by Saxon Andrew
“Why did you release those?”
Suh sat down on a chair and sighed, “Humanity needs to know what we’re up against, and we need everyone working together. Those recordings have done just that. Now I’m going to ask you to do some things for me.”
Chris glanced at Jillian and saw her nod.
“I am drafting you into the Earth Government’s Navy.”
“Sir, I must respectfully decline. I am not the military type.”
Suh looked at Jillian and said, “Oh? I thought you might have wanted to serve on the same ship as Dr. Gordon. I’m sorry I wasted your time.”
“Wait a minute! What do you mean?”
“Only military personnel may serve on our warships, and Jillian is going to be on one of our newer ships. She is already in the military, so it won’t be an issue for her.”
Chris looked at Jillian, “You’re in the military?”
“I never told you?”
Chris shook his head.
“I’m a Commodore in the Navy.”
Chris stared at Jillian and said, “Here I go again.” He looked at Suh and said, “Sign me up. I do hope you’ll allow me to teach again after this is settled.”
Suh smiled and nodded then pulled out a document and said, “Please sign here,” indicating a line at the bottom, and handed Chris a pen. Chris looked up at Jillian who nodded, and he sighed and signed.
“Good. Welcome aboard, Admiral.”
Chris said, “What?”
Jillian smiled and said, “You have been given the overall command of our fleet of warships. You outrank me.”
“Does that mean I can order you around now?”
Jillian smiled, “Absolutely.”
Suh chuckled and said, “I also have a little something for you.” He reached in his pocket, and suddenly fifteen photographers rushed into the room as Suh said, “In recognition of your bravery above and beyond the call of duty, I award you the Solar Sun, our highest award for valor, and thank you on behalf of our citizens for your outstanding contributions to our safety.”
Flashbulbs were firing like strobe lights and Chris was yelling, “I don’t deserve it! Jillian deserves it more than I do!”
Jillian leaned down and pulled a Solar Sun out from her top, “I have my own, thank you.”
Chris saw the medal and started laughing, shaking his head.
Suh asked, “What’s so funny?”
“I never had a chance, did I?”
Suh shook his head, “Of course not. We need you.”
Dolly stuck her head in and said, “Ok, we have two hours until opening ceremonies.”
The photographers rushed out of the room. Chris watched them leave and looked at Jillian, “Opening ceremonies?”
“Yes, I’ve got to go get ready. Jeff, Hemon, and George will be here momentarily to assist you.”
“Assist me do what?”
“You don’t remember?”
“Remember what?!?”
“That blow to the head must have affected your memory; we’re getting married in two hours. You did say as soon as we came back.” Chris stared at her with wide eyes. “You do still want me?”
Chris said, “I do..”
Jillian interrupted, “Just remember those two words. Gotta go.” She left the room just as Jeff came in and said, “All right, get up. We have to get you dressed.”
Chris was stunned at the speed that things were happening. Jeff said, “Come on. We need to hurry.”
Chris got up and followed Jeff out of the room. Jeff glanced at him and said, “You might want to pick up a towel on your way out.”
“Why?”
“Your backside is hanging out of that hospital gown.”
Chris stopped and reached around, “Oh my…” He grabbed two large towels off a cart and followed Jeff out of the hospital and into a waiting limo as he held the towel around him.
The next two hours were a blur. He was rushed to the tailor, then the spa where his hair was done, then he was shaved and bathed. He went back to the tailor to pick up the tux. The whole time Jeff, Hemon, and George were firing questions about the voyage to retrieve the Jenze weapon. Finally he climbed into the Limo and lifted. He was still being barraged by questions, but then he looked down and saw they were landing in Yankee Stadium. “What the…”
“Dolly had trouble finding a place where all those who wanted to attend could fit.”
Chris looked at Jeff with a deeply troubled expression, “I don’t know enough people to fill a large mobile home.”
Jeff smiled, “How about the Tutors?” Chris thought a moment; that was fifteen hundred. “What about your students? And don’t forget your former students. There are also the children at the center you have tutored over the last ten years.”
Chris said, “All right. I didn’t think they would want to attend this far away. It’s costly to travel.”
“Dolly paid for their transportation. All twenty thousand students at your former university are here. They have been given a place of honor on the infield.”
“Then who’s in the stands?”
“Everyone that could get a ticket; most of the world’s leaders are among them.”
“I don’t understand.”
Hemon looked at Chris, “The recording of what you did to save Jillian and how you refused to release the screen before she was safe has been seen by billions. They saw the explosion rushing out of the screen at you, and you did not hit the release. They know how much you loved Jillian in order to sacrifice yourself to save her. They also know you are leading the fight against those who would exterminate us. There are more than a million people gathered around the stadium watching it on monitors. You and Jillian have captured their hearts.”
The Limo landed in the center of the stadium and Chris looked out. “Why have you waited until the last minute to rush me here?” The three looked at each other with a guilty expression. Chris said, “This has Dolly written all over it.”
