It was day three of our four day journey and we still were unable to communicate with anyone. I was enjoying a meal with my commanders while we discussed the situation.
"What if the Zrynt executed a coordinated attack against the Tuleeriri and Hope and we're the last ones alive?" Daniel said, not caring that he his mouth was still full.
"One, you're a pig who needs to learn some table manners, and two, the Zrynt don't even know where Hope is" Sofya pointed out.
"I know manners, I just don't see the point in trying to impress anyone here" he said defensively.
"I know this is a little off topic, but who picked the name Hope anyways? Please don't tell me I'm the only one who thinks it's a dumb name for a planet" Miyako chimed in. This started a whole new round of arguments. Daniel and Edgar both supported the name while everyone else took the other side. I sat back and watched my commanders with a smile. A stranger watching the argument might make the mistake of thinking that everyone here hated each other. They couldn't be more wrong. Beneath the bickering and name calling an unconquerable friendship lurked. Everyone at the table had laughed, fought, and suffered together.
"What do you think Jack?" Mariana asked, trying to bring me into the fight.
"I think you all have been spending too much time together and need a vacation, which is something I wanted to discuss with you all tonight once we have covered more important topics."
"What could be more important that a vacation?" Andrew asked in an exaggerated tone.
"Well, we've only heard of one theory as to why we can't communicate" I said, trying to refocus the group. "No offense Daniel, but that theory just doesn't hold water. If it were true, we'd still be able to access the subspace network of sensors that we have been dropping. What other ideas do you have?"
"We haven't used our subspace communication equipment since we first encountered the Zrynt Lord" Sofya said. "We have fought several battles and have sustained much damage. There is a good chance that our equipment is malfunctioning."
"You make a strong argument, but unfortunately I don't believe that is the case. All self-checks have come back clean. I even had Lisa look over the equipment. Before you argue the point further" I said, cutter her off, "I had Shahae fire up the communication equipment in her ship. She experienced the same blackout."
"Maybe the problem isn't on our end" Mariana said quietly. "I'm not siding with Daniel, but what if the Zrynt found a way to hack out network. Such a possibility is not out of the world of possibility. We know the Zrynt have captured Tuleeririan technology in the past. They could have gained access and rendered it unusable."
Everyone took a moment to process the ramifications. "I think I know a way we can test that theory" said Andrew. "It's rather simple. We link two sensors together, drop them off now and after our next jump, and see if we can communicate between the two. If our network has been compromised this would allow us to start rebuilding a new one."
"Excellent ideas, both of you" I said gesturing to Andrew and Mariana. "You two will be in charge of testing that theory. Any other ideas?"
"What if we are the problem?" asked Lan nervously.
"Care to clarify that for those present who can't read minds?" Edgar asked sarcastically.
Lan seemed hesitant to continue. "It can't be worse than Daniel's idea" I pointed out.
"It has always bothered me that Earth had no traces of subspace access."
"According to the Tuleeririan databases there are about a half dozen such areas around the galaxy" Sofya said, interrupting Lan.
"What are the odds that the ancient ship, the Teludan, found its final resting place in the middle of such an anomaly, right next to a planet brimming with life." I hadn't told anyone about Dr. Thompson's discovery of our origin. While the rest were considering the idea a conspiracy theory, I was able to appreciate it more. Despite the opposition, Lan seemed determined to finish telling her idea. "I have been thinking since I heard that we cannot communicate. What if we brought the anomaly with us?"
"I don't believe I saw a subspace jammer on the cargo manifest" said Daniel jokingly.
"She's talking about the Teludan you idiot" Andrew said as he smacked the back of Daniel's head. "While I appreciate the thought that has gone into your idea, I can't say I find any proof. Researches have been probing around the Teludan since its discovery. Never once has it shown signs of activity or given off any kind of energy. I would imagine that blocking out a large section of subspace, if even possible, would require tremendous amounts of energy."
"How would you propose testing your theory?" I asked, cutting off any further criticism.
"The obvious answer is to leave the Teludan behind while we jump outside of its effective radius" she answered.
"You do realize that would delay our return home by half a day as well as leave the Teludan unprotected for the Zrynt to find."
"I never said you would like the idea, I just told you how I would test it" she replied defensively.
"While your idea does have some merit, I cannot delay our return longer than absolutely necessary" I said to the astonishment of some.
"Jack, surely you don't believe her crazy idea" Edgar said. "What she is suggesting is outside the realm of possibility."
I could see several nodding their heads in agreement. "Look around you" I ordered, letting all warmth leave my voice. "Two years ago somebody would have said what we are doing now is outside the realm of possibility. We stretch the very fabric of space every time we jump. We are in the largest warship ever created by man using schematics retrieved from an alien ship buried in the moon. We live in the realm of impossibility. Don't let preconceived notions of how you think reality works blind you from what is in front of your face. I'm not saying Lan's theory is right. All I am saying is that it merits further investigation." The room was silent as the vacuum surrounding the Unity.
"Well Jack" Andrew said breaking the silence, "you haven't steered us wrong yet."
"Thank you for your vote of confidence. If there are no other insights, then I would like to press on with our discussion." I paused for a moment before continuing. "Once we arrive I'm giving the crew some leave." This was a round cheering and applause. "Settle down. I'm going to have the construction crews go over our ships with a fine toothed comb. We've been patching damage after each battle, but I think it's important that we undergo a full inspection. Along with the repairs I'm making some enhancements to the ship. On top of all that, I'm ordering the construction of a new battleship to replace the phoenix." I knew this would be a tougher pill to swallow.
