Annihilation Series-Searching for a Hero (13 page)

All four of the leaders said simultaneously, “WHAT!”

Ping looked at the Eldest Pack Leader, “What would have happened if the Realm had come to your home worlds in force after your first attack on a Searcher?”

The two looked at each other and the Director shrugged, “Our plans to defeat you would have been still born. You would have overwhelmed us with your superior numbers.”

“Then why didn’t we?”

The four leaders looked at each other and didn’t know how to answer. Finally, Kosiev said, “The Cats weren’t able to see where their home worlds were located. That’s why we didn’t attack them.”

“Now this is important, and I really want the four of you to focus on this; why would the Cats not be allowed to see them?”

Scott said “What do you mean, not allowed?”

“Think it through, Your Majesty.”

Ping waited and saw them struggling with the question. He was surprised when the Director saw it first. Ping smiled and said, “Do you understand now?”

The other three looked at the Director and he nodded his head, “I understand.”

The Pack Leader looked at him with a puzzled expression, “Understand what?”

“The important part of his question was why the Cat’s weren’t ALLOWED to see us.”

The King said, “You’re right!”

The Pack Leader and Kosiev looked at the King and were lost. The King said, “The forces that rule us all wanted you to build up your fleets.”

Ping smiled, “Exactly. The coming attacks by the Black Ships were anticipated and the Realm didn’t have the forces needed to stop them. The Slegan were selected to build up their forces to join the Realm fighting against the coming invasion.”

The Pack Leader refused to believe what he was hearing, “We did this to conquer the worlds in our sector!”

Ping smiled, “Actually, those worlds had forces operating on them to force you to do just that. I suspect over the last year or so, most of them have stopped their predatory economic practices against you and I’m certain they are unaware of the size of your fleets.”

The Pack Leader stared at Ping and didn’t want to admit he was right. He thought about it and shook his head. The Director said, “It appears we are a tool as well.”

Ping smiled, “Sometimes the medicine doesn’t taste good.”

The King stared at the two Slegan and turned to Ping, “Are you saying they have built their ships to assist us?”

“They have and you’re going to need them.”

Kosiev said, “But our ships are worthless against the Black Ships.”

Ping held out his hand and a ball of green energy appeared in it. The ball glowed brilliantly in the landing bay and the Leaders saw blue sparks flashing in it. “This is what we are going to need to develop to take them on. That will be our next task and it will be up to you to continue to build the ships needed to take this war to their territory.”

Kosiev looked at Ping, “And just where is that?”

“In another Creation.”

All four leaders were shocked by that statement. The King thought a moment and said, “Why are the Slegan needed? Couldn’t we have just built more ships on our own?”

“They’re needed because there are different types of ships that will have to be faced in the coming fight. Each of your civilizations will have to take on multiple enemies to win.”

The King stared at Ping and then turned to Kosiev, “Give this Searcher the authority to do whatever he needs done.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The King turned to the two Slegan, “Do you want to join us in this effort?”

The Pack Leader looked at the Director and they both bowed together, “Your Majesty, we will do what you need us to do. We are your willing subjects and I apologize for what we’ve done.”

The King smiled, “You had no choice. You were doing what had to be done. We hold no ill will toward you.”

Both shuttles illuminated a bright red light on their hulls and the fleets began celebrating. War had been avoided and agreements had been reached.

Ping saw the celebrations taking place in the fleets and he bowed to the King, “I must leave and start working on the development of this energy ball.”

Kosiev said, “I’m sending you the frequency of an Algean that might be able to make that happen. That would be a good place to start.”

“Thank you, Admiral.”

“You’re welcome, Sir.”

Ping did a double take, “Sir?”

“Like it or not, your orders supersede mine.”

Ping shook his head, “Imagine that.” He immediately disappeared.

