“That you’re a careful and suspicious man.”

  Culain scowled. “You’re brash to say that to my face.”

  It was Maddox’s turn to make a suave gesture. “I intend to speak the truth, Tribune. I also wish to sell to whoever meets my price. What I sell, however, isn’t cheap, as it can bring you greater wealth and power.”

  Culain stared at Maddox, seeming to pretend haughty indifference. Intuition told Maddox otherwise.

  “If you know my name,” Maddox said, “you must know I appeared mysteriously as your legion landed in the Highlands. Like Gricks, I managed to escape not only from Grandma Julia, but to have her outfit me. I went into the mid-world desert. There, we descended and attacked Metamorphs.”

  “I’ve heard of that. I’ve also heard that Gallant Ophir left the sinkhole with a grav tank.”

  Maddox kept his features bland. He sensed a telepathic intrusion and blocked it easier than he’d ever done. Could this be part of the tiny change the Eye of Helion had made to his mind?

  “Gallant Ophir left in one direction,” Maddox said. “We left in another.”

  Culain’s eyes narrowed. “How did you leave to reach here so quickly? I happen to know a little about the timeframe of all this. It doesn’t match normal travel times.”

  “If you don’t mind, I’ll keep the how secret for now.”

  Culain pressed his thumb tips against each other, as he remained silent, staring at his desk. Finally, he looked up. “What can you tell me?”

  “Do you know that nuclear warheads ignited mid-desert to slay thousands of Metamorphs?”

  “Gricks said as much. He indicated Grandma Julia had something to do with that.”

  Maddox sat up, becoming earnest, deciding this was the moment to plant the hook. “What I wish to tell you has nothing to do with the mid-world desert or the sinkhole we entered and left.”

  “Oh?”

  “Before reaching Gath, I was on a trader ship that had escaped from the ice moon of the gas giant far across the star system.”

  “You mean the gas giant Thetis?”

  “I do,” Maddox said. “On Thetis’ ice moon was a computer Entity: a Leviathan project gone awry. The assault vessels were part of a Leviathan group that destroyed the Entity.”

  Culain nodded. “That matches what I’ve learned elsewhere.”

  “The Entity mined rich radioactive or fissionable ores on the ice moon. I’m sure much of the mined fissionables are still there. Leviathan hadn’t had time to collect the ores before their assault vessels blew up.”

  “These fissionables are the great wealth you seek to hand me?” asked Culain.

  “That’s only part of it. There are empty spaceships on the ice moon,” Maddox said. “The Entity waylaid these spaceships like a spider does flies. In truth, I escaped the ice moon in one of them. It’s why I know they’re there.”

  “The assault vessels surely destroyed the grounded spaceships when they defeated the Entity.”

  “There’s that possibility,” Maddox admitted. “Yet, I suggest there’s a greater possibility some of the spaceships still exist, waiting for whoever takes the risk to claim them. I doubt the leader of the assault vessels thought they would lose at Gath. Thus, Leviathan would have no reason to have simply destroyed the trader ships.”

  “You may be right,” Culain said. “What does any of that have to do with me?”

  “With both of us, sir,” Maddox said.

  “I have no need of radioactive ores.”

  “Firstly, the ores are worth much currency. Secondly, what ambitious legion tribune wouldn’t like a fleet of his own trader ships? He might start with taking the fissionables to worlds where they would sell for much profit.”

  An eager brightness appeared in Culain’s eyes.

  “That is what I’m selling, Tribune: the fissionables and the whereabouts of the trader ships. I’d join the expedition to locate and take control of the lost spaceships. I remember their location on the ice moon. I should add that it’s a tricky place. I know the Entity laid traps for the greedy or unwary. I learned about those traps before I escaped.”

  “That’s something that has been bothering me,” Culain said. “How did you manage to escape such a desperate situation?”

  Maddox nodded. “The Entity learned to trust me. At times, I moved some of the spaceships for it.”

  “Why would this Entity trust you?”

  “Because I did more for it than I said I would. I gave it more than it wanted from me.”

