by Saxon Andrew
“Well I’m certainly not going to see with you right next to it. Those compartment walls must be armored to prevent radiation from entering the ship. You are too close for me to fire it.”
Gregor used his arms and pushed himself toward the ceiling port. He arrived and went through it. He kicked the ladder away and went through headfirst. He flipped and landed on the deck below. “Crap!”
“What.”
“I didn’t close the port’s door. Turn on the gravity.”
Gregor dropped six inches to the floor and picked up the ladder. He climbed up and turned the wheel to close the port. He climbed down and put the ladder against the wall, where he strapped it down. He pressurized the landing bay, took off his helmet, and headed toward the bridge. He arrived and looked up at the wall monitor. “That doesn’t look like any kind of blaster I’ve ever seen.”
“It’s not. This is something different. I need you to do something else.”
“What?”
“Have you noticed that the reactor has two ports for fuel blocks on the top of it?”
“Yeah. I assumed the second one was to put a fuel cell in as a standby.”
“I’ve tried to fire the blaster and nothing happened. That second port must be for the fuel used to fire the blaster. Having a second port also prevents anyone from accidently firing it. I’ve often wondered why the Movement never provided Emmett with additional fuel. They always gave him another fuel block when the one he was currently using was nearly fully depleted.”
“I’ll go and put a fuel cell in it. But don’t attempt to fire it again until I get back.” Gregor ran back to the reactor room, took a fuel cell out of the box, and inserted it into the second port on top of the reactor. He rushed back to the bridge and jumped in his chair, “Ok, let ‘er rip.”
“It would be nice if I had a target.”
“Do you see the speck of light off the port side?”
“Yes.”
“Fire at it.”
“Ok, on three; one, two, and three…” the computer replied.
A brilliant white beam shot off the top of the ship and disappeared in the distance. “Holy…”
“That beam is more powerful than any I’ve ever scanned, Gregor!”
“What can you tell me about it?”
“The blaster’s targeting system is connected directly to my scanners. It also didn’t use as much power as I expected.”
“I thought you said that beam was the most powerful you’ve ever seen?”
“It was but it didn’t use much of the fuel cell. If I’m right, one fuel cell would provide enough power for more than ten thousand shots.”
Gregor sat in silence and finally said, “This is new technology.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Why would the Movement be developing advanced blasters? It also appears that any ship they build has them.”
“Blasters serve one purpose and that is to impose your will on others, Gregor. It appears the Movement intends to be an imposition to someone.”
“In the future, we can’t allow one of their ships to get close.”
“I agree.”
Gregor stood up, “I’m going to the compartment in the lower hull and connect that one. I’ll be back shortly.” Gregor picked up his helmet and left the bridge.
He completed the connection, pressurized the landing bay, took off the suit, and returned to the bridge. He sat down and looked out of the forward viewport. “What is that?”
“The second compartment didn’t house another blaster.”
“WHAT IS THAT?!”
“It appears to be a force field.”
“That’s not possible! Science says force fields can’t exist or a force field that can stop anything isn’t possible!” Gregor said loudly.
“It appears science might have it wrong. Whatever is in the lower compartment creates a force field around us.”
“But force fields are an impossibility!”
“Someone needs to tell the Movement because they have clearly developed one and it is extremely powerful. We need to check it out and see if it actually works.”
“How do you intend to do that?”
“There is a meteor about three miles off our port side. I’m going to use the boosters and fly toward it at high speed.”
“That could get us killed.”
“I’m going to hit it with the outer edge of the force field; I’m not going to have it moving toward the ship.”
“Go ahead, let’s see what happens.” The boosters were activated and Gregor watched the meteor moving toward them at an increasing speed. The force edge of the force field hit the meteor and it was shot away at an incredible speed. “This is no longer funny!”
“It’s never been funny, Gregor. The Movement has created weapons that are far beyond any ever seen in the universe. This new technology will make them invincible against warships that don’t have a force field. No species I know of has ever developed a force field and that alone will give them an advantage against all the other civilizations, even if they combine forces against the Movement. I’ve fired the blaster while the force field is up and it drops for a millisecond as the blaster beams goes through it. This is not a commercial vessel, Gregor. It’s a full blown warship.”
“Remind me again; what is the Movement’s goal?”
“To return Earth to the way it once was.” Gregor stared at the viewport and heard the computer say, “I suspect that most members of the Movement believe that the goal has to do with making Earth able to grow crops like it once did before the bombardment. These weapons tell me the Movement want to go back to the time when Earth fought wars and was an aggressive civilization. It was Earth’s military might that caused it to be attacked and bombarded thousands of years ago.”
“I wonder why they haven’t started implementing their plan.”
“I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking, Gregor?”
