Qui Shi crying says, "I understand Cale."
Jackson goes to shake Caleb’s hand, but instead lowers his head and says, "Go ahead, and put that crap in my head on how to kill that Meli thing."
Caleb smiles and in a moment, he touches Jackson and says, "It’s done my friend. Please take care of my daughter."
Then Jackson and Qui Shi are transported out of the stone and are surrounded by the aliens and humans.
The Queen is there and says, "I’m sorry, but you will not remember this."
Then the chamber glows brightly, as the light becomes almost blinding. Jackson and Qui Shi fall unconscious.
When they awake, they are in the opening chamber where they entered.
Jackson goes to grab Qui Shi who has also just awoken, asking, "Andrew, where are we?"
Jackson is overly excited, and grabs Qui Shi, saying, "You’re ok? Thank god you’re ok."
Qui Shi asks again, "Andrew, where are we? What is happening?"
Jackson looks at his watch and says, "You were hurt by the T-Challa Queen. We came to the moon of the First Ones, and the last thing I remember… We were entering that room… Down that corridor, it was filled with a strange mist. The next thing I remember I’m here, with you, and you’re ok."
A man comes down from the corridor and says, "Hello General Jackson. We have alerted Gaul, he is prepared to receive you when you shift to his ship."
Jackson curious asks, "What happened to us?"
The man replies, "Goodbye General Jackson. We will not meet again."
He leaves the chamber, and the doors seal closed behind him.
Qui Shi asks, as she is held by Jackson and he prepares to shift, "Andrew, do you know how to do this?"
Jackson smiles and says, "You weren't afraid last time I did this."
Qui Shi smiles alarmed and replies, "Andrew, I was safely unconscious last time."
Jackson smiles and says, "Details." He activates the shift device, and heads out to Gaul's ship.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
EPILOGUE
Back during the period of Mohammed and Raphael's mission, onboard the T-Challa base.
Mohammed starts to get to his feet. He looks around the massive corridors. Raphael quietly says, whispering, "Move quietly and try not to talk the T-Challa are moving all around."
Mohammed shakes his head in agreement, and points down the hallway. The two quickly push the anti-grav sled, carrying the nuke down the corridor and to a lift at the end of the corridor.
Raphael looks around seeing nothing. He opens the lift and pushes the sled in. Both enter as they use the anti-grav sled, to pull themselves up from the lift floor, to the ceiling.
Moments later, the lift stops and a T-Challa warrior enters. It bumbles about, as it closes the lift doors. Raphael and Mohammed hovering above are waiting for the beast to leave. The T-Challa stops the lift, and looks around as if it senses their presences. It roars as it becomes frustrated.
Mohammed pulls his knife, and his plasma weapon. He prepares to drop down on the creature, but Raphael quietly taps him on the shoulder and motions him to calm down. The two watch as the creature exits the lift, and disappears from view. Mohammed drops down and looks all around. Seeing no one he whispers, "What was that all about?"
Raphael replies whispering, "They sometimes receive commands telepathically. He may have received some command, or information he didn't like."
The two continue down the corridor to the middle of the base. When Raphael looks at his scanner and shakes his head.
Mohammed sees an air duct directly above, and uses the anti-grav sled to carry himself and the nuke to it. He props it open, and sets the remote detonator to activate in one hundred and twenty seconds.
Mohammed lowers himself as far down as possible, and drops to the floor. However, the sound of such a large man fully armed and wearing a heavy battle suit is easily heard by a T-Challa guard, which was approaching. The T-Challa quickly rushes overlooking all around, searching for what may have made the noise. Mohammed and Raphael try to move quietly, when they unfortunately step on a loose part of the floor plating, creating more noise.
The T-Challa reacts immediately, and charges toward them.
Mohammed activates his shield, exposing himself and fires his weapon at the charging T-Challa killing it quickly. However, he has now given away his location, as alarms are sounding off all over the base. Mohammed says, "No point in being stealthful now. Let’s get out of here."
Four more T-Challa warriors charge down the corridor toward them, as the alarms go off.
Raphael says, "I'll try and contact the Yinglong."
Raphael stays cloaked, as he tries to make contact.
Mohammed secures himself, and opens fire on the charging hoard of T-Challa, firing at them in well-placed shots.
Mohammed takes down the four, but dozens more charge down the corridor from both directions.
Mohammed takes several hits against his PCD shield. The shield finally relents, and Mohammed is struck falling aside injured.
Raphael quickly grabs him up, and they both phase out of the area, to another part of the base.
Mohammed is in severe pain collapsing to the ground as Raphael finally makes connection to the Yinglong. Now all he has to do is wait for them to respond.
Mohammed asks, "We have less than a minute, can we get out of here?"
Raphael says, "I'm trying to make contact Mohammed, just hang on."
Mohammed, in agony from his wounds passes out, as the countdown continues. Finally, he gets a response. He says, "We have the bomb planted, and we have twenty seconds, Mohammed has been hit and is unconscious we need immediate evac now."
