by Saxon Andrew
“I need both of you to space yourselves in a triangle above the planet so that you can see the other two ships.” The two ships jumped and Alex said, “BC, you and Greyson link with me.” A blue field appeared around the planet. Tag said, “Do you think this will stop them?”
“I’m hoping it does.”
“Are you planning on us firing at them?”
“Only as a last resort.”
Tag smiled, looked at Danielle, and said, “That’s how it always starts. Don’t fire at the nice attackers. Just hold them off. Then it turns into shouting, cursing, and firing.”
Danielle said, “I’ve never heard you use swear words.”
“You know how it goes; I say to myself I say.”
“Well, behave.”
“You know I will; it’s those bugs you have to worry about.”
Danielle shook her head. After a moment she said, “I’ve missed this.”
Tag nodded, “You have no idea how much I agree with you.”
Alex said, “Amen to that.”
• • •
Jixie looked at Sam and said, “The Senior has just said something that Ken needs to hear.”
“Patch him in.”
“Ken.”
“Yes, Jixie.”
“The Senior has been studying the psychic field around the planet and he thinks that he and the rest of the people can add power to it.”
“Are you serious?”
“He seems to think he can.”
“Will he have to use the ships to do it?”
“No, he says the people can just direct their mental energy into it.”
“Did you hear that, Alexander?”
“I did. Why don’t we try this by just adding a small amount of support and see what happens.”
“The blue field suddenly intensified and turned deep violet.”
“Hey, hey, hey; I said just a little.”
Jixie said, “That was only the Senior supporting it.”
Alex said, “Grace, is it adversely affecting our systems?”
“No, it appears to be only happening in the field.”
“Then back off the power we’re using and see if the field loses intensity.” Tag watched the field and said, “Are you reducing power yet, Grace?”
“I’m only using enough power to keep it active. Evidently, the people below have an extraordinary amount of psychic power.”
Ken said, “Tag, you have an ability to sense danger. What are you sensing?”
“I believe that the people on the planet have just removed any danger to us or them. However, do you really intend to not kill the creatures that are going to attack?”
“That is my hope. Why do you ask?”
“There was an ancient device on Earth that was used to control flying insects that would sting and bite. It was an ultraviolet light that would attract the bugs into an electrical diode and fry them. It was called a bug zapper. I know about hornets. I had a little run in with them as a child. What do you think they’ll do if they can’t hit the planet from above?” Ken was silent and Tag said, “I think you have just created one heck of a giant bug zapper around the planet and when you kill one hornet, millions are going to come to the funeral. If they all come, you’ll have to fire on them or the planet could be destroyed if they all slam into the field.”
Pixie yelled, “Here they come!”
Thousands of Hornets appeared and began circling the planet at high speed. They appeared to be confused by the blue field that prevented them from seeing the beings they had scanned on the planet’s surface. They flew around the planet and then one of them fired a white ball at the blue field. It hit and a massive explosion erupted from the field’s surface. Tag said, “Grace?”
“It was strong but not enough to break through.”
Tag said, “You need to get more support for the field.”
The Senior heard Tag and designated fifty of the elders to add their support. The field went to deep violet. The thousands of Hornets began firing thousands of white balls at the field and the explosions moved across the surface of the violet colored field in white flames. Suddenly one of the Hornets turned and accelerated into the field at high speed and the explosion rocked the field. The Senior called for a hundred more to add support.
Tag watched the field grow even stronger and said, “One of them has died. Now the others will follow his example.”
The thousands of Hornets turned and flashed in on the field and the entire surface looked like hell had erupted from the surface. Alex said, “Those creatures are really ticked off.”
Tag looked at Danielle and she said, “Ken told us they don’t possess intelligence.”
“You don’t have to be intelligent to be angry.”
“How do you know they’re angry?”
“Listen to them.” Tag and Danielle heard the high frequency buzz increase in volume and move up the scale until it was almost too painful to hear.
Tag said, “You’re right, Alex. Now it’s just a matter of time until the whole nest show up.” Tag knew the creatures were only protecting their home and were not given intelligence to learn when they should back off. At least the Captors were able to reason their way out of being killed. He said, “I believe that if all of these creatures crash that field it might fail. We might be forced to open fire on them.”
Ken said, “I really don’t want to do that.”
Tag shook his head, “You are sometimes not given a choice in the matter. If it comes down to you or them living, you’ll have to choose you.”
Ken said, “There has got to be another way.”
Tag shook his head and said, “Alex, feed full power to the beams.”
“They’re coming online.”
Danielle said, “Tag, there’s got to be away to drive them away without killing them.”
Tag thought a moment and noticed that the bridge had become silent after the Hornets had crashed into the psychic field. He smiled and said, “Ken, do you have access to an Algean?”
“Why?”
“There was another device that was used to keep troublesome insects away. It emitted a frequency that made them leave.”
