by Saxon Andrew
• • •
Kellie twisted her Prime hard left and barely missed being hit by the blasters from six-Black Ships crisscrossing around her. They didn’t see her because of her masking field but they were doing an excellent job of coordinating their routes to overlap their blaster fire. Her Primes were in a bad way and then she saw the blue field around the Kosiev appear and she thanked Creation; the huge fleet of Black Warships were turning their attention on the Kosiev. She whipped the Prime hard right and blasted a Black Ship into a huge cloud of debris. She refused to look and see how many ships she had lost. That had to wait until later; she focused on her scanner and continued to fight. She was stunned to suddenly see thousands of Black Ships teleporting into the fight on her monitor. She dove and flew at high speed away from a hundred-Black Ships moving directly toward her. She was totally-defensive and had no time to target enemy warships, she flew an erratic course to stay alive.
• • •
Seedel’s twin thought, “Tell him it’s time.”
Seedel thought, “James. You have to send them!”
“Are you sure?” Seedel showed him the image of the battle taking place at Ross and his eyes widened. He lifted his communicator and said, “Sir Kogo, it’s time.”
“Thank the Creator!!” Kogo activated the communicator and yelled, “LANCH NOW!!”
The Kosiev was making impossible maneuvers but was slowly being surrounded by thousands of Black Warships. Grace yelled, “I’m teleporting us out!!”
“WAIT!” Alex yelled.
“Are you crazy?”
“I’ve got them right where I want them!”
At that moment, five-hundred giant Psychic Warships emerged into the ranks of the Black Ships and opened fire with a massive wall of blaster beams. The space around the Kosiev was blasted clear of black ships and Tag was mesmerized by what he was witnessing on the tactical screen. Millions of Primes were jumping in and Black Ships were going up in massive explosions too numerous to count.
Alex shouted, “See, Grace.”
“Alex, tell me honestly, did you see those Psychic Ships coming?”
“Uhhh…”
“I didn’t think so!” Grace snapped back.
Kellie fired and destroyed two-enemy warships directly in front of her as she went vertical and twisted her Prime right just as the Black Ships about to surround her went up in explosions. She jerked the wheel back and went vertical again. She pulled up and saw that there was no need to get back into the fight. The Black Ships were heavily outnumbered; she was too fatigued to continue. She lost count of how many Black Warships she had hit and had been flying instinctively for hours. Taking time to think would have led to a quick death; all she could do was react and run.
She sat and watched the destruction of the Black Ships until the few remaining survivors used their universal drives to jump out. The fight was over. She dropped her head on her steering-wheel and finally asked the question she was avoiding, “Losses?”
Her computer responded, “Two-thousand-four-hundred-sixty-three, Admiral.”
Kelly started weeping and then began wailing, as she was racked by sobs. Ten-minutes later, Admiral Solomon appeared on her monitor, “Admiral Mongovie.”
Kellie used her sleeve to wipe her eyes and straightened up, “Yes, Sir.”
Solomon saw her red eyes and lowered his gaze, “Admiral, I know you’re being ripped apart inside by your losses. I tried to get more ships there to assist you but had all I could do to prevent more Black Ships from jumping into your battle.”
Kellie lowered her head again and sobbed, “So many, Admiral!”
Solomon looked at her weeping and sighed, “Kellie, I sent you to defend Ross because I knew your fleet was the best I have. I want you to think for a moment about how many would have died if the Black Ships managed to attack Ross.” Solomon waited, until Kellie looked up, to gently remind her, “Kellie, were you willing to die to defend them?” Kellie stared at him on her monitor and, then nodded. Solomon looked at her with gentle eyes, “Don’t minimize your warrior’s lives by weeping for their sacrifice. They should be honored and given glory for what they did.” Kellie’s eyes narrowed and Solomon quickly added, “Yes, they deserve your tears. If you didn’t feel this loss, I’d question your ability to command. But they carried out their mission.”
“Does this ever get easier, Admiral.”
