Bridget O’Donald and Tag sat in a room with Planet Leader Sten looking at his new ship that was being completed at the Central Planet’s largest ship yard. Both Tag and Bridget were amazed at its size; it was at least two miles long. Sten let them stare and then said, “I suppose you’re wondering why it’s so big.”
Tag looked at him and said, “Yes, I am. How big are the power cells on its surface; I can’t see the seams where they come together.”
“That’s because there aren’t any.”
Tag and Bridget both looked at Sten with shocked expressions and Sten said, “Sit down and let me explain how this ship came about.” They sat down and Sten turned on the large display in front of their table. “This is a one of a kind ship; we will never be able to build another. Cade McAllister came to me more than two years ago with a video he wanted me to see; it was the destruction of Admiral Kosievs’ ship.” Sten immediately saw the pain in Tag’s expression and knew the loss he felt for Kosievs’ death. “McAllister saw something in the recording that he couldn’t explain and wanted me to help him understand it. I know the pain this video might cause you, Your Majesty, but I think it’s important for you to see it.”
Tag looked at Sten and said, “Go ahead, I see it in my mind at least once a day.”
Sten began the video at the point just before the fifty anti-matter missiles hit the Moscow. I want you to watch closely what happens during the explosion.”
Tag watched as the missiles hit the Moscow and the huge explosion that followed. He noticed that the explosion seemed to be bigger at the top of the doomed Megaship. “Why is the explosion bigger at the top?”
“Excellent, you saw the same thing McAllister did when he looked at it. I’m going to slow the explosion down to one ten thousandths of normal speed,” Sten said and then ran the recording again.
Tag watched and saw the ship blowing up but there was a piece of it that was blown away so fast that even at the slow speed of the video it left almost faster than he could follow. “A piece of the ship survived the blast.”
“Yes it did. Once McAllister made that determination he decided that there should have been no way any part of that ship should have survived that many anti-matter blasts and he decided that finding that piece of the Moscow that survived was important. If it could survive then maybe we would have armor that is anti-matter proof.”
“So what did he do?” Bridget asked.
“It wasn’t as easy as he thought it was going to be. The Plant fleet had left the planet after their missiles had destroyed it, so McAllister went to the last coordinates of Kosievs’ ship and oriented his sensor array on the line that the piece was blow away. He has one of Earth’s foremost engineers determine the velocity that it has left and calculated how far away it had to be. He knew that the slightest variation would put him off millions of miles so he brought fifty megaships to spread out to the limits of their sensors and then jumped to the vicinity of where the piece should be located; nothing showed up on their sensors. He called in a thousand megaships and began the process again and once more nothing showed up.”
“Could he have read the trajectory wrong?” Tag asked.
“He had five other scientists check the trajectory and they all independently agreed that he was right.” Sten leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. “It took him four months of troubled thought to come up with a breakthrough; maybe it could not be read by the sensors.”
Bridget frowned and said, “How is that possible?”
Sten said, “He didn’t want to believe it either but he decided to try another way to find it. He ran his calculations again and used three thousand megaships spaced evenly in front of where the object should be traveling and set their visual sensors to alarm if anything caused a star to blink because an object crossed between it and a ship. In less than a day ten megaships had their sensors alarm. McAllister used their readings to triangulate where the object was and jumped to where it should be. He came out of his jump and the object barely missed hitting his ship as it sped by. Cade had his ship accelerate and catch up to the piece of the Moscow and match velocities. He called the other Megaships over and he shot a grappling hook into the object; the grappling hook disappeared and was cut off with the smoothest, cleanest, cut McAllister had ever seen.”
Tag and Bridget looked at Sten with furrowed brows. “What was going on with that piece,” Tag asked.
“Prince Gardner, Cade followed that piece for more than eight months trying to slow it down; nothing worked. Whatever touched the object disappeared and no energy was read from the object. He was starting to get frustrated. He decided to extend his screen in front of the object in hopes that the energy would slow it down.”
