E:A Vol 5 Ch 2—May 24, 2120

May 24, 2120

The Rayth walked into the conference room. “Sir,” he bowed to the man at the head of the table, “we’ve received word that materials are in short supply. We have enough for five, perhaps six more hulls. And ore to convert for engine fuel is also low.”

The leader sighed, “We can’t attempt to steal more from the Empire’s mines. Not now in any case. The smugglers?”

“Doing their best, sir. The conversion factories are caught up. I ordered them to close for the time being.”

“We need to find more resources outside of the Supreme Commander’s eyesight.”

“Unfortunately, the large deposits are all under the High Chancellor’s control. Our smugglers won’t dare to take more than what they are.”

“Take care that you do not refer to him as the High Chancellor. I’ll allow Supreme Commander, but not High Chancellor. Also, I said that we couldn’t attempt to take more ore. Have we found records of the smaller non-mined deposits yet? There has to be something in our old files. Something the Empire didn’t think was worth setting up a mining operation for.”

“Our scientists are going through the files. We’ve found several, but the planets are patrolled.”

“We have a few cloaked ships. Use them.”

“Sir, you know as well as I do that the Empire’s warships can see through these old cloaking devices of ours.”

“They won’t be looking for us. Not planet-side.”

“What? Land the ships? They aren’t built to land and take off.”

The man sighed. Must he think of everything? This is what his men were supposed to do. “Low orbit? I believe they can fly in a very low orbit under cloud cover, correct?”

“Risky, but perhaps doable. Or find a planet with a moon or asteroid belt we could hide in. We’d need a good pilot.”

The man slammed his fist on his desk. “If we don’t have a pilot that can do something so simple, then we need to be recruiting people we do need! Not everyone can be loyal to the Supreme Commander!”

“Yes, sir.”

“Go. Talk to the strategists. We need that ore and we need it to stay on schedule.”

“We could, sir, cut down the number of ships wanted. We’re just sending them in to be destroyed anyway. Why build so many full-sized warships?”

“Because the Supreme Commander needs to know that he’s outnumbered. Give ourselves a bit of a psychological edge.”

“A bit, yes. In the end, his warships will win. And all of this work over the last three years will have been for nothing.”

“You don’t know the full impact this will have on him. When we attack Earth, the humans will have to acknowledge Rayth exist and when they find out that this so-called Expedition: Andromeda team has known about us all this time and that one of their doctors is married to the Supreme Commander, it will give him, his wife, and the Expedition all kinds of trouble.”

The man bowed to his leader and went back to his office, calling in his top strategists as he did so. Once they assembled, he told them about the conversation.

“It makes more sense to strike Kiva or Jarstal. It’s going to take us weeks to get to Earth and all for what? To hurt some humans to make the Supreme Commander angry?” The strategist shook his head, “I’m all for taking control of the Empire, but they’re not going to care that we destroyed a planet in an entirely different galaxy. The Supreme Commander’s ships can be there in days, not weeks.”

“Only the flagship and Second and Third ships,” the Rayth leading the conversation said. “The rest of their ships are faster than ours, but not by much.”

“But they’re fully staffed. Five hundred to a thousand men on those warships. We’ll be lucky to have a pilot and a navigator on each of ours. And they’ll all be engaged on finding us here or across the galaxy as we head back from Earth.”

“So when we do get to Earth and destroy it, how is our leader going to turn that into a victory for himself?” another asked.

“He believes that because of these Earthlings, the Supreme Commander was able to create the serum. The serum makes us human. No more abilities. Therefore, Earth must be destroyed. And he will have organized and accomplished that task,” the leading Rayth said.

“But what we’re hearing…we gave the Supreme Commander a massive dose of that serum mixed with the Gyhan virus. He shouldn’t be alive and it’s apparent that his abilities haven’t diminished.”

“Which is why we need to launch this attack sooner rather than later. If they start mass distribution and people realize that it doesn’t revert Rayth back to humans, we can’t use that angle.” He tilted his head in the direction of their leader’s office, “And he’ll still want to attack Earth.”

“Is there any way we can use Di’vash and Ca’vak?” another asked.

“They’re on the flagship in the brig. I don’t think so,” a third said.

“But that was intentional. Why are they there?” another asked.

“We were hoping they wouldn’t be kept on such a secure ship. The Supreme Commander doesn’t usually keep prisoners there. We still hope to see them transferred to warships where we have loyal members. Yes, we’re building a bunch of empty shells but we need to get a few actual warships under our command.”

“The crews won’t go for it.”

