Starcaster Complete Series Boxed Set

by J. N. Chaney

  “What do you mean?” Tanner asked.

  “Well, they use magic for this trap of theirs, right?”

  “They do. Based on what we’ve been able to figure out, they use some sort of gravitational effect to immobilize a ship, more magic to render it helpless, and then board it.”

  “But your own Starcasters could counter that, right?”

  Tanner glanced at Thorn, who returned a sure, probably look. He turned back to Bertilak. “If our Starcasters were powerful enough, then probably, yes.”

  “Or if one of them was Thorn,” Bertilak said.

  Thorn shot Bertilak a grimace. He was as happy as anyone to receive compliments, but not gratuitous ones in the middle of a planning discussion.

  No one else seemed put off by it, though. Tanner just nodded. “Indeed. But what are you getting at here, Bertilak?”

  “It would just make more sense to me to use graviters. Those couldn’t be so easily countered. Not without destroying them, anyway.”

  The Tac O leaned back in his seat. “Sorry, Bertilak, but gravity-based tech won’t do it. We can use it for inertial dampening and generating a gravitational field ship-board, but the tech that projects an effect across more than a few tens of meters doesn’t exist .”

  “Really? Tell that to the Imbrogul.”

  Thorn saw puzzled glances all around. He offered one of his own. “Who, or what, is the Imbrogul?” he asked Bertilak.

  “Only one of the most technologically savvy races around, or so I’m told. You’ve never heard of them?” Bertilak asked.

  All eyes turned to the Tac O, who’d run a database query. He shrugged. “We’ve got no record of anyone called the Imbrogul.”

  “Okay, Bertilak, are you saying that these Imbrogul have some sort of advanced gravity-based technology?” the XO asked.

  “That’s my understanding. I’ve never traded with them myself, but I’ve traded with people that have, and they all say pretty much the same thing. The Imbrogul have tech that can polarize, or even completely nullify gravity,” Bertilak replied.

  A moment of stunned silence hung over the bridge. Bertilak looked around as it lingered, finally speaking to break the sudden quiet.

  “What?”

  “Gravity tech like that is still mostly just an idea, with some early experimenting going on in labs. So you can imagine our keen interest in this,” Tanner said.

  Thorn had to nod. He wasn’t an engineer, but even he recognized the significance of being able to reverse or nullify gravity. A spaceship’s performance was really only limited by the tolerances of the squishy organic lifeforms it carried. Sure, it was possible to build a ship that could withstand hundreds of g’s of acceleration, but current tech couldn’t offset more than a small fraction of that. The ship would be fine, but its crew would be smeared on the bulkheads as a thin, gory paste.

  But if that sort of acceleration could be completely nulled-out, then ships could safely perform incredible maneuvers. It would revolutionize space travel and combat.

  Tanner went on. “Bertilak, we would really appreciate it if you could give us as much information about these Imbrogul as you can.”

  “As well as any other tech you might know about,” the XO put in.

  Bertilak nodded. “I will tell you what I can. Again, though, I’ve mostly traded with people who’ve traded with the Imbrogul. Other races, too.”

  “How have we not even heard of any of these races, much less met them?” the Tac O asked.

  Thorn stared at the star-chart for a moment, then stood, moved beside Tanner, and reached for the view-screen. He used a hand to drag the image to one side, pushing the Allied Stars territory, and then the Zone, off the side of the screen. This revealed Nyctus space, as far as the ON knew it extended, and the region beyond. Thorn swept a hand across the latter.

  “Everything we know about this region of space comes from what we can observe and detect from our own space, right? So we can see the stars and systems out there, but we don’t know any other details. We never get ships out that far,” he said to the bridge at large.

  “Well, no. There’s this little matter of the freakin’ Nyctus being in the way,” the XO pointed out.

  “Exactly, ma’am.” Thorn rotated the view ninety degrees along the x-axis, changing the usual top-down view from above the galactic plane into an edge-on view, looking toward the galactic core. It emphasized how Nyctus-controlled space loomed like a wall against one flank of the Allied Stars territory, preventing any easy passage beyond.

