by Saxon Andrew
• • •
Sgt. Arnold Daniels had his hand blaster out and announced loudly over his Armor’s external speaker, “YOU WILL STAND IN LINE AND ANYONE NOT MAINTAINING ORDER WILL BE SHOT!! EVERY FAMILY WILL BE GIVEN ONE FIFTY-POUND BAG OF CONDENCED NUTRIENTS; FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS PRINTED ON THE BAG. ONE BAG SHOULD KEEP A FAMILY OF FOUR FED FOR SIX-MONTHS.”
A thin man stepped out of line and Arnold grabbed him by the shoulder, “Don’t even think about it!”
The man fell to his knees taking deep breaths, “I don’t think I can stand much longer!”
Arnold immediately saw the man’s suffering, as he fell to the ground, and thought, “CORPORAL, GET SOME WATER AND PELLETS TO THIS MAN NOW!!”
Cpl. Mawie ran out from the transport’s open bay and went to a knee beside the man, lifted his head, and put a pellet in his mouth followed by water from a canteen, “Take them slowly; one at a time.” The man swallowed the pellet and Mawie immediately put another pellet in his mouth followed by another swallow of water. She saw the medical techs arrive with a stretcher and they carried him away to the transport’s hospital.
Arnold looked out at the twenty-long lines and saw numerous people were struggling to stay erect. He pressed his communicator, “Captain, I need some assistance.”
“What is it, Sargent?”
“Many of the citizens in line are looking like they’re not going to make it. We need to start delivering food to them now!”
There was a slight pause and Arnold heard, “COMPANY, TAKE BAGS OF PELLETS AND BARRELS OF WATER OUT TO THE LINES AND GIVE IT TO THE WEAKEST FIRST! GET MOVING.”
Arnold watched the Red Warriors rushing out of the transport’s bay carrying hundred-pound bags of pellets in one arm and a three-hundred-pound barrel of water in the other. Arnold shook his head knowing that this must be happening at every transport on Ross. It’s a good thing The Queen chose to come back when she did, the survivors might have turned to cannibalism if she had delayed.
• • •
Jimmy sat on the Grang and watched the survivors at the transports waiting in line for food. He exhaled sharply and asked, “Grang, are all the inhabitants being fed.”
“I’ve scanned several cities and it appears there are many that are too weak to go to the transports.”
Lola was horrified at what she was hearing, “We must do something, Jimmy!”
Jimmy’s expression displayed his anger, “Grang, get General Turner on my frequency!!”
Jack appeared on the Grang’s wall monitor and Jimmy said, “General, we’ve run scans and have found that thousands of survivors are too weak to make the trek to the transports.”
Jack shook his head, “I should have thought of that. Do you have the coordinates of them?”
Jimmy looked up and heard the Grang answer, “Yes, I do.”
“Send them to my transport’s computer.”
“Sending now!”
Jack disappeared from the monitor and Lola looked at her console. After a few moments, she looked up at Jimmy, “He’s pulled every Red Warrior off the defense construction sites and are having them pick up pellets and water from the transports.”
Jimmy nodded and suddenly saw Danielle appear on the wall monitor, “Prince Gardner, what are you doing ordering General Turner to stop the construction of our defenses.”
Jimmy wondered why Danielle was broadcasting on a frequency everyone on the planet could hear. “Your Majesty, there are millions of survivors, who are too weak to go to the transports to acquire food and water.”
“And you believe they are more important than defending this planet against imminent attack.”
“They are the reason we are here, Your Majesty! I do believe they are more important than anything facing us now!!”
“I agree with you, Prince Gardner. Let me know when the crisis is handled.”
The monitor went dark and Lola looked at Jimmy, “Why did she…”
Jimmy interrupted her, “She just introduced us to the survivors, Lola.”
Lola’s mouth closed and then she tilted her head to the side before admitting, “Yes, I suppose she has.”
