Astra Pt. 03

Sarah made it back to the bridge, "That was fun. It held together. Glad you missed the shuttle pilot. I heard him talking on the low band about needing to meet schedule."

Jack laughed, "He met the need to get out of his soiled clothes. I think the co-pilot was forced to take over with the stench." She laughed at that. They heard, "Excalibur this is Wildcard with Crazy Eights. We were directed to see you."

He looked at Sarah, "We got some room for a couple of fighters?"

She nodded, "It is getting crowded though."

He looked forward "Wildcard, good to see you again. You are cleared to dock in the shuttle bay. It will be tight; we have a lot of craft inside." Astra opened the bay and he watched the display and they both managed to park in front of the Bogie.

Then he heard, "Excalibur, "This is Treven-2. Request permission to dock. He smiled, "Permission granted. Astra, please meet our guests at the airlock on deck 9 after you help them dock and take them to the shuttle bay. You got the bridge. Astra, have Grace meet us in the shuttle bay. Along with Sprits and Carol."

He arrived at the bay and the two pilots just stared around in awe. He walked out to them, "You must be two hotshot pilots."

They looked over and he cut them off, "Jack, AKA Merlin last we spoke."

Crazy Eights started laughing at Wildcard. Wildcard shook his head, "I was sent back to target practice and I nailed everything. You were just crazy with your moves."

Jack pointed back, "This is my business manager and lawyer. She has a release for each of you to sign. The two ladies next to her are Sprits and Dr. Carol. They own the one-man and two-man craft you are about to get your hands on for some flying time.

They both smiled, "You mean blasting through all that. How do you do it without getting sucked out of your seat?" Sprits smiled, "He yanked my music and stuck a small inertial dampener into my rocket. You will still need your flight suit but it offsets the rest. Watch the hard turns. It has a hard-coded governor on the engine on it. You can take it to half and then when it is at that speed you can take it at full."

He looked at Crazy Eights, "The two-man has full two board inertial dampener in it. I told the president we start getting the big ship flying that fast we must do something with the fighter jocks. I asked for you two. You give us an honest assessment. Sprits is married to me and Carol and Grace are engaged to me. They will walk you through the craft flight controls.

When you are ready, call inside and ask for Astra to open the bays. She will ensure it is clear and then let you out to play for a while. I recommend 'follow the leader' as you have no weapons on those two."

Wildcard looked over, "What is with the Black-ops craft?"

Jack sighed, "Commandeered after 8 of those and a battleship went rogue with that Admiral. That is the only one to survive and they destroyed our already damaged Ravager.

You get back, take a walk inside and check out the FTL drive and the additional support bracing we had to install to keep it from flying apart."

They nodded and went off. Jack turned to see Francis and James, his Grand-parents several times removed. He hugged her and shook his hand, "We are going to the freight elevator. The only way into my lab other than a tube."

She laughed, "That was quite the entrance today."

He nodded, "Wanted to show them for a one-man to a destroyer-sized vessel, I could get them all going that fast."

She nodded. He stopped and looked at the power cores. She walked around, "This framework around your cores. It lets them operate as a single unit?"

He nodded, "One was used for the FLT and another for the cursory system while the third was for engines. I added the fourth to have all weapons powered at all times. I can travel full speed and it will still fire everything. Look at the box at the bottom of the rack. She looked it over, "Inertial dampeners with five boards?"

He nodded, "It uses three the other two will come online if a board fails."

He walked her to the elevator. And went up to his lab as Astra spoke, "Jack there is a cargo hauler here from Trikora Manufacturing here for a pickup."

He nodded, "Get Tim and a couple of others to deck 7 cargo bay. That large container I filled. They want it. Use gravity platforms to raise it out for them and shut off gravity in deck seven. Tim knows how to do this."

She laughed, "He is on his way as is Aiko."

He called out, "Astra pass to Aiko that telekinesis works wonders on the large objects in space. She should be able to handle any surprises."

