Eternity's End

by Jeffrey Carver

  "In the meantime, let me assure all the citizens of Faber Eridani that I will tolerate no interference in the affairs of this Spacing Authority by any outsider, including and especially members of any fringe group or the Kyber alliance."

  [Finger stabbing at the camera...]

  "If they want to interfere in our business, let 'em come and see how we deal with outsiders. Let 'em come—!"

  *

  Harriet froze the screen. For a long time, she stared thoughtfully at that angry, righteous image. Was it intuition, or wishful thinking, on her part? It seemed to her that the longer North protested, the more those angry eyes betrayed the soul of a man with a great deal to hide....

  Chapter 39

  Return to Faber Eridani

  Impris emerged from the Flux just inside the orbit of Janus, the largest of the gas giants of the Faber Eridani system. Their destination, the planet that shared the name of its sun, lay half a billion kilometers further in. Legroeder and Deutsch grinned across the net at each other, and Palagren and Ker'sell hooted a Narseil cheer. They left the net together and gathered on the bridge with Captain Friedman and the rest of the Impris crew. "Welcome home," Legroeder said to the captain.

  "Thank you," Friedman answered softly, his voice trembling with emotion. He gazed silently at the monitors, nodding as the nav officer confirmed the star system and their orbital path. Legroeder could see it on Friedman's face: Home, at last. Friedman sighed finally, and broke into a smile. "Thank you for everything," he said to the riggers, extending his gesture to Fre'geel and the other Narseil officers. Solemnly he went around the bridge, shaking hands.

  Impris was alone now on the final leg of her return, back in normal-space for the first time since the start of her ill-fated journey one hundred twenty-four years ago. The Ivan escort had stopped at the edge of Faber Eridani territorial space. The time might come when Free Kyber ships could enter that space freely, but it wasn't here yet.

  Legroeder wondered what Captain Friedman and the others were feeling as they approached their home port after a century away. To say that Legroeder himself felt mixed emotions would have been an understatement. His thoughts veered from Tracy-Ace, and a time on Ivan that already seemed a lifetime away, to growing apprehension about his return to Faber Eridani. He presumed he was still a fugitive, and it was possible he was walking right back into captivity. Was it too much to hope that in bringing Impris back from limbo he had exonerated himself in the eyes of the law?

  Captain Friedman finished logging the ship's status, then turned to the Narseil commander. "If you'd like to contact your colleagues now, you may go ahead and do so."

  Fre'geel signaled Cantha, who had been working with Com Officer Tiegs throughout the flight. Cantha placed the call to El'ken's asteroid.

  The plan was to report first to El'ken, and through him to the Narseil Naval authorities. Captain Friedman felt that the Narseil should be the first to learn the results of the mission that they had taken the risk of mounting; and while it would undoubtedly annoy the Faber Eri Spacing Authority not to be told first, Legroeder suspected that it might be to his advantage to have the Narseil already behind him.

  "On the com now," Cantha reported.

  "El'ken!" Fre'geel called.

  "Is that you, Fre'geel? Are you really still alive?" said a husky voice from the console. Legroeder was surprised how good it was to hear the voice of the Narseil historian.

  "This is Fre'geel—and I have Rigger Legroeder with me, and Palagren, and all of the surviving crew that penetrated raider Outpost Ivan. Have you heard from H'zzarrelik? We weren't able to contact them again."

  "H'zzarrelik returned safely to base," said El'ken. "We knew about your battle with a Kyber ship, and that you were attempting the penetration. But that was the last we heard. What success did you have?"

  Fre'geel glanced at Legroeder and cracked an almost human smile. "Better than you can imagine."

  "Please elaborate!" El'ken cried, his excitement audible through the com-link. "What ship are you in now? The captured raider?"

  "No, not the raider." Fre'geel started to say more, then waved Legroeder over instead. "Would you like to tell him?"

  Legroeder laughed and leaned toward to the console. "El'ken, this is Legroeder! Speaking to you from the deck of a legend..."

