Explorations- the Lost

by Raymond L. Weil

Jeremy and Kevin watched as the two girls hurried away.

  “I hope they’re not disappointed,” said Kevin. “They’ve been looking forward to this for so long.”

  “We all have,” replied Jeremy. “As soon as the girls are back we’ll make our way to the docking bay. There’s a small observation lounge there overlooking the bay.”

  At that moment Rear Admiral Barnes came into the Command Center. Her hair was still wet.

  “I was taking a shower when I heard the news. Is it true?”

  Jeremy nodded. “Yes, there’s an Originator ship inbound. Angela, Clarissa, and the kids are all on board.”

  Kathryn looked confused. “What are the children doing on a warship?”

  Kevin laughed. “Evidently from what we’ve been told Jason is in command.”

  “Jason? What’s happened back at the hub that they’re putting children in charge of warships?”

  “We’ll know shortly,” answered Jeremy. “The ship should be docking in about two hours.”

  “So soon? How?”

  Jeremy gestured toward the tactical display, showing a green icon nearing the battlestation. “They managed to jump well inside the gravity well of the black hole. That indicates a revolutionary power system advance as well as a major advance in shield technology.”

  Looking at the viewscreen, Kathryn spoke again. “I’d better speed up getting everyone on board the ship. I suspect that vessel will be bringing the information about the rescue plans. I also would guess we’re rapidly running out of time.”

  Jeremy nodded. “Yes, you’re probably right.” Jeremy’s eyes returned to the tactical display and the friendly green icon which was rapidly approaching.

  “Creevak are launching missiles,” warned Camlin, who was standing in her customary spot. “They won’t be able to reach the Originator ship. My computations indicate they will be torn apart by the black hole’s gravity before they even come close to being a threat.”

  Kevin looked over at Jeremy. “Let’s go get the girls and head to the docking bay. I think we’re all anxious to see our children again.”

  -

  Kathryn watched as the two hurriedly left the Command Center.

  “This is nearly over,” said Camlin. “Soon, we’ll be back at the hub.”

  Kathryn realized what Camlin was saying was probably true. Very shortly she would be reunited with her father. “I may retire when we get back. I’ve spent a lot of years in the fleet and now stranded here in the Creevak universe. Perhaps I should look at settling down and raising a family.”

  “You deserve happiness,” replied Camlin. “We’ve all been through a lot the last few years.”

  Sitting down in her command chair Kathryn wondered what it would be like to retire and not be sent flying across the universe putting out fires. It might be nice to retire on the Dyson sphere and live a normal life for a while. She knew her father would like that. The only question was if she was really ready to retire. This was going to involve some serious thinking.

  -

  On board the Liberator, warning alarms sounded when the long-range sensors detected the launch of the Creevak missiles.

  “They’re coming fast,” reported Clarissa. “However, I don’t believe they can reach us before we get to the battlestation.”

  “I concur,” added Leeda. “I believe the stress from the black hole’s gravity will tear them apart before they can reach us.”

  On the main viewscreen, the battlestation was now visible. It appeared to be undamaged.

  “No signs of battle damage,” reported Mathew. “They must have moved the station before the Creevak could attack it.”

  “That probably explains why we have seen no Originator warships,” said Angela. “They probably abandoned them and moved all the crews to the battlestation and then placed the station in orbit around the black hole where the Creevak could not reach them.”

  “A daring strategy,” commented Clarissa. “A slight miscalculation and they could have ended up too near the event horizon and suffered a massive time dilation of thousands of years. Also, if the station was too near the event horizon even a juggernaut would not dare to approach.”

  -

  As time passed the Creevak missiles drew ever nearer and then they began to vanish one by one.

  “The black hole’s gravity is beginning to tear them apart,” explained Clarissa.

  The crew watched as all the missiles were destroyed and then their attention turned to the battlestation which was now very near. A large hatch slid open surrounded by blinking lights.

