by Saxon Andrew
Ken smiled and said, “They both should do it. It will be good practice for them.”
Jixie turned to Ken, “Practice for what?”
“To destroy their home worlds; we need to take the initiative and quit responding to their attacks. However, we should only use one this time.” He pulled out a coin and said, “One of you call it.”
Pixie said, “Heads.”
Ken flipped it and said, “Jixie it is.”
Pixie shook her head and said, “Ken, I want this timed.”
Jixie smiled, “You won’t beat it.”
Pixie smiled, “Wait and see.”
Sprigly looked at them and said, “Well, alrighty then. One Captor Ball is on the way.”
• • •
Ken and Pixie stood in their ship’s small landing bay and stared at the red colored ball. Pixie looked at the switch and said, “All I have to do is push this in and turn it one notch to the right to activate it.”
Ken said, “I know this is my idea but I worry about you pulling this off.”
“I’ll make it happen, Ken. I’m glad dad made mom give up on doing it.”
“I’m surprised she agreed.”
“She understood that the King would have pitched a fit if she took part in placing a bomb. She is a Realm Legend and I think she understands that we are going to have to handle the heavy lifting.”
“Just promise me you’ll jump as soon as you fire.”
“I’ll be jumping before my beam hits the ship.” Pixie paused and looked at Ken, “Do you really think they’re coming back?”
“This was the first battle they’ve lost. I may be wrong but the pattern seems to indicate that they will be coming back to take their revenge. They’ve always jumped more ships in anytime we’ve faced them. I just sense they won’t let this go unanswered.” Ken looked at the ball again and said, “I am concerned about setting this off too close to the planet but the pattern also suggests they’ll be jumping in further out next time.”
“Why would they do that?”
“They’ll want to move into their formations and it will take some time and space to make that happen. They’ll not want to hit us before they complete that process.”
“Let’s go to the bridge and see what the Zord have seen.”
Ken took her hand and they walked out of the landing bay and paused halfway to the bridge to share a moment.
• • •
Three days later the alarms went off at full blast. Ken and Pixie rushed to the bridge and saw a huge Bronze Destroyer Fleet four hundred thousand miles from the planet. Pixie jumped to the landing bay and Ken hit his communicator, “Admiral, make sure none of your ships leave the planet and I think it would be a good idea to jump out once you detect the blast.”
“We’ll do just that. That fleet has fifty thousand ships in it.”
Ken looked at his display and saw them start forming up. “They’re moving into a tighter formation so they will only be fifteen hundred miles wide. That size meets the parameters we need to make this work.”
“Good luck and I’ll contact you after this is over.”
“Yes Sir.”
“Pixie, are you ready?”
“I’ve moved the ball out of the landing bay and put it beside the ship. Give me the place you want me to drop it.”
Ken stared at the Destroyer formation and saw the formation start to take shape. He looked at the ship closest to the center of the formation and said, “Look at my thoughts.”
“I’ve got it. I see it now. Tell me when.”
Ken saw the last ships slip into place and said, “Now!”
Pixie extended her jump and invisibility field around the Captor Ball and jumped a hundred yards in front of the chosen target. She pressed the activate button and turned it one notch. She turned toward the ship and fired her main blaster out of her armor and jumped away.
Ken watched the giant fleet and suddenly a brilliant white light darkened all the displays on the ship. After about five seconds they came back online and Ken saw the massive shock wave moving out from the location of the Destroyer Fleet. He scanned the wave and couldn’t find any of the enemy ships. Pixie appeared on the bridge and Ken saw her face was white. “What?”
“That was too close.”
“Are you ok?”
“I think so.”
They watched the shockwave approaching them and Ken teleported the ship away. Two hours later he teleported back in and saw the remains of the Destroyer Fleet. Nothing remained at the center of the blast and the ships that were furthest from the blast had been broken into pieces and burned. Pixie whistled and said, “We don’t make em like they used to.”
Ken looked at her, “Are you up to doing this again?” Pixie looked at him like he was crazy. “They’re probably going to send another fleet.”
“They’re crazy if they do.”
“They have no way of knowing what happened. They will wonder why they lost touch with this fleet and they’ll send another.”
Pixie shook her head and said, “What the heck. Get Sprigly to send us two.”
Ken hit his panel and said, “Sprigly, teleport us two more balls.”
“Coming right up; how did the first one perform?”
“I’ll send you the recording.” Ken ended the call and punched a button, “Your Majesty, I need you and the squadron to come here to assist us.”
“What do you need?”
“I believe the Destroyers will send another fleet but this time they will send an observer to watch what happens. I need you to destroy any ships that are recording the event before we detonate the next ball.”
“On our way.”
“Pixie!”
“Yes, Mom.”
“You need to put some distance between the selected ship and yourself next time.”
“Count on it.” Jixie started laughing. Pixie said, “That blast disrupted the place we jump through. It was a close thing. Would you like the honors next time?
“Now you know my title prevents me from doing that.”
