The Secret Navigator (2182) Spacer Series: Book 10

By B.B. Irvine

Captain Ecurba is almost killed by an unusual alien assassin, just the prelude to the hunt for a Qet artifact rumored to be on Deepstrike. The object offers legitimacy to anyone seeking to lead the seventy eight billion Qet within the Qet Sphere, and has attracted the attention of the Qet-Qeti, also known as The Secret Navigator, a shadowy male Qet wielding power behind the scenes. He wants to seize power, and believes the artifact will help. While their Qet-Qeti leader looks for the artifact rumored to be on Deepstrike (human population 20,000), two million Qet Simple Believer warriors start assembling nearby. Can Captains Ecurba and Chen get the Human Sphere out of this?

• Language: English
• Publisher: B.B. Irvine
• Release date: Nov 23, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370863174

B.B. Irvine

B.B. Irvine was born in New York City in 1959. He graduated from the High School of Music and Art N.Y. (1976 music), New York State University at Stony Brook (1980 B.A. liberal arts), and in 1982 received a certificate as a Physician Assistant from the Bowman Gray School of Medicine in North Carolina. He has worked in settings including emergency medicine, AIDS research, and addiction treatment in New York City where he lives. In 1994 he earned a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do from Grandmaster Richard Chun. His novels and screenplays evidence his knowledge of people and frequently weave medicine, science, history, romance, and martial arts into the action.

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The Secret Navigator (2182)

Spacer Series Book 10

by B. B. Irvine

Copyright 2022 B. B. Irvine

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Chapter 01 - DAY ONE: A Faceful Of Teeth

Northwood Forest

Northwest Territory, Deepstrike

21 April 2182: 1730hours

ECURBA

The vorrdog raced through the woods.

It was a reptillian-derived creature from the Qet home planet, a bit like what might result if an alligator somehow cross-mated with a very large, very fast dog. It had big teeth, big muscles which powered its jaws and legs, was trained to be vicious, and a vorrdog on the attack was savage.

This one seems intent on attacking me.

It is headed right toward me, its dark green markings flashing in the gold dapples of sunstar HD-19373 (originally Iota Persei) reaching the woodland floor on a beautiful summer afternoon on planet Deepstrike. My magrifle is slung around my shoulder: I am no hunter, experienced in reacting to charging creatures, or in tracking live targets and shooting them. I’ve had some training and experience as a soldier (and I have killed other Humans and Qet who were trying to kill me), but I have nothing like the well trained instincts of the career tactical officers I knew from past service. I am certain that Andersen, Chen, Kensingtun, Kimonetti, Pathfinder, Takaguchi, or Tejeda would have had their magrifle ready in the first place, on general principle, or would by now have gotten their weapon around and fired it. And if not, each could probably fight a vorrdog barehanded.

Not me – caught here flat-footed whether I am SAS Space Fleet Captain Ecurba of Clan Senivri, or not. And so it goes.

Scans and ongoing monitoring had indicated the area of forest and meadows within a three kilometer radius of our survey camp didn’t have any Large or Medium Deadly Fauna within it, so I had not been taking this short afternoon walk at magrifle ready. I was pretty certain any vorrdog on the loose would have shown up as a Medium Deadly Fauna on scans, but both algorithms and observers looking at Fauna scans wouldn’t presume that local area threats they searched for were being held within a shielded cage or vehicle for a specific timed release.

If another scan was being done right now, it might even be visible – recognizable as a threat, even if this vorrdog was not a Local Deadly Fauna from Deepstrike: this vorrdog was from a Qet system in the Qet Sphere. The closest Qet Star was believed to lie out toward Leo Minoris, at least 155 light years distant. Hmm… That makes it a Foreign Deadly Fauna… I half grin, yet I am at a loss here, feeling rueful that whoever went to all this trouble of bringing a Qet vorrdog to Deepstrike will now kill me so easily in the end. There is no question in my mind that a thinking sentient intelligent with money and power has set this unnatural nature tableau up.

The vorrdog comes bounding at me.