“We’ll convert some, I’m sure. The others will be killed or dumped off somewhere. We need those shields and weapons. The so-called ships we’re building will do enough damage against Earth, but we want some protection for our men once the Supreme Commander arrives with his fleet. One of his own warships will stand a better chance of getting out of the foray alive.”

“Speaking of the remote guidance system, we’re going to start tests next week. Simulations have worked well. We’ll use a shuttle. If that goes well, we’ll try it on a warship.”

“At least that will be some good news I can take to our leader. Now, gentlemen, we need to figure out which planets we can get to and from to get our ore.”

***

While the Rayth rebels were adjusting their plans, Zy’nayth asked his assistant, Dre’han, to join him and Ny’van in a discussion. Throughout the week following the meeting with the Terra 2 team, Zy’nayth and Ny’van had worked out some final details with the High Council and now that the plans were in hand, he would require Dre’han’s assistance.

“I am going to need to make a speech about the serum distribution soon,” Zy’nayth said as they took seats in his office. “There are a few things that I will need you, Dre’han, to organize. The Lead’s assistant will be made available to you should you need him, and of course anyone else, with clearance, that you require. We are hoping to be able to offer distribution of the serum to the inhabitants of Tarnia by July 29. That date is firm whether or not we have all of the livestock we need. We should have everything else in place.

“Since most of Tarnia’s landmass is surrounded by water, this opens up the prospect of fishing. General Cavanaugh himself is an avid fisherman and will offer a rudimentary demonstration on techniques. He is also checking his staff to see if there are any others willing to help. On Monday, I am going to contact the Governor of Tarnia to explain what I propose to do.”

“And that would be?” Dre’han asked, making notes as Zy’nayth talked.

“First, let him know that I intend to offer the serum for distribution on Tarnia. Second, to inform him that I am allowing six teams of Expedition: Andromeda members to go to the planet in order to demonstrate farming, livestock raising, fishing, and cooking techniques. Note that this is separate and distinct from the Terra 2 teams going to assess conditions prior to the distribution. He will be informed of that during the call as well. Third, each Terra 2 team will be accompanied by a team of warriors from my flagship, obviously for the humans’ safety. I, myself, will also be going to the planet’s capital. Fourth, greenhouses will be constructed in each village and town and a community garden will be planted. Fifth, anyone interested in taking the serum should be in attendance during the instructional demonstrations. Finally,” Zy’nayth said, “they will be informed that should we not have food available, the nutrient shakes will be distributed and First Science will turn over reports showing that they work for adults as well as children, though must be consumed in larger quantities.”

“Several questions, sir,” Dre’han said, “or are you going to go into more detail?”

“That was the overview. Ask your questions, I will go into detail in my answers.”

“When will the Expedition teams be going to Tarnia? I mean this first team to assess the conditions.”

“The plan is to be there on June 3 and stay there for the week, perhaps two. They have been given a lot of information from Science and have been going over that this week with the Second Science Commander.”

“Thank you. I did some research after Tarnia was confirmed. It has forty-seven towns/villages. Population of the entire planet is just under 30,000. There are only fifty human women. No human males. What percentage participation rate are you hoping will take the serum?”

“I would be quite pleased with ten percent, but hoping we get at least five percent,” Zy’nayth said.

“So in my interactions with builders and manufacturers, shall I use the ten percent number? For example, we don’t know how many greenhouses to build. Do we plan on ten percent of each population area signing up?”

“We will plan the buildings after we know how many register for the serum. We cannot do it the other way without ending up without ending up not having enough or providing too much.”

Dre’han nodded, “Of course. I wasn’t thinking. All right. Plan of action for that last week in July during the distribution and demonstration. Will you be going to each of these forty-seven towns in that week? How is this going to play out?” Dre’han asked. “Schedule of events?”

“The serum distribution and the demonstration will be two separate engagements, if you will. The serum distribution will happen beginning July 29. The gardening and cooking demonstration will take place a month earlier, beginning on June 24. And this is where you are going to be vital,” Zy’nayth smiled. “The plan is to have a demonstration in the capital that first day. The schedule is still being worked on and we probably will not have it finalized until Chef Alan and Dr. Nichols has everything ready to go.”

“Question,” Dre’han lifted a finger as he stopped typing, “to clarify. Everyone taking the serum must be in attendance at the capital, or will this be a village by village demonstration in which they must be present?”

“The main demonstration from the capital will be broadcast. I expect everyone to watch it. And at the various villages, they must be in attendance when the village by village demonstrations are held. My hope is to demonstrate once, then as we visit each village, our teams will only have to answer questions as we get them set up. Of course, if something must be demonstrated again, we will accommodate that scenario.”

“Thank you, continue please.”

