The following week went by rapidly. Captain Max, Sergeant Howell, and Jones spent their time on board the Sparrow, rebuilding every on-board system in order to make it the most modern ship in space. They spent long hours talking with the Steward and customizing everything about the ship, from weapons to life support to its propulsion system. The zero-point-energy plant was removed and replaced with the most modern technology that the Artilect had to offer. By the end of the week the captain was more than satisfied.

“Do you realize how much energy this ship can produce?” Captain Max asked. The three of them were standing on the engineering deck, looking over the results of their combined handiwork. “The numbers are so large that they’re almost meaningless.”

“It’s just a matter of scale,” Jones commented. “If you went back to the pre-spaceflight days of the Spanish Empire and told them how much electricity a zero-point-energy plant could produce, it would boggle their mind. They couldn’t begin to comprehend it! We’re playing in a field of giants and these numbers are the new normal. The real problem is that our minds are used to a civilization that disappeared a very long time ago. Our world seems barbaric and crude to the Steward, to the point that he finds it humorous.”

“I still wonder what we’ll find when we re-enter human space,” Sergeant Howell commented. “I would really like to know how it’s possible for two completely automated armies to keep a war going for five thousand years. Why hasn’t one side prevailed and the other lost? I feel like there’s something else going on that we don’t know.”

“There’s no telling how many things are going on that we don’t know about,” Captain Max said. “The Artilect hasn’t been connected to human space for ages. We could be getting ourselves into a real mess.”

“We’re not going to be going anywhere until we find Amy and Amanda,” Jones warned. “If they were easy to find we would already have found them by now.”

“But we’ll find them,” Captain Max said confidently. “Just give it time.”

* * * * *

Richard and Laura Stryker had spent the week in their new home while their dog Alex enjoyed the delights of the countryside. Laura had been startled to find that Jack had created a 130-room mansion for them to live in.

“This is ridiculous!” Laura said, after the week was over and they had settled into the estate. She and her husband were sitting outside on the balcony of the master bedroom, looking over the magnificent city of New Tikal. “It’s got a pool, a bowling alley, a theater, a ballroom, a twenty-car garage, a giant library…”

“It is a little ritzy,” Richard agreed. “Just look at our foyer, for example! That solid gold chandelier is breathtaking. And did you notice the wooden beams, the crown molding, and the elegant pieces of furniture that are everywhere? The desks, chairs, furniture, tables, lamps, paintings…”

“I know,” Laura said. “Do you know how much all of this would cost back home? I bet even the Emperor’s estate isn’t like this.”

“Probably not,” Richard said, laughing. “But that’s the thing, dear – we are home. This is where we live now, and here things are different. You heard what Jack said – none of this cost anything to create. In fact, this whole network of planets has been out here for thousands of years just waiting for someone to come and live in it! We have the entire planet to ourselves.”

“But it just feels wrong somehow,” Laura replied. “Living this extravagantly makes me feel guilty. Did you notice that diamonds are decorating everything? It just makes me think about all those poor people back in Tikal, and here we are living like billionaires.”

“But Tikal doesn’t exist anymore,” Richard said. “There aren’t any poor people either. In the entire network of 93 million star systems the only people alive are you, me, Howell, Jones, and Max – and our two daughters, somewhere. Nobody is going without a meal because of what we have here.”

“I still don’t like it,” Laura said. “All this wealth just feels corrupting. Is the ability to have anything you want, anytime you want it, really a good thing?”

“I know this all seems like a lot, and it is. We’re trying to adapt to a lot of change all at once. But remember, our lifestyle on Tikal was insanely luxurious compared to what our ancestors had in the years before spaceflight. It just didn’t seem like it to us because we were used to it and everyone lived that way. Besides, the whole reason we were brought here was so we could save the rest of mankind so they can enjoy all of this wealth as well.”

“But is that actually a good idea?” Laura asked. “Not the saving their lives part – we should do that, of course. But all of this – it’s just too much! You saw what people were like back home and how the Empire and the Rangers constantly fought each other. What are people going to be like when anyone can have anything?”

“I don’t know,” Richard said, sighing. “I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Right now we need to concentrate on finding our daughters. But about the house – I’m sure Jack could build us a smaller one but what would be the point? We have the entire planet to ourselves. What would actually be accomplished by moving?”

“Nothing, I guess,” Laura said. “I’m sorry, dear. I know I should be grateful. I’m just not used to this. In the past I had to work to make a living and now I can make anything appear just by wanting it. It feels wrong – I feel spoiled. Maybe it’s ok for perfect people to live that way but we’re not perfect people! Maybe this is what Heaven will be like and there it will be ok, but we haven’t gotten there yet. I just think this lifestyle is dangerous. If I can have anything I want then what kind of person am I going to become?”

“Let’s take one thing at a time,” Richard said. “I understand what you’re saying and maybe you’re right. But for the time being I think we should adapt to our new home and get things ready for our daughters. When they arrive we’re going to have some work to do. War is always an ugly business. Maybe we should just enjoy what we have while we have it.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Laura agreed. “Things have been terrible lately – first there was the war between Earth and Mars, then the assassination attempt, and then the shock at finding our daughters gone. Maybe God has given this to us so we can rest and get ready to face the next challenge.”

* * * * *

The following week everyone was gathered in the courtyard of the Stryker estate, eating breakfast. The Steward had prepared an amazing meal for them and the table was covered with croissants, muffins, pancakes, bacon, ham, and all kinds of fruits and juices. Everyone had helped themselves and were busily talking about their plans for the day. Alex was asleep at the foot of the table; he had been up all night chasing rabbits.

The day was a beautiful one. It was early spring, and the grass in the fields was a brilliant green. The trees were just beginning to bud and some of the early flowers had already bloomed. Overhead the sky was a brilliant blue, without a cloud to be seen.

As they talked, however, clouds began forming on the horizon. A shadow passed over the sun, dimming its light. The breeze turned cool.

Jones was the first one to notice that something was wrong. He looked up at the sky and frowned. “It’s overcast,” he said.

Richard stood up and looked at the sky. “I see that. I didn’t think it was supposed to rain today.”

“That’s not rain,” Sergeant Howell replied. He pointed toward a dark cloud that was far in the distance, almost out of sight. It was rapidly growing in size.

“What is it, dear?” Laura asked her husband.

Everyone turned to the Steward, who was staring at it intently. He seemed puzzled. “I’ve never seen that before,” he said at last. “It’s very odd. It’s not from here and it’s nothing the Artilect has made. It looks like a swarm of something. Maybe–”

Jack continued to talk, but his form wavered and the sound cut out. His figure was suddenly turned into wavy lines. A look of panic appeared briefly on his face and then he disappeared.

“That is not good,” Jones said.

“Where did he go?” Richard asked.

“I think someone shut him down,” Sergeant Howell replied. “I don’t know who our visitors are but I don’t think they’re friendly.”

“What do we do?” Laura asked. By now the dark cloud had grown quite large. The sunlight had faded and the air had grown cold. The group felt the ground begin to tremble.

“We fight,” Sergeant Howell said grimly.

In the giant star system that housed the Artilect things had begun to change. It was no longer necessary for the enormous machine to scan thousands of light-years of space-time in search of microscopic wormholes. Its ancient dream – to reach back in time and rescue an administrator from the annals of history – had been realized.

I do not believe the mission failed, it thought to itself as it reconfigured the 74 planets in its star system for a new purpose. My son made it into the past and was able to send the Sparrow back to me. He must be here somewhere, and if he is here then I will find him. I will only believe he failed if I can prove he cannot be found in this age.

The components that made up the Artilect and gave it its boundless energy were now being rebuilt. Soon the Artilect would be able to peer across the depths of space and see into the troubled region that had so long been wracked by war and devastation. It could not interfere but it could see what there was to be seen. Somewhere in that group of systems was the Sentinel and the Stryker twins. If they were out there then they were almost certainly trapped in some sort of time stasis field. The Artilect was confident that it would be able to scan all of those systems and find such a field, no matter how small or well-hidden it may be.

If you are out there, my son, I will find you. I will not be long in coming.

* * * * *

The crew of the Sparrow was standing in a large courtyard that was located in the center of New Tikal. All around them were giant skyscrapers, thousands of feet high, that shimmered in the morning sun. Rays of sunlight struck the sides of the buildings and split into dozens of colors, sending ever-changing patterns of red and yellow and blue splashing onto the ground. The courtyard itself was paved with stones as black as midnight. Engraved on the stones in elegant gold lines was a giant map of the city. Jack was using the map to explain how New Tikal was laid out.

“The city is divided into a series of districts,” the Steward was explaining. “In the center, right here, are the administrative and governmental buildings. To the north and east are the business areas and to the south and west are the shopping and commercial districts.”

“But where do people live?” Laura asked.

“Over here, on the outskirts of the city,” Jack explained. “The residential areas form a giant ring around the entire metropolis.”

“Where does the city get its energy?” Captain Maxwell asked. “I don’t see any power plants.”

“There is a generator at the heart of the planet but it’s only used for defense. The buildings and machines power themselves. There’s no need for centralized power production.”

“The planet has defensive systems?” Sergeant Howell asked.

Jack nodded. “We’re so far away from the eternal war that I doubt they’ll ever be used, but they’re present. They should be able to defend you against pretty much anything.”

“But I thought the Artilect wasn’t allowed to go to war,” Sergeant Howell said.

“That is true. He is not allowed to start a war but he can protect both himself and any who might live in his network of stars.”

“Where’s the industrial section?” Richard asked. “I don’t see any factories on the map.”

Jack laughed. “Things don’t work that way. In the past you had to have big factories in order to produce products, but today all you have to do is just pull it into reality. Each citizen has the ability to create whatever they want.”

“How does that work?” Laura asked. “Let’s say I wanted new curtains for our home. What would I do?”

“Excellent question!” Jack exclaimed. “I can see I’m getting ahead of myself. First let’s get all of you plugged in.” He then made a quick motion in the air and breathed on them. A moment later each person felt a warm sensation. Then reality changed. Each of them suddenly felt their mind dramatically expand. It was as if they had been blind all their lives and were suddenly given the ability to see. When they looked at the world around them they no longer saw objects; instead they saw a system that could be manipulated by sheer will.

“I feel different,” Laura said.

“Expanded,” Captain Max agreed. He waved his hand and a wrought-iron table and chairs appeared in the plaza. The captain walked over and took a seat at the table. Laura studied the table for a moment and then materialized an identical chair, which she placed by the captain. She then joined him at the table.

“That’s amazing,” Richard commented. “I feel like I could build anything I wanted simply by wanting it.”

“That’s the whole idea,” the Steward said. “That’s how things work here.”

“It’s a bit scary,” Sergeant Howell said. “Do all citizens of the future have this ability?”

“Right now you’re the only citizens here!” Jack pointed out. “But yes, that’s the idea. The administrators – that would be your two lovely daughters – are different, of course. You can only control your own environment, but the administrators can control all of the millions of worlds governed by the Artilect, including the Artilect itself.”

“And they can use those star systems to declare war,” Sergeant Howell said.

“Right,” Jack said.

“How does this work?” Richard asked. “What mechanism is actually creating all of these objects?”

“Inside each of you are trillions upon trillions of nanites,” Jack explained. “Combined, they give you the ability to interact with your environment.”

“Will they work on other planets, or just this one?” Richard asked.

