by Saxon Andrew
Kathy watched the giant formation move through the enemy’s lines and start pursuing her fleets. After a day, they stopped, turned around, and moved back toward their territory. Kathy knew this was a brand-new game. That new ship’s blasters were very close to the range of the Defense Platform’s. If not for that scout, she could have lost her fleet. Thank heavens she had them move in behind her fleet and keep track of what was happening.
Martov was sweating profusely. If that woman hadn’t ordered his fleets to run when she did, he would have died. He lost six-hundred warships, but that loss wasn’t much of his total and he was surprised he hadn’t lost more. If he had been in command… well… it’s a good thing he wasn’t.
• • •
The War Leader arrived from Fagan space with his fleet and found devastation confronting him. The defense line was shattered and burning warships and Planet Killers filled his monitor as far as he could see. A Senior War Leader he had never met appeared on his monitor, “Where have you been?”
“I left with my ships to remove the civilization sending those white ships to attack us.”
“Were you successful?”
“I was, War Leader.”
“Well, at least there’s some good news out of this.”
“What happened?”
The Senior War Leader exhaled sharply, “The First Enemy on this side of the core launched an attack with their large warships. My fleet was called from the war taking place on the other side of the core to remove the attackers, but they managed to flee and escape.”
The War Leader looked back at the monitor showing the thousands of burning and destroyed warships, “What are we going to do about this?”
“That’s up to the Council. I’ve been ordered back to the other side of the core; however, I am leaving five thousand of my new Planet Killers.”
The War Leader nodded as the monitor went dark. This was a devastating defeat. He began receiving word that numerous crews on his ships were dying. He had no means to save them; everything was disorganized and even the medical ships had been destroyed in the enemy’s attack. He sat back in his chair and waited for orders.
• • •
The Dictator sat with the other leaders and said, “This new Admiral has given us a great victory.”
The woman sitting next to the Dictator nodded, “Yes, she did but we won’t be able to do this again.”
The Dictator shrugged, “I know. The appearance of those new giant ships changes things. We must continue to build the defenses around Earth and forget about attacking them again. At least until we have a vessel capable of handling those new ships.”
“We must increase the power of our Defense Platforms, Excellency!”
The Dictator turned to the man furthest from him to the right, “I know. Admiral Jennings is working on that now.”
“Can we do it?” the woman asked.
“It will require a new focusing element for the platform’s blasters along with more reactors on board; Jennings believes we can do it.”
“That new Admiral did an outstanding job!”
The Dictator turned to the woman on his left who made the statement and nodded, “Indeed she did. However, we won’t be making any more attacks and we have plenty of Admirals capable of commanding a planetary defense. I had her executed this morning.” The nine leaders were stunned by the Dictator’s comment. The Dictator had an evil smile as he added, “She was disrespectful toward me and my nephew in our first meeting and I don’t allow that. All of you should not be surprised by this.”
The Dictator stood up and left the chamber. The woman knew the dictator was right; he never forgot, and he never forgave anything.
• • •
Admiral Martov was sitting on his command chair going over his reports from the battle in alien space when he learned about Kathy’s execution. He stood up and went to his office and contacted Admiral Jennings, “Sir, is it true Major Admiral Rice was executed?!” Jennings shook his head slightly and then nodded. “WHY?!”
Jennings shrugged, “She apparently offended the Dictator when he initially interviewed her.”
“Then why did he promote her?”
“He saw she would be a good choice to lead the attack against the aliens.” Martov’s expression turned angry and Jennings held up his hand, “Admiral, this is not something you should get involved in!”
Martov glared at Jennings and then nodded curtly. The display went dark and Martov sat back in his chair. He should be thankful the new Admiral was executed; it removed a competitor. But… he would be dead if not for Kathy’s quick action in getting his fleets out of trouble when the new alien Planet Killers appeared. Now her bravery and success were ignored, and she was executed because of the Dictator’s ego. Martov knew there was nothing he could do about what happened. To complain would probably lead to his execution and he knew he was going to have to be silent about his feelings. But he owed her. He fought his anger and stayed in his office until he could keep his feelings hidden.
Chapter Eleven
Two years passed, and Grady could tell Taffy was getting bored. She kept showing up at the construction facilities with Candy in her stroller, and finally Grady stopped her and said, “Taffy, every time you come her you disrupt the workers from doing their jobs. You need to find something else to take up your time.”
“WHAT? YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE ME?!”
“Taffy, I see you every day and some days all day. What’s going on?” Taffy glared at Grady and he added, “You have a reason for coming here so much and you’re not telling me what it is.” Taffy stared at Grady and saw Joshua watching them. They were going over the new blaster mounts when Taffy showed up and Grady didn’t want to stop what he was doing. Taffy picked Candy up and turned to go but Grady stopped her, “Taffy, what’s going on?!”
Taffy glanced at Joshua again and asked, “Can we discuss this in private?”
“No! Joshua is as close to us as a family member. What has you bothered?”
