by Saxon Andrew
“I always listen, Doctor Taylor.”
Eddie smiled, “You must be the ship’s computer.”
“I am. Just call me Alex.”
“Thank you for coming so quickly, Doctor.”
Eddie looked at Danielle and bowed his head, “I know you wouldn’t have come unless it was something important. Is that DEC friend of yours with you?”
Tag nodded, “He is; I can see him.”
“You’re one of the few that can, Your Majesty.” Bong replied.
“Alex, give our guests some chairs. It’s good to see you, Cali.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Cali replied as two-chairs came up out of the floor directly in front of Tag and Danielle.”
Eddie and Cali sat down, as Eddie asked, “Is something wrong?”
“No, but I need you to do something when you take your trip, Doctor.”
“What is that?”
“I need you to take a device with you and launch it near an OA warship.”
Eddie stared at her and Cali spoke first, “Are you serious?”
“As an energy penetrator,” Danielle replied with a smile.
Cali fought smiling but failed. Eddie’s eyes narrowed, “What exactly is this device?”
“We call it the Proton, Doctor. It is not much bigger than the nucleus of an atom and has a small psychic energy container inside it.”
“What does it do?” Eddie asked.
“It will release a psychic field about fifty-feet in diameter.”
“It will be detected.”
“That’s what we have to find out, Doctor Taylor. We were planning to send a psychic warship into the OA’s universe to see if it is detected but developed the Proton instead. We need to know if they can detect psychic energy.”
“Can we detect it?”
“No. But our scanners aren’t nearly as powerful as those used by the OAs.”
Eddie looked at Tag, “What happens if they do detect it?”
“They’ll know an extremely advanced civilization exists in creation.”
“Why take this risk now!”
“We’re building new psychic warships as quickly as possible. If they can be detected, we need to put our energies elsewhere,” Danielle responded.
Eddie stared at Danielle shaking his head. Cali asked, “Just how do you see this going down?”
Tag shrugged and answered, “Find an OA warship and release it close to it. Move away and activate it from a long distance.”
“Getting that thing in the path of an OA warship is iffy at best!” Eddie stated in a firm voice. “It could change direction and miss it completely.”
Tag raised his shoulders, before saying, “We hope you could find a warship that was stationary to make the drop.”
“Are you out of your royal minds!?” Eddie asked emphatically. “We have no intention of getting anywhere near an OA vessel!”
“You don’t have to, Ed. I can drop it off.”
“Bong, that goes double for you. I’m not going to risk you being detected and fired on!”
“Ed, we’ll find out quickly if the OAs can detect me. If they don’t, I can safely make the drop.”
“Or we can have one of the other twins with you make the drop,” Danielle said quickly. “You can wait to activate it until the twin that delivers it is back on board your ship.”
“How will it be activated?” Cali asked.
“It will be coded to Dr. Taylors mind and he’ll telepathically activate it.”
“How do you know I’m capable of doing that?”
“We’ll test you here and make that determination,” Alex replied.
Eddie looked up. “What kind of test would you use to do that?”
“Scan you and see if you’re psychic.”
“What?”
“Doctor, you’re telepathic and that is a real indicator that you may be a psychic,” Danielle interrupted. “If you are, you can activate the Proton from a safe distance.”
“What do you call a safe distance?”
“Three-hundred thousand miles at the extreme limit. However, we prefer you do it from three-hundred miles.”
“Why?”
“Your passive scanner will be able to see what happens,” Tag answered.
“And if they immediately start scanning, what happens then?”
Danielle sighed, “We trust your ability to see those scanning beams, along with your polarized hull, will allow you to slip away into another universe and make your trip back home. This should be the last thing you do.”
“And if they can detect telepathy?” Eddie asked.
Cali shook her head, “I doubt that’s possible, Eddie.”
Eddie turned to Cali, “Why do you say that?”
“They communicate in colors. I doubt they could detect normal voice conversations, much less telepathy.”
“But you don’t know for sure!” Cali shook her head.
“Doctor, we’re some of the most powerful psychics in creation and we can’t detect telepathy from that distance unless the thoughts are directed toward us. The twins that listened to probes communicated telepathically with their twins and were not seen.” Tag raised his hands, “I honestly think your thought to activate the Proton won’t be detected.”
“I suppose that is another thing you want to determine?” Eddie said with narrow eyes.
“The most important thing is to determine if they can detect a psychic field, Doctor.
Eddie stared at Tag, “What happens if I don’t do this?”
“Then, Danielle and I will take the Kosiev to their universe and see if they detect our ship.”
Eddie shook his head, “It’s that important?”
Danielle nodded, “It is!”
Eddie sighed heavily and looked up, “Run your test, Alex. It’s a moot point if I can’t do this.”
“Running scan now. HOLY CRAP!”
“WHAT’S WRONG, ALEX?!” Danielle yelled.
“HIS PSYCHIC FIELD IS OFF THE SCALE!!”
Tag and Danielle stared at Eddie and he saw the shock in their expressions, “What’s…going…on?” Eddie asked.
