Chapter No.46. New Frame of Reference.

It didn't take Janet and Sharon that long to find a habitable planet. We gathered at the command center to hear their report.

"We found an Earth-like planet orbiting a G5-class main sequence star fifty-six light years from our present location," Janet said.

"Sounds promising," I said. "How soon until the burn?"

"We could do it right now, if you wish, sir.

"Let's do it."

We strapped into our G-chairs for a fifteen-minute burn that took us into hyperspace. My only concern is that we might be taken captive by whatever advanced species we were about to encounter. It would not be fair to the women to risk their lives just because of my curiosity.

Oddly enough, the women didn't seem to be all that concerned. They had become totally subdued and obedient, and I became concerned that they were suffering a mental breakdown because of being in hyperspace too long. Hyperspace seemed to have a calming effect, but maybe it was just me.

The good news is that we would only be in hyperspace for twelve hours.

I decided to have a beer to calm my nerves, and Kali and Bridget joined me.

"Hopefully, the aliens on the planet we're headed to will not be as crazy as the ones we've encountered," Bridget said.

"There really isn't a good way to determine that in advance," I said.

"We're okay with whatever you want to do, sir," Bridget said.

"I appreciate that, but I do like to listen to your concerns."

"My only concern is that I don't disappoint you, sir."

I glanced at Kali, who gave me a hint of a smirk, before I turned to Bridget. "I don't expect you to be perfect."

"I understand, but I'm concerned that you won't like me."

I squinted at her. "Why would I not like you! You've gone down with me on several planetary surveys and you've helped me understand alien archeological and paleontography discoveries. I consider you to be the expert on alien lifeforms."

"I'm happy that you value my work, sir."

Kali grinned. "Do you value my work, sir?"

I chuckled. "You need to have your butt smacked."

She laughed.

"I'd love to have you smack my butt, sir," Bridget said, smiling.

We all laughed.

"Hey!" Janet yelled. "Something strange just happened."

We rushed to the command station.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I'll play the recording," Janet said.

The scene started out as totally black as expected, and then a saucer shaped vessel suddenly appeared. After a brief few seconds, there was a flash of light and the saucer ship vanished. The image returned to completely black.

"What in the hell was that all about?" Kali asked.

"I don't know, but it shouldn't have happened. Is it possible for ships to cross courses in hyperspace?"

"I don't think so, sir," Bridget said. "It would violate quantum entanglement."

"Well," I said after running a hand through my hair. "At least it didn't collide with us." I turned to Janet. "Let me know if there's another incident like that."

"I will, sir."

We didn't experience another incident. It was as if it never happened. I had no idea what it meant, but I was sure that it would have some sort of unintended effect.

After we did the burn to come out of hyperspace and waited for the deck wheels to begin turning, we quickly rushed to the command deck to find out what we were headed to.

"I don't see any vessels or signs of a threat, sir," Janet said.

"The planet is definitely habitable, sir," Sharon said. "Plenty of oxygen and water vapor in its atmosphere and a good chlorophyl peak."

"How about any communication pings?"

"Nothing, sir," Natale replied.

"We won't know if anyone's home until we get closer," Sharon said.

"So far, so good," I said.

We finally entered orbit the next day, and no aliens came up to threaten us.

"I don't understand this, sir," Sharon said. "There are circular groupings of huts. I don't see anything that suggests an advanced species."

"I can try magnification on those groupings," Janet said.

The images that she displayed on the main screen were surprising to say the least.

"They look like humans," I said. "What the hell are they doing this far from Earth?"

"Maybe they're from the wizard's planet," Janet suggested.

"Could be. We won't know until we go down there."

"Who are you taking?" She asked.

"Kali and Bridget. I need Kali in case they're aggressive and Bridget to determine if they are humans."

No one objected to my choices.

We waited until it was morning of the next day before Kali, Bridget and I boarded the shuttle and flew down to the planet's surface. I landed near the collection of huts, and we exited the shuttle and waited for someone to greet us.

"What the hell?" Kali blurted. "Don't they see us?"

"Maybe they're all eating breakfast," I quipped.

We walked to the huts and it seemed at first that we were ignored. People attired in black dresses approached us. I thought it odd that men were also attired in dresses. Children wore short skirts and babies and toddlers were naked, a sign that they were living in a more primitive state.

"Where did you come from?" an older male asked us.

I pointed up. "We're from space."

"Are you from Earth?" a younger woman asked.

"Originally, but we've been all over the place. How did you get here?"

"We came here in 2032 to form a new colony. We're the first to do so."

I exchanged glances with Kali and Bridget before turning back to them. "Have you birthed children since coming here?"

The woman gestured to the children. "Yes, we have been blessed."

I realized right then and there that something was radically wrong. If they came through hyperspace, they must have found a way to mitigate the aging problem.

"Did your vessel come through hyperspace to arrive here?"

She tilted her head and looked at me with a quizzical expression. "We're unfamiliar with that."

"Our vessel employed warp drive technology," the man said.

That made me realize that something more serious had happened.

"You seem so young to be space voyagers," the woman said.

"We just look young," I said, smiling to hide my anxiety.

"How many of you live here?" Kali asked.

"We've grown from a hundred to over a thousand," she replied. "We find this planet to be quite amicable to human habitation."

"Why did you come here?"

"We are the Elect of God and wished to escape the godless society of Earth."

"You're not from the Gabriel Defenders, are you?" the man asked.

"No. I have no idea what that is. We're just out here exploring. Excuse us for disturbing you."

They smiled.

We decided that we had seen and heard enough, and it was best to fade away as quickly as we could. Fortunately, they didn't seem to be aggressive, and we were able to board our shuttle without incident. This was another clue as to what was going on.

We didn't say much on the trip back up to the ship. It was only after we joined Janet, Sharon and Natale at the command station that we were able to figure it out.

"What happened down there?" Janet asked. "We didn't detect any activity."

"We have a serious problem," I said with a stern look. "Something major has occurred and we are no longer in a situation that we were in before we came here."

Janet gave me a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"Those people say they came from Earth in 2032 and they didn't do it in hyperspace."

"How did they come here?"

"Warp drive."

"That doesn't make sense," Sharon said. "That technology didn't exist in 2032. Besides, if it had, we would have used it."

"Exactly," I replied.

"I don't understand," Janet said. "How could there be that sort of discrepancy?"

"We're in a different timeline," Kali said. "And, I believe it's because of the anomaly that we experienced in hyperspace."

"How in the hell could we be in a different timeline?" Natale asked. "That's a mythical theory that's built around the multiverse idea, which has never been proven."

"Well, it looks like that's what's happening here, and if it's true, our existence in this new timeline is not supposed to be possible."

"It makes you wonder what Earth is like in this timeline," Bridget said.

I pointed at her. "Exactly, and we're going to go back to Earth and find out."

Janet turned to her station. "I'm working on it." After a few minutes she had a reply. "We're about four hundred and thirty light years from Earth. If we go by our previous runs, it should take us there in five days."

"Good," I said. "Let's get in the G-chairs and get it done."

We strapped in for the burn and were on our way into hyperspace. We had no idea what we would find on Earth, but it was almost certain that it would be different from what we thought.