Leviathan had at last sent an expeditionary force across the vast gulf between the spiral arms. They had been positioning the fleets for two and a half years. It had taken time, energy, and great amounts of wealth. When the moment came, Great Leviathan would give the order. Then the assault fleets of Leviathan would move. They would attack simultaneously the most important nodes of Star Watch. Star Watch couldn’t send its Grand Fleet everywhere at once. Each Leviathan assault fleet could probably grind down Star Watch’s Grand Fleet into particles all on its own.

  The Seventh Assault Fleet was the major striking arm of the expeditionary force, while War Master Vane was the greatest tactician Leviathan had seen in decades.

  Dax swallowed. He was eager and frightened at the same time. He couldn’t believe the three of them dared to march to Vane’s bridge.

  Dax didn’t understand how Venna and Mu believed they could dominate the formidable cyber. With just one word, the cyborg troopers would draw their weapons and destroy them.

  “Hang on,” Mu told him, “events will take a turn you haven’t conceived of yet.”

  “I-I don’t understand what you mean,” Dax said.

  The two women remained silent.

  How could they be reading his thoughts now? Dax saw no screen in evidence. The grim anticipation proved too much for him. “Please let me go,” Dax whispered. “I’ve done what you wanted. I don’t want to die when they destroy you two for your arrogance.”

  Venna did not turn to him, but resolutely walked forward.

  Mu shot him a glance as a reprimand, no doubt.

  Dax decided this was hopeless and it would be better to keep quiet and die with a little dignity or make his break at the last second. Yes, that was what he would do. He needed to be ready in order to act with precision and speed.

  After a long walk down seeming never-ending corridors and many turbo lifts, the group leader led the three into a cavernous bridge filled with endless screens and stations. The rest of the cyborg troopers remained behind in the outer courtyard.

  War Master Vane stood on the highest dais in the middle of it all. He wore a black cloak and stood tall and metallically lean, exuding arrogance. Interestingly, he did not have aides on the dais with him.

  The rest of the bridge personnel worked at screens, consoles and other stations, maybe with one hundred cyber operators altogether. The bridge was vast indeed.

  “Approach me,” Vane commanded in a robotic voice.

  The three approached the dais. They did not climb steps onto the dais. Instead, they faced Vane from below, as if he stood on a balcony. His metallic hands clutched a rail as he looked down at them.

  “So, Spacers,” Vane said, “you have returned our spy to us. Senior Dax I believe you’re called.”

  Dax was ready to warn Vane about these two and sprint out of the firing line. A microsecond before he did, Dax heard a click. With a sinking feeling, he knew Mu had pressed a switch. A second later, foreign words spewed from Dax’s mouth.

  “Sir, grave forces are at work, which I have barely discovered in time. Though we have assassinated,” Dax indicated Venna, “the Lord High Admiral of Star Watch and his Chief Intelligence Officer, we failed to make the most important kill. That kill would have made everything perfectly simple for Leviathan.”

  “It will be perfectly simple,” Vane said harshly, “as nothing can stand before our assault fleets.”

  “I understand, sir. None may compete against your tactical brilliance. But, War Master, I must tell you there is a grave problem in the making.”

  Vane sneered at him.

  Dax looked right and left as if searching for a conspiracy before he stepped closer to the rail. “Sir, if I could just speak to you a moment in private. These two bear an incredibly important message. I think, however, it would be best heard by your ears alone.”

  “What is this?” Vane demanded. “You indulge in skullduggery on my ship in the midst of the assault fleet? Who do you think you are, Senior Dax?”

  Dax made a secret sign that he’d received from Grand Strategist Enigmach.

  Vane jerked back in surprise before nodding sharply. “Follow me.” Vane pivoted and stepped to the center of the dais. He turned sharply to them. “Well, get up here already.”

  Dax led Venna and Mu up steps onto the dais and to a circular area beside War Master Vane. A floor disc detached from the center dais and lowered until they were in a wide chamber under the dais. They stepped off, and the floor disc rose until it clicked into place and sealed them from the bridge.

