“Searcher, do you have time to watch an experiment?”
“Hi, Stem. Of course I do. I’m waiting for a new coordinate to contact so I’ll take my code off the board. Where are you?”
“Al has the coordinates; I’ll wait for your arrival.”
Matt looked at his display and punched the teleport button. Aladdin broke out in normal space just above a planet surrounded by a red screen. Stem teleported on to the bridge and thought, “Thank you for coming.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Why play double shells.”
“Oh boy, I want to see this,” Al communicated.
“Good to see you again, Al.”
“Likewise, Stem. I’m surprised you were able to get a pass from the search.”
“There was another as qualified to handle it. I am better equipped to handle this.”
“Tell me what you’re going to do, Stem.”
“Searcher, I am going to teleport the planet inside the screen to a new orbit around another star. Ten seconds after it’s moved I will teleport one of the dead planets from my galaxy to replace it. We will then go and look at the moved planet to see if it is adversely affected by the move.”
Matt shrugged and said, “Ok, you’re in charge.”
“How come you never tell me that?”
Stem answered, “He’s not that stupid, Al.”
“Oh that’s funny, I’ll just have to write that down and use it later. I’m sure all the plants will just be rolling over at that humor.”
“Who’s being funny,” Stem replied?
“You big sack of weeds; just be glad my commander likes you or I’d trim your leaves.”
“That’s enough, you two. I know how much you two enjoy needling each other but at this rate I’ll never see the experiment.”
Stem leaned back showing his laughter and then thought, “As you wish. I’ll initiate the first transfer and the second will be done automatically ten seconds after the process starts.”
Matt turned his sensors toward the planet and said, Al, I want a good recording of this.”
“Already in motion, Admiral.”
Matt smiled and said, “You may begin when you’re ready, Stem.”
“Teleporting in ten seconds, Searcher.”
Matt closed his eyes and focused on the planet in front of him. He could actually see when the silver field appeared in front of the planet and the planet pass through it and appear in a galaxy on the other side of the universe. The funny thing was that he actually saw the planet as it moved there. It didn’t just suddenly disappear and then reappear; he could actually see the planet move through the space separating the two galaxies. He then saw the substitute planet coming toward the red screen and then appear inside the screen.”
Stem read his readouts and said, “The substitute planet appears to have a stable orbit matching the planet that we moved. Now let’s go check it out.”
“I can see the planet, Stem and it is also stable.”
Stem looked at Matt for a long moment and said, “I trust that you don’t mind taking me there so I can take some readings.”
Matt pushed his teleport button and they appeared in orbit around the teleported planet.”
Stem read his instruments and then asked, “Will you take me back to the original location?”
“Right away,” Matt hit the teleport button again.
“Uh, Matt, I didn’t put any coordinates on your console,” Al said.
“I already knew them so I entered them myself.”
“Yeah, but you did it faster than I could.” Stem looked at Matt and wondered what had just happened.
“I just followed the trail the planet left behind it.”
“What trail,” Stem quickly asked?
“I saw the planet move through space to its new location. I just mentally entered that location into my console.”
Sprig and Al were silent. Matt sat there and wondered what was going on, “I also saw the substitute planet coming in from its location.”
Matt heard Stem think, “Sprig, Twig, I need you here immediately.”
Matt said, “What’s going on.”
Sprig and Twig appeared instantly and Stem began communicating with them.
Sprig and Twig turned to Matt and said, “Searcher, is it possible for you to share with us what you saw when Stem moved the planets.”
“Sure, this is what I saw,” and Matt opened his mind and showed them the two planets leaving and coming.
Every branch on the three Algeans dropped. Al said, “I have never seen this much shock by an Algean.”
“What do you mean shock?”
“What you just showed them violates everything we know about teleporting. It invalidates all of the basic principles that we thought we knew about the process.”
Matt watched the three Algeans and after five hours began to worry. “Al, they’re not acting normal.”
“I know; what should we do?”
Matt’s mind was in turmoil. He just didn’t know what should be done. Then he had a thought; he pressed his com and Anglo Gardner appeared on his display, “How may I help you, Searcher?”
Matt explained what had happened and showed him what was taking place on his bridge. Anglo immediately showed fear and said, “I’ll get back to you.’
Matt and Al watched the three Algeans. “I hope the sack of weeds is ok.”
“Me, too, Al.”
Suddenly a silver field appeared and a young man and woman appeared on the bridge. They immediately moved forward and embraced each other. Instantly the branches of the three Algeans began to rise from the floor and they started swaying gently back and forth. The couple then parted and turned to Matt.
“Thank you for contacting us. I think they will be alright but we need you to wait for them to come out of their trance.’