He looked over as they stared at the particle accelerator. "It is collecting material for an element not in this system, Vironidite. I use it to create bars of metal. Solid Metallic Hydrogen that will hold at room temperature. Then created a new alloy, Titanium-H. New, not even around in my old timeline or Astra's time."

She nodded. He walked down to the wall of monitors and took all of the files on one and started dragging them and throwing them up on separate monitors. "The weapon systems. The ones I am giving the government."

She asked, "If this technology comes from the future, why patent it?"

He smiled, "The medical device is what that cargo container was about. The element to create it. The harvester for the collider and the small collider. All direct copies. I gave the rights to the HCL guys to build a harvester, gave them a 5 Billion TC grant for the HCL to expand to build 3 of those for the purposes of manufacturing elements for business, medical, and the military.

Overseen by the president's advisors. I spent 5 Billion and took nothing in licensing agreements. Same for the medical device. I restricted the mark up to 75% and had them make my per unit cost go into an account to buy the units at cost for the poorer communities around the world. My gain. Nothing. These weapon systems.

I cannot show the originals because they are way more powerful. They are what was put on this ship to defend the repository. I had to re-engineer them to work with existing power constraints and using my electronics from other products. Not a direct copy in design. A weapon that emulates what we have; but on a smaller scale. Spent more time on the weapons than most of the other components. I had to keep them balanced with the new shields."

She nodded. He put them all back in the folder and brought up his engine folder, "This design you were working on when you died and another finished it."

She looked at it, "Masterful."

Jack pulled up the drive schematic for the new drive. "I built this using this as a reference platform. That is what I am patenting and it is not in any of Astra's repository."

He pulled up the entries for the power core, "The base, the model 6 with half the components replaced. The 6A with metallic liquid hydrogen is the magnetic field. Sold it to you for 15 billion not 118 billion. There is some original work left, but not much."

He pulled up the inertial damper chassis and boards. She looked at them, "Like night and day."

He pulled up the shields and showed them to her. She shook her head; "How do you do this?"

He stepped back, "Astra, throw the image up when I was pouring over the power relays."

She displayed it, "You gutted it, replaced most of the components off the bat built new housing and aligned a new heatsink over it that the last one did not have. She looked at it, "That took you mere minutes to do!"

He nodded, "Astra show my last bio-scan and next to it the list of procedures done to me by the Terra federation future if you will."

She threw them up and she gasped, "You look...well-endowed."

He pointed over, "Read the list. She went through it and was shocked. "Oh my god."

The military file, block out names and dates on him. He pointed to the one entry and she shook her head. "7 wives make sense with what they did to you."

He nodded, "Now you see the image of what the alien DNA did. That piece sent my creativity into overdrive."

She nodded, "How you are able to do all of that but a lot of it would come from the other side."

He pointed, "Expanded pathways and I was already an engineer and a genius. The mod also gives an increase to intelligence. I studied a lot of different things because I could."

James pointed, "Why is the one arm so different?"

He laughed, "The maximum percentage is 40% I was at 32% I was in medical. I hurt Aiko during a sparring match and I thought it made no sense to be expected to wield two swords and have my left arm at such a disadvantage.

The DNA took it as direction. It did not have enough left to do the whole thing but it did what it could. The difference has been very noticeable."

She asked, "Why 2?

He called out, "Astra show the sword selection."

She looked, "They merged."

He nodded, "A red and a blue. Being the 'Even Hands of Justice' means hands, plural. We got some clues along the way."

He walked them out and took them to deck 5 and opened it up. "Oh my, what are all of those bars?"

He smiled, "The alloy. Stable metallic hydrogen at room temperature. I can turn it into an alloy with raw titanium and a few other elements we get titanium-H."

James looked at it, "Looks like white silver."

He nodded, "Yes, very much so. It is stronger than any other titanium alloy when mixed. He walked them to the lift and took them up to deck 1. He walked them out onto the bridge. "Where I do a lot of my interviews. They occasionally let me fly my own ship too."

The two of them laugh as he went into his office and found Danyelle sitting behind his chair naked.

