by Saxon Andrew
Rory looked at Abby and saw her nod to him. Rory smiled and said, “Count us in, Sir.”
Abby spoke up, “Sir, I feel we need to tell them about this.”
“Tell them whatever you choose, Colonel. The point is that you are going as sailors from Melbourne and that will let them know that we’re invested in this fight as much as they are. It’s important they understand that. We’re working on the same side.” The Prime Minister leaned back, “Unless you have any questions, you’re free to go.”
Abby stood up at attention and Rory stood up beside her, “Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister.” He nodded, and they did an about face and left the office. The Prime Minister sat back and remembered when he and his wife had to make a similar choice twenty-years earlier. They chose love and that decision led him to where he was now. These two would one day be leaders on Melbourne…if they survived. He offered a prayer they would.
• • •
Grady sat in his chair on the Rex Rabbit and Taffy announced, “They’re lifting from the spaceport.”
“Taffy, what happens if we don’t make it back?”
“I’ve set up a trust and all of our holdings will go into it to support the survivors, Grady.”
Grady nodded. He looked at Bob and said, “Are you ready to go.” Both robot’s flashed. “Putting Joshua in charge of the Robot construction was a genius idea, Taffy.”
“He’s worked his entire life designing ships and weapons for Melbourne and he’s forced to live a very modest life. The twenty-million signing bonus changed that. He’s the perfect one to make sure things run smoothly.”
“What about Spring Hill?”
“Eddie will make sure everything is done properly. I chose well when I selected him to be a partner.”
“Here they come,” Grady announced.
Taffy looked at the monitor and saw a twin of the Rabbit pull up beside them. She smiled at Grady and Abby as they appeared on the monitor. Grady asked, “Have you chosen a name for your ship?”
“Roo-Rabbit,” Abby said with a smile.
“Isn’t that the name of the restaurant where Dunhan walked out?” Taffy asked.
Rory smiled, “It was there that I saw who Abby really was and started me on the path to recovery. The name is right.” Abby smiled at Rory and put her hand on his arm. Rory turned back to them, “Besides, the class of ships Melbourne is constructing is called the Rabbit Class. The name is right for several reasons.”
“Are your robots performing well?” Taffy asked.
Abby laughed, “I think Bob and Robbie improved them.”
“Why do you say that?” Grady asked.
“They’re able to talk now.”
Grady jerked his head around to the two robots on their chargers, “Are you able to do that, Bob?”
“Yes,” Bob replied.
Taffy burst out laughing as Grady rolled his eyes. He looked at Abby and Dunhan, “We’ll get there in less than a week; are you ready to go stir up some trouble?”
Rory smiled, “More than you know, Grady.”
Grady activated the FTL drive and the two Rabbits leapt ahead at an unbelievable speed.
Epilogue
The Fleet Commander was ordered back to the Empire to take a long, needed break from the war. She was weary and looked forward to getting back on the ground. She leaned back and felt a sense of accomplishment, she had finally gotten the War Leader recently to allow her to take one of the Planet Destroyers with her fleet and finish the job she started on the planet she attacked. She didn’t waste time and killed every surviving member of the civilization that inhabited it. She smiled and knew she had, in a small way, paid that small ship back for what it had caused.
She smiled as her ship left the war far behind and relaxed in her chair. Suddenly, her scanning controller yelled, “I HAVE A SMALL SHIP MOVING IN ON US AT HIGH-SPEED!!”
Three of her eyes went to the front monitor as the other three remained focused on the scanner leader. She heard her weapon operators start firing at the incoming ship and she turned all six eyes to the monitor. It was the small ship that had attacked her fleet more than a year earlier. It shrugged off her blasters and it fired a brilliant blaster beam at the rear of her ship shearing off the thrusters. It flew past and she watched it turn around and start moving back at a slow speed. She heard a voice over the wall speaker, “I know you understand my language; I’m certain your scouts deciphered it before you invaded my planet the first time. I’ve been hoping you would leave your fleets and it looks like my prayers have been answered.”
The Fleet Commander snarled, “You will be destroyed!”
