The admiral turned out to be a charming host. Dinner was extremely good and I found out a lot about the history of the Nautilus. The admiral told me that the ship’s name was taken from a famous scientist from ancient history, a man named Jules Verne. Apparently he had built a revolutionary submarine and named it Nautilus. This boat, and its captain, Nemo, explored the oceans of the earth. He had many adventures. One of his journeys took him to the center of the planet, right to the middle. That obviously had to be made up. He claimed to have discovered a fabulous world that had been thought lost. Jules, the ship’s AI was named after the same adventurer. He must have been an amazing man. At a later dinner I discovered that Jules Verne had written this adventure 100 years before the first moon landing.
The two weeks flew by. Vera and I made a good team. We had become closer (how close is not important) and we had decided, when we were alone, to use our first names. She taught me a lot about the politics and customs of the imperial court, and I was shocked. I started to get the feeling that I was to be a babysitter for an extremely spoiled brat. I didn’t tell Vera, of course. But this was the imperatrix. Victoria X. She had been crowned nine years ago as the empire’s ruler. She had been only 18 years old. Her mother had died in a tragic accident. Officially, she had died from an incurable auto-immune illness, but Vera told me what had really happened. She died after stumbling over a step and breaking her neck. Imagine that, imagine all the security precautions, the thousands of bodyguards, the huge protection fleets – none of it could prevent the most powerful woman in the universe being killed by steps. I had to force myself not to laugh out loud. Vera would never have forgiven me. Not that I would have wished such a sad fate on the imperatrix, I just found the circumstances funny. Sorry.
I asked if we now had to protect Victoria from steps, but Ensign Keller just stared at me. But then she explained to me that all steps had been removed from the palace, even if there were just one or two, since the accident, and that they had been replaced with grav fields. I felt a little sympathy for our imperatrix then, she hadn’t just lost her mother, she had also had to take on a simply impossible duty from one day to the next: to rule the empire. She should have had 20 or 30 more years to prepare for her challenging role. But it was not to be, instead she was the youngest imperatrix in the history of the empire.
It was a difficult enough job in peace time, but in time of war? Her majesty must be an exceptional woman. Vera sang her praises so much it was like she was a groupie, although Vera had only seen her once from a distance. The imperatrix had only been on board the flagship once while Vera was on duty, and she hadn’t really gotten a good look at her.
The fleet that intercepted us on our way into the Sol System wasn’t huge, it was gigantic. There must have been well over a thousand ships. I was again standing on the bridge with Admiral Summer and his niece, and we passed extremely close to the fleet. I was close enough to identify most of the ship types. There were battleships, battlecruisers, destroyers, frigates, and several superdreadnoughts. But there were also a lot of ships in the fleet that I didn’t recognize. One looked to me to be even bigger than the Nautilus. I asked the admiral about it, but he just avoided my question by reminding me about my low security clearance. All he told me was the ship type, it was Leviathan Class.
We continued to approach the Earth, and suddenly it was hanging there, right in front of us. The Earth was an unforgettable sight. The blue planet, as the Earth had always been called, was a very apt name. I had seen a lot of planets, but none were as beautiful as this one.
“A breathtaking view, don’t you think, captain?” Admiral Summer looked right at me and I could feel his awe and emotional turmoil. I was feeling just the same.
“Yes, breathtaking. The journey would have been worth it just for this sight. Thank you admiral, for allowing me to share it with you.”
“You earned it, captain. Relax and enjoy the moment. Afterward, you will have to take your leave. Jules will take you down in the shuttle. If you want, Vera, you can accompany the captain.”
He reached out and we shook hands.
“Good luck, captain, it was a pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure is all mine, admiral. Good luck to you, too.”
It was an incredibly moving moment. But if you thought I almost cried, you’d be wrong. Over the last two weeks I had become the old John James Johnson again. I felt a lot better. At least I had the feeling of having everything under control again. I probably got something in my eye, though. I blinked the dampness from my eye and went to the hangar. Vera accompanied me to the dock, but didn’t make any move to get on the shuttle with me. I turned to her and took a couple of steps toward her, until we were just an inch or two apart.
