Slowly, so as not to alarm the Droid, she then felt around Frank’s neck until she found the point to inject the cells. A slight hiss and the cells were in Frank’s body.
Charlotte then entered Frank’s mind again and tried to locate the offending drug source, with virtually instant success. A minuscule capsule, just under the skin, seemed to be the cause of Frank’s lack of awareness.
Then Charlotte found a thin wire probe, leading from the capsule. And, having decided to remove both items from his neck, took the BEC unit’s cap off, revealing a tiny surgical blade inside.
Sorry, Frank, Charlotte mentally apologized. Then, slowly and carefully, cut the flesh around the capsule and wire, until she could safely remove both.
And, as the capsule popped out of his neck, Frank, immediately woke up and seemed to be alert.
“Charlotte?” Frank uttered.
Chapter 20
Progress report
Supervisor Javon, and Senior Temporal Predictor, Platos, surveyed the large temporal overlay showing on the holographic display that floated before them.
Javon studied the temporal overlay for several minutes but couldn’t see any divergences from the plan that wouldn’t be able to be tweaked if needed. All variations seemed to point to a favorable conclusion.
Javon then directed his thoughts to Platos. It appears that our operator Charlotte still hasn’t confirmed her progress… It’s difficult… She may still jeopardize our end goal.
H’mm... That must be why the Garoden homeworld strand is still foggy, Javon…. It must be due to operator Charlotte, and the missing brain cell enhancing Cryopreservation injectors.
Javon knew that Platos was correct in his reasoning. Agreed, Platos. Our predictions and planning have assumed Richardson is dead… If, as Charlotte must believe, he is still alive, and she is distracted from her mission. Well…
Javon, do you mean that if she doesn't find and use the Neutron… Then, the outcome of the war is unpredictable?
Exactly Platos.
Well, we cannot predict what she will do. So, let's go with my team and see this through. Platos ordered.
Supervisor Javon knew that was the only option. After all, the Humans, Crillons, and Solverons had all opened the secret master plan’s file.
Show the location elements, Javon instructed the display, and it changed to show the expected engagement area. With details of the Timeframe, Galactic location and the necessary displacement correction for an upcoming battle.
Also, displayed, was the point at which the two Garoden fleets were expected to join up. Plus, the location where the Garodens expected the Alien fleets to meet. And, the exact point at which the Humans, Crillons, and Solveron ships would actually jump from, to end up directly amongst the Garoden fleets.
Yes, the Timing was critical to their success, Supervisor Javon decided.
But, Charlotte's actions were an unknown complication. Javon still didn’t know exactly what she had in mind that, was not in Delta’s plan?
Chapter 21
A Leap of Faith
Admiral Winton knew for certain that the Crillons and, as it now seemed likely, the Solverons. Would be the two main players in this so-called master plan to get rid of the Garodens once and for all. And, it was gratifying to him personally that, even though the Earth fleet was small in comparison to the others, it had nevertheless been given a role to play.
All three Races had been given the coordinates for the upcoming engagement, including, the critical timing for each group’s jump into battle.
However, there hadn’t been any mention of where the nine or ten Star Destroyers that had taken out the Crillon’s Battle-Group 63, were. This, concerned Winton and, even though Commander Procard had made light of it. It was still a worrying factor that these Star Destroyers hadn’t been located, yet.
“Crillon Commander Procard is calling via their encrypted SAB Link,” Ensign Paula Childs, his Comms Officer informed Winton.
“Hold the call for one moment,” Winton instructed her. Then called Lieutenant Farrow.
“Any movement of the Garoden fleet at Sol 2, Farrow?”
The Lieutenant quickly checked the latest data burst from Jefferson’s stealth surveillance probe monitoring the Garodens.
“No change, Admiral. But, they must be going to move soon, if they want to rendezvous with their Seventh Fleet.”
Winton then began to wonder if their surveillance probe was still recording. Or, if the Garodens had found it, and presented it with a false image.
“Run a validity check, Lieutenant. Just to make sure it’s transmitting factual, and untampered, information,” Winton ordered.
“On it.”
Winton then nodded to Ensign Childs and the connection to Procard was made.
“Commander Procard,” Winton greeted as the holographic projection of the Crillon’s face appeared on his console.
“Ah…, at last, Admiral… Have your people studied this, so called master plan?”
“Yes. My ships authenticators and our tactical AI’s have all been through it, separately. Nevertheless, I must say that it concerns me having so many of my ships taking part in the operation, Procard.”
“Well, as you know we’ve lost a lot of ships, Admiral. And, I’m sure that you and the Solverons are in the same boat?”
“Can’t argue with that, Commander,” Winton replied, agreeing with the Crillon.
Just then, Lieutenant Farrow received the results from Jefferson’s stealth surveillance probe.
“Admiral,” he interrupted. “Our validity check shows that everything the probe sent, is correct. However, I also instructed the probe to swing around to show what’s left of the terrestrial planet around Sol 2.”
