Planet Predators (13 page)

Izzy stared at Arvolo like he had three heads. Where did he come up with this understanding? He must be crazy. Then he said something that shocked the three of them, “You can easily find out.”

Jillian said, “What are you talking about?”

“Let’s assume that the universe you went back in time to steal the Jenze Weapon is now a different universe than the one we’re currently in; just go further out and look at the event again and see if the Ninja show up. If it doesn’t, you couldn’t have done anything in that universe to affect this one.”

Chris rubbed his head with the complexity of the concepts, “We would have to appear because we were there.”

“And if you don’t?”

Chris looked at Jillian, “Are you getting this?”

Jillian shook her head, “No, but we should go look.”

“But Jillian, if we were there at that moment in the past, it would have to be in the light that was reflected at that time; at least I think we would.”

“I agree with the Captain; what if we aren’t?”

Arvolo shrugged, “Then we didn’t do it in this universe and nothing you could have done there would have affected us. We would be insulated from those events by the fracturing off of another universe.”

Chris turned to his control panel and said, “Take your seats. I’m jumping back to the coordinates where we originally went back into the past. We’ll see if you’re right.”

“Hey, hey, I’m not saying I’m right. I just thought about how the Universe would operate if a Cuban designed it. It would have to have some form of protection from civilizations that discovered this technology.” Chris, Jillian, and Izzy groaned and shook their heads. “I’m just sayin’.”

“Jump in ten seconds.”

Everyone buckled in and Izzy looked at Arvolo, “Do you believe any of that crap you just spouted?” Arvolo smiled and leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

* * *

The Jukebox arrived in normal space and they saw the huge cloud of debris hanging in empty space. Chris looked at Arvolo and said, “Here is evidence that the Ninja did go into the past in this universe.”

Arvolo opened his eyes and shook his head, “No it doesn’t. You can go back and bring things back with you. We still have the Jenze Weapon so we know we can take things.”

Jillian smiled, “I think he’s right about that. What are you going to do now?”

“Well, we know that this is the place where the light from the asteroid strike arrived. I’ll take us a light day further out and look at the event again.”

“Uh, actually you’ll have to go further than that.”

Chris looked through his eyebrows at Arvolo, “And why is that?”

“This is where the light was when you originally came. How long ago was that?”

Chris started shaking his head, “You’re right. We’ll have to go more than a year to be at that light again. Captain, maybe this Cuban idea is not so off base.”

“Of course it isn’t. Have you ever been to Cuba?”

Chris started laughing and said, “I have.”

Jillian said, “I haven’t.”

“No, but you’ve been infected by him.” Arvolo leaned back in his chair and everyone saw his I told you so expression.

Chris made an adjustment on his board and jumped the ship. “Alright, I’m extending the fields.”

Everyone started staring at the main display on the wall and waited. After twenty minutes the alarm sounded and Chris moved the ship to the location of the signal. He adjusted the focus and the Earth appeared in the center of the display. Jillian looked closely, “The asteroid hasn’t hit; the atmosphere is clear.”

Chris brought the planet in closer and brought the view down to the surface. “I’m moving in; it appears the Yucatan is on the other side of the planet.” Chris moved forward at high acceleration and slowed as the Western Hemisphere moved around into day light. Chris moved the view back in and they saw the Jenze ship on the ground. Arvolo and Izzy were amazed at the dinosaurs on the plain and were watching a couple of T-Rexes attacking a huge herbivore.

Chris watched the Jenze ship closely, “I used the ships chronometer to make that jump. This system George put in is phenomenal.”

“Is today the day?”

“I think it is. Hold on just a moment.” Chris put the former view up on the screen beside the current one and both views had the two T-Rexes killing that herbivore. “Yes, this is the day.”

“Well, it shouldn’t be long now. He went hunting just after dawn.”

For Chris and Jillian it was déjà vu but Arvolo and Izzy watched with fascination. Jillian stood up, “Now is when it happens.”

They watched the Jenze run out of the woods as his sled was destroyed and shoot down two Moet Attack Craft. Then the T-Rex took the Jenze in its jaws and killed it. They waited and the asteroid struck. The Ninja did not appear.”

