Soul of The Swords: Brotherhood is More Than Metal

by Saxon Andrew

  Gem shook his head, “But there are two-hundred of them and multiple ships can fire more than two hundred at our ships.”

  “We just have to keep them distracted so that doesn’t happen,” Sam replied.

  Gem stared at Sam and shook his head, “And just how are you going to do that?”

  “It doesn’t matter what formation they choose to take, there will be ships on the outer edges. Those will be the ones that our three ships will go after.”

  Gem sat back and his eyes narrowed for a moment and then he shrugged, “Sounds like a plan.” Gem sat up and said, “Sam, I’ve managed to persuade Ana to stay on Bellingham with our children. Will you ask Angel to make sure they are taken care of?”

  Leo’s eyes widened, “Boy! I imagine that conversation was heated.”

  Gem shook his head slowly, “You have no idea. However, it’s the right thing to do and she knows it.”

  “Gem, I’m sure Angel and Elena will make them feel at home.”

  “Thank you, Sam.”

  Leo interrupted them and said, “I still don’t know how you convinced her to stay behind. I’d have to chain Desiree to a Bellingham Tree to make her stay behind.”

  “If you even tried to do that, I would break both your arms! Desiree responded.

  Leo looked at Desiree’s expression and said, “So how did you do it, Gem. I know Ana didn’t take this well.”

  “I had some help, Leo.”

  “What?”

  “The High Council came to her and begged her not to go but to finish taking Duncan’s sword to the clans that had not seen it. It was a close thing but she could see their fear for her and it was the final straw that made it happen. I think our children seeing her fear also played a role in the decision.”

  Leo tilted his head, “The people on Bellingham really love and honor her.”

  Gem nodded and smiled, “And I really think that taking the sword around to the clans led her to love them as well. Like Angel said to you, Sam, ‘It’s love that makes you put others ahead of yourself’. Her love for them and our children is what changed her mind.”

  Sam shook his head, “If you don’t survive this, Gem. She will be devastated.”

  “But she’ll survive because of the love that surrounds her.” Sam stared at Gem on the monitor and nodded.

  • • •

  Sam held Angel and smiled, “You have brought me more happiness than I’ve ever known. I love you so very much.” Angel nodded as she kept her head on Sam’s chest. He could feel her tears through his shirt. “I will be coming back to you, my love.”

  Angel leaned back and Sam looked into her eyes with a tenderness that swelled her heart. Angel said, “His name will be Samson.” Sam smiled and pulled her close before releasing her and turning toward his ship. Angel knew that all great warriors faced moments like this and though their hearts were breaking, they would go and live the life of a warrior. She knew Sam was leaving to fight for her and their family. She watched him walk across the clearing and then she looked up into the sky at the comet that was now bright enough to be seen in the bright daylight sky. “Please keep him safe and bring him home to me!” she pleaded as her tears ran down her face.

  • • •

  Sam entered the bridge and Rangel jumped up at attention, “COMMANDER ON DECK!”

  The bridge crew came to attention and Sam said, “As you were.” The crew went to their consoles and Sam looked over at the Scanning Team, “Lt, Lydia Fowler, you are promoted to Captain and will take command of the Scanning Team.”

  Lydia came to attention, “Yes, Sir. May I inquire as to where Captain Shelly is, Sir?”

  Sam smiled, “She has chosen to fight at the side of a man on the Thermopylae.”

  Lydia smiled as well and said, “Thank you, Sir. We’ll do a good job for you.”

  Sam nodded, “I know that.” He turned to Rangel, “Prepare the ship for liftoff.”

  “Yes, Sir, and might I say that the sword that is cut under the ship’s name on the bow is absolutely incredible!”

  Sam’s eyes twinkled, “The Lady has some fine jewelry.”

  Sam heard a ping and pressed a button on his console. Leonidas and Gem appeared and Leo said, “We’ve been discussing the coming action and we both agree that this is your show and should you be in command.”

