“No, Tomás Rexhaut. We are hiding this system somewhere in time.”
“You manipulate time?”
“Among other things. Yes. And Zon are developing time-travel technology. We must stop them before they succeed.”
He could think of nothing more to say than: “Thank you for your protection.”
Jeel stood and leaned across the table, face to face with Rexhaut. After a very weighty silence, he replied, “Do not thank us. We are not here to protect your species.”
T-Rex felt as if he had been punched in the head. “No?”
“No, Tomás Rexhaut. It pains me to say this; but we are taking this system back in time twenty-five thousand of your years. To protect our brethren. The ones you call bugs. We have seen that your species will soon destroy itself. Although I trust you, Tomás Rexhaut, I can not trust your race. Our kind will inherit this system, develop, and will be prepared to join our fight. When my crews and I return to our own time, this system will be full of beings like us, who will help us crush Zon.”
* * *
Tomás Rexhaut sat alone in his cabin, thinking of how he would present his report. The last thing he remembered before awakening aboard Rapier was saying a sad goodbye to Jeel. He had come to feel a warm kinship with him.
After Jeel had released their minds, his crew had only vague impressions of what had occurred.
The stars were filling the sky again. But the navigation computer showed they were all out of place.
He sighed as he stared at a photo of his beloved wife Anna through misty eyes. He was sorry for so many things he had not done in his life—and he felt a deep sense of loss. Suddenly, the solitary, lonely fly buzzed past his ear. He slowly held out a hand—and to his delight, the fly lit on his index finger. He marveled at its complex eyes and fine, wispy wings. He let it fly away with a smile on his face.
He rolled the translator Jeel had given him as a gift over and over in his nervous hand. He tapped the intercom button and called Balzak to his quarters. He hated politics, and knew his political fight would be tough, but he had to try. He was going to need her at his side.
Then he gently lifted Anna’s photo to his lips and kissed her goodbye.
* * *
Having had his resignation denied, Admiral Jeel stood quietly on the bridge of his new battleship, Tomás Rexhaut, his newest wife and Commander, Zaa at his side, reflecting on the past as he watched the joining of T’Jang’s brand-new fleet with the hybrid-beings from Sol’s armada.
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends