Leviathan (Asher in Ordered Space Book 2) Read online

  In minutes, the fleet was deployed and all possible countermeasures were in place or ready at the touch of a button. Even Battle Net seemed to hush as the Hokozana ships and their operatives waited to see what would happen. Asher nervously glanced at an interpretation of the sensor data coming in, expecting to see Nezlethar appear at any moment.

  When the attack came, things happened in a flash. A heavy barrage of missiles came through the gate. Most were caught by countermeasures, but three managed to find targets, and three Hokozana ships disintegrated into tiny particles. Right behind the missiles came three scouts, burning as hard as they could and firing their particle beams wildly. Their principal goal was to disorder the defenders and get behind them, where they could do some damage from the rear and slow any retreat. Smarter than the missiles, the scout pilots made it through the defensive screen and shot into empty space beyond the Hokozana formation, doing little damage in the process.

  A second, smaller missile barrage had little effect on the Hokozana fleet. This preceded the arrival of the heavy hitters. First two destroyers came through together, their countermeasures spread out in a cloud in front of them. Behind these came a light cruiser. After that, everything was chaos. The Hokozana ships maneuvered and fired, maneuvered and fired. DiJeRiCo vessels exploded, but were immediately replaced by newcomers from Archibald. Slowly, surely, the defenders were thinned and pushed back.

  Asher was startled to see a new barrage of missiles appear from somewhere outside of the mapped engagement space. These missiles rocketed up the center of the Hokozana formation and plowed into the incoming DiJeRiCo ships. Battle Net pulled back, giving Asher a wider view of the fight. New green dots were appearing at the edge of the engagement. Labels appeared near these dots—Mithras, Memnon, Fire-and-Forget, Dortmunder, and many more. The ships that had been imprisoned within Nezlethar had arrived.

  The newcomers rapidly tipped the battle in Hokozana’s favor. Five more DiJeRiCo vessels were quickly destroyed. The last two enemy ships in Algol, a frigate and a light cruiser, fled back through the jumpgate, and the fight was over. In all, Hokozana had lost seven ships, DiJeRiCo eleven. Just like that, hundreds of operatives were dead, their remains nothing more than dust coalescing around the jumpgate.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  The Hokozana victory was short-lived. Asher had barely disconnected from Battle Net when a new alert sounded. “Nezlethar?” he asked, as he hurried to reconnect to the ships network.

  “Something else,” said Marcolis. “A new fleet. Twelve ships. Now fourteen, and more appearing all the time.”

  “The Ferethers,” said Jaydrupar.

  The new fleet seemed to materialize in empty space, far from the jumpgate. The Ferethers possessed a system, nicknamed the hyperdrive by Hokozana Intel, that allowed their ships to jump without using a gate. For the first time, Asher saw just how much of a game changer that technology could be. Without any need to run the blockaded jumpgate, the Ferether fleet was able to form up and proceed unhindered toward the Hokozana ships. There were seventeen ships in the new fleet. Hokozana had only ten battle-ready vessels, not counting the three scouts that had been sent to find the second jumpgate and were by now too far away to do any good. Asher turned to Jaydrupar, who had studied Ferether vessels and their capabilities. “Seventeen ships. Is that enough?”

  “More than enough, Asher,” the Intel man responded. “One of those ships is a battlecruiser-equivalent. Another five are heavy cruiser class. Nothing smaller than a destroyer. We cannot win a battle here.”

  “What are they doing here, do you think?” asked Marcolis, who seemed to be taking everything in stride. “Are they here for a fight?”

  No one answered for a moment, then Asher had a thought. “What if they came for Nezlethar? That’s a strong fleet. Maybe they were hunting bigger prey than us.”

  “But how would they know about it?” asked Jaydrupar. “We certainly have told no one.”

  “Well, they may have corrupted our systems, but I think it’s more likely that the Cythrans dropped a hint or two through the Dark Wave, don’t you? That would have given the Ferethers enough time to hastily assemble a fleet of heavy hitters and come see what’s what. You know how much they want to get rid of the Cythrans.”

