E:A Vol 2 Ch 6—October 1, 2118

The comlink buzzed on Victoria’s nightstand. It was only 1:30 in the morning. She grabbed it put it on her ear and let out a groggy, “Hello?”

“Sorry to wake you,” Zy’nayth said. It had been a week since their last contact and both she and Lutia were worried sick about their spouses and the Alpha Team. “Zy!” she said, immediately awake and sitting upright in her bed, “Honey, are you okay?”

“I am fine. I could not risk contact until now. I must be brief. Pack a month’s worth of supplies. Lutia is to do the same. The two of you and our children will be teleported up in three hours. I will explain then. Also grab food and supplies for John and his team, remember this will be a month-long trip. Be in the control room, comlink ready to receive my signal. We will not be stopping, just grabbing you guys and heading out.”

“Will do, I love you.”

“See you soon,” he said and cut the connection. Victoria threw on her robe and ran to Lutia and Ja’val’s chambers. Lutia, as groggy as Victoria had been moments earlier, answered the door.

“They’re coming to pick us up,” Victoria said, “in three hours. Pack food and clothes for a month-long trip. Be in the control room ready to go. With your comlink on.”

“Is Ja’val safe?”

“I wasn’t told, but I assume so if you’re being sent for. I’m sure he’s fine. We need to get supplies for John and his team. We have a lot to do.”

Becket and Vince were informed of what was going on, what little Victoria knew, anyway. And Becket helped get things pulled together, primarily the food since they needed enough for six adults and two babies for a month. Victoria and Lutia gathered clothes and supplies like toiletries for everyone.

Right on time, Victoria received a signal from the High Chancellor, she made sure those not requested for the trip were far enough away, then she, Lutia, the two babies, and their supplies were teleported to Zy’nayth’s chambers on board the Raythian flagship. He was there along with Ja’val and the First Commander.

“Sirs, good to see all of you,” Victoria said, sticking to protocol in case there were others in the chambers. Zy’nayth drew his wife into his arms and kissed her; Ja’val doing the same to his own wife.

“You okay?” Victoria asked.

“I am unharmed.”

“Good,” she smiled, “your children have been calling for you since the moment you left.” He smiled and picked up his daughter and smothered her with affection, while Victoria turned to the First Commander. She gave him a brief hug, “And I hope you’re okay too.”

“I am, thank you for your concern. I had you teleported here instead of the bridge so that your belongings would already be here. Lutia, I would have teleported your things directly to the First Science Commander’s chambers, but I had no way of identifying them from Victoria’s or the supplies brought up for John and his team.”

“Quite all right, sir.”

“We’re on our way to the rendezvous point with the transport ship. They were asked to start scanning for the signal just before the High Chancellor contacted you, Victoria, this morning. We have not heard anything from the transport yet. We thought it might help your friends if you two were on board. However, they will be confined to quarters. The two of you are being allowed to visit them, but remember, this is not Terra 2 so your movements around the ship are limited. To and from designated areas only.”

“Of course,” Victoria said.

“And as per our plan, we will not enter the same solar system in which Vaan resides. We will remain two days from the rendezvous point unless we receive word that they have picked up your friends, then we shall go directly to retrieve them.”

“Thank you, sir,” Victoria said as she held Mik’kenna who was starting to fuss. It was their feeding time and though they were both wanting to be with their father, their stomachs were beginning to take control of their moods.

“Try and get some rest, it will be several hours before we reach our destination,” the First Commander said, then gave them a slight bow and left the chambers.

Lutia gave Zy’nayth a hug, “I’m happy to see you’re okay too. I was so worried when you cut off communications last week. I…I just kept thinking the worst.”

“As I have told my wife,” he replied, “I did not get to be ten thousand years old by walking blindly into situations. You and Ja’val go and spend some time together. Once we pick up John and his team, things will be busy again.”

Lutia thanked him, then she and Ja’val each took a box containing the food and personal items that she brought on board, and returned to their quarters.