  The Tac O sat forward, leaning his elbows onto his knees. “If you wanted to go around squid space to get out there, it’d be a long flight.”

  “Months, at least. Probably the better part of a year, depending on which way you went,” the Nav O put in.

  Tanner looked at Bertilak. “Is this where these other races are? Out there, beyond the squids?”

  “Some of them. Others I’m not so sure.”

  “What about these Imbrogul?”

  Bertilak stood, ducking under the overheads as he approached the front of the bridge. He pursed his lips, considering the chart-image, then nodded to himself. “Yes. Somewhere in here.”

  He slid the view to reveal more of the space “above” the galactic plane, then waved his hand at a region abutting the “top” of Nyctus space. “The traders who mentioned the Imbrogul said they were in this area, but didn’t get any more specific. And I had other places to go, so I didn’t pay much more attention.”

  “I wonder if the squids have any dealings with these Imbrogul,” Thorn said, eyeing what would be the approximate boundary between the two races’ territories.

  “Of course they do. The Nyctus have dealings with many races,” Bertilak replied.

  Another moment of quiet fell, filled only by the background hum of the Hecate’s systems. It was less a stunned silence this time, though, and more an uncomfortable one. Thorn finally broke it.

  “It shouldn’t be surprising. We already know that they had relations with the Danzur,” he said.

  Tanner gave the viewscreen a stare as hard as ancient ice. “True. But this presents us with a problem. So far, we haven’t seen any hints the Nyctus are gaining advanced tech from one of these races, but that might just be dumb luck.”

  The XO spoke up. “Or they do have it, and are just waiting for the right moment to spring it on us.”

  “Now there’s a cheery thought,” the Tac O muttered.

  Tanner gave a single, sharp nod. “Well, hold that cheery thought, Lieutenant Osborne. Bertilak, I’d like you to give us a rundown on whatever you know about these other races, if you please. We’ve generally been aware that some of them are out there, but I think it’s time for the ON and the Allied Stars to start paying more attention to them. And that starts with whatever you can tell us.”

  “I’ll do my best, Captain,” Bertilak said, turned toward the viewscreen, and started to talk.

  Tanner’s little briefing room behind the bridge was too small to hold Bertilak, and more than one other normal, human-sized person. The Captain called him and Thorn to his cabin instead.

  “Prefer not to meet here if I can avoid it. Like having a space that isn’t entirely about work,” Tanner said, as they entered.

  Thorn nodded his understanding. “I get that, sir. It’s not exactly somewhere to get away from work, but I use the witchport as my quiet place, when I need some alone time.”

  “Have to be honest, Stellers, I’ve always suspected you spend some of your time there sleeping,” Tanner replied, another of his hinted smiles on his lips.

  Thorn grinned. “I almost never sleep in there, sir.”

  Tanner’s eyes twinkled with brief amusement, but a chime from his comm terminal interrupted. “That’ll be Admiral Scoville. He said he’d get back to us when the Arcturus was in real-time comms range,” Tanner said, sitting at his desk and tapping a control. The ON logo vanished, replaced by the gruff cragginess of Scoville’s face.

  “That
report of yours makes for some unsettling reading, Captain Tanner,” Scoville said.

  “It was meant to, sir. Based on what Bertilak has told us, the squids are dealing with seven or eight different races, and those are the ones he knows about,” Tanner replied.

  “Can’t deny they’ve obviously been putting more effort into diplomacy than we have.”

  Thorn, who’d sat on Tanner’s bunk, shifted slightly to get a better view of Scoville’s image on the terminal. “That’s true, sir. But all of these other alien races are pretty much on the far side of Nyctus space. The Danzur are the closest to us, and even they’re a long flight away.”

  “Understood. But that doesn’t change the fact that we need to start doing business differently. I’ve spoken to Fleet, to the Admiralty, and they’ve been talking to the Allied Stars Council. They all agree that we need to put more effort into diplomatic efforts, especially with these—” Scoville stopped and consulted a data-pad. “—these Imbrogul.”