I feel Ember Qat press against my shins. I wonder what the big vorrdog will do to the smaller sized Tau Ceti Cat seated in front of me.

The vorrdog roars, gathering speed.

It is over so quickly, I do not have time to flinch, cringe, or even close my eyes.

The fast approaching vorrdog takes a high bounding leap toward me, and another – then it stops, about two meters away from me. It appears distinctly surprised, then its lizard eyes give me a look of utter devotion. It gives an ugly sniffle, something like a schnuffle of delight, and then seems quite happy to sit there with slimy goo slithering from its mouth, just looking at me with those adoring snake eyes.

I look down at Ember Qat, who nonchalantly licks her right front paw. "You did that, didn’t you, Ember? Thanks." The black Ceti Cat looks up at me and growlpurrs, a flash of pure love in her eyes, before her much more important paw cleaning activity continues with elegant nonchalance.

In 2101 on the planet at Tau Ceti, Damon Corvel’s original Small Deadly Fauna entry in his "Tau Ceti Flora And Fauna was logged as Tau Ceti Tube Cats," reflecting a Ceti Cat’s rather couch-bolster shaped body, a bit more of a ferret-otter tubular body type than feline, as on Earth. But they had sharp teeth, claws on all four legs, tails, cat-like faces, and many of the Small Deadly Fauna behaviors and dispositions were very close: highly independent, selectively affectionate, ruthlessly vicious during a fight – very much tooth and claw.

I like cats – dogs are okay too – but I like cats. I met my first Ceti Cat during Fleet service seven years ago on IWG-CS SWIFTSURE in 2175, and I thought they were cute. Then during my brief visit on Niv at Tau Ceti four years later in 2179, while I was foolishly alone outside looking for a large spicerose bush (it was a local sight worth seeing), I stumbled across a local Niv Large Deadly Fauna lizardy thing about to eat a family of Ceti Cats eating petals at the spicerose bush. There were young ones in the group, too young to cross-step Elsewhere to safety like their parents could. Their parents weren’t going to leave their Qat Kits behind, yet could not stop the Mantis lizard from killing them all, either.

Well, that’s what it had looked like to me at the time, the clueless Sol human tourist.

Knowing no better, I wasn’t going to let a big lizardy thing hurt some cute, short-furred Ceti Cats, so I kicked the big lizardy thing a few times, until the Ceti Cats got away. The big lizardy-thing was so shocked by a softskin attacking it that it retreated, baffled. The deadly poisonous bite and a few slashes that I received from the Niv Mantis lizard were treated at the Niv Exosciences Institute, where I was a guest at the time – so instead of dying, I recovered.

That was on my birthday, four years ago today, and although taking command of VICTORY last year came close, getting mauled by a Niv Mantis lizard was the best present I ever got: I lived anyway, and the Ceti Cats adopted me. No one knows how many Ceti Cats there are on Niv or in this universe, but it seems I’ve joined a very large extended family of extremely powerful creatures who most often appear in this iteration as Small Deadly Fauna found first on Niv and now present everywhere in the Human Sphere.

They can manipulate electromagnetic fields.

They can travel Space and Time.

They can somehow transport other sentient intelligents through Space; they once moved an entire starship from one place to another place (taking a large number of them about four hours to move it 40 light years).

They can still be injured and killed if caught unprepared, or if unable to flee. It is very rare, but it has happened, and is always possible…

They had already saved my life at least four times that I know of, and I knew of one Ceti Qat who spent time in a human iteration which allowed her to save my life last December, so I could set uncounted numbers of captured Ceti Cats free. Although she could only spend about 36 human hours before resuming the safest and best iteration into our Universe – as a Ceti Cat named Ember – during those hours we had decided her full name was Amalthea Emberqat. Then all too soon she’d left Here and cross-stepped to Elsewhere, and upon return Here was a Ceti Cat once more.

