Leviathan (Asher in Ordered Space Book 2) Read online

  “Why is that?” asked Chuck.

  “Because of the mercenary assault. Of our thirteen suspects, seven are no longer alive. The others have provided us with accounts of their activities, but most of the witnesses who might corroborate those accounts are dead.”

  Chuck sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “What’s next then?”

  “We take a forensic kit to the pass and do our best to collect more evidence,” said Jaydrupar. “That is all I can think of.”

  Asher was barely listening. Something Jaydrupar had said was bothering him. “You said two of the three Cythrans were unaccounted for. Which two?”

  Jaydrupar’s eyes flicked upward as he consulted his neural net. “Qwadaleemia and Garueeria,” he said after a moment. “Faraneeta was in a laboratory in the Archon administration building, as witnessed by Meridian operatives Gark-Onen and Enzo Abati. There is also a poor video recording on one of the hallway security cameras taken at the time which appears to show her in one or two frames.”

  “Where do the other two say they were?”

  “In the alien laboratory, examining the computer,” said Jaydrupar. “But that cannot be confirmed, as the networking problems there prevented the installation of most monitoring systems that were available to Meridian. Why do you ask, Asher? I mean, why have you focused immediately upon the Cythrans?”

  “It’s just something Qwadaleemia said.” Asher concentrated, trying to remember the exact words. “It was at the meeting where they first surprised us. She said that Faraneeta and Garueeria were living in the old lab and had hardly come out in two weeks.”

  “I see. Could she have been exaggerating? Making a joke at her creche-mates’ expense?”

  “That’s what I’m not sure of,” said Asher. “I don’t really know if Cythrans make jokes. I mean, they have a sense of humor, but they mostly seem to be amused by the antics of others less intelligent than they are. So if she wasn’t joking?”

  Jaydrupar nodded. “Yes. If she was not joking, then we might expect that it would be difficult to account for the whereabouts of Faraneeta and Garueeria, but we would not expect to know where Faraneeta was, but be missing the other two.”

  “I don’t know,” said Chuck. “That sounds pretty thin to me.”

  It sounded thin to Asher too, but there was something more to it. He could feel it. Something had been striking him as odd about the Cythrans’ behavior this entire time, but he was only now beginning to put together exactly what had been bothering him. “It’s other things, too. Qwadie told me that the Coin-Ops were partly there as bodyguards, and I did see them following the Cythrans all around in Archon settlement, but they didn’t go with them to the mine or the old lab—not until after the first attack when security was high all over. Also, her story of how they found out about Miraneeria and got me assigned to this mission didn’t ring true.”

  “And what was that story, Asher?” asked Jaydrupar. “That does not seem to be in any report you have filed over the past couple of days.”

  Asher realized he had made a mistake. He had omitted the fact that Qwadaleemia had claimed that Asher’s own father had been conspiring with them, in part to protect Maxim, but mainly because it really had seemed very far-fetched. He could see no choice but to come clean now, though. “She said that my father was working with them.” The words felt heavy coming out of him, and he hoped he hadn't just destroyed his father’s career, and with it any hope of reconciliation between the two of them.

  ***

  As Asher had expected, Jaydrupar took Qwadaleemia’s report about Maxim Asher very seriously. He forwarded the information to his bosses, and soon enough Asher was having to deal with Drienner Marcolis, who was very angry that he had omitted this crucial information from his reports. Asher had no excuse, so he admitted that it was nothing more than a sense of filial responsibility and an inability to believe that his father might betray Hokozana that had led him to remain silent. Surprisingly, this mollified Marcolis. “Well. We all have fathers, I suppose, and some of us have sons as well,” said the old man. “Even so, this is a grave omission, Donnie. Maxim Asher is highly-placed and party to much very sensitive information. If he is working with an outside party, the potential ramifications are serious indeed.”

  Surprisingly, Asher’s first thought was amazement that Marcolis might have a son. He had always thought of the old man, eccentric and mercurial though he might be, as something of a robot, dedicated almost to the point of monomania to his work. That a man like that might have once had the time and inclination to start a family seemed incongruous and amusing.

