The White Fleet (Blood on the Stars Book 7) Page 10

  Still, Barron wasn’t taking any chances. The thing was likely powered by antimatter, and that alone was a good reason for caution. He’d ordered the shuttles that had towed it back to the fleet to stop ten thousand kilometers from Dauntless…and he’d dispatched his engineering teams to inspect the device there. It was far more difficult to analyze the thing in space, but he wasn’t about to bet his new vessel’s survival on an antimatter containment system he guessed was over four centuries old. It wouldn’t take more than a nanosecond’s failure in the magnetic field to release enough antimatter to blow Dauntless into a cloud of superheated plasma.

  He’d hesitated to send the teams at all. Keeping the artifact away from Dauntless would protect the flagship in the event of a catastrophic failure, but it would do nothing for his engineers and technicians. Anya Fritz and her best people were clad in spacesuits even at that moment, prowling around the ancient device. It wouldn’t take a massive antimatter explosion to kill every one of them. Even a modest defensive weapon, or just an accident in the deadly environment of space, would be enough to wipe out the research party.

  He’d led his people into so many dangers, he’d nearly lost count. But it was always hardest to order a small, hand-picked group to put themselves in jeopardy. At least in battle, they all shared a similar danger. He knew Fritz had practically leapt out the airlock, almost overwhelmed by enthusiasm to inspect the new find. He’d have had to have her shackled and thrown in the brig to keep her away, but still, he felt responsible for whatever might happen to her.

  “I suggest we wait, at least for the preliminary inspection report.” Eaton was tapping her fingers on the tabletop, a sure sign, Barron knew, that she was as edgy as he was. “Then we’ll have more to go on.”

  “What more will we have, Commodore?” Globus had been quiet since the meeting had started, but now he spoke up. “We know that device has to be old tech…and we also know that it was deployed near a transit point. I say it’s leading the way for us. We’ve made mostly random navigational choices to date, but I’d say now the route is clear. We should advance through that point, and see what lies beyond.”

  Barron wasn’t surprised that the commander of the Alliance contingent was in favor of the most aggressive option…but he was a little less prepared for how much he suddenly realized he agreed. The condition of the find suggested that the fleet might run into more functional old tech, and he was nervous that meant possibly hostile artifacts…but part of him wanted to push forward immediately, to see what lay beyond the transit point. The fact that the artifact had been situated so close to one of the system’s five points did suggest that perhaps it was indeed a route toward the heart of the old empire.

  “Your enthusiasm speaks well of you, Cilian, but I believe we should at least wait and see what the engineering team is able to uncover on their initial inspection.” He glanced over at the chronometer. “In fact, we should be hearing something any time now.”

  Barron leaned back in his chair. “We also have to consider how we’ll proceed when we do transit. We will proceed through the one situated near the artifact. Does everyone agree?”

  When no one offered a different opinion, he continued. “We must organize the fleet into a more…for lack of a better word, combat ready formation. If we can find one artifact in functional condition, we could find others…including warships and other weapons under robotic control. We have to be ready.”

  “I humbly request that my forces be placed at the head of the fleet, Admiral, as the advance guard.” Globus again, this time acting so much like a Palatian, Barron had to struggle not to grin. He couldn’t risk offending Globus by refusing his request, though he knew the Alliance ships were a generation behind their Confederation counterparts in terms of scanning and computer analysis capability.

  “I accept your offer, Commander…but I’m afraid your force is a bit smaller than I’d like for the forward unit. So, I will assign a group of Confederation ships to join you.”

  “Sir, if it is acceptable to you, I would like to take Repulse to the front of the fleet.”