“If you’re scared, say you’re scared.”
Pixie waited and after a few moments heard, “I’m scared.”
“I knew it!”
• • •
Sam looked at Jixie, “Are you really?”
“What?”
“Scared.”
“No, but Pixie needs to do this.”
“Why?”
“Sam, she has all my talents locked up inside her. She has to find her way to them in order to use them. The stress of that blast increased the power of her protective screen more than a hundred times. Her invisibility field is now able to cover more than eighty miles. It’s moments of stress that allow her to find those inner talents. Besides, this time she won’t jump away, she’ll use her armor to teleport away.”
“Why would she do that?”
“Because she saw that the small area between physical space and null space is disrupted by the blast. My people move in that small area between the two; teleportation won’t be affected.”
“Do you think she knows?”
“She teleported back to the ship after her jump. She knows.”
“Please make sure of that before she does it again.”
Jixie made a face and said, “She knows but I’ll mention it to her.”
“Thank you, my love.”
• • •
Over the next seven days the Destroyers lost more than a hundred and fifty thousand ships. After the third fleet was destroyed, they didn’t send another.
Chapter Twenty
Ken sat in Admiral Mirabal’s office and watched the recordings of the destruction of the three Destroyer Fleets. The attendees around the conference table looked at the view of a Destroyer Home World after the first recordings and Jason said, “There is no way to sneak into this system. There is a teleport suppression field all the way out beyond the last planet and any energy used to enter the system will be seen. If we accelerate close t
o light speed and just start coasting toward the planet, the ship will be seen by their passive sensors. If just one star disappears for an instant, their ships will be on the intruder instantly.”
Ken looked at Pixie and raised his eyebrows. Pixie saw him and shrugged. She didn’t know if her field would allow her to get close. Ken decided that if she didn’t know he wasn’t going to suggest finding out. He stared at the obstacles in the planet’s system and knew this was going to be an impossible nut to crack with their current technology. What to do; what to do? Ken thought a moment and shook his head. The Realm was just not up to the task at hand. Then a thought broke into his consciousness. If the Realm couldn’t do it…”
Pixie saw his expression and thought, “What?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
Jason called a break and said, “Think about this and let’s get back together after break and see if we can come up with something.”
Ken stood and went over to Sam and Jixie. Pixie followed him and Clarke said, “Your Majesty, do you have a moment?”
Jixie looked up from the display in front of her and smiled, “Sure.”
“I was just thinking that if I were going to have to fight someone I knew I couldn’t beat; I’d try to find someone else to take my place.”
Jixie stared at Clarke and then tilted her head, “Why would they do it?”
“I suspect that it might open a channel for them.”
“And if it didn’t?”
“Then it doesn’t. But I suspect it will.”
“Why?”
“They are close now. I think what they’ve done with their former slaves has diminished their resistence and they’re not far from making it happen.”
Sam had started listening and Jixie saw he hadn’t made the connection. She looked at Pixie and saw she had. She was frowning and didn’t like the idea. Jixie turned back to Ken and said, “We still have twenty minutes before the meeting begins again. Do you want to go and ask?”
“We should at least try, Your Highness.”
Jixie looked at Pixie, “Do you want to go with us?”
Pixie frowned and rolled her eyes, “No, but if he goes, I go.”
Jixie turned to Sam and let him see her thoughts. Sam looked at Ken and then said, “The only dumb question is the one you don’t ask. Go for it.”
Jixie, Ken, and Pixie disappeared from the meeting and arrived on Jixie’s ship. She jumped out to the planet that had been freed and used the frequency she had been given, “I would like to have a discussion with you.”
Five seconds later, a giant Blue Ship appeared. “What is it you would like to discuss?”
Jixie looked at Ken and nodded. Ken thought, “I’ve been thinking about what it would take for your species to be able to hear the melody.”
They all heard the excitement in the Beetle’s thoughts, “And what have you determined?”
“I believe that the Creator allows us to hear the melody because we are fighting to save her from her misery. We are tools that she uses and she holds us in very high esteem. I saw last time we met that you were able to hear the melody an hour after I stopped sending it. I believe that the Creator was pleased with what you were doing and allowed the contact to continue.”
“Why did she stop it?”
Ken shook his head and said, “Karma. You have caused so much loss of balance that you are blocked by your previous actions. You need to balance what you’ve done.”
The Beetle thought about what Ken was saying and then thought, “We will need to join in the fight to protect her.”
Ken smiled and Pixie was shocked, “That is what I see. I can’t guarantee you will achieve it immediately, but I do think it will eventually happen if you choose to follow that path.”
There was a pause and the Beetle said, “We can hear her now in the former farmers’ minds. But only those that are here can hear it and the Supreme Nest is bound to stay at their location. They want to hear it as well.” The Beetle thought a moment and said, “You have a species that is like us. You can’t match them.”
Ken smiled, “We’re discussing what we’re going to do about them at this moment.”
“Do you have anything you can show me about them?”
Jixie thought, “I’ll send you the most recent confrontations with them.”
