“In six hours,” I said.
“Yes,” N7 said. “I am agreed.
I glanced around the table. No one else added anything.
“We’re running out of time,” I said. “If we’re going to kill Abaddon—and by that save the Earth—we’re going to have to succeed on our weapon-gaining mission right away. That means we have almost no margin for error.”
The others nodded.
I stood up. “All right then. Let’s get cracking.”
-14-
Instead of six, it took ten hours with teams of scientists, engineers and dock personnel to get everything ready for transfer.
As a final precaution, I ordered everyone off the moon surface. After thinking about it, it made sense why the enemy hadn’t brought starships along on the surface. Perhaps in this older transfer vessel anything on the surface would disappear.
The idea of transferring twenty-seven thousand light years in a single moment seemed preposterous, outlandish and—
“I am certain this is a supernatural proposition,” N7 confided to me on the bridge.
This was the same bridge where we’d slaughtered attacking Saurian hordes. It was huge, with over one hundred personnel monitoring half as many stations. We’d already torn out some of the ancient computers and installed our own. Even with familiar equipment in critical areas, it had still taken time for our people to understand how to operate the bridge. N7 and Ella, and surprisingly Key, had been instrumental in teaching the others the process.
We were deep inside the moon, with our vessel between Jupiter and Neptune. According to the latest reports, Abaddon’s Super Fleet was less than two weeks from Earth. The Grand Armada was a week behind them.
I had no idea why Abaddon didn’t simply transfer a fleet to hit our planet. Maybe he thought that was redundant. The Grand Armada would never get to Earth in that time to save us. The Grand Armada’s numerous vessels simply couldn’t pass through the many jump gates fast enough to beat the Super Fleet.
Despite the horror of the situation, I found it interesting that a small thing like moving ships through gates could make such a huge difference in terms of stellar rates of travel.
Abaddon’s ships were like the soldiers in Napoleon’s Grande Armee. The French soldiers had marched more steps per hour than the Austrian and Prussian soldiers could. That had allowed Napoleon greater operational speed, which made a difference strategically and on the battlefield.
I took a deep breath. It was time to teleport to the center of the galaxy. I cleared my throat to give the order.
Before I could, Ella turned around. “Can we really do this?” she asked.
“We’re about to find out,” I said.
By the look on her face, she wanted to ask more. She didn’t, though, finally turning back to her people.
“Let’s start,” I said.
Rollo stood up and began giving orders. His bridge teams worked fast and efficiently. Soon, his various leaders said, “Check,” or “Ready.” At that point, Rollo pointed at the piloting group.
The entire time, a power source whined louder and louder. It seemed as if a turbine somewhere was going into overdrive. Unbelievably, the bridge began to shake. The amount of power necessary to do that boggled the mind. We were actually going to transfer twenty-seven thousand light years—
“Go!” Rollo shouted. “It’s time.”
Two big men shoved giant levers. It was like something out of a 1950s science fiction movie.
The turbine-whine became high-pitched. The bridge shook harder. Had I made a terrible mistake trying to go for it in a single leap? Had Holgotha given us honest advice? Should we have made the journey in three separate bounds?
If that was true, the Forerunner artifact should have done more to make me trust it. This was partly his fault.
I laughed, shaking my head. No matter how hard one tried, the temptation to shift blame to someone or something else was always present. In my head, I’d been doing just that. Whatever happened, I was responsible for it.
“We’re going for it!” I shouted. I couldn’t hear my voice anymore. The whine had become too loud.
Suddenly, everything changed. One moment, the roar was intense and the chamber shook. The next moment, silence combined with stillness. Had we made the shift, blown our transfer engine or found ourselves in some sort of null or limbo world where nothing moved? I was almost too nervous to find out.
Ella sucked in her breath, making the first noise. She was staring transfixed at her monitor.
I sat in the command chair, unmoving, unblinking and unbelieving. Had we really done it? Were we now in the center of the galaxy? That would be crazy.
I swallowed in a dry throat. Then, I raised my hands, staring at them. They looked the same. Yet, they’d changed. Had they been broken down and recombined? Was that how the moon-ship transferred across twenty-seven thousand light years?
“I’m putting the image on the main screen, Commander,” Ella said in a soft voice. Had she spoken before that?
My neck felt rusted as I moved it. The image on the main screen wavered and then solidified into an amazing sight.
In the distance was a supermassive black hole as predicted by Earth’s scientists. It was bright in the center where the black hole tore down matter and gobbled it up like a hog. Around the supermassive black hole was the accretion disk of matter that swirled around it. Were those broken-down suns or planets or both?
I’d seen something like this but on a grander scale in Abaddon’s weird space-time continuum. There, everything had shrunk with the shrinking universe. Here, the much smaller supermassive black hole was just the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.
The other sight was the stars. It was fantastic: old stars, young stars, massive stars and small normal stars. On Earth when you looked up at night, you saw one star per cubic parsec. Here in the galactic center, I saw 1000 stars per cubic parsec. There was no comparison in grander.
“What is our present speed and heading?” N7 asked me.
“What?” I said, sounding bemused.
The android repeated the question.
