E:A Vol 6 Ch 6—October 21, 2120

Chapter 6: October 21, 2120

Vince looked up from his desk made out of two by fours and a slab of plywood left over from the construction of the suite over the garage. Zy’nayth was walking up from the bridge portal area on the floor below. “Ken said he’d take all the help we could give him. They have a makeshift mess hall, so Alan won’t need to worry about our volunteers. They’re only doing two six-hour shifts. They don’t have enough generators yet to allow them to work in the dark. I told him that I’d like our crew clearing debris, not looking for bodies. They’ve been through enough.”

Zy’nayth stepped aside as six men, two of whom were in the military, the others looked like civilians, went past him down to the portal. With the bridge portal and tunnel to the house below them, the main floor of the “barn” was buzzing with people. “But his men have also been through much.” He smiled at Vince as another group of six walked past them, going outside. “Perhaps you should move your ‘office’ to the loft.”

“This is fine. If my staff can weather the cold out there, I can deal with traffic in here.” Vince let out a sigh and put his head in his hands, “Nearly everyone at Central Command died in the attack. I’ve been in battle. You go in knowing you might not make it back. But this…there was no warning. One minute they’re going about their daily routine, the next…obliterated. So many lost. Good people.” He looked up at his friend, “I don’t want my men to see more dead bodies. Ken understands. Anyway,” he waved off the depressing thoughts with his hand, “Chris and Ian are taking names for volunteers. We’re hoping to ship the first crew out in two days.

“I was also able to get in touch with Michael Stewart. I told him we were meeting this morning, and he said to call him when you’re ready. If you want, we can take care of that now and deal with other things afterwards.”

Zy’nayth agreed and Vince placed the call. Zy’nayth tapped into the line and apologized to the president about the attack, then the High Chancellor told him about the money situation—his manipulation of bank accounts and not knowing who or where to deposit the gold to correct things. “I can cover the amount, so if you could direct me as to how to rectify this, I will be happy to. Also, I will pay for the reconstruction of Central Command.” He then explained that he could supply building materials as well, but the president said he would need to consult with his advisors.

“I’ll be honest though,” Michael said, “I’ll gladly take your money and the crews Vince said he could throw our way at Central Command. I’d also take your building supplies, but that gets a little complicated with this supposedly being a top-secret facility.”

“And the fact that a Rayth would be supplying materials to rebuild a facility destroyed by Rayth,” Zy’nayth said.

“Yes, there is that. But there are quite a few of us who are indebted to you. And are you saying you’d give us Rayth materials? I thought you wouldn’t want to give your tech to us.”

“Do not feel indebted to me. If I had not come here years ago to rescue my wife, the location of your world would not be known among my people, and this would not have happened. As for the technology, it will not be such, we can fabricate the walls and floors you would need much more easily than you can. You will not be getting shields or weapons or anything of that sort.”

“Ah. I see. In any case don’t blame yourself for the attack. If the Oversight Committee hadn’t kidnapped your wife, you wouldn’t have had to come and rescue her. High Chancellor, this would have happened eventually. The location would have been found out. Someone from our Expedition would have leaked it, voluntarily or not. I’m thankful you risked your life and those of your army to save this planet.”

“It would have been wrong not to. I believe your Expedition has saved millions of lives in my galaxy. They helped develop the serum so that we do not have to feed on humans, and that will eventually save us from many battles and save many lives, both Rayth and human.”

“Then let’s continue to help each other. Give me some time to talk to my advisors and Cabinet regarding the reconstruction. I’ll also need to find out how to handle the gold issue. Vince and I will be in communication every other day. I’ll give him all the details. It may…” he paused and sighed, “There’s something else, sir, unless Vince mentioned it.”

“Vince and I just began our meeting. Go ahead,” Zy’nayth said.

“Sir, we’re coming up on our election cycle. Two weeks from now I may be voted out of office. What, if anything, should I tell the incoming president?”

“You are then planning to lose?” Zy’nayth questioned.

“No, sir, but given that this attack happened on my watch…” another sighed, “I’m being realistic. Come January, Vince will have a different president to deal with. In any case, I will continue to help you and would appreciate your help in the interim. Now, should I say anything to my possible predecessor?”

“No,” was all Zy’nayth said. “Vince and I will discuss steps should this come to happen.”

