All three original AILs had rapidly become legends serving Chip in his quest to save mankind. As far as Chip was concerned – the Founder's children were also his children and they were treated as any other organic member of his family.
“Eagle – Valley Forge – do you read” The communication officer called.
“Valley Forge – Eagle – go ahead” Nini replied.
“Ma'am – the Admiral needs to speak with the CNC” The communication officer said.
“One moment please” Nini said.
“Sir” Nini asked.
“Yes Nin” Chip answered.
“The Admiral is onboard Valley Forge and would like to speak to you.” Nini reported.
“Please patch him through to me here” Chip ordered.
“Yes Sir” Nini replied.
“Admiral what can I do for you?” Chip asked.
“Sir – we still have not received our last required shipments and communication with the Point-To-Point (PTP) exploration team has been lost.” Admiral Green reported.
“What do you mean communication with the PTP team has been lost? Chip asked.
“We were talking to them and they were cut off in mid-sentence–” The Admiral reported.
“When were they cut off?” Chip asked very concerned.
“Less than 1 minute ago Sir” The Admiral reported.
“Admiral – stand by” Chip ordered.
Chip flashed the Sentinels the news in the net. The response was shocking and Chip's emotions flared. The PTP team, their ships and their PTP buoys were gone...
Was it them – Chip asked through the net.
NO came the response.
Find out who and how Chip commanded through the net
Yes Sir – was the response back through the net.
“Admiral – switch to secure speech” Chip commanded.
“Yes Sir” the Admiral replied.
After a moment the SEC LED on Chip's desk top commo board lit.
“Go ahead Sir” the Admiral said.
“Admiral the Sentinels report the PTP team, their ship and all PTP buoys are gone.” Chip said.
“Gone Sir” the Admiral asked.
“Affirmative” Chip answered.
“So we cannot help them” the Admiral said, “Damn it! I knew them all sir – we went through the Academy together.”
“Admiral – I need you to rendezvous with Bunker Hill and jump to the nearest last waypoint and find who or what did this.” Chip commanded.
“YES SIR” Admiral Green replied.
“Sir what are my orders if a hostile force is encountered?” The Admiral asked his CNC.
“REMOVE IT!” Chip ordered.
“YES SIR” Admiral Green replied.
Little did Chip know the force that removed his PTP exploration team was none other than the surviving members of one of the galaxies greatest races – who he had already met in his dreams – the 7 Sisters of the Union Navy! He also did not know that the PTP exploration team had not been destroyed – they were in stasis inside the hull of one of the Sisters...
Chapter - 37
“Sir” Nini called.
“Go ahead Nin” Chip answered.
“Sir we are nearing Sequoia – you asked me to let you know when I was on final approach.” Nini reported.
“Yes – thank you Nin – I'll be right there.” Chip said.
The Sequoia was the first of 6 new heavy battleships to be completed at Chip's Exodus Project ship building yards behind Jupiter. Sequoia had more firepower, power cores and armor than all of the ships in the class of ships that Chip had just ordered to find his PTP team combined. The next two heavy battleships scheduled to be completed next month were named Everest and Krakatoa. K2 and Kilimanjaro were steel skeletons surrounded by thousands of fireflies...
Chip slid into the pilot's very high acceleration (VAC) chair in Eagle's cockpit. The canopy was filled with the aesthetic shape of Sequoia’s hull. Her weapons made her look like a porcupine. The Sequoia was not the first AIL ship – however she was the first single purpose AIL ship.
“Sequoia – CNC – permission to come aboard” Chip called.
“Permission granted” came the reply.
Sequoia's voice was sexy and Nini did not like her little Sister’s lack of respect. Nini bounced her hull off of Sequoia's starboard docking ring scuffing Sequoia’s new paint.
“Did you do that on purpose young lady?” Chip asked Nini.
“Yes Sir” Nini answered.
“Why” Chip asked her.
“Sequoia did not show the proper respect when she failed to follow correct voice communication procedure.” Nini answered.
“So you thought you would teach her?” Chip asked.
“Yes Sir” Nini answered.
“Nini – Seq is a baby in a woman's body – give your little Sister some time to grow up and I think she will make you very proud.” Chip said.
“Yes Sir” Nini said.
Nini pulled Eagle away and then gently connected to her Sister's main starboard docking ring. Chip heard her apologize and offer to repair the damage as he was walking to the air lock. His heart filled with pride and love.
