by Saxon Andrew
The Plant fleet moving in system at high speed had reached 1000 miles from the planet and launched a missile salvo of a million missiles at the forts surrounding the planet. The missiles were halfway to their targets when every ship and rock circling the planet disappeared. There was nothing to stop the missiles so they continued to the planet and totally burned everything on it in anti-matter fire. The planet actually cracked in the middle of one of the smaller continents and the core of the planet blew up thru the surface causing huge earthquakes and then the escaping core burned the atmosphere. The planet disappeared under a black cloud cover and shook in its death throes. The Half Fleet leader watched his video grimly, “There was a whole continent of food source not harvested.” Then he watched it all burn. “There’s going to be hunger in the fleet,” He thought. “Perhaps the Leaders might want to rethink their attack plans at the next planet.”
Mikado’s 3,000 surviving ships came out of null space and ejected 1,300 penetrators each; the forts released another two million then all the ships and forts jumped to their second jump coordinates leaving 6 million penetrators behind. Ten seconds after the SR fleet disappeared; the 130,000 plant ships came out of null space trying to read their jump tracks. They had the misfortune to come out in the middle of 6 million penetrators. Unfortunately for the Algean ships, they did not have any coordinates in their star drives because they were going to load in what they tracked from the stranger’s ships. The three seconds that it took to load in any coordinates was two seconds too long. Every Algean ship was less than a mile from a hundred of the high powered penetrators when they emerged from their jump and the penetrators only took one second to lock on and another half second to hit. All 130,000 ships were destroyed. The explosions also erased any drive tracks the Stranger’s had left. The ships that followed up on their tracking ships only found wreckage. The first 750 follow up ships had the misfortune to jump into that cloud of penetrators and ended up like the first 130,000. After no response, a Plant Leader finally suggested jumping to a different coordinate close by. The Algean Leaders were once again frustrated in trying to track where the Strangers were coming from.
The Leaders were elated at their victory, but now they did not know where to go to continue their success. The Elder said, ‘Get the explorer ships out. Look in that Galaxy they keep escaping to and start looking to see if there is another planet in our galaxy they are using. Find them before they can counter our advantage.”
Another Elder said, “We can’t do anything even if we found them now.”
The Eldest said, “Why is that so?”
The Strangers lost a hundredth fleet to our missiles. We lost almost a third of our new ships when we tried to track them. Those ships have to be replaced and it will take half a planetary cycle to complete them.”
The Eldest stood waving in the wind pondering what he had just heard then said, “Making the new ships will do us no good if we don’t know where to send them. Use all of our old ships to search and hold the new fleet together to attack when we find them. Now that they know about our new ships and the frequency generators, we have to find them quickly before they develop technology to defeat us. We can’t give the Strangers time.”
All of the Plant Leaders stood silent waving in the wind contemplating what the strangers might come up with next.
There was sadness and grief among the members of the Stars Realm at the loss of their most decorated and famous Admiral. The loss of the battle was secondary to the weight of losing Admiral Alexander Kosiev. The video of his death was shown to the citizens of the Stars Realm and they all saw the bravery of Kosiev and the crew of the Moscow. Director Misty Nicole ordered a memorial built in Central City surrounded by parks to give honor to the Admiral and crew of the Moscow for their sacrifice. Queen Danielle Gardner issued an edict that Admiral Kosievs statue would be the central feature of the new Fleet academy that would forever forward bear his name. Kosiev became the first Human to win the Solar Star three times. He was the first recipient of the Crimson Crown which the Queen decreed would be the Stars Realm’s highest award for bravery. The medal was placed in clear armor on his statue with a description of his action and listed all the members of his crew that died with him to save those trapped at the planet.
