by Saxon Andrew
Chapter Two
Jack entered the large conference room inside Castle Bristone and found Emperor Robbins and Prince Carter on their thrones, awaiting his arrival. He walked forward and bowed in front of them. “At ease! Please be seated, General Turner,” Emperor Scotty Robbins ordered.
Jack sat down in the chair in front of their thrones, as Carter leaned forward, “General, thank you for taking time to bring us up to date on what’s happening in our efforts against the DECs and Black Warships. What is the current status of our forces confronting the Black Warships and DECs in the Realm’s Universe?”
“We’re not confronting the Black Warships, at this time, Sire. The Primes we used to draw the Dark Energy Creatures back to their original territory, are the extent of our efforts to date. More than two-million DECs were recently killed by our fleets in their territory. The Pilots suffering from severe headaches all recovered within two-weeks after the event. I’m sure you’re aware we lost two-thousand pilots in the fight.”
Emperor Robbins nodded and asked, “I’m still not clear on how we managed to make that happen, General. Please explain why those creatures followed our warships back to their former territory.”
“The Dark Energy Creatures are addicted to consuming telepathic beings. We sent a million-Primes into the Algean Galaxy, where every pilot activated their telepathy modules and directed a focused thought, when they found one or more of the creatures. The Primes were rushed by huge numbers of the creatures, but it appeared the first DEC to arrive had the rights to stake out that particular Prime. The DECs that staked out a Prime would follow it wherever it went, waiting to consume the telepathic pilot. Once all the Primes were staked out, they teleported to the DEC’s former space and settled in.”
“Why did we only send a million?” Prince Carter inquired.
Jack turned to James, “Sire, Logistics present a real issue in sending more. The Primes must be provisioned and, if we jump them out before they’re replaced by another fleet, the DECs will immediately return to the Algean Galaxy, and we’d have to start the process over from the beginning. It takes three-major fleets of Prime Warships to keep a million DECs pinned down in their territory.”
“Why are we avoiding the Black Ships, General?” Emperor Robbins asked.
Jack turned to the Bristone Emperor, “Your Majesty, the Black Ships all have a DEC following them wherever they go. By attacking and destroying the Black Warships, we would release the DEC’s that had them staked out to go out and attack other civilizations.”
James looked at his father, as he said, “I’m surprised, after three-years, they’ve stayed this long. They can’t attack a planet and gather the materials they scavenge with the DECs shadowing their warships. The huge ships that collect the materials don’t have a defense to keep the creatures at bay.”
Jack interjected, “Sire, the probes have been collecting data over the last year and it appears that many of the Black Ships have left our universe and more are leaving each day.” Both of the Royals jerked their heads toward Jack as he continued, “It’s like you say, Prince Carter, it’s a waste of time to tie down so many warships in our universe, when they can’t attack. The concern of our senior analysists is that, with more of them leaving, the DECs staking them out will then be free to attack more intelligent civilizations.”
“Do we know where the Black Warships are going after they leave here?” Scotty inquired.
“No, Your Majesty. However, a ship is being provisioned to follow them and find out.”
“Who is going to command that vessel?” James asked.
Jack looked at James, “Sire, that is still under discussion.”
“Kogo and Dela should go; they’re the most experienced,” Scotty mumbled.
Jack nodded, “Yes, Your Majesty, they are; but they’ve been given major responsibilities to command our fleets of warships. They’re too important to risk on a scouting mission.”
“What about Jimmy and Lola Gardner?”
“We have the same concern about them as well, Sire. The Prince and Princess are too important to risk.”
James rolled his eyes, “Don’t tell me Tag and Danielle are considering going on this scouting mission!”
Jack chuckled, “If they did, who could order them not to do it? They out rank everyone around here. Fortunately, depending on your perspective, they are planning to return to Ross and set up a base of operations in our universe to combat these threats.”
Scotty lowered his eyes and mumbled, “I don’t like that idea at all.”
Jack raised one shoulder, “That’s why I’ve been ordered to bring you and Prince Carter up to date on everything, so you can take command of our forces in the Dark Dimension.”
James realized what Jack was telling them and then suddenly, jerked his head up, “General, are you going to remain here with us?!”
Jack lowered his head into his shoulders, “I’ve been ordered by the Gardners to prepare fifty-transports to be fully provisioned to go with the Gardners to Ross. I will be in command of the warriors on those transports.”
Scotty’s eyebrows came together, “And just who is going to command the ground forces here, when you leave, and what other forces are they planning to take with them.”
Jack turned to the Emperor, “Tegen-Jee will take command of the ground forces and I must say that he is an excellent choice for the position. The Glod have few equals in their fighting skills; Tegen is one of their best commanders and he is certainly far more experienced commanding ground forces than me.”
Scotty sat back in his chair and nodded, “That is a good choice.”
Jack continued, “More than fifty-thousand Glod Warships, a million Primes, and every Coronado Field Vessel will be going with them…”
“Every Field Vessel!” Scotty interrupted.
James turned to his father, “Dad, what use are they here in the Dark Dimension? They were built to defend a planet in our universe from DEC attacks. There are no DECs in the Dark Dimension and they serve no purpose here.”