Chris and Jillian turned to Arvolo and stared at him. He looked at Izzy who was also looking at him, turned back to Chris and Jillian and shrugged.

“Where is the universe we went into to retrieve that weapon?”

Arvolo looked at the display, “I don’t know. However, by keeping that screen open for Jillian to return she was able to come back to our current reality. If you had not kept it open, I suspect she would be in that universe now.”

Jillian sat and thought about the ramifications of what Arvolo said, “So we can’t damage our history by actions done in the past?”

Arvolo shook his head, “How would I know? I just thought about this and considered it a possibility. You’re the ones with brains and degrees here.”

“What made you think this was a possibility?”

“I just couldn’t believe that anything could exist that could remove history. It didn’t feel right. If it couldn’t remove it, then something else had to happen.”

Jillian looked at Chris, “It appears he’s right but I don’t want to take the chance he’s wrong. Do you?”

Chris looked at the display and said, “Jillian, we will do what we have to do. I’m not so worried about what will happen now. We are here and our original visit does not exist anymore. I think we need to do whatever is necessary to get a Jenze reactor.”

“What are you saying?”

“The Ninja has the same system as the Jukebox. It was designed that way so that if this ship was damaged we could still get home. I think you and I should stay in the Ninja and let Arvolo and Izzy take the Jukebox.”

“For God’s sake why?”

“Do you think a reactor from a Jenze Main Battleship will fit in the Ninja’s cargo bay?” Jillian shook her head. “So if they find an opportunity to acquire one, we would still have to go back with a larger ship to take it. I think we need to let them take their best shot on this trip.”

“Then I’m going with them.”

“Jillian, you can’t. We’ve been ordered to stay on the Jukebox.”

“And that’s exactly what I’ll do.”

“You know what they meant?”

“Yes, but Arvolo, do you know how to detach a reactor for transport?”

“No, I don’t.” Jillian looked at Izzy and she shook her head. “One of us needs to go with them and you’re the one that best understands our systems. It falls to me to make the trip.”

“Jillian, you know what we went through the last time. I’m not willing to take this kind of risk again.”

“Chris, another ship will have to go if we’re able to find a reactor. That means we will have to hit the exact point in time on the return trip. This is the best way to make this happen. If you insist on going I will stay behind and work the fields but one of us must go.”

“Jillian, you know you’re more experienced with reactors than I am.”

“I know, but we must do this.”

Arvolo listened to them and interjected, “According to what I’ve been able to ascertain the force field of this new ship will handle the beams of a Jenze Battleship.”

Chris and Jillian stopped arguing in midsentence and looked at him.

“I took some readings of the recordings you took of the Jenze Fleet attacking the Moet Planet and determined from the destruction done on the surface that their beams are not that much different from ours.”

“Then why are we trying to take one of their reactors?”

Arvolo looked at Izzy, “Because if we combine our nuclear fuel with theirs we’ll have a power supply that may be a hundred times stronger.”

“And if they get our power supply theirs will be a hundred times more powerful.”

“There is that. If that happens I imagine the Jenze will still be around in our galaxy in this universe we’re visiting.”

Chris stared at Arvolo and then looked at Jillian. “Find a Jenze solar system and come back. We’ll look at its history and try to find a damaged ship we can go after.”

“If that’s all you want to do, the Ninja should make the first trip.”

“Why do you say that, Captain?”

“Because it’s so much smaller and won’t be easily detected in Sierra Space with its force field on. We’ll use the Jukebox on the second trip.”

Chris turned to Jillian and she reluctantly nodded.

“I think I also know a way to avoid being detected by the Moet and Jenze that are currently on Earth.”

“How would you do that, Arvolo?”

“I’ll go into Sierra Space the moment we go through the time field. If I time it right, we’d only be in normal space less than a second. You would need to get the field right up against the place the Jenze emerged into normal space.”

Chris looked at his display, “I have that locked in on my board.”

“Then, let’s do this. There is also one thing we have this time that we didn’t before; you should be able to communicate with us.”

