The lost supernova lost.., p.40
The Lost Supernova (Lost Starship Series Book 10),
p.40
Maddox knew personnel would start checking security cameras, but he wasn’t too worried. Galyan had already tampered with their systems.
It was time to head to Vint Diem, the moneyman who paid for military-grade weapons and battlesuit shipments that went many places throughout the Commonwealth.
Maddox scanned people as he laughed as if he’d drunk too much. That helped him to blend in with those around him. His scan did not spot any other hidden guards.
He inhaled, shifted mental gears and adjusted the analyzer as he made another sweep of the shooter. The cube beeped softly as it had before.
There was no doubt about it now. Vint Diem had a technological and surgically inserted power source inside his body just like Shu 15 and Mako 21 had had in their bodies. The power…what Maddox read on the analyzer wasn’t transduction or hyper-induction. At least, he did not think Vint Diem was attempting to read neural nets—minds—or read the invisible electromagnetic pulses around him. According to the analyzer, Vint Diem was using the technological modifications to practice telekinesis. That was moving objects with one’s mind. Only in this instance, Vint Diem used the modifications in him to move the—
“Dice,” Maddox whispered.
In other words, the former Spacer was using his tech ability to cheat at craps. If Ludendorff was correct, Vint Diem used his power to make the dice dance in any combination he desired. Here in the high stakes room at the Carlota Casino on Pandora, that could mean billions of credits. In other words, Vint Diem was funding secret arms deal with the credits he stole at the highest stakes craps table in Human Space.
Maddox pocketed the analyzer, adjusted his tie and pasted a cool grin on his face as he headed for the craps table. It was time to kidnap Vint Diem and take him upstairs to Victory. He had questions for the former Spacer. The answers should lead him to Lord Drakos, defeating two birds with one stone.
Maddox would also seal off funds for disruptive arms on many planets. Even better, he would finally catch the hardliner Drakos and end that threat to the Commonwealth for good.
-91-
Only it didn’t quite work out that way. As Maddox headed for the craps table, a tall urbane fellow in a flowing blue robe and scarlet turban intercepted him. The man had a long face and an exaggeratedly long nose.
“Excuse me,” the tall man said.
Maddox halted, and it took him a moment to realize he was looking at a New Man in disguise. Someone had surgically altered the nose, or it was a fine piece of mask technology.
“You realize what I am,” the turbaned man said, “but you don’t know who I am or who I represent.”
“I do,” Maddox said, slipping his left hand into a jacket pocket. He gripped a small stun disc, ready to pull it out and incapacitate Lord Drakos’ operative.
“I am not a hardliner—in your vague terminology,” the disguised New Man said. “I am here at the behest of the Emperor.”
“For what reason?” asked Maddox.
The turbaned spy closed his eyes for just a moment, as if holding himself back. He opened his eyes a moment later, and there was an intense coldness to them.
“I am here partly because I have exceptional patience in dealing with submen. A moment,” the spy said, holding up his right palm. “You have a stun disc in your pocket. I’m well aware of that, and I know that your woman took out one of Vint Diem’s guardians. It was ineptly done, but that can’t be helped now.”
“You’re Vint Diem’s second guardian, I warrant,” Maddox said.
The spy showed his teeth in an approximation of a smile. “You’re acclaimed as one of Star Watch’s best Intelligence operatives. I will admit you’ve had an amazing string of luck, but do not think that you are a match for me and my people.”
“There are only two of you down here,” Maddox said, guessing.
“Even if you’re right, that would make us more than a match your bumbling team.”
Maddox forced himself to relax. “Why would the Emperor send his top spy to Pandora?”
“You’re speaking rhetorically, not actually questioning me?”
“Yes,” Maddox said, knowing how touchy New Men could be.
“The reason should be obvious.”
“You’re here to stop Vint Diem?”
The disguised New Man sighed. “Perhaps not as obvious to half-breeds and submen as it should be,” he murmured. “I will explain, then. Some time ago, the Lord High Admiral spoke to the Emperor and related certain facts and ideas. After a few hours of repose, the Emperor decided that peace would be in our mutual interests. Thus, he sent me to put an end to Drakos’s unseemly operation on Pandora. I have observed this Vint Diem and cataloged his back channels. You are about to upset my final sting. With it, I will have completed the data-sweep.”
“You’re telling me to butt out of your operation?” Maddox asked in disbelief.
“So it is true,” the New Man said. “Captain Maddox has a modicum of intelligence. Your genes bred true. I congratulate you on your superiority from the common ruck of submen.”
“You could be lying and could be Drakos’s man.”
“That is a possibility, but I am not.”
“Fine,” Maddox said. “Here is what I propose—”
“A moment,” the New Man said, holding up a palm once more. “You are about to suggest things that would not only upset me, but put me in a dreadful position. I do not want to be honor-bound to destroy you for insulting me. Thus, I will give you a proposal. Stay out of my way. I will kidnap Vint Diem and take him far from here. In return…”
The New Man looked away. “This is quite distasteful, but I serve my Emperor.” He sighed and peered at a spot above Maddox’s head. “I will give you the back channels. Star Watch can then apprehend a thousand individuals and shut down Drakos’s network throughout the Commonwealth.”
