“I think I understand all that,” said Masood Khalil, the secretary of state, “but as I also understand, you command our most capable ship. If we lose you, won’t the Drakuls be able to pour into our system, nearly unchecked?”
“Our destruction would significantly degrade Earth’s defenses,” acknowledged Captain Griffin; “the Terra is our most capable ship. However, I feel that it is better to use that advantage where I can fight the ship like I know how, without having to worry about defending the Earth at the same time I’m trying to kill Drakuls. I intend to use the same maneuver the last Drakul spaceship used on us. I will go through the stargate backwards; that way, I’ll be able to run if needed. While the risk of losing the Terra is there, I think I can sufficiently minimize the danger. We need to know what’s in the next system, and if we can take it, we will have more options for dealing with the Drakuls in the future.”
“I am not a military person,” President Nehru said, “nor do I have much experience in military matters. Still, what you said makes sense; those are compelling reasons to go through the stargate and take a look.” She looked at Admiral Wright. “If you think there is reason enough to do it,” she said, “send the Terra through.”
* * * * *
Chapter Eleven
Bridge, TSS Terra, Stargate #1, Solar System, January 19, 2021
“Rotate ship!” ordered Captain Griffin.
“Ship rotating, sir,” replied the helmsman.
It had taken longer than Captain Griffin wanted to get permission to attempt this maneuver. The Terran government wanted to be careful with their only battleship, Captain Griffin knew, but they were being too careful. If she had to fight the Drakuls, she wanted to do it as far away from the Earth as possible. How could the leaders not see that? If you don’t want Earth to get hit by a nuclear weapon, don’t let anything carrying a nuke get into the system. Duh. By waiting until they came through the stargate to engage them, the Terrans were giving up the initiative. She knew they couldn’t win that way.
The Septar was close by. If the Terra didn’t return in an hour, the battlecruiser would follow them into Ross 154. Captain Griffin hoped she wouldn’t need the warship sooner than that, but if there were any Drakuls in Ross 154, she intended to destroy them. She wouldn’t fight a suicidal battle against long odds, but if she could get into the system, damn it, she was getting into the system, and she was by God going to hold it for Terra. It was the only way they could buy the time they needed.
“How are we doing on our line-up for the stargate?’ she asked.
“We’re nominal to profile,” the helmsman answered. “We’re headed straight into the stargate.”
It was a lot different piloting a battleship than a cruiser, Captain Griffin thought. There was far less margin for error, as the crew of the Drakul battleship found out when it tried to flee the Solar System during the Battle of Stargate #1. She looked at the stargate on the view screen. It looked like they were headed into it. Breathe, she thought. Just breathe.
“Five seconds to stargate!” called the helmsman.
Please God, just don’t let there be anything bigger than a battleship there, Captain Griffin prayed.
“Three...”
And God, if you could make it where there wasn’t anything bigger than a battlecruiser waiting, Captain Griffin continued, I’d surely appreciate it.
“Two...”
“For Terra!” someone yelled. Captain Griffin realized that she was the one who had yelled it.
“One...”
The universe expanded to infinity as the ship entered the stargate.
Bridge, TSS Terra, Ross 154, January 19, 2021
“System stabilizing,” said the Mrowry sitting at the science station. “Launching probes.” He sent out a variety of probes to expand the ship’s sensor network, looking for an evidence of energy or power sources. He didn’t have to look far for the system’s other stargate; it was no more than an hour away at normal speed.
“Clear here,” called the DSO.
“I’m not showing any targets, either,” said the OSO.
“They are correct,” agreed the Mrowry science officer after another couple of minutes searching. “I do not see any evidence of the enemy in the system.”
Captain Griffin sighed. She had been keyed up for a fight. After all of the buildup, the lack of an enemy to fight was tremendously anticlimactic. Even though it was better that they didn’t have to fight to get into the system, her adrenaline was at an all time high, and it would take a few minutes for her to relax again.
“Proceed to the other stargate,” she ordered. “We’ve got a lot of mines to place.”
Bridge, Drakul Ship Destruction of Olympos, Lalande 21185 System, January 30, 2021
Captain Bullig considered his fleet’s disposition on the tactical plot. Arrayed defensively around the stargate to Ross 154, the ships appeared ready to go. He had just received word that the Overlord had recalled some of the ships from the Kepler-62 system to join his fleet, as they were no longer needed there. Although the planet wasn’t ‘pacified’ yet in the sense that all of the local life forms had been rounded up and led to the livestock pens, the ships weren’t required for the control of the planet. He had heard that the creatures there were hard to see and even harder to capture, but they were delicious if you could get one in your grasp.
With the addition of the two battleships and three battlecruisers that were on the way, he would have the dreadnought, six battleships, 18 battlecruisers and 18 cruisers. That ought to be more than enough to acquire the new food source. The ships from Kepler-62 should arrive in four to five days; the assault could begin in less than a week. He shivered in anticipation.