“All right. Well, like I said, I’ll do what I can.”

The call ended and Zy’nayth looked at Vince, immediately switching topics. “The shuttle bay. What did John find out?”

“There’s damage on the eastern side…the side at towards the back of the control room. He said First Science will have his team check to make sure the overhead bridge portal works. There was damage around it. Ja…” Vince cleared his throat. Rayth didn’t reveal names. He caught himself just in time as another group of people filed through. “First Science recommends we don’t inhabit the area. Not while she’s in space. Once we’re able to land her, though, he said it might be all right as long as the structural integrity is sound and won’t collapse in on anyone. His team that’s checking those types of things has it next on their list. He said it may be two weeks before we know for sure. Engine room and electrical are priority. That’s what I have. What have you got for me?”

“The Second Science Commander ran scans on the Central Command location last night. He was able to identify gravarium, the metal used in the portal. It does appear to be intact, but there may be small fractures that he cannot detect due to it being buried and the interference of the energy scars from the weapons’ blasts.”

“If it’s not in working order, can First Science fix it?”

“Most likely.”

“Handy guy to have around. This is really good news. You won’t have to go dig another one up, and no one, other than those here, needs to know that we have our own.”

“Make sure Christopher tells those heading to Central Command that this bridge portal does not exist.”

“Already did that,” Vince said. “Shouldn’t be an issue. At least I hope not.”

“Second Science is now on Terra 2 to check the bridge portal there. There is still concern about power and electrical. The portal is functioning properly, obviously, since we are allowing people to use it, but I want to make sure everything else is in working order. I have not yet heard back. First is now running scans on the city-ship to see if we can teleport into any areas close to the electrical rooms, then the integrity of the walls, the breathable air, and other such things. I hope to have those results in a day or two. We will take our time on this one.”

“Understandable.”

“I had him call over a team from Kiva. I need to send Second Science and more of our top scientists to other areas in Andromeda. It is…politically expedient that I do this.”

“Not a problem. You have to take care of your own. I get that. We appreciate all you’re doing to help.”

Zy’nayth gave him a quick nod and continued. “He has assigned this new team to the scanning of the entire outer shell of the city to check structural integrity. Due to the complexity of the ship’s design and the multitude of buildings, this will be a lengthy process. We will follow John’s plan for clearing out the various areas. If he changes his plans, we need to know.”

“I’ll send him a message and make sure his shift leaders aware of this in case something changes after our regular evening meetings when John updates us. Anything else we need to cover?”

“Just note that any change in plans, whether in the city-ship or on the mainland will need to be forwarded to the flagship Science team.”

“Is there a central number we can contact? I just have First and Second Science’s comlink codes.”

“Ah, yes, forgive me,” Zy’nayth said and gave him the number. “That will reach the communications console in the main science laboratory. Ask for the shift’s Science Commander. First Science has already informed them that you, John, Christopher, or Kaven may call in our stead.”

“Got it. What about Simon?”

“Yes, Simon is on the list as well. Other than that, I will be bridging to Andromeda after lunch and will return at 6:00 this evening for our meeting with the team. Should something arise before then, contact my assistant. He will know how to get a message to me.”

“A couple of positives. All in all, pretty good and it’s not even lunchtime. One last thing. Ken is giving us two transports on top of the one we’ll use to shuttle volunteers to Central Command. My thought is to use them to take people to some local malls. I’ll talk to your wife to find out where the nearest ones are. I thought it would be something people could do to stay out of the cold. We can’t put everyone on the mainland or have them clearing debris on the city-ship. Thought this would help with morale.”

“Have their replacement credit chips come in yet? Some may find it depressing to go to a mall and not be able to purchase anything.”

“They have. I’ll be heading to a base to pick them up when we’re done here. The transports will be here on Wednesday. And before you ask, yes, we’ll have a roll call set up so that we know who’s going and returning.”

Zy’nayth gave him a nod and concluded their meeting.

***

“Mommy, help!” Mik’kenna shouted. Her little arms were full of clothes piled up over her head, blocking her ability to see where she was going.

“Stop, Kenna! Don’t move! Drop the clothes!” Victoria dove for her daughter from down the hallway.

