A New Reason To Fight: An Intergalactic Romance

by T. J. Brandow

  All at once, Herdron and Gorderon returned fire, managing to take out one of the ships.

  “Hang on, we are going to make the jump to hyper space. I just need another minute to give the hyper drive sufficient time to charge!” Rebroan stated.

  “You’ve got it sir!” they answered.

  All of a sudden, four more ships began to chase Rebroan’s ship, and were closing in fast. One of Captain Gwarthon’s ships managed to hit the hull of Rebroan’s ship, but the shields were still protecting them for the moment.

  “Sir, we have to get out of here! Another hit like that and the shields will be overwhelmed!” Herdron yelled.

  “Hang on, the hyper drive is charged!” Rebroan shouted as he pushed the level of the hyper drive forward. The ship lurched into hyperspace, and in a few moments, the ship slowed to an ordinary speed in a peaceful sea of stars.

  “We did it!” Gorderon said as he joined Rebroan on the flight deck.

  “Yes, we did!” Rebroan said with pride.

  News would reach Perbron just as he began his approach for Deratadon.

  “What? How could you let this happen, Captain Gwarthon?”

  “Sir, it was a group of Remoir. We had no reason to believe that they weren’t comrades of ours,” the captain explained in vain.

  “Captain, you fool! You let Rebroan and members of his resistance get the better of you. They are the only ones who would attempt such a thing. What were you thinking putting a Fridrazoid in charge of guarding the prisoners?”

  “Sir, I…” the captain tried to explain his position, but Perbron refused to listen.

  “Guards, put Captain Gwarthon in the dungeons until I decide the extent of his punishment for failing me!” Perbron seethed.

  “But sir!” Captain Gwarthon pleaded. Perbron and his entourage turned away from the captain as the guards seized him and drug him towards the dungeons.

  “It is time to take aim on Berindi and do away with that resistance stronghold once and for all. That is something I should have done long ago. When we are finished with them, we will deal with the Intergalactic army and the pitiful Defense Squad. We will destroy all of our enemies once and for all!” Perbron declared.

  Chapter 14:

  Rebroan and his comrades docked at New Remoir a day later. As the ship landed, General Forester and all of the Defense Squad members were there to greet them. As he exited the ship, Rebroan’s face was glowing with pride.

  “How did it go?” Dedron asked.

  “We have the prisoners!” Rebroan declared victoriously as a cheer went up amongst everyone present. One by one the army soldier’s exited the ship to be greeted by General Forester.

  “Welcome to Berindi, soldiers!” the general said, shaking each soldier’s hands as they emerged from the ship.

  Donna smiled at Dedron, grasping his hand, but he had a worried look on his face.

  “Babe, what’s wrong? Rebroan did it! He rescued the soldiers! Aren’t you glad?” Donna asked him.

  He turned to her and managed to give her a half-smile.

  “Yes, of course I’m glad, dear. It’s just that we must now prepare ourselves for an out and out attack. Perbron is likely plotting our demise as we speak. He is sure to be furious. We must prepare our defenses!” he said as he let go of her hand and began to walk away from the launch pad. On the way, he passed Rebroan, stopping to congratulate him.

  “Thank you so much for what you have done. It will not be forgotten!” Dedron said.

  “The gesture was its own reward, comrade!” Rebroan said with a grin. General Forester came over to offer his congratulations.

  “Friends, that is all the time we have for congratulations. Perbron will be coming at us with everything he has now. It is time to prepare ourselves for the onslaught!” Dedron said.

  “Dedron’s right,” Rebroan agreed. “He is likely to be dead set on destroying the entire colony. We might even want to consider a complete evacuation. We could gather our forces at Gorundia and attack Perbron’s forces once they realize we’ve gone and let their guard down.”

  “That would not be a bad plan if Gorundia were not so inhospitable. Where would we even land there?” Dedron asked.

  “There is one place that we could use,” Rebroan revealed.

  “Where?” Donna asked.