Chris furrowed his brow and said, “How would I be able to do that?”

“Send one of the new probes through behind us and leave the trailing cable connected. The probe has so little metal in it that it shouldn’t be seen by the Moet or Jenze at the planet. You can use its George Box to talk with us and get a feed on anything we’re doing.”

Izzy looked at her board and then said, “What if the Jenze don’t leave trails through Sierra Space? Their force fields must be as strong as ours and we no longer leave a trail.”

Jillian said, “I’ve recorded the frequency of the Jenze ship that was destroyed on Earth. The Ninja has the same scanners as the Jukebox so you should be able to scan for that frequency. Just look for a system with a large number of Jenze Ships and record the frequency of that solar system.”

Arvolo looked around and smiled, “Well, alrighty then. Let’s get this show on the road.” Arvolo offered Izzy his hand and she left her seat on the bridge and followed him out of the bridge to board the Ninja. Chris watched them go and looked at Jillian, “Captain Arvolo is able to see things no one else can. He might be more important than both of us.”

“I was just thinking the same thing, Love; however, he is a warrior and not a scientist. He would never be happy working with our engineers.”

“Even so, we need to make sure he doesn’t take severe risks until we can sit down and determine what he knows about time travel.” Jillian nodded and started the time fields warming up.

* * *

“Lt. Rosillo, please activate your board and be prepared for possible attack.”

“RV, when we’re going to go fighting, call me Izzy. Don’t go all professional on me.”

Arvolo turned in his chair and shook his head, “Look, I don’t know what’s going on in your head but I need you at your best. Can you do that for me?” Izzy nodded. “Now I suspect we are about to enter a very dangerous time in our galaxy’s history. We know in our time the Jenze are gone, the Moet were knocked back into primitive cultures, and the Alliance suffered a similar fate. There is a force operating in the past that is dangerous and we’re in the dark as to what we’re dealing with. I know Earth thinks we have this great technology but the Jenze were equal to us millions of years ago and it didn’t save them. We need to be able to count on each other.”

“I’ll hold up my end. However, are you sure that if I blast a ship there that it won’t affect our time in the future?”

“Well, not really, so we should avoid doing that if at all possible, but you must act as if that were not a consideration. If you hesitate and think about it we could be dead and you’re much too pretty to end up as debris.”

Izzy was startled by Arvolo’s remark and saw him setting up his board. She didn’t even think he had noticed her. She turned to her board and tried to hide her embarrassment. He was right, if it came down to it, she would act first and worry later.

“Captain Arvolo, the field is in place and you can launch.”

“Thank you, Admiral. The bay doors are open and we’re lining up for departure.” RV lifted the Ninja and exited the Jukebox and flew away from the screen. He turned the ship a hundred miles from the screen and accelerated at high velocity toward the flickering field in front of the Ninja. Just before crossing the field he hit the jump control and the Ninja was covered with the jump field just after it went through the field.

Chris looked at Jillian and shook his head, “I don’t think any of the Ninja appeared in normal space after it passed the field. That Cuban’s timing is just not believable.”

“I’m launching the probe, Chris, to see if the Moet saw it.” The forty foot long probe went through the time field trailing a plastic, light pulse cable. Jillian activated the passive scanners and looked at Earth where the Asteroid had just struck. The two Moet Battleships were still behind the moon and were not moving their way. “It looks like we’re ok. Captain Arvolo, can you hear me?”

“Loud and clear, Sir, and it appears the Jenze did leave a small trail. I thought it would in that its force field is nowhere near the strength of a battleship. However, before I go chasing this trail I’m going to scan for the Jenze frequency and see what comes up. I’ll feed the results to your board.” Arvolo hit the scanner and saw millions of returns. Chris and Jillian stared at the display and were shocked. “It appears that if I had followed the trail it would have taken me near a group of a hundred ships. I wonder what they’re doing.”

“I don’t want you to investigate. I would rather look at the light in our time and not risk your ship in the past.”

“I agree, Sir. I do see a huge number at a solar system more than two hundred light years from our current location.”