Mik’kenna suddenly terrified, froze in place, opening her arms, allowing the clothes to fall at her feet. “Oh!” she said when she saw she was only two steps from falling down the stairs.

Victoria fell to her knees and pulled the girl into her arms. “Oh honey, you scared the daylights out of me. Baby, please be more careful.”

“I sorry. I thought I help. I no can carry basket so I do this. I thought I has more room to side. I must have veered to port.”

Victoria kissed the top of her head, still holding her tight, shaking a bit at the thought of her daughter being so close to falling down the stairs. “Veered to port,” she managed to chuckle, “your brother’s teaching you piloting terms, isn’t he?”

“A little. Mommy, I ‘kay, you squishing me.”

Victoria leaned back and released her daughter. “Sorry, honey, you gave me quite a fright. Thank you for wanting to help, but please just carry a few things to the basket. That would help a lot.”

“But that no much help.”

“It’s a huge help, sweetheart. Besides, you can see if someone kicked clothes under the bed. It’s easier for you than me.” Victoria kissed the top of her head again. “What’s your brother doing?”

“He helping Uncle David ‘stribute firewood.”

Victoria frowned. “I wish he’d tell me what he was off doing. Same for you. If you leave my sight, I want to know where you’re going and who you’re going to be with, okay? I get worried about you two.”

“Kay,” the girl said as movement caught her eye. She looked down the stairs. “Daddy!”

Zy’nayth smiled, carrying Ky’nayth, propped on one hip. “I wanted to join you for lunch, then I must go to Kiva. I sensed a rather emotional burst a few seconds ago.”

“Kenna was carrying too much and got a little too close to the stairs.”

“Mik’kenna, are you all right?” Zy’nayth set Ky’nayth down and knelt before his daughter.

Mik’kenna flicked her wrist at him, “Oh, I fine. I told Mommy I veer to port.”

“You come from Mommy and Daddy’s room?” Ky’nayth asked, getting a nod from his sister. “That good. You learn port!”

“I has good teacher!”

Victoria looked at her son, who was beaming at his sister. “Ky, honey, I just told your sister that if you’re going to be out of my sight, I want to know where you’re going and with whom. I worry, sweetie.”

“I just with Uncle David,” he shrugged.

“I know, your sister told me, but still, I need to know, okay?”

“Kay. After lunch, I go help Uncle David again. And I deliver messages! I did two. One for Uncle Chris and one for Uncle Pastor Jacob.”

“Oh! I no be at HQ,” Mik’kenna said. “I sorry, Bubby.”

“It ‘kay. No many people need message sent. That why I help Uncle David. And you stay inside where warm. If I need help, I call on comlink.” The twins loved their comlinks, mostly because it made them feel like they were older. The comlinks, however, were set with only three buttons: Victoria, Zy’nayth, and each other. Zy’nayth did put in a panic button. If any two of the “speed dial” buttons were selected, it would alert the entire extended family: Kol’non, Ny’van, Ja’val, Becket, Vince, John, Kaven, Chris, Be’atta, Lutia, Janice, Amelia, Alessa, Jacob, Julia, and David. If the children were in trouble, he wanted everyone on alert. Given what had just happened, Victoria didn’t complain or say he was over doing it. She was, in fact, thankful.

The family had a quiet lunch up on the flagship, then Victoria, the twins, and the dogs teleported back to Earth while Zy’nayth bridged to his High Chancellor’s estate on Kiva. He let his assistant, Dre’han, know he’d arrived and was told that the Lead Councilman wanted to see him.

Zy’nayth groaned, “Can it wait? I am headed to visit another cleanup site.”

“He’s rather…perturbed.”

“Perturbed? Would he prefer if I was the one who was perturbed?” Zy’nayth shook his head. There was so much to do; he wanted his people to know he was there to help. He also wanted to be with his family, but his duty was here and he hated playing the politician. He hated answering to anyone. “I have become too soft. Perhaps I need to remind them of who I am and what I can do.”

Dre’han let a thin smile pass his lips. “That would most likely cause issues with the Council. You’ve worked hard to keep things in balance. And now you have to rein in the warrior and play the politician. Only for a few minutes.”

Zy’nayth let out his gravelly groan. “Only a few.” He turned and went to the Council’s wing of the estate, walked right past the Lead Councilman’s assistant and into the office. “You wanted to see me?”

