THE VROL TRILOGY (159 page)

"I would be most grateful, Max."

Their departure was accompanied by a light
popping sound, and Bagatelle and Vasquez got back to work.

###

Blue Mil Spaceport was enormous. Bigger than
any airport or military base conceived in the known history of
humanity. In fact, it was larger than the entire Los Angeles
Metropolitan Area on Earth, and the only way to get around was to
fly - or 3D slip, as Max and Jennie did.

"Max, why are we in a broom closet?"

"I didn’t want to startle anyone. Remember,
it's still not common knowledge I'm a Primulus, my love." Max
started for the door, but his fetching wife stopped him.

"Heyyy, hang on a sec. Don't tell me you
never made out in a broom close before…"

"Actually Jennie, that was pretty much the
only place where I ever kissed a girl before meeting you."

"Wow, you really were a virgin. I mean, our
first night together was so… amazing! Yet, you are so innocent.
Gawd, I love you so much, Max."

Jennie wrapped her arms around her husband
and brushed her lips up against his - softly, delicately, breathing
in the essence of her eternal mate.

Three-quarters of an hour later, Max and
Jennie entered the office of Josh Mannheim, LTJG; the man in charge
of un-deciphering the complex algorithm Johnson had implemented in
the hook drive ignitions.

"So, Captain, what we've found is that
specific parts of Johnson's genome are required to instantiate the
drive. We've gotten that far. However, every time we get close to
pinpointing the exact sequence required, it… changes. Like… magic.
I can't explain it."

Max thought for a moment, and then had a
brainstorm.

"Wait here. I'll be back in a few
minutes."

Max disappeared with a light popping sound,
leaving Josh, Jennie and Becky behind.

###

Max stood before the location on the
mezzanine where Jennie had destroyed Ryder Johnson's head many
months prior. The spot had been scrubbed over and over many times,
but Max knew the Rhönen castle staff had only used their simple
cleaning methods - brushes, soap and water.

Kneeling down, he waved his hand out and
thought a simple cantus.

Undaincantatio Magnificare

Max's view instantly zoomed in to a
microscopic level and found what he was looking for. After a couple
of minutes he had collected two grams of bone flakes and red blood
cells. Encapsulating the remains in a small bag, he stood and
disappeared just as two female servants approached.

"I still have yet to become accustomed to
that, Loren."

"It is the same for me, Beka. But is Master
Gunnarsson not dreamy?"

The two giggled as they moved on to complete
their chores.

###

"Here, extract the DNA from these remains,"
said Max, as he handed the bag to Josh. The junior lieutenant
grabbed the sample with lit eyes and ran over to some machinery,
spooning a bit of the white powder onto a petri dish. Placing it
inside a small slot, he touched a few icons on a panel and sat
back, waiting for the equipment to do it job.

"It'll be a couple of minutes, but we'll see
what we have. So… what is this?"

"Ryder Johnson's remains - bones and blood. I
basically brought them back to a state of molecular
reactivation."

"Ewww, Max! That's so gross!" Jennie
squealed. "So they're… alive?"

"Yes, but they're not Len Jonson's, and we
don't have any traces of his DNA. He wiped his DNA from the
Federation databanks as a precaution."

"But why not use his hair? I'm sure there's
plenty of that in his office," queried Jennie.

"No, Commander. Hair is not technically
alive. What Captain Gunnarsson has done is retrieve something that
only he could again make alive… again," said Josh.

The DNA extraction equipment made a small
sound, indicating it had completed its task. Josh rolled back over
to the machinery on his chair and pulled a gelatinous card from a
panel to its front.

"This is it. Let's see how far we can go with
this," said Mannheim.

He stood up and walked over to the hook drive
that had been extracted from one of the vessels, and slid the card
into a slot they had built. To everyone's mutual surprise (and
delight), the hook drive started to activate - something that had
never happened before.

"Captain, you are a genius! It looks like
we…"

Josh stopped short when the hook drive
stopped in place, right before it would start to extend the massive
hook up and out of the machinery.

