by William Wood
When he was done he felt much better. He decided it was time to try and contact New Arlandia, and tried to remember the last time he had talked to his father; he couldn’t.
Calvin turned on the computer in his room and switched on the communication system. He was able to connect almost immediately.
“Dad!” Calvin exclaimed, when his father’s face filled the screen.
“Calvin!” Foster beamed happily. “I’m so glad you’re all right. It’s been so long since you contacted us, we were worried something happened to you.”
“I’m all right. Dad, I was captured by the Goremog.”
“What?”
“They scanned my mind, they saw New Arlandia. They pulled the images from my mind, I couldn’t stop it.”
“That explains a few things,” Foster said, rubbing his hand over his short gray beard. “Two days ago a Goremog destroyer was moving through this area. It was obvious what they were doing; scanning each planet they passed. They were looking for us.”
“Oh, no,” Calvin said. “Did they see the planet?”
“I don’t think so,” Foster said. “And it was just one ship. They were obviously using it as a long range scout.”
“This is really bad,” Calvin said, feeling sick to his stomach. “I’m sorry, Dad.”
“It’s not your fault, son,” Foster said. “Don’t beat yourself up over it.”
“It’s hard not to,” Calvin took a deep breath and rubbed his forehead.
“You look terrible, son,” Foster said. “When was the last time you slept?”
“I don’t know, so much has happened, I can’t keep track of it all. I need to write it all down before I forget some of it.”
“Please send it to me, what you have so far. We want to know everything.”
“Yes sir,” Calvin said. “I’ll work on that later. I need to get some sleep. I can’t even think right now. Everything is blending together in my mind.”
“You’ve been gone forty-five days.” Foster said.
“I know, but it feels like six months. So what’s the official story? What does everyone think happened to me?”
“I decided to tell the truth, up to a point,” Foster said. “You and Jax were officially listed as missing. Only the Laurites know that you’re still alive, oh, and your mother.”
“What do you want me to do?” Calvin asked.
“It’s more important than ever that you find the rest of the weapon. I fear it’s just a matter of time before the Goremog find New Arlandia. We’re counting on you, son. As things stand here, there will never be another manned space mission. We can’t build space ships to defend our planet. We’re not even allowed to search for you. We need you to save our world.”
“Thanks, dad,” Calvin said smiling. “I needed the extra pressure on me.”
“Sorry. Go get some rest.”
“Yes sir, I’ll do that.”
“And stay in touch from now on. Don’t ignore us, oh, and don’t get caught again.”
Calvin laughed. “Yes sir.”
“Please be careful out there. I’m very proud of you.”
“Thanks, dad.” The screen went dark. Calvin sat back and stared at the stars out the window. For the first time he felt like he was running out of time to find the last six pieces of the super-weapon.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE:
REGROUP
Calvin didn’t set an alarm, or ask the computer to wake him up. No one came to check on him. He was left alone and allowed to sleep as long as he wanted. It was after lunch when he finally woke up.
He lay in bed for five minutes, staring at the ceiling. He had slept really well, and didn’t want to get up. Images of events of the last few weeks kept playing over and over in his mind. The great rifts forming in the surface of Doonterria with rivers of lava cascading into them was still fresh in his memory. A small part of him wanted to forget it ever happened, but mostly he was afraid to forget. It was part of him now; an experience that somehow will help him become a better leader, maybe, or at least a better survivor. If they hadn’t been able to repair the ship, they would have died there. And with them, the last hope for the universe would have died too.
According to Astra, the weapon they were attempting to find and complete would be programmed to destroy Goremog and No’Rath technology across the universe. The threat would be ended forever. If they failed to do that, enemy robots would hunt down and destroy all life. It all rested on Calvin and Astra, and their new friends. Calvin wondered if any of them would choose to go with them the rest of the way.