Ken saw the pattern slam in place and he said, “Pixie, can you contact anyone in our Creation?”
“No, but Jixie probably can.”
“Jixie, can you contact Sprigly?”
“No, but the Senior should be able to do it.”
“Patch me through to him.”
“She doesn’t need to do that. I can hear your thoughts.”
“I need to contact an Algean in my creation named Sprigly.”
“Show me in your mind where he is located.” Ken focused on the location of Sprigly’s lab and he heard, “Go ahead.”
“Sprigly!”
“Ken, what’s up?”
“I need your help. I’m at Jixie’s home world and it is being attacked by the Hornets.”
“Then get out of there!”
“We’re holding them off at the moment but they will be here momentarily with the whole nest. I need you to record the sound they make when they’re attacking and send me the frequency that would cancel that sound out.”
“Play it.”
Sprigly heard the high frequency sound and put it into his computer. He watched the sine wave develop and found the opposite wave. He played the two and they canceled each other out. “Put this frequency into your panel.”
Ken entered the numbers one by one and after the last one Sprigly said, “They will probably not like that particular sound.”
“We can only pray.” Ken thought, “Tag, Sam, I’m sending you a frequency to broadcast when the Hornets return. Play it at high power.”
Tag said, “They’re back. What did I tell you about the funeral?”
Ken looked at his display and saw at least twenty million of the giant creatures. “BC, if all of them attacked the field simultaneously…”
“I don’t think it would hold up.”
/> “Start playing the frequency and continue to add power to the broadcast until something happens.”
The twenty million plus Hornets began flying at an extreme speed around the planet. The entire planet was inside a giant globe of them. “BC increase the power.”
The first Hornet rushed in and hit the field causing a massive explosion. The death of the Hornet appeared to cause the others to become extremely agitated and thousands of them turned and rushed toward the planet. Just before they arrived they turned and flew away at an even higher velocity. “Play that frequency at full power!”
The frequency was so loud that the ships could feel it through their hulls. The energy vibrated the ships and they saw something happening. The Hornets tried to move in but would turn away in obvious agony when they came close. They shuddered and convulsed every time they rushed in. The sound expanded and the people on the planet added power to it. Soon the Hornets were rushing away from the planet at an incredible speed. They gathered in the system more than forty thousand miles away and turned together and rushed toward the planet. They made it to twenty thousand miles and then turned, flew away, and disappeared.
Danielle watched them go and smiled, “See, it doesn’t always end in fighting.”
Tag shrugged, “Do you think those creatures don’t feel what we did? Oh we fired on them alright.”
Danielle stood and hugged Tag, “I always seem to love you more after something like this.”
Tag kissed her and said, “Hey Alex, would you and Grace like to go with us this time.”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
“How bout you, Grace.”
“It was so peaceful when he was asleep.”
Alex said, “You can stay if you want.”
“No, I’ll go.”
Alex grumbled, “They couldn’t make you stay.”
“That’s true.”
• • •
Ken waited for the Hornets to return but after several hours they did not appear. “Senior, I think it’s over.”
“It won’t matter if they do come back.”
“Why is that?”
“Because we can create the blue field and we can also produce that frequency. We thank you for coming to our defense but we can handle it from now on.”
Pixie jumped in Ken’s arms and he kissed her deeply. “Hey, I guess you’re done with us.”
Ken looked at Pixie and she jumped them to the Kosiev’s bridge. Sam and Jixie appeared right behind them. Ken said, “We’re about to go back to the Realm. I know everyone there will want to see you.”
“The only ones that know we’re here are the four of you. That is how it’s going to have to stay.”
Sam said, “Why?”
“You will have to face this same situation in the future. If you don’t leave, there will never be growth. We learned that a civilization will be patterned after its rulers and will stagnate in that form. The Realm has become more than we could have ever made it and our time is over.”
Jixie looked at Danielle and said, “I look pretty good.”
“You know it sister. I’m flattered that you chose me.”
Tag said, “Tell the Realm that you lost the Kosiev. I’m taking them with me.”
Ken slowly shook his head, “What are you going to do with this ship?”
Tag shrugged, “We’re getting back in the fight; there are still aggressive civilizations out there. You’ve removed the really nasty ones so we should be able to handle any that remain. However, if you need us, just get Atlas to come tell us.” Sam and Ken stared at the original rulers of the ancient Stars Realm and Tag saw their expressions, “We’re really not that special. We’re just a man and a woman that did what had to be done. Escaping the worship was another reason we disappeared.”
Ken smiled, “You’re probably right but from where I stand, you deserve your legendary standing. Thank you for helping us.”
Tag smiled as the four teleported back to their ships. Jixie said goodbye to her people and then jumped the two psychic ships into orbit above Ross. They contacted Greg and teleported down to Castle Gardner where Greg, his family, and all of the staff had a riotous welcome home party. During the loud music Ken pulled Pixie close and said, “Are you too young to get married?”
