Earthman Jack vs. The Ghost Planet (19 page)

“I was back at home visiting my wife,” he said.  “She worked
as the royal tutor for the Princess.”

“A teacher, huh?” said Jack. 

Shepherd cracked a smile.  “The best,” he said.  “But she
was more than that – almost like a mother to the royal offspring.  It was her
duty to raise them until such time as they could be brought into court when
they reached their teens.  Anna was the youngest, and the only girl, so Casca
always had a special affinity for her.”

Shepherd stopped and gazed off toward a wall.  Jack wondered
if “Casca” was the name of his wife.  It must have been hard to talk about,
especially for a guy who seemed to prefer spending his time flying around and
kicking butt with glowing stick things.

“When the attack happened, my wife made me take the Princess
to an escape shuttle while she attempted to get the crown prince and his
brothers off-world.  It was standard procedure to evacuate the royal family in
a time of crisis.  Unfortunately, because of the chaos of the invasion, I was
not able to go back for her.  Enemy fire had collapsed part of the palace, and I
had no choice but to leave with Anna.”

Shepherd swallowed hard at the memory.  He turned to Jack
and stared at him with his intense grey eyes.

“The fall of Regalus Prime was a huge blow to Imperial
rule.  Major trade routes and space lanes were interrupted.  The seat of
military command was destroyed, along with our parliament and other essential governmental
bodies.  The Empire was in chaos.  Communications were unreliable, and enemies
outside the Empire took the opportunity to claim territory that rightfully
belonged to us.”

“Since that time, the universe has been reeling,” continued
Shepherd.  “The galactic economy is in ruins.  Governance is still unstable,
and many worlds are breaking off from the Empire or falling to hostile rivals,
all of which weaken our ability to retaliate and defend ourselves.  All efforts
have been made to re-establish the might of our military, but we cannot protect
our borders from pirates and rival governments as well as fight off the
Deathlords at the same time.  For even as we scramble and squabble amongst
ourselves, the Deathlords continue their rampage, hitting the planets we need
most in order to survive.”

“Sounds bad,” said Jack.

“It is bad,” replied Shepherd.  “If the Empire collapses,
there is no way to unify enough planets to mount an offensive effective enough
to stop the Deathlords.  But as our government struggles to survive, and entire
planets live in constant fear of destruction, throughout it all, there’s the
Princess… the only living member of the royal bloodline.  The only one who has the
power to control Ancient technology.  The only one who has the key to possibly
stopping the Deathlords.  That is what brought us to your planet Jack.  The
belief that there was something there that could end this reign of terror that
has descended upon our universe like a plague.  Earth was our greatest hope. 
And now, so are you.”

Jack raised an eyebrow.

“Uh… me?” he said.

“For whatever reason,” said Shepherd, “you have a role to
play in all this, Jack.  I don’t pretend to understand why, or how, but it
cannot be ignored.  You’re the one the Princess was drawn to, which led to you
opening the temple, which led to our finding this ship.”

Shepherd gestured to the room around him.

“I cannot believe that was all just a coincidence,” he said.

“What are you saying?” asked Jack.  “I’m like some chosen
one destined to save the universe or something?”

Shepherd chuckled.  “I doubt it,” he said.  “If there is
such a thing as destiny, and anyone’s been chosen to save the universe, it’s
Princess Glorianna.  Only she has the power to unlock the mysteries of the
Ancients.  But that does not mean you do not have a role to play.”

“So what is it?” asked Jack.  “What’s my role?”

“That’s the real question, isn’t it?” asked Shepherd.  “Do
you remember the talk we had earlier?  When you came to detention?”

“You mean when you talked about taking responsibility for my
actions and stuff?” asked Jack.  It seemed like that was a million years ago,
though it had only been that afternoon.