“If it does, it’ll be time for you to hang up your wings.” Solomon answered.
Kellie wiped her eyes with her sleeve again and took a deep breath. “I need to contact my sailors, Admiral.”
Solomon smiled softly and nodded. Kellie blew out a deep breath and pressed her fleet’s frequency, “Attack Commanders, report!”
Her commanders began reporting in, by seniority, and many of them were distraught by not being allowed to come earlier. She told them that by reducing the numbers jumping in to Ross, they made the difference in saving the lives of those that survived. She ordered them to be proud of what they did to save their fellow pilots.
At the end, Kellie’s fleet loved their Commanding Officer and, though she tried to hide her tears from them, they saw it in her face. From that day forward, they would follow her into damnation without hesitation. Kellie became a legend in the Realm’s Fleet that day.
Chapter Fifteen
Four-weeks passed without drama and Tag began to wonder if the Black Civilization decided to back off the Realm’s Universe. Danielle was on Ross inspecting the completed construction of Castle Gardner with the engineers and he couldn’t get his mind wrapped around what the Black Leaders might be thinking. He turned on his telepathy module and thought, “Sprigly.”
Sprigly’s Twin answered, “Yes, Tag.”
“Is it possible for you to connect me telepathically to Eyes?”
“Give me a moment to check if he’s available.” There was a pause and the twin said, “Go ahead.”
“Eyes, how are things going?”
“It looked dire around here, about a month ago, but your Primes saved the day.”
“That’s good to hear. I’m still catching up on everything that happened. I need your wisdom.”
“What’s bothering you, Tag?”
“We destroyed the Black Ships in our universe a month ago and I’m unable to sense if they’re going to react to what happened. Do you sense anything?”
“No, I’m not hearing anything. However, I do expect them to return.”
“Why?”
“Tag, our universe is filled with billions of intelligent civilizations that represent a bonanza of raw materials for their factories. I felt their thoughts when they first arrived and they were filled with greed at the riches here. The DECs put a stop to their plans initially but now that the DEC’s stopped attacking their ships, I suspect they are arguing about coming back. They’re uncertain about the DECs continuing their attacks but the risk has to be worth it to them to at least come back and see.”
“I suspect they’ll be coming back with their main battleships next time.”
“I believe you’re probably right, Tag. They know their normal invasion ships aren’t up to handling our forces.”
Tag hesitated before asking, “Are you pretty certain about this?”
Eyes titled his giant head and sent Tag the thoughts of the Black Ships when they first arrived. Tag closed his eyes, while shaking his head, “You’re right. I need to start organizing our fleets.”
“Perhaps you can talk them out of coming,” Eyes suggested.
“What?”
“Tag, they aren’t stupid! You just have to talk to them in terms they understand.”
“All they understand is war and death.”
“Even so. Talk to them in terms they understand,” Eyes replied.
“Thank you, Eyes. Let me know if you hear anything?” The giant cat nodded and Tag thought, “Thank you, Sprigly.”
“Anytime, Tag. Just give me a thought.”
Tag sat back in his command chai
r and thought about what to do. They were coming and this time they were coming loaded for bear! He leaned forward and pressed a button on his console. Admiral Solomon appeared on his monitor and Tag lowered his eyes, “Admiral, what are you currently doing to organize our fleets?”
“One half of them are on active stations at all times. We’re prepared to jump out to any enemy arrival.”
“I want you to issue orders that no ships will jump out to meet a Black Ship invasion without my approval first.”
“Your Majesty, we need to strike before they spread out in our universe!”
“Normal strategy won’t work, Admiral. Issue the order and make sure it’s followed.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The monitor went dark and Solomon fell back in his command chair. The Gardners could be infuriating. This made no sense! He leaned back in his chair, put his hand on his chin, and thought for a long moment. Only sending four-thousand Primes to Ross was also a stupid decision, after the fact. But Tag didn’t challenge him on that order. By stopping the thousands of Black Ships before they could jump to Ross made the difference. He shook his head, still not sure, but realized that he had to trust Tag. He wasn’t called the Ultimate Warrior without reason.
