“Why are we in such a hurry?” Margaret asked.

  “The hauler is about to explode,” Carissa said.

  “What about all the other girls? Surely we must—”

  Before Margaret could finish her thought, an intensely bright light flared. She deduced the port window was away from the direction of the tramp hauler, yet the light’s intensity was such that it illuminated everything in here.

  “The hauler’s antimatter or atomic engines must have ignited,” Margaret said.

  “Smart girl,” Lanka said sarcastically.

  “This is horrible,” Margaret said. “All those women…”

  “They’re dead,” Carissa said somberly. “They’re dead and gone. If you hadn’t escaped from your detention cell, you’d be dead, too.”

  Margaret realized the truth of Carissa’s words, and a wave of dread washed over her at the close escape.

  “How did you know the hauler was going to explode?” Margaret asked.

  “Because we set it to explode,” Lanka said.

  Margaret stared at Lanka in horror. “You can’t be serious. You would kill all those women? The guards? Why not alert the authorities instead? Clint Seasons…” Margaret felt an unexpected pang of emotion for Clint, despite his heinous acts. There was something about Clint that had drawn her. Wasn’t that crazy?

  “You couldn’t have set the hauler to explode,” Margaret said. “You wouldn’t know how.”

  “We’re Spacers,” Lanka said, as if that settled it.

  Margaret frowned in confusion. “You mean you’re from the Spacer Nation?”

  “Exactly. And now you’re joining us.”

  “Me? But…” Margaret’s thoughts raced back to their earlier conversation. “You said I was a candidate. What does that mean?”

  “It means there’s an intelligence war, a spy war, going on between the New Men, the Commonwealth, and the Spacers,” Lanka said. “There’s a famous spy, a notable Spacer spy, who once held the Emperor himself captive on a distant alien planet. But the Emperor escaped. There is another that we hate above all others who was there that day.”

  This all meant very little to Margaret. “I’m still not sure I understand you.”

  “Our escape pod has a rendezvous with an approaching Spacer ship,” Lanka said. “You will join us. And if you can pass the tests, you may be able to enter our Intelligence Service.”

  “Me? I think I just want to go home.”

  “It’s too late for that,” Carissa said. “It was too late once you left your detention cell.”

  “But I’d be dead if I hadn’t.”

  “Exactly. You have been cast upon the sea of fate,” Carissa said. “Now you’re joining the Spacers, whether you like it or not.” Then Carissa’s voice softened and she reached out and touched Margaret. “This is different from the kidnappers. You’re going to have opportunities, choices to make, and no man will be able to force himself upon you to bear his seed.”

  “Why do you put it like that?” Margaret asked, disgusted.

  “That is the way in this part of the Orion Spiral Arm,” Carissa said. “You were almost turned into a New Man’s concubine.”

  “How much longer will we be in this pod?” Margaret asked.

  “Look, there’s the ship on the screen,” Lanka said.

  A large saucer-shaped craft appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Had it been invisible? Had it been in some kind of stealth mode? Whatever the case, Margaret realized she was about to board it. Fate had taken a bizarre and twisty turn.

  Well, if she was destined to become a spy, if that was her only remaining option according to these two… Margaret recognized their ruthlessness, as well as the probable ruthlessness of those they served. Margaret decided she was going to do whatever was necessary to survive, and beyond that, to thrive. It hinged on making the right choices. Apparently, she had made one today.

  Margaret gazed out into space again. It had seemed so beautiful when viewed from the port earlier. Now, it appeared as though space harbored incalculable terrors. Yet, she was here. And as the Spacer saucer drew closer, she acknowledged this as the beginning of a new chapter in her life. Who could tell where it would lead?

  -22-

  Several weeks passed on the Library Planet, and Ural was surprised that the Supreme Intelligence did not summon him during that time. Could the computer entity understand what he—Ural—had done in sending the timed message to Maddox? That seemed more than probable. Still, Ural decided to say nothing about it and went about his duties.

  Finally, after twenty-two days had passed, Ural received a summons to head to the main audience chamber.

