Okay, okay I see. Why are they here?
They are hiding from an Earth vessel.
Why aren't they trying to communicate with us? Tatiana asked.
They have tried but must assume that there is a malfunction on board, Mikhail explained.
Steven, this is Mike. It is possible that they believe we are damaged from an altercation with an Earth vessel. Titan is a standard rendezvous for the Grays for some reason. Mike was getting better at anticipating questions and inputting information into conversations that was appropriate.
Okay, thanks. Listen, let Tatiana talk to you through Mikhail, but we can't continue to hide her from you. Just let her think she can control you, but use Mikhail to implement her orders. Can we do something like that?
I understand, Steven. Yes.
Good. Also, make your mental voice different from Mikhail's so we can understand which one is talking to us.
Okay, Steven.
Tatiana, meet Mike.
Hello, Mike.
Hello, Tatiana.
Mike, can you hail the other Gray ships and tell them we are all okay but were experiencing communications failure or something else that is most believable?
Yes, Steven.
Do it.
Okay, Steven.
Steven?
Yes, Mike?
They asked if we need assistance but I assured them we did not. I spoke to their SuperAgent, as you call us.
Good.
SuperAgent? Tatiana asked.
"It's just a computer geek term I know. It kind of explains what the computers are," I said verbally, just for a change.
"I see. What should we do now, Steven?"
"I'm not sure."
Mike, couldn't we tell them that there are abductees we have to return?
We do not have to tell them anything, Steven. Remember that the Gray workers in the other vessels have their own mission for the hive. Only if we ask for help will they give it. When a bee leaves the hive to achieve a particular goal the other bees do not worry about that one bee—merely the collective good of the hive. The Grays are the same. Although they will help if need be and if it will benefit the hive in the long run.
Are they not suspicious at all?
No. It is not their mission, although they did warn me about the human vessel hunting for us.
What human vessel? Tatiana asked.
I will show you, Mikhail replied and the image of a spacecraft a bit smaller and sleeker than a Space Shuttle Orbiter with U.S. Air Force markings on it and USS Einstein painted on the side appeared in our heads.
Where is it? I asked.
Here.
Again the solar system image appeared with the red dots showing the Gray spacecraft positions and a blue one very close to the two in the Kuiper Belt.
Wait a minute, if the Gray ships are here orbiting Titan with us why don't we see them outside on the wall screens? I thought.
The propulsion and shield devices cause real photons to bend around them and normal sensors cannot detect them. The wall screens are from optical sensors.
Are there sensors on board this ship that will show them? Tatiana thought.
Yes.
Overlay those sensor outputs on the wall screens, I ordered.
Okay, Steven, Mike replied and three alien spaceships appeared on the wall screens. One of them was very close to our position.
Mike, place the solar system map on the bathroom wall and keep it updated in real time.
Okay, Steven.
The solar system map appeared on the bathroom wall and it displayed the blue dot in obvious pursuit of one of the red dots. Then a second blue dot appeared behind the Moon. Suddenly, the blue dot in the Kuiper Belt vanished and reappeared near Saturn. The spacecraft nearest us was struck by a blue and red glowing streak of plasma and then vanished from sight. The solar system map showed its present location nearly a full light year from the Earth.
Whoa! What just happened? I asked.
The ship nearest us was hit by a faster-than-light missile. I suggest we take evasive maneuvers, Steven, Mike warned.
Do it, Mike!
The Room lurched and rolled and yanked. Tatiana and I were thrown against the bathroom wall and then the ceiling. Mike, if there are inertial dampers of some sort use them in here!
Sorry, Steven. Then gravity within the Room returned to normal, but the view on the wall screens spun wildly and rapidly and was nearly enough to make me motion sick. I told Mike to make sure that didn't happen for either me or Tatiana.
Mikhail, make two rigid mounted safety chairs here now! Tatiana exclaimed. Two flight-steady chairs appeared beside us. We both rushed into them and then the chairs buckled themselves to us.
Do we have any weapons on board? Tatiana asked.
No, forget that question! Tatiana, those people are humans, we can't attack them, I scolded her.
Even if it is us or them?
No, Tatiana! No, I told her forcefully.
Then the Room spun wildly and my stomach lurched and heaved into my throat. Saturn was completely gone from view and I couldn't even tell the Sun from any of the other stars. The view on the wall screens showed star fields spinning out of control.
What the hell just happened? I clutched my chair arms tightly.
We were struck by a warp missile, Steven, Mike responded and we continued to spin out of control. The ship spun and tumbled for more than eight minutes—three of those the inertial dampeners were at one hundred and ten percent efficiency trying to keep up and the g-forces Tatiana and I pulled were over seven Earth gravities fluctuating both positive and negative. The positive gravities were not near as bad as the negative ones. Once the inertial dampeners caught back up and Tatiana and I caught our breath, I attempted to survey the solar system map. Now four of the alien spacecraft had been knocked out of the solar system—and we were one of them!
Are we okay? Will we survive? Tatiana asked.
Yes, but our quantum fluctuation drive is out and we are more than two light years from Earth. At best available speed from the electromagnetic propulsion system we are twenty-seven months from Earth.
How long to repair the quantum drive? I asked.
Approximately four months, Steven.
If the ships are invisible due to the shields and the propulsion systems, how did the Earth ships detect us? Tatiana thought.
There is not enough data to answer the question, Mikhail answered. Then Mike speculated as I had programmed him to.
The Earth ship's power systems operate on a similar principle to our propulsion systems. It is possible that the humans noticed an influence of our propulsion drives on their power collectors.
Mike, how is that you know so much about the human systems?
Many humans have been abducted and examined. Some of them are very aware of the human defense forces located on your Moon.
Tatiana and I looked at each other. "We have defense forces on the Moon?" I mouthed.
Tatiana's eyes bugged and she shrugged her shoulders.
Mike, will they be coming for us?
Steven, I assume you mean the humans. My guess is that we are now out of the range of influence of their sensors and they cannot detect us any longer. Perhaps they believe that they have destroyed us.