Annihilation - Finding Keepers (Annihilation Series (Book Seven}) (35 page)

Jake shook his head, “Is he that blinded by ambition?”

“Yes, and he has infected his forces with the same disease. This has been developing for more than five hundred years and it has accelerated over the last twenty. He is building his own ships, and the taxation his subjects have to pay to build up his military is oppressive. Gambia was in his province and he extorted huge sums from the merchants to subsidize his army. He allowed them to stay in power as long as they paid to be left alone.”

“Are his ships as good as the Gammas?”

“Yes.”

Jake’s internal alarm went off at full blast, “Then that’s another reason for you to be with me. Not only is Ross a target for the Keepers, but I can see where it would also be a target for the Duke.”

Valerie nodded, “I will join you at the first sign of trouble.”

“No, Valerie; you will join me now. If he’s going after Ross he won’t wait until we start moving it; he’ll strike before the Keepers arrive. Now I know why he had so many questions and what’s been making me nervous. If we announce that you are not on Ross but with the fleet preparing for the invasion, attacking Ross would not accomplish anything. He has to eliminate you in order to take the Throne. If he attacked just as the Keepers invaded he could say that the Keepers destroyed Ross and that he was assuming leadership of the Realm to protect it. If we win, he’s the new King of the Realm.”

“Junior?”

“Yes, Jake?”

“Teleport Valerie and me on board now!”

“Jake, you don’t think he would act now?”

“I’ve just looked at the possibilities and yes, he will. Do it now, Junior!”

“Sorry, I had to scan for your location.”

Valerie and Jake disappeared from the huge sofa, leaving the fire burning behind.

“Manny?”

“Yes, Jake?”

“Issue an announcement that the Royal Family is with the Realm’s Fleet going over preparations for the Keepers’ invasion. Do it as fast as possible.”

“What?!?”

“Just do it. I’ll explain later.”

The small ship had worked its way close to its intended target and the pilot was energizing his weapons when he heard over his communication panel, “Members of the Realm, the Royal Family has joined the Realm’s Fleet to help prepare it for the coming attack. The family will be inspecting the forces of the Realm and making sure that we are as ready as possible for the expected invasion. We will keep you informed about the progress we are making. Thank you for your support.”

The pilot of the small ship swore and slammed his fist on the console. It had taken a week to get in close to Ross and now it was wasted effort. Without the presence of the Royal Family, especially the Queen, the plan was worthless. Ales Jongo turned and began working his way out of the Ross system. He knew his father was going to be furious, but there would be other opportunities.

Jake and Junior watched the small ship as it started leaving.

“Junior, I thought the stealth systems were supposed make those ships invisible.”

“They do, Jake. But the Algeans don’t put all their toys on every ship. I can see the Gammas with a system they installed in me. It seems they trust me with their most advanced systems. Do you want me to fire at that traitor?”

“No, we don’t need to let the Duke know we are on to him just yet.”

“I sure would like to light him up.”

Valerie watched the ship and felt barely restrained rage. She felt adrenaline course through her body with her close call with death. “Jake, how could he have explained the destruction of Ross?”

“A Keepers’ scout ship.”

“They don’t use energy weapons!”

“Are you certain about that? With no evidence to prove otherwise, you can’t do anything.”

Junior also felt a rage building, “Jake, we can’t just let this go.”

Jake thought a moment, “Junior, is there any way to prevent a teleportation screen from working?”

Junior was confounded by the question. Moving from anger to logic demanded a jump that took a few moments, “Why do you ask?”

“I remember that Cynthia told me that the pit boss in the casino put some kind of device on my back that would prevent a teleport screen from allowing me entrance.”

Junior thought a moment and said, “Twig would know the answer.”

“Let’s assume that such a device exists. What would happen if we place such a device on the good Duke’s ship and on as many of his military vessels as we could access. Could that device be turned on with remotely?”

“Give me a moment.”

“What are you planning, Jake?”

“You don’t need to know, Your Majesty. Just let me work on it and I’ll let you know.”

“You don’t think I’ll allow you to do what you’re planning.”

“I know you won’t, so quit pressing me. There are some things I must assume responsibility for doing. Now let it go.”

Valerie was worried about what Jake was planning, but then she looked back at the display, saw the ship still sneaking away, and her rage returned. Whatever he was planning, she hoped it worked.

“Junior, what did you find out?”

“Where’s Valerie?”

“She’s finally fallen asleep. Don’t use telepathy, just speak to me.”

“You don’t need the device you mentioned. The Algeans have a device that will emit a field that will prevent a teleportation device from operating.”

“What is the range of the device?”

“It will operate inside the jump limit of a solar system.” Junior paused and said, “You’re going to do it.”

“Yes, I am. Who is the ship operator of the frequency generator in the Duke’s system?”

“It’s actually not a ship. The generator is placed in one of our advanced probes and is activated by a signal from the planet it’s protecting. It will follow the planet wherever we move it.”

“Has the Duke received his probe?”

“No, it’s due to be delivered in three days.”

“Will you handle the details or should I do the honors?”

“No, I’ll do it. If you don’t know, you can’t tell our Queen.”

“You are one very smart individual.”

“And don’t you forget it.”

Joe watched the recording of the Searcher vessel sneaking out of the Ross system with Manny and slammed the table with both hands.

