"Let me guess. The shields are stronger?"
"Among other things. You want to let me know what is going on?"
"I will when I find out."
She sighed, and the hollo vanished.
"What is going on?" asked George, standing at the back of the bridge. "Custer seems to have had an upgrade as well."
"As has Gunbus," added Jane, "and Excalibur, and Gorilla."
I looked at her.
"Higher power?"
"No idea. The launch tubes could have been done with the titan turret for all I know, and I'm embarrassed to say I never checked. But we didn’t have twelve Excaliburs on this ship only a few hours ago, so I've no idea where they came from."
"All to the new specs?"
"Yes."
"Have you checked with Lacey to see if they're responsible?"
"Just did. The team working on emitters and guns are only just starting to work on the specs Arthur gave them last night. So not their doing. But now I check, Lacey's and 266's Excaliburs are upgraded as well."
"Get Lacey back here, with the pilots who have upgraded ships, and enough pilots over from Orion to fly the new ones we have here. In fact, check the privateers on Orion. If we can make three squadrons, get them landed here."
"You think we're about to be called on by a higher for a mission?" asked Annabelle.
I shrugged.
"Why else would we find ourselves with upgrades we couldn’t otherwise have?"
I turned to Jane.
"I want some tactical analysis done on the new design. Exactly what can they take, given what little we know of Ralnor guns, and the specs Arthur gave us. Make up a simulator for the pilot's ready room, so they can test the limits."
"Confirmed."
A hollo of Lacey popped up.
"What the hell is going on?" he asked me. "Sir."
"No idea, but we're not looking a gift horse in the mouth. I'm assuming something is going to happen we need the upgrades for, so get you and your pilots here as soon as you can. Syrinx should be able to get a ping now, so get her to put a rift there for you to come straight here through. I want the ships on board and the pilots in the simulator by the time Arthur leaves."
"On it. Be there shortly."
His hollo vanished.
By the time my team arrived, 266's four Excaliburs and eight Centurions were on board. 666's twelve Centurions followed. A shuttle brought the pilots of 287 squadron after them. 266 now had twelve Excaliburs, and the CO and XO of 666 and 287 did as well. The rest of the pilots shuffled into Centurions.
The Centurion was what the Excalibur was based on, although smaller, and not quite so well armed. But as far as Jane could tell, they all had updated power plants, and much better shielding. The guns seemed to be a little better, but the turrets were point defense only. We'd have to find out the hard way if they could take out the missiles sure to be fired at them if they went into combat, and if the shielding would keep them safe from even a near miss.
Lacey was the last to arrive with the pilots he'd taken with him, and had to park his Excalibur in a flight deck bay. Shortly after, my Excalibur and George's Gorilla were also in bays. Gunbus was parked on the left side entrance to the flight deck, and a Cobra dropship was parked on the right side. The Cobra was corvette class, and normally deployed from George's Fearless, which was an assault cruiser. But I’d had a Cobra sent to us as well, just in case. There were six Python class dropships in Custer's hanger bay, and another six in BigMother's shuttle area.
By the time Round Table was on the move towards us, Jack O'Neill and six full teams of marines and dropship pilots were on board as well. My team made seven. When I checked, I found one of the teams was SAS, and shortly after, Hobbs came onto the bridge, and parked himself near Annabelle. Jack and Sam followed, Carter behind them. Lacey was the last to arrive. Grace offered him her seat at the helm, but he waved her back, and sat at the rear.
When Hobbes, Roo, and the two magicians joined us a few minutes later, the bridge was practically full. There was a level of expectation there I’d not seen in a while, and I guess I shared it. Someone had been giving us gifts, and the bill would obviously be due shortly.
Arthur popped up as a hollo. His new PC gave him the ability to connect directly to our hollo systems, even though his ship didn’t have them yet.
"We'll be going now. Thanks for your hospitality. As soon as I can arrange it, I'll have my other two ships visit you. Our first priority is finding out what happened to the people we left behind. We'll be back for the two plant ships if we need them. But for now, take care, and see you soon."
The hollo vanished, and Round Table moved to the jump point, and was gone. On the other side, the green dot representing the ship moved off towards the Ralnor jump point.
I looked around the full bridge. No-one moved, all silent, looking at the navmap. It was as if everyone was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
An hour later, I'd decided nothing was going to happen, and was about to nod Lacey towards my ready room, when Jane spoke.
"Missile launch."
I jerked around to look back at the navmap. Four yellow dots were starting away from the Ralnor scout, and heading towards Round Table.
"I think Arthur has a problem," said Annabelle.
"Not going to let them through?" asked Alison.
I looked around to Roo. He shook his head sadly. I looked over at Jane instead, and almost asked if our mosquitoes could intercept the missiles, but knew they couldn’t. There was a way, but mosquitoes had no real range at all. Then again, I didn't think four missiles would overly bother Arthur's ship.
I'd never missed being able to see and hear what was happening on another bridge before, as I did now. I assumed Arthur was talking to the Roos about letting them through, and wasn’t having any success. But I was guessing.
