by Saxon Andrew
“How are you going to learn anything from just seeing it?”
“I’ll tell you if we find it. But until we do, I can’t.”
Chris stared at her and said, “Fair enough. Are you ready to jump to the light from five thousand years ago?”
“Yes, I am.” Jillian paused, then said, “Chris, I don’t want to give you the wrong impression, but I’m not ready for any kind of close personal relationship. I do like you a lot; I hope you understand.”
Chris took a deep breath, “You know I’ll honor your wishes. I’ll keep my distance.”
Jillian forced a smile and said, “Thank you.”
Chris turned back to his board and Jillian fought the emotions that were trying to overwhelm her. She went and sat in her command chair and looked out the viewport. Billions of stars were shining, and she knew one of them was her home. “Oh, Daniel, I miss you so much.” She saw her fiancé’s face again, then realized this kind of sorrow must be what Chris has been drinking to forget. She looked at Chris entering the data. How could he have overcome the sorrow? She looked at the stars again, but only saw Daniel’s face.
The Cheops entered the green colored space and Chris said, “Just a moment before you move.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Look in the rearview display. Do you see that line behind us?”
Jillian stared and said, “Yes, I do. What is that?”
“Give me a moment to take a reading.” Chris turned his sensors on the line and read the results. “Jillian, I think when we move through this space, we leave a trail behind us. According to my readings it is decaying and will be gone in about a week. This is good and bad news.”
“Why do you say that?”
Chris looked out at the green space surrounding them and said, “It’s good because we have a way to go back to where we started. It’s bad because we can be followed. If we see it, the Moet can see it.”
“So as long as we go back within a week, we should have a trail to follow.”
“Looks that way. Let me check one other thing.” Chris extended his scanners and waited while they collected data. “Jillian, there are green trails all through this space. Some are rather large and according to my scanners they are not decaying.”
“What do you think about that?”
“I suspect that if the same trail is used a lot, it becomes much more durable. It could also be that the trails are not visible normally, but show up in my device. There are so many things we don’t know about this place. What are we going to call it?”
Jillian thought a moment, “Most of the sci fy writers have called it things like hyperspace, null space, warp space, and so on. Let’s call it Sierra.”
Chris smiled, “That’s a great choice. I can see Dolly’s face now.” Chris pulled in his sensors and punched his board, “Ready to go?”
“We aren’t really sure of the exact date, so let’s go out six thousand light years and work our way back.”
“You’re the boss, field engagement in ten seconds.” The Cheops hung in space as Jillian checked her board and pulled the blue handle. The green field instantly appeared around the Cheops and then it disappeared. Chris saw Sierra space around them and said, “Hit it.” Jillian pushed the yellow button and the Cheops moved through the green dimensionless space. Two seconds later the Cheops broke back into normal space and Chris turned the ship a hundred and eighty degrees. “Let’s see what we’ve got.”
Jillian looked at her display, “We’re in open space here. There’s not a star near us.”
“I’m extending the screens. Let’s hope we have something.” Chris watched his display and nothing appeared. He waited as the screens expanded away from the Cheops at light speed but nothing came up on the display.
“What’s happening?”
“I’m not sure. It may be that the light was blocked by something that moved in front of it at some time in the past.”
“Do you think we’ve come too far for your machine to work?”
Chris stared at his display and shook his head, “Let’s try moving a light near perpendicular to our current position.”
Jillian shrugged and set up the board, “Do you think we can find our way back from here?”
“As long as the green trail persists, we can. Let’s jump and see what we get.”
They ended up jumping four times before the display pinged, “Got it.”
Jillian jumped out of her chair and rushed over to see the display. Earth was shining in the center of it. Chris started adjusting the knobs, and after five minutes the surface was in focus. “We’re on the wrong side of the planet. We’ll need to wait eight hours for Egypt to come around.”
“What happens then?”
“If the pyramid is there, nothing. We’ll do our recordings from here. If not, we’ll jump a hundred light years toward the light coming to us and take another look.”
“Chris, I’m concerned about finding our way back home.”
“As long as we can receive the light from Earth, we can find our way back home. If we lose it we’ll just retrace the trail in Sierra Space.”
Jillian tilted her head to the left, “I hope you’re right.”
Chris smiled, “Trust me, I’m a scientist.”
“Those are the hardest to trust.”
“Tell that to Dolly.” Chris stood and started moving toward the passageway.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to get some sleep. I don’t know how much I’ll get later.”
“You can sleep at a time like this?”
“I can sleep even when I’m awake. There’s only one thing I like more than sleeping.”
“What is that?”
Chris winked, “Sorry, that’s a secret. I’ll let you know when the situation warrants it.”
Jillian threw a ball of paper at him as he disappeared from the bridge. She walked over and picked the paper up, then looked out the view port at stars that were different from any she had seen before. After a moment she saw Chris’ face. She shook her head and the stars returned. Why Chris’ face and not Daniel’s? She sat down in her chair and leaned back. She closed her eyes and saw Chris winking at her as he left the bridge. She smiled, and after a few moments, fell asleep.
