The Lost Patrol

by Vaughn Heppner

  It was hard to believe Star Watch had come so far in so short a time. The New Men had seemed invincible only a few years ago. Now, the golden race hid from Star Watch, and she belonged to the greatest vessel in the Commonwealth, trying to figure out how to jump one thousand light-years.

  “The pyramid is radiating more power,” Galyan said. The holoimage stood beside her as he often did with the captain.

  “Thank you,” Valerie said, glad her voice was steady. She was sure that she didn’t sound as calm as Maddox would in this situation—

  “What is that?” Galyan asked.

  A bolt of power sizzled off the pyramid. A second bolt appeared, reaching far enough to blast an asteroid into pieces.

  “The captain is in danger,” Andros Crank declared. “We must rescue him at once, Lieutenant.”

  “How do you propose we do that?” Valerie demanded.

  Victory’s current pilot, and Ensign Daggett, Lieutenant Smith-Fowler, and Galyan—everyone on the bridge turned to stare at her.

  The silver pyramid was becoming like the core of a chain-lightning event, shedding one bolt after another.

  Valerie wanted to run her fingers through her hair and shriek for someone to give her an idea of what she should do. But she couldn’t do that. She was in charge. She had to think for herself and for everyone else. Not only the crew, but maybe Star Watch, the Commonwealth, all of humanity, rested on her decision.

  That was too much for her. Valerie began to moan out loud, clamping her teeth together as she struggled to control herself.

  She remembered a study-night several years ago while she was still in the Space Academy. She’d gone to the library by herself. Valerie hadn’t mixed well with the kids from the taxpaying families. She was the welfare recipient, the waif from the dirty streets of Detroit. She never smiled back then. She studied too hard for that, pushing herself to excel. She had to make her father proud. She had to show the others that she was just as good as they were.

  That night hadn’t been any exception as she studied for a coming test. Finally, around one a.m., Valerie realized that her eyes burned from reading for too long. She gathered her books and tablet, stuffing them into her backpack, and hurried down the stairs.

  It had been dark outside, the stars bright overhead. Shouldering the backpack, she headed for her dorm. In the park, among the trees, she felt something. Then, three bulky shapes emerged from hiding. That rooted her feet to the soil. In Detroit, she’d faced similar dangers and acted accordingly. Here in the woods in the dark—

  “What do we have here?” a young man asked.

  Valerie blinked. The bulky shapes became normal-sized, skinny cadets. She recognized one of them, Tad Hummel, a braggart who liked to stare at her too much.

  “You’re out late, Cadet,” Tad said, stepping near.

  “Get out of my way,” Valerie told him.

  Tad turned to his friends. “Do you hear that? She thinks we’re welfare beggars like her.” He scowled as he turned back to her, stroking the side of her face with the back of his hand.

  She thrust a knee at his groin. He blocked with his thigh while laughing at her.

  The other two flanked her.

  Valerie froze then, her stomach clenching. For a moment, fear stole her wits. Tad Hummel laughed again, touching her shoulder. The other two moved closer yet.

  Valerie panicked as she tore a forbidden switchblade from her secret hiding spot, clicking it open. She stabbed Tad Hummel in the stomach. She jabbed in and yanked out three times before she realized what she was doing.

  Tad staggered away, staring at his gut in horror, finally beginning to sob in terror. No doubt, he believed he was about to die.

  He didn’t. His friends grabbed him and raced to the infirmary. A medic patched the bastard up, but Tad Hummel couldn’t continue in the Space Academy that semester.

  The next day, the commandant pulled Valerie into her office. She was a tough old bird. The commandant stared at Valerie for what seemed like forever.

  “Explain to me what happened,” the commandant demanded.

  Valerie could not. Once more, she froze. She stared back at the commandant, wanting to explain how the three had blocked her, made her feel as if they were going to rape her. And yet, she wondered about that. She knew the three had been trying to scare her, but she doubted they really would have raped her. She’d gone for her switchblade because that’s what she’d done in Detroit. If she accused Tad Hummel of rape—

  “It was dark,” the commandant said. “Three men surrounded you. That’s what one of the cadets said. He said you defended yourself. Is that right?”