Victoria was already unpacking baby food from her bag on the stroller. Zy’nayth set Ky’nayth on the floor next to his sister and began moving the boxes Victoria brought up to the kitchen, knowing that most of the items were food.

Victoria glanced down at her kids then called for her husband. He came down the hall and stood at the entrance. Each kid had pulled themselves up to their feet, which wasn’t unusual, but Victoria was sure they were about to walk. They wanted to get to their father. And as Zy’nayth stood, he smiled as each of his children took their first steps at exactly the same time. Victoria went down to her knees in case one started to fall, but each kid made it the three steps to their father without collapsing.

“Well, Chris lost that bet,” she grinned as she went back to getting their breakfast ready. “Looks like they both took their first steps at the same time. Want me to get their high chairs or do you want to just sit on the bed with them?”

“The bed is fine.”

Victoria set the two bowls on the bed and pulled out two sippy cups already filled with milk for them. “They can use the cups themselves, but please, don’t let them get food all over the bed. I plan on going back to sleep as soon as they’re done eating. I don’t want to have to do laundry.”

“They will not make a mess.”

“Oh yeah, you can use your telepathy on them.”

“Victoria, I do not…”

She kissed his cheek, “Right, High Chancellor, right. Go on, your kids miss you and they’re hungry.”

Victoria let Zy’nayth tend to his children while she went and unpacked the boxes of food, diapers, and baby clothes. She always had her own clothes on the ship, so she only needed to unpack a few personal things. When she returned to the main room, which was also the bedroom with a small sitting area, she smiled as Mik’kenna was busy getting her own drink of milk while Ky’nayth kept trying to get the spoon from his father.

“Maybe you’re not using telepathy after all,” she said as she grabbed a towel to wipe the oatmeal from her little boy’s cheeks.

Mik’kenna let her cup drop, fortunately it was the kind that wouldn’t allow any spillage, then reached for the same spoon her brother was after.

Victoria climbed up on the bed and sat beside her husband after cleaning up Ky’nayth. “Does Daddy need some help?” she teased.

“No,” he replied.

“It’s okay to ask for help,” she said.

“They are rather rambunctious this morning.”

“They were awakened way too early. Here, I’ll get Kenna.”

“No. I shall tend to them.” He set the spoon in the bowl then reached out a hand to both children, gently stroking their white hair. “I need both of you to be still. You will get your food.”

“Dada!” Mik’kenna said and pointed to the bowl.

Victoria was surprised at how he got them to calm and though she was going to tease him again about using telepathy, she knew he wasn’t, and probably never had, so she instead went behind him and began to massage his shoulders and neck. Then she fixed the braid that had come unraveled weeks ago.

“Ma!” Ky’nayth said and held up his cup.

“That’s my good boy,” Victoria said, “you drank all of it.” She got out of the bed and gave him a kiss before going to refill his cup. When she returned, Mik’kenna was finishing up her own cup of milk so Victoria rewarded her with a kiss then refilled hers as well.

“Have you been using Raythian when talking with them?” Zy’nayth asked.

“Yup. When I go through their story books, I read them in Raythian. Helps me keep my own translating skills up.”

“Do they seem to understand?”

“At first, not so much. But then I figured out if I pointed to familiar pictures and said what they were in English then the next time in Raythian, they caught on. It’ll be a lot easier as they are able to articulate a little bit.”

The kids finished their breakfasts then Victoria changed their diapers. Zy’nayth put them in their cribs to let them get a little more sleep, then he settled on his bed with his wife. Moments later, the entire family was asleep.

October 3, 2118

John and his team were teleported directly onto the bridge of the flagship. “Oh thank God!” Chris exclaimed, “That was the most unsettling experience ever.”

“Human!” Zy’nayth roared, “You will not speak until spoken to, is that understood?”

Chris stood to attention, diverted his eyes and gave the High Chancellor a bow.