  * * *

  The conversation with El'ken was a lengthy one. After bringing El'ken up to date, the Narseil on both ends voiced concerns about whether Impris—or for that matter, Legroeder—would be free to continue on from Faber Eridani to the Narseil Rigging Institute. El'ken proposed that Legroeder be picked up by a Narseil diplomatic ship and brought to his asteroid for safety, a suggestion endorsed by Fre'geel. Legroeder was sorely tempted, but in the end he refused. Perhaps he was being stupid; but having come this far with Impris, he was determined to bring her the rest of the way home. Impris was of Faber Eridani registry and carried nearly four hundred Faber Eri citizens. It seemed unlikely that the ship itself would be in danger, whatever he personally might have to endure. And as for himself, he'd lived under a cloud long enough. It was high time this business was settled.

  "Do I still have a lawyer on Faber Eridani?" he asked El'ken.

  The historian hesitated, clearly reluctant to give up on his proposal. "Yes, you do," he said finally. "She has been living in our embassy on Faber Eridani, and working diligently on your behalf. She's compiled a sizable brief on the misdeeds of your authorities, in fact. Shall I send her word of your return? I can perhaps send more secure messages from here than you can from a civilian liner."

  "Please do," Legroeder answered, thinking with a pang, Harriet, living in the Narseil embassy? To stay out of jail, on my account?

  "And Rigger Legroeder—" El'ken said, interrupting his thoughts. "You might like to know, you've been cleared in the matter of Robert McGinnis's death. At least you won't have that hanging over you."

  Legroeder closed his eyes and breathed a silent prayer of thanks.

  "Rigger Legroeder? Did you hear me?"

  "Yes. Yes. Thank you, El'ken. That's very good news." He grunted and straightened up from the console, feeling a sudden lump in his throat. Somehow that last item had brought it all back with a sharp jolt of reality. McGinnis's death, and all the threats that awaited him on Faber Eridani.

  Fre'geel spoke a while longer with El'ken, discussing ways they might protect Narseil interests in information gleaned from the rescued starship, including dispatching a Narseil diplomatic ship to follow Impris in. Legroeder left them to work that out among themselves. But as Impris continued its long fall inward toward Faber Eridani, he felt his anxieties rising. Was he a fool not to have taken the Narseil up on their offer of protection?

  Soaring toward the golden-white sun and the planet of Faber Eridani, Legroeder could only imagine how the passengers must be reacting, as they watched the growing image of Faber Eri on their viewscreens. Captain Friedman stood for long periods of time on the bridge with his hands clenched, eyes focused on the growing orb of his ship's home port. Soon they would be calling for a tow to guide them into final planetary orbit.

  As they passed the outer markers for inbound starships, Captain Friedman gave the order to contact Approach Control. Com Officer Tiegs made the call. "Outer Orbit Approach, this is Starship Impris, Faber Eridani registry Sierra Alfa Niner Four Two Seven Two, with you at half a million kilometers. Transponder ident active on eight-niner-one Alfa..." A newer ship would have made the contact automatically, but they were lucky Impris's com systems were compatible at all.

  The reply from Approach Control shocked Legroeder: "Ship identifying as Impris, Outer Orbit Approach One. Change to vector three-two-seven Tango Charlie and proceed to holding orbit at four hundred thousand kilometers. Do NOT approach any closer to Faber Eridani."

  Tiegs glanced up in surprise. He adjusted the com settings. "Outer Approach, say again?"

  The instructions were repeated. "Any attempt to approach this planet will result in immediate p
olice action..."

  * * *

  The captain summoned his officers to a hurried conference. Legroeder could only admit his surprise and advise the captain to go along with the orders.

  They were not alone for long in the holding orbit. Two interplanetary destroyers were approaching at high acceleration. The lead destroyer contacted them with a curt: "Ship identified as Impris, this is Spacing Authority Destroyer Vigilant. Prepare to be boarded for inspection. You are ordered to shut down all propulsive systems. Any unauthorized maneuvers will be considered hostile and subject to immediate response."

  Legroeder stared at the warships in dismay and disbelief. Was this to be a replay of his first arrival, only worse?

