Lost in time

[Ed Man]

The Consultant
Chapter 9

Several weeks had passed since Jags and Josh had recruited the Goanna and things had settled into a normal everyday activity. The pilots were training and flying in space the stress level of the people on base had diminished and they were starting to enjoy themselves and there free time.
No sign of the aliens had been seen since the attack on the Goanna homeland.
The Excalibur had launched and was cloaked orbiting around the planet. The crewmen had over come their fear of using the transporter and were transporting back and forth to the base instead of trying to catch a ride on a ship.
Work had started on a new assault destroyer class ship in the shipyard that would hold 20 of the new heavy assault class fighters in a docking bay. The base had already chose the name of the monster of a ship and were calling it The Judge.
When the Judge was finished and in orbit with a full crew and the were still no sign of aliens coming into the sector Josh was going to take the Excalibur and go to the gate and start sending scouts out to explore the other sectors.

The Goanna had been able to find several groups of soldiers hid out in there homeland and had recruited them. Along with a number of human recruit’s the number of the Defense Force personal had increased to over two hundred and twenty-five. Fifty were already stationed on the Excalibur and a hundred would be needed onboard the Judge when it was finished. Both ship could hole a lot larger crew the Excalibur could hole everyone at the base with ease and the Judge could house over a thousand crewmen.

The need for pay had been eased up after each one was able to spend their credits in the lounge or company store.
Josh was in the new laboratory working on the arm band because all hope of being rescued faded away after over a month of waiting had went by with no sign success from the future.
[Sarah] “Josh I have just reviewed some new pictures and found a picture of a government consultant that resembles a fifty year old picture of woman wearing a armband that looks like the timepiece. In each picture they are wearing a identical ring and look to be the same woman but the pictures are 50 years apart.”

Josh looked over the pictures. “Sarah find out all you can about the woman they look to be the same person.” Sarah displayed a generic readout on both of the women with no mention of who they worked for or what they had accomplished in their lives.
[Josh] “Is this all you could find? It’s very limited.” [Sarah] “That’s it.”
[Josh] “This is our first real lead send a surveillance glider and track her. I want to know where when and what she is doing but don’t scan her just gather intelligence. When the time is right I’ll scan her myself.”

Over the next few days the glider had moved around form place to place leaving micro spy robots to watch and listen in on the activities of the woman.

Josh had stopped the research on the armband having reached the point that he had to take it apart. Which meant cutting into it and that was a last resort for Josh. If the armband was damaged he may be able to get back to his time someday but it may or may not be the time line he left. The armband held the markers to his time line inside of it somewhere and he wasn’t ready to chance loosing them just yet.

The next day as Josh set in his office going over reports like he did everyday before transporting to the research lab Sarah replied. “Josh a container just materialized near the lab. I scanned it and it sending a message stating it is from you twenty years into the future. Everything looks to be legitimate what do you want to do?”
[Josh] “Transport me over and lets take a look.”
A few seconds later Josh was inside the lab. “Sarah transport the package into the testing room and have a drone open it.”
Josh watched as the container transported into the room. The drone did a intense scanning of the container then opened it up. It was a PDA and data chips and a dismantled armband.
[Josh] “Is everything safe to look at?”
[Sarah] “Yes the whole package and contents had been serialized before it was sent it’s clean.”
[Josh] “Good than lets have a look at data.”

Josh picked up the PDA and turned it on watching as it played a preset message.
It explained that the woman he was watching was what he believed to be a key to their survival and Josh needed to save her life. She was going to be shot and killed at a conference in two weeks. The message went on to explain that a virus was already infecting the Goanna that would leave them sterile. Their race was slowly returning to a human form and the Ancient or whoever was responsible for them had decided to eradicate the whole race. The explosion of the Goanna Command held some test viruses that mixed with the blood of the aliens and everything else inside the building and started to mutate in some of the soldiers sent to explore the remains of the building. One year after that some of the soldiers start getting sick and dying then a plague starts killing of the humans and Goanna on the Goanna homeland and quickly spreads to the rest of the world killing of over 90% of all human life and over 98% of the Goanna while leaving the survivors sterile. The humans and Goanna that have received the inoculation shot when they joined the defense force are safe.

It explained. “You have time to build one more large ship that will hold 10 thousand people safely I have sent the plans review them right away and get started on the ship. Fill the ships up and get out of the sector the gate will vanish stranding you and everyone in the system. A planet killer asteroid will collide with the planet five years after the outbreak killing of the remaining people. I am stuck here and have saved as many people in shelters as I could our only hope is to find a new planet to settle and start over.
The reason none of the shelters or timepiece made it to the future was they will be destroyed wiping out all signs of previous life on the planet thousands of years into the future. The Ancients removed the Gate to contain the deadly virus. The only reason I know this is I have found the man responsible for the virus hid in a secret base condemned by the Ancients to live out his life on this planet for causing the disaster. I don’t know why the structure made it to the future sending me back into this time. Make your own future and get out and get back home.”

