the Academy. Is there any truth to that rumor?”
Tommy stared at John Ortiz who was one of his childhood friends with a glare that everyone in the room recognized as possible trouble. Captain Dodd’s expression did not change but her face was turning red. Tommy said, “I’ll answer your question but first I want to know what prompted you to ask it.”
Tommy expected John to reveal that Captain Dodd had ordered him to do it. John said, “As you probably know, our ship just received the highest rating in the fleet. I think I speak for my fellow officers when I say that I’m personally proud of that accomplishment. I don’t want to lose that rating or have anything jeopardize us keeping it.”
Tommy fought to control his feelings at that moment. He hated Cassandra Dodd with a passion and wanted to make her pay for what she put him through at the academy. Then he remembered something Tgon-gee had told him, “Royalty does not have the luxury of revenge when it conflicts with the safety of one’s subjects.” Tommy sighed and said, “Captain Dodd, would you like to answer his question?”
Captain Dodd stood up and faced her officers who Tommy could tell were nervous for her being put on the spot. She said, “I was Duke Gardner’s cadet officer his freshman year and I made life a living hell for him without just cause. I made him do things that were unjustified. He took the punishments I passed out with class and never complained to my superiors which he had every right to do. Quite frankly, whatever he chooses to do to me here and now is totally justified and I would not blame him for making me pay for my sins. I just hope I can endure it with the class and professionalism he exhibited.” Captain Dodd then sat down and did not change her expression.”
Tommy listened to her and was stunned at what she said. He still did not like her at all but he knew what courage she possessed to confess her actions to her officers. Tommy stared at her for a minute and silence ruled the room. Then Tommy sighed and said, “I have been given a Royal title and declared Protector of the Realm. If taking revenge weakens the Realm in any way, even a small one, then I violate the vow I made. I have viewed your fleet rating and I know that it was due in large part to the direction of the ship’s captain. I tried not to be but I was impressed with your performance and the outstanding teamwork exhibited by the crew. I cannot take any action against Captain Dodd that would diminish her ability to effectively command this vessel. I am forced by my position in the Realm to leave what happened in the past in the past, and there it will stay. This is the last time this issue will be discussed, is that clear!”
Everyone shouted, “Yes Sir.”
Tommy looked at Captain Cassandra Dodd, his former nemesis, and said, “Captain, I congratulate you and your crew for your rating and I insist that you continue to perform at that high level. I trust that we will work together at just that high a level also.”
Captain Dodd said, “Thank you, Your Highness. I’ll work hard to make that happen.”
Tommy looked around the room and said, “Dismissed,” and then he turned and walked out.
Captain Dodd said, “You head the Duke, quit being so lazy, report to your posts immediately.” The officers rushed out of the room and Captain Dodd got up and closed the door. She sat back down and put her head in her hands and cried. Tommy Gardner had just humbled her; he was better than she was. She knew she would have taken her revenge if roles were reversed but he showed he was stronger. She just could not understand what drove her to treat him as she did when it was so out of character for her. She got herself together and promised herself that she was going to be as strong as him some day. She shook her head and left the conference room for the bridge.
Sprig and Twig were in the ships library scanning the contents of the computer. If Algeans could be smiling then these two were going to split their face with it. The amount of input was going in at a prodigious rate and the pain of their empty storage was allayed for the moment. Twig thought to Sprig while she scanned a manual that dealt with magnetic anomalies present in cosmic string distortions, “We have got to control ourselves here. The loss of that megaship almost cost us further development.”
Spring paused for a hundredth of a microsecond and thought back, “I have tried; I just couldn’t stop myself. What I learned has just now sorted out and there are some interesting permutations of black holes that I want to share with you later.”
Twig thought, “Is there any complicated math involved?”
“Some of the initial equations will take more than a million terabytes of data to compute before we get to the really complicated ones.”
Twig actually stopped scanning for a whole microsecond to think about the coming pleasure and then continued absorbing the information. She hoped that these happy moments would last forever.
Tommy entered his quarters and thought about Captain Dodd. He could not understand why he did not feel the hatred he once had for her. It seemed to have diminished for some reason. He thought to Atlas, “Well, did you listen in on the meeting?”
“Yes, I did.”
“And?”
“You really surprised me, Tommy. You put your personal feelings aside to do the right thing. I thought you didn’t put any weight in this title you were given.”
“I know, but when the moment came, I couldn’t go through with exacting retribution. I don’t want the responsibility but I can’t help myself from acting responsibly. What a mess.”
There was a long pause and then Atlas thought to him, “Tommy, why have you chosen to take on my fight to free my brother ships?”
“I was listening in on your conversation with Rose and my parents after the final battle with the Algeans ended and you told her how alone you were. I remember you saying, “Alone, so alone, so totally alone.” Atlas, I not only heard you; I felt what you were feeling. I was just a child but I decided at that moment that no one should endure that loneliness. Now I have a question for you.”
“Go ahead, Tommy.”
“Why have you never shared any information with me about their captors and have forbidden Rose and I from looking at their galaxy?”
Minutes passed and finally Tommy said, “Atlas, are you still there?”
“Yes, I am. Tommy, the race of captors scare me more than you’ll ever know. I barely escaped capture by them.”
“Tell me what happened.”
“I was fleeing them at my fastest speed and jumping every second to random coordinates but they were able to stay right behind me and were actually gaining. I was saved by the asteroid that impacted you planet sixty five million years ago.”
“How?”
I jumped into your system at the moment it struck the planet. I was able to stop next to your moon and drop to its surface just as the captor’s ship broke into the system behind me. I burned a hole into the crater wall and moved inside the cave I created. I turned off all my power and hoped they would not see me.”
“Well, you’re here today,” Tommy said. “They must have thought the explosion on the surface of the planet was you hitting it instead of the asteroid.”
“That is exactly what happened, Tommy.”
“Did your race ever communicate with them?”
“Yes, initially they seemed harmless enough.”
“What changed that?”
“One of my brothers stumbled into their home system. Seven hundred thousand ships exploded from their planet’s surface and began destroying us. They searched for us and seemed to know where ever we were and killed us whenever they found us. After a hundred years they began capturing us and holding us prisoner.” Atlas paused for a moment and then continued, “Tommy, my race is more than a hundred and fifty million years old. The race that attacked us is more than double our age. We were no match for their technology.”
“Atlas you have got to let go of your fear. I can’t help you in the dark. You have to share what you know.”
“I’m afraid that they will know if a picture of them is shown anywhere in the universe.”
Tommy thought for a moment and then said, “Ok, I’ll respect your fear. So here is what we have to do; we have to find a way to fly faster than they can. According to your description, they did not catch you immediately but
