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Episode 57: Discovery
"Captain, we're ready to go through the gate." Mark announced once he'd checked all the ship's systems for a third time.
"Take us in." Avatar ordered.
"Yes, Sir," Venture replied, pushing the Argo forward.
He kept his eyes focused on his duty station, making sure that nothing went wrong during the crossing. If something happened to them inside the gate… there was no telling whether or not they would come out on the other side.
He bit his lip. He'd been against this course of action from the beginning.
After everyone had had time to go through Sandor's preliminary report, they'd all met again to discuss their recommendations and thoughts.
The prevailing opinion of the officers was that, despite the risks, going through the gate was the best course of action. Mark disagreed, but he'd been sorely outvoted. The only other officer who had sided with him was Eager. Even Nova, who'd been nervous about that strange transmission the Gamilons had sent out just before she and Derek left the Balan area, had decided that the gate offered a better chance for the overall mission than taking the long way around.
Mark chanced a look up. Outside the main viewport loomed the gigantic gate. Its luminous blue light bathed the area just in front of its event horizon.
The sight made Venture even more nervous than before. Derek told him about the things he'd seen inside this gate and Mark wanted no part in those dark dreams.
He felt a wave of anxiety flood the bridge as the Argo's bow slowly drifted through the eerie portal. The swirling light of the gate edged ever closer to them and Mark wondered what the men and women who were in the foremost parts of the ship must be seeing right now.
Pushing aside the fear that threatened to overcome him, Mark closed his eyes and kept the ship moving until the entire battleship was inside the dreaded Aquarius Gate.
"They've gone through." Haini said, obviously surprised by the Eratites' move.
"Let them have a head start, then follow them through. We can't lose them now." Frakken ordered.
"Yes, Captain," Came the reply.
Haini laughed.
"And what do you find so amusing?" Frakken asked.
"Just these Eratites," Haini chuckled.
"I still don't understand."
"They have nothing. No real power behind them. Their world is very nearly subdued, and yet they fight on. Somehow they decipher things they have no business even knowing about – like the Aquarius Gate." Haini's face sobered and he continued in a low tone. "It's almost as though… the hand of Adonai Himself is with them at times."
Wolf looked sharply at his second-in-command. "I would not utter such thoughts where others may hear you, my friend."
"I know," Haini sighed, "And I will not, but it had to be said. There is no other true explanation for some of the things they have survived."
Frakken set his jaw and stared at one of the officers as he kept an eye on the radar. "I do not know."
Haini slapped Wolf on the back, startling Frakken. "I do not pretend to know how the Eratites have eluded capture or death thus far, but I do know that if you, the Wolf of Subspace, is on their heels, you will catch them."
Frakken relaxed a bit and nodded. "Yes, I will."
"Onward to victory then?" Haini raised his hand in a mock toast to their coming triumph.
"Yes, onward… to victory." Wolf nodded, hoping that Haini, in all his enigmatic charisma, was right about this.
Nova stood alone on one of the many observation decks scattered around the ship. She looked into the odd gate-space surrounding the ship.
"How were you made to begin with?" She thought. "Who could have cut a hole in space itself and sewn a portal into the fabric of space that would take someone from one place to another so far away?" She leaned on the chest-high railing that ringed the half-circle jutting out from the ship's hull.
The clear bubbled-out wall that allowed her to see in most directions was almost like glass, but much sturdier.
She reached out and touched the cold, clear pane. The bite of the low temperature outside made her jerk her hand away almost instantly.
"However you came to be, you are certainly beautiful." Nova watched as what could have been stars floated by. Ethereal wisps of dark blue cloud – or something like a cloud – passed her vantage. Outside something twinkled in the darkness.
This was nothing like the last time she'd come through the gate.
"Are you out there watching over us…?" She asked silently, wondering whether the angelic guardian she'd met before was still around. "I hope I do meet you again someday. And that then you will tell me your name."
"Whatcha doin' out here?" Derek appeared behind her.
