“I still don’t understand you,” Maddox said. “What about the star am I supposed to see?”
The holoimage seemed to glance at the screen. “My mistake,” it said. “Observe now.”
Maddox took several steps closer, and the star leaped closer in view as the holoimage showed him greater magnification. Maddox saw the burning photosphere. Then three dark pinpricks burst out of the star. They each shimmered blackly. As the three objects traveled away from the star’s surface, the darkness faded to lighter colors.
“What are those?” Maddox asked.
“It should be obvious,” the holoimage said. “The vessels have powerful deflector shields. Those shields protected them from the star’s energies and heat. With the intensities drained away from them, the shields are now reverting to their normal color.”
Finally, Captain Maddox understood. “The New Men used the wormhole,” he whispered.
“Your allies, you mean,” the holoimage accused.
“Not so,” Maddox said. “They are my hunters, seeking me, seeking you now. They are the new antilife, the new Swarm. They will batter down Victory’s shields, if the starship possesses them.”
“It does if I will it,” the holoimage said.
“Yes,” Maddox said. “They will batter down your shields and no doubt send boarders. The New Men have come to capture you and your ship.”
“Never!” the holoimage said. “I will self-destruct before that happens.”
Maddox thought quickly. He’d detected vanity in the being. He needed to play off that.
“Yes,” Maddox said. “You are exceedingly wise to self-immolate yourself.”
“I know that I am wise. What I wonder is how a foolish creature like you has come to the right conclusion about me?”
“That’s easy,” Maddox said. “After six thousand years of depreciation, Victory has become weak. It could never defeat three star cruisers. Do you know three of those craft annihilated Admiral von Gunther’s strengthened battle group?”
“You think that Victory is weak?” the holoimage asked.
“Of course,” Maddox said. “By your own admission—”
“Three star cruisers dare to approach me?” the holoimage asked, interrupting the captain.
Maddox waited a half-second, thinking how to say this. “They are the New Men I spoke about earlier, the new Swarm, if you will. They dare to face anyone they want because none has been able to defeat them. I believe they plan to turn this star system into a shrine, dedicating it to their own greatness.”
The holoimage began to flicker as if thinking. Finally, it said in a strange voice, “If that is so—that they dare to take what is holy to me and profane it—then they shall die. Prepare yourself, Captain Maddox. After six thousand of your years, Victory is about to engage in momentous battle.”
-35-
Maddox retreated to the odd-shaped chair. The lights in the panels around him began to twinkle as they engaged. Engine noises—at least, he assumed they were engines—thrummed with increased power. The deck under his feet vibrated.
“I wonder if I might be of assistance,” Maddox said.
“In what way?” the holoimage asked.
“There are those in my crew who have fought the New Men before. Perhaps you should bring them here to give you information as needed.”
“Yes. I approve. I will send my robot for them.”
“I wonder if that’s wise?” Maddox asked. “They might attack the robot.”
“For what reason would they attack?” the holoimage asked. “The robot means them no harm.”
“You and I know that. They don’t.”
“No. If they harm my peaceful robot, they will die in penalty. Now, you must desist from speech. I am planning my attack sequence.”
“Naturally,” Maddox said, “I’m excited to watch and learn from your actions. However, I suggest you hail my crew using intra-ship communications. At least guide Lieutenant Noonan here.”
The holoimage lifted what might have been an arm, pointing at a blinking screen. “Go there. Speak to them. I remember now that living organisms should be in acceleration couches in case the antigravity systems are destroyed.”
Maddox hurried to the panel. “Doctor Rich,” he said. “Can you hear me?” No one responded. Maddox looked up. “Is there a malfunction to the system?”
“No,” the holoimage said. “In response to your voice, your crew approaches an AI receptacle.”
Maddox waited, and the blinking screen shimmered. Then he stared at Doctor Rich, who wore her helmet.
