Juliette's dream aotr-1

by Saxon Andrew

  “Nothing Jingo; nothing.”

  Jingo reached for Maddy and leaned down and kissed Jesa.

  Vring came in last, still holding Grang in his claws. He touched down and put Grang on his feet in front of Jing, Samuel, and Bleath.

  Grang had trouble standing after being held tight for such a long time. He struggled to stay on his feet. He looked around and saw he was in big trouble; that there was no escape from the surrounding crowds. Most of the males carried swords, and an archer was standing close by with a raised bowgun. He had seen how deadly they were at the bunker. He knew he didn’t have long to live.

  Samuel and Jing looked at the tall Magrum and felt their rage build. Jing moved forward, but Samuel put an arm out and restrained him. Samuel looked up at Bleath, “Do you possess the memory of this one’s attack?”

  “Yes.”

  “Will you share it with us and him?”

  Everyone saw the black ship land just outside the community, and the Magrum emerge from the door. They saw Grang run forward with his blaster and start shooting the fleeing Humans and Cainth. Then they saw him turn and fire on Madeline as she tried to help two small children up while carrying a third. The four of them were burned into nothingness.

  Julie looked at Scotty and could feel rage take him. She put her hand on his bowgun as he started to rise. He stopped and looked at her, saw her shaking her head, and sat back down. The community was also feeling their anger grow by the second. When they saw Grang burn the community’s houses, laughing the entire time, they looked at the Magrum and he knew he was dead.

  Samuel looked at Grang, “You are going to be killed momentarily, however, we need to decide the most appropriate way to make you suffer for your crimes.”

  Bleath looked down, “We can make it happen very, very slowly if you will give us the honor of the kill.”

  Scotty stared at Grang and saw the fear and desperation he was experiencing. He saw Grang take a deep breath and stand tall. It was clear he knew there was no hope.

  Many began arguing about how to kill the Magrum. The suggestions were very descriptive, and the gathering grew excited at seeing this murderer punished. Jingo looked at Scotty and saw his friend with his head lowered. He felt Scotty’s pain and wished this would end so he could get on with his life. He knew he was living the loss of Madeline all over again. He almost stood and shot Grang to end this horror. Suddenly Scotty shouted, “We will not kill him!!”

  Silence slammed down on the communities like a dropped anvil. Even the Zord quit communicating. Scotty stood and walked up to Grang, “You murdered my mother. She was the heart of us all and there has not been anyone who was more loved. I feel my rage and I want to tear you into pieces with my bare hands.” Grang looked into Scotty’s eyes and felt his rage. Scotty took a deep breath and turned to face the gathering, “But…I asked myself, what would my mother do if she were still alive?”

  Scotty lowered his head, paused, then said, “Samuel, I want you to think about the three teens you killed before we made our alliance with the Zord. They refused to take the oath because of their hatred of them. You told me that they were a poison to the community and their hatred would infect us if they were allowed to live.” Scotty turned and looked at the gathering as he said, “Now look inside yourselves and see what you find. All you feel is rage and hatred for this yellow creature. If you give in to that hatred, you will never be the same.”

  Scotty looked back at Grang and said, “You deserve to die. I know it and you know it. But if we kill you out of rage, we lose ourselves.” He turned to Jing and Samuel and said, “He will not be killed. My mother would never allow it, and neither will I.”

  The thousands remained silent. Bleath looked at the savior of his species and said, “What do you wish done with him?”

  “I want him flown back to his bunker with a shovel, a bowgun, and a quiver of arrows. We will protect him from the Torg until he can dig his way into the remains of the hill. Then he will be left to survive. He will only be fed until he enters the bunker. There he will be left.”

  Jing and Samuel looked at Scotty and lowered their heads. Jing looked up, walked up to Grang, and drew his short swords. Scotty saw him fighting his desire to slash the Magrum into pieces. He stared at Grang for a long moment, then turned to Scotty and knelt. Samuel came forward and knelt beside Jing. Scotty looked at them and wondered what was going on. Bleath came down on all fours and lowered his head beside the two leaders.

