by Saxon Andrew
The High Priest stared at him and shook his head, “Send them word that they should be prepared to be attacked by an advanced civilization.”
“Is that wise?”
“More than you know.”
The Head Servant lifted a device out of his robe and began talking. The High Priest knew that the Humans would not hear the frequency he was using. He prayed the two Humans that he had taken into his temple would make a difference.
A tall female came through the door and moved smoothly out on the high balcony. She stood behind the High Priest in her pale green robe and lowered her head. The High Priest turned and looked at her, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.”
“Yes it has, my Love.”
“I hope it was worth it.”
“We’ll know in time.”
The High Priest went forward and took her in his arms, “Perhaps we’ll have some time to be alone soon.”
His Partner looked out at the plain and smiled, “I don’t expect it will be soon.”
The High Priest turned to view the plain and sighed, “No, I imagine it won’t.”
He held her tight as the rumble of thousands of space ships blasting into orbit rolled in from the plain.
• • •
Grant picked up the key and inserted it into the slot. The Hologram appeared and stared at him. “Is there a frequency we can use to listen in on the Earth Warships?”
“There is.”
“Will you give it to us?”
“Why should I do that?”
Cinny looked at her, “Ana, why wouldn’t you?”
The Hologram turned to Cinny and after a moment recited a series of sixty numbers. Grant looked up, “Do you have it?”
“I do.”
“Do not broadcast on that frequency but play for us what you receive.”
The loudspeakers activated and they heard, “Admiral Nelson, there are only two planets left. How do you want to handle them?”
“All even numbered fleets will come to my location and organize around my Personal Defense Fleet. All odd numbered fleets will go to Rear Admiral Hall’s Fleets and organize around him.”
“Yes Sir. I’ll send out the orders. This should be over quickly.”
“It’s taken too long already.”
• • •
Cinny looked at Grant, “There are only two Raider planets still alive?”
“That’s what they’re saying.”
“They’ve destroyed their civilization in less than two months?” Grant could only nod.
The Hologram said, “They thought it would only take three weeks. They must have encountered some difficulty.” The Hologram paused and shrugged, “I suspect it was those Missile Ships that slowed them down.”
Cinny nodded, “If they could kill the Spiders, I agree that they could have killed their warships as well.”
“Those missiles can kill the Spiders?” Cinny looked at Grant and then turned back to the Hologram, “Yes they could.”
“I was beginning to think that nothing could kill them, not even the frequency Earth was going to use.”
“Frequency?”
The Hologram turned to Grant, “The creators of the animals gave the military a frequency that, if sent with enough power, would cause the Spiders to fall apart.”
“What about the Crocs?”
“There is a dart made from a special ceramic material that would kill them.”
Grant paused, “But now you doubt them. Why?”
“When I delivered the three animals to their planet, two of the scientists went down with them. I suggested that they take the dart gun and a portable harmonic blaster but they shrugged and left without them.”
The Hologram paused and Grant said, “What?”
“I remember that six years before Avalon was attacked, a scientist approached me and asked if any of our ships used a yellow colored armor.”
Cinny sat up in her chair, “They found remains from the original Raider Colony!”
“I have to believe you’re right. I told her that none of our ships had ever been protected with yellow armor. I knew nothing about the Raiders before they attacked.”
Cinny shook her head, “That means they knew another species had been on the planet before them.”
The Hologram nodded, “The two scientists that took the animals down to the planet insisted that I stay on the ship. They said it was to make sure of my safety…but…I sensed sorrow in them.” The Hologram paused and said, “When the war really kicked off, the scientist that asked me about the yellow armor suggested that we use the myth about the Orion to cause them to chase false targets while Earth built up its fleets.”
“Why would they do that?”
“I don’t know.”
The loudspeaker activated and they heard, “Admiral, all the ships have received their orders and are jumping to their assigned coordinates.”
“Carry on with your orders.”
The three turned from the loud speaker and Grant said, “It didn’t take me long to figure out what Earth had done to the humans that went to Avalon. I suspect they also knew what was going on before the Raiders showed up.”
The Hologram nodded, “You might find it interesting that they began development of the two of you immediately after that scientist asked me the question. The Animals came later.”
Cinny’s eyes narrowed and she looked at Grant, “I would think the more powerful weapon would be developed first. The Animals are clearly more powerful than the two of us.”
The Hologram shrugged, “Maybe they improved their techniques while creating you.”
Grant shook his head, “That just doesn’t feel right. There has to be something we’re missing.”
The Hologram shook its head, “I have no idea what it might be.”
They all looked up at the loudspeaker, “Admiral, what time should we set for the countdown?”
“Set it for twenty-four hours. All our ships should be organized with their munitions replenished by then.”
“Yes Sir.” There was a pause and they heard, “Set your chronometers for our attack twenty four hours from my mark. The attacks will commence exactly twenty-four hours from my mark. READY…MARK!”
Grant looked at the Hologram, “I’m going to leave you active.”