“They will work anywhere, of course, but things are much easier here because this planet was designed to be customized. The city itself is a part of the network, just like you are now that you’re plugged in. Other planets that aren’t a part of the network can still be interacted with but the process is much more tedious.”

“The twins seemed to do a fine job of ‘interacting’ with the Sparrow,” Captain Max said wryly.

“They did at that,” Richard said. “It took them no time at all to repair all that damage.”

“Do these nanites have any side-effects?” Jones asked.

“Side-effects?” Jack said. “Well, they do act as a second immune system, protecting you from disease and extending your life indefinitely.”

“They do what?” Captain Max asked.

“I think he said we’re immortals now,” Richard said.

“Wouldn’t that mean the girls are too?” Laura asked.

“Of course,” Jack replied. “Now we can’t guarantee you’ll live forever, of course, but the nanites do stop the aging process. Barring accidents you should live for a very long time – as long as the universe lasts, really.”

“That’s certainly something to think about,” Jones said.

Captain Max spoke up. “This is all a lot of fun and I hate to break this up, but is there any chance that the Steward can take a look at the Sparrow? There’s a lot of work I’d like to have done to her now that we’ve become permanent residents of the future.”

“I’ll second that,” Sergeant Howell said.

“I’d also like to move into our new home today,” Laura said. “I’m sure it will take some time to get everything set up.”

“Then let’s get started!” Jack exclaimed.

The rest of the day was uneventful. By the time they went to bed that night it was clear that Jack was working with the plasma, but no obvious progress had been made. The next day progressed just as slowly. The crew of the Sparrow spent most of their time on the bridge watching Jack work his magic. They talked about the missing girls and speculated about what they would find when it came time to go to war.

“I still wonder how things turned out back home,” Richard said. “Did Governor Nicholas erect the Wall around Sol? What happened next? Did the Rangers ever form a union of some kind?”

Captain Max nodded. “I’d like to know too, Rick, but it all happened so long ago that it might not be possible to find out. Andy isn’t even sure if mankind has survived the endless war that’s been raging. If any historical records have survived they’re probably from a much more recent period.”

“Still, you never know,” Richard replied. “It’s possible that Andy might know – he wasn’t built too long after all these things happened. We could always ask.”

“I still find it hard to believe that we’re actually in the future,” Laura said. “It feels like we could just turn around and head back home and everything would be back to normal again.”

“I know what you mean,” Captain Max said. “I wonder what Sol is like these days.”

It was late in the afternoon before the planet finally began to take shape. All at once the brilliant white light dimmed and a solid mass began forming from the shapeless plasma. Jones monitored the construction of the planet from his console.

“This is very impressive, sir. Jack has managed to match the gravity and mass of Mars exactly. That planet is going to be an exact duplicate of home.”

As they watched the white light went out altogether. At first a haze obscured the planet itself, but as it cleared they began to recognize various surface features.

“It really does look just like Mars,” Richard replied at last. “I even see Olympus Mons. Jack knows what he’s doing.”

“Only it doesn’t have any oceans, or life, or anything that might make it habitable,” Laura said.

“I’m sure he’ll get to that,” Jones replied. “All in good time. In fact, it looks like atmospheric pressure is already starting to build.”

Over the next several hours the empty ocean basins of the planet slowly filled with water and the atmospheric pressure leveled off. Clouds began forming over the newly-minted world, and slowly but surely green areas appeared on the continents.

“It seems so slow,” Laura said at last, right before everyone headed off to bed.

“Appearances can be deceiving,” Sergeant Howell said. “Our best technology would have taken ten years to achieve what we saw done today – and that’s not counting reforming the entire planet, which we could never have done at all. It’s really quite impressive.”

“Do you think we’ll be able to move in tomorrow?” Laura asked.

“It’s quite possible,” Captain Max replied.

* * * * *

Sure enough, the next morning after breakfast the ship was hailed from the planet below.

“It’s Jack,” the captain said, as he settled down at the comm station on the ship’s bridge. “He said he’s done and wants to know if we’d like to come see the planet.”

“Sure,” Richard replied, who was standing right behind him. “And tell him that he doesn’t need to keep contacting us by radio. He’s welcome to just drop by whenever he wants.”

Captain Max nodded and relayed the message to the surface. A moment later there was a soft flash of white light and the inhabitants of the Sparrow found themselves standing in the middle of an enormous grassy field under a wide blue sky. In the distance was the shoreline of a beautiful blue ocean. A soft wind stirred the grass.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Jack said, as he walked toward them. “I had no idea this would be so much fun! I really should do this more often.”

Alex began running around the field, barking like crazy at some birds in the distance. The Steward watched their dog and smiled.

Richard blinked twice. “What happened to our ship?”

“It’s still in orbit, right where you left it,” Jack explained.

“Where we left it?” Captain Max said uncertainly. “I didn’t realize that we were going to be leaving it.”

“You said you wanted to see the planet,” Jack replied. “And here you are! Isn’t it grand?”

“Ah,” the captain replied. “Right. We did. Only I was expecting to actually land the ship and then get out of it.”

“Oh. Not a problem.” Jack waved his hand and the Sparrow appeared in the clearing behind them. “There we go – no harm done! But really, what do you think? Is this what you had in mind?”

Laura took in a deep breath of the planet’s air. “This is a beautiful world, Jack. I love it. You did a fantastic job.”

“It really is incredible,” Richard agreed. “But you know, this place reminds me of something. I get the feeling that I’ve been here before.”

Jack nodded. “You have! Kind of. This is the great plain of Tikal, only without the city. I haven’t started constructing the buildings yet.”

Richard snapped his fingers. “That’s it! Of course. And that’s the great Martian Sea up ahead! Only I don’t remember it ever looking quite as beautiful as that.”

“I have taken a few liberties with the weather, as you requested,” Jack explained. “Quetzalli is not as dry as Mars and the sky is quite a bit bluer. I think you’ll like it here.”

“I definitely agree,” Laura said. “This is amazing. Thank you. I’m sure our daughters will love it.”

The group watched as their dog raced around the field, barking at birds that were hidden in the grass. Alex was clearly having a wonderful time.

“I bet he’s glad to be off the ship,” Richard said, smiling.

“He’s not the only one,” his wife added.

“Speaking of that, we do need to discuss living quarters,” Jack said. “What kind of buildings would you like for me to construct? I can rebuild Tikal, if that’s what you would like.”

Richard shook his head. “No, Jack, let’s not do that. I appreciate the offer, but this is a new planet and I think we need a fresh start. Build us something new. Something that looks like it belongs in the future.”

“Quite so,” Captain Max replied. “Build us a real city of tomorrow.”

“An entire city?” Laura asked. “Don’t you think that’s a little extravagant?”

Richard shrugged. “Life is going to be a little boring if the only building on this entire planet is our house, don’t you think? Besides, I don’t think it’s any additional work for Jack. At the very least, exploring it would give us something constructive to do.”

Jack nodded. “Not a problem! You know, I can do much more than just build one city. There is room on this planet for many thousands of cities. Just let me know what you want and I will make it happen.”

“Thanks, but I think we’ll start with just one,” Laura said. “We’ll see how that goes first.”

“As you wish!” Jack said. The Steward looked into the distance and spread his hands apart. He was silent for a moment, as if he was watching something that only he could see. Then his hands began to move. A moment later the crew of the Sparrow could see a faint glowing in the distance, just above the grass. The glowing mass began to grow, emitting a powerful white light.

“That looks just like the plasma we saw earlier,” Sergeant Howell remarked.

“It’s not plasma, actually,” Jack replied. “In your time you had a concept known as ‘programmable matter’ that is somewhat similar, although not quite the same. The atoms within that field have been changed to something that has energy and intelligence. It can be customized to form any material of any shape and purpose. I’m going to use it to grow the city. It shouldn’t take too long.”

“You’re going to grow it?” Richard asked, surprised.

“Of course, Mr. Stryker. It is a very old technique – in fact, it is how the Artilect was built.”

“Right,” Captain Max replied. “Very, very old, I’m sure.”

Jack smiled. As they watched the white mass began growing very much larger, until it covered an area far greater than the size of the original city of Tikal. Over the next few minutes the city began taking shape.

“I think I can see the outline of buildings,” Laura said at last.

“It’s amazing,” her husband said quietly. “I never thought I’d see anything like this.”

With a final move of Jack’s hands the city suddenly sprang to life. In an instant the white glow disappeared, revealing a sprawling metropolis of incredible beauty. The city appeared to be made out of glass and light. The enormous buildings refracted the afternoon sun, creating a beautiful light show as far as the eye could see. From the distance they could see long interconnected streets, each lined with mature trees and brilliantly-colored flowers.

“It has such a look of peace about it,” Laura remarked.

“Is that what you were looking for?” Jack asked. “If you’d prefer a different design I can try something else. It’s really no trouble at all.”

Richard shook his head. “No, Jack, I think that will do fine.”

“What should we call it?” Sergeant Howell asked.

“The obvious choice, of course,” Richard replied.

“That’ll work,” Jones said. “New Tikal it is.”

“Very good,” the Steward replied. “Would you like for me to give you a guided tour of your new home?”

“Lead the way!” Richard replied. “I can hardly wait.”

After the Steward left the inhabitants of the Sparrow remained on the bridge and watched the planet they were orbiting. Everyone expected something to happen but as the minutes ticked by they could see no activity.

“I still don’t see why we’re doing this,” Laura said at last. “The planet was perfectly good the way it was.”

Sergeant Howell nodded. “I agree. But remember why we were brought here, Mrs. Stryker. Once the Artilect finds your daughters he’s going to ask their permission to go to war. I thought it might be wise, before the war broke out, to see what kind of technology we’ve got on our side.”

“He’s got a good point,” Captain Max said. “The Emperor was able to do quite a lot of damage without 73rd century technology. I can only imagine what wars are like these days.”

“I think we’re going to be doing a lot more than just imagining, sir,” Jones replied.

“Still, Andy didn’t seem too worried,” Richard said. “I’m hoping that is a good sign.”

“We didn’t exactly have an in-depth discussion about it,” Sergeant Howell replied. “The Steward claims to have the ability to destroy and recreate an entire planet in a matter of days just in the name of convenience. That represents a great deal of destructive power.”

“It may not be as bad as we think,” Richard replied. “Supposedly this automated war has been going on for thousands of years and in all that time their technology level never changed. We may not encounter much resistance at all.”

Sergeant Howell nodded. “That may be, Richard, but I very much doubt they’ve faced an opponent like the Artilect before. Who knows what they might do when they’re backed into a corner?”

“I guess we’ll find out when the time comes,” Jones said. He looked down at his control display and tapped it gently. “Speaking of Jack, I think he’s gotten started.”

The first mate pressed a few buttons on the console and a diagram of the planet appeared on the forward viewscreen. As everyone watched, small red dots began appearing all over the planet.

“Those are satellites,” Jones explained. “They look like they’re about six hundred feet in diameter. They’re appearing by the thousands in different orbits around the planet.”

Laura looked out the window. “I really can’t tell that anything has changed.”

“Just give it time,” Captain Max said. “Jones, are you able to get any kind of reading on those satellites?”

Jones shook his head. “Not really. There’s a lot of interference right now – they’re putting out some type of radiation. I’ll see if I can compensate for it.”

Over the next thirty minutes the creation of the small satellites leveled off. Shortly after the last satellite was in place the objects began changing their orbits.