"Oh!" She exclaimed. "I'm – I'm just looking."
"Not really like last time, huh?" Derek leaned over the railing next to her.
"No. Not really." She agreed.
Derek stared out into the strange darkness. After a few moments of doing this, he started scuffing his boot on the floor and looking around the observation deck.
"Bored?" Nova asked.
"No… not really," Derek muttered. "I – I just wanted to see if…" He turned his eyes back to Nova. "I just wanted to make sure you weren't too worried about that armada we've got to face off with once we get out of the gate."
"Oh." Nova smiled softly. "No, I'm not as worried as I was. Coming back through here… remembering what I saw. I don't think anything could scare me right now. But thanks for checking on me."
"O – okay," Derek nodded. "Good. Didn't want you to be too scared or anything."
Nova returned Derek's odd gaze and asked, "Are you afraid of this coming battle?"
Derek didn't reply for a second. He looked stunned that she'd asked such a thing. Finally jerking himself out of his surprise he replied. "Nah. I'm good. The more Gamilons we can take out, the better. Fewer of them to target Earth. Gives us a better chance of getting to Iscandar to get the Cosmo DNA and bring it home."
"You know that isn't its name, right?" Nova asked, chuckling a bit at Derek's use of the EDF's chosen replacement title for the Iscandarian device.
"Yeah, but I can't pronounce the other one. And 'Cosmo DNA' sounds more Earthish."
"It does, but I think I like the original name better… 'Rophi Shamayim.'…" She uttered the name like it was a thing to be treasured.
"And how do you know how to pronounce that?" Derek asked.
"Sandor." She replied. "Plus, I saw the original recording Starsha sent. I listened to it without the translation matrix on. It sounds so… different, but good. It was kind of like going to stay with a friend you've known for a long time, but that friend lives in a place you've never gone to. You feel comfortable with your friend even though you have no idea where you are or how to interact with the people around you."
"You got all that from two words?" Derek asked, genuinely confused.
Nova sighed, "It's… something you wouldn't understand."
The memory of that strange night in the engine room came back again, but this time, she remembered, not the dark spirits, but the incredibly brilliant light that Starsha of Iscandar had brought with her, even though she hadn't been present in her true physical form.
"You keep saying I won't understand stuff." Derek muttered.
"I'm sorry, but it's true." Nova replied.
"Then explain it to me!"
The sudden outburst took Nova off guard and she stared at Wildstar, unsure of what to say.
"Sorry…" Derek mumbled. "I just… I want to know more about you."
"Okay." Nova replied slowly, a bit surprised by Derek's sentiment. "Since we have some time I can explain some of it, I suppose." She took a deep breath, then began. "It all started over two thousand years ago in a tiny place called Bethlehem."
"So you really believe all that stuff?" Derek asked two hours later.
"I do." Nova replied. "I've seen too much not to. And I know in my heart that it's true."
"Well… I can't really deny some of what you said… not after… the incident here inside the Gate…" Derek admitted. "But as for the rest of it… I don't think I'm ready to go there. I'm fine the way I am and I don't really think I need help with that. All this stuff about God and some kind of redemption from sin and the evil in this world… I just… it's not for me." He shook his head.
Nova nodded very slowly. "I'm sorry you feel that way."
"Well, I gotta go. Meeting Mark for a chess game in a few minutes. If I skip he'll send Dash and Eager after me." Derek stepped away from the railing. "Bye." He gave Nova a small wave.
"Bye," Nova replied quietly.
Once Derek was gone Nova leaned back on the railing and sighed. Deciding there was no longer any point in staying on the observation deck, she slowly walked back to her quarters.
The door to her room slid open and she stepped inside. The door hissed shut behind her.
She went over to her bed and sank down onto it, suddenly realizing how tired she was from the past several days.
She looked at the time on her comm device. She wasn't due back to the bridge for another twelve hours and she didn't really want to sleep that long, though the idea was getting more and more tempting by the minute.
