by Lori Beery
Mary and Phillip joined Simone. They both gave her hugs. The trio thanked us and headed for the door. I walked with them. As the door slid opened, I said, “See you in five days.”
“I will be here,” promised Simone. She followed her son and daughter-in-law through the door. Just on the other side she turned back asking, “When should I be here?”
“Let’s keep it at the thirteenth turn and 135 deci,” I replied. She nodded with a smile and walked away down the passageway. The door swished shut. I turned to my Hexacle. “Thank you all for your help,” I said. “Without it, it would have taken a lot longer and been more risky for her.”
They chorused with, “Glad we could help,” “You’re welcome,” and “Thank you for keeping us safe.”
“Our safeguards did seem to work,” I responded to the last comment. “But I will confess to being both tired and hungry.”
“So, it’s time to eat?” asked KwinJai hopefully. Jacarr stepped up beside him, nodding his head.
“I take it you are both hungry,” I stated.
They both nodded their heads again. Marleah stepped beside me, slipping her arm around mine, saying, “Those ‘healer specials’ are good, but let’s go down to Deck 2 for some solid food.” Her words were met with affirmative sounds. I acquiesced and we headed out to get some dinner.
*****
Time passed. I conducted Simone’s five day scan. She was still cancer free! I was fairly sure her body would not now develop any more growths. When I asked her how she felt she happily reported life was great. She told me she was feeling great and enjoying everything. I was pleased for her!
We spent time on all our projects. We were making negligible progress locating any additional information on the Altera System. That would likely be the case until we boarded the Falcarin, the cruiser that would take us to Dinave.
With regard to Thendara, we were gathering information. We learned that fifteen Imperial vessels had been assigned to the station. The ships were of two classes. There were eight frigates and seven cruisers. Both ship types were built for speed and maneuverability. All these vessels were powered by a light-drive engine. They were capable of travel at ninety-eight percent of light speed.
The ships possessed photonic and continuous beam weaponry. Their armory also included rail guns, a simple but very effective weapon. They were equipped with extensive sensor, emitter, and shielding capabilities. In all, the vessels should have been entirely effective in their defensive role of the station. Each one should have given the pirates pause.
Besides the vessels, the station possessed its own weaponry and shields. Like the ships, the station had photonic and continuous beam weaponry. It had the latest in sensor and emitter technology. The station was built to withstand bombardment from projectiles and light energy. It had reverse kinetic emitters that would reflect incoming objects and energies back the way they had come. As long as its systems stayed active, the station should have been able to repel attacks.
In addition to all of that, there was the buoy sensor net. The green-level buoys were located a light hour from the station. Yellow-level ones were placed at half a light hour or ninety deci out. Red-level buoys were the closest. These were laid at a quarter of a light hour or forty five deci out. Each level of buoys formed a sphere around the station. These sensors were Thendara’s eyes.
“So, how many ships are constantly at or near Thendara?” asked Jacarr.
“According to this,” Marleah replied, looking at an Imperial file, “the frigates are all kept within the red-level sensor sphere of the station.”
“Unless, of course, a ship or more are sent to the aid of a convoy or to investigate an anomaly,” reminded Jacarr.
“It is conceivable that the frigates could all be drawn away and the station attacked while they are gone,” Dulain commented.
“It is also possible that a frigate could be captured and used to besiege the station,” Beltrain added.
“But why bother with an attack?” asked KwinJai. The station is a travel hub. People move freely through. Except for travel papers and identification, there aren’t any restrictions. Pirates could just walk onto the station and sabotage key systems to allow the rest of the pirates in.”
“That is a possibility,” I stated. “However, I don’t think it would be their first choice because there are soldiers posted on the station.”
“Pirates boarding the station would meet with armed resistance,” said Dulain. “Such an approach might cost them valuable resources.”
“What do you mean?” asked Lucera.
“If the pirates wanted to use the station it would be to their advantage not to put too many holes in it,” replied Jacarr.
“What if they want to destroy it?” questioned Lucera.
“Then they could just slip onto the station and blow up the power source,” Dulain supplied.
“How many people are permanently assigned to the station?” inquired Marleah.
“Around eight hundred,” supplied Beltrain. “That includes nonmilitary personnel such as merchants, business owners, and shop workers.”
“So lots of people could be hurt,” commented Lucera softly.
“Yes,” I responded sadly. “Let’s suppose that the pirates want to capture the station for their use. That implies minimal damage to the station. What do you think they would do to accomplish their goal?”
“They would have to draw the vessels and a lot of the military strength away,” Marleah proposed. “Maybe they would attack another big convoy or two as they approach the yellow-level buoys, but instead of fleeing when the frigates arrived, they would engage them.”
“Maybe additional forces would be needed to free convoy ships from the pirates,” added Dulain.
“Or perhaps someone could sabotage the sensor and emitter net from the station,” theorized KwinJai.
“It is possible pirates live and work on the station,” I said. “Perhaps such persons are spying for their compatriots. That would explain how the pirates knew when the convoy from Ronowllo and Crete would be arriving.”
“So what do we do?” asked Lucera.
