“It is bad,” Maddox said. “We can’t do anything on this side of the planet. Move to the other side. Let’s hope Latium is on the other side.”

  Keith hesitated.

  “Is there a problem?” Maddox asked.

  “Well…” Keith said.

  “Are you the best or not?”

  There was a half-beat, and a stiffening of Keith’s mouth. “Aye-aye, Captain,” he said emotionlessly.

  As they waited for Keith to fold, more thunder boomed, lightning jagged and even greater thunder crashed around them, a bulkhead-shaking noise. Riker turned white and stared accusingly at Maddox. The captain simply waited, although his heart thumped.

  What if they crashed onto Remus? How long could they survive on their own? Should he abort the mission before Keith folded again?

  Maddox became stubborn, with a mulish cast to his face. He’d made a big production about this with Meta. He didn’t want to come running back from an aborted mission.

  “Now what’s the matter?” Riker shouted at him.

  Before Maddox could reply, the tin can folded yet again, passing through the planet onto the other side.

  Here, it was night. There was no giant ash cloud, either. Stars glittered overhead, twinkling more than seemed right. That surely indicated more junk in the air than normal.

  “Do you see Latium?” Maddox asked.

  Keith glanced sharply at the captain.

  “Do you see a circular bay?” Maddox asked. “There’s a huge mountain range to the north of the bay by several hundred kilometers.”

  Keith clicked his screen, and the tin can took that moment to jerk, drop suddenly—

  Riker shouted with alarm.

  “There’s no need to panic,” Keith said a moment later, as he worked the controls. The flight evened out.

  “Really, Sergeant,” Maddox said. “I expect more calm from you.”

  “Oh, yes, dying is easy,” Riker said. “What happened? Why did the fighter just start dropping?”

  “Hang on,” Keith said from the piloting seat. The craft shuddered, and it once more dropped suddenly. Keith began to swear. Then, he became silent as he fought with the controls, concentrating on them.

  “Eject us if we’re going to crash,” Maddox said.

  “Hang onto your horses, mate!” Keith shouted. “Give me a second, will you?”

  “How far are we from the surface?” Riker asked.

  The tin can began to shake, and then do it more violently. The fold-fighter wasn’t an atmospheric vessel, but a spacecraft that could maneuver like a wallowing pig for a short time on a planet. In the past, Keith would fold directly to the surface. It would appear the lightning storm and thunder had damaged the fighter, making such a landing harder. Either that or—

  “Abort the mission,” Maddox said, a pang of something flashing through his senses.

  “What are you saying?” Keith asked.

  “Abort,” Maddox said. “Return directly to Victory. Do it now!”

  “It’s about time,” Riker said.

  “Are you sure, mate?” Keith asked.

  “Mr. Maker,” Maddox said. “You will immediately—”

  Keith recoiled from something he saw on the screen. “Missile! Hang on!” he shouted. Then his fingers played upon the piloting board.

  The tin can shuddered, rattling their teeth. The craft rose abruptly. There was an explosion outside. Metal pinged against the outer hull, and something hot flew bullet-fast through the cabin.

  “We’re in trouble,” Keith said with icy calm. “This could get rough.”

  Part of Riker’s seat collapsed as his bionic-powered hand crumbled the armrest that he clung to.

  Then, the tin can emergency folded, as outside the fighter, two more antiair missiles streaked for the craft.

  ***

  The tin can did not appear in space anywhere near Victory, but rather, fifty meters above a plain of dead weeds and grass. Keith used all his skills, lowering them by stages and braking as hard as he could. It was night outside. They were clouds overhead, blocking the stars.

  “We’re going to crash,” Keith said.

  Before Maddox or Riker could reply, the tin can was plowing along the ground, bouncing, creaking, crumpling and ripping metal hull plating. It seemed to last forever. The restraints held the men in place even as pieces of equipment flew through the cabin. It was a nightmare ride.

  Suddenly, it was over, the fighter halted.

  Maddox panted in his seat, blinking and sweating. It was pitch black in the cabin, with an occasional spark throwing off lightning-like light.