“After talking with the Governor on Monday, I will go to Tarnia to address the people of the planet personally. That will be either Tuesday or Wednesday. At the end of the week, I will then address the entire Empire regarding the first mass distribution of the serum. During my talk with the Tarnians, I will direct them to contact you to sign up for the serum.

“Yes sir. I shall arrange for a special contact number, place a form on our network that they can fill out. Two numbers, actually, one for the Tarnians, since that will be priority, another for the Empire at large to be sorted through later.”

“I think that will be wise.”

“What else?” Dre’han typed quickly on his holographic keyboard as Zy’nayth talked.

“During my talk with the rest of the Empire, I will inform our people that we can only do this in small stages and will explain the issues with the livestock and cooking and such. Vice, I am asking you to work this weekend with me on getting those two speeches written.”

Ny’van nodded as Zy’nayth continued. “So the demonstration, which should only take one day, ten hours, will include the building of the greenhouse and instructions on how to fix anything that goes wrong with the building, such as if the self-watering system breaks down, or a fan, things of that nature. All very basic.

“Once the building is up, work will begin on digging up the ground for the garden while the people are told about rotating crops and some other items I know nothing about,” he smiled. “The Farm Director, Agricultural Director, and Botany Director will all give various information about this entire process.”

“I assume a directory of some sort will be provided on the plants since people will forget things,” Dre’han said.

“Yes. There will be a control panel inside of each greenhouse which will specify what plants are in the greenhouse and garden and appropriate information on how to tend to them. Of course, we will also have the main catalog of such things available on our information network. I did not wish to pressure the Terra 2 teams into collecting all of that data for the first demonstration. Though I was told they have most of it readily available in their files and that it would be a matter of creating a layman’s version of the data.”

Dre’han nodded. “Good. Okay, two hours on the build, three for the garden. Next?”

“A one hour break. The humans will need to eat, of course. It will be a working lunch, but nothing formal is planned for that hour. Simple sandwiches will be distributed so the humans can eat and answer questions at the same time.

“Following lunch, we will move to the capital’s meeting hall. During my initial trip there, Chef Alan, and Victoria, of course, will be accompanying me. We will ascertain the best set up of the meeting hall for facilitating the cooking demonstration. Obviously, kitchen equipment will be brought in. I wish you to join us since you have a knack of seeing difficulties or have questions that we may not take into consideration.”

“Of course,” Dre’han replied. “How long for the cooking demonstration?”

“An hour and a half, possibly two,” Zy’nayth said. “Alan is still adjusting things. Until he gets a report from Botany and Agriculture, he will not know what to demonstrate as his idea is to go over only what they can grow. The video series will not be available until the serum distribution at the end of July, however as Chef Alan finishes each segment, we will put it on our network, but the full set of segments will not be completed until the end of July. Also note, that I want the demonstration at the capital recorded and uploaded to our network the next morning.

“The rest of the day will be focused on fishing techniques. If they catch any fish, Alan will demonstrate how to prepare and cook them. This will also be recorded. Note that the fishing demonstration may go on longer. Vince said he’d like to make sure they caught a few fish just to make sure Alan had something to show them. It may run well into the evening. Alan has been informed and agreed.”

“Seems like a long time for just a fishing demonstration,” Dre’han said.

“It will be, however, until we have enough livestock to distribute, fish will be their main protein. During the main broadcast from the capital,” Zy’nayth continued, “there will be six other teams in six other villages. As things are explained at the capital, those six villages will begin their construction and planting along with us.

“On the second day of our trip, the other six teams, will move on to six other villages. My core team will visit those villages where the other six teams were on Monday. That way we can answer any further questions and I can reassure people that I am personally invested in seeing this work.”

“These other village visits may last only a couple of hours or all day,” Ny’van said. “We will stay the entire day, if needed, before moving on to the next village. Potentially, it could take us close to two months before we return home.”

“I am hoping that will not be the case, but yes, it is what I am preparing for,” Zy’nayth said to Dre’han.

“Will Terra 2 have the staff for six other teams, plus your core team?” Dre’han asked. “I know Chef Alan is short staffed, according to what I heard in the meeting last week, so if we’re using him and six other chefs, that’s fourteen members of his staff.”

“There are a handful of home cooks who, like Victoria, are comfortable answering questions, teaching techniques, and such. Victoria will assist Alan. Terra 2’s head nurse, Janice Evans, and David Chapman also fall into that category and will be able to help. He is hoping to find four others, so that he only drains his staff of seven chefs, not fourteen. Keep in mind, that the two month period is for my core team only. I expect the other six teams to be done after eight days.”

“Accommodations on the flagship for the entire Expedition: Andromeda staff, I assume,” Dre’han said and got a nod in reply. “What about livestock; will we have any to give them at the demonstration?”