  Culain’s features hardened. “Do you believe me another Entity you can trick and fool? As it is obvious you eventually double-crossed the Entity.”

  “You aren’t as gullible as the Entity. It’s also in my interest to do as I say and accept the rewards from you. On the ice moon, the Entity would have eventually slain me, as it was in the computer’s nature. Here, I believe you will be grateful for what I’m doing for you.”

  Culain’s nostrils flared. “Why should I give you anything? Clearly, the trader vessels are near the mining operation. It would be a simple matter locating them through their radiation signatures.”

  “The traps, sir, the traps would destroy your expedition and leave you nothing but wasted currency.”

  Culain touched his chin. “What do you hope to gain from all this?”

  “There are many vessels at the mining site. I want one. You can take the rest.”

  Culain nodded slowly. “Did you stage the knife fight to gain my interest?”

  “You must know I did,” Maddox said. “I doubt we would be talking otherwise.”

  Culain touched his chin again. “You’re a dangerous man, Captain. What happens if I decided to take all the spaceships?”

  “I don’t think you would. There wouldn’t be any advantage in it. There will be plenty of ships for all of us.”

  “Your offer is unusual and interesting,” Culain said. “Spaceships, you’ve actually seen them?”

  Maddox nodded.

  “Of course, you have,” Culain said. “How else could you have escaped in one? How did you reach the South Pole?”

  “Through a teleportation device in the ship,” Maddox said. “The spaceship was breaking up. As a last-ditch effort for survival, I risked using the device.”

  “You expect me to believe such fool nonsense as teleportation?”

  “Tribune Culain, I raced to Gath in order to escape the assault vessels. Since you know my name, you know Leviathan sought me. You know the Soldier demanded my capture before their assault vessels detonated.”

  Culain became thoughtful. “Yes. How did the vessels detonate? Was this by teleportation again?”

  “If so,” Maddox said, “it wasn’t of my doing.”

  “I believe you. If it were, you could have used the teleportation in a more inventive way. You intrigue me, Captain. Your tale intrigues me. Perhaps I shall rent an off-world spaceship and gather a crew. You would join the expedition to the ice moon, eh?”

  “That is part of the bargain, sir.”

  Culain drummed his fingers on the desk. “I’d like to have spaceships of my own, no longer having to rely upon the off-worlders. This is an intriguing proposition. Why did you come to me and not someone else?”

  “Gricks told me you were an ambitious man of wealth.”

  “Did he? Did he now?” Culain nodded. “I need time to think about this. I will send a man to meet you in three days. During that time, keep this information to yourself. Are we agreed?”

  “I will give you three days to decide, Tribune.”

  “Now, finish your drink, Captain.”

  “Sir, if it pleases you, I prefer not to drink.”

  “A cautious man. Very well, Captain. This once you may escape a draught of the special vintage.”

  “It has been a pleasure, sir.”

  Tribune Culain dipped his head. “You may leave the same way you came.”

  Maddox rose and turned for the exit.

  -76-

  With Gricks’ consent, Mara had mentally prepared him in anticipation of Culain’s actions and to endure the tribune’s usual interrogation procedures.

  Why had Gricks agreed to such humiliation and pain? He hated Tribune Culain for what had occurred in the Highlands. Desperate in his hatred, Gricks yearned to retaliate against the instigator of the raid.

  Mara had subdued the hate and temporarily changed facets of his personality. Therefore, Gricks appeared to be what Culain and his talent expected from such a one.

  Under interrogation, Gricks pleaded, begged and cried, and gave information. It was slanted enough so Maddox’s lies had sounded convincing. Further, Mara, through Dravek’s cunning, had conditioned Gricks’ mind so he only revealed certain choice items under harsh pain levels. These Gricks shouted out under grim torture and foul drug treatment.

  Three days after the interview, Culain’s agents brought Maddox to the compound. There, Maddox underwent tests proving he was proficient with spaceships.

  Others began to gather for the secret mission to the ice moon. Among them were Mara and Dravek, disguised, and Hern, who was there as himself.

