The Lost Command (Lost Starship Series Book 2)

by Heppner, Vaughn

  Her eyes widened. She gagged, and purified hatred shined in her eyes. It’s possible she would have spoken if she could. Instead, with great deliberation and unbelievable concentration, she sucked down air. Then, her jaw muscles tightened as she bit down on something in her mouth. There was a distinctive cracking sound.

  Maddox struck harder than he had earlier. With full force, he hit her in the face. Likely, that saved his life. It seemed that Paris had planned to exhale sharply, spewing the air in her mouth. A vicious poison floated in there, released a second ago from the hollow tooth where she had kept it. Instead of blowing the substance at Maddox, she swallowed reflexively.

  Maddox was already scrambling back, lunging for the door, hurling it open to escape the enclosed chamber.

  As he did, the chief security officer of Dempsey Tower slumped dead onto the tiles, killed by the toxins released from her false tooth.

  -5-

  Maddox slammed the door shut, sealing the dead security officer inside. The problem was that he left the comm-unit in there as well.

  Riker would have to make do for a few minutes. Yet, it meant that Maddox had cut himself off from his link to Star Watch Intelligence.

  Maddox stood indecisively for several seconds. If Paris had planned to spew poison at him, had she intended to die no matter what the outcome? That had ominous implications. Rubbing his forehead, Maddox wondered if some of the toxin had seeped into his skin, slowing his reactions.

  I have to reach the security monitors. I can’t let them destroy the real recordings of Meta’s apartment camera.

  Right. Where was the recording chamber? He’d have to find another security agent and ask.

  As if they had read his mind, two Dempsey Tower security personnel appeared. A man and a woman ran into sight, their faces contorted with anguish and determination. Each wore a red blazer with the tower crest on the right side. Each aimed a powerful stun gun at Maddox.

  “I’m with Star Watch Intelligence,” he said. “We have a situation on our hands.”

  “Do you have any ID?” the woman snapped. She had a buzz cut, a skewed nose and was too thin.

  “I do,” Maddox said, reaching into his uniform.

  “Do it slowly,” the woman warned. “We’ll shoot you at the first sign of something odd.”

  “I understand.” The captain slowly removed his official ID, flipping it open and holding it toward the Dempsey security people.

  The man looked first while the woman continued to aim the stun gun at him. “It seems legit,” the man said. He had thick shoulders and a scar on his broad forehead.

  “I want to see it,” the woman said.

  The man shrugged, stepping back, aiming his stun gun at Maddox. “Sorry, sir, we have to be careful these days. The scare with the New Men—”

  “No problem,” Maddox said, wondering what they would do if they knew he might be part New Man himself.

  The woman studied the ID, finally frowning at Maddox.

  “The monitors called us,” she said. “They said you struck our security chief.”

  “I did,” Maddox said. “She’s dead in there.” He pointed at the closed door.

  The woman lurched toward it, reaching for the knob.

  “I wouldn’t do that,” Maddox said.

  “Why not?” the woman snapped, angry again.

  “Because your security chief just cracked a hollow tooth and tried to spew poison into my face,” Maddox said.

  “What?” the woman asked. “That’s crazy. Spew poison? That would be suicide.”

  “Exactly,” Maddox said. He waved his ID at them. “What Star Watch wants to know is who she is.”

  “Beth Paris,” the woman said. She cocked her head. “Paris used to work for Star Watch Intelligence.”

  Maddox smiled faintly.

  “What’s so funny?” the woman demanded.

  “I doubt very much she worked for the Iron Lady.”

  “Who?”

  “Never mind,” Maddox said. “Take me to the monitors, the video chamber. It’s time to see if we can begin to unravel this mess.”

  He didn’t say anything about Meta yet. Maddox wasn’t sure how deep the rot went in Dempsey Security. He wanted a Star Watch combat team on the scene before he revealed his hand.

  “Do you have a communicator?” Maddox asked.

  “Where’s yours?” the woman demanded.

  “In there with Paris. Do you want to get it?”

  “Here,” the man said, pulling out his comm-unit. “You can use mine.”

