The Keepers Fleet arrived at the former orbit of Ross and found nothing. Even the moons had disappeared with the planet. The Prime Director began getting calls from the other fleets wanting to know what had happened and what they should do.
The Prime Director felt a touch of fear. “Move your fleets outside the jump band and scan for the planet you targeted. See if it’s located elsewhere.”
The navigator asked, “Do you seriously think the planet was moved?”
“You explain what just happened.”
The navigator was at a loss until eight hours later, when the sensors determined that a planet identical to the one they attacked was now in a galaxy a hundred million light years away. The other fleets also reported identical planets out in the far reaches of this universe.
The Director looked at the Navigator, “Was that planet there when we arrived?”
The navigator looked at the original scan and said, “No, it was not.”
The Director reflected on the level of technology required to move a planet that distance and decided that it had to be verified. “Jump your fleets to the planet that is identical to your original target and attack if it is a match.”
The Prime Director sensed the unease of the millions of Keepers in the fleet, but knew he must carry out his orders. Those planets had to be destroyed. It wondered what other surprises awaited his Fleet.
Col. Cynthia Dodd and Glen David waited for their transportation to arrive. The transports were holding in another universe waiting for the go signal, and Cynthia’s five thousand five-man teams were gathered in the Fleet Auditorium to receive their final instructions. Cynthia stepped on the stage and Glen ordered, “Atenn-shun!” The Red Warriors gathered in the room jumped to attention. Cynthia stared out at the assembly and said, “At ease. Please take your seats.” The warriors sat down and turned on their recorders.
“I have been told that the Keepers Fleet is assembling and getting ready to jump.” The warriors began moving in anticipation of combat. Cynthia continued, “We will not start our campaign until the enemy fleet has jumped to our universe. We believe that to go before their arrival would cause them to target us with overwhelming numbers. I have informed Fleet Command that overwhelming numbers don’t exist as far as we are concerned.”
The warriors shouted, “Hooooo-Yahhhh!”
Cynthia smiled, “This campaign is going to be done completely different from our previous attempts to rescue the enslaved civilizations of the Keepers. In our first two efforts, we attacked the Keepers’ garrisons and pinned them down so our transports could come in and teleport the cities out. Since our last successful rescue, we have developed transports that we believe will be invisible to the Keepers’ scanners. Their hulls reflect all electron and light waves around them such that, like our Searcher’s ships, they will not be detected. They will go in first and snatch the communities into their bays and then teleport away.”
Cynthia paused, then continued, “Now, ordinarily that would be that and we would be merrily on our way. However, we have learned that before we can attack the home worlds of these creatures, we must destroy all of the garrisons on the enslaved planets. That’s where you come in. You have a new mix of weapons, and we believe you will be able to survive one of those thought beams long enough to kill the poor, dumb, son of a Keeper that is stupid enough to fire it at you. We believe we must go down into those garrisons and make sure that every Keeper is dead but also, just as important, if any eggs exist they too must be destroyed. Our scientists are of the opinion that these creatures lay eggs, and there could be millions of them in every garrison. You must go down and make sure they either don’t exist or, if they do, eliminate them.”
Cynthia looked out at the assembly and worried about how many would survive the coming fight. She knew they had been well trained and their weapons were the latest developments of the Spiders and Algeans, but only meeting the enemy would determine if they were prepared. She backed away from the podium and Major David yelled, “Ateennnn-shunn!”
The Warriors jumped to attention and Cynthia exited the stage. As she moved out of the building she heard Glen yell, “Report to your pick up site. Full armor check by team leaders in five minutes.” The room emptied faster than a bucket with no bottom.
Fifty minutes later, five thousand Searchers arrived. The teams boarded their ships and jumped to the Keepers’ universe. Cynthia watched them leave as she boarded her ship. “Where to, boss?”
“Take us to that planet that Jake and Junior met that Keeper entity. I want to see how our warriors perform.”
“That is going to be one of the tougher nuts to crack. The garrison is actually in the middle of the ten cities; one of the largest we’ll be facing in this round of rescues. Hey! That’s why we’re going there. You want to jump in on the action.”
Cynthia smiled and heard, “Ah Ha, I’m right.”
“Settle down, BC. If there is going to be trouble I want to make sure we’re able to observe what happens and offer help if needed. I’m worried that our teams are too small to take on a garrison. If the team can handle this one, I’ll feel better about our chances when we take on the millions of other garrisons. You have the scan of that garrison and I want you to have a good plan to target the main concentrations of their weapons.”
“Way ahead of you, boss. I laid out the scheme a week ago.”
“Why you old scoundrel, you’re starting to know me too well.”
“Takes one to know one. Now let’s go hope we can have some fun.”
“Manny, we’re going to take a trip over to Keepers-land to check on our progress against the garrisons. Send me a message if anything important happens. I think those fleets are going to be chasing our planets for several days.”
“Take care of our Queen.”
“You know I will.”
“By the way, Jake; nice job on the Duke.”
“What… the generator failed. How could we have known it was defective?”
