Trapped in Time-Extinction (31 page)

The Regent looked at Grandel who shrugged, “We can use three landers.”

The Regent shook his head, “What if we have to land on another planet?”

Andy said, “I believe you just did that in your ship.”

Grandel said, “We’ll still have one lander if we need it.”

The Regent looked at Andy and, after a moment, sighed, “I guess you’re right about that. However, they’ll be able to detect our ship.”

“We’ve prepared a place to hide it in the mountains.”

“Do you honestly think it will be hidden?”

“I do.”

The Regent stared at Andy and said, “You still haven’t come up with a plan that will work against them.”

Andy smiled, “You’re smarter than I thought.”

Linnae looked at Andy, “What does he mean?”

Andy continued to stare at the Regent as he said, “If you were a Time Taker and you were convinced we did kill their enemy, what would they have to make sure of next?” Linnae stared at him and after a moment her eyes widened. Andy nodded, “They will have to make sure all of us were killed by the comet so that one day we won’t be coming after them when we develop technologically.” Andy tilted his head to the Regent, “They’ll come here first to take readings to make sure your ship was destroyed. Then they’ll jump about six months into the future to see if there are any of us still alive. If they don’t find us, they’ll jump further into the future enough times to make absolutely certain none of us survived.”

The Regent’s mouth stretched across his face and Andy knew he was smiling, “Exactly. What are you going to do about that?”

“You’re going to take us off this planet to your former home.”

“WHAT?”

Andy’s eyes narrowed and he looked at everyone gathered inside the walls, “Your species and mine are going to go out into the future to make this universe a better place. We will work together to remove all the nasty, evil, aggressive civilizations and bring peace and cooperation among those civilizations that can do it.”

Andy looked at his warriors, “We can’t stay here! We have to be gone and not leave a trace of our ever being here, so that sixty million years from now, our species will emerge and move toward the future. If that doesn’t happen, then how could our ancestors have been brought here?” The Regent stared at him and Andy said, “It is going to take at least a year for you to take the blasters we have and develop them into beams that your ships can use. The problem with your mind weapon is that it can’t be used against single targets. It kills everything it touches and you will become the evil civilization that the universe detests and hates. You’ll have no choice in becoming that because you’ll be limited to the weapon you’re forced to use. With the red beams, you can act more surgically and kill single ships or hundreds if you choose. Your thought weapon will be used against planets that will not accept peace. Our two species will go out and make the universe a place worth saving.” The Regent stared at Andy and then heard him say, “However, you should know that the first thing we’re going to do is find that species that attacked your planet and we’re going to make them a footnote in history. We will eradicate them.”

Grandel chuckled, “You don’t sound like a peaceful being to me.”

“They attacked you without warning and without allowing you to bend to their will. They don’t deserve to exist and I’m reasonably certain you aren’t the first planet they’ve attacked. However, I need your agreement that we will not become soulless conquers killing every being we encounter.”

The Queen looked at Andy, “Why?”

Andy looked at her and shook his head, “My daughters allowed me to hear the thoughts of your people as they died. I don’t want anyone to ever have to face that agony again. No being deserves to see his entire species made extinct.”

The Regent looked at Andy, “I still have reservations about this civilization that travels through time but it won’t hurt to be cautious. Let us put your plan in motion and if their ship shows up, I will agree to work with you on this vision.” He looked at Grandel, “Go to the ship and move the landers out.” He looked at the Navigator, “Go and pick up one of the portable scanners.”

The Navigator stood and Rory stood up with him, “Do you need some help carrying it?”

“Help is always appreciated.” Rory smiled and followed him out of the gate.

The Regent looked at Andy, “I don’t know how you’re going to cut up the landers in time to avoid the comet.”

“You just get them out, we’ll handle cutting them up.” Andy looked at Linnae and Harmony, “Get the Gliders in the air so that they arrive in the morning. Everyone has to be back at their community by noon tomorrow.” He looked at the Regent, “Can several hundred of us go on your ship to the place we have to hide it?” The Regent nodded. Andy looked at the warriors sitting in front of the aliens, “Give them back their weapons.”

