The Lost Command (Lost Starship Series Book 2)

by Heppner, Vaughn

  I could be a mule, a sterile nothing.

  A wolfish grin spread his lips. He didn’t feel sterile. Seeing Meta again, feeling her against him…

  Maddox faced Dana. “Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate your help.”

  “Go see Meta,” she suggested.

  “Not just yet,” Maddox said. “I plan to interview Per Lomax. It would be good to know more before we face the New Men in battle again.”

  Dana hesitated, maybe wanting to say more.

  “Go help Ludendorff,” Maddox told her. “I think we’re going to need Galyan again, but as a full Adok, not—” The captain almost said not as a half-breed.

  “Keep things in perspective,” Dana said.

  Maddox nodded.

  “I’m not sure I should leave you—”

  “Doctor,” Maddox said. “I’m fine. It’s time to work. We can worry about these problems later. You do your task, and I’ll do mine.”

  Dana slid off the stool and approached him on her crutches. She leaned in, maybe to give him a hug. In the end, she simply rubbed his shoulder before heading out the hatch and into the corridor.

  -37-

  Maddox considered the situation. Throughout the past few days, he’d spoken with Meta at great length about her journey with Kane and her time on the star cruiser.

  Standing in front of a viewing port, the captain studied the stars. He didn’t recognize any constellations. They had traveled a long way from Earth. They were in “C” Quadrant in the rim of Commonwealth territory. Heading outward in this area soon brought one to the Beyond, where only Patrol ships, prospectors and other daring souls traveled. The Wahhabi Caliphate was the nearest Commonwealth neighbor. Far away in the other direction was the Windsor League. The Spacers traveled back and forth within the Oikumene or Human Space. There were a few independent star systems with human colonists, less now with the invasion of the New Men. Taken altogether—the Commonwealth, Wahhabi Caliphate, Windsor League and free planets—this was the extent of known space for regular humanity. The Beyond held everything else, including, one supposed, this Throne World of New Men.

  Meta had told Maddox about Per Lomax’s words on the star cruiser. She’d told him about the silver pyramid—the Nexus—and about the great leap through space, crossing over one hundred light-years at once. Meta had also told the captain what she remembered about her kidnapping and afterward as Kane moved her through the underworld on Earth.

  From Meta’s description, it was clear Kane had kept her in the dark about much of what had been happening.

  What do I know about Kane?

  The man had been born on the Rouen Colony. He was a genetically modified human.

  Maddox’s eyes tightened.

  Who ultimately controlled the Chabot Consortium that owned the Rouen Colony? Who controlled the Cestus Space Hauling Company that carried their ores? It would appear Octavian Nerva owned the latter.

  After escaping from Earth, Kane must have traveled for a time on a Cestus hauler. When they reached the right star system, Kane had departed in his scout. According to Meta, the scout had been in the hauler for quite some time.

  That’s an important point. What does it tell me?

  Maddox had believed Octavian Nerva aided the New Men. Speaking to the tycoon in Monte Carlo had changed his mind. After listening to Meta’s story, Maddox began to wonder again.

  There was something else. How could Kane have moved so effortlessly on Earth by himself? The man’s ability to remain hidden, staying ahead of Star Watch Intelligence and Nerva Security, meant Kane had an organization, a good one. Such an organization would be difficult to hide completely. Star Watch Intelligence would have come up against it from time to time. Yet, Maddox didn’t recall such an independent organization.

  The captain frowned. What am I missing? There’s a clue here staring me in the face if I’m smart enough to see it. Maybe if I lay out all the pieces of the puzzle something will connect.

  Who controlled the Cestus Haulers? The title deed said Octavian did. Yet, the tycoon had claimed to have no knowledge of Kane. Given the extent of Octavian’s holdings, it was conceivable someone could work from within like a mole, using various aspects of the Nerva Financial Empire. The question was: how big of an organization could hide from Octavian and for how long?