  Asher knew he had, once again, dealt a blow to his own promotion chances. He would undoubtedly remain a One-Bar for some time to come. He couldn’t yet tell how his father would be affected. There would be an investigation, he supposed. If Maxim had really been filtering information to the Cythrans, then he was likely all but done in Hokozana. He would probably be shunted aside into a meaningless role at some research outpost until he could be quietly coerced into early retirement. His error might not seem as terrible as Asher’s own sin in releasing the Cythrans in the first place, for which he had simply been demoted, but Maxim was on the edge of the inner circle, a confidant of the Hokozana elite, and they could never forgive one of their own for sharing their secrets.

  Asher couldn’t believe that it would come to that, though. Maxim Asher was a self-righteous and pompous man at his worst, but he was a dyed-in-the-wool Hokozana loyalist and steadfast conservative. Asher simply couldn’t believe that his father could ever betray the corporation as Qwadaleemia alleged. It seemed far more likely that the Cythrans were playing some kind of game with all of them. Ostensibly, they blamed the Ferethers for the destruction of their home world, but the Zvezda Company, DiJeRiCo, and Hokozana had all played significant roles in the events leading up to the Ferether bombardment of Cierren Cythra, and none were blameless in the near-destruction of the Cythran species. By blundering around in an attempt to impose their own laws and corporate structures on another race, humans had opened that race up to the galaxy, and then been surprised to learn that not everyone there was friendly to it. It was just another example of that Achilles’ heel of humanity, the Law of Unintended Consequences.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The forensic investigation of the minefield site was postponed while Dortmunder awaited the return of Dalian and her detachment from whatever system lay beyond the unregistered jumpgate. As the hours dragged on, this became more and more a matter of concern.

  “Their mission was simple,” said Jaydrupar. “They were to go through, see if there was any threat on the far side, and find some reference stars to determine the location of the unknown system. That is all. It should not be taking this long. If there was some delay, they could easily have sent a scout back through with an interim report.”

  “Maybe they were engaged by more mercenary ships,” Asher suggested. “A fight could delay them for a significant amount of time, especially if they have to conduct mop-up and rescue operations.”

  Chuck suggested a more disquieting possibility. “Or maybe they haven’t been able to find any reference stars. We have no idea where this jumpgate goes, after all, why does it necessarily have to be somewhere nearby, or even recognizable?”

  “Like across the galaxy, you mean?” Asher considered the possibility. In galactic terms, the Human Zone was extraordinarily small, consisting of no more than a thousand or so star systems, out of the four hundred billion in the Milky Way. It was possible that the expedition sent through the gate was now in an unfamiliar part of the galaxy where finding reference stars might not be as simple as it seemed.

  Jaydrupar snorted. “Unlikely, the mercenaries must expect to jump to somewhere in a known system, else why would they risk using this jumpgate at all? We also believe that it has been used by non-corps to smuggle fission products stolen here for sale in Ordered Space. The simplest explanation is that there is a second unregistered jumpgate in a known
system, probably a disordered or peripheral system where it would be easier to conceal the presence of such a thing. I think Asher’s guess that our ships met a second mercenary fleet after jumping is far more likely. We will know soon enough. In the meantime, we should continue our search for the mole in Meridian as best we can, paying especial attention to the movements of the Cythrans.”

  Before he could continue, they were interrupted by a loud alert and a woman’s voice over Ship Net, “This is Rear Admiral Smith. We are proceeding through the jumpgate. All crew, assume battlestations.”

  ***

  The ship shuddered slightly and Asher felt the faint sinking feeling of rapid acceleration. Through his neural net, he queried Battle Net and was allowed to link to it as an observer. He saw that Chuck and Jaydrupar were doing the same. All three took their places in crash seats that unfolded from one wall of the compartment. “Here we go,” said Asher. Chuck swallowed nervously. Jaydrupar only grunted as he buckled himself into the seat.

