by Saxon Andrew
Gresha stood to leave and Jill said, “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I love him very much and his happiness is the most important thing for me. If you can make him happier, then I will rejoice in that. He deserves it.”
Jill stared at her and was dumbfounded. Can anyone love another that much? She would rip a competitor’s eyes out. Jill said, “You know the two of you can never have children?”
Gresha’s smile vanished and she lowered her head. She looked back up at Jill and the anguish on her face was clear, “I do. But even without that, he is the greatest gift creation has ever sent to me. That price is worth having him.” Gresha turned and walked away.
Jill watched her go and knew she had no chance. She had betrayed Dat’s trust and that betrayal would always be a part of his feelings for her. He would have to hold something back to prevent being hurt again. Jill had absolutely no doubt that this beautiful alien would never betray Dat. If she could see it; so could he. Now she understood why he had run for the planet’s safety. It was to protect her. Jill wanted so much to hate her but just couldn’t make herself do it. She didn’t possess enough evil in her soul to pull it off. She lowered her head and fought the tears that wanted to come. She just wasn’t as hard as her mother.
Gresha sat down at her table and forced a smile. One of the cadets asked, “Who is that?”
Gresha looked at the cadet and said, “She is the one that fought the Masters in my galaxy. She’s a brave Rover and I do hope I can be like her one day. She’s a friend.”
The cadets all turned and looked at the Lieutenant who had stood up and went to a Captain that had just exited an office. They looked at Gresha and decided they liked her. The three women in the group decided that they were going to take Gresha under their wing and make sure none of the male cadets treated her irresponsibly. They really didn’t have to worry about that. No other male would take her eyes off her studies. She had a goal and nothing was going to stop her from achieving it.
• • •
Jill walked up and Jon saw the beautiful alien walking away from her table. He looked at Jill and saw the sorrow she was trying so hard to hide. “Are you alright?”
Jill said, “Are you alright?”
Jon nodded, “The Admiral and I came to an understanding. Everything is ok.”
Jill blew out a breath, “Thank God; thank you for protecting me.”
“It’s what I do, Lieutenant. Get used to it.”
“Why do you say that?”
“We’re shipping back out to take on the Black Civilization.”
“When are we leaving?”
“In about two weeks. You are being sent to the advanced training facility to better learn how to use the Command System. I expect you to pay attention.”
Jill smiled and looked into Jon’s eyes, “I will, Sir.”
“I expected nothing else, Jill. I’m looking forward to working with you.”
• • •
Gresha stared at the two across the room and could see them clearly. Loree was hurting and the male knew it. She wondered why the male shared her pain. She could see that the female didn’t recognize his feelings. She needed to open her eyes. She turned back to her lunch and thought about Dat.
Chapter Ten
Dat was at the point of exhaustion. He had worked with the eight hundred Rovers assigned to his command for a year and getting them to follow orders was proving to be beyond troublesome. They were just not accustomed to working in groups. They had always operated alone and habits were hard to break. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed the back of his neck. “Call it a day, Stein, and tell the fleet to be here tomorrow.”
“Are you ready for your Gresha update?”
Dat looked up and smiled, “I am.”
“She’s ranked number one in her class at the end of the first year.”
“Get the frack out of here.”
“And it’s not close, Dat.”
Dat leaned back in his chair, “How is that possible?”
Stein said, “I believe she had an affinity for technology. She seems to grasp it naturally. I suspect all of her species are the same way.”
“What makes you say that?”
“While we were downloading the initial information she needed to survive in human society, I had an opportunity to get to know her. She really understands technology at a fundamental level.”
“I don’t understand that, Stein. Her species has been farmers for centuries. She’s known nothing else.”
Loree joined the conversation, “And it’s not easy farming either. She told me that if they dug more than two feet into the soil they would hit hard ground they were unable to break up.”
Jack said, “She told me that her people have legends about their species before the Masters arrived. She says that the Elders say they were a very highly advanced civilization.”
Dat thought about it and said, “They’re wrong.”
“Why?”
“If there was a highly advanced civilization on that planet there would be evidence of it even today. We scanned that planet down to the bedrock and no such evidence exists.” Dat waited and the two computers remained silent. “What are you two thinking?”
“I’ve seen all of your recordings from the planet and I’ve not seen any of the inhabitants ever being deceitful. Have you?”
Dat thought a moment and said, “I can’t recall any instance, Loree.”
“Then if the Elders say there was an advanced civilization there, are they not telling the truth?”
Something clicked in Dat’s mind. He remembered seeing farmers digging in the field and suddenly stop and move to another place. He remembered the broken shovel and Gresh going to get it for repair. He thought about it and saw that they were digging in depressed areas in the giant field. “Loree, pull up the active scan you made of Gresha’s community.” The scan appeared and Dat stared at it. Something didn’t make sense. “Loree, what depth do you show in the fields around that community?”
“Bedrock is two hundred feet down.”
