closer to one officer that was kicking a child in the ribs as he drug a woman by her hair. The officer turned around and Mallory saw his smiling face. It was Canton. “No! NO!!” Mallory collapsed to the ground.
Julie bent down quickly and lifted her head onto her lap and Zreeg said, “She missed seeing that when she originally saw the video.”
“Wait with me, Zreeg. She’ll need help.”
“She has a good heart and an open mind, Your Majesty. She really didn’t know. It appears she was deliberately deceived by her father.”
Julie hit her com, “Anglo.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Zreeg has confirmed that the Princess didn’t know about the evil things happening on New Ulmerton. Her father has not allowed her to see the truth.”
Anglo hesitated and said, “If that’s the case, her dreams must be psychic visions. You should try and discover what those visions are.”
Julie felt a touch of fear and said, “If they are psychic visions, you had no choice but to bring her here.” Julie turned and said, “Zreeg, can you see those dreams?”
“No, they are not in her consciousness. All she really remembers is our planet and Nathan’s face.”
Anglo said, “I’ll tell Nathan he was right. He knew she didn’t know and I didn’t want to believe him.”
After a few minutes Mallory groaned and opened her eyes. She saw Julie looking down at her with a concerned expression; the Zord was gone. “Where did the Zord go?”
“He’s still here.” Mallory looked around and saw nothing. “Now relax, I’m going to let him turn off his color shifting. Are you ready?” Mallory sat up and nodded. Suddenly there was the giant Zord right next to them.
Mallory looked at Zreeg and said, “How do you do that?”
“Our skins take on the color of things behind us. We blend in with the background.”
Julie smiled, “Would you like to take a ride?”
Mallory looked at Julie, “On him?”
“Yes. Come on. It’ll be fun.”
Zreeg lowered his front foot and lifted Julie to his back. He put his foot in front of Mallory and after a brief hesitation she sat down. Zreeg raised her to his back and Julie said, “Hang on.” Mallory wrapped her arms around Julie’s waist and Zreeg lifted.
Mallory felt her heart immediately go into her throat and closed her eyes. After a few moments she opened them and saw the forest far below. She closed her eyes again and then slowly opened them. The view was incredible. She saw the community off to the right and the mountains in the distance. The light haze that covered the forest below made everything look eerily beautiful. She felt at peace but then she knew she had to ask a question, “Julie, where did the slaves go when I went to open that medical facility? The video I saw Canton attacking those slaves was taken in that city but I only saw male slaves when I arrived.”
Zreeg said, “I can answer that, Your Majesty.”
“Go ahead.”
“When BC scanned the planet to see if you were still there he looked at the entire city until he found you. He shared that scan with Julie and I can see what happened to prevent your seeing them.”
“Show us Zreeg.”
The two saw the view of the city from space and then it grew closer and closer to the ground. The view stopped and a section of it grew larger. As it came closer, they saw thousands of women and children in a compound just south of the city. The prisoners were shabbily dressed, malnourished, and most were lying on the ground. The view backed out and then moved in closer and Mallory saw herself at a podium in front of the medical facility ten miles from the compound. She saw the Director of the facility on one side of her and Canton on the other watching the crowd closely. She knew the view was real. There was no denying that view.
Julie said, “I suspect you were flown in to the event from the north so you wouldn’t see that compound. I also suspect your travel while you were there was restricted to a limited area.”
“They said it was for my safety.”
Vreeg said, “I think they were right to do that. If any slave could get close to you they would have attempted to harm you. Their hatred for their captor is real.”
Mallory grew silent and Julie said, “Zreeg, take us down to the community.”
She remained silent for the rest of the day.
Chapter Two
“B C, are you ready to move in?”
“I am.”
“Grang, you want to say anything before we go?”
Grang leaned back in his chair and grunted.
“I’ll take that as a no. Take us in BC.”
The small white ship moved toward the jump limit and slowed as it approached. It stopped and BC said, “Grace, have you decided about helping us?”
“Yes, I have. I’ve decided to send you two teleport boards from the old Searchers repair inventory. They’re an older model and were manufactured before the Gammas. However, I’m uncertain if the defense computer will allow me to send them out to you.”
Scotty said, “What seems to be the issue?”
“We’ve had a major disagreement over my decision and I’ve warned him not to interfere with my decision or I’ll do all I can to remove him from the facility.”
Scotty stood and said, “Don’t send them, Grace.”
BC and Grace both said simultaneously, “What?!”
“Grace, your facility has the most dangerous weapons in this universe. You must not do anything that would weaken your defenses. It’s more important that those weapons are protected and prevented from being taken by those that could harm helpless civilizations. You must avoid doing anything that would weaken your ability to prevent their being taken. We appreciate your willingness to help us but I will not accept them under these conditions. BC, take us home.”
Suddenly they heard, “You’re willing to face defeat at the hands of the Searchers at New Ulmerton?”
Scotty thought a moment and said, “If it means weakening your facility, absolutely. If your advanced weapons were released into our universe, the resulting harm would be far worse than those six Searchers. I can’t accept that happening. We will deal with them with what we have.”
“Grace, I will not stop your boards from being sent.”
“What changed your mind?”
“This one understands the danger we represent. His refusal to accept our help when he needs it desperately has satisfied me that he will keep our existence secret. It also shows me that he doesn’t seek our advanced weapons.”
“Would you allow me to update his two older ships to the Gammas?”
There was silence and finally they heard, “Only Anglo. Jessica’s beams and screens are already stronger than BC’s.”
“What?!”
“BC, she was built for the Kosiev. Of course her armament would have to be strong enough to handle a Gamma. I will not allow a ship of that power anywhere near this facility. She can stay at the jump limit to be updated.”
BC said, “Who would have thunk it?”
Scotty asked, “Does Jessica know the power of her beams?”
“No, she’s never had the opportunity to really test them. That bunker she hit wasn’t hit when she was in control of her systems. The teens only used one of the reactors. The Gammas only have one reactor; Jessica has two that powers her weapons.”