  Sam tilted his head, “I was thinking that the two of you might be best used by allowing you to attack any opportunity that presents itself.”

  “That might be true if we were going into a fight where the forces are disorganized and operating independently. I suspect that will not be the case with the Tronan; they will operate as a unit and attacking them piece meal is highly dangerous,” Gem replied.

  Sam nodded, “We will be one unit to attack them. Both of you should stay close to my ship.”

  “How many units do you have to use against them?” Leonidas asked.

  Three major units. I’ve received a message from Jek that twelve hundred former Earth Warships have passed inspection. We also have six-hundred Insectoid Warships that have had force fields installed and will be our main weapons against them. Heaven has five thousand ships that have force fields installed and their blasters upgraded but they don’t stand much of a chance against the Tronan Blaster barrages. Their hulls can’t survive a hit.”

  “How do you intend to use them?” Gem inquired.

  “I’m going to use them to blind the Tronan Warships.” Sam saw Leo and Gem’s eyes narrow and he continued, “I’ve armed Heaven’s Fleet with bretel warheads. They have been set to explode just before arriving at the edge of the Tronan Blaster coverage. The explosions should prevent their scanners from being able to see through them.”

  Sam saw the two staring at him and tilted his head, “You’re wondering how that will be of any help?”

  Leo nodded, “They won’t be able to see out and we won’t be able to attack through those blasts.”

  Sam nodded as he saw Delilah’s Sword slowly lifting on the main wall monitor, “The bretel blasts will be incredibly violent but they will not linger long. We’ve been able to time them and we’re hoping the missiles’ blasts will knock back the Tronan Blaster coverage. Since we have the blasts timed to the second, our ships can be moving in at high speed just as they dissipate and attack a ship targeted before the warheads go off.”

  “And you think our ships can go through a Trillium warhead explosion and shockwave?” Gem asked.

  “Our Chief-Engineer has timed it and he states that one and a half seconds after the blast, our new force fields will survive going through it.”

  The two stared at Sam in silence and finally Leo said, “I do hope your engineer is right.”

  Sam shrugged, “If he’s not, we’ll adapt on the fly. I have a meeting scheduled on Heaven with the Commanders of our various units when we arrive and I’ll discuss what I’m planning with all of you.”

  Gem smiled, “Sounds good. Let’s take our ships out and break some speed records.”

  Sam’s smile was huge as he nodded to Rangel. He sat back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment and thought back to Angel telling him about their baby. He had turned around as he arrived at the entry port and saw Angel on her knees crying. He had glanced up at the comet high in the sky and then walked through the entry portal. He forced himself to get control of his emotions and he exhaled softly as the crew in the landing bay came to attention.

  He opened his eyes and knew that Angel believed in the power of the Great Comet; perhaps he should as well.

  Chapter Twenty

  The trip to Heaven was even faster than any of the three ship commanders envisioned. They arrived at Heaven’s Intersection in less than ten hours. It would have taken almost six days in their former ships.

  Lydia looked up from her panel, “Fleet Commander, Sub-Fleet Commander Dyan welcomes you back.” Sam nodded and saw the thousand warships with their force fields glowing holding formation just off Heaven’s Filament. The three brilliantly
glowing warships moved into Heaven’s Filament and Sam pressed a button on his panel. A moment later, Jek appeared, “It’s good to have you back, Fleet Commander.”

  “It’s good to be back. I want a meeting with you as soon as I arrive.”

  “Sorry, Sir. The President and other Major Party Members have ordered you to come and meet with them.”

  Sam frowned and said, “I’ll get back to you.” He turned around and said, “Captain Fowler, please see if the President will speak with me.”

  Lydia nodded and a few moments later, President Dyget appeared on his display, “Commander, it’s good to have you back!”

  Sam stared at the President and said, “I hereby resign my position in the Navy.”

  Dyget stared at Sam with shock and he said, “You can’t…you can’t…do that.”

