The Engines of Dawn (26 page)

Holcombe pointed to the "wave."

"These four star systems are roughly the same distance from the galactic core." He tapped a section of the map with his pointer that was awash with millions of specks of ink.

"Where is the Enamorati home world in all of this, do you think?" he then asked.

One of the Ainge children blasphemed. "Ix!" he said with a gasp. But no one admonished him.

Virr lay at the very Inner Alley. The "wave," the migratory path of the living lightstorm outside-or whatever it ultimately turned out to be-seemed to come from there.

The physics team and the other renegade faculty managed to break Eve Silbarton's stardrive down into modules so they could refine some of the more problematic parts of the engine while beginning the process of duplicating the others that were ready. This took time. Their materials duplicator had to be reconfigured for the larger parts of the drive, particularly the drive "shaft" itself, a seven-foot assembly that resembled a miniature data-bullet rail gun. This "gun," however, would shoot C-graviton particles through trans-space that Eos itself would come to occupy once the coordinates were established. Ben had been in on the effort since breakfast.

They had just begun duplicating the stardrive components when Captain Cleddman surprised them by walking rather nonchalantly into the lab.

The captain looked over his shoulder, back the way he had come. "How long has the corridor out there been deserted?" he asked.

The ten or eleven people in the room looked to one another.

"We didn't know it
was
deserted," said Dr. Israel Harlin.

Cleddman darkened. "Fontenot, that son of a bitch." He activated his com. "Ship Security," he commanded.

"Ship Security, here. Go ahead,"
came the dutiful response.

"This is Captain Cleddman. Where are the two guards that are supposed to be watching the physics wing?"

There was no hesitancy in the response.
"We're just changing shifts now, sir. The new shift will be on momentarily."

"Have them report to me first," Cleddman said. "I am on the physics floor. Out."

Eve Silbarton, wearing a pair of welder's goggles on her forehead, came over. "So what's the news?"

Everybody set their tools down and listened to Cleddman's update, particularly the switchover of command to the university president and his appointees. He made special mention of the data-bullet problem and the phony letters of command-transfer that could not have been sent, let alone received.

"But
why
is Porter doing this?" young Cale Murphy asked at the end of Cleddman's briefing.

"Because," Cleddman said, "the Auditors think that some of the students have been eavesdropping on both them and the Enamorati. The same students supposedly violated the Enamorati's sacred Engine-extraction ceremony-which is probably why we've been ordered to go to Wolfe-Langaard 4 to stand trial."

Everyone looked at Ben. Eve Silbarton prodded him. "I think you'd better tell the captain what you've been up to."

Which Ben did, rather contritely. He then.dug out the photographs the Bombardiers made from their probes. "We were going to get these to you anyway."

Cleddman threw up his hands. "Jesus fucking Christ," he said.

"Sorry," Ben said. "It just came over us."

Cleddman glared. "Something seems to have come over
everyone.
No wonder Porter wants to grab the boat."

"But you said that he had no concrete proof that anything was done. Right?" Ben asked.

"If he finds these photographs of yours," Cleddman said, "he'll have all the proof he needs."

Ben then said, "But he'd have to explain the damage in the corridor and the one Accuser killing the other Enamorati. That
cannot
be normal for them, even if they
are
aliens."

Dr. Israel Harlin, standing tall and thin in stained coveralls, said, "You know, this is going to be in court for years and years. It'll take forever to straighten it out."

"Like I said," Ben told him. "Something just came over us. The opposite of the Ennui, maybe."

"You remind me of
me
when I was your age," Cleddman said. "Reckless as hell and damn lucky no one shot me every day of my life."

"If there
is
a battle going on inside the Enamorati quarters, then we're
all
in danger," Ben said. "We don't know what factions are in there or who is in power. For all we know, the Kuulo's group could be on the losing side."

"Which could explain why the Kuulo wants to get us to Wolfe-Langaard 4 in such a hurry," Cleddman said.

