E:A Vol 2 Ch 12—November 27, 2118

The Alpha Team and Dr. Simon Harris reviewed the information given to them by Kol’non for two days, then they, along with Vince, Zy’nayth, Ja’val, and Kol’non met together in Vince’s conference room.

“The First Science Commander will be gone for two weeks. We’re pushing full FTL speed to get him to the Rayk homeworld and back since he is needed for the reveal of the serum on the Rayth homeworld.” Kol’non continued, “Because of this, I’ve sent a third ship to the area to scan for life on the planets and moons that would be destroyed when we destroy the Rayk planet. It will take approximately six weeks to complete the task.”

“If you find human life,” Vince said, “we’ll send in as many teams as we need to evacuate them. If you’re willing to clear out a couple of hangar bays, or however much we’ll need, we can load our shuttles. My teams can stay in the bay as well as any villagers we bring on board. That way you don’t have humans wandering around your ship. We’ll keep them contained.”

“That can be arranged,” Kol’non said.

“Have you found a relocation site for them?” Zy’nayth asked.

“Kaven’s team is working on that, with some suggestions from Be’atta since they know some of the villages that may be welcoming. Since both of them are needed for this mission, Kaven’s team is doing most of the work then we’ll all flesh it out further if we do find people that need to be evac’d. If need be, we can move them to Terra 2’s mainland for now,” Vince said. “John, show us what you got.”

John tapped a few buttons on his tablet. “I’ve just sent you a few places that we’ve identified as possible weak spots in the security of that satellite or uh, manufacturing facility. Also noted are places we can enter. We’re only two days into this, but the four of us all picked up these spots separately. We’ll continue to look for other weaknesses, obviously. So first things first, is this manufacturing facility anything you guys designed or is this the rebels’ design?”

“We wouldn’t have left this many weaknesses,” Ja’val said. “We might miss something, of course, but these just stand right out. No, this is their design, not ours.”

“Which brings up my next question. Is this a real weakness or something meant to look like a weakness—a trap?”

“Given the speed at which this was designed and built,” Zy’nayth said, “I would say that they are nothing more than errors in their design. But I would approach it as if these were traps. Either way, those are not areas that are of vital importance, nor are they important to the solidness of the structure. Meaning, I would not concern myself with them.”

“This is where I’d like to be able to talk to one of our structural engineers,” John said with a sigh. “My thought was that because these look weak, even I can see it doesn’t have the same support structure as the areas next to them, that a blast set off there would do more damage since this is already weakened.”

“I see your point,” Zy’nayth said. “And though I appreciate that you would like one of your engineers involved, I have two things to point out. One, they do not know the nature of the benachti or other distinctly Raythian materials used to build the facility, and two, that is why we are here.”

“So my theory about the blast doing more damage because this is weaker is no good?” John asked.

“The theory is sound. The application, in this instance, may not be. Science, what are you seeing?” Zy’nayth looked over at Ja’val who was already scanning through the records.

“Not weakness,” Ja’val replied. “I need a couple of minutes.”

“John what else have you sent?” Zy’nayth said, letting his Science Commander have his time to look in detail at those areas of the manufacturing facility.

“I’ve also attached a preliminary plan, subject to change as we dive deeper into the schematics. Simon’s pretty sure he’s located the main electrical room and the main computer area. I’d like your confirmation on those.”

Zy’nayth and Kol’non looked at the plans with the areas noted. “You are correct,” Kol’non said. “Electrical center and computer control room.”

“Good. Okay, this is my first run at this plan, keep that in mind. So I’d want to take out those two rooms first and simultaneously. With no electricity and no computer systems, we’ll be able to move more freely to set the rest of our charges. The plan is to split into two teams. Myself, Simon, and Be’atta would target the computer room; Kaven and Chris, electrical. Then we’d move clockwise through the rest of the space station. Kaven and Chris heading upwards, clockwise, my team spiraling down, clockwise. That way we can limit communication. Each detonation point will be assigned a marker. Knowing we’re all moving in the same direction, a single word will identify where any of us is on the station.

“Like I said, this is all very preliminary. I’ll have a better idea in your hands before you leave at the end of the week.”

Ja’val looked up, and moved the image on his tablet, out to its full six screens with holographic keyboard, up to the main viewing screen in the room. “These areas that you have marked from A to G, minus point D, are not weak. In fact, they’re the strongest. This symbol here,” he circled it with a digital pen, “cross-referenced indicates that these walls are not standard walls. They’re roughly six feet thick. Pure benachti. Point D is a true weak spot.”

