Patriarch's Hope (The Seafort Saga Book 6)

by David Feintuch

  Pounding, on the hatch. I looked up. Christ, Seafort, you idiot. The bolt was cut, and still I played the flame at it. I twisted off the torch, slapped the panel just as someone in the lock did the same.

  The smoking hatch slid open, grating against its pocket. Half-suited figures poured out the lock. Arlene. Philip. Bevin. Others still in helmets.

  I threw down the torch, grabbed my canes. “Tobrok! You men!” I beckoned frantically.

  The master-at-arms abandoned his hose. It flopped wildly, like a beached fish. He raced down the corridor toward us.

  “This way!” I pointed west, away from the armed party with the laser.

  Someone grabbed my chair handles. I lurched along the corridor, hanging on as best I could.

  Pounding feet, the rasp of breath. We thudded down the corridor. Jared tore off his heavy helmet.

  Behind us, shouts.

  “Faster!” I tried to spin the wheels. Where in God’s own Hell was the ladder?

  Three men lunged out of a cabin, brandishing billies. Derek ducked under one. Jared, with all his strength, swung his helmet in a vicious arc. It caught his attacker in the forehead, dropped him like a stone. We raced on.

  Ahead, the ladder. As we neared, a dozen sailors charged down the steps from Level 3.

  We were trapped. Someone hauled my chair backward. I pitched forward; a hand clutched my collar, hauled me into my seat as we retreated.

  “This way!” Tobrok ran back the way we had come. “Fast!” That way lay the laser pistol, and death. “Hurry, sir!”

  We had no choice. As one, we followed.

  Twenty paces from the stairs, Tobrok dived to a hatch in the bulkhead. The lift.

  He pounded the call button.

  The hatch slid open. We piled in. We were too many. I grabbed someone onto my lap. Bevin. Derek, Anselm, and Jared swarmed into the packed lift like demented students in an electricar.

  “Where?”

  I gasped, “Two!” I had to get out of full gravity, no matter the cost.

  “There they are!” Our pursuers charged the lift.

  Someone slapped the hatch panel. The door slid. A billy flashed; Derek cried out. I waited for the inevitable laser bolt that would end us all. None came.

  The hatch closed. We started up.

  “Bevin, hold still.” My back was breaking. “Tobrok, where to?”

  “My berth.”

  “They know you’ve gone over to us.”

  “The dining hall, then. West.” It had several entrances, I recalled, and was as good a goal as any.

  My load lightened. We were passing into the vortex of the bow gravitron.

  The hatch slid open. I braced for the thud of clubs, the flash of lasers.

  Nothing.

  “Send the lift back down to six.” It might throw them off.

  “Quick!” Tobrok led us along the corridor past lounges, exercise rooms, cabins. At last, the dining-hall entry.

  We dashed in.

  Within, a deserted island of calm. Elegant crystalware. Plush seats.

  “The galley, sir. It has hatches to the corridor.”

  “Go.”

  In a moment we were there. Well past midnight, it was deserted. Tobrok flicked off the light. By the glow of the emergency bulbs, we huddled behind a row of freezers, taking stock.

  “Anyone hurt?”

  “No, sir.” Bevin.

  “Not I.” Anselm.

  I looked about. “Good, everyone’s—Lord God damn it, what are you doing here?”

  Mikhael squirmed. “I brought him.” Derek’s voice was calm.

  “Why?”

  “Because he’s your son.”

  “I told you—”

  “He’s your son. Is he not?”

  “Yes.” That was why I wanted him in safety.

  “You allowed Philip.”

  I had to. At twenty-four, he was beyond my control.

  Mikhael would never grasp the distinction.

  I said deliberately, “You’re right. Mikhael, I apologize. It was wrong to forbid you.” His eyes glistened.

  “Nick, we need guns.” Arlene paced, a tigress on the prowl.

  “I couldn’t get to them.” I felt a fool. “All we have is two stunners.”

  “And knives.” Derek fingered the kitchenware.

  “Fire axes, if it comes to that.” Philip.

  “Sir, they’re my mates,” said Tobrok. “I’ll defend you, but don’t ask me to take down my sailors with a fire ax.”

