“Transit kick in three-two-one…”
Susan’s stomach flipped, settled, and she swallowed the faint taste of bile. At the pilot’s station, Sho-i Holloway counted down his post-insertion checklist, announcing all systems green; deflectors intact and the ship in proper spatial position. By then, two minutes had passed.
“Status of the squadron?” Susan had already reviewed her own boards, seeing that all three battle-cruisers had kept station after dropping to normal space, but it never hurt to check. Particularly with a piglike Fleet tender along. The Fiske and Eldredge had done well in keeping up so far, but she doubted they had any legs at all if things got hot.
“All present and accounted for,” Holloway replied. “We have three friendly IFF registers. Fleet says they are-” He reviewed a side-pane on his panel, making sure that the battlecast relays had come up, verified the new ships, that they matched registry entries and the Naniwa ’s long-range cameras had confirmed their outlines in the heavy murk. “- Temasek, Corduba, and… no name on the third vessel, but she’s registered as a ‘mobile science platform’-same as ours in the registry, but the silhouette is markedly different.”
That will be the Mirror hard at work. Susan nodded. Then the debris density they’d dropped into registered on her consciousness and she felt mildly ill.
In transluminal space, the physical protostellar matter collecting in the wasteland of the kuub was represented by both a gravity dimple and a quantum-level spore, or nugget, which interacted with the translated quantum-frame state of a ship much as a physical rock would interact-that is, smash into-the physical hull of a ship in realspace. Here, though, where physicality assumed its usual guise of solidity, the swarms of dust particles, or even micrometeoroids and outright boulders or asteroidal fragments, posed an even greater danger to the Naniwa and other ships trying to make realspace headway.
Everything within optical range of the battle-cruiser’s cameras was a thick haze of heavy dust and debris. What dim light filtered through the murk from distant, half-hidden stars was diffuse and red-shifted. It made an appalling sight for a Fleet captain. Even a miner’s scow would find heavy going in this environment.
“Impact rate?” The Naniwa was at very low v as she maneuvered into a parking station a safe distance from the unnamed research station.
“Forty-five percent,” responded the weapons officer. “And we’re nearly dead slow.”
Susan nodded, leaning back in the shockchair. “Holloway, you and Konev work up some velocity metrics for me-how fast can we go, how best to configure the transit deflectors. We need to make headway in this mess. I want something by end of the watch.”
“ Hai, Chu-sa! ” both voices chimed together in near unison.
“And get us a name for that station-something simple.”
Holloway smiled tightly. He’d already queried the Temasek -the lead of the two Survey Service frigates-for the latest news. “They’re calling it the Can, Chu-sa. Very imaginative.”
“That will do.” Kosho considered the threatwell for a moment, trying to map out the local terrain in her mind. This was just the situation-some nasty, unknown patch of space filled with hidden opponents, tangled local politics, and unsteady stellar phenomena-that Hadeishi excelled in. Nothing drains the strength of your opponent, he would say, faster than unknown ground. But if you are alert, even the most treacherous swamp can be your ally, a third arm striking at the enemy.
A message chime on her board interrupted the memory. Susan started to grimace, seeing the Tokiwa ’s mon chopped on the header, but then smiled slightly as the message unspooled.
“ Socho Juarez, I’ll need a shuttle prepped and a guard-party suitable for the squadron staff meeting.”
The marine, never far away by earbug, replied immediately: “ Hai, Chu-sa. We’ll be ready in fifteen minutes, boat-bay three.”
Good, she thought, relieved to finally get a chance to meet her fellow squadron commanders and exchange proper introductions with Chu-sho Xocoyotl. Now we’ll find out what the devil is going on out here.
The staff conference room on the Tokiwa was crowded, hot, and noisy as the last of the squadron commanders found their seats. Chu-sho Xocoyotl’s staff were arrayed along the walls, while everyone else was present at a long oval table which folded up out of the floor. The flag battle-cruiser was an older model than the Naniwa, though still in the Provincial class, and this same room did not exist in the current configuration of Kosho’s ship. If memory served, a suite of Logistics and Supply offices occupied the same internal coordinates.
