Wes announced, “We are now traveling two light years every second and still accelerating.”
Tommy looked at Cassie and knew that he had not caused the jump in speed. He closed his eyes and linked his mind with Cassie and saw what she was doing. Cassie was flying the Kosiev like it had no mass. She made ninety degree turns instantly and even reversed the ship on its course so quickly that it defied the laws of physics. The Captors were unable to stay with the ship. Tommy keyed his com and said, “Ensign, Ahn, now would be a good time.”
The Kosiev disappeared from normal space. Tommy thought to Cassie, “Slow us down. Just focus and think about slowing down.”
Cassie was lost in the Kosiev and loving every moment of it. She was the ship and the ship was her. She heard Tommy but she didn’t want to stop. She finally focused on what he was saying and jerked her attention back into the present and forced herself to think, “Slow down, slowly, now.”
Wes announced, “Ten light years per second, four, one, ten thousand times light speed, five thousand, one thousand, five hundred, fifty, one half light speed.”
Cassandra thought, “Stop, now!” The Kosiev came to a stop.
Everyone on the bridge looked at each other; Wes said, “What happened back there?”
Tommy said, “Wes, replay what happened.”
The main display on the bridge came on and showed the launch of the penetrators and beams. They were all stopped before they hit the construct; then the display showed more than a thousand of the giant red ships rush in and fire their beams at the Kosiev. The display then showed something leave the skin of the Kosiev and strike the construct and blow a giant hole in it. “What was that,” Tommy asked?”
Wes said, “I have no idea.”
Tommy looked at Cassandra and saw she had a look on her face that showed disbelief. “Captain Dodd, do you know what that was that struck the construct?”
Cassie looked at Tommy and said, “I think I somehow ejected a small piece of the black hole through the skin of the Kosiev at the construct where that queen was located.”
The bridge crew looked at the display and Wes rewound the video. He brought the view in closer to the point of impact and slowed it down. Whatever left the Kosiev was pitch-black and moving so fast that even at super slow motion it moved too fast to be seen. One thing was certain. The piece of the construct that had the small queen on it was disintegrated.
Tommy said, “Looks like we have found a weapon.”
Cassie just sat there wondering how she had made it happen.
Chapter 12
The First Male chased the strange ship and could not think coherently. The hive was damaged for the first time in the long history of the Captors and a young mother had been killed. Whatever had struck the hive blew through the screens protecting it like there was nothing there. Now the ship had disappeared again and their chase efforts had been avoided easily by the fleeing ship. He was starting to think clearly again and he wondered why the strange ship had fled. He was one of the ships that had hit it with his main beam with no effect. For the first time in his long lifespan he knew what it felt like to be afraid. He had killed many worlds without a second thought and now he was starting to see what it felt like to be on the receiving end of a weapon that could not be stopped. He hurried back to the hive and contacted the First Mother. “We must move you to a safer place. The attackers can obviously identify where you are on our hive.”
The First Mother thought back, “No, I am not leaving. I have delivered another Mother and you will take her to another location. We will not start a new home for me until this menace has been stopped.”
“Where will we take her?”
“When she had taken enough energy to be self sufficient, you will deliver her to the new home we have selected. In the meantime, I will move away from the hive and wait until she is moved. Once she is safe, I will return.”
“Should we go and prepare the new home before she moves?”
“Not yet. She needs some time before she is ready. As the time approaches you will take your warriors and begin preparing the new home. I do not want to reduce our strength before then.”
The First Male dimmed his light to show his acceptance of her instructions.
Rose, Tag, and Tommy were viewing what had happened at the Captor’s planet. Rose said, “Tommy, my sense of danger to Earth has gone up tremendously since you did this.”
Tag said, “They are coming soon. I think you moved their timetable up with your attack.”
Tommy lowered his head and thought, “I must agree with you. Have we started moving the population yet?”
Rose hesitated and then thought, “Tommy, the two Algeans have entered a coma and have not communicated with us since right after their arrival. We can’t break through to them.”
“I’m coming home, Rose.”
Rose started to object but then decided that there was nothing she could do; Maybe Tommy could.”
Tommy keyed the general com on the Kosiev and said, “Jump warning. We will be jumping in two minutes.”
Cassandra looked at Tommy and he said, “Set the jump coordinates for Earth, the adolescents are in a coma.”
Cassandra immediately keyed her com, “The jump has been moved up to ten seconds, prepare for jump, 3,2,1, execute.” Cassandra pushed the jump button on her console.
The Kosiev broke out into normal space just outside the atmosphere of Earth. Tommy left the bridge with Cassie and commed Ensign Ahn. “Ensign Ahn, do you have the coordinates of where the adolescents went when they teleported?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, I do.”
“Set up the device. Captain Dodd and I will be going to the same location. Make it happen quickly; we’re on our way to you now.”
Cassandra keyed her com and said, “Lt. McAnn, you are now in command until I return. Take the ship out of the system to our previous location and be prepared to return on my signal.”
“Yes sir.” Wes keyed the general ship intercom and announced, “We will be jumping in ten minutes. Jump in ten minutes.”
Tommy and Cassie entered the forward field emitter room and saw a shimmering silver screen in the center of the room. They ran forward and went through the screen… and came out in a room with the two adolescents standing completely still in the center. “Quick,” Tommy said. Cassandra came into his arms before he could say anything and hugged him tight. The shock wasn’t quite as severe as it had been previously but immediately the adolescents began moving. Slowly at first but then they started waving rhythmically back and forth. Tommy released Cassandra and said, “Looks like a good sign.”
Cassandra watched the two adolescents and said, “I hope they don’t take as long to recover.”
Twig said, “Recover from what?”
Cassandra ran up and hugged her. Then Sprig said, “I don’t want to do that again.”
Twig was still entwined in Sprigs limbs and she thought to him, “I didn’t know you felt like that about me.”
Sprig’s leaves turned yellow in embarrassment. “I’m sorry you saw that. I’m not worthy of feeling that way toward you.”
Twig tightened her limbs and pulled Sprig close to her. “You are so much a part of me now that there will never be another for me. It will be you and me or nothing. I will not return home without you.”
Sprig held on to Twig and thought, “That is not your decision to make; you are the Eldest’s seed. Only he can decide who you will be tied to.”
“You aren’t listening Sprig. I will not return home without you. I am his seed and he will decide for us or we will not go home.”
“Twig, I can’t let you endure that. I… love you too much. This is a strange feeling I’m having and I’m somewhat certain that no one in our history has ever had these feelings.”