by Saxon Andrew
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Greg, in my personal quarters you can use my name.”
Greg looked around horrified, “Not in front of the guests, Your Majesty.”
Sam laughed out loud and put his arm around Greg’s shoulders, “You need to loosen up, Greg. This could be all yours one day.”
“I can only pray that doesn’t happen. You are much more qualified to be here.”
“Greg, you’re only a heartbeat way. How would you want your friends to be treated in your home?”
Greg looked at Sam and smiled, “It’s good to have you home, Sam. B and A in the morning?”
“Wake me up. You’re going down this time.”
“Only if I go blind tonight.”
Sam laughed and grabbed Sandra as she walked up and spun her around. Sandra shrieked and then laughed, “It’s been a long time since you’ve done that.”
“It’s so good to see you. What’s for dinner? One of my guests is famished.”
“Which one.”
“The pretty one.”
“I see two that are quite striking.”
“The smaller of the two beauties.”
Sandra looked at Jixie and said, “Well come on and let’s get you fed.”
An hour later Sandra said, “Sam, where does she put it? I am absolutely amazed.”
Sam chuckled, “We all are.” Sam turned around and said, “Good night Jixie.”
“I’m about done, Sam.”
“Take your time. I’ll see you in the morning.”
• • •
Later that night, Sam went to the landing pad to get some air. He found Jixie leaning on the wall staring out at the lights of the giant city. Jixie said, “This is amazing.”
“I’ve never gotten used to how miraculous this place is.” Sam walked up and leaned on the wall beside her.
Jixie continued to stare at the breathtaking lights and said, “Do you mind if I ask you something?”
“Not at all.”
Jixie turned and looked at him, “I don’t understand this fight for creation.”
Sam tilted his head and sighed, “It’s not easy for me to understand.”
“Can you explain it? I wonder why you go out to fight civilizations that aren’t attacking you.”
Sam looked at the city and said, “All of the universes here were created by a creator that loves every creature. She sees all life as beautiful. She sings to her creation and some very lucky few can hear her song. The Cats hear it best.”
“Go on.”
“We are given life and it is a precious thing. All the creatures big and small in creation are our family. We are all a part of the Creator’s body. Can you understand that?”
“I think so.”
“There are creatures in creation that have turned their backs on their mother’s song and actually want to silence it. The only way to make that happen is to kill all life that can hear it. So they attack innocent civilizations that only want to live in harmony and raise their families in peace. Those civilizations being killed are part of our family. We can’t stand by and do nothing to save them.”
“Why doesn’t your mother dispose of them?”
“This is the difficult part. All of creation is like an individual’s body. Do you know what cancer is?”
Jixie said, “Of course.”
“Well, picture the evil civilizations as cancer cells that are attacking our Mother’s body.”
Jixie thought a moment and said, “Most cancers are cured by the body’s antibodies.”
“That’s what the Realm’s warriors are, Jixie. We are the antibodies that remove the cancer.”
“Some cancers can’t be removed through natural processes.”
“That’s when the Mother creates stronger treatments. The Three Brothers and the pilots of the psychic ships are two examples of much stronger cures. We might be viewed as a radiation treatment.”
“You don’t do that anymore.”
“I know but do you understand the concept?”
Jixie looked at Sam, “You see us as an antivirus to fight a virulent form of evil?”
“I do.”
Jixie turned and stared at the lights of the city. “Thanks, Sam.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you in the morning; good night.”
“Good night.”
Jixie stared at the city and thought about a Creator that had a song. Day break found her staring at the city and she left to change clothes. She knew she was here for a reason. She didn’t really know what it was.
She finished dressing and heard the one called Gregory in her mind. He was laughing. She searched and found Sam and Gregory in one of the small parks inside the walls of the Castle. She looked at the teleport panel and found the button for the garden. She pressed it and stepped through the door. She arrived as Sam was manipulating a device in his hands. “What’s that?”
Sam turned around and smiled, “I’m teaching Gregory who’s the master of the bow and arrow.”
“The what?”
“It’s an ancient weapon that was used on my home world millennia before we used technology.”
“How does it work?”
“Come over here, Jixie.”
Gregory looked at his wrist unit and said, “I have to go, Sam.”
Sam nodded and said, “I’ll see you in a few moments.” He turned to Jixie and said, “Here, take this.”
Jixie took the bow and felt its weight. It seemed to balance in her hand. “What now?”
Sam handed her an arrow and said, “Turn sideways to the target like this, notch an arrow, pull it back, aim it at the target, and release it.”
Jixie turned sideways and put the arrow on the indented handle and looked confused. “Here, let me help you.” Sam came up behind her and put his hand over hers on the bow and lifted it out in front of Jixie. He put his other arm around her chest and took her other hand and notched the arrow. He pulled it back until Jixie felt the tension of the bowstring. Jixie also felt something else as Sam was pressed against her back. When he put his arm across her chest and pulled the arrow back she felt her temperature go up. Sam stepped away and said, “Release the arrow and try to hit the center of the target.”
