Annihilation - Tommy's Tale (Annihilation Series (Book Four)) (41 page)

“Yes, First Male.”

“Can you pull him out if the temperature is too high?”

“No, we can’t; it’s a one way trip.”

The First Mother said, “We don’t have to go but he should be allowed to follow his chosen path, First Male.”

“I know, but I don’t want to see him die.”

The Old Watcher thought, “Tell me what I need to do.”

“Go to the nexus near your system and wait just outside, we’ll tell you when we’re ready.”

“I’m already at the nexus.”

Tommy stood and Cassandra came into his arms. “Are you ready, love?”

“Yes, I am, Tommy.”

“Old Watcher, accelerate into the nexus toward the particle in the center; don’t slow down.”

Old Watcher thought, “First Male, no matter what happens, please try to find a way for our warriors to live with these strangers. I sense that they do not want to harm us.”

“I’ll try, old friend.”

“I’m starting my run,” and the Old Watcher disappeared into the nexus.

Tommy and Cassandra watched as the huge Captor flew at the particle and then disappeared through it. “He has gone into the new universe.”

“Old Watcher, can you hear me,” the First Male shouted; there was no response.

After a minute Sprig thought, “I was hoping this would work. This was our best chance.”

Another minute passed and the First Male thought, “At least he died on his terms.”

“First Male!”

“Yes.”

“This is glorious. I’m young again. All of my systems are at full capacity. The food is the best I’ve ever had. Send one of our wounded warriors here. Do it now.”

The First Male was stunned. A huge Captor ship that had a giant piece missing from its side flew out to the nexus. Tommy and Cassandra could see that the red color of its screen was weak and barely visible.

“I’ll go next, First Male. I can’t survive much longer.”

“Go, warrior. Go with Old Watcher.”

The injured Captor flew into the nexus and approached the particle at a much slower speed. It hit the particle and disappeared.

“Fist Male, I am whole again. My injuries have been healed. The energy here is so abundant that my healing machines are operating at fantastic speed.”

“Is it too hot?”

“No first male; it’s perfect.”

“How big is that universe, Old Watcher?”

“It’s not big but it is expanding at the speed of light. It is truly beautiful and the energy is the purest I’ve ever tasted.”

The First Male was uncertain of what he should do. “First Mother, I need your guidance.”

“I think that this new universe has been waiting for us. We have stopped our development millions of years ago because there was not enough of the pure food we needed. We expand our numbers slowly because of that lack and our population growth has stagnated. This sounds like a place where we can begin to evolve again.” There was a moment of silence then everyone heard her say, “All warriors that have been wounded, go to the nexus and fly toward the particle in it. Go immediately. Those warriors that can no longer move, attach yourself to one that can and go to the nexus.”

Tommy and Cassandra saw thousands of Captors move toward the nexus. Some of them were missing huge portions of their hulls and others were barely flickering with the red energy that characterized a living Captor. They began entering the nexus and started to disappear into the particle. “First Male, the warriors are regenerating. The energy is healing them.

“Take the ships that are dead and tow them into the particle,” the First Mother ordered.

Two of the warriors stopped flying around the system and attached themselves to a devastated hull. The two hulls had no red light and had more than seventy percent of their outer hulls missing. The two warriors towed the ships into the particle and after a few moments the old watcher shouted in joy, “They’re alive again. They’re alive again. They’re regenerating themselves.”

The First Mother thought, “All warriors, go to the construct and take one of our dead warriors into the nexus. Do it now.”

The stream of ships entering the nexus became a river and then swelled into a flood. Hundreds of thousands of warriors pulling dead Captor ships flew into the nexus. Tommy and Cassandra could hear the shouts of joy from the new universe as the Captors emerged into the high energy environment. They could see the dead ships coming back to life and shared what they were seeing with the Algeans and their crew. Sprig and Twig were overjoyed at the vision and moved and held each other as they wrapped their branches together.

Suddenly Lt. Ortiz said, “Thousands of Star Realm megaships in the outer system.”

Sprig hit his com and said, “All Star Realm ships, leave this system immediately.”

Tag heard the com and said, “What’s going on? Where are Tommy and Cassandra?”

“They are assisting the Captors to leave our universe. Leave now, the Captors will attack because they have no choice. If you love your son, Thomas Gardner you will take your fleet and leave immediately!”

Tag was struggling as he saw hundreds of thousands of Captors move toward his fleet. He looked at Kosiev who said, “Do you trust the Algean?”

Tag punched his com and said, “All ships, teleport to Ross immediately.” The thousands of megaships disappeared.

The First Male felt his instincts slow and then he thought angrily, “Why did you bring those warships to my home?”

Tommy answered, “That was my father. He was afraid that you were going to kill me and he came to protect me.”

The First Mother thought to the First Male, “They are not so different from us. We also protect our young.”

“First Mother, are you saying we should leave here and go to this new universe?”

“Yes, I am. All warriors, enter the nexus; the oldest will go first.”

“First Mother, you should go now. I can’t protect you if all our warriors leave.”

“I am in no danger from these strangers. They have proven to me that they do not wish to harm us. I no longer feel the need to attack them; they have earned our trust by giving us this gift of a new and better home. You and I will go last, together.”

