No Technology Is Invincible (The Death Prophecies-Book Four 4) (15 page)

• • •

Gabby sat on a bench on top of the Fleet Operation’s Building and waited for the Prophet’s Eyes to arrive. She had spent the last three days spending time with a young scientist named David Jose O’Leary. She called him DJ. He was very much like her. He graduated from secondary school at the age of ten and went to Cal Poly, where he graduated in two years. His doctorate was earned at M.I.T. and he joined the team of Fleet Scientists at the age of sixteen. He was brilliant and he was amazed that she was able to keep up with him when they discussed the processes used to transfer energy. He didn’t seem to notice her foibles and social ineptness.

For the first time in her life, she felt alive. But now it was back to work and though she was going to miss him, she wouldn’t miss going out into the universe on the Prophet’s Eyes. The ship suddenly appeared fifty yards away and she stood up and headed toward the ramp. The Bosrean was waiting for her in the entry port, “Good Day, my name is Perval.”

“It’s good to meet you. My name is Gabriella Bartoli, are you ready to go?”

“Yes I am. Admiral Eagle is on the bridge.”

“Are your quarters satisfactory, Perval?”

“Yes, they are.”

“I’m sorry you’re going to have to spend so much time in our armor.”

“Don’t be. You’re going to be in yours as much as I am.”

Gabby stopped walking and then smiled at the Bosrean, “You know, you’re absolutely right. I didn’t consider that.” She started walking toward the bridge and then realized she had carried on the conversation in her thoughts. Getting used to a telepath wasn’t going to be as hard as she thought.”

She walked on the bridge and Gabe smiled, “Ready to go?”

“I am.”

“How did it go?”

Gabby blushed, “I had a good time.”

“And?”

“Back off, Gabe.”

Gabe smiled and looked at his panel, “Poul, take us out of here.” The ship lifted and Perval entered the bridge and went to his chair. He buckled in and Gabe said, “Poul, take a direct route to that galaxy by passing the Builder’s Galaxy. We’ll come by it on the way back home.”

Gabby looked Perval, “How close do you need to be to hear another’s thoughts?”

“If we’re in open space, I can hear thoughts from a hundred miles or more.”

Gabby’s eyes widened and she tilted her head, “And if you’re on a planet?”

“The distance is greatly reduced. I’m going to assume we’re not going to meet these beings on a planet.”

Gabe looked over his shoulder, “Of that you can be sure.”

“Entering black hole in five, four, three, two, one, now.”

Gabby was once again amazed at how fast Poul could move around the galaxy. A moment later they were through the black hole and the Carand’s Galaxy was growing smaller in the rearview monitor. “Captain, please activate your armor.”

Gabby flinched and pressed the red button on the arm of her chair, “Yes, Sir.”

Gabe smiled and watched the distant speck of light on the monitor. He sat back in his chair and looked at Perval, “What are the chances of the Black Species hearing your thoughts?”

Perval’s eyes widened and then returned to normal. Gabby decided it was the same thing as a human raising their eyebrows. “It’s just like talking to someone. If you don’t speak, you won’t be heard. And if you whisper, someone would have to be very close to hear you. If what you suspect about this species being telepathic were true, they would have to mentally shout to hear each other over long distances. I should be able to hear them without difficulty if they are using telepathy.”

Gabby lowered her shoulders, “It’s a shame we won’t be able to hear them.”

“I’ll just send what I’m hearing to you.”

“Can you do that?”

“Absolutely, of course I’ll do it very quietly so as not to be heard.”

Gabby smiled, “This sounds exciting.”

Poul announced, “Five hours until we arrive.”

Gabby looked at Gabe, “How are we going to know where we emerge from that black hole?”

Poul said, “I dropped a communications probe outside the Carand Galaxy as we departed. I’ll send a message to it and get a reading on our location.” Gabby smiled and Gabe shrugged.

• • •

They were an hour out from the target galaxy and Perval said, “I can confirm that the Black Species is telepathic.” Gabe did a double take. Perval shrugged, “I can hear them.”

“What are they saying?”

“I’m being deluged by thoughts but the general theme is that they’re packing up and preparing to leave.”

“That isn’t good.”