  “Enough to destroy a planet inhabited by sentients,” said Marcolis. “If that is why they are here, then perhaps we don’t need to fight. I’m going to the bridge. Hasim, you’re with me. I doubt there’s anyone else in this fleet that knows as much about the Ferethers as you do.”

  “And me?” asked Asher.

  “Stay and hope for the best, I suppose, Donnie.”

  With that, the two operatives left the compartment and Asher found himself alone. He closed his eyes and let Battle Net show him images of the fleet that was bearing down on them.

  ***

  Asher never really knew what happened in those next few minutes. Battle Net would only tell him that they were “negotiating.” Whatever went on between the two fleets, Marcolis and Jaydrupar were almost certainly involved. For about ten minutes Asher watched the Ferethers approach, then they began to veer of onto a vector that would take them away from the Hokozana fleet. At the same time, Clementine began to move again. The fleet was on its way toward Algol at the center of the system. “We have located another jumpgate and are proceeding to its location,” Battle Net informed him when he queried.

  The Ferethers slowly drew away, and Asher watched them go. He was about to disconnect from Battle Net when a yellow lozenge winked into space just in front of the alien fleet. Nezlethar had entered the fray. Whatever the Ferethers had thought they were going to do, it was to no avail. Within seconds, all seventeen vessels were being drawn into the gaping maw of the leviathan ship. Minutes later, they were gone, and Nezlethar blinked out of existence again.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Four weeks after the events in Algol, Asher found himself teamed up with Chuck and Jaydrupar again. They were on a small intersystem freighter bound for the Dravidian system. For the thousandth time, he glanced at the small square of paper—actual paper—that he held in his right hand. On it were written the words Come to Westphalia. Bring that infernal Jaydrupar character. It was signed by Maxim Asher.

  Westphalia was a non-corp world so deep in the Human Zone it had been all but forgotten as the species expanded ever outward. It was theorized to be one of the first settlements established after leaving Old Earth. Unfortunately, records of that earliest period of human colonization were spotty at best, so no one could be sure. It was certain that it had been established by a stasis ship sent out before the discovery of jumpgate technology and it had been lost for centuries until a small exploration corp happened to pick the Dravidian system as its target. A new jumpgate was established and Westphalia reconnected with the human race. Since then, the planet had become a center of rule-breaking non-corps. Pirates, smugglers, and unregistered mercs made it their home. It was also the homeworld of the Dark Wave.

  The Dark Wave wasn’t something that could really be localized, of course. It existed across the subnet, and recreated itself billions of times a day in neural networks and systems all over the Human Zone. Even so, it had to start somewhere, and that place was a small warehouse in a rough neighborhood in the rough city of Gelsenkirchen,the unofficial capital of Westphalia. That was where a small group of non-corp human techies and four Cythrans had worked to create the software that had become the latest, and most successful, black market of the subnet.

  It hadn’t been too hard to convince Marcolis to let him go on this expedition. Hokozana was still reeling from the events in Archibald and Algol. DiJeRiCo fleets had stormed several jumpgates in the past weeks, with varying degrees of effectiveness. Hokozana fleets had responded in kind. The corp war that had smoldered for a year was burning brightly again. Marcolis and his “fixers” weren’t in much demand while the corp concentrated all its resources on the war.

  Chuck, returned by Nezlethar with the rest
of the temporarily-captured fleet, had insisted on coming along. She wanted to see how it ended. She wanted to confront the Cythrans again. Thousands had died because of what they had set in motion. Chuck wasn’t the only Hokozana operative who was enraged at the thought. Asher, though, couldn’t really bring himself to hate Qwadaleemia and her creche. Millions of Cythrans had died in Bright-Dim, and the bumbling of Hokozana, the greed of DiJeRiCo, and the fears of the Ferethers were largely to blame. It had been foolish to expect that the Cythrans would want to repay them with loyalty and kindness. Qwadie and her people were also at war, and their war was the deadlier.

