He then stepped quickly towards the observation window, intending to step between the Niotan and the Vacran before anything crazy happened. However, when he reached them, he saw that – although Erlen was still growling – the Niotan’s irritation wasn’t directed at Skullcap. Instead, it seemed to be focused on something he was seeing through the observation window.
Maker glanced out, trying to determine what was annoying Erlen. However, he saw nothing beyond the usual: stars twinkling, a few heavenly bodies, and the darkness of the void.
“What is it?” he asked Erlen, who simply snarled loudly.
“What’s going on?” Adames inquired.
“I’m not sure,” Maker admitted, frowning. “But there’s something out there that Erlen doesn’t like.”
Chapter 83
Maker didn’t mince words. Racing back to the bridge, he gave an order that they run every test, every scan, every analysis at their disposal to find who or what was near the Nova. To no one’s great surprise, the answer was discovered by Wayne, whom Maker had pulled from the task of reconstructing Skullcap’s armor.
“There’s a ship out there,” Wayne said, after having tackled Maker’s pet project for about an hour. He made the announcement in the conference room, where Maker had gathered everyone on board (sans Skullcap) after Wayne had given him an initial report of his findings.
“A ship?” Browing repeated. “Are you sure?”
Wayne nodded. “Yes. It’s employing some kind of stealth or cloaking technology, so it’s not visible to the naked eye or our scanners.”
“Then how do you know it’s there?” queried Snick.
“There are a couple of giveaways,” Wayne replied. “First and foremost, all spaceships have a thermal system to control the temperature inside so that travelers can stay comfortable and operational equipment can perform at peak efficiency. As a result of normal operations, the thermal system generates heat that regularly gets vented into space. In this instance, we’ve picked up minute increases in temperature with no visible source or cause.”
“So you assume it’s coming from a ship,” Chantrey surmised.
“Correct,” Wayne stated with a nod. “Next, going with the theory that there was actually a ship out there, I decided to check to see if that’s what was interfering with the navigation system.”
Browing frowned. “You mean intentionally?”
Wayne shrugged. “Intentionally, inadvertently, willfully…whatever.”
“And?” Browing added eagerly.
“There’s a latent piloting algorithm that’s been embedded in – and slaved to – our navigation system.”
“Excuse me?” muttered Loyola.
“The ship out there is linked to us,” Maker explained. “Where we go, they go.”
“And it looks like the algorithm that cuffs us together was in the nav system before we even left for this mission,” Wayne added. “That’s why it’s been having trouble from day one.”
“So if it was in the system before we left Gaian Space, that means the ship out there is probably one of ours,” Adames surmised.
“Bearing in mind that the Nova was bugged, we should have expected something like this,” Maker noted.
“And since we think it’s one of ours,” Loyola said, “I take it we can’t just blast them to bits.”
“That’s not high on the list of options at the moment,” Maker stated.
“I thought you ran diagnostics on the nav system,” Diviana interjected, speaking to Wayne. “How could you miss something like that?”
“First of all, as I said, it’s a latent program,” Wayne declared defensively. “It stays hidden until we’re getting ready to jump to hyperspace. Ergo, when I tested the system, it didn’t pop up. On top of that, you have to remember that there’s nothing inherently wrong with the nav system, so there was no indication we needed to do a deep dive.”
“If there’s nothing wrong, then why isn’t it working?” Snick asked.
“It is working, and working correctly,” Wayne countered. “The nav system passed all the requisite diagnostic tests with flying colors. Think of it along the lines of testing a calculator by asking it to add two plus two. If it gives you four, it’s working correctly. I got a ‘four’ out of the nav system, so to speak.”
“Then why is it having so many issues calculating a jump?” Snick continued.
“Because on the one hand, we’re telling the nav system that we’re a single ship attempting a hyperspace jump,” Wayne explained. “On the other hand, the hidden algorithm is telling it that we’re a two-ship convoy and we need to jump together.”
“So it’s confused,” Adames summed up.
Wayne nodded. “In essence. Moreover, when the navigation program checks with the Nova’s other systems – say, the scanners – and tries to figure out where this second ship is located relative to us for purposes of the jump, it’s told that there is no other ship. It’s like we’re asking it to do a handstand, and also jump up and down on one leg at the same time. Needless to say, it’s having trouble solving this conundrum.”
“So what do we do now?” queried Chantrey.
“I can isolate the hidden program and decouple the link so that the other ship isn’t slaved to us anymore,” Wayne answered. “The next time we jump, they’ll stay behind.”
“So they’ll be stranded here?” observed Snick.
“No,” Maker insisted, shaking his head. “They presumably have their own navigation system, so we’re not leaving them high and dry. They’re just not coming with us. But they’ll still be able to backtrack and go home using the prior coordinates.”
“So, how soon before we leave?” asked Browing.
“As soon as the bridge crew can take their seats,” Maker replied.
Chapter 84
They made the jump almost as quickly as Maker had envisioned it – essentially as soon as everyone was at their duty stations. It only took Wayne a few minutes to terminate the link between the Nova and the cloaked vessel, following which the navigation system calculated the hyperspace jump in what felt like record time. Moments later, they were gone.