  “I understand.” I’d already asked more of the man than was decent.

  While they caught their breath, I brought my allies up-to-date. Questions; I did my best to answer.

  Philip said little. When we were done he knelt by my chair. “The engine room has a tool shop. We can arm ourselves.”

  “No time to fabricate weapons.”

  “They’d have torches. Metal for clubs. Acid. Oil for firebombs.” His voice was so calm, it belied the bloodthirsty implication of his words.

  “Son, we’re not looking for a bloodbath.” I wanted to take the ship, not slaughter the crew.

  “If we had lasers, we’d use them.”

  “True.”

  With great caution, I rose from my chair, grateful for the light gravity. My spine twinged, but I had full feeling, and my legs moved. With my canes, I paced. What we needed was to break into the bridge. Or the armory, if Stanger had left any arms.

  “Stanger’s our goal. Capture him and resistance will collapse.”

  “Not necessarily, sir. Anyone who supported him faces hanging. They’ll be desperate.”

  “Only if they know I’ve relieved him.”

  “Make a shipwide announcement.” Arlene. “Put them all on notice, drive a wedge into his forces.”

  Derek said, “For that we need the comm room.”

  “No. Just a caller.” I looked about. “The comm room can switch us to shipwide circuit.”

  “Hold, sir.” Tobrok. “If we call, the comm techs will know where we are.”

  Yes, but they’d acknowledged my command of Galactic. Would their loyalty revert to Stanger? Philip’s and Arlene’s lives were at stake. And Mikhael’s.

  Philip’s voice was sharp. “Where’s Jared?”

  “He was here a minute ago.” Anselm looked about.

  “Find him.” Philip strode to the serving doors to the eating room.

  I snapped. “Stay in the galley.” I cane-walked across the deck. “If one of them looks in—”

  “I’ve got to find him.”

  “Do as you’re told.” My voice was ice.

  “Fath—”

  “This minute!”

  “But I—” He sagged. “Yes, sir.”

  Jared was expendable. Any of us were. “Mr. Tobrok, send a man—”

  “Seafort, this is the Captain.” His voice was hard. “We destroyed your shuttle. You have no way off the ship. Put down your arms and surrender.”

  Arlene snorted. “What arms?”

  “Shush.”

  “If we must, we’ll seek you out compartment by compartment, and my men will shoot to kill. Call the bridge to give yourselves up.”

  I waited, but there was no more. “Now what?” I looked about.

  “Make your announcement,” said Arlene. “Before he rallies the crew against us.”

  “Tobrok, send a man to the comm room with a stunner. If we keep an eye on them, they won’t betray—”

  Outside, the murmur of voices. I put my finger to my lips. “The stunner!” It was barely a whisper. Arlene took up position by the door.

  We’d barely come aboard, and already it was over. A futile, token resistance, and we’d be overwhelmed. I eased out of my chair, balanced on one cane, gripped my billy club.

  Come on, you bastards.

  “Move, God damn you!” A midshipman stumbled through the door, hands in air, his mouth set in a sneer. Behind him, a sailor. Another. To the rear, Jared, brandishing a laser. “Watch them, sir.” Gingerly,
he handed the laser to Derek.

  Philip bounded across the galley. He slapped Jared hard, swept him into a fierce hug. “You idiot. You fool.”

  Derek smiled at the sailors. “Breathe funny. Try it.” They stood perfectly still.

  I found my voice. “Jared, how in God’s name did you—”

  His words were muffled, from P.T.’s shoulder. “You needed guns.”

  “Where—why—”

  “I slipped out the side entrance.”

  “They might have killed you.”

  “I realized ...” He raised his head, pulled clear of my son’s embrace. “How many passengers have been ferried up? Two thousand? And they just boarded. Nobody would know me. So I was a frightened passenger looking for help. They’re near my cabin, sir, come quick. The number? I don’t know, but it’s over—” His hand swept out, as if knocking a weapon from someone’s grasp. “I didn’t know what else to do, so I brought them here.”

  I turned to the middy. “You!” We’d met before.

  “Edwin Speke.”

  “What Level were you on? What were your orders?”

