The Lost Colony (Lost Starship Series Book 4) (25 page)

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Starship
Victory
spent the next day accelerating toward the Nexus’ known location. As the asteroids neared, the ancient vessel decelerated.

On the bridge, Valerie threw her hands into the air. “This doesn’t make any sense. Wouldn’t the port admiral have left a message buoy or sent one of his ships back home? He knows how important knowledge is to Star Watch.”

“You worry too much,” Keith said.

They were alone on the bridge, the captain having told them several hours ago he was going to exercise.

“And you don’t worry enough,” Valerie shot back. “I’ve never understood your carefree attitude. You know how harsh the universe is. Your brother’s strikefighter death—”

“Leave my brother out of it, thank you.”

Valerie turned from Keith, fiddling with her controls. She hated it when she shot her mouth off. Why couldn’t she learn to think before speaking? Her dad used to tell her to use her noggin before yapping, tapping a finger against her head while he said it.

“Look,” she said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“It’s nothing,” Keith said.

“No. It is. You—”

“Lieutenant,” Keith said, sharply.

Her teeth clicked together, and she held herself rigidly.

The small ace frowned as he studied his board. He began shaking his head. “I…I don’t like talking about my brother. I miss him, you know.”

Valerie nodded. She missed her dad.

“He was the good one,” Keith said. “I’ve always been the troublemaker. It runs in my blood. I like to have fun. I like to race along the edge so I feel alive. He didn’t have to do it that way. He could read books, be normal…”

“You must love working for the captain then,” Valerie said.

“That I do,” Keith said, grinning. “The man has style.”

“I bet he’s sleeping, not exercising.”

“Are you kidding,” Keith said. “Don’t you know you and me would be howling like mad dogs if we took a shot like that? I’ve seen laser poisoning before during the Tau Ceti Conflict. It’s ugly. The captain—I can’t believe he’s even on his feet. He’s a superman.”

Valerie snorted. “That makes two people who think so, you and the captain.”

“Aye, me and the captain, two lonely people—”

“Lonely!” Valerie exclaimed. “You think the captain is lonely?”

“Oh, I do, love, I most certainly do. The man believes he’s an island, maybe because he’s had to be. He’s hard. I admit that. But he’s good, none better, if you ask me. Yes, I love serving on
Victory
. Let the good times roll, I say.”

“What do you think happened to the port admiral?”

Keith stared at the main screen. “This is a haunted star system. We know that, right?”

“No.”

Keith grinned. “Oh, aye, you know, but you want a steely world without ghosts. You want everything in its place because Detroit showed you what happens when civilization takes a vacation.”

Valerie stared at Keith, surprised at his sudden insightfulness. “I think you’re right. I want order because of all the disorder I faced while growing up.”

She checked her board. At the very edge of the asteroid field floated a medium-sized rock. Beyond it by several hundred kilometers was another, and another, and tens of thousands more just like it.

“Better call the captain,” she said. “
Victory
is about to enter the minefield.”

***

Maddox had indeed gone to his quarters to sleep. He lay in bed, having slept for several hours. Now, he debated taking a pain pill. The wound was healing, but much slower than it should, in his opinion.

“Captain,” the intercom said.

He swept back the covers and sat up gingerly.

“Captain.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” he said. Finally, he reached the intercom, clicking it. “Yes?”

“We’re entering the asteroid belt, sir. We should be near the Nexus is three hours.”

“Thank you,” he said. “I’ll be there shortly.”

He pulled back the bandage, studying the angry-red skin around the burn. He swung his arm, testing the wound.

“Ah…” he said, pressing the bandage back into place. He dressed, drank some water and strode through the corridors.

Was Ludendorff waiting in the Nexus for him? The idea of leaving the ship and heading to the silver pyramid with Meta appealed to him on one level. He wondered how wise it would be, though.

Soon, he found himself by Meta’s hatch. He knocked and she shouted for him to enter.

Meta combed her hair before a mirror.

“We’re entering the asteroid belt,” he said.

“You’re wondering just how well I remember my time with Kane, aren’t you?” she said finally

He nodded.

“Too bad Dana isn’t here to help me replay the memories,” she said.

“We’ll find her once we get back to Earth,” Maddox said.

“What’s in the dome down in the Mid-Atlantic? I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“I’m more concerned about what’s in the Nexus. The professor said he’s at 12-3-BB, whatever that means.”

“Maybe once we’re inside it will make sense.”

Maddox looked away. He was tired of this cat and mouse game. It struck him as Strand’s play. Would Strand trap him in the Nexus, or…?

“If star cruisers appear, Galyan will destroy them piecemeal,” the captain said.

“You still think this is about capturing
Victory
?”

“What else could it be?” he asked.

Meta shrugged.

“Let’s go.”

She rose, coming to him, beginning to hug him until he groaned painfully. She jerked back.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I forgot about your wound. Are you—?”

“I’m fine,” Maddox said, turning to go.

“It’s okay to be injured,” she said. “You don’t have to be perfect all the time.”

He nodded without turning back to her.

“What is it, Maddox? Something more is troubling you.”

She was right. But the problem was that it hovered just out of sight in his mind. It was as if all the pieces were there, spinning and rolling, and he couldn’t put them together. If he could jam them in the right sequence, he was certain he would know the game.

The captain flexed his gun hand. He wanted to grapple against the hidden foe. This padding around in the dark was starting to get to him.

It must be the laser burn. It will heal. I just have to give it time
.

“Wait,” she said.