Admiral Dorg, Tag, Danielle, and Admiral Mikado sat on board the Rossville in orbit above Ross. Admirals Kelly and Chen were also present on display along with Tgon-Gee, Terl, Misty Nicole, and Sten. All of them had bags of popcorn in one hand and the drink of their choice in the other. They had spent the last two hours reminiscing of their memories of Kosiev. Tag told them about when the Vgrig Warleader was allowed to escape and to make it look real missiles had been fired that came remarkably close to hitting the escaping ship before it jumped. “Kosiev had laughed so hard he could barely breathe,” Tag said, “Finally he got out that the Warleader had probably opened a porthole and pushed some of the missiles away.” Everyone laughed and they ate their popcorn and missed their comrade and friend.
Danielle then stood and said, “The name Moscow will never be assigned to another ship. It will be retired and will be the symbol of courage. From now on the Crimson Crown Medal will be placed above the shape of a Megaship with the name Moscow on it. His medal will be the only one ever given with just the Crown.”
The room started clapping and Danielle said, “I hereby order it by Royal Decree and the first recipient of the new medal will be Admiral Smith.” The room cheered her decision and for a moment their sadness was held at bay.
Chapter 15
Tag was sitting in the library at their castle staring at the map of the Plants Galaxy. Danielle came in and saw her husband looking somber and she knew that the loss of Kosiev had hit him hard. He had been in a depression since the funeral and she knew it was not getting better. She walked in and sat down beside him and he put his arm around her. Danielle looked into his eyes and she saw his pain. She then thought to him, “What Kosiev said has caused you pain.”
Tag remained silent for a moment then thought back at her, “If I had been with him, he would still be alive.”
“No, Tag, he would be dead and you would be floating in Plant space.”
“No, Danielle, you’re wrong. You know how Kosiev often reacted without thinking things thru and that’s exactly what he did this time and it cost him his life. If I had been there, my talent would not have allowed us to go alone. I would have stopped him and called in 20 more megaships to support his effort from Dremel. His reactors ended fifty miles from the target ships when all he had to do was get to within 200 miles and launch penetrators. With that many megaships there would have been twenty times the number of penetrators that he launched. We could have then turned way and used our jump drives to escape when the frequency generating ships were destroyed. The Planet was attacked thirty minutes after the frequency generating ships were destroyed so there was thirty minutes to get the additional ships to assist us. He died because I was not there. My psychic talents would have caused us to come up with a plan that worked.”
Danielle saw in Tag’s mind the plan as he described it and she knew that he was right. She felt his pain and her heart ached for him. “There’s something else.” Danielle leaned back and looked into his eyes. “I may be responsible for his death.”
Danielle sat up straighter and said, “Just how do you see that?”
“Danielle, you know what the Glod say about my talent. You also know that Sung Lea can see visions of the future and that we try to follow the best vision. I think that my talent could see that I was sitting back and letting Kosiev lead the war against the Algeans. Perhaps I knew deep inside that we would lose if we continued on the path we were taking and the only way to get me involved in the war was to remove Alex so I would be forced back into the fray. Remember, the Glod say that I will do things without even being aware I’m doing them and that my enemies will be destroyed. If our talents could bring us together even if the old Alliance had to fall in the process, do you th
ing losing Kosiev would just be another way to protect us.”
Danielle listened and though she wanted to believe otherwise what he was saying sounded true to her. She now understood why her love had been so depressed. If he had been involved, Kosiev might not have had to die. “So what do you do about it?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Tag, why are you here instead of out there flying at light speed toward the enemy? Kosiev saw that you should be the lead in our attack on the plants. It scares me to have you in danger but Kosiev was right, we’re at our best with you in the lead. I think you are right in what you’ve said and if you are then it should tell you and me that you must take the lead in this war.”
“What about helping you in your duties ruling the Alliance and having to leave Rose?”
“Tag, do you seriously think that the Stars Realm looks to you for direction. You can still go out for walks in public and only get a small mob. I go out and riot police are needed.” He looked at her with a furrowed brow and she immediately said, “I am the one chosen to be the leader and sometimes I grow weary of the task. You are the one chosen to lead our military. You walk into a room of soldiers and they immediately focus on you and later look at me. We have our different callings. As far as you leaving Rose and me, how long would it take you to leave a battle and jump back to Ross?”
