“Yes, they’re all settled and working with my Beta unit plotting a course back to their home. I’m glad that SIMPOC has upgraded the Beta-1 units. I wish they were as powerful as Alpha, but it’s still great to have them as the prime interface with the ships and to provide some analytical inputs. I think Beta-1 will have a plan by the time I return. Joan, do you think this is the best way to handle this?”
“It’s the only way I can think of. I’m sorry that you’re the one taking them home. It might be dangerous.”
“I know that, but I’m looking forward to traveling a little. The admirals with all of the tactical experience are still figuring out how to use the ships, and what new weapons to build.” Drummond responded with a smile.
“We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?” Joan mentioned.
“Yes, we have. Not too long ago I was a training officer on an aircraft carrier in the Med. Then the virus, and the alien attacks, I commanded an aircraft carrier then a battle group, and now this. I’m commanding a spaceship and taking some aliens to another planet. Go figure…at least you were an astronaut and commanding the Space Station; I was afraid of flying.”
Joan responded with a smile, “Flying?”
Drummond responded with a short smile.
“Joan, are you sure that you want to go to the Terest system? They lost a ship when they attacked, and your part of the mission is more dangerous.”
“I’m actually being selfish. After all, when Tom comes back, I want Earth to be here still, and I’ll feel better if I’m busy. I figure that if I can calm down the Terest, then the chances of Earth staying around for a while is better. Neither of us will have much support, you’ve got BG and his team, and I’ve got SIMPOC and some new space marines. That’s about all that we have.”
“I think it will go well enough. Alpha is helping Tom, and you have SIMPOC. It is a little creepy to have only a couple of humans on our huge ships. It’s really nice to have BG and his team. I’m happy with BG. After all, we were the last survivors on the carrier, and he helped me navigate it through Gibraltar. He was great during the alien attacks, and we’ve been through a lot together, so we might as well continue.”
“Pardon me for asking, but is there anything going on there?”
Darlene stopped and smiled, “Won’t say, don’t know, but we’ll see. After all, there aren’t many guys my age left. Regardless, as long as he is with me, we’ll eventually figure out what needs to be figured out, when we figure it out. Make sense?”
Joan smiled and put her arm around the smaller woman. “I’m afraid happiness may be in short supply, so grab it anyplace that you can.”
“I plan to,” responded Darlene.
“Let’s sit down and figure out how we’re going to handle this.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Darlene said as they sat in the small mess adjoining the command center.
Just as they were getting settled, the interior pressure door cycled, and SIMPOC entered then stood up after bending over to pass through the smaller door.
“SIMPOC, join us. I have some questions,” Joan asked.
SIMPOC bent slightly and entered the small mess area. “Yes Captain,” he responded.
“Did you learn anything from the Izod as you escorted them to Drummond’s ship?”
“As you suggested, I recorded all of their conversations. I don’t know if they suspected that or not. They appeared to speak freely with each other, and I improved my Izod language skills significantly.”
“That’s nice,” Joan said with a little wink to Darlene. “But did you learn anything that will help us?”
“To some extent, it appears that the Terest and Izod have concluded that we have a massive space fleet. They are concerned that any alliance for us with either the Terest or themselves, will be a decisive factor in their conflict. Apparently, the conflict has been going on for a considerable amount of time, and the resources on both sides have suffered. The Terest have better technolog, but the Izod have numbers and resources. The conflict has been in a stalemate for a long time, and it is merely a matter of attrition. Neither side has the resources to end the conflict. That is why they are courting us, trying to get a ready supply o Tritium. They feel that the Terest attack wasn’t towards us, but towards them.”
“Joan, what is your plan when you go to the to the Terest?” Darlene asked.
“To be honest, I’m not sure. When I get there, they will either attack me or talk to me, and I don’t know which. But I think it’s better to find out than to sit here and wait for a large-scale attack from an alien race that we know very little about. My Dad always said, ‘The best defense is in their side of the court.’”
“Are you concerned about the weapons that they used when they burst in on you before?” Darlene asked.
“Yes of course I am, but I’d rather be there and try to figure it out than to sit here and wait for them to sneak up on us. Besides, SIMPOC thinks that their faster-than-light Drive is different from ours and they’ll likely travel by different routes. If that’s the case, and we’re attacked, I’m hoping to outmaneuver them.
“SIMPOC, have you been able to analyze the weapons that the Terest ship used on us?” Joan asked.
“Yes, they used two weapons on us. The first weapon was an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) which was used to overpower our computers and cause the Chevesky to reboot its systems. It is a very short-range weapon because it requires huge amounts of power. The second weapon appears to be similar to what affects our propulsion system have on molecular material. The electrical bond at the molecular level is broken, and the target dissipates into small particles. That second weapon also requires a large expenditure of energy. It appears that to use both weapons they used approximately 90% of the energy available on the ship, which implies that both weapons are for use in short short-range encounters or infrequently.”
