Alex stood and motioned Ude to do the same. The teenager stood, and Alex folded him in his arms. His mind jumped back to the many times he’d done this for Teague, and he wondered where his son was and if he was safe and happy.
Ude felt the huge man’s arm envelop him. The teachers were always trying to hug him, and he resented the intimate contact. It felt like he was being captured by minders. At this moment, the best he could manage was a quick patting on Alex’s sides, and he was relieved when that action caused Alex to release him, allowing him to step away.
“Do I return to the other ship for now?” Ude asked.
“Do you wish to say goodbye to your band?” Alex asked.
“Yes, I must,” Ude said, some of his spirit returning.
“After you say goodbye to them, you’ll be returned to this ship,” Alex said. He walked the boy to his door, but before he signaled it open, he said, “This is my first order to you, Ude. Are you ready?”
Ude braced himself to accept whatever the leader asked. He would do whatever was demanded of him to sail aboard this ship to face Artifice.
“You will thank each staff member and professor for what they’ve done for you and the other children,” Alex said. “That’s a duty of a leader, which I know you are.”
Ude waited. He was sure there would be a more demanding request. “That’s it?” he asked when nothing else was said.
“My requests will get tougher, in the future, but we’ll start easy for now,” Alex replied, with a grin.
Ude smiled shyly. It was the first smile Alex had seen on the boy.
When the door opened, Alex didn’t have to request someone escort Ude. Renée and Julien were waiting.
Renée extended her hand and said, “Welcome aboard.”
Ude politely shook it. Then Julien repeated the greeting, offering his hand.
“I will return young Ude to the Our People and then escort him back here,” Julien announced.
Alex narrowed an eye at Julien. Obviously, the SADE, with his keen hearing, had listened at the door and shared what he heard with Renée.
“We have to do something about these cabin doors,” Julien quipped. “I hadn’t realized they were so thin. Come, master Ude,” Julien said, waving his hand down the corridor. A jaunty cap appeared on his hand, and he began whistling.
Renée circled her arms around Alex’s waist. “Did I tell you that I love you?” she said, her voice muffled in his chest.
“Often, and I hold every one of them precious,” Alex replied, gently hugging her in return.
-34-
Target Star
The scout ship SADEs chose to take an ultraconservative approach to the target star. It was Alex’s cautionary statements that convinced them to be extraordinarily apprehensive. The unknown fates of Deter and Verina’s scout ships were never far from their thoughts.
The SADEs ended their transits high above the system’s ecliptic. They immediately shut down their primary engines, closed the clam-shell doors, and attempted to appear as nothing more than a group of large rocks by adopting a tight, eccentric formation. In that regard, they drifted at a velocity similar to the speed of independent bodies, which were not yet captured by a star’s gravitational pull.
<Even if this isn’t Artifice’s home world, it’s still a significant system,> Bethley noted, when the first telemetry data was collected.
<We could gain more precise data, if we spread out and approached the system from various positions,> Linn sent. His suggestion didn’t elicit responses.
Instead, the other SADEs examined the system’s activity, and algorithms calculated survival rates if they employed Linn’s idea.
<Alex would wish us to use our best judgment,> Genoa said.
Beryl hypothesized and announced that only two approach directions made sense, above and below the ecliptic. <These directions would duplicate our efforts,> he sent. <I suggest we remain as we are. It’s more likely that our present formation will keep us hidden from observers.>
There was some minor trepidation about not gathering the best data on the system, but, in the end, they agreed to remain in their present position, drifting slowly inward.
As the days passed, information continued to pour into the scout ships, but Killian watched the remaining days count down, with a measure of frustration.
Came the tenth day, Killian announced to Bethley and Trium, his teammates, that they disregard Alex’s order to return after ten days.
<I would immediately argue with you, Killian,> Bethley sent, <but you have continually modified Alex’s orders and been proven correct for doing so.>
<What of our companions’ ships?> Trium asked.
<I’ll propose to them that they return with the data Alex requested,> Killian replied.
<You would not suggest this if you didn’t have a plan,> Bethley prompted.
<I would hear how the others reply to my suggestion that they return before I engage you in my scheme,> Killian proposed.
Killian contacted the other scout ships, and, as expected, Linn, Beryl, and Genoa’s teams were adamant that they should return as directed. However, every one of them thought the question of whether Killian’s team must return on time was a decision only those team members could make.
Soon after the discussion ended, three of the scout ships gently turned away from the tight group, as if they might have been asteroids that collided. They tumbled their ships to imitate the rolling motions of impact. Then they accelerated slowly until they felt safe to make a transit.
<I presume that you want a closer look at the system,> Trium sent, after the other scout ships had disappeared into the dark.
