Ashes of the Realm - Greyson's Revenge

by Andrew, Saxon

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Niles took the Bristone out of the Defense Facility and looked at Toland, “I’m not sure I like this ship not using a force field. I feel almost naked.”

  Toland looked up at the ceiling and then back at his display, “Well, that’s what trials are all about. You didn’t have to volunteer for this.”

  “I know, but if we’re going to develop our ships from this model, I owe it to the Emperor to give it the best chance of success.”

  “Even if you die in the testing?”

  “Even if.”

  “Well, our target is four hundred thousand miles ahead of us.”

  “I thought we were its target.”

  “Same thing.”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  Toland adjusted his scanner, “Emperor Robbins is out there with Grace watching what happens. Let’s make it count.”

  “I just wish they weren’t using a Searcher fitted with the beams of a Zeta for our first effort.”

  “If we can’t withstand that beam, then all this technology is going to be wasted. It’s been ten years and we can’t just start all over again. You know we can’t waste time.”

  Well, let’s hope we survive this.” Niles took the controls and steered the ship on the correct heading and hit the teleport console. The Bristone appeared two hundred yards from the old Searcher and was immediately fired on by the unmanned ship. The huge white beam struck the Bristone and its entire hull turned bright white and then a beam erupted from its surface and struck the Searcher. The white ship vaporized into nothing but a cloud of gas.”

  “Exercise over.”

  Niles looked at the gas cloud and shook his head, “That’s it?”

  “Yep.”

  “Congratulations, Bristone. Your trial has been a success.”

  Toland hit the com, “Thank you, Your Majesty. What do the scans reveal?”

  “The beam that struck you was the strongest in our arsenal. The beam you fired back was ten times stronger than the one that struck your ship.”

  “Actually, all I did was designate that ship with a cursor on my display.”

  “That’s all it takes, Toland. Good work, you can take it back to port.”

  Toland turned off his com and looked at Niles, “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know. I was hoping there would be some kind of back and forth between our ships. After all the years of preparation, this was anticlimactic.”

  “Say that when you’re facing one of those invaders.”

  “It might be nice to invite them to a pub to discuss old times before we designate them with a cursor.”

  “Think they would go with you?”

  “After we’ve shot the pants off em they would probably order the first brew.”

  “Ummmmmm. Make mine a beer.”

  Niles smiled and turned the Bristone to teleport to the Defense Facility.

  “Greyson, what are you doing?”

  “I thought I would take a little time and get familiar with the new scanners I’ve been given.”

  “Is that why we’re jumping around the edge of all these galaxies?”

  “Yes, I want to see how far they will penetrate. It looks like my active scan can detect a ship more than ten light years out.”

  “That’s good. That still doesn’t tell me why you’re looking at all these galaxies.”

  “Timmy, this universe used to be filled with millions of planets that were members of the old Realm. I know that this sector has not been examined by King Borders, and Daulun just operated in his galaxy. I just think it might be a good idea to just take a quick look. We don’t have much to do, so now would be a good time to do a little scouting.”

  “Then quit making excuses and teleport into the middle of them and make a scan.”

  Greyson jumped and made a scan, “Timmy, there is a battle taking place at a planet eight light years from here.”

  “Let’s go take a look.”

  Greyson emerged in stealth mode and scanned the attacking ships. “Those ships were not made by the old Realm. I don’t have anything like them in my databanks. They must have been manufactured since the Realm left.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because they are using the beams and missiles of the old Realm but their ships do not have Power Cell hulls. They are also communicating in the language of the Realm.”

  “What are they saying?”

  “..You will stop firing or we will start destroying cities on the planet’s surface starting with the largest. Your fleet has been destroyed and you will not survive if you do not follow my instructions.”

  “We’ve seen what survival looks like under the rule of the Neriff. We prefer to die than be forced to endure your brutality.”

  “If that is your wish, I am more than happy to comply. I’ll start with your largest city.”

  “Greyson?”

  “I’m on it.”

  A nuclear missile left the large ship and accelerated toward the planet. Just before it entered the atmosphere it exploded.

  The invading fleet’s commander watched the missile explode and yelled, “Launch six more at their six largest cities.”

  Six missiles erupted from the ship’s hull and started scattering as they targeted their targets. All six exploded halfway to the planet. The Commander watched his display and didn’t see what had stopped the missiles. He hit his com and ordered, “Land the transports and begin the looting.”

  “You will exit this system and return from where you came. Any ship that moves toward the planet will be destroyed. You have been warned and I will not tolerate any failure to follow my instructions.”

  The planet and the attacking fleet heard the transmission and silence ruled the frequency. “Where did that transmission originate.”

  The Sensor Officer looked at his panel and started shaking his head, “I don’t register anything on my board.”

  A voice came on the channel, “Who are you? We thank you for your help but want to know who you are.”

