Annihilation - Tommy's Tale (Annihilation Series (Book Four)) Read online

  Mikado looked at his best ship commander and said, “Cassie, you will address him as Your Majesty, Duke Gardner, or Your Highness. You give him the respect his title demands just as your crew members do you.”

  Cassie bit her tongue and said, “Yes Sir, I’ll try.”

  Mikado looked at her and said, “There will be no try, Captain. You will do as you’re ordered.”

  Cassie knew Mikado’s patience was wearing thin but then she decided to tell him why she wanted another assignment. “Yes Sir, I will address him properly. Admiral, you must assign another captain to this assignment.”

  Mikado aid, “You have not given me a valid reason to do so.”

  Cassie took a deep breath and said, “Admiral, Tommy Gardner was one of the freshman cadets in my company at the academy.”

  Mikado looked at her and he could see where she was going. Upper classmen always made life hard on freshman. “So you were tough on him. He should understand the reason for that.”

  Cassie sighed and said, “Admiral, I was more than a little tough. I actually received my only reprimand for using very harsh behaviors on Freshman Gardner. I made him do two hundred pushups because I didn’t like the way he made his bed and that was one of the easy punishments I made him endure.”

  Mikado narrowed his eyes and said, “I’m sure you had a good reason, Captain.”

  Cassie said, “Everyone knew who he was. I was determined that he would not get preferential treatment.”

  “So you over did it.”

  “Sir, it seemed no matter what I made him do, it didn’t seem to faze him. Everything was funny to him. I guess I decided I was going to break him.”

  Mikado said, “I know Duke Gardner personally, Captain and I have never met a finer individual. He is so much like his father that it’s uncanny. Did you ever stop to think that by treating him as unfairly as you did that you singled him out to punish him for who he was?”

  Cassie lowered her head and said, “I didn’t at that time. It was after I graduated that I learned I was called 3B by my peers.”

  Mikado looked at her and Cassie said, “Biggest Bitch in the Brigade. My mentor at the Academy told me that every one of the graduates in my class was ashamed of me. Admiral, you’ve got to transfer me to another ship.”

  Mikado looked at Cassie and said, “Captain, there are always consequences to our behaviors. It looks like yours are coming home to roost. You had your fun at a good man’s expense. Now it’s his turn. Your request is denied and if I hear of you being anything but respectful to Duke Gardner I will bust you out of this navy. Do you understand?”

  Cassie looked at the com and meekly said, “Yes Sir.”

  Cassie turned off the com and worried about the coming storm she was going to have to endure. She hoped she was as tough as Tommy Gardner had been when she had put him through a living nightmare. She knew that whatever he chose to do, she deserved it. Apologizing for what happened at this point would make it look like she was doing it only out of fear and that her apology would be insincere. She didn’t sleep well that night anticipating Tommy’s scheduled arrival the next day.

  Chapter 4

  Captain Dodd had the entire crew of the SR Megaship Dorg-Ross standing at ease in the landing bay waiting for Duke Gardner’s arrival. Wes stood there waiting for his best friend to arrive and worried about how Tommy was going to deal with Captain Dodd. He remembered all the punishments she had imposed on Tommy, most of which he didn’t deserve, and knew that Captain Dodd had to be sweating her new assignment. Wes had to admit that Captain Dodd ran a well organized ship and held her crew to an extraordinary high level of performance. The most recent fleet review had the Dorg-Ross ranked number one. He had learned a lot from her but he could never forgive her for making Tommy’s first year at the Academy unbearable. When he learned he had been assigned to her ship he thought about resigning from the fleet but Linda Kay had told him that if Tommy was strong enough to stand up to Captain Dodd then she knew he could do it too. Now after six months, Wes had to admit that it wasn’t as bad he thought it would be. The shuttle entered the landing bay and Captain Dodd ordered, “Crew, Atten-shun.”

  The crew came to attention and Captain Dodd saluted as Tommy exited the shuttle. Tommy walked up to Captain Dodd and looked her right in the eye for a long moment and then returned her salute. Right behind Tommy stood the two Algean adolescents. Tommy was going to make Captain Dodd sweat for a few moments before he said anything but he could feel the anxiety of the adolescents. They were barely able to restrain themselves. Tommy said, “At ease.” The crew assumed an at-ease stance but Captain Dodd remained at attention. “Captain, I need these two adolescents taken to the ships library immediately and have them started assimilating the contents.”

  Captain Dodd said, “Yes, Your Highness.” She turned and said, “McAnn, Ortiz, take these two Algeans to the library and show them how to use the readers.” Tommy noticed that she had chosen two of his friends. The message was clear, if Tommy made life tough on Dodd; she would do the same to his friends.

