“And now, you no doubt have a fleet of FTL ships,” Susanna interjected.
“Yes. Many have been built since our arrival in this region,” Tamar informed them then paused briefly again.
“Now, the reason for your being here,” he said, and as he spoke all four humans felt Tamar’s voice harden.
“You were actually correct in thinking that Delta itself is the problem.… We have had no contact with Delta. And no adjustments to our timeline have been allowed to take place.”
Frank could see the relevance to their situation, from Tamar’s statement.
So, what he really means is, that whatever happens to the humans will not happen to the Varons because they’re pure and untouched by Delta, Frank thought to himself.
Tamar continued, “Using Time-travel, Delta has manipulated critical events to ensure that the Humans will survive and be dominant.” Tamar paused for a moment, while they digested that.
“Let me show you,” Tamar said, then touched his belt, and the horizontal timeline on the big holographic display morphed to show a central blue dot, with spurs leading out from along the timeline, to more points of light.
“The center blue point of light is the time-location of Delta’s main Time-crystal that generates the uptime and downtime shaft. The Spurs are generated by Delta’s Time-ships, and these lead off to Delta’s desired correction points,” he said then paused again, briefly.
“However, some of the spurs have overshot their correction points by a considerable amount. You can see that each overshoot of the desired correction point has turned red.”
“So, do you mean that Delta’s adjustments are doing the opposite to what they planned, without their knowledge?” Gerry asked.
“Yes. And you covered the Ins and Outs during your passage here in Ronin,” Tamar stated.
Frank wondered how Tamar could have listened to their conversation when they were traveling through a wormhole.
Then Tamar smiled for the first time. “Nothing clever Frank. I listened to Ronin’s recordings after your arrival.”
“And this third overlay projection. This red mist that seems to be panicking Charlotte and Delta. Is this what’s going to kill us all?” Frank asked after he couldn’t help reading it in Tamar’s mind.
“Please do not do that again, Frank,” Tamar ordered. Then continued.
“The red mist is actually a representation of the human’s timeline, diverging with a growing and conflicting line that will interact, and completely destroy both lines by 2726.”
Tamar paused a moment, then continued.
“The introduction of Enhanced brain-cells has been so devastating that it would be impossible to correct the timeline.”
“So, are saying that we are we here to commit suicide?” Cindy asked knowing the same question must be in everyone's minds.
“Yes. Except for the five of you. We will catch you,” Tamar said.
“What do you mean, catch you?” Susanna asked.
“Exactly that,” Tamar repeated. “When the Time-quake comes, we will prevent you from being swept away.”
Then Tamar was suddenly bombarded with a flood of mental questions from the humans, that he couldn’t shut-out.
“Stop,” Tamar said and forcefully tried to push the inquisitive intruders out of his mind. Once calm had returned. Tamar continued.
“Since we cannot interfere, you will have to use Ronin’s stealth capabilities to get to Delta’s source crystal and destroy the Up-Down time shaft.”
“And the rest of humanity with it, you mean,” Gerry stressed.
“No. We believe that the first recorded use of enhanced brain-cells wasn’t until 2033. Then, again in 2085, and 2108…. So, from Acarea onward, the numbers affected would be minimal, until 2301.
Gerry looked at Frank for a moment.
Then said. “So, Tamar, what you are actually saying is that Frank, and Andromeda, are humanity’s killers.”
Tamar was quick to intervene. “No, Gerry. Delta’s uncontrolled use of brain-cell research was the catalyst.”
“How? As far as I know, Charlotte and I were the only field operators that Delta trusted with the use of the brain cells,” Cindy interjected.
“Are you saying that there must have been other operations taking place that you had no idea about, or even what the corrections were for, Cindy?” Gerry asked.
“I reckon so,” Cindy agreed.
“Hang on, Tamar. If there were only, what, three or four brain-cell assignments that Charlotte and Cindy made. Then, the human’s timeline shouldn’t have changed much up to 2309, the time of the first Garoden war,” Frank pointed out.
“Hopefully. But we can’t be sure of that,” Tamar replied and paused briefly.
“However, after 2309, the formerly restricted brain-cell use rocketed throughout the Earth’s Navy, and now, through your Galactic Empire.”
“So, Ronin, the ship that Delta has brought from 2620 to our time-period, is a catastrophic mistake,” Gerry coldly stated.
“Yes.”
“But even so, you’re happy to use it, Tamar?” Gerry queried.
“Yes. It’s here. We will use it while we can.… Ronin’s arrival was the final trigger that pushed the timeline deviation far beyond any correction Delta might try. Now, only a time reset will save your race.”
“That’s all very well, Tamar. But, how did you get all this information,” Frank asked.
Tamar didn’t reply.
“This red mist, Tamar?” Susanna then queried. “It’s not just some sort of interplay between the two overlays, is it?”
“No. It’s just what you see. The end of humanity’s Timeline.”
