Baldwin's Legacy: The Complete Series Read online

  “I think we just did,” Penter said, wiping the sweat from his brow.

  “I guess this means the Statu are back and looking to rebuild.” Brax crossed his arms, wondering how many ships they were constructing on this world, and if there were other worlds with more slaves doing the same process.

  Sixteen

  The lights faded and the ship stopped shaking as Cleo thrust forward, entering space at normal impulse speed again. The entire trip had only taken somewhere around ten minutes, according to the computer, but to Treena, it had seemed like hours.

  “Are you two doing okay?” she asked, glancing behind her to see Tarlen clutching the seat with a white-knuckled grip.

  “I’ll get over it,” Tarlen said, and even Reeve beside her was slightly paler. Her long braids hung over her eyes, the red not only limited to her irises any longer. She was in rough shape.

  “How about you, Daak?” Treena asked.

  “I… know too much. We shouldn’t have been able to do that,” Reeve said.

  “Then why did you agree to come?” Treena asked her.

  “Because someone needs to look after you,” she answered, and Treena noticed her force a smile.

  “I think there’s more to it. Perhaps your missing brother?” Treena scanned the region, trying to gather her bearings. The stars were unfamiliar to the computer system, and it was quickly searching through the clusters, attempting to find a match it could use. Lights blinked across the screen as it gently beeped with each failure.

  “He might have something to do with it.” Reeve began helping, running deft fingers over the screen. “No sign of the Statu. Let me run telemetry scans of the area. If they did pass through the wormhole, there will be trailing particles from their engines nearby.”

  It didn’t take long before Reeve grinned and pointed at the screen. “Here we go. They’ve been here. You’d think they’d have found a way to hide their burnout like we have.”

  Treena considered this. “They haven’t been seen in fifty years. I have to imagine they’ve been in hiding and probably lost contact with the rest of their fleet.”

  “Interesting hypothesis. Did you run that one by Constantine?” Reeve asked, and the AI flickered to life behind them.

  “Did you call?” he asked.

  “Commander Starling was thinking this could be an offshoot of the War, maybe a dormant world where they were constructing a warship,” Reeve told him.

  Constantine appeared to consider this. “How did they know about Greblok?”

  Treena thought about it but didn’t have a good answer. “That’s unclear.”

  “I study data and probability a lot, but sometimes there are such things as coincidences,” Reeve said.

  “Or the admiral tipped them off.” Treena said it so quietly, she didn’t think anyone heard her.

  “Why would you say that?” Constantine asked.

  “You didn’t see the conversation we had with him and the Prime. Something fishy was going on. They think because Baldwin is who he is, and lucky to have this position, they can count on his obedience and silence. That’s not the Thomas we’re starting to know,” Treena said.

  “What do they stand to gain?” Reeve asked.

  Tarlen remained quiet on the bench; he wouldn’t be familiar with many of their topics of discussion.

  “That’s unclear to me. If they were aware the Statu were humans during the War, and the Concord didn’t let word get out…” Reeve started, but was cut off by Tarlen.

  “Wait! Are you saying those things are human?” he asked, his voice high-pitched and loud.

  Constantine answered. “Not exactly. The single Statu to survive inside their armored suit without being killed by a Scrambler was human. But we imagine the human was but a slave, an innocent victim sent to do their bidding.”

  “Then…” Tarlen clued in, and Treena nodded, the computer still sorting through the unfamiliar star maps.

  “Then they’re planning on enslaving your people and doing the same thing with them,” Treena said.

  “We have to stop them!” Tarlen shouted, and Treena craned her neck, staring at the boy. He sat abruptly and lowered his eyes. Much more quietly, he said it again. “We have to stop them.”

  “We’re going to try,” Treena told the panicked boy.

  Cleo moved slowly through space, constantly away from the wormhole, which was remaining stable according to the probes Reeve had sent through. There might be a hope in hell of retrieving Brax and returning to Constantine, but it was going to be tricky.

