It was time to retreat, reassess and raise the stakes. “Captain Maddox, you are a pain in the orifice. But I will defeat you yet and gain much wealth from you. First, it’s time I talked shop with my sponsors and learn everything they know about you.”

  Grutch thus began the preparations for a long journey. This was round one with Captain Maddox. If he could raise the stakes, perhaps purchase better tech for dealing with Galyan, he would shortly enter round two against the elusive Maddox and his annoying crew of busybodies.

  -76-

  The tenor of the ground war began to change soon after the final asteroid strike. Unfortunately, the impact of the asteroid had devastating effects on the weather. It wouldn’t be long before the colder weather brought harsher conditions to most areas of the planet.

  “What percentage of the population has perished so far?” Ludendorff asked Maddox.

  “Lower than what it’s going to be next year, even if the humans win the fight. Food production might be next to nonexistent in this kind of icy weather.”

  “I agree,” Ludendorff said. “I wonder if the Fusion will begin humanitarian efforts to keep the Remus survivors alive.”

  “I’ll have to ask the Grand Director that.”

  “He won’t give you a straight answer,” Ludendorff said. “Do you think the Commonwealth will lend a hand?”

  “I can suggest it when we get home, but the nebula is far from the Commonwealth. We’re deep in the Beyond.”

  “I realize all that. With the nexus, we could easily reach here.”

  “I don’t know about easily,” Maddox said, “but we could certainly reach here, or reach outside the nebula and then work inward.”

  Ludendorff nodded. “There are many odd properties to the nebula. We could spend a long time here studying them.”

  “Or the Patrol could send out teams,” Maddox said.

  “What do we do now?”

  “What we’ve been doing,” Maddox said. “We monitor the progress of the war while we stay out of harm’s way via the First Fleet.”

  ***

  Several weeks passed as the Remus Ground Service, backed by Fusion battalions and orbital support, went on to the offensive.

  The Grand Director now released three battlewagons to permanent station in low orbital space of Remus. The heavy lasers striking from the sky made a difference in many surface battles. A growing air force did as well.

  One Remus army group reached the location of the main asteroid strike and dug into the rubble. They mined, found collapsed corridors and many human dead with cerebraters embedded in their foreheads. Once, deep in the earth, a group of puppet humans counterattacked.

  “How could anyone have survived down there?” Ludendorff asked Maddox.

  “We don’t know they did. Perhaps while our side was digging downward, their side was digging from below or to the side into the place.”

  “For what possible reason?”

  Maddox shrugged.

  In the end, the Remus deep-tunnel teams found nothing worth the fighting and dying. They did not find any alien battle tech, nor did they find secret corridors leading elsewhere on the planet.

  “What was the point of the last asteroid strike again?” the Grand Director demanded of Maddox via screen.

  “To win. The Fusion forces are advancing,” Maddox said. “There are fewer rumors of people disappearing.”

  “Perhaps,” Shinto said. “But the planet is worthless now.”

  “Nonsense,” Maddox said. “A little terraforming effort would go a long way to restoring Remus to what it was.”

  “Such efforts would be costly.”

  “How many Earth-type planets does the Fusion own?”

  “That is a quaint way to say it,” the Grand Director said. “We all hold them in common. We do not own them as you say.”

  “How many Earth-type planets are in the Fusion?”

  “That is classified information,” the Grand Director said.

  “I’m guessing no more than five,” Maddox said. “Remus is in bad shape these days, but its value is priceless to the Fusion. The terraforming will quickly pay off.”

  “Perhaps,” the Grand Director said.

  Two days later, three more Fusion battlewagons moved in from the First Fleet and took up station in Remus orbital space. More Fusion soldiers went down to the planet together with emergency food supplies.

  “The Fusion has already started the reeducation,” Arrius complained to Maddox several days later via screen. The Consul sat at a desk in what looked like an underground bunker. “The Fusion people move into a pacified area and take the Remus Ground Service officers, replacing them with Fusion people. The officers are supposedly receiving their retraining aboard the battlewagons.”

