Joe decided at that moment that Admiral Zergl was going to have to go. He just couldn’t make the tough decisions in a crisis. Joe keyed his com, “What does our probe say about the situation in the Keepers’ system?”
Edison responded, “The battle with the garrison is just outside the hills surrounding the colonies. The transports are tall enough to extend above those hills such that the Keepers can shoot off the tops of them before we can teleport the colonists.”
“What about the incoming Keepers Fleet?”
“They’ll arrive in less than an hour.”
Joe thought about what to do. “How long will it take to teleport the colonists?”
“At least fifteen minutes. The process is difficult because we have to leave those bracelets and connections behind.”
“Can we take smaller ships in to take the colonies?”
“It took us ten hours to get these working. There’s no way to move the screens or modify others.”
Joe thought a moment and then decided, “When the Keepers Fleet is twenty minutes out, teleport in and take the colonists.”
There was a momentary pause and Edison said, “I was hoping you would make that decision, Your Grace.”
“Admiral, notify our people at the Keepers’ planet what we are doing.”
Zergl started to protest but saw the Prince’s expression and ordered the message sent.
“Jake, the transports are coming in forty minutes. If we don’t knock out every Keepers’ beam platform here, they will disable the transports. The Keepers Fleet is an hour out.”
Jake looked at the Keepers still pouring out of the ground and knew there was no way to get them all. He continued to fight, but knew there was no hope.
“Jake, there is hope.”
“I don’t see any way to make this happen, Valerie.”
“That’s why you must come here at the last minute and let me touch you.”
“Why?”
“Remember what happened to the Keepers when your psychic shell was broken, it could happen again when your powers are released.”
Jake suddenly saw what she was saying, “That will only happen if you are truly my initiator.”
“Do you doubt that I am, Jake? Look in your heart; you must have felt something when I first touched you.”
Jake thought back to when Valerie had shook his hand on Cynthia’s ship and he did feel something. “But what if you’re not?”
“Then Junior takes us back to the Realm. However, this is the only chance we have to save your family.”
Jake fired six hornets at Keepers that were coming up on Cynthia’s right flank, and watched his auto cannon take out a beam platform that come out of the hole to his left. “Tell the transports to hold off. We have to wait until the fleet is just above planet to try this. The closer they are, the better the chance of success if the next psychic event is not as strong as the first.”
“I love you, Jake.”
“I love you, too.”
Joe punched his com, “Prince Gardner, your sister has asked that you delay the transports until after the fleet reaches the planet.”
“What? She must be out of her mind!”
Manny looked at Joe on his com and said, “Her exact words were, “I know you love me and this makes no sense to you, but you must do as I ask. I also want you to have 400,000 Searchers ready to teleport in if I call for them. Please do this for me, Joe.”
Joe felt his heart beat faster for fear of losing his sister. “Manny, what would you do?”
“I’d listen to her, Joe.”
Joe shook his head, then lifted his com, “Fleet Command, I have a Red Priority Order.”
Ethan made another pass at the Keepers’ front and blew their forces back four hundred yards. Just before he teleported into space, three beam platforms hit his left wing and disintegrated it. He arrived in space and saw the huge Keepers Fleet approaching. His stealth controls were destroyed right after his weapons console, so he used his teleport system to jump out of the system. He knew that only Jake, Cynthia, and eighteen Red Warriors were all that remained between the Keepers and the colony. He felt severe sadness at the death of Major Draygen. He had died when he landed among forty beam platforms, destroying them just before three platforms hit his armor. He prayed for the safety of those still fighting.
The Fleet Leader watched the battle taking place on the ground and knew he could not use his beams until he got a reading on the attacker’s mental frequency. The Collective had it but was not communicating directly with the fleet, so he was forced to take it from the inhabitants of the colony. “Let me know when you have the needed frequency.” He could not use the full force of the beam without that frequency, because it would kill all the Keepers that were currently fighting the invaders. “I have it, Fleet Director.” The 400,000 ships all saw the frequency and downloaded it to their main beam.
The huge fleet came to a stop and pointed their ships’ bows at the planet below.
“Jake, the fleet is arming their weapons.”
“I’m coming, Valerie.”
Valerie waited in the center of the gathered colonists and hoped her plan was not just wishful thinking. She felt in her heart that she had to be right, then there was Jake in front of her with his armor disappearing. He walked forward, lifted her in his arms, and kissed her. The blue flash that erupted from the couple blinded everyone.
The Keepers Fleet in orbit was hit with the psychic blast just when all the crews were tightly connected mentally sending their thoughts to their ship’s main beam. It killed every Keeper in the fleet and every Keeper on the planet. Junior looked at Jake and Valerie still holding the kiss and sent the message to Ethan, “Notify the Realm to send the Transports and Searchers now.”
Ethan hit his jump button, disappeared from the Keepers’ universe, and arrived at Fleet Headquarters, “Send the transports and Searchers now.”
Joe hit his com, “Launch your ships.”
The three transports disappeared and 800,000 Searchers jumped into the Keepers’ universe.
Chapter Twelve
The Collective was not connected to the Keepers fighting the invaders, but was receiving information from the Military Quadrant that had another contact. When the psychic blast hit, the contact died with the Keepers at the farm and the Military Quadrant that was in touch with the contact was blown apart. The rest of the Collective was stunned by the blast, but not disrupted. After a few minutes the Collective recovered and asked Values, which had remained separated from the Collective, “What happened at the farm?”
“I do not know. There is no one there to make connection.”
“What?!?”
“It appears all of our forces there are no longer able to communicate. I’ve considered sending another ship to investigate, but the quadrants that have those contacts have been temporarily disabled. I’m not sure if it would be wise to send another ship.”
The Collective now learned that it had become too complacent in allowing the Quadrants to run all the various aspects of the Keepers’ civilization. It directed its attention to six Keepers’ ships above the home planet and ordered them to the troublesome farm. It was going to take them six hours to get to the drive band.
Jake and Valerie finally separated and looked around. Suddenly a huge shadow covered them and they looked up to see the transport descending. “Looks like I was right, Jake.”
“Are you ever wrong?”
“Not really; I did say you would find your initiator here on this planet. I just didn’t know it was me at the
