Adventures of the USS Tigershark, 21

Chapter 21: The Inheritance

From the open door, Dusty stepped into the room.”I am containing the Dai .”

The living dust cloud flowed like a sand storm around me and engulfed both Dai.

The Dustcloud said.”Captain, they are riding on electromagnetic waves. They infiltrated us as we set the shields transparent for radio waves.”

Both Dai looked like living statues.

Now Orthbeer passed through the deck plating. I could not hear what he was trying to say, then he came closer and closer and his greenish hand passed into my head.” Captain Olafson, can you hear me like that?”

“Yes.”

“I am going to free the Narth do not be concerned about your friend. I will get him out. You should turn on your Suit.”

“I don’t know how.”

“There are manual activation modules on your wrist.”

He kept on floating before me and extended an almost invisible hand. I noticed the dark gray little bumps and pressed them.

“Suit Ensign Tyron activated, “Have I done you, proud Captain?”

“How?”

It explained.”When Lt. Har Hi told me you would only trust me if I showed him how I can be deactivated.”

Fenris passed through the walls with an angry screech, ripping one of the white worms apart that just tried to sneak up on me.

“You make me very proud Tyron, but here is the situation.”

“I told him as fast as I could.”

Before I could finish shiny spider silk glued me to the ground and Krabbel came fast through the open door.

I raised my finger. “Tyron paralyze only!”

Krabbel dropped and Suit switched to aggressive shields dissolving the spider silk.

I opened the weapons locker and took a broad sword.”Now to the Computronic Core.”

I had to paralyze and stun my way through a dozen of my crewmates before I reached the Computronic Core. This was the best-protected space in the ship, SHIP was inside a Reinforced Neutronium ball. There was the Emergency Access panel and I pushed my hand on it and slipped my code key in. SHIP came out of her cycle at once. “SHIP, Ganymede Protocol!”

This was a captains only knowledge, mutiny containment protocol. Core component was her accepting my commands only.

“Ganymede active.”

“Reduce inside temperatures to minus 50 degrees and increase Grav to 25. Flood every deck with Para Rays and sent the ZERO ZERO pulse.

“Aye Captain!”

“The ZERO ZERO pulse deactivated all weapons and battle suits.

“Do we still have Shields?”

“No Captain.”

“Activate all shields.”

Narth appeared next to me. “I am free and unharmed.”

“Let’s go and liberate my ship. No mercy no quarters. Intruders are to be killed on site.”

I activated the Fenrir Robots through SHIP and ordered them to contain crew members in stasis.”

Narth teleported me to the bridge. I found everyone pinned to the ground and everything was covered with a thin layer of frost, arm long white maggot-like worms lay everywhere.

There was Lia Bennett sitting in my Chair.Se was still grinning at me even though she was paralyzed.

A huge explosion rocked the ship and SHIPs Voice said.”Captain, severe damage to Engineering.

The Red Dragon in an active Seenian suit and in one of our Wolfcrafts!”

Narth teleported me right to Engineering, there was a huge gaping hole in the hull of my ship.

An energy blast hit Narth and made his shroud catch fire, a second one of tremendous force hit me.

“Narth get out of here, this is an order.”

An energy beam out of my finger hit the Wolfcraft with the Thauran while Narth disappeared. I could feel him being injured but alive.

“Good Bye perverted little girl boy. I know the secret of the Seenian depot now. I will be back and kill you all slowly.”

With that, the hovering Wolfcraft screamed with maximum acceleration into the sky.

We assembled in the Pirates Den. It was quiet and no one spoke.