“I do not yet know,” Zy’nayth answered. “I hope to have chickens for breeding and a cow or goat for milk. One for each town. That is another area I will need you to keep organized. I have already given General Cavanaugh a substantial amount of gold to be used for this purpose. An account has been set up,” Zy’nayth slid over a digital card. “All of the account information is there. Should he need to reach you for more funds, you may transfer funds from the treasury. Only myself, the Vice Chancellor, Lead Councilman, and you have authority to transfer funds.”

“Honored, sir. So, if we have some livestock to give them during the demonstration, we’ll need to set aside time to go over how to tend to the animals.”

“No. I wish to handle the livestock differently since I do not see your average Rayth wanting a cow or goat in their backyard. I will mention during my address to the Tarnians, the need for people to consider having a ranch of some sort. I will set up a central livestock ranch for the planet. If others from a village wish to start one of their own, that is fine. Dre’han, you will collect information from those who wish to be ranchers.”

“Will there be a limit as to how many ranchers we will allow?”

“No. But I will stress that I will only provide livestock for the main, central ranch.”

“Vice, you have a suggestion?” Zy’nayth asked, seeing the look in his friend’s eyes.

“Provide animals only for the central location as you said,” Ny’van said. “We will continue to add to until there is enough to sustain the population. But those wishing to become ranchers in their own villages should work at the central ranch for a certain amount of time to see if it’s something they truly want to take on. The work they put in on the ranch will pay for the initial livestock to start his own ranch. In this way, we are encouraging people to become ranchers. The more people we have breeding more livestock, the less we have to rely on Terra 2.”

“In which case, we need to make sure we have enough breeding animals for all forty-seven villages,” Zy’nayth said. “Those animals will need to be marked in some fashion, so that if each village does end up with a ranch, they already have the animals set aside. With this being such a small planet, I don’t think each village will want to have a ranch, but best to be prepared.”

“How long will they have to work for the animals, and how long do they have in order to decide they want to be ranchers?” Dre’han said. “You don’t want someone five years from now asking for his free animals.”

“I will discuss the time length with Dr. Wells and Dr. Nichols to get a better understanding, but I would say six months, perhaps. It is my understanding that most of the larger animals only have offspring once or twice a year. I would want anyone willing to be a rancher to go through that process. As for the time limit they have to claim the animals, I would say a year from July 29. And the offer will only be good for this initial distribution. If they have not signed up to be potential ranchers by June 24, they will not be able to claim free animals. They will have to purchase them.”

“So then if we put this idea in place, where you work on the main ranch to decide if you want to be a rancher, how then do we select where the main ranch will be and who will run it?” Ny’van asked.

“It will be near the largest populated city, in Tarnia’s case, the capital. And I would say, let them all work. A natural leader will emerge. If the person from the capital does not wish to be a rancher, someone else can run the facility. They would have to move, of course, and I suppose the government could help with that expense. This is assuming only one person from the capital signs up. We also need to take in the butchery aspect as well. The main facility would also have a butcher shop. I am not sure if each village would need one. I will have to work with Dr. Wells and Dr. Nichols more on that topic.” Zy’nayth sighed. “I am a warrior, not a farmer.”

“But we are planning a strategy,” Ny’van encouraged, “and there’s no better strategist in the Empire than you. Keep going.

“All right,” Zy’nayth ran his fingers through his scraggly, jagged white hair. Terra 2 is helping my men to understand what is needed. Once the appropriate buildings are in place, we will transfer the livestock to Kiva. The Rayth team that has trained on Terra 2 will oversee operations and train those who want to be ranchers and butchers.”

“One thing you haven’t mentioned, not to distract from the livestock discussion,” Dre’han said, “once I’ve gathered the data on the Tarnians wishing to take the serum, I will pass it along to First Science so that his team can do follow-up regarding the administration of the serum. Will his team be going to Tarnia to administer the serum or do I need to make arrangements for them to come to Kiva?”

“Science teams will be going to Tarnia. First Science will have a team in each village,” Zy’nayth said. “He is taking care of those details, including housing. You need not add that to your list.”

“Thank you,” Dre’han smiled. “I should probably have a sign in process at each village so that we know those taking the serum were in attendance. Sorry, sir, that’s a note to myself.” Dre’han looked up from his tablet. “Now back to the livestock issue. Where exactly will we be keeping the livestock here on Kiva? Terra 2 is keeping it for now, correct?”

“Correct.” Zy’nayth smiled, “Right now, the Exposition Grounds. They were not too happy when I said I was commandeering their land. I already have a crew assembled to begin turning it into a giant ranch.”

