“So I can get justice, boy. That’s an easy concept to understand.”
Keith’s board began to blare a warning. He cut the connection with Villars. At the same time, Lieutenant Noonan raced onto the bridge with her hair in disarray from sleep. She must have heard the red alert Keith had sent out earlier.
“Move it,” Valerie snapped at Riker.
The sergeant hurried out of her seat.
Valerie slid into it and began typing on her board. “You fool,” she told Keith. “The shield has become critical. How come you’re not bleeding it like you should?”
“No time to worry about that,” the ace said. “I’m trying to get into firing range.”
“You’re charging straight into their rays,” Valerie said. “Use the asteroids to slip-slide toward them.”
“That’s a good idea but I don’t have time. I’m trying to protect the professor’s asteroid. That means keeping the drones interested in us instead of him.”
“Do you hear yourself?” Valerie asked. “The drones can’t hurt the asteroid.”
“Why are they here now then?” Keith asked.
“To destroy our starship,” Valerie said.
“That’s one theory. I’ve got another, which is to kill the launch base so we can’t poke around in it.”
The shield where the beams struck had already turned a dark brown. Now, it was a touch lighter as Valerie adjusted, shield bleeding with concentrated skill.
“Your theory doesn’t make sense,” Valerie told Keith.
“You weren’t a strikefighter pilot, love. I know what I’m talking about when it comes to bases.”
“Second lieutenant,” Valerie said, “I’m ordering you to—”
“If you don’t believe me, look at this,” Keith said, as he manipulated his board. “Do you see their trajectories?” He indicated the main screen. Dotted lines superimposed on the screen showed where the drones headed. Each raced for Ludendorff’s asteroid.
“Why would the drones go there?” Valerie asked softly.
“I already told you: to stop the professor from getting what he thinks is so almighty important. I mean, why would Ludendorff risk his life, eh? Because the prize is worth it—at least, that’s what I think.”
Keith grinned then. A slap of a switch cleared the main screen of dotted lines. The three gleaming drones had become even larger than before. Their beams hammered Victory’s shield. A full half of the deflector area was dark brown. A few more minutes of this intensity would surely bring the shield down.
The ace from Glasgow stabbed a button. A purple neutron beam fired from its cannon, striking the leftmost drone’s shield.
***
Maddox and Meta raced through the starship’s corridors toward the disruptor cannon control room. The captain still couldn’t understand the professor’s choice. What had the Builders stored in their launch bases that caused the Methuselah Man to risk his life like that?
“Galyan,” Maddox shouted. “I’m calling in my marker.”
A moment later, the holoimage moved easily beside Maddox as the captain sprinted ahead of Meta.
“What do you mean, marker?” the AI asked.
“Do you remember I was the one who convinced you to trust us?” Maddox asked. “Because of me, you no longer have a Swarm virus.”
“This is true,” Galyan said.
“Instead of the Swarm virus, Ludendorff has put a bug in you.”
“I have heard you make this claim for some time,” Galyan said. “The professor tells me—”
“Who do you trust more, Galyan: the professor or me?”
“Normally, I would say you. In this instance—”
“The ship is under attack,” Maddox said, trying another avenue. “You need the disruptor cannon. Check your scanners if you don’t believe me.”
“I just did. You are correct. This is a troubling development.”
“Warm up the disruptor cannon.”
“I cannot. Villars—”
“Gas him,” Maddox said.
“I don’t have any gas at that location.”
“Then tell me where he’s hiding in the chamber,” Maddox said. “I’ll dig him out. Afterward, you warm up the cannon.”
“I cannot do that. The professor instructed me to obey Villars if the other recited a code sequence. The slarn hunter spoke the words. Now I am compelled to obey him.”
“Right,” Maddox said, thinking fast. “Did Villars order you not to tell me where he’s waiting?”
“He did not,” Galyan admitted.
“Well…?”
“The slarn hunter will kill you, Captain. My probability indicators give you almost zero chance of success if you simply charge into the chamber.”
“That still doesn’t give me his location,” Maddox said.
“He waits seven meters from the hatch with a rifle trained at the entrance. He will kill whoever enters the compartment. I am also to give him a warning when someone reaches seven meters from the hatch in the outer corridor.”
Maddox skidded to a halt. Seconds later, Meta stopped beside him, panting for air.
“We’re not going to get to Villars in time,” Maddox told her.
“So what do we do?” Meta asked.
Maddox slid down against a bulkhead, bending his head in thought. He was going to have to trust his crew to defeat the three drones with the neutron cannon while he took care of the situation here.
“Should I don a space marine suit?” Meta asked.
Maddox shook his head. If Villars had given Galyan the code sequence, the man had effective control of the starship. If they marched to the disruptor chamber in space marine armor, Villars might order Galyan to self-destruct the starship.
“We can’t just sit here,” Meta said.
Villars wasn’t Ludendorff. Maddox knew he had to key in on that. Then it struck him what he had to do. The captain climbed to his feet.
“Galyan,” the captain said, “tell Villars I’m coming.”
“Are you indeed?” the AI asked.
Maddox grabbed one of Meta’s hands, pulling her with him as he started walking toward the disruptor cannon. “I’m going to dig him out of there one way or another.”
“Villars will want to know that. Give me a moment.” Galyan vanished.
Maddox spun on Meta. “Listen carefully,” he whispered. “I’m going to keep Villars occupied. While I do, this is what I want you to do.” Maddox told her as quickly as he could. Then he sent Meta on her way, as he continued toward the disruptor cannon’s control chamber.
-16-
Victory’s neutron beam poured destructive force against a drone’s shield. The neutron cannon lacked the disruptor’s power, but it slowly battered the drone’s deflectors into the darker colors. Unfortunately, despite Valerie’s best efforts, the starship’s shield neared collapse.
“This is ridiculous,” the lieutenant said in frustration.
“I agree,” Keith said. “Hang on.”
“What?” Valerie asked.
“I don’t mean that literally,” the ace said. “It’s time to shove our ray down their throats.”
“You can’t rattle the enemy with a bold attack,” Valerie said. “They’re drones, with Builder AIs, I suppose.”
“Rattling them isn’t my intention. The closer we are to them, the stronger the neutron beam’s power becomes. Staying at this midrange is only helping them.”
“Their rays will break through our shield if you charge them,” Valerie said.
“That’s why we have collapsium armor, love.”
“No,” Valerie said. “Thanks to the magnetic storm, we lack a few armor plates. The drones are sure to aim where there’s no armor.”
Keith paused. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Let’s take a leaf from the New Men,” Valerie said. “Do you notice the bigger asteroid over there?” she asked, using a glow to highlight it on the main screen.
“Say no more,” Keith said. “I’m reading your mind.”
The mighty starship tilted hard as the gravity dampeners strained. Victory swerved for the asteroid as the red beams turned the vessel’s shield black.