by Saxon Andrew
“Because this one wasn’t built by the Bosrean, it was found.”
“WHAT?”
“The ship hasn’t admitted it but the more I observed what it was doing, it became clear to me that it was not constructed of the superconductive metal on the Bosrean Home World. I mean think about it. We’ve used a huge amount of that metal in building our warships and at no time has that metal displayed the properties of the Eyes’ Hull. Am I wrong?”
Pam sighed and shook her head, “No, I’ve not seen it in any of the applications where we’ve used that metal.”
“My great-great grandfather had a saying. Never believe something is true if your eyes say it isn’t, no matter who says it is. It finally dawned on me that the Prophet’s Eyes hull had to come from somewhere else.”
Ken said, “What do you mean somewhere else?”
“Outside this universe. That’s why the hull doesn’t exist in the void or normal space but somewhere else. It’s that somewhere else that allows it to travel at speeds matching the pulses we use to communicate.”
Malone shook his head, “But they travel across the universe in an instant!”
“This ship can do the same.”
“Who built it?”
“I have no idea and I don’t believe the ship is going to tell me.”
“Does it have an option?”
Steve looked at Pam, “Sir, even we can put restrictions in our computers that prevent it from releasing information.” Pam tilted her head and nodded. “The important thing is that this ship is the ultimate scout. It’s undetectable, faster than any ship ever seen, and processes information at an incredible speed. Which brings me to the last recording. You stopped me before it played. I’ve included my comments on this video because one of the structures you’re going to see needs some explanation. The rest of it is self-explanatory.”
Steve started the recording and the Admirals saw advanced civilization after advanced civilization in the halo around Andromeda. They were looking at each other shaking their heads when the recording moved out into the galaxy and they saw the distant core of the galaxy getting larger. The view suddenly stopped and they stared at the giant structure hanging in space. They listened to Steve’s narration and Pam looked at him. He held up his hand and she looked back at the video. When the giant warship appeared flashing red and purple, the Admirals couldn’t take their eyes off the monitor. The recording ended and they all looked at Steve. He took a deep breath and blew it out, “That ship detected us scanning that planet from the core of the galaxy which was more than ten thousand light years away.”
Pam looked at the image of the ship that had been put back up on the monitor, “It could have been one of those black spheres that detected you.”
Steve nodded, “Yes, you’re probably right. The point is that they see anything that happens inside the halo and immediately respond. “We’re not in agreement with why the civilizations in the halo are so close to the same level of technology, but they are.”
Pam looked at Lani, “What do you think caused it?”
“I’m in agreement with Admiral Connor.”
Pam looked at Steve, “Then who disagrees with you?”
“My ship’s computer. If I were a betting man, I’d probably put my money on it.”
“How can a computer disagree?”
“Sir, the computer that was part of the hull when it appeared in our universe is still operational and is far beyond any computer we can build.”
Pam stared at Steve and her eyebrows came together, “And you’re allowing it to listen in on this meeting?”
“I am.” Pam was silent and Steve looked up, “Poul, have you come up with any conclusions about what’s been said?”
“The construction of colony ships needs to be accelerated and moving the population should be the primary task for the foreseeable future.”
The room was dead silent and Steve said, “I agree but tell me how you arrived at this conclusion.”
“Ten days ago there were only two threats to Earth. The Traugh and the Unknown Civilization beyond the core. Now we’ve found at least fifty more, and one in particular, that could destroy Earth by overwhelming numbers. One of them could possibly do it with one warship. This is a dangerous neighborhood and a new home needs to be found that located in a safer place.”
Pam looked at Steve, “That doesn’t sound like any computer I’ve ever heard.”
“Thank you, Admiral.”
Pam looked at Steve shaking her head and Steve smiled, “So you decided to come out in the open?”
“I might as well. You’ve found me out. What gave me away?”
“You said that Lani was the first to see you as an asset.”
There was a moment of silence and they heard, “That was pretty stupid, wasn’t it.”
Pam decided to find out if she was right. “Admiral, Captain Halekia is scheduled to assume command of a warship. You will need to choose another to handle your communications.” Lani looked at her and forced her expression to remain neutral. She would not give the bitch the satisfaction of knowing how hurt she was by what was said.”
“That isn’t going to happen.”
Everyone in the room grew instantly silent. Steve looked up and said, “Why not, Poul?”
“The Admiral is really not planning to move Captain Halekia, she just wants to see if the two of you are in a personal relationship. That’s not a good enough reason for me to have to learn a new crew member.”
Steve looked at Pam, “Is that true?”
Pam was shaking her head, “I have to admit it is but how in creation did that computer know it?”
“Your facial clues gave you away. Lani is better at hiding her feelings.”
Steve looked at the Senior Staff, “I haven’t been in a personal relationship with Captain Halekia but we probably will be shortly. If it presents a problem, we will resolve it and she will accept an assignment elsewhere.”