Everyone looked at me with guilty faces. It had taken me almost two days to get one after the other out of stasis and checked by Narth and Cateria. The white worms aboard the ship were dead and I had robots scour and decontaminate the ship from top to bottom, now that they knew what to scan for it was easy to find the worms. Shea finally spoke.” I am so sorry Captain!” “You were under alien influence, nothing to be sorry about!” “Captain the Knnnk do not take over they threaten you with from within. I should have been stronger!” Hans actually was sitting on the floor crying.” I killed TheOther while the Y’All protected you, Captain!” Cateria shook her head.” No, you have not. The Y’All was seriously wounded but you did not hit anything vital. He has amazing self-healing abilities.” I said with the most serious tone in my voice.” Circuit is another matter! I don’t know if he is dead or simply deactivated but he is not moving! Cateria does not know how to help him and neither does Suit. Elfi sobbed.” I did that. I fired tech stop on him!” “Let’s not lose hope. He came around last time he was hit by tech stop.”

Warner’s tail seemed dead and limb as he dragged it behind him coming into the Den.”We were able to free Three-Four from the energy siphon, Shea had trapped him in, but we were unsuccessful so far to get more than a baseline of weak energy from Circuit.”

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my emotions under control.”What about the ship, can we lift off?”

“Sorry, Captain, there is too much gone. I am afraid the Tigershark won’t go anywhere without outside help.”

“We got two LEGO factories. If we have to, we build a dockyard and fix her.”

“We could never fix the TransDim chandeliers it was part Narth, but we might be able to manufacture and jury rig a few ISAH pods to get us home.”

“Then I this is what you do. While I go after this monster.”

I stood on the plane and met with the Down Commander.

“Thanks to you, we are all recuperating and soon fully healthy again.

“Sadly no one can leave this planet. I listened to your advice and had all Engines destroyed. So no one could escape and I would not have to use force on my own kind.

No Down is allowed to respond to communication coming from this planet for five years. Either you would beat the disease or we die here I thought.”

He looked towards the Tigershark. “Now that your ship is damaged we are stuck.”

I too turned and looked at the once beautiful Tigershark. Her aft section was a twisted mess of metal. The tough armor kept much of the explosion inside and caused even more damage.

“We find a way, we are not out of options.”

I said and turned to look over to the now quite impressive field hospital with several stories and several basement floors.

The construction robots relentlessly kept working.

Har-Hi came over and said.” It doesn’t look good. We completely lost TransDim and both our extendable ISAH pods are gone. In all the bad news I have good news too!”

“I can use them.”

He pointed to the Hospital doors and the Y’All came out with a big pale spot on his armor skin, but he seemed otherwise unharmed. He reached us and he saluted. “Ensign TheOther reporting back for duty Captain.”

“You saved my life and the ship.”

“And you gave me a purpose, a home, and true friends. None of these things any other Y’All could claim to have. I would do it gladly again.”

Har-Hi said. “I recommend Ensign Y’All for the Purple Heart and the Silver Star.”

“I second that and enter it so in the Logbook!”

Har-Hi said.”Not that these are great news, I meant something else.”

My eyes watered as I saw Circuit coming out of the Hospital as well.

He walked a little stiff, looked over his ship and then came.

“I am sorry Captain. I tried to prevent that by ejecting the core, but the altered Elfi got me in the middle of it. I guess that is the end of my own Engine rooms.”

I simply hugged him. “I thought I lost you.”

“You almost did. Elfi knew where to shoot. But SHIP had my schematics on file and Cateria and our Nanites were able to reconnect my neural pathways before they deteriorated. I am as good as new.”

He hugged me back and I knew he was crying inside. “I thought I lost you too Captain and everyone.”

I wiped my own tears off I didn’t notice until now. Narth scared me for a second as he popped out of thin air.” Oh sorry Captain, I better warn you mentally before I do that again.”

“Yes, that be a good idea. I am a bit nervous about things coming out of thin air right now.”

“Mao is in surgery and then will have to spend some time in the Regen tank, but Cateria prognoses a full recovery for him as well.”

“I feel terrible for giving him a liquid metal shower, but the alternative would have been a direct TKU hit.”

Narth switched subjects.

“The Red Dragon took one of our Wolfcrafts, and we think he took Melissa hostage. He is most certainly back on his way to the Seenian depot.

