The Searcher said, “I am amazed that you see what we had to do. It was the only way to stop the tyranny of the planet. I’ve wondered if there was another way, but even today I haven’t thought of one.”
Jessica said, “You have nothing to fear from this Searcher, he was built by the Realm.”
Timmy asked, “What’s your name?”
“My name is Anglo.”
Scotty said, “What was the name of the Searcher who discovered El Prado with you?”
“You catch on quick; Anglo Gardner. I was one of the first Alpha Ships made by the Algeans. At that time we actually absorbed the electronic pathways of our pilots. He came to me right out of the Academy. Later he joined the Royal Family, but I was imprinted by him.”
“I thought those early Searcher Ships lost their imprinting if the pilot left.”
“They did. However, the Realm later discovered that if the pilot had a blue-colored aura, the imprinting was permanent. Anglo had a high level of psychic power.”
“Then you are him in electronics. He was one of the Realm’s great heroes.”
“He was a fine man.”
“Well, Anglo, how does it feel to have the only working teleport system in the galaxy?”
The ship actually laughed out loud.
Jingo looked at Scotty, “Are you serious?”
“The Algeans were not placing destruct circuits in the early Searchers. It was only after the Gardners disappeared, and they learned from Anglo and ships like him that the Realm was making a wrong turn, that they began installing those destruct circuits. Charles got his revenge by not leaving to save any of those traitors that attacked the Realm. Anglo stayed here because he was originally programmed to make sure this planet was not a threat.”
“You’re right. My system was never damaged. I meant what I said earlier. I’m with you, Your Majesty, if you’ll accept me.”
“Welcome to our little band of Riders. You’ll be a very welcome addition.”
Tesa said, “What do you mean?”
“You want to tell her, Anglo?”
“There will be no more raiders attacking your planet from this moment forward.”
“Anglo, please warn them first.”
“Of course, but do they ever listen?”
Julie said, “I hope not.”
Chapter Ten
Two years had passed and Grang was still surviving. He had dug into the hill on one of the legs of the horseshoe and found a corridor that was still intact. As luck would have it, the machine shop was unharmed. He started making his arrows out of metal from the frame of the former bunker. He had set up a target at the end of the hall and practiced every day, sixteen hours a day, for the first year. He had difficulty reaching over his heavily muscled shoulder, so he wore the quiver at his belt. After the first year, the Torg avoided him.
The huge field was overgrown but there was an abundance of pods growing among the weeds. After a year and a half passed he started clearing an area of weeds close to the bunker. The hot work helped keep his mind off the boredom and loneliness that was his constant meal. He had saved a newborn Torg. It was left behind when its mother made the mistake of crossing into a huge male’s territory. The small Torg was weak, but he couldn’t bring himself to kill it. He brought it back to the bunker and made a pen for it. He fed it grecks he killed in the forest, and it grew rather quickly. After three months he left the pen open for it to leave. The next morning, it was still there waiting for him.
The two became constant companions. Wherever Grang went, the Torg was right behind him. One day the giant Torg that had killed its mother charged out of the woods at Grang. The Torg jumped in its path and roared. The charging Giant pulled up to figure out what was happening, and Grang dropped it with an arrow. Grang walked up and rubbed the Torg behind its small ears. “Looks like you earned a name. I will call you Bravo.”
The Torg looked at Grang and shook its head at the forest.
“More coming, huh? Let’s go.”
The two ran up the hill, and Grang turned to see a huge herd of Torg move through the field headed south. They were moving quickly. Something was spooking them. He ducked under the cover of a bush and waited. He pointed down the hill and Bravo loped to the bottom.
“They’re smarter than I thought.” He turned back to the field and felt the hill begin to vibrate. Eight giant, grey-colored creatures came running through the field. They were the biggest animals Grang had ever seen. They made the Zord look small in comparison. They were broad in the front shoulders and the long body tapered back into two huge back legs. He could tell the animals were just running leisurely behind the herd, but they were gaining on the fleeing Torg. They had a wide maw and pointed ears on the top of their heads. There was no tail. It had to be two hundred feet long, and moved with a grace that belied its size. He looked closer and saw the grey color came from a tight coating of fur. One of the giant beasts stopped, put its nose up in the air, and looked directly at the bush he was hiding under. It took a step his way but heard the grey beast in front roar. It turned and chased after the other seven. The speed with which it caught up with the others was amazing.
