by Saxon Andrew
“Another injection.” Jab rolled his eyes and Tal reassured him, “You’ll only feel a momentary sense of heat, it will quickly pass. It won’t hurt like the first one.” Jab rolled up his sleeve and Tal injected him again. It was just like Tal described and the heat passed quickly. “You received the mimicking training before you left the colonies, right?”
“Yes, I did.”
“This is easier. I want you to focus on the images in this catalogue; don’t think about them. Just visualize each of them in your mind.” Tal took a full-length mirror from behind the console and set it beside Jab’s chair. Jab looked at the first image and saw a male model. He thought about how he was rather full of himself but then forced himself to stop thinking. He focused on the image and Tal said, “Look in the mirror.” Jab looked at the mirror next to him and saw the male model sitting in the chair. His head went back, and he jumped to his feet, as Tal quickly said, “Now focus on your own image. Get it in your mind and see nothing else.” Tal waited and then said, “Look in the mirror.”
Jab looked at the mirror and his eyes flew wide open, “This isn’t how I look!”
“It’s your normal genetic appearance without all the colorful modifications you had done in the colonies,” Tal replied.
Jab saw his pink hair was gone and replaced with brown hair. His eyebrows matched his hair and his dark brown colored skin was much whiter. “I look ridiculous.”
“Maybe you would on the colonies, but not on Earth. You can still change to your colony appearance if you really focus on it, but your body doesn’t forget your normal appearance. I have to say you do look better without all the flamboyant colors,” Tal observed. “It took me a while to get used to not having my colony body.”
Jab stared at himself in the mirror and started nodding, “I was getting a lot of stares from the crew on the way out here.”
“People on Earth think the people in the colonies look like a bunch of clowns.”
Jab turned to him, “What is a clown?”
“Look it up later. I think you’ll understand why once you see. For the next few hours, I want you to practice changing your image to the ones you see in the catalogue, ok?” Jab nodded. “What you want to do is work on changing your image as quickly as possible.” Jab acknowledged his instructions and turned the page.
• • •
Two hours later, Ka entered the office and saw Jab changing forms at a very-high pace. “That’s outstanding!” she said with a big smile.
Jab looked up, “It’s easy if you don’t think about the image and just focus on it.”
Ka agreed, “And you need to keep that in mind when you’re around other people. Changing images unintentionally could cause you some real issues. However, I need you to stop what you’re doing and read this comic book slowly, twenty-five times.”
Jab took the comic book from her and read the cover. He looked up at her, “The Invisible Man?”
“Yes. I want you to pay close attention to the panels with the invisible man in them. What you’ll see is a dialogue box coming from nothing. I want you to try and visualize the invisible man talking in that panel. Try to imagine what he must look like.”
“But…”
“I know!” Ka interrupted. “But you need to be able to visualize what he would look like in your mind. Begin now and I’ll be back to check on you later.”
Jab shook his head and opened the comic book. He went through it quickly the first time because he found it quite entertaining. The second time he slowed down and focused on the panels. Soon, he began to see in his mind the one speaking in the dialogue boxes. On the twelfth reading, he glanced at the mirror and saw his clothes on the chair with no one in them. He stared at the mirror and went back to his normal image. He immediately disappeared again and realized he was working with some of the most brilliant people in existence. He waited and smiled as he changed into the image of the Guild Master. Whoa! He went back to his normal image and saw why Tal was unwilling to share this talent to just anyone, this could be easily abused. When Ka showed back up, Jab smiled and disappeared.
Ka smiled, “I believe you’re ready.” Jab appeared, and Ka motioned for him to follow her, “Now you need to learn how to fly an invisible ship.” Jab followed Ka to the freighter’s landing bay and was met by a Fleet Captain. Ka smiled, “Jab this is Captain Wolfe. He is going to train you how to operate the ship that will take you down to a Brotherhood planet.”
Indie stepped forward and said, “Call me Indie. Let’s go on board and get started.”
“Call me Jab.” Jab looked at the pitch-black ship and stopped, “Do you call that a ship?”