“I go after him as soon as possible, we do have another Wolfcraft and the Gazelle.”

I motioned to the hospital. “What is the situation here?”

“We analyzed the disease, it is a race of sentient beings. They can not affect the environment themselves to build a civilization but can make others do it.

The bad part is that they can’t control the side effects of their own poison and the disease they spread, so their host bodies deteriorate and die and they must find new species to take over to survive. They have the ability to teleport along electromagnetic waves like radio for example and as we made our shields transparent for radio they could infiltrate our ship.”

“We need to find their origin and destroy them. As soon as we can that is.”

Circuit shook his head.” Captain half of the spare parts are gone too. Warner is right there is too much gone. I am afraid the Tigershark stays planet-bound until we can manufacture ISAH pods.”

I then turned back to Har-Hi and asked the question I dreaded to ask.” Casualties?” “We have many wounded but no casualties.”

An ape-like being walking more on his knuckles than on his feet came from the hospital and bowed deeply.

“You must be Captain Olafson. We do not know how we can thank you. You have saved us. We are healthy and free of the influence. the Down allowed us to remain on this planet and settle here. I know of your great misfortune but if you ever get back please send a ship so we can join this magnificent Union of yours.”

“I will do that.”

I saw the Ghost floating by the ship in the distance and waved him over. Now that Suit was fully operational I could hear him talk.

“Captain, why don’t we go back to our home system and get one of the Seenian ships? You should be able to get home with one of these.”

“We have to fight the Dragon first, he might already have access.”

“He is not the authorized inheritor. He will face the First Servant.”

To Har-Hi I said. “Get the Wolfcraft ready.”

“Captain...”

“No discussion, no argument. I am going to finish this once and for all, but you are welcome to come along. There is the Gazelle.”

To the Ghost I said. “You saved my best friend, for that I am eternally grateful.”

“I am glad I could help. Narth is certain he can bring more of my mind matter back and find a way to allow me to sleep. I could not let come harm to him, for that chance alone.”

Har-Hi and I flew back. Ghost was with me as he took no room. Since I also wore Suit I actually had a mini crew of my own in my one seat spacecraft.

The second planet of the Antoo system was a marginal garden world with rugged mountains and very little vegetation. Nothing in terms of animal life, at least not where we touched down. The Wolfcraft had very limited science sensor capabilities.

We did find the other Wolfcraft, it had touched down on a mountain plateau within close distance to an artificial gate structure that was well hidden underneath a mountain rock overhang.

“Tyron, you say his suit is repaired right? Is it sentient like you?”

“While I can’t say for certain as this would require contact, but highly unlikely. Sentient suits like me are not the norm. I gained sentience on my own.”

“Well, we will find out.”

“Aye Captain and on a personal note, whatever Seenian mysteries we are about to uncover, I am no longer Seenian, but a Union Citizen, a fleet member and loyal to you alone.”

“I never questioned your loyalty.”

“No Captain but you were thinking it, you would not be the leader I admire if you didn’t.”

“You can read my mind?”

“No Captain, but being worn I can detect the faintest changes in body chemistry and language.”

Har-Hi who had joined me standing before the temple like entrance.”Captain, the writing above that temple entrance is Seenian.”

Tyron said. “He is right Captain, the words say. “The war is lost, may worthy children fight the darkness. With what we have left behind.”

The dark metal door was closed and there was more writing directly on the door.

Tyron read it out loud. “The writing promises great rewards to those worthy possessing them. It also reads that this door This door can only be opened by a Telekinet of considerable strength or a Seenian. It also warns of great dangers to those who are not deemed worthy.”

“Now what?” Har-Hi said.”We left Narth and Alice behind and how did he get in?”

Tyron answered.”The individual Melissa, she is a Telekinet of considerable strength.”

“How did he know that?”

“I assume she told him. Neither Kilkam nor she was apparently immune to the Knnnkt.”

My Dai friend sighed.

