Starplex

Chapter XVII

The bridge was calm, the six workstations floating serenely against the holographic night. It was 0500 ship's time; delta shift was in the final hour of its watch.

In the director's position was an Ib named Wineglass; other Ibs were at the Internal-Ops and Helm stations.

Physical sciences was slaved to a dolphin named Melon-dent, a Waldahud was at life sciences, and a human named De

A grid of force screens radiated down from the invisible ceiling, creating millimeter-wide vacuum gaps between each workstation, preventing transmission of noise between them. The Ib at Internal Ops was engaged in a holographic conference with three miniature floating Ibs and three disembodied Waldahud heads. The human at External was reading a novel on one of her monitor screens.

Suddenly, the silencing force fields snapped off and an alarm began to sound. "Unidentified ship approaching," a

"T'here!" said Van Hausen, pointing to the image of the nearby star.

"It's just passing from behind the photosphere."

PHANTOM was showing the unknown ship as a small red triangle; the actual vessel was far too small to be visible at this distance.

"Any chance that it's just a watson?" asked Wineglass, his British accent carrying a hint of Cockney.

"None," said Van Hausen. "It's at least as big as one of our probeships."

Lights moved across Wineglass's web. "Let's get a look at it," he said.

The Ib at the helm station rotated the ship slightly so that the deck-seventy optical array was aimed at the 'intruder. A square frame appeared around part of the star, and within it a magnified view appeared. The approaching ship was illuminated on one side by the green star. The other side was a black silhouette, visible only because it eclipsed the background stars.

Wineglass spoke to Kreet, the Waldahud on his right. 'What looks like a Waldahud design. The central engine pod, no?"

Waldahudin believed each ship — or building or vehicle — should be unique; they did not mass-produce from the same design. Kreet lifted all four of his shoulders. "Maybe," be said. "Any transponder signal, De

"If there is one," the human said, "it's lost in the noise from the star."

"Please try to contact the ship."

"Transmitting," said De

A second ship was coming around the limb of the green star. It was similar in size to the first, but had a different, more blocky design.

Still, the trademark Waldahud central engine pod was visible.

"Better get Keith down here," said Wineglass.

Lights rippled across the Ib at InOps. "Director Lansing to the bridge!"

"Fry to contact the second ship, too," Wineglass said.

"Doing so," said Van Hausen… "And — Jesus, I'll try to contact that third one, as well." Another ship, half emerald fire glinting off polished metal, half black nothingness, was emerging from behind the star. A moment later a fourth and then a fifth appeared.

"It's a bloody armada," said Van Hausen.

"They Waldahud ships clearly are," said Melondent from his open pool to the left of the physics workstation.

"Thruster exhaust signatures most characteristic."

"But what would five — six, eight — eight Waldahud craft want here?" asked Wineglass. "De

"They're doing parabolic paths around the star," the human woman said.

"Hard to say exactly where they're pla

"They after us are coming," said Melondent. "We should-"

A door appeared in the hologram. Keith Lansing strode onto the bridge, unshaven, hair matted down from sleep.

"Sorry to wake you early," said Wineglass, rolling away from the director's workstation, "but we have company."

Keith nodded at the Ib, and waited for a pOlychair to emerge from the trapdoor in front of his console. It was already morphing into human configuration as it rose up from the floor. Keith seated himself.

"You've tried contacting them?"

"Yes," said De

"They're Waldahud ships, aren't they?" said Keith, his workstation rising to the height he preferred.

"Very likely so," said Wineglass, "although, of course, Waldahud ships are sold all over the Commonwealth. They could be crewed by somebody else."

Keith rubbed sleep from his eyes. "How did so many ships arrive without our knowing it?"

"They must have emerged one at a time from the shortcut while it was shielded from our view by the green star," Wineglass said.

"Christ, of course," said Keith. He consulted the readout of who was operating which station. "Double-Dot, get Jag down here."

The Ib at Internal Ops slapped his control panel with ropes, then, a moment later, said, "Jag has his communications routed to a voice mailbox. It's his normal sleep period."

"Override," said Keith. "Get him down here right now.

De

"Nothing."

Keith glanced up at the glowing digital clocks floating against the starfield. "It's almost shift change anyway," he said. "Let's get the full alpha-shift staff down here."

"Alpha shift, report immediately to the bridge," said Double-Dot.

"Lia

"Thank you," said Keith. "De

"This is G. K. Lansing, Director of the Commonwealth research vessel Starplex. State your business, please."

"Transmitting," said De

A door opened up in the part of the hologram displaying the framed close-up of the approaching craft. Jag walked through, his fur not yet brushed. "What's wrong?" he said.

"Maybe nothing," said Keith "but eight Waldahud ships are approaching Starplex. Do you know why?"

All four shoulders moved up and down. "I have no idea."

"They are refusing to respond to hails, and-"

"I said I have no idea." Jag turned around and faced the hologram where the door had been. All his eyes began tracking independently, each one watching a different approaching ship.

"What kind of ships are those?" asked Keith. "Scouts?"

"They are the right size for that," said Jag.

"How many crew members aboard each?"

"Starships are not my field," said Jag.

Keith looked at the Waldahud at life sciences. "You, there — Kreet, is it? How many people aboard such a ship?"

"Perhaps six," said Kreet. "No more than that."

Two of the four bridge doors opened simultaneously.

Thoraid Magnor walked in through one, and Rissa Cervantes came in through the other. The Ib and the Waldahud vacated the helm and life-sciences stations to make room for them.

"Eight ships are approaching Starplex," said Keith, to Rissa and Thor.

Rissa nodded. "PHANTOM briefed us enroute. But no additional ships should have come through the shortcut until we gave the okay." She stood by her console, waiting for the chair to configure itself.

"Maybe they're here by accident," said Thor, tapping some keys on his console while 'his chair rose from beneath the deck. "When a new shortcut comes on-line, the acceptable approach angles to select a desired destination grow narrower. They could have been sloppy in their calculations.

Maybe they meant to go somewhere else."

"One pilot might make a mistake," said Keith. "But eight?"