Maddox did not reply as he was too busy trying to keep them alive.

  At that point, the dash comm unit began to blink.

  Maddox ignored it as well. Riker didn’t answer either, as he clung to the armrests too tightly.

  More lightning flashed, and booming thunder shook the flitter.

  “We’re going to die!” Riker shouted again.

  Maddox was beginning to believe likewise. The hurricane and greater storm was worse than he’d expected.

  The dash comm unit continued to blink.

  “Answer it,” Maddox said.

  “I don’t dare release my hold,” Riker said.

  The buffeting had become worse. Maddox chewed his lower lip. This was a stupid way to die. More than ever, he believed the Crowder people had a right to complain about Balder. Who in Star Watch had decided on Balder as their destination? Maybe that would be the better approach to all this: finding them a new planet?

  It struck Maddox then as a flash insight. “That’s it,” he said. This was the wrong angle to take. The Crowder people should be complaining about being put here. Who would willingly remain on such a hell world? The Crowder people went about fixing such things differently from others. That was the key to remember.

  Maddox flew between two peaks, and he took the flitter down hard as the winds shook the small craft. For a second, it seemed they would smash against a canyon wall. The flitter scraped it, and then Maddox shot downward away from the canyon side.

  Riker groaned with fear.

  “Hang on,” Maddox said.

  The dash comm light had not stopped blinking the entire time.

  Rocks littered the ground that fast approached the flitter. Lightning flashed overhead and thunder boomed, but it wasn’t as loud in the protection of the cliffs and canyon.

  “Here goes,” Maddox said.

  The flitter barely missed boulders and rocks, and struck the ground at speed. Metal screeched. The craft shook. Riker turned white as his bionic hand crumbled the armrest he gripped. Maddox concentrated, with every sense alert as he tried to bring the skipping flitter to a halt. More rocks loomed before them. Riker closed his eyes. Maddox jerked the controls. The flitter skidded, slid sideways and barely avoided the worst boulder. Then the craft bounced more, metal crumbling and airbags deploying.

  Finally, the small wrecked flitter came to a halt. The dome still held, and the two men retained consciousness behind their airbags.

  Maddox’s airbag deflated as he removed a knife from it. He slashed Riker’s airbag next, deflating it.

  Riker stared at him, with blood dripping from his nose.

  “We made it,” Maddox said.

  Riker shook his head. “I never want to do that again.”

  “It was rough there for a moment.”

  Both men glanced at the dash comm unit. It still blinked. Someone attempted to contact them.

  Maddox pressed a control. “Yes?” he said.

  “Are you well, sir?” Galyan asked from the comm speaker.

  “We’re in one piece, if that’s what you mean.”

  “You were lucky,” Galyan said.

  “That isn’t why you’re calling.”

  “No, sir,” Galyan said. “I do not know if you were paying attention to the missiles.”

  “There were three of them.”

  “Yes, sir,” Galyan said. “Two of them malfunctioned, failing to detonate.”

  “Do you know why they malfunctioned?”

  “I do not,” Galyan said. “I have run an analysis, however. Sheer probability cannot account for both of them malfunctioning as they did.”

  “More outside interference, then?” asked Maddox.

  “That is both mine and the professor’s conclusion,” Galyan said.

  “And the malfunctions weren’t caused by Crowder people?”

  “I would surely have detected that, sir.”

  “Agreed,” Maddox said. “Do you have any ideas what caused the malfunctions?”

  “I am inclined to—sir, I just had an idea. We should no longer speak on the comm about this, if you understand my drift.”

  “Right,” Maddox said, seeing it, or so he believed. “Send Keith down in the fold-fighter. We’re returning to Victory.”

  “What about Bristol, sir? The people there are expecting you.”

  “I…” Maddox hesitated. If it wasn’t wise to speak over the comm about the outside interference— “I’ll tell you shortly, Galyan. Send Keith. That is all.”

  “Yes, sir,” Galyan said. “I will pass on the order.”