  "What the hell is going on?" Captain Friedman asked in bewilderment, with a tinge of anger in his voice. "This is our home planet! Do they think we're an enemy? A threat?"

  "They're quarantining us, I think."

  "Why? Do they think we have some kind of space disease?"

  Legroeder shook his head. "I think this is political, not medical." Were they after him? This would be overkill, even if they knew he was aboard. But who knew what might have gone on in his absence? "Captain, I'm worried about who's in charge down there. Given what happened to me last time, I would be... reluctant... to let them board us way out here, if we can avoid it."

  But what could they do? They couldn't fight—though for a moment, he fantasized having his finger on the button of H'zzarrelik's concealed weapons. He shivered. A glance at Agamem, the Narseil weapons officer, suggested that he was not the only one harboring fantasies.

  "Got to be a misunderstanding," Friedman muttered. "Tiegs, send our ident again." He paced the deck for a moment, then strode to the com. "This is Captain Noel Friedman of Impris. We are Faber Eridani citizens. We have been stranded in space for one hundred and twenty-four years. We are a registered starliner of Faber Eridani, with civilians on board. I demand you explain this treatment."

  "We are aware of your claim," answered the destroyer. "You are being detained under Special Provision, Section 128-d of the Spacing Authority Code, by order of the Commissioner. Match orbit and turn off your space inductors. This is your final warning."

  Friedman muttered orders to the maneuvering crew, then glanced at Legroeder. "Looks as though we're going to be boarded, like it or not."

  Legroeder thought furiously. Why the hostility? Confusion, he'd expected—or skepticism. Even caution might be called for—a prudent medical quarantine, perhaps—but that could be done in a far less bellicose fashion. That left one possibility that he could think of: someone in the Spacing Authority didn't want Impris coming home. Did they really have that much stake in perpetuating a lie? "Captain, if you can find any way to stall—and see if we can get a signal out onto the worldnet on Faber Eri. Make some kind of broadband announcement of who we are and what's happening..." He frowned, wondering if they could somehow reach Harriet.

  "Tiegs, did you hear that? Get on it!"

  "Captain, I don't know how to tie in—"

  Cantha slid into place beside him. "I'll help. I know the Centrist nets."

  "Good. Legroeder, do we have any allies on the ground? Any remnant of Golden Star Lines? Any surviving officers? Anyone who might have a legal interest in our return?"

  Legroeder rubbed his jaw. "Besides my lawyer, none that I know of. There was chaos after the war, and then a deliberate cover-up. But people still know about you. I think the worldnet is our best bet. Try to get picked up on the news." He pointed to the destroyers moving against the stars, like two sharks in the night. "This far from the planet, that's probably our best protection against our friends out there opening fire and asking questions later."

  Fre'geel stepped forward in agitation. "Captain, it was clearly a mistake to come here without advance preparation—but it's not too late to get a message off to our diplomatic ship. And our embassy. They can apply some pressure." Fre'geel shot Legroeder an enigmatic glance. Annoyance, for rejecting El'ken's plan?

  "By all means," Friedman said, gesturing to the com. He leaned over Tiegs. "How are you doing on that announcement?"

  "Sending a first burst now, Captain. We didn't have time to say anything fancy—"

  "We don't need fancy—just get word out that we're here!"

  "First announcement away. Cantha, are you ready with the next?—oh hell!—Captain, message from destroyer Vigilant."

  "Put it on."

  "Ship identifying as Impris, you are ordered to cease your transmissions at once—"

  Friedman jabbed a finger. "Don't answer. Finish those messages! Fre'geel, have you gotten your messages out yet?"

  "I'm sending blind," said the Narseil. "No replies yet."

  Friedman reached across Tiegs to open a third channel. "Vigilant, this is Impris. Say again? Your signal was garbled. Did you say—?"

  "Look out!" cried several of the Narseil at once.

  An instant later, there was a flash of blue-green light from the lead destroyer.

  "They've fired at us!" cried Johnson, on the nav console. His voice held steady. "Tracking now—it's a missile, aimed for our bow!"