“This force field and blaster were on this ship more than seventeen years ago. They had this technology then, why haven’t they used them?” The computer was silent and Gregor said, “They’re missing an element to pull it off and I must have something to do with what they’re missing.”
“What could it possibly be?”
“I have no idea but I know someone who does.”
“Who?”
“That woman who came to the cemetery. She’s part of the Movement and she must know what’s going on.”
“You warned her to stay away from you.”
“Yeah, but you know how women are; you tell them they can’t do something and they have to prove you wrong. However, if they have to have me to carry out their plan, staying hidden from them accomplishes my intention to not allow them to go through with whatever their plan is. Lower the force field and move back to the filament.”
“You still intend to go to Earth?”
“I do and somewhere along the way, I want to stop in a galaxy and have you repainted; we need to change your appearance.”
“You’re changing yours so I might as well change mine.”
“What do you mean?”
“Since you stopped drinking brews, you’ve lost at least twenty pounds.”
Gregor looked at his hands and saw his fingers weren’t as thick. His uniform was also loose around his belly. He did notice that his uniform was dirty and his hands were also grimy under his fingernails; he hadn’t cleaned them from pulling weeds at the cemetery. He looked up and heard the computer say, “Yes, you need another bath.”
“No, I’m going to need this dirt to blend in with the population on Earth. Besides, it’ll keep others away.”
“They’ll certainly avoid being downwind from you.”
“Cute, Computer. Cute.”
• • •
Two weeks later the ship lifted off a trader planet and headed out to the filament. It moved into the outward flow and picked up speed. The computer said, “Painting the ship to look like a Space-Ex ship was genius.
We should have done this before.”
“I saw one of their ships being repainted and the proprietor said he could paint my ship the same, for a price. He even put the number from a damaged ship on our wings.”
“These ships are pretty much ignored and park wherever they choose. And there are Space-Ex franchises scattered all over the universe. We should go unnoticed.”
“What about the frequency of your drive?”
“He put a larger coil in the stardrive. The sound has been lowered at least ten octaves.”
Gregor smiled, “Adding that fake ring around the rear of the ship to make it look larger was also smart. You know, I think he might have done this before.”
“He did come highly recommended.”
“Who recommended him?”
“A trader ship at the supply depot. I mentioned that I needed to get cleaned up and several of the ships parked near me said he was the best in the business.”
“Do you communicate with other computers very often?”
“I do when I’m near a planet. It helps pass the time.”
“Well, hopefully we won’t be traced.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m just saying that computers are just like people and they all have their own unique identity. Another computer can ask around to see if any computers have seen you.”
“I didn’t think about that.”
“Just saying. Maybe you should keep quiet for a while.”
“That galaxy is not on the line to Earth.”
“I know, I know; don’t get defensive. It’s not on the direct line but it is in the general direction.”
“What are the chances of one of those computers running into a Movement Ship?”
“You do better at probabilities than me. What do you think the odds might be?”
Gregor waited and then heard, “Those computers are traders, which means they cover a lot of territory. The odds aren’t impossible if the Movement has enough ships out looking for us and asking other ship computers if they’ve seen me.”
“Did you mention to any of them where we were headed?” The question was greeted with silence. “You did, didn’t you?”
“It slipped out.”
“Then we need to burn some fuel and use the boosters to get there. We might have company following us.”
“I’m sorry, Gregor.”
“Forget it. Let’s get going and hope we can leave Earth before anyone in the Movement runs into that trader.”
The small ship entered the filament and activated the boosters. It took off at a speed that pushed Gregor back into his chair’s cushions, “Hey, don’t waste it!”
“I’ve just discovered something.”
“What is that?”
“If I activate the force field to a very low level inside the filament, our speed is more than tripled.”
“You don’t want anyone seeing the force field!”
“At its lowest setting, it’s not visible and scanner beams can get through it. There’s no way it can be seen in the glow of the filament and scanners won’t detect it.”
“Do you think the Movement knows about this?”
“Probably.”
“That shortens the time we can stay on Earth. Do not allow me to get caught up in what’s happening on Earth. We shouldn’t stay longer than three days.”
“I’ll make sure to remind you.”
Gregor reclined his chair and said, “I need to get some shut-eye; wake me when we get close.”
“Will do.”
• • •
Gregor snapped his eyes open when he heard the computer at high volume, “Where do you want to go on Earth?”
Gregor sat up and looked around the bridge, “Why do you ask?”
“We’ll be there in two hours.”
“How long have I been out?”
“Twelve hours.”
Gregor stretched and pulled up the left sleeve of his shirt. In the middle of his forearm was a tattoo that looked like a pair of slanted brilliant green eyes. “Every community on Earth tattoos its citizens with a unique marking. Emmett looked up what community uses this tattoo and the databanks said that a city on the continent called Asia uses it.”