"But the trip is ten months long," Dr. Israel Harlin said. "I wouldn't call that a hurry."

"But in that time they can quash any sort of rebellion, particularly if the Engine convoy is bringing in reinforcements. That's why we're going to need your engines in place as soon as possible," Cleddman said. "The new Engine could arrive at any point during the next forty-eight hours."

"What if Mr. Rausch fixes the data-bullet system," another tech asked. "If we can get word back to the H.C.-"

Cleddman waved him off. "But that wouldn't help our situation here. I've got the lives of forty-five hundred people to think about."

"What about our gondolas?" Ben asked. "Six or seven of them went planetside this morning. It'll take at least a day to get them back."

"I've put Mr. Rausch on that," Cleddman said. He then faced Eve Silbarton. "Our second problem is that I think Ted Fontenot is setting up a secondary command center in the Hollingsdale facility. We picked up a scan from the facility about an hour ago. It was sneaky, but we picked it up."

"So you want
our
drive in place as soon as we can arrange it," Eve said.

"Sooner, if possible," Cleddman responded.

Eve rubbed her forehead. Everyone there was exhausted already.

"I need something in place,
anything
in place," Cleddman went on. "Even if we can only relocate a few hundred thousand miles in this system, that would do."

At that point, they all heard a
thump
! It seemed to come from out in the hallway.

"What was that?" Eve said.

Dr. Harlin turned to one of his students, standing beside the door. "Check that out, Wilson."

Wilson returned, alarmed. "I… think someone's placed security locks on the doors and the two transit portals have powered down. Their 'Not in Use' signs are on."

Ben edged past everyone. Several faculty members followed into the corridor.

Ben went one way, the engineers the other.

"Locked!" an engineer shouted from his end of the hallway.

"He's right," Ben said.

The corridor seals were locked and the overrides to the transit portals wouldn't work.

Cleddman tapped his com. "Security! This is the captain. I am in the physics wing, which has been sealed off. I want to know why."

Lieutenant Fontenot's voice appeared over the com.
"I'm sorry, Captain. We have deemed it necessary to remove all of you to the detention center. Since it will take us about two hours to prepare the center, we have decided to keep you where you are for the time being."

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Cleddman said.

"No, Captain. President Porter's given us the authority to detain you. As soon as we are ready, we will arrive to escort you down to the center."

"Listen to me, you moron," Cleddman snarled. "You have no such authority! The letter Nolan Porter got from the H.C. is a fake! The data-bullet system hasn't been functioning properly since the Engine accident a week ago!"

"-
will be accompanied by several Enamorati
armaz-paava.
They will be witnesses
-"

"Fuck you, Fontenot!" Cleddman shouted. "Didn't you hear what I just said? That letter-"

But the captain's voice became an empty echo in the hallway. The conversation had been terminated at Fontenot's end.

"Shit!" Cleddman swore.

"Well then," Israel Harlin said, "if we're stuck here for the next two hours, we might as well make the best of it"

Cale Murphy then said, "What's the use? If we can't install the units, why should we finish them?"

And Ben said, "If you finish just two of them, we might be able to outfit a gondola that could get back to the H.C. A friend of mine here, George Clock, is an excellent pilot."

"It won't matter if we're in jail," someone else added.

"Wangberg and Sammons are on the case," Cleddman said. "I know they'll be-"

Ben had not been listening. Instead, he had been staring at the far end of the corridor, to the transit portal with the red NOT IN USE sign blinking.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing.

Everyone stopped talking. The wall near the transit portal seemed to be a little "fuzzy."

It was a mist, a greenish blue miasma that sent out tendrils and wisps. At the end of the tendrils were small sparkles of light.

The mist started eating.

"It's happening again!" Eve Silbarton said.
"Everybody back into the lab!"

31

Ben stared incredulously at the mist growing at the far end of the corridor. It seemed innocent enough, with its bright sparkling lights and its gentle hissing. Yet the innocent mist had atomizing teeth. Alarms began sounding throughout the hall.