<Not the entire system,> Killian replied. <We have a good indication of its activity level, which is extensive. I’m much more interested in a closer look at the sixth planet.>
<I thought that one would pique your interest,> Bethley sent. <It’s a shame that telemetry didn’t resolve those objects that surround the planet any better than it did.>
<Too small a ship,> Trium commented, referring to the limits of a scout ship’s sensors and antennas. Then he added, <What I find remarkable is that the structures surround the planet in a most unusual fashion. Originally, I had thought they were defensive emplacements, but that seems illogical for such an advanced civilization.>
<Agreed,> Bethley said. <The types of ships we see indicate an incredibly technologically advanced society. None of the warships we saw at the wall appear as modern as these. Not that it bodes well for us.>
<I take your points, Bethley and Trium,> Killian replied. <It makes no sense to surround a planet with archaic defense platforms that enormous battleships could wipe away with the first salvo.>
<Perhaps, they’re ancient,> Trium proposed. <They could have been left there long after their construction.>
<To become navigation hazards?> Bethley questioned. <This level of civilization would have removed something like that millenniums ago. No, these platforms are something else, and I think they were built long ago and still serve their purpose.>
<Which is what?> Trium prompted.
<That’s what I believe Killian wishes to discover,> Bethley replied, <and why we’re waiting to hear how he intends to get us close enough for telemetry to resolve these objects without adding us to the galaxy’s collection of space dust.>
Trium quickly searched telemetry for an appropriate asteroid cluster that might be making its way inward, which they could hide within. They had imitated an asteroid passing through a system once before. However, in this case, the inordinate ship activity made it too dangerous to attempt. He did find an object that fit perfectly with Killian’s needs.
Killian and Bethley heard the call of an ancient trumpet, Trium’s audio tones for excitement
.
<I’ve discovered Killian’s plan,> Trium sent with urgency. <Regard,> he said, sharing a segment of telemetry collected soon after the scout ships had arrived.
<A comet,> Bethley sent, adding her own humorous tone. <If we hide in the tail, telemetry will be affected.>
<We’ll have to slip from the primary stream to collect accurate data,> Killian agreed. <Are you ready?>
Bethley and Trium assented, and Killian composed a message for Alex. He sent, <Alex, we intend to ride a comet. We’ll be offline for an estimated seven weeks, while we slip through the system. The sixth planet outward warrants a close pass for more precise telemetry.>
The scout ship, Vivian’s Mirror, altered its trajectory into a gradual curve that would cross the comet’s tail. When the two bodies intersected, the SADEs tucked close to the rear of the comet. Much of the tail’s debris originated from its front quarter, which faced the sun. Killian positioned the ship toward the opposite side to reduce the impact on their shell.
The comet flew inward from above the ecliptic. It would pass through the system near the orbit of the eighth planet outward before it exited the system. The SADEs recorded fresh data, when the debris trail waned, replacing the earlier scans.
Weeks into the trip, the scout ship slipped to one side of the comet, clear of the tail, and recorded days of the system’s warships and probes, which lined the outer belt. Then Vivian’s Mirror slid to the other side of the comet to record the sixth planet and the emplacements that surrounded it. Telemetry revealed the body and objects in crisp detail.
With their observations complete, Killian returned the scout ship to its hiding place in the comet’s tail, and the SADEs reviewed the data.
<They’re definitely not defensive platforms,> Trium said.
<Examine the planet’s polar region,> Bethley urged.
<Multiple structures that appear similar to the projections of the platforms,> Trium replied.
<I believe our communication expert, Luther, would be extremely interested in viewing this data,> Killian hypothesized.
<What do you interpret about the planet’s surface?> Trium asked.
<Uncharacteristic in comparison to system’s hyperactivity,> Bethley replied.
<Freighters are docked at the single orbital platform, and shuttles are moving between it and the surface,> Killian noted. <To Trium’s point, why does the surface look fairly uninhabited? Where’s evidence of the race that dominates this system?>
<Have we collected sufficient telemetry data on this system?> Bethley asked. <We’ll soon pass through the ecliptic.>
The SADEs hurriedly reviewed the data, which had accrued, and examined it for any bodies, ships, or objects of which they wanted clearer details.
<More details are required of the probes in the outer belt,> Killian sent, and Bethley and Trium agreed.
This time the Vivian’s Mirror was blatantly exposed, as it took up a position in front of the comet’s head to be able to collect clear imagery of the distance probes that lay in a ring at the farthermost edge of the system.
Killian and Bethley were focused on the data collection and analysis of the probes, when Trium interrupted.
<We have a problem,> Trium sent, adding an image of a pair of warships approaching the comet at a high rate of acceleration. <One moment; I’m calculating their vector. It’s confirmed. The warships intend to intercept the comet’s path.>
<I see no logical reason why the aliens would want to visit a comet, especially with warships,> Bethley quipped.
<We have another reason to be concerned,> Trium sent. <Grav energy collection by our shell has been reduced by over thirty-eight percent. I believe the comet dust and ice have scoured our shell. If we return to the comet’s tail, the deterioration will continue.>
<We can’t afford to hide in the tail, Killian,> Bethley sent with urgency. <If we wait to see if it’s a coincidence that the battleships are headed this way, I project the shell will have lost over fifty percent of its collection capability. I’m concerned that our hull could lose a sufficient amount of material to endanger its integrity.>
<I had hoped to enter and exit this system without being seen,> Killian lamented. <That opportunity is gone. We’re leaving.>
Killian eased the Vivian’s Mirror away from the comet, chose a trajectory that angled away from the battleships, and headed below the ecliptic.
