Seventeen year old Jenna Talben watched her display as the giant black ship moved toward another planet to conquer. “Gilene, are we going to intervene?”
“Jenna, they have learned how to handle our attacks. It was easy at first but now they fire all their beams as soon as we hit their force field destroying the hornets. If we continue to penetrate them, they’ll reach a level that our full Zeta Beam would not penetrate.”
Jenna thought a moment, “Gilene, do you have the information from the first probe that Alex used to spy on them.”
“Yes, why?”
“Show me the information in a download.” Jenna put on the head band and Gilene downloaded the information. “So the probe was able to get to the ship when it lowered its force field.”
“It appears so.”
“Why did they lower it?”
“To receive a communication.”
“Do you have the frequency of that communication?”
“Just a moment.” Jenna waited and pulled up the structure of the huge ship on her display. “Yes, I do.”
“Let’s try something new. Move up next to the force field and hit it with that frequency. If they drop their force field, hit them with your main beam just below the bottom of the main control room. That’s where their reactors are located”
Gilene thought about it, “It might work. Are you ready?”
“Just keep the teleport board hot.”
“You don’t have to ask. Here we go.”
Gilene moved up next to the force field in stealth mode and sent the frequency intermittently. She paused and sent it again. The force field came down and Gilene hit the giant black ship with her main beam. The giant ship exploded so fast that Gilene was barely able to teleport away from the blast before it struck them.
“My, my but that was dramatic. I can also assume from the immediate explosion that they were unable to send a message out.”
Gilene smiled, “You are a genius. Let’s tell the others.”
“Tell them to only use it on ships that are alone and attacking a planet. We don’t want them to think we’ve used a more powerful beam.”
“Good idea. We still need them to keep their attention on this universe.”
“This event should get their attention.”
Gilene teleported away. Ten black battleships appeared ten hours later when the destroyed ship failed to report its progress. A message went out to the Fleet Master and he directed his ship to the scene of the attack. As he viewed the destruction he began to feel something alien, fear.
Three weeks later Varner and James were moving in on a giant black ship that was moving in toward a civilized planet. The giant ship was destroying the ships coming from the planet to defend it and was moving inexorably on the defenders. Varner moved slowly toward the ship. “I don’t believe they will lower the force field until that fleet is eliminated.”
“You’re probably right. I hate to see those ships destroyed but we don’t have much choice.”
Suddenly five giant black ships appeared in the system. James looked at his display and said, “Why are they here? They don’t need that firepower to defeat that fleet.”
Varner said, “I don’t like this.”
All six ships suddenly opened fire on Varner with their main beams. James yelled, “Get us out of here! They can see us.”
Varner sent a message warning the other Searchers that their Stealth mode no longer worked when he saw that the beams had knocked down the screen and overloaded the collection panels. The teleport system was bypassed to expel the additional energy flooding the system. James saw the needles on his board race across the dial and then Varner exploded into fragments that were disintegrated by the hellish beams.
The Ship Master looked at the site of the explosion and regretted that nothing remained to examine. They were still no closer to finding out where these ships were coming from. Well now they could find them and destroy them. He smiled anticipating his next kill.
Greyson and Timmy received the message that was suddenly cut off. Timmy was silent and Greyson said, “Varner is gone and they just killed Kelly as well. He’s not responding to my calls.”
“I’m so sorry Greyson.”
“They died like we all hope to go; fighting the good fight. I’m going to miss them greatly.”
Timmy took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “They can see us in stealth mode, Greyson. That changes things.”
“Yes, but I suspect it’s not as bad as you think.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“If you thought they couldn’t see you, would you teleport away if several of their ships showed up?”
“No, probably not; I’d hang around to see what was going on.”
“Which I’m sure Varner and Kelly did when they were killed; we can still teleport out before they can emerge into normal space.”
“What are you thinking about doing?”
“We have some Captor balls in our inventory and I want to try something.”
Timmy looked at his panel, “We have three.”
“Well, I can see where the Invader ships are going to emerge into normal space. What if I teleport those balls to the location of their arrival set to detonate in three seconds. If the balls are close to the center of their emergence, they should be inside their force fields.”
Timmy thought about it, “You don’t want them in the center. The ship won’t enter if there’s an object occupying the same space.”
“I know, they’ll just emerge close by. The result would be the same. Are you open for a little pay back?”
“You know I am. Just don’t be foolish.”
“I won’t.”
The Ship Master ordered the five ships to jump away to see if another of those ships showed up to investigate. He hoped for another opportunity to fight his ship. Then he heard, “I’m reading another one of those disturbances. The coordinates follow.”
The Ship Master sneered and sent instructions to the other four ships. They waited for a minute and then jumped.”
“Here they come, Timmy.” Greyson teleported away leaving three, large round, objects behind.
The Ship Master watched his display as he emerged into normal space and didn’t see a disturbance. What was that thing next to his ship? That was his last thought. The explosion blew through the middle of the Giant Black Ship and touched off its reactors. Three of the attackers were blown into dust. The three survivors watched the explosions rip through space and felt their ships shudder from the blast wave. The Master of the three ships slammed his arms against his chair arm. Those demons baited a trap and sprung it. Three main battleships destroyed after only killing one small ship. Now it was dangerous to jump in close to one of those strange ships. He opened his communications panel and sent a record of what happened. This would have to be figured out by the Fleet Master. He knew he wasn’t going to jump his ship in close to one of the disturbances. No, half a light year is about as close as I’m going to come.”
