The Rise of Atlantis Pt. 03

"Good," Sue replied. "Because that makes us all a team. At first, you, Kendra, my mom, and I were all that stood between Lyssa and those that would see her harmed. Now, with whatever the hell Carol Thomasin's becoming, we're all that stands between her and utter chaos. Is there anything else you can tell us that will help to protect our queen from that evil thing?"

"Not really, Sue. I was only in that black morass that Carol Thomasin calls a mind for about a minute or so. All I have are some impressions based on her scrambled thoughts, nothing really solid. However, I can tell you that despite the fact that the Groms benefited from her actions, I don't think Carol Thomasin was in league with them. At least not directly. I can't be absolutely certain, but I got the impression she was part of a conspiracy to unseat King Jacob. I don't wanna sully anyone's good name but it appears like there were four of them. The Chief of Fleet operations, Admiral Collins. The Chief of fleet engineering, Admiral Novack, King Jacob's chief adviser, Tom McGinty, and Carol Thomasin.

I don't know how it all got started, but Carol Thomasin seemed to be the key to their plan. They redesigned the defensive shields of the battlecruisers leaving an opening right where the ships were the most vulnerable, then leaked the information to the Groms. They were gonna let the Groms take out about half the fleet, then Carol Thomasin was supposed to pop up out of nowhere and save the day on orders from Tom McGinty. They thought that if they were successful it would make them both heroes in the eyes of the fleet and the general public. After he laid the blame for the losses of ships and crews at King Jacob's feet, Tom McGinty figured he'd have more than enough support to seize power. He and Kiera Collins would marry making her his queen. Admiral Novack would become Chief of Fleet Operations and Carol Thomasin would become director of Psycorps and head of the psionic lab. Something went wrong, I think Lyssa found the Groms fleet too early maybe. Anyway, they panicked because they weren't ready. Carol Thomasin wasn't fully trained in how to use all her psionic skills yet. Her co-conspirators didn't know that in her panic, Carol Thomasin had broken in to the psionic research lab on Cronus and stole all the serum samples. She wasn't sure what was what, so she just mixed them all together, even the highly experimental ones. She then self-injected the resulting solution in an attempt to make herself even more powerful. Once again, things backfired and she became that evil thing we saw on the video.

As far as I can tell, Carol Thomasin is the only surviving member of the conspiracy. Though I can't be absolutely positive of that. Also, I don't think she expected Atlantia and Cronus to be destroyed. So where she'll go, or what she'll do next, is anybody's guess. But I doubt she'll attack us anytime soon. I came within a hair's breadth of killing her and that's shaken her self-confidence. I don't think she'll be back until she's sure she can at least beat me. Given the fact that there's no one left in this quadrant to train her, I suspect it'll be a very long time before we run into her again.

One final thought. While I did get all of these things from Carol Thomasin's mind, I labeled them as impressions because her thoughts were so jumbled that it's impossible to tell with any degree of accuracy, what events actually transpired, and which ones were products of her over-stimulated imagination."

"Well I can tell you this much, Amy," Lyssa replied. "So far everything you've told us fits together perfectly with what we already know. It seems you've done a pretty damn good job of separating fact from fiction. I agree with your assessment that it'll be quite a while before Carol Thomasin pops up on our sensor screens again. I think we already know all we need to know about her for the time being. We have more important things to worry about right now. We need to get re-established on a new home world and rebuild our civilization before we can even think of taking her on directly. So that has to come first. Return to your ship Captain Thomasin. It's time we all got back to work, and Amy, thank you again," Lyssa said with a smile.

After Amy left, Lyssa turned to Kendra and said, "Time for you to get to work too. If you finish before thirteen thirty, report back here. Otherwise, report back here at thirteen thirty. I want you to join us for lunch so that I can be sure you've got a full belly. With Carol Thomasin on the loose, we all need to keep our psionic energy levels as high as possible. We can't afford to have our metabolism slow down due to a low caloric intake."

"Understood Lyssa, I'll be here no later than thirteen thirty. I can always finish up after lunch if I have to," Kendra replied.