  “I believe that’s our docking bay,” said Jason, his eyes on the viewscreen. “Mitch, take us in.”

  The entire crew was silent as the ship drew near the bay and then entered. Clarissa suddenly smiled and started laughing.

  “What is it?” asked Clair.

  “Ariel. She just contacted me. We have so much catching up to do. Her first question was about you children. She can’t wait to see all of you.”

  “We’re not exactly children anymore,” commented Andrea.

  Angela looked at her youngest daughter. “Perhaps not, but to your parents you will always be our children.”

  “Are you ready for this?” sent Clair to Jason. She had noticed the nervous look on his face.

  “I’m about to meet my father, he’s the fleet admiral and the most famous person in all of Originator space and even the Federation. What do I say to him?”

  Clair looked at Jason and smiled. “That you’ve missed him and you love him, of course. I suspect the rest will take care of itself.”

  -

  In the observation lounge of the docking bay Jeremy and the others watched excitedly as the small ship entered the bay and then set down on its landing struts.

  “That ship’s a radical design,” commented Kevin as he examined the vessel.

  “It’s our children’s ship,” replied Kelsey with tears in her eyes. “They’re finally here.”

  Katie was sitting down. She was so nervous she couldn’t even stand up. “I’ve waited so long for this.”

  “Ariel is going to bring them here,” said Jeremy. He was finding it hard to speak. The emotions inside him were raging at getting to meet his son and the others after so long. He had a thousand questions. He was sure all of them did.

  Watching the bay, they saw one of the hatches open and a ramp descend. Angela and the children had arrived!

  Chapter Twelve

  Jason stepped onto the deck of the massive battlestation seeing Ariel standing there with a big welcoming grin on her face. She stepped forward, putting her arms around Jason and holding him close.

  “At long last you are all here.” Ariel released Jason and gave all the others an equally long loving hug. She stopped in front of Angela and nodded. “You did well. The children are exactly as I expected.”

  Angela grinned. It was so good to see Ariel again. She had really missed her. “I had a lot of help.”

  Ariel looked at Clarissa and nodded. “I wish I could have been there as well.”

  “Where’s Jeremy and the others?” asked Angela. She had been expecting them to be waiting at the foot of the ramp. She could hardly wait to see Kelsey and Katie.

  “In the viewing lounge for the bay. It’s nearby and I’m supposed to take you there.”

  “Let’s go,” replied Angela. She could hardly wait to see her friends. While it had been over four years for them, for Angela it had been over fourteen. Fortunately, the rejuvenation treatments available had kept Angela looking pretty much the same except for the hint of a few gray hairs.

  Everyone turned to follow Ariel. The group was very silent wondering what their reception would be like.

  “I feel like I’m going to Rear Admiral Mark’s office,” sent Elizabeth.

  “We all do,” replied Mathew. “I barely remember our parents. I hope they remember us.”

  “Don’t worry,” sent Clair. “I’m sure they’re all going to be excited to see us
if how Ariel greeted us is an example of what’s waiting in the lounge.”

  “They’ll be thrilled to see you,” interrupted Ariel. “I’m so glad you all have the neural implants. I have so much to tell all of you and the implants will make everything easier. One thing I will say, your parents have been looking forward to this day ever since all of you became separated. They talk about it every day. In Kelsey and Katie’s homes there are pictures of all of you when you were much younger. Your parents have never stopped thinking of you.”

  Everyone felt better after hearing this. It helped the group to relax as they went up three flights of stairs to the observation lounge. Opening the door, Ariel motioned for them to enter.

  Stepping inside everyone came to a stop. No one knew what to say. Then Katie stood up and rushed over to Mathew and Elizabeth, pulling them into her arms. “I’ve missed the two of you so much,” she cried with tears rolling out of her eyes.

  Mathew and Elizabeth looked at one another and then they too started crying.

