by Saxon Andrew
Steve watched the exchange and saw Essay nodding. He was just as guilty as Gabby. He looked at Kamela as she said, “I honestly don’t know what my purpose, or my destiny, is but I know that I have to follow the clues given me and I cannot allow you to control where I go or when I go. That’s why I took possession of Poul and refused to allow your officers to leave.”
Steve stared at her for a long moment and said, “I will honor your wish to go where you deem it necessary but you don’t need my officers to do that.”
“Admiral, they are part of the vision. They’re just as important as I am to fulfilling it. They were there at that particular moment because they were driven to be there. If you take them off this ship, they will be driven to come back.”
Essay looked at Erica and saw her nodding slightly. He focused on leaving the Eyes and felt a wave of fear course through his body. Why hadn’t he felt that before?
Kamela looked deep into Steve’s eyes and stood up, “I refused to allow them to go but I will not hold them here against their will. I know that love trumps destiny and they are free to leave with you.”
Essay said, “I’m not going anywhere.”
Erica looked at her parents and said, “I am staying here.”
Steve stared at his son and saw something different in him. He looked like a calmness had descended on him, “Why do you say that, Son?”
“I just thought about leaving the Eyes and felt a wave of fear that washed over me like a tsunami. I don’t understand what Kamela is talking about but I know to the depth of my being that I must be here on this ship.” Essay looked at Erica, “Do you feel it as well?”
“I do.”
Essay stared at her and said, “You came here because of me.” Erica stared at him in silence and then nodded as she lowered her head.
Gabby stood up and said, “What is this about?”
Ali said, “Gabby, I’ve lived with you for more than twenty years and I’ve loved you every moment. But there are times when you are absolutely blind concerning things around you. We’ve given everything we have to Erica and now she is going to have to go and find her way in this terrible universe we live in. We can’t shelter her from all the evil, truth be told, we can’t even shelter ourselves from all the pain and suffering out there in the stars. But now is the time to trust our daughter to make the right decisions or we’ve wasted our time raising her to be the wonderful woman I know she is.”
Gabby stared into Ali’s eyes and then went into his arms weeping, “I’m not ready to let her go.”
“It’s time, my love,” He whispered.
Steve watched them and turned back to Kamela, “I wonder if my original ancestor felt the same way about working with your grandfather?”
“He did feel like he was being forced to do it, Admiral. But in the end, they grew to love each other.”
“Will you keep me informed about what you see, Kamela?”
“As much as I can.”
Steve nodded and looked at Gabe, “What do you think about this?”
Gabe looked at Kamela, then Essay, and then Erica before turning to Steve, “The Prophet chose your ancestor to lead Earth out of its dark ages because he saw what he was made of. He said that Essay Connor was the only sane person in the meeting of world leaders. Now we’re here and give honor to both of them for what they did. It appears to me that something much larger than our own wishes and plans is happening here. Or do you see it differently?”
Steve smiled slightly, “The time is greater than the man.”
Gabe nodded and added, “Or the Kindred.”
Steve looked at his son and said, “My ancestor tried to escape his destiny by taking his family and hiding in a cave. He was pulled out of that cave and made to do what had to be done to save humanity.”
Kamela smiled, “And the Kindred.”
Steve looked at her and nodded, “And the Kindred. I don’t understand the forces at work here but I will not stand in their way.” He looked at Essay and smiled, “Captain Essay Connor, you are promoted to Admiral and will serve on the Kindred Warship, Prophet’s Eyes.” He turned to Erica, “You are promoted to Commodore and will serve on the Kindred Warship, the Prophet’s Eyes.”
“Sir, we don’t need to be promoted.”
Steve smiled, “You will if you determine that you need our fleet to carry out your instructions.” Steve turned to Gabe and Amy, “If they call for you, you will follow their orders.”
Gabe nodded, “Yes, Sir.”
“Amy?”
“Gabe is in overall command, Sir. If he’s been ordered to follow them, I will, of course follow their orders as well.”
Steve saw Essay was nervous and he smiled, “Be careful what you wish for, Son. You might get it.” Steve looked at Kamela, “I will not interfere with how you choose to use this ship. You are not under my command and are free to use it as you see fit.”
“Thank you, Admiral.”
“Now, would it be possible to move this meeting to my conference room and get a little more comfortable.”
Kamela smiled, “Lead the way.” She stood up and followed Steve off the bridge.
Erica walked up to her mother and took her out of Ali’s arms and hugged her tightly, “I do love you so very much, Mother.”
Gabby grabbed her and held her tight.
Chapter Ten
The Builder Leader was losing his patience and he didn’t have much patience to start with. The Elders agreed unanimously with his escape plan and the Collective should have been on their way three weeks ago. The problem was that the main computer system had no real idea of how many high tech constructs there were in the galaxy. Many had been built for the convenience of the various Builder Worlds and had gone unreported. Now the thousands of worlds were swarming through the galaxy destroying those constructs and the Leader was forced to agree that they couldn’t be left behind revealing important pieces of their technology. So he sat in his chair and fumed. It would be easy to cast blame but the ones that would be blamed were no longer alive. He replaced the former Leader when he was killed for his consummate stupidity.
