A New Reason To Fight: An Intergalactic Romance

by T. J. Brandow

  “Of course not, but I’ve got to have something more than Dedron told you through telepathy,” David said. A moment later, Langur’s hand-held communicator began to flash.

  “I have to take this. It’s my parents,” Langur said, leaving the room.

  “I can’t offer you any proof. You’re going to have to take my word for it. Just trust me!” Donna pleaded. David shook his head and turned away from her just as Langur came back in the room.

  “Reverse course. Donna is right,” Langur said as he put his communicator away.

  “What? How do you know that?” David asked.

  “I just found that the Lanthan spy, Yuangur was threatened by Perbron. He was told that he and his family would suffer a horrible, agonizing death if he didn’t share fake intelligence with the Defense Squad,” Langur explained.

  “See, I told you. That’s exactly what Dedron told me, eh, mentally that is,” Donna said. David looked at her quizzically as if he couldn’t figure out what to make of what she’d said.

  “Well, whatever. I’m going to notify the general about this and see what he wants me to do. How reliable do you think this news is, Langur?” David asked.

  “Very reliable. We must not follow through with this,” Langur insisted.

  “Ok, then, but I will still have to notify the general,” David said.

  Donna took a deep breath, but her relief didn’t last for very long. Again, her thoughts drifted back to Dedron and his situation. After she got back to her quarters, she tried again to reach him to no avail. She stretched her body out on the bed and attempted to sleep. It took over an hour before he mind allowed her to do so. Meanwhile, David reluctantly switched on the communicator to send a message to the general.

  “What is it? Is everything going well with the journey?” General Barron asked.

  “Well, no sir. Actually, we’ve just received word from the Lanthan that the intelligence was designed to draw us into a trap. The Lanthan spy was threatened by Perbron to give us faulty intelligence. Langur just found this out,” David said.

  “I haven’t received any word of this,” the general said.

  “Sir, they may already have Dedron and the others, I fear,” David said.

  “You will continue on the course that I have decided for you. Is that understood?”

  “But sir, what about the news we just received?”

  “You have your orders!” The general said, switching off his communicator.

  Chapter 6:

  David stood there stunned, unsure of what to do next.

  “David, we have to turn this ship around. We have a duty to rescue the rest of our crew in Vertton. We cannot follow through with the general’s orders,” Donna said, trying to remain calm.

  “She’s right, David. We cannot allow Perbron to get away with this plan,” Langur agreed. Kadija walked onto the bridge just then.

  “What is going on? Why does everyone look so serious?” Kadija asked.

  “Kadija, Perbron has set a trap for us all on Swendon. He’s already captured Dedron, Laura, and Ken,” Donna said.

  “But how do you know this?” Kadija said.

  “I just heard the news that the intelligence we received was false,” langur explained.

  “I’m turning the ship around,” David said, cutting off Donna before she had a chance to reply.

  Donna’s face lit up with hope.

  “Where are we going?” Kadija asked.

  “We have to go to Vertton before the Remoir leave there. This has now become a rescue mission,” Donna insisted.

  “I didn’t say that’s where we’re going,” David said.

  “David, wouldn’t we want Dedron and the others to do the same for us if the shoe were on the other foot?” Donna asked.

  “We swore an oath to protect not only the allied planets, but each other as well,” Kadija added.

  “I agree. We must at least try to help them,” Langur concurred.

  “Very well. I’m plotting a course for Vertton. I suppose we will all be court marshaled together once we return home,” David said, shaking his head as he began to program the ship’s navigation computer.

  “It’s the right thing to do. The general has been wrong before,” Donna said.

  “Frankly, I don’t see the point. By the time we get there, they are going to be long gone,” David said.

  “Can you try and make contact with Dedron again?” Langur asked Donna.

  “I will try, but he doesn’t want me to. He wants us to stay away so that we aren’t captured as well,” Donna said.

  “But Perbron is expecting us to land at Swendon. He will not be expecting us to reverse course and head for Vertton,” Kadija said.

  Donna left the bridge and went back to her quarters again. She sat down on the bed, closed her eyes and filled her thoughts with Dedron.

  “Dedron, I know that you do not want me to contact you again, but I wanted to let you know that we have decided not to go to the twin planets. We are not going to take Perbron’s bait. You must let us help you and the others. Perbron doesn’t know that we are coming to help you. Please listen to me,” Donna said in her mind. For two minutes, she sat on the bed focusing on Dedron until finally a response came.

  “How did you convince David?” Dedron finally answered.

  “Dedron, I’m so glad you finally answered me. Langur received a communication from his family that the Lanthan spy was threatened and forced to give us the faulty intelligence. Perbron knew that we would believe intelligence that came from our allies. Where are you? Are you still at Vertton?”

  “Yes, but they are readying the ship we are on for departure. I don’t know yet where they are taking us. When I find out more, I will let you know. I know now that I cannot stop you from seeking us out, although it may prove to be your undoing.”

  “We have to take that chance. You know as well as I do that you would be doing the same thing if I were the one who’d been captured. You have to let us help you,” Donna said.

  “I have to go. Someone is coming,” Dedron said.