As soon as Kendra was gone, Sue's eyes widened for a minute or so, then she burst out laughing. When she finally stopped laughing, she wiped the tears from her eyes then said, "You won't believe what I was just told Lys. Mom says she can't be certain without testing you. But she thinks your psionic level has finally surpassed hers and she suspects that in a few days mine, Amy's and Kendra's won't be very far behind yours. Now here's the funny part. She says that for Atlantian females with over a P50 psionic skill level, a high caloric intake just barely scratches the surface when it comes to maintaining a psionic energy pool. You could eat twenty meals a day and it still wouldn't be enough. The only thing she's found that actually works are the enzymes found in vaginal secretions and those found in sperm. And before you ask, no, you can't use your own vaginal secretions. They have to come from someone else. The good news is you don't have to take the enzymes into your body through the mouth, pussy, or ass. They can be absorbed through the skin. The only problem is it's not a very efficient way to do it. You'd need four to five times as much sperm or vaginal secretions than if you took it in the mouth, pussy, or ass."

"What the fuck? Why does Mom think that my psionic skills are higher than a P50, and are you telling me that I have to fuck the whole crew just to maintain my psionic energy pool? I don't see anything funny about that, Sue. We're not at the fleet academy anymore. I'm supposed to be a queen for heaven's sake. How in the hell am I supposed to keep order if I start fucking everyone in sight?"

Sue shook her head with a grin and said, "I wasn't laughing because we have to use sexual activity to keep our psionic energy reserves up, Lyssa. I was laughing because NOW I understand why Mom became so damn kinky. It's actually not as bad or as complicated as you think it is Lys. All you gotta do is find a partner and screw their brains out two or three times a day. If your psionic energy gets depleted, you MIGHT have to take on more than one partner. But only if you need to refill your reserves quickly. Anyway, Mom says that getting a partner to screw you senseless a few times a day, every day isn't exactly an easy task. Things get old really quick, so you have to entice them. That's why she got so... um...creative. She didn't fuck any male but Daddy after they were married. But threesomes with other females were a pretty common occurrence. Daddy didn't join in very often. He mostly liked to watch while Mom had her fun. When he did participate, Mom was the only one that he'd fuck. It didn't matter how beautiful and sexy the other woman was, Daddy always said no. He refused to risk getting another woman pregnant. I know you didn't wanna hear all that, but Mom said to tell you because it's important that you know what you're up against, especially right now what with Carol Thomasin on the loose. Other than that though, I don't think it's something you have to really worry about at the moment. I mean come on now, when was the last time you had to use your psionic abilities?

As to your first question, Mom's been secretly testing all of us for years. For some reason that she doesn't really understand, yours, mine, Amy's, and Kendra's psionic skill levels have never stopped increasing. She checked your P level when you were home last month and it was just shy of being a P60 then. If it was just me, Amy, and Kendra with increasing P levels, Mom could just pass it off as a quirk of the serums that were used on us. They do have several common ingredients. But you've never had a serum used on you. You were born a psychic and your levels are increasing right along with ours so she's stumped. The main reason she thinks you're higher than a P60 now is because your psionic aura is a lot brighter now than it was last month. You have the brightest aura she's ever seen. Her aura didn't even come close to being as bright as yours is now."

"Ya know Sis? This is just one of those things that's just gonna have to sit on the back burner for the time being. I don't have the time or patience to even think about this shit right now. I've got too many other things on my plate. If and that's a mighty big if, Carol Thomasin pops up unexpectedly before we get out of here, I'll worry about it after we turn her ass into toast. But not one second before then. I realize that I needed to know about all this bullshit and I do appreciate Mom's honesty. It must've embarrassed the hell out of her letting you tell me the things you did. I also know that we do have to tell Amy and Kendra about it. But I think it's best that we wait until we get planetside unless we're given no alternative. I'm not so old that I've forgotten what I was like in my twenties, ready, willing, and able to fuck anyone that had a pulse. We need them concentrating on their jobs right now, not worrying about getting their pussies stuffed or licked," Lyssa said with a smile.