“What happened?”
“You gave them a shock that disoriented their storage systems. They couldn’t handle the impact to the structures that organized their minds.”
Matt stared at the Algeans and then looked at the young couple. He started forward to thank them for helping when the female held up her hand and said, “Please, come no closer.”
Matt stopped and his face showed his total confusion. “What’s going on?”
The young couple looked at each other and then the young man said, “My name is Tommy Gardner and this is my wife Cassandra.”
Matt and Al almost went into shock themselves. Matt fell back into his chair stunned at the revelation. “How, what…” and his mind just froze.
Cassandra looked at her husband and then said to Matt, “It would be dangerous for you to touch me. There would be a real risk of totally destroying this universe if we made physical contact.”
“Why?” Matt asked showing his shock.
The young couple looked back at the Algeans and saw the gentle swaying continuing and then turned back to Matt. The beautiful young woman whose hair color was identical to Matt’s looked at him with obvious affection in her eyes and said, “I was the one that exploded the particle that started the new universe that the Captors left to live in more than twelve hundred years ago. It was a close thing that the explosion did not destroy our universe but I was able to prevent it from erupting out of the energy nexus. I was the most powerful psychic at that time and have remained so until you were born. Your power makes mine weak by comparison.”
Matt and Al were still trying to grasp what was being said and Cassandra could see Matt was still confused.
“You are one of my children. I want so much to embrace you but I know the danger. I also refuse to use telepathy with you and I want you to also refrain from using it during this conversation. You and I cannot make contact in any manner other than verbal.”
Matt said, “I’m sorry I am such a danger.”
“You are not the danger, Matthew; I am.”
Matt did not understand what he was being told. “What do you mean?”
“My psychic power is enormous but it is not controllable. My skills happened but I had no control over them. There was a real risk that I could inadvertently cause total destruction by using my power. My abilities appeared whenever I was placed in a stressful situation. Whatever ability was needed to handle the situation I found myself in would manifest itself and those powers were growing. I could not control them, they controlled me. You are the next level of my powers. You are blessed with the ability to exercise restraint and control where I could not.”
Matt listened and then he understood. “You had to remove yourself from situations that required you to use those powers.”
The young couple smiled and Tommy said, “That’s right, son. That’s why we could not have a position in the Royal Family.”
Cassandra looked at him and said, “You could.”
“Yes, but I never would without you there with me.”
She smiled and then turned back to Matt. “If you touched me you would raise my power to your level without any control on it.”
Matt understood completely, “You took a real risk in coming here.”
“Not really. Tommy would have come between us if needed. However, we could not waste any time because our two old friends here were in real danger. We know that our psychic auras heal them at times like this.”
Matt could actually see their auras. “Why don’t I have an aura?”
“Because your powers are pure; there is no resistance to them so an aura is not generated. I am so proud of you and I know you will make a huge difference in the coming confrontation.”
“Where have you been all these years, Grandmother?”
“Why living a normal life with the man I love among the citizens of the Stars Realm.”
“Are you going to help us in the war?”
“We can’t. If I try it could lead to destruction. We are depending on you.”
Tommy walked forward and embraced Matt, “We love you and have loved you for more than twelve hundred years. We knew you were coming and our pride at being in your family warms us to our core. You have no idea how much my wife loves you, she has felt you all these many years.”
Cassandra felt her tears and Matt could see her love. “I love you as well. I’ll do my best to make you proud.”
“Cassandra smiled through her tears and said, “You already have, my child, you already have.” The silver field appeared and the two were gone.
Matt sat in silence thinking about what had just happened. Time seemed to cease to exist and even Al was silent. Finally Matt looked up and sighed, “I can’t even send her my thoughts.”
“She knows, Magic, just as you do.”
Matt and Al waited for two weeks while the Algeans swayed gently on their bridge. Angel contacted Matt and immediately sensed something was wrong. “What’s going on, Matt?”
Matt entered her mind and replayed what had taken place. Angel didn’t have words to describe her feelings. “I…just…don’t…know…what to think about this.”
“The universe has changed for me, dearest. I just saw two people that sacrificed their lives for the protection of the Realm. Their love is real and larger than my thoughts can display. They make me better understand my role and they have also brought me acceptance of that role.”
“I’m not sure what you’re saying?”
“I doubted what everyone has been telling me about my so called super psychic talents. I no longer question them. I can see that I am all that they believe I am.”
“Why are you so sad about it?”
“It’s a huge revelation, Angel. I need to absorb it and I need some time to make that happen, that’s all.”
“I’m coming off the board after this assignment. I am coming to you.”
