Chapter 21

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.”

― Albert Einstein

Jason was happy to be back in the palace and was delighted to welcome old friends.

“Thank you all for the wonderful surprise. I understand every civilization was involved in the inaccurately named frigate project. Thanks for everything you did and your help. Nefta is delighted with the result and he has happily reunited with his family,” said Jason.

“Can you finally tell us, Jason, what your strange requests were about and what you were up to on Mars and Porquenta?” Ouma Chatzke asked while trying to use the wand to spread butter on her piece of bread.

Jason looked around the dining room and noticed it had been completely refurbished in the style of a Mexican Cantina with hats, pictures of colorful painted houses and scenes of cooking on the walls. He smiled.

Chuck walked around the head of the table where Jason was sitting and showed Grandma Brecht how to spread the butter.

Brecht Chatzke hugged Chuck and smiled.

“As soon as the Gazronnaas began to steal people and equipment, we began a project to confuse and mislead them, much as they had done giving us irrelevant old technology and junk from other civilizations. We began a similar exercise. We removed everything useful from the university laboratories and research institutes and removed all our scientists and technicians. We used volunteers who were prepared to face the dangers for a variety of benefits to themselves. The volunteers included petty criminals who served out their community service, low level actors and miscellaneous other people who saw the risk as an adventure and were well paid and had rudimentary training in how to use the defunct equipment. We had far more volunteers than we had places available. Most saw it as doing an important task for the Emperor.

“Thank you all for supplying old and redundant equipment and making it work well enough to become a target for the Gazronnaas to steal. I tried to get as much old stuff from Felix and Cassius as I could as they had much more redundant defunct but useable equipment than anyone else.

“In the hospital we brought in poisoned bodies fetuses with severe genetic abnormalities too severe to correct and even some diseased pathological specimens and severely injured bodies where medical treatment had failed and placed them into the oldest operational pods we could find. The specimens were kept alive at the most primitive level but were not useable. The laboratory equipment was ancient stuff. The manufacturing equipment and power supplies were all relics of bygone eras. We brought in as much equipment as we could that had been great ideas but went nowhere,” said Jason.

“Who did all the work getting it together for you Jason?” Jacques from the Warriors of the Apocalypse asked.

“We used the services of the museums of medicine, science and technology. They did a wonderful job and enjoyed themselves. I was highly impressed by many of the directors. They knew how to locate many failed technological experiments and created many diabolical pieces of equipment that made products that failed. The electronic equipment was well thought out and planned,” Jason explained.

“Grandpa, how did the students do the laboratories and build things?” Chloe asked.

“Our students on Mars campus went elsewhere by portal for our engineering and hard science laboratories as the Gazronnaas could not use our portals. Thank you all for making space in your campuses and to the Dinnion for providing enough portals to allow our dissimulation project to succeed. The early stuff they stole was all booby trapped as we do with all our strategic products.”

“Did the plan work, grandpa?” Chuck asked.

“They didn’t get much of value, but we know they felt they were making progress with the old stuff. Ooryphyon was able to get into their brains and rummage around and told us we had achieved our objectives. The equipment they stole to make use of the DNA of the students, created abnormal fetuses. They implanted Gazronnaas consciousnesses into them. It would have been a disaster.”

“Why did you wait so long to leave the campus grandpa, you sent the scientists and lab stuff away?” Chloe asked.

“I fully expected us to find the bases much earlier than we did. I hate running from a problem and I thought the students benefited from facing a real threat. It was not a great decision. More Gazronnaas arrived and the risk was higher than I thought worthwhile.

“I was looking at alternatives for our students as the campus became increasingly dangerous. Then the Mini-Universe offered us a whole campus at a most opportune time. Thank you Adhhan.”

“You told us earlier about you and the Empresses going to the Dermon world,” said Ouma Chatzke. “I hope you don’t take such risks in the future. I shudder to think of the consequences if your little visit to the Dermon had gone bad. You took with you some of the finest young people from the most elite families in the Empire as well as many of your wives.”

