“So where is that ship now … the Pungshy?”
“It’s here; within this sector. Unfortunately, it’s in a section of the galaxy that is far less than friendly.”
The chief added, “Fifty miles below the surface of an ice-cold planet, in another planetary system, not so different than yours; a planet called Endromoline.”
“And that’s far away from here?”
Fine said, “Not particularly. At least, not for a Caldurian vessel such as this one. Apparently, the Pungshy was also damaged in battle and unable to cross into an alternative realm.”
“You are learning of this only now?”
“Records show that a distress call was logged into our communications system. It came two hours after our own fateful phase-shift—beneath the surface of your planet. Until now, I hadn’t heard anything about it.”
Perry was becoming more and more aware that Fine was sharing a lot of information with him. It wasn’t like they were on friendly terms. In fact, he expected that he, too, would be led into an awaiting airlock before long.
“Why are you telling me all this?”
“Simple … I have new orders.”
“Orders from whom? You said yourself everyone you knew perished long ago.”
“That is true, Captain Reynolds. I just received a NanoCom download.”
“Like right now … while we’ve been talking?”
He nodded. “Communications are far different today, with the latest technology at our disposal … Captain, you still think in far too linear terms of time and space. I placed a distress call hours ago. Truthfully, I didn’t expect an answer. Inter-multiverse transmissions were not possible two hundred years ago. But … apparently … they are now.”
“So what are these new orders?” Perry asked. He could tell Fine’s attention was elsewhere, his eyes unfocussed. Eventually, he locked eyes with Perry again.
“A Caldurian ship is en route. I am to be transferred to that ship.” He looked at the chief, his expression sympathetic. “I am sorry, Chief.”
The chief raised his chin, acknowledging Fine’s meaning behind his apology.
“You will stay here, with the humans. They will need your expertise in the months and years ahead. You must do this for the good of all … for all our people.”
“Okay … hold on! I’m completely lost,” Perry said.
Fine said, “Your future will be nothing like your past, Captain. I had time to review your life, your personal history.”
For reasons Perry wasn’t sure of, he felt somewhat violated. “My life is none of your business.”
Fine shrugged. “Perhaps … but you must hold some residual resentment for what occurred recently aboard that battleship. Whether it be a Caldurian captain, or a human one, we each share profound humiliation upon losing our ships. There’s something you are not aware of … with your particular situation.”
“And what’s that?” Perry asked, suddenly feeling uneasy.
“The Craing. Above and beyond the small android being, Reechet, you have had multiple dealings with them already.”
When realization hit, it was like a sudden bolt of electricity going through him. He knew exactly which Craing Fine was referring to. “Fucking Greco and his lot! The hybrids.”
Chapter 37
Sol System
Planet Earth, Subterranean Aquifer, The Lilly, San Bernardino, CA
__________________________
Summer, 1995 …
“No one gives away an advanced spacecraft like this one without expecting something back in return,” Perry said.
“As advanced as this vessel is to you, Captain, she is far inferior to Caldurian ships crisscrossing this universe, and many other universes, as we speak.” First Officer Fine continued, “Loss of her Morian Obelisk affects her ability to cross to other realms within the multiverse. But that doesn’t imply there is no further use for her.”
As they entered the bridge, Fine raised his long, hooked nose and sniffed, scanning the surroundings. “Good … maintenance droids have come and gone.” He gestured for Perry to take a seat in the forward most of three chairs, positioned together on a slightly raised pedestal at the rear of the bridge. “Sit and listen to me.”
Perry, caught up gazing about the compartment—taking in the stunning technology—thought he probably looked like a simpleton, his mouth hanging agape. He sat and waited for Fine to continue.
“The chief assures me that the Fungshy … I correct myself … The Lilly, should soon be fully operational. If any problems arise, he and Ricket will be able to address them, once you are in space.” Fine sat down in one of the chairs and Perry pivoted his own around to face him.
“The governing body, within our Caldurian society, is basically the same today as it was when I disappeared centuries ago. They are pleased with my … sudden resurrection … as it were. Apparently, I have been elevated to Plagnum One, or Hero of the People. An honor of the highest level. It will change my life, as well as those of my descendants, many of whom, interestingly enough, are older than me.”
“Congratulations on your good fortune,” Perry said, then wondering if his words came across as disingenuous.
“They see an opportunity here,” Fine continued. “As it turns out, Caldurians and Earth humans have more in common than I first realized. Meaning, there is an opportunity for your kind to survive, at least short term. How you take advantage of what’s offered to you today is entirely up to you. Most important is what lies ahead for your people, and the billions of other beings living within this sector of space. You are under the watch and protection of what’s loosely been deemed the Allied forces, or the Alliance. If you do not accept what is dropped in your lap now … if you prefer to do nothing … then I assure you your fate is sealed.”