“Walls that thick means they’re protecting something pretty valuable, important, or that it’s a key support, right?” Chris asked.

“Science where is the legend?” Zy’nayth asked.

Ja’val rattled off the file location that Zy’nayth called up on his own tablet, also now out to its full form. “Now I shall need a moment. Tell them about the shields and cloaks.”

“On our end,” Ja’val said, “we are modifying our shields to be able to withstand more of the blasts from the battlecruisers. And as far as getting you on the space station undetected, I concur with the entry locations you’ve found, so continue to work on your entry plans. I also believe your shuttlecraft have cloaking capabilities. If you’d permit the High Chancellor and myself a look at the controls, we can confirm this.”

“Can head there as soon as we’re done here,” Vince said.

“If you can cloak,” Kol’non said, “we can get you close. The problem, which we are working on, is finding a way for you to disembark our ship onto the space station.”

“Even cloaked, both our ship and your shuttles,” Ja’val said, “as you penetrate our cloak to leave, there will be a disturbance in the cloak itself. At least I assume so. Mythican cloaks are different from Raythian. Obviously there will be some sort of interaction of the two as one passes through the other. If your shuttles do have cloaks, I will see if they can be easily modified to be Raythian. That way the disturbance should be almost zero. If it is not an easy change, I need to come up with something else.”

“As well as figuring out how we can blow up a planet,” Zy’nayth said, now back in the conversation. “These areas,” he pointed to the image Ja’val still had up on the main viewer, “fuel storage. Whatever is powering those battlecruisers, that fuel is stored in those rooms.”

“They need to go boom,” Chris said.

“Indeed.”

“So how does one make benachti walls that are six feet thick go boom?” Kaven asked. “Because that’s what your ships are made of, and your ships don’t go boom too easily.”

“There is more to the makeup of our ships’ hulls than benachti,” Zy’nayth said. “According to the files that I scanned quickly, these are solid benachti. I would need to see what kinds of explosives you are planning on using to determine what you would need to blow those areas apart.”

“So you want us to show you our weapons?” Chris asked. “Seems a bit unfair. I mean, we still haven’t gotten our hands on any of yours. Just you know, stating a little fact about the elephant in the room.”

“The elephant?” Kol’non asked.

“Huge animal,” John said.

“I am aware of elephants. We do have them in this galaxy. Why is it in the room?”

“Metaphor,” Vince said, “people avoid wanting to discuss a clearly obvious issue. The elephant in the room is being ignored and not discussed.”

“Ah,” Zy’nayth said. “Very well. No, you have not seen our weapons. No, I do not intend you to have access to them unless it is of the most vital of importance. In return, I am not using them against you.” He gave Chris a smile, “Is that better?”

“Not really. Your weapons would probably be more effective at blowing this thing up than what we have.”

“But they would be detected. If the rebels are smart, which we have not yet ascertained, the shield around the facility would detect any typical weapon form. Our blasters, lasers, and such. I highly doubt they would pick up your weapons as they are not based on the materials we use: the benachti or fiarvinite. However, they may not have included a detection system in their shields at all, in which case, yes, our blasters would do more damage.”

“We can show him the weapons and explosives,” Vince said, “after all, if he wanted, he could simply teleport them out on his own. So next steps: show them the shuttles so Science can determine whatever he needs to about the cloak, then to the armory. Anything before we head out?”

“You sure I can’t have just one little blaster?” Chris said, obviously not intimidated by what Zy’nayth had just said.

“I have seen you use that rifle of yours quite handily. I am not sure a blaster would serve you better,” Zy’nayth replied.

***

“They’re checkup went well, both are completely healthy,” Becket said as Zy’nayth took off his jacket and sat on the sofa after returning from the meeting. “Victoria has the scans on her computer.”

“Where is my wife?”

“Went to pick up groceries from the mess hall. How’ve you been holding up through all of this? Of everyone involved, most of the stress has fallen on your shoulders.”

“I am doing well. I have a good team to work with. Besides, Victoria is obsessed with pampering me.”

Becket chuckled. “I can imagine.”

“She has been much more nervous since the attack on Terra 2.”

“We all have been.”

