The Colony Ship Vanguard: The entire eight book series in one bundle

by John Thornton

  Gretchen thumbed the switch and the display split into two parts. Doctor Chambers was on the right half and a fuzzy and weak image of Brinley was on the left. Paul looked on excitedly.

  “Paul and Gretchen,” Brinley said. The image of her on the display moved in a jerky and hesitant manner. The mouth and sound were not synchronized as the signal faded in and out. “Can you hear me?”

  “Brinley!” Gretchen sighed out in relief and joy. “You are alive.”

  “Gretchen, I do not have long, this connection is tenuous,” Brinley said. “I understand you have a captured Jellie. You will need to bring it to my location. Larissa and I can assess our enemy.”

  “How did you know?” Paul asked.

  “Paul, no time for explanations. I am sending a vehicle to get you and bring you to safety. I will punch through a map for your use. Go immediately,” Brinley said. “Paul, you are in grave danger. Gretchen you must flee now.”

  The multiceiver scrolled ‘Information received’ under the shaky image of Brinley.

  “Brinley, where are you?” Gretchen asked.

  The image of Brinley faded out and the connection was lost.

  “Brinley? Brinley?” Paul said, but there was no answer. Many questions were swirling through his mind.

  “Doctor Chambers? Did you hear any of that?” Gretchen asked. “We just got a message from Brinley, but it was short and barely made it to us.”

  “I heard your side of the conversation, but nothing else,” Doctor Chambers stated.

  Paul examined his own multiceiver. It was not registering any activity. “Brinley only spoke through your multiceiver,” Paul said. “There must be some significant interference.”

  “Yes, if Brinley was forcing a message though some kind of blocking technology, that would account for the distortions in the visual imagery. She would want the audio to come though and that takes less of a connection.”

  “She could have just sent bare text and the map. That would have required even less of a connection,” Paul replied. “But using the ancient equipment on the Vanguard is frustrating. If we still had Tiffany and our com links this would not be an issue at all. This old junk is just falling apart and antiquated.”

  “Paul, Tiffany is lost, I know that is hard to face. If Brinley had only sent basic code for scrolling a message, would you believe it?”

  “I am not sure….” Paul began

  “Hello?” Doctor Chambers asked. “I am still here and you two are talking around me.” His image was clear and visible and as crystal clear as if they were looking through a window at him.

  “Sorry Doctor Chambers,” Gretchen apologized. “Brinley wants us to take the Jellie to her. She has sent us a message and is arranging for transportation. We need to depart. We will talk to you again.” She deactivated the link before Doctor Chambers could reply.

  “So what does the map tell us?” Paul asked.

  Gretchen had that display on the screen and it showed their current location as well as a route to a transport hub. “The vehicle is docked beneath this ruined town. It looks like it is on sublevel four, beneath a building called the Tula Administrative Plaza. It looks like it is only a few blocks away.”

  “Lyudmila could tell us more about that place,” Paul said. He activated his multiceiver and stated, “Lyudmila, can you hear me?”

  There was no reply.

  Paul tried twice more, but again there was no reply.

  “Brinley must have worked some of her mechanical genius to get us that message,” Gretchen stated. “So come on, I am eager to leave this place. Those Jellies might come back, and I want us to be gone with our captive.”

  Paul reached down and grabbed the spear which was serving as a handle. He lifted up the containment canister and with Gretchen they carried the Jellie out of the ruined house. Paul did not realize that he had left the medallion from The Artemis on the table in the kitchen. In all the excitement of hearing from Brinley he had forgotten it.

  The sky tube light was bright and the heat hit them as they stepped out of the shade.

  “The map shows the building we need is two streets over and then a ways along toward the river,” Gretchen said as she blinked her eyes at the brightness.

  “I wish it was further away from that dried out river. I fear that is where the Jellies will return first. If they know we have their friend, they will be meaner than ever. I assume it called for help while Lyudmila had it pinned down,” Paul said.

  The dead town was quiet. There were no birds flying over. No insect sounds. No movement of anything. The melted, crumbled, and wrecked buildings were eerily still in the rising heat and dropping humidity.

  They walked quickly and turned the corner where Gretchen led.

  “I still worry about radiation,” Paul said as they passed potted trees which had lined the sidewalks. The trees were bare of leaves. The leaves had shriveled up and fallen into brittle dried crumbs around the trunk over the dirt in the post.. “There is so much change that has happened here, so quickly.”

  “I image that building is the Tula Administrative Plaza,” Gretchen said as they walked onward. She had ignored Paul’s comment about radiation as she was considering the same thing.

  “It is a mess. Why did I expect anything else?” Paul muttered.

