The Lost Stars: Shattered Spear (15 page)

“I’m certain that you never doubted me,” Marphissa replied dryly, then smiled as well to take any sting out of the words.

Diaz squinted at his display again. “Our engineering specialists are saying that while we did extensive damage to the main propulsion on
Vengeance
, none of it was extreme because the battle cruiser was able to shift her stern out of a direct line with our incoming fire. They believe that the damage can be repaired without wholesale replacing of those units once the battle cruiser reaches an orbital dock. That won’t be until long after we leave Moorea, of course. Granaile Imallye is going to be very unhappy.”

“I imagine she is already very unhappy.”

The message that arrived from
Vengeance
several minutes later confirmed Marphissa’s guess. Imallye wasn’t sprawled in her seat this time but sitting rigidly, her eyes lit with a cold fury that chilled Marphissa even across the many thousands of kilometers already separating the two warships.

“I underestimated you, Kommodor,” Imallye said, her voice as frigid as the breath of space. “I will not do so again. Your tricks will not save you the next time I encounter you. Nor will tricks save CEO Iceni. When you get back to Midway, tell your
president
that the fate
she long ago earned by her actions will soon be visited upon her and
anyone
who dares to follow her orders.”

The transmission cut off.
That was rude,
Marphissa thought, then almost laughed at the absurdity of that characterization of the message after the brutal threats contained in it.
What the hell.
She did laugh, drawing surprised looks and then smiles from Diaz and the rest of the crew on the bridge. “Get us back on a clean vector to the jump point for Iwa, Kapitan. We don’t appear to be welcome in Moorea Star System!”

Even with the long acceleration, chase, and a battle in which everyone had continued to head at very high velocity in the direction of the jump point, it still took two more days of travel, including the time spent braking
Manticore
’s velocity down to point two light speed, to reach the jump point. The sensors on the heavy cruiser had been able to spot a lot of activity on the outer hull of
Vengeance
as her crew labored to repair enough main propulsion to allow another fight. But Syndicate warships were designed efficiently, which meant not enough crew to repair battle damage, little repair training for a crew expected to simply swap out broken black boxes with new ones, and not enough spares or other parts aboard to do such extensive repairs even if the necessary men and women had been available. Surprisingly,
Vengeance
did manage to get one of the damaged main propulsion units working again despite all of those hindrances, but by the time that happened
Manticore
was on final approach to the jump point and
Vengeance
had already rocketed helplessly past that point despite all attempts to reduce velocity.

In the privacy of her stateroom, Marphissa prepared a final transmission aimed at
Vengeance
, ensuring that there was no trace of gloating or amusement in her expression or her voice. “Honored Granaile Imallye, I regret that our first encounter has involved hostilities. On behalf of President Iceni, I once again extend the hand of friendship to you and urge you to contact her peacefully for negotiations. Whatever
past events lie between you, I assure you that President Iceni is no longer the person who did you such a wrong. I also assure you that should you come to Midway Star System with hostile intent, neither you nor any of your warships will survive. Iwa Star System offers a clear and ugly example of what the enigma race intends doing to every human-occupied star system. You can see it for yourself and know that the threat is real. We can face that threat together, to the benefit of all. For the people, Marphissa, out.”

She relaxed as the transmission ended, leaning back to gaze at the hatch to her stateroom. As was common with Syndicate warships, that hatch was both armored and outfitted with alarms, because their own subordinates were feared by Syndicate bosses almost as much as the enemy. But the defenses increasingly felt to Marphissa like anachronisms, souvenirs from another time, no longer needed when the crew was motivated by belief in what they fought for and loyalty to their leaders rather than terror of the consequences of failure or insubordination. Imallye’s grudge against President Iceni, no matter how well justified it might be, was also an anachronism, rooted in the past.

The past could not justify destroying the future Iceni was creating.

“Kommodor?” Diaz called down from the bridge. “
Manticore
will reach the jump point for Iwa in five minutes.”

