by Saxon Andrew
“Is that all you heard?” Danielle asked.
“I heard that Sprigly is right.”
Danielle looked at Tag, “What does this mean?”
“I’m not really sure.”
They looked at Kogo and he raised his four hands, “Both of the threats will arrive in our universe at the same moment.”
Everyone stared at Kogo and Danielle looked around the room before saying, “We have to find this new threat…and quickly.”
“The Cats haven’t seen another threat!” Seedel said loudly.
“They didn’t see the black ships either. That doesn’t mean there is only one threat,” Kogo responded.
Danielle sat down in the pilot’s chair and closed her eyes. After a moment, she opened them asked Tag, “Is this new threat coming from another universe?”
Tag’s eyes narrowed slightly and after a long moment he said, “I keep getting the feeling that it isn’t. I’ve checked five-times and I keep getting the same sense.”
Kogo said, “If they’re not coming from another universe, could they be coming from another dimension?”
Tag shook his head, “I’ve already looked at that and still come up with the same sense they aren’t.”
“Then where is it coming from?” Dela asked.
Danielle sighed heavily, “It has to be coming from our universe.”
Everyone looked at her and Kogo said, “I hear that you are right.”
Everyone looked at each other in silence. If it was a force in their universe, the Cats should be able to see it and they didn’t. Danielle looked around at the group and said, “Sprigly, get Newton to join us.”
“What are you thinking, Danielle?” Tag asked.
“This development changes everything. We need to get the Cats back into our universe and make sure they keep looking until something shows up.”
“Can we move just the cat’s solar system without moving the galaxy?” Tag asked Sprigly.”
“We’ve moved planets to different stars. I’ll get with Newton and see what we can come up with.”
Tag looked up, “Eyes, are you listening to this?”
“I am and I’m shocked that this can be true. We’ve not seen anything.”
“You need to try again!”
“We’ll do what’s necessary but we’ll need defenses against the Algeans and Realm discovering our return.”
Tag looked at Danielle and she agreed, “Something is going to happen. Send enough warships to defend them.”
“Did you see that in my thoughts, Danielle?”
“Yes, Tag, but I also felt it.” She turned to Sprigly, “You need to get moving!”
Just then, Newton walked on the small bridge, “I believe we can move El Prado and its planetary system without having to move Bristone’s Galaxy. I’ll need Sprigly to help with the math but we should be able to make it happen quickly.”
Danielle turned to Kogo, “You and Dela will go to defend the planet. Kogo, you will be in command of the forces we send.”
“What ship will we command?” Dela asked.
“You will use the Grang as your flagship.”
“Jimmy and Lola won’t like delaying their wedding again,” Dela mumbled.
“They’ll just have to understand. Contact them and move the fleet to El Prado.”
Kogo shrugged and said, “Grang, teleport us on board and notify Jimmy and Lola that they have been drafted to go with us.”
“Their wedding is in a week,” Grang replied.
Kogo looked at Sprigly and Newton. “We’ll be moving the planet before then.”
Kogo blew out a big breath and said, “Tell them their presence isn’t optional.”
“Contacting them now.”
“Tell them it’s an emergency!” Tag said loudly.
Kogo looked at Danielle, “How many ships are you sending?”
“All of the Cainth Pilots and the Glod Warships that have been modified.”
Kogo’s eyebrows furrowed, “Do you anticipate trouble from the Realm?”
Danielle stared at him for a long moment and glanced at Tag, who nodded. “I do and I can’t think of anyone better suited to handle it.”
Kogo smiled, “Thank you for the opportunity.”
Kogo and Dela teleported out to the Grang and Tag’s eyes narrowed, “Do you see something I’m missing?”
Danielle smiled, “Sometimes it takes some time for fate to catch up to events.” Tag stared at her and then smiled; she was right.