  “Edwin Speke, Midshipman. ID 76L542—”

  “Answer!”

  “Edwin Speke.” His voice shook with hatred. “That grode asked for help! We were helping him when he attacked!” The unfairness overwhelmed him. “You goddamn frazzing—”

  I raised a warning finger. There were limits.

  He folded his arms. “That’s all you’ll get.”

  “I’m Nick Seafort. I’ve relieved your Captain, and appointed myself.”

  “I don’t care.”

  What kind of middies was Academy sending us these days? “Care, boy. Your life depends on it.”

  “You’d shoot me?” His contempt dripped.

  “Admiralty will hang you. I’m Captain of Galactic; you’re subject to my orders.”

  “Prove it.”

  I glanced about, saw no console, said lamely, “It’s in the Log.”

  “Show it to—”

  “Sir, time’s wasting.” Derek.

  “Tobrok, take your men and try to reach the comm room. Leave one of them to make sure they don’t tell Stanger our location. Call here.” I would broadcast my assumption of command to the ship.

  “Aye aye, sir. And these two?” He indicated the sailors.

  A problem. I couldn’t bring more than a few of them; there was no room. That’s assuming we could reach the brig, and that Stanger’s forces didn’t release them the moment we left.

  The ship was simply too big, and with a crew of eight hundred, there were more on his side than on ours. I tried to puzzle it out.

  “Arlene.” My face was impassive. With the stunner, she touched one of them in the ribs. His eyes rolled upward as he fell. She whirled to his companion, dropped him before he could protest.

  “You bastards!” The middy’s fists clenched.

  “Two demerits. Four.”

  “You can’t issue me—”

  “Five.”

  He fell silent.

  I said, “We need to break into the armory, unless Stanger’s emptied it.” But the armory, like the bridge, was built as a fortress. Cutting through its reinforced plates would be a major undertaking. “I left the torch at the airlock.”

  “Stanger’s territory, by now.”

  “No doubt.” I needed help. Balefully, I eyed the middy. “Joey, where’s the nearest console?”

  “I don’t have to tell you. The Captain—”

  “Derek, shoot him. I’ve had enough.”

  “No!” A cry of genuine fear.

  Obligingly, Derek aimed between his eyes. I wondered if the boy saw the safety was still on.

  “Please, sir!”

  “You’ll do as I say?”

  “Yes!” Reflexively, the middy ran fingers through his hair. His hand trembled.

  “Go to the brig. It’s a few hatchways past the bend. Sit at the console and call up the bloody Log!”

  “Nick, he’ll run to Stanger.” Arlene.

  “No, he won’t. Not until he looks. Decide who’s Captain, Mr. Speke. If it’s me, enter your demerits. Hurry back.” I glared. “Well?”

  “Aye aye, sir.”

  “Don’t let him go! We’re all at risk.”

  “It’s all right, hon.” Though he might not know it, the middy had acknowledged me when he lapsed silent at the threat of my demerits.

  The boy slunk out.

  Stanger had been quiet a long while. What was he up to? Would he turn his wrath on a world held hostage? “We need the laser room.”

  Derek checked his pistol. “Probably enough charge to burn through the hatch. But if they’re waiting inside ...” A shootout, with Lord knew how many killed.

  “We need more guns.”

  P.T. said, “I’ll go out as Jared did. Have Mom and Derek hide in a cabin, and I’ll lead sailors into an ambush.”

  “You’re too well known.” As my son, his face had at times been in the holos.

  “Not so well—”

  “I’ll go.” Mikhael.

  “Out of the question.”

  “Who else can you send? The cadets’ uniforms would give them away. Jared’s already been out. Mr. Carr? He’s in the holozines too. And I’m just a joeykid, who’d be afraid of me?”

  “Mikhael—” If I faced Alexi before Lord God, and had to explain I’d sent his son to slaughter ...”

  “Please, Pa. Watch!” Mikhael jumped up and down excitedly. “Joeys with guns and stunners!” He pointed. “I was coming out of the lounge, and—”

  I looked to Arlene.

  She shrugged. “It might work.”

  “I don’t want him hurt.”

  “Please! Let me be brave!”

