TEMPUS TWO CHAPTER FOUR
I love being able to be political without any political affiliation.
Lady Gaga
“Cristian did you get some sleep?”
“Yes Mr. President. You called.”
“Yes about the Election. It might be a good time to call it while you are high in popularity.”
“Larry had the same idea. I have scheduled a conference call for tomorrow afternoon.”
“We should have a press release ready just before the call and send it out to the world.”
“That can be arranged.”
“Have you changed your mind about running Mr. President?”
“No Cristian you need to be the one.”
“Good the election will reveal the enemy.”
“We need to investigate the people who run against.”
“The enemy will have to expose themselves to back a candidate.”
“Good we will be ready.”
“Watch for those who approach you.”
“I promised my wife I would look at the work she is doing on her ship. I have to go. We can touch base later or in the morning.”
“Later.”
Cristian made the trip out to the ship.
“Watcher progress report.”
“Afternoon Cristian. The AI has been vacated. Callahan is housing the programming and he is checking the code.”
Alfred is rewriting the code that has been checked and he has set up a second virtual drive with the new programming. We should be ready for testing tomorrow morning. As for the others, you will have to check on their progress manually. My processors are running at maximum.”
“I will let you go back to work. I didn’t realize how much I relied on you until you were gone. Don’t damage yourself in this process old friend.”
“I will take care Cristian.”
“Raguel do you have a progress report.”
“Cristian shield output has been doubled, the ship now has cloaking capability, weapons will be done by morning. Nikola has created multiple scorchers mounted to missiles for long-range deployment. He is sure the war is not over with the Lizards. He has kept the information from Tuseer.”
“Understood Raguel.”
“Nikola are you making progress?”
“Yes,, Cristian.”
“Please send the code to Watcher for your shields, cloaking and weapons systems when you are ready.”
“I will get it to him soon.”
“Watcher the Shrike will be ready for test flights next week I should be there to fly it. Lorelei where are you?”
“The bridge Cristian.”
“I am on my way. Is it pink?”
“Girls don’t use those colours, we use Salmon, Chartreuse and a hundred other weird names.”
“I see, now I am running. Say this looks like a bridge. Helm control, Weapons Console, Sensors, Shatner and Nimoy would be jealous, God rest his soul. The cool stuff happens when I sleep. Is there a gaming console?”
“Don’t think that hasn’t been asked already.”
“Tuseer has been amazing Cristian.”
“I thought she would be.”
“Thank you, Cristian” Came a voice from under a console.
“Cristian, The Chancellor has been helping with the planning. He inquired about the main computer being offline. I told him that you were working on it.”
“Where is he?”
“He is in our version of a ready room off to the left.”
“Chancellor, you have questions for me?”
“The main computer is off-line Cristian. I am using one of these primitive units. A laptop I think you call it.”
“We are searching through the programming looking for malicious code and rewriting it to suit our purposes.”
“I see, how is that going?”
“It is taking time.”
“I could help?”
“I am sorry Chancellor this is one of those things we have to do ourselves. Feel free to help with anything else.”
“I understand Cristian.”
“Tell me about the entry points for data in and out of the ship. I would like to sever outside connection to and from the ship.”
“That I can help with.”
“Excellent I want the ship to be autonomous. I also want to know how to access the cube you gave us with your knowledge.”
“Have you changed your mind about it Cristian?”
“I am not interested in giving it to the people of Earth. I am interested in using the information for this ship.”
“That would give you the advantage over most species in the known universe.”
“Are the computers on this ship powerful enough to carry this knowledge.”
“No.”
“Where can we find the computers we need?”
“On Thu-ban.”
“Can you and will you refit this ship with the technology we need?”
“Yes, Cristian we can and will do this.”
“How much time do you need?”
“ I think thirty of your days and we can finish the refit.”
“I have a request, something for my wife and me. I need a temporary memory wipe for the both of us we will travel to the past and have our baby and live a normal life for a short time. No one should know about it.”
“Raguel and Uriel should know. You will need someone to take you back. We can upgrade Watcher and the mechanicals at the same time we do the ship” said the little Gray Alien.
Cristian’s mind was on the past and he almost missed that statement.
“It is November 2014. If you take the ship back to your planet you can have it back here for December.”
