The Last Flight of the Argus (31 page)

“
Perhaps it was the cold reality of what they were about to get into that made at least a few of them realize the situation was critical,” Stephen Gray said.

“
Early estimates predicted when this war spilled out of Erebus and into either Empire, the fatalities would number in the billions,” Saro Triste said. “Our leaders were facing not only massive deaths, but perhaps the end of humanity itself.”

“
You see, B'taav, by coincidence or not, both sides had developed an ultimate weapon,” Francis Lane said. “We called ours Project
Charybdis
. They called theirs the
Tears of the Stars
. When detonated, these weapons released a tremendous energy wave. A wave capable of annihilating an entire solar system.”

B’taav drew a sharp breath. He couldn’t help but look out the room’s single window and at the asteroid field beyond. The remains of Erebus.

“
Yes, Independent, an entire solar system.”

For several seconds, the room was quiet.

“
Then what?” B'taav asked.

“
This information was closely guarded. A group of twenty high ranking military, political, industrial, and clergy figures, ten from each empire, initiated top secret dialogue. They were aware their counterparts had their hands on this weapon. This realization proved sobering. They came to the conclusion that this war had to be stopped before it fully began.”

“
But too many events were already in motion. Ships from either side initiated hostile actions within Erebus. There were too many casualties and field Commanders were eager to advance. More and more ships were deployed in system. Even the citizens of the Empires demanded blood.”

“
The group of twenty grew increasingly desperate to find any kind of peaceful solution. But their fear was that peace treaties would be, at best, short lived. Even worse, they would afford each side time to create even more of these ultimate weapons.”

“
So someone in these negotiations offered a solution,” Francis Lane said. “An ultimate solution. One that would eliminate the threat of any future wars for millennia. Time enough for the old hatreds to die down. Time enough for us to live together in peace.”

“
They agreed to explode these bombs in Erebus?” B’taav said.

“
Yes.”

“
H-how many people were sacrificed?”

“
Far less than would have had this war spilled over.”

B’taav shook his head. He eyed Inquisitor Cer. She stared back at him.

“
And the military agreed to do this? They agreed to sacrifice all these lives along with the backbone of their fleets?”

“
They did no such thing,” Francis Lane replied. “The treaty was known only to the group of twenty and a handful of very loyal, senior members of the two starships in question.”

“
The ones carrying the weapons.”

“
Yes. The
Charybdis
bomb was on board the Epsillon Empire juggernaut
Argus
. The
Tears of the Stars
was on the Phaecian Empire ship
Luxor
. Not only did they carry the weapons, these ships held the only copies of the complete schematics of these weapons along with the personnel who developed the devices. The group of twenty made sure no other copies of blueprints existed anywhere else. They set a time and date for the end and consulted with the Captains of each ship.”

“
The men and women in control of these vessels knew and understood their sacrifice. They, more than anyone else, were aware of the danger of introducing these weapons into a prolonged war. They agreed to do what was asked of them, even though it meant sacrificing their own lives.”

“
The
Argus
and the
Luxor
were to enter Erebus simultaneously and, at a given moment, set off their respective bombs. In the resulting maelstrom, the military might of both Phaecia and Epsillon would be destroyed, along with those ultimate weapons.”

“
They were mad,” B’taav said.

“
Perhaps, but their plan worked,” Francis Lane said. “Neither Empire had the weapons or the desire to fight anymore. On that very day, the war ended.”

“
Investigations into the explosion at Erebus followed, of course,” Triste added. “And because of the projects’ secrecy, no one figured out exactly what happened. The group of twenty knew conspiracy theories would flower, but they could live with that, as long as their goal was realized.”

B’taav mouth felt very dry.

“
What happened to this group of twenty?”

“
They suffered. How could they not? A year after their plan’s implementation, thirteen of them were dead. Eight by their own hand. The others died in what was nebulously ruled as ‘accidents.’ Of the remaining seven, three left politics and disappeared forever from public life. The other four were victims of crime. Peculiar crimes. As nebulous as the accidents.”

“
Why are you here? Why is Lieutenant Daniels after you?”

“
Despite their plan’s success, the group of twenty realized something had gone wrong,” Francis Lane said.

“
They feared their deception would be revealed?”

“
They never expected the secret to last forever. Indeed, they made provisions to reveal their handiwork. Their testimonials were recorded for posterity and are to be revealed at the five hundred anniversary of the end of the War. By then, hopefully, their distant relatives will not suffer for their forefathers’ sins.”

“
What went wrong?”

“
You’re familiar with a scavenger by the name of Kelly Lang?” Ned Frasier asked.

“
Yes.”

“
He was a nobody,” Frasier continued. “One of many thousands of scavengers searching for any scrap from the war that a Homeworld collector might pay good money for.”

“
What did he find?”

“
A nearly intact scientific probe from the
Argus
,” Francis Lane said.

“
A probe from the ship carrying the
Charybdis
bomb into Erebus?”

“
Yes.”

“
How is that possible? Wouldn’t the ship have disintegrated—”

B’taav did not finish his thought. He stared at the faces before him.

“
Her bomb wasn't detonated?”