“Leader, the last constructs have been removed.”
The Leader was eager to leave but he no longer trusted the record keeping of the Worlds. “I want every warship on every world sent out to scan the area of the galaxy they previously occupied.”
“They’ve destroyed all those on record, Leader.”
“DO IT NOW!!”
The Leader knew the Worlds wouldn’t like sending hundreds of thousands of warships out to do a search. They would then have to replenish the reactors when the ships returned and Builders hated using energy needlessly. He sat in his chair and soon the reports began pouring in. More than eight thousand other high tech constructs were discovered. Finally, no more reports came in. The Senior Elder appeared on a hologram beside his chair and said, “I must admit that I thought this final search was a waste of time; however, your judgement has proven sound again.”
“In the future, every World will document any constructs they build and failure to do so will cost the Leader of the World their life.”
“That’s rather severe.”
“It has to be to make them do it, Elder.”
“Unfortunately, you are probably right.”
“It will only take killing one of them to ensure the others fall in line.”
“We have voted on the Council and will no longer be questioning your decisions. You have demonstrated a wisdom that the Council has not matched.”
“I appreciate your confidence and the extra time to make things happen without having to explain my choices every time I make them.”
The Senior Elder smiled, “We will pass judgment if you make a big mistake.”
“Of course. I can live with that.” The hologram disappeared and the Builder Leader stood up and said, “Open the wide frequency.” He saw in his mind thousands of blue lines extending out from his office into space. “We will start our exodus now. All
Worlds will start broadcasting the communication field and continue broadcasting until we settle on another place to colonize. The Worlds will lead the way and the defense satellites will join the Worlds twelve hours after their departure. The satellites will form a defense shell around the Worlds protecting them from the direction of our advance and anything that comes in behind us. Execute these orders…NOW!”
The Leader sat down in his chair and felt the sudden movement of the floor under him. He looked up and saw the giant stardrive field form around the world he was on and then the giant construct flew away from the star it was orbiting at a ferocious speed. He watched the star recede behind the World and said, “Link, activate the old communication system.”
“System active.”
He didn’t like having to communicate electronically on a system that was slower than the blue communication field but he really didn’t have a choice. The Collective was going to be traveling multiple times the speed of light and the blue field couldn’t keep up. He’d just have to learn to deal with it. The Giant Builder World caught up with the other Worlds leaving the edge of the galaxy and assumed its position in the middle of their formation. Their giant force fields overlapped and the brilliant glow could be seen in the far reaches of subspace. He wondered what the Black Fleets were thinking about at this moment.
• • •
“CONTROLER! THE LINE OF THE SMALL BEING’S DEFENSES HAS ACCELERATED AWAY!”
“WHAT!? WHERE DID THEY GO?”
“Our warships have activated their stardrives to pursue and can see a giant signal moving away from the galaxy at enormous speed. It appears the Small Beings are fleeting their galaxy and leaving it to us.”
“WE CAN’T ALLOW THEM TO ESCAPE.” The Controller pressed a button on its helmet to amplify its thoughts, “ALL FAMILES, ATTENTION ALL FAMILIES!! THE SMALL BEINGS ARE FLEEING AND WE WILL IMMEDIATELY PURSUE THEM. START MOVING NOW!!!”
“Controller, there are still numerous Depots not fully provisioned.”
“How many?”
“Four hundred.”
“They will have to remain behind and complete the process. They can join us once it’s done.” The Controller didn’t like leaving that many vessels behind but he couldn’t wait. The Small Beings were moving at a speed his ships couldn’t match. He had to keep them in scanner range. He looked at the Azura next to his command chair, “Have we determined where they’re headed?”
“They are moving on a line toward a distant galaxy about three quarters of billion light years away.” The Controller groaned and knew the chase was going to be a long one. He was thankful that most of his forces had been fully provisioned. He stared at the monitor and saw the blue glow far ahead of his ships in subspace and the distance between them was increasing. He had to follow them. He had no other option to ensure the safety of his Family.
• • •
Essay looked at Kamela, “They’re leaving four hundred of those Motherships in the Builder’s Galaxy.” Kamela nodded. “Are you thinking about that?”
“I am.”
“And?”
Kamela looked at Essay and then turned to Erica, “How long would it take for your warships to arrive at that galaxy?”
“About a week.”
“And how long will it take the Builders to arrive at the Carand Galaxy?”
“A little over three weeks.”
“What are you thinking, Kamela?”
“Essay, this does provide a window where your forces can go and confront those four hundred giant black warships and learn how to confront them in actual combat.”
“It would expose us to the Azura’s.”
“They use telepathy for their communications and they will be out of communication range in less than two more days.” Essay stared at Kamela and she shrugged, “What if you discover that you are unable to defeat them? That would force you to meet them as they exit the black hole in our galaxy instead of taking them on in the Carand Galaxy. It might be something you need to know.”