“Any idea what’s going on?” Captain Max asked his first mate.

“It’s hard to tell,” Jones replied. “I don’t think the movement is purely random – there’s definitely some sort of patten to it. It also looks like they’re beginning to release some type of radiation. But it’s not like anything I’ve seen before.”

“Something is certainly going on,” Laura replied. “The planet is getting a bit hazy. It’s like it’s shrouded in fog or something. I can hardly even see the oceans anymore.”

“Are you sure we’re at a safe distance, Captain?” Sergeant Howell asked.

“Jack seemed to think we’d be safe enough,” Captain Max replied. “Still, I can take us out a little bit further if you’d like.” He passed the request on to Eliza, who moved the starship out to a more distant orbit.

“Am I the only one who’s getting hungry?” Richard asked. “I feel like we’ve missed lunch. What time is it?”

“Now there’s a tricky question for you,” the captain replied. He pressed a few buttons and then leaned back in his chair and frowned. “Well, here’s the situation. As best I can tell we left this morning at 7 am and arrived in the future about a half-hour later. According to the ship’s clock it took us about four hours to get from deep space to this planet, and we’ve been orbiting for about two hours. That would make it early afternoon Tikal time – only there probably isn’t such a thing as Tikal time anymore.”

“I wonder what time it is locally?” Laura asked.

“I bet if we asked Jack he’d say it was up to us,” Captain Max replied. “For now I’m going to stick with early afternoon.”

“So we really did miss lunch,” Richard said. “Max, do you think that Eliza could–”

Their conversation was interrupted by a blinding flash of white light. Immediately Eliza spoke up through the overhead paging system. “Warning: increased radiation levels have been detected. Countermeasures are being taken. Please stand by.”

A moment later the bright white light dimmed significantly.

“What was that?” Richard said.

Laura pointed out the window. “Rick – the planet’s gone!”

Everyone turned and looked. The planet had been replaced with a blinding white star!

“Now that was a bit unexpected,” Captain Max replied. “What is it, Jones?”

“It’s not actually a star,” the first mate explained. “It looks like some type of plasma. It’s not energy, exactly – it’s more like an ultrahot form of matter. I think it’s being contained by the satellite network.”

“So the satellites are still there?” Richard asked.

“They are,” Jones said. “I’m going to guess that they’re responsible for converting the planet into this proto-matter – whatever it is – and are keeping the pieces together. Jack’s next step will probably be to take these building blocks and reassemble the planet to match our specifications.”

“Where’s he getting the energy to do all this?” Sergeant Howell wondered.

“I really have no idea,” Captain Max said. “Maybe after he’s done he’ll be willing to put us through a few science courses. After all, we’re going to be here a while. We might as well learn the basics.”

“And in the meantime. I suggest we get something to eat,” Richard said.

“Max, send a message to the planet below,” Richard Stryker commanded. “Let the Steward know that we’re ready.”

“Right,” the captain replied. He stared at the controls in front of him and frowned. “Andy didn’t tell us what frequency to use, did he?”

“I very much doubt it matters,” Sergeant Howell replied. “Something tells me that whoever watches over that planet is more than capable of detecting any signal that we might send.”

“Sounds good to me,” Captain Maxwell answered. He sent a message down to the planet below. A moment later an indicator light on the control panel lit up.

“Looks like we’re getting a response,” Richard replied. “Put it on the screen.”

The captain complied and a moment later the forward viewscreen showed a picture of a tall, elderly man wearing a red robe, tied around his waist with a white rope. When he saw the crew of the Sparrow he smiled. “It’s so good of you to contact me! I was wondering how long I would have to wait, but I understand that business is business. Might I have permission to come aboard?”

Captain Maxwell looked at Sergeant Howell, who shrugged. “Why not?” he replied.

“Thank you, sir,” the man replied. The screen went dark and a moment later the Steward appeared on the bridge of the Sparrow. “It’s so good to see all of you!” he said, smiling. He extended his hand to Richard and shook it vigorously. “You have no idea how good it is to finally meet you. We’ve been waiting such a long time.”

“So I’ve heard,” Richard replied.

“Excuse me, but I have a question,” Laura said. “I hope I’m not being rude but I was wondering why both you and Andy go around wearing robes. Is that the latest fashion? We’ve kind of been out of touch for a while.”

“Andy?” the Steward said, puzzled. “Oh, you mean the Artilect. Right. Actually, we Stewards have just copied the Artilect. I don’t know why he has chosen that mode of apparel. Clothing really isn’t my department, you know. But come to think of it, I can see my outfit doesn’t fit in with your period garments. Let me switch to something a bit more old-fashioned.”

In a soft flash of light the Steward’s appearance complete changed. He suddenly became a young man with blond hair and bright blue eyes, and wore bright red shorts, a tie-dyed t-shirt, and sandals. “There we go!” he said gleefully. “I feel like a new man.”

Richard grinned and started to say something, but his wife stopped him with a warning look. “You look just fine,” she said warmly. “Thank you.”

“I live to serve,” the Steward said grandly. “And please, call me Jack. There’s no need to be all formal. We’re all friends here, after all.”

“Do you have a last name?” Laura asked.

“I will once you name the glorious planet down below,” Jack replied. “In fact, let’s start there. What would you like to call it?”

“Doesn’t it already have a name?” Richard asked.

Jack shook his head. “It’s got an ID number but that’s not quite the same as a name. The Artilect – sorry, I mean Andy – felt that the honor of naming the planet should go to its first inhabitants, which just happens to be you.”

“Ah,” Richard replied. He looked at Captain Max, who shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t help you there, Rick,” Max replied. “Naming planets is not in my line of duty.”

“I’ve got to agree with the captain there,” Jones said.

“Sergeant?” Richard asked.

He shrugged. “Sorry, sir. Perhaps your wife might have an idea.”

“I’m afraid not, dear,” Laura told her husband.

Richard sighed. “Well – hmmm. I guess that only leaves one option, doesn’t it?”

“Which is?” Jack asked.

Richard whistled. “Hey, Alex!”

The family dog, which had been sulking in a corner, walked over to Richard and looked up at him. “Yes?” he asked.

Richard got on his knees and pointed out the viewport at the beautiful planet they were orbiting. “Do you see that world out there, Alex?”

The dog shook his head yes.

“Well, that world is going to be our new home while we look for Amy and Amanda. Once we find them we’re going to live there together as a family. But before that happens I need your help.”

“You’re going to find them?” the dog asked.

“Of course,” Richard replied.

“But what if you don’t?” the dog asked sadly. “I want them back.”

“We will find them,” Richard said firmly. “I know you’re worried about them, Alex. I’m sure that the girls miss you terribly. But we have some work to do and it all starts in that world out there.”

“You said you needed my help?” the dog said curiously.

“That’s right,” Richard said. “The planet needs a name. What do you think the girls would have called it?”

The dog thought for a moment. “Quetzalli. I’m sure of it.”

Richard nodded. “I can see that.”

“I’m afraid I’m not familiar with that word,” Jack said. “Does it have a meaning?”

Captain Max nodded. “I’m not surprised you haven’t heard of it. Even in our time it was an ancient word. A long time ago – and by that I mean before the Mayan civil war, so for you it would be a really long time ago – there was a bird that lived in South America called the ‘quetzal’. From the pictures I’ve seen it was a truly gorgeous bird. Legend tells that its beauty was only rivaled by its passion for freedom. Quetzalli came to mean ‘beautiful’ – which certainly describes that planet.”

“Then it is done!” Jack said. “For the rest of time the planet below will be known as Quetzalli. It shall be entered into the Archive of Planets.”

“The what?” Richard asked.

“We’ll get into that later,” Jack said. “Right now I need to get started on modifying the planet to suit your needs. It’s going to take a bit of time, you know – in fact, it could take a couple days, depending on the type of changes you need.”

“He’s got a point,” Captain Max said. “We can ask questions after we’ve got a place to live. I imagine your wife is about ready to get off this ship.”

“It’s nothing personal,” Laura said quickly. “I’m just not used to living on board a ship.”

“No apologies are needed, ma’am,” Jones replied. “Your girls have already explained the situation to us.”

“They did?” Laura asked. “When was this?”

“When I gave them the tour of the ship a few days ago,” Captain Max said. “They were just full of opinions, they were. I think they were expecting the Sparrow to be something more along the lines of a five-star hotel.”

“At least it’s not the Starfire,” Jones said. “I can only imagine what they’d think if they ever saw that wreck.”

“Getting back on topic,” Richard said, “exactly what are our options?”

Jack materialized a chair and sat down on it. After seeing everyone’s astonished reaction he looked at them, puzzled. “Is sitting down a violation of some cultural taboo of which I am unaware?” he asked.

“Oh no,” Captain Max replied. “No no no no no. Please, go right ahead. We’re just not used to seeing objects pop into existence from nowhere.”

Jack smiled. “Apparently the stone age from which you come is more primitive than I had imagined. No offense, Captain, but materialization technology is quite old. You’re going to have a lot to get used to. I’ll try to go easy on you.”

“I’m sure we’ll adapt quickly enough,” Richard replied. “You were about to tell us what our options were?”

“Quite so,” Jack agreed. “Ok. There are a lot of things I can do but there are some things I can’t. For instance, modifying the star is out. If you don’t like it you’ll just have to move to another planet.”

Richard laughed. “The star is fine, Jack. You can leave it alone.”

Sergeant Howell spoke up. “But just out of curiosity, is there anyone that could change the star?”

“Oh, of course,” Jack said. “I’m sure that Andy could do it, although I’ve never seen him try. But the Nehemiah probes do it all the time. It takes some time but in many cases it’s necessary in order to create a stable planetary ecosystem.”

“What are the Nehemiah probes?” Sergeant Howell replied.

“I thought we were going to wait to ask questions later,” Laura said.

“It’s ok,” Jack replied. “I know there’s a lot to get used to. The Nehemiah probes are named after their creator, Dr. Nehemiah Temilotzin. Of course he didn’t invent the probes all by himself, but he did lead the project and it was his work in theoretical physics that made them what they were. The final versions weren’t created until a century after his death but at that point they were just building on the foundation he had laid.”

“What did the probes do?” Richard asked.

“Terraformed planets,” Jones replied.

“Exactly,” Jack said. “At first the replicating probes only explored star systems. They came, they saw, and then they moved on. Terraformation was possible but it was a long, drawn-out process that couldn’t be done automatically. Nehemiah was the one who solved that problem. If it wasn’t for him the network would never have come to exist.”

“When did all this happen?” Richard asked.

“Just before the Artilect was built,” Jones replied.

“That’s true,” Jack replied. “But how do you know all of this?”

“It’s quite simple, sir. If it had happened after the Artilect was created you wouldn’t know about it. Once the Artilect was built there was no further contact between the network and mankind. Everything that you know predates the Artilect.”

“You’re a smart man,” Jack said. “I like that.”

“So you can’t change the chemistry of a star,” Richard replied. “That sounds reasonable enough. But what can you do?”

“I can do pretty much anything you like to the planet,” Jack said. “I can change it size, gravity, orbital position, weather, continents – you name it and I’ll make it happen. I can add satellites or take them away, I can change the ecosystem, and so forth. Just tell me what you want and I’ll do it.”

“What about building a place for us to live?” Laura asked.