Bridget said, “Wasn’t that dangerous? What if the screen touched it and the object pulled whatever was in the screen into it.”
“Sometimes in the heat of frustration one doesn’t think things thru.”
“What Happened?” Tag asked.
“The object hit the screen and came to a complete stop just inside the screen; McAllister was dumbfounded; he immediately fired another grappling hook and it locked on the piece without being destroyed. Cade surmised that the object had to be contained in a Coronado Screen or it would be dangerous to work with. That’s when he called me and asked if I could help him understand what was going on with the object. He brought it here and I erected a space lab to work on it that was completely surrounded by a Coronado screen. Once we got it in we examined it quite thoroughly. We were amazed at what we discovered.”
Sten paused and Bridget said, “Well don’t keep us waiting.”
“You know that the Moscow was powered by five black hole reactors that Kosiev had overloaded and burned out to get to the ships that were preventing our fleet and forts from escaping. Just as they failed, the Moscow was hit with multiple anti-matter missiles that released a tremendous amount of energy. We now believe that just as those five small black holes broke thru their containers in Kosievs’ reactors they were blown into the top center section of Moscow’s hull and all five were trapped in the Coronado Power Cells. The explosion then blew that section away.”
“Why didn’t the explosion destroy that piece like the rest of the ship?” Tag asked.
“Sten smiled and said, “Because once those black holes locked themselves into those cells, their ability to absorb energy grew more than a trillion fold. We, quite frankly, have been unable to determine just how much energy that object can hold but we’re beginning to believe that it has no limit. And it doesn’t have to be energy; we’ve actually flown one of our old megaships that was damaged in battle into it and the megaship disappeared as if it never existed and there were no energy readings given off.”
“That doesn’t make sense. When matter is destroyed, it produces energy.” Tag said.
“You’re singing to the choir,” Sten said. “I really like some of your human expressions; they are so appropriate at the right time. Anyway, you’re right; it should have released energy. We decided to try and reduce its power so we attached a hundred foot long section of power cells that were still connected to their software connection. We hoped that possibly one of the black holes would leave the fifty foot object and enter the new section. A remarkable thing happened; the new section seemed to melt into the object and there were no seams between them. The fifty cells on the new section all melted into one large power cell.”
Tag and Bridget could only stare at Sten.
Sten sat up straight and continued, “The thing that really surprised us was that the new object actually followed the software instructions. We hit the switch to turn it off and it turned off and became safe to work on ever outside a Coronado Screen. Now we had a way to work with the new cell. The result of that work is now sitting there in front of you; there will never be another. We have tried every conceivable method to reproduce the cell and have failed totally. We just don’t have the technology to control the exact moment of black hole insertion into a power cell and we discovered that only the huge energy that happened during those anti-matter explosions could make them enter a cell without exploding it. This is a one of a kind ship and I’m almost thankful that we can’t produce another.”
“Why is that?” Bridget asked.
“Because I believe that it is indestructible and whoever controls this ship has the universe’s most powerful weapon. Prince Gardner, I wouldn’t trust anyone other than you to control it. We have designed it such that its advanced screens and weapons will not work unless you are on board and on the bridge. The software will read your presence and will release the hand reader on your console; place your hand in it and the ship’s advanced systems will be released.”
“What if I have to leave the bridge, will my crew be left defenseless?”
“No, the old weapons such as primary beams and needles will still operate like any of our ships; you may want to send your ship on missions for you and the standard weapons will operate normally; however, your personal quarters are located next to the bridge and the bridge will still operate if you are there.”
“Is Prince Gardner going to have to be here during our training?”
“No, but I will,” Sten said. “I will have a temporary activator programmed to me that will allow the training to take place. Once the training is completed, the activator will be removed and the ship will be yours. I’ve said that you will have the normal weapons of the megaships, however, Commodore O’Donald, they will be quite stronger than any you have ever seen. You and your crew have a difficult time ahead of you learning to fight this ship. However, I’ve talked with Admiral Dorg and he believes that you and your crew are up to the task. I look forward to working with you.”