  “Rumor has it that there is a race of creatures called the Cobastians that have created a colony high atop hover platforms on the northern hemisphere of the planet. We could seek them out and see if they will allow us to amass our forces there. They would have a vested interest in Perbron’s defeat because he will surely seek to enslave them once he has destroyed Berindi, should he get wind of their existence,” Rebroan said.

  “How do we know that they won’t look at us as enemies?” Kadija asked.

  “Let the Defense Squad go and meet with them. We can convince them to join our cause,” Donna suddenly proposed.

  The general looked at Rebroan and then at the Defense Squad members.

  “I’m willing to let you try,” the general said.

  “I am as well,” Rebroan agreed.

  “Very well, let’s take a small cruiser and see what we can do. There is little time to lose,” Dedron said. The Defense Squad members piled into the cruiser and headed towards the northern sector of the restless gas giant. At first, they were unable to detect any sign of civilization, but once they reached the northernmost point, the ship’s navigation computer honed in on an enormous platform.

  “There it is! It’s true. There is a colony built above this planet after all,” Laura said.

  Without warning, a strong beam of energy came from a triangular-shaped building on the surface of the platform. Dedron turned to one side to avoid the beam. They switched on the communicator and their language decoders in case the Cobastians did not speak the universal language.

  “Please do not fire. We come in peace. We want to establish an alliance with you. We are members of the Intergalactic Defense Squad!” Dedron pleaded.

  “Are you in league with Perbron?” a male voice asked.

  “He is our enemy. As we speak, he is coming to attack the nearby colony of Berindi. After he is through with them, he is sure to set his sights on you,” Dedron reasoned. After a long pause, the voice spoke again.

  “You may land, but if you try anything, you will immediately be disintegrated!” the voice answered. Everything structure in the Cobastian colony was triangular in shape, made from some type of rare crystal that was stronger than even diamonds. The Cobastians did not have any ships or vehicles as they were able to move quickly, hovering above the crystalline surface of their settlement. Just like their structures, the Cobastians themselves were transparent like phantoms, composed mostly of energy rather than matter.

  “Are they ghosts?” Ken asked the others as they exited the ship.

  “They sure look like it,” David remarked.

  “They are not ghosts. They are our best chance to defeat Perbron,” Dedron said.

  As the Defense Squad members exited the ship, a huge group of Cobastians gathered around them holding each other’s hands. In the center of the gathered group, a large energy beam began to form. To the left of the group, a taller female Cobastian with silver, translucent hair approached the squad.

  “I am Celestium, the leader of this colony. If you try anything, you will be disintegrated immediately. Why have you come here? We have made it our business to hide from the prying eyes of other civilizations, and yet here you are uninvited,” she said with a voice that sounded like water echoing as it flowed through an underground stream.

  “Celestium, we come from the planet Earth. We are members of the Defense Squad, a group that seeks to protect the resources and settlements of our allies. We would love to form an alliance with you as we have with many of the freedom-loving civilizations around the world,” Dedron explained. Celestium closed her eyes, probing Dedron’s heart and mind to see if he was telling the truth. Dedron, having some telepathic abi
lities sensed her intentions and sought to reassure her.

  “Dedron of the Defense Squad, I can see that your heart is true. What would you seek from us?” Celestium asked.

  “We need you to allow us to gather our forces here in order to attack Perbron,” he said.

  “Would this not put my people in terrible peril?” she asked him.

  “You are already in peril. We are fairly certain that Perbron is on his way to attack Berindi as we speak. Once he is through destroying that colony, he will likely seek to subjugate or destroy your colony as well,” Dedron explained.

  “He cannot destroy what he is unaware of,” Celestium answered, skeptically.

  “It is doubtful that you will be able to hide from him for long. It would be better to attack him first before he has a chance to try anything,” Donna said, taking a step forward so that she was even with Dedron.

  “And who are you?” Celetium said, amazed to meet a female as tall and strong as herself.