The Regent’s head went back slightly and his Mate leaned in close and whispered, “These beings will make good siblings for us. I like them.”

The Regent looked at her and after a moment smiled, “Even if the ship doesn’t come, I believe we will find common ground.”

“And if it does come?”

“Then there is an enemy in the distant future our descendants will have to confront.” His Mate nodded and put her head on his chest.

• • •

Melody sat in the cave and was worried sick. Her family was in danger. “Mom, the aliens are bringing us on their ship. The communities are sending their gliders to pick up our warriors and we should be home by tomorrow morning.”

“Oh, thank God!”

“Dad was amazing.”

Harmony disappeared from her mind and she hugged Harvey, “They’ll be here in the morning.”

• • •

Harvey smiled and went to get the hole opened. Melody placed her hands on her midsection and felt the life inside her. Maybe this would be a son. Whatever it was, she was excited at being a mother again. It had been more than eighteen years since the twins were born. They could help her raise the newest member of their family.

T
he Talen crew went to their ship and opened the large bay doors on the rear of their warship. Three pilots lifted the transports on their thrusters and moved them out of the landing bay. Andy looked at Harmony, “Tell them to land them end to end.” Harmony nodded and Grandel shook his head, “They’ll still be much shorter than our ship.”

Andy nodded and Harmony heard his thoughts. She had the pilots of the three landing craft to space them out until they matched the length of the mother ship. Andy looked at Mat, Gordon, and Olivia, “Get your warriors to use their cutters to cut those landers apart.” Andy looked at the twelve hundred remaining warriors and yelled, “As soon as the landers are cut apart, take your cutters to the large sections and cut them into smaller parts. The smaller the better.”

The Regent walked off his ship and joined Andy and Grandel at the landers. It was nearly three in the morning before the landers were positioned properly. The humans activated their cutters and the two Talens were shocked at how easily the cutters went through the hulls of the landers. “What is that device your warriors are using to cut the landers’ hulls?”

“We call it a cutter. It was brought here by one of the groups that was sent back.”

The Regent saw Grandel shaking his head, “What are you thinking?”

“That beam would also make a formidable weapon. If we could increase the power, it might penetrate a very strong force field.” The Regent watched as groups of two humans extended their cutters to their maximum length of forty feet on each side of the landers and slash it through the lander’s hull. Groups of two humans on the other side of the lander would then slash and complete the cut through the sixty-foot wide lander. The three landers were demolished in less than thirty minutes and that’s when the other warriors started cutting the large sections into small pieces. Grandel looked at Andy, “Are you going to cover them up?”

Andy shook his head, “No, when the comet hits, the tsunami that will blow out from the impact will cover everything in a river of mud. Our original leader was of the opinion that the mud will fill up this area to a depth of ten to forty feet.”

“Did he say how he came to that conclusion?”

Andy looked at the Regent, “The history of the time he was taken said that ancient sea creatures’ fossils and shells were found more than fifteen hundred miles from the impact site. We’re about seven hundred miles from the site; I suspect he’s right.”

The Regent nodded, “My Navigator says it’s coming at an incredible speed. He also says that only the surface is composed of ice crystals. The core is solid rock.”

Grendel looked up at the top of the cliff where Rory and the Navigator were placing the portable scanner, “That’s why you’re having the scanner anchored?”

Andy nodded, “The wind blowing ahead of the tidal wave will be close to the speed of sound. They’re cutting an indentation into the top of the cliff with a cutter so it won’t be exposed to it and blown away.”

Andy watched the final demolition of the three landers at daybreak and saw the first gliders start circling overhead. The Regent and Grandel looked up, “What are those?”

“They’re gliders. We used the cutters to build electric motors to power them. They are coming to transport my warriors to the communities they came from for your arrival.”

The Regent looked at a device on his wrist, “They need to hurry. The comet will arrive in thirty hours.”

The gliders will make the trip to the most distant community in twelve hours. We need to get your ship moving to the site we built to hide it. It’s currently sitting on one of our landing strips.”