The difference that conversation made was incredible. Whatever Jimmy and Lola asked of the survivors, they responded with all their energy and did everything they could to make it happen. The citizens of Ross loved the new Prince and Princess and knew that they loved them as well. That brief conversation was the last piece of uniting Ross in a new unbreakable bond. The rebuilding took on a frenzy that was incredible.
• • •
“Tag? Danielle?”
“ATLAS! We’ve been worried sick that something happened to you!”
“No, I’m fine, Danielle.”
“Were you able to find the home universe of the Black Warships?”
“I did, Tag, along with another universe you should know about.”
“You don’t sound very happy about this information, Atlas.”
“Tell you what. I’m going to send everything I recorded to Alex and you should look at the data before we discuss it.”
“Why do you suggest that, Atlas?”
“Danielle, you’ll have questions early in the recordings that will be answered later. Trust me, we’ll save a lot of time if you view them first and hold your questions until the end.”
Tag looked at Danielle and asked, “Alex, are you ready to receive the data?’
“I am.”
Tag glanced up and requested, “Send it, Atlas. How long will this take?”
“At least an hour.”
Tag looked at Danielle and she nodded. “We’re going to go and eat something with Cassie in the commissary. Contact us the moment the transfer is complete.”
• • •
Twenty-minutes later, they heard Alex announce, “Holy Crap!”
“WHAT?”
“Tag, Atlas was right. This stuff is the material of demonic-nightmares.”
Danielle looked up from one of the tables in the commissary and asked, “Is there anyone else that should be here to watch this?”
“Jack, Kogo, Dela, Emperor Robbins, Tgon-Cee, and BC, along with anyone else with a major role in this war.”
“What about Jimmy and Lola?” Tag asked.
“Sorry, I forgot about them. They should also be present.”
Tag closed his eyes and, after a moment, opened them, “I sense we should watch this alone first. There will be questions and we need to be prepared to answer them.” Danielle and Cassie looked at Tag and Danielle nodded agreement, “Let us know when you’re ready, Alex.”
• • •
“Alex, this is…is…”
“I know, Grace. It could be the ultimate end of everything.”
• • •
Tag and Danielle sat with Cassie in the large commissary, while they waited for the transfer to complete. Danielle told Cassie several times to slow down, there was more to eat. Cassie was still eating as she replied, “It’s just I’ve learned to eat as quickly as possible, to get as much in as possible, before someone takes it from me.”
“Those days are over, Cassie.” Danielle walked over to the replicator and put her finger on a button. “Cassie, if you want another sandwich, press this button. If you want a burger, press the button under it.”
Danielle went over the various buttons until Cassie finally nodded, “I understand. Aren’t you going to stay with me?”
Danielle glanced at Tag as he said, “We have something we need to do on the bridge.”
“Take me with you,” Cassie pleaded.
Tag shook his head, “I’m sorry, Cassie. This is pretty serious adult-stuff.”
Cassie stared at them in silence and asked after a few moments, “I thought you said I was a member of your family?”
Danielle quickly went to knee in front of her chair, “You are, my Love.”
“If I am, then I should participate in what’s happening. Or are you going to keep me in the dark on everything that happens?” Danie
lle looked into Cassie’s eyes and knew a critical moment had arrived. Cassie said in a very soft voice, “I watched my parents die on a monitor. I don’t think anything you have will ever measure up to that horror.”
“I don’t want you to suffer any more.”
“Then you need to keep me close, so I can know what you’re doing. Not knowing is worse than knowing.”
Danielle looked over at Tag and saw him shrug, “She’s right.”
“But she’s so young!”
“Danielle, it’s like she said, she watched her planet destroyed around her, and her parents murdered. If she were younger, I might feel differently.”
Danielle looked into Cassie’s eyes and saw her determination; if she refused, it would cause a trust issue she might never overcome. She finally sighed heavily and looked up, “Alex, I want a chair for Cassie put on the bridge between our command chairs.”
“Danielle! I wouldn’t do that!”