Ship Commander L’grae looked at his status board and linked to the other five ships in his squadron. He was nervous but couldn’t allow his crew to see how he felt. His sensor officer had found the track of a Moet ship in green space and it was a new track. His squadron was ordered to find a Moet ship and attack it with a new weapon that had been recently developed. The power of the new beam was hundreds of times more powerful than those used in the past, and there was hope it could destroy their target.
L’grae knew that every attack so far had ended with the Moet killing most of the attacking ships. Everything they tried failed, and he wondered what would make this attack any different. He looked around the bridge of his main battleship and saw his crew’s fear. The six ships in the squadron were following the trail of the Moet ship, and he knew in less than ten dias they would be emerging into normal space where it had traveled. He said a quick prayer to the gods of his family and looked at his status board. All sections reported in ready, and he knew his other six ships were also at station. He looked around and announced over the ship’s speakers, “Less than ten dias to normal space. As soon as we emerge, we will scan for the Moet and begin our attack. Make your shots count. Hit it and hold it in your beams. I know you’ll make me proud.”
The weapon officers set their beams to the frequency of a Moet ship and charged the dispersal tank. This beam was different, in that it focused the charge into a very narrow tight beam that was estimated to approach the heat of a star. The battleship had fifty of the new beams, and the ship was programmed to automatically rotate and bring beams to fire as the first beams exhausted their charges. It would take fifteen dias to recharge, so there should be a constant firing of beams at the Moet. Time moved slowly for th
e squadron, but most of the crewmembers wished it would move even slower. They all prepared to die in the best way they could. Most were praying prior to the engagement; some were focusing on their duties. All were expecting the worst.
The Master of the Moet ship looked around the space in which his ship had just emerged. His ship had found a trail through green space that had come from a planet that was scheduled for destruction. He had followed the trail for two light years and didn’t find the ship he was searching for. He continued to follow the trail to six thousand light years, and again found nothing. This was problematic. He turned to order his ship to go back into green space when six ships suddenly appeared and roared in on his vessel. He wondered when these creatures would learn that attacking Moet ships was an exercise in futility and would only lead to their death. He hit the alarm and his weapons activated. Then things went bad. He saw more than sixty beams hit his force fields, and the screen failure alarm began sounding. He yelled at his drive officer, “Get us out of here!”
The Moet started firing at the six ships and two of them exploded, but the remaining four continued to pour fire into the grey ship. The Moet ship began moving, but suddenly a beam penetrated its screen and punctured its hull. Once the hull lost integrity the force fields collapsed and forty beams burned through the Moet ship.
L’grae saw one of his beams punch through the Moet’s force field and he stood up. This had never happened before, “Pour it on. Don’t let them escape.”
The Moet was hit eighty times before one of the beams hit one of their reactors. The huge grey ship exploded, breaking into three pieces. L’grae heard his crew cheering and knew more Moet ships were on the way. “Scatter and get back. Tell the Leaders we now have a weapon that works.”
The four survivors went into green space and scattered in different directions, doing a zigzag pattern through green space. They doubled back on their trails and turned circles. The green trails were jumbled and it would be impossible to follow them. The huge green cloud expanded and filled the green space around the attack. The Moet ships arriving at the scene of the attack could not find a trail coherent enough to follow. This was not a good thing. The enemy had finally found a way to destroy their ships and had escaped with the information. The Masters would have to decide how to handle this new situation. They remained at the site and waited for instructions. After four days, they were ordered to return to their base with the data they had collected. The trail for the Cheops to follow home had been erased.
Chapter Seven
Chris walked through the door to the bridge and saw Jillian asleep in her chair. He quietly moved to his chair and looked at his display. Egypt was in view and he moved the picture closer to the Giza plateau. He saw there were no pyramids. Ok, now they had to move closer. He pushed the toggle that transferred Jillian’s board to his and jumped twelve hundred light years forward.
The ship broke into normal space, and he saw his sensors were still picking up the images from Earth. Ummm, Khufu’s reign was generally thought to have occurred 2,600 years BC. The current year was 2085. So almost forty seven hundred years ago. He knew they were now looking at light from forty eight hundred years ago. He moved the focus closer and saw Egypt was about to move around the planet. He hurriedly focused in and saw that there were no pyramids at Giza. He knew he had to be getting close, so he jumped thirty years and still found no pyramids. He jumped fifty years and waited as Egypt came around. While he was waiting, Jillian yawned, stretched her arms, and opened her eyes, “What are you doing?”
“I’m jumping forward to find the pyramids. We’re at forty six hundred twenty years. Egypt should be visible in ten minutes.”
Jillian walked around to watch the display and leaned over Chris’s shoulder. He felt her face next to his and felt his heart beat faster. He took a breath and said, “Here it comes.” Egypt appeared at the left horizon and Chris focused in on the Nile. He moved to the area where Giza was located and saw the Great Pyramid in its completed form. It was beautiful. He also saw a second pyramid being constructed close by. “We’ve gone too far. Judging from the construction on the second pyramid, we are probably four years from the start of the Khufu Pyramid.” Chris adjusted the drive and set the jump for four years. They completed the jump and Chris saw that Egypt was in the center of the view. He brought the view in and didn’t see a pyramid. “We’re close. Let’s move in a year.” They jumped again and after bringing the view closer they saw the base of the Great Pyramid had been started.