She swung her legs up onto the bed and lay back, staring up at the underside of the vacant top bunk.
The room was quiet, as usual. In here she could always find peace, away from the bustle of the crowded halls and duty stations. Here, she could think and pray unhindered.
She closed her eyes, letting herself go back to memories of times past – times before the bombardment began – when things had been simpler.
"I don't understand why You've allowed so much suffering to come to the Earth, Lord. I don't understand why You've sent us out so far away from home to look for a cure that we may never reach… I don't understand what Your plan could possibly be… But I know there is one. Help me to believe that You will not fail to restore the Earth again…"
Sometime after that, though she couldn't say when, Nova drifted off to sleep.
"All hands to your stations." The announcement came over the ship-wide intercom. "Prepare to exit the Gate."
The bridge crew took in a collective deep breath and braced themselves for the firefight they were about to walk into.
Sandor had used the coordinates Wildstar and Nova provided to determine the likely locations of the Gamilon ships on this side of the Gate. With that data, they'd been able to plot a course through the ships and prepare a battle plan.
All eyes were glued to the front viewport as Mark guided the ship through the exit gate.
"Picking up multiple enemy ships." Nova reported. "But… something's strange."
"What is it, Miss Forrester?" Avatar asked.
"Captain, they're all in exactly the same places they were when we came through the first time." Nova replied. "And… we're picking up multiple other gates in the vicinity."
"Sandor, get readings on as many of those gates as you can." Avatar ordered. "Wildstar, Dashell, and Venture, put our battle plan into effect."
The officers obeyed and set into motion one of the oddest sets of maneuvers Derek or Mark, or any of them for that matter, had ever seen.
"All crew; proceed to one of the preapproved areas." The Captain said over the ship-wide comm, then added quietly. "And hang on."
Moments later the ship dove into the enemy armada, all guns blazing. If anyone were watching from outside the ship it would appear that the Earth vessel had been possessed by some crazed tornado. The ship spun around and around, spraying fire everywhere in its path, hitting enemy after enemy.
Explosions bloomed around the Argo, obscuring the front viewport from time to time.
Within a few minutes the Earth ship was through the deadly armada, and no enemies were left standing.
"Well, that was easier than I thought." Derek sighed in relief. "They didn't even shoot back."
"Captain…" Sandor said, "Those ships weren't real."
"What do you mean, they weren't real?" Derek asked. "Nova and me – we saw them. And the radar picked them up just now."
"No, Wildstar." Sandor selected something on his duty station and an image appeared on the main viewscreen.
"What… is that?" Derek asked.
"Looks like a drone a' some kind ta me," Eager piped up.
"That's exactly what it is." Sandor replied. "It's transmitting a signal that will make our systems see a battleship where none exists." Sandor adjusted the image, this time showing the entire area around the Argo. "There are hundreds of them in the area. There is no armada here."
"But – but I saw them." Derek protested again.
"You may have, Wildstar," Sandor conceded. "But if they were here before, they aren't now."
"What about that?" Derek put up an image of his own on the screen. This one was of a strange orbital construct. "Isn't that some kind of command center?"
Sandor studied the image, then brought up the sensor readings for it. "It could be," He nodded. "But it could also be the control center for a gigantic training area…"
"Training area?" Derek asked.
"That is what it appears to be." Sandor replied with a sigh. "And those gate signals we received upon reentry – only one of them is real." Sandor changed the overhead image yet again and pointed to the picture. "That one."
"But where does it go?" Derek asked. "I can't say I'd be thrilled to go through another one for the first time."
Sandor didn't reply for a full two minutes. Derek looked over at the science officer, wondering if maybe something in the man's bionics had short-circuited or something. Finally, the XO said, "From the readings I'm getting, it leads straight to the outskirts of the Large Magellanic Cloud."
"We'd make up a lot of time if we went through there, right?" Derek asked, clearly not happy about going through another gate, but willing to do so if it meant gaining such an advantage.
