Same Song Second Verse
Chapter 17
After three weeks of talks and two more people from the planet having to confirm that the sun was going to explode the people had decided to leave the sector and join up with Josh and the other refugees.
Most of the people on the planet had been space travelers stranded on the planet some of the people had been born on the planet making it the only home they had ever knew and were reluctant about just leaving.
Captain Mitchell had quickly joined up with Josh and after several days of meetings and stacks of data he and his crew knew all about the other people looking for a new home they would be joining up with.
A pair of pirate ships had ventured into the sector a week after Josh had arrived and quickly left after Captain Mitchell asked them to exit the sector. A damaged ship had entered the Gate a day after the Pirates had shown up and the pilot was quickly rescued. Scans of his ship showed a strange energy field on his ship that quickly vanished. After exploring the information gathered form the locals a pattern started to show. But raising even more questions like how, who and why? The ships were attacked for no reason with unknown weapons right as they were entering the Gate. After digging into the recorders on the ships that were on the planet several of them showed that the same weapons had fired on the as they entered the Gate.
Josh and Mitchell looked over the records of the attack that had happened to the Captains TL showed that the Mammoth was not the original target the escorts were. One of the fighters had made a quick turn moving out of the path of the incoming fire. The TL was hit by the fire just as it was entering the Gate but the escort was the target.
[Josh] “Sarah can you reproduce the weapons fire?”
[Sarah] “It uses a plasma based weapon infused with a accelerated particle. I would have to do a trial and error testing to come up with the right combination. The two mixtures are like a gas and fire mixture making it a very dangerous mixture.”
[Josh] “How dangerous?”
[Sarah] “On a small control scale plow up a small ship dangerous.”
[Josh] “Can you make the accelerated particles and put them on a test probe so we can send it through a Gate and see if it ends up here?”
[Sarah] “Yes but the probe will be useless because the particles will destroy or disrupt all of its electrical systems.”
[Josh] “I don’t care about the probe. Lets make it a real test and send a small ship. I want to know if we cover a ship with the particles and send it into the Gate system will it exit here? I think that’s how someone is sending the ships here through time. If I’m right the ship should exit the Gate into this sector. All the ships have been within a three sector jump so make a small ship just for the test and take it three sectors away and cover it with the particles and sent it through.”
[Sarah] “It will take 12 hours to get everything ready. Commander Sherpa is aboard the support ship that is about to jump into the sector.”
[Josh] “I told her last week she could visit me in the sector I’ll meet her at the transporter.”
As soon as Sherpa stepped of the transporter pad she went over to Josh and gave him a kiss. “Was you ever going to come see me?”
[Josh] “I been real busy here Sherpa I just can’t come and go as I please.”
[Sherpa] “Yes you can. You just want to stay in the thick of it all, you been doing it for so long you don’t how to stop. You give your personnel time off but you keep at it. I want you to take me down to the planet and have a picnic with me and take a break.”
[Josh] “You know this is like the same song second verse with their own problems adding more questions to the whole predicament. I have a large list of questions and only a few of them have been answered.
And that’s get the People out! And we don’t have any where to go but they have to leave.”
Sherpa reached up and kissed Josh. “You need a break Josh. You’re doing a good thing but you need to take a break and clear your mind. Think of it this way for the next six hours all you need to thank about is white or wheat bread and coffee, tea or me.”
Josh laughed at the remark saying. “Alright I have a few hours and I do need a break.”
[Sherpa] “Go take a shower and clean up and put on some plain clothes I’ll get the basket ready.”
Josh came out of his room to Sherpa asking. “Josh do you really need to take all your weapons with you? We‘re going on a picnic not a mission.”
Josh took all of his weapons off but one pistol. “Is that better?”
[Sherpa] “It’s a start. Sarah gave me a list of sights to pick from and I picked one out so we’re ready to go. Sarah sent a security drone to the sight to keep guard and the ship is in a holding position ready to transport us down or back up so relax.”
Josh was starting to relax after a few hours of just watching the wind blow the grass and Sherpa keeping the talk simple as they laid on a blanket enjoying the goodies Sherpa had packed. As twilight filled the sky and the stars were starting to shine. Sherpa seen a shooting star entering the atmosphere as she kissed Josh on the check. “Look Josh make a wish.”
[Josh] “I would Sherry but that’s not a shooting star. Sarah give me an update!”
[Sarah] “A small fighter has entered the sector through the Gate and exploded part of the ship has hit the atmosphere.”
[Josh] “Did you get the pilot in time?”
[Sarah] “Yes he and his passenger are fine the rescue ship also got the ships flight and data recorders out right before it exploded. The two are onboard the support ship being checked out and the recorders are being decoded and downloaded.”