As Bethley opened the four-part, clam-shell covering concealing the primary engines, the SADEs calculated their projected departure rate against the battleships’ present velocities and accelerations. The scout ship’s primary engines were activated, and the SADEs determined that escape would be a close call.
<Armament launch,> sent Trium, his concern evident. <Spectral analysis indicates chemical-propellant missiles, which dictate a limited range. However, if they can accelerate over the entire distance, they’ll arrive in zero point twelve hours.>
Killian changed the scout ship’s trajectory slightly.
<It was a good idea, Killian, but ineffective,> Bethley sent. <The missiles have altered course. Acceleration continues. Interception is in zero point nine hours.>
Killian was already pushing the engines to their technical limits. The number of missiles inbound made it distinctly possible that simple evasion would be improbable. In addition, he considered that the enemy might employ near-object detonation techniques.
<Analysis of the missiles,> Killian requested.
<Massive in size,> Trium replied. <More than likely, they’re employed in the elimination of other battleships.>
<At their projected contact velocity, I estimate their maneuverability will be limited,> Bethley added, which gave Killian an idea.
<Shutting down primary engines and closing clam-shell doors,> Killian said. The thought had occurred to him that the missiles might be seeking his engines’ heat sources. He waited, while time ticked down.
Bethley and Trium halted communication. Killian exercised unorthodox methods of idea origination that had been generated by his extended contact with Alex. At this precise moment in time, both SADEs were dwelling on that thought. If they were human, it would be said they were hoping. As SADEs, that singular thought was in a continuous loop.
When Killian estimated the moment was right, he used the ship’s grav engines to swing the Vivian’s Mirror at 90 degrees to the onrushing missiles. Gravitational forces were weakening, and the maneuver wasn’t as strong as Killian would have liked. However, it wasn’t necessary.
Moments after Killian executed his turn, the missiles ran their propellant dry. They passed his previous position and continued on a ballistic course.
<I believe Alex will be especially delighted by this story,> Trium remarked, pleased to escape the onrushing destruction that had threatened them.
<He might be entranced, if we get an opportunity to tell it,> Bethley said. <Unfortunately, a second salvo has been launched. They’re slender missiles, accelerating faster than the first launch. Spectral analysis indicates nonchemical propellant, possibly powerful ion engines.>
<The aliens have realized our ship’s capability, and they mean not to make the same mistake twice,> Trium commented.
Killian had intended to return to his previous heading. Now, he hesitated. The battleships had changed courses, cutting across the triangle to intercept the scout ship, and the faster, smaller missiles were tracking it. Killian furiously calculated trajectories, present velocities, and acceleration of all participants in the dangerous dance.
<Our grav-wave collection rate is insufficient,> Trium noted. <Power in our crystals is draining faster than we’re accumulating it. We have less than a half hour of maneuvering before we must revert to primary engines.>
Killian arrived at the end of his calculations, and he shifted the scout ship’s vector to a heading that would intercept the coasting, first salvo of missiles.
<I don’t wish to interrupt you, Killian,> Bethley sent. <However, I’d like to say this one thing. With all the inten
sity of my kernel, I sincerely hope this is the beginning of an Alex-like maneuver. Otherwise, I think our extinction is fast approaching.>
Killian didn’t reply, and neither Bethley nor Trium sent him another word.
Killian’s internal chronometer, which he’d set after completing his calculations, ticked toward zero. Despite the Vivian’s Mirror last vector change, the second salvo of missiles continued to track the scout ship.
In preparation for the final maneuver, Killian opened the primary propulsion engines’ doors. As the chronometer reached zero, Killian accelerated the scout ship to the point that the vessel’s grav plating was in danger of collapsing. The SADEs felt the g-forces of acceleration, an uncommon event for their sophisticated ship.
Bethley and Trium monitored the telemetry data, entranced by the impending destruction of their scout ship. The missiles of the second salvo were homing in on the Vivian’s Mirror. They would intercept the scout ship near the time their vessel caught the coasting first salvo of behemoths.
Both Bethley and Trium noted their engines’ readouts. Killian was driving them at 23 percent over maximum recommended output.
A remark occurred to Bethley about the incredulousness of having to choose between their ship’s destruction by missiles or by exploding engines, but she kept it to herself.
Bethley and Trium recalculated the timing of the missiles’ interception based on the increased acceleration their ship was obtaining by Killian’s drastic maneuver.
<We just might,> Trium sent to Bethley, as their scout ship shot behind the enormous missiles of the first salvo a few seconds ahead of the arrival of the second salvo. Their vessel’s passage triggered the proximity detection systems of the coasting missiles.
The ballistic missiles exploded in a chain reaction, and the enormous wave of energy detonated every missile in the group, including those in the second salvo, which had only begun to alter their trajectory to chase the scout ship.