The Lost Command (Lost Starship Series Book 2) (7 page)

-6-

“Take us higher,” Maddox said.

Sergeant Riker sat in the flitter’s pilot seat, thinking about the bottle of Guinness beer waiting for him at home. He wanted to stretch out on the sofa and finish watching the hockey match between Japan and China that he’d started viewing earlier tonight while waiting for Maddox. The beer would help soothe him before going to bed.

“Did you hear me?” Maddox asked.

“What’s that, sir?”

“Higher,” Maddox asked. “Take us higher.”

Riker piloted a flitter. It was a nifty model, identical to the vehicle Maddox had used to fly down to Loki Prime over a year ago. The sergeant didn’t like to think about that episode. He still had nightmares about the place and the worse convicts. Loki Prime was the vilest prison planet in the Commonwealth. The air-car had a bubble canopy and a range that could take them several times around the planet before refueling.

Below, the lights of New York City spread out in a vast panorama with the dark Atlantic Ocean to their right.

“Sir,” Riker pointed out. “Your apartment is only a few kilometers south in New Jersey. Shouldn’t I go down instead of up?”

“I already told you. We’re headed to Monte Carlo.”

Riker knew the impetuous young agent better than most people did. The captain possessed uncanny abilities, with the strengths and weaknesses of youth. He was bold, clever and could storm his way through most troubles. He was also reckless and trusted his abilities far too much. For all that, Riker had come to appreciate the man’s insights. The sergeant saw it as his task to shepherd the genius back to harbor, watching for the common sense troubles the “high-flyer” sometimes missed.

“Meta is in Monte Carlo?” Riker asked.

“As to that, I don’t know yet. Octavian Nerva is, though. We’re going to see him.”

Riker hesitated. Loyalty was everything to him: first to the Star Watch and then to his companions in arms. They were the guardians keeping the wolves at bay. It was lonely work against a seemingly infinite supply of enemies. The truth was he found his worth serving Star Watch, knowing that he walked the ramparts to keep his nieces safe in Tau Ceti. He believed in Star Watch’s code of honor and duty to humanity. The service was his home.

“It’s quite simple,” Maddox explained. “Meta knows more about Starship
Victory
than anyone else save for Doctor Dana Rich. The doctor is in the Oort cloud and quite untouchable. Meta was exposed. I believe the New Men desperately want that knowledge. We know the enemy acts fast. That is their normal mode of operation. What that means is that we have to free Meta tonight, or it might be too late.”

“Shouldn’t we tell the brigadier about this, sir?”

“No. O’Hara would likely order me to stay away from Monte Carlo. I don’t feel the need yet to face an inquest.”

“How are the two ideas related, sir?” Riker asked.

“I would have to disobey the brigadier’s direct order if she told me to stay away. That’s why we’re headed there on our own.”

Riker squeezed his fingers around the controls. “There’s another possibility, sir. I wonder if you’ve thought about it.” When Maddox didn’t answer, Riker continued. “Maybe Octavian is acting alone for reasons that include hatred for the two of us. I’m the one who actually
shot
Caius Nerva. I’m the one who killed Octavian’s son and heir. If he wishes to torture anyone more than you, sir, it’s me.”

“We can’t let fear hinder our resolve,” Maddox said.

Riker’s back stiffened.

The captain must have noticed. “Your courage is well noted,” Maddox said, a trifle grudgingly. “I owe my life to it on more than one occasion.”

“I don’t like it when you speak well of me, sir. It means you’re going to ask me to do something incredibly foolhardy.”

Maddox’s lips thinned as he looked away. The captain sat like that for some time. Finally, as he stared out of the side canopy, he said, “If nothing else, Beth Paris has shown me I’d better have a partner for what I plan. I don’t know who else to ask, Sergeant. I need your assistance for this little expedition.”

It struck Riker that Maddox was worried about Meta. That surprised him. Maddox was a slick operator, normally cool and reserved with the ladies. There had been indications of a liaison aboard the starship on the journey home, but Riker had assumed it had been caused by Maddox’s boredom. Now, he wasn’t so sure.