  “The remnants of the warship end a thousand kilometers from there.” Reeve pointed to the map projection, and Treena set course for that location. It was doubtful the ship could be traced that easily.

  “What are we looking at here?” Treena asked, searching the readouts. The probes had done their job, jumping to the far reaches of the system and returning the data in a rush of information.

  “The star is spectral class O. Old system; the most likely planet for life is the fourth from the dwarf. Three moons. There’s an asteroid belt in deep space, but it appears to be unnaturally hindered,” Reeve said.

  “Hindered?” Tarlen asked.

  Treena took this one. “Mined. Someone or something has mined the asteroid field.”

  “What does that mean?” the boy asked.

  “It means they planned this.” Treena zoomed in on the world, seeing a lush green planet with a broad ocean and likely abundant life. The computer beeped three times in quick succession and showed there were no results for the star map.

  Constantine wavered and became solid again, his handsome youthful face finding a slight grimace. “How are we this far out? The Concord’s records run deep. It’s unsettling to be so far from known space.”

  “You’re not kidding,” Reeve said, her usually jovial self put away for the time being. “This is so great.”

  “It is?” Tarlen asked.

  “Sure. We’re the first of our kind to ever visit this. We’re real pioneers. Like Andron Loor, the first captain of an interstellar Tekol vessel.” Reeve beamed from the seat beside Treena. The two of them couldn’t have been feeling more polarized about their current situation.

  Treena had read stories of the ancient explorer and found it hard to believe the Tekol had managed to travel to another system with their rudimentary vessels. It wasn’t until the Zilph’i made contact with other races that true faster-than-light travel had become commonplace, and that had been over three thousand years ago. It would be some time before humans were introduced into the mix.

  As she directed their ship toward the last identified location of the Statu, Treena wondered how long their enemies had been around. Originally, the Concord had stated the Statu were an infant race, but one that gave a hell of a fight. Now, seeing space so far from Concord records, she doubted that was true. They were merely too far away to cross paths, until they found the wormhole. A truly stable wormhole. She thought maybe Ven’s readouts were false, and that it wasn’t growing unstable.

  Maybe those changes were only part of the wormhole’s routine. There was an old saying from the Code she’d always remembered but had never believed until now. The Vastness of space is never ending, much like that of one’s mind. Treat both with respect, and there is no limit to either. Treena smiled at her recollection of sitting beside her father as he read from the book, teaching her parables and the ways the Concord lived by.

  She missed him.

  “Scanning the fourth planet for Tubers,” Reeve said, grabbing Treena’s drifting attention. The search took a few minutes, and she stared toward Treena. “Nothing near it or orbiting.”

  Treena thought that was strange. “Why wouldn’t they place defenses?”

  “They didn’t expect anyone to follow them through,” Constantine said. “The Statu were never very bright. They had terrible machines, robotics, and slaves to do their work for them, but they were more about an aggressive suicidal force beating their heads against a wa
ll until they found a door.”

  “Constantine, are you still blocked off from the main ship?” Reeve asked.

  After a brief pause, Constantine said that he had no contact.

  “How are you operating, then?” Treena asked, recognizing that the ship’s AI was limited by the operating system in the boiler room.

  “I’m connected to Cleo. It was a precautionary step the Concord took in the construction of their new flagship,” he advised them.

  “Lucky us,” Reeve said.

  Treena was moving toward the planet, and she checked their ETA. At impulse speed, which wouldn’t draw much attention unless a localized sensor was scanning for it, they had two hours before they reached the world where she suspected Brax Daak and the remaining population of the devastated Greblok planet were located.

  That didn’t give them long to devise a plan on how to extradite their crew member and learn what their old adversary was up to.

  ____________

  The lights were dimmed at Doctor Nee’s suggestion, casting shadows over Ven beside Thomas. The Ugna officer was tall, his face so pale, it was almost glowing. He glanced at Thomas with a soft expression, not saying a word as Nee finally re-entered, holding a tablet in his gloved hand.

