Annihilation: Book 05 - Searcher

by Saxon Andrew

  Sprig thought, “Fly Girl, when we rebuilt you we did include all of the systems and I can sense that they are now all active since your conversation with Prince Gardner. Perhaps telepathy will eventually develop.”

  Melanie had a huge smile, “I would love to work with you.”

  “Boy have you got your hands full. Try to keep her in line.”

  Oh, be quiet, Al.”

  “See, I told you she would be a handful.”

  Melanie laughed out loud and Matt felt a moment of happiness seeing her laugh. Matt said, “Stem will be joining you on Fly Girl to help you make the links to her systems. He is currently in the Map Room at Castle Gardner but will come as soon as you move into your new ship.”

  Melanie bowed to Matt and said, “Having a ship like this makes all of this worth it, Your Grace.”

  “Since we will be working together, I want you to use my first name, Melanie; call me Matt.”

  Melanie smiled and said, “Thank you, Matt.”

  You’re welcome, Melanie. Now go and gather your belongings. Fly Girl, contact Stem when the two of you are ready.”

  “I will. Melanie, would you like me to take you to your previous ship?”

  “Would you?”

  “My bridge coordinates are on your com. Let’s take a trip.” Melanie disappeared from the bridge.

  “Matt, I notice you didn’t tell her to call you, Magic.”

  “I’m not ready for that, Al.”

  “Well, perhaps later.”

  “Perhaps.”

  Sprig, General Durk, and Anglo heard Twig’s thought, “I think Prince Gardner needs some time alone.”

  Anglo said, “Cousin, if you need us just com us.”

  Matt gave a half smile and said, “I will.”

  The four disappeared from the bridge.

  Sprig looked at Twig and thought, “I also wonder why Searcher Grace pays such an important role. Our scans only show moderate psychic skills. What is it about her that is so important?”

  “We will find out in due time, my love, and I think the answer will amaze us.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Six Weeks passed and Matt and Melanie began working to try and uncover what would kill the invaders. Melanie was on board Aladdin watching the display that had just shown another failed attack on the mother ship. Matt was frustrated, nothing penetrated the ships skin. “We’ve fired Coronado Power Cells, nuclear missiles, our hardest penetrator, negative matter, even a piece of the skin from an old megaship, nothing works.”

  Melanie shook her head and said, “We’re missing something. I know it’s right in front of us and we’re missing it.”

  “I have the same sense but just can’t quite grasp it.”

  Al thought, “Have we learned anything from these attacks?”

  “No, we haven’t.”

  Melanie looked at Matt and lowered her head. “What’s bothering you, Melanie?”

  “I’m missing some information but I’m reluctant to ask for it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Tell me how Angel died. I hate to ask but I feel that something about her death is important.”

  Matt felt the pain rise but got a grip on his emotions. “Her ship cast a shadow on the moon she was above while observing the Eight Leg’s first invasion. A small Eight Leg ship was on the surface of the moon and saw the shadow. They moved under the shadow and flew up until they hit Angel’s ship. They instantly penetrated the hull and each of them fired one of these at her. They flew through the walls of the ship and hit her.” Matt opened the box next to his chair and took the contents out. Melanie saw a green colored shard and a foot long white colored piece of wood.

  “What is that piece of wood?”

  “Oh, it’s a magic wand I was given by a friend of mine when I was a child. I performed magic tricks and he said every magician should have a magic wand. However, it was this green shard with two others that hit her. I teleported her ship away from the attack and the three Eight Legs were left behind. We learned the teleportation does not affect them either.”

  Melanie looked at the shard and furrowed her brow. “Why weren’t these left behind if teleportation doesn’t affect this substance? It also begs the question that if they could penetrate our hardest substances used to build those walls, why did they stop in her?”

  Matt looked at her and was dumbfounded. He thought about her questions and then he saw it, “Al, teleport me an armored hammer from the tool locker.” A white colored hammer appeared on the table in the corner of the bridge. Matt lifted the shard and placed it on the table and then struck it with the armored hammer as hard as he could swing it. The shard didn’t even bounce off the table. “What are you doing, Magic,” Al asked.

  “I hope my most important feat of magic ever, Al.” Matt walked back over to his command chair and picked up the magic wand, went back to the table, gripped it, then stabbed it into the shard that instantly broke in half.

  Melanie said, “Oh my ancient ancestors; what have you done?”

  Matt was crying. He now knew why Angel had to die and he had been blind to it. He turned and embraced Melanie and said, “Thank you, Melanie; now I know why you’re here. Now I understand why I lost my love and I can finally find peace.”

  As soon as Matt embraced Melanie, Tag and Danielle jumped straight up out of their chairs in Castle Gardner. “GREAT HOLY GROAD ON A GALLOPING HORSE!” Danielle shouted. “Who did that?”

