by Saxon Andrew
“We won’t have to turn around, Louisa. Our drives can fly us out backwards instantly. We’ll go through, stop, and be prepared to run like a hare from a wolf.” Grady stared at Taffy and she said, “We owe these aliens for destroying Britannia. They’re hiding something, and it must be important. If we don’t do this, someone else will have to do it, but we’re here now. So far, we’ve not been detected, and I must believe if we make it through, it will be worth making the effort.”
Grady stared at Taffy, turned to Desmond on the monitor, and said, “You’ll turn over control of your ship to the computer when we make this attempt. If we’re fired on, we run.” Desmond nodded, and Grady ordered, “We need to find another rock the size of the first one.”
“Why?” Louisa asked.
“We don’t want them firing two blaster beams. The second disruption was no larger than the first and we want to make sure they follow their normal protocols. Smaller might even be better.” The two large black warships moved out and began their search.
Chapter Seven
The two King Hare warships held position less than a mile outside the red field and Grady looked up at the chronometer on the wall. “Five minutes until blaster discharge. Turn your ship over to your computer and turn your chairs to face the rear of the ship, Desmond.”
“Why would we do that, Grady.”
“Because going directly to stage-two thrusters will cause a huge push on you and Louisa, Desmond. If we make it through, we won’t be accelerating forward at high Gs. If we’re detected, we’ll be accelerating backwards, and you need to be strapped in.”
Desmond chuckled, “We need to trial this when we get out of here. You’re right, we’re turning our chairs now.”
“Computer, you have control of the ship. Move us through the field the moment it flickers,” Grady ordered.
“Drive is on line, Commander.”
“If you detect us being fired on, back us out immediately.”
“Stage two is on standby, Commander.”
“Bob, are you and the other robots locked down?”
“Yes, we are in our charging stations.”
“If we’re forced to run, go to your combat stations immediately, Bob.”
“Program is activated, Grady.”
Grady turned his chair around and looked at Taffy, “Ready, my love?”
“As ready as I can be under the circumstances. Two minutes until blaster discharge, Grady.” Taffy watched the countdown and, as it reached zero, she closed her eyes and held on tightly to the arms of her chair. She waited for the massive acceleration but felt nothing. She opened one eye and saw on the monitor the distant white specks of widely spaced Planet Killers filling the space in front of them. Grady had already turned his chair around and was moving slowly between a large gap in the ranks of the giant alien warships. She opened the other eye and saw Desmond moving with them. In an hour, they were clear, and Grady continued moving toward the distant core of the Milky Way. After an hour the computer announced, “I am detecting electronic bands crisscrossing the space in front of the ship.”
“What kind of bands?” Taffy asked.
“They appear to be communication frequencies operating inside the bands,” the computer replied.
“Follow one of those bands to where it begins,” Grady ordered. The ship turned and accelerated. Grady watched the dark-blue band on the monitor and two hours later, the ship slowed far outside an inhabited planet. The band went to that planet and stopped. Grady stared at the monitor and saw numerous bands moving out from the planet in different directions.
“This is what they’re hiding, Grady.” Grady turned to Taffy. “Those dark-blue bands connect all the planets in their civilization to a communication system. If someone breaks through the red field, they’ll immediately shut off their communications hiding their planets from discovery; you know how difficult it is to find an inhabited planet. We can use these communication bands to find all the planets that comprise their civilization.”
Grady stared at the monitor and shook his head. It appeared the aliens always kept communications between their worlds active. “Computer, can you track the locations of the stars those bands leaving the planet are moving toward?”
“I can.”
“Put a map of the core on the monitor and start marking the stars with bands leaving or going to them. The map appeared, and Grady said over his ship-to-ship communicator, “Desmond, we’re going to spread out and move around the core of the galaxy and mark the stars on a star map those communication bands connect. We’ll move out further once we complete mapping the area close to the core and complete the map.”
“Moving in close to the back hole, Grady.”
“We’ll continue this until we find no bands ahead of us.”
“Yes Sir.”
• • •
After three weeks, the map on the monitor had numerous stars flashing on it. Grady knew why the Union chose to run from this civilization. Britannia had no chance against what they found here in the core. The aliens’ civilization extended all the way around the core of the galaxy and was fighting wars against three other civilizations on the other side of the galaxy. Taffy saw Grady shake his head and sighed, “The total is close to three thousand planets, Grady.” Grady nodded. Taffy sighed, “If it weren’t for the wars on the other side of the galaxy, Earth, the Fagan, and Melbourne would have been overwhelmed by their forces years ago.”
“They’ve been fighting the civilizations on the other side of the galaxy much longer than us,” Grady replied. Taffy nodded. “At least we can leave without being seen,” Grady added. “That red field is only located on Melbourne’s side of the galaxy. It appears the civilizations they’re at war with on the other side of the core don’t have undetectable scouts. Are you ready to go?”
Taffy nodded, “Yes, we’ve completed the map. Are you going to try and communicate with the civilizations the aliens are fighting?”