  Valerie could not speak. Shame at stabbing a fellow cadet, at overreacting filled her. She wanted to belong, to be one of the Academy members who knew everyone else. This would mark her as a welfare troublemaker for the rest of her life.

  “Hmm,” the commandant said. “If you’re not going to press charges…”

  Valerie tried to turn her head in order to nod no—she would not press charges. She could not move her head, though.

  “I’ll say this for you, Cadet. You fight. We want fighters in Star Watch. But know this. I have my eye on you. Don’t make another mess or you’re gone. Do I make myself clear?”

  Valerie made a squeaking sound, which the commandant seemed to accept as a yes.

  “That is all,” the commandant said. “You are dismissed.”

  The incident had stuck to Valerie throughout the Academy year. Many must have thought of her as a troublemaker. She’d remained alone too much of the time. She should not have frozen. She should have—

  “Lieutenant Noonan,” Galyan said.

  Valerie shook her head, coming out of her daze. On the main screen, more electrical discharges sizzled off the glowing hot pyramid.

  Captain Maddox was out there. Meta and Keith were out there. They were family. They treated her as if she belonged with them. They would have stood with her in the dark against Tad Hummel and his jerk-off friends. Maddox, Meta and Keith would have helped her bust some heads. She wouldn’t have needed the switchblade. She wouldn’t have felt all alone.

  Valerie stood. “Attention! Ensign Lewis, head toward the pyramid. We’re going in to pick up the others.”

  “They have not reappeared since entering the Nexus,” Galyan said. “They are still in the pyramid.”

  “Don’t argue with me, Galyan,” Valerie said.

  The holoimage stiffened. She wondered if Galyan did that from studying human reactions.

  “Lieutenant Noonan, I am not arguing. I state a fact. We have also lost communications with the shuttle.”

  “Stow it,” Valerie said. “All hands,” she said. “This is an emergency situation. We will assume the captain and his team were successful. Our present readings indicate the pyramid is activating something. That would seem to mean a hyper-spatial tube.”

  “I am sorry to disregard your order, Lieutenant Noonan,” Galyan said. “I do not do so out of disrespect, but worry. This is not the process that produced the hyper-spatial tube last time.”

  “I know.”

  “Why then do you presume a tube will appear?”

  Valerie licked her lips. It was a good point. She wasn’t like Maddox, angry at anyone who questioned an order.

  “Are you assuming we could have made a mistake?” Galyan asked.

  “Elaborate on your theory,” Valerie ordered.

  “Last time,” Galyan said, “a Builder used the pyramid to produce a hyper-spatial tube. The alien undoubtedly knew precisely how to use its own equipment. We are acting on a trial and error basis. It is possible we are making a tube, but unleashing other powers as well.”

  “Right,” Valerie said. “That makes sense.”

  “Should we not wait farther back then?”

  “Do you want Captain Maddox to die?”

  “You wound me with your words.”

  “Right,” Valerie said. “We’re going in. We have to save our family.”
/>   “By risking a starship full of innocent people?” asked Galyan.

  “We’re all in this together,” Valerie said.

  “Ah. I understand. All for one and all for one,” the holoimage quoted.

  “What?” Valerie asked, frowning at Galyan.

  The holoimage’s eyelids fluttered. “Excuse me, please. I have misquoted the saying. It is all for one and one for all. Yes, that is how it goes.”

  Valerie stared at Galyan a moment longer.

  Ensign Daggett moaned.

  Valerie studied the main screen. Another energy bolt zigzagged from the pyramid. Now, however, about two hundred kilometers from Victory, appeared a silvery stellar whirlpool.

  A feeling of shock and awe radiated from Valerie’s body. The captain had done it. He’d found a way to create a hyper-spatial tube. They had to reach the tube before it went away. First, though, the others had to get into the shuttle and she had to go get them.

  What had happened to the away team? Why weren’t they coming out of the pyramid?