“Thank you for your kindness.”
Grant nodded and leaned back in his chair and thought about what he would have done if he learned about Earth’s treachery. He looked at the Hologram, “One more question.”
“Yes.”
“How did Avalon’s scientist’s stack up against the best Earth had to offer?”
“Night and day. Avalon provided more than ninety eight percent of the technological advances Earth used. The genetic manipulation techniques used to create you died with the planet.”
“Thank you for your honesty.”
“It’s too little too late.”
Chapter Seventeen
Admiral Nelson sat on his command chair and watched the smooth efficiency of the Victory’s crew. He knew that the coming battle would finally eradicate the species that had destroyed Avalon. He smiled at that thought. He was in command of all of Earth’s Naval Forces with only the Fleet Admiral being over him.
He knew the attack on the Raiders was a sham; their destruction of Avalon was justified. He was allowed to see the recordings of the Raider Colony’s destruction and it was brutally exterminated. The Special Ops Warships that carried out the massacre made sure the defenders got out a distress message. Fleet wanted them to know what happened. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Earth’s leaders actually thought the three billion that emigrated to Avalon would have been killed much faster than it actually happened. They feared that a planet of humans outside of their control could become a powerful adversary. They were right. Avalon passed Earth in technological advances and was going to soon become more powerful militarily. The Government was ecstatic the Raiders finally arrived and eliminated th
e problem.
They were also grateful for the opportunity to go out and seek revenge for Avalon’s destruction. The Government decided that colonizing other planets with humans was not something that should be done. Another Avalon might arise to challenge their power. The attack against the Raiders was a perfect set up to move beyond their destruction and conquer other civilizations. Humans could be moved to their planets and rule the local populations. Only those proven loyal to the Government would be allowed to leave Earth.
The Admiral opened his eyes and thought about his naval career. He was eighteen years old when he joined the Naval Academy and the first thing he did the day before he enrolled was to change his name from Jacob Anderson Blankenship to Lord Nelson. He loved the ancient history of Earth’s sailing vessels and the wars they fought. His personal hero was Admiral Horatio Nelson. He adopted his name and was determined to one day wear an Admiral’s uniform.
Cadets from England detested him for changing his name to Nelson and several upper classmen made life miserable for him, but he was determined to do whatever it took to move up in ranks ahead of his contemporaries. After leaving the Academy, he would deliberately spread disinformation or even outright lies about his competition in just the right places at just the right time to sabotage their careers. He made certain that it couldn’t be traced back to him. He brutally put down a rebellion at the Mars Colony, which caught the attention of the Fleet Admiral.
The execution of the revolt’s leaders while forcing the colonists to watch told the Admiralty that this was an officer they could trust to follow even the most horrific orders. They were right. His promotions came at an amazing speed. He was promoted to Rear Admiral on his thirty-first birthday. Before his thirty-second birthday, all of the Naval Officers that had terrorized him in the Academy were dead. Most had been framed but no one challenged their executions. When he was charged with murdering them by a Naval Prosecutor, all charges were dropped. The Admiralty admired the way he handled those that worked against him. They ignored the death of the Prosecutor six months later in a ship explosion. Accidents happen.
Now he was two planets away from opening the campaign against the rest of the universe. He knew the original Lord Nelson had died at the site of his historic victory at Trafalgar. This was one thing that would be different in his biography. If the plans he had set in motion back on Earth came to fruition, he would soon be chosen to replace the Fleet Admiral, who was due to have an unfortunate accident. He smiled and thought that if he played this right, Royalty just might be reinstated on Earth and Lord Nelson would be a perfect name. But first he had two planets, two humans along with some animals, and a group of Priests to be removed before he moved forward into his manifest destiny. He leaned back, closed his eyes again, and smiled.
• • •
The alarm went off and Grant and Cinny opened their eyes. They had spent the night sleeping in their reclined combat chairs. The Nemesis had been parked in subspace and the possibility of it being scanned by Earth’s warships was remote. Cinny stood up and raised her arms over her head and stretched up on her toes. She brought a hand down to cover a huge yawn as Grant stood up and went through several exercises he learned as a child. They were designed to prepare your body for physical combat. Cinny watched him lift his left leg in a high kick and smiled, “You big show off.”
Grant chuckled, “You can do this better than me. You’re more flexible.”
“Yeah, but why would I want to after all those years of being forced to do them?”
“That’s like not taking another breath after all the years you’re forced to take them.”
“It’s nothing like that!”
“Sure it is, if you think about it. Those exercises are what developed our bodies so we could defend ourselves.”
Cinny crossed her arms and pursed her lips. “So someone comes up to attack you and you tell them, ‘wait a moment; I have to loosen up’.”
Grant stared at Cinny and tilted his head. He opened his mouth and then closed it. He shook his head once and said, “Touché.”
The Hologram appeared, “There’s still twelve hours until the attack.”
