“Do we have room for this many prisoners?” David asked.
“The army will take custody of them and move them to a larger facility,” Dedron said. Dedron looked at the dejected soldiers in their tattered grey cloaks and felt sorry for them for a moment. He thought back to the streets of Remoir where the poor have to seek out a meager sustenance. He wondered how many of them even had a choice about joining Perbron’s forces.
Chapter 9:
Soon, General Forester and his ranks were joining the Defense Squad at the main compound known as Grower’s Stand. Most of the facilities remained intact, although a few buildings sustained some damage during the air assault.
“I have to admit. I wasn’t sure of that plan of yours when you first told me,” the general said, patting Dedron on the back. “Son, I don’t care how much hair you have all over your body. You will make a good general one day.”
“Thanks General. I must say, you really make a good general yourself, despite the lack of hair on your body,” Dedron said, taking everyone by surprise with a rare joke.
The general laughed and Donna came over to Dedron.
“My baby made a joke. We have to mark this occasion,” she said, while the other Defense Squad members laughed.
There was a lot of celebrating going on that night at Grower’s Stand. Everyone feasted and drank until late into the night. Despite all of the merrymaking, Dedron was worried. He sat in the corner and had only a little to eat and drink. Donna, who was having a great time finally noticed him and went to see about him.
“Baby, what’s wrong? We’ve defeated Perbron again, and kept him from destroying our resources both here and at Vertton,” Donna said.
“Don’t you see? That is exactly what Perbron wants us to think. I don’t have to tell you how diabolical he is. For him, this is only a temporary setback. The defeat he suffered on Remoir was far greater and you see how quickly he bounced back from that,” Dedron said.
“Then what should we be doing? Are we not entitled to a little celebrating after our victory?”
“Maybe for just tonight. After that, we had better check with our intelligence sources to see what Perbron might be plotting next. We also need to shore up the protections for settlements such as this one and Vertton. Perbron must never again find it so easy to take control of this place,” Dedron said. The general overheard part of this conversation and came over to the couple.
“Captain Fildred, your lovely wife is right. You’ve earned the right for a little celebration. There will be time for worrying about Perbron in the morning,” the general said.
“General, would you be willing to station some of your men here to shore up the defenses in case Perbron should try something like this again?” Dedron asked.
The general was silent for a moment as if he were carefully considering what Dedron was asking.
“I would be willing to do so, but do you really feel as if Perbron would try anything here after suffering this defeat?” the general asked.
“I wouldn’t put it past him. He will not rest until he’s defeated the Defense Squad and now the Intergalactic Army. Anyone that tries to interfere with his plans should fear his retribution,” Dedron stated.
“I assure you that I will cooperate with the Defense Squad in any way to defeat this common scourge,” the general said.
“That’s good to know,” Dedron said.
The conversation was interrupted by what appeared to be a large blast in the distance.
“What was that?” Donna asked. Dedron jumped to his feet.
“General, we’ve got to act fast. Perbron may be staging a counterattack!” Dedron said. The general nodded and took out his communicator to talk to the soldiers who were stationed just outside of the main compound. A large hover tank and several soldiers were guarding the perimeter.
“Captain Johnson, this is General Forester. We heard an explosion. Is everything alright on your end? Do you need reinforcements?” he asked. There was no answer forthcoming. The general repeated his statements several times, but still received no answer.
“Captain Langston, do you copy?” the general asked.
There was a disturbing silence that followed every time the general tried to make contact with any of his men.
“Come on, general. Let’s leave a few soldiers here to guard the facility and take the rest of them with us to the perimeter. I knew that Perbron wasn’t finished with us,” Dedron said. The other defense squad members began to gather.
“What’s going on?” Laura asked.
“Perbron just attacked the soldiers guarding the perimeter. We have to go and see what we can do,” Dedron said. “Everyone grab your weapons and follow me,” he stated.
The Defense Squad members exited the main dome of the facility and made their way towards the area where the explosion had taken place. They fanned out, hiding behind the outbuildings as they advanced. Dedron could now see smoke rising up in the distance. Finally, the group made it up to where the army soldiers had been stationed. Where the hover tank once stood was a fiery mass of smoke and flame. There was no sign of carnage, but all of the soldiers were gone, save one who came running towards the squad.
“Lower your weapons, he’s one of the army’s men,” Dedron ordered. Everyone relaxed their postures for the moment, but all of them felt unsettled.
“What happened, soldier?” Dedron asked.
“The Remoir came like phantoms in the night. We were vastly outnumbered. There had to be three of them for every one of us. At first, we did our best to try and fight them, but as soon as we began to fire, they created some type of force field. Then, a tall figure came out of their main ship. I couldn’t quite make out his identity, but he wasn’t a Remoir. He floated above the ground like a ghost,” he said.
The Defense Squad members all looked around at each other with puzzled faces.
“What happened then?” Dedron asked.