Maker could only imagine the expressions on the faces of the stealth ship’s crew after the Nova vanished. The thought of them suddenly running around helter-skelter, trying to find out what had happened, was hysterical to him. In fact, he chuckled at the mental image – although apparently a bit louder than he intended, because several people on the bridge gave him odd looks.
No one said anything to him, but he recognized what he saw in their eyes. It was the same look he himself had given various commanding officers during stressful situations – when said commanders had seemingly pushed themselves to the breaking point.
Maker didn’t think he was anywhere near that stage, but he certainly understood that he probably didn’t cut a striking figure at the moment. He was long overdue for sleep, couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten, and now seemed to be getting giddy over his own private jokes. Frankly, after dealing with crisis after crisis for hours on end, he was running on fumes and it showed.
He spent a moment reflecting on their current situation. The hyperspace jump they’d just completed was only one of several they’d have to make before arriving at Skullcap’s homeworld. Thus, he had time to recharge his batteries, if he so desired. That being the case (and recognizing that he’d want to be at his best when they reached Ignotus, as Planck referred to it), Maker announced that he was going off-duty and left the bridge.
He went straight to his cabin, where – after casually noting that Erlen wasn’t present – he wolfed down a couple of protein bars. He then went into the bedroom and practically collapsed onto the bed. Within moments, he was asleep.
Chapter 85
Maker awoke to the sound of voices coming from his living room. He recognized them immediately – Chantrey and Adames – but couldn’t understand what they were saying. As he sat up, he also realized that someone had thrown a blanket over h
im while he slept. Tossing it to the side, he hurriedly got out of bed and went into the adjoining bathroom to freshen up. A minute later, he walked into the living room looking far more presentable than he had when he’d gone to bed.
“Look who’s awake,” Chantrey said with a smile. She was sitting on the sofa with Erlen next to her.
Maker glanced around, frowning. “I thought I heard Adames out here.”
“You did,” Chantrey confirmed. “You missed him by maybe ten seconds, but he just dropped by to see if you were up on your feet yet.”
“Why?” Maker asked, sounding concerned as he sat down beside her. “Did something happen?”
“No, but if you’re looking for a status report, the next hyperspace jump takes us to our Vacran friend’s homeworld.”
Maker fought to hide his surprise at being so close to their final destination. “How soon before we leave?”
She shrugged. “That’s up to you. Adames and the rest of your team basically refused to make the final jump while you, their commanding officer, was catching forty winks. They knew you’d want to be there, so to speak.”
“They’re right about that, but they shouldn’t have held things up because of me. How long have I been snoozing?”
“About ten hours, give or take.”
“Ten hours?” he echoed unbelievingly. “Someone should have just woken me up.”
“I think they all realized you needed your beauty sleep.”
“Then you should have awakened me with a kiss.”
“I tried more than kisses, buddy,” she uttered coyly, “but you weren’t cooperating.”
“So you just settled for grabbing a blanket and tucking me in.”
“Actually, the blanket was Erlen’s doing,” Chantrey clarified, gesturing toward the Niotan (who purred softly as if in confirmation of her statement).
“Still, it was nice of you to check in on me.”
“Actually, I only dropped in to check on Erlen,” she said jokingly.
Maker glanced at the Niotan and said in a playfully stern voice, “Why do you get all the women?”
“Probably because he takes care of himself,” Chantrey admonished, looking Maker over closely. “You know, you really should let Adames put you on the schedule.”
“Huh?” Maker muttered, frowning.
“Well, he oversees shift duty for everyone else, making sure they all get adequate downtime. Obviously, you need someone making sure you go off-duty on the regular before you start passing out in the hallway.”
“For the record, I never came close to passing out in a hallway, corridor, passageway, what have you.”
“Yes, but constantly pushing yourself to the limit isn’t healthy – mentally or physically.”
“So the next time an intergalactic slaver tries to take us captive, I should just call time-out? Or take a rest break when it’s discovered that a ship has been tailing us in stealth mode? Or–”
“Okay, I get it,” Chantrey intoned. “This mission’s been nothing but a pressure cooker from the moment we started, but you’re the only one running themselves completely ragged over every little thing that happens.”
“Are you saying I’m wrong to be concerned?”
“I’m saying the leader sets the tone,” she countered. “If your people see you wearing yourself to a frazzle, they’re going to think it’s expected of them as well.”
Maker wiped his face with his hand, letting out a groan of frustration.
“All right – point taken,” he said. “But seeing as how we’re practically at the end of this particular mission, I’ll apply your sage advice during the next assignment.”
“Then my work here is done,” Chantrey declared, rising to her feet. “Anyway, you should probably get ready.”
“Get ready?” he echoed, rising as well.
“You’re part of the diplomatic corps on this trip, which means you’ll be formally introduced to the bigwigs of the Vacran race. With that in mind, you should dress and look the part of a representative of mankind, so that means you need to shower, get cleaned up, put on your good suit, and so on.”
