by Saxon Andrew
“Threaten those they may go to visit and make sure you remove them.”
“Elder, the Gardners have an important place in our history. This may not be accepted by many of us.”
“You will do as you’re told. Is that clear!”
“Yes, Great Elder, it is.”
• • •
The Kosiev appeared in open space outside a beautiful galaxy. Sprigly looked at the galaxy and said, “So much history happened here.”
Seedel nodded, “I wonder if the Bristone Empire still exists.”
“I don’t know. We’ve been out of the loop too long and there’s so much we don’t know.”
Kogo and Dela stood at the forward viewport staring at the beautiful Spiral Galaxy in the distance. It appeared to be a gleaming gem floating in the pitch-black of space and it was a vision Kogo would always remember. He sighed as he said, “Until Tag and Danielle allowed us to come with them, I had never left our planet. I never saw other stars or galaxies and, since we left, we’ve always teleported into the other galaxies we’ve visited. I’ve not see one like this from a long distance. It’s incredibly beautiful!”
“It’s deceptive from this distance, Kogo.”
Kogo turned and looked at Sprigly, “What do you mean?”
“From this distance, it looks like all the billions of stars are clustered close together, doesn’t it?” Kogo nodded “Yes, it does.”
“Once we move closer to the galaxy, it will fill the viewport and the stars will appear to start separating. When we enter the edge of the galaxy, all we will see is small, distant, points-of-light. All the stars in that galaxy are separated by three or more light years. Even if you teleport to a star, all the others close to it will only be specks of light in the distance, just like they look from a planet’s surface. The only way to appreciate the beauty of a galaxy is from a very, very, long distance.”
Kogo looked back out of the viewport and smiled, “I don’t care; this vision is one I’ll never forget.”
Dela nodded, “You are so right, Kogo. It’s so…beautiful.”
Sprigly saw the wonder in their eyes and realized he had become inured to the sight of galaxies. Their wonder rekindled his imagination about the universe’s size and all the wonders it held.
Sprigly suddenly jerked branches up and said, “ALEX, GET TAG AND DANIELLE ON THE BRIDGE!”
A moment later, Tag and Danielle appeared, “What the hell is going on!” Tag exclaimed.
“Sprigly needs you on the bridge!” Danielle had on her pajamas and Tag was only wearing a t-shirt and shorts. “He says we have something outside the ship’s bow watching us!”
“Alex, I thought we wouldn’t be seen!”
“This being is seeing us telepathically,” Sprigly quickly said from the front viewport.
Danielle rushed across the bridge and looked up at the empty viewport and smiled, “You can reveal yourself, we intend you no danger.”
Suddenly, a giant creature that looked like a giant dragon appeared just outside the viewport. Kogo and Dela backed away from the viewport as they heard mentally, “It’s been a long time since you’ve come to our space, Your Majesty.” Kogo and Dela saw a giant creature floating in space directly in front of the Kosiev’s bow that looked like a mythical dragon. It was huge!!
Danielle nodded and smiled, “It’s good to see the Zord are still here. I assume you are here to protect the Bristone Empire.”
“Not really.”
“Oh?”
“I’ve come to warn you not to go to Bristone.”
“Why?” Danielle asked.
“The Algeans sent a ship here a few hours ago and threatened to attack if the King didn’t report your arrival.”
“How would they know?” Kogo asked.
Danielle waved a hand at him, “They’re telepathic and would see it in the King’s thoughts if we contacted him.” She turned back to the huge Zord, “What’s your name?”
“I’m Vring.”
Tag shook his head, “You are a lot larger than I remember.”
Vring smiled, “I need to lose a little weight. Age will do that.”
“Is Bristone no longer able to handle the Algean Warships?”
Vring sighed and they heard it in their minds, “Long periods of peace will cause one to lose their edge. All of us have not faced danger in thousands of years and our ships are heavily outnumbered by the Algean Fleets. Both sides would lose if a confrontation took place.”
Kogo stared at the giant Dragon and shook his head. Intelligent dragons and plants was just too much to fully get his mind wrapped around. Dela punched him on the arm, “Close your mouth.” Kogo closed his mouth and listened to the thoughts being exchanged.
“Did the Algeans give any ultimatums?”
“They demand the adolescent that disappeared in their space be returned. They also demand to be notified if you arrive in the Empire.”
“Is the King going to report us?”
“Scott Robbins is responsible for the safety of his subjects and he sees no way to avoid a war if he doesn’t comply. He sees no reason not to tell them if you show up.”
“I thought the Realm and Empire had parted ways and agreed to stay out of each other’s business,” Tag thought to the Zord.
“That’s half-true. We stay out of their business and they do what they want.”
“What kind of agreement is that?” Dela asked.
“He who holds the biggest stick makes the rules. We cannot match the Algean industrial capacity and we do not have enough warships to take them on.”
“How do your ships compare to theirs?” Danielle inquired.
“We’re close but we can’t match their reaction speed. My warriors can take them on but we’d probably lose if they sent their entire force against us.”
“Did they mention why they wanted the adolescent back?”
