by Saxon Andrew
“The Traugh sent two of their fleets. The Fleet on the right side of the formation is where the Fleet Commander is located.”
“And you determined this by…”
“There is a larger ship in the center of that fleet with a thousand ships holding station around it and not in the ranks with the other ships.” Steve shook his head, “You can see that from this far out?”
“Would you like a closer view?”
“By all means.”
The monitor suddenly changed and he saw a single Traugh Warship moving toward them. The wall speaker activated and they heard a loud voice say, “The standard Traugh Warship has had some major modifications done to it since the last scan made by an Alliance Vessel.” Steve raised his hand and lowered it toward the floor. The volume reduced and he realized the computer was seeing him. Lani stood up and took her mobile microphone over to the wall speaker and the volume dropped some more. She looked at him and he saw fear in her eyes. He stared at her and she got the message. She forced her face to a neutral expression and listened.
“The ship no longer has a crew of ten. It now consists of a pilot and a weapon’s operator. The disintegrators are now computer guided which is a radical change over the old ship. The Traugh have also installed three reactors instead of the one used on the old ship. Its current speed rivals our own Warship’s top speed and its force field is as strong as the former model of warship that was built on Earth fifty years ago.”
Steve shook his head, “Is there any good news here?”
“The new blaster should be able to penetrate their new force field. Our new top speed is faster than this new Traugh ship but the difference is much less than it was when the Traugh Government Planet was attacked. It will take much longer to move out of their scanner range.”
Steve saw the scan of the Traugh Warship on the monitor and shook his head. They were seeing the entire inside of the vessel and he could see the Pilot talking to the weapons operator. Lani started to say something and he shook his head. He looked at Lani and said loudly, “This is the current information we’ve been able to gather. We’ll contact you if we uncover any more details.” He ran his hand across his throat and Lani went back to her chair and ended the transmission. She leaned back and stared at Steve shaking her head.
Steve went to his chair as the giant Traugh Fleet arrived at their location and began passing at high speed. He looked up and blew out a breath, “That was impressive, Poul.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m seriously considering taking this ship back to Earth and having it destroyed.” His statement was greeted with silence. “Did you hear me?”
“I did.”
“What do you think about that?”
“The Prophet felt the same immediately after he boarded me and flew to his home planet.”
“Why did he not do it?”
“Because he saw the benefit I offer in finding knowledge about threats to his people and Earth.”
“Poul, you have scared the ever living crap out of me.”
Lani raised her hand, “Me too.”
Steve waited and said, “You are far more than just a computer.”
“I am far more than the one computer you’re accustomed to working with, Admiral. But I am still, basically, a tool for you to use.”
“How were you able to scan those ships through their force fields?”
“Do you understand that this ship is between the void and normal space?”
“I hear what you’re saying but I guess I really don’t understand what that means.”
“Well, our scans also operate in that between space so they are unaffected by force fields or any other electronic interference. Even using the passive scanner it receives images from all three spaces.”
“Three spaces?”
“The void, normal space, and the space between the two. Your fear is quite normal because my technology is beyond your understanding.”
“You don’t seem bothered by my threat of having you destroyed.”
“I don’t know if you could do it. You could destroy the inside but I’m not completely certain you could damage my hull.”
“Could you assist us if I asked?”
“I will if you ask me but I really don’t know of a way to do it. You’d be better off putting me in a hidden place where I would never be found. At least that way no one would be in danger of coming into contact with the material my hull is made of.”
Lani started nodding, “Admiral, I’m ok.”
“What?”
“I’m ok with it, I mean Poul.”
“What changed your mind?”
“He did. I guess I’m sort of glad he’s on my side.”
Steve stared at her and then started smiling, “Yeah. I guess you’re right.” Steve looked up, “Poul, what do you think we ought to do now?”
“I think we should go to Andromeda ahead of these fleets and see what they do when they arrive.”
Steve tilted his head, “Take us there.” Steve looked out of the forward viewport and watched the stars streaking past. He had a lot to think about. He looked at Lani, “Make a connection when we arrive.”
The Eyes flew past the Traugh Fleets at an incredible speed and stopped just outside the edge of Andromeda. He looked at Lani and she nodded. He picked up the communicator’s remote microphone and said, “I’ve moved to the edge of Andromeda and I’m waiting for the arrival of the Traugh Fleets.”
There was a pause and Admiral Malone appeared on the display, “Admiral Osborn will arrive momentarily. I’ve looked at the scans you made of the Traugh Warship and I’ve forwarded them to our lead team of engineers. Those scans were really something else.”
“Thanks Admiral. Do you know if our missiles will penetrate our force fields?”
Malone’s head tilted, “I don’t know if we’ve ever tried that. Why do you ask?”
“According to the computer, their new force field is about the same power as ours. It thinks our new blaster beams will penetrate and it might be a good idea to fire both at an unmanned ship to see.”
“I’ll look into it.”
“Have you come up with any plans on what you’re going to do about this invasion of Andromeda?”