• • •
Tag looked up and asked, “You have nothing to say?”
“Not really.”
“You heard the conversation I had with Eyes?”
“I did.”
“And?”
Alex paused and replied, “Tag, I was pretty full of myself when I jumped into the middle of the Black Ship Formation. I nearly got us all killed when my force field began failing. I agree with you that the next ships the Black Civilization send here are going to be far more powerful than the ones we faced.” Tag slouched in his chair and stared out into space. “What do you intend to do?” Alex asked.
“I’m going to follow Eye’s advice.”
“You think you can talk them out of invading?”
“No.” Tag paused and smiled, “But perhaps Danielle can do it.”
“Are you going to tell her?”
“She works best in the dark, Alex. Haven’t you seen that in the past?”
“Many times, Tag. Grace and I won’t mention it.”
“Connect with every probe in our universe and the moment you detect a Black Ship incursion, teleport Danielle on board and jump to the location.”
“And if you’re not on board?”
“I’m not leaving until they show up, Alex.”
“That could be a while.”
“I don’t think so. It won’t be much longer.”
“Do you sense that?” Grace asked.
“No, I just know from watching Atlas’s scouting reports that patience is not an adjective I’d use to describe the Black Civilization.”
“You make a good point.”
• • •
Two-days later, Danielle was still going through Castle Gardner making suggestions to Lola, when she suddenly disappeared and arrived in her command chair on the Kosiev. Her eyes flew wide open as Tag shouted, “ARMOR UP, NOW!!” Danielle activated her armor, including the helmet this time, and suddenly saw the wall monitor filled with thousands of giant black warships. Her mouth fell open and she heard Tag order, “Alex, do not move in until all of them arrive!”
Danielle jerked her head to Tag, “ARE THE FLEETS MOVING?!”
Tag turned to her, “Not yet.”
“WHY!! WE’VE GOT TO STOP THEM!!”
Tag reached over and took her hand, “Danielle, I want you to communicate with the Black Ship Commander and try to persuade him to back off.” Danielle stared at Tag with her mouth wide open and he said, “Danielle, please try!”
Danielle stared at him and closed her mouth. The numbers of Black Ships were now more than two-hundred-thousand and still they were pouring into the space in front of the Kosiev. Danielle stared at the monitor and said, “Seedel.”
The Twin replied, “Yes, Danielle.”
“I need to use telepathy where every being on every Black Warship can hear. Is that possible?”
“I’ll broadcast your thoughts on a wide pattern.” Danielle nodded and thought furiously on what to say. Pleading wouldn’t work; that would lead to an immediate attack. What did the Black Ships understand? She focused on it and decided that power and fear was the only thing that motivated them.
Alex announced, “I think that’s the last of them.”
“How many?!” Tag asked.
“A million or so.”
“Tag, Admiral Solomon is requesting to launch the fleets.”
“TELL HIM TO STAND BY!!”
“Order sent!”
Tag turned to Danielle, “It’s your turn, my Love.”
Danielle focused her thoughts and asked, “Alex, do you have the location of the Black Fleet Commander?”
“I do.”
“Target the closest warship to him.”
Tag quickly added, “If you fire, move!”
“Understood.”
Danielle closed her eyes and thought, “Before you start invading our universe, there is something you need to understand.”
The Black Fleet Commander heard the thought and asked, “Who are you?”
“Your worst nightmare. However, you do not know what you’re getting yourself into and before you do something you will later regret, you need to consider turning around and leaving.”
The Black Commander laughed, “Now that’s amusing!”
Danielle raised a hand and waved it, “Hit it, Alex”
The giant Black Warship holding position on the port side of the Black Fleet Commander’s vessel went up in a giant explosion rocking the Commander’s vessel. Hundreds of thousands of heavy blasters fired through the space where the Kosiev’s beam originated.