Essay released a breath he was holding and called out, “Poul, how long will it take you to get back to the Fleets at your maximum speed?”
“Six hours.”
Essay nodded and looked at Erica, “What do you think about this?”
“I think I’d rather face four hundred than more than ten thousand.”
Essay nodded, “Poul, get us back.” Essay leaned back in his chair and heard the engines make a tone he had not previously heard. It started as a medium pitch and rose to a high pitch in less than ten seconds. The Builder’s Galaxy disappeared faster than he could see. One moment it was a giant spinning galaxy and the next it was a tiny dot of light. The Prophet’s Eyes had never moved this fast and its speed was unbelievable.
• • •
“Leader, our scanners have detected…something.”
“What exactly do you mean by something?”
“I’m not sure what it is but it’s been detected by several Worlds. Whatever it was, it passed us traveling at more than five hundred times our speed.”
“That’s not possible.”
The Scanner Leader looked up from his console, “It passed so fast that it was difficult to get a trace or image. However, the fact that it was detected by several different scanners rules out it being a scanner error.”
The Builder Leader sat back in his chair. “Send what you have to the main computer.”
“Sending it now.”
The Builder waited for the main computer to process the image. What could it have possibly been? Was it a form of unknown subspace energy? He sat back and waited for an answer.
• • •
Essay looked at the main monitor and saw the split images of Admirals Connor, Eagle, Heinrik, Hart, and Holiday. Admiral Eagle said, “I just don’t see how we can take this risk. It’ll take us a week and one day to arrive in the Builder’s Galaxy and I don’t like sending that many vessels through the Carand detection fields. Plus, we’d have less than two weeks to confront those four hundred Motherships and get back before the Builders could come through the Milky Way’s black hole. There’s just not enough time to make it happen, Sir.”
Steve sighed and slowly nodded, “I don’t want to forego this opportunity to give our fleets’ combat experience but I’m forced to agree with you. Do any of you see it differently?”
The other Admirals were silent and after a few moments Erica said, “What if you can get there faster?”
Everyone on the monitor turned and looked at her. Gabe said, “Admiral, I’m using our fastest speed in making this determination. We can’t get there any faster.”
Erica shrugged, “You can’t if you go through the Milky Way’s black hole.”
Gabe stared at her and then his eyes went wide, “By Methuselah’s grey beard, I’m getting stupid.”
Steve looked at him, “What are the two of you talking about?”
Gabe smiled, “Thanks, Commodore Goldwin. She is suggesting we go through Andromeda’s Black Hole to get to the Builder’s Galaxy. That would take less than a day.”
“But the Darkness has the black hole surrounded by their forces.”
“And we’ve demonstrated numerous times that they cannot detect our new warships, Admiral.”
Steve’s eyes narrowed and he punched a button on his panel. Ali Goldwin’s face appeared on the monitor with the other Admirals, “Ali, are our new warships able to withstand the radiation from the Andromeda Jets?”
“I don’t have empirical data on that but we know that our vessels can withstand a jet five times more powerful than the ones coming out of the Milky Way’s black hole. The ones in Andromeda are not that powerful. According to the last measurements we took of them, they were only eighty percent more powerful than the Milky Way’s jets.”
“Send the upper limit of our ability to Admiral Eagle. Gabe, what do you think?”
“We have to choose a route into their black hole where their forces are not as numerous.”
> Erica smiled, “Go in through the jet. None of their towers or warships are anywhere near the jets.”
Gabe looked at Erica again and then looked at Ali, “You should be very proud of your daughter. I told you on the eyes that your children were going to be incredibly intelligent.” Gabe looked at Steve, “I’m having the fleets form up and we’re headed toward Andromeda. Using this shorter route, we can confront those Azura Motherships for three weeks and still make it back here a week before the Builders arrive in the Carand Galaxy.”
Steve smiled, “Don’t take any extreme risks. We need those ships here to defend Earth.”
“We’ll take it slow, Sir.” Gabe looked at the other Admirals in attendance and said, “Get your fleets moving. We’ll be going to battle stations when we arrive at the edge of Andromeda. The Carriers will go through first and Launch their Attack Fighters to form a screen around out point of entry.”
The faces disappeared from the Monitor except for Admiral Connor, “Commodore Goldwin. Thank you for your quick thinking.” Erica nodded and the monitor went back to the tactical view. The Carriers disappeared and soon the Essay Fleets followed them into other space.
Essay looked at Erica and his shoulders lowered. Erica saw it and said, “What?”
“The Admiral is right, you are incredibly smart. I’m going to step down as Commander of this ship and you will take my place.”
“She will not!” Kamela said emphatically.
Essay started to explain but Kamela cut him off, “First of all, Erica does not want to command this ship and will refuse to do it if you ask her.” Essay looked at Erica and she nodded. “Secondly, both of you will remain in the positions you occupied when you arrived on my home world. That will not change.”
“Why?”
“Essay, in this instance, you are right. It was her intelligence that allowed her to see things all the others were missing. But commanding a warship does not solely depend on intelligence. You are in command for a reason and your time to make a difference lies ahead of us.”
