Judas Unchained

“In these circumstances it is of limited effectiveness,” Natasha said.

“Somebody tell me we will be able to use it effectively.”

“When their ships begin to congregate again, then we’ll be able to deploy them with some success,” Dimitri said.

Doi gave him a vicious look.

“I’d emphasize that even switched to a minimal effect radius, we shouldn’t activate a quantumbuster within a million kilometers of any inhabited world,” Natasha Kersley said. “That’s the absolute minimum safe distance. Even if it only has the mass of a single Prime ship to work with, the radiation output would be seriously detrimental to the biosphere. They are doomsday weapons, Madam President. They were never intended to be used in dogfights.”

“You think we shouldn’t have issued them to the navy starships for this?” Doi asked.

“I designed them, I advise on their use,” the physicist said. “Ultimately, the situations in which they are deployed are a political decision.”

“Thank you, Natasha,” Wilson said before the argument and recriminations got out of hand.

“Additional wormhole activity,” Anna said. “Prime wormholes opening near the stars of the planets they’re invading. Damn, they’re emerging close; approximately half a million kilometers above the corona. Seventeen of them have appeared so far.”

“Above the stars?” Tunde asked, frowning. “I don’t understand. What’s coming through?” The faint waves of color surrounding him rearranged themselves quickly, displaying the hysradar returns of starships scanning the new development.

“Plenty of ships,” Anna said. “Everyone is launching Douvoir missiles; the wormholes will be closed down in minutes.”

“Moved,” Dimitri said. “They’ll be moved in a few minutes.”

Tunde and Natasha exchanged a few words. “I don’t like the positioning,” Tunde said. “It’s constant, look. The wormholes are all opening above the equator of the star, and they are directly in line with the habitable planet of the system. In other words, it’s the closest part of the star to the planet.”

“Meaning?” Rafael asked.

“I don’t know, but it cannot be coincidence. Admiral, we really need to know what’s being sent through.”

“Could it be something like a quantumbuster?” Wilson asked. The question generated a few moments of complete silence in the office. Wilson glanced at Nigel’s frozen image; the Dynasty chief was still dealing with Wessex. Wilson wondered what the hell he was doing there that was more important than this.

“I can’t answer that,” Tunde said. “Obviously it is a possibility.”

“What could a quantumbuster do to a star?”

The physicists looked at each other, neither of them willing to take the lead. “It would cause quite a disturbance to the photosphere,” Tunde said. “There might even be some impact on the top of the convective zone. But the overall damage would be minimal.”

“Radiation emission wouldn’t be minimal,” Natasha said. “That would be extremely dangerous.”

“It’s hardly an efficient use of a quantumbuster.”

“What else could it be?” Wilson tried to keep his voice level and calm.

Tunde raised his hands in an awkward gesture of doubt.

“We have diverted-energy-function nukes,” Natasha said quickly. “As do the Primes. This could well be a large-scale application of that process, powered by the star itself.”

“Those planets are an AU from their primaries,” Rafael protested. “More in some cases. And you’re saying this could be a beam weapon?”

“You wanted alternatives,” Natasha said in an accusing tone.

“Our detector network has now found thirty-eight wormholes close to the target stars,” Anna said.

Wilson’s virtual finger reached for the Tokyo’s icon. He stopped. He hated, absolutely hated, himself for doing this. But this whole attack was pivotal. Any and every action he took today could decide the fate of the Commonwealth. He had to have information he could trust implicitly. That meant the source must be someone he knew he could trust. He touched the Dublin’s icon. “Oscar?”

“Hello, Admiral.”

“We need to know what’s coming through that wormhole close to the star.”

“Hysradar is picking up returns consistent with class-four and class-seven Prime ships. We launched a pair of Douvoir missiles to close it down.”

“I know, but we need confirmation. Take a flyby. Stay in hyperspace, but get us a high-definition picture of what the bastards are up to.”

“You want us to leave Hanko orbit?”

“Yes, the planetary defenses can insure no wormholes open close by. If the invasion pattern changes you can return immediately.”

“Acknowledged, leaving orbit now.”

“Boongate reports a wormhole near its star,” Anna said. “That’s completion, all forty-eight stars. Whatever they’re doing, they’re doing it to each star system they’re invading. Large numbers of ships coming through.”

“The Prime ships must have damn good force fields to operate at that distance from a star,” Rafael said. “It’s hellish close.”