The image looks over at Carla and says, “You really don’t remember do you?”
Carla now almost in tears says, “No, I don’t know what or who you are. Please can you help me understand?”
The image changes form, becoming her father and says, “Hi Little Flower, you need to understand what it is that you are and I have sent you the tools to do this. If you try without the device, it will be very difficult to understand, but in time you will learn to become one with yourself.” The image changes back into the younger version of Carla and asks, “You don’t know how to do it, do you?”
Carla now in tears says, “I don’t know how. The device is broken so I don’t know what it is I’m supposed to do.”
The image huffs, and sits down, frustrated says, Ok, I’ll help you a little, but just a little.”
The image moves over and touches Carla, as it does, it enters her body, and she feels a presence as never before. She hears Ronin, “Mistress Carla are you well?” Ronin asks.
Carla awakes back in the real realm with Kitanna still holding her. Carla smiles and says, “I think I did it.”
Sanchez, surprised, says, “We have power levels building up in the inertial dampers. We have power increasing in the dual power core four percent, and it’s growing every minute.”
Carla, happy, smiles and says, “I’m not sure how long this will last. It said it was going to help me a little bit, but I need to get that device my father left for me working.”
Sanchez, impressed says, “We’ve just had a huge increase in power to the engines. We will intercept the T-Challa fleet in just seven hours.”
Carla, realizing she needs to do more says, “I’ll need to get ready to fight them on the psychic plane Kitanna.”
Kitanna reluctantly says, “Wait until we are ready to attack Carla.”
Carla hears a voice in her head say, “She’s bossy.”
Carla smiles and says to the voice, “I’m not sure I understand, but are you Ronnie?”
The voice sighs and says, “No, I’m you, and I’m Ronnie. You’ll figure it out when you stop acting like a scared little girl.”
Ronin says, “Mistress, what you see and what you are talking to is us, but I can’t explain how it is us.”
Carla smiles and says, “Ok Kitanna, I think I need to spend some time to figure me out. For a little bit anyways.”
Back on the planet, Abe is with Ella as the crew of the Williams continues to gather supplies.
Ella trying to understand everything about her new friends asks, “Master Abraham, these beings knew all about you, yet you have never been here. How is it they know about you and your abilities if you were just a small child when Master Caleb disappeared?”
Abe, who is still working on the device replies, “My father told me that Caleb altered me as an infant to be this super smart person. My best guess is he knew that I would be the only one other than Caleb’s brother-in-law Val that could fix this thing, and he must have told them if they were ever found to ask for my help.”
Ella, however, is aware of much more information from her contact with the Phace’mal, but fears telling Abe.
Abe, still racing to repair the device asks, “Now I have a question for you Ella. Why did the T-Challa clone your people?”
Ella innocently replies, “My people were all but lost centuries ago, but after the T-Challa’s early encounters with your people they recognizing our genetic similarities, so they started to clone us. My best assumption is to learn more from the similarities of our species. I was one of the first cloned along with fourteen others. Afterwards, they detected our resistance to their psychic commands and they placed those things in us. I was able to keep mine at bay. While two others died, and the other ones…” Ella pauses, “Well, I never knew what happened to them. They took them away, and from that point on the T-Challa altered my people’s genetic makeup, to make us docile and more compliant to their wishes.”
Abe stops and sits up finally looking up at Ella and says, “Carla says the horrors that you have seen are very frightening. She feels very bad about what your people have been put through. I hope that we can end this war, and stop the T-Challa.”
Ella says, “Carla is very kind to me. She will not allow me to call her mistress, and she is very attracted to you.”
Abe’s eyes go wide with a big grin as he says, “Well, I don’t think she wants you to tell me that, so for your own safety I would suggest you hide that little bit of information you told me from her.”
Ella now frightened pleads, “Oh, I hope she will not have me killed, I did not know.”
Abe smiles again, saying, “Ella, our people are not killers, you are welcomed to look into my mind and see where, and why my people are the way they are.”