  -37-

  Captain Maddox hissed with elation as his cradle thruster shot through the pyramidal opening. He’d done it. He’d reached regular space again.

  As he did, a pyrotechnic display nearly blinded him. Sheets of power radiated from the Nexus along with kilometers-long electrical bolts.

  His helmet speaker began to crackle. No doubt, Keith tried to contact him.

  Maddox used his chin, trying to adjust the helmet comm. The crackling intensified. He realized it wasn’t someone calling him. It was the discharges playing havoc with his helmet’s electronics.

  Was the pyramid going to blow up? Maddox twisted in his cradle, looking back. The silver side radiated heat, glowing brighter and brighter.

  The captain faced forward. He searched for the shuttle. Lieutenant Maker would not leave them in the lurch. He—

  Maddox grinned.

  The shuttle raced toward them. The bright exhaust made the vessel easy to see. Keith must have been watching the exit location. The moment the pilot had spied them, he came racing.

  Now, however, the captain saw the silvery whirlpool in the distance. The Nexus had made the hyper-spatial tube. But it seemed the thing was far away. He wondered how many kilometers it was from them. Would the opening remain there long enough for them to reach Victory and then the tube?

  It wouldn’t be for a lack of trying.

  Maddox accelerated for the shuttle. He ignored the electrical discharges because there was nothing he could do about them. Either one of those bolts would destroy them or it wouldn’t.

  Time seemed to expand. Every second seemed to take forever. As the shuttle crawled toward them, the crackling grew worse in his helmet.

  Finally, an eon later—maybe ten minutes in real time—Keith eased the shuttle beside them. He moved so perfectly that the shuttle seemed motionless. All the while, the pyramid radiated more discharges and greater heat. Maddox’s air-conditioning unit hummed continuously, but still he was sweating.

  The captain unhooked his straps. Keith nudged the shuttle so a hatch was only ten meters away. Maddox crawled over his cradle, reaching a tether line. He pulled himself hand over hand, reaching Meta. He unhooked his woman, grabbed her and made the leap to the open hatch.

  Keith reached out, grabbing the captain’s outstretched hand.

  One by one, Maddox brought each of the team into the shuttle. Keith took each arrival to the control chamber, strapping them in.

  Maddox carried Shu in last. He floated into the shuttle, used his elbow to click a switch that shut the hatch and carried the tiny woman to the control chamber. He hooked her into place and then sat down beside Keith.

  The lieutenant kept his helmet on. Maddox glanced at the others and noticed they still wore theirs too.

  Maddox inserted his phone-line into Keith’s suit. “Do you see the silvery whirlpool?”

  “I do, mate. That’s our next stop.”

  “No. We must reach Victory first”

  “I doubt that’s going to happen.”

  “Explain your reasoning?”

  “Bloody hell, Captain, we’re all about to die and you want me to explain. You’re daft, out of your mind.”

  Maddox heard the panic in Keith’s voice. He was impressed the young man had done as well as he had under these conditions. The lieutenant must be working on automatic.

  “Take a couple of deep breaths,” Maddox said. “You’re going to be fine.”

  “Begging your pardon, Captain, but you don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve been analyzing the bugger.”

  “The pyramid?”

  “What else would I mean?”

  “And?” Maddox asked.

  “It’s shedding power, and its getting hotter. We have minutes to get away before it burns us up.”

  “We should already be burned up then.”

  “No, no, no, no, no,” Keith shouted. “The sides are heating up at an exponential rate, doubling every minute. Given enough time, it will be hotter than a star.”

  “But—”

  “If that isn’t enough,” Keith shouted, “the whirlpool is sucking the starship into it.”

  “What? How is that possible?”

  Keith laughed with a manic edge to his voice. “You pushed a bloody switch in there is how. The Nexus is going crazy. I wouldn’t wonder if it’s going to blow.”

  Maddox had felt the same thing earlier. If the pyramid did blow, what would that do to the hyper-spatial tube it had created?

  “Hang on now, sir, I’m giving it everything.”