  “Stand-by, we’ll communicate once this fleet has departed.”

  The Fleet Commander now knew that it wasn’t the planet that had stopped his missiles. “Whoever you are, you are interfering in something that does not concern you. Our rulers will not take this interference kindly.”

  “I don’t care how they take it. You will turn your fleet around and leave this system or I will start destroying your fleet starting with the closest ship to the planet and then start destroying every other ship one by one until you comply.”

  The Commander looked at his Sensor Officer who shook his head. He looked at his board and saw that one of his largest battleships was eight thousand miles from the planet and had its force field at full power. Then he heard, “Times up.” The battleship was hit with a bright white beam that vaporized it. One moment it was hanging in space and the next there was nothing but an expanding vapor cloud.

  “You now have one minute until the next ship is eliminated.”

  “Get us out of here! Do it now!”

  The invading fleet of six hundred ships turned and began accelerating toward the jump limit. The Fleet Commander saw one of his ships remaining behind and yelled, “Captain Delo, what are you doing?”

  “I saw where those beams came from and I’m firing on it.”

  The Commander knew that Delo was a nephew of one of the high rulers and was a hothead. He wanted command of the fleet and this was just another example of him disobeying orders. “Get your ship out of there!” He watched as Delo fired and saw the beams stop against…something. Then that terrible white beam hit and Delo and his ship were an expanding vapor ball.

  The Commander looked at his Communications Officer and yelled, “You better have a recording of what just happened.”

  “I do.”

  “His father and Uncle are going to want blood for this.”

  Then he heard, “We will gladly give it to them if they
return to this planet.”

  The Commander looked at his display and knew that whoever it was, they were able to scan through his screen. “Move to maximum speed.” The fleet arrived at the jump limit four hours later and disappeared.

  “Thank you for your assistance. We are the Priven and we have been fighting the Neriff for more than ten years. They have enslaved three of our colonies and killed more than forty percent of their populations while forcing them to do slave labor. They would have defeated us if you had not intervened.”

  “It was the right thing to do. We do not condone the killing of those that can’t defend themselves nor do we tolerate slavery in any form.”

  “They will be back with a much larger fleet. You have only delayed the inevitable. Our ships have been destroyed and our installations above the planet have used up all of their ordinance holding them off. However, we do thank you for the additional time before they destroy us.”

  “I notice that your planet is highly industrialized. Shouldn’t you be able to produce the ships necessary to hold them off?”

  “They are just too numerous. They have worn us down over the long years of fighting and now there’s not enough time to replace the ships we’ve lost. They destroyed more than four hundred in the current battle.”

  “Why didn’t you just take the war to them instead of just waiting to be conquered?”

  “We do not attack anyone except in self-defense. To leave our system would violate our beliefs. We were forced to build the warships to defend ourselves but we cannot use them away from our world.”

  “Even to defend your colonies?”

  There was a long silence and then they heard, “Even to defend our colonies. We have suffered because of that decision but just couldn’t force ourselves to do it. By the time we decided to assist, they were overwhelmed and conquered. We waited until it was too late.”

  “Timmy, that fleet’s jump tracks are still there.”

  Timmy thought a moment and then commed, “I’ll be back. I need to persuade that fleet not to return.”

  “They will not listen.”

  “I really hope they don’t.”

  Greyson came out of stealth mode and the planet saw the huge ship just before it disappeared.

  Greyson teleported to the jump limit, “Do you think we should get permission before we get involved in this?”

  “No, I do not.” Timmy concentrated and thought, “Virze, Nathan, James, are you available to assist me.”

  “What do you need?”

  “I just stopped a fleet from attacking a planet and nuking six of their cities. It appears that the attacker is in the business of slavery and I want to impress upon them that that behavior is not tolerated in this universe.”

  “Stand-by.”

  “What do you think he’s doing?”

  “The same thing I would do.”

  “Timmy, what are you up to?”

  “I’m defending a planet that could not defend itself. I’m sending you the record of everything that happened, Your Majesty.” Timmy looked at his panel, “Send it, Greyson.”

  “Timmy, I hope he understands. We have more than we can handle with the anticipated invasion.”

  “Greyson, if we start to ignore our values because we’re too busy, then we really don’t believe in them. Even if he says no, we’re going.”

  “Timmy, I’ve sworn to obey him.”

  “With the exception that you will not be forced to watch an innocent planet being attacked. That’s why I’m here. To make sure we make a good decision.”

  Timmy and Greyson waited and after an hour they heard, “Timmy, I’ve looked at your recording and I think you should return to Bristone and not get involved in this conflict.”

  “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but I must refuse to follow your order.”

  “What are you doing, Timmy?!?”

  “The right thing, Nathan.”

  “Timmy, if you value your position as a Searcher, you will return to Bristone now.”

  “I will as soon as I resolve this issue. Once I’ve done that I will submit myself for punishment.”