[Josh] “Sherpa lets go that was a ship. Sarah transport us up.”
As Josh was headed of to look at the data Sherpa asked. “Josh who is Sherry?”
[Josh] “Why? Now’s not the time to talk about her.”
[Sherpa] “Down on the planet you called me Sherry.”
Josh stopped and looked at Sherpa. “She’s the one I loved.”
[Sherpa] “Do you still love her and tell me the truth I need to know.”
[Josh] “Yes I still love her. I’ll always care about her.”
[Sherpa] “Do you think you could love me Josh?”
[Josh] “I care about you Sherpa but I still miss Sherry.”
[Sherpa] “When you lay down who do you think of Josh her or me? I’m here and want to love you Josh. You may have to spend the rest of your life here would that be so bad?”
[Josh] “I know life is what you make of it and life here in this time would be fine but I’ll never stop trying to get back even if its just to say goodbye. Sherpa we’re not normal people you done lived one lifetime and are starting over again. My fate is to live a long time and it sounds good till you start seeing everyone you love die or get taken from you and I’m just starting on my life’s path and everyone I cared about is gone and I miss them from time to time. So am I happy now? No! Will I be? I’m planning on it.”
[Sherpa] “So we’re not normal people. Would me being at your side as Queen be so bad Josh I could make you happy.”
[Josh] “Sherpa you were raised as a Princess and daughter to an Ancient. I just wanted to live a normal life and I know that to rule is to serve and I don’t think you understand that concept.”
[Sherpa] “Are you saying I would be a bad ruler?”
[Josh] “No I ’m not saying that you were thought to be a ruler. Life has made me into a leader because I chose to make a difference in their lives of others and for me not to help would be wrong. Someday I want the people to pick themselves a elected ruler and senate no King or Queen. Could you be a normal Mans wife Sherpa?”
[Sherpa] “I can be whatever you want me to be if it means being with you Josh!”
Josh reached over and kissed Sherpa and held her close for a minute.
[Josh] “Sherpa right now I can’t promise you tomorrow or nothing else and that’s not very fair for either of us.”
[Sherpa] “No one can guarantee tomorrow that’s life. We all live one day at a time. I just want to spend time with you.”
[Josh] “You can stay a while but you need to keep a low profile someone tried to kill you remember!”
[Sherpa] “Yes I remember. I fill like a rat in a cage give me something to do like your assistant.”
[Josh] “I might be able to do that but you would need to wear a disguise.”
[Sherpa] “I can do that what did you have in mind?”
[Josh] “The people on the planet need a administrator to direct the evacuation and boarding onto the ship. They are unorganized and spreed out all over the planet in small villages. Their being spreed out was to discourage the raders attacking them giving the other villages time to hide and lay traps for the Pirates.
The ship will be ready to go in a month and everyone is leaving. You’ll have the support fighters from the main ship to transport the people in so you need to think up a plan for the gathering and transfer of the people onto the main ship.”
[Sherpa] “How many people are you going to give me?”
[Josh] “You tell me this is your job now. Here’s a list of a small team already down their spreading the word out through the villages working with the locals doing the ground work. You need to do the follow up visit with the plan for the evacuation so the people can be ready.”
Sherpa looked over the data. “I’ll need at least twenty teams with ships working from daylight to dark to reach everyone and five medical teams with ships to start giving the people their vaccinations and the adults a earpiece. We’ll need a security team for the trouble makers and a support ship or base for me to work out of. Josh why are you in such a hurry to get the people off the planet we should have months before the sun starts posing any danger to the people.?”
[Josh] “We have detected irregular buildups on the sun causing it to flare out. So far the solar flares have been on the back side of the sun lashing out at the closest planet moving fast around the sun and will be in a deadly position for this planet in about 50 days. The gravity of the two planets together and the location of the first planet means disaster for the side of the planet it flares up on. While asteroids hurled from the inner planet being struck by the flare can hit any part of the planet. It’s not an if? It’s a when and how bad will it be dilemma so you better get busy!”
Josh smiled at Sherpa as she looked over the data knowing she had just taken on a job that would keep her so busy he would be asking for time to see her.
Josh explained to Sherpa that the main ship was under construction on a asteroid on the outer realm of the system and the small ships She wanted were already being built on the planet at a makeshift base already in place for Her and the team.
[Sherpa] “When do you want me to start?”
[Josh] “In nine hours daylight will be on the base and I want you there to oversee the teams already in place the officer overseeing the mission is to already overworked and will be looking for you. He will bring you up to speed on our plan look at it if you see a place we need to improve on contact me. The rest of your squad will be arriving that evening. The ships will be ready by nightfall and a medical team is already in place at the base with four Doctors already going out in the field.”
