The Lord High Admiral regarded the captain closely.
“What if as Star Watch attacks the New Men, the Swarm invades Human Space?” Maddox asked.
“Yes!” Cook said. “That’s the question haunting all of us. That’s what we must know.”
Cook glanced at O’Hara. “The Iron Lady suggests we might need the New Men as allies against the Swarm. I believe that is wrong. What humanity needs is unity. Without unity, humanity won’t be able to wield its combined strength. It’s better to be a little weaker but fully unified, than stronger and at odds with ourselves. Anything else at a time like this is madness.
“Thus,” Cook said, “We need to know the location of the Throne World. To that end, Admiral Fletcher with his new-and-improved battle fleet has already begun searching for it. Professor Ludendorff must know the location, but he won’t tell us. It appears the professor made a deal with the New Men last year so they would retreat from the Thebes System. His part of the bargain was to keep the Throne World’s coordinates to himself. If you can imagine this, the professor is calling himself a man of honor.”
“You’re in contact with the professor?” Maddox asked.
Cook nodded, took a deep breath and said, “You’ve produced miracles in the past, Captain. Even the Spacers appear to recognize this and now call you di-far. Maybe they’re right about that. In any case, we’ve given you a well-deserved rest and some needed retooling. You’re our best Intelligence officer, and now you have Patrol Training. You command the greatest Patrol vessel in Star Watch. You have a full crew, many of them Kai-Kaus. And you have an upgraded Adok AI, a Spacer it appears, and the professor will join you shortly.”
“I’m afraid I don’t trust the professor, sir,” Maddox said. “Ludendorff thinks about himself first—”
“Trust isn’t the issue,” Cook said, interrupting. “Knowledge is king.”
That sounded like something Ludendorff himself would say.
“In any case,” Cook said, “You and the professor must figure out how to use the Xerxes Nexus hyper-spatial tube. Once you do, we want you to find the Swarm Imperium. Even if that means going thousands of light-years away in a hyper-spatial tube, you must do it. After you find the Swarm, you must return and tell us where the Imperium lies.”
Maddox thought furiously. This was a daunting assignment. The Lord High Admiral talked about traveling a thousand light-years as if it was nothing. If anything went wrong, Victory would be stranded a long, long way from home.
“And?” Maddox found himself asking.
“There is no and,” Cook said. “That’s the miracle we’re asking for, the one Earth needs. We have to know the location of the Swarm Imperium and their intention toward us before we make our final move against the Throne World.”
“Admiral,” O’Hara said. “I think we should reconsider letting the Spacer onto Victory. The incident with the airship deeply troubles me. Shu 15’s present actions also do not square against her previous attempt to kill Captain Maddox in the Lin Ru Hotel a year ago. She seems like a different person now. Why is that? Have the Spacers modified her because of her previous contact with the captain? And why did she of all Spacers have this hunger to kill before?”
O’Hara leaned forward. “What is even more troubling is that the Spacers haven’t mentioned Shu in any of their communications with us. There’s a reason for that. In fact, it seems obvious that they want her to go with Maddox. I say we use this opening. Instead of letting her go, we whisk her away to a detention facility and begin probing her in earnest.”
“No!” Maddox said. “I can’t agree to that.”
“You can’t agree?” O’Hara said sharply, turning to the captain.
“Former Intelligence interrogations caused the death of formerly kidnapped Spacers,” Maddox said.
“That wasn’t due to our methods. The Spacer deaths were self-inflicted.”
“Nevertheless, they died during interrogation. Therefore, I cannot allow you to interrogate Shu 15 as she is under my personal protection.”
“What nonsense is this?” O’Hara said. “Your personal anything doesn’t take precedence over Star Watch Intelligence and the Commonwealth’s needs. The Spacers have made a mistake with Shu. We must exploit their mistake. The key is that Shu has come voluntarily. She may lack the same internal fail-safes the others possessed. That will allow us to question her longer.”