Jixie looked at the target with circles and aimed at the center circle. She released the arrow and it hit dead center of the target. Jixie laughed, “That was fun. Let me do it on my own this time.”
Sam handed her another arrow and stared at the one in the center. Jixie took the arrow, quickly notched it, pulled the bow, and released it in less than two seconds. The second arrow hit the first and split it down the middle. Sam looked at Jixie and said, “Let’s see how fast you are.” Sam took the quiver and put it over Jixie’s shoulder. Jixie adjusted it and proceeded to run around the garden firing arrows at the target. Sam watched as every arrow split the one fired before it. After ten seconds, Jixie was out of arrows. She turned to Sam and he saw her red face beaming, “That was really, really fun.”
Sam looked at the target and said, “You appear to be a natural.” He sighed and said, “It’s time to eat. Are you ready?”
Jixie handed Sam the quiver and bow, “I’m sorry I damaged your arrows.”
“We have more. Don’t worry about it. By the way…” Jixie turned to Sam and he said, “I’m going to ask you and Jennifer to stay downstairs when Dort, Gon, Robby, and I meet with the King.”
“Why?”
“There will be discussions of things that are secret. Dort and Gon have to be there to demonstrate our ability to hear the music. I apologize for not having you there.”
Jixie smiled, “I understand and I’m sure Jennifer will as well. When are we going to make our plans?”
“We’ll meet tonight after my meeting with the King.” Sam smiled and said, “Let’s go have breakfast.”
“Lead the way, I’m starving.”
Sam smiled and never tired of seeing Jixie’s enthusiasm at everything she did. He glanced ove
r his shoulder at the target with the broken arrows scattered around it and thought about a woman that could do that. There was something different about Jixie.
Jixie was feeling her relief. She learned a cat was coming and she had tried to find a way to avoid it. Now Sam had provided an escape. She had to pull her fields inside and keep them under her mental screen. She wouldn’t be able to see the meeting with the King, but she wasn’t going to take a chance of being discovered and prevented from playing with her new playmates. She decided that she would allow the normal brain in her body to function and only allow recent memories to be in it during the meeting. She had also allowed the cameras at the castle to see her before they arrived. She was thankful that Sam had told them on the way here that a cat was coming. She had to make sure all her tracks were erased before its arrival.
Chapter Six
Sam saw Jon emerge from his Royal Shuttle and he bowed with the rest of the castle staff. Jon said, “Please rise, it’s good to see everyone again.” Sam stood straight and went forward and hugged his brother. Jon had been Duke before he became King and the castle staff had a special place in their heart for the new King. “It’s good to see you, Jon.”
“It’s been too long. Let’s go talk about what you’re planning.”
Sam saw Admiral Gardner exit the shuttle with a frown on his face. Sam sighed and Jon said, “He’s not a happy camper.”
“He’ll get over it. Are you sure you want to do this before you have something to eat?”
“Just have them bring it to us in the conference room.”
Sam looked at Gregory and nodded. That darn Gregory. He betted Jon would get straight to business and Sam was foolish to have taken the bet. The castle staff bowed again as they walked by and Sam slipped Gregory a five credit note. Gregory smiled and knew what they needed to do. The bet was the surest way to make sure the serving plans were done without asking. Sam said, “It’s good to see you again, Admiral. How’s Lyla?”
“She’s fine.”
“Good.” Sam wondered what the Admiral thought about his daughter ending their relationship, but that was no longer something to worry about. He followed Jon into the conference room and found Pride waiting on them. Sam was never able to tell the difference between the cats but Vremel told him that the current ruler of the cats was just like the father whose name he carried. He wondered why Pride wanted to be present. He could have just listened in telepathically from anywhere he chose or send another to attend. Something must be going on. He watched the giant Cat lay down on the floor in front of the conference table.
Sam, Gon, Robby, and Dort sat to the King’s left at the table and Admiral Gardner, Root, and General Talent sat to the left. The castle staff started bringing in food and unobtrusively placed it in front of them. Jon said, “Tell me about what you have in mind, Sam.”
Sam nodded at the two sitting beside him and said, “We have discovered that when we link mentally, we can hear the musical trace.” Sam noticed the Cat looked at him with a long stare. “We’ve also discovered that anyone near us also hears the trace. We want to create a unit of Life Warriors and determine what they are able to accomplish.”
Pride said, “What happens when you break the link?”
“The music stops.”
“So if one of you is killed during combat, your unit will lose contact with the trace?”
Sam looked to his right at his mental brothers and then said to the Cat, “I don’t know.”
Jon looked at Sam, “He makes a good point.”
“There’s only one way to test it and I don’t think we’re going to do that. However, we are going to go into combat with the Realm’s Warriors and I would rather go in connected to the trace than without it.”
Admiral Gardner said, “I’m of the opinion that Royalty of your ranks should not be involved in major combat operations.”
“That’s why you’ll never hold that rank, Admiral. We will not run from our responsibilities like the Royalty once did. We’ve come too far to allow that cowardice to exist again.”