“Admiral on deck,” barked one of the Tokiwa ’s marine sergeants and everyone stood.
Xocoyotl was of medium height, carrying a bit too much flesh on his bones, and the color of polished mahogany. His high cheekbones caught a gleam from the overheads as he took his place at the head of the table. “Sit,” he growled-his voice was even deeper in person than over stellarcast.
“Our business here comes under purview of the Imperial Secrets Act,” he said with a scowl. “The Mirror is leading an investigation of some local phenomena and Fleet is providing security for their operations. Beyond this, I am informed we do not need to know anything .”
He stopped, glanced around the room at all of the officers, snorted, and continued in the near-perfect silence.
“Survey informs us this area of the kuub is tremendously dangerous. It is also uncharted and there are no navigational beacons within range. I expect, therefore, that all watches will be fully staffed and weapons will be maintained in ready status at all times.”
Xocoyotl flashed a tight, frosty smile at Kosho. “At least one of our ships-the Naniwa -has a fresh crew, a fresh captain and has not yet completed trials. I expect the other combatants to make allowance for this when plotting combat vectors.”
To her credit, Susan remained entirely still while the Chu-sho went on about the combat patrol pattern he expected of the other ships, and she did not let her outrage show in any obvious way. Out of the corner of her eye, however, she could see some of the cruiser captains glancing sidelong at her in puzzlement. How could I be more circumspect, she wondered, in suggesting that deployment change during transit? Losing one of the support ships would have crippled the entire mission.
“Scientist Cuaxicali? Your turn.” Xocoyotl gestured abruptly at a fat little Mexica civilian in a Survey Service mantle who had been standing by one of the doors. One of the admiral’s aides keyed up a projector panel and the lights dimmed. Cuaxicali cleared his throat, looked at the Chu-sho questioningly-received a snarl in response-and then began tapping on a slim silver comp with his stylus.
Behind him the projector shifted aspect and a holo of the surrounding region sprang into view. The collection of ships arrayed “south” of the Can appeared with Imperial standard glyphs. “North” of them, a broad area of crimson points appeared.
“Avoid this range of spatial coordinates,” Cuaxicali said, indicating the beelike swarm of scarlet, “if you wish to keep your ship intact. This is the area of our-ah- the phenomenon. And it is exceptionally dangerous.”
The assembled captains looked at one another, then a forest of arms went up to ask for details.
“No, no. No questions.” Cuaxicali shook his head nervously. “This is a matter of the utmost security. There is no other information available at this time save what I’ve shown you-a copy of these astronomical charts has already been commed to your navigators.”
“Surely you can tell us what sort of peril to expect?” a loud voice boomed across the conference room.
“I could,” Cuaxicali agreed, attempting a consoling smile. “But for safety’s sake I will not.”
A red-haired Chu-sa whom Susan remembered vaguely from Chapultepec stood up and asked, “Begging your pardon, Scientist Cuaxicali, but please explain how can it be safe to not know the nature of our opponent? Or even what it looks like?”
An ill-disguised snort of laughter erupted at the back of the conference room.
Cuaxicali’s face changed abruptly into a sort of maroon-olive. Susan was not sure she’d seen the exact shade before, on anyone, anywhere.
Chu-sho Xocoyotl stood up and surveyed the assembled officers with one raised eyebrow. The room settled down.
“That is all. Return to your ships. Patrol patterns will be distributed by third watch.”
Five hours later, as second watch was winding down, Kosho was back on the Command deck in a fresh uniform, her hair slick from a fast shower. For the moment, the bridge was double-staffed as the crew prepared for turnover. Amid all of the commotion, she had taken a moment to comm up the two officers she remembered from the Academy. Both of them-Muldoon on the Falchion and Tloc on the Axe -had been surprised to hear from her.