[Sherpa] “If you already have a plan and people in place what do you need me to go down there for?”
[Josh] “Because one thing they lack is your managing skill and I need someone their I can count on to get the job done. All our efforts so far have been local and the officers there will be leading smaller groups around the planet. Your job is to start sending the teams out and run the base.”
[Sherpa] “Give me the plans so I can start going over them.” [Josh] “No.”
[Sherpa] “No! What do you meen no!?”
[Josh] “Calm down I want you to stay here with me till you leave for the base I’ll go over the plans with you over breakfast.”
[Sherpa] “Well that’s alright then. I can do that what did you have in mind?”
[Josh] “A nice dinner together and a few hours sleep, then breakfast and the plans then you can leave.”
Sherpa pulled Josh close and kissed him. “I’m not going to see you for a while am I?” [Josh] “No.”
Josh went to his room. “Sarah will everything be ready for the test when Sherpa leaves?”
[Sarah] “Everything will be ready in five hours.”
[Josh] “Have a team ready to do the test after Sherpa has left.” [Sarah] “Understood.”
Out in space a pair of pilots are watching Josh from a mysterious cloaked ship. “Man I can’t beleve I’m here!” “What do you meen?”
“This is history in the making and we’re seeing it first hand.”
“Just don’t forget we’re here to do a job now keep your eyes on the sencors we’ll catch him eventually he’s going to mess up and we’ll be there to get him.”
“Nothing on the sensors do you want to make the next jump or watch for a while?”
“You know we can’t stay the Commander would have our heads if we stayed. I would like to see well it realy doesn’t matter what I want start the jump we need to catch this guy.”
The ship disappears from the sector without no one knowing it was there.
Josh and Sherpa were enjoying their dinner when Sherpa asked. “Josh what is Captain Mitchell going to do with his ship it’s obsolete compared to your ships.”
[Josh] “I don’t know that ship is his home and everything he has worked for is invested in that ship.”
[Sherpa] “Men get so attached to things like a glider or a car or a ship they care more about what they have than who they have.”
[Josh] “Are you speaking from experience?”
[Sherpa] “Yes I see it all the time. Men seem to have a one track mind and it’s always something they want to get, master or be the best at. Tell me Josh what are you working for?”
[Josh] “A safe haven for all of us and a way back home.”
[Sherpa] “What if you don’t get a safe planet to live on or a way back to your time can you live with that?”
[Josh] “What do you meen Sherpa do you think this is it? We’ll be spending the rest of our lives flying around in space looking for a planet.”
[Sherpa] “Could you?”
[Josh] “No! I would never give up or stop till I found a planet and a way back to my time.”
[Sherpa] “Your determined to get what you desire done and so are most all men. But your goals to help are noble where most mens are self-absorbed I’m sorry Josh I was just trying to prove a point about men. I trust you Josh to get all of us to a safe planet. If Captain Mitchell goal in life is his ship he may fill as strong about his ship as you do about your goals.”
[Josh] “I’m willing to work with Captain Mitchell with a refit for his ship. He keep’s his ship and gets a new one all in one.”
[Sherpa] “You been thinking about this already do you have a sketch of what it will look like?”
[Josh] “Yes and no he will have to decide what and how much to refit it is his ship.”
[Sherpa] “And if you could refit me Josh who would you make me into?”
[Josh] “Well their was this bar maid I met a few years ago.”
[Sherpa] “Ha ha very funny you know what I mean.”
[Josh] “Yes I think I do. You want what all women want.”
[Sherpa] “And what is that please tell?”
[Josh] “A honest answer and love.”
[Sherpa] “And?”
Josh kissed Sherpa and looked at her. “I don’t know what to do? You’re here but I still care for Sherry and I know that’s not what you wanted to hear but it’s the truth I just can’ t turn of the way I fill. I enjoy being with you and but I still fill guilty after you leave. I guess I’m making things worse and should shut up now.”
[Sherpa] “No I wanted to know and I asked for it, I just wish you loved me that way.”
Sherpa kissed Josh and went to her room.
The breakfast and briefing was business as usual between Sherpa and Josh. When Sherpa was about to leave she pulled Josh close and kissed him and said. “Josh I’m willing to wait.”
As Sherpa stepped onto the transporter pad Josh smilled and said. “Thanks.” A small smile came across Sherpa’s face as she looked at Josh. A second later she disappeared as the transporter sent her down to the planet to start up evacuating people all over again.
Lost in Time Chapter 17
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