by Saxon Andrew
“How was he able to defeat their fleet?”
“He lost three ships. That hadn’t happened before and the next time he runs into them, he’ll lose them all.”
Jixie thought a moment and said, “They have the frequency.”
Vremel nodded, “They do. It was evidently broadcast by one of the ships he destroyed.”
“His ship’s beams were able to penetrate their defenses.”
Pride nodded and said, “But it took numerous hits on their force fields to break through. The only thing that saved him was his ships’ ability to teleport so quickly. That won’t save them again. Their beams will be firing at a frequency, not their ships and fast teleporting will fail to save them.”
“Have you told, Sam?”
Pride shook his head, “No, I was waiting until after the wedding to let him know. Vremel had one of his warriors there after Sam destroyed their fleet and he saw them developing the frequency guided beams. We know it’s a death trap if he goes anywhere near that sector. They’re looking hard to find the ships that attacked their fleet.”
Jixie said, “We could defeat them if we could survive their beams.”
Vremel said, “Trust me on this, we’re nowhere close to developing a force field that can survive just one of their beams.”
Jixie stared at them and shook her head, “You’re saying this war is going to go on for centuries.”
Pride said, “Or millennia.”
“One last question; where does this civilization stack up to the other nasty ones?”
Vremel looked at Pride and said, “They’re in the bottom five percent.”
Jixie shook her head and disappeared.
Vremel said, “Do you think she’ll stop the Duke from going back?”
“You know him. What do you think?”
Vremel shook his head.
• • •
Jixie arrived at Castle Gardner and found Sam in the garden shooting arrows with Greg. She went to the garden and sat down on a bench. She felt her love for Sam and watched him go back and forth with Greg. “Beat that one you big dummy.”
Greg sited his bow on the target and hit one inch closer to the center of the bullseye. Sam threw his hands up and said, “You lucky…”
“Just admit you’re not that good.”
“Step aside and let a real archer show you how it’s done.”
Sam drew the bow back as far as he could pull it and released the arrow. Sam and Greg stared at the target and Greg said, “Where did your arrow go?”
Sam looked at the target with a furrowed brow and said, “I did use some extra force but I didn’t think I’d miss the target completely.”
“Then where did it go?”
Jixie chuckled, “Check the target.”
The two looked at Jixie and walked forward and examined the target. They found a round hole in the center of the target. They looked at each other and looked over the target and found the arrow buried in the ground. Sam jumped up and said, “Got ya!”
Jixie looked at the hole in the target and was mildly surprised that the arrow went through the target so fast it didn’t even move as it penetrated. Suddenly she yelled, “That’s it!”
The two looked at her and Sam said, “I know. I’ve finally beat this novice.”
Greg countered, “One win in a thousand isn’t a victory.”
“Sam, I need to discuss something with you.”
Greg reached for Sam’s bow and began collecting the arrows. “What is it?”
“Sam, that civilization you attacked when I found you has developed a system that will destroy your ships. You will all be killed if you go back.”
Sam sat beside Jixie, “Are you sure?”
“The Zord have scouted them and they’ve modified their ships to fire on the frequency of your ships. Even with fast teleportation they can hit you. They’re currently searching for you through out that quadrant.”
Sam stared at her and said, “There are other civilizations there that are being attacked by others that need our assistance.”
“If you go to help them, you will be found and attacked.”
“Jixie, I’ve added additional ships. I now have five hundred to use.”
Jixie shook her head, “Just one of their modified ships could destroy all five hundred faster than you’d believe. They have hundreds of thousands in their fleets.”
“We’ve just freed fifty planets from the Pack’s tyranny. You’re asking me to abandon them to this civilization.”
Jixie stared at Sam and said, “Getting our pilots killed along with them won’t prevent anything. I want you to promise to give me some time to see if we can’t find a way around their new beams.”
Sam nodded, “I’ll take the squadron out to another area to give them a training run and before I go back, I’ll talk with you first.”
“Fair enough.”
• • •
“Sprigly, do you have a moment?”
“I do.”
“I’m on my way.” Jixie appeared at the Algean ship building facility and found Sprigly with six of his engineers working on a tiny ship. Sprigly turned and Jixie said, “What is this?”
“It’s our newest attack craft.”
“Sprigly, this is little more than an escape pod.”
“Don’t let its size fool you. It’s the most powerful ship that’s ever been built.”
Jixie looked at the ship and found an expression in her mind that matched the moment, “Get outta here.”
Sprigly shook with his laughter and said, “What do you need, Your Highness?”
“You know about the ships that Sam killed in his last battle?”
“I do.”
“Is this ship able to take them on?”
“Certainly.”
“What if those ships have their beams able to lock on the frequency of a ship to target them?”
Sprigly suddenly leaned back and said, “Are they able to do that fast enough?”
“They are. The Zord confirmed it.”