“Yes we can take Tuseer to overlook the operation, and Stephen and Albert if that will ease your mind.”
“Let me talk to them. If you could set up the ship to fly by thought and by controls as well. Give Watcher the ability to train the new crew in all the aspects of the ship’s systems and theories to go with it. Can you do something for food storage cooking and housing and recreation I have a feeling we will be spending a lot more time in space?”
“We can also add a new breed of Fighting ships to outfit your landing bay. Plus we will add some land-based vehicles and troop transports.”
“Why are you going to do this Chancellor?”
“This universe needs your brand of diplomacy Cristian.”
“I could use a few members of the Gray to add to the crew compliment.”
“I can arrange that.”
“What will you do about the Reticulan people.”
“Only two answers I see, recruit them or destroy them.”
“We would prefer the latter.”
“I know you would, it would be a last resort. Tuseer is proof they can change. If I can recruit them we will need more ships converted. I know you need resources Chancellor. I can help you with those.”
“We do have need of water.”
“There are many Ice bearing comets throughout the universe. Give us a way to bring them to you.”
“I think we can do that.”
“Great when will you take the ship out?”
“In three days.” said the Gray.
“Lorelei and I will be ready in two days for our holiday. Our refit program will remain a secret. Everyone is excited about the work they are doing.”
“I could take everyone back with us.”
“Some yes everyone no. Your implant technology has made me a little nervous. Only time and shared experience will remove my doubt.”
“I understand Cristian it is what makes you a good leader.”
“I need to go and talk to Lorelei about the plan Chancellor. Will you excuse me?”
“Certainly Cristian.”
“Lorelei could we talk maybe in the Captain’s cabin.”
Cristian told Lorelei the plan for her ship and the holiday. “I like the idea of the holiday Cristian. I am not sure if I trust the Gray yet though.”
“We will have to trust them at some point. I have caught them, not in lies but omissions. I don’t think they are giving us the whole truth about our enemies. I think the Lizards were a cruel ruse. There is more. I am taking all of their upgrades and knowledge because I think we need to. I trust my gut on this. We will not discuss this with anyone Lorelei.”
“Cristian what have we walked into?”
“Not walked into sweetie, rather designed for. You, me and the baby are the weapons, it’s up to us to cleanse the verse.”
“I just want to make pies and more babies.”
“You still can, just add kick-ass to that equation.”
“Huh, I do like kicking ass, I like being the good guys. So let’s take a holiday so I can push out our daughter and then we clean up the verse.”
“See you are the perfect woman for me.”
“What about the work we are doing on the ship now?”
“Find out from the Chancellor where we should concentrate our efforts so we don’t duplicate.”
“That makes sense. I will get on that Cristian.”
“Make sure there is room for cats and a nursery. I have a feeling we will be in space a lot. Tomorrow I need to go to Florida for Crew interviews. You can handle refit.”
“I got it.”
Cristian had a long conversation with Watcher and went over the plan with him. He gave him additional instructions to safeguard the mechanicals. By using some off-line storage and instructions for an Operating System reload if needed. He wished Watcher luck and mentioned that he hoped that everything would work out.
It was decided that Gracie would hold all the offline storage and would be the guardian for the information her processors and storage would have to be upgraded.
Mary would stay behind with Paul and Gracie with the Retribution at the cave in the same time period as Cristian and Lorelei. They would watch over the couple and arrange for their return to the future.
The next day Cristian left for Florida. He sat through a hundred interviews. Watcher approved twenty-five of them. Halfway through the day Cristian and Watcher went home to have the conference call with all the world leaders to announce the elections that would take place in late December just before Christmas. He also announced that he would run in the Election. He also mentioned that his wife was due soon and he would take a few days off when that was about to happen. The second Leader would take over while he was away. All the leaders were happy with that arrangement. Larry released the video meeting of the leaders to the world that announced the upcoming elections and that he would run for the job he already had.
“Callahan I need some paperwork and Ids for 1992. I especially need valid medical cards. Watcher will fill you in with the plan. Discuss it with no one.”
“I will get working on them.”
“Mary I need to talk to you and Paul in private.”
He laid out the plan with her and Paul who both agreed, that they would play the parents they already were on the holiday and watch over both of them. A new house and vehicles would have to be bought when they arrived, on the other side of Kamloops.