by Saxon Andrew
“Why do you say that, Grady?”
“Well, for starters, if enough building materials had been loaded up on those freighters it would have been immediately noticed. I’m sure they could take a small amount but nowhere near enough to build a colony. The Union’s leaders had to be careful not to be exposed in establishing another colony. A lot of time would be needed to develop whatever planet they close to produce the construction materials to house the colonists.”
“How many do you think left Britannia for the colony?”
“That’s the other issue, Taffy. Britannia had more than a billion inhabitants and secretly moving several million could have been done without being discovered. More than that would pose problems.”
“I’m not sure what you mean, Grady.”
“Let’s say that you and I were chosen to go to the new colony. We can’t just pack up and leave; all of the friends we left behind would question what happened to us. Multiply that times several million leaving for the colony and it would only be a matter of time until it would be noticed.”
“So, how did they do it?”
Grady shrugged, “Well, if we were chosen, we would have told our families and friends that we were moving to a Union country in the southern hemisphere. We’d tell everybody good bye and just disappear. Our families might try to contact us but when they failed, they would contact the government. The government would tell them that we died in a tragic accident and that no remains were recovered. It would take some time before our families contacted the government and more time until the government got back to them. I suspect a lot of families wouldn’t worry about it and just wait to be contacted.”
“My family wouldn’t have even asked,” Taffy responded. She hesitated and then asked, “Wouldn’t that many deaths due to accidents cause questions.”
“Not if they’re scattered over a long period of time,” Grady replied. “Contracting a disease in a foreign country could also be used as a reason and I’m sure the Union reported breakouts of disease in some of the southern countries. But you are right about the number having to remain small. Several million is about all they could pull off.”
“What about the pilots to fly the warships they took? Where did they come from?”
That’s easy, Taffy. I looked up the number of students that flunked out of the academy prior to the founding of the colony and the rate was about fifty percent. The pilots that failed were given a warship and sent to the colony.”
“Wouldn’t their families miss them, Grady?”
“Not if the pilots played a role of being depressed, angry, and suicidal after they failed. Remember Admiral Kosare had me pretend to be insane for three-months before I started working on the Rex Rabbit’s hull. Once again, the colony was founded by a little bit at a time over more than a decade.”
“I thought it was founded fifteen years before the Coalition attacked.”
“I did too, initially, Taffy. But the Union had numerous freighters in the fleet to use when they first started the colony. We only learned about what was going on when the Union purchased a hundred-commercial freighters from your father fifteen years before the war with the Coalition. The Union saw the Coalition becoming stronger and they decided to make the move before they would be discovered. They needed your father’s freighters to complete the process.”
“I suspect the issue with families contacting the government about a loved one not contacting them wasn’t really an issue.”
“Why do you say that, Taffy?”
“They would have just taken the entire family to the colony. They’d inform their neighbors they were moving and that would be the end of it. I suspect the families of the pilots were also moved to the colony.” Grady sat back and thought about what she said. Taffy saw his expression and asked, “What are you thinking?”
“Taffy, I remember in the academy studying geography. Part of the course was looking at how populations were distributed on Britannia. I remember that the Union’s population was not growing much for more than twenty-five years and then it exploded. The area of the Coalition never slowed down. Admiral Kosare told me that the Union knew who could be trusted and everyone else was left out on what was going on. You’re right, Taffy. The Union moved entire families to the new colony and they weren’t caught doing it.”
“What does that mean, Grady?”
“There’s a real probability that the Union’s colony may have more than a hundred-million inhabitants. I know for a fact that most of our experienced scientists disappeared fifteen years before I graduated from the Academy.”
“The story was that they retired because of a huge incentive to leave the service.”
“That’s right, Taffy. They retired and were moved to the colony after some time had passed.”
“Do you think we should go out searching for that colony, Grady?”
“I really haven’t thought about it but consider this; the aliens are fighting several civilizations on the opposite side of the galaxy. If they win against those civilizations, what do you think will happen?”
Taffy thought for a moment and then her eyebrows came together, “They’ll explode out into our side of the galaxy conquering every civilization they encounter.”
“Exactly right and Earth and the Fagan will be the first to go. Once they’re eliminated, they will start scouting the rest of the spiral arms on our side of the black hole. If the Union’s colony is in the Coma Spiral Arm, which is the closest one to alien territory, then it will be found.”
“Then you’re in favor of going out to find it?”
“Yes, Taffy, I am! However, it won’t be easy.”
“Why not?”
“Because that colony would make sure they didn’t send any electronic transmissions out into the galaxy from their planet. We can’t search for them by looking for electronic waves like we did when we searched for Earth, Melbourne, and America. We’ll actually have to find them and there are millions of stars in the Coma Arm.”
“Can we do it?”
“You’re right about one thing; our new ships can move fast enough to search a huge number of stars in a short period. Even at that, we’ll have to leave stars out of the search that don’t have much of a chance of having a habitable planet.”
“Such as?”