“You’re missing a critical point,” Maddox said. “For the first time in our history, this could be Spacer cooperation. We would be rash to squander that.”
“This isn’t cooperation. They’re using obvious Intelligence techniques to slip an operative aboard our most important vessel. There’s nothing cooperative about that.”
“The Spacers are ultra-secretive,” Maddox said. “Yet the Visionary has confided in me and given us one of her people. Shu might be the crack in the door we need toward greater cooperation with the Spacers.”
“That’s an interesting point,” Cook said.
“Even more important,” Maddox said, “Shu might be instrumental in helping me succeed. We’ll be heading into the Deep Beyond. A Spacer might prove invaluable out there, as they have greater knowledge of the Beyond than anyone else in Human Space.”
“That’s another excellent point,” Cook said.
“And if she’s a Spacer plant?” O’Hara asked the admiral.
“I’m the best officer Star Watch has to watch Shu 15,” Maddox said, answering for Cook. “We will learn more by letting her act naturally. If for no other reason than that she won’t immediately die.”
O’Hara frowned.
“I’m inclined to give the captain his head with the Spacer,” Cook said. “We need every advantage we can get out there.”
“When will I leave?” Maddox asked.
“I would prefer immediately,” Cook said. “But if you need several more hours, so be it.”
“Where is the professor?”
“He’ll meet you in the Xerxes System,” Cook said. “There’s one more thing, Captain. This time you will have an independent command. You will only be responsible to me. I will put that in writing. That means no other Star Watch official has any authority over you or your ship. Do you feel that will be sufficient?”
“Sir?” Maddox looked at him questioningly.
“In the past,” Cook said, “you have acted as you pleased. This time, it will be made official. I believe that shows I trust you implicitly.”
Maddox glanced at the brigadier. Her eyes shined with pride.
“Thank you, sir,” Maddox said, surprised at how good the admiral’s approval felt.
“Find the Swarm, Captain,” Cook said. “Find them as fast as you can and get home with the information. The survival of the human race may well depend upon it.”
“Yes, sir,” Maddox said.
“Oh,” Cook said. “There is one more thing.”
Maddox grew wary.
“I want the New Man you captured.”
“Sir—”
“I will not budge on this,” Cook said. “We will interrogate him while you are away. He may well have the Throne World coordinates.”
Reluctantly, Maddox nodded. He wanted the New Man, but it looked as if he wasn’t going to be able to keep him.
Cook pushed his chair back and stood up. Maddox did likewise. The older man held out a big hand and Maddox shook it.
“Good luck, Captain,” Cook said.
“Thank you, sir.”
“I wish you Godspeed.”
Maddox nodded.
“Now hurry, will you? Time is of the essence.”
-14-
Despite the need for speed, Maddox had made Meta a promise he intended to keep. Thus, an hour later, they dined in Paris at the Rue de Peril. The captain wore his smartest uniform, and Meta wore a stunning dress, revealing her bare shoulders while her heels accentuated the well-toned curves of her legs. Several heads turned as the two of them made their way to their candlelit table.
“This is nice,” Meta said, as they sat down. “We should do this more often.”
When the waiter approached, Maddox ordered a dark wine. It tasted exquisite. They had an appetizer and later each ate the largest meal on the menu.
Maddox had a fierce metabolism, burning more calories than an average man would, and it was almost impossible for him to get drunk. Meta had a similar situation. She’d been born on the Rouen Colony, what they now knew had been an outpost for the New Men testing various human genetic deviations.
Maddox told her a little about what they’d discussed in the Lord High Admiral’s office, although he didn’t go into specifics. It was possible others used spy equipment to eavesdrop on their conversation. He had a scrambler in his suit pocket just in case, but in the past, others had used superior spying tech.
In time, Meta pushed her empty plate away and finished her glass of wine.
Maddox lifted the second bottle to pour her more.
Meta held up a hand. “No thank you. I’m full.”
“You don’t want dessert?”
“Not that full,” she said, smiling. “Never that full.”