N
icole was troubled. She struggled with what Ping had told her and the more she thought about it, the more troubled she became. Her father returned from a meeting with representatives from another civilization and she absent mindedly listened to him discuss what had happened with her mother and Victoria at the dinner table. He grabbed her full attention when he said that a Searcher by the name of Kendel had crashed the meeting and changed everything. Nicole sat up straight in her chair and said, “He did what?”

Scott looked at his oldest daughter and was surprised at her animation. She didn’t appear to be interested in anything lately; this was a change. “He showed us how our civilizations were fighting each other to prepare us for a coming invasion from another Creation. He made us realize that we weren’t enemies but actually allies working toward a common goal.”

Nicole stared at her father. She loved him deeply and knew that he possessed excellent judgment; especially when it came to seeing the people he encountered. She said, “What did you think about him, Father?”

“Who?”

“What did you think about that Searcher? How did he come across to you?”

Scott leaned back in his chair and thought a moment. He looked back at Nicole and said, “I trust him with the safety of the Realm. There was something in his eyes that reduces my fear for our survival. I really believe that he will make a difference if we’re attacked.”

“Do you think he has a good heart?”

Victoria jerked her head around and stared at Nicole. Nicole saw her and slightly shook her head telling her to not say anything.

Scott’s brow furrowed and he thought a moment, “We were meeting with two members of a species that is very aggressive. His first words to them were, ‘Oh shut up!’ They didn’t take offense to him and, at the end; you would have thought they had become best friends. I had been talking with them for several minutes before his arrival and I wasn’t able to get around their distrust. He did it naturally and easily. He also got around my reservations without antagonizing me. I think all of us in that meeting saw the same thing in him.”

“What was that, Father?”

“That he was pure of heart. His intentions were to protect us and he had no ego in doing it.”

Nicole immediately started crying as she stood up and rushed out of the dining room. Victoria jumped up and followed her sister. Scott looked at Meredith shaking his head, “What did I say?”

Meredith shrugged, “I don’t know. I’ve given up trying to figure out what’s going on with Nicole.”

• • • • •

Victoria rushed into Nicole’s room and saw her lying on the bed weeping, “It’s him, isn’t it?” Nicole nodded. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Nicky.”

Nicole lifted her head and sniffed, “Don’t be, Vicky.”

Victoria looked in her sister’s eyes and saw something that had been missing. She dove on the bed and yelled as her own tears started, “I’ve missed you so much!”

Nicole hugged Victoria and said, “I’m back.” The two hugged each other until their tears stopped and their laughter began.

Ping was meeting with Sprigly in his lab when he suddenly felt something sweep over him. He stopped in midsentence and felt his body start tingling all over. He focused on the cause of the feeling and he immediately sensed that Nicole was sending her thoughts and feelings out to him. He had felt them the first time they had almost touched each other but they had vanished after he had rejected her. His smile was huge and his entire body started to glow. Sprigly wondered what was going on but he quickly grabbed a probe and took readings of the field around Ping, “Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

Ping looked at him, “What?”

“I’ve not been able to get a good reading on that energy ball but this field around you is what I believe is used to create them. I can use this.”

Ping smiled and knew that without Nicole, the weapon needed by the Realm might have not been uncovered.

• • • • •

Nicole stood on the tallest spire at Castle Gardner and looked up into the sky. She thought, “I’m waiting for you. I’ll be here when you’re ready.” Suddenly, she felt him and her heart came alive again. She closed her eyes hoping that the feeling wouldn’t end and after an hour she knew it wouldn’t. He had heard her. She ran into the Castle and jumped into her father’s arms and hugged him tightly, “I love you, Daddy.”

“Wha..wha..what’s going on?”

“I just needed to tell you.” She released him and ran out of the room. Scott saw Meredith staring at him and he said, “It looks like we have our daughter back.” Meredith smiled and came over and kissed him. Something had happened.

• • • • •

“Have you received any messages from our incursion?”

“No, there has been no contact with the unit since soon after it entered the other place.”

“That doesn’t sound right. Send a unit through the portal and see what’s going on.”