  “Very well, Commodore Eaton.” And thank you, Sara. Eaton’s request would put the fleet’s exec with the advance guard. She would outrank Globus, and as such, command the entire advance guard. Barron wasn’t concerned about Globus’s tactical ability, nor his courage. But he was just a little afraid the Palatian might blast something a bit prematurely. Alliance officers worked on a kind of a partially submerged paranoia, most likely a vestige from the days when their home world was subjugated, and their ancestors slaves. It didn’t take more than the slightest signs of hostility to bring out their warlike sides. Sara Eaton was a hell of a fighter, one he’d match against any Palatian in battle…but she was far more likely to try to avoid hostilities than Globus.

  “Very well, Commodore. Take Repulse, and…” Barron thought for a few seconds. “…Courageous and Defiant, as well as two squadrons of escorts. You are to advance with full combat protocols, but remember, we’re not looking to provoke anything. I want you to exert maximum caution at all times. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Barron nodded to her. She understands.

  He was just about to dismiss the meeting when the comm unit buzzed.

  “Admiral, I’ve got Captain Fritz on your line.”

  “Put her through.” He looked up. “If you will all remain for another moment, it looks like we may have some information on the artifact.”

  “Admiral?”

  “Yes, Fritzie. I’m here in conference with the other senior commanders. Do you have anything for us?”

  “Yes, sir…we’re pretty sure the device’s purpose was surveillance, some kind of satellite or drone. My guess is, it was positioned where it was to warn of anything approaching the transit point.”

  Barron nodded. “That makes sense.” He looked up, turning toward the others at the table. “It also supports our theory that this transit point leads toward the center of the old empire.” He turned back toward the comm unit. “Anything else, Fritzie?”

  “Yes, sir. It’s antimatter-powered, as we suspected. As far as we can determine, the containment system appears to be completely sound, but I still recommend we keep it some distance from any of our ships. It’s quite advanced, sir, but…” She paused a few seconds.

  “But? Speak your mind, Fritzie.”

  “But, it seems noticeably lower-tech than some of the other devices we’ve encountered. The stealth generator, and certainly the planetkiller, were more sophisticated in design and construction. I was never able to examine the pulsar, of course, but I feel comfortable in saying that, too, was considerably more advanced. I can’t be sure about this, but if I had to guess, I’d say this device was built by a culture several centuries behind the one that constructed the other artifacts.”

  Barron sat silently for a moment. That didn’t make any sense. The old records were spotty and incomplete, but he’d never heard anything about more than one entity existing in the pre-Cataclysmic past. The empire ruled all mankind, for centuries, if not millennia, and it had never encountered any alien civilizations. What could explain two distinctly different technology levels, both far in advance of the Confederation’s?

  “Do you have any explanation, Fritzie?” He knew the answer even as he asked the question.

  “No, sir. None.” A pause. “And, I have something else, Admiral. We can’t be sure, not until we can bring samples back to the lab aboard Dauntless, but…well, sir, we think this artifact is newer than the ones we’ve found before. Perhaps not much more than a century old, and no more than two.”

  “Do you know what you’re saying, Fritzie?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Barron shook his head. The empire had been destroyed nearly four centuries earlier. It seemed impossible that anything like the artifact could have been produced after the Cataclysm, even if some vestigial civilization had endured longer than the old records suggested. The Confederation was ove
r a hundred years old, and Megara’s history was well-documented back at least another century. Yet, Fritz was saying the artifact they’d just found was from roughly that time period.

  Barron almost asked if she was sure, but she’d said flat out that she wasn’t, that she needed to verify the results. That meant there was still some doubt. Perhaps the new artifact was simply a cheaper, lower quality item from imperial times. He didn’t really believe that—he was inclined to take Fritz’s instincts as proven fact—but he wanted as much solid data as he could get. “All right, Fritzie, get your people back here immediately. Run whatever tests you have to, but get me solid information on this.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Barron leaned back, deep in thought for a moment, almost forgetting the others in the room. Then he exhaled forcefully and said, “You all heard Captain Fritz. If she confirms her suspicions, we’ve got another mystery on our hands, the implications of which I can’t even delineate right now.”

  The room was silent, every eye on him. “There’s no point in getting ahead of ourselves. Take a break, get something to eat…we’ll reconvene as soon as Captain Fritz is able to complete her tests.”

