“I’m checking to see how many of your systems are active.”
“How many do I have?”
‘You had access to eighty last time I looked.” Stem watched his readout and then grew four feet before he could stop himself. “Al, according to my readouts you have had an additional ninety systems come on line within the last sixty rotations.”
“I wondered what that was. I see how they can be used and some of them are pretty remarkable.”
“Al, we never thought anyone would ever have more than a hundred available.”
“Then why did you have more than that put in?”
“We could create them so we saw no reason not to include them. Do you feel comfortable with how to use the new ones?”
“They actually came on line after Magic returned from Castle Gardner. He linked with my central processor and they immediately activated. I have been working them into my general command structure since that time getting a fuller understanding of how to use them.”
Stem thought for a moment. “Al, you know that you are now the most powerful warship in the fleet.”
“I must disagree with you, Stem.”
“Why?”
“I am the most powerful Peace Ship. My purpose is to save life, not war on it.”
“I’m impressed, Al. It also appears that your intelligence is also on a whole new magnitude.”
“That may be true but I have seen Magic’s mind and I am not close to the changes taking place there.”
“What do you mean?”
“He already knows the new systems and can use them faster than I can. I am working hard to keep up with his speed. I don’t know what happened at Castle Gardner but whatever it was it caused a remarkable change in my commander.”
Stem listened to the ship and then sent a thought to Sprig. “Father, I may have found The One.”
Sprig immediately replied, “How sure are you?”
“He’s activated a hundred and seventy of the systems on his ship.”
Sprig was silent. After a minute which was an eternity for the mind of an Algean he asked, “And the last two systems?”
“My readouts show that they are starting to receive power. They are not active; yet.”
“Twig,” Stem heard his father’s thought.
“Yes, Love.”
“We have to complete the final construct.”
“Are you sure?”
“We have a Searcher that has activated all of his systems but two and those are starting to draw power.”
Stem could feel his parent’s excitement. “I never believed this moment would come in time,” Twig thought. “Do you know if he’s found his integrator?”
“It appears he contacted it at Castle Gardner.”
“I will order the construction immediately. Maybe the creator has given us a chance to survive.”
Stem listened to them and wondered what was going to happen. He felt a wave of euphoria envelop him knowing that he was going to be present if Matt was truly The One.
Al watched the Algean grow eight feet in height and have to bend to fit in the small bridge. “I wonder what has him so excited.”
Chapter 5
“Angel, got a minute?”
“Give me about ten minutes. I’m completing the bonding of a pilot and ship at the Gresh graduation. I’m almost finished and he will be bonding shortly.”
“Take your time. I’ll wait until you’re through.”
Two years had flown by getting the Gresh tested, trained, and enrolled in the academy along with getting enough Alpha ships built for them. Angel and Matt had taken the leadership role in making the transition happen quickly and smoothly for the Gresh and the eight trading planets. Now Matt had returned to the galaxy where it had all begun. Matt leaned back in his chair and looked out at the Galaxy that he had originally been assigned to search when he had encountered the Gresh. He looked at the galaxy and thought about how many more planets had intelligent life and had been immediately overwhelmed with a vision. He had Al look at what he was seeing and Al had immediately plotted what he saw in his mind. Matt needed Angel to help him see if what he thought was taking place was actually happening. “Al, what do you think this means?”
“Matt, there is only one way to see.”
“I know, but I don’t want to check it alone. Can you get the coordinates from the map?”
“I’m already working on it. I should have a hundred of them ready for examination in less than two minutes.”
“Matt, what do you need?”
“Angel, I have had a vision and I need you here to help me see if it has any validity.”
“Stand by.”
A minute later Wings appeared next to Aladdin. “What do you mean by a vision?”
“Look in my mind, Angel.”
Angel entered Matt’s mind and asked, “What are all those bright blue lights?”
“Angel, I asked myself how many more planets in this galaxy have intelligent life and suddenly this vision appeared in my mind.”
Angel said nothing for a moment. “Matt, do you think it’s possible?”
“I don’t know. Al has plotted the location of a hundred of those blue lights. I am going to fly through fifty of them and I want you to take the other fifty and give them a scan. Al, download fifty of them to Fly Girl, please.”
“I’ve already given her the entire list; why don’t we take the ones to the left of our location and she can take the others.”
“Angel, let’s just do a quick scan and meet back here when we finish and look at what we’ve found.”
“Porting in two seconds, Admiral.”
“Matt smiled and said, “Oh, getting all formal on me now, huh.”
“Absolutely.” And Fly Girl disappeared.
Immediately Aladdin ported and Matt closed his eyes and looked at the information coming into his sensor systems. Ten seconds later Matt and Angel reappeared where they had started. “Matt, this is scary.”
Matt sat in his chair and looked at the scans of fifty planets that all had intelligent life on them. “Angel, let’s jump to the closest galaxy to this one and take a quick look.”
The two ships appeared just outside another galaxy and Matt thought, “Where is intelligent life?” Suddenly in his mind hundreds of blue lights appeared in the galaxy.
Angel was watching in Matt’s mind what he was seeing and he could feel her amazement.
Stem was on the bridge watching the proceedings and thought, “If what you’re seeing is what I believe it is, you have just made our searches much more effective. I can see other systems but I do not possess the ability to actually see a chosen sight.”
Matt looked at the galaxy thinking about how to use the skill he had just uncovered. Stem thought, “Matt, I want you to try something.”
“What, Stem?”
“I need you and Angel to go with me to Castle Gardner and perform an experiment.”
“When do you want to go?”
“Immediately; I need to make a few contacts first to get permission. I’ll get back to you momentarily.”
“Take your time, Stem.”
