Galactic Marshal III
by
Hilltopper

CHAPTER 11

I awoke to find Tinker leaning over me.

“Tinker, I see you found me.”

“Found you? Who are you?”

This was certainly not right. I could understand that I might have amnesia but not my rescuer.

“Uh, I thought you had come here, where ever here is, to rescue me.”

Tinker looked over to Bell who was beside me. Bell seemed to be just as confused.

“We do not know you. We were looking through these ruins when we came across you. How did you get here?”

Oh boy, something is really wrong. I pointed toward the hanger room.

“If you go that way, you will find a very large room. In the middle is a big cube. I came here in that.”

I hoped Tinker was just pulling my leg. If not, maybe I’m going crazy. Tinker stared at me a moment.

“Show me.”

My dizziness seemed to have gone away. Tinker helped me to stand.

“Whew, I feel better now. I got dizzy and passed out.”

Tinker nodded.

“We put a gas into this chamber before we entered to eliminate any contamination. We didn’t think anyone would be here.”

I just nodded and started back to the hanger room. Tinker and Bell followed. When we entered the room, I walked over to the device.

“This is it. We used it to stabilize your planet. Somehow, it came here with me inside of it.”

“How did you know our planet is in trouble?”

“OK, this is getting weirder and weirder.”

I filled Tinker and Bell in on all that had happened. Some light seemed to come on inside their heads.

“This makes more sense now.”

“I’m glad it does to you but I’m still in the dark.”

Tinker smiled for the first time.

“Let’s go to our ship. We need to talk with our people then I think we can clear things up.”

I followed them back the way we had come. At the other end of the demolished area we went through an improvised tunnel that exited into sunlight. A small shuttle was setting near by. I recognized it as the one on Tinker’s ship. We got aboard and took off.

“We should meet with our ship in about 15 minutes.”

I nodded.

“Yeah, I’ve done this before.”

Tinker looked stunned again but then smiled and nodded. We docked with Tinker’s ship and went aboard. I was taken to the meeting room. Tinker observed me as we walked along.

“I can tell that you are familiar with my ship. That helps confirm what you have told us.”

They left me in the meeting room while they went to contact their people. I sat down and sighed. My situation was just now sinking in. If I can believe Tinker, it means that the device not only went back to its original location but went back in time as well; how far back was still to be determined. Also, Tinker has not told me where we are. I thought about Mary. I had sent her away without her permission. Now, I was lost as far as she knew. Things could not be worse. I guess it all hit me because I lost it. I never cried like this as a male. Bell came in and comforted me. Finally, I calmed down.

“Tinker is still talking things over with our base of operations. I think we will be going back there to sort things out. From what you have told us, I guess we will call you Gina.”

I nodded.

“That’s fine. I sure don’t look or feel like a John.”

Bell smiled and left the room. I lie back and, I guess, dosed off. The events had absolutely drained me. I awoke to Tinker looking at me. I thought for a minute it all had been a dream but Tinker dispelled that notion.

“My people are having a hard time believing your story. We are taking you to our base.”

“OK, where are we now?”

“We are near a planet you call Prowhiness.”

I nodded.

“I don’t have any clothes or, well, anything. There is a resort on that planet where I might be able to get some things.”

“I’ll go check with Bell. Maybe we can get you what you need before we leave.”

Tinker left. I still didn’t know how far back in time I was but at least I was in familiar country. I was not fully recovered yet because I immediately drifted off again. The ship starting up wakened me. A few minutes later, Bell walked in with a container.

“We obtained some clothes and other things you might need.”

“Thank you.”

Bell handed me an electronic tablet.

“We need you to give us a detailed time line of everything you have done since you first encountered us on Prowhiness. The dates and times are especially important. We need to convince our people of the truth to your story.”

“OK, I can see it is hard to believe. I’m not sure I believe it myself.”

Bell laughed and left. I sat back and tried to recall everything. This was going to be tough. I wish I had Mary and Karen here to help. About 3 hours later, I thought I had it pretty well documented. Bell came back in.

“We are landing at our base. Please stay here while we discuss your situation with our people.”

After Bell left, I sat back to rest. It had taken a lot to remember all that had happened involving the aliens. To make matters worse, I didn’t even know if the device had worked. Sure, it took itself and me back to Prowhiness but that doesn’t mean it stabilized the alien planet. I also worry about this time travel thing. Does it mean that there is another me running around. This could drive one crazy. If the aliens accept my story, will they go ahead and take the device now? If so, how does that affect my future? Oh boy! Tinker came in a while later.

“Well, I have to admit that your story is hard to swallow. We are going to take it to our planetary council.”

He looked at the tablet.

“Have you completed that?”

“Yes, as best I can.”

“Good, I’ll take it with me. For the time being, you need to stay on the ship. I’ll take you to a room that you can use.”

We went down the corridor a ways and entered a doorway. I had been here before too. I opened the closet and started putting my things away. Tinker just nodded.

“You’ve been here before I see. OK, I’ll relate that as well. I might not be back until tomorrow so make your self at home.”

