Joni smiled as she commanded the Jess forward.
Garrett grabbed the arms of his chair. "What are you doing? You’re taking us in?"
Joni nodded. "Why not? They can't see us. To them, we are in another dimension that they can't detect."
Garrett shook his head. "This is crazy. Knog, you seeing this?"
I replied, "We're right behind you."
Chapter 16
* * *
Joni piloted the Jess to within a few meters of the Jordan. "OK, I think I'll drift over and drop a new tag. It looks like the old one is no longer broadcasting."
Garrett replied, "Just be careful."
Joni smiled just before blinking out. Ten seconds passed before she blinked back in. "Well, that didn't work."
Garrett asked, "What's wrong?"
Joni laughed. "I can't get off this ship while that skin is active. And we can't shut it off without being seen."
Jack said, "Yeah, I thought I heard Quan say something to that effect."
Quan replied, "That is correct. An active sodium skin may not pass through another active skin. As an alternative, you may have your ship drift inside another ship, blinking in once inside. This, however, can cause a rush of air, disrupting your surroundings. While potentially noisy, it is also an effective method of assaulting a ship with troops."
Jack said, "A scan of that ship doesn't show a space large enough for you to drift inside. But the destroyer a few kilometers away does, and I'm not seeing any personnel in the bay area. You might try dropping her in there. She would only be seconds away."
Quan replied, "I would recommend the storage area on the Braddock. I am not showing cameras. It also displays as a closed room. If there is an air disturbance, it is much less likely to be heard or felt."
Garrett nodded. "Braddock it is."
After a quick drop, Joni powered over to the Jordan where Ambassador Gottlieb stood on the deck. A new tag was placed on the bridge.
The ambassador said, "I am tiring of this wait. When will we have word from Command?"
The captain replied, "For the third time today, sometime this afternoon."
Gottlieb shook his head. "We are wasting precious time. The Grumar and Grotus should have finished cleansing the Moddle worlds days ago."
The captain frowned. "Maybe it's harder to knock out an entire species than Harden Salton thinks."
The ambassador huffed. "We should be thankful we were not given such a menial task. Frankly, I trust the Grumar and Grotus less than any of the species out here."
The captain half laughed. "Isn't it you that keeps telling me we don't have all the information, we should be accepting of the planner's decisions?"
Gottlieb turned to face the captain with a sour face. "Why do you torment me so, Captain?"
Dale Rogers laughed. "What else do I have to do out here, Ambassador? I'm nothing more than a limo driver, taking you from function to function. Any flunky from flight school could have done this job."
Gottlieb turned up his chin, looking down his long nose. "Perhaps that is precisely what happened."
The captain smiled. "Finally. We've been out here a year or so now and I think that's the first sarcastic remark you've made toward me. And a funny one at that!"
The ambassador looked back at the display. "I'm adopting the patterns and mannerisms of those around me. We have been out here too long."
The captain said, "Look, you can keep denying it, but I know that was a portal ship we lost at Bolitha. What happened? A failed jump? Or was it stolen... stolen. Wouldn't that be a hoot. Something with that much power in the hands of our enemies could be the end of our campaigns out here. Whoever had that could use it to attack the New Alliance anywhere at any time."
Garrett smiled as he leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head with fingers interlocked. "They still don't have a clue as to what's going on."
Joni blinked in, shaking her head. "No, they have a clue. Harden knows it was us that took the Ares. He's just waiting to see what we're going to do with it."
Garrett leaned forward. "I have an idea. Now that we have other ships capable of a portal jump, why don't we go back and torch those other two ships he's building, along with that stationary gate?"
I replied, "My people are still here. Until they are safe, I believe the stationary gate should remain."
Garrett threw up his hands. "We leave it open, he's just going to keep sending conscripts through. Here's a question for you: why do most of these ships here still have crews? We saw those back at Adicus were unmanned. Where are those ships?"
A comm channel opened on the Jordan. "This is Admiral Foster. The Moddle campaign is complete. Resettlement will commence there as soon as the Grumar and Grotus fleet have departed. Expect to be swept out to Bolitha in the coming hours."
Gottlieb raised a fist. "At last we can move this campaign forward."
He signaled the comm. "Admiral, do we know the strength of the Grumar and Grotus fleet that will be joining us?"
The admiral smiled, "Twenty-eight thousand, Mr. Gottlieb. This time, Bolitha will be wiped clean, followed by Therramis and Ronswig. The Kergan empire will have nothing left but a few scattered ships fleeing into the depths of the galaxy."
The ambassador nodded. "Let us hope there is no interference this time, Admiral. The success of our endeavors relies on our sticking to a timetable. The other families will not be aboard with this if we cannot show results."
Jack looked over. "Did you just pick up on that subtle slip-up?"
I replied, "I did. It seems new deals are in the making. I can't think but it was us who altered the course of this... campaign."
Jack rubbed his chin. I was just thinking about Gratis and Kerba. I don't like us having loose ends hanging out there. If someone was to come upon him on that planet, he knows where we were headed. I think it's time he fully joined our team."
I sat back in thought. "I would agree. He is a smart and capable historian. We could keep him busy for years reviewing the logs from the Caliente, let alone the data dump Quan has given us."
