by Saxon Andrew
“Will do.” Gregor turned and went back to the sleeping quarters. Toren went back to Gregor’s chair and sat down. They stared out of the viewport in silence and wondered what was coming.
“Toren?”
“Yes, Elena.”
“I thought your species were pacifists.”
Toren was silent, for a long moment, and then sighed, “We are.”
“But you said earlier we should kill all of the Greng?”
“Being around you and the others has changed me.”
“Is that good?”
“I really don’t know.”
“I know that you have a good heart.”
Toren turned to her, “How do you know that?”
“You’re so far advanced than any one on this ship, but you don’t show it. You always try to not make others feel small. You sent Gen-L back even when she wasn’t worthy of it. You contribute and don’t ask for recognition for your suggestions. I can’t believe the change in you could possibly be a bad thing.”
“Thank you, Elena; that means a lot coming from you.”
Elena nodded and continued to look out of the viewport at the distant stars.
• • •
“Gregor, I’m not clear on why you don’t believe the Greng killed the Filament Makers.”
“Leo, do you think a pirate warship could destroy one of our armored shuttles?”
“Don’t be ridiculous; the shuttle is coated in Bellingham metal and the pirate couldn’t put a dent in it.”
“Could an Insectoid Warship take it out?’
“Maybe…that new missile could be problematic.”
“The difference between those two situations is the level of technology difference between the pirates and Insectoids,” Gregor stated. “The technology between the Filament Makers and the Greng had to be tremendous. The Filament Makers are an ancient civilization that has probably forgotten more technology than the Greng know. It’s also clear the Greng are using Filament Maker technology they collected after the ten-Filament-Maker ships were destroyed. They didn’t have a high enough level of technology to have destroyed those ships.”
Leo stared at Gregor from the monitor and smiled, “We could have taken out those ships and our civilization is nowhere near as old as they are.”
“I’m really not so sure about that, Leo. The Filament Makers’ reactors powering their ships were the first thing removed when they were attacked. I suspect whoever attacked them made a sneak attack and ran from the scene, leaving those derelicts behind.”
Embree chuckled, “And if any Filament Makers survived the attacks and were on the derelicts, the Greng came in afterwards and picked them up. So, Mackle was partially right about interrogating them and then killing them…but the Greng did not destroy their ships.”
“It’s also not hard to believe that if the Filament Makers did not detect the ships that attacked them, their defenses were not active making it easier to defeat them.”
“Why do you say that, Solo?”
“Sam, if the Filament Makers were completing the construction of filaments in this galaxy, they probably didn’t have their weapons active; they were working. Just like us, they depended on their scanners to detect trouble before it arrived, and that force field the probes are using is invisible except for a minute wave in subspace.”
Gregor leaned back in his chair and looked up, “Computer.”
“Yes, Gregor.”
“Were you able to get a frequency reading on the field around that probe.”
“No, I didn’t; it was wavering and inconsistent and my passive scanner couldn’t get a lock on it.”
“I got it,” Toren interjected. Everyone turned and looked at him. “It’s in an extremely small band it occupies.”
“Toren, share that frequency with the computer.”
“I’ve got it, Gregor.”
“See if you can tune the force field stardrive to that frequency. Sam, I want you and Leonidas to drop out of the filament and see if your scanners can detect my ship in normal space.”
The three-ships shut down their stardrives and appeared instantly in normal space. “Gregor, I’m having a lot of difficulty tuning that frequency in. I get close to it and slip past it and then miss it coming back.”
“Let me assist you, Computer.” Toren changed from the human form he’d been using into pure energy. “Now move slowly toward it and I’ll stop the frequency when it matches.”
“Sam, are you able to scan my ship?”
“As long as you have the force field on, I can.”
Gregor watched the field around the Dragon Fly start changing color from light-blue and fade out. “THERE! THAT’S IT!” Toren shouted.
“Computer, lock that frequency down and don’t lose it.! Sam, can you detect the Dragon Fly?”
“Gregor, your ship just disappeared off my scanner.”
“I’ve lost you as well,” Leo announced.
“I’m sorry, Gregor. The frequency tuner in the force field stardrive isn’t attenuated where it can make minute adjustments.”
“You don’t need to apologize, computer; you can only use the tools you’re provided. Thank you, Toren for helping us with this.”
“Glad to do it.” Toren returned to his human form.
“Why did you want to do this, Gregor?”
“Elena, we can now travel outside the filaments and use this new frequency to avoid being seen. This is a major advance in our stealth technology.” Gregor turned to Toren, “I want you to go to Sam and Leo’s ships and lock that frequency into their force field controls.”
“We won’t have use of the standard force field if we do that, Gregor.”
“Sam, we’re going to have to depend on the Bellingham metal to protect us. Would you rather have the force field in subspace outside the filaments and be detected or be invisible?”
“Put like that, I’d take invisibility; but do you think the civilization that left those probes can detect their own fields?”
“Can you detect my ship in full stealth mode?”
Sam smiled, “Good point; no, I can’t.”
“What made you think of this, Gregor?”