“But they have events planned around the year…what are they…”

“The events are small ones throughout the summer and can be relocated. This is the largest government-owned piece of land on Kiva. I need it. I hope to have another location chosen before fall so that I can return the Exposition Grounds over for their end of summer festival. I needed something now, and this was the easiest solution.”

“So I need to start looking for property to transfer the livestock to by the end of…”

“No, Dre’han,” Ny’van said, “this one is my task. You have enough to do.”

“It’s just a matter of making some calls…”

“Which I am more than capable of doing,” Ny’van said. “Besides, I can immediately authorize a purchase whereas you would have to go through the High Chancellor or the Council to negotiate. If I find something, I can handle the negotiations and make it a done deal without getting anyone else involved.”

“Well if you need assistance, I am willing,” Dre’han smiled.

“I think you have plenty to do,” Zy’nayth said. “Unless you have further questions or Vice, if I forgot to cover something, I think we are done.”

“How are the animals getting here? Who’s overseeing the livestock? Providing feed?” Dre’han said. “Sorry, sir, I like to know as much as possible.”

“Which is why you have served me well for so long,” Zy’nayth gave him a nod then continued. “The Exposition Grounds have a bridge portal outside of the entrance, as you know. There are three people on the flagship that have been quite interested in raising livestock and have been studying off and on for the last two years with Dr. Wells and Dr. Nichols in their free time. They have been contacted and are willing to oversee the animals. They will transfer the animals from Terra 2 to the Exposition Grounds. Which reminds me, I will need for you to arrange long-term housing, at least through the middle of August, for them.” Zy’nayth tapped a few keys on his tablet and sent the three men’s files to Dre’han. “If we can have a place for them by the end of next week, that would be sufficient. The Exposition has to finish clearing out their grounds; I gave them until next Saturday to do so.”

“I hope they were at the end of a program,” Ny’van winced.

“It closed last night,” Zy’nayth said. “The timing was perfect. And to ease your mind, I have sent in teams to help them set up their next event at the temporary venue. I will be supplying them with the extra help they need until we have a permanent location ready.”

“I’ll make a note to follow up with the Exposition Grounds Director to see what will need repaired once we vacate the area. Perhaps a nice overhaul of the area is in order?” Dre’han suggested.

Ny’van smiled, “It would help ease the tension.”

Zy’nayth nodded, “Vice, please add that to your list.”

***

General Vince Cavanaugh, David Chapman, and Chefs Alan and Asuka bridged to Earth while Zy’nayth was going over his plans with Dre’han and Ny’van. They had a lot of items to bring back. The two chefs as well as David had spent hours making calls, getting equipment and tools and machinery ordered for today’s pickup. Now they’d have to collect it all and get it to Kiva. At least get it to a ship that would take it to Kiva.

“Vince, good to see you,” General Ken Price said as he and the other three men bridged into Central Command.

“Same,” Vince said, shaking his hand. “Listen, I need to take these guys to pick up a transport. Mind if I grab a shuttle? When I get done, want to have a cup of coffee? Been a while since we sat and chatted.”

“Sure thing. How long do you think you’ll be?”

“Forty-five minutes,” Vince said. “We can stay in your office if you can’t leave the base.”

“Actually, make it an hour, that’ll be the end of my shift. Worked some odd hours this week. There’s a diner east of the base on the highway. I could use some food. Maggie’s out on her Friday run through the hair stylist, shoe shopping, and lunch with the ladies.”

“Even better. See you at the diner in an hour.”

“Sergeant, get him set up with a shuttle,” Ken nodded to one of his men. Vince, David, Asuka, and Alan were led to the assigned shuttle then Vince piloted them to where David normally picked up transports. He’d picked out a huge hauler that could carry the heavy machinery as well as everything else they had. Dr. Hank Wells and Dr. Nelson Castor both helped in choosing some very basic farm equipment, tractors, harvesters, and so on. Those would be picked up first.

“When you have everything, call me,” Vince said as he dropped the men off. “We’ll meet at Victoria’s place and get some Rayth help to unload. One of you knows how to drive those tractors, right?”

David chuckled, “If I can drive a fire truck and this hauler, I can handle a tractor. See you later.”

Vince nodded and flew back to Colorado and waited for Ken at the diner.

“So, what are you guys doing back?” Ken asked after the waitress took their orders. “Don’t see you on Earth often. I think the last time was that trial about Victoria Carson’s in-laws.”

“No family here. I like where I’m at. Anyway, Alan and Asuka need some special kitchen equipment or something. I needed to get away, if only for a few of hours, and I was hoping to run into you. Ken, we’re having some trouble. We have a traitor in our base, at least we think we do. There’ve been some incidents. You’ve seen those reports, right?”