“If it’s like the weapon we’ve been experimenting with, then ours should be more effective because we have more power?” Joan asked.
“That is perhaps the result. They don’t have the excess power that this capital ship does. They use a separate power source on board the Terest ship to power either weapon. Ours appears integral within our power system, and by redirecting our power source, we have a larger source of energy. That would imply that our weapon will have a longer range and shorter cycle time than theirs.”
“Our weapon can be fired more often and from a further distance? Is that true?” asked Joan.
“That is a fair summary, although there is an inherent risk in this assessment,” replied SIMPOC.
“Okay, that might give us a little advantage, if it comes to that. Let’s hope that when we enter their system, they aren’t lying in wait for us. If we have some time to talk, maybe neither of us will have a need to use weapons.”
Joan changed her body language and made it clear that she was going to say something important and that Darlene should listen.
“Darlene, I need to let you know about something else that might give me an advantage.”
Darlene didn’t respond verbally, but she made it clear that she was listening intently.
“SIMPOC has been experimenting with the Jakeel technology. He has taken a portion of the organic Jakeel ship’s computer and integrated it into his processor. So far, the integration has gone well. I’ll let him explain the details later.”
Darlene heard what Joan said, but acted a little unsure. “Okay, that is significant, and I’m sure that it will give him an advantage, but you said that ‘you’ had an advantage too?” Darlene responded.
Joan hesitated and took another sip of coffee before continuing. “The integration went so well; we’ve taken it a step further.”
“…and?” Darlene asked.
“I had SIMPOC implant a small part in my brain.”
That statement hung in the air for a few very uncomfortable minutes before Darlene responded.
“Are you sure that is a good idea?”
“Seemed to
be at the time and so far, nothing bad has happened,” Joan said with a small smile.
“So far?” Darlene responded.
“So far. It hasn’t been fully integrated into my mind yet, and it will take time. I haven’t turned into a green alien yet.”
Darlene’s eyes broadened and little, and she didn’t know if she should laugh or not.
Joan continued, “SIMPOC has installed a small container about the size of a ping pong ball inside my chest, and he placed an artificial nerve connection to parts of my brain.”
“Wait a minute, that sounds a little complicated. That is way beyond our medical tech. How the hell did he do it?” Darlene asked with deep concern in her voice.”
“I’m sure that you’ve heard that before the virus we were making a lot of progress in growing active nerves. The research had made great advances in the last couple of years, and we were investigating nerve growth on Oasis. It turns out that growing nerves in the weightless environment of the Space Station was an ideal environment. Anyways, we had the nerves, and the Jakeel ship has the medical technology to implant it.”
Darlene interrupted her friend, “The Jakeel ship has the technology?”
“You’re aware of the ship’s manufacturing capabilities? SIMPOC has been investigating them, and their medical systems are even more sophisticated. Apparently, our physiology isn’t too different from the Jakeel. The DNA is a little different but how we function appears to be pretty universal among intelligent creatures.”
Darlene just sat with a certain amount of apprehension on her face.
“The material has some interesting characteristics. After SIMPOC implanted it within his organic processor, it changed. It seemed to learn that it was in a different environment and it worked to improve the connection to SIMPOC. Over time, it made additional connections to help itself. SIMPOC monitored its progress and allowed additional connections. It is doing the same within me.”
That statement alone was enough to bring the discussion to an end. Darlene just sat for a minute, thinking with a blank stare on her face.
“You mean, this ‘stuff’ is changing within you and making its own connection to your brain?”
“Apparently so,” was Joan’s simple response.
“Wow,” was all Darlene had for an answer.
“What does it feel like?” Darlene finally managed to blurt out.
“So far, not much. SIMPOC and I can communicate by thought. Which by itself will help us a lot, but beyond that, we aren’t sure. I’m starting to feel other changes that I haven’t figured out yet. It seems that I just know more about what is going on around me. I hear more, and I understand more. Right now, I can’t put my figure on anything specific, but I feel the changes.”
Darlene just sat for a moment, thinking and looking at her friend. Then she looked down at Joan’s stomach and said, “Will it affect the baby?”
Now it was Darlene’s turn to catch Joan off guard.
“The baby?” Joan blurted out trying not to act surprised but responding like she was just caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
Darlene shrugged and said, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but my instincts tell me that you’re pregnant. Are you?”
Joan’s eyes were a little large, and she inhaled, just before responding, “Yes.”
“Does Tom know?”
“No, I didn’t want to worry him,” Joan said just before she smiled.
“Worry him. You just implanted part of an alien computer in your body and connected it to your brain. I think those two little things are going to cause more than his share of worry. Don’t you?”
Joan didn’t have an answer to that stupidly obvious statement.
“There is a lot going on,” Joan responded as she looked down at her hands as she folded them in her lap.
“I’ll say,” Darlene responded.