Tag thought a moment and said, “Well, with four jumps to different galaxies, forty five minutes.”
“Also consider this; how much real time have you spent actually planning and fighting battles? You could actually choose to jump home each day if you chose.”
Tag looked at his wife and knew she was right. He had taken time away from the conflict to be with his family and Kosievs death had jerked him back to reality. It was time to get his hands back into the fray. “I’ll start in the morning,” he said. “We need to establish our new command structure.”
Danielle looked at him and said, “We’ll have the meeting in the morning. Right now, I need you back with me.” She then put her arms around his neck and pulled him close.
Tag looked in her eyes and for that moment his pain was forgotten.
Upstairs Rose lay in her bed feeling her father’s anguish. Though she was only four, she understood what he had said. She sent a warm feeling of love to her father and decided that she was going to keep her eye on what he was about to undertake. She was not going to let him get hurt if she could prevent it. Then she went to sleep when she felt Tag release his pain.
Tgon-Gee, Terl, Misty, Admirals Dorg, Mikado, and Chen were waiting in Danielle’s outer chamber. They had been summoned by the Queen that morning and had come to Ross as quickly as possible. “I wonder what’s going on,” Admiral Dorg said.
Terl said, “It has to have something to do with the military. Perhaps Kosievs replacement is going to be announced.”
Tgon-Gee looked at Tel and said, “If that were so she would have asked the Stars Realm’s representatives for selections to consider and she has not done that.”
Danielle and Tag walked into the chamber and Danielle said, “Thank you for coming so quickly and if you’ll follow me to the library we’ll begin.” The group stood up and followed Danielle into a room that looked like it was a hundred yards square and had galactic maps covering the walls. Danielle asked, “Admiral Dorg, can you update me on how many megaships we have in our inventory.”
Dorg looked at his com and pressed a button, read the display, and said, “Close to forty thousand, Your Majesty.”
“Have we made any changes to these ships since we lost to the Plants at the Pydres’ planet?”
Everyone looked at each other and Tgon-Gee said, “Unfortunately we have done nothing. We are in a leadership vacuum and everyone is looking at everyone else to move us forward.”
Tag stood up and looked at the assembled leaders and they could see the resolve in his face, “That time is over. Kosiev was right, I should be involved in the fight and from this moment forward I will be. However, we must set up our leadership structure and unfortunately there won’t be a vote on what we’re going to do. As most of you know, I possess some psychic ability and though I can’t explain how it works, I know it does. I have discussed this with my wife, your queen, and she agrees with me.
Danielle stood and said, “I have issued a royal decree concerning the changes being made during this meeting and they will be effective immediately. My first decree is that Tag is the one designated to direct our war against the plants. I am going to insure that all our members are notified of the changes being made immediately. Tag will lead this meeting in my absence.” She then left the room.
Tag looked at Admiral Dorg and said, “You are now the overall commander of all Stars Realm Armed Forces and will report directly to me.”
Dorg started to protest but then remembered what Kosiev had said. “I doubt that I’m qualified for this position, but I will do my best.”
“Kosiev said the exact same thing when he was chosen. It might interest you to know that our SFT group has said that the best possible future for us is with you and me working together. I also agree with them.” Tag then looked at Mikado and Chen and said, “We are dividing our forces into two fleets. Each of you will command one of those fleets and will work with each other such that your two commands can smoothly work together in joint maneuvers. Admiral Mikado is second in command to Admiral Dorg and will have the responsibility of developing fleet strategy prior to any conflict to present to Admiral Dorg. Obviously, Admiral Chen will assist in the preparation of that strategy but Mikado has the accountability of producing the plan. Both of you will call Cade McAllister and discuss the last battle with the intent of developing an answer to the Plant’s new screens, piloted missile, and frequency generating ships. You may leave now and begin that process. I also expect an organization chart of the command structure for each of your fleets of 20,000 ships turned in to Admiral Dorg for his approval within forty eight hours.” The two officers looked at each other then stood, saluted Tag and hurriedly left the room.