“Good.” Zy’nayth looked at one of the armed Rayth warriors in the room, “Take their weapons.” John nodded to his team and they all handed over their weapons and their packs. “First Commander, escort them into my office. I will join you shortly.”

“Yes, sir,” Kol’non replied and motioned for the team to head to the hallway to their right. Two warriors stood guard at the door but John and his team weren’t stopped. They walked in, followed by the First Science Commander. Once the door shut they were greeted by Victoria and Lutia.

“It’s good to see you!” Victoria said, giving Be’atta a hug.

“It’s quite all right to talk freely,” Kol’non said, “but only in here when the door is shut. Please take a seat.”

“I brought up some sandwiches and water,” Lutia said, passing them around, “not much but thought you could use it.”

“I could use a shower,” Be’atta said, “a very long, hot shower.”

“I think we call could,” John replied, “thanks for the food, Lutia. Two days in those pods…I know those tubes were giving us nourishment, but man, just to be able to sink my teeth into something.”

“Ssh,” Victoria said hearing the soft chime the door made when about to open. Everyone grew quiet and Ja’val, along with Zy’nayth, entered then the door shut again.

“Major Chapman, I apologize for the rebuke,” Zy’nayth said.

“No need. It was my fault.”

Zy’nayth looked at the weary faces around the table, “Colonel, did you find a base?”

“We did, and it’s huge. At least 1,000 men, mostly human. Uh…everything’s in my pack. Anyway, there’s a Rayth barrier around the place. We couldn’t break the code to get past it. We circled the entire base. They seem to be confident in the barrier keeping intruders out because we didn’t see any guards. There’s a small, village façade on top of the base. We’re pretty sure one entrance is located there. But we did confirm two other entrances for the troops, as well as the entrance to the hangar. I’m sorry, sirs, Simon worked for a week on that barrier code and couldn’t break it, and I didn’t want to risk a ‘best guess’ and alert them to our presence. I decided that we should fall back and signal for pick up. That way, if you’re willing, you can work with Simon to get past the barrier. I’ll have time to look more thoroughly at the images we took, and we took thousands of them, and go over all of the data we assimilated. We all want to go back in and finish this up. I think there’s a lot more going on at this base than at anything we’ve seen thus far.”

“Did you see any jets entering or leaving the base?” Zy’nayth asked.

“No. We did try to scan for them but were unable to definitively say that there were any. But all of our scans were recorded and perhaps you will see something we didn’t.”

“I will have the First Commander take you to your quarters. Your packs may go with you but your weapons will be kept in my chambers. First Science Commander, go with them and retrieve the information they have gathered. Breaking that barrier is first priority.”

“Should be quite simple. To make sure they can break it without being detected is another story.”

Zy’nayth nodded. “After that, see if you can detect any information about jets, ships, armory, things of that nature. First Commander, I would like your eyes on it as well. It will take us just under a month to get you back to Terra 2. The First Commander and I do not wish to draw any more undue attention by jumping back into faster than light travel. To that end, I am making a few visits to outposts this way, taking my time, as if routine. However, we may make a few jumps here and there. Unfortunately, you must be confined to your quarters until then. Victoria and Lutia will see to your meals. I will not summon you until tomorrow morning so get some rest.”

The group finished their sandwiches then returned to the bridge and while under guard, John and his team removed all of their weapons and ammo from their packs, then they were led through the curving, confusing corridors to a large room with two sets of bunk beds.

Victoria pointed down the hallway, “Bathroom. I put some things in there: soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, deodorant, all the basics. Changes of clothes in here,” she said as she tapped a wall panel revealing a hidden tall dresser. “Sorry, I had to rummage through your rooms on Terra 2. There’s a laundry machine in the back so you can clean up what you have. Lutia, did I forget anything?”

“We haven’t had a chance to bring food over,” Lutia said, “it’s mostly non-perishables since your fridge is small and you only have a two-burner hotplate to cook on, but like the High Chancellor said, we’ll be bringing meals over for you.”