  Battle Net showed Asher an AI-generated view of the Hokozana fleet, twelve blue dots, moving into formation in front of the jumpgate, which was depicted as a yellow ring suspended above the distant pale green surface of Dominion Two. One by one, the ships passed through the ring and vanished. Dortmunder was the fifth ship in line, preceded by four quick scouts. Clearly, Rear Admiral was planning to bring the cruiser, the heaviest and best-armed ship in the fleet by far, through right behind the nimble scouts, ready to pummel any enemy they might catch just as they came out of the jump. This method, sending fast ships through to disrupt followed closely by heavy ships to deal damage, was the standard method of breaking a jumpgate blockade. Even so, it only succeeded when the attacking fleet was overwhelmingly superior in firepower. Not knowing what they faced beyond made this a very risky maneuver. Asher gritted his teeth as Dortmunder entered the jumpgate.

  ***

  As they jumped, Battle Net abruptly changed what it was showing its observers. The yellow ring of the jumpgate was still there, but the blue dot denting Dortmunder was now on the opposite side it. Dominion Two was gone. “Jump successful,” the AI reported, through Asher’s neural net.

  As new data poured into the ships sensors, the view was rapidly updated. Four small dots appeared, indicating the scouts that had preceded them through the gate. Beyond them was a small, rocky planet orbited by two moons. No second jumpgate was immediately evident. Nor was there any sign of the mercenary ships or of Dalian and her detachment. “No ships detected. Scanning for radiation signatures,” said the AI. “No relevant radiation signatures detected. No relevant debris detected.”

  “It’s like they disappeared,” said Chuck.

  Asher said nothing. The detachment—Dalian, three destroyers, four frigates, and two scouts—was simply gone. They would never have left the jumpgate area without a compelling reason, and even if they had been forced to leave, they would have sent a report back through the gate with one of the scouts or frigates. Asher could think of no reasonable explanation for the ships’ disappearance. The lack of debris and radiation precluded a battle, but nothing else made any sense at all. “Location: orbit of unidentified lunar body in Beta Persei trinary system, also known as Algol.”

  “Algol?” said Asher. “That’s what? A hundred light years?”

  “Ninety-four,” said Jaydrupar. “More or less.”

  Chuck gasped. “Well beyond the Human Zone. Who the hell made this jumpgate?”

  “I think we will discover that soon enough,” said Jaydrupar.

  Through Asher’s net, the AI spoke again. “New contact. Unknown vessel, unknown class. Approximate dimensions, five thousand, one hundred meters maximum dimension, four thousand, two hundred meters minimum dimension. Classed as neutral.” A bright yellow lozenge appeared in the Battle Net display.

  “So large.” There was astonishment in Jaydrupar’s voice.

  Chuck spoke softly, and her voice trembled. “Did you see that? It came from nowhere. One moment, nothing. The next, a five-kilometer ship. Is that even possible?”

  Asher said nothing. He just watched as the huge yellow lozenge approached the Hokozana fleet, which now numbered eight ships, as others had come through the jumpgate. Two of the scouts turned and burned hard for the gate. They must have been ordered back to Archibald with word of the giant ship. They entered the yellow ring but passed through it without jumping. No additional vessels came through from the other side either.

  “It’s shut down the gate, somehow,” said Jaydrupar, who appeared to be recovering from his initial shock. “That should not be possible.” Then, to Asher’s surprise, he laughed. “Of course, whatever that vessel is, it redefines our conceptions of what is possible, does it not?”

  Asher watched as the scouts returned to the fleet and the whole formation turned to confront the enormous newcomer. He watched in astonishment as they all began to move forward, approaching the huge ship at a slow but increasing pace. “What are we doing?” he asked no one in particular.

  It was the Battle Net AI that responded. “An unidentified energy field has surrounded all fleet vessels. It is drawing us toward the neutral vessel, now designated Beta Persei Anomaly 1. The mechanism is unknown. Analyzing.”

  Chuck was incredulous. “A tractor beam? That’s not even a real thing!”

  “It is possible, in theory,” said Jaydrupar.

  “Stupid name,” said Asher.

  “Huh?” asked Chuck.

  “We’re calling the largest spaceship ever encountered ‘Beta Persei Anomaly 1?’ Stupid name.”