“Just do it, Alex!”
“Give me a few minutes to make it happen. You can start viewing the material now, while the remainder is downloaded.”
Danielle looked at Cassie, “You have time for another sandwich.”
“That’s ok. I’m full.”
Danielle stood up and took Cassie’s hand, “We’ll walk to the bridge instead of teleporting.”
Cassie smiled and walked with them out of the commissary. Tag took her other hand and whistled a tune.
• • •
They arrived on the bridge and Cassie’s chair was in place. They sat down and Tag turned to Cassie, “We’re going to view data collected in other universes. If you need us to stop the recordings, tell us! Do you understand?” Cassie nodded. “We’ve planned to view everything collected and hold any questions until it’s over.”
“I will be quiet.”
“Don’t hesitate to ask for us to stop if it’s too much and, if it’s something I think you shouldn’t see, I will stop it.” Cassie nodded again.
Tag looked up, “Alex, start the recordings.”
The monitor illuminated and they watched as Atlas narrated what they were seeing. The hours passed unnoticed and Tag glanced at Cassie numerous times and saw she was taking things better than he was. He finally stopped checking on her and stared at the monitor. This was beyond horrifying.
• • •
Finally, Cassie looked at them and said, “I’m sorry, but I’m hungry again.”
The image of the hugely defended Black Planet froze on the monitor and Danielle shook her head and looked at the wall chronometer. Ten-hours had passed and she looked up, “Alex, we’ll be back after we eat.”
“I think we should get some sleep before we see anything else.”
Tag smiled, “Why do you suggest that, Cassie.”
“I know that I miss important things when I’m tired. I’m sleepy and I don’t want to miss anything.”
Tag looked at Danielle and she exhaled a breath she was holding. She looked up at the wall-chronometer and saw it was One in the morning, “I’m tired as well.”
“Alex, we’re going to take a break,” Tag announced.
“I’ll pause the recording until you return.”
Thank you, Alex.”
“Before you go, I want to apologize.” Danielle looked up as Alex continued, “I was wrong about your daughter, she is able to handle what she’s seeing.”
Cassie waved a hand, “Thank you, Alex! I appreciate it!”
Danielle stood up and took Cassie’s hand. Tag took her other hand and they teleported to the kitchen.
Chapter Seven
They sat around the small kitchen table in silence and Cassie noticed Tag and Danielle were distracted by the recordings they saw. Cassie swallowed a bite of her sandwich and casually said, “It isn’t as bad as you think.”
Tag’s eyes narrowed, “You must be kidding me! Did you see how many warships are being constructed on those planets?” Cassie raised her right shoulder and nodded as she took another bite of her sandwich.
Danielle glanced at Tag and asked, “Cassie, why do you think it’s not as bad as we think?”
“I’ve seen our small warships attack and destroy a hundred of the black warships that were waiting to attack Ross. They can build them even faster but our ships can still take them out. Those black ships aren’t the real problem…we can handle them,” Cassie said calmly as she took another bite of her sandwich.
Tag saw Danielle glance at him as he asked, “What do you see as the problem?”
“Those, what do you call those energy things?”
“Dark Energy Creatures, DEC’s for short,” Tag answered.
“Well, they’re a bigger problem than those black ships.” Tag saw Danielle tilt her head slightly and then heard Cassie say, “And the ones that are killing the black ship’s planets might be a bigger problem as well.”
Tag’s head went back and Cassie saw his surprise at her remark. She raised her shoulders and quietly said, “They can’t be building that many ships just to attack us.”
“And just how do you know that?” Danielle asked.
“They wouldn’t have all those defenses built around their planet, if they were, would they?” Cassie looked at them and shrugged, “I mean there’s more ships above that planet we saw than are here, at least that what Atlas says.”
Tag looked over at Danielle and thought about what Cassie was saying. “Cassie’s right, they are being attacked by another civilization,” Tag agreed. “I suspect that’s why Atlas wants us to hold our questions; they’ll show up later.”