"Aw man! That's the furthest we ever
got."

"What happened, Lieutenant?" asked Max.

"Don't know yet, sir. Let me check."

Josh rolled to a massive computer console and
typed in some commands, with a debugging readout appearing in the
upright, semi-transparent display.

"Johnson's son has some of his father's DNA,
but there are some missing proteins," said Josh. "The first
sequence read familiar code, but then stopped when it could not
find the remaining pieces of the puzzle."

"So, what does that mean?" asked Becky.

"It means we'll need actual, live DNA from
Len Johnson in order to activate the drive," said Max. "Lieutenant,
I'm ordering you to commence with the development of new drives
from scratch. We can't mess around any longer."

"But sir! That'll take months!"

"Yes, and there are many more before the Vrol
arrive. Get to work."

"Aye-aye, sir."

"Damn, I thought that short-cut would have
worked," said Max, relaxing on a couch in his office in the
Military Scientific Research Complex. It was a large, expansive
room, with ornate, carved wood panels similar to mahogany lining
the walls.

"It was a good try, Max. I guess we'll just
have to trust that Michael and Gabriel can find the Grigori, and
then hopefully Len Johnson," said Jennie.

"Hmm, let's hope Len Johnson's still alive in
the first place. Not for his sake, but for us. In any case, we
still plenty of time."

Jennie made for the door, and looking back,
said, "Baby, I'm going shopping with Becky. I'll be back in a
couple of hours."

"Hmm, okay. What are you going to buy?"

"A bikini. I promised your mom and Liliana
that we would go to the Caribbean when we got back. Just a day
trip, mind you."

"But… you could have asked me, love. I can
take you."

"Pops promised to take us. I think he's been
itching to run around in that infernal diaper of his."

"Visual! Gross! Buy him a pair of board
shorts."

The two laughed as the gorgeous lycan female
shut the office door behind her.

Chapter 29 - Disrupted Vacation

Liliana squealed in delight as she once again
dove into the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, ten meters
from the shore of the island formerly known as Grand Cayman. She
was joined in her frolicking by a bottlenose dolphin, the species
of which had been reintroduced to the world long before by the
Prīmulī. Jennie was immediately concerned when she saw the wild
animal near her daughter, but was calmed by Draagh, who put a hand
on her shoulder.

"Worry not, child. The creature has the
purest of intentions. She only wishes to play with Liliana."

"She? You can tell she's a female? How?"
Jennie asked.

"I can see many things, my dear, Yes, many
things. Her offspring are close by, and she is emoting an extremely
protective aura. In fact, she considers your daughter as one of her
own."

"Oh my god! That's worse! What if she tries
to drag Lili out into the ocean?"

Draagh laughed and shook his head. "No, no,
nothing like that. Dolphins are extremely intelligent, and she is
well aware of Liliana's aquatic capabilities, or lack thereof."

"Um, just how intelligent are they?"

"Well, they were one of the species of life
we introduced to this world, intending to make them the dominant
life form had Mankind yet again failed."

"They're that smart? Do they have a
language?"

"Oh yes! Well, it is quite rudimentary, but
yes, they do communicate, and by extremely long distances too, I
might add."

Jennie looked out at Liliana as the young
girl rode on the back of the dolphin, crashing through waves, much
like one would ride a pony. It was an amazing sight, certainly
never seen on Jennie's home world. Liliana was truly a lucky child.
Dolphins weren't introduced on Azul as there were similar, yet
less-developed aquatic mammals already inhabiting her oceans and
filling the same ecological niche.

Looking over to her left, Jennie watched as
Janice combed Clarisa's long, brown hair. The two were more like
sisters than the employer and servant they once were. Reflecting on
their relationship, Jennie was happy Max's mother had her lycan
genetics activated. She was now a woman in full bloom, appearing to
be in her late twenties/early thirties, and drop-dead gorgeous. She
was also reunited with the love of her life - Michael, who was
Max's biological father. Thanks to their unauthorized union, Jennie
had a most amazing husband, and many, many years to spend with him.
Still, her lack of true immortality saddened her, but she pushed
that to the back of her mind as she turned her attentions back to
Liliana, who was splashing in the water while surrounded by two
juvenile dolphins, their mother watching closely from a few meters
away.