Chapter 29
I want to get off
The Carrier Lexington slid to a halt, five kilometers out from Monitor station MV210, which was stationed 427 light years out from Earth. Moments later the small marine assault craft, Conqueror, exited warp and joined Lexington.
Lexington’s Commodore Bryant was a career officer and had only taken over from the charismatic Commodore Denning a year ago. Bryant was tall, and reasonably fit looking, with dark grey hair, and slightly fluorescent green eyes that indicated he had had at least one enhanced brain-cell injection.
Lexington’s Captain Grant had been with the Carrier right from her acceptance into service and had also had an enhanced brain-cell injection. Grant had survived the Garoden war in one piece. But although he was pleased with the honors bestowed on him, he couldn’t forget the friends and comrades he’d lost. So, he had made the decision to retire as soon as Lexington made her next scheduled visit to Earth.
Commodore Bryant had been looking forward to some sort of action besides just picking up Gerry Stevens’s commissioning crew. Now, however, Bryant was fuming, having learned that Stevens was missing. And, even though Lexington had arrived six days late, it seemed to him that this Gerry Stevens had broken protocol in leaving the station. And, the fact that the station’s Runabout had returned without him should have at least prompted Gerry Stevens’ commissioning crew to immediately notify Lexington. The Lexington could then have attempted to find Stevens.
Luckily, however, he’d just had a communique from some unknown vessel that Stevens was safe and onboard.
Now, he could concentrate on the fact that the Earth ship, Arrow, was inbound and would be rendezvousing with Lexington in nineteen minutes. Apparently, the Arrow and its special VIP passenger were to be given priority over everything else.
Captain Grant was on Lexington’s Bridge and right now, was feeling sick and tired of doing virtually nothing of any significance since the end of the Garoden war. Even the setting up of the Galactic Empire had been boring to him. And he’d had enough of being away from Earth and his family.
“One and a half years is far too long,” he muttered out loud.
“What is it, Captain?” Lieutenant Harper, Lexington’s science officer, queried.
“Unimportant, Lieutenant. Just make sure the stealth W
EPs outside know about the Speedster Arrow dropping in on us.”
“They’ve already been informed, Captain.”
“Good.… Have Gerry Stevens’ other two crew members been settled in, Ensign Lovett?”
“Yes, Captain. Both safely tucked in,” she replied, smirking.
Grant studied her for a moment. Ensign Lovett was a top coordinator. She was smart, sharp, and a damn good looker, so had something happened to give her that look, he wondered.
“Arrow will be exiting in two minutes, Captain,” the ships main AI informed.
It must be in a hurry, he thought to himself as he felt his heightened brain-cells at work.
The Arrow was small in comparison to a standard Cruiser but was sleek and built for speed. Most of her internal space was occupied by oversized power generators and a dual warp engine that left little room for weaponry and accommodation.
Helen Richardson was sitting next to Arrow’s pilot, John Dexter, who was a good-looking twenty-five-year-old, with an athletic body. Helen was, as usual, wearing a tight-fitting one-piece suit that clung to her shapely body as if it were a second skin which Dexter had initially found hard to keep his eyes off.
Helen nervously ran her fingers through her short coppery colored hair as the warp exit time approached.
“Don’t worry, we’re going to arrive early,” Dexter reassured her.
“Yes, but you know I’m counting on you to keep your mind occupied, so it won’t radiate and give me away. Read a book like one of the SpaceFed Series or something, while we’re attached to the Lexington,” Helen suggested.
“Dexter simply smiled at her, even though her blue-green eyes still made him feel uneasy.
“Mind on the job, John,” she reprimanded.
“It is,” he muttered as his attention returned to the warp exit while wishing he’d been lucky enough to have been given a second brain-cell injection.
“Here we go,” Dexter warned as the Arrow dropped out of warp.
Helen thought she could feel a slight course change as the ship exited, but that was all. “Smooth exit,” she remarked.
“Gee babe, I am damn good,” he said, not being able to resist praising himself.
“Your ego will be the death of you,” Helen remarked as the Lexington came into view. “Wow,” she exclaimed on seeing the ship. The sheer size of the Lexington had surprised her. “I haven’t seen a Carrier before, are they all like that?”
“No, she’s the largest around,” Dexter stated.
Helen didn’t reply, she was too busy carrying out Alex’s instructions to mentally search for any converted minds while the Arrow surged towards the Lexington. Within a few seconds, Arrow had started her docking maneuver with Lexington.
“None yet, John,” Helen said.
John Dexter just nodded in acknowledgment. He had been briefed on their mission and knew why Helen had to be here. And why, from now on, whatever might happen next could mean life or death.
“Send the updated info on my part in Alex’s plan, and my instructions, to Lexington’s Captain Grant,” Helen ordered John.
“Done… Can’t see anything approaching us yet.”
“Good. According to Alex’s communique, there will be a call for help first,” Helen reminded him.
“And yes, I am only a grade four,” Helen stated sensing Dexter’s poor attempt to read her mind. “So, we’re both up the creek if we’re detected too soon.”
