Jake started laughing, and was soon holding his ribs as the brightness of a new day rushed though him.
Junior watched Jake laugh and knew that an important line had been crossed. Now they were going to be more that they were separate. After Jake caught his breath, Junior asked, “Jake, you are supposed to have these huge psychic abilities but I haven’t seen you do anything that Valerie couldn’t.”
Jake leaned back in his chair and tilted his head, “I know. Maybe I’m not all they say I am?”
“Or….you don’t know how to use them.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know that Thomas and Matt Gardner could sense when danger was coming.”
“Oh, I feel danger coming.”
“That’s not what I mean. They could look at possible decisions and sense which choice posed the least danger. Have you had any decisions that made you feel different?”
Jake was silent.
“You have, haven’t you?”
“Well, I had a thought during the meeting where we discussed using negative matter to destroy the Keepers home worlds. That thought has bothered me.”
“What was it?”
Jake thought a moment, “When I looked at the first planet that is going to be burned by the supernova, I decided not to do anything until after we solved our war with the Keepers. That thought keeps running through my mind. It’s like an itch I can’t scratch.”
“I want you to try something.”
“What?”
“I want you to look at going to that planet now and tell me what you sense.”
Jake thought about going and did not sense anything. “I don’t feel anything, Junior.”
“Now look at not going and tell me what you sense.”
Jake thought about not going and his sense of dread almost over whelmed him. “Junior, we have to go to that planet. If what you’re describing is one of my abilities, there is a real danger in not making the trip.”
Junior smiled, “You should use this process on all your future decisions, Jake.”
Jake smiled, “Count on it. You and I need to be together a lot more.”
“Did you look at both sides?”
“Yes. I really think that it is not me that will be the difference maker; it is us.”
“Ready to fly?”
“Just a moment,” Jake sent a thought, “Valerie?”
“Yes, Jake?”
“Junior and I are going to make a hop over to the Keepers’ universe.”
Valerie stood up from her throne, “For the Creator’s sake, why?”
“You know, visit a few casinos, check out the restaurants, maybe sightsee their biggest planet.”
“Jake, be serious. You can’t put yourself in danger. We need you.”
“I still love you too, Valerie, but one of my powers is now active and there is a huge danger if I don’t go. This is a trip that must be made. You know we’ll be careful.”
Valerie sighed and thought, “Where are you going?”
“To the planet that is going to die first from the nova.”
“Why?”
“I honestly don’t know, but I must go.”
“Just be careful, My Love.”
“I will. I’ll com you when I come back.”
Jake felt her love clearer than ever before and it lifted him. “Junior, if you will do the honors. Pick a good place to eat.”
“Keepers on the half shell coming right up.”
Jake laughed again.
Valerie thought about what she had just felt. Something had changed in Jake. He had actually made a joke. She felt his spirit and knew he was….stronger. His feelings for her had filled her heart, and her excitement for seeing him again intensified. What happened to him?
Chapter Sixteen
Values waited at the Keepers’ farm above the doomed planet. It was struggling with what it should do, and had finally decided that the enemy they were fighting would have to prove that it was worthy of his help. If the enemy was a part of the creative force, they would have to do something about the consequences of their actions. If the enemy allowed the innocent to perish, they were no better than his species. This was the test. It looked down on the farms and saw the suffering of the population. How, oh how, did it come to this? This was an abomination. It scattered and watched the stars for any light that might be blocked. It didn’t know whether to hope the enemy appeared or didn’t.
Jake and Junior were also above the planet looking at the suffering of the inhabitants. “Junior, I thought you said there were only three to five cities on the Keepers’ planets.”
“Obviously, that wasn’t accurate. I can see how these ten communities would look like three or five because they’re so close. The garrison is also located in the middle, unlike the community in which you lived. Moving these would be more difficult than those we’ve been able to save.”
Jake and Junior were silent and finally Junior asked, “Why are we here?”
Jake played around various possibilities in his mind and finally said, “I think we have to show ourselves.”
“We’ll draw a crowd if we do that. Why do you think we need to do that?”
“I just looked at everything I can think of doing from attacking the garrison to landing on the planet, and the only action that lowers my sense of danger is revealing our presence.”
“Someone wants to communicate.”
“That’s how I see it, and I’ve determined it’s not the Keepers on the planet.”
Junior thought a moment, “We don’t see anyone here, but there must be someone looking to find us.” Junior thought a moment, “Let’s do this: we’ll back away from the planet toward the outer system and stop bending the light from the stars. There are no Keepers’ ships around and the garrisons we’ve faced have not used electronic scans. If that doesn’t work, we’ll just turn off our screens and be prepared to run like a Gresh if anything shows up. Can you think of anything else we can do?”
“No; just keep the jump system hot.”
“It’s simmering as we speak. Here we go.”
Junior moved a thousand miles away from the planet and stopped blocking light from distant stars. After a few minutes, Jake said, “Well, it looks like we have to show our best side.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Junior was startled, “Who said that?”
“I’ll answer your questions, but for your safety, we should move out of this system.”
Junior looked at his charts, “There is a nearby star that is a blue dwarf.”
“I see it.”
“We will go there.”
Junior teleported to the blue dwarf and waited with his jump systems active. “What’s going on, Jake?”
“I don’t know, but whoever it is I can sense in their thoughts that they possess a peaceful and gentle spirit. It can’t be a Keeper.”
“You are both right and wrong.”
Jake and Junior were startled again. “Jake, there is nothing on my scans.”
“That’s because there is nothing to scan.”
Jake thought, “What do you mean I am right and wrong?”
“I am a part of the, as you call them, Keepers, and my spirit is what you sense.”