“I’ve just pulled up the continent and it’s a huge landmass. Can you be more specific about the location?”
“The city is close to some mountains called the Himalayas.”
“I’ve found a list of tattoos used by cities on Earth and that particular tattoo is used by a city that is close to an ancient place called Tibet.”
“That’s where I want to go.”
• • •
Gregor contacted a shuttle and it came and took him down to Earth’s surface a mile outside a community located on a plateau at the base of a tall mountain. The ship flew to a large trading community located a thousand miles away a few moments after the shuttle left for the surface. It landed near the main commercial buildings in the center of the city and shut down. No one paid attention to the Space-Ex ship. There were four others parked nearby. It made sure it was in range of the recall device Gregor took with him.
Gregor paid the shuttle operator and looked at the road winding uphill toward the small city. He tried to remember it but found that like all the times in the past, he couldn’t remember anything before being taken to live with Emmett. He knew that memories fade and that many adults couldn’t remember childhood memories but they at least had some images. He remembered nothing. Everything was a blank before he went to live with Emmett.
He started walking toward the community and about a quarter mile from it he walked up on a man squatting next to the road wearing a bright orange robe. He had the hood pulled over his head and was singing some sort of chant. Gregor walked up on him and smiled, “Good day.”
The man stopped chanting and looked up, “Good day to you, too, Gregory.” Gregor’s mouth fell open and the man stood up, “We’ve been wondering when you would come back.”
“You know me?!”
“I knew you and your mother. You were just a child when you were taken from us.”
“Taken?”
“The Wise One will be excited to see you. Will you come with me?” Gregor wasn’t at all sure what to do but he nodded. The man stood up and began chanting again. He walked into the community with Gregor following behind him and, as they passed through the small city, other men wearing orange robes squatting next to the road stood and fell in behind Gregor. All of them were chanting as they exited the community and started walking up a small path that led up the side of the mountain. Many of the locals came out of their homes and watched them pass through the community. Gregor saw that many of the locals looked at the men in orange robes with a scowl on their faces. However, it was clear they feared the men in orange and kept their distance. Gregor started to call in the ship but heard the first man he met on the road say, “Do you remember how your mother died?” Gregor shook his head. “The memory is there, you just have to pull it out.” Gregor stared at him and the man started chanting again. An hour later, he saw an ancient stone structure built on the side of the mountain directly above them. He wondered what awaited him in that temple. He’d soon find out.
He adjusted the scabbard on his back and continued to climb the steep path. The locals not liking the chanting men bothered him. He also wondered why so many of them were sitting beside the road among the buildings in the community. There were thirty-four orange robed men walking with him and they passed thirty orange robed men moving down from the temple. Were the ones moving in the opposite direction going to keep an eye on the locals? He saw that all of them were chanting but some of those walking with him were keeping their eyes on him. Well, too late now; there was no way the ship could take him off the side of the mountain.
• • •
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE GOT AWAY!?!”
“We don’t know how she changed the computer’s programming but somehow the transponders sent the wrong location to our recei
vers. We tracked her to the coordinates and found nothing but an empty planet.”
The man stared at the deliverer of the bad news and his face began turning red, “I told you that you should not take the contents of her link if she could detect it!”
“There was no way she could have possibly detected the intrusion.”
“Well you’re wrong! She must have known you copied the contents of her link!”
“She didn’t learn it from it being done; no one is capable of sensing that process.”
“Then she saw it in your thoughts.”
“You didn’t tell me she’s telepathic.”
“She’s not! But she does have talents.”
“I did what you asked me to do. I had no way of knowing she possessed other means of detecting the process. You should have told me about that!”
“Leave and don’t come back until you’ve found her and are bringing her back.”
“I will do all we can to make that happen but you know it’s a big universe and we have no clue on what course she took.”
“GET OUT!” The man left the office and the Leader went to his desk and sat down. Kaylee wasn’t being honest the last time he saw her. The information from her link revealed she had seen the rogue at the former agent’s grave and he had given her the contents of Emmett’s link. It was a certainty that she now knew that he had two of his agents killed and that wasn’t good. He needed her willing cooperation to move the plan forward and it wasn’t going to be easy to convince her to go along with his instructions. But…she could be manipulated. She was too idealistic and he would use that against her. Now both elements of the critical technology were missing. They had to be found or his successor would be the one to initiate the plan’s implementation! He might be forced to create new elements and that would cause a long delay.
He pressed a button on his console and lifted the handset, “I want every vessel in every galaxy out looking for those two ships. Send out the telepaths and find them!”
“I will issue the orders now.”
The man sat back in his chair. The universe was large but not too large. They would both be found…eventually. It was only a matter of time and time is what he had in abundance. The plan was set in motion long ago and patience is something he had been taught by his predecessor. That was a lesson he would not forget.