  Sam stared at the President and his eyes narrowed, “Prior to the confrontation with the first Tronan Warship, you had me answering your questions and updating you on even the smallest meaningless details all hours of the day. You wasted my time and prevented me from doing my job! If you have to be in control of everything, then appoint yourself Fleet Commander and come out here and handle everything. I can get more done without your constant interventions in my day! I arrive back with more than I can handle and you want me to attend a meeting before I even get started managing things. Promote Commander Hefin and take up his time in your numerous communications and meetings. I’ll get more done if you just stay out of my way!”

  Dyget’s face grew dark and then he looked to the right. He appeared to be listening and then he turned back to Sam, “I’ve just been told that the Party is going to hold an impeachment meeting if I am unable to persuade you to rescind your resignation. I’ve also been told that my constant petty requests do get on everyone’s nerves but the Party humors me because they value my contributions. They say that losing you would negate any value I might have.”

  Sam shook his head, “Mr. President, you are the biggest pain the ass I’ve ever encountered. If you’ve promoted me to do a job, then allow me to do it without your incessant meddling!”

  “I can’t help it, Commander. I need to know what’s going on.”

  “Have you ever fought a warship, Mr. President?” Dyget shook his head. “So I spend eight hours explaining to you what tactics I’m going to use, what are you going to do with that information?” Dyget was silent. “Are you going to know enough to offer helpful suggestions? Can you see things I might have missed?” Dyget stared at Sam out of his monitor and Sam said, “I recorded all of your interruptions before I left on this mission and you had nothing of substance to offer in any of them.”

  “You can assign someone else to be your liaison.”

  “Any officer competent enough to do that is needed to prepare to meet the coming enemy!”

  Dyget looked to his right again and said, “YOU CAN’T DO THIS!” Sam saw a guard walk up and pull Dyget out of his chair. Jeg appeared and sat down in the chair and looked at Sam, “We told him all he had to do was just stop meddling but he was fighting with you to the end. He is compulsive about his need to know everything and it’s clear to the other Party Members that we don’t have the leeway or time to deal with his behavior. We will cancel our meeting and I will depend of getting information from my Son.”

  Sam took a breath, “Who is replacing the President?”

  Jeg tilted his head, “I believe that would be me.”

  “I withdraw my resignation but I don’t think we will be able to keep you updated, Mr. President.”

  Jeg’s eyes narrowed, “And why is that?”

  “Because you are needed to make a voyage along with two other party members to our new allies.”

  Jeg couldn’t see Sam’s thoughts from the planet and his head went back slightly, “And just why will that have to be done?”

  “Mr. President, the two civilizations that have agreed to help us against the Tronan know that I am not the final authority in keeping the agreements that we’ve hammered out. They told me that they expected the Leaders who did have that authority to come and discuss it with them.”

  “Why does it have to be done now.”

  “Because they both have agreed to offer more assistance if they can be certain that we are being honest with them. You must go to their planets immediately and sign the treaties with them. This must be done before the Tronan arrive and only leaves about three weeks to make it happen.”

  Jeg stared at Sam, “Are you sure about this?”

  “Yes, I am. And one other thing.” Jeg’s eyes narrowed. “You need to take your family with you when you meet with the Dragons.”

  “What?”

  “It won’t matter with the Insectoid King. Family is not such an important issue to him but the Dragons have their family present at every meeting with other civilizations. They need to be present to show your sincerity in making agreements.”

  Jeg stared at Sam and Sam said, “You need to do this quickly. You’ll want to be back before the Tronan arrive.”

  Jeg looked to his right and Sam heard faintly, “We must do it!”

  Jeg turned back to Sam and nodded, “I’ll get the ones chosen to go and plan to leave tomorrow. Which ally should we go to first?”

  “I would suggest the Dragons. You could send your families back once those negotiations are complete and then go to the Insectoid King.”

  Jeg nodded and the screen went dark. Jeg immediately contacted his son, “Jek, do you know anything about our allies requesting a meeting with our Government?”

  Jek’s head moved back and his eyes opened wide, “No, Father but the request doesn’t surprise me.”

