The Price of Conquest

The dark, lustrous material that formed the corridor outside the Stingray's docking bay appeared smooth, hard, and reflective, but Kressa heard only the slightest whisper of their footsteps as she accompanied Captain Westlex through the ship. Gentle light with no apparent source illuminated the passageways, and the air smelled fresh, with a hint of spice, like a blend of cinnamon and keshmell. She detected no sound or vibration from the vessel's engines or other systems, but thought she heard the occasional whisper of a breeze through leaves or the distant melodic call of a bird or other animal. A sixth sense she knew she could trust raised the hair on the back of her neck and tightened the muscles between her shoulder blades, warning her she was being watched. Despite that, she began to relax.

She suspected her unnatural calm was a result of the background sounds and odors, as well as more subtle influences she could not detect. Determined to stay alert, she concentrated on the sensation of concealed eyes, and reminded herself she was dealing with unknown technology.

Just how willing was Westlex to talk about that technology? Only one way to find out.

"Why is the Stingray so black?" she asked.

"Her hull absorbs most forms of electromagnetic radiation, including light," he said. "Energy that strikes the hull is converted into usable power and stored for later use. It makes for a nice advantage in a firefight, but that wasn't the intended use. She's really just an explorer."

"An explorer?" Kressa swallowed an amused chuckle and tried to imagine a ship better suited for combat. "I suppose that energy ball you threw at the Esprit was just an asteroid-deterrent system, and those rather well-armed ships in the bay are landing craft."

He smiled and shrugged. "You never know what you're going to run into when you're out on your own. When we finally convinced the powers-that-be to contact the Free Worlds, we were working on a couple of explorers. We modified some of their systems in case we ran into the Patrol."

Kressa followed him into a lift, and he touched a control. The door closed and the lift began to move.

"What did you want with explorers?" she asked.

"To explore, of course. Remember what your computer said about the Westlex Colony's original purpose?"

She thought back to Connie's report. "Exploration and research?"

He nodded. "We've got the research part, thanks to the war, but what Grandma Teneia really wanted to do was explore. She believed it was essential to the survival of the human race. When things began to go bad in the Alliance, they shut down the Scouting and Colonization service, so Teneia decided to start her own. Then the war came along and changed those plans. Now, we've changed them back."

"So why aren't you out exploring?" Kressa asked.

"Before we head out to look for more humans, I think it would be a good idea to get the ones we know of back together."

"Is that why you want to explore, to find more humans?"

"That's what Teneia wanted. She believed that if we look long enough and hard enough, eventually we'll discover how and why humans evolved on so many worlds."

"Don't your people have any theories about that?" Kressa asked.

"A planet full of scientists and researchers?" He laughed. "Of course they do. The majority think there was something behind it, but can't agree on whether it was caused by deliberate seeding, some sort of directed panspermia, or any of a number of other causes. The rest say it's just the way things are. According to them, the evolutionary path to intelligent beings on the kind of worlds we inhabit leads to the human form. I tend to side with the first crowd, but who knows?" He glanced upward, his eyes unfocused, as if gazing at the stars beyond the ship's hull. "Maybe, someday, we'll find someone out there who can tell us the truth."

"It would be interesting to be around when that happens."

His eyes locked on hers. "It would, wouldn't it?"

The lift eased to a stop, and the door slid open.

Kressa studied the long, indirectly lit room beyond. A command console dominated the far end, with a large viewscreen and several secondary displays on the wall beyond. The main screen showed only stars. Ten separate control stations lined the sides of the chamber, each a self-contained set of multi-tiered boards. Another five stations ran down the center. Uniformed men and women manned each station, and the familiar hum of a ship's systems filled the air, accompanied by an occasional quiet voice. Kressa felt her wariness ratchet back up to a comfortably alert level.

Two armed men stood just beyond the lift's doorway. Westlex glanced at them, brows raised, and Kressa suspected he hadn't expected to see them there.

They snapped to attention.

"At ease." Westlex looked toward one of the central stations halfway across the room where a slender, middle-aged man with fair skin and long blond hair gathered at the nape of his neck stood behind a much younger woman seated before the station's boards. The woman had short, tightly curled black hair and features as dark as the man's were light.

Westlex started toward them, motioning for Kressa to follow. She studied the control stations as she passed, trying in vain to determine what each one was for.

"I assume the extra bridge security was your idea, Commander," Westlex said as he halted beside the blond man.

The man looked up. His pale blue eyes swept over Kressa before meeting those of his captain. She read disapproval in his expression.

"My contract does say something about me being responsible for your safety, sir," the commander stated in a completely flat voice, "as well as for the safety of the crew."

"But not necessarily in that order, right?" Westlex asked with an amused expression.

The commander shrugged.

Westlex chuckled. "Kressa, this is Commander Kai Aerhom, my first officer and navigator." He leaned toward her and added in a loud whisper, "You can blame him for the gun."

"Welcome aboard the Stingray, Miss Bryant," Aerhom said in a formal tone.

She smiled politely.

Westlex gestured to the woman next. "This is Lieutenant Mila Satra, the Stingray's tech officer. You have something to show me, Lieutenant?"

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Satra gave Kressa a welcoming nod and then looked at the captain. "Yes, sir. I've been monitoring the Patrol ships, as you requested."

"Are they behaving themselves?" Westlex asked.

"The Esprit is headed for Terra. The rest of the ships have spread out, presumably to search for us."

A worried chill slithered down Kressa's spine. "We're still near Terra?"

