by Saxon Andrew
“Then why was the Union looking for it in that direction?”
Grady closed his eyes slightly and thought about it. He finally raised his eyes and replied, “They were lying about looking for Earth. They must have been looking for another habitable planet to launch a colony ship to settle.”
“Why would they be doing that, Grady?”
“Fear, Taffy. You need look no further than what happened to the Union when the Coalition attacked. The Union must have planned to send colonists out but were not successful finding a suitable planet to colonize before it was conquered by the Coalition.”
“Are you sure about that?” Taffy asked. Grady’s expression showed confusion, as Taffy added, “The Union stopped looking for Earth fifteen years ago; they just suddenly called off the search, remember?” Grady nodded. Taffy continued, “I was sitting with my father in his office around that time and heard him make a call to the Executive Officer of his corporation. He told him to start manufacturing more large freighters. The EO told him they weren’t using the ones they had; my father interrupted him saying that the government had purchased a hundred and fifty of his largest freighters.” Taffy paused and then asked, “When you were in the military, did you ever look to see how many civilian freighters were in the Union’s fleet?”
Grady nodded, “I had to make a report each week to the admiral on the status of the Union’s fleet. There were only six civilian freighters on the ship registry.” Grady paused and added, “There were several thousand military freighters but only six civilian freighters.”
“Where did they go, Grady?” Taffy asked. “My father said he sold a hundred and fifty to the government; what happened to them?” Grady’s brow was furrowed as he concentrated, and Taffy stated in a calm voice, “Grady, there was nothing to fear from the Coalition back then; the Dictator didn’t take power until three or four years later.”
Grady raised his eyes to her and said quietly, “The Union must have found the aliens.” Taffy’s head went back slightly and then forward. Grady’s eyes closed slightly as he continued, “The Union had sent ships toward the central core of the galaxy saying they were looking for Earth but were really searching for a threat located there. One of our scouts must have recorded an image of an alien warship and it frightened the leaders of the Union. They must have found the location of the alien’s civilization and determined the Union was no match for it.” Grady paused and said in a neutral tone, “They must have launched those freighters to go out and settle a colony on another planet; it’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“But they should have gotten the entire planet involved, Grady!”
“Taffy, the Dictator took power four years later, but he was well on his way to taking control of the countries that made up the Coalition fifteen-years ago. It was clear, even back then, he saw the Union as an adversary. The Union must have loaded those freighters with colonists and supplies and surreptitiously launched them individually when they wouldn’t be noticed. I suspect all of them were gone by the time the Dictator took power.” Grady stared at Taffy in silence for a long moment and then said, “You know that this is all pure speculation and there isn’t anything to support this?”
Taffy lowered her face slightly, “I know what I heard, Grady! My father refused to tell the Executive Officer why the government purchased the freighters.”
Grady lowered his eyes and nodded slightly. He looked up and asked, “Computer, how many warships were in the Union’s fleets fifteen-years ago?”
“Eight thousand four hundred of various ship types were in the ship’s registry.”
“And how many were in the Union’s fleet’s thirteen-years ago?”
“That information is classified,” the computer replied.
Grady’s expression immediately changed as he asked, “What about twelve-years ago?”
“That information is classified.”
“How many were on the fleet ten-years ago?”
The computer answered, “Nine-thousand of various ship types were in the ship’s registry.”
Taffy asked, “What does this mean, Grady?”
“Taffy, the Union has been manufacturing more than two-thousand warships every year for the last twenty-years. Between the time you heard your father sold the freighters to the government and four years later, only six hundred warships were added to the registry.”
Taffy blinked and asked, “Where did the other seven or eight thousand go?”
“Taffy, there’s something else you should know. I was inducted into the military when I was right out of Britannia Tech. I entered as a lieutenant and was given a department to command. I thought it was because of my excellent grades in B.T. but I noticed that many of the lead scientists in Fleet Headquarters’ weapon development division weren’t much older than me. I asked one of them about it and was told that many of the older scientists had retired seven years earlier because there was an economic incentive for them to do it. How old are you, Taffy?”
“Twenty-three.”
“So, you heard your father fifteen years ago when you were eight, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’m thirty years old, and I joined the military eight years ago when I was twenty-two. All those older, experienced scientists retired seven years earlier around the time you heard your father saying he sold the freighters to the Union. What does this say to you, Taffy.”
“They didn’t really retire.”
Grady nodded and lowered his eyes, “Do you want to find out for sure?”
“How?” Taffy asked.
“Computer, where did Greng Lightner live prior to the alien’s attack?” Grady asked.
“That information is classified.”
Grady turned to Taffy, “Greng Lightner was the commanding scientist in Fleet Headquarters. He retired with the other senior scientists about fifteen-years ago. Now his address is classified, and I believe it’s because he was no longer on Britannia. The Union has colonized another planet somewhere! The evidence is overwhelming that happened somewhere around fifteen years ago.”
“Why didn’t that planet come to defend Britannia when the aliens attacked?!”
