by Saxon Andrew
“I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying, RJ.”
RJ turned to her, “Look, a mass detector doesn’t operate faster than the speed of light. Just like our optical scanner, we see things from long distances that are currently taking place.” Candy shook her head. “Ok, if we turn our optical scanner toward an object three light years away, then the light we’re seeing is three years old. Can you understand that?” Candy nodded. “In order to see things that are currently happening, we must move in closer to view things in real time. If we move in within a light hour, then we’ll be seeing things that happened an hour earlier, right?”
“Then what use is the optical scanner. How are we going to use it to target enemy ships?”
“Most of the battles fought against enemy formations takes place inside one or two light seconds which is still close to four hundred thousand miles from the targets. Most of the combat takes place inside two-hundred miles which is almost instantaneous on our optical scanner. The main value of the optical scanner is we can take a wide view of what’s ahead of us and see what’s taking place hours or days before we arrive. But those Planet Killers arrived about an hour after your parent’s ship moved through the alien’s space.”
“Then the mass detector must operate like our passive and active scanners, faster than light speed.”
“I don’t see that happening, Candy.”
“Why not?”
RJ shrugged, “They’re probably detecting minute movement of dark energy around ships. At faster than light speed, that would be impossible.”
“So, how did they detect my parent’s ship?”
“I’m thinking there was something else operating.” Candy stared at him in silence as RJ focused on his console’s display. RJ stared at the display and said, “Computer, zoom in on the alien warships on the recording and see if anything else is present near their location.”
“Working,” the computer announced. After a few minutes, the computer said, “I’ve not detected anything else, Commander.”
RJ shook his head and then ordered, “Remove the planet killers from the recording and see if anything shows up?”
RJ put the recording on the wall monitor and they saw the four planet killers disappear. After thirty seconds they heard, “There is a minute source of energy close to the location.”
“Zoom in on it!” RJ ordered.
“The object is too small to resolve, Commander.”
“What can you tell me about it, computer?”
“It appears to be emitting an electronic field.”
RJ sat back in his chair and Candy asked, “What does that mean?”
“That small object must be a probe that emits the mass detection field. Anything that moves through the probe’s field is immediately reported using their faster than light communication links. That must be what happened, Candy. Your parent’s ship was moving faster than light and the probe detected its mass as it passed. It contacted the planet killers and they powered up to go and check it out. They were more than fifteen thousand light years away and it took them an hour to power up and arrive at the probe.”
“So, the danger of our ships being detected is due to those probes, right?”
“It appears so, Candy. However, if the mass detectors have been added to their ships, they’ll detect us at close range, just like our optical system. If we’re outside a light hour from their location, their ships wouldn’t detect us for an hour.”
RJ looked up, “Computer, are you capable of detecting that probe and if so, how far away?”
“Yes, my passive scanner can detect the probe now that I have its frequency. I can detect it more than a light day out from the ships location.”
“I thought our passive scanner had a much longer range than that,” Candy commented.
“They do, but that probe is tiny. The first thing we need to find out is how many of those probes the Britannia Aliens have scattered around their space.”
Candy looked at the map of the galaxy on the tactical monitor and shook her head, “The galaxy looks different on this side.”
“The colonies are located in the Outer Spiral arm which is called the Norma Spiral Arm on this side of the galaxy. It wraps around the galaxy and is the furthest arm out on our side. But on this side of the galaxy, the Norma arm is the closest one to the alien’s territory. What we call the Coma Spiral Arm was called the Scutum-Centaurus Spiral Arm in Earth’s history and it’s the second closest to the core of the galaxy. I suspect the civilizations the Britannia Aliens are fighting on this side of the Milky Way are located in either of those arms.”
“And the aliens are located in the two spiral arms circling close to the core?” RJ nodded. “So, what do we do?”
“We’re going to move sixteen light years from the core and do an optical scan. We know those probes were present when your parents scouted their space. We’ll see how many were being used and then we’ll move in another ten light years and look again.” RJ asked, “Computer, can you detect those probes using the optical system?”
“Yes, however, it will require zooming in on the area being searched.”
RJ turned to Candy, “Move us in to sixteen light years out from the core.” Candy turned to her console and turned the Endeavor toward the galaxy’s core.
• • •
After two days, Candy stared at the optical scanner’s monitor and saw tiny specks of light scattered at great distances from each other. She was genuinely surprised the system could see the tiny probes, but the light was intense in the core of the galaxy and was reflected brightly from them. There weren’t very many of them in the areas they had examined. But the light they were seeing was sixteen years old. RJ entered the bridge and asked, “Do you need a break before we move in closer?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Move us in to six light years.”
Candy activated the thrusters and moved in quickly toward the core. She stopped the ship and RJ ordered, “Computer, start running an optical scan and tell us what you find.”
“Working.” RJ looked at Candy, “This is going to take some time. Go and get some rest and I’ll call you if anything happens.”
