The admiral replied, "We have a celebration for that every cycle. That day occurred just over twenty-one hundred of your years ago."
Quan bowed. "Congratulations, Admiral. I believe that to be the reason your species was not involved. Reaching the stars was the trigger the Duke used for his games of war. I would suspect that if we checked the Kergan and Tamarin histories, they would have achieved space travel at the same time or after."
The colonel shook his head. "Fascinating stuff, Quan. Thank you for enlightening us on that."
Quan continued: "For the species that live here, that leaves a very open galaxy for them to prosper and grow. Should we rid the galaxy of the AIs, and should the species we have encountered in this quadrant come to terms with trade and peace, their existence could be without threat for many centuries. Unless of course, another species develops the wormhole technology."
The colonel frowned. "Thank you, Quan. I believe you've said enough."
The full scan on the following day ended with twenty new AI ships being discovered. Targeting was set by Quan and a new round of infections begun. In the three days that followed, all scans showed no ship activity. A day after that, the galaxy was believed to be factory-free.
The colonel stood in front of us. "I'm stunned by how much has changed in just a few weeks’ time. We are days away from a quadrant of the galaxy possibly being free of AIs—a feat I would have believed impossible a short time ago. I don't want to congratulate everyone early, but we might want to start planning a celebration."
I said, "We've only scratched the surface with this quadrant, Colonel. When the other three show the same results, that's when I will celebrate."
Go said, "I'm eager to get back to Earth to see what we can rebuild."
Kerba commented, "I too would like to return to Earth—and Megiddo. There is much to be learned about our past."
Garrett added, "Would benefit us all to have the maintenance corps up and running again."
Joni asked the colonel, "If the AI are gone, what are you going to do with yourself?"
The colonel raised his chin in thought. "I would be tempted to go back into stasis. Although, who's to say I'd come back out to as fine a group as you? This has been an adventure and I've thoroughly enjoyed working with the lot of you. I may have to give consideration to staying if something worthwhile were available to keep me busy."
Jack offered, "If you'd be interested, Colonel, maybe we take the Destiny and cruise the other galaxies looking for trouble. I'm sure there are other hostiles out there that are in need of a good thumping. Frig, any desire to be our science officer?"
Frig shook his head. "As tempting as that sounds, I believe I will stay here to assist Kerba with his studies. I have much knowledge that should be passed on. It will otherwise be lost forever when I am gone."
The colonel laughed. "I could go out there for two hundred years and come back and you'd still be kicking around. Of all the people I've ever known, other than taking that blast to the face one time, you've never been sick a day in your life. Even now, the work Doc George did on you still shows just how good a surgeon he was."
Frig nodded. "That was a long time ago, Colonel. What you see on the outside no longer matches what's on the inside. Extensive travel and adventure, no matter how enticing that may be, is not on my agenda."
Jack looked at me. "Knog? You up for a new adventure when this is done?"
I shook my head. "I plan to spend my time with my grandchildren."
Jack glanced over at Garrett. "Ah, no, I think I'll be working on fatherly duties before long."
I said, "Joni? Does that mean you are—"
Joni shook her head. "Not unless somebody knows something I don't. I think Garrett was referring to our future, but not our immediate future."
Jack frowned. "You people are taking all the fun out this."
Our scans and infections continued for several weeks. Five consecutive scans found no evidence of an AI. Under the suggestion of Quan, the scans were widened to cover the entire Yallux Galaxy. Thirty-eight other sentient species were identified. Twenty-six of those had evolved to the point where space travel was a major part of their existence. No further evidence of any AI was found.
The colonel said, "I just got off a comm with the galaxy governors. They want their gates back as soon as possible. I told them I would consult with our team here. They've been briefed on our success."
I replied, "What kind of timetable would you think is prudent, Colonel? I would assume we don't want to shut this down immediately."
The colonel nodded. "I have no plans of doing that, but I would like everyone's input on what they think should be done."
Frig was first to speak. "I would ask for another thirty days with the current schedule. After that, once every three days for another month. And finally, once a week for two months after."
I said, "Sounds fair to me."
The others sitting around the table agreed.
The colonel nodded. "I'll relay that information to the governors later today. I don't want them to think we spent all of two minutes on our decision. That would only give them ammunition to demand complete use of the gates sooner."
I asked, "What about the Baldi? What are our plans for them?"
The colonel leaned back in his chair. "I've spoken extensively with the governors. They are pressing for the Tamarin, the Kergans, and the Baldi to eventually join the AMP. We aren't yet sure how we get gates built to send to each. Frig, you care to speculate on that?"
Frig replied, "We have much work to do to reproduce a safe, fully functional portal gate. We have a shortage of gates in the AMP as it is after the last AI attack. I've been working with Kerba to put a plan together. He's back on Earth with Tony at the moment. We're hoping enough information can be pulled from the remaining computers there. We could use an expedited start with those security protocols."
I pressed, "What about the Grunta?"