“Right,” I said, straightening, gathering my bearings and beginning to give orders. The sight was grand and glorious, but we had to stay on our toes out here.
It took ten minutes to get straightened out. If someone had attacked us during that time—well, they hadn’t. So, we got the chance to get our act together.
Ella turned to me with a huge smile. “We can do it, Creed. We can teleport vast distances just like the ancient artifacts can.”
I nodded, grinning at her.
“We’re in the galactic center,” she said. “I am awed, Commander. I never thought I’d get to see this.”
“You saw Abaddon’s supermassive black hole,” I said. “This isn’t as cool as that.”
“That was different,” Ella said. “For one thing, it was a different space-time continuum. This is our galaxy. I used to think of coming here as a little girl. Now, I am here. I am awed, Commander, simply awed.”
I grinned stupidly, thinking it must be good for a person to be awed by life now and again. This sight, though—
The main bridge doors swished open. Key floated amongst us.
I said nothing, watching the cube. Had Holgotha sent a Trojan horse along? Had that been the artifact’s plan all along? Why did I distrust the thing so much?
Key floated to Ella’s main station and hovered there. The colors flashing across its sides became more intense.
I shoved out of my chair and sauntered near Key. “Amazing, isn’t it?”
“Explain your statement,” Key said.
“The sight is truly amazing.”
“Do you refer to your bridge crew working with such efficiency?” Key asked.
“They are working hard, aren’t they?” I said.
“They are sluggish by my parameters,” Key said. “I am finding your species slow and dull-witted.”
“Then the joke is on yo
u,” I said, “because I wasn’t referring to them.”
“What else could you have been referring to?” Key asked.
“Can you see the main screen?”
“I see it.”
“Do you see what we’re seeing?”
“I see much more than you do,” Key said. “I can see into a broader range of colors than you.”
“You’re telling me you don’t find the supermassive black hole spectacular?”
“I do not.”
“What about the masses of stars?” I asked.
“That is a simple scene one finds at a galactic core. There is no reason for your emotional reactions.”
“We’re not machines,” I said.
“I am not a machine. I am a key.”
I put my hands behind my back. “Why are you here, Key?”
“Do you refer to my being on the bridge?”
“That’s right.”
“That is a logical question. I am here to inform you that I do not see the Fortress of Light. I am afraid it has fallen into the supermassive black hole.”
My heart thudded and my mouth turned dry. “Maybe your processors are off,” I suggested.
“No. The Fortress of Light has been destroyed. That is the obvious conclusion. I merely came here to assure myself what my sensors did not detect. Good-bye, Commander Creed. I am supposed to self-destruct at this point. Do you have any last requests?”
“Ah…yes, go outside the moon-ship to do your self-destruction.”
“I am to self-destruct the transfer vessel with myself. Good-bye, Commander. Ten…nine…eight…”
-15-
“What?” I said.
“Six…five…four…” Key counted.
“I have a request!” I shouted. “It is imperative you listen to me.”
“Two…one…”
“Holgotha told me—”
“Abort the countdown sequence,” Key said. The amount of flashing lights on its sides slowed in color intensity and movement. The cube floated away from Ella’s station. I took that as a good sign.
I backed up toward my chair. As I did, I noticed the large number of bridge crew staring at me in shock. I told myself to get a grip. It was up to me to save the day. That helped me to collect my thoughts somewhat. I’d been in these situations before. Maybe it would help for me to get pissed off. I had the feeling Holgotha had played a dirty trick on me and on humanity in general. I wanted to survive long enough to pay that bastard back—
“What did Holgotha tell you?” Key asked.
I plucked at my lower lip, nodding knowingly. I didn’t know if Key could understand human gestures or not, but I was going to assume so. As I did that, I kept backing up. Finally, the back of my legs bumped against my command chair. I sat down heavily, trying to figure out the best way to approach this.
“You are stalling, Commander. Stalling indicates an attempt at subterfuge. That will not help you against me.”
“Believe me,” I said. “I know that.”
“Because of what Holgotha told you?” Key asked, sounding suspicious.
“Yes,” I said, on instinct.
“This is unconscionable,” Key said. “The artifact promised me it would leave you in the dark concerning the operation.”
“I bet that’s what he said.”
“Why would you say that?” Key said. “It is merely affirming my words.”
“I’m so angry now I could spit.”
“Your statement does not make sense,” Key said.
“Are you angry?” I asked. “Because I’m freaking livid.”
“Is that because of the loss of the Fortress of Light?”
“That and Holgotha’s lies directed toward you.”
Key hovered a moment without speaking. “I am not sure I understood your last words.”
“It pisses me off that Holgotha should lie to you.”
“Why would that be?” Key asked.
“I am surprised you don’t understand.”
More lights flashed across Key’s surfaces. “Is this in relation to the Creator?”
“Yes!” I said.
“You worship the Creator?”
“Of course. Don’t you?”
“I am Key. I was not manufactured for worship. I have entry protocols regarding the Fortress of Light. With its obliteration, I no longer have a function. My protocols demand that I self-destruct lest I am improperly used for blasphemous purposes.”