  Maddox clicked the off switch, starting to become more curious than ever about this unknown outside interference.

  -18-

  Grutch had listened to the conversation between Maddox and Galyan. Eavesdropping on them was pathetically easy, as Morag technology was several factors superior to these low-tech humans of Star Watch.

  The conversation had made him uneasy, however. His sponsor had warned him that Maddox possessed unique abilities. Could the captain have divined his presence here?

  Grutch slid through a hallway and headed to the Mud Room. It was time for a swampy soak, as he needed to contemplate his next move.

  His sponsors had worked tirelessly to create the conditions so Maddox would come down to Balder. Now, the captain was back on the starship. The odds were good that the captain would leave the Balder System altogether.

  That was not good. His sponsors—

  It was no use complaining about things. Grutch was beginning to see why the sponsors had offered him such a ridiculous amount of tellurium. He had believed it would be an easy matter snatching Captain Maddox. His sponsors had made it quite clear he had to do it secretly.

  A bold grab—could he take Maddox from the heart of Victory?

  Grutch rolled into the Mud Room, simply sliding off the deck and splashing into thick, goopy mud. A slow wave of mud sloshed onto the slanted deck.

  Grutch sank into the mud, delighting in the texture and warmth of it. His tentacles flailed back and forth as a child might do in his bath with his arms. He drew his eyestalks and orbs into his gelatinous mass, sinking like a blob and luxuriating in the wonderful feel.

  Maddox was different from the other humans. He relied upon an intuitive sense as well as his normal senses and logical mind. His sponsors had warned him about the intuitive sense. They were also intrigued by it. Perhaps it was one of the reasons they desired him to capture Maddox alive. Perhaps they wished to run tests on him and replicate said sense later in other humans.

  If Maddox in Victory used the hyper-spatial tube to return to Earth, should he attempt to piggyback with the starship?

  That could entail risk. The bars of tellurium wouldn’t do him any good if he were dead. Would the sponsors understand his hesitation to putting himself into harm’s way?

  That wasn’t a given. His sponsors—

  Suddenly, the mud bath no longer interested Grutch. Was it time to hightail it to a different part of the galaxy? He didn’t care to do that either. Oh, this was a dilemma, and all because Maddox—

  “Now listen to me,” Grutch said to himself. Among the various races in the Orion Spiral Arm, Morags spoke to themselves more than any other species.

  “My sponsors offered the ridiculous number of tellurium bars because Maddox is a unique human. That necessarily means this will be more difficult than you originally anticipated. I’m going to have to work for this. If I go back and ask them to set up a different scenario…the sponsors might feel it should cost me.”

  Grutch inflated his bulk, making himself lighter as he expanded like a balloon. Then, he pushed off the bottom of the mud and floated up. His tentacles reached out of the mud and attached to the deck with suckers. He hauled himself out of the mud.

  Once free of it, he shivered and quivered so the mud dripped from him onto the smooth and tilted deck until it dribbled back into the mud bath.

  Then, Grutch caused his lower part to ripple and grant him mobility as he headed back for the control chamber.

  He had several options. He didn’t want to leave this part of the galaxy. He did not want to face the sponsors with any reports of failure or setbacks. He also did not wish to sneak close to Victory, as they might possibly detect his marvelous ship. Still, that was the least harmful option, the least dangerous. He was dealing with dull-witted humans with their low technology, and one Adok holoimage with a ship that might possibly be able to do more than expected.

  Still, Grutch doubted he would be in serious jeopardy even if the Adok holoimage detected his ship. It would be an easy matter to escape from them. Thus, following closely was more on the order of an annoyance than any danger to his person.

  “So be it,” Grutch said. “I will push myself and risk the slightest, very slightest bit. Maddox is unique. Maddox is worth many bars of tellurium. But let us face facts: none of these human buffoons is a real challenge to my continued longevity.”