Thom glared at Sam and said, “You know what risk you’re taking?”
Robby said, “We do.”
Thom looked at his nephew and smiled. He turned to Sam and said, “That idiot daughter of mine doesn’t know what she gave up. Whatever you need, Duke Robbins, I will gladly do my best to provide.”
Jon looked at the Admiral and said, “You told me you were against this.”
“I was, Your Majesty. I didn’t think they had what it took to be a Life Warrior. Most Royals never make it through initial training; they lack the commitment.” Thom looked at the four sitting next to the King and said, “I see that you do possess the necessary qualities to be one of the Realm’s Warriors.”
Sam said, “Why were you against this initially? You could have given us a company and not worry about us.”
“I’m being asked to place the welfare of two hundred of my Life Warriors into your care. I had to know if you were able to lead them and not get them killed in a wasted effort. Every Warrior in my command is important to me. They expect me to do the right thing, given that their lives are at risk.”
Sam smiled at Thom, “Admiral, you have just impressed me very much.”
“You wondered if I was like my daughter.” Sam didn’t respond and Thom said, “She is like so many of the Royals today. She just doesn’t understand the real meaning of a Royal Title.” Thom looked at Sam and said, “What do you need?”
“We want to link with a division of Life Warriors close by and see how many hear the trace.”
“When do you want to do it?”
“As soon as possible. When is the next major fleet action scheduled?”
“Three weeks. We’re going after a major Grogat Weapon’s Planet. I suspect there’s an even chance we won’t win this one.”
“Why not?”
“All of the inhabitants on that planet are armed and trained. We’ll have to go in and try to steal some of their technology and get out before the billions gather and wipe us out.”
Robby said, “You know that once you jump in on that planet, millions of their ships will be jumping in behind you.”
Root said, “We think we’ll be able to slow their approach by ten hours.”
Jon said, “How are you going to do that?”
“The Grogat have a teleportation suppression field that prevents our ships from teleporting in. We’ll have to use null drives to get there. However, in the first war between the first Stars Realm and my species, we used a device that also suppresses null drives from operating inside the normal null band. They’ll be forced to jump in ten hours from the planet. That’s how long we’ll have to make the theft, destroy the planet, and make our escape.”
Jon said, “You’ll also have to defeat the fleet they have at the planet. Our White Warriors will not be able to teleport inside their force fields and take them out, so it will be a ship to ship campaign.”
“That’s what’s slowing us up. We’re converting the Algean Attack Ships to use a null drive and we should have enough of them and our main battleships to take on that fleet. We’re jumping in four times their number.”
Gon said, “Are you going to delay bringing in the transports until the Realm’s fleet takes out the Grogat fleet?”
“We have to; the transports will be killed if they come in before that happens. If we find we can’t take them out, then we’ll destroy the planet and forget about stealing the technology.”
Sam said, “How many warriors are going to be used?”
“Half a million; we know where the construction facilities are located and we’ll be dropping in and taking out the defenses while our engineers take what we need. The Warriors will have to hold off the Grogat that will be coming in to prevent that theft.”
“Admiral, I’ll try to have my unit prepared in time, but I won’t send them if they’re not ready.”
Thom smiled, “You are like your ancestor. I’ll have the warri
ors ready for inspection in two days at the training planet.”
“Thank you, Admiral.” Sam looked at the Cat and said, “You’ve been quiet. Why are you here?”
“I’m looking for a creature that made an appearance at one of our recruiting offices about three months ago. I wanted to see if anything unusual had happened that you might have noticed.”
Jon said, “Why are you looking for this creature?”
“She is probably the most dangerous creature in our creation. She doesn’t come from either of the two creations we know.”
“Can you show us what you know?”
The Cat sent the participants around the table the image of the small creature and the Zord’s memory of the first meeting. Jon said, “She is so small.”
“Yes she is but she is more than you see. We’ve been unable to find it.”
Sam said, “She looks like a fairy.”
“I know and she tried to enlist in the Realm’s Warriors, but was turned down because of her size. We wonder if the creature is able to change her appearance and is possibly now in the ranks of our warriors.”
Sam said, “What are you going to do if you find her?”
“If she’s in the ranks, we are going to remove her and try to determine why she’s here. She doesn’t show up on any video, but she can be seen by those around her. She is also a blank to our minds.”
The beings around the table stared at the Cat and finally Jon said, “It appears we’ve not seen anything out of the ordinary.”
The Cat said, “Don’t be deceived by this creature’s appearance. It is the most deadly force you’ll ever encounter. Six million of them killed an entire Dremor invasion in less than fifteen minutes. This creature looks at war as no more than playtime and we’re nothing more than toys to be used and discarded. If you see anything, tell us.”
Jon said, “I’m sure we will. Thank you for informing us about this. I suspect Admiral Gardner will have to lead the investigation of all new trainees to see if anything turns up.”
Thom said, “That’s not going to happen until the next mission is completed. I’ll start the local forces looking into it, but it will have to wait for me to properly look into it.”