“Certainly, sir. Shall I give it instructions to obey only Fleet officers? That would prevent anyone else from using it should the courts order its return to the LPSL.”
“Good point. I think preventing its use by anyone else would be contrary to any court decision. Better order it to allow normal operation, but build in some safeguards for the prize crew’s voyage.”
“Our stranger is back.” The scan operator’s voice was taut.
Harry linked to their display. Sure enough, the dark object was visible as it occluded a small and distant galactic cluster. Once again, he felt a strange sensation in his head. “Very good. Track it. What is its direction?”
“It’s moving left to right, sir. Track appears to be rising at fifteen degrees to the horizontal.”
“Good. Try to hold him steady.” Harry keyed his link. “Captain, the alien is back, but at extreme range.”
“Sir, Surveyor Two is moving. It’s taken a trajectory that appears to close with the alien.”
“Acknowledged, Mr. Heron. Transfer all data to the Emden and try to keep track. Are our recorders still operating?”
“Aye, aye, sir. The recorders I managed to get onto her before I was rammed are online, and the science teams are monitoring them.”
“Good. Keep me informed.”
Chapter 11
Siddhiche
“We have a problem.” Captain Greenway’s face showed his annoyance. “Captain Brenner has just informed me that a member of his crew concealed himself aboard Surveyor Two. Apparently, he was supposed to disarm the bomb they thought Lieutenant Heron was planting. They falsified their crew list to make us think that all crewmembers were accounted for. Now the moron is aboard the vessel, no one can raise his comlink, and I’ll have to send a frigate to retrieve him.”
“Damn. We only managed to get two of our drone recorders aboard. They are able to take visuals, but we stationed them where they could watch the control deck and the engineering section—not the crew spaces.” Captain Kretzmann paused. “I’ll get Lieutenant Heron to see if he can reposition one of them to do a search.”
“That’ll be helpful. We’ll have to do a quick grab-and-go rescue on this. If we know where the idiot is, it’ll make things a lot easier.”
“Leave it with us. I’ll get back to you as soon as we have anything.” He keyed his link. “Mr. Heron, I have an urgent task for you. Can you attempt to move one of your drone recorders on Surveyor Two? We have a stowaway on her, and we need to know where he’s hiding ASAP.”
“Aye, aye, sir. The lift and propulsion unit on one of the recorders is no longer functional though. One more thing, sir. The oxygen level in Two’s atmosphere is going up. It’s now at twenty-three percent and rising.”
“We’ll get the scientists on that. Get that recorder moving, and relay it directly to the Pieter van Huysman.”
“Aye, aye, sir.” Harry focused on manipulating the one remaining drone recorder. The increasing distance made the connection tricky, and he grew impatient. That made the operation worse, and the drone ended up wedged beneath a seat. It took him several minutes to extract it again before he could direct it to look at the crew space.
Immediately an abandoned EVA suit came into focus, but there was no sign of the wearer. Harry muttered an angry imprecation then began the tricky process of persuading the drone to enter the companionway access to the laboratory section. His manoeuvre was successful, and the next thing he saw was a terrified face. He backed the drone away to get a better look, and the reason for the man’s terror was obvious: the bulkhead was absorbing his body by wrapping wire-like strands tightly around him, and he was struggling to escape. An exclamation behind Harry made him turn.
“Sorry, sir. I did not hear you approach.”
“Never mind,” said the Captain. “Is that being relayed to Huysman?”
“Yes, sir. I have a direct data feed.”
“Good. Make sure you hold that view, but try to expand it so that we can see a bit more of that space.” The Captain straightened. “I’ll be in the Control Centre. Let’s hope the guys from the Huysman can get him out of there without getting caught. Pity the damned fool has stripped his EVA suit. We could have blown an opening in it, taken him and run. Now we can’t.”