“Then, the tall figure commanded the army soldiers to drop their weapons. I stayed behind that shed over there while this was happening,” he said, trembling as he spoke. “One by one, they followed his orders. Then the tall figure ordered them to board the ship, which they did. It was as if he had them hypnotized. There was something strange about his eyes. They glowed like the Remoir’s but more brightly,” he said.
“So they didn’t kill any of them, but captured them instead?” Dedron asked. By this time, the general and many of his soldiers were coming up behind the defense squad to join them.
“That’s correct, sir,” the soldier repeated.
“What’s going on here, soldier?” the general asked with a grave look on his face. The soldier recounted the events of the evening again, while the general listened intently.
The general grabbed his communicator and began to bark orders into it.
“All soldiers report for duty. I don’t care how much beer you’ve had tonight. I need all pilots to take to the air and look for any sign of the Remoir. I repeat- take to the air and search for the Remoir, but do not fire upon them. They have captured our men, and their safety is paramount. Foot soldiers, I want you to search beyond the perimeter for any sign of Remoir troops on the ground and report back to me if you find anything!”
“I knew things seemed a bit too easy,” David said to Ken.
“That’s just like Perbron to lure us into a false sense of security and then gain the upper hand when we look the other way,” Ken said, shaking his head.
“Are you not going out to join the search?” The general asked Dedron.
“There is little need at this point. Perbron has our men. Now, he was once again has something that he can bargain with, although it’s unlikely that he will make good on his end of whatever deal he tries to strike. My guess is that he will be in touch and very soon,” Dedron said. The general looked at him quizzically. After observing Dedron in action, he had guessed that he would want to begin searching for the Remoir immediately.
Hours passed and the soldiers
came back without having caught even a glimpse of the Remoir forces. As dawn appeared, the Defense Squad members and weary soldiers gathered in the meeting hall of the main dome. There was nothing for them to report to the general other than the fact that their search had turned up nothing.
Dedron went over to the general who was sitting with a few of his advisers, deep in thought.
“Sir, did any of your men turn up anything?” Dedron asked.
“Nothing. It’s as if the Remoir were never here in the first place. They’ve gone,” the general said, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice.
“Yes, that is the Remoir way: come like a thief in the night, take what is dear to their enemies and disappear like phantoms,” Dedron said. At that very moment, a communication came through on the general and Dedron’s devices.
“This could be Perbron. Let’s patch it into the holographic projector so that everyone can see,” Dedron said. The general nodded, plugging into the tablet that operated the holographic projections.
Just as Dedron expected, Perbron’s foul visage appeared on the screen. Most of the time, he kept his hood on so that all one could see was his demon-like eyes glowing red with hate. This time, he showed his hideous, lizard-like skin, and frog-like appearance. His eyes and expression conveyed self-satisfaction.
“Well, well here we all are again,” Perbron said.
“Cut to the chase, Perbron. We know you’ve got our men and you know we have yours. Let’s go on and make an exchange and get it over with,” General Forester said.
“Yes, well. I would say that an exchange is in order, amongst other things,” he answered.
“What other things?” Dedron said.
“Captain Fildred, I’m sure you can guess by now. You have humiliated me, killed my men, and captured others. As long as you and the other Defense Squad members walk any planet as free people, I do not have what I desire. You will hand over my prisoners and I shall release your army soldiers as long as every member is handed over to me at the time of the exchange. If you try anything this time, you will not know peace from my wrath. All of the settlements and resources that belong to the Earth and its allies will be jeopardy if you try and double cross me,” he said.
“Listen, Perbron. I’m not willing to give up the Defense Squad members. How about this: you hand over our prisoners in exchange for our own and we will not declare war on you. You know as well as I do that you are no match for our forces going head to head,” the general stated. Perbron began a slow, evil laugh that increased in loudness and intensity as it continued.
“I’m already positioned to cripple you before you even begin your attack, general. You do not know the extent of your disadvantage. For it takes much more than sheer numbers and fancy equipment to win a war. You must have strategy, creativity, and the element of surprise,” he said with an evil sneer.
“We’ve got to put an end to this. We will agree to your terms, Perbron. Where would you like to meet us?” Dedron asked.
“Don’t let him pick the location, Captain,” the general insisted.
“Oh, I’m afraid you don’t have a choice in that matter, general,” Perbron teased.
“Where?” Dedron said, becoming impatient. Donna and the others stood there looking nervous.
“Are you sure about this?” Donna whispered.
“Trust me,” he whispered back.
“Isn’t this touching. Are you ready for me to tell you the location? I will meet you nearby in sector 12 at the settlement of Deratadon. If we see any signs of forces accompanying you, we will kill the prisoners immediately. You have four days.” Perbron’s image disappeared before anyone could make any more remarks or ask any more questions.
Chapter 10:
“Well here we are again,” Dedron said, shaking his head. “It seems no matter how many times we defeat the Remoir, Perbron still has the upper hand.”
“There has to be a way out of this,” Laura said.
“Of course there is. Perbron has to be stopped from carrying out his plan and get the soldiers back in one piece,” Donna said.
