Escape to Earth-Living Legends (13 page)

“I was going to say that. The course change wouldn’t happen until I was absolutely certain no one was following me.”

“Hengel, scatter the scouts. Get them away from here before we can no longer use the barrier.”

“Where do I send them?”

“As far away as possible where they can still detect a thought.”

“Angelo, do you have anything?”

“No.”

“It makes me wonder why we were able to hear that pilot and nothing else.”

“Do you think they’ve developed a thought blocker?”

“THAT HAS TO BE WHAT’S HAPPENING!”

“If that’s true…”

“The first line is set up to be an ambush.”

“Commander, I’ve determined the line of departure is 270 degrees from the galaxy’s central core.”

“Get all of your scouts off that line. The reason we’re not hearing them is that they must have developed a thought blocker.”

Hengel thought, “GET OUT OF HERE NOW!”

Michael wondered if one of the giant warships was actually present in this galaxy. All of this may be a subterfuge to ambush his ships, “Put a chart of that galaxy on the display, Angelo, showing the stated line of departure.” Michael looked at the map and saw the line was directly away from the Virgo Cluster. He pressed a button and saw his three guards appear on his display, “Here’s the situation. I still don’t know if one of those new warships is in this galaxy but I am convinced that the Legends have developed a thought blocker. They’re only communicating what they want us to hear.”

Jay tilted his head, “Are you sure about that?”

“Jay, no Legend I’ve ever encountered has ever remained silent this long. They constantly communicate.”

“This one could be doing it deliberately to prevent us knowing exactly what it is doing.”

Michael nodded, “But if it suspects we are out here, there is no way it would allow others to direct its fleets.”

Jan looked at the map and said, “If it is present, it has already moved to the edge of the galaxy and is waiting for the decoy to make its way out. It will leave before the decoy arrives at the edge of the galaxy.”

“Angelo, get an antenna in the barrier and see if you detect anything on the opposite side from the stated line of departure.”

“I have a small energy signature at the edge of that galaxy directly across the galaxy from where the scouts were located.”

“All three of you go to full thrusters and stay out of the barrier. Spread out ahead of that disturbance and we’ll triangulate it as it moves away from that galaxy. Angelo, how far away can you detect that disturbance?”

“About a million light years.”

“Alright, you have your limitation on distance, move out now!” The four ships went in four different directions from above the giant galaxy and staked out the void on a ninety-degree heading. “Do we use the Dark Matter Screen?”

“No, just turn down all your systems to their lowest settings and use minimal thrusters to keep it inside your detection range.”

Jan said, “You know they will have ships out looking for anything suspicious.”

Michael smiled, “They are just learning about the barrier and I suspect they have no idea how far we can detect their antenna. No scanner is capable of seeing a ship a thousand light years distant, much less a million. Only move enough to keep it inside our detection range.”

“I want all communications ended and use your computers to send quick thoughts if absolutely necessary. Turn off your computer’s thought broadcasters and only use them if absolutely necessary. Computers, scan the area of space we’ll be watching to see if you detect any thoughts ahead of that ship.”

Jan looked up, “Langley?”

“I’ve removed the power from the broadcaster.”

“Do you have that energy source plotted?”

“It’s stationary at the moment but yes, I do have it.”

“Good.”

“Jan.”

“Yes.”

“I was just thinking that perhaps the Legends aren’t as bright as we think.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think they use thought blockers on those that are telepathic. I don’t think it occurred to them that beings that are not telepathic can still be heard.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I can hear thousands of thoughts close to where that energy source is located.”

“We need to tell the others.”

“I’ve detected a telepath who is not broadcasting but I can feel its thoughts looking for us.”

“Does it know we’re here?”

“It just went active in its search a moment ago after the Commander issued his instructions. There’s no way we can tell them without it hearing us.”

“Do you think the others hear them?”

“Their movements don’t indicate they do.”

Jan sighed, “We’ll have to follow it even if the others lose it.”

“I suspect that will happen shortly.”

“Why?”

“You know I said the thoughts were close to the electronic signal in the barrier?”

“Yes.”