• • •
Jimmy and Lola appeared on the huge bridge and Kogo immediately said, “I’m so sorry…”
Jimmy interrupted him, “Forget it, Kogo. Both of us have sensed that this overrides any of our personal plans!” Kogo’s eyes widened and Lola said as she powered up her control panel, “Both of us have been seeing things.”
“What sort of things, “Dela asked.”
Jimmy shrugged, “We can see danger coming. We can’t see what it is but we know it’s real. We also sense that we’re needed here.”
Kogo smiled, “Thank you for understanding.”
Lola looked up, “Grang, I need you to contact Eyes and have him contact me.”
“I’m listening to you now, Lola.”
“We sense some possible trouble from the Realm. I need you to assign some Cats to keep an eye on the Realm when we arrive back in our universe.”
“I intended to do that. It appears your psychic skills are growing.”
“We’ve been noticing the changes since Tag and Danielle made contact, Eyes. Let us know if you see anything.”
“You’ll be informed immediately.”
Eyes looked at his son, whose eyes were wide open. “I know. Their minds are developing at an incredible rate.”
“Are their psychic skills as good as the Gardners?”
Eyes blew out a long breath, “They are already at the same level of power. They may pass the Gardners.”
• • •
“I think that you should be aware of a development.”
Kogo looked up from his panel, “What is that, Grang?”
“The Psychic Generators topped out the moment Jimmy and Lola appeared. That’s never happened before.”
Jimmy eyes narrowed, “What does that mean?”
“It appears your and Lola’s psychic fields have dramatically increased in power. Something has changed since you were last on board.”
Dela smiled, “I’m going to consider that a blessing. Grang, do you know when Sprigly and Newton are going to make the move?”
“They say it will be done within twenty-hours. We’ll be delayed another day for the warships going with us to be provisioned.”
Jimmy looked up from his console and asked, “How many are going?”
“Jimmy, twenty-thousand Primes, three-thousand Glod Warships, and five-Psychic Ships,” the Grang announced.
“Why so few Psychic Ships?”
“It takes more time for the new crews to be trained to fly them.”
“I’m surprised that many Cainth Pilots have completed training,” Dela interjected.
“More than half of those going with us have only completed the initial tutorial sections, Dela,” Grang replied.
Lola saw Dela’s expression at Grang’s comment and quickly interjected, “Don’t worry about that.”
“Why not?” Kogo asked.
“We’ll have time for them to continue their training before trouble appears.”
Dela stared at Lola and, after a moment, asked, “Are you sure about that?”
Lola glanced at Jimmy and, then said, “I am.” Jimmy nodded. “We’re able to sense things and we both agree that we have some time before trouble appears.”
Kogo looked at his console, “We can use the time. Grang, I want the new pilots matched up with pilots that have completed the tutorial. Set up maneuvers for them to start once we arrive back in our universe with El Prado.”
“Sprigly has already sent me a list of our pilots
as well a series of wargames to get them ready. I’ve already started organizing our formations to maximize our training time,” Grang announced.
Dela laughed and everyone looked at her. “This just proves we’re being led by capable and knowledgeable leaders.”
Kogo smiled, “That includes us, Love.”
Dela took his hand and smiled, “I know.”
• • •
Sprigly and Newton walked through the port in to the huge landing bay and Sprigly said, “We’re ready to make the move. We should have all the warships gathered by tomorrow.”
Danielle turned around from the viewport that had the huge ship gathering outside it, “You and Newton will move to the Grang and go with them.”
Sprigly stared at Danielle and Newton asked, “Why do you want us to do that?”
“Because I sense you need to go. Take the dimensional device with you.”
“Do you think we’ll have to suddenly move El Prado back?”
“I don’t know, Sprigly. But if it needs to be done suddenly, it won’t happen without your being there. If an emergency happens, you’ll need to be prepared in advance to make it happen quickly enough.”
Sprigly looked at Newton, “I’ll move my ship into the Grang’s landing bay. You can stay with Seedel and me.”
“Ok. I’ve wanted some time to catch up on all the things you’ve seen.”
