by Saxon Andrew
Edison lowered himself to the floor in disagreement but Newton said, “You didn’t tell us either. Don’t make it worse by being deceitful. I am ashamed of what you’ve done. Who gave you that authority?”
Edison looked at Newton and raised himself.
Twig looked at Danielle and said, “So where does that leave us now?”
“I’m going to give you what you want.”
“What?”
“I am going to assign all of the Realm’s Ships to defend your two galaxies.”
Edison said, “All of them?”
“Every one of them but the Kosiev; he can make his own decision.”
“What will you use to defend the Realm?”
“Don’t think I don’t notice that you didn’t include yourselves in that question. In return for giving you all our ships, I require that you move this galaxy to the coordinates that I give you.”
Edison said, “And if we don’t agree?”
Danielle turned on the main display and the hundreds of thousands of ships holding station in the outer system appeared. Danielle said, “Those ships are not using teleportation boards built by Algeans. Every one of them is more powerful than a thousand of our Searchers which will not be used to defend you against them. If you don’t agree, I will have them bomb your galaxies into vapor. No planet will survive.” The Spiders and Twig looked at the huge fleet and Danielle sensed their fear. “However, I won’t have to make that threat, will I?”
The Spiders looked at Danielle and then turned to Twig. “You wouldn’t kill all those innocent worlds we moved.”
“They are not members of the Realm. What about the millions of dead worlds you deserted in our old universe, which are now dead? You had no mercy for them or the seven other universes that died. Don’t think for a moment that I don’t hold all of you, including those planets, responsible for that betrayal.
“They were controlled by the Dukes. They were evil.”
“That’s the worst thing you did, Twig. Those worlds were lied to and were never shown the true history of the Realm. We put those provinces in place with your agreement and approval that it was necessary. The Algeans are also responsible for what happened after we made that choice. Before we did that, they were loyal and totally supportive of the Realm. We caused that situation to happen, but we accepted no responsibility for it. We should have gone and destroyed every ship that supported the Dukes and blasted their planets if necessary. We refused to make the hard decisions to protect our citizens. Instead, we chose to run from our responsibility and even refused to keep an eye on them to protect them afterwards. You are to blame for the deaths of all those trillions when you destroyed those buoys. I’ll not have any problem or remorse showing your galaxies what those worlds had to endure because of your treachery.”
Danielle stood and looked at Twig, “Tag fought you in the first war our two species fought. Admiral Dorg put his life on the line for you. What would Dorg say now, after what you’ve done?” Twig lowered her branches to the floor.
Danielle looked around the room and said, “The Realm is dead. You’ve only verified it today, but we will not turn our backs on the worlds in this galaxy we are sworn to protect like we did in our old universe.” Danielle stood and walked forward and stood in front of Twig and the Spiders, “If you do not do as I’ve asked, we will leave no survivors in either of your galaxies. I am not bound to protect those that are not in the Realm. My husband will lead that attack and he will not lose. Do I make myself clear!?!”
Twig looked at Danielle and saw her thoughts. She looked at Tag and saw his anger as well as his hope that she would refuse. “We will move your galaxy.”
“You have two hours to make the move. I will send the Realm’s ships beyond the outer edge of the Milky Way and they will remain to defend you.”
Twig looked at Edison and he said, “Einstein, Newton, will you make it happen?”
Newton looked at Edison then turned to Danielle, “Your Majesty, may I go with you?”
Danielle looked at Newton and smiled, “You never knew, did you?”
“No, but I can see it now.” He looked at Edison and Twig and said, “Such treachery. You shame me after all the Realm did to save us. It was Matt Gardner that saved us from the Demon’s compulsions and you have dishonored our promise to him. You have brought shame to our species. Our oath was to the Realm, not the Algeans!”
Danielle said, “Newton, you are welcome to stay with us.”
Einstein looked at Newton and then Edison. He walked forward and said, “I gave you my oath more than twenty thousand years ago. I still stand by it, Your Majesty. I cannot leave now and betray it.”
Danielle put her hand on the Spider’s head and said, “You may come as well.”
Edison said, “Please don’t leave me.”
Newton turned and said, “We aren’t leaving you. You left us long ago. And just like the Algeans, you didn’t have the decency to tell us. You made decisions that have affected our entire species. You were not given authority to do that. I am ashamed of you. You are no better than the Demons.” Edison lowered to the floor and remained there.
Twig looked at Danielle and said, “You’re leaving because you think the Demons are returning?”
Danielle walked back to the throne and sat down. She smiled and said, “Twig, do you really believe that I can see the truth.” Twig was silent for a long moment and then leaned forward showing she did. “I don’t think they’re coming back; I know they’re coming back. Now you and Edison can leave and make your plans to deal with their arrival.”
Twig looked at Edison, turned back to Danielle, started to say something, and then lowered her branches and disappeared in a silver screen.
Jake looked at Danielle, “I should have never agreed to leaving; should I?”
