Chapter 10: A New Future

Alex Gregor awoke to the shaking of the hologram Stacy. Lying in his bed he noticed that he was wearing the clothes he had worn the day before again. Checking the time he grimaced and wiped the sleep from his eyes.

"You're early Stace." Alex said.

"Actually sir you've been asleep for 24 hours. I reset the alarm to allow you to catch up on your sleep. You've been pushing yourself to the point that I am worried about your health." Stacy replied.

Even if he wanted to Alex couldn't get mad at his assistant for trying to look out for him. Admittedly he had been skipping out on his sleep by using stimulants he had created to keep his head clear while he worked. The drugs were safe, but they did made one a little hyper and irritable after using them as a substitute for a few days; Alex had been using them for about a week.

"I do feel better." Alex said.

"I brought you your morning coffee." Stacy added.

Glancing behind her Alex found it on his nearby workbench only a few feet away. Smiling he got up and took a sip of the tasty beverage, with just the right amount of sugar and not too hot.

"You are too good to me." Alex said closing his eyes and relishing the flavor and scent of it.

"Now that you have had plenty of rest it's back to work for you. I organized your notes so you will be able to pick right up from where you left off." Stacy said picking up dirty clothes off the floor to put in the washer.

"I can do that." Alex said moving to take over the clean up.

"No you will not. You have work to do, now shoo!" Stacy said giving him a stern look.

"Yes dear." Alex said with joking smile.

Taking another sip of his coffee he picked up one of the datapads and went over his notes on biological generators. To his right against the wall were four of them. Each was a man-sized capsule that could be programmed to recreate any flesh and blood organism that could fit inside it. Alex had spent a year working in his private lab trying to make the research work. While his earlier creations had been functional and healthy, they had fallen short of the goal: which was to create an entirely biological artificial being. They would have superior physical abilities, including improved mental focus and an immunity to poison and disease. Using nanotechnology he planned to include nanobots as part of a repair system that could not only fight infection, but also repair damage even when the body itself might have been put out of commission or perhaps even killed. In his computer simulations the bodies had been resuscitated, and in controlled experiments dead cells had been brought back to life, completely repaired.

Thus far he had been only able to make very average subjects who decided to colonize the planet they were all hidden on, far beyond claimed space. Living in large bio-domes they were able to cultivate the ground inside each of them, so they could survive on the harsh surface. Beneath the surface were a series of ventilated tunnels that connected the domes so the residents could travel safely between them. About a hundred in number the colonists were totally self-sufficient, and well-organized. While it had slowed the progress of his research, Alex often visited the closest dome that was a several miles away. His last visit had been only a month ago where he had taught at one of the schools.

His last group of subjects had included growth accelerated individuals who would be able to take over the parenting duties of the children of the small community. Despite their ability to adapt, most of the planet's population was below the age of eighteen at least physically. Mentally the youngest of them were already picking up things quite quickly. Naturally the teenagers didn't want a lot of parental interference, but they could not argue when their father made the point that a little parental guidance was needed. To lessen his constant worry about them they agreed to the idea.

When one of his children came to visit, Alex set down whatever he was doing to spend time with them. Stacy would wait until the visit was over to get him back on track, understanding his children were very important to him.

"You know the community asked for several capsules to increase their population on their own." Alex said as he scanned his notes.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to give children that type of technology?" Stacy said, returning from the laundry room down the hall behind him.

"While there are still a few bugs to work out for improving the genome, as long as it is kept automated and not set to the experimental standards I am currently using, it would be a very safe and efficient means of reproduction." Alex pointed out.

"Couldn't these new parents do the job?" Stacy asked.

"None of the residents have the medical training needed to aid in the birthing process, and I can't be everywhere. These capsules when programmed properly have a higher rate of survival than any natural womb." Alex answered.

"So ... a transporter pad?" Stacy asked with a smirk.

"It is an effective means of moving anything they might need from here to there or even allow us to visit each other, without using long tunnels." Alex said.

"And you are all about efficiency." Stacy said.

"You knew I would say that didn't you?" Alex said.

Smiling Stacy said, "I have spent many years with you sir, and in that time I've learned that in certain areas you can be quite predictable, especially in matters of morality and your sense of efficiency. You obviously care for these children and take the time away from your busy work to nurture them; helping them grow into good people. By all observations I would judge you to be a good man."

"I am a man who believes in trying to do the right thing. I have not always succeeded. At times in the past I was forced to do what was necessary." Alex replied.

"Is that what brought you here? Caused you to make all of us?" Stacy asked as she studied his face.

"You are all my attempt to correct past mistakes. This research will benefit this community and hopefully never leave this planet." Alex said.

"You don't plan to share it with the rest of humanity?" Stacy asked in surprise.