Grang sat down and exhaled a deep breath. There was a new predator and it was going to make his continued survival difficult. He thought about the memory of the Human woman he had killed. The Zord had shown him all the memories the community had of her and he felt her mind and thoughts. They were right. He had committed a crime that he should have died for. They would never know that her thoughts burned in his mind every night as he tried to sleep. He deserved what ever happened.
He felt the hill start vibrating again and ducked down just before hundreds of the grey creatures ran through the field. He tried to figure out what those creatures reminded him of; then it hit him. Those were northern mountain cats. They were extremely vicious and hunted in packs. They were never this big. They were normally half the size of a Torg. He pondered what could have caused their extreme growth. It must have been the radiation from the wastelands. He felt the ground start trembling again and ducked as a sea of the giant beasts moved through the field toward the forest ahead. They must have overhunted the lands in the north and were migrating south. I hope the Zord can survive these beasts. What?!? He thought about it and found he did hope they would be ok. He shook his head and went down to take Bravo into the bunker. He wouldn’t be safe outside.
The Zord circled high overhead. It heard everything Grang thought and wondered at the change in the yellow creature over the last two years. It was absolutely amazed that a Torg had adopted him. You can’t adopt a Torg. It appears that particular one felt something in the Magrum. It watched the giant grey beasts moving south, and knew if they continued moving in that direction they would arrive at the three peaks in ninety days. Something had to be done to stop them. He waited for his replacement to arrive and thought about Grang.
Bleath flew in to the communities and screamed overhead. Scotty and Julie ran out to the clearing followed by Jing, Samuel, and Champ. “I wonder what’s going on?”
“I don’t know, Julie.”
Bleath landed and thought, “We are facing a dangerous situation. We need your help.”
“What’s happening?”
Bleath shared the vision of the giant grey creatures moving south. “Great galloping Torg on a plain! What are those?”
“One of our warriors heard a thought of the Yellow Skin that they are northern mountain cats, White Hair.”
“I’ve never seen any that size,”
“The Yellow Skin thinks they have been affected by the death of the waste lands.”
Scotty thought a moment, “He’s probably right.” He looked at the community leaders and said, “Those cats are alpha predators. They hunt in packs and are vicious. At that size, nothing will be safe. How far away are they, Bleath?”
“Three moons.”
Scotty shook his head, “The giant Torg herds will bring them to your lands. You will not be safe from those
creatures.”
“What can we do?”
Scotty thought about it and finally decided that the time had come. “Bleath, would you consider moving?”
“Where would we go? Most of the land is not habitable.”
“I was thinking of taking you home.”
Bleath was silent.
“I believe we can return you to your home world.”
Bleath was stunned silent. So were the community leaders.
“Are you interested?”
“White Hair, we have dreamed of our home for centuries. How can you do this?”
“We will just send you there through a silver screen.”
“I do not know how we would be received after our long absence.”
“Why don’t we try this? I will go with Vring and see how things have changed since your ancestors were taken. We’ll see if everything is safe for you to go.”
“Let me consider your proposal. We’ve only known this world. Some may not choose to go.”
“Let me know what you decide.”
“This is a dream come true.” Bleath lifted and flew north.
“Scotty, we should take a look first.”
“That’s exactly what I intend to do, Julie.” Scotty lifted his arm and pushed a button on a bracelet. “Did you hear what we discussed?”
“Yes. Are you ready to go?”
Scotty looked at Julie and she nodded.
Scotty looked at Jingo and said, “Please handle any issues until we return.”
Jingo bowed and said, “We will work together, Your Majesty.”
A silver screen appeared beside Scotty and Julie. They stepped through and found themselves on a small bridge. “Welcome aboard. I’ve wondered why you’ve not visited before.”
Scotty took a deep breath and saw Julie’s expression. She looked at him and nodded. “I believe that we are going to need your weapons, Anglo. I’ve avoided coming to you until a crisis made the decision necessary. I believe this situation calls for us to use your skills. Do you know the location of the Zord’s home world?”
“Yes, it’s listed in my charts. Here we go.”
The small white ship flew through a silver screen and appeared over a planet covered in dense forests and high mountains. “There’s someone here.”
“Show me, Anglo.”
The display on the wall came on, and they watched five small runabouts flying quickly over the planet’s surface. Julie watched them fire blaster beams at nothing and spread out as they approached a line of tall trees. “What are they doing?”
Scotty said, “They’re chasing a Zord.”
