by Saxon Andrew
The others started jumping up and down yelling, “Let me do it, let me do it.”
Cinny laughed out loud, “No, save your power for when you need it. Now you know how to use it.”
Whippet said, “You should encourage those on the planet you’re going to visit to fire their blasters at you as much as you can. You might even act like it’s hurting you.” The landing bay door closed and Whippet said, “You might practice that while you have some time.”
“How would we do that, Mr. Whippet?”
“One of you raise a leg like you’re holding a blaster and point it at one of your brothers. Make a buzzing noise and the one you’re pointing your leg at try to act like they’re in dire pain.”
Grant watched the twelve spiders pair up in an instant and they started taking turns acting like they were being shot. Cinny walked over and put her hand on his shoulder, “They’re pretty good!”
Grant smiled, “Indeed they are.” He looked up, “Ana, how powerful was that beam?” His question was greeted with silence. “Ana?”
“The ones that created those creatures had no idea what they did.”
“What do you mean?”
“That blast was more powerful than my main beam. Those creatures are incredibly dangerous. They could defeat my force field.”
Grant’s smile turned grim and then he said, “Ana, are they able to live in open space?”
“I really don’t know, why do you ask?”
“If they could, we could put them around the hull and use them to fire on any ships that attack us.”
Cinny and Whippet looked at Grant with stunned expressions as Grant yelled, “I want all of you to leave the landing bay and move through the port into the corridor. I want one of you to remain here with me.”
Tricky walked up to Grant and tilted his head, “What’s going on?”
“I need to see if you can withstand open space.”
“Do you mean a vacuum?”
“I do.”
“Why?”
“If you can, we will probably be able to use the ship to save you if you get in trouble on the planet.”
Tricky stared at Grant for a long moment and then shrugged. Grant smiled at the gesture as he said, “How do you want to do this?”
“I’m going to activate my…wait a minute.” Grant looked up, “Ana, don’t we have portable force fields we could attach to one of the spider’s legs?”
“We do, however, we don’t have an unlimited supply.”
Tricky said, “I’d like to find out anyway.”
“Why?”
“We could use their ships to go to their planets by hiding on their hulls.”
Grant shook his head and activated his personal force field. “Ana, start lowering the pressure in here gradually.” Grant looked at Tricky, “Tell me the moment you feel any discomfort.” Grant activated his helmet and his armor pressurized. He watched the landing bay atmospheric pressure start dropping and Tricky stood beside him looking around. It was a half pressure and Grant said, “Do you feel anything?”
“Not really. You should know that when we’re at a larger size, our bodies harden to a much stronger substance. I don’t notice any difference so far. Have you started yet?”
“I’m afraid that if it gets much lower, there won’t be enough air for you to use your vocal organs.”
“If I have an issue, I’ll raise my front legs.”
Grant tilted his head and gave a quick nod, “Ana, continue lowering it until I tell you to stop.” Grant watched the gage on his helmet’s display and the pressure finally reached zero. Grant said, “Open the landing bay door, Ana.” The door opened and Tricky walked over and looked through it. Grant shook his head, “Ana, pressurize the bay and close the door.” The air pressure went up quickly and Grant looked at Tricky, “How do you feel?”
“Actually, I didn’t notice a difference. I was short of breath for a moment but then I started getting oxygen from my power source.”
“Do you have any idea about how long you could do that?”
“If I’m not moving around, I don’t know if there is a limit.”
Grant smiled and said, “You can join your brothers. I’ll meet with you before we drop you off at your target planet.”
The Spider bobbed once, “That would be good.”
Grant looked at Cinny and Whippet who were looking through the glass window in the portal door and nodded toward the ceiling. They left the corridor and went to the bridge. He left the landing bay and walked to the bridge and saw their expressions. “I thought we were the most dangerous creatures in creation but I must humbly say that is not true.”
Whippet shook his head, “If you ever gain control of the Orion, you would be the most dangerous. However, this is frightening.”
Cinny nodded, “Can you imagine what would happen if they were released on the universe without a means of controlling their rage?”
Grant’s shook his head, “What frightens me is that someone intended to do just that. We really don’t know what Iggy is capable of doing either. We are in over our heads here.”
Whippet shrugged, “It’s like swimming three quarters of the way across a raging river.”
Grant’s head went back, “How so?”
“You’ll never make it back to where you started. You have no choice but to move forward.”
Grant looked at Cinny and saw her nod. He shook his head and turned to go back to the landing bay. Whippet watched him go and looked at Cinny, “Are you comfortable with him taking the lead?”
“He is, that’s what matters. One of us has to stay outside the action to keep a perspective on what’s happening. I think it’s best this way.”
Whippet looked at the door Grant had walked through and sighed, “I hope you’re right.”
• • •
Grant looked at the twelve lizards and twelve spiders gathered in the landing bay and looked at Tricky, “How many times have you gone out in the water with the lizards?”
Tricky flinched slightly, “How do you know we’ve done that?”