The Captain departed, and Harry returned his focus to the image. He backed the drone farther away, bumping it into the bulkhead as he tried to increase the view. His next attempt was more successful, and the drone moved to a position from which he could see the man, half the laboratory, and a section of the crew space and command deck. He parked the drone and turned up the sensitivity level on all of its sensors.
“Huysman to Emden. We’re closing the surveyor barge. My Marines are standing by for launch.”
“Emden received. The mother ship is closing on your position. Abort if they come within twenty mega k.”
“Received. The target has taken evasive action and accelerated. I’m opening fire to take out its propulsion pods.”
“Proceed, Huysman.”
“Target disabled.” The transmission was disrupted by a sharp burst of noise. “Emden, we have a second unidentified ship. Aborting mission. Taking evasive action.”
Harry scanned frantically, focusing his attention on the displays of the frigate and the surveyor craft, but he saw nothing. The frigate opened a singularity and vanished. Then something occluded the surveyor craft, and seconds later, it vanished from the visual scan.
“Alright, Harry, I’m tracking that as well. Are your drones still online?”
“Yes, sir. I’m getting a signal from both, though it isn’t clear.”
“Keep recording. Perhaps we can clean up the images later. I want to see what the hell is happening there and who is behind it.”
“Aye, aye, sir.” Harry watched the trapped man turn his head as if in response to some noise. Harry tried to focus the drone on the entrance to the laboratory, but it was unresponsive. Then a thing of horror filled the doorway, and he felt himself recoil. The creature looked like a massive insect of some type. Its helmet opened to reveal two vicious mandibles that protruded from its mouth, and several black eyes crowned the upper surface of the head.
“What the blazes?”
The exclamation pulled Harry out of the link to the drone, and probably just in time as a brilliant flash on the display made everyone duck and wince. Even with the link no longer active, he felt the pain in his eyes and shut them tight in response, a gasp escaping him as he did.
Harry recovered slowly, his head spinning and lights flashing in his eyes as he tried to make sense of what he’d seen. If nightmares had a physical presence, this was definitely it. He became aware of someone shaking his shoulder and calling his name.
“I beg pardon, sir. I was a little adrift for the moment.”
“Adrift? We thought we’d lost you.”
The Commander’s concerned expression swam into focus.
“Sorry, sir. Did anyone else see it? That thing was horrific.” Harry rubbed his temples. “It destroyed the drone. I don’t like to think what it’s capable of.”
“We saw it. We actually got some good video of it.” The Commander’s voice was grim. “I plan to have it shown to our guests from the LPSL. It probably breaches something in their right to remain ignorant, but they’ll damned well watch this one so they know what they’ve tried to defend from our aggression, as they so ridiculously put it.”
Harry shuddered. “I shall not forget the sight of that man being eaten alive by that . . . that monstrous creature.”
“I doubt any of us will, Harry.” The Commander studied him, noting his pallor and his attempts to clear his vision. “Get down to the med centre. You look as if you need a check over. That link of yours must affect you when things like this happen.”
Harry stood unsteadily. “This is the first time I’ve experienced something of this intensity, sir. Thank you for your concern. I shall attend the surgeon.”
“Good. Get him to give
you something to let you sleep, if you feel you need it.”
Harry steadied himself and then registered the fact that they were in transit. “When did we transit, sir?”
“About twenty seconds after you went out like a light.” The Commander grimaced. “It seems you did it. It’s taken Joan Penn half an hour to get back control and figure out what you aimed for. She’s turned us around, and we’ll be back in the Kepler 646 system in about twelve hours, but on the opposite side to where that monstrosity was.”
“I’m afraid I have no recollection of it, sir.” Tentatively he opened his link and asked the ship. “Beagle, did I command a transit? Where to?”
“It came through you, Harry. The course would have taken us to the area designated Hademar 4711 dash 5.”
“What is there? Wait a minute….” Harry paused, stunned at what he had just heard. “You say the command came through me?”
“That is correct. You will find safety from these creatures there, among those who are friends with the Lacertians and Canid.”
