by Saxon Andrew
Eyes teleported into the Defense Facility and found Danielle in the armory inspecting the old Red Armor with Sprigly, “Your Majesty, I have an issue I need your advice on how to handle.”
“What is that?”
“It appears the Realm sent about fifty-ships in with the others. The ones on board them are spies and they brought their families with them.”
Danielle stared at Eyes and shook her head, “That figures. Do the family members know what’s going on?”
“Most don’t.”
Danielle stared at Eyes and asked, “What about all the others?”
“They’ve been dispatched to the families they’ll be staying with.”
Danielle lowered her head, “I just can’t allow the innocent to die because of their spouses. Send them back to the Realm and let Thele know that next time he deliberately endangers innocent people, I’ll be coming for him.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. They did see all that we were doing,” Eyes said.
Sprigly shrugged, “That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
Danelle nodded, “I know. The news is going to spread and it may cause Thele some real issues.”
“You could leave the innocents here?” Eyes suggested.
“No, Eyes. If they didn’t feel the call, they could only cause future problems. Send them to their ships and teleport them back to Ross.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The giant Cat disappeared and Danielle turned to Sprigly, “Let’s get back to work.”
“Your Majesty.”
Danielle looked up, “Yes, Newton.”
“I have the Dimensional Device set up and operational.” Danielle looked at Sprigly and he shrugged. “Newton, have the Glod and Cainth Planets been moved?”
“They have.”
“And all of our vessels are here?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. However, Dela and Kogo have left to scout the Black Ships.”
“You’ve taught them how to move the Psychic ships they’re in to the Dark Dimension?”
“I have. They also have two-pilots with a high enough psychic charge to keep the generators at maximum capacity.”
“Where did you find them?”
“They came in from Ross and found their psychic-complements on El Prado, Danielle. They’ve been in the Psychic Ship learning the systems since they arrived and have made extraordinary progress. They are pushing us to allow them to be married but have agreed to wait until everything has been moved to the Dark Dimension.”
“Contact Eyes and make sure the spies he found have been sent back to Ross. Once that’s done, move the galaxy.”
Danielle turned to Sprigly, “Are you certain this old Armor can be used against them?”
“Some changes need to be done to the teleport system and a new explosive developed. The armor can be used against the ships they use to remove the inhabitants from a planet, if the developments work as planned. Newton and I are still working on what will work against their warships.”
Danielle nodded, “Let’s get busy and you can tell me and Tag what you have in mind.”
Chapter Thirteen
Jimmy reached across and took Lola’s hand, “Things have happened pretty quick since we arrived. I never expected anything like this.”
Dela smiled and turned around in her chair, “Get in line. Kogo and I are also amazed at the speed events are taking place.”
Lola turned to Dela, “Exactly what are we supposed to be doing?”
“We’re going to the universe where we encountered the civilization that is coming to attack us. We originally had a lot more time to get ready but something happened to speed up their arrival.”
Jimmy and Lola stared at her and Kogo shrugged, “According to the Gardners, the psychic blast they created was detected by that species and now they’re probably searching for the source. Don’t worry about them detecting this vessel. A null-drive has been installed along with the Masking Field. We should be fine to do a little scouting.”
“So, what do we do?” Jimmy asked.
Kogo turned to the main monitor, “Computer, have you been given a name?”
“My name is Grang.”
“That name sounds familiar; where have I heard it?” Dela asked.
“Grang killed the original Scotty Robbins’ mother and later became one of his closest brothers.”
“That’s some history I’ll need to look up later when I have the time. However, did the Kosiev give the coordinates of the universe we want to visit?”
“Alex sent the data to me and I would recommend we go to another universe first.”
“Why?”
“If they are starting a search for the source of the psychic blast, perhaps meeting them in another universe and taking a shot at them with a psychic blaster may cause them to focus on that universe and slow them down,” Grang suggested.
Kogo looked at Dela before answering, “We’ll need to do that in a universe in the opposite direction of the Realm.”
“Of course.”
Dela nodded, “Let’s follow your advice. Take us to the universe you’re suggesting. Will you be able to detect their ships if they’ve already arrived?”
“I should. I’m activating all systems and entering the coordinates. We’ll be using the null-drive to jump in one minute.”
Jimmy looked at Dela, “What exactly are Lola and I doing here?”
“Learning how to operate the ship and provide the psychic aura needed to keep the psychic systems charged. It would help if both of you continue to hold hands during this venture,” Kogo answered.
Jimmy looked at Lola with a smile, “I don’t think that will be a problem.”
“Jumping now!” Grang announced.
• • •
The Grang arrived in open space and the main monitor activated. After an hour, they heard, “It appears they’ve not come this far. I’m backing up one universe and checking it out.” The monitor went dark for a moment and then it came back on. “They aren’t here yet, either.”
Jimmy’s eyes narrowed slightly, “How did you determine which universe to search first?”
“The Cats say that the invaders will arrive in four-months. I extrapolated how many universes they could possibly scout in that time and chose one that was three-months earlier than they could visit by that time taking into consideration that the psychic blast took place about a month ago.”