Grady shook his head, “No. We don’t know if they’re aggressive civilizations just like the aliens. We shouldn’t risk revealing ourselves to them.” Grady activated his communicator, “Desmond, rendezvous with us above the core; we’re going home.”
“On our way, Grady.”
“Grady, can we handle this?”
Grady shrugged, “I doubt it, Taffy. One thing is certain, the only possible way to defeat them is to eliminate the planets building their forces.”
“That’s pretty much all of them, Grady; all of them have construction sites for their vessels.”
“I know.”
“Are you going to send this map to Abby?” Grady was silent, and Taffy pressed him, “Are you?”
“Taffy, do you remember what the leaders of the Union decided to do when they originally discovered the alien’s civilization?” Taffy nodded. Grady sighed, “They knew that Britannia stood no chance against them and immediately started plans to secretly colonize another planet. They knew that it was only a matter of time until Britannia was discovered and there was no way to survive an attack by the aliens. They didn’t tell the Coalition Leaders about the aliens because they wouldn’t have believed them and would have caused Britannia to be found earlier by the aliens. The Union was in an impossible situation; the threat of the aliens and the growing power of the Coalition. They did the only thing they could, they ran.” Grady paused, sighed, and then continued, “Melbourne has already colonized planets in the outer arm and I’m hoping they won’t be found. But showing Melbourne the full extent of this civilization would cause their morale to crash. They aren’t just facing the aliens; they have Earth and the Fagan arrayed against them as well and that’s just too much to throw at them. Melbourne, and us, are about to enter a time where we can no longer take an active role in this war. We’re being forced to sit back and wait until those three civilizations fight it out. This map will have to wait until after they duke it out.”
“What will we do in the mean time?”
“Taffy, we’l
l continue to develop our technology and build up our numbers of warships.”
“Are we going to give Melbourne the plans for our new warship?”
“No, we aren’t, Taffy.”
“WHY NOT?! WE’RE FIGHTING TOGETHER, GRADY!”
“Because I’m never going to allow another civilization; even a friendly one, to have the power of life and death over us, Taffy!” Taffy was quiet, and Grady added, “You saw how the Parliament on Melbourne voted to withhold essential materials needed to build our fleets and put an embargo on all electronics to us.”
“But Abby overruled them, Grady.”
“Abby won’t always be the Prime Minister, Taffy. She will one day be replaced by another who might not feel good toward New Britannia. I will not put our security in jeopardy of the whims of another leader.”
“You know Melbourne’s robots are connected to the robots on our warships.”
Grady smiled slightly, “I think you’re testing me again.” Taffy’s expression showed surprise at Grady’s remark. Grady continued, “You saw Britannia die and I know you were affected just like me. I believe you programmed our robots to be connected to all of Melbourne’s robots, but I don’t believe you programmed Melbourne’s robots to connect with ours, am I wrong?” Taffy looked up and rolled her eyes. Grady asked again, “Am I wrong?”
“No, you’re right.”
“So, you also have reservations about giving Melbourne our new technology?” Taffy nodded. “Why?” Taffy lowered her eyes slightly and was silent. Grady pressed her, “I want to know why, Taffy.”
“Why Grady?”
“Because I don’t feel good about this decision and you see things I miss. If you also don’t trust giving them our technology, you may be seeing something I’ve missed.”
Taffy raised her eyes, “Part of Earth is still in them, Grady.”
Grady’s eyebrows came together, “I’m not sure I understand what you’re suggesting.”
“Grady, what’s the difference between the way Britannia and Australia were settled?” Grady thought about the question and Taffy saw he was struggling with a way to answer. “Grady, Britannia erased all the information in the colony ship’s data bases about Earth. They passed laws about being free and made sure people had basic freedoms that couldn’t be taken away.”
Grady nodded, “And Melbourne was settled with a fear of Earth and intended to build up their forces to be able to face Earth one day in the future.”
“Exactly.” Taffy paused and then said softly, “Anyone they don’t know is considered an enemy. Dunhan planned to destroy our ship even though we proved to him we weren’t from Earth. He refused to look at the evidence and it was a miracle he managed to believe us at the end.”
“But we’re human, Taffy, and he thought we were from Earth.”
“Even so, his first inclination was to attack first. Anyone that represents a danger to Melbourne causes them a severe case of paranoia. But it goes further than that, Grady.”
“Go on.”
Taffy’s expression was sad as she added, “The only reason I was treated so well when we first arrived on Melbourne was due to you sharing the technology on the Rex Rabbit. They didn’t want to do anything that would stop you from doing that. They used you to get new technology for their warships. The former Prime Minister told you that after you recommended Maranda to command the third carrier that he felt like he could then trust your suggestions; do you remember that?” Grady nodded. “He didn’t trust you before then because you refused to renounce your Britannia citizenship for Melbourne’s. Further, the Parliament voted to not support us when we established New Britannia. They knew we had put our lives on the line fighting against the aliens, but it didn’t matter. If we aren’t one of them then we’re a threat; that’s the only way their behavior can be interpreted. Melbourne never forgot the tyranny of Earth, Grady. They ingrained it into their descendants and it is a part of their psyche. I hate to say they’re not much different than the aliens and Fagan, but they think very much alike. The Union accepted anyone into their midst and Britannia remained at peace for thousands of years until a dictator arose and used the freedoms established by the Union against them. The Union fell to the Coalition because its own citizens betrayed it. The stain of Earth is not easily removed.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
“Because I felt you’d think I was crazy. Your unwillingness to share our technology with Melbourne shows me you see it as well.”