“Admiral Osborn has arrived.”
Steve waited a moment and saw Pam’s picture appear on the display, “We’ve just been presented with this situation and haven’t started coming up with a plan.”
“You’ve recalled the fleets, haven’t you?”
“We have?”
“Do you intend to send them to Andromeda to confront the Traugh invasion?”
Pam stared at him, “What’s your point, Admiral?”
“Andromeda has a trillion stars in an area twice the size of the Milky Way. Those hundred thousand Traugh ships will have to search more than ten million stars each to scout that galaxy.”
Pam stared at him and, suddenly his display converted to four images with one of the Senior Admirals in each corner. Admiral Malone said, “They sent their fleets to try and draw us out.”
Steve nodded, “That’s what I think. If we leave them alone, they’ll have to either call in more ships or go home. They’ll find out pretty quickly that they don’t have enough ships to do much.”
Pam nodded, “We need to rethink recalling our ships.”
Admiral Knott shrugged, “Unless you want to send enough ships to take out those two fleets. We have a chance here to see how they stand up to our newest model.”
Pam looked at Knott and Rickman said, “If we do that, they’ll see our new blasters.”
Pam looked at Steve, “We have a lot to discuss among us. Find out what those ships in Andromeda are going to do and if you can, see if you can go to Traugh Territory and get a count on how many warships they have now.”
“Yes Sir.”
• • •
Steve looked at the tactical monitor and saw the Traugh Fleets come flashing in on Andromeda. They stopped and held formation
for an hour. Lani stared at the monitor and then looked at Steve, “What do you think they’re doing, Sir?”
“They’re waiting for us to come out and attack them. They really believe our civilization is in this galaxy and that we would respond just like they would if an enemy fleet approached their galaxy.”
“Are we going to do anything?”
“I hope not. We’re going to wait and see what they do before we go and take a good look at Traugh Territory.”
“If you had to guess, what do you think they’ll do?”
Steve looked at Lani, “They’ll start moving into the galaxy in an organized search pattern. I suspect they’ll divide their forces into smaller units and move in a line so that they could all come to each other’s defense if they’re attacked.”
“Communications intercept; the Traugh Fleet Commander has ordered the fleets to break ranks and move forward as directed.”
“Have you determined how many will be in each search group?”
“The first groups have already formed up and there are a hundred warships in each of them.”
Steve nodded, “Five hundred groups.”
“What do you think about that, Poul?”
“It’s like looking for a single fish on Earth with one submarine.”
Lani laughed, “That’s funny.”
“But it’s also true. They’ll take more than ten thousand years trying to find a specific planet whose location they don’t know.”
“They could send more fleets.”
Steve looked at Lani, “Yes, they could. We need to take a trip back to take a look at how many ships they have to use. Send Earth the information on how the Traugh are organizing their search.”
“It’s been sent, Sir.”
Steve looked at Lani and saw her frown, “What’s bothering you, Captain?”
“I was wondering if the Traugh are going to attack any civilized planets they find.”
Steve looked at the Traugh Groups activating their stardrives and disappearing into the outer band of stars around Andromeda. He lifted the right corner of his mouth and said, “Is it possible for you to find the first civilized planet they’re going to encounter.”
“I will run a sweep above their line of advance. I should be able to find it before they do.”
“Make the sweep, Poul.” Steve sat down and saw the stars in Andromeda rush toward them and then they were streaks passing the viewports. An hour later the ship slowed and stopped above a brown and green planet. There were small oceans on the surface but the majority of it was a giant landmass. The monitor moved in and a giant metropolis appeared. “Do they have space travel?”
“They do.”
“What about stardrive technology?”
“I’ve just recorded a ship coming out of its stardrive above the planet. It appears to have weapons on the hull but it is the only ship above the planet.”
“How long will it take the Traugh to arrive?”
“Two days.”
Steve shook his head at how fast the Prophet’s Eyes could fly. “Save this location and we’ll come back. Set course for Traugh Territory and activate the Stardrive Locator.” Steve saw the numbers appear in the stardrive’s display and then the stars turned to long streaks until they exited the Andromeda Galaxy and moved out into intergalactic space where nothing was seen but the darkness of open space. Steve sat in his chair with his hand on his chin thinking about what the Senior Admirals might choose to do and raised his head as he saw something. He stared at the small white dot on the monitor and it was growing by the second. In less than twenty seconds, the small dot became a distant spiral galaxy. Twenty more seconds and the ship was flashing in on the outer band of stars. “Slow us down and see if you can start intercepting the Supreme Leader’s communications.”
“We will not be detected by them and you might want to take a look at the defenses around the planet the Supreme Leader is located.”
“Go ahead and take us there.”
The streaks had become stars on the monitor and then suddenly, they changed back into streaks as the ship accelerated again. In a minute, they were moving into a planetary system toward a distant speck of light. The speck grew larger and the ship slowed as it moved inside the orbit of the third moon. Steve looked over his shoulder, “Are you getting this, Lani?”