“Yeah. Thought you had some leads, last I checked.”

“None panned out. We can’t prove an outsider did it,” Vince said, using the term “outsider” for “Rayth.” He took a sip of his coffee, “We’re pretty sure outsider tech was used. I don’t think an unapproved outsider could have gotten in, so it means we have someone on the inside working with the rebels. So far, everyone’s coming up clean on our end.”

“How can I help?”

“Keep your eyes and ears open. When my team members come through, see if they say anything odd or take anything back that seems…suspicious. Or if requisitions come in for anything out of the ordinary. I generally go over all requisitions, but sometimes not with the diligence I should. We’re at a dead end.”

“I’ll make sure to take a look at the reqs when they come in. I can also look through personnel files if you want me to. Off the record, of course.”

“I was going to ask. I can’t let the Oversight Committee know anything. They see the reports, they know about the incidents, but I don’t want them knowing we think there’s someone on the inside. I don’t trust the OC. The last group left a bad taste in my mouth, so this has to be strictly between the two of us.”

“We’re on the same page there. I don’t like a bunch of civvies telling me how to run my base anyway. So, how’s the good doctor doing?”

“Which one?” Vince smiled.

“Victoria, the one who’s caused all this trouble.”

“It’s not her fault,” Vince said.

“I know, I know. I feel for her. Her ex-husband, from what I saw of the trial, was a monster. And her new husband is a walking target for an entire galaxy. You think he’s good to her?”

“I do. I’ve asked Victoria a couple of times, and Becket keeps an eye on her. The High Chancellor’s a good man. I trust him. I can’t completely confide in him, more for political reasons than personal, but he’s got our backs.”

“You sure of that?”

Vince nodded as the food was brought out. “Admittedly, at first, no. What human would considering what his people do to us. But as I’ve gotten to know him, that’s changed.” The waitress came over and set their food out then left them to talk.

“I’d like to meet him. Sounds like an interesting guy from what little I’ve garnered.”

“You probably will at some point. But, let me warn you, he likes to be in control. That was hard for me to deal with and I know it will be for you. He does catch himself from time to time and apologizes when it seems like he’s ordering me or my team to do something. But forget trying to sit at the head of a table. Every meeting or dinner or whatever the case may be, he automatically sits at the head of the table.”

“Irked you, did it?” Ken smiled.

“We’ve been in charge for too long, my friend,” Vince returned the smile, “used to having the top seat.”

“True,” Ken said with a laugh and took a bite of his breakfast steak. “Mmm. This place has great food.”

Vince had ordered eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and a couple of sausage links. He’d only grabbed some orange juice for breakfast, so the hot meal was eagerly devoured.

After their meal, the two men went their separate ways: Ken going home to try and get his schedule back in order after a week of working odd shifts; Vince heading off to do some personal shopping. With Lutia and Alessa both due to have babies soon, he wanted to get them a little something. He’d begun to look on both of them as daughters, much as he had everyone else in their little “family” circle.

Just a little after 4:00 p.m. Central Time, David contacted Vince to let him know they were at their last stop and were going to head to Victoria’s estate in Montana. Zy’nayth had sent his Third Ship to Earth to pick up the items. They were in orbit awaiting the signal.

The three men beat Vince to Victoria’s estate and were just starting to unload the transport which they parked near the barn when he arrived. Vince parked the shuttle in the driveway and hurried to help the men. They were unloading bags and boxes of smaller items, setting them just outside of the barn doors in order to clear a path to the tractors.

“We should have brought a cart; so much to carry out,” Alan said.

Vince nodded, “I think there might be one in the barn,” he said and used the security code to enter. The upper level of the barn was basically empty. There were a couple of crates where some miscellaneous items were stored. The rest looked like the inside of a Rayth ship. The outside looked like an old-fashioned wood barn, but the inside hadn’t been disguised. The walls were benachti with a computerized, military-grade Rayth “glass” for the windows. The windows were also programmed so that anyone looking in would only see an old empty barn.

There was a loft that was half the width of the main floor. Currently there was nothing in it. The basement area contained the bridge portal and the tunnel to the house. Beneath the loft area on the main floor was an enormous rectangular area that could be either lowered to the basement where the bridge was located, or raised to the loft. Currently it was level with the main floor making the space look even larger than it already was.

He grabbed the hover lift and walked back out, signaling the Third Commander on the Rayth ship overhead. After confirming that everyone was out of the way, a large flat, black square platform, only six inches tall, appeared in a predetermined area. Then four Rayth warriors appeared to help unload the hauler.

