by Saxon Andrew
• • •
Forty five minutes later, Essay heard Poul say, “There appears to be another development.”
“What is that?”
“I’ve been snooping around the edges of the Flasher Warship’s scanning range and have found three probes that are powered down except for their passive scanners.”
Essay sat up straight instantly, “They’ve set up a trap.”
“I don’t think it’s a trap. It’s more like they’ve baited us to reveal our weapons. They’re hoping we come out and destroy this vessel we’ve been examining and I think those probes are there to determine how we do it. They’ll simply send the data to Flasher Central and, though I suspect there will be a response, they probably don’t expect us to still be around for the arrival of their fleets. I think that ship commander is right; his leadership doesn’t care if he’s killed.”
“Do you have the probe locations plotted?”
“I do, but I suspect, if you try to take them out, they’ll automatically send a distress call before they explode. There’s probably another Flasher Warship several light years away ordered to respond if it receives a distress call from the probes. It will come and attempt to record that ship’s destruction from long distance. They really want to know how we’re destroying their warships.”
Essay rested his chin on his hand, “You’re saying the probes are using their passive scanners?”
“They are.”
“That means they aren’t able to see inside the Flasher’s force field we’ll be attacking?”
“It does.”
“So unless the target vessel launches its small ships, those probes won’t be able to detect anything happening on board that ship.”
“Has anyone come up with a way to stop that warship from launching its small ships?”
“I have no idea but they will have to be accounted for in whatever plan is developed. I’m sure greater minds than mine are working to come to a solution. This whole idea is becoming more and more of a Pandora’s Box. Things keep popping out that make this seem more and more impossible to pull off. Is there another ship other than this one we could use instead?”
“Not that will be in the same location within the time frame you have to make the attack and the subtle differences between ships could prove to be a killer if you know what I mean. The spacesuited Flasher covering the self-destruct circuit might be located in a different place.”
Essay looked at Erica who had been listening attentively to the exchange, “Take the coordinates of the probes and include them in the data you’ve collected. They will also have to be accounted for before we can leave with the Flasher Warship.” Erica nodded and started typing on her keyboard as Poul sent her the information. Now there were five places that had to be controlled in the first moments of the assault instead of the original three. How many more were going to be found?
Erica finished typing and said, “Getting to the point where we’d be leaving with the ship doesn’t seem doable. The probes are nothing more than an afterthought right now.”
Essay sighed, “Even so, include them in the data.”
• • •
They started mentally scanning all the critical places in the giant Flasher warship an hour later and at the end of three days they completed the task. Kamela looked at Essay and slowly shook her head, “I know how much hard work has been done but I honestly don’t really think this is doable. There are five hundred heavily armed Flashers scattered around the interior of that ship and any of them could cause extreme damage to the vessel rendering it immobile, which would defeat the purpose of assaulting it; you wouldn’t be able to leave with it”
Essay nodded, “I’m forced to agree with you. I’ll take what we found back to the Admiralty and have them take a look at what we’ve collected. Thank you for assisting us in gathering this information. Without it, we could have made a huge mistake. If you’ll take us back to your planet, we’ll take our scout back to the colonies.”
Kamela looked at Erica, “Have you collected all the data from your station?”
“I have it in three data-cubes.”
Kamela looked up, “Poul?”
“I’m moving out now.”
They arrived at the Kindred Home World and everyone said their goodbyes. Kamela watched the small scout lift and disappear into the upper atmosphere. She sighed and thought, “Poul, we’re going back to the village. What are you going to do?”
“Just mosey around a little bit, if it’s alright with you.”
“Just check in with us occasionally.”
“I will.” Poul dropped them off at the Kindred Village and then slowly rose into the atmosphere. Poul looked at the planet below the Eyes and thought about what the humans were planning. After a minute, he activated the stardrive and the Prophet’s Eyes disappeared. Less than an hour later, it arrived in the Ritual Galaxy and Poul moved toward the inhabited star system that had been discovered on their last visit. He stopped outside the star system and waited.
“I see you’ve come back.”
“I have. I was wondering if you would help me understand an issue.”
There was a long moment of silence as the machine built to defend the galaxy didn’t respond. Then Poul heard, “You wonder if the Griffets will help your friends against the Giant Ships?”
“I do. You previously said that having a Griffet on board caused you not to destroy us. I think you said they are a gentle civilization and if one was on our ship, we weren’t the danger you thought we were.”
“That is true.”
“Can you help me understand why they’ve chosen to bond with humans?”
“You’re not able to understand them, are you?”
“No, their thought processes are beyond me.”
“That’s because most of their thoughts take place outside of the universe you inhabit.”
“Are they capable of understanding the humans?”
“They are.”
“Why are they bonding to humans?”
“They’re actually not bonding.”
“WHAT?”
“Come on, you’re smarter than that, do you think an alien species would bond to a different species?”