“You have permission to jump when ready,” Marphissa said. She activated her stateroom’s display and sat watching it until the stars disappeared and were replaced by the gray nothingness of jump space.

*   *   *

MARPHISSA
had
Manticore
once more at full combat readiness when the heavy cruiser left jump space. But there was no sign anywhere in Iwa Star System of the enigmas. Iwa was still a lifeless graveyard whose markers were debris floating between worlds and the craters pockmarking the surface of those worlds. If the aliens had returned, they had apparently departed again already.

“Head straight for the jump point for Midway?” Diaz asked.

She paused to consider the question, studying her display. Nothing visible. But . . . “Do you remember that the humans captured by the enigmas were confined inside an asteroid?”

“Yes.” Diaz gestured to his display. “But we would spot that. There would be waste heat that could not be hidden.”

“Maybe.” Marphissa shook her head, not sure why she was feeling uncertain. “But the enigmas hide themselves. They hide everything. We can’t take time to tour this star system looking closely at every object, though. President Iceni needs to be informed about what has happened here and at Moorea. Take us to the jump point, but route our path through the star system instead of skirting along the edge. That will bring us closer to many of the objects orbiting Iwa, though still a long ways from many others. Make sure our sensors look over every object in this star system as best they are capable for any signs of anything amiss.”

“Yes, Kommodor. I will ensure the specialists are alert.”

Another long transit through space, this one longer than necessary because of Marphissa’s orders to take a more lengthy transit that swung through the inner planets and past the star, but unmarked by any events or tension except for the need to get home. Marphissa checked at random intervals on the specialists on watch and found them always attentive to their displays, but no one reported anything and none of the automated scans reported anything unexpected.

Until they were an hour from their closest point of approach to the world where most of the Syndicate presence had been before the enigmas destroyed everything.

“Kapitan?” One of the specialists spoke with growing worry evident in her voice. “There is something happening on that planet where the Syndicate city was located.”

“Something?” Diaz prodded. “Show me.”

“What our sensors are seeing is very subtle, Kapitan.”

“Show me.”

“Yes, Kapitan.”

Marphissa watched as Diaz studied his display with a frown of puzzlement. “What am I seeing?” he finally asked the specialist. “What do these indications mean? They are barely detectable by our sensors.”

“Show me as well,” Marphissa ordered.

The data that appeared on a magnified image of that world didn’t mean anything to Marphissa, either. But she did see that it clustered near the large craters that were the grave markers for the mostly buried Syndicate city which had been totally destroyed by enigma bombardment.

“We haven’t had a good look until now at that location on that world during this transit because of the planet’s position relative to our track,” the specialist explained. “But we are now only about ten light minutes from the planet, which is approaching our track as it orbits Iwa, and we can get a clear view of the planet as it rotates.”

“What are we seeing now that we can see it?” Marphissa asked.

“I believe,” the specialist said cautiously, “that this data indicates substantial subsurface activity. From this distance, with our sensors, we would only detect large-scale events deep beneath the surface of the planet.”

“Large-scale events?” Marphissa questioned. “Do you mean earthquakes? Triggered by all of the impacts of enigma bombardment projectiles on that world?”

“No, Kommodor.” Some of the data reports glowed a little brighter. “These indicators show regular variations. That would mean they are artificial.”

“Artificial?” Marphissa felt a glow of hope. “Some of the people here survived the enigma attack by going deep? I didn’t think Syndicate shelters could have ridden out impacts of the size that struck that area.”

“No, Kommodor,” the specialist said. “They should not have. Any Syndicate shelters, even deep ones, should have been pulverized.”

“Then who is digging—” Diaz began irritably. He stopped speaking, his face going rigid. “Or should I be asking
what
is digging very deep on that planet?”

“We may be detecting enigma subsurface activity,” the specialist said in a rush. “A very large amount of subsurface activity.”

Marphissa exhaled slowly, feeling a coldness that was not born of any life support fluctuation. “Just as we feared. They’re establishing a base. In a place where we couldn’t see any trace of it, their work and any excavated materials hidden by the devastation where they tore that part of the planet to hell.”