As the days passed, Kendra was kept busy installing the revised communications software and modifying the point defense systems on the six unmanned ships. She even found the time to automate some key systems aboard the Destructor to help make up for the crew shortages there. The engineers aboard the Atlantia's Revenge under the leadership of Ian Rodgers finished installing all her tachyon cannons and shield generators right on schedule. They used the remaining time to install thirty six phased Gatling laser cannons as a point defense system and a dozen long range antimatter missile launchers for a secondary battery. Captain Amy Thomasin was so pleased with the work done by Ian Rodgers that she promoted him to Lieutenant Commander and made him her exec as well as her chief engineering officer. Meanwhile, the salvage crews continued their work and two days before Lyssa's scheduled deadline, Commander Evans reported that while there was still plenty of salvageable items and materials left, there simply wasn't any more room aboard the ships to carry it.

Lyssa, Sue, and Kendra were eating a lunch consisting of turkey salad sandwiches and cola when Lisa Evans reported the ships were full to capacity. Sue smiled and said, "Well done Lisa. Secure the airlocks and set the proximity alarms. Then give your crew the rest of the day off. Pass the word to Ron, Amy, and Jim to do the same thing."

After Lisa left, Sue turned to Lyssa and said, "I can set the engineering crews to work repairing a few more battlecruisers if you want, Lys. I'm sure there's still a few that haven't been cannibalized yet."

"Nah, don't bother, Sue. I think we've got all we really need. Some of those wrecks have been stripped almost to their keel. We've hung around here long enough, it's time we got moving." Lyssa turned to Kendra and said, "Arrange a meeting with the commanders and senior staff of all ships for zero seven hundred tomorrow. We'll have a quick working breakfast while we go over our departure plans. Just keep the breakfast simple. Coffee and breakfast burritos will be fine. I don't want a repeat of the last senior staff meeting so I'm authorizing you to prohibit any visitors to this ship from carrying sidearms. I don't care who it is, or what their rank is. From now on, no one but you and the members of your security teams are allowed anywhere near me or Sue with a weapon. Once you've finished making the arrangements for tomorrow's meeting, I want you to take the rest of the day off and relax. Sue and I are gonna do the same thing. We're gonna kick back and watch a few vidflix while we unwind. Report back here for escort duty at zero six thirty tomorrow."

Over breakfast the next morning, Lyssa laid out the route they would take to the Beta Quadrant. Other things such as flight formation and emergency procedures were discussed as well. Once everyone was clear as to what was expected of them, the meeting broke up and everyone returned to their respective ships. Five minutes later their journey to the Beta Quadrant began.

Six long emotionally exhausting months later, Lyssa was sitting on the command deck looking at some excellent short range scans of the planet in sector seventeen. Suddenly, the communications officer turned and said, "My Queen, the Destructor is squawking an emergency. It's a code twenty one."

"Signal the fleet, all stop!" Lyssa continued with, "Then get Captain McDuff on the main screen!" A few seconds later, Jim McDuff appeared on the forward viewscreen and Lyssa asked, "What's going on Captain? Why are you squawking radiation contamination?"

"I'm sorry Your Majesty. One of the low pressure coolant return lines on our antimatter reactor has a hairline crack. The crack's not big enough to allow it to leak coolant but it is wide enough to let some radiation escape into our ventilation system. That line was checked just over an hour ago and it was fine then. So I have no idea what caused it. Now that we're stopped, it'll only take the engineers about a half an hour to drain and replace it. But I have another problem. Thirty five of my crew were undergoing zero gravity, zero atmosphere, emergency procedures training. They're all in environmentally sealed EVA suits so they haven't been exposed to the radiation like the rest of us. But they only have about six hours of air left in their tanks. I can't vent the radiation without venting the atmosphere aboard ship so I'm at a loss as to how to proceed."

Lyssa thought for a few minutes then said, "All right Captain, here's what we're gonna do. You're about three hours out from Beta seventeen. It has an entire continent that's not populated. I'm authorizing you to ground the Destructor there. Have the rest of your people get into EVA suits and vent the radiation from your ship before you enter the atmosphere. The Destructor's almost fifty years old and I'm not sure she'll handle the stress of coming to escape velocity again, so you might as well go ahead and start a colony. Try to minimize your contact with the indigenous population and DON'T let them get their hands on our technology. Also, tell your CMO that I want a full report as soon as he's checked everyone out. Are you gonna need any assistance? Do you have enough anti-radiation capsules aboard ship?"

