The Lost Star Gate (Lost Starship Series Book 9)

by Vaughn Heppner

  In the darkness, Mako scrunched her brow—

  Oh. That was simple. Her body ached because she’d received two new bodily modifications during the trip. One of the modifications involved anti-gravity mesh inserted inside her feet, her upper back and in her forearms.

  She had trained—no, she had not trained in the normal sense. In her sleep, the Educator had simulated extended dream-flights. If she was free of the restraints, she could no doubt fly as well as any anti-gravity-mesh-assisted human could do. The last modification—

  My left index finger, she realized. It could act like a beam weapon, charged by the power supply under her ribcage near her heart.

  Two new inner modifications indicated further work for her as a Surveyor/Spacer-Intelligence operative.

  That still did not explain how earlier she’d rubbed her forehead while strapped down on a table.

  Mako turned her head wildly, trying to see. Was someone in the dark here with her? Had that person rubbed her head?

  Hmm… That did not make logical sense. She’d rubbed her head as she thought about it. No one could time it like that…unless the other read her mind. Yet, Mako did not believe mindreading likely. She doubted anyone aboard the hauler could read her mind. Her modifications were too powerful to allow something like that.

  Then—

  I did it, Mako realized. The Educator taught me to use my other modifications in new manner.

  Yes, she could now move matter in subtle ways as her brainwaves stimulated her modifications that could move her skin, scratch her back and—

  The straps holding down her legs, torso and arms unlatched and lifted off, moved by her new tech-driven telekinesis.

  Mako sat up on a bed of sorts. She had no idea how high off the ground she might be. She thus used her modifications to search the darkness. It took effort and concentration—

  Click.

  Light flooded the chamber.

  Since Mako had effected that, she’d been ready for the blinding light, having covered her goggles with both hands. Slowly, she began to let a little light between her fingers.

  Soon, she removed her hands from her goggles and perceived—Mako slid off the bed and examined the chamber. A vast machine filled the room. She would have slid into a hole in the middle of the machine, as this was the Educator.

  As Mako stood studying the machine, an outer hatch slid open and two provost marshals entered. Each aimed a beamer at her.

  Mako concentrated.

  The marshals cried out, each releasing his suddenly hot weapon so both clattered onto the floor. The men looked up at her, and charged in unison.

  Before Mako could stop herself, she reached out with the power of her modifications, searched their interior bodies and snipped a critical artery inside each. Both marshals collapsed onto the floor, twitching in their death throes.

  Mako might have walked out of the chamber, but she stopped in horror, looking at the two dead men. She couldn’t believe that she’d so casually murdered two provost marshals.

  “It happened too fast,” she said weakly.

  A cold chuckle was the only reply.

  Mako’s head snapped up as she searched— “Visionary,” she said.

  “Yes, Mako,” a reply came out of a wall-speaker.

  “You’ve been watching me.”

  “All the time,” the Visionary said.

  “You’re changing me, aren’t you?”

  “Oh, indeed,” the Visionary said.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “That is the question of the ages, Mako, but you already know the answer.”

  Mako cocked her head. Was that true? Did she know the…? She had an answer, but it was incomplete.

  To test her belief, Mako asked, “I am the Spacer egg?”

  “Yes,” the Visionary said.

  Mako thought about that, finally asking, “What good is an answer that you don’t understand?”

  “You tell me.”

  “Ah,” Mako said. “My incomplete knowledge is a signpost. It tells me in what direction I’ll find my answer if I’m willing to keep looking.”

  “Very good, Mako,” the Visionary said.

  “What is the Spacer egg?” Mako asked.

  “You are,” the Visionary said.

  “I would like greater clarification.”

  “I know.”

  “Are you trying to test my patience?”

  “Mako,” the Visionary chided. “There is really very little that I can teach you from here. Most of it you will have to learn on your own. The problem is that you aren’t using your abilities to their fullest. As the first step, you must start thinking, really and truly thinking.”