“We’re getting close to some of the alien’s planets, RJ.”
“I know, but we’re out in open space between them. I think we’ll be ok, and I need you rested before we move in any closer.” Candy yawned, took a deep breath, and left the bridge. RJ saw images appearing and disappearing quickly on the optical monitor and he sat back and shut down the gravity systems; no need to take chances. Those probes detected how dark matter was affected by the gravity of objects as they passed through it. The gravity drives may make them detectable.
• • •
The images on the monitor finally stopped five hours later and the computer announced, “Analysis complete.”
RJ pressed the PA and said, “Candy, the computer has completed its study. I’ll wait for you before I start hearing it.”
Candy heard the announcement and got up, dressed, and headed toward the bridge. She arrived and went to her chair as RJ ordered, “Computer, what did you determine?”
“There are no longer any probes inside the Britannia Aliens’ territory.” RJ and Candy were stunned by the announcement.
“Why is that?!” Candy asked.
“The reason is beyond my ability to compute. However, I am able to detect the probes outside the aliens’ defensive lines located at the edge of their space.”
RJ and Candy were silent, until Candy eventually broke the silence, “They were never able to get around the time delay.”
RJ nodded, “Your parent’s ship passed the probes too far away for them to be detected in time to send a warning to the Planet Killers. By the time the probes detected them, they were long gone. I’ve been thinking that this technology would only work as an early warning system.”
“That makes sense, RJ. By having them outside of their defenses, they’ll be able to track any warships mo
ving in on their defensive lines early enough to respond to the threat.”
“I think it’s more than that, Candy.”
“Oh?”
“That technology has probably been installed in their warships and it will give them the ability to detect stealth warships approaching their lines. Those probes outside their lines were probably put there somewhere between sixteen and six years ago. I suspect that if we move in and take a look at what’s currently taking place, we’ll find they are no longer using the probes. Their scouts could serve the function of providing an early warning and the probes wouldn’t be necessary.”
“So, the probes don’t represent a danger to our new warships?”
RJ shrugged, “No, but their warships will be able to detect us, and it still begs the question of why they developed the technology in the first place.”
“It could be they developed it to track Earth’s stealth scouts.”
“If that were true, Candy, then why was it first seen on this side of the Milky Way? They were using the red field to keep Earth’s scouts out of their territory, and it was an effective tool for them. Why did they need to develop a mass detector?”
Candy’s eyes opened wider, “They were presented with a clear danger to their fleets!”
“That’s how I see it,” RJ responded. “Earth’s scouts could do no harm to their warships; they encountered something else that was a real danger to their ships.”
Candy thought for a moment and commented, “That means one of the civilizations they’re up against on this side of the galaxy is using stealth warships against them.”
“I believe you’re right.” RJ was silent for a moment and then sighed.
“What are you thinking?”
“If you were in the aliens’ place, how would you counter stealth warships, Candy?” Candy struggled with an answer and finally raised her hands, “I don’t know.”
“The only way to do it is to build a missile that would use the mass detector to home in on a target.”
“But the aliens don’t have stealth technology. Those missiles would be seen and could be hit before they arrive at their targets, RJ.”
“Think about it, Candy. If the aliens launch a massive barrage of missiles at the detected stealth warships, the Planet Killers could follow the barrage out and they would see the stealth warships firing their blasters to remove the missiles. If the stealth ships stop firing their blasters to avoid the horrific beams of the Planet Killers, the missiles would take them out.”
“But this stealth civilization could use stealth missiles to take out the missiles being fired at them.”
“That would depend on the size of the stealth warships and how many missiles they could carry on board. You’ve seen the recording of how many missiles just one Planet Killer can launch. And remember that once the Planet Killers move in close to them, they can use their mass detectors to track them at close distance in real time. That’s why they stopped using probes, they don’t need them.”
“But it would take a tremendous number of Planet Killers to do this.”
“That’s why Earth and the Fagan are still alive, Candy. If they defeat the stealth civilization, that would release hundreds of thousands of warships to go and remove them.”
“The only way to find out is to go and see, RJ.”
RJ nodded and ordered, “We were lucky not being detected moving this close to their home space. Back out and get us above the galaxy again. Use the passive scanners and make sure we don’t come near one of their scouts.” Candy nodded and turned the ship away from the core of the galaxy.
“Before we do anything else, perhaps we should transmit what we’ve discovered back to Fleet Operations,” Candy suggested.
RJ nodded, “Move the Endeavor above the bulge and I’ll get the information organized in a data-batch.” Candy turned the Endeavor vertical and moved at high-speed above the Milky Way’s central bulge. RJ collected all the recordings along with their discussions and organized them into a presentation. He looked at the communication signal and saw it was green. Communications were blocked on the other side of the black hole and this was the first time in weeks that communications were open. He moved the dial on his communication board to Fleet Operations and pressed send. He looked at Candy and smiled, “Why don’t you take a break. They’re going to take some time to analyze the data and get back to us. We need to wait until they decide what we should do next.”