“You need to ask my parents.”
“Really?” Pixie nodded and Ken squared his shoulders and went over to Sam and Jixie. They turned to him and he said, “I want Pixie to marry me. Is she old enough?”
Sam and Jixie looked at each other and said, “You should ask her.” Sam rolled his eyes and turned around and found Pixie right behind him. She came into his arms and said, “Yes, I’m old enough and yes, I’ll marry you.” The party took on a new intensity that almost rivaled the celebration on the streets of Ross the next day when the engagement was announced.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The four found themselves standing on the tallest spire two days later looking out at the city. Jixie said, “I’ll never get used to the beauty of this planet.” Ken nodded as he stood behind Pixie and had his arms around her. Jixie turned to Ken and said, “How did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That the psychic ships could save my people and that we would be able to operate them.”
“Oh, that was Pixie’s doing.”
“What did I do?”
“You made me see the pattern that I was missing.”
“How?”
“You pointed out that the Creator always had a way to work around any obstacles. She would not create a species that could get out of control. You made me see that there had to be something that could stop the Hornets.”
“Yes, but I didn’t say anything about the psychic ships.”
Ken shrugged and said, “I wish I could explain how patterns appear to me. Once I knew that something existed that would stop the Hornets, I began seeing how things had changed over the years and they led me to see the ships were the answer.”
Sam said, “What things?”
“Well, for starters, the members of the Royal Family lost their psychic abilities. It begs the question as to why that happened. What was the main change that happened when they lost those powers?”
Sam looked at Pixie and Jixie and shook his head.
Ken smiled, “The psychic ships could no longer be used. That led me to ask, why would the Creator want that? Why would she want the Realm’s most powerful weapon taken off the table?”
Sam stared at Ken and then at Jixie who just shrugged, “Ok, I give up; why would she want that?”
“Those ships would not survive against the final three species. They would have been destroyed if they were used against them. She knew they had to survive in the event the Hornets got out of control. She removed our ability to use them in order to prevent their destruction.” Ken saw their confusion and said, “Sam, you became psychic just before my abilities were unlocked. The two of us would now be able to fly the psychic ships with the help of Jixie and Pixie. Those ships could have been used to kill the Hornets if things got out of control. It was a last resort plan she put together but she saw that the end game was upon us. Once the three final nasty civilizations were eliminated, there was no longer a need to use the psychic ships. She would have allowed the Hornets to destroy Jixie’s civilization. She would not run the risk of harming a species that had only done what she had created them to do.”
“How did you know about Thomas and Danielle Gardner?”
“That was your fault, Sam.”
“How?”
“When you told Jixie that you didn’t want to live a million years unless she was with you; it started me thinking. If you were to live a thousand years, would you still be a Duke in the Realm? The thought that hit me was to wonder if that had ever happened before. I then remembered that Tag and Danielle had extended lives and I looked in my memory and nowhere in the Realm is there a grave for either one of them. That told me that you would be forced to disappear just like they
did.”
The four stared at Ken and he said, “The rest was obvious.”
Jixie shook her head, “If you say so. However, I’m so thankful you found a way to save both species.” Jixie looked at Pixie and smiled.
“What?”
“I told your father when I discovered I was pregnant that you would be the greatest warrior the Realm ever produced. I was wrong.”
Ken nodded, “The Ultimate Warrior is Thomas Gardner. Even when saving life he is the strongest. It was he that saw the field would kill the Hornets and it was also him that gave us the idea of using the frequency to stop them. He sees patterns that I miss. His abilities are far beyond all of us. I have no doubt that if killing the Hornets was called for, he would have done it. He has never been defeated in battle and I suspect he never will. He was the reason the Creator allowed us to take the ships.”
Pixie said, “What!”
“She saw him arrive. She knew he would do the right thing and she trusted us to follow his lead, which we did. He was her first creation to defend her and that is why he is still alive. We are safer because he exists.”
Jixie said, “And Danielle?”
“She is his heart. He would be too dangerous without her and he knows it. She is what grounds him. The two of them are one creation and the Realm owes its existence to them. He doesn’t have a large ego. He’ll never see that he is a giant among normal men. And somehow, that’s the way it should be.”
Sam looked up at the stars, “What happens now?”
Ken smiled, “We go out and end this war. The fight for creation is now drawing to a close and we will live in peace to raise our families and never have to mourn those killed in battle again. The Creator is well and the music is loud. This will be the time where future historians will say the golden age of the Bristone Realm began and they will be right. The future is bright and we are going to be able to see it for centuries to come. I’m excited at the prospect.”
The four looked up at the stars and could hear them singing.
Epilogue
Vremel flew in to the clearing and landed next to Eyes. The giant Cat stretched and rose to his feet, “Have you decided?”
Vremel said, “Are you sure you don’t mind sharing this planet with us?”