“Meet me here in four revolutions of the planet below. I’ll discuss it with you then.” The giant Blue Ship disappeared and Pixie shook her head, “That being is starting to have emotions.”
Ken said, “I see that. They were absent during the first meeting.”
Jixie said, “We need to get back.”
The three teleported away and appeared in the conference room just as Jason called the meeting back to order. “Has anyone come up with an idea on how to take on the Destroyer home worlds?”
Jixie said, “We need to delay this meeting for six days.”
Sam looked at Jixie and smiled. Jason’s expression turned serious, “Why do we need to do that, Your Highness?”
“We’ve just asked the Blue Civilization if they would handle this problem and they’re going to give me an answer in four and a half days.”
The entire room was shocked silent. Eyes was laying on the floor and he said, “That Civilization is in the top ten most dangerous species the Realm will have to face.”
Ken said, “They have freed all of the planets they conquered and are assisting them in rebuilding. They have a real desire to hear the Creator’s Song. They may just do this.”
Eyes shook his head and looked up at the ceiling. He tilted his head to the left and said, “Even Mother is surprised about this new development.”
Ken said, “Eyes, they aren’t evil. They’re the most logical species I’ve ever known. Now that they’ve heard her, they really want to do anything they can to hear her without outside assistance. Please ask her to not tune them out and see them.”
“She removed them from her consciousness millions of years ago. She’ll watch what happens.”
Sam said, “Admiral, we’ll meet again in five days.”
Jason nodded.
• • •
The Beetle stood in front of the Supreme Nest. One of the members said, “Why should we take on that species?”
“Because it is hurting the Singer.”
Another Member said, “I see that you believe that this action will help us contact the Singer.”
“I believe that we must balance out the harm we have caused before we will hear her without outside assistance. This is just the first step in making that happen.”
“Why are you so motivated to do this?”
The Supreme Beetle stared at his leaders and said, “You have only heard the song from my thoughts. Hearing it directly is so much better that it’s like comparing a candle to the sun. I know that if you could come to the former farm and hear it in the former farmers’ minds; you would be just as motivated.” The Beetle paused and then said, “We are now at a critical junction and what we decide today will determine if we will ever hear the song. We are going to have to commit to defend the Singer if she is going to allow us to hear her. I believe that this is a quest we must not turn away from.”
The oldest Member said, “You know that this quest could lead to us being attacked by a more advanced species. Many of us could die.”
“There are some things worth dying for, Supremacy. If we are only willing to die for ourselves, we are not what we could be. I’ve been changed by this melody and for the first time in my life I look forward to tomorrow. Can any of you say that?” The Beetle waited and was greeted with silence. “Before I heard the Singer, life was nothing more than a burden of boredom. We have been bored too long.”
The Supreme Nest Members thought about what the Beetle was saying. After three days the Oldest said, “We will decide our future now. I for my part will vote with the one that has challenged us.” The Oldest looked at the Beetle waiting in front of them and said, “I was skeptical initially
but you said the words that struck me in my deepest consciousness. I have nothing that excites me any more. Everyday looks just like the one before it and tomorrow will only look the same. This quest has brought me hope that the future is not as dull as the past. If we decide to do this, I will resign my standing in the Nest and joyfully join the fight. I believe it will be exhilarating.”
The other Members of the Nest put their minds together and the united voice said, “We will fight for the Singer.”
Suddenly all of them heard the Melody at high volume and they were lost in its beauty. The Oldest looked at the Beetle and thought, “You were right. This is worth fighting and dying for.”
The Supreme Beetle said, “She now sees us.” He paused and said, “She sees us.”
The Oldest closed his eyes and said, “And she’s showing us where they are.” The Supreme Beetle smiled in his mind and looked forward to the coming confrontation.
• • •
Sam, Jixie, Pixie, and Ken waited above the planet for the Blue Ship to arrive and saw a shuttle lift from the planet and move their way. They waited and then heard the thoughts of the Beetle flying it, “The Supremacy will not be able to attend the discussion today.”
Ken felt his disappointment. Jixie said, “Why not?”
“He is leading our ships against the ones that kill planets. We have destroyed all but two of their home worlds and most of their fleets. The cleansing should be completed in another three rotations.”
Ken was stunned by the announcement. “That is wonderful news.”
“We now hear the Singer and we are going to allow her to direct us in future cleansings. We thank you for what you have done for us and want you to know that we consider you a species that we will defend as well.”
Jixie said, “I will give you our location.”
“The Singer has already done that. We wish you peace and prosperity.”
• • •
Three weeks later Ken teleported to El Prado with Pixie and found Eyes waiting on him. Eyes smiled and said, “You’re troubled by what you see.”
Ken said, “I am.”
Eyes’ tail twitched, “When were you released?”
Ken slowly shook his head, “A week ago; much has become clear since that happened.” Pixie looked at Ken and Eyes and wondered what was being said. Ken said, “I want to see the real dangerous species that are out there.”