"Where are Jessica and Pandy?" Jennie
inquired, not seeing the two former residents of post-apocalyptic
Hollywood anywhere in the vicinity, nor being able to detect their
scents.

"I slipped them over to what was colloquially
referred to as Ray Bay, my dear," Draagh responded.

"What's that?" Clarisa asked, cueing in on
their conversation.

"It was a place where a certain species of
ray would play with humans. Boats filled with tourists would go
there and they would feed the creatures by hand."

"Rays? Like stingrays? Aren't they
dangerous?" Janice cried out.

"Oh no, not these. I took a sample from
21
^st
century Earth and
regenerated their species locally. These animals, these fish, have
the same inclinations as their ancestors and only seek treats from
the girls. Aside from that, I created a cantus that temporarily
decreased the size and sharpness of their stingers."

"So, they aren't dangerous?" asked
Jennie.

"Not in the least, my dear. Would you like to
take Liliana there for yet another wonderful experience?"

"Um, no. No thanks, Pops. I'll pass. From
what I've seen in holo-vids, they're pretty creepy-looking things
anyway."

Draagh smiled and looked out at his adopted
great-granddaughter, taking delight in the joys of youth - a youth
he never personally experienced. It wasn't but a few moments later
that everyone received a distress call over their comms.

"Jen, Draagh, everyone. You have to get back
to the Rhönen immediately."

"Max, what is the problem, my boy?"

"The Vrol. They've arrived at Azul System.
Oh man, we're so totally screwed."

Jennie ran into Draagh's chambers where the
Primulus had earlier set up a large number of infoscreens. Max was
moving frantically in between them, tracking foreign object
movements throughout Azul System. Perspiration beaded on his
forehead as he turned and said, "They're all over the place. It's
like they're here and then they're over there. They've left
thousands of ship that don't disappear - they're on a direct route
to Vera."

"How did this happen? It can't be possible!
They were at least two years away!" cried Jennie.

"No idea, baby, but we have to launch the
fleet now."

"Admiral, how many
Juggernauts do we have in space?"
Max asked over the
comm.

"All present and accounted for, Captain. Get
your ass to the Reagan and go to Vera, immediately. Attack anything
you can get on your scanners. The Constellation and the George
Washington are remaining in Azul space in case those bastards get
past us."

Come on, Jen. We're going to our ship. Mom,
keep Liliana here with you. Pops, are you coming along? We could
use your help."

Draagh's face lit up as he slipped them
directly to the bridge of the ADF Ronald Reagan.

Azul System Space

Crews were scrambling like mad as Captain Max
Gunnarsson took the command chair on the second-newest ship in the
Azul fleet. On his port screen Max could see the Revolution,
pulling forward on fusion-ion drives. If what he believed was true,
they were at an extreme disadvantage, being without side space
capabilities. However, he, his grandfather, his father and his
uncle could move around - much faster than a ship with a hook
drive.

"Dad, I'm sure you heard. We're being
attacked. The Vrol have breached Azul System space. I believe it's
time for some fun."

"I am already at your side, my son," said
Michael, who had suddenly appeared to Max's right, dressed in
standard military fatigues and causing a few crewmembers to jump
back, startled.

Max yelled, "New technology, people. Get back
to work." Then addressing his father, he said, "We need to locate
the ships that keep popping in and out of side space. In the
meantime, G and I are going after the ships around Vera. Can you
see what you can do?"

"Certainly, Max. My brother and I shall get
right to work."

Michael disappeared from sight, causing an
equivalent reaction from most of the same crewmembers that had seen
him arrive.

"Sir, what
was
that?" asked a female ensign.