Ella very timid looks deep within Abe mind as he goes back to work on the device. She is fascinated to see his life, and that of the human race. She is also aware of the possible future Abraham faces as the Phace’mal showed her everything Caleb had told them. Including a very dark future, which could befall him.
Two hours later, back at the pending battle Frasier contacts Sanchez, saying, “Commander we are ready for our last shift. We have targeted as many ships as we can but they have spaced out their fleet.”
Sanchez, looking over the telemetry says, “Captain Frasier please stand by before launching your attack.”
Sanchez looks up to the Captain and says, “Captain Meyer’s, I suggest we use Carla to distract the fleet. This will optimize Captains Frasier’s chances.”
Kitanna reluctantly looks over to Carla, who says, “I can do it Kitanna.”
Kitanna bites her bottom lip as she thinks better of the idea, but realizing her limited options replies, “Ok Carla, but be careful. We can’t survive another power surge.”
Carla begins to hover as she enters the psychic plane. As she expected the T-Challa are waiting for her, but this time Carla notices that her blue bubble is stretching outward pushing them away. She immediately notices her armor is up and is more defined than before. Her blades are gone as she asks, “Where are my weapons?”
Then the voice of the small version of her replies, “You really don’t know what you are do you?”
Carla confused, says, “No, I don’t know what you are. I know who I am.”
The voice laughs, saying, “No you don’t, because I’m you.” After a moment, the voice finally gets serious and says, “We are you and you are us, and in here you are without equal. You are limited only by your own fears and doubts. All you need to do is believe, and it will happen.”
Carla takes a deep breath as she thinks about what she was just told and she sees the thousands of T-Challa, pushing up against her shield. They push relentlessly as they try to push the shield back onto her, but Carla pushes back out against the T-Challa, knocking them back. Realizing just how easy this is she drops her shield as thousands of T-Challa warriors charge at her in a furious rage. The inner voice says, “Uhmm, what the hell are you doing?”
Carla finally smiles and says, “What you told me. Anything I wanted.”
Carla builds with energy as the T-Challa are temporarily slowed by the blinding light she creates.
Out in the real world Sanchez reports, “We’re building up power levels again, Captain but it's much more stable. I’m going to order Captain Frasier to make his attack.”
Kitanna sighs and says, “Ok Commander. Let’s go for it.”
Back on the psychic plane the inner voice now worried says, “What are you doing?”
Carla mockingly says, “You’re me so you should know what I’m doing right?”
The inner voice confused answers childishly, “Well of course I do, but it’s kinda scary. You know, without the shield up and stuff.”
Carla keeps building up her power as the energy starts to destroy the T-Challa, and finally she releases a mass amount of psychic energy as the entire plane is cleared of everything but her.
The inner child’s voice surprised
yells, “Holy cow! That was so awesome!”
Carla, now starting to understand what this inner voice is, says, “I know who you are now, but I don’t understand why you are here.”
The voice replies, “You created me. You did this and you need to fix it.”
Carla sighs as she looks out over the empty plane and says, “I think I need my father to help me fix it.”
Back in the real world, Frasier launches his attack with exact precision, successfully destroying twelve ships and heavily damages two others.
Sanchez happily reports, “Two of the ships are dropping out of hyperspace leaving only six ships still on course with us three Super Dreadnoughts and three standard Dreadnoughts.”
Frasier reports in, “Ronin we have these last two ships with shields down and they have heavy damage. We’re requesting permission to finish them off?”
Sanchez looks to the Captain and waits for her order. Finally, Kitanna says, “Negative Captain. We can finish them off later. We need to go after these last six first.”
Carla finally leaves the psychic realm, stating as she returns to her body, “They’re gone from the plane. I can try and make contact with Earth.”
Kitanna, remaining focused on the pending battle says, “Carla, later, please. Right now I need you to do whatever you can do to help us take out these last six ships.”