"Not too close," Westlex said. "Far enough for them to have trouble locating us."

"How did they locate you in the first place? Only the Conquest's visual systems were able to pick you up."

"I think taking out the Esprit's targeting sensors in such a rude fashion may have tipped them off," Westlex said with a wry smile. "Once someone knows we're around, we're easy enough to locate if you know what to look for."

"Does the Patrol know what to look for?" Kressa asked.

His smile disappeared. "We'll see." He signaled for Satra to continue.

"While I was monitoring the Esprit, I picked up some interesting comm readings." The woman touched several controls.

The displays before her changed to show lists of numbers, textual information, and graphs. The readings made no sense to Kressa, but Westlex clearly understood their significance.

"That's a hyperwave signature," he said after a moment's study. "Where the devil did they get that?"

"What is it?" Kressa asked, worried about anything the Patrol possessed that impressed these people.

"It looks like a hyperwave communication system," the captain said. "It's one of the things we hoped to give the Free Worlds to give them an advantage over the United Galaxy."

"Hyperwave?" Kressa asked. "Is that what it sounds like?"

"If it sounds like a latency-free interstellar communication system then, yeah, it's what it sounds like."

Kressa marveled at the thought of not having to depend on comm drones or relays to deliver messages between star systems. "The Patrol has one?" she asked, her worry growing along with her wonder.

Westlex frowned, still studying the readings. "Or something damned close."

"That would explain how Shaw knew when and where I'd emerge from hyperspace," Kressa realized out loud. "Someone must have recorded the details of the Conquest's jump at Arecia and used the Pattys' new system to send the information to Shaw."

"That's not all I found, sir," Satra said.

"What else?" Westlex asked, his frown deepening.

"I picked up some unusual readings when the Patrol fleet first arrived. I've been analyzing them." She called up another set of displays. "It looks like they have a new stardrive, too."

"I think they do," Kressa said, and then hurried to explain when all three of the Teneian officers gave her questioning looks. "There wasn't a hyperspace emergence point where Shaw's fleet appeared."

"Check that," Westlex said to Satra.

The young woman worked at her board for a moment. "She's right, Captain, which makes sense, given these readings."

Westlex studied the new information displayed on Satra's boards, then touched a few controls to bring up additional readings. "This new drive isn't like the ITD, is it?"

"Not exactly," Satra said, "but it seems to be based on similar principles."

Westlex continued to study the readouts. His expression hardened briefly, but then he smiled. Kressa thought it looked forced.

"Even if they have discovered the principles behind the ITD," he said, "they can't have built one."

"Let's hope not." Commander Aerhom sounded far less confident than his captain.

"What's an ITD?" Kressa asked.

"It's our main drive system," Westlex said. "Instantaneous transfer drive. Something of a misnomer, since it's not really instantaneous, although it is close enough to not matter."

"Instantaneous?" Kressa asked, amazed. "Is that how you put the Stingray between me and the Patty fleet?"

Westlex nodded. "And how we got out here. You may have felt the effects of the transfer after we brought your ship aboard."

"So that's what that was."

Westlex flashed her an apologetic look. "Sorry about that. It may be fast, but it's not the most comfortable way to travel. Tends to mess with the senses, among other things."

Kressa considered the advantage of having a ship with that kind of mobility. "Seems like a small price to pay."

"You think so?" Westlex asked. "Try it a dozen or so times, and then tell me what you think."

"Okay, but…" She shook her head, still struggling to get her mind around the concept of nearly instantaneous travel. "How fast is the Patrol's new drive?"

Westlex glanced at Satra. "Lieutenant?"

"I'd estimate they've managed to cut their transit times by about half."

"Where'd they learn to do that?" Kressa asked.

"That's what I'd like to know," Westlex said.

"Sensors here, Captain," an unfamiliar voice said from beside Kressa.

Startled, she whipped her head around, found no one there, and realized it must be the Stingray's comm system.

Westlex looked at her curiously, one brow arched.

She shrugged, certain he'd be jumpy, too, under similar circumstances.

"Go ahead, sensors," the captain said.

"I think they've spotted us, sir," the voice continued. "The Esprit is coming this way."

"Looks like we've overstayed our welcome," Westlex said. "Kressa, come with me." He made his way to the command station. "ITD, prepare a transfer."

"Destination, sir?"

The captain took his seat and looked at Kressa. "Where would you like to go?"

"Back to Arecia. I've got to tell the Guard what happened here."

"ITD, map a jump to Arecia. Transfer when ready." The captain glanced at her. "You might want to hang onto something."

Kressa took hold of the arm of Westlex's chair and braced herself. An alarm sounded. A heartbeat later, a deep, biting chill enveloped her, so cold it seemed to burn, and hundreds of red and yellow lights burst before her eyes. A cloyingly sweet taste filled her mouth, like concentrated honey, and for a long moment, she felt as if she were drifting on a warm, gentle breeze. She heard the color blue sing to her, then something spun her violently around, and the universe returned to normal.

Captain Westlex put a steadying hand on her arm.

"That was some ride," she said, struggling to still her spinning head.

He gave her an understanding smile, a tight look around his eyes indicating he hadn't recovered completely either, then he pointed at the main screen.

Arecia's familiar globe glowed from the center of the viewer.

Kressa stared at the image in amazement, struggling to accept the fact they'd just made a journey that would have required three days in the Conquest.

"So, what do you think?" Westlex asked. "Would the Guard like our help?"

She studied the screen a moment longer, then looked at Westlex. "I'll talk to the general."