Gregor's Run: The Universe is too Small to Hide

by Saxon Andrew

  Gregor smiled, “More than you think.”

  “Why did you contact me?”

  “I’m concerned that you put all humans in the same bucket and I want to make sure we have an understanding about just who your real enemy is.”

  “I’m not sure what you’re trying to say.”

  “If you decide that humans are a real danger to your species, what will you do?”

  “If you’re so smart, why don’t you tell me?”

  “You’ll take your fleets to Earth and kill everything on the planet.”

  “I guess you’re smarter than you appear.”

  Gregor chuckled, “I used those exact words not long ago. However, what if a few thousand Venzel Warriors decided to attack Earth and we decided to come to your civilization and bombard it into ashes?”

  “I think I understand what you’re saying. Billions will die for the actions of a few.”

  “Something like that.”

  “But that couldn’t happen in my species.”

  “Come on. There must be some of those under your rule that say they are working on projects to improve your planet and they sound like they are working toward a noble end.”

  “Of course there are. There are hundreds of groups working to improve our way of life.”

  “And if one of those groups is pretending to be doing good things but is actually working a secret agenda…”

  The Monarch looked to the left momentarily and turned back, “Ok, you’ve made a point. But often the whole is endangered by the few.”

  “That’s why we’re having this conversation.”

  “And if I say that I don’t care about the ones not participating in this charade?”

  “Then I’ll destroy your three ships here and allow your civilization to be destroyed by that secret organization.”

  “I have more ships arriving shortly.”

  “They will also be destroyed.”

  “You sound pretty confident you can do it.”

  “How did I shut down your ships’ reactors?”

  The Monarch looked to his left again and appeared to be listening. He turned back to Gregor and lowered his huge head, “And what if I agree to not place those outside of this secret organization in jeopardy, and then change my mind?”

  “You won’t do that?”

  “And you know that because…”

  “I’ve looked up everything there is to know about your civilization, Majesty. I have to say that for the most part, I’m appalled at what I learned but there is one thing that I greatly admire about you.”

  “What is that?”

  “The Venzel Civilization has never signed a treaty or agreement with any other civilization.” Gregor saw the Monarch’s eyes narrow. “And the reason you’ve never done that is because every civilization knows that if your Queen makes an agreement with anyone, it will not be violated. A treaty or signed document is never needed when dealing with you species. However, an agreement from you Queen is needed to insure it is followed.”

  Suddenly the image on Gregor’s display changed and he saw another Dragon that was different from the Monarch, “I must say that I am impressed by your knowledge about me.”

  “Thank you, Majesty.”

  “I’m still not clear on what you are demanding.”

  “I’m not demanding anything, Majesty. I’m offering to reveal the danger you’re facing if you are willing to only attack those particular humans that have placed your society in danger.”

  “And you are not one of those humans?”

  Gregor smiled, “I’m reasonably certain that your sources have told you that there is a death warrant out on me by that organization.”

  “So you’re doing this to protect yourself.”

  “No, that’s not my motivation, I can take care of myself. I’m doing this to defend my species just like you would in similar circumstances. Most civilizations have those that do not represent the vast majority of beings in it. Criminals are one example of those with aberrant behaviors. This secret organization is another example.”

  “And you’re certain you can destroy the ships I’ve sent against you?”

  “I am.”

  “If you can prove that, I am willing to make an agreement with you.”

  Gregor hesitated, “So you’re telling me that if I destroy the ships you sent here to capture me, you’re willing to make an agreement with me.”

  “I do not make agreements lightly.”

  “I really don’t want to kill your warriors without reason.”

  “There is a reason; you want an agreement.”

  “Gregor, three more Dragon Warships leaving the filament.”

  Gregor sighed and shook his head. He looked at the Queen and said, “Will you agree that my blasters are capable of destroying your warships?”

  The Queen looked to her right and then turned back, “It does appear that they are more powerful than those on my ships.”

  “Then what about this? I have two ships here and I’ll allow the three ships moving in on me to fire at us without returning fire. If they can’t harm my ship, will you make the agreement?”

  The Queen’s eyes lowered and she looked deadly, “Now you’re being insulting.”

  “No, I’m not. If your warships can’t harm me, will you make the agreement? I have no desire to kill those that cannot defend themselves.”

  “If you allow my ships to fire on you and you survive without returning their fire, I’ll make the agreement.”

  “These three I’ve captured will not be allowed to participate in the attack and I won’t destroy them. They were sent into a situation far beyond their control and they’ve shown great bravery and restraint in their actions. I will allow them to restore power and move away if you will order them to stay out of the attack.” The Queen hesitated and considered the suggestion and Gregor said, “Trust me on this, you’re going to need every warrior and ship you possess to use against what’s coming.”

  “Ship Master.”

  “Yes Majesty.”

  “You will move away and stay out of the fight.”

  “Yes, Majesty.”

  Gregor activated his link, “Release them, Kaylee.”