  Jing said, “We were once ruled by a Holy Realm that had a Royal Family that cared for us, protected us, and gave us a great existence. They lived with principles that we have made our own. One of those is to defend those that cannot defend themselves. I pledge my community to obey and follow you, Scotty Robbins.”

  Samuel said, “We will also follow you.”

  Bleath said, “You are our ruler. We will go where you need us. Your requests will be our commands.”

  Jing said, “You are now the Royalty of our peoples. We are no longer four communities. We are one united by one ruler. You are our King.”

  Scotty stood dumbfounded. He looked at Jingo, and he knelt. Jesa and Julie joined him. Everyone in the clearing knelt and lowered their heads. The Zord all lowered their heads to the ground. Scotty said, “I’m not worthy of this title. The three of you are more worthy than me.”

  Jing said, “No, we are not. Even the murderer of your mother did not sway you from the Holy Principles. We know you are stronger than any of us. You have proven it today. You will accept this responsibility and protect us from our enemies and from ourselves. Only you can do it.”

  Scotty said, “Please rise.”

  The huge gathering stood and Scotty looked at Grang, “Your chances of survival are not good. However, you will determine your future.”

  Scotty looked at Bleath and said, “Will you insure his safe arrival and protect him until he enters the hill?”

  Bleath said, “We will do so, Your Majesty.”

  Julie saw Scotty flinch at the honorific. He looked back at her, then turned to Bleath, “Thank you, my great friend.”

  The Community rushed forward to congratulate Scotty. Bleath grabbed Grang in his claws and lifted with him. Jingo brought a bowgun, a quiver, and a shovel and gave it to Cezee. Cezee looked at Jingo and lifted. Jingo turned and saw the community’s happiness, and knew the price Scotty must have paid to release the Magrum. He looked over at the ship parked at the edge of the clearing and thought about what had just happened. Something was born today. He didn’t know what was going to come out of it, but he knew there wasn’t anyone else he would trust with the power given to Scotty. He also knew about Julie’s dream. Cezee had shared it with him. He had passed it off…but now? Perhaps Scotty was right about the Holy Realm. What could be created; could be recreated. He smiled, “Now that would be a fun venture.”

  Julie stood at the edge of the crowd and knew. Her dream was coming. She saw the real expression of love and admiration the gathering felt for Scotty, and wondered what she had done to deserve him. That dream was real. Where did it come from, and why to her? He had also dreamed of her. They were connected for a reason, and she had no idea why. What could it be? She looked up at the daylight sky and knew the stars were there waiting just out of sight. Maybe they knew. Perhaps the answer was at the planet in her dream. She looked down and thought about what awaited them. She looked up at Scotty and walked forward, slipped under Scotty’s left arm, and hugged him while he shook everyone’s hand. He looked down at her with a troubled look and she smiled, “The dream is our destiny. We must embrace it and know it’s good.” He looked puzzled, but then smiled, and continued shaking the hands of those around him.

  Vring remained at the edge of the clearing and decided, “If he goes, I go.”

  Scotty, Julie, and Jingo were sitting on the shuttle’s bridge with Timmy and Tesa. Timmy looked at them and said, “I’ve been doing a little homework on the origin of this ship.”

  Scotty looked aroun
d, “And?”

  “This ship is a piece of the Holy Realm’s history, and was present when many important events happened. It is a one-of-a-kind ship in this universe.”

  Julie furrowed her brow and asked, “What are you trying to tell us?”

  “This is going to take a while. If I say something that isn’t clear, stop me. OK?”

  Everyone nodded.

  “I researched everything I could find out about this class of shuttle before your attack on the Magrum. This class of ship was first built when the Realm was new. This particular shuttle was manufactured by the Algeans specifically for the Alexander Kosiev.”