“You are a product of your youth, Jake.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You were not greatly upset when you learned of Gambia’s destruction. You said it was a mercy to those that were suffering and you felt joy at the death of the cruel, upper class merchants. You didn’t have a problem with your enemies being killed even if the innocent had to be sacrificed. The Dukes were your upper class. You found it easy to turn your back on them even though our former citizens were going to suffer as a result.”
Jake lowered his head. What Danielle said next was what broke his heart into little pieces, “Even more than the Algeans or Spiders, you are the one that killed millions of planets and trillions of innocent beings. The buoys were gone but you never even felt a desire to see what your decision had caused. You really didn’t care. How many Robby’s were killed, Jake? How many felt the sadness of losing those they loved more than life? You forgot what real loss was in your anger over the loss of your brother.”
Jake felt weak and collapsed to the floor. Danielle said softly, “We are just as guilty. I should have done something, but I pushed my worries aside thinking you were wiser. I am just as much to blame as you; I should have known that a leader without a heart would never lead the Realm where it needed to go.”
Valerie put her arms around Jake and felt something she had missed for what seemed like an eternity, she felt his heart again… even though it was breaking.
Danielle turned to Newton, “I need you to make the move quickly.”
Newton disappeared and reappeared a minute later, holding a large device in his front two legs. “This is connected to the main dimension drive facility in the center of the Galaxy. I just need the coordinates, Your Majesty.”
Danielle looked at Tag and said into her communicator, “All vessels of the Stars Realm will immediately jump out of the Galaxy and assemble in open space. You will then divide into two fleets and go to the Algean and Dark Galaxy to take up their defense.”
The six million ships didn’t move initially but after ten minutes they all disappeared. Those Searchers understood loyalty and followed the orders of the Queen.
Five minutes later the
Milky Way shimmered and disappeared.
• • •
Twig appeared on a large ship parked outside the Milky Way. Edison joined her and they struggled with what to do. “We can’t allow them to go.”
“Edison, we can’t stop them.”
“You could demand the Realm remove Danielle and put you in as Queen. You are still in line of the Royal Succession. We could certainly outvote them.”
“Were you not listening? She knows we were originally going to abandon the Realm without informing the Crown. She sees that act as losing our membership in the Realm. We would not be given a vote. I’m just surprised she left the fleets to defend us.”
“Twig, if someone is going to attack you in Red Armor and I hand you a stick to defend yourself; what have I really done?”
Twig thought a moment, “You’ve made me feel safe long enough to get me killed. Are you saying our ships will not be able to hold off the Demons?”
“I’ve looked at the original recording of the battle with the Demon’s Orange Ships and the energy used by those ships was more than three hundred times greater than what we just installed on the Kosiev. It would probably only take four of their ships to kill all of ours. You were there; don’t you remember?”
“I guess I was hoping our developments since that time gave our ships a chance.”
“Those ships are still billions of years ahead of us technologically. It was the Reg’s ships that defeated them; not our ships. These Searchers stand no chance against them.”
“But I heard her say that she could save the citizens of the Realm.”
Edison thought a moment, “She is obviously not using the Realm’s ships to do it. That’s why she has no problem leaving them behind.”
“You also said the Demons might not be coming. Do you still think that?”
“Danielle said she knows they’re coming. They must be delayed for some reason but if she says they’re coming; they are coming.”
“What do we do?”
“I have absolutely no idea.”
“I need to talk with the other Elders. You go and speak with your Nest Mother and we’ll meet again.”
“Twig, we don’t have much time.”
Twig looked at Edison and felt her fear grow. She thought, oh Sprig, I need you so much. Edison teleported away and she stared at the former location of the Milky Way for a long moment before teleporting to the Galaxy of the Algeans.
Chapter Six
Trey and Cassie teleported in and joined Danielle and Tag in the Throne Room. Danielle stood and bowed to them. Valerie and Jake saw her bow and then stared at the two teenagers that had just teleported in. Who were they? Valerie bowed and Jake finally did as well. Trey said, “Oh stop that. We are not royalty and you do not need to bow.”
Danielle said, “You deserve much more than a bow and you are royalty whether you want to admit or not. You are your family’s son.”
Trey sighed and said, “Please rise.” The four Leaders of the Realm stood and Trey said, “Danielle, were you serious when you told Twig that we would go and destroy her galaxy?”
“Absolutely.”
Trey looked at Cassie and turned to Danielle, “I don’t know that we would have done that. I just don’t see us causing that much death; especially to those innocent worlds brought in from the Keeper’s Universe. We are sworn to protect those that cannot defend themselves.”
“I didn’t say you would. I just said I would order you to do it.”
Trey started laughing. Cassie joined him and then Tag joined them. Danielle didn’t laugh and said, “I was serious.”
Trey finally caught his breath and said, “That’s what Twig saw. She didn’t know that we follow the old principles so she could only make a decision on what she saw.”
Danielle smiled, “Trey, if I told you that all of the worlds in this galaxy were going to die if you didn’t do exactly what I threatened to do, would you refuse?”
Trey’s expression turned serious as he thought about Danielle’s remark. “Danielle, if Twig refused to allow this galaxy to be moved because of selfish reasons, I suspect we would have been faced with an extremely difficult decision.”