He refilled his goblet, swirling the wine, inhaling the aroma before sipping. This was an excellent vintage. He raised his hand, summoning the waiter.
Dessert came soon thereafter.
Meta nibbled on the crust and nodded in appreciation. Then, she looked up with a fixed smile, saying, “Is the Spacer really coming with us?”
“She is.”
“Why?” Meta asked, perhaps thrown off stride by his prompt answer.
“Because she’s a Spacer,” Maddox said. “We might need her expertise where we’re going.”
Meta ate more pie, thinking that over. “In my opinion, the Visionary planted her on us.”
“Yes.”
Meta sat back as she set down her fork. “Yes to what? You realize that’s my opinion or you agree with it?”
“I agree.”
“But… I don’t understand. Why are we allowing a Spacer spy aboard?” Her eyes widened. “Do you find her attractive?”
“Of course,” Maddox said.
Meta stared at him, shocked.
“That’s not why I agreed to take her, though,” he added.
Meta’s lips thinned as her temper began to kick into gear.
Maddox smiled. “Certainly Shu 15 is attractive, but she isn’t to my tastes.”
“I find that difficult to believe.”
Maddox grinned.
“How dare you laugh at me?”
“You’ve misinterpreted the grin. I wasn’t laughing.” He leaned against the table. “Tell me. What sport is there with a woman who throws herself at me? I prefer those who throw a few blows first. That’s more challenging, more exciting.”
Meta’s stare grew fiercer, and she seemed to replay his words in her head. Finally, she smiled, shaking her head. “You’re terrible. Do you know that? What’s crazy is that I’m beginning to believe you. Most men would love having a pretty girl glomming onto them. But you find it boring—if I’m hearing you correctly.”
“It’s not the glomming I object to, but the purpose behind it. I find genuine attraction appealing. Who doesn’t? I agree with the brigadier, though. Shu is a Spacer operative. What stirs my curiosity is the lengths they took to make her joining us appear accidental. Her kisses did nothing for my sexual attraction, as her motives blunted my interest in her as a woman.”
“How about the fact that you already have a woman?” Meta asked sharply.
“Yes,” Maddox said, “there’s that too.”
“This isn’t a game!”
“No.”
“You treat it like a game. I’m not a playing piece on a board. I’m—oh, forget it.”
He reached across the table and took one of Meta’s hands. He squeezed her fingers. It wasn’t in him to say he was sorry. He’d been an island for so long he hardly knew any other way. While dealing with most people, he forced them to stay aboard their boat as they shouted to him on his island. He’d allowed Meta to land on one particular spot on shore. Yet, he hadn’t let her past the barricades he’d erected. It was the most he could do for her at present.
Meta squeezed his hand in return. She could see how hard this was for him. He never did this for others, but he tried for her. She appreciated his effort.
Maddox let go of her hand. Her eyes had softened, letting him know that she understood him as no one else could. It eased his tension as he took another sip of wine.
She took another bite of dessert, considering him as she chewed. “They’ve studied you.”
“I know,” he said, realizing she meant the Spacers.
“You don’t have to be smug about it.”
He cocked his head. “What is the value of false modesty?”
Meta considered the question. “Not much, I guess. It’s just… I suppose you don’t care, but sometimes you come off as conceited.”
Maddox raised the wine bottle and found it empty.
“Why is excellence frowned upon?” he asked. “People gravitate toward those exhibiting excellence but find themselves hating the same person later. They want to believe everyone is alike. Yet, simple observation shows that to be false. I do a few things better than most. I do many other tasks poorly. I don’t dislike Keith for his piloting skills, for instance. I applaud them, as they’ve proven invaluable on more than one occasion.”
“You’re not like other people.”
Maddox fiddled with his fork as it lay on the table, nodding after a time. That was the problem, wasn’t it?
Meta pushed the half-eaten dessert away. “I don’t know how we got into a discussion about excellence. We were talking about Shu. What are the Spacers after?”