He looked at her, "This is one of my bride candidates, Danyelle. She was obviously expecting me to be alone."

She shook her head, "No, Astra said you were with a hot blonde I should check out. She sure is gorgeous."

He smiled, "This is my Grandmother 5 times removed Danyelle. Her name is Francine. You would have known this if you had attended the meeting. This is James who will one day be my Grandfather 5 times removes."

She sighed and shrugged, "She looks too hot to be a grandmother. But you really did a nice job with this one. As she patted his crotch before heading for the door. Jack smacked her on the ass and she yelped, "Sorry about interrupting, today was my day to do a little role-playing. You are hot though. You are not bad yourself James but I have a man already. But another woman or 2 is another matter."

She smiled and shot out of the office. Jack shook his head, "She knew better, she was just seeking more attention."

James asked, "What do you plan to do with your wealth?"

He walked up to a wall and opened his holo viewer and connected it into a pad. He displayed it. It looked like a long mechanical bug that was dead. "He rotated the shape. "Now I see this oval and all of these legs crossing.

He put it into animation. They watched those legs fold down and curled underneath. It then heightened and finally widened. Then the Excalibur pulled inside of it. She looked, "Some kind of docking facility."

He nodded, "A drydock in space. He put it back to the original image and they saw it approach again. It docks into the dry dock with the engine ring on the outside.

Then a couple of cross members come in and form a connection over the nose of the ship. "The sheath. Compact enough at that point that is should withstand the jump into FLT to be taken to Tau Ceti. A space-based shipyard and more. That is a space factory. If we are going to make that colony viable it will have to be protected as well. It is too far for the Terra Military. They currently do nothing for distant colonies."

She nodded, "So far away over a decade."

He smiled, "New FTL drives will get us there in less than 3 years. We could be back in as early as 5. I need someone to oversee these in the Terra System. Eventually, one circling Titan.

She looked at Jack, "You think that is going to happen? Us having ships that large. "Astra, show her the images surround your launch; you know which images to stop upon."

Francine held her mouth to her hand. "That space station is huge. James pointed did you see the sizes of those ships?"

She nodded, "Remind of old naval vessels from here. Jack finished for her, "Space-based carriers with strike fighters and bombers. A carrier that is twice as high and four times as wide as what you have today in the ocean.

Super Battleships or Dreadnoughts as they were called."

Astra called out, "The fighter jocks are heading for the shuttle bay."

He took his guests down to the shuttle bay as the pilots exited the craft. He looked at them, "Well what do you think? Future of fighter combat approaches?"

Wildcard walked over, "Thanks for choosing us to take those rockets for a ride. Such a different fight. The fighters would have to get bigger. He nodded and threw up an image. "More like that in atmospheric flight, pulse laser cannon with gauze cannons and point defense system to take out missiles chasing you. This is an early design. I don't show production designs until they are patented."

The ladies came out and looked at everyone. "We need to go shopping. We have a few things to pick up already. Would you two young fighter pilots like to escort this black bomb down toward the surface."

Jack pointed, "We don't have any call letters or transponder for this unit. Look inside first everyone." He waited outside when Francine stepped out, "That is incredible. Those massive beams throughout."

He nodded and walked them out of the shuttle bay as they were getting ready to launch. He closed the door and took them into the hall and threw up the images of the first Ravager, "She looked at it, "What caused all that damage? They crash on a planet?"

He shook his head, "Into space, those speeds were too much for the frame. That was less than 15 minutes of space flight with the newer engines; staggered start. The thing is, we had the rocket and the Red Mouser have less damage but all three had to be reinforced. That is what I need to talk with the airframe manufactures about. They are going to complain about getting it off the ground.

They will have to build in space and use space elevators and shuttles to bring the material up. All destroyers and larger class vessels will have to move that way. Those are things where my money is going. Building mining vessels, refinery vessels that can connect to the stations and space docks. Then building up a workforce because there is work to be had amongst the stars. Terra is getting awfully crowded."

She nodded, "Especially with all the children you are having."

He smiled, "I am certain that the majority of these first children are male. Almost at 4 to one rate."

