Setting up the guardians took a little over a year. The Te'Hat still needed a lot of help recovering from the meteor strike. The work went faster now Atlantis arrived in the neighborhood. Even so, it had been an ambitious project. Neither humans nor Te'Hat had ever seen a guardian before. Sonny just pulled this out like a recipe for a cake, and the Atlantis and her companions followed the recipe. After the project had been completed, it needed to be tested.

"Sonny, how are these things going to know the difference between a meteor and a ship? A beam that powerful would severely damage or potentially destroy an incoming craft."

Sonny used graphics and data like a presentation as he explained. "The guardians are really much like the laser cannons we used back on Earth. Except it uses mesons. So, the construction of those components is very similar. The other function of the guardian is analyzing a moving body within its scanning range."

"How far is its range?" Levi queried.

"One point one light years. The equipment will study many aspects of the object; its radiation output, any power signatures, trajectory, speed and the like. If it determines that an object is approaching Searth, it will notify both the humans and the Te'Hat if it has a worrisome trajectory. It will continue to track the object and give it a nudge at the proper time, if it is an asteroid, and give further notifications of its approach if it is not."

"I'm a little afraid of what it will make of two or three dozen craft in one light year radius. Is it going to freak out and start shooting at us because of our proximity to Searth?"

"No. It will detect two or three dozen power signatures and one or two that do not and monitor them. There will be notification of all objects upon startup, so people will need to standby to address the notifications when the startup is complete."

"Just the same, I think we need to be on our toes."

"Why?" Sonny asked.

Levi was a little confused. "Why, what?"

"Why is it necessary to stand on your toes?"

Sonny has been with the humans and studied them for decades, and even now, a stray phrase or idiom would completely stump the smartest machine in the known universe. "It is an expression meant to convey a sense of alertness or readiness," Levi explained.

"Acknowledged. The guardians will be ready for testing in four hours as the final checks and setups are completed."

"Thanks, Sonny. It gives me time for a little preparation of my own." The captain needed to make sure the Te'Hat and the humans planet-side were prepared for the startup. It also gave him time to check in with Alex. Levi had been focused on this project and had been neglecting her. He checked her schedule and found that Alex got off-shift in a few minutes. Levi summoned an auto and took the short hop from his quarters to her office. As he approached the building, he had a nostalgic thought and smiled to himself. The captain would sometimes drop by here to pick Alex up for some wining, dining and other things. Levi thought of her smile and the way her eyes also smiled at him. But it was more than that. Even before Alex became an E-human, those eyes were like a physical connection which conducted the love she had for him, and it made him feel warm inside.

His timing had been perfect. Levi had walked into the building to the reception area, and Alex stepped out of the elevator. "I saw you heading my way. I would have asked you through our connection, but I could see you had a plan. I've finished up here, so I'm ready to go." Alex said with that smile.

One of the things more difficult about E-human relationships is you could almost never surprise someone. Using the camera feeds and direct connections, it was almost impossible not to tip the other person off. Levi smiled warmly, "Well, I thought it would be nice to go for a stroll and talk. Maybe get a bite if you are hungry."

"For real, or virtual."

"For real. I thought a walk in the park like we used to would be nice. I want to spend some real-time with you. No quickies."

"Okay. Lead on Captain!" Alex took his arm, and they headed to the auto. Once they arrived at the park, they took a leisurely stroll and talked to some people they met and sat down on a bench. Levi put his arm around her as they looked across the park. "This was nice, Levi. Thanks for taking me here. I almost forgot how lovely this park really is."

Levi had a little dread in his voice. "I wanted to see you because I have this feeling it may be a while before we get to do this again."

"I know we're both busy, but we made time before. We can make time later too. It is easier to make time now that we are both connected."

"You're right Alex, but it seems nicer and familiar when I know it is not contrived or made up. You here with me on this bench, feeling the warmth of you, the smell of you. Breathing air, and I guess just feeling more alive. I can climb Mount Everest with you or fight off alien attacks to save you, but this moment now feels the most right."

"Why Captain Levi Metcalfe! I do declare that you are a nostalgic fool! I would never have pegged you as a hopeless romantic."

"I'm not really. Just hopeless for you." He leaned over to kiss her. Alex decided to give her life companion kiss number twelve. The kind which is not too lusty, but conveys all the love she had for him. After a line like that, he deserved it!

After their embrace and a little nuzzling, they left the park and made their way back to the apartment. Levi was apologetic. "I have to get back to the bridge in time for the guardians to be activated. I will see you later."

"Do you mind if I follow you to the bridge? My section helped with the interfaces and control boards in the development of the guardians. I would like to watch them come online if you don't mind. I know I could watch from anywhere, but as you said earlier, it feels more real this way."

"Sure. It's not a problem." Levi exaggerated a bow as he swept his arm in the direction back to the auto station. "If you would walk this way, Madame." On the bridge, Commander Bales sat in one of the side command chairs in the center of the bridge. He had been absorbed reviewing reports when he noticed the captain a little too late.

He suddenly snapped out of the chair and saluted. "Sorry, sir. I did not see you come in. Are you briefed on the readiness of the guardians?"

