“Will you do that if they don’t comply?”
“Greyson, is this not an innocent planet?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve scanned it. Every place celebrates their conquests with banners and posters. Look for yourself.”
Greyson scanned the planet. “We should just destroy them now. They’ll never change.”
“First we allow them to get their troops home. They can do it a lot faster than we can if we are forced to go do it ourselves. After that, they can live in splendid isolation. I suspect they’ll destroy themselves if there are no other targets for them to go after. Or they’ll violate the border we’ve imposed and we’ll remove them. This is a hard decision but we have to be willing to make it. This cancer cannot be allowed to spread.”
Greyson began firing at the planet’s surface and the Administrator watched his display as thousands of facilities were destroyed. He slammed his arms on the table in frustration. Then he heard, “I’ll be back in thirty rotations.”
The huge white ship disappeared and he hit his com, “Commander Losel, dispatch your fleet and start moving our troops back. We don’t have much time.”
“I’m sorry, Sir, but you have condemned me to death. My fleet will not follow your directives. Find someone else to carry out your orders. We’ve been attacking planets at the direction of you and your council for years and we will no longer take part in your crimes.”
“Surely you are not going to allow our world to be destroyed. We must have your assistance. Please.”
“Fleet Control, are you listening in to this conversation?”
“Yes we are.”
“The only way we will assist is after you have arrested the Administrator and his assistants and put them on a ship and send them out of the system to us.”
“But that ship said I’ll be killed if I leave!”
“Let us hope you’re good at hiding. You have my conditions.”
“We will do as you ask, Commander. You are now the Leader of all our forces. Please make the return happen as quickly as possible.”
“I’ll leave when he leaves.” Losel waited for an hour and saw a small ship leave the planet and head toward the jump limit.
Fleet Command commed, “If you will leave a ship to escort them out, you can start moving our forces.”
Losel watched his monitor and sent a destroyer in to meet the ship. He waited until it arrived next to the small ship and said, “You will turn on your video and show me who is on board that ship.” The video came on and he saw all of the Leadership Council. He activated his com, “Carry out your orders.”
The destroyer fired on the small ship and blew it into six pieces. “We will now start moving our troops. Contact them and tell them they are ordered home. I suggest you find new leaders that will make us work together.” The fleet jumped away.
Virze and Grace looked at their scans of the planet below and saw thousands of soldiers on the surface forcing the population to work at hard labor stripping raw materials. “How many sites do we have to handle?”
“I count more than a thousand with a hundred or more troops at each.”
“Some of those troops are mixed in with the workers, Grace. It’s not going to be easy to hit them from space.”
“No, we’ll have to depend on the Flyers.”
“That’s going to require them to come close to their targets. We’ll lose some if we’re forced to do that.”
“Vring and Kreej have developed a mechanism on the Rider’s guns that may prevent that.”
“Oh?”
“You know the guns are powered by a small red generator.”
“Yes.”
“Well, they’ve added a force field that will surround the Zord and Rider once the gun is activated. It will turn off to allow the sparks to fly out and then reactivate. The Flyers will only be exposed for a very small interval. It should reduce our losses.”
“So how do we do this?”
“I’m teleporting five riders to each site and fifty over the capital. You and I will send the ships parked in orbit home to assist them in getting their troops off the other planets.”
“Do you think they’ll go?”
“I’ll make an offer they can’t refuse.”
Virze laughed, “You’ve been watching some old videos.”
“I found them in the learning center. Are you ready?”
“Yes, start sending them.”
“Anglo, this is Grace. I’ve sent you the coordinates for the Flyers. Please start them coming now.”
“They’ve been getting impatient. The first five hundred groups will arrive in thirty seconds.”
“Grace, let’s go talk to some ships.”
The Commander of the military transports in orbit above the planet sat in his chair eating a meal and suddenly heard over his PA system. “Good morning, please continue you meal while I tell you what your next actions are going to be. You will take your ships back to your home world and assist them in moving troops back home from the planets you’ve conquered. You have exactly one minute to start moving toward the jump limit. I’ll kill any ship that doesn’t follow my instructions.”
The Commander looked sharply at his Communications Officer, “There is nothing on my scanner.”
The Commander looked at his display and said, “I cannot leave without direct orders from the First Administrator.”
“Well, unfortunately, he and his entire Leadership Council are now deceased along with the eight thousand warships that were there. I really don’t want to make an example of one of your ships to prove I mean what I say, however, I will.”
The Commander yelled, “Raise all screens; power the weapons.” The Commander watched the force field form around his ship and then saw a bright beam blow it apart.
“My next shot will not be at the edge of your force field.”
He looked over at his scanner and saw that the beam had not been slowed or reduced in power. He watched as all one hundred ships had their force fields blown away. “Get underway, start moving toward the jump barrier!”
“That is very wise,”
“What about my troops on the planet.”
“You’re talking about the ones that murdered almost half the planet’s population. We’ll remove them. You don’t have to worry about them.”
