by Saxon Andrew
“What was that, Father?”
“That he was pure of heart. His intentions were to protect us and he had no ego in doing it.”
Nicole immediately started crying as she stood up and rushed out of the dining room. Victoria jumped up and followed her sister. Scott looked at Meredith shaking his head, “What did I say?”
Meredith shrugged, “I don’t know. I’ve given up trying to figure out what’s going on with Nicole.”
• • • • •
Victoria rushed into Nicole’s room and saw her lying on the bed weeping, “It’s him, isn’t it?” Nicole nodded. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Nicky.”
Nicole lifted her head and sniffed, “Don’t be, Vicky.”
Victoria looked in her sister’s eyes and saw something that had been missing. She dove on the bed and yelled as her own tears started, “I’ve missed you so much!”
Nicole hugged Victoria and said, “I’m back.” The two hugged each other until their tears stopped and their laughter began.
Ping was meeting with Sprigly in his lab when he suddenly felt something sweep over him. He stopped in midsentence and felt his body start tingling all over. He focused on the cause of the feeling and he immediately sensed that Nicole was sending her thoughts and feelings out to him. He had felt them the first time they had almost touched each other but they had vanished after he had rejected her. His smile was huge and his entire body started to glow. Sprigly wondered what was going on but he quickly grabbed a probe and took readings of the field around Ping, “Now that’s what I’m talking about.”
Ping looked at him, “What?”
“I’ve not been able to get a good reading on that energy ball but this field around you is what I believe is used to create them. I can use this.”
Ping smiled and knew that without Nicole, the weapon needed by the Realm might have not been uncovered.
• • • • •
Nicole stood on the tallest spire at Castle Gardner and looked up into the sky. She thought, “I’m waiting for you. I’ll be here when you’re ready.” Suddenly, she felt him and her heart came alive again. She closed her eyes hoping that the feeling wouldn’t end and after an hour she knew it wouldn’t. He had heard her. She ran into the Castle and jumped into her father’s arms and hugged him tightly, “I love you, Daddy.”
“Wha..wha..what’s going on?”
“I just needed to tell you.” She released him and ran out of the room. Scott saw Meredith staring at him and he said, “It looks like we have our daughter back.” Meredith smiled and came over and kissed him. Something had happened.
• • • • •
“Have you received any messages from our incursion?”
“No, there has been no contact with the unit since soon after it entered the other place.”
“That doesn’t sound right. Send a unit through the portal and see what’s going on.”
The giant creature paused and knew there was no avoiding saying it, “The portal has been closed.”
The giant beast went up on its powerful legs and roared, “Who ordered it to be closed!?!”
“It was closed from the other side, Master.”
The giant tusked creature drew its arm back and the messenger closed his eyes waiting for the killing blow that didn’t come. The giant saw the messenger close his eyes, expecting death, and he decided not to kill him because he expected it. The creature sat back down, “What closed it?”
“We’ve been attempting to determine what forces were used to close it but the energy that disrupted it has not been analyzed. Our best scientists have been unable to penetrate its structure to see what composed it.”
“How is that possible?”
“Our scientists are dumbfounded by it, Master. They’ve used every energy probe we have and nothing can break it down.”
“Does that energy represent a danger?”
“The first four scientists that captured a small amount of it were disintegrated when they released it from the portal’s support structure.”
“What are they doing about it?”
“They’re attempting to remove another piece of it with robotic tools.”
“And?”
“Ten robots have been disintegrated. Whatever that energy touches is destroyed.”
The giant leaned back on its legs and considered what he had just learned. “Why was the unit sent there?”
“It was used to probe the defense capabilities of the two strongest civilizations in the other place.”
“Is it safe to say they went in shooting first?” The messenger nodded. “That means those civilizations are more advanced than we thought.” The messenger nodded again. “And now we’ve revealed our presence and have given them a look at our most powerful ships. I suspect they are rather unhappy with our first meeting.” The messenger leaned back and after a moment said, “The initial reports were that our ships were killing them at will with little or no resistance.”
“Something happened to change that.” The messenger remained still and made no move to acknowledge his Master’s remark. “Have the scientists made any statements about the possible civilization that created this energy?”
“They say that if they could create that energy, they could create a portal.”
“Take this information to the other four Rulers and ask them what they think we should do about it.” The messenger lowered his head to the floor and backed out of the huge chamber. The giant beast looked at the reports again and knew that this could not go unpunished. However, he was not going to take on a civilization with that energy alone.
• • • • •
Ping watched Sprigly push a button and a weak green beam shot out of the device on the space platform into space. Ping shook his head in disappointment, “That wasn’t much of a beam.”