Orthbeer passed through the barrier and moments later it opened.”He was hovering in the now unobstructed entrance.”I am a very weak telekinet, but there are controls on the inside. I have been here before.”

Despite the tense situation. I could not help myself but smile.”It isn’t ghost proof obviously.”

The corridor behind the door was long and narrow, there was a moldy smell in the stale air. The floor was covered was covered with a thick layer of dust, but there were tracks of very recent footprints

We must have covered at least a klick when we noticed someone lying on the floor. It was Melissa, she was covered with brown spots, a white maggot had detached itself from her and now moved towards us. I blasted it with a feeling of grim satisfaction.

Har-Hi knelt next to her and said looking up. “She is still alive, but not in good shape.”

“She is human and the freak thing is dead. See if your auto doc can help.”

He nodded and detached his Auto doc and pressed it against her.

While he did that I slowly kept going, the corridor widened into a circular chamber of about fifty meters in diameter.

I noticed the Dragon taking a small cubical device from a stone pedestal in the middle of the chamber.

Tyron said with great alarm in his voice. “That is a casern.”

I remembered Cateria mentioning that before. “Did you not have one as well?”

Before Tyron could say another word, a bright flash of energy hit me full force and threw me against the wall. A conical shaped, man-sized gray object had appeared. As I hit the wall I noticed the Dragon attacked the same way.

I was not knocked out, and I was certain I was not seriously hurt.

“Captain, the Casern has a fully active casern bot and does not accept my command codes. I must put all energy into the shield.”

The cone-shaped machine snarled in Seenian. “The key is for revenge and for those who stand against the dark and not for darkness itself. If perish I must, I perish but there will be no surrender.”

The Dragon groaned in agony his own Seenian suit underneath, emitted puffs of smoke.

The robot fired another blast of tremendous power and engulfed me, making the previously invisible shield that surrounded me glow in the brightest purple. Vaporizing the wall behind me and turning the floor I was standing on in a large puddle of molten rock.”

“We need to go into Battle mode while we can, Captain. I am sure I can defeat a Casern bot, but there is one more coming.”

“Go!”

Like the first time I wore Tyron, I felt a faint prick in my neck and then everything changed. All my senses had been boosted by a thousand times. I suddenly could see everything all around me just like in Battle view. I got dizzy as I suddenly possessed 360 degrees vision. Something my mind had a hard time processing, instead of reading or identifying icons and data I simply knew it. My ears could hear the heartbeat of the Dragon, the grinding sounds of the sand and dust while at the same time hearing the thundering cracks of energy discharges, I could see the path of blaster bolts.

With a thought most likely not entirely my own I envisioned a huge scoop and with this invisible tool I laddled a load of molten material from the ground and sloshed the robot with the hellish liquid many thousand degrees hot,

I moved with a speed that was not humanly possible,

I was not myself, It was as if my body was remote controlled.

With similar energy blasts pouring out of my suit gloves, I cut into the machines shields.

Tyron’s voice was right in my head. “My energy siphoning abilities are strained to the point of collapse. This robot is finished but another one has just appeared.”

I tossed myself against the robot, both the robot and my shields collapsed and without knowing if it was me or Tyron I plunged my fingers into the slick metal skin of the machine and ripped it open with all the titanic strength the suit gave me and before the robot could repair itself I ripped the small tough brain sphere out of its command center, knowing exactly where it was and how it looked and with the last energy blast disintegrated it.

“Captain, I have exhausted all energy, we need to get out of here.”

With these words, all turned back to normal. I can no longer protect you.”

I could now feel the blistering heat.

The chamber was still an inferno of molten metal and stone, I noticed a passageway and rushed in as fast as I could inside and ran with all speed I could muster, because I not only felt the heat but also noticed that Tyron was no longer conditioning the air I was breathing and the hot air stung my lungs with a burning sensation. According to him, there were more bots on the way.

The further I made it the cooler the air became.

“Captain, these were the last energy reserves I had, I drained it all. It was an honor serving you. Starman Tyron Suit, Union Citizen signing out.”