The voice chuckled, “Maybe…but not by you or any ships sent to save you! I have another ship between us and your fleet that will stop anyone from getting here in time. The souls of the billions you killed on my planet scream out for revenge and they’re going to get their wish.” The Fleet Commander and everyone on her ship had changed to a dark color revealing their fear. She flinched as another brilliant beam flashed out and sheared off the blasters on top of her ship. She heard the communication leader screaming into his panel for someone to come and save them; but they would never arrive in time.
The voice spoke again, “Before you die, you should know that I will be destroying your civilization soon. The fight for Britannia is far from over and you are one of the first casualties on your side. I’ve thought about making your death long and slow…but you killed my planet quickly, I’ll return the favor.” The Fleet Commander closed her eyes as a brilliant blaster beam blew through the bridge vaporizing her and everyone around her.
• • •
The alien warships arrived and found the drifting hulk floating in space. There were more than a thousand tiny holes puncturing the remaining hull and the scanning leader looked up at the Senior Commander, “The energy used to do this is far beyond anything ever seen, Commander.”
“I don’t understand why whoever did this shot so many holes through this ship.”
The scanner leader turned to him, “Perhaps they were delivering a message.”
The Commander turned a shade darker and knew that the civilization they were currently fighting couldn’t have done this. He turned and ordered his ships back to the fleet. Whoever did it had acted out of rage. He didn’t want to find out who it was.
The End
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Books by Saxon Andrew
The Annihilation Series:
Love Conquers All
The Power of a Queen
A Rose Grows in Weeds
Tommy’s Tale
Searcher
Demon’s Sacrifice
Finding Keepers
(The seven books above are also audio books at Audible.com)
Prequel-Psychic Beginnings
Searching for a Hero
Dahlia’s Deception
Annihilation-The Complete Series Box Set
The Annihilation Saga:
Lost Royalty
The Warrior's Destiny
No Way Out
Fight... and They Will Come
Ashes of the Realm:
Juliette’s Dream
Greyson’s Revenge
Death of an Empire
The Return of the Realm
Lens of Time:
The Pyramid Builders
Planet Predators
Pray for the Prey
The End of Time
Lens of Time - Star Rover:
The Worst of Time
Running Out of Time
Chosen to Die
The Fight for Creation:
Life Warrior
Scout Warrior
Ultimate Warrior
Star Chase:
The Lost Prince
(Also an audio book at Audible.com)
Nowhere to Run
Nowhere to Hide
Probe Predators
Jesse's:
Jes
se’s Starship
Mike’s War
Joshua’s Walls
Nemesis:
Revenge is Best Served Hot
The Search for Orion
Trapped in Time:
The Time Takers
Taming a Planet
Extinction
Escape to Earth:
Running From Fate
Fighting for Space
Defending Holy Ground
The Legacy of a Conqueror
Living Legends
The Sequel Series to Escape to Earth - Defending Earth:
Searching for Death Feeders
Discovery Means Death
The Death Prophecies:
The Coming of the Prophet
The Prophet's Eyes
The Unknown Enemy Will Kill You
No Technology is Invincible
Survival is Never Free
The Last Prophecy
Stories from the Filament Universe:
Gregor’s Run
A Pirate’s Tale
Soul of the Swords
The Death Filament
Death Never Leaves a Calling Card
Gregor’s Search
Jimmy's Dreams Stories:
Jimmy’s Dreams
Jimmy’s Dreams II - A Recurring Nightmare
The Assassins Guild:
Earth Must be Stopped
Defending the Colonies
Rage of the Brotherhood
The Last Man Standing
The Fight for Brittania
Other:
The War Against Earth
The Book of Life
(a short story)
About Saxon Andrew
Saxon Andrew is a former social worker with a degree in Psychology and Education from Mercer University. He has taught school, managed several sales organizations and owned his own business.
He has devoured science fiction since he first learned to read and his stories are the product of years of personal experience and exposure to the universes created by the genre’s great authors.
He lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife and two dogs who still appreciate his sense of humor after all these years. "Dogs are always ready to smile."