The colonel shook his head. "Your Council continues to be stubborn. They don't want anything to do with the AMP and insist they are better off on their own. I think they will come around when they see the benefits of free trade and open travel."
I laughed. "The Grunta idea of travel is one-way, Colonel. They have no desire to live in an integrated environment with others. If we look back at Balimus, there were only a few thousand on the planet who were not Grunta. Most of them were there temporarily for business reasons. The good thing is, they won't be aggressive with anyone who isn't aggressive with them, so we can probably leave them be for the time being."
The colonel smirked. "Not to worry. We still have Harden running his propaganda machine. It won't be long before Getta is the Council lead. Harden assures me that two of the councilwomen are already solidly behind her. If that happens, I have no doubt they will be asking to join in a year or two."
I pursed my lips as I nodded. "I hope you're right."
The schedule for our continued use of the gates was delivered by the colonel. Several governors complained of the time needed being excessive. The colonel saw to it that they changed their minds and voted our way.
Jack assumed command of the Destiny. It was immediately manned with a volunteer Talisan crew. With no new sweeps required by our portal ship, I had Jack take me to Jorus. I received a warm, homecoming welcome with sixty-two Grunta infants tackling their grandfather and giving him a good licking. It was a fond memory I would not soon forget.
Chapter 11
* * *
I had been home for weeks. My grandfatherly duties kept me both busy and happy. Our war with the AIs almost seemed a thing of the distant past. My thoughts were only of my family.
Go had given in to the frustration of the slow pace of resurrecting Earth, and instead called on Jack to sweep him to the Destiny. Jack was eager to have him aboard as they jumped from world to world, studying the Yallux species we had identified during the full scans. He took on the responsibility of chief engineer and worked to adapt or upgrade
nearly a third of the systems under his control. He was busy, and from that, happy.
Joni and Garrett threw themselves into the political arena on Alpha Prime. After repeatedly butting heads with the local city managers, all the way up to the governor, they decided it was time for a change in command. Harden, of course, was all too happy to manage their campaigns from the shadows.
Frig and Kerba, with the assistance of Quan, were nearing completion of a prototype portal design. The safeguards of the current system had been integrated into the new system, with a handful of modernized tweaks upping the level of security and stability. The newer, smaller gates would be used as diplomatic gateways to new colonies until full sized gates could be constructed. The gates would make full use of the isotope of cesium the sentinel ships used, cutting their fuel requirements by a factor of ten.
After a day of corralling several broods of Grunta infants, I walked out onto our property on Jorus. Sprawling hills of lush green prairie grass surrounded our two square kilometers of tilled soils and three-hundred-square-meter concrete and steel home. Our property line stretched for fifteen kilometers on each side. With a population of just over four million adults, land on Jorus was plentiful. It was an agrarian's paradise.
I walked from the mowed grass surrounding the house down a hill to a bubbling stream, where I sat on a rock, dipping my large Grunta feet into the cool water. I leaned back on my elbows, allowing the Jorus sun to bake my tough Grunta skin.
It wasn’t long before my peaceful utopian existence was soon interrupted.
Frig's face shone in a holo-display over my arm pad. "Good afternoon, Mr. Helgris. To what do I owe this pleasure?"
Frig's expression showed concern. "Using the gate here on Gratis, I've been performing random scans in an attempt to get a better understanding of the portal gate's function. I came across an anomaly in the Delta Sector of the Andromeda Galaxy, and then again in the Wolfe. The signal was brief, and possibly a reflection of a signal broadcast in the past that had just reached the scan point in each."
I slowly rolled to my side as I looked down at the rippling water just to my right. "And this signal, it has significance because why?"
Frig stared into the comm camera for several seconds. "The signal is on the same channel used by the AIs."
I sat up. "You are certain of this?"
Frig took a deep breath. "I have it recorded. The signal is there. It appears to be very low power, possibly reflected. Had my portal scan not been in the exact location it was, it would have been missed."
I said, "You said it might just be a reflected signal?"
Frig nodded. "It's possible. Had I only received it once, I would have brushed it aside as such."
I asked, "What makes you suspicious of the second signal? Isn't it possibly a reflection as well?"
Frig slowly shook his head. "I believe that to be a near impossibility. The two signals were identical, and the power levels of each were almost exact."
I sat for several seconds in thought. "What would you advise?"
Frig replied, "I think we should recall the Destiny, although I don't want them going there directly. I would like to scan those sectors from a distance. If possible, I would like to get use of the AMP portal gates for an hour or so as well."
I frowned. "I don't know how we accomplish that. They were eager to get those gates fully opened again."
Frig gestured toward the camera. "This is why I contacted you. You still have sway with the governors. You are popular with the people and they respect that. When the colonel returns, the three of us should approach the governors with our concerns. If the signals prove to be nothing, it's a small price to pay for knowing."
I half laughed. "I have an idea of how we persuade them. We threaten to leak a story about it. They will see the light of doing this outside of the public knowledge."
Frig nodded. "I will contact the colonel. You might want to inform your household of your coming trip."
