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Anton couldn’t help noticing Charlotte’s attempts to keep herself elevated in his eyes. This intrigued him.

  “Well, there’s one way we can check that out,” Anton said, as he went back to the Timeship’s control center with the rest following close behind.

  “Anton, we need to phase, really slowly,” Gerry urged, having anticipated what Anton was about to do as he sat down in the pilot’s seat.

  “I know what I’m doing Gerry. Just watch for shadows,” Anton suggested while placing his Varon disc on the empty seat next to him.

  “Here we go,” he warned as he slowly moved the phase control symbol towards 100 percent.

  The Timeship’s solidity slowly reduced as it began to phase itself out of normal space, and into sub-space.

  “Forty percent.”

  “If there’s something, surely we’d have seen it by now,” Cindy stated.

  No one commented as Anton continued to call out the phase percentage.

  “Sixty percent…. seventy percent…. eighty percent.

  “Stop,” Charlotte almost shouted as eight ghostly looking diamond shapes became discernable through the partially transparent hull.

  Anton held the ship stable while he triggered a 3D recording of the objects. Then, not wanting to risk any interference with the objects, Anton announced he was taking the ship back to normal space, and the Time ship gradually became visible again as he reversed the phasing.

  Once the Time-ship was in normal space, again, each of them got another stiff drink, then settled down to continue the discussion.

  Anton established the 3D hologram of the eight diamond-shaped objects, that were residing in Sub-space.

  They knew that six of them were linked to their own Varon discs.

  “So, why are there eight?” Susanna then asked.

  “Well, in addition to the six of us, I guess that the Time-crystal and Time-ship have to have a sub-space object each, even though they don’t have a Varon disc,” Frank ventured.

  “That makes sense,” Gerry agreed while feeling he was missing something important about the sub-space objects.

  Gerry knew pretty much everything about Subspace. It was just an area of space contained within another space. But it was the technology and the colossal amount of power needed to create it that really interested him.

  “Gerry’s off with the fairies,” Cindy joked, noting that he seemed to be deep in thought.

  “You were right last time, Gerry,” Frank stated, having sensed what Cindy had also sensed in Gerry.

  “So, Gerry, what’s kicking around in that spectacular brain of yours?” Charlotte asked.

  Cindy gave Charlotte a disapproving look.

  “Okay,” Gerry said, giving in to Charlotte’s flattery. “Let’s start with the Varon discs and the Sub-Space element. I think, and I suspect we all do, that this is beyond the Varon’s capability.”

  “Agreed,” Frank said, saying out loud what they were all thinking.

  Gerry nodded an acknowledgment to Frank, then continued.

  “So, let’s consider Ronin for a minute,” he said.

  “Ronin arrived from 2620. And, I reckon Delta had the capability to pull him through time. After all, Delta is located in 2725, giving them the advantage of more than one hundred years of scientific progress, than there would have been in Ronin’s time,” Gerry stated, then paused again, considering his next point.

  “Even so, Ronin must have been getting updates and instructions from someone,” Gerry muttered to himself, then paused again as he worked through his thoughts without interruption.

  “Yes. That has to be the connection,” Gerry finally stated, feeling sure that he’d finally worked it all out.

  “Charlotte, when was Delta’s main Techno-Clan lost, or disbanded?” He then asked.

  Charlotte was taken aback by Gerry’s reference to a Techno-Clan. Then had a mental conversation with Cindy and Anton before replying.

  “No one really knows. Apparently, the Clan was working on a highly sensitive Temporal search device. But that was more than 100 years ago.”

  “So, during Ronin’s time?”

  “I suppose so,” Charlotte agreed.

  “Do you know something about the clan?”

  “You mean…” Charlotte started to say, then stopped.

  Gerry simply smiled as he finished his drink.

  “Come on Gerry. Where are you going with this?” Anton pressed.

  “Okay... This is how I see it… The Varons are telepathic, to a degree, and they probably genetically engineered some of their own brain cells to achieve this... So, now, I think they have devised a plan to get rid of humans. Delta in particular.

  But, somehow, the Varons managed to enhance human brain cells to a level that was far greater than their own brain cells were capable of.

  Then, at the time, they covertly introduced these cells into Delta’s experiments in cell enhancement. And bingo, Delta believed that they had developed the enhanced cells themselves.”

  “A bit far-fetched, Gerry,” Cindy interrupted.

  “Maybe. But let me finish…. Now, Delta’s Techno Clan, using their newly developed Temporal search device, picked up the Varons covert operation and informed Delta’s High council. But the Clan’s warning was dismissed as fantasy, so the enhanced brain cells gradually started to be used by Delta, operationally.”

  Everyone digested what Gerry had said, for a while.

  “But what made the Varons think that the cells would eventually end mankind?” Frank asked Gerry.

  “This is all supposition, Frank. But humans will always take advantage, and I think we did just that.”

  “Fair enough.”

  Gerry stared at his empty glass for a moment before continuing, again.

  “Now to the interesting bit… We know the Clan disappeared sometime in or around Ronin’s era. Nevertheless, I believe that these Sub-Space devices are theirs.