Calvin fought the urge to go back to sleep and forced himself to climb out of bed. He stumbled into the bathroom and took a long, hot shower, letting the hot water massage his sore muscles. He had bruises all over his body, and it felt like every muscle was aching. When he was finished, he stood in front his room’s computer terminal and let the system scan his body. Once it had his measurements, he had the machine fabricate a dark pair of pants, blue shirt and dark blue jacket. After he was dressed, he walked down to the dining room to get something to eat.
When Calvin walked into the dining room, it was completely empty. The Defender was a giant ship, and even though this dining room was reserved for the senior officers, it was at least four times larger than the one on Azure Frost. Then it occurred to Calvin that he had not been alone since they stayed in the prison’s inn on Doonterria. The peace and quiet was soothing.
He ate his favorite breakfast; pancakes, eggs and sausage. The food and the coffee were perfect, but he suspected it was because he had eaten only survival food recently.
After breakfast, he walked back out into the corridor and wandered without thinking about where he was going. This was, after all, his first time on the Defender. Calvin wandered down a series of corridors and found his way to the bridge. Maybe he did it
subconsciously, but he knew that Alerian ships were similar to Arlandian ships in that they always put the bridge on the top of the ship as far forward as possible. That was the direction he had been walking in, always forward and up.
The doors parted, and he stepped onto the bridge. It looked similar to the bridge on Aleria’s Hope. For a moment he forgot where he was, and he walked up a flight of stairs in the middle of the room to the command pedestal. The Captain’s chair was empty. Calvin plopped down into the chair and stared out into space.
It was at that moment he realized that they were traveling in hyperspace. Everything outside looked distorted and the stars were elongated. It was very beautiful. Calvin looked out of the left side, through the large windows. Flying through hyperspace in formation with them was Aleria’s Hope. He could see the bridge, it was an amazing sight. It was far away, and the shapes were tiny, but he could see several people walking around.
“We’re on course for Yelhsa Four,” Ion reported. Calvin jumped and turned around.
“You startled me,” Calvin said, embarrassed.
“Sorry sir,” Ion said.
“What’s Yelhsa Four?” Calvin asked. “Why are we going there?”
“Yelsha Four is a gas giant,” Ion said. “The fifth segment is there,”
“Back to work,” Calvin said. “I was hoping we could have a break, at least a short one.”
“King Fulton is moving the remaining survivors of the Alerian Empire to a secret location. It’s on the way so they’re going to drop us off. Azure Frost will be ready by then.”
“That’s great news,” Calvin said. “I’m anxious to get back to business, and find the rest of the superweapon.” But secretly he was a little disappointed; he hoped for at least a day or two to rest.
At that moment, a red light flashed on Ion’s chest.
“Excuse me, sir,” Ion said, and left the bridge.
Calvin sat back and enjoyed the view outside. He much rather preferred this view of space than seeing it from down on a planet. It was more comforting, for some reason, friendlier; certainly less hostile. The stars flying directly at him were hy
pnotizing.
Then he remembered his journal. He opened a new file on the computer and started to write. This was as good a time as any to work on it. And, a thought that had occurred to him lately was than when and if he ever got home, he was going to have to brief someone, probably the Laurites, on every detail of his experiences. He was not looking forward to that.
After two hours of typing, he decided to take a break. Calvin realized it was going to take a long time to write everything down, because he was including a lot of how he felt during each separate event. He saved his file and password protected it, mostly out of habit. He had nothing to hide from anyone. Then he placed the file in a special directory he created.
Now very hungry, he walked back to the dining room. It was dinner time, after all. He was greeted by a small chorus of ‘hey’ and ‘Calvin’ and ‘Good morning!’
“Ha ha,” Calvin said sarcastically, at the same time feeling very happy to be back with his friends. They were sitting around a table that was closest to the food. That made sense to Calvin. Dev, Wexton and Nils were sitting around the table with plates full of food.
“Get some food and have a seat,” Dev said, waving his hand to a seat near him.