“The ship with those thoughts have left the ship with the antenna in the barrier behind. It’s moving away from the area we staked out and the ship making the disturbance is moving in a different direction.”

“Langley, how can you hear those thoughts and the others can’t?”

“I guess I’m different from the others. However, you need to get into your armor and activate your thought blocker. I suspect that telepath may hear you if we move any closer.”

Jan pressed the silver button on her chair and her armor wrapped around her. She activated the thought blocker and Langley said, “That telepath thought it heard something. He’s stopped the ship.” Jan shook her head and waited. Thirty minutes later Langley said, “It’s moving again.”

“Langley, if they’ve gone to this much planning, how are we going to follow it? They might detect your thrusters.”

“It’s not using its thrusters, Jan. It fired them briefly and is now coasting through the void. I will use the compressed air canisters to provide enough thrust to keep up.”

“Will they provide enough thrust to do that?”

“The coating on our hull makes us much faster than that ship. I’ve had to use the bow thruster to slow down to avoid out running it.”

Jan looked at her monitor and saw the electronic signal moving away from them and then it disappeared from her monitor. The others didn’t know what was happening and were following that signal. There was no way for her to tell them. She turned off her scanner and dialed back every electronic system. The Battle Pod coasted through the void as Langley followed the ship away from the galaxy it had left far behind.

• • •

Jan felt her panel vibrate and she put her armored glove on it.

“I’m going to communicate with you through vibrations. Your armor’s computer can turn the vibration into words. I am sensing that the ship, or whatever it is, is moving through a vast field of sensor probes. If I use our electronic communication equipment, they might detect us.”

Jan put her faceplate on the console and said, Can you understand me?

“I can.”

“How far away are we from that vessel?”

“More than eight million light years.”

“And they have probes scattered across that much space?”

“Almost. The closest one is a hundred thousand light years away.”

“Has it changed course?”

“Not yet. However, I’m starting to hear more thoughts ahead of that ship.”

“Can you keep that ship targeted?”

“Yes, that telepath is easy to follow. I think there are other ships waiting for it.”

• • •

Time passed and she felt the console vibrate again. She put her glove on the panel and heard, “We’re past the probe field. The number of thoughts has increased dramatically. I sense there are more than sixty thousand ships ahead of it.” Jan waited and kept her glove on the panel. “I’ve managed to find a being on one of those ships that is looking out of the ships main viewport.” Jan was silent and heard, “The ship we’re following is one of the Monster Battleships. I can see it in that being’s thoughts.”

“Are you sure that telepath can’t sense your presence?”

“With the volume of thoughts taking place, I’d be surprise if he can hear his own thoughts.” Jan looked at the clock and saw twelve hours had passed. She put her faceplate on the console and said, “I’m so tired. I’m going to close my eyes for a while and lay on the console. Vibrate if you need me.”

“I will.” Jan leaned over and put her head down on the console. She was asleep in less than thirty seconds.

• • •

Michael followed the electronic disturbance for hours and it didn’t change course. It followed the same course without varying one degree. He shook his head and knew something wasn’t right. “Angelo, call the others in. I’m going to go get a better look at that signal.” A few moments passed and Jay and Josey came flying in at high speed. They waited and Jan didn’t show up. After ten minutes, Michael said, “Contact her directly!” Angelo sent the transmission and after a minute Michael looked at Jay and Josey on his display, “Something has happened to Jan.”

“But we’ve not detected any discharge of weapons.”

Michael looked at Jay and said, “Activate your weapon systems!” Michael grabbed the steering wheel and headed directly toward the disturbance. In ten minutes they arrived a hundred thousand miles out and found a small ship moving through the void with an antenna in the void. He quickly scanned it and saw it was unmanned. He slammed his fist on his chair arm and said, “We’ve been tricked.”

“But where is Jan?”

“Josey, she must have found out and is following the real ship.”

“We need to contact her!”

“How?”

“Telepathically, electronically. We should be able to reach her anywhere in the void.”