"We should be fine Your Majesty. Repairs are almost finished and we have enough Trironlyn on board to treat a full crew of a thousand for radiation sickness," Captain McDuff replied.

"In any case, I think it's best that we wait until you're underway again before we move on," Lyssa said. "Also, I'll send the Atlantia's Revenge to you in a few days to drop off some heavy construction equipment that'll make things easier for you."

"That would be great, thank you Your Majesty. My chief engineer reports that repairs are complete. We're getting underway now. I'll report in as soon as we're on the ground and I'll have my CMO contact you as soon as he's finished examining and treating everyone."

"Very good Captain. Victorious out." Lyssa turned to the communications officer. "Signal the rest of the fleet. We're moving on, warp six."

Three hours later Captain McDuff reported in. "We're safely on the ground Your Majesty. The temperature's moderate. The air is fresh and clean. There's a river with a fairly large waterfall nearby and the water is clear, clean, and cold. There's also plenty of fresh game in the area so food and water won't be any problem. My CMO is still examining and treating the crew. He says that he'll have a report for you in a few hours. I know you said to limit contact with the natives, but a small fishing boat saw us landing. I sent out a small patrol to prevent it's crew from coming near our landing site. The patrol reports that the natives call this planet Earth. "

"Well done Captain, keep me informed." Lyssa stood while nodding at Sue. Together they returned to their ready room. As soon as the door was closed Lyssa said, "Do me a favor Sue. Get Ron on the horn. Tell him to take it in his ready room."

A few seconds later Lyssa's console beeped. She opened the channel and said, "Hi Ron. This thing with the Destructor's got me thinking. I've been looking over the scans of beta eighteen one and two. They both look pretty damn good to me. Maybe we shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket. What do you think of the idea that you and your crew colonize eighteen two while the crews of the Victorious and the Atlantia's Revenge take on eighteen one? That'll spread us out over three planets. If something goes wrong on one we still have the other two to fall back to."

"With the way our luck's been running? I think that's a good idea. We overcame all the diseases on Atlantia hundreds of years ago. But these are all new planets to us and they're completely unexplored. Heaven only knows what we'll run into. Spreading our people out gives us the best possible chance for survival. By the way, have you decided on names for any of them yet?"

"Yeah as a matter of fact I have Ron. The natives call Beta seventeen Earth. I'm just gonna stick with that and call Jim's colony Atlantis. Beta eighteen one will be named New Atlantia and the colony will become Queen's Landing. Beta eighteen two will be called New Cronus and I think we'll name your colony New Hope."

"Good names, I like em. Do you want me to divert course to New Cronus now?"

"Yeah, I think that'd be best Ron. Survey the whole planet and pick out a good spot for your colony. I'll send Amy along in a day or two with some equipment and supplies for you to build with. Fleet headquarters will be on New Atlantia and our first spacedock will be built there as well."

"I hate to burst your bubble Lyssa. But it'll be quite a long time before we have the resources to build a spacedock. By the way how in the hell are you gonna come up with construction equipment?"

"I forgot to tell you, didn't I?" Lyssa laughed then continued, "We have enough space based equipment and supplies to build a spacedock big enough to churn out four battlecruisers at a time. We also have the equipment and supplies to build and sustain a five thousand person colony. It's all aboard the Atlantia's Revenge. Courtesy of the Groms! I'm not looking to build a spacedock right now, but I do figure that we'll start construction on it sometime next year."

Lyssa and Sue laughed their asses off because the look on Ron's face was priceless. When he finally got over his shock, he cleared his throat then said, "Well now, isn't THAT one hell of a surprise! I take back everything I said about us having no luck!"

Commander Evans had just finished informing Lyssa that the Victorious had established orbit around New Atlantia when she nodded then said, "Doctor O'Riley wants to speak with you, Your Majesty. He says he has a preliminary report ready for you."

"Patch him through Commander," Lyssa replied.

When Doctor O'Riley appeared on her screen he said, "Hello Your Majesty. I've finished examining everyone. I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that no one received a fatal dose of radiation. The bad news is that I suspect that everyone who was exposed to it will in all probability be sterile. I won't know for certain until everybody's completed the three day treatment protocol and I run some fertility tests, but with this level of exposure, I wouldn't hold out much hope."