Jeff sighed and said, “She kept you in the hospital three extra days to get this set up.”
“Why?”
“She was concerned that you might catch an illness.”
“What illness?”
George smiled and said, “Why, cold feet, of course.”
Chris took a deep breath, “I’m starting to feel it now.”
“Then it’s time to get out, Mate, and tell your bride to call it off.”
The limo driver opened the door and Chris stepped out to a huge roar. The three groomsmen joined him and they walked up the steps to the raised platform. Jeff took him to a spot where an X was on the floor, and stood Chris on it. A large luxury limo came down to the head of the path leading through the crowd and landed. Hemon and George left the stage while Jeff stayed at Chris’s side.
“Are you the best man?”
“I begged Dolly for the opportunity.”
“Why, Jeff?”
“I saw what you did, too. I consider it an honor to fulfill this duty. There are few that I would follow into battle, Chris. I will follow you anywhere.”
Chris looked at Jeff and saw he meant it. He held out his hand and Jeff shook it. “I know who you are, Jeff. I couldn’t have chosen anyone better than you.” Chris turned back to the field and saw Sasha come out of the limo and put her hand on Hemon’s arm. They began the walk to the raised platform. Dolly came out next and gave her hand to George. They moved toward the platform. Chris looked at Jeff and said, “Those are two of the most beautiful people I have ever seen.”
Jeff only had eyes for Dolly, “Yes they are.”
Then the ancient music started, and everyone stood. Chris was nervous and wondered if he was ready for this. Marriage, responsibility, loss of freedom, and possibly a family; this was frightening. It was a huge change in his life. Then Jillian stepped out of the limo and his fears evaporated like water on the sun. Her beauty stunned him, and her look toward him melted him. He didn’t want another moment in his life without her in it. Her hair was up and her blue ey
es were only on him. The wedding dress was incredible, and fit her perfectly. He was so unbelievably lucky to have her, and he knew his parents would have loved her. Jillian started her walk with her father. Arnold held his daughter’s arm and knew she was going to be taken care of and protected by the brave man on the stage. He felt sadness at realizing she had grown up and was no longer a little girl. But he was proud of the fine young woman she had become.
The newscasters covering the wedding were amazed at how beautiful Jillian was, and millions of the young women watching the ceremony decided they would have that same dress and have their hair done the same way on their wedding day. Her hair became known as the “Jillian Doo.”
Jillian exited the Limo, took her father’s arm, and saw Chris standing on the platform. His expression at seeing her filled her heart, and she couldn’t wait to get to him. She felt her heart grow with every step toward him and knew Daniel would be happy for her this day. She was amazed at how quickly he had taken her heart, even though he had not really tried. He didn’t press her or come on to her. He had simply been himself and allowed her to see him for who he really was. After getting to know him, she understood what so many of the coeds had made passes at him. He was, without trying, the sexiest man she had ever known simply by not trying to be sexy. She felt her heart beat increase and wanted to hurry this ceremony.
As Jillian started up the stairs, Jeff leaned over and whispered in Chris’ ear, “The ring is made from the material on the Jenze weapon. The stone in the engagement ring is from the lens used to focus that weapon.”
Chris realized he had not given Jillian an engagement ring. He looked over at Dolly who was watching him, knowing what Jeff had just told him. He smiled and mouthed, “Thank you.”
Dolly’s smile lit up her face. Thank God the boys had kept him occupied. If he had been given advance notice, he would have bailed. He never liked the idea of losing his independence. Now she saw the plan had worked. She knew if she could just trap him into seeing Jillian, everything would take care of itself. She looked out in the crowd and saw quite a few of the closest women were staring at George. She knew that with the billions that were viewing the ceremony, George would become a household name. His brilliance coupled with his movie star good looks would attract women that sought a partner to compliment them. She would keep the vast majority away to avoid distracting George, but she knew there was someone out there that would defeat George’s and her defenses. She would be the one for George. She will have to be as smart as her to pull it off. She looked at her brother and saw his happiness for Chris and Jillian. It was so good to have him back. She desperately needed someone he could love to keep him back. Perhaps a suitable candidate could be found.
She turned and looked at Jillian as she walked to Chris, and as Arnold gave her hand to him. She had doubted for a few moments that her manipulations would work, but here they were. She smiled at how easy it was to make love happen by simply putting the right people together at just the right time.
Chris took Jillian’s hands in his and looked her in the eyes, “I love you.”
Jillian smiled as he raised her veil, and they turned to the Priest. The ancient yet new words began, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here together in the presence of God and Man….”
Chris and Jillian found themselves that day. Their lives became more than they ever thought possible as they gave themselves to each other. Chris would never have another doubt about his decision, and Jillian released the demons that haunted her. They became much more than either one of them was alone. The impact of this joining was going to prove to be vital in the struggle that humanity was beginning to face.
Finally Chris kissed his bride, and they turned to the gathered witnesses to their union. The loud speaker announced, “The first dance will now be done by Chris and Jillian.”