Manny looked up, “You’re going to hurt yourself doing that.”

“I’m going to kill that traitor.”

Manny shook his head, “Not right now. We can’t start a civil war and survive the Keepers. If we go after the Duke, he might join the Keepers. I’m reasonably certain he would try to negotiate with them.”

Joe felt a rage that was threatening to overcome him, “They tried to kill my sister and family. I cannot let this go unanswered.”

“Just be thankful that Jake prevented the attack. I’ve had my doubts about him being all that Valerie has made him up to be, but I’ve been forced to reevaluate my opinion. He has stopped us from making some huge mistakes.”

Joe looked at Manny, “Have you found new information?”

“Yes, I have. I had Einstein take a look at our scans of the home worlds, and he confirms that births only happen when a Keeper dies. The birth usually happens within six minutes of the death, so they must be able to reproduce at a rate that is staggering. If Jake had not stopped our plan to use novas, we would have been overwhelmed quickly.”

Joe thought for a few minutes as they continued to watch the recording of the ship sneaking out of the Ross system. “Manny, are you saying you are willing to follow his decisions without question?”

Manny looked away from the video, “When the invasion starts, there won’t be time to discuss possible choices. He has proven to me that I do not make the best decisions, even though I think I am doing so. Do you see it any differently?”

Joe shook his head slowly, “No, I’m forced to agree with you.”

“Then from this moment forward we must become tools to carry out his orders. Can you agree to do this?”

“I can. And it removes a huge weight questioning if I am doing the right things for the Realm’s survival. I really shouldn’t have questioned Valerie’s decision about his importance, but my psychic skills are nowhere near her level. I just can’t stop myself from worrying.”

Joe stuck his hand out to Manny and they shook. Manny smiled, “You should have seen him go through the valley in the initial armor exercise. I think that, more than anything else I’ve seen, is what makes me think we have a chance in this fight.”

Joe looked at the video again and felt his rage simmering. Manny smiled and said, “If you think you’re angry, think about Jake’s reaction. I suspect he has a plan for handling the problem Duke that will be more effective than anything we could dream up.”

Joe looked away from the video and considered what Manny said. He looked back at the video and began smiling.

Ales stood at attention if front of his father listening to him rant, “You idiot! You took too long to get in position! You missed our best chance at achieving our goals!”

“Father, the Royal Family had probably already moved to the fleet before I arrived. They don’t announce the Royal Family’s location before their arrival. We assumed they would be on Ross, but they weren’t.”

Duke Jongo stood and walked to the window and stared out at the rain falling from a dark sky. It matched his mood. Still, Ales was probably right and had done the correct thing by leaving without destroying Ross. So close! So damnably close! He turned and looked at his son and saw his fear. Fear was a good thing, even for family members. Still, this was his heir and a future ruler of the Realm, if his plans were successful.

“Relax, Ales. You did the right thing and used good judgment. If we can eliminate the Royal Family away from Ross, then we can move the planet here after we assume power. That Castle is amazing and would make a great home for our family. Do we know where the Queen is located?”

Ales took a deep breath and knew he was going to live to see another day, “No, they have scattered into the Realm’s fleet and we only discovered their whereabouts after they have moved to a different location. I suspect we will have to eliminate them once the invasion starts.”

“That reminds me. Have we received the device to prevent star drives from operating and move our planet should it become necessary?”

“Yes; it is in place and waiting for us to activate it.”

“Do it now. I’m not willing to risk a sneak attack by those creatures. We have a huge electronic signature and I’m certain they will see us in their scans. Have we been able to contact them?”

“We’ve sent four ships and all four were destroyed before they could send a message.”

“Send four more. Those creatures are intelligent and should be willing to accept our help, along with a guarantee of our loyalty in return for allowing us to survive.”

Ales didn’t like this part of the plan but knew he had no choice, “I will set it up immediately.”

Twig looked at Sprig and thought, “Are you still committed to your plan?”

“Yes, my love.”

“Is there nothing we can do to save the Realm?”

“No.

“You’re certain of its destruction?”

“You’ve seen the data. Am I missing something?”

Twig’s leaves turned brown, “No, I see it as well.”

“Help the engineers make the device.”

“I will leave momentarily.”

“But first?”

“I want you to hold me for a few moments.”

Sprig wrapped Twig in his branches, feeling sorrow for what was coming and the course of action he was being forced to take.

Valerie looked at her display and saw Duke Jongo was comming her. Jake looked at the display and said, “Play it like we discussed.”

Valerie nodded, took a deep breath, and said, “Duke Jongo, how may I help you?”

The Duke had a smile pasted on his face as he said, “It would be easier to contact you mentally, Your Majesty.”

“The Keepers are able to track telepathic communications. I’ve sent out instructions that all telepaths should avoid using their ability while the Realm is under a threat of invasion. Did you not receive the notification?”

Duke Jongo kept his smile, but was frustrated by his inability to track where the young queen was hiding. He had tried unsuccessfully to find her using his telepathic skills but she had not responded to his calls. “I just wanted to discuss how I should handle the use of my ships during this invasion. What does the Realm suggest we should do with our military forces?”

Valerie smiled to herself and hoped he would take the bait, “We are grounding our Searchers on our most important planets.”

The Duke’s smile disappeared, “Why would you do that?”