the Human community. Anglo, BC, and Jess listened in via their coms. Anglo said, “I can destroy New Ulmerton, Your Majesty. I can teleport in and hit it with my main beam.”
Nathan quickly said, “Anglo, more than two thirds of the population there are captured slaves. You’ll kill them if you destroy the planet.”
“It might be worth the price to eliminate this abomination.”
Scotty shook his head, “That would violate our most sacred principle. Those millions enslaved on the planet cannot defend themselves. We must find another way.”
Julie took a deep breath and said, “We must slow their searches for new worlds to conquer. Haldale was out on the far edge of the Kingdom, and it will take some time before they can arrive at another planet. Thank the creator this region of the galaxy has billions of stars.”
“Bleath, we may have to move to another planet if they find another member of the Empire.”
“We are very reluctant to do that, Your Majesty.”
“So are we, but you will do it. If they find us here, they will kill all of us with one beam. We can move early if we find the right planet. I hope we can find a way to counter their advantage, but we don’t have it yet.”
Grang said, “You just have to get their attention in terms they understand.”
Everyone looked at the huge Magrum. That was more than he had ever said at a meeting. “What do you mean?”
“So you can’t destroy the planet, does that mean you can’t hit them where it hurts?”
Scotty thought a moment and said, “Perhaps you have a good point. Anglo, did you scan the planet?”
“Yes, I did.”
Scotty looked over at Grang, “Still bored?”
Grang smiled, “As long as we just sit around and do nothing, yes.”
Scotty smiled, “I think it’s time we quit sitting around.”
Jingo said, “Count me in.”
BC said, “Now you’re talking.”
Scotty looked up at the stars overhead and smiled. Some things were worth dying for. The evil king was going to learn that his worst nightmare was about to arrive at his doorstep. Let’s see how he likes being on the receiving end of a beam. Things were going to get hot. Scotty looked at Grang and saw him smiling.
The End
Excerpt from Greyson’s Revenge
Book Two; Ashes of the Realm
B C appeared above the huge building facility and fired his main beam into it. The entire structure exploded and blew debris in all directions. BC scanned the four Gammas above the planet and saw two of them accelerate toward him. BC watched them as they approached and said, “Ah, here come the cowards that attack defenseless planets. You should be proud of your courageous deeds. You truly uphold the highest principles of the Keepers.” Just as they fired BC disappeared.
Greyson remained above the Castle and heard what BC said. He tried to let it go but felt it cut through his consciousness. He thought about what Daulun was doing and saw that the other Searcher was right. He was killing and subjugating planets just like the Keepers. He wasn’t consuming the populations but making them slaves wasn’t much different. He felt his shame and remained silent. Then he heard, “Mallory has been taken.”
Greyson knew Daulun was going to go absolutely crazy over Mallory’s disappearance. His succession was endangered and he knew more planets were going to die. He wondered why the attacking Searcher had not just blown-up the planet. Then he realized, there were two Searchers.
The Lens of Time
A new series by Saxon Andrew
Introduction
C hristopher Connor has discovered a way to view the past. His invention collects light and focuses it such that events that occurred on Earth years ago can be viewed. All one needs to do is travel one light year away and you can see what was happening on the planet a year earlier by capturing and focusing the reflected light that left Earth. There’s only one problem, no ship exists that can travel faster than light so his device cannot be conclusively demonstrated to function as advertised. That’s fine with Christopher, who would much rather party and have a good time rather than defend his creation against critics and government bureaucrats. Besides, who would pay to view the past anyway?
Jillian Gordon, an Egyptologist with a PhD in Quantum Physics, has discovered that the survival of Earth depends on viewing what happened at the building of the Great Pyramid of Khufu five thousand years in the past. Christopher’s device would allow her to do just that. Christopher is about to discover that the organization Jillian works for has engineered a starship with a faster-than-light stardrive that will allow his device to be tested. The stardrive for that ship was developed from diagrams carved on the back of an ancient stone tablet excavated at the site of the Great Pyramid.
Life for Christopher is about to make a radical departure from his party, happy go lucky, lifestyle. Getting Christopher to focus on what needs to be done is another problem that Jillian hadn’t counted on in her quest to save humanity. The predicted destruction of Earth, which is written on the front of the tablet, doesn’t give her much time.
What neither of them know is that the answer to survival is more than sixty five million light years away in light that left Earth just before the mass extinction of the dinosaurs.
