Chapter No. 128. New Universe.

Adventure can be dangerous.

"We have received a signal from one of the portal surveillances probes," Judy reported.

"Was it something going in or out?"

"A vessel went in," she replied.

"Okay, alert the fleet. Take us to the portal, Judy."

The trip took twenty minutes because the portal was halfway across the universe. We came out of spin drive in stealth mode.

"We'll wait here for a spell to see if there's any more activity."

"You think it was a Tyco ship?" Alexa asked.

"That's a good possibility. It could be the vessel that attacked us on Earth."

"How are we going to know where they went after they entered the universe that this portal leads to?"

"I have a hunch that Tyco knows that we installed surveillance probes at all of the portals. He's probably amassing his fleet at the exit of this portal."

"If that's the case, how are we going to take on his entire fleet?"

"We, my dear, have the advantage that there are five us with the ability to deflect weapons fire."

"Maybe he realizes that," she said.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to find out. I'm tired of playing his demented games." I turned to Judy. "Activate the hydrogen signal and take us in."

Judy turned on a powerful radio signal at the hydrogen spectra frequency. Soon, the energy beam opened up a swirling hole. Our vessel moved into the maelstrom and flew through the wormhole.

"Go to Red Alert," I said.

The command deck lights dimmed, and red blinking lights cast a foreboding flashing bloody color.

We exited the wormhole in a parallel universe that appeared to be somewhat younger than ours. Surprisingly, no fleet was waiting for us.

"That's odd," I said. "I assumed that Tyco would have his fleet here to battle us."

"I don't think he has much of a fleet left," Alexa said. "He's more interested in a personal conflict with you."

"I suppose we'll just have to guess where the hell the vessel went."

"Maybe we can trace some residual neutrinos from their its spin drive," Margaret said.

After several minutes, Margaret had a result of her scans. "The residual readings indicated that they went toward that prominent galaxy cluster." She pointed at a display of it on the main screen.

"That's a newly formed galaxy cluster a billion light years from our present position," Molly said. "It contains stars that could be old enough to form solar systems."

"Take us there, Judy. Put us at Yellow Alert status."

The lights dimmed and yellow blinkers prevailed as we traveled to a spiral galaxy that appeared to be old enough to have habitable planets. We stopped at a position above the galaxy relative to its clockwise rotation but not near the supermassive black hole in its center.

Molly activated her virtual mirror and began searching for planets, and it took her time to find a candidate habitable system. She was having trouble locating systems that were old enough to form planets.

"Evidently this universe is younger than ours," I said.

"It is, probably only half as old," Molly said. "It has been around long enough to form galaxies that have clustered together. There is a spiral galaxy that appears to be well formed. I think it's our best shot at finding habitable planets."

"Give it a go," I said.

"What are you going to do if we do locate Tyco?" Alexa asked.

"I would think he'd want to engage in combat with me. I'm ready for that, but I have no way of knowing how good he is."

"We could gang up on him."

"I don't think that would work. He would simply disappear if he saw all of you with me."

"So, it comes down to a single combat between you and his avatar," she said.

"Maybe it is his last avatar. If this is the remainder of his collective, the computer system that contains his personality is here."

"You're making a lot of assumptions."

"I agree, but it's the best shot we have of ending this charade."

"I've found what appears to be a G5 class star with habitable planets."

"Take us there, Judy. Remain at Yellow Alert."

It required twenty minutes at full warp to arrive a billion kilometers from the star.

"The fourth planet is at the outer edge of the habitable zone," Molly said. "Its atmosphere contains oxygen."

"I don't see any indication of space technology," Margaret said. "That planet has two moons, one of which is larger than our moon."

"Put us in orbit, Judy."

After we achieved orbit around the planet, we soon discovered that it was not what we expected.

"There is no evidence of intelligent life on this planet," Margaret said. "There are no signs of structures on the continents or the islands."

"There are signs of vegetation," Molly said. "But, I don't see any large animals. This planet might be one that has just settled down after formation."

"Wait a second," Margaret said. "I'm detecting two Explorer class ships in orbit around the larger moon."

"Go to Red Alert Status," I said.

"They don't seem to be moving from orbit," Molly said.

"I think this is a set up," I said.

"Or, we just got lucky," Alexa said.

"Could be. If this is Tyco's base, we should be able to detect android life."

"There are android life signals from underground," Molly said. "I would place the number at something like ten thousand."

"This is definitely a Tyco trick," I said.

"You might be right. I'm detecting a single life signal standing on an open field."

"Display that," I said.

I stared at the individual standing alone in an open area. "Yep, he's waiting on me."

"How do you know he doesn't have an explosive right near where he is?" Molly asked.

"I don't think so. I believe he's ready to duke it out."

Alexa turned to me. "Do you need me?"

"I believe that I had better do this myself. If it doesn't go well, I don't want any of you destroyed."

I teleported to the surface and stood facing the lone android at fifty meters.

"Well, Jason. We finally meet for the final dance."

I smiled. "Yes, so it seems."

What happened next, surprised me.