Scotty sighed, “You’re right. I’m just anxious that we’ll not have what we need for our defense here.”
James hesitated before adding, “We’re not under attack here.”
Scotty closed his eyes and lowered his head, “Thank the Creator you’re here to keep me focused, James. I’m finding most of these events confusing.”
Jack watched them and saw that Emperor Robbins was out of his depth, but he was getting a little better. Prince Carter was the real power and, Jack agreed with the Emperor, it was a good thing Carter was running things. He was incredibly brilliant and Jack wondered why the son was more talented than his father.
Jack spent the rest of the day answering their questions, but it was the last question that Jack hoped wouldn’t be asked. However, Carter lived up to his reputation and saw what his father was missing. Jack stood up to leave and Carter suddenly said, “Please sit down, General.”
“I thought you were finished asking questions, Sire.”
“I’ve just thought of one that hasn’t been asked. If you’re taking a million of our Primes to Ross, how are we going to maintain the Prime Fleets in the creature’s former territory? You said it would take three-major fleets to keep that going.” Jack hesitated before answering and Carter’s eyes narrowed, as he saw Jack’s hesitation, “What’s going on, General?”
Jack took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, before answering, “While the Gardners are getting established on Ross, the remaining two-fleets of Primes will alternate keeping the DEC’s pinned down in their former space.”
“But you said it takes three-fleets!”
“They will get by for about four-months and, at that point, the current fleet in their territory will join the Gardners at Ross.”
“But that will draw a million of the creatures to Ross and leave us with only one fleet of Primes for our defense!” Scotty quickly interrupted.
Jack stared at them, as James leaned back on hi
s throne and asked. “Is this worth the risk?”
“Sire, the Gardners believe it is. What good are the Prime Fleets here in the Dark Dimension?” Jack asked.
James stared at Jack and heard his father ask, “You’re leaving us with a pitiful defense!” Scotty looked at James for his agreement and saw him thinking furiously. “What are you thinking, James?”
James glanced at him and turned back to Jack, “The Gardners are planning to open the war against the Black Warships and the DECs with their move to Ross, right, General?”
“They are, Sire,” Jack reluctantly agreed.
“And they’re going to remove the Primes from creature territory by having them jump to the Dark Dimension first?” James continued.
“Yes, Sire.”
Scotty was lost, “What difference will that make?”
James turned to his father, “The DECs being pinned down in their former territory will not be able to follow the Primes to the Dark Dimension and will lose track of them. The Primes can then jump to Ross from the Dark Dimension and not be followed by the DEC’s.” James turned back to Jack, “I suppose they will delay sending those Primes to Ross until the DECs go back to the Algean Galaxy.”
“Yes, Sire,” Jack answered.
“WILL YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHAT’S GOING ON?!” Scotty asked forcefully.
James turned to Scotty and said softly, “Danielle is putting a death sentence on the remaining civilizations in the Algean Galaxy. During the four-months the Primes are keeping the DECs pinned down in their territory, they will have every Coronado Field Vessel set up at a planet in the Milky Way. Once they’re defended, they’ll call in the Primes to join them.”
“I can’t believe you agree with this, James!?”
James sighed, “The Defense Facility is producing more than two-thousand Primes a day. In four-months, a hundred and eighty-thousand new Primes will be joining the million we have here. Within the year, we’ll have three-quarters of a million new Primes to join those we have to defend us.”
“But…”
James interrupted Scotty, “The new pilots for the new Primes will have to be trained, and we’re in the best position to make that happen; the new pilots will be safe in the Dark Dimension to complete their training.” James turned to Jack, “Why aren’t they taking all three-fleets of Primes with them?”
Scotty was shaking his head in disbelief at the question and heard Jack answer, “Danielle knows that Emperor Robbins would never agree to doing it.”
Scotty stopped shaking his head and glanced at James as he said, “She knows that we’re too fearful to allow it.”
Jack glanced at the Emperor before answering, “Something like that.”
Scotty leaned back and looked at them. He finally lowered his head and asked, “James, what would you do if you were making this decision?”
“Father, it’s clear that the Gardners are reluctant to make the best decisions because of your fear. They are forced to do things to get around the situation they’re in. They’re also reluctant to ask permission, because they know you would veto anything that appeared to weaken the Empire, even though we’ve not had one attack here in the Dark Dimension since we arrived.” Scotty stared at James and heard him continue, “They didn’t tell us they were opening the war against the enemies attacking our universe because your response would be…”
Scotty sighed and interrupted, “They didn’t tell us because I would insist we aren’t ready.” James raised a shoulder and nodded. “And you believe we wouldn’t be in danger, even if we sent every warship we have here?”
“Father, how long would it take for every warship sent to our universe to come back here to defend the Dark Dimension?”
Scotty stared at James in silence and Jack answered, “Thirty-seconds.”
James smiled, “You’re being conservative, General. I’m sure Danielle will have an emergency override put in every warship’s dimensional drive that could be instantly activated.” Jack shrugged and then nodded. James turned to Scotty, “They would arrive in less than five-seconds after the order was issued.”