“Because you were on the Lizards backs when you revealed yourselves at the lagoon. I think I can assume that you’ve decided to pair up with them to attack the enemy.”
One of the lizards raised its head, “We discussed all the possible tactics we could use and it appears that we don’t have a blaster beam to use against our targets. We thought having a spider with us will give us more flexibility in deciding what to do.”
Grant looked at Tricky, “What’s in it for you?”
“Have you ever seen my Father run at full speed?” Grant shook his head. “Well, trust me on this. They can make an exit faster than you can imagine. We also think that we should spread out on the planet and not congregate in one location.”
Grant nodded and looked at them, “Do you intend to stay there and lay your eggs?”
Tricky looked at the Croc and said, “If it comes to that, we will. However, we’re more than a year from being able to do that.”
Grant looked at the floor and nodded slowly. He looked up and said, “Do you understand what will happen to that planet if you start laying your eggs indiscriminately?”
The small Croc said, “We’ve discussed that as well. We don’t know what our life spans are and we will keep a tight lid on having children until we know. I don’t think the ones that created us expected us to live long if we were driven by rage to attack and not stop. I think we can act rationally and do what’s necessary to survive.”
Grant looked at Tricky, “I’m concerned that you might send your children off planet to attack planets that aren’t settled by the Raiders.”
“You should be.” Grant stared at Tricky for a long moment and the Spider finally went down to the landing bay floor on his legs, “We won’t do that.”
“What’s preventing you?”
“I don’t think anything could stop us…but…we saw the recording of what the Raider’s did to the planet where our ancest
ors lived. We all feel that sense of loss and if we did that to planets that haven’t harmed us, we would be no better than the Raiders. We will someday become a species that travels the stars but we won’t be going out as conquerors.”
Grant slowly nodded, “You are from Earth. All of us are savage beyond belief but we also know right from wrong. You have earned my respect and you can count on me to defend you if you ever need it.”
The Croc said, “Father likes you. He says we are more alike than different. We are in this together.”
Tricky rose on his legs, “And as long as you control the means of transportation, we will follow your orders.”
Grant nodded, “I’ll do what I can to help you eventually develop your own transportation. Just keep me informed of your plans.”
The Croc and Spider said together, “We will.”
Grant looked at the Spider and said, “One more thing.”
“What is that?”
“If you find yourself being fired on by huge batteries of blasters, don’t overdo it. Absorb as much as you can and then go to your smallest size while you’re pretending to be in pain.”
“Why?”
“It will appear to your attackers that they disintegrated you. They will plan to use that exact force to attack later.”
Tricky bobbed twice, “Thank you for that. That’s a great idea.”
“We’ll be dropping you off tomorrow. We’ll probably send you out in the ocean through the shuttles landing bay. You can spread out from there.”
The twenty-four youngsters began moving nervously, looking forward to the next day. Grant looked at Tricky, “I am giving you a portable communicator and I’ll teach you how to use it. Call me if you need help.”
“Should I carry it with me?”
“You can strap it on one of your legs but don’t activate it unless you’re far from any of their armed forces. It will activate if I send a signal but I’ll make it a microsecond burst. You’ll feel a vibration and then you’ll have to find a place to contact me.”
Tricky lowered and then came back up. Grant smiled; it was just like a nod.
Chapter Eight
“Cinny, distract the locals long enough for me to get in and get out.”
“We’ve decided to attack one of the battleships on the opposite side of the planet from where you’re making the drop.”
“Don’t linger too long where they can catch you in a crossfire.”
“We can always run. Are you sure about entering the ocean from subspace?”
“Not really, but what other choice do we have? Ana provided the coordinates and they’re a hundred feet down in the middle of the ocean separating the largest landmasses. I’m going to completely enter normal space to make the drop.”
“Is that a good idea?”
“I don’t think the shuttle has the fine control of its star drive like the Nemesis. It was made by the same builders but you’ve seen how it handles. The Crocs have assured me that it won’t take them long to get out.”
“If you’re detected, they are going to have to put a lot of space between themselves and the shuttle.”
Grant sighed, “They seem certain that won’t be a problem.” Grant looked at his chronometer, “I’ll be going in in two minutes, are you ready for the attack?”
“I’ll be launching it forty five seconds ahead of your jump. Our best guess is that the battleships above your location will need thirty seconds to react. They should jump around the planet and you’ll need to get in fast and get out faster. We can only keep them occupied for forty seconds.”
“Be safe, Cinny.”
Cinny looked at Grant’s expression on the monitor and saw something. Her eyes softened and she softly said, “Come back to me. I can’t live without you.”
The display went dark and Grant looked over his shoulder, “Are you ready to go?”
“Just get us in and get out.”
Grant looked at the door to the shuttle and saw the twelve crocs were at their smallest size and were all lined up at the threshold of the shuttle’s landing bay door. He watched the chronometer count down and when it reached forty five seconds he knew at that exact moment, Cinny and Whippet were beating up a Raider Battleship.