The Lead looked past Zy’nayth at his flustered assistant, “It’s quite all right. He is the High Chancellor, after all.” He then motioned to Zy’nayth, “Have a seat, please.”

“I am due to be…”

“Yes, sir, your assistant told me. I need to know when the Vice Chancellor will return. It is not wise to have both of you off-world at the same time.”

“He has been stopping in here, has he not?”

“Only for a short time.”

“And you know that he and the First Commander are bringing the rebels back here, correct?”

“Yes. I do not see why you need both of them to do that. The Vice Chancellor is needed here.”

“The Vice Chancellor is one of the strongest telepaths in the Empire. I need him on that ship in case he picks up any information regarding where the rebels obtained this technology.”

“He was ordered not to use telepathic interrogation on the prisoners until the Council can attend and make sure…”

“Ordered? Since when does the Council order the Vice Chancellor to do anything?” Zy’nayth towered over the sitting figure. “I may order him, you may not. He comes here daily to check on a few things, he is making sure things are under control here. Until the ship docks in a week, that is the best he can do. And he is not using telepathic interrogation. He is simply listening.”

“And if you don’t get any information, his being off-world was for nothing whereas if he were here, things could get accomplished. Tangible results. We have major reconstruction projects to…”

“You know there is nothing that is being overlooked. Even if both of us were here around the clock, nothing more could be done that what we are currently doing. Is there anything else? I was headed to one of those major reconstruction projects before you informed my assistant that I should be delayed in order to discuss this trivial matter with you.”

The Lead Councilman shook his head. “A week, then.”

“A week,” Zy’nayth turned and left the office. He went back to his assistant and told him that he was now headed to his scheduled appointment and to contact him if there were any urgent issues. “I only glared at him. There was no fighting,” he smiled as he headed for the bridge portal, “though my words were rather pointed.”

Dre’han chuckled to himself and went back to work.

October 25, 2120

“Confirmed,” Tel’lok walked into General Karken’al’s office and handed him his computer tablet. Jil’ana was pouring herself a cup of tea. “The High Chancellor did succeed. The Third Ship, if indeed it is the Third…they really need to put designations on the exterior…” he shook his head, “it just entered Andromeda, with the five large battlecruisers following it. The flagship and Mythican ship are still in orbit around Earth.”

“He sent the Third Ship back and not the flagship?” Karken’al raised an eyebrow as he read the report from the scout ship they’d sent to Earth’s solar system.

“Why’s that an issue?” Jil’ana sipped her tea, “It’s his fleet.”

“He’s the High Chancellor of the Raythian Empire and his empire was just attacked,” Karken’al explained. “His flagship is in another galaxy. Despite having won the conflict, it won’t look good if he’s in the Milky Way with his best ship when his people in this galaxy were attacked.”

“Ah,” she said and added another cube of sugar to her tea. “He still won, though.”

“He did, but Raythian politics…I suppose like most political systems, are complicated. You don’t want your leader leaving when your empire is under attack.”

Tel’lok sat down after getting his own cup of tea. He set it on Karken’al’s desk to let it cool a bit. “But he’s back in Andromeda. He’s been going to various sites, visiting victims of the attacks. Very public.”

“Of course it is,” Karken’al said, “since he did leave during the attack. He has to maintain appearances. His High Council may not take too kindly to him leaving. If word gets out that he did leave to help the humans, his political standing could be in jeopardy.”

“I shouldn’t think it would be,” Jil’ana said. “Rayth tradition: you kill the person who holds the job you want. If anyone has an issue with what Zy’nayth did, they’d have to kill him. Not sure any Rayth could do that.”

“Which may be why the rebels attacked Earth and Terra 2,” Karken’al said. “They couldn’t take on Zy’nayth, so they went after his family. They must not have known if they were on Terra 2 or Earth, so they attacked both on top of key areas of the Raythian Empire. Zy’nayth, from what we’ve gathered over the last couple of years, hasn’t been as, shall we say, lethal, as he used to be. Whether it’s because of the serum or the fact that he married a human, I can’t say.”

“Or old age,” Jil’ana chimed in. “There are only a handful of fullbloods left. He’s the only true warrior that remains. The others are living quiet lives.”

