Jack frowned as the Enterprise glided at the edge of the atmosphere. Diamonds

marked the rest of the goblin trees detected by the scanners he had equipped the ship.

He noted they remained solitary things in the middle of regular trees.

He didn’t know a lot about trees, but he wondered why the goblin trees stood by

themselves instead of sheltering in a grove of the same species. Maybe it was

something to do with their pollination method. If they needed blood to grow, maybe

nothing spread their seeds except on rare occasions.

That would explain why the continent wasn’t overran by mindless berserkers biting

everything in sight.

Or Warner, and the champions that preceded him, had done what he was trying to

do and destroyed all the goblin trees they could find before they became a menace.

That seemed like a good explanation for the preservation of humanity as they knew

it.

“What do you think, guys?,” asked Jack.

“The trees are planted more randomly than I expected,” said Aviras. “But one is in the

biggest city we can see with the Enterprise. Headquarters for the enemy?”

“They knew enough to not have their operation in the city in case something went

wrong, but they wanted insurance in case something went wrong the other way?,”

said Jack. “What happens if the goblin tree infects someone in the capitol and they

start spreading it around?”

“Their whole invasion plan could backfire and they lose the center of their

government,” said Aviras.

“So we need to get rid of the tree and scan for infected individuals who might be

carrying seeds that we will have to extract and get rid of before they are triggered into

new goblin trees,” said Jack.

“We shouldn’t hurt anyone not involved in the project,” said Aviras.

“Enterprise, scan for trees and infected,” said Jack. “We might have a tunnel system

to investigate if they went underground to prevent enemy forces from taking the tree

from them.”

“Affirmative,” said the machine.

Markers for two trees lit up the screen. Then dozens of smaller markers lit up and

moved around the cityscape. Jack rubbed his face as he looked at the information.

The people he would have to rescue would not like him trying to rescue them from

becoming plant food.

“This is worse than I thought,” said Jack. “We’ll have to take on the whole city to do

anything.”

“Not the whole city,” said Aviras. “But this is a lot that came into contact with the

tree.”

“Maybe they all work with the tree,” said Jack. “Did they breathe in the seeds? Did

they give it blood? Did they get implanted on purpose?”

“Unknown,” said Enterprise. “Need more data.”

“You don’t have the library of information you need for this, do you?,” asked Jack.

“I only have the limited experience gathered during this operation,” said the machine.

“We need to take you to a library and load you up with whatever we can find out

about this world,” said Jack. “Aviras knows more about this world than either one of

us.”

“Mathilda has been reading to me her fictions, and fictional history, that she likes,”

said Aviras. “I love Garion the Hammer.”

“Maybe we can get her to read to the Enterprise,” said Jack.

“She loves to read,” said Aviras. “Reading to others would be something she likes.”

“I’ll think about asking her to read something to the Enterprise, maybe some kind of

chronology of the world,” said Jack. “General knowledge should be there for it to

draw on to make decisions to help us with our work, and explorations.”

“Understood,” said Enterprise. “I will look forward to such a reading.”

“So guys,” said Jack. “How do you want to do this?”

“We should remove the trees first,” said Aviras. “That limits the spread of problems

while we deal with their infected soldiers and civilians.”

“All right,” said Jack. “Can you pick up and store the infected in the city, Enterprise?”

“Affirmative,” said the machine. “Ready to commence operations.”

“Let’s get started,” said Jack. “If we run into any of those book guys, we’ll issue

a warning before we shoot back at them.”

“Phasers are ready,” said the machine.

“Get rid of the trees,” said Jack. “Then we’ll see what we can do about the people.

I don’t think they will like us abducting them for the greater good.”

Rings dropped down inside the courtyards where the trees stood. Jack noted they

weren’t planted side by side, but in different places on the display created by the

Enterprise’s scanners. When the metal hoops flipped over and retracted back into the

ship, the trees had added their mass to the armored bulk of the ship.

“Should we give them a warning that we are picking the infected up?,” said Jack. “I

am of two minds. One hand, it would be scary for them. On the other hand, it would

be scary for them.”

“Give them a warning,” said Aviras. “We might as well tell them that trying to start

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a war with a biological weapon that will keep trying to kill people is wrong. Kill your

enemy, kill your enemy’s children if you have to, but don’t kill your own people’s

children’s children.”

“Affirmative,” agreed the machine.

“Open the speakers so we can talk to the city,” said Jack. “Then we’ll commence with

picking up the sick and keep them until we can cure and return them.”

“Microphones are open,” said the machine.

“This is Jack,” said Jack. “How’s it going down there?”

“Jack,” whispered Aviras.

The scanner showed the population looking up as the Enterprise dropped down to

hover over the walls of the city. The ship loomed, casting a shadow over everyone

below.

“I have been given a job to protect all the people on this world,” said Jack. He

frowned as he put his thoughts in order. “I have only been on the job for two weeks.

I have done some things in pursuit of that job. Some of that has been ruthless murder,

and I considered that in this case.

“Your government has decided to infect people as test subjects to create a weapon

that might propagate itself until every living person on this continent, even

yourselves, would be in mortal danger. They have entered into a bargain with human

traffickers to steal women and children for their experiments. They have

threatened my friend’s adopted family, and my beloved.

“Just for that last, I would normally destroy your country from one end to the other.

“I would render your country uninhabitable and a warning to every other country who

thought anything like this was a good idea.”

Jack took a breath that was heard by the city as a sigh of regret that he hadn’t done

that.

“But my tiny friend, Aviras, said I shouldn’t punish everyone for the mistakes of

the few,” said Jack. Aviras glared at him. “So I am not.”

