by Saxon Andrew
“Please tell me that you will be going out to warn us when they’re approaching.”
Leonidas smiled, “Sam’s right-wing is slightly damaged and might be detected, Gregor. I will be the one going out.”
“Well, it’s about time we get this party started. Use the new missiles to take out the probes.”
“Sam already suggested that. We’re going to launch such that they arrive as close together as possible.”
Gregor extended his hand, “Stay safe, Leo.”
“You do the same, my good friend.” They used their suit jets to move back on board their ships and, an hour later, they left for Greng territory.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Welcome back on board, Solo.”
“It’s good to be back, Gregor.”
Elena stood up, “Maybe you should take my chair, Solo.”
“That won’t be necessary,” the computer announced.
Elena looked up, “I thought his scores were higher than everyone else.”
“That’s partially true, but your scores are higher than his. So is Gregor’s scores.”
Solo stared at them clearly shocked by the computer’s pronouncement. “Why do you think that is, Computer?” Gregor asked.
“I think it has a lot to do with your genetics. It’s known that those on Bellingham with the blue and gold colored eyes possess mental talents beyond most beings. I suspect it is those talents that allowed you to have your superior scores.”
Gregor smiled, “Don’t forget my mind is superior to most beings, Computer. That includes certain mechanical beings I know.”
Elena rolled her eyes, “You just had to poke him!”
Gregor laughed as the computer began responding. Solo was still dealing with not having the best scores. How could that be possible.
The three-invisible warships arrived just outside the edge of the Greng’s galaxy, at the major filament moving out into interstellar space. Gregor stopped the Dragon Fly and waited for Leo and Sam to set up the attack on the probes.
“Gregor.”
“Yes, Solo,” Gregor said keeping his eyes on the wall monitor.
“I’ve been giving some thought to your fear that the Greng might remove the 440-filament.”
“And?”
“I don’t think they can do it.”
Gregor turned to Solo with a puzzled expression, “You don’t?”
“No, if they could, they would have already removed that filament as well as the one we’re observing now.”
“How did you arrive at this conclusion?”
“It’s pretty simple, really. The ten-Filament Maker ships they destroyed were constructing the filaments that connected the stars in this galaxy. Those ships did not construct the major filaments; the large motherships did that. There was no technology on those ten-derelicts to build or destroy a major filament; that was on their major ships exclusively.”
“He’s right, Gregor,” Elena said softly.
Solo continued, “So, coming out here fearing they would, was a wasted effort and it made the Greng aware of our existence.”
Gregor lowered his head, “I should have listened to Gem and just stayed home.”
“You had no way of knowing that, Gregor. You did the absolutely right thing, based on the evidence you had.”
Gregor looked up, “Thank you, computer. That means a lot.”
“I know I beat you up now and then…” Gregor snorted. “…but you make very few mistakes. You are brilliant, and this is not a situation where you should second-guess yourself.”
Gregor looked at Solo, “Why are you telling me this now?”
“Because we may not need to come back. If this unknown civilization and the Greng go to war, there may be no reason to come this far away from our territory.”
Elena jerked her head around to Toren and saw him listening to Solo. He turned toward her, and she quickly looked away, before saying, “It might require a scouting mission to come back and see.”
Solo shrugged, “Possibly.”
“Let’s not worry about that until after we see what’s going to happen, shall we?” Gregor stated as he turned back to the wall monitor.
“There they go!” the computer announced. Gregor flinched as four-brilliant blasts erupted on the monitor. Sam and Leo had excellent timing, all four appeared to blow up simultaneously.
• • •
Gregor and Sam waited in subspace as Leo left on the major filament. Two-days later, the computer announced, “I have three-small objects approaching the filament from inside the galaxy.”
“What direction are they coming from, Computer?”
“Gregor, they align closely with the major filament leaving the galaxy below us.”
“That’s where the fourth-probe came from that replaced the one that chased us. This explains how it arrived so quickly.”
“We need to remove them, Gregor.”
“Why, Sam?”
“That unknown civilization may be waiting to receive their signals before they launch ships to investigate. I’ll take out the top-two-probes, and you can take out the one at the bottom of the filament.”
“How far out should I launch a missile?”
“Exactly eighty-miles.”
“I’m moving into position, Sam. Count it down when you’re ready.”
Fifteen minutes later he heard, “Ok, Gregor, launch in five…four…three…two…one…NOW!”
Elena pressed the launch button and they felt a small jolt. A moment later, all three-probes exploded. “That should bring a response,” Solo commented.
Well, there’s good news and bad news,” Gregor muttered.
“Give me the good new first, Gregor,” Solo requested.
“When that fourth-probe replaced the one that chased us, I feared that this unknown civilization’s ships were able to fly a whole lot faster. Now that we know it came from inside this galaxy, that may not be the case…which leads me to the bad news; they may take four-weeks to get here.”