"I know the necessity of replacing lost comrades and destroyed ships, but it won't be the same" said Sofya. "We have been close as a group for a long time now. An outsider will find it hard to fit in I think."
"I know how you feel" I said sympathetically. "Tamal was a friend and a brother. I wouldn't dare think to replace him. Think of our new commander as a successor instead of a replacement. I'm counting on you all to train and nurture our new additions. Nobody is better qualified than you."
"Do you have anyone in mind?" Andrew asked.
"Not yet" I answered truthfully. "Everything has changed so much and there is so much to do that it is overwhelming. I'll have replacements selected and ready for training once you are done with your leave." We spent another hour discussing a variety of topics. I could tell by the end of the meeting everyone was mentally spent. I felt the jump drives engage as everyone filed out the door. It was looking like we would almost be home before the puzzle was solved.
That night I found it impossible to sleep. Soon we would arrive and I was certain things were going to be difficult. The nurse on board had informed me that I needed more rest, but with everything going on, I just couldn't settle my mind down. I surrendered the losing battle and got up and dressed. My wanderings led me to Dr. Thompson's lab. I walked in to find myself in an electronic jungle. Wires dangled like vines from piles of foreign metal scraps. I carefully wound my way through the maze and found Sarah lounging around tables inundated with electronic equipment.
"Sarah, you appear more lifelike every time I see you" I said with a smile.
"Maybe that's because I am alive, although I have been making adjustments to the holographic imaging that projects this body."
"Sounds like you need more work to me."
"I've offered to help, but the good doctor and his egghead cohorts are so consumed with their work that they wouldn't notice a herd of stampeding elephants, let alone a beautiful AI strolling around."
"That doesn't surprise me. What is all this junk anyways?"
"This is all your junk. You are the one responsible for my life of boredom" she said with an exaggerated expression.
"This must be the remains of the wrecked fighters we collected a few weeks back."
"Congratulations, you have solved the great mystery" she said sarcastically.
"I've been meaning to catch up with Dr. Thompson about any discoveries he's found, but trying to stop an unstoppable force while evacuating a truly stubborn people has kept me a little busy."
"I must admit I had my doubts about your success."
"I appreciate the vote of confidence" I replied, injecting my own sarcasm into the conversation. "How do you propose I get their attention?"
"I would say walk around naked, but I've learned from experience that doesn't help."
"I don't even want to know" I said shaking my head.
I walked up to the group of six scientists and tried to understand what they were saying. "I know their speaking in English, but I don't have a clue as to what they are saying" I said to Sarah. I was only a few feet away and none of them had even noticed my presence. "I see what you mean about being engrossed in their work." I tried several times to get their attention, but was met with failure each time.
"I told you so" Sarah said in a sing-song voice.
A mischievous grin spread across my face as an idea occurred to me. Sarah looked on with interest as I approached a random pile of scrap and started unplugging cables. Warning started sounding on several pieces of equipment and Dr. Thompson and his cohorts began scrambling around. One of them finally noticed what I was doing and screamed at me to stop.
Dr. Thompson marched over and started yelling. "What are... do you have any... who do you think..." he paused as he realized who I was. "Sorry Admiral, I didn't see you there."
"I noticed" I said as I stepped away from the cables I had been unplugging. The space I vacated was quickly filled with several scientists arguing about how the cables were connected. "That should keep them occupied while we talk."
"You didn't have to go to such extremes to get my attention" Dr. Thompson said. He was looking pretty upset.
"I was going to run around naked, but Sarah said she already tried that." The look on Dr. Thompson's face was priceless. I laughed and said, "I'm just kidding...well, about me running around. Sarah did claim that she tried doing that to get your attention. No offense Doc, but you can get pretty engrossed in your projects. That's actually why I'm here. I was hoping to get an update on your progress."
"Like so many things I have encountered these last few years, the shield technology the Zrynt use is hard to comprehend. Essentially, it uses a high power energy barrier to neutralize both energy and matter it comes in contact with."
"That much I was able to deduce from watching our weapons fail to penetrating it."
"The amount of energy required to achieve the barrier is mind boggling. They must have some massive generator on board to power both the shield and their weapons."
"What I'm more concerned with is how their fighters and weapons can pass through the barrier undisturbed."
"We're still working on that. We took a closer look at the surface of the Zrynt ship and noticed thousands of little antennae evenly spaced across the hull. We found a similar structure on the body of the fighters that were recovered. Our hypothesis is that the antennae are responsible for generating the field."
"Is there any way we can replicate these antennae and use them against the Zrynt?"
"Unfortunately all the fighters that came to us were damaged. We've been trying to piece together various parts of the ships, but haven't progressed much further than that."
"So, you've learned nothing then" I stated, not at all pleased.
"We're doing the best we can here. One diamond has been found in all this rough. We have spent time considering how shield technology could be adapted to use on the Unity."
"I thought you said the power requirements were beyond what the Unity could provide."
He gave me a look that said he was tiring of my interruptions. "The shielding the Zrynt employ uses massive amounts of energy to block everything out. What we have speculated is that there might be a way to create a field that absorbs energy much like the AUT we use to armor our ships."
"Where would all that energy go?" I asked. "From what I've seen, the energy weapons from the Zrynt would quickly overwhelm the system. We have no way of storing that much energy."
"Part of the energy would go to powering the field while the rest would have to be redirected externally."
"Let me know if you develop a viable technology we can implement. The unity will be undergoing repairs and upgrades once we arrive. If you have anything you would like to include, please let me know before then."