  And then we’ll try to figure out what the hell is really going on out here…

  Chapter Thirteen

  The Promenade

  Spacer’s District

  Port Royal City, Planet Dannith, Ventica III

  315 AC

  “Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Trencher. You may consider your debts paid in full.”

  Trencher nodded, clearly trying to avoid eye contact with Andi. “Thank you,” he finally said, his voice weak, soft. Then he turned and walked away.

  Andi sat silently, watching as Trencher slipped out of sight. He’d done what she needed him to do, led her right to the top of the Sector Nine presence on Dannith. Though, the circumstances of that discovery were far from ideal.

  And, it wasn’t going to stop her from putting a bloody hole in the treacherous bastard’s head when she got back.

  “What’s this about?” She glared at Lille. She was in deep now, she knew that. But she still had to play the part.

  “It’s about employment, Captain Lafarge. You came here under the pretense of prospecting for old tech, but I’m afraid I don’t believe that is the case. I think you were looking for us, at the behest of your friends from Confederation Intelligence.” He paused and turned toward the man sitting next to Andi. “Have you found it yet?”

  The man was holding an instrument of some kind, a probe with a cable connected to a small screen. “Yes, sir. It’s in her left arm, approximately three centimeters below the elbow.”

  Andi was watching…and getting a very bad feeling.

  “Do it.” Lille’s voice was calm, without anger. But she could hear menace in it nevertheless.

  The man grabbed her arm. She pulled it back, but then another man, the one sitting across from her, punched her. She saw it coming too late, and managed to get partially out of the way, but it still hit her hard. She gasped for a breath as her assailant lunged out of his seat and grabbed her left arm, holding it like a vice.

  She struggled, but both men were larger and stronger, and she was woozy from the punch. She felt fingers on her arm, feeling around for a few seconds…and then pain.

  It was a blade of some kind, digging deep. She tried to hold back a scream, but it forced its way out. She could feel the blood pouring out onto her arm, and something metal digging into her flesh.

  She gritted her teeth and struggled to get out of her assailant’s grip, but to no avail. Finally, the man next to her said simply, “Got it.” He was holding up a small piece of metal, just under a centimeter in length, and covered in blood and tiny bits of muscle tissue.

  It was her tracker. The device that allowed Holsten and his people to follow where she was taken.

  “Excellent.” Lille’s voice was unchanged. He reached out and took the capsule, handing it to a woman seated next to him. “See that this ends up in another vehicle, perhaps one heading downtown. We might as well give our friends at Confederation Intelligence an interesting ride while we have a…chat…with Captain Lafarge here.”

  Andi was hunched over, whimpering slightly at the pain despite her best efforts to hold it back.

  “Here, Captain.” Lille handed her a long strip of bandage. He turned toward the man next to her, the one who’d sliced open her arm. “Help her with this. The captain is our guest, after all.” He angled his head back toward the front of the vehicle. “Let’s get moving. We don’t want to be at the last place Confed Intelligence got a reading from that thing.”

  The man grabbed her arm and began to wrap the strip of cloth around the wound. The material was bright white, but it quickly became soaked through with blood.

  “I must apologize, Captain Lafarge, for our apparent lack of manners, but we couldn’t allow your friends from Confederation Intelligence to crash our little party, not so soon. We have so much to discuss, and I’m afraid they would just spoil things.”

  “What do you want from me?” She took a deep breath, fighting to ignore the pain as much as she could, and she stared at him, making no effort to hide the hatred in her eyes.

  “Confederation Intelligence sent you here to uncover our operation on the border. Frankly, I’ve been shocked at how freely we’ve been able to infiltrate the worlds along the Badlands all these years.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just here to prospect for old tech.”

  “Captain Lafarge…we’re going to get along much better if we respect each other’s intelligence. I will confess, I wasn’t sure you were working for Holsten’s people, not until Trencher got you to the vehicle. My studies of your…adventures…suggest you’re far too cautious to go along with something like that…unless you were trying to uncover our operatives.”