  Don’t ask me how the Varons then got hold of them, but I’m sure they originally belonged to Delta’s Techno Clan. I found out about the Clan’s existence in Tamar’s memory, by the way.”

  “Then the Clan must have realized how devastating the Varon’s plan was,” Charlotte commented.

  “Yes, and it would have been easy for the Varons to put doubt in the council’s minds without the council realizing it. Thus, ensuring that the Clan was locked out of Delta’s system,” Anton added.

  “Exactly... So now, the Clan isn’t strong enough to do anything major on their own. But they’ve managed to manipulate Delta, and to a lesser degree the Varons, just to get us all here at the same time, including the Time-Crystal and Time-ship.”

  “Is that what you really believe,” Susanna asked, sounding somewhat surprised.

  “No… Of course not. After-all, the Techno Clan would have been swept away with the rest of the timeline.”

  “Christ, Gerry,” Anton grumbled. “I thought you were on to something.”

  “Well, it made sense to me until I realized that Delta’s Techno Clan weren’t around anymore,” Gerry pointed out.

  “I need another stiff drink,” Susanna grumbled as she went off to get it.

  Chapter 10

  Insight

  Gerry just sat there, deep in thought and staring at his empty glass. So, Frank took his drink and followed Susanna, then refilled it along with his own and came back and sat down next to Susanna, while they all waited patiently to hear what Gerry was going to say next.

  Gerry didn’t say anything.

  “The Clan could have had Temporal buffering, or moved somewhere else in time, Gerry,” Frank finally pointed out, snapping Gerry out of his thoughts.

  “Possibly, Frank. But the more I think about it, the more certain I am that most of what I said is actually right.”

  “Okay, let’s assume you are right, Gerry, and Ronin has a bigger part in all this than we thought… So, if he’s gone back to his own time, then what?”

  “If his time is even valid anymore,” Sus
anna interjected while listening intently.

  “I know. It’s all ifs and buts… Too many of the damn things.” Gerry stated, sounding frustrated.

  “We should sleep on it,” Cindy urged. “Tomorrow, we need to concentrate on landing the Varon ship on the planet’s surface and getting the Time-Shaft up and running.”

  “Cindy’s right,” Gerry agreed. Especially if Tamar is still around. He might suddenly turn up with more Varon ships.”

  No one wanted to comment on that.

  Then all of them gave up and went off to their cabins.

  Frank’s ship shuddered as high energy particle beams slammed into her unprotected hull. He felt confused as to which ship, he was really on.

  “Where the hell, did they come from,” he yelled while searching the Varon control panel for the correct external view.

  “Susanna,” he called out. Then saw Susanna seemingly drift over and sit in the seat beside him.

  “Here, let me show you,” she gestured and touched the appropriate tab.

  “There they are, Susanna,” Frank growled.

  “Don’t you think you should raise our shield,” Susanna prompted him.”

  Frank, ignoring Susanna’s suggestion, noted that there were three small scout ships in view. He tried to force himself to get his act together before these tiny ships punched a hole through his ship’s hull.

  Then, looking again, relaxed. “It’s okay, Susanna, Acarea, and Bren are on one of those ships,” he said.

  “Why on earth are they firing at us?” Susanna asked.

  “Bored, I shouldn’t wonder. After all, if we’d been living all those years on Dpav4, we would be,” he simply replied.

  Then another volley of Particle beams rocked their ship.

  “They’re not very friendly, Frank.”

  “Warning. Bridge hull breach,” the ship’s AI’s alert rattled from the comms.

  “I see it,” Susanna stated, then stood up and headed for the now visible hull breach.

  Frank turned to watch her go. Smiling to himself and thinking how much he adored her while being oblivious to everything else around him.

  Then he suddenly saw something flicker.

  “Frank!”

  Frank saw Susanna reach the hole. Then, as he watched, Susanna’s body started to swell up, and all of a sudden, like a balloon popping, she exploded. And a blood-red mist swirled around the hole, before gushing out into space.

  Frank panicked. He felt as if he was going to explode as well.

  “Frank!”

  Then he felt something shaking him.

  “Frank… Wake-up,” a voice said, seeping into his mind. Then reality flooded in, and he was suddenly conscious of Susanna violently shaking him.

  “Frank…. Wake up… Wake up.”

  He sat up. He was in bed, sweating profusely and with a thumping headache.

  “You must have had a bad dream,” Susanna said, trying to soothe him.

  “We’re not under attack then?” he gasped with relief.

  “No… Who did you think was attacking us, in your dream?”

  “Acarea and Bren, of course.”

  “Now I know you’re losing it,” she half-heartedly joked… “Get back to sleep. We’ve another three and a half hours.”

  Frank sighed and nestled into Susanna’s body. But sleep didn’t come easily to him as his mind continued to play games.

  As one half of DPav5 was always in darkness, it had been agreed that the leeward side of the planet’s terminator offered the least chance of being seen from Dpav4, while still affording some sunlight for system operations.

  So, the next day, after a hearty breakfast, they started to survey DPav5’s terminator for a suitable area to land the Varon ship.

  Susanna hated the planet. It was cold and virtually airless. Worst of all, it was bathed in dim reddish light from its star, Delta Pavonis.