  Maddox took it, wondering if either of them would do something. He doubted it. If they were part of the rot, wouldn’t they have done something already? He placed a call to Riker. Once he heard the sergeant’s voice, and saw the thin security woman relax, he decided that maybe these two were exactly who they said they were. But who exactly was Beth Paris?

  ***

  Two hours later, Maddox sat at a secured Dempsey Tower computer terminal as Riker guarded his back.

  The Star Watch Old Guard had stuck the sergeant on him some time ago; the captain understood some upstairs in Intelligence wanted to temper what they considered as his reckless impulses. What the Old Guard didn’t understand was the so-called impulses were part of his…difference from them. Maddox didn’t want to think of it as his superiority. That would be thinking too much like a New Man.

  In any case, to Maddox’s chagrin, Riker had saved his life several times in the past few years. It seemed as if the sergeant enjoyed wedging himself into a quiet corner, with his gun on his lap. After everyone had forgotten about him, bam, Riker fired the critical shot that saved the day one more time.

  Maddox and Riker had checked the Dempsey Tower monitors and their videos. The seeming originals didn’t show Meta leaving her apartment. It appeared that Beth Paris had worked alone, which Maddox doubted.

  A surface computer search had shown Maddox that the records indicated Beth Paris used to work for Star Watch Intelligence. Digging deeper, he found that was a lie. Beth Paris had actually worked for Maxwell Enterprises, a steel manufacturing company. Paris had run security over there. Before that, she’d worked for the Chabot Mining Consortium.

  “Chabot,” Maddox whispered, sitting up.

  “Sir?” Riker asked.

  “Nothing,” the captain said at the terminal. “Carry on.”

  Thoughtfully, Maddox rubbed his lower lip. Meta had worked in the Rouen Colony mines. The Chabot Consortium owned the entire planet. Meta had assassinated Baron Chabot in her youth. Had the Chabot Consortium kidnapped Meta? Would they have sent agents all the way to Earth to do that? That seemed highly unlikely. How would they have known where to find Meta?

  Maddox sat forward, using the terminal to keep digging. Time passed. He went from site to site, searching. Wait a minute. This was interesting. The consortium had a connection to Earth: the Cestus Space Hauling Company.

  For the first time at the terminal, Maddox felt his pulse quicken. Two nights ago, the enemy agent he’d shot had used the Cestus 9 Hauler to reach New York City. That would indicate a possible link with the Chabot Consortium.

  Who owned the Cestus Space Hauling Company? Maddox clicked away, searching. Hello. He sat up, surprised. The Nerva Conglomerate owned the Cestus Space Hauling Company.

  “Octavian Nerva,” Maddox said to himself.

  The captain quietly mulled that over. Before his voyage into the Beyond, he had fought a viper stick duel with Caius Nerva, Octavian’s heir. Octavian just happened to be the richest man on Earth, one of the wealthiest in the Commonwealth. Caius had cheated during the duel by wearing a body suit. Worse, he’d attacked while Maddox’s back had been turned. Riker had shot the heir with a stunner. Riker’s blow had caused Caius to fall down, and his viper stick had landed on his face. The proton discharge had accidently killed Caius Nerva.

  That night, Nerva man-hunters had almost kidnapped Maddox in his apartment. Octavian’s revengeful nature was well known. Maddox’s departure f
rom Earth as he left on the mission into the Beyond had cut short any further repercussions concerning Caius’ death. Had that now resurfaced to haunt him?

  The captain pondered the Chabot-Nerva connection. Could Octavian have ordered Meta’s kidnapping in order to get to him?

  With a start, Maddox began to type. He searched for an hour before he found what he was looking for. He couldn’t believe such an obvious clue.

  It appeared Octavian had planted Beth Paris into Dempsey Tower security. The interesting thing was Octavian had done it two years ago. That would eliminate the possibly of Paris’s posting in the Tower to grab Meta.

  Why would Octavian plant an operative in the Dempsey Building? The answer was simple. Many of his major competitors lived in or used Dempsey Tower while vacationing in New York City.

  Was this about industrial espionage? Maddox didn’t think so. Octavian clearly had connections with the New Men. Nerva Conglomerate actions against him over a year ago made perfect sense now. Nerva hunters had not only tried to snatch him, but in orbit a conglomerate Ventra-class shuttle had launched drones at the Geronimo.