"Experience has taught me that research such as this will be coveted by the powerful, so that they may keep what they have or make themselves more dangerous. Those who could benefit the most would not have access to it without paying for it. Instead I had hoped my children would be the first to benefit from my knowledge and perhaps in time they might in a new age were the old ways would disappear." Alex answered.

Alex grabbed the control for the hovering platform under each capsule off the table which made them easier to move. Suspending them off the ground with repulsor lifts Alex moved two of the capsules over to the transporter pad on the other side of the bench.

"I can never get over how crowded this place is." Stacy said looking around.

"It fits my needs." Alex said setting down the capsules with the press of a button.

"It's so Spartan." Stacy commented.

"They would have preferred someone a little bigger." Alex replied.

"What?" Stacy asked.

"Nothing." Alex said.

Walking to the wall beside the pad he waved his hand in front of a sensor, activating the transporter. Before their eyes the capsule disappeared.

"That should put them right in the colony hall." Alex said with a grin, "Now I'll just step over and follow them."

At moment a blast shook the entire underground bunker that his lab had been setup in. Knocked to the ground Alex saw the transporter blink out before two more explosions shook the surface.

"Is it an earthquake?" Stacy asked.

"Too localized besides the sensors I've setup would have given us fair warning. The only ones I haven't setup were in orbit; I thought they would made it obvious that there was a presence here, inviting anyone looking for such things to come here." Alex said with a look of horror on his face.

Dashing out of the room he heard Stacy exclaim, "Sir come back!"

Running as fast as he could Alex was desperate to save his children. By the time he reached the surface he found drop ships landing at the outskirts of all but the nearest biodome which had been destroyed. Alex steeled himself as tears for those who had been rendered to ash and particles in a matter of seconds threatened to overwhelm him. Heading back into the tunnels he rushed to his underground hangar. Inside of it was a transport ready to go and heavily armed. Once inside he found the controls to open the hangar doors overhead. Light leaked into the hangar as the huge doors opened. Kicking in the thrusters he launched out of the hangar into the sky.

Stacy appeared on the holo projector behind and said, "This is insane!"

"Good, then they won't expect it." Alex said refusing to swerve from his path.

Firing on the drop ships he destroyed two of them before enemy fighters moved in to engage him.

"You'll be killed." Stacy said in a panic.

Alex on the other hand was completely calm, "You don't have to watch. If you leave now you will be safe below in the bunker. I doubt they will check for it, especially with possible hostiles in the area."

Two shots rock the transport.

"You do realize they will eventually get through your shields." Stacy commented.

"Doubtful, for one thing their recharge rate is far greater than the firepower a fighter can muster." Alex said.

Another shot rocks them as Alex dives again, aiming at another drop ship.

"How can you be sure?" Stacy asked.

"Because those fighters are based off of technology I built." Alex said.

"That technology was made by Nikolai Pachev." Stacy argued.

"Access your files on what Nikolai Pachev looked like. It should be in your historical files that I brought with me from Earth." Alex said.

"Accessing..." Stacy said.

After a few seconds she manages to access the files required, "Your face!"

"We are the same person, not relatives. Trust me on this." Alex said launching two torpedoes from the rear launchers that takes out two of the pursuing fighters. The rest are forced to break their formation so they don't collide into the shrapnel from their explosions.

"How is this possible?" Stacy asked.

"When we have time I'll explain it in detail." Alex said.

"So what's your plan?" Stacy said watching him swoop low so the fighters had to hold their fighter so they wouldn't hit their own people on the ground.

"Destroy as many of the enemy as I can and when there is an opening try to save my surviving children." Alex said.

"Will all of them fit on this ship?" Stacy asked, and then she understood: the realist in her maker was acknowledging the strong possibility that few of his children had survived.

"I'm sorry." Stacy said.

"There will be time to mourn the dead later." Alex said his voice carrying no hint of emotion.

Someone who did not know him would have said he didn't care, part of Stacy was even tempted to agree, but then she had her past with him to reference from.

"The enemy fighters are breaking off, as are the remaining drop ships. My sensors show that some of the children are aboard a few of them, but not enough that some of the kids aren't still down there. We'll have to move quickly. The human commander up there might decide to raze what's left down here." Alex said.

Landing the ship he rushed out wearing a sealed combat suit that protected him against the poisonous atmosphere. Using his life signs scanner he gathered up several of his children who were all that was left of the once growing community who had lived so peacefully on the planet.

"They took most of us, and killed the rest." One of the seventeen year olds said.

"Grab your suits and head to the ship parked outside of the dome." Alex said scanning the charged remains of a few of his beloved children.

"But the bodies ... shouldn't we..." One of the younger ones said.

"Go!" Alex ordered and it motivated them to action.

Once aboard they took off their masks while Alex took off. Stacy noticed the frightened looks on the young one's faces. Some of them were even looking at their father with fear.

"They've never seen this side of you." Stacy observed.