Timmy and Greyson watched the explosions from two hundred thousand miles away. Timmy shook his head, “We should go home and notify the Emperor of our losses.”
“I’ve also got to tell my family about Varner and Kelly. I guess we’ve just been lucky so far.”
Timmy sighed, “Things are getting dangerous, Greyson. Let’s go get some more Captor Balls.”
“Unfortunately, there are only twenty left in the Defense Facility. We need to use them sparingly.” Greyson was silent for a moment, “Timmy, how do you think they’re able to see us?”
“The same way I would if I knew there were ships that my scanners wouldn’t detect. I’d program a scanner to measure the difference in light. Light and energy is bent around us and there is a minute difference in the arrival time of the light slowed by our stealth screen. They scan for that small difference and that tells them where we are.”
“Is there anything we can do about it?”
“Yes. What do you think is going to happen when ten more of their ships are destroyed when they jump in on us?”
Greyson chuckled, “I suspect they are going to be very reluctant to come close.”
“I want to see if Varner’s destruction probe was able to teleport out before he was destroyed. We need to get a read on just how powerful their main beams are.”
“I’m headed to deep space and then to the Defense Facility. I’m also telling the others about what we did and see if they want to join us.”
The Fleet Master stood in front of the ten Ruling Masters and feared for his life. More than five hundred battleships had been destroyed by the invisible ships and only two of them had been killed. He worried that his life was forfeit. He watched as the Masters reviewed their findings and then Zyl looked at him, “You have been very inefficient in handling those ships.”
“Yes, Master.”
“You have nothing to say?”
“I’ve done my best. I’ve tried to trap them but they can escape before my ships emerge into normal space. I have done all I can think of to do. I understand your doubt about my command abilities. It has been troubling trying to find where they are coming from.”
“Perhaps they are not from that Universe but one that we have already surveyed.”
“Nothing in any of our ships databanks matches up to them.”
“Perhaps they hid when the universe was being surveyed.”
The Fleet Master thought about the Master’s observation, “That would have to mean they knew we were there and followed us to the current conquest.”
“That is true.”
“Do we have the resources to reevaluate those we have not yet invaded?”
“Unfortunately, we do not if we intend to complete this conquest in a timely fashion.”
The Fleet Master stood straight and waited for his death sentence. Then he heard, “We will finish with the current Universe and then we will use all our assets to search the eight we were surveying. They are a nuisance but they have not really hurt our numbers enough to really matter. Complete your conquest and make the plan needed to search for the worlds that made those ships.”
The Fleet Master bowed and backed out of the chamber.
“I’m surprised you didn’t replace him.”
“I’ve not seen anything else he could have done. Do you?”
“Well, no, but failure is often punished.”
“That’s true but we usually have evidence of poor decision making. This Fleet Master has tried some ingenious methods. A new Master would have to go in and relearn all that he knows. That would be inefficient. Do any of you see it differently?”
No one spoke. There were ten Masters but nine of them knew who really had the power.
Scotty walked into his home and saw Julie sitting on the couch crying. He sat down beside her and put his arm around her. She leaned over and put her head on his chest. Scotty was quiet for a few minutes and sighed, “How is Carol taking it?”
“She’s bearing up. She knew the dangers and wasn’t shocked by what happened. She has had so many losses in her life. Now her second husband is gone. It breaks my heart.”
“We’ll take care of them, Julie.”
“The Riders have already taken them into their family. They will watch over them and ensure they’re ok. I just hate that we’ve lost so many brave ships and warriors.” Julie sat up, “I’m sorry. I know what this does to you.”
“You’re right but it gives me strength to see your heart. You are the reason I will not give up.”
Julie put her head back on Scotty’s chest and closed her eyes.
Nineteen year old Carter Reese waited while his partner was being moved into a Zeta Searcher. He was on Greyson’s bridge with the head band on while he downloaded all of the actions by the Zetas in the other universe. Timmy looked at him and said, “He’s so young, Greyson.”
“You were three months younger than him when you became my partner.”
Timmy looked up, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I wonder why his ship was selected?”
“His ship isn’t what led to that decision. He is the reason for the selection.”
Timmy looked at the young man again, “What’s so special about him?”
“He’s smarter than you are, Tim.”
“You’re kidding me?”
“No, he posted the highest scores on all our tests for potential Searchers. He’s something special.”
Timmy grunted and waited for the young man to finish the downloads. We’ll just see.
An hour later the young man sat up and removed the headband, “That was interesting.” He looked at Timmy and smiled, “That captor ball strategy was amazing.”
Timmy said, “It was Greyson’s idea.”
“Even so, the two of you made it work. You’re the one that made it happen.”
Timmy didn’t really want to like him but found it was hard not to with the openness of the young Searcher, “Do you see anything we can do?”
“Well, I was thinking you might use a stealth probe to bait a trap for them.”
“What do you mean?”
“They can see us because we’re moving which makes the difference in light measurable. As long as we remain stationary, they shouldn’t be able to read our presence. I’ve seen that they are now coming in a half light year from the position of our ships. Why don’t we send a probe in with a self destruct circuit? As it moves toward one of their ships, we’ll be waiting a half light year away for one of their ships to emerge. They usually send enough to surround us so we should be close enough to greet one with a captor ball.”
Timmy stared at Carter and smiled, “Welcome to the family. You can come with us to try that tactic.”