* * * * *
Chapter Twelve
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, 51 Pegasi System, January 31, 2021
“Welcome to the 51 Pegasi system and Archonis, the home world of the Archons,” Steropes said as they entered the new system.
“About damn time,” LCDR Sarah Brighton, the squadron’s XO, said. “We’ve been chasing this wild goose for months; it will be nice to get some resolution.”
It had taken the Vella Gulf more than two weeks to get from Grrrnow to Archonis, traveling through five systems along the way. The systems of Gliese 676, Mu Arae, GD 61, Fomalhaut and HR 8799 all lay in their rear view mirror. Although the journey hadn’t been dangerous, since the systems were controlled by either the Mrowry or the Archons, all of the crew was conscious of the passage of time. They needed to find aid and get it back to Earth ASAP!
“There is something that you need to know prior to dealing with the Archons,” Steropes added. He paused. “Well, several things, I guess, if I am to be totally accurate.”
“What do I need to know?” asked Captain Sheppard.
“The Archons are difficult to work with during the best of times,” Steropes explained. “While the race generally believes in doing good things and helping others, they can sometimes come across as rather haughty. They have the reputation of knowing what is best for outside civilizations, regardless of what the outsiders might think. Once they have decided something, they are very difficult to sway from their point of view.”
“But they listen to reason?” Captain Sheppard asked.
“Sometimes,” Steropes replied. “It is usually a matter of finding the right argument to convince them. Sometimes the subtle approach works best; other times you need to hit them in the head with a brick. It is impossible to know what will work with them on any given occasion. The only thing that’s certain is that they will have a strong opinion of what is best, which may or may not match up with your view of what is best.”
“Got it,” Captain Sheppard said. “What else do we need to know?”
“Second,” Steropes replied, “you need to know that it is very difficult not to go along with their point of view.”
“Why is that?” Calvin asked.
“They are empathetic transmitters,” Steropes replied. “Empaths are
highly sensitive people who can perceive emotions in other people and feel what they feel. In the case of the Archons, rather than feeling your emotions, they are able to transmit their feelings to you, where you perceive them as your own. When they argue a point with you, not only will they believe that they are right, their aura will tend to make you believe that they are right, too. It is hard to convince them of anything other than what they believe in; by the time the argument is over, most outsiders have come around to the Archon view.”
“We’re being hailed by the planet,” the communications officer interrupted.
“On screen,” Captain Sheppard replied. He turned back to Steropes. “You said I needed to know several things,” he said. “What is the third?”
“The third is that you will be culturally biased and predisposed to believe them,” Steropes replied. He nodded to the front screen. “They look like angels.”
Captain Sheppard turned to look at the front screen and found himself looking at an angel. If it wasn’t an angel, it certainly looked like an angel. Over seven feet tall, the Archon was humanoid in appearance and impossibly beautiful by human standards. The Archon’s flowing hair was nearly snow white, matching the feathers in his wings, which extended up beyond his shoulders. It also had the bluest eyes that Captain Sheppard had ever seen. The commanding officer didn’t need the Archon to transmit anything to him; he was awed at just the sight of it.
“Welcome to Archonis,” the alien said. “We have had word of your coming and the High Archon will meet with you when you arrive at the planet. I am Admiral Jeremiel, the commanding officer of the Archon ship Righteousness, currently in orbit above Archonis. If you need anything prior to your meeting with the High Archon, please let me know.” He nodded, and then the transmission ended.
“That was kind of abrupt,” Calvin said.
“That is the nature of the Archons,” Steropes said. “They are interested in whatever they are interested in; at best, the other civilizations are distractions that keep them from focusing on what they feel is important. At worst....well, you can imagine; it’s not pretty.”
“You were correct in your description,” Captain Sheppard said. “I almost felt like I should bow down to them, or kneel...or something.”
“They are intimidating,” Steropes agreed. “It is even worse when you are near them. You have yet to feel their aura. It is quite daunting.”
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, 51 Pegasi System, February 1, 2021
“The star in this system is 51 Pegasi,” Ensign Sara Sommers noted. “It is a Sun-like star located about 50 light-years from Earth. Like our Sun, 51 Pegasi is a main sequence star with the characteristic yellow hue of a G-type star. It is a little older and more massive than the Sun, and it has two planets. The first of these is a Jupiter-like planet that circles the star so closely that the planet’s average temperature is 2200°F.”
“Too hot for me,” the helmsman muttered.
“The other planet is Archonis,” Sara continued, “which is located just slightly further from 51 Pegasi than Earth is from the Sun. Since 51 Pegasi is a little bigger and hotter, Earth and Archonis are similar; they also have similar atmospheres. The only difference is that Archonis is a water world. Over 90% of its surface is covered in water.”
“They must be able to get metal from somewhere,” said the DSO, “because the ship that is in orbit over Archonis, the Righteousness I think they called it, is a dreadnought almost two miles long. Whatever you say to them when you’re down on the planet, please be nice.”