  The building had been a wide two story structure, but was now just one story. Most of the second level had been pushed, melted, or blasted off in some way and lay collapsed to the sides of the building. The main entry doors were double-wide and splayed open. Above those wrecked doors there was a sign which read, ‘Administrative Plaza’ but it had several chunks ripped from the permalloy in which those words were molded.

  They entered what had been the establishment of the governmental authorities of Tula. The ground level of the building was about as bad as the streets outside. Here there was evidence of human defenses. Pistols, rifles, and carbines were scattered around by the door and windows. Many were empty of ammunition, while others were shattered fragments of what they had been. Desks were overturned, cabinets broken, and the ceiling hung down in some sections so much that Gretchen had to duck.

  The elevator doors were ajar, and had no power.

  The stairway was in the center of the building and they followed the signs which pointed out where it was. The stairs leading up were a pile of rubble. There were the remains of a sign which read, ‘Crafts and Metalworking on Second Floor’ but the sign was bent and broken. The stairs going down were passable. Carrying the containment canister over the broken sections was clumsy, but not impossible.

  “I hope the lower levels are in better shape than here,” Paul said as he turned on the fusion pack light and hung it on his belt.

  The first sublevel was quiet and the doors to that were open. They could see some offices beyond, but no lights or other sources of power. They too were empty.

  The second sublevel had intact and closed doors. On them was an odd inscription. ‘Boxing Academy’ with a picture of two people who looked to be fighting.

  “I have no idea what this place is,” Paul said. “The label makes me think it is a fabrication center for making containers, or something. Maybe a school of some kind? Do they need a school on how to make boxes? The name and that picture seem incompatible and confusing.”

  “It might just be an emblem or insignia for some activity, but I too am at a loss for understanding that name.” Gretchen dismissed it. “It looks like the Jellies never got down this far.”

  “Why did they destroy this town so severely?” Paul asked.

  “Are you expecting that Jellie to answer you?” Gretchen giggled a bit as she looked at the captive they carried.

  “Do you think there is a way to ask these horrors anything?” Paul replied.

  “Larissa and Brinley said one spoke to them through some device. They have levels of technology which surprise me. They made it to the Vanguard somehow. I wonder how they did that?”

  “I have wondered that too. Brink work
ed long hours trying to overcome the mass limit on FTL travel, but who knows? It really does not matter, since they are here and they are deadly.” Paul lifted the containment canister over some fallen ceiling tiles as he said that.

  The third sublevel had locked doors with the label ‘Authorized Personnel Only’ and nothing more. It looked stark and barren on the door.

  “If Brinley were here she could get us in there,” Gretchen said trying to lighten the mood. “Only one more level to go.”

  The stairs ended at the fourth sublevel. The fusion pack light lit up the landing and on the doors there were two signs labeling what was beyond.

  ‘Transport Terminal’ and ‘Museum of Wood’ were written on the signs.

  Paul pulled open the door and his fusion pack light was insufficient to shed light on the entire large room. They walked in and both set down the containment canister with its Jellie inside. Gretchen got out her own fusion pack light.

  On nearly every wall of the large room there was a mural and a physical exhibit. They were in vivid colors. Artwork of trees was everywhere. The deep greens of the needle trees, to the bright colors of trees with leaves, and everything in-between was illustrated on the murals. The painted trees were of a multitude of types, some that Paul and Gretchen recognized, but many that they did not. Having set the Jellie down, they walked from wall to wall admiring the art and even in the limited light of the fusion packs, they could acknowledge the beauty and glory of the art. The talent of the artists was evident as some of the work looked so very lifelike, while others were stylized and ornately done.

  In front of the murals were wooden statues carved from different types of trees. There were figures of odd animals that Gretchen and Paul had never seen before. Some had dark wood colors, and others had lighter colors. The texture and style of each piece of art was unique from the others. Many had the animals climbing trees, or hanging from trees, or sitting under trees. Other of the sculptures were of furniture, or objects which were unidentified, yet pleasing to the eye.

  “Look at the floor,” Gretchen said. “It is wooden as well.” She squatted down and carefully touched the shiny surface. With her finger she traced the lines in the wood. Some were nearly straight running in a single direction. Others were swooping and had parallel rings or patterns. Some of the lines were spiraled, while others were interlocking, and some actually oval. “It is so pretty.”

  “It is wood, we have seen wood before. It is no big deal,” Paul said.

  “The artistry here is amazing,” Gretchen replied. “I think these items were carved by hand from blocks of wood. Can you imagine using had tools to whittle wood into these gorgeous sculptures? Think of the time that would take.”

  “I cannot imagine why someone would take that time. A fabrication center would make something just as suitable,” Paul complained. Turning around, Paul noticed the large lettering above the entryway door. It too was wooden and carved. ‘Welcome to C Habitat, home of the Woods.’

  Gretchen stood and shined the light around more. “I wish I could stay here and admire this. This place must be what they called the Museum of Wood.”