“Are you coming with me?” I asked her.
“No, Jay-Jay, I’m staying on board. Our ways part here. It was a lot of fun to meet you, and I’m very thankful for your friendship. Good luck.”
Before I could answer, she hugged me and held me close. I heard her sobbing.
“Don’t say anything, Jay-Jay! Farewell.”
As suddenly as she had embraced me, Vera let go and walked away, without turning around again. I had something in my eye again, I thought maybe I should have it looked at by a doctor, down on Earth.
Prologue IV
IT suddenly received a wave of emotions and thoughts, awaking it from its long sleep. IT had to concentrate hard to find the source. IT was now just a shadow of its former self. The time for IT to completely fade away was close. IT was curious about the pattern of thoughts IT had received, and it felt a renewed strength. IT couldn’t explain this. IT felt a connection IT had never felt before.
IT eagerly searched for the source and finally found it. It came from a human ship, which was flying toward the earth. IT slipped onto the ship and found the source in the command center. There were two male humans there and one female. The strange mix of emotions was coming from one of the men. IT instantly knew what it had to do. The solution to all its problems was right in front of IT. Here was a man who could restore peace and balance to the universe. Here stood the man who would bring IT back out to the stars.
IT still had no idea how IT would influence this man. But from now on, IT would not leave his side. IT would ensure that this man would fulfill his destiny and the destiny of all of humanity.
Arrival
System: Sol
Location: Earth
Time: Now
Ten minutes had passed since the shuttle had left Nautilus and now it was coming in to land. The thrust decreased. The ship turned 180 degrees, and touched softly down on the landing pad.
“Captain, we’re here,” came the pleasant tones of Jules’ voice came from the speakers.
“Thanks, Jules. That was an impressive flight.”
“Good luck, captain.” Jules opened the exterior door and let the ramp down. Time for me to disembark. A stirring and momentous moment. In a few moments I would walk upon the legendary Earth. The center of the universe, the cradle of humanity, the court of the imperatrix. This would be my home for years to come.
“Thank you again, Jules, and send my regards to Ensign Keller and Admiral Summer.”
“I will,” the ship’s AI replied. I had never completely become comfortable talking to a computer, even though I had had two weeks to get to know the AI better. Even if it was an AI, it was still a computer. A very advanced one, to be sure, but still just a machine.
I left the shuttle. The ramp retracted a moment later, the airlock closed and Jules was lifting off again. Within a few seconds the ship was just a small point on the horizon, and I was alone.
Come on, John, pull yourself together, I thought, and I marched off. My transport box with my belongings was programmed to automatically follow me at a distance of just over two yards. I couldn’t get lost here because there was just one way. The route looked very old, made of un
even stones, about four inches by four inches. They were spread across a width of six yards, and went down a small slope to a huge building. This must be where I was expected to go.
There were trees spaced densely to my left and right as I walked along the path. They were all blossoming in different colors. I was moved by the silence. All I could hear was the gentle rustling of the wind in the treetops. It wasn’t far, perhaps just a little short of two kilometers.
The closer I came to the building, the more massive it seemed. I couldn’t spot any security zones, but the entire area, huge in extent, was surrounded by a mighty wall that I judged to be at least ten meters high. It looked like it was built from stone.
I gradually made out a gate, and I hurried on. My curiosity was burning within me, but I forced myself to slow to a normal walking pace. There were more of the same guards in exoskeletons at the gate, one to the left and one to the right of the gateway.
I stopped, saluted and waited at attention.
“Captain John James Johnson, reporting for duty!”
To my surprise, even in exoskeletons, the two guards returned the salute. They weren’t at all clumsy. They moved smoothly and saluted correctly.
“Welcome to Fort Krud, captain,” one of the guards said, and they both took a step to the side, allowing me to pass.
To Be Continued …
Conscription Day Page 9