They walked down the steps from the platform. The students to the right lifted their chairs and cleared the dance floor they had been sitting on. The announcer said, “According to a very reliable source, this song is the first song the happy couple danced to.”
Jillian looked at Chris and they heard, “If I didn’t have a dime and I didn’t take the time to play the Jukebox….” Jillian’s heart filled, and she wrapped her arms around Chris’ neck as they danced with their eyes closed, both of them lost in the memories of how they had found each other. By the next day, “If I didn’t have a dime,” was the number one hit in ten countries. But for that moment, and for the rest of their lives, it was their favorite song. Jillian could be heard humming the melody by everyone that knew her from that moment on.
George and Hemon were in the lab examining the Jenze blaster. Dolly arrived as they were having an animated discussion. She said, “Hey, hey, hey; what’s going on?”
George looked up and said, “Hemon doesn’t agree with my assessment.”
“Which is?”
“That the Jenze were not that advanced.”
Hemon said, “Dolly, this blaster is stronger than any I’ve seen.”
Dolly looked at George and said, “But….”
“It’s only incrementally stronger than what we’re using now.”
“So?”
“Dolly, this was the most advanced race in the history of our galaxy according to the Sheera. They insisted the Jenze were as far ahead of everyone else as we are to the caveman. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Why do you say that?”
George took a deep breath, “Up until about two years ago we were pretty much primitive to this technology. Then we found the gravity gun and now our ships go at light speed and jump to distant places in the universe. We did all this with just the discovery of a gravity gun and that star drive. If this blaster is the best they had, it’s not enough. And if you look at the current level of the Moet weapons, it’s nowhere near enough.” Hemon and Dolly looked at George in silence. George continued, “We now know that the Alliance ship we captured had beams that would destroy a Moet ship. Right?”
“They nodded.”
“The Moet were around 65 million years ago, the videos prove it, and a beam from an Alliance ship is capable of destroying one of their ships? Come on, let’s get real. This is as far as they’ve been able to advance in millions of years. That’s absurd; our beams destroyed that Alliance Battleship easily and we’ve only just developed them. The Jenze weapon is only slightly stronger than what we currently have and it’ll be far behind us in no time. I refuse to believe that we are that superior to them mentally.”
Dolly said, “Then what did we get from the Jenze?”
“The only thing this Jenze blaster will give us in new knowledge is the material that powers it and the lens that is used to focus the beam.”
Hemon said, “What about the material?”
George leaned back, “Dolly, do you remember when you bought the list of elements for me to see in the Outback?” Dolly nodded. “I gave you three other’s that would increase the power. That made eleven elements that composed the material we use to power our ships and weapons; right?”
“Yes, it is eleven total.”
“Well now I know that there are fourteen elements that are a part of that chain. The Jenze material started at the fourth element we use and went with ten more elements. The first eight elements of their material are the last eight of ours. If we now add the three from their material we are not currently using, then our power will quadruple.”
Dolly and Hemon looked at each other and Hemon said, “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I am. The other contribution from this weapon is the method they used to focus the beam and expand it. The actual beam in this gun was no wider than a fine needle, but the lens spread it and maintained its power. It can also be used in our reactors to contain the heat. I’ve analyzed it, and we can produce it on a large scale very quickly. If we update our reactors on the ships we currently have, they will handle any Alliance or Moet ship in my estimation.”
George paused and shook his head,
“That is what makes this perplexing.”
“George, I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”
“Dolly, we have advanced past the Moet and the Alliance in less than three years. Granted, we didn’t have to discover the star drive or the gravity gun and that could have taken a century. Those two discoveries gave us a boost in moving forward. However, we know the Alliance was around five thousand years ago and probably much longer. Is this the best they could do in all that time? And the Moet are millions of years old. They should be so far ahead of where they are now that we could never catch up to their technology. Something had to have slowed them down.”
Dolly looked at Hemon and said, “I’m not sure what you’re leading toward.”
“You saw Chris’ recording of the huge tracks out in open space between our galaxy and Andromeda?
“Yes.”
“I believe that our galaxy has been invaded multiple times in the past and there has been massive destruction of civilizations. You have to ask where the Jenze went if they were the strongest civilization in our galaxy. There’s not a trace of them now. Something happened to cause their disappearance. The current technological level of the Alliance and Moet would support that assumption. Something, or someone, has knocked them back into primitive societies numerous times. The Moet had to have been affected by whatever removed the Jenze.”
Dolly looked at George with a stern expression, “Those massive tracks didn’t appear to be old.”
George looked at her shaking his head, “They weren’t.”
“They’re coming back.”
“Yes, and it won’t be long.”
“How long will it take to update our ships?”
George smiled, “At least a month to get the materials to change the reactors. More than three months for the others. We should have a hundred ships converted within three months.” George paused and said, “We do have one ship that we can prepare almost immediately.”
Dolly said, “The Jukebox.”
“Yes. It’s intended to be the flagship of the fleet, and it hasn’t had its reactors or weapons installed.”
“Are you modifying the weapons as well?”