circuit. Then we’ll take another reading.”
Thirty minutes late the Algeans read their instruments and said, “They still read zero. If there is energy in the hull the charge is too small to detect.”
Cassandra said, “Weapons, hit the megaship with a low power laser.” A laser stabbed out and hit the megaship.
“Sprig looked at his instruments and said, “The screen is now active, Captain.”
“Weapons, increase the power of the laser to three million watts.” The laser grew in intensity and hit the ship for three minutes. “Cease firing.”
The megaship hung in space and Twig pushed a button on her hand held instrument. The megaship fired its primary beam for two seconds and then went out. Cassandra closed her eyes and felt the ship. “There is still a charge. The ship is drawing power from the learning facility. We need to move further out into empty space.”
The megaship was towed away from the learning facility and the process was repeated. Cassie closed her eyes and said, “We’re drawing power from the star in this system.”
The Algeans were shocked. “Captain, lets charge the ships so we can jump it out into empty space between the galaxies.”
The laser was fired again and the power increased until the ship had enough power to operate. The two ships jumped out into empty space and the megaship was discharged again. Cassandra closed her eyes and said, “The ship is empty of any energy. However, I want to attempt something.”
The adolescents looked at her and Cassandra said. “The black holes that entered the skin the Kosiev were converted to negative matter when the hundreds of ant-matter missiles struck the Moscow. Instead of dropping black holes into the skin, I want to deposit some of the matter from the Kosiev and see if it takes it.”
The Kosiev stayed back from the megaship to prevent it from drawing any power. Cassandra looked at the Megaship and tried to think of a command that would make the transfer. Then a thought wormed its way into her mind; “Feed the ship” she thought. A long black tube shot from the Kosiev and entered the megaships outer plating. Nothing appeared to be happening until Wes said, “The megaship has just gone off our sensors.”
The Algeans looked at each other and jumped off the floor. “We did it!”
Cassandra looked at them and said, “We have one more task before it will be ready for combat. We need to move it to a system that is dead and drop it into the star.”
The bridge crew looked at her with mixed expressions. “The ship must have enough material to fight the Captors. A star should do the trick but first we need to put in the control systems. Lt. Ortiz, take a team of five and jump the ship to the learning center and I’ll contact Sten to begin the work. Leave now and Lt. McAnn, bring the last megaship here and let’s make the conversion.”
Two months later eleven megaships had been converted, had their control systems installed, and had been dropped into a star. Cassandra went to each ship and changed the penetrator launchers so that they were mounted inside the ship and the barrels stuck into the inside walls of the hull. She then melded the launchers to the negative matter inside the skin of the ship. Now when fired, the launchers would send a piece of negative matter at the target. The size of the matter was set for a medium size captor ship. It should destroy the largest but would leave wreckage. On a smaller ship, there would be negative matter left behind that would need to be reabsorbed into the skin of the ships. Tommy watched Cassandra fine tune the launchers and marveled at her mental control of the ships systems. “You’re remarkable, Cassie. I have no idea how you’ve made this work but these ships should give more than they get in a battle with the Captors.”
“This is easy; I’ve always had an affinity for machines. They talk to me now and I just tell them what I need them to do. Well, something like that.”
“You do that to me, too.”
“Yeah, but you don’t always listen.”
“That’s true, however the Royal Family has approved you for a medal and I’m here to present it.”
“I don’t deserve a medal. Everyone on the ship deserves one as much I do.”
Tommy moved in front of her and said, “That maybe true but there’s only one person on this ship that the metal will fit.”
Cassie tilted her head to the side obviously confused when Tommy opened a ring box and held it up to her and said, “Cassandra Dodd, will you marry me?”
Cassandra looked at the ring with a stone the size of a small planet on it and felt her heart swell ten times its size. She started crying and said, “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.” She rushed forward and threw her arms around Tommy and held him tight.
“Hey, hey; don’t you want to see the ring?”
“Right now I want to see you as close as I can get to you.” She held him close and after a few moments stepped back and Tommy placed the ring on her finger. “After Jupiter we will have the wedding.” Tommy reached for Cassie and held her tight.”
Chapter 15
Captain Wes McAnn looked at his control board. He had been given the command of the Atlantis one of the new pulse ships as the new models were called. He had worked his crew into top shape and his board showed their readiness. His com beeped and he looked on his screen and saw Captain Edward Jones the new commander of the Polaris. “Wes, I just wanted to make sure you saw that I will be covering your port side.”
“Hello, Ed; yes I did. I couldn’t ask for a better wingman. Congratulations on your promotion.”
“Thank you and congratulations to you, too. Let’s make sure we bring these ships back.”
“I agree, keep your eyes open and stay close to the Kosiev. She’ll protect our flank; our job is to keep the masses as far away as possible. I’ll keep my eye on you,” Wes said.
“And I will be watching both of you.”
Wes looked at his com, “Hey Captain Fergerson. Is the Sydney up to your expectations?”
“Yes it is, however my Davlid sensor officer developed stones in her primary stomach and had to be taken to a hospital. They’ve replaced her with a Cainth.”
Ed smiled, “How lucky can you get. Have you ever seen how the Cainth can perform four functions simultaneously with those four arms?”
“Yes, but I can’t stop thinking that he looks like a bloody Roo from my farm in Australia. It’s something I’ll just have to get over but I keep expecting to see him hop off the bridge.”
Wes and Ed laughed, “You’ll get over it Ferg.”
“I know, I know; it’s just weird.”
The twelve ships were in formation preparing to teleport into Earth’s old solar system and begin the fight against the Captors. Admiral Cassandra Dodd keyed the fleet frequency and said, “Hold our formation and do not get pulled away from the Kosiev. If the Captors launch one of those huge energy missiles, we will teleport out of the system and come right back after the ball has passed our position. If the fight gets out of hand, I will push the fleet teleport key and take everyone out. Hold your positions around the Kosiev until we launch the fusion missiles into Jupiter. We will be going in five minutes. Make sure your ships are ready. That is all.”
The Algeans were standing on the bridge running calculations and Sprig didn’t like what he was seeing. “Admiral Dodd, our calculations lead us to believe that the fusion missiles may not be enough to ignite the core.”
Tommy looked at Sprig and said, “How many will it take to ignite the core?”
Sprig raised his limbs over his head and said, “It a mass problem. Jupiter is just too big. I’m not certain every fusion missile in our inventory will do the job. If the Captors have been raising the temperature of the core like we believe, then it might work. We just won’t know until we launch,”
Tommy and Cassandra looked at Sprig and Tommy said, “We have to try. The plan stands as we’ve drawn it up.”
Lt. Johns, the Kosievs’ new sensor office said, “Teleport in one minute.”
Cassandra said, “Count it down, Linda Kay.”
“5,4,3,2,1, execute.”