  A Remoir soldier armed with a laser pistol carrying a tray of food removed the invisible force field in front of Dedron’s small cell. Keeping his gun pointed at Dedron, he put the tray down on the small table in front of Dedron’s cot. Dedron saw his opportunity and shuffled his feet underneath the Remoir’s legs to trip him. The Remoir lost control of his feet and fell to the ground, but was able to get a shot off at Dedron. Dedron anticipated this and moved to one side, avoiding being shot. He grabbed the Remoir guard around his wrists while the guard took two more shots that missed their mark. Finally, Dedron managed to get the gun away from the guard. With one swift motion, Dedron knocked the guard out with the butt of the gun and exited the cell. He quickly activated the force field so that the guard would be trapped when he came to. The laser shots had alerted other guards who began to move down the corridor towards Dedron. Dedron hid in a utility closet just down the hall. The guards came over and looked at the knocked out guard in the cell.

  “What has happened here? I told Gorderon not to bring this prisoner food on his own. Such hubris will always lead to trouble. Quickly, alert the entire ship that one of our prisoners has escaped!”

  “No you don’t!” Dedron said as he emerged from the closet and began to pick off the guards one by one. The three guards were disintegrated by the laser blasts, but Dedron knew that others would more than likely hear the blasts and would soon come running down the corridor. Quickly, he dragged the cloaks of the guards into the closet and ran over to the cells that held Laura and Ken. Laura looked up in surprise.

  “Dedron, but how?” she asked.

  “No time to explain. Come on!” Dedron urged as he de-activated the force field for Ken’s cell. Ken was just as surprised as Laura to see Dedron.

  “Come on everyone, we have to get out of here before they discover what’s happened. This way,” Dedron said, leading them to the upper levels through what looked to be another corr
idor besides the main one. Just as the companions emerged onto the main level of the ship, an alarm had been sounded to alert the ship’s passengers about the escape of the prisoners. Other guards had just discovered the empty cells moments before and sounded the alarm.

  Dedron and the others ran down the hall, firing his weapon into the hordes of guards that came running towards them. The hallway was filled with the shrieks of the fallen Remoir.

  “Come on, we’re almost to the exit. We are going to make it out of here!” Dedron said. When they reached the large, oval door, Dedron could not get it to open even when he tried to blast it.

  “It won’t open. The Remoir must have locked it down after the alarm was sounded,” Dedron said.

  “What do we do now?” Laura asked.

  “Everyone hide underneath that control panel over there!” Dedron commanded.

  “But what…?” Ken questioned.

  “Just do it. I have an idea,” Dedron said. In an instant they had ducked down beneath the control panel, behind two chairs so that a guard coming down the hallway wouldn’t see them. It wasn’t long before two more guards came along. Dedron emerged with his gun in front of him.

  “Stop right there and drop your weapons!” he shouted. The alarmed Remoir guards followed his orders, putting their hands in the air. He gathered up their laser pistols and tossed them to Laura and Ken who emerged from their hiding places.

  “You will not get away with this. There are several more of us outside of the ship. By now, they know about your escape,” one of the guards hissed.

  “I don’t remember asking for our opinion. I want that door open right now if you value your life!” Dedron shouted.

  One of the guards walked up slowly and pushed the override code into the control panel beside the exit door. The door opened, and the Defense Squad members emerged into the daylight. Dedron closed the door to the ship and blasted the control panel, making it impossible for the guards to follow them out of the ship. However, the companions found themselves in another situation. There were about forty Remoir guards around the ship waiting for them. The now familiar voice of Assistant Commander Chambers greeted them.

  “Well, well. Have you had a bit of fun escaping from the ship? Too bad you weren’t able to get any further than that,” he jeered, emerging from the middle of the throng of guards.

  Dedron, Laura, and Ken scowled at the Remoir commander, but they knew they had failed in their efforts to escape. Just as the guards began to surround the three companions, a sudden blast shook the whole area. The guards stopped in their tracks and looked up above their heads. Suddenly, the sky above Vertton was filled with fighter ships from the Intergalactic Army. Each ship had two sets of upper and lower wings and had blue, red, and white in color with a star emblem on their sides.

  The ships began to fire into the guards, taking out dozens of them at once.

  “Take cover! Our allies from the Intergalactic Army are attacking the Remoir!” Dedron said. He, Laura and Ken got behind a control tower a couple of hundred yards to their right. From there, they shot at the guards, doing their part to assist in the fight. Soon, the Remoir were on the retreat as more allied ships appeared in the skies above. The Remoir cruiser ship that the companions had just escaped from was blown into a million pieces. The remaining guards were soon in complete disarray, fleeing the area in terror. Before long, some of the Intergalactic army ships had landed and forces were now on the ground. Almost all of the Remoir forces stationed at Vertton were destroyed or captured. Only one small Remoir fighter managed to escape with Assistant Commander Chambers and two of his soldiers.

  “Commander Perbron, our mission at Vertton has gone awry. We were attacked by the allied army, and I only barely managed to escape,” Chambers spoke into his ship’s communicator.

  “Fool! How could you let something like this happen? I had the perfect plan and you’ve managed to screw it up!” Perbron shouted.