Fine rose up and, with hands on hips, began to pace back and forth. “Two hundred years ago, the Craing’s influence had spread to the far reaches of this sector of space. Today, the Craing Empire is dominating complete stellar systems, hundreds of light-years out. They have systematically invaded other worlds, stripping them of their natural resources, enslaving their populations.”
Fine continued, “Planet Earth has been of great interest to the Craing Empire for a number of years. There have been countless sightings of Craing Warships that your government has chosen to keep secret. The word out there is that Earth is under their review—possibly as an alternative throne for the Craing emperor, a second home for their high-priest overlords. Earth’s natural beauty and atmospheric conditions align with their own physiology and have made your planet a very attractive environment for them to consider. Only the wide presence of the Alliance has kept deployment of their heavy cruisers and landing forces at bay.”
Perry took it all in, realizing the precariousness of life on the planet. Earth’s masses, complacently ignorant, were oblivious to possible threats from outer space.
“The Craing think long-term. They were, and still are today, aware that two centuries ago this vessel, now The Lilly, disappeared in this specific region of North America. With a renewed interest in the ship of late, they were closing in. But recent actions, taken by the chief, have assured me that The Lilly is well-cloaked … invisible to their rather rudimentary sensor technology.”
“So where does that leave us?” Perry asked. He rose to his feet, preferring to speak to Fine on an eye-to-eye level.
“You have a decision to make.”
“Go on.”
“Do you, personally, take command of this vessel, in order to protect your home, which is not singularly Earth, but involves this entire sector of space … including the Alliance … or will you, instead, present this craft to your government, removing yourself from the equation entirely? Perhaps the latter would be best. Perhaps—”
Perry said, “No!” cutting Fine off. He didn’t need to consider that option. Having worked within the military system for most of his adult life, he knew that the heads of government, and all military
factions too, would abuse the technology—wield it to their own advantage. First, against any perceived international enemy, and then against the Alliance group, far off in space, or wherever they resided. Added to the mix were those Craing hybrids, slinking around everywhere. Nope, the best thing he could do was get as far away from Earth as possible. Keep a distant eye on things here, sure, but otherwise, stay the fuck away. “Earth, with so many international governments, is not yet ready for this advanced technology. I will protect her, but from afar. And yeah … I’ll fight the Craing! I’ve never been partial to bullies.”
“I believe you have made a wise decision. With that, I hand over the command of The Lilly to you … Admiral Reynolds.”
Admiral? Perry stared at the Caldurian, expecting him to correct himself. Fine offered a rare smile and said, “Your fate is not to command one lone starship, but to direct and lead an interstellar force. One that will, if fate is on your side, eventually stop the Craing’s relentless dominance within your universe.”
Fine looked toward the entrance to the bridge, then gestured with a beckoning hand wave. Perry turned, noticing Ol’ Gus, Chief Engineer Cabreil, and Ricket enter the compartment.
“These are the first of your crew, Admiral. It will take you time to outfit The Lilly with a strong, loyal, crew. Born out of necessity, that should be your first step.”
Perry studied the three singly: Ol’ Gus, smiling, gave Perry a wink and a nod. The chief could only produce an unsure shrug in his direction. Ricket stood still, with his head lowered. Looking at him, the word that came to Perry’s mind was shame. His earlier words had hurt the small mechanical man. He realized it was he who should be ashamed. He needed to do everything in his power to rebuild his relationship with Ricket.
“It is time for me to leave. As you Earthlings say … my ride is here.” First Officer Fine added, “Each of you needs to spend some extra time within a MediPod enclosure. More HyperLearning is in store for you. Admiral, I suspect our paths will cross again, either here … or in another realm.”
In a sudden flash, brighter than the sun, First Officer Fine vanished.
Chapter 38
Sol System
Planet Earth, Subterranean Aquifer, The Lilly, San Bernardino, CA
__________________________
Present day …
The sun, bright and unforgiving, was now directly overhead. Both Bristol and Ricket were asleep in the shade, lying on lounge chairs near the back of the house. Their bodies were covered from head to toe beneath long beach towels.
Jason stared at his father as the older man splashed water onto his bare sunburned legs. The admiral and Dira, sitting side by side, bobbed up and down on floating pool chairs in the middle of the swimming pool.
The morning had come and gone. Jason, subsequently, muted all incoming NanoCom hails. Now seated on the tiled rim, at the pool’s deeper end, he pushed himself off the edge and let himself sink down to the bottom. His mind was still spinning from everything the admiral had conveyed over the past ten or so hours. His dad’s story was a good one—but then, he’d always been a good teller of tales. How much of it was true, and how much hyperbole, was the real question. Even so, many of Jason’s questions—a lifetime of questions—were finally answered, including some that he’d long held regarding his own mother. Contemplating whether he felt different now knowing, Jason thought maybe. It was a relief to hear that his mother hadn’t abandoned him and Brian, though his father certainly could have handled that aspect of their lives far better. As his chest began to burn, Jason released the remaining air in his lungs and rose to the surface.
