Benton turns to Caleb and says, “Looks like you’re going to have a lot of explaining to do alien man.” Benton pauses, as he looks over the bridge, asking, “Hey where’s the Doc?”
Caleb bites his bottom lip as he pauses. He looks to Benton, saying, “I'm afraid I have even worse news my friend.” Caleb lets out a heavy sigh, “Onatof didn’t make it.”
Benton pauses for a moment, trying to recall the last moments that he saw Onatof. Remembering he becomes enraged screaming, “NOOOOOO!”
His loud scream stirs the entire bridge crew, as Paladin quickly responds, “I’m sorry Gabriel, but it appears Professor Onatof used the stealth program we created together to hide his health condition from me. He was suffering from a defect in his heart, and knew he would have died from the stress of phase shifting. He never planned to return.”
Benton lowers his head and asks, “Why did he go?”
Caleb puts his hand on Benton and says, “I’m sorry Gabe, but he knew what he was doing. He knew that only he could install that stealth program properly. He probably knew from the very start of your mission that he wasn’t coming back.”
Benton, upset and angry turns to Caleb, yelling, “Why Cale! You could have healed him.”
Caleb lowers his head and says, “No, I couldn’t Gabe. It wasn’t a wound. Onatof’s heart was old and weak. I can’t heal sickness. I can’t bring back the dead.”
Benton enraged leaves the bridge storming down the corridor.
Uari, now fully awake asks, “Caleb, the Flower Stone? That dream I had, was it real?”
Caleb, still concerned at Benton's rage turns towards Uari and says, “When everyone wakes I will address both crews.”
Caleb looks down at the glowing stone in his hand again. He reflects on all it has shown him. Paladin, who shares in all of Caleb’s thoughts, states telepathically, “Cale, I have reviewed most of the timeline variations, I will do what I can to maintain the best path for us to succeed, but in all the different variations the Meli and Skull succeeded in reforming within the time stream. They will eventually appear in this timeline. Cale, if that happens the destructive power of that super space station added, with the power of the Meli could easily destroy everything in this timeline.”
Caleb lowers his head, and takes a deep breath, responding, “I know.”
Several hours pass, as crewmembers from both ship’s wake. All are filled with the same dream like encounter with the Flower Stone. After a brief discussion, Caleb and White agree on landing on the First moon, which seems to hold the largest cities and most technologically advanced civilization.
White comes over the holocom, stating, “Cale, we are ready to land on this First moon. Celesta has found an automated docking bay, which can easily accommodate both our ships.”
Paladin adds, “The atmosphere within all the domes of this moon is compatible to support human life.”
Uari reports, “The main planet they orbit, however, is completely void of a breathable atmosphere. Its surface is comprised of a concentrated liquid methane, and its gravity would definitely crush us.”
White comments, “We already did preliminary scans on all the moons. All but two of them can support human life. This first moon, which we are going to land, also seems to have the most remnants of the past civilization. However, the moon is completely void of any atmosphere whatsoever. If not for the domed cities it would be of no value to us.” White pauses as he wonders to himself. Why would a civilization go to so much trouble to build its largest cities on such a desolate moon? White continues, “The other moon atmosphere is comprised of moderate levels carbon dioxide. It would take a several years of terraforming, but that moon could eventually become habitable. It also appears to have some cities, same as the rest of the moons. Perhaps the aliens that once lived their breathed carbon dioxide.”
Uari states, “We agree with your findings Captain White. Conversely, all the moons have remnants of the past civilization. Most of the buildings are generally still intact. There also appears to be an automated system of drones to maintain the structures, as well as keeping the flora fauna from over growing the cities. The animal life also seems abundant on all the moons, excluding the first one, and the other moon with the higher carbon dioxide levels. The X’ena database seems to have a lot of information on most of these animals.”
Cooley asks, “How do we know the aliens that created these cities won’t be back?”
Celesta states, “They haven’t been back in over seventy thousand years.”
Caleb getting impatient speaks, “Let’s get all our people down on this first moons domed cities. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and we need to get started on our mission.”
White concerned asks, “Mission Cale?”
Caleb smirks answering, “Yes Reg, we have a mission to save our people.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
PALADONIA
Both ships approach the first moon cautiously. Paladin continually scans for any, and all possible threats, but none are detected. They approach the docking bay doors, as Paladin is able to access the alien control systems, opening the outer air locks.
Paladin scans the inner sphere and detects no threats. Both ships enter the docking bay. They land safely without incident as the docking bay doors quickly seal behind them. Automated loading ramps quickly attach to the ships, and the atmosphere is restored quickly. After several minutes, the crews of both ships finally escape from the overcrowded confines of the massive battleships. Over seven thousand survivors fill the docking bay, as they wait for Caleb to address them all.
An hour passes, as Caleb finally exits the bridge, and walks out onto the outer deck of Paladin’s bow. He studies the crowd below, as he quickly defines the large gatherings mood.
He gazes all around Paladin seeing White and Cooley walking towards him. He moves over to the railing overlooking the crowd, and looks around once more, noticing Benton sitting on top of the forward gun turret holding a bottle of bourbon in his hand staring down at the crowd.