  Nine days later, the team drove to spaceport central and entered a trader ship rented from the Off-world Syndicate that ran the library and ships coming to Gath.

  Thirty people filed aboard. Some were Syndicate personnel to run the ship. Others were Culain’s people, while a handful were Maddox and his team.

  During the space trip to the Thetis ice moon, Maddox discovered that Culain, his talent and bruisers had joined the expedition. The reasons seemed clear enough. Culain didn’t trust the Syndicate people to play him true. Culain had paid heavily for the privilege of renting an off-world spaceship. That included low-priced stock options in the legion organization. If the spaceship and prizes failed to return to Gath, Culain would be hard put to recoup what would be substantial losses. He was here to make sure things went his way.

  It took three weeks of steady travel to near the gas giant Thetis. During that time, Maddox worked as a regular spaceman would. Dravek did the same. Mara endured, using her talent to detour any unwanted advances and protecting the others from Culain’s talent.

  Mara bumped into Maddox one day as she sashayed down a corridor. Maddox stopped her, leering. There were other spacemen present, Culain people.

  Mara and Maddox thus spoke in code.

  “He has taken much honey,” Mara said. “That means he’s old, in the range of two to two hundred and fifty years. He’s like a spider, more dangerous than any of us realize. He may have guessed some among us have the ability. He may think you do. I know he suspects me. I cannot attempt any more telepathic probing.”

  “Understood,” Maddox said, as he chucked her under the chin and told her how beautiful she was. Mara swung to slap his face. He caught her hand and spun her around, slapping her ass good and hard, making her yelp and jump.

  Several watching spacemen laughed.

  “My man will kill you for that,” Mara screamed, with her fists clenched.

  Maddox shrugged.

  Mara left weeping.

  It was an interesting situation. The trader ship belonged to the Syndicate. They were jealous of their ships. They didn’t want Honey Men or North Pole tribunes to have spaceships of their own. There were thus spy games on the vessel run by the Syndicate, Tribune Culain and Maddox and Dravek.

  Maddox figured out which were the off-world Syndicate men and which men belonged body and soul to Culain. All the while, the image of Thetis on the screens grew larger. The wealth of the ice moon’s fissionable mines became obvious. Talk increased, and tension grew.

  The time of testing would soon arrive. Who would make the first move, and would they surprise the others?

  Three days later, the trader ship started to decelerate as they neared the ice moon.

  So far, there had been no indications the Entity had survived the assault vessels. That didn’t mean the computer intelligence was gone.

  Soon now, the next stage of Maddox’s desperate ploy was about to begin.

  -77-

  The vessel decelerated again as the gas giant’s massive gravitational pull began to tug at it. Like Jupiter in the Solar System, Thetis contained most of the system’s planetary mass. Only the system star was bigger.

  As Thetis grew on the screens, so did the ice moon. Those on the bridge—Syndicate crew and Culain—watched closely. They sought any indication the Entity or a Leviathan trap was there.

  The crew launched a probe and then another. Telemetry data showed that nothing Entity or Leviathan-based reacted to the probes. No missiles rose from the ice moon or elsewhere. No sensor sweep struck the trader vessel. No mines activated or beams stabbed.

  The vessel moved more boldly as the Syndicate crew began to murmur among themselves. Maybe this was the time to dump the unwanted legion people. Culain debated if the moment was ripe to disarm those he distrusted, the Syndicate crew his primary suspects. Maddox and company knew they needed to strike first, hard and ruthlessly. Their numbers and position were the smallest and weakest, their plight the most desperate.

  An interesting situation developed when Mara saw Culain’s talent head toward the exercise room with others.

  The telepath, or talent, was tall, imperious, and dark-haired. She wore a long black gown and her hair reached behind her shoulders. She had deep brown eyes that radiated with power. She may not have been one of Grandma Julia’s descendants, but she was certainly from the South Pole Highlands.

