by Saxon Andrew
Drey blew out a breath and said, “Crap!”
Ian turned and said, “What?”
“Now we have to go to their defense.”
“No we don’t.”
Drey stared at Ian and said, “Ok.”
Violet stared at Ian and he said, “We have more than we can handle here.”
Dee came up with two chairs and handed one to Violet as she said, “You’re probably right. It’s much better to wait for them to show up here instead of taking them on in M87.” Drey and Ian stared at Dee, looked at each other, and then looked back at Dee. “I’m just saying.”
Ian shook his head, “What are you saying, Dee?”
It will take an extremely long time for M87 to be conquered. We know those probes have been there for hundreds of years and there is no galaxy in this cluster as big as M87. Here you have millions of warships that will never be used until the new enemy shows up and you can count on them coming. It just seems like a great waste of Ships, especially when we’re building them so fast. Are you going to stop construction?’
Ian looked at Drey, then Violet, then at Dee. He looked at Drey, “Do you ever win an argument with her!?!”
Drey tilted his head and said, “Ahhhhh….no.”
“Yes you do.”
“When?”
“Give me a minute; I’ll think of one.”
“While you’re doing that, have you focused on what we should do?”
“Not really. I sense I don’t have enough information.”
“Perhaps I can offer you some data that might get your eyes closed.”
Dee looked at Drey’s communicator and saw it was active, “What would that be, Moe?”
“I had the new probe surrounded by more than fifty scanners to track any line of transmission. I was able to track it to a galaxy some distance from here and I launched a scanner on that line. It arrived in time to see the same transmission being sent in nine different directions.”
Drey said, “What directions?”
“Toward other galaxies; it appears that whoever is beating up on that galaxy has other friends in those nine galaxies.”
Dee immediately sat down and closed her eyes. Ian looked at her and said, “I hate it when she does that.”
Violet smiled, “Why?”
“Because the unexpected always follows.”
Drey said, “Welcome to my world.”
Ian looked at Dee and said, “Have you seen anything?”
Dee said, “A species that is a great destroyer of worlds.” They knew Dee was still in her mind focusing.
Violet said, “Are they coming here?”
“Not immediately, but one of their groups will be here in your lifetime.”
Ian shook his head, “I told you that I hate it. Now I know and I have to act.”
Violet looked at Ian, “Would you prefer ignorance?”
“Yes! A little time of peace wouldn’t be so bad.”
Dee said, “Peace is overrated.”
The three turned to Dee and saw she still had her eyes closed. None of them knew what to think about her last statement.
• • •
The transmission arrived at the Father’s terminal and he began examining what had happened. He knew the Grandfathers had received it as well as the other Families and he wanted to see what they might plan from the data. He had persuaded them to wait until the invasion of the spiral galaxy happened before they chose the next harvesting. He began examining the data and saw that he was glad they listened. The destruction of the giant civilized planets was a terrible waste of nourishment. With that loss, it wasn’t really worth going to that spiral galaxy now. Intelligent civilizations were rare and the loss of those thousands of planets made the choice to go there difficult. He thought about it and pulled up the data on the ball galaxy. The invasion didn’t really weaken them like he hoped but there were so many heavily populated planets there. The fight would be difficult but the rewards were worth it. He began laying out his initial plans to take out the planets where the leaders of those civilizations were located. The invasion forces would need a defensive shield around them but that wouldn’t be too difficult to set up. He continued to work on his plan and waited for the Grandfathers to announce their decision.
• • •
Drey looked at Ian, “What are you going to do?”
“Why do you ask?”
“You know they’re coming. You need to decide what to do about it.”
Dee opened her eyes and said, “The new enemy is going to send an advanced force to destroy all the Capitals of the civilizations in M87!”
“When?”
“I don’t know but I sense it’s going to be soon.”
Drey looked at Ian, “You need to decide whether or not we’re going to assist M87.”
“I can’t make that decision. Those decisions are made by the King and the First Councilor.”
Drey scoffed, “Get real, Ian. You know that if you deem it necessary they will go with your suggestion. You are the real power in this galaxy.”
Ian stared at Drey and said, “I’m reluctant to fight in M87. You’ve seen what they’re like; I mean they invaded us…twice.”
“You have to decide if you want to take them on there or here. If we could tie them up in M87, the follow up might go there instead of here. You need to decide.”
“It doesn’t have to be done at this moment?”
“Yes it does.”
“Why?”
Because the Green and Grey Civilizations deserve to be warned of what’s coming.”
“They won’t believe us.”
Drey looked at Dee, “Have you focused on how many probes that new enemy has in M87?”
“No.”
“Will you do that for me?”
Dee closed her eyes and Drey waited for a few moments, “Moe are you still listening in?”
“Yes.”
“Get ready to record.”
“I’m always ready, Drey.”
Drey turned to Dee, “Do you see the coordinates of the probes Dee is thinking about?”