“Really, that would be great. I’m sure Pyle will love to be present.”
Timmy hit his com, “Jenna, Virze, do you have a minute?”
“Sure, what’s up?”
Timmy explained the plan and Virze and Jenna were excited at the prospect. Timmy said, “We’ll spread out a half light year out from the probe and our chances of hitting one of their ships will go up.”
Greyson said, “I’ll give you your coordinates when we arrive.”
Jenna said, “Gilene, who is that new Searcher?”
“He comes from Rehoben’s Fleet. According to my databanks, he’s scored the highest scores on the Searcher tests.”
Jenna frowned, “Higher than mine?”
“Only twenty points.”
Jenna wasn’t sure what to think about that. She knew she had only beat Timmy by twelve but she was proud of being the smartest. Now she had lost her title. Then she thought, He’s thirty two points better than Timmy. “Gilene, do you have a picture of him?”
Jenna looked at her display and saw a handsome young man smiling. “How old is he?”
“Nineteen.”
Jenna continued to stare at the picture as Timmy laid out their plan.
“Your Majesty, do you have some free time?”
“Hi, Jingo, you sound like something’s bothering you.”
“I need to share some information that the new Searcher has uncovered.”
“Meet me at home.”
“I’m on my way.”
Jingo sat down after giving Julie a hug. Robby came in and joined them at the table. Scotty saw something was wrong, “What’s going on, Jingo?”
“Carter viewed the down loads of all of our encounters with the Invaders and he saw something we’ve missed that bothered him. He brought it to my attention and I believe he’s right. I know why the Invaders are conquering universes, I think.”
“Why?”
“First, I want you to look at some pictures that Niles and Toland took of the planet where the Invaders were harvesting an orange colored pod.” Jingo took a picture out of a file and handed it to Scotty. “I want you to notice that the inhabitants being used to harvest the pods are dark brown in color.”
“Ok, so?”
“Now look at this close up of a female with a new born on her back. She is working in the fields growing normal crops.”
Scotty looked at the picture and saw the female was a much lighter shade of brown. The new born was pale and almost appeared white. Jingo handed him more photos and Scotty said, “It appears the ones harvesting normal crops are a much lighter shade of skin color.”
“They are, Scotty. Carter said he wondered what would possess that worker to take off his breathing mask and inhale the fumes from that pod. We moved the recorded video in close and saw that the worker’s face was orange and he was constantly trembling. We looked at the other workers on the ladders and most of them were shaking from one degree to another.”
Robby said, “The harvesters are addicted to the pods.”
Scotty looked at him quickly and then Jingo handed him another picture. “We missed this when we viewed it the first time.”
Scotty looked at the picture and saw in the trees next to the field a huge indentation in the ground with thousands of dead bodies in it.
Julie put her hand on her throat and saw that many of the bodies were small children. Scotty looked at her and saw her horror. He looked back at Jingo and said, “The pods are killing the inhabitants.”
Jingo nodded, “I’ve discussed this with Timmy, Jenna, and Carter and they think that the pods release spores that the inhabitants inhale. The Invaders use the population to harvest and replace those that die with the ones growing crops to feed the workers. Eventually, they won’t need any crops because most of them will be dead. The planet will have enough spores in the atmosphere to render it virtually uninhabitable.”
Robby said, “They have to constantly replace conquered planets to continue their harvesting.”
Jingo nodded, “These creatures only attack planets with life that is intelligent enough to farm. Now I want to show you one other photo.” Jingo handed Scotty a picture that showed the seas covered with dead fish. “Those spores kill everything.”
Scotty’s expression hardened. Jingo recognized his expression and said, “That is what awaits us if we don’t defeat these creatures.”
Scotty looked at Jingo, “What are we doing about this?”
“So far, our best scientists have examined the pod that Niles sent to us but have come up empty handed.”
Robby said, “But?”
Jingo looked at him and said, “Carter wants to be released from the attacks in the other universe to see if he can find someone that can help us.”
Julie said, “Who would that be?”
Robby smiled. “He wants to find an Algean.”
Jingo looked shocked, “How do you know that?”
“It takes a plant to know a plant. Dani and I are going to help him find one.”
Scotty looked at his son, “Why do you need to go?”
“Because it’s time for Dani and I and we are telepathic. With the Zord’s help we’ll be able to hear it.”
Julie stared at Robby, “What do you mean it’s time for you and Dani?”
“We were born to be together. I’ve been waiting for the event that would signal the time has come for us to release ourselves. This is the event.”
Scotty looked at Julie and then said, “You will be like the Gardners.”
“I don’t know, Dad. I do know we will be more than we currently are. It’s time.”
Jingo said, “Time for what?”
“For us to don our armor and get into the fray. If you check with Alex, I’ll bet he has the armor ready now.”
Scotty stared at his son and wondered what he was becoming. He remembered BC telling him years ago that his children were going to have psychic powers. He knew that he was in the middle of a psychic event and there was nothing he could to prevent it. He looked at Julie and saw that she had arrived at the same conclusion. Her dream was unavoidable. Now this was bearing down on them like an asteroid collision. He looked at Jingo and said, “Bring Carter here now.”
Robby said, “You also need to bring Jenna.”
“Why?”
“Because we are going to double our number searching; Dani will go with her and I will go with Carter. Mom, you need to go tell Mallory that Dani will be joining us.”
“Why me?”
“Because you’re the only one that can convince her to allow Dani to come.”
