Annihilation Saga: Lost Royalty

by Saxon Andrew

  “Why would we do that? The Realm attacked our planets and killed billions of us,” the Glod Commander asked.

  Kogo felt the same way but said, “Earth did not order those attacks on our planets. Those orders came from Ross and the Realm’s Assembly.”

  “Earth didn’t step up and stop them from happening,” a Cainth Squadron Commander stated.

  Kogo lowered his eyes and said firmly, “It’s difficult to stop an attack when you don’t have any warships.” Kogo paused and added, “All of you need to really think about this. This is something everyone here should want to do.”

  “Why?” hundreds thought at the same moment.

  “Who will the Realm be sending to attack Earth?” Kogo paused and said, “When they attacked our planets, there was no one to stop them. I really think I’d like to take a shot at them. Does anyone else see this opportunity?”

  A wave of thoughts rushed over the frequency and Kogo smiled. “I’m sending you Earth’s coordinates and we’ll jump as soon as everyone is in formation. I’m leaving five-hundred Primes here to defend El Prado in our absence and everyone else will be going with me.”

  Dela was staring at Kogo and asked, when he turned toward her, “How are we going to stop them from hitting Earth? We don’t have enough ships.”

  “We’ll keep them away from Earth.” Dela and Kogo looked at Jimmy, as he continued, “We’ll space four of the six-Psychic Ships around Earth’s equator with one over the North and South Poles. We’ll then use our generators to put a psychic force field around the planet. It’s up to you and the fleet to remove the attackers.”

  “Can you do that?”

  “Yes, Kogo. We can do that. It wasn’t possible before the Gardner’s psychic blast charged the psychic generators but it is now.”

  Kogo sat still at his console for a minute before saying, “Sprigly.” He waited and there was no response. “Sprigly?” Again, there was no answer. “SPRIGLY!!”

  “Kogo, Sprigly and Newton left soon after we arrived at El Prado.”

  “Where did they go, Grang?”

  “I don’t know. They may have gone back to the Dark Dimension. However, I cannot detect them.”

  Dela reached over and placed one of her hands on Kogo’s arm, “You need to focus on the fleet.” Kogo nodded slightly as he stared at his console. He continued to watch the monitor until the last ships moved into their formations, “We’ll jump together in ten-seconds. Grang?”

  “Drives are on line, Commander.”

  Kogo took Dela’s hand in his, “I’ve always had a secret wish to see Earth.”

  Dela smiled, “If everyone is honest, I believe all of us share that wish. Let’s go make that wish come true.” The view outside the viewport changed and a beautiful blue and green plant appeared below the Grang.

  • • •

  Eva rushed into the chamber and yelled, “Eric, a large fleet of warships have appeared above Earth!!”

  “I thought we had another day!”

  “They don’t look like Algean Warships.”

  Suddenly, the large wall monitor came on and they saw a creature that they had only heard about in their childhood; it was a Cainth. “I understand you’re expecting company.”

  “I thought your species had been killed long ago.”

  “Most were.”

  Eric sighed, “We protested the attack on you and the Glod but only found out long after the attack took place. I’m so sorry we weren’t able to prevent it.”

  Kogo could see the Eric’s emotions and said, “We debated coming here to fight for you. I think you’ve justified our decision.”

  “I know the Algeans have your fleet outnumbered by thousands of warships and I don’t want to see you killed. Perhaps you should leave us to our destiny.”

  Kogo smiled, “Your destiny and ours has always been linked. We were the first three-species that founded the Stars Realm.”

  “Are you saying there are Glod Warships with you?”

  “He is, your Majesty,” Tgen-Jee replied.

  “I’m not Royalty.”

  “You will be.”

  Eric looked at Eva as he said to them, “Thank you. Do you stand a chance against the Algeans?”

  Kogo stood up, “We’ll see. For the moment, we’re going to set up a greeting for our plant friends. Remain calm and I’ll keep you informed on what’s happening.”