“Yes, it was a shame it also shorted out all of their teleport systems when it failed. Joe and I owe you.”
“Manage the fire while we’re gone, Manny.”
“Will do.”
Valerie looked at Jake, “Jake, I have just one question and then I’ll let this go.”
Jake looked at her and said nothing.
Valerie continued, “Was it necessary for the planet to be destroyed?”
Junior answered, “I’ll handle this one. Yes, for three reasons.”
Valerie looked at the speaker on the wall, “What are they?”
“One, it was the only way to get at the Duke without us having to do it. Two, it was also the only way to cut his forces down to size before the civil war breaks out.”
“What civil war?”
“Don’t play dumb, Valerie. You know it’s coming. His son will now insist on assuming the Duke’s position and you are not going to allow it. You’ve also seen the data on the ambitions of the other Provincial Rulers. It may not start immediately, but it lies in our future. Allowing the Keepers to kill the Duke has bought us time to prepare for what lies ahead.”
“And three?”
“He tried to kill the Realm’s Queen and his planet willingly supported all of his actions. The local population benefited from the exorbitant taxes levied against the Realm’s members in their province and would continue the practice even if the Duke was removed.”
“There was a fourth reason, Valerie.”
Junior said, “What did I miss, Jake?”
Valerie looked at Jake and heard the real reason, “That planet’s destruction is what the Gardners must have seen in their vision. It had to happen before we can find them.”
Junior said, “I believe you must be right. The destruction of a provincial capital by an invading fleet would certainly do the trick.”
Valerie was worried about the heart of a man that could kill a member of the Realm. Now she heard the truth and knew that this was an event that had to hap
pen. Just as her vision could not be avoided, neither could this event. She jumped up and hugged Jake and kissed him deeply.
Jake said softly, “I know, Val. I know.”
Junior watched them and jumped to the Keepers’ universe. Then he teleported to the planet where they had communicated with the strange Keepers entity.
Jake and Valerie continued to hold on to each other.
Lt. Dale Hamlet waited for his ship and looked at the four members of his team. He was one of the survivors that had fought with Jake at the first rescue, and he knew the hell they were about to enter. He realized his new armor was greatly improved since that first fight, but he still remembered the warriors killed in that action. He also knew he was selected for this assignment because of his experience. He looked at Annie Gonzalez and said, “I expect you to keep up. Don’t fall behind.”
“I won’t, Lieutenant. I’ve got your back.”
“Gord, you’ll follow us down. Make sure your packages are ready before we go underground.”
“Armed and ready, sir.”
Dale took a deep breath and said, “We’ve been told our armor will handle their beams for a longer time than our previous suits. Don’t believe them. Do not linger in one of the Keepers’ beams; keep moving. I expect more than a hundred thousand Keepers warriors are waiting under the surface. You have a surplus of armaments; don’t be afraid to use them. If it moves, hit it.”
Terry Robbin asked, “Why don’t we just hit the enemy with a main beam from space and blow it out of existence?”
“Because we don’t know if the eggs will survive the blast. We have to make sure, and that means we have to go and see. The beam strike would make it impossible to determine that.”
Lisa Jerrell said, “Why don’t we just destroy the planet? The communities will be gone.”
Dale shook his head, “Ultimately, it may come to that. But remember that these planets had intelligent life evolve on them before they were conquered. A planet that can sustain life is not something to be wasted. There are numerous species that can one day evolve to become intelligent. We’re charged to defend those that cannot defend themselves. That includes all life, not just life that is intelligent.”
Dale looked up and saw an approaching Searcher heading toward his team. The ship settled to the ground, the landing bay opened, and Ethan Rucker stepped out. Dale immediately recognized the pilot from the first fight and ran forward and embraced him. “I’m glad it’s you taking us.”
“I asked for this assignment. I’ll keep you covered.”
Dale turned to his team and said, “We have a great Searcher taking us. Get aboard. We have a job to do.”
The five Red Warriors entered the landing bay and the small ship lifted.
Junior said, “If you two lovebirds are interested, it appears we have another spectator for the coming attraction.”
Jake and Valerie broke their kiss and Valerie asked, “What?”
“Cynthia and BC are here awaiting the arrival of the transport.”
Jake looked at his display and saw Cynthia’s ship holding station 10,000 miles out from the planet. “I’ll bet Fleet Command doesn’t know she’s here. Can she see us, Junior?”
“No. I’m sure she’s worried about this particular action because of the size of that garrison. This must be one of the Keepers’ oldest conquests.” Junior paused for a moment and then said, “Jake, they have underestimated the size of this garrison.”
Jake felt a sudden dread, “What do you mean?”
“I’m looking at the fleet report on this garrison and it shows it going down ten levels. My scanners are better than anything the Realm is currently using, and I can see there are fifteen more levels they didn’t detect. There are more than three hundred thousand Keepers in that facility. That must be why there are ten communities instead of the normal three or four.”
Valerie looked at Jake, “What are you going to do?”
“I can’t warn Cynthia before the transport arrives because the Keepers will hear the transmission. Unfortunately, the warriors will enter the facility almost simultaneously with the transport’s departure. I’m not willing to call off the rescue and miss saving the ten communities.”