  While I hesitated Arlene said, “Tell them you’re in cabin two sixteen. Lead them past the exercise room, that’s where we’ll be. Now, we have only one pistol. I can take four, perhaps five, with surprise. Don’t lead a troop of fifteen to us.”

  “No, ma’am.”

  “If they’re too many, walk up to them and ask if it’s all right to be out of your cabin. They’ll tell you to get lost. Derek, let’s go. Nick, make your announcement. You know where we’ll be.”

  Knowing it was dangerous folly, I let them depart.

  Waiting helplessly, I tried to plan. First, my announcement. Then the laser room. Somehow I’d disable Galactic’s lasers, if I had to burn their consoles into smoking puddles. If I could secure the ship, Stanger could have the bridge. He wasn’t taking Galactic anywhere; Chief McAndrews wouldn’t let him. I’d starve him out if necessary.

  Hobbling, I paced. “Tobrok should have called by now.”

  P.T. said, “If he ran into a patrol ...”

  “Shall I risk calling the comm room?”

  “No. Wait.”

  I should have taken the master-at-arms to the laser room as soon as I’d boarded. With that disabled, I’d have had time to figure out the rest. But he’d disputed my authority, and there was the comm room to secure, and we had to cut through the lock, and ... I sighed.

  Distant shouts. A scream.

  I sat. After a time, my nerves were stretched tight.

  Footsteps, in the dining hall.

  P.T. pulled out his stunner, took position just inside the double door. He crouched. Anselm had a knife, Bevin an iron cooking pan with a long handle. They planted themselves in front of my chair.

  “Nicky, it’s us.” Arlene. I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding.

  The door swung open. She dropped her booty on a counter: three pistols, an ugly laser rifle, even more accurate than a pistol. Derek, behind her, put his weapon on safety.

  My voice was hoarse. “Where’s Mikhael?”

  “Outside. You’d better go to him.”

  Oh, Lord God. He was hurt. I leaned hard on my canes, practically launched myself in the light gravity.

  I passed through the serving doors into the sumptuous dining hall.

  Mikhael, hi
s back to me, sagged against a pillar, sobbing.

  “What is it, son?”

  His shoulders shook in a silent spasm. I put aside a cane, laid an arm across his shoulder. “Tell me.”

  “Look what I did.” Scarlet with mortification, he faced me, revealing his damp pants. “Like a ... like a ...” He wept. “I wanted to be brave like Dad, and now this.”

  Relief swept through me. “Is that all?” I buried his head in my chest. “You must have been terrified.”

  “That middy, Speke. He saw me, and I thought he’d tell them, and then Ms. Seafort, she—”

  It would have been grim, at close range.

  “I can’t go in. I can’t let them see.”

  “I’ll tell you a secret.” I raised his chin. “It happened to me, once.” An alien form skittered through the wreck of Telstar, close enough to touch. Fuse, Vax. Fuse the ship. I shuddered.

  “You’re just saying that.” Misery permeated his features. “I want to die.”

  “It’s true. I wet myself. What makes you think you’re immune to fear?”

  “You and Mr. Carr, you’re so brave. Nothing frightens—”

  “Oh, son. Courage isn’t living without fear. It’s in what you do despite your fear.”

  It seemed, after a time, to calm him. Clinging to me like a bashful toddler, he allowed me to guide him to the galley.

  I was desperate. We’d apparently lost Tobrok and his men. The middy Speke hadn’t returned. Stanger would come for us at any moment. I dared not call the comm room; it would give away our position. The laser room was on Level 1. We had the firepower to force its hatch, but the Captain almost certainly guarded the ladder wells. Even if, by some miracle, neither Speke nor Tobrok had told him our whereabouts, he’d certainly know his Level 2 patrols weren’t disappearing by accident.

  “I’m coming in.” A voice from the darkened dining hall.

  “Lord Jesus!” I tried to surge to my feet, and recoiled from a white-hot lance of pain.

  “Don’t shoot.” Midshipman Speke poked his head into the galley.

  Arlene grabbed him by the collar, slammed him against a cooler. “Where’d you go?” A shake, that rattled his teeth. “Answer!”