  “I am Donna Stevens of Earth and the Defense Squad. If you join with us, I will help defend you and your people with my life,” she said. Celestium took a moment to gaze into Donna’s thoughts as well as the others. She opened her eyes and smiled at them.

  “Very well, you may gather your forces and use Cobastia as your base of operations,” she said. Donna and Dedron turned to each other to share a smile. News was quickly relayed to the general who began to contact all of the army’s soldiers in the vicinity of Gorundia. Luckily, a sizeable portion of the forces had been deployed to the area in anticipation of an attack from Perbron. Within hours, the forces began to arrive at Cobastia and the whole of Berindi was emptied. The Herondicots chose to leave the area, seeking to colonize another distant galaxy far out of Perbron’s grasp. By the day’s end, Cobastia was bursting at the seams with thousands of mostly human forces. The Cobastians focused their attention on the empty space station to monitor Perbron’s arrival. The Cobastians had the ability to close their eyes, focus on the object they wished to monitor and projected it onto a large viewing screen. The members of the army and Defense Squad watched in amazement as the first Remoir cruiser ships came into view, approaching the now deserted colony of Berindi. They were all amazed at the sheer number of forces that Perbron had amassed.

  “How are we going to defeat them? We are completely outnumbered,” Laura asked.

  “We have the element of surprise on our side. Once they realize that the colony is abandoned, they are likely to let down their defenses. That is when we make our counter-attack,” Rebroan suggested.

  “I hope that works,” David said, doubtfully.

  Perbron was aboard a huge Remoir Annihilator, a large oval ship flanked by smaller cruiser ships. When the Remoir ships on the front lines honed in on the surface of Berindi with their radar, they were amazed to find it virtually empty.

  “Sir, Rebroan’s men must have gotten wind of our intentions. They have fled. The settlement appears to be completely abandoned,” one of the ship’s pilots reported back to the Annihilator.

  “What? Where have they gone? They couldn’t have gotten far. We need to land on Berindi and see what evidence we can gather about their destination. We will find them!” Perbron commanded.

  “Yes sir!” the pilots of the cruiser ships answered back one by one. Soon they had all landed on the surface except for a few guard ships that patrolled the skies near Berindi.

  “They have landed. We can easily take out those ships that are patrolling, but we should wait until Perbron and his men have left the safety of their ship,” Dedron stated.

  “If you are waiting for Perbron to exit the safety of his ship, you will be waiting an eternity. He is not likely to make himself so vulnerable,” Rebroan pointed out.

  “I suppose you’re right. General, what is your opinion?” Dedron asked.

  “I say that we attack as soon as the Remoir have emptied their ships,” General Forester said.

  The army and Defense squad members put on armor and readied their weapons for battle as the General and Celestium monitored the movements of Perbron’s forces. Perbron’s men went from building to building checking for any remaining inhabitants, gathering up computers and other devices that might provide them with clues about the resistance’s possible destination. After it seemed that the Remoir ships were as emptied as they were going to get, the General turned to Dedron.

  “What do you say, Captain Fildred? Now seems to be as good a time as any for us to make our move,” General Forester said.

  “Yes, I would agree, General. It is time,” Dedron said as he put on a protective helmet and prepared to board one of the army’s fighter ships. Donna, too put on a helmet and followed him aboard the ship. Langur and Kadija were also aboard the ship to man the laser cannons while Dedron and Donna piloted it. David, Ken, and Laura manned another ship.

  The ships gathered in attack formation above the platforms of Cobastia. One by one they headed towards the Remoir ships that were still patrolling the skies above Berindi.

  “Sir, there are some enemy ships approaching in formation!” one of the pilots warned Perbron.

  “What? Everyone return to your ships. It’s a trick!” Perbron yelled into his communicator. However, most of the army ships had been sent to Berindi and began barraging the Remoir ships on the ground with laser fire. First one, than another Remoir ship went up in flames as the frightened soldiers on the ground sought shelter from the attack. Dedron, David and the other fighter ships set their sites on the patrolling Remoir ships, showering them with laser fire.

