The Lost Stars by Jack Campbell Read Free Book Online Page A

stop, ensuring that he had a clear shot at Morgan if she twitched in a threatening manner. Neither Drakon nor Iceni made any sign they had noticed that, either.
    Drakon nodded in response to Iceni’s statement, displaying frustration that matched her own. “I noticed. What’s your guess?”
    â€œI have none.”
    â€œAll I have is a wild estimate based on human behavior.” Drakon swung an angry hand toward the main display, where the images of the far-distant enigma ships were shown clearly. “If this were a human force, the only reason they wouldn’t attack was if they had orders to wait for someone or something.”
    â€œWaiting? For what?”
    â€œI don’t know. But if these guys were human, I’d assume they had orders not to attack until some exact time, or to wait until some CEO who wanted credit for the victory showed up, or until reinforcements they didn’t need arrived.”
    Iceni frowned as she looked at the display. “Those reasons would make sense. If the enigmas were human.”
    â€œAnd I know they’re not.” Drakon shrugged. “Maybe they’re like us in that way, though.”
    â€œIt would be nice to think we’re not the only intelligent species capable of such mindless behavior. There’s nothing we can do even if they are being stupid, though,” Iceni said.
    â€œWe could attack,” Drakon replied with a sardonic grin.
    â€œIf they’re waiting for that, they’ll be waiting awhile. Kommodor Marphissa is still on her way toward the gas giant.”
    â€œWhere will she go after she picks up the other two cruisers?”
    â€œI’ve ordered her to await further developments, to see someone else do something, so we know who to reactto.”
    â€œFair enough. What’s going on with the battleship?”
    It was Iceni’s turn to shrug. “It stays where it is. Fornow.”
    â€œWhy not get it out of the star system? It doesn’t have any military use forus.”
    She sighed wearily. How long had it been since she had slept? “That battleship is, to the eyes of everyone watching, the strongest defensive asset this star system has. It still
looks
like a mighty warship even to those with access to sensors that tell them its weapons don’t work. What happens if everyone watches it run away?”
    Colonel Morgan gave her an appraising glance, as if surprised that Iceni had been astute enough to think of that. That condescending look gave Iceni one more reason to contemplate having Morgan murdered despite her agreement with Drakon not to carry out any unilateral assassinations. But a hit on an assistant that close to Drakon would create massive problems even if it could be carried out successfully. From all Iceni had heard, Morgan would not be easily eliminated even if Iceni chose to send Togo afterher.
    â€œSo we wait, too,” Drakon said. He didn’t sound any happier about that than Iceni felt. “I’ve been wondering something about the enigmas.”
    â€œIf you’re planning on asking me, I hope you don’t expect me to know more than anyone else does.”
    â€œIt’s a mobile forces question,” Drakon said, using the old Syndicate term for warships and pointing to the images of the enigma invaders. The alien craft were shaped much like turtles or tortoises, curved carapaces forming flattened hulls, the dark enigma armor glinting dully in the distant light of Midway’s star. “I understand the curved armor. It deflects anything that hits it much better than a flat surface would, and it lacks stress junctions like corners and edges.”
    His hand moved to indicate the shapes of the human warships shown elsewhere on the display, sharklike hulls varying from the slim Hunter-Killers and light cruisers to the beefier heavy cruisers. At the gas giant, the battleship
Midway
rested at the space dock like a much more massive, chunkier version of