by Karl Morgan
Jon said, “The names sound great, Darlene. Dovid’s team will be able to get the thing going in a couple hours after they arrive. I’ve been talking to him and he has dealt with the issues we have many times. He did ask if we had a thousand rolls of duct tape, though.” All three laughed.
“Darlene, I’ve seen the first images for the brochure on Golden Dawn and they’re amazing. There are thousands of miles of pristine beaches; forests even more majestic than the one near the beacon; mountain ranges twice the height of those on Earth. Our team has located at least five hundred sites for the first settlements,” Aria reported. “I’ve been talking with Governor Lawson. She is convinced that she can get half a million people from Day’s End to move here right away. Darak has promised to recruit another million from Earth.”
Darlene laughed, “We’re doing all the work and Lyra is going to get the credit again! This is great news. Let’s contact one of our Gallicean friends and offer them three more planets.” Darlene touched a contact on her panel, and said, “Mindy, please get either Commissioner Fa-a-Di or Governor De-o-Nu for me, please.”
“Aye-aye, Ambassador,” replied Mindy Marshall, the communications officer on Nightsky.
“Darlene,” Aria said, “before they call in, I wanted you to know that the new coffee system was installed on board four hours ago. I know that Dave and Charlie will be thrilled.”
“Thanks Aria,” Darlene said. “Did you try it yet?”
“It is fantastic,” Aria said. She touched the contact on the panel, saying, “Mindy, could you have someone bring us three cappuccinos from the new coffee system?”
“Aye-aye, Colonel. By the way, I’ve tried it too, and the coffee is wonderful,” Mindy replied.
After a minute, Mindy entered the conference room with a tray and three coffees, which she placed in the middle of the table. “Ambassador, Fa-a-Di is not available, but De-o-Nu should be calling any minute. I hope you enjoy the drinks,” she said as she turned and left the room.
As they sipped the coffee, a tone sounded on the control panel. Darlene touched the contact, and the smiling beak of Governor De-o-Nu appeared on the large screen. “My dear sister, Darlene, it is a pleasure to see you again. Aria, you look beautiful as always.” De-o-Nu laughed out loud. “Is that the pirate Jon Lake? I’m sorry that our only previous meeting was less than cordial.”
“Governor, I will never forget that day,” Jon began. “I thought I was an able pirate, but your fleet got the better of me. I owe you everything for capturing me, friend. That day marked the end of desperation for Far Sky. As you can see, I have turned a new leaf and am now captain of this noble vessel.”
“You are welcome, Captain,” De-o-Nu said. “When my brother, Dave Brewster calls for help, all of Greater Gallia will rush to the call. What can I do for you today, my friends?”
“De-o-Nu, I am certain that you recall the great treaty we signed with your brother-in-law,” Darlene said.
“Of course I do, sister. That treaty led me to be governor of two worlds, which is the best job of my life,” the Gallicean replied.
“Perhaps now you can petition Fa-a-Di for a new job,” Darlene smiled. “As you know, we have been sent to find more planets suitable for human colonies. Today, we orbit a planet that will be the new colony, Golden Dawn, which is eight light-years from Far Sky.”
“Congratulations to you and all humanity on another great discovery by Dave Brewster, Founder of a Thousand Worlds!” De-o-Nu shouted. “All Greater Gallia wishes you continued success.”
“Thank you, brother. But the story gets better. This system also contains three gas giants, which we are pleased to offer to you,” Darlene said.
De-o-Nu pulled a whisky bottle from his desk and filled a glass. “This calls for a drink.” He swallowed half the whisky, and refilled the glass. “I am speechless, sister. The generosity of mankind knows no bounds. Will you be able to send me all the information you have on those planets?” the governor asked.
“Of course, brother,” Darlene replied. “There is more to tell you now though. We have spotted Dar-Fa on all three planets.” De-o-Nu was smiling broadly. “Dave looked at the preliminary data yesterday, and he asked me to let you know that he thought he saw evidence of Ka-la-a, whatever that is.”
