Greener Green III: Let Light Reign

by Peter Sowatskey

  Irene commented, "What gets me sometimes is why the Elders didn't do their own fighting. Why didn't they just wish the ANNU KI away?"

  "That gets me too." Jeff agreed. "That will be my first question when I meet one."

  Hector had a suspicion they'd been sitting with two, in the guise of Workers, but he kept his thoughts to himself. "It is a special view of the valley. I wonder whether the locals like three shifts at their lumber yard. They aren't far advanced, but they're been caught up in the march to the stars. Good luck to all of them. I think I'll go down and walk around, coming?"

  Irene said, "I'm off to sleep, you Jeff."

  "It's sleep for me too, enjoy yourself, Hector."

  At 1300, the tour of orbiting AK ship behind them, all parties, and Maria, reconvened.

  She began, "This data comes from Betty, who has been down in the swamp with our ANNU KI 'friend' for some weeks. It may, or may not be mission critical. She wanted you to have it because the ANNU KI is not in the Essence data base either, and we're learning about them along with you. Anybody's conclusions are as welcome as anybody else's. Getting to the point, Plan 'B' for shipment of gold to AK HQ is to drop back in time to an assuredly safe conduit, go laterally through time to another, come to present time, and continue the route. The ANNU KI HQ, because of it's location on the edge of the Universe, has radically fewer matrix junction points, a present time we'd measure in decades, and almost no particle flow. That fact makes it hard to destroy, later for that. The time observation also holds true for the Negative Universe in that locale. There an additional phenomenon occurs, and that is we get pools and currents that aren't anchored in any time. That's deep thinking. We welcome any comments. We have an Essence Task Force collecting data. Just call for Essence TK 79, and someone will come into your mind, anywhere, pass the word. Additionally, Betty comments, that historically the AK one or two person missions, sent out from their HQ, have a high failure rate"

  Hector commented, "If the HQ is so indestructible, perhaps thought should be given to killing the ANNU KI themselves."

  Maria agreed, "We welcome that approach also. I'll leave you to your planning."

  After a reflective pause Tel spoke, "Maria helped us split our Virtual World into five parts. We've input the altered ships data, so anyone coming out will have it. We'll input these comments also. Home has a long history, who knows whether data relating to ANNU KI might be stumbled upon in regression sessions?"

  Jeff smiled, "I understand you're going to change Home's political process. We might come along to applaud you on. Folks, we have four days to prepare. Worker, did you get through to the Phaeton shipyard?"

  "We did. We've set up a continuous conduit for information exchange. They have bits. We have pieces, like you say. It will be a valuable exchange. Their Phase-Out Tech might allow target approaches undetected, more on that later."

  A Torken said, "We have two more valleys located if you need them. The timber can be cleared for landings today."

  Irene answered, "Make them ready. We may decide to fit the Jumper Capsules with time shift Tech to back us up as we progress. That would make the operation faster. Then the Workers could come along and dismantle the ships we can't lift. We have requests for individual reactor assemblies. Let's explore that concept and work out time sequences."

  Later they were taking a meal break at another identical table Maria had found, when the Admiral stopped by. "I've been in contact with Ranger Lewis. He's arranged for five heavy cargo ships. He says that anything under fifty tons, they can attach a grappler beam to and lift. Door dimensions are five hundred by five hundred feet. I would suggest that any ships not capable of lift be left in place for the parts salvagers. The Ranger Salvage Ships are fully crewed and can handle dismantling. He says about six day to arrival. Let me know when you start field maneuvers. Small units used to be my specialty."

  Tel looked around the table. "I say we go out and set up a range. Target will be something to represent that AK ship outside. Can your people clear four miles in diameter, Torkens?"

  "Tell me where."

  Maria projected the surrounding countryside on the wall.

  Tel said, "There and there. Your ships have good lifting capability, don't they, Hector?"

  "Yes."

  "Well then, let's go make like lumber workers."

  Everybody, having had enough of 'inside', stood and started for the door. Maria called a relief person and went along. The Torkens shared a thought about recess time at schools.

