Read Online The Lost Colony (Lost Starship Series Book 4) by Vaughn Heppner - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Vaughn Heppner
Ads: Link
a mistake regarding the androids.
Finally, a flitter appeared, flashing over Woo Tower. It was a small air-car with a bubble canopy, a two-seater with extra space in back for baggage. With only a little sound, the flitter floated onto the landing pad.
“Thank you for your help, Provost Officer,” Maddox said, extending his hand.
She shook hands. Hers was narrow and fine-boned. “Just a moment, Captain,” she said, keeping hold of his fingers. “The sentries are reporting in. There are no bodies in any of the sub-kitchens. Why do you think that is?”
“There must have been a third android,” Maddox said.
She thought about that. “Yes. I suppose that’s it.”
Her grip tightened. “You are a great man, Captain Maddox. Your deed inside the World Destroyer has become legendary. I think it’s a shame Star Watch hasn’t released more information regarding your exploit.”
“I didn’t do it alone,” he said. “Without my crew, I never could have achieved the miracle.”
“We all need our crews,” she said, releasing his hand.
Maddox agreed before heading for the flitter. Soon, he climbed in. Sergeant Riker sat in the driver’s seat.
“Captain,” Riker said, nodding.
The sergeant was an older man with leathery skin, a bionic eye and a fully bionic arm. The sergeant had lost the eye and arm in a blast many years ago on a desperate mission on Altair III. Some time ago in the Destroyer, Riker had lost the bionic arm. His latest model had a few advanced features compared to the previous arm. Riker was a salty operative, fiercely loyal but cranky at times. The Old Guard in Intelligence believed he acted as a foil for Maddox.
“Here you go, sir,” Riker said, handing over several loaded magazines.
Maddox slid one into his service pistol.
Riker adjusted the controls, taking the flitter up.
“Head to Woo Tower,” Maddox said, shoving the pistol into its holster.
“Begging your pardon, sir, but the Iron Lady would like a few words with you first.”
“In time,” Maddox said, “in time.”
“Sir—” Riker said.
“You can tell the brigadier that I was in such a hurry that you forgot to relay the message.”
“Sir—”
“Take us down, Sergeant. I want—”
“It’s time you learned to take orders better, Captain,” the brigadier said from the comm-unit in the dash.
Startled, Maddox quit peering outside and noticed Brigadier Mary O’Hara, the commander of Star Watch Intelligence, staring at him from the tiny dash screen. She had gray hair and a matronly image, and a reproving frown.
“Ma’am,” Maddox said. “This is a surprise.”
“So is your lack of judgment, Captain,” O’Hara said.
Maddox pursed his lips, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Riker gave him an I-tried-to-tell-you look. The captain was surprised he hadn’t noticed the screen being on as he’d entered. Could the drug still be having an effect on him?
“What happened tonight?” O’Hara asked him.
Maddox gave her a rundown of the situation, including his time in the Lin Ru.
“An android that looks like the Spacer ambassador,” O’Hara said. “That’s strange and ominous.”
Maddox nodded absently.
“Surely you see the connection, Captain,” O’Hara said.
“Connection?” he asked.
“With Professor Ludendorff,” she said.
“Ah. Yes, of course,” Maddox said. He should have seen it right away. The drug definitely still hindered his thinking.
During the Destroyer Incident, Starship Victory had been in the Xerxes System. The system contained a Builder pyramid. Fully functional Builder drones had appeared as well as New Men star cruisers. The New Men used the silver pyramids sprinkled throughout Human Space and in the Beyond to make one hundred light-year jumps. The pyramids contained Builder technology, as did the star cruisers. The point of the Iron Lady’s comment was Professor Ludendorff in particular. When the professor had gone to an asteroid base in the Xerxes System, he
Finally, a flitter appeared, flashing over Woo Tower. It was a small air-car with a bubble canopy, a two-seater with extra space in back for baggage. With only a little sound, the flitter floated onto the landing pad.
“Thank you for your help, Provost Officer,” Maddox said, extending his hand.
She shook hands. Hers was narrow and fine-boned. “Just a moment, Captain,” she said, keeping hold of his fingers. “The sentries are reporting in. There are no bodies in any of the sub-kitchens. Why do you think that is?”
“There must have been a third android,” Maddox said.
She thought about that. “Yes. I suppose that’s it.”
Her grip tightened. “You are a great man, Captain Maddox. Your deed inside the World Destroyer has become legendary. I think it’s a shame Star Watch hasn’t released more information regarding your exploit.”
“I didn’t do it alone,” he said. “Without my crew, I never could have achieved the miracle.”
“We all need our crews,” she said, releasing his hand.
Maddox agreed before heading for the flitter. Soon, he climbed in. Sergeant Riker sat in the driver’s seat.
“Captain,” Riker said, nodding.
The sergeant was an older man with leathery skin, a bionic eye and a fully bionic arm. The sergeant had lost the eye and arm in a blast many years ago on a desperate mission on Altair III. Some time ago in the Destroyer, Riker had lost the bionic arm. His latest model had a few advanced features compared to the previous arm. Riker was a salty operative, fiercely loyal but cranky at times. The Old Guard in Intelligence believed he acted as a foil for Maddox.
“Here you go, sir,” Riker said, handing over several loaded magazines.
Maddox slid one into his service pistol.
Riker adjusted the controls, taking the flitter up.
“Head to Woo Tower,” Maddox said, shoving the pistol into its holster.
“Begging your pardon, sir, but the Iron Lady would like a few words with you first.”
“In time,” Maddox said, “in time.”
“Sir—” Riker said.
“You can tell the brigadier that I was in such a hurry that you forgot to relay the message.”
“Sir—”
“Take us down, Sergeant. I want—”
“It’s time you learned to take orders better, Captain,” the brigadier said from the comm-unit in the dash.
Startled, Maddox quit peering outside and noticed Brigadier Mary O’Hara, the commander of Star Watch Intelligence, staring at him from the tiny dash screen. She had gray hair and a matronly image, and a reproving frown.
“Ma’am,” Maddox said. “This is a surprise.”
“So is your lack of judgment, Captain,” O’Hara said.
Maddox pursed his lips, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Riker gave him an I-tried-to-tell-you look. The captain was surprised he hadn’t noticed the screen being on as he’d entered. Could the drug still be having an effect on him?
“What happened tonight?” O’Hara asked him.
Maddox gave her a rundown of the situation, including his time in the Lin Ru.
“An android that looks like the Spacer ambassador,” O’Hara said. “That’s strange and ominous.”
Maddox nodded absently.
“Surely you see the connection, Captain,” O’Hara said.
“Connection?” he asked.
“With Professor Ludendorff,” she said.
“Ah. Yes, of course,” Maddox said. He should have seen it right away. The drug definitely still hindered his thinking.
During the Destroyer Incident, Starship Victory had been in the Xerxes System. The system contained a Builder pyramid. Fully functional Builder drones had appeared as well as New Men star cruisers. The New Men used the silver pyramids sprinkled throughout Human Space and in the Beyond to make one hundred light-year jumps. The pyramids contained Builder technology, as did the star cruisers. The point of the Iron Lady’s comment was Professor Ludendorff in particular. When the professor had gone to an asteroid base in the Xerxes System, he
Similar Books