Jillian shouted and hugged Chris’ neck, “We’re there!”
Chris made a mock choking sound and Jillian jumped back, “Scared ya didn’t I?”
Jillian slapped him on the shoulder and Chris said, “We aren’t there yet.”
“Why not?”
“Remember the map was shown when the first block of the fifth level was being installed.”
“Can’t we just move forward and fast forward to the right moment?”
“And what if we lose the trail we made getting here by moving from this place in normal space to another?”
“I didn’t think about that.”
Chris thought a moment and said, “I am not willing to just sit here for a few weeks or months for the fifth level to go up.”
Jillian looked at the drive board and said, “Let’s jump three weeks forward.” Chris furrowed his brow and Jillian said, “We know the pyramid was completed in about seven months according to the tablet. The levels that took the longest were the bottom layers because they were so much larger than the ones on top. Let’s try three weeks and see how it looks.”
Chris shrugged and said, “You’re the physicist.” He set the drive board and prepared to jump.
“Oh, so now you’re using titles and getting all formal on me?”
Chris looked at Jillian, smiled a huge grin, and said, “Yep!” Chris turned back to his board and Jillian stuck her tongue out at him. Chris saw her do it in the reflection off the viewport and said as he pushed the jump button, “I’ve heard of tongue lashings, but you could kill someone with that one.”
Jillian did a double take, wondering how he had seen her standing behind him. Chris smiled and let her worry about it. Two seconds later the Cheops broke back into normal space and Chris focused the beams. Jillian looked over his shoulder again and saw that the fourth layer was half done. Chris hit a button and a green light came on.
“What is that?”
Chris smiled, “I have wondered about the Great Pyramid my entire life. I knew that something had to have happened completely outside the human experience, and I’m going to record how they built it. It should take about two or three days to complete the layer before they bring the first block for the fifth level. As long as the Pyramid is in daylight, I’m going to record their activities.”
“Can you keep a view of the entire project and have another close-up view of the individuals around it?”
“Sure, hang on a moment.” Chris flipped a switch and the display split in half. He began adjusting the view and the display moved in close to the ground in front of the huge structure.
“Look, there’s one of the Sheera.”
Chris saw the alien was smaller than the Egyptians, who were small themselves compared to modern humans. They averaged between four feet six inches and five feet three inches tall. The Sheera appeared to be a little less than five feet tall. The big round hairless head was the most distinguishing feature. “I’m setting the boards to record as long as the plateau is in daylight and pause at night.”
“I hope the Sheera don’t show that map at nighttime.”
Chris shook his head, “The Egyptians don’t work at night, and I’m sure it had to be during daylight because they were installing the first block on the fifth level. We need to plan our sleep around their schedule.”
Jillian nodded and continued to watch the giant blocks being easily pushed into place by one or two workers. Once they were in place, a Sheera would hit the blocks with the
gravity gun and return them to full weight. Jillian watched the display over Chris’ shoulder and after an hour came around and sat down on his lap. Chris looked her in the eyes and she said, “I hope you don’t mind.”
Chris took a deep breath and remembered what Dolly said, “If you really care about her, you will try to rescue her from that nightmare.” Chris found he did care about Jillian, and he leaned the chair slightly back and put his arms around her shoulders, “We should have brought some popcorn. This is going to be an once-in-a-lifetime show.”
Jillian felt safe. In his arms, for the first time in many years, she felt secure and unafraid of what the world held for her. She sighed and said, “Them or us?”
Chris smiled, “Both.”
Jillian leaned back and put her face next to his and relaxed. As Egypt passed into the shadow of night time, Chris and Jillian slept together in the command chair. Neither was visited by nightmares, and time ceased to exist.
They were awoken by a small buzzer going off on the control board. Chris opened his eyes and saw that Egypt was going to be back in daylight in an hour. He looked at Jillian asleep in his lap with a serene face. He had never seen her as beautiful. She seemed to always be under pressure and worried. He raised his hand, touched her cheek, and turned her face to him. She opened her eyes and saw him staring at her. She smiled and he kissed her deeply. She turned and put her arms around his neck and returned his kiss. After what seemed like a moment Chris leaned away and said, “We have an hour to get ready. I wanted to do that for weeks. Now we’re even.”
Jillian smiled and stood-up. Chris said, “I’ll see you in the kitchen in about forty minutes.”
Jillian nodded and Chris left to shower and clean up. Jillian watched him leave and tried to think about Daniel, but the thoughts wouldn’t come. All she could see was Chris’ arms around her. She knew she should be troubled, but felt strangely at peace. She left the bridge for her quarters humming the Jukebox song.
Chris arrived in the kitchen and found a hot meal waiting on him. A note next to the plate said, “I’m on the bridge. Couldn’t wait. I’m so excited. Today could be the day!” She signed it “J”.
