by Saxon Andrew
Tommy said, “That’s a good idea, Sprig. Does it pose any problems to keep it here on standby?”
Tgon-Gee looked away from his screen and said, “No, this is my personal vessel. It is at your disposal.” Tgon-Gee boarded a shuttle that ferried him to the heavy shuttle. As he approached the heavy shuttle Tgon-Gee saw the dark aura surrounding it. It extended more than four hundred yards from the ship’s hull. Tgon-Gee took a deep breath and worried about the power of the two humans that possessed those auras. “We’ll see what it means, I hope,” he thought and entered the landing bay.
“Have you selected a good place to conduct the test, Twig?” Cassandra asked.
“Yes I have. It’s located in deep space far from the closest galaxy. I’ve also made sure there were no energy centers close to the coordinates. Hi, Tgon-Gee, welcome aboard.” Twig said.
“Thank you. Are you ready to jump?”
Cassandra said, “We were waiting on you. She keyed the com and said, “We will be jumping is two minutes. All hands, jump in two minutes.”
Tommy sat in the chair beside Cassandra marveling at how beautiful she looked. She had on a short sleeve t-shirt and her auburn hair was down. He wanted to reach over and take her hand. She thought to him, “Not yet. We have so much to look forward to and now I’m sure that we have to wait.” Tommy looked at her and nodded and continued to stare at her. She said, “What?”
“I remember how much I hated you and thought you were an ugly looking.”
“Don’t say it, though I know I deserve it.”
“That’s just it,” Tommy said, “I know that our contact has locked us to each other but I can see quite objectively that you are beautiful. Why did you hide it? You never dressed or wore anything but those severe looking military uniforms.”
Cassandra looked at Tommy and said, “I’ve never felt any thing for anyone. I’ve had no desire for any companionship. No one interested me.” Her eyes grew moist and she said softly, “When you touched me it felt like I came alive. I felt things I’ve never felt before. For the first time I’m comfortable in my own skin. I know deep inside me that I’ve been waiting for you my whole life.”
Tommy looked at her and it took all his effort to not reach for her. “It was the same for me, Cassie. I need you now more than you’ll ever know. I’ll wait forever if needed to be with you.”
Cassandra smiled and said over the ship’s com, “Jumping in 3,2,1, jump.”
They broke out into the pitch-black of empty space and saw one of the forts floating in space ahead of them. “Trust Mikado to be punctual,” Tommy said. “What do our sensors say, Cassie?”
“The screen is at full power and there are no biological readings on it.”
“Atlas, are you ready?”
“Open the port and I’ll take a shot at it.” The shuttle landing bay opened and the Silver ship moved out of the bay and moved toward the large asteroid. Atlas said over the ship’s intercom, “Sprig, are your sensors ready.”
“Yes they are, ready when you are.”
“I’m firing in 3,2,1, fire.” A bright blue beam stabbed out from the small silver ship and hit the screen around the asteroid. The beam penetrated the screen and hit the rock surface causing a giant explosion. Immediately after the beam turned off, the screen came back on line and surrounded the asteroid.
Tommy watched the beam penetrate the asteroids screen like it wasn’t there. He shook his head and said, “Atlas, hide yourself, please.” Atlas disappeared from the sensors. “Tgon-Gee, please call your ship to this location.” Tgon-Gee pushed his com and gave coordinates to his ship and waited twenty seconds until it appeared.
Tommy commed the Glod Megaship and said, “Captain Thid-Bea, please fire your weapons at the asteroid fort. I want you to do your best to penetrate the fort’s screen.”
Thid-bea asked, “You want me to use all the weapons in our inventory?”
Sprig broke in on the conversation and said, “If you don’t mind, use them one at a time and then all at once or in whatever combination you think might work.”
