by Saxon Andrew
Eddie looked up at them with red-eyes, “It would have been interfering with creation.” Danielle nodded. “I don’t have anyone to blame but myself.”
“Not really,” Tag said softly.
“How can you say that?”
“You may not find this helps but creation knew that Cali was going to die. All the things she did leading up to her death were due to things she wanted done. Creation would not make her your compliment knowing she was going to die.”
“But how in creation would creation know that?” Eddie wailed.
“Because creation would know that the charge from that probe would follow the dark energy back to her panel.”
“But I’m the one that ordered her to fire on that probe!!
“And you didn’t know it would happen either,” Tag quickly replied. “But it was at Cali’s insistence that the darts were installed on the Dark Knight. If she had not made it happen, she would still be alive. You did the right thing ordering her to fire on that probe.”
Eddie stared at Tag, “Are you suggesting our lives are ruled by random incidents?”
“That’s how it’s always been, Eddie. The round that ricochets off a wall and kills the warrior next to you, or the random asteroid your ship collides with are but two-things that show us that we all live in a chaotic universe, where anything can happen to anyone.”
“I refuse to blame Cali’s death on her.”
“Then don’t!” Danielle interrupted. “But don’t blame yourself or anyone else for it, either; it was an accident.”
Eddie sighed and lowered his eyes for a moment. He raised them and asked, “If what you say about this compliment is true, why haven’t they made an appearance?”
“Probably because one, or both, of you aren’t ready.”
“And you’re certain there’s someone out there?”
Tag looked at Danielle and then turned back to Eddie, “We aren’t certain about anything, Eddie. But your psychic scan says there is.”
Eddie took deep breath, blew it out slowly, and looked Danielle in the eyes, “I really don’t think there is anyone that can heal my heart; I don’t want anyone else in my life.”
“Would you want Cali to feel like that if you died instead of her?” Danielle asked.
“I believe I would; it would prove she really, really, loved me.”
“Are you saying she didn’t prove it when she was alive?”
Eddie turned to Tag, “I knew she loved me!”
“Then why would you want her to suffer after you were gone?”
Eddie snorted and pursed his lips, “That all life is, Tag; suffering until you die. Thank you for putting up with my anger and I apologize for not seeing the truth; you did try to tell me, but I refused to see it.”
Danielle stared at Eddie, started to speak, and stopped. She looked at Tag and saw him shrug. “Alex, teleport us back to our quarters.” Tag and Danielle disappeared, and Eddie entered the coordinates for Kelen in the stardrive. The Nightmare jumped out of its orbit above Ross.
• • •
Danielle went to the living room and sat down on the huge couch in front of the fireplace. She stared into the fire, as Tag arrived with a cup of hot-cocoa. She took it, took a sip, and continued to stare into the fire. Tag sat down beside her, and they were silent as they watched the flickering flames. After a very long time, Danielle said in a voice Tag could barely hear, “I’ve asked that question so many times and this is the first time I’ve ever heard that they wanted their loved one to suffer after they died.” Tag was silent. “I didn’t know how to respond to that without telling him he is the most selfish person I’ve ever met.”
“He wouldn’t have taken that very well, Danielle.”
Danielle inhaled and nodded, “I know. That’s why I didn’t say anything.”
“I can understand why he feels that way, Danielle.”
“Oh?”
“His father abused him, and he never saw love as a child. Cali was his only friend and they eventually fell in love. If you lose the only one that ever loved you, and the only one you ever loved, you’d hang on to them even after death.”
“He’s got to let her go, Tag!”
“The only way for that to happen is for him to see it; and I wouldn’t bet on it happening.” Danielle closed her eyes and made a heavy sigh. “However.” Danielle turned to him. “There’s more than just him involved in this; he must have a compliment out there somewhere and it’s up to them to break through his walls.”
“Tag, I don’t know if anyone or anything can do that. His mind is incredibly strong and…” Danielle paused, and then finished, “I doubt anyone can make it happen.”
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it. This is just like knowing that Cali was probably going to die, and we were helpless to stop it. This is up to a greater power than you and me.”
“I just hate to see him suffer like this.”
“Danielle, I doubt he sees it as suffering. He’s endured so much sorrow in his life that this probably looks like a normal day to him. He deserves better, but life hasn’t served him up a good meal to eat. We’ll just have to wait and hope for the best.”
“If there is a compliment for him, she is going to be something else!”
“I think you mean stubborn and hardheaded, right?”
Danielle chuckled, “It’s going to take that to get through to him.’
Tag put his arm over Danielle’s shoulders, “Well thank goodness we don’t have those qualities.” Danielle’s eyes narrowed, and she elbowed Tag in ribs. “HEY, I WASN’T TALKING ABOUT YOU!!”
“Tell that to someone who believes you.” Danielle snuggled into his arms and Tag tried not to smile.
• • •
Eddie managed to pull himself together, before he teleported to the Defense Facility’s laboratory to study the data collected during the voyage. He walked in to find his crew in front of a monitor staring at the recording Tag made during the chase. They turned around and Bobby asked, “Hey, where have you been. I called to see if you wanted to join us and BC says you had taken the Nightmare and left.”