Junior said, “Jake, don’t do it.”
Valerie said, “Do what?”
“Junior, my armor was updated with the new weapons four weeks ago. I’m going to need you and the other Searcher to support us with your needles. Most of that support will have to come from you because the other ship won’t be able to see the lower levels. If it gets too bad you can teleport me out and I won’t block it.”
“Jake, you are not going into that garrison.”
Jake shook his head and hugged her, “Yes I am, and you know I have to go.”
“Why do you have to do it?”
“You would do the same, Val. Junior, I’m going to the landing bay to test my armor. Take care of my future bride while I’m gone.”
“Who’s going to take care of me?”
Jake laughed and left for the landing bay.
Valerie sat down in the command chair and felt her fear rising. She asked, “How is the transport going to take those cities without the Keepers seeing the teleport screen?”
“It is going to use a new process called grab and snatch.”
“What?”
“The transport will project the teleport screen eighteen inches under the soil of the ten cities and the surrounding fields. It will already be in place as the transport arrives a mile above the communities. The transport will then lock the connection and accelerate away from the planet at full speed, pulling the screen up as it departs and teleporting everything above it into the transport’s bay. The only thing left behind will be the orange trinkets the Keepers placed on the population. The screen won’t be visible underground and the Keepers will only see it for a brief moment as the ship leaves the planet. The Warriors will be teleporting in below the screen used to move the cities and begin their attack.”
“Junior, there are too many of them. Jake may be killed.”
Junior gave a sigh and said, “That’s true, but I’ve seen the new armaments and I think they can hold their own until the five Warriors can be rescued if things go south.”
“But six against hundreds of thousands.”
“Seven, Valerie. Cynthia will also be going down. I’ll update her in a few moments as the transport leaves. I’m certain she wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
Valerie sat and worried and looked for the transport to arrive.
“Here it comes,” Junior announced.
The transport teleported to a mile above the ten communities and locked the length of the beam controlling the teleport screen. It fired its drives and accelerated out of the atmosphere, pulling the silver screen up with it as it departed. The screen disappeared two hundred feet above the surface as the huge three-hundred-mile-wide transport disappeared into the darkness of space. Just before teleporting away the transport ejected a frequency generator, which immediately started broadcasting.
“Cynthia?”
“Junior, what are you doing here?”
“No time to explain. The fleet report is inaccurate. This garrison has twenty five levels instead of ten. There are more than a quarter of a million Keepers inside it, and Jake is teleporting down to support the Red Warriors.”
“BC, lock me on Jake’s signal and teleport me down.”
“Cynthia, you have been ordered not to participate in any combat operations.”
“Tell it to the Admiral after you teleport me down. What do you think they will do if I don’t go and try to keep from losing Jake?” Cynthia donned her armor and disappeared from the bridge.
Ethan Tucker was holding station above the garrison when a ship appeared a mile to the west of his position. He heard, “Rescue One, this is the Stars Realm ship Junior, and I am here to support your warriors. I am patching my scans into your system and I need you to handle the east end of the garrison.”
Ethan saw the new scan on his display, “Holy….”
“I know; Fleet underestimated the scope of this garrison. Keep moving and hit anything sticking its head up.”
“You two aren’t going to a party without me, I hope.”
“Oh, hi BC; you take the west end and I’ll handle the middle. Hit the structures that are above ground level.
The surface of the garrison exploded as the three ships began rapidly teleporting to different locations while firing low power needles into the huge Keepers facility.
Dale and the four Red Warriors teleported into the first level of the garrison and arrived in the middle of hundreds of Keepers. Dale released a bundle of the new wasps and watched as every one of the Keepers in the corridor began bursting into bright light and disappearing. Dale watched as hundreds of the brown creatures turned to run, but they could not escape the small, fast moving, darts.
The new wasp was a small Coronado Power Cell that homed in on the thought frequency of Keepers. It would hit, penetrate and release its energy, which was set to completely burn an average sized Keeper. Dale quickly looked at his scanner and was shocked at the number of Keepers coming up from the lower levels.
“Lt. Hamlet, I am taking command of this unit.”
Dale was stunned to hear Col. Dodd, but his amazement increased as the White Demon teleported in to join his team.
Cynthia looked at Jake and said, “Just like old times, huh? What’s the plan?”
“Lieutenant, send a warrior to the each end of this corridor and have them begin launching wasps. Fan out from here and follow my lead.”
Terry and Gord moved quickly down each end of the corridor and fired a bundle of a thousand hornets ahead of them. Jake closed his eyes and looked at the floor. He pointed his right arm down, lowered his wrist, and fired an intense beam into the floor. He then launched a bundle of wasps followed by two hornets. In the corridor under the warriors, the wasps fanned out and Keepers began disintegrating. The hornets turned and headed in opposite directions, homing in on two beam platforms that were moving toward the invaders. The hornets hit the platforms and melted them. These hornets did not explode, risking a cave in, but released intense heat. Every Keeper within fifty feet of the platforms burned.
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