  Mako did just that, engaging her intellect upon the problem of the Spacer egg. After a time, her head came up sharply.

  “You’re talking about an evolutionary step,” Mako said.

  “And?” the Visionary prodded.

  Mako’s brow furrowed as she considered— “Not just an evolutionary step,” she said, “but a guided evolutionary step.”

  “I have a question for you.”

  “Ask,” Mako said.

  “If we were to speak together—I mean in the same room—would you try to kill me for what I’ve done to you?”

  Mako found that a shocking question until she considered the two dead provost marshals. She’d become a living weapon. The Visionary wisely feared her.

  “Would my word that I wouldn’t harm you mean anything to you?” Mako asked.

  “Let’s find out,” the Visionary said. “Will you give me your word?”

  “I will. You are safe with me until the journey ends.”

  “I will have to ask for clarification. Do you mean the end of the journey aboard the Sulla 7?”

  “That,” Mako said.

  “Then I accept,” the Visionary said. “I have a few questions for you, and I suspect you’ll have a few as well for me. This is a gravid voyage, you know?”

  Mako mentally tested herself, scanning her body. “I’m not pregnant.”

  “I would kill the Strand clone if you were,” the Visionary said. “No. You’re going to impregnate something.”

  “I’m female, so how is that possible?”

  “You’re right,” the Visionary said, “you are female. But you are also the Spacer…well, egg wouldn’t be the right term exactly, but it will suffice for now.”

  “You’ve…changed me so I can perform a specific mission?”

  “A mission of galactic importance,” the Visionary said. “After you complete the mission…the universe will never be the same.”

  “I’m intrigued,” Mako said. “Tell me more.”

  “Good and yes,” the Visionary said. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  -61-

  As Mako learned her next lesson aboard the Spacer-recaptured Nerva hauler, Starship Victory exited a Laumer Point, arriving at its middle-Beyond destination.

  Lieutenant Noonan perked up from a mild form of Jump Lag and began to scan the star system. She stiffened almost immediately.

  The main hatch opened and Maddox strode within.

  “Sir,” Valerie said, while swiveling around in her seat. “We’ve reached the system with the New Man nexus.”

  Maddox rubbed his hands in anticipation as he approached the main screen.

  “The system has a G-class star,” Valerie reported, reading from her panel. “It’s 1.21 percent the mass of the Sun. There are three inner terrestrial planets, an Asteroid Belt and four outer gas giants with a greater Oort Cloud beyond.”

  Maddox nodded while mentally ingesting the data.

  “I’m not finding any planetary or orbital settlements,” Valerie said. “There are three star cruisers. They’re orbiting the nexus, sir, at the discreet distance of one million kilometers. The nexus appears inert without any appreciable radiation around it.”

  Valerie tapped her panel.

  On the main screen appeared a dot for the nexus, with three r
ed dots farther out representing the star cruisers. The giant Builder artifact was in the system’s Asteroid Belt. The nearest object to the nexus was an asteroid fourteen kilometers wide, presently 32 million kilometers from the Builder pyramid.

  “The New Men have failed to fortify the star system?” Maddox asked the professor.

  The Methuselah Man sat at his station. “I would have told you if they’d done so,” Ludendorff said.

  “Which isn’t an answer,” Maddox pointed out.

  “No fortifications, my boy,” Ludendorff said. “There’s your answer.”

  “Have the star cruisers attempted to hail us?” Maddox asked Valerie.

  The lieutenant shook her head.

  Maddox turned and walked to his chair, sitting, thinking about the situation. “Plot a heading to the nexus,” he told Keith.

  “Aye, aye, sir,” the ace said, tapping his board. “Course laid in, sir.”

  “Engage, Mr. Maker,” Maddox said.

  Keith manipulated his piloting board. Seconds later, Victory began to accelerate toward the distant Builder object.

  ***

  It took eleven hours before the star cruisers gave any indication that they noticed the Star Watch vessel closing in on the nexus.