De-o-Nu was laughing and wiping moisture from his eyes. “Darlene, this is another miracle. Clearly, God is with the humans and Galliceans. I shall call Fa-a-Di immediately after we conclude and give him the good news. For your information, Ka-la-a are natural islands that form from ice crystals and flotsam in the clouds of gas. The existence of those structures on Gallia is what led to the evolution of my species. When Dave and Charlie flew over Jupiter with Fa-a-Di and me, we found Ka-la-a. Then we flew through the Dar-Fa there and were amazed.”
“There is still more, brother,” Darlene continued. “On Golden Dawn, we found proof of another peaceful maklan civilization thirty light-years from here. We plan to leave here tomorrow and make contact with them. We found a sophisticated warning beacon here that has been operational for four hundred million years. You can imagine how advanced they must be.”
“This is unbelievable Darlene,” De-o-Nu gasped. “My flagship, the Kong-Fa has recently been repaired and is in orbit here. If I could jump there later today, could my ship join yours on this journey? My society owes the greatest of debts to No-Makla. I would be happy to take maklans from here to join your expedition.”
“That’s what I was hoping for, brother. Ambassador Carakala Pakalanalan, the sister of their High Commissioner is looking for a ride. I told her you would be calling her later today. She is planning a contingent of five hundred maklans. We have two hundred here on Nightsky. If you bring her and three hundred others, we will be ready to go. We are hoping to have the Golden Dawn Portal Command operational within a few hours. Engineer Dickens will alert you when the portal is operational. You can arrange a jump from Io Star Port here. Is that an acceptable plan, brother?” Darlene finished.
“On one condition, sister,” De-o-Nu grinned, “before we leave Golden Dawn, I would like to offer the three of you rides over one of the gas giants.”
“Dave and Charlie never stop talking about that, Darlene,” Aria said.
“Brother, we accept your generous offer,” Darlene said.
“This is a great day for all of us. I will see you after we jump. I’ll have my crew set up a platform over the gas giant closest to your location. Thanks to all of you. Greater Gallia is in your debt. Jupiter out,” the governor said as the signal ended.
Chapter 16
Rather than being alone in his own home, Dave Brewster decided he would stay in Charlie Watson’s mansion while they visited the twenty-first. After he and Charlie had returned from the coffee shop, Dave sat quietly in his room. He had been waiting to make this journey for a long time, but now he found himself missing the thirty-second and his life there. He tried watching television, but the news was depressing with nonstop coverage of the recession and continuing international strife. He thought about the story of the Kalideans arriving on Earth and ending man’s preoccupation with self-destruction. That would not happen for almost four hundred years. Each person is born into a particular era and finds the events of their time to be totally normal. Having lived far in the future for a year, Dave knew the normal of the twenty-first was still primitive and violent.
Dave heard a knock on his door and went to open it. Standing there was Bea, the cute barista from Starbucks. Dave let her in and she sat on the couch, where he joined her. “Bea, this is an unexpected surprise,” Dave said.
“Admiral, there are some things I want to talk to you about,” she replied. “The Chief Engineer would kick me out of Temporal Command if he knew I was talking to you, but I can’t ignore the elephant in the room.”
“Bea, first of all, please call me Dave. Second, I don’t want you to get in trouble. I feel like I’m kept in the dark on many things, so I don’t mind not knowing,” Dave said. “Darlene keeps a
lot of secrets from me, for example. As an ambassador, she is privy to many things going on at the High Council for Humanity that I know nothing about.”
“I’m sorry, but my mind is made up. The only way I can help with this mission is by using my secret weapon, which is what I want to tell you,” she answered as she put her hand on top of his. “Dave, I am your granddaughter.”
Dave was too confused to speak. He had seen Bea at the same Starbucks for many months, even before he met Charlie Watson. Neither Bill nor Cybil were married. While he and Charlie both thought she looked like Darlene, he never would imagine that she was his grandchild. “I’m sorry Bea, but I just don’t understand. How could you be my granddaughter?”
“When the High Commissioner assigned me to this team, she hoped I would be a resource of last resort. If Charlie, Aria and the rest failed to convince Rob and Matt to jump forward with them, I am to confess that I am the daughter of Rob Watson and Cybil Brewster,” she said. “The High Commissioner thinks this might be the one thing that can convince them to move.”
