Chapter 5
Sam sat at her computer in the back of the bay working. She then heard a familiar voice call out.
"Sam." Sabrina Duncan called as she walked into the station.
She called back. "By the engine." She typed away trying to find out what went wrong prior.
Sabrina noticed the trucks were gone. "Did the boys get a call?"
She nodded. "Fire alarm at the high school." She stopped typing and looked upon her friend.
Sporting jeans and white blouse, Sabrina looked upon Sam most innocently. "Charlie wants an update on how things are going?"
"Well." she sighed. "I did a computer program upgrade yesterday which knocked the engine off line, severing the wormhole. When we restarted the engine to reestablish the wormhole we someone how managed to connect with a spaceship called the Galactica. They are located about twelve light-years from us. There is a fleet of civilian ships and one battleship. The aliens were attacked by another group of aliens called Cylons, who are like Terminators and they wiped out twelve versions of earth. I guess we're cousins of some kind. They are all human. Steve is currently on the Galactica helping them because the ship is now a sitting duck thanks to my wormhole."
Sabrina blinked with the most shocked expression upon her face. "What?"
She stated. "The wormhole is now connected to a warp drive engine on a alien spaceship filled with humans who running from killer machines."
"Um…" she gulped.
"It's complicated." she stated. "Anyways, they are running out of supplies and if the ship tries to move the wormhole will rip it apart and kill everyone. So, Grandpa and Uncle Roy have a list of things to get. The refugees need medicine, food, water. We're trying to help them and hope the Cylons don't find earth or they may attack us too."
Sabrina stood god smacked for a moment. "Anything I can do to help?" she winced.
"They need fighter pilots for the vipers." she shrugged. "Steve was a fighter pilot so he can help."
"Maybe we need to contact the military." Sabrina wondered.
She shook her head. "No way in hell. They will do something stupid and next thing you know we got cylons running amok."
Sabrina pulled up a nearby chair and took a seat beside her. "Then what do we do? You are talking first contact and alien invading us."
Sam confessed. "I wish I knew. I have no clue what to do. How do you rescue a spaceship? A military spaceship? We don't even know if we can get the wormhole to disengage. And if they blow the ship, that shockwave could come right through the wormhole and wipe out the fire station and my engine."
"Kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place." Sabrina figured.
She sighed. "I know."
Galactica
Colonel Steve Austin found himself in a colonial uniform and in the cockpit of a Viper as he got familiar with the craft and maneuvers. He discovered the fighter craft similar to a fighter jet from earth and he adopted easily. Apollo and Starbuck were helping Steve train and soon realized he was easily one of the best pilots in the entire fleet. Three vipers were on patrol of the sector in space keeping an eye out for any Cylon scouts. They chatted over the radio.
Apollo asked, "What's the first thing you will do once we get settled on earth, Starbuck?"
He replied in a near dream. "Find myself a few nice girls and check out this Vegas place. How about you, Apollo?"
He nearly laughed as he replied. "Fine a nice house for me and Boxy."
Steve injected. "There are lots of nice houses, Apollo. And if you join the Air Force, you will be made an officer and get a base provided house for you and your son to live in."
Starbuck asked. "Is your Air Force like our Colonial Fleet?"
"Lot like it." Steve stated. "Every viper pilot would be encouraged to join. You may even become instructors. Once we get the Galactica to earth, we will start making more Battle Stars to fend off the Cylons. We will make our own Vipers and you two are seasoned Viper pilots. You are both very valuable to the Air Force." He pondered. "Might even spin off a new branch and call it the Space Force."
Apollo stated. "I can do that as long as Boxy has a future on Earth."
"He's got a bright future." Steve assured. "You both will be given American citizenship and he can go to school, go to a university and go into any career he wants. He will have other kids to play with and fresh air and clean fresh water. He won't be confined to a ship anymore. Lots of places to run around and just be a kid."
Apollo admitted. "Sounds like a dream come true."
"It will be." Steve promised. "All the kids will have a home on Earth. I promise you that."
Starbuck asked. "Can we live anywhere on earth? Or just your country?"
"You can live anywhere." he promised. "But you will be offered citizenship and a job from the U.S.. I can't make that promise from any other country."
"Can I go to any other countries to visit?" Starbuck wondered.
"You can. We have a travel system." he assured. "You can also buy your own piece of land and your own home." he told him. "Not every country allows that but the U.S. does."
Apollo smiled to himself. "Now that sounds like a dream. I can get my own home and land. Plenty of room for Boxy to run and play." he day dreamed.
"You will have lots of opportunity." Steve insisted. The alarm on his control sounded. "I think we got company." he became more alert.
Starbuck reported. "I got a scout ship on long range scanners."
Apollo observed the sensor readings. "That scout ship is heading towards Earth."
"We're close. Should we make the jump to Earth's solar system?" Starbuck wondered.
Apollo referred to Steve. "That scout ship is heading towards your solar system, Colonel. You want us to follow?"
"Yes. I want to see where it goes." he agreed.
"Apollo to Galactica." he called in. "We have detected a scout ship near Earth's solar system. It's pretty close. We're going to follow it."