“We weren’t expecting this, or seeing you two, so thanks for everything,” John said.

“The High Chancellor thought that since the trip was going to be long, it would do you good to have a couple of familiar faces on board,” Lutia smiled. “And I think he missed his babies.”

“Oh!” Victoria exclaimed, “Chris, both kids took their first steps at exactly the same time.”

“Do you have proof?”

“You have my word and if that’s not good enough, you can talk to my husband.”

“Guys, I’m taking dibs on the shower,” Be’atta said, already finding her clothes in the dresser, “while you argue over baby steps.”

“Take your time in the shower,” John said, “I want everyone to relax. We didn’t achieve everything we set out to do, but that wasn’t because of anything we did wrong. You all pulled your weight and I couldn’t have asked for a better crew to take on this. I mean it. Now Chris, pay up. Ten bucks.”

Victoria looked at John who smiled, “I bet him both would walk at the same time.”

She grinned, “Good call. Lutia, let’s go get their food. We’ll be back right away.”

“Thanks ladies,” Simon said, “I’m glad the High Chancellor or First Commander thought about us.”

“They don’t tend to leave out any detail,” Victoria smiled. “Be right back.”

The two ladies were allowed to walk between the quarters of John and his team, which was located down in the lower bowels of the ship where the lowest ranks of warriors bunked. They could also visit the science lab, where Ja’val worked, and of course, their own chambers. They were given one route to each and were not allowed to deviate from it. Both had been on the ship enough to know it was best to stick to protocol. Victoria knew most of the command crew and knew she could probably get away with deviating from the prescribed routes, but she wasn’t there to cause trouble and she knew her husband didn’t need it, so she stuck to the plans.

John met them at the door and took a box from Victoria while Simon took the one from Lutia. “Those are all of the perishables,” Victoria said. “Milk, juice, butter, cream, eggs, stuff like that. Some fresh veggies and fruit. Thankfully the High Chancellor had a much larger refrigerator put into his chambers because of the kids, so I was able to bring up a lot of stuff. I don’t think much more will fit in your fridge, but I can bring by more as you run out.”

“I love you,” John said, “I’ve been craving an omelet for days. Oh yeah, peppers, onions, this is gonna be the best omelet ever. Got any seasonings?”

“Whatcha need? I can bring mine over for you.”

John rattled off a short list then the ladies went to fetch the next couple of boxes of food. By the time they returned with the second set, Be’atta was out of the shower and John was taking his turn.

Once all eight boxes of food had been delivered, John and his team had all had their showers and were happily dressed in clean comfortable lounge clothes.

“I can cook up omelets for everyone,” Victoria said.

“No!” John exclaimed, “I’ll do it but if you’re willing to fry up some hash browns, I’ll take you up on that.”

“Consider it done,” she smiled.

“Anything I can do to help?” Lutia asked.

“Do you give massages?” Chris asked, “My neck is killing me.”

“The First Science Commander might not approve of that no matter how innocent,” Victoria said, “but you could grab the scanner I gave Be’atta and make sure they’re healthy.”

Be’atta dug the scanner out of her pack and handed it to the nurse. “I’ll take care of the Major’s neck. I don’t want any marital spats starting,” Be’atta said.

Lutia took care of John first so he could get to his cooking, then she checked the others. “Actually, Chris, your neck is a little out of alignment.”

“I just felt that,” Be’atta said, “lie down, I can take care of it.”

Chris rested on the lower bunk and using a number of neck stretches, Chris felt his neck ease back into place.

“There Be’atta said, “you should start feeling relief now.”

Lutia ran another scan, “Great job, Be’atta. Didn’t know you could do that.”

Be’atta smiled, “My father was a healer. I learned a lot from him.”

“Does this mean I don’t get my massage?” Chris said as he sat up.

“Come on, sit on the floor, I owe you for doing all of the hunting for us,” Be’atta smiled.