"Potentially." Sandor replied. "Though, we have no idea what may lie on the other side of this gate."
There was silence on the bridge after that.
Captain Avatar looked from his combat chief to his executive officer, then said, "We have no time to stay here. If this is a training ground, after our entrance, the enemy most likely knows we're here." He paused and looked this time at his comm officer and radar operator. "We're going through the other gate."
The officers all looked at the Captain in surprise, but soon nodded in agreement, or at the very least, acceptance of his decision.
"All crew prepare for Gate travel." Avatar announced over the comm again, then said to the bridge crew, "Once we've crossed the event horizon we will change shifts. I want all of you rested and ready when we come out on the other side. Be ready to return to the bridge at a moment's notice."
"Yes, Sir." Came the quick reply.
Avatar nodded in approval, then winced and subtly held his wounded side until the pain passed. He slipped a pain pill into his mouth and swallowed it, knowing it would most likely put him to sleep for a few hours.
"I'll be in my quarters." Avatar said, then rode his chair up through the ceiling and into the captain's cabin.
Once the chair was firmly locked in place again, the Captain pulled himself up out of it and staggered over to the bed. He collapsed into it, thankful that none of the men and women below had seen him in this state. His failing heal was one thing they didn't need to be worried about right now. They had enough to think about without having to shoulder that knowledge too.
He slowly managed to take off his shoes and coat and crawl under the blanket. Just as soon as he did, the pain medication took over and he slept.
Frakken sat alone in his tiny quarters. He held up his personal communications device and read the message again. He wanted to make sure he remembered every detail of this plan.
When he'd finished reading it he set down his communicator and leaned back in his chair, hands folded in concentration.
Right now they were traveling through the Gate just behind the Eratite ship. It should have already emerged at Balan by now and they would appear on their heels within a few minutes.
Wolf sighed and shook his head. "What have we gotten ourselves into, Dommel…?"
The communicator buzzed for his attention.
"Yes?" He answered without touching it.
"Hey, Frakken, we're coming up on the exit. Not any strange sightings reported from the crew this time." Haini's voice reported. "We're preparing to submerge into subspace as soon as we exit the Gate."
"Very good," Frakken replied.
"Oh! And we're getting readings of heavy weapon fire just outside the Gate," The other man added.
Frakken nodded to himself, then said to Haini, "Just as General Lysis said would happen. Make sure they don't see us. We can't afford that yet. Is there any indication that they've found the other active Gate?"
"I think so," Haini replied. "Our sensors show movement in that direction."
Frakken nodded again thoughtfully. At least the first part of Dommel's plan was working out as he'd hoped. "We'll wait until they've gone through, and then we'll follow them again. Once they come out on the other side, we'll wait for our signal to move in and recover Princess Astra."
"Won't they know what's in store for them?" Haini asked.
"Not in the least," Frakken replied. "General Lysis has a plan that will give us a staggering advantage in the upcoming battle."
"Ah, I see," Haini replied. "I'll prepare the crew for our reentry."
"Thank you," Frakken said, then ended the call.
"I do hope this works, Dommel. I don't want to have to be the one to tell Elisa that you won't be returning from the battle this time."
Episode 58: The Challenge
All eyes were fixed on the gigantic gate in front of them. This one much larger than the one they'd just braved.
The captain was in his quarters, leaving the bridge in the hands of his executive officer.
Mark held the ship on course for this new gate. None of them knew how long it would take to cross this one. Travel through the last gate had lasted mere hours, but this… No one knew exactly how far it was from here to the Magellanic Cloud. Starsha's message gave them a good approximation, but with the jump through the last gate, their calculations were bound to be off.
An eerie haze seemed to settle around Balan as the Argo drew nearer and nearer to the new Gate. Then in an instant, the bow submerged into the murky depths of the event horizon and the engines thrust the rest of the great ship into the dark waters of the unknown Gate.
As soon as they could see the inside of the place, they knew they'd stepped into a new domain, one that they most desperately wished to leave as soon as possible.