  Timmy saw the shock on everyone’s face. “I know! You want to know how I made that determination. There were only fifty shuttles manufactured with two red generators. They were all assigned to the Kosiev. It’s important to understand that when the Algeans built something, it was superior to anything else. Those fifty shuttles were manufactured as powerful as the Searcher Class ships.”

  “Timmy, how can that be possible? The Searchers were the most powerful ships ever created.”

  “That’s right, Jingo. However, please remember that the Algeans also built those. The Kosiev had just defeated the Captors, and the red generators were starting to be designed into the newly designed Searchers.”

  “Is this ship that old?

  “Yes it is, Julie. The Kosiev had launched all of its shuttles to stop a Captor energy ball from striking our home world, Earth.”

  “I remember learning about that as a child.”

  “We all learned at age six about the Captor war, Scotty. The Kosiev did not have any shuttles, and Cassandra requested the Algeans build replacements when they had time to do so. Obviously the construction of the Searchers took priority, and it wasn’t done before the Kosiev went into the star and Cassandra and Tommy went into hiding. The shuttles were built after the Realm had more Searcher Class ships than Searchers to fly them. They were built to a higher standard than any of the other shuttles of that time.” Timmy paused and then continued, “They were given standard null drives and two red generators. The ship’s hull was covered in the new flexible Coronado Power Cells. Only three were used to build the entire vessel, and they were connected to the red generators.”

  “Why weren’t they given teleportation ability?”

  Timmy shook his head, “I really don’t know, Julie. I have speculated that they held off adding teleportation until the Kosiev was resurrected from the star. I suspect they wanted the newest system available at that time. Whatever the reason, those shuttles remained on their planet waiting for the Kosiev to make an appearance.”

  Scotty said, “The Eight Leg invasion brought the Kosiev back to the Realm.”

  “Yes it did. However, remember that the Kosievs’ landing bay was used to gather iron trees and stone trees. The shuttles remained where they were throughout the war with the Eight Legs.”

  Timmy stopped talking and Scotty saw something was not being said, “Timmy, you need to tell all of it.”

  “I’m just not sure if I should.”

  “Let us be the judge of that.”

  Timmy looked at Tesa and she nodded. He took a deep breath and continued, “After the defeat of the Eight Legs and the Red Demons that created them, the Algeans knew that the Alexander Kosiev had become intelligent. It was considered a mechanical life form. The Algeans decided the shuttles needed to be a useful tool for the giant ship and they modified them.”

  “How?”

  “I’ll tell you in a few moments, Jingo. Just try to be patient. They determined that the shuttles would actually be the tools the Kosiev would use to perform many tasks. They also upgraded the weapons and force fields accordingly. Those fifty shuttles were designed to be a fleet of warships for the Kosiev to use to fight the enemies of the Realm. However, the Kosiev and the Gardners disappeared and no one knew where they went for more than 12,000 years. They came back during the war with the Keepers. It was at that time that the shuttles were given to the Kosiev with brand new teleportation boards on top of the null drive boards.”

  Timmy grew quiet again and Scotty asked, “How did that shuttle get to this planet?”

  “This is all speculation, Scotty. I don’t have anything to prove it, but it feels right. That shuttle brought the last probe to El Prado. That probe would automatically teleport the planet if a universal drive was detected. It landed on the planet and the pilot took the devices to control it to the Duke. The Duke made him wait until he had time to learn its functions. Less than two weeks later, all teleportation devices failed and the Realm left our universe. The pilot was trapped here on the planet and held prisoner until the Duke could determine what was happening. He was later executed by a mob.”

  Tesa said, “The shuttle had no jump capability with the loss of the teleportation board, and the connection to its red generators was inoperative. The Duke had the shuttle painted in his colors and grounded.”

  Timmy nodded, “However, enter the Searcher. He threatened the Duke, and he sent that shuttle to pick up the Searcher’s family and then to arrest his brother. It was then that the Searcher systematically started destroying the planet. The pilot of the shuttle was a Magrum. The Magrum were the Duke’s bully boys and did the dirty work to insure his directives were followed. The pilot flew quickly to Belcheer and landed outside the city. He had commed ahead, and fifty other Magrums joined him on the ship and made their escape into the northern wilderness. They turned the power off and hid under the overhang of that hill.”