“Right, right,” I said. “I thought as much. Look, Key, Holgotha has kept you trapped for a long time. I know that much.”
“The artifact told you this?”
“Key,” I said, smirking. “You need to use your logic processors instead of asking stupid questions.”
“But…the artifact assured me you knew nothing regarding the higher order priorities. This would indicate deviancy regarding the artifact. That would put in jeopardy—”
I wondered what he would have said if he’d finished. “You were saying…?” I asked.
“Commander, I believe that you are lying to me.”
“There have been lies all around, Key. It’s disgusting.”
The lights on its sides slowed to such an extent that I could almost see individual points instead of mere streaks of lights.
That made me suspicious. A lot about this struck me as wrong. What was Holgotha’s angle in this? I’ve always had the feeling the Forerunner artifact didn’t like humanity. Could Holgotha have decided to throw in with Abaddon? That didn’t make sense. Abaddon and the Kargs hated non-Karg life. Wasn’t the artifact life after a fashion? Wouldn’t that mean Holgotha would perish as well if Abaddon won?
“Commander,” Rollo said. “There are unidentified objects heading our way.”
“Excuse me, Key,” I said. “I have to take care of this.”
“Are you saying our conversation is terminated?” Key asked.
“No! We haven’t delved into the heart of Holgotha’s treachery regarding you. Aren’t you curious how the artifact tricked you?”
“I am curious indeed.”
“Then we have to delay the conversation so I can give you my full attention as you so richly deserve.”
“But the countdown, Commander, I must continue it at the earliest opportunity.”
“Don’t you think I know that?”
“I was unsure,” Key said. “Your wet body processing centers are foreign to me. Holgotha told me your emotional processes are merely randomizers given to—”
“Hold that thought, Key,” I said. “If we’re going to survive to continue the conversation, I have to look into this now.”
The lights on its sides speeded up. “I understand the logic. Take care of the Vip 92 Attack Vessels. Then, we can finish the talk so I can hasten to self-destruct.”
“Good thinking,” I said, turning away, heading for Rollo.
“Did you get that?” I asked Rollo quietly.
“I did,” Rollo whispered, indicating the battle screen. “Those are Vip 92 Attack Vessels, whatever they are.”
His people adjusted the screen. From the outer edge of the accretion disk, three streaks of light moved fast. They avoided the supermassive black hole as they headed toward us.
“Key said they’re attack vessels,” Rollo told his people. “I want to know what kind of hull armor these ships have.”
“Sir,” a lanky tech said. “I’m not getting any material readings. Those are energy fields.” The man tapped his controls, studying them. “If I were to guess, I’d say those are antimatter containment fields.”
“Could Key be wrong about them?” I whispered.
Rollo eyed Key sidelong. “I think so,” he whispered back.
“Despite the lowering of your voices,” Key said, “I am quite able to hear you. I am not wrong. They are energy ships, Vip 92 Attack Vessels. They are driven by the Ve-Ky, an ancient life force. I had surmised their energy sphere had already been annihilated by the black hole. By projecting my scanner into a
higher visual range, I see their sphere is still active. That is interesting for several reasons.”
“Are the Ve-Ky friendly?” I asked.
“Their hospitality is noted throughout the galactic core,” Key said. “The fact of their approaching combat run is highly unusual. I would submit you have angered a notoriously friendly species. That does not speak well of humans, Commander.”
“What are you talking about?” I said. “We just got here. If they’re friendly, they’re not doing a good job of showing it.”
“I attribute that to your hostile nature,” Key said.
Rollo rubbed his forehead, leaning near me. “Is that thing insane? Is the galactic center crazy?”
“Forget about that,” I said. “Ella, N7, what should we fire against the approaching energy vessels?”
“Let’s try communicating them with first,” Ella suggested.
“Yes,” I told Rollo. “Give it a try.”
The energy vessels increased speed. They were several billion kilometers away but closing fast.
Rollo tried hailing them with our advanced comm equipment. Nothing happened.
“Key,” I said, spinning around. “You do realize this is all new to us.”
“I had begun to wonder,” Key said. “I can find no other explanation for your odd actions.”
“Why do you attribute aggressive intent to us when they’re the ones making an attack run?”
“Perhaps it is because the Ve-Ky are noted for their discriminating nature,” Key said.
“Perhaps it is the nature of our ship,” N7 said, speaking up. “Maybe Abaddon has already attacked here. Perhaps the energy creatures—”
“You have made a fundamental mistake,” Key said, interrupting. “The Ve-Ky are not energy beings. They simply use energy vessels. Inside the ship is a protective force field shielding the material creatures.”
Rollo ordered his comm people to use different frequencies and manners of communication. Before they had exhausted all the possibilities, the energy vessels came within a million kilometers of us.
“Use everything,” I said, “lasers, particle beams, plasma cannons and T-missiles.”
“Commander!” Rollo shouted.
I looked up at the main screen. A blob of energy detached from each attack vessel. The blobs vanished like T-missiles and reappeared several kilometers from our ship. One after another, the energy blobs closed the distance, striking the surface, exploding, sending alien pulses into our vessel.
Fortress Earth (Extinction Wars Book 4) Page 9