“We have to get out of here!” Andros shouted. “The buildup in his core might trigger an explosion—”

  A blaster hum sounded, and a beam drilled into Batrun’s forehead. The beam punched through the metal skin—and, as Maddox raced across the chamber, the synthetic’s head detonated like a grenade.

  -68-

  Maddox dragged Professor Ludendorff to the floor as Batrun’s head exploded. The blast sent shrapnel spinning in many directions, shredding machines, which caused more explosions.

  From on the floor, Ludendorff groaned.

  Maddox released him, sat up and checked himself. He’d dived under the shrapnel spread, which hadn’t gone downward in their direction due to the steel table upon which the head had rested.

  Andros sat up, with blood streaming down his left arm.

  “Are you hit, Professor?” Maddox asked.

  “I don’t know,” Ludendorff groaned. “I struck my chin against the floor. I might have chipped some teeth. Why did you…” the professor ceased his complaints as he saw Andros slide onto the floor.

  Maddox hurried to the Chief Technician, grabbing a compress from a first-aid kit and beginning to stanch the blood flowing from the upper arm.

  “I’m all right,” Andros wheezed. “It’s nothing but a flesh wound.”

  Maddox pressed a patch firmly into place before he examined the chamber as he listened carefully. “The room is still airtight,” the captain announced. “But the sooner we’re back aboard Victory, the better I’ll feel.”

  “You caused this,” Ludendorff said. He held his chin, pressing against it, as he stared accusations at Maddox. “Why did you fire at Batrun?”

  “He saved us, Professor,” Andros said, who had become quite pale. “The buildup of competing forces in Batrun’s head—that’s what I was trying to say. It would have produced a far worse blast if the captain hadn’t fired when he did. We might have all died in a bigger explosion.”

  Ludendorff cocked his head as he examined Maddox. “How could you know that a blaster shot would aid us? I didn’t know that.”

  “It was a guess,” Maddox admitted. “Batrun spoke about his programming earlier. I kept wondering if a Builder might have been smart enough to foresee what you did to Batrun and have a counterplan.”

  “The Builder could have never known something like that,” Ludendorff said. “They lack supernatural powers.”

  “The Builder guessed the Jotuns might double-cross him. Why not have contingency plans in case his synthetic was compromised?”

  “Incredible,” Ludendorff said after a moment of thought. “Yes. Now that you say it, it’s obvious.” The professor sighed. “Good work, I suppose. You likely saved us.”

  Maddox shrugged.

  Ludendorff let go of his chin, but it looked as if he might be grinding his teeth in anger. “All my hard work—gone. What a terrible waste.”

  “On the contrary,” Maddox said. “You did far more than I would have thought possible, obtaining answers to a host of questions. For instance, there are no Jotuns to worry about. Lisa Meyers is a Methuselah Woman. The Rull androids are gathering at Alpha Centauri to strike Earth. The Juggernauts will be far deadlier because they used supermetals to upgrade weapons components. Batrun didn’t invent a way to travel ten thousand light-years, but a freak accident happened that propelled us into Leviathan territory. No, Professor, I feel much better about our chances now that I know what’s going on. But that’s only provided we can get home soon enough.”

  “Sir,” Galyan said. “I believe Andros Crank is in need of further medical attention.”

  Maddox looked and saw the Chief Technician unconscious on the floor. “Right,” he said. “Let’s get going, Professor. We’ll tackle the hyper-spatial tube after we get Andros onto Victory. But before we start on any of that, thank you. What you did in here borders on the miraculous. In my estimation, you really are a genius.”

  Despite himself—and his dislike of Maddox—Ludendorff grinned, preening even as he nodded in agreement with the captain.

  -69-

  Several days later, when Maddox sat up in his command chair on Victory’s bridge, he found that Valerie had beaten him awake. Incredibly, she’d shrugged up hyper-spatial-tube lag faster than he had. That had to be a first.

  Lieutenant Noonan hunched over her panel, tapping, studying and tapping more.

  “What’s the matter, Lieutenant?” Maddox asked groggily.