“Well, every star with a huge mass, like a Blue Giant or other huge stars, will only survive a couple of million years before it goes up in a super nova. I know that sounds like a long time, but if I were selecting a planet to colonize, I wouldn’t pick one that had that short of a life expectancy.”
“Do you think they might have chosen a Red Giant star like we did for New Britannia?”
Grady thought about it and shrugged, “A Red Giant having a habitable planet is quite rare, Taffy.”
“But if they found one, Grady, that’s where they would settle.”
“You’re right Taffy, we can’t leave them out of the search.”
“So, when do we do this?”
“As soon as we have a thousand of our warships modified. We’ll start half of them at the far end of the Coma Spiral Arm before it curves around the core on the left and the other half on the right. We’ll then start moving back toward the line running from Earth through Britannia’s location.” Grady paused, and his eyes narrowed, “You know there’s a good chance they didn’t settle in the Coma Arm?”
“I believe Joshua is right about that.”
“Why?”
“Because the top speed of the Union’s warships would have made moving the colonists and materials to a more distant arm too difficult; it would have taken too long.”
The corner of Grady’s mouth went up, “I didn’t see that… but you’re right. They had a limited number of freighters to make the move and they were frightened of not getting it done before the aliens found Britannia and attacked. The next spiral arm would have taken too long for them to make the move. Besides, if they looked for a planet there, they would have run into the Fagan. At l
east I feel better about searching the Coma arm now, Taffy. Thank you for seeing that.”
“You would have eventually seen it. Besides, Joshua saw it immediately; that’s why he said they were in the Coma Arm.”
Grady smiled, “Joshua is one smart cookie.”
“So are you, my love. You just have too much on your plate to focus right now.”
“I’m going to get Abby and Rory to command one of the fleets we send out.”
“Desmond and Louisa would be better.”
“Why?”
“Because Abby has a two-year old and you know how hard that time is.”
Grady chuckled, “Desmond and Louisa it is.”
“Who is going to be in command while we’re gone, Grady?”
Grady’s head went back, “I haven’t thought about that?”
“Well, it’s time you did. And it can’t be Joshua!”
“Why not?”
“He’s not a warrior, Grady. We need someone who will make the right decisions about defending New Britannia.”
Grady stared at Taffy in silence for a long moment and then asked, “Do you think he’ll do it?”
Taffy burst out laughing and managed to say, “I said you were smart. It took me a while to figure it out.”
“Contact him and have them report to our quarters in the morning for breakfast.”
Taffy nodded and lifted her communicator.
• • •
The next morning, Abby looked at Grady and asked, “Why did you invite us here?”
“I actually wanted Rory here, but I know he would want you present to hear what I have to say.”
Rory’s expression revealed his surprise, “What?”
“Taffy and I are going to leave New Britannia in a few weeks and I am promoting you to the rank of Senior Fleet Admiral. You will be in command of the planet in our absence.”
Rory raised his hands, “You’ve chosen the wrong one, Grady. Abby is more qualified than I am.”
“Unfortunately, she can’t accept the position because of her history.”
“What do you mean?!” Abby quickly asked.
“You are the former Prime Minister of Melbourne and if we have a confrontation with them in our absence, you will be pressed to put New Britannia ahead of the colonies,” Taffy answered.
“But Rory was my main assistant?”
“Yes, but he wasn’t the Prime Minister.”
Rory started shaking his head and Grady quickly stated, “I’ve seen how much defending Melbourne meant to you and you would have readily given your life to keep it safe. Now you’ve sworn your loyalty to New Britannia… did you mean it?”
Rory glanced at Abby and nodded, “I do. But…”
“Then I can’t think of anyone else I’d want to be in charge in our absence. If Abby is put in charge, then the colonies will believe she is betraying them. Right now, they see her as a hero and we need to keep that image.”
“Rory, you can face the colonies and show them your righteous anger at the mob that came to kill your wife. They would understand that and could accept it better coming from you.”
“But… I don’t know if I’m capable of doing this.”
Abby put a hand on his arm, “Rory, I know you can.” Rory turned to her. “They’re right, I can’t do this. I must appear to be living in exile and that excludes me from doing this. You are the perfect one to defend our new home.”
“I can’t do this alone and,” he turned to Grady, “why would the fleets follow my leadership; I’m not one of them.”
Taffy said softly, “When you ran out of the freighter and saved the survivors on Britannia, you became one of them. They saw your bravery in saving the children at one of the landing sites and that story is still told by the survivors on New Britannia. You are a legend among the Britannia survivors even more than Abby.”
“I wasn’t brave, Taffy. I wanted to die.”
“No one knows why people do courageous things, Rory. You’re fortunate that you do know. But to the survivors of Britannia, you are a real hero. And I trust you to keep New Britannia safe.”
“Where are you going?” Abby asked.
“Before Britannia was attacked by the aliens, my government secretly established a colony. We’re going out to find it,” Taffy answered.
“Why do you have to go?” Rory asked.
“Because I’m the only one that can prove we’re not an enemy,” Grady replied. “I must go to prevent a misunderstanding that would lead to a war.”