The Commander felt a cold shiver go up his spine. He knew that they weren’t talking about relocating those troops. The Communications Officer looked at his board and said, “The General Officer of the military forces on the surface is demanding to know where you’re going.”
“Ignore him. I suspect he’ll know in a few moments.” He looked at his navigator, “Get the fleet to maximum speed.”
Higlon leaned right as Mraak banked hard right and screamed in from high altitude. The young Cainth Rider locked in ten sparks and set the gun for blaster-organic. He left his second gun in the holster on the bindings and listened as the gun’s tone announced that targets had been acquired. Mraak banked in on the large crowd gathered around the small rail cars that were transporting the gold ore they were being forced to load. Fifty troops stood and watched with their blasters in their hands as the workers struggled shoveling the huge mound into the cars. Higlon pulled his trigger ten times and Mraak banked hard left. Higlon held on and turned to watch. He saw his partner come in right behind him and fire ten more sparks. As they banked left two more flyers came screaming in at high velocity from the opposite direction and barely missed hitting them head on. Forty more sparks were released as Higlon banked back and fired ten more sparks from his second gun. All fifty guards were hit in less than ten seconds and were burned into small piles of ash.
The workers laboring over the huge load were stunned at how quickly the guards were killed. One of them picked up one of the blasters that had fallen to the ground and ran over to the mine entrance. Fifteen more workers joined him and stood to either side of the entry way. Twenty five guards ran out of the mine. They heard the
screams from the burning guards and knew something was happening outside. They rushed out and were blasted by the waiting workers.
Higlon turned off his Zecka and flew in and landed next to the mine. The workers were shocked at the size of the creature coming in to land and initially raised their blasters until one of the workers yelled, “They must be the ones helping us.”
The workers lowered their weapons as Higlon and four other Riders dismounted. Higlon said, “We’re going after the other guards in the mine. Set up a defensive perimeter around the mine and get out of the open.”
One of the older workers started yelling instructions. They all gasped as the five beings disappeared. The Zord watched the workers and as the crowd scattered toward the forest, they heard in their minds, “We are freeing you from the invaders. Please get undercover and await further instructions.”
The workers looked at the huge winged creatures and then they disappeared as well. The leader yelled, “Get into the tree line! Those with blasters set up coverage from the mine.” The thousands of workers ran toward the forest.
Higlon and Steve Jamos entered the mine first and rapidly ran down the tunnel. They passed the guards silently as they hit them with the designator beam on their guns. Higlon and Steve split up at the first intersection. The three other Riders followed them and saw the guards glowing with the designator field as they passed. They split up at the intersection and followed Higlon and Steve into the mine’s depths. The guards heard something but didn’t see anything in the dark tunnels. After thirty seconds, Higlon looked at the counter on his gun and saw that eight guards had been designated. He fired eight sparks and continued moving down the tunnel. Steve felt the timer vibrate and checked his counter. He fired ten sparks and reloaded as he moved quickly down another tunnel breaking off the main Corridor. The sparks moved back up the tunnels and began hitting the guards that had been designated. The workers watched as the guards burned and then began running out of the shaft. They began pouring out of the mine’s entrance and heard their fellow workers yelling at them from the forest. They turned and headed for the tree line.
The two Riders following Steve saw the tunnel he had entered by the field glowing inside it and continued down the main shaft. The five Flyers killed eighty five guards in less than twenty minutes. Higlon thought, “Mraak, tell the workers to leave the mine and join those outside.”
The workers slaving in the mine saw the guards burned. They looked at each other wondering what to do but then they heard in their minds, “We have come to liberate you from those that invaded your world. We have removed your guards so it is now safe to leave the mine and join the others outside. Please take your time and don’t allow harm to come to your fellow workers as you leave.”
The workers looked at each other and wondered if what they heard could possibly be true. Then one by one at first and slowly the others put down their drills and started moving toward the surface. They exited the mine and heard the workers in the trees shouting at them. They ran and embraced their fellow captives in the forest and wondered if salvation was really happening.
Grace, we’ve only lost two Flyers. They were hit when they were firing their guns. The Capital is a different story. Those guards are dug in the Capital Building and are laying down a massive cover fire. Even sparks are being blasted out of the air.”
Grace saw the forces in the Capital were using Scanner Guided Guns. Even though they couldn’t see the flyers, the scanners did and directed heavy blaster beams at the Flyers. Eight had been killed when their force fields failed. “Virze, I don’t want to intervene in this fight. There will come a time when our ships are going to be fighting a space battle and we won’t be able to help our flyers. They must learn how to overcome this type of engagement.”
“What if they can’t?”
“Then we’ll have to find better warriors than the flyers.”
Higlon and Steve flew in to the capital and got a mental view of what was happening from their Flyers. Higlon looked at Steve and motioned him to join him on Mraak. Steve ran down the back of his Flyer and leaped on to Mraak’s back. “What’s the plan?”