Sprigly raised his branches, “No, no ship we have is able to survive the power of their beams. This new ship has more powerful weapons and teleports at a much faster speed than Sam’s current ships. The force field is no stronger than his current model. If what you say is true, it wouldn’t be wise to be anywhere near those ships.”
Jixie said, “I watched Sam fire an arrow through a target and the target didn’t even move a micrometer as it passed through the target.”
Sprigly smiled, “That’s what happens when an object is moving at high velocities. On Earth it has been recorded that a hurricane can blow straw through a tree and not even leave a hole.”
“How would they know if it didn’t leave a hole?”
“Because some of them are sticking out of the tree on the side away from the blowing wind.”
“Does this ship have the absorbing skin?”
“It does and it’s really efficient.”
“Could that skin absorb the beams fired at it?”
“No, there is a limit to how fast it can absorb that much energy.”
“What if it didn’t absorb it?”
Sprigly leaned left showing his confusion.
“What if the beam was allowed into the skin, but was ejected on the opposite side of the ship instead of absorbing it.”
Sprigly stood there for a minute and Jixie saw the speed of his mind looking at the question. A modern computer would have taken years to do the same process. “Your idea has merit, but I’m not certain it could handle that powerful beam.”
“It wouldn’t arrive at the ship at full power. Wouldn’t the force field remove some of its power?”
Sprigly took a branch and hit his top, “You’re right. It wouldn’t be as strong.” Sprigly turned and thought to the engineers, “Stop everything. Stop what you’re doing.”
Sprigly turned to Jixie, “I’ll let you know how this works out. I need to focus on this issue.”
Jixie smiled,
“Please keep me updated on what you discover.”
Sprigly waved a branch at her and said, “I will.” Jixie saw the he was ignoring her in his sudden rush to look at the details of what she suggested.
“That is a violation of the conventions.”
Jixie sighed, “Senior, will you keep your opinions to yourself.”
“It’s not an opinion. You’ve given advanced technology to them.”
Jixie felt her anger go up, “And what technology is that?”
The Senior was silent looking for a response and Jixie felt his frustration. “Did they have the absorbing skin? Did they have the force field? Did they have the technology to eject items from their hulls? The answers are yes, yes, and yes. There’s no new technology here, just a suggestion on how they can use what they have. We’ve been doing that since we first started the study. Take it up with the High Caste and let them tell you you’re losing your objectivity. Now stay out of my study. I know the conventions and I know better than to violate them.”
“You’re showing inappropriate respect for my position!”
“When you start acting respectfully, I’ll show it to you.”
The Elder listened to the exchange and wondered what was happening with the Senior. He shared the discussion with the other Elders and they began looking for the reason.
• • •
Jixie took one of the previous model small ships out of the Algean’s inventory and linked with its systems. She looked up and saw Sam’s squadron in a galaxy beyond the Realm’s quadrant. She teleported out and joined him in the fight. Now this was fun. She had missed her playtime and her new toy was extraordinary.
• • •
“We have found a place where the enemy ships have been.”
“Where is it?”
“It’s in a different galaxy. It appears a rather large number of the enemy have removed a civilization that had conquered numerous planets. We captured a ship and questioned the crew extensively. They described one of the ships involved in the fight and it matches those that attacked our fleet.”
“Take a fleet and examine them to verify your discovery.”
“It will be done as you command.”
Chapter Nineteen
Jason pressed his board, “Sam, we have a development.”
“What?”
“A fleet of the ships you faced in your last attack has shown up at one of the Pack planets you liberated and is landing warriors.”
“Attention all ships…”
“Don’t even think about it, Sam.”
“Jixie, I can’t allow those survivors to be killed. I’m sure that fleet is at that planet because of our being there. It’s our responsibility to defend them.”
“Hold on just a moment. Sprigly, where are you in developing the new ship?”
“Thank you for your suggestions, Your Majesty. We have two ready to undergo testing.”
“Sprigly, we have to take those ships now.”
“But Your Highness, they’ve not been trialed.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s either take them now or my husband is taking his squadron to take on a fleet of those advanced warships. We’re coming.” Jixie said, “Sam, meet me at the Algean Ship Facility.”
“What is he talking about, Jixie?”
“Just meet me there!”
Sam sighed and said, “Eyes, take the squadron to Ross’ system and wait for me.”
Sam teleported away and arrived in the huge construction facility next to Jixie’s ship. He exited and saw Jixie moving toward him, “What’s going on?”
“I made some suggestions to Sprigly and he’s been working on a new ship model. We need to see where he is in the ship’s development.” Jixie grabbed Sam’s hand and pulled him toward the tall Algean standing next to two small ships. Sam looked at the ships and was shocked at their size. They weren’t much bigger than a shuttle.
Sprigly said, “We have not trialed these ships. They’re not ready.”
“Do they use the process we discussed?”
“They do, but we need to trial them to make sure.”
“We don’t have time for a trial. If they perform the way you designed them, can they survive the beams?”