“
No.”

“
You mean all this destruction…it was the result of the
Tears of the Stars
alone?”

“
Yes,” Frasier said. “Somehow, the
Luxor's
device exploded prematurely. The
Argus
, on the other side of the solar system, survived the explosion. If she’s still in one piece, the
Charybdis
bomb is still on board.”

“
How could the ship survive an explosion of such magnitude?”

“
Phaecian intelligence as well as the
Monnel
Displacer records indicated the
Argus
arrived through the inner Erebus Displacer just as the explosion's impact was felt on that side of the system," Saro Triste said. “When activated, all Displacers create a fold in the fabric of space, a negative space wormhole. It is what allows vessels passage from one point to another, many light years away. While active, this negative space wormhole is extra-dimensional and, in theory, unaffected by events occurring outside its fold. We suspect the
Argus
was still in this negative space for a fraction of a second
after
the explosion’s energy passed.”

“
You think the ship was completely intact?”

“
Obviously not,” Frasier said. “Had she emerged into Erebus space unscathed, the crew would have blasted her out of the rubble of what remained of Erebus. No, she sustained enough damage from the blast to make her immobile or near immobile. Her life support systems obviously survived long enough to allow the crew time to release the ship’s probes, including the one we found.”

“
You were looking for such objects? You knew the
Argus
was out there?”

“
The group of twenty poured over all information collected from the explosion. As impressive as the destruction was, the data was incontrovertible. The explosion had the characteristics of only one solar bomb. Had both been detonated as planned, this area would
still
be a toxic cesspool.
Titus
and the Erebus Displacer would have been dust. Our ancestors knew the
Luxor
was gone. They couldn't be sure about the
Argus
.”

“
A year after the events at Erebus, the surviving members of the group of twenty set aside a stipend and created a secret organization,” Francis Lane said. “To this day, the organization has no formal name and only one goal: To guard Erebus from both borders and see to it that if the
Argus
was somehow found, her cargo would never fall into the hands of either individuals or Empires.”

“
Several generations of sentries were stationed at
Titus
and the two other space stations in the vicinity of Erebus,” Ned Frasier said. “Their job –eventually my job– was to sift through the scavengers’ material and look for any signs of the ship.”

“
Why sit back and wait? Why not send in exploratory craft?”

“
The chaos and fallout from the single solar bomb made trips deep into Erebus too dangerous,” Ned Frasier said. “When things finally settled down some fifty years later, the group of twenty was out of power and our funds were limited. Besides, the area to cover was maddeningly broad and despite our fears, there was no clear evidence the
Argus
still existed. We chose to conserve what monies we had and let the information come to us, rather than go out to it.”

“
The probe Kelly Lang found proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that the
Argus
survived the explosion,” Frasier continued. “We found markings on the probe indicating it was one of four hundred released afterwards.”

“
Why use probes?” B’taav asked. “Why didn’t the crew use the escape ships?”

“
Before venturing into Erebus, the
Argus’
Captain quietly sent all non-essential personnel on various trips, from shore leave to scientific conferences or intelligence gathering. The crewmen didn’t even know they were being evacuated. When the
Argus
headed to Erebus, it was manned by a skeleton crew and there were no remaining personnel or escape crafts left on board. The scientific probes were the only means the crew had to get their message of survival out.”

“
Immediately after purchasing the probe, Mr. Frasier contacted us,” Stephen Gray said. “We are what’re left of the sentries.”

“
Before we arrived on
Titus
, Kelly Lang was dead,” Saro Triste said. “Whether the explosion that took him and his ship was accidental, we couldn’t know, but we suspected the worst. Especially when Lieutenant Daniels showed up.”

“
You think he was responsible for Lang’s death?”

“
While he arrived afterwards, it is possible Lieutenant Daniels had agents in the area and they killed the scavenger,” Stephen Gray said. “Regardless, his interest in Kelly Lang’s death confirmed our suspicions: There were others who knew what really happened in Erebus and, as you know, General Jurgens is behind Lieutenant Daniels. What is important is the fact that we’re in a race with Jurgens and Daniels and their military might to find the
Argus
. I have little doubt they hope to recover the ship for their own purposes. Even if the super juggernaut is severely damaged, she remains the most powerful weapon in the universe. Should Daniels or Jurgens get their hands on her, all they have to do is keep the Erebus Displacer locked down. They’ll have all the time they need to fix the ship. Afterwards…who knows.”

Francis Lane laid her hand on B’taav’s.

“
Now you understand the urgency of our mission,” she said. “Every one of their actions suggests they want the bomb for themselves. If they get it, what’s to stop them from becoming absolute rulers of both Empires?”

“
What about Rasp’s murder?”

“
Isn’t it obvious?” Francis Lane said. “Someone among us works for them.”

“
Or for themselves,” B’taav said. “The
Argus
offers enough temptation for anyone.”

Francis Lane released B’taav’s hand. The air within the conference room turned even colder.

“
What if we find the ship first?”

“
We get on board and finish the mission our distant ancestors tasked us with.”

“
You aim to destroy her?”

“
Yes.”