“No surface facilities at all?” Diaz asked, bewildered.

“I told you. It’s consistent with what Black Jack’s fleet saw in enigma space. Captain Bradamont and I have talked about it,” Marphissa said. “She said the enigmas hide
everything
as much as they can from any possible observation.”

Diaz nodded, rubbing his chin as he gazed at the apparently innocuous data. “I once saw the Syndicate base at Kure. An entire moon hollowed out. If the enigmas want to construct a major base deep beneath the surface of that planet, and if they have automated construction capabilities anything like ours, they could do it. Any surface accesses, even ones big enough for a battleship, could be concealed.”

“And that fool Imallye is planning to set up shop here as well!” Marphissa said. “If they don’t check things out thoroughly, or if the enigmas have finished their major excavations by the time Imallye’s forces arrive, Imallye might be oblivious to the fact that she’s sharing this star system with an enigma force that could wipe out her base at any time with no warning!”

She spun to look at the specialist who had spoken up and was still watching Marphissa and Diaz to see how her report would be received. “Well done. Very well done. You spotted that subtle data and you interpreted it well. Kapitan Diaz, this specialist deserves a promotion.”

“I understand and will comply,” Diaz said, making the old, fearful
Syndicate response sound like a pleasant tasking. “Can we bomb that enigma base out of existence?”

“We can’t, not with the bombardment projectiles that
Manticore
carries. They’re not big enough to get at something as deep as the enigmas apparently are. And I don’t want to tip off the enigmas that we’ve spotted their work by tossing some futile rocks their way. As for whether any of our mobile forces can do the trick, I don’t know. We might need a big asteroid to do enough damage, and that would require a while to divert and reach the planet. We will inform President Iceni. She will decide.”

Marphissa gazed at her display, morose. She perfectly understood the uncertainty of the specialist who had reported the indications of enigma activity on that planet. No one wanted to be the one to inform the boss of a problem. Sure, Marphissa had survived Imallye’s attack at Moorea, but she would be returning with news that the Syndicate presence at Iwa Star System had been wiped out by the enigmas, that Granaile Imallye had refused offers of cooperation, threatened Iceni herself, and attacked
Manticore
, and that the enigmas were busy constructing a major base at Iwa.
If I was bringing this much and this kind of bad news back to a Syndicate superior, I’d be expecting to be sent to a labor camp for being the bearer of unwelcome information. President Iceni won’t do that. But I have let her down. Instead of returning with good news, I am going to be a herald of many dangers.

She was roused from feeling sorry for herself by an urgent tone that drew Marphissa’s attention back to her display. She stared at it in disbelief. “Is that a pickup signal?”

“Yes, Kommodor,” the senior specialist confirmed. “It is coming from the same planet on which the enigma construction is under way, not too many kilometers from the craters that mark the former site of the Syndicate city.”

“An enigma trick,” Diaz scoffed. “It must be.”

“Why would they be calling our attention to that planet?” Marphissa
wondered. “How directional is that pickup signal?” she asked the comm specialist.

“It is aimed at us,” the specialist said. “They are highly directional signals.”

“How would someone on that planet, assuming they survived, know that we were out here?” Diaz demanded.

“Sir, if it is standard Syndicate ground forces armor, then it would automatically scan overhead for any visible activity. The visual sensors on ground armor would be capable of spotting the movement of this ship across the heavens when we drew close enough.”

“Could that armor identify us?” Marphissa asked.

“No, Kommodor. Not from that range. It would only know that we were an artificial object. A ship.”

She rubbed her chin and stared at her display, knowing that the next move was entirely up to her. A human might have survived on that planet and be signaling for help. Even if he or she or they had access to extra power supplies for their armor they must be near to exhausting those, and once their armor was out of power they would surely die on the surface of what had always been an inhospitable world. Their armor had seen a ship in space and, desperate, they had signaled for help, assuming or hoping that it was a human ship.