  “Gregor, are you sure about this?”

  “Release them! Now that we know our blasters are far more powerful than the Dragon’s, I feel highly confident the force field can handle them.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it wouldn’t be worth installing on their ships if it couldn’t handle the load of their own blasters.”

  “I’ve allowed them to activate their reactors.”

  “Gregor, the first three warships are moving away,” Gregor’s computer announced.

  Gregor turned back to the display, “I will wait here for your ships to attack my two vessels. We will not shut down their reactors.”

  The Queen smiled, “Then you are dead.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Gregor watched the three Dragon Warships moving toward him and once again marveled at their beauty. He looked at Kaylee on his display and said, “Move your ship away from my ship, Kaylee.”

  “What?!”

  “I really believe my force field can handle them but I can’t risk losing you.”

  “I won’t do it!”

  “Kaylee, we have to do what’s necessary to prevent the Movement from taking control. If all else fails, we might have to end the filaments going to Earth. Only you can do that, I can’t. I can’t risk losing you.”

  “But…”

  “He’s right, Kaylee,” her computer said.

  “You’re only saying that because you have to protect me.”

  “No, I’m not. What Gregor is saying is sound strategy. Are you going to accept it or continue to resist doing what’s necessary to stop the Movement?”

  Kaylee looked up and screamed as she hit the side thrusters and moved away. Gregor heard the Queen quickly say, “What are you doing?”

  “I just feel that only usin
g one ship against your three is a better demonstration.”

  “Oh, that makes sense. Are you prepared to die?”

  “I’m always prepared, just not packed properly.” The Venzel Queen stared at him and then started laughing as the three Dragon Warships flew in and opened fire.

  Gregor watched as the force field slammed around his ship and the Dragon’s blaster beams flashed on it. Gregor closed his eyes and gripped the arms of his chair expecting the worst but nothing happened. He opened one eye and looked at the scanner monitor. The three Dragon ships were stopped outside the force field, firing all their blasters at full power.

  • • •

  The Monarch watched the giant monitor on the wall and started shaking, “THAT SHIP HAS A FORCE FIELD!!”

  The Queen looked up and her jaw dropped. She looked at the Male, “Is that possible?”

  “No, Majesty, it is not!”

  The Queen turned back to the monitor, “Then someone needs to tell that human.”

  • • •

  Gregor watched the beams hitting the force field and said, “Can you attenuate the blaster so that it only fires a harmless beam?”

  “Give me a moment.” Gregor waited and his computer said, “I think that does it. What do you want me to do?”

  “I want you to start firing that beam at the three ships attacking us and for good measure fire it at those first three warships.”

  “They’ve moved a long way out.”

  “Can you hit them or not?”

  The computer smugly said, “I love a challenge.”

  • • •

  The Monarch and Queen watched as a brilliant beam shot out of the small ship and started hitting the three warships attacking it and also hit the three ships that had been ordered out of the attack. The Monarch sat down on his throne, “He’s showing us that he could destroy our ships if he chose to do so. He’s already hit all six ships ten times each.”

  The Queen pushed a button and said, “Stop the attack and back away.” The three attacking warships turned, flashed away and fell into formation with the first three Dragon Warships.

  Gregor looked up, “Can we handle six of their ships attacking us?”

  “Probably not, Gregor.”

  “If they start moving toward us, use the blaster at full power against them.”

  “They won’t be doing that, Gregor.”

  “Why do you say that, Computer?”

  “Because Kaylee has moved her ship back next to us and has her blaster exposed for them to see.”

  Gregor looked out of the starboard viewport and saw the ship next to his with the force field on. He smiled and activated the channel on his console showing the Venzel Queen. The Queen said, “It appears you have your agreement.”

  Gregor smiled, “Majesty, do you know what negotiating in good faith means?”

  “Of course.”

  “That must happen in order for both parties to trust the other.”

  “I realize that.”

  “You made a mistake.”

  The Queen’s yellow eyes narrowed, “And what was that?”

  “You didn’t ask what the agreement was, you only agreed to accept it.” The Queen’s eyes went wide and Gregor continued, “I could ask that you never attack another human and you would be forced to agree or violate your promise to honor our agreement.”

  The Queen looked at the Monarch who sighed, “He’s right. We didn’t specify what he wanted us to agree on. He can now ask for whatever he wants and we’ll have to do it.”

  The Queen turned back to Gregor with a snarl on her lips, “What is it that you want?!”

  “That’s what I mean by negotiating in good faith, Majesty. Both of us knew without it being said that I wanted you to not harm the humans outside that organization and that is what I’m asking you to agree on. I will not take advantage of you even though I could and I sincerely hope that you will do the same in any of our future dealings.”

  “Future dealings?”

  “Yes, part of the agreement is that I will do all I can to assist you in eliminating this secret organization.” Gregor paused, “I do have one question, if you don’t mind answering it.” The Queen was shocked that Gregor didn’t use the situation against her and she nodded for him to go ahead. “If you were so worried about what humans were doing, why didn’t you just go and attack Earth?”