Taffy glared at Grady and looked at the large blaster being mounted on the top of the Hare, “How long will it be before the new blasters are installed?”
“Quit changing the subject, Taffy.”
“I’m not changing the subject, Grady. How long?”
Grady turned to Joshua and he shrugged, “We’ll have a hundred warships converted within two months. All of the new ones have the blasters already installed.”
Grady turned back to Taffy, “What does that have to do with anything?”
“We need to take some of the modified ships out, Grady.”
Joshua and Grady stared at Taffy and she could see their surprise at her statement. Taffy shrugged, “There’s one more planet we need to find.” Grady’s eyes narrowed and Taffy smiled slightly, “With the additional speed of our new warships, it’s time we went looking for the planet the Union settled before Britannia was destroyed.”
Grady’s mouth fell open and Joshua asked, “What is she talking about, Grady?”
“How long have you been thinking about this, Taffy?”
“Grady, I’ve never stopped thinking about it. I just knew there was no way to find it until this new ship was developed. With its speed, finding it just might be possible.”
“Grady, what is she talking about?!” Joshua asked more firmly.
Grady sighed and turned to Joshua, “Before we left Britannia, we found records that seemed to indicate the Union sent out freighters and warships to colonize a new planet years before the Union and Coalition fought a civil war and the aliens invaded.”
“You never told me about that!”
“Joshua, there was no possibility of ever finding that planet. The Union learned about the existence of the alien civilization and knew that Britannia stood no chance against it. The Union’s leadership also knew if they told the Coalition about the aliens, they wouldn’t be believed by the Coalition and they would send out scouts to confirm the Union’s story. If they did that and their scouts
were discovered, the aliens would have immediately attacked.
“Taffy and I discovered that a hundred freighters and thousands of warships were missing from the Union’s fleet registry and couldn’t be accounted for. It seemed clear that the Union sent those ships and freighters out to colonize another planet.” Grady paused and shrugged, “But there is no possible way to determine where this new planet is located; the Union could have gone in any direction from Britannia and the Milky Way is too large to go out searching for it without some clue as to what direction they went.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this planet?”
“Joshua, there’s no way to find it. I’m sure the Union’s leaders chose a place that wouldn’t be found.”
Joshua stared at Grady in silence for a long moment and then asked, “Did this planet you’re describing have the hull technology of the Rex Rabbit?”
“No, Joshua. My mission was to build the hull into an operational starship, so it could be examined off Britannia. The Coalition defeated the Union before I completed building the ship and once I made it operational, the aliens attacked.”
Joshua nodded, and his eyes narrowed slightly, “Let’s take this conversation to my office.” Joshua turned, and Taffy and Grady followed him.
After Joshua moved ahead of them, Grady asked quietly, “Why has finding the Union Colony been bothering you, Taffy?”
“Grady, we only have twenty-million colonists on New Britannia. The New Melbourne colonies have about two-billion inhabitants and unlimited resources. One planet can’t keep up with their construction of warships. I didn’t want to believe what you said about Melbourne looking at any advanced civilization as an adversary but after Abby and Rory were attacked by the mob…” Abby shrugged.
“You think we need another planet to build up our forces.”
“No, Grady. I think we need a new planet to run to if the colonies invade New Britannia in the future,” Taffy replied. “I know the colony founded by the Union would be populated by people that think like us. We must also get them hull technology to insure their safety.”
“But Taffy, the odds of the colonies attacking New Britannia is small.”
“Grady do you remember the discussion we had when I asked you if all we had to face in the future was being attacked by advanced civilizations that discovered us?” Grady nodded. “The fear I’m feeling toward the colonies must be the same way they feel about us; we’re not part of them and that makes us untrustworthy. I do not want to depend on their good graces to insure Candy’s wellbeing.”
Grady saw five-year-old Candy staring at them in silence, but he could see her concern. She wasn’t understanding everything being discussed but she sensed her parent’s tension. “Let’s talk about this tonight.” Taffy nodded.
• • •
They arrived in Joshua’s office and he pulled up a large map of the Milky Way on the large wall monitor. Joshua began entering instructions and the map moved in quickly toward the location of Britannia on the map. Britannia started flashing green on the map and Joshua had the map zoom out. “Computer, highlight the territory controlled by the aliens.” A huge area around the core of the Milky Way turned red and Joshua added, “Locate Earth’s location on the map.” A blue light started flashing in the Orion Spur. Joshua stared at the map and turned to Grady, “Put yourself in the place of the Union Leaders that decided to colonize another planet. Where would you not go?”
“What?”
Joshua smiled, “It’s better to eliminate places than to choose a place to go. What direction from Britannia would you eliminate?”
Grady thought for a moment and said, “Computer, draw a line directly from Earth through Britannia into the core.” A yellow line instantly appeared running from Earth through Britannia directly toward the core. Grady nodded toward the map, “They would want to stay as far as possible from that line and the core of the galaxy.”
“Grady, do you think the Union leaders would know the alien civilization completely surrounds the core of the galaxy?”