“Why do you ask, Jimmy?” Dela inquired.
“If we really want to slow them down, we should meet them when they’re about three-months out. That would maximize the time we could possibly delay them.”
“You make a good point,” Grang announced. “However, we need to find them and follow them as they move forward.”
“How many universes are between our current location and the universe they are currently invading?”
“Twenty-seven.”
Dela nodded, “Do it!”
The Grang activated its dimensional drive and the main monitor began repetitively flashing. After an hour, everyone heard, “I’ve detected two of their warships six-universes from their current invasion.”
“What are they doing?”
“They’re rapidly teleporting and running scans.”
Lola turned to Dela, “They must be scanning for psychic emissions. Will they be able to detect us?”
“They didn’t detect the Gardners behind the masking field when the Kosiev went to the universe they’re currently located and they have an extremely high level in their psychic aura. That indicates the masking field keeps psychic emissions hidden.”
“Grang, go to the next universe and see if more of their warships arrive there. I find it hard to believe they are just sending out two-warships to scout.”
“Kogo, those two-warships are on schedule to travel the distance the Realm’s Universe is located from their current coordinates in four-months.”
Jimmy held his chin, “If they’re only searching for psychic emissions, haven’t al
l of those with psychic abilities been removed from the Realm’s Universe by moving the Bristone Galaxy? They should just continue looking elsewhere.”
Dela lowered her head in thought and then asked, “Grang, how many planets are inhabited in this universe compared to the Realm?”
“Nowhere close, Dela. I asked Alex the same question and he pointed out that the Gardners only moved the psychics from Ross. Earth still has a huge number of them there because many of the Gardner’s descendants still live there.”
Kogo nodded, “I sense the abundance of life in the Realm’s Universe will cause them to pick up and go there even if they continue searching for the source of the psychic blast. Finding the Realm is what will lead to it being invaded.”
Grang replied, “That makes sense. I looked at the data Alex sent me and the sectors the invaders have not yet attacked are miniscule in life compared to the Realm.”
“What about that universe you first chose to confront them?”
“It’s nowhere near the Realm but it does have more life there than the current one they’re attacking.”
“How are they getting information back to their leaders?” Lola inquired.
“Stand-by!” Everyone waited in silence for Grang to tell them what was going on and then they heard, “One of the two-warships has jumped out on its universal drive and another ship has just arrived to replace it.”
Dela smiled, “That is how they communicate. One delivers the data collected and a new ship joins the one left behind.”
“That does appear to be the system,” Grang replied.
Jimmy smiled, “As I understand the data I’ve seen on their warships, they do not have the hull using the teleport surface on their hulls if they’re using a teleport system to move to another location.”
Dela cocked her head slightly, “What are you suggesting?”
“That means those two-scouts are vulnerable. We can take them out and continue to do it until they send enough ships to stop us.”
“Grang, will your conventional blasters destroy those ships?”
“Yes, Kogo.”
“But we need them to detect psychic emissions to get them moving this way,” Lola interjected.
Dela smirked, “If I had any doubts about the two of you, your observations have removed them. You are going to make excellent pilots.” She paused before saying, “We’ll take them out until they arrive with their hulls operational and then we’ll jump to the far side of the universe and remove the masking field long enough for them to detect it.”
“We need to let the Gardners know we’re going to be delayed,” Grang suggested.
Kogo raised one of his arms, “Use the dimensional drive to take us to the Dark Dimension, send a message, and then get us back to the next universe the invaders are going to scout.”
“There’s no need to delay doing that. I’m jumping out and I’ll send a message.”
“That would be good, Grang,” Dela said while glancing at Kogo. He nodded and the monitor went dark.
• • •
Two-months passed and the crew on the Grang watched the two-Black-Warships enter yet another universe. Lola stared at it and suddenly, her eyes flew wide open, “WE HAVE A PROBLEM!” Everyone turned to her and she was shaking her head, “If we destroy those two-ships now how long will the leaders wait to send others?!”
Dela’s eyes narrowed and she quickly shouted, “Grang?”
“They’ve taken about ten-days to scout a universe before sending the data back.”
“If we destroy them, then ten-days will pass before they even start thinking about checking on them. They’ll only be thirty-days from finding the Realm and time might run out before they decide to come here!”
Dela’s head jerked back as she asked, “Grang, is there another universe before this one that has enough life to lure them in this direction?”
“No, there is not. It has to be the one we originally entered.”
Jimmy exhaled hard before saying, “We have to know what progress they’ve made toward the Realm and if there are any universes that would lure them in that direction.”
Silence ruled the bridge and then they heard, “I’m using the dimensional drive to go and see what progress they’ve made toward the Realm.”
“DO IT!” Dela commanded.
“WAIT!!” Kogo shouted.
“She’s right, Kogo!”
“I know, Dela. But we can solve this issue by getting the two-enemy-warships to arrive at our chosen universe faster.”
“How can we do that?”
