Lens of Time (7 page)

The Operator looked at his board and saw the frequency had disappeared. He thought about what he had heard and then reluctantly asked, “Do you order me to destroy the probe?” He knew the answer to the troubling question and he sensed something about the ones that had attacked. He knew if he was ordered to destroy the sensor, the direction his people were going to take was to destroy the attackers. He waited for ten minutes and then repeated, “Do you order…”

“We will let you know. Keep a ship stationed at the buoy. If it makes one scan, destroy it.”

The Operator smiled, “I will carry out your instructions.” He slowly moved his head up and down; this was the most interesting event he had taken part in the last thousand cycles. What if the being was being honest?

• • •

Mikal looked at RV and said, “That is a rather large risk you just took.”

“Why is that?”

“What if they are one of the predator civilizations? You told them who we are by letting them know we’re fighting with the Minors and we come from another galaxy.”

“Do you believe you did the right thing not killing the second ship?” Roman nodded. “How did you know?”

Loree said, “The crew on that ship had all moved to the far ends of their ship knowing they were about to be fired on by their own ships. They were willing to die to defend their worlds. It was the right thing to do to allow them to live. Predators don’t operate that way.”

RV smiled, “Then this might not be the risk you think it is. They would still have to find us and that won’t be easy. However, the buoy has not been destroyed, yet. I think this is worth the risk.”

“Did you mean what you said about coming to their defense?”

“If they will allow us to make a scan of their domain to ensure they are actually fighting an enemy, we will come to their defense. President Sierra agrees with this decision.”

Mikal smiled, “This is a good thing. I’m glad I could have a role in making it happen.”

RV smiled, “Your role is not over, Admiral.”

Mikal’s expression turned serious, “I’m not sure what you mean and I’m a Captain.”

“Not anymore; you’ve been promoted to Rear Admiral and will take command of the 8
^th
sub-fleet. Captain Barber will be your executive officer until the new 9
^th
sub-fleet is constituted and she will take command of it. Your two fleets will replace the 16
^th
and 23
^rd
fleets under my command. They will be moved to Admiral Anders and Diamond’s fleet holding station in M-87 while you remain here training your fleets. I expect you to have your fleets trained in the use of the new attack craft. Your fleets will be the first to receive them and you don’t have much time so get on it.”

Mikal looked at Loree and smiled. He turned to RV and saluted, “Thank you, Sir. Permission to report to my ships.”

RV returned his salute, “Permission granted, now go to work.”

The two walked out and Cyanna saw Loree’s expression as she looked at Mikal. It brought back memories and she knew the two of them were going to work well together. Cyanna turned to RV, “How do you want those two new fleets organized?”

“They will be the spearhead of the First Fleet making the initial attack on enemy ships. They will be used to provide a hole in enemy formations for us to exploit.”

“Are they going to be equipped to do that?”

“Their ships will have launch tubes for attack craft. They will not be carrying needles so they should be able to hit with an explosive force.”

“What about ship protection? There won’t be any needles to protect them.”

“Needles won’t do much good penetrating a wall of battleships. They’ll move forward firing their ultrabeams and launching attack craft. The rest of the fleet will follow them in.”

“Kenny is going to need a new executive officer.”

“Inform him and turn the volume down when you do.”

Cyanna started laughing and made the call.

• • •

The Operator stood in front of the Select Council and waited for them to question him. Their thoughts were directed at each other and he could not hear what they were thinking. His species was telepathic but only heard thoughts that were directed. Finally he heard, “You interrupted our conversation.”

“I meant no disrespect, but I only spoke during moments of silence.”

“Why did you interject your thoughts?”

“I have been troubled by the invading ship not destroying the second ship it penetrated. I could find no reason for that behavior. In all the cycles I’ve been witnessing, that has never happened.”

“Why is that significant?”

“They exhibited a trait that is rare.”

“What is that?”

“Mercy.” The council remained silent and the Operator said, “Name one other civilization that wouldn’t have destroyed the second ship. What that ship did told me something was different about the beings in it.”

“Do you believe them?”

“I’ve found the records mentioned in the conversation about the Minors and they support what that being said. The Minor civilization that destroyed the home world of the ones that spoke with us are now fighting beside them. Would we ever consider doing that under even slight discretions? It appears they recognized that the Minors were forced to kill or be killed. The white ships determined that quickly and knew who was responsible for their world’s destruction.”

“They should have destroyed the Minor as well.” The Operator remained silent and the Council Member said, “Shouldn’t they have destroyed the Minor as well?”

“I believe the Minor has convinced them that they regret what they did and told them it would never happen again, as they just promised us. They fought together in the last battle and it’s clear the ships from both civilizations fought to the death to defend each other’s ships. I am just a Sensor Controller. I analyze data and refer my findings to you to make the decisions on what should be done. You are far more capable of finding the truth in the data than I.”

“What have you determined about the ship that invaded our borders?”

“They are capable of killing our ships.”

“Are we capable of killing them?”

“I believe we are.”

“So we should not attack them alone?”

The Operator hated answering the question but said, “That is an accurate assessment.”

“I sense you don’t want to attack them.”

The Operator hesitated but said, “If there is even the remotest possibility of them being honest in their promises, I would not attack them.”

“Why? They are a real danger.”

“To who?”

The Council was taken aback by the question and then they started talking among themselves. The Operator waited and hoped they saw what he did.

• • •

RV and Cyanna were watching fleet maneuvers on their display when a call came in on RV’s console. RV looked and saw George, “Hello, George. What’s up?”

“We’ve received a message from the Nexu.”

RV saw the tension in George’s face, “And?”

“They request a meeting with the one that spoke with them.”

RV leaned back in his chair, “What did they say?”