  The monitor went dark and Eric turned to Eva, “Continue the evacuation of Central City.”

  • • •

  Curan looked at the Senior Elder and said, “The Assembly has issued an order for you to send your forces to Earth and attack Central City.”

  “Why?”

  “Earth has revolted against the Realm and has declared its independence. The Assembly cannot allow that to stand.”

  “Do you think that Danielle will sit by idly and allow that to happen?”

  “She’s said that she will not defend the Realm. She’ll break her word if she does defend Earth.”

  The Senior Elder thought about the idea and then knew why this was happening. He looked up in the sky and thought, “Thank you for removing this weight. I’m so sorry for what we’ve become.” For an instant, he thought he heard music. He looked at Curan and said, “I will send all of my fleets to Earth and see if we can intimidate them into changing their position.”

  “You probably don’t need to send all your warships. Earth has no defenses.”

  “I’m doing this because of a promise to follow your directives. I’m going to do everything possible to avoid attacking the founding planet of the Realm.”

  Curan stared up at the tall Elder and shrugged, “Do what you must but Earth must be stopped or there will be a major revolt against the Realm.”

  Curan boarded his shuttle and, once again detested the dirty work that Thele sent him to do. But it paid well and he justified it by saying it wasn’t him that issued the orders. He hated that he was the one that was sent out to issue death decrees. He announced, “Get me back to the Assembly Building.

  The Elder thought to his Fleet Commander, “I am giving your orders and you will follow them to the letter.”

  “What is that, Senior Elder?”

  “You will take all of our warships and attack Earth. You will destroy Central City and no one will return until that task is completed.”

  “But…”

  “You will leave five-warships here but you will take all the others and carry out your orders.” The Fleet Commander bowed and left to organize the fleet.

  The Senior Elder saw the other Elders in the Grove staring at him, “Is this wise?” the Second asked.

  “More than you know. Remove me if you must but my orders will be followed!” The other Elders started swaying and the Senior Elder dug his roots deeper into the golden soil.

  • • •

  “Tag, why did you have me rush back into our universe and then keep us hidden?”

  “Grace, we’re only going to get involved if it becomes absolutely necessary.” There was a long moment of silence and Tag said, “If we show up too soon, things will go south quickly.”

  “You’re had a vision about this?”

  “Yes, Alex. And it came from outside our normal psychic skills.”

  “Can you tell me what’s going on?”

  “Growing pains, Alex.”

  “Oh, that clears things up!” Alex said sarcastically.

  “The Realm and Bristone have been suffering from lost Royalty. It’s time to regain what’s been lost.”

  Grace said softly, “You’re training your replacements.”

  Danielle laughed, “You are wise, Grace. Take us to El Prado and keep us hidden behind the masking field.”

  “Teleporting now.”

  • • •

  The Kosiev arrived above El Prado and they heard Eyes immediately, “It appears Earth is going to be attacked with every warship the Algeans have in their inventory! If you intend to stop this, you’ll need to call in all
of our fleets.”

  Tag’s eyes widened slightly but Danielle said, “We will not be calling in any more ships.”

  “But Earth will be decimated if you don’t.”

  “Eyes, look in my mind and tell me what you see.”

  There was a long silence and then they heard, “I truly hope this vision is right.”

  “Changing it can only lead to failure. Keep us informed on what’s happening and don’t let the Primes here know about us.”

  “I’ll feed the vision we have directly to you, Danielle.”

  Danielle and Tag immediately saw the Algean Fleets forming up and both felt immense fear. The numbers were staggering and Tag closed his eyes. “I can’t see any possible outcomes.”

  Danielle closed her eyes, focused, and then nodded, “This is outside our province. We’ll do what we must but we have to wait.” Tag nodded and closed his eyes again.

  • • •

  Kogo looked at Tgen-Jee and ordered, “You will move your ships and distribute them equally around Earth. I will assign the Primes to form up on your vessels and they, along with your warships, will defend the area above Earth they are assigned.”