“She wishes to spend time on the island each week to allow our children to be around more Rayth.”

“Is it safe?”

“I do not wish to take that risk. But I would like my children to be around more Rayth.”

“If the island isn’t safe, I doubt if your ship is.”

“I was not even considering the ship. I would not take her to the flagship to be around Rayth, especially given that it would be the first line of defense in an attack. I would like your opinion on letting members of my crew take a shore leave, of sorts, here on Terra 2. Perhaps set up secondary residences. Do you think the population would allow it? Or would they be too fearful?”

“That would be Vince’s call, not mine.”

“Of course, I am simply wanting your opinion. Vince has command but you know these people, you probably have more interaction with them than he does.”

“Before the attack, I would say yeah, bring some down. But people are nervous now. Almost like it was when we first came to this galaxy and encountered Rayth. Perhaps one or two, maybe a half-dozen, could be integrated in, but more than that could raise panic levels.”

Zy’nayth sighed. “That is understandable.”

“I wish it wasn’t true,” Becket said.

The door opened and Victoria walked in with three bags of groceries. Zy’nayth went over and took the bags from her and carried them to the kitchen.

“Your meeting didn’t go as long as you thought it would,” she said.

“We just went over preliminary findings,” he said as he set the bags on the counter.

She kissed his cheek. “I’m gonna start lunch.”

“It is early for you to start lunch.”

“I told Becket I’d make some homemade lasagna for us, it takes a while.”

“Have you tried it yet?” Becket asked, carrying Mik’kenna into the kitchen.

“I do not believe so.”

“Well, you’re in for a treat.”

“Dada!” Ky’nayth said as he tugged on his father’s pant leg. Zy’nayth looked down as his son lifted up his arms, indicating that he wanted to be held. Zy’nayth picked him up and held him close. Victoria turned to grab more of the items from her grocery bags.

“Honey, are you okay?” she asked.

He nodded but sat on one of the chairs, still holding his son tightly, tears rolling down his cheeks. Victoria walked over and knelt before him, one hand on his knee, the other stroking Ky’nayth’s back, “Zy, what’s wrong?”

“He is projecting images of us. I believe he is trying to tell me that he loves us. His telepathy is quite strong.”

“Oh Zy, that’s wonderful!” she said as she got up and kissed him and her son.

“Mik’kenna is now doing it, too,” he said as his smile widened. “She is very happy.”

“I wish I had telepathy,” Victoria said, “I’m so jealous right now.”

“They love you very much,” he said. “Mik’kenna seems to enjoy Becket’s visits.” His smile widened, “They are flooding me with images. Gal’nayth was not able to project until he was nearly seven.” He kissed his son then stood and kissed his daughter, being held by Becket, “I love you two so much, and I am so proud of you.”

Mik’kenna clapped. “Ma! Dink!”

Victoria laughed, “Okay. You guys go into the main room, I’ll bring in some juice for them. Becket, want anything?”

“I’ll take some iced tea if you have some.”

“Coming up.” She kissed her son and daughter, “I love you guys, too. And I’m just as proud of you as Daddy is.”

Victoria went about making a big lunch. She rarely cooked such an extravagant meal for herself, but she enjoyed being able to cook for Becket, or anyone, really. So she went about her work as the men sat in the main room and watched the children play as they talked.

“I do not understand,” Zy’nayth said, “I thought that you and Brynna were doing quite well.”

“Not really,” Becket sighed. “Not ever. We’re polar opposites. I should have stopped things months ago.”

“What happened?” Victoria asked as she came in and sat down while the sauce simmered, “And why didn’t you tell me?”

“You had enough on your mind,” Becket said with the wave of a hand. “It doesn’t matter. We’re just too incompatible.”

“I’m sorry,” Victoria said, “I was really hoping things would work out for you two. And I should have kept better tabs on you.”

“Love, you’ve had a lot to deal with. My love life shouldn’t be at the top of your list of things to worry about.”

“Maybe not, but you’re my best friend. I should be more attentive.” She went over and kissed his cheek. “I love you, Becket. And please, if you ever need to talk about anything, including your love life, I’m here for you.”

“I know you are.”

Victoria returned to the kitchen to continue her work on the lasagna. An hour and a half later, they were gathered around the table with the kids in their high chairs, and Victoria served up the salad. The kids used their little hands to feed themselves their own version of the salad, particularly enjoying the cherry tomatoes.