“Taffy, I really don’t know. However, keep in mind that any newly settled planet takes decades to construct a modern civilization.”
“But they appear to have taken thousands of warships with them.”
“That’s the frightening thing, Taffy. The Union could have taken all that energy and resources to just build massive ship building facilities, they chose to run instead.”
“Why, Grady?”
Grady huffed out a breath before answering, “Because the Union discovered that the number of alien warships must have been too large to confront.”
“Grady, the Union should have gone to the Coalition and told them what they found and combined forces to prepare for the aliens!”
Grady shook his head, “The Union must have determined the aliens had more fleets such that the combined efforts of the Union and Coalition wouldn’t have been enough. Also, the Coalition probably wouldn’t have believed the Union Leaders and would have sent ships out to confirm it was true.” Grady paused and then continued, “I believe the aliens did not detect our scouts examining their civilization prior to the freighters being launched. What do you think the aliens would have done if they saw Coalition ships looking for them…”?
“They would have attacked earlier,” Taffy completed Grady’s sentence.
“Yes, and they in turn would have sent scouts to keep an eye on Britannia preventing the possibility of sending out ships to start a new colony. The aliens destroyed this scout though we sent false news to the Coalition that it was destroyed in an accidental fire on board. The scout’s destruction had to happen when the aliens moved toward us and discovered Britannia’s location.”
Grady paused, and Taffy quickly asked, “What’s wrong?” Grady looked at her. “I can tell by your expression that you’ve just thought of something else,” Taffy a
dded.
“I understand now why the Admiral sent me to rebuild this ship?”
“Why?”
“He intended to have me take it to the colony. You’ve pointed out there was no possible way for the Union to start building this ship in time to take on the Coalition or the aliens. He couldn’t send the hull to the colony without the Coalition finding out and the aliens scouting the planet would have seen it being moved. That’s why he sent the new blasters on the last shipment; he wanted to make sure if things turned bad, I would be able to get it away from Britannia and take it to the colony.”
“Where is the colony, Grady?”
“Taffy, he never told me a colony existed and certainly never gave me any information on where it was located. I think he planned to wait until the ship was completed but was killed before that happened.”
“You have an idea on where Earth is located, do you have any ideas on where the colony is located?”
“No, and that won’t happen.” Taffy’s eyes tightened as Grady added, “The colony ship that founded Britannia didn’t have a stardrive. I can deduce that they took a straight course from Earth because maneuvering that giant ship was next to impossible. The Union freighters did have stardrives and could have gone in any direction away from the core of the galaxy.”
“Why not there?”
“Taffy, that’s the direction the aliens are coming from; that’s the last course the Union Leadership would have taken.” Grady raised his hands, “There is no possible way to find that colony.”
“So, what are we going to do, Grady?”
“We’re sticking to our original plan and go looking for Earth. Around twenty thousand years passed on Earth while the ancient colony ship flew to the planet it eventually settled. It’s been six thousand years since the colony ship arrived and I have to believe that Earth is far more advanced than either the Union or Coalition technologically. Maybe they will help us.”
“If it’s still there,” Taffy replied. Grady looked up at her as she buckled into her chair. “You and I agree the colony ship left Earth because of fear. Do you have any idea what that fear may have come from?” Taffy asked.
“No, and you’re right. They could have left because the planet was in danger of being destroyed by its star going nova. Or there could have been a coming war that made them leave. But this is the only hope we have and we might as well go and see if we can find out.”
“I’m behind you all the way, Grady. Let’s go see what history has to show us.”
Grady smiled and lined Rex Rabbit up with the planet and the center of the galaxy. He turned the bow of the ship away from the planet and said, “Computer, lock in the course the ship is pointed on and overlay it on a map of the galaxy.” The large monitor illuminated, and a map of the galaxy appeared showing a bright white line moving away toward the outer spiral arms. He activated the FTL drive and the Rex Rabbit exploded forward.
• • •
Grady got up from the mattress and stretched. He saw Taffy sitting in her chair and went to his chair, “Couldn’t sleep?”
Taffy shook her head, “No, I slept fine, you just slept longer than normal.” Taffy turned to him and beamed a smile, “I finally got up before you did!”
Grady chuckled, “I’ve been stressed and haven’t slept well.”
“Grady, how are we going to know if we’re getting close to Earth?”
“We’ll receive electronic signals, Taffy.”
“What kind of electronic signals?”
“Probably images, first and audio later.”
“I’m not sure what you mean by that?”
Grady looked at the monitor and saw the stars passing them at high-speed; they looked like streaks of light. “Did you ever watch the entertainment channels on your monitors?” Taffy nodded. “During the early years most of the channels were broadcast over the airwaves before they were changed into cable channels. Those early broadcasts not only moved around the planet but were scattered out into space as well. They traveled at the speed of light and can be detected by our modern scanner. That’s probably how the aliens found Britannia.”
“So, we should be picking up those signals now, shouldn’t we?”
“No. Those early broadcasts were weak, and they degrade with the solar wind of stars. They usually fade after six or seven light years. However, if the path they’re traveling away from Earth doesn’t have numerous stars on it, they could be seen much further away.”