Dee stared talking with her eyes closed and they heard long strings of numbers. She stopped after twenty minutes and Drey said, “Moe, how many?”
“A hundred and eight.”
Ian said, “What are you doing?”
“Getting proof.” Drey activated his communicator and pressed a frequency. The Kilper Admiral appeared on his unit, “Admiral, do you have any of the giant ships still active that can disrupt space?”
“I have about two hundred still on active duty.”
“May I borrow a hundred and nine of them?”
“What do you need them to do?”
“I’m going to remove the probes the new enemy has in M87 as well as the one at the High Council’s Planet.”
“Where do you want me to send them?”
“Send them to Euclid. Get them here as quickly as possible. And don’t remove the probe at your planet until we notify you.”
“They’ll be there momentarily.”
Ian said, “I’m going with those ships.”
“Please do, but Dee and I need to take a trip.”
Dee opened her eyes and said, “I sense there are more than a hundred but I don’t know where they are.”
Drey grabbed her hand and pulled her up off her chair, “Yes you do; now come on, we have to make a trip.”
Drey pulled her toward the giant space port and Dee said, “Where are we going?”
“To talk with some friends.”
“What did you mean I do know?”
“I’ll tell you on the ship; now get moving.”
Ian watched them sprint up the hill and looked at Violet, “What do you think?”
“We have millions of ships that aren’t going to be used. It does seem like a huge waste and how are you going to get the Union to continue building them without a current threat? You make the call but you need to keep that in mind. If nothing else, assisting them
will keep our building efforts intact.”
Ian took a deep breath, “There’s been so much death.”
“There’ll be much more if we wait.”
Ian stared at her and then looked at his communicator as it beeped, “Your Highness, we have arrived at the Admiral’s request.”
“We are at the lake beside the Science Space Port. Please send a shuttle down to pick us up. We’re going with you.” Ian ended the call and said, “Moe, send each of those ships the coordinates of a probe.”
“Done.”
Ian watched the shuttle coming in from high atmosphere.
• • •
Drey looked at his scanner and shook his head. More than eight thousand Green and Grey Ships surrounded Doc and more were coming in every second. “I hope he comes.”
Dee said, “I hope he’ll listen.” Drey tilted his head and nodded. Suddenly a huge Green Ship appeared next to Doc with its force field deactivated.
“I understand you want to speak with me.”
“I do but I would also request the Gedna be present as well.”
“I am here.”
“What is it that brought you back?”
Drey nodded to Dee and she lifted her communicator, “I need to ask you a question first.”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you believe that we are honest and would not deceive you?”
There was a pause and the Sovereign said, “You have been honest in all of our dealings so far. Why do you ask that question?”
“There is the truth and the whole truth. You can be honest but withholding the whole truth is also a form of dishonesty.”
The Gedna said, “What is it that you’ve not told us?”
“Your galaxy is going to be invaded.”
The Gedna said, “I doubt that you have the forces necessary to invade our galaxy.”
“We aren’t the ones invading.” Silence slammed down on the frequency. Dee couldn’t even hear background noise. “I possess a talent that one might describe as psychic. I am able to see things that others don’t. I sensed a species that is currently invading another galaxy was coming here for their next conquest. They are going to attack all of the Capitals of your civilizations in a preemptive attack and then their major forces will arrive.”
“Why would they invade us?”
“For food; they consume the ones they conquer.”
The Sovereign said, “How can you expect us to believe this?”
Drey said, “We can prove it.”
“How?”
“That species has a hundred and eight probes in your galaxy. We can force them out of subspace into normal space where you can see them and attack them.”
The Sovereign thought a moment and said, “Gedna, do you believe them?”
Drey said, “We’re perfectly fine with just leaving and letting the future determine if we’re being honest. We’re doing this to help you.”
The Gedna said, “They have been honest with us in all their dealings. I am inclined to believe them.”
Drey said, “If you’re going to do this you need to do it quickly before those probes move to another location.”
The Gedna said, “I will bring another party into this conversation.” Dee and Drey waited and after ten minutes another being appeared on their display. It was shaped like a ball, white in color, and its body was smooth. Dee wondered how it breathed. The Gedna said, “I am going to send our conversation to you at high speed.”
“Is that one of the ships from the spiral galaxy?”
“It is.”
“Send it.” Three seconds later the round being said, “I am calling all the representatives into a conference. Give me a moment.”
Dee said, “Who is that?”
“He’s a negotiator. He handles all disputes and issues between our civilizations.”
“Oh.”
The Negotiator said, “All civilizations are on the channel. They have been given a copy of your conversation. Does anyone wish to respond?”
The Ruler of the Pental said, “What nonsense is this?” Hundreds of others started yelling about talking with their enemy.