“Sweet!” he exclaimed.

“Well, John’s finishing things up,” Victoria said, “so I think Lutia and I will head out so you can collapse as soon as you’re done eating. This button here,” she pointed to the intercom system panel, “signals my comlink, and this one Lutia’s. None of the other buttons are operational. If you need anything at all, contact us. Any time.”

“Thanks,” Chris said, “for everything. I’m just gonna sleep for a week.”

“Me too,” Simon said. “Maybe the entire month.”

“I have a feeling my husband will have a lot for you to do, Simon,” Lutia said.

“Is he gonna take these finger things off so we don’t self-destruct these locator things?” Chris asked.

“No idea. Just ask him during your meeting tomorrow. Rest up. We’ll be by in the morning.”

After a round of hugs, Victoria and Lutia left and returned to their own chambers. Zy’nayth was sitting in his big chair, already going over the scans, reports, images, and barrier code that John and his team had gathered. The toddlers were playing at his feet with their blocks taking turns knocking over each other’s architectural masterpieces.

“Get them all settled?” Zy’nayth asked as Victoria entered the chambers.

“Yeah. I think as soon as they eat, they’re all going to pass out. Anything good in those reports?”

“Indeed. They may not have gotten inside, but this is very thorough. The code that Simon could not break, I just briefly looked at it, but I know it has been modified from the original code used for all of our barriers.”

“See, I know you’re smart and all, but how can you look at a million lines of code and know, boom, it’s not the original code used by every other Rayth barrier?”

Zy’nayth smiled without looking up from his tablet. “I wrote the original program.”

“Oh. Then why would they modify it? Did you mess something up?” Victoria asked. He looked at her, tilting his head slightly and received a grin in reply. “Just teasing,” she said. “But really, why change the code?”

“The code for the barrier’s structure is the same, what has been added is a feature that detects DNA. It appears that even if the barrier is down, the array, the poles between each arc of the barrier, still send out pulses of energy to detect DNA. If the DNA of a person who enters does not match any DNA in the database, the alarm is sounded and the barrier instantly reactivated.”

“Would Simon have seen this?” she asked.

“He would have noticed the link to a second database, but he would not have known that it was a database of DNA information and may not have been able to guess that it was a second means of detection.”

“Then it’s a good thing he couldn’t break the code. Otherwise, they’d probably be dead.”

“Correct.”

“Wow. Good thing John decided to give up on it and wait for you and Ja’val to look at it.”

“Indeed.”

Mik’kenna grabbed onto her father’s long white leather jacket and pulled herself to her feet. Then toddled towards her mother. She fell a couple of times, but simply pulled herself back up using the quilt on the bed, and eventually made her way to Victoria. Victoria held out her arms and with a big smile, a strong hug and lots of kisses, she held her baby girl. “By the time we get back to Terra 2, they’re going to be running up and down the ship’s corridors,” she said. The thought made Zy’nayth smile. “Would you mind if I took the kids to visit the team while we’re here and when you’re busy?”

“I think they would like that.”

October 4, 2118

John and his team were escorted by the First Commander to the High Chancellor’s office early the following morning. The First Science Commander was already there, still going over the data John had given him the day before. Victoria walked in just a moment later, followed by Zy’nayth.

“Lutia is tending to the children,” Zy’nayth said as he took his seat behind his massive desk, “since she is not needed for this meeting. However, if you believe she could be of assistance, she and the children may join us.” He gave a nod to the Ja’val, “Otherwise, First Science, you may begin.”

“I’ve been able to come up with a work around for the barrier, looping it on itself, however, the problem with the DNA sensors is still a problem.”

“DNA sensors?” Simon asked.

“Ah, you didn’t know about them, then it’s for the best that you were unable to break the code.” Ja’val explained to the group what Zy’nayth had explained to his wife the day before. “So, had you been able to hack through the code, the Gyhan would have still been alerted to your presence.