Shepherd nodded.  “Since that time, I think you’ve indeed
taken that advice to heart,” he said.  “You protected Anna, and you may very
well have helped us find the key to defeating the Deathlords once and for all. 
But I think maybe it’s time I take a little bit of my own advice, and start
looking at my actions.”

“What do you mean?” asked Jack.

“I won’t lie to you, Jack,” he said.  “Coming to your planet
did put it in danger.  That much I can’t ignore. But we did not destroy it. 
That blame belongs to the Deathlords, and to them alone.  However, it was a
consequence of the actions the Princess and I took.  And now it’s time for me
to take responsibility for it.”

Shepherd got to his feet and looked down at Jack.

“That’s why, when we get home, I am going to train you.”

Jack looked up at Shepherd and blinked.

“Train me?” said Jack.  “Train me in what?”

“In the ways of the Free Mind,” said Shepherd.  “I’m going
to train you to be a Paragon.”

Jack got to his feet.  “You mean… I get to wear armor and
learn to kick butt and stuff?”

A lopsided smile grew on Shepherd’s face.  “My order is a
very old brotherhood, Jack.  A Paragon is one who learns to master his own
mind… to free it from its confines.  To see beyond what many believe is
possible and to manifest that which they see. 

The fall of Regalus Prime called me to become a Warrior Paragon,
but there are others who devote themselves to art, science, music, literature…
whatever calls to them.  And by freeing our minds, and believing in ourselves,
we are able to manifest anything we desire.”

Shepherd held out his hand.  The air around it seemed to
ripple, and suddenly, there was a baseball there.  He tossed it to Jack, who
caught it and looked at it in amazement.

“How’d you do that?” asked Jack.

“The same way I created my armor,” said Shepherd.  “The same
way I created that gun I gave you.  I thought about what I wanted in my mind,
and I manifested it into reality.”

“Whoa…” said Jack.  “You mean… that quantum physics stuff
the Professor was always talking about… you can
do that?
”

Shepherd nodded.  “It is the way of the Paragon,” he said. 
“It is the way of the Free Mind.”

“Then why can’t you create a weapon to destroy the
Deathlords?” Jack asked.  “Why can’t you just make them all disappear with your
mind or something?”

“It may be possible to do that,” said Shepherd.  “We Paragons
have the belief that anything is possible.  But unless a mind is totally free,
there are still limitations to what one is able to accomplish.”

“So you’re saying none of you guys has figured out a way to
do that yet?” said Jack.

“Freeing a mind from its own bonds is a complicated process,
Jack,” said Shepherd.  “Even after a lifetime of study and practice, it may not
be enough to achieve a truly free mind, one capable of manifesting anything.”

“How long would it take to achieve one that’s just capable
enough to stomp the Deathlords into mush?” asked Jack.

Shepherd smiled.  “I don’t know,” he said.  “Would you like
to find out?”

Jack met Shepherd’s gaze and nodded.

“Heck, yeah,” he said.

Shepherd and Jack entered the bridge
together.  Jack looked around at the state of the command center and was
relieved to see things weren’t nearly as bad as they were when he had run out
earlier.  The viewscreen was in full working order again, and most of the
control panels looked as good as new.  Professor Green was busy tapping away on
a console with Anna assisting him.

“What’s our status, Professor?” asked Shepherd as he
approached them.

Anna looked up at Shepherd and then over to Jack.  He had
hung back a bit, not wanting to get too close after the embarrassment of his
last episode around her.  She quickly looked away and moved to another control
panel on the other side of the bridge.

“Engines are now fully repaired,” said Green.  “I’ve
diverted system focus to the hyperdrives, so those should be ready in a few
more minutes.  Our shields are still in need of repair, as are our weapon
systems, but for the most part we are looking A-Okay.”

Shepherd glanced out the viewscreen.  “Do what you can to
speed things up,” he said.  “Looks like the Deathlord’s search grid is closing
in.  They’ll be on top of us in fifteen minutes, maybe ten.”

