by Saxon Andrew
The Greng commanding the warship sent through the black hole to contact him said, “No, Grengen. The Data Grengen ordered the Shell towing debris to go back as well. They should be arriving momentarily.”
The Grengen leapt out of his chair, “GO BACK AND ORDER THEM STOPPED!!”
“I can’t overrule a Council Grengen’s orders!”
“THEN DO IT ON MY AUTHORITY. YOU WILL DO IT NOW OR I’LL HAVE YOU EXECUTED WHEN I RETURN!!”
The Ship Greng turned his vessel and disappeared into the event horizon. He came out the other side and picked up his communicator and tried to decide who he feared most. That small hesitation proved fatal when he finally broadcast the orders to the Shell to stop and turn around.
• • •
The ten Flashing Warships came roaring in and slowed as they approached the black hole’s event horizon. The Shell Greng stared at the location where the two warships were supposed to be located and saw nothing…until his vessel was close enough to see a massive debris field stretching out for more than two hundred thousand miles outside the black hole. The scanner’s image was being simultaneously transmitted to the Data Grengen’s console and it was stunned into silence by what he saw. He began shaking as the remains of the two giant warships filled the monitor. Suddenly he heard, “DO NOT CONTINUE TO THE SPIRAL GALAXY! YOUR SECTOR GRENGEN HAS ORDERED YOU TO NOT APPROACH THAT GALAXY! I REPEAT…”
The Data Grengen’s eyes narrowed and his mouth formed a snarl. The impertinence of that Sector Grengen was too much to bear. He pressed his communicator to override the orders but then saw the ten communication lights on his console go out one by one like a high wind blowing out a line of candles. The images he was receiving stopped and left him staring at a dark monitor. His rage turned to fear. If he took action against the Grengen he would certainly be censured. He reached for the button to the Great Grengen and prepared to deliver bad news. Before he could press it, the Great Grengen’s Aide appeared, “You will come to the Council Chamber immediately.”
“I’ll leave now.” He gathered the recordings and knew this was going to be a problem for him. He hoped fervently he survived it.
• • •
Amy leaned back in her command chair and stared at the black hole. The ten Flasher Warships went up like a giant string of gargantuan firecrackers. The shockwave from the explosions was the largest ever recorded outside of a supernova. She heard Essay’s thoughts, “Those Flashers do make an outstanding debris field, Admiral.”
Amy smiled, “Indeed they do. A lot of it was blasted into the black hole so we’re only seeing about a third of the total wreckage.”
“Did you hear the orders come in for those ships to leave?”
“I did. I find it surprising that the Commander of the huge fleets could have arrived outside the black hole in the Ritual Galaxy this fast.”
“He didn’t.”
“Then how could he have issued the orders to turn around?”
“The Flasher who spoke the orders was not the same one who commanded the fleets here; the voice was different. The Leader probably sent a ship into the black hole in the Ritual Galaxy and told him the two ships he left behind stopped communicating.”
“That means he’ll be coming back here much faster than I thought.”
“He will arrive in less than two hours.”
“Are you sure about that, Poul?”
“We went through the black hole here and listened to his communications. He has more than fifty thousand warships moving with him with another hundred thousand following twenty minutes behind him.”
Amy nodded, “He was one of the last ones to leave, which would put him closer than the majority of his fleets.” Amy sighed, “I really think we’ve done all we can and I really want to get back to the Colony to be with Timmy.”
“We’ll stay and keep an eye on what happens. You’re right; you need to get out of here,” Kamela thought to her.
Amy nodded and linked to Alex, “I hate to ask you to do this, but will you pick up the Attack Fighters I sent to vaporize the towed debris?”
“I will, Admiral.”
“I know you want to be with Timmy as well and I really appreciate your doing this for me.”
“Admiral, you could just order it.”
“I don’t like giving orders to members or future members of my family.”
Alex felt her eyes moisten and she smiled, “It will be my pleasure, Sir.”
• • •
The Homosassa arrived above the Ghost Colony and Amy stood up from the Command Chair. She looked at George Luge as he said, “Admiral, thank you again for taking command of our Carrier. I know you are needed here with your son but you made the difference on the mission we just completed.
Amy smiled and said, “Commodore, I am giving you a battle field promotion to Admiral and from this moment forward, you will command the Homosassa. If my son is able to return, you will be given your own Carrier to command. You are what made the difference in making this missions successful.”
George’s face looked flustered, “But Admiral, all I did was follow orders.”
“George, you carried out my instructions perfectly so that I didn’t have to worry about the ship being prepared. You know this ship better than anyone I know, other than my son. You deserve the promotion and the Colonies will be better defended with you commanding one of its most powerful warships. I do recommend you choose a good Ship Commander to assist you.”
George smiled, “Thank you, Admiral. Would it be possible to make that selection now?”
Amy’s eyes narrowed, “And who are you considering for the position?”
“Captain Kayla Thomson, Sir.”
