by S. H. Jucha
Isolated by the dome, the team couldn’t share their success directly with the carrier and the Tridents that floated nearby.
Kasie stepped close to the dome wall, where a traveler hovered. Her fingers flashed repeatedly.
Aboard the carrier, the spacers, who viewed the traveler’s transmissions laughed heartily. Most Pyrean spacers read sign language, but the Earthers and the Crocians didn’t. The SADEs translated for Kasie.
Kasie had said, “Someone tell Mickey that we’ve connected the three original gates. We now know how to install a dome in any system by adding the star’s location. The Pyrean gate connection is next.”
Luther and Minimalist handled the new platform installation, making it gate number four and placing it at one hundred twenty degrees clockwise from gate number one.
The next steps were routine for the team.
On Triton, the fourth platform had been installed and was waiting for a connection.
“Look!” Layla exclaimed. She was pointing to console panel number four that had just lit.
The gate’s blue light faded, and a cube appeared.
Luther’s voice was heard coming from the cube. The SADE had recorded, “We open gates for all to journey through.”
39: Epilogue
Within an annual after the Sol dome installation and the new gate connection to Pyre, the conclave convened again. This time, there were even more participants.
Maria Rodriquez returned with President Thurman.
President Christie Racine accompanied Terese Lechaux.
Gino led a collection of three times the number of Leaders.
Not to be outdone, even though they didn’t know there was a competition, forty-four alliance leaders arrived at Sol.
Impressively, the Norloth left Crocia to accompany Bortoth and Daktora.
Somehow, the Usaanan directorate was able to send members.
Every alliance delegation arrived at Sol via the Triton gate.
President Sargut, Suntred, and Miriamette made the journey via Trident.
The number of attendees made the discussions more unwieldy, but Nikki persevered.
Alex’s basic tenet that a SADE must accompany every delegation remained in force, and they enabled easier communications.
Notably absent from the gallery, during the conclave, were the Omnia Ships’ leaders. The fleets were overhead, but Alex wanted an even lower profile for the company. Although, he disabused that notion himself.
Media covered Alex’s exploits at Monterey Bay with the Swei Swee. Travelers were seen silently hovering over various whale species. Mutter, a SADE and Swei Swee hive singer, sat on the ramp of one shuttle, listening intently to the whales’ songs. She recorded their lengthy serenades and sang them. Soon, the leviathans came to investigate.
When the orcas smelled the opportunity of whales on the surface, the pods came at speed. The pilots repeated Alex’s maneuver and kept the orcas away from the whales. It often took only a single pass to dissuade the pods, which would dive and hurry away to hunt less problematic prey.
As every world leader and delegate expected, the original conclave’s tentative agreements were renegotiated. Dome relocation was a proven thing, and each delegation had assets to trade.
The contentious subjects were how many domes would be offered; who would receive them first; and how quickly they would be installed.
Of the attendees from outside alliance space, the Talusians would be the last to receive a dome. They had to wait nearly two years. Naturally, the sisters wanted to disassemble the dome to uncover the technical secrets, but Sargut refused their entreaties. He told the sisters that they could do that to the second dome to come their way.
Vice President Suntred was tasked with maintaining a rapport with the Omnian assembly. Miriamette and she spent considerable time on Omnia each annual. They left Toral’s moon and journeyed to Omnia in the blink of an eye.
Trade and tech spread across vast areas of space.
Within alliance space, developing worlds were not left behind. Jess, Lucia, and the Resistance races saw to that.
It took four annuals, but Myseth mya Jaknas reached the level of a critical planetary businessperson, who was consulted on major Lemgart issues. Six years later, the Lemgarts, through a referendum vote, chose to adopt a democratically elected government. Myseth mya Jaknas was the first Lemgart president.
* * * * *
Two decades after the first dome was installed outside alliance space, Mickey and his engineering teams unraveled the secrets that powered the Messinant domes and the Elvian fighter. They also solved the means by which the Messinant construction materials were crafted.
To cap their initiatives, rings could be created. With the addition of rings, ships and individuals journeyed across vast distances of space.
Thereafter, it was quicker and less expensive to construct a dome from scratch rather than relocate an alliance dome.
Throughout these annuals, hundreds more Confederation SADEs participated in the dome research and the relocation efforts. After their contracts ended, most never returned to permanently reside in the Confederation.
Antimatter engine licenses outpaced shell licenses as the primary source of income for Omnia Ships.
The number of outposts grew, and the fleets were disbanded. Instead, Trident squadrons were assigned to assist the outpost commanders.
Alain de Long commanded the second outpost, which was placed deep in the federacy in the Chistorlan system.
The female monarch of the Chistorlans, Gramab doma Farla-Hesta, thanked her stars that her citizens had welcomed and come to the aid of the Omnians.
Tatia was the outpost’s admiral. Her premier ground troops were often required to deal with raids by one race on another’s moons or planets.