Nova stared out the front viewport, hoping that the strange, and often horrific images that her own eyes beheld wouldn't be visible to her friends and crewmates, but one look at Derek and Mark told her otherwise.
The navigator and combat chief sat with looks of shock and fear in their eyes.
"Don't look at them." Nova directed.
When the two young men didn't make a move to obey her she immediately left her station and quickly went to the captain's. With the push of a button, the front viewport was covered, hiding the hideous sights outside.
Nova quickly went to the two crewmen and shook each of their shoulders, trying to pull them back into reality.
"Snap out of it!" She demanded of both of them.
"Huh?" Derek asked blinking his eyes hard. "What was that stuff?"
"It's just like the other Gate." Nova replied, still shaking Mark. "You can't think about what you see here for too long. The things in here aren't something to be taken lightly. They can take over your mind."
"What about you?" Derek asked.
Nova hesitated, then replied, "They… can't do anything to me. I'm afraid you –"
"Wouldn't understand, yeah, yeah. I get it." Derek waved her off, motioning for her to let go of Mark. "Hey, wake up!" Derek socked his friend in the shoulder.
"What? What's going on?" Mark, now awake, asked in confusion.
"We're inside the Gate." Derek replied, "But this one's much… rougher than the first one."
"Is the whole trip going to be like this?" Mark asked, clearly spooked by whatever phantom he'd seen before lolling off into shock.
"I don't know." Nova replied, "Hopefully there will be a reprieve somewhere along the line."
"What do you mean 'hopefully'?" Mark asked. "The first Gate didn't have anything like this in it, except whatever got ahold of Derek on your way in."
"No…" Nova said, "That isn't entirely true. There were other… things… in there, but the way was cleared for us." She said.
"So clear it again." Mark replied.
"We didn't clear it." Nova said quietly, "An angel did."
Mark looked at Nova like she'd gone completely certifiable. "Those things don't exist."
"Uh…" Derek began, "Yeah, Mark… they do. I heard this one. He's the one who got me out of that nightmare I told you about."
Mark sat speechless.
Sandor interrupted their conversation. "As soon as your replacements arrive, head to your quarters. All other crew not on duty have been given orders to do the same thing. Until we cross this area, we need to minimize whatever ill effects it may have. Don't leave your quarters unless you have to."
"Uh, yeah… sure. Okay…" Mark nodded to the XO, still a bit out of it.
The main bridge entrance opened, allowing several men and women in. Each one traded places with one of the officers on duty and all the relived personnel left for their quarters, except Sandor.
Before he allowed his replacement to take over, the XO left instructions for them to call him should anything at all happen during his absence.
The replacements agreed and the science officer left.
"Captain?" Sandor knocked on Avatar's cabin door minutes later. When he didn't get an answer he knocked again. "Captain, are you still in there?"
Still nothing.
Alarm stared to creep into his mind and when he continued to receive no answer from the old man he did the only thing he knew to do.
"Emergency override." Sandor said to the closed door.
"Voice print recognized." The computer answered.
The door hissed open.
As soon as he walked in Sandor immediately raised Dr. Sane. "Get up here."
"He's worse?" The Doctor asked.
"Yes." Sandor replied, "I think he's deteriorating faster than you'd planned."
"That's because the old coot doesn't know when to take it easy." Sane complained. "I'll be right there."
"Good." Sandor ended the call and waited until Sane arrived.
The doctor quickly went to the captain's side and checked for a pulse. "Well, he's still alive at least." Sane said with a small sigh of relief. "Don't know how much longer he'll stay that way at the rate he's going."
Sane gave the old Captain an injection and waited for a moment before taking his friend's pulse again.
"Better." He gave a short nod of strained approval. "But still not very good. He won't be awake again for several hours. Until then, would you be able to stay here? I would offer to do it myself, but… judging from the number of calls I've already gotten in the past fifteen to twenty minutes, I'll be quiet busy handing out sedatives. These Gates are making the crew crazy. Too many ghosts, I say. Seen a few myself, but I can't say they're any worse than the things I've already seen in my lifetime."