  This is it, Ural thought to himself. I’m about to face it for what I’ve done. Will the Supreme Intelligence expel me from the Library Planet?

  Ural wished he knew whether Maddox had faced and then survived the encounter with the New Men, whether Artaxerxes Par was dead or victorious. Was there a war between the Empire and the Commonwealth? Had the Sovereign Hierarchy of Leviathan sent any more ships this way or begun an invasion of the Commonwealth? Ural knew none of these things. He might have learned some of them through using a long-range scanner, but that privilege had been revoked for the moment.

  Ural proceeded down an elevator, alighted into a corridor after the hatch opened and began the long walk to the great audience chamber. There were no bots to greet him. There was nothing but the giant screen in the center of the chamber. He saw the screen’s glow and the dimness of it that meant the green head of the Supreme Intelligence was already there.

  At last, Golden Ural, formerly of the Empire of the New Man, stood before his master.

  “In lieu of any other greetings,” the Supreme Intelligence began, “how have you been?”

  “Fine,” Ural said.

  “You appear nervous. Do you think that is the correct term?”

  Ural shrugged.

  “I see. You wish to maintain your innocence to the end?”

  Ural stared into the dark, computerized eyes. He realized the Supreme Intelligence had surely cataloged him, as Galyan did with his personality profiles to those on Victory.

  “If you mean the timer and the message I sent to Maddox several weeks ago, I admit to it,” Ural said.

  “Do you now?” the Supreme Intelligence said. “What if I said I knew nothing about such a timer or message?”

  “I do not think I would believe you.”

  “Good. Of course I knew. I do not approve. But if it means anything to you…” The Supreme Intelligence paused. “Would you like to know the outcome of the encounter?”

  “Of course. I’m most curious.”

  “Maddox and Artaxerxes dueled upon the Solar Sovereign.”

  Ural shook his head. “I’m not aware of the name or what it signifies.”

  “The Solar Sovereign was a Trojan super-hauler. Upon it was a bevy of females that the agents of the New Man had collected within the Commonwealth. The females were the bait Maddox used to lure the Archduke to his death, as Maddox had captured the super-hauler.”

  “Aha!” Ural said, his eyes shining with delight. “Maddox slew the Archduke then?”

  “Indeed.”

  “Yes!” Ural said. Then he saw the Supreme Intelligence staring at and studying him. Ural shook his head. “I do not feel bad that Artaxerxes is dead or that this particular abduction campaign failed. It did fail, didn’t it?”

  “It did. And Maddox let the seven star cruisers—Artaxerxes’ guard ships—go. Captain Maddox thus maneuvered the situation and used Code Duello to slay his enemy. Therefore, at least on the surface, Maddox kept the peace between the Commonwealth and the Empire.”

  “Wise,” Ural said.

  “Yes, it is and was wise. And it was unwise for you to have interfered.”

  Ural was about to argue when the Supreme Intelligence cut him off. “Say no more.” The tendrils on the head of the Supreme Intelligence wriggled slightly. No snakes appeared, as they would on Medusa, but the feeling of serpents was there. “You have achieved your goal and still have a place in the Library Planet. Does that satisfy you?”

  “If you mean my curiosity, yes, I’m satisfied,” Ural said.

  “Good. We have much more important matters to discuss.”

  “Has war begun then?” Ural asked.

  “If you mean war between Leviathan and the Commonwealth, it has not.”

  “No, I mean between the New Men and the Commonwealth.”

  “I do not see such a war happening in the near future,” the Supreme Intelligence said. “Thus, we will drop the subject. Instead, I have thought long and hard about the virus attack of Leviathan upon me using the lone assault vessel. In the interim, no more attacks have been launched upon me from that direction. No more subtleties have appeared in any guise from Leviathan against me. Yet, the more I’ve thought upon the virus attack, the more it has disturbed me. Leviathan attacked me for a specific reason. It strikes me as likely that they meant to knock me out of the equation as soon as possible. What does that tell you?”