  “I don’t know but we need to find out, like right now,” Tag exclaimed!

  “Sprig, what just happened?”

  “I don’t know Your Majesty, but every psychic scanner we possess has just overloaded and exploded.”

  Tag looked at Danielle and then thought, “Matt!”

  Matt released Melanie, “Yes, Tag.”

  “What has just happened?”

  “I have found a way to kill the Eight Legs.”

  Tag and Danielle were stunned and then excited. When did you discover that?”

  “About two minutes ago, why?”

  “What were you doing less than a minute ago?”

  Melanie and Matt turned red and Matt said, “In my excitement at making the discovery I hugged Admiral Grace. Why do you ask?”

  “Sprig, what should we do?”

  Sprig thought, “Matt, I want you and Admiral Grace to avoid touching each other until I can get there. Do both of you understand?”

  “We do, Sprig; what’s going on?”

  “Matt, we have just recorded a psychic wave stronger than we’re capable of measuring. We honestly don’t know what it means but until we do we need to make sure it wasn’t the two of you that caused it. Please wait until I can build a new scanner and I’ll arrive right after it’s built.”

  “We’ll do as you ask, Sprig.”

  “You can tell him that you two caused it, Matt.”

  “Why do you say that, Fly Girl?”

  Because I am now telepathic and I am just outside your ship; I felt that wave as it went through me.”

  Sprig thought, “I heard that. Now it’s even more important that you avoid any contact, even mental.”

  “We will do as you ask; Melanie will you please go to Fly Girl?”

  “Sprig, when you come, bring the green shards with you, please.”

  “I will have them with me.”

  Melanie disappeared from the bridge. “I felt it, too, Magic. What happened?”

  “I have absolutely no idea, Al.”

  “Did you feel anything?”

  “Not really,” but Matt did feel something happen when he embraced Melanie.

  Melanie appeared on Fly Girl’s bridge and fell into her command chair. “What happened to me? I feel…so….different.” She had entered Matt’s mind as soon as he touched her and she could see everything he was. She was greatly impressed with what she saw. She could sense something was happening to her senses but wasn’t sure what it was.

  The Sensor Male jerked on his bed. The Ship’s
Male looked at him, “What’s wrong?”

  “I have just been hit by some kind of pulse.”

  “What kind?”

  “My instruments did not measure it. It did not exist in normal space but it passed faster than light speed. It registered for only a micro measure.”

  “Could this possibly be evidence of the advanced life form the Nest Mother thinks is here?”

  “I have nothing to make that decision. Nothing in our data banks resembles it.”

  “Could it have been natural phenomena?”

  “I have nothing to say either way, First Fang.”

  “Notify me if you sense it agin.”

  “I will.” The Sensor Male said, “I am also bothered by the lack of a sensor reading.”

  The Ship’s Male said, “What is that?”

  “I have been examining the information stored from the last harvest and I saw a planet that should have developed food in abundance.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “After we finished our harvest of a planet, we left numerous lower life forms that were not far from developing organized thought. I look at that system and I see no sign of a meal. I wonder what could have happened to it.”

  “Perhaps the planet had a natural catastrophe?”

  “Perhaps, it would have been an excellent meal.”

  The Ship’s Male thought about what the Sensor Male said. It would be a waste of time to investigate a system that had no visible meal but he respected the observations of his sensor leader. “Where is our next harvest?”

  “Not far from our current location.”

  “Dispatch a transport to that world’s location to investigate. Give them the coordinates of our next harvest so they can join us after their investigation.”

  “The transport has been notified and will be leaving at the conclusion of our meal.”

  “It’s probably nothing,” The Ship’s Male thought, “but this makes three nothings that are out of the ordinary; the disappearance of the children, that odd wave, now this missing intelligent life. Something just doesn’t seem right.” He turned his focus back to the planet below and watched as his children devoured the inhabitants.

  The Reg felt the wave pass their planet and one of the three looked at the other. “I see they have found the power unit.”

  “I hope they can find what else they need, brother.”

  “As we all hope, brother, as we all hope.”

  “Sprig!”

  “Yes, Twig.”

  “One of the green transports has entered the Hugon system.”

  Sprig immediately focused on the Hugon system and saw the hundred mile long ship sitting at the jump limit. As he watched, the ship remained stationary and then disappeared. “I fear they will be back.”

  “Why did they come? Surly they didn’t sense any intelligent life.”

  Sprig reflected a moment and said, “I suspect that planets they harvested during the last invasion that looked like good candidates for the future were planned to be revisited. I suspect that when the mother ship looks at this system and sees the planet is missing it will generate a visit. Make sure the adolescent is prepared to move the planet if I’m right and I’m not sure if we should replace it.”