Sandor nodded solemnly. "I hope the crew can come through this just as well as every other test we've passed thus far."
Sane nodded back, "Me too, Stephen." Then he stepped back from Avatar's bedside and turned to leave, but just before he did he asked, "Is there no way to convince him to spend more time resting?" Sane looked at Sandor with a pleading look.
"There is one way." Sandor replied. "I'll speak to him as soon as the opportunity arises."
The doctor gave the science officer a nod of thanks, then hurried back to the medical bay, answering several messages on his communicator as he went.
Once the door to the Captain's cabin was closed again Sandor pulled up a chair next to the old man's bed and sat.
"I think he may be ready…" Sandor said quietly, knowing the captain most likely didn't hear him. "He knows now that there are things he doesn't understand – things that he can't explain. You can let him take that position you wanted to give him. He'll fill it as best as he can. I can promise you that."
Stephen watched as Avatar's breathing started to become more regular. His pain was easing off now, a relief Sandor knew didn't come very often for the old captain, not since he'd gotten that wound back at Pluto.
Sandor sighed.
"He'll watch over them, Abraham." Stephen continued, "And he'll protect them like a leader should. He's not the brightest one out of the bunch, but he knows that, and he knows what his resources are. He'll be alright by himself. You don't have to worry. And I'll keep an eye on him so he doesn't do anything too terribly stupid."
The captain didn't reply of course, but Sandor was sure that if Avatar had heard his words, he would agree with them.
Stephen leaned back in his chair and prepared to wait for either Avatar to wake, or the ship to encounter something that needed his attention.
"It's a two week journey from one end of this Gate conduit to the other." Dommel said to his officers in council. "We have one day's head start on them. Once we arrive, we must make utmost haste to Keshet.* That is the best place for Frakken's ships to act."
"How do we know the Eratites won't see them?" One of the officers, a Lieutenant Commander Berger, asked, his holographic form wavering just a bit from the interference within the Gate. "They seem to have overcome more than their fair share of obstacles thus far. How can we be sure that they won't find a way around this one too?"
Dommel nodded. "I've had these thoughts as well," He admitted. "But if we wait, we are certain to lose any opportunity to act. It is of the utmost importance that the Ze'evim succeed. It could mean the end of the war with Erats."
All eyes widened a bit at the prospect of such a thing. If the war ended, they could all go home – albeit "home" would now be a world 148,000 lightyears away, but at least they would all be safe. Their families wouldn't have to wonder if today was their last. No one would have to worry about those cursed tsarebetim any longer, and the sickness and death would end.
"May the end of the war come swiftly, and may we all be there to see it." Dommel's second in command said solemnly as he stood beside the General, looking at all the officers who had been invited to the conference call. His sentiment was immediately echoed among the rest of the gathered.
"Take up your positions at Keshet as quickly as you can. I will remain behind until the Eratites emerge from the Gate. Then… I will give them a message." Dommel gave his officers a final nod of approval. "May…" He almost gave them the adage he'd heard Masterson Talan offer years ago in the rebellion against the Usurper, but something didn't feel right about invoking Adonai's name at such a time, "Fortune favor us."
The officers chorused agreement, then disappeared as the call ended.
Nova lay quietly in her bunk. Her lights were turned off, and she should have been sleeping, but she couldn't bring herself to do so.
She rolled over, hoping to find a place a little more comfortable than the one she'd been in. She tossed and turned, trying in vain to let herself sink down into sleep.
Finally, she gave up entirely.
"What is wrong with me?" She thought, then let out a long sigh.
She looked around the dark room. Maybe staring at the plain walls and floor for a while would send her into slumber.
Her eyes roamed, peering into the dark shadows in the corners and looking at the strange shapes her sparse furniture and belongings cast on the walls and floor. Nothing looked the same in the dark as it did in the light.