  “But sir, we did everything as you told us to. I don’t know how the allied forces found out about our presence so quickly!” Chambers said, defensively.

  Perbron was so angry he switched off his communicator.

  On the ground, Dedron and the others went to greet the allied forces once the remaining Remoir guards had been rounded up.

  “Captain Fildred, it’s an honor to meet you. I’m General Forester of the Intergalactic Army.” A tall, man with dark brown eyes and broad shoulders stepped out from the group of soldiers to shake Dedron’s hand.

  “We are eternally grateful for your assistance. We would not have made it without you,” Dedron said.

  “We were just following orders. We received a communication just yesterday from General Barron of the Defense Squad that he was in need of our assistance,” General Forester said.

  “He did, did he?” Dedron said, knowing that Donna and the others must have told the general what they knew about Perbron’s plan.

  “Yes, he told us that there was a rumor that Perbron had set a trap for you. I can see now that this wasn’t a rumor.”

  “Yes, but we have to help Swendon. Perbron may have lost control of Vertton, but he has probably already landed forces at Swendon and Dartdon in an effort to gain control of our agricultural supplies there. Some of my fellow Defense Squad members were supposed to go there, but reversed course when they found out about the phony intelligence. We must go there now before Perbron has a chance to harm any of our fields,” Dedron said.

  “I see. I hear you, Captain Fildred, but first you must speak with General Barron. He wants to talk to you before you decide to take any other actions.”

  “Of course he does,” Dedron sighed.

  Chapter 7:

  Dedron, Laura, and Ken walked onto the army’s main convoy ship and sat down in front of the large communicator screen. General Forester switched on the device, and General Barron’s face appeared on the screen.

  “Hello Defense Squad members, I am glad that you are now safe. As you can see, I’ve sent the army to rescue what has turned out to be a trap. I received communication from David that you were in danger, although he didn’t have any real proof to back up his claims. Nevertheless, I could not take any chances when it came down to the safety of our squad members,” General Barron greeted.

  “Thank you, General. I’m glad to hear that you took David’s warning seriously,” Dedron said.

  “Yes, but we do not have time to rest on our laurels. We must do what we can to keep any harm from coming to our agricultural lands. If Perbron decides to destroy our crops, it could prove devastating to the citizens of Earth and our other allies that depend on this resource. Therefore, I’m sending all of you to Swendon in hopes that we can defeat Perbron before it’s too late,” General Barron stated.

  “What about the other Defense Squad members?” Laura asked.

  “They will be joining up with you before you reach Swendon. You will be united with your beloved Donna sooner than you thought, Captain Fildred,” the General said.

  “I’m just happy that we’ve managed to foil Perbron’s plan,” Dedron said.

  “Let’s not pat ourselves on the back prematurely. We still need to deal with the threat at Swendon. I will be in touch soon, Captain. For now, good luck to you,” The general said, switching off his communicator. Dedron, Laura, and Ken were served the first real meal that they’d had in two days. They all felt greatly relieved to be rescued. Just after they’d finished their meal, General Forester came into the dining hall to talk to them.

  “How long until we reach Swendon, general?” Dedron asked.

  “Only a little less than twenty-four hours after we get through the Geeter belt. Only then can we make the jump to hyper space,” the general said.

  “We are all too familiar with the Geeter belt,” Laura added.

  “General, I have some concerns about Swendon. Perbron is a particularly slippery adversary. We have to take the utmost precautions to ensure it’s not another trick,” Dedron said.

&nbs
p; “We will be prepared. He will be greatly outnumbered,” the general said, confidently.

  “It’s not his forces that I’m worried about. I’m concerned that he is already set about destroying our crops or is prepared to hold the destruction of our lands over our heads as a bargaining chip,” Dedron stated.

  “A bargaining ship for what? What does Perbron want?” General Forester asked.

  Dedron, Laura, and Ken all looked at one another.

  “He wants us. He is still quite bitter for the defeat that he suffered on his own planet,” Laura added.

  “At this point, he may not be satisfied with that. I’m not sure he’ll be happy until he can find a way to make the maximum amount of humans and their allies suffer in some terrible way,” Dedron stated.

  “Well, he will not get you or get away with any dastardly plan. After what he has done, we will likely declare war on the Remoir.”

  “There is another way to destroy Perbron from within instead of without,” Ken said, breaking his silence.

  “What do you mean?” the general asked.

  “Sir, when we spent some time on Remoir, we met with members of the resistance, Remoir citizens who consider Perbron to be their enemy. We could align ourselves with them and assist them in their efforts to defeat him. Their movement was greatly diminished when Perbron punished them for their last uprising, but there are plenty more that could be persuaded to take up arms against him. They greatly outnumber Perbron and his forces,” Dedron added.

  “How would we go about aiding them without Perbron getting wind of our plan?” the general said. He was obviously more receptive than General Barron had been about this new plan of action.

  “We need to find Rebroan. He is the Remoir leader of the resistance, but he had to flee his own planet after many of his comrades were executed.”

  “And how could we do that?” the general asked.

  “I would be happy to personally lead that mission myself once we’ve dealt with the situation at Swendon,” Dedron volunteered.