“Not often you high-flying battle-cruiser commanders take the time to say hello to the plow horses,” said Muldoon after they’d confirmed a private channel and triggered their own encryption. “But it’s good to see you again, Kosho- tzin.”
“Likewise,” grumbled Tloc. The Ciguayan captain had acquired a bad set of burn scars on the side of his face since graduation day. “How did you get on Xocoyotl’s bad side? I’ve never heard him rip a junior officer like that before.”
“I gave him some advice,” Susan said, shaking her head slightly. “I should have known better.”
Muldoon laughed. “Admirals know all and see all, remember? Just like the upper form prefects on Grasshopper Hill. The Runner said you’d been the wise woman behind that formation change during transit-but I didn’t think he’d take it so hard.”
Tloc grimaced. “I’m on my second posting with him-he knows best and likes it that way.”
Kosho frowned, feeling worse for having the extent of her misstep made so clear. “My last commander would’ve expected me to suggest a better course, if I saw one.”
“Then you were lucky.” Muldoon’s normally lively tone flattened. “I heard Hadeishi was beached. That’s too bad, everyone said he was a fine ship-handler.”
Susan nodded, once. “Too good, sometimes. I have been reminded-repeatedly-that being very good can lead to believing you can do the impossible one more time than you can.”
Both men nodded, sobered. “That’s the truth,” Tloc said, touching the side of his face.
“So what about this mess?” Kosho felt the memory of Hadeishi weighing on her. “What does Painal the Runner say about this most secret of secrets?”
Muldoon perked up, laying one finger alongside his nose. “My money is on a quantum-level distortion. We could see it from here, except it’s invisible to our sensor suite.”
“How could-” Susan started to ask, but Tloc interjected:
“My information says a gravitational distortion’s been detected around a huge volume, all of it clogged with nova debris. Almost impenetrable to scanning… just to twist the screw another thread.”
“And I’ve heard if you run into this phenomena you get cut to bits.” Muldoon made a throat-cutting gesture. “Word is a pair of Survey ships tried to break through and ended up literally dissected.”
Susan frowned. “Do these lost ships have names? Any detail at all?”
“Not yet, but give me some time,” Tloc replied. “I’ve got about a ton of chocolatl and kaffe in personal stowage.”
Ten minutes later, after arranging a trade to keep the kitchen happy, Kosho signed off. The second watch was in the process of leaving Command, most yawning, some already busy in conversation with their fellows. The comm duty officer and the assistant navigator were a step slow and Susan beckoned them over.
“Rumor says a pair of Survey scouts caught hold of the Chu-sho ’s phenomena by the sharp end. See if you can pick out any wrecked ships in the immediate vicinity. They ought to be the other side of the Can. Keep your eyes open for anything out of place. Something very odd killed those scouts-and I’d like to avoid the same fate.”
The quiet of the off-watch officer’s mess was broken by a soft voice: “ Chu-sa Kosho?”
Susan looked up from her cup of tea. It was Navigator’s Assistant Llang, trying to suppress a huge grin. Susan beckoned her over. “We’ve got ’em, kyo.” Llang blurted, comp clutched to her chest. “All three. It’s-”
“Not to be discussed here.” Kosho silenced the girl with a sharp look. The Chu-sa picked up her tea and guided the young Thai-i back out the door at a brisk walk. “Let’s use my station on the bridge instead.”
In the lift, as the decklights blurred past, Susan considered the young Tagalog lieutenant. This was the girl’s second duty posting-she’d come recommended from the Mac Allan, a frigate working shipping lane patrols around Alpha Centauri-and Kosho was sure she had very little political experience. After a moment she said quietly, “There may be those aboard Naniwa who will have lost friends or family in those ships. We do not want to break such sad news in a casual way.”