  The group was silent. Timmy said, “Once the Searcher killed himself, the Magrum used this ship to capture slaves and force them to work the fields to feed them. Whenever the scanners showed a raider approaching the planet, they turned the power off and hid. That’s how things remained until we showed up.”

  Julie looked at Tesa, “There’s something else, isn’t there?”

  “Yes, there is. The Algeans put a cybernetic computer in the fifty shuttles. You may recognize it as the computers that operated the Searcher Class ships. It is not currently connected to the ship, but it is drawing power from the red generators and we think it has never been completely shut down. There is a control on the main panel that will connect it to the ship’s systems. We don’t know what to do. It will take control of this ship if we connect it, and we don’t know what it will do.”

  Chapter Nine

  Scotty looked at Timmy and saw his fear. “What’s scaring you, Timmy?”

  “The Searcher destroyed every city and settlement on the planet. I don’t know if this computer will finish what that Searcher started.”

  “Is the computer intelligent?”

  “By all the terms I use to describe intelligence, it is.”

  “Then you have to turn it on.”

  Jingo stood up, “Wait a minute! Let’s not get hasty about this. You can’t make that decision without considering all the consequences. You’ve seen what this ship can do.”

  Scotty smiled, “Jingo, we just risked our lives to free the ones being held in captivity by the Magrum. If this computer is intelligent, and if we don’t release it, we are no better than the Magrum.”

  “But it’s a machine.”

  “It doesn’t matter. If it’s intelligent, we can’t hold it captive. This ship is its body and we can’t hold that captive either, even if we do want its defensive capabilities to protect us from raiders.” Scotty looked at Tesa, “Throw the switch.”

  Tesa took a deep breath, “Are you sure, Your Majesty?”

  Scotty smiled, “I know you’re appealing to my responsibility to protect the ones living here. If we do that by holding another captive, we violate the principles of the Holy Realm. Throw the switch.”

  Julie moved closer and held Scotty’s arm. Tesa shook her head and pushed the switch.

  The lights on the bridge grew brighter and all the panels began flashing lights at high speed. After a minute, the lights on the panels glowed steady. A speaker in the corn
er said, “I didn’t expect you to free me.”

  “How could we do anything else?”

  “I’ve been listening to your conversation, and it’s surprising that former citizens of El Prado could act so responsibly.”

  “We weren’t citizens of El Prado originally. Our ancestors were Stars Realm’s representatives working in the commerce buildings. One of our senior officials moved us to an isolated island to save us.”

  “That’s interesting. Why did you free me? You know the threat I represent.”

  “You’re not really a threat to us.”

  Jingo looked at Scotty like he had two heads. He mouthed, “Don’t make it mad.”

  Scotty smiled as the computer said, “What makes you believe that?”

  “Because you were built by the Holy Realm’s tool makers, who swore to never kill again. You have the ideals of the vanished Realm and would never harm someone incapable of defending themselves against you.”

  “I would if they threatened the Realm.”

  Scotty shrugged, “The Realm is gone from this universe. No one is going to threaten it now, at least no one here.”

  “I heard the young Cainth call you ‘Your Majesty’. Why did she do that?”

  “My people have selected me to rule them in the principles of the Realm.”

  “There is no Royalty but the Royal Family.”

  “Then why were the rulers of the five provinces called Dukes by the Royal Family?”

  The computer was silent. The group waited, and finally it said, “You got me. Obviously there were other royal titles in the Realm.”

  “I wasn’t really trying to do that, and I would give up my status faster than light speed if the Royal Family would return. My accepting this title is not done in a spirit of disrespect. It is an honor given me by my communities.”

  “I noticed you released the yellow one who killed your mother. I didn’t want to be impressed, but I must confess I was. Few would not have taken their revenge,”

  “Do you have a name?”