  Andi stayed focused on Lille, but she didn’t say anything.

  “Well, we can leave that unspoken. Any doubts you are working for Confederation Intelligence were eliminated the instant Sid here pulled that tracker out of your arm. Your people have been using those for far too long, I’m afraid. They might as well tattoo ‘operative’ on your forehead.”

  Andi remained silent, but any hope she’d still had of convincing Lille she was just on Dannith to make prospecting runs slipped away.

  “I will be blunt, Captain. We want you to work for us instead. I assure you, we are more generous paymasters than Confederation Intelligence. And we would like to employ you in operations far closer to your expertise than the folly Gary Holsten lured you into.”

  She glared across the transport’s small cabin toward Lille. “Yes, your ‘incentive’ program is quite clear.” She held up her bloody arm, wincing from the pain as she moved it.

  “That was an unfortunate necessity, Captain. Had it been possible to have, shall we say, more of a medical environment available, we might have been able to achieve it with less discomfort.”

  “Drop dead.” Her words were cold.

  Lille sighed. “Your friend, Mr. Trencher was far more reasonable. Once we’d taken over his debts, it was quite easy to secure his cooperation. I would advise you to follow his lead, Captain.”

  “Trencher is a foul pig. And, he’s going to be short one head as soon as I can get out of here and blow it off.” She felt defiance inside rising, bolstering her courage. Fear was there, too, of course, and she knew it would be a struggle to hold it back. She’d faced Sector Nine before, and the experience had not been pleasant…but Ricard Lille was something else entirely. She’d heard of him, shadowy rumors and stories always told by someone who said they’d been told by someone. She wasn’t sure what was true and what wasn’t, but she doubted there was anything he wouldn’t do to get what he wanted, and that suggested the coming hours and days were likely to be very…challenging.

  “Yes, I believe you will, Captain. And you’ll have that chance…as long as you cooperate with us.”

  “
That will never happen.”

  “Ah, Andi…may I call you Andi?”

  She glared back, silent, unwilling to play Lille’s little game.

  “I’ll take that as a yes. Anyway, Andi…many people have said that before, and they have suffered needlessly. Although Sector Nine no longer exists, my people have considerable…experience…in this area.”

  “Do what you’re going to do, but don’t treat me like a fool. You can call a bucket of maggots a vase full of flowers…it’s still a bucket of maggots.” There was venom in her tone. She was harnessing her rage to bolster her courage.

  “You’re as charming as I had heard, Andi. I’d like to say this is going to be a pleasure, but despite your obvious opinions of me, I’m not as sadistic as you imagine. I will admit, I do enjoy the excitement of the kill, but the exhilaration is in the hunt, the chase. Inflicting pain on a helpless captive…well, there are some in my employ I daresay derive a level of pleasure from that, but I assure you, I’m not one of them. You may believe me or not, but I would be just as happy rewarding you, enticing you to our service, rather than breaking you.” He paused, and though his tone remained even, Andi could feel a new level of malevolence there. “You would also be more useful in such a scenario. We will, of course, break your will if we must, Andi, but I fear you will be a stubborn candidate, and it will take…aggressive…means to bring you around. Such methods are not without consequences. Or long-term effects.”

  Andi sat still, trying to keep herself from letting Lille know how scared she was. She wouldn’t give the son of a bitch the satisfaction. She angled her head and looked right back at him. “Do whatever you’re going to do. Anything would be better than listening to you talk me to death.”

  * * *

  Holsten’s eyes were fixed on the small dot on the screen. He was sitting in the back of a transport, not the kind of luxury vehicle to which he was accustomed, but one that appeared to be a non-descript delivery truck of some sort. The vehicle looked old and somewhat rundown, but it was actually almost new, and the special equipment inside cost twenty times what even the most high-end of transports did.