Joni turned to Garrett. "Take us out of here."
Two short rumbles were followed by the Jess and Garmon jumping back to the Triangulum. Three minutes later, we were settling in on the ground beside Kerba's compound. As the Garmon blinked in, a rush of air smacked the wall nearest our location, collapsing one of the rooms behind it.
Jack said, "Crap. Hope he wasn't in there. I'll have to keep that effect in mind when landing elsewhere."
Kerba came over the comm: "Was that you? You nearly killed me!"
Jack replied, "Yeah, that was my fault. Sorry about that."
I said, "Kerba, your time here at Maxell has come to an end. We need you to travel with us from now on."
Kerba returned a suspicious look. "Why? What's happened?"
I replied, "It's for your safety and ours. Come aboard the Garmon and I'll fill you in. And don't worry about your findings down there. What we have for you is far and above anything you would find on this planet."
Kerba protested. "I can't just leave it here!"
Jack said, "When you see what we have acquired, you won't care. Just come up."
Kerba replied, "At least give me a moment to collect my thoughts."
I said, "Please just come now. If you don't agree with what we have to show you, you can go back."
Jack looked at me. "We can't let him do that."
I replied, "He won't want to return."
Kerba scratched his wide green chin. "Now you’re playing on my curiosity. That's not fair."
"Just come."
As Kerba entered the lower decks, the ramp-way closed behind him. "So this is a kidnapping, huh?"
I shook my head. "Just come up to the bridge."
Kerba looked around as he walked. "Is this the same ship? It looks different, outside and inside."
Jack replied, "Yeah, you could say it's different. We had a few improvements made while we were gone."
&
nbsp; Kerba walked onto the bridge. "What is it that I must see?"
I began to swipe at my arm pad and stopped. Instead, using the embedded QE comm, I passed thought commands the wall display. An image of Bartel Helbris was soon floating in front of us.
Kerba glanced at me and back at the display. "Who's this? You picked up another Ankor?"
Jack laughed. "Not even close."
I said, "This is Bartel Helbris. Otherwise known as Frig. He was a founder of the AMP."
Kerba crossed his arms. "A founder? How would you know this?"
Jack replied, "We've been to his house. It's him. He fought in the War of Wars and was one of the key people involved in the Humans' defeat of the Duke."
Kerba sat back in a chair. "The Ankor were involved in the War of Wars?"
Jack grinned. "Not just involved, that individual right there was key to the whole victory. You come from a species called the Gambit, from a planet called Gambrel. That planet still exists in this galaxy, although I think it's been resettled by another species."
Kerba turned to face me. How do you know all this?"
I looked at the display. "Quan, you want to take over the image and explain?"
Quan replied, "It would be my pleasure."
As Quan manipulated the image on the holo-display, Kerba listened intently.
I turned to Jack. "Use the gravity beam to dig us a big hole. Push that compound and his ship in there and then cover it up."
Jack looked over at a mesmerized Kerba. "Yep, he won't care."
Joni said, "Hey, Quan. We have a device we call a stealth tag. You saw us put one in use at the ambassador's ship back there. Is that something that could be modified to use the QE comm technology?"
The image on the display continued to speak with Kerba as a comm reply came to Joni. "Yes, I believe that to be a good idea, Joni. Would you like me to have one created?"
Joni nodded. "Can you make it a dozen?"
Quan replied, "I can. Would you like to pick them up? Or should I send them to you?"
Garrett asked, "What do you mean, send them to us?"
Quan replied, "When they are complete, I could open a small portal to your location, and follow up by sweeping them through. It is a simple procedure given that I have your exact coordinates."
Garrett paused. "Wait. Are you suggesting doing this while we're moving or do we need to stop?"
The AI answered. "You may be in full motion, proceeding at any speed you like. Although, it is not advised as the active skin must be disabled."
Joni frowned, "I knew there had to be a catch."
Quan replied, "It is believed that the active skin moves you into a new dimension. Any portal open when the skin is activated will be cut off. This was the mechanism used to capture me, disabling my portal connection back to the Duke."
Garrett winced. "All of this information is starting to make my head hurt. Portals everywhere, instant comms across galaxies ... it's still a little hard to swallow. I keep thinking my brain is going to explode."
Joni smiled. "I think we all feel that way. There's a lot going on here that we just have to accept."
Garrett smiled back. "As long as I have you here beside me, I'll be OK."
Joni thought for a moment. "I'll just have to believe that wasn't meant to be sarcastic. As in, as long as we both go out together?"
Garrett shook his head. "No, it was a genuine comment, but I think you already know you can expect a little sarcasm to be mixed in there sometimes."
Joni frowned. "I guess it's too late anyway. I already said yes."
Garrett pointed, "No refunds or exchanges. Your deposit credits have already been spent."
Joni was quiet and then burst into laughter.
Garrett asked, "What's so funny?"
Joni looked over. "Credits? When's the last time you spent one?"
Garrett slowly shook his head. "I can't say I remember, but I would bet we have billions sitting somewhere by now."