“But how? You heard Perbron say that if we try anything, he is going to kill the soldiers. I don’t see a way out of this,” Ken said.
“I didn’t say we would stop him. I said he has to be stopped. What we have to do is find Rebroan,” Donna said.
“Rebroan, of course,” Dedron said, recalling the part of his plan that he’d pitched to the general before.
“But how do we find him? Isn’t that like finding a needle in a haystack?” David said.
“We don’t even know where the haystack is,” Ken added.
Dedron put his hand up to his chin and began to pace about the floor.
“What we have to do is think like Rebroan. Once Perbron began executing the resistance, Rebroan fled with many of his men from Remoir. The first place we need to look is the closest free settlement to Remoir. Once we find, Rebroan, we need to make it worth his while for him to help us get the soldiers back. General, would you be willing to offer the army’s help to Rebroan to stage a rebellion against Perbron?” Dedron asked.
The general looked at Dedron, and then around to the other Defense Squad members, who were anxious to hear his answer.
“Think about it, General Forester. If we help Rebroan defeat Perbron, not only will be rid of the worst enemy we have we will also have made an important alliance with who will likely become the next ruler of the Remoir,” Dedron said.
The general paced back and forth a few times, considering what Dedron was telling him. After a few moments spent deep in thought, he turned back towards Dedron and began to ask him questions.
“Captain Fildred, do we have time to find this Rebroan? We only have four days before we have to make the exchange,” the general said.
“Yes, but barely. If we leave now, we can make it to the nearest free settlement to Remoir, which is two days journey from here,” Dedron got out his hand held navigation computer and showed the general the settlement he’d mapped out some days before when he was considering how he might find Rebroan.
“This is the settlement of Berindi, which is about twelve light years away from Remoir. It is the most likely place to find him because it is the closest free settlement to Remoir, and is filled with enemies of Perbron. Over the years, the Remoir who’ve managed to escape Perbron’s tyranny have settled there. Rebroan told me all about it during the time we were on Remoir,” Dedron stated.
“Alright, we had better get started on the journey. We don’t have any time to spare. We will take my army space cruiser. It has faster speed capabilities than any of our other ships and will be the most efficient,” the general said as he began walking towards the bay where his ship was parked. The general was flanked by high-ranking officers and members of the elite guard who always accompanied him. The Defense Squad members followed just behind them and boarded the ship.
“What about General Barron? We have to make our plans known to him and get his approval,” David said.
“Yes, I suppose we had better do that,” Dedron agreed. As soon as they got on board the ship, Dedron brought up this matter to General Forester.
“General, we had better get in touch with General Barron. In the past, he has warned my about not following through with his orders and I need to reassure him that I’m doing what’s best for the sake of the Intergalactic Alliance and all of its members.
“I was going to bring up this matter to you, but I see you’ve already thought of it. We will address General Barron together. Maybe it will help your case if he hears from me as well,” the general said with a smile.
“That would be much appreciated, sir,” Dedron replied.
With that, the general switched on the ship’s communicator and used it to contact General Barron, whose image appeared on the holographic screen seconds later. The perturbed look on General Barron’s face showed that he had been expecting to hear from Dedron and David for a while.
“Well, Captain
Dedron, you took your time getting back with me,” the general said.
“Sorry I haven’t given you a report until now, but we’ve been a bit, um busy. You see, we managed to defeat Perbron’s soldiers with the help of General Forester and the Intergalactic Army. However, he managed to capture many of the army’s soldiers in the process. Now, he wants to make an exchange: he wants his soldiers that we have in our custody in exchange for the ones he has. That’s not all: he also wants every member of the Defense Squad turned over to him,” Dedron explained.
General Barron’s scowl disappeared as he realized the gravity of the situation.
“I see. Looks like we’re back to square one with Perbron. We’ve been here before,” General Barron said, gravely.
“General Barron, Dedron has a great plan to recruit the Remoir resistance force to help us,” General Forester suggested.
“General, with all due respect, wouldn’t it be a risky move to try and jeopardize the safety of our men? If Perbron suspects we had anything to do with the resistance’s actions, he will kill them for sure. I’m not so sure about this plan,” General Barron said.
“Sir, if I saw another viable alternative I would certainly consider it. The problem is I don’t. Surely you wouldn’t want Perbron to have the Defense Squad members,” General Forester said.
“No, I do not, but there has to be another way,” General Barron insisted.
“General, we are more than open to any ideas or suggestions that you might have, but consider this. Perbron is not likely to kill our soldiers because it is his only bargaining chip. If he goes through with their slaughter, he knows that we will declare all out war on him and he will likely lose due to inferior numbers, technology, and weapons. Let’s give this a try,” Donna said. The general looked at her, then at General Forester, and finally at Dedron.
“Alright, you have my permission to seek out this Rebroan, but if any harm comes to those soldiers in the army, someone must be held accountable for that tragedy,” the general insisted.
“I will gladly take the fall for it if it comes down to that,” Dedron said.
A New Reason To Fight: An Intergalactic Romance Page 6
