Merkiaari Wars: 01 - Hard Duty (19 page)

“What do we know about that ship, Francis?” Colgan said and highlighted Alpha-One on the main viewer with his control wand.

“Not much, sir. Alpha-one: Shan ship in the light cruiser range. It was patrolling the zone when we came in. Since then, it has led two of their training ops with distinction. I would like to go aboard and meet her captain. I like his moves.”

“Let’s hope we get the opportunity.”

“Sir?”

“What is it, Steph?” Colgan went to join her at Scan. He leaned upon the master plot’s consol, reading the data absently “What have you found?”

“Could be nothing, Skipper, but see this?” Mills punched up another view. The current view cleared to be replaced by another sector of the Shan system. “Watch gamma-eight-niner, sir.”

Colgan frowned. “I don’t see anything—”

“There, sir. That’s it.”

For just an instant, something flickered into being. Vectors and velocity painted the target, but then it disappeared as it had come with no explanation.
Canada’s
computer must have been as puzzled as Colgan felt because after a second’s hesitation it deleted the data. Normally, if a target was lost from the scan, the computer would update the plot and paint the data yellow to designate a lost or stealthed target’s presumed heading. It did neither of those things.

“A glitch?”

“I don’t think so, Skipper,” Mills said uncertainly. “It’s as if the computer had picked up a ship with a faulty I.F.F”

Colgan frowned. “I don’t follow.”

“See, if I was a captain of say… a cruiser entering a possibly hostile system, I wouldn’t want the Shan to find me.”

“Obviously.”

“Yes, sir,” Mills agreed. “I.F.F might give the game away and it might not. Probably it would, but I wouldn’t want to risk it either way, but what if I had to meet someone in that system?”

“Us?” Colgan noted the computer deleting another instance of the phantom target. “You think he’s dicking about with his signature?”

“Yes sir, I do. It would be real easy to make our computer think it had a glitch. I know I could do it.”

“From the inside,” Colgan agreed. He could think of two ways right off. “But from
outside?
”

“Yes sir. I could do it.”

“Hmmm.” He wasn’t sure he liked that, but now wasn’t the time to think about it. Colgan turned back to his station. “Run a plot and extrapolate the phantom’s probable entry point into the inner belt.”

“Aye, sir.”

“Janice?”

“Sir?”

“As soon as Steph gives you a course, I want you to take us there. Keep us down to five percent of max. That should keep the Shan ignorant of our movements.”

“Aye sir.”

* * *

Aboard ASN Invincible, approaching Shan inner belt

“Slow to one tenth,” Captain Monroe said and swivelled her station. “Anything yet?”

“Nothing, Skipper,” Commander Hamilton said. “They might have been detected and had to jump out.”

“I doubt it. The Shan couldn’t find us. If Colgan was careful, he should have remained undetected. What’s that Shan cruiser doing now?”

“Still patrolling the belt skip.”

“That’s good.” She turned to Martin at communications. “Keep transmitting.”

“Aye, aye ma’am,” Lieutenant Davin said.

It had taken them days to sneak away from the outer belt. The Shan had taken it upon themselves to run a training op of some kind almost in their laps. It had taken some skilful ship handling by Keith Hadden to extricate them. Now all they had to do was find
Canada
and her mission would be successfully completed.

“The report said that Colgan was using the inner belt to survey the system. Where the hell is he?”

“Could be anywhere by now, Skip. He’s been here almost a year—” Kersten began without looking up from her plot, but then her eyes sharpened. “Contact! Target designate Charlie-one—Alliance survey vessel.” She looked up and grinned. “It’s
Canada
, Captain.”

Cynthia smiled in satisfaction. “Helm, intercept course.”

“Aye, aye. Coming to new heading three-four-six by zero-zero-two degrees,” Lieutenant Hadden said, making the course correction and
Invincible
swung to port.

“Get me
Canada
as soon as we’re in range, Martin. I want to say hello.”

Davin nodded. “Yes ma’am!”

* * *

Aboard ASN Canada, Shan inner belt

James stepped off the shuttle and into
Canada’s
number two boat-bay. Brenda stopped beside him and took his hand. He smiled down at her, but she didn’t see. She was looking around the bay with interest. The others whispered among themselves while half a dozen of
Canada’s
crew trotted by and up the ramp to retrieve their belongings from the shuttle. Standing in a line ahead of the contact team was their reception committee.

Captain Monroe went to greet
Canada’s
captain. James nudged Brenda gently and they tagged along.

“—my first officer Commander Groves. This is Lieutenant Ricks, my comm officer. Mark is the reason we’re all here.”

Ricks demurred. “It could have been anyone, sir. It was blind luck that I was on duty at the right time.”

“Lucky for all of us,” Captain Colgan said.

Monroe shook hands with Colgan’s officers and introduced her Exec before turning to Janice. “This is Professor Bristow, George. She heads up the contact team. I will let her introduce you to the others.”

“I am glad to know you Professor—” Colgan began.

“Call me Janice, please.”

“As you wish, Janice. I am pleased to welcome you and your team aboard. I will have your things sent to your quarters. If you need anything, please let me know.”

“Thank you, Captain, but the only thing we need is a place to work, and access to your computer and database. Let me first introduce you to the others.” Janice said turning to James. “Professor James Wilder, history.”

James smiled and shook the captain’s hand. “Nice to meet you, sir. I’m looking forward to seeing what you have learned.”

Colgan inclined his head. “Welcome aboard, Professor.”

“Professor Brenda Lane, xenology and exobiology.”

“Welcome Professor. I look forward to hearing your views on the Shan.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Brenda said and shook hands.

“Professor Bernhard Franks, cultural studies.”