Bridget looked out at the two mile long ship and hoped she was up to the task. She decided that she and her crew were going to learn this ship inside and out. Prince Gardner deserved their best effort and she was going to make sure he got it. “I look forward to working with you Planet Leader. I’m excited about the possibilities.”
Sten smiled and said, “You have no idea, Captain, tell me that in two weeks.”
Tag looked down at his new ship and said, “The Kosiev will be special, just like the one she’s named after.
Two years passed while the Algeans prepared for the attack on what they thought was the Strangers home system. The Stars Realm grew technologically and economically. Coronado technology made the transformation easy with cheap, unlimited energy. The economy was booming and there was enthusiasm about the future thru out the Realm. Rose celebrated her thirteenth birthday and Danielle had delivered a healthy baby boy one year earlier. They named him after his father and called him Tommy. There was joy in Castle Gardner but the continuous tension caused by the upcoming attack was always present. Then one day Rose thought to her father, “Dad, I believe the time has come. I see Algean fleets forming up.
Tag thought back to her, “Thanks, Darling.” Then he got on his com and called for Commodore O’Donald to bring her ship to Ross to leave for the Dremels Planet. As Tag packed to leave for the upcoming battle, Rose entered his room and said, “Dad, I have to go with you to this battle.”
Tag straightened up and thought to Danielle, “Dear, get down here fast. Rose wants to go to the battle with the Plants.”
Danielle didn’t even waste time sending a thought back; she ran down the stairs and entered the room at a run. “What kind of nonsense are you talking about, Rose?”
Rose stood and looked at her parents and both of them could tell that she was more serious than they had ever seen her. Danielle grabbed Tag’s arm and sat down on the couch in front of Tag’s bed. Rose looked at the floor for a moment and then looked them in the eye. “I am not asking if I can go; I am going.”
Danielle began to tell her daughter who made the decisions in her family but Tag took her hand and made her look at him; he shook his head and then turned to Rose and said, “Help us understand why you have to do this.”
Rose looked at her parents and said, “I can’t tell you and you’re going to have to trust me that there is a good reason for my keeping it secret. I would ask both of you one question; which of the three of us has the best understanding of the war between the Stars Realm and the Plants. I would further ask you which of the three of us has the best psychic skills to see the big picture to make the best decisions. I know you don’t understand but soon I will be ruling the Stars Realm and my decisions will determine the direction that our people will move. I know I’m young in years and it’s hard for the two of you to see me as anything but your little girl; however, I want you to understand that if you don’t allow me to go, then we as a people will lose our souls because of this conflict.”
Tag and Danielle looked at their daughter and Danielle could see that she was telling the truth. Tag looked at Rose and said, “Rose, how can I allow you to go when you don’t have a screen to protect you? Would you agree to allow Atlas to put a screen into your molecular structure?”
“No, I will not allow that; but I will promise to stay at your side during the battle and you know both of us will fit in your shield should it be necessary.”
Rose watched her parents look at each other and she said, “I know it’s early for you to completely trust my decisions and I have tried to simply guide you in the past and let you come to decisions on your own, however, this is not a decision that I can avoid and I can’t manipulate you into doing what is needed. Now you are going to have to decide if the child the two of you produced is really as talented as you think she is.”
Tag looked at Danielle and said, “I will have a chair for you installed next to mine on the bridge, and you will also have to sleep in my quarters so you’re never far from me.”
Rose shouted with glee and ran and jumped into her father’s arms. Tag looked at Danielle and saw her nod her head. Both of them were afraid but they knew the power of a psychic mind from their own experience and their daughter was the strongest psychic they had ever encountered. In the end, they trusted her talents to protect her just as Tag’s protected him.
Tag released Rose and said, “Pack your things now; we have to leave for the Dremels’ system. I also have to stop in Delta galaxy to talk with Cade.”