“I am taking the source of your weapon from you. I am going to cure the people

among you that are on the verge of turning into monsters. I might destroy the

government center building to show that I can. Do not do anything like this again.

I will know, and I will come back to finish the job. Am I clear?”

Jack raised his hand in a cut motion.

“Speakers are off,” said the machine.

“Pick up the infected,” said Jack. “Get ready in case they try to stop us.”

“Affirmative,” said the machine. “Transporters are energizing, targets are being

stored.”

“Thank you,” said Jack. “Are there any of Josie’s birds around?”

Pings lit up several birds lounging around on the top of the castles. Some of the

infected may have been marked by the birds, but he felt that he was dealing with the

planners in the towers. He thought about dropping a few torpedoes on those towers.

“I think you should wait on Josie to arrive,” said Aviras.

“Really?,” said Jack.

“You are considering following up your threat with shots against the planners of

this operation like we did in the wilderness,” said Aviras. Fire escaped his snout.

“You are still angry, but not as angry as you were. I am not inclined to defend your

actions to your partner and friend who hands out geas and curses like they are party

favors. I wish to be full-sized again one day.”

“Josie wouldn’t hold it against you,” said Jack.

“I do not want cancer, and neither should you,” said Aviras.

“All right,” said Jack. “I will let this slide for the moment. If I have to rip up the city,

then that is what I will do. Josie is not going to stop me from that.”

“All right,” said Aviras.

“Enterprise, take us up above visual range,” said Jack. “Put us on station so we can

pick up Josie when her crew gets here. Keep an eye on what is going on. I expect

there will be some kind of meeting to assert the government at large isn’t scared of

one flying ship as a big as a town.”

“Affirmative,” said the machine. “Ascending to required height.”

“Let me know if something happens,” said Jack. “I am going to my office and think

about things. Maybe get some tea if the replicator works right. Enterprise, are we

spaceworthy?”

“Unknown,” said the Enterprise. “Capability might match expectations but tests have

to be done.”

“We can do the test before we head back to Hawk Ridge,” said Jack. He stood up. “It

would be cool to know if we can travel around the solar system, if this is a solar

system, and not some kind of finite plane on a flat plate.”

“Flat plate?,” said Aviras. He took to the air.

“Like Discworld,” said Jack. He gestured for the dragon to follow him to a door to

one side of the bridge. “The D had an office for the captain. He could work on his

paperwork and do things while waiting for something to happen. It had his personal

stuff and a replicator for snacks and drinks.”

They waited for the door to open on an empty room with a window showing them

clouds outside of the ship. Jack stepped inside. He went to the window and looked

out. He nodded at the fluffy clouds floating on the other side of the reinforced glass.

“It doesn’t seem ready to be used,” said Aviras.

“It does have a replicator slot in the wall,” said Jack. “What kind of furnishing should

go in here?”

“You should have at least a chair,” said Aviras. “Maybe a desk to write on if you want

to write.”

“I haven’t ever decorated a space before,” said Jack. “I think we can hang up some

pictures, and put in a bust, or something. You’re right about the desk and chair. I

might need a mobile unit to call up things the Enterprise knows that I haven’t thought

about yet.”

“I would like to be able to read books if I am stuck onboard for a long voyage,” said

Aviras.

“I wouldn’t mind some video games, but I haven’t thought of a way to make them

here,” said Jack. “Enterprise? Are all the rooms aboard empty?”

“All living quarters and public areas are empty,” said the machine. “Medical beds and

equipment are ready in the sick bay.”

“I didn’t think about furnishing the ship,” said Jack. “That was an oversight,

Enterprise. I will figure something out so we can be more hospitable to guests.”

“Understood,” said the machine.

“So you are going to put furniture in here?,” said Aviras.

“We don’t have anything else to do until we hear from Josie,” said Jack. “We can

make this one room where we can sit in comfort.”

He checked his watch. He had time. The mana chargers that ran the ship was keeping

the watch from charging as fast as he wanted, but it was charging.

He changed into Majik. He examined the office space. He should have something

on the wall. Picard had models of the various Enterprises on shelves to one side. He

should do the same thing.

First, he needed a chair. He could place that under the window, facing the door. Then

he needed a desk, maybe a worktable. He needed something to drink. He walked over

to the replicator slot and ordered a glass of Cheerwine. He sipped the soda as he

thought.

He needed a base to build everything out of so he didn’t disrupt the Enterprise.

“What is that?,” asked Aviras. He pointed at the glass of drink as he floated in the air.

“Cheerwine,” said Jack. “I ran into it in the Army. I like it.”

“How did you get it?,” asked Aviras.

“The replicators make food and drink to request,” said Jack. “And I needed the glass.”

“Really?,” said the dragon.

“Let me show you,” said Jack. “Star Trek has the ability to make things out of energy.

Damage done to ships can be held back with energy fields until the ship’s workshops

can fit patches back in place. Things are usually done in space to escape the effects

of gravity while the workers are going about their business. Our Enterprise also has

the ability to absorb mass to increase its size which the original ship didn’t have.

It’s a side effect of the magic I used.”

“How does the glass help with that?,” asked Aviras.

“I can use it to make a chair,” said Jack. He placed the glass on the floor. He made a

gesture with his hand and the glass and liquid became an office chair with reddish

cushions resting next to the window. He sat down in it and thought it felt all right.

“Are you going to make a desk the same way?,” asked the dragon.

“It should be a snap,” said Jack. “I just need something like a couple of blocks of

metal. I can shape that into whatever.”