  “Why not?”

  “The Dragon Queen challenged Commander Oliver on whether or not he had the authority to make agreements for his planet.” Jeg looked into his son’s mind and saw he was being honest. He also saw that Jek had not met with Sam yet. Jek felt his father’s mind and said, “What do you find troubling about his request?”

  “I’m not sure, son.”

  “Then I would recommend that you start carrying it out. I honestly wondered if the Dragons were going to just accept Sam’s word that he had the authority.”

  “He says they are willing to assist us more but this meeting has to be done first.”

  “Father, if they are considering sending their warships to assist us, you must do this quickly; time is running out!”

  Jeg’s eyes widened, “I didn’t think of that! We’ll be leaving tomorrow morning.”

  “That would be good, Father.”

  Jeg looked at his son and said, “Commander Oliver said that we should be taking our families with us.”

  Jek felt his father back in his mind and he forced himself to focus on the first meeting with the Dragons. “Let’s see. The Queen and her Mate were on their thrones. Their son was the one that took us to the meeting and he remained throughout. I also saw another son at the rear of the chamber listening in to what was going on.”

  Jeg saw the thoughts and exited Jek’s mind, “He’s probably right then. I’ll contact you when we leave tomorrow.”

  “Father, Sam has a meeting scheduled with all the major officers. I doubt I’ll be able to respond.”

  Jeg shook his head, “I’m starting to act like that fool, Dyget. I’ll speak to you when we return.” Jek smiled as his father hugged him. Like all telepaths, Jek learned early how to control his thoughts so things he wanted hidden would remain hidden. His father walked away and Jek saw he was preoccupied with getting in contact with all those that would be making the trip with him. Jek looked up and smiled. It was safe to meet with Sam. He thought, “Are you ready to go?”

  “I’m on the shuttle waiting for you. Is everything alright?”

  “At the moment, I’ll feel a lot better when my father leaves tomorrow. It’s been extremely difficult to avoid him lately.”

  “I know. That’s why I’ve stayed away from him.”

  “I’ll be there in a moment.
”

  • • •

  Sam sat on the bridge and began sending his defense plans to the other Senior Officers to start going over them prior to the meeting scheduled for the next morning. He completed sending them and looked up, Jek was entering the bridge with another Guyton. Sam stared at her for a moment and thought, “Kel, is that you?”

  The tall female Guyton smiled, “It’s been a long time, Sam.” Sam looked at Jek and he thought, “We should move to the conference room.”

  The bridge crew all stood and started welcoming Jek back and he took a few moments to say hello before Sam stopped the love fest and said, “Back to your posts, Jek, you and Kel meet me in the conference room.”

  Jek shook a few more hands and gave a couple of hugs before turning to follow Sam. “It appears the crew thinks highly of you.”

  Jek shrugged, “I grow on people.”

  Kel smiled and followed Jek across the bridge. She was three inches shorter than Jek but she was just as imposing. The bridge crew looked at each other and began talking among themselves as they entered the conference room and closed the door.

  Two minutes later, the three came out and Sam walked quickly to his command chair. He pressed a button and Leonidas appeared, “What’s up, Sam?”

  “Give Gem a moment to join us.” Ten seconds later, Gem appeared on Sam’s console monitor. Sam said quickly, “I’m going to be leaving momentarily to familiarize Jek with my ship. We’re headed out to the intersection and will be back within a couple of hours.”

  Gem nodded, “That’s a good idea.”

  Sam nodded, “I also have a suggestion that I hope the two of you will be open to.”

  “What is that?” Leonidas asked.

  Jek has assigned two Guyton’s to every one of the ships in our fleets.” Sam saw both of their eyes narrow. He continued before they could speak, “The reason for that is that having a couple of telepaths on board our ships will allow them to listen in to the thoughts of the ships they’re targeting to attack and hear what those ship’s commanders are thinking. It could make a difference between death and survival. There are two couples waiting to see if you will accept them on your vessels.”