Third watch should have found the bridge nearly deserted, but when the lift doors rotated away, every duty station was staffed and there were four or five extra bodies present, holding up the walls and checking console diagnostics that had been checked only the day before. Oc Chac nodded as she approached.
“Show me.” Kosho nodded to Llang, who slipped into a seat at the comm and sensor station. The Thai-i ’s stylus skittered across the control surfaces with admirable speed. Immediately a series of navigation diagrams appeared and a holo rotated into view, showing the science platform, the debris clouds in the immediate vicinity and then-three sharp taps zoomed the focus far, far down, showing an indistinct smear a goodly distance from the Can, deep into the area marked off by the Mirror as out-of-bounds.
“ Kyo, it’s really hard to see-the remains of the ships are just more radioactive junk in with all of this other radioactive junk, but we believe that this-”
Llang tapped once more, and a camera overlay sprang up, showing a sort of empty wedge in the cloud.
“That this was the Kiev after she lost reactor containment. The scout must have been traveling within gun range of the Korkunov -that’s this other gap off her starboard. When they blew, the force of the explosion actually cleared an area in the nebular cloud. The densities of material around the edges of each of these gaps sort of approximate the mass of the ships themselves. At least we think that’s right. And look at this-the Calexico has been cut clean in half!” Llang looked up, her face filled with mingled horror and awe. “Have you ever seen anything like that before, Chu-sa?”
Susan stared at the enhanced, high-contrast image and marveled at the clean edge of the ship’s wound. “How far away is this?”
“Three light-minutes beyond the Can, kyo, just at the edge of sensor range in the cloud.” The Thai-i grimaced. “Too much grit to see if there’s anything else out beyond them…”
Susan compared the plots and the information from the morning’s briefing. Her frown deepened.
“There’s an opening,” she said, clenching her hands, which had suddenly gone cold. “Survey and the Mirror advance elements have been here at least a week-they’ll have seen what we see, guessed what we guess. Their danger zone is well on this side of all three of those ships. The Kiev must have blundered into a failed component of the weapon’s array, leaving just the tiniest gap… but not big enough to avoid destruction when they stepped out-of-bounds.”
Sho-sa Chac considered the plot, eyes fixed on the Mirror research ships now snugged up against the station. “They’ll be going in, Chu-sa , and someone will have to play watchdog… pray to the Lady of Tepeyac we avoid such a fate!”
For her part, Kosho felt claustrophobic. The emptiness around her ship seemed suddenly confined, filled with invisible walls. “Keep the coordinates of this… barrier… in the threatwell at all times,” she decided, caution pricked by the object lesson of the three wrecked survey ships. “If we need to maneuver at speed, we don’t want to interpenetrate by accident.”
“ Hai, Chu-sa! ” Llang was very quick to agree. The others nodded vigorously.
“What else?” Kosho felt the tactical problem beginning to turn over in her mind, options shifting in and out of consideration, alternatives discarded as quickly as they suggested themselves.
Llang tapped through a series of detailed views of the area around the Mirror station itself. “ Kyo, the only other thing we’ve found is this… probably a good third of the Calexico is the core of the Can itself. Looks like they dragged half of the scout back out of the danger zone and cut away the damaged sections. The other two ships lost containment on their reactors, but by some miracle the Calexico ’s power plant survived.”
“Frugal.” Kosho clicked her teeth together. “Someone must have survived the attack or they’d never have found this opening… not without losing another dozen ships blundering around in the dark. Ask around, Sho-sa Oc. See if you can get names.”
“ Hai, kyo! ” The Mayan nodded, his face impassive. But as he strode away, Susan caught a fragment of a prayer, muttered under the man’s breath: “Hear us, O Xbalanque. Lend us your clever mind and subtle hand. Guide us in this foul Darkness which over you has no power.”
Now, she thought, feeling the bone-deep ache of being up too long and running on too many cups of tea. That makes me feel so much better. May it settle his mind, for it does nothing for mine.
His image of a whirlwind of knives barring the dark road to Xibalba remained with her.