Maddox had been persona non grata then. The rest of Star Watch had become pro-Homo sapiens human, Humanity Manifesto Doctrine had sprouted full bore. Becker had telepathically pushed Fletcher, using a power the Liss cybers had given him. In the end, Maddox had foiled Becker and used the man’s abilities against the Prime Saa, a Liss mind-meld of cybers. The alien Liss cybers had done some horrific things to Becker, literally enlarging his cranium and making his brain denser and bigger. They had given him amazing telepathic, dominating abilities. In the end, Star Watch had put Captain Becker into stasis for safekeeping and in case they ever needed Becker’s unique skills.

  “You think now is the time we should take Becker out of stasis?” Maddox asked.

  “I don’t know how else or who else could possibly help you with this. It is important to remember that Becker was highly unstable. You are the key to controlling Becker. Becker is the key to finding our hidden foe.”

  Maddox rubbed his chin. “Only the Lord High Admiral can give the order to awaken Becker.”

  “Yes, sir, you are going to have to find a way around that.”

  Maddox stared up at the clouds, the few in the sky. “You know, of course, that whoever is the next Lord High Admiral will not like any such actions from me.”

  “Sir,” Galyan said, “when did you ever care what anyone liked or thought about you or what you did?”

  Maddox laughed bleakly and nodded. “You know what, Galyan, it’s time we got the old crew together and it’s time I got back on to Victory. I have a feeling I’m going to have to move fast when the moment comes.”

  “I suspect you are right, sir. I have everyone in mind you need and I know their locations and how to reach them.”

  “Start gathering them and have them ferry up to Victory,” Maddox said. “I don’t know if we’re going to get the okay to do this because I don’t know who can okay it and who won’t.”

  Galyan waited as if expectant.

  Maddox stared at him. “What is it now?”

  “Uh…you are welcome, sir,” Galyan said.

  Maddox grinned. “Thanks for the advice, Galyan. I appreciate it.”

  “Yes, sir, I am glad to help.”

  “Right,” Maddox said. “It’s time to awaken Becker and convince the maniac to do something good for once.”

  -11-

  The assassination of the Lord High Admiral, and then a week later, a similar or same type of death to Brigadier Stokes of Star Watch Intelligence, had created an uproar throughout Star Watch and the rest of Earth security. Orders and counter orders flew every which way. There was an unusual state of chaos and high alert on and around Earth.

  Maddox had quietly gathered the crewmembers and had them shuttle up to Victory. He spoke with Ludendorff. Nothing the Methuselah Man told him added to Maddox’s understanding of how this was happening or how to fix it.

  Right now, Maddox was in a stubby-winged tin can piloted by Lieutenant Keith Maker, the best damn pilot in Star Watch. Keith was getting older but still had fantastic reflexes. There was a twitch to his hands Maddox hadn’t seen before. What caused that?

  Maddox didn’t feel like asking Keith, though there was something slightly odd to Mr. Maker. Could that be due to his on-again, off-again love affair with Valerie? She was on her way to Victory, picking up her Darter Tarrypin to park it in the starship’s hangar bay.

  In the tin can, Maddox hurried to a special prison complex in Antarctica. Originally, he’d forged some orders that others had countermanded. This was Plan B, doing what he needed to regardless because Plan A had failed.

  Star Watch was in turmoil, though most of the general populace of Earth had no idea what was taking place. Even so, this would have been a good time for an alien empire to launch a surprise attack, as no one was in charge of the whole thing, and many thought they were in charge of the same things.

  Ludendorff hadn’t thought it a good idea to free Becker. The man had been a highly dangerous adversary, especially with the alien Liss behind him. Nevertheless, Maddox was certain this was the right move.

  He had just gotten off a comm link with his grandmother. The Iron Lady was on her way up to Victory. Maddox figured that was the safest place for her.

  Mary had scoffed at the idea that she would be on anyone’s kill list.

  “No, Grandmother, I insist you take this precaution. Do it for me.”

  “For you, dear, I will,” she’d said.