Commander Homsaff and her captains, Simlan and Hessan, led Tatia’s troops. The four Usaanans had received implants, courtesy of Emile Billings, and they led their own squads.
Major Petra Havard was the head of outpost security, and Ude trained the new troops. Petra had privately and quietly wept when Ude retired from the fighting.
The Sisterhood installed the dome for Outpost Two: Resurrection on the second moon of the local home world.
The various domes allowed far-flung families and friends the luxury of visiting one another for a cycle or longer and allowing the ability to return to duty immediately.
On Toral, Artifice continued to plan how to regain access to comm systems outside his lair. The entity’s capabilities were expended to their limits to devise more complicated machinations. It was all for naught. The Talusians had realized that Artifice was permanently incorrigible. The digital sentient remained entombed beneath Toral’s surface until individuals no longer cared to maintain the entity’s circuitry.
Within the alliance, the Tsargit slowly evolved to become dominated by the Resistance races and the centrists. The elder races, who had long controlled the institution, were marginalized.
About the time Mickey and the SADEs solved the mysteries of antimatter engines, the Packeoes had a seat within the Tsargit.
When Tockitak, the Jatouche monarch finally passed away, her second daughter, Tanistok, became the Jatouche ruler. The citizens benefitted greatly from Tanistok’s many annuals of influence by the Omnians and the outpost. Her siblings congratulated her. They hadn’t wanted the elevation to ruler.
Tamtoma achieved what she wanted. Talsoma’s daughter became the premier advisor to an envoy network of thirty-seven races who supported developing alliance races.
As for the Colony, insectoid numbers dwindled until the race was no longer an immediate threat. Perhaps, the most effective weapon in defeating the insectoids, other than the efforts of troops and shado
ws, was the SADEs’ ability to spoof messages through the consoles. It took the insectoids nearly two annuals to understand that they’d been had by the enemy.
By the time Jess called a halt to the Resistance, the carriers numbered eleven. Shadows had been distributed to whichever planets had shown infection. The job of the shadows was to eradicate the Colony’s remnants before the race destroyed the ecosystems.
The Resistance races recovered their remaining troops. Monarchs and presidents admitted that they hadn’t totally eliminated the insectoids. Pockets of reds and grays remained, but they were isolated. In time, it was hoped that the insectoids would die out, but no one knew for sure if that would happen. After all, they were the Colony.
Renée’s wish for her close friends, who were partners, came true for the majority of them. They found positions that enabled them to be together. Unfortunately, not so for Franz Cohen and Reiko Shimada.
The couple vacationed on New Terra, and fortune wasn’t with Reiko. Black clouds heralded a swift-approaching storm, and they hurried to pack their lunch, which they’d enjoyed while taking in mountain scenery.
Franz had placed an armful of items in the back of the four-seat grav car, when a massive discharge of lightning struck the tree next to Reiko. She died instantly.
When Reiko’s star services were held, New Terrans were stunned by the numerous individuals who arrived to witness her send-off. Humans, SADEs, and aliens arrived by the thousands to pay tribute to the Earther, who had been adopted by the Omnians. As an Earther commodore and an Omnian commander, she’d survived many ship-to-ship battles, only to be laid low by a freak accident.
Franz thanked many of his friends who’d arrived for the ceremony. Alex had officiated.
A few cycles after the ceremony, Franz resigned from Omnia Ships and found a quiet cabin.
Months later, Franz heard a knock at the door. He thought he’d chased away all the concerned friends, and he wondered who hadn’t taken the hint. When he opened the manual door, the last individual he expected to see stood there.
“So, this is where you’re hiding,” Miriamette said, by way of a greeting. “Well, tell me your plans for the future,” she added, brushing past Franz and entering the humble abode.
Franz glanced outside to understand how Miriamette had arrived. A traveler sat in the small field that surrounded the cabin.
“Your ship?” Franz queried.
“A gift, but, yes, it’s mine,” Miriamette replied. She sat in a chair, whose cushions had seen better days.
“Alex and Renée?” Franz inquired.
“Partially,” Miriamette replied. “I collected information from the Freedom on your whereabouts, and Julien noticed my efforts. When he communicated my purpose across a wide swath of space, he received contributions from tens of thousands of individuals. There was more than enough to buy the traveler.”
“How can I help you, Miriamette?” Franz asked, sitting resignedly in the only other chair.
“Amazing coincidence,” Miriamette remarked. “That was my question.”
The conversation went nowhere that day.
Miriamette retired to her ship in the afternoon, and Franz had mixed emotions about her leaving.
However, the next day, he discovered Miriamette sitting on the small porch. He ignored her and started on his daily walk.
Miriamette joined him. Not a word was said, while the pair trod a soft path through a majestic forest.
That routine continued for more than a month until Miriamette asked again about Franz’s future, and he replied, “I don’t know, but I’m beginning to hate the inactivity.”