“Oh that’s the easy part,” Jack said. “But that needs to come last. First I want to customize the planet to suit your needs. Then I can build cities and infrastructure and so forth.”

“And how long will that take?” Laura said.

“Modifying the planet can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days, depending on the extent of the changes. Building the cities, though, will just take a few hours.”

“Oh,” Laura said. She looked at her husband. “Don’t you think the planet is fine the way it is?” she asked.

Sergeant Howell spoke up. “If it’s all the same to you, ma’am, I’d like to see the Steward work his magic.”

“I have waited a very long time to do this,” Jack said. “You are the first customers we’ve ever had! I’m really quite excited about this.”

“But I’ve never done this sort of thing before,” Laura said. “I don’t even know what to ask for.”

“I know what the girls would want,” Alex said. “They’d want a planet just like home, only with better weather. And more beaches.”

“He’s got a good point,” Richard replied.

“Keep in mind this decision isn’t going to be set in stone,” Jack said. “If you change your mind I can always redo my work. This isn’t a limited-time offer.”

“That’s good to know,” Richard replied.

“But isn’t it expensive to do this?” Laura asked.

“What do you mean by expensive?” Jack asked. “In the network things don’t have a cost. If you want something we’ll just get it for you.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense,” Laura replied. “How can there not be a cost?”

“Look at it this way,” Jones said. “The purpose of cost is to efficiently distribute scarce resources. However, the Artilect has created a society where there are no scarce resources. The only price you must pay is the time it takes for a Steward to create it for you.”

“If you say so,” Laura said.

Jack rubbed his hands together. “Very good! So you want a planet that’s just like Mars but with better weather, eh? What, exactly, do you mean by ‘better weather’? Do you want the entire planet to be temperate all of the time? Should there be seasons or would you prefer an eternal summer?”

“No, they’d want weather more like Earth,” Richard said. “Sunshine, snow, blue sky, and lots of oxygen.”

“And rain,” Laura added. “The girls always did love the rain.”

“I think that was just Amanda,” Richard said. “Amy hated the rain.”

“What about life forms?” Jack asked. “You know – plants, animals, that type of thing?”

“Well, all Martian life originally came from Earth,” Richard said. “In fact, I think the same can be said for all of the colonies.”

“It sounds like you want the planet to be just like Earth except for its size and physical features. Those you want to look just like Mars. Am I correct?” Jack asked.

“I guess that about sums it up,” Richard said. “What do the rest of you think?”

“It doesn’t really matter to me,” Captain Max said.

“Nor me,” Jones agreed.

“You’re the boss,” Sergeant Howell said. “I can be happy anywhere.”

“Then let’s do it,” Richard said.

“Very good,” Jack replied, standing up. “I’ll get started. Given the extent of the changes it will probably take three or four days to finish. While I’m working you can continue to orbit the planet and watch, if you’d like – just don’t try to land. Once it’s done I will let you look the planet over to make sure it’s what you wanted. When you’re satisfied with it we’ll start building the cities.” He smiled. “It’s so good to have colonists at last! I am so glad you’re here. Is there anything else I can do?”

Richard looked at Captain Max. “How are we doing on supplies?”

Captain Max shrugged. “We’ve got enough to last us for six months, Richard. We’re fine.”

“Then I guess we’re good,” Richard said.

“I do have one final question,” Sergeant Howell said. “Did you have this ability to terraform worlds when the Artilect was first built?”

Jack shook his head. “Oh, no! I didn’t even exist back then. When Andy was first built all he could do was categorize the worlds the Nehemiah probes were terraforming and keep an eye on them. But as time went on his abilities have grown and now all sorts of things are possible. He’s really put effort into making sure he could meet the needs of whatever colonists came his way.”

“Thanks,” Sergeant Howell replied.

“If you need me for anything else don’t hesitate to ask,” Jack said. “I’ll see you later!” With that he disappeared in a soft flash of white light.

Captain Max looked at Sergeant Howell. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” he asked.

Sergeant Howell nodded. “The last time mankind had contact with the Artilect all it governed were a bunch of empty planets. I’m not at all surprised that no one cared about empty planets – mankind had enough problems of its own to worry about. That’s why no one ever got back in touch with the Artilect. I don’t think anyone ever guessed what the Artilect would become.”

“So you don’t think anyone knows about the Stewards,” Richard said.

Sergeant Howell shook his head. “I think after a couple centuries mankind forget about the Artilect, the Nehemiah probes, and the whole lot of it. But if they ever found out what awesome power the network was offering to anyone who came along and wanted it–”

“I don’t even want to think about it,” Richard said.

The bridge of the starship Sparrow was filled to capacity. Captain Maxwell Baker was seated at the navigation console while his first mate Jones worked at communications. Richard Stryker and his wife Laura were standing behind the captain, watching him quietly. Sergeant Jefferson Howell was standing to one side, observing the scene but saying nothing. Alex, the family dog, was moping in a corner of the room.

For the past half-hour the captain and his first mate had been scanning the planet below for signs of life. Since the planet was habitable they had hoped to find settlements, but so far civilization had eluded them.

“I’m just not picking up any signals, captain,” Jones said at last. “Nobody is broadcasting on any frequency that we can detect. Of course, that’s probably to be expected. After five thousand years I imagine communications technology has changed quite a bit. I’d hoped we would be able to find a signal but I’m not surprised we didn’t.”

“Has anyone taken any notice of us?” Sergeant Howell asked.

The captain shook his head. “Not that I can tell. Of course, it may be that we’re being bombarded with messages that we just aren’t picking up. Eliza, have you noticed anything out of the ordinary in the past hour or so?”

Eliza, the ship’s computer, responded through the overhead announcement system. “No, Captain Maxwell, I have not. There have been no perimeter breaches, no attempts at communications, and no approaching vessels. The area is secure.”

“That’s good to know,” Sergeant Howell said.

“And probably meaningless,” Captain Maxwell replied. “Really, what chance do we have of detecting an intrusion or of defending ourselves against whoever’s out there? This ship is so out-of-date it’s scary.”

“It may not be as bad as that, sir,” Jones said. “True, the Sparrow was built in the 19th century, and it’s now sometime in the 73rd century. But I’m not seeing any signs of life out there. We’re assuming that five thousand years of scientific progress have been made since we left Mars this morning and made our little trip through time. But that may not be the case. If civilization collapsed at some point then we may actually be the most modern ship in space. It could go either way.”

Richard nodded. “Max, are you seeing any signs of civilization? Any ships, ruins, or anything?”

Captain Max shook his head. “I’ve run a couple different scans, Rick, and I’ll keep at it, but there just doesn’t seem to be anything down there. Oh sure, you’ve got some plant life, but that’s it. There are no visible cities, roads, people, or vehicles. It’s like a blank slate. I haven’t even seen evidence that anyone has ever lived there.” The captain looked up from the console and stared through the bridge’s main window. Outside he could see a beautiful planet, covered in vast oceans and dotted with large, green continents. The world was lush, vibrant with life, and inviting – but empty.

“Could they be hiding?” Sergeant Howell asked.

“From us?” Captain Max said, frowning. “If they have the technology to hide every trace of civilization on their entire planet then surely they can scan our ship and tell that we’re from the stone age and pose no threat whatsoever. I can’t imagine that anyone would want to hide from us.”

“Are you sure they’re not underground?” Laura asked. “Maybe in the future people don’t live on the surface anymore. It might not be fashionable, you know.”

“This ship really wasn’t built to scan very deep beneath the surface,” the captain replied. “Even so, if there were sizable settlements you’d think we would pick up an energy signature. I’m not seeing any satellites in orbit, or really, any activity at all. There’s just nobody home.”

“So what do we do now, honey?” Laura asked her husband. “Do we go somewhere else?”

Richard shook his head. “I just don’t know, Laura. This just isn’t making any sense. How did we get to the future in the first place? Where is everybody? And, most of all, what happened to our daughters?”

A deep and quiet voice spoke up from behind him. “Those are three excellent questions, Mr. Stryker. I would be honored to answer them for you.”

Everyone whirled around to face the direction of the voice. In the rear of the bridge they saw an old man standing quietly in the doorway, gazing at Richard with an expression of quiet sadness. The man was wearing a simple brown cloak, tied about the waist with a black cord, and had a long white beard and soft green eyes.

Sergeant Howell immediately grabbed his pistol from his side and aimed it at the old man. “Who are you and where did you come from?” he demanded.

“Easy there,” Richard said, gesturing to his friend to lower his gun.

The sergeant shook his head. “Not until I get some answers. This isn’t a good time for surprises.”

The old man nodded. “I do not fault you for displaying caution, sergeant. You are tasked with protecting the Stryker family and I do not wish to interfere with your duties. I take no offense. To answer your question, I am the Artilect. This area of space is my home. I am the caretaker of the world below and many millions of others like it.”

“The Artilect?” Richard asked. “Is that a job title of some kind?”

The old man shook his head. “It is short for artificial intellect. I am a computer system, Richard. As you have discovered there are no human beings in this area of space.”

“You’re a computer?” Laura said, surprised. “You look like a human to me.”

The old man turned to her and smiled. “I may be able to take human form, Mrs. Stryker, but I am no more human than Eliza. I was created to be a custodian. It is my job to watch over these empty worlds and keep them ready for any human settlers that might come. Today, however, I have come to answer your questions and explain why you are here.”

“That’s kind of you but I’d rather talk to your boss,” Sergeant Howell said. He lowered his weapon and placed it back into the holster in his side. “Can you introduce us to whoever is in charge?”

“You have already met them, sergeant. Amy and Amanda Stryker are the two people in charge of both myself and the network of planets that I maintain.”

Richard looked at the old man and frowned. “Excuse me? Are you referring to my daughters?”

The old man nodded. “I am. The reason you are now in the future is because I needed their permission to act, and the only way to obtain that was to rescue all of you and bring you here.”

“Do you know where my girls are?” Laura asked.

The Artilect shook his head. “I do not but I am going to find them. I have reason to believe–”

“Hold on – let’s back up a little bit,” Richard interrupted. “I need to understand how my daughters got mixed up in this.”

“It is a long story,” the Artilect replied.

“I’ve got time,” Richard answered.

The Artilect smiled. “Then I will start at the beginning.”

Over the next half-hour the Artilect explained its history to the group that was gathered on the bridge. It started with the replicating probe project that Timothy Stryker had worked on and how he had given his sisters administrative rights over the project. That project, in turn, ultimately led to the creation of a fleet of ships that went from star to star terraforming planets. From that it explained its own origins and the situation that it had found itself in. It concluded by explaining that the twins’ administrative powers had been copied to each probe and, ultimately, to itself.

When the Artilect had finished its explanation Richard shook his head. “That is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“It makes sense, though, sir,” Jones replied.

“In a kind of strange way,” Captain Max agreed. “This machine needed approval to act and the only people who could grant the approval were dead, so it went back in time to get it. It’s perfectly logical.”

“It’s the went back in time part that bothers me,” Richard said. “That is completely insane.”

“My options were limited,” the Artilect said. “The only other alternative was to do nothing and watch mankind be destroyed. I found that unacceptable.”

“I still don’t quite understand how we got here,” Richard continued. “Did you actually go back in time yourself?”

The Artilect then explained the process it had gone through to find a way to travel back in time, and how it ultimately sent the Sentinel through a temporary wormhole. Richard had a lot of questions, but after some explanation everyone finally understood what the Sentinel had been doing in the past week.