  “My sources told me that if I did we would suffer the worst defeat to ever happen in our long history. I knew I had to find out if my source was right. They also told me that you were tied up in what was happening. That’s why we started tracking you. Was my source right?”

  “Every ship in that organization is armed like the one I’m in. What do you think would happen if you attacked?”

  “They all have that force field?”

  “They do.”

  “Then we would have lost most of my warships. What can we do to stop them?”

  “They aren’t ready yet to show their hand. However, there is one thing you can do to slow them down until we can come up with something.”

  “What is that?”

  “I need you to get your fleets out into space. And I want a large number of ships sent to the Zegar Sector and put them around the planet called Bellingham in the Cartian Maps.”

  “Why?’

  “They need some of the inhabitants on Bellingham to complete the elements of what they’re planning. I believe that if they see your ships there, they will back off thinking that you’re there looking for me. I don’t know how long they’ll wait but it will buy us some time.”

  “How can we stop them if they can just shut down our reactors?”

  “They can’t.”

  “What do you mean? You did.”

  “Actually, someone else with me did it and she’s the only one that can. We shut down your ship’s reactors in an effort to have a conversation with you and I thank you for communicating with me, Majesty.”

  She looked away for a moment and then turned back, “I’m sending four hundred warships to this planet. When do they need to arrive??”

  “They need to get there in three days. That’s when the organization will arrive. By the way, they call themselves the Movement.”

  “That’s going to burn a lot of fuel.”

  “I know.”

  The Queen looked away and then turned back, “My mate tells me that he’d rather burn some fuel that have to face a sky full of warships like the one you’re in.”

  “Your mate is wise, Majesty.”

  The Queen looked to her right, “I know. It’s taken me a while to see it. What are you going to be doing?”

  “I want you to send some engineers and freighters to Bellingham to meet with me on the planet’s surface. The humans on that planet are not part of the Movement and I ask that they be respected by your subjects.”

  “I will so order.” The Queen paused, “I will also agree to come to your defense if you need me. I do respect that you acted in good faith and didn’t take advantage of the situation I placed myself in. I believe that you are one I can trust to do what’s right.”

  “Thank you, Majesty. I feel the same.”

  The display went dark and Kaylee appeared on his display, “Where to now?”

  “Bellingham.”

  “Gregor.”

  “Yes, Kaylee.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “Not trusting you.”

  “Kaylee, that woman didn’t mean anything to me.”

  “I know that but that’s not what I’m talking about.”

  “Oh…what are you talking about?”

  “You sent me away because you didn’t want to lose me.”

  “We need you, Kaylee.”

  “That’s not why you did it.” Gregor was silent and Kaylee stared at him out of the display, “You did it because you need me. Everything else was just an excuse to keep me out of danger.” The display went dark and Gregor closed his eyes and blew out a
breath. How did she know?

  “Is she right, Gregor?”

  “Computer, I didn’t stop Emmett from being killed. I’m not going to put Kaylee in danger if I can prevent it.”

  “But you loved Emmett.” Gregor remained silent.

  • • •

  The Leader saw the blue light on his panel illuminate and he quickly pressed the button under it. That particular frequency was only used in an emergency, “WHAT’S WRONG?!”

  “We’re moving toward the Bellingham filament and we’ve scanned more than a hundred Dragon Warships moving ahead of us. Another ship coming in behind me has also scanned another hundred moving toward Bellingham. What do you want me to do?”

  “Back out now and order all your ships to return to their home ports!”

  “What do you think is going on?”

  “Those Dragons have been on the hunt for Gregory and they must have determined that he’s at Bellingham. They just don’t give up.”

  “And if he is?”

  “They’ll never find him and if they are foolish enough to go down to Bellingham’s surface, they’ll leave soon enough. Get out of there and we’ll check back periodically.”

  “Grahame isn’t going to like this.”

  “Then let him overrule me. You don’t have enough ships to take on two hundred Dragon Warships. I’ll contact Grahame and let him know what’s going on.” The display went dark and the Leader fell back in his chair. How could the Dragons have traced Gregory to Bellingham? Was there a leak in his organization? He took a deep breath and pressed Grahame’s frequency.

  • • •

  “It’s a long way to the Zegar Sector if we don’t use our booster’s, Gregor.”

  “I know, computer…but with the coming war against the Movement’s Ships, I don’t want to waste any fuel. The Dragons have made the Movement’s Fleet turn around so we don’t need to rush it.”

  “How did you figure out that the force field would handle the three Dragon Warships?”

  “It’s pretty clear when you think about it. What do you think is going to happen when the Movement tries to take the ships back from their human operators who are unaware of the weapons on board?”

  “The humans on board will be killed by the intruder defenses.”

  “All of them?”

  “What do you mean?” the computer asked.