The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Leviathan

by Jack Campbell

  “And if a lot of the dark ships are there when we arrive?” Desjani asked. “Forty Dancer ships are welcome reinforcements, but they’re not enough to even the odds.”

  “That’s an unusually cautious attitude for you,” he commented.

  “I’ve got a bad feeling.” She frowned at the deck, causing some passing sailors to hastily check the deck for any signs of trash or other problems. “Like before we went to Prime with Bloch in command.”

  “You think we’re running into an ambush?” Geary asked.

  “I don’t know. But we have to try this, don’t we? There’s no telling where those dark ships might hit next. Time is not on our side.”

  He had just reached his stateroom when Charban called, looking unusually triumphant. “The Dancers will come to Unity Alternate with us. They feel that they will be needed and that destroying the ‘cold minds’ is too important a task to risk an unsuccessful mission.”

  “Will the Dancers operate under my command?” Geary asked.

  “No. They want to be free to operate independently there.”

  It was Geary’s turn to sigh. “I can’t make them follow my orders. Those forty Dancer ships could be enormously useful anyway if any dark ships are defending their base. And if they come with us, I won’t have to explain leaving an alien armada at Varandal while I take my fleet off somewhere else.”

  “It is a friendly alien armada,” Charban pointed out.

  “I’ll let you inform the press of that.”

  “No, thank you, Admiral. Communicating with the Dancers is so important, I would hate to take time away from them to deal with human reporters,” Charban intoned piously.

  —

  THIRTY-FIVE hours later, the First Fleet began to move, assembling its hundreds of warships from orbits dispersed around Varandal Star System. Dauntless, the guide on which every other warship took station, held her orbit as the other ships swung close, forming into a lattice in which every ship’s weapons supported other ships, and any target would be engaged by many ships.

  Normally, Geary took pride in the precise and effective arrangements of his ships. The current formation was shaped like a single, huge cylinder containing thirteen battle cruisers, twenty-one battleships, twenty-four heavy cruisers, forty-four light cruisers, and ninety-one destroyers. The attack transport Mistral was tucked well inside the cylinder, as protected from attack as possible.

  But human formations, no matter how elegant, always looked crude and clumsy next to Dancer arrangements of ships. The forty Dancer ships had also formed into a cylinder, as if advertising their association with Geary’s warships. But the Dancer formation radiated a relaxed perfection that made it appear like a grouping of living things in faultless synchronization with each other. Whenever they maneuvered, the Dancers lived up to their names, their ships gliding smoothly through space, moving in intricate choreographies that appeared natural rather than planned and practiced.

  “Show-offs,” Desjani grumbled. A widely acknowledged expert ship driver among humans, her skills paled next to those of the Dancers.

  Geary wisely refrained from responding to her comment. They were all in the conference room again, a star display showing the shapes of the human and alien formations floating apparently right before every image of every ship commanding officer in the fleet.

  How many times had he held these conferences? How many times had every commanding officer in the fleet looked to him for orders and inspiration and hope?

  Why hadn’t it gotten any easier?

  “As I told you last time we met, we’ve located the base the dark ships are using,” Geary began. “We’ve learned how to reach that base, and now we’re going to go there, destroy the support facilities for the dark ships and any dark ships that are present. We’re bringing along our last remaining assault transport and enough Marines to occupy a facility that we expect to be there, so we can collect all of the intelligence possible and rescue anyone trapped there by the dark ships.”

  “Where is this mysterious base?” Captain Badaya asked. “Why haven’t we been able to find it before now? And why was it so hard to find out a means to reach it? Is it in Syndic territory?”

  “Where is it?” Geary shifted the star display to focus on the binary, deriving some satisfaction from the uncomprehending looks most of his commanders gave the image. He must have looked exactly like that when Charban first asked about the two stars. “Right there. A binary star system.”

  “We’re going to jump to a binary?” Captain Vitali asked. “There’s a stable jump point there?”

  “No, as far as we can tell there are no stable jump points,” Geary said. “This star system has a hypernet gate. That’s how we’ll get there. I know what the next question is. Why did the Alliance build a hypernet gate at a binary? The answer is two words. Unity Alternate.”

  The resulting silence around the table was finally broken by Captain Armus. “There is a real Unity Alternate?”

  “Yes,” Geary replied. “The code for the gate there was already in our hypernet keys but needed to be unlocked for us to see it. The key aboard Dauntless has already had the necessary unlocking code loaded, and after this conference, I will be transmitting that same code to all of your ships.” He paused, seeing in everyone’s expressions the questions that statement created. “This is a fully authorized software patch. I received it from the government. This is an official tasking. The government wants Unity Alternate neutralized.”

  “Neutralized?” Badaya exploded. “What is it we are neutralizing at our own government’s secret alternative command base?”

  “The dark ships,” Geary said. “As well as potentially rogue elements of certain organizations.”

  “Which organizations?” Captain Vitali asked.

  “I don’t know. Neither does the government.”

  “You did say rogue elements,” Captain Duellos conceded.