She sighed again and looked up at the underside of the empty top bunk. She'd posted some pictures and other little things there for her to see every day when she woke up. There was a picture of her family from before the bombings, then there was another one of her with her mother and stepfather. A few verses from the Bible hung there as well, encouraging her to hang on, even through the roughest parts of their trip.
She turned her head towards the wall that the bunks were attached to. Inset in the wall was a small shelf. In the dark she couldn't see them very well, but on that shelf were things she'd found along their journey: a small piece of Titanite; a note of thanks from the Gamilon pilot, Melda; a framed print of the old song she and the others had sung that day in the engine room; the communication device she'd been given on Bemera; and a picture of the inside of the Gate control room she'd gotten from her suit's recording device. Then there was the one keepsake she held in her mind – the angel's words. She played them over and over in her head every time she was afraid to keep going through this new Gate.
She reached over and picked up the Bemeran translator. It was a tiny thing, so small that, if she attached it behind her ear instead of to her forehead, she was sure no one would see it. She'd forgotten what it felt like to have the thing on, so she reached behind her ear and stuck it there.
It felt odd, like a little bug had latched on to her skin and wouldn't let go. The minor discomfort soon passed and a thought came to her. What other languages could this thing unravel? Could it let her understand the Gamilons? Or even the Iscandari?
Her thoughts all jumbled into one giant question and before she knew it, she was asleep.
Two long weeks passed with the crew growing more and more agitated with every passing day. They all began to wonder if they would ever leave this strange place. Most of the crew were having difficulty sleeping and had been prescribed tranquilizers to get them through their sleep cycle uninterrupted, though many reported vivid nightmares even with the assistance of a sleep aid.
Finally, the day came when the exit Gate appeared, and with not a few sighs of relief, the Argo sailed through the event horizon and out into normal space again.
But no sooner than they'd been relieved of one crisis, another immediately emerged.
"Captain, we're…receiving a communication." Homer announced hesitantly, surprised.
"Please read it." Captain Avatar, now feeling somewhat better, ordered.
Homer nodded slowly as he read the message over a couple of times before he started reading it.
"It says, 'To the ship who has defied all odds and made it here to the edge of the –' uh… the computer can't read the name here, but I think it's their word for the Large Magellanic Cloud. 'Should you encroached any farther into this territory, you will be destroyed. However, if you wish to meet us in battle, we are willing to do so. If you defeat us, we will let you return home alive. But if we defeat you, we will destroy your ship and all who resist us. Your reply is expected in –' Captain, it looks like they want a response within twenty-four hours."
Avatar nodded slowly, but said nothing.
The old man closed his eyes and bowed his head. For a moment, Homer thought he'd gone to sleep, but just when he was about to say something to the Captain, Avatar opened his eyes and said, "We will meet them. Send the reply."
"But, Captain – " Derek stared to protest.
"It has been decided, Wildstar." Avatar's eyes bored into Derek's and the younger man backed down.
"Yes… Sir…" Derek murmured.
"Sending our response now, Captain." Homer said.
Several minutes later another message came.
"They said, 'We will await your arrival at the given coordinates,'" Homer sent the information to the Captain's terminal. "'In seven days' time.'"
"Seven days? Why wait that long?" Derek asked. "Why not just ambush us here at the Gate instead?"
"A good question, Wildstar." The captain nodded in approval, "But one that I'm afraid we won't have the answer to for another seven days."
Homer started fidgeting in his chair.
"Is there more to the message?" Avatar asked the comm officer.
"Just a signature…" Homer replied.
"Read it, please. If the computer can decipher it." The Captain requested.
Homer stared hard at the familiar-looking characters before him. Ignoring the computer's translation, which was mere gibberish anyway, Homer carefully and silently sounded out the name. When he was sure he had the best approximation of it that he could get, he said, "It's from a 'General Dommel Lysis, commander of all Gamilon forces.'"
