by James Palmer
“We came to investigate because this colony stopped transmitting. Your friends aboard the Claw didn’t believe us.”
Drizda nodded. “You would not have attacked your own colony,” she said.
“No. Of course not. But we didn’t attack your colonies either. You have to believe me.”
“I believe you, human. This technology goes far beyond what either of our races possess.”
Hamilton nodded. That knowledge was a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it let both of their races off the hook. On the other, it implicated a far more powerful enemy.
“You’re welcome to return to our ship with us,” said Hamilton. “Perhaps you can help us figure out who or what did this.”
“As your prisoner?” she asked cautiously.
“No, no,” said Hamilton, waving his hands. “As our, um, guest. A scientific adviser, if you will. When this is over, I’ll make sure you are delivered safely back to your people.”
“I have no people,” said Drizda sadly. “I am clanless, remember?”
“You know what I mean,” said Hamilton.
Her tongue flicked twice from her mouth, almost too fast to be noticed. “What choice do I have, mammal? I will go with you and help you.”
“Help us,” Hamilton corrected.
“Help us,” she repeated.
“Sir,” said Dutton. “I must advise against this.”
“I appreciate your input, Sergeant,” said Hamilton. “Please see our guest to the shuttle.”
“First I demand she be disarmed,” said Dutton.
Hamilton nodded at the big marine. To Drizda he said, “Please turn over any weapons.”
Drizda nodded, handed Brannon her knife. She carried no sidearm, as was fitting for her role as a Draconi scientist.
“All right,” said Hamilton. “Let’s shove off.”
7 Unexpected Guest
“I hope you’ve got a good explanation for this, Commander,” said Captain Kuttner as he watched his first officer enter the Onslaught’s ready room with a female dragon in tow, flanked by marines Dutton and Ellison.
“I do, sir,” said Hamilton. His uniform was sweat-stained and covered in minute green splotches. The marines too looked ever the worse for wear.
“You guys look like hell,” said Kuttner. “All right. Give it to me.”
Hamilton gave a full sit rep, including everything they had learned from their brief survey of what little was left of the colony. Drizda sat quietly at the other end of the meeting table, her taloned hands folded in front of her, while Dutton and Ellison hovered at either side of her like heavily armed bookends.
“You think she’s telling the truth?” Kuttner whispered.
“I do, Captain.”
“What’s wrong with her face?”
Hamilton glanced at her self-consciously before answering. “Her clan sigil has been removed. She is for all intents and purposes without family.”
“Think she could be loyal to us?”
“I am a scientist,” said Drizda across the table. “I am loyal to the truth.”
Hamilton nodded to her, hoping she would take that as an apology. “She does not believe we destroyed their colonies, sir. I don’t know if that’s choosing a side, but I’ll take it.”
“Who do you think did this?” Hamilton asked Drizda.
Drizda shook her head slowly. “I do not have enough data to say,” she said. “It would help if I could study the damage to one of your colonies more closely. Perhaps I could at least work out their methods. Maybe even determine where they would strike next.”
Captain Kuttner frowned. “All right. Because right now, our two peoples are pointing the finger at each other.”
“I know,” said Drizda.
“What do you need from me?”
“A computer terminal,” she said. “Access to any and all investigative research your people have acquired.”
Kuttner nodded. “You’ll have it. This is a warship, so our scientific capabilities aren’t much, but you’re welcome to them.”
“Sir,” said Dutton, gritting his teeth. “I must respectfully disagree. This is an enemy combatant. Her colleagues tried to kill us.”
“Your objection is duly noted, Sergeant,” said Kuttner. “But this is no enemy combatant. Our races are at peace. And I aim to make sure they stay that way.”
“But, sir!”
“That’s enough, Dutton,” Kuttner commanded. “Now put those slug-throwers away and stand down until you’re needed.”
Dutton slowly lowered his weapon, which had been subtly trained on Drizda’s head since she sat down, then glanced at Ellison, who did the same. They left the ready room without another word.
“That could have been awkward,” said Hamilton.
Kuttner turned in his chair toward him. “Dutton isn’t wrong to be concerned. I’m putting this one all on you, Hamilton. From now until Drizda leaves this ship, she’s your responsibility.”
“Yes, sir,” said Hamilton. “But there is also the slight matter of our orders. We’re to proceed to Zephyr.”
“I know damn well what our orders are, Commander. I’m ignoring them. At least for now. This old war dog isn’t ready to be put out to pasture just yet. Besides, I think the fact that you’ve brought a member of the Draconi onto our ship changes things a bit.”
“What are we going to do?” Hamilton asked.
“Give her whatever she needs. I want to know what the hell is going on out there, and why the Navy would rather mothball us than let us help stave off another war.”
“Sir?”
Kuttner told Hamilton the details of his conference with Admiral Sheldon, and about the other colonies that had been attacked. Then he stood with a groan. “We need to know where they’ll strike next.”
“I may have a way,” said Hamilton. “Well, it won’t tell us who will be hit before it happens, but we can know immediately after.”
“How so?”
Hamilton gave a sly grin. “After we returned to the ship, I took the liberty of asking Lt. Brackett to monitor the black channels.”