“I must agree with you, Admiral. Hold on.”

Gabe and Gabby waited and then heard, “I don’t care about the minerals you’re going to have to leave behind! Recall your transports and move to your dock.”

“But these are the special minerals we use for our computers.”

There was a long pause and then they heard, “You have permission to load those minerals. Your port will be the last to go to assembly and you’ll have fifteen hours to complete your loading. Do not be later than that.”

“Thank you.”

Gabby looked at Perval as he pressed a button on a device he had on his armor’s forearm pad, “What is that?”

“It’s a thought recorder and player.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s similar to your passive scanner. It doesn’t send out a signal but only captures thoughts that are sent by another being. I’ve tuned it to the pattern of that species and it will copy all that it hears. A computer will take the recording and separate the conversations.”

“Can someone who is not telepathic use it?”

Perval tilted his head to his shoulder, “It does have the capacity to repeat the thoughts verbally.”

Gabe shook his head, “Perval, I want you people to build enough of those to supply every ship in the fleet with one along with the computer programming to make them functional.”

“I don’t know that they would help you much.”

“Why is that?”

“They work best with a telepath who sends their thoughts out much stronger than a non-telepath.”

“How close would you have to be to a non-telepath to record their thoughts?”

“About twenty feet. Why do you ask, Captain?”

“I still want one.”

Gabe looked at her, “Gabby, you shouldn’t use one of these to violate another’s privacy.”

Gabby looked at Gabe for a moment and then turned to Perval, “I still want one.” Gabe looked up and rolled his eyes. Gabby shrugged, “Remember, I’m not as skilled socially as you are. I want to know someone’s intentions. I’m incapable of reading other’s signals.”

“We all are limited to some degree, Gabby!”

“Even so, I want one.”

Perval looked at Gabe, “Admiral?”

“Give it to her. She’ll find out the consequences when someone finds out she’s being sneaky. Oh, and one more thing, Gabby, you’re no longer a Captain. Admiral Connor has promoted you to Commodore.” Gabby’s head went back and her eyes went wide in glee. Gabe said, “Congratulations, you deserve it.”

“I was hoping for Admiral.”

“Why?”

“Because you achieved that rank in less than a year.”

Gabe snorted and then smiled, “And you want to do it faster than I did.”

Gabby lowered her head into her shoulders, “Is that bad?”

Gabe laughed, “No, it’s not. You wouldn’t be you without that competitive steak of yours.”

“Gabe, put in a good word for me to Admiral Connor.”

“No, Gabby. You’re going to have to earn it just like I did. You still have five months to do it.”

Gabby pouted, “You could help a sister out if you wanted to.”

Gabe looked at her and shook his head, “Where did you come up with that?”

“I spent some time with Amy.”

Gabe took a breath and started to tell her to stay away from Admirals when Perval said, “I think you need to hear this.”

Both of them turned to him and heard in their minds, “The attack will start as soon as all of the Ports arrive outside that galaxy. Anchor the transports in their cradles and move all the Warships to the outer docks.”

“We’re receiving a message from the Controller.”

“What is he saying?”

“He’s delaying the other Ports from moving to the Fleet. More than forty thousand of those Silver Globes have appeared at the edge of that galaxy and millions of warships are arriving with them.”

“Send the message to the other Ports. What does the Controller want done?”

“He is of the opinion that if we wait and make no move, the small beings will tire and recall their defenses.”

“Notify the remaining ports to continue their gathering of materials until we receive the go ahead to move.”

• • •

Gabe looked at Gabby and fell back in his chair, “Thank the stars for that.”

Gabby shook her head, “Forty thousand additional defense satellites? Who would expect that many to be laying around?” She turned to Perval, “whose thoughts were we hearing?

“I’m not really sure; it was one conversation taking place among millions.”

“Those new defenses do somewhat even up the odds. Poul, how long to the black hole?”

Twenty minutes.”

Gabe stared at the distant speck of light and watched as it filled the forward monitor. “Poul, do you have the time set to go through the black hole?”

“I took the measurements on our last trip here. I’ve set the acceleration and gravity switch. I’m entering the black hole from directly above the plane of the galaxy. I don’t expect any of those Black Ships to be above the galaxy.”