  “Wait a moment,” Badaya said heatedly. “You are saying that the government, which has been eyeing us with suspicion that we were a threat to the Alliance, is now depending on us to clean up a real threat to the Alliance?” From Badaya’s injured tone, the idea of acting against the government never would have occurred to him. No one listening would have guessed that Badaya had once been at the forefront of those agitating for a military coup.

  “That’s right,” Tanya said, absolutely deadpan.

  Badaya frowned. “All right. Then we’ll do that. We’ll show them!”

  “The Dancers are accompanying us,” Geary added. “They want to help take down the dark ships.”

  “What if our paths cross, Admiral?” someone asked. “What if the dark ships head to attack Varandal while we’re on our way to Unity Alternate?”

  “We’re going to get the job done at Unity Alternate and get back here,” Geary said. “No delays. It’s far from ideal, but we can’t sit around Varandal or any other place waiting for the dark ships to attack. We have to hit them where they aren’t and where it will hurt the most.”

  “We must succeed,” Captain Tulev said. “We will succeed.”

  “Exactly,” Geary said.

  As the images of the other officers once again vanished in a flurry, that of Commander Neeson lingered briefly. “I guess you don’t need me to find that gate anymore, Admiral.”

  “No,” Geary admitted. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you until now.”

  “A gate hidden on our own hypernet keys!” Neeson shook his head. “The hypernet was ‘discovered’ by scientists in the Alliance and the Syndicate Worlds almost simultaneously, just in time to keep the war going as both the Alliance and the Syndicate Worlds had begun staggering from the effort to continue it. None of us realized that the enigmas had leaked the technology to both sides for just the purpose of keeping the war between humans going. We’ve never known everything about it. I wonder how many other secrets the
hypernet holds?”

  “Let’s win this fight, then find out,” Geary said.

  Neeson smiled and saluted. “That sounds like a plan worthy of Black Jack, if you’ll excuse me for saying so, Admiral.”

  “Just this once.” Geary watched Neeson’s image vanish, then walked with Desjani out of the conference room.

  He was surprised to find Victoria Rione waiting for him in the passageway outside the compartment. “I want to transfer to Mistral, Admiral.”

  Desjani said nothing, but disapproval was obvious in the way she held herself.

  “Why?” Geary asked.

  “Three reasons,” Rione explained. “One, your Marines are supposed to collect all possible intelligence material stored on the facility there. I have the experience, and a unique set of software tools, to assist in that. Two, if the Marines encounter security or paramilitary forces defending the facilities and want to avoid a pitched battle, I could assist greatly in negotiating a surrender of the defenders. Three, if my husband is indeed being held somewhere on those facilities, I want to be there to get him out.” She looked toward Desjani. “And, fourth out of three, my presence would probably be less disruptive aboard Mistral.”

  Tanya looked directly at Rione, speaking sternly. “If your presence on Dauntless is judged as needed by Admiral Geary, then you are more than welcome to stay here. You will be treated with every professional courtesy.”

  “You know how much that aggravates me, don’t you?” Rione said dryly. “Admiral, I cannot help you in a fight against the dark ships. There is nothing to negotiate with. But I can be of great help to the Marines. I am asking to be allowed to assist them.”

  “What about talking to the Dancers? You were one of our primary points of contact with them,” Geary pointed out.

  “You don’t need me for that now,” Rione said. “The Dancers are finally speaking plainly enough to those with the skill to phrase the questions right. I wouldn’t dream of crowding Lieutenant Iger and that lieutenant with the lovely emerald hair, who seem to prefer being alone together in that comm room.”

  It all made excellent sense. There was no reason to object. And yet Geary felt an odd sense of disquiet as he considered his answer. Discounting that feeling as the result of having to face the uncertainties of another battle with the dark ships, Geary nodded to Rione. “You make a good case. There is plenty of room aboard Mistral for you since they are only carrying two battalions of Marines. I don’t know why I haven’t already thought to ask you to transfer to Mistral.”

  “I know how much you personally enjoy having me around, Admiral,” Rione said, smiling as Desjani’s glower deepened.

  “I’ll have to do without your immediate company for a while for the benefit of the Alliance,” Geary said. “I will let Colonel Rico and Commander Young know that you are coming to work with them. Captain Desjani, can you arrange an immediate shuttle lift to Mistral for Senator Rione?”

  “With pleasure,” Tanya snapped. “By your leave, sir.” She saluted, then walked off rapidly down the passageway, crew members scattering as they saw her coming and judged her mood.

  “Do you have to do that kind of thing?” Geary asked Rione heavily.

  “It may be some sort of compulsion,” Rione said. “I’m sorry. It’s a shabby way to repay your hospitality.” She met his eyes. “Good luck, Admiral. Tell Captain Desjani I regret the difficulties that I have caused her.”

  Rione walked off as well, leaving Geary staring after her and trying to recall the last time that Rione had used Desjani’s name.

  —

  HE had been wondering what he would do if the dark ships erupted from Varandal’s hypernet gate as his fleet was approaching it. But as the First Fleet and the Dancer armada grew closer to the huge structure humans called a gate, which was actually a vast ring of hundreds of tethers that held a particle matrix in the desired form, no threat emanated from it.