“All right. So, what did you find?”
“I have just sent the image to your sub console,” Farrow replied.
Winton looked at the picture showing on his screen and saw a planet. Well, actually, just remnants of the terrestrial planet that had been designed to look like Earth. And fragments of the crust that had once covered it.
The largest piece of the remains showed signs of the planet’s molten core. But, even that was cooling, and would soon die.
Admiral Winton shivered at the thought that this could easily have been Earth. Then closed the image, and turned his attention back to Procard.
“You sound apprehensive, Commander Procard?”
“Well, we may be able to match the Garodens with the number of ships… But, not in firepower or battle survival rate,” Procard said and paused for a moment, thinking. “Take the Solverons, for instance. They were useless against even that small Garoden ship. So, what help will they be, now?”
“Commander, we’re resigned to the fact that something, or more likely someone, is pulling our strings. And, if that’s the case, wouldn’t this someone have taken that into consideration?” Winton asked.
“Perhaps, Admiral. But, are we all being sent into a battle with no victors. Except for these, unknown someone’s, who are pulling strings?”
“Well, maybe these are the Temporal players. Procard? I know for a fact that Richardson believed in them. In fact, Hector Serrell, Ned Parker from Andromeda, and even you thought that the two young women on Andromeda were from a different time,” Winton stated.
“So, Commander. Can I assume that your call is to see whether the humans think this master plan is authentic and workable?” Winton then asked.
“In a way… Like it or not, our Senate and the Solveron’s Senate, seem to think that you Humans are important in all this.”
Winton didn’t respond immediately, he’d had a thought. An idea, that somehow seemed so far-fetched, that it might possibly be true. Could it be that the Temporal players were human, and from way Uptime?
If that were the case, then would the outcome of this battle, solidify, or utterly destroy Uptime? He wondered.
Then, Winton, having almost forgotten that Procard would have expected a comment, said. “Yes,
Procard. We like to think we are,” smiling as he spoke.
Procard gave Winton a sort of knowing look and smiled. Then said, “Admiral, I really hope you’re right… Anyway, we’ll see you at this offset rendezvous point.”
With that, Commander Procard’s image faded out.
“Anna, start the fleet’s countdown for the jump sequences,” Winton ordered his tactical AI.
“Yes, sir… The initiation sequence will commence in twenty-four hours, thirty-one minutes, and ten seconds. We should exit at the offset location, at the designated time.”
“And the Michigan group?”
“Already time corrected, and synced.”
Captain Bridger then interjected. “Admiral. The Garodens have just jumped. With any luck, our probe has followed the last ship into its wormhole, as programmed.”
“So, we’ve lost our eyes, then?”
“Only until the probe exits at the Garoden’s meeting point. The probe should then be able to establish a hyperlink with us, just as it did from Sol 2.”
“Excellent, Tom.”
With that, Admiral Christopher Winton sat back in his seat, and relaxed. There was nothing more they could do now but wait.
Chapter 22
Charlotte’s Game
“Charlotte?” Frank uttered.
“Wait, Frank,” she urged as she rolled one side of the injector over the cut in his neck.
Within seconds, the wound sealed, and she sensed his mind as it started to recover its telepathic ability.
‘Help me,’ he mentally pleaded as she put the injector back in her suit.
‘Ok, Frank. Let’s give you five minutes to fully recover, and we’ll leave.’
The following five minutes seemed like an eternity, to Frank. But, he had to admit, that whatever Charlotte had injected into him, was indeed forcing his mind to expand. And expand to include the generally unused area of his brain, as before.
‘Frank, do you know where the Neutron is?’ Charlotte mentally asked him.
‘The capture of myself and the Neutron seemed years ago, but as far as I can remember, our captors thought the Neutron wasn’t worth bothering with and was to be powered down and left in orbit, but under guard.’
‘So, nothing’s been tampered with?’
‘As I said, in the captor’s eyes, the Neutron wasn’t advanced enough to bother with… except maybe, as an alien trophy.’
‘Does that mean there was a total power shutdown?’
‘Yes, apart from the Neutron’s warp crystal containment spheres.’
‘So, can we still use them?’
‘Yes, I think so, Charlotte. But it would take three to four minutes to initiate Systems Startup. Then, another couple of minutes for the reactors to go critical and produce enough energy to warp out of here...’ Frank mentally replied.
‘Where would we jump to, anyway?’ He mentally asked.
‘To rendezvous with Andromeda first. Then, go on to my ship,’ Charlotte replied.
‘Andromeda…? You mean the old bucket survived? What about Susanna, and our crew?’
‘I’m sorry Frank. I am afraid they are all dead.’
Frank was shocked by Charlotte’s statement. And, had the urge to scan her. He desperately needed to find out more information about Susanna and his crew.
‘No Frank. Do not try to enter my mind,’ Charlotte sternly ordered, knowing she had to be careful. She had to ensure that Frank wouldn’t sense she was lying.
