Journey to Year 1,000,000,000 Ch. 09

Journey to the Year 1,000,000,000

Chapter 9

[Note: This is a Science Fiction story with some erotic scenes. It is not a story with erotic scenes in every chapter. Some chapters have incredible sex scenes, but many others have none.]

The USS Devonshire was not a happy ship.

Neither was the USS Judicator.

They found the battle cruiser, off their starboard bow. Taylor took a team aboard, but no scientists, and he purposely excluded Jennifer and Suki. They didn't need to see this.

They came aboard wearing spacesuits, which was a good idea. They found the rotting, decomposing bodies of the Judicator crew on the ship. Taylor put Lieutenant Babangida in charge of a detail to clean the ship and fumigate it from stem to stern.

This took four days. But while the bodies of the Devonshire's crew were not in need of physical recovery, their minds were. Even if their experiences had all been virtual, they had had a definite effect on them.

The change in Elizabeth was the most remarkable. After they got settled in on the Devonshire again, Taylor's heart sank as he saw her hair up in a bun again, and her face frosty cold. His heart sank, but he knew he had to try. He sat down next to her in the cafeteria.

"Elizabeth," Taylor said.

"Captain," she replied, picking at her food.

Captain. Now he was sure of it.

"Elizabeth, stop eating and look at me."

She kept eating.

"Elizabeth, I gave you an order."

Her fork dropped with a clang. "Yes, Captain."

"Why, Elizabeth?" he said, reaching out to touch her hand. She shrank away. "What's wrong?"

"It wasn't real. It was all a fantasy," she said.

"No it wasn't," said Taylor. "It was very real. It just had no physicality."

"That's right," said Elizabeth. "You and I... we never did it."

"With our minds, we did," said Taylor.

"We never did it," said Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth... you became a changed person... wonderful... loving... unrepressed...."

"I became part of what you wanted me to be. I was your fantasy," said Elizabeth.

"No... no," said Taylor. "It was yours too!"

"Was it?"

"Yes," said Taylor. "Your getting captured. Having that creature put on your back. That was all your doing."

"No," Elizabeth whispered. She remembered having that parasite on her back, filling her mind with lust. Did she somehow do it to herself? No, it was too horrid a thought to bear.

"Yes, it was. Don't you see, Elizabeth? It was your subconscious, struggling to get out. You want to be that person that you became."

"That wasn't me," said Elizabeth. "Maybe it was my subconscious. Maybe it was you. But it certainly wasn't me, the conscious, thinking part of me."

"So... our time together. What we did. The feelings we shared-"

"A lie," said Elizabeth. "All a lie."

"Elizabeth-"

"Don't you have some more important duties to attend to, Captain?" she asked, in a louder voice.

Taylor felt many eyes on him. He nodded and got up. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I really liked getting to know the other you."

"I'm sure you did," she whispered, her eyes a swirl with mixed feelings.

********

Those weren't the only hurt feelings on the crew. Some who had paired off in the virtual layer stayed together in the real one; but other broke off their relationships. And then, of course, there was Suki.

Now that she knew exactly how Taylor felt about her, or, to be more precise, how he didn't feel about her, she was coldly efficient around him, but nothing more. Theirs was a relationship that was almost as cold as the one between Taylor and Jennifer.

For now they had two ships, and that only created more dissension in the ranks. Under traditional Survey Service doctrine, Taylor should have retained command of the Devonshire, and handed over command of the Judicator to his first officer, Jennifer Hale. Even though the Judicator was a far superior ship to the Devonshire, Survey Service custom dictated that a captain never give up command of his own ship.

Michael Taylor, of course, was a maverick who didn't feel bound by Survey Service tradition. So instead of retaining command of the Devonshire and putting Jennifer in command of the Judicator, he himself took command of the Judicator and put Bill Carey in command of the Devonshire.

To say that Jennifer was outraged was an understatement. Not only was she denied command of the Judicator, but Bill Carey, who technically was her junior, was being given the Devonshire over her.

She let loose her anger in the privacy of his command office.

"Is this revenge, Michael? Tell me, so I'll know the truth."

"It's not revenge, Jennifer, far from it."

"Then why have you given your second officer command of the Devonshire over the back of your first officer?" Her eyes were large and angry.

