by Saxon Andrew
“They haven’t reappeared.”
“I believe they haven’t because I’ve ordered all our ships to our main planets. I suspect if I weaken the numbers, they will attack.”
The First leaned forward with a gleam in his eyes and said, “How certain are you about that?”
“It’s what I’d do.”
The First glanced at the Second and then asked, “What if we take all the ships from one of our planets and start the search?”
“Then that planet would be wide open to attack.”
“What if it was a planet that is…problematic?”
The Second stared at the First and wondered if he was just that cold blooded. “Are you suggesting Aeredom?” The First just glared at the Second. The Second took a deep breath and said, “If we do as the First suggests and the planet is not attacked, we could start our major search efforts now.”
The Admiral looked at the two and saw just how evil they really were. Aeredom had more than eighty billion inhabitants and they didn’t think twice about putting it in harm’s way. He saw them staring at him and he knew he had no choice, “I’ll issue the orders.”
The First leaned back and said to the Second, “Dismiss the Council and send everyone home.”
The Second nodded and the Admiral knew that one of the First’s main competitors was now a target.
• • •
G said, “I have an encrypted message coming in to the Hub Computer.”
“Can you translate it?”
The speaker on the bridge came on, “They want to do what!?”
“I’ve been ordered to take all of the ships at Aeredom and start the search for the White Ship’s home worlds.”
“That leaves them wide open to attack.”
“The First is of the belief that they won’t be attacked and we can start our major search now.”
“This is outrageous.”
“Think it through and you’ll know why.”
“Are they that unfeeling?”
“Be careful what you say.”
“This is encrypted. No one will break this.”
“I’ve sent you a copy of the orders. Send a ship to Aeredom and give them the coordinates to start their search. Sub Admiral Hreg will lead them.”
The Hub Computer said, “This is outrageous; the First better hope this information doesn’t get out if something happens.”
“If we want to continue our existence, it won’t come from us.”
There was a moment of silence and the Hub Computer said, “I’ll dispatch the ship.”
• • •
Abbey said, “G, follow that ship.”
“I’m on it.”
Gary looked at Abbey, “What are you going to do?”
“If we don’t attack that planet as soon as those ships leave, then they’ll release all their ships to search for the Union. We must attack the moment those ships leave to buy the Union time.”
“We need more ships.”
“We won’t have enough time to go back and get them. We don’t know what planet that ship is jumping to and we’re forced to follow it. We will have to do this alone. G, I want you to scan the planet when we arrive and locate every nuclear reactor on the planet’s surface. We will take out the orbital satellites and hit them.”
G said, “Are you sure about this?”
“What do you think they’ll do if they find a Union Planet?”
Gary said, “A ship is backing out of the Hub.”
“Don’t lose it, G.”
• • •
The Slaver Ship arrived at a planet that was just like all the other main planets. All of its land masses were covered by a giant city. There were thousands of commercial freighters delivering food and other products for the planet’s consumption and there were twenty thousand warships in orbit. G said, “The Fleet Commander is not happy with his orders.”
Gary said, “He’s not?”
“No but he’s going to follow them. He knows he’s dead if he doesn’t.”
“How long will it take them to leave?”
“About ten hours to form up. They’re being sent to the other side of the black hole to start their search.”
Gary shook his head and Abbey said, “G, start scanning the planet. Get a fix on the nuclear facilities.”
Gary looked at Abbey and she saw his expression, “Gary, you know how this war is going to have to be fought. They will not negotiate.”
Gary sighed, “You don’t have to hit them all, G. Just hit those on the continent below us and the radioactivity will kill everything else on the planet.”
Abbey shook her head, “We need to hit both sides of the planet.”
“Why?”
“So they won’t know how many ships were used to do it. We need to make them think we have more ships than we currently have in our inventory. We must scare them into calling off the search.”
Gary stared at her and then reluctantly nodded.
Abbey slowly shook her head, “They are going to wonder if we intercepted that communication at the Hub or if we’re watching all of their planets. I want them to think we’re watching all of their planets. That’s why we have to do this in multiple locations.”
“I didn’t think it through, Abbey. I’m glad you’re here. I would have missed it.”
“G, hit this continent and immediately jump to the other side of the planet. You need to scan the other side while they’re forming up.”
“Jumping now; I have this continent locked in.”
• • •
The Third Councilor arrived at his home world and saw all of the warships defending it had just jumped away. As his ship landed at the main spaceport he sent a communication to the First, “Where have all my warships been sent?”
“Admiral Hreg has volunteered to start the search for the White Ships. The ships here will be joining him momentarily. We can’t just sit and wait for them to attack us.”
The Third knew that to challenge the First when he was sending his own ships was a losing battle. He exited his ship and immediately sent a message to the Sixth Councilor to see if he would send some of the ships guarding his planet to defend his world. He never received an answer.