Scotty sighed and said, “BC, are you listening in?”
“I am, Your Majesty.”
“Take Julie to New Hope and send Anglo to recall Carter and Jenna.”
Robby looked at his parents, “I expected more resistence from you.”
Julie stood and hugged her baby, “We’ve known what you’ll become before you were born. Fighting it will only endanger the Empire. We’re forced to let you find your destiny.”
Scotty looked at Jingo, “Well, my best friend, it looks like we are now rushing down a path we cannot escape.”
Jingo lowered his head, “I’m going to see Tesa and Maddy before I go back. I need to remember what this is all about.”
Scotty extended his hand and shook Jingo’s, “It’s always been about those we love.”
Scotty looked at Robby, “Do you really think there’s an Algean in this universe.”
“Just like Jessica was left behind along with all the Stars Realm’s representatives on the Provincial Planets, one of them had to miss the bus.”
Sixteen year old Dani Valrico sat in her room staring at Robby’s picture and wondered what he looked like now. He had to be handsome with white hair like his father. “Dani.”
Her heart went into her throat, “Yes, Robby!”
“It’s time. Mom is coming to see if your mother will allow you to come.”
“Are you sure?”
“Look at your heart.”
Dani felt it beating faster and tried to feel the familiar revulsion whenever she thought about Robby. It was gone. “You’re right. Are you as excited as I am?”
“More, my Love. More.”
Dani packed a bag and then saw that she could see the space around New Hope. I have some time, Julie hasn’t arrived yet. She hugged the picture to her chest and felt alive. Thirty minutes later she saw BC in orbit. She picked up her bag and walked to her doorway, paused and looked back into the room that had been her prison for six years, then turned and left to go to the throne room.
Robby said, “Kreej, are you ready?”
“I am.”
“Is Dani’s Zord ready?”
“Neelah is here with me.”
“Has Bleath approved your union?”
“It becomes official when we go with you and Dani.”
Robby felt their love and knew they were as excited as he was. The two Zord had been kept apart until this time arrived. “Call Jessica and have her take you to the Defense Facility. Dani and I will join you there later.”
Dani entered the throne room as Mallory and Julie were embroiled in a heated exchange. Mallory saw Dani walk in from the door carrying a travel bag. She stopped yelling in midsentence and Julie turned to see what was going on. Mallory said, “You can go put that bag back where you found it.”
Dani shrugged, “You can also start believing that your dream with Father in it was all false.”
Mallory said, “You disrespectful child.”
“Mother, did your dream come true exactly as you dreamed it?”
Mallory leaned back, “You know it did.”
“What do you think would have happened if you had not been kidnapped by Father?”
Mallory thought about it. Dani saw her confusion, “I’ll tell you. Jilico would have invaded to force your father to get you off the planet and you would have ended up on Bristone anyway. There was nothing you could have done to prevent that dream from happening. If you try to stop me now, then something really dramatic will force you to get me off the planet. If that happens, where would you send me?”
Mallory stared at Dani and then looked at Julie, “I would send you to her if you were in danger here.”
“Which is exactly where I’m going now. You don’t want to get in the way of a psychic event, Mother. People get hurt when they try. You of all people should know that.”
Mallory looked at Julie, “Is this a psychic event?”
Julie nodded.
“How do you know?”
Julie looked at Dani, “Because my son and she know it is.”
“Mother, Robby and I will be married one day. He is the one I’ve been waiting on my entire life. I felt him when I was still in your womb. Our time has come and we are now being pushed together. I don’t want to see New Hope destroyed just to make you see the truth. Now, either order the guards to take me to my room or get out of the way.”
Mallory stared at Dani and looked at Julie, “I don’t want to let her go.”
“We feel the same about Robby. Are you willing to have the invaders come here to force you to allow this? We are caught up in powers that we’re forced to follow. She’s right, Mallory. Would you have wanted someone to try and prevent you and Nathan from finding each other?”
“Danielle, are you sure about this?”
“I’m as sure as I am about my love for you. You are my heart, Mother. It came from you.”
Mallory went to Dani and hugged her tightly. “You’re the future ruler of this Kingdom.”
“So is Jenna in hers but she fights for the Empire. Now it’s my turn.”
Mallory looked at Julie, “What does Robby say about them marrying?”
“He said it’s his destiny. He’s more excited about seeing her than I’ve ever seen.” Dani’s face lit up with a smile. Julie looked at her, “Just like that, Mallory.”
Mallory started crying and wished Nathan was there to help her. Dani said, “He’ll be here in an hour, Mom.” Mallory looked at her and Dani said, “He knows. He’s always known. About his love for you and that I was destined to make a difference in this fight.”
Dani turned and said, “BC, we’re ready.”
Julie and Dani disappeared. An hour later Nathan arrived and Mallory asked how Dani knew he was coming.”
“I didn’t know I was coming until ten minutes ago. Anglo dropped me off when he was told he had guard duty over Bristone for ten days.”
Mallory looked Nathan in the eyes, “Did you know Dani was leaving?”
“She was born to leave, my Love. She has a role to fulfill that began before she was born. That’s why you and I were meant for each other.”
Mallory felt her fear but now knew that she had done the right thing. Her baby was no longer a baby. She decided to contact Ashley Talben and discuss what had just happened.