  Kelsey walked up to Jason and eyed the commander’s insignia on his uniform. “A commander,” she said, giving Jason a hug. She held him tightly and spoke in a lower voice. “I’m so proud of you.”

  Kelsey let Jason go as Jeremy walked up. Jeremy gazed at Jason approvingly and then, stepping forward, gave him a brief hug.

  Angela stood next to Clarissa and Ariel watching the greetings in approval. This was a day she had long waited for. So far, it was everything she had hoped.

  -

  Clair felt a sudden warmth spread over her. She realized she was receiving it over her implant. Braleseth and Carly were present as well though they were hanging back. For the first time in years everyone was truly happy.

  “I told you there would be no problems,” she sent over her implant to everyone.

  “Miss smarty pants,” replied Mathew. “I can’t believe I’m finally back with my mom and dad.”

  Everyone was now busy talking and asking questions. Clair had a feeling they were going to be in this observation lounge for quite some time.

  “No one can enter,” sent Ariel. “I have two Marines stationed outside. We can stay here as long as we want. I’ve even arranged for food and refreshments. They’ll be arriving shortly.”

  It suddenly dawned on Clair that now she had two AIs who would be watching over her. It made her feel much safer.

  -

  “When’s Grayseth coming?” asked Jeremy as he attempted to calm down. He looked over at the two Carethians in the room.

  “That’s Braleseth and Carly,” Jason informed his dad. “They’re two of Grayseth’s cubs.”

  Jeremy went over and reaching out, grasped Braleseth’s hand. “I welcome you as a clan brother. You have done a thing of honor in coming to this universe. Your father will be very proud of you.”

  Braleseth nodded. “My father is coming soon. He is bringing many of our clan brothers in the juggernaut and the dreadnaughts.”

  Looking over at Angela, Jeremy asked the question he had been very curious about. “What exactly is a juggernaut?”

  Angela smiled. “It’s a mobile twenty-kilometer battlestation powered by dark matter converters. Grayseth intends to dock it with this battlestation. He’s also bringing a fleet of one hundred and twenty dreadnaughts all equipped with dark matter converters and blue energy sphere projectors.”

  “We can go to the Command Center and discuss all of that in more detail later,” replied Jeremy. He stepped over and grasped Carly’s hand. “You look just like your mother.”

  Carly grinned. “So I’ve been told.”

  Ariel walked over to Jeremy. “Clarissa has explained the rescue plans to me. I’m going to leave and explain them to Rear Admiral Jones and Rear Admiral Barnes. We need to finish our evacuation plans a little faster than we originally thought. From what Clarissa told me we have a little over twenty-six hours before Grayseth arrives.”

  Jeremy sighed. “This damn time dilation is going to be the death of me yet.”

  Ariel smiled. “Enjoy your time with the children. Tomorrow is going to be extremely hectic.”

  -

  Food and refreshments arrived and the group sat down to enjoy their time together. Angela tried to explain what life had been like raising all the children. “It was very interesting. All of the kids wanted to study so they could come here and rescue you. Jason spent nearly all of his free time designing spaceships and working on rescue plans. They all enrolled at the Fleet Academy at record ages.”

  “How did you ever talk Rear Admiral Marks into that?” asked Kelsey. She knew Susan was a stickler for following the rules.

  “All of the kids can be very persuasive and it didn’t take them long to prove they all belonged there. Almost all of them hold records for high achievement in some of their classes.”

  Kevin had been listening and had noticed Angela was wearing her commander’s uniform. “So who is actually in command of your ship?”

  Angela grinned. “As hard as this may be to believe, Jason is. He’s gone through all the necessary training and has even taken the ship out on a few missions. He just needs some combat experience.”

  “I think I prefer him home on the Dyson sphere where he’ll be safe,” said Kelsey, looking over at Jason who was talking to Jeremy.

  Angela shook her head. “He’s too much like his father. All of the kids have taken after their parents. People are already calling them the Special Seven.”

  Kelsey shook her head. “I wish that wouldn’t happen. The stigma of the Special Five has always followed us around.”