Levi returned the salute. "Yes, thank you, Commander. My reports were dated fifteen minutes ago. Any changes?"

"No changes, sir."

"Well, I think we are about to throw the switch. Let's take our seats and say a Hail Mary or something." Commander Bales sat back in his seat with Alex sitting on the other side of the captain. "Communications, contact each of the eight stations and get a final go-no-go for startup."

"Aye, sir. One moment." The communications officer acknowledged. "All stations report go for startup. The channel is still open awaiting your command sir."

"Very well." Levi knew they all had been tested and retested with simulations and stresses to the system. Everything should go smoothly. However, Levi also knew bad luck comes in all flavors. He felt ready for anything. "Alright," he said to the ground crews, "Let's crank up the guardians!"

A few moments later the stations were functioning as expected. The first thing after coming online the guardians detected the ships in the neighborhood. Nobody had been shot. That was a good thing. A few more minutes passed. "Captain," the communications officer broke the silence. "Station six reports an anomaly."

"What kind of anomaly, lieutenant?" Levi's warning bells were going off in his head.

"Unknown, sir. It is not an asteroid. It is traveling at about twice the speed of light, and it's not one of ours. Its current position is just outside of the system. This has now been confirmed by guardian five, one and two."

"Captain." Sonny broke in. "I have analyzed and identified the interloper."

The captain pressed. "So, what is it, Sonny?"

"It's one of ours. It is a space probe. One we sent out before we left. It has done as expected and followed us to Searth. Its original destination had been Kepler-62, twelve hundred light years from Earth."

"Why is it here? Round trip would be about two hundred and fifty years."

"This is one of the later probes which had several newer upgrades. This probe had been instructed that if it found something of high importance on its way to the original destination, the probe was to abandon its original mission and report back to us. It must have found something."

"When will it reach us?"

"At its present speed, three months and six days."

"Well, that's a ways out. We're wrapping things up here on Searth, and we will be back on the road again by then. Let's pick the probe up on our way out. Sonny, send a packet out with our findings and our decision to the other ships and Admiral Johnson."

"Acknowledged. Packet sent."

"Thank you, Sonny."

Ten minutes later the communications officer hailed, "Captain, Admiral Johnson wishes to speak with you."

"Put him on, please."

The Admiral's face appeared on the main viewer. "Captain, this is an interesting development! I just received your packet. I heard something was up when the guardians went online, and we got the alert. I had not the time to find out what had gone on until I received your packet. It sounds like good news!"

"We hope so Admiral. Those probes must make pit stops to refuel in systems which have gas giants with hydrogen atmospheres. When it scanned a system looking for gas giants, it found something else of big enough importance to abandon its primary mission and return to us."

"Yes, I know. I helped design some of those probes. After the guardians finish and completely checks out, there will be nothing to keep us here anymore."

"Correct, Admiral. We have a tentative departure planned in about one month. The colonist, or should I say immigrant selection list has begun and we want to make sure they have anything they need before we go."

"Copy that. I meet regularly with the local Mat'Ma, and he has assured me of their complete cooperation."

"How is Melon?"

"You can ask him yourself when you come down, Captain."

"Come down?"

"Yes, I assumed you would want to come down to make a personal announcement to the men and the locals about our departure and beyond."

"Yes. Of course." Levi had not thought to touch base with the locals. He had been relying on the Admiral for those things perhaps too much. Leo had been good enough to jog his brain. Even if it was an E-brain.

"Very good, then. Johnson out." The screen faded. While he talked to the Admiral, Levi entertained a conference call at his virtual apartment with the other three captains.

David Williams from the intrepid, Bill Collier from the Wanderer, and Margrit Lichtenwalter from the Valiant who took the helm after their captain led a failed rebellion on Searth. Margrit had recently become an E-human and came to terms with it. "Good morning Captains," Levi addressed the informal gathering. They were all sitting around a large coffee table in very comfortable chairs, guests in Levi's virtual apartment. There was a knock on the door. His door glowed with symbols and fractal equations followed by E=mc2. "Come on in Sonny. You're almost late."

"The timing difference was negligible, as I finished seven hundred and fifty-two important pieces of business in the last three hundred cycles. And, as you say, I was almost late."

Bill chuckled, "Well, I think he's got you there. Don't need any lawyers as long as he is around, I think."

Captain Metcalfe smiled and began, "You are all aware of the most recent development regarding the probe." There were nods from around the table. "This is either very good timing or very bad timing depending on how you look at it. In a few moments in real-time, I will need to notify the consortium and convene a meeting to discuss our next move. I don't think the meeting should take place until we gather the probe and find out what it has to say."

"I agree," Captain Lichtenwalter said. "The best part is when we intersect with it, we will still be in this system, and not in the middle of nowhere and have to change course."

"Right," said Captain Williams. "If we are leaving in a month, and it's three months out, it means we will run into the probe about a month after we shove off."

"If all the variables do not change, it will be one month and twenty-eight hours," Sonny commented.

"Well, I said, about didn't I?" David thought Sonny was nit-picking. "I calculated the same number as you did, but humans are used to speaking in more general terms. We're not robots you know!"