Zy’nayth passed on the salad and simply helped his children with theirs. “They do not have any of that sauce on their salad.”

“Dressing,” Victoria said, “here, just dip a tomato in it to see if they like it. It might be a little rich for them.” Both kids seemed to enjoy the new flavor. Zy’nayth even gave it a try and gave his wife a nod.

The lasagna was also a hit with the kids and with Zy’nayth, though he only took two forkfuls. For the first time in weeks, Victoria felt as if there was some normalcy in her life. The kids were happy, Becket was joking around with her husband, and Zy’nayth was full of smiles.

“What is wrong, Victoria?” Zy’nayth asked as he noticed her staring at them.

“Nothing. I’m just really happy. My two favorite men are happy. My children are happy. It’s been a good day.”

After their relaxing lunch, Becket left to enjoy the rest of his day off with a good book. Zy’nayth continued his work in the main room while the kids played for a little while before Victoria put them down for a nap.

“We should probably look into getting little beds for them soon,” she said as she came back into the main room.

“I would like them to be a little more stable on their feet first,” he replied as he drew her into his arms. “And since they are now asleep, and we are alone, I would like to spend some time with you alone.”

“Would you?” she grinned.

December 12, 2118

Ja’val’s report confirmed that there were no Rayk on the blue Rayk homeworld, but he didn’t know how the planet was able to start regenerating its energy supply. He ran as many tests and took as many samples as he could, collecting as much information as possible given the short amount of time he was allotted. Though he wanted to find out more, he was sure that somehow, if that energy was allowed to remain active, rebel Rayth in the future could try to use it to dominate the galaxy, just as the current traitors were attempting to do. It had to be destroyed.

When he rejoined the Expedition: Andromeda team, he passed along information to astrophysicist Pavel Zharkov who would help him with the studies and simulations. After a day in the city-ship, as the Terra 2 city was now being called, Ja’val and Zy’nayth bridged to the Rayth homeworld. The Vice Chancellor had made the announcement about the serum the week before. The two thousand captive Rayth traitors had been moved to a holding area and the broadcast about the need for volunteers was shown to them as well as the entire Rayth population across the galaxy. He asked for ten volunteers from both the traitors and the general public to test the serum, then announced that the High Chancellor, as well as the First Science Commander, would be available the following week for questions.

When Zy’nayth and Ja’val arrived, they found that there were already hundreds of volunteers, something neither had truly expected. The public, however, still had a lot of questions ranging from how the serum worked to whether or not it would be mandatory in the future to take it. Ja’val handled all of the scientific questions, and Zy’nayth answered the rest. The serum would never be mandatory, but Zy’nayth emphasized the benefits of being able to live off of the land, especially given the Gyhan bioweapon that not only killed humans, but the Rayth that fed off of them.

At the end of a long day, Ja’val bridged back to Terra 2 while Zy’nayth retired in his chambers in the High Chancellor’s estate. “I am quite surprised there are so many volunteers,” he said to the Vice Chancellor who had settled in one of the large chairs, “especially from the public. I expected it of the traitors, a chance to escape punishment.”

“It’s quite encouraging,” Ny’van replied.

“Ja’val will decide how many of the volunteers we will use for this first trial. I do not think we should use all of them.”

“I agree. How are Victoria and the twins?”

“They are well. Both children can already project.”

“Really?” Ny’van shook his head, “They’re still quite young and half human. I’m impressed. Congratulations.”

Zy’nayth stood and put his jacket back on. “I am going to bridge back to Terra 2. I am away from my family too much as it is. I will return early in the morning.”

“This war will end soon and this serum will work then you can bring your wife and children back here.”

“The sooner the better. I will see you in the morning.”

***

“Dada!” Mik’kenna exclaimed.

“He won’t be back for a few more days,” Victoria said from the kitchen.

“Dada!” Ky’nayth exclaimed.

“I really don’t want to go through a week of this,” she said to no one as she put the last of the dishes away. Then she heard the heavy footfalls and turned to see her husband standing in the doorway with a kid in each arm. “I thought…what’s wrong?”

He smiled, “Nothing. I missed my family. I can bridge back in the morning.”

“How did things go?”

“More volunteers than expected. A lot more.”

“That’s good.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Finally, something’s going our way.” She leaned over their children and gave him a kiss. “I’m glad you came home.”