“Captain Maddox?” she asked. “You’re alive? Why did you sneak away while we slept?”
“I’m in the Victory’s bridge,” Maddox told her.
“That’s the name of the starship?” she asked.
“Precisely,” Maddox said. “I am speaking with the Victory’s illustrious commander. In the past, he imprinted his engrams onto the ship’s AI. As to why I’m here, as you slept, he sent his robot to escort me here to him.”
Dana’s eyes widened, first with shock and then with seeming understanding.
“The New Men have appeared in the system, using the tramline just as we did,” Maddox said. “They have three star cruisers. We are about to go into battle with them. The AI has suggested that Lieutenant Noonan come to the bridge. She’s faced the cruisers before. The rest of you will head to acceleration couches. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Captain,” Dana said. “Can I speak to the AI?”
Maddox glanced at the holoimage.
“No,” the fuzzy image said. “I have analyzed your brain patterns. Translating them was costly enough already. I do not care to analyze another’s. I’m also no longer inclined to let your lieutenant onto my bridge.”
“Oh,” Maddox said. “That’s too bad. I suggest—”
The holoimage raised a hazy hand. “I do not care to discuss it, either.”
Maddox chewed the inside of his cheek, thinking fast. He glanced sidelong at the screen. Dana still stood at an AI receptacle, obviously listening. He decided to go with the flow, hoping the AI was too busy with its computations to worry about turning off the link.
“You’re right, of course,” Maddox said loudly. “You don’t need Lieutenant Noonan’s assistance. The others of my crew will await your coming victory.”
“I have scanned the enemy star cruisers,” the holoimage said. “They possess powerful deflector screens. What weaponry do they have?”
“Your scanners can’t penetrate their shields to find out?”
“That is correct, Captain.”
“Their beams sliced through Star Watch shields of some of our best vessels.”
“Do you know the composition of those deflectors?” the holoimage asked.
“We use an electromagnetic field,” Maddox said.
“I see,” the holoimage said. “Compared to that, I have an advanced deflector shield. Their beams might or might not be as effective against it as it was against your people’s ships. That means the strength of the New Men’s beam is an unknown factor. Captain Maddox, we may have a fight on our hands.”
“Can you defeat them?” Maddox asked.
“I have insufficient data to make a proper assessment. We once possessed the greatest weaponry, and we had developed the most advanced civilization. Reason points to my present superiority. Yet that isn’t a given. Battle will determine the outcome.”
“They have three to one odds,” Maddox said.
“In ship numbers you are correct but not in tonnage,” the holoimage said. “They barely match me in that regard. Ah…they attempt communication.”
“I just had a thought,” Maddox said.
“Yes?”
“Tactical surprise might benefit us.”
“That is logical,” the holoimage said, “as surprise is a force multiplier. Therefore, you are correct. What do you suggest?”
“Let them address me as Victory’s captain. They will believe I’ve just boarded
the ship and couldn’t possibly understand all the alien systems. The New Men believe themselves superior to regular humans, such as me.”
“I scanned your brain, Captain. I am aware of the situation.”
“My point,” Maddox said, “is to lull them into a false sense of security. Then, once we engage in battle, your brilliant tactics might well dull their reaction times, giving us a greater margin for victory.”
The holoimage froze for several seconds before moving again. “That is well-reasoned. Yes. Go to your…left. Do you see the blinking screen there?”
“I do,” Maddox said.
“You will receive a visual link with the alien caller.”
Maddox didn’t have long to wait. The same being appeared as he’d seen earlier on Geronimo’s screen. The New Man had golden skin, inky eyes and masklike perfection.
“Captain Maddox,” the New Man said, “well, well, well.”
“Per Lomax?” asked Maddox.
The faintest of smiles appeared on the New Man’s lips. “That is correct.”
Irritated, Maddox said, “I use the name simply as a point of reference. Whatever meaning you supply to the name, I do not.”
