Chapter 4

I continued to let the coil retract me, I could detect several ships activating, two of them began to actually move. Elora had thought all the ships too damaged to operate, she was wrong. I sensed in the distance one of the ships start to scan the debris field, I hoped I would get to the remains of the Endurance before they got to me.

Suddenly there was a warning blaring in my head, there was a gravitational disturbance a few miles away from the Endurance debris, it was a wormhole opening.

"This day just gets better and better." I said to myself.

I checked the estimates, I would be reeled in in several hours, the speed of the retrieval was much faster than my thrusters where capable of generating. I just had to hope I could play dead long enough to avoid detection, I had no plan beyond getting back to the Endurances debris.

I looked back and saw the worm hole opening, a slender craft exited, its design was similar to the alien craft, but yet distinctly different, I saw several of the re-activated alien craft turn toward the wormhole, all of them headed toward the new craft.

I watched as 20 ships streaked toward me and the Endurance, I looked back and saw the new ship heading here too, I was spotted, and there was nothing I could do. I watched with morbid curiosity as to which ship would get me first, it didn't happen, the new ship streaked past me to engage the re-activated ships.

I watched in wonder as the new ship flew through the alien ships, it was as if they didn't sense it, it picked the aliens off one by one at leisure, they where thrown into chaos, firing randomly into space. Soon there was nothing left, I saw the new ship begin to scan the debris field.

My comm blinked into life, I was getting a transmission, it was on all frequency, and in over a hundred different languages as well as several variations of binary.

"This is the Joint Sapient Task Force scout ship Echo...

any sapient species left in this sector please respond...

Once agin this is the JSTF ship Echo, we are friendly, please respond..."

"fuck it." I said to myself opening a channel

"This is Golem Nx02232 of the Earth deep space automated research vessel U.S.S. Endurance" I said.

"One moment." The automated response came.

"Um okay." I said

"Sub-Species Golem, Originator Human, home world Earth, Language English variation number 42929, is this correct?" The automated voice said.

"Yes, but I do not know of this english variation." I said.

"Understood, english variation refers to the sub sections of the english language throughout all the known dimensions. Are you a sapient or non-sapient A.I.?" The response came back.

"oh um of course, Sapient I guess." I said.

"Please hold." came the reply.

I was still being reeled toward the remains of the I saw the ship turning to come toward me. I heard a series of clicks and hisses come over the comm, followed by a female computerized voice.

"Greetings Nx02232, I am Captain Lunaria of the JSTF it is good to see a Sapient still functioning in a conquered territory." She said.

"Um thanks for the rescue back there, what exactly is the JSTF?" I asked.

Another series of clicks and hisses.

"It is an alliance of over 10,000 dimensions, spanning over a 45,000 races of Sapients, we are united against the Hive race that has conquered your dimension as well as millions of others." She said.

"Dimensions? You mean alternate reality's." I asked, bringing up the appropriate theory in my head.

More clicks and hisses.

"Yes that is correct, our dimensions all exisit in a multiverse there are an infinite number of dimensions, if you will allow I will bring you on board so we may meet in person." She said

"Sure why not." I said.

I watched as the ship came overhead, it was bigger than it looked but still not that large, I calculated it to be about 50 meters in length, more clicks and hisses came over the comm.

"You are connected by nanowire to wreckage, I am detecting an A.I. Core would you like me to retrieve that as well?" she asked.

It shocked me that she detected the the nanowire as well as the inactive A.I. Core.

"if you would?" I said.

More clicks and hisses.

"No problem Nx02232" She said.