  “The habitat is called the Woods, so is that a surprise?”

  “To me their creativity and imagination is impressive,” Gretchen replied.

  “I am sorry Gretchen. Sure the place is beautiful, but it is hard to appreciate anything with that Jellie in there. I get the feeling it is looking at me sometimes.”

  “Yes, that Jellie does ruin the moment here,” I see the doorway to the transport hub.

  “Those Jellies have ruined this habitat and the lives of so many people,” Paul said. “I hope when we get this to Brinley she will figure out a way to kill all the aliens.”

  Grabbing the canister they walked over to where the transport hub was located. As they passed under the archway, lighting around the transport hub lit up.

  “Now this is better,” Paul said as he shut down his fusion light. “It is good to have some place be powered up. I was worried that this transport hub would be without power and the vehicle would be missing.”

  Gretchen also shut off her fusion pack light since she could see adequately now in the transport hub’s illumination. There were a dozen portal hatches on the walls. Eleven of them had red lights shining next to their control color pads. One of them was flashing a green light.

  “That looks like the vehicle for us,” Gretchen stated. “That green signal is probably showing that a vehicle is waiting.”

  “Or that something horrible will happen,” Paul quipped, but there was little humor in his comment.

  As they walked closer, the Jellie held between them, the portal hatch door opened.

  The transport vehicle was there. It was about the same size and style as the other vehicles they had used previously in the tube system, but had some differences. Its interior was dimly lit by a light bar at the front of the vehicle. That dull glow showed that there were only the front two seats in place. There were no seats facing each other behind them. The back part of the transport vehicle was open and a grid was on the floor overlaying the permalloy deck.

  “There will be plenty of room for this Jellie. Even with its tentacle things curved back on itself, it is still as long as you. I mean, if you were lying down,” Paul said.

  “It looks like Brinley knew how much space we would need,” Gretchen said as she stepped into the vehicle.

  “How did she know?” Paul asked himself. “It is a strange arrangement. The floor is odd, but reminds me of something.” Paul reached down and felt the floor.

  The rear door of the vehicle closed and there was a click. A peculiar humming sound began. Paul looked at Gretchen, “This does not feel like the usual vehicle’s movement.”

  Gretchen pulled out her multiceiver. She touched the switch marked Brinley. “We are in the vehicle, Brinley. Can you hear me?”

  Paul also pulled out his multiceiver. He tried Larissa and then tried an open call to anyone. “I am getting no response. I wonder what is happening.” He then shifted to the switch for Doctor Chambers.

  “Paul, I am so glad you came back to my office so soon. Brinley just contacted me. Brinley never sent a vehicle for you!” Doctor Chambers yelled. “She was emphatic about that.”

  “That simulation is correct,” a voice came from the front display on the vehicle. A deck plan of the Vanguard lit up on the display. “This unit apologizes for the imitation of your companion called, Brinley. There was no faster method of getting your cooperation.”

  “The Phoenix thing?” Paul said and noted the multiceiver was now deactivated. In fear he recognized the voice of the artificial intelligence system he had encountered before. His voice was filled with concern, rage, and anxiety.

  “This unit is Phoenix Dominie. You will be taken to the desired location. The captive Jellie will also be taken to the desired location. Process activated.”

  “Let us out of here!” Paul screamed. He turned and pulled the rear door lever, but a negative function buzz was all that happened.

  The rear floor of the vehicle began to quiver just a bit. Then a white light appeared just behind the front two seats. The light was very bright so Paul and Gretchen shielded their eyes from the glare.

  The floor quivered in an increasing manner and the humming got louder and of a higher pitch.

  “I will cut the door open,” Gretchen said and pulled off her backpack. She dug out a molecular torch.

  The brilliant while light snapped and a vertical oval appeared just behind the front seats. The oval blocked most of the view of the front of the vehicle. There was a hissing sound as the oval of energy quaked and then became less intense at its center. Paul looked and thought at first he was seeing through the oval, but it was not the front of the vehicle he was seeing, and there was a sense of depth as he looked. A shimmering something was seen in the middle of the energy. It was a foggy and indistinct scene, but obviously not the front of the vehicle.

  “This unit analyze
d the Dome 17 technology which you used in the escape attempt. This orifice leads to the desired location,” Phoenix Dominie stated.

  “Teleportation?” Gretchen asked in surprise as she began to recognize what was happening.

  “I am never going in that thing!” Paul screamed.

  The orifice was now outlined vividly by the bright white ring around it. The center of the image was still fluid and shifting, but somewhat more focused.

  Gretchen connected the molecular torch and stepped to the rear door. “I will cut us a way out.”

  A second brilliant white light came from the back of the vehicle and extended up from the grid on the floor to form a solid wall of energy.