Cooley emotionally upset wraps her arms around Caleb, saying, “I’m so sorry about Mikhail. I saw his death so many times, but couldn’t tell anyone.”
Caleb takes a deep breath, saying, “It’s ok Rachel, there was nothing any of us could do.”
White states with deep reservation, “Rooke is gone, Onatof is gone. We lost so many good people. I hope we did the right thing Cale.”
Caleb exhales as he looks at Reggie, saying, “There is no right or wrong anymore Reg. It’s just surviving.”
Caleb turns his attention to the crowd below. He looks out over the seven thousand or more survivors, strewn out across the docking bay and gives pause, as he collects his words, beginning, “Welcome to your new home. Most, if not all of you are aware of our encounter with the Flower Stone, and are aware that we have been sent back into the distant past. On my home world, it is the year Ninety-eight A.D. For the hundred or so of us who originally came through the first time rift, most will never see their home again. Never to see their families again. The Flower Stone showed us all, the outcome had we returned to our original timeline. The human race would have turned in on itself, and eventually destroyed itself within a hundred years. Our race would become extinct. The Flower Stone showed me the limitless possible outcomes for us, to prevent that fate, and this was the only one that showed the most promise of success. Therefore, I chose it, but even this timeline has its risks. For most of you, this has no meaning. For most of you, you are finally free of the life of despair, and slavery. You are free to live and prosper, and you, who are with us today, had faith in our mission. I hope this will be a just reward for that faith.”
The crowd cheers loudly, as Caleb looks out over the masses before him. He turns to White and says, “We will need to establish a council of leaders, and we definitely need to start setting up laws, as well as a system of government.” Caleb pauses as he looks directly at White and says, “Reggie, I want you to lead these people.”
Reggie laughs, saying, “Funny Cale, you’re the leader, I’m just a very insubordinate Captain that disobeyed your orders.”
Caleb smirks, saying, “No Reg, you took charge and that’s where you excel. You know how to handle the pressure of leadership, and you’re going to be the first leader of these people. These people are the hope of all humanity, and I have faith in just one person to set up and establish a system, a system to teach them, and to rule with dignity and honor. There is only one person I can think of to do that.”
Cooley smiles, saying to White, “Old bald and wrinkly.”
Caleb eyebrow raises, as he thinks to himself for a moment, asking, “Rachel, you knew this would be the outcome, but did you know the Flower Stone would alter our life force?”
Cooley, still smiling at White answers, “Yes Cale, I’m aware of the physical transformation of our bodies, but there is one vision that still confuses me. When I finally get old and die.”
She pauses, as she looks to Benton, saying, “Gabe, he still looks the same.”
Paladin states, “Gabe was near death, when Caleb was forced to absorb the entire life force of the Halimag in the previous timeline. In doing so, he transferred some of their living energy directly into Gabe, thus extending his life force some five or seven hundred years. Now with the Flower Stone altering everyone’s life forces even further, that too has been augmented even further. He may live long enough to see our friends again.”
White surprised, asks, “Wait, you’re the reason all the Halimag just disappeared? That’s incredible. How did you do that?”
Cooley, even more shocked, asks, “Wait, really Reg? All you got out of that was Caleb killed off the Halimag. What about Gabe?”
White feeling embarrassed, says, “Well, it’s Gabe. What do you expect?”
Benton listening in says, “It is what it is Rachel. If Caleb is gonna be around for a few thousand years. I can keep him company.”
Cooley genuinely concerned says, “Gabe, Cale was genetically modified to cope with such a long life. You were not.”
Benton smiles answering, “Rachel, the way I live my life, I have serious doubts that I’ll get to enjoy that long of a life.”
Paladin speaks, “Cale, I have finished reviewing all the data, and have concluded that even with the prolonged life of our current survivors, as well as taking into our calculations the amount of offspring, our people can possibly produce we will not be able to help the human race. We will need a population of hundreds of millions. I have calculated at best, and taking into consideration the extended life expectancy, that we will be only thirty-four million. We need to be closer to nine hundred million in order to help the Earth.”
White confused asks, “What do you mean help the human race?”
Caleb pauses, as he thinks for a moment. He responds, “The Flower Stone showed me the future in which we returned just moments after we left. In that timeline, we would eventually defeat the T-Challa and destroy the Meli. However, the Flower Stone also showed me my greatest fear come to life. Our race is very young, and a very violent species, which was given too much power, too quickly. They were never taught the proper sense of responsibility to understand, let alone control of that power. Eventually, the human race will return to infighting, and they will succeed in destroying themselves. The Flower Stone showed me so many variations of this timeline, and in everyone, the human race fails. Finally, the Flower Stone showed me by creating another race of humans that not only would it help defeat the enemies of humankind, it will challenge them to realize that they are a much greater race spreading itself across the universe instead of worrying about one world.”
Benton now fully involved with Caleb tale asks, “Ok, but how are we going to turn this into a civilization of hundreds of millions in just two thousand years?”
Caleb turns his direction upward, stating, “Paladin has detailed records on every lost civilization, every lost ship, basically every historical record of our Earth’s history. It is all stored within Paladin, and we’re going to use that knowledge to go save all the lost, and forgotten. We will bring them back here, and we will let them live out their lives here.”