“We know they can follow a universal-drive, right?” Dela nodded. “We’ll go to their current location and jump away using the universal-drive. We’ll continue jumping until we arrive at our chosen universe and see if they follow our trail. They should send a ship back requesting more ships and we’ll make our presence known at the target universe.”
“But they’ll have their hull defenses on,” Grang interjected.”
Kogo shrugged, “I guess we’ll have to see if our psychic blasters can take them out.”
“I know how they’ll track us.”
“How, Grang?” Lola asked.
“When they chased Alex the first time, they dropped a communication probe each time they jumped. They will use those probes to follow us to the universe we’ve chosen.”
Dela was struggling with what to do and Kogo smiled, “I didn’t come up with this.”
Dela hesitated before issuing orders, “Do it like Kogo suggests.”
“The two-warships are about to wrap up their scouting of this universe; I’m jumping away now.”
Dela stared at the monitor and it suddenly went dark. A moment later, a new universe appeared. The Grang accelerated away from the place it emerged and they waited. Ten-minutes later, a single black warship appeared and they jumped again. Dela leaned over and kissed Kogo hard on his lips, “I love you!”
Kogo raised his shoulders, “Hey, it wasn’t my idea.”
“Even so!”
The Grang continued jumping, while using its universal-drive, and they arrived in the target universe in ten-minutes. The giant ship moved slightly away from its point of emergence and Grang announced, “Psychic Blasters are fully charged and operational.”
A single black warship appeared and eight brilliant blue beams leapt out of the Psychic Ship and hit it from bow to stern. The Black Ship exploded into a huge cloud of expanding vapor. “Grang, did it have its hull field operating?”
“No, it didn’t Dela.”
“Hold your position and let’s see what shows up.”
“I don’t think it’s going to take very long; at least it didn’t last time they pursued Alex. I’m activating the masking field.”
“Don’t do that, Grang!”
“Why not, Kogo?”
“We can’t scare them away; they need to only see one ship. If they can’t determine how many are attacking them, they may choose to stay away.” Dela glanced at Kogo and him nod.
“Leave it off, Grang!”
“I’m really not sure about this, Dela.”
“Kogo is, we’ll follow his lead. He’s been spot on in his decisions so far.”
“I’m charging my full complement of psychic blasters. I’m firing the moment they appear.”
• • •
They waited and an hour later, Grang shouted, “TEN UNIVERSAL-DRIVES BREAKING INTO NORMAL SPACE!!”
Ten-Black-Warships suddenly appeared and all were hit by four-psychic beams each. They blew up in clouds of gas and debris. “JUMP AWAY FROM HERE AND LEAVE YOUR PSYCHIC FILED OPERATIONAL!”
“Why are we doing that?” Jimmy asked.
“I want the next ships to scan this universe and only see one psychic disturbance in it. I’m hoping they believe that there is only one vessel here,” Dela answered.
“I’m moving a long way from this location.”
“Just make sure they can see you, Grang.”
“Will do.”
• • •
It took three-hours before the next Black Warships arrived and the number shocked Jimmy and Lola, “How many are there?”
“About four-thousand, Lola,” Grang answered.
“They stared at the monitor as the Black Warships spread until Grang announced, “One of them has hit me with a scan. They’re starting to move this way.”
“Don’t allow them to catch us!”
“You can count on that.”
The chase began and they were all fixated on the monitor as more enemy warships arrived. Soon the numbers entering the universe swelled to more than a hundred-thousand. Then the number was greater than a million. Grang said, “It’s becoming increasingly difficult to avoid them, Dela.”
Dela was silent and then they saw a giant cloud of Black Ships breaking into the universe. Dela shouted, “USE THE UNIVERSAL-DRIVE TO JUMP TO THE NEXT UNIVERSE!!” The monitor went dark and Dela ordered, “Keep jumping, Grang!”
“What are you doing, Dela?” Jimmy asked.
“I’m going to have them chase us away from the Realm. Once we’ve gone far enough, we’re using the dimensional-drive to escape. I think it’s clear they’ve come to invade the target universe and will only be chasing us with enough warships to take us on.”
“But they’ll believe we aren’t located in that universe!?”
“I know, Lola. We have two objectives. Get them invading another universe before they find the Realm and to maximize their search away from the Realm’s Universe. I suspect the scouts they sent out toward the Realm will be recalled to search in this direction.”
Kogo released a long slow breath and said, “When we jump away, we should go back to the universes toward the Realm and make sure that happens.”
Dela nodded, “That’s a good suggestion.”
“How far do you want me to run, Dela?”
“At least a hundred-universes.” The main monitor began flashing at an incredible speed.
• • •
Three-weeks later, the Grang waited in the Universe one month out from the Realm’s location and kept the scanner operating at maximum power. Dela studied the monitor and finally looked at Kogo before ordering, “Start moving back toward the universe they were invading.”
The Grang activated its dimensional-drive and moved into the next universe. It continued the process until they arrived at the universe that was being invaded. “We need to know for sure. Take us into the next universe.”