ship.” Twig leaned from side to side showing her agreement.
Sprig said, “I do not think you can find a better ship than this one.”
Tommy looked at Captain Dodd and answered, “I agree, but I suspect that what I’m going to ask of you will involve a high degree of danger. This is a decision she will have to make on her own.”
Captain Dodd said, “What decision are you talking about?”
Tommy stood up and walked to the monitor on the wall and said, “Atlas, have you listened on everything said so far?”
The speaker on the monitor said, “I have but I’m not certain what you’re trying to do’”
Captain Dodd furrowed her brow and Tommy said, “I want you to take part in this discussion and we’ll see where it goes.”
Atlas said, “Please continue.”
Tommy looked Dodd and said, “Captain, Atlas is an Alfont.”
Cassie was stunned. She couldn’t find the words to say anything.
“Atlas was found by my father on Earth’s moon when he was trying to escape the directorate. He is an intelligent star ship and millions of years ago his race transferred their physical structure into the structure of their ship. Every member of the Royal Family as well as the leadership of the Algeans knows Atlas. No one else knows of his existence. Sprig and Twig are scheduled to complete their education with Atlas after their initial learning on this ship.”
The monitor on the wall said, “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, Captain Dodd.”
Cassandra stammered out, “Thank you, uh, Atlas. It’s nice to meet you, too.”
Tommy said, “There’s more Captain Dodd. Atlas has a million of his fellow Alfonts being held captive by a race in a galaxy a long way from us. They have been captive for more than sixty million years and the captors are as far ahead of Atlas’ technologically as he is from us. Atlas will not even reveal what he knows about them out of fear that they will sense that revelation and attack. It is my chosen path to free his brothers from their captivity during my lifetime. Atlas and I have run into a knowledge barrier that has stopped us from finding the means of making it happen. How am I doing so far, Atlas?”
“I agree with everything so far, Tommy.”
“Good, now for the hard part. I am going to release the military data base and dump it into Twig and Sprig’s storage.” The two adolescents grew two feet immediately showing their surprise. Atlas, you are also going to dump your information center directly into them.”
Atlas said, “Wait a minute! That information contains the very thing I won’t reveal to you. I refuse to do it!”
Captain Dodd could hear fear in the Alfonts’ voice. She was still in a small state of shock over the revelation of a living Alfont; this new revelation was more than she could immediately process.”
“Atlas, you’re not going to do it electronically where the captors can sense it.”
There was a long pause and then Atlas said, “How do propose to do it otherwise.”
“The Algeans are telepathic. You will make the transfer mentally.”
Tommy waited for more than five minutes before Atlas said, “I would feel much safer if we had a means of escaping before I attempt this.”
“Atlas, we’ll go to a galaxy on the opposite end of the universe from the Captors location. We will work on the escape effort before we try but when it comes down to it, we have to risk it. If the transfer is done without interference from the Captors then you should feel safer giving us information mentally. However, we need a technological breakthrough to even start the process of freeing your kin.” Tommy paused and looked at the two adolescents and said, “We have two beings here that are stronger at correlating unrelated information than any computer in existence. We have to give them everything we have.”
Captain Dodd said, “Are you placing the Realm in danger, Duke Gardner?”
Tommy looked at her and said, “Probably, however, we are going to try and minimize the risk by distance. The real danger is that we are going to have to experiment with what our two students come up with. I suspect that like all breakthroughs, something will get broken during the process. You do not have to take part in this Captain. I will find another ship if you do not want to take the risk, however, I feel that we will someday encounter this race of captors and that we, like Atlas’ race, could be exterminated or imprisoned by them. I am not willing to just wait and hope our technology will someday be strong enough to make up the three hundred million year edge they have.”
Cassandra listened to Tommy and felt her excitement grow. She was at heart a warrior and here was a war worth fighting. She looked at the two Algean Adolescents and saw them moving side to side in anticipation of the learning they were about to be given. She said, “Atlas, tell me what you’re thinking now.”
Atlas said, “I’m scared, however, I have been paralyzed too long by my fear. I have to ask myself if this is a risk worth dying to accomplish and I have to say that it is. I am humbled that Tommy is willing to face that fear when I am not. I do think, like our students here, that there is not a better ship than this one for the task at hand.”
Tommy said, “I do not agree; there is another.”
The two Algeans, Captain Dodd, and Atlas all said at the same time, “What!”
Tommy said. “The power of a ship is not the metal of which it is made; it is the crew that directs it. Atlas, that race sensed the Alfont ship that entered their system and they immediately set out to destroy every ship like it in the universe, right?”
“That is exactly what they did.”
They sensed one of your ships and then they could see all the other ships like it. If they somehow sense us, we have to be in a ship that they could not trace back to the Realm. We have to have a ship unlike any other ship in existence.”
Silence ruled the room. Atlas said, “You’re going to resurrect the Kosiev.”
Captain Dodd’s eyes widened and Tommy said, “Yes, I’m going to go see my sister and tell her my plans and ask for the Alexander Kosiev.”
Captain Dodd felt her heart beat faster. She was as excited as freshman finding out she was elected prom queen. Tommy noticed that Captain Dodd’s face had an enormous smile. “She almost looks pretty smiling,” he thought; then he banished the thought from his mind.
Cassandra felt like the destiny she never thought would come, had found her. She stood up and said, “Your quest is one I would be willing to die for and quite honestly, I would be willing to do the same to command the Kosiev. We will however need a larger crew for that ship.”
Tommy smiled and said, “We will be gone for a long time so as not to endanger the Realm. I will have the top graduates from the last three classes join us. Incidentally, one of them is a top notch weapons officer by the name of Linda Kay Johns who will be graduating is two months. I do not usually use my position for personal reasons but if I left for an extended time and 3D was separated from her, well, he deserves having her here with us.”
Cassandra Dodd looked at Tommy Gardner in an entirely new way. Here was royalty with a heart that did not forget his friends. Tommy said, “Sprig, I’m going to tell him that you requested that she join us.”
Sprig’s leaves turned bright green indicating his happiness. “Thank you, Sir. I still have to make up for the nickname.”
Tommy looked around the room and said, “Are we in agreement?” Everyone indicated yes. Tommy said, “You are sworn to secrecy on the information I have just shared with you and it is contingent on me being able to persuade the Queen to agree to our mission. Only she has access to the Kosiev. Twig, Sprig, the military database is loaded into your readers. It is larger than any you have seen so far and I suspect that it is going to take some time to assimilate. Please make that assimilation your next priority.”
They left the room so fast that Captain Dodd and Tommy were surprised at the speed they were capable. Captain Dodd said, “He didn’t move that fast when Wes was chasing him.”
“Ah, the hunger for knowledge, I remember when my people once had that hunger,” Atlas said.
Tommy laughed and said, “Well for those of us still here, this meeting is adjourned,”
Tommy left the Dorg-Ross on Atlas headed to Ross. Tommy thought, “Rose, do you have some time where I can see you?”
“Tommy, there’s always time for you. When will you arrive?”