Tinker left and I sat down. It looked like it was going to be a long night. You would think that on a starship there would be plenty to do. Unfortunately, this room had nothing; no vid, no books, no nothing. I quickly became very bored. Speculating on what the future held was pointless. I was in unknown territory here. I wasn’t sure if anyone had gone back in time before. I had never heard of it. I went to bed but had a very difficult night. I must have slept some because a knock on my door startled me. After a minute, Bell entered with a tray of food.

“I noticed that you hadn’t eaten.”

“Thanks, I guess I am hungry.”

Bell smiled, set the tray down, and sat down on a chair. I started to eat but noticed Bell was not. I pointed to the food but Bell just nodded.

“I’ve eaten. Tinker called earlier and will be back in about an hour.”

Bell left after I finished eating. After a bit, Tinker came in.

“I think you have convinced them. Our scientists want to go back to Prowhiness to look over the device you arrived in. You say that you don’t know if it worked to stabilize our planet.”

I shook my head.

“All I know is it came back to Prowhiness. I have no idea what happened on your planet after I left it.”

“Hmm, well, we have decided to continue with plans to develop our gate transportation system. Of course, you know about that. There are some that want to go ahead and bring the device to our planet and try it out. The problem is that this might mess up the time lines. In other words, change the future as you know it. Our scientists think this could have dire consequences. For now, we are going to take you with us to Prowhiness.”

I nodded.

“Yeah, I worry that there is another me out there somewhere.”

“That is a problem. OK, I’ll let you know when we arrive.”

With that, Tinker left. Great! The aliens don’t even know how to handle my time travel. I wish I had the trust that I had with Tinker before the cube left with me. I feel I am at their mercy now. A bit later, Bell came for me.

“We are going down to the surface. Please follow me.”

We went to the shuttle. Only Tinker, Bell and I were there.

“I thought a group of scientists were coming with us?”

“They are already there.”

“Oh”

The shuttle went to the ruins. We exited and went directly into the tunnel. When we reached the hanger room, it was a bee hive of activity. One of the scientists came over and spoke to Tinker for a few minutes. Tinker nodded and turned to me.

“The cube is totally inactive. You seem to be the only one who can activate it.”

I nodded.

“Yeah, that’s what you told me before.”

“Where is that cutter you used to get out?”

I showed it to them. The scientists worked with it a while with no results. Tinker brought me over and handed it to me. As soon as I touched it, the thing started to whine. All the scientists broke out in big smiles and started chattering with each other. Tinker looked my way and nodded. I took the cutter to a wall and quickly cut a small hole. The scientists were ecstatic. Tinker talked with them a while and then walked over to Bell. They talked a minute and then came to me.

“So far, everything you have told us has proven out. The scientists are going to take the cube back to our planet. We are going to stand by here. A decision must be made as to what to do with you. Our leaders want to try to activate the device as soon as possible. Most of the scientists insist that would be catastrophic. We have no knowledge of time affects like you have experienced. It is better to be conservative since a mistake is not tolerable.”

I nodded.

“Have they determined how far back in time I traveled?”

“The best they can figure you have gone back about three of your years.”

This shocked me.

“That’s before I even met Mary and Karen. I am still a male marshal. This changes my whole future!”

Tinker nodded.

“That is why our scientists don’t want to use the cube right away. Changing your future could have profound consequences. The problem is how to avoid that.”

“I suppose you have no way to send me back to the future I came from.”

“This is all new to us as well. One thought was to have you reactivate the device here but no one knows what the result would be. Likely, it would just make matters worse. For now, we are going back to our shuttle and let the scientists hash it out.”

We went to the shuttle and ate. There was very little small talk. Everyone is very concerned. I went to a seat by myself. Finding out that I was now three years distant in my past and stuck here was depressing. Everything that had happened to me since taking the mission to Fledora was now in my other self’s future. How can I do anything here with another me already here. I certainly can’t take up my life as a marshal. As soon as the Planetopolis finds out about my time travel, I’ll be quarantined at best. Anything I do will affect the other me and veer us off my time line. I just don’t see a solution. Finally, Tinker received a call. After talking for several minutes, I was summoned.

“We may have a solution. Our scientists have concluded that, if we follow your detailed account of your interactions with us in your past, we should be able to avoid a time crisis. The big question is what to do with you. No one can interact with you in any way that will change the future. The only way they can come up with that would avoid this is to put you in suspension in a pod at the ruins. That way, after you activate the cube, we can come here and remove you from the pod. It will be as if you had just arrived. What do you think?”

My head was spinning.

“That assumes that, after I left your planet, you are still able to come back here.”

“There’s that.”

I shook my head.

“Do you really think it will work?”

Tinker sighed.

“What choice do we have? It’s the only way to keep you hidden until you catch up with the future.”

“OK, I’m for it.”

“Good, let’s go back into the ruins.”

We went to the hanger room. A pod had been placed in the small room with the gadgets.

“Get into the pod. Once you are in suspension, we will seal this room.”

Tinker patted me on the back.

“See you in three years.”

I smiled, shrugged, and got into the pod. The door closed and I soon drifted away.