Koban (4 page)
Authors: Stephen W Bennett
“Not sure which cheeks you mean, but thanks for saying so.” She
leered at him in her best seductive mode. “I want to dazzle you with the beautiful
red gown I found on our stopover at Ramah. It has the most interesting lack of fabric.”
She glanced at his bulging red heart patch and smiled. With that
tease hanging in the air, he followed her, walking somewhat stiffly, as she turned
and entered the lift.
Mirikami, upon their return, said “I was about to call you. Jake
gave me the time reminder. Still no radio messages, but I did make a wide electromagnetic
spectrum check. The five long-range radar stations of the Bolide warning system
were
all
operating when we arrived, but two on the far side of Mother have
quit scanning, which I find odd. One radar station happens to be only six light
minutes from us, twelve minutes radio round trip time. I sent it a call a couple
of minutes ago and we could get a reply within ten minutes or so, assuming it‘s
manned. I really want to know if they have tracks for anything sizeable along our
path. Jake has used our Laser Defense System quite a few times on pea-sized gravel.
There must be an enormous amount of debris orbiting even outside the planetary plane.
Worse than in the Prophet’s Robe.”
“No, no. Interworld doesn‘t go there, that’s on the other
side of the Hub area.” Mirikami explained. “I served inside that nebula courtesy
of the Navy, shortly after I graduated from Navy academy, well before I went to
the civil Space Academy. I was an ensign, and it was during the second Qaddafi Jihad,
over forty years ago.
“The male fanatics and their self-styled Sultan had finally retreated
into the Robe with their harem slaves, thinking they had escaped Hub laws. They
were determined to restore an old defunct Earth culture, where each male virtually
owed multiple women. Naturally, the President sent in our only combat capable squadron,
which is where I was assigned. That was in Lady Morrisfem’s first term. That got
her reelected too. It was the first Navy combat in almost three hundred years.”
He shifted subjects. “We should reach orbit around Newborn in
thirty-one hours, eighteen minutes, then allow about twenty minutes to match orbit
and dock with Midway. We’ll reach rollover in about seventeen hours.”
“Ship jargon.” Mirikami explained. “We rotate the ship for deceleration
at the halfway point. In this case, we are chasing Newborn, so we go a little past
halfway. Rotating is not strictly necessary, but it’s more energy efficient for
keeping our compensated internal gravity pointing in the right direction,
always toward our feet, as we accelerate or decelerate. All we need now is for
Midwife to answer us.”
“Jake, have
you detected any communications of any type since re-entry?”
“Why didn’t you inform me another one had quit?”
“Sir, you asked me to tell you if the beacon came on or of
other new transmissions. That was not a new transmission.”
Mirikami
sighed. “But no other sort of new transmission Jake?”
“No Sir. If you exclude the natural radio emissions from the
gas giants and the star, as I believe you intend. There are no new intelligent signals”
They waited another ten minutes. There was no reply to the radio
calls to either Midwife or the nearest radar station.
Mirikami issued new instructions to the computer. “Jake, advise
the Bridge of any change in the pattern of radar emissions, such as entering tracking
mode on us, and of any other artificial signals of any type.”
Switching off, Mirikami swiveled to face Dillon, a concerned
expression on his face. “Doctor, I don’t know what is going on in this system but
the silence is difficult to understand. There is too much redundancy to consider
a simple equipment failure. Something is wrong.”
“I have to
agree, Captain. What do you intend to do now?”
“Gather more information. First, how good is Midwife’s defense
against a comet or asteroid impact? They certainly would have the means to make
use of the data from the Bolide network, but lasers and plasma beams are barely
flyswatters for a large rock or ice ball. This is a relatively young star system,
there are billions of comets and big rocks left wandering around, and some pass
through the inner system. What were you going to do to stop one from hitting Midwife?”
“Midwife has a heavy duty Laser Defense System, almost certainly
more powerful than what your ship carries, as well as one large particle beam generator.
As you noted, these are for the lighter stuff, a few tons or less. For big ones
we intend to get out of the way, because Midwife is mobile of course, having Jumped
here using Trap fields.”
Mirikami considered for a moment then seemed to make a grudging
admission. “The station would seem to be protected from a collision accident. Anyway,
there would be a flood of emergency transmissions if it had been hit. I’m forced
to conclude that the radio silence has been imposed on them.”
This explanation had occurred to Dillon as Mirikami spoke, and
his thoughts were racing in an unpleasant direction. It was premature to mention
them, and he needed time to sort them. He asked, “Assuming you’re correct, what
do you suggest?”
“My first obligation is to the safety of my passengers and my
ship, but in the absence of any clear threat I see no reason not to continue. Midway
might be in need of assistance. However, I want to meet with your Board of Directors
and ask for their recommendations. They’re paying the bills.”
“Captain, I’m not on the Board, but in matters that might affect
the entire project they have to hold an open meeting, with group discussion from
the entire staff.”
“I understand. While I feel this information is better kept to
as few people as possible, if the Board wants an open meeting afterwards it can
be arranged. Jake can set up a two-way conference communication system for everyone.”
“That seems
fair enough. How soon do you want to meet with the Board?”
“Right now, if possible.” He turned slightly. “Noreen, ask Jake
to locate all of the Board of Directors, please. Then personally ask them to meet
me in the large conference room on deck 8 in five minutes. Don’t explain why for
now; just say that it’s important and confidential. Also ask the off duty crew members
to report to their duty stations, and have Ms. Jorl’sn join you on the bridge.”
“By the way,” he added, in an offhand manner, “we trapped several
tacs as backup, and I was having Ms. Willfem step up the g’s gradually with the
original Jump tac. We are nearly up to fourteen g’s now. Have her step back down
to ten g’s and transfer the two extra tacs back into the primary Trap. That will
give us redundancy and some more time to plan our approach. Reheat the second beam
plasma too. We might stumble on some larger rocks in that debris out there since
the Bolide stations aren’t talking to us.”