Indie smiled, “It is rather small.”
“Small! It’s miniscule!” Jab replied.
Indie laughed, “Before this is over you’ll wish it were smaller. Let’s go on board and show you how to operate it.” Jab was still shaking his head as he boarded the thirty-five-foot-long spaceship.
• • •
Ka arrived on the bridge and saw Tal having a discussion with Captain Sager. She waited until they finished, and Tal turned to her, “How’s our boy doing?”
“He was somewhat surprised by the Ninja,” she chuckled.
Tal laughed, “So was I when I first saw it.”
“Tal, do you think he’s ready?”
“That’s why I wanted an assassin for this mission, Ka. He’s had to get around wealthy peoples’’ personal defenses and he’s learned enough from those experiences to qualify him. Experiences like that can’t be taught, they have to be learned by doing them.”
Ka sighed, “I hope you’re right,” Ka replied with a heavy sigh. “He’s a really good person, Tal; I misjudged him initially.”
“If he fails, we’ll have to assume that there’s no way to co-exist with the Brotherhood. We owe it to them to at least make the effort.”
“When will he be going?”
“As soon as we leave to go back to Andromeda.” Ka nodded and hugged Tal.
• • •
Ryshana sat by her mother’s grave and wept. It had been nine-months since she had confronted the Elder and her mother had fallen ill a month after he left. She had cancer. And it was curable…but the Brotherhood did not allow medical treatment to be wasted on anyone not serving in the fleets. She fought her rage every day until her mother died in her arms while enduring severe pain. At the end, Ryshana was thankful she was gone. The community’s Holy Man was standing beside her and Ryshana looked up at him, “Papa, why are medical treatments withheld from those in our community?”
“Child, medical treatment is reserved for our warriors and leaders fighting to forward the Creator’s Plan.”
Ryshana turned back to her mother’s grave, “Papa, are we not also working hard to forward the Creator’s Plan?” The priest didn’t answer her question; there was no good answer to it. Ryshana’s tears were falling, as she asked, “Are we being punished for something, Papa?”
“No, no, child!”
“Then why are we made to suffer like this. I don’t understand?”
“One day you will be with the Creator and he will reveal the answer to your questions.”
“Why would the Creator want my mother to suffer like this?”
“Be patient and you will one day know, child.” The priest knew that this woman would have to be removed from the community. These questions could only lead to dissention. He decided to contact the Elder and tell him about this conversation…quickly.
Chapter Fifteen
Tal sat at the front of the conference room and looked at Dr. Meier on the huge wall-monitor. He took note that everyone was paying attention and when he asked, “Dr. Meier, why don’t you start sharing with my crews what you’ve been able to determine from the data we’ve collected.”
“Thank you, Admiral. Our team that was put together examined all the data and we’ve come up with a few conclusions that we feel comfortable are accurate. The first thing that became evident was that the first planet your crews
discovered is the original planet the fifty-first colony settled. It is highly developed and has the highest population of any other Brotherhood planet. It appears that the Brotherhood did not expand out into that area of Andromeda but went to the opposite side of the galaxy to start conquering civilizations. We don’t know the reason they chose to do it but there is speculation that they were attacked by a civilization from that side of the galaxy.”
The image on the monitor changed from Dr. Meier to a map of the Andromeda Galaxy. A bright yellow arch appeared on the map with numerous flashing-red lights in it. “This yellow arch represents the area the Brotherhood has conquered and settled since they arrived in Andromeda.” A bright red-light in the center of the arch rose slightly above the yellow arch and Dr. Meier continued his presentation, “This is the location of the first planet the Brotherhood attacked and then settled. They then began conquering planets on each side of the original and moved out toward the edges of the yellow arch. The planets on the far ends of the arch are the most recent planets the Brotherhood has conquered.” The crews studied the huge arch imposed on the galaxy and Dr. Meier added, “We suspect that there are some more planets you’ve not found yet inside that arch.”
“Why is that, Doctor?” Tal asked.
