by Saxon Andrew
“Who came up with this idea?”
“Leit and his Unit Commanders. They asked how it made sense to wait until the transports launched their fighters before we attacked. If the transports can be taken out while they’re still on board, it will save a lot of time and energy.”
Ed snickered, “He makes a good point. But will this do the job?”
“We’re going up to take a look-see. There is one liability.”
“What is that?”
“These rounds are traveling too fast to be deflected by the magnetic bands on our ships. The one’s flying these ships must make sure they are not firing into our units.”
Suzette walked around to the ladder and held out her hand. Ed gripped her legs at the calves and lifted her to the cockpit. Suzette smiled, “MEN! You’re always showing off.” Ed smiled and climbed into the front chair. Jillian walked into the cave and said with a smile, “OH! So, now you’re two-timing me!”
Ed laughed, “If you snooze, you lose. Wait your turn.”
“What is that thing?”
“I’ll let you know when we come back. Stand clear.”
Jillian backed up as the red-colored Striker rose and exited the cave.
• • •
“Where are we going to trial this thing?”
“We thought about firing it at one of the mountains in the Alps but worried about triggering an earthquake.”
“You can’t be serious!”
“Mass and velocity equals energy. Head out to where you picked up the first group of Urriks.” Ed nodded, there were some damaged Mercenary Transports at that location.
• • •
They arrived at the transports and Ed said, “Which one do you want?”
“Pick the least damaged of the lot.”
Ed flew around the transports and found one with the bow shot off, “This one looks somewhat intact.”
“Ok, press the red button on your panel.”
“Done.”
“Now turn the ship in the general direction of that transport and press the blue button on top of the steering lever.”
Ed looked at the drive stick and saw the blue button, “Done.”
Ed immediately saw the transport appear on his monitor with a large X in the center of it.”
“What if I didn’t want to hit that particular transport.”
“If you don’t want to hit it all, press the yellow button next to the red button. It will transfer that information to every Pounder and let them know that ship is off limits. If you simply want the computer to select another target, press the blue button again.”
“Is there any way to choose the target myself?”
“Point the bow of the ship toward the chosen target and press the blue button.”
“How do I fire it?”
“Pull the trigger on the steering lever just like you do with the Rail-Weapons.”
“What happens if I’m forced to change course?”
“As long as the target you entered is inside forty-five-degrees, just pull the trigger.”
“And if I want to fire on multiple targets?”
“Just hold the blue button down as you pull the trigger. The Computer will automatically search for similar targets to the first one you designated.”
“Is it possible to fire on a White Ship with this system?”
“Yes, but that would be like shooting ants with a howitzer.”
“Well, let’s back out and give it a go.” Ed made a radical turn and Suzette said, “HEY, HEY, HEY!! I’m not trained for this!”
“Oh, sorry about that!” Ed eased up on the turn and moved in on the transport. He pressed the blue button and saw an X appear on the monitor’s image and he pulled the trigger. The ship made a hard jerk as the round was fired and the transport instantly blew apart into two pieces. “Holy Guacamole!!”
“A metal hull might stand up better to the impact but the polymer hulls used by them and us shatters in a major way.”
“That’s the understatement of the year. What’s the range on this thing?”
“Actually, hitting a moving target is more difficult, but once a ship is designated in the system, the computer allows for forward motion.”
“And if they’re making radical turns?”
Suzette smiled, “You’ll have to move closer.”
“How close?”
“Move inside about forty-miles and it won’t have time to move out of the kill zone in time to avoid being hit.”
Ed whistled, “That round must be hauling freight!!”
“About 144,000 miles an hour.”
Ed shook his head, “That’s almost seven times Earth’s escape velocity!!”
“I know. We’re installing these cannons around the five-cities and the valley.”
“Why did you paint it red?”
“We want every ship in the fleet to know when one of these are lining up a shot.”
“Excellent idea. You have my approval on building this.”
“Good, we’ll start moving on them right away.”
Ed chuckled, “Wait until Jillian sees this.”
“I’ll be sure to tell her to watch how fast she turns.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Now I know; it’s on me next time.”
• • •
The Guild Master looked at the Supreme Guild Master and said, “I’m not sure about attacking that water planet again, Supremacy.”
“Why? We didn’t really suffer any major damage; every transport made it safely back. We lost some pilots but they are easily replaced.”
Another Guild Master on his staff said, “This long delay is not good.”
The Supreme Guild Master smiled, “If it stops the Speer from interfering, the wait will be worth it.”
“Are you really planning to attack their planet. That psychic species is trouble with a capital T.”
“Not really. I hope the Law Center will resolve the issue with an order for them to stay out of any future attacks.”
“Why did they attack before?”
The Supreme Guild Master shrugged, “I honestly don’t know. I guess we’ll find out in the Law Center proceedings.”
“Why are we continuing to attack that planet? It’s so far from our territory that it doesn’t really seem worth it.”
The Supreme Guild Master smiled, “Wait and see. We’re going to be wealthy beyond your wildest dreams.”