Maddox waited by the hatch.

“Okay,” she said, slipping a compact weapon into her pocket.

They left her room and hurried down the corridor.

“Captain,” Galyan said, appearing beside them.

Maddox nodded.

“I’ve detected an anomaly near the Nexus.”

“Yes,” Maddox said under his breath. Then, he broke into a sprint for the bridge.

***

On the bridge, Maddox stood before the main screen. Meta had hurried to engineering. “What am I seeing?” he asked.

The holoimage of Driving Force Galyan stood beside the captain. The image turned to look up at Maddox.

The vast asteroid field surrounded the ancient structure of the Nexus. The Builder pyramid was massive, much bigger than
Victory
and larger even than the hugest containership used by the transport corporations.

Beside the pyramid by three hundred kilometers was swirling space, a stellar whirlpool of silvery complexion.

“Meta never said anything about this with her journey with Kane,” Maddox muttered.

“We never saw anything like this last voyage, either,” Keith added. “It just appeared several minutes ago.”

“What is it?” Maddox asked.

“Unknown,” Galyan said.

“What’s causing it?”

“I am picking up strange signals from the Nexus,” Galyan said. “It is possible the pyramid is causing the…anomaly.”

“Is there matter in it?” Maddox asked.

“Negative,” Galyan said.

“What causes the silvery color?”

“Unknown.”

“Is matter drawn to the whirlpool?”

“None that I can sense,” Galyan replied.

“Do we back up, sir?” Valerie asked.

Maddox didn’t answer. He watched the swirling location. The starship was twenty thousand kilometers from it, almost next door in system terms.

“Could that be a frozen exit for the one hundred light-year jump?” Maddox asked.

“Nothing indicates that to be so,” Galyan said.

“But it seems as if that might be the likeliest possibility,” the captain said. “That implies star cruisers might be coming through soon.”

“Or something much worse,” Valerie said.

Maddox glanced at her.

“Maybe another Destroyer is trying to transfer here,” the lieutenant said.

“Aren’t you the cheerful one,” Keith told her.

“The disruptor cannon is ready to fire, sir,” Galyan said.

“The disruptor doesn’t mean anything to a Destroyer,” Valerie said. “We’d better be ready to jump out of the system if one appears.”

Maddox nodded absently, raising an arm and signaling Keith.

“Aye-aye, sir,” Keith said, “initiating star drive procedures. If you want to jump, sir, give me the word and we’ll be gone.”

For the next fifteen minutes,
Victory
waited, unmoving.

“Too bad we can’t communicate with the professor inside the pyramid,” Keith said. “He could tell us what that is.”

Maddox snapped his fingers. “Lieutenant, try to hail the pyramid.”

“Is that a good idea, sir?” Valerie asked. “I have a terrible feeling about this. The anomaly didn’t appear until we closed. I think its waiting for us to approach closer.”

“You truly believe the swirling non-substance has the ability to reason?” Galyan asked.

“Bad choice of words,” Valerie told the AI. “Whoever caused the whirlpool to appear is waiting for us to do something.”

“Thank you for the clarification, Valerie.”

“Raise the pyramid,” Maddox said. “See if we can communicate with Ludendorff.”

“Yes, sir,” Valerie said, as she tapped her board. “Professor Ludendorff, can you hear me? Come in, please, Professor.”

“Look!” Keith shouted. “The anomaly is moving! It’s heading for us.”

Maddox had noted the sudden movement as well. The silvery swirling non-substance lurched directly at the starship as soon as Valerie opened communications with the Nexus.

“Anything?” Maddox asked the lieutenant.

“What?” Valerie asked, tearing her gaze from the main screen.

“Did you receive a reply from Ludendorff?” Maddox asked.

Woodenly, Valerie studied her panel. “No, sir, no reply.”

“Try again.”

“Sir—”

“Please do as ordered, Lieutenant.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, trying to reach Ludendorff a second time. Soon, she looked up at the captain and shook her head.

“Shut off the comm, please,” Maddox said, as he watched the swirling anomaly advance toward them. “Second Lieutenant, back up with increasing speed. I do not want the anomaly reaching us.”

“Aye-aye, sir,” Keith said, his nimble fingers roving over the flight panel.

Everyone on the bridge watched the main screen. The anomaly kept advancing, closing the distance between them.

“It’s still tracking us,” Valerie said. “Turning off the comm hasn’t changed anything.”

“Do you sense tracking signals coming from the anomaly?” Maddox asked the AI.

“Negative,” Galyan said.

“It’s gaining on us even faster, sir,” Keith said.

“Increase speed.”

“I am, sir. I suggest—”

Maddox turned to stare at the pilot.

“I’m waiting for further orders, sir,” Keith said.

“Galyan,” Maddox said, “fire on the anomaly with the disruptor cannon.”

Immediately, the starship’s antimatter engines began to build up. The bulkheads thrummed at the power. Then, a beam lanced from
Victory
, striking the anomaly and passing through into the void behind.

“Do you detect any difference in the anomaly?” Maddox asked.

“Negative,” Galyan said. “The disruptor beam had zero effect on it.”

“Sir,” Keith said. “It has increased speed yet again. It’s closing with us.”

“I can see that for myself,” Maddox said in a calm voice. “Steady as she goes.”

“This one feels bad, sir,” Keith said. “For once, I’m with the lieutenant.”

“Thank you for your statement,” Maddox said absently. His focus zeroed-in on the fast approaching, swirling whirlpool.