“We’re going to come in at ground level and fire twenty exploding sparks at the first floor’s largest window. Then Greel is going to fly in over our head and hit the window feet first. We’ll then, like good neighbors, go in and introduce ourselves.”
“You know we’ll probably be killed trying this, don’t you.”
“Yeah, but what the hey, if we don’t we’ll remember today for the rest of our lives. Are you in?”
Mraak said, “If you two don’t mind, I’m going in while you make up your minds. I have some brothers being killed by those blasters on the roof.”
Greel banked left, made a circle, and picked up speed. Higlon saw him coming and picked up both guns and aimed at the building. Steve smiled and loaded a full chamber of sparks. They came zooming in just off the pavement in the parking lot and aimed at the large armored window. Three hundred yards out they fired all thirty sparks at it.
The Heavy Blasters on the roof saw the two Zord zooming in but couldn’t depress their barrels enough to aim at the street below. The troops watched as something on their scanners came in at high speed.
Mraak spilled the air from his wings and hit the ground running toward the building. They felt Greel pass over them so fast that the wind from his winds almost blew them off Mraak. Greel folded his wings at the last moment and his momentum carried him into the building hitting it on all four legs. The window imploded and took out fifty feet of the wall beside it. Greel shook his head and moved out of the opening. Higlon and Steve ran down Mraak’s neck and into the demolished room. Higlon went right and Steve left. They each fired thirty blaster seeking sparks that started flying through the first floor. They were set to explode and any guard struck usually killed every other guard within a forty foot radius. The first floor of the huge building was having explosions in every room.
Twenty Flyers came screaming in and their Riders dismounted and followed the two that had breached the wall. Now they were in familiar territory. One Rider would explode a door and the other would fire ten sparks through it. The troops tried to hold them off but the sparks followed the blaster beams to their source and killed the weapon holder. The twenty two riders were joined by thirty others and in fifteen minutes had made it up twelve stories.
The General directing the fight was on the roof top watching the Scanner Directed Guns firing at an impossible rate. What were they seeing? Suddenly the armored door to the roof exploded outward and bright fireflies erupted out of the opening. He ran and jumped behind a heavy gun as a bright light passed him, turned, and zoomed back toward him. He knew he was dead and pushed the bulge in his front pocket.
Now the Flyers flew in and eliminated the troops still holding out on the ground around the building. Their cover fire was gone and there was nothing to protect them from the avenging Zord and their Riders.
Higlon and Steve looked over the roof’s edge and jumped back as a blaster bolt sizzled up from the ground below. Mraak said, “We have it under control. Take a break. I know that climb had to be tough.”
Higlon sat down heavily and Steve joined him. The other flyers spread out and started sniping at targets on the ground. “You were right.” Higlon looked at Steve with a furrowed brow. “I will remember today for the rest of my life.” He leaned forward and shook his hand.
That’s when they felt the first explosive charge go off on the first floor. The last act of the General before he died was to press a self-destruct control. The building began exploding one floor at a time in rapid succession and it started tilting. Mraak and Greel lifted and flapped their wings as hard as they could and flew toward the tilting building. They saw Higlon and Steve jump off the roof at the last moment as the building collapsed. They came close but the two Riders were falling too fast and died as they hit the pavement. Mraak and Greel screamed their agony. All twenty two riders on the roof along wi
th thirty more inside were killed in the falling building.
The Zord that lost their Riders turned and flew toward the ground looking for Neriff troops. Thirty of the Zord were killed but more than six hundred troops were torn apart by claws or bitten in half. Mraak and Greel joined Higlon and Steve in death as they screamed their anguish at the loss of their Riders.
Many of the Neriff troops tried to surrender but the rage of the Flyers at their losses was too much. Sparks flew by the thousands and within ten hours the fight was over. The local population began coming out to find that there were no Neriff left alive on the planet. The celebrations began but the Flyers had teleported out to mourn the loss of their comrades.
“Grace, if we had stayed at the Capital instead of going around the planet we could have saved those Riders.”
“I know. I shouldn’t have delayed assisting them.”
“No, WE shouldn’t have delayed. I’m also accountable for this.”
“I keep seeing those two heroes falling to their death.”
“What have we learned?”
“It’s time to do away with the Zeckas.”
“What!”
“I’ll discuss this with Emperor Robbins.”
“Discuss what, Grace?”
“Armor.”
Ten year old Robby Robbins sat at the table in the learning center with the headband on his head and watched the early history of the Stars Realm. He always liked to see Tag hiding behind his teacher. He closed his eyes and wished he had the psychic powers of the founder of the Realm. Being able to hide was a great gift he wished he had numerous times.
“You will have them eventually.”
“Who invited you here?”
“Come on, Robby. You know you like me, why don’t you just admit it.”
“Because I don’t.”
“You say that now but one day you’ll change your mind.”
“What do you want, Dani?”
“I want to say good-bye.”
Robby took the band off his head and stood up, “Where are you going?”
“So you do care!”
Ashes of the Realm - Greyson's Revenge Page 19