“If you examine the arch, you will see some gaps in between the Brotherhood planets. I believe that if you look inside those gaps you might find planets you’ve missed,” Dr. Meier replied.
Tal stared at the map and then asked, “What can you tell us about those planets, Doctor?”
“Captain Crandon moved in close enough to one of them to get an accurate scan of its surface.” Tal looked at Tommy and gave him a thumbs-up. Tommy’s face turned red, as several sailors around him patted him on the back. “From that scan, we’ve determined that Brotherhood society is driven by warship production and half of their population are living in little more than primitive conditions.” Dr. Meier appeared on the monitor and continued, “The cities on their planets rival any modern city on Earth or the colonies. However, the half of the population devoted to farming live in conditions that are like those humans lived in after the nuclear war. The land surrounding the cities have vast tracts of land solely devoted to growing the food necessary to feed them and the fleets they use in conquest.”
“What does the population of those farming communities look like, Chris?” Ka asked.
“They’re populated mostly by women with some old men among them, Commodore Talent.” Ka smiled. Chris still didn’t like that she rejected him to marry Tal. Oh well, he’d have to get over it.
“That doesn’t sound right,” Tal remarked.
“The cities do have numerous females in them, but they don’t appear to be handling any jobs other than raising families. At least that’s all we’ve been able to determine from images of them out in public when the scan was made.”
“I don’t know how the women in that civilization tolerate that!” Katy said loudly.
Indie turned to her, “Katy, keep in mind that women have accepted far worse conditions in some religious communities during Earth’s history.”
“Even so! This is abominable!” Katy replied.
Dr. Meier nodded, “The sociologists on the team don’t fully understand how that structure has managed to survive; however, it is common on all the planets they’ve settled.”
“Is there anything else, Doctor?” Tal asked.
“Yes, there is, Admiral. Every city on every one of their planets have a massive ship building installation inside it. As you can see for the observation on the monitor, most of the men, too old or physically unable to serve in the fleet, work the mines on the planet’s surface to provide the raw materials to build their ships. We’ve determined from this observation that there are far too few warships you’ve observed to account for the numbers you’ve should have seen to date.”
“Someone is destroying them,” Tal commented.
“That’s our conclusion, Admiral. We believe that the Brotherhood has run up against multiple civilizations on that side of Andromeda that are not just rolling over but instead are launching attacks against them.”
Tal’s expression turned apprehensive, “That’s not good.”
Dr. Meier nodded agreement, “We agree.”
“Why is that a bad thing, Tal?!” Rachael asked.
Tal was shaking his head, “Whoever is attacking the Brotherhood knows that they are fighting against our species, Rachael. What happens if one of these civilizations encounters the new colonies we’ve settled in Andromeda?”
Rachael’s eyes widened, as Dr. Meier added, “That is a real concern of ours, Admiral. We suggest you attempt to communicate with these attacking civilizations to let them know that all humans aren’t bad.” Dr. Meier looked down at his notes and said, “That’s the guts of what we’ve been able to determine and if we come up with anything else, I’ll send it to you immediately.”
Tal stood up, “Thank you, Dr. Meier and offer our thanks to the team that worked on this presentation.”
“I’ll tell them, Admiral.”
The monitor went dark and Tal looked out at the silent crews. “I’m changing our mission. Admiral Meadows, your squadron will investigate the gaps in the Brotherhood domain and see if there are any planets we’ve missed.”
“Yes, Sir,” Rachael replied.
Tal turned to Jee and Jan, “Your two squadrons will move out from the Brotherhood planets and attempt to find any civilizations that are currently attacking the Brotherhood. Do not, I repeat, do not attempt to communicate with them if you find them. Notify me immediately and we’ll decide what to do with the information.” Jan and Jee nodded agreement. Tal stood up and ordered, “Report back to your ships and start your searches.”
Tal said quickly as the crews stood up, “Captain Gibbons, a word with you and Admiral Jee Stevens before you leave.” Jee and Gibbs walked up, and Tal spoke to Jee, “I’m removing Captain Gibbons from your squadron for a special mission. I’m replacing his ship with the Endeavor that recently arrived.”
