Chapter 3: Apprehension
If any of you think Phineas and his family being of a Christian worldview is out-of-character, then try reading Ad Astra1: Encounter at Alpha Centauri, where S'lar's revelation to Phineas causes him to reconsider faith. Anyways, the fleet is already positioned just above earth's outer layer of atmosphere in formation. None of the new 500-member ships are complete yet, so the most advanced ship type of the fleet is the Liberty-Class (the Phineas, Constantine, and many others). Onward and upward we go, then.
"Captain on the bridge" yelled recently-promoted Captain Ferb Fletcher. All bridge crew members stood up erect and with the most solemn looks ever seen on any of their faces. "Isabella," said Phineas casually, "put me on to the fleet." "You're on, sir." "This is Captain Phineas Flynn of the starship Phineas. All starships check in." "Constantine in!" "Fletcher in!" "Roddenberry in!" "Tiberius in!" "Majestic in!" "Bangkok in!" "Rio Grande in!" "Odyssey in!" "Galaxy in!" "Independence in!" "Ingenuity in!" "Entrepreneur in!" "Liberty in!" "Excelsior in!" "Enterprise in!" "Hood in!" "Agamemnon in!" "Crazy Horse in!" "Defiant in!" "Intrepid in!" The captains all yelled out their ship names in that chaotic mess somewhere, and the list was filled with all ships present. TerraFleet had 400 starships to boast, although their crew complements only ranged from 20 to 80. "Captain Flynn to the fleet: we are going to meet with all allied ships at the V'malnon homeworld. Then we fly into the jaws of death to meet the Karon fleet. May God bless this fleet and the families of all those to be lost. All ships: maximum warp to V'mala, engage!" Ships in clusters warped off to V'mala.
Once all ships were at Warp 9.99 (7,912c or 7,912x the speed of light), Phineas put himself on to the crews of all ships, saying "well, uh…I had never been too much of a man of faith until 10 years ago, and even now, I have never been too evangelistic. The events of the past year and a half have all proven that life is short and unpredictable. Their superweapon killed 7 million of our people on earth, and if that doesn't speak for itself, I don't know what does. I used to be strictly secular science; now I say that there is a Divine Being who allows all to unfold according to a master plan. To my Terran comrades, do you remember how other species we've met were shocked that we were stupid to not acknowledge His existence? You may do what you will to prepare yourselves, but I am merely reminding you that there are a number of things at stake in this war, both physical and eternal. I'm sure you all remember the First and Second Battles of H'pal…No matter what the outcome may be…may your legacies live on forever…"
Phineas and a few other crewmen retired to the mess hall, all equally nervous and barely reassured by their honor-to-come. Phineas sat with Isabella, both looking at their 2038 picture with Chris and Erica. "They're in good care, Izzy." "I know, Phineas. I know." They were both drinking cups of hazelnut coffee with small plates of tiramisu on the side. In Ferb's quarters, Ferb and Vanessa were looking at a picture of themselves and their daughter Victoria. As they were alone, they let their emotions flow freely as they comforted each other. Buford stood on the bridge in confidence yet some worry. Irving nervously eyed his Operations Consoles while occasionally looking over at his wife Katie at the Tactical Console. Baljeet, Ginger, and all the engineers had retired to their quarters, as all of the medical crew had as well. Crew came and went from time to time, as it would be a day before they would arrive at the V'malnon homeworld. Along the way, Thoronon and Sorunon fleets began to follow the Terran fleet. Within 12 hours, T'laran, I'lin, and Species 1 (Meap's kind) starships were joining the mix. On October 18th, 2040, all fleets met with a combined strength. They all stopped and rested for a few hours at V'malnon stations before laying a heading for Losurae. "The hour cometh…" said Phineas softly from the bridge when they warped off again.
Nothing more to say than to tell you to move on, I suppose. Read on!