Sam sighed, “I am so ready to go home.”
“I am as well,” Gregor replied. Gregor turned to Elena, “What about you?”
“I have my father here and no one to rush back to, I’m fine.”
“If that’s the case, you can bring Toren back when we send a scout to check up on what’s happening here.”
“I’m fine with that, Gregor.”
Solo clacked a laugh and broke it off quickly, “I don’t have your patience.”
Elena stared at him and knew he was hiding something. She hoped it wasn’t what she feared it was.
• • •
It was the longest two-weeks Gregor every experienced. He had been on longer voyages in the past, many times. But the constant waiting not knowing what was coming was driving him crazy.
He tried to get comfortable in is chair and pulled up an ancient video to watch. Ummm…the 300 Spartans. He started it and immediately saw it was about the ancient Leonidas and the fight at Thermopylae. Now this should be interesting. Leonidas was named after this guy. He was well into it when Leonidas suddenly appeared on the monitor, “They’re coming and they’re not invisible.”
Gregor paused the video and stood up, “How many?”
“More than I can count. I’m pacing them and keeping my distance. The ships are close to the size of a Greng warship and have more blaster emplacements on the hull than the Greng. They’re too far away to see if they have missile ports.”
“How long until they arrive.”
“At their current speed, another twelve-days. They are not traveling inside the filament, Gregor. It appears you were right about their hulls not holding up against the friction of the filament.”
“Keep us posted, Leo.”
“I’m going to allow them to close the gap just prior to their arrival and see if Jek can hear their thoughts.”
“Don’t take any chances, Leo.”
“I’m reasonably certain they cannot see me through my stealth
systems. I know I can run faster than they can chase me; it’s worth the risk. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”
The monitor went dark and Solo was the first to speak, “This explains a lot.”
“How so?”
“We’ve wondered why they didn’t take the derelicts with them, Gregor. I think the Greng showed up in force and prevented them from doing it.”
Gregor shrugged, “You just might be right about that. If that’s true, then they know the power of the Greng Warships and have been working to be able to confront them on an equal footing.”
“Or a superior one,” Toren added.
“This probably means they won’t go looking for the Filament Makers.”
“Why do you say that, computer.”
“I suspect they arrived in time to see some of the motherships leave and they won’t want any part of them.”
“How did they attack them if they weren’t invisible,” Solo asked.
Gregor thought a moment and said, “I suspect they armed some of their probes to make the attack.”
“If they could do it then, they can do it now,” the computer responded.
“That may be the missiles they use. If that’s the case, the Greng may be in for an eye-opening experience,” Elena interjected.
“It’s my hope they kill them all,” Toren added.
“Be careful what you wish for, Toren. This new civilization may decide to attack everything in this galaxy if they defeat the Greng.”
Toren turned to Solo, “If they could do it, they would have done it long ago. I think they’re only coming after the Greng.”
Gregor started the video again and liked the way the Spartans used their swords. They were real warriors. “Computer, send a copy of this video to Leonidas and ask if he’s seen it.”
Gregor started looking at the list of videos and heard the computer say, a few minutes later, “No, he’s not seen it. He’ll get back to you after he has a chance to watch it.”
Gregor nodded and decided he wanted to see a video with less violence. Ummm…Good Fellas; that should be a change. Two-hours later, he decided that a Jersey accent was really interesting. Elena looked at him, “What are you doing?”
Gregor looked around and said, “You talkin’ to me?”
Elena rolled her eyes, “You’re back into those ancient movies, aren’t you?”
“You want I should straighten you out?”
“Send me the one that’s got you talking like that?”
“Actually, it’s two…Taxi and Good Fellas.”
“Send them both.”
Gregor nodded and sent them to Elena. Gregor heard her laughing and she looked at him, “You disrespecting me?” Gregor laughed with her and went back to watching Scarface. He decided he liked the Spanglish better.
• • •
The next day, Leonidas appeared on the monitor, “Gregor, there’s been a development.”
“What is that?”
“Evidently, this new civilization isn’t the only one with hidden probes; We’ve detected a probe far out from the filament powering up an hour ago; it began transmitting in Greng codes. It looks like this isn’t going to be a surprise party for the Greng.”
“We’ve seen Greng Fleets start gathering at the edge of the galaxy where that filament enters. Solo speculated that the Greng found out what was coming.”
“Well, he was right. The probe was destroyed quickly, but not before it got a message out. By-the-way, where did you get that video? It’s amazing.”
“It was stored in a vault on Earth. I convinced them to allow me to purchase copies of everything they had.”
“What ae you going to do with them?”
“I’ve set up a company to distribute them. Bart is in total control of getting it done and I’m going to share the profits with him.”
“I’d like to take a look at what you have.”
“I’ll give you a list when we get back home.”
“Thanks, I’ll let you know if anything else shows up.”
“Before you leave.”
Leo turned back to the monitor, “Yes.”