  After Meta’s kidnapping and during an interrogation session, Kane had allowed her to slay and injure some of his own people who had fronted as Nerva Security employees. Why would Kane have done that? How had Strand’s people found the shot up members of the team so easily?

  Standing in the starship’s observatory, Maddox cocked his head. He could see his faint reflection in the glass.

  It seemed as if an idea floated just out of his range of understanding. He wondered if that meant he was closing in on the truth. He needed to press forward and see what fell into place.

  Apparently, there was a gargantuan silver pyramid in an unknown star system within the Commonwealth. Kane had hinted to Meta that meant something. How long ago had the builders of the silver pyramid constructed the relic? Were the builders aliens or humans? Was the silver pyramid the prototype for the stone ones on Earth, in Egypt? If so, did that imply that aliens had contacted Earthlings in the distant past?

  Maddox’s lips twisted with distaste. It felt as if he was getting colder now, not hotter. In these things, one had to trust his instincts.

  Abruptly, the captain turned toward the hatch. Maybe he was avoiding what he knew he had to do. It would be a challenge. He came from the New Men…

  Maddox inhaled deeply.

  What was the origin of the New Men? If he knew, it might explain their purpose. Their purpose might explain their ultimate end for humanity. Did the New Men come as conquerors or as exterminators of the inferior species, the Neanderthals of the Space Age?

  It’s time to face my captive and force some answers out of him.

  ***

  Maddox stood before Per Lomax.

  The New Man lay on a cot inside a force field-shielded room. Per Lomax wore a Star Watch shirt, trousers and boots. He also had a steel band around his neck. It was a harsh device, able to shock its wearer. If the New Man could short the force field and escape the cell, the collar would shock him into unconsciousness.

  The situation was too dire to let Per Lomax run free. On no account could they let the New Man render the starship inoperative.

  Maddox gripped a small device with a dial. He could change settings if he wished to administer various levels of pain through the collar.

  Under normal conditions, Maddox disliked torture of any kind. It wasn’t an effective way of discovering truth and he believed the process was unethical.

  Yet, here he stood before Per Lomax’s cell. The stakes were huge. Humanity’s future was uncertain. Should he let a few qualms stand in the way of using such a device if it helped him prod Per Lomax to talk?

  For the moment, Maddox figured he didn’t have to decide. He pocketed the dial device and regarded the New Man.

  Maddox had faced Per Lomax on several occasions. The first time had been on Loki Prime over a year ago.

  “You’ve healed rapidly,” Maddox said into the intercom system. New Men did that, he knew. It was another feature of their superiority. The captain healed faster than normal humans did. Now, he knew why.

  The New Man lay on his cot, seemingly oblivious to Maddox.

  “You’ve healed quickly,” the captain repeated.

  Per Lomax still didn’t respond.

  “Do you prefer me to administer pain to make you sit up?” Maddox asked.

  The New Man turned his head, regarding the captain. Maddox wasn’t sure what he saw. Per Lomax’s eyes had become like ice, his face a wooden mask. Had the man’s capture stolen some of his insufferable arrogance?

  Slowly, the New Man sat up.

  “It’s time we talked,” Maddox said.

  There was no response. This was how Maddox supposed Galyan should behave. Instead, the AI was t
he emotional being. The captive on the cot could have been a robot.

  “I’ve just learned I have similar DNA to you,” Maddox said. “I’m half New Man.”

  A flicker of something showed in the inky eyes. Briefly, Per Lomax looked at the captain. “You are an anomaly,” the New Man said in a flat voice. “It is better you were destroyed.”

  “Why is that?”

  Per Lomax’s features became wooden again.

  Frustrated, Maddox took out the dial device, raising it so his captive could see. The captain turned the dial to a lower setting. He made to press his thumb against the switch, and hesitated. Finally, Maddox shoved the device back into his pocket.

  Per Lomax made an odd noise. It sounded like a cross between a snort and a laugh. “You cannot give me punishment shocks. I know what that device does.” The New Man touched the collar around his neck. “Your inability to use the collar shows your weakness, your unfitness to rule.”

