Vaughn Heppner - The Lost Starship

“Surrender or die.” No linguist had been able to detect an accent in those words to give a clue as to possible origins. What spaceship of colonists could have produced the New Men one hundred and fifty years ago, say, after disappearing into the Beyond? How large of an empire or star union did they possess in the Beyond? Or, were the New Men like the ancient Huns, perhaps, who moved en masse as nomads from one place to another? What technology made their starships so effective?

A few strategists had speculated advanced aliens as being behind the New Men. The theory was simple. Aliens had bred these New Men as assault troops for a larger invasion into Human Space. It was as good an idea as the rest, given the number of facts was the same as any other concept: zero.

There were many questions about the golden-skinned invaders, but no concrete answers.

The coinage of the phrase New Men had come from an Odin newscast showing the only known footage, which had been several seconds long. A tall golden-skinned man with dark hair wearing a silver bodysuit had bounded with incredible speed at elite space marines in the spaceport of Garm. The defending squad occupied a building. They wore exo-powered armor and fired shock rifles.

Due to the brevity of the footage, it had been difficult to get an accurate idea of the battle. Seen in extreme slow motion, two shock rounds passed the invader. Some experts believed the silver suit had interfered with the targeting computers in the rifles and the homing devices in the ammunition. While the Odin military had been small, they had used the latest export technology.

For a fraction of a second, one could see the New Man’s face. It had not been screwed up with controlled fear or even rage. Instead, he looked calm.

The brief recording also showed his weapon. Pistol-sized, it shot an energy blot. In a fast jerk, the recording had switched directions. The energy hit caused blue web-lines to short-circuit heavy armor and fry the Odin marine inside.

Then the footage ended. No one knew if the surviving marines had won that round or if the lone New Man had slain them.

Afterward, the Odin newswoman’s voice had trembled as she spoke about the New Man , an innovative breed of human who had invaded civilization from the Beyond. Her observation had stuck.

“Surrender or die.” No one knew what had happened to the defeated populations. That by itself had given rise to the worst fears. Surely, though, New Men would practice advanced forms of mercy toward the defeated. Or, would they believe themselves so superior to old-style humans that the losers needed extermination?

Whatever the case, until someone thought up a better name or the invaders gave humanity one of their own, they were the New Men, and their initial assault had sent a shockwave through every government in Human Space.

In the large conference chamber, Captain Maddox looked up as the whispering died away.

Lord High Admiral Cook in his white uniform and rows of medals walked in. A young lieutenant trailed him. Cook was large and red-faced. The woman behind him was beautiful, with brunette hair. She had athletic grace but appeared tired and nervous.

The Lord High Admiral came to the front of the conference table, placing his thick fingertips on the glossy top. He scanned the assembled throng, and he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to sit down. The lieutenant standing to his left and a little behind wore her officer’s cap. Cook didn’t. He had a thick wave of white hair and a seamed face.

“We face a grave challenge,” Lord High Admiral Cook said in his deep voice. “Because of its intensity, I will come straight to the point. As many of you know, we have moved seven battle groups into these various star systems.”

He pointed at the center of the table. A holoimage snapped on. It showed the battle groups in red, guarding the strategic routes from Odin, Horace and Parthia into Commonwealth space.

“What most of you don’t know,” the Lord High Admiral continued, “is that we sent another battle group into the Beyond. It was a fast-moving, hard-hitting group under Admiral von Gunther. The plan was to slip in through the back door, as it were, entering the Odin System from the Beyond. Von Gunther had orders to face down the invaders or destroy them if they proved hostile. He was also instructed to see what these New Men had done to the population and learn the fate of our envoys.”

Cook breathed heavily. Then he indicated the woman to his left. “I have been speaking with Lieutenant Noonan. She commanded a Galen -class escort. I would like to tell you she returned in it to us.” The Lord High Admiral shook his head. “Her lifeboat was the only craft to survive von Gunther’s encounter with the New Men.”

People gasped, glancing at one another. An entire battle group destroyed? It was difficult to envision. The New Men must have moved an armada to the Odin System. Did they plan a massed invasion against the Commonwealth then?

Like everyone else, Captain Maddox reexamined the pretty woman. She took a step back, as if the combined stares physically shoved her. Then, a subtle change came over her, a hardening of her features. She stood straighter. It was difficult to interpret the emotions behind her stoic mask.

“We sent a powerful force to investigate the Odin System,” the Lord High Admiral said. “It was composed of fourteen capital ships, four of them Bismarck -class battleships, two motherships and the rest varying types of cruisers. It also included accompanying destroyers, missile boats and escort vessels, along with ancillary repair ships and three troop transports.”

The Lord High Admiral cleared his throat. “We called it a battle group for security purposes. But, as you can see, it had twice the usual numbers.”

Cook’s features stiffened as he raised an arm to indicate Lieutenant Noonan.

“I want you to hear her story.” The Lord High Admiral turned to the woman, and he seemed to become fatherly. “Lieutenant Noonan, if you would please relate your first meeting with the enemy, the battle and your eventual escape, I would appreciate it.”

Maddox arched his neck to get a better look at her face. Her eyes seemed haunted.

Lord High Admiral Cook stepped aside.

She moved into his vacated spot, holding her arms rigidly at her sides like a cadet in training. Maddox noticed that she clenched her hands into fists. This must be difficult for her.

Noonan inhaled. Then, she began to speak fast.

“Admiral von Gunther took us into the Pan System,” she said. “We had jumped from Aphrodite Five. As most of you must realize, we had to go deep into the Beyond to get to Aphrodite Five.”

Faster than light travel involved the Laumer Drive, with Laumer-Points and tramlines. Many stars possessed these wormholes that connected systems. Delicate ship instruments found the precise entrance location. The drive then allowed a ship to jump almost instantaneously between the two points, moving many light years along the tramline in the blink of an eye. Coming out of a Laumer-Point always strained the passengers. People varied on the effects. Some felt shaky as if with the flu and recovered in minutes. Some vomited and trembled uncontrollably, taking several hours to recuperate. A few always died, usually from heart failure. As important, every known computer system—electrical, bio or phase—shut down after a jump and took precious time to reboot. It meant the warships coming out of a Laumer-Point were vulnerable to a swift enemy attack—if the enemy vessels were close enough.

Crossing a star system to reach the next Laumer-Point often took weeks of travel. It meant that some jump routes were strategically more important than others.