"I had hoped to never kill another being again. Those responsible for me getting back into the game will soon regret it." Alex said rage threatening to wreck his control.

Stacy watched him input jump coordinates into the nav computer.

"Where are we going?" Stacy asked.

"Alliance territory." Alex said.

"I must have not heard you right, but did you just say that you just inputted a course to Alliance territory?" Stacy asked.

"I did." Alex said without a hint of concern.

"And why would you want to do that?" Stacy asked.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Alex replied.

"What?" Stacy said.

"Before breaking orbit I ran a scan of the bio-dome I transported my capsules to, and I found them missing." Alex said.

"They took them with the children." Stacy realized.

"And now to get them back I will offer the Alliance a chance to fight an enemy that has thus far they have been unable to gain a considerable advantage over." Alex said.

"What's to stop them from trying to blow us out of the sky?" Stacy said.

"Trust me." Alex said.

Exiting from their jump near an asteroid field Alex brought the ship to a halt before sweeping the field with his sensors.

"What are you looking for?" Stacy asked.

Alex eyes the readout as he replies, "I'm looking for the proper amount of minerals I need. It will probably be spread out throughout the field, but hopefully I'll be able to find a large enough concentration in order to get started."

"But get started on what?" Stacy asked looking out into the field through the view port.

"Building our dummy ship." Alex answered.

"We can do that?" Stacy asked.

Alex smiled as he gave her a backward glance before turning his attention back to the task at hand, "You're forgetting who created the first starship. Have you ever known me not to build on earlier works?"

"So you found a way to build another ship in no time." Stacy replied.

"Not just any ship. This one will be a new warship. Of course I will only have limited control over it, but beyond that won't be exactly necessary." Alex explained.

"So you are going to send this ship out to do what?" Stacy asked.

"I plan spark hostilities by making the Alliance think the Humans are attacking their homeworld." Alex said.

"That's your plan?" Stacy said in disbelief.

"You have to admit a war is a perfect cover for a rescue." Alex said.

"Your definition of perfection is certainly different than mine. What happens if we get caught in the crossfire?" Stacy asked.

"Oh ye of little faith." Alex said as he activated the nanite missiles and fired them at an asteroid with the right readings.

Sitting back Alex watched and waited for the nanites to do their work. Stacy watched as a cloud of metal drifted into open space from a large asteroid right in front of them. Leaving the cloud in place the nanites moved on to another asteroid with slightly lesser readings. In a matter of hours the cloud was so thick that you couldn't see through to the other side and was the width and length of the field's largest asteroids.

"That should be enough." Alex said using the controls to begin the second stage.

As the mining nanites returned to the ship to be reused for later, Alex fired two more missiles from his launchers that exploded well in front of the cloud of metal, spewing out two more groups of tiny robots along with capsules with additional materials they would need to build the more difficult spots of the ship. The microscopic machines quickly go to work forming the particles of metal into a large warship building from the outside in. It didn't take long for the ship to be completed and made operational. Alex made the last few adjustments and checkups himself.

Stacy's voice came over his comlink, "How is it going over there?"

"Everything checks out. I'll be heading back to the ship soon, so we can get this thing started." Alex said.

Heading back through the airlock he could hear the children sleeping in the back, as some of them snored. When he reached the cockpit of his own vessel Stacy was waiting where he left her.

"They must be exhausted." Stacy commented.

"It's a lot for anyone to go through." Alex replied.

"And yet you still look fine. If I didn't know any better I would say this would be a normal day for you." Stacy said.

"For me it's all too familiar." Alex said.

Pressing the control that activated the dummy ship's jump drive Alex watched it jump away.

"When it comes out it won't take them long to spot it, especially as close as I set it. I put a tracking device on it that will allow us to watch it on the sensors screen." Alex said keeping an eye on the screen.

Both of them watched the tracking device become a lot clearer as the dummy ship came into real space. Almost immediately the signal began to fade until the blip went out completely.

"Tapping into their communications network." Alex said pressing the necessary controls.

"The human ship is destroyed." One voice said.

"They have broken the peace. Gather the fleet for war!" Another said.

Switching it off Alex said, "They always were quick to make a decision. No doubt some of them were waiting for this excuse."

"How could anyone make a decision that quickly?" Stacy said in shock.

"The machines can be remarkably impossible. Only someone who knows many of them purposely understands that, but while they can make decisions quickly, trust that they will be well-organized by the time they attack, and in an incredibly short period of time." Alex said.

Jumping the ship away, he took them safely out of Alliance territory and back into neutral space.

Once they were clear of any source of danger Stacy asked, "What exactly do we do now?"

"Cloak the ship and head to the planet where they are keeping the children and my inventions." Alex said.

"Do you put tracking devices on everything?" Stacy asked.

"Practically." Alex said.

"How do we find the children when we get there?" She asked.