The Junior Guild Masters looked at each other and wondered what he was talking about.
• • •
Summer sat with Jimmy looking down at the valley and said, “Do you think it’s a good idea for Spring to go with you? I don’t want to lose you or another child.”
“Ayet insists that she and Little Ayet would be safe. He also insists I will not be harmed either.”
Summer sighed heavily, “I can’t release my fear.”
Jimmy put his arm over her shoulders, “If Ayet was still alive, and his friend was going, would he remain behind?” Summer looked at him and Jimmy said, “We all loved Ayet. But Spring loved him more than any of us. She insisted that she would go and tell Little Ayet his last words and afterwards, she took his place. She has his heart and I can’t tell her no. You can if you want.”
Summer shook her head, “You know I can’t do that.”
“She wouldn’t listen. She’s an adult now and has the freedom to do what her conscience dictates.”
“I know.”
Jimmy took Summer’s chin in his hand and turned her head toward him, “We will be safe. We will come back.” Summer stared at him and then nodded. He kissed her tenderly and pulled her closer. They broke the kiss and Jimmy said, “You’re move beautiful today than the day you stormed out of the tests.”
Summer shook her head, “I was only nineteen then.”
“And you’re even more beautiful today.” Summer leaned up and kissed him again. This time the kiss was much longer.
• • •
Sprin
g sat on the floor of the lagoon with Little Ayet floating in front of her. “I don’t want my father to die!”
“I know.”
“He doesn’t deserve to…” Ayet paused and sighed, “I guess I’m not completely right about that. He did kill billions of your species.”
“Yes, he did. But if we could stop his death, we would.”
“That’ because your species is good.”
“Some of us in the past weren’t all that. However, my brother accepted that he was probably going to die to give us a better chance of surviving. That is what your father is doing and you shouldn’t diminish his sacrifice. It would also make Ayet’s sacrifice smaller.”
Little Ayet nodded slightly and said, “I need to go tell him how proud I am of what he’s doing. I’ve refused to speak to him after he agreed to go.”
Spring nodded, “I think that is the right thing to do.” Ayet swam away and Spring stayed and wept for her older brother. After a while, she swam toward the shore. Her friend was going to weep for his father and she was going to be there to help him. Just like he did after Ayet died. He retained every memory of his conversations with Ayet and he shared them with her. It was what kept her brother’s memory real and alive.
• • •
‘’Supremacy.”
“What is it!!”
“It appears the scheduled hearing with the Skeer is causing a lot of interest in the Guild.”
“What do you mean by that.”
“The Supreme Law Center has been approached by many of the news networks that have petitioned the Lead Enforcer to allow them to broadcast it. Every seat in the Law Center has been sold out for months and it appears the Enforcers see a way to make a huge number of monetary units to allow it. I’ve heard that it will be broadcast to every civilization in the guild as a pay-for-view.”
“Why?”
“It seems that a huge number of gambling establishments are taking bets as to who would win a confrontation between the Skeer and us.”
“What are the current odds?”
“A bet on us will pay three to one.”
“Are you saying the Skeer are favored to win?!”
“Three-to-one odds they will, Supremacy.”
“Leave me!”
“I just thought you should know.” The Junior Guild Master left the room and placed a rather large bet on the Skeer. He was not going to be available for the coming confrontation. There was going to be a death in his family preventing him from taking part…even if he had to do the killing.
• • •
Ayet looked at the Big-Head and shook his head, “I don’t care what the odds are, you will make sure no confrontation takes place.”
“Do you think you’d lose?”
“Even if we won, we’d lose.”
The Big-Head stared at him, “Please explain why?”
“My species are known as merchants that service all the other civilizations. I rent starships, my uncle rents pest removers, all of us make our living serving others. If we defeated the Mercenaries, everyone would fear us more than them. We’d lose our customers.”
“I guess I can see that.”
“There will be no conflict!”
“You might end up having to pay for the fighters they lost.”
“You’re going to prevent that. But a conflict must be avoided.”
The Big-Head shrugged and after he left the meeting, he had another bet to place on no conflict. The odds were eight-to-one there would be. He contacted the Lead Enforcer and smiled as he thanked him for the information. He smiled; it appeared Ayet would get his way. Even the gambling houses would win big if the conflict didn’t take place. All the bettors would get their money back if none happened, but the house would keep the five-monetary-units for each one placed. The only losers would be those betting on the winner or a conflict happening. After the Supreme Guild Master appeared on one of the news channels showing his rage at the loss of his ships, the Big-Head betted a huge sum at fifteen-to-one odds.
• • •
Ayet watched the interview and sighed. It was all for show. His one regret was none of his species or the Mercenaries could take part in the betting. The parties involved in the case were forbidden to do so; it might fix the outcome. What a wasted opportunity. He could have made a killing! He knew the Big-Head he was dealing with had a direct-line to the Lead Enforcer and, even if everyone else didn’t know it, he did. The fix was in. Was there something he could do to make some monetary units out of this. He thought about it and smiled.