  It grew to an ambitious project, four ranges, in four valleys, and until after midnight before completion. Recess from recess became the decision. Twelve noon became the target time.

  High altitude/off time Insertion Drills continued for four days, to be interrupted by the arrival of the Earth space ships. A dozen were brought out of their hiding places to be inspected. Tel and Selma beamed and beamed. Then set to work. Crews were cloned, personalities inserted. Four Task Force Command ships were selected and arranged around the planet in quadrants. More ships out, and the sequence started again. Sleep became a forgotten commodity for the Saucer Ship crews. Training and testing went on, including continuous usage of the valley ranges. The teamwork became seamless. Even Hector admitted out loud that they were making progress.

  Crewing of the ships to be left behind started. The Ranger salvage ships arrived and parked two hundred miles further out from their assigned Task Forces. They were huge, almost two hundred miles long and fifty miles wide on each side.

  Hector, speaking for the combined operation, found the Admiral in his shoe closet office.

  He announced, "We're off. Maria says it's customary to promise to send a post card. I promise."

  They shook hands, the future human and the more distant future human.

  The Torkens saluted as Hector walked by them at the tunnel entrance.

  One said, "The stars will shine brighter tonight. That's bad that you will not be here with us to gather their light. We will gather for you and save the brightness for you and the others."

  Upward to his Mother Ship Hector went, trying to recall; when in his eternity, he'd been involved in such a pieced together operation; and when he felt as confident, that all would go well.

  Operational Area Earth-beyond Pluto's orbit

  Chapter Nineteen

  Lil

  Concluding my morning ritual of asking myself where else I might want to be, and getting the answer, 'nowhere' I elbowed Granger in bed beside me.

  "Wake up. Mary called. We're ready to have you meet the rest of your life."

  "Really; my attention is still on sub-section E-708, of the original design, which, mind you, is now replaced by --."

  "I don't want to know. Can you Captain the improved Mother Ship, or not?"

  "Of course I can. Five lifetimes from now the answer will be the same. Eternity will go by --."

  "Can it. Get moving. The ship is out of dry dock and standing off from the yard. The crew will arrive in two hours."

  "Arrive from where? I don't totally trust this Paula."

  "Don't tell her."

  "I just did."

  The bed didn't erupt with serpents, could she, don't want to know. I figured the surprise would be so complete she didn't want to spoil it. I had utmost faith in her.

  YOU BETTER.

  Granger zipped through the fresher, me behind him. A bump told me that Mary had landed our coupled ships in their berths above the Bridge of the ANNU KI Mother Ship, which meant we were aligned to their lift tube.

  We put on our new uniforms, glossy brown coveralls, with a lightening symbol going from either breast pocket up to either shoulder. Paula said that signified we would strike like lightening with both arms. Who knows where she'd gotten the idea. The coveralls tucked into heavy soled dull brown slip on boots. A loose skull cap which covered one ear (built in comm) rounded out our appearance. Maybe the three of us would try out the uniform in a spacer bar sometime; fun later.

  Granger
first, we floated down the lift tube to the enormous control room to be met by Mary.

  She suggested, "Let's do a walk around."

  We fell in step behind her. "You see, the controls haven't changed. You still stand to operate them. Drive, weapons, and Nav improvements have been put in beside the old ones. We have this in our heads, but it's best to lay ones hands on the actual controls. When the crew arrives we'll do touch and withdrawal; on every control in the ship before we depart at ten percent power.

  The three of us separated slightly and moved around the circular room making bodily contact with the instruments. Satisfied we met at the center of the room to examine the big change, a Phaeton master control Chair, which swiveled inside a circular countertop representation, of every control on the walls. In theory, the whole ship could be flown from the chair by one person. Maybe a hyperactive monkey on stims, I'd thought, and kept to myself. The shipyard A-Is kept every third ship brought out from Earth to be refurbished. I guessed they needed protection themselves.

