before the Keepers arrive. Now I know why he had so many questions and what’s been making me nervous. If we announce that you are not on Ross but with the fleet preparing for the invasion, attacking Ross would not accomplish anything. He has to eliminate you in order to take the Throne. If he attacked just as the Keepers invaded he could say that the Keepers destroyed Ross and that he was assuming leadership of the Realm to protect it. If we win, he’s the new King of the Realm.”
“Junior?”
“Yes, Jake?”
“Teleport Valerie and me on board now!”
“Jake, you don’t think he would act now?”
“I’ve just looked at the possibilities and yes, he will. Do it now, Junior!”
“Sorry, I had to scan for your location.”
Valerie and Jake disappeared from the huge sofa, leaving the fire burning behind.
“Manny?”
“Yes, Jake?”
“Issue an announcement that the Royal Family is with the Realm’s Fleet going over preparations for the Keepers’ invasion. Do it as fast as possible.”
“What?!?”
“Just do it. I’ll explain later.”
The small ship had worked its way close to its intended target and the pilot was energizing his weapons when he heard over his communication panel, “Members of the Realm, the Royal Family has joined the Realm’s Fleet to help prepare it for the coming attack. The family will be inspecting the forces of the Realm and making sure that we are as ready as possible for the expected invasion. We will keep you informed about the progress we are making. Thank you for your support.”
The pilot of the small ship swore and slammed his fist on the console. It had taken a week to get in close to Ross and now it was wasted effort. Without the presence of the Royal Family, especially the Queen, the plan was worthless. Ales Jongo turned and began working his way out of the Ross system. He knew his father was going to be furious, but there would be other opportunities.
Jake and Junior watched the small ship as it started leaving.
“Junior, I thought the stealth systems were supposed make those ships invisible.”
“They do, Jake. But the Algeans don’t put all their toys on every ship. I can see the Gammas with a system they installed in me. It seems they trust me with their most advanced systems. Do you want me to fire at that traitor?”
“No, we don’t need to let the Duke know we are on to him just yet.”
“I sure would like to light him up.”
Valerie watched the ship and felt barely restrained rage. She felt adrenaline course through her body with her close call with death. “Jake, how could he have explained the destruction of Ross?”
“A Keepers’ scout ship.”
“They don’t use energy weapons!”
“Are you certain about that? With no evidence to prove otherwise, you can’t do anything.”
Junior also felt a rage building, “Jake, we can’t just let this go.”
Jake thought a moment, “Junior, is there any way to prevent a teleportation screen from working?”
Junior was confounded by the question. Moving from anger to logic demanded a jump that took a few moments, “Why do you ask?”
“I remember that Cynthia told me that the pit boss in the casino put some kind of device on my back that would prevent a teleport screen from allowing me entrance.”
Junior thought a moment and said, “Twig would know the answer.”
“Let’s assume that such a device exists. What would happen if we place such a device on the good Duke’s ship and on as many of his military vessels as we could access. Could that device be turned on with remotely?”
“Give me a moment.”
“What are you planning, Jake?”
“You don’t need to know, Your Majesty. Just let me work on it and I’ll let you know.”
“You don’t think I’ll allow you to do what you’re planning.”
“I know you won’t, so quit pressing me. There are some things I must assume responsibility for doing. Now let it go.”
Valerie was worried about what Jake was planning, but then she looked back at the display, saw the ship still sneaking away, and her rage returned. Whatever he was planning, she hoped it worked.
“Junior, what did you find out?”
“Where’s Valerie?”
“She’s finally fallen asleep. Don’t use telepathy, just speak to me.”
“You don’t need the device you mentioned. The Algeans have a device that will emit a field that will prevent a teleportation device from operating.”
“What is the range of the device?”
“It will operate inside the jump limit of a solar system.” Junior paused and said, “You’re going to do it.”
“Yes, I am. Who is the ship operator of the frequency generator in the Duke’s system?”
“It’s actually not a ship. The generator is placed in one of our advanced probes and is activated by a signal from the planet it’s protecting. It will follow the planet wherever we move it.”
“Has the Duke received his probe?”
“No, it’s due to be delivered in three days.”
“Will you handle the details or should I do the honors?”
“No, I’ll do it. If you don’t know, you can’t tell our Queen.”
“You are one very smart individual.”
“And don’t you forget it.”
Joe watched the recording of the Searcher vessel sneaking out of the Ross system with Manny and slammed the table with both hands.
Manny looked up, “You’re going to hurt yourself doing that.”
“I’m going to kill that traitor.”
Manny shook his head, “Not right now. We can’t start a civil war and survive the Keepers. If we go after the Duke, he might join the Keepers. I’m reasonably certain he would try to negotiate with them.”
Joe felt a rage that was threatening to overcome him, “They tried to kill my sister and family. I cannot let this go unanswered.”
“Just be thankful that Jake prevented the attack. I’ve had my doubts about him being all that Valerie has made him up to be, but I’ve been forced to reevaluate my opinion. He has stopped us from making some huge mistakes.”
Joe looked at Manny, “Have you found new information?”
“Yes, I have. I had Einstein take a look at our scans of the home worlds, and he confirms that births only happen when a Keeper dies. The birth usually happens within six minutes of the death, so they must be able to reproduce at a rate that is staggering. If Jake had not stopped our plan to use novas, we would have been overwhelmed quickly.”
Joe thought for a few minutes as they continued to watch the recording of the ship sneaking out of the Ross system. “Manny, are you saying you are willing to follow his decisions without question?”
Manny looked away from the video, “When the invasion starts, there won’t be time to discuss possible choices. He has proven to me that I do not make the best decisions, even though I think I am doing so. Do you see it any differently?”
Joe shook his head slowly, “No, I’m forced to agree with you.”
“Then from this moment forward we must become tools to carry out his orders. Can you agree to do this?”
“I can. And it removes a huge weight questioning if I am doing the right things for the Realm’s survival. I really shouldn’t have questioned Valerie’s decision about his importance, but my psychic skills are nowhere near her