The Megaship fired its needles first using three stage and loaded needles. The screen showed no change. Next the ships primary beams struck the screen and the screen actually grew larger as it absorbed the energy. The short range high speed penetrator came next and the screen finally showed a bright flash as it hit. Finally the Megaship fired its focused primary beam and it made it forty feet into the screens depth. Thid-Bea announced that he was going to full weapons and that he would vary the mix of weapons based on what seemed to work.
The Megaship appeared to catch fire as it fired its weapons on the asteroid. The asteroid’s screen sparked and turned brilliant colors as the beams and missiles struck. The Megaship finally fired more than 600 of the high speed penetrators and continuous focused primaries and needles at one spot on the asteroids screen. Nothing got thru the screen. Finally the Megaship stopped firing and Thid-Bea commed, “It appears that we are unable to penetrate the screen. Is there anything else you want me to attempt?”
Tommy commed him back and said, “No, I appreciate your effort. You may return to your previous location.” The Megaship disappeared into its silver blue flash as it engaged its star drive. “Atlas, it appears we are substantially behind you in our weapon development. If you could penetrate that asteroid’s screen, you could kill any of our ships.”
“I could not hurt the Kosiev, Tommy. It was not affected by my beam. However, my weapons had absolutely no visible affect on the Captor ship that was pursuing me.”
“What about the Captor’s beam weapons; did they affect you?”
Atlas was quiet for a long time. “When the Captor ship began its pursuit, there were four of us together at one place. The Captor jumped in and we hit it with every weapon in our inventory. They had no effect on the Captor’s screen. Just as we started to jump away the Captor fired two beams at two of the ships there with us. It totally disintegrated them. We jumped away and the Captor came right behind us almost through the same jump point. We flew as fast as we could jumping every time the Captor came into normal space to avoid being hit by the captor’s beam. It didn’t matter how fast we jumped, the Captor stayed with us. We finally thought we lost him and we jumped into your system. My companion landed on a planet further out from the sun and I headed toward your planet. Before I arrived at your planet the Captor stopped at the planet my companion had landed on and hit the planet with a beam. The planet blew apart into small rubble. The Captor’s short stop to destroy the planet gave me the opportunity to cut a hole into a crater on your moon and turn off all my power. The asteroid strike happened just as the Captor arrived at your planet. I lived because of that delay.”
Cassandra said, “Atlas, why didn’t you and your companion split up and go in different directions?”
Atlas said in a voice they all understood, “My companion was my mate. I tried to get her to jump away but she refused. I headed toward the inner planets to try and draw the Captor away from her.” There was a long moment before Atlas said, “Even hiding in a planets thick atmosphere didn’t save her. I miss her still to this day.”
Tommy said, “Atlas, what planet are you talking about?”
“Tommy, your system once had a large planet between the two planets you call Mars and Jupiter. All that remains of that planet is asteroids orbiting your sun.”
Sprig said, “One beam totally destroyed a planet?”
“A very large planet, Sprig; my weapons are as far behind the Captors as yours are to mine.”
No one said anything. Finally, Tgon-Gee said, “I need you to do something for me if you are through with your weapon testing.”
The Adolescents, Cassandra and Tommy looked at him and Sprig said, “What?”
Tgon-Gee said, “Tommy, you know I can see auras.” Tommy nodded. “I can see your and Captain Dodd’s auras and they are larger than any aura I have ever seen.”
Cassandra said, “What do you mean larger?”
&nb
sp; “Instead of radiating only a few inches around your body like every other aura I’ve ever seen, yours extends more than four hundred yards from you.”
Tommy said, “What do you think that means, Tgon-Gee?”
“I’m not sure. However, if your psychic talents are as strong as your aura is large, you could be the most dangerous people in the universe.”
No one said anything; even the normally talkative Algeans were silent. Finally Tommy sighed and said, “What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to move this ship away from the fort. I know you possess some telekinetic powers. I want you to use it just like you were trying to move a small object only do it to the ship.”
Tommy furrowed his brow, then shrugged, “Ok, here we go.” Tommy focused his mind on the huge shuttle and thought, “Move that way.” Nothing happened.