  “The New Men should rule us?”

  “We will rule over you soon enough,” Per Lomax said.

  Maddox contained a grin. He was interrogating the enemy without having to use the shock collar.

  “Observe your reaction at my news,” Per Lomax said. “You have joy hearing we will rule you. This is indicative of your innate understanding of the Monarchical Principle. Your chaotic society has rendered you prone to the acceptance of our rule. The human spirit wants order above chaos. That means you will surrender initiative for safety.”

  Maddox hid his surprise, doing a better job of it this time. Per Lomax was quick and astute in observing minute reactions in others. The New Man’s interpretation of what he noticed showed the supremely arrogant bent of his thinking.

  “By initiative,” Maddox said, “you actually mean freedom.”

  Per Lomax’s shoulders twitched in what might have been a shrug.

  Wait a minute. Per Lomax just said the New Men plan to rule over us. That means…

  “You’re suggesting this isn’t an extermination campaign but conquest of our living space?” Maddox asked.

  Per Lomax said nothing.

  “If you’re hoping to conquer us, why use thermonuclear warheads on planetary surfaces? That kills millions, if not billions of subjects, and demolishes the industrial base. You’re destroying what you hope to make yours. That is illogical.”

  “You lack understanding of our true goal,” Per Lomax said.

  “You just implied that you’re trying to conquer us.”

  “No,” Per Lomax said. “We will reform you.”

  “What? Why?”

  “For the best of reasons,” the New Man said. “Your species has become weak, stupid and slothful. A precise eugenics program will weed out the useless among you, leaving the fit. With such material, the Throne World will build a mighty imperium pulsating with life force. Renewed with the surge of good blood, the New Order will expand at an exponential rate throughout the galaxy.”

  Maddox hadn’t expected such an answer. It took him several seconds to adjust. Finally, he asked, “What percentage of humanity is useless?”

  “Surely, you can envision that for yourself. You are superior to the common ruck. Think.”

  “I do not have the benefit of your training,” Maddox said, dryly.

  “You believe yourself cunning, trying to lead me with your questions. Instead, I learn more about you by the second. It leaves me saddened and surprised. It seems inconceivable you have restructured genes. You are more like them than you are like us.”

  Restructured genes. Maddox remained pokerfaced instead of allowing his lips to twist with distaste. “What percentage of humanity is useless, in your opinion or in the opinion of the Throne World?”

  Per Lomax’s shoulders twitched once more. What was he thinking? “I would estimate seventy-five to ninety percent, depending on the star system.”

  Maddox felt himself go cold. “Are you suggesting that…your side plans to eliminate eighty percent of humanity?”

  “That is essentially correct. However, you must not think of them as humans, but as mongrels weakening the species with their befouled genes. We aid the human race, weeding out the sick and useless and strengthening what’s good.”

  He thinks he’s aiding us. Did I hear that right?

  “By strengthening, you mean to take the remaining twenty percent and breed them like cattle to produce ‘better’ humans,” Maddox said.

  “Selective breeding will be one manner of improvement. The greater way will be direct genetic manipulation. That will produce change at a faster rate.”

  Maddox tried to envision what that meant in real terms. The idea was monstrous, a plan to change humanity on a gigantic scale. How had the New Men ever conceived of that as a doable goal? It would take decades to implement, maybe even longer. The death, the misery and corruption it would entail, the mass murder…

  “I see your revulsion,” Per Lomax said. “That means your mind is too small to encompass reality. You prefer your propagandistic lies that you tell each other. You cannot see the greater good we will achieve. The New Order brings a better life because it improves a warped animal weakened by the comforts of the modern age.”

  Maddox stared at Per Lomax, wondering if the New Man really believed what he said. Did Per Lomax see himself as good? It seemed inconceivable. Maybe his captive tried to bewilder him with these sick ideas. Yet, how could Per Lomax think that would help his plight?