A sick filling with grief and sadness rushed over Josh as he looked over the plans for the ship. “Sarah get started working on the new section and ship. Record all data and make up a timeline I’m going to my room and lay down and try to make some sense out of all this. Contact all the section commanders and staff heads for a meeting in one hour I need to tell them.”

Josh went to his room at the lab and just sat for a while then and took out his PDA and looked at the time line. On there own and off the grid 10,000 was a good number to pull in and control. Josh thought if he could recruit a few key military leaders he could easily double or triple the numbers.
[Josh] “Sarah I want you to start building constructor units now I want you to coordinate the units to their maximum efficiency if you need a thousand units build them. I seen a qroup of ants eat a bug one time I sat and watched as the ants covered the insect till all I seen was the ants busy at work and in just a few minutes the insect was nothing but a shell. Do it well but do it fast! Build a unit to control the constructor units if you need to. How guick can you build a big ship that way?”

Sarah paused a few seconds and responded. “Ten ships can be built safely by the cut of time of six months.”
[Josh] “Then get started I get the people some how. And when will The Judge be finished?”
[Sarah] “I have started on the units now and The Judge will be completed in two weeks.”
[Josh] “Good then when its finished I’ll lanch it and you start building a second destroyer. We may need the firepower to protect the huge fleet.”

Josh told his people about the recently learned information and the time line they had to work with to make it out of the sector before the virus mutated. And how staying there was out of the question because of the force that was coming to wipe out all signs of life in the furture.
Josh went on to explain that the planet and system they were in had no life forms of any kind in them in the future. Their best chance of survival was to leave the sector and start over somewhere else on a planet in deep space away from the gate system they could transform with the Ancients technology of planet farming and start over.
[Jags] “What happens if we get on the other side and meet up with a force that destroys all of us.”
[Josh] “We need to start scouting missions to search out the Gate system and who’s on the other side and what kind of threat they may be to us and our fleet. I don’t like this any more than you but now we have a head start on the problem. We can’t stop it but we can save as many as we can if we get started and work together. Our original goal was to rescue lives and stop the aliens well the alien abductions have stopped. We may find them on the other side and can rescue them but for now we need to focuse on survival and saving as many people as we can. All who agree please raise your hands.” Everyone in the room raised their hand.
[Mensch] “So now what and how do we decide on who gets to go?”
[Josh] “I don’t know for sure but to begin military trained to operate the ships and keep order then the youngest, brightest and most likely to survive. Then teachers, doctors and professionals think of each ship as a life boat of 10,000 people that are going to start over and then what will kind of people will it take to do it. We need to maintain watch on the gate and sector for the enemy but the other departments need to refocus there objective to filling the ships up with people, the whole family unit when possible.”

Josh went to his office to review the data about the Consultant and come up with a strategy.
The holding area was starting to fill up with people and their family from all walks of life within a few days.
The goal was 10,000 along with two hundred crewmen, pilots and security made up one ship. The ship was over half way finished and there were less than half the people and crew ready. Josh decided to move up his plan and go see the Consultant ahead of schedule.
Her connections in the government was significant having ties to about every branch as well as the military.
Right now if they were going to get the right people on the ships in time they needed help and she was suppose to be key to the armband and time travel so maybe she would help and if not Josh could look to someone else.

Josh flew his fighter to the area and set to hover above a parking garage while he watched as the woman made her way home. A light scan showed she had a bunker under her house that she stayed in while the two security guards stayed in the upstairs.
Josh watched the movement of the woman as she went into the bunker and locked the door while the two men upstairs were getting ready to turn in a third guard showed up to watch the house.
[Josh] “Sarah can you transport the woman into the ship from here?”
[Sarah] “Yes whenever you’re ready.”
The woman was steping out of the shower and had placed a towel over her head and was drying her hair when Josh stated. “Now Sarah.”

Josh heard the shriek of the woman from the holding cell. As Josh walked over to the cell the Woman replied. “Do you know who I am my father will kill you if so much as hurt a hair on my head!”
[Josh] “Your name is Sherpa and I’m not here to hurt you I’m here to save your life let me explain.”
Josh explained a little to the woman and played the message.
Sherpa looked distressed as she asked. “Do you have a picture of the man they condemned to the planet?”
[Josh] “Yes one.” Josh placed it on his PDA and showed it to her.