  “It was the price of victory,” Maddox said from his command chair on the bridge.

  “Victory,” Arrius snorted. “We destroyed a planet to save it, is that what you’re saying?”

  “Your planet is far from being destroyed. The weather is worse, and will be worse for years, perhaps even for decades. But millions of Remus people are still alive.”

  “Yes,” Arrius said. “Thank you for reminding me. I imagine my turn for reeducation is coming soon.”

  “Remember what I said. Make yourself invaluable to them.”

  “I won’t betray my people.”

  Maddox shook his head. “I’m sorry we couldn’t have met under better circumstances.”

  “Captain, please, I apologize. I appreciate all that you’ve done for Remus. I’m complaining to you when I should be on my knees thanking you. You saved our planet from alien enslavement. Perhaps Social Harmony will enslave us—”

  “No political system lasts forever,” Maddox said, interrupting. “If the people live, they have a chance to change their minds about things later.”

  Arrius nodded. “You’re an optimist.”

  “I’m a realist.”

  “I could almost beg you to take me with you,” Arrius said. “I would love to see the Commonwealth, to know what happened to the rest of humanity.”

  “Well…”

  “No,” Arrius said. “I’m not asking that. I’ll help my people to the end, even if it means my death. I’ll take your advice to heart.”

  “You seem to believe I’m leaving soon,” Maddox said.

  Arrius shrugged. “The war is winding down. I can feel it. If there are any aliens left, I suspect they’re going to make a break for it soon.”

  Maddox smiled grimly. “I’ve been waiting for that; it’s one of the reasons we haven’t left yet.”

  “Good. Kill them. Kill them all.”

  “An excellent suggestion,” Maddox said. “It’s one I plan to implement.”

  “Ah,” Arrius said, looking elsewhere. “I have to go. If I don’t see you again, Captain, thank you for all you’ve done. It has been greatly appreciated.”

  Maddox nodded, and the connection was abruptly severed on their end.

  -77-

  Remus proper, the political entity ruled by the seven aristocrat families, lay unarmed before the twelve Fusion battlewagons that had moved into orbital space. Many key strategic locations on the planet were held by Fusion troops and allied Remus personnel. The strength of the old Remus Ground Service had been considerable weakened.

  For the last few days, there hadn’t been any assaults by alien-controlled humans.

  Most of the people on Remus lived in misery as the weather had turned harsher and food stocks had dwindled. Mass starvation threatened.

  The Grand Director had sent a scout vessel toward the edge of the Remus System. Once it reached the nebula, the scout would race to New Trotsky with its nebula drive, hopefully convincing the Chairman to send cargo vessels with sorely needed aid relief to Remus.

  Victory stayed farther from the planet so the Grand Director wasn’t tempted to order any rash attempts to try to capture the starship.

  “Sir,” Andros said during the third watch.

  Maddox looked up from where he read a novel to pass the time.

  “I’m detecting something odd from the planet,” Andros said.

  “Troop movement?” asked Maddox.

  “Look at this, sir,” Andros said, tapping his panel.

  On the main screen, Maddox observed five pinpoint explosions on the planet’s surface. Each of those must have been a massive nuclear detonation.

  “Sir,” Meta said. “Requests have begun for orbital strikes.”

  That was the start of it, a massed assault by Unity-controlled humans. They boiled out of the earth from different locations, many of them in ground effect vehicles.

  Andros soon counted fifty thousand alien-controlled humans at least.

  The Fusion battlewagons in low orbital space began to congregate over the battle zone. They beamed heavy lasers at the strongest concentrations of enemy G.E.V.s and Unity artillery tubes.

  “How long have the aliens been gathering this force?” Keith asked at helm.

  “And, what are they hoping to achieve with the attack?” Andros said.

  “I know the answer,” Galyan said.