  Ural became thoughtful. In the past, the Supreme Intelligence often gave him such tactical or strategic problems to ponder. He knew the procedure.

  “If I were behind such an assault against you,” Ural said, “it would mean I planned to attack the Commonwealth next. I would be making sure the Commonwealth humans couldn’t receive any aid from you.”

  “That is my own conclusion,” the Supreme Intelligence said. “Therefore, it led me to believe Leviathan has a long-term strategy for the Orion Arm. Given that, I increased my scans in the direction of the Scutum-Centaurus Spiral Arm and any possible places where Leviathan might appear. I used maximum magnification and gain. I even awakened some ancient sentinels, launching them into hard-to-reach areas. I sent probes into many dark places. To my shock and surprise, I found activity in the Aquila Rift.”

  Ural frowned. “I’m not familiar with the term.”

  “The rift is approximately six to seven hundred light years from Earth in the direction of the Scutum-Centaurus Spiral Arm. It is made up primarily of molecular clouds.”

  Ural frowned again. “I should know what that means.”

  “Molecular clouds are dense, interstellar mists of gas and dust in which molecules can form, mostly hydrogen. These clouds often contain radiation. In some, stars form or are born. The molecular clouds cloak objects within the rift, which means that much of the galaxy is hidden from the Commonwealth, because it is on the other side of the Great Rift, of which the Aquila Rift is part.”

  “The Great Rift separates the main part of our galaxy from Earth view?” asked Ural.

  “Correct.”

  “The Aquila Rift is part of the Great Rift?”

  “Precisely,” the Supreme Intelligence said. “The Aquila Rift is a dense, dark area of the galaxy. Given its location, it could possibly make a good staging area for an invader coming from the Scutum-Centaurus Arm against the Orion Arm.”

  “That’s what is happening?” Ural asked.

  “Pay attention, please. Do not speculate too soon. That means listen to what I’m saying.”

  Ural nodded.

  “I have strained my sensors and launched several sentinels and probes into the Aquila Rift,” the Supreme Intelligence said. “From that, I have detected something new and faint. The newness struck me as odd, and I checked ancient records. What I discovered troubled me deeply. As I said, the signal had been very faint. That led me to believe it originated on a planet deep in the rift.”

  “Do you know which planet?”

  “I have no clue,” the Supreme Intelligence said. “However, that isn’t as material. The signal spoke of the Precursors, those before the Builders.”

  Ural frowned. “I’ve never heard of them.”

  “The Precursors belonged to an ancient society that perished long ago in a dreadful war. They left more than one prodigal weapon. The faint traces I detected and the ancient sources I read led me to a strange conclusion. There is a device known as the Prism Drive.”

  “These Precursors developed it?” Ural asked.

  “Yes. If Leviathan had gained the Prism Drive, they could have easily destroyed the Library Planet.”

  “How?” Ural asked.

  “That is not the question at the moment, for I sensed something else as well in the Aquila Rift: warp drive signatures of Leviathan battlewagons and juggernauts. That clearly indicated that Leviathan vessels entered the Aquila Rift.”

  “You suspect they’re hunting for the Prism Drive?”

  “No. I believe they are attempting to find something much worse. They attempt to awaken Seekers: an ancient doomsday weapon of terrible power and of a biomechanical nature.”

  “A Seeker is a cyborg?”

  “Precisely. But a cyborg many kilometers long that eats nuclear explosions for breakfast. That is a quaint way to say it, I know. Its eyes are like lasers of destruction and its hide impervious to antimatter fire. Ural, I believe Leviathan fears the Commonwealth or possibly fears united humanity. I think it likely that the masters of Leviathan are considering genocide against the Commonwealth. To inflict this genocide, Leviathan appears willing to awaken the awful Seekers of old and launch them at humanity.”

  “That’s a lot of supposition for a few traces of warp exhaust,” Ural said.

  “You are making a joke, but it is in poor taste. The Aquila Rift has a notorious and ancient reputation. Those of Leviathan should know better than to send scouting expeditions into it.”

  “How do you know that is what Leviathan has done?” Ural asked.