Sherpa held her head down and started crying as she replied. “That’s my father and I’m as good as dead if what you say is true.”
[Josh] “It’s true if I can save your life will you help me?” With tears in her eyes she replied. “Yes.”
[Josh] “What do yo know about the armband?” [Sherpa] “It was mine my farther gave it to me incase I got into trouble and needed to use it. Are you going to keep me locked up?”
[Josh] “No I’m going to send you back to your room. You need to carry on with your life like nothing is wrong. Here put this in your ear.” Josh gave her a earpiece and a PDA.
[Sherpa] “That hurt my ear what just happened and who are you?” As she pulled the earplug out of her ear and slung it to the floor.
“I’m Josh Galen and I was transported thousands of years back in time because of that armband and you’re going to help me get back to my time and with your help save some of the people on this planet.”
[Sherpa] “And how are you going to stop what has already started you seen the message even if you save them all a asteroid is going to destroy the planet. There’s a big difference between transporting a crate in time and a human being. The armband was altered so a man working to help me destroy a structure could use it. I can’t operate it anymore and the man it was designed for is dead.”
[Josh] “You call it a early day tomorrow and come back to your shelter and I’ll show you how I plan of saving at least 100,000 people. I need a sample of your DNA to make a clone so lay your hand on this.”
[Sherpa] “If you’re so advanced why don’t you just figure out how to time travel on your own?”
[Josh] “I could someday the crate is proof of it. But I want to get back to my time line and the armband has the markers in it showing my time line. Besides I’ve made friends here in this time period that I want to save along with as many others that I can.”
[Sherpa] “And the Ancients what about them?”
[Josh] “The way I see it they have enough to worry about between themselves and their own sectors. Why should they worry with me and the people I’m rescuing from a doomed planet. They have enough to answer to God for if there is any good left in them they would do something themselves to help these people surely they know what’s going to happen.”
[Sherpa] “No I don’t think they do know. Time travel is forbidden to alter the outcome of a race or planet.
The asteroid hitting the planet is considered an act of God and they will not get involved.”
[Josh] “Then who is trying to kill all the Goanna?”
[Sherpa] “Let me give you a little background about this planet and the people on it. The people on this planet are descendants of humans that were about to die somehow in space in enormous accidents destroying everything and everyone. They were brought here to serve as human seeds for the ancients races they wanted to create. The humans that were being kidnapped and were being used for breeding was done by rogue forces not by the Ancients. The ones that were coming to this sector have been destroyed along with there base. The Ancients use a more advanced method with their embryo producing. They still need the seed from a man and woman but that’s it from that point on it’s all test tube and artificial.”

[Josh] “But who is killing the Goanna?”
[Sherpa] “My Father the man the Ancients will condemn to die on the planet he is a Ancient. My father has made a lot of mistakes and this will be his last. He wanted to breed the Goanna on the empty continent and when the Goanna were slowly reverting back to a human DNA the Ancients told him to kill them out safely somehow. So he decided to start a war then after years of fighting he decided to make a virus that would kill them all and was safe to humans. A big no no with the Ancients who are human you know. So he decided to use outside help the aliens that attacked all the towns and gathered up the Goanna to be used as slaves throughout the galaxy. Those that were captured were given a shot making them serial and the rest were to be hunted down and killed. But he decided to exposed them to the virus that would kill them. All done without permission from the Ancients. Some of the alien soldiers had the virus on them that stormed the control center when it blew up and the rest you know.”

[Josh] “Did you have anything to do with the virus being used?”
[Sherpa] “No I was against using it.”
[Josh] “Will the Ancients kill you for your fathers mistakes?”
[Sherpa] “No but one of them will have it done to make sure I don’t seek vengeance later. You’re my best chance for survival now my dad has already disappeared into hiding and you know his fate when they find him.”
[Josh] “What we need now are pilots and military personnel to train how to operate the ships. Do you have people you trust that could help get them for us?”
[Sherpa] “Yes but they will not just hand them over to you. You need to sell them on the plan.”
[Josh] “How many do you trust to get involved?”
[Sherpa] “Four of them I trust with my life.”
[Josh] “When can you get them in for a meeting?”
[Sherpa] “Tomorrow we work in the same building for a reason to get things done.”
[Josh] “Call them in for a closed meeting and contact me and I’ll transport you all onboard and show them the base and ships.”
[Sherpa] “And how do I contact you?” Sherpa shook her head trying to fill the earpiece.
[Josh] “Was wrong?”
[Sherpa] “The earpiece I can’t fill it in my ear but it just spoke.”
[Josh] “Your PDA and the earpiece are connected to each other and we can contact each other through them. Ask it something basic it contains a lot of onboard data.”
[Sherpa] “How much onboard data?” [Sherpa lisened as the PDA answer back.] “That’s a lot of room for such a small device the Ancients don’t have anything like this.”
[Josh] “I may have some gadgets you have never seen but they have. Just because I’m from the future and have some technologies unknown to you don’t think we have the upper hand but we may be on a closer playing field that they would expect if push comes to shove. But I don’t want any trouble I just want to slip everyone out of the sector and settle them in on a new home world and get back to my own time.”
[Sherpa] “What about me what happens to me when you discover how to get back to your own time?”
[Josh] “That’s all up to you. Like right now I’m going to transport you back to your shelter you could run and hide and you might survive or you can help me save lives one of which is your own.”
[Sherpa] “I’ll call you early don’t worry. You know you really need to work on your people skills.”

Josh transported her back to her shelter and returned back to the base.

[parameter]

Nice going! Trying to save as many people as possible without alerting the nasties, or causing widespread panic amongst the population. What a headache!
More!

[collins50]

I liked this one, Thanks for your comment, have a good one