“Elena has suggested that this new civilization may be using armed probes to attack ships. Get your computer to scan the fleets for that fluctuation the invisible force field causes.”
“Hold on just a moment.” Leonidas looked away and started speaking. A few moments later, he turned back to look at Gregor, “You aren’t going to believe this?”
“There’s a lot of them?” Gregor asked.
“The area around the unknown fleets is completely enclosed inside them. We need to give this new civilization a name.”
“See if Jek can come up with one when he listens to their thoughts.”
“Good idea. I’ll get back to you.”
“You think they’re going to launch armed probes at the Greng,” Toren asked.
“I do. And when they launch them, I know exactly what they’re going to say.”
Toren stared at Gregor and then asked, “What is that?”
“Say hello to my little friends!” Elena burst out laughing and Toren and Solo wondered what was so funny.
• • •
Leonidas appeared on the monitor with Sam. Gregor looked at them and Leonidas spoke first, “We have a name for this new civilization.”
“What is it?”
“Gregor, they have a real name but I’m not even going to try and pronounce it. However, they should be called Hermits. They attacked the Filament Makers because of the filament that went into their galaxy. They are driven to be left alone and will attack anyone that violates their privacy.”
“Sort of like a bird defending its nest?” Sam asked.
“Very much like that, Sam. Jek says they look like strange birds wearing clothing. Long beaks, feathers on their arms and legs, feet that are capable of grasping things; you get the picture.”
“Are they birds-of-prey?”
“Jek says no, Gregor. Their eyes are on the sides of their head, not directly in front, like a bird of prey. Their motivation in coming here is the belief that by the Greng destroying their probes, they are planning an invasion of their galaxy.”
“Looks like your plan worked, Gregor.”
Gregor shook his head, “I don’t like doing this. If the Hermits aren’t an aggressive civilization…well…I just put them in jeopardy.”
“If you don’t think they’re aggressive, simply go and visit them to say hello,” Solo suggested.
“There’s a difference, Solo.”
“Maybe…but the end result is the same; they’ll attack anything that enters their space. And those probes they sent here shows that you really don’t need to enter their space to be attacked.”
“Solo is right, Gregor. I had a small bird attack me when I walked under its nest while I was on Earth,” Elena added.
“I guess. I know the Greng need to be brought down.”
“Let them give it a go and we’ll see how it turns out.”
“You are the unemotional, practical voice among us, Solo.”
“Gregor, emotions get in the way of doing things that must be done.”
“That’s what got you in trouble, Solo.”
Solo turned to Elena, “Touché, Elena! You wound me!”
Elena and Gregor laughed, as Gregor looked at Leonidas, “You need to leave and come back here before the filament is blocked by Greng Fleets.”
“I’ll stay in the filament to get there; the Greng don’t use it. The Hermits will be arriving in another thirty-six hours.”
“Computer, do you think those armed probes will be able to penetrate the Greng’s force field.”
“No way of knowing until we see them used, Sam. I do know that the probes we destroyed went up in giant explosions. That would indicate they are very high powered.”
“I wonder if they carry blasters?”
“We’ll soon know, Solo.”
Gregor reclined his chair, before saying, “Everyo
ne needs to get some rest before this thing kicks off. We won’t get much sleep when it does.”
Elena stood up and went to the sleeping quarters and Toren took her chair. After a few minutes, Gregor was breathing regularly and Toren heard, “Are you going to tell her?” Toren looked at Solo. “I’m not speaking; you’re able to hear my thoughts, right.”
“I can,” Toren thought back.
“Well?”
“I don’t know.”
“She deserves to know.”
“She’s not the only one involved in this.”
“Well, time is running out and you’ve got to decide.”
“It would never work, Solo.”
“If you say so.”
“You know it wouldn’t!”
“Like I just said, if you say so. You need to take a look in the computer’s data base at all the information about Gem and Ana, then tell me.”
Toren stared at Solo and then looked at the wall, where the computer was housed. He reclined his chair and closed his eyes.
• • •
Gregor stared at the wall monitor and changed it to a long-range tactical view. The two-giant-clouds of warships were approaching each other at high-speed and would soon make their initial contact. The Greng Warships formed up in a massive line and began launching missiles at the incoming Hermit warships, just as thousands-of-Greng-warships began exploding. “Computer, are the armed probes breaking through the Greng force fields?”
“No, they are not, Gregor. If more than three-hit a Greng warship, it is damaged enough to take it out of action. However, they are distracting the Greng and forcing them to use their blasters to keep the probes at bay.”
“You are recording this, right?”
“I record everything, Gregor; you know that.”
“Just making sure.”
“Computer, give me a close-up view of what happens when the Hermit ships arrive and hit the Greng line,” Elena requested.
“Put it on all our monitors, computer,” Gregor ordered.
“I’ll split the tactical monitor,” the computer replied.