intelligence. All of them possess indications of intelligence.”
“Orient on the strongest source and prepare to investigate.”
“Notifying navigation immediately.”
The Ship’s Male pressed another control and announced, “Prepare yourselves to feed; the time is soon.” Throughout the thirty thousand mile wide globe, millions of shapes began to stir.
The Stars Realm Searcher Ship Orange Sky sat motionless a hundred miles from the giant vessel. Searcher Qingz pressed the activation control that energized the red screened probe and it immediately began looking for jump tracks. Quingz sat and watched and waited for what he knew was coming but refused to communicate until the huge ship jumped; he was uncertain if his communications would be detected. The green giant turned half a rotation and then disappeared in the silver-blue flash of a star drive.
“Fleet Command, this is Orange Sky reporting; the invader has jumped and I can confirm that our sensors do not detect their presence.”
“We’ll pass that information to the fleet, Searcher.”
“I can also confirm that I remained undetected a hundred trigs from their location.”
“We will also pass that along. The first probe has jumped to the invaders jump coordinates and is currently following them visually. It appears that they detected a planet with intelligent life.”
“I will remain on station until their next vessel appears, Fleet Command.”
“Carry on, Searcher Qingz.”
“Father.”
Yes, Stem”
“The Admiral was right; they do not appear on our sensors.”
“Notify Admiral Gardner; we are beginning operation blindfold.”
Stem turned and thought, “Magic, operation blindfold has been initiated.”
“How many ships are in the first group?”
“Six, they will follow the invaders in to the first planet they attack and visually record anything they see. It has been confirmed that our ships are invisible to them. We should see if they are using any new weapons that were not in the recording the Captor’s gave us. “
Matt sat in his command chair with his chin resting on his hand. He hesitated but then asked, “Who is in command?”
Stem looked at his instrument and said, “Searcher Angel Dodd, Admiral.”
Matt sat up straight and thought, “Angel, be careful following those ships in system.”
“I will, Magic. We’re not getting closer than the third moon and only when their entire fleet arrives at the planet.”
Matt put his chin back on his hand and closed his eyes. Al sensed Matt’s nervousness and watched what Matt was seeing in his mind. Stem had also noticed something bothering Matt but was uncertain about what it was.
Angel thought to her squadron, “Alright, listen up. We are going to wait until the mother ship has entered close orbit around the planet. We will then jump in no closer than this planet’s third moon. I will stop just above the moon’s surface and begin recording. I want the rest of you to teleport in the same distance but on different angles so we don’t miss anything happening on the planet. If any of the green ships start moving toward you, teleport out immediately, any questions?”
No one responded so Angel knew they understood what was required. The six Searchers waited ten hours until the mother ship finally arrived at the planet. Once the huge one hundred mile long transports began leaving the mother ship, Angel thought, “Port to you assigned locations in three seconds.”
The six small ships disappeared, assumed their positions, and began recording. Angel was two miles above the surface of the moon looking directly down toward the planet. “Begin recording, Fly Girl.”
“Started ten seconds ago, Angel.”
On the surface of the moon a small green shuttle sized ship was investigating facilities that the planet had built on the moon’s surface. The structure they had just examined was a storage facility with no life in it. As the shuttle prepared to move to the next facility the Eight Leg piloting the shuttle noticed a small shadow move across the surface of the moon directly in front of his vessel. He turned his attention upward but could not see or detect anything that would have caused the shadow. “How could that be,” it wondered? He moved his ship toward the shadow that had become stationary on the moon’s surface and again looked upward. There was something blocking the star’s light but it was not visible. He decided to investigate.
Matt watched in his mind as Angel’s ship stopped directly above the moon’s surface and then he saw that her ship was casting a shadow on the moon’s surface. He looked closer and saw the tiny green ship enter that shadow. “Angel, get out of there, your ship is casting a shadow on the moon.”
Before Angel could comprehend what he was saying the small green shuttle shot off the surface of the moon and hit her ship. Matt saw the green light directly under the ship attached to Wing’s hull and he thought to Al, “Al, teleport them out of there, now!”
Al teleported in next to Wings, extended the silver screen, and dragged Wings through it.
The two ships reappeared and Matt thought, “Angel, answer me.”
“All he got was a weak thought, “Something hit me.”
“Fly Girl, talk to me.”
“Matt, my systems are down. Whatever they used to breach my hull has knocked my engines off line. I’m losing power.”
Al thought, “No Matt, don’t go!”
Matt disappeared and reappeared on Wings’ bridge. He stood to face the creatures that had boarded but they were not there. He turned and saw Angel lying on the floor with blood flowing from three wounds. He ran to her and lifted her head. “Angel, oh Angel.”
She opened her eyes and smiled weakly at him. “I messed up. Oh, Magic, it hurts so much.”
“He held her close and thought, “Hang on, Angel. Hang on.”
Al immediately teleported both ships to Ross and then teleported Angel and Matt into Dorg-Ross General Hospital’s emergency center; Matt yelled, “Somebody help her!”
As emergency personnel rushed forward, Angel looked up at Matt and thought to him, “Matt, I’m so sorry. I love you,” The doctors picked her up, placed her on a stretcher and rushed her into an operation room. Matt followed them in and watched as they fought to save her. “There’s something in her system that’s paralyzing her,” a surgeon yelled. Matt stayed in her mind and saw her slipping away. “Angel, I love you with all my heart.” In his mind he could feel her smile and then she was gone. His despair was unbearable. Then he felt the rage building. He closed his eyes and looked back at the system and saw the three Eight Legs that had boarded Angel’s ship floating is space just outside their ship wondering what had happened to the vessel they had boarded. His anger grew and he felt something happening.
Al was in orbit above Ross and felt the final system activate and come to full power. He watched as a pulse of violet lightning shot out of his hull and more than a quarter of the way across the universe it struck the three eight legs floating in space. They imploded so fast that one moment they were there floating and in an instant they disappeared from existence.
Stem had been standing on Aladdin and watched what was happening to Angel’s ship and even for an Algean things moved faster than he could keep up. Al thought, “Stem, give me the coordinates where I can take Wings. She’s damaged and needs immediate repair.”
Stem thought them to Al and he quickly teleported to the repair facility on one of the Algean planets. “The final system is now active, Stem. Please help me save, Fly Girl.”
Stem pushed his instrument and Fly Girl disappeared. “I have to go help her, Al. What happened?”
“Angel is gone, Stem.”
Stem felt a wave of sorrow engulf him but then teleported out.
Al sat in space above the planet and felt tremendous pain. Even though he knew it was coming, he was not prepared for it to happen. Like Matt, he felt a need for vengeance. He flashed a thought to Matt, “I’ve given Fly Girl to the care of the Algeans.”
“Thank you, Al.”
Al could feel Matt’s despair, “Magic, are you going to be alright?”
“I honestly don’t know. I really didn’t think it would happen so quickly.”