“We should be ready before then,” said Green.  “But I must
remind you, as soon as we power up our engines, they’ll be able to pick up on
our energy signature.  I don’t doubt they’ll be upon us in moments.”

“You hear that, Jack?” asked Shepherd.  “You’ll have to make
the jump to hyperspace as soon as you engage the engines.”

Jack nodded.  “Got it,” he said.

“Don’t do anything fancy,” said Shepherd.  “Just get us out
of here.”

“I understand,” said Jack.

Shepherd nodded.  His eyes flashed to Anna, and then back to
Jack before turning his attention to the console on which Green was working. 
Jack took a deep breath and walked over to where Anna was running a system scan
by the captain’s chair.

“Hey,” said Jack.

“Hello, Jack,” said Anna.  “How are you doing?”

“A little better,” he said.  Jack felt awkward talking to
Anna again for some reason.  He stuck his hands in his pockets and shuffled his
feet uncomfortably.  “Listen, about what I said before…”

“It’s okay,” said Anna.

“No, it’s not,” replied Jack.  “I was being a jerk.  I
should have never said those things.”

“You were upset.  It’s understandable.”

Jack nodded.  “I, uh… had a talk with Mr…
Paragon
Shepherd.  He told me about what happened to your family.”

“I’m glad he was able to explain things,” she said.  “I know
this whole ordeal is probably very confusing for you.”

Jack shrugged.  “Well, I wanted to let you know that… I’ve
decided to go into training to become a Paragon.”

Anna looked at Jack with a hint of surprise.  “Really?”

“Yeah.  Shepherd said he’d train me once we get you back
home.”

“That’s… wow…” said Anna.

“I know, right?” said Jack.  “Can you imagine?  Lord only
knows the kinds of things
my
mind will manifest.”

Jack and Anna shared a laugh at that.

“I’m sure you’ll make a fine disciple,” she said.

“Well, anyway… I wanted you to know, because I’m going to be
pledging my service to you and your bloodline and stuff.”

Anna smiled.  “And stuff?”

“Yeah, Shepherd said a bunch of things I had to swear
allegiance to… I don’t know.  Anyway, my point is that I’m gonna be there for
you.  No matter what.”

“Very well,” said Anna.  “I look forward to accepting your
pledge of service.”

Jack smiled.  “Man, you make it sound like I’m gonna be your
personal slave or something.  I’m actually sort of scared now.”

“Once you’re in my service, you’ll be honor-bound to do
whatever I say,” teased Anna.  “But be more afraid of Shepherd than of me.  He’s
a lot less forgiving than I am.”

“And a lot less fun,” said Jack.  “I’ve already been through
detention with the man.  I’m really afraid of what he’s gonna have me doing
once there are no child labor laws or anything holding him back.”

“One can only imagine,” said Anna with a smile.

Jack stared at Anna awkwardly for a minute before pulling a
small, lilac colored flower from his pocket.

“I almost forgot,” he said.  “I had Shepherd manifest your
favorite flower for me.  You know, to apologize for shoving you like I did.”

Jack presented it to her.  “An urthma!” said Anna.  She
smiled and took the flower, smelling it.  “That’s very sweet of you.”

Jack tried not to blush.  “Yeah, well… you know…”

Anna leaned in and gave Jack a gentle kiss on the cheek.

“I know,” she said.

Jack’s nerves shot through him like an electrical current. 
“Okay then!” he said a little too loudly as he clapped his hands together. 
“I’m, uh, just gonna fly the ship into hyperspace now and try again not to get
us all killed.”

“Good luck with that,” said Anna.

“Yeah… thanks,” replied Jack.

Jack turned and hopped back up in the captain’s chair.  He
laid his hands on the domes, and they lit up in response to his touch.  He was
once again tuned into the ship.

Stupid
, thought Jack. 
Stupid, stupid, stupid.  Way
to end a conversation – promise not to get her killed.  Brilliant
.