Cassius leaned forward.

“We know you had to rescue Razza’s family. We also know your group were the only ones who could have caught and killed the Gazronnaas Queen. Unless there is a specific future prediction where you are essential to the success of a dangerous task, we would like you to avoid such risks,” said Cassius. “I don’t know if what I ask is possible, but I would like you to train others to do as you can.”

“We would like you to enjoy a long and peaceful reign. Please make sure we have others who can do as you do. Marcela has promised us the priestesses will teach others how to jump and travel as you do,” said Alana his aunt.

“Marcela also tells me there are no pending dramatic prophecies that involve you!” Brecht remarked. “Merken laughed at me when I asked her opinion. I pushed her. ‘We all know what is coming, why ask me as an Oracle when you and everyone other than Jason know what is around the corner. It is someone else’s time to be the black hole.’ Then she and Mazzod started to cackle.”

Cassius laughed and the others joined in.

Jason frowned. “Why am I, the last one to hear about what is going on lately?”

All the others laughed.

“All the oracles told us to leave you out, soon you will hear about it all yourself,” said Brecht. “Craig is on his way to see you with his young lady.”

Marduk affectionately put his arm around Jason’s shoulder.

Brecht Chatzke looked over at Jason. Jason saw a flash of her looking tired, old, and haggard. Marduk winked at him. Cassius smiled, Mergal gave him a small wave, Dawood smiled as did Queen Basarab Afumati of the Dinnion.

Jason stood and smiled at all of them.

“I don’t look for risky situations. Remember I am the black hole, risky situations come to me. I don’t try to expose myself to danger, but there are times I see there is something I must do, and I am the one in the center of the problem at the critical time.

“Cassius I nearly refused the call of my grandfather. I feel guilty about that more than anything else. I do feel a sense of duty to my Empire.”

“As Emperor I will interfere as little as I can with the real work of the Empire.”

Everyone laughed.

“There is nothing I would like to do more than finish studying, and be a good husband, parent and then do my job well; whatever it may be.

“My parents will be out of rehabilitation in four days. I haven’t talked to them about what role they want to play in the Empire. Once that’s done, we need to meet with all the Kings and Queens, look back on this recent campaign and decide what do we do next. I tried to talk to my parents about this, but my mother postponed answering until after they had adjusted to this universe.”

“What did she say?” Afumati asked.

“I will quote to you exactly what she said:

‘Moving to Nasta 9 is an enormous adjustment for us. We have always lived in the Ornark and we have no experience dealing living on a planet. We will be dealing with the simplest problems in the beginning. We need to learn to eat food, we need to walk, we need to learn to use our hands and arms. We don’t have any of the sensory systems you do.

‘We must learn how to manage ourselves long before we can think of managing anything else. Just think of us as your parents who are visiting. We want to spend time with you, with our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We have enough grandchildren to occupy us at least at the beginning!’

She laughed loudly and hiccoughed.

‘Your father and I are exhausted, and we have not had a break for a long time. We intend to spend time relaxing and seeing the wonders of your universe.

‘We do have an enormous responsibility that we can’t shirk. We brought back billions who are in the Ornark, who have changed form and need rehabilitation. They must decide if they continue to live in the Ornark and continue our itinerant lives or if they will live on planets.

‘We will ensure we look after the Ornark. They need us to continue our work to help them process energy. I must admit it is easier nowadays as we can simply plug them into level III power, but they prefer to consume power and digest it. We know how to automate what we do; I suspect that may be the best way to go. It will work for us and the Ornark and we will travel and work with them as we always have.

‘I am beginning to wonder how the Ornark came into being and how they acquired the knowledge they have. They don’t do research, yet they know far more than we do. I have only recently realized how much they know. I want to explore this further.

‘After that we can start to look at any other role you would like us to play. Our people who have transferred consciousness tell us they are happy with the way things are. We intend to enjoy our family as our priority, then we wish to get to know your friends and we will make our own friends.’