“Except the Vice Chancellor,” Karken’al looked at her, “he is still a formidable Rayth. All of the fullbloods are even if they are living quiet lives.”

“So what’s our next step?” Tel’lok asked.

Karken’al was still scanning the report, “The flagship is disintegrating the rebel warships. That’s going to take them some time.”

“They’re what?” Jil’ana said as she got up and walked behind him to look at the report. Instead, Karken’al pushed the tablet across the desk to her. Her eyes quickly scanned the paragraph he’d been reading. “They’re teleporting the ships by sections onto the flagship? That’s going to take ages with all of those hulls.”

“Also raises the question of how large their incinerator is,” Tel’lok said.

“Oh, no, I misread that. They’re teleporting sections to the flagship, not onto it.” Jil’ana flipped through the report until she came to the images, “They’ve set up an incineration array outside of the ship. Teleport the material over it, push it through with a drone. Still, it’s going to take a very long time. He doesn’t need his flagship for this. Any of their transport or supply ships could do this.”

“He could be keeping it there in case there are more rebel ships,” Karken’al said, “and, I’m assuming his Science teams are helping with repairs to the Mythican ship. Which again, could be disastrous for him.”

“Sounds like you’re wanting to see him retain power,” Tel’lok said. “An enemy.”

“An enemy, yes, but one that is willing to talk. He doesn’t want war. That means, perhaps, if he can get his people to take this serum, we can reveal ourselves and have peace between our people,” Karken’al said. “I would much rather have the High Chancellor as a friend, not a foe.”

“True, but we could never trust him,” Tel’lok sighed.

***

October 25, 2120, a week after the cleanup began on the city-ship and the mainland, the leadership team was sitting at two picnic tables, eating their dinner and having their daily reports. The weather had been mild and only light jackets were needed. For that, Victoria was thankful given that her yard was housing all of the Expedition: Andromeda team.

“Once First Science and I get the electrical in the southwest quadrant fixed,” Simon said, “the two main towers should have full electrical capabilities. It’s going to take another week or two since we have to do a lot of climbing over debris.”

“Do not rush through there,” Zy’nayth said, “I cannot afford either of you two getting hurt.”

“I have a team of six going in each shift to reinforce the walls and ceilings in that area,” John said, “and removing debris. The warriors and scientists you’ve sent to help are putting us to shame. I feel like they’re doing most of the hard labor.”

“My order still stands,” Zy’nayth said. “Do not take any chances. Rayth can heal themselves, you cannot.”

“Trust me, we’re being very careful,” Simon said.

“Do you believe the power is stable enough to power up the infirmary?” Zy’nayth asked.

“Yes,” Ja’val said, “though I’d like another day to make sure we haven’t overlooked anything. If everything checks out, we can power up the infirmary and the control room without causing problems with the lights and life support on 195.”

“That works out perfectly then,” Becket said, “the new equipment should be arriving here in a couple of days. Give us another week to finish scrubbing and getting equipment set up, and we’ll be in business. Victoria and I, with some help from Ky and Kenna, finished restocking the med storage area this afternoon, so that’s good to go.”

“How long do you think it’ll take to get to the mess hall?” Vince asked.

“To get there, an hour by climbing over the debris; to actually do it the right way and clear our way there,” John ran his fingers through his black hair, “a week, at least. Not a lot of damage and debris in the corridors, but we may have to shore up walls and such. And since we’re checking the side rooms as we go, which we could ignore for now, it takes time.”

Vince made a note then looked at Ja’val. “Do we have any structural concerns in the shuttle bay?”

“Minor ones which I have assigned to a team. It’ll be a couple of days before they can take care of it. It’s in the dome so nothing your team can get to. We’ll have to make repairs from outside the ship.”

“Then that decides it. John, work towards the mess hall, avoid the side rooms unless the Science team tells you that you need to shore up some walls in there. When you think it’s safe, take Alan up to figure out what equipment needs replaced. We can get that on order.”

“That area’s going to take a lot of work,” John reminded him, “it took a near direct hit. Science said they have the repaired the outer tower walls, but I have a feeling once my team gets there, we’re going to have a lot of work to do to get it up and running.”