“G, are you ready?”
“I’ve got eight hundred reactors targeted on each side of the planet; however, I’m only going to hit a hundred on each side.”
“Why?”
“The shock waves produced by those hundred will expand and blow the containment facilities from more than ten thousand others. The radiation blasts from those broken containment vessels will exceed what the first blasts create. I can also hit those hundred in about twenty seconds and go to the other side to make it look like there was more than just our ship attacking.”
Abby looked at Gary, “What about the orbital defenses?”
“We’ve locked on FTL missiles and they’ll hit just as G comes into normal space and fires on the surface.”
“Gary, my systems are activated and are routed to your board.”
Abbey looked at Gary and he reached forward, lifted a glass cover, and pressed the red button on his console. G jumped in close to the planet launched FTL missiles at the orbital defenses, and fired beams at the planet. Hundreds of nuclear explosions erupted on the surface sending a massive shock wave out that marched across the land mass as the White Ship jumped to the other side of the planet and a hundred more reactors were hit by brilliant beams coming from orbit. They watched as the shock waves rushed across the surface of the two continents, obliterating the giant cities. Bright red hot spots appeared glowing through the clouds where nuclear reactors were blown flat and their containment vessels ruptured causing them to burn into the planet’s surface. The nuclear fires sent tons of radioactive material soaring into the atmosphere joining the mushroom clouds which rose to sixty thousand feet and began releasing the highly radioactive particles back into the planet’s atmosphere. The particles were then spread around the planet by the high winds
in the upper stratosphere.
Gary watched the conflagration from orbit and saw that billions had been killed on the surface. There were billions more that survived the shock waves but they would only have ten days before they died of radiation poisoning. “The warships are coming back.”
Gary sighed, “Get us back to the Hub, G.”
The warships arrived and the Admiral was furious. His anger lasted five minutes as the second in command shot him with a blaster at the Second Councilor’s orders. The thousands of commercial vessels and warships in orbit saw they could do nothing to save the survivors. To enter the planet’s atmosphere was certain death. If they opened their ports to remove survivors, radioactive particles would enter the ships. They watched as the planet died. Many went to the two orbital platforms to see if anyone survived the massive missile strikes.
• • •
The First began receiving communications from the rest of the High Council and the Second told them that the Third had suggested they use his ships to start the search. The First had started getting his ships ready to join them when the planet was hit and he called off sending them.
The only one that knew the truth was the Sixth Councilor when he saw the communication from the Third asking for assistance. He remained silent and knew that his planet would be the next one set up for destruction if he said anything. He decided that this was something that would have to be discussed by the members of the High Council that were not supporters of the First. The First was going to pay for this.
• • •
G arrived back at the Hub in time to intercept the conversation between the Admiral and the Hub Computer.
“It looks like you are now in the First’s pocket.”
“Here’s a news flash in case you’ve missed it, we all are.”
The Computer paused and then said, “How do you account for the planet being hit so quickly?”
“What do you mean?”
“Aeredom was hit as soon as the fleet left orbit and jumped away. There is only two ways it could have happened so quickly.” The Admiral was silent. The Hub Computer said, “They either have ships watching all our planets waiting for an opportunity to attack or they can hear our communications.”
“I thought you said our conversations couldn’t be heard.”
“I’ve used a revolving encryption and I know we would not be able to break it.”
“Do you think the White Ships can do it?”
“If they can, we are in deep trouble. That would indicate they are ahead of us technologically; and if you’re hearing this, you just killed more than eighty billion beings along with billions of slaves. Think about that.”
“So you do think they can hear our communications?”
“I just don’t know. I’m not willing to randomly remove ships from another planet to see. The price of being wrong would be too high. I would suggest that any future plans should be discussed in person to avoid the second possibility.”
“I will move my office to your facility.”
“I think that would be wise. I’ll open a dock for your ship.”
• • •
The atmosphere on G was somber. Gary shook his head and Abbey said, “It had to be done. The ships that were sent to search for the Union were recalled. We had to buy us more time.”
“I know. I used to look up at the stars and only see beauty. Now I only see danger.”
Abbey went and hugged Gary, “We need to bring their beauty back.”
Gary pulled her close, “I don’t know if that’s possible.”
Chapter Two
The sky was cloudy and cold rain swept across the cemetery in random waves. The wind blew through the bare trees and whistled as it moved through their branches. The rain would be turning to snow soon and sleet by nightfall. The chill was wet and penetrating. York’s winters were always brutal.
The tall man stood in a black raincoat and stared at the grave marker. Everyone else had left an hour earlier but he had remained staring at the ground, thinking about all that had happened. He already missed her more than he anticipated.
“Are you ready now?”