“Nothing else; they transmitted coordinates and then ended the transmission. RV, I can’t allow you to go.” RV was silent and Cyanna wondered what was going on. “You’re too important to risk.”

“No one is that important, George. Don’t you see that this is a test of whether or not we can be trusted? If I refuse to go, what does that tell them about our promises?”

Cyanna put her hand up to her throat and felt instant fear.

George said, “RV, I just can’t risk losing you.”

“They will know it isn’t the one they communicated with if someone else goes and you know it. I’ve got to do it.”

“If I have to send every ship we have to get you out of there, I will.”

“No you won’t; this is something that is worth doing. Did they give a time for this to happen?”

“An hour from now.”

“I’ll take a shuttle.”

George slowly shook his head, “This is a decision that is unbearable.”

“That’s why you’re our leader; you’re strong enough to make it. I’ll let you know what they say.”

Cyanna looked at RV and he softly smiled, “Don’t make this harder than it is.”

Cyanna stood and hugged him tightly, “Come back to me! You’re taking my life with you.”

RV held her tightly and said, “I love you. Admiral Arvolo, you are in command of the fleet.” Cyanna watched him leave the bridge and started praying.

RV went to the landing bay on the Tampa and said, “Prepare a shuttle that does not have a gravity drive.” He waited as a shuttle was lowered to the floor and then he went in and contacted George, “Please send me the coordinates of the meeting.”

George pressed his console and said, “You know how I feel about this. Just come back.”

“I’ll do my best.” RV took the shuttle out of the landing bay and flew a hundred miles from the Tampa. He reached in his pocket and removed the translation device that Dolly had downloaded the Nexu’s language into. He placed it on his head and then entered the coordinates of the meeting site. He took a deep breath and jumped the shuttle. He arrived in deep space and ten seconds later an Orange Battleship appeared next to him. The landing bay opened and RV took the shuttle inside. He checked the ships atmosphere and saw that it was breathable. He moved to the port and opened the door. He found a being waiting on him. It was a little over six feet tall and was bipedal in form. The hands had six fingers and the face looked a lot like a walrus. The front lips extended out from the face and looked like they could be used to pull food into its mouth. The being was grey in color but its eyes were large and bright blue. It had blonde hair and ears that were similar to a human’s. RV smiled and said, “I see you’re prompt.” The being’s eyes widened and RV said, “The device on my head allows me to understand your language.”

The being said, “That’s a remarkable device.”

RV said, “My name is Arvolo and you are?”

“You can call me what you want. I think our names would be difficult for you to say.”

“Say it and let me see.” RV heard the snorts and grunts and smiled, “I’ll call you Jeff.”

“I told you. Why did you choose that name?”

“A good friend of mine that died had that name. It’s a good name.”

The being tilted its head to the left and said, “Jeff it is.”

RV said, “Why do you want this meeting?”

“My leaders are in a quandary about what to do. They want to meet with you directly.”

“What’s the issue with them?”

“They’re trying to decide whether to kill you or not.”

RV thought about Cyanna and knew he may not survive this meeting. He felt immense sorrow over what she would endure if that happened. He looked at the floor and then said, “Let’s hope I can convince them that the ‘or not’ is the way to go.”

Jeff’s mouth widened and he decided he liked this strange, pale being. “We’ll arrive momentarily. If it would make you more comfortable, we can take your shuttle to the surface.”

“So you trust it is unarmed?”

“Not at all; we’ve scanned it down to the molecular level and I know it’s not armed.”

RV sighed and said, “Show me where we need to go.” They entered the shuttle and after the orange battleship jumped, RV flew it out and found himself over a planet that was completely covered by a huge city. Every inch of land was covered by the giant metropolis and Jeff pointed at a continent on the northern hemisphere. “We’re going to the buildings next to the ocean. They’re located beside the large bay.”

RV saw the bay and increased the magnification of the display, “Are you talking about the tall buildings next to the shore?”

“I am and there is a place in front of the tallest waiting for your arrival.” RV flew the ship easily through the atmosphere and landed softly in the cleared area surrounded by flashing green lights. The Operator was impressed with how easily this being handled the ship. The winds on his world were always difficult to manage. The Operator stood and said, “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to our Council.”

RV said, “Lead the way.” He stepped out of the shuttle and watched as every being turned his way. Even those far down the block turned back and looked at him. RV said, “How does everyone know I’m here?”

The Operator turned and said, “Oh, I meant to tell you. We’re telepathic. They heard your thoughts.” RV followed Jeff into the building and knew why they wanted this meeting in person. They would learn everything he knew about the Union and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. Humanity was in great danger and it was his entire fault. Jeff listened to his thoughts and saw that the, what did he call his species, oh yeah; the human, knew he was in a trap from which there was no escape for him or his species. Jeff didn’t like the deception but led RV into an elevator and it rose at high speed to the floor of the Council.

• • •

RV stood in front of the council and knew they were communicating but the room was silent. He had answered all their questions and he knew they didn’t need to ask them. They could simply look in his mind and find whatever they wanted. Finally being in the front row rose and spoke verbally to him. “I can see that you believe what you’re saying to us but we don’t trust you.”

RV said, “Why is that?”

“We’ve had more than half a million species stand before us and offer promises similar to what you’ve given. All of them failed to keep them.”

RV said, “That’s not entirely true.”

The being smiled, “Oh?”

“Some of them were destroyed before they could break them.”

“And just how do you know that?”

“I’ve looked around your neighborhood.”

The Leader actually smiled, “Well, you’re right. Several thousand did die. However, even taking them into consideration, none of the others proved to be worthy of trust. Prove to me beyond all doubt that you’re different.”

“What are you going to do if I can’t?”

“We now know where your civilization is and we’ll go and destroy your worlds.”

RV took a deep breath and said, “This meeting was done to gather information to attack us?”