“What would your grandfather have done if the Empire was being held hostage by the Algeans?”
Trey lowered his head and took a deep breath, “His responsibility was to protect his subjects. He would have started blasting the Algean’s planets first until they agreed. He knew that the failure of the Realm was due to the leaders not having the strength to make hard choices. He wouldn’t have hesitated for a moment.”
“This is exactly what I would have said to you if she refused. Now what do you say?”
Cassie said, “We would have done it. I can see it now.”
Valerie said, “My name is Valerie Gardner Talant and I don’t know who you are?”
Cassie smiled, “We are the leaders of the Bristone Empire’s Naval Forces. We are the ones that met your husband in our former universe. My name is Cassandra Robbins and this is my husband Trey.”
“I mean no disrespect, but both of you are extremely young.”
Cassie smiled, “How old were you when you ascended to the throne, Valerie?”
Valerie smiled, “Touché’, you make a good point. Age changes one’s perspective. I was probably stronger then than now.”
Danielle said, “They are the ones that caused the psychic blast.”
Jake jerked his head around at Danielle and then looked at the two standing in front of him. Trey smiled, “That got your attention.”
Jake took a deep breath, “You’re the one that said you didn’t really care if we lived or died.”
“Yes, I am and I meant it at the time. However, Danielle has made me see that you might just be worth saving. That’s why we allowed her to make the effort. I honestly viewed the Realm as being just like you, Jake, and she showed me I was inaccurate in that assessment.”
Jake flinched at the remark, but sensed that he was no match for the young man who made it. Like Tag, he was stronger, “I’m not sure what you mean?”
“Yes, you do. You are the one primarily responsible for the death of our former universe. Your indifference ultimately led to the death of my grandparents and parents. I actually hoped you would ignore my warning during our first meeting and stay where you were. When the Demons came and burned your worlds, I hoped that you would have a better understanding of what your actions caused.” Trey stared at Jake and then said, “However, Danielle proved to me that the Realm’s heart is not black. I understand why you did what you did two thousand years ago. But I still don’t like you, Jake, and I don’t know that I ever will.”
Valerie listened to the exchange, took Jake’s hand, and said harshly, “It’s easy for you to stand here in judgment after the fact and make your accusations. You didn’t have to fight the Keepers to save our universe and you weren’t staring down the barrel of millions of Searchers coming to kill your subjects.”
Trey felt his anger skyrocket and opened his mouth to respond and stopped. He took a deep breath and stared at Valerie for a long moment and finally said, “No, I wasn’t. Choosing to run is not what has caused my ill will. It was your total indifference afterwards that makes me feel this way. Perhaps you can explain that, Valerie. The buoys were gone but you never looked in on the planets of the Realm you left behind.”
Jake said, “She can’t explain it. We gave that responsibility to the Spiders and Algeans and they assured us they would handle it. I now see that we chose poorly in selecting them to do it. We were unaware of their treachery and just didn’t see it. You’re absolutely right to feel as you do and we have the ultimate responsibility for our decisions. It’s too little too late, but I am so very sorry for what happened to all of those that were killed due to my incompetence. I don’t blame you for your anger. I deserve it.”
Valerie turned to Danielle and said, “Thank you for trying to save our citizens, Danielle. We will take our things and leave the castl
e.”
“Oh no you won’t!”
Valerie and Jake looked at Danielle and Valerie shook her head, “We no longer serve a purpose here. We’ve done nothing but harm to the Realm.”
Trey and Cassie looked at Danielle and were shocked by her next statement. “I hereby abdicate the Throne of the Stars Realm and name Valerie Talant as my successor. You will take the Crown now and start making plans to defend the Realm.”
Trey started to challenge her but Valerie said, “You have totally confused me. That doesn’t make any sense what so ever. Why on Ross would you even suggest that? What do you mean!?!”
Tag looked at Danielle and smiled. Danielle stood from the throne and said, “How many of our citizens know about what just happened?”
Valerie thought about it and said, “I only announced my abdication to our fleet. I suppose none of our worlds know anything.”
“Exactly right; they have their confidence and trust in you, Valerie and now we are going to remove them from this dimension and tell them the Demons are returning. Putting me on the throne after all the years you’ve ruled would be too much of a shock. You should also remember that it was you and Jake that saved them from the Keepers. They love you and they are your responsibility during this crisis. You are going to have to lead them during this time of danger and you are going to have to get them prepared for the coming fight.”
Trey looked from Danielle to Cassie and she nodded. He looked at Jake and then at Danielle, “And just what are you going to be doing while all this is happening?”
“Exactly what I told you before we came here; assisting you in the coming war against the Demons in those four universes.” Danielle saw Trey look at Jake again with anger and she said, “Look at his mind, Trey. Do it now!”
Trey hesitated but turned his mind to Jake and saw the agony taking place. He saw the pain and guilt from what he had done. He withdrew and looked at Cassie. She made it clear that this was his decision. He looked at Danielle and said, “You are still following my orders?”