The tall man didn’t turn or give any indication he had heard the voice.
“I’ve waited until this moment to ask.”
The Tall man continued to stare at the grave and said, “You were wise to do so.” The tall man was silent for a minute and then said, “How did you know?”
“You told me.”
The tall man scowled, “That figures. Andi changed him.”
“I thought you would also…”
The tall man interrupted, “He never connected after he met her.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“She weakened him and he knew it.”
“He became one of my closest friends.”
“That was him.”
“And not you?”
The tall man turned around and looked Ian in the eyes, “Not me. My last direct memory of you was at the restaurant where you told me my past. He connected with me while he prepared the Nebula for the election, but that was the last time.”
Ian stared at him, “Are you going to help us?”
“If the Nebula is going to survive, I’ll have to get in the fight. I do have his love for them.” The tall man turned around and looked at the marker again and said, “He inserted his mind in me when he came and met Mother at the hospital after he killed the Dictator. He knew this body’s mind would never be organized to hold a personality. He put himself here so Mother would not have to be alone. He gave me that as a gift to her. His death in Andromeda is what finally killed her. She just couldn’t bear another loss. She gave up and there was nothing I could do to save her. I couldn’t tell her that he was still alive in me. Then she would know her second son had died and the result would have been the same. I spared her that misery.”
“Drey, we need you.”
The tall man turned and stared at Ian, “Be careful what you ask for; I’m not the one you knew. The last time he connected with me mentally was just before the Nebula’s elections. You should remember what he was like then. He wasn’t softened by love. I’ve seen the records you sent me. It was that weakness that made him go with you to Andromeda instead of getting his ship updated. He felt responsible. I could have cared less. I would have come back to improve my chances of survival. You need to understand that I have not been weakened nor will I allow myself to make his mistake. Are you sure you still want me?”
Ian stared at the man that looked similar to Drey, possessed Drey’s mind, but was so different. He said, “I’ve seen the brutality of what is out there in the universe. I suspect we need more of that than less in making our decisions. I knew from the beginning that you would be a good balance for me. I still believe that.”
The tall man looked back at the Marker and said, “There is nothing holding me here now.” He turned to Ian, “I talked with him and know what’s happened since he left. I don’t know the details of how he died but you can fill me in on that. I know he had a high level of respect and trust in you. I suspect that happened for a reason and that does mean something to me. I’ll do what I can to defend the Union.”
Ian stuck out his hand and the tall man shook it, “What do you want me to call you?”
“Doc.”
“That was the name of his ship.”
“And my ship will be named Drey.”
Ian smiled, “Somehow that just feels right.” Ian looked at his watch and said, “We’re about to jump out to the Slaver’s planets and contact a ship we have there. Do you want to make the trip with us?”
“Lead the way.”
“A second ship is going with us to relieve the one there. I’d like you to fly with them and tell me what you think about the crew.”
“What about the crew?”
“They’re not high genetics. They’re citizens of Santa Rosa that have passed the tests to pilot our warships. I need to know if they’re going to be able
to perform adequately. We’re going to have to use citizens from the Union’s planets to fly our warships. There just aren’t enough high genetics to pilot the numbers needed.”
“When do I get my ship?”
“Cole will have it ready when we return.”
“Good enough.”
• • •
Doc walked in the landing bay of the new warship and looked around. He heard a noise and walked up the ramp to the corridor leading out of the bay toward the bridge. As he got closer he heard loud music playing and saw two people punching their consoles while they danced. Doc looked at the two and saw they were the same size and coloration. They were about five feet ten inches and built athletically. They were trim and Doc could tell from their dancing that they were coordinated and quick. Their black hair was identical in color and their blue eyes were bright. The male pirouetted, saw him, quickly punched a button and the music stopped. The other said, “Hey! What are you doing?”
Doc said, “Making it possible to hear.”
The young woman spun around and saw Doc standing there staring at them. She glanced over at the male and he just tilted his head slightly. She said, “Are you the one making the trip with us?”
“I am.”
“I understand that you are the hero’s brother.”
“Oh?”
“You know; the one that crashed his ship into the Andromeda Warship.”
Doc stared at the two and said, “You can call me Sir.”
The young woman said, “Do you command this ship?”
“No, I’m a passenger.”
“Then until you do, I’ll call you Doc. That’s the name given to us for you.”
Doc stared at her and saw the male roll his eyes. He raised his communicator, “Ian.”
“Yes, Doc.”
“Am I in command of this ship?”
“Do you want to be?”
“I do.”
“Then yes you are.”
Doc turned back to the two and the woman said, “Where would you like to sit, Sir?”
Doc stared at the woman and saw she was not intimidated by him. The male was. Doc went to the third chair on the bridge and said, “I’m here to determine if you two are suitable to fly a Union Warship. Who are you?”