  The two wrestlers with their black garments and heavy iron bracelets trailed her. What was interesting was that they pulled Gricks along by a leash attached to a collar as if he were a dog. He didn’t crawl on all fours but whimpered and stumbled after them.

  Mara hurried to Maddox, explaining the situation. He told her to get Dravek.

  Soon, Maddox, Dravek and Mara hurried down the corridor to the weight room. Two of Culain’s security men stood before the hatch.

  “Can’t use the weights for a while,” one of the security men said. “The room’s occupied for now.”

  Maddox laughed as if they’d told a joke. “There’s something on your shoulder.” Incredibly, the security man let Maddox touch him as if to brush the something away. Instead, Maddox slammed an elbow into the man’s face. Dravek did likewise to the other. Both security men were thus rendered unconscious and laid on the deck.

  Maddox looked at the other two. “Ready?”

  Dravek nodded sharply. Mara took a fast breath.

  Maddox opened the hatch. All three entered the chamber.

  Gricks was on the floor, partly crushed by extremely heavy weights on his chest as he fought to breathe. The wrestlers were on either side of him with more weights in their hands.

  The talent, the woman, stood at Gricks head. She’d pulled her dress up enough, so she couched over him, her long fingers pressed against his forehead.

  “Hey,” one wrestler said.

  The talent looked up, frowning at the three intruders. “Leave at once,” she said.

  Maddox smirked at her.

  The woman frowned more, perhaps concentrating her talent at Maddox.

  Psionic power might have slammed against them, but Mara stepped up. She raised both hands, palms forward, shielding the other two.

  The black-haired talent shot to her feet, facing them fully. She raised her hands.

  Mara grunted, taking a step back and then holding her spot.

  “You’re more than a child,” the woman said. “Yes. I’ve sensed you before. You’re the one trying to tamper with the Tribune. Kill all three.”

  Nothing happened.

  The woman glared at one of the wrestlers. “You oaf, I said kill them.”

  Both wrestlers dropped their weights, so they hit the floor hard. Gricks whimpered with fear as he continued to struggle for breath. The two wrestlers were big, thickly muscled and moved athletically. They were dynamos of physical prowess. The first slapped his meaty hands together as if this was a treat, which it probably was for him.

  “Stay back,” Maddox said, as if frightened of the man.

  Idiot grins broke out upon both faces. The nearest wrestler reached for Maddox. It seemed as if the big man was going to twist Maddox into a pretzel.

  Maddox moved fast with that unique speed that was his birthright. It was a blur as Maddox swept near and then to the side of the man.

  The first wrestler jerked to a halt with a bewildered stare. He looked down at his slashed-open stomach as the entrails gushed out onto the floor.

  Maddox had already attacked the second wrestler. The brute had swiped with his big hands. It had been futile against Maddox’s speed. The monofilament blade had created a second smile underneath the man’s chin. As if synchronized, both wrestlers toppled to the floor together, their heavy bracelets clunking loudly. The one gasped hideously, shuddering as he died. Maddox applied the coup de grace to the other, killing him so he didn’t have to suffer.

  “You’re insane,” the tall woman said. “You have no idea what you’re playing at. You’re all dead unless you release me this instant.”

  Dravek was behind her, having pulled both arms behind her back.

  Mara stepped up.

  Maddox made a point of cleaning the blood off his knife, using one of the wrestler’s black shirts. Then he stepped near the talent, showing her the blade.

  “You’re going to tell us how Culain plans to disable the Syndicate crew,” Maddox said.

  The talent had nerve, giving him a cool sneer and slowly shaking her head. “I’ll never tell you.”

  That started fifteen minutes of mental prying from Mara and physical pain inducements from Dravek. The talent gasped in agony more than once, gritting her teeth as she resisted.

  “It won’t work,” Dravek whispered into an ear.

  The talent cried out as he applied more pain.

  Finally, Mara broke through the talent’s weakened mental shield and ripped out of her mind the knowledge they needed.

  Meanwhile, Maddox had removed the heavy weights from Gricks’ chest. Gricks kept massaging his aching chest as he gulped air.