  Naturally, on his return to Earth, Maddox had spoken with Nerva representatives concerning the shuttle. They had reported it missing weeks in advance of the assault. That held up under scrutiny. It looked now as if Octavian carefully covered his tracks.

  Maddox sat back, trying to piece this together. Had Octavian only recently learned of Meta’s stay in Dempsey Tower? With the enemy’s secret service order to begin Operation Odysseus, had the tycoon decided to act? If Octavian had captured Meta and the man worked for the New Men…

  Maddox nodded. That meant he had to act fast to save Meta. One of the enemy’s greatest powers was the speed at which he moved. They would hurt Meta sooner rather than later in order to extract her usefulness.

  If the New Men were involved, the enemy would have covered his tracks well. Notice how there wasn’t any video evidence of Meta or her captors. That pointed to the enemy’s secret service.

  Maddox’s eyes narrowed. If there was no way to track Meta…how could he rescue her? Maybe he could negotiate directly with Octavian Nerva. Clearly, the tycoon would deny all knowledge of this. Yet…

  Shaking his head, Maddox knew what Brigadier O’Hara would say to his idea. He could hear her voice in his head.

  “No, Captain, you’re quite wrong about the link between Octavian and the New Men. It’s all circumstantial evidence. We need concrete proof of their cooperation. Octavian has too many powerful friends in the government and the Star Watch for us to act in any other manner. We will have to move softly, searching for implicating clues. Just because Paris used to work for him won’t sway any judges.”

  “Sergeant,” Maddox said, standing. The captain had come to a decision. He would risk dealing directly with Octavian. “Is the air-car ready?”

  “It’s on the roof, sir,” Riker told him.

  “Then let’s go. We have a long drive ahead of us.”

  “Where are we headed for, sir?” Riker asked.

  “Monte Carlo,” Maddox said.

  “Sir?” Riker asked, surprised.

  “Let’s hurry, Sergeant. We have to move before they take Meta off Earth.”

  -6-

  “Take us higher,” Maddox said.

  Sergeant Riker sat in the flitter’s pilot seat, thinking about the bottle of Guinness beer waiting for him at home. He wanted to stretch out on the sofa and finish watching the hockey match between Japan and China that he’d started viewing earlier tonight while waiting for Maddox. The beer would help soothe him before going to bed.

  “Did you hear me?” Maddox asked.

  “What’s that, sir?”

  “Higher,” Maddox asked. “Take us higher.”

  Riker piloted a flitter. It was a nifty model, identical to the vehicle Maddox had used to fly down to Loki Prime over a year ago. The sergeant didn’t like to think about that episode. He still had nightmares about the place and the worse convicts. Loki Prime was the vilest prison planet in the Commonwealth. The air-car had a bubble canopy and a range that could take them several times around the planet before refueling.

  Below, the lights of New York City spread out in a vast panorama with the dark Atlantic Ocean to their right.

  “Sir,” Riker pointed out. “Your apartment is only a few kilometers south in New Jersey. Shouldn’t I go down instead of up?”

  “I already told you. We’re headed to Monte Carlo.”

  Riker knew the impetuous young agent better than most people did. The captain possessed uncanny abilities, with the strengths and weaknesses of youth. He was bold, clever and could storm his way through most troubles. He was also reckless and trusted his abilities far too much. For all that, Riker had come to appreciate the man’s insights. The sergeant saw it as his task to shepherd the genius back to harbor, watching for the common sense troubles the “high-flyer” sometimes missed.

  “Meta is in Monte Carlo?” Riker asked.

  “As to that, I don’t know yet. Octavian Nerva is, though. We’re going to see him.”

  Riker hesitated. Loyalty was everything to him: first to the Star Watch and then to his companions in arms. They were the guardians keeping the wolves at bay. It was lonely work against a seemingly infinite supply of enemies. The truth was he found his worth serving Star Watch, knowing that he walked the ramparts to keep his nieces safe in Tau Ceti. He believed in Star Watch’s code of honor and duty to humanity. The service was his home.