Today Ember Qat could have left Here and cross-stepped to Elsewhere, but I knew she wouldn’t. I also knew for a fact that this sentient intelligent Qat from the planet at Tau Ceti understood me, and that she’d done something to the vorrdog to stop it – perhaps sent a directed electromagnetic pulse to its pleasure center. There had been no need to kill – which Ember Qat had also done in my defense before, acting as my watchCat (as Niv Homo neosapiens living in the Sol derived colony on Tau Ceti had originally termed it). Ember had just saved me again. Yes, four years ago poison from a Niv Mantis lizard bite almost killed me, but I’d do it all over again – look what it’s brought me in return! Saved by the Qat.

"Happy birthday." I blinked as Ember Qat Spoke to me (they can do so only in a special effort as a telepathic effect, during an emergency or as a rare treat), then gave an audible trill. The trill was roughly the Call which Qet-Sia Pathfinder, my Qet bond-link (my wife, in Sol human terms) gave to attract my attention, and I did need to let her know what had just happened… Had almost happened.

I shivered back to the present. Right. Thanks. And thank you again, Ember. I slowly took out my Data Pad and Transmitter (DPaT), but the vorrdog looked quite content where it had flopped to the ground. It was even starting to go into a droopy eyed torpor.

Yes, Captain Ecurba? she answered promptly.

"Someone released a vorrdog at me."

Qet-Sia chirped. You killed it? Or else you would be dead.

Commander Pathfinder, you forget the beautiful and so very powerful watchCat who graces me with her long suffering presence. I tilted the DPaT and sent image of the vorrdog, half snoring, then of Ember Qat now curled up at my feet, nearly catnapping.

I heard an angry chuff on the DPaT. I am glad the wise and powerful Ember Qat saved you once more, my husband, said Qet-Sia. I am on my way to your site. When the scowling Qet-Sia saw my image again, she growled softly as she diffused her anger and any fear over this attempt on my life. Her violet eyes swept her screenlet, then down the trail ahead of her.

"Any immediate care and instructions for me, regarding a Qet vorrdog?" I asked.

They only attack on command, but they snap at uninvited creatures which get within a meter. I do not advise moving any closer. Qet-Sia managed to give me a half-smile. However, this one now seems more likely to slather you with licks rather than savage you, Ecurba, so do not worry. You can retreat easily, and I will be there very soon. My wife sighed in angry frustration. Prepare for my arrival in your arms, as I now share in a desire to slather you with kisses.

I looked over at the vorrdog. "It does seem pretty happy, all in all."

"When not occupied with what to do when it hears a command to attack, it is too stupid to be otherwise. Especially an elite grade, well fed, well trained attack vorrdog. Qet-Sia snorted in derision. It cannot hunt or attack prey to feed itself on its own, for example. The real elites are raised ‘water naïve’ and after age two revs they can’t even learn how to swim or attack from the water! If it ever escaped or was released, even if it went to water, it would most likely drown or starve to death."

I studied the sharp teeth and powerful body of the vorrdog. That’s not their reputation. The vorrdog started snoring – little wheezy grumphs. Great! I thought. Let sleeping vorrdogs lie.

No, agreed Qet-Sia. "Most humans insist on inflated comparisons with Sol mammal dogs, and they relish the idea of evil Qet using a pack of vorrdog to hunt down humans for a nightly ritual dinner of live flesh. It appeals to the deeper human fears of death, and a curiosity and love of perversity in the natural Universe."

Who says?

Qet-Sia chuckled. You did, Ecurba. We spoke of it when you found that ‘comic book,’ as you called it, the one from Darkworld’s MediaWebConCon.

Right, right, that comic book, I said hastily.

You were embarrassed by the Qet sex scene, if I recall. Even more so when I confirmed its veracity – one of the big selling points, you said, as you ran off to avoid any further discussion.

Oh, right. I now saw Qet-Sia herself emerging slowly from the same line of bushes I’d passed through several moments earlier. Ecurba out. I turned off my DPaT and watched her walk cautiously toward me, alert, aware, her magrifle held at the ready. I felt distinct relief she was here, and fell in love with her all over again.

Commander Qet-Sia Pathfinder was a fit, well drilled, highly experienced combat veteran, both on the ground and in the air as a pilot. She was always a much better soldier than I’ll ever be, and she was also beautiful, in that rangy and athletic Qet way, with long legs and small breasts (a parallel in evolution, along with the type of physical body which made Qet and humans compatible enough to make love, albeit unable to genetically conceive). Her lovely eyes were now hidden by optics, but they were dark violet, and had vertical slit pupils.