  Vane indicated couches to the side. “Do you need to recline, or shall we get on with it?”

  “We shall get on with it,” Venna said in a scratchy voice. “Shut him down, Mu.”

  Mu pressed a switch.

  Dax felt himself go limp. He saw what was happening, although he was powerless to prevent any of it.

  The old hag raised her tree bark-like hands.

  Vane laughed, stepping toward her. No doubt, he planned to kill her with a blow. Then Vane frowned and it seemed as if he could not move. Almost instantly, gaseous, etheric forces trickled from his body. He clutched at his throat, but it seemed he could not speak.

  “Now,” Venna said, “while I have him in my clutches, go to work, Mu.”

  Mu stepped before the towering War Master. She peered at him for quite a time, and it didn’t seem that she did anything.

  Dax had the impression she used her Builder modifications, modifying the War Master’s brain. Likely, Mu could only do so because Venna held Vane locked in immobility, unable to do a thing.

  After what seemed like ages, Mu’s shoulders slumped, she stepped back and staggered, nearly falling.

  Venna caught her.

  Vane moved, and it seemed he would draw his blaster.

  “No,” Venna said, looking up, “wrong idea. You will now comply and do exactly as we say.”

  Vane opened his mouth. “Yes, Great One, I will comply. You have given me the orders from Great Leviathan. It is time to attack under your auspices. This was an unusual form of granting the message, but I appreciate it. We will take care of these Earthlings, and I will follow your ships back to a region of space in the Paran System. We will crush the puny Earthlings there, for I have a weapon they’re not expecting, one that will nullify their advantage of this nexus with Star Watch’s Grand Fleet in the Solar System.”

  “That is wonderful to hear,” Venna said, “but I’m afraid we’re tired, War Master. We’re returning to the saucer ship.”

  “You will not stay here with me and watch the outcome?” Vane asked.

  Mu looked meaningfully at Venna.

  “Very well,” Venna said in a resigned way. “No, sir, first we are going to speak to your highest officers.”

  “Nine of the most important,” Mu said. “I can shift no more than that.”

  Venna nodded. “We are going to speak to nine of your officers, one at a time. You will remain with us and then they will leave one at a time.”

  “You are going to give them the message, Great One?” Vane said.

  “Yes,” Venna said. “They are going to receive the message and they are going to become my pupils. Shall we leave it at that?”

  “Yes,” Vane said. “That sounds good, and know that it’s a delight to hear the attack order has finally been given. I enjoy the chance to work with one like you who has such subtlety and is so obviously intelligent. Are you from the court of Great Leviathan himself?”

  “Yes,” Venna said. “I am. Now, War Master, are there any recording devices in this room?”

  Vane explained how the recording devices worked, and yes, they had been recording all this time.

  Once more, Mu used her interior Builder devices and deactivated the recordings and cameras.

  At that point, Dax was certain he was never going to escape these two horrible witches.

  -43-

  Victory advanced by velocity through and past the debris, gas, and planetary chunks of the Paran System, heading for the last area where saucer ships had been spotted.

  Maddox was following Admiral Jellicoe’s directive. He was trying to establish communications with the Spacers specifically to learn their intentions.

  As Maddox sat in his captain’s chair, he pondered a possibility. As he watched planetary chunks and asteroids pass by, the threatening idea took hold more forcefully.

  A hidden nexus had created a hyper-spatial tube that connected the Barnard’s Star System to the Paran System. What if the Paran System contained more one-way nexuses like that? Perhaps the Paran System was a node connected to many other star systems. Could the Spacers use those other nexuses to bring more of the Spacer Third Fleet here? The Spacers might hope to overwhelm Jellicoe’s Task Force through massed saucer ships.

  The problem with the idea was the saucer ship itself. A saucer ship was nimble and could cloak. It was, however, under-gunned compared to Star Watch battleships. A saucer ship possessed a thin, barely armored hull and only slightly better shielding. Even if the saucer ships outnumbered Star Watch battleships four to one or even five to one, Maddox would bet on the battleships, particularly those of the Conqueror-class.