“All right, boys,” Vince said to Alan and Asuka, “everything goes on that black square except for items we’ll carry back to Colorado with us. Remember, the group at CC are expecting us to return with kitchen items for Terra 2. Enough to warrant four men coming to Earth to get them, so keep plenty aside to take with us.”

The smaller items were all put to the side then David, two Rayth with him to receive instructions, drove out the tractors. “I’m sure driving a warship is much more complicated. But this is basically it. I’ve sent the files on these to First Science so his team knows what all the buttons are for and what the machines are supposed to do.”

The warriors said little, only nodding now and again. Vince thanked them for their help and once everything was set on the enormous black square, one of the warriors walked to an edge of the platform and kicked a button. Sides rolled out and up, forming a box, then, making sure everyone was out of the way except his fellow Rayth, he contacted the Third Ship and all were teleported up.

“Thank you General,” the Third Commander said to Vince over their comlinks. “Everyone and everything is safely on board. We will wait until we have received word that you are back on Terra 2 before we head back to Andromeda.”

“Understood,” Vince said and disconnected the call. The smaller items they’d taken off of the hauler were moved onto the shuttle Vince borrowed from the military base. Then they returned the hauler to the rental shop before continuing to Central Command where they unloaded their items and bridged back to Terra 2. Vince called the Third Commander, then the Third Ship began its trip back to Andromeda.

May 25, 2120

Chris answered the door and smiled. “Hey Vince, come on in. Right on time. Alessa’s almost done with dinner. Dad, don’t go around sneaking up on generals, not good for the career.”

“He’s not my boss,” David grinned as he walked up behind Vince. “I smell chicken.”

“Monterey chicken or something like that. I don’t know, she just says chicken with cheese. That’s all I need to know. Come on in.”

Alessa came out and greeted them, Vince letting David enter first, then he pulled in one large box and a shopping bag. “I come bearing gifts,” Vince smiled.

“It’s not even my birthday!” Chris exclaimed.

“I know it’s a bit early, but I don’t get back to Earth often. I had to ask for some guidance on what to get. I hope you can use what I selected.”

“I’m sure I’ll love it all!” Chris grinned and got a slap on the arm by his wife.

“Thank you, Vince. Ignore my husband.”

“I can finish up with the dinner,” David said to Alessa, “sit, open!”

“These are the first gifts!” Alessa smiled. “Honey, you open the big box. I’ll open what’s in the bag.”

“Excellent!” Chris said and pulled the box towards him as his wife reached into the bag and pulled out the first bundle. She found various little outfits suitable for either a boy or a girl, a little baseball hat, gym shoes, a white blanket, a teething ring, cloth baby books, and a stuffed dog that looked a lot like their dog, Storm.

“I personally like the hat,” Chris said.

“Open the box,” Alessa said, nudging him.

“Oh, right. Got caught up in all the little outfits,” Chris grinned and unwrapped the present. “Cool. What is it?”

Alessa nudged him again. “It’s a baby carrier. We set Baby Chapman in it and we can rock her…”

“Or him” Chris said.

“Or him,” Alessa smiled, “and oh, it works as a vehicle seat too, so we can use it when we go to Earth. Vince, thank you. This all very nice and far too much.”

“I thought the carrier would be a good thing to have. I was going to get a stroller, but that was like buying a new cruiser. I figure you’ve got something specific in mind.”

“I do and my parents already said they wanted to buy that for me once I settled on what I wanted. And they want to buy a crib and they want to buy a dollhouse.”

“Boys don’t play with dolls,” Chris said.

David walked in, “Dinner’s served. And Chris, what are you going to do if she has a girl?”

“Try for a boy,” Chris grinned. “Vince, everything on Earth go okay? You talk to Ken?”

“I did. He’s gonna help us, off the record.”

After their dinner, they settled in the small living room. Chris said they needed to work on prepping the houses on the “arms” of the ship. “At least one house for my family,” he smiled. “And another for Zy’nayth since he’s got kids. One for Ja’val and Lutia, too. All those with kids should get a house.”

“It would be nice to get people out of the cramped quarters in the towers, but we need the main part of the city up and running first,” Vince said.

“I know. Maybe as a side job,” Chris said just as Vince’s comlink buzzed.

“Cavanaugh,” he answered.

“Major Kessler, sir. Sgt. Riley and his team just returned from their mission…Riley found something in his rucksack. Something that looks like Rayth tech about the size of a baseball.”

“Were there Rayth near the village?”

“Not that we’re aware of, sir. It might be an explosive. I’ve ordered the evac of his floor and the surrounding ones above and below his. I thought we should call First Science.”