Rose ran from the room to get her things together. Tag looked at Danielle and said, “I’ve been feeling like something was wrong for more than four months. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was but that feeling disappeared when Rose asked to go. I trust my instincts; there is a reason for her being there.”
“Keep both of you safe, Tag.” Danielle said while hugging him. “My life is on your ship. I don’t want to lose it.” Tommy waddled in on shaky legs and went to Tag and hugged his legs. Tommy had Tag’s brown hair and Danielle’s blue eyes. The little boy looked up at his father and Tag knew he was concerned. Tag picked him up and said, “We’ll be fine; stay here and Take care of your mother.”
Tommy looked into his father’s eyes and then turned and reached for Danielle. She took him from Tag and held him close.
Tag looked at his love and held her tighter; nothing else needed to be said.
The Eldest Leader of the Algeans looked at his display and said, “Destroy that planet; I don’t care about harvesting anything. There are worlds waiting for harvesting, the strangers must be eliminated first. Are your fleets ready and is your plan in motion?”
“Yes Eldest, the largest ships will accelerate to full speed and the rest of the fleet will follow them in. If they are hit, the inertia should carry the pieces not destroyed onward toward the planet. The smaller ships will continue to use them as a screen to hide behind until they reach the planet.”
“The Common is counting on your success. Destroy our enemies.”
“Yes Eldest.”
The Kosiev jumped to Delta Galaxy and Tag commed Cade McAllister. “Cade, are the jump penetrators ready?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, we have them programmed to their jump coordinates and they will be volleyed when the Plant fleet gets five hours inside the jump limit.”
“Why not earlier?” Tag asked.
“Mainly because we think that it will take that long for their entire fleet to enter the system inside the jump limit. We don’t want them to jump away when the shooting starts.”
Tag thought a moment and then asked, “How far will that make them from our front?”
“Three hours.”
Tag just looked at Cade on his display and Cade could see his troubled expression. “Sir, any further out and a massive part of their forces will be able to escape. Some of my staff wants them even closer than that but I’m just not willing to risk it.”
“Are the forts programmed in the event things get close?”
“Yes they are, Sir, and Commodore Roselli has the module that will start their run. The crews will jump just as they leave orbit.”
“Cade, I’m counting on you to provide the barrier that will keep our fleet out of danger. Don’t let us down.”
“Yes, Your majesty.”
Tag looked at Rose sitting beside him on the bridge and said, “Commodore O’Donald, please take us to the Dremels’ Planet.”
Bridget nodded to her helmsman and the ship sounded its jump tone and entered null space.
The Kosiev emerged from null space close to the planet and stopped next to the Rossville. Most of the fleet had not seen the new flagship of the SR Fleet and its two mile length impressed the crews on duty that were able to see it. It was an entirely new design and everyone that saw the Kosiev immediately noticed that there were no lines between its power cells. Tag commed Dorg and said, “Is the fleet ready?”
Dorg looked at the Kosiev out of his viewport and though he had seen it before, he was still impressed. “Yes, we are ready. Please notice that we have mounted mobile launchers on all of the ships so that they can carry double the normal capacity of the new penetrators. Depending on the number of ships they send, we should be ready to destroy the bulk of their fleet.”
Dorg then noticed that Rose was sitting next to Tag and he stood up from his chair, “What is she doing here? This is not a place the Princess should be; what are you thinking?”
Rose pressed her com and joined Dorg and Tag in the conversation, “Oh Uncle, Dorg, you always worry too much. Besides, I have to be here.”
“By the love of the creator, why?”
Rose looked at the Cainth Warrior and said in a soft voice, “I can’t tell you but you’ll understand later; until then, you’re going to have to trust me.”
Dorg glared at Tag and held his opinion. Tag said, “Admiral, I want you to think this thru carefully. She said she has to be here; are you willing to run the risk of her not being allowed to come?”
Dorg furrowed his brow and looked out of his viewport for a moment and then said, “If things go bad, you will jump her out of here to safety, won’t you?”