Miriamette laughed and asked him what New Terra needed most.
Franz facetiously remarked, “A good president.”
“Then let’s give this planet what it deserves,” Miriamette retorted.
Understanding Miriamette’s implication, Franz laughed for the first time since Reiko’s death. Although, he sobered quickly when he observed Miriamette’s serious expression.
Two annuals later, Franz was elected to New Terra’s highest office. The election wasn’t even close, and New Terrans received the kind of president who many had longed to serve them.
Miriamette served as Franz’s advisor. She would be with him until Franz’s star services came to pass nearly a century later.
As the aggressive races were contained, Z and Miranda chose to venture far afield of presently known space. They ordered the construction of a unique shell-style ship, which Z termed a Quadrant. It was driven by antimatter engines.
The SADEs experienced two unexpected outcomes. First, the Sardi-Tallen Orbital Platform didn’t invoice them for any ships, the Quadrant or the travelers. The SADEs learned that it was a gift from Alex and Renée.
Second, Z and Miranda had intended to sail the completely automated ship alone. However, they received the requests of slightly more than a hundred SADEs, who wished to journey with them. One of the requestors was Cremsylon.
Miranda enthusiastically welcomed the offers.
To which, Z responded,
In reply, Miranda sent,
In time and as predicted, Dischnya harvest techniques spread across worlds and demand for their produce diminished. By that time, many of the young were involved in other industries. The elders retired on Omnia to enjoy their gains. They never saw the inside of a tunnel ever again.
Eventually, Lieutenants Nata and Neffess became admirals of outpost squadrons.
Another Omnian resident, Wave Skimmer and many Swei Swee swam with the whales of Earth, while Mutter serenaded the leviathans. All the while, traveler pilots kept watch over them.
* * * * *
Alex and Renée never returned to live planetside. They remained aboard the Freedom, which the SADEs scrupulously maintained. The couples’ constant companions were Julien and Cordelia. The SADEs understood that time was fleeting for biologicals, and they wanted to enjoy every moment with their friends.
As Alex and Renée’s closest associates retired from active duty, they joined the couple aboard the Freedom.
One hundred and one years after the House Brixton agreement with Omnia Ships’ co-leaders had been concluded, Mickey was the first of Alex’s close associates to succumb to old age. Recently, Pia and he had celebrated his one hundred and seventy-eighth birthday.
Mickey occupied a grav chair for much of his final two annuals, but he kept in touch with widespread engineering teams, adding his thoughts to their efforts.
One particular morning, Mickey navigated his grav chair to the city-ship’s lower level. Pia walked beside him.
In a bay, Mickey entered a special double-walled chamber that eliminated any and all comm signals.
As the second door slid closed behind Mickey, he heard in his implant,
A young SADE resided in a box, which sat on a pedestal. He was swiftly maturing emotionally and would soon occupy an avatar. Unlike most Confederation SADEs, Kelley would know his patriarch.
Kelley had cam views of his father, and the nascent SADE had already chosen his avatar. He would appear as a New Terran, a heavy-worlder, and he planned to be an engineer and create wondrous inventions, as had his father.
Kelley replied.
>
This was the aspect of teaching Kelley that Mickey loved. He entered Kelley’s enclosure each cycle with his implant full of imagery and data from his exploits with Alex. He’d never regretted a single day in his life and thanked his stars that he had the courage to request a job with a headstrong captain, who’d captured an errant starship.
Mickey launched into his history, talking about the choices Haraken and then Omnian leaders had made to deal with the galaxy’s troubles.
Pia sat in a comfortable nanites chair outside the enclosure. Mickey usually spent two to three hours in the enclosure with Kelley. He’d retreat when he tired.
When the outside enclosure door opened after not more than an hour and a half, Pia was surprised.
Mickey was slumped in the grav chair. The chair had detected failing bio data and followed its directives to exit the enclosure.
Pia rushed Mickey to medical in an effort to revive him, but the senior engineer had succumbed to the rigors of advanced age.
Alex and Renée had hurried to be with Pia.
When Pia exited the surgical suite, she was distraught but dry-eyed. Renée enfolded Pia in her arms. Then Pia’s emotional dam burst.
Alex walked into the medical suite. His friend lay on a table. Alex picked up a hand, which had once held strength similar to his own.
Tears streamed down Alex’s faces. In a choked voice, he muttered, “Rest now, my friend, you’ve given the universe everything you could. I hope it’s grateful. I know I am.”
The wail of SADEs could be heard throughout the city-ship and across worlds. The first of their most precious biologicals had passed. The beginning of the end for one particular collection of humans had begun.
Soon afterward, Kelley walked among Omnians and his kind.
— Thank you for reading the Silver Ships and the Pyreans. —
— My new series, Gate Ghosts, contains tantalizing twists, and it awaits you in Axis Crossing. —
