Annihilation - Finding Keepers (Annihilation Series (Book Seven}) (46 page)

“Looks like we’re back at square one.”

Tag shook his head, “I don’t understand why we’re here. We haven’t helped this situation even in a small way. I feel helpless.”

Valerie thought to herself, “Welcome to my world.” Then she said, “There is a reason; we just haven’t found it yet. Those visions brought you here, and I believe it is to save us. We need to find it; I’m sure it exists.”

Matt said, “I really hope you’re right and we weren’t just brought here to die.”

Danielle was stunned. She saw the truth in Matt’s statement. She looked quickly at Tag and decided she would not leave his side from that moment forward. If they were going to die, she was going to make sure it was with him. There was no life without him.

“Sprig, are you ready?”

“Yes, we are. The coordinates for the Searchers are on your board.”

“Manny, will you pass these coordinates to the Brez Searchers and ask them to teleport to them without their ships?”

“Don’t they need their ships?”

“Not at this moment. I need to talk with them first.”

“They will be coming by Units.”

“Thank you, Manny. Are you ready for the rescue?”

“It’s set to take place tomorrow at twelve hundred hours Ross time.”

“Good luck, Manny.”

“We’re ready, Jake.”

“I know you are.”

Jake teleported down to a reviewing stand overlooking a huge barren field. The Searchers started teleporting in and the field was filling up quickly. Ten divisions arrived and formed up on the reviewing stand. Everyone was questioning their officers about what was happening, but no one knew. One of the Searchers recognized Jake and said, “Behold the White Demon.” The Searchers all started staring at the Reviewing stand and after a few minutes, silence settled over the field.

Jake looked out at the finest warriors in the Realm and used telepathy to communicate with them, “I know that you’re wondering why we brought you here without your ships. We are going to provide you a new ship momentarily, but before we do that I need to see your heart. You have been charged with the protection of the Crown. Your duty is to make sure the Royal Family is not harmed. I need an answer from you. If you had to choose, which you would go to defend if you could only protect one? Would you protect the Queen or the Realm? I want you to think about this seriously. You can only go save one; which would it be?”

Silence ruled the plain. Jake waited and after ten minutes heard a Glod Searcher yell from the back of the formations, “My sword belongs to the Queen.”

Jake said, “If you choose the Queen over the Realm, move out of your ranks and form up behind this reviewing stand.”

Slowly at first, a few hundred moved forward. Jake saw that the majority of them were Glod. Then the Humans began leaving the formation and walked with their Glod brothers, shaking their hands. The Cainth rushed out and joined the Searchers moving behind the reviewing stands. Then it became a mad rush and all of the assembled warriors ran to join those that were forming up behind the reviewing stand.

Jake tuned and faced the Searchers and said, “I know you had great difficulty making that decision. However, you have shown your loyalty to the Realm. The Royal Family is the Realm, and anything else is not what binds us. The Realm is facing two threats. The first are the creatures currently invading. The second are members of the Realm who have decided to take the throne. There will be a civil war if we defeat the invaders, and it will commence as soon as the war ends. Ross will be attacked and destroyed.”

The Searchers started talking amongst themselves. Jake waited until silence returned. “I tell you this with a heavy heart. However, we must defend the Queen and you will be given a task to make sure she is safe. If I am wrong, and I truly pray every day that I am, then nothing will happen. However, I need you prepared for the worst. I ask you, what is your choice?”

The mass of warriors screamed, “We fight for the Queen!”

Jake smiled and said, “First we have an invader that requires we remove as a threat. Before we start that process, I want to share the words of a being that was a part of the invaders’ leadership.” Jake sent a vision of the meeting with Values so that all could see what the species attacking the Realm represented. Jake said at the completion of the vision, “This species has no heart. They deliberately killed theirs, and they have no remorse, no kindness, nor any regard for any other life form. We have no choice but to try and remove this threat to creation. You’ve seen recordings of the worlds they’ve enslaved and consumed. We are charged to end this evil, and we cannot back away from this responsibility.”

“A Glod on the front rank yelled, “How are we going to carry out that charge?”

Jake smiled, “We have constructed some ships that, we believe, will kill their ships. You are going to be teleported momentarily to a planet where you will be assigned one of these ships, and an Algean will be there to teach you how to pilot it. The information will be downloaded, so the training should be completed within seven hours. We will attack the Keepers Fleet that is forming in their universe to jump into our universe to carry out their attacks. Admiral Dodd will meet you at your ships and has command over those ships sent to the Keepers’ universe. Once we handle that hurdle, you will be released to find any of their ships in that universe. Thirty percent of you will remain in our universe under Admiral Busigleore’s command, and look for any of their ships that are here and destroy them. Once they are removed, you will receive your assignments to protect the Royal Family. You will be joined by the rest of your brothers when they finish with the Keepers’ universe.”

Jake pressed his com, “Send the coordinates, Sprig.”

Every Searcher on the plain felt their coms vibrate. Jake said, “Teleport to the coordinates on your com to board your new ships and begin your training.”

One of the general officers yelled, “Ateeennnnshun!” The hundred thousand Warriors came to attention and saluted Jake.

Jake returned their salute and said, “Dismissed.”

One moment the plain was covered with thousands of Warriors; the next it was empty.

“Junior, are you ready?”

“Sprig has given me one of those new weapons, Jake. We can’t get close, but we should be able to see what’s happening and defend ourselves if necessary.”

“Well, let’s go visit the Keepers Fleet and see what they do when we snatch their food source away.”