“I think we need to figure out how to keep the sensor and emitter grid working,” I answered.
“Okay, what could knock it out?” inquired KwinJai.
“An electromagnetic pulse could fry the electronics”, supplied Jacarr.
“I see that we have two choices,” responded Dulain. “We could keep the EMP from hitting the net. Or, we could rebuild it after the strike happens.”
“The EMP would have to be quite strong,” I said, speculating. “It would be difficult to catch and contain, or reflect. We would only have to miss once for the EMP to get by us.”
“Wait… What are you saying?” asked KwinJai and Marleah at the same time.
“I’m saying that it is possible to use wards to catch energy and contain it in a bubble,” I replied. “It would be tricky with such high energy streams. And we might want to consider reflecting it back on its source. It would be quite convenient to halt their attack by using their own plan against them.”
“Is this a technique you have used?” asked Marleah shocked.
“Yes,” I confessed. “I learned it as an ability control exercise before I went to Healer School. And I admit that I have never used it on this scale.”
“Is it dangerous?” asked Lucera.
“Very,” I replied.
“Are you going to teach us?” questioned Marleah.
“Do you want me to?” I returned, locking eyes with her.
“If that is how we are going to protect others, then – yes,” she answered firmly.
“Then, I will attempt to teach you,” I responded. “It may be that we will use the technique in a traditional Hexator/Hexacle form. We will have to see.”
“So, my either/or choice is really an ‘and’?” quipped Dulain.
“Yes, it is,” I replied.
“How do we start?” asked Marleah. I could alwa
ys count on her being excited when new techniques were about to be taught. Holding out my hand in a wait gesture, I rose and ordered a pitcher of water from the replicator. I carried it to the opposite side of the table and set it down. I waved them into a circle about me.
“Let’s start with the ward,” I said. “As you know, a ward enclosed room keeps the energy being used within it from being detected outside of the room. It effectively contains the energy. That’s why we have been erecting wards when we have been using the crystal as an external power source. So, I want you each to bring up a ward slightly bigger than each of your palms.”
“We are making two?” asked Lucera.
“Yes, that is correct,” I replied, moving around the circle we were standing in. After a few moments of concentration, they each had ‘warded’ palms. Dulain’s were a little too thick. “Thin yours until you can easily manipulate them,” I told him. He adjusted it. They were all moving their wards with ease now. “Very good!” I praised them. “Now, we play catch.” As I said this, I poured some water from the pitcher I had replicated into my left cupped and warded palm. The water pooled in my hand. Once I set the pitcher back on the table, I used both hands to form the water into a sphere. “Are you ready?” I asked.
“Yes,” they chorused. Some of them sounded less certain than others. I pitched the water globe to Dulain. He caught it using the same movements I had. He tossed it back to me. After I caught it, I passed it over to Marleah. A little splashed out before she controlled it and sent it flying to Beltrain. Beltrain caught it with ease. This was an exercise he and I had done a lot when I was tutoring him. He happily spun the water ball on the top edge of his ward before flinging it off to KwinJai. The water globe splashed onto his left warded hand and flowed onto the floor. KwinJai stared unbelievingly at the dark stain on the carpet at his feet.
“Oops,” he murmured. His eyes lost their focus for an instant. Presently, water droplets rose from the floor up over his cupped hand. They coalesced and rained down until they pooled back into his hand.
“Nicely done,” I praised him. “Pitch it to someone.” He formed the ball and threw it to Jacarr. Some water sloshed out between his hands before he gained mastery of it. Once he did, he passed it on to Lucera. She, too, lost a little liquid before she asserted her power over it.
We continued to play catch. They learned to maintain their control over the water. No one lost any water during the catching process. I signaled them to back up as much as they could. It really didn’t make our circle that much bigger. But we were slightly further apart. Even so, they were doing a great job with the water ball.
I stopped the game after a couple turns had passed. It was time for another upgrade. After I converted the pitcher into a pistol, I told them, “Now I am going to shoot you with water. You are to catch the stream like you caught the water globe. When you do, throw it back to me.” I smiled mischievously and asked, “Who’s ready for this?”
“I am” replied Beltrain. This would be new for him too. We hadn’t done this before. I directed him to step as far back against the table as he could while I went to the other side of the room. I raised the water pistol and aimed it at his chest. I squeezed the trigger sending a thin cylinder of water a half meter long at him. He deftly mastered it into his warded hands, effectively converting the cylinder into a sphere. He tossed it back to me with a pleased smile on his face.
“Next?” I asked as I reloaded my pistol. Dulain was next. He too was successful. In fact, they were all able to do the conversion. I was very proud of each one of them.
“What’s next?” asked Jacarr gleefully.
“Lunch,” I answered. “To do any more exercises we will need more space.”
“Are we going to visit the Captain on the way back from lunch?” questioned Lucera.
“Yes,” I replied. “We will see if he is available. If he is, perhaps, he will let us use a bigger space.”
“What if nothing is available today?” wondered Marleah aloud.
“Then we shall return here and help Lucera with her imaging gift,” I responded.
“Anything specific?” questioned Lucera.
