Vaughn Heppner - The Lost Starship

We could use some of that about now . He would have shaken his head, but Lieutenant Noonan might notice. She piloted the scout. Ensign Maker slept, while Riker guarded Meta as she continued to effect repairs to the engine and propulsion systems.

Maddox knew the importance of appearing confident. Never let them see you sweat . That intimidated opponents and bolstered allies. Right about now, his crew needed all the encouragement they could get.

Lieutenant Noonan took the moment to swivel around and clear her throat. Her intentness alerted Maddox.

“Captain, do I have permission to speak off the record?” she asked.

“Please,” he said.

“Sir… I’m not sure how to say this.”

He waited, feeling as if it might be better if she didn’t.

“Just how serious are Doctor Rich’s injuries?” Valerie asked.

“She’s recovering,” answered Maddox.

While watching him closely, Valerie asked, “Do you believe she’ll come out of the coma?”

“The robo-doctor gives that a high percentage.”

Valerie licked her lips. “Sir… did you drug her?”

“Of course not,” Maddox said.

Valerie brightened for just a moment. Then obvious suspicion furrowed her brow. “The robo-doctor administered the dosages, isn’t that what you mean?”

He didn’t squirm. That wouldn’t do. Instead, he nodded.

“Dana Rich is in an induced coma, isn’t she, sir?”

“No,” Maddox said.

“No?”

He came to a swift decision. “Lieutenant, speaking precisely, she isn’t in a coma at all. By your questions and manner, I suspect you realize I decided to… inhibit her consciousness for a time.”

“Because she’s too dangerous awake?” Valerie asked.

“I agree Dana Rich is dangerous, but that wasn’t the totality of my reasoning.”

“You’re trying to win Meta over to our quest, aren’t you, sir?”

The lieutenant’s perception surprised Maddox. She had guessed that with hardly any clues to work on. He nodded as an answer.

“Your methods are devious, sir.”

“I suppose one could make that argument,” he said.

“That isn’t the way to convince someone we’re trustable.”

“You’re correct,” Maddox said.

“But…” Valerie said. “You’re going to suggest that our mission means we must do whatever is necessary to achieve our goal.”

Maddox waited. There were times when it was wiser to let a person argue a point with herself. The lieutenant knew what would convince her better than he did.

“I can’t say I approve, sir.”

“If it’s any consolation,” he said, “neither do I.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Valerie said.

“Lieutenant, it’s a given that you and I will never do anything as important with our lives than to complete this mission. Without the sentinel, do you think Star Watch can defeat the New Men?”

“We don’t have enough information to make a perfect guess,” Valerie said.

“You’re hedging,” Maddox said. “What we do know tells us we can’t match their cruisers, their advanced weaponry. Three of their ships took out a double-strength battle group.”

“I understand your logic,” Valerie said, “and I’m not saying you don’t have a point. It’s just that I hate to practice deceit on people we’re hoping to trust with our lives. If Doctor Rich ever discovers what you did…”

“I’m telling you this in strictest confidence,” Maddox said.

“Yes, sir,” Valerie said.

A red light began to blink on his screen. Seeing it, a cold feeling worked through Maddox. “Our discussion is over,” he said. He adjusted controls, using passive sensors. A ship had just entered the star system from a different Laumer-Point than the one they had used to get here. The computer analyzed the data and— “An SWS destroyer has just appeared at a distant jump point,” Maddox informed her. A few seconds later, he added, “It’s the Saint Petersburg .” He stood. “Take your station and engage the cloaking device.”

“The cloak is damaged,” Valerie said. “Maybe if we waited to employ it, waited until their Jump Lag wore off—”

“No,” Maddox said. “It’s too risky to cut it too fine. We don’t know how quickly New Men recover from Jump Lag—quicker than us, you once said. Maybe they brought computer systems with them that recover faster than ours do from jump. We have to fade away now and reach our next tramline in secret.”

Valerie stood, moving from piloting to her controls.

Maddox shifted as well, calling Keith on the ship’s intercom.

“Will they try to follow us all the way to the alien star system?” Valerie asked.

“That would be bad,” Maddox said. “How is the cloaking device responding?”

“Do you hear the clicking noise?”

Maddox listened. He could hear it, and he told Valerie so.

“The cloaking device is straining, sir. I don’t know how long our jury-rigging is going to work. We need a dockyard and a major overhaul. The mine hurt us, sir, worse than I think you want to admit.”

“It’s not how good our ship is but if we can beat the other fellow across the finish line.”

The clicking noises increased.

Maddox swore under his breath. The hatch opened and the sleepy-eyed ace entered. “Explain the situation to him, Lieutenant. Keep us cloaked at all costs. Ensign, at your judgment, engage the gravity generator to build our velocity.”

Keith paused, rubbing his eyes, taking his time digesting the order. Finally, he said, “I’m not sure the scout can withstand more of that kind of stress, Captain, sir.”

“I imagine we’re going to find out,” Maddox told him.

“The cloaking device, sir—” Valerie said.

“I’ll tell Meta to keep it operational,” Maddox said.

“Do you know which Laumer-Point I’m supposed to aim us toward once we jump into the next system?” Valerie asked.

Unfortunately, Maddox did not. A prolonged reading of Professor Ludendorff’s notes had convinced him the text was encrypted. Dana might understand the script, but so far, Maddox knew he didn’t.

“I’m off to see if I can answer your question,” Maddox said.

“You’re going to wake Doctor Rich?” Valerie asked.

“Precisely,” Maddox answered. “Wish me luck on convincing her to stay with us to the end.”

“Luck,” Valerie said.

Maddox exited the control room.

Sitting on a chair, the captain waited with his legs crossed as Doctor Rich slowly regained consciousness.

Maddox had time to ponder his situation. Down on the prison planet, what had the appearance of the New Men truly meant? He kept replaying the incident on Loki Prime. The golden-skinned invader had dodged his gunshots. That was incredible. Only by anticipating the man had Maddox been able to shoot him to the ground. Could a regular man have done as well as him?

That’s what I’m really asking, isn’t it? Am I a normal man, or do I have their blood in me? Was my mother a breeder for the New Men? Suppose she was. What does that mean for me?

The idea of genetically altering humans was repugnant to most people. Making replicas such as clones also made people uneasy. The Clone Laws were there to halt the practice, and yet some rich folk on Earth bought clones from planets outside the Commonwealth.

Did the New Men have feelings of racial superiority? Back before interstellar travel, Earth had fought world wars concerning such matters. The Eugenics War of the Twentieth Century had destroyed the nation attempting to fashion a master race. Had that horror now come to the Oikumene? If he and his crew failed to acquire the alien sentinel, would the Star Watch go down in defeat against the invincible cruisers?