CHAPTER 8
LET THAT ONE SIT on the air for a few moments. “Um, excuse me?”
Chuckie heaved a sigh. “Look, when I was strapped to that mind-expanding machine the Rapacians had, I could see everything in the galaxy. And everyone. Every living thing.”
“I’m amazed your mind didn’t explode,” White said, as he patted Chuckie on his shoulder. This wasn’t new news, and White was aware of all that had gone on and the harm that had been done to Chuckie. But we were all still waiting for Chuckie to have another Migraine Meltdown Experience. He’d been doing great since Operation Epidemic, but none of us wanted to just assume he was cured simply because the Mastermind had been exposed to the world.
“It would have, except for Jamie and Kitty.” Chuckie looked directly at me. “I know you saw it too, when you were protecting me, Kitty. They’re all out there.”
“Yeah, I’m not going to argue that there are probably more living beings in our galaxy than we can all comprehend. But I don’t see what that has to do with this situation.”
Chuckie shrugged. “I’m not sure, either, but who’s to say that we didn’t project as well as perceive?”
“You mean you think all those people know about you, Kitty, and Jamie?” Jeff growled protectively.
“Jeff, I have no idea. I’m just hypothesizing right now. But I think it’s possible.”
Had a feeling Chuckie was more than hypothesizing. I’d known him over half our lives and I could tell when he wasn’t telling the entire truth. Took the assumption that he was lying to keep Jeff from overreacting, a sentiment I heartily agreed with.
“We have a Rapacian in the Large Situation Room,” Alexander pointed out. “One who is very loyal now to our empire, but who would stop being loyal if Kitty said she didn’t care for Alpha Four’s leadership anymore. He may be able to tell us if the hypothesis Charles has shared happened or is possible.”
“I’m all kinds of flattered that all of you think I’m that influential, but before we race to drag our own Hawkman into this, and therefore everyone else as well, I think we need to accept that Lakin may not have any idea of what that machine could do. Or, more importantly, what it could do with a mind like Chuckie’s strapped into it.”
“I think we need Drax and the other Vata,” Siler said. “They can mentally connect to machines. Let’s see if they can do what you two,” he nodded toward Jeff and Christopher, “did, or if they can do so through your link.”
“Before we do that we need to have Alpha Team in here,” Jeff said. “This falls under their bailiwick. In fact,” he looked at me, “I’m going to echo Christopher’s earlier question. Why didn’t you ask for James, Tim, and Serene to join us?”
Contemplated my responses. Honesty seemed the best policy. “It’s the same reason Walter asked for only me at first, I think. It’s because this isn’t actually their bailiwick. Not anymore. If we have new aliens coming to Earth, we can’t hide them, and I sincerely think that we don’t want to kill them clandestinely, either. I don’t think we want to kill them at all.”
“What if they’re coming to kill us?” Jeff asked.
“Then we’ll handle it. But if they’re coming to attack, that requires a political and military response from the entire world, not just Centaurion Division. And if, as we suspect, they’re coming here for help, that demands a political and humanitarian response from the entire world, or at least from the United States, not just Centaurion Division. I didn’t want you guys instantly going into an attack and defense mode that we’re comfortable with.”
“Why have my dad and Chuck come for this meeting, then?” Christopher asked. “I get why I’m here.”
“Because I want the smartest guy in any room around for things like this, and because Paul isn’t available. Richard was the Supreme Pontifex for decades, and I think we need the religious body chiming in.”
“In other words you want to know if we should show mercy, compassion, and generosity,” White said. “And I would be a hypocrite to say otherwise. Your father and Stanley Gower would agree with me on that, too, Jeffrey. We were the three who came asking for the United States to give us asylum, which they did, with reservations. But still, we weren’t turned away.”
“Though it was close,” Chuckie said. White nodded. Wondered if White had given Chuckie the Early Earth A-C History Lesson, because many times since we’d come back from Operation Civil War, Chuckie said something that made it seem as if he’d been there with them when they’d first come to Earth. Which, considering he was only a few months older than me, was flat-out impossible. Of course, I’d switched universes not too long ago, so who was I to question the possibilities in our vast multiverse?
Jeff ran his hand through his hair. “It’s a different world now, though, Uncle Richard.”
“No,” Wruck said. “It’s the same world. But as we’re seeing, it’s a world that might be ready to unify, for the first time since its beginning.”
“You think we should let them come, don’t you, John?”
“Yes, Kitty, I do. I think that if they’re all fleeing, then they need a safe haven.”
“The Z’porrah are our enemies,” Christopher pointed out. Rightly. “We just got everyone to agree to that, all over the world. That’s why we have that potential for unification. And now you’re saying that we should welcome a ship full of them with open arms?”
“If they’re coming as refugees, that usually means they don’t agree with the regime that’s in power. They also might be able to tell us what’s going on with the Z’porrah in relation to our systems.”
