Chapter 29: Interlude: Annapolis Tower, Earth

There were few new buildings on Earth and obtaining a new construction permit was very difficult. Usually only something that could not be renovated or preserved was rePlaced. Ever since the Second Exodus, Earth population was kept steady at about two billion beings and great effort was taken to preserve cities and historical buildings.

Annapolis Tower in San Francisco was one of the few super modern Arcologies on Earth. At over 2500 meter height it was also the largest building of the planet. It was Union Fleet Administration Headquarters and extended far underground. It was the only Union government department on Earth or in the Sol System and over 2 Million beings worked and served here. It was nowhere near the size of Union Fleet Operations headquarters on Pluribus and did not have the same Hornets nest character and buzzing activity of UFO. While many of the Operation desks were maintained around the clock, most administrative Offices kept regular working hours and were closed at night and over the weekends. Admiral Mc Elligott was always one of the very first that arrived and usually was the last to leave; there was no difference this Monday morning as his flyer set him down at the landing platform on the 50th floor. While he was often traveling throughout the Union, when he was here he lived at his ancestral home near Edinburgh Scotland. He would not have minded to take the Trans Planet transport system, but he understood the concern of the Security Department and so he was picked up by flyer. He did not have many political enemies, especially since he never took side or part in any political arguments and managed to stay neutral for a very long time. He was a celebrity and there were many Union Citizens who could recognize him on sight, especially since he chose to wear his traditional Scottish costume whenever possible. There was no political assassination or really serious crime on Earth for the last 2000 years but Earth and especially the Union did have enemies and killing one of the Immortals would have been a great feat to them.

He turned and looked over the San Francisco bay and the rising Sun in the east, coloring the still impressive and beautiful Golden Gate Bridge in a bright orange over the deep green sea. He was one of the few people who knew that this was no longer the original bridge but rePlaced molecule by molecule with Ultronit.

As an Immortal Admiral he had seen countless worlds and the most spectacular sights of the known Universe, but to him there was no Place like Earth.

His main assistant and aide worked with him now fore almost ten years and the Commander knew him well and waited at the entrance door not disturbing the morning routine of the Old Admiral. Elligott blinked into the sun and then went to the entrance. Wondering what this day would hold, even after three thousand years he still did so every day. His old friend Stahl had the Fornax problem well in hand and it did not look like the next Y’All invasion was very imminent after all and now that they had gotten a taste of the things to come and the direction from where it would come they had a good chance to prepare for it. To have a Narth Sphere there as well was very reassuring.

The Union reacted like a well oiled machine; there was no panic in the general population and confidence in the fleet. He was very proud as how much the Union had grown and grown together since the last Y’All Attack. The Union government maintained a 90 percent approval rating for over 2000 years now and this was quite an accomplishment with all those different civilizations. Normally only dictator ships could maintain such high ratings and the Union was certainly not a dictatorship.

The largest fleet concentration and Fleet construction project in many years had begun only last Friday. 170,000 ships and sixteen of the largest mobile ship yards were dispatched and would work on a Connection bridge between Union space and the Fornax Cluster. Even conservative estimates predicted that the connection would be complete in only three or four years.

His aide greeted him and as usual begun to brief him on their way to his office on the important developments over the weekend. Of course he would have been called if there was something really important.

The Commander held his PDD and said. “The Torath have sent a delegation to Pluribus this morning to apply for membership.”

“Refresh my memory on them would you?”

“The Torath are a technological highly advanced and very reclusive and aggressive Civilization in the Large Magellan Cloud. One of the few that are not associated to our friends of the Attikan commonwealth. Traditionally they were enemies to the Attikan. They claim a sizeable Area in that Cloud and say they have a base in the Fornax Cluster.”

“Oh right, they look like large angry Hamsters and if I recall they do have an impressive fleet of little but very fast and well armed ships.”

“Yes that is them alright.”

“If I recall the last reports correctly they had a very negative view towards the Attikan and the Union. What changed their minds, do we know?”

“I have no detailed Intel on that, but there is an unconfirmed report that a Union legal expert managed to solve the millennia old dispute between Attika and the Torath and that is the cause. I personally think it is the big fleet build and Stahl being in that area with his huge tub that made them think they were the target.”

“I guess we will know eventually. It certainly is good to gain another member. Anything else?”

“Not much, Sir. It might interest you that your special friend Midshipman Olafson managed to make a very impressive but quite stupid prank call.”

Mc Elligott stopped in his tracks. “A prank call?”

“Yes the Midshipman managed to route a call on the distress channels via an old relay buoy all the way down to the Cygnus Arm in the outer reaches of the Downward sector. It is an old Relay buoy chain left over from the Piostla war.