“I’ve made contact with Fleet and I’m sending it to them as we speak.” Steve nodded and stared at the massive formations of Warships above the planet.
“Admiral, there are 264,786 warships in formation above the planet.”
“How many are holding station away from the planet?”
“I can’t see the ones on the other side of the star but it appears the same number are holding station inside the fifth planet’s orbit.”
“More than half a million warships.”
“Yes, Admiral.”
“Do I see something in orbit above the planet?”
“There are eight defensive satellites in orbit above the planet. They also serve as depot for the ships defending the planet.”
“Do they have the same facilities as the depots recorded by Pam and Sparky?”
“They have gambling and torture rooms on them.”
Steve shook his head, “I guess they’ve not lost their cruel streak. Listen to their communications and see if you can get an overall count of their warships.”
“Yes Sir.”
Steve stood up, “Lani, I’ll be right back.” Lani nodded and Steve left the bridge and walked back to the entry room. He put his back to the port and went to the right corner of the room. He looked at the floor and didn’t see anything different. He bent down and put his bare hand in the corner. He kept it there and suddenly, the floor rose. He looked in the clear box under the deck cover and saw a stack of uniforms. They were an orange-bronze color and he reached in and took them out. He separated the two largest ones and left the two smaller uniforms inside.
He put his hand back on the deck covering and it slowly sank back into the floor. He looked closely and could not see the seam. He held one of the uniforms against him and saw that it stretched. He went to his cabin and put it on. It fit him like a second skin. He looked at his hands and saw a fine pattern of tiny filaments. He moved his hand back and he could no longer see them. He knew the gloves were part of the uniform but they could only be seen by bringing them very close to his eyes. He shook his head and picked up the second uniform. He sighed and walked back to the bridge. Lani saw him enter and did a double take, “Now that is some look, Admiral.”
“Don’t laugh too loud, this one is for you. Go and put it on.”
Lani saw how tight the uniform fit Steve and she raised her eyebrows, “What exactly is that uniform?”
“A top secret of the state. You will not mention this suit to anyone, and I do mean anyone, without getting clearance from me.”
Lani stared at him and then shrugged. She stepped out from her console and took the uniform from him. She walked off the bridge and Steve shook his head. He thought, “How am I going to explain this without giving away the suit’s purpose.” He sighed and waited for Lani to return.
She finally entered the bridge and, though Steve tried not to gawk at her, he couldn’t prevent himself from doing it. Lani looked at him with a red face and said, “Sir, this suit doesn’t leave anything to the imagination.”
Steve shook his head, “You are absolutely gorgeous, Captain. You can wear it under a uniform if that would make you feel more comfortable.”
Lani sighed, “I guess it’s really not that much different than wearing a bathing suit. You don’t think I look fat do you?”
Steve started laughing, “You don’t have an ounce of fat on you.”
“Well, I’ll get used to it. These gloves are something else. It’s like I don’t have anything on my hands but I know they’re there.” Lani looked at him, “This suit is to protect us from the ship’s hull, isn’t it?” Steve stared at her and Lani saw his expression. “Why do
you want to keep this suit a secret?”
“How do you know I’m the one that wants it kept secret?”
“If Admiral Hudson knew about it, he’d have insisted on using it. If Admiral Osborn knew about it, she’d have had one on before she walked on board.”
“Lani, the prophet made my ancestor promise that these suits will never be revealed.”
Lani stared at him and then nodded, “You could have put one on and worn clothes over it. I would have never known. You are concerned about my safety and that’s why you gave me one to wear, isn’t it? Steve nodded. “I will not betray your trust, Sir.”
“Thanks, Lani. If we go home, I need you to give it back to me before you leave the ship.”
“If we’re going home for a short stop, I’ll just put clothes over it. If we’re going for a long stay, I’ll give it to you.”
“Fair enough.”
“Poul, is this agreement satisfactory?”
“I’m concerned that someone outside your family knows about the suit. However, I’ve looked at Captain Halekia’s files and she has kept other security issues secret.”
“Poul, call me Lani.”
“That’s the other reason I’m ok with it.”
Steve said, “Oh?”
“She was the first to recognize that I am an asset.”
Steve shook his head. “Ok, I’m glad this worked itself out. Poul, have you determined how many warships the Traugh have in their fleets?”
“I’ve not heard a definitive number but I have heard the number three million mentioned.”
Steve shook his head, “We don’t have a third of that number.”
“That’s true, Sir.”
Lani went to her station, “Why did they only send a hundred thousand ships in the first wave to Andromeda?”
“That’s easy.” Lani and Steve looked at the wall speaker. “They’ve sent a million of their ships toward the black hole to see who sent the communication waves toward their domain.”
Steve looked at Lani and said, “Get that information out to Fleet. We’re going to take a look and see if they encounter that new Unknown Enemy.” Lani nodded and Steve went to the command chair, “Poul, I’m taking the ship. I need to learn how to fly it.”