“You what?”
“I used to be Special Operations, remember? I know the codes they use to encrypt messages. As soon as Fleet knows another colony has been attacked, so will we.”
Kuttner smiled and clapped his first officer on the shoulder. “That’s my boy. But if anyone finds out, I didn’t know about it.” He gave a sly wink.
“Mum’s the word, Captain.”
Kuttner exited the room. Hamilton rose from his seat and looked at Drizda. “Let’s go get you set up.”
The Dragon nodded once, and the two of them left the ready room together. As they started up the passageway, Hamilton’s cochlear implant chimed. “Yes?” he said.
“It’s Lt. Brackett,” said a familiar female voice. “You wanted to know when I heard something on the black channels.”
“Yes,” said Hamilton. “What is it?”
“A remote space relay lost contact with the Severus colony nineteen hours and forty-seven standard minutes ago,” she said.
“Tell the Captain,” Hamilton commanded. “I’ll be up there as soon as I can.”
“He’s already been informed,” said the communications officer. “Course laid in for the nearest Q-gate.”
“Good. Hamilton out.”
To Drizda he said, “Next stop, the Severus system.”
8 The Swarm
“We’re approaching the Q-gate.”
Hamilton sat in the command chair, his eyes studying the main viewer intently. He always ordered a visual whenever they were entering a Q-gate on his watch. He never got tired of looking at them.
The Q-gates had been left behind by a highly advanced, yet long-dead race known only as the Progenitors. Impossibly large, and always located in the L1 Lagrange point of a main sequence star, the Q-gates had allowed mankind to see and explore much more of the galaxy than they would have otherwise. By passing through one of the giant diamond-shaped s
tructures, they could move instantaneously from one remote region of space to another, crossing thousands of light years in an eye blink.
Appearing as little more than a vague spec against the brightness of the star they were nearing, the Q-gate grew steadily larger. It was composed of some dull gray metal. Early metallurgical analysis had determined it was some type of fullerene alloy, but their best scientists were no closer to figuring out how to make it themselves than they were when the gates were first discovered more than one hundred standard years ago. They floated silent, implacable. A monument to the mysterious race that had created them.
The gate loomed large in the viewer now, and Hamilton studied it as he had dozens of times before. It was free of any external lighting or ornamentation. It was only by accident that a science vessel attempted to communicate with it and figured out how to activate it.
“We’re in communications range,” said Brackett. “I’m sending the tones now.”
Hamilton knew the five musical notes that would wake up the gate by heart, and he silently hummed them as they grew close enough that they could no longer see the giant diamond of the gate, only the empty space in between, which shimmered and distorted like ripples in a pond as the gate received the tones.
“Sending out-gate tones,” said Brackett as she transmitted the tones for the gate the wanted to come out of, in the Severus system.
The space before them shimmered even more, until it was replaced by a different arrangement of stars and planets. They were in one solar system and staring into another separated from them by more than fifty-seven light years.
“Connection established,” said Hudson.
“Enter the gate,” commanded Hamilton. “Notify the Captain that we’re entering the Severus system.”
The transit was over in less than two minutes. When they were done they had passed through a second gate connected to the first via some form of quantum entanglement.
“Pulsar navigation confirmed,” said Hudson. “We’re in the Severus system.”
“Picking up a lot of tightbeam chatter,” said Brackett, her slender fingers flying over her communications console.
“Source?” asked Hamilton.
“In orbit around Severus,” she said.
“There must be a ship here investigating what happened. They sure got here fast.”
“Maybe too fast,” said Gunner Cade. “They’re under attack.”
“What?” said Hamilton. “On screen.”
“We’re still too far away for a good visual,” said Hudson.
“Get us down there then, full speed. Get me visual as soon as we’re within range. Brackett, what ship is that?”
“The Odysseus.”
Hamilton nodded. “Hail them.”
“Channel open.”
Hamilton stood up. “Odysseus, this is the Onslaught. We’re headed your way. Hang tight.”
“Fall back, Onslaught,” said a harried male voice on the other end. “Or they’ll get you too.”
“What is the nature of the attackers?”
Nothing greeted his ears but tachyon static.
The hatch to the command deck slid open and Captain Kuttner stepped into the room. “What the hell’s going on here, Commander?”
“Don’t know yet, sir.”
“We’re now in visual range,” said Hudson.
“On screen,” both commanding officers said, almost in unison. The viewer flickered to life. Severus Prime, where the colony had been until about twenty standard hours ago, was an orb of swirling green and white. A dull gray ship hung above it, and all around it swarmed hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of tiny metallic objects.
“What are those?” said the Captain, pointing.
“Don’t know,” said Hamilton. “Never seen anything like it. Attack fighters, maybe? But launched from where?”
“Any other ships in the vicinity?” asked Kuttner.
“Negative,” said Cade.
“Activate defense fields,” said Kuttner. “Warm up the guns.”
“Brackett,” Hamilton said, turning his head toward the communications officer. “Feed visual to our visitor’s workstation, then patch me through. I want her take on what we’re seeing.”