Robby waited in the clearing watching the fire. He thought about what was coming but couldn’t see what the outcome would be. Suddenly, Julie and Dani appeared in the circle. Julie saw Robby’s eyes soften as he smiled. Dani was not a skinny little kid anymore. She was beautiful.
Dani saw Robby and started shaking her head. What a beautiful man he had become. His hair was as white as his father’s, just like she thought. Robby stood and said, “Come and sit with me.”
Dani walked over and sat down next to him. She sat down three feet away from him. “I see you know.”
“I do. We can’t touch yet. But we can communicate.”
Robby thought to her, “Yes, we can. Do you know what we’re going to try to do?”
“Yes. I like my Zord. She’s nice.”
“She’s been waiting for you as well. She’s looking forward to meeting you.”
“And I, her.”
They looked up at the sky full of stars and Robby said, “You know I love you.”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
“How long until they arrive?”
“I’m not sure. Are you in a hurry?”
“Not at all. I’ve been waiting for this my entire life.”
Robby looked at her, “Me, too.”
“Well, it looks like they won’t even jump in closer than a light year now.”
“You’re right, Timmy. It was fun while it lasted. That was a good idea, Carter.”
“Thanks, Virze.”
“It seems you have been having too much fun.”
“Well, Hello, Anglo. What brings you out here?”
“I’m here to bring Jenna and Carter back to the Empire, Timmy. The Emperor has a task for them.”
“Anglo, did Jingo visit the Emperor?”
“Yes he did, Carter. Your analysis is what led to your recall.”
“What analysis, Carter?”
“Anglo, I’m going to share it with my team. Do you think the Emperor will mind?”
“No, just keep it to yourselves until he decides what to do about it.”
“I’m sending you the download I shared with Jingo. I think it will explain a lot about the Invaders.”
“Let’s go. The Emperor is waiting.”
Jenna said, “Give me the download, Gilene.”
Jenna closed her eyes and felt a cold dread touch her soul. Then she wondered how Carter had seen it. She had watched the same report and missed what he had seen. She opened her eyes, “He is smarter.”
“Gilene said, “Yep, see if you can learn from him. He’s not an adversary; he’s a resource.”
“I’m usually playing that role.”
“You still do, just not with him.”
“I don’t know if my ego can take it.”
“You came out here to grow and develop, Jenna. Do you think you’ll make a good Ruler of your Kingdom with a huge ego?”
“Gilene, are you saying I’m not worthy of the position?”
“Not yet, Jenna; you’re smart and experienced enough but you heart needs some attention.”
Jenna took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She thought about the aunt she loved so much. June was also wise. She also had a giving heart. What had gone wrong with hers?
The Fleet Master looked at his information crewmember, “How many ships have not yet finished a conquest?”
“Twenty thousand Sire.”
“What’s the estimated time until planting and completion of subduing the populations?”
“Less than two cycles if all goes to plan.”
“How many of our ships have been stopped by those ships?”
“More than eight thousand have been forced to jump away before they could attack.”
The Fleet Master thought about it. “Start putting eight ships with each of those that still need a planet. Once they jump in together, they should be left alone. I want this done in no more than two cycles.”
“I’ll issue the orders, Sire.”
The Fleet Master leaned back in his chair, “Two more cycles and we can find the home of those abominable ships. I’m looking forward to making them pay.”
Jenna teleported down to the clearing and arrived in the circle surrounding the nightly fire. She saw many leaning back against the logs and she waited for her eyes to adjust. “We’re over here.”
Jenna turned toward the voice and saw Robby Robbins, a young girl, and Carter. How had he beaten her here? She walked up and Carter stood to greet her, “We meet at last.”
Jenna looked up at him. She had no idea he was so tall. She was almost six feet and he was half a head taller. He was so well proportioned that his picture did not give away his size. “Yes, I guess we do.”
Robby said, “Come sit with us. This is Dani Valrico. She’ll be joining us in our search.”
“Are you related to Timmy?”
“He’s my Uncle.”
Jenna sat down and leaned back against the log, “Search?”
Robby smiled, “It was Carter’s idea.”
Jenna looked at Carter sitting next to Robby. He smiled, “We’re going to go find us an Algean.”
“What!”
Dani said, “You saw Carter’s analysis of the pods the Invaders are growing?”
“Yes.”
“None of our scientists have come up with a way to counteract the effects of that pod. Think about what would happen if an invader ship dumped spores from that plant into a planet’s atmosphere.”
“They won’t do that.”
Carter said, “I agree with her.”
Jenna looked at Carter and wondered if he saw it first.
Dani asked, “Why not?”
“It would be like throwing millions of credits away. Those pods must be worth a huge amount in the place the Invaders live. They won’t waste it. It’s cheaper to just conquer a planet the old fashioned way with beams, nukes, and missiles.”
Dani thought a moment and said, “You’re right.”
Jenna said, “Just where do you think you’re going to find an Algean?”
“We don’t know.”
“What makes you think there’s one in this universe?”
“Carter did the math. There’s one here somewhere.”
Jenna looked at Carter, “I don’t see how you arrived at that conclusion.”
Carter smiled, “Jenna, I would appreciate it if you would take a look at my equations. However, in the Defense Facility’s history files, there is a video of when the Algeans moved their galaxy. Have you seen that?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Did you move the view in close to galaxy’s outer edge?”
“No, I don’t believe I did.”
“I did.”
“What did you see?”
“Tens of thousands of ships teleporting in to the galaxy at the last moment. Actually, hundreds of thousands.”
“So.”