“Isn’t Browing the chief diplomat on this roadshow? Let him do all that.”
“He is, but you – as the military attaché – have a role to play as well. It’ll send a mixed message if he looks smart and you look like you just escaped being crushed by a trash compactor.”
“Fine,” Maker muttered in acquiescence. “I’ll go get ready. But there’s just one thing.”
“What?” Chantrey asked, openly curious.
Maker gestured towards the bedroom, saying, “The shower in there – it’s kind of big. Gets kind of lonely in there, to be honest.”
Chantrey laughed out loud. “Nice try, but we’ve already wasted enough time just waiting on you to wake up. I’m not going to be the cause of any additional delay.”
“How about a rain check, then?” he asked. “After this mission’s done?”
Chantrey smiled as she headed towards the door. “I’m going to assume that’s a rhetorical question.”
Chapter 86
The hyperspace jump to Skullcap’s homeworld was probably the most anxious of Maker’s entire military career. Not only were they headed to what he considered to be enemy territory, but said enemies knew they were coming and were expecting them.
That said, he didn’t think any of his anxiety showed. After taking a quick shower, he had made a brief announcement from his office comm that they would be taking the last leg of their journey in short order. He had then put on his service dress and headed out. It wasn’t the attire he would normally have chosen, but if this did turn out to be an ambush of sorts, he’d get his final send-off wearing the uniform he had always expected to be buried in.
Thankfully, nothing untoward happened during the jump itself, but they came out of hyperspace in a region that was – not unexpectedly – teeming with Vacra vessels. Almost immediately, they were hailed. Skullcap, dressed in his battle armor as he had desired (minus the helmet that was the source of his moniker), spoke on their behalf when they responded.
“Commander,” said an insectoid who appeared on the bridge monitor. “We were informed of your imminent arrival and the Synod is expecting you. Do you require an escort?”
Perhaps sensing Maker’s unease at the suggestion, Skullcap replied saying, “The offer is generous but unnecessary. We can make our way to the homeworld without taking Vacra from their duties.”
“Very well,” the Vacra on the screen replied before terminating the connection.
Skullcap turned to Maker. “Was that satisfactory?”
“It’ll do,” Maker said.
“You still suspect treachery,” the Vacran surmised.
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Maker replied, “and we all know you’re well-versed in the use of code words.”
“It you have a method for proceeding that will give you more comfort,” Skullcap remarked, “please share.”
Maker sighed. “Let’s just get this done.”
“Very well,” the insectoid replied. “Your scanners should be detecting a binary star system nearby with eleven planets in orbit. The tenth is our homeworld.”
“What’s it called?” Maker asked, realizing for the first time that he hadn’t posed the question before.
Skullcap made a sound that was like a buzzing wrapped up in a cough.
“I didn’t catch that,” Maker said, prompting the insectoid to repeat the same sound.
Maker frowned. Obviously, the planet’s formal name was something the translators were having difficulty with.
Throwing up his hands in frustration, Maker declared with finality, “You know what? We’re going with ‘Ignotus.’ It’s as good a name as any for a planet.”
Chapter 87
The Nova’s journey to Ignotus occurred without incident, but not without apprehension. Maker could sense it in his team – the disquieting concern that stemmed from the fact that they were in the mid
st of the enemy. (An enemy which, in the very recent past, had seemed determined to wage war on the human race.) That said, he was still of the opinion that Skullcap needed them for something; however, without knowledge of what that something was, there was no telling when said need might come to an end. Bearing that in mind (as well as all the bad things that could happen now that they were here), Maker had trouble imagining how he’d ever agreed to this mission.
Much like one would expect in Gaian Space, the region around Ignotus was thick with starships – even more than Maker had initially surmised. But it stood to reason: he was at the heart of an interstellar empire. A multitude of ships was par for the course. (It was also a stark reminder that – despite having lost an armada at Maker’s hands – the Vacra still had plenty of ships and people to man them.)
As is often the case in such situations, time seemed to drag on forever. To Maker, it felt like each ship within range had an inordinate time to line up their guns and get the Nova in its sights (if such were their desire). Eventually, however, they found themselves within shuttle range of Ignotus. At that juncture, Maker had to come to a decision regarding two crucial issues.
The first concerned where to leave the Nova while he and others went planet-side. Skullcap had made it clear that they could dock at one of several space stations orbiting above Ignotus, but Maker didn’t like the idea of their ride home being anchored, so to speak, to an alien facility. At the same time, he was adverse to the notion of the Nova simply floating in open space; she’d be a sitting duck. Even with her shields up, the Nova would be susceptible to concentrated fire if a number of ships all targeted her simultaneously.
The other issue related to who exactly should be part of the team that would be visiting the planet. Browing, as the official ambassador, was definitely going, but – aside from Maker – there were no other assigned slots. Considering that this could still be a trap (meaning that it might be a one-way trip for those involved), he found himself spending a fair amount of time weighing the pros and cons of who should stay and who should go.
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