Vince looked at his list of items, running through the situation in his head. After a couple of minutes and a few bites of food, he looked back at John. “Here’s what we’ll do. Get there and assess the damage. Depending on what you find, we’ll determine the number of people needed to get it cleaned out while your three core teams begin work in the shuttle bay, if Science gives you the go ahead.

“Let’s get our six shuttles out. We can use a couple shuttles to send our work teams up instead of clogging up the bridge portal; the other shuttles can transfer people to and from the flagship. I want the option open and those willing to go up now can get their sleeping bags and everything up there and out of the way. If that’s okay with the High Chancellor.”

Zy’nayth looked at Ja’val, “As long as his team has said that the shuttles are undamaged and ready to fly, I will have a hangar bay ready for them and your staff.”

John set his fork down. “All right, I’ll make an announcement after dinner. Signup will start tomorrow for those wanting to stay on the flagship and for teams willing to clean up the mess hall. Ky, Kenna, can you two help me take names?”

“Course,” Ky’nayth said. “We happy to help. Sissy can do one list and I do other. Just show us file to use and we do it, easy. Thank you.”

Mik’kenna raised her hand, looking at Vince. He gave her a nod then she put down her hand and cleared her throat. “I just thinking dat if people be on flagship and some down here maybe need more games so has some in both places. For morale. It help. And me and Bubby be more dan happy to help maybe take puppies up once in while to help morale. Puppies make people happy.”

“I think the games are a great idea,” Vince said and looked at Victoria, “Think you can grab more? Checkers, chess, Monopoly seem to be the most popular.”

“Yeah, no problem. I’m making a run tomorrow for more paper supplies, I can easily stop and grab some games.”

“As for the pups, perhaps when you guys go up for the night, the pups could visit the hangar for a little bit. We’ll have to play that by ear,” Vince said.

“Kay. Thank you. Dat all I has,” Mik’kenna said and went back to eating her burger.

Simon finished then Vince went back to John. “Anything else from your end?”

“Something I’m toying with,” John said, “is enlisting two more shift teams to clear the way down the tower to the upper walkway between the towers. Then they could focus on clearing out the various science labs so we can determine what equipment needs to be replaced. This will give us a little head start and since we know the stairwell from the control room is accessible, at least to 194 and 193. Then after my crew gets done with the shuttle bay, we can either finish clearing out 195 or start clearing the way up to 200.”

Ja’val spoke up, “There are some weak areas on the top floor. Nothing that should cause a breach, but definitely something where extreme caution needs to be taken. I’ll make sure you have the details before you get up there. It’s not on our priority list.”

“We can focus on clearing out the rest of 195 first after the mess and shuttle bay,” John said, “don’t worry about it. I’ll keep your team informed if we go faster than planned. Other than that, things are going smoothly, though slowly. Have your scans revealed a place on a lower level where we can teleport or shuttle in? If we get the shuttles out, I could shuttle a team in on a lower level of each tower and have them work from the bottom up. Just trying to think of ways to get more people out of the cold.”

“Science,” Zy’nayth interrupted, “work with Simon and John to determine if there is a safe area, and if so, how dangerous will it be to work from the bottom up. Let us keep the risk to a minimum.”

John nodded, “Thanks. Amelia, you’ve sort of become our liaison to the masses. How’s morale doing?”

“Well, things are okay. Picking up those footballs and the volleyball nets helped. And being able to take 200 people to the malls to just loaf around is helping keep things pretty good. Of course, we run into issues since there’s more people than we have shuttles for.”

“Are you just taking two shuttles per day?” Chris asked.

“Yeah, drive up and dump them off. Ten military per shuttle, not that we need it but just to make sure no one is left behind.”

Chris shook his head. “Better idea; I’ll work up a roster of pilots for each day, they can shuttle, all day if need be.”

Vince shook his head. “No, we want them to have a little down time as well. I’ll look into getting two more transports.” He looked at David, “If Ken can’t send us more, what about that place you rent from?”

“We’d have to pay for those,” John said.

“Do not worry about the cost,” Zy’nayth gave David a nod, “if it helps the people here, just use the chip I gave you.”

“I’ll call Ken in the morning. David, I’ll let you know asap,” Vince looked at his watch then back at his team. “Anything else, Lia?”