“Aye, Commander,” she said.
“Drizda,” he said. “Are you seeing this?”
“I am. Though I don’t yet know what I’m seeing.”
“A few of the hostiles have broken off from the main group,” said Hudson. “They’re headed this way.”
“Battle stations,” said Kuttner. “Gunner Cade, you may fire at will.”
“With pleasure, sir.”
Cade aimed and fired the forward twin-mounted ion guns into the mass of approaching craft. “Direct hit,” he said, peering at a virtual readout. “Some of them were destroyed, but it mostly just scattered them.”
“Lock on and destroy as many as you can,” said Kuttner. “And get me the captain of the Odysseus.”
“Tightbeam’s down,” said Brackett.
“Tightbeam’s gone,” Cade corrected. “Along with most of the Odysseus.”
“What?” said Hamilton.
“He’s right,” said Hudson. “More than sixty percent of the ship’s mass is gone.”
“The vehicles are converging on us,” said Cade. “They’re fast! I can’t hit them.
“Tactical view,” said Hamilton.
Hudson touched a control stud and the view shifted from the doomed Odysseus to a wireframe of their own vessel. Small 3D shapes representing their tiny attackers hovered all around them.
“Defense field to full,” said Kuttner.
Indicators flickered as the enemy craft struck the powerful electric field surrounding the Onslaught.
“Sir,” said Cade. “We’ve got a power drain. It’s affecting the defense field and weapons systems.”
“Where is it coming from?” said Kuttner.
Hamilton checked a readout. “I think it’s coming from whatever those things are. They’re siphoning off our power.”
“Sir,” said Hudson, pointing to a shimmering red screen. “The Odysseus. She’s gone.”
“On screen,” Kuttner commanded.
The tactical wireframe disappeared, replaced by now empty space. A much larger swarm of the tiny craft surged where the other ship had once been.
“Did those things just multiply?” asked Hamilton.
“Yes, sir,” said Cade. “I’m afraid so.”
The two senior officers exchanged wary glances. Something thudded against the ship.
“Defense field won’t hold for long,” said Cade, glancing at a readout. “We’re still down one capacitor.”
“Keep firing on them, whatever they are,” said Kuttner.
Hamilton turned to Lt. Brackett. “Can we communicate with those things?”
Brackett shook her head. “Negative. I’ve been trying, but either they don’t understand us or they’re incapable of hearing.”
“Defense field power levels at thirty percent and dropping,” said Cade. He fired off another shot from the ion guns. “Got one!”
Kuttner looked around the room. “I’m open to suggestions,” he said flatly.
“There are thousands of those things out there,” said Hamilton. “More even than when we arrived. They’ll overwhelm us by sheer numbers.”
Kuttner nodded. “Fall back toward the gate. Full power to defense field and engines. Divert it from elsewhere if you have to. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Aye, sir,” said Hudson as his hands began flying over the controls. Hamilton felt his stomach lurch as the large ship altered its course faster than the artificial gravity could keep up. He felt the familiar thrum of the engines humming up through his boots, and knew that they were under way.
“The rest of the swarm is headed this way,” said Hudson. “Reading tens of thousands of individual units. I’ve never seen anything like it. Their movements are so coordinated. Like a school of fish.”
“Or a swarm of bees,” Kuttner offered. “Let’s admire them later, when they’re not trying to eat us.”
Hudson and Cade worked together to put as much distance between the Onslaught and the swarm while picking off any individual units that got too close. Soon the Q-gate loomed ahead.
“Destination, sir?” asked Brackett, ready to send the musical tones that would get them out of this region of space.
“Anywhere but here,” Kuttner murmured, his eyes never leaving the view screen.
9 Questions
“What the hell were those things?” Kuttner asked.
He was sitting at the head of the table in the ship’s ready room, Hamilton sitting directly across from him. Drizda sat to Hamilton’s right, her taloned hands clasped atop the table, a data slate lying in front of her.
“Judging by their performance and behavior,” said Drizda. “I am convinced they are what have been destroying our colonies.”
“I figured as much,” said Kuttner. “But what are they? Who are they?”
“They appear to be some type of mechanical probe,” answered Drizda. “But I have never seen anything like them before.”
“Probes?” said Hamilton. “Is someone piloting them?”
“Doubtful,” said the Draconi, swiveling slightly in her chair to face him. “But they are nonetheless intelligent, and dangerous.”
“This is all we need,” said Kuttner, rubbing his eyes. He looked as haggard as Hamilton had ever seen him.
“Perhaps we really should just obey our original orders,” Hamilton offered cautiously.
Kuttner glared at him, his jaw clenching. “You mean turn tail and run? Noah, my boy, there is a new threat out there. One that is taking out both us and the Dragons one by one. And you want to go home? Once this madness is over, yes. But not yet.”
Hamilton nodded once. He respected the old man for wanting to stick things out and see it through, and admired him for violating orders in order to do so.
“It would help if we knew more about what we are facing,” said Drizda, tapping at her slate with a sharp talon. “I believe there is a snippet of the Progenitor epics that might have some bearing on what we’re up against.”