Ashes of the Realm: Book 04 - The Return of the Realm

by Saxon Andrew

  Kline smiled, “I had the Algeans cook it up for special delivery. Basically, it’s a hornet with a teleport screen in front of it.”

  “Where did you teleport the rear end of that ship?”

  “Twig told me that anything that went through that screen would be teleported to a star’s corona. The hornet will pass through its own teleport field and join the rest of the material at the star as well to prevent them finding it.”

  The Force field dropped and the four teleported to their ships just after the giant ship’s self-destruct circuit activated and destroyed what was left.

  • • •

  The Ship’s Master was trying to communicate with one of the Masters and tell it what was happening when the bridge lost all power and the room went pitch black. Everyone on the bridge heard, “Self-destruct is now active.”

  The Ship Master’s last thought was, “They’re going to have to do something about the self-destruct circuit.”

  • • •

  “Trey, Queen Danielle has requested us to meet her in the Map Room at Castle Gardner.”

  “Do you know why she wants us?”

  “No, but she was not commanding in her request.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m not sure; but there’s a difference in her tone when she made the request. Something is going on and I’m uncertain what it is.”

  Trey shrugged and said, “Well, let’s not keep her waiting.”

  • • •

  Trey and Cassie arrived and found Danielle, Tag, and Cassandra waiting for them. Trey said, “I’m sorry we kept you waiting.”

  “You didn’t. We’ve only been here for a few minutes.”

  Cassie said, “It’s good to see you again. We need to come by more often.”

  Danielle smiled, “I know how busy you’ve been. However, Tag and I think it’s time for us to tell you about a new structure in the Realm.”

  Trey glanced at Cassie and said, “New structure?”

  “Yes. We felt the need for it a few weeks ago but wanted to make sure we were right in what we were seeing. Tag has examined all the variations and agrees that now is the time to implement it.”

  “Danielle, I’m not sure where you’re going with this, but we will not replace you as Rulers of the Realm.”

  “No, you will not. You have another role to play and the Realm will be a tool for you to use.”

  Cassie said, “Why don’t you tell us what you’re thinking?”

  “You and Cassie will take the Titles of Emperor and Empress of the Bristone Empire and I will swear the Realm’s loyalty to you.”

  Trey stood up and said, “Wait just a minute! Slow down. Why would we do that?”

  Tag said, “The Realm is a tool that Creation made long ago. However, you two are the ones chosen by Creation to lead the fight to bring balance back. The Realm will have to fight to survive the Demons, but we will not be the only tool that is going to be forged during this conflict. There will be other universes that you will go and fight to save. Some civilizations in those universes will want to join you in your crusade. They will also swear their loyalty to you and assist you in the fight. Ultimately, all of us will be joined under your rule and forge a unity that will conquer the evil that threatens to overwhelm life. The Realm will be just a small part of that coming Empire.”

  Trey looked at Cassie and she said, “Your plans for the new armored warriors indicate that you can feel the way we should be moving. This structure Queen Danielle is describing is exactly what could make that happen.”

  Trey turned to Danielle, “Then what will be the Realm’s role in this new entity?”

  “We will provide the warriors and ships necessary for you to succeed. You will use them in the way you think best. This will be the role of any civilization that would join us in the struggle.”

  “Do you think the Realm will accept this?”

  Tag said, “They will and the vision it carries with it is what will cement the Realm as nothing else could. We will be stronger for working toward a future that is worth having for all our children and their descendants. “

  Trey thought about the idea and worried about where it was going to take him. Then Danielle said something that made him know it was the thing to do.

  “Trey, effective immediately, all of the Life Warriors will be independent of the Realm and will be directly under your command. They will be the Empire’s weapon to use in the war. The only one that will control them is you. However, I do have one small request.”

  “What is that?”

  “My husband is considered a rather effective warrior in his own right. He wants to command those warriors for you and use them to carry out your plans.”

  Trey looked at Tag and he nodded. Trey had a huge smile when he said, “That is an outstanding suggestion. I will accept this just to have Creation’s finest warrior fighting with me. Tag, you will be a difference maker.”

  Tag nodded and said, “I should be in the fight. It’s time I realized that and do my part.”

  Cassandra smiled and said, “This is a great concept.” She paused and said, “But what am I doing here? Why did you have me come to this meeting?”

  Cassie and Trey looked at her and then at Danielle. She said, “I eventually saw this, but Tag is the one that sensed it first. Why don’t you tell her, Darling?”

  Tag looked at Trey and said, “How’s the progress on the second ship coming along?”

  Cassandra said, “What ship?”

  Trey and Cassie were startled by the question and Cassie said, “It will be completed in three weeks. The crew is already trained and ready to be assigned.”

  Tag looked at Cassandra and said, “You will be commanding that ship and Tim Valrico Jr will be your partner in fighting it.”

  “Trey, Cassie, and Cassandra all said simultaneously, “What!”