“You were right,” Tag said to Danielle.
“Right about what?” Eddie asked.
“You are a unique creation, Eddie. Tag and I were created to be tools to be used by creation to defend it against evil civilizations. You are also a tool created to be used to defend creation.”
Eddie looked at Cali and couldn’t determine which of them was shocked more by Danielle’s statement. He turned to Danielle, “This is crazy!”
Danielle looked up, “Alex, how strong is his field?”
“Cassandra was the strongest psychic in the history of the Realm. His field is more powerful, Danielle. A lot stronger!”
“Why hasn’t he discovered more talents, Alex?”
“He’s not been released.”
“Are you saying he has a compliment out there somewhere?”
“I don’t know.,” Alex replied. “The power is there and it’s latent.”
“What is this complement you’re talking about?” Cali asked.
Danielle sighed, “Powerful psychics have another person that will release them when they touch each other.”
“What happens when that takes place?”
“Cali, they will be bound to each other by forces that cannot be broken. Tag and I were each other’s compliments.”
Eddie turned to Cali and saw her shock and dismay. “There will never be anyone for me but you, Cali. I promise you that.”
Cali was shaking her head and Danielle said softly, “Creation will find a way to bring you together with your compliment, Eddie; it can’t be avoided.”
“If it’s not Cali, I say damn creation. I won’t do it!”
“Let the future take care of itself!” Tag said forcefully. “Love conquers all and I have no doubt they love each other. This is an issue that will have to wait.”
Cali looked at Danielle, “We’ll release
the Proton.”
Eddie looked at her, “Are you sure about this?”
Cali forced a smile, “As an energy penetrator.”
Eddie looked up, “What about you, Bong?”
I can’t say until you make up your mind.”
Eddie’s eyes narrowed, and his brow furrowed, “About what?”
“Are you doing this because you see your role as a professor exploring things that interest you, or are you really invested in this war? Are you a warrior fighting against an evil that threatens all of us, or want to take your new toy out to play with it? If you’re just a professor looking to play, then there’s no reason to do this. You got the funding to build your ship and now you can sit back and enjoy it. Let everyone else take on the difficult things to protect you.”
Eddie stared at Bong and said, “You make me sound pretty shallow, Bong.”
“You resisted taking the Proton with you from the first moment the Queen mentioned it. You don’t want to fight, and you certainly don’t want to take any risks.” Bong hesitated and continued, “Hey, I’m not passing judgement, but every other being drafted into the military wouldn’t be given a choice about taking the Proton out. That tells me the King and Queen see that you don’t want to be warrior and won’t order you to do it. Perhaps, it’s not your calling and you should just stay in the classroom and enjoy your life. The chances are good you’ll die of old age before those hideous beings show up.”
“Bong, why are you telling me this?”
“I guess my species is different from yours, Ed. When one of us dies, all of us know it and all of us feel extreme sorrow for the loss. I’ve seen that your species pretty much ignore those that die, especially, if you don’t personally know them. I sense the King and Queen does feel the loss and takes responsibility to protect their subjects. But, you’re not the King and Queen. The only time you cried at someone dying was when your father died. Why should you concern yourself with the trillions that might be killed by this evil civilization? I can see your mind, Ed…and you aren’t committed to protect them.”
The bridge was silent, and Eddie sighed, “You’re planning to leave me, aren’t you?”
“Ed, I am committed to defending my species and this civilization is a clear threat to all of us. I am in the fight and will do what’s needed to win this war. You can stay here in the Dark Dimension and I’ll send you what I see when I go out scouting.”
“But the Dark Knight is the only ship that can get you into their universe safely.”
“I know how the Knight operates and I can send my thoughts to the new pilot chosen to fly it. All DECs can see energy and I can help the pilot see what’s needed.”
“He won’t understand the nuances of the universal energy, Bong! Even you can’t do that.”
“Then I’ll do what I can.”
Eddie looked at Cali and saw the Kosiev was sending the conversation to her. Her expression showed she was thinking hard about what Bong said. He looked at Danielle and Tag and saw they were staring at him without commenting. “Bong, you would go out with someone else?”
Cali spoke up, “Ed, the Dark Knight is no longer a research vessel; it’s been armed and is now a warship…or do you see it differently?”
“What about you, Cali? Where do you stand on this?”
“I was wrong to try and stop you, Eddie; I just knew you weren’t up to going out into a war. However, I do have a family and relatives I love very much. If Bong goes, I will go with him.”
Eddie stared into Cali’s eyes and saw her quiet determination. Eddie took a deep breath and released it slowly. He looked at Danielle and saw her staring at him intently. “What’s my rank?”
Danielle’s head went back slightly, “Excuse me! What do you mean?”
“Well, you drafted me into the military, but you’ve never told me my rank.”
Danielle turned to Tag, and he tilted his head and then straightened it up, “You would have to be an Admiral’s grade; I can’t have other officers ordering you what to do, especially when they have no idea what it is you do.”
“What about Cali.”
“She’s not been drafted, Dr. Taylor,” Danielle responded.