Kalen says, "Raphael, you will need to shift directly into null space little brother, we will find you."
Tess shocked says, "Kalen, you know what his chances are."
Raphael answers, "I know sister, no one who has shifted directly into null space has ever been found."
Kalen says, "Good luck little brother, we will search for you, till the end of time."
He cuts his transmission and grabs Mohammed, as the two shift directly into null space.
Null space, it is a field devoid of anything, atmosphere, light, darkness, time, or space. Nothing is as it is in our dimension. To an untrained human mind, it can be absolute torture.
Raphael awakens with Mohammed, in this endless empty space devoid of anything. They're free-floating within the void, with only their suit’s life supports keeping them alive.
Raphael struggles to wake Mohammed, yelling, "Mohammed, wake up please."
After a few moments, Mohammed stirs in agony, answering, "Yes my friend, I hear you. Where are we?"
Raphael struggles to reply, "I'm sorry Mohammed, but our only option was to directly phase into null space. I'm afraid all I've done is delay the inevitable."
Mohammed in pain looks behind Raphael and asks, "I thought nothing exists in null space?"
Raphael confused says, "Nothing but us. At least until the oxygen in our suits runs out."
Mohammed asks pointing behind Raphael, "Then my friend, what is that?"
Raphael turns to see an approaching Paladin class Battleship approaching at flank speed. He says in shock, "It can’t be his ship. It was lost a thousand years ago."
Mohammed barely able to stay conscious asks, "Whose ship?"
Raphael answers as Mohammed is passing out, "Benton's ship, the Celesta."
After two days, both men wake up in med bay, on a Paladin class Battleship.
Mohammed sees Raphael, who has also just woken, and recalling Raphael's last conversation asks, "You said this is Gabriel's ship?"
Raphael very confused says, "Yes, the Celesta. It was one of the only few ships to have a phase shift device, but it was lost without a crew over a thousand years ago."
Then a familiar voice speaks as it enters the room, "I wasn't lost. I was just taking my time to make my dramatic return."
Mohammed excited to
see Benton gets out of bed, and runs to his friend. Picking him up like a rag doll, asking, "Gabriel! How is it your still alive?"
Benton in shock that he was just picked up so easily says, "You ask me that when you make a blind jump into null space, and with multiple plasma wounds to boot. Hell you overgrown giant, you were barely clinging to life yourself and you want to know how I'm still alive."
Mohammed confused asks, "You were said to have passed some thousand years ago?"
Benton replies laughing, "Well, I stayed in suspended animation as long as I could. About eight hundred years or so, on and off, that’s the longest a human body can survive in stasis, so when that option ran out, I discovered in the alternate timeline that certain area’s in null space have severe time distortion effects. I spent years trying to locate the right one, but I wasn’t able to locate one. Not until one day when I was heading to the moon of the First Ones, I found it. In here, one day in this specific field in null space is equal to five years out there. So I decided to wait it out, and make my return." Benton pauses, stating, "When Celesta sensors picked up a faint psychic energy reading we went to check it out and found you two bumbling about."
Raphael asks, "So when are we heading home."
Benton takes a deep breath and replies, "Well kid, I jumped back to normal space yesterday but Celesta didn't take into consideration that we may not come back in the right location."
Celesta responds, “Don’t you going blaming me Sunshine.”
Mohammed curious asks, "Where are we brother?"
Benton grits his teeth replying, "Well, we arrived only thirteen years or so, from when you two entered null space, but were over two years away from Earth, and we will have to travel through T-Challa space to get there." Mohammed smiles, "Well my friend I can think of no one I would more enjoy such an adventure with."
Benton smiles, and replies, "Me either kid, me either."
TO BE CONTINUED IN
Ronin Book 3
Present Future Past Book 4
The Paladonians Book 5
Family Ties Book 6
Enemy Myself Book 7
Hope Book 8
Begin Again Book 9
Table of Contents
DEDICATION
CHAPTER ONE TRAPPED
CHAPTER TWO NEW BEGINNINGS
CHAPTER THREE HUNG OVER
CHAPTER FOUR FUTURE PAST PRESENT
CHAPTER FIVE PAYBACK
CHAPTER SIX RETRIBUTION
CHAPTER SEVEN GAUL
CHAPTER EIGHT CHOICES
CHAPTER NINE HIDE AND SEEK
CHAPTER TEN HUNTED AND HAUNTED
CHAPTER ELEVEN LOST HEROES
CHAPTER TWELVE DAMAGE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN KICKING IT OLD SCHOOL
CHAPTER FOURTEEN THE FIRST ONES
CHAPTER FIFTEEN TRUST
CHAPTER SIXTEEN DESTINY
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN RUMBLE
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN IN THE NAME OF
CHAPTER NINETEEN EPILOGUE
The Ocoda Chronicles Book 2 Lost Heroes Page 25