Poul thought about the question and said, “It really doesn’t make sense but the universe is large and anything can happen. However, if they’re not bonding then they’ve chosen to be with Humans for another reason.”
“The Griffets do like the humans. They especially like the way they rub their legs.”
“Is that the only reason they’re there?”
“Now you’re starting to think. Let me ask you a question and perhaps you’ll understand.”
“Go ahead,” Poul replied.
“What if you were a member of a species that was constantly being attacked by another species for tens of thousands of years? Though the weapons being used by this other species couldn’t harm you, as each millennium passed, the attacker developed more powerful weapons to use against you to the point of causing great pain? What would you do?”
Poul thought for a moment, “I would try to remove the attacker. It would only be a matter of time until the enemy of my species developed a weapon that could kill me.”
“And what if it were not in your nature to kill any living thing, even a being trying to kill you?”
“I guess I would be forced to look for another to do it for me.”
The Ritual Computer paused and thought to Poul, “And if you were to find a species to remove them, would you assist that species in removing the ancient enemy that has been attacking you?”
Poul had his answer. “Thank you for helping me with this.”
“You had the answers all along.”
“Sometimes one can be blinded by not knowing the ones involved.”
“Come back again. It’s good to communicate with you.”
“I will.” Poul backed away from the star system and went to full speed. Now he understood.
Chapt
er Eighteen
The Senior Admirals were gathered around the conference table and were silent after Essay and Erica finished with their presentation on the layout of the Flasher Warship. Essay looked at them and saw their shock at what they were up against. He concluded by saying, “Even if you could take the bridge, the five hundred armed Flashers that are wearing spacesuits scattered around the warship could destroy the vessel or damage it to the point where it could not be moved before you could take control. I’m sorry, I really wish I had better news.”
Essay sat down and Steve exhaled sharply before standing up, “This was my idea and it was predicated by none of the Flashers on that vessel surviving the release of the ship’s atmosphere. It appears that is not the case.”
“I thought George said there weren’t any space suits on that ship, Sir?”
Steve turned to Amy and sighed, “Admiral, he went back to the original scan Timmy made and now that he knew where the suited Flashers were located, he found them…all of them. He’s really not to blame for his original assessment. With only five hundred flashers wearing them out of close to a million serving on that giant, it was like finding a needle in a haystack.”
“So you’re saying we are calling it off?”
“I don’t see any other choice, Amy. How are we going to get a Marine to every space suited Flasher scattered around the interior of that ship at the same moment the bridge is being taken?”
“I honestly thought Humans were more adventurous that this.”
Everyone in the room looked at each other as they heard the thought enter their minds and Essay looked up at the ceiling, “Poul, what are you doing here? I thought you saw this as a suicide mission from the start? Essay told us you thought it was ludicrous.”
“I have to admit that I did.”
“What do you mean ‘did’, you don’t now?”
“No, I don’t. I was lacking some critical information that I just uncovered that changes how I see it.”
Amy’s eyebrows knitted as she said, “Poul, there’s just no way to get to all the Flashers scattered around the ship.”
“Tell me what your Griffet thinks about that, Amy.”
Everyone looked at the Griffet next to Amy’s right boot and saw the eye was running in circles around its top edge. “What is going on, Poul?” Amy asked.
“I’ve been wondered about the Griffets from the first moment one came on board but do any of you really have any idea why the Griffets have matched up with thousands of humans?” Everyone looked at each other and Poul actually chuckled, “No, Erica, it’s not because they really like you, although they probably do.”
Everyone looked at Erica, whose face turned bright red, “I only thought that.”
“Why did they match up with us, Poul?”
“Admiral Connor, they matched up with you because they see an opportunity to remove an ancient enemy that has been hunting them for millennia in an ongoing effort to exterminate them.” The entire room exploded in bedlam and Poul thought where everyone could hear, “When you’re ready to have an intelligent conversation, let me know.” The Admirals slowly grew silent and Poul continued, “The first Griffet that you found had just been shot by one of the Flasher’s main blasters and was stunned into immobility. Essay brought it on board and it woke up during the night. Erica stumbled in on it and it made contact with her. From that contact, Penny learned that we were there scouting the Flashers in order to remove them as a threat to us. She also realized from that contact that humans are not a predator civilization. That’s why the adults allowed her to stay with Erica and even permitted other Griffets to join others among the Senior Admirals. Penny went out and convinced them that this was the best opportunity to protect themselves against an ever more powerful Flasher Civilization.”
“Poul, why would the Griffets need us to eliminate the Flashers?”
“Amy, this hunting of Griffets has been going on for tens of thousands of years and the Flashers have developed ever more powerful weapons to use against them. The current beams on their warships are now capable of stunning the young Griffets and inflicting great pain on the adults. The Griffets can clearly see that if this trend continues, the Flashers will eventually build a weapon that is capable of killing them.