Taffy nodded. There was a moment of silence and Taffy asked, “How long will it take us to travel twenty-thousand light years?”
“Another week. But I’m slowing the ship after twelve-thousand light years to allow our scanner to operate more efficiently. That will extend the time to arrive to about twelve days. The computer’s distance estimate was between fifteen and twenty thousand light years.”
“Is the ship fully powered?”
“No, it’s not. I’m planning to deactivate the stardrive and go to normal speed to move it close to a star to recharge the systems before making the last move forward.”
Taffy turned her head to him, “What if we find Earth isn’t advanced enough to help us?”
Grady sighed, “Then we’ll probably just settle in to living on Earth.”
“Why would you want to do that, Grady?”
“Taffy, humans are a social species and we need others like us to survive, don’t you think?”
“Not really.” Grady turned his chair and faced Taffy. She saw his frown and sighed, before continuing, “Look, it’s been my experience that humans can be cruel and selfish. If we settle on Earth, there is a real possibility that you might find a woman there more suited to your liking.”
“You could also find a man as well, Taffy,” Grady snapped back. Taffy shrugged. “You could!” he pressed.
“Grady, I don’t have any desire to consider anyone else. This time I’ve been with you has been…I don’t know…it’s brought me happiness; I don’t want to risk losing that.” Taffy lowered her eyes and turned back to the monitor. After a moment she said softly, “You only took me along out of the goodness of your heart.”
“What would you rather do?” Grady asked.
“If Earth can’t help, then we turn around and look for the colony the Union founded.”
“But Taffy, the chances of finding it are astronomically against us.”
“I don’t care! At least I’d be with you. We could always find an uninhabited planet and settle on it.”
Grady sighed, “Survival on an uninhabited planet would be even worse, Taffy. We’d certainly have to deal with predators and all the other things the planet would throw at us. The Rabbit isn’t carrying all the items on board we’d need to do that.” Taffy sighed and nodded.
They were silent for about thirty minutes and Grady said, “It’s like I said back in the cavern.” Taffy turned to him. “Your hair has grown longer and you’re getting more beautiful every day. You’ve taught me a lot since I met you, Taffy. I was quick to make judgments and most of them were wrong.” He paused and added, “You really are much more than I thought. This ship would be an empty, lonely place without you in it. You said that Rex Rabbit was our home…it was only a ship until you made it my home. Whatever happens, you and I will not be separated by anyone or anything.”
“Do you mean that, Grady?”
“I do!”
Taffy’s eyes were moist as she asked, “Didn’t you tell me you had a girlfriend before you accepted this mission?”
Grady lowered his head slightly before replying, “I was forced to put her aside and she found another man to marry. I tell you now that if you were my girlfriend when I was ordered to take the mission, I would have refused to do it.”
Taffy’s tears started, and Grady went to a knee in front of her chair, “I’m in this for the long haul, Taffy.”
Taffy burst out laughing and wiped her tears, “I’m the one that said that.”
“I know. But I’m the one that r
eally means it.”
Taffy leaned forward and put her arms around his neck, “So do I, Grady! So, do I!”
• • •
The next day, Taffy woke up suddenly. She felt the sudden deceleration of the Rabbit and sat up on the mattress; she saw Grady sitting on his chair with his helmet on, “What’s going on?”
Grady nodded toward the monitor, “I need to feed the Rabbit, he’s hungry.”
Taffy stood up and went to her chair. She looked at the monitor and saw a giant blue star in the distance. She looked at the console and saw the temperature gauge rising until it passed the black optimum line and moved half way between it and the red zone. Grady activated the FTL drive and the giant star disappeared from the monitor. Taffy was wearing her nightwear and she stood up to go and get dressed.
Grady shook his head, since their talk a few days earlier, she had only gotten more beautiful. The worried brow she had most of the time was gone and her smile was something to behold. He didn’t tell her that she would find many suitors if they settled on Earth. He on the other hand…well…he might get by. His light brown hair and brown eyes weren’t much to look at. He chuckled. He had a good body but that was about all, he was like Taffy when he first met her, all body, no face.
She returned to the bridge a few minutes later, leaned down and kissed him on the cheek, before asking, “Why do you have your helmet on?”
“The computer will be sending any signals we receive to our faceplates.” Taffy turned around, took her helmet off the back of the chair, and put it on.
“Grady.”
“Yes.”
“How do you know Earth will be located on this line? I mean, the center of the galaxy turns faster than the outer arms. Won’t Earth be located somewhere else if you fly directly toward the outer arms.”
“The core does spin but not faster than the outer spiral arms, the outer spiral arms keep pace with it.” Taffy’s brow furrowed. Grady saw her confusion and asked, “Have you ever ridden the Wheel of animals when you were a child?”
“Of course!”
“Well try to imagine the wheel being much larger with fifty animals in every row. They’ll be moving up and down as the wheel turns. Now, will the first animal in the row close to the center of the ride be moving faster than the animal at the outer edge?”