  ***

  Gelsenkirchen was a hot, dusty place. Its hundred thousand or so inhabitants rarely ventured out into the oven-like heat of the desert city. Instead, the various shady corps and non-corp interests had built their own huge indoor emporia—vast structures housing shopping centers, computer systems, merc training grounds, and whatever else their occupants needed to showcase their own particular skills and products. The warehouse Asher and his companions were seeking was one of the smaller of these.

  It was no more than three stories tall, and perhaps a couple hundred meters square. Outside, it was spare and plain—just a huge beige block. Inside, it was a chaotic mess. The ground floor was a maze of half-walls, cubicles, and sheds. Above these was a mass of lofts at all angles and made from all kinds of materials. Jury-rigged catwalks and gangways connected these hanging spaces. Every division, structure, or flat surface was taken up by some kind of business. Most of the space was tenanted by small tech companies, so most of the light was provided by the glow of displays, fiber-optics, laser communications systems, and other, stranger apparatus which Asher didn’t recognize. People were everywhere. Many worked at desks or held wildly-gesticulating meetings in the center of their small rented spaces. Among these wandered dozens of peddlers, food vendors, and beggars. In all the confusion, it took Asher a while to locate the sign that identified Project Black Book, the group who had create the Dark Wave. He indicated the loft they would have to climb to to the others, and they set out to make their way through the chaos.

  Several minutes of climbing over clutter, shoving through crowds, and scurrying up ladders later, they arrived at the sheet-iron door on which the Project Black Book sign hung. Asher pushed it open and strode in to the room beyond.

  ***

  He had expected to see another chaotic scene inside the small quarters in which the Dark Wave had been conceived. Instead, the room was all but empty, graced only by a round conference table surrounded by mismatched chairs. Beyond the table was a second door, this one made of more substantial steel than the first. Maxim Asher sat at one of the chairs. The others were empty.

  Asher’s father was still looking fit and trim, despite his sixty-three years. Asher had expected to see the old man fraying around the edges after what must have been a stressful few weeks, but he was as impeccable as ever. He was wearing a black shirt and tan slacks, with no Hokozana insignia and nothing of Hokozana’s blue-and-gray uniform colors evident.

  “Donald,” Maxim said, with a warm smile. “It’s good to see you. I’m glad you came through the recent unpleasantness in one piece.”

  “Unpleasantness? It’s a corp war, Maxim. Not to mention the giant alien ship, the bandit attacks, and all the rest.” Asher pulled out a chair across from his father and sat down. Jaydrupar did likewise. Chuck remained standing, one hand resting casually near the hip holster concealed in her skinsuit.

  Maxim looked up at her and smile again. “Please, take a seat. There will be no need for violence, I assure you.” Chuck ignored him.

  “Well, we’re here,” said Asher. “Is Qwadaleemia?”

  “To business, then,” said Maxim. “She is here, of course. She wanted to speak to you in person. You are the only Hokozana operative—you and Jaydrupar here, anyway—to have been there through this whole mess, and she felt that she owed you an explanation. She also wants you to understand that, whatever your company has done to her and her people, she trusts you.”

  Chuck slammed a fist on the table. “What we’ve done to her people? What about what they’ve done to us? Thousands are dead because of Qwadaleemia and her people.”

  “Millions are dead because of what we did just over a year ago,” said Maxim calmly. “This is a war, Ms. Chukwudi. People die in wars.” Chuck glared at him for a moment, then turned on her heel and stormed from the room in disgust. “A hothead, there,” said Maxim.

  “Not really,” said Asher. “She’s just upset, and with good reason. Why did you say ‘your company?’”

  “What?”

  “Just now you said ‘whatever your company has done to her.’ It’s your company, too, isn’t it?”

  To Asher’s surprise, it was Jaydrupar who answered. “Not anymore, Asher. Your father has gone over to Meridian now.” The Intel man stood up and walked over to Maxim’s side of the table. “And so have I.”

  Asher stared at the two men for several silent moments. “Damn it,” he said, “so that’s what this is? A recruitment speech? You think I’m going to switch sides and work under you two now?”