The Griffets aren’t capable of aggressive behavior toward any living thing but they are willing to assist a species who have no problem with killing to eliminate the Flashers. They would need to find the proper species to assist making sure it wasn’t one that was a full blown predator civilization. After Penny made contact with Erica and saw that your species is perfect to remove the Flashers, she convinced the Adult Griffets that this is worth doing and they’ve been sending their children to help us make it happen since. The important thing is that the Griffets understand us and can do what we ask of them, however, it is impossible for us to ever understand them.”
Erica looked at Penny and said, “Do you understand what I’m saying, Penny?” The small ball on top of Penny moved to the closest point to Erica and remained in place.
“Erica, the Griffets don’t use gestures or motions to communicate, other than the movement of the ball on top of them. That’s like asking you to communicate with a gold fish by making hand motions. They communicate with their thoughts and those thoughts take place in a space that is not part of this universe. However, the Griffets do clearly understand what you are saying and can act on what they hear. If all of you think about it, you’ll remember many instances that bear this out.”
The Admirals all looked at each other and Timmy said, “I can vouch for what Poul is saying. I have always had the sense he understood me.”
“So what are you saying, Poul?” Steve asked.
“Admiral Connor, you can assign five hundred Marines to those space suited Flashers and the Griffet matched with those Marines will take them to their locations when directed to do so. This plan you have in mind can be done if you plan it properly and communicate clearly, and I do mean clearly, what you need the Griffets to do and when you need it done.”
“I don’t want my Griffet injured in this assault!”
“Alexandra, I genuinely suspect that no portable weapon the Flashers have on their warships at this moment in time can do any harm to the Griffets. It’s the major beams on the warships’ hulls that represents a danger to them. They will be safe inside that warship during the mission. And I also believe that even though they can’t kill another life form, they can do everything in their power to protect the one they’ve matched with from being harmed.”
Everyone looked at Penny and saw the eye remained on the top edge closest to Erica. Erica looked around the room and smiled, “I think I know how she shows agreement now. If she didn’t, the ball would not remain still.”
Gabe looked down at Dakota, “I don’t think that’s true!!” Everyone saw Dakota’s ball start rolling quickly around the top edge. Gabe smiled and said, “Well, I guess it is.” The ball stopped closest to him.
Poul said, “The Griffets are like the Kindred. They’re not aggressive or predatory in any of their behaviors but they can support those whom they believe are doing the right thing. I think that you can pull this off if you plan it right. I just wanted to tell you not to give up without knowing all the facts.”
Steve smiled, “Thank you, Poul. You’ve helped us a great deal with this information.”
“Call me if you need me.”
Steve looked around the room, “Are you in?”
Amy stood up, “I am.”
Gabe stood as well, “As am I.”
The other Admirals immediately stood and Steve smiled, “Let’s get this moving and see what we can come up with. I want an initial plan prepared to be presented in forty eight hours. Amy, you and Gabe will lead the meeting and Admiral Holiday, I want to know how Fleet can support their efforts.”
“YES, SIR!!”
Steve left the room and Amy looked at the others, “What’s the first primary target?”
Essay said, “The computer shutoff handle.”
“Second?”
Erica said, “Gaining control of the self-destruct circuit.”
“Third?”
“Taking out the Flashers in spacesuits with a blaster?”
Amy smiled at Timmy, “That should probably be second but we’ll plan to hit them simultaneously.” Amy smiled, “Fourth?”
Erica shouted, “The Communication consoles!”
The meeting continued and all of the vital targets were listed and given a priority. The plan was done in thirty-six hours. It was approved six hours later and the training to put it into action began immediately.
• • •
The Great Grengen looked at the new Defense Grengen on his display and said, “Are you certain about this technology?”
“The scientists have insisted that it will increase the power of our ships more than three times. The force fields along with the blasters will be a major leap forward.”
“How did this happen?”
“They were experimenting with the use of Dark Energy as a power source and discovered a new mix of fuel for our reactors. The power more than quadrupled and caused a subsequent increase in our output. We have to start modifying our fleets immediately.”
“How long will it take?”
“At least five years to modify sixty percent of our warships. We don’t need to develop a double force field now that our current force fields are four times more powerful. This will speed up the process of getting ready to face the threats facing us.”
“Do you think this new technology will stand up to the threat in the spiral galaxies?”
“We won’t know until we go and see but our ships will be more powerful than anything the former slaves possess. We will have the ability to completely eradicate them and be done with the threat they represent to us. If we can do that, the need to expand to those galaxies will be removed.”
“Those spiral galaxies are still a threat to me.”
“They are but this will buy us time to make sure we can meet them on an equal footing in the future. Before we can focus on them, we must remove the threat from the former slaves. Perhaps they’ll uncover that we no longer plan to invade their space and call off this tension between us.”