  “Let me explain a simple concept,” Per Lomax said. “Perhaps you can understand then. In the earliest days of proto-humanity, survival of the fittest ensured that the hardy and clever humans passed on their genetic material to the ensuing generations. The slow and the dull-witted died out, weeding their genes from the collective pool of possibilities. Your modern society has reversed the process. The hardy and clever have few children as they use their time and energy to amass wealth and position. The slothful and ignorant have mass broods, filling your planets with sub-standard stock. It is killing the human race. This will all change under the Throne World’s guidance.”

  “So…you’re helping us get better?” Maddox asked.

  “We are.”

  “By killing us?” Maddox asked.

  “By eliminating the befouling genetic elements,” Per Lomax said.

  “Maybe we don’t want your help.”

  “That is humanity’s collective stupidity speaking through you. For no other reasons than sloth and foolishness, your race loves to hinder progress. We will no longer allow that.”

  “What gives the New Men the right to interfere with us?” Maddox asked.

  “The Life Force Principle,” Per Lomax said.

  “What does that mean?”

  “Successful and continuous expansion throughout the galaxy,” Per Lomax said.

  “We’re already doing that.”

  After a moment, the New Man looked away.

  “Humanity is expanding,” Maddox said, pressing the point. “You’re hurting us by standing in our way. Thus, we will have to eliminate the New Men to protect ourselves.”

  “You will fail.”

  “I beat you. I succeeded.”

  “Your victory was an anomaly, an absurdity.”

  “What one can do once,” Maddox said, “one can duplicate.”

  “No,” Per Lomax said. “Humanity will fail without our guidance. We have to come to save the human race from its own folly. You have restructured genes. You have the mental capacity to understand the truth of my words. Release me, and I will ask the teacher to reconfigure your mind instead of simply destroying your body.”

  “No thanks.”

  Intensity flared in Per Lomax’s eyes. He became earnest. “You cannot defeat the New Order. That is an axiom derived from the power of our Life Force. Do not waste your genetic material on this folly. You were bred for better things than to stand in the way of progress.”

  My mother escaped from what, a breeding colony, a gene-splicing laboratory? What kind of monster wou
ld I be if she’d failed to escape? It killed her in the end. They killed her.

  “I slaughtered the New Men sent against me on Wolf Prime,” Maddox said, making a sweeping gesture. “We’re going to do the same thing in the Tannish System to your invasion armada.”

  “If you are correct in that—you have this ancient vessel, after all—you will be responsible for retarding the uplifting of your species. That would be a crime of the highest order, demanding the harshest punishments.”

  “Wrong,” Maddox said. “I’m the one punishing you. I will also enjoy smashing your armada.”

  “That is nonsensical.”

  “You used my mother in your Frankenstein experiments,” Maddox said. “You made me a—” The captain bit his tongue, bottling his emotions. After a moment, he grinned.

  Per Lomax cocked his head. “The Throne World granted you loftier genes. You are better than your compatriots are in every conceivable way. You should be grateful for this gift of superiority.”

  Maddox searched the New Man’s face. He didn’t detect madness or hypocrisy in Per Lomax. The other had a different philosophy, using words like utility and good in an opposite manner as the captain.

  The evilest people often regarded themselves and their actions as good. How could Per Lomax, how could a nation of people, have come to accept such a monstrous viewpoint? Why had the New Men ever thought of the idea of “helping” humanity? It seemed like an odd concept to arrive at. What compelled the New Men to want to “improve” the human race?

  Maddox considered the latest theory on the origins of the New Men. A utopian group of colonists—the Thomas Moore Society—had fled into the Beyond over one hundred and fifty years ago. The region where they fled was where the first known sightings of the New Men had occurred. Did that mean the New Men were the result of the colonists’ experiments?

  The idea made sense in a way, but how could the colonists have built a big enough industrial base to field the technologically advanced star cruisers? How had the colonists developed a superior beam and shield compared to Star Watch vessels?

  I’ve looked into Per Lomax’s thoughts. They’re demonic. Maybe it’s time to concentrate on the New Men’s societal structure. Maybe I can find a weakness there to exploit.