  “Why not, Love?”

  “Because if they have records of the planet, they will know the replacement doesn’t match their records.”

  “Yes, but think about the confusion it will cause them.”

  Sprig’s leaves turned greener and he chuckled at the idea. “Good idea; let’s see if we can give them something to try and figure out. Has the generator been programmed to teleport out when they penetrate its screen?”

  “Certainly and the screen will disappear with the generator.”

  “This should be interesting.”

  “It might move the time table for the full invasion sooner than they plan.”

  “It probably will but we cannot control them finding out. Matt has found a way to kill them. Let’s hope he’s right in that estimate.”

  Twig thought a moment, “We need them to come if we plan to kill them. Now might be a good time.”

  “I hope so, love.”

  Chapter 14

  “Prince Gardner, would you and Admiral Grace teleport to the meeting room at Castle Gardner thirty minutes from now and please come separately?”

  “I’ll notify Admiral Grace, Sprig.”

  “Thank you, Your Grace.”

  “Melanie.”

  “Yes, Al.”

  “You and Matt have been asked to port to the meeting room at Castle Gardner in thirty minutes; I suspect you will be met there by the King and Queen of the Realm. Fly Girl has the coordinates and you should go first. I’ll come in thirty one minutes.”

  “I better dress accordingly, don’t you think?”

  “Baggy coveralls would probably not be called for in this meeting.”

  Al could feel her smile, “Even if I ironed them? I’ll see you there.”

  “What’s up?”

  “Al, I’m not sure but if you want to teleport to Ross and watch from orbit but I’m positive it won’t be a problem.”

  “I’m going, too.”

  “The same goes for you Fly Girl. You sound a little nervous.”

  “Matt, I like my new commander. I don’t want to see her hurt.”

  “So you’re going to watch over her?”

  “Yes I am, Al.”

  There was a moment of silence and Matt thought, “What’s wrong, Al, got nothing to say.”

  “I know when to shut up, Matt; she’s serious.”

  Matt wondered about Fly Girl’s attachment to Melanie. He had wondered how the ship would respond to another commander in Angel’s place. “I’ve lost one, Matt. I’ll not lose another.”

  “I understand Fly Girl.”

  “Ross has approved our arrival and I’ve sent the coordinates to Fly Girl.”

  “Then let’s travel shall we.” The two small ships disappeared.

  Matt waited on board and Fly Girl announced, “Melanie has teleported down.”

  Matt waited a minute them pressed his teleport button and appeared in the meeting room. He immediately saw Tag and Danielle along with Durk, Sprig, Twig, Robert McAnn, Teng-Gee, and Terlen. “Looks like a full house with the leaders of Earth, Glod, and Cainth.” he thought. Then he saw Melanie in a rose colored dress without her hat. Al saw what he was looking at and said, “Good Grief. I didn’t know she had it in her.”

  “What, Al?”

  “To show up without that hat.”

  Matt smiled but he was surprised at just how pretty she was; then he forced his attention to the Royal couple. He bowed and said, “It’s good to see you again.”

  Tag and Danielle returned his bow and Danielle said, “Sprig, why don’t you lead this meeting.”

  “Thank you, but first I need to take some readings.’

  “Do whatever you deem necessary, old friend.”

  Sprig looked at Matt and said, “Prince Gardner, please move to that end of the room and Admiral Grace please move to the other end.” Matt and Melanie did as instructed and were facing each other a hundred feet apart. Sprig moved to Matt and raised a device and adjusted its settings. While Sprig made his adjustments, Melanie looked at Matt and saw how handsome he was in uniform. Then she heard Sprig say, “Admiral Grace, I want you to start walking toward Prince Gardner until I tell you to stop.” Melanie shrugged and took five steps forward. “Stop.” Sprig then walked forward and moved his scanner around Melanie. He looked at it and them went to Matt and did the same thing. Twig came over and looked at the device Sprig was holding and her branches jerked. They both looked at Melanie and Sprig said, “Begin moving again.” She walked forward and after she covered half the distance Sprig said, “Stop.” He scanned them both again and made adjustments to his device.

  “What are you doing, Sprig,” Tag asked.

  “I’m confirming something, Your Majesty. The devices we used to measure psychic s
trength all exploded in the psychic wave you felt. We built this one so that we could attenuate it. I’ll give you the results momentarily. You may move forward again but do not come closer than five steps, please.” Melanie walked toward Matt and stopped five steps short. She looked at him and he raised his eyebrows indicating that he didn’t know what was going on. She shrugged and waited as Sprig scanned them again. Twig came over and read the results again and she looked directly at Sprig, “Do you think we should risk it?”