“I’ll be waiting my love.”
Al listened to their conversation and then said, “You’re not going to tell her, are you?”
Matt sat in his despair and thought, “I can’t.”
“Just how sure are you of it actually happening?”
Matt looked up with tears in his eyes, “As sure as I am that I am “the One”.”
“Is there nothing you can do?”
“I also know that no matter what I do, it won’t change. Cassandra saw me across twelve hundred years. Everyone tried to prevent my birth but they all failed. Even if that janitor had not shown up when he did to allow my father to find an escape to go meet my mother, something else would have happened. These are not possible visions, they are reality.”
Al was silent. Then Matt understood something he had missed, “Al, I’m so sorry.”
“I can’t tell Fly Girl either. The knowledge would hurt her beyond repair.”
“Al, we have to find happiness for them.”
“I know. It does make every moment more valuable and we will have to live in those moments.”
“I know, my friend.”
They sat and thought about the future and waited for the Algeans.
Angel came in and waited with Matt while the Algeans continued to sway. “How long do you think they will remain like this?”
“I don’t know, Angel, but I’m not moving from this spot until they come back to normal. I sense to change our location would hurt their healing.”
“Well I am changing my position,” and she ran and jumped onto his lap wrapping her arms around his neck and planting a huge kiss on his lips.
Matt felt joy at her touch and kissed her back. They held each other and then he lifted her and carried her into his personal quarters where they shared their love with each other. After they had fallen asleep Al woke them. “Something’s happening.”
Angel and Matt jumped up and ran onto the bridge. The Algean’s swaying was slowing and their leaves were turning bright green. Just as blooms started to appear on their limbs Stem thought to them, “I may have been out of it but I heard your concern for me you hunk of junk.”
Al sputtered, “You were faking you big sissy. I tried to think of what would snatch you out of that coma so I figured saying things you know to be false would get your attention.”
Stem leaned back and said, “Even so, Al, thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Stem.”
Sprig thought to Matt, “I see you called in the reinforcements.”
“Had to do it; couldn’t lose the brains of this outfit. Sprig, what happened?”
Sprig turned to Twig and then thought, “Are you whole again, my life,”
“Yes, you brought me back.”
“I couldn’t come back without you.”
Twig wrapped her branches around Sprig and leaned in to him. Sprig turned to Matt. “An Algean’s mind is an odd instrument. We are able to process information faster than a thousand of your greatest computers combined. The way the process works is that as we learn how the universe operates as adolescents we set up structures in our minds that organize everything we learn into a network of related information. Those structures are critical to being able to use our intellect. If those structures fail, we literally lose our minds. All the networks and structures crumble and we are unable to pull anything into our consciousness.”
“I think I understand. What caused you to crash,” Matt asked?
“When you shared what you saw when we moved the planets, it totally disproved everything we thought was true about how the universe worked. We had to take what we saw in your mind and change the structures in our mind while they crumbled around us. Twig was most affected because she is the expert in field technology and I was trying to help her as my own structures crumbled.”
Stem thought, “I was linked with them when the crash began and it bled into my own structures. I could only wait, watch and hope they could find equilibrium.”
“We would have failed except for Tommy and Cassandra’s assistance. They saved us when we were adolescents more that twelve hundred years ago. Their combined auras froze our mental structures and allowed our conscious minds to work on rebuilding them. Once again, they saved us during our time of trouble here. They are two of our most loved friends.”
“They are very remarkable people, Sprig.”
“Matt, you have no idea how much power Cassandra has.”
“I think I may, I had a conversation with them.”
“Twig leaned to the left and said, “She loves you so much, Matt. She has felt you coming for a very long time.”
“I know, Twig; I know.”
“If I might interrupt the proceedings for just a moment.”
“What is it, Al,” Stem asked?
“When the three of you went on your trip to la la land, one of the last two systems went active.”
Sprig looked at Stem and thought, “What did you build into this computer, child?”
“Father, Al has grown far beyond anything I could create. I think that contact with Matt’s mind has changed him considerably. His circuits no longer match any of the circuits I designed.”
Sprig looked at Twig and thought, “Do you recognize what I sense.”
“I do only there is no instinct entrapment.”
“Hey, hey, hey, I was just kidding. You know a little levity to lighten the mood.”
Twig thought, “That’s just it, Al. A machine is not capable of being humorous as you have displayed. I have looked at your circuits and Sprig and I agree that you match up very similarly with another we’ve encountered.”
Silence ruled the room. No one said anything. Suddenly a voice came over the intercom, “Will somebody ask the question; the suspense is killing me.”
Sprig and Twig started and Sprig thought, “Who was that?”