  Keith had a gash on his forehead that was bleeding copiously. Maddox wasn’t looking in Riker’s direction when the sparks flew.

  With a groan, Maddox produced his monofilament blade and cut himself free, crawling along the twisted aisle toward the sergeant’s seat. This was a disaster, exactly what Meta had feared would happen.

  “No,” Maddox muttered. He wasn’t going to fail. For Jewel’s sake, if nothing else, he wouldn’t let this be his last mission.

  -51-

  Grutch the Morag was in the Remus System, hidden in his small, teardrop-shaped stealth ship.

  He’d been plotting, calculating and reconsidering his approaches. Now, he was in the star system, noting how the star had driven the compacted gases of the nebula out of the system long ago. The solar winds must have done that. It had created an open area, a normal area, and he liked it much better here for that.

  Grutch bobbed forward as his four eyestalks examined the situation from four different screens. He cataloged everything: planets, asteroids, comets, magnetic belts, warships, pickets and various clots of debris. There were Fusion vessels, a few destroyed Remus ships and Victory, precious Victory with its Maddox cargo.

  The Commonwealth starship was in orbit around ringed Vulcan, a Jovian gas giant with many moons.

  Grutch maneuvered slowly and stealthily through the star system. He saw the three Fusion battlewagons drop out of the nebula FTL drive and begin a straightforward velocity run toward the third planet. The new warships did not seem interested in Victory, sending a message to the Grand Director of the First Fleet two million kilometers off Remus.

  Both the flotilla and message would take time to reach the First Fleet of the Fusion.

  Grutch decided to ease closer to Victory. It was the only ship that interested him here. Yes, he was aware of hidden aliens. They played a secret game. It didn’t concern him, though, so why should he care? If he could find evidence of them—more evidence—he might turn to investigate them.

  That had often been a failing of his in the past, to turn aside to investigate interesting lateral phenomenon. Undoubtedly, that was one of the reasons why he was still so relatively poor compared to Morags his age. He should already own a kingdom and servants by now. Instead, he ran a puny stealth ship, seeking riches by chasing after worthless beings like Captain Maddox.

  Tentacles appeared, and they used the holographic controls. He sent stealthy sensor rays toward Victory. It was time to see how his prey fared.

  Grutch had recovered from the dastardly assault by that devilish holoimage Galyan. If the Adok ghost continued to plague him, he would teach the computer intelligence a bitter lesson. Instead of concentrating on Galyan, though, he was going to grab Maddox for good and leave for his sponsors. The interior burns had taught Grutch the folly of remaining near Victory any longer than he had to.

  To that end, he parked as near as he dared to the starship and earnestly swept the vessel with his sensors. He studied, puzzled, learned and studied anew. Yet, as much as his sensor eyes roved over and inside the starship, he could not find the captain.

  Was this a trick on their part?

  He listened to a conversation on the bridge. Maddox had flown, gone, and they hadn’t heard any word from him other than the previous message about staying on Remus for a time.

  Ah, Remus, Captain Maddox had gone to Remus, the third planet. How very interesting.

  Grutch listened longer to the bridge talk, but he learned nothing more about Maddox or his mission there.

  The huge blob of gelatinous mass began to slap his tentacles together as his eyestalks wove in a bizarre pattern. He was thinking deeply. “Maddox, this is the moment of truth.”

  Grutch ceased his seal-like slaps, calming down. With great ease and skill, he moved away from Victory. Galyan was a troubling gnat, and Grutch sensed the starship’s sensors scanning the darkness around it for him.

  Bah! They might notice a swift teleportation from Vulcan. Thus, Grutch maneuvered the teardrop-shaped vessel, first going behind the Jovian gas giant in relation to the starship. Then, Grutch made his calculations. The Fusion First Fleet was near Remus. But he doubted the humans could sense his vessel. If he made a swift stab at Remus, picked up Maddox while the man was alone…

  Grutch made odd warbling sounds. This was a perfect situation. They had attacked him, driven him off, stopped worrying about him, and now Maddox had dropped his guard. That would be the last decision Maddox was going to make that mattered.

