Annihilation Saga: Lost Royalty

by Saxon Andrew

  Another group rushed to Jack, who was writhing in pain, and knocked him out with an injection. One of the technicians scanned him with a medical scanner and shouted over his communicator, “Get a cocoon prepped! The muscles in Col. Turner’s arms, legs, and torso have been pulled away from the bones!” The four-technicians along with Jack were teleported off the Kosiev directly to the hospital. They didn’t even take time to put Jack on a stretcher; he was teleported directly off the floor.

  • • •

  The technicians removed the space suits from Tag and Kogo as the doctor in command scanned them. “How are they?” Lola asked.

  “They’re severely undernourished and dehydrated. Their brains are not showing any higher activity and their oxygen levels are below 60.” The doctor lifted his communicator and the medical team disappeared along with Tag, Kogo, and Dela.

  Sprigly looked at Seedel standing in silence next to him, “Go and relieve Danielle! Tell her what’s going on.”

  Seedel nodded and pressed her teleport bracelet. She appeared in the Communication Center and Danielle leapt out of her chair with her hands clutching at her throat. “He’s alive, Danielle. He’s just been teleported to the hospital!” Danielle immediately teleported out to the medical facility and James Carter looked at Seedel, “How are they?”

  “Bad shape. The most concerning thing is neither of them are showing any higher brain activity.”

  James stood up to leave the communication center, “I’m going to inform the King about their status. Please keep me informed if anything changes.”

  “I will, Prince Carter.” James disappeared and Seedel turned the control console. Three slivers arrived within ten-seconds of each other and she began downloading the data. A lot was a happening in their universe. The DECs were arriving in the Algean’s Galaxy and attacking the civilizations there. Seedel leaves turned brown as she studied the data that had come in during her absence, “So much death!” she lamented.

  • • •

  Jack’s head was resting on a support while the rest of his body, from below his chin down to his feet, was contained in a large metal cylinder. The Doctor had brought him out of the induced coma the day before and he had not been able to sleep since. He stared at the ceiling and thought about what had happened during the rescue.

  He heard the door to his hospital room open and then close. He looked to his left expecting a nurse but was surprised to see Danielle come in and sit down beside his bed, “Your Majesty!”

  “Call me Danielle, Jack. You’ve certainly earned the right.”

  “Your Majesty, you done more than I’ve ever done or will ever do to deserve your title.”

  Danielle smiled softly and continued, “Sprigly was able to download the data from your armor once you were inside the cocoon. He transferred it to BC’s databanks and BC contacted me an hour ago and suggested I view it. What you did to save my husband was impossible.”

  “Your Majesty, I only did what every other warrior in our forces would have done.”

  “I believe you’re right about that but your ingenuity in making it happen was not something most could have come up with. The surgeons tell me that they see no way you could have opened the Prime’s port manually and carried Tag and Kogo off the ship with the damage done to your body. They insist it’s not possible.”

  “Adrenaline can do strange things,”

  “The doctors say that’s hogwash and insist adrenaline couldn’t have made it happen. I came here to thank you for saving my husband.”

  “If I had failed. We could have come back later and made another effort.”

  “No, we couldn’t have.”

  Jack’s eyebrows came together, “Why not?”

  “Because when the medical techs got them out of their spacesuits, there was only fifty-minutes of oxygen remaining. The suits dropped the oxygen levels to where they were barely getting enough to survive. If you failed, they would have died.”

  Jack stared into Danielle’s eyes and then reluctantly asked, “How is he doing?”

  “He’s not here. His body is recovering but his mind is not in it. The same is true of Kogo. But you brought him back and where there’s life there’s hope.” Jack exhaled slowly and nodded. Danielle stood up, leaned down, and kissed Jack’s forehead, “Thank you. I owe you more than I can ever repay.”

  Danielle stood up straight and then turned and left Jack’s room. If Jack’s arms were free, he would have touched his forehead with both hands. Very few people in the universe had ever been kissed by a queen, especially this queen. He would remember this moment for the rest of his life and tell his future children about it one day. He knew how he had managed to get them out. His body was useless but his armor followed his commands. Though he almost passed out from the pain, it was his armor that made the difference. He looked up at the ceiling, closed his eyes, and went to sleep as he relived Danielle’s visit.

  • • •

  Danielle walked down the hospital’s corridor feeling small. This warrior’s courage and determination not to fail humbled her. She thought about telling Tag, before he left, that her days of being a tool were over. She nodded to those she passed as they stopped and bowed to her. She didn’t know exactly when it happened, but long ago the bows given to her began to lose their meaning. She realized that somewhere along the way, she had lost what it meant to be Royal. She thought back to the meeting with the Glod and Cainth Rulers at the founding of the Stars Realm and remember them asking her to be their Queen. She remembered vividly how she felt completely inadequate for the task but was finally persuaded to accept the title. She felt humble and vowed to never let them down. Now they had been attacked and she wasn’t there to defend them.