“Not really. The games and such are helping. And to speak to Mik’kenna’s idea about puppies on the flagship if people move up there, those dogs are six little life savers. Seven if Be’atta hadn’t taken Shadow with her. They’re so full of energy and they love all of the attention they’re getting. They, and the twins, are really cheering people up. A good distraction for those not on duty. Those dogs have made 5,000 very close friends over the last several days.”

“Good,” John smiled. “That would explain why the dogs sleep so soundly at night. Usually Scout gets a little restless towards morning.”

“Something to consider when moving people to the flagship,” Amelia continued, “is to keep those most traumatized here at Victoria’s estate. My parents and Jennifer Maison have their lists. Dad’s been trying to get most of them moved into the tunnel. Being emotionally drained, their immune systems can’t handle the cold.”

“Is he working with you on that?” Vince looked at Becket.

Becket nodded, “No complaints from those we have to kick out of the house, if you’re wondering.”

“Good,” Vince said.

“I’m keeping a close eye on those who’ve sought counseling,” Amelia continued. “I think most people have talked to Dad or Jennifer or even my Mom at some point, but there are several who really have sought their help on a regular basis the last few days.”

“Thanks, Lia,” Vince said, “and I know you’ve been helping people as well. Anything else I need to know about?”

“No. If something comes up, I’ll let you know.”

“Okay, Chris, how are things at Central Command?”

“Huge amounts of equipment brought in to clear our huge amounts of equipment destroyed. I saw Ken today while we were loading up to come back. Command One, where the bridge portal is located, should be reached in the next week or so. He’ll be shifting our workforce there, his team will extract…uh, you know…but as they get nearer to the portal, he’d like us to handle clearing the way since his crew doesn’t ‘officially’ know about the bridge. I told him I’d check with you since it would mean that they’d most likely come across some of those still missing.”

“Let’s leave it up to the volunteers. If they want to continue in that area, knowing what it will entail, they can, but make sure Pastor Jacob and Dr. Maison know who’s going in so that they can keep an eye on them,” Vince said, “And Becket as well. Anything else?” Chris shook his head, so Vince turned to Steve Kessler, “How’s the mainland?”

“MedBase 2 has been emptied and repaired. Jack Burgeon oversaw the repairs and one of the Rayth scientists scanned it thoroughly today and gave us the okay to fill it back up. So whenever Doc’s ready, it’s all his. We’ve salvaged all we can from the Ag and Botany areas. We’ll start demo on Monday. Dr. Wells and Ben Nichols have picked out small teams that will bridge over with them starting Monday. They’ll be working the farm, seeing if there is anything that needs harvested, and clearing any debris that may have been flung that way. Alan and his chefs may be inundated soon with all kinds of fresh food, but I think that’s a good thing.”

“Are any of the storage areas intact?” Zy’nayth asked.

Steve shook his head. “Unfortunately, we were only able to salvage a small amount of seeds; those storage areas were razed. I was wondering if Kaven could be sent to Gren? I understand they do a lot of farming as well as raising livestock. Maybe resupply us, or get us started.”

“Was Gren hit?” Kaven asked, looking at Zy’nayth.

“Thus far, no,” Zy’nayth answered. “We did have a ship in the area after the first attack. Since they are our main food supplier, the First Commander sent a warship there in case the rebels showed up. We still have thirty unaccounted for rebel ships, so one of my warships will remain there for the time being.”

“I should head there soon,” Kaven said, “So I can alert them of the potential danger and, of course, see about getting seeds or starter plants if Vince okay’s that. Question is, who do I take with me? John, Chris, and Simon have enough to do.”

“I could go, but only for a day,” Victoria said. “I can’t be away from Ky and Kenna for two weeks.”

“Hank Wells or Ben Nichols should go,” Vince said. “And I should as well given the situation.”

Zy’nayth looked at Vince, “You and I should both go.”

“Uh, big guy, I don’t think you should show up. They’re not too keen on…” Chris stopped and waved off his own comment, “never mind. You can handle yourself.”

“Kaven, talk to Dr. Wells and Dr. Nichols this evening. I would like us to leave in the morning. 9:00 a.m. Victoria and the twins will join us.”

Kaven said. “All right. Meet in the barn at 8:50. John, I’m not going to be at work tomorrow.”

“Well, I’ll have to dock your pay, but okay,” John pointed a fry at him, “always slacking.”