Eddie raised his shoulders, “Then you better get on with it. If the two I love more than anything in the universe are going to war, I will not be left behind. Besides, Admiral sounds pretty good. Do I get the uniform and all the trimmings that go with it?”
Tag burst out laughing and Danielle chuckled, “Indeed you do, Dr. Taylor.”
“I do have one request.”
“What is that?”
“In the future, just tell me what you need and send me all the information you have on it, and I’ll develop the means of carrying out your orders,” Eddie replied. “No one needs to deliver the Proton close to an OA vessel. The teleport system on the Dark Knight is dark energy operated. I can teleport it close to the target vessel and not endanger anyone.”
Danielle smiled, “You will let me know what you’re planning?”
“If I have time, I will.”
Danielle smiled, “Fair enough. Alex, teleport Admiral Taylor and Commodore Roberts to the fitting room on the Defense Facility. Welcome to the New Stars Realm Navy.”
Cali frowned, “You haven’t drafted me, yet.”
Danielle smiled, “When you’re drafted, you don’t sign any papers. A copy of the document is in your computer in your personal quarters, right Grace?”
“Sent it the moment she mentioned she wasn’t drafted, Danielle.”
Cali shook her head, “Things happen fast around here.”
“Sprigly will be sending all the top-secret work they’ve done on our Prime Warships, Admiral. When you have a moment, take a look at it and see if you can add anything.”
Eddie looked at Tag, “That might have to wait until after we make our initial trip. I’ll need some time to focus on it and I’m rather busy, at the moment.”
“Thank you, that is satisfactory,” Tag replied. A moment later, Eddie and Cali disappeared.
Danielle stared at the spot they were standing and asked, “Do you think he’s up to this, Tag?”
“Some of the greatest warriors in human history were scholars, Danielle. He just hasn’t focused on being a warrior until this moment. Just wait; he’s going to surprise us in major ways.”
Danielle sighed, “I really hope you’re right.” Danielle paused and sighed.
“What’s wrong?” Tag asked.
“I’m concerned about Dr. Taylor not being released. It’s clear he loves Cali deeply…”
Tag nodded, “If there is a complement out there somewhere, they will come together. She’ll be heartbroken if that happens.”
“That’s not what concerns me, Tag.”
“Oh?”
“Before a compliment shows up, Cali will have to be eliminated from the picture. I’m afraid for her.”
“Surely that won’t happen! Creation doesn’t operate like that.”
“If you say so.”
“Danielle, it doesn’t!”
Danielle shook her head and then looked at Tag with soft eyes, “What about Ping?”
Tag stared at her and then lowered his head, “I forgot about that. Nicole died defending Ross against a surprise attack and it was her death that caused Ping to enter the fight. She was the only one that could stop it and she gave her life doing it.”
“And it freed him to eventually find Dahlia, Tag.”
“What should we do?”
“What can we do?! If this is Creation at work, nothing is going to stop it from happening.” Danielle paused, “I can only hope they break up; anything else is going to lead to disaster for them.” Tag stared at her and Danielle’s eyes showed her sorrow. “If it happens, it will be when they aren’t together; Eddie will not be put in danger, if he really is a tool of creation.”
“We need to find his complement!”
“Why, Tag.”
“Heartbreak is better than death!”
“We won’t find them.”
“Why not. Surely his compliment is going to have a high psychic power. We can start scanning for someone near him with the appropriate power level.”
“You won’t find her, Tag. Where was Dahlia when Nicole died?”
But…”
“She was in another universe and safely hidden until Ping was ready for her. You’ll only be interfering in a creational crisis and more harm will come from it.”
“Can we tell them. Maybe Dr. Taylor will break up with her to prevent harm to her.”
“It won’t stop them loving each other. We are forced to remain silent about this and allow things to happen naturally. Anything else will only make things much worse.”
Tag sighed and nodded.
Chapter Eleven
“Why aren’t you wearing your uniform?” Cali asked.
“For the same reason you’re not! I don’t want to change the dynamic of this lab one bit and a military uniform might do it.”
“I thought you were proud of your new duds?”
“I am, and it wasn’t easy to not wear it…but…there will be time to break them out later. Are you ready to leave, Cali?”
“I guess. When’s the big day?”
“Everything is completed. We’re just doing double, triple, and more checks on every system and, at some point, we’re going to have to trust what we’ve built and use it. I think we’ll leave in another two-days.”
“What about the DECs going with us?”
The ten-Algeans and their twins will arrive here tomorrow. We need to make sure they understand their roles and then we should be ready for launch.”
“What roles are you talking about?”
“Cali, there will be eleven-DECs on board, along with the ten-Algeans listening in on everything we do. I will not have the time to answer all their questions and carry on a continuous conversation with them. You and I must focus on flying the Knight and that needs to be made clear at the start.”
“How are you going to get them out of the Knight when we arrive in the OAs universe. If we open the port…”
“We’ll be immediately detected!” Eddie added quickly. “I’m sending them out of the passages in the polarized dark matter hull.”
Cali’s eyes showed her concern, “Is there enough room to do that?”