"Whoa, their military leader is on our tail now?" Derek asked, a bit impressed that they'd earned such a welcome from the people who had so easily slaughtered all of Earth's space fleet.
"This might be their ruler, or prime minister, or whatever they have on Gamilon." Homer said. "By the looks of the signature, I'd say whoever he is, he's pretty high up the command chain."
"Yeah, the 'commander of all Gamilon forces' bit gave that away." Derek retorted, rolling his eyes.
"No, no! It's not that." Homer defended. "Come here. Look at the way he signs his name."
Derek obliged the other man and stepped over to his duty station. Wildstar looked at the screen for a few seconds, then shrugged. "Okay… And your point? Looks like a normal signature to me."
"It isn't." Homer insisted pointing to something slightly odd that popped up on the screen when the Gamilon's name was highlighted. "It's signed in white."
"I don't get it." Derek shrugged again. "Why does it matter what color somebody signs in? What if he'd signed in green or something?"
"He wouldn't have." Homer said. "White is a color that represents a great deal of authority."
"Aaaand you know this about these guys because…?" Derek raised an eyebrow.
"Just… uh… I've been doing some… research with Sandor." Homer managed, fear of his secret blood ties with their enemies being uncovered rising in his throat and pitching his voice much higher than normal.
Derek turned to the XO. "So does that really mean something, or is Homer just being paranoid again?"
"No, he's right." Sandor nodded. "This General Lysis is someone who commands great respect in his society. If he isn't a part of their governing authority, I'd be surprised."
Derek looked back at Homer. "Okay. Guess you know more than I thought you did."
Homer secretly sighed in relief, glad that Wildstar had read his fear of discovery as eccentricity.
The combat chief returned to his post, then addressed the captain, "So what're we doing with those seven days we've got to get to this place?"
"Rest. And wait." Avatar replied. "We will need all the strength we have if we are to come through this confrontation." The Captain slowly stood up, "We will meet our enemy, and we will win." The old captain looked at every one of his bridge crew, as though doing so might impart to them some of the strength of will that he still harbored in his failing heart.
The crew returned their leader's stalwart look in silence.
Avatar nodded, then sat back down. "Wildstar, I want to see you in my cabin."
"Yes, Sir." Derek replied, a sense of unease jumping into his throat.
After saying this, Avatar rose up the back wall, his chair carrying him back up into his quarters once again.
"Zimring!" Lysis greeted the old former-hermit with a grateful smile. "It is good to see you again, old friend, even if it isn't in person."
"And you too, lad." Zimring replied. "What is it that makes you so desperate as to call on me while you're out on the front?"
"I need your help." Dommel said. "You always had a way with… unconventional battle tactics. I've sent you something I want you to look at, then tell me what you think would be the best way to bring it down."
The old, man accessed the information Dommel had just sent him.
Lysis watched as the man's bald head bowed over the schematics in concentration for a while.
"Contact me when you've had more time to look at it." Dommel said, and was just about to bid the man farewell again when the old Gamilon stopped him.
"Hold it! This thing's got a wave motion powered engine?" Zimring asked.
"It does." Dommel nodded.
"So just dig into the ship through that gigantic opening in the front and blow the engine core."
Dommel's eyes widened. He considered the consequences of such a bold move. The timing would have to be precise, and Frakken's team would have to be off of the Eratite ship by then, but if they could manage that… then Zimring's idea just might work.
"Now how're you goin' ta do this, Dommel?" The hermit asked. "Isn't like there're a lot of things that you could ram down the front of that ship to get to that core."
A victorious smirk appeared on the General's face. "I know exactly what we can use, old friend. And as luck would have it, it's on board one of the ships I chose to stay and face the Eratites with me."
"Well… stay safe, lad." Zimring said. "I know Elisa wants you to come home after this war. Don't you disappoint her."
"I won't, old man." Dommel promised. "As soon as this battle is over… I'll come back home."
* Keshet – rainbow; used here in reference to the area traditionally referred to as the "Rainbow Galaxy"