I watched as the last of the transports lifted off and headed towards the Unity. It had taken almost a full day to transport the crew and supplies. At last all crew were accounted for and we had enough supplies to last us several months. The only personnel who weren't on board were those assigned to protect Lisa. My thoughts turned to what had happened the last time I saw her. She had been inaccessible since she kissed me, and I was confused. I returned my focus to the present and waited until the cargo ships were out of sight. I would be the last one to board the ship.
I walked over to the waiting shuttle and strapped myself in. After a quick pre-flight check I was in the air. I stopped at ten thousand feet and took a minute to absorb the view. Much of the planet was still wild. It bore a close resemblance to Earth, which brought a host of conflicting emotions. The ship was virtually silent as it hung in there air. The experience was refreshing and I found a growing resolve in myself. No matter what happened, I wouldn't rest until every last Zrynt had been hunted down and destroyed. Almost reverently, I took the controls and forced the ship to continue its journey.
Five minutes later the Unity filled the view screen. Outwardly, nothing had changed. Most of the changes were internal, or too small to been seen from afar. The Unity was crawling with nanites now. With the technological advances we had made, we were able to free up significant amounts of space. With the ability to create atmospherics and water on demand, the amount of space needed for storage was a fraction of what was originally planned. Ammunition could be created rapidly as well, so storage for that was virtually non-existent. We put the newly freed space to good use. The original jump drive was gone. It was replaced by a much larger, more efficient drive. In addition to the main drive, we also had a smaller drive that could be charged much more rapidly. This drive would only be used in combat. It took the stress off of our main drive and allowed us to keep the flexibility we enjoyed. The rail guns had been replaced by the rail arrays that had so effectively shredded the last Zrynt fleet we encountered. The changes were too numerous to count. Also on board were a few experimental technologies that Dr. Thompson and his cohorts had cooked up.
It felt good to walk the familiar corridors. I stopped by my office to drop off my personal effects, and it felt like I was coming home. As nice as it was to be on firm ground, this was where I was mean to be. I dropped my bags off, not even bothering to unpack and headed for the bridge. The bridge had largely remained unchanged. The most noticeable difference was the missing holotable. Projectors similar to the ones Sarah designed were imbedded around the room. I had taken some liberties with my chair and added a few features to make it more useable.
I sat down and started checking on each station. Lt. Edwards approached and said, "Admiral, the engine room reports that both jump drives are fully operational and have passed all tests. The main drive is primed. We're standing by for orders."
"My compliments to you all" I said out loud. "Give the order to jump to Narrisal." Yellow warning lights blinked, giving warning of the impending jump. We had received enough complaints about the lack of notice that we incorporated the warning lights into every room. Thirty seconds later we appeared above Narrisal. The moment we appeared, we were hailed.
"Display message on the main screen" I commanded. Shahae appeared, looking radiant.
"Shahae, it is good to see you."
"It's good to see you as well Admiral Ryan. We received notice of your pending departure, but the purpose of the mission still remains a mystery to us."
"I would like to meet with you and Queen Shaniir to discuss the purpose."
"We will arrive shortly then" she said and the transmission ended.
"Lt. Foster, send word to have docking space and a conference room prepared." I left the bridge in the capable hands of my crew, and left so I could meet our guests.
I arrived at the small hanger moments before the shuttle. The hanger's sole purpose was to be used by visiting dignitaries. It was yet another change made to the ship. Once the hanger pressurized, I walked in and stood at the base of the descending ramp. "Admiral Ryan, it is good to see you again" Shaniir said as she made her way gracefully down the ramp.
"You know the pleasure is all mine" I said as I motioned her to follow me. We made our way to an elaborately decorated conference room.
"You have certainly made a few changes to your ship" Shahae said as she entered.
"I figured that we would be used on diplomatic assignments as well as a vessel of war. Thanks to the cooperation of your people, we were able to make significant changes to the Unity."
"I see. I'm going to skip the rest of the pleasantries now. What exactly is your mission?" I quickly explained Adri's theory. By the end Shaniir wore a calm, thoughtful expression. I could tell that her mind was anything but calm. "What exactly are you hoping to find?" Shaniir asked after a few moments.
"To be honest, anything that can help fight the Zrynt. Whether that comes in the form of intelligent species we can use as allies or new technologies, it makes no difference to me. It would make sense that the Teludan wouldn't be the only ship entrusted with this mission. The galaxy is to volatile and unpredictable to place all hope in a single ship."
"I see the wisdom behind your words. How many anomalies have you found?"
"Six" I replied.
"We could assign fleets to assist in scouting those areas" Shahae offered. "It would be much quicker than the Unity searching alone."
"I have considered it, but I believe it to be a bad idea" I responded. I continued when I saw her confused expression. "I want the scouting to be as discreet as possible. If the Zrynt sense that we are looking for something, then they will join in the hunt as well. The last thing we need is for another home world to be destroyed."
Shahae paused and considered what I had just said. "I wish to accompany you. If we are to create an alliance involving multiple peoples, then the Tuleeriri should be represented on first contact."
"I was hoping you would offer to come" I said with a smile. I turned to Shaniir and said, "Do you mind if Shahae returns to her position as ambassador?"
Shaniir smiled knowingly. "She has expressed her wishes and I agree. I would ask that you be careful. She is my daughter after all, and soon I will be announcing her as my heir."
Apparently she hadn't discussed this with Shahae first. Shahae seemed at a loss for words. "I will protect her with my life" I said solemnly. "There is one last thing I wish to discuss with you. We are relatively new to the war against the Zrynt, but it seems to me like they are acting a little too passive."
"I'm not sure I understand" Shaniir replied.
"When we first arrived, it seemed the galaxy was crawling with Zrynt" I explained. "Not it seems like the only time we fight them is when we seek them out. For an ancient race bent on our destruction, they don't seem to be very aggressive."
Shaniir sat quiet for several minutes before answering. "We have found records of previous wars with the Zrynt. They reveal a dangerous trait for an enemy to have. That is patience. You are correct when you say you are new to this war. You may think like a long time has passed, but it hasn't. The Zrynt have been undefeated for millennia. What are a few months, years or even hundreds of years to a race so ancient? They bide their time and wait for the perfect moment to strike."
The room was ominously quiet for several uncomfortable minutes. "What do you suggest we do?" I asked.
"I cannot speak for your people, but my people will do as we have done from the beginning. We will fight them as best as we can. If we die, we will die with honor."
"I can't speak for my people as a whole, but I know I prefer to live with honor rather than dying. We may be a young race and but there is one thing I know, and that is we will never give up. When push comes to shove, we will fight with a ferocity that will be legendary. Never underestimate the dominating instinct of self-preservation."
I watched her and waited for her response. It was barely more than a whisper. "I hope you are right."
"While we are here, I would like a copy of those records. I want to learn who and what I am up against."
"I'll arrange for a copy to be sent to your ship."
"Thank you. I'll escort you back to your ship." I turned to Shahae. "Let me know when you will be ready to depart."
***A/N***
My apologies for the shorter chapter. I have been busy and haven't had as much time to write. There will be more action coming up, I promise.
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