“Before I go to check up on Toren’s civilization, I want to get the issue of Mackle’s warriors still being on Bellingham. I’m absolutely sure once he’s in his home territory, he will call in a warship to pick him up. “I’d like to follow that warship to see where it’s headed but the only way I could do it is to stay inside a filament to be undetected. Our previous force field stardrive would be detected.”
“And since they Greng do not go into the filaments, you had no way to follow them,” Solo added.
Gregor smiled, “Exactly right. This new invisible force field will allow me to follow them.”
“Uhhh…exactly why do you want to follow them?”
“Leo, there’s still the issue of taking a shot at one of their ships and determining their strength.” Gregor turned to Toren, “Do you know where a planet is located that I can send Mackle?”
“Yes, we’re about four-hours away from it.”
“Show the computer the coordinates and, after the other ships have the new frequency locked into their force field drives, we’ll head that way.”
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Toren replied and disappeared from the Dragon Fly’s bridge.
• • •
Five-hours later, Gregor looked at the monitor, “All right, we’re going to the planet and put the receiving box in the center of that clearing. Leo, you and Sam remain in orbit and move away from above where Mackle’s warriors will be appearing.”
“Why is that?”
“The Greng warship that comes roaring in won’t be able to see your ships and I don’t want a collision.”
“How do we keep track of where each of us are located?”
“Ummm…that’s a good question, Leo. Computer, do you have any ideas?”
“Not really.”
“Come on, computer,
look at this as a challenge.”
“Gregor, this is…wait a minute. Our scanners can see the waves the new force field drive produces. Sam, you stay to the left of our ship, and Leonidas, you stay to the right.”
“Now was that so hard?”
“Gregor, you better hope we don’t have combat doing this. There’s no way those waves could be scanned in a space battle.”
“We’ll work on that later, Computer.”
• • •
Leonidas watched the Dragon Fly drop out of orbit and move toward the planet’s surface. The stealth systems were shut down and it was easily followed to the surface. Leo watched it on the monitor and asked, “What do you think about all this, Sam?”
“He should have killed them on Bellingham.”
“That’s not Gregor’s style, and you know it.”
“Perhaps. I bet if they endangered Kaylee and Deuce during their masquerade, this wouldn’t be an issue.”
“But they didn’t. And they answered his questions honestly. I prefer a Gregor that I know will keep his word.”
“I agree, Leo.” Sam sighed.
“What’s wrong, Sam.”
“I thought the time of fighting wars ended with the Tronan. This is getting old.”
“Sam, I’ve been so bored I thought about starting a fight.”
Sam chuckled, “Always the warrior.”
“I guess. But this is really exciting, as far as I’m concerned.”
Sam nodded, “It does keep your attention.”
“They’ve put the box out of the port,” Jek interjected.
They moved the view on the optical scanners in closer to the planet’s surface and watched.”
• • •
Gregor pressed the orange button on the receiving box and jumped through the port, “Computer, take us up where we can watch the proceedings.” The ship rose into the atmosphere, and Gregor went to his chair. He pressed his communicator’s button and smiled as Kaylee appeared, “Hi, Honey. Are they ready?”
“They’re pretty nervous but they’re lined up.”
“Make sure Mackle goes last.”
“Why do you want that, Gregor?”
“Because I’m certain that once he arrives in his home space he will send out a call to be picked up. I don’t want a Greng warship arriving in the middle of the transfer.”
Kaylee chuckled, “You make a good point. Do you still want them issued their blasters?”
“I do.”
“Ok, they’ll start arriving as soon as I give them their final instructions.”
“Ready when you are.”
• • •
Kaylee went out to the assembled Greng and found Mackle, “All right, here’s how we’re going to do this. Your warriors will enter the box one at a time and they will pick up a blaster from the stack outside the box and put it on their belt. Any move away from that belt will lead to one less of your warriors going home; clear?”
Mackle nodded. “Do you still want me going last?”
“I do. And keep that medallion off your chest until you enter the box.”
“Will we be entering in groups, like last time?”
“No, the line will start moving forward and just walk into the box and keep walking.”
Kaylee looked at the first Greng warrior, “Move forward, pick up a blaster, put it on your belt and walk into the box.”
The warrior looked at the ten-archers with arrows notched and glanced at the thousands of others surrounding them and nodded. He moved forward, picked up a blaster, put it on his belt as he walked into the box and disappeared. Kaylee smiled, “Alright, get the line moving.”
“How do I know you’re not having us walk into the center of a star?” Mackle asked.
“Get real, Mackle. If we wanted to kill you, you’d be long dead. Gregor made a promise he would send you back safely to your territory and he keeps his promises.”
“I hope you’re right, Kaylee.”
“We’re not like you, Mackle, and I thank creation for that every day. Keep your line moving.”
Three-Greng warriors stepped out of line and turned to Kaylee, “May we make a humble request?”
Kaylee raised her hand stopping the archers from firing. “What is that?”
“Will you allow us to remain here as slaves. We will do whatever hard work needs to be done and promise to not endanger any one.”
Mackle’s eyes narrowed, “YOU WILL GO THROUGH THE BOX!!”