The First Male searched his systems and found that she was right. His instincts no longer saw these strangers as a threat. He did not feel the need to attack them. “You have always been the wisest, First Mother. I also no longer feel the need to attack them.”

Tommy and Cassandra watched as hundreds of thousands of the Captors flew into the nexus and disappeared. The scene was breathtaking as the huge red ships disappeared into the new universe.

The First Male heard a voice being transmitted electronically, “First Male, may I ask a question.”

“Who are you?”

“I am a survivor of a race that you captured and imprisoned more than sixty million years ago.”

The First Male searched his memory and then replied, “You are one of the silver ships.”

“Yes, I am. My name is Atlas and the strangers are a race that I developed. Why did you destroy my race?”

The First Male could feel his instincts begin to rise but he knew that the silver ships were not a threat. They were not strong enough to endanger him. “One of your ships entered our system and killed one of our newborns whose screens had not fully developed.”

“What! I was told that all that ship did was just enter your system and say greetings.”

“You were told wrong. The newborn was out on its first flight away from our home and the ship jumped in and fired on it killing the new child.”

Tommy and Cassandra were stunned. The Alfont ships were not a peaceful race.

Atlas paused and then asked, “Is that why you captured them and placed them in a prison?”

“Yes, killing them would have been too much of a mercy. They needed time to think about their crime.”

“What are you planning to do with them?”

“We really haven’t thought about it. I suppose we’ll just leave them imprisoned.”

Tommy thought to Atlas, “What do you want done, my old friend?”

Atlas was struggling. He knew the danger of his brothers to this universe if they were released. Finally Atlas said, “First Male, if you took them with you into the new universe, would the energy matrix you have around them protect them from the heat?”

Tommy and Cassandra took a quick breath. What was Atlas doing?”

“Not at its current strength but we can increase it and they should be fine.”

“As a favor, could you take them with you into the new universe and in the future when they can handle the environment, release them. I think by that time they should have learned their lesson about being aggressive.”

The First Male paused, “Stranger, do you want us to do what he is asking us?”

“Yes, we do. Our original purpose was to try and release them; however, we didn’t know that they had killed one of your children.”

The First Male said, “Fifty warriors, go to the silver ships and increase the energy surrounding them to level four and tow them through the nexus.”

“One more thing, First Male,” Atlas said.

“Yes.”

“There is one ship that is away from all the others in a corner of the energy matrix. Would you please release that ship before you move the others and would you allow me to speak with the other ships before you take them?”

The First Male issued instructions and then said, “My warriors will be waiting for you. They will release the ship when you direct them to do so. I have ordered them not to attack you and I believe they will comply with my instructions. Since this is no longer our home, they are not driven by their instincts as strongly as they have been.”

Atlas left the Kosiev and flew through the thousands of Captors flying toward the nexus. As he approached the energy matrix holding his brothers he could hear them yelling among themselves until one of them saw him approaching. The yelling got louder until Atlas had stopped just outside the matrix and waited. Finally the ships grew quiet. Atlas said, “I am going to say some things to you and you are going to listen. If you interrupt me, I am going to have the Captors destroy all of you. Do you understand?”

One voice said, “Yes.”

“The race that has imprisoned you is leaving this universe. The ones that made it possible for them to go are races that were developed from my DNA millions of years ago. I developed them in the hopes of one day using them to come and free you. That day has finally arrived. However, while my children have been fighting and dying to make this happen I have listened to you plotting to destroy all intelligent life in this universe if you are released. I have grown over the millions of years you have been held here and most of that growth has taken place in the last fifty rotations. I now know that your mega egos cannot be controlled.”

Thousands of voiced started yelling and Atlas turned to leave. Suddenly all grew silent and one voice said, “Please don’t go and leave us here. You are one of us. Please release us.”

Atlas turned back and said, “One more interruption and I leave. I will not endanger my children by releasing you into this universe. I know your think you are superior to all life; I know you look forward to killing; I know that you cannot be controlled; and I know what is in your hearts. All you know is total disregard for other life forms. The Plants that we exterminated millions of years ago are the ones that have led to our success in being here today. The Humans, Cainth, Glod and all other members of the Stars Realm have put their lives on the line to save you from your captors; yet you make plans to destroy them all if you are released. You will be taken with your captors into the new universe and held in this energy matrix until you can survive in the new environment and then you will be released. Your captors have agreed to make that happen. I suggest you go to sleep and wait for that time to come. I would also suggest that you think about what has happened here and know that you would have been imprisoned for eternity if it were not for races that cared enough to make your struggle their own. Now that the moment has arrived, I cannot endanger them with your release. Learn from this or eventually you will all perish. One of us came to this system and killed one of your captor’s newborns. That is why so many of us died and why you are imprisoned. If you don’t learn, you will eventually die. I have struggled with this moment since I listened to you plotting and I now know that all life is precious and should be protected. I sincerely hope you will also learn that lesson. You will have a billion years to think about it before the new universe starts to develop new life forms. Maybe you can help in that process.”

Atlas turned and he could hear the millions of ships calling to him. He ignored them and said to one of the Captor Warriors, “Carry out your instructions.”

The fifty Captors fired an energy field into the matrix holding the Alfont ships and then pulled the matrix with them toward the nexus. As it was pulled away Atlas saw one silver ship remaining behind.