  Valerie didn’t answer, but continued to study her board.

  After Batrun’s head exploded, Maddox and Ludendorff had helped Andros Crank to a shuttlecraft. From there, Keith had rushed him to the starship. A waiting med team had rushed the stout Kai-Kaus to Medical.

  Two days after the incident, Andros had rejoined Galyan, the special science team and Ludendorff aboard the nexus. On the fifth day, Andros and Ludendorff had spent fourteen and half hours adjusting and recalibrating the hyper-spatial tube mechanism. At the end of that time, the space-suited professor had sat before a gargantuan screen with many exotic computers purring around him. Galyan stood in attendance, checking various relays upon request.

  “I don’t know,” Ludendorff had told Maddox. “I think I can do it. But this is going to be a rough tube journey. The main hyper-spatial mechanism is almost burned out. When we have it powered up, the nexus might explode. We might survive or we might die in the blast. I’d call it a fifty-fifty proposition.”

  “Make sure the nexus doesn’t explode,” Maddox said.

  “I’m working on it, my boy, but at best, I can give us a sixty-two percent chance of survival.”

  Maddox nodded in understanding.

  The choice, obviously, had been to go for it. They knew the score, and time had just about run out—at least, in Maddox’s estimation it had. The partly repaired nexus made the hyper-spatial tube. The starship dived into the opening, and now, Maddox stared at a semi-familiar planet on the main screen.

  He didn’t know if the nexus had blown up or not. He hoped not, but—

  “Ah…” Valerie said. “I’ve finally pinpointed our location. We’re in the Tau Ceti System.”

  Maddox swiveled the chair around. “Tau Ceti, where the Swarm struck the first time?”

  “Exactly,” Valerie said. “And that’s why no one is answering me. There’s no one around to answer. It’s an empty star system.”

  “And that’s why it looks so familiar,” Maddox said. Victory had fought against the Swarm here several years ago.

  Valerie looked up, smiling. “We made it back to Human Space, sir.”

  “We did at that,” Maddox said. “Now we have to get to Earth as fast as we can.”

  “Should I plot a star-drive jump?”

  Maddox bent his head in thought. “No. We’ll use the normal jump points. I need to speak to Ludendorff.”

  “But if—”

  “The jump points, Lieutenant. See to it.”

  “Yes, sir,” Valerie said.

  With that, Maddox headed for the exit.

  ***

  The captain found Ludendorff in his science lab. The professor was tinkering with a small device as he sat hunched over it, using his precision tools.

  “Do come in, Captain,” Ludendorff said. “Can I get you something to eat or drink?”

  Maddox shook his head.

  “Oh,” Ludendorff said. “Something is troubling you. That’s why you’re here.”

  “I’ve been wondering about several things. One of them is the Old One or Yon-Soth on the Forbidden Planet.”

  “Imposing names, aren’t they?”

  “Last mission, we dealt with the primal Old One in the Sagittarius Spiral Arm. His plans seemed long-term and subtle.”

  “The other on the Forbidden Planet might have panicked,” Ludendorff said. “Perhaps he knew his time was short and did what he could as fast as possible.”

  “Exactly.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “He did what he could, using the available materials around him. That included a stasis-frozen Builder and crew deep in Albatross VII, Rull androids hidden throughout the Commonwealth and…”

  “And what?” asked Ludendorff.

  “Exactly,” Maddox said. “According to Batrun, the Yon-Soth goal was human extinction. Did the Old One on the Forbidden Planet desire revenge for what had happened?”

  “That’s the most likely motive I can think of,” Ludendorff said. “We were killing him. He wanted to kill us back. An eye for an eye, you could say.”

  Maddox nodded. “Can Rull androids with supermetal-enhanced weapons annihilate humanity, and that includes the New Men?”

  “Hmm… That’s an interesting point. I don’t see how.”

  “Meyers through Prime Minister Hampton attempted to start a war between the New Men and the Commonwealth. That would have bloodied both of us, but it still doesn’t seem like it would have been enough to ensure human extinction.”