  “I will be joining him, Your Majesty. I believe in him and I know this is not something to turn our backs on.”

  “Virze, you will suffer the same punishment.”

  “I know, Your Majesty. And I will submit to it willingly. This is something that I can’t ignore. Timmy, I’m joining you.”

  There was a long pause and Scotty said, “You will accept my punishment without complaint?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty, I will.”

  “And you as well, Virze?”

  “I will.”

  “Greyson, what about you? I’m ordering you to return to Bristone and bring your treasonous partner with you.”

  “Your Majesty, I stand by my Partner. You may destroy me when we return.”

  “I’m implementing your punishment immediately. Timmy and Virze you are hereby given the Royal Titles of Crown Prince and Princess and will succeed me to the Crown of the Empire. You have stood for our values even when you were faced with giving up everything of value.”

  “Your Majesty, I’m not qualified for this.”

  “Did you not say you would take your punishment without complaint?”

  “Uh…yes.”

  “Then be quiet. Nathan and James, you may join them and assist them in resolving the issue. Do whatever it takes to make sure those defenseless planets are not attacked again.”

  “Your Majesty, I may need the Flyers help in freeing some of the captured colonies.”

  “I’ve already ordered them to prepare before I contacted you, Timmy.”

  Timmy frowned, “What if I had followed your command and returned?”

  “Then you would not be the brave warrior I know you to be.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You deserve it Timmy. Now go resolve the problem. This will be a good time to test the Zord force field.”

  The Neriff Fleet arrived back at their home world and contacted the Admiralty. The Commander sent the recording of what happened and was told to wait. He took a deep breath and knew he was in trouble. After fifteen minutes his display showed the face of the First Administrator, “So you ran and allowed my nephew to be killed.”

  “No, he refused to follow orders and was killed for not doing so.”

  “Your cowardice is what caused it. You could have combined and destroyed that intruder. You will be put to death for it.”

  “Perhaps you would like to board a warship and allow us to see who the real coward is.”

  The First Administrator grew angry and yelled, “You dare to say that to me.”

  “I didn’t. I suspect it was that ship that we encountered and I do welcome you to come join us. Like them, I suspect you are too afraid to do it.”

  Every warship in the system heard the exchange. There were more than eight thousand ships that had returned with spoils or were preparing to go out and attack new planets. The Fleet Commander heard, “You might want to keep your fleet outside the jump limit and witness what is about to take place. If you move toward the planet, we will treat you the same as the other fleets.”

  He looked over at to his right and saw his com was on, “Attention all ships in the tenth fleet. Hold your position outside the jump limit.”

  The First Administrator yelled, “You Coward. Find that ship and attack it.”

  “I’m sorry, but we are not near that particular fleet but we are right above your planet. Perhaps you can now come out and play with us?”

  The Administrator looked at his sensor panel and saw a large white ship parked just above the atmosphere. His fear took him and he said, “All Fleets; kill that ship.”

  Eight thousand ships turned and started toward the White ship. Then the Administrator and the citizens on the planet saw disaster strike. The white ship erupted with hundreds of bright white beams hitting ships at a rate that was unbelievable. Half the ships were destroyed in less than a minute and
the survivors attempted to turn and run. They were blown out of existence in less than two minutes. Where eight thousand warships were crowed above the planet, nothing remained. The Administrator was speechless. The Fleet Commander was stunned and knew he had been very fortunate indeed to have escaped.

  Timmy sat at his board and gave a few moments for the magnitude of what had happened to sink home. Then he said, “I guess you won’t be coming up in a warship. I should have left one for you but forgot during the fun.”

  The Administrator said, “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m trying to decide if I should just destroy your planet and say good riddance to the scum that you are. However, I will allow you to live if you meet my conditions.”

  “What are they?”

  “You will order all your troops home and leave the planet’s you’ve conquered. You will be allowed to live in this star system; however, you may not go outside it. If you go outside of it, I will come back and finish what I’ve started. You will not have to recall the troops from the colonies of the Priven. We are going to remove them ourselves. You will have exactly thirty revolutions of your planet to make this happen or we will remove them as well as your planet.

  “You’ve destroyed most of our ships. How are we going to transport them here?”

  “That’s not my problem. You have six hundred ships I’ve not harmed. Use them and those that are not here. For the moment, I am removing all of your military installations on the planet and the factories that produce their ordinance. I will be back in thirty days to see if you have complied with my instructions. If you are not here, I will find you. Do you understand?”

  The Administrator was visibly shaking. All he could do was nod.

  “Greyson, do you have them plotted?”

  “Yes, I do. Are you sure you want to destroy those facilities? There will be a huge loss of life.”

  “Look at what this planet has done to those they’ve conquered. It has no soul and perhaps by destroying their capacity to make war they will know we mean business. I’d rather destroy those facilities than have to destroy the planet. This should make sure they listen.”