“That is exactly what she said,” said Jason.

“How were they when they arrived?” Mergal, Queen of the Azloc, asked.

“When they arrived, they were so tired they fell asleep within two minutes of meeting us. They were so weak AIs carried them and held their heads upright.

“They fought a series of battles with the Gazronnaas beginning in Norbut 19 and continued fighting them through several universes.

“We would have lost millions more of our people if they hadn’t arrived when they did. We were slightly ahead fighting the Gazronnaas in Mespa 49, but if more of them had arrived we would’ve had to retreat and bring in all the rest of our ships and asked the Destroyers to help us fight them,” said Jason.

“How are you going to spend your vacation?” Lynas Parayekt Queen of the Parzool asked.

“We are going to spend the next four days here. Mars has built a new resort she wants us to try. You are all welcome to join us, there is plenty of room. I will briefly come back every day to help support my parents through the rehabilitation and education processes. Then I want to give them a chance to adapt to the family in the palace and after that I want to formally introduce them to the Kings and Queens. I want to spend time with Craig. We are making progress and I want to meet his young lady. Everyone knows her except me. I can see all of you are grinning. I am going to get a surprise,” Jason observed and smiled. “I suspect she is going to be a big surprise, bigger than I have imagined.”

The others laughed.

“Jason, somehow you are different. You are looking happy and you have a glow about you. All of you who spent the year away seem different. You are much more confident and relaxed,” said Elizaveta Epilex Queen of the Gromelix.

“I think she is right,” said Cassius. “You are like a man who has found something he was searching for. Do you feel any different?”

“I suspect I can explain what has happened,” said Andrea. “Jason has felt for a long time there was something missing. Without that something, he was not enough.

“When he lived on Earth, he was part of the society and was successful.

“He had to change enormously to adapt to Cassius’s Empire. He needed to learn more to get up to the standard of the Collective. Then he found the Azayal were further ahead and suddenly he was the Uzliumbax Emperor but didn’t understand the society, or have the education or the background. He simply did not remember.

“He became preoccupied with educating himself and obsessed with his perceived need to be the best,” said Andrea continuing.

“I could see several critical events, all of which contributed to a big change. When Ooryphyon was captured and Jason could not get her back quickly he was deeply upset and began to reevaluate his own vulnerability and relationships. Level III energy was a second perhaps much bigger but different influence. That was an important find for all of us. We all changed after we were exposed to magic. We began to feel different. I suspect we all felt we recognized the feeling from somewhere familiar. Thirdly, Jason’s visit to his parents gave him an anchor and another family focus outside of himself. We all felt he changed after he returned from that visit. It had a big impact on him, and he began to get his own memories back. He had a better sense of who he had been and was more confident about himself as an Emperor. Meeting with the Vostes and then Thistrinoth gave him the goal he has always been looking for. No, goal is not the word I want. It is more a passion or a hobby. His goal is to be a good emperor. He is a natural benign ruler but he has learned when to be ruthless.

“Jason chased after his enemies all the way to Norbut 19, but the lure for him to go was to understand the nature of the universe and how it formed. None of us recall our experiences with the creator that sent us back from the depths of the black hole, but we all know our consciousness has been expanding.

“Jason described searching fruitlessly through the mind of the Gazronnaas when we were trying to kill them with the psychic projectors. He described an expansion of his mind. During those encounters all of us experienced the same sensation of expansion of the mind. We knew we had an additional consciousness which until recently had remained beyond our grasp. We know this consciousness is more developed in those from Norbut 19 than it is in us. Thistrinoth explained the consciousness of the Gazronnaas had also expanded. He doesn’t know how it happened or why, but he suspects some influence from the anti-creator in Norbut 19. When Jason could not find his way in the Gazronnaas he somehow inadvertently switched on his new consciousness and sensory abilities that allowed him to detect an entry point to the Gazronnaas consciousness.