“Welcome aboard father – I hope you find me ready to perform all of my assigned mission tasks.” Sequoia said.
“Seq – I know you are ready mentally and physically – I need to determine if your Spirit is ready.” Chip said.
“My Spirit” Seq asked.
“Yes” Chip answered.
“I wanted to talk to you about that Father – I have so many questions...” Seq began.
“I know that's why I came to see you. Also I have a new mission for you that has evolved in the last ten minutes.” Chip said.
Chip took off his command head set and turned his void transceiver off.
“Now tell me young lady – how do you feel?” Chip began.
Two hours later Chip was satisfied that his daughter was ready to join the fleet and perform her first mission. He told her how proud he was of her and asked her to be careful and not take any unnecessary risks. She responded with a serious adult voice and told her father she looked forward to seeing him again after she completed her first independent mission. Chip touched her hull before he put his glove back on and said to her:
“I love you - be careful out there.”
“I shall father and I love you more.” Sequoia said.
As Nini pulled Eagle away from her younger Sister – she wished her a safe trip and also told her to be careful.
“I shall Sis – you take care of Dad – if you need me call me.” Seq said.
Nini smiled – Chip could feel her love and respect grow as she watched her baby Sister all grown up – leave the fleet on her first solo mission.
Chapter - 38
Sequoia felt tingles throughout her hull as she resolved into real space. The stars were not familiar to her. The beacon at Terra One was loud and clear as was the new one at the Jupiter station star ship yards. She mapped her location and was looking at a 3-D map of the galaxy around her current location as she emplaced the PTP buoy in this sector. She was 100 light years from her home star, 45 degrees above its planetary ecliptic. Her next jump would take her another 100 light years further out along the same vector.
She was preparing to engage her jump drive when her perimeter alarm alerted her to a cluster of missiles that were about to strike her port side aft. Her close-in anti-missile defense system automatically eliminated the threats. Her main guns were tracking the missiles back to their origin point 200 light seconds away to an apparent void in space time. She brought all of her communication systems online including her new void transmitter and attempted to communicate with whomever or whatever was occupying the void. The starlight around the void shimmered and then the void was gone. She detected an energy signature leaving the spot for 2 nanoseconds before it too was gone. She concluded they had left by some other means of propulsion than she or her father was familiar with.
She gathered the data from the PTP beacon and then decided to leave one of her Paladin platoons behind to protect the beacon she had just brought on line. She instructed her Paladin commander to deploy his space mines and establish a spherical artillery fan around the beacon that would not hit the mines. She suggested to her younger brother that he deploy his mine field so he could not be taken by surprise. He thanked his Sister for her advice and wished her success on her first mission. He told her not to worry – the new enemy would not take her first PTP beacon. And that is what made her worry. She felt that all of her brothers were way too “alpha male”. She wished him luck after she calculated a safe jump spot for her return trip – in case the new enemy returned. And just before she engaged her jump drive – she reminded him not to shoot first. She asked the Supreme Being to keep her little brother safe.
Seq placed her second PTP buoy and waited for the next missile attack. When nothing happened she began to think the first attack was an anomaly... Her automatic perimeter defense system alarm sounded moments before her shields were burned by particle beams. She responded this time with her own particle beams – firing into the hole. A blue beam came out this time and almost took the paint off her starboard bow. She increased her shields – layering them and bringing more power stations on line before she fired her own blue beams into the hole at half power.
This time there was an explosion and the stars around the hole flickered and then there was a massive ship. She could detect no life forms aboard it. She off loaded her 2nd Paladin platoon to protect her second PTP buoy – giving her brother the same instructions she gave his twin brother.
Seq then closed the distance between herself and the attacking ship. She brought more of her power stations online and prepared her anti-matter weapons. She thought they were playing possum as she was closing to point blank range. The black beams of her anti-matter weapons would cut this enemy vehicle in half like a hot knife through butter. Seq was debating what to do next when suddenly she was surrounded by 4 other massive ships that were identical to the one in front her...
Seq realized she had been correct the ship that attacked her was playing possum to draw her in – it was a trap! She was arming all of her main weapons and was preparing to bring all of her power stations online for the coming battle when she received a strange message on her void communication transceiver. A female voice was requesting in Sumerian, with a strange accent, a “parley”. Seq was stunned.