“So that explains it,” Captain Maxwell said after the Artilect had finished. “That’s how the girls were able to do all those things! It all fits together.”

“But I don’t understand what happened to our daughters,” Laura said. “You said the Sentinel took them off the ship to go and fight someone?”

The Artilect nodded. “The Poneri were a race of powerful, artificial beings, much like myself. They were created by the evil ones that lived before the Flood. When my son discovered that they still existed he realized that they posed a great danger to all of mankind, and so he borrowed your daughters to fight them. From the notes he left behind on the Sentinel it is clear that he planned to return to the future as soon as the Poneri were destroyed.”

Laura shook her head. “But couldn’t he have explained all of this to us first, or maybe asked our opinion? I mean, it’s absolutely criminal just grab someone else’s children and run off with them! Who does he think he is?”

“I do not disagree,” the Artilect replied. “At the time, however, the Sentinel had few options. The Poneri had launched a surprise attack just before you were sent into the future. In order to preserve your safety he went ahead and sent you off on your journey, and in order to fight the Poneri he took your daughters into its care. Remember, his plan was to meet you here once you made it to the future. Had that been the case the girls would only have been missing for a few minutes. Something must have gone wrong.”

“And what are you going to do about it?” Laura demanded.

“Everything that is within my power,” the Artilect replied. “Finding your girls is my highest priority. I find it very difficult to believe that they did not reach the future. It is far more likely that they are here but are trapped in some way and need our assistance. I will use my abilities to find out what happened and will let you know what I discover.”

The Artilect paused for a moment and looked Laura in the eye. “I am deeply sorry for the way this has turned out, Mrs. Stryker. I did not not intend for this to happen. I only acted because I believed there was no other way to save mankind.”

“I believe you,” Jones said. “I appreciate your help, sir. I know you will do everything that you can.”

Richard nodded. “And thank you for saving our lives. If you hadn’t have intervened when you did we would all be dead right now.”

The Artilect shook his head. “No, Mr. Stryker. Had I not intervened you and your family would still be very much alive. All of you would be in Heaven, with the Savior you love so much. You would have been there for more than five thousand years by now, beyond all possible harm. You would have been in the home you were created for, instead of here in an empty future where mankind is on the brink of destruction. I hated bringing you here but I could see no alternative.”

“So what do we do now?” Sergeant Howell asked.

“If you have no other plans I would recommend settling on the planet below,” the Artilect replied. “Its Steward would be more than happy to customize it to meet your needs. After I leave simply contact the planet below – this time you will get a response. The Steward will answer and come to help you.”

“Excuse me,” Richard said, “but did you say something about customizing the planet?”

The Artilect nodded. “The Steward will explain everything. I created the Stewards to provide for the needs of anyone who might settle on these worlds. They will be able to help you.”

Richard nodded. “Thank you very much. Oh, by the way, do you have a name? I know you’re called the Artilect, but I didn’t know if–”

The old man nodded. “The person who was responsible for my construction called me Andy. You are welcome to use that name if it suits you.”

Richard nodded. “Thanks. I’m guessing that you’re going to go and look for our daughters now, while we settle on the planet below and wait?”

The Artilect nodded.

“If that’s the case, is there a way we can get in touch with you if we need anything?”

“I am in constant contact with all of my worlds,” the Artilect explained. “If you need something, tell the Steward and I will respond. I will not be out of touch, Mr. Stryker.”

Captain Maxwell snapped his fingers. “Hey, one more thing. How is it that you speak our language?”

The old man smiled. “I was built in the 25th century, captain. At that time I was programmed to understand all of the languages that were in existence during that period, including archaic dialects such as this one. I have spread this knowledge throughout all of the stars that I control. You will have no problem communicating with the Steward or any of the systems that he builds.”

Before leaving the old man looked around the bridge one last time. “Is there anything else that I can do for you?”

Richard shook his head. “I don’t think so, Andy. But thanks for coming – I appreciate it.” He reached out his hand to the old man, who grasped it and shook it firmly. The Artilect then disappeared in a soft flash of light.

“So it wasn’t a hologram after all,” Captain Maxwell said quietly.

Richard shook his head. “I guess technology really has come a long way in the past five thousand years. He seemed as real as anyone I’ve ever met. But tell me, Jones. You’re a Seer. What do you make of all this?”

The first mate was quiet for a few moments. “As I said earlier, I believe him, Richard. He is honest and truly is trying to save mankind. He only brought us here because he truly felt your daughters were the last hope of mankind – and something tells me he is right. He will do everything he can to locate them.”

“Do you think he will find them?” Richard asked.

Jones nodded. “He may look harmless but his power is formidable, sir. He controls millions of star systems – far more than anyone else has ever controlled – and can bend them all to his will. To him terraforming a planet is such a minor, trivial task that he delegates it to his servants. He will find them, wherever they may be.”

“Do you think they’re still alive?” Laura asked.

“I do,” Jones replied. “Something tells me that we will find them and they will carry out their mission. But I also think that it will not be as easy as the Artilect expects. It will take more than an army of machines to save mankind – and only one of us will still be there at the end. But we all still have a part to play before our time here is done.”

“I guess we’re going to be a bit late getting to Tau Ceti,” Captain Maxwell replied sadly. “I really thought that we were going to make it. Do you suppose there’s any chance we can be sent back in time once we’re done?”

Jones shook his head. “Andy told us it took divine intervention to bring us from the past into the future. I’m going to guess that we’re here to stay, sir. What’s done is done.”

“I guess that girl in Tikal was right after all,” the captain said. “She said I wouldn’t be able to save the governor.”

“But I’m still alive,” Richard said.

“So far,” Jones replied.

The twins stared at the anomaly, horrified. “Steve!” Amy screamed.

“He’s gone,” Amanda replied.

“What do we do?” Amy asked. “Do we go in after him?”

“Of course not! Who knows what’s on the other side of that thing? We wouldn’t stand a chance!”

“So what do we do?”

Amanda stared at the anomaly. As she watched it started fading away. It was soon almost impossible to see but it did not disappear entirely. “Look – I think it’s closing.”

“But what if it opens again?” Amy asked.

“I guess we could always destroy it,” Amanda replied. “Now that it’s quiet we can just suspend it in a stasis field and then collapse it. The Sentinel said that would destroy it once and for all.”

“But Steve’s in there!” Amy protested. “Didn’t he say that this was the only portal left? If we do that he’ll be trapped in there forever! Then how are we going to get to the future to see our parents again?”

“We can just go to the future ourselves,” Amanda pointed out. “After all, we know what date he was aiming for.”

“But do you know the location?” Amy asked. “There are billions of stars out there. How could we ever find the right one? And what about all those fighting machines that are running around everywhere? The future is a dangerous place. Without someone who knows what they’re doing we wouldn’t last a day!”

“I guess we do need Steve, then,” Amanda said. “But we can’t exactly go in after him.”

“Couldn’t we wait for him to come out?”

“But what if he never comes out, Tiger? We can’t wait forever!”

“But we can wait a while,” Amy pointed out. “I don’t see how that could hurt anything.”

“I guess you’re right,” Amanda said at last. “If nothing happens then we can come back, destroy the portal, and take our chances with the future. I don’t really have any other ideas.”

Amy looked around the cargo hold. Hundreds of crates had been shattered, strewing valuable machinery all over the floor. “This place is a mess.”

“The Poneri destroyed the ship,” Amanda agreed. “We need to fix it – or, at least, turn it back into the mess that it was before the Poneri attacked.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier just to fix it completely?”

“And how is the crew going to explain that?” Amanda asked. “They left with a ruined ship, and so they need to arrive with a ruined ship. It just shouldn’t be this ruined.”

“All right,” Amy grumbled. Working together, the two girls closed their eyes and opened their minds. After they had a mental picture of the ship they created a cloud of nanites and dispersed it throughout the vessel. The twins then used the nanites to repair the damage. It was not long before power was restored and the ship’s engines came back to life.

After making sure all of the crates had been repaired and restacked the girls opened their eyes again. “That was a lot of work,” Amy commented.

“But at least no one died,” Amanda replied. “I guess we’re done here.”

“Almost. I promised that preacher we’d talk to him before we left.”

Amanda sighed. “Do we have to? I really don’t think we should be doing this.”

“He already knows we’re here,” Amy said. “Besides, I think he’s nice. Maybe he can help us.”

“Where is he?” Amanda asked.

“Over there,” Amy said, pointing. Karen and Charlie were sitting on crates at the far end of the cargo hold. Reverend Knight had just walked into the room.

“C’mon, Atzi,” Amy said. She turned off her cloaking field and her sister reluctantly did the same. The girls then walked down a narrow passageway between crates and approached the small group.

Karen looked at them and smiled. “Thanks for the weapons! And thanks for putting my equipment back together.”

Charlie was astonished to see them. “Why, there’s two of you! Are you related?”

“They’re twins, actually,” Reverend Knight replied. “Allow me to present Amy and Amanda Stryker.”

Karen frowned. “Are you telling me that they’re the Stryker twins – the famous ones?”

“We’re famous?” Amy asked.

“Of course you are!” Charlie said. “I should have recognized you right away. The Empire assassinated you just a few hours ago. Everyone’s heard of you.” He then froze. “Wait a minute! That doesn’t work. You can’t be those twins – they’re dead!”

“Actually, we are those twins, and we’re not dead,” Amy said proudly.

Amanda shook her head. “We really shouldn’t be here,” she told her sister. “This is not going to end well.”

“We are very fortunate to have both of you,” Reverend Knight replied. “You saved our lives and this ship. I may be able to keep the Poneri at bay but I can’t recreate damaged electronics. I am very thankful for your help.”

“They’re the ones that recreated all this stuff?” Charlie asked, amazed. “How is that posible?”

“It’s complicated,” Amanda said reluctantly.

“You don’t have to explain,” Reverend Knight replied. “I just have some questions about the Poneri.”

“Actually I would love to hear an explanation,” Karen said. “If you two really are the Stryker twins then how are you still alive?”

“The Sparrow wasn’t actually destroyed,” Amy explained. “The Emperor sabotaged it and it would have been destroyed, but Steve saved us. Then to keep the timeline from being messed up he made it look like we had been destroyed. Then he sent the Sparrow into the future and we came here to fight the Poneri.”

“Steve?” Karen asked. “Who’s Steve?”

“He’s the Sentinel,” Amy replied. “He’s an artificial intelligence from the future. He was sent back in time to save us and then bring us into the future so we could save mankind.”

“Ok,” Karen said slowly. “I guess it really is complicated.”

“Exactly my point,” Amanda exclaimed. “We’re supposed to be dead right now. We don’t need to be letting everyone and their brother know that we’re still alive! After all, who knows what that might do to the future! It would just create a big mess.”

“Well, I’m sure not going to tell anyone,” Charlie said. “No one would believe me anyway, especially if I told them that you had superpowers and battled ghosts.”

“The Poneri are not ghosts,” Reverend Knight said. “They are ancient beings, greatly powerful and greatly evil. Amy, were you able to defeat them?”

“Not completely,” Amy replied. She explained what the Sentinel had done and how the battle had turned out.

“So the anomaly is still there,” Reverend Knight said. “At least it is dormant for the time being.”

“You’re not just going to leave it there, are you?” Charlie asked.

“We’re going to give Steve a chance to escape,” Amy explained. “If he doesn’t come out in a couple weeks then we’ll destroy it.”