The Negotiator muted every channel and sent a squeal tone. Everyone knew that they were cut off from the conversation. The Negotiator said, “It’s irrelevant whether or not you believe them. This is an issue that pertains to our safety. You may ask whatever questions you have after we determine if the probes exist. I have sent directives to the most powerful hundred and eight civilizations. You will immediately send one of your ships to my planet. The representatives from the Spiral Galaxy will send their ships to my planet as well. I’ve sent you the coordinates. Each of the ships will pair up and go to the sites of the probes and determine if what is being said is in fact true. The rest of us will remain on the channel until that determination is made.”
Dee said, “Moe, do you have the coordinates?”
“The Dreadnaughts are on the way.”
The ships arrived at the Negotiator’s planet and the Negotiator said, “You will pair up with a ship from the other galaxy and you will record what happens. After the mission is complete you will return here and send me your recordings.”
The ships from M87 were paired up with a Dreadnaught and Ian said over an open frequency, “We are going to disrupt subspace and the probe will be forced into normal space. Have your weapons active and fire on it as soon as it appears. All Union Ships will jump away once the operation is complete. We will be jumping in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and NOW!”
• • •
The Probe scanned the planet and saw that it was heavily defended. It began organizing the data for transmission and saw two ships jump in to the system. It ignored them; ships jumping in and around it were a very common occurrence. Suddenly a huge blast happened in subspace and it was pushed into normal space. It attempted to go into subspace but was blocked. It’s thrusters were small and it could not escape the faster warships. It energized its force field and was hit with ten beams. It managed to fire a beam but missed the target. Ten, small, high energy beams from the giant black ship hit it and it exploded.
Ian watched the probe shrug off the initial hits and shook his head. If a probe’s force field was this strong, what did that say about their ships? “Captain, take us back to Euclid.”
• • •
All hundred and eight probes were destroyed in less than fifteen minutes. The ships from M87 returned to the negotiator’s planet and began sending their recordings. The Negotiator sent them out to those attending the conference as quickly as they arrived.
The Negotiator said, “You have all received the recordings of the probes being destroyed. Does anyone wish to comment?”
The Pental Ruler sneered, “This is ridiculous. You probably placed those probes.” The channel erupted in thousands of voices agreeing with the Pental Representative. The Negotiator muted everyone on the frequency and squealed their panels.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The Negotiator said, “The Pental Representative’s remark is invalid and untrue. The structure of the probes’ hulls was different from any vessel we have seen in the spiral galaxy and the frequency of its beam was unlike any we have seen them use. The Probes were not from the Spiral Galaxy and it is a waste of time to make accusations that are not based on fact. The Pental Representative will be allowed to respond to this information.”
The Red being was shocked by the Negotiator’s findings and everyone could see his confusion. He thought a moment and said, “It doesn’t make sense that the other galaxy would come and warn us of possible invasion. We have invaded them twice. There is no reason to believe they would do anything to help us and I have to be suspicious of their motives.” The Ruler expected to be muted but wasn’t. Evidently his question was valid.
The Sovereign looked at the Gedna on his display and saw him nod. He pressed the button to speak and the Negotiator turned on his communicator, “I have been communicating with the Spiral Galaxy since before the fir
st invasion.” The Sovereign paused but the conference was stunned silent. “They came here requesting that we approach the Orange Leader to call off his invasion. They told him that they were not an aggressive civilization and only fought in self-defense. They offered to never come here except to assist us if we were ever invaded. The Orange Leader laughed at their offer and it appears he didn’t share that information with any of you. He learned his lesson in the invasion.”
Dee noticed her communicator was active and she said, “Actually, he didn’t.”
The Sovereign looked startled, “What do you mean? He and all his ships were evidently destroyed. We scanned his ships and saw they didn’t take the path of the other ships in the first invasion but none of his fleet has been seen since.”
“No they weren’t; he and his ships did not participate in the attack against us. He jumped his ships to the first galaxy you invaded and he’s there now solidifying his position.” It was good the conference was muted because all the faces on the channel were screaming at the disrespect being shown to a leader that had given his life for the galaxy’s safety. They did not believe the accusation.
The Negotiator squealed the frequency and said, “This can be verified easily enough. I’ve designated one of your ships to go and confirm whether this accusation is factual or not.”
The Pental Ruler said, “That still doesn’t answer why you would assist us when we just destroyed thousands of your planets.”
Dee smiled, “All of those planets were uninhabited. We moved the populations off them several years ago. We actually planned for you to destroy them.”
“Why did you allow us to destroy them?”
Dee took a deep breath and said, “Our initial plan was to use them to bait your fleets in and kill as many of your ships as possible but we discovered that one of those alien probes followed your first fleet into our galaxy. We knew that as a result of that we would also be considered as a possible target. By allowing your ships to destroy those fifty thousand planets, we felt that it would reduce the likely hood that the new enemy would come to our galaxy first.” Dee looked at the Sovereign and Gedna and said, “Now you know the whole truth.” She paused and said, “We acted in our own self-interest. The ships sent to your galaxy were just to force you to keep your fleets at your planets and possibly prevent a future invasion. None of them were going to attack your civilizations.”