Tommy’s pain over the loss of his best friend was almost unbearable. He went to Linda Kay and held her as she wailed her grief. Cassandra went to Twig and took one of her limbs in her hand and felt her sorrow. Twig said, “I told him not to go.”
The entire fleet felt the huge loss. Edward Jones on the Polaris was also bearing a huge load of sorrow. His ship was still alive because Wes came to his defense. As Tommy held Linda Kay the speaker over the communications board beeped and a voice said, “You know, we could use a little help here.” Twig jumped and shouted, “Sprig, I’m going to deleaf you. Where are you?”
“I managed to teleport the two halves of the ship to the surface of Mars just before the energy balls hit. We have a lot of injuries here and the ship is losing atmosphere.”
Twig saw Linda Kay looking at her, “Sprig, is Wes ok?”
“He’s unconscious. The front part of the ship got the worse of it and when the ship was slammed apart the bridge was broken up. He’s still got oxygen in his suit but he’s not answering me.”
Tommy thought, “Rose.”
“Yes Tommy”
“Clear Colonist Park on Ross; I’m dropping a megaship on it in less than two minutes with casualties. One of them is Wes. You have two minutes.”
Tommy thought to Sprig, “Sprig, do you have the coordinates of Colonist Park on Ross.”
“Yes, why?”
I want you to teleport the Atlantis there in two minutes. The park is close to the medical park so we should be able to get help quickly.”
“Have you thought about the damage this ship will do if dropped in that park?”
“The park is two miles square. The ship will fit and statues and monuments can be rebuilt.”
Rose broke in on their conversation, “The park is blocked off but it will take an extra two minutes to move all of the tourists out from the middle of the park.”
“How are you going to do it,” Tommy asked?
“I’ve ordered ten thousand of our marines in training at the academy to jump into the park in their armor and grab a tourist and jump out. Set the ship down in the middle, please.”
Sprig said, “Three minutes.”
Cassandra looked at Linda Kay and said, “Twig I can’t jump there from here because the Captors may come back and see the jump track.”
Twig grabbed her device, entered coordinates, and then said, “The field is set up in front of the Kosiev. Move through it now.”
Cassandra pushed her fleet frequency and ordered, “Attention all ships; teleport to the destinations assigned prior to the battle and await further instructions. Helmsman, take us through the field.” Ten pulse ships disappeared and the Kosiev moved through the screen and entered the Ross system. Twig moved forward, grabbed Linda Kay, and they disappeared from the bridge.
Sprig stood on the bridge of the Atlantis counting down the time remaining. Wes wasn’t moving and he could tell that some of the bridge crew was dead. He placed the field over the broken ship and held it there. He went to the wall and pulled a lever that opened a glass cover. He reached in and pressed a bright red button that sent a signal to the skin of the Atlantis to go dormant. The hull of the Atlantis went from bright white to black. Now the ship could be safely landed. Finally the time had elapsed and he dropped the field on the damaged ship. He felt a slight jerk as the ship settled and then he pressed the emergency door release opening all of the external doors. He went to another switch and turned off all power to any weapon consoles. As he pushed the last circuit to engage emergency power the medical crews began rushing through the door into the bridge. One of the technicians ran to Wes and read his readouts. “This one is still alive, move him now!”
Sprig asked the technician, “Where are you taking him?”
“Dorg-Ross hospital.”
Sprig looked at his device and saw that he had entered the location of the hospital’s entrance when he had originally downloaded all the coordinates into his reader. Sprig said, “I’m taking him directly there, is there anyone else that needs to go.”
Four more of the bridge crew were moved close to Wes. Sprig grabbed one of the technicians and said, “You’re going with us.” Sprig punched his enable button and all seven disappeared from the ship.”
They reappeared at the hospital entrance and surprised the hospital emergency staff waiting for the first arrivals. The technician yelled, “We’ve got wounded here. Get a move on.”
Sprig watched as Wes was taken inside and then he teleported back to the ship and brought twenty more to the entrance. He spent the next three hours moving wounded to the various medical facilities around the park. Twenty minutes into his efforts Twig appeared in front of him with an anxious Linda Kay. Twig moved up and wrapped him so tight in her limbs he thought he was going to be crushed. Then she stepped back and popped him a good one with one of her branches. Sprig rubbed where she had hit him and said, “Why did you do that?”
“You pile of green kudzu. You scared eight hundred years off my life span.”
Sprig looked at Linda Kay anxiously looking around and said, “Wes is at Dorg-Ross hospital. Twig, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t let him die without trying to save him.” Linda Kay ran up and hugged Sprig tightly as tears covered her face. Sprig put his branches around her and said, “Twig, take her to him and then I need your help moving the wounded.”
Twig hugged him again feeling her life come back into her and then grabbed Linda Kay and disappeared. Sprig moved over to the rear portion of the ship and saw more wounded to be transported. He felt sorrow for the many bodies of dead crewmen that didn’t make it but he didn’t have time to deal with it. He had to help the living. He disappeared with ten wounded sailors.”
Cassandra and Tommy flew down to the site of the wrecked ship and found Rose there watching the medical teams helping the wounded. She saw Tommy and Cassandra and walked up to them. “I was worried about you two. What happened here?”
Tommy looked where the pulse ship had broken and said, “Their weapons don’t penetrate our armor. The new skin prevents direct damage. Wes’ ship was the victim of bad luck. Their energy balls don’t penetrate but they do blast the ships around. The rear section was held in place by several hundred of the balls exploding on each side of the ship just as two hundred hit the port side of the nose. The ships structure just can’t handle that kind of push.”
Leila came running up and said, “Where is Wes?”
Cassandra thought, ‘Twig, where is Wes?”
“Dorg-Ross hospital.”
“His mother is here at the rear of the ship, can you come take her to him?”
Tommy said, “I’m not certain where he is Leila.”
Suddenly Twig materialized and said, “Which one is his mother?”
Cassandra said, “Leila, Wes is at Dorg-Ross and Twig is going to take you to him.” Leila looked up at the Algean as Twig took her hand and they disappeared.
Rose watched the proceedings and said, “I think that teleportation device is going to change our world dramatically.”
Tommy said, “You have no idea. I’m going to have fields installed into the ships before we go back into battle so the crew can step out to safety. We no longer need escape pods. They can just step right out into their home living rooms or anywhere else we choose.”
Rose said, “I understand that one of the Algeans is responsible for saving the ship.”
Tommy said, “He is the only reason anyone survived. Wes went to the defense of another ship and placed himself in danger to save that ship.”
Rose looked around and said, “We should go to the hospital to check on Wes.”
Cassandra furrowed her brow and said, “He’s in the operating room and the surgeon just said that it looks like several hours before the surgery is completed and he’s out of the woods.”
Rose rubbed her forehead and said, “He has got to make it. Leila will be inconsolable if he dies.”