  A New Man hailed Victory. Valerie tapped her board, opening channels.

  “You are illegally entering Throne World territory,” the New Man said via comm on the bridge loudspeaker. He did not show his face on the main screen even though Valerie had made it possible for him to do so if he’d wished.

  Valerie now informed the captain, who was in his quarters sleeping.

  Maddox slipped out of bed, yawned and met Meta coming out of the shower. He inspected his gloriously naked wife. This was the right way to wake up.

  He embraced Meta and kissed her lingeringly.

  “You’re feeling better,” Meta said archly.

  “According to Valerie, the New Men are warning us. I take that as a good sign.”

  Soon enough, Maddox appeared on the bridge in his uniform, finishing a cup of coffee, his hair only slightly damp as he sat down in his command chair.

  Valerie informed him of a second warning that had come ninety seconds ago.

  “What’s the tactical situation?” Maddox asked.

  “We’re ten million kilometers from the nexus and closing fast,” Valerie said. “The three star cruisers have maneuvered into a blocking position. We’re at much greater velocity than they and can still break off if we do it soon.”

  “Noted,” Maddox said, while fingering his chin. “Mr. Maker.”

  “Aye, sir,” Keith said.

  “Reduce our velocity to one quarter of our present speed.”

  Keith waited a second and then manipulated his board.

  “Open channels with the originally hailing star cruiser,” Maddox told Valerie.

  She did so, looking at him afterward.

  Maddox faced the blank main screen. He was giving them video. They hadn’t yet done likewise. Some might consider that rude, but he was going to ignore the slight.

  “This is Captain Maddox of Starship Victory,” he began. “I’m on an urgent mission of critical importance to the Throne World and the Commonwealth alike. We’re aware of the recent Swarm invasion into the Throne World System, and of your defeat of the invading force. Likely, you’re also aware that Admiral Fletcher of the Grand Fleet annihilated a second Swarm invasion into the Hydras System.

  “It is Star Watch’s belief that we must stop further invasions before the Swarm Imperium floods our systems with several hundred thousand warships. We have a plan that will halt the Swarm assaults for the foreseeable future.”

  Maddox waited for a reply.

  Victory had reduced its velocity, but it was still moving toward the nexus. The distance between the ancient Adok vessel and the three star cruisers was minimal in terms of communication lag.

  Maddox forced himself to remain erect and poised. Was he dealing with one of Lord Drakos’s groups or were these Throne World New Men? If the star cruisers warmed up their cannons, he would fight regardless of their designation. Victory had a fighting chance against three.

  “Sir,” Valerie said.

  The lieutenant did not need to say more, as a New Man appeared on the main screen. He was standing—quite tall and even stately in manner. There was something different about him, even though he wore a common silver uniform. He had an extraordinarily intense gaze and radiated strength and determination.

  “I know you,” Maddox said, recognizing the New Man.

  The other nodded.

  “You are Golden Ural.”

  “That is correct,” the other said. “I am the Emperor’s troubleshooter, and I find it puzzling that you are so far from home.”

  “Did you receive my message concerning the Swarm?” Maddox asked.

  “I would not be talking to you otherwise, Captain.”

  Maddox nodded. “We’re here because we have need of the nexus.”

  “It is ours,” Golden Ural said softly.

  Maddox found that it was difficult to sit while the other stood. That was odd, wasn’t it? There was another thing. He felt a strange liking for Golden Ural, and he didn’t know why. Maybe it was the other’s stately presence. The New Man seemed regal rather than arrogant in ways none of the others he’d met so far had.

  The captain stood up and squared his shoulders.

  “You have quite the reputation, Captain Maddox. It would be a feather in my cap to capture your starship and present it to the Emperor as a gift.”

  Maddox ignored the comment. He felt it hadn’t been spoken as a threat, but as something else. “You and I fought together against the original Swarm invasion,” he said. “We beat an Imperial Fleet once.”

  Golden Ural studied him for a time, finally saying, “That is true.”