“Cultural studies?” Colgan said in puzzlement. “What do you study?”

“Rather it is whom do I study, Captain. I specialise in the Merkiaari. The President thought I would be useful.”

Colgan raised an eyebrow at that. “I see. Welcome aboard, Professor.”

“Professor David Harrison, biology,” Janice said.

“Nice to meet you, Professor.”

“Likewise, sir,” David said. “You have a very fine ship here. I know quite a bit about the Fleet and—”

Janice interrupted with a gentle squeeze of David’s shoulder. “Please, David. Leave that for later if you would.”

“Sorry, Captain.”

“Not at all, Professor. I am very proud of her. We’ll find time to talk later.”

“I look forward to it, sir.”

“Sheryl Linden, physics and engineering design,” Janice went on, and motioned Sheryl forward.

“I have heard of you, Professor,” Colgan said pumping Sheryl’s hand with enthusiasm. “If I’m not mistaken, you pioneered the development of the skip capable drive.”

Sheryl shook her head. “You
are
mistaken captain. The ability is inherent within all fold space drives.”

“Yes, but you made it possible to actually use it. Before your research, two out of three ships smeared themselves all over the quadrant whenever they tried it.”

“It was simply a matter of proper calibration—” Sheryl began but stopped herself. “Forgive me, Bindar. That was rude of me.”

“There is nothing to forgive, Professor Linden,” Bindar Singh murmured quietly. “I am sure your achievements are more than worthy.”

“Captain Colgan, this is Professor Singh. He is our linguistics expert,” Sheryl said, introducing her colleague herself by way of an apology.

“Honoured, sir,” Bindar said with a small bow.

“The honour is mine, Professor Singh. I have a lot to show you. We have been recording everything since the day we arrived. Much of it is verbal communication. Mark has been working on it, but he’s not really trained in your field I’m afraid.”

“I will start at once!” Bindar said eagerly.

“No hurry, Bindar,” Janice said, and laughed gently at his downcast expression. “Let us get settled in at least. I’ll call a meeting first thing tomorrow… have you a place for us to work, Captain?”

“You can have the briefing room whenever you need it, and all the labs are open to you of course.”

“Thank you.”

Colgan turned to Ricks. “Show our guests to their cabins please, Mark. Make sure they know how to use our equipment and can find their way around.”

“Aye sir. If you will follow me please?”

Janice nodded and led the team after the lieutenant.

* * *

Aboard Chakra, on extended patrol, Shan system

Tei’Varyk, commander of the light fang
Chakra
, was perplexed. It was unlike Tarjei to be wrong about something like this, but if she was not, where was the target? It had been long orbits since the Murderers of Harmony had destroyed the Harmony of Shan, but that made his people more vigilant not less. The Fleet had never been so strong, and it would get stronger still as new construction was added.

The Twin Worlds of the race had lived in peace for many hundreds of orbits, but then had come the
war
. War, he mused, a strange word that had no place in the mouth of any Shan. It even sounded alien, which of course it was. The race had no word for this thing that the Murderers called war, and so they used the alien word rather than foul the language of the race by adding one more harmonious. The elders were wise in this. How could something without harmony be given a harmonious word? It was much better to use the harsh sounding alien one to remind everyone what it meant.

Tei’Varyk glanced at the repeater display on his right side. It was displaying a schematic of the outer asteroid belt with mining operations and other information blinking in the blue of known targets.

“Jakinda, come about to a new heading of… zero-zero-zero by zero-two-seven.”

“I hear, Tei,” Jakinda acknowledged the order. “He comes to a new heading: zero-zero-zero by zero-two-seven.”

“Good Jakinda,” Tei’Varyk said and turned his station toward his mate. “Tarjei, his eyes to maximum. Sweep a cone forty-five degrees either side of us.”

“I hear,” Tarjei said. “His eyes see nothing, but I am vigilant.”

He flicked his ears in acknowledgment. “You are his eyes.”

“I hear,” Tarjei said dropping her jaw and baring her teeth in a smile.

With the press of a button, Tei’Varyk centred his station again and reviewed what he knew of this phantom target. It had appeared at the extreme edge of
Chakra’s
envelope only briefly before submerging itself in the debris of the outer asteroid belt. A traveller (comet) he had thought, but it had not re-emerged from the belt, and there had been no impact detected. Tarjei, by coincidence testing
Chakra’s
eyes at maximum, had locked up the object briefly, and the glaring red of unknown target splashed itself across half the displays on the command deck. The warning, sirens shocked everyone immobile for moments only before his finely trained crew responded as their training demanded.
Chakra
had turned toward the target, and his eyes had swept the belt at maximum range and power, but Tei’Varyk had failed to find any clue to the phantom’s whereabouts. The elders had heard his report with worry evident in the way their muzzles and whiskers twitched. They ordered him to patrol the asteroid belt until a satisfactory answer was obtained. That was almost half an orbit ago—two seasons of searching and nothing to show the elders.

“Indications negative, Tei,” Tarjei said unhappily. “I have failed you and him.”

“Never say that,” Tei’Varyk said harshly. “We will search until the end of the orbit if we have to. Do not concern yourself with failure. Look ahead in harmony.”

“I hear,” Tarjei said with her hackles raised and her tail restless. She was not in harmony.

The distress in Tarjei’s voice was obvious. Her ears were plastered flat against her head—a sign of just how upset she was with her failure. Tei’Varyk saw the misery in her eyes before she looked away from him and back to her controls. He should comfort her tonight. They had spent so little time together while on this patrol. It was hard to remember the last time they were alone. Tarjei and he had been mated for only a short time. For all intents and purposes, they were still the strangers from far off clans they had been last orbit.