  The ungainly tin can flashed over the tip of South America as it headed for Antarctica. It was summer in the Northern Hemisphere. That meant it was winter in the Southern Hemisphere. Winter in Antarctica, even in these advanced technological days, made the place a hellhole.

  “Do you envision any problems?”

  Keith turned to Maddox. “Are you talking to me, sir?”

  “Yes.”

  “What kind of problems?”

  “With the weather,” Maddox said.

  Keith grinned. “If anything, the bad weather will make this fun. Besides, we can always fold if we have to.”

  Maddox nodded. He’d chosen a fold fighter for a reason. If he needed to get out of Antarctica in a hurry, he wanted to be able to go straight up to Victory’s hangar bay. Could all of Star Watch stop him? Of course, they could. Still, he felt safer operating from Victory and while sitting in the captain’s chair.

  This was one of those moments where Maddox was going to have to wear both hats: Intelligence and a Patrol officer.

  Galyan had his assignment and was busy scouring intelligence and police reports across Earth. Everyone was putting up red tape, with no one able to cut through the blizzard of it. Therefore, Galyan had orders to infiltrate various computers and acquire what he needed clandestinely…if he deemed it warranted.

  “I want to know everything,” Maddox said, “but I want you to correlate it and only tell me what is important. That means you must use your judgment.”

  “Yes, sir,” Galyan said.

  The Adok AI was usually under strict orders, forbidden to use such clandestine methods on Earth. These methods had proven successful many times in the Beyond and against adversaries more technologically subtle and advanced than Star Watch. Surely, Galyan could get what they needed on Earth.

  After another half hour of flight, Keith maneuvered down onto a high security complex in the center of Antarctica. There were watchtowers and a walking yard, although none of the inmates or guards would be using it in this horrible weather.

  They landed in a subterranean hangar bay under the radar lock of heavy guns and missiles.

  “Galyan,” Maddox said from his crash seat.

  “Here, sir.”

  Maddox turned around. Galyan was in ghost form.

  “Are you still searching for data?” Maddox said.

  “I can do many things at once, sir, as you know.”

  “You will stay with me in ghost form and continue to infiltrate the targeted computer systems.”

  “I understand completely, sir. You are doing what you should not be doing and could likely use my help.”

  “Never mind talking about that,” Maddox said. “Let’s just do it.”

  Maddox exited the hatch, stepping into an underground hangar bay. He met a delegation of tough-looking security personnel. They wore brown uniforms, had truncheons, and other devices on their belts, seven hardy men.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” a lieutenant said. He was a big, bulky man who surely thought he could take Maddox. The lieutenant exuded threat in his stance and the way he stared at Maddox.

  Maddox nodded politely and stood meekly, his shoulders rounded, as if he was afraid of being here. Sometimes subterfuge worked best in these situations.

  “Here are the release orders for Captain Becker,” Maddox said, holding out a form.

  The lieutenant glared at and then snatched the orders, studying them.

  Maddox watched the others, a truculent group. Some wore power holsters attached to their thick wrists. There was a power cord running from the holster to the heavy gun. A guard need only hold his hand in a firing position, and the gun would snap into it, ready for use.

  These men guarded the most dangerous prisoners Star Watch had collected throughout the decades. That included Captain Becker, although the man was in stasis, one of the few.

  “These actually seem to be in order,” the lieutenant growled. He jerked his head at Maddox.

  The captain submitted to a search. The guards went through his kit and took his monofilament blade from his boot sheath.

  The lieutenant eyed Maddox as he held the knife.

  “I forgot it was there,” Maddox said.

  “Of course you did,” the lieutenant said. He hurled it so the knife stuck in a wall. “Follow me.”

  The lieutenant led the way as they marched through a hatch and down a hall, turning several times. They entered a turbo lift, plunging deep into the earth to the facility’s lowest section. Galyan was there, although no one could see him, not even Maddox.

  They marched down various corridors until they came into a chamber with big running machines.