Steve was most curious as to just how close to earth the Cylons were and if perhaps the Clyons could explain some of the UFO sightings that have been reported over the years. He took the lead as the three Vipers followed the trail.
Meanwhile
Roy and Johnny made a stop at the hospital on the way back from the call to speak to Dr. Kelly Brackett and request the medications for the ship. In a small office Roy and Johnny debriefed Dr. Bracket and Nurse Dixie McCall on the latest.
Roy stated. "Sam lost the wormhole when she went to update the software on the computer. We got it back but instead of connecting to the fire station in 2025, it connected to an alien spaceship sitting not far from Earth. The ship is named the Galactica and it's a military vessel that is protecting a fleet of civilian vessels that are running from killer machines called Cylons. They are humans. Apparently, we are some long lost colony. Johnny and I have both been on the ship, we spoke to the Commander and they are in dire need of food, water and medications. The ship cannot move as long as the wormhole is attached to it. I know how this all sounds. But it's true."
Johnny added. "Sam did say a wormhole could connect one planet to another."
Brackett stood a bit dumbfounded. "Aliens!" He looked to Dixie to ensure he heard correctly. "Aliens!"
She shrugged. "Why not? The wormhole before was looped into the future and the men were getting big screen televisions, movies not made yet, microwaves and coffee makers."
Roy told her. "We don't have access to the future anymore. Just the ship."
Dr. Brackett asked. "What is Colonel Austin's assessment of all this?"
"He stayed behind on the ship to help." Roy told him. "They are desperate. These machine wiped out twelve other worlds that were just like our own."
Dixie asked concerned. "Do these killer machines know where Earth is?"
"As far as we know, no." Roy told her.
"That we know of?" Brackett asked concerned.
Johnny stated. "There are a lot of conspiracy theories about aliens being here and Area 51 and that Roswell thing." He pondered. "What if they are already here?"
"That would be bad." Roy winced. He handed a hand written list to the doctor. "They need these medications."
Kelly took the list and read it over. "I can get some of these through the hospital. How close to Earth is this ship?"
"Twelve light-years." Roy told him. "To me on the chart it looked like they were real close. Like an inch."
The doctor stated. "Twelve light years would be very close. That's how long it would take light to travel through space to reach earth. It would be outside our solar system for sure. It takes sunlight eight minutes to reach earth. Five hours to reach Pluto. To give you an idea. If this ship can travel faster than the speed of light, they can be here very fast."
Johnny stated. "They have a warp drive engine. That's what cough the wormhole."
Roy pondered. "I wonder how come the wormhole went out into space when before it just stayed in the station?"
Dr. Brackett stated. "It never stayed in the station, Roy. The wormhole in the future went through space and connected to earth in the past, which is the present for us. In space, everything moves. We are not stationary. The entire galaxy is moving. Earth does not sit in one orbit in one part of space. Everything, including our sun, moves but it does so as a whole unit. So, to us the sun looks like it's standing still. We're actually going through space itself much like a spaceship. Sun and all! So, when that first wormhole developed it left earth that is positioned in another area of space and connected to Earth in our correct position of space. When the first wormhole was lost, Sam started a second wormhole hoping to reconnect with Earth in a different area of space. A space that can be calculated by celestial drifting. But she missed that and hit the spaceship instead."
Roy and Johnny stood pondering the big picture.
"You mean." Johnny started. "That wormhole was going through space and connecting one version of Earth to another all along?"
He nodded. "Connecting earth to itself but separated by space. Let's say you want to use that wormhole and go back see the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Using a mathematical formula, you calculate where the solar system was during that time and aim the wormhole through space, like aiming a rifle. Sam's first wormhole traveled from earth, to earth, in real time and a very short distance when you look at the galaxy as a whole."
The two firemen looked at one another still trying to see what the doctor was describing in their minds.
"Kind of wild, huh?" Johnny noted.
Roy agreed. "That whole thing is confusing."
"Maybe Sam can explain it better than I can." The doctor suggested.
Roy winced.
"Roy?" he asked.
He confessed. "I'm afraid to ask. Last time I asked her something about space she started on about some kind of layers upon layer of earth like some kind of cake. I have no clue what she was talking about."
Dixie recalled. "She was telling me something about Earth being a cake too. I was asking her questions about the timeline. I was lost on what she said to be honest."
Dr. Brackett crinkled his nose as he pondered. "Hmm…I know a young man, who is starting his residency. He just moved here. He's part time in high school, taking college part time and doing his residency here for his MD. Sam Beckett. Bright young man. He was one explaining the celestial drift affect to me. I wonder if he would know what she was talking about with Earth being a cake. That one is a bit beyond me to be honest. Maybe we ask Sam if she would like to meet Sam." he suggested. "I think they would get along well."
Roy chuckled. "Sure! I'll ask Sam is she wants to meet…Sam."
"He's a child prodigy genius." he told him. "Only one I know who is on her level."
Johnny suggested. "Might be a good idea to have them meet. He's eighteen at least. Older than Greg Brady." he chuckled a bit to himself.
"Greg Brady?" Brackett asked.
Roy sighed. "A local boy with a big crush on her."
Dixie rolled her eyes. "Poor Sam. Last thing she needs is a teenage boy with a crush on her."