Rory sighed, and Abby smiled, “I’ll be here to help you, Rory. You can do this.”
Rory looked into her eyes and then turned to Grady and Taffy, “Well, I guess I’m your man.” Taffy rushed over and hugged Rory’s neck. Grady stuck out his hand and Rory shook it.
Chapter Twelve
Grady looked at Rory and Abby on the monitor and smiled, “We’re lifting tomorrow. Is there anything you need me to do before we leave?”
“Just stay safe,” Abby replied.
“How is RJ doing, Abby?” Taffy asked.
Abby rolled her eyes, “He’s into everything, Taffy. I have to say he’s a handful.”
Grady chuckled, “Candy was the same way at that age. He’ll get better as he learns how to talk.”
“He’s already yammering, and his vocabulary is replete with some words he overheard Rory say.”
Rory’s face turned red, “I stubbed my toe and he heard me. I only said it once and he says it constantly.”
Taffy burst out laughing and Abby’s expression showed her displeasure, “Hey! It’s embarrassing out in public. The more we try to stop him saying it the more he repeats it.”
“Well, that too shall pass, Abby. Just give it some time,” Grady replied. “Contact me if you need me.” Rory nodded, and the monitor went dark. Grady turned to Taffy, “What is Bob and Robby doing in the second bedroom?”
“That’s going to be Candy’s room and I’m having them set it up for her toys and learning modules. I’ve also programmed Bob to work with her in learning the alphabet and basic math.”
“That’s a good idea. Why did you put her chair between ours?”
“If I didn’t put it there she would be constantly leaving hers to sit in our laps; you know she wants to be with us all the time. By putting it there, she can play with her computer games and not feel the need to get up. I told her she had a big-girl’s chair just like mommy and daddy. She’s proud of that and is looking forward to sitting in it.”
Grady nodded and turned back to his console, “Desmond, have all of your ships arrived in orbit?”
“All but forty-three. They’ll be arriving within the hour.”
“We’re planning to launch at six in the morning. Make sure your fleet is ready.”
“Yes, Sir. We will be.”
Taffy was running a diagnostic check of the weapons panel and looked up, “The cutters still have a longer range than we can target. Joshua has got to develop a more precise scanner than we’re currently using.”
“Easier said than done, Taffy. Our scanners are still light years ahead of the colonies, Fagan, and aliens. It’s not as easy as just snapping your fingers.”
“Even so, this is frustrating.”
“The cutters are a huge improvement to our defenses, Taffy.”
“I know that! But we need to hit a specific place on our enemies’ giant warships to take them out. We almost have to move inside the range of their weapons to be accurate enough to do that.”
“One more thing for us to work on, Taffy. How do you like the new console?”
“It’s a huge advancement over the ones on the Super Rabbits. The helmet pretty much controls everything and reaction times have been greatly reduced.”
“Let’s go check on how Bob and Robby are doing on Candy’s room and then go home to pick her up. She should spend the night on the ship tonight to start her getting familiar with her new home.”
Taffy nodded, “Give me a few minutes to complete
this diagnostic.” Grady turned back to his panel and still felt uneasy about taking Candy with them.
• • •
The next morning, Taffy had woken Candy, fed her, and was teaching her how to use her small computer console to pull up her educational games. Taffy was proud that Candy only had to be shown twice before she could do it on her own. She heard Grady and Desmond discussing the mission. “Desmond, you will take your ships to the left of the line running from Earth through Britannia to the edge of the Coma Arm as it comes around the edge of the galaxy. Start your search there and I’ll take my ships to the opposite side where the Coma Arm disappears back around the galaxy. We’ll then work our way in toward the center line.”
“Stay in touch and let me know if you find anything, Grady.”
“You do the same, Desmond. Launch in fifteen minutes.” Grady turned to Taffy, “Have you checked on Rory and Abby?”
“I have. Abby is at home with Rory Junior and Rory is out with the fleet getting them organized into sub-formations. He’s really taking this job seriously, Grady. He’s reorganized the scout units and moved them further out from New Britannia.”
Rory smiled, “He spent most of his career scouting for Melbourne. He’s more knowledgeable about that than anyone I know.”
Taffy nodded, “He won’t be surprised, that’s for certain.” Taffy turned to Candy, “Honey, this is your first trip into space and you should save your game and watch the monitor.”
“Yes Mommy.” Candy saved the game and looked up at the large wall monitor. New Britannia was on the monitor and Candy smiled, “That is where we live.”
“Yes, it is!” Taffy replied. “Watch it closely.” Candy nodded, as Grady announced, “Launch in five seconds.”
Candy stared at the monitor and then, suddenly, the planet grew smaller and then disappeared. Her eyes flew wide open and she turned to Taffy, “Where did it go?!”
Taffy laughed, “See that small bright speck in the center.” Candy nodded. “That is our home. We flew away so fast it grew tiny quickly.” Candy’s eyes were wide open and a few moments later, she saw sparks of light flashing past on the monitor. She turned to Taffy and she said, “Those are stars that we’re passing. Ask your computer about stars and listen to what it tells you.”