snatch the communities into their bays and then teleport away.”
Cynthia paused, then continued, “Now, ordinarily that would be that and we would be merrily on our way. However, we have learned that before we can attack the home worlds of these creatures, we must destroy all of the garrisons on the enslaved planets. That’s where you come in. You have a new mix of weapons, and we believe you will be able to survive one of those thought beams long enough to kill the poor, dumb, son of a Keeper that is stupid enough to fire it at you. We believe we must go down into those garrisons and make sure that every Keeper is dead but also, just as important, if any eggs exist they too must be destroyed. Our scientists are of the opinion that these creatures lay eggs, and there could be millions of them in every garrison. You must go down and make sure they either don’t exist or, if they do, eliminate them.”
Cynthia looked out at the assembly and worried about how many would survive the coming fight. She knew they had been well trained and their weapons were the latest developments of the Spiders and Algeans, but only meeting the enemy would determine if they were prepared. She backed away from the podium and Major David yelled, “Ateennnn-shunn!”
The Warriors jumped to attention and Cynthia exited the stage. As she moved out of the building she heard Glen yell, “Report to your pick up site. Full armor check by team leaders in five minutes.” The room emptied faster than a bucket with no bottom.
Fifty minutes later, five thousand Searchers arrived. The teams boarded their ships and jumped to the Keepers’ universe. Cynthia watched them leave as she boarded her ship. “Where to, boss?”
“Take us to that planet that Jake and Junior met that Keeper entity. I want to see how our warriors perform.”
“That is going to be one of the tougher nuts to crack. The garrison is actually in the middle of the ten cities; one of the largest we’ll be facing in this round of rescues. Hey! That’s why we’re going there. You want to jump in on the action.”
Cynthia smiled and heard, “Ah Ha, I’m right.”
“Settle down, BC. If there is going to be trouble I want to make sure we’re able to observe what happens and offer help if needed. I’m worried that our teams are too small to take on a garrison. If the team can handle this one, I’ll feel better about our chances when we take on the millions of other garrisons. You have the scan of that garrison and I want you to have a good plan to target the main concentrations of their weapons.”
“Way ahead of you, boss. I laid out the scheme a week ago.”
“Why you old scoundrel, you’re starting to know me too well.”
“Takes one to know one. Now let’s go hope we can have some fun.”
“Manny, we’re going to take a trip over to Keepers-land to check on our progress against the garrisons. Send me a message if anything important happens. I think those fleets are going to be chasing our planets for several days.”
“Take care of our Queen.”
“You know I will.”
“By the way, Jake; nice job on the Duke.”
“What… the generator failed. How could we have known it was defective?”
“Yes, it was a shame it also shorted out all of their teleport systems when it failed. Joe and I owe you.”
“Manage the fire while we’re gone, Manny.”
“Will do.”
Valerie looked at Jake, “Jake, I have just one question and then I’ll let this go.”
Jake looked at her and said nothing.
Valerie continued, “Was it necessary for the planet to be destroyed?”
Junior answered, “I’ll handle this one. Yes, for three reasons.”
Valerie looked at the speaker on the wall, “What are they?”
“One, it was the only way to get at the Duke without us having to do it. Two, it was also the only way to cut his forces down to size before the civil war breaks out.”
“What civil war?”
“Don’t play dumb, Valerie. You know it’s coming. His son will now insist on assuming the Duke’s position and you are not going to allow it. You’ve also seen the data on the ambitions of the other Provincial Rulers. It may not start immediately, but it lies in our future. Allowing the Keepers to kill the Duke has bought us time to prepare for what lies ahead.”
“And three?”
“He tried to kill the Realm’s Queen and his planet willingly supported all of his actions. The local population benefited from the exorbitant taxes levied against the Realm’s members in their province and would continue the practice even if the Duke was removed.”
“There was a fourth reason, Valerie.”
Junior said, “What did I miss, Jake?”
Valerie looked at Jake and heard the real reason, “That planet’s destruction is what the Gardners must have seen in their vision. It had to happen before we can find them.”
Junior said, “I believe you must be right. The destruction of a provincial capital by an invading fleet would certainly do the trick.”
Valerie was worried about the heart of a man that could kill a member of the Realm. Now she heard the truth and knew that this was an event that had to happen. Just as her vision could not be avoided, neither could this event. She jumped up and hugged Jake and kissed him deeply.
Jake said softly, “I know, Val. I know.”
Junior watched them and jumped to the Keepers’ universe. Then he teleported to the planet where they had communicated with the strange Keepers entity.
Jake and Valerie continued to hold on to each other.
Lt. Dale Hamlet waited for his ship and looked at the four members of his team. He was one of the survivors that had fought with Jake at the first rescue, and he knew the hell they were about to enter. He realized his new armor was greatly improved since that first fight, but he still remembered the warriors killed in that action. He also knew he was selected for this assignment because of his experience. He looked at Annie Gonzalez and said, “I expect you to keep up. Don’t fall behind.”
“I won’t, Lieutenant. I’ve got your back.”
“Gord, you’ll follow us down. Make sure your packages are ready before we go underground.”
“Armed and ready, sir.”
Dale took a deep breath and said, “We’ve been told our armor will handle their beams for a longer time than our previous suits. Don’t believe them. Do not linger in one of the Keepers’ beams; keep moving. I expect more than a hundred thousand Keepers warriors are waiting under the surface. You have a surplus of armaments; don’t be afraid to use them. If it moves, hit it.”
Terry Robbin asked, “Why don’t we just hit the enemy with a main beam from space and blow it out of existence?”
“Because we don’t know if the eggs will survive the blast. We have to make sure, and that means we have to go and see. The beam strike would make it impossible to determine that.”
Lisa Jerrell said, “Why don’t we just destroy the planet? The communities will be gone.”
Dale shook his head, “Ultimately, it may come to that. But remember that these planets had intelligent life evolve on them before they were conquered. A planet that can sustain life is not something to be wasted. There are numerous species that can one day evolve to become intelligent. We’re charged to defend those that cannot defend themselves. That includes all life, not just life that is intelligent.”
Dale looked up and saw an approaching Searcher heading toward his team. The ship settled to the ground, the landing bay opened, and Ethan Rucker stepped out. Dale immediately recognized the pilot from the first fight and ran forward and embraced him. “I’m glad it’s you taking us.”
“I asked for this assignment. I’ll keep you covered.”
Dale turned to his team and said, “We have a great Searcher taking us. Get aboard. We have a job to do.”
The five Red Warriors entered the landing bay and the small ship lifted.
Junior said, “If you two lovebirds are interested, it appears we have another spectator for the coming