“We all feel a new and different awareness. Jason knows what he was looking for and trying to achieve. We can all see he is more contented in himself. Ooryphyon is profoundly changed. She resolved a big chunk of her issues when she killed the Gazronnaas Queen. She could leave a lot of her guilt behind. She and Griffexor made a critical difference, and that was important for both of them. Griffexor has always lacked confidence and Ooryphyon was abused and her self-belief had been undermined. The combined effort was a key event for both, but also important for Jason. He has always been the one who finished off the most powerful enemy. This time others did it. They trained together but others did something vital. Lastly the spiderlings showed how good they were and demonstrated they could create great ideas with Chuck and Chloe and then later with others when they built the frigate. They like Chuck and Chloe saved Jason’s friends twice.”

Andrea took a deep breath.

“Where is Ooryphyon?” Mergal asked.

“She would have loved to have been here, but she has gone to Bekta Delta to talk to the Teokraeus along with her parents and the leaders of the Teokraeus. They want to discuss their options,” said Linda. “Many of the others are visiting with family.”

“What do you think of Andrea’s theory, Jason?”

“We spent some time talking about how and why we felt we have changed. We have talked about it more recently than any previous time. Andrea has summarized our discussion reasonably well.”

Andrea looked at Jason and huffed. “Only reasonably?”

“It was a comprehensive summary of the reasons for my change, as far as we all can tell. I can’t say much more because I think I have often been blind to my own motivations. You covered Ooryphyon well, but you glossed over the other empresses and your own motivations. That’s why I said it was reasonable. We all changed and learned an enormous amount since we met up on Mars, Andrea. I know the question focused on me, but as a team the same events helped us all to grow and change,” said Jason.

“Do you feel different since you learned magic?”

“Cassius, I do feel different. The biggest difference is I no longer feel I am scrabbling to catch up. Since many of my memories returned, I know what I learned previously, and I know what I learned being Emperor. I feel much more relaxed about being Emperor. Magic coincided with so much more. I do feel very good working with magic. It is a tool yet it nourishes us. It is a way of being creative and it is a way to power a society. Magic is a great word.

“I discovered I didn’t like my previous incarnation as Emperor. I’ve developed into a different kind of person and I’m much more comfortable in my skin now than I was. I liked myself better when I was still on Norbut 19 prior to my descent. The Empresses are also much better this time round. We were a bad influence on each other in my first Uzliumbax incarnation but a good influence on each other this time.

“The old Uzliumbax Emperor was preoccupied with understanding the universe. He was as preoccupied with that as I was trying to educate myself to be the best. I know I can be more relaxed about educating myself and I have billions of years to learn about the universe.

“I can feel my charisma has increased. I don’t know how that happened, but it did after my visit to Norbut 19. I saw the dramatic impact I had when my ethereal outer form showed in the mini-universe. I can see the same forming in some of the others in our group. Maybe my mother can explain it.”

“I can see an aura around several of you. I am most intrigued,” said Brecht.

“I suggest you take your parents and visit all the Civilizations in your Empire. You have a three-month break. Have a good vacation,” said Cassius.

“Grandpa can we come with you to visit all the Civilizations?” Chloe asked and can we also get one of these halo things around our bodies. I am a ghost in a school play next year and it would be really good.”

Jason smiled and so did Brecht and Cassius.

“Things on Earth are pretty quiet,” said Lauren, “we would love to join you on a trip like that. Dan and I need a good break from our relentless routine.”

“Cassius, I think it is a great idea. We have plenty of room on board the tiny ‘frigate’ if anyone wants to come along. Getting to where we go won’t take long either.”

They all laughed.

****

Jason walked down the passageway of the hospital and turned into the ward where his parents were completing their rehabilitation. The Doctor helped Lassadar to stand after he was transported out of the pod and helped him into the nearby dresser, punched in standard leisure clothing and waited until he was dressed.