  Maddox was shoved against his cushioned seat as the shuttle gained Gs.

  “Are you heading for Victory?”

  “No! I’m heading for the wormhole. Victory is going to go in first. I’m simply following her, hoping we both pop out at the same place.”

  Maddox wondered what Shu had done inside the Nexus. Maybe no one could use the hyper-spatial tubes except for a Builder. Maybe they had tried to go one technological marvel too far this time.

  “Are you in contact with Victory?” Maddox asked.

  A mad cackle was Keith’s only reply.

  Maddox inspected the others, studied his suit and realized the shuttle lacked any dampeners. The Gs kept increasing.

  “We should slow down,” he said.

  “That way lies suicide, mate. My way is life. You’d better shut your yapper for a time. I have to concentrate.”

  Maddox did just that. If Keith needed to concentrate, it must be difficult. In the end, the captain appreciated skill over discipline.

  “She’s going in,” Keith shouted.

  Maddox glanced at the pilot’s screen. He saw the blip that must be Victory vanishing into the silvery whirlpool.

  “Come on, you piece of filth,” Keith shouted. “Give me more bloody power. We’re running for our lives, you bucket of bolts.”

  The Gs continued to rise. Soon, they would all lose consciousness.

  Fighting the Gs, Maddox reached up, tapping his panel. He used a backward-aiming camera. The pyramid glowed and pulsated. The discharges were constant. Then, to the captain’s amazement, the titanic pyramid exploded. It simply burst apart like a grenade.

  That seemed horrible. An artifact that old—

  “Here we go, Captain, into the rabbit hole.”

  Maddox stared at the hyper-spatial tube opening. It no longer swirled with a silvery color. It was dead black. Behind them, the Nexus no longer existed as the blast expanded. How long would the tube remain in existence?

  As the blast reached them, the shuttle sank into the blackness.

  It was just like last time. An incredible sensation of speed took hold. Everything grew dark, and everything seemed to flash past the shuttle. The bulkheads shook without sound.

  A feeling of weirdness and wrongness overloaded the captain’s senses. How could a shuttle move a thousand light-years inside a tube that could not exist?

  Maddox endured as the shaking intens
ified. Was the hyper-spatial tube unraveling? Would it dump them somewhere other than where the tube had originally aimed? Or would they simply cease to exist as the tube unraveled?

  Maddox felt a terrible sense of sickness. It seemed as if his body stretched until it was as least as long as the Solar System. The stretching sensation went on and on. He wanted it to end. He never wanted to endure this feeling again. He would rather…

  No, he told himself. I will fight on.

  As Maddox endured, he noticed an opening ahead. Normalcy seemed to lie out there. Would the shuttle reach the opening? If it did, where would they be? How far had the shuttle traveled? Was Victory waiting out there, or had the starship gone somewhere else?

  As the shuttle raced for it, the opening began to fray around the edges. It began to disintegrate.

  The hyper-spatial tube is coming apart. Please, give us a few more seconds.

  Maddox realized he had just uttered a prayer.

  The fraying grew worse as reality seemed to be disappearing. Maybe the shuttle would stay in this realm if they couldn’t reach the shrinking opening in time.

  Please.

  The fraying seemed to slow down just a bit or was that the captain’s imagination? He couldn’t tell. He felt sick. He felt weird. He strove to remain conscious but lost the fight.

  As the shuttle strained to reach the last little bit of the real world, Captain Maddox succumbed to the inertia of hyper-spatial tube travel and blanked out.

  -38-

  Admiral Esmeralda Diaz Lucia Sanchez stood on the bridge of the SWS Battleship Austerlitz. Shock twisted her one-hundred-year-old features. Silence reigned on the bridge. Everyone stared at the main screen.

  “The pyramid is gone,” Sanchez whispered.

  “So is Victory,” the sensor officer said hoarsely.

  Sanchez bit a fingernail in indecision, finally turning to the sensor officer, a gruff old graybeard. “Did you…?” The admiral used her tongue to swab the inside of her mouth. It was bone dry. “Did you record the event?”