  Chapter 15:

  The Remoir ships were completely caught off guard and soon the sky above Berindi was full of smoke and flame as four ships were shot down, one after the other. All of the ships that managed to escape the surprise onslaught turned on their shields and did their best to turn and face the army fighters.

  “Watch out, there’s one coming around to mount a counter-attack!” Donna announced as she observed the ship’s radar and navigation screen.

  “Ok, I going to try and outmaneuver them. Kadija and Langur, we’ve got one one on our tail. Do your best to get him in your sites!” Dedron said into his radio.

  “Roger that, I have him in my sites now,” Kadija said, waiting for the Remoir fighter to line up just right in her crosshairs. As soon as she got a good site, she let her lasers fly. Unfortunately, the Remoir ship had already put its shields back up and the lasers were deflected.

  Langur had been tracking the same ship, but it was further out of his sites. He responded to Kadija when he saw the enemy ship deflect the shots fired at it. The enemy ship fired many of its own lasers, which were in turn deflected from the army fighter.

  “Kadija, you keep manning the guns. I am going to see if I can jam the enemy ship’s ability to put on their shields,” Langur said.

  “You can do that?” Kadija asked.

  “I watched my father do it when the Remoir attacked our homelands. I’ve never tried it myself,” he shared.

  “How do you do it?” she asked as she tailed another Remoir ship that was trying to mount its own counterattack on them.

  “It’s too complicated to explain, but I’m going to try,” he said, as he left the ship’s gun port, leaving Kadija to do all of the shooting.

  “Langur, why have you left your station?” Dedron asked.

  “I am going to try and send out a wave of energy that will block the Remoir from being able to activate their shields. It will give us the advantage we need!” Langur said. Just then, two blasts hit the ship directly, shaking everything violently.

  “We can take too many more hits like that,” Donna said.

  “No we can’t. Langur, give it a go!” Dedron encouraged.

  Langur crept down the ladders to the lowest level of the ship were the hyper drive and reactors were located. Remembering the schematic his father had shown him back home on Lanthan, he began to program a sequence on the reactor’s computer that would send a beam of energy towards t
he Remoir strong enough to disable the abilities of their shields, and quite possibly their weapons.

  By now, Perbron realized what was a foot and began to send more of his ships up into the air to try and combat the attack. Perbron’s soldiers were beginning to fire back at the army’s fighters from their hiding places, managing to take out two of the fighters. However, the army still had the upper hand and greatly hampered the Remoir’s efforts to mount a large counterattack.

  As soon as Langur finished the programming sequence, he heard the reactor begin a slow, constant hum. At first, he feared that he’d done something wrong, wondering if it was going to destroy the ship. His fears were quelled as a beam of energy began to advance towards the Remoir fighters circling them. Kadija had been targeting one of the Remoir ships as Dedron tailed it, trying to bring them closer. Once the ship was within range, Kadija took several shots, which hit their targets dead center. The Remoir ship blew into a thousand pieces as the crew of the ship cheered.

  “Way to go Kadija!” Dedron said.

  “And Langur. He must have managed to get their shields down,” Donna added.

  “Sure did!” Langur said as he made his way back to the gun port.

  “Good job, Langur. Let’s keep after them. They will be retreating in no time,” Dedron said.

  “Just as long as we don’t allow that slippery eel, Perbron to escape again,” Donna said.

  Soon, David’s ship took out another of the Remoir fighters.

  “Wow! I don’t get it. Why didn’t their shields protect them?” David asked Laura who sat beside him.

  “I haven’t a clue,” she replied.

  On the ground, Perbron was furious. He stayed within the safe confounds of the Annihilator, which had stronger shield capabilities than the smaller fighters.

  “What is going on up there? Why aren’t the shields holding up against their firepower? Have they developed some stronger weapons technology than we were aware of?” Perbron shouted to his Co-commanders who did not have an answer for him.