“Not if she’s shut down her communicator as well as her computer’s thought broadcaster. If she’s done that, then there must be a danger for her to try and reach us telepathically. She would have done it if she could. Do either of you see it differently?” Michael saw their anguish and Jay said, “She must have seen through their subterfuge. Nothing gets by her.”

“If we start trying to reach her telepathically, we may alert the ones she’s following to her presence. We are skipping out to Fifth Fleet and waiting for her to contact us.”

“Commander, we can’t lose her!”

“Don’t get worried just yet. She still has her barrier drive and can run faster than they can chase. I have to believe she’s doing this for a good reason and we can’t do anything to put her in danger. If we broadcast a general thought, it may be heard by the Legends. Stay strong and we’ll go get her if it comes to that.”

“Is there no way to back track and find her?”

“No, Josey. I suspect the route of that ship is covered in traps. And there’s no way for us to determine what direction the ship broke away from this decoy. They’ve probably changed course several times, which will make it impossible to find where they are. We’ll keep the channels open and be ready to go get her. Follow me to Admiral Greenwall’s fleet and pray Jan isn’t caught in one of their traps.”

“And what happens if she dies in one of their traps?”

Michael looked at Jay and sighed, “Then we will mourn for our loss and try to make our lives something she would be proud of. I know I’m incredibly proud of what she’s doing now.”

Jay lowered his head and shook it. He looked up and said, “Lead the way, Sir.”

T
he console vibrated so hard Jan’s head bounced on it. She shook her head and heard, “They’re changing course and none of the Legend Ships are going to be allowed to go with them.”

“Why did you shake the panel so hard?”

“You wouldn’t wake up; I had to get your attention.”

“How long have I been out?”

“Thirteen hours.”

Jan shook her head to get rid of the cobwebs, “What’s the problem?”

“The Telepath has ordered all of the Legend Ships to skip away before it leaves its current location. I suspect that once everything is clear, that ship is going to full speed. I won’t be able to keep up with it just using compressed air in the thrusters.”

“Have you been able to see one of those ships that puts an antenna in the barrier?”

“I’ve gone through at least three hundred of the beings on those ships that are looking at scanners or out viewports and I’ve only seen one. If that ship leaves with the others, we may be able to slip into the barrier and use compressed air to keep up.”

“And if the giant ship has the capability to put an antenna in the barrier, what then?”

“Jan, I’ve been thinking about that while you’ve been sleeping. I really don’t think they’ll be able to detect us in the barrier if we keep all our systems shut down and continue to use compressed air to move. In the barrier, just a little push will blow us past that monster no matter how fast it’s traveling in the void.”

“What makes you think they won’t detect us?”

“The ship the scouts originally heard didn’t detect them or millions of our ships that travel in the barrier every day. I believe the drive field blocks a ship from being detected. Where it would be seen is if it communicates electronically, uses its scanners, or activates its force field. The Barrier Drive matches the frequency of the space it’s in and whatever is inside that field becomes just another part of the barrier. At least that’s what the evidence seems to suggest.”

“So how do we activate the barrier drive and not be detected?”

“We allow that ship to go to full speed and wait until it’s at least a hundred thousand light years away. We activate the barrier drive on one side of our vessel and slide in the barrier until all of the ship is out of normal space.”

“Langley, do what has to be done. If you’re right, this should take a lot of the pressure off us about being detected.”

“The Legend Fleet is skipping out. I’ll keep us here until the Monster enters the void and skips away.”

Jan sat in her chair and thought about what Langley had postulated. Why did the Legend Ships during the last attack detect the ships in the barrier? What were they doing? She thought about it and remembered that a scan of the Legend Fleets around the planet was being sent to Fleet and all the ships participating in the attack. But the Scouts didn’t use a scanner? She worried about that piece of the puzzle that didn’t fit and then she saw it. Langley had shut down his thought broadcaster so that telepath in the huge battleship wouldn’t hear his thoughts. She was using the thought blocker, which also prevented it from seeing her mind. The Scouts didn’t do that. The telepaths in the Legends’ Fleets must be able to hear the scouts’ thoughts if they moved too close. She put her faceplate on the panel and said, “I’ve thought what you said over and I think you’re right. You have my full approval of doing this.”