“Jake, are you sure these ships will do what you hope?”

“I’m not, but their designer was. That Demon tried to keep them from us knowing the Keepers would ultimately kill us. He wouldn’t have done that if they weren’t what we hope they are.”

“How does this weapon work? What if we’re attacked by huge numbers?”

“Questions, questions, questions. Let’s just get on with it.”

“OK.”

Manny looked at the main screen on the wall of his ship and shook his head. The twenty million transports paired off with twenty million Searchers was a vision he would never forget. They filled the space of the universe they had jumped in to assemble in advance of their mission. The teams had practiced on planets in this universe for more than eight weeks, and he knew that they were ready. He also knew the spies from the Brez Division would never know about Jake’s plans until it was over. He smiled and knew there was going to be a price to pay after the fact, but that would be faced at the appropriate time. The Keepers were going to get a wakeup call in another ten minutes.

He keyed his general frequency and said, “We are going to make history today. You will be performing the task of liberating millions of worlds from their slave masters. This is what your oath is all about. You know what must be done, and it must be timed precisely. Make sure you make the grab exactly ten minutes from my mark. It must be timed so that the Keepers won’t have time to respond.

Those of you that are transporting the freed communities have the coordinates of the planet where you will deliver them to the Algeans. They are waiting to tell them what has happened. Searchers, make sure the Captors’ energy ball is set for ten seconds after you pull the screen and get out of there. Upon completion of your assignment, you will report to your normal posts.”

Manny hit a button on his console and said, “Are you ready?”

Sprig answered, “We are excited about today’s event. We are waiting for the transports to arrive.”

Manny keyed the general frequency again and said, “Searchers and Sailors of the Stars Realm, make the Realm proud. The operation will commence ten minutes from my mark. Ready……mark.”

The forty million ships disappeared and Manny teleported back to the Realm to await the return of Brez Searchers, “This should be interesting. Let’s hope everyone will listen to reason.”

Ron Kune teleported in to his assigned planet in full stealth mode and entered the atmosphere over the horizon from the Keepers’ garrison. He accelerated and hit the teleport field key as soon as he sighted the captured communities. The field formed underground, and he set his ship down on the surface and waited as the countdown continued. There was a Keepers’ ship in orbit above the garrison taking on food stores for transport to the home worlds. That ship might pose a problem during his escape, but it would be too late to stop the rescue of the population.

He looked at his board and saw there were thirty seconds left to make the grab of the teleport screen. He checked the Captors’ energy ball and set the timer for teleportation and detonation. “Time to go!” With two seconds remaining, he lifted his ship, hit his thrusters, and watched as the terrain screamed by in his display. He roared over the six communities, stiffened the teleport field connection, and went vertical, pulling the silver teleport field out of the ground and over the population that was staring at the small white ship as it roared into the sky. Their view was brief as all six communities disappeared from the planet’s surface.

Ron hit the weapons console and teleported the energy ball into the lowest level of the Keepers’ garrison, punched his teleport board, and held the arms of his chair tight hoping the Keepers’ ship wouldn’t have time to target him with their main beam. His ship disappeared two seconds before the Keepers’ beam went active. Five seconds after Ron teleported out, the Keepers’ garrison exploded and blew more than twenty miles of the planet’s surface into the atmosphere.

The Keepers’ ship in orbit didn’t detect the cities being teleported out before their sensors were blocked by the huge blast. The appearance of the small ship diverted their attention from the crust as it flashed away from the surface. The ship’s Director heard billions of his species die. What was happening?

The Collective heard Military scream, “The farms are being taken!” Before it could respond, it was blown apart by the deaths of more than twenty million garrisons that all perished within two seconds of each other. The Collective did not recover quickly. The bulk of the Keepers’ population was still on the home worlds so it wasn’t killed, but it suffered a huge shock. It was unavailable just when the Keepers needed it most.

A
les Jongo turned on his com and saw Admiral Teplig, “I thought I told you to wait for me to contact you?”

“You did, but there is information that I think you should know.”

“What is that?”

“Have you ever seen the real history of the Realm and not the softened public version?”

“Of course. The Crown would like to keep it secret, but all the provincial capitals had original copies of the real history. Why do you ask?”

“Because you are going to get to see some of that history; the Gardner Family is back and has been seen meeting with the Queen.”

Ales’ heart went into his throat. He knew the power of those psychics. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, and that demon Thomas Gardner is leading them.”

Ales thought quickly, “This could be good news.”

“Are you crazy? You’ve seen the history. They’ve never lost a war.”

“Yes, and that means we will win this one with the invaders. Our plans are not worth anything if we can’t beat them. We will just have to move quickly when hostilities end; and I do mean quickly. We should prepare now.”

“That part might be easier.”

“Oh?”

“I don’t know where they are, but the Brez Division is not in the Realm’s galaxy.”

“They are probably being used to fight in the invader’s universe.”

“I hope so. That is one tough fighting unit. We better have numbers on our side or they could cause huge trouble.”

“You know we do. Keep your forces on alert and I’ll do the same. I have the late Duke’s admiral at Del Robles joining our team.”

“That will be enough. Send me the signal when you’re ready.”

“Just make sure you’re prepared.”

The Brez Searchers waited. Thirty thousand of them were going into the Stars Realm to attack the Keepers Fleets in the Realm. The remaining ships were going to where the Keepers Fleets gathered to receive their targets and jump to the Realm. Jake checked his board and thought, “Sprig, are the transports coming in?”