God beyond,” Craig said, obviously shaken. “You’re right. But…who?”
“There are other Indigons on the Orion ,” Sirena said. “The girl—we’ll arrest her at once.”
Navos shook his head, waving away the suggestion. “No. It couldn’t have been the girl. She sensed the attack—was a conduit for the boy’s distress. I myself entered her mind—worked with her to stop him. If she’d caused it, I would have known.”
“Then who?” Sirena demanded. “Are we being shadowed by another ship?”
Craig shook his head, turning to stare out at the blackness of space. “We would’ve picked up another ship shadowing us. If we were hovering for takeoff or landing it could be done easily, but we’re traveling at star speed out here. We have other ships on our sat-com, but they’re all at normal traffic distance.”
“It’s the implanted device,” Navos said, his mind racing. “It has to be. Perhaps it was programmed in some way.”
“I will study it further.” Halix leaned forward, face grave under his dark bowl of hair. “Commander, I fear you’re right about the intent of the device. In studying the boy’s records, we discovered the surgery to implant it took place on Indigo.”
Navos stared at him, ice spreading through his chest until he was numb. “My home planet. So the conspiracy to destroy the Orion has spread even there.”
Craig surged out of his chair to face him across the command console. “You think this is the same group that has been targeting us?”
Sirena uncoiled from her chair as well, her lovely eyes narrowed. “Yesss! It follows the same pattern, using a dupe or a paid saboteur.”
“‘The most dangerous weapon of all is that which doesn’t know it is a weapon,’” Craig murmured.
Navos looked sharply at him. Craig nodded. “Yes, Daron, you said that. Little did you know you were predicting the quarking future.”
“Wait a minute,” snarled Panthar, rising as well. “Why bother with this surgery? Can’t you Indigons mess with other beings just with your minds?”
Navos bowed ironically. “As you say, but we must be within a fairly small radius. You might compare it to being within sight, or hearing distance. Whoever did this used the technology developed by psych-techs for the InterGalactic Space Forces. It’s commonly used on petty criminals to monitor and if necessary, modify their behavior.”
Panthar growled low in his throat. “Seven hells, that ruffles my fur the wrong way! They shouldn’t be able to do that to a guy.”
Sirena cast him a fiery look. “It’s intended for rapists and child molesters. They deserve whatever means are necessary. Commander Navos, you’re saying someone used this psych-tech implant to force the boy to attack a locked cerametal hatch with his bare hands? With his body?”
Cold rage coalescing in his gut at the memory of the boy’s torn hands and face, Navos nodded shortly.
“That is truly evil!” Mra’s green hair waved about her throat, radiating distress instead of her usual serenity.
“So was the last plot against the Orion ,” said Slyde, his golden eyes molten with remembered rage as he stood behind his wife. “When deadly serpents were loosed among us.”
“And the voyage before that, when two of our own were paid to sabotage us,” Sirena hissed.
“And our maiden voyage, when one of my countrymen smuggled a bio-bomb aboard,” Mra added sadly. “Captain, how much longer can we go on under siege?”
“We can’t,” their captain said starkly. He looked around at all of them. “We have to stop them now. It’s only a matter of time before they manage to do some real damage. Or until the news media get hold of the whole story. Many of the crew know. We can’t keep that many people quiet.”
“What do we know?” asked Slyde. “Anything new?”
“That is an interesting question,” chirped a new voice. The others looked at the doctor in surprise. Tentaclar aimed an eye at each of them,
“There are other Indigons on the Orion ,” Sirena said. “The girl—we’ll arrest her at once.”
Navos shook his head, waving away the suggestion. “No. It couldn’t have been the girl. She sensed the attack—was a conduit for the boy’s distress. I myself entered her mind—worked with her to stop him. If she’d caused it, I would have known.”
“Then who?” Sirena demanded. “Are we being shadowed by another ship?”
Craig shook his head, turning to stare out at the blackness of space. “We would’ve picked up another ship shadowing us. If we were hovering for takeoff or landing it could be done easily, but we’re traveling at star speed out here. We have other ships on our sat-com, but they’re all at normal traffic distance.”
“It’s the implanted device,” Navos said, his mind racing. “It has to be. Perhaps it was programmed in some way.”
“I will study it further.” Halix leaned forward, face grave under his dark bowl of hair. “Commander, I fear you’re right about the intent of the device. In studying the boy’s records, we discovered the surgery to implant it took place on Indigo.”
Navos stared at him, ice spreading through his chest until he was numb. “My home planet. So the conspiracy to destroy the Orion has spread even there.”
Craig surged out of his chair to face him across the command console. “You think this is the same group that has been targeting us?”
Sirena uncoiled from her chair as well, her lovely eyes narrowed. “Yesss! It follows the same pattern, using a dupe or a paid saboteur.”
“‘The most dangerous weapon of all is that which doesn’t know it is a weapon,’” Craig murmured.
Navos looked sharply at him. Craig nodded. “Yes, Daron, you said that. Little did you know you were predicting the quarking future.”
“Wait a minute,” snarled Panthar, rising as well. “Why bother with this surgery? Can’t you Indigons mess with other beings just with your minds?”
Navos bowed ironically. “As you say, but we must be within a fairly small radius. You might compare it to being within sight, or hearing distance. Whoever did this used the technology developed by psych-techs for the InterGalactic Space Forces. It’s commonly used on petty criminals to monitor and if necessary, modify their behavior.”
Panthar growled low in his throat. “Seven hells, that ruffles my fur the wrong way! They shouldn’t be able to do that to a guy.”
Sirena cast him a fiery look. “It’s intended for rapists and child molesters. They deserve whatever means are necessary. Commander Navos, you’re saying someone used this psych-tech implant to force the boy to attack a locked cerametal hatch with his bare hands? With his body?”
Cold rage coalescing in his gut at the memory of the boy’s torn hands and face, Navos nodded shortly.
“That is truly evil!” Mra’s green hair waved about her throat, radiating distress instead of her usual serenity.
“So was the last plot against the Orion ,” said Slyde, his golden eyes molten with remembered rage as he stood behind his wife. “When deadly serpents were loosed among us.”
“And the voyage before that, when two of our own were paid to sabotage us,” Sirena hissed.
“And our maiden voyage, when one of my countrymen smuggled a bio-bomb aboard,” Mra added sadly. “Captain, how much longer can we go on under siege?”
“We can’t,” their captain said starkly. He looked around at all of them. “We have to stop them now. It’s only a matter of time before they manage to do some real damage. Or until the news media get hold of the whole story. Many of the crew know. We can’t keep that many people quiet.”
“What do we know?” asked Slyde. “Anything new?”
“That is an interesting question,” chirped a new voice. The others looked at the doctor in surprise. Tentaclar aimed an eye at each of them,
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