  Danielle realized that she had lost the meaning of her Royalty over the centuries and this brave warrior showed her what she had become; he humbled her again. She asked him to call her Danelle and he insisted on addressing her as ‘Your Majesty’.” Even her title didn’t matter as much as it did long ago and she never dressed like a Royal anymore. Col. Turner was willing to give his life to defend her and Tag. His loyalty to them made him refuse to fail and drove him thorough his pain. She dropped her head in shame…she was once like him.

  Danielle found her Lost Royalty walking down that hospital corridor. She squared her shoulders, stood a little taller, and vowed she was not going to let those down that were depending on her ever again. She finally understood what made someone Royal…humility. She arrived at Tag’s room and opened the door. Before she entered, she turned and saw all the people in the corridor that had stopped to see her were staring at her. She bowed deeply to them before turning to enter the room with misty eyes and a determination that was missing earlier.

  • • •

  Dela sat beside Kogo and pleaded, screamed, and prayed for him to wake up and come back to her. She finally took his hands and began telling him what their life was going to look like when he came back. She held back her tears knowing if he died, he died a warrior and there was no finer way to end a Cainth Warrior’s life. His sacrifice deserved her respect, not her tears. Dren entered the room and she told him she was planning to marry Kogo. She expected resistance from her father but he put a hand on her shoulder and said, “I hope he says yes. Our family will be honored to have him join us.” Dela stood up and hugged him tightly before going back to holding Kogo’s hands. “Oh, Kogo, where are you?”

  • • •

  Danielle stayed with Tag and saw the emptiness in his mind. There was nothing but a white mist. She sat, waited, and prayed to Creation to save him. She held his hand and stared in to his face.

  • • •

  “Tag.”

  “Yes, Kogo.”

  “I’ve made a decision.”

  “What is that?”

  “I understand that you believe we are inside the creature that hit our ship and that the only thing keeping our minds intact is the link holding them together. But I don’t choose to live like this. I’d rath
er die than live in this white mist surrounding us. I want you to break the link.”

  “Are you sure about this, Kogo.”

  “I am,” Kogo assured him.

  Tag didn’t want to die. He wanted desperately to let Danielle know how much he loved her before that happened. But Kogo was right, this existence was not living. “I’m going to break the link.”

  “I’ve enjoyed fighting with you, Tag.”

  “It was an honor, Kogo; even Dorg-Ross wasn’t any better in battle.” Tag broke the link with Kogo and then opened his eyes. He saw Danielle looking down at him and said, “I’ve always been amazed at just how beautiful you are.”

  Danielle was staring at Tag’s face but was distracted by all the memories they shared over their long lifetimes. She heard him and realized his eyes were open. She screamed, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him like there would be no tomorrow. She heard Dela scream next door and knew Kogo was back as well.

  A nurse rushed through the door when she heard Danielle’s scream and saw the Gardners locked in an embrace. She backed out of the door as several nurses rushed up. They stopped and looked at her as she began pumping her arms up and down as she danced a jig, “HE’S BACK!! TAG IS BACK!!”

  • • •

  “ALEX!!”

  “Not so loud, Grace!”

  “TAG AND KOGO ARE BACK!!”

  “What, when…are you sure?”

  ‘I’ve kept a scanner dedicated to watching their rooms. Both are back!” Alex started to activate his communicator and Grace said, “NOT NOW!”

  “Why not?”

  “They’re…Uhhh…busy at the moment.”

  “I’ve got to tell someone or I’m going to explode!!”

  Grace activated the General Frequency used by the all the Military Forces and Leaders in the Dark Dimension and she said, “Announce it to everyone, Alex!!”

  Alex raised the communicator’s volume to maximum power and started, “Attention all forces fighting to save our universe! It gives me tremendous satisfaction to announce that Tag Gardner and Kogo are awake and conscious! They are back!”

  The sorrow that had gripped the Bristone Galaxy lifted like a fog being burned away by a hot sun and the celebrations immediately began. Sprigly, Newton, and Seedel were jumping up and down as they turned a circle in the Communication Center. They wanted to teleport into Tag’s hospital room but saw telepathically that it would have to wait. They shouted and continued to dance. Jimmy wrapped Lola up in his arms and celebrated like newly-weds often do. Eyes and the Cats roared their joy, while the Zord joined them. But Tag, Danielle, Kogo and Dela saw none of it. They were lost in each other’s embrace.

  • • •

  Later, the nurses brought dinner and Tag ate very slowly while he caught up on events with Danielle. “How long were we gone and how did you manage to get us back?”

  Danielle smiled, “That is a long story and I’ll tell you about it shortly. I will tell you now that you and Kogo were gone for over two-weeks. I need to know what happened, Tag.”

  Tag put his fork down and thought about all that had transpired, “When I arrived at a galaxy in DEC Space, I moved the ship in close to a planet that was being attacked by the creatures. I knew they must possess some means of detecting advanced technology and assumed that some would leave the planet and pursue us.”

  “Did they?”

  “No, Danielle they didn’t. I suspect they saw no real need to go after one small spaceship when there were billions on the planet to attack. I could hear their thoughts.”

  “Are they intelligent?”

  Tag shrugged, “I guess in a rudimentary way. Their thoughts are basic concepts like food, prey, this belongs to me; you know, things like that.”