Spaceport, Archonis, 51 Pegasi System, February 1, 2021
The Terrans’ shuttle touched down at the spaceport, and the boarding ramp came down, giving the Terrans their first look at the Archons waiting for them. Although they spoke with Admiral Jeremiel on entering the system, they were unprepared for meeting them in person. Steropes had warned the Terrans that a feeling of awe was common when anyone first met an Archon; his warning didn’t do the feeling justice.
Calvin and Night were the first two people off the shuttle, and they were immediately overwhelmed by the five Archons that stood waiting for them. Standing just over seven feet tall, all of them looked like angels. They were uniform in appearance, with hair and wings of white. They were also dressed in white, with robes that appeared to glow or shimmer, and they were naturally phosphorescent like some of the deep sea fish on Terra. They were so beautiful that they were hard to look at.
Several guards stood further back. Mirror images of the first group, the only differences were that they were dressed in white powered armor, not robes, and held laser rifles. They looked ready for trouble and gave the impression of being ready to deal with any threat.
The Terrans also experienced the Archons’ nature as empathic transmitters for the first time, and the force of their personalities threatened to overwhelm the Terrans. The Archons were annoyed at having to stop what they were doing to greet the Terrans, and Calvin and Night found themselves feeling annoyed at having to come and meet the Archons.
“Wow,” commed Calvin to Night. “Five minutes ago, I wanted their help. Now I’m pissed off that I had to come meet them.”
“No kidding,” Night replied. “I was just wondering if I could take them all before their guards responded.” He paused, looking around. “For the record,” he added, “I think I can.”
One of the Archons stepped forward. Spreading his arms, he said, “Ye are welcome.” With his greeting, the Terrans felt more welcome than they had ever felt previously in their lives. Might as well make the best of this, Calvin decided, having suddenly lost the feeling of annoyance.
“Thank you,” said the ambassador, stepping forward. “I am Juliette Ricketts-Smith of the Terran Republic. We are very happy to be here and are looking forward to establishing ties with your civilization.”
“We are looking forward to learning more about the current state of thy civilization,” said the one that had spoken first. “My name is Gabriel, and I am the benefactor for all messengers arriving here. Please come with me so that we can go somewhere more comfortable. The High Archon has asked for you to meet with him in his chambers.” As Gabriel spoke with them, the Terrans realized that the day was rather warm. Meeting with the High Archon in his chambers would be better.
“As you can see,” Gabriel said, “our planet is a water world. The main bureaucratic offices are on a nearby island; we will take a short shuttle flight to get there.” He indicated a large, open-topped transport that was sitting nearby. A driver/pilot was sitting in the front seat at the vehicle’s controls. Four rows of benches allowed seating for about 20 behind him. Calvin realized that the seats had no backs, which would have been difficult for winged creatures to sit on. The way the benches were built, the Archons were able to stretch their wings behind them. Lacking wings, there was plenty of room for the Terrans, although they weren’t able to lean back and relax.
The group boarded the transport and was on its way. The vehicle’s open top gave the Terrans a great view of the surrounding countryside and oceanic panorama, allowing them to see all of the flora and fauna native to the planet. “It is interesting that all of the creatures here have wings,” Calvin remarked to the Archon sitting next to him.
“It was necessary to survive on this planet,” replied the Archon. “As you can see, nearly all of the land on this planet is within a few miles of the ocean. In the depths of the ocean is the hafgufa, a terrible creature that would come up onto land to capture its prey. Life on land here long ago developed wings to allow it to escape the hafgufa, whether that was to fly to another island or just to hover until the creature returned to the water. Now that we have weapons, the remaining hafgufa no longer trouble us.”
As the hovercar continued on its flight, the Terrans saw a small herd of what were definitely pegasi, a griffin riding on the thermals and something that looked like a winged horse with the head and upper body of an eagle.
“What is that?” Night asked, pointing at the unknow
n creature.
One of the Archons looked to where he was pointing and said, “That is a hippogriff.”
“A hippogriff?” asked Night. “I thought those were mythological creatures.”
Calvin shook his head. “Not anymore.”
High Archon’s Chambers, Archonis, 51 Pegasi System, February 1, 2021
“Ye are welcome,” greeted the High Archon, causing a warm glow that put all of the Terrans at peace. At seven and a half feet tall, he was the tallest Archon the Terrans had seen. The emotions he transmitted were similarly strong.
“Thank you,” said the ambassador. “We have travelled a long way to get here, and your warm greeting is greatly appreciated.”
“Yes,” said the High Archon. “I understand that ye have come from Earth, 16 stargates from here, in order to ask for our aid.”
“You have me at a disadvantage,” said the ambassador. “You seem to know a lot about us; we, however, know almost nothing about you.”
“Thy planet is not unknown to us,” said the High Archon, “as we were called by the Psiclopes to defend it from the rakshasas. Nasty creatures, those rakshasas.” He looked at Steropes and then back to the ambassador. “I can see why the Psiclopes would care about defending thy planet,” he added. “Ye do look similar to them, although a good bit taller.”
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