“Sorry,” he said, apologizing for thinking that her grade was far too low for the mission. He knew that Helen had to try and reconvert Lexington’s crew as fast as Garth had converted them. But they both knew she didn’t have any chance of directly taking on Garth.
“Distress call directed at Lexington,” John stated as Arrow’s sensors also picked up the request for help.
Chapter 30
Delta’s Secret
Tamar felt uneasy as he readied himself to say what he knew would be repugnant to the four humans.
“The crystal and control system for the time shaft is located at Delta’s Temporal Anchor in 2725,” he stated.
“Gerry, you are here because you have the technical know-how to adjust and set up an algorithm to initiate regression, then generate the Temporal shut down.
“You could just as easily use a robot, Tamar,” Gerry suggested.
“True. However, a robot, even with stealth capability, would not be allowed to access the control system.”
“One moment, Tamar,” Frank interrupted, thinking about the consequences of a reversal. “Are you really saying that our own children will be swept away when the timeline collapses?”
“I’m aware of your attachments to your children and other relations, Frank. There will be casualties. But, as I said, without this correction the human's timeline will end. Humans will no longer exist.”
“What you're asking us to give up, is just so hard,” Susanna tearfully said. “Couldn’t we just leave it and say damn to what’s coming in the distant future,” she suggested.
“That can’t happen. We are not saying that you’ll be back in the dark ages. Just, not so far advanced as you are now with the benefit of the special brain cells that were brought back from the future,” Tamar pointed out, trying hard not to portray doom and gloom.
“Delta should have known that you can’t alter the past without consequences,” he added.
“Then, we have no option,” Cindy reluctantly agreed.
“If you want your human race to survive. No.”
“What do we have to do, Tamar?” Gerry finally asked.
“You will all return to your ship, Ronin, which will transport you to Delta’s forward Temporal operations center. Then Charlotte will meet with you and take you to a waiting time-ship that will transfer you Up-time, to Delta’s Temporal Anchor and Crystal, in 2725.
Once there, Gerry will rewrite the algorithms needed to reverse the changes made by the time-matrix, before destroying the crystal.”
Tamar then handed Gerry a small object.
“What’s this for?”
“We have added a few algorithms that you will have to use,” Tamar answered.
Gerry looked it over, wondering why the Varon had given him something that he didn’t need or want. Nevertheless, he decided not to pursue the matter at this stage.
Tamar then took six small round objects from one of the pouches on his sash and handed them to Frank.
“You must each keep one of these Trackers on you at all times. I can’t stress that enough,” Tamar informed Frank.
“Then, they must also act as Temporal Buffers. Is that correct?” Cindy asked.
“Yes.”
“Can I assume that the extra two are for Charlotte… and umm.… someone else,” Frank queried as he handed one each to the others.
“Yes. You must give the extra trackers to Charlotte, and insist that they are worn all the time.”
“Understood,” Frank replied.
“Any more questions?” Tamar asked.
“Yes. What century are you expecting us to end up in after the Temporal shutdown?” Gerry asked while studying the tracker unit’s make-up.
“The trackers will set you down in 2300.”
“Why that century?” Frank queried.
“It’s just safer to place you before the real effects of the time-quake are felt. And, where you will all feel most comfortable,” Tamar told him, then once again asked if anyone had any more questions.
No one did at this stage.
“You can communicate with me right up until you transfer to the Time ship,” Tamar added. Then looked directly at Gerry, whose mind was busy analyzing the situation about what would happen with Ronin. And, what exactly Tamar’s motives were.
“Gerry. Do you have a question?”
“I sure do. I understand the necessity for you to leave your homeworld, Tamar. But, you had centuries to build your civilization again. And, you appear to have a reasonable level of mental ability. Uh, obviously less than D
elta’s,” he hurriedly added.
“And let’s not forget the large fleet of FTL ships you now have,” Gerry forcefully stated.
Then, just for a second, Frank thought he caught a glimpse of a mass of Varon warships, as Tamar’s concentration wandered, and his mind became readable.
“Yes, that is a fair assessment, Gerry,” Tamar slightly nervously replied. “Continue.”
“So, why haven’t you just taken things into your own hands, and corrected what you must see as a threat to your own future?” Gerry asked, in a bullish way.
“Very well, Gerry. Go on, you might as well air your thoughts,” Tamar reluctantly said.
“Okay. I think your real reason for taking this action now is that the Varon race left it too long without doing anything.
But now, the Varon race isn’t strong enough to take on the new Galactic Empire who you must see as eventually entering your space, with all the trouble that would cause you.
So, what if this divergence is deliberate? And that the six of us are the answer to your prayers, in ensuring that you will come out on top?” Gerry conjectured.
By now, Gerry was well into his flow and continued.
“Maybe, it’s not really Charlotte and her children’s quest to become the rulers of the Galaxy. But yours?
If so, I guess that would just make us puppets dangling on a string. Your string,” Gerry cynically finished.
Galactic War Page 13