The engineer, p.1
The Engineer, page 1
The Engineer
Book 4 in the Bache Loftt Series
Nick Adams
Copyright © 2026 by Nick Adams
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Epilogue
Afterword
Prologue
A meeting, outside GDA space
* * *
Eighty-seven thousand light years distant, deep in the uncharted regions beyond the furthest GDA outposts, a very unusual kind of gathering was taking place.
In a vast chamber carved from living crystal, twelve figures gathered around a pool of swirling liquid metal. Their bodies were tall and sinuous, covered in iridescent scales that caught the light from the bioluminescent growths adorning the walls. Six-fingered hands gestured over the pool as it shaped itself into a perfect replica of GDA space.
‘The Dimioi fleet has been destroyed,’ hissed the tallest of the figures, its voice like stone grinding against metal. ‘The entire race, cleansed in a matter of moments.’
‘They called it the Extermination War,’ another replied, touching a scaled finger to the pool. The liquid metal rippled and formed a perfect image of a decimated fleet of a thousand ships.
‘Just as the prophets foretold,’ a third voice joined in, deeper than the others. ‘The cycle continues as it will.’
The leader, distinguished by the elaborate crest of spines that ran from its forehead down its back, moved closer to the pool. Its vertical pupils narrowed as it studied the image.
‘For a thousand years we will wait, hidden beyond their reach, rebuilding our strength,’ it said. ‘The Extermination War was merely the beginning. They believed they had destroyed us, the Dimioi, greatest of all species. They believed wrong.’
The tall figure reached forward, clawed fingers extending towards the pool. The liquid metal responded to its touch, reshaping into a new image – the surviving GDA fleet moving through space.
‘Our physical fleet failed us,’ it hissed. ‘But we are patient. We have waited a millennium already. What are a few more years?’
The leader’s vertical pupils narrowed to slits.
‘We will revert to the infiltration procedure. Humans are so very gullible and fragile.’
The liquid metal rippled again, forming a perfect replica of a planet. The leader extended one claw, piercing the miniature globe. The metal flowed around the intrusion, resealing itself as if nothing had happened.
‘Our agents are already in place on Dasos,’ the leader continued. ‘The Klatt will also serve our purpose too by keeping the humans busy, as they have for centuries without knowing it.’
‘And if they fail?’
The leader’s scaled lips parted in what might have been a smile, revealing rows of needle-like teeth.
‘They most likely will, but it will be too late by then…as we shall emerge from the shadows ourselves. The objective to secure our influence on every human planet and on every vessel will already be in place.’
The twelve figures raised their arms in unison, a low humming filling the chamber as their voices joined in ancient harmony.
‘For the glory of the new Omada,’ they intoned. ‘The true inheritors of the stars.’
The liquid metal pool shimmered once more, resolving into an image of the galaxy…with a wave of darkness spreading slowly across its spiral arms.
1
Eleven hundred years later.
* * *
Bache Loftt’s cabin, Katadromiko 2, docked with Vasi Stathmos Station
* * *
The summons arrived at 0400 hours, jarring Bache from a sleep so deep he’d been dreaming of interstice tube calibrations.
“Lieutenant Loftt, your presence is required at the Dresse inquiry, Kentro GDA Council chambers. 0900 hours today.” The message repeated until he called for it to stop. He opened one eye and peeked at the glowing message on his wall screen with the unmistakable GDA high-priority encryption border.
Bache sat up, blinking away sleep as he ran a hand through his short dark hair. Council chambers? That couldn’t be right. He hadn't set foot in a GDA council meeting since Dresse, and that was three years ago. Three years since the affair on Dresse and the hidden battle fleet. Three years since he’d been promoted to chief engineer on the Katadromiko 2.
His cabin felt suddenly cold. Bache checked the authentication codes on the message twice, then a third time. Legitimate. Direct from the president’s office.
‘Why now?’ he muttered, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. The metal floor chilled his bare feet, grounding him in the present and making him shiver. ‘What could’ve possibly changed, that they want me again?’
The K2 had been on routine patrol for months, monitoring the shipping lanes near the Serris agricultural colony. Nothing remarkable had happened…exactly as it shouldn’t. He was looking forward to some leave, a visit home to Tyraan City on Deelatayne and a few beers with his father, Tirexion.
He grabbed his dress uniform from the storage compartment. The stiff fabric felt foreign in his hands after years of wearing the more practical engineer’s boiler suits. He hadn’t expected to need it on this rotation.