“The Milky way was moved six hours later. Remember that Sprig felt that there was no chance of the Queen agreeing to move her galaxy.”
“So?”
“The Algeans also knew that piece of information as well as there were millions of Searchers forming up to attack the Milky Way. They would not go there until after that battle had been fought.”
“Who?”
“The ones that missed the bus. Look at that Video; thousands of ships barely made it in time to go when the galaxy was moved. All it would take is for one ship to be a few moments late to miss being moved. What is the chance of one ship; out of let’s say five hundred thousand, being a few moments late?”
Jenna thought about the probabilities and said, “We’re talking about Algeans here.”
“Who were assigned very important tasks to complete before the move; that’s why so many ended up cutting it very close.”
She let the patterns run through her mind and said, “There is at least one that was left behind. There’s probably more but the probability of every one of them making the dead line is a hundred thousand to one.” She looked up at Carter, “Is that what you figured?”
Carter tilted his head to the left, “Yeah, that’s pretty close.”
Jenna stared at him, “How close?”
Carter signed and said, “Now, I could be wrong but I came up with four million to one.”
Jenna just stared at him, “What did I miss?”
“Did you factor in that ten planets in the Provinces that did not send ships to attack the Stars Realm were not moved to the Milky Way?”
“No, why is that significant.”
“Because all of the other three hundred thousand were.”
Jenna smiled, shook her head slowly, and turned to Robby, “There are Algeans here somewhere.”
Robby looked at Carter, “You are obviously better at seeing things than I am at my current level. Why is that fact significant?”
“Because all of them were in the same small area of the Kosiev Province; fifty in that area were moved. Ten were not. I’m sure the Algeans were given the task of cleaning up all of the loose ends. We know that Jake asked Sprig to move all the loyal planets to the Milky Way to defend them and Sprig agreed to do it. One of them missed the deadline. You know how the Algeans were perfectionists. Whoever was charged with moving those planets would not quit until they were moved. That Algean is still here.”
Robby looked at Carter and then at Jenna. “Well, we are going to go find him. Dani will go with Jenna and I will go with Carter. Our Zord will be going with us and we are going to search for him, or her, using telepathy. You will command your ships in any situation where combat might be required and we will not interfere with your decisions. However, Dani and I will be in overall command of your ships. Is that clear?”
“Have you been given that authority by the Emperor?”
“No, Jenna, would you like to ask my father if I have it?”
Jenna shook her head. Carter said, “I look forward to it Robby. There’s so much I can learn from you.”
Jenna looked sharply at Carter and saw he meant it. She looked at Dani and wondered what she had to learn from the teenager. Then she heard in her mind, “You might be surprised.”
Jenna realized that Dani really was a telepath. She was the first one she had ever encountered. “Are the two of you psychic?”
Robby smiled, “We will be acquiring our skills over time.”
Jenna looked at Dani and smiled. Carter was right. Then she looked at Carter who was staring up at the stars and decided that she needed some time with him. She had to know how his mind worked. She didn’t want to be impressed but she was.
Dani was disappointed that she was taking the weaker of the two Searchers but she saw that Jenna was a work in progress. Perhaps they would both be better for the effort. Robby said, “You’ll be getting your armor in the morning.”
Jenna and Carter jerked their heads toward Robby. “Right after Dani and I get ours.”
Carter smiled, “Alllll right!”
Jenna felt her heart beat faster; the Realm’s Armor. Was she ready for that much power?
Carter looked at her and said, “You’ll be even more beautiful in Armor. You’ll look good in red.”
Jenna didn’t know what to say.
The stars shined brightly overhead waiting for the power sitting at the fire to come to life. There wasn’t much time remaining.
Telah sat outside the fire and worried about her first hatched son. She had followed him to the Human Community and secretly watched him leave on Jessica. She loved Kreej so much. She stayed and listened to White Hair’s Son and decided that he was worth her first hatchling. She now had more than fifty babies that were becoming adults but that first one held a special place in her heart. She would always remember the terrible Night of the Torg and the joy of her first children. Kreej was the first one she heard that night crying for her as she circled high overhead. Her son was a warrior and she knew he would someday lead the Flocks. Even the Elders listened to his advice. She prayed that the Son of White Hair would protect him. She knew that Kreej would protect White Hair’s Son even if it meant losing his life in the effort. This new Searcher had a remarkable mind that was unique. She had never encountered anyone with the depth of clarity she saw in his thoughts. The three of them were going to make history. She lifted silently and flew home to Zreeg. She felt her heart grow. She loved her mate so much. She picked up speed to hurry home and show him.
Alex looked at the two Zord and said, “How does it feel?”
Kreej spread his wings and looked at the bright red coating, “It feels like my own hide. This head covering is remarkable. How do I learn how to use my armor?”
“First you need to learn how to take it off. See the silhouette of a Zord in the lower right hand corner of your helmet?”
“Yes.”
“Look directly at it and think, ‘Armor off.’”
Kreej and Neelah saw their armor disappear. “How do we bring it back?”
“That’s the easy part. Clinch both of your claws and think, “Initiate Armor.’”
Kreej and Neelah both turned their armor on and immediately off. “That is simple, Alex.”
“You don’t really need a headband to begin the download but it will work faster if you do. Both of you need to lie down, place the bands around your heads, and relax. The download will make the neural connections and teach you all of its functions. It’s going to take twelve hours so make sure you’re comfortable before you start this process.”