“Yes,” I answered. “We are going to deal with machines.”
“Sounds fascinating,” responded Jacarr excitedly.
With that we headed down to Deck 2 to get lunch.
Chapter 11
After lunch, we did stop by the Captain’s ready room. When the door slid open to admit us, we discovered Doctor Paris was in attendance. It was obvious they had been in a discussion, and that the discussion had been about me. They both exuded curiosity and wonder. There was a touch of jealousy emanating from the doctor.
“Good afternoon,” I said to them as I stepped through the door. My Hexacle followed me into the room.
Both men stood as we entered. “Good afternoon, Hexator Nickoli and Hexacle,” greeted the Captain. “We were just talking about you,” he added with a gesture toward the doctor.
“Oh?” I responded. “I hope the remarks were favorable.”
“They were indeed,” responded the Captain.
“How did you do it?” the doctor blurted.
I glanced between the two of them. Then turning to the doctor, I asked, “To what are you referring?”
“How did you heal Simone?” he demanded in a rush.
“Ah – that,” I replied. His question seemed to be in earnest. So, I added, “I attached a fibrous protein to the cancer cells. That triggered her immune system to destroy the tumors. As her body destroyed the cancer, I repaired any damage the tumors had caused.”
“That’s miraculous!” he exclaimed. “We have no techniques that could do that without harming the host. Had I not seen the scans, I would not have believed it possible.”
“Except of course for Simone’s obvious good health,” interjected the Captain.
“Yes, I suspect she is eating much better, has a lot more energy, and is all smiles”, I said.
“That is very true,” responded the doctor.
“I am sure you didn’t come here to discuss Simone,” stated the Captain. “Is there something I could help you with?”
“As a matter of fact, there is,” I replied. “The last time we talked, I asked if we could use a big space for training purposes. Is such a place available and will you allow us to use it?”
“Yes, I remember your request,” the Captain acknowledged. “I don’t have any pilots available. But, there should be space in one of the cargo bays. Once I confirm there is room, I will let you know. You will be given access.”
“Thank you, Captain,” I replied enthusiastically. “We look forward to hearing from you.” The Captain nodded in response. “If you will excuse us, we will depart.” We turned and started for the door.
“Hexator Nickoli, have you had a chance to access the reports from Thendara?” Captain Lawrence asked.
I stopped and turned toward him. “We have,” I answered.
“And what do you think?” he inquired.
“I think Thendara is under threat,” I replied.
“You do?” he questioned, surprised.
“Yes,” I stated. “Events have been occurring that seem to test the station’s responses. If things happen that will pull vessels from within the red-level buoys and involve the onsite military, then the pirates can attack the station. If they capture it, they clear a very large area of Imperial presence. They would be able to operate with impunity.”
“That would certainly destabilize the area,” he commented dryly.
“It would indeed,” I agreed. “Have you received additional reports?”
“No, nothing more,” he said.
“When do you expect contact with the station?” I asked.
“In three or four more days,” he told me.
“Please let me know it there are any more reports of piracy,” I requested. “Also, please tell me if the communication window passes without the expected contact.”
“I will do
so,” he replied.
“Thank you, Captain,” I responded. My Hexacle and I departed, returning to our suite.
*****
Once within, we made preparations for our imaging session. Dulain erected a ward within the common room. Beltrain constructed a three-dimensional polar array. Jacarr retrieved the crystal, the one that Lucera had overdrawn, from its shelf under the light. Fortunately, it was beginning look normal and starting to sparkle. The bonds within it didn’t feel brittle any more. Perhaps, by the time we arrived on Thendara, the crystal would be recharged. I certainly would be pleased to have three charged crystals when we got to the station. I directed him to return the crystal to its shelf. While he was doing that, I retrieved a different crystal from my quarters. I set it on the table in front of me.
We all took seats at the table. “Everybody ready?” I asked. There were various affirmative replies. “We are going to ask Lucera to image this toy vessel,” I said. I allowed an image of a miniature fighter to appear in the center of the table. It was oval in shape. It had light beam engines that could be swiveled to exert thrust in any direction. In addition, it was equipped with rail guns. “This little craft is controlled with this hand held devise,” I continued. I let an image of the devise materialize. The control featured a joystick for the engine, a toggle for acceleration, and a button to fire the rail guns. “What do you think?” I inquired looking at Lucera.
“I think it looks complicated,” she said with eyes wide.
“Does it look more complicated than the binding site of the cancer cells with the fibrous protein attached?” I asked.
“It seems about the same level of complexity,” she conceded. “But, I will need to take the image from you.”
“No problem,” I responded. “Take the image when you are ready.” She complied. She held it in her mind. “After I activate the crystal, go ahead and draw energy from it and ‘image’ the toy.” I activated the crystal. It began to glow. When the glow had spread throughout the crystal, she began to draw a thread of power. An instant later, the toy appeared in the center of the table with its controller. Sadly, just with every other time, I couldn’t follow the process. The actual execution remained a mystery. “How do you feel?” I asked her. According to the glowing crystal, she should be just fine, but I needed her to confirm that.