  “I see what you’re saying. Where’s the next shoe going to drop, eh?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Ludendorff grinned. “A man lives in an apartment, and he has an annoying neighbor above him. Each night, the neighbor goes to bed, taking off his shoes. The first shoe drops with a clunk and the second drops with another annoying clunk. Then, the neighbor goes to sleep. One night, though, the man hears the first shoe drop—but after that, he hears nothing. It starts to drive him crazy because he can’t get comfortable until he hears the second shoe fall.”

  Ludendorff made a sweeping gesture. “We know the Old One wanted to exterminate humanity in all its forms, which included the New Men, naturally. The Rull androids, the synthetics and Lisa Meyers are the first shoe. Where or what is the second shoe?”

  “Any ideas?” asked Maddox.

  The professor shook his head.

  “Right,” Maddox said. “I was afraid of that. It has to be something. The trick is figuring out what it is before it strikes. You know…?”

  Maddox turned around and headed for the hatch.

  “Excuse me,” Ludendorff said. “Do I know what?”

  “I have a call to make,” Maddox said.

  -70-

  Maddox sat in one of the most protected chambers aboard Victory. It was rather small and held one critical piece of equipment: the long-range Builder comm device. In size, shape and color, it was the exact replica of the Emperor of Throne World’s and Lord High Admiral’s Builder comm devices.

  Galyan appeared as Maddox picked up the microphone lying on the table.

  “Do you mind if I listen in, sir?” the holoimage asked.

  “Not at all, Galyan.”

  With his thumb, the captain flicked on the complicated piece of equipment. The Builder device allowed one to communicate over vast distances. It did not work over thousands of light-years, however, but only over hundreds of light-years. It still made the device an incredibly important piece of Star Watch equipment.

  “This is Captain Maddox. Do you hear me, Lord High Admiral?”

  Maddox waited, but heard no response. “That’s strange,” he told Galyan. “Someone should be in attendance over there.”

  “Hello?” came the Lord High Admiral’s voice. “Is this Captain Maddox?”

  “Yes, sir,” Maddox said. “We’ve been far away, sir, in the Scutum-Centaurus Spiral Arm, if you can believe it. Now we’re in the Tau Ceti System. We’re hurrying to Earth as fast as we can. But I have something important to tell you.”

  “Go ahead, Captain.”

  Galyan urgently motioned to the captain.

  “Just a minute, sir,” Maddox said. “I have a small development here.” He muted the microphone and set it on the table. “Trouble?” he asked Galyan.

  “That is not the Lord High Admiral,” the holoimage said. “I have analyzed the voice patterns and it comes from a mechanical source.”

  “Like a synthetic or an android?” asked Maddox.

  “That is correct,” Galyan said.

  Maddox stared at the holoimage as a strange feeling of futility swept through him. Had androids or synthetics managed to kidnap and now impersonate the Lord High Admiral? This was a disaster, if true.

  “There is something else,” Galyan said. “If you will notice the readings to the side, over there, sir.”

  Maddox got up and peered at readings on the side of the Builder device. “I see them. What do they mean?”

  “Someone has hacked the signal, sir,” Galyan said.

  “Hello?” the Lord High Admiral said from the large device.

  Maddox sat down again and thoughtfully picked up the microphone. Who could hack a Builder comm signal? The most likely candidate would be a Builder or a Builder servant.

  The captain decided on a guess as he switched on the microphone. “Hello, Doctor Meyers. I’m impressed with your subterfuge and trickery.”

  For a moment, there was no response.

  “Cat got your tongue?” Maddox asked.

  “You’re more resourceful than I’d realized, Captain,” the ultra-sexy voice of Lisa Meyers purred over the ether.

  “That is a real person speaking,” Galyan said softly. “It is a different someone than the one who impersonated the admiral.”

  Maddox nodded and motioned Galyan to keep quiet.

  “I trust you’ve been well,” Maddox said into the microphone.