  “Not exactly,” said a new voice. The door at the rear of the room opened and May Roca strode in. “You’d actually be working for me.”

  Asher hadn’t seen her since they had boarded the Clementine. He supposed that Marcolis had had her confined to quarters somewhere all through the battles in Archibald and Algol. She had promised that she wouldn’t be held prisoner long, though, and evidently she had been right. “A merc job?” He tried to inject disdain into his voice, but his heart actually surged a little at the thought. Whatever else working for May Roca would be, it was unlikely to be boring. He doubted he would have to take many jobs as a security guard.

  “Meridian needs its security force, just like any other corp,” said Jaydrupar. “You know by now that May Roca has some unique skills. We need people like her. People who are not afraid to go into dangerous places.”

  “And betray the friends they make in those places? That doesn’t sound like something I’d be interested in.”

  The back door opened again, and Qwadaleemia walked in. She was followed by a second Cythran. At first, Asher’s neural net couldn’t identify the newcomer, then he realized that it was Miraneeria, Hokozana’s own captive Cythran. Somehow Maxim must have smuggled her out when he decided to change sides. “Are you certain Asher?” asked Qwadaleemia. “We could use you. Chuck, too, although I doubt she would consider it.”

  Seeing her, Asher knew he couldn’t take the job. Hokozana was all he had ever known, and the Cythrans now stood against it. The company wasn’t perfect, but it was a lot better than some. A lot better than whatever amoral chaos the Cythrans and people like May Roca would rather live in. “I doubt it too, Qwadie, but I’ll be sure to ask her.” He stood up to leave. “I do have one question, though. What about Nezlethar? What is it going to do?”

  “Do? Nothing, really. It is programmed to protect all of the Cassari lineage—all the creatures similar to us and the Ferethers. It failed in our case, because we were not part of the program. We Cythrans were an accident, you see. A mistaken byproduct of an experiment that the creators thought they had terminated. Now Nezlethar is aware of us, and it will protect us. It protects the Ferethers, as well, of course.”

  “So your war with the Ferethers is over? What was the point of all this, then?”

  “Not over, Asher. It will just have to be a bit more covert from now on. Even Nezlethar cannot be everywhere. It is only one being, after all. It is of the Cassari lineage itself, by the way. It is another race like us, and the Ferethers, and the Shamblers. Whatever the vision of the creators is, they do not think small.”

  “Donald,” said Maxim. “Are you sure you won’t reconsider?”

  Asher looked at the five of them, the two Cythrans, the merc, the wily Intel man, and his father, the great scientist. He wondered if this was how the megacorps started. Hundreds of years ago, h
ad Hokozana been formed in a room like this, by a similar bunch of mismatched characters? “No, Dad. I won’t join you, but I won’t try to stop you, either.” With that, he turned and walked out.

  ***

  Chuck was insistent that they go back in and take the Cythrans prisoner. As for the traitors Maxim Asher and Jaydrupar, she was almost as angry at them. “We should capture them, too. What they’ve done is criminal.”

  “Probably not, actually,” said Asher. “The only thing that comes close is my father’s stealing of Miraneeria, but you can’t really expect the Intercorp Courts to agree that Hokozana has perpetual rights of ownership over a sentient being. The rest of the mess—well, who could prove any of it?”

  “We could shoot them all where they stand, then. They want a war, let’s give them one.”

  Asher thought about that, but the idea made him feel tired. “I’m done with this war, Chuck. You know what I want to do? I want to sleep for a couple of days, then I want to take a little vacation and go find my friends Kaz and Lori. I need a drink, and people to share it with.”

  Chuck looked like she was going to defy him for a moment. She glared at the closed door to Project Black Book. She looked back at him. Finally, she seemed to deflate. She nodded, and they turned to leave.

  “You’re welcome to join us, if you want,” said Asher.

  Thanks for reading Leviathan, the second novel in the Asher in Ordered Space series. If you liked the book, please leave a review on its Amazon page.

  The first book in the series, Participant Species, is also available from Amazon