  Grutch checked his surroundings, and he transmitted, causing his stealth craft to teleport away from Vulcan—the hidden craft appeared two thousand kilometers from Remus’s surface on the opposite side as the Fusion First Fleet. Those on Victory would not be able to see him even if they had the right kind of sensors.

  “Maddox, you villain,” Grutch said. “I’m about to take you captive.”

  With that, the hidden stealth ship continued for the smoky planet.

  -52-

  Galyan had been doing more than just scanning for the Morag mercenary. Galyan had pinpointed the stealth ship and kept silent about it.

  The silence was for tactical reasons only. If he spoke to Valerie about Grutch, the alien would no doubt hear that as he eavesdropped on Victory. For Galyan hadn’t only pinpointed the Morag. He’d also recalibrated a few of his most sensitive sensors in order to know when Grutch turned the Morag sensors onto the starship.

  Now that Galyan knew what to look for, the Morag stealth ship was relatively easy for him to spot. He watched it close in on the starship, use its sensors and then ease away to the other side of Vulcan.

  Knowing the reason for that didn’t take fantastic Adok computing power, but simple logic, as seen from the Morag’s perspective. Grutch was teleporting somewhere and trying to do so secretly.

  Galyan analyzed that for a time. He used his logic processers and ran his personality profiles, where appropriate.

  “Galyan,” Valerie said. “Are you listening to me, Galyan?”

  “Oh, I am sorry, Valerie.” Galyan holoimage had been doing all this while floating in place on the bridge.

  “Were you distracted?” Valerie asked from the captain’s chair.

  “Yes, I was processing data. If I were biological, I would say I was woolgathering.”

  “I have a question for you,” Valerie said. “So, are you through woolgathering?”

  “I am through.”

  “In that case—” Valerie said.

  “But I must interrupt you, Commander. I have discovered a critical issue. Meta, you might be interested in this.”

  Meta had resumed her stint at the comm station. “Is this about Maddox?” Meta asked, sounding worried.

  “Oh, yes indeed.”

  “What is it?” Meta said. “Did Maddox send you a secret message?”

  “No,” Galyan said. “I have spotted the Morag mercenary.”

  “You mean Grutch?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where is this Grutch?” Valerie asked.

  “I do not know his precise whereabouts at the moment,” Galyan said.

  “Then, why are you bothering us about him?”

  “I have an emergency message. So, if you do not mind, I will raise the important point immediately, as time might be critical and you are asking the wrong questions.”

  “Tell us,” Valerie snapped. “And then tell me why you didn’t speak about this Morag sooner?”

  “Grutch approached Victory in his stealth ship,” Galyan said, “and he used his sensor beams on us, searching the starship and listening to our conversations. Afterward, he slipped behind Vulcan in relation to—”

  “He teleported to Remus,” Meta shouted, interrupting. “He’s gone there to kidnap my husband. That’s what you’re saying, isn’t it?”

  “Yes,” Galyan said. “That is my analysis as well.”

  “What are you babbling about?” Valerie asked.

  “I did not speak about this sooner,” Galyan said, “because I was sure Grutch would overhear what I said. I wish to keep my new abilities hidden from him, so we may use what we know against him at the proper moment.”

  “This Morag went to Remus?” Valerie asked.

  “That is the most logical assumption. Meta reached it through emotional worry for Maddox. Is that not so, Meta?”

  Meta had been staring at Galyan in consternation. She now swiveled toward Valerie. “We have to go to Remus. We have to save my husband from kidnapping.”

  “The captain wanted us to stay here,” Valerie said.

  “Galyan,” Meta said, “why didn’t you activate the disrupter beam and destroy the Morag’s stealth ship when you could?”

  Galyan stared at Meta. “That is a cogent question. In retrospect, I think I should have done just that. Will you forgive me for not doing it, Meta?”

  “Forget about all that,” Meta cried. “We have to go to Remus to save my husband.”