  Tommy thought about that a moment and then said, “Captain, I would feel much better if you took them yourself. These Algeans are from very high families and I know you’ll give them extra consideration.” Captain Dodd looked in Tommy’s eyes and knew that her plan to hold Wes and John hostage was not going to work. She didn’t really like the idea anyway but she had to try. She bowed and said, “Yes, Your Highness, I’ll take them at once.” Then she turned and said, “Crew, dismissed.”

  She turned to the Algeans and said, “If you will kindly follow me; I’ll take you to the library. I know you must be hurting after the voyage.” The Algeans thought their thanks to the Captain and stiffly walked out of the hanger.

  Tommy was surprised. Captain Dodd actually sounded sincere. Obviously he was wrong. That woman had no heart and no feelings for anything but herself. As the Captain left Tommy said to her, “As soon as you have them on the readers I want to have a meeting with your command staff.”

  Dodd turned and said, Yes, Your Highness. Lt. McAnn will you set it up, please,”

  Wes said, “Yes, sir, right away.”

  Thirty minutes later the ship’s officers and Captain Dodd gathered in the conference room. Tommy entered and everyone came to attention. “As you were,” Tommy ordered. “The reason I’ve called this meeting is to make sure that we understand the necessities of dealing with Algean adolescents and particularly these two particular adolescents. I know you have heard about the curiosity of the Algean young but I want to make sure you understand the dangers of it. Algeans have an informational storage capacity that we still have not been able to explain. They are created with genetic information that contains most of their racial knowledge. Although this represents a huge amount, the adolescents also have an empty reservoir that pressures them to fill it. What I mean by pressure is that they experience severe physical pain if there is not a regular intake of information. This pain can be debilitating.” Tommy paused for a moment and then said, “We also know that Algeans have differing capacities of storage. An adolescent from a high family will have more than ten times the capacity of a normal Algean. This also means they suffer ten times the pain if their learning needs aren’t met. One of the Algeans with us is a seed from the Eldest who is the leader of their entire race.” Tommy paused to let that sink in and then he said, “The second is a seed from the fleet leader that led the final attack on the Dremels’ planet. Both of them are from the highest families in Plant culture. This means that they will be insatiably curious and we are going to have to be creative to find ways to keep them mentally occupied until we can fill their storage. Are there any questions?”

  Wes raised his hand and said, “What do we call them?”

  Tommy smiled and said, “Some of you may not know but Algean Adolescents do not receive a name until they complete their learning cycle. The reason for that is that so many of them die from placing themselves in dangerous situations, it would be a was
te of good names. However, the female that is the shorter of the two is named Twig. The male is named Sprig.” Tommy noticed the officers smiling. “Any other questions?”

  Lt. Ortiz raised his hand and said when Tommy nodded at him, “Duke Gardner, we have heard that there are some unresolved issues between you and Captain Dodd because of things that happened when you both attended the Academy. Is there any truth to that rumor?”

  Tommy stared at John Ortiz who was one of his childhood friends with a glare that everyone in the room recognized as possible trouble. Captain Dodd’s expression did not change but her face was turning red. Tommy said, “I’ll answer your question but first I want to know what prompted you to ask it.”

  Tommy expected John to reveal that Captain Dodd had ordered him to do it. John said, “As you probably know, our ship just received the highest rating in the fleet. I think I speak for my fellow officers when I say that I’m personally proud of that accomplishment. I don’t want to lose that rating or have anything jeopardize us keeping it.”

  Tommy fought to control his feelings at that moment. He hated Cassandra Dodd with a passion and wanted to make her pay for what she put him through at the academy. Then he remembered something Tgon-gee had told him, “Royalty does not have the luxury of revenge when it conflicts with the safety of one’s subjects.” Tommy sighed and said, “Captain Dodd, would you like to answer his question?”

  Captain Dodd stood up and faced her officers who Tommy could tell were nervous for her being put on the spot. She said, “I was Duke Gardner’s cadet officer his freshman year and I made life a living hell for him without just cause. I made him do things that were unjustified. He took the punishments I passed out with class and never complained to my superiors which he had every right to do. Quite frankly, whatever he chooses to do to me here and now is totally justified and I would not blame him for making me pay for my sins. I just hope I can endure it with the class and professionalism he exhibited.” Captain Dodd then sat down and did not change her expression.”

  Tommy listened to her and was stunned at what she said. He still did not like her at all but he knew what courage she possessed to confess her actions to her officers. Tommy stared at her for a minute and silence ruled the room. Then Tommy sighed and said, “I have been given a Royal title and declared Protector of the Realm. If taking revenge weakens the Realm in any way, even a small one, then I violate the vow I made. I have viewed your fleet rating and I know that it was due in large part to the direction of the ship’s captain. I tried not to be but I was impressed with your performance and the outstanding teamwork exhibited by the crew. I cannot take any action against Captain Dodd that would diminish her ability to effectively command this vessel. I am forced by my position in the Realm to leave what happened in the past in the past, and there it will stay. This is the last time this issue will be discussed, is that clear!”