Harry realised the Commander was talking to him. “I beg pardon again, sir. I did not hear you properly.”
“I could see that.” The Commander studied him for a moment. “Why did you put us on a course to an unknown system?”
“I don’t know, sir. The ship says something did it through me and that we have friends there that the Lacertians know, and so do the Canids, or at least their Provider does.”
“Hmm…not sure I like the thought of that at all, because we did not choose that course. Who would these mysterious friends be, I wonder?”
“The Siddhiche, sir,” Harry said automatically, and he had no idea where the answer came from.
The Surgeon Lieutenant completed his tests. “You’ll be fine, Harry. I think it’s best described as sensory overload since we don’t really know too much about how your link with all these electronic systems operates.” He paused. “I gather the creature was a horrible sight. Do you want me to give you something to help you deal with it?”
Harry considered this for a moment then he shook his head. “I think perhaps not. I tend to agree with Shakespeare: ‘To sleep, perchance to dream; aye, there’s the rub.’” He lifted his eyebrows and exhaled sharply as he shook his head, as if physically trying to dispel the memory. “I’d rather not dream of that. I’ll see how well I can manage on my own, and I prefer not to take medications unless I absolutely need them. If I can’t shake it off, I’ll come and see you.”
“Okay, but don’t hesitate. I’m no psychiatrist, but sometimes a shock of that sort—especially after being rammed by a ship—needs a bit more than the old stiff upper lip. I know you don’t like taking medication, but we have other ways to help if you need them. All you have to do is ask.”
Harry nodded gratefully and began to ease his jacket on. “I know. I’m more worried about unwittingly putting the ship into transit to an unknown destination. I’ll have to think long and hard on that one.”
The doctor shrugged. “From what I heard, doing that actually saved us from a closer encounter than we really wanted at that stage.” He sat down and put aside his instruments. “Look, I know you have these Lacertian genes that boost your healing ability, but I’m going to insist you come back in twenty-four hours. You have some bruising on your back and left thigh, which I think is from the impact you sustained. I hear the suit you were wearing is a write-off. According to Rama Rao, he doesn’t know how it held together.” The surgeon caught Harry’s eye. “I’ve seen it, and I’m in agreement with him. You shouldn’t have survived such a hit, to be honest, so I want to run a full medical check tomorrow. In the meantime, get a full night’s sleep.”
Harry grinned. “Do doctor’s orders overrule the Commander’s?”
The Surgeon Lieutenant laughed. “In this instance, yes. I’ll walk you to the wardroom and make damn sure you turn in right after dinner.”
Mary looked as lovely as ever as her hologram appeared in Harry’s cabin. “Am I calling at the right time, my love?” he asked. “I hope I have the time difference right.”
Mary laughed. “Of course you got the time and the moment right, Harry. How are you? There was something on the news about an LPSL ship colliding with a quarantined barge from the Beagle, but nothing about any damage. Of course, the LPSL spokesperson says the Fleet is deliberately making an issue of a minor incident to obstruct the League’s attempt to protect the new race.” She studied Harry. “You weren’t involved in that, were you?”
Harry dissembled. “Yes I was, but I’m sure the news coverage has it all wrong. How did the concert tour go on Coriolanus? Did they like the programme?”
“Changing the subject on me, Harry? What really happened with that ship?” She folded her arms and leaned back. “No, don’t try to dodge the question, Mr. Heron. I’ll answer yours when you answer mine!”
Harry hesitated. “Very well, my dear, I’ll tell you, but this is between you and me only. The ship didn’t hit the barge. It hit me. My suit was damaged, but I managed to get aboard their ship. The Captain is a most obnoxious fellow. He was quite offensive when I confronted him. Fortunately, the Marines arrived before it went too far.”
“Oh, Harry.” She showed her distress. “You attacked him, didn’t you?”