Or, that Procard’s ship had reached Susanna and Frank’s crew. Albeit a little late, but Procard had managed to save them all. Now, they were all safe and alive, and on Earth.
‘But, Susanna had the same mental powers as us,’ Frank thought as he tried to convince himself that that should have been enough to save her.
‘I’m sorry Frank, but Susanna really is dead. All of them, are dead. Procard arrived too late to save anyone. However, he did take all their bodies back to Earth.’
Frank was silent while he took in the fact that his wife and all his crew were dead. And, that he needed to save his grieving for later if he wanted to get out of here.
‘Charlotte, you said, my ship. So, I assume it’s a Time ship, yes?’
Charlotte didn’t answer that question.
‘Time to go, Frank,’ she forcefully ordered… ‘Just be ready to help me prevent interference from the guards.’
‘What about that droid in the corridor?’
‘I’ll take care of it. Come on,’ Charlotte urged Frank.
Frank had, by now, realized that although he was still physically weak, his mental powers had increased, massively.
He gingerly felt around in his mind. Then decided that, yes, everything was sharper and clearer, mentally, than four years ago, when he was captured by the Garodens.
As they reached the cell door, the security droid moved inside to block their exit.
“Remain where you are,” the droid ordered.
Then, under Charlotte’s attack, the droid sparked and crackled for a second or so and dropped noisily to the floor.
‘Come,’ Charlotte ordered Frank.
Both, reached the security desk before the Garodens realized what had just happened. Then the Security Commandant jerked upright, as Frank plowed into his mind removing all thoughts of the two Aliens. Frank knew, however, that he’d overdone it with his attack on the Commandant’s mind, so much so, that the Commandment might never recover from his action.
Charlotte knew that this time, she would have to take care of Officer Plema’s companion brain. Or risk it warning others. So, she attacked the Companion brain hard and fast, sending it into a shock closedown. And, Plema staggered, at the loss of something that had been with him since his teens.
Then Charlotte mentally placed an order in all three Garoden’s minds.
‘Take us back to the shuttle.’
At which, Officer Plema and Troopers Breba and Bratan turned and headed for the pad where their shuttle was parked, totally ignoring the two aliens following on behind them.
Once all five of them had reached the shuttle, and the pilot had given clearance to enter. Charlotte ordered the three Garodens to remain on the pad and forget who was in the Shuttle.
Charlotte was then pleased to find that her mental probe proved this Garoden pilot didn’t have a companion brain, which was in keeping with her belief that that only Garoden officers and their hierarchy did.
Feeling confident that they were now in control, Frank and Charlotte entered the shuttle. Hit the ‘close door’ contact, and headed up front to where the unsuspecting pilot was sitting.
Then, Frank, seeing that Charlotte was already wearing mag Slip-Ons over her footwear, took a pair from a service aid container, next to the airlock, and slipped them over his own footwear.
Frank was sure that the pilot would be able to find the location of the Starcruiser Neutron through the Planet’s, Items at risk to space navigation, listing.
However, Charlotte and Frank were both aware that it was only a matter of time before the droid’s demise at the detention center, would trigger an alert. Followed by a swift response from the Garoden’s security systems. So, Charlotte mentally implanted her instructions in the pilot’s mind that the shuttle must immediately take off, and dock with the old Alien ship in orbit.
The pilot, without turning to see who had given him the order. Searched for the orbiting ship’s location. Then for a safe passage to intercept the vessel.
Charlotte and Frank sat down next to each other and waited for take-off. Frank, could see right across to the detention center they had just escaped from, through one of the several transparent panels along the hull. But, there still wasn’t any activity from the security guards.
After a few moments, the target vessel’s location was displayed on the pilot’s flight screen. A few rapid finger-taps later, and the pilot had executed the order. Causing the shuttle to vibrate, for a few seconds, before lifting off the ground and tilting upward.
A squealing sound then emanated from the shuttle's power unit, as it rapidly accelerated the shuttle upwards and towards its destination.
“Eight minutes to intercept,” the pilot informed.
“So, Charlotte?” Frank said.”
‘No speech, Frank,’ she mentally warned him.
‘Sorry… What’s your plan?
‘Well, first. We take the Neutron and rendezvous with Andromeda. Then, you will perform, and fertilize me,’ Charlotte calmly stated.
“What?” Frank exclaimed out loud. He was shocked at... Well…, at her ordering him to have sex with her.
‘You will make me pregnant, Frank… Susanna is dead. Your child on Earth thinks you’re dead… So, it is right that we will bring up our special children together.’
Now, at last, Frank understood what he thought he had seen all those years ago when Charlotte had made a slip during their mental quad link-up.
Frank thought about the situation for a while and was finally forced to accept that his true love, Susanna, was dead, and he had to move on.
The Garoden War. (SpaceFed StarShips Series) Book 7. An exciting, action-packed SpaceFed Series finale that also concludes the Garoden War.: ‘Military Gamble.’ Page 10