  Thomas hadn’t spent a lot of time around a Kwant before, but being near Nee had given him an appreciation for the often ignored race. The fact that skin-to-skin contact with the Kwants could kill a human and many other races was something that had been learned quickly, and it made it difficult for the Kwant people to find stations on Concord cruise ships.

  His old ship didn’t have any Kwant representation, but once he understood them more, Thomas was going to request that they ask Nee’s people to send a couple more crew members to work on Constantine. It seemed fair.

  “Are you ready?” Nee asked, his shock-white hair perfectly coifed. Thomas wondered how the man always appeared so presentable, no matter what the hour or circumstance.

  “We’re ready,” Thomas told him, even though he didn’t quite feel like he was. He was distracted by the absent crew members. He felt vulnerable with three executive crew members being away, like his ship was missing half its organs. The ancillary crew was doing fine as they waited near the wormhole, but he didn’t want to go into combat or rush into any expeditions without Brax, Reeve, and Treena at his side.

  His thoughts surprised him. They’d only been together a few days, and yet Tom already felt a connection to them. He took that as a good sign. Now they only needed to find a way to bring everyone safely back to the ship, and then convince the Concord that what they’d done was for the right reasons. It was going to be an uphill battle.

  “Sir, may I offer my assistance in the interrogation?” Ven asked.

  Thomas stiffened. “I know I called it that earlier, but I’d like to consider it a conversation rather than an interrogation, at least until we clarify a few things with this man.”

  “Very well, sir. May I offer my assistance in the” – Ven changed the word – “conversation?”

  “Sure. What do you have in mind?” Tom asked the albino Zilph’i.

  “Exactly.”

  “I don’t follow,” Tom said.

  Nee was across the bed, and he smiled. “The Ugna are able to read minds. Or – correct me if I’m wrong, Ven – probe for spikes in patterns.”

  Ven nodded. “I’m surprised you’re aware of this. We keep our practices closed to outsiders.”

  Tom smiled, feeling optimistic. “We’re not outsiders, are we? We’re on the same crew. A family,” he said, his words falling flat.

  Ven appeared to consider this, his expression changing little. “We are one crew, but far from family yet.”

  “Fair enough. What can you do to assist this?” Tom asked, crossing his arms and staring at the sedated man claiming to be a Statu. His skin was dark gray, his mandibles not as threatening this time – thinner than Tom had originally thought, his exoskeleton hard to the touch.

  “I should be able to ascertain if he speaks in truth. I suspect I’ll need a baseline, but once I do…”

  “You’ll confirm if he’s truly a Statu or not.” Tom was glad to hear this news. It would really help their efforts.

  Nee tapped the man’s arm, making a knocking sound. “Tom, I’ve been able to … inspect one of the bodies that didn’t make it from the cryopods after the Tuber attack on their ship.”

  “And?” Tom asked.

  “They’re as one would expect. Beneath the shell, they have organs, much like you and me. On the whole, most creatures aren’t that much different on the inside. We adapt differently to our surroundings, our environments, but we have stomachs, hearts, and brains. Their lungs are half the size of humans’, even more delicate than my own, and see this?” He pointed to the side of the patient’s neck. “Looks like gills of some kind. This would suggest they’re able to live underwater, at least for prolonged periods of time.”

  Tom leaned in, seeing the slits Nee was indicating. “Underwater… how common is that?”

  “In bipedal beings? One race in two hundred has physiology able to sustain underwater living. Phurn 8, for example. You’ve heard of it?” Nee asked.

  “Sure. Ninety percent water. The Egunlo are the top of the chain, living in advanced underwater structures. Fifth-level Concord members,” Tom said, getting a surprised look from the doctor.

  “That’s right.” Doctor Nee grabbed a medispray, pressing it into a soft spot on the patient’s abdomen. “He’ll wake up quickly, and we’ll give him a minute to acclimate.”

  “Constantine,” Tom said, the AI appearing instantly.