“Try it again but try different ways to command it,” Twig suggested.
“Go,” nothing happened. “Move,” again, nothing happened. Tommy was starting to feel like this was a waste of time, then he thought, “Move that way now.” The ship flew away so fast from the asteroid that it disappeared from the screen in a blink and the shuttle was picking up speed. Twig said, “We just passed the speed of light, stop us Tommy!”
Tommy was stunned but he gathered his thoughts and commanded, “Slow down and stop now.” The ship slowed and stopped. Tgon-Gee said, “Where are we not in relation to the asteroid?”
Twig looked at the jump reader and said, “We are two light minutes away.
Sprig looked at Twig and asked, “Did we leave normal space?”
Twig said, “No, we did not. I can’t understand how we were not destroyed by breaking every universal law. We did not have any kind of protection; our screen was not on. We should have burned up at the speed we just traveled.”
Tgon-Gee said, “The ship was totally surrounded by his aura. It is what protected us and allowed your ship to ignore the physical laws you just broke. Tommy, do you think you can take us back to where we were?”
Tommy thought about the feeling he had as he thought the command that moved them. He focused hard and pictured looking down on the asteroid. He thought, “Go there, now.”
The shuttle was back at the spot in less than a second. The asteroid fort was shining behind its screen below them.
Tgon-Gee looked at Cassandra and said, “Captain Dodd, your aura is actually larger than Tommy’s.”
Cassandra said, “Don’t ask me to move the ship. I’ve never used any powers in my life.”
“I’m not,” Tgon-Gee said. “I want to confirm something that I suspect. Captain I want you to look at the asteroid below and get angry at it. I want you to get through that screen. I know you don’t know how; just focus on it and think of it as something that is a danger to you.”
Cassandra was confused but she tried to do as Tgon-Gee asked. She looked at the asteroid and thought, “Break through.” Then she tried, “Fail.” She tried more than twenty different combinations of mental commands and nothing worked.
Then Tgon-Gee said something that startled her, “That asteroid wants to kill Tommy Gardner.”
Cassandra eyes narrowed and she thought, “Like hell it will.”
The screen around the asteroid compressed against the asteroid’s surface and then the entire sixty mile wide rock exploded into tiny fragments. Everyone on the ship, including Cassandra, was shocked by what happened.
The bridge was deathly silent. Finally Tgon-Gee said, “I was afraid of that,”
Everyone looked at him and he continued, “I seemed to recognize your aura as warrior. It is very much like your father, Tommy, but much stronger. Her powers come into play when she is stressed. Perhaps in time she will learn to control it but I would suggest that you avoid getting stressed, Captain Dodd. Your powers will protect you without your even having to think about it.”
The Algeans looked at each other and thought, “We have a lot to discuss.”
Cassandra looked at Tommy and thought, “We have a lot to discuss.”
Tgon-Gee thought about Rose sending him to see what was going on and he thought, “We have a lot to discuss.”
But for the moment, silence ruled. Then Tommy said, “Atlas, Rose looked at the Captors planet years ago and there was no response; I’m going to take a look at their planet. I’ll share it with each of you as I see it.”
Atlas said, “Let’s see what’s there now. I know you just flew faster than the ship that was chasing me. Just be ready to run.”
Tommy closed his eyes and felt the others watching through his mind. He found the Captors galaxy and started moving in on the planet where Atlas’ brothers were held captive.
The planet was glowing bright red and as Tommy’s view came closer everyone heard Atlas say, “Oh no, by the creator, no.”
Cassandra said, “What has you upset, Atlas.”
“Tommy, can you take the picture of that planet when the original member of my race entered their system and put it next to what you’re seeing.”
Tommy took the image from Atlas’ mind and put it next to what they were seeing. The planet was now completely covered in a construct that enclosed the gas giant. They could see thousands of the giant red ships swarming around the planetary system. Most of the planet had millions of the ships sitting on the construct. The view from millions of years earlier showed the construct only covered the belt around the equator of the planet.