• • •
“Leit.” Leit looked up at Reddy, “Are we going to wait for the next attack. You know how large it’s going to be.”
“I do know what’s coming. Ed and I are discussing it and we’ve not reached an agreement yet.”
“What is the issue?”
“If we attack them while they’re still inside their stardrive fields, we have no assurance they’ll be stopped.”
“Is there another option?”
“We’re working on it.”
“Why? We could just fire through the field and destroy the transports.”
“Along with all of our brothers and sisters on board them. If we can find a way to prevent their deaths, we should try to do it.”
Reddy nodded, “Because it’s the right thing to do?”
Leit smiled, “It’s the only thing to do. We’ve not come up with a way to make it happen and it may come down to killing them. But before we do that, we need to at least try to come up with another plan.”
“May I join you in making the plan?”
“What do you have in mind?” Reddy told him and Leit smiled, “You need to discuss this with Ed.”
• • •
Jillian sat on Ed’s lap just above the moon staring out at the stars. Ed smiled, “I’m glad you suggested this. I’ve needed to do this.”
“The stars are just beautiful. It does bring peace to your soul, doesn’t it?”
“Indeed, it does, Jillian.”
They were silent for a long time and Jillian said softly, “Do you remember when you asked me to marry you?”
Ed chuckled, “Yes. I really surprised you, didn’t I?”
“Yes…you…did! And I’ve been wondering how I could get even ever since.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“You haven’t been able to come up with anything?”
“I’ve come close several times but they just didn’t measure up to what you did. That was pretty incredible.”
“Sit at the feet of the master and learn, Little One,” Ed said with a laugh.
Jillian sighed, “You are the master…By-the-way, I’m pregnant and it’s going to be a girl. I understand you want to name her Angelica.” Ed’s mouth fell wide open and his eyes flew wide open. “Just thought the Master might want to know.”
Ed’s tears were immediate and he hugged her tightly, “Are you sure…”
“I’ve just been waiting for the right time to tell you. Remember, I’m here to show you things you miss.” Ed wept. He believed he would never have a daughter and had given up hope years earlier. He held her as she stroked his hair.
After a few minutes, he said, “I love you so much.”
“And I love you, too.”
Ed smiled slightly and said, “You are the Master now. Beating this is going to take some real effort.”
Jillian burst out laughing and kissed him. Life with Ed was never, ever, boring.
Chapter Twenty
Ayet appeared and Jimmy said, “Time flies, doesn’t it.”
Ayet nodded, “It’s time.” Jimmy nodded and Ayet said, “I was wondering if you might assist me in building my case against the Mercenaries.”
“Isn’t that why I’m going?”
“Well, yesss…”
Jimmy shook his head, “What do you want?”
“I need some work done on the freighter. We don’t have to do it now but I hope you’ll assist me
.”
“What do you want?”
“I’d like for you to shoot several hundred holes through its hull.”
Jimmy’s brow furrowed, “Are you serious?”
“It will really help in my defense. Can you do it?”
“How will the Gread make it back with a damaged hull?”
“You can do it when we get back to my planet.”
Jimmy shrugged, “If you think it will help, I have a hand weapon that can do it.”
“Excellent!! Let’s go retrieve the freighter and pick up the Gread.”
“I’m going to go in one of our Jumpers.”
“That’s fine’ you’ll need a way to get back after the hearing if the freighter is…modified.”
“Then let’s go pick up the pilot.”
“I can fly the freighter. Let’s get it first and then go to pick them up.”
“Fair enough. Let me call Spring and we’ll follow you to the lagoon.”
“Lead the way.”
• • •
The huge Jumper hovered over the waves in the Atlantic Ocean and Jimmy said, “Are you absolutely sure you don’t need a breathing apparatus?”
Ayet smiled and dove out of the landing bay. Jimmy shook his head, “Move it higher!!” The Jumper rose a thousand feet and continued to hover. Spring stared at the ocean’s surface and said, “Is he all right? He’s been gone a long time.” Jimmy shrugged and then pointed toward the ocean. The giant freighter rose slowly out of the water as rivers of saltwater ran off its hull.
Ayet appeared on the Jumper’s monitor and said, “I had to fill the ship with water for the Gread’s return.”
Jimmy yelled at the pilot of the Jumper, “Tell him to follow us.”
The Jumper went into orbit and flew over the North Pole to Hawaii. Jimmy went to the bridge of the Jumper and said, “We’re going down and let them know it’s time to leave. Wait for us to call you in.”
“Great! I’ll stay in orbit until you contact me. There’s not enough room for both ships on the shore.”
“Will do.” Jimmy and Spring dove into the water from a few feet above it as the Jumper hovered. They swam out into the middle of the lagoon and Jimmy shouted over his mask’s speaker, “All right! Everyone gather up!”
The Gread slowly swam in to where Jimmy and Spring were waiting and wondered if this was when they were going to die. Jimmy looked around, “Is this everyone?”