"I meant no offense, of course, Captain Williams. I only mentioned it because I believed the accuracy was relevant."

"How so?"

"Our position when we intersect with the probe will still have us well inside the system. However," Sonny continued, "If our new vector lies more than ninety degrees on either side of our intersection point, then we will lose time and energy."

Margrit spoke up. "Wouldn't our new vector be in the direction the probe entered the system, Sonny?"

"It would be in the direction the probe refueled last. It may be in the general direction, but not necessarily."

Captain Metcalfe stepped in. "Well, while you all were distracted, I worked the problem backward from Kepler-62 along the most likely route it would have taken. Accounting for the time in transit, I work out three possible systems it originated from, all in the general direction of the probe. So, we are settled on this part. What do you think Sonny?"

"I concur." There were nods around the table as well.

"Good," Levi acknowledged. "I want us all on the same page. I didn't know if anything else needed working out before I addressed the consortium."

Margrit asked, "I have not heard where we are going next if we are not staying here?"

"Well, it is not exactly a secret. Sonny and I have been discussing this off and on for some time. He has been doing a lot of research with assistance from our science teams concerning our other two top destinations. Barring a change in course from what the probe has to say, we have settled on GJ667Cc. It had been our top choice until we discovered Searth. It is in the opposite direction than Searth, but along the direction of our third choice which is over four hundred light years away."

Captain Williams was taken aback. "Whoa! That's a fair piece away even at ten times the speed of light."

Levi nodded. "Yes, I know. But we have to go where our probabilities of survival are the greatest. This probe may tell us nothing, or be just what we are looking for. We will have to wait and see. Thank you for coming, and will see you at the consortium meeting when it is scheduled." The captains all said goodbye and left the virtual apartment except Margrit. "Is there something I can help you with Margrit?"

She looked at him as if she was afraid to say something. She even seemed shy about it. "Well, I have a problem that I hope you can help me with. The others, they might laugh at me, and I know you are the gentleman in the group."

"I can try to help." Not knowing what else to say.

"It's about sex."

Levi raised an eyebrow. "That is a broad subject. Can you be more specific?"

"I want to have virtual sex. I hear it is fantastic and, well, it is a very tempting thing to hear. There are not very many people to choose from." Margrit screwed up her face in disappointment. "Now I'm sounding stupid!"

"It is natural, not stupid. I can put you in touch with many people who have been enhanced on my ship."

"What about you?"

"Me?" Levi was caught off guard. Stress levels were rising. He needed to get them under control. "I am a private kind of person, and I love my wife very much. I would not jeopardize that for anything. But, thanks for asking. I tell you what; talk to my wife Alex since you are already here on the ship and maybe you girls can come up with something for your problem."

"Thanks, Captain. I will do that. See you around." Margrit turned on her heel and let herself out and left Levi alone in his virtual environment. She was the prettiest captain of their little group he thought with a smile. He left his apartment and returned to the real world where three point two seconds had elapsed.

Levi turned to his communications officer. "Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir?"

"Contact chairman Rocha and have her call me at her convenience."

"Aye, sir. Right away."

While he waited for Izzy to get back with him, he reviewed some of the latest telemetry and data from the Guardian's test run. He was satisfied with it overall. However, some filters may need to be installed in a new patch. An unexpected knock on his virtual door derailed Levi's thoughts. Alex entered wearing a friendly smile. "Hey, Alex. This is an unplanned but nice visit." It was then he saw Margrit in tow.

"I brought Margrit with me if that is alright. We had been talking, and we needed a man's opinion."

"Well, I guess. Is Alex helping you with your problem Margrit?"

"Why yes, she is, as a matter of fact." She started giggling.

"I'm getting some red flags here! Alex, what is going on." Levi put two and two together, and he wasn't sure he liked the answer.

"Well," Alex began. "Margrit told me of your conversation, and how you sweetly let her down and suggested she talk to me about her sex problem. Margrit here seemed to be under the impression that you wanted her to ask my permission to have virtual sex with you."

"What!" Levi became alarmed. "No way I would ever put you in that position! The intention had been to see that she got what she needed. But with someone else!"

"I appreciate your noble intentions, but I have solved the poor girl's problem all by myself, thank you."

"Good." Levi became somewhat relieved. "Who did you set her up with?"

"Why you; you silly man!"

"Me? And you're Okay with that?" Levi wasn't sure he was in Kansas anymore.

"Well, yes. I'm confident enough about our relationship that I can help this poor starved individual realize her potential in her first foray into virtual sex. We are both good at this particular skill, are we not?"

"Well, yeah." He felt very uncomfortable discussing having sex with someone else in the presence of his wife.

"I think both of us can help her out. Don't you think?" Alex gave off vibes that Levi had not witnessed before. She smiled, but it was a wicked smile. Margrit giggled again.

"What? Three? Right now?" He felt like a computer that had frozen up and couldn't put two words together coherently. The two women began to advance on the frozen captain sitting on the couch.

"Now, Captain,"Alex said with that wicked smile. "This won't hurt a bit."