Thirty seconds later, he pressed the jump button and emerged in water. He pressed the landing bay door control and it snapped up. He watched the crocs shoot through the force field in an instant and he pressed the jump button again. The jump field failed to appear around the ship and he hit the reset button. He saw a bright flash burn through the water a hundred yards from him and the shuttle was rocked.
The jump field flickered as another flash blew into the water fifty yards away and turned the water around him into vapor. The jump field solidified when the water disappeared and he slammed the button again. The shuttle disappeared as another beam blew through the spot the shuttle had just occupied. Grant was thankful he had his armor activated. He saw the walls of the shuttle were glowing red from the heat of the previous blaster strike. The shuttle emerged into normal space and he discovered the computer had shut down from the excessive heat. He slammed the emergency exit panel and the force field over the landing bay disappeared. The absolute zero of open space blew into the shuttle and the walls began to instantly cool. He watched as the various systems began rebooting and he waited for the Nemesis to appear. He looked out of the forward viewport and prayed for it to come. Please don’t let anything happen to her. He couldn’t go on without her, either.
• • •
Cinny strapped in to her combat chair and looked at Whippet, “Are you ready?”
“How do you want to do this?”
“I’ve set eight jump points around the planet. If things get bad, I’ll hit the jump drive and emerge at one of them. If it gets too hot, I’ll just run and let them chase me.”
Whippet nodded, “They’ll be on us faster than dark in space.”
“I know. Just concentrate your fire on one ship at a time. Spreading it out won’t do any damage.” Cinny looked at Whippet, “In three, two, one, NOW!”
The Nemesis emerged in normal space one mile away from a huge battleship and opened fire with its main blasters and a full spread of missiles. The huge ship activated its force field but it was too late. It hung in space and then a giant explosion ripped through its center blowing the ship apart. Cinny turned the ship hard right and flew in at high speed at another giant warship. She opened fire and saw numerous blips on her tactical display suddenly appear. She flew the ship in close to the vessel she was attacking and banked away as it suddenly exploded at the tail. The explosions continued and walked the entire length of the huge ship. She flew toward an open space between the ships rushing in on her as the stricken giant behind her went up in a brilliant blast.
“Cinny, there’s no way I can target a ship with your evasive maneuvers!”
“Tell it to them; Jumping now!”
A hundred battleships had jumped in on the Nemesis and were beginning to target the small ship with their main beams. A huge wave of white blaster fire moved in on the ship and it disappeared to another location outside their ranks. Cinny rushed in on another battleship and blew it apart just as the enemy fleet emerged into normal space surrounding her. She barely jumped away before the giant blasters blew them apart. From that moment forward, all Cinny could do was jump away as soon as she emerged into normal space. She glanced at the chronometer and saw that only ten seconds had passed. She had to hold out for five more.
The Planetary Defense Commander watched the chase taking place above the planet and knew it wouldn’t take long to corner and destroy that small ship. He watched another battleship explode and couldn’t comprehend how such a small ship had such powerful weapons.
“Sire, the Defense Satellites over the Kelpa Ocean report an electronic signature underwater.”
The Commander whipped around and saw the tiny blip, “How deep?”
“A hundred feet.”
“Do we have any asse
ts there?”
“We do not!”
The Commander sent priority orders to three main battleships and they instantly appeared over the disturbance and opened fire. Three beams reached down into the water and vaporized it into steam. The Commander watched the beam strikes and his scanning Leader said, “I’ve just recorded a jump signature.”
“Scan the ocean! Tell me if you detect anything?”
After a few minutes the Leader shook his head, “No, sire, nothing is showing up on my panel.”
The Commander knew something had to have happened under the surface. He hit his panel, “Get me thirty attack craft underwater where that ship was detected. DO IT NOW!”
• • •
The Crocs opened their mouths and allowed the spider on their snout to climb in. The Spiders went to minimum size as the Crocs covered their eyes with a membrane and accelerated away from the shuttle. The Crocs were nowhere near their adult size…but they weren’t small. The youngest was thirty-eight feet long and its massive tail was moving at an incredible speed. The Crocs went to seventy miles per hour instantly and increased their speed to more than a hundred miles an hour in less than three minutes. The attack craft arrived and spread out searching for anything out of the ordinary.
• • •
The Defense Commander contacted the Leader of the attack craft, “Did you find anything?”
“No, Sire. The water at this location is extremely turbulent and getting a signal is difficult. I’ve ordered more ships to surround the area twenty miles out and run scans.”
“You don’t see anything out of the ordinary?”
“I see turbulence extending from this location in all directions but our scans don’t report anything physical or electrical in it.”
The Commander looked away from his display, “I want the three battleships brought down from orbit and have them start scanning the ocean for any disturbance.” His communication officer nodded and turned to his panel. Nothing was showing up…but something just didn’t feel right. Was he able to interrupt what the intruder was attempting to do? He thought about what the Fleet Commander had said weeks before and he went into his private office. He contacted his mate and said, “Get your things packed.”