  A Conqueror-class battleship was constructed from heavy-metal components. That meant size for size a Conqueror-class battleship could fire a hellish disruptor beam. It had a far denser electromagnetic shield and could last longer under bombardment. Then there was its heavily armored hull.

  No, Maddox reasoned. Spacers wouldn’t want to slug it out with Conqueror-class battleships, not unless they could swarm them six to one or seven to one. That would mean at least seventy saucer ships, or more likely ninety to one hundred, considering the Star Watch escorts and destroyers supporting the battleships.

  Would the Spacers risk one hundred saucer ships in the Paran System? Maddox doubted it, although he was sure the Spacers were up to something. He just didn’t know what.

  As Victory continued to pick its way through the space junk, gaining velocity, Maddox had Meta send out a hail for any Spacer representative who would respond.

  After traveling several astronomical units (AUs), Maddox ordered Keith to reduce the starship’s speed. He then sent Galyan ranging, looking behind planetary chunk clusters, debris fields and gas clouds. At the same time, Ludendorff and Andros used the best ship sensors.

  “We’re finding nothing,” Ludendorff said.

  Maddox pondered that. “Do the Spacers hope to lure us in deeper?”

  “Will you go deeper?” Ludendorff asked.

  “No,” Maddox said. “This is as far as I’m going.”

  At the comm station, Meta swiveled around. “There’s a call from Admiral Jellicoe, sir.”

  “Put him on,” Maddox said, indicating the main screen.

  In a moment, Jellicoe was on the main screen, leaning forward. “We see your starship slowing down, Captain. Is there a reason for that?”

  “There is,” Maddox said. “I’ve gone to the limit I’m willing to risk.”

  “No, no,” Jellicoe said. “You must go further, deeper. At all costs, you must make contact with the Spacers.”

  “What if I go too far?”

  “Too far?” asked Jellicoe, as if that was a joke. “I know that Victory can leap out of danger better than any ship in Star Watch. That’s your MO. You and your ship are nimble. You’re creative.”

  “You’re not stupid, sir,” Maddox said.

  Jellicoe frowned at him. “I thought we talked about that.”

  “You’re right,” Maddox said, almost sounding contrite. “I’ll refrain from such comments, at least for now. Even so, this is as far as I’m willing to go.”

  “And if I order you to go farther?”

  “Then I’ll have to exercise my independent command and use my knowledge as a Patrol scout to tell you that would be unwise. Seeing that it’s my people’s heads on the chopping block, I don’t think I’ll be unwise. This is the wrong time for that.”

  “Captain…” After a moment’s consideration, Jellicoe leaned back in his chair. “You’re making this difficult.”

  “You mean having the Spacers get rid of Victory and me for you?” Maddox asked.

  “Now see here, Captain—”

  There was a loud “Harrumph” from off-screen, interrupting him. Jellicoe looked to his right, frowned, and then nodded.

  Maddox assumed General Mackinder stood there out of the video sight. Mackinder might be making sure Jellicoe didn’t go off script.

  “Very well, Captain,” Jellicoe said, “proceed as you see fit.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Maddox said.

  Jellicoe went off screen.

  “Well,” Ludendorff said. “What do you make of that?”

  Maddox shot the professor a stern glance.

  “I know, I know,” Ludendorff said, “no one can ask you anything on the bridge. My goodness, man—”

  “Save it, Professor,” Maddox said, interrupting. “Galyan, have you spotted anything yet?”

  “No, sir,” Galyan said.

  “Then go to these coordinates.” Maddox gave Galyan the coordinates. Afterward, Maddox instructed Keith to turn around and start back.

  ***

  Cloaked saucer ships hidden in thick gas clouds watched Victory turn and head back. Each had been readying their ship weapons, about to swing the trap shut. Had Maddox’s blasted intuitive sense saved him yet again?

  The saucer ships began powering down their weapons.

  ***

  Victory headed back to the area it had recently left. It continued to search the planetary chunks and asteroids for signs of the lost darter.