Carla focuses on the ship and tries to gain better control of her powers.
Sanchez says, “We are still increasing power levels in all systems.”
Ronin, now closes the distance in less than twenty minutes as Sanchez announces, “We will be in weapons range in forty-five seconds.”
Kitanna says, “Don’t wait for my order Commander. Fire as soon as you have a lock.”
Frasier announces, “Ronin, we are ready to engage.”
Ronin finally speaks, “We are in range to fire now.”
Sanchez yells, “Fire all weapons.”
Ronin’s deck lights up as the multiple plasma charges and hundreds of torpedoes head to the first two T-Challa ships.
Ronin's power levels are at seventy percent higher ratio then previously recorded, but they have not attained the levels recorded at its first conception, nonetheless they still strike a devastating blow on the T-Challa fleet. The first Dreadnought is split in half while the Super Dreadnought is heavily damaged suffering multiple hull breaches.
Sanchez says, “Frasier attack from the rear of the fleet.”
Frasier and over two hundred fighters launch against two Dreadnoughts and over twenty T-Challa fighters. The fighters dogfight last only for a brief moment as Frasier focuses on one of the Dreadnoughts breaking down its shields and damaging its aft section.
Kitanna says, “Carla, see what you can do to distract that ships Bridge crew. Ismail take your men and gain control of that Super Dreadnought.”
Carla focuses her mind on the T-Challa Bridge crew and freezes them in their place.
Ismail and his men immediately shift over to the Bridge of the damaged Super and are surprised to see the Bridge crew frozen in place. They start to fire on the stationary Bridge crew.
Carla sensing the pending T-Challa attack refocuses her attention back in on Ronin as she tenses herself up and she tries to increase the power to the shields.
Sanchez completely in awe says, “Our shields just jumped up to twice their power levels, and amazingly the emitters are holding.”
As if on cue, two Super Dreadnoughts fire a massive barrage on Ronin but the shields hold. Sanchez is completely shocked, saying, “Shields are holding at sixty-seven percent, and they’re climbing back up quickly.”
Kitanna annoyed, says, “Commander, I hope you’re not waiting on an invitation.”
Sanchez embarrassed smiles and yells, “All weapons fire.”
The weapons focus on a nearby Dreadnought and in a single volley obliterate it. However, the remaining T-Challa ships once again all return fire.
Carla braces for the impact, but this time it’s too much for her to handle, as she tries to control every aspect of the ship as the shields drop.
The ship takes heavy damage across its outer hull and loses power to its starboard side engine.
Carla collapses as the voice inside screams freezing her body in pain. Sanchez doesn’t hesitate. He locks onto one of the Super Dreadnoughts and fires another volley.
Ismail finally gains control of the first damaged Super Dreadnought. He immediately heads it into a collision course towards a nearby Super Dreadnought. That Super Dreadnought turns its weapons away from Ronin and onto the impending Super Dreadnought desperately trying to destroy it before it can destroy them both.
Ismail yells as the Super Dreadnought is hammered hard, “All hands abandon ship!” Ismail and his men shift out and back on board Ronin, as his Super Dreadnought flies headlong into a mass barrage of plasma and T-Challa torpedoes.
The last Super and regular Dreadnought prepare to fire again at Ronin. Sanchez yells, “We won’t survive this volley.”
Carla in deep pain focuses all her strength and enters the psychic plane. She focuses on all the T-Challa on both remaining ships and tries desperately to stop them.
Carla, bleeding badly glows bright blue as she focuses all her strength to hold the two ship's crews at bay, but only after a brief few moments, she screams. The strain proves too much for her as she passes out.
Sanchez taking advantage of Carla’s momentary distraction quickly fires one last volley at the two last ships heavily damaging both, but they in turn also fire at the defenseless Ronin. The crew braces for the deadly impact, but just at the moment of impact an amazing thing happens. Ronin announces, “We have an incoming Paladin class Battleship. It is shifting directly into the line of fire.”