“I still say we should call the brigadier,” Riker said.

“No! The brigadier would be confident of tracking Meta down dead or alive. The Iron Lady is more concerned about the overall picture. I’m interested in getting to Meta while she’s still alive.”

“The war is more important than our personal interests, sir. Besides, did you ever think that Octavian might have special training? He will if he belongs to the New Men. We can’t hope to barge in and rip Meta loose from Nerva. This will take careful preparation.”

Maddox faced him with a soft smile on his lips. “I disagree completely. We must strike with furious resolve. We must match the enemy speed for speed. That means I must act tonight, because I’m the only one on our side who can react as fast as the enemy can. Meta’s life is in our hands.”

“What’s your plan, sir?”

“A face to face meeting with Octavian Nerva,” Maddox said.

“Octavian would only allow such a thing in complete safety,” Riker said.

“True.”

“He’d have his people strip us of our weapons and possibly bind us first.”

“That does seem likely, I agree,” Maddox said.

Riker shook his head. “I hope you’re not suggesting you’re going to overpower his bodyguards, take one of their guns, put it to Octavian’s head and offer to trade his life for Meta’s.”

“The basic idea is right,” Maddox admitted, “but wrong in a critical detail.”

“One or two details won’t make any difference, sir, as there is a gigantic flaw.”

“Oh?”

Riker spoke with gravity. “If Octavian works for the New Men, it’s more than possible they will have trained him in their advanced thinking.”

“You’ve already mentioned that.”

“If Octavian is acting on his own because of Caius’ death, we should remember that he is one of the oldest of the Methuselah People. His advanced wisdom could trump your skills.”

As Riker spoke, he studied the captain’s face. The lad was so enamored with his unique skills that he often forgot others could possess unusual attributes.

Over two hundred and fifty years ago, scientist-explorers had discovered a breakthrough in longevity treatments known as the Methuselah Cure. The critical source came from New Australia, a world fifty-three light-years from Earth. A rare plant grew in the depths of the world’s ocean. Dredging the plant in specially built submarines was dangerous and ultra-lucrative. So far, no one had been able to duplicate the growth process anywhere else.

Since that time, refinements in the Methuselah Treatments had broadened in scope. More people scraped together the vast sums of wealth needed to pay for the drugs and medical procedures. Octavian had been one of the first recipients of the treatment in the early days before the plant, making him one of the oldest or possibly
the
oldest person alive.

The man was nearly three hundred years old.

The Methuselah People had certain similarities with each other. Extreme age fossilized key personality traits. In Octavian’s case, it was bitter ruthlessness. Great age also brought about extreme caution. The elder Nerva protected himself with prejudice, having one of the best security details in existence. The man seldom took unnecessary risks, having long ago decided to model his operations on spiders. He sat in his web, only approaching those carefully trapped by his threads. Now, the captain thought he could get to Octavian? It was preposterous.

“Listen to me,” Maddox said. “Octavian will have every advantage but one. I will exploit that weakness and free Meta.”

“What could you possibly have over him, sir?” Riker asked.

“You won’t like it,” Maddox said.

“I don’t even know what it is, and I already don’t like it, but I must admit I’m curious.”

“Right,” Maddox said. “Octavian wants to live more than we do.”

A cold feeling stabbed through Riker. “You’re wrong, sir. I very much want to live.”

“I’m speaking of ratios,” Maddox said. “Octavian is one of the Methuselah People. Their guiding star is a marked desire for longevity. That is the fulcrum we’ll use to lever Meta’s freedom.”

“I don’t understand.”

Maddox studied the stars. They were bright outside the canopy. “I’m going to ask you to do something difficult, Sergeant. I want you to trust me without knowing all the details.”

“Can you be more specific?” Riker asked.

“I need your help. I need you with me on this one, but you can’t ask too many questions.”