"Bill was the former first officer of the Devonshire-"

"Fine. He can be first officer again-

"-And has more experience with the ship than you do," said Taylor.

"And you as well!" said Jennifer, looking outraged.

"And me as well," Taylor agreed. "Also, the Judicator is a big ship. With a skeleton crew of 32, it will be a struggle to maintain it. That's why I need you by my side there."

"And Obongo? Where will he be?"

Taylor took a deep breath. "Lieutenant Babangida will be Bill Carey's first officer on the Devonshire."

"So it just so happens that the perfect command structure leaves me out of command and me and Obongo on different ships, do I have that right?"

"Jennifer, you make it sound like I constructed the Table of Organization based on a lover's quarrel."

"Well, didn't you?" she said, her eyes flashing as she practically yelled in his face.

Taylor faced her calmly. "No, Jennifer, I didn't."

"I think you did, Michael! I think you still can't get past the cave. You're still there right now, on Sirius IV, wishing you could freeze that minute in time forever. Well you can forget it, Michael Taylor! You are never going to fuck me, Michael! Do you hear me? Never!" she shouted.

Before he could reply, she turned and marched out of his ready room.

Taylor bit his lip. He looked down. His hands were shaking.

The USS Devonshire was not a happy ship.

And neither was the Judicator.

********

The Judicator was a giant flying fortress in space. It had six pulse cannons, ten megajoulers, and two torpedo tubes.

None of which had helped the previous crew, Taylor reminded himself.

Still, it was an honor to helm the ship. Most Survey Service officers never rose to the rank of Captain. Most Survey Service captains could never aspire to helm anything more powerful than a frigate, if they were lucky. Very lucky.

To be the Captain of a battle cruiser was extremely rare. There were only four of them in the entire fleet.

That's why Taylor had elected to bring most of the crew on board. He would need every one of them. He left Bill Carey with a skeleton crew of nine men. That was a far smaller crew, but the Devonshire was a much smaller ship. Carey was delighted at his promotion, though understandably leery. "What about Jennifer?" he had asked.

"You just let me worry about Jennifer," said Taylor quietly, and his face told it all.

And so now the Judicator made its way to the Black Box, followed by the Devonshire, half a mile astern. They carefully scanned for spatial rifts; the last thing they wanted to do was to end up in a virtual layer again. It was almost a relief to be inside the comforting blackness of the Black Box once again.

********

"I wonder how far forward we will go this time," said Victor, stretching out in the crew lounge.

"I don't know," said Taylor morosely.

"Don't be so sad, Michael. Our mission is completed."

"Is it?"

"Well, you saw the Earth when we got out of the virtual layer. It was still there, and still populated by the descendants of humans," said Victor. "So obviously the Black Box did not destroy the Earth in our time."

"I suppose so," said Taylor.

"So what are we still doing here?" Victor asked.

Taylor frowned. "Even if the Black Box didn't destroy the Earth, it still could have killed millions of people. We still have to try to stop it, if we can, or make certain that it will do no harm... or make certain that it did no harm, if you know what I mean." He paused. "In any event, I don't know how we could get home even if we wanted to. The Black Box seems to go in one direction only--to the future."

"At some point if we arrive in a nice future, perhaps we should think about settling down," said Victor.

"On a planet of green fields, with giggling girls hanging from trees, just waiting to be taken?" Taylor asked.

"All right. Maybe someplace nicer than that," said Victor. He looked intently at Taylor. "You know, they can't all hate you forever."

Jennifer. Elizabeth. Suki.

"That all depends on whether this time tunnel can take us to forever," said Taylor.

Victor laughed. "Suki will get over it. And so will Jennifer. You two have been good friends for a long time. You will again."

"You think so?"

"I know so," said Victor.

"And Elizabeth?"

Victor smiled and shook his head. "It's truly astonishing. There's such a duality in her. Sexual tension is an amazing thing. The deep, sensual side of her got so repressed, that it dreamed up the need to have an alien parasite control her mind to get her to open up."

"You really think she wanted that thing on her back, controlling her?"

"Yes," said Victor. "Part of her, anyway. You awoke something in her, Michael. Something she wants to deny," he added. "She blames you for it, of course. But I think, in the long run, she cannot deny what she truly is. None of us can."