Jack called up the status of the ship.  Engines were just
about ready to go, as was the hyperdrive, but shields were still down and
weapons were inoperable.  He checked the Entanglement Engine and found it had
stopped charging while the ship made its repairs, but it was almost ready to be
used again as well.

The outer hull of the ship had been badly damaged in the
blast, but the major weaknesses had all been fixed.  The ship wasn’t in anywhere
close to as good a shape as it had been when Jack had first found it, but it
was better than flying around in space with a bunch of holes in the hull. 
However, without shields to protect them, Jack knew it would only take a couple
of direct hits to do some serious damage.

Jack suddenly felt very guilty.  He’d just gotten the
spaceship, and already it was trashed.  If he had just listened to Shepherd and
had jumped when they had the chance… but he’d never have forgiven himself if he
hadn’t tried to save his mom.

“Engines are fully repaired,” said Green.  “Hyperdrive is
ready, as well.”

Sure enough, Jack knew all that, right as Green had said
it.  The ship gave him the green light on all navigational systems.

“Okay, Jack,” said Shepherd.  “When you’re ready, power up
the engines and open our hyperspace window.”

“You’ve got it,” said Jack.  “Starting engines now.”

Jack kicked the engines into life.  As soon as the ship
started moving, he turned it to match the jump coordinates Green had programmed
into the navigational computer.

Alarm beeps sounded from the ship’s radar as enemy contacts
began to adjust course toward them.

“We’ve been sighted,” said Green.  “Deathlord shards are
inbound.”

“Make the jump, Jack,” ordered Shepherd.  “Now.”

Jack commanded the ship to open the hyperspace window.  But
nothing happened.

“Um…” said Jack.

“Jack,” said Shepherd urgently, “do it now!”

Jack tried again.  And again, nothing happened.  Jack asked
the computer why it wasn’t working, and some information popped up on his
holoscreen.

“Uh, oh.  I think we have a problem,” said Jack.

“What is it?” demanded Shepherd.

“There’s too much debris,” said Jack.  “The ship can’t open
a hyperspace window, we’d be flying right into their gravitational shadows, and
we’d get ripped apart.”

“Oh, dear,” said Green.  “Jack’s right.  I forgot to account
for the planet’s remains.  If we were to open a window now, in the condensed
reality of hyperspace, we’d be emerging into the equivalent of a brick wall.”

“Blast it!” said Shepherd.  Just then the proximity alarm on
the bridge sounded.  The shards had just entered their firing range.  “Jack,”
he continued, “get us out of the debris field.  Quickly!”

“Already on it,” said Jack as he adjusted the ship’s
course.  Without other ship’s systems to worry about at the moment, Jack pushed
as much power as he could to the engines, giving them a burst of speed just in
time to avoid incoming enemy plasma fire.

“Professor, get our shields back online,” said Shepherd.

Green furiously typed away at his control panel.  “I’m
working on it, dear Paragon,” he said.

In the captain’s seat, Jack could feel the small impacts
from the tiny rocks of what used to be Earth that surrounded them as the ship
flew to escape the oncoming shards.  Bigger rocks were floating in space, and
hitting those would definitely slow them down and affect the ship, so Jack had
to adjust course to fly around them.

Meanwhile, the shards were gaining on them, and avoiding the
plasma blasts and space debris while trying to outrun their pursuers was
starting to become quite a challenge.

Jack accessed a map of the debris field the computer had
generated for him.  He was almost to its edge.  The minute they were through,
he’d be able to open the window into hyperspace.

“Almost out,” he said to himself.  At that moment, he wanted
nothing more than to get as far away from the Deathlords as he possibly could.

Suddenly, the ship was rocked from an impact.  Red lights
flashed on the bridge as an alarm sounded.  Jack immediately knew it was from
enemy fire.

“We’ve been hit!” said Green.

“It’s okay,” said Jack.  “We still have engines!”