Eddie saw Janie watching him closely and Eddie looked away from her, “I made a trip to Ross to discuss some issues with the Gardners.”
“Issues?” Bobby asked.
“I was wrong, and they cleared up my concerns. What have you found out, so far?”
Bobby nodded toward the monitors, “Trying to escape from the OAs is a losing proposition. Their jump-drives are computer controlled and react to drive residue almost instantly. Tag’s talent of moving away from their arrival points is the only thing that saved him.”
Eddie’s lips pursed, as he asked, “Anything else of interest?”
Dottie spoke up, “The Mag-Cannon is more powerful than we thought.”
“Oh?”
“We only needed to fire one projectile at the probe to take it out; two was overkill.”
“I don’t believe normal matter would have penetrated the probe’s force field, Sir.” Bobby added. “We’re starting to build the manufacturing facilities to produce compressed dark matter projectiles. However, it’s going to take some time to bring them online.”
Lt. George Stewart smiled, “The Defense Facility is building an even larger Mag-Cannon for the Primes. Installation will begin within a few weeks.”
Eddie looked to Janie, “Will the larger Mag-Cannon fit on the Nightmare?”
“It will. However, it is going to take four-months to construct them.”
“Why is that?”
“The cannons on the Nightmare have to be made using compressed dark matter. The ones being built by the Defense Facility for the Primes are being constructed of normal hardened alloy, which would allow the Nightmare to be detected by the OA scanners.”
“Couldn’t they be installed inside the outer hull,” Eddie asked.
Janie shook her head, “No, Sir. The new barrels are fifty-feet long.” Eddie’s eyes narrowed, and Bobby interj
ected, “Sir, the additional length of the barrels increases the acceleration of the projectiles they fire more than sixty-times the current model.”
“What about the Mag-Guns?”
Janie smiled, “While we were gone, BC made some improvements to their design as well.”
“Such as?”
“BC has developed a relatively tiny reactor to power them that provides triple-the-magnetic-field-strength of the magnets in the barrels. The magnets will be reduced in size and the barrel can be shortened slightly. The weight has been reduced by fifty-percent in both models.”
“So, you’ve not chosen which model to use?” Eddie asked.
“They both serve a purpose, Sir.” Bobby stated. “The larger Mag-Gun will be used by assault troops and in lines of defense. The smaller version will be used by scout warriors.”
“Will these weapons be able to stop an OA?”
“Yes, Sir. The projectiles will be traveling twice-as-fast as the ones used by the Gardners.”
Eddie forced a smile, “Keep up the excellent work.”
He turned to leave, and Janie spoke up, “Sir, do you have a minute to discuss something with me?”
Eddie stopped and turned to her, “Is it about the issue we discussed after we arrived here?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“There’s no need to discuss it, Captain Roberts. You were right, and I was wrong.” Eddie turned and walked out of the lab.
Dottie’s eyes narrowed, “What’s bothering him? And what was that about, Janie?”
Janie turned to her and shook her head, “I asked about something I wanted to do.”
“Care to share what it is?” Allan asked.
“I need some personal time and I tried to convince him I wouldn’t be needed while I was gone.”
“Well, don’t be gone long, Janie.” She turned to Bobby. “You’re the weapons expert and things are happening very quickly.”
Janie nodded, “I can see that. I’ll delay leaving until things slow down.”
“I appreciate it!”
“No problem, Bobby. Work comes first.” Janie glanced at the door Eddie walked through and knew he was hurting. But…he was a grown man; he’d have to handle it.
• • •
Two-months passed, and the Nightmare’s hull was being modified for the new Mag-Cannons. Eddie, Bobby, and Janie were in space suits watching the hull being cut. “Why is the hole that large?” Janie asked.
Bobby pointed at the cutters and replied, “The new cannons need to be capable of swiveling. They will need to be able to traverse so that they can cover the entire rear of the ship.”
Janie nodded, “That makes sense. I do have an issue with the Nightmare’s armaments.” Bobby and Eddie turned to her. “Every weapon we have on the ship fires projectiles,” Janie stated. “The Nightmare doesn’t have any type of energy weapons to defend it.”
“It would be a waste of time. No energy weapon can penetrate the OA’s force fields.”
Janie looked at Bobby and smiled, “That’s not entirely true.”
“Oh? What blaster would work against them?” Bobby asked with his hands on his hips.
“The Gardners demonstrated that a psychic blaster would be capable of destroying their warships.”
“But the Gardners only had a blaster that could fire one shot,” Eddie remarked. “And it would take a psychic crew to keep the psychic containers filled.”
Janie waved a hand, “It’s my understanding that once the containers are completely full, they could fire more than a thousand-times before they’d run out of energy. We could have one of the psychic containers used on the new psychic ships installed and a psychic couple could come and fill it. All of our weapons have a limited number of projectiles and I suspect the new Mag-Cannons won’t have a thousand projectiles on board; they’re too large.”
Eddie looked at Bobby and raised an eyebrow, “She makes a good point. Just how large is one of those psychic containers and will compressed dark matter contain psychic energy?”
