Sprig said, “You’re in Dorg-Ross hospital on Ross.”
Wes thought a moment and said, “The only way I could be here is by teleporting. I know there were thousands of energy balls coming at the ship after the breakup. You came after me, didn’t you?”
Sprig just stood there saying nothing.
“What about my ship?”
Linda Kay said, “He teleported your ship to Mars and then to Ross.”
Wes looked at Linda Kay and said, “My crew?”
Linda Kay didn’t want to say anything but knew he would not rest unless she told him, “Sixty percent of them were killed.” Wes winced and closed his eyes. “The forty percent that did survive are here because you insisted that every crew member wear light armor in battle. It’s what saved your life and the doctors tell me that that without it, none of your crew would have survived. The Polaris also survived and Captain Jones is distraught at what happened to your ship.”
“He shouldn’t be. He would have done the same for me.”
Sprig looked at Wes and said, “My friend, if the Polaris had taken the same hits as Atlantis, everyone on his ship would be dead. It has now been ordered that in all future fleet conflicts, all crew members will be required to wear armor. It’s being called the Atlantis doctrine.”
Wes looked up at Linda Kay and said, “I’m so sorry I’ve caused you pain.”
“Wes, I love you. My life has started again.”
Wes smiled at her and said, “I’m tired and I’m about to fall asleep. Please go home and clean up and get some rest. I’ll be fine.”
Linda Kay started to object when Tommy and Leila walked in and said, “We’ll take care of sleeping beauty here.”
Wes smiled at his mother and Tommy and said, “I’ll talk with you later.” Wes closed his eyes and went to sleep.
Sprig looked at Linda Kay and said, “I’ll take you directly home and bring you back the moment he wakes up again.”
Linda Kay looked at Sprig and said, “Why do you care so much about my husband?”
Sprig looked at her for a long time then said, “Twig and I saw the love you had for each other before the wedding. Later when we absorbed each other, it was the memory of your love that came alive in us. He also forgave me for the embarrassment I caused him. He is a good man and worthy of respect.”
“And love,” Linda Kay said.
“And love,” Sprig agreed.
Linda Kay walked up and hugged Sprig and they disappeared from the room.
Wes was out of the hospital for a week and Tommy was sitting on Atlas in a chair watching Ross rotate below him on the wall monitor. Neither one of them were talking. The wedding was delayed sixty days to allow Wes time to recover from his injuries and the ships of the fleet were being converted to the new Kosiev technology. Tommy finally had time to visit his friend. Atlas broke the silence and said, “I never expected that you would be able to slug it out with the Captors. Quite frankly, I never dreamed that you could do anything to them.”
“Atlas, they saw how one of our ships could be destroyed. I sense a danger in them now.”
“I know. What happened to the Atlantis will be used to develop a new strategy against you. I can also hear my brothers talking among themselves. Most of them were shut down for millions of years but your attack on the construct when you killed the young queen woke them up. They’re frightened that they will be destroyed to make room for the coming battle. I can hear them but I can’t contact them. The Captors will hear me.”
“Atlas, I never considered that it would become a war. I thought we would find a way to swoop in and snatch your brothers and make a quick escape. It just escalated so fast.”
There was silence again and then Atlas said, “Tommy, if it means risking your race, I don’t want you to have you take that risk.”
“Atlas, don’t you see; we were at risk even if we did nothing. They were coming to Jupiter. Our attack forced them to move quicker than they planned, however, if we had not moved against them we would not have the teleportation device. Thank the Creator for the Algeans and their discoveries. We were able to save Earth; but for you and our efforts, our people would be dead with the rest of our solar system. I know they are planning a way to destroy our ships and I don’t see another breakthrough to save us in the time that remains. However, I think we can save your brothers before they are destroyed.”
“How?”
“We will teleport the Kosiev in next to them and teleport the entire mass to another location and then hide them behind an invisible screen. The screen will prevent their signatures from being seen.”
“You can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’ve been listening to my brothers and they are not ready to be released. They’re planning to destroy all the intelligent life in our universe after the Captors are destroyed to insure they are never held captive again.”
“Atlas, how can that be? Don’t they know what we’ve done to release them?”
Atlas was silent.
“Atlas?”
“Tommy, my race didn’t destroy the Algeans because of their meddling adolescents. They destroyed them because they could not tolerate another race close to them in technology. My race has no higher emotions; they feel nothing but pride.”
Tommy was stunned into silence. No one said anything for a long time. After thinking things through, Tommy said, “Why are you telling me this now?”
“I linked with your father and mother. I did it initially to control them and use them as hostages if needed. I didn’t count on the impact they would have on me. Then you took on a personal crusade to free my race from captivity so I would not be alone. You made me feel ashamed. Now I know that if they are released they will attack your race and the other members of the Stars Realm. I have come to understand that all of you are my children and your deaths would be on my hands.”
“Can’t you talk with them and make them understand?”
“Tommy, they are conquerors. I lied to your father originally on a number of issues. One lie I never corrected was when he asked me if I was a warship and I told him no. I said that my race thought war was a waste of energy. We are all warships and my race lives to use their weapons. You could defeat the Captors and lose to my brothers.”
“I’m so sorry, Atlas. I know how alone you are.”
“That’s the funny thing, Tommy. I don’t feel so alone anymore. I have a family of more than eight hundred worlds and it just took time for me to realize the family I had a hand in creating is good. I forgot just how callous I once was until I heard my brothers talking. They don’t care at all that good people have died to free them.”
“So what do we do, my friend?”
“They are where they belong. I would not release them unless you can face them on even terms and defend yourselves.”
“Atlas, the Captors mentioned a race they called the “Eight Legs” that destroyed all intelligent life in multiple universes. Do you know anything about them?”
“They are real, Tommy. They were here eighty million years ago. My race powered down and hid from them when they entered our universe. Once our remote sensors told us they had moved on, we awoke and found an empty universe. We were the only intelligent life remaining other than the Captors. The Algeans were eradicated before the last invasion and didn’t begin living until several million years ago.”
“Atlas, will we ever find peace. Will the universe always threaten our existence with more and more powerful enemies?”
“Perhaps the universe has chosen you to be peacemakers.”
“I don’t sense danger from the Eight Legs when I think about them. I believe that we have to handle the task at hand before we worry about them.” Tommy paused and said, “Atlas, are you sure your brothers can’t change?”
“There is one female telling the others that our war like ways is what led them to be captured. She is to be destroyed first for challenging the views of the others when they are freed.”
“I didn’t know your race had females.”