“I might change my mind about that in the future, Taffy.”
“Why?”
“Because if Melbourne is found and destroyed, that event will change how their citizens see the universe. It’s the destruction of Britannia that makes us who we are, and Melbourne might be different afterwards.”
“Just make sure, Grady.”
“I will. But truth be told, Melbourne probably doesn’t need our warships and probably wouldn’t use them.” Taffy’s head tilted, and Grady added, “They’ve committed to building carriers and small warships. The new Garrion Class attack ships are deadly and undetectable. They’re building them at an incredible speed and Melbourne will be a formidable force in its own right in the future.”
“Grady, I’ve been questioning the computer about that new red field the aliens have developed. It arrived at a possible conclusion that is rather frightening.” Grady’s eyes narrowed. “I asked the computer if anything that passes through that red field if it was possible it could be marked.”
“What?”
“I asked if it was possible that anything passing through the field might have an electronic signature left on the object that goes through it. It says it could be possible it does.”
“Why does it think that?”
“Because the aliens don’t allow anything to go through it. They destroy it before it hits the field. I wondered why they did that, Grady. They could easily destroy those rocks after they pass through, but they don’t. That made me question why? I mean, why have the field if an invisible ship would still be invisible when it went through the field. If it went through fast enough, the alien computers might not be able to target it quickly enough. But if the invisible object had an electronic charge put on it…”
“You’re right, Taffy. That has to be part of that field.”
Taffy nodded, “They didn’t want that property revealed by allowing the rocks to pass through. They must believe that Earth has invisible scouts outside that field. And what happens when the aliens incorporate that field into their warships? They will extend it around their fleets and our warships would be detectable if they pass through it.”
“We must get this information to Joshua!”
“I’ve already sent the data to him and he’s working on it.”
“Did he say anything?”
“He thinks this won’t pose a problem. He says that if we charge our hulls with the same electronic frequency as that red field, they should be able to pass through without setting off the field. But he says that would have to be trialed first.”
“But if our ships have that charge on them, they’ll become detectable.”
Taffy waved a hand, “We’ll just activate it when we have to go through a field and then turn it off. The point is, this is not something to worry about right now.”
“Did you send Joshua the map?”
Taffy paused and replied, “No. Joshua struggled with leaving Melbourne and becoming a citizen of New Britannia. We also have many former citizens of Melbourne working in our construction facilities and I didn’t want to risk it being discovered. The time to reveal the map is in the future, not now.”
“So, you were testing me?”
Taffy sighed, “I guess.”
“Well stop it!”
“I promise to do better, Grady.”
“You didn’t say you’d stop it.”
Taffy smiled and batted her eyes, “A girl must have some secrets.”
Grady rolled his eyes and saw t
he American Hare had moved in next to his ship. He turned and accelerated the Rex Hare away from the core of the galaxy. He explained to Desmond why the map of the core had to remain secret and he eventually agreed after Louisa told him that he was either with New Britannia or Melbourne. She stated New Britannia was her new home and if he wanted to stay with her, he’d need to determine his loyalty. Louisa reminded him that no one during the meeting to distract the Fagan from attacking Melbourne’s spiral arm suggested coming to America’s aid other than Maranda. She reinforced that Melbourne was only worried about its own safety. Desmond decided that nothing could presently be done with the map and chose to send his data to Grady’s computer and swear to keep it secret.
• • •
They arrived back at New Britannia and Grady went directly to Joshua’s office. He went in unannounced and saw a group of scientists gathered around Joshua’s desk. Joshua smiled, “It’s good to have you safely back, Grady. Did you find out what you were looking for?”
“Joshua, you’ve told me our new ships can withstand more heat than the Super Rabbits…how much more?”
The gathering stared at Grady and Joshua looked around, “Please, everyone, take a break.” The six scientists and engineers left the room and Josh asked, “What’s going on, Grady?”
“We’ve discovered the aliens have a lot more Planet Killers than we suspected…a lot more! Can our new ships stand up to a Planet Killer?”
“Are you worried about this because of the residue that red field might leave on our ships?”
“That’s part of it.”
“Well, we were just working on that and I don’t think that will be an issue.”
“Answer my question, Joshua.”
“I don’t really know, Grady.”
“Well, you need to find out.”
“Why?”
“Because their numbers are far beyond what we thought, Josh. Our ships might have to take on large numbers and we need to know if they’re up to it. How can you find out?”
Joshua shrugged, “The only way is to subject one of our new hulls to extreme heat and see when it fails.”