Scotty looked at him with a smile, “I’m so proud that you had the strength to do the right thing. I’ve often wondered what possessed me to step away from the crown but now I know.” Scotty looked at Julie, “These last years with you have filled me with enough love to last a lifetime. This was a gift from the Creator.” Julie came into his embrace and they looked up at the stars in the clear night sky. Scotty smiled, “I’m not going to get to say good bye to Jingo and Grang. I hope they know how much I love them. The Empire is really going to need them now.”
Julie nodded, “They know, my love. I’m glad TK is on New Hope. She’ll be taken care of by those that love us.” Julie hugged her warrior tighter, “I’ll love you forever, Scotty.”
Grang and Jingo not only saw the vision but felt it from the first hand view Trey had witnessed. The both felt their pain again but Trey exploded into their consciousness.
“Now the two of you sit here in your sorrow and ignore the last order my Grandfather gave you. Did you not hear him say that the Empire is going to need the two of you more now than before; yet you sit here and ignore his final request.” Trey walked up close to Grang and grabbed his chin and made him look in his eyes, “I’ve lost my family. They’re all gone. Do you know what I’m going to do about it?” Grang didn’t say anything. “I’m going to grow up and go and kill those that killed my parents. I’m not going to just beam that being that sent the Invaders; I’m going to put my boot on its chest and cut it into pieces with a short sword. Those bastards are going to die and I’m the one that’s going to kill them. I’m shocked that you don’t want to beat me to that moment.”
Grang saw the rage and listened to Robby’s Grand son’s anger at him.
Trey released Grang’s chin and looked at Jingo, “However, I don’t know enough to make my dream come true. The two of you are going to prepare me.”
Grang said, “What do you mean?”
“You two are the Empire’s greatest warriors and you are going to raise me to be the warrior I need to be. You are now my family. Do you understand!?!” Grang straighten up. “Do you!?!”
Grang looked at Jingo and saw him starting to get angry. Grang felt Trey’s rage at the Invaders and he felt it grow in him quickly until his anger took him. He stood and screamed at the ceiling and stuck out his hand to Trey, “You will have to be fast to kill it before I do. I will have its heart still beating in my hand.”
Jingo came over and put his hand on Grang’s shoulder, “You can have it after I cut off its limbs.”
Trey looked at Jingo, “You are the greatest tactician in the Empire.” He turned to Grang, “You are the best at using all our weapons. You will teach me to be as good as you. I’ll accept nothing less than your best effort. Do we have a deal?”
Geena watched the three and saw Grang come back alive. Her heart filled with joy as she saw her mate back in the land of the living once more. Grang looked at Jingo and they both put their arms around Trey and hugged each other. Grang said in a low tone as all three looked up, “We will honor your order, my Brother.”
Cassie watched the three from her room and was amazed at Trey’s determination. Her excitement grew as she knew they would be together in time and he was going to be more powerful than anyone could imagine. What she didn’t tell Trey was that she was also going to be released. She felt the power inside her and knew that the two of them would be formidable. She just had to force herself to be patient. She had much to learn from her father to prepare her for the level of control she would need to use the powers given her. She felt changes in her thought processes from the mental contact with her father and knew he was a unique being that was a gift from the Creative Force.
Chapter Eight
Vring, Kreej, and the two Algeans stood on the main floor at the Defense Facility as Alex told them about the problems with developing the power necessary to meet the Invaders head on. “We just can’t handle the heat of a star. Our equipment just melts.”
Weed said, “You don’t need to handle it if the heat doesn’t touch your devices.”
Alex paused at the suggestion, “How is that possible?”
“You have a skin on the ships that is highly reflective. However, how can you ever be sure it will handle what that being can create? You need to go in an entirely new direction.”
Vring said, “Do you know how many years we’ve committed to this project?”
Seed said, “As a matter of face we do. However, it doesn’t matter how far advanced that creature is if its ships are thrown into the middle of a star. Nothing can handle that kind of energy.”
Vring said, “That’s my point.”
Weed leaned back, “But you don’t have to handle that energy; you just have to able to direct it.”
Kreej shrugged, “Tell me what you mean.”
“If you made the power cells on the ship absorb energy and direct it into the dimension inside of it, there would be no need to handle it. You just have to make the hull surface absorb the energy instantly on contact with zero delay. It would simply pass through the skin into storage. Then it’s just a matter of giving the hull access to that energy. There’s room for a galaxy inside the skin of those ships. One star is not much in comparison.”
“Using that theory, a force field wouldn’t be needed; anything fired at it would just be collected.”
“Exactly right, Alex.”
“Then how do you propose a star be collected?”
Seed leaned forward, “We remove the safety protocols from the teleportation board and teleport the ship into the middle of a star and have the ship vacuum the star into its interior.”
Vring said, “Just like the Alexander Kosiev did with a dead star.”
“Exactly like that.”
There was a long moment of silence until Kreej asked, “So, what’s the first step?”
Weed said, “We get the hull of the ships converted to the old surface of the Megaships and move the connection to the dimension up to the outer surface.”
Alex said with sarcasm, “That’s all?”
“That may not be as difficult as developing material to handle the heat of a star.”
Vring smiled, “You may be right. Let’s take a look at it.”
Jingo and Trey were in the community clearing in the forest on Criston dueling with short swords. The swords were made of wood and Trey had been tapped numerous times by Jingo, “No, no, you’re not going with the flow of the blades. You can’t think your way through this; you’ve got to relax and let it flow.”
Trey’s arms and chest were bruised from Jingo’s hard hits and he hurt all over. He had turned eleven the week before but he wasn’t able to feel the flow Jingo kept referring to. He sat down and heard Cassie say in his mind, “Get angry.”
Trey heard her and remembered that when he was stressed during his parent’s deaths his telepathy emerged. He thought about it and said, “Once more.”
Jingo smiled and said, “I think we’ve done enough. I know you’re hurting.”
Trey said in a stern voice, “Once more.”
Jingo smiled, “I’ll give you as much as you want.”
Trey visualized Jingo as an Invader and felt his anger grow. Jingo started forward and suddenly everything slowed down. Trey saw Jingo’s swords moving in an intricate pattern and he could see each sword moving in slow motion. Jingo was only using two swords instead of the four he was capable of using to make it fair. Trey dropped one of his swords and stepped forward to meet Jingo’s advance. He parried one sword and pushed the other away as he reached through the pattern and tapped Jingo on his forehead.
Jingo stepped back and rubbed his head, “That was good. That’s what I’m talking about.”
Jingo advanced again with a determined expression and Trey moved around the clearing keeping Jingo’s swords away from him. After two minutes he started advancing on Jingo and the Cainth Warrior was doing all he could to keep Trey’s single sword at bay. He was unsuccessful and was struck eight times as the young boy kept him on the defensive. Finally Jingo said, “Enough!”
Trey backed up and the world returned to normal speed.