  “I do concur with that,” Galyan told Valerie. “Grutch is a dangerous foe. I do not know if even Captain Maddox can thwart the Morag a second time while he is on the planet.”

  Valerie stared from Meta, to Galyan to Meta again. “Yes,” she said, straightening and swiveling toward the pilot. “Take us to Remus orbit,” she ordered. “Prepare for immediate defensive actions as well.”

  “We will be vulnerable for a little while after coming out of jump lag,” Galyan said.

  “I know that,” Valerie said. “I’m guessing our appearance should surprise Remus defense. And I don’t think the Fusion people can reach us that quickly from their present location.”

  “And if they have hunter-seeker missiles in the orbital debris?” Galyan asked.

  Valerie stared at the holoimage, nodding sharply. “Pilot, plot our appearance on the opposite side as the Fusion First Fleet.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Put us…fifty thousand kilometers from the surface,” Valerie added. “That should give us the needed margin for us to come out of jump lag. Mr. Barnes.”

  “Ma’am,” the muscled weapons officer said.

  “Get ready for action,” Valerie said.

  “Understood.”

  “Galyan,” Valerie said. “I want you ready and looking for the Morag’s stealth ship. The instant you see it, activate the disrupter cannon and destroy it.”

  “Yes, Valerie,” Galyan said. “But how do we know he has not already captured the captain? I would kill Captain Maddox under those conditions.”

  Valerie nodded. “Wait until we confirm the captain’s position—and if he is somewhere other than the Morag ship, then and only then unleash against the Morag stealth ship the moment you spot it.”

  “I will do that, Commander.”

  “We’re plotted and ready to jump,” the pilot said.

  “Meta, alert the rest of the ship,” Valerie said. “Pilot, jump in thirty seconds.” She made a fist. “This is it, so I want everyone alert. Are there any questions?”

  There were none. Thus, thirty seconds later, Starship Victory made a star-drive jump for the other side of Remus.

  -53-

  Maddox, Riker and Keith Maker staggered in the dark, leaving the wreckage of the fold fighter. Each of them sweated profusely and found it difficult to breathe the thick air. It had to be one hundred and ten degrees Fahrenheit, and the smoky air was choking each of them, making them cough and slowing them down.

  “This doesn’t make sense,” Keith said for what had to be the tenth time. He had a bloody bandage wound around his head and had complained about aching lungs.

  Maddox helped the sergeant, who was having the hardest time with the heat and smoky air. They’d climbed rocks and a hill, leaving the fold-fighter behind.

  “How can the people here keep fighting?” Keith demanded.

  Maddox halted, staring at the short Scotsman. “What people?”

  Keith made a vague gesture. “Those of Remus,” he said.

  “We made a category error,” Maddox said. “No. I made it. I should have ordered a scan of the target area before we attempted to land on Remus. This place isn’t fit for human habitation. Think how hot it must be during the day. It’s sweltering now, the middle of the night.”

  Keith coughed, frowning at Maddox in the starlight.

  “Remus was never like this in my memory-dream,” Maddox said. “They’d had a nuclear war in the past. It had made part of the planet uninhabitable, but nothing like this.”

  “I don’t understand,” Keith said.

  “I do,” Riker said weakly.

  “Sit down,” Maddox told the sergeant, helping the older man sit on a boulder.

  “Did the asteroids do this?” Keith asked.

  “What asteroids?” asked Maddox.

  “The ones the Fusion people threw down on the planet.”

  Maddox shook his head. “I don’t think the Fusion has successfully rained any asteroids down yet.”

  “Then, what’s causing the heat, the smog?”

  “That’s the question all right. My guess—the aliens we’ve been wondering about. They did this. They wiped out Remus, maybe killed everyone on the planet.”

  “What?” Keith said. “That’s crazy.”

  “No,” Maddox said. “It’s evil. But that explains how they had the people to make the memories. The aliens captured Remus, the people, and then did this to the planet.”

  “That’s a big jump in logic, sir,” Riker whispered.