Grandel looked at the Regent, “I’ll get everyone on board and at their war stations. We’ll leave as soon as they complete anchoring the scanner.”

The Regent nodded and Andy yelled, “Mat, get your team on board the Talen ship!” Andy looked at Grandel, “Will you tell them where they need to go.”

Grandel nodded, walked down the steps to the clearing between the walls and ran toward the gate. The Regent looked at Andy, “We should be going.”

Andy nodded and heard Linnae say, “Tyler is going to meet us at the ship. Harmony is going with Mat.”

“That would be good. I’ll see you on the ship.” Andy went to Olivia and Gordon and smiled, “You should come with me to the hole.”

Olivia shook her head, “No, our place is with our community. We’ll wait on our glider.” Andy looked at Gordon and he nodded, “I’m going wherever she goes.”

“I’d feel a lot better if you joined the council at the Hole.”

Olivia hugged Andy, “There’ll be time to meet once we get through the impact. Our people need us to reassure them.”

Andy shook his head and then nodded, “I’ll contact you once this mess is over.”

Olivia nodded and said, “Stay safe.”

“You as well.” Andy turned and headed toward the starship.

• • •

An hour later, the giant starship lifted slowly and moved toward the cliff. Hundreds of gliders filled the air above the community and the Navigator moved the Talen ship out over the ocean so as to not interfere with the landing strips on each side of the walls. Andy was on the bridge with Harmony and Linnae and was amazed at the view below. Linnae gave mental instructions to the Navigator on where to fly the giant vessel. The Navigator moved the ship high into the atmosphere and arrived at the Hole in less than twenty minutes. The humans on the bridge were stunned at how fast the giant could fly. The Regent smiled, “My ship is a marvel of technology.”

Andy shook his head, “Indeed it is.” He looked at Harmony, “Is Harvey ready?”

“He has the Hole open and clear.”

Andy looked at the Navigator, “Do you see the opening we’ve cut into the side of that mountain?” The Navigator nodded. “I need you to back your ship into it.”

The Navigator turned and looked at Andy, “Are you serious?”

“Can you do it?”

“Is it big enough?”

“What’s the width of your ship?”

“A hundred and seventy eight yards.”

Andy smiled, “We cut the Hole three hundred yards wide and eight hundred yards deep.”

“It doesn’t look that big.”

The Regent said, “Scan it.”

The Navigator pressed several button on his console and shook his head, “It is as he says. However, I’ll have to go in without the force field.”

Andy looked at the Navigator, “Is that a problem?”

“If the force field is down, the thrusters will have a different level of push. This could take some time.”

Andy looked at Harmony, “Can you feed him the view of his ship from someone inside the Hole as he maneuvers it?”

“I’ll get Harvey and Melody to stand on the sides and keep their eyes on it.”

The Regent took a deep breath and said, “Take your time but make this happen.”

“Yes Regent.” Harmony could feel the Navigator’s fear but it diminished as she fed him the view from Harvey and Melody. He feathered his controls and had to move out three times before he centered the starship in the opening and very slowly backed into the opening. It only took a few minutes to arrive but more than two hours to land the ship. When the ship finally settled on its landing legs, the Navigator fell back in his chair in exhaustion. Harmony thought to him, “You are amazing!” The Navigator looked at her and smiled.

Andy looked at the Regent, “I’m going to lower the cover over the opening and I need to know if you can still receive the picture from your scanner.”

A huge cover moved over the opening. It was made of wood from petrified trees that had been moved out of the forest and covered with camouflage material. The Navigator tuned his display to the scanner left at the community and shook his head, “Nothing is coming through.”

Andy shook his head, “I was afraid of that. The camouflage material is blocking the signal.”

The Navigator stared at the display for a moment and said, “I noticed coming in that you have fires burning in this cave.” Andy nodded, “How do you vent the smoke?”

“There is a vent cut through to the top of the mountain.”

The Regent looked at the Navigator, “What are you thinking?”