  As they spoke, the ship drew them closer and closer. Battle Net switched them to a new view, presumably taken directly from cameras or other visual sensors mounted on the hull. It showed the enormous ship ahead. At first, it was just a dark patch against the distant planet, but it slowly grew to fill the entire view. It was still mostly dark, but odd flashes of green and blue light coruscated across it. Along its approximate midline, a row of yellow lights could be faintly seen. As they approached, the yellow lights split into two rows that withdrew from one another, growing farther and farther apart, leaving a deep black space between. It took Asher a moment to realize what was happening. “It’s eating us. The hull is splitting and we’re being swallowed.”

  All three operatives watched in silence as Battle Net showed them a view from the front of Dortmunder’s hull as she was drawn into the gaping maw of the giant ship.

  ***

  For a time, Battle Net didn’t seem to be able to make sense of where Dortmunder was. The light from Algol was gone, but the same flashes of blue and green that lit the exterior also rippled across what must be the walls of an enormous docking bay. They were being drawn downward, relative to Dortmunder’s orientation, toward what appeared to be a mass of blue foam with odd, jagged shapes poking out of it at irregular intervals. After a moment, Battle Net applied a green overlay to these shapes, and labeled them: Mithras, Fire-and-Forget, Dalian. Other names appeared as well, ten in all.

  “Its’ Dalian’s detachment,” said Chuck. “They must have been trapped just as we were.”

  Asher looked over the scene. Each shape was identifiable as a Hokozana ship only through the Battle Net overlay. Without that to guide his eye, he saw only blocky forms poking out of the spongy mass below. “What is it? Have they been destroyed?”

  “Buried, I think,” said Jaydrupar. “That foam or gel down there has enveloped the ships, and only spars and towers jut above it.” He paused a moment. “Perhaps we are looking at a type of spacedock?”

  On human orbitals, docking usually occurred through a gated, semi-rigid tube or passageway, which extended to an airlock or portal on a ship. Asher had once seen a docking system developed by a strange race calling themselves the Ill Begotten. They had used a system of tethers to pull the ship into a solid lock built onto their orbital. He was sure other docking mechanisms existed, but he had never heard of a technology that actually enveloped large ships in foam. Then again, he had nev
er heard of a five-kilometer ship that could swallow a fully outfitted cruiser and several smaller ships whole, either.

  As the tractor beam, or whatever it was, drew them down toward the foam, the mass below began to writhe and separate. An opening formed, and Dortmunder settled into it. Nearby, the other vessels in the small fleet drifted into their own hollows in the blue foam. “Forward motion has ceased,” said Battle Net. “We have settled against a lightly-yielding mass of unknown composition. Analyzing.” The walls of foam that surrounded them closed back in and the hollow soon filled up with blue, blocking all exterior cameras. “One hundred percent loss of external sensor data.”

  “Analyzing,” said Chuck, sarcasm in her voice. Asher glanced at her. She was visibly shaken, but seemed to be getting a hold of herself. Jaydrupar, who sat just beyond her, was sitting calmly, eyes closed, probably gathering all the information he could through his neural net.

  For a few moments, nothing happened. Battle Net had nothing to report. No word came from the Rear Admiral, either. Asher assumed she was far too busy trying to figure out what, if anything, they could do. “Weapons systems are down,” said Jaydrupar.

  “What? How do you know?” asked Chuck.

  “I patched in to Control Net as an observer. A benefit of rank. We tried to fire the particle beams at the foam, but there was no response from Fire Control. We have no control over the missile systems or the autons either. Whatever this ship is, it has completely subverted our computer systems and all but shut us down.

  “So if it wants to,” said Asher, “it can kill us all by simply turning off Life Support. I guess we better hope the aliens are friendly, or at least not homicidal.”

  “We do not know yet that we are dealing with aliens,” said Jaydrupar.

  “If this is human tech, then I’m the Wizard of Oz.”

  “The wizard of what?” asked Chuck.

  At that moment, the lights in the compartment went out and Battle Net went offline. Red emergency lights along the walls flickered on, and were just as quickly doused. The room was plunged into near-total darkness. “No channels active on my neural net,” said Jaydrupar. “In fact, I am not certain that my net is still working.”