  “Hello, Captain,” Constantine said, glancing toward the alien body, who was beginning to make clicks and sounds with his mouth and mandibles. He was tethered to the table, and he tested his bonds now, not struggling but likely recalling where he was.

  “We’re going to begin. Are you ready? Ask him a few basic questions, math problems that he’ll understand so Ven can obtain a baseline,” Tom ordered.

  Constantine appeared confused by what the Ugna executive lieutenant was going to be doing, but he began, introducing them all to the man.

  “His name translates roughly to Yephion. Captain Thomas Baldwin, he understands you are in charge here, and he will direct his comments to you if that pleases you,” Constantine said.

  Tom nodded. “Yephion, on behalf of the crew of Constantine and the Concord, I welcome you to my ship.” He waited while Constantine translated, the man’s dark eyes wide and unblinking. He was propped up in the bed, his tethers loosened, but not enough that he could escape if he put up a fight.

  Yephion made a series of sounds, and Constantine repeated them in Standard. “He thanks you for the rescue. He asks what year it is. Shall I tell him?”

  “I don’t see what harm there is in advising him,” Tom said, watching as the AI spoke.

  Yephion sat higher, instantly clicking and gurgling out more words.

  “He says that’s impossible. Their cryo was supposed to wake them long ago,” Constantine said.

  “How long?” Tom asked, nervous for the answer.

  “Approximately four hundred Standard years,” the AI answered.

  Tom glanced at Ven, and the Zilph’i man nodded.

  “Okay, let’s start here.” Tom stepped forward, getting closer to the man. “Where are you from?”

  “He says they are from a system called Konov; their world’s one of two there with life,” Constantine told them.

  “Ven, are you getting a read on him?” Tom asked.

  “Yes, sir. I believe what he says so far,” Ven advised.

  “Good. Pay attention to this one. Constantine, ask him if he’s truly Statu.” Tom squinted, watching closely as the AI asked the question.

  “He says they are Statu, but he wonders how we’ve heard the name before,” Constantine said.

  “Why did they leave their home?” Tom asked.

  Constantine asked, and Yephion’s postur
e changed. His shoulders slumped, his head hanging forward slightly. He spoke at length, and the AI took it all in, waiting until the man stopped speaking before translating.

  “They had a war going on with their neighboring planet. This crew was supposed to seek assistance. They were on the way to Concord space when their engines stopped, which must have affected the date of release from the cryo chambers,” Constantine said.

  Tom’s arms covered in goosebumps as he listened. “And they’re truly Statu?”

  “That’s what he says.”

  “And their neighbors?” Tom asked.

  “Statu as well. They lived between two worlds, each with a very different ideology, it appears,” Constantine said.

  “How so?” Tom was starting to understand what happened.

  “Those Statu were planning on expanding their reach, while this man’s people only wanted to make contact with others for trade and exploration. Their people were a curious bunch, the others greedy and dictatorial.”

  Tom nodded. “Where’s their homeworld?” If they could learn this piece of information, they could mount a fleet to destroy the Statu once and for all.

  Yephion appeared anxious as he spoke quickly.

  Constantine translated. “He says he doesn’t know where he is and wouldn’t be able to direct you. He was untrained in space travel and says that he was a maintenance crew member only.”

  Ven remained motionless but whispered quietly to Tom, “He’s lying. He understands exactly where they’re from. I sense he’s not telling us the truth about his rank.”

  Tom didn’t let his cards show. “Translate this, Constantine. Then it’s a good thing we downloaded everything from your hard drives before your cousins blew up the ship.”

  Yephion didn’t hide his surprise well. He gaped at Tom.

  “If I find out you have anything to do with the War against the Concord, I’ll make an example out of you, Yephion. If you lie to me again, I’ll deliver you to Nolix, where they’ll try you and your people as war criminals. Do you have any idea what our people would do to you if they learned you were Statu, our greatest enemy of all time?” Tom asked, and waited for Constantine to relay the message.