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parents, asking him to save the family.
    “Yes,” Maddox said. “I accept the challenge.”
    “I haven’t told you the rest,” Cook said.
    “ I think I already know, sir. You mean to fool the New Men, or their operatives here. That means I will have to act as a fugitive from justice. I will be on the run. In Intelligence parlance, I will be out in the cold.”
    “I told you he’s sharp,” O’Hara said proudly.
    “One thing troubles me,” Maddox said.
    “Yes?” Cook asked.
    “You can’t just be sending me out there on a rumor. The operation is too important. That means you have facts about this system, not just old stories.”
    “You’re right,” Cook said. “Son…there’s a crazy genius out there, half mad explorer and half compiler of ancient secrets. His name is Professor Ludendorff, and we have some of his notes. Ludendorff claims to have made it to the star system in question. Even more importantly, he says he saw the sentinel and measured a few of its abilities. He says it isn’t just big, but claims the vessel is three times the size of a Gettysburg -class battleship.”
    “That’s massive,” Maddox said.
    “There’s more. Ludendorff says he studied a few of the wrecked hulks. By examining areas of damage, he claims the sentinel fired some sort of neutron beam. I don’t know if you’re aware, Captain, but our scientists say such a weapon is impossible. If one could develop it, though, that beam would quickly overload our present shields. It couldn’t slice through them like the New Men’s weapon. What the neutron beam would likely do, however, is bypass regular armor. It would hit the inner systems with devastating power. If that wasn’t enough, the professor claims a shield flickered into place over the sentinel on two occasions. The second time, he had his instruments running. The shield must have used dampeners, increasing its strength compared to our shields and changing its complexion. There are reasons to believe this shield would hold up against the New Men’s beam. That would give the sentinel a deadly advantage against our enemies, giving us a tactical edge, maybe enough to win fleet actions.”
    “I’d like to talk to this professor,” Maddox said. “Where is he now?”
    Cook shook his head. “We wish we knew.”
    “Do the New Men have him?”
    The Lord High Admiral raised his hands. “He’s lost. That’s all that matters for now. We have a thick book of his notes. We have also located one of his former assistants.”
    “Where?”
    “On the prison planet Loki Prime,” Cook said. “It turns out she’s amassed quite a criminal record.”
    “What’s the assistant’s name?”
    “Doctor Dana Rich,” Cook said. “Among her many talents, she’s a clone thief and computer systems specialist.”
    “This is slim evidence to use, some madman’s notes and a criminal’s testimony.”
    “The truth, son, is that we haven’t spoken to her. At this point, we’re going off Professor Ludendorff’s notes alone. We also have reasons to believe he’s not as mad as advertised.”
    “If Ludendorff was there, why didn’t he board the sentinel himself?” Maddox asked.
    “He didn’t have those on his crew who he considered as the right people.”
    “What is that supposed to mean?”
    The Lord High Admiral reached down, taking a briefcase from beside his chair. He set it on his knees, clicked it open and extracted a folder.
    That’s quaint , Maddox thought. Why isn’t he handing me a reader?
    “I’m told you have an excellent memory,” Cook said.
    “Nearly photographic, sir,” Maddox said.
    “Read these files. Because of our fear of being compromised, it’s better if you gather these people on the run than if we send them to you. I suspect you’ll find they are an unusual group. There’s a reason for that. Each of them mentally matches the professor’s requirements.”
    Maddox looked up.
    “Let me rephrase,” Cook said. “Ludendorff believed the sentinel