  Time ticked by as Ludendorff, Andros and Galyan searched one area after another. Galyan had been going into asteroids, searching for darter signs. Mathematically, it was a poor strategy. Given their limited time, and that nothing else had happened, what else should they do? Galyan continued to enter asteroid, after asteroid, after planetary chunk.

  Victory neared the main position of Jellicoe’s Task Force.

  Abruptly, Galyan appeared on the bridge. “Captain I have found it! I have found it!”

  “Found the darter?” asked Maddox.

  “Yes, Captain, it is hidden and cloaked in a crevice deep in an asteroid.”

  “What did you see inside the darter?”

  “I did not go inside, sir,” Galyan said.

  “Why not?” said Maddox.

  “I assumed Becker’s telepathic abilities would discover me.”

  “Becker can hear what you’re thinking?” Maddox asked.

  “I know you say that as a joke,” Galyan said. “Still, is it not better to be prudent in this situation than in making bad assumptions?”

  “Yes,” Maddox said. “You’re right. Show us where the darter is.”

  Galyan brought up a holographic map of the nearby debris field and pinpointed, with a red dot, exactly where the darter hid.

  Maddox drummed his fingers on an armrest. “We want to capture Becker. We don’t want to kill him or lose the three crewmembers he kidnapped.”

  “Could we deploy one of those mobile stasis fields that Methuselah Man Strand used to use?” Galyan asked.

  “Alas,” Maddox said, “we don’t have such a stasis-field generator aboard Victory.”

  “Could not having one with us have been a mistake, sir?” Galyan asked.

  “It might be.” Maddox frowned and then stood. “Follow me, Galyan.”

  “Where are we headed, sir?”

  Ludendorff had left the bridge a while ago.

  “We’re going to speak to the professor and see if we can figure out a way to surprise Becker.”

  “You think such a surprise is possible?” Galyan asked.

  “That’s what I want to find out. Now let’s hurry.”

  -44-

  After speaking with Ludendorff, Maddox readied himself in a hangar bay when Galyan appeared.

  “All is set, sir,” Galyan said. “I have made sure the booster device is in position. The holographic camouflage unit is also ready, and as far as I can tell, Captain Becker is unaware that I’ve scouted around his ship—the darter, to be precise.”

  “Let us be precise,” Maddox said, “as that’s the one thing Ludendorff recommended. To start, he’s not Captain Becker, although he used to be Captain Becker.”

  “Thank you for the correction. Becker does not have a title then?”

  “None that I’m aware of,” Maddox said.

  After that, Maddox collected a rifle blaster and moved into the fold fighter. Meta was already inside it, waiting.

  Jewel was at the school on Victory. She was unaware that both of her parents were preparing for a dangerous commando mission. Maddox felt it imperative to take Meta along on this. For one thing, she understood the hows and whys of using the anti-telepathy headband as protection against Becker’s mental domination. He also wanted someone he implicitly trusted with his life and who he knew would make the right combat decisions. Meta could also help with the three women, who might be under terrible mental and emotional stress.

  Keith soon lifted off the hangar bay deck, easing the tin can out of Victory. He accelerated fast, the Gs pushing all of them into their seats. After a hard burn of precise duration, Keith shut off thrust. With a second click, Keith turned on the camouflage unit Galyan had readied earlier.

  This system included a holographic projector. When a person looked with his eyes at the fighter, he’d see the stars behind the craft. The unit also cloaked any heat and radiation signatures.

  The fighter now drifted toward the targeted asteroid.

  Victory had already concealed itself behind a planetary chunk on the far side of the asteroid. Galyan had discovered the passive sensors on the asteroid and didn’t want them to see the starship.

  As time passed, the fold fighter drifted closer to the asteroid. So far, there wasn’t any response from the enemy.

  After checking for the seventh time, Keith said, ‘We’re finally in range, sir. I’ll maneuver elsewhere after you’ve disembarked.”

  Maddox and Meta climbed up and floated through a hatch into a secondary unit attached to the fold fighter. The hatch shut behind them as each climbed into an armored battlesuit with exoskeleton servos. The dark suits made them look like robotic gorillas carrying packs. These battlesuits also served as spacesuits, with many hours of air.