Chapter 43
Plus -226: 76,056,117 BC
John and Prophet translated with Flint using his TR into a cargo hold of USS Relativity already in a stationary Earth orbit during the Campanian Age.
John knew Jennifer was furious not to be included in the mission team but Flint insisted they didn’t require a fourth. She even tried convincing Luinan to loan her one of the temporal entities so she could find help elsewhere, but the queen refused.
Flint checked his sat-chron then said, "The captain and most of the TC team are on the surface to recon the enemy's camp."
Flint explained the remaining crew consisted of the chief engineer, now in command, and a Time integrity officer. The Relativity, despite its high complexity, had only a crew of six for this mission and could function if necessary with none.
Flint summarized his plan prior to leaving Trua. It was simple, create a diversion, so they could access the bridge and effect the translation to the Lár. Prophet was there to program the ship's AI for the translation as well as to cover their tracks for the eventual return of the timeship.
The Relativity's rare Time Corps-Family mission was long lasting, almost ten years on the Outposts mission clock. The TC didn’t seem to mind the resource expenditure, which initially raised Flint's suspicions as to whether they had been truthful about the real purpose of the mission. However, he had come to realize tracking the enemy across fractime and age range of the target species, in this case over five million years, was a big haystack. It had been impossible for him to absorb such a time commitment, so he had taken on recruits for the duration of the mission in the role of observers.
The Relativity accepted Flint and others translating aboard in order to check on or relieve the assigned observer whom was currently monitoring the ship's sensor array for any anomalous temporal events.
"Prophet, the auxiliary bridge is close," Flint said. "We'll head there and let you make the connection. Then John and I will meet our asset in the senor array. Both the chief on watch and the Time integrity officer will be on the bridge until the away party returns."
"The overrides should not take more than an hour to implement," Prophet said.
"An hour?" John asked. He was disappointed a quick turnaround was not going to happen.
"Do not worry," Flint told him.
They reached the auxiliary bridge, and Prophet quickly made the link with the ships AI. He looked nervous as John guessed the Relativity had to be very adept at intruder detection. Prophet managed to initiate the connection unobserved and started the preparation for a translation to the Lár that would take them to the Library ship shortly after their previous escape.
"Okay," Flint said to John, "Next stop, the temporal sensor array."
"When's the away team expected back?" John asked.
"More than an hour," Flint replied. "Maybe longer. And remember, do not convey any future information to the observer," he cautioned.
"I know the rules," John said as he followed Flint out auxiliary bridge's door.
Flint said over his shoulder, "The captain dislikes Family wondering about his ship, so keep to the service station for the temporal array. It is just down the corridor."
They entered the sensor array's service alcove to discover a man hunched over a display panel.
Flint cleared his throat.
"I was wondering how long you'd be this time. Five minutes, that must be a record," a familiar voice said as the man turned around.
John stared in disbelief.
"Doc?" Carl said putting an ancient stylus in his breast pocket and closing a paper notebook.
"Small universe," Flint muttered.
"But how did you get here?" John said while hugging his old friend.
"First things first," Flint said subtly shaking his head. "Anything to report?" he asked Carl.
"Same boring nothing I've monitored for the last three months," Carl replied.
"Good," Flint said. "I need to make a brief appearance on the bridge while the captain is earth-side and talk to the chief. You two stay here until I return."
As the alcove door swooshed shut behind Flint, John said, "I can't believe this."
"You're older than the last time we saw each other," Carl said looking him over.
"Yeah," John replied, "Some." He wasn't sure exactly how old he was anymore. He knew his new Family chrono had the capability of keeping up with his duration, but he had not bothered to program it yet.
"And where was that?" Carl asked.
John thought about his answer. It didn’t seem to convey any relevant future information. "The Gulf Breeze bar."
"The Gulf Breeze? Never been there. Okay, I can fill you in," Carl said.
"Hold it. Where was the last place you saw me?" John asked.
"Interstate 40 just outside El Reno."
So this was Carl's covert mission that had lasted so long. John thought it would have been more glamorous. He mentally filed away the fact that not all family missions are danger close.
"Tristan recruited me for this mission just after I was released by the FBI," Carl said.
"Tristan? But he's not Family."
"The Family adopted him after a he was killed during a mission when he was a young boy," Carl explained. "They went back, rescued him just before some accident, and even helped him get into the US. There's a rule of some sort for innocents killed as a result of Family action. Tristan fit the criteria, and they saved him. And now he's even on their council."
"Damn," John said softly now realizing who sat in the extra council chair.
"I'm not sure I should know all that as even Jenny doesn't know all the details," he said through a wide grin. "And it was Tristan who recruited Jennifer," he added in a whisper.