  Tanner crossed his arms. “Unless we cut through Nyctus space, it’s going to take any diplomatic mission at least six weeks to get to them, sir. And if we do cut through Nyctus space, then we’re going to have to send a chunk of the Fleet along to escort them.”

  “I can’t imagine the squids taking very kindly to us trying to get chummy with the Imbrogul, sir, in any case. That’s going to be a tough mission either way,” Thorn said.

  Scoville returned a thin, hard smile. “All excellent points. That’s probably why they’ve been major topics of discussion between the Admiralty and the Council.”

  “Didn’t mean to steal your thunder, sir,” Tanner replied.

  “And you haven’t. The conclusion reached is that we do need to send a mission, we need to do it now, and it needs to get there as close to now as we can manage.”

  Thorn glanced at Bertilak, who just raised an eyebrow. He had an uncomfortable idea where this was going, but bit his words back and just waited.

  Scoville went on, his eyes suddenly boring into Thorn’s from the screen. “We’ve decided to send a mission that can travel quickly, won’t attract much attention, and can defend itself. Stellers, you might have noticed I’m looking at you.”

  “Yes, sir, I did. And I just want to remind you that I’m not a diplomat.”

  “No, you’re not, but you do a pretty damned good job of being one anyway. Thanks to you, not only are the Danzur no longer an immediate threat, but we’re also actually making some progress with them.”

  “What are you saying here, sir? That you’re dispatching the Hecate on this one hell of a diplomatic mission?” Tanner asked.

  “No, we’ve got other plans for the Hecate. We’re asking Bertilak to be Thorn’s ride to meet the Imbrogul. And I really do mean asking since, my large green friend, you aren’t the ON’s to command,” Scoville replied.

  Bertilak smiled. “I appreciate that, Admiral. And yes, of course I’d be happy to help out with this mission.” He looked at Thorn. “The two of us will be adventuring together again, my friend. Isn’t it exciting?”

  “That’s one word for it,” Thorn muttered.

  Bertilak’s smile faded, and Thorn held up a hand. “That’s not about traveling with you, Bertilak. Hell, the Jolly Green Giant’s a hell of a lot more comfortable than the Hecate. No offense, Captain Tanner.”

  “None taken. I’ve been aboard Bertilak’s ship, so I don’t disagree with you at all,” Tanner replied.

  “No, Admiral, it’s more that while I appreciate your comments about the Danzur, I’m really not a diplomat. I’m not even sure what a diplomat really does, what sort of promises or deals they can make, that sort of thing,” Thorn said.

  “Stellers, all we want you to do is travel to these Imbrogul, confirm what Bertilak has heard about them, and determine what sort of relationship exists between them and the squids. Then, you come home and report. If there’s real diplomacy to be done after that, then we’ll get the proper resources deployed.”

  Thorn wanted to sigh, but didn’t and just nodded. “Understood, sir. When do you want us to start?”

  “I’m transmitting your orders now. Needless to say, these are about as secret as secret gets, but they really don’t say much more than I’ve already told you. You should be able to read them on your way to Bertilak’s ship.”

  Tanner glanced at Thorn, then looked back at Scoville. “What about the Hecate, sir? You mentioned you have other plans for us.”

  “Separate orders are on their way. Don’t worry, Galen, we won’t leave you out of the fun. In fact, as usual, we’re putting you at the tip of the spear.”

  Scoville signed off, and Tanner leaned back, stretching out his legs. “Interesting times and all that, eh, gentlemen?”

  “Interesting times, sir?” Thorn asked.

  Tanner nodded. “It’s an ancient curse. May you live in interesting times.”

  Thorn gave a wry smile. Bertilak laughed.

  “The truth if I’ve ever heard it,” the alien said.

  “Anyway, gents, we all have work to do. You two get ready to depart, but secrecy is the key. We’ll give you a cover story, Stellers. Say that Bertilak’s taking you back to Code Gauntlet for some reason or other.” Tanner opened his mouth to say more, but another chime from the terminal cut him off. He tapped a control, opening a file, and sat up as he read it.