Benton, White, and Cooley, all look at each other in complete disbelief, as White blatantly concerned asks, “Cale, are you seriously talking about going to Earth, and bringing back every lost civilization to live here?”
Caleb smirks, as he answers, “Yes, Reggie, I am, but I’m not going to go myself. I will send Gabe and Celesta at first, as well as the best-trained people we have. Once we have established protocols for recovery. We will start our rescue missions to Earth. We have a mission to save our species, and we will not fail.”
White concerned states, “Celesta reported to us that we are six months away from Earth. That’s a long time to cage up thousands of people in a battleship, especially with no understanding of modern technology. Let alone explaining what their futures will be like here.”
Caleb unconcerned, states, “Celesta can cover the distance in three months with its shift drive. However, we will be building gateways to expedite the overall travel time.”
White remembering an earlier conversation with Jackson and Caleb asks, “Cale, didn’t you say that gateways take years to build?”
Paladin adds in, “It will take us just twenty-eight months to build two operational gateways. These gateways will incorporate the most sophisticated cloaking technology of the future timeline. Nothing from this timeline will ever detect them. Not even my earlier sensors.”
White still overly concerned asks, “Cale, you’re serious about this? Have you considered that this could have the opposite effect? We could be building a civilization that could eventually rise up, and go to war against the Earth.”
Caleb turns away, as he heads away from the group, stating, “Yes Reg, that is one of the most likely outcome, but regardless of that possible outcome the human race as a whole will survive.”
White, now very alarmed yells, as Caleb walks off the deck and back into the ship, “Cale, we could be responsible for creating a greater threat to our home the T-Challa!”
Cooley puts her hand on White’s shoulder, saying, “The Flower Stone showed me this possible future too Reg, but it’s not the only outcome. We need to teach our people, and not just lead them. This is why Caleb chose you”
Benton still somber at the loss of his friend, says, “People will always hate, it is what we do best. Cale knows what he is doing Reg. Come on now, let’s go down to talk to our people, and start building our future.”
Cooley gives pause for a moment, and says, “We need a name for our people. We can’t keep calling ourselves, ‘Our people’.”
White lowers his head, thinking for a moment. He looks out over Paladin, and looks up at Benton and Cooley smiling. He says, “The first time I saw this ship uncloaked, I was dumbfounded by it. It was the greatest thing I ever saw. This ship has saved us, time, and time again. I think we should name our people the Paladonians.”
Benton smiles, saying, “Ok great leader, that’s your first ruling of business. We are now called the Paladonians.”
White annoyed by Benton's comment responds, “Can the Great leader crap, Gabe.”
Cooley, jubilantly says, “Let’s go down, and meet with these survivors. We have a lot of work ahead of us.
Caleb, unconcerned about everything, slowly walks away as he heads back to the bridge, which for the first time in almost a year is finally empty. He hastily uses his symbiotic connection to Paladin, and feels the entire ship is truly empty. He exhales in complete relief, as he is finally alone, and able to relax. Caleb hovers up to his quarters entering his room. He begins to meditate while floating in the center of his room. He focuses on the one escape he has in life, the one thing that brings him happiness. Caleb creates his world of complete peace within his mind. This world is so complete that it is impossible for him to tell the difference from reality. He immediately focuses in on his family. Recreating past e
vents, and reliving them as if they were just happening.
Paladin, aware of how precious these times are to Caleb often leaves him alone to enjoy them, but this time Paladin quickly recognizes an opportunity of great importance, interrupting the image, stating, “Cale, I know how much these moments mean to you, but I just recognized a great opportunity, and I must share it with you. We can save them now.”
Caleb snaps back to reality. Confused, he asks aloud, “What do you mean Pal?”
Paladin joyfully replies, “Emily and Domingo, they were completely vaporized from the destructive power of the T-Challa attack on New York City. This means we could send our people to be there. We can save them before the attack.” Paladin pauses, and then quickly states, “In all actuality Cale we may have already done so.”
Caleb now very confused asks, “Ok Pal, I was following you up until that last bit, just what do you mean? We may have already done so?”
Paladin reports, “Cale, I detected multiple energy signatures during the attack on your world by the T-Challa, at the time I was not concerned with them, as I took them as possible anomalies caused by the release of so much energy from the T-Challa mass driver attack, but not now. Now I’m realizing that they could have actually been shift points from people being saved back during our return from the X’ena home world, and for years after, I have detected slight energy signatures onboard our ship. However, I was unable to identify them, while Carla on the other hand was able to scan the minds of one of these possible intruders. Cale, it is completely possible, if not plausible that we have already succeeded in creating this civilization, and Cale, we may have already saved your family.”
Caleb grins as he realizes just what Paladin is saying. Paladin unfamiliar with Caleb’s mood asks, “Cale, I know you are not one to feel too much emotion, but I sense that you are happy.”
Caleb sits back in his meditative stance and says, “Pal, you are a good friend.” Caleb goes back into his trance like state.
The Ocoda Chronicles Book 4 Present Future Past Page 20