  “Uninhabitable and bloody cold,” Susanna grumbled as both ships started to descend, to get close enough to the planet’s surface to begin searching for a suitable landing site for the Varon ship.

  Chapter 11

  DPav5

  Anton guided the Time ship along the terminator, while Frank and Susanna took the Varon ship further out on the terminator’s leeward side.

  Twelve minutes later, Anton found what they were looking for. “Frank, we’ve found the ideal landing site.”

  “Excellent, we’ll join you,” Frank acknowledged and selected ‘Dock with ship one,’ on the Varon ship’s navigation system, and the vessel immediately swung outward, then headed for the Time ship.

  Frank suddenly sensed Susanna’s mind leap into High mode.

  “What is it, Sues?”

  “Somethings not right Frank.”

  Frank had also sensed something and agreed with her. He knew what warp entries felt like and was pretty sure he’d felt one. So, something had entered Subspace, and that something was coming their way.

  Moments later, Frank’s ship docked with the Time ship, and Frank and Susanna hurriedly joined the others in the Pilot’s control section of the Time ship.

  Everyone else had felt the Subspace access except Anton and Gerry, due to their lower mental grade.

  “I estimate whoever it is will exit in around six minutes,” Charlotte stated. As her enhanced brain cells calculated the transit duration, but not the type or quantity of ships.

  “Amazing that you can do that, Charlotte,” Gerry commented, a touch of envy sounding in his voice.

  “Simple, five EC doses against your two,” she replied.

  “What now,” Anton asked.

  “We get back out into space, fast,” Frank urged. Then he and Susanna hurriedly transferred back to the Varon ship.

  Once separation had occurred, both ships synced and made a 60-million-kilometer micro-jump, away from DPav5. Exiting with just three minutes to spare.

  Within moments, the Varon ship once again docked with the Time ship. Then Susanna hurriedly rejoined the others in the Time ship Pilot’s control section.

  While Frank knew it was safer for them all to be together on the Time ship, just in case a swift exit was called for. He knew that he needed to stay long enough on the Varon ship’s bridge to select remote control. Then he pocketed a remote unit from a rack, before exiting the Varon ship again.

  Once he’d closed the Varon ship’s lock, Frank entered the Time ship and sealed its airlock. Then he deactivated the force transfer tube to ensure that both ships were totally separated from each other.

  ‘One minute to exit,’ Frank’s mind told him as he joined the others and sat down next to Susanna, Cindy, and Charlotte. With Anton sitting in the pilot’s seat, and Gerry in the Tech seat next to him.

  Frank and Charlotte, having the highest mental grades of the group, concentrated on the impending exit.

  “Definitely not Varon,” Charlotte commented... “Frank, help me scan whoever, or whatever, is about to join us.”

  “Two small, and one huge wormhole forming,” Anton then declared.

  “I see them,” Gerry confirmed as they appeared on the tech display.

  Then, two silvery-blue colored and pear-shaped ships exited the small wormholes and came to a sudden stop just twelve kilometers from the Time ship. As a third and much bigger ship exited the huge wormhole, almost sixty kilometers away.

  Just then, a bright yellow colored sphere startled them as it materialized in the open area of their Time ship, close to the pilot’s section.

  It flickered a moment, then a holographic image of a man’s head formed above it.

  “I am Carn,” came a smooth sounding voice from the yellow sphere below the head.

  “So, we finally meet Delta’s Techno Clan,” Gerry said while guessing that he had been right so far and that this man’s head was definitely human. In fact, the resemblance to Frank’s face was quite unnerving, he decided.

  Then the floating head turned to look directly at Gerry.

  “You must be ex-captain
Stevenson.”

  “I reckon you could call me that. But without the, ex.”

  “We have control of your ship, from the 27th century,” Carn coldly stated, correcting Gerry.

  That has to be Ronin, Frank mentally suggested to Gerry.

  Agreed, Gerry mentally returned. Can you find a way to message Ronin?

  Frank quickly found Ronin, but access to the ship’s interface was more difficult.

  “It may have come from the future, but it certainly isn’t your ship,” Gerry bluntly told the floating head.

  “I assume you want the Time-crystal and this ship?” Charlotte interjected.

  Carn’s head moved again to look at Charlotte.

  “I see you have all retained your mental powers,” Carn simply replied. “But our ships are shielded, as are our weapon’s systems… Oh, and don’t try to jump, or phase,” Carn added.

  Frank? Gerry impatiently sent.

  I’m in. But Ronin won’t link with me.

  Okay. Charlotte, can you keep Carn distracted for a couple of minutes?

  Easy, Gerry.

  Frank, can I piggy-back on your contact? Gerry asked.

  Yes. Look into my mind… I’ll find you and sync your mind to mine.

  At the edge of Frank’s senses, he heard Charlotte warning Carn not to send any drones across.

  Then he felt Gerry’s weaker mind touch his, and in moments, both had synced and were probing Ronin’s interface.

  A few moments later, ‘Captain Stevens,’ came Ronin’s mental acknowledgment.

  Ronin… Activate the embedded verification request that I placed in your security net, Gerry ordered.