“Then I am getting off this ship the second we land,” Charlie said. “I’m not about to stick around and see what happens next.”

“You’re going to be getting off anyway,” Karen pointed out. “Alpha Mensae is the end of the line for both of us.”

“Actually, I highly suggest that everyone get off the ship there,” Amanda said. “This ship needs to be abandoned as soon as possible. It’s much too dangerous to use.”

“I agree,” Reverend Knight replied. “I will spread the word. I fear, though, that there are some here that will not heed the warning.”

“If they stay on board they’re asking for trouble,” Amanda warned. “This is the wrong place to be.”

Charlie spoke up. “I hate to ask this, but could the two of you stay on board until we land? I mean, I know we have these guns and everything, but I think I speak for everyone when I say that we’ll feel a lot safer if the two of you stayed with us.”

Amanda looked at Amy, who shrugged. “Sure. I guess that’s a good idea. We were going to hang around and wait for Steve anyway.”

“We are not going to stay in this part of the ship, though,” Amanda said firmly. “We’ll stay out of sight but we’ll be on board until the ship lands. If you use the ship after that – well, all I can say is that we warned you.”

Reverend Knight nodded. “Agreed. I do have one question, though. If the Sentinel does not return then what are you going to do?”

“I’m not sure,” Amanda said. “I guess we’ll go visit our brother and say hi to him. Then we’ll need to find a safe place to hide for the next five thousand years.”

Charlie’s eyes widened. “Steve is from five thousand years into the future?”

“October 10, 7239,” Amy said. “That’s our expected arrival date. We just don’t know the place.”

“But we’ll figure it out,” Amanda said. “I’m sure we can find a hiding place that will be safe for five millennia. There’s got to be something.”

“And then you’re just going to sit around for five thousand years?” Charlie asked.

“Of course not!” Amy exclaimed. “We’ll just suspend ourselves in time. It’s not a big deal.”

“If you say so,” Charlie replied.

The twins looked at each other and stood up. “Well, it’s been nice meeting you,” Amy said.

“Thanks again for these guns,” Karen said. “And for saving our lives.”

“Sure thing,” Amanda replied. The two girls then vanished.

Laura Fields was sitting on the bridge when the power went out. She was in the middle of a conversation with officials on Alpha Mensae, attempting to arrange for help to be at the spaceport in two days in order to unload all the mining supplies that the Starfire was carrying. Captain Brahms was sitting in his captain’s chair, fast asleep. He had been sleeping for the past two hours.

When the lights went out Laura inadvertently screamed. The noise woke up the slumbering captain. “What’s that?” he called out.

“The ship is dead,” Laura said. “Everything is off! It looks like we’ve lost power.”

“Better let Davis and Lee know,” the captain advised. “They’ve probably blown a fuse or something.”

“How am I supposed to do that? It’s pitch black – I can’t see a thing! How can I possibly make it all the way back to the engine room without any lights?”

“Call ’em up on the intercom, I guess,” Captain Brahms replied.

“But the intercom is dead! Everything is dead! There’s no power!”

“Better have Lee look into that took,” the captain mumbled. He turned over and went back to sleep.

“Wonderful,” Laura grumbled. “Just wonderful. Where do we keep the flashlights on this miserable excuse for a starship?”

As she sat there, wondering what to do, she noticed a series of blue lights appear near the ceiling. The lights separated and began whirling around the room. Laura felt a feeling of terror grip her as she stared at the lights. Something instinctively told her that they were deeply evil.

The lights seemed to sense her terror. They swirled around her just out of reach, as if they were taunting her. An evil laughter filled the room. The lights then smashed against the bridge windows. Laura heard a crack as they struck the fragile glass.

“Don’t do that!” she screamed. “If those windows break–”

As she spoke the lights deliberately slammed into the windows again, and again. The third time the glass shattered, and all the windows on the bridge broke at once. The air in the room was violently sucked out into space. A complete feeling of utter terror coursed through her as she realized she was about to suffocate.

Then something happened. The room was filled with a soft white light, and although the windows were still broken the air stopped leaking out of the room and air pressure returned to normal. Brilliant beams of white energy struck the points of blue light and vaporized them. Within moments they were all gone.

Laura felt a hand help her stand back up onto her feet. She looked up and saw a teenage girl helping her. The girl was tall and thin, with brown eyes and black hair. She was holding a large gun. “They’re gone now,” she said.

“Thanks.” Laura was still shaking. She sank back down into her chair. “They almost–”

“I know,” the girl said. She handed Laura the weapon that she was holding. “If they come back shoot them with this. It will drive them away.”

“Much obliged,” the captain mumbled. The teenager turned around and saw that the captain had climbed back into his chair and was settling back down to sleep.

“What’s wrong with you?” Laura asked the captain. “Don’t you realize we almost died?”

“The crisis is over now,” the captain replied, his eyes closed. “No need to get all upset. Life goes on.”

The teenage girl shook her head. “If they come back, shoot them.” She then vanished, leaving Laura and the captain alone.

* * * * *

Amy Stryker reappeared in the cargo hold. Her sister Amanda was standing guard over the Sentinel, who was still in the form of a small metal sphere.

“How did it go?” Amanda asked.

“I got rid of all the Poneri I could find and I handed out a lot of weapons. No one died and the passengers are safe, so I’d say that was a success.”

“You handed out weapons?” Amanda exclaimed. “Are you out of your mind?”

“I wasn’t just going to leave them defenseless! Anything could happen and I can’t be everywhere at once. This way they can defend themselves.”

“But they know you’re here!”

“I think the crew already knows that something is going on,” Amy replied. “Besides, it’s not like I introduced myself. The only person who knows it’s us is Reverend Knight.”

“Why did you tell anyone? We’re supposed to be dead! We can’t go around introducing ourselves!”

“I didn’t!” Amy protested. “He has the gift of discernment – it’s just what he does. By the way, he wants to talk to us before we leave.”

“We can deal with that later,” Amanda said. She turned her attention back to the Sentinel. By now the blue field that surrounded the anomaly was quite small. “How is it going?”

“Very well,” the Sentinel replied. “I am almost ready. All I need to do now is–”

Then something went wrong. The blue containment field turned crimson, then red, then white. In an instant it was sucked into the anomaly. The Sentinel fought against it but a second later it, too, was drawn inside and vanished.

“Steve!” Amy screamed. But it was too late – they were left alone.

Davis Carpino, the Starfire‘s first mate, had finally found Lee Bailey hiding in the ship’s engine room. The chief engineer had crawled under a rack of pipes at the back of the room. Davis would have missed him entirely if he hadn’t noticed his shoe sticking out.

“So there you are!” Davis grumbled. “I’ve spent the past three hours looking for you.”

“I’ve just been inspecting some pipes,” Lee replied as he crawled out from under them. “You can never be too careful.”

“Those pipes haven’t been used in six years,” Davis replied. “You know that! They’re clogged or something.”

“Maybe I was trying to fix them,” Lee said.

Davis glared at him. “I’d sooner believe that the bats were trying to fix them. What are they doing here in the engine room, anyway?”

“They don’t want to stay in the cargo area anymore,” Lee replied. “They say that the ghosts scare them. They’re living in here now.”

“Just what we need,” Davis grumbled. “Can anything else go wrong?”

At that moment the lights went out. There was a grinding noise and all of the machinery went dead. Davis stood still and listened as the ship’s engines came to a stop. A moment later everything was quiet.

“And what did you do this time?” Davis demanded.

“It’s dark!” Lee whimpered. “I can’t see anything.”

Davis fished a small flashlight out of his pocket and shone the light directly on Lee’s face. The engineer blinked and turned away. “Well?” Davis said.

“I didn’t do anything,” Lee replied. “I’ve been under those pipes all morning! This isn’t my fault.”

“You’re the chief engineer!” Davis shouted. “Everything that happens in the engine room is your fault. Your job is to keep things going and fix them when they break. Guess what – they’re broken! That means, by definition, this is your fault.”

As Lee opened his mouth to protest they both heard ghostly laughter. Glowing blue lights began darting around the room. In the distance they saw pipes get ripped off the wall and tossed around. A ghostly figure went to a neutrino turbine and ripped it right off the floor, then threw it right through a bulkhead.

In an instant Lee dove back under the pipes. Davis followed right behind him. “Ok, ok. Maybe this time it’s not your fault.”

As they remained hidden the room was suddenly filled with a soft white light. A brilliant figure, clothed in light, appeared in the middle of the room. The moment the Poneri saw her they tried to run but it was too late. A weapon that Davis couldn’t see very well started firing and all of the Poneri dissipated.

“You can come out now,” a voice said. The light faded and they saw a teenage girl standing in the center of the room. She was a tall girl with bronze skin and long, dark hair. The girl looked at them and giggled. “You know, that’s really not a very good hiding place.”

Davis crawled out from underneath the pipes, and Lee followed. “Sorry, ma’am,” Davis replied. “It was the best we could do under the circumstances. We were kind of caught by surprise.”

The girl walked up to them and handed Davis her weapon. “If the Poneri come back just point this at them and fire away. That should persuade them to leave you alone.”

“Thanks,” Davis said warmly.

“Don’t I get one?” Lee asked.

“Are you kidding?” the girl replied. “You?” She shook her head and disappeared.

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Lee asked.

Davis smiled. “Apparently she’s familiar with your work!”

* * * * *

On the passenger deck Vernon Fisher was sitting in his cabin typing. He was in the middle of writing an authentication routine for a software package when the ship’s lights suddenly went off.

“Hey!” he shouted. “I’m trying to work here!”

The room was completely dark. He sat still, not sure what to do next but hoping the problem would quickly fix itself. In the distance he heard some commotion, which gave him a vaguely nervous feeling. Experience had taught him that unexpected commotion on this ship was never a good thing.

A moment later his room was filled with a gentle white light. The light had no visible source, but it drove away the darkness and made Vernon happy. He then glanced at his computer and saw that it was still dead. He frowned. “What’s going on? That battery had hours of life left in it!”

Vernon picked it up, turned it over, and shook his head. He tried turning it on but it would not activate. “What’s going on here?” he shouted.

“It’s been destroyed,” a voice said from behind him. The programmer turned around and saw a teenage girl standing at the far end of the room. She appeared to be about 14.

“How is that possible?” he asked.

“The Poneri emitted an electromagnetic pulse that destroyed all electronics on board this ship,” she explained. “I’m afraid your computer was collateral damage. I’ll come back and fix it later.”

“Who are the Poneri?” Vernon asked. “If I’ve lost any files I’m going to sue them! I’ve spent days working on that code. This is a disaster!”

“The Poneri are ghosts from the Old World,” the girl said.

Vernon sniffed. “I don’t believe in ghosts.”

“They believe in you,” the girl replied.

Vernon looked at his computer, dismayed. “What am I supposed to do now?”

“You could try reading a book,” the girl said. She then vanished, leaving Vernon alone.

* * * * *

When the ship’s lights went out Reverend Gene Knight left his dark cabin and stepped into the hallway. It was pitch black, but he had his flashlight with him. He turned it on and glanced up and down the hall. “Is anyone there?” he called out.

At the end of the hallway he saw a glowing field of blue energy. He watched as it coalesced into a tall being. Two others formed behind it. They stared at Reverend Knight and began walking toward him with grim determination.