“You are resourceful, Captain. I admit to surprise at seeing you in the relic.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Maddox noted the holoimage turning to him. He hoped the AI didn’t speak.
“Not only have you reached the alien vessel,” Per Lomax said, “but you have restarted the engines. Our scanners indicate energized weaponry. Do you mean to attempt to fight us?”
“Not if we can come to an understanding,” Maddox said.
“Ah,” the AI said softly behind him. “You plot deception. That is interesting. I had not expected such guile from a lowly life-form such as you.”
Maddox had become thoroughly tired of everyone thinking humans were idiots. Still, he held back a retort and concentrated on the situation. Winning the battle wasn’t half as important as getting Victory to Earth. The Star Watch needed this vessel for future engagements with the enemy.
“You wish to surrender?” Per Lomax asked.
“Surely, you can offer me more than that,” Maddox said. “I have a valuable commodity in this starship.”
“Do you truly think you can dupe me?” Per Lomax asked. “Your deceit fools no one but yourself. We will defeat the relic and possibly capture you. If you wish to forgo lengthy torture, surrender now.”
“Your negotiating strategy lacks subtlety,” Maddox said.
“Do you negotiate with ants? No. You spray them, eliminating the problem. I realize you will not surrender to me. Your previous action proves this. Therefore, we shall engage in battle.” Per Lomax glanced at something below him. “You have less than two hours of life remaining—unless you brake and flee away from us. Then you may have three hours left. Good-bye, Captain Maddox.”
“Wait!” he said.
The New Man stared at him.
The words stuck in Maddox’s throat. He wanted to ask the man if he was like them. Yet he felt Per Lomax would laugh at best. He also remembered that Dana and the others listened in on the open channel. The thought he was part New Man shamed him deeply.
“It is nothing,” Maddox said.
“You are a troubled creature,” Per Lomax said, “yet you a have a spark of genius in you. I speak compared to the common ruck of your kind. If you compare yourself to me, it is like a candle versus the sun. The hour of your extinction approaches. Prepare for non-existence.”
The screen went blank.
“He is an arrogant sentient,” the holoimage said.
“Yes,” Maddox said.
“He also happens to be correct.”
“Oh?”
“We will engage in battle in less than two of your hours.”
***
Victory increased velocity as it approached the three star cruisers. They fanned out so the edges of their shields brushed against each other. The red giant blazed behind the three vessels. The battle would take place within the inner system. Various ancient wrecks drifted between the enemy and Victory, debris from the long lost war.
Time passed as the vessels closed. None of the combatants launched drones or missiles.
Maddox sat in silent contemplation. This was a pregnant moment. He wished there was some way he could inform Brigadier O’Hara he’d made it. To have reached the impossible goal and never let her know…it galled Maddox. He also wanted to know who he was. If by some quirk he wasn’t part New Man, then what was he? Where would his mother have fled from in the Beyond?
Who is my father? A man should know.
“Do you feel anything?” Maddox asked.
The holoimage had remained perfectly still like a photograph. Now the fuzziness returned. Did that mean the AI’s intelligence animated it again, and it hadn’t before?
Maddox wasn’t sure why it would matter either way, but he couldn’t help himself. Until he died, he would struggle with every fiber, looking for any advantage he could. This was his moment in the universe, his time in the ring for humanity. To come this far and lose the engagement—no! Failure was out of the question, and yet, it was all too likely.
Three enemy ships had destroyed a strengthened Star Watch battle group lead by a veteran admiral. Who was he to think he could do better than von Gunther had?
“I’m Captain Maddox of the Star Watch,” he told himself.
“I know who you are,” the holoimage said.
Maddox smiled.
“Why are you speaking as you do with your lips twitching…oh, yes, yes, I remember now. Blood and flesh creatures such as you have synapse trouble. How do you say it? Nervous? You are nervous before the beginning of a battle. I almost envy you the feeling.”
“Almost?” asked Maddox.
