“They sensed you and could tell you were strong psychically. We have been searching for you for more than two years to join them.”
“Danielle, how could I work for a government that murdered my parents?”
“Oh, Tag, you have so much to learn. Your parents are fine and have been worried sick for your safety. They also were recruited and are serving on Earth Station Seven as Earth’s liaison with the Alliance. All the people that disappeared are being used in positions away from Earth. They’re looking forward to seeing you.”
Tag was stunned. “Does this mean I’m forgiven for the five men I killed and the nine million credits I borrowed?” Upon hearing that, the bridge crew started talking among themselves until Kosiev silenced them with a look.
“Nine million credits! You have been a busy boy,” Danielle said. “You know and they also know that you had no choice but to defend yourself. They have also interviewed anyone that ever knew you, including me, and they know what sort of person you are. You are important to them. They need you, but not as much as I do. Please come home, Tag.”
The Kosiev bridge had become crowded once the rest of the ship had learned of the importance of the person they were trying to find. Crew members came in and lined the walls. They listened to this beautiful woman talk to the man on the moon who was going to be a member of the Special Forces. Every one of them felt they were witnessing history being made, and Kosiev was not going to deny them their opportunity. He allowed them to come in and watch what was happening.
“Danielle, it’s going to take me a few minutes to get to the surface, but as soon as I do I’ll turn on my suit beacon so they can find me.”
“Hurry, Tag. I miss you.”
“Me, too.”
Tag turned back to the Alfont ship and said, “Did you understand what just happened?”
The ship did not respond for a minute, and Tag was starting to wonder how he would get out of the cave without the ship’s assistance. “Yes,” the ship said. “I think I do. Your feelings for the one you were talking with are interesting. The two of you are bound together in bonds both mental and emotional. Yet, you’ve not had much time together if I read your memories correctly.”
“That’s true. We haven’t. But we know.”
“You have given me some things to consider. There is no one else in existence that I can communicate with, so I am going to keep my link to you open. If you need to communicate with me, just direct your thoughts to the link I placed in your mind, or just call me by my name, Atlas. You are not my master, but neither is anyone else. I’m going to have to think about my place in this universe. While I’m doing that, I’m going to watch what happens to you.”
“Thank you, Atlas.”
“One more thing. I want you to place your hand back on my hull.”
“Why?”
“There are some tools I want you to have.”
Tag stepped up to the ship and gingerly placed his hand in the indentation on the ship’s side. Again the ship melted around his hand and he felt something happen to his right hand; then his whole body seemed to warm.
“You may remove your hand,” Atlas said.
“What did you do?”
“I made a change on a subatomic level to your arm. I want you to take your hand and hold it like you were holding a hand weapon.” Tag held up his arm and pointed his hand at the wall like he was going to fire a stunner. Suddenly, a weapon appeared in his hand. He was startled, and he opened his hand and the weapon disappeared. He closed his hand and it reappeared.
“What is this?”
“I don’t want you to go unarmed. From now on, if you just think ‘weapon’ and hold your hand like you were holding one, it will appear.”
“What does the weapon do?”
“Whatever you fire it at will be destroyed, so use it wisely. I have also put a force field into your cellular structure.”
“You’ve what?”
“I’ve placed a force field that will protect you from all projectiles. You don’t even have to see them. It has its own sensors and will automatically protect you and anyone standing next to you. You can deliberately activate it by simply thinking, ‘field on.’”
Tag thought “field on,” and a field that had a slight green glow enclosed him. “Field off,” he thought, and the field disappeared.
“That field will also produce an atmosphere so if you’re caught in space you won’t need a suit,” the ship said.
“You’re full of surprises, Atlas. Why are you doing this?”
“Like your Danielle said, I’ve looked in your mind, and I’m interested in what I see. I’m curious about what is going to happen. You are an important link for me to see your time in history, and I am reluctant to lose this link.”
“Will you remove the wall so I can leave?”
Suddenly, Tag was out of the cave and standing in the sun in the middle of the crater. “No need,” the ship said, “I’ll just move the surface to you.”
“More surprises,” Tag said, and then he turned on his suit beacon and called on his suit radio. “You can find me now.” Then he saw the thrusters of a shuttle near the far horizon as it changed direction and started moving toward him. It landed and he entered its open port. There waiting for him in a space suit was Danielle. She could still feel the little shock as he wrapped his arms around her. He touched his helmet to hers and said, “I don’t want to ever lose you again; will you marry me as soon as possible?”
She looked into his eyes and said, “Yesterday is not soon enough.” He held her tighter as she closed her eyes and clung to the man she loved.
Chapter 24
A dmiral Dorg was in his office when the authorization was received for the occupation of the human’s planet. He saw that first he had to destroy a race on the other side of Alliance territory, which caused an angry moment, but he cautioned himself to be patient. It was finally going to happen. He was going to repay the humans for the death of his grandfather and the anguish they caused him after the last attack on the human destroyer. He knew that it would not take much once he occupied the humans’ home world to cause a disturbance that would give him an excuse to destroy every last one of them. They weren’t Alliance members, so they had no real standing or protection. By authorizing the occupation, the Alliance had given him full authority to do as he pleased. “With the addition of the fleets from thirty other Alliance members, I should have more than 1,400 war ships,” he thought. “It will be plenty.”
He turned to his adjutant and asked, “When will the other ships arrive?”
“Sir, most of them are gathering just inside Alliance territory outside the border of the Grendap Commonwealth. We are expected to join them there.”
“We will, but first we’re going to send an expedition into the humans’ domain aimed at the planet circling the star closest to the one they named Ross 248. They have a new settlement there that we are going to make an example of prior to our occupying their home planet.”
“Sir,” Tresk said, “I think the Alliance gave the humans six weeks to prepare for our arrival. Will we be going against the Alliance’s wishes to occupy them now?”
“They won’t care. As long as we destroy the Grendap then whatever else happens won’t matter. I want these humans to know what they have in store for them when we arrive.”
“What are your orders, sir?”
“Take two hundred of our ships, the forty-fifth and sixtieth strike groups should be enough, and drop our