  Maddox swiveled his captain’s chair to the holoimage.

  “I have detected a breakout group slipping off the surface,” Galyan said. “I have learned of this through one of our probes on the other side of Remus.”

  “Show me,” Maddox said.

  The main screen switched, showing five sleek space vessels leaving the surface and heading for orbital space.

  “The Unity space fleet,” Maddox said.

  “That is my own estimate as well,” Galyan said.

  “Size and composition of the ships,” Maddox said.

  “They are each approximately the size of a Star Watch destroyer,” Galyan said. “They are heavy-hulled with an unknown alloy protecting them. I do not yet detect any firing emitters. The mode of motivation—ion engines, sir, of a novel design.”

  “Mr. Maker,” Maddox said, “take us to the other side of Remus, but maintain our present distance from low orbital space.”

  “Aye-aye, sir.”

  “Are we going to engage the aliens, sir?” Galyan asked.

  “We’re going to see what we can see,” Maddox said, contemplative.

  “You’re not seriously going to let the aliens live?” Valerie asked from communications.

  Maddox looked at her.

  “Uh, belay the question,” Valerie said.

  Maddox nodded.

  Under Keith’s guidance, Victory maneuvered away from the ground-battle-side of Remus, starting for the star-side of the planet.

  “Grand Director Shinto is hailing us,” Valerie said.

  “Tell him I’ll speak to him later,” Maddox said.

  A little later, Valerie said, “Sir, the Grand Director is insistent.”

  “I don’t care,” Maddox said.

  “Yes, sir,” Valerie said. “Shall I tell him that?”

  “Don’t tell him anything. Let our actions be a mystery to him.”

  “Very well, sir,” Valerie said.

  The five sleek Unity spacecraft left low orbital space and rapidly gained velocity as they left Remus behind.

  Victory also began to build up velocity, following them.

  They were sleek silver ships, as previously noted, like space needles, and moved in a strict formation, with four of the needle ships surrounding a central one.

  “Do they have shields?” asked Maddox.

  “Negative, sir,” Andros said. “That alloy appears to be laser resistant, though.”

  “We don’t use lasers,” Maddox said dryly.

  “I was just noting, sir,” Andros said.

  “I could take a closer look,” Galyan said.

  “Good idea,” Maddox said.

  Galyan disappeared and stayed gone for several minutes.

  During that time, the five needle ships and Victory gained velocity, although the Unity ships gained it faster, slowly pulling away from the starship.

  “Speedy little suckers, aren’t they?” Maddox said to no one in particular.

  Galyan reappeared. “Sir, the ships are full of little white aliens the size of your pinky finger.”

  “Maggots,” Maddox said.

  “A pejorative term,” Galyan said.

  “Damned right. They’re evil parasites. Is anyone else aboard?”

  “Sir,” Valerie said. “The alien ships are hailing us.”

  “Yes,” Galyan said. “Aboard each Unity ship is one human with a cerebrater. Each human looks highly uncomfortable in the cramped vessel. The ships are made for the aliens’ tiny size.”

  “Put the human on the main screen,” Maddox told Valerie.

  A disheveled Diana Varus appeared with a bent neck and her head pressing up against a ceiling. The cerebrater was quite prominent on her forehead.

  “Who do I address?” Maddox asked.

  “The Unity, of course,” Diana said in a hoarse voice as she stared out of the main screen with haunted eyes. If the Unity spoke through her—and they surely did—it appeared that some part of her human personality realized it and knew dull horror. What had caused the difference? With their losses and possible consternation, had the aliens controlling her lost some of their grip over her mind?

  Maddox didn’t have time for sentimentality. He hardened himself, pretending indifference. “Making a run for it, are you?”

  “You are a hatful personage, Captain Maddox. The Unity despises you.”

  “Thank you,” Maddox said. “I appreciate that.”

  “It was not a compliment.”

  “Oh,” Maddox said, as if surprised. “Well, I took it that way.”