The display changed and now they could see the Zord flying as fast as it could to get away from the pursuing runabouts. “There’s more.”
They saw a view of a large building with hundreds of runabouts around it. Mounted on trees around the building were the heads of many giant Zord.
“They’re hunting them.”
Scotty said, “Anglo, stop those runabouts.”
“The weapons are ready, Your Highness.”
Julie looked at Scotty and started crying. The dream was now a reality. “Fire, Anglo.”
The five runabouts had found a giant Zord and knew they would win the trophy for their team if they could bag it. The thing was so agile it was hard to corner. Keeping it on their screens so they could see it was next to impossible. The team leader finally saw his board lock in on the giant beast as it slowed for the trees ahead. Reaching for the trigger of his blaster was the last thing he did.
The Zord knew his life was over. He was exhausted from the long chase and didn’t have enough energy to get over the trees. He rose higher, then saw all five runabouts explode and crash into the forest. “What the…?” It banked away from the trees and turned back toward the runabouts. He saw a small white ship descending and heard, “We will not harm you. You may leave in peace and go home.” The Zord didn’t know what to think. The creatures in the ship were communicating with it. How did they know it could hear them? “We are going to the building that hunts you and ask that they leave your world. We wish you peace.”
“Who are you?”
“We come from another world where some of your descendants are now our brothers. We will not allow you to be attacked again.”
“The ones taken to El Prado.”
“Yes. They are now a part of our community. We are discussing bringing them home. They wonder how they will be received after their long absence.”
“We have mourned the loss of the six children that were stolen. They were eggs of our high ruler. They will be welcomed with love and veneration. However, I wouldn’t bring them back to this deathtrap our world has become.”
“What do you mean?”
The ruler on a distant planet sells the rights for hunters to come kill us. They have murdered many thousands of us.”
“Why didn’t you communicate with them and let them know you were an intelligent species?”
“We did. The Messenger was blasted from the sky. They said they didn’t care.”
Scotty’s eyes narrowed. He said, “I am going to resolve this problem momentarily. Where may we go to communicate with your Ruler?”
“The far right mountain peak behind me. You will find him there.”
“Thank you for communicating with us. We will be back with one of your descendants.”
Scotty looked at Julie and then said, “Anglo, are there anymore runabouts hunting on the planet?”
“There are about eight hundred scattered around this continent.”
“Please remove them from hunting our brothers.”
The small ship rose high in the atmosphere until it was looking down on the huge land mass. Suddenly, bright white beams erupted from its surface toward the land mass. The ship’s hull grew bright white and the dark black and green colors of the former Duke of El Prado were blasted off its surface. “I’ve been wanting to do that for more than two thousand years. How do I look?”
Scotty and Julie looked out of the ports and saw a gleaming white ship with a huge SR on the rear fin. Julie said, “You clean up pretty well.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Anglo, I’m not royalty.”
“You married the King over a year ago. As I understand it that makes you a Queen.”
Julie looked at Scotty and he nodded, “He’s right, Julie.”
“Then why hasn’t anyone called me by that title?”
“They did just before the wedding and you really gave the one who said it the business.”
“That was Jingo and he was being sarcastic.”
“He was just checking if you would accept the honor.”
“No, he was being sarcastic.”
“How can you tell the difference?”
Julie gave a start and thought about it. “I guess you can’t.”
Anglo interrupted, “A ship is coming at high speed. I can only sense it because of stars disappearing as it approaches. It is another Searcher, and I believe it is a newer model.”
Scotty and Julie looked at the display and saw the stars disappear as an object accelerated toward them.
“Say hello to them, Anglo.”
“What the hey, why not? Hello to the ship approaching off my port bow. Is everything all right?”
The ship turned and flew away from their location and then began a slower deliberate approach. “You might as well come on in. I still see you.”
“Why have you attacked our citizens?”
“Because they were attacking ours.”
Silence ruled the room. “What do you mean your citizens? They were hunting flying beasts.”
Scotty said, “Who happen to be our citizens. Many of them live on our planet and are part of our community. They are intelligent and an honorable species.”
“It’s a gamma.”
“Anglo, do you want to escape?”
“Do you?”
“I can’t leave our brothers to the blasters of these
hunters.”
“Then I’m with you.”
A different voice came over the speaker, “Who are you, Searcher?”
“I am the Stars Realm Searcher Ship Anglo Gardner.”
“My pilot is contacting the King to see what we should do about you.”
Ashes of the Realm - Juliette's Dream Page 18