“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.
Chapter Fifteen
Robby and Carter sat on Pyle and shook their heads. “Kreej, do you sense anything?”
“No, Carter, I don’t.”
Robby looked down on the planet and knew they had guessed wrong again. “Pyle, call Dani and ask them to meet us at Bristone.”
“They’re on their way.”
Carter shook his head, “What are you going to do?”
“Go home and think about this. We’ve been at this for eight months and are no closer than when we started.”
Carter hit his chair arm with a fist, “I know he’s here somewhere.”
“I agree, Carter, but where? Do you have any other ideas?”
Carter shook his head. He stood up and walked to the view port and stared at the planet below. I feel something just barely below my consciousness yelling at me how to find him but I just can’t get to it.”
“Let’s go home and find out what’s been happening.”
Pyle said, “On my way.”
They arrived above Bristone and Robby thought, “Dani, have everyone meet after dark at the fire.”
“Will do.”
The six tired travelers sat at the fire watching the flames. Robby sat with Dani beside him still not making contact. Kreej and Neelah were lying on the ground just inside the logs feeling the warmth of the fire. Carter was leaning back against a log with Jenna under his arm. Jenna sighed, “I just knew he would be at one of those ten planets left behind.”
Robby frowned, “He could very well be there and not allowing us to hear his thoughts. However, we did a good search with our scanners. If he’s still there, he’s able to avoid them. I guess I just have to give in and realize we aren’t going to find him.”
Dani shook her head, “Maybe we’re wrong and none were left behind. Perhaps it realized there was no time and left to make the move.”
Jenna said, “I really thought that if anyone could come up with where to find it, Carter would do it.”
Carter looked down at Jenna, “Why do you say that?”
“Because you’re always in the center of everything that happens. I may have doubted your ability at first but you’ve proven yourself so many times during our search.”
Jenna saw Carter’s expression change. He started laughing.
