Chapter 8

I set the controls on auto before standing and heading towards the airlock while everyone else went to the galley. It was a little while before the airlock light came on and chime sounded and I opened the inner hatch. I nodded to admiral Peters and captain Janis as they left their shuttle. I gestured and waited before closing the hatch and leading them to the galley.

Everyone was waiting when we walked in and mom turned from the synthesizer, “Tea?”

I nodded but the admiral and captain shook their heads, “Coffee. Black please.”

I sat beside Allie and she took my hand. It was a minute before the admiral and captain sat and I gestured, “Mom said they were called the Others. She should tell you what she knows.”

Mom sat next to David and began talking as I sat and thought and whispered to Allie. She looked at me and my holo board appeared. What I wanted to make did not take long and I gave it to her, “Check it.”

She leaned against me, “It is good but what are you going to use it for?”

I smiled, “It is a drone with a FTL transmitter and receiver. I was going to send it home.”

Everyone looked at me as I stretched and stood, “Whoever these aliens are they are not hostile. They might have better weapons or defenses but they seem reasonable. While we wait for them to return we will spend the time salvaging from the wrecks to make our bio sphere. I will also make a few drones to carry FTL devices to send to other systems.”

The admiral cleared his throat but I shook my head, “I will not give you weapons or the technology. The others will return in six days which is something you need to think about.”

He blinked and then his eyes opened, “How...”

I smiled as I pulled Allie up, “Exactly. How can they get there, check it out and return in only six days? That is days faster than Night Scream.”

I headed for the hatch, “I need time with my wife. Someone can show you out when you are ready.”

We walked to the hydroponics section and through the trays of flowers. I sighed and stopped to turn her, “I want you to take the shuttle. Take mom, David, Ginger and Tony and go to Miros.”

She opened her mouth but I touched her lips, “You are pregnant and the babies safety comes first. Download the plans for the phase reactor, the FTL receiver and transmitter and all of the medical equipment.”

I smiled and gave her a soft kiss, “You can even take the plans for the food synthesizer but guard those.”

She leaned against me, “I do not wish to leave you my husband.”

I held her against me, “I wish you could stay but I do not know what these aliens will do.”

I turned at the ship alarm and frowned before letting Allie go. I started walking as the alarm continued and then began to run. When I reached the bridge it was to see several of the huge alien ships. I slid into my seat and glanced back at admiral Peters and captain Janis. I checked and kicked their shuttle away before closing my screens and shield.

Allie, Ginger and Tony sat as all the systems came alive and one of the ships moved towards us. A holo appeared in front of me and the alien waved a tentacle as it began speaking, “We wish to board your ship and speak with you.”

I glanced at Allie before looking at the alien, “May I send my mate away in our shuttle?”

I felt the others shifting but ignored them as the alien tilted its head before gesturing, “You may send your pod mate away.”

I nodded and turned to Allie, “Go to the shuttle and take it insystem.”

I looked at Ginger and Tony, “Go with her and take mom and David.”

Ginger hesitated before standing, “A ranger should...”

I waved that away, “I am a ranger. Now take them to safety.”

She nodded as Tony stood and moved to help Allie up. I looked at Allie and wanted to hold her so bad. She smiled softly before letting Ginger and Tony lead her away with the admiral and captain. I opened the shield and screens and watched the shuttle bay. After they left I dropped the shield and screens completely.

I looked at the alien, “Do you require a special atmosphere?”

It shivered, “No but your ship seems a bit on the warm side.”

I looked at the internal controls as the temperature setting changed. I nodded and looked at the alien, “Which airlock would you like...”

I stopped as the alien suddenly appeared in front of me. It shifted as little before one tentacle gesturing and I heard it click and a translator spoke, “Show us your ship.”

I stood and turned to walk towards the hatch and tried to ignore the way the alien seemed to flow after me. It clicked again, “You use many technologies from many who no longer ply the ways between the stars.”

I nodded as I glanced at it, “When we made it we were in a system called Grer. There were many trying to learn about all those that had gone before. We were young and because there was war we wanted a way to protect ourselves. We used what we learned from the many abandoned ships.”

I thought of the girls and was silent before looking at the alien, “We were too slow. War came and my mates died very badly.”

We reached the galley and the alien shifted before turning completely around. It pointed into the open dining compartment door at the holograph of the medical biosphere before moving closer. I saw the holo flicker before it looked at me, “What purpose is this?”

I smiled, “It is a medical biosphere we designed.”

It turned to look again before a tentacle waved and it started walking. I followed as it went to the hydroponics section. It slowed and looked around before reaching out to touch a flower, “This is not food or for air regeneration.”

I smiled and bent to smell another before looking at it, “No.”

It nodded before turning to head towards the hatch and went to the med bay. It moved through the room slowly before returning to the hatch, “The one that is your mate was in an engineered body.”

I frowned, “Allie was an AI on one of the warships. She was abandoned and left and one of my mates saved her and brought her to our ship. After the girls were killed I made a body because she had become a part of us.”

It nodded, “Some few can make the change and remain stable.”

It looked at me as we walked through the ship, “You do not like or enjoy destroying.”

I shook my head and it clicked but the translator did not work. When we returned to the bridge it turned once more, “The human war is over.”

I smiled, “I would like it if that were true.”

It sighed, “We will tell all and make it so. If the Kull have done what you say and what your computer records show, we will isolate them and they will ceases to move between the stars.”

I thought of the Sentinels, “I went to Kull and another system called Morp. I destroyed all the ships and space stations and left a type of stealthed satellite to keep them restricted to the planets.”

It waved a tentacle, “This we know.”

It looked around before looking at me, “Take your mate and go home.”

It vanished and I watched as its ship moved away slowly. All three turned as a huge wormhole opened. They jumped out together and I sat in my seat before absently bringing my screens up and opened the system comm, “Fleet control this is Night Scream.”

“Go Night Scream.”

I turned the ship, “I need an immediate meeting with the emperor.”

I began scanning for my shuttle and saw it deeper insystem and opened the FTL, “Allie?”

“Charles?”

I started the ship moving, “I am on the way in and will pick you up.”

“Admiral Peters wants to know what happened.”

I accelerated, “I will explain when I get there.”

I opened the system comm, “Fleet control I am headed in to pick up my shuttle before going to Miros.”

“You are cleared to Miros. Contact Miros orbital control when you are ready.”

I slowed when I reached the shuttle and Allie matched speed and I pulled the shuttle in. As the bay door began to close I started to accelerate again. I looked back when everyone came onto the bridge. Allie ignored them and everything else as she came to me. I reached out and caught her hand and gave it a squeeze.

She smiled and then glanced around before moving to her seat. I looked at the admiral, “They gave a warning and an ultimatum. They said the human war was over.”

I checked the displays, “I believe if we continue they will more than just warn. They said the Kull would cease to move between the stars. It did not have anything and read my ship’s computer without it setting off an alarm. It read everything and understood what it read.”

I looked back, “It showed knowledge of our biology when we reached the hydroponics.”

I looked at mom and she nodded, “From what I have seen and they have done I would say they are a race of telepaths.”

She grinned, “That would explain a lot.”

I gestured to the seats, “I asked for a meeting with the emperor. We are done and returning to Grer. I will build our hospital biosphere there.”

I looked at the admiral as everyone sat, “I will also release the FTL technology.”

He nodded and I turned back to what I was doing, “These aliens seem ... reluctant to get involved. As if they are only doing it now so they do not have to later.”

I looked at mom, “I think perhaps they have a hive mind or are developing one.”

She moved to my chair, “Now that would explain why they do not interact with other races and their absence.”