Kreej looked at Neelah, “Are you ready?”
“I’ve been ready for ten years. I’m really curious about this system.”
Alex watched the two Zord start their download and wondered how they knew the Armor was ready. It had been completed just two days earlier. He waited for Robby to arrive and determined that he would hold that question until then. He wished Grace was still at the Facility. He missed her wisdom. This armor was light years ahead of the Realm’s Armor. Even the beam was stronger than a Zeta and the surface could be made reflective. With the two hundred foot wing span of a Zord, a planet could be ravaged. He was extremely nervous about releasing this power into his universe. If the Zord ever decided to take control there would be nothing that could stop them. Maybe I’m just being paranoid. Still, you can never be too careful. He hoped he would never have to activate the circuit that would destroy all the Armor and those who wore it. He vowed to never allow another evil Duke to take control.
The Ten Ruling Masters viewed the updates from the problem universe. They discussed the next steps to eliminate the civilization that was sending ships to slow their conquest and where to start the search. “We have nothing in our records that resemble those ships.”
The youngest Master stared at his display and said, “I remember that there was once a civilization in one of the universes we examined that had very strong beams.”
“I remember that civilization. However, we decided to wait until it destroyed itself before we invaded. It appears that the war happened and most of the ships with those beams were destroyed.”
Zyl looked at the Fourth Master and didn’t say anything. That universe was still at war and was not yet ready for their attention. Certainly nothing like those ships was seen there. That universe would have to be low on the search list. Then he heard something that changed his mind. The Second Master said, “According to my records, that universe is missing two galaxies.”
Zyl looked up, “What?”
“Our scans could be in error but there are two less than the first time we visited.”
“Do you know which ones are missing?”
The Second looked and said, “No. With billion’s of galaxies, it would be impossible to make that determination. I only now noticed the total number does not agree with our original survey. There is a possibility that two could have been missed due to being behind a much larger galaxy.”
“I thought we took several views from different angles.”
“We do, but then two others could have been moved behind.”
“Has this ever happened before?”
The nine Master’s consulted their displays, “It doesn’t appear to have ever happened before.”
Zyl said, “They may be hiding from our scans. That is where we will go next. Notify the Fleet Master.”
Suddenly Zyl’s panel illuminated with a bright blue light. All ten Masters felt instant fear. Zyl looked at them and closed his eyes briefly. He opened them and pushed the button, “How may I serve you?”
The Ten listened and hoped they would survive the contact.
Robby stood in the landing bay at the Defense Facility and looked at the group glowing in their new armor. The two Zord were sitting and even in that pose they were enormous. Scotty keyed his communicator, “Alex, is the armory ready?”
“Yes it is. You may teleport one at a time and select your stores.”
“Thanks, Dani will go first.”
Dani teleported away. Robby said, “Load up on as many armaments as you can. We won’t be back soon, so make good use of the inventory.”
Kreej commed, “Alex, is there a limit to what we can take?”
“I don’t have an infinite supply of ordinance. Just keep in mind that there will be more than six thousand Flyers that will need to be supplied.”
“What are you saying?”
“You don’t need to take a billion hornets. You’ll never use that many. A hundred thousand would be a rational number.”
“What if I want double that number?”
“Then take them. What makes you think you’ll need that many?”
“We may decide to remove the Invaders from planets they’ve conquered.”
“Then come back for more. That probably won’t happen in the near future and remember we’re going to have to supply all of the ships we’re building as well.”
“What about Captor Balls?”
“That’s easy. Now that you’re covered with a red force field, you can go to their original home and pick up as many as you want. My records indicate that there are still several million at their old hive.”
Robby smiled, “Don’t be greedy Kreej.”
Kreej said, “I was talking about Neelah.”
“No, you weren’t.”
“Yes I was.”
Neelah shoved Kreej with one of her wings, “I’ll use good judgment, Alex.”
Robby shook his head, “The Captor Balls are too big to take into our armor. Load up on those if you must, Kreej; you can have my share.”
“Robby, our ships will need them more than us. It’s the main tool that has kept the invaders away from our ships.”
Robby looked at Carter, “Ok, we’ll only take a hundred per Zord. Load another hundred on Pyle and Gilene.”
Alex said, “That is reasonable, Robby.”
Dani appeared and Robby said, “You’re next Jenna.”
Jenna did a double take and then disappeared.
Carter looked at Robby and he said, “Ladies go first. We must always remember to be a gentleman.”
Dani laughed, “Never forget that. Boy it was hard making choices.”
“Tell me what you saw.”
“Oh, the first answer was a good one but the real one is you want to be enlightened before you go.”
Robby pretended to be looking out the port, “Are you going to tell me?”
Dani thought about it, “You’ll find some small blunt nosed projectiles in the far left of the armory. If you ever have to board a ship and want to do maximum damage without burning any of the electronics, you’ll need them.”
“So you know about the dimensional drive?”
“I do.”
“Did you take any?”
“I did.”
“Do you see something I don’t?”
“Only that I’ll be with you when it happens.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Darn, I thought it would be Jenna or Carter.”
Carter listened to them and said, “What are the two of you talking about?”
Robby and Dani looked at him and Dani said, “Oh, nothing.”
Carter stared at them and Robby said, “I’ll tell you before it happens.”
Carter shrugged, “Fair enough. Who’s next?”
“You are.”
“Where did you say those slugs are located?”
Robby laughed and looked at Dani, “He’s one smart cookie.”