Amy quickly looked at the Weapons Commander and saw her mouth fall open and her face turn red. “George, you are indeed wise. Captain Makala Thomson, you are also given a battlefield promotion to Commodore and will assume Admiral Luge’s duties on the Homosassa. You have demonstrated the needed qualities of our Senior Officers and I congratulate you on your outstanding performance in the face of the enemy.” Amy looked at them and said, “Make Timmy proud.”
George and Makala said in unison, “Yes, Sir.” Amy turned and ran off the bridge to take a shuttle down to the hospital.
• • •
Essay watched the two Carrier’s leave normal space and disappear in an instant. He whistled, “Those are two big warships!”
“They’re less than a twentieth the size of the Flasher Warship.”
“Even so, they’re larger than anything Humanity has ever built and that includes the pyramids.”
Erica snorted, “The Great Wall in China is larger.”
Essay looked up and rolled his eyes as Kamela said, “The Great Australian Bridge.”
“All right, all right! They’re still the largest thing that could move.” Erica looked at Kamela and they stared at each other for a moment before they turned to Essay and nodded. Essay smiled and looked up, “Poul, I’m getting bored just sitting here. Let’s go through the black hole and listen to Flashers.”
“We’ll need to go in another way.”
“Why, Poul?”
“The explosion of ten Flasher Warships, coupled with the ten DE Missiles, had radiated all of the debris to dangerous levels.”
“Our force field can’t keep it out?”
“I’m not willing to find out, Essay. If you look at the debris through the viewports you will see that it is glowing bright enough to be seen from this far out.”
Essay stood up, with Erica and Kamela right behind, and walked to the forward viewport. Poul was right; the debris field was glowing with a bright white light. “Take us around it, Poul.”
Erica smiled slightly, “I wonder if the Flasher Fleets are going to come through and be exposed to the radiation?”
Essay smiled, “May we pray they do.”
• • •
“Grengen, we’ve arrived at the black hole.”
“How many do you have in your c
ommand?”
“Three thousand, Grengen.”
“I want you to send one ship through the black hole and have it immediately return.”
“Yes, Grengen, but is there a reason for only sending one ship?”
“Do you remember the wreckage of the two Scouts?”
“I do.”
“Do you want to exit the black hole at light speed into wreckage similar to what we saw?”
“Should I select another course, Grengen?”
The Grengen paused and said, “Do so.”
• • •
Essay looked at Erica and Kamela, “This is one smart Flasher.” Kamela shrugged and nodded as she continued to listen to the Flasher Warships.
• • •
“Grengen, the vessel I sent through the black hole has not reported back.”
“What couse did you use?”
“I had it go three thousand miles to the side of the two ships last location.”
“Send one out of the top of the black hole and have it move around to the location.” The Grengen lifted his communicator, “All ships will stop and hold position!”
He waited and in ten minutes another hundred thousands of warships following his escort began arriving, he heard, “Grengen, the two ships left behind along with the ten ships in the Shell have been destroyed. The scans made by the second ship I sent through show that the wreckage from their destruction is scattered over hundreds of thousands of miles and is still expanding. Every piece of the wreckage is highly radioactive and is strong enough to penetrate our force fields if we move within a hundred miles of it. It appears the first ship through the black hole entered that lethal radioactive field and the crew was killed by the radiation. It is currently drifting in space and is going to be pulled into the black hole within an hour.”
“Are you certain everyone on board it is dead?”
“They are not responding to any of my communications.”
“Send me the course you used for the second ship.” He looked at his Greng Navigator and saw him move his ears indicating he had received it. “Send it to the Fleet and have them start transiting the black hole on that course. We will follow them after they’re through.” The Greng nodded and began sending the course out to the massed formations of Flashing Warships gathered around the Grengen’s Ship and they began moving toward the black hole.
He ordered his ship and escorts through the black hole and his Communications Greng looked at him quickly, “The Great Grengen wishes to speak with you.”
The Sector Grengen blew out a huff of air through his neck slits and nodded. The Great Grengen appeared on his monitor, “Report!”
“All twelve warships have been destroyed.”
“Why did you counter the orders of the Data Grengen?!”
“I didn’t want to lose the ten ships in the Shell.”
“How did you know this adversary could destroy them?”
“I didn’t know for certain but I believed they wouldn’t attack the large numbers of my fleet. If they could destroy two ships before they could communicate a warning, it wasn’t beyond belief that they could do the same with ten ships. They also used a different weapon to destroy the twelve warships here than was originally used to destroy the two scouts.”
“How do you know this?” The Great Grengen snarled.
“If they could have blasted them into a wreckage field originally, they would have done it. This new threat has either developed a new more powerful weapon or used a different vessel since that happened.”
“What kind of weapon?”
“I have no way of knowing, Great Grengen. And the wreckage here is too radioactive to go near it. If we move in closer than a hundred miles of it, the radioactivity will penetrate our force fields. I’ve already lost one vessel that moved too close to the debris field and had its crew killed by the radiation.”
“What about the wreckage that was being towed by the Shell?”