“So how can they be hitting a hard surface two feet down?” Silence greeted the question. “Guys?”
“We have no idea.”
Dat’s fatigue vanished. “What time is it on Earth?”
“Ten AM.”
“Get Admiral Hull on my panel now.”
Dat waited and Kat appeared on his display, “What’s so important that you interrupted my schedule, Captain?”
“I need you to listen in to a conversation. Can you get Cadet Gresha to your office and activate the scans that were taken on her planet?”
Kat saw something in Dat’s expression and she said, “Standby.”
Dat turned to his secondary display and said, “Loree, I want every scan taken on that planet and I want a reading on the depth of the upper layer determined at every community.”
“I’m on it.”
“Stein, I want you to replay all the scans of farmers working in the fields outside those communities and see if Gresha was right about them hitting a hard substance close to the surface.” Dat watched the energy level being used by his computers on his panel and saw the levels surge.
Gresha arrived in a military shuttle. She had been taken out of class by two armed guards. Her professor was told that she was ordered to report to Admiral Hull’s office. Gresha wondered what she had done wrong. She arrived in the Admiral’s office and Kat motioned her to come and sit beside her at a large computer terminal. “What’s going on, Sir?”
“I don’t know.” Kat punched her board and said, “I have the cadet here.”
Dat appeared on the display and Gresha’s worries disappeared. Her smile was instant and she knew she wasn’t in trouble. Dat saw her and smiled as well. Kat said, “What’s going on, Captain?”
Dat said, “Gresha, Stein tells me that your Elders say that your planet was once home to a very advanced civilization.” Dat saw Admiral Hull’s expression undergo an immediat
e change.
“That is our legend, Dat.”
“What happened to it?”
“This is just a legend but the Elders tell us that we were a peaceful civilization and that they learned the Masters were coming to conquer our world. Our people decided that they could not allow our technology to fall into their hands so they either hid it or removed it.”
“Have you learned the capabilities of our scanners in class yet?”
“I have and they are quite amazing.”
“Loree also tells me that the farmers around your community cannot dig deeper that two or three feet without hitting an extremely hard substance. Is that true?”
Gresha furrowed her brow and said, “It’s true. I’ve hit it numerous times myself.”
“Gresha, our scanners say that the soil depth around your community is more than two hundred feet deep.” Admiral Hull looked at Dat on the display and showed her disbelief.
Gresha stared at Dat for a long moment and shook her head, “I know it’s there. Whatever it is; it’s not being detected by the scanners.”
Dat looked at Admiral Hull and said, “Gresha’s community is not the only place this happens. I’ve had my computers go through all the scans of farmers working around the communities and there are thousands of recordings of farmers hitting something while digging. Nothing shows up on our scans to indicate that anything is there.”
Gresha turned to Admiral Hull, “Please pull up a scan of my community and move it out so we can see the entire region.” Dat watched as Loree did the same thing on his display. Gresha stared at the image and said, “Do you have a scan taken just before sunset?”
The image appeared and Gresha put her hand to her mouth. Kat saw her reaction and looked at the display and didn’t see anything different. “What do you see?”
“It’s huge.”
Dat said, “What?”
“Do you have anything that I can use to outline something on this image?”
Kat pressed a button and said, “Use your finger.” Gresha reached forward and began tracing an object. She was halfway completed and Kat said, “Oh my God!”
Dat said, “Admiral, please send the image to my panel.”
Kat’s eyes remained wide and she pressed another button. Dat looked at the image and fell back in his chair. The unmistakable image of a giant starship was outlined on the screen. It was more than five miles in length. Dat shook his head, “Why can’t we see it?”
Kat looked at Dat and said, “The important question is; why can’t anyone see it but Gresha? Those Black Masters obviously haven’t detected it and their scanners are just as good as ours. That ship is invisible.”
Gresha said, “Our ancestors hid it so that only my species could see it from space.”
Dat stared at the outline and said, “Why wouldn’t they have destroyed them?”
Gresha looked at Dat and slowly shook her head, “My best guess is that they knew they could never develop weapons in time before the Masters’ arrival. They left them in hopes that someone could use them to free us one day.”
Stein said, “I suspect that if anyone other than her species tries to resurrect that ship, it will self-destruct.”
Dat looked at Kat and saw that she agreed with the computer’s remark. Dat looked at Gresha, “Is there anything in your legends about those ships?”
“No.”
“So none of you know how to activate it?”
“We don’t.”
Loree said, “The means to do it has to be there on the planet somewhere. Their ancestors wouldn’t have left them without the possibility of them ever being used. It’s there, they just don’t recognize it.”
Kat stared at the image and pushed a control, “Notify Fleet Academy that Cadet Gresha has been given an accelerated graduation and will be promoted to Second Lieutenant immediately. She turned to Gresha and said, “You will join Captain Arvolo on his ship and go back to your planet and find out how to activate that ship.” She turned to Dat, “You are relieved of your current assignment and will make this your first priority.”