“I was wondering if you’d drowned down there,” Dira said, a broad smile on her face. Jason knew she too enjoyed their time away from the ship—times when they could reconnect emotionally and physically. Like countless times before, the sight of her in that little bikini left him little to imagine. Her violet skin, now several shades brighter from the sun’s hot, unrelenting rays, along with that dazzling smile, made him wonder how he’d become so fortunate, in these tenuous times, to ever have found her.
“Well … there’s a bit more,” Perry said. “Let’s see, where did I leave off. Oh yeah, First Officer Fine phase-shifted away …”
“No need, Dad. I have everything I came for. We need to return to the ship.”
The look of disappointment on the admiral’s face was almost enough for Jason to let him continue his story. “There are countless inbound warships above us—their one intention to turn the Sol System into space dust—while we’re here having a pool party,” Jason said instead.
“But I haven’t told you anything that can help you yet. Maybe if I relate my first meeting with Allied command … or—”
Jason quickly mounted the steps, at the shallow end of the pool, then looked around for a dry towel. Dira gestured toward a stack, lying atop the patio table. “Dad, you may not know it, but you have told me everything I needed to know.”
“Were we listening to the same story?” Dira asked, sliding off the floating chair and making her way to the pool’s shallow end.
Jason looked over at his father and smiled. “You might not realize it yet, Dad, but you may have just saved us. All of us.”
“But don’t you want to know what happened to Ol’ Gus?”
“I most certainly do, and I do want to hear the rest of the story … but not now.”
“Where are you going?” the admiral asked.
“We … you included … are getting dressed, closing up this house for an extended period of time, and returning to the Parcical. And then we’re heading off to a little planet called Endromoline.”
The admiral slowly nodded, as he gazed into the pool’s blue depths.
“You see, Dad … several things have come to light. First, I never realized The Lilly had a Morian Obelisk on board. Now it all makes sense. She had to have something of that nature in order to cross the multiverse. Second, The Lilly surely had on her that elusive reference key … the map, if you will … in order to differentiate between various multiverse realms. It’s what we need in order to find the girls. But that key was lost when First Officer Fine had her memory banks scrubbed.”
“And third?” Dira asked, wrapping a large stars-and-stripes beach towel around her waist.
“And third, what you perhaps didn’t realize, the planet … Endromoline … is situated within the Dacci system. I’m guessing, and it’s a good bet too, the Craing have been looking for that other Caldurian ship … her sister ship … just as they’ve been seeking The Lilly here on Earth. They’ve always wanted that Caldurian technology. And that’s the connection we missed before.”
The admiral stepped out of the pool and, while drying off, queried, “I still don’t see what you’re so damn excited about. So what if Endromoline lies within the Dacci system?”
Ricket and Bristol, both awake and now sitting up, were listening intently to the conversation.
Jason shook his head, as if the answer was so obvious. “We’ve been assuming that the Sahhrain miraculously amassed some warships … but this was a fleet of warships, unparalleled in their size and ferocity. Sure, they had help from the Blues … absconding with their, and our, technology. But that doesn’t explain how the Sahhrain were able to amass this huge fleet; hell, establishing crews mounting into the hundreds of thousands. All that was impossible! The Dacci system simply didn’t possess large enough populations to support one-tenth of the manpower necessary.”
“Okay!” Dira said. From her expression a light bulb just came on. “And who were the ultimate masters in doing just that? Amassing untold thousands … maybe millions of beings … to crew their own warships, their many fleets.”
A voice croaked from the shade, “The fucking Craing? You’re suggesting the Craing are behind all this? That they’re in bed with the Sahhrain?” Bristol blurted out.
“My guess is it’s the other way around. Although we were too blind to see it, the Sahhrain are actually in bed with t
he Craing,” Jason said.
The admiral, no longer smiling, looked angry. “We’re about to be attacked by the Craing Empire … again? And we’re still standing here in our god-damned bathing suits!”
“Here’s the only good news in all of this,” Jason said. “We need to find that second ship … the Pungshy.”
Ricket, up on his feet and obviously excited, said, “Captain … Admiral, if the Pungshy is still in one piece, if … and that is a big if … her memory banks are intact, we may gain the key. We will have the ability to cross into the multiverse and know exactly where to go. And we can find Mollie and Boomer!”
Jason, noting the smile on his face, realized the girls had become as much Ricket’s family as they were his.
“Get dressed, everyone. We have a lot to do with little time to do it in. And Dad, don’t expect to be back here any time soon.”
Chapter 39
Unknown Multiverse Realm
Crimon, Outer-world
__________________________
Present day …
Billy couldn’t help thinking about it. Although the new addition of twenty, or more, local security forces seemed to offer the Sharks invaluable assistance in finding the girls—perhaps even help them bring down Dasticon—their willingness to jump ship, with so little thought behind it, didn’t sit quite right with him. It seemed far too easy. He was well aware there was a good chance they were being marched into a trap—somehow being set up.
Glory for Sea and Space (Star Watch Book 4) Page 21