The giant creature paused and knew there was no avoiding saying it, “The portal has been closed.”

The giant beast went up on its powerful legs and roared, “Who ordered it to be closed!?!”

“It was closed from the other side, Master.”

The giant tusked creature drew its arm back and the messenger closed his eyes waiting for the killing blow that didn’t come. The giant saw the messenger close his eyes, expecting death, and he decided not to kill him because he expected it. The creature sat back down, “What closed it?”

“We’ve been attempting to determine what forces were used to close it but the energy that disrupted it has not been analyzed. Our best scientists have been unable to penetrate its structure to see what composed it.”

“How is that possible?”

“Our scientists are dumbfounded by it, Master. They’ve used every energy probe we have and nothing can break it down.”

“Does that energy represent a danger?”

“The first four scientists that captured a small amount of it were disintegrated when they released it from the portal’s support structure.”

“What are they doing about it?”

“They’re attempting to remove another piece of it with robotic tools.”

“And?”

“Ten robots have been disintegrated. Whatever that energy touches is destroyed.”

The giant leaned back on its legs and considered what he had just learned. “Why was the unit sent there?”

“It was used to probe the defense capabilities of the two strongest civilizations in the other place.”

“Is it safe to say they went in shooting first?” The messenger nodded. “That means those civilizations are more advanced than we thought.” The messenger nodded again. “And now we’ve revealed our presence and have given them a look at our most powerful ships. I suspect they are rather unhappy with our first meeting.” The messenger leaned back and after a moment said, “The initial reports were that our ships were killing them at will with little or no resistance.”

“Something happened to change that.” The messenger remained still and made no move to acknowledge his Master’s remark. “Have the scientists made any statements about the possible civilization that created this energy?”

“They say that if they could create that energy, they could create a portal.”

“Take this information to the other four Rulers and ask them what they think we should do about it.” The messenger lowered his head to the floor and backed out of the huge chamber. The giant beast looked at the reports again and knew that this could not go unpunished. However, he was not going to take on a civilization with that energy alone.

• • • • •

Ping watched Sprigly push a button and a weak green beam shot out of the device on the space platform into space. Ping shook his head in disappointment, “That wasn’t much of a beam.”

Sprigly laughed, “You don’t seriously thing I’d fire it at full power do you?”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“Because it could disrupt space around it; we don’t need to create a rift between normal space and whatever exists under it.”

Ping’s eyes narrowed, “I thought null space existed under normal space?”

Sprigly leaned back showing his disagreement, “Null space exists in a molecule that’s no bigger than the one that set off the Big Bang. No, we really don’t know what exists outside the boundary of normal space.”

“But I thought our ships were capable of moving through the boundary.”

“They are, but they don’t go below it without entering the null space molecule. We’ve never determined what’s below the boundary.”

Ping stared at the tall plant and knew he was out of his league. The telepathic Algeans were the brains of the Realm and, if they didn’t know, it was a sure thing no one did. “Have you tried to see what’s there?”

“I can’t tell you how many experiments we’ve tried to do just that.”

“But you just said the beam would cause a rift in normal space.”

“Our initial trials detected a cut in space time. We’re going to have to fine tune this weapon to make sure something catastrophic doesn’t happen.” Sprigly turned back to his panel and Ping sat in his chair and stared at the young, but old, Algean.

“Sprigly, what was it like to have known the heroes of the fight for Creation?”

Sprigly looked up at Ping and leaned right, “You’re worried about whether or not you can do what’s necessary?”

“I guess I am.”

“They were very much like you, Ping. Pixie was a real laugh a minute and Ken was brilliant beyond belief.”

“Where did they go?”

Sprigly gave a mental sigh that Ping heard, “No one knows. They abdicated their titles and left Ross for an extended vacation and never returned.” Sprigly paused and pointed to a picture in the corner of the laboratory, “I just wish I had been given the opportunity to meet the founders of the Stars Realm.”