Kris Longknife Stalwart by Mike Shepherd

Author:Mike Shepherd
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-64211-033-3
Publisher: Mike Shepherd

36

Megan boarded an enlarged gun truck with her prisoners in the back, chained and separated by a wall. A full brigade accompanied the prisoners, two battalions of Iteeche and one of Humans.

There was no doubt in her mind that Kris would personally see these prisoners.

Apparently, however, Meg dozed off just after the drive began. She must have slept through the entire beanstalk ride up, because the next thing Megan knew, her vehicle was pulling to a stop at the brow of the Princess Royal.

Rubbing sleep from her eyes, and trying to ignore a pounding headache, she dismounted. Two squads of Human Marines from the P. Royal removed her prisoners and hurried them up the gangplank and into a brig just off the quarterdeck next to Admiral Longknife's day quarters.

Also waiting for Megan on the quarterdeck was the LT from the forensic team.

"You ready for this?" Megan asked her.

"I have the facts. Someone else will have to interpret them," the mustang LT said crisply. Apparently she got more sleep than Megan, or, being a former Gunny, knew how to sleep wherever and whenever.

Likely with her eyes open.

Kris was waiting for them at a conference table in her day quarters. Interestingly, only Admiral Tong represented the Iteeche. Jack sat at Kris's other elbow. This was to be a small, likely decisive, meeting.

"Tell me exactly what facts you have," Admiral Longknife demanded.

Megan turned to the LT. "This is your bailiwick."

"Admiral, we've examined two explosions. The one that destroyed the water pipes used sophisticated military plastic explosives. The second explosion used a common civilian compound, something like T-ammonal, a mixture of trinitrotoluene, or TNT if you prefer, ammonium nitrate, aluminum powder, and a bit of charcoal. It is less effective, but the objective was to blow a building apart, create blast, and launch destructive flying debris, which we all experienced," the Marine lieutenant said ruefully.

"Based on our spectral analysis, I can say that the second package of explosives was manufactured here on Balan. The first explosion, however, came from elsewhere. Like hundreds of light years from here."

"How can you know that?" Admiral Tong asked.

"Sir, we are all made of stardust," the Marine officer said.

When the Iteeche admiral merely stared at her, she continued.

"That is not just poetry, but also a fact. After the big bang, the first generation of stars were huge monsters that burned through their fuel fast, from hydrogen to helium, then larger elements up to iron before they went supernova and blasted their elements through space to seed the next generation of stars. Those of us who live in the same interstellar neighborhood are made of the same star dust from either one of those supernovas or a later one."

"I see," said the Iteeche admiral, though he sure didn't sound like he did.

"Each star burns the same, only differently. Each star's dust has a fingerprint. The main elements are the same. However, the ratio of different isotopes in the mix vary. When you take the mix of stable isotopes of the

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