“Tag, we need to start fast-forwarding the video. Atlas hasn’t condensed the content.”
Tag nodded, “We’ll do that after we get some sleep. Cassie, you need to go to bed.”
Cassie yawned, stood up, and hugged each of them, “Good-night. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Cassie left for her quarters and Danielle turned to Tag, “She’s seeing things we’re missing!”
“She doesn’t carry the fate of our universe on her shoulders. We see those manufacturing facilities and are only focused on the threat they represent to us; we’re not thinking clearly. She’s right about sleeping on it.”
Danielle sighed, “Cassie is not a child.”
“No, she isn’t,” Tag agreed. “She had her childhood stolen by what she’s been through; she’s aged a lot more than your normal thirteen-year old. I suspect we’ll find out what’s going on tomorrow.”
“Let’s go get some sleep.”
“Right behind you, Danielle. I’m going to clean up the kitchen first.” Tag cleaned things up and teleported to their quarters. Danielle was already asleep and he was careful not to wake her as he crawled into bed. Cassie was right. They still didn’t have a way to handle the DECs and the nightmare they were seeing in the Black Ship’s universe was far worse than he imagined. Tag didn’t have the heart to tell Cassie that the Primes were more powerful than the black ships they destroyed above Ross but the ships being constructed in the Black Universe were more than twice as large with larger blasters. The Primes would be heavily outnumbered and winning that fight was far from certain. He closed his eyes and tried not to think about it. Sleep didn’t come easy…but it did eventually take him.
• • •
The next morning, they gathered on the bridge and Danielle raised her eyes, “Alex.”
“Yes.”
“Just how long are these recordings?”
“I have a little over six-weeks of recording’s Atlas made.”
Tag rolled his eyes, “Alex, we need to speed this process up! I want you to only show us the most important things and skip through the least important things.”
“Tag, there’s an easier way to do this.”
“What is that, Grace?”
“Just put on the black transfer-bands and we’ll transfer everything in less than four hours.”
Cassie giggled, “Oh, Goodie!”
Danielle looked at her, “If you think I�
��m going to allow you receive a transfer of data I can’t control, you have another thing coming!”
“But MOM! I can handle it!”
“I’m going to have to take a look at it first. I’ll consider allowing you to see it, after I make sure it’s ok.”
With a heavy sigh, Cassie said, “All right. I’m really thankful you trusted me to watch the videos with you yesterday.”
Danielle looked up, “Atlas, were you planning to hang around for six-weeks while we viewed your reports?”
“What is six-weeks against a million-years? I’m examining then as well.”
Tag opened a small panel in the arm of his chair and pulled out a black band, wrapped it around his head, and tightened it. He saw
Danielle and putting on her band and once it was in place, Danielle looked up, “Is there something you can give Cassie to see while we’re doing this, Alex.”
“I have the records of everything that’s happened since you arrived back at the Realm?”
Cassie’s eyes widened and Danielle smiled, “Make it last until our transfer is complete.” Danielle opened the compartment on Cassie’s chair arm and pulled out the black band. She showed Cassie how to put it on and then reclined her chair. Tag was already reclined and Danielle reclined her chair before ordering, “Alex, start the transfers.”
The three Gardners closed their eyes as the data began flowing into their minds. Alex was glad Cassie wasn’t seeing what was on the remaining recordings; he didn’t expect Tag or Danielle would approve her seeing it. He wished he hadn’t seen it. But he did and knew what lay ahead. Hiding in the Dark Dimension didn’t seem like such a bad thing now.
• • •
The transfer finally ended and Alex waited as Tag and Danielle’s mind processed the information into a form they could understand. He kept Cassie’s transfer going, while waiting for them to regain consciousness. Fifteen-minutes later, Tag’s eyes opened and he raised his chair, as he glanced at Danielle, whose eyes were still closed. “Most of the data involved military and weapon technology; your mind is better suited to process it,” Alex announced.