  “It would be a shame if we fought amongst ourselves while our worlds were under Swarm threat.”

  Golden Ural spoke sooner this time. “Perhaps you are correct in your thesis, Captain.”

  “We must destroy the nearest nexuses in Swarm space,” Maddox said. “According to Professor Ludendorff, a nexus can only create a hyper-spatial tube four thousand light-years in length. If we destroy the local Swarm nexuses, the Imperium will have a harder time invading Human Space—and Throne World territory as well.”

  “That is logical,” Golden Ural said.

  “That is our mission—my mission…sir,” Maddox said.

  Golden Ural’s eyes seemed to gleam and an odd smile crept upon his majestic face. Maddox could not understand the smile’s significance.

  The New Man looked away, but it didn’t seem as if he looked to anyone else off screen. Finally, Golden Ural regarded him again.

  “The professor is at fault,” the New Man said. “The precise distance of a regular hyper-spatial tube is five thousand light-years. A nexus can create even longer ones, although they become more unstable the longer they project.”

  “I assume Methuselah Man Strand told you all this.”

  It almost seemed as if Golden Ural would answer the statement. Finally, he shrugged.

  “If Strand told you all this,” Maddox said, “you should recall that I captured the Methuselah Man and sent him to your Emperor as a gift.”

  “That is true. You did.”

  “I did it as a gesture of goodwill.”

  Golden Ural nodded as if Maddox had scored a point in a long and intricate debate. “We allied with Star Watch in order to face the first Swarm invasion partly because of that gesture. In other words, it was well paid for.”

  “That is true,” Maddox said, mimicking the other’s style.

  Once more, the New Man smiled faintly, and he took a visible breath. “Captain, I am going to commit a possibly treasonous act. I find that I like your grit. I applaud your daring, and you have shown yourself to be a resourceful man. I also fear that humanity is fast nearing extinction.”

  “Do you include yourself in
the last statement?”

  “I do not. We…superiors shall survive, as we have already made the first move in that regard. There is another thing. We have already stymied the Imperium regarding further assaults upon the Throne World.”

  “Ah,” Ludendorff said from his station.

  Maddox turned to the professor.

  Ludendorff said, “He’s telling you the Emperor sent a strike force against the Swarm nexus that launched the invasion against the Throne World.”

  “Is that Professor Ludendorff I hear?” Golden Ural asked.

  Maddox faced the screen again. “It is.”

  “Tell the Methuselah Man that he is correct,” Golden Ural said. “In order to stifle your simian curiosity, Captain, I will relate certain facts. The Emperor and I together with Methuselah Man Strand arrived at the same strategy as you seem to have reached. We must destroy nearby enemy nexuses. By his arcane means, Strand calculated that the Deneb System was the launch point against the Throne World. That is where we sent our strike force.”

  Maddox could hear Ludendorff tapping his board, possibly looking up data on the Deneb System.

  “I won’t say how many star cruisers departed on the mission,” Golden Ural said. “None have returned yet. The Emperor is loath to send more ships, especially given certain parameters.”

  “What are those parameters?” Maddox asked.

  Golden Ural smiled faintly. “I am not at liberty to say. Nor do I think the Emperor will forgive me if I tell you more. Hmmm… I will point out that if the Swarm continues to attack, they will likely hit the Commonwealth first. That is obviously because the Swarm can no longer use the Deneb System nexus to reach the Throne World. Your defense will give us long enough to relocate into a safer part of the galaxy.”

  Maddox blinked several times. “Relocate?” he asked. “That sounds an awful lot like fleeing like wet hens.”

  Golden Ural’s eyes seemed to gleam. “Some among us would agree with you, Captain. I am not one of them, however. Survival is paramount.”

  “You…you would need normal men to join you in your flight,” Maddox said. “Otherwise, you would only bear sons, never women. Within a generation, New Men would be no more.”

  A hard look appeared on Golden Ural’s face. Maddox thought he might have said too much.