  “It’s quite simple,” Maddox explained. “Meta knows more about Starship Victory than anyone else save for Doctor Dana Rich. The doctor is in the Oort cloud and quite untouchable. Meta was exposed. I believe the New Men desperately want that knowledge. We know the enemy acts fast. That is their normal mode of operation. What that means is that we have to free Meta tonight, or it might be too late.”

  “Shouldn’t we tell the brigadier about this, sir?”

  “No. O’Hara would likely order me to stay away from Monte Carlo. I don’t feel the need yet to face an inquest.”

  “How are the two ideas related, sir?” Riker asked.

  “I would have to disobey the brigadier’s direct order if she told me to stay away. That’s why we’re headed there on our own.”

  Riker squeezed his fingers around the controls. “There’s another possibility, sir. I wonder if you’ve thought about it.” When Maddox didn’t answer, Riker continued. “Maybe Octavian is acting alone for reasons that include hatred for the two of us. I’m the one who actually shot Caius Nerva. I’m the one who killed Octavian’s son and heir. If he wishes to torture anyone more than you, sir, it’s me.”

  “We can’t let fear hinder our resolve,” Maddox said.

  Riker’s back stiffened.

  The captain must have noticed. “Your courage is well noted,” Maddox said, a trifle grudgingly. “I owe my life to it on more than one occasion.”

  “I don’t like it when you speak well of me, sir. It means you’re going to ask me to do something incredibly foolhardy.”

  Maddox’s lips thinned as he looked away. The captain sat like that for some time. Finally, as he stared out of the side canopy, he said, “If nothing else, Beth Paris has shown me I’d better have a partner for what I plan. I don’t know who else to ask, Sergeant. I need your assistance for this little expedition.”

  It struck Riker that Maddox was worried about Meta. That surprised him. Maddox was a slick operator, normally cool and reserved with the ladies. There had been indications of a liaison aboard the starship on the journey home, but Riker had assumed it had been caused by Maddox’s boredom. Now, he wasn’t so sure.

  “I still say we should call the brigadier,” Riker said.

  “No! The brigadier would be confident of tracking Meta down dead or alive. The Iron Lady is more concerned about the overall picture. I’m interested in getting to Meta while she’s still alive.”

  “The war is more important than our personal interests, sir. Be
sides, did you ever think that Octavian might have special training? He will if he belongs to the New Men. We can’t hope to barge in and rip Meta loose from Nerva. This will take careful preparation.”

  Maddox faced him with a soft smile on his lips. “I disagree completely. We must strike with furious resolve. We must match the enemy speed for speed. That means I must act tonight, because I’m the only one on our side who can react as fast as the enemy can. Meta’s life is in our hands.”

  “What’s your plan, sir?”

  “A face to face meeting with Octavian Nerva,” Maddox said.

  “Octavian would only allow such a thing in complete safety,” Riker said.

  “True.”

  “He’d have his people strip us of our weapons and possibly bind us first.”

  “That does seem likely, I agree,” Maddox said.

  Riker shook his head. “I hope you’re not suggesting you’re going to overpower his bodyguards, take one of their guns, put it to Octavian’s head and offer to trade his life for Meta’s.”

  “The basic idea is right,” Maddox admitted, “but wrong in a critical detail.”

  “One or two details won’t make any difference, sir, as there is a gigantic flaw.”

  “Oh?”

  Riker spoke with gravity. “If Octavian works for the New Men, it’s more than possible they will have trained him in their advanced thinking.”

  “You’ve already mentioned that.”

  “If Octavian is acting on his own because of Caius’ death, we should remember that he is one of the oldest of the Methuselah People. His advanced wisdom could trump your skills.”

  As Riker spoke, he studied the captain’s face. The lad was so enamored with his unique skills that he often forgot others could possess unusual attributes.

  Over two hundred and fifty years ago, scientist-explorers had discovered a breakthrough in longevity treatments known as the Methuselah Cure. The critical source came from New Australia, a world fifty-three light-years from Earth. A rare plant grew in the depths of the world’s ocean. Dredging the plant in specially built submarines was dangerous and ultra-lucrative. So far, no one had been able to duplicate the growth process anywhere else.