SWNOVELS Chapter Act 23: All shall burn...
Orbit of Galhadia Prime
‘Richelieu’
21-Dec-2355
“You know Alex, once this is over, Tiberius plans to take this fleet of yours and go on a conquering spree, starting with Taucente.” James said, sipping at a cup of tea, while Amy, Cygna and Furball met with the Galhadian High Council. Her former instructor, Andrev, ruler of the Council, was at odds with why they were here.
“He’s not getting a single ship, Pop. Other then this ship, your ship and Barnard’s, the rest of the fleet is at Center, being turned into material to build 500,000 Dakota’s, 20,000 Nimitz class carriers, and over 2 million Cutlass II’s. Lorelei and I aren’t stupid. Even with the folks who we re-educated, that was only temporary, the programming slowly seeping away. It was only designed to last until the Garshans were wiped out, and once certain keywords are heard in a certain order, everyone who was trained will fall asleep, and when they awake, they’ll remember being a part of the rout, but won’t remember any of the finer details, like the stuff I know. A select few of you are exempt, but damned few. Barnard was right. Humanity isn’t ready for this kind of technology, and if Tiberius wants to label me an outlaw, let him. We’re leaving.”
“What of my ship? I could just reverse engineer it.”
“Be my guess. And in 30 to 40 years, you might figure out how to build a grazer or a TCU. By then, if you want to have Earth shattering technology, I won’t be around to stop you. Just remember one thing: The ‘Three’ are dead. I don’t see people the way I used to, and you aren’t this evil, back-stabbing everything for me asshole that you used to be. Look, just take Ericka, and leave. Go out there somewhere, and just explore.”
“What of the Galhadians?” James asked.
“Amy assures me these aren’t the ones who started all this mess, so we’ll be sending some transports to bring the survivors back to live inside of Center. Lorelei can definitely find jobs for all of them, and once I leave, she’s leaving with me. The back up main frame, while not an A.I., can run Center just as well as she can, but once she’s gone, all of her special functions shut down with her, like her shipyards.”
“Ooo, that’ll put a twist in the Bastard’s undies, for certain.” James said with a laugh.
“So, gonna go explore?”
“Yep, but with you. Ericka doesn’t want to lose the friends she has here, so I figure it’s time I stopped messing around in politics and settled down. Besides, I’m sure you could use all the best and brightest around, right?”
“Welcome aboard Pop.” He said, hugging him. James returned his hug.
“There’s just one thing.”
“Oh, what’s that?” Alex asked, stepping back.
“What happened to those guns I gave you? You don’t carry any weapon, not even a blade.”
“Never saw the need. Not after meeting Amy and Lorelei. Magic is my weapon, and it’s far more potent then any gun.” James nodded, knowing full well that while Amy was good, Alex was far better.
“So, what department do you want me to head up?”
“Engineering. Anderson prefers to work ON the engines, like Val. He’s not much for the red tape of running the department.”
“Count me in. Going to make Ericka your adviser again?”
“If she wants the job. I know Amy will be happy with her to talk to.”
“Sounds good. When do we leave?”
A week later, back at Center’s OLD home, orbiting the mighty sphere...
“So, we’re really leaving?” Amy asked. Alex nodded. Looking around at the faces that surrounded him, he smiled seeing so many he knew and cared for.
“So, shall we blow the cobwebs off these engines, and go find some bad guys to stomp?” Val asked with a grin.
“We got everything? Gum for the tigs etc?” Alex asked.
“Loaded to the gills. And that was the second time I filled that cargo bay. I could have sworn I ordered 12 pallets of the stuff, and I thought it was stored, but when I went to check, it was all gone. None of the tigs took it, so where the hell did it go?” She asked.
“No worries, we’re good now though right?” She nodded.
“Jett!”
“Yes?”
“Set a course.”
“Which one?”
“Second star to the right, and ahead full.”
“Ooooook.”
“Careful Anna, how many pieces is this bubble?” Mannis asked his daughter as she huffed and puffed into her huge pink sphere.
“Siiiiiiix” She said, blowing even more air into her already 12 foot bubble.
“Wow! You go my daughter!” Iris said, nursing her twin boys, each one suckling a breast.
“I have to say, this is some incredible stuff. I’m glad Amy isn’t too concerned where 12 pallets got to. Hard enough explaining your note to her, then trying to explain all of this.” He said, waving his arms around their lab and living area, packed into the cargo area of a Commercant.
“I’ll advise Captain McShane to set a course for home, now that Alex has moved off our former Masters. We should be able to finish our research, then set out to find the remnants of the Kanin Star Empire.”
“Ooooo, Kanin. This will be a fun time. I love watching their eyes bug out while you manipulate time the way you do.” Iris said with a giggle.
“Yes, those mystics get all spiritual every time someone starts playing with time.” He said with a laugh, as Anna’s bubble filled every possible area it could. Turning, seeing the mighty thing expanding his way, he stabbed it with his writing stylus. The bubble simply kept coming.
“Oh dear!” He shouted.
“What darling?”
“It appears that our little girl can work mana.”
Epi-2.0: How many times does it take to get one’s life right? In the case of Alex Carlson, just twice apparently. What lurks out on the fringes of the Milky Way, only time will tell. One thing is for certain, better to have Cygna in his life now, after taking care of business, then before and getting in the way of business.
He’s learned, he’s resourceful, and he’s ready to rock and roll his way across the stars.
Meet Alex Carlson, 2.0...