I smiled. "They will probably be happy to be rid of me for a day or two."
I spun around, pulling my boots back on and snapping them in place. For the first time in weeks, I blinked out, powering back to the house.
Half an hour after the conversation ended, a portal opened in front of me, sweeping backwards and placing me on the bridge of the Destiny.
I nodded. "Jack, Go, Colonel."
The colonel said, "Let's just hope this is a drill of our preparedness and nothing more. I can't say I like Frig's concern. He's not one to raise an issue until it's an actual issue."
The coordinates to Alpha Prime were set, and seconds later, Joni, Garrett, and Raptor were standing on the bridge beside me.
I reached down to scratch the head of the Rotty. "Wasn't expecting to see my friend."
Garrett said, "Yeah, well, he kind of insisted on coming. Scared the crap out of me by jumping into the sweep as it went over us. So... what do we know?"
The colonel replied, "Not much. Frig is bothered by a couple signals he intercepted back here in the AMP galaxies. We'll be investigating shortly."
The next sweep had Frig and Kerba Skol aboard.
Frig said, "I believe we should head to the Andromeda first. The AI had a foothold there and would be most likely to have found support."
The colonel looked at Jack. "Take us to Andromeda, Mr. Carson."
I asked, "How has the AMP diplomacy tour been going?"
Jack set the coordinates for a jump. "We've met with two species, and both seemed interested in establishing peaceful relations. I'll take that as a win."
I turned to Go. "How goes the engineering duties?"
Go threw up his hands. "I have too many projects and not enough time."
Jack laughed. "You have all the time you need."
Go replied, "Yeah, well, I still want to ask Frig if he can design us a time machine. I'd like to go back to talk to the engineers that designed some of this tech to find out why they did what they did. Upgrades are not going to come easy. Everything is so tightly integrated."
As the Destiny settled in its new location, Jack pushed data to the holo-wall. "We have two rocky planets and two gas giants in this system. Eight moons and a weak asteroid belt round it out. The star is a yellow main sequence. None of the planets are in the habitable zone."
I said, "Give us a deep scan. Then move to another location and give us another deep scan."
Jack looked up. "Why two? One should tell us everything we need to know."
I replied, "We're looking for weak signals. The positioning only matters from a detection standpoint if those signals are directed."
Jack nodded. "Two scans coming up."
Frig stood beside me. "Interesting, Mr. Beutcher. I would not have expected that suggestion from you."
I half smiled. "Back during my detective days, I had more than one experience with directed comms not showing on my sensors. Even directed signals have some leakage and reflection. You just have to be at the right angle to detect them."
As the data came in from the sensors, Jack pushed it to the holo-wall. "We have one hundred sixty-five signals detected. All coming from the direction of the nearest colony. Nothing originating here."
Go pointed to a corner of the display. "What's that?"
Jack swiped on his console until data on the item came up. "We have a piece of made material, flat—looks like it could be part of a comm dish. It's round and twenty-four centimeters in diameter. Scrap debris from some ship's garbage dump maybe?"
Frig said, "Take us in for a look."
A sweep placed the Destiny at a kilometer above the moon's surface. Another deep scan was performed.
As the data came in, Frig pulled up a holo-display over his arm pad.
Jack said, "Not showing anything unusual."
Frig held up a finger. "I'm not so certain, Mr. Carson."
Frig pushed a fuzzy blue signal to the holo-wall. "Give me a moment to filter."
Several algorithms were applied to the fuzzy blu
e image. A clean and extremely short burst signal presented itself."
Jack nodded. "Good find."
Frig replied, "It would not have been found if I wasn't already aware of what we were looking for. The signal matches the same short burst I detected with my prior scans."
Frig continued to swipe away at the holo-controls floating above his arm. "The item on the surface is being used as a reflector for a directional signal. Mr. Carson, please take us up another kilometer and perform another scan."
As the data came in, Jack again pushed it to the holo-wall.
Frig said, "Give me a moment and I will have the origin and destination."
A nav map appeared on the display. "The origin is the uninhabited Zenia system. The destination is the Tabershea colony on Checka III. I would suggest we visit Zenia first."
A portal sweep took us to the Zenia system, where a second reflector was found. Scans revealed another origin and another jump was made. Two additional jumps followed before the source was found.
Once a scan was complete, Frig said, "It's a simple transmitter. I'll admit to being a bit confused as to its purpose."
I replied, "Perhaps there is something to see at the final destination?"
Frig looked up at Jack. "Take us there, Mr. Carson."
The signal took another three jumps before ending on another uninhabited planet. A well disguised building on the planet's surface was the final destination of the mysterious signal.
The Destiny was again parked a kilometer above the surface.
The colonel stood as we came to a stop. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
Go said, "I should come with you."
The colonel shook his head. "Not until we have some idea of what we're looking at. Watch on the comm. And be prepared to move away from here. I don't like surprises, and this has surprise written all over it."
The colonel blinked out before any further discussion could take place. Seconds later, the video feed from his helmet showed the transition from the outside of the building to the interior.
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