  “Problem, sir?” Thorn asked.

  “I don’t know. The Hecate’s being tasked to flush out the Nyctus trap in whichever of those systems it’s located. And do it without a Starcaster on board. Would you call that a problem, Lieutenant?”

  “I probably would, yeah.”

  “But it’s not your problem. You two just concentrate on doing what you’re going to do,” Tanner said, dismissing them. Thorn and Bertilak headed for the door, but Tanner turned from the terminal.

  “Before you go, you two, come and see me. I want to do some final coordination before you take off.”

  “Will do, sir.”

  Out in the corridor, Bertilak stopped and looked at Thorn. “Even the Giant will take a long time to get to where we’re going. Unless…” He let his voice trail off.

  Thorn rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, of course I’m going to move your ship. The quicker we do this, the quicker we can get back. Have to admit, though, I’m starting to feel like my biggest contribution to this war is moving shit around.”

  Bertilak bent over and put his arm around Thorn’s shoulder. “That is because, my friend, you are so very, very good at it.”

  14

  As soon as the Gyrfalcon was cleared to maneuver, Mol lit the drive and accelerated away from the task force, inbound for the suspected location of the Nyctus trap.

  “We’ll reach the near edge of the asteroid belt in just under three hours,” Trixie said.

  “Roger that. How about some music in the meantime? And, just to be clear, I don’t mean your Dad Rock.”

  “Dad Rock?”

  Mol smiled. “Last time we were at Code Gauntlet, the subject of your latest taste in music came up while I was talking with another pilot. He mentioned it was the kind of music his dad listened to. So, Dad Rock.”

  “Fine. No Dad Rock. What do you want to listen to?” Trixie asked.

  “I don’t know. Something upbeat, to take my mind off how insanely dangerous this plan is.”

  Music, airy and bouncy, floated through the Gyrfalcon’s cockpit. Mol didn’t recognize it, and didn’t really care anyway. It was just something to break the dull white noise that would otherwise fill the fighter, the rumble of her fusion plant and drive, the hum and whisper of her life support. She glanced at the tactical display, watching the task force, which included the Hecate and was led by the comforting bulk of the Arcturus, dwindle behind her.

  Even as she watched, the images of the ON ships began to flicker and fade. Their scanner returns likewise died away. A moment longer, and they were gone.

  Well, not gone. They were still there. They were just concealed by magic
, an effect called Shading, as Thorn called it. In another fifteen minutes or so, they’d begin heading into the system in her wake, obscuring themselves for as long as possible as they did. It reassured Mol to know they were back there, but not being able to actually see them left her feeling awfully alone.

  And she wasn’t used to that. Ever since being assigned to the Hecate, Mol had flown many missions, but virtually all of them had someone on board with her. Usually, it was Thorn, but it had also been Kira, and Alix and her Tiger Team Three, and any number of others she’d been taking out on some mission or other.

  She glanced at the empty co-pilot’s couch. This time, it was just her.

  And Trixie, of course.

  “Trixie, any sign of, well, anything yet?”

  “No, nothing out of the ordinary.”

  Mol sighed. The old Trixie, the one that had been effectively killed off by a virus deployed against her by a couple of Nyctus Skins, would have said something like, Well, sure, there’s signs of all sorts of things! It would have been pointless, and silly, and Mol missed the hell out of it. This new Trixie, the version brought back from the dead by Thorn, just wasn’t the same. Aside from her forays into different types of music, almost always types Mol didn’t like, she was all business.

  “Wonder if this system is going to be a bust, too,” Mol muttered. The last system they’d checked, candidate location number one for the Nyctus trap, had come up empty. Mol had made the nerve-wracking flight, bait for their own trap, and ended it with nothing but a tour of a completely uninteresting star system, and an annoying case of acid reflux from a stomach just clenched too long into a knot.

  And now she was doing it all over again. Part of her hoped that this would be the trap system. But part of her also hoped it wouldn’t, because being a morsel of bait in what might be a clash between big capital ships was just no fun at all.