Calvin walked over to the table. “Hey guys, how’s it going?” Calvin smiled.
“I just woke up,” Wexton said. “I don’t mind sleeping on the ground, but I didn’t realize how much I missed sleeping in a bed.”
“Or eating real food,” Dev said. “That has taste.”
“That food had taste,” Wexton corrected. “It just wasn’t a very good taste.”
“That food was bland,” Calvin said. “You can only eat survival food for so long, and we definitely ate it for too long.” Everyone laughed, but it was more of a courtesy laugh.
“So what’s going on Cal?” Dev asked. “Where are we going?”
“We’re on our way to a gas giant,” Calvin explained. “The fifth segment is inside it. I don’t know how long it will take to get there, I forgot to ask.”
“Well then, tomorrow I’m going to find a place to work out,” Wexton said. “I’m sure they have a gym or something. Even a pool would be ok.”
“A pool?” Dev asked. “On a spaceship?”
“They have ‘em.” Wexton defended himself. “I’ve seen one before.”
“Was it zero G with force fields?”
“No, real water in regular gravity.”
Dev looked skeptical. “Now I’ve heard everything.” Nobody heard the door open on the other side of the dining room.
“Excuse me,” A voice said. Calvin turned to see a man in uniform approaching them.
“Calvin Range, the King sent me to find you. He would like you to join him and the royal family for dinner.”
“OK,” he said. “See you later guys.”
“Later Cal,” Dev called after him, as Calvin followed the man out of the room. “Meet us here for breakfast, at seven!”
“Ok!” he yelled back.
Calvin followed the man down a hallway. At first he walked to his left and a couple of paces behind, but then he walked next to him.
“What’s your name?” Calvin asked, surprised at his own bluntness. A month ago he would have been too shy to ask.
“I’m Lieutenant Ne’rual,” He smiled. “Nicholas Ne’rual, but you can call me Nick.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Nick,” Calvin said.
They walked down a long corridor and stopped in front of an elevator and waited. Nick looked at Calvin and smiled.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.” He said warmly. They took the elevator to the top of a tall tower near the back of the ship. Calvin gasped when he stepped into the most luxurious room he’d ever seen. It was beautiful.
This must be the King’s level, Calvin thought to himself. They walked down a hallway into a small dining room. It was amazing. There was a fireplace with a small fire blazing away. Beautiful pictures lined the walls. A crystal chandelier hung above the table.
The King of Aleria sat with the Queen at one end of the table. Astra, princess of Aleria sat next to them. For a moment, Calvin felt completely uncomfortable and not sure what to do. Was he supposed to bow down? What was the protocol in this situation? Before he had a chance to do anything, the King spoke to him:
“Calvin! Good. Please join us.”
Calvin crossed the room, walking to Astra’s side of the table. She smiled when she saw him, and motioned that he should sit next to her.
Calvin walked over, pulled the chair out and sat down, aware that everyone was watching him. Astra touched his arm and smiled.
When Calvin sat down, four people entered the room. They worked quickly and quietly, filling glasses with water, giving each person soup in an ornately decorated bowl and a plate with different kinds of bread.
Calvin waited, as soon as the King and Queen began to eat, he did as well. The soup was very good. Was it because the King and Queen got the best? Was it made by hand and not by computer? He was sure it was both. Calvin didn’t realize how hungry he was, and he wanted to pick the bowl up and drink it, but he knew that would be rude, so he just used his spoon.
“Calvin,” King Fulton said. “You’ve really gone through the fire, haven’t you? We’re grateful beyond words to have found you. I don’t know if you realize how close that was. The planet exploded thirty minutes after we found you.”
Calvin did know; his memories were still very vivid. It was almost as if he could still feel the fire, and smell the smoke. “Thank you Sir,” he said. “Your timing was perfect.”
“It seems you two make a very good team,” The King said, smiling. Dinner was amazing. The food was delicious. At first Calvin felt uncomfortable, but slowly began to relax a little. They enjoyed light conversation, nothing serious.