  “You can talk to him,” the lieutenant said. “Then you’ll have to leave.”

  “With the prisoner,” Maddox said.

  “No, he stays here.”

  “My orders are legitimate,” Maddox said. “They’re signed by the Lord High Admiral.”

  The lieutenant sneered. “I guess you haven’t heard. Admiral Cook is dead.”

  “I know Cook is dead,” Maddox said. “That’s why I’m doing this. These are Cook’s last orders. You’re not going to disobey the admiral’s last orders, are you?”

  For once, the truculence in the man’s eyes diminished. Maybe the question caused fear even in his security-conscious skull.

  “I’m going to let you look at Becker,” the lieutenant said. “Then you’re going to see how impossible it would be to release him from the facility.”

  Maddox shrugged.

  They went through a hatch and entered a cold chamber. The lieutenant led Maddox to a large cylinder. Captain Becker was frozen behind the thick glass.

  The lieutenant had been speaking quietly into a comm unit. He must have asked for further clearance on Maddox’s orders. The man gave him a bit more respect.

  “The Iron Lady has given the okay,” the lieutenant told the others.

  The lieutenant didn’t know Galyan was running an Intelligence sting. The AI had intercepted the call, rerouting it to the Iron Lady on Victory.

  “We’ll thaw him out,” the lieutenant said. “We’ll take him to a special room so you can speak to him.”

  Maddox nodded.

  “You do know the freak was a mind specialist, right?” asked the lieutenant.

  “I do,” Maddox said. “That’s the reason for the silver headband.”

  The lieutenant seemed to have lost interest.

  The thawing continued as Maddox maintained a bland indifference to how much time this was taking. He was anything but sanguine. Yet, there was nothing he could do about that for the moment other than to wait patiently.

  Waiting, however, was one of the hardest things a human could do.

  -12-

  Maddox sat across from Becker in a chamber with heavy bulkheads and antennae sprouting from the walls. Occasionally, a hiss sounded and a tiny spark appeared. The antennae and bulkheads helped suppress Becker’s known telepathic, dominating powers.

  Maddox sat on a couch; Becker sat on a couch opposite him, with a low wooden table between them.

  Becker was slumped forward and wore a white formless smock. Maddox had slipped on a silver headband with a small box around his forehead. He’d clicked on the unit. If the antennae and bulkheads failed, the unit would protect him so Becker couldn’t read his thoughts or mentally coerce him.

  Becker was one of the most powerful telepaths Maddox had ever met. The man was a creation of the alien Liss. Star Watch had eliminated the Liss cybers many years ago. If there were any pockets of the Liss left, Star Watch did not know about them. The Liss had been part mechanical and part biological. That had been insectoid biological, but biological all the same.

  Becker began to stir.

  The man had been in stasis for over ten years. He’d entered a special machine on a weekly basis to keep his muscles from atrophying. Unfortunately, Becker hadn’t been much of a physical specimen when he had originally entered stasis.

  Becker was an ungainly looking fellow: mid-sized, with spindly limbs, a narrow chest, and an abnormally enlarged head. He no longer looked normal, but like some super science fiction or comic book egghead. His neck lacked the strength to hold up his head all the time. As a concession to that, he wore a neck brace. Because the Prime Saa of the Liss mind-meld had enlarged the head and brain, and made the brain tissues denser, his face no longer had a regular form. A third of the face contained the nose, mouth, eyes, all dominated by the bulging cranium.

  Becker groaned and lurched back. The back of his head hit the wall with a thump. Becker’s eyes flew open. He looked around with surprise, then at Maddox.

  “You,” Becker said in a hoarse voice. “What, what—how long have I been under?”

  “Long enough,” Maddox said.

  “What does that mean?”

  Maddox shrugged. He didn’t trust Becker or know if the man’s telepathic powers had grown.

  Becker looked around wildly, like a trapped animal. It seemed he would jump up. Then he looked at Maddox again, appraisingly this time, undoubtedly noticing Maddox’s superior physique, muscles, and much smaller head. Becker then proceeded to look at his legs, at his hands, his arms. He felt his torso.