“Yes Sir.”
Kat said, “I guess we’ll have to terminate the training of the fleet until you return.”
“I would recommend you put Jillian Connor in command of that exercise. She could get them ready.”
Kat thought a moment and said, “I’m putting Jon Anders in command with her as his second.”
Dat smiled, “I think that is wise, Admiral.”
Kat turned to Gresha and saw her brilliant smile, “You’ve gotten your wish, Lieutenant. Now get out there with him and find out how to get that ship activated.”
Gresha jumped up and saluted but she couldn’t take her eyes off Dat on the display. His smile was actually larger than hers.
• • •
Jill sat in the bar and thought about all she had lost. Time had not removed her sense of loss and the last year was pure misery. She just couldn’t shake the depression that had descended on her soul. It was almost more than she could bear. She ordered another drink and told a man making a move on her to shove off. She wasn’t interested.
“Hey Honey, you could have a great time with me.”
“Leave me alone. Now get out of here.”
The large man reached forward and took Jill’s arm, “You need to pay attention, sweetie.”
Jill balled her fist to hit the man but heard him gasp. She turned and saw Jon Anders had his hand on the back of the man’s neck and was applying pressure, “You’re the one that needs to pay attention.”
The man was large but he saw the Captain’s expression and didn’t want any part of him, “I’m sorry…I’m leaving; I’m leaving.” Jon pushed the man away and he stumbled ten feet away and ran out of the establishment.
“I could have handled him.”
“I know.”
Jill stared at Jon and sighed. Jon slowly shook his head, “You can’t let him go.”
She showed her surprise and then slowly nodded, “No, I guess I can’t.”
“Have you ever hit your fingers with a hammer?”
The question surprised Jill, “Hasn’t everyone?”
Jon nodded, “What did you learn from the experience?”
“Not to put my fingers in jeopardy when I used one.”
“Do you still remember the pain?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Then this is another example of the hitting yourself with a hammer experience. You made a mistake and have experienced pain from it. You will always remember that pain but you need to heed the lesson you were given.”
“What lesson is that?”
“Before you hurt another person you should decide if they deserve it and make sure you’re attracted to them. I suspect you won’t allow anyone else to get close enough to hurt you and you won’t allow yourself to get close enough to hurt anyone else as well. Isn’t that what you’ve learned?”
Jill lowered her eyes and thought about it. “I guess in the broadest sense, you’re right.”
“So take the lesson to heart and move on. Dwelling on it won’t change anything that’s happened and you can’t see the future with your head stuck in the past.”
The band started playing and Jon held out his hand to her. She started to refuse but stood and he led her to the dance floor. They danced and Jon pulled Jill close. She put her head on his chest and thought about what he said. She lost track of time and it seemed just a few moments before the lights brightened, telling everyone the bar was closing. Jon walked her out in silence until they arrived at her quarters. Jill looked at him and said, “Thank you.”
“No thanks needed, Lieutenant.”
Jill smiled, “This is part of you taking care of your wing?”
“No, not really.”
He turned to go and Jill said, “Next time ask me before the date.”
Jon stopped dead in his tracks and turned with a small smile, “This was a date?”
“Unless you have an issue with fraterniz
ing with a superior officer.” Jon furrowed his brow and Jill smiled, “Remember, I’m being promoted to Commodore.”
Jon’s smile grew larger and he laughed, “That really shouldn’t be an issue.”
“Oh; why not?”
“I’ve been promoted to Rear Admiral and I have absolutely no issues with seeing you.”
Jill laughed, “Then don’t wait so long to ask.” Jon turned and waved his hand back at her. Jill went to bed and thought about Dat. She knew she had learned a lesson and would not make that mistake again. She tried to remember the night she had rejected him but could only remember being in Jon’s arms as they danced. The revelation shocked her. Sleep evaded her and she wondered what had happened.
• • •
“Why have you disturbed us?”
“I was asked by the military to tell you of a new development.”
“What is it?”
“We have been able to get a frequency reading on one of those ships that we’ve been fighting.”
“So?”
“We can turn our beams over to our computers and allow them to control targeting. Their response time will be greatly reduced from the normal operators.”
“This isn’t particularly groundbreaking. You should have stayed away.”
“We’ve also restructured our beams so we now think we can kill those ships with one hit.”
The Fifty Dark Masters smiled, this was really good news. “Inform me on what happens at our next conflict.”
“I will do so.”
• • •
The Mission Commander looked at his target on the main display. The eight ships had managed to sneak into the system without activating any alarms and were now a short distance from completing their assignment. The Commander thought about launching his attack but his target was on the opposite side of the planet from his current position. His ships had been remarkably lucky so far and he decided not to push it. The eight small ships waited just below the surface of normal space for the target to rotate around to their side. The Commander looked at his navigator and heard, “Seven more hours.”
He nodded and continued to stare at the planet.