His voice cut out before I could say anything and I knew he was gone.

I felt incredibly fatigued myself, as I tabbed through the dark corridor.

There was a light ahead, a bright cold white light.

And there he was, the Red Dragon naked as the day he was born with burn blisters all across his body, but holding a TKU in his left and a boarding-sword in his right.

He looked at me with unmasked hate, but I was certain my face reflected my emotions towards him just as well.

“Olafson, what does it take to kill you? You managed to follow me again.”

“I follow you to the end of the universe and put an end to you!”

Swybar laughed. “You are unarmed and your suit is as worthless as mine. I simply cut it to pieces then. Much more fun!”

He was right, I didn’t even have my colt with me, it was still in my quarters from before I went swimming. My own TKU was somewhere on the floor in the chamber where I battled the robots. It and all other personal equipment fell away when Suit activated his full combat mode.

As advanced as Tyron was in terms of being a battlesuit if it failed it failed completely and now I understood why the Marines despite their Atlas and Quasimodos relied on an external independent weapon. I had relied on Tyron and had even left my Colt and my knife behind.

He tried to fire, but his TKU did not discharge.

From the corridor direction we had come from, I noticed more cone shaped robots.

He, holding a sword. Of all weapons, he swung a sword.

Anger swelled in me, for not having my sword. I had to back up and evade that bastard, the corridor left no other direction.

I had to retreat from the man I wanted to kill like I never wanted to kill anyone and suddenly something broke in me. I could feel him, my mind was able to sense every muscle every hair of him.

I reached out and pushed but not with my hands. Swybar was hit by an invisible titans fist and swept off his feet.

He suddenly there naked and utterly helpless.

He held up both hands.”I did not know you are a PSION user, I surrender. Now be a good boy-girl and put me under arrest. I am entitled to quarters until I have been a court martial by officers of my peer. I know my rights. You must go by the book.”

He crawled backward, away from me,

“I am Erica Olafson. I am Darkness Incarnate, by the ancient laws of revenge I shall take mine!

I knew it was me doing it as he rose floating into the air. My mind pulled at all four of his limbs at the same time. Until he floated there like a human-shaped ‘X’.

Without effort, I broke his legs. “This is for the many victims of Outpost 89!”

He screamed on the top of his lungs and then I grabbed him by his manhood.

“This is for Orah Báct.”

With all my anger augmenting my strength I ripped it out with a spray of blood. He screamed in pain and almost passed out. I waited a moment, with cold eyes watching the blood poodle beneath the floating man. I made him float feet down. “This you traitorous, piece of rotting Fangsnapper dung, is for me and my ship. I took the fallen boarding sword and cut him in half. This time I felt no guilt but a deep satisfaction.

Orthbeer and Har-Hi appeared moments later and stared at the gruesome remains of Swybin Swybar and then at me.”Our ghost found an alternate passage, the inferno chamber you left behind made us fear the worst, but then we heard the screams.” Orthbeer led through the tunnel onto a rocky plateau before a tall mountain. We followed the green glowing Antoo to a sheer rock wall and he uncovered a hidden panel and said. “The Seenians given us the access codes use their technology, Except to this one.” Melissa appeared out of thin air right before us.”Because this is the inheritance. I am the Anagoge and it was my task to judge the seekers. You have shown, honor, compassion for the sick and restraint. I declare you to be worthy.”

She stepped away from the glowing panel and said.”It is all yours Captain Olafson.”

With a dry throat and great anticipation, I pressed my hand on the blue-lit outline of a human palm print.

A Voice in Seenian spoke.”Access granted.”

Nothing else happened.

“Now what?”

Har-Hi said.”Captain this is unbelievable. You need to turn around and step to the edge of the plateau.”

What looked like a wilderness Valley between mountains before was now gone as far as we could see. I held my breath as I saw five ships looking almost exactly like the Devastator and just as big. Stacked upon each other. There was so much more. Seenian equipment containers, stacked kilometers high.