He instantly knew what they were. Instead of retreating, however, he stepped toward them. He looked the first one in the eye. “You have no power here, child of darkness. I am a creature of the light, a servant of the Most High God! You cannot touch me.”

The group of energy beings stopped. The one in front glared at the evangelist. “This ship belongs to us. It is our prize and we will not yield it to you.”

Reverend Knight took another step forward. “You have no choice. Depart from here, all of you, and go back to the darkness from whence you came. The Most High has judged your kind and brought them to an end.”

Before the preacher even finished his sentence the three beings disappeared. He relaxed.

“I guess you won’t be needing this, then,” a female voice called out behind him. He turned around and saw a teenage girl standing behind him, carrying a large weapon.

Reverend Knight shook his head. “I do not need it, but thank you for coming, Amy Stryker.”

The girl looked at him, astonished. “How do you know who I am? Are you a seer?”

The elderly preacher shook his head. “I have the gift of discernment, not the gift of prophecy. I do, however, know that there are others on board who need your assistance. I fear that the Captain is having trouble on the bridge.”

“I’m on my way,” Amy replied.

“One more thing,” he called out, as the girl turned to leave. “After this is over can you pay me visit before you go? I have some questions for you and your sister.”

“Sure,” Amy replied. She then vanished.

In the blink of an eye the Sentinel threw up a force field around the two girls. The twins felt the ghostly Poneri slam against the protective barrier, attempting to break it down. As they stumbled backwards the Sentinel transferred a pattern into their minds. “Use this weapon to fight them!” he shouted. The visible figure of the Sentinel then vanished and he turned into a small metal sphere. The sphere began blasting away at the oncoming figures, using rays of energy to force them away from the girls.

Both girls used the information the Sentinel had transferred to them. Amanda applied the data mentally and used the nanites within her to create focused rays of energy, which she fired at the Poneri that were battling her. The beings immediately jumped back, stunned but not destroyed. Amanda then increased the energy level and saw them dissipate – but as soon as one disappeared, five more poured through the hole.

Meanwhile her sister had used the pattern to create a weapon. The gun was a long, cylindrical object a bit longer than a hunting rifle. It was composed of a series of six translucent green tubes, each of which terminated in a small reflector dish. In the rear of the gun was a handle and a bulky power supply.

Amy aimed the gun at the nearest Poneri and held down the trigger. Immediately all six barrels surged to life and a brilliant white stream of continuous energy shot out. The Poneri that were crowding around her sister were blasted apart and the survivors turned and ran. Amy ran after them, firing wildly. Most of the shots hit the Poneri and destroyed them but a few struck crates and blasted them into pieces.

“Give me one of those, Tiger!” Amanda shouted. Amy tossed her weapon to her sister and materialized a new one out of the air. Amy focused on hunting down the Poneri in the cargo hold while Amanda blasted away at the portal.

“Can’t you shut it down?” Amanda screamed at the Sentinel. “We’ve got to get that thing closed!”

“There is too much interference,” the Sentinel replied. “I can’t do anything while the portal is open and active. We need to close it before I can suspend it in time.”

At that moment the lights in the ship went out. There was a horrible grinding noise and then everything was plunged into utter darkness.

“They’re attacking the ship!” Amy shouted.

“We’ve got to split up,” Amanda shouted back. “Tiger, you go and protect the passengers while I guard Steve. Steve, you stay here and find a way to close that portal.”

“Very good,” the Sentinel replied. “I will attempt to seal it off.”

Amy watched the Sentinel enclose the portal in a large sphere of blue energy. Poneri continued to surge out of the tear in space but they could not pass through the Sentinel’s barrier. Other Poneri that were already in the cargo hold surged toward the Sentinel but Amanda picked them off with her weapon.

“Get going!” Amanda shouted. Amy then turned around and vanished.

* * * * *

At the other end of the cargo hold Karen and Charlie were talking about the day’s events. “I just don’t think the Wall was a good idea,” Charlie said. “I mean, what’s going to happen if it ever fails? You just know that the Spanish Empire is hopping mad about this. If they’re ever let out we are done for!”

“That will never happen,” Karen replied. “The Rangers have had years of experience in keeping the Wall going. By the time they take it down there won’t be anything left of the Empire but a lot of bad memories.”

At that point the cargo bay was lit by a burst of brilliant white light. Karen turned around and saw chaos at the far end of the cargo bay. Although the stacks of crates blocked much of her view, she could still see blue, green, and red energy beams shooting across the room. She also heard violent noises of destruction, as fragile wooden crates were blasted apart and crashed to the floor.

Charlie looked at Karen, terrified. “What is that?”

“Knowing this history of this ship I’ll give you three guesses,” Karen replied. “But I bet you’ll only need one.” She stood up, walked over to a path between the crates, and peeked around the corner. Down at the end of the passage she saw a blue tear in reality. Shadow beings were pouring out of it but something she couldn’t see was fighting them.

“What do you see?” Charlie called out from behind a crate.

“Our ghostly friends are back!” Karen called out grimly. “And this time they’ve brought friends of their own. We’re in for a real fight.”

At that moment the lights went out. They heard the massive engines on the ship grind to a halt. All machinery went dead. The room went completely dark.

“We’re done for,” Charlie moaned.

“What’s the matter with you?” Karen shouted back into the darkness. “You weren’t scared last time!”

“Last time I didn’t know we were fighting Poneri! Do you have any idea what those things can do?”

“And you think hiding behind a crate is going to protect you?”

As she watched there was a sudden commotion down the passageway. A blue energy field appeared around the tear in space. More energy beings surged through the tear but they could not escape the field. The cargo bay was filled with a soft white light but the source of the light could not be seen.

“I think our friend is back,” Karen said.

At that moment something grabbed her and tossed her across the room. She smacked into a crate and sank down to the floor. Dazed and in pain, she lifted up her head and saw three Poneri standing in front of her.

“Do something!” she screamed. Her back was throbbing and her head was killing her. She found it difficult to breathe.

“I don’t have any weapons!” Charlie called back. As soon as he spoke up he regretted it. His voice attracted the attention of one of the Poneri, who looked around and noticed him. The Poneri laughed, picked up a large crate, and hurled it at him.

Before the crate could reach him, though, it suddenly froze in mid-air and then settled peacefully onto the floor. As he looked at it in shock a beam of white energy engulfed the group of Poneri. They vanished.

A teenage girl appeared where the Poneri used to be. The girl was tall and thin, with long black hair and bronzed skin. She was holding some kind of giant rifle, which she tossed to Charlie. She then grabbed another one out of thin air – Karen wasn’t sure how she did it – and walked over to her. “Are you ok?” she asked.

“I think I’ve broken something,” Karen said, wincing in pain.

The girl reached out and took her hand. Karen felt a rush of warm energy surge through her. The pain dissipated and she felt stronger. “You’ll be all right now,” she said.

The girl handed her gun to Karen, who took it and then stood up. “Who are you?” Karen asked.

“A friend,” the girl replied. “I’ve got to go, but you’ll be ok now. If the Poneri come back just point this at them and pull the trigger. They’ll learn to leave you alone.” She then vanished.

Charlie walked over to Karen, nervously clutching his weapon. “Who was that?”

“An ally,” Karen said.

“But where did she come from? I know for a fact that there are no teenagers on board this ship!”

Karen eyed him critically. “Really? I suppose next you’ll be telling me there are no ghosts on board either.”

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a Poneri lurking in a corner, a few feet from Charlie. She whirled around, pointed her gun at it, and fired. A beam of white light struck the Poneri and blasted it apart.

Karen nodded with great satisfaction. “I think this is going to work!”

The twins found themselves standing in what used to be the Starfire‘s forward cafeteria. At one time the large room was furnished with tables and chairs, and food was served on several counters that were strategically placed throughout the room. Those days, however, were long past. All of the room’s furniture had disappeared long ago, and nothing remained of the meal counters but twisted pieces of metal. Two of the room’s walls had been torn away, exposing the room to space. The cafeteria was airless and empty and there were no sources of light. Broken ceiling tiles dangled down from the ceiling, revealing a twisted maze of burnt-out wiring. Through the gaping holes in the ship’s hull they could see the Starfire‘s cylindrical hull stretching off into the distance.

“This ship is a total wreck!” Amy exclaimed.

“And dark,” Amanda added. “If we weren’t plugged into the network we wouldn’t be able to see anything. In fact, we would have suffocated because there’s no air here.”

“Hey, that’s right! I guess the nanites have created some kind of air bubble around us or something. That’s pretty neat. But what are we doing here, anyway?”

“This portion of the ship is no longer used,” the Sentinel explained. “In 1859 this ship ran into the Polaris, which caused extensive hull damage. Rather than repairing the damage the captain simply sealed off those portions of the ship. By remaining here we can explore the ship without interacting with its inhabitants.”

“But we have our shields up, right?” Amy asked. “They can’t see us anyway so why bother hiding?”

“But they can run into us,” Amanda pointed out. “Having a cloaking shield isn’t going to stop them from colliding with you in the hallway. Here we’re both out of sight and out of the way.”

“But how can we explore the ship from here?”

“Just use your mind,” Amanda said. “Try it.”

Amy suddenly realized that she was aware of the ship. When she closed her eyes and opened her mind she could visualize every detail of the Starfire – right down to every nut and bolt. She could trace every wire and see every damaged hull plate. What she saw horrified her. “This place is a terrible fire hazard! Why do they even allow it in space?”

“This ship is a Spanish vessel,” the Sentinel explained. “That gives it access to Earth. Since no Ranger ships are allowed within Sol that has given this ship great value in spite of its deplorable condition. Of course, now that the Wall has been erected that ability is meaningless, so I suspect this ship is at the end of its life. This may be its last voyage.”

“What Wall?” Amanda asked.

“An hour ago Governor Jack Nicholas ordered that a Wall be erected around Sol in order to prevent anyone from that star system from leaving. That was the Ranger’s response to the Emperor’s attack on the Sparrow.”

“Oh,” Amanda said. “I didn’t know about that. What’s going to happen now?”

“For the time being there will be peace,” the Sentinel explained. “Since the Emperor can no longer threaten the Rangers the Tau Ceti civilization will grow and prosper. It will continue to flourish until the 25th century, when the endless war will begin. That will wipe out all colonies except for two – one on Epsilon Eridani and one on Tau Ceti.”

“What about Earth?” Amy asked.

“In my time Sol is still locked behind the Wall,” the Sentinel said.

“No one ever let them out?”

“Not before the Tau Ceti civilization collapsed. Neither I nor the Artilect had the authority to bring down the Wall so we left it alone. That decision will be left to you.”

“We can think about that later,” Amanda said. “Like, five thousand years from now. Right now we’ve got other problems.”

Amy turned her attention back to the Starfire. She quickly located all eight people that were on board the vessel. It was shortly before noon, local time. Captain Brahms was on the bridge sound asleep. Laura Fields, the navigator, was also on the bridge. At the moment she was talking with someone at the Alpha Mensae colony, making arrangements for the ship’s arrival two days from now. Lee Bailey, the chief engineer, was in the engine room doing nothing in particular. Davis Carpino, the ship’s first mate, was trying to find Lee but not having any luck. Vernon Fisher, one of the passengers, was in his cabin writing software. Karen Perkins and Charlie Stephens, also passengers, were in the cargo hold. Reverend Gene Knight was in his cabin studying the book of Romans.