Noreen hesitated
an instant before replying, with a sharp little nod. “I understand Sir.”
It was slight, but Dillon noticed her pause, and the way her
eyes had briefly darted a look at Mirikami. There had been something implied in
Mirikami’s instructions that Noreen had wanted her superior to know she had received.
Moreover, they didn’t want to discuss it in front of an outsider.
The Captain’s next words were again for Martin. “Dillon, I know
you are the bridge observer and not a Board Member, but I’d like to have you present
when I brief your Board of Directors.”
Dillon had preferred to stay behind and see if he could pick
up on whatever the Captain had covertly passed on to his First Officer. Therefore,
he hedged, “I don’t know what I could contribute beyond your own recommendations,
Captain.”
“Confirmation for one thing. If your group agrees to make a slow,
circuitous approach, it could add to the transport fee. As I mentioned earlier,
few companies bid on this contract. I want the Board to know that this is not some
pretext for Interworld to run up charges on a hapless customer.”
Dillon couldn’t think of a plausible reason to refuse the request.
He gave in, “Very well. I appreciate your position.”
“Thank you
Doctor.” Then to Noreen, “Have you reached Ms. Jorl’sn?”
“Good. I’m going to the conference room.” Mirikami raised his
console arm and moved toward the lifts.
Pressing his own seat release, Dillon followed, his thoughts
racing. The last operational instructions to his First Officer reinforced a sense
he had that the Captain was considerably more concerned than he wished an outsider
to know. There was no apparent risk for the ship, yet Mirikami’s actions seemed
to indicate otherwise. He had alerted the entire crew and arranged for two officers
to be on the Bridge, despite the fact that Jake could essentially run the ship unassisted.
The more telling item to him however, had been the order to reduce
acceleration and shift the excess tachyons in the secondary field into the primary
Trap. The one used for making a Jump.
One possible answer had been haunting Dillon. Had Mirikami reached
the same conclusion? He decided to confront the Captain directly, but not on the
bridge, not in the presence of a female subordinate. Mirikami was already in a socially
awkward position of direct command over a number of women. A man simply didn’t undermine
another man’s status in public, not if it could be avoided.
When the lift doors closed, Dillon began bluntly. “Captain, you
appear to think that something more is wrong here than you choose to admit to me
back there. If there’s been a disaster at Midwife, it can’t affect us here and now,
and would seem to require us to make the utmost speed to bring assistance. Instead,
you reduced speed and saved the excess tachyon energy for an emergency Jump. You
seem to be preparing for a threat against this ship, and I want to know what you
think it is.”
Mirikami listened patiently, concealing his surprise with a practiced
poker face. He had again underestimated the man. He would try not to let it happen
again.
“You have an astute mind, Doctor Martin,” reverting to a more
formal mode. “But you are only partially correct. I
did
effectively place
the ship on alert. Noreen understood my intent, of course, and like the good officer
she is, didn’t ask me to elaborate with you present. However I have kept nothing
from you, I give you my word. My sole motive for concealment was to avoid spreading
alarm, through you, to my other passengers.”
He made a half bow to Dillon. “Allow me to offer my apology for
the deception, and more so for having underestimated your perception.”
Dillon was
still grim faced. “I’ll condition my acceptance on your telling me your reasons.
”
“Agreed. In addition, I will repeat them for your Board members
in a few minutes. They can then decide if my concern should be conveyed to everyone.
Though my experience would recommend against that action, at least until we know
more.”
“Fair enough.” Dillon’s face lost some of its hardness. “Why
did you take those precautions? We are still well out from Midwife.”
“Several reasons, all tenuous. The total radio silence can hardly
be accidental. The lack of communications is almost certainly an indication of some
sort of problem or trouble. Then, three of five radar stations have gone dead
since we arrived. Another reason is based on several scattered news reports circulating
around this general side of the Rim, of missing or overdue ships, and of a number
of mysteriously deserted small mining outposts in remote systems.
“An unexplained loss of twenty or thirty ships in a couple
of years is an anomaly, but not a great one. Despite our technology, over two thousand
ships are lost to accidents every year. There are a hundred and fifty million Jump
ships of all classes in space, and some are going to meet disaster no matter how
fail-safe we try to make them. What drew my attention was the fact that many of
the ships lost in the Rim area were on the galactic core side of explored space,
where we are now. Rimmers may have a ragtag reputation, but their equipment gets
first rate repair, and they are very careful when operating in undeveloped systems
with no hope of prompt rescue.”
Dillon wasn’t satisfied. “And now we are just outside the Rim
region closest to the galactic center. How does that translate into danger?” With
a mild note of sarcasm he asked, “So, are you afraid Midwife has been hit by pirates
and they’re waiting for us?”
The pirate reference wasn’t serious, but the possibility of some
sort of a raid had definitely been preying on Dillon’s mind. The Captain surprised
him when he indicated the pirate notion had been given some thought.
“No, I considered pirates, but it doesn’t fit the facts. Pirate
bands are very rare, and they don’t stick around to clean up their mess after blasting
a ship or a station for its cargo. In their haste, they usually leave debris,
and survivors that call for help. Anyway, few Rim ships would be carrying precious
and easily disposable cargo, but kidnapping and ransom might be a motive. Some of
the few thousand missing people in the news stories would have to be worth something
to their families, governments, or their companies.
“Only I’ve not heard of any ransom cases recently, and that sort
of story is never kept secret for long. Besides, we are discussing Midwife station.
Your most precious equipment is still in our cargo hold, and is of limited value
on the black market in any event. Your major resource is your people.”