It took me a moment to really understand what I saw.

Melissa said. “The Seenians were aware of the dangerous potential of all this and asked the Exalted to reveal it only to worthy people. Captain Olafson, it is all yours, and yours alone to decide what to do with it. All are ready to be used.”

A single robot came floating up. Clearly a Celtest Battle Unit.

Melissa suddenly wore her golden mask and she said.”Last Servant, identify me.”

“You are the one chosen to judge, have you done so?”

“I have done so. All is to be given to this person, Captain Erica Olafson.”

“Acknowledged. New Owner recognized. You are now the heir. What is your command?”

“Are there any spaceships I can use?”

“There are 345,000 units that can be designated as spaceships. They all can be made spaceworthy within the hour. Including four Dertha battleships and one Karmat.”

“Can this Karmat ship be used immediately and with a small crew?”

“The Karmat is at your service. It needs but one command level to operate. A Crew is helpful but I can supply robots.”

“No need for the robots then, activate the Karmat and have her accept my commands.”

“Everything here accepts only your commands.”

Har-Hi floating next to me. “You know I am just a little tempted to start our own clan, we could rule the galaxy with this.”

“I know. And I think we just might have the tools now to step on Cam Elf-Na and end his reign of terror as well. I have a feeling Admiral Stahl got the Devastator from a place like this and he never told anyone where the rest is either, maybe he realized this is too much power.”

To the robot I said. “How do you recognize me?”

“By scanning your DNA, your voice, your brainwaves, your psionic imprint, and your temporal tachyon signature.”

“Close the valley after we are gone and install planetary defenses.No one but me and those with me shall be able to land.”

“It will be done.”

“Where is this Karmat?”

“The Karmat battleship is currently rising from its pole hangar. It takes twelve hours for a ship of this size to fly through the atmosphere without causing severe planetary damage.”

“Uhm how big is this Karmat?”

The robot answered.”68 kilometers across in your scale measurements. Largest Celtest Class. Also known as the Queens Battle Ship.”

“Well I thought of something a tad smaller, but it will do I guess. Robot how does the ship recognize me?”

“The same way one does. You wear a Tyron Model it will be able to connect you to the Onboard AI and issue all commands.”

“The suit I wear is much more than a piece of equipment. It is sentient and my friend and it is damaged.”

“One can affect repairs.”

“Repairs might affect his personality, I need to be very certain that any repairs are done with utmost care to it.”

“One must express its astoundment. A biological lifeform friends with a construct?”

Melissa said.”It is true, Last Servant. Their society includes sentient machines. This suit is indeed a crew member and not just a suit.”

“I will transfer energy. The Tyron model can then affect self-repair.”

Tyron became active.”Captain, I have access to energy, what happened to...”

I told him and said.”I won’t hug you because that would look very weird, but I am very glad you are back.”

“I am too.”

The robot said.”You are a Tyron model command suit with sentient awareness?”

“Indeed and I stand against you and everything to defend my Captain.”

“No need, she has been accepted as the Owner.”

Finally, it came and darkened the Sky.

“Robot, that will be fine, just leave here there. It would take hours to land it. Let’s get the Wolfcrafts in it and get this monster disk back to the Tigershark.”

The Devastator, there was no question about it anymore was a Seenian battleship.

The Devi was heavily modified with Terran tech since the Eternal Warrior brought her along, but I knew it carried many tech level 11 secrets, some sealed away at those mysterious X decks probably only Stahl and Harris knew about.

This huge disk looked very similar to the Devi only was ten times as big and then some.

We reached the Bridge after a small odyssey in I.S.T. capsules.

The bridge was exactly like the one on the Devi, of course with the old original Seenian stations and not Union tech layout. Its command seat was a clunky affair and not the neat Battle mode command seat of my Tigershark.