  “We’ll be back as soon as we can complete the mission,” Geary sent in a message to Admiral Timbale that would not reach Ambaru Station for hours.

  Desjani had already called up the hypernet key controls. “Unity Alternate is selected as the fleet’s destination, Admiral. The hypernet field is set wide enough to include the entire fleet as well as the Dancer ships. We’re ready to go whenever you give the word.”

  “Thank you, Captain. Activate hypernet.”

  She touched the command, and the stars vanished.

  TWELVE

  THERE was none of the mind-dazing shock of transitioning into and out of jump space, no gray haze filling jump space around them, no mysterious lights. Outside the bubble in which the fleet traveled, there was, literally, nothing. In fact, as it had been explained to Geary, the fleet wasn’t really traveling. It had been at one gate, at Varandal, and after a few days all of the human warships would be at the other gate, at Unity Alternate, without technically having traveled between those gates.

  As odd as jump space was, the quantum mechanics behind the hypernet were in some ways even odder.

  Geary got up, relaxing with the knowledge that for the next few days nothing could get at them, and they could get at nothing. Whatever was going to happen, would happen. “It’s a relief to be on our way,” he commented to Desjani.

  She looked over and up at him. “Are you going to get some sleep?”

  “Yes, I am. Even if I have to call Dr. Nasr and ask for a patch to knock me out for a while.”

  “Good. That means I won’t have to call Dr. Nasr and tell him to knock you out. Hopefully, you won’t dream about dark ships.”

  “I imagine I’ll be dreaming about something else entirely,” Geary said, giving her a look.

  She shook her head, exasperated. “You’re still on my ship, Admiral. Keep your dreams professional.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” He didn’t wait for an answer because he couldn’t be certain and didn’t want to find out otherwise.

  Once he got to his stateroom, he lay down in the bunk, gazing at the overhead, hoping that he had made the right decisions. He couldn’t recall how many nights had been spent like this since he had been awakened after his century of survival sleep. There had been too many. And this night was one more.

  —

  “SO the Dancers did jump all the way from their own region of space to that jump point that exited at Varandal?” Geary shook his head in disbelief. “How?”

  “We’ve been having some trouble getting the technical explanation rendered into the form of a haiku,” Lieutenant Iger confessed.

  “There was a warning though,” Lieutenant Jamenson added. “The Dancers said ‘you should not attempt that jump.’ They were very insistent.”

  “Lieutenant, two weeks in jump space is as much as I ever want to spend there in one stretch,” Geary said. “How are you two doing?”

  “Sir?” Lieutenant Iger asked, worried.

  “I mean working conditions. I want you both rested and ready when we leave the hypernet.”

  “We’ll be ready,” Lieutenant Jamenson said. “Admiral, the Dancers are worried. We put this in our reports, but you may not have had time to review them. They say ‘cold minds,’ the sort of thing they call the dark ships, have more than once proven to be much harder to stop than anyone expected.”

  “Believe me,” Geary said, “after Bhavan, I’m not expecting any free rides. If we can knock out the support structure for the dark ships, we’ll be able to stop them.”

  “What if we can’t knock out that support structure, Admiral?”

  “Then it will be much harder,” Geary said.

  —

  TWO days later, he sat on the bridge, waiting to leave the hypernet. He wondered what was happening at Unity right now. Had the Senate already moved against the covert structure that had gained too much power in the last several decades? He had no doubt that General Carabali
would provide the support that the Senate needed. He wondered whether the dark ships had already launched another attack designed to draw him into battle. Had they gone to Varandal? Back to Bhavan? Or maybe to Unity itself? And he wondered how many dark ships would be awaiting them at Unity Alternate.

  At least he would get the answer to one of those questions soon.

  “Ten minutes until exit from hyperspace,” Lieutenant Castries said.

  “Dauntless is at maximum combat readiness,” Desjani reported.

  “The Dancers have done this before,” Geary said, talking to fill the time. “They’ve already dealt with this kind of threat.”

  “So have we,” Desjani said. “Remember that place with the rocks?”

  “Stonehenge. Yes. Maybe we’ll get the lesson this time.”

  “I bet you we won’t. For a little while, maybe,” she said.

  “You are probably right once more,” Geary said.

  “Two minutes until exit from hyperspace.”

  They waited silently as the final minutes counted down.

  At zero, the stars suddenly appeared again. Behind them was a hypernet gate, and before them were two stars orbiting in what was known as a close binary.

  “I have never seen that before,” Desjani said in an awed voice.

  The displays updated rapidly as the fleet’s sensors consolidated, analyzed, and assessed everything that could be seen. Geary saw large installations appearing on his display, their orbits centered on the larger of the two stars, which must sometimes bring them uncomfortably close to the smaller. Six planets, varying in size from a rocky, barren half Earth-standard to what had once been a gas giant but had apparently been losing its atmosphere at intervals to one of the stars. A host of smaller natural objects also orbited within the system, some of them following eccentric orbits that swung them past both stars. “We’re not seeing anything on the planets,” Lieutenant Yuon reported. “There are some very large facilities in orbit. Docks. Warehouses.”

  “They could maintain a fleet four times the size of ours here,” Geary said, amazed. “For a long time.”