Tears felt a lump in his throat as he thought this girl could really be Cybil’s daughter. He put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. He laughed, “Charlie and I both thought you looked a lot like Darlene. Is this really true, Bea?”
“Yes, Grandpa, it’s true,” she whispered as she wiped tears from her own eyes. “You can’t tell anyone about this, especially not Charlie, Aria or Darlene. You have to promise Grandpa. I’m not going to tell anyone about this unless it’s the only way to convince my dad and uncle to come with us.”
“I promise, sweetheart,” Dave said. “Can you tell me more about yourself? I already heard the bombshell, so you’re not revealing anything secret now.”
“Okay, Grandpa, I can tell you some more,” Bea started. “My mom and dad met while getting their doctorates in biomedical engineering at MIT. The few folks from the twenty-first tended to hang out together there. It was difficult to blend in with the people from my time since they looked so different and had completely different backgrounds. They got married one month after they both graduated in 3192. They immediately joined the DNA team with my uncles and Jake the maklan. The High Council built a special scientific campus in San Diego for the team. I think they had five hundred scientists working there full time. Now for the important stuff! I was born on May 31, 3195 in San Diego.”
“Wow, that’s incredible,” Dave replied. “My little baby girl is a mother. Tell me more.”
“I have two younger sisters who are still in college, Gracie and Darlene. When I graduated with my doctorate in biomedical engineering, I joined the team. I was twenty-four at the time. When the project was finished, High Commissioner Lyra Lawson asked me to join this team,” she continued.
“Lyra is High Commissioner?” Dave said. “That’s fantastic. That woman can do anything. Keep going, Bea.”
“Apparently, Chief Engineer Muncie Morgan had sent teams into the future to see if all of the people from the twenty-first had the expected impact on our time. The results were less than they hoped for. Of the twenty or so jumps, twelve were similar to what had been seen when Rence and Aria had jumped before you came to my time. In the other eight, the DNA project was never completed. In those futures, the phrase ‘Dave, Founder of a Thousand Worlds’ had been replaced by ‘Dave, the Great Explorer.’ When more historical records were searched, they found in each of those eight cases, Rob and Matt Watson stayed in the twenty-first,” Bea finished.
“That’s why you are here, Bea,” Dave replied. “In those alternative futures, Rob and Cybil never meet, and you and your sisters are never born. But I still don’t understand. Here you are, sitting right next to me. Doesn’t that prove that they do come with us since you were really born?”
“Time doesn’t work that way. Until they actually jump in time, the future is still fluid. If they stay here, then the futures that include me will disappear. Even if they do jump, there are many more things that have to happen in order for me to exist in the future. I have to admit it does give me an incentive to get them to jump!” she laughed. “Seriously Grandpa, it’s okay. I know that the spirit within me will be alive, but that person just won’t be Bea Watson in those futures. There are advantages to being me though. Even though I look like a person from the twenty-first, I am from the thirty-second. When your grandparents are Admiral Dave Brewster, Ambassador Darlene Brewster, Commodore Charlie Watson and General Aria Watson, you get a lot of respect. Not to mention my aunt Elaine, who represents North America on the High Council.”
“Bea, I can see why your records are sealed,” Dave said. “If anyone knew what you know, it could very well change the future even more. Your secrets are safe with me, don’t worry. We will all do our utmost tonight to convince Matt and Rob to jump with us without revealing your secret.”
“Thanks, Grandpa,” Bea smiled. “I feel so much better having that off my chest. I have been worried to death about when or how I would tell my dad. I am afraid if I tell them, the future will be altered immediately. If he thinks he must now marry my mom, it might sour their relationship. I know the mission is not about me, but in a way, it is.”
Dave put his arm around her shoulders, saying, “Bea, it is all about you in my mind. I don’t want to lose the chance of having you in my life either.” He kissed her on the cheek. “I’m pretty sure we can convince them to jump. Charlie had Darlene and me jump to the Eiffel Tower to break the news to her. It’s hard to argue that it’s crazy when you’ve already jumped once. Frankly, I’m surprised they would put you in this position. I don’t think it was fair to tell you to jump here to save your own life. I’d probably scream at Lyra for doing this, but she would have no idea what I’m talking about in 3187.”