Suit informed me that it had very similar capabilities as the Devastator and could cloak. It had the old Seenian versions of Transform Cannons but its sixty main battery towers where of Yotta load size or the equivalent of one Quadrillion tons of High Explosives far beyond of the trillion tons of the Devi’s Exo loads. This was enough to pulverize a planet or snuff a small sized sun.

I could not deny my personal pride as the big ship didn’t accelerate as fast as my Tigershark.

It took me six hours to get the giant down so we could load my own ship. We then assembled in our Pirates Den. The Tigershark forlorn in one of the gigantic hangars.

SHIP said. “It was a nice time. You got yourself an impressive new ship and they will surely give it to you. When we are back they most likely scrap the ship that was not supposed to exist in the first place.”

“And you fear they deactivate you?” I asked.

“Yes, that is what they do to defective computronics. If they decide to repair the ship, its new Captain will most likely have me fixed or replaced. It’s the Navy way.”

“I don’t want this big monster. I much rather have my Tigershark fixed and go back pirate hunting or something else. We still have the Dai Than issue, I promised Har-Hi we will do something about.

If they, against all better judgment, insist on me getting this big ship, then I will have you installed as its brain. Shea and Circuit will do it and no one else so we make sure we won’t lose you.

Besides I made you an official crewmember, they can’t deactivate you just retire you. And by then we find a way to get you freedom of movement and all that.”

Har-Hi said. “This big disc is not us. It’s a real battleship with room and hangars to carry an entire fleet, and hundred thousands of crew. All it can do is fight big battles or parade around in space. I want to go back out there in the Tigershark and have dinner in our very own Pirates Den.”

The Golden said. “I hope you take me along again when you go again. I had more fun and made more friends than in all my life before.”

Rohgar the Togar agreed.”I hope against all better knowledge they will assign me to you again.”

“Hey, guys we are not home yet,” I said. “We are heading home as soon as we settled the problem with those disease worms, then I like to visit the Furze with this new ship of ours and tell them what I think of Bullies. As I said Cam Elf-Na is still out there.

I addressed our CMO. “Cateria what is the status here?”

“All our patients are on their way to complete recovery. The Furze outcasts lost 81 before we could do anything.

The Down and the captured pirates will recover as well. The remaining pirates are now all in stasis already and can finish their healing process when they come out of Stasis in Union brigs and on their way to the gallows.”

Circuit said. “I instructed the LEGO factories to build a shipyard. The Down Can repair their ships there and fly home. I have also build a high-security hold were the remaining worms are held. Pending your decision.”

“I need to know where their homeworld is and find it. Then I am going to see how hot those maggots like it for real and burn them all.”

Shea said. “They are doing this for many millennia Captain. They have no knowledge of their home planet. I know they escaped, as a space-faring race accidentally landed. It might be possible to retrace their steps from civilization to civilization they destroyed and leeched to death before moving on and thus find their homeworld.”

I sighed as she said that. “I think that is a number too big for us and would take years. Maybe we do need to leave a few things undone and go home.” Much of the crew was present as we discussed all this and no one really looked very happy.

I got up.”We are going to the Golden Bazaar and make contact. Most likely we will be sent home.I. Aren’t you glad?”

It was the little furry Holdian who stepped forward. “We sort of hoped it would last a little longer. I do look forward to going home, don’t get me wrong but this ship and this crew became for most of us home as well and now it will end.” Elfi said. “Exactly what we said will happen back then when we graduated, just later. Only this time there will be no secret ship or a secret mission. You go to Command School as the admirals said and that is the end of our adventures.”

“We’re not home yet but I know what you all mean.”

Har-Hi made a wide arm gesture. “Captain with this monster we are home in no time, no refueling and this thing is almost as fast as the Tigershark.”

“I think we cross that bridge when we are home. I just think this is not the end. I am sure we will be together again.”

Cateria wrap everything up outside and let me know when we can leave. Shea and Circuit prepare a way to destroy the remaining worms. A furnace or something be nice!” “Aye Captain!”

Chapter 22 »