The warrior that spoke looked at Mackle and replied, “We are tired of the needless killing. Our people are evil, and we have seen another way to live here; we want to live like them.”
Mackle was past anger and Kaylee said, “Step out of line and move over next to the log.”
“You can’t allow them to stay!”
“OH? I CAN DO WHATEVER I CHOOSE!” Kaylee looked at the next warrior, “Start the line moving…NOW!” The long line of Greng warriors started moving again.
Mackle was steaming but he forced himself to be silent. There was nothing he could do.
• • •
Gregor watched the line of Greng warriors exiting the box and noticed a break in it, “KAYLEE, WHAT’S GOING ON?”
“Three-Greng-Warriors have asked to remain on Bellingham and I’ve granted their request.”
“WHY?”
“Angel says they are being honest about their motivations to stay. I guess I did it to tick off Mackle.”
Gregor laughed, “That’s my girl.”
The line of warriors appeared again, and Gregor sat back. This could take a while. Fourteen-hundred-warriors walking single-file takes time.
• • •
Finally, Mackle entered the box, picked up a blaster, and disappeared. Kaylee lifted her communicator, “Mackle just went through, Gregor. I’m pressing the self-destruct button.”
• • •
Gregor watched the wall monitor and saw Mackle exit the receiving box. Immediately, the rear of the box turned brilliant red and it began burning in a hot blue flame. The Greng sprinted away from the box to escape the heat and kept running until it was at a level they could stand. Mackle looked back at the box and nothing remained; not even residue was left on the sand where it was. He was not going to be able to use the medallion to scan it and he knew an opportunity was missed.
• • •
“Gregor, Mackle has made contact with his leaders and a ship is coming to pick him up.”
“Computer, use the filament communicator and tell Sam and Leo to stay with my ship.”
“Are you suspecting something?”
“I’m nervous and I don’t want our ships separated.”
“Sending the message.”
• • •
It took three-hours for the giant Greng warship to arrive but only fifteen-minutes for the fourteen-hundred warriors and Mackle to board it. The ship’s entry port was huge, and it lifted the moment the last warrior boarded. It moved into orbit and activated its stardrive. Stay with it, Elena.”
The giant ship flew for thirty-minutes, when it suddenly stopped in subspace and turned off its stardrive. It immediately left subspace and entered normal space. Elena shutdown the stardrive and activated full stealth systems before entering normal space eight-miles behind the Greng warship.
“What are they doing?” Gregor asked softly.
“They’ve opened one of their landing bay doors and are ejecting something out of it,” the computer answered.
“Can you get a closer view?” The view on the wall monitor moved in quickly and Elena gasped. Hundreds of Greng bodies were seen floating outside the giant warship. Gregor lowered his head. “It appears Mackle’s leaders don’t approve of his actions,” Solo commented.
“Computer, is Mackle one of those outside the ship?”
“Yes, Gregor; he was the first one out.”
“Tell Sam and Leo to remain here.”
“You’re not going to follow them?”
“No, Solo. I
’ve seen what I wanted.”
“You expected them to be killed?”
Gregor turned to Solo, “I thought they might be blasted on the planet, but I guess that death was too fast to suit them. I made sure they were given their blasters back to possibly defend themselves…but it wasn’t enough. Dying of explosive decompression is a horrible way to go.”
“What now?”
Gregor looked at Toren, “Direct us to your community.”
Toren gave directions to the computer and Gregor stared at the bodies floating in open space. The Greng warship had left, leaving only the dead bodies behind. He stared at them until the Dragon Fly left normal space. Mackle was an enemy, but he was honorable in keeping his promises. He was willing to die to protect his civilization, and for that, Gregor respected him. He didn’t deserve the death he was forced to endure.
• • •
The three-invisible warships turned off the filament in subspace and moved across hundreds of interconnected filaments. After three-days of high-speed travel, Toren suddenly stood up, “GAM-L, WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS FAR OUT FROM THE COMMUNITY?”
“Tor-N, I was commanded to move out here on the last course you used to come to the community. You were right about the Greng; they attacked the community five-weeks ago and more than two-thousand were killed by the missiles they used to hunt us down!”
“You should have had scouts out to warn you they were coming!”
“We did, Tor-n; the scouts were the first ones killed by the missiles. One scout managed to get a warning out before she died, but the Greng had gotten too close. The Lead Councilor died along with Gen-L, and, I truly hate telling you this, your parents were also killed. I tried to persuade Gen-L to move to the new community, but she refused.”
“WHAT ABOUT THE NEW COMMUNITY?”
“Tor-N, the people have scattered and are in hiding. None of those that were still at our community have moved toward the new community being constructed. They all fear the Greng will follow them and attack there. There is much sorrow at the ones that died in the Greng attack.”
Tor-N sighed and shook his head, “I’m sorry for your loss, Gam-L.”
“Losing your parents and the Lead Councilor was a larger loss than the conceited, selfish mate I was linked to, Tor-N. She refused to help build the new community and raged at me for doing it. I would never wish this on her, but she got what she deserved. I’m sorry for what she did to you and my part in it; I’ve grown to detest her since you left.”