Captain Cleddman turned, facing the engineers. "Get back into the lab, close and seal all doors."

The captain engaged his com. "Ship Security! Fontenot, you son of a bitch! What in God's name are you doing?"

A dreadful moment passed before Fontenot responded. When he did, a note of derision was in his voice.
"Can't you people keep quiet for twenty seconds? We need the com clear. If we're going to have an orderly transition of power, we need to make sure that all parts of the ship
-"

"Fontenot, you worthless piece of shit," Cleddman snapped. "What the hell are you doing? Do you want us dead? The mist is coming right for us! Is that what you want? Is that what this is all about?"

"The mist,"
Fontenot said.
"What mist?"

"Fontenot, if you think you can get away with murder, think again!" Cleddman shouted. "There are people in this room who have family and connections back in the H.C. Those people are going to ask questions and someone's going to trace this back to you, you sniveling little sewer rat!"

"What
are
you talking about?"
Fontenot asked.
"You people started this. I'm only doing what I've been sanctioned to do. Calm down."

Ben watched-
everybody
watched-as the captain shook with monumental rage.

"Ted, that letter Porter gave you is
fake
! And even if it was authentic, it wouldn't give you the authority to assassinate us! Open the fucking doors on the physics wing before the disassembler kills us!"

Ben edged back from the mist, keeping an ear tuned to the captain's efforts. The deadly gas with its fairy lights had now filled much of the far part of the corridor-the whole wall having fallen behind the thick, silent smoke.

Dr. Israel Harlin stepped next to the captain and spoke loud enough to be heard by Fontenot. "It was your people, Mr. Fontenot, who brought the disassemblers on board, wasn't it. And it would be so easy. Nobody searches the luggage and stores of campus security. It's really quite beautiful. Thank you, Mr. Fontenot, for being the death of us all."

"What?"
came from campus security.

"I'll bet they fucked up the rail system, too!" Cale Murphy shouted. "They have access to the entire ship and they answer to nobody. Hey, Ted! I hear your momma is so fat that when your daddy is done with her, he has to roll over twice just to get off!"

"What are you
-
? Who said that!"

Ben jumped in. "And, of course, your people were conducting the investigation into the alpha lab's destruction. No wonder they hadn't found out who did it.
They
did it."

"Listen,"
Fontenot said, sounding genuinely perplexed.
"This has nothing to do
-"

Eve Silbarton clutched Cleddman's arm. "It makes sense, Al. They took out the alpha lab because Gan Brenholdt's engine was close to completion."

"But then why not take out yours as well?" Cleddman countered.

"Maybe that was the plan," Ben said. "There are three stardrives being developed here. It was Friday afternoon, the staff had gone home. Maybe it
was
meant to spread. It could have taken out the entire department without killing any of our staff."

Cleddman waved everyone quiet. "Ted, you hear the alarms in the background? They're going off for a
reason
! Open the goddamn doors!"

"This isn 't going to work,"
Fontenot said.
"Fooling with the alarm system is another felony count against you
-"

Cleddman stepped across the hall to a command panel and popped it open. Fontenot had undoubtedly cut off the power to the panels, but there was a default override that only a ship's captain knew about. Everyone watched as Cleddman pulled the entire panel out, exposing a secondary unit within. He tapped in his private code and spoke loudly into the speaker.

"Mr. Arendall, this is Captain Cleddman. We have a Code Two emergency in the physics department! The doors and transit portals have been deactivated by campus security and there are fifteen people trapped in the physics department. We need all fire personnel here
fast
!"

"Acknowledged,"
came a voice from the ship's power plant.
"We're on it."

Cleddman turned to everyone standing in the doorway to the physics department. "Let's hope that Mr. Arendall hasn't made a decision as to which side he's going to be on."

Ben had been watching the mist eat its fill of molecules as Cleddman called for help. Then, quite unexpectedly, the alarms braying overhead were suddenly cut off. Silence collapsed around them.