“I need Vint Diem,” Maddox said.
“Why?”
“I must know Lord Drakos’s plans so Star Watch can counter him, perhaps kill him.”
“Hmm…” The New Man said. “Drakos has vanished. In fact, he has left Human Space on a secret mission of grim portent.”
“May I ask how you know this?”
“We had a plant on his ship,” the New Man said. “The plant is dead now, but not before he told us that Drakos found something in the outer Vega System.”
“May I ask what he found?”
“The exact object or objects elude me,” the New Man said. “You are welcome to look in the outer system, but I doubt you will find any clues. Drakos will have…hmm, disposed of them.”
“That is reason I desire Vint Diem.”
“He won’t know either,” the New Man said. “And before you ask me more, I’ll tell you how I know this. Drakos follows standard spy procedures. He will not have let Vint Diem know anything about his greater projects.”
“Why do I feel as if you’re being completely honest with me?”
“The Emperor recognizes the Commonwealth’s present weakness. It distresses him, as he does not want to entice others into attacking or suggesting we attack the submen again.”
“The Emperor is generous to his former enemies.”
“I assure you, it has nothing to do with that,” the New Man said. “You—as in the mass of submen—have a reservoir of young and nubile women. We have not yet solved that particular genetic problem—we sire sons, never daughters. Perhaps once we sire daughters, we shall swiftly conquer the Commonwealth.”
“Perhaps so,” Maddox said.
“Do not attempt to mock me, Captain, or I will rescind my offer, and the Commonwealth will have to stagger along, wounded and bleeding.”
Maddox stared at the disguised New Man. “What will you do with Vint Diem?”
“Take him far from Human Space, Captain. He won’t bother the Commonwealth ever again.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“It is, but not for the submen. More about this, I will not say.”
Maddox looked away.
“You must decide now,” the New Man said. “Accept the Emperor’s gift. It is generous and will strengthen the Commonwealth and Star Watch. It will help induce peace longer than otherwise between our dominions.”
“Lord Drakos found something in the outer Vega System.”
“You are repeating what I just told you.”
“Do you have a hint as to what the something might be?”
“I have a hint, yes, but will only tell you if you agree to my proposal.”
Maddox debated lying to the New Man. He sensed the other spoke the truth, though. It all seemed reasonable the way the New Man put it. Could the Emperor really be trying to help Star Watch?
“Yes,” Maddox heard himself say. “I agree.”
The New Man nodded. “I will send you the information in a day.” With that, the tall man in the blue robe and scarlet turban turned and headed for the craps table.
Maddox moved back, and he began signaling his people. This was a risk. He was actually trusting a New Man, but he had a gut feeling about this. He just hoped he hadn’t guessed wrong.
-92-
Ludendorff shook his head in dismay as Maddox pulled everyone out of the casino and back aboard Victory. He told them what had happened. Meta displayed shock. Riker eyed him and finally nodded somberly.
A day later, a shuttle approached Victory. It landed in the hangar bay, and ended up being a drone shuttle. Aboard it was a packet. In the packet was detailed information about Lord Drakos’s money and equipment ring. Pandora funded twenty-three different worlds.
“This is amazing,” Riker said, after studying the information.
“The New Man kept his word,” Maddox said.
There was one other item of information. It concerned Lord Drakos’s quest. The Emperor’s spy believed that Drakos had found the location of Commander Thrax Ti Ix’s hybrid fleet. What’s more, Drakos appeared to be seeking out Thrax in order to make a proposal to the Swarm creature.
“This is it,” Maddox told Ludendorff later. “This is the second shoe. If Drakos could have brought Thrax’s warships together with the Juggernauts… they might have done enough damage to entice the rest of the New Men to reinvade the Commonwealth.”
“You could be right,” Ludendorff said. “The Commonwealth needs peace more than ever. That means we have to stop Drakos from finding Thrax.”
“First,” Maddox said. “We have to tell the Lord High Admiral about this. It’s time to end all the rebellions in the Commonwealth. Then, we have to strengthen Star Watch. We’ve won breathing space, and our Yon-Soth-induced enemies did not hit us all at once. We’ve even managed to work with the Emperor of the New Men.”
“Progress,” Ludendorff said.
“Progress,” Maddox agreed.
The two men studied each other, and each laughed at the absurdity of the situation.
Then, Maddox gave orders for Valerie to plot a course for Earth. It was time to give the crew a break while Intelligence operatives and police on twenty-three planets began taking down Drakos’s underworld network.
Star Watch had won another round in the eternal fight to keep humanity alive, kicking and free in a harsh interstellar community.
“I’ll talk to you later, Professor,” Maddox said, getting up. “It’s time I told Meta that she can pick a spot to go dancing once we reach Earth.”
Ludendorff nodded, and he watched the captain leave the bridge. Then, the Methuselah Man sighed quietly to himself, wondering what Dana was doing on Brahma III.
THE END
To the Reader: Thanks! I hope you’ve enjoyed The Lost Supernova. If you liked the book and would like to see the series continue, please put up some stars and a review. Let new readers know what’s in store for them.
Vaughn Heppner, The Lost Supernova (Lost Starship Series Book 10)