“I feel like I’m spying on people,” Amy said.

“You’re not supposed to be watching the people,” Amanda said. “You’re supposed to be looking for Poneri! The people don’t have anything to do with this. Have you forgotten why we’re here?”

Amy turned her attention back to the ship itself. She didn’t see anything that looked like it might be a Poneri. She tried different scans. Over time she began to notice that something was wrong with the cargo bay.

“I don’t get it,” she said at last. “It’s like there is a wrinkle there or something. I can’t get a good look at it.”

“I see it as well,” the Sentinel replied. “It is well hidden, but it is there. Let’s take a closer look.”

In an instant the three of them vanished from the ruined cafeteria and found themselves in the cavernous cargo bay. Crates were stacked from floor to ceiling as far as the eye could see. The room was dimly lit and filled with shadows. It was an eerie place. Over in one corner Karen and Charlie were talking over the events of the day. They had heard about the destruction of the Sparrow and the creation of the Wall and were speculating about what it might mean.

“Look – they’re talking about us!” Amy whispered.

“Focus!” Amanda hissed. “We’re not here to eavesdrop.”

Amy and Amanda walked between the crates toward the back of the room. They soon found themselves in a little open area that was right next to the loading dock. The Sentinel stood beside them, staring at it intently.

“I don’t see anything,”Amy said.

“I do,” Amanda commented. She mentally transferred some patterns to her sister’s mind. “Try these settings.”

“That’s much better!” Amy replied. “Thanks, Atzi.” Now she could see what her sister did – a wavy anomaly that shimmered in an out of existence. “It almost looks like a tear of some kind.”

“I think it is a portal,” the Sentinel said. “I may have misunderstood how the Poneri work. It appears that they do not live in our region of space. They have created another home for themselves – an area like the Infinite Room that has been designed to support their type of life. The star system that I found was not their home; it was simply the place where they first found a way to connect to their own space.”

“And this portal connects our world to theirs?” Amanda asked.

“I believe so,” the Sentinel replied. “When I froze their star system in time I apparently only closed one of their entry points. This must be the other one.”

“Do you think there are others?” Amanda asked.

“It is possible but not probable,” the Sentinel replied. “When I stepped into this century I performed a thorough scan of all local star systems. The only Poneri I found were in their hidden star system and on board this ship. I believe those are the only two portals to their home. It is possible that they may have other gates that are hidden in other galaxies, but I do not believe that is likely.”

“How did it get here?” Amy asked.

“Didn’t Captain Max say something about that?” Amanda said. “He said something about this ship visiting a strange planet and then bad things happened. Maybe the crew did something they weren’t supposed to and somehow created this portal.”

“You may well be right,” the Sentinel replied. “Perhaps we can ask him about it when we return to the future.”

“I guess we just need to close this portal, then,” Amanda said, eying it critically. “Do you have any ideas?”

The Sentinel nodded. “I can just freeze it in time and then collapse the time singularity. That will destroy the conditions that make the portal possible. Of course, doing so will destroy this ship so before we can proceed we will need to–”

At that moment the portal came to life! A brilliant white light poured out of it and countless shadow beings streamed out of the hole. Before they even knew what happened the trio found themselves under attack!

Amy and Amanda Stryker were resting on a comfortable leather couch in the Infinite Room. The room’s floor was covered in a luxurious white carpet and appeared to stretch off into infinity. There were no walls or ceiling. The room was well-lit but the light did not come from any visible source. It was a quiet, peaceful place – a sanctuary set apart from the rest of the Universe. The Sentinel had constructed it when it fled from the Poneri. Here the girls would be safe.

The Sentinel had taken the form of a distinguished-looking gentleman who was standing in front of the twins. He was a tall, middle-aged man and wore a gray suit and hat. He had just explained his history to them and how the girls happened to find themselves here. He told them that he had been forced to remove them from the Sparrow so that he could get their permission to battle the Poneri – an ancient threat from an ancient world.

“Won’t our parents miss us?” Amanda asked.

“Only for six minutes,” the Sentinel said. “I can arrange for us to be there when the ship arrives, and I can transport you on board the moment the ship decloaks. We can then explain what happened.”

“What if we don’t make it to the future?” Amy said.

“Then your parents will have many questions and no answers. They will find themselves in a very strange world with no one to explain what has happened. But I do not think that is likely to happen.”

“I guess we had better get started, then,” Amanda replied. “The sooner we join them in the future the better. Now, who are these Poneri?”

“Hold on just a minute,” Amy interrupted. “Do you have a name?”

“As I said, I am the Sentinel. That is my name.”

“But don’t you have another name?” Amy asked. “Is that really what everyone calls you?”

“In the future there is only myself and the Artilect,” the Sentinel explained. “There are no others.”

“Then you need a given name – a family name,” Amy replied. “I’m not going to call you ‘the Sentinel’ for the next five thousand years. That’s just not going to work.”

“Amy!” her sister exclaimed. “That’s not very nice! If he wants to be called the Sentinel then that’s his business.”

The Sentinel smiled. “It does not matter to me, little one. If your sister wishes to assign me a new name then that is her right as administrator. What name did you have in mind?”

“Steve,” the girl said without hesitation. “Definitely Steve. It fits.”

Amanda frowned. “Steve? Why Steve?”

“He looks like a Steve,” her sister explained. “It’s a great name.”

“If you say so,” Amanda said dubiously. “Are you going to give him a last name too?”

“He’s already got a last name,” Amy replied. “He’s a part of the family now. He’ll be known as Steve Stryker – or just Steve for short.”

“Don’t you think you should talk to mom and dad before adopting new family members?” Amanda asked. “I’m really not sure this is a good idea.”

“Are you kidding? They’ll be thrilled to have him! Besides, he just saved our lives! If he hadn’t protected the Sparrow we’d all be dead right now. This is the least we can do to thank him.”

“The name has been duly noted,” the Sentinel replied. “Is there anything else you need?”

“I really would like to know about the Poneri,” Amanda said. “I mean, I’ve heard of them before but I don’t really know anything about them. I thought they were just legendary – like Father Christmas. Just a story that adults use to frighten small children.”

The Sentinel shook his head. “They are quite real. The Poneri come from the Old World.”

“The Old World?” Amy asked.

“In the beginning of all things the Lord created the Heaven and the Earth. He created the sun, moon, and stars, and formed the Earth to be the home of mankind. After creating plant and animal life He fashioned your ancestors in His image – the Man and the Woman, whom He placed in the Garden. In those days the world was a perfect place; there was no death or pain, and there was no evil of any kind. There was peace and harmony between God and Man, between Creator and Creation.”

“Then they blew it,” Amanda said.

The Sentinel nodded. “The Man and the Woman sinned against God. They ate of the Tree of Knowledge and transgressed His commandment, bringing death and evil into the world. Paradise was lost and the world became a place of darkness and corruption. Then they reproduced and bore children. Some of them were wise and righteous, but others corrupted themselves and became exceedingly evil. The evil of those days became so great that the Lord destroyed the entire world in a Flood, saving only righteous Noah and his family.

“The Poneri come from the Old World. They are artificial life forms that were created by the Old Ones – a race of giants that existed before the Flood. They are exceedingly evil creatures. Like myself they are neither alive nor dead. They exist only for themselves and care nothing for anyone else. Most of them were destroyed in the Flood but a few escaped. Over time they have learned how to reproduce and now threaten humanity once more. We must stop them before they can act.”

“How did they survive?” Amy asked.

“I do not know,” the Sentinel replied. “I was surprised to find them on board the Starfire. I destroyed the ones that I found there and then I tracked them to their home star system and froze it in time. That should have brought an end to them but somehow they survived.”

“Did your stasis field collapse?” Amanda asked.

“It is still intact. The Poneri do not have the ability to defeat it – they are advanced but the ability to manipulate time is beyond anything they can do.”

Amy frowned. “Really? But even I can manipulate time – it’s easy! I can stop it, make it slow down, or make it go faster – there’s nothing to it.”

“That’s because you’re plugged in,” Amanda replied. “We can do anything that the Sentinel can do as long as we’re connected. In a way we’re cheating.”

“We can do anything Steve can do,” Amy corrected. “Steve. That’s his name.”

“If you say so,” Amanda replied.

“Being connected gives you a great many abilities,” the Sentinel said. “You will remain connected for the rest of your lives. I apologize for disconnecting you earlier; I was attempting to maintain the integrity of the timeline. It was not my intention to reveal myself to you before we reached the future, but circumstances forced me to act. However, both of you are administrators and are entitled to the full abilities of that position.”

“Just how long are we going to live?” Amanda asked. “Our expected life span is actually pretty short. I hope your big plan isn’t going to take very long.”

“It was, but that has changed,” the Sentinel replied. “I have cured both of you, so your disease is no longer a threat. Now that the disease is gone the nanites will be able to maintain your life indefinitely.”

“What do you mean, indefinitely?” Amy asked. “Are you saying we’re immortals?”

The Sentinel shook his head. “Only God has the power to grant everlasting life and He only grants it to those who trust in His Son. That is a gift I cannot bestow. The nanites can protect you from many dangers and they can cure many diseases. Under normal circumstances they should be able to extend your life until Jesus returns to take His children home. But I cannot say that the nanites are able to protect you against all possible dangers. At some point your work will be done and the Lord will call you home, and when that day comes there is no power or science that can keep you here.”

“Wow,” Amy said. “That’s great!”

“What about the rest of our family?” Amanda asked.

“Although they are not administrators, as citizens of the network they will also be included. The only difference between you and them is that you will be able to command the full resources of the Artilect and they will not.”

“Wow,” Amy repeated. “That’s a lot to think about.”

“I think right now we need to be thinking about the Poneri,” Amanda said. “We can deal with the future later, after we’re actually there.”

“I guess you’re right,” Amy agreed. “So what’s the next step?”

“Do I have your permission to hunt down and destroy the Poneri?” the Sentinel asked.

“Of course,” Amanda said. “They’re a threat to all forms of life. We need to get rid of them.”

“Right. But how do we track them down?” Amy asked.

“I guess we start at the beginning,” Amanda replied. “Didn’t you first find them on the Starfire? What were they doing there?”

“I do not know,” the Sentinel said. “At the time I was attempting to locate you and your sister. I only investigated the Starfire because the Poneri resisted my scans and brought themselves to my attention.”

“Did you find them anywhere else in space – aside from their home system, of course?”

“I did not,” the Sentinel said.

“Then what were they doing on the Starfire?” Amanda asked. “Of all the ships that are out there why did they pick that vessel? Is there something special about it? Does it have something that they want? Why do they care about it?”

“I do not know, but that would be a good place to start,” the Sentinel agreed. “Perhaps that cursed ship would provide some clues that would enable us to track them down.”

Amy stood up. “Sounds good! Then let’s go.”

“Slow down there,” Amanda replied. “Don’t we need to be hidden or something? I mean, we’re both supposed to be dead and I’m sure that the crew probably shouldn’t meet Steve either.”

The Sentinel flashed a pattern into their mind. “This cloak should enable you to hide from both the occupants of the ship and the Poneri. Had I used it earlier they probably would not have spotted me, but I did not realize they were still a threat.”

“Great,” Amy said. “Got it. Are we all ready now?”

“I think so,” Amanda replied.

“Then we shall depart,” the Sentinel said. A moment later the three of them vanished, leaving the Infinite Room empty.