“I have been deified, advanced to a higher plane of existence. I am no longer troubled by my former biology and physiology. Yet, in a sense, I miss those days of…”
You’ve trapped yourself in the soulless hell of a computer, Maddox thought. Yet that wasn’t logical, was it? If the personified AI didn’t have emotions, it couldn’t feel its loneliness.
“Nervous or not,” Maddox said, “I’m glad to enter combat with you.”
“Does that imply you think you’re going to help me?” the holoimage asked.
“Only in the sense of offering a suggestion or insight,” Maddox said. Could AI’s be touchy? This one seemed to be.
“It is too bad,” the holoimage said. “As you spoke, I assessed my weaponry. The disruptor no longer functions. With it, I could have swept these three vessels out of existence. I do not have use of the gyro destabilizer either.”
“What do you have?” Maddox asked.
“The neutron beam,” the holoimage said. “It is my most primitive weapon. Yet it did well enough against the Swarm. These New Men will not survive it, I’m sure.”
Maddox wondered about the ancient battle. “How many star systems did you control before the Swarm attacked?”
“This system,” the holoimage said.
“You hadn’t colonized other systems?”
“We had not yet used our newly discovered star drive. Victory was an experimental model, the first of its kind. Perhaps I should have attempted faster than light travel, but it doesn’t matter now.”
“By star drive,” Maddox asked, “you mean the wormhole, right?”
“Wormhole?” the holoimage asked.
“The one that begins in your star’s photosphere,” Maddox said.
“I have no idea what you’re babbling about now,” the holoimage said.
Maddox ingested the information. Could the alien not know about tramlines and Laumer-Points? It seemed inconceivable.
“Ah,” the captain said, “didn’t the Swarm burst out of the sun as these star cruisers just did?”
“Of course not,” the holoimage said. “For over one hundred years, we watched the Swarm advance toward our star system. Their massed fleet came at sub-light s
peed, heading straight for us. In their arrogance, they made no attempt to hide their approach.”
“Wait a minute,” Maddox said. “Let me get this straight. The Swarm didn’t use tramlines?”
“What are these tramlines you keep speaking about?” the holoimage asked.
“They’re wormholes, the means we used to enter your star system. How do you think we got here?”
“I’ve had enough of your senseless chattering,” the holoimage said. “The enemy is energizing his weapons. Can it be his beams have a greater range than ours?”
Maddox crouched over his screen, watching the void. As he did, three rays of light speared from the three enemy starships. The captain stopped breathing. Would Victory’s deflector shields hold?
Yes! Before the lances of light touched Victory, a shimmering substance halted them. The three beams poured energy against the ancient vessel’s shield. The rays turned that area red. As the enemy continued to beam, the color darkened, and the area grew larger and larger as the shield attempted to dissipate the energy.
“This is unbelievable,” the holoimage said. “Their beam range astounds me. The Swarm possessed nothing like this. Neither did we possess such long-ranged weaponry.”
Maddox gritted his teeth and balled his fists tight. The New Men continued to beam Victory’s shield. The starship began to tremble. It didn’t come from the strain against the shield. Rather, the antimatter engines whined so Maddox could hear the sound from the bridge. The thrumming engines shook the panels.
“The star cruisers are slowing down,” the holoimage said. “No. I need to close the distance faster. If only I had use of my primary weapons. I would smash these gadflies then.”
“How much longer will it take until we’re in neutron beam range?” Maddox shouted.
“No!” the holoimage groaned. “This isn’t possible.”
Maddox saw it on his screen. A beam speared through the blackened shield. The ray sped for the ancient starship and boiled against hull plating. Armor grew red hot. The beam dug deeper, deeper— “I am overriding the safety precautions,” the holoimage said. “There. That should fix it.”
A fierce high-pitched whine grew louder. The entire bridge shook harder than ever. The holoimage became dimmer, his words harder to hear.
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