“Tgon-Gee, your race has not presented an officer to have a general command position of one of our fleets. I’m concerned that we may be overlooking someone that could help us. Is there a general command officer you would like to suggest to the group?”
Tgon-Gee looked around the room and said, “Unfortunately, my race has always been aggressive and rewarded those commanders that had individual success over group coordination. We are ill prepared to lead large numbers. Our forces will be more successful if commanded by someone that can get groups to work together. However, one of our naval officers has shown an aptitude to have the skills you want.”
“Who is that?” Tag asked.
“He is graduating from the fleet academy in fifteen days. His instructors have ranked him number one in his class even ahead of his human classmates. You actually know him, Mr. Gardner.”
Tag raised his eyebrows and tilted his head to the side, “When have we met?”
Tgon-Gee said, “He was the warrior that our Queen gave the choice during her challenge on Glod. He chose her to rule our people.”
Tag’s face showed his amazement. “He chose to enter the academy when he was already one of your planet’s greatest hero’s.”
“He is currently our most loved hero and yes, he did. He felt he was not qualified to lead in the new navy. He wanted to prepare himself to offer the most he could to serve our Queen. It appears he tried very hard and was successful. Our people still sing about his action during the challenge and he could have any position he wanted on Glod but he wanted to fight for our Queen and felt the navy was the best way. He was a dreadnaught commander during the conflict with the Alliance but said he knew he was not qualified to fight on an equal footing with humans. He came to the academy to improve his skills.”
“Did he get into any fights during his training?” Dorg asked knowing how the Glod loved a fight.
Tgon-Gee looked at Dorg and after a slight pa
use said, “Who, other than Mr. Gardner, would take on a Glod Martial Arts Champion? Would you?”
Dorg smiled and said, “Point well taken.”
While Dorg and Tgon-Gee were addressing each other Tag closed his eyes and thought, “Danielle.”
“Yes Dear.” She replied in his mind.
“The Glod that chose you during the challenge on Glod is graduating from the fleet academy in fifteen days. What did you sense about him during the challenge?”
“Really, I’m not surprised. I could see that he was looking for meaning in his life during that conflict. He’s much more than he appears, Tag. His mind is as sharp as his fighting skills.”
“Thanks, Danielle.”
Tag opened his eyes and said, “What is his name?”
Tgon-Gee said, “Ron-Dar.”
“He will report to my flagship immediately after graduation and assume command of my ship. My ship will be ready in twenty two days and she will be called Retribution. Notify Ron-Dar of his new assignment.”
Admiral Dorg looked at Tgon-Gee and they both knew that whoever commanded Retribution would be on a promotion fast track. Tgon-Gee felt his pride grow for the new ships captain coming from his race. “I’ll notify him immediately,” Dorg said.
Terl looked at Tag and said, “I have six officers that I think fleet academy will help to develop the skills they need to be fleet commanders. I think Ron-Dar had a good idea. Perhaps all of our future Admirals should go thru the Academy.”
Tag looked at them and said, “It would certainly cause a lot of our current captains to attend. Are we agreed that any future Admirals will come from academy graduates?” Everyone in the room nodded. “That’s how we will do it from now on and the Queen will make that part of her decrees. We are also stopping the production of Megaships until we can agree on whether or not they can be modified to handle the new plant technology. We also need to train and develop our existing crews to work together. Throwing thousands of ships into fleets just prevents them from learning ship coordination. Our fleets will be built with squadrons that have trained together and know how to work together. We will build ships as we have crews graduating to man them. The production facilities will be used to manufacture the armaments our ships need to fight. Admiral Dorg, our highest priority is to develop new weapons to counteract the plants new ships and missiles. Please plan to meet with me in forty eight hours with your junior officers to plan where we go from here.” Tag stood and everyone stood with him.