“I only hit him once! He attempted to strike me.” Harry was on the defensive now, but he knew it was best to explain all the details. Mary would wring them out of him anyway. “The investigating officer, one of Captain Greenway’s men, was very thorough, and no charges will follow, but yes—I landed a blow to his face. I fear it did nothing to improve his appearance or his attitude.” He put on what Mary called his ‘naughty boy caught out’ expression. “The arrival of the Marines prevented anything further developing.”
She gave a relieved smile. “I see. Well, I can understand your defending yourself in the circumstances, my darling man. Were you hurt?”
He laughed. “My knuckles apart, not really. Now, I’ve told you my news. How was your tour received?”
“Very well. The critics were kind and the accompanying orchestra was perfect. It was a good programme.” She smiled. “Oh, and that trick of yours—getting the ship to play music as you drop off to sleep—I can’t do it the way you would, but it has been very useful.”
They talked companionably a few minutes more. Mary told him of her invitation to spend a few days at Scrabo with Niamh, and he shared some of the more amusing aspects of the work he was engaged in while carefully evading any mention of the more worrying discoveries. He told her nothing of the episode that led to the Beagle’s heading for the Siddhiche destination, or of its effect on him. All too soon, their time on the hyperlink was over. Both retired to bed feeling their separation keenly.
Captain Kretzmann strode into the conference room and made for the head of the table, his expression serious. Seating himself, he waited for silence. “Ladies, gentlemen, we have a number of pieces of information now, but there are some important elements missing. I’ve called you together so we can assess what we have and try to work out what we are facing.”
Palmer interjected. “The LPSL’s position on this is—”
“Thank you, Dr. Palmer. I am well aware of the LPSL’s concerns, and none of them, I note with interest, seem to be about the fate of the crewman from the Shepherd.” He let the point sink in. “Our concern is to determine what we are dealing with.” He signalled Joan Penn. “Lieutenant Commander, would you run through the scan images and readings we have of these ships, please?”
“Certainly, sir.” She stood and activated the large display, which automatically dimmed the lights. “Lieutenant Heron managed to see the first one using our observatory telescope and drew a fairly accurate image of it. We got a closer look when we went to transit almost on top of it a little later.” Harry’s drawing appeared. “The notable feature is the apparent agglomeration. Many of the external features appear to have been attached later at some point, as if they were part of something else orig
inally.” The display changed to the more detailed images obtained when Beagle entered transit close to the alien. “This feature is more evident in these images.” She indicated with the command wand. “If you look closely at the sections I have highlighted, you can see they have completely different form and appearance to one another. This one, for instance, is totally unlike this section. But that last section bears a distinct resemblance to the weapons pods from a Consortium destroyer.”
The image changed again, this time showing one of the Consortium’s converted freightliners. Again, she highlighted a section of the hull. “This section is identical to that visible on the alien ship.” Next, she showed a split-screen image, and the watchers could see the highlighted feature on both the Consortium ship and the alien.
“This doesn’t prove a great deal,” Dr. Palmer interjected. “There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for this. Any number of these ships were destroyed or seriously damaged during the unfortunate dispute.”
“Correct, Doctor,” Captain Kretzmann acknowledged. “However, there were no known engagements in this sector, and neither side deployed ships this far out.” He nodded to Joan. “Please carry on.”
She smiled briefly. “Thank you, sir. Analysis of these images suggests that these ships are essentially vast assemblies of pieces taken from a very wide range of sources. We haven’t yet identified the propulsion systems or the means for cloaking that they’re using. The only thing we’ve come across that’s similar to it is the Siddhiche.”
One of the researchers sitting farther down the table remarked, “We keep hearing about these mysterious Siddhiche, but no one has ever spoken to them or seen them as far as I am aware.”
Captain Kretzmann smiled. “Actually, Mr. Heron has. It gave you a violent headache I believe, didn’t it Lieutenant?” He directed his question to Harry.
“Yes, sir. It wasn’t pleasant. They used the ship’s AI to download what they wanted in my memory. But before that, they used my conscious mind to search our databases.”
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