  “Go on,” Danielle prodded.

  “Well, I decided that I needed to get their attention, so I used my telepathy module to send a thought to the creatures attacking the planet; Tag smiled, “I asked them how it was going.” Tag rolled his eyes and tilted his head as he looked at Danielle, “The response was beyond anything I’ve ever seen! I believe every creature on the planet leapt into space instantly and rushed directly toward us at an impossible velocity.”

  “Why would they do that?”

  “They weren’t alone, Danielle. It looked like every creature in the entire galaxy left what they were doing to attack us. As I accelerated away from them, I could see clouds of the creatures moving through space from other galaxies in the distance.” Tag paused and Danielle took his hand. He lowered his gaze and continued, “I could hear their thoughts. Every one of them were focused on consuming a telepath. I sensed their hunger was overwhelming them. I believe that those creatures are addicted to consuming telepathic species. I could see that they had no option but to chase us; their hunger was beyond their control.”

  “So, what happened?”

  Tag looked up at her, “I made a mistake in jumping into the middle of their territory. All the creatures between our space and theirs were moving toward us at incredible speed. Space was filled with giant white walls of the creatures moving toward us. They were rushing to get to us ahead of all the others. It took all I could do, even with my enhanced speed, to avoid them. Kogo saved us hundreds of times with the Prime’s Blasters. It would have ended quickly but for his presence.”

  “Tag, why were you wearing a spacesuit? I’ve never seen you put one on before a fight in the past. You abhorred them, especially in combat. You always said it showed weakness.”

  “That was Kogo’s idea. He suggested that we should put them on so if things went south, I could use the teleporter to jump us far away from the Prime and we could contact a probe to call for a pickup.” Tag shrugged as he looked away again, “When the moment came, it happened too fast to do anything.”

  “What happened, Tag?”

  “Danielle, I was doing everything in my power to avoid those creatures but I was losing. I was just about to make a run toward the Bristone Galaxy’s former location, when I suddenly saw one of the creatures bearing down on our portside, it was moving too fast to avoid. I didn’t have time to move a finger before it was on us. Somehow, Kogo managed to push the Power Cell slide and activate the Power Cell Field just as that creature was less than twenty-yards away from our hull. The creature died and released all its energy less than ten-yards from our hull. I was blinded by the white energy and deafened by the creature’s scream. I found myself trapped in a white space with nothing around mw. I could hear Kogo because our minds were still linked but there was nothing else.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I believed that the creature had absorbed our bodies and that the only thing preventing our minds from dying with our bodies was the link between them.” Tag paused, “I was wrong.”

  “How did you find out?”

  “Kogo told me that he chose not to live in that white universe we were trapped in. He asked me to break the link between us. He preferred to die.” Danielle gazed into Tag’s eyes. “As soon as I broke the link, I opened my eyes and saw you.”

  “So, the link was what was keeping your mind away?” Tag nodded. Danielle smiled, “It appears Kogo saved your life three-times.”

  “At least that many,” he replied somberly.

  “He was right. He was destined to go on that mission with you.”

  “I see that, Danielle.”

  Danielle smiled and took a breath, “Sit back and let me bring you up to date on what’s happened while you were gone.” Tag picked up his fork and continued to eat his dinner while he listened. He asked questions and was amazed at the bravery of the Red Warrior Colonel that saved his life. It took a few hours but finally, she finished.

  Tag ate his meal and occasionally asked questions. He was amazed at the bravery of the Red Warrior that saved his life. Finally, Tag sighed and said, “Do you remember when we were dating in high school on Earth and we went to the ocean and rented some water-craft?”

  “I do.”

  “W
e stumbled up on a group of Bottlenose Dolphin and I bet you that I could touch one before you could.”

  “Boy! Was that a fiasco. Why do you bring that up?”

  “Our water-craft were a lot faster than those dolphins but every time we came close, they would suddenly turn and leave us blowing past them. I swear one of them was laughing at me.”

  “So?”

  “Danielle, we were trying to touch a creature that was in its natural element, while we were using machines to chase them. Those Dark Energy Creatures are in their natural element in space while we’re using machines to chase them. The real cracker in this is that they are far faster than we are. We stand no chance in getting close enough to attack them.”

  Tag pulled her up on the bed with him and wrapped his arms around her. She put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. After a few minutes he said, “You know what this means?”

  “Umm hmm”

  “We need to let the others know.”

  “Give it a few weeks, Tag. You and Kogo need to get your strength back.”

  Tag closed his eyes “You always were the wise one.” Danielle was breathing softly and Tag closed his eyes and joined her in sleep.

  • • •

  In the room adjacent to theirs, Dela slept soundly for the first time in weeks. Kogo was holding her and knew that he had done what creation had demanded of him. He was content and at peace. He almost fell asleep, when he heard a thought, “Your tasks are not done, brave Warrior.” He fought sleep but it found him and took him to join Dela. He was smiling; a warrior always looked forward to the next fight.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  The giant conference room on the Defense Facility was filling up fast. As Jack came through the entry doors, Sprigly moved up to him, “Please move to the front of the room and find your place at the front table.”