to time he acts rude, even unbearable. Sometimes he gets jealous, but overall he’s reliable and well-behaved. I’d never want to leave him alone here on the station.”
Well, well! I finally figured out how I should act. If Valeri wanted to stay with me, it wouldn’t be too hard to convince her companion:
“Tell Denni he’s making a big mistake. His plan might work on a Geckho or Meleyephatian station, but not here, not on a Miyelonian station. You see, I am personally acquainted with a Great Priestess of the Miyelonian race and have even done her a favor. Actually, what am I telling you for?! You were on Medu-Ro IV when I was arrested on charges of killing Leng Amiru U-Mayaoo, then found not guilty and released! Anyway, I also know the leaders of a few influential prides, have proven myself a reliable partner and earned their trust. So I have a certain Fame and Authority among the Miyelonians. The labor commission will have their doubts about Denni’s story. He will be subjected to Truth Seeker testing, and that is a very nasty little procedure. The lie will be uncovered, Denni will be arrested. What’s more, you’ll also be checked and that will surely reveal the fact that you are spying for the enemy. Is that what you want, Valeri?”
Psionic skill increased to level seventy-four!
Mental Fortitude skill increased to level fifty-six!
The pop-up messages confirmed that I was being convincing, and my reasoning was having the desired effect. But suddenly she got on guard, pressed her left-hand fingers to her forehead and frowned in dismay:
“Gerd Gnat, you could have said all that without using magic, you know. I don’t like when people try to manipulate me! You can’t dig around in my brains without me noticing; I’m a much more experienced and powerful psionic! It was awfully arrogant on your part to attack me like that!”
By the end of her sentence, the Beastmaster was so mad that she had basically started to scream. Looking scornful, she simply would not listen when I said it was all on accident. Valeri clenched her right fist around the green stone pendant on her necklace, took a deep sigh and looked me decisively right in the eyes. Seemingly, she’d thrown down the gauntlet.
I didn’t turn my head, and our gazes met. I saw a reflection of my blue glow in her huge hazel eyes. I started feeling pressure as if I was struggling to pierce a particularly resilient piece of rubber. My thoughts grew viscous and stopped making any sense. And suddenly, I could hear distinct words in my head:
“Why is this so hard? I’m twenty-three levels higher than Gnat. And I have more mana, endurance points and experience in mental duels. Is Gnat wearing some kind of thought-blocking artifact? No, I would be able to sense that. I need to just keep pushing and not break eye contact. But he has such pretty eyes! Like shimmering blue ice. I’ve never seen eyes like that. You could just drown in them like a mountain lake. I just want to swim and swim in that deep blue and forget anything else exists. It’s simply bliss! I wonder if Minn-O is Gnat’s only wife? I’ve overheard the crew calling her a ‘junior wife.’ Does that mean he has a senior one as well? Probably. Too bad if so. He’s a pretty cool guy. He hasn’t been in the game long, and he’s already a Gerd with his own starship, plus he knows some very Miyelonian big-wigs. They also say Gnat is the only Listener in the game. I see why Denni’s going so nuts and trying to desert. He’s jealous. He knows that he looks dull compared to the brilliant Gerd Gnat. Wait, what’s happening? I’m running out of mana! But how?! Why?! I need to look away!!! Otherwise Gnat will be able to read my thoughts! What is this??? He’s not letting go!”
A wave of fully real panic rolled over me. I couldn’t say exactly how, but I stopped Valeri from breaking the mental contact. She was desperately trying to look aw
ay or close her eyes, but she just couldn’t. Finally, a clear thought formed in my head:
“Gnat, I know you can hear me. I admit, I lost the duel. Let me go, please!”
With immense strain, I turned my head away, breaking eye contact. My arms were shivering, blood was dripping out of my nose. I even had to lean on the wall so I wouldn’t fall over. My mana was down to zero. The last moments of the mental duel had been using Endurance instead of Magic Points. Nevertheless, I won!!! And the system sent some messages of congratulations:
Psionic skill increased to level seventy-five!
Mental Fortitude skill increased to level fifty-seven!
Authority increased to 51!
Valeri-Urla, red as a boiled lobster, was sitting in a flying chair with her hands covering her face:
“Gerd Gnat, forgive me. Oh gods, I’m so ashamed! At least tell me the first thoughts you read!”
“The first thing I heard was a bit unclear. Something like ‘Denni is jealous,’ then about looking dull. After that I heard some easily readable thoughts about your mana running out,” I lied, wanting not to embarrass her or reveal my true powers.
The Beastmaster gave a noticeably freer sigh and even a tortured smile:
“Okay then, I’ll take it as a lesson. Alright, Gerd Captain. I’ll have a talk with Denni Marko. I promise he won’t desert and will stay on the ship until the end of the contract. As will I.”
The dark-haired flexible girl’s luxurious coal-black hair was braided into a plait that came down to her belt. She jumped off the chair and headed for the door. What was more, Little Sister had been scratching outside for some time, begging to be let in. In the very doorway, the Beast Master stopped sharply and turned around:
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