Sprig said, “If they are like bees then the nest is full.”
Twig said, “If that is the case then they are ready to swarm.”
Atlas said, “Tommy, I know why you feel there is danger to your planet.”
Tommy jerked his mind back to the shuttle and thought, “What do you mean?”
Atlas said, “It’s my fault. I led them to your system. Tommy, they want Jupiter.”
Then Tommy saw it. Jupiter was a gas giant just like the planet of the Captors. The Captors were coming to make Jupiter a new home. Once he saw it, his psychic sense verified what he was thinking.
“Tommy, they will destroy every living thing in your system to insure their planet is secure. If any other planet comes to help defend Earth then their world will also be obliterated.”
Tommy thought, “Rose, I need you to listen to this.”
Rose answered, “Uh oh. I can sense trouble in your thoughts.
Tommy said, “You have no idea.”
The conference room at the Learning facility was full; Rose, Tgon-Gee, Terl, Misty Nicole, Tommy, Cassandra, the two Algean Adolescents, Admirals Mikado, Ron-Dar, O’Donald, Sten, and the two elected leaders of the Stars Realms First Family. Tommy had updated everyone on the Captors and introduced Atlas to the group which was a big shock for the ones that did not know of his existence. Atlas then told what had happened to his race millions of years ago and finished with how he escaped capture. As Atlas finished, the room was deathly quiet.
Rose stood and said, “It is the belief of my family and me that the Captors will be coming to take possession of Jupiter. They will, as a matter of their normal doctrine, destroy any possible threat to their new possession which includes any intelligent life in our solar system. Atlas has shown you the video of the ships used by the Captors. They are gigantic and their screens can stop any weapon we currently have and their weapons penetrate every screen we have developed. These creatures are hundreds of millions of years ahead of us technologically. They totally eradicated or captured Atlas’ race and Atlas is more advanced than any ship in our arsenal.”
Admiral Mikado asked, “Can we do nothing to protect us? How long do we think we have before they come?”
Sprig said, “I have looked at all the information I have absorbed about bees and here is what I know. Once a colony becomes crowded the hive instinctively swarms with the old queen leaving the hive to find a new nesting location leaving the new queen behind. This is the first swarm. After that swarm as many as five other swarms will leave the original hive within a shor
t time. As long lived as these creatures are, it could be millions of years before the follow up swarms. One way to prevent a swarm is to cut off one of the queen’s wings which will prevent her from flying away or kill any new queens while they are still in the birthing cell. Another possible way is to destroy a large number of the warriors which will reduce the urge to swarm because of population pressures.”
Rose looked at the group and said, “We do not possess the technology to do any of those actions. However, we are not going to wait until they show up.” The room started murmuring among themselves. “The first action I propose is to transfer as much of our population as possible to another planet.”
Misty Nicole stood up and said, “We won’t go. I will not run like a coward.”
Rose looked at the Director of Earth and said, “We will not force you to go. However, the people of Earth will be allowed to decide what they want to do. We have found another planet on the spiral arm of our galaxy that is almost a twin of our home world and does not have intelligent life or a gas giant in the system.” She then looked at Misty Nicole and said, “If one of their ships comes into our system, just one of their beams would totally destroy the planet and our asteroid forts would have no effect on it. If we launched one ship to defend the planet, they would imprint the energy signature of that ship and destroy every ship and world in the universe with a similar signature. Director, to stand up against these creatures would be like you attacking an armored naval marine bare handed. You would stand no chance and the fact that you did not represent a threat would not stop these creatures from killing you. They will not tolerate the presence of any other life form near them.”
Misty sat down and the room was silent. Rose continued, “We must insure the survival of our race. We will begin transporting our population as soon as possible and I am going to call on the rest of the Stars Realm to help us build the structures necessary for our people to survive on the new planet. I hope we can get them there quickly. In the event of the Captors arriving here at our system, we will not use any of our fleet to attack them.”