Jee glanced over at Gibbons and said, “Yes, Sir?”
“I’m reassigning Gibbs to a special project to deliver one of our stealth scouts to the first planet he discovered. Gibbs you will remain hidden near that planet until the scout contacts you to be picked up.”
Jee turned to Gibbs, “See you after this is over.”
“Yes, Sir,” Gibbs replied. He turned to Tal, “When do we do this, Sir?”
“I’ll have the scout leave for your ship immediately,” Tal answered. “You will take him and get as close to the planet as possible to drop him off.”
“Yes, Sir. What if he manages to get himself killed, Sir?”
“I’ve given him four-months to complete his mission. If he doesn’t contact you after that time has passed, you may leave and go back to your squadron.”
Gibbs squinted at Tal and said, “Could you make it five-months to be sure, Sir?”
Tal smiled, “Five it is, Gibbs. I wouldn’t want to leave him stranded either.” Gibbons saluted, did an about face, and walked out of the conference room. Ka stood beside Tal looking up at him. Tal shrugged and said softly, “We’ve done all we can to prepare Jab for this. It’s up to him now.” Ka nodded as they turned to take the shuttle back to Zak’s Jil.
• • •
As soon as Gibbs arrived on the Lincoln Frank asked, “Why did the Admiral want you?”
“We’ve been reassigned.” Gibbs went straight to his console to open the landing bay doors. Frank saw him and asked, “Are we expecting company?”
“One of the new stealth scouts is moving on board from the freighter.” Frank reached over and flipped the switch on his passive scanner. “What are you doing, Frank?”
“I want to see if I can detect it, Sir.”
“Do not activate an active scan out here!”
“I won’t; I’m not stupid, Sir.” Gibbs rolled his eyes but stared at the monitor. After a few minutes, Frank turned to
Gibbs, “When is he coming?”
“I thought he was coming immediately after the meeting.”
“Sir.”
Frank and Gibbs turned to Harmony, “I have a man in the landing bay requesting you close the doors.”
Gibbs pressed the button closing the landing bay doors. He stood up and headed toward the landing bay. Frank stood up with him and Gibbs pointed his index finger at him, “Stay at your post!” Gibbs was eager to see the ship his scanners couldn’t find.
Gibbs saw the green light illuminate indicating the landing bay was pressurized and he opened the port. He walked in and saw a man stepping out of a small pitch-black colored ship. The man smiled and stuck out his hand, “You must be Captain Gibbons.”
Gibbs returned his smile, “I am.”
“My name is Jab and I appreciate you giving me a lift.”
Gibbs pointed at the small ship, “My scanners were unable to detect your ship, Jab.”
Jab smiled, “Admiral Talent told me it would be hard to see. I’m inclined to believe him if you couldn’t see it this close.”
“Nothing showed up on my scanners. That’s some ship you have there.”
“By that, do you mean it’s small?” Jab inquired. Gibbs laughed and nodded. “There’s more room inside than I expected,” Jab added. “The controls are made of a special polymer that won’t reflect any radiation and the hull absorbs everything that hits it. It’s just large enough to carry me and my provisions, and it does appear to be quite stealthy, Captain.”
“Call me Gibbs.”
“How long is it going to take us to arrive at the planet you’re dropping me off on.”
“Around four days, Jab. I could get there faster but I’m going to take it slow going in.”
“Take as long as you want; you won’t hear me complain.”
Gibbs liked the man and said, “Come with me to the bridge and I’ll introduce you to the crew.”
“Lead the way,” Jab said with a warm smile.
Gibbs had a chair brought to the bridge and Jab sat behind the front consoles watching the operators work them. Soon he moved his chair behind Frank’s and remained there for the remainder of the trip. Gibbs thought Frank could sometimes be rather abrupt and tick people off, but Frank and Jab hit it off like two brothers from a different mother. After three days, the crew had accepted Jab as one of their own.