“We’re all caught between holding on to our past, trying to survive for the future and protecting those around us whom we care for. If I don’t take gambles, then we may not be here for my child to be born.”
Darlene looked at Joan with a frustrated yet accepting expression.
“Tough call,” she finally said as she let out her breath.
“SIMPOC is using the med-tech on this ship to monitor it. It seems very well behaved and progressing well. If there are any problems, we can remove it with the same technology on this ship that installed it. Aside from all of that, we’re in a ‘do-or-die’ situation. We’re up against aliens that we don’t know. They’ve attacked us, and if we don’t handle the situation well, it could be the end of us. I thought that our problems justified the risk. Darlene if you haven’t noticed, we don’t have many options.”
Darlene just sat for a moment and sipped some more of her coffee.
“Can I get some?”
Joan was a little shocked. The thought of implanting the alien processor material in another had not occurred to her.
“Darlene, I can’t ask you to take the risk.”
“Joan, as you say. We aren’t in control, and we must stick our necks a little if we’re going to survive. Don’t be offended, but I am younger. I should be able to handle it better. Also, I’m not pregnant.”
SIMPOC, what do you think? Joan thought to her computer friend.
Her logic is sound, and the need is apparent, was SIMPOC’s silent response.
Joan looked at her friend and asked, “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Darlene responded as she sat upright in her chair with a confident look on her face.
“Okay, SIMPOC can you do it right now?” Joan asked.
“Yes. The medical technology on these capital ships is more than capable. We’ll conduct the implant here, and I’ll transmit the necessary data to her ship, so she can use the medical facilities to monitor the growth and integration.”
“You two, can talk with thoughts? Darlene asked she glanced between Joan and SIMPOC.
“Yes, but we’re communicating with the Jakeel material. Your Beta-1 hasn’t doesn’t have any Jakeel material implanted. So, you won’t be able to communicate with him.”
“So, it will be my little secret. Does the President or any of his staff know?”
“Nope and neither does Admiral Monson or Mears,” Joan said with an emphatic look in her eyes.
“Don’t worry; I won’t tell them. They’re liable to take away my command because I’ll be part alien.”
Joan smiled and shrugged a little.
“The material has shown a propensity to adapt to its environment. I expect it to develop in different ways within a host where communication with another is not necessary. She may develop other skills, and that is why allowing the Jakeel material to be implanted in another will provide us with key information,” SIMPOC explained.
“So, it will be different in me, than it is in you?” Darlene asked with a little trepidation in her voice.
“SIMPOC and I think it will be interesting,” Joan added.
“Indeed,” Darlene responded. “Well let’s do it before I change my mind.”
“I’ll tell your ship that you’ll be here a couple of hours more,” Joan added as SIMPOC was escorting Darlene out of the command center.
Drummond is Now Alien
“So how do you feel,” Joan asked as SIMPOC escorted Darlene back into the control room.
“Not much different. I knew the technology on these ships were impressive, but I had no idea. Aside from being a little groggy, I don’t feel any different.”
“The changes will be subtle. Over time you’ll sense different pieces of information. As your brain recognizes the additional abilities, it will integrate more into your normal behavior. As we said before, the material will integrate within you in a unique way, so you’ll likely have different experiences, and you may have different abilities. I sent all the necessary data to your ship, so periodic check-ups should be all that is necessary. After your system checks on your progress, your ship will transmit the data to me, so I ca
n monitor your progress,” SIMPOC explained.
“SIMPOC if all three of us have the material now, why can’t we communicate with each other?” Darlene asked.
“That will take a while. Your implant is still adjusting. Eventually, we’ll be able to communicate, but not now,” answered SIMPOC.
“Okay, I’ll just to wait for the thrill.”
“Now back to business. Darlene let’s hope that your trip is with a little less risk. We’re presuming that taking our guests home will be a milk run,” said Joan.
“Milk run to another solar system, with a relatively unknown alien race, currently embroiled in a war with another race. Sure, it will be a milk run,” Darlene said with a smile.
Tobias Traveling to DC
Tobias was happy, no he was enjoying himself. Driving through the Pennsylvania country was pleasant. He was leading a convoy of six vehicles with two of his friends in each one. They were on a mission, a mission that he really didn’t care about. Something about ‘checking out Washington.’ For Tobias it was a ‘go where you want, do what you want to whomever you want,’ kind of mission. One that he excelled at. They may have some kind of laws on Manhattan, but when he was on the road, he made the laws.
“Rod, we’re running low on beer. Let’s stop,” Tobias said to his traveling partner.
“There’s a small town a few miles ahead, maybe we can find something here,” Rod pointed out.
“Sure thing,” Rod Stanser replied. “Hey guys, we’re stopping at the next town,” he said to his communicator which was linked to the other cars.
The convoy turned a corner in the road, and there was a makeshift roadblock 100 yards in front. It was made up of two burned-out cars and a bus that was parked across the road.
Earth II - Emergence Page 6