At the end of the meal, the Queen rose, and Astra followed her out of the room.
“Let’s go for a walk,” The King said. Calvin got up and followed him out of the room.
Calvin walked alongside the King. Lieutenant Ne’rual followed twenty feet behind them.
“I know you were thrown into this, and I want to thank you for taking care of Astra.” King Fulton said. “I wasn’t too concerned. Although, I have to admit, you got into a lot more trouble than I thought you would. But I can read people. The Arlandian people have been very good friends of the Alerians, going back generations. More specifically, a man named Range saved my father, King Throuz, along with many other Alerians during the Great War.” They continued walking along a row of windows, looking out into space. All he could see was the dancing colors of the hyperspace corridor they were traveling in. Calvin thought for a moment.
Many members of the Range family died during the Great War, but he didn’t remember any of them fighting with the Alerians. There was one, who, according to his father, disappeared. Nobody knew what happened to him. Calvin tried to recall his name. Then he remembered; that must have been Dal Range. It was assumed his ship was destroyed escorting the last surviving Arlandian ships to New Arlandia.
“Do you know the story?” Fulton asked. “You must, he’s one of your ancestors.”
“My father used to tell me stories,” Calvin said. “But Dal Range disappeared during the war. If he did anything courageous, his story was lost with him.”
“That’s understandable,” Fulton said. “We were evacuating Aleria, and found his fighter floating in space, in a debris field of destroyed Arlandian warships. He was barely alive. When his injuries healed, he helped escort our ships to another colony. During a vicious attack, the Goremog made a run at the King’s Flagship, Aleria’s Hope. They learned early that they couldn’t take Aleria’s Hope on directly, and even swarming attacks didn’t work. So they tried suicide attacks. Dal died defending the ship; out of ammunition and heavily damaged, he collided with the last suicide bomber just before it hit the bridge. He saved my father.”
They walked in silence for several moments. Calvin made a mental note to relay that
story to his own father. The fate of Dal Range was no longer a mystery.
“I have a big favor to ask you,” Fulton continued. “There are now only seven hundred and twenty two Alerians left alive. We lost several ships in the escape from Arlandia, and many people.” There was deep sadness in his voice. “I am very concerned about the future of my people. Our very existence is at risk. I believe the time has now come for us to go into hiding, and I am leading my people to a secret hiding place. The Goremog are hunting us down and will not stop until we are all exterminated.” The King stopped and looked at Calvin. “I want you to finish what you’re doing. I know it’s dangerous, but I really feel that Astra is safer with you. Please take her with you, take care of her. She needs you, I believe she loves you. I have seen it in her, the way she talks about you. She’s very happy when she’s with you. She will be a great help to you.”
Calvin was speechless. The King put a hand on Calvin’s shoulder. “The only hope left in this galaxy, is for you to find the rest of the segments and take them to our base at the center of the universe. Just between the two of us, I’m not completely sure it will work. If it doesn’t, I have prepared a place for my people in another galaxy. The coming war between the Goremog and the No’Rath will consume this one.” King Fulton waved his hand in the air. “Sorry, forget I said that. My people have repaired Azure Frost, and have upgraded every system. I think you’ll be happy. Also, I am sending extra robots with you. I would love to send a few Alerians, but I need all of them to help protect the Alerian survivors.”
“Yes sir,” was all he could say. He was overwhelmed. Was the King telling him that he wanted Calvin to marry his daughter?
“We’re going to drop you off near the next segment. Luckily it’s on the way to our hiding place.”
They found a small lounge area near two very large windows. They sat down on two comfortable chairs, and gazed out into space. Calvin felt excited and sad at the same time. So much pressure. What if he failed? The King was trusting him with his only daughter; his only child.
As if he knew what Calvin was feeling, the King said, “We’ve put our best technology into Azure Frost, and I’m giving you my best robots. I know you can do it.”