Danielle thought, “You cannot see my ship. You cannot detect any of my fleets. We will destroy you at will.”
The Black Commander sneered, “You will pay…”
Danielle raised her hand, “Hit another one.”
The Black Ship on the starboard side of the Commander’s Flagship went up and debris scattered in all directions from the explosion. The giant fleet opened fire at the location of the beam with no result. Danielle continued, “I hope you’ve been able to determine that if I wanted to destroy your vessel, I am fully capable of doing it.”
“I WILL DESTROY YOU AND…”
Danielle waved her hand, “Hit another one.”
The Black Ship directly above the giant Flagship exploded and the Fleet Command yelled. “I WILL…”
“Hit another one.”
The Black Ship directly below the Commander’s Flagship exploded and the Black Fleet Commander was silent. Danielle waited a moment and scowled; now they saw power. Next came fear. “I only have one ship here and I can continue this all day, but simply attacking your ships here will not stop you. I’m going to do what will stop you.”
The Commander hesitated, before asking, “What is that?”
“I’m going to leave you here to do whatever mischief you want and I am taking millions of warships, just like this one, to your universe and join the Yellow ships attacking your planets. Your defense installations above your worlds will not see us and I will have them systematically removed, which will allow your ancient enemy to destroy your planets.”
“HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT OUR ENEMY!?!”
“I know much more than you think! You won’t be here very long, before your warships are ordered back to defend your final galaxy. You’ll have a front row seat to witness the extinction of your species.” Danielle paused and then continued, “We’ve been watching you for a long time. I understand your need for materials to build your ships and I don’t blame you for your desperation. You’re barely holding on but we will go in and put an end to your war. Trust me, you really don’t want us as an enemy. Simply launch this fleet into our universe and we will attack you where you live! Ten of your planets will die today!”
<
br /> • • •
Later, Danielle would say she had no idea where that number came from, but ten-planets in the Black Universe were being attacked, as she spoke to the Black Fleet Commander.
• • •
Danielle closed her eyes and felt the emotions in the million-Black Warships and smiled; now they felt fear. “Do we need to continue this any further?” The million Black Warships instantly disappeared.
Tag jumped out of his chair and yelled, “WHOOO HOOO! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT! Who says I’m the warrior in the family? You are the cat’s meow!!”
Danielle collapsed in her chair, “A LITTLE WARNING WOULD BE GOOD!!” Danielle snapped at him.”
“You are at your best on the fly! You’ve proven it again!” Tag looked up, “Tell Admiral Solomon to stand down!!”
Tag rushed over, scooped Danielle up, and swung her around in circles. She resisted for a moment and then started laughing. “You’re such a goof-ball! You’re just a little boy!”
“Who loves you more than I can ever express.” He put her down and kissed her deeply. They broke the kiss and Danielle dragged him off the bridge.
Alex said, “Hold their messages, Grace.”
“That’s a good idea, Alex.”
• • •
Tag and Danielle arrived on the bridge, just as the Kosiev arrived above Ross. “Danielle, James has been trying to reach you.”
“Oh, my, gosh! What did you tell him?”
“I told him and you and Tag were discussing the event and attempting to see if you sensed what would happen next?”
Tag smiled and looked up, “Clever, Grace.”
Danielle focused, “Seedel, can you connect me with Emperor Robbins?”
“DANIELLE! WHAT’S GOING ON!?!”
“I’ve had a conversation with the Commander of the Black Ships and persuaded him to leave our universe.”
“How did you pull that off? I was prepared to send the Psychic Ships back in, but Admiral Solomon told me to delay, at Tag’s orders.”
Danielle lowered her voice and said in a terrible Italian accent, “I made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.”
James laughed aloud and asked, “What offer did you make.”
“I essentially told them that if their ships moved out into our universe, I would send every warship we have and go assist the Yellow Ships attacking their planets.” James was silent and Danielle asked, “James…are you still there?”