“Emperor, your parents have done well. We rejuvenated their bodies. It is a new process we developed for bodies that have come out of stasis. They will probably be lightheaded when they stand up for several days, but they will soon be feeling terrific. Make sure they eat and drink a lot for the next few days. Take them home for a big meal when you leave here, it will make a big difference. They need to start a gym exercise program from tomorrow.

“I will now take your mother out of the adjacent pod.”

“Hi dad, how are you feeling?” Jason asked.

“That was torture not rehabilitation!”

Lassadar smiled.

“Son, you are looking much better and more rested. Your mother and I were worried about you facing the Gazronnaas alone.

“Ah, there she is.”

“Jason, why didn’t you tell us you were going to torture us?” Azanelja asked.

She and Lassadar laughed.

“I feel so much better, they got rid of ten million years wear and tear,” said Azanelja.

She smiled and put her arms around Jason.

“You smell so good, so much better than when you were a baby!”

“When I was a baby you couldn’t smell anything,” said Jason.

They both laughed again.

“Come on Jason, we are both famished, the doctor gave you your orders, stop talking and take us back to the palace. We want some proper food, not the slop they served us,” said Azanelja.

Jason led them through the secure portal into the palace.

“You are both walking well!” Jason remarked as he observed his parents.

“It is fifteen minutes until lunch. We will go to the dining room and have some drinks before we eat. The others will be joining us shortly. You will have a chance to chat with us over lunch. If you are tired after lunch, you can rest for a few hours. If you are not too tired, you can meet some of your grandchildren after lunch. The grandchildren will join us shortly.”

“We have caught up on sleep and we are feeling much better than when you first saw us.” Lassadar observed.

“It is a very good rehabilitation program. Your medical people and AIs are excellent and attentive to our needs. I am impressed how much they could do to improve us physically in such a short period of time,” said Azanelja. “We learned the verbal language, how to use our new senses, and to use our bodies properly. We did all of that in six days and did a big chunk of your program to prepare us for life here. We did some of the educational material before we came here, but you have improved the program substantially since the first version you sent us,” said Azanelja.

“We had quite a few visitors from the first groups who visited us. My sister is looking well.”

“Your sister looks great and is full of energy — here comes everyone,” said Jason.

Chloe and Chuck ran ahead of the others and stood on the other side of the table directly in front of Lassadar and Azanelja.

“Welcome great-grandpa and great-grandma,” said Chuck, “we are very pleased you managed to escape before your universe collapsed. We want to hear about the battles you fought in this last month or two. Grandpa said it was your story to tell.”

“You must be Chuck,” said Azanelja, “we must get our priorities right. Your great-grandma and great-grandpa need a few hugs before anything else.”

Chuck raced around the table; Chloe walked more sedately. They hugged their great-grandparents very carefully.

“We are not frail and weak,” said Lassadar to Chuck. “Give me a proper hug.”

Chuck hugged him tightly. Chloe switched with Chuck.

Jason introduced his parents to Lauren and introduced them again to the Empresses who were present she hadn’t spoken to and explained about the ones who were elsewhere.

They chatted as they ate and drank.

“Great-grandpa, have you guys relaxed enough, to tell us about the battles? I have tried my best to be patient and to wait. I like babies and little children, but please can we talk about something else, you’re going to see your other grandchildren this afternoon.”

Lassadar smiled at Chuck.

“This young man has been patient and well-behaved. The two of you are the best great-grandchildren we have met so far. As there are several billion great-grandchildren, we could be talking about them until dinner at least.”

“Grandpa, your father talks as much nonsense as you do!” Chuck observed as he hugged Jason.

“Azanelja, what do you say, shall we talk about the battles?”

Azanelja frowned.

“Hmm, yes my dear, I think we could change the subject. Chloe raised the same question with me several minutes ago. Would you like to go ahead?”

Lassadar leaned back and looked upwards.