  Angela looked fondly at the kids. “They’re the future. They can already do things we could only imagine. All of them have neural implants and I’ve seen them in battle drills. It’s almost frightening how efficient they can be.”

  Kelsey looked over where Braleseth was filling his plate with sandwiches. It was already piled high. She had to laugh; he was so much like his father. “I think what I missed the most was our family cookouts. It was always so much fun having everyone together.”

  Angela had to agree. “When we get back to the Dyson sphere we can start them again. I’ve made sure your home and Katie’s have been well taken care of. Both are just like you left them.”

  -

  For several hours the group talked and told stories about what had happened to the fleet which had come through with the battlestation as well as what the kids had experienced at the Fleet Academy.

  Finally, Jeremy got everyone’s attention. “We’re going to go tour the Liberator and meet the rest of the crew.”

  Everyone thought that was a great idea. Jason could hardly wait to show his father his first command.

  -

  In the Command Center of the battlestation Ariel, Rear Admiral Jones, and Rear Admiral Barnes were meeting.

  “Twenty-six hours,” said Kathryn, shaking her head. “The New Horizon is ready and we’ll have everyone scheduled to come on board loaded and situated by them. We just need to figure out how to get everyone else on the juggernaut.”

  “That’s the problem,” sighed Rear Admiral Jones. “I just don’t see how we can do it in two hours.”

  “Can our shields last any longer than that?”

  “No, we’ve run countless simulations. We can extend it to a maximum of two hours and ten minutes by cutting off most of the interior systems during the evacuation. I’m not sure we can get all the people loaded in that time frame let alone all of the AIs.”

  “Let’s make sure all the families get loaded first,” said Kathryn, trying to think of a way to speed up the loading process. “We’ll load until the shields begin to fail and then we’ll have no choice but to leave with whomever is on board.”

  “We may have to leave some people behind,” said Jones.

  Kathryn was looking at the tactical display, which showed the battlestation, the black hole, and the Creevak fleet. “We’ll have some time when Grayseth arrives. It’s going to take him hours to maneuver
his juggernaut through the black hole’s gravity and dock with the station. That will give us time to get everyone lined up at the docking ports and ready to go. We can station Marines along the corridors to help keep the flow of people moving.”

  “That will help, but I still don’t know if it’s going to be enough.”

  Kathryn took a deep breath. “For now, that’s the best we can do.”

  Rear Admiral Jones was silent for a moment and then spoke. “Let’s get the ball rolling. Major Breedlow, I’m going to need all of your Marines.”

  -

  Jeremy was amazed at what was on the Liberator. It was by far the most advanced ship he had ever seen. It made the Avenger seem primitive. “How did you manage this?”

  Angela laughed. “Your kids blackmailed the Originator Council. They used Councilor Grayseth and several others to get everything they wanted. It actually reached a point where they were afraid to tell the children no in case they went off on their own in an inadequate ship. For the cost of this ship you could build two full size dreadnaughts.”

  -

  Kelsey looked over where Jason was talking to Kevin explaining several of the consoles on the ship. After speaking to the crew, which was mostly young, Kelsey had realized the children were no longer kids anymore. They were young adults.

  “They have handled themselves very well,” said Colonel Wilde. “In the years to come they’ll become the best ship crew the Originators have.”

  Kelsey was afraid of that. “They’ll be taking our places.” It was something she had always been afraid of and now it seemed as if it was well on its way to happening.

  “Don’t be too concerned,” said Colonel Wilde. “They’ll have you and the others to guide them. I’ll stay with them as long as necessary. I suspect this ship and crew are going to have some very interesting adventures in the future.”

  “I have one more issue we need to discuss,” said Angela, looking over at Jason and Clair.

  “What’s that?” Kelsey could see the concerned look on Angela’s face.

  Angela took Kelsey over to the side by themselves and explained about Jason and Clair spending the night together.