The two walked off the bridge and Tag looked at Danielle, “Why didn’t you tell them what you’re seeing?”
“Because nothing is certain.”
“This looks like it might be.”
“We’ll see.” Tag nodded and closed his eyes. It was going to happen. He knew Danielle knew it as well. Why didn’t she tell them? “We have to see about their development, Tag.”
“You were looking at my thoughts again.”
“I was. And if you really think about it, you’ll see I’m right.”
Tag closed his eyes again and smiled. He opened them and started chuckling, “You never cease to amaze me, my Darling.”
‘That’s part of my talent. Let’s hope I’m right.”
“If I haven’t told you today, I love you so very much.” Danielle stood up and fell into his arms.
• • •
Kogo looked up from his console as he heard Sprigly say, “We’ll be making the move in ten-minutes. All ships gather around El Prado and be prepared to spread out on arrival.”
Jimmy and Lola looked out of the front viewport at the small scattering of stars in the distance and then, a few minutes later, the viewport was filled with millions of distant galaxies shining like diamonds in the distance. Jimmy smiled, “There’s no place like home.”
Dela sighed, “There are no truer words.”
Kogo thought over the fleet’s telepathic frequency, “All ships will start maneuvers immediately. The Cats will warn us of any impending danger. Senior Pilots, you are charged with getting your attack units ready for war. Make it happen quickly.”
• • •
Danielle watched the fleet disappear and focused her thoughts, “Alex.”
“Yes.”
“Be prepared to move in three-weeks. It might need to happen suddenly.”
“I’ll keep the systems online. Are you and Tag going to be on board?”
“No, teleport us in when we give the order.”
“I’ll keep a tracer on you.”
“That would be good.”
• • •
Kogo stayed at his console without taking a break until Dela forced him to go to sleep. “I have to make sure our ships are ready!”
“And if you’re useless when they are, what good will that do? Trust your Senior Pilots to get the job done. NOW GO TO OUR QUARTERS AND GET SOME REST!!” Kogo glared at her and Dela said softly, “I’ll keep an eye on them, Love.” Kogo’s expression softened and he stood up and staggered. Dela quickly moved under his right arms, helped him out of his chair, and walked him down the corridor to their quarters. He was asleep as soon as he hit the bed. Dela undressed him and put his feet on the bed. She rubbed his head and felt her love for him fill her. Jimmy and Lola’s wedding was not the only one being delayed.
• • •
A week later, Eyes contacted them and said, “There has been a development!”
“What?”
“Kogo, there has been a rebellion on Earth and they have notified the Realm that Earth is withdrawing from the Stars Realm.” Kogo’s eyes widened as Eyes continued, “The Realm has contacted the Algeans and ordered them in to attack Earth’s largest city.”
Kogo sat still as he listened for thoughts telling him what to do, but he heard only his thoughts. He turned to the pilot’s chair as he heard Jimmy announce over the Telepathic Frequency, “Attention all ships, power your weapons and prepare to jump!”
“We need to contact the Gardners before we do anything!”
“There’s not enough time, Kogo!”
Kogo glared at Jimmy, “The Realm attacked and killed billions of my people.”
Jimmy’s eyes narrowed as he turned his chair around to Kogo, “Then order the fleet to remain where they are!”
Kogo sought for direction but none was being given. He looked at Dela and she tilted her head, “This is your decision.”
Kogo stared at Dela for a long moment and then turned to Jimmy before smiling, “It appears the Algeans are going to attempt to remove another ally of the Realm.” Jimmy nodded. Kogo lowered his eyes and said with cold deliberation, “We couldn’t do anything about it last time. That won’t happen this time.”
Jimmy smiled and sent coordinates out to the fleet. A moment later, the giant gathering of warships disappeared.
• • •
“ALEX!!”
“Teleporting you on board now. Jumping in ten-seconds.”