“There’s no reason for them to be there. They’re scrambling to take as much of their stores as possible in the time that remains.”

“That’s why I’m taking that course, Admiral.”

• • •

The Prophet’s Eyes moved toward the black hole at an incredible speed and then slowed to the acceleration needed to transit the singularity. Gabe saw the event horizon flash by and he exhaled as the Eyes entered the heart of the monster.

A few moments later the ship emerged into normal space in the middle of the biggest space battle he had ever seen. The eyes veered hard right and turned above a giant swarm of orange warships attacking an equally sized group of grey and silver warships. Gabe looked at Gabby, “HAVE WE BEEN DETECTED?!”

“No ships are moving toward us.”

“Bring us to a stop!” The Prophet’s Eyes came to a stop and Gabe shook his head. This battle was larger than the one that took place in the Builder’s Galaxy. It extended beyond their scanning range. “Poul send a pulse to the probe.”

“Ten billion light years away, Sir!”

“Gabby, what can you tell me about these warships?”

“There are four different types involved in this battle and all of them appear to be Builder strength. Sir, more ships are arriving and they’re headed toward us.”

“Poul, take us back through.”

The Eyes turned and flashed back into the black hole. Gabe shook his head as they arrived back in the conquered galaxy, “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about closing this door. I pity the idiot that goes through to that galaxy.”

“Does this galaxy pose a threat to us?”

Gabe looked at Perval, “Sometime in the distant future, it could. But the greatest defense is distance. There are billions of galaxies between that galaxy and ours. It may never be an issue.”

“We still need to drop a probe here.”

“Why is that, Gabby?”

“Because if they ever discover black hole technology, they will be a lot close than ten billion light years.”

Gabe thought about it and nodded, “Designate a probe for this galaxy.”

“Are we going to go to the Builder’s Galaxy to see what’s going on?”

Gabe sat back in his chair, “No, we know there’s going to be a delay in the war breaking out. We need to use that time to search for the light drive. Take us back to Fleet Operations, Poul.”

Perval sat in his chair in silence and Gabe asked, “Is something wrong?”

“I heard the thoughts of many of the beings on the warships involved in that battle.”

“And?”

“That battle is just a small skirmish; they’ve been fighting each other for about three months. Every one of the different ships were fighting all the others and the battle is raging across the entire galaxy.”

Gabby looked at Perval with wide eyes, “How have they managed to survive?”

“It appears all of the species involved in the fighting have extremely high birth rates and they’re doing it to control their populations.” Gabe shook his head as Perval somberly said, “Each of the different species come from different close by galaxies. That galaxy we entered is where they come to fight.”

Gabby lowered her head, “I’m constantly amazed at the nightmares out in creation. What we’re facing is nothing like what I just witnessed.”

Perval looked at the monitor and thought to them, “The thousand ships of each species that survive the fighting are allowed to return to their home worlds and reproduce.”

Gabe stared at him and then said, “And they’ve been doing this for centuries?”

Perval sighed, “Yes and the survivors will produce even stronger warriors and what we saw is the end product of that evolutionary process.”

They sat in their chairs in silence all the way back to Fleet Operations. Perval looked at them, “I have a ship arriving momentarily to take me back to Bosrean.”

“I’m sending the Eyes back to Bosrean to change your quarters back to normal. It could get you there much faster.”

“I appreciate your offer, Admiral, but I think I need to be among my people.”

Gabe lowered his eyes, “I understand Perval. Thank you for assisting us on this mission.” Perval nodded and left the bridge.

Gabby shouted before he walked off the bridge, “I still want one of those devices.”

Perval stopped and reached into a pouch on his armor. He pulled one of the devices out, walked back to her chair, and handed it to her, “Use it wisely, Commodore.”

“I will.” Perval tuned and exited the bridge.

“Gabby, I really wish you wouldn’t use that device.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t use it around you.”

Gabe sighed and took the data cube out of the recorder, “I’m taking this to Admiral Connor. We’ll be leaving shortly to search for the stardrive.”

“Yes, Sir.” Gabe stared at her, opened his mouth to say something, closed it and left the bridge. Gabby watched him leave and stared examining the device. She had it figured out in an hour and smiled as she left the bridge.