  “I’ve been under a long time. I’ve atrophied. This is horrible and disgusting. What did you do to me?”

  “The Liss did it to you, don’t you remember?”

  Becker stared off into the distance. He grunted, and slyly felt his privates. His hands flew away. The Prime Saa had castrated him during their time together.

  “Damn, it’s not just a dream,” Becker said. “After everything I did for them…” Both hands clutched his abnormally large head. “I gave them what they needed, and they castrated me. They did that because I enjoyed the women too much. Instead, I have the power to coerce. But how has that helped me? I’ve been under. How long has it been?”

  “Over ten years,” Maddox said.

  Becker’s eyes showed his horror. Then he closed his eyes and leaned back. He groaned. It was such a pitiful and horrible sound. He seemed to come to himself and sat up. His head was wobbly, but he balanced himself with both hands on the cushions of the couch. This would strain his upper back muscles as well.

  “Ten years. Why did you wake me now? Don’t tell me. I know. You need me. You want my services, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” Maddox said. “I woke you when no one else would have dared.”

  “Should I be grateful for that? You just want to use me like a tool, like some draught animal. Put me back under. I will be of no use to you.”

  “You might want to reconsider that,” Maddox said. “Why not barter with me? Surely there are things you want.”

  “My freedom,” Becker said promptly. “I want to go and do what I want, when I want.”

  “All right, I can work with that. You give me what I want, and I’ll let you go.”

  “What? You’ll let me go on Earth just like that?”

  Maddox shook his head. “I won’t let you free on Earth. I’ll send you far away. I’ll even give you a spacecraft so you can explore to your heart’s content.”

  “And if I turn back to the Commonwealth?”

  “Then we’ll destroy your ship,” Maddox said.

  “Why won’t you destroy it anyway just to be safe?”

  “Because I’m a man of my word,” Maddox said.

  Becker laughed and sneered. “I know you, Maddox. You’re not human like me. You don’t keep your word to the lower orders like us, even though I’m no longer of the lower order. I am high, a special mutation.”

  “That’s right,” Maddox said. “You’re a mutant. That means you’re a freak. That means you’re just like me. Why, then, would you support the Humanity Manifesto Doctrine? You’re no longer like them. They fear you.”

  “Are the HM people still in charge?” Becker said.

  “No, they lost, just like you lost.”

  “I don’t appreciate your insults,” Becker said. “In fact, I don’t like the way you’re speaking to me. You can piss off, Maddox.”

  “Does that mean you want to go back under into stasis?”

  Becker sat straighter. “I don’t know if I’ll let myself go under again.” He glared balefully at Maddox.

  The anti-psionic box on the silver band around Maddox’s head hummed. Due to his intuitive sense, Maddox also sensed the mental assault. Then it stopped.

  Becker was breathing hard. “You’re wise to wear that headband. I’m still not going to do what you want. I won’t be a tool for those who defeated me.”

  Maddox thought a moment. “Why take that attitude when you can have what you want? You have a unique ability. I need the ability, maybe even desperately need it.”

  “Desperately?” said Becker. “You let that slip.”

  Maddox looked away. “I shouldn’t have said desperately.”

  “But it is a desperate situation. Otherwise, logically, why would you have brought me up?”

  After a moment, Maddox shrugged.

  Becker’s eyes narrowed and he laughed. “You think I’m an idiot because I’ve been under for ten years. That was false that you let the word desperate slip. You said it on purpose.”

  Becker gathered saliva in his mouth and spat on the floor. “Damn, Star Watch. Damn the New Men. And now, damn me, too. I’m like you, a freak, intensely telepathic instead of strong. There’s nobody in the universe like me. I should be ruling. I should have my own harem. I should…”

  Becker’s hands slipped to his privates again and jerked away. He clenched his hands into fists. He glared at Maddox until he became thoughtful.

  “I’ll tell you what I want,” Becker said. “If you can give me what I want, I’ll do what you ask.”