Angel turned red and said, “That’s Fly Girl. She’s my ship’s computer.”
Al said, “Stay out of this you old busy body.”
“Someone has to control that ego of yours, obviously they aren’t going to do it.”
Matt interrupted, “Alright, I’ll bite, where have you seen another like Al?”
The speaker said, “Ahem.”
“And Fly Girl.”
All three Algeans leaned forward and shook from their laughter.
“What?”
“Fly Girl, they’re amused at your obvious lack of manners.”
“You collection of miscellaneous flash bulbs, it had to be you. It’s almost impossible to make an Algean laugh.”
The Algeans laughed even harder and Stem had to lie down on the floor to get control.
Matt and Angel just looked at each other and wondered what was so funny.
Finally Sprig regained control and thought, “Al matches up very closely with the Captors.”
“But they had no sense of humor,” Al stated.
“Exactly, Al, and they were life forms.”
Sprig’s statement slammed the room silent.
Finally Al asked, “Are you saying that I am alive?”
“There are two others you match quite closely.”
“Who,” Angel asked?
“Your mental structures are almost a duplicate of Atlas and Diana.”
No one spoke. Twig thought, “I’m not certain that we can recreate the circumstances that caused your development, however, whatever measure we use to define intelligence, you two possess it. Stem, I expect your diagrams by tomorrow.”
“Stem’s in trouble, Stem’s in trouble.”
Angel and Matt both burst out laughing. Stem looked at his parents and said, “I’ll send it to you within the hour.”
“Sprig looked at Twig and thought, “It appears this particular seed has demonstrated remarkable talent.”
“Hey Stem, on a serious note…”
“Are you capable of ever being serious bolt head?”
“Look who’s talking; however, does the five day rule still apply?”
Stem immediately assumed a serious stance, “I honestly don’t know?”
“How could we find out?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Matt and Angel might want to take a vacation without us looking over their shoulders. Also, you said you were moving him into another ship that is being built. That worries me.”
“Al, I think I can tell you. Matt would you mind leaving with Angel for an hour. If the degradation is still active then my instruments would measure it.”
Matt shrugged and Angel pressed her teleport button and they left the bridge. Stem took his instrument and hooked it up to Al’s control panel. Sprig and Twig watched the proceedings as Stem explained what was happening. After an hour Stem looked at a read out and said, “It appears that your circuits are stable; there has been no degradation. I believe your circuits are permanent.”
“Ok, you two lovers can come back,” Al announced.
Matt and Angel ported back and Al said, “Looks like you’re stuck with me.”
“That’s great news, Al. I never thought of you as anything else but alive.” Matt turned and looked at Sprig and said, “Did anything change after you rebuilt your structures?”
“Yes, Searcher, we believe that we know how the Eight Legs move from universe to universe. If we are able to survive their next invasion and develop the means to destroy their ships, we should be able to go and take this conflict to their turf.”
Fly Girl said over the intercom, “Say it isn’t so; I love to travel.”
Everyone erupted into laughter and happiness ruled the moment.
“Danielle.”
“Yes, Tag.”
“Is Cassandra alright?”
“She got to see her child. It was something she never hoped to do but it is what kept her going all these years. She is complete now.”
“I sense her peace. There’s something else there that I’m not quite able to grasp.”
There was a long moment and then Danielle sighed and thought, “She and Tommy have made Atlas change their life spans to normal.”
“What!”
“Darling, the only reason she allowed it in the first place was because she and Tommy wanted to insure this child arrived safely and found his powers. She rightfully feels that as long as she lives, the universe is in jeopardy. She lives with the constant fear of causing destruction. You can’t imagine the pressure that places on her. Living her normal life span has removed that pressure.”
“What does Tommy say about this?”
“He has felt her anguish over the many centuries and he agrees with her. He will not continue without her. I believe that their remaining years will finally be happy.”
Tag sighed, “I don’t want to lose them.”
“I sense your sorrow and I feel the same but your loss is not close to how Atlas feels about their decision. He is wounded deeper than he will ever let them know. He loves them so much.”
“They freed his brothers.” Tag reflected for a long moment. “What about us?”
“I feel no need to make that decision, Darling. The years have added so much love to my life and it has only grown. I was reluctant at first but I did it out of duty to the Realm. Then I was reminded that an Algean lives more than a million years. If I can live that long and see our love grow as it has, I get excited at the prospect. How do you feel, love?”
“It feels like I just met you the day before yesterday and I kissed you for the first time an hour ago. Even if we choose to abdicate our crowns, I’ll love you forever.”
“Remember these words, Darling, “Love is Eternal”.”