Scotty sat up straight and said, “So keeping a million Primes located here is wasting our available resources?” James nodded. “And if we released all three-fleets, the Algean Civilizations wouldn’t have to die?” Scotty added. James sighed again and nodded. “So, they’re going to allow the surviving civilizations in the Algean Galaxy to die to prevent me from being afraid?”
James stared at the Emperor and finally said, “You control the Bristone Forces here, Father. The Gardners will have to have your agreement to use them and they knew that you would never agree.”
“How would they know that?!” Scotty asked forcefully.
“Father, you’ve tiptoed around most of the major decisions made on using our forces. You need look no further than your reluctance to agree to drawing those DECs out of the Algean Galaxy back to their territory. It took more than a month to convince you to go along with their plan and what tipped the scales, for your agreement, was their promising that two-million Primes would always be present in the Dark Dimension.” James turned to Jack, “They must have originally planned to use two-fleets of Primes to draw the DECs to their territory and use one fleet to relieve half of them.”
Jack interjected, “It was the Emperor’s obvious objection to the plan that made them modify it.”
Scotty lowered his head and said softly, “And because of that, hundreds of planets were attacked by DEC’s that remained in the Algean Galaxy?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Jack replied.
“But we could lose everything!”
“We could lose everything anyway,” James replied. “Are you willing to live in this desolate dimension for the rest of our existence? There are some things worth dying for and going home to a sky filled with stars and galaxies inhabited by millions of civilizations is worth the effort.”
“James, why are you so different from me?”
“Father, I studied the history of our Empire from my earliest years and I saw that creation can send enemy forces against us that are unimaginable. I learned from the Bristone Empire’s first Emperor, and his children, that sometimes it requires losing one’s life to save their subjects.” James, with a heavy sign, continued, “We are in a situation that calls for us to act forcefully to defend our galaxy and return it to its rightful place in our universe. Surely you can see this.”
Scotty stared at his son and then smiled softly, “It’s time.”
“For what?” James asked.
“I am immediately abdicating the Throne of the Bristone Empire and I’m naming you my successor.”
“NO! YOU CAN’T DO THIS!!”
Scotty reached out and put his hand on James’ shoulder, “Son, it’s the only brave thing I can do; the Empire deserves a ruler that possesses a fighting spirit. I’ve felt out of my depth since this confrontation started and this meeting has only proven that I lack the nerve, or talents, to do what must be done. The Empire needed me to lead it initially but it’s now ready for you to take control.” James was shaking his head furiously and Scotty lowered his eyes, “All right, I’ll stay on the throne, if you’ll answer one question honestly.” James stared at Scotty and wondered what he was going to ask. “Do you think I can do a better job of defending the Empire than you?” James stared into his father’s eyes and remained silent. “You see it, James. So, do I.”
“But I can support you and you can remain on the throne!”
“And my fears would get in the way of any major decision; I wouldn’t be able to sit back and not give in to them.” James closed his eyes and Scotty looked at Jack, “Do you think differently?”
“Meaning no offence, Your Majesty, I’m really thankful Prince Carter has been able to intervene, when it’s necessary.”
Scotty smiled, “No offence taken, General.” He turned to James, “I’m announcing that my health is questionable and that I am abdicating the Throne to recover.”
&
nbsp; “There’s nothing wrong with you!” James responded. Scotty started laughing at James’ response and James asked, “What’s so funny?”
Scotty smiled, “I lack a backbone.” Jack burst out laughing and, after a few moments, James smiled. Scotty looked at his son and added, “You need to tell your family what’s happening and get them ready for the coronation.”
“Gloria isn’t going to accept this, Father.”
At that moment, Gloria stepped into the conference room from a rear door and said, “Scotty is right.” James jerked his head around and Gloria continued as she walked toward Scotty’s throne, “Our lives have been miserable and Scotty needs a respite from the huge weight he’s been carrying. I’ve been listening in to this meeting and Scotty is right; it’s your turn to lead the Empire, Son.” Gloria went to Scotty and took his hand, “I love you so much.”
Scotty stood up, hugged her tightly, and then looked at James, “I’m making the announcement in four-days. Between now and then, make the decisions needed to defend the Empire and the other civilizations in our universe. You also need to get Annette and JP on board.” Scotty turned and pulled Gloria by the arm out of the conference room.
James watched them leave and said softly, “That’s the first time I’ve really seen him smile since we moved to this dimension.” He turned to Jack, “We weren’t completely honest with him, were we?”
Jack’s head tilted to the left, as his brow furrowed, “What do you mean?”
“Even if I send every Prime we have with Danielle, we will not continue pinning those creatures down in their territory. The surviving civilizations in the Algean Galaxy will still die.” Jack stared at James in silence as he continued, “It makes no tactical sense to tie up our fleets in their territory; we need them free to defend the civilizations in the Milky Way. We’re forced to write off the civilizations in the Algean Galaxy.” James lowered his head slightly, “Or am I missing something?”
Jack sighed, “No, Your Majesty; you’re seeing things quite clearly.”