********

The ships had been in the Black Box for two days when the next window showed itself.

"It's only been two days," said Taylor, looking at the window on the side of the time tunnel. "The last jump was four days long, and that took us 14 million years into the future. Does this mean we've only travelled another seven million years into the future?"

"Only another seven million years, Michael?" said Victor. "You should listen to yourself. You've gotten jaded about traveling through millions of years of time."

"I guess the human mind can adapt to just about anything," said Taylor. "But the question remains--do we go out? The last two times we emerged things didn't go so well for us."

"I beg to disagree," said Victor. "The first time we emerged, we learned a fantastic wealth of information about our future."

"I think you were the only one who wasn't being tortured, Victor."

"True, I do have a unique perspective on our visit there," said Victor. "But in our last stop, we acquired a top of the line Survey Service battle cruiser. I wouldn't call that a wasted stop either, would you?"

"Perhaps not, when you look at it that way," said Taylor. "You want us to stop, don't you?"

Victor nodded.

"Jennifer?" Taylor asked.

"Why ask me?" she said. "You always listen to Victor."

"I am asking because I want your opinion."

Jennifer remained silent.

"Elizabeth?" Taylor asked.

"She's right," said Elizabeth.

"About what?"

"Everything," said Elizabeth. "You're going to do what you want, so just do it. Don't pretend to consult with us."

"Elizabeth," said Taylor, with a hurt tone.

"Captain, we're running up to the edge of the window," said Suki. "Have you finished consulting with all your former girlfriends?"

"Watch your tongue, Ensign!" said Jennifer sharply.

"Yes Ma'am," said Suki, with an insolent tone in her voice.

"Take us out, Ensign," said Taylor.

"YES SIR," said Suki coldly and emphatically.

The Judicator was not a happy ship.

********

They steered for the window.

They had no radio contact with the Devonshire, due to the fantastic speeds they were travelling at, but they could still see the Devonshire, a steady half mile behind them. As they turned, Taylor was relieved to see the Devonshire follow them.

They emerged into normal space.

The first thing they noticed was the sun.

It was red tinged, hot and glowing.

Everyone on the bridge oooohed.

"What happened to the sun?" Suki asked.

"I think you'll find that answer when you tell us what year this is," said Wade Tanner, the astrophysicist.

"Processing the star readings," said Suki. They waited a long moment. "No... no, this can't be right."

"What is it, Suki?" Taylor asked.

"It's... considering how far we travelled, there is a really large margin for error, sir. It would only be a rough estimate-"

"Spit it out, ensign-"

Suki turned to face him. "According to these star readings, we are five hundred million years from our point of origin. Plus or minus fifteen million years."

"Five hundred million years?" said Taylor.

"That's not possible," said Elizabeth.

"Check the star fixes again," said Taylor.

"I have, sir. It's confirmed," said Suki. "Star fixes were never meant to be an accurate measure of time this far into the future. That's why the margin of error has grown so large. But it does seem very likely that we are five hundred million years into our futures."

"Five hundred million years," said Taylor. "Does anything remotely like the human race even exist anymore?"

"Almost certainly not," said Elizabeth.

"I'm almost feeling sentimental for those big headed bug eyed creatures," said Doctor McCrae wryly.

"I think Suki is right," said Wade Tanner. "The sun gives us the confirmation we need."

"The sun?"

"It's well known that the sun will eventually run out of hydrogen and turn into a red dwarf," said Tanner.

"A red dwarf?" said Suki.

"As the hydrogen in the Sun runs dry, the Sun will get even hotter and begin to burn helium. And then the sun will turn red. We estimated it would take a billion years or so to happen. The red tinge we are seeing now, shows that it is well on the way."

"What would the Sun's transformation do to the Earth?" Suki asked.

"Make things hotter, I imagine," said Tanner. "Scan the Earth. What do you find?"

Ensign Collins turned to his viewer. "Scanning..." He paused, checking the readings. "The Earth is now... is now all water."

"All water?" said Taylor.

"It makes sense," said Tanner. "With increasing heat, the inhabitants have bioengineered Earth to be totally made of water, to keep them cool."

"But humans can't survive in water."

"Who said anything about humans?" said Tanner.

