Overlay those sensor outputs on the wall screens, I ordered.
Okay, Steven, Mike replied and three alien spaceships appeared on the wall screens. One of them was very close to our position.
Mike, place the solar system map on the bathroom wall and keep it updated in real time.
Okay, Steven.
The solar system map appeared on the bathroom wall and it displayed the blue dot in obvious pursuit of one of the red dots. Then a second blue dot appeared behind the Moon. Suddenly, the blue dot in the Kuiper Belt vanished and reappeared near Saturn. The spacecraft nearest us was struck by a blue and red glowing streak of plasma and then vanished from sight. The solar system map showed its present location nearly a full light year from the Earth.
Whoa! What just happened? I asked.
The ship nearest us was hit by a faster-than-light missile. I suggest we take evasive maneuvers, Steven, Mike warned.
Do it, Mike!
The Room lurched and rolled and yanked. Tatiana and I were thrown against the bathroom wall and then the ceiling. Mike, if there are inertial dampers of some sort use them in here!
Sorry, Steven. Then gravity within the Room returned to normal, but the view on the wall screens spun wildly and rapidly and was nearly enough to make me motion sick. I told Mike to make sure that didn't happen for either me or Tatiana.
Mikhail, make two rigid mounted safety chairs here now! Tatiana exclaimed. Two flight-steady chairs appeared beside us. We both rushed into them and then the chairs buckled themselves to us.
Do we have any weapons on board? Tatiana asked.
No, forget that question! Tatiana, those people are humans, we can't attack them, I scolded her.
Even if it is us or them?
No, Tatiana! No, I told her forcefully.
Then the Room spun wildly and my stomach lurched and heaved into my throat. Saturn was completely gone from view and I couldn't even tell the Sun from any of the other stars. The view on the wall screens showed star fields spinning out of control.
What the hell just happened? I clutched my chair arms tightly.
We were struck by a warp missile, Steven, Mike responded and we continued to spin out of control. The ship spun and tumbled for more than eight minutes—three of those the inertial dampeners were at one hundred and ten percent efficiency trying to keep up and the g-forces Tatiana and I pulled were over seven Earth gravities fluctuating both positive and negative. The positive gravities were not near as bad as the negative ones. Once the inertial dampeners caught back up and Tatiana and I caught our breath, I attempted to survey the solar system map. Now four of the alien spacecraft had been knocked out of the solar system—and we were one of them!
Are we okay? Will we survive? Tatiana asked.
Yes, but our quantum fluctuation drive is out and we are more than two light years from Earth. At best available speed from the electromagnetic propulsion system we are twenty-seven months from Earth.
How long to repair the quantum drive? I asked.
Approximately four months, Steven.
If the ships are invisible due to the shields and the propulsion systems, how did the Earth ships detect us? Tatiana thought.
There is not enough data to answer the question, Mikhail answered. Then Mike speculated as I had programmed him to.
The Earth ship's power systems operate on a similar principle to our propulsion systems. It is possible that the humans noticed an influence of our propulsion drives on their power collectors.
Mike, how is that you know so much about the human systems?
Many humans have been abducted and examined. Some of them are very aware of the human defense forces located on your Moon.
Tatiana and I looked at each other. 'We have defense forces on the Moon?' I mouthed.
Tatiana's eyes bugged and she shrugged her shoulders.
Mike, will they be coming for us?
Steven, I assume you mean the humans. My guess is that we are now out of the range of influence of their sensors and they cannot detect us any longer. Perhaps they believe that they have destroyed us.
I see. Well, Tatiana, it looks like we are stuck here for about four months. You got anywhere you need to be?
No place particularly, just wherever you planned to go is fine with me.
I guess we can spend some time exploring the ship and getting to know each other a little better. I thought a laugh but I wasn't sure if it communicated as I had planned.