Vince glanced at Zy’nayth then went back to Steve, asking what else was going on with the mainland facilities.

“The mainland armory was dug out, it was still secured; inventory’s done; everything’s accounted for. Over the weekend, I’m going to have the teams clean up the beach and repair the two docks since the engineering guys a couple of days to strategize the demolition on Monday. And it’ll keep us out of their way.

“One last thing. We were able to round up the last of the missing livestock. Pens have been repaired so that’s another thing or two we can check off the list and add to Kaven’s for tomorrow.”

“Good. David, your turn,” Vince said.

“Bathroom in the new suite has been completed, I mean, tile and paint and everything. Obviously, we’ve had the plumbing working all week. We’re working on the flooring throughout the rest of the place this week to provide a little more insulation. And, people are still interested in building the addition to the house before it gets too cold. I have all of the foundational stuff from Jack’s team. He says now’s the time. We can’t have everyone in the towers or on the mainland, and I’d say that as long as the weather holds, let’s do what we can.”

“Very well. I will talk to everyone,” Zy’nayth replied. “But as I have been doing with the garage suite, I want every inch of that addition scanned every day.”

“You’ve been scanning the suite every day?” Victoria was surprised at his statement.

“Of course. I cannot risk…”

“I know,” she shook her head. “David, I hate to dump more on your plate, but I was to pick up paper supplies tomorrow, and more games. Apparently, I’m going to be on Gren. Could you…”

“No problem. Just give me your list. Has the order been called in?”

“Yes. Ready for pickup by at 9:30 in the morning. Their supply trucks are usually there by 8:00, and since they need those before they can give us what we need…”

“Got it,” David said.

“Uncle David,” Ky’nayth spoke up, “we need more puppy food again. We only has two bags of crunchy and no more squishy kind.”

“Treats too,” Mik’kenna added.

“I’ll pick some up tomorrow,” David promised. “I should put that on my once a week supply list, but please continue to let me know when we’re getting low.”

“How are Be’atta and Kol’non doing?” Amelia asked. Be’atta and the Andromeda natives that were part of Kaven’s off-world team were visiting planets devastated by the rebel attack. They were offering help from the High Chancellor to rebuild their communities and villages.

“Things are going as well as can be expected,” Zy’nayth said, “humans are quick to blame the entire Raythian race for the actions of a few, then are unwilling to take our offered help. But Be’atta is persistent. We can only offer. She and Kol’non will be joining us in a week, at least Be’atta will, for a few days. She does not wish for you to forget her,” he smiled.

“And your brother?” Chris asked.

“He and my nephews are being held on my Third Ship. I am not going to allow them back on Kiva. The Vice Chancellor is scouting for a place to send them. Though I do not trust that any place will be as secure as on one of my ships. Vice was given approval to telepathically interrogate my brother, however, the Council reversed their decision and now believe a verbal interrogation is warranted first.” Zy’nayth sighed, “I would not put it off, but I agreed to work with them.”

“What are you going to do with those five battlecruisers?” Kaven asked.

“The energy containment fields are beginning to leak. I do not wish for my men to be exposed to that much Rayk energy so we are going to load all of the energy generators onto one ship and send it crashing into the Rayk homeworld. The First Science Commander has all of the schematics, so if we wish to build our own, we can, but obviously with a better, more stable and secure design. The frames of the remaining four ships will be reinforced, then we will put our own energy source on them.”

“Kind of a shame,” Chris said, “the power of those ships could come in handy.”

“They were far too dangerous. I am quite thankful we were not able to destroy them. None of us would be here to talk about it.”

“Any idea where they got that kind of tech?” Vince asked.

“I have the Science crew looking into it, checking the database we downloaded from their ships, and, of course, the Vice Chancellor is attempting to get the information from my brother and nephews; however, I am not putting a lot of resources into the project since they are needed elsewhere. Besides, I know the First Science Commander is secretly working on it in his spare time.”

Lutia grinned and nudged her husband, “I told you he’d find out.”

“Too many big loose ends,” John said as he ran his fingers through his black hair. “But first things first. Cleanup, rebuild, go home.”

“Home?”

“Terra 2.”

“You consider it your home? Not here on Earth?” Zy’nayth asked.

“Yeah, I do. And I want to get back there as soon as we can.”