“Since I know the High Chancellor wants to look into the other data more thoroughly, I’ll continue working on finding a way to disable the DNA sensors, or at least tricking them, though, sir, I may require some assistance.”

“Acknowledged. Go on.”

“As I ruminated on the DNA problem, I began going over Dr. Harris’s scans of the facility. He was correct in that there are at least 1,000 men there, however there does appear,” he said as he called up an image on the large screen in the room, “at this point here, to be a passage to a lower section. As I take these scans and flip through them at a faster rate,” he ran the batch of images as a movie, “you can see the life signs come and go. In comparison, this area next to it you can see the life signs simply move in and out of the area, in one, then another, but this other area, they vanish when they cross this line. This can’t be an exit from the facility, because we’d see the life signs continue. It must mean one of two things: one, they are going deeper underground and your sensors could not pick them up after a certain depth, or two, they have an area that is secure from being read by your sensors. A third, though remote possibility, is that they have a bridge portal in there.”

“And you think there is more to this base through that door, such as another floor, not just one secured room?” Kol’non asked.

“I can’t be completely certain, but given the number of people in the complex, they would have to have living quarters onsite. I doubt the rebel Rayth would want them on the three warships in the area. And we still cannot verify which side those ships are on. A secure room is possible, but considering they put this much effort into adding this DNA recognition to the barrier, and that they don’t have visible guards topside, I doubt they feel the need to have only a secured room, there must be something more, deeper down and that Simon’s scanner couldn’t read that deep.”

“Very well,” Kol’non said as he noted something on his tablet. “However, I don’t want us to rule out the possibility. Can you and Dr. Harris work together to find a way to enhance his scanner? I’d like to know what’s going on.”

“I can do some tweaking, but I can’t guarantee it could break through any security measures. I’d have to be onsite or at least receive real-time information in order to code something like that.”

“Noted. Continue.”

“I was actually looking to see if I could find our jets when I came across that little bit of info about the secured room or whatever is beyond that line. Unfortunately, Dr. Harris was correct, there’s too much electrical and mechanical interference to know for sure if there are any in this hangar area.”

“One thing I noticed,” Zy’nayth said, “is that it is quite narrow. You could have a single row of jets, and if I did my math correctly, only about ten of them would fit from the entrance to where it seems the hangar ends. If you believe there is another section below this, it could be quite possible to house the jets below with a lift to get them from level to the next.”

“That’s a possibility,” Ja’val said.

“Or they don’t have any,” John said. “I still think it’s kinda odd that we didn’t see or hear any jets during our entire recon.”

“On the other hand,” Kol’non said, “there haven’t been any attacks in that solar system in three months. They could be regrouping after the attacks your team carried out on the other bases.”

Simon raised his hand, “Don’t mean to get off topic,” he said looking down at his tablet, “but going back to the barrier, if this thing is reading DNA,” he sighed, “Sorry, my train of thought is moving faster than I can articulate things. What if they do have a bridge portal? If someone bridges in to this sealed off area, how would that work? And as far as we were able to detect, the barrier was circular it wasn’t a dome. There was no ceiling, if you will. What about dropping in from above or teleporting within the secure area? See what I’m getting at?”

“Perhaps we have missed something,” Zy’nayth said giving Ja’val a nod, “we will both look into this further.”

“Anything else, First Science Commander?” Kol’non asked.

“That’s really all I had a chance to look into. I just glanced at the other information.”

“Colonel Hagen?”

“Since I knew you guys would be working on the tech stuff, we went through all of our images. It’s going to take a while, we’re going through them with great detail, but one thing we did notice,” he looked at Ja’val, “can I hook this up to that monitor?”

Ja’val tapped a few buttons on his tablet and the John’s screen appeared on the enormous display.