"It's funny," Joni said. "Most citizens spend their lives working, trying to accumulate credits so they don't have to work when they are older. Yet we've been out here running around for as long as we have without ever giving a thought to having any. I suddenly find the thought of having or spending credits very strange."
Go said, "I've been looking over the ion amplifier design Anterra came up with. It's slightly different than the ones Quan just added to our ships. Not any better or worse, just different."
Garrett replied, "And this is relevant how?"
Go passed over a diagram. "I just thought it was an interesting point, that's all. But I did come across a feature of our new cannons that I wasn't aware of. They can be configured to operate in a positive or negative mode. Or they can be set to oscillate between those two. They should have devastating results as compared to our old cannons. Given the specs, we can now take on any ship we've encountered.
Jack asked, "How does that work in conjunction with the active skin?"
Go shook his head. "It doesn't. We have to deactivate to fire. Good news is that we can do that automatically. Because of the power generators we have, the skin can deactivate, the cannon fires, and the skin comes back online. All very fast. We are vulnerable to a hit when that happens. The Tantric will protect us, but the sodium skin may be damaged. If any part of that skin is damaged, the whole thing won't work. So we have to be careful."
Jack frowned. "Wasn't aware of that."
Go said, "You know, we still have those fission missiles aboard. If we could wrap them in the sodium skin, we could deliver them wherever we wanted. Quan? You have the designs for those missiles from our files. Can that active skin be added?"
Quan replied, "Yes it can. We have a similar design in our archives. It was called a driller. It used a black-hole-drive for propulsion and an active skin for protection. The driller would fly to a target where the black hole would be used to bore into a hull. Once inside, the driller would continue to fly, and its BHD would continue to absorb whatever it came in contact with. Within a matter of minutes, a smaller ship could be completely gutted. Nuclear warheads were added to the drillers to enhance their destructive power."
Jack smiled, "If we come to you, can you replace our current fission missile armory with a complement of drillers? Nuclear capable of course... no... better make that an even number of each."
Quan replied, "Consider it done. If you were unaware, Jack, the drive mechanism for your ships while the sodium skin is active is a BHD."
Jack replied, "I hadn't really thought about it. So we are being pulled around by black holes when active? No gravity drive?"
Quan answered, "Yes. The BHD is the only method of propulsion when the skin is activated. If desired, it may also be used along with the gravity drive when the skin is inactive."
Jack said, "I'm almost afraid to ask, but what's our new top speed?"
Quan replied, "The output from the BHD is linear. Therefore, in theory you would be able to accelerate forever. However, you would eventually reach a speed where the temporary black hole comes in contact with the surface of your hull due to the speed of the ship. The result would be a catastrophic failure."
Garrett said, "Again, this is making my head hurt."
Jack laughed. "Much of what we use is beyond our grasp, Garrett. Doesn't mean I'm willing to give it up. If we can control it, I don't care if it comes with a set of magic faeries."
Jack continued, "Quan, get those drillers ready, we're coming your way."
Jack turned to face me. "This is all getting better and better. If it keeps up, before long we'll only have to press a button and all of our dreams will come true."
I replied, "Let's just pick these drillers up and get back to saving the Gruntas and Talisans. I'm worried that their Bolitha campaign might not go as planned. My people would be too easily offered up as a sacrifice."
Jack nodded. "We'll load them up and move out. Heck, we might even beat them all to Bolitha."
Garrett pulled the Jess in
to the Garmon's docking bay and a portal jump was made back to Gratis. A complement of thirty-two drillers was brought aboard and the fermium missiles removed. The drillers were compact in size, just over a meter in length, and had the ability to fly for up to three months by means of their own micro cesium fusion reactor. They could also be programmed to relentlessly pursue a single or a number of targets. We watched simulations of their use. I was uneasy with their high level of effectiveness. Once turned loose, their programming guided the way.
Go moved about as if under normal Human power. Each day his prosthetics reacted with less effort. The new placement of his internal organs had settled, leaving him with little to no pain. As his familiarity with his new arms and legs grew, new levels of performance were unlocked.
The following day, Joni picked up the new QE comm stealth tags, and our supplies were refreshed. It was time for a jump to Bolitha. It was time for the wars to end.
Chapter 17
* * *
Jack said, "Coordinates are in. Three seconds... and we're there. You just gotta love it."
Joni replied as the Ares jumped in beside us, "We should have had Quan update the hold of the Ares to accommodate the Garmon. We could at least all jump together."
Go replied, "You know, with that updated portal on the Ares, you could have stayed at Gratis. All you would have to do is to use our QE comms to get the exact coordinates of whatever you wanted to sweep."
Joni replied, "Yeah, it just seems weird to open a portal elsewhere to sweep something to me. My mind wants to go from here to wherever we are jumping. Besides, I'd rather be out here where the action is."
Jack looked over at me. "You OK?"
I nodded. "Yes. Was just thinking about how this crew functions so well together. And now, with all this technology, we should be able to do whatever we want."
Jack laughed. "That would be great if it was that simple. True, we can do whatever we want, but what we can't do is make other people do what we want. That's the one vital area over which we have little control. You can ask people to do whatever you want, but they have to make up their own minds to do it."
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