“I don’t know but they would certainly know it extended around the core on their side of the galaxy.”
“Then they’d suspect the aliens surrounded the core. So, going to the other side of the galaxy wouldn’t be an option.”
“Why not?” Taffy asked.
“How many years before the war between the Union and Coalition was this colony founded?”
“About fifteen years,” Grady answered.
Joshua shrugged, “If you were on that new colony, would you want to keep track of what happened to Britannia?”
Taffy glanced at Grady and he replied, “Yes, I think I would.”
“Then they would choose a place on Britannia’s side of the galaxy to send out scouts.”
Taffy shook her head, “It would take the same time if scouts were sent over the top of the galaxy’s core, Joshua.”
“But if they scouted for a habitable planet on the other side of the galaxy, they would have seen the civilizations the aliens are currently fighting, Taffy.”
Taffy rolled her eyes, “You’re right. I didn’t think of that.”
“So, that means that colony must be on Britannia’s side of the Milky Way,” Grady stated.
“Yes. However, it must be assumed that the scouts from that colony were present when the Union was attacked by the Coalition and they left Britannia before the aliens moved in.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Grady, they knew the aliens had thousands of advanced warships and they wouldn’t risk any of their scouts being detected and followed.”
“That means they never saw you take the Rex Rabbit off Britannia,” Taffy replied.
Grady nodded, “They must have thought it was destroyed when the aliens attacked later.” Grady paused and said, “So, now that colony is staying hidden and avoiding any contact with another civilization. It’s going to take them a very long time to develop an advanced society.”
“Do they have robots, Grady?” Joshua asked.
“They do.”
Joshua shook his head, “Then it won’t take as long as you think, Grady. Those robots can build an advanced civilization at a tremendous speed. You need look no further than the New Melbourne colonies.”
“So, where are they?” Grady asked.
“I can tell you where they aren’t,” Joshua replied. “If they wanted to send scouts to keep track of Britannia, they wouldn’t be further out than the Coma Spiral Arm.”
“Why not, Joshua?”
“Taffy, you need to remember the top speed of the Union’s warships back then. The Rex Rabbit was faster than any of the Union’s warships and it still took weeks to arrive at the Perseus arm. The Coma Spiral Arm is just far enough away for them to send out scouts to keep watch at Britannia.”
Grady looked back up at the map and nodded slightly, “So, if you’re right, that colony must be located in the Coma Spiral Arm away from where that line running from Earth to the core intersects it.”
“I suspect it’s a long way from that line, Grady,” Joshua replied. He paused and asked, “Are you going out to find it?”
“I’m not sure, Joshua; we need to discuss it. However, we won’t be doing it before the new cutters are installed on our warships.”
“Cutters?” Taffy asked.
“The new beams are tight and can cut through anything they hit, Taffy,” Joshua replied. “Their range is longer than that of an Earth Defense Platform and nothing can stand up to them, including our new hulls. They’re more like lasers than blasters and one of our engineers said that these cutters would slice and dice anything they hit; the name stuck.”
“What about targeting them?”
Grady shook his head, “That is proving to be an issue. We must move well inside the cutter’s range to target smaller ships than the huge warships we’re facing. But that’s something our engineers are working on.” Grady turned to Joshua, “We’ll discuss this later.” Joshua nodded and went b
ack out to the construction floor. Grady turned to Taffy, “When were you going to mention this to me?”
“After the new cutters were operational, Grady. I wanted to make sure that we would be taking our most powerful warships to conduct the search.”
“So, you’re intending to go on this search?”
“I am, Grady. Would you miss it?”
“No, I don’t think I would. What about Candy?”
“She’ll be going with us.”
“WHAT?”
“Grady, she’s our daughter and until she enters school, she stays with us. Have Joshua put a chair on our ship that fits her!”
“TAFFY!”
“Grady, Candy is going to be one of New Britannia’s leaders one day and preparing her for that role means including her in everything we do! She goes with us or we don’t go!”
Grady’s eyes were narrow as he looked at Candy in Taffy’s arms. He was constantly amazed at how much they looked like each other. Candy’s chin wasn’t quite as narrow as Taffy’s but that was the only difference. Candy was glaring at Grady with her eyebrows together. Taffy started laughing and Grady demanded, “What’s so funny?!”
“You have the same expression as Candy.”
Grady looked at Candy and burst out laughing, “So, I do. What do you think about this, Candy?”
“I want to be with you, Daddy. You’re not home much.”
Grady sighed, took Candy out of Taffy’s arms, and hugged her, “I’ll see if I can’t do something about that.” Candy laughed and hugged his neck.
• • •
Taffy put Candy to bed and came back to the dining room table. Grady arrived late, and she prepared a meal while he woke Candy up and spent some play time with her. After Taffy put her to bed again, she sat down at the table across from him and asked, “What do you think about Joshua’s idea that the Union Colony may be highly advanced?”
“Joshua doesn’t have all the information surrounding the founding of that colony. I doubt it’s as highly advanced as he suggests.”