“I don’t know. Let me do some research and see what I can come up with.”
“I’ve already looked into it, Bobby.”
Bobby turned to her, “And?”
“BC says that the container can be shaped to fit any available space. He doesn’t think dark matter would contain psychic energy…” Eddie and Bobby’s eyes narrowed, before Janie continued, “but the container could be put under the bridge’s floor and the polarized hull would prevent it being detected. Dark matter power conduits can be run from the container to a blaster on each side of the Nightmare and we’d have the energy weapon we need. The computer can target any enemies and it would be a lot more accurate than trying to hit them with projectiles.”
Eddie stared at her for a moment and then asked, “Just how large is this container?”
“It’s not the size that is the issue, Sir; it’s available space. BC says that, instead of being a narrow, tall container like those on the Kosiev, it could be made flatter and forged to wrap around the critical elements currently under the bridge’s floor.” They stared at her and Janie smiled, “BC says that the container would be able to hold as much psychic energy as the containers on the new psychic warships.”
“How long will it take for this to be done?”
Janie looked at Eddie, “It could be completed about the same time as the Mag-Cannons are installed.”
“You know that if that container is ruptured, the Nightmare would go up in a giant blast?” Bobby said with a concerned expression.
“And what would happen if our reactor’s containment system is ruptured, Bobby?”
Bobby chuckled, “I guess the same thing.”
Janie lowered her eyebrows and looked at Bobby through them, “But we don’t worry about that, do we? We just assume it’s a risk that’s part of doing business. Besides, if anything goes through the bridge and ruptures the psychic container, I don’t believe we would be around to watch it go up.”
Eddie pressed his communicator, “BC, I understand Captain Roberts has discussed putting a psychic container on the Nightmare.”
“She has, Admiral Taylor.”
“Do you believe it can be done safely?”
“I do. I have the containers down to a science and I’ve looked at your ship’s blueprints, it can be done.”
“Then start making it happen.”
“The ship will not be available when this project is started.”
“How long will it take?”
“About six-months.”
Eddie’s eyes narrowed, “I thought Captain Roberts told me that it would be completed at the same time as the Mag-Cannons installation?”
“That’s when the Mag-Cannons will be completed.”
“I expected it to be finished in another two-months.”
“Admiral Taylor, as with most things, initial estimates are often wrong. The swivels for the Mag-Cannons are causing the delay.”
Eddie jerked his head to Bobby, “Sir, the swivels have to be constructed of compressed dark energy and that piece of the project is having issues. We’ll get it done, but the pieces used to make them are not easily built.”
“Why not?”
“We can’t use a lubricant to make them move, it would be detected if we did. They have to be micro-designed to allow them to function properly.”
Eddie sighed, “And the swivels are essential to them being able to defend the Nightmare’s stern.”
“Yes, Sir, they are.”
“BC, go ahead and get started.”
“I will, Admiral Taylor. I will be bringing the nightmare on board to start the construction in one of my building chambers.”
“Do what you have to do.” Eddie ended the transmission and looked at them, “This is a good idea. Keep me informed what’s happening.”
Eddie turned and walked away. Bobby looked at Janie and his brow furrowed, “Is it just me, or is the Admiral avoiding spending any time around you?”
“It could be you, Bobby?”
“Nooo…he spent six-hours with me yesterday. It must be you. What’s going on?”
Janie sighed, “He wants to avoid having a conversation with me.”
“You’re kidding me?”
“Nope!”
“What’s going to happen when it’s just you and him on the bridge?”
Janie chuckled, “He can only run so far.”
“Good luck with that.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Eddie went back to Kelen Tech and started teaching advanced math classes, while the Nightmare was being modified. He found peace in the classroom and actually hated having to leave it to go back to the Realm’s Navy. But the six-months were up, and the Nightmare was going to be ready for its initial trials in a week, just after the current session ended.
Eddie was sitting in his office with the ever-present Bong floating above him close to the ceiling. “Ed, I have a question.”
“What is that, Bong?”
“I listened to you answer the Queen’s question about Cali.”
Eddie tensed up, slightly, “And?”
“I’ve not brought this up because I fear you’ll take it the wrong way.”
“Go ahead, Bong. You know I trust you with my life. What’s bothering you?”
“You said that if you died and Cali lived, you’d want her to remain alone and suffer.”
“I didn’t say it that way.”
“But is that what you said means?”
Eddie paused and then replied, “Yes, I guess it does. Why do you ask.”
“What will happen to me if you are killed?” Eddie was silent. Bong continued, “I mean, our minds are connected but not joined. If you die, I’ll lose my intelligence. Do you expect me to remain in my original basic state and not unite with an Algean?” Eddie blew out a hard breath, lowered his head and closed his eyes. “Ed, I will feel your loss more than I can say, but do you want me to suffer for the rest of my life like you would want Cali to do?”
“No, Bong. You’re going to live thousands-of-years.”
“So, I’ll be faced with this issue one day, when you die of old-age. Tell me what you want me to do and I’ll honor your request.”