“They didn’t but I heard their thoughts. It appears they fear the adolescent might have memories that would put their Senior Elder in a compromising situation if they came out.”
Sprigly looked at Seedel and she shook her head; she still didn’t remember.
The Zord smiled, revealing long rows of razor sharp teeth, “I can see she doesn’t know anything but that won’t deter them. They are determined to find her and kill her. All the others that her parents produced have been quietly removed.”
Danielle saw Sprigly’s leaves turn red and she knew he was enraged at the Elder’s actions. She smiled and thought, “Does King Robbins know you’re here?”
“No, and neither do the Algeans. They have a hundred warships holding position away from Bristone ready to teleport in to the Capital if you show up.
Danielle looked at Tag and said, “They must have sent their ships the moment Seedel disappeared.”
“That’s the only way they could have arrived ahead of us,” Alex replied. “I did linger for a few moments to stare at the Galaxy with Sprigly, Kogo, and Dela.”
“It’s a good thing you did, Alex. We don’t want to cause an attack on Bristone.”
“What do we do now, Tag?” Kogo asked.
Tag looked at the Zord, “Are the Cats still on El Prado?”
“They are.”
“Is there any risk in going there?”
“No, the Algeans assume you’ll go to the King. Is there a reason you want to see the Cats?” Vring asked.
Tag tilted his head and shook it slightly, “No, the thought just occurred to me. Why do you ask?”
“The Cats are nervous about something. I wondered if you might know what it is?”
“I really don’t know why I asked about going to see them. The thought came from…somewhere else.”
Danielle looked at Tag and turned to the viewport, “Vring, we will not go near Bristone. Thank you for the warning.”
“Your Majesty, I find it unsettling that you suddenly appear when the Cats are getting nervous. Something big must be coming.”
Danielle looked at Tag and then
said to the Zord Ruler, “You might want to go with us to El Prado.”
“I think I might do just that.”
“Alex, take us to El Prado,” Danielle requested.
The Alexander Kosiev disappeared…and reappeared above a beautiful green and blue planet. Danielle smiled, “It appears El Prado has finally healed from the nuclear destruction it endured long ago from the rogue Searcher.”
They heard a voice in their minds, “Indeed it has. We were wondering when you would arrive.”
“You’ve been expecting us?”
“We knew someone was coming. It’s not surprising that it’s you. Please join us.”
“May I bring my crew with me?” Danielle asked.
“By all means; we’ll make sure the Torg don’t bother you.”
Danielle looked up, “Alex…”
“I have the line on where the thoughts are being sent. Are you ready?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I just thought both of you might want to put on some more… appropriate attire, Danielle.”
Danielle looked down at her pajamas and shook her head, “Give us a few minutes and we’ll be right down. Is it all right if Vring joins us?”
“He’s already here.”
“Give us a moment.”
Kogo looked at Sprigly, “Cats?”
“Northern Mountain Cats to be exact. I think you’ll find them interesting. After Kogo saw one of the Cats, he decided that Sprigly’s comment was the biggest understatement he ever heard in his life and doubted he’d ever hear one larger.
• • •
Tag looked at the crew thirty-minutes later and cautioned them, “For those of you who have never seen one of the Cats, don’t be afraid. They’re somewhat imposing but they are intelligent, telepathic creatures and you will be safe in their presence. Is everyone ready to teleport down?”
“Tag, I can listen in from here. If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather stay on board and record what’s being communicated.”
“That’s a good suggestion, Sprigly.” He looked at Seedel, “Do you want to stay here with him?”
“NO! I’m really curious about them.”
Sprigly smiled, “Young Adolescents are constantly looking for new data and experiences.” He looked at Seedel, “I think you’ll enjoy this.”
Tag looked around with a smile and nodded, “Alright, Alex, send us down.”
An instant later, the five appeared in front of the leader of the Cats. Dela and Kogo’s eyes flew as wide open as possible as they stared at the Northern Mountain Cat. It was twenty-feet high at the shoulder and at least eighty-feet long. It dwarfed the Giant Zord sitting next to it. Seedel didn’t have a face to display emotions but her leaves all turned bright green showing her level of shock.
Danielle smiled at the huge Cat, “What’s your name?”
“I’m called Eyes and you are Danielle Gardner; this must be your husband, Thomas Gardner.” Tag nodded. The Cat then looked at the two Cainth and Seedel before smiling as it thought to everyone, “Why don’t we all sit down under the trees and make ourselves comfortable.”
Danielle sat down on the grass and looked up at the giant Ging Tree. “Is this where Greyson brought the Duke?”
Eyes’ head went back slightly, “In fact, it is. One of us killed the Duke before we were given our intelligence. I must say he didn’t die well; entirely too much screaming for my tastes.”
Tag looked far up at the treetop and said, “I understand he was thrown out of the top of this tree.” Eyes nodded. “I think I can understand his volume.”
“Greyson set him up to die and it really didn’t take that long for him to get his revenge.”
Danielle looked out from the base of the tree and saw a huge herd of animals in the distance, “Are those Torg?”
“They are. They know to stay away from this place.”
“They’re smaller than I thought.”