There was a silence for a long moment, and then they heard the sounds of blips.

"Contacts!" said Suki.

"How many?"

"Nine," said Suki.

"Main viewer."

They were bubbles. Small, clear bubbles, no more than 20 feet in diameter. And inside each bubble was....

"Magnify!" said Taylor.

The crew gasped.

Inside each bubble was what looked like a giant squid, with one large eye.

"Hail them," said Taylor.

A moment later Suki said, "No response."

"They don't look friendly to me," said Ensign Collins.

"How can you know that by looking at them?" said Victor. "That's the natural human instinct, to assume-"

Suddenly, the ship was knocked off course as it was hit by an energy beam.

"Force fields at maximum," said Taylor. "Ready all weapons!"

The bubbles opened fire on them, each of them blasting an energy beam at the ship. They were like a swarm. They were too fast for the plasma cannons, and even the megajoulers were having trouble tracking them.

Bill Carey, to his credit, quickly brought the Devonshire in for close support of the Judicator. The Devonshire scored a hit on one of the bubbles, blasting it to pieces, but the Judicator kept missing. They were simply too fast and agile.

"Force screens down to 70 percent, Captain," said Suki.

"Keep firing," said Taylor. That was one of the luxuries of a battle cruiser. More powerful defenses. If they were on the Devonshire, their force fields would be nearly depleted by now.

"Got one!" said Ensign Raleigh, who was manning the weapon controls. They cheered as a bubble exploded into pieces.

"Great, now we only have seven left."

But the bubbles were depleting their defenses faster than they could destroy them. Taylor was considering calling for a withdrawal when new forces appeared.

"Captain, more bubbles!"

"On screen!"

It was indeed more bubbles, six of them. But these bubbles had different occupants.

On first glance, they looked....

"Human?" said Jennifer disbelievingly. "In the year 500,000,000?"

"Captain, the new bubbles are firing on the first wave of bubbles," said Suki.

It was true. The bubbles controlled by the human-looking beings were driving away the bubbles piloted by the squids. They blew up one bubble, and then another, and then the remaining squid bubbles withdrew.

********

A face of a brown haired man appeared on their viewscreen, inside one of the bubbles. "Greetings," he said.

"Greetings," said Taylor. "Thank you for your help."

"You are welcome. You are most fortunate. We do not often venture out this far. The United's patrols are becoming stronger and stronger."

"The United?" said Taylor.

"The creatures we just engaged," said the man. "My name is Tammad. From the construction of your vessel, is it safe to say that you are from what you call the 23rd century?"

"How did you know that?" Taylor asked.

"We know many things," said Tammad. "The United will return soon, in greater force. Will you accompany us to a place of safety?"

Taylor considered. "All right."

"Follow our bubbles," said Tammad.

"Suki, set a course. Mr. Collins, signal the Devonshire to follow," said Taylor.

Tammad's image faded from the viewscreen.

"Humans in the year five hundred million," said Victor.

"I don't believe that, not for a minute," said Taylor.

"If you think it's a trap, why are you following him?"

"They are not firing at us... right now, at least," said Taylor. "We are apparently five hundred million years in the future. We have to find out what's going on here, and I don't think those squids are going to talk to us politely, do you?"

"Probably not," said Victor.

********

They followed the human bubbles to Mars, where they found the remains of a shattered ring.

It wasn't exactly a ring; it was more like a man made circle, that stretched in a circumference around Mars, a circle two miles in diameter and white and gleaming. But something had smashed the ring to pieces, and now the wreckage floated in a similar orbit, with pieces ranging in size from twenty feet to forty miles.

"Imagine that. Building a ring around Mars. What a technological achievement," said Wade Tanner, the astrophysicist.

"And then someone destroyed it," said Victor. "Throughout human history, it has always been easier to destroy than create."

"And not just human history, I'll bet," said Doctor McCrae.

The bubbles led them to a fragment that was about eight miles long. Taylor decided what to do. "Victor, Elizabeth, you're with me. Babangida, arm two crewmen and meet me at the shuttle." He turned to Jennifer. "If I don't return, draw the obvious conclusions."

"Yes sir," she said, her face full of mixed emotions. Taylor saw her give a longing look at Obongo. Obongo looked back at her and nodded.