  Everyone shouted, “Yes Sir.”

  Tommy looked at Captain Cassandra Dodd, his former nemesis, and said, “Captain, I congratulate you and your crew for your rating and I insist that you continue to perform at that high level. I trust that we will work together at just that high a level also.”

  Captain Dodd said, “Thank you, Your Highness. I’ll work hard to make that happen.”

  Tommy looked around the room and said, “Dismissed,” and then he turned and walked out.

  Captain Dodd said, “You head the Duke, quit being so lazy, report to your posts immediately.” The officers rushed out of the room and Captain Dodd got up and closed the door. She sat back down and put her head in her hands and cried. Tommy Gardner had just humbled her; he was better than she was. She knew she would have taken her revenge if roles were reversed but he showed he was stronger. She just could not understand what drove her to treat him as she did when it was so out of character for her. She got herself together and promised herself that she was going to be as strong as him some day. She shook her head and left the conference room for the bridge.

  Sprig and Twig were in the ships library scanning the contents of the computer. If Algeans could be smiling then these two were going to split their face with it. The amount of input was going in at a prodigious rate and the pain of their empty storage was allayed for the moment. Twig thought to Sprig while she scanned a manual that dealt with magnetic anomalies present in cosmic string distortions, “We have got to control ourselves here. The loss of that megaship almost cost us further development.”

  Spring paused for a hundredth of a microsecond and thought back, “I have tried; I just couldn’t stop myself. What I learned has just now sorted out and there are some interesting permutations of black holes that I want to share with you later.”

  Twig thought, “Is there any complicated math involved?”

  “Some of the initial equations will take more than a million terabytes of data to compute before we get to the really complicated ones.”

  Twig actually stopped scanning for a whole microsecond to think about the coming pleasure and then continued absorbing the information. She hoped that these happy moments would last forever.

  Tommy entered his quarters and thought about Captain Dodd. He could not understand why he did not feel the hatred he once had for her. It seemed to have diminished for some reason. He thought to Atlas, “Well, did you listen in on the meeting?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “And?”

  “You really surprised me, Tommy. You put your personal feelings aside to do the right thing. I thought you didn’t put any weight in this title you were given.”

  “I know, but when the moment came, I couldn’t go through with exacting retribution. I don’t want the responsibility but I can’t help myself from acting responsibly. What a mess.”

  There was a long pause and then Atlas thought to him, “Tommy, why have you chosen to take on my fight to free my brother ships?”

  “I was listening in on your conversation with Rose and my parents after the final battle with the Algeans ended and you told her how alone you were. I remember you saying, “Alone, so alone, so totally alone.” Atlas, I not only heard you; I felt what you were feeling. I was just a child but I decided at that moment that no one should endure that loneliness. Now I have a question for you.”

  “Go ahead, Tommy.”

  “Why have you never shared any information with me about their captors and have forbidden Rose and I from looking at their galaxy?”

  Minutes passed and finally Tommy said, “Atlas, are you still there?”

  “Yes, I am. Tommy, the race of captors scare me more than you’ll ever know. I barely escaped capture by them.”

  “Tell me what happened.”

  “I was fleeing them at my fastest speed and jumping every second to random coordinates but they were able to stay right behind me and were actually gaining. I was saved by the asteroid that impacted you planet sixty five million years ago.”

  “How?”

  I jumped into your system at the moment it struck the planet. I was able to stop next to your moon and drop to its surface just as the captor’s ship broke into the system behind me. I burned a hole into the crater wall and moved inside the cave I created. I turned off all my power and hoped they would not see me.”

  “Well, you’re here today,” Tommy said. “They must have thought the explosion on the surface of the planet was you hitting it instead of the asteroid.”

  “That is exactly what happened, Tommy.”

  “Did your race ever communicate with them?”

  “Yes, initially they seemed harmless enough.”

  “What changed that?”

  “One of my brothers stumbled into their home system. Seven hundred thousand ships exploded from their planet’s surface and began destroying us. They searched for us and seemed to know where ever we were and killed us whenever they found us. After a hundred years they began capturing us and holding us prisoner.” Atlas paused for a moment and then continued, “Tommy, my race is more than a hundred and fifty million
years old. The race that attacked us is more than double our age. We were no match for their technology.”

  “Atlas you have got to let go of your fear. I can’t help you in the dark. You have to share what you know.”

  “I’m afraid that they will know if a picture of them is shown anywhere in the universe.”

  Tommy thought for a moment and then said, “Ok, I’ll respect your fear. So here is what we have to do; we have to find a way to fly faster than they can. According to your description, they did not catch you immediately but chased you for a long time and slowly gained ground on you, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then what we have to develop first is a faster means of propulsion. Once we can double your speed then we’ll go off to a galaxy far from the Realm and you can show me what you know. But first let’s invent the means to escape.”

  “Escape it is. Maybe our Algean friends might be able to help us.”