Chuckie nodded. “Kitty has a good point. But we also need to consider that most refugees are fleeing war or oppression or both. We know the Z’porrah are at war, and have been for millennia. But these refugees may not know anything other than that they want to get away to some form of safety.”
“Which is why we presume they’re heading here,” White said. “Earth could have viewed us as enemies or a threat. We certainly have the ability to be both. But we came in peace, and these others may be doing so as well.”
“Which boils down to: we won’t know until they get here,” Jeff said with a sigh. “Walter, how long before the first ship gets into Earth’s solar space?”
“I honestly don’t know, Mister President. I haven’t really bothered to focus on speed calculations, since this is the first time since I got this equipment that any ships have been headed toward us.”
“And he’s only had this for a very few weeks,” Alexander added. “We brought this with us when we first arrived, but due to everything that happened, I was not able to give any of the equipment to Walter until after we returned from Camp David.”
“And I didn’t get it set up until after the inauguration party,” Walter added. “I needed to focus on all the security gaps you and Chief First Lady found.”
“What a great spin, Walt. Seriously, I meant it before. No titles right now, dude. Not even for Mister President here.”
“I agree,” Jeff said.
“I think I can figure it out,” Chuckie said before Walter could whine about the cruelty of No Title Time. “With John and Alexander’s help. But it may not matter. If they’re using hyperdrives, each ship may be able to jump here.”
“No,” Wruck said. “The Z’porrah fleet has a controlled wormhole device to allow them to jump thousands of light-years at a time. However, the individual ships do not. And I would sincerely doubt that a fleeing ship would have managed to get one.”
“Then figure out the timeline,” Jeff said to Chuckie. He, Wruck, and Alexander went into a Science Huddle. My ears turned off quickly—this wasn’t where my skills were needed or helpful.
“Apparently I’m going to do my old job and represent Alpha Team until one of you breaks down and advises them,” Christopher said, shooting Patented Glare #3 at the portion of the room that wasn’t involved with higher math. “But has it occurred to anyone that the Z’porrah ship could be a ruse or a trap? We’re supposed to think they’re refugees, but what if the moment they land, they attack us?”
“That’s not what I felt,” Jeff said. “And they don’t know that we know they’re coming. Do they?” he asked Walter.
“Not to my knowledge. But I don’t know what equipment their ships do or don’t have.”
“The Trojan Horse idea isn’t one we should ignore,” Siler said. “Because while appearances make it unlikely, it’s still very possible.”
“Look, I realize that empathic blockers and overlays have limited my abilities for the past few years, but you’re all acting as if we have no information.” Jeff sounded annoyed and just this side of pissed. “I may not have been able to read the people in the other ships well or at all, but I’m telling you that I know what the Z’porrah and Ancients feel like empathically, and I’m saying that there is no one on that ship who’s thinking bad thoughts against us.”
“You said they felt like no Z’porrah you’ve read before,” Siler pointed out.
“Yes, because I’m used to feeling nothing but hate, disdain, contempt, superiority, and bloodlust from Z’porrah. And these feel nothing like that. They’re afraid and they’re hopeful as their main emotions, but they had the rest of the usual emotions in there, too, meaning they aren’t faking it or using some kind of empathic shield to fool me. If you want, I could waste time and tell you what each one of them is feeling, but I’d prefer that you all trust me when I say that I know what hope and fear feel like, even when they’re coming from races we haven’t interacted with all that much.”
“So, basically, you feel that they’re refugees without ulterior motives and without spies in their midst.”
“Yeah, baby, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Spies wouldn’t be bothering to hide their emotions from an empath when they’re in the middle of space far away from the planets with the empaths on them. If they even know we have empathic talents.”
“They know,” Wruck said, while pointing to various things on the Spaceship Screens. “Believe me, the Z’porrah know all about every sentient race in the galaxy. We do as well. However, knowing that there are empaths and knowing how to hide from them are two very different things.”
“I agree that it would be a leap to assume that any spy on the Z’porrah ship would be expecting Jeff to know they were coming, be able to reach the ship, and be able to read anyone on the ship,” Chuckie said, still looking at the screens and scribbling things down on a pad Walter had provided. “It’s possible, but highly improbable.”
“Based on the condition these ships are in,” Alexander added, “I would feel that any of them being an attacking force is also highly improbable.”
“So, we’re back to the idea that they’re refugees, Christopher. Can we show them a modicum of mercy now?”
This question earned me Patented Glare #5. But before Christopher could reply, Buchanan cleared his throat. “I think you’re all missing the bigger, far more worrisome, question.”
That got the room’s attention, even Team Science’s. “Which is?” Jeff asked.
Buchanan nodded toward the screens. “If we have six refugee ships headed toward us, with the potential of many more behind them that Walter just hasn’t picked up as out of the norm yet, then I think what we really need to ask is: Who are they all fleeing from, and is that enemy coming after them?”