Fidgeting started around the bridge. Whispered conversations began. It took an effort for me to remain still and focused.
"Ships jumping in," announced Jane, and a half minute later, the first of a full Ralnor fleet appeared and took station around the jump point.
The Scout jumped through the other way when the point was free again.
A minute later, the Keerah came through as well, and their scout also vanished.
Round Table continued on her way towards the Ralnor, and while the ships of both fleets moved into defensive formations, nothing more happened for a while.
Until suddenly, both fleets launched every missile they could. It took several minutes to resolve where they were heading, but it quickly became obvious every missile was aimed at Round Table.
I opened a channel.
"Get out of there Arthur."
"We've…" and he broke off.
Voices could be heard, and the sound of running feet.
"You're right I think. We're coming back to you. I'm launching fighters, although we should be fine given the missile's flight time. You might want to prepare for missiles jumping through after us though."
"We'll be ready."
I nodded at Jane, and she nodded back. The channel closed, and Round Table began to turn and head back towards our jump point.
The fleets continued launching. And it was already overkill.
"Syrinx, prepare to open a rift so we can be on the other side of Round Table when the missiles get close enough we can fire mosquitoes. Jane will keep an indicator where to aim it."
"Ready," she said.
A small red arrow appeared on the nav map, keeping the same distance from Round Table as she moved back towards us.
Abruptly, a grey dot appeared on the navmap at the exact center of the system. Jane popped up a screen, and zoomed in on what was there.
It wasn’t a ship. It was a person. But not a person, because it was as large as a ship.
"The Reaper!"
Thirty Nine
I looked around at the shocked face of Syrinx.
"Is here," muttered Tanith.
Both of the
m looked scared, and I turned back to the image on the screen.
It did look like the classic grim reaper figure. It was obviously a human shape, wearing a cowl that covered all of its features, except for one skeletal hand holding an obvious scythe. The only thing wrong with this was the image was the size of a cruiser.
In a blink, all the yellow dots vanished. A few blinks later, so did the Ralnor fleet, and another couple later, the Keerah fleet.
Round Table vanished from the nav map as well, and reappeared back where she'd started from behind us. Her engines shut down, and she stopped almost exactly where she'd been parked before.
On the screen, the Reaper seemed to look straight at us, and vanished.
A man appeared in front of me.
He was middle aged, some silver in the hair at his temples, a bit portly looking around the middle, and dressed in civilian clothes I might have chosen myself, except they were obviously made from different materials than we had.
He looked around the bridge at shocked looks, grinned, and looked me in the eyes.
I rose, offered my hand, and he took it. We stood there in a form of macho hand shake limbo for what felt like eternity, but was only seconds.
"Hi Jon," he said, releasing my hand. "You look good. How long's it been for you?"
"A few days. But you look what, forty years older?"
Muttering started around us. Forty years would make him in his sixties.
"Eighty."
Which made him over a hundred now, but looking only about sixty.
His grin faded.
"I see you remembered, the same as I did?" I nodded, grinning. When he left the bar we'd met in, we hadn't known if we would remember or not. "However, I'm not at all happy being here right now."
"Everyone," I said, looking around the bridge, "this is Thorn."
"Judge Thorn," amended Jane.
Syrinx and Tanith both slid off their chairs, and sank to one knee.
"None of that," said Thorn. "I don’t rule you."
"But you are here," stammered Syrinx. "Thorn is a revered name with my people. There has only ever been one, and he lived more than three thousand years ago. Most think him a myth."
"My people too," added Tanith. "Our history recorded Thorn was the magician who moved our people to their current home. We also have never allowed his name to be used again. How is this possible?"
"Get up!" bellowed Thorn, and the two rose and sat again. "Thank you. Yes, I moved your people. And I've been watching both of you for some time now. And these two as well."
He indicated Hobbes and Roo.
"Care to fill us in?" suggested Annabelle, and I remembered she hadn't met Thorn, where most of the team had.
"Thorn carries Kali's sceptre, the same as I do. Except his people were magicians, and so it powers his magic."
I looked at Annabelle, and she nodded, having heard the stories of our meeting earlier in the week. But some of the others hadn't. I eyed Lacey and Hobbs, and she nodded. I could let her explain things to them, and anyone else looking confused.
The tiger and the roo looked poleaxed, but had a grip on themselves.
"How do you know us?" asked Hobbes.
"Time travel," said Thorn. "I met Jon and his team eighty years ago, even though a few days ago for them, with some higher being taking me out of my own time to meet them. I was sent home to the moment I left, with knowledge of the events which played out over the last few months. I've been busy with a lot of things on both sides of the time line change."
"Both sides?" I blurted out.
"Both. I had plenty of time to protect myself and my people from the time line change, and in doing so, I've preserved a lot what everyone else has lost."
"Preserved?" asked Jane. "You mean you have historical data from before the time line shift?"
"Before and after. And more. We'll need to visit my planet for you to get a copy though. And I have other reasons for the visit as well."
I looked at him, his face serious now.
"What do you need?"
"My wife is dying."