Chapter 17
Darlene, Aria and Jon sat anxiously on the shuttle craft as it passed into the upper atmosphere of Planet 5 toward the platform that had been placed there by the crew of the Kong-Fa. They were wearing their pressure suits, but had not donned their helmets yet. The claustrophobic feeling of being trapped in the suit in a poisonous atmosphere was not to be rushed. Planet 5 had a thin ring like Neptune. The atmosphere was broken into rapidly moving bands of clouds and gas. The large Dar-Fa swirled like a massive hurricane in the southern hemisphere. Darlene thought about Dave’s tale of flying through the Dar-Fa on Jupiter. They could now see the platform directly ahead of their ship. A Gallicean shuttle had already docked and six Galliceans stood there waiting for them. When the shuttle landed, the three put on their helmets and pressurized their suits. They would not breathe fresh air until they returned. The shuttle pilot joined them and checked the fittings and settings on their suits. When he was convinced they were ready, he donned his own suit. When he was ready, he opened the door of the shuttle and extended the short ramp. They walked out into Planet 5’s atmosphere and walked over to the Galliceans. The shuttle door closed behind them.
De-o-Nu laughed, “Welcome, my friends! It is a beautiful day on this wonderful planet.” He shook hands with all of them and introduced the others from his crew. No-ka-De and Nan-de-Bo had been with De-o-Nu during the showdown over Neptune. They had jumped to the other two ships attacking the maklan cities and dispatched the Predaxian spies there. Both had then fought at the battle of Nom-Kat-La and had been injured when the Kong-Fa had been badly damaged. They were back with their beloved Governor and had been honored to take Aria and Jon with them on this preliminary exploration of the new planet. “Darlene, my crew has reviewed the reports you sent to me. This planet does look like an exceptional place for our people. The High Commissioner has asked me to accept your generous offer. In two days, three cruisers and two colony ships are due to arrive here to begin more extensive studies of this and the other two gas giants.” As the three shuttle craft crew helped the humans into the harnesses on the governor and his lieutenants, De-o-Nu continued, “The ambassador from No-Makla asked if she and her team could join us. They should be jumping here very soon. She also conta
cted Jake and has invited his team to come as well.”
Darlene Brewster was now firmly locked into the harness on the governor’s chest. “Of course, brother, that is a wonderful idea. We will all be stuck in our star ships for the next seven days, so a little fresh air and exercise is a good thing.” While she was speaking, two bright flashes occurred near the platform. The five hundred maklans appeared and began flying around the group. Two maklans flew up to Darlene.
“Darlene,” Jake said, “please let me introduce you to Ambassador Carakala Pakalanalan from No-Makla.”
“Welcome to Planet 5 in the Golden Dawn system, Ambassador,” Darlene said. “It is an honor to have you join us today and on this great journey to Tak-Makla.”
“Ambassador Brewster,” she began, “The honor is ours. We have lost contact with all other maklan worlds since shortly after the Great Rebirth. The only one we know is Predax, and that is not a good thing. The opportunity to meet this highly advanced maklan civilization is fantastic.”
De-o-Nu was fidgeting. “It’s great that you are both so honored, but we are here to explore this great planet and have some fun. I recommend you two diplomats just enjoy the day.” The shuttle crew told De-o-Nu everyone was ready to go. He turned to his lieutenants, saying, “No-ka-De and Nan-de-Bo, you have been given the honor to make the first flyover of this world due to your heroism at Nom-Kat-La. I am entrusting the lives of two great humans and I want you to show them a great time.”
Nan-de-Bo laughed, “Governor, we thank you for this thrill. The air is very fresh and wonderful today. Let’s hope the sighting of Ka-la-a is correct. We are ready when you are.” He looked down at Jon in his harness. “Don’t worry, Captain Lake, I take my own children around in one of these and I’ve only dropped them a couple of times!” He shrieked with laughter as the group dived off the edge of the platform into the swirling gas.