  “My sources tell me your starship disappeared in the Alpha Centauri System some time ago,” Meyers purred. “According to the sources, it was not a normal star-drive jump. In fact, Captain, that jump should have propelled you far, far away. I’m surprised you made it back to Tau Ceti. I’m sure it was a true odyssey. Although, I also have to add, you’ve been gone just long enough for the situation to ripen.”

  “You don’t have to do this,” Maddox said. “We can help you with your stasis-frozen Builder.”

  “You? Help me? Surely, you’re joking?”

  Maddox debated with himself. Was Meyers motivated solely by the Yon-Soth ray? Was there another agency at work?

  “Builders shape and construct,” Maddox said. “They are not in the habit of genocidal destruction.”

  Meyers said nothing.

  Maddox glanced at Galyan—

  “That was a mistake, Captain,” Meyers said abruptly. “That was a terrible mistake, as you just told me too much. I have no idea how you learned what you did, but surely you realize that I am far superior to Ludendorff or Strand. They are jokes, emotional children with scattered mental abilities. I am the real deal, Captain. I can extrapolate from the smallest pieces of data. You know what I am, which means you must have discovered who I am. Since you refer to the Yon-Soth and speak about a Builder, I can only assume that Ludendorff broke Batrun.”

  Galyan motioned urgently to Maddox.

  Once more, the captain muted the microphone and set it on the table.

  “I submit to you,” Galyan said, “that the woman indeed has fantastic reasoning capabilities. We may have been underestimating her all along.”

  Maddox didn’t want to hear that.

  “You should be careful how much more you say,” Galyan told him. “She may be able to trick you into revealing more than you should.”

  “Are you still there, Captain?” asked Meyers.

  Once more, Maddox picked up the microphone. “Let us help you,” he said. “During our various missions, we’ve had encounters with Builders. They’ve given us their blessing each time.” That wasn’t true, but she likely didn’t know that. “I’m sure we can rid you of the Yon-Soth hallucination.”

  “I’m sure you’re desperate,” Meyers replied. “What did you say earlier, hmm…? You’re in the Tau Ceti System? Thank you. Now I know exactly how much time we have left to strike. If you’d made it back sooner, Earth might have stood a chance. Now, with the forces Star Watch has in the Solar System…” Meyers chuckled throatily. “You aren’t going to be in time, Captain, although you might just make it in time to see hellburners scorch your planet. Consider that, Maddox. You caused my planet to wither under hellburners and asteroids. Now, I shall do the same to you.”

  Maddox’s head jerked as he stared at Galyan.

  The holoimage’s eyes blinked rapidly.

  “Goodbye, Captain,” the sexy voice of Meyers said. “Do you have any last words?”

  Maddox did not, as he was afraid he would give away something critical to Meyers. Instead, the captain shut off the Builder comm device.

  If there was a moment to think, to really think things through, then this was it. If only he hadn’t told her Victory was in the Tau Ceti System.

  Maddox stood.

  “What do we do now?” Galyan asked.

  “What we can,” Maddox said, “and as fast as we can. But first I have to think.”

  -71-

  Maddox sent more messages to the Lord High Admiral, but failed to get through every time. The indication was that in some fashion, Doctor Meyers could block the long-range Builder comm.

  That was a devastating power.

  He spoke with Ludendorff about the Meyers conversation and later with Meta.

  “Meyers as much said that she regards herself as the Old One,” Meta said in their quarters. “The key phrase was, ‘You caused my planet to wither under hellburners and asteroids. Now, I shall do the same to you.’”

  Maddox nodded. The statement had been troubling him. “At times, though, Meyers also acts like her own person.”

  “Maybe she has a split personality,” Meta said. “Can that work to our advantage?”

  “We can hope and try,” Maddox said. “The better idea is to have greater firepower when the Juggernauts hit. I wonder…”

  Meta waited as they sat on the bed.

  “Should I call the Emperor of the Throne World?” Maddox asked.

  “How can he help us?”

  “Maybe he could relay a message to the Lord High Admiral for me.”

  “The Emperor might also use our weakness against the Commonwealth.”

  Maddox nodded. “The New Men despise weakness, and they’re among the most opportunistic of people.”