level. I just can’t stop myself from worrying.”
Joe stuck his hand out to Manny and they shook. Manny smiled, “You should have seen him go through the valley in the initial armor exercise. I think that, more than anything else I’ve seen, is what makes me think we have a chance in this fight.”
Joe looked at the video again and felt his rage simmering. Manny smiled and said, “If you think you’re angry, think about Jake’s reaction. I suspect he has a plan for handling the problem Duke that will be more effective than anything we could dream up.”
Joe looked away from the video and considered what Manny said. He looked back at the video and began smiling.
Ales stood at attention if front of his father listening to him rant, “You idiot! You took too long to get in position! You missed our best chance at achieving our goals!”
“Father, the Royal Family had probably already moved to the fleet before I arrived. They don’t announce the Royal Family’s location before their arrival. We assumed they would be on Ross, but they weren’t.”
Duke Jongo stood and walked to the window and stared out at the rain falling from a dark sky. It matched his mood. Still, Ales was probably right and had done the correct thing by leaving without destroying Ross. So close! So damnably close! He turned and looked at his son and saw his fear. Fear was a good thing, even for family members. Still, this was his heir and a future ruler of the Realm, if his plans were successful.
“Relax, Ales. You did the right thing and used good judgment. If we can eliminate the Royal Family away from Ross, then we can move the planet here after we assume power. That Castle is amazing and would make a great home for our family. Do we know where the Queen is located?”
Ales took a deep breath and knew he was going to live to see another day, “No, they have scattered into the Realm’s fleet and we only discovered their whereabouts after they have moved to a different location. I suspect we will have to eliminate them once the invasion starts.”
“That reminds me. Have we received the device to prevent star drives from operating and move our planet should it become necessary?”
“Yes; it is in place and waiting for us to activate it.”
“Do it now. I’m not willing to risk a sneak attack by those creatures. We have a huge electronic signature and I’m certain they will see us in their scans. Have we been able to contact them?”
“We’ve sent four ships and all four were destroyed before they could send a message.”
“Send four more. Those creatures are intelligent and should be willing to accept our help, along with a guarantee of our loyalty in return for allowing us to survive.”
Ales didn’t like this part of the plan but knew he had no choice, “I will set it up immediately.”
Twig looked at Sprig and thought, “Are you still committed to your plan?”
“Yes, my love.”
“Is there nothing we can do to save the Realm?”
“No.
“You’re certain of its destruction?”
“You’ve seen the data. Am I missing something?”
Twig’s leaves turned brown, “No, I see it as well.”
“Help the engineers make the device.”
“I will leave momentarily.”
“But first?”
“I want you to hold me for a few moments.”
Sprig wrapped Twig in his branches, feeling sorrow for what was coming and the course of action he was being forced to take.
Valerie looked at her display and saw Duke Jongo was comming her. Jake looked at the display and said, “Play it like we discussed.”
Valerie nodded, took a deep breath, and said, “Duke Jongo, how may I help you?”
The Duke had a smile pasted on his face as he said, “It would be easier to contact you mentally, Your Majesty.”
“The Keepers are able to track telepathic communications. I’ve sent out instructions that all telepaths should avoid using their ability while the Realm is under a threat of invasion. Did you not receive the notification?”
Duke Jongo kept his smile, but was frustrated by his inability to track where the young queen was hiding. He had tried unsuccessfully to find her using his telepathic skills but she had not responded to his calls. “I just wanted to discuss how I should handle the use of my ships during this invasion. What does the Realm suggest we should do with our military forces?”
Valerie smiled to herself and hoped he would take the bait, “We are grounding our Searchers on our most important planets.”
The Duke’s smile disappeared, “Why would you do that?”
“We want them available in the event they are needed for defense. Once the planets start moving it will be next to impossible for them to keep up with the worlds they defend. If they are on the planet, they will just go with it.”
“Why have I not heard anything about this strategy?”
“Check your com log. I believe Mr. Talant sent you that information two days ago.”
Jongo looked down at his log and saw a message from a Jake Talant. “You should have sent this to me directly under your name. This is important to know.”
“I believe that my name is in the message. He is my liaison to the military of the Realm. Did you not see his title?”
Jongo looked again and saw that he had set his com up to show just the name without titles. “Then I am glad I contacted you, Your Majesty.”
“What is it that you want?”
“Nothing more than what you have just given me. I wanted to make sure I had all the information needed before the invasion begins. I also wanted to make sure that all the planets that are moved out of my province would be returned after the war.”
Jake, sitting out of view of the display, smiled, “He doesn’t want to lose his tax base.”
“We have every intention of doing that, and we have started a list of those planets that desire to be moved first. The list is getting quite long.”
This was the real reason that prompted Jongo’s call. He had received the notice and immediately determined it meant trouble. He knew that many of the planets would not want to return to the province if given a choice. His province paid ten times the taxes of the other four.
“ We can assist in moving them back.”
“Oh, I didn’t know you knew the process and the equations necessary to move a planet into a stable orbit. We could certainly use your help.”
Jongo felt his rage begin and his smile disappeared, “I’ll contact you after this is over.”
Valerie smiled, “Please do. We can use your help.”
Valerie terminated the connection and turned to Jake, “Now that is one unhappy puppy.”
Jake smiled and said, “I’ll let you know if he bit.”
“Jake, what are you planning?”
Jake looked up at the ceiling and said, “Oh, nothing. I’m not doing anything.”
Valerie looked at Jake and saw he was being honest… but…something was going on. Whatever it was, she knew it was the best thing for the Realm.
Jongo looked over at Ales, “Do you think she was being honest?”
“The Crown has never been deceptive in all of our past dealings. I also know that thousands of Searchers are landing on Ross every day.”
Jongo thought about what he should do and decided, “I want a quarter of our ships landed on our northern desert. I want you to take the remaining ships and distribute them among our most prosperous worlds. Once this is over, make sure the populations know they are coming back. Use force if necessary.”
Ales saluted and left the room. He didn’t tell his father that the four ships he had just sent to the Keepers’ universe had also been destroyed. He was looking forward to being out of his father’s view. It was never safe to be