Sprigly leaned slightly right indicating a shrug, “We think they will.”
“Well we have to take them to save a planet. If we delay, millions will die.”
Sprigly said, “Well if they don’t operate, there will be no opportunity to trial anything else but the pass through system.”
Jixie frowned, “What do you mean?”
“This ship doesn’t use a force field. If the system doesn’t work, you’re dead.”
“I thought the force field would be used to weaken their beams.”
Sam said, “Hey, hey, slow down. What are you two talking about?”
Jixie and Sprigly began talking at the same time and Jixie stopped and nodded to Sprigly. “This new ship will take any beam that hits it and just send it through the ship.”
Sam stared at Sprigly and said, “It will do what?”
Sprigly said, “Jixie suggested that instead of attempting to absorb a high powered beam into the skin of the ship to just allow it to enter and be ejected out the other side of the ship. The problem with using the system we’ve always engineered into our ships was the speed at which it could absorb a high powered beam. It just couldn’t absorb it fast enough. We’ve discovered that the problem was not in the skin, but in the system inside the skin that managed the absorption.” Sprigly paused and said, “Both of you are aware that the space inside the skin could actually hold a galaxy, right?”
Sam nodded and Jixie was surprised by the statement. “Well, we’ve reengineered the skin to just allow a beam to enter with no resistence and the beam then travels across the space inside the skin and exits the other side of the ship instantly. However, inside the skin, that beam is moving an extreme distance. Since time doesn’t function inside the skin it appears to someone outside the ship that the beam has instantly passed through the ship. However, by putting the energy management system further away from the hull, it is able to absorb energy from the weakened beam as it passes through.”
Sam stared at Sprigly and said, “You say there is no force field?”
“That’s correct.”
“What about missiles?”
“That’s easy. The ship is programmed to hit any solid object moving toward it with a beam. Besides, you could teleport out of the way long before any missile could hit.”
Jixie said, “Are you saying this ship could survive any beam?”
Sprigly said, “You know that resistance is what causes a beam to be so destructive. Any energy that hits an object that offers zero resistance will simply pass through it. That’s how the inside of our force fields operate. I guess there may be theoretical limits to this, but we’re not even sure there is a limit. The skin on our ships has zero resistance to energy.”
Jixie looked at Sam and said, “You will not take your old ships anywhere near those ships!”
Sprigly shrugged and said, “There is another side benefit if this system works.”
Both of them turned to Sprigly and he said, “There is no longer a need to conserve energy. Since the system recharges itself with any beam that passes through, all of the energy can be directed to the ship’s weapons.” Sprigly turned toward the two small ships and said, “Their beams are operating at a different order of magnitude than any we’ve ever built.”
Jixie nodded toward the two ships, “Sprigly, have you trialed the skin before you put it on the ships?”
“I have but you just don’t know if any errors were done in the melding process. We need to trial them.”
Sam said, “That’s not going to happen. Warm them up. We’ll bring them back if we survive.”
“But, Your Majesty…”
“Just do it!”
Sam thought, “Dort, Gon, link with me.”
Dort thought, “What’s wrong, S
am?”
“One of the planets we’ve liberated is being invaded by a rather nasty advanced civilization that is currently searching for us. I need your regiments ready to land and take out the invading forces if we are able to defeat their fleets.”
Gon said, “What do you mean if?”
“We’ve been debating that issue, but for now I need you mobilized and ready to go. Get moving!”
“On our way.”
Sam turned to Jixie, “You don’t have to take this risk.”
“And you do!?!”
“It’s my responsibility.” Sam paused, “It’s my duty.”
“Where thou doth go, I will follow; for better or for worse.”
Sam smiled and hugged her, “Power them up, Sprigly.”
The Algean leaned back showing his displeasure but said, “Well if you’re hell bound on doing this, and you survive the first beam, you should allow your ships to be hit a few times to completely charge your power systems. If you want us to do it, it will take a few weeks.”
Sprigly looked at the engineers standing at the two ships and said, “Activate the systems and raise the entry.”
Sam and Jixie looked at Sprigly and he said, “Oh, I didn’t tell you. The bridge is entered through the hull.”
A four foot section on the ship’s hull began shimmering and Jixie climbed up the side and stepped through the shimmering field into a small cockpit. She sat in the command chair and the control board came to life. “How do I fly this thing?”
“There is a small head band on the back of your chair. Put it on and you’ll be connected directly to the ship’s systems.”
Jixie reached and pulled the gold headband out of a small pocket on back of the chair and put it on her head. The remainder of her control board illuminated and she was instantly one being with the ship. “Sprigly, is hearing the music required to fly this ship?”
“No, Jixie, I mean Your Highness. Hearing the music will probably make the ship respond faster but it can be flown by anyone.”
Sam settled in and said, “Now that is advancement.”
“We can’t always depend on someone being around that hears the music.”