  “Are you saying we will not move out to attack the Algeans.”

  “You will have to keep them away from the planet. Your warships are the heavy hitters on our team and we must use them wisely. I don’t think you need worry about missing in out on the fun, they’ll be coming to you.”

  The Glod Fleet Commander glared at Kogo and finally nodded, “We will do as you order.”

  The monitor went dark and Dela frowned, “Are you sure about this? It appears Tgen-Jee doesn’t agree with you.”

  Kogo sighed and Lola observed, “I find it interesting that the fields of fire the Glod Warships will produce will completely cover Earth’s surface.”

  Dela turned to her, “Why do you find that interesting?”

  “One less ship, and it wouldn’t. We’ve been given the exact number of Glod Warships to cover the planet. We’ve also been given the minimum number of Psychic Ships to put a protective field around Earth”

  “More would be better,” Kogo mumbled.

  Lola nodded, “Maybe. However, something is happening here beyond our understanding.”

  Dela looked at Kogo and both said at the same moment, “The Gardners!”

  Kogo raised one-eyebrow, “They did determine how many ships were being sent.”

  “If we sent all our warships, I suspect the Algeans would not attack,” Grang commented.

  Kogo’s eyes narrowed as he leaned back in his chair, “Are you suggesting the Gardners want an attack on Earth to take place?”

  “How would I know? I’m just a simple ship’s computer but I know that the ships we have here should not cause them to back off.”

  Kogo looked at Jimmy as he asked, “Grang, are you in touch with the Creation Forces?”

  “Why do you ask that?” the computer inquired.

  “You are seeing things all of us are missing…except for Lola’s observation about the Glod’s overlapping fields of fire, none of us saw low numbers of warships were deliberately sent.”

  Grang paused a moment and then said, “I don’t know. But I’m sensing I need to remain quiet about any other things I see.”

  Kogo looked at Dela and blew out a long breath, “Maybe the Algeans aren’t sending that many ships to attack Earth.” He waited and silence greeted his remark.

  Jimmy hesitated and finally remarked, “I don’t think that’s going to happen. However, I sense that my remarks also need to be stopped.”

  Grang suddenly interrupted, “The long-range scanner is picking up a large formation of Algean Warships gathering just outside Jupiter’s orbit.”

  “How large?”

  “You don’t want to know, Dela.”

  Jimmy immediately thought to the commanders of the other five-Psychic Ships, “Link up your Psychic Fields with the Grang and be prepared to go to full power on my command.”

  Kogo looked out of the viewport and saw a tenuous light blue colored field suddenly appear. Jimmy checked the meters on his console before looking at Kogo, “They won’t detect the psychic field until they arrive.”

  “Will it keep them out?”

  “Yes; until the generators are exhausted.”

  Dela shouted, “Grang, show me the image of the Algean ships.” The image appeared on the huge wall monitor and Dela eyes flew wide open, “You were right! I really don’t want to know.”

  Kogo ordered over the fleet frequency, “All ships, maintain masking fields and be prepared to open fire when the Algeans teleport in.”

  “Are you going to allow them to communicate, Kogo?”

  “Only if they send a single ship in.” Dela turned back to the monitor and expected that wasn’t going to happen.

  • • •

  The Algean Fleet Commander looked at Earth on his monitor and did not like what he was ordered to do. Attacking Earth was an abomination but what could he do? He was bound to follow the Senior Elder’s orders and he was going to have to learn to live with what happened. He thought to all of his formations, “We will be launching in ten-minutes. The lead fleet will move over Central City and blast it into rubble, while the other fleets will move to surround the planet. I’ll ask for Earth’s surrender once the destruction of the city is completed.” He looked at the planet and his leaves turned brown. “Teleport in now.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The massive wave of Algean Warships disappeared from the monitor and appeared a moment later surrounding Earth. Jimmy announced calmly, “Full power to the field.”