Sprigly laughed, “You don’t seriously thing I’d fire it at full power do you?”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“Because it could disrupt space around it; we don’t need to create a rift between normal space and whatever exists under it.”
Ping’s eyes narrowed, “I thought null space existed under normal space?”
Sprigly leaned back showing his disagreement, “Null space exists in a molecule that’s no bigger than the one that set off the Big Bang. No, we really don’t know what exists outside the boundary of normal space.”
“But I thought our ships were capable of moving through the boundary.”
“They are, but they don’t go below it without entering the null space molecule. We’ve never determined what’s below the boundary.”
Ping stared at the tall plant and knew he was out of his league. The telepathic Algeans were the brains of the Realm and, if they didn’t know, it was a sure thing no one did. “Have you tried to see what’s there?”
“I can’t tell you how many experiments we’ve tried to do just that.”
“But you just said the beam would cause a rift in normal space.”
“Our initial trials detected a cut in space time. We’re going to have to fine tune this weapon to make sure something catastrophic doesn’t happen.” Sprigly turned back to his panel and Ping sat in his chair and stared at the young, but old, Algean.
“Sprigly, what was it like to have known the heroes of the fight for Creation?”
Sprigly looked up at Ping and leaned right, “You’re worried about whether or not you can do what’s necessary?”
“I guess I am.”
“They were very much like you, Ping. Pixie was a real laugh a minute and Ken was brilliant beyond belief.”
“Where did they go?”
Sprigly gave a mental sigh that Ping heard, “No one knows. They abdicated their titles and left Ross for an extended vacation and never returned.” Sprigly paused and pointed to a picture in the corner of the laboratory, “I just wish I had been given the opportunity to meet the founders of the Stars Realm.”
Ping looked across the lab at the picture of a young c
ouple sitting in the throne room on Ross. His eyes narrowed and he stood up and went across the room and stared at the picture. Sprigly said, “Now they were the bigger than life heroes of the Realm.”
Ping continued to stare at the picture and said, “I’ve seen them.”
Sprigly stared at Ping and finally said, “In photos?”
“No, in person.”
“Ping, you can’t be serious.”
“The woman came to me and told me that she hoped I would do the right thing and kill myself for the worthless scum I am. Later, the man came and apologized for her remarks. He said she didn’t understand how accepting destiny could be so difficult.”
Sprigly leaned far back and said, “Ping, you had to be dreaming or hallucinating.”
Ping thought about it for a moment and he looked at Sprigly, “Why?”
“They’ve not been seen in more than three thousand years.”
Ping thought about it and said, “I was in a severe state of depression at the time.” He turned back to the picture and said, “They were older.”
Sprigly came rushing around his desk and stood beside Ping, “How much older?”
“They looked to be in their mid-forties.” Ping looked at Sprigly, “Why is that important?”
“There is no picture in existence of the Gardner’s appearing older than thirty. If you were hallucinating, you could have only pulled up things you’ve seen.”
“That’s not necessarily true; I’ve had some nightmares with things that couldn’t have ever existed.”
Sprigly leaned forward, “Perhaps you’re right; besides, what you’re describing is a role reversal for them.”
“Oh?”
“Danielle Gardner was the one with the good heart. Tag was the Warrior. I would think that they would have appeared with Tag reading you the riot act and Danielle smoothing things over.”
Ping looked back at the picture and said, “They were there, Sprigly.”
Sprigly almost quivered hard enough to shake his leaves off, “If what you’re saying is true, you won’t be doing this alone.”
“Why do you say that?”
“They must know what’s happening and are following events closely. I may have my greatest wish fulfilled…I may meet the Gardners.”
Ping sighed, “Trust me; I’d rather have not met them.”
“Speak for yourself. I’d give up a hundred thousand years of my life to see them.”
Ping shook his head and laughed, “Just how long are you going to live?”
“Around a million years or so.”
Ping shook his head, “I don’t know that I’d want to live that long with all that I’ve seen so far.”
Sprigly hit Ping on the back with a branch, “Trust me, it grows on you.”
“So does fungus.”
Sprigly laughed and went back to his panel. Ping continued to stare at the picture and wondered what the former Queen of the Realm thought about him now.
• • • • •
Ping went to his ship that was in orbit above Sprigly’s space laboratory eight hours later and took off his shirt. He was exhausted and he fell into his command chair and closed his eyes. The never ending pressure of worrying about his role in the coming conflict was starting to wear on him. He rubbed his eyes and tried to get the energy to get up and go shower.
“I’m sorry for what I said earlier.”
Ping’s eyes snapped open and he saw the blonde haired woman standing in front of him. “Will you please confirm I am not hallucinating?”
The woman smiled and shook her head, “No, you’re not.”
“Are you Danielle Gardner?”
“I am.”