I love beautiful eyes, and I had fallen for hers the first time we met. Her unusually inquisitive and scientific mind helped; all Qet are physically stunning, but most Qet are not very interested in science, or capable of true innovation, or curious about anything beyond their own Qet Star – not even about other Qet Stars in the Qet Sphere. The one percent who are curious were the only reason Qet civilization had not stagnated and crumbled away, had instead achieved orbit above home planet Qet (somewhere in the heart of the Qet Sphere) between 740-750 Sol years ago, and had been expanding steadily outward ever since: first into their Belt, then ever farther out after the Qet Star 1 colony planet was established, starting the Qet Sphere (currently at 66 Qet stars plus Qet itself).

Her family had a tradition of service, as did many, many Qet but in addition to being a fighter pilot, Qet-Sia Pathfinder was a Cultural Studies scientist. She studied Qet culture. Humans called this field of study cultural anthropology and a Human Sphere specialist in it was called an anthropologist. She had given me a very long, hard, and unpromising glance after the one and only time I said, "Qetologist, so I had stuck with Qet Cultural Studies Specialist ever since (although in silence I still thought that Qetology" would work).

Qet-Sia had long been curious about the Human Sphere, and studied whatever she could about it. During Qet Contact in 2180 she had been on the Assembly Of Sentients survey team on Deepstrike, which had supported the Human claim. She had never met autonomous males (Qet was a highly matriarchal culture), and she was a cultural studies specialist who had fallen in love with me. I had a long history with women who were smart, quirky, odd, tough, and loving, including Niv (who I knew to be far more human than having designed genes and Homo neopsapien bodies suggested to anti-Niv bigots). Circumstances during Qet Contact had set me up to appear a lot more heroic than the actual lucky-stupid factual events deserved, impressing Qet-Sia.

Then there was an ancient Qet Sphere custom of bond-link (like Human marriage) between sides formerly in opposition, or to seal a new treaty – not unlike marriages arranged between ruling houses for political reasons in Human medieval times. The Qet-Qeta had a daughter, and Qet-Jooli (the Qet Name given to Captain Xiu-Li Chen) had a leading male (i.e. me, her first officer, although Xiu-Li and I were simply Fleet colleagues). Bond-link was strictly voluntary, and more for diplomatic purposes than a practical relationship, since Qet-Sia was going back to the Qet Sphere after Qet Contact was completed in October 2180, and I wasn’t leaving the Fleet just because I was now married or bond-linked to an absent wife… Then in 2181, Qet-Sia’s return to assist in a major Human Sphere crisis had put us together again.

Both Qet-Sia and I favored exotic things, and neither of us would ever be involved with anyone who could be more exotic than being a different species of sentient intelligent. As we were seriously in love, we’ve been together ever since. It wasn’t easy being the bond-link to the daughter of the current leader of seventy eight billion Qet living next door in the Qet Sphere, but I had managed it pretty well for a year and a half so far. I had even survived a Defense Of Name and subsequently earned a full Qet Name: Qet-Ecurba.

I know that she got annoyed sometimes, but I felt and saw for myself how much Qet-Sia Pathfinder enjoyed being the bond-link with Qet-Ecurba, the Sol human captain of SAS VICTORY… Even when her E guy is, as she put it, taking another ill-advised long leap over a steep cliff, whenever it came to a tactical mission he was personally going out on; it was Qet-Sia who had led the rescue party fighting its way in to rescue me the last time I’d done that (barely 4 months ago). She also led on the way out, yet we still needed a lot of help to survive the extraction (and had it, thank Space and Qats!)