Carter raised his arms in a strongman pose and said, “And handsome besides.”
Kreej and Neelah listened to the back and forth and Neelah thought, “It feels like family.”
Kreej nodded, “We need to get Jenna and Carter a Flyer.”
“That comes later.”
Kreej said, “Get the message to Vring. He needs to start making the list now.”
Neelah nodded. “Your Sister would be good for Jenna.”
“Only if she passes Vring’s scrutiny.”
“Afraid of being accused of playing favorites?”
“Not at all, I just don’t know all of the Flyers available. There may be one better.”
Neelah looked at Carter, “He’s going to be hard to match.”
Kreej looked at Carter and nodded, “Yes he is.”
Jenna reappeared and Carter disappeared. After an hour Robby said, “Alex, is Carter ok.”
“I’m sitting here in amazement.”
“Why?”
“He’s combined several weapon platforms that are going to be devastating. Robby looked at Dani and said, “We need to go take a look at what he’s doing.”
Jenna, Robby, and Dani teleported to the Armory. Kreej looked at Neelah, “Yes, he’s going to be hard to match.”
Neelah just shook her head wondering what was going on in the armory.”
The ten new Ruling Masters looked down at the new Fleet Master. Kye looked around the gathering and said, “You understand your assignment?”
“Yes, I do.”
“You will bring the ship to us when you capture it.”
“I will, Sire.”
The Fleet Admiral turned to go. Kye looked at the others and said, “Have we decided which universe we will search first?”
“The last ten Masters were discussing that when we were called in.”
“We’ll not waste time looking at their decisions. We will go to the first one and work our way to the most recent.”
The nine Masters began issuing orders. Kye was not going to repeat anything the former Masters had decided. He did not want to see that light illuminate. The missing two galaxies were not discovered until much later.
Timmy and Virze were three hundred thousand miles from a planet that was being forced to grow the orange plants. The local populations had been rounded up and put in communes and the farm beside farm structure was taking shape.
“Do you think it’s too late to save the inhabitants?”
“Grace looked at her scanner, “The spores are in the atmosphere and their levels are growing. I suspect it is too late for those that have been in the farms more than a few days.”
Greyson said, “The intensity is highest at the farms. However, some of the spores have been blown into the upper atmosphere.”
Grace said, “Look out!”
“Two Giant Black ships appeared without warning next to the two Searchers. A beam shot out from the two ships and enclosed them in a force field that was surrounded by another structure with an orange gas.”
“Grace, my teleportation and communication boards are not functioning. We cannot get a message out and teleportation does not work in this environment.”
“Timmy, what’s happening?”
“Calm down, Virze. I think they have trapped us inside a force field surrounded by a dimensional field. If we leave this force field we will probably be destroyed by that field without the screen that protects their ships. They are now able to hide their emergence into normal space. I suspect they are going to take us to their home planet. If we leave this dimension, we will not be able to return. It looks like we’re trapped. I’m so sorry, Virze. I never thought we would both die. It’s my fault.”
Timmy suddenly found himself on Grace with Virze. She ran to him and hugged him tightly.
“Timmy!”
“Yes, Greyson.”
“That force field is the same strength as the one’s used on their ships.”
“It doesn’t matter, Greyson. If we go out into that dimensional gas, we’ll die.”
“Grace, we have to save Timmy and Virze. Will you help me?”
“What do you want to do?”
“I’m going to fire a full Zeta beam at the force field and I want you to also fire and overlap my hit.”
“What are you planning?”
“I’m going through the opening with my force field at maximum strength. Once the force field closes behind me I’m going to self-destruct.”
“Greyson, you can’t do that! You must not do that!”
Greyson ignored Timmy. “Grace, you know you are more important than I am to this effort. If we don’t try it, we all die.”
“Greyson, listen to me.”
“Timmy, this is the only way to save Virze. Someone has to warn the Empire. Grace, will you help me. Those ships are going to jump soon!”
“Give me a marking beam. I’ll hit just to the left of it. Greyson, are you sure there’s no other way?”
“If there is, we don’t have time to find it. Be ready to leave.”
“I’m sorry, Greyson?”
“Take care of Timmy.”
“I will.”
Greyson fired a low powered beam into the force field and the he and Grace hit the field with a max powered Zeta beam. A huge hole began appearing and Greyson flew through it. Grace stopped firing and the force field closed. Then a gigantic explosion rocked the force field and blew out into the two ships that were maintaining the fields. The shock wave hit the two ships and crushed their hulls into the walls away from the blast. The force field around Grace was blown out of existence and Grace teleported away just before the blast reached her. The shock wave continued out from the center of the explosion and hit the planet destroying the black ship in orbit and burning the atmosphere away.
Grace had teleported six hundred thousand miles away from the planet and stopped to view what happened. Timmy held Virze and watched the planet burn. He felt agony. His partner was gone and part of him died with Greyson. He took a deep breath and Grace said, “Those people were already dead. This was much more merciful than the death that orange plant would have given them.”
Virze held Timmy and said, “Grace, take us home.”
Grace teleported away just before fifty ships and the new Fleet Master arrived. The new Master had received the good news of having captured one of the small ships but there was nothing remaining in the system but destruction. No one survived to tell what had happened. He looked at his communication panel and saw the connection to the Ruling Masters illuminate. He had notified them that he had captured one of the enemy’s ships. He pressed the button and knew he was dead.