Thanks, RJ. I’m beat. This constant threat of being discovered has worn me out.”
Candy stood up and walked off the bridge. RJ watched her go and sighed; not once had she left the bridge and given him a hug. Matter of fact, she hadn’t really smiled all that much during this trip. He activated the pilot’s controls on the left side of his console and turned the Endeavor’s bow down toward the core of the galaxy. He thought for a moment and put the gravity drives on standby. He could instantly activate them if necessary but there was no reason to keep them on risking them being detected by a mass detector.
• • •
He leaned back in his chair and thought about Candy. His earliest memory of her was seeing her looking down at him as he woke up from a nap. He was four years old and everyone says there was no possible way he could remember that… but he did. She was giggling, and he was amazed by her cinnamon colored hair. From that moment on, she had his attention. They grew up together and spend numerous times together playing while their parents were working. He thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. For her part, she saw him as a surrogate brother. She picked on him early on but eventually stopped when he grew large enough to make her pay for it. He wasn’t sure when he made the decision that they were going to spend their lives together, but it happened early. He never told anyone about his choice, and he decided that he would do everything in his power to make it happen. That’s why he took on a double course load in the Academy to graduate close to the time she left. He also realized in secondary school that Candy had no romantic interest in him. She was three years older and her attention was on the boys in her grade, not someone three years behind her. She talked with him about her boyfriends and he listened attentively hating it, but he knew he had to bide his time, she wasn’t ready. She was the homecoming queen and he was a freshman watching her from the stands. Then she graduated and was gone. RJ graduated a year early from secondary school and joined Candy at New Britannia’s Fleet Academy when she was going into her junior year. She welcomed him like the brother she saw him and introduced him to her current boyfriend.
RJ sighed, there were so many boyfriends that came and went. He now realized he didn’t need to worry as much as he did about her falling in love with someone else, Candy could never be satisfied with anyone. But he spent his academy years struggling to graduate early to join her in the service. He also decided to graduate number one in his class to get command of a starship. Those pressures consumed him, and he was focused on making them happen to the exclusion of everything else. He never dated; there was no one else that interested him although there were many co-eds that made an effort. He realized that most of his classmates viewed him as an eccentric genius only focused on studying. He gave up a lot to pursue Candy… he was wondering if he made a good decision.
All his hard work and goals had come to fruition and Candy was now serving with him on his ship and so far, nothing. He hadn’t brought up how he felt about her; he decided she needed some time to get to know him in another role other than a brother. But it was like she… felt nothing. He remembered Angel Coronado asking him why he was so determined to graduate early and number one in his class. He was involved in a simulation and he answered her, “Those goals are just a means to an end.”
“Oh? Then what is your ultimate goal?”
“I’d rather not say.”
“And what happens if you don’t achieve this goal?” RJ stopped the simulation and remembered looking at her. ave you considered that?” she asked.
“No, I
guess I haven’t.”
Angel has shaken her head, “Well, your world could come crashing around you if you aren’t prepared for that to happen. Perhaps you might want to consider that before you find yourself in that situation.”
RJ blew out a long breath and began to see Angel was right. He was frightened that getting Candy’s love might not happen. What would he do if it didn’t? The prospect filled him with fear.
Chapter Seven
“Taffy, Candy and RJ are still ok!”
“THANK GOD FOR THAT!” Taffy replied. What’s going on, Grady?”
“They’ve transmitted all the information they’ve collected to Fleet Operations and are awaiting further orders.”
“I hope fleet is calling them back!”
Grady shook his head, “I believe Fleet is going to want them to try and get an idea of how large the stealth warships attacking the aliens are. Once that’s done, they can return.”
Taffy sighed heavily and sat down on the sofa in their living room. Grady came over and sat down beside her. After a few minutes, Taffy turned to Grady, “Something has been bothering me.”
“What is that?”
“Do you remember sending the plans for a Hare Warship to the Britannia Colony?” Grady nodded. “I didn’t say anything at the time, but you realize they won’t be capable of building a Hare?” Grady shrugged and then nodded. “If they couldn’t build them, why did you send it, Grady?”
“Taffy, I realize they can’t build the hulls we produce on New Britannia because they don’t have the atmosphere necessary for the process.”
“Then why did you send the plans?”
“I also sent the information on how to build the hull used by the Rex Rabbit. They can build those hulls.” Taffy’s brow furrowed. “The plans for the Hare Warship include all the information on how to build stealth hulls, gravity drives and our new reactors. They can take that information and build smaller warships to defend themselves.”
“Oh. That makes sense.” Taffy hesitated and asked, “Do you think RJ is going to try and talk Candy into a relationship?”