“Make sure everyone’s off three floors surrounding. I’ll call First Science.” He disconnected the call, “Chris, best to get your wife and father down to a lower level. Might have an explosive device a half-dozen floors up.”

“Let’s go,” Chris said and immediately helped his wife up. “Where do you want me?”

“With your family,” Vince said and tapped his comlink. Ja’val answered and was filled in on the situation.

“Chambers?” Ja’val asked.

“Tower One, floor 85, unit 9.”

“Leave it to me and my team,” Ja’val said then called his team on the flagship. “I need three of you and a blast box. We may have an explosive device on Terra 2. I need you in your blast suits. Bring one for me. I’ll meet you at the bridge.” He turned to his wife and gave her a kiss, “I need you to go down to the first floor and wait to hear from me.”

“I heard blast box,” she said.

“It’s a containment unit about the size of a toaster,” he held his hands up to describe the size, “it’s designed to contain explosions. Come, let’s get you downstairs. I need to get to the control room.”

The three Rayth scientists arrived, one with the blast box, one with Ja’val’s blast suit which he slipped on over his clothes, then put on the helmet. The third was carrying a case of tools, should they be needed.

“Blast room is prepped and ready for direct teleportation,” the third man said.

“Good,” Ja’val said and tapped his wristband. Since the helmet wouldn’t allow him to tap his comlink, the wristband served in that capacity. While on the way up to the chambers, Ja’val quickly informed Zy’nayth of what was happening. “I’ll call you once we have it on the flagship.”

“I will head there now,” he replied then disconnected the call.

“It’s a small room,” Ja’val said to his three men, “Second Officer, to the right side of the bed, I’ll take left. First Officer, at the foot, you’ll handle the box. Second Science, wait here with the tools should I need them.”

The door was open, the rucksack and copper-colored baseball were sitting on the bed. “Looks like a Rayth mini-drone,” Ja’val said before entering. “Second Officer, go through the rucksack to see if there are any more in there.” Ja’val then knelt at the side of the bed to look at the device. “Probably programmed. He pulled it out of his bag, so it wasn’t set to go off when moved.” He reached out, looked at his First Science Officer and nodded. The First Science Officer opened the blast box. Ja’val reached out and picked up the ball. He turned it over in his hands, “Definitely a mini-drone.” He put it in the box then tapped his wristband when his comlink buzzed. “First Science,” he answered.

“One member of the off-world team with Sgt. Riley hasn’t unpacked. The other two have. Unit 24, same floor if you want to check his pack.”

“Understood,” Ja’val said then looked at his Second Science Officer, “finish up here. First, stay with him. Second Commander, with me. You two, meet us at unit 24, this floor when you’re done.”

The two Rayth went through the corridors, found unit 24 and went in. The rucksack was in a chair. Ja’val already guessing that the device wouldn’t explode until programmed to do so, simply opened the rucksack and dumped the contents on the bed. The Second Science Commander went through the items while Ja’val went through the various pockets of the rucksack. “Nothing here.”

“Nor here,” came the reply as the Second Science Commander moved everything into neat rows to make sure nothing was overlooked.

Ja’val tapped his wristband again, “Vince, are you sure the other two are clean?”

“Yes. Fully unpacked and items put away.”

“Did they check each pocket of the rucksack?”

He heard Vince ask the two men in his office, “Not confirmed. Floor 82, unit 15; floor 83, unit 20.”

Ja’val repeated the floors and unit numbers. “On our way.” The other two members of the team joined them, each pair went to a separate unit and checked. There was only the one mini-drone which they teleported to the blast room on the flagship.

“We’re out,” Ja’val told Vince, “I’d say it’s safe to return to quarters.”

“Thank you,” Vince said. Then Ja’val called his wife and let her know he was safe and the danger was past.

“That is a very old drone,” Zy’nayth said as he looked through the into the blast room.

“It is,” Ja’val said, using the robotic arms to meticulously take apart the device. “And here’s the explosive.” The arm came up holding something that looked like a brown wad of bubblegum. The robotic arm moved it to a tray, then he ran his hands over a different area of the control panel. “We’ll have the results in a minute,” he said, then continued his disassembly of the device, finding the main computer chip. “Okay, let’s see what they wanted you to do,” he said as he connected it to a stand-alone computer in the blast room.

***

“You idiot! What were you thinking?”

“The opportunity presented itself. I dropped the drone into the pack. It will wait until there’s been no movement for an extended period of time and then…”

“How is it going to get out of the pack? Did you program it to cut itself out? They will find it and then there will be questions and they’ll know that someone is still out there trying to sabotage Expedition: Andromeda. And they’ll know it’s a Rayth. Get out!”