said.
Maddox spread his hands palms up onto the table as if he was laying down his cards. “Have you ever heard of the New Men?”
“Do you think I’m an imbecile?”
“Not in the slightest,” Maddox said. “What you might not know was that there was a battle near the Odin System, near in terms of jump routes. The actual fight happened in the Pan System. Star Watch had a battle group. The New Men had three cruisers. The three destroyed everything and lost nothing.”
“If that’s true, how do you know about it?”
Maddox wondered if the other files were as wrong about the rest of the candidates as the one had been about Maker. “A lieutenant escaped in a lifeboat and hid behind an asteroid. After the New Men left, she made it back to Earth.”
Keith ticked off his fingers as his lips mouthed soundlessly. Then he looked up. “That would have happened at least a month ago.”
“Yes.”
“Just saying,” Keith muttered. “Well, s upposing all this is true, why tell me? Why would that bring you here?”
Maddox grinned because now he knew how h e was going to do this. “We can’t beat their ships.”
“By ‘we’ you mean…?”
“The Commonwealth, the Windsor League—humanity,” Maddox said.
“The New Men aren’t human?” Keith asked.
“Great Danes are dogs, but they probably wouldn’t treat Fox Terriers as equals.”
“No,” Keith said. “I suppose not. Yet, that doesn’t answer the question.”
Maddox leaned closer and told the ace about the destroyed star system and its last alien sentinel.
“I’ve heard a similar story somewhere,” Keith said. “Not with quite the same details, but I’m aware it means nothing.”
“ I’m from Star Watch Intelligence,” Maddox said quietly. “I’m going after the sentinel because Earth needs the ship in order to face the New Men on better footing. There’s a professor who has been to the system, and he took notes on his observations of the sentinel.”
“Have you seen those notes?”
“Some,” Maddox said.
Keith pursed his lips, looking thoughtful.
“The professor believes that certain types of individuals have a better chance at breaking into the alien vessel than others do.”
“ How would he know that?” Keith asked.
“You were supposed to be a great pilot ,” Maddox said, hedging.
“I got by.”
Maddox grinned. “That’s not what your file says. You were something of a miracle worker when it came to strikefighter combat.”
Keith said nothing.
“My point is that some men are fantastic pilots. Some are fools at the controls. If the fool asked you, ‘How do you fly so well?’ What would you tell him?”
“Don’t know that I could tell the fool much that would help him ,” Keith said.
“Compared to the professor, we’re all fools when it comes to the alien sentinel.”
“In other words, you don’t know how he knows,” Keith said.
“That’s right.”
“I see,” Keith said. He appeared wistful. “I remember taking some tests in high school. They found I had an incredible aptitude for flying. Went into a special combat program, I was going to join. Then the Tau Ceti thing broke out. Had uncles living there. Anyway, I went AWOL, took a liner to Tau Ceti and told them about my specialty. They let me teach my brother, thinking he must have been as good as me. He wasn’t, but Danny could fly rings around most others.”
Keith adjusted his tie, blinked himself out of his reverie and studied Maddox. “Y ou think I’m one of those the professor spoke about?”
“Yes.”
“That means you’re here to recruit me.”
“I hadn’t planned on it,” Maddox said.
“No?” Keith asked , frowning.
“I was going to kidnap you.”
“Oh. I see. What changed your mind?”
“You did,” Maddox said.
“How did I do that?”
“You called me a tiger earlier. I see you’re one , too. Even if I could kidnap you, it wouldn’t help the cause. Either you’ll come freely, or you won’t be any use to
Maddox spread his hands palms up onto the table as if he was laying down his cards. “Have you ever heard of the New Men?”
“Do you think I’m an imbecile?”
“Not in the slightest,” Maddox said. “What you might not know was that there was a battle near the Odin System, near in terms of jump routes. The actual fight happened in the Pan System. Star Watch had a battle group. The New Men had three cruisers. The three destroyed everything and lost nothing.”
“If that’s true, how do you know about it?”
Maddox wondered if the other files were as wrong about the rest of the candidates as the one had been about Maker. “A lieutenant escaped in a lifeboat and hid behind an asteroid. After the New Men left, she made it back to Earth.”
Keith ticked off his fingers as his lips mouthed soundlessly. Then he looked up. “That would have happened at least a month ago.”
“Yes.”
“Just saying,” Keith muttered. “Well, s upposing all this is true, why tell me? Why would that bring you here?”
Maddox grinned because now he knew how h e was going to do this. “We can’t beat their ships.”
“By ‘we’ you mean…?”
“The Commonwealth, the Windsor League—humanity,” Maddox said.
“The New Men aren’t human?” Keith asked.
“Great Danes are dogs, but they probably wouldn’t treat Fox Terriers as equals.”
“No,” Keith said. “I suppose not. Yet, that doesn’t answer the question.”
Maddox leaned closer and told the ace about the destroyed star system and its last alien sentinel.
“I’ve heard a similar story somewhere,” Keith said. “Not with quite the same details, but I’m aware it means nothing.”
“ I’m from Star Watch Intelligence,” Maddox said quietly. “I’m going after the sentinel because Earth needs the ship in order to face the New Men on better footing. There’s a professor who has been to the system, and he took notes on his observations of the sentinel.”
“Have you seen those notes?”
“Some,” Maddox said.
Keith pursed his lips, looking thoughtful.
“The professor believes that certain types of individuals have a better chance at breaking into the alien vessel than others do.”
“ How would he know that?” Keith asked.
“You were supposed to be a great pilot ,” Maddox said, hedging.
“I got by.”
Maddox grinned. “That’s not what your file says. You were something of a miracle worker when it came to strikefighter combat.”
Keith said nothing.
“My point is that some men are fantastic pilots. Some are fools at the controls. If the fool asked you, ‘How do you fly so well?’ What would you tell him?”
“Don’t know that I could tell the fool much that would help him ,” Keith said.
“Compared to the professor, we’re all fools when it comes to the alien sentinel.”
“In other words, you don’t know how he knows,” Keith said.
“That’s right.”
“I see,” Keith said. He appeared wistful. “I remember taking some tests in high school. They found I had an incredible aptitude for flying. Went into a special combat program, I was going to join. Then the Tau Ceti thing broke out. Had uncles living there. Anyway, I went AWOL, took a liner to Tau Ceti and told them about my specialty. They let me teach my brother, thinking he must have been as good as me. He wasn’t, but Danny could fly rings around most others.”
Keith adjusted his tie, blinked himself out of his reverie and studied Maddox. “Y ou think I’m one of those the professor spoke about?”
“Yes.”
“That means you’re here to recruit me.”
“I hadn’t planned on it,” Maddox said.
“No?” Keith asked , frowning.
“I was going to kidnap you.”
“Oh. I see. What changed your mind?”
“You did,” Maddox said.
“How did I do that?”
“You called me a tiger earlier. I see you’re one , too. Even if I could kidnap you, it wouldn’t help the cause. Either you’ll come freely, or you won’t be any use to
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