“Ah, great. Okay, here,” John said. “This river, the one we followed from the village where we bridged in, seems to disappear here, about five miles from the outer rim of the base. We know there’s a cliff there, several hundred feet high, but the river never starts back up anywhere below. We did take the time to check this out, but because of the dense fog, we couldn’t see the bottom so we don’t know if the waterfall ends in a lake or just keeps going down into the ground. And we’re pretty sure, looking at the images and the unbroken canvas cover, that it doesn’t continue on, unless it’s just a little stream.”

“It could be the water supply for the base,” Chris said, “and it might also give us a way in under the barrier, but there’s no easy way for us to find out without one of us doing a little rock climbing.”

“Given Simon’s question about whether we can enter from above or not, I think it would apply to entering from below as well. Therefore, I don’t think it would be wise to send someone down,” Kol’non said. “We need to know the answer to that question.”

“What about sending a sensor downstream?” Simon asked.

“It would be detected,” Zy’nayth said, “If this is their water supply, they would have sensors monitoring the intake into their systems. If a mechanical device were detected, it would be most likely be scanned and alert them to our reconnaissance.”

The group continued their discussion until noon then John and his team were escorted back to their quarters. Victoria returned to her chambers and, with Lutia’s help, fixed lunch for everyone, then packed up the kids and the lunch to spend time with the Alpha Team.

“Well, hi there, beautiful,” Chris said as he took Mik’kenna out of the stroller, “I have missed those baby blues.” Mik’kenna enjoyed the affection while Ky’nayth was doted on by John. Simon and Be’atta brought out plates and silverware for the team.

“So Doc,” Chris said, “got a dumb question for you. The kids got their daddy’s white hair, but their skin tone is the same as ours, not that blue-gray Rayth color. Will that change?”

“If we don’t find a way for them to continue eating like they do now,” she replied, “it will change when they…when their diet changes. At least, that’s our best guess.”

“You still working on that research?” John asked.

“Not as much as I had been. Just a couple hours a day. Becket’s still at it. I’m hoping to steal the First Science Commander for a little while and compare notes. I know he’s been busy with other things, at least I assume so, but I also know he’s probably still working on this in his free time.”

October 10, 2118

The Alpha Team had been on board for a week and were becoming stir crazy, except for Simon who had been allowed to join Ja’val in the Science Lab. Other than having meals with Victoria, Lutia, and the twins, their days consisted of going over the data collected from Vaan in their little area and sitting in meetings with Zy’nayth, Kol’non, and Ja’val.

On October 7, 2118, the twins turned one. Though they’d had a little party for them at the end of August, they had another. The Alpha Team joined the family in the High Chancellor’s chambers, which hadn’t been allowed up to that point, and though there were no sweets other than fruit, Lutia and Victoria had managed to make up a fried chicken dinner with all the fixings, which was a treat to team. Since fresh food wasn’t readily available, most of the meals consisted of pasta, rice, and reconstituted dried fruits and vegetables. But some chicken had been brought on board and kept in the freezer, in hopes of having a few meals with something somewhat fresher.

“High Chancellor, come in,” John said after opening the door to their small area. “First Commander. What’s up?”

“We were going to the sparring arena and thought you might like to get out and get some exercise,” Zy’nayth said.

“Count me in,” Chris said hopping down from his bunk, “anything to move around.”

“Me as well,” Be’atta chimed in.

“Make that three,” John said. “Provided you don’t hurt us too much.”

“Do not worry, we will not go full out on you. I take it Simon is with the First Science Commander?”

“Yup,” Chris answered, “doing what he does best.”

The High Chancellor nodded and led the way through the ship. Once inside the sparring arena he turned to the three Alpha Team members. “Are you ready?”

“Any rules?” Chris asked.

“We will not use life extraction, and not use our full strength on you. Other than that, you may try your hardest. Last man standing wins.”

“So you two fight each other?”

“We will once you have been defeated,” Zy’nayth said with a sly grin.

“What if the last one standing isn’t a man?” Be’atta replied with a smile.

“Then she will have earned even more of my respect,” Zy’nayth said.