Jack pushed the engines harder.  They were nearing the edge
of the debris field.

Jack weaved the ship as more angry red plasma blasts shot by
them…

The shards were closing in, nearly on top of them.  Jack
punched the engine one more time to try to squeeze out a little bit more speed…

Almost there…

As they came rushing up to the edge of the debris field,
Jack activated the hyperdrive.  A couple yards ahead of them, space seemed to
ripple and tear open, as a shimmering light escaped from the large rectangular
window into a different dimension.

Jack’s ship barreled through it and into hyperspace! 

Unfortunately, so did a handful of shards, which punched
through right before the window closed, cutting the final – and not so lucky –
shard cleanly in half as it did so.

“Enemy contact,” said Green wearily.  “They followed us
through our window before it had a chance to heal shut.”

As Jack looked on the viewscreen before him he temporarily
forgot about the six shards that had made it through and were in pursuit. 
Before him was nothing but white, filled with tiny black dots that were clustered
together all over the place.  It almost looked like a big polka-dotted canvas. 
All around him, he saw huge bodies of black orbs, one of which had dark rings
circling it.  Behind him was a massive black body, which seemed to radiate
darkness into the white around it.  All the dark masses were almost on top of
each other, probably separated by the distance of just a couple of miles.  It
took Jack a minute to recognize that he was looking at his own solar system,
albeit a condensed version of it.

The large thing behind him was obviously the sun, and the
orb with rings around it to his left had to be Saturn.  Jupiter, Neptune, and
even Pluto were close by, but they were just large, dark spots, like huge
bowling balls floating in the pure white of hyperspace.

Before Jack had a chance to really take in the surreal
sight, Shepherd’s commanding voice broke in.

“Lightspeed!” barked Shepherd.  “Now!”

Jack didn’t hesitate.  He angled the ship along the
computer’s coordinates and ordered it to engage its lightspeed engines.

Jack felt a rumble course through the ship as the engines
engaged.  The space before him swirled and warped into a tunnel, rushing up to
encompass the ship.  Brilliant blue light rippled around the tunnel walls,
almost like it had when Jack had portgated down to the Earth’s Ancient temple.

“Lightspeed engaged!” cheered Green.  “We are now
successfully moving at 99% the speed of light!”

Everyone on the bridge breathed a sigh of relief.  Shepherd
stood up from his console, looking extremely tired.

“Good work, Jack,” he said.

“Thanks,” said Jack as he swiveled his chair to face him.  “So
are we really moving at the speed of light?  I mean, is this what it’s like?”

“Actually, we’re only moving at 99% the speed of light,”
smiled Green.  “Any faster and we’d be converted into pure energy.”

“So it’s not really ‘lightspeed,’ huh?” said Jack, just a
little disappointed.

“Don’t worry, it’s fast enough,” said Shepherd.

“Um… guys?” piped up Anna, looking at her console.

“What is it, Princess?” asked Shepherd.

“I’m picking up something following us,” she said.

Shepherd looked at Jack alarmed.  Jack accessed the ship’s
sensors and on the holoscreen in front of him an image of six Deathlord shards
materialized, flying in two, three-ship formations down the lightspeed tunnel
behind them.

Jack heard Shepherd suck a quick intake of breath between
his teeth.

“Oh, my,” said Green.  “The shards… they’re… they’re
following us?”

“How is that possible?” growled Shepherd.  “They’re fighter
craft, they’re not big enough to carry lightspeed engines.”

“It would seem the Deathlords are full or surprises today,”
moaned Green.  “First they’re able to jam our subspace communications, now they
reveal fightercraft with hyperspace capabilities.”

“That must be how they were able to get the drop on our
ships,” said Shepherd.  “They launch a wing of fighters ahead into hyperspace. 
They’re too small to be picked up by our early-warning beacons, so they jump in
unnoticed and attack, beaming in boarding parties and clearing the way for the
main fleet.”