“You want me to head straight into the lion’s den, and you don’t want to tell me your plan?”

Maddox appeared troubled and remained quiet for a time. Finally, he asked, “Do you know where that phrase originated?”

“What phrase?”

“Into the lion’s den,” Maddox said.

“No, sir, I have no idea. Why does it matter?”

“It doesn’t matter, strictly speaking. I was simply curious.” Maddox inhaled, saying, “Information is everything. The lion’s den. Have you ever heard of a man named Daniel?”

“I’m not sure. Daniel who?”

“He wrote the ancient Book of Daniel.”

Riker shook his head.

“It’s in the Bible,” Maddox said.

“Oh. No, sir, I would have no idea. I’ve never read the Bible.”

“It’s a curious tome,” Maddox said. “In any case, Daniel was an old man at the time of the situation. His crime was that he prayed to God several times a day.”

“Why would that be a crime?” Riker asked.

“Ah. Therein lies the tale. Certain nobles of the Persian Court hated old Daniel. Yet they couldn’t find any corruption in him. So, they devised a law that would entrap the pious man. Daniel was a Jewish advisor to the Persian king, you understand, and the nobles resented his power. The court nobles persuaded the king to pass a decree that people could only pray to him. Once Daniel learned of the law, he refused to comply. The nobles informed the king and forced him to carry through his decree. They did it by telling the king no one would respect him if he didn’t stand by his laws.”

“Daniel died?” Riker asked, “Just as we’re going to die? The nobles’ hatred was like a den of lions?”

“On the contrary,” Maddox said. “Daniel told the king not to worry. God could protect him. The guards lowered Daniel into the underground den of lions. Then they rolled a rock over the hole, sealing the entrance. The king went home and tossed all night, unable to sleep. In the morning, he raced to the den of lions and called out. Daniel answered him. He told the king that God had sent an angel to keep the lions’ mouths shut all night.”

As Riker piloted the flitter, he glanced at Maddox several times. That was it? “What angel is going to keep Octavian’s men from shooting us, sir?”

“Afterward,” Maddox said, as if he hadn’t heard the question, “the king confronted the nobles who had urged him into making such a decree. The king had the offending nobles tossed into the lions’ den. Oh, and he struck down the law.”

“What happened to the nobles?”

“The lions ate the lot of them.”

Riker mulled that over, finally saying, “You do realize we don’t have an angel on our side, sir? It seems to me we’re more like the nobles than Daniel.”

“Maybe in our version of the story we’re going into the lions’ den in order to rescue the angel,” Maddox said.

“Are you talking about Meta, sir?”

“Indeed,” Maddox said.

“I’ve never seen an angel that can hit as hard as her, sir.”

“No,” Maddox said. “The point…” The captain stared up at the stars.

The point, Riker realized, was that sometimes a man had to live or die according to his convictions. The sergeant appreciated that. This Daniel could have belonged to the Star Watch. He hadn’t deserted his post under pressure, but had remained faithful to his charge.

What should I do? One of the old team is in danger, and we’re the ones who have to go in and rescue her. If anyone can do this, it’s Captain Maddox. Can I let him go in alone? No. I have to bring him home in one piece. If I don’t do that, I’ve failed in my duty
.

There was a reason Maddox didn’t want to tell him the details. Riker trusted this young genius, but it was hard to commit for the final kilometer.

The realization came upon the sergeant that he wasn’t going to get to drink his beer tonight. It was another long night walking the rampart, trying to bring order out of chaos and protect the good people, like his two nieces in Tau Ceti.

“Okay, sir,” Riker said in a low voice. “What do you need me to do?”

“Thank you,” Maddox said softly, without looking at him.

Riker grunted.

Clearing his throat and wiping away any sentimentality from his features, Maddox said in his usual crisp voice, “We’re headed for France, Sergeant. On the double, I might add. We will land in Dijon at Tenth and Second Streets. Afterward, we will hurry to Monte Carlo.”