“I wish I knew, Life.”
“Let’s go handle the next issue.”
“Right with you, Love.” The two Searchers disappeared.
Two years had passed and Matt and Melanie were looking at the rosters of the crews that had been found and were wishing the process could be done faster. “Every time new ships appear we have to send everyone back to see if one of the ships will respond to those that have already failed. Half of the crews we have now were initially rejected. Do you see a faster way to do this?”
Melanie thought a moment, “List all Searchers on a board similar to the one used to find civilized planets and assign them a time to fly by. Forget using the Defenders and just run them by. I think we’ve found that speed is not an issue; have them teleport in and go by the crystals at full speed. If any respond, Al can identify which Searcher caused it.”
Matt thought about the suggestion and said, “We’ll set it up so it happens automatically. We’ll order the first million to report to their ships and send the instructions directly to their computers. When the first million are half way done, we’ll order the second million to their ships. That’s a good idea.” Matt thought about the numbers of ships and then sent a thought, “Edison, can you help me with an issue?”
The Spider immediately responded, “I’ll be pleased to help you any way I can.”
Matt filled Edison in and the small spider thought about the problem, “It might be easier to just have them teleport in front of crystal in micro-ports. Once they start the process, they would complete it in less than a second and be returned to where they started.”
“Can we use a screen that fast?”
“It can be done faster but we want to make sure the crystals respond.” The small spider paused, “If you will allow me to use several crews that have been chosen I will determine the maximum speed that the crystals can respond and set up the gates in front of each crystal.”
“Can you handle this project for us?”
“Yes, Your Grace. I’ll start immediately if you will notify Fleet Command to allow me to set up the board and download the program for each ship.”
“Stand by just a moment. Fleet Command.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“I have assigned a project to a Spider named Edison. You will assist him in making this happen.”
“Yes, Your Grace; we will be awaiting his instructions.”
“Ok, Edison. You have your clearance.” The small spider disappeared from their screen.
Melanie looked at Matt, “It may be time to allow the Spiders to assist the Algeans in handling the Realm’s issues.”
“Not yet; the invasion is still a fresh memory and the citizens are not ready for that yet. However, we’ve got to do something soon.”
“What’s bothering you, Magic?”
Matt looked at Melanie and lowered his head, “I’m getting the sense that we need to make another trip in our ship.”
“You think we need to go to that dark galaxy, don’t you?”
Matt quickly looked up, “Did you hear me thinking about it?”
“No, but it doesn’t make sense to plan to fight a foe we don’t have any information about. I just worry about leaving AG an orphan if we go.”
“No one else can go; none of the other ships have completed development.”
Melanie shrugged, “None of them possess your level of psychic ability; to send someone else wouldn’t be right.”
“Are you willing to make the trip?”
“Only if we can prevent those creatures from seeing us; do you know if we’ll show up on their sensors?”
“No, I don’t.” Matt thought a moment and then said, “Al, I need to make a short trip.”
“I’m teleporting you now.”
Matt looked at Melanie and said, “I love you,” then disappeared.
Aladdin jumped into the Reg’s system and waited. After a few moments the three Reg appeared on the bridge, “Your plan has danger, Brother.”
“I need to see what we’re facing. Is there any way to prevent them seeing our ship?”
“Possibly; if you stay out of the Galaxy’s perimeter and set your ships screen at absolute minimal power you may not be seen. Make your scans from there. If you enter the galaxy they will know it. Even if they do not see your ship they will detect your approximate location.”
“Will they see my scans?”
“Probably, but they will not know from where they are coming if you stay outside. You should anticipate a rather large reaction if you go forward with this venture.”
“I will be satisfied if I can just get a ship count on what’s coming.”
The three Reg were silent and then one thought, “Be careful.”
“I’ll do my best.” The three Red disappeared.
“Matt, you’re not planning to go to their galaxy?”
“Al we have to know what we’re facing and I have the only working psychic ship. I sense it is something I must do.”
“You do recognize what your loss would do to the Realm, I hope.”
“Yes, but I still have to go.”
Al was silent for several minutes and finally thought, “I hope your ship is all it’s cracked up to be. Melanie will be with you.”
“That is the only thing that makes me hesitate. Let’s go home, Al.”
Matt appeared in AG’s room as Melanie was rocking her to sleep. The baby immediately opened its eyes when Matt appeared and stared at him intently. “She knows what you’re planning. It has her worried.”
Matt came over and picked AG up and hugged her. He saw she still had the intent look, “Look at my thoughts little one and see what I see.”
AG tilted her head and continued to stare at him. Melanie asked, “What are you doing?”
“She has twice the power of you and me; I’m letting her sense what I’m feeling.”
AG continued to stare and then she smiled. Matt handed her back to Melanie and she went to sleep quickly. Melanie looked at Matt, “Well, when do we leave?”
Matt looked at the Woman he loved so much and said, “After you put her down we’ll tell Sprig what we’re doing and then go.”
“You are going to do what?!?” Sprig yelled.
“It’s something I sense we must do.”
Sprig sent a thought, “Tag, Danielle, I need you in the library. Matt and Melanie are planning a trip to the dark galaxy.”
Tag and Danielle teleported in immediately and Tag looked at Matt, “What are you planning to do?”
“Tag, I sense that I must go and see what we’re facing from that galaxy. Use your sense and tell me what you see.”
Tag closed his eyes and after three minutes he opened them and looked at Danielle and Sprig, “He’s right; he has to go.”
Danielle looked shocked, “Tag, that’s entirely too dangerous. We don’t know what technology they possess that could kill them both.”
Tag shook his head, “That’s one reason why he should make the trip; however, my sense of danger goes down if he goes.”
Sprig thought, “Does it go up if he stays?”
Tag shook his head, “No, but that reduction is significant. I suspect that it will take them longer to find us if he goes. We aren’t even close to finding all the crews and we need all the time we can get. I fear for them as much as you do but Matt is right, they must make this trip.”
“Do you know if they survive it?”
“No.” Tag looked at Matt, “Do you know?”
Matt shook his head. Then Matt was surprised when Melanie said, “AG thinks we’ll come back.”
Danielle, Sprig, and Tag just stared at her. Finally, Danielle asked, “How do you know that?”
“She looked in Matt’s mind and saw his plan. She then smiled and went to sleep. You know her psychic field is stronger that anyone in the Realm. We can’t see it but she could. We’ll be back.”
“Melanie, she’s just a baby; how can she possibly know that?”
“How could Rose get that mobile above her bed to mimic the Ross solar system? Remember, her power is much higher than Rose’s was as a baby.”