The Grengen blew a big breath out of his neck slits, “That’s the other reason I wanted the ships in the Shell stopped before they came back. I really think that the wreckage being towed is now nothing more than gas and dust. I’m reasonably certain whoever destroyed our warships here would not leave that debris to be taken back.”
The Great Grengen’s eyes narrowed, “And you know this by…”
“It’s what I would do in their place.”
“You will remain there and send ships to see if you are right. Report back to me when you have the information.”
“Yes, Great Grengen.” He lifted his communicator and sent twenty thousand warships to the last reported location of the wreckage. He sat back in his chair and stared at the distant wreckage and felt his anger rise at the stupidity of what happened.
• • •
The Great Grengen looked at the guards standing beside the Data Councilor, “If that wreckage is destroyed, take this one out and execute him.”
“BUT GRENGEN, I WAS GATHERING DATA FOR THE COUNCIL!!”
“And you caused the destruction of twelve warships and the possible loss of important evidence we need.” The Great Grengen turned back to his panel and ignored the Data Grengen.
• • •
Two hours later, the Sector Grengen pressed the button on his panel he hated to push, “Great Grengen.”
“Yes!”
“The wreckage was found after searching for it. All that remained was dust and gas particles.”
The Grengen heard a scream as the Great Grengen looked away and moved his ears. It turned back to him and said, “Why did you deliberately countermand the orders of a Councilor?”
The Grengen knew this could be his death sentence, “Because he was acting foolishly and there wasn’t much time to correct his mistakes.”
“You are denigrating a member of the Council, Grengen!”
“I realized it could cost me my life but defending the Council is my primary responsibility and to not take action would be ignoring my duty.”
The Great Grengen stared at him and he felt a calmness take him. He knew he would do the same thing again and he accepted that losing his life was worth doing the right thing. “What do you suggest now?!”
The Sector Grengen blew a small puff of air out of his neck slits, “We are not ready to take on this new threat facing us in this space. Our warships cannot stand up to this enemy and before we move any of our colonists here, they must be handled or we must decide to stay out of this space.”
“That’s not an answer, Grengen!”
“We fall back and work on developing the technology we need to take this new enemy on, Great Grengen.”
“YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE THEY LIVE!!”
“No, Great Grengen, I don’t. But before I send warships out with hundreds of thousands of our warriors on board to find them, I want them to have a chance to survive.”
“So you think you’re smart enough to challenge my decisions!?”
“Great Grengen, if no one is willing to tell you the truth because of fearing for their death, how will you be able to make good decisions? I humbly apologize for my actions and I am willing to accept your judgement. I feel it is my duty to tell you the truth, not what I think you want to hear.”
The Sector Grengen lowered his head and heard the Great Grengen say, “Have you heard enough?” He looked up and saw the Great Grengen look to the left and then to the right. He turned back to looking out of the monitor, “You have been approved to be a member of the Council replacing the Councilor that was just executed. Your primary responsibility will be to develop the technology needed to confront this new threat.” The Sector Grengen’s mouth fell open as the Great Grengen ordered, “Bring your fleets back and report to me upon your arrival.”
“Yes, Great Grengen.” The monitor went dark and he wondered if he should be thankful or worried. He couldn’t make up his mind.
• • •
“I really wish we hadn’t sent the Carriers away,” Essay said wistfully.
“Why is that?”
Essay looked at Erica, “That is one smart Flasher Leader. I’d really like to take him out of the game.”
Kamela stared at the monitor as she thought, “His ship is inside more than ten thousand Flasher Warships that are force field to force field; a missile would never get through to his ship.”
Essay turned to the monitor and exhaled, “Even if it could, we probably still wouldn’t do it and reveal the missile’s capabilities. This is an opportunity that we might regret not being able to take one day. One individual can make a huge difference in what ultimately happens.” Kamela and Erica nodded as they continued to stare at the monitor.
Chapter Seven
Gabe sat alone in his conference room on board the newly named Dream Catcher and tried to determine what was bothering him. There was something in the back of his mind that he just couldn’t pull out. He looked at the recording the Prophet’s Eyes recorded a few days earlier and knew it had to be something about that recording that was bothering him. But what was it? He put his head in his hands and rubbed his temples. “Maybe you should start at the beginning, Gabe?” the ship’s computer asked.
Gabe looked up to respond, “What do you mean, Chester?”
“Go back to your first contact with the Flasher Civilization and move forward. Maybe you’ll get an inspiration on what’s bothering you. I do hate to see you suffer like this.”
Gabe blew out a breath, “I can get rather focused.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Do you have the recording of my second arrival in the Ritual Galaxy?”
“Yes, I’ve been sent another copy by the Prophet’s Eyes’ computer.”
“Put the conversation I had with the entity there on the monitor.”
“Coming right up.”
Gabe stared at the monitor as he was swept back in time to his first meeting with the Flashers.
• • •
Gabe heard the being on the giant warship directly above the Prophet’s Eyes say, “The first time you were here, you were not visible to normal scanners. Why did you allow yourself to be seen this time?”