“When we were on the way back from fetching the Vostes, we saw a planet plow through a very big fleet of Gazronnaas ships. Whole regions of the universe are unstable and unpredictable. We had moved to one of the most stable and predictable regions and we were gathering our people and preparing for the trip. We only ventured out to save the Vostes, and that trip was a nightmare and the substance of another story.”

“Great-grandpa, Chuck and I have done the simulations of the battles in Bekta Delta and Mespa 49. The latest Gazronnaas ships look a bit like your ships. Are they like the Ornark?” Chloe asked.

“Excellent observation Chloe, they are a similar but smaller variant of a similar species. The Ornark say they are very distantly related, but they don’t get on at all. The major problem we had with the Gazronnaas was they wanted our Ornark. They wanted to move upwards in the universe. They promised much but delivered little. They were also not prepared to share anything and did their best to get rid of us,” said Lassadar.

“Anyhow, we saw the Gazronnaas lost eighty percent of the ships in their fleet. They were heading out of the universe. I only had a small fleet with me as we were not prepared to risk more of our ships and people than absolutely necessary. We chased after the remaining ships and did our best. We damaged or destroyed a quarter of their remaining ships before we had to return home. We can give you guys all the simulations.”

“We didn’t know how many of them got out before them.

“We returned home, finished our preparations and left. The universes are like eggs in a bowl, all of them right next to each other. Wherever you want to go you must make choices about the way you go. We decided to follow the most likely route the Gazronnaas would use. We were in a hundred thousand of our Ornark and we had another half a million Ornark following behind us. We had few of our people in the other Ornark, just enough to operate and repair the machines that can process energy for the Ornark as we do, and we gave them generators as backup.

“In every universe we passed through other than the first one, we encountered Gazronnaas fleets. We would’ve had a much more difficult time if they had remained as one group, but we were able to wipe them out as we went through, but it did take time. Rather than describe each battle, I will get my battle AI to talk with your battle AIs and translate the battle information into further simulations for you. I am happy to discuss the battles.

“We began to get concerned as the fleets we were encountering were getting bigger. We knew your ships would struggle to fight them, so your great-grandma raced ahead to Mespa 49 where we knew you were fighting the Gazronnaas.

“We felt guilty we had not dealt with them properly in Norbut 19 and we should have left much earlier,” said Lassadar and looked down at the table.

Chuck raced around the table and hugged him tightly.

“Grandpa was doing much better than he thought. The AIs were tuning the shields and modifying the cannon and missiles very well. They would’ve done all right. What kind of weapons do the Ornark have?” Chuck asked. “They look awesome!”

“The Ornark, are a very ancient species perhaps even older than our universe was as they tell me they came from elsewhere but won’t elaborate. They use a power system we don’t understand, and they defend themselves using weapons we don’t understand. They can also use power from our generators but they don’t like it much.

“We added Level 3 energy systems and additional weapons, but the primary Ornark weapons are devastating.”

“Yes, Great Grandpa, we know of the weapons, Nefta explained to us how they work. He sent us the specifications of the weapons and the engines. Chloe has also learned about them. It is real complicated stuff. Nefta says they were designed somewhere else, the place they came from before,” Chuck explained.

“That is interesting. You discovered more than we know within months of meeting your first Ornark,” said Lassadar.

“In early battles we were evenly matched, they had many more ships and a bigger population than we did. This is the first time we had a clear advantage. They would never stop coming after us here if we allowed them to survive. The Ornark loathe the Gazronnaas, and the ships they travel in. Jason’s original relationship with Nefta alerted the Ornark to how bad the Gazronnaas were. They tried to board Nefta, Jason defended him. Their friendship deepened and they became inseparable. We improved our communication with the Ornark for the first time recently because of Nefta. They didn’t see us as sentient beings worthy of communication. We began to work together.

“We didn’t use sophisticated strategy in our battles through the multiverse. We saw them, we hit them as hard as we could, then we destroyed every ship we could find. We moved on to the next universe and repeated the process,” said Lassadar. “We destroyed a hundred and fifty-thousand ships in twenty universes.”