“The males are often fifteen-feet high and forty-feet long. The distance makes them appear smaller, Your Majesty.”
“El Prado had made a great come back from the nuclear-wastelands that once covered the continents.”
Eyes nodded, “Pretty much all of the radioactivity is gone. Some of the sites of the old cities still has a residue remaining but the rest of our planet is clear of it.”
“Vring tells me that you’ve started to get nervous lately.”
Eyes looked at Vring, “Keeping an eye on us, Vring?”
“Of course. And you’ve been looking at our settlements as well. What’s going on?”
The Cat glared at Vring for a moment and turned to Danielle, “You are aware that we can sense the Creative Forces in this universe.” Danielle nodded. “We’ve not felt anything for several millennia and, for the most part, peace has prevailed. We’re starting to feel those forces again.”
“What does that mean exactly?” Danielle asked.
“Something…” Eyes looked up, “…out there is coming. It’s not here…yet…but all of us are thinking that another Evil is growing.”
Danielle stared at the Cat and said, “Do you think the Algeans and the Stars Realm could be that Evil you’re talking about?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Because the Realm and Algeans are in a very small area of our Universe. To cause creation forces, they would have to endanger a much larger area than they currently control.”
Tag was leaning against the giant tree-trunk and he said, “You’re thinking whatever is causing this might be coming from another universe?”
Eyes jerked his head around toward Tag, “We’ve not seen anything here that would cause it. But it could be a force beyond our senses.”
“I thought you could see the entire universe?”
“No, Mr. Gardner. We can see things that we sense but nothing can see all of infinity. If this force is in this universe, it’s a very long distance from us at this moment in time.”
Danielle nodded, “We’ve not seen anything, either, and we’ve traveled to a lot of galaxies and nothing major has revealed itself.”
Eyes continued to stare at Tag, “Do you know something?”
Tag shrugged, “I thought about where this Evil might be and the answer that felt like the best fit was, not here. It might be that it does exist in this universe but most of the creation events were caused by civilizations from another universe.”
“That’s not true,” Eyes interjected.
Danielle’s eyes narrowed as she said, “The Demons, Spiders…”
Eyes interrupted her, “Did come from outside our universe but the creation event that caused the creation of your talents was from evil civilizations in this universe. More than fifty-aggressive civilizations that endangered intelligent civilizations were from this universe when the two of you were born.”
Danielle smiled, “Touché.”
Eyes glanced at Vring as he said, “We’ve pretty much arrived at a similar conclusion. For an enemy large enough to stir up creation forces, it should be visible to us. We’ve been searching for any civilization that would be formidable enough to cause this disturbance and we’ve come up empty.”
Dela asked, “How have you been searching?”
Eyes turned to her and smiled, “We are able to look out into the universe and see what’s happening. There is nothing that has caused us to focus on any particular place in our universe. Normally, Creation Forces would direct our vision toward anything that was a problem.”
“It could be that this evil you’re looking for is able to avoid detection. Can you tell how much time we have before this…evil…appears?” Kogo asked.
“The creative forces we’ve been sensing are not strong, which would suggest that we have some time; they’ll get stronger as the event moves closer to happening.”
Tag sat down, “We need to find out what we’re up against to prepare for it.”
Eyes nodded, “We are unable to see outside of our universe
. I find it interesting that you suddenly arrive in a ship that is capable of moving between universes.”
Tag raised his eyebrows, “Don’t rule out an arrival from another dimension.”
“DO YOU SEE THAT?” Danielle quickly asked.
“No, however, both possibilities have the same strength.”
Danielle looked up, “Sprigly, do you still have the dimensional drive that was used to move us to the Demon’s dimension?”
Everyone heard Sprigly’s thought, “I do. And Alex still has an operational drive hooked up to his systems.”
Eyes looked at Danielle, “Another coincidence?”
“Do you think who or whatever this is, will come and scout before they attack?”
Eyes actually shrugged his giant front shoulders, “I have no way of knowing. If this coming menace is powerful enough, it may not feel it needs to scout anything. It will just move in and start house-cleaning.”
Danielle looked at the Cat and Zord before saying, “The time of just being nervous about this is over. Both of your species needs to start preparing for an attack.”
“I suspect what’s coming will require a lot more than just us to confront it. Will the Realm and Algeans join in this effort?”
Danielle looked at Tag and he shrugged before saying, “I doubt it.”
“WHY?!” Vring asked.
“Because if we show up warning them about it, they will assume we’re lying about it to take control. I suspect the Realm will be one of the first civilizations attacked by this menace.”
“So, you’re suggesting they will scout our universe before they come?”
“No, Vring, I’m saying that if this force is as large as you’re suggesting, they will run into the Realm and will move enough of their forces there to defeat it. They could still send in scouts and the end result would be the same; the Realm will be an early target.”
“If they send scouts, we’ll see them,” Eyes replied. “That would let us know an attack was imminent.”
Danielle looked up again, “Sprigly, do you know where the Spiders are currently located?”
“No.”
“I know where they are,” one of the smaller Cats standing close-by said. “I saw them in a recent search.”
“What are you thinking?” Vring asked.