There were a million questions he wanted to ask but he knew she wouldn’t stay long enough to answer them. He took in a deep breath and said, “I deserved what you said. There’s no need to apologize.”
“Yes there is; I blamed you for doing what I’ve done.”
Ping’s brow furrowed, “What is that?”
“Stepping away from my responsibilities.” Ping stared at her and didn’t know what to say. “I left the Realm long ago and decided that my time was over. I now realize that we could have made a difference in the conflicts that the Realm has endured since our departure.”
“Have you decided to get back in the fray?”
“We really don’t know if we can make a difference in what’s coming.”
“What, exactly, is coming?”
Danielle nodded toward the second chair on the bridge and said, “May I?”
Ping nodded, “By all means, please sit down.”
Danielle walked over to the chair and leaned back, “It’s been a long time since I’ve sat in a Searcher Ship.” She sighed and looked at him, “Do you know the history of the Three Brothers?”
“I’ve read it.”
“Then you’re aware that they were a gift from another Creator.”
“If I remember correctly, that Creator became our Creator’s mate.”
“He did. The gift was given to our Creation to help us overcome those forces of evil that were threatening to overwhelm the Realm.”
“History has surmised as much.”
“What they didn’t see was that his Creation was also under attack from formidable enemies. He hoped that once we defeated those that were attacking here that we would go and help him against those forces in his domain.”
“I don’t remember that ever happening.”
Danielle shook her head, “It didn’t. Now our Creation is going to be invaded by those evil beings. You are a development of both Creators. There is only one of you and, if you’re not successful, the other Creator will probably die.”
Ping shook his head, “I was hoping you could reduce the pressures I’ve been feeling; this information only makes them worse.”
“You will have to learn to live with those fears; I know my husband and I faced them more times than I care to remember.”
“I could use your help in seeing what I need to do.”
Danielle smiled and slowly shook her head, “Quite the reverse is true. You are going to have to see if there is anything we could do to help you. We are secondary to what your quest is. We’re both not certain that we could do anything to help.”
“Would you help me if I needed you?”
“You need to make sure we could make a difference; if we make an appearance, it would create a rather major distraction to your efforts and would possibly undermine your authority. You should really think this through before you decide anything.”
Ping nodded, “I’ll give it some thought; I just feel so alone in this.”
“Then you haven’t found the one that will release you?” Ping stared at Danielle for a long moment and she smiled, “You have found her!”
“Yes, but I sense that we cannot come together yet…I really don’t know why.”
“Follow your senses; they’ll take you where you need to go and once the two of you make contact, I suspect you’ll have everything you need to move forward. We were worried that you had not found her yet.”
“No, I found her. What do you mean I’ll have everything I need?”
“Your abilities will probably dwarf what Tag and I have been given. I suspect you won’t need our help.”
Ping stared at her and something entered his mind, “I won’t need you here; it’s later that I’ll be calling you.”
Danielle stared at Ping, “Did you just see that?” Ping nodded, “Good, that at least gives us an idea of what we need to do.”
“What is that?”
“You’re going to have to develop a defense that will allow your ships to enter the other Creation and take on the violent species destroying it. Without it, they would be heavily outnumbered and outgunned.”
“How do I find out how to develop one?”
Danielle stood up and shook her head, “That is why you are here.” Then she disappeared. Ping stared at the place she had been standing and smiled. He did
n’t know where that thought had come from but he knew that he was being helped by…something. His fatigue vanished and he simply felt tired. He walked off the bridge to take a shower and get some sleep. It was the first time since Mios’ and Jodie’s deaths that he had a peaceful night of sleep.
Chapter Eleven
The Director watched the Elite Engineer give instructions to the team concerning the new weapon ports being placed on their existing ships. He finished and walked over to the Director, “How are we supposed to build ports for weapons we know nothing about?”
The Director shrugged, “We’ve been given the dimensions of the port and how much room will be needed inside the ship. Personally, I didn’t think we would have that much this quickly.”
“You know that by removing our current beams we will be defenseless against an attack.”
“No, there will still be thousands of ships that will not get the upgrades.”
“Why is that?”
“We are going to assist the Realm in removing some very violent species from our universe.”
“Have you considered that we could also be seen as one of those species?”
The Director snorted and laughed, “That was then; this is now.”
The Elite Engineer stared at the Director, “Oh really?”
“Really; we’ve felt a change happening and our desire to expand and attack other civilizations has diminished; have you not felt it?”
The Engineer sighed, “Yes, I suppose I have. What could be causing this change?
The Director shrugged, “Perhaps coming into contact with one that showed us we were wrong. Whatever it is, we need to move quickly and we need the plants manufacturing new ships to have the new specifications installed.”
“I’ll get it done; just tell the Realm we need those weapons to install now.”