  “I’ve spoken with Alex about this under his promise of secrecy and he has selected Jessica to be his partner in controlling the ships functions.” Tag walked over and took Cassandra’s hands in his, “It’s time for you to come back to the land of the living, Cassie. You know you feel close to Junior and I suspect you feel safe enough with him to open your mind to him. I know he has a special place in his heart for you. He would never take the initial step in telling you. You are the strongest psychic warrior in the Realm’s history and you’ll be commanding a Psychic Ship. You can make the difference in our survival.”

  Tag looked at Trey, “You don’t know why you had that ship build, do you?”

  Trey shook his head trying to get a grip on what he was hearing and said, “No, we just knew we’d need it to survive.”

  “Creation has also selected our Cassie to fight for her. If you simply look at it, you’ll see it as well.”

  Trey took Cassie’s hands and they linked. Cassandra watched them and wondered why her mind was not screaming at the idea. She thought about it and felt Tommy in her mind nodding. She thought about Junior and wished he was there to help her with this problem. Then she knew. The fact that she needed him to help her told her more than anything else that could be said. She thought, “Alex, what do you think about this?”

  “I remember your feelings the first time you saw me. Wait until you see what I’ll be this time.” Tommy said it well, “She looks like she’s coming to life.”“

  Cassandra looked over as Cassie and Trey looked at her, “What do you think about this, Cassandra?”

  “You need to pick a target for us to practice on, Your Majesty.”

  Danielle burst out laughing and ran over to Cassandra and hugged her tightly. Trey and Cassie smiled and joined her in welcoming their newest Life Warrior. Tag watched them and felt pride in his family. Now they were moving toward their destiny and his long life had new meaning.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The Controller was watching the feed from one of his newest warships and saw five white beings fighting for control of the landing bay. The Ship Master was sending reinfor
cements to the landing bay and the Controller said, “I want one of those beings captured and examined. Do not allow them to escape.”

  “We’ve managed to kill two of them and it is going to be difficult to take one alive.”

  “I want that Armor they have on. How did they get into your landing bay?”

  “I have no idea. They just suddenly appeared, according to our recording.”

  “We’ve lost thirty ships to these beings and none of the ones that attacked were left behind. You will not allow them to escape.”

  The Four Council Members joined the Controller on the display and watched without interruption. The Controller sent six of the new ships to surround the one being attacked and waited for the outcome of the battle. The landing bay was blazing with the number of energy weapons being fired in the thousand yard room.

  “Are you going to drop the force field to allow others to assist in this battle?”

  “No, I’m concerned that if I do that those creatures will jump out.”

  “Well how did they jump in? Was the force field down?”

  “No, First Councilor; it was up. They somehow managed to come through it. However, we’ve killed two of them and if they could escape I suspect they would have left. They must be able to jump in but cannot jump out.”

  “What is that!?!”

  The Controller looked at his second monitor and saw a small white ship suddenly appear close to the ship being attacked and then disappear before the six ships could fire on it. He looked quickly back at the landing bay monitor and saw another of the White Beings had joined the three survivors.

  “It appears I’m right. They can jump in but not out.”

  “How did these beings destroy our older models?”

  “We didn’t get a clear picture, but in the only one we received they fired their beams into the ceiling and cut the power cables leading from the reactor to the bridge. When the bridges lost power, the self-destruct circuits activated and destroyed the ships.”

  “Then our older models cannot withstand this type of attack.”

  “It appears you are right Second Councilor. The newest model has two hulls that are constructed from out hardest material and they were unable to penetrate the inner hull to cut the power conduits.”

  “What are they doing?”

  The five Orange Demons watched as the three survivors stepped out from the bulkhead they were pinned behind and fired a huge wall of beams. The new arrival stepped out and something came out of its armor and moved quickly across the huge landing bay. Their feed was suddenly cut and switched to an outside view of the ship. Something disintegrated the back third of the ship, cutting power to the part that remained. All the lights went out and then the huge vessel exploded. The Controller pounded his chair arm and stood up. He looked down at his scanner and saw something. He sat back down and slowed the speed down.

  “I have something on my scanner.”

  The four Council Leaders watched and saw four small whited colored beings just inside the outer edge of the stricken ships force field. When the field when down, they disappeared. “Find out where they went.”

  The Controller hit his board and his scanners suddenly alarmed. He brought the focus in and saw thirty three small white ships in close formation. They jumped away using a standard universal drive and he read the coordinates. He entered them into his scanner and the board released a loud, blaring alarm. He looked at the location and the four Council Members saw his expression. “Where did they go?”

  “To the Family’s Galaxy.”

  • • •

  The thirty three attack ships waited and Kline watched the wall display. He looked at the Algean commanding the squadron and asked, “Do you think they missed the coordinates?”

  “No, I’m sure they saw them. I detected a scan just before we jumped.”

  “How long are you going to wait? I have some injured warriors.”

  “If they aren’t here by now, they aren’t coming.” The Algean thought to the other pilots, “Teleport away and use standard evasive procedures.”