"Jennifer from Minus? You know her?" John asked.
"She has done a couple of rotations on the Relativity. Kind of different from Colonel Scott."
John nodded. "But getting back to the, ah, SecDef."
"He knew Jenny would have made a good asset, except she was too entrenched in current affairs in Prime."
"But it makes sense that Tristan was also behind Luinan contacting Jenny at Camp David," John said. "And Jen in Prime," he added softly more to himself than Carl.
"I'm guessing you're from my future so when this is all over, let the future me and you catch up over a beer," Carl said. "We'll be able to talk."
"Sounds like a plan," John said hoping it would be possible. "So how goes this mission?"
"The Relativity is fantastic and the mission is kind of interesting between very long periods of shear boredom. I would have liked to be on a few away teams, but the captain is paranoid about stepping on a synapsid or something that would have evolved into Zefram Cochrane. His words not mine."
"I'd love to walk in the Cretaceous even for just a few minutes," John confessed.
"So what brings you here?"
John hesitated.
"It's okay," Carl said. "There'll be time enough over a future Guinness or two. We're getting close to finding the source of the DNA the enemy is using to create their monsters, so maybe things will get interesting."
"I hope not," John said sensing Carl was more than eager to talk to an old colleague and friend.
"I've got some great images of detailed Cretaceous paleogeography and plate positions from orbit," he said pointing to a display. Nearby, hung on a wall the Mesozoic geologic timescale with annotated 3D images of plate positions next to each defined age.
"Where is the away team?" John asked feeling the pull of a distant memory again.
"Southern Mongolia. We finally got a ping on the temporal monitor about a month ago. The captain tracked them down in less than a week."
"Good crew?"
"Exceptional. The TC does good science. I've learned tons."
"What a great opportunity you've had even with such a long assignment."
Carl nodded, intently studying the monitor. "I had breaks. Even Tye did a short stint."
"That reminds
me; I'm supposed to be your replacement."
"But you're not?"
"Don’t think so."
"The mission should be over soon anyway."
A chime sounded from the monitor station.
"Fuck," Carl said as he depressed what John guessed was a com unit on his uniform. "We've got a blip incoming within a few minutes," Carl reported to the bridge.
"I see it," a deep voice replied through the com. "The chief wants you and your replacement on the bridge."
"Aye, Aye, Commander," Carl replied into the com. "That was Dohane, the Golian time-integrity officer. You ever see a Golian?" he asked John.
"Never."
"They are very green. Let's go. Invitations to the bridge are rare."
A turbo lift was not far from the temporal array, but Carl insisted on a nearby ladder for exercise.
As they entered the Bridge from a side hatchway, John could see Flint in a heated discussion with the chief, the only blue person on the bridge was feverishly entering inputs on a nearby station.
"Chief," Flint said seeing them arrive. "Carl's replacement, John Mackinac."
"John," Flint said, "Acting Captain, Chief Engineer Kristopher Frey and Commander Dohane."
"You picked a good time for shift change," the chief said turning his attention to the station the Golian was now scrutinizing.
The green TI officer looked up briefly at John. "We have lost contact with the away team," Dohane said calmly.
"Prepare the temporal drive," Frey ordered. "Mr. Flint, if you could man the science station."
"Of course chief," Flint replied.
"Carl, the primary temporal monitor," Frey said pointing to another station. "And you," he said to John, "stay out of the way."
As Carl slid into the station's chair and transferred the temporal monitor feed to the bridge another chime sounded. John looked over Carl's shoulder at the obscure technology thinking some technical preparation for the mission might have been worthwhile.
"Unidentified timeship in sync and one hundred-twenty thousand meters aft; I'm sending coordinates to science," Carl reported.
"Pre-cloaking," Dohane said flatly. "No identity code detected," he added.
"Assume hostile," Frey said. "Prepare for temporal jump. Tactical code: chi phi seven nine."
"Acknowledged," Dohane replied.
"We are leaving the way team?" John asked.
Frey looked up only to scowl at John.
"The Relativity has limited weaponry," Flint said.
"The ship has a shuttle signature," Carl said.
"No life signs," Flint added.
"Resupply?" Dohane said.
"Or transport for their objective material," Frey guessed. "Belay the jump, Commander. We'll wait this out for a while,"
Flint looked at John and said, "The Relativity is hidden from the shuttle and their planet-side team by a temporal cloak."
"Unfortunately," Dohane said, "it will prohibit us from retrieving the captain and away team until the shuttle departs."
Frey still looked worried.
"Shuttle now fifty thousand meters," Carl said.
"What about Flint's TR?" John asked them. "Couldn’t we use that retrieve the away team?"