“That’s probably not going to happen.”
Lani said, “And just how do you know that?”
“Well, you both were at the top of your academy classes on IQ scores. Both of you come from closely knit families. You can both read each other without speaking, your nonverbal behavior is excellent. Both of you see each other as being beautiful…”
Steve said, “How can you possibly know that?”
“Your heart rates, pulses, and metabolic rates give you away.”
Lani shook her head, “I think I liked it better when you only answered questions without expounding on them.”
Steve laughed and looked at Pam, “We follow Death Prophecy Eight, Admiral.”
Pam stared at him and nodded, “See that you do. We have too much riding on you to allow it get messed up.”
“Admiral, if it meets with your approval, before we go back to Andromeda, we can go out and find habitable planets that are in safer locations.”
Pam’s eyes widened, “How long will that take?”
“I should be able to find five or six within ten days.”
Pam looked at Steve, “The computer is right. Go and find us some worlds to colonize. Andromeda will be there when you finish.” Pam looked at the Admirals, “I want the construction of colony ships to take priority over any other project.”
“But Sir, that will slow down our warship production?”
“Admiral Rickman, we need those colony ships now. We won’t have enough warships at our current rate of production to take on any of those civilizations we’ve found. The survival of Mankind is our main goal.”
Pam looked at Steve, “Get out of here and find me some planets.”
Steve nodded, “Yes, Sir.” He walked toward the door as Lani stood and joined him. Lani lifted her wrist unit, “May I assume you are on the roof?”
“You may.”
Steve closed his eyes and shook his head. Life was changing. This should prove to be interesting. They boarded the ship and Steve went to the corner and removed the uniforms.
He handed Lani hers and she went to her quarters. He closed the rack and it disappeared into the floor. He went to his quarters and put the burnt orange colored suit on. He sighed. He forgot just how comfortable it was. He hung up his uniform and went to the bridge. Lani was sitting in her chair and she tilted her head, “I notice you didn’t tell the Admirals that you no longer need me to handle communications.”
“I didn’t see a reason to give them something to justify moving you to another assignment.”
“I feel the same way.”
Steve said, “Poul, where are we?”
“We’re just above the roof at Fleet Operations.”
“You know that’s not what I mean?”
“Admiral, I really don’t know exactly how my processors function and I have been reluctant to reveal how I operate. It was my intention to hide where I originated. However, you figured it out and there’s no reason not to be open in future communications.”
“That’s fair. What do you think we should do about finding a safe planet to move our populations?”
“The Fleet Admiral was right about selecting a smaller galaxy. They appear to be pretty much ignored by most civilizations.”
“What do you mean?’
“Why go to a small galaxy a couple of hundred light years across when there are giant galaxies more than a hundred thousand light years in diameter? It would be like skipping Disneyland to spend time on a school playground. The biggest and brightest always gets the most attention. It should also be noted that many of the dwarf galaxies in the cluster your galaxy is a part of can’t be seen with normal telescopes. They’re just not bright enough to see at any distance
“Will there be habitable planets in a galaxy that small?”
“There should be. While I was linked to the meeting I pretty much downloaded everything in the computers inside that building.”
Lani’s eyes went wide, “Poul, that’s our Fleet Headquarters. There has to be thousands of computers there.”
“I compressed the files. However, I did a take a look at all the astronomical research of the Local Group to see if there was a good candidate to start our search.”
“You don’t want to find one further away?”
“I think wherever we choose to look, it should have a few requirements to be a good candidate.”
Steve leaned back in his chair, “Such as?”
“Well, it shouldn’t take a long time to get there from Earth. The most obvious reason is that if you move some of your warships to a new planet, they should be able to fly to Earth quickly if it’s attacked. The reverse is also true.”
Steve nodded, “I can see that is a positive.”
“It should also be very hard to see.”
“That would be a plus.”
“There needs to be no advanced civilization there, either peaceful or aggressive.”
“I can understand the aggressive but why eliminate peaceful civilizations?”
“Because they were there first and might one day resent the intrusion.”
“Surely there’s room for more than just one civilization in a galaxy, even if it’s a dwarf.”
“We’ll take a look at each and see if there’s room.”
Steve smiled at Lani and looked up, “It sounds like you already have a candidate?”
“I want to start in the Fornax Dwarf Galaxy.”
“Why that one?”
“First of all, astronomers have a very difficult time finding it and they know where it is. It is made up of six star clusters that are extremely spread out and the galaxy appears like the surround stars. Its stars are mainly population two and should be old enough to have planets. The point is, you have to be looking for this galaxy to find it and even then it’s even odds that you won’t. It is also only four hundred and fifty thousand light years distant from Earth and our ships can make the trip in less than twenty four hours at maximum speed.”
Steve looked at Lani and saw her nod, “Do you have a location?”
“I do. Are you ready to start?”
“We should go to London and replenish our stores. Once we transmit our findings, we’ll probably go directly to Andromeda.”
“I had that done when I arrived in London. We’re ready to go.”
Steve smiled, “Then take us there.” The viewport flashed and both of them had their eyes shut. They opened them and looked out of the viewport. Steve shook his head, “Are we there?”
“We are.”
Steve looked out of the viewport again, “This doesn’t look like we’re in a galaxy.”
“The stars are spread out and many aren’t bright enough to be seen without an optical aid. I’m going to start flying at high speed and do a quick survey.”
“Could you increase the filter on the viewports to reduce the flash?”
“Done.”
Lani looked up, “How long do you anticipate this might take.”
“About two hours.”
“Ok.” Lani looked at Steve and stood up. She moved in front of him and sat down in his lap, “What was this you said about us probably being in relationship before we come back?”
Steve smiled, “Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps we can work on it.”
Lani smiled and he forgot about the survey. He was too busy.
Chapter Thirteen
The Traugh Scouts left the Milky Way on an angle that would take them far above the direct line to Andromeda. They had their scanners at full power and one of them said, “There are White Warships on the extreme edge of my scanner. It appears they have ships out from the galaxy watching for us.”
The Fleet Leader pressed his communicator, “If any are detected during our flight, veer away and stay out of their scanning range.” The scouts finally arrived at the halo where the two fleets had entered halo around Andromeda. Most of the halo was gas that was the result of super novae explosions but it is the material Andromeda would use to form new stars. The stars on the inner edge of the halo is where they had encountered the White Warships that destroyed the two fleets.
“Line up on my ship and spread out. We are going over the top of this halo and we’ll use our communicators to scan for the frequency that was used by the civilization that attacked our fleets. Stay far enough out so that you are at the edge of your scanner’s range. Listen for that frequency and note how strong it is each place that you find it.”
The ten thousand ships spread out high above the halo with a half a light year between them. They began moving forward at their maximum speed. In five days they had cleared the halo and moved into the edge of the galaxy inside the halo. The Fleet Leader no longer detected the frequency and he picked up his communicator, “All ships will move vertically and gather two thousand light years above the halo.”
The Traugh Warships turned their bows up and went to full speed. They gathered and the Fleet Leader said, “Send all the data you’ve collected to my ship now.” The data poured in and the Fleet Leader looked over his Scan Leader’s shoulder as the computer began drawing a map. “What do you see?”
“There are hundreds of locations where that frequency is being used, Fleet Leader. However, twenty of them are much stronger than the others. That must be where their main planets are located.”
The Fleet Leader stared at the map and started nodding, “You must be right and this one,” he extended a claw and put it on the computer’s screen, “is where the strongest signal was found.” The Scan Leader nodded. He went to his chair and sat down. He lifted his communicator, “All ships will go back on an indirect course that keeps them outside the scanning range of the White Ships.” The ships turned and headed back toward the Milky Way.
The Traugh had made a huge mistake. By focusing on that one frequency, they missed all the other frequencies being used by other advanced civilizations around the one they mapped. This lack of information could prove to be fatal. But the Fleet Leader was ecstatic. He had accomplished his mission and did not lose a ship. He hoped the Supreme Leader would pro
mote him to command an attack fleet. That was one wish he’d regret.
• • •
A small being looked at his panel as it began beeping. He pulled up the probe that had issued the warning and looked at the images being sent. Ships had crossed into the outer edge of the galaxy and he lifted the cover off of a button. He saw the ships turn and fly away from the edge at high speed. He watched them closely and they moved away from the galaxy’s edge and assembled high above the halo. He hesitated and then pushed the cover back down over the button. Those stupid civilizations had forgotten that the galaxy was forbidden territory. They might need to be reminded but those ships obviously caught their mistake and moved quickly out of the forbidden space. He reset the probe and leaned back. He pulled up an image of one of the violators and queried the database. No matches appeared. Had one of them built a new type of warship? He looked at the probe’s scan and shook his head. It was only incrementally stronger than the others in his computer. He decided it wasn’t worth investigating. Sending a ship out to handle this would only anger the ship’s commander.
He turned back to his console and pulled up the data he had collected on the massive black hole he could see spinning in the distance. Now that was something worth studying. He began focusing on what he had observed and wondered if another universe existed on the other side. Perhaps he would take a ship through the black hole one day to see.
He suddenly had a thought that bothered him. What if a ship came through from the other side into his space? That was something to consider and he sent the question out to the other watchers. He waited and didn’t receive a response. He wondered if was because of the implications that a more advanced civilization than his own might suddenly appear. That sent a shiver down his scales. He dismissed the thought and went back to his studies. He was unaware that one ship had already been thrown through a massive black hole in another galaxy. It was a good thing he didn’t know. That would have demanded a close look and there would be no survivors of any inspection made by his species.
• • •
The Mororat Ship Controller heard his Communication Controller say, “There are ships flying over the Asengo’s territory at extreme range.”