The Eleventh Gate by Nancy Kress

Author:Nancy Kress [Kress, Nancy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Action & Adventure, General
ISBN: 9781982124588
Google: jn13ygEACAAJ
Publisher: Baen
Published: 2020-05-05T04:00:00+00:00

33

DEEP SPACE

One month into the three-month voyage to New Utah, the Skyhawk braced for attack.

Martinez had the conn, with a pilot-in-training at the helm—what could be dangerous in this vast stretch of empty space? Then two Landry ships appeared as distant, distinctive blips on his scanner. The OOD said, “Captain—”

“I see them,” Martinez said, at the same time that messages came in from the Zeus and the Green Hills of Earth. Martinez put all three ships on battle alert.

These two Landry warships must have been caught on the Prometheus side of the Prometheus-Polyglot gate when the gates closed. The rest of the Landry fleet defending the Prometheus-Polyglot gate had probably mostly been on the Polyglot side, able to voyage back to Polyglot. But these two vessels must have waited a while to see if the gate would reopen and then, when it did not, had done the only thing they could do to avoid starvation, the same thing that Martinez was doing: set a course for the Peregoy planet of New Utah.

The two Landry ships had therefore not gone through any gates. Unlike Martinez, they were armed. With the Landry meta-beams? If so, they could destroy as much of New Utah as they chose.

And they could destroy Martinez’s small fleet.

The Landry ships were between him and New Utah; Martinez couldn’t get there first. He could, however, warn planetary defense. He did that, knowing the Landry ships would intercept the signal. But if he knew the Landrys were here, then the reverse was true. At least the inhabitants of New Utah had ample time—two months—to prepare. The message was sent to New Utah.

Martinez said, “Send this message to the Landry fleet on all frequencies: ‘This is the Peregoy Corporation Space Service ship Skyhawk, Luis Martinez commanding. The war ended with the closing of the gates. Are you attempting to negotiate safe orbit and resupply on New Utah for your ships?”

The OOD’s shoulders tensed. He sent the message.

There were three possibilities. One: the Landry ships had the meta-beam and would use its greater range to destroy the Skyhawk, Zeus and Green Hills of Earth, before using it to take New Utah. Two: the Landry ships did not have the meta-beam and would fight a conventional space battle, which Martinez’s fleet would lose as soon as the enemy realized Martinez’s ships were not armed. Three: the Landry ships did not have the meta-beam and were willing to peacefully negotiate for food on New Utah, either because they believed hostilities had ended or because they thought they could not win against the New Utah planetary defense. Or even against Martinez, who had three armed (they thought) ships against their two. Thus, they might even surrender to him. If so, Martinez thought wryly, then they were all back in the Napoleonic Wars, taking enemy ships as prizes.

None of those things actually happened.

Neither Landry vessel replied to the Skyhawk’s hail. Were they maneuvering for position to fire?

“Lieutenant, send the message again. Are you on all frequencies?”

“Yes, sir.

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