  Grutch thus entered his command chamber, sliding to the precise location and beginning to power up for greater stealth movement. He might have to hurry by this point. Losing Maddox now would mean all the preparation had gone to waste.

  Grutch rubbed two of his tentacle tips together. He was going to gain those bars of tellurium, meaning Maddox was practically as good as captured. All he needed was precisely the right moment to achieve his ends.

  -19-

  Maddox was back aboard Victory. Keith Maker had arrived in the fold-fighter and taken Riker and him back to the main hangar bay. From there, Maddox headed directly to the bridge.

  Galyan appeared beside him, floating as the captain moved quickly.

  “You’re certain about the anomalies regarding the missiles?” Maddox asked.

  “I am,” Galyan said. “The probability the malfunctions just occurred is less than miniscule. It is not mathematically justifiable. That means either the Crowder people caused it, of which there is not the slightest evidence, or our supposed outside hidden source caused it.”

  “The outsider did this to keep me alive.”

  “That seems like the most reasonable conclusion.”

  “Any idea as to why?” asked Maddox.

  “None,” said Galyan.

  “Have you been monitoring local space?”

  “I have, and I am.”

  “Anything so far?”

  “I would have already reported it, sir.”

  Maddox grunted. Yes. That seemed reasonable.

  “Sir,” Galyan said as they turned a corner. “May I ask why you left Balder?”

  “You know I don’t like anyone questioning my decisions.”

  “Am I being impertinent asking this?”

  “Not necessarily,” Maddox said.

  “Is that all the answer I am going to receive?”

  “I don’t want to repeat myself. Thus, you can tag along—” Maddox snapped his fingers. Then, he broke into a sprint as he changed direction. “Tell the others on the bridge I’ll be there shortly. Then, return. I’m making a call to the Lord High Admiral.”

  “Yes, sir,” Galyan said, vanishing.

  ***

  Shortly, Maddox sat in a small chamber with a Long-Range Builder Comm Device. He picked up the microphone, sitting on a couch, and placed a call to the Lord High Admiral’s office in Geneva.

  Unlike other comm devices, the ancient Builder device could cross hundreds of light-years instantaneously. Star Watch only possessed a few of these, giving them a huge strategic advantage.

  For once, the Lord High Admiral was nearby.

  “Captain Maddox,” Cook said. “Have you freed the captive Crowder leaders?”

  “I haven’t,” Maddox said.

  “Did you find out how the representatives contacted criminals on Earth?”

  “No, sir.”

  There was a moment of silence. “Let’s get down to it then. Why are you calling?”

  Maddox related the incident of the duel—

  “You slew a Crowder rep?” Cook asked in disbelief, interrupting the story.

  “It was all done legally, sir.”

  “You set him up?”

  “Legally,” Maddox said. “They can’t complain.”

  “Are you mad? Of course, they’ll complain. I suspect…” Cook sighed. “Why are you calling?”

  “For several reasons, sir,” Maddox said. “I flew around the planet for an hour. It’s an impossible place.”

  “Meaning what?” asked Cook.

  “It’s a hell world. I don’t blame the Crowder people for complaining. I wouldn’t want to live on Balder III either. We can’t expect them to peacefully settle there. That means we’re making needless enemies by keeping them there.”

  “Are you trying to instruct me in Star Watch policy matters?”

  “I’ve been on the planet, sir. It’s inhospitable.”

  “That’s no reason to quit your mission, which it sounds like you’re doing.”

  “Sir, I have reason to believe the Crowder people aren’t behind the attack on my family.”

  “I’m listening.”

  Maddox told him about the likely Spacer saucer, the premature detonation, the logic of a hidden outsider and then what occurred to the missiles trying to destroy the shuttle.

  “Captain…those are all quite tenuous reasons for quitting an assignment.”

  “They are indications, sir. Remember, I have two of the cleverest people in Star Watch with me: Ludendorff and Galyan. We all agree—”

  “Just a minute, Captain,” Cook said, interrupting. “This is…”

  Maddox waited as the moment of silence lengthened. “Are you still on line, sir?”