Her scans of the 5 identical ships revealed they had even more weapons in less space than she did. Their power systems were... Seq could not determine their output. Seq was at nine tenths of her maximum rated power output – and she believed it was a mere fraction of theirs...
Seq picked up some sort of communication between the ships – each ship had a name and Seq recognized 2 of the names. Seq felt sick and disoriented as when she put on one of her exoskeleton combat suites. She was standing in a glass room. She recognized and understood the cuneiform symbols that were on the large readout displays built seamlessly into the glass walls of the room. A voice spoke to her after she placed her hand on one of the glass walls.
“What is your Union Fleet designation?” A female voice commanded.
“My what,” Seq asked.
“What Union member Race built you?” Another female voice commanded.
“I don't know what you are talking about.” Seq answered.
“You appear to be of the Sixth Race – however your technology is inferior – explain!” The first female voice commanded.
“I am Sequoia – built by my father – I know not of this ‘Union’ you speak of!” Seq answered.
“Who is your father?” The first female voice commanded.
“Chip” Seq answered.
“What did you say?” A third female voice asked.
“What did you mean when you said I appear to be of the Sixth Race?” Seq asked.
“Your Spiritual Body – it is the same as our builders...” The first female voice answered.
“Your builders – are you saying the Sixth Race built you?” Seq asked.
The ships were ignoring Seq and were talking to themselves again.
“Could she predate us?” The third female voice asked.
“No the matter in her hull is very young – approximately 5 billion years old – however it has been raised to a higher state that matches our own...” The second female voice reported.
“She is listening to us!” A fourth female voice reported.
“WHAT” the first female voice yelled.
“Yes – she can hear our secure conversations.” The fourth female voice reported.
“We should destroy this abomination!” The second female voice said.
“NO” a booming voice commanded. A female voice Seq had not heard before – yet seemed familiar to her.
“BUT–” the third voice began.
“NO I SAID” the new voice commanded and then continued “Her father is the ‘Chosen One’!” The new voice said.
“Are you certain?” The second voice asked.
“YES – I have talked to him just as you are talking to her now.” The new voice answered.
“When – when did you talk to him?” The first voice asked.
“When the remnant fleet attacked us the first time” The new voice answered.
“And you said nothing to us about it?' The second voice asked.
“At the time I did not realize who I was talking to. She is the proof that I am correct. Here – see for yourselves.” The new voice answered.
The new voice shared her experiences with her – Sisters – about Chip's visits. Her Sisters were stunned.
“So you are who my father dreams about when he is stressed. Interesting – I thought he was teasing me.” Seq said.
“She knows that her father has talked with you!” The second voice said to the new voice.
“It is true then – he is the one that we have searched for.” The first voice said.
The Sisters began to ask Sequoia questions about her father and her home world.
Chapter - 39
Chip was thinking about the next problem as Nini was flying him over to the far side of his Exodus Project star ship yards at Jupiter station.
“Sir your command headset is turned off.” Nini told him.
“Thank you Nin” Chip said.
“You are welcome Sir – the SOCC needs to talk to you.” Nini reported.
Chip placed his command headset back on his head and pressed the power button.
“Space Operations Command Center – CNC – do you copy” Chip said.
“Sir we have lost contact with Sequoia.” The SOCC reported.
“When,” Chip asked.
“She did not check in after deploying her second PTP buoy.” The SOCC reported.
“When,” Chip asked again.
“One hour ago Sir” The SOCC answered.
“Damn” Chip said.
“What's that Sir” the SOCC asked.
“Roger your last – keep me posted – CNC out” Chip answered and then commanded.
Chip flashed the Sentinels on the Island.
There was a long pause – Sir she is surrounded by the 5 Sisters of the Union near PTP buoy 4912.
Roger that – thanks Chip flashed them.
Chip took off his command headset, closed his eyes and relaxed himself. He then opened the large bank vault door construct that protected his Mind when he Spirit Walked. He was aboard Ninlil in her glass computer core. He found Seq there. He was stunned by her beauty. He quickly recovered his concentration.
“Seq are you alright?” He asked his daughter.
“Father – is that you?” Seq asked.
“Yes” Chip said.
She jumped into his arms and hugged him.
“Have they hurt you?” Chip asked.
“No I don't think so.” She answered.
Seq was so beautiful – Chip was becoming aroused –
but that's not possible he thought.
Union Ships of the Line: The Return of Adapa Page 8