At that precise moment a massive Paladin class ship intercepts the T-Challa volley.”
Sanchez completely shocked yells, “What ship is that!”
A voice responds over the holocom, “Damn you kids. Always need your asses saved by the marines, don’t you?”
Kitanna recognizing the voice asks in utter shock, “Gabriel?”
Mohammed replies, “Well, he’s not alone, Kitty.”
Just then, the Celesta fires all its weapons at the nearest Super Dreadnought, slicing right through it.
The remaining two Super Dreadnoughts finally destroy each other in a massive collision; leaving only the two heavily damaged Dreadnoughts. Frasier with all his fighter wings fires intensely on the aft section of his targeted Dreadnought, finally destroying the engines, leaving it helplessly floating in space, as Benton’s ship the Celesta still lies in-between the last Dreadnought and Ronin suffers damage as the Dreadnought breaks through its shields and damages several decks. Gabriel angered yells, “That does it dragon breath, your toast!”
The Celesta fires a precise volley at the Dreadnoughts Bridge and rips through its shields and deep into the ship.
Sanchez seizes the moment to add Ronin’s significant firepower and finishes the last Dreadnought off.
Gabriel with a satisfied grin says, “Ok kiddies, miss me much?”
Kitanna in tears yells, “Gabriel! Is that really you?”
Gabriel laughs as he, Mohammed, and Raphael, appear on the holocom screen, saying, “Hey Kitty, long time no sees.”
Kitanna is in a state of utter shock and stutters out, “Gabriel?”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
REMEMBER
Twenty minutes later, the Celesta docks alongside Ronin as Frasier sends his fighters out. They spend the next hour finishing off the last of T-Challa ships.
The crew of Ronin quickly gathers around the airlock. Kitanna is first to greet the three wayward travelers, as the hatch to the airlock opens and Gabriel, Mohammed, and Raphael exit.
Kitanna in complete disbelief and out of character of her rank and physical condition, being almost six-month pregnant jumps into Gabriel arms yelling, “It’s really you! I can’t believe you’re alive!”
Moham
med, very surprised and standing next to Gabriel asks, “Kitanna, you’re with child?”
Kitanna hugs Mohammed, saying, “Yes I am you big giant. How in the world did you three find each other? I thought you had died in null space.”
Ismail now standing in the forefront of the crowd is completely stunned at what he sees. He stares in complete disbelief, asking, “Father?”
Mohammed also stunned looks at Ismail and in total amazement, saying, “I know that voice, and I know that face, but it can’t be my son, can it be? By Allah you have grown to be a man.”
Ismail slowly approaches Mohammed, as the two look at each other eye to eye, and in the moment, the two embrace as Mohammed yells in glee, “My son! How I have missed so much of your life.”
Gabriel smiling says to the crew, “I found the big guy with Raphael floating in null space. So I figured out it was time to return to normal space, but with the time distortion effect in null space. Well, that still made that brief time to be thirteen or so years here.”
Kitanna surprised at Gabriel’s little speech asks, “Benton when did you get so smart?”
Benton boastfully replies, “When you’ve been around more than eight hundred years you do a lot of reading sweetheart.”
Kitanna now stunned, asks, “Eight hundred years?”
Benton smiles and says, “Well, it’s more like two or three, maybe five hundred standing around time, and another eight or seven hundred in suspended animation… Ahhh hell, I’ll explain it all later. It’s a very long story.”
The crew cheers in jubilation and Sanchez asks, “Where is the rest of your crew Colonel Benton?”
Benton smiles, saying, “Son, I’m a General now and this is all my crew. The Celesta was completely automated, but that last strike blew out hundreds of automated systems and unfortunately I’m not that smart to fix it.”
Raphael curious, asks, “Where is your husband Klaus?”
Kitanna confused asks, “Raphael how did you know he was my husband? We were not married until after you disappeared?”
The Ocoda Chronicles Book 3 Ronin Page 16