She looked at him, "How do you know. Certainly, it is too early to tell."

He smiled, "You've heard the expression sometimes a father knows. With the Alien DNA, I think it was a subconscious decision that the sperm released is four males to one. Astray, you are the keeper of all thing's sperm. You analyzed every sample going out. Are my thoughts accurate?"

Astra was hesitant, "Those samples I took from your wives were all male. I believe all of your wives are carrying male children; except Carol's triplets. The other 4 are male for her. The samples were given to me were almost three to one male. It is as if you are working to correct the imbalance."

He thought and finally spoke, "That and most of those children will be defenders of their home in Tau Ceti in 18 years. War hits Terra in 25 years. The biggest backlash against aliens who made themselves known at that time from other species. It creates a rift that turns into a civil war. It does not last long. The xenophobes were not a large group.

As to alien relations, that gets damaged for centuries to come. All alien activity moved to a slow stop. Especially when our president finished a second 10-year term. Bolstered by our efforts to expand humanity into other star systems. He sees the overcrowding. He is only months into his first one and has been handling everything thrown at him.

He is a strong good man. The woman who replaced him was also a dedicated public servant but she felt the need to cool relations with aliens. Dropped it to next to nothing to give the people more time to come to terms with being in a larger universe. Some of those positions will change by our reveal. We cannot accurately predict a lot of events now. Not since we told people about us and where we are from."

Francine nodded as they walked back to her ship. James looked at Jack, "You have been a lot more forthcoming than in the past."

Jack smiled, "I have all of these ideas running in my head. I see your brother who comes out of school soon. He flounders in your shadow but becomes a good businessman working for someone else.

I thought a new subsidiary within Treven would be the Space-Based Ship Yards. Maybe he could oversee some of its construction before we depart. Changing his future some but he already has the girls he wants. Two of them in fact. He will tell you about them next week and will get married before you, James.

That is an important goal in his eyes. To do something first and better than his brother. It helped his self-perceived confidence in life going forward. Always living in your shadow. I would invest in that effort, heavily.

I must have someone overseeing that goal after the meeting with the President. I would let him know of my personal plans for these shipyards. The plan to work with a young idealist who could make things work. He knows nothing of me correct?"

He nodded, "Correct, other than the news. He is fascinated by you."

He smiled, "I might take him with me to Tau Ceti. We have been making other hybrids. There are 4 of us now and we have room to make 4 more before our meeting with the Drakor. We cannot create any more beyond that until that meeting. He might be an excellent candidate for one of those positions. He would be a red sword for certain because he is always looking toward the fight.

Building warships and strengthen our space presence might be something that would interest him. All hybrids with us are voluntary. We have injected through the blood supply the ability to regenerate lost limbs so it is never anything that has to be forced on our own people.

The one role our group must understand is that we are not politicians or presidents. Some may be members of the military but those restrictions would limit their ranks as they refuse to play at politics.

Some, like other Justices, could serve in the courts to deal with the law aspects. Their swords are their rulings. Not just the swords at their sides."

He nodded, "I don't know about him being a hybrid but he would be suited to taking on the shipyard efforts. We better get going. My father will be pleased to know how and why you sell or don't sell the patents. You are a crusader. Trying to help guide and inspire but not rule over the rest of humanity. He will like that a lot."

Francine looked at Jack. "We have had some discussion, even with some of the others who may have approached you recently. They wanted to know how much of the market you want to control."

He nodded, "Pass this along. I have been introducing a lot of technology that was not expected for this time. Like the sensor upgrades in a century. Those can be expanded upon. My engine designs and my shield designs, for example, are unlike anything humanity is destined to create.

I have not taken over that path. I have cleared the way for others to try and do it differently. To inspire them instead of stifling them. Some will build upon my work and others will build new paths. Do you understand?"

She smiled, "Yes I do. Soon, we hope, so will they."

She kissed Jack's check before making the awkward gravity change to reenter their own vessel. Jack shook his hand. "I am glad to see the integrity continues into our family lines."