  Kogo thought loudly to the Glod Warships and Primes, “Remove your masking fields and open fire!”

  Dela jerked her head up from her console, “Why are you removing the masking field?”

  “It takes power to keep them operational. Our ships need every bit of power for their force fields.” Dela saw massive flashes of light through the view ports and it took a moment for her vision to return. A moment later, the armor covering came down and covered them.

  • • •

  In the first ten-seconds, more than forty-percent of the Algean Warships were vaporized by the concentrated fire from the Primes and Glod Warships holding position above Earth. The Algean Ships just behind the front ranks immediately teleported out. Kogo saw several Primes leave formation and he shouted, “YOU WILL STAY IN FORMATION!!” The Primes turned and returned to their ranks. “We are here to defend Earth, not to extract revenge for past attacks! I expect discipline and you will follow my commands!!”

  Tgen-Jee resented taking orders from the Cainth and wondered why he was placed in command of the Fleet; his species had to be coerced to join the fight. Now, his opinion changed. This small warrior was much more than he thought. He was also ready to break ranks to pursue the Algeans but saw the Cainth was right. He smiled and understood why he was chosen to lead the defense.

  • • •

  Lola stared at the main monitor and saw massive numbers of Algean Warships blasted into rubble. She kept her eyes on the monitor as she asked, “What are they going to do, Kogo?”

  “They should break off the attack and leave. They’ve suffered too many losses to stay.”

  Lola shook her head as she stared at the wall monitor, “They aren’t leaving.” Kogo and Dela looked at her. “I can hear their thoughts and they’ve been ordered to destroy Central City before they can leave.”

  Dela’s brow furrowed, “Why would they…”

  “Their Elder sent them here to die,” Kogo interrupted Dela. She jerked her head toward him as he continued, “Eyes told them if they defend the planets in their galaxy, the Algeans will cease to exist.”

  Lola nodded, “Without warships, they cannot defend their galaxy.”

  Kogo paused and asked Lola, “Do those pilots know about this?”

  “No, they do not, Kogo. But even if they did know, they are bound to follow their Elder’s orders.”


  Kogo’s eyes closed as he contemplated the Algean’s situation, “I hate them to the bottom of my soul but I can’t help but pity them. They’re nothing more than pawns to be sacrificed.”

  “That’s assuming we can stop them.”

  Kogo turned to Dela and smiled, “I guess there is that.”

  • • •

  The Algean Fleet Commander studied the warships surrounding Earth and knew they were the advanced ships that had come to the Golden Grove and threatened the Elder. They had to be eliminated or they might return to attack the Golden Grove. Now he understood why he was ordered to not come back without victory. He thought about what to do and then began issuing orders.

  • • •

  “What are they doing, Kogo?” Dela asked.

  “It appears the survivors are teleporting in outside the range of our blasters and surrounding Earth.”

  “If they’re outside our range, we are outside the range of their blasters as well.”

  “I realize that, Dela.” Kogo stared at the monitor and mumbled absently, “What other weapons do they have?”

  “They carry an inventory of mini-penetrators,” Grang answered.

  “Will our force fields hold up to them?”

  “Yes, but there is a limit.” After a moment, Grang added, “A hundred might break through.”

  “Jimmy, how strong is the psychic field? Could it withstand a barrage of mini’s?”

  “Yes, but it would take a lot of our power reserves, Kogo. What are you thinking?”

  “We don’t have ships to lose. I’m having them raise their masking fields and teleport out before the Algean barrage is launched.”

  “It will take a huge amount of power to sustain the field against a continuous barrage, Kogo. You’re going to have to use the fleet to make them back off,” Lola replied.

  “I’ll see about doing something to stop them before it becomes a serious issue. However, your psychic field stands a better chance against the penetrators than our ship’s force fields.”

  “Fair enough.”

  Kogo started sending orders out on the Fleet Frequency and the ships above Earth began disappearing behind their masking fields.