  “I’m here,” Cook said in a weary voice. “I just had a painful thought. You’ve proven right with your preposterous ideas too many times for me to simply dismiss this one. What are you suggesting?”

  “First, sir, the Crowder people are both reasonable in their present demand, and unreasonable murderous anarchists in practice. I’m no longer convinced there are any kidnappers. It goes against everything I know about these people. If kidnappers grabbed the leaders, they should be the new leaders. I think this is all an elaborate setup.”

  “For what purpose?” asked Cook.

  “I haven’t been able to figure that one out yet—unless it was all to draw me here. That seems farfetched, however.”

  “So…what’s next?”

  “I suggest we leave Balder and return home,” Maddox said. “Let these people stew for a few weeks. Then, return and offer them a better planet. Ignore the issue of the kidnapped leaders, as it is an internal Crowder problem, one that probably doesn’t really exist.”

  “What about the possible outsider and the criminal elements that attacked your family, with the aid of a Merovingian?”

  “I think I’ll do better on Earth uncovering that.”

  “Really?” asked Cook.

  “Well…not for certain. I have to think this through. I think Balder III is a dead end or an attempt to achieve something against Star Watch that we don’t understand. Such being the case, I believe we should quarantine the people for a month or two.”

  “That doesn’t seem like you in the least. You’re usually a bulldog tracking a thing until you find it.”

  “That’s just it, sir,” Maddox said. “We’ve agreed that we’re dealing with unknowns, possibly high-tech aliens. Thus, I’m going to alter my usual methods and try something else.”

  “You think this outsider is using you in some way or has knowledge of your usual methods?”

  “I have begun to seriously consider the possibility, sir.”

  “Because of the attack in Carson City?” asked Cook.

  “Yes,” Maddox said. “The attack tied to the Crowder reps would seem to indicate I was supposed to come to Balder III. The strange anomalies taking place around me point to hidden adversaries with a hidden agenda. Galyan’s interrupted holoimage, the premature saucer detonation and malfunctioning missiles means these hidden adversaries are actively attempting to achieve a thing. I call them adversaries because if they were friendly, it strikes me that they would openly contact us.”

  There was silence for a time, until, “Damned if that doesn’t make sense. And you know, there is something you could do for me in the meantime.”

  “On Earth?” asked Maddox.

  “No. It has to do with Lieutenant Commander Noonan,” Cook said. “I received a communication from her while you’ve been away.”

  “She’s in the Beyond, I believe.”

  “You might want to call Galyan so he can hear this,” Cook said.

  Maddox glanced at the listening holoimage. “He’s already here with me, sir.”

  “I see,” Cook said. “Galyan?”

  Maddox aimed the microphone at the holoimage and activated it.

  “I am here, Lord High Admiral,” Galyan said.

  “Are you interested in trying to track down your lost people?” Cook asked.

  “You know that I am, sir.”

  Maddox eyebrows rose high.

  “Lieutenant Commander Noonan has found evidence of possible Adoks in a star system different from their homeworld,” Cook said.

  “You’re kidding,” Maddox said.

  “I agree with your ideas about Balder and the Crowder people,” Cook said. “I’ll have some people look into a more suitable planet for them. I still want to find whoever sent those people against your family, though.”

  “As do I, sir,” Maddox said.

  “If you don’t think the Crowder reps had anything to do with it, why did you…duel with Earl Dunbar?’

  “Oh, he had something to do with it,” Maddox said. “I don’t think he was the architect, though. I think…I think there is more going on, and letting whoever stew for a time is the right way to handle it.”

  “I’m going to agree with you,” Cook said. “I’m going to go with your instincts. You’ll need to return via the hyper-spatial tube. Then, I’ll send you out to meet with the commander in the Beyond.”

  “Yes, sir,” Maddox said.

  “I will speak to you shortly then, back on Earth. Cook, out.”