This New Year started with a Ship Service recognition and Stars awards ceremony organized by Admiral Anderson Baptiste, PORTAL Plat’s SAS Space Fleet representative, a reserved ally of mine. During a New Year Day party, I drank more than I expected and said something about the Ceti Cats doughnut-holing the bad guys, generating a group laugh-wince among the Humans and Traders and a distinct chuckle-purr from the Ceti Cats present. I had no idea Mimosas could have such an effect on me, and "Don’t Get Doughnut-Holed – Pet A Cat Today tees were soon the must have" item to get in the Fleet and on PORTAL Plat. I was glad that, as Qet-Sia had pointed out, the Cats are so easily amused.

Qet-Sia could see instantly that neither Ember or I had been injured here, and she visibly relaxed. She nodded her head at the vorrdog, and smiled at me. It seems Ember has made you a new friend, Ecurba. The vorrdog now looked up at Qet-Sia and gave her a schnuffled hello as well.

So have you.

Qet-Sia took off her optics frame and looked down at Ember Qat. You shall have the very best slabfish meal for this effort, of course. She squatted and reached over, smiling as Ember woke up to rub against her offered hand. Then they both looked up at me.

I was still keeping an eye on the vorrdog. Now I looked at them and nodded. "Of course, ladies."

Are you planning to tell anyone about this?

I think I owe it to the people around me, in case the next attempt is a blast device or something that can kill others as well. But exactly how I will put it and who I tell first decides how I handle that. I looked at the vorrdog. What to we do with snore teeth? I tried to imagine VICTORY’s new natural scientist-veterinarian, Dr. Tigris Harpsong, wrestling this big thing around in the Flora and Fauna Study Section treatment room.

"Nothing. There are many natural reasons that an attack in terrain like this might fail, so the handler will simply find the vorrdog and collect it. But they will be in for a shock the next time the call for an attack is given!"

That might be interesting to see.

Qet-Sia sighed. "Perhaps your return to the ship is indicated tonight, instead of on tomorrow’s cycle of Runner trips during our early breaking of camp and the whole return to ship chaos. Your assistance with lugging gear around, as you so cheerfully put it, is always much appreciated, but there is always work on VICTORY which only you can do, Captain Ecurba."

My shoulders slumped, because she was right. This was the best way to ensure my security, done without raising any alarms yet. And there goes our romantic last night in the tent together. And my Happy Birthday evening, Ecurba… Damnit!

Qet-Sia reached over and rubbed my arm. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, my love, she said softly. Her violet eyes were warm, yet sad as she hid her own distress. She also had her daydreams for this night, and seeing her look so sad at their smashing made me angry. I growled, and she smiled at my disappointment. Was that your stomach talking? she asked. I see no reason we cannot have some dinner together before you go, Ecurba. Do you?

No, I’d like that, Qet-Sia, I replied. And that wasn’t my stomach talking.

Chapter 02 - System Foolure

SAS VICTORY

Deepstrike System, HD-19373 (Iota Persei)

21 April 2182: 1845hours

The Qeta looked up as the boomTube capsule taking her from PORTAL Platform at Deepstrike approached the Human starship SAS VICTORY. This would be the first critical moment. Will anyone be in the docking area to challenge me? Will my quest of honor end there?

She definitely appreciated this particular human innovation in personnel transfer between a free platform structure and a starship near it. Qet did not have a need to develop or use boomTube technology because the Qet had long ago perfected vertical tether technology, so any Qet ships in orbit could dock and interact with a colony planet surface directly via tetherlift. Every Qet star colony planet had orbital tether stations, perhaps technically a sort of platform but linked by the tetherline to the surface. It might be very high up, but any Qet working on a tether platform did not consider themselves to be living in space, as they all went down to the planet by tetherlift with the last cargo load of their completed work shift. Building most of the manufacturing plants atop tether stations above the atmosphere allowed the use of industrial processes which were in some way dangerous or produced toxic byproducts and would have polluted every Qet star colony planet – as industrialization had done to the atmosphere of Qet itself, with the dirtiest air of all Qet inhabited planets.

In space operations, Qet transferred everything using smaller intermediate ships which were much larger than boomTube boomCapsules. The smallest actual Qet space vehicle usually had more room than three of these boomCapsule spaces combined would create, allowing a Qet within it to feel there was enough room all around to relax. In the Qet Sphere, the inevitable losses from statistically inevitable collisions in space during transfers between Qet Authority Space Fleet vehicles were regretted every three triples or so, with another study requested… But there were always plenty of Qet.