Tag smiled and said, “I suspect that being close to her is the safest place to be in the upcoming conflict. However, I will have to account for her safety to our Queen and I’m not prepared to endure that if she’s harmed.”
Dorg smiled and said, “Better you than me, I’ve seen her angry. Are you changing the plan?”
“No, I do want to make sure that everyone is on the same page. Would you please get Mikado, Ron-Dar, and the fort commander to join us on this channel?”
“Dorg looked over at his communications officer and said, “Standby for just a moment.”
Tag and Rose sat in their chairs tapping their feet while listening to the Matt McCagg Experience sing “Don’t Play With the Spaceship,” while they waited for the others to join the meeting.”
“I believe that everyone is on the channel with us, Your Majesty.”
Tag shook his head; he just could not get used to being treated as royalty. “Good day and welcome everyone. I want to make sure that we are all in complete understanding of the plan for the upcoming battle. We are going to wait here at the planet for the Algean fleet to come in system more than five hours before we start our response.”
“Why are we waiting so long?” Mikado asked.
“It is the opinion of our strategist that it will take that long for their entire fleet to get in system from the jump point. If we start our attack too early then a huge portion of their fleet could escape.”
The group was silent for a long moment and then Ron-Dar asked, “How many ships do they anticipate the Algeans will send against us?”
Tag took a deep breath and said, “Between five and six million.”
Dorg shook his head slowly and said, “I’m even more uncomfortable now with waiting five hours.”
Rose said, “Uncle, for every hour you reduce from five hours, two million of their ships will be able to escape.”
Tag looked at his daughter with surprise. How did she know that?
“It might also interest you to know that they are not sending eight million ships,” Rose said as a matter of fact.
Dorg said, “Good, I was worried about handling that many.”
“They’re sending a little over eleven million with more than six million of those ships redesigned to suicide with anti-matter warheads,” Rose continued. “The suicide ships also have the five screens protecting them.”
The SR Fleet Commanders looked at her with shock on their faces.
Tag looked at his daughter and said, “Did you know this before I agreed to bring you into this battle?”
Rose looked at her father and said, “Yes, and there’s much more that I can’t tell you yet.”
Tag stood there in turmoil. This was going to be very dangerous space and he was scared for his daughter’s safety. Rose looked at him and said, “You need not worry about my safety; I just need you to do what I ask you to do at the precise time I need it without questioning my decisions. Will you do that for me?”
Tag looked at Rose and nodded begrudgingly.
“Dad, I’m extremely serious. You’ll want to think it thru but I need you to respond immediately. Promise me you will or the danger to all of us will be unimaginable.”
All of the SR Fleet Commanders were listening to the dialogue and they could see the struggle taking place with Tag, then they saw him nod and say, “I trust you with all of our lives, Rose. It will be done as you say. I wish you would tell me what I’m agreeing to do.”
Rose smiled and said, “I can’t because then you wouldn’t do it.” Then she looked at Bridget and said, “The first thing I need you to do is to move the forts self destruct module from our ship to Admiral Mikado’s and I need it done immediately.”
Tag started to protest but then caught himself and said, “Do as she says, Commodore. She is in control now and believe me, I almost said no to her first request and my inner senses warned me that I would be making a mistake.” Tag then looked at Admiral Mikado and said, “The forts self-destruct module is being moved to your ship. You will be in control of the timing of their runs.”
Dorg looked at the two Gardeners and felt real fear. He knew the power of Tag’s talents having seen them over the years. Then he remembered that Tgon-Gee had told him more than twelve years earlier at Rose’s birth that her powers would make her parents look small in comparison. The thing that made him draw some comfort from the present situation was that Rose was not showing any doubt what so ever and knew what she wanted. Then he chuckled to himself and thought, “I guess trying to explain it to us mere mortals would just take too long.” He then saw the shuttle leaving the Kosiev with the destruct module for installation on the Rising Sun. I wonder how much longer we have before the Plants arrival.”