“Since we’re kinda new to this,” Chris said, “couldn’t we just all gang up on one of you at a time?”

“Whatever you choose. Begin,” Zy’nayth said.

Kol’non’s hand came up and John easily blocked the move. Soon they were all fighting. Humans against the Rayth. The three humans changed up their tactics, but in less than five minutes, they were all left breathless on the floor. They managed to get to the outer edge of the room and watched as the two Rayth went at each other, clearly not pulling any punches.

“Ouch,” Chris said a couple of times as he heard bone crunching blows land. “Holy…they’re gonna kill each other.”

“From what Victoria said,” John replied, “this is a their normal workout. I think I broke a rib.”

Then five other Rayth entered. The two commanding officers nodded and they were all engaged in fighting each other.

“Apparently the High Chancellor was pulling his punches,” Be’atta said, as the first of the five warriors went down. Then the second, third, fourth, fifth, and finally the First Commander.

“First Commander, take the humans to their quarters,” Zy’nayth ordered as Kol’non got to his feet. Zy’nayth left the room and went on about his duties.

“Come,” Kol’non said and led the way back. Once they were in the quarters he had them sit on a bunk then he placed his hand on their chests, one by one, and healed them of any injuries they sustained. “You did better than I expected,” he said.

“Are you okay?” Be’atta asked, “You took quite a beating.”

“I will feed and be healed quite quickly.”

“Has he ever lost?” Chris asked.

“If he has, I’ve never heard of it. Would you like to try again tomorrow?”

“Oh yeah,” Chris smiled, “I love a challenge.”

“Then I shall return at the same time.”

“Tomorrow,” John said, “after you guys destroy us, would we be able to stay there and continue to work on our skills? I doubt we could ever handle a Rayth in hand-to-hand, but…”

“That would be unwise. Should other Rayth enter, as they did today, and we were not with you, they…”

“I get the picture,” John said, “thanks.”

Later that evening, Victoria arrived at their quarters with the kids in tow, and Zy’nayth. “I just wanted to stop in and make sure you were unharmed,” the High Chancellor said.

“The First Commander made sure we were healed,” Be’atta said, “so we’re all fine now. Thank you.”

“Good.”

“So, I asked him if you’ve ever lost a fight. He doesn’t think you have. Have you?” Chris asked.

“I learned what I know from my mistakes. Yes, I have lost a few fights.”

“He’s got a weakness,” Chris grinned, “we just have to figure it out.”

“I wish you luck, Major,” Zy’nayth said. “Do not forget we are meeting in the morning.” He gave Victoria a kiss on her cheek, “I will be home in time to feed the children.”

“I’ll probably be back long before then. I know these guys have work to do.”

October 30, 2118

John put all he had into his swing but Zy’nayth easily ducked out of the way. The momentum of the swing kept going and was about to strike Be’atta full force. Kol’non grabbed her around the waist and spun her away, taking the blow to his back.

They were just a day out from Terra 2 and though the team was still beaten in their daily workout, the High Chancellor said that they had improved and done so quickly.

“On our side now, Commander?” John said as he evaded a kick.

“Hardly,” Kol’non replied and the fight ended as usual—Zy’nayth and Kol’non fighting it out with Zy’nayth restraining himself to allow Kol’non to work on his technique. John, Chris, and Be’atta eventually got up and began practicing throwing and blocking punches and kicks among themselves until the thirty minutes were up. Then, as usual, Kol’non escorted them to their quarters and made sure any injuries sustained were healed.

After he left, Chris smiled, “Is it just me or is the First Commander showing a bit of favoritism in these fights?”

“To be fair, that punch would have knocked her out,” John said. “He just pulled her out of the way.”

“Uh huh. Doesn’t explain yesterday when he caught her before she fell to the ground.”

“Guys, no more of this speculation,” Be’atta said. “Set the table. Victoria and Lutia should be here shortly with dinner. I’m taking a shower.”