That buoy chain has not been used in 700 years. It had been left there by the USS Cyprus. He could not possibly be there of course. The security department is still looking into it and how he managed to reroute the call from there.”

“Midshipman Olafson is with a xeno biologist on Wichita planet researching the Big Bone mystery there. Have you tried to call him there?”

“Sir this was a juvenile prank, done with considerable hacking skills. I think he wanted to impress you or something. That he knows you went probably to his head and now he thinks he can call you whenever he likes.”

“So you have not called him.”

“No not yet.”

“I don’t think this Midshipman is the kind who would do a Prank call and besides I did ask you to put him on my call list. So he could call me whenever he wants.

I think we owe him that for what he endured at camp Idyllic. Besides are we not to investigate any and all distress calls of any Union citizen and fleet member?”

“Of course Sir, but I talked to the man only recently and he could not possibly be 90,000 light years away. Because he is something like a friend to you I didn’t want to make this a big deal and get him in trouble before I could talk to you, Sir.”

“He is the best friend to a Narth and the Narth made him high representative. A Narth Sphere just made the trip to the Fornax Cluster in less than an Hour. I am 3000 years old and I can’t tell you what is possible and what not.”

He reached his office and said.”Get me a connection to Wichita planet and call that Science Corps Officer there.”

“Yes Sir.”

“After you done that, you go down to personnel and send me a new assistant.”

--””--

FREYA AND BRENDA

I did not wake Brenda. She needed the sleep more than I did. Even the big Huffh fell asleep, mostly due to the fact that he was pain free for the first time in over a month. I checked periodically on the progress of the Auto Doc and dictated a detailed report into my PDD. I was certain the details of our expedition would be of significance if we made it back. I also didn’t trust the rest of these big Huffh. I somehow had the feeling that we had not reached the climax of our adventure just yet and there would be more problems ahead.

I wished I had a mapping satellite with me. I even considered taking one along but did not think I would need one in a cave.

The bones of our big patient mended well. The Nanites had no problem weaving new bone tissue. I was always in awe when I saw one of the huge battle ships, but realizing what a marvel of technology this little auto doc unit was, made me very proud of the Union. This little machine held the medical base knowledge of the entire Union and was able to apply first aid to so many different species. The tiny robots, the nanites able to replicate themselves to tackle larger tasks scurried nonstop inside the big Huffh body carrying molecule size matter from other areas of the body to mend the damage. While they were unable to reconstruct Brenda’s nose like it was before as they had no reference, they could reconstruct the leg of the Huffh as they simply used the other leg as mirror image reference.

The first rays of the Sun chased away the last shadows of the night and the big Huff stirred and I said.” Try to stay calm for another hour then you should be able to walk. I will have to leave the bandage for another day however as it supports the new bone tissue and allows the nanites to complete the reconstruction of muscle and nerve tissue.”

“You have saved my life. You have saved the life of my mate as well and you say I can walk again. This is a miracle. I was afraid all this was a night thought. Nothing real, but it is real.”

“Tell me about the Valley and the Cave. How do you trigger the transition?”

“I do not know what you mean exactly, but once a Huffh is near death it must enter the Cave and seek the Valley. It is only possible during the time when the big sky light reaches the mountains and the light of the sky light reaches into the Cave. It was the time when you appeared yesterday.”

“How do you know that?”

“The Voices of the Cave of things tell us when to go.”

“It seems we have to go to the Cave of Things after all.”

“I shall show you the way and protect you.”

“Why would we need protection?”

“Because we have to cross the Forest of the Hanglers and they are not friendly and then there are those among the Huffh who do not like that you have come back and killed Uglam.”

“Are you telepathic? I mean can you talk to other Huffh even when they are far away?”

“Not talk no, but all Huffh know what other Huffh feel.”

Brenda came out of the tent. “You are Freya now and don’t have to be so old fashioned macho. You could have made me take the second shift as we agreed.” She only wore her tight fitting green body suit and hat not put on jacket and equipment belt and I noticed how feminine her body was.

“I was not tired and I am still fresh from Basic training, we never get much sleep there and rise early so I decided to let you sleep.”

“Yeah but from now on we stick to what we agree on.” She caressed her own body and said.” One hour at a good Surgeon and you look just like that.”

“Are you a telepath?”

“No I am not, but I am a woman long enough to read faces and yours was quite obvious and remember I was once like you and had the same thoughts.”

I went into the tent and used the portable hygiene recycler and freshened up. Then we had a little breakfast of Nutro-Bars and coffee. I told Brenda what Caram had told me and that we needed to go to the Cave of Things.