  “You won’t always, I assure you.”

  “I wonder if that’s true,” Maddox said. “Are you trying to tell me, perhaps, that you’ve communicated with the home Unity?”

  “We are all one,” Diana said with some heat.

  Maddox fingered his chin, thinking about that. “I doubt you can speak across light-years of distance, though. Otherwise, why send so many of you here?”

  The Unity did not reply to that.

  “And this vain attempt to escape,” Maddox said, becoming more animated, “it tells me that it’s important for you to leave Remus. I don’t think that would be the case if you could contact the home Unity using your telepathy.”

  “I hate you,” Diana said.

  Maddox smiled nastily, no longer seeing the woman but the alien maggots using her.

  “You will not take our ships,” Diana said. “You will not learn our secrets.”

  “I already know them.”

  “Ask them about the Adoks, sir,” Galyan said from the side.

  “I heard that,” Diana said. “Tell the stupid holoimage it doesn’t matter. He was here asking me already. I know about Adoks. I even know where they live. But I will never tell you.”

  “That’s a shame,” Maddox said. “I was going to let you bargain your way from Remus with the knowledge of Adoks.”

  “That is a lie,” Diana said. “You are a liar.”

  “You’ll never know if you don’t try.”

  Diana shook her head, even though it was obviously difficult for her to do so in the cramped quarters.

  Now, Maddox noticed hundreds of maggots crawling around and over her pulled up knees. If Diana wasn’t controlled, Maddox believed she would be screaming in horror until she snapped and went mad.

  “Sir,” Galyan pleaded. “Make them talk.”

  Diana laughed. “It is good to see the holoimage suffer. You will never find the Adoks. This I know.”

  “You’re never going to make it home,” Maddox countered. “This I know.”

  “We shall see,” Diana said.

  “No, you won’t, but I will.”

  Diana glared at him with boiling hatred, her eyes seeming to harden and darken. “We would have conquered Remus with ease if you hadn’t shown up.”

  Maddox nodded. “You want to hear something ironic? The only reason we came was because of your satellites and memories inserted via cerebraters. Isn’t that funny? You invited your own doom—and now it is upon you.”

  Diana Varus brought a hand up, flipping off the captain.

  Maddox nodded once more. “I’m glad the Unity can know hatred. That makes me believe you can know fear. You’re about to die, and your knowledge about what you learned here will die with you.”

  “The Unity will survive,” Diana said, her voice hoarser than ever. “The Unity will prevail.”

  “I know the Unity now,” Maddox said. “That means Star Watch is going to hunt for the home Unity and burn it out of existence—and everywhere else it may be.”

  “Sir,” Andros said. “The needle ships are rotating to face us.”

  “Ready to rock and roll, are you?” Maddox asked Diana.

  For an answer, the controlled Diana Varus brought her other hand around and flipped him off with it as well.

  -78-

  The planet Remus was already well behind the starship as it headed toward the five destroyer-sized needle ships.

  “I’ve not yet seen anything like these ships,” Andros said from the science station. “The alloy could well be resistant to disrupter fire.”

  “I rather doubt that,” Maddox said.

  “Their graviton cannons are charging,” Galyan said beside him. “Sir, is there any way we can capture some of the aliens? Their data concerning the Adoks could be invaluable.”

  “We’ll have to wait and see,” Maddox said, as he studied the five needle ships on the main screen.

  “I do not believe you are serious about that, sir.”

  Maddox turned to Galyan. “On the contrary, that’s a good idea. I would very much like to capture at least one of the needle ships.”

  Galyan’s eyelids fluttered for just a moment, perhaps as he analyzed the captain’s statement. “Thank you, sir. I believe you mean that.”

  “I wouldn’t have said it otherwise.”

  “I do not believe that, sir,” Galyan said. “You say many things to others that are outright lies.”

  “Deception is the word I prefer.”

  “I will use the word I prefer when I make a statement, sir,” Galyan said.