Two hours later, he stood in the small capsule of the Kentro space elevator, watching the huge space station shrink to a speck above him. The transparent walls of the elevator offered a panoramic view of Dasos and the sparkling city of Kentro growing larger beneath his feet. His stomach lurched slightly as the capsule accelerated, though whether from the descent or the upcoming inquiry, he couldn’t be sure.
The capsule slowed as it entered the atmosphere, the gentle hum of the stabilisers increasing to a low whine. Clouds parted around the wide tube, revealing the sprawling governmental complex below. Kentro was massive, the administrative heart of over sixteen hundred worlds of the GDA and home to the GDA’s central council chambers.
‘Chief Engineer Loftt, please confirm identity for final clearance,’ the automated customs system requested.
‘Loftt, Bache. Chief engineer, Katadromiko 2,’ he said, pressing his palm against the seat scanner. The light pulsed green.
‘Identity confirmed. Welcome to Kentro.’
He checked the time: 0835. Plenty of time to reach the chambers, but not enough to gather any information on why they’d summoned him. His reflection in the glass looked tired. The premature grey at his temples had spread slightly over the past three years, an unwelcome reminder of the stress that came with his position.
The capsule touched down with a slight bump, and Bache stepped onto Kentro soil, his polished boots reflecting the cold morning sunlight. The Council Chambers loomed ahead, a massive structure of gleaming white stone and glass that dominated the central plaza.
Bache passed through the security checkpoint, where his credentials were scanned again. The guards’ faces betrayed nothing as they waved him through. Inside, the chambers were hushed, the vaulted ceilings amplifying even the smallest sounds. His footsteps echoed as he followed the directions on his tablet to the assigned meeting room.
He paused outside the ornate double doors, straightening his uniform, and took a deep breath. Whatever this was about, he’d face it head-on. Just as he reached for the handle, a familiar voice echoed behind him.
‘Chief Engineer Loftt. Still punctual to a fault, I see.’
Bache turned, his heart skipping a beat. Zaphir Mye, ex-colleague, ex-lover, stood a few metres away, her dark brown eyes studying him with the same intensity he remembered. She wore the uniform of a senior systems specialist now, with new insignia he didn’t recognise.
‘Zaphir,’ he managed, surprised by the dryness in his throat. ‘They called you in too?’
She approached, her tall lithe figure still carrying that efficient grace he’d always admired.
‘Apparently someone thinks we need to relive old nightmares together,’ she said, ruefully.
‘I see you’re both here.’ The deep voice came from behind them as the chamber doors swung open.
Bache turned to find Ad miral of the Fleet Zeers standing in the doorway, his weathered face expressionless. The man’s silver-streaked beard was longer than regulation permitted, a privilege of rank Bache supposed.
‘Sir,’ Bache and Zaphir said in unison, straightening to attention.
‘At ease. Come inside.’ Zeers stepped back, gesturing them through.
The council chamber was smaller than Bache expected, an intimate oval room rather than the grand assembly hall he’d imagined. A semicircular table dominated the space, behind which sat five figures. Bache recognised President Xutan at the centre, his face more lined than when they’d last met. The other four were strangers to him, though their uniforms indicated two admirals, a civilian councillor, and a systems intelligence director.
Most surprising was the solitary figure sitting to the side, a man in plain civilian clothes, his back partially turned. Even from this angle, Bache would know that profile anywhere.
‘Dad?’ The word escaped before Bache could stop it.
Tirexion Loftt turned, his face haggard in a way Bache had never seen before. The renowned engineer and ship designer’s eyes were bloodshot, his normally immaculate appearance dishevelled.
‘What’s going on?’ Bache whispered to Zaphir, who looked equally confused.
President Xutan gestured for Bache and Zaphir to take the two empty seats at the centre of the room. ‘Please, sit down. We have matters of grave importance to discuss.’
Bache lowered himself into the chair, his eyes never leaving his father’s face. Something was deeply wrong. Tirexion wouldn’t meet his gaze, his fingers fidgeting with a small data chip – a nervous habit Bache hadn’t seen since his mother’s funeral.
‘Three years ago,’ Admiral Zeers began, ‘the two of you uncovered a Gata plot involving illegal battleships and mining rights. Your actions prevented a catastrophe.’
‘With respect, sir,’ Bache said, ‘we’ve been through this debriefing multiple times. Has something changed? And why is my father here?’
A heavy silence fell across the room. President Xutan exchanged glances with the other council members before leaning forward.
‘Chief Engineer, your father came to us voluntarily three days ago with…disturbing information.’
Bache’s stomach tightened. He looked at his father again, who finally raised his eyes…red-rimmed and haunted.
‘Tell him, Tirexion,’ Xutan said quietly. ‘He deserves to hear it from you.’