Tag looked at Danielle and buckled in. He saw the defensive and offensive arrays were active and online. The most powerful warship in creation was going to war.
Chapter Sixteen
Thele looked at the newly elected Leader of the rebellion on his monitor and frowned. He was blindsided by Earth’s withdrawal from the Stars Realm and wondered how his agents had failed to notify him on what was going on. He glanced at the main wall monitor in his office and saw hundreds of starships were arriving at Ross filled with Stars Realm Bureaucrats that were evicted from Earth. Thele maintained a calm expression as he stared at the monitor, “You must realize that leaving the Realm is not an option.”
Eric Gardner scowled, “The Realm was started by Earth, the Cainth, and Glod. You’ve attacked two of them; are you planning another attack?”
Thele’s eyes narrowed as he contemptuously sneered, “I’m really hoping it doesn’t come to that. But you should be aware that if you don’t back off seceding from the Realm, I will order force brought to bear to stop you. You need to think twice before you endanger your citizens.”
“The fact that you would use force only confirms that we have made a wise choice.”
“Mr. Gardner…you have no defenses, no warships, and cannot withstand one warship, much less thousands of them. You would also lose the billions of taxes we send to you each year.”
“Keep the taxes. We do not intend to stay in a travesty of what the Stars Realm was founded to be.” Thele almost let it go, realizing that the billions being sent to Earth could be kept and divided among the Assembly members. Eric Gardner saw his expression and said, “You will keep those taxes for yourself, won’t you?” Thele’s head turned slightly and Eric smiled, “Many of the Royal Family’s descendants have regained their psychic abilities. I can clearly see your thoughts. They’re written on your face.”
Thele forgot about the taxes. If the Royal descendants on Earth were becoming psychic again, he could not afford them to have an opportunity to develop outside the Realm’s control. Besides, if he allowed Earth to leave the Realm, hundreds of other planets would choose to join them. No, this had to be stopped and quickly. “You have t
wo-days to recall our representatives and, if you fail to do this, I will order an attack. Central City will be the first city destroyed followed by as many as necessary to force you back to your senses.”
“Assembly Leader, you are going to have to occupy Earth to control us. It’s your fault we’ve chosen to do this.”
“You’re crazy! How did I cause this?”
“The Assembly’s Leaders over the centuries are part of the scheme to rewrite the Realm’s history. You’ve said that the Royal Couple were infallible and could never make a bad decision. We know they came back to rule the Realm and you turned them away. If you refused to follow their instructions, and they never make a bad decision, then you made an error in your actions. You’ve made it a crime to even insinuate that the Royal Couple ever made a mistake. So, what does that mean if you chose a path against their directions?”
Thele leaned back in his chair, “Sometimes, history is not a hundred-percent accurate.”
“Are you saying that you wrote a history that is not true. Are you suggesting it’s all right to lie to those that elected you to maintain your power?”
Thele knew he would not win this argument. He snarled, “Two-days!” and ended the contact.
• • •
Eric looked to his left and said, “Admiral, notify Central City to start evacuations.”
Eva Kosiev nodded, as she turned around in her chair and asked, “What can we do about this?”
“Nothing. If they go through with the attack on Central City, I’ll surrender. Once the Realm sees what the Assembly is doing, they’ll turn on the Assembly.”
“I hope you’re right. But I think the members of the Realm have been bought lock, stock, and barrel by the taxes given them by the Assembly.”
“If that’s the case, then I’d rather be a prisoner than a participant in that evil organization.” Eva nodded and left the room. Eric knew there was nothing he could do to stop an attack. He had prayed that even the Assembly wouldn’t be so bold as to attack the planet where the Realm was founded. It appeared he was wrong.
• • •
Kogo looked at the thousands of warships falling into formation and thought over the telepathic frequency, “We’ve just learned from the Cats that Earth has revolted against the Star’s Realm and declared its independence. We’ve also learned that the Realm is planning to launch an attack against Earth. We are going to defend Earth against that attack.”