  The thirty three ships disappeared as they teleported away in thirty three different directions. Kline leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. The initial injury reports had thirty warriors killed and fifteen injured. This first attempt was costly…but, he had learned a lot. The new hornet was going to be the weapon of choice from this confrontation forward. The numbers needed to kill a ship was now reduced to one. He hoped the Algeans would be able to manufacture the new missile in a small enough size to make loading them into a warrior’s armor easier. It had taken twenty attempts before he had been able to get the one in his. The darn thing was nearly as big as he was. He closed his eyes and felt his shaking start from the adrenaline in his system.

  • • •

  Tag sat in his office in Castle Gardner and looked at Generals Zawley and Graves standing at attention in front of his desk, “At ease, take a seat.” The two came around and sat down in two chairs. “Congratulations on your first mission. It was a great success and I know it was due to your excellent planning. However, there is going to be a change in the command structure of the Life Warriors and I want to discuss it with you before I move forward.”

  Kline asked, “What sort of change, Your Grace?”

  “The Life Warriors are being taken out of the Realm’s armed forces and will be an independent attack force that will report directly to the New Emperor.”

  Kline and Gina looked at each other and Gina said, “New Emperor?”

  “Yes; and this is still a secret that you will keep to yourselves. Trey Robbins is going to be the New Bristone Emperor and the Stars Realm will swear its loyalty to him. He will command the forces that are used to attack those aggressive civilizations that are attacking innocent worlds. The Realm will be responsible for its own defense and with providing the armies that he will need to carry out his quest. I have been assigned the overall command of the Life Warriors.”

  Kline smiled and said, “That’s great, Your Grace. I’m happy to be under your command.”

  “Not so fast, General. I allowed you some leeway in the original structure of the regiment. You are going to have to decide now how you are going to fit in this new chain-of-command.”

  “I’m not sure what you mean?”

  “I have two choices about how to set up the regiment’s structure. In one of them, you will have the overall command of the regiment and I will have you plan and carry out the missions I assign you. If you choose to take that position, I will not allow you to take part in any combat operations. You will be too important to lose.”

  “And the other choice?”

  “You will take command of one of the regiment’s brigades and coordinate with General Graves here, who will be given the second Brigade, to fight our chosen targets.” Tag paused and said, “I personally hope you choose the first one because it will make my life much easier.”

  Kline smiled, “I’m sorry, Your Grace, but I choose the second option. I don’t want to makes things more difficult for you, but I feel I must be involved in the fighting.”

  Tag smiled and looked at Gina, “You have the same options, General. What’s your choice?”

  “I’ve always had a close attachment to the Second Brigade, Your Grace.”

  “It doesn’t exist yet, General.”

  “Well, I know I will have an attachment. I can’t let them down.”

  Tag laughed and pulled some papers out of his desk, “Please sign these forms.”

  Kline looked at the form and said, “This one names me the First Brigades Commanding Officer.” He looked over at Gina and she nodded.

  “Well, I suspected what your decisions would be. General Graves, you will be given a second star but will be junior to General Zawly in seniority. I expect your brigades to grow into two divisions eventually and they can grow into your ranks. Your first order of business will be to select the officers for your commands and I want the two brigades to be a
s equal as possible. The remainder of the Life Warriors will join you on New Hope, where you will start their training.”

  Kline said, “Your Grace, I need you to clarify something for me.”

  “What is that?”

  “Who commands these missions? General Graves and I, or our pilots?”

  Tag took a deep breath, “I’ve heard about what happened. You will command the fleet assigned to transport your warriors. The Algean Commanders of the ships under your command will be your pilots.”

  “Thank you, Your Grace.”

  Tag stood and the two Generals jumped to attention, “Make us proud; Dismissed.”

  Tag left the room and Gina put her hand on Kline’s arm, “I want to know why you came to rescue my team?”

  “You were just too valuable to lose.”

  “No, I’m not. We both knew we were expendable. There were other teams at risk but you forced your pilot to send you after mine. Why?”

  “I had a device that could destroy the new Demon Ship. I was the only one that could save you.”

  “That’s a good reason but not the real reason. Revealing that weapon to only save one team was not good tactics and you know it.”

  Kline stared at her and didn’t say anything. Gina looked into his eyes, smiled, and leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, “I know you love me. You might as well admit it.”

  She turned and walked away and Kline was left with a red face, wondering how he had given himself away.

  • • •

  Junior teleported in to the new psychic ship with his tool bag and found Cassandra sitting in the command chair on the bridge, “Hello, Cassandra, I didn’t know you were on board.”

  “I just found out about this ship and wanted to come take a look. It’s a real beauty.”

  Junior smiled broadly and said, “She’s just like the Scotty Robbins. Matter of fact, it’s an identical twin.”

  Cassandra smiled, “Have you been working on it?”

  “From the ground up and I was also involved in the construction of the first ship. This is one remarkable vessel.”

  Cassandra smiled and said, “Why are there two chairs side-by-side on the bridge?”