Forty
I looked at Carter, sitting in the back.
"I've a full team on board," she said.
I nodded, and sat, looked over to Jane, and nodded again. Hollos of all the ship commanders popped up, including Arthur.
"BigMother is leaving on a mission. Admiral Bentley has command of the jump point while I'm away, but I'm not anticipating you'll need to fight for a while yet, given the fleets in the next system are now gone. There has been some developments with our fighters, a lot of them having been upgraded overnight, and at the moment I don’t know how. I'm taking the best of them with me. Admiral Hallington?"
"Sir?"
"Check the rest of your fighters. The shipyard should have the specs on what was done to those changed. If not, send one which was changed to Bob, and then as soon as the yard is ready, send all fighters for upgrades, including the drones. You can also organize for the AMS drones to be upgraded as well."
"Aye sir."
I looked at Susan.
"I don’t know how long we'll be away, or if we'll be able to communicate. Once the fighters are upgraded, and Bob gets specs done for the smaller ships, cycle them through from most vulnerable upwards. The titans stay put for defense, but all other ships can be sent one by one for upgrade. Hopefully by the time that’s complete, I'll be back. When the two new titans arrive, shuffle everyone up."
I looked at Daniel O'Neil. He looked troubled, but nodded. John Wayne was one of the most vulnerable of the ships at the jump point, and he knew it. He and his wife and crew would be much safer in Dauntless, and he knew that too.
Sato caught my eye, and his nod told me he agreed O'Neil should be moved before he was. I nodded back.
"Anyone have questions?"
"How are you getting where you're going?" asked Arthur.
"Magic I suspect. You want to come?"
"Please."
I looked at Thorn, and he nodded.
"Hold the fort," I said, looking around the hollos. "We'll be back as soon as we can."
The hollos vanished, as Jane closed the coms channels, leaving only Arthur's. I looked at Syrinx.
"Can you leave the rift back to Haven and the shipyard going while you're not here?"
"It's permanent now. It isn’t big enough for the titans though. Do you need it to be?"
"No, the new ones can get here under their own power."
"Confirmed," said Jane.
"Likewise the rifts between the stations are permanent as well," Syrinx continued.
"Anyone need anything before we leave?"
There was a general silence, and I nodded to Thorn.
We moved!
The jump point, Redoubt, and the fleet were gone, replaced by a space station over a world I’d not seen before. Round Table was sitting in the same relative position as she had before, but the stars had shifted dramatically. I had no idea how far we'd moved.
"This is my home world," said Thorn. "The station isn’t big enough for either of your ships to dock at, but we won't be needing them to. I’d like to introduce all of you to my people, but for now, I hope you don’t mind only a few key people come down with us."
Like a switch being pressed, I found myself standing outside a house. Jane, Carter, Annabelle, Amanda, and Aleesha, were all standing with me, and Thorn was walking towards the door. We followed him inside.
The house was nice enough, in a well lived in sort of way, with little in the way of high tech visible. Thorn continued through, and opened a door into what I assumed was a bedroom. Inside we found a large bed with one occupant, and three elderly ladies sitting around the sides.
"I'm back my love," said Thorn, leaning down to kiss the cheek of the lady stretched out in the bed.
She didn’t appear to notice.
"What took you so long Thorn?" said one of the women. "We were getting worried she'd slip away before you got back. Who are all these peop
le? And why bring them to your wife's deathbed?"
"May I?" asked Carter.
Thorn nodded, and she moved up next to the woman in the bed, and began taking vital signs.
"A doctor," said Thorn to the other three.
"How old is she?" asked Carter.
"Hard to say, and harder to convert. But all five of us would be over one hundred and five of your years."
"Can we get her to a care unit on the ship the same way we came down?"
"Of course."
"What does she want?"
"I don’t understand?"
"When someone gets this old and near death, they make decisions. Some just want to pass naturally. Others wish to fight for every new day. Surely you've discussed this?"
"She's a fighter," said one of the other women.
"Then fight she shall," said Carter. "Do you know where the hospital is on BigMother?"
"Yes."
"Then let's get on with it."
In a blink, we were all standing in the main reception area for BigMother's medical facility. Staff were waiting, but there was no sign of the dying woman, although the other three were with us.
Carter led the way to the nearest care unit.
"Can you move her here please?" The woman appeared immediately. "Everyone out except Thorn please."
I turned immediately, and the others followed me back to reception.
"Who are you?" said the obvious leader of the other three.
"Jon Hunter," I said. "This is my ship. You?"
"Call me Jen. I take it you're military? General or something from the insignia, in spite of your young age?"
"Admiral, yes."
I introduced the others. She introduced us to Jess and Lea, and told us Thorn's wife's name was Tasha.
"I used to be an admiral as well," said Jess. "Getting too old now."
"Maybe we can help with that," said a doctor I didn't remember. "Would you ladies follow me please?"
Jen hesitated.
"We're here to help," I said. "I don’t know how different our medical tech is, but why not find out if it can help you or not. Thorn seemed to think we could help Tasha, so presumably there is something we can do for you as well."
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