“Yes,” Maddox said. “That’s the question. Why do they hate androids and why do they hate Strand and Ludendorff? That doesn’t make sense.”
“I don’t follow you.”
Maddox glanced at the other diners, at the waiters and assistants. He didn’t sense anyone watching him. His instincts in this regard were highly developed. He could often feel someone’s scrutiny. Still, a note of unease had crept upon him almost unnoticed. Perhaps the meal had been a mistake. He should have gone directly to Victory.
“Are you feeling well?” Meta asked.
Maddox leaned across the table, lowering his voice. “Long ago, Builders modified Strand and Ludendorff, sending them back to Earth. In some manner, the Spacers have acquired Builder technology. How did they do this? And why do they distrust two Builder-modified individuals? That doesn’t make sense. If they’re all Builder-related, they should be allies, not hostile to each other.”
“Now that you mention it,” Meta said, “that doesn’t make sense.”
Maddox pulled back as he idly fingered his goblet’s stem. “The professor is coming with us.”
Meta looked up sharply.
“I’m curious as to Shu’s reaction regarding that,” Maddox said. “I’m also curious as to Ludendorff’s reaction when he learns a Spacer is aboard ship. I don’t fully trust either. Yet, I imagine we’re going to need each of their unique skill sets.”
“Because of their Builder backgrounds?” asked Meta.
“Precisely. What we think of as the Beyond might also be thought of as Builder territory. Who better to have along than those modified by Builders?”
Meta grinned. “Most people think your combat skills are what make you dangerous. Really, it’s that razor you call your mind.”
Maddox pushed his chair back and checked his comm unit. “It’s time to go,” he said, standing. “Riker will be at the landing zone in ten minutes.”
Meta frowned, seeming to grow pensive.
Maddox raised a questioning eyebrow.
“This was nice,” she repeated a bit wistfully.
“We’ll do this again,” he said offhandedly.
Meta noticed an immediate change in him. He’d gone into hunting mode. Something was
wrong.
Maddox rescanned the people eating in the dim light, reexamined the waiters and the cocktail waitresses making the rounds. The captain didn’t gawk, but peered at each in what seemed like a careless manner. It was anything but that, though. He studied each of them, looking for clues.
The back of his neck tingled. Someone watched him closely, someone with an ugly purpose. Despite knowing that, he couldn’t pinpoint the person. That was bad. Fortunately, Meta was with him, and Riker was coming down.
-15-
Maddox left the Rue de Peril much as he’d entered, with Meta holding onto his left arm. She snuggled against him, resting her head against his shoulder.
“Are you ready for trouble?” he asked her a second time.
“I am,” Meta said. “But until the trouble begins, I’m going to pretend we’re a regular couple having a beautiful evening together. Is that so wrong?”
The question seemed preposterous to Maddox, but he realized it was feminine hyperbole. She berated him, but did so gently. When the time came, Meta could act with deadly intent. She happened to have a ridiculously small beamer in the tiny purse she clutched.
He wore a regulation sidearm as part of his uniform but would have preferred it if he had his long-barreled gun.
The doorman bid them adieu, closing the door behind them.
Together, Meta and Maddox strolled down a Parisian sidewalk with the Eiffel Tower visible in the distance.
“I love it here,” Meta said with a sigh.
Maddox heard the words but was more intent on the stir of his nape hairs. The feeling of being watched had intensified. Had he made a mistake coming out in the open? He’d done that before—particularly in Shanghai when he’d ingested a drugged drink. He’d woken up later as an android marched him deeper into the basement of the Lin Ru Hotel.
Others walked the city sidewalks with them. None seemed intent upon him. Horses pulling open carriages clopped past. The drivers and the passengers each seemed absorbed in their own experiences.
Maddox looked up at the nearest buildings. Did a sniper aim a suppressed rifle at him from one of the windows? He peered up at the stars. Maybe a darkened air-car slid overhead, the passengers closely watching him.
The Lost Patrol Page 8