Tirexion’s shoulders slumped as he stood, the movement stiff and mechanical.
‘The ships, Bache. The Gata battleships you destroyed.’ His voice cracked. ‘They were mine.’
The words hit Bache like a physical blow. His mind refused to process them, even as his body reacted…heart hammering against his ribs, palms suddenly sweaty against the polished table surface.
‘What?’ The word emerged as barely a whisper.
Tirexion’s eyes were fixed on some invisible point on the floor. ‘I designed them. The basic schematic. The hull configuration. The drive systems.’
Each confession emerged with visible effort, as though the words themselves were causing him physical pain.
Bache’s vision narrowed, the faces around the table blurring at the edges. He felt Zaphir tense beside him but couldn’t look at her. His entire focus was locked on his father – the man who’d taught him everything he knew about ship design, about integrity, about doing what was right.
‘That’s not possible.’ Bache shook his head. ‘You’ve dedicated your life to GDA vessels. You wouldn’t…’ His voice caught. ‘You couldn’t.’
‘I didn’t know what they were for.’ Tirexion finally looked up, his eyes pleading. ‘Not at first. They came to me fifteen years ago. Said they needed transport vessels with enhanced defensive capabilities for dangerous sectors. Mining support ships, they called them.’
‘Who?’ Bache demanded, leaning forward. ‘Who came to you?’
‘A private contractor. At least I thought it was private.’ Tirexion’s voice dropped to barely a whisper. ‘It was Flast Enterprises, operating through a shell company. I had no idea at the time.’
‘Ah, crap,’ Bache grunted. He felt as if someone had sucked all the oxygen from the room. His father – the man who’d taught him the ethics of engineering, who’d insisted that every design choice had moral weight – had designed weapons for Ystolion Flast? The woman responsible for thousands of deaths?
‘You worked for Flast?’ The words scraped from Bache’s throat. ‘For fifteen years?’
‘No.’ His father’s hands trembled as he placed the data chip on the table. ‘The initial designs, yes. But they were modified extensively after I delivered them. I discovered the truth during a routine systems analysis three months ago. They used my basic framework but weaponised it far beyond what I’d imagined possible.’
Bache’s mind raced, connecting pieces he’d never thought to examine. The familiar look of the Gata ships’ array systems. The sound of the antigrav drives that had reminded him of GDA vessels. The subtle elegance of the hull design that had struck him as strangely familiar even as he was fighting for his life.
‘Why didn’t you come forward sooner?’ Zaphir’s voice cut through, sharp and accusing.
His father flinched. ‘I didn’t know. Not until recently.
2
Council meeting room, GDA Central Chambers, Kentro, Dasos
* * *
Bache stared at his father, his mind spinning between disbelief and a mounting sense of betrayal. The man who had lectured him about engineering ethics since childhood had designed warships for Ystolion Flast? The same woman who’d nearly killed him on that fractured moon?
‘What happens now?’ Bache asked, his voice sounding strange in his own ears. He looked directly at President Xutan, deliberately avoiding his father’s gaze. ‘What becomes of him?’
The weight of the question seemed to press down on the entire room. Xutan’s lined face remained carefully neutral as he leaned forward, steepling his fingers.
‘That’s partly why we’ve brought you here, Chief Engineer. Your father’s cooperation has been invaluable in identifying potential security breaches. The designs were accessed through classified GDA databases…databases that should have been impenetrable.’
‘You’re using him,’ Bache said, the realisation hitting him like a physical blow. ‘As bait? Or an informant?’
Admiral Vesten cleared his throat. ‘Your father faces serious charges, Loftt. Treason being the most severe. However, his continued cooperation could significantly mitigate his sentence.’
The word “treason” landed like a punch to Bache’s gut. He’d seen what happened to traitors in the GDA. Military prison on Kaltos IV was notorious – a frozen hellscape where inmates rarely survived their full sentences.
‘I deserve whatever punishment they decide…’
Tirexion’s voice trailed off as President Xutan raised his hand. Something shifted in the president’s expression…a calculated look that made Bache’s skin crawl.
‘Before we continue discussing your father’s fate,’ Xutan said, his voice lower than before, ‘there’s something else you both need to understand.’
The president pressed something under the table, and a soft hum filled the chamber. Security field. No recording devices would work now.
‘Tirexion was led to believe he was designing ships for a private contractor, yes. But the trail we’ve uncovered suggests a more troubling origin for those orders.’ Xutan's eyes narrowed. ‘They came from within the GDA itself.’ He pressed his palm against the table’s surface, and a holographic display flickered to life between them.