  "Reverse space inductors!" Friedman shouted. "Sound collision alarms!"

  Legroeder grabbed for support as he felt a momentary change in gravity.

  The missile billowed into a prolonged, exploding swath as it streaked past the ship's bow, only a few kilometers wide. It had obviously been intended as a warning—but a deadly clear one.

  Fre'geel hissed a stream of Narseil epithets. Legroeder didn't say a word; he stared into the monitor, feeling his eyes bulge. Had he brought Impris home only to see it destroyed?

  The com crackled to life again. "Ship identifying as Impris, if you do not cease transmissions, the next shot will not miss."

  "They're jamming now," reported Tiegs.

  "Cease transmission," said Friedman. "And open my response channel." Friedman raised his voice. "Destroyer Vigilant, I remind you that this ship carries several hundred citizens of Faber Eridani. How dare you fire upon us! I hold you responsible for the safety of—"

  His voice broke off as a sudden tremor passed through the deck of the starship, causing Legroeder to grab for another handhold.

  "What the hell was that?" Friedman barked.

  "There!" cried Johnson, pointing to the long-ranger scanner. "Look at that!" A dozen or more ships were materializing out of the Flux—an entire armada—directly into orbit around Faber Eridani. They were far too close to the planet for safety, and the bridge continued quaking as waves of gravitational disturbance passed through Impris.

  Legroeder shuddered. If those riggers had miscalculated even a little, those ships could have slammed into the planet's crust like cannon balls.

  "Are those people idiots? Who are they?" Friedman demanded.

  "They're Kyber ships!" Deutsch said. "Look at them!"

  Four or five of the ships were almost as close to them now as the two Faber Eri destroyers. They were moving fast—and they appeared to be maneuvering to surround Impris. But for what purpose? To capture her?

  "Whose? Ivan's?" Legroeder asked.

  Deutsch was studying the screen. "I don't think so. I'm not sure, but—"

  He was interrupted by a yell from Tiegs. "Captain, they're sending a warning to the destroyers to keep their distance!"

  "Well, that's good—I think. Isn't it?"

  "I'm not sure—wait." Tiegs made some adjustments to the display, trying to make sense of a barrage of incoming information. "Listen to this. It's coming from that fleet. Going out on regular com, but also onto the worldnet!"

  A metallic-sounding voice filled the bridge, apparently coming from one of the Kyber ships. "...here to guarantee starship Impris's safe passage home. We are Kilo-Mike/Carlotta, of the Free Kyber Republics. We're not here to bother anyone, as long as you let this ship through to her home port—now. It is carrying—" the voice hesitated, as though fumbling through a script "—information vital to riggers of al
l worlds. Any interference with Impris could have dire consequences..."

  There was more of that, followed by a challenge from the Faber Eridani destroyers. In response, the Kyber ship repeated its intention to guarantee Impris's unimpeded passage.

  On the Impris bridge, they listened to the exchange in stunned silence. This was altogether too bizarre. Legroeder felt as if events were slipping entirely out of his control.

  "Captain!" Tiegs called. "We're picking up some response on the worldnet! A lot of it. A whole series of... what did you call them, Cantha?"

  "Response trees," said the Narseil. "People are picking up on it—amazingly fast, and in large numbers. A lot of them seem to want to know if we're who we say we are." He put a rapidly scrolling stream of messages up on one of the com-screens. "And the news nets are starting to pick up the story. Captain, we're becoming news all over the planet!" He touched another control, and on a second screen, multiple frames showed talking heads chattering excitedly. One, and then others, switched to high-powered telescope images of the spaceships.

  "Do they know about the Kyber fleet, too?" Friedman asked.

  "Yes—but I'm not sure anyone knows what to make of it. There seems to be a lot of confusion."

  "Well, I'm certainly confused," Friedman said. He turned to Legroeder. "How much do they know about the Kyber on Faber Eridani?"

  Legroeder opened his mouth and closed it. "Well... they know about the old Kyber worlds. But the Free Kyber Republic is just a fancy name for what they'd call the Golen Space pirates."