"We wait," the chief repeated sternly.
Another chime sounded.
"Another temporal signature," Carl announced, "In sync and just aft of the shuttle."
"Sensors indicate a warship with energy weapons active," Flint said.
"It firing on the away team's position," Dohane said emphatically looking at the bridge's main viewing screen.
"They are blocking sensors," Flint added.
"Perhaps your arrival has not gone unnoticed," Frey scowled to Flint. "Resume jump sequence," the chief ordered.
"We can retrieve the away team before the shuttle arrives," John said.
Flint groaned.
"Don't you brief your operatives on the Time Accords?" Frey said with obvious exasperation. "Like the one where we do not alter our own reality. The arrow of time for an individual time traveler is inviolate. Think of the consequences! Besides, there's an unknown temporal warship closing in on our position. We need all hands at station on the bridge for jump prep. Mr. Flint, weapon systems, please."
"I'll go," John blurted. "I volunteer. But I should go now."
The chief looked at Flint, who nodded.
"You'll have no more than five seconds elapsed from ship's clock," Frey said.
Flint pulled his TR from his tunic and touched it several times, then set it on the deck next to the captain's chair. "You'll be fifty meters south of the away team's last known location. Fifteen-minute recall from the same location. Go!" he said.
Stepping over the TR, John held his breath.
He fell into a large ginkgo-like fern and rolled to one side landing on his back. Staring up through the surrounding flora, he was relieved it was warm and daylight. The air smelled and tasted amazingly clean and fresh. Pulling himself to his feet, he frantically searched the surrounding dense undergrowth, but Flint's TR was gone or never translated. He wasn't sure.
Looking at his sat-chron's blank display, he set a countdown for ten minutes then activated its compass indicating north. John hoped his memory was correct. The Earth's polarity in the Late Cretaceous should have been similar to modern times in what earth scientists called the Great Magnetic Quiescence; if not, he would end up going south. He sat up to peer northward over the crumpled fern, but a large fallen tree blocked his view. There was no sound except for distant screeches and squawks; bombardment from the warship had stopped.
Moving stealthily through the forest, John could not help but briefly pause several times and stare at both strange and familiar plant and insect life. He felt slightly giddy and hoped it was because of the high oxygen levels in late Mesozoic. He forced himself continually to move forward and away from more opportunities to examine his surroundings.
John was thankful for the cover of the dense foliage and crouching beneath a large frond, he detected a clearing ahead as wisps of smoke and steam rose above the vegetation in front of him. Moving stealthily closer, he peered into the opening then slumped to the ground sickened at the sight. He looked again to confirm the away team was dead. Body parts and equipment were scattered over the clearing. He added up parts of four torsos and felt sick again.
On the other side of the devastation, the foliage moved. John instinctively flattened himself on the ground as three men in dark uniforms with pulse rifles came into view. He watched them examine the partial remains of one of the away team. Suddenly, they looked in his direction and brought their weapons up.
He began slowly to inch back farther from the edge of the clearing as the rainforest burst into sounds of trees snapping, squeals from fleeing creatures, and heavy footfalls as something came crashing toward him. The rolling destruction enveloped him as he closed his eyes, then silence. He looked back into the clearing only to see the tail of a large reptile switch back and forth inches from his face. It was big, at least four meters tall. He thought it was a Velociraptor, or maybe it was a cousin of T-Rex. It advanced on the men then stopped as more footfalls brought another but smaller version of the same species into the clearing. Both reptiles screamed, making John's eardrums ache, and by now, the men were slowly retreating to the opposite edge of the clearing.
John's heart pounded as he glanced at his sat-chron showing two minutes on the countdown. He was about to start eating into his five-minute cushion.
The smaller reptile, ignoring the men, gingerly picked up a smoldering human arm with its teeth and flung it into the air then swallowed it completely in a single gulp. The larger reptile screamed again at the men and bolted in their direction. They blasted it to bits. Its flesh and blood rained down on John as the smaller creature escaped into the forest.
John turned on his stomach and inched away until he was out of view from the clearing. He ran south in what he hoped was the still right the direction. Stopping to
catch his breath, he desperately scanned the undergrowth for the landmark fern. Several more strides brought him to the familiar fallen log. He climbed on top to scan the surrounding area. Seeing the large fern with several broken fronds just on the other side, he leapt on to it.
He must have been a sight, covered with blood and gore, as he rolled to a stop and the Golian's feet.
"Report!" demanded the Frey.
"Four confirmed dead," John said between heavy breaths.
"Permission to evacuate selected personnel," Flint requested.
The chief nodded approval then commanded Dohane, "Jump!"