  We each took a turn in the Chair. Despite it being sized for fourteen feet tall bodies, we concluded we could handle the controls if we had to.

  The Security section of the array lit up and sounded to warn us of an approaching ship. The transponder frequency appeared on a dial and the color changed to brown to indicate friendly. A voice came into my ear.

  "Requesting clearance for final approach."

  "Granted," I answered.

  We called up a screen viewing the space above the ship and watched it unfold. The transport ship came to a stop above us, nose pointing downward. Then twelve cylinders pushed away from the center, and were guided to twelve hatches we watched open in sub views. The noses of the cylinders matched the hatches, seal indicated. Our crew slid down into the ship using four separately placed poles which stretched through each cylinder. The minute they hit the deck they took off running to their duty stations.

  Detaching the crew cylinders took two minutes. Then they separated, rejoined the central drive section, and were clear of our immediate area in another three minutes. We'd agreed, anything under ten minutes to ingest our three thousand person crew, would be passable.

  Another four minutes the Control Room crew started arriving. They stopped at their pre-assigned station, hit two releases, and dropped their duffle and weapons behind them and keyed their stations active. We watched as the lights went on around the Central Chair.

  Two individuals who dropped their gear near their entry doors, opposite ends of the room, approached us saying nothing, but observing with us the lighting of 'ready' indicators. When the last one lit a warbling sound came from a speaker.

  Then, us five, looked at our watches. Seventeen minutes from cylinder contact to fully staffed and operationable. I didn't jump with glee, but I felt like doing so. Mary beamed her approval into my mind. Granger grunted twice, stingy him.

  For the first time I closely examined the creatures that had taken over our ship. I looked up to their faces, twice as tall as my seven foot, and saw only bigger humans. The diaphragm I'd expected turned out to be the volunteer bulb.

  The female extended her right hand down to me and said in Phaeton, "I'm Marly Tenyore, First Officer, and this is Second Officer Dendle Grishor. Prestrillo and Paula rescued us from Mars. All of us and three hundred thousand more were part of the Martian Resettlement Initiative, long before Earth cooled. We all died there within six months of each other. Some old sickness we couldn't overcome. That's a lot of detail, but I feel you needed it."

  I said, "I'm Lil, and Mary, and Granger. He likes lots of details."

  Granger gave me a twisted look. We shook hands all around.

  Granger commented, "Your people did well. I suspect because you personally set a good example. Congratulations. We have no data on you. That's proper for Security purposes. I look forward reading a short bio of each of the crew. Each can ask one question which I will answer personally as time goes on. Knowing Paula, I'm sure you have a background on us. You will also know the mission statement. We'll get acquainted. One personal question, did Paula stick you with drinking juice?"

  They shook with laughter. "She wanted to, Prestrillo didn't, and thankfully he won."

  Granger relaxed and clapped his hands, "Good for him. Welcome back to the galaxy. We'll trade personal notes later. Right now, why don't you, FO, assume your position in the chair, and see if we float."

  Marly saluted, lifted the entry section of the counter and stepped up onto the raised area where the chair sat, like she'd taken her throne. I noticed tight buttock muscles as she went by.

  Mary laughed in my mind, I laughed back.

  We stepped back and watched events unfold. Granger walked around the room with Dendle, stopping for a word at each position. Marly entered commands on her control board which would be held until she dictated otherwise. I searched the telepathy bands around her, nothing; though I saw her bulb change hues, something happening there.

  Dendle and Granger completed their round in an hour. I thought they hurried. Maybe they were just anxious to get back to Marly, or Marly's position.

  I heard Granger ask, "How goes it FO."

  "Perfect, no dial fluctuated at all."

  "Very well," He said. "Signal the shipyard that we deeply appreciate their efforts, and we're going to go kill the enemy now."

  "Will do. Course and speed, Sir?"

  Granger gestured skyward, "Get us to Moneslakia in a week. Do crew position rotation every two hours. Bring the Third and Fourth Officers here from Drive and Weapons to rotate every four hours with you two on the chair. And whatever else you find helpful. Mary, Lil and I are going for an exercise walk. You have the Bridge."

  The three of us walked, or were sped along on chairs which stuck out of the walls for the next five hours. We introduced ourselves to everyone we met. To a person they were alert polite individuals. Evidently the resettlement effort hadn't been a prisoner dump. Rather scientists and technicians trying to make a bolt hole for a civilization which sorely needed one.

  Back at the Control Room we found Dendle busy with his countertop around the Chair. Marly had left the room. We just waved and lifted up to my ship. There we gathered uniforms and equipment. Back down we went to the Captains quarters. They were ordinary, three bed rooms and a sitting room, and a kitchen nook. Each bed room had its own self contained rejuvenation chamber. We'd conducted tests on them. Nothing from deep space to a low yield Nuke had any effect on them. I'd concluded they weren't completely in this Universe, probably not five percent, from the wavy indistinct surface. The Captain's authorization included three bodies. I would get my mind around the ANNU KI - T, O, and E someday. Right now I just wanted to get out of these boots, good boots, but new.

  At my rooms comm desk, I located Marly's room and sent a note to her that Mary and I would like to spend time getting to know her, when she thought the ship didn't need her total attention.

  Three days later she responded and said she'd be free for twelve hours from 1400 tomorrow. I responded that we'd be by.

  Mary and I knocked on the door, kit bags over our shoulders. She called, "Come in, it's open."

  From her position on a low couch she said, "Just about to get out of these boots. Feel free to join me. They're well made, but I've been in them from 0200. I'm going to cycle through the fresher. Make yourselves at home."

  She put her boots by the exit door. We did also. The immense rooms didn't cause comment anymore. I saw she had two bedrooms off of the sitting room. A First Officer rated two bodies. We went into the kitchen area and sat our loot: wine, cheeses, cakes, and candies on her dining table.

  She didn't take long, and came back in a floor length thick robe. From the free way she walked there were certainly no garments under it.

  She looked at our offerings and said, "I'm so embarrassed. We brought nothing aboard except issue gear. Would you believe this robe is issue? Those look delicious. This body has had nothing but rations. Paula said we'd have to
test what we'd tolerate. Are you two her testers?"

  Mary and I about fell out of our chairs with laughter. Seeing her redden I laid my hand on her arm, and when I could, I said, "We aren't anybody's anything. We were created by Betty, who's a worse witch than Paula, in a broken ANNU KI ship in a swamp. She gave us, and a fellow, a world to conquer. We did, with a little help. We do recruiting for Betty over several Galaxies. We're here because we want to get to know you as a person."

  Mary chimed in, "We don't even receive orders. We have to invent missions. We brought Granger here because he's our creation, in part."

  Marly relaxed and examined the wine bottles. Setting them down she commented, "I have no experience with women like you. Let's get about changing that. Do you have an opener?"

  We snacked and chatted about her family life back then, only child, never married, but to science, top in her field, Geology, awarded Mars mission position, died six months later, been stranded on Mars since. We finished our glasses on that one.

  She inquired, "Have you brought robes. Why don't you get out of those tight things?"

  We had. We did. She directed us to the spare bedroom, and waited inside the door watching us. She'd had a body like ours. Have to ask her if she minded being twice as big, someday. She sat on the bed, leaned back against the headboard and crossed her legs.

  "Turn down the light, and come join me on either side. I'll tell you tales of my university life. I enjoyed them."

  I said, "I'm very interested. Marly, would you focus your bulb on us while we're here?"

  "Sure."

  She talked for hours and hours, while we tested. It had been her idea. When she couldn't talk we did. The three of us concluded eventually that Paula hadn't shortchanged her in any manner.

  Then we cycled through the fresher and back to the sitting room to find out what we hadn't eaten. We were (not) going to have rations.

  Mary yawned and remarked, "I need a nap. We all need naps. Before that, to those who question our long conference, Marly, you say to Granger we've came up with a grand plan. Betty, look at the plan and pass judgment."