Cinny bent over and touched the floor as she said, “What is their plan after the Raiders are eliminated?”
“Their initial goals are threefold: one, destroy all the Raider Planets and Military forces; two, make sure the two of you and the animals are eliminated; and three, to remove the Choten-Zan.”
“WHAT?”
The Hologram shrugged, “They would be violating the agreement they made with the Choten-Zan to leave them alone if they agreed to raise you and prepare you to distract the Raiders.”
Grant’s eyes narrowed and Cinny said, “We have to warn them.”
Grant looked at her and then looked up, “Computer, wasn’t there a temple on Lovely?”
The Hologram said, “I can answer that, there is.”
“Computer, jump us into the Lovely planetary system and open a frequency to the Zan Temple there.”
“Jumping.”
Grant knew why the planet below him was named Lovely. It was absolutely beautiful from space. Grant looked up and waited. After a minute he said, “Make contact with the temple!”
“The temple is not using any frequencies that I can use for that purpose.”
Cinny stood up and walked over to the wall monitor, “Show me the temple.” Grant and Cinny watched and the Green Temple appeared on the display surrounded by the high stonewall around it. Cinny’s eyebrows came together, “There’s no one outside. Computer what time of day is it at the Temple?”
“One hour after noon.”
Grant stared at the image, “You’re right, something’s wrong. The Zan are always outside during daylight hours.” He looked up, ““Open the frequency we used at the Monastery.”
“Frequency is active.”
Grant said, “This is the Warship Nemesis calling the Choten-Zan Temple on Lovely.”
They waited a few moments and were greeted with silence. Cinny shook her head and suddenly the monitor showed the face of the High Priest’s Head Servant, “I’m sorry but the Temple on Lovely has been evacuated. May I be of service?”
“Why was it evacuated?”
“We have reason to believe that our Temples may be in jeopardy. We decided to move all of our Priests to this planet.”
“You can’t do that! I’ve just learned from a computer program that Earth intends to attack the Monastery after they complete the destruction of the Raiders.”
“It’s easier to protect your produce if all of it is in one place.”
“It’s also easier to lose all of it as well.”
The Head Servant smiled, “There is that.”
“Earth is planning to attack you there. You have to escape.”
“We’ll worry about that when it happens.”
Grant looked up at the ceiling, “Ahhhhgggggggg! You priests can be so, so…”
Cinny said, “Hard headed.”
“Yes, hard headed.”
The Head Servant looked at them and smiled, “It was our considered opinion that before they came after us, they would remove you first. We’re hoping that you will not allow that to happen.” Grant’s mouth fell open and the Head Servant tilted his huge head, “They won’t attack us; you might come here.”
“You’re placing your safety against the hope that they won’t be able to find us?”
“Well, we do have a few plans in the event they do, but yes, we are hoping you give them a merry run.” The Head Servant looked off the screen and nodded, “I have much to do to get our brothers and sisters settled in. Good luck.”
• • •
Lt. Chen looked at Captain Yow, “The Admiral was right. They did contact the Choten-Zan. How did they know we are planning to attack their main planet?”
“We’re going to attack them on every planet soon but this is something the Fleet Bright Guys will have to figure out. Send them the recording of the contact
.”
Chen pressed several buttons and looked up, “It’s on the way. Do you think they might go there?”
Captain Yow shook his head, “It could go either way. However, the man was right about not attacking them until we’ve removed him from the board.”
Lt. Chen nodded, “How was the main temple able to hear them from across the universe?”
The Captain raised his eyebrows, “I have no idea.”
“Someone should really take a good look at the technology needed to make that happen.”
Yow shook his head, “That’s up to Intelligence. The Bright Guys will have to figure that one out.”
• • •
Grant looked up, “Jump us a long way from here.” The ship entered subspace and entered normal space outside a galaxy ten billion light years away. Grant looked at Cinny, “We have to decide what we’re going to do.”
“We can’t do that until we see what they are going to do.”
Grant sighed and sat down in his chair, “You’re right. This not knowing a plan is giving me a headache.”
Cinny came over behind him and started rubbing his shoulders and neck. Grant closed his eyes and blew out a slow breath, “That feels wonderful.”
Cinny looked up, “Computer, move us into subspace.” The Nemesis disappeared.
• • •
The countdown to attack the Raider’s last two planets moved to two minutes and Admiral Nelson picked up his Communicator. He looked at his Communications Officer, who nodded. “I want to say a few words before we launch this attack. We are going to remove the species that destroyed Avalon. All of our hard work and planning is finally paying off and I expect all of you to perform your best during the attack. I will be issuing orders on what we’re going to do after the planets are destroyed but until that task is completed, I want all of you focused on making it happen. One day you’ll tell your grandchildren you were present at this momentous event. Good shooting and make them pay!” He looked at his Communications Officer again and he ran a finger across his throat telling him that the circuit was cut off. The Admiral looked around the bridge, “I want a feed from the other planet on my panel as well as the one from here. Is that clear?”