In the Human Sphere, a boomTube was an efficient system to allow transit of cargo and personnel between a starship and a larger structure without requiring smaller ships maneuvering around larger ones in local space. It was a protocol related to safety, yet it also allowed much easier direct transfers of personnel or small cargo loads. Since the tubular trackways weren’t pressurized, and entry into the structure at either end was airlocked, any tube failure due to movement of either structure would not lose any atmosphere from them.

The result was this boomCapsule, floating in zero G, enjoying the view: brilliant sunstar lit starship cut sharply with black shadows; planet Deepstrike’s blues, whites, greens (not visible from her present angle of position, but still…)

The Qeta believed it was the Human generosity in preserving and widely sharing so much acquired knowledge and other information which had made their rapid expansion possible. It might yet be a weakness… Except there was so much to be sorted through to find out what could be used against them! She was very good at that, however; once she firmly ignored all of the color, glitter, and fascinating images and content on the humanWeb, she had kept her focus only on COURIER Class Fleet Starships, nothing else. No matter how beautiful, ugly, bizarre, or intriguing an image or data content taglet might look…

She shivered – when would recalling some of the things she had seen stop causing her to shiver? Well… Humans did prefer a slightly cooler climate than Qet did, so it was the boomCapsule. She was simply chilly.

Maybe it was Captain Ecurba’s ship, which was oddly beautiful in its very simple, basic, and robust ‘brickloaf’ design – a long rectangular loaf shape. Without fully revealing any specific ship’s details in one place, the humanWeb still had all types of information about general starship designs, security systems available for them, and Space Fleet starships. Standardization would probably never be as complete in the Human Sphere as it would be for Qet, but its application in many areas (especially in construction of many types of ships or structures) meant that extrapolations could be made. She had not only decided which systems were most likely those used in construction of SAS VICTORY, she had even hypothesized which modifications Commander Qet-Sia Pathfinder would be able to make to them for Qet detection without making any actual hardware changes.

Then she had devised and executed a way to defeat them.

The overall design of SAS VICTORY was the same as any COURIER Class starship in Space Alliance Systems Space Fleet service, so if she wasn’t stopped in the boomTube area, her direct pathway to the captain’s quarters was clear and memorized. Very soon she would see if her hypothesis was correct, or would be defined as an intruder – possibly killed.

SAS VICTORY was beautiful. She preferred the simple geometric rectangle of metalloy over the Qet starship design, which had not changed (except in size) since the initial copy had been made centuries ago from a recovered alien ship. It had kept certain features which clearly had nothing to do with function, but since ninety percent of Qet were uninterested in science or design, while over sixty percent of all Qet could make an exact copy of something… VICTORY was plain and simple. It had no superfluous curves or blobs attached to it. She wondered what being aboard it as space crew would be like. She knew VICTORY had at least two Qeta serving on it in an officer exchange program, subject to orders from its captain, a Sol human male named Ecurba. What would that be like? Orders from Captain Qet-Ecurba?

She had met him once, and knew for herself that he was worthy of Name. Admiration for this feat did not mean she would simply accept orders from any male human, however intriguing the concept was at times. She was cursed with imagination – the secret of her successes as well as the cause of all her troubles with other Qet.

The Qet Authority favored numerics, records, and files for preservation, not sites, artifacts, or historical items. It had lost records at various times, physical and digital; this meant although as a whole the Qet had survived and prospered, details of certain past historical periods were now either unclear or unknown, outside of a few seperately preserved Qet personal writings. These were greatly limited in total numbers, and all were defined as unofficial by the Qet Authority: they were not numerics, records, or files.

The Qeta had paid for her living by tracking things down which were described in those old personal writings, and also using entries in Qet Authority records and files which were missed by Qet with narrower visions of possible pathways to things being tracked. There were a few other Qeta and several Qeti she knew of who were doing the same sifting of oldest facts and possible fictions, but they were not her rivals, for she was the very best –