  “From what I have sensed and detected, I give it a high probability.”

  “Which means you’re not certain,” Ural said.

  “Certain enough,” the Supreme Intelligence said.

  “Why tell me about it?”

  “Because if Leviathan is awaking the Seekers, as I believe they are, and if Leviathan launches the Seekers against the Commonwealth, there is no telling what will happen next.”

  Ural shrugged. “The Commonwealth will rise up and destroy the Seekers. Failing that, Star Watch will get help from the New Men and/or Spacers, I suppose, and destroy these Seekers.”

  “You are incorrect. The Spacers would flee even farther afield if Leviathan awakens the Seekers.”

  “Hmm,” Ural said. “I don’t know anything about these Seekers. You’re making them sound dreadful. Are they worse than the Destroyers of the Nameless Ones?”

  “Imagine a fleet of Destroyers of the Nameless Ones that could replicate and duplicate.”

  “That would be a terror,” Ural agreed.

  “Therefore, I believe we must seek the ancient Prism Drive. It may be the only way to foil the Seekers if they are awakened, which I dearly hope is not the case.”

  “And this Prism Drive, where is it in the Aquila Rift if it exists?” Ural asked.

  “I have correlated the faint signals and looked up ancient script deep in my memory banks. I found that the Mastermind and his Ardazirhos almost erased those files several years ago. I wonder if that was the reason for the attempted erasure. The Prism Drive, I do not know where in the rift it could be, Ural, except that the ancient device is in there somewhere.”

  “Given Leviathan finds these Seekers, will they truly release them?”

  “I lack enough evidence to speak with one hundred percent certainty,” the Supreme Intelligence said. “This is all taking place in the Aquila Rift. We must send an agent there to at least study the situation.”

  Ural ran fingers through his hair. “I suppose you mean Starship Victory led by Captain Maddox.”

  “That is the logical choice.”

  “What if the Lord High Admiral isn’t willing to send him?”

  “I would say that you should go deep into the bowels of the Library Planet to ready a special ship. But I am loath to have you go. No, I believe you must convince Captain Maddox that he must go on this mission.”

  “But the Aquila Rift is seven hundred light years from Earth,” Ural said.

  “That is within the parameters of Starship Victory and what Maddox has done in the past.”

  “I’ll grant you that,” Ural said, “but I don’t know if Maddox will agree.”

  “Don’t you see?” the Supreme Intelligence asked. “Everybody is maneuvering, getting ready. The next war could be for everything. If the Seekers awaken—you must tell all this to Captain Maddox. I must give humanity in all its guises the ability to defeat Leviathan. Otherwise, the great project of the Builders in the Orion Arm may be devoured if the fools of Leviathan dare to awaken and launch the Seekers.”

  “Why haven’t you destroyed the Seekers before this if they’re so terrible?”

  “It is enough that I have not attempted it,” the Supreme Intelligence said. “Will you call Captain Maddox? Will you at least broach the topic with him?”

  Ural thought about it. “Yes. I’ll do it.”

  -23-

  Several days later, Maddox received a Long-Range Builder Comm device call from his Uncle Ural.

  Victory was presently parked in Earth orbit, undergoing upkeep while the crew took a break. That was per the orders of the Lord High Admiral.

  “Uncle,” Maddox said. “I have been trying to reach you, but you never picked up.”

  “I have been engaged,” Ural said. “I hear you faced Artaxerxes Par in the Solar Sovereign.”

  “Yes,” Maddox said, “I appreciate the heads-up about him and the abduction campaign you gave. It was most helpful.”

  “You want me to ask about the fracas, I see. You dueled, I take it?”

  “We did.”

  “And?” Ural asked.

  “Archduke Artaxerxes Par is dead.”

  Ural was silent for a moment. “Well done, Nephew. Your father would be proud. Your mother would be proud.”

  “I like to think so.”

  “I congratulate you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Describe the duel to me.”

  “Uncle, despite all my training, I entered a predatory state. I remember little of the duel, more as if it were a dream.”