Pray for the Prey (4 page)

“What about the sensor?”

“It ceased operating moments before the Fleet Controller reported the ships.”

The Controller stared at the messenger and the messenger quickly added, “We’ve attempted to contact every ship in the fleet and none of them are answering.”

“What has been done about this?”

“I was sent to notify you of the developments and to seek your wisdom on our next course of action.”

The Controller’s stinger shot out faster than the messenger could see and impaled him in the chest. The injected poison killed the messenger instantly and he collapsed to the floor.

The Hive Controller pushed his console and said, “Send ten battleships to determine what has happened to our fleet.” He turned the console off and stared at the dead messenger. Can’t anyone make a decision? He stood and began consuming the messenger’s remains. He’d check on the findings after he completed his meal.

• • •

The ten Violet Colored Ships jumped out of M-87 and entered the last known coordinates of the attack fleet. The Wing Controller looked at the location and said, “Do not jump us to the exact location. If something happened to our fleet, I don’t want to become another victim. Change the coordinates to ten thousand base units from that last location.”

The Jump Controller entered the new location and the other nine ships matched it in their systems. The Wing Controller looked around the bridge and said, “Make the jump.”

• • •

Two million Blue Giant Battle ships were organized into a giant semi-circle extending out from the destroyed Violet Fleet. The half circle began a thousand miles from the site of the battle and extended more than twenty thousand miles out. The giant Blue Ships looked like giant spokes in a wheel with a hundred mile separation between the individual ships. The Commander of the vast fleet had issued orders that if anything broke into normal space every ship within a thousand miles would immediately initiate an attack on the intruder. The fleet waited and knew that the destroyed fleet would be investigated. He also had ships in No-Space watching for any trails that appeared from the direction of the Giant Galaxy. It was one of those scouts that issued the first warning.

“I have trails appearing at the following coordinates.”

The Fleet Commander fed the location into the fleet’s system and thousands of ships began moving into the area of the expected break out. The ten Violet Battleships appeared in normal space and were immediately barraged by the incoming Blue Giants.

Eight of the ten were blown apart but two of the Violet Ships jumped back into No-Space to escape. One of them was hit by a scout and pushed back into normal space where three hundred ships blasted it into rubble. The other Violet Ship barely missed being nudged by a scout and managed to escape. The Fleet Commander knew that getting every ship was next to impossible, but felt his consternation at missing the last one. “Return to your places and stay alert; there may be more coming.”

The giant fleet moved back into formation and waited as the Blue Giants began a massive evacuation of Andromeda.

• • •

The Wing Controller felt his two hearts beating rapidly. That was close! He had managed to make a quick scan before he jumped away but knew he had been lucky to have survived. His drive Controller’s quick acceleration away in normal space had allowed his ship to be missed by the scouts waiting for his entry into Green Space. He looked at his Sensor Controller, “What did you manage to see?”

“There is a vast debris field at the last location of our Attack Fleet. There is enough mass there to account for the entire fleet. It appears every ship in the fleet has been destroyed.”

“What did you learn about those ships that attacked us?”

“If we could have linked our force fields, I doubt they could have killed us. Their beams are strong, but not strong enough to have broken through before we started firing our pulses. They were waiting for our appearance and moved in too quickly for us to link ships.”

“If those ships aren’t strong enough to destroy us with linked fields, how was our fleet, that we know was linked, destroyed?”

The Sensor Controller raised his wings and said, “I have no idea, but before I go back to take a closer look, I would suggest we have more ships with us.”

“How many more?”

“At least a thousand.”

The Wing Controller thought a moment and said, “Is it possible they didn’t use their most powerful weapons to bait a trap for us to fall into?”

“If that’s the case, then that must be what happened to our Attack Fleet. I suggest we allow our Fleet Controllers to make the call on our next attempt to scan this galaxy.”

The Wing Controller thought about what had just happened and said, “Send the scan to the Hive Control. Let them decide what to do.”

• • •

The Seven Leaders watched the attack on the Violet Ships and the First said, “If they’re coming back they will be coming in force.”

The Seventh said, “I don’t think they will be coming quickly.”

“Why not?”

“Remember, the ships they sent here were surplus ships available because of their victory over the Yellow Ships they’re fighting. Those surplus ships have been destroyed and in order to send a force large enough, they will have to weaken their lines facing their enemy. I don’t think they will do that.”

“I hope you’re right. Continue the evacuation.”

“I will do so; however, may I send a copy of what happened to the White Ship Leaders.”

The First looked at the others and saw their agreement, “You may do so.”

• • •

George and Meisa were greeted at the Command Center and everyone was happy to see them again. Dolly was hugging George when Jeff said, “I have a transmission coming in from the Blue Giants.”

George said, “Put it on the wall display.”

The people watched as the Blue Giants destroyed nine of the ten Violet Ships. Dolly said, “What do you think they’ll do now?”

George shrugged and said, “They won’t be sending a small number of ships to follow up on that excursion. It also seems unlikely that they will weaken their main lines facing off against the Yellow Ships. I’m really not certain about what they might do.”

Chris said, “We need to get Zack and Isadore to start making recordings of what’s happening in M-87.”

George looked at Dolly and Jeff and they nodded. “Jeff, issue the orders and start making the runs immediately. Tell them to focus on the main battle lines and see if any ships are taken out of the Violet Civilization’s lines. I also need you to get that Crazy Cuban here to discuss the best path to follow in our ship construction.”

Jeff went to his board and started issuing the orders.

• • •

Arvolo looked at his board and said, “Admiral Hardy, you and I need to take a trip to Command Center.” He pushed a button and said, “Kenny, I need you to take command of the fleet. My presence has been requested back on Earth.”

“We’ve almost completed the rearming of the fleet. Where do you want us to go once that’s completed?”

“Hold station outside the galaxy. We’ll determine our next move after I speak with the Command Team.”

“Tell George I said hello.”

“I will. What do you know about him?”

“He’s the only one I know that’s smarter than you, RV. I think the two of you will make a great team.”

“Will I have to wear a uniform?”

“He doesn’t.”

“I like him already. Thanks, Kenny.”

Cyanna looked at RV, “Why am I going?”

“I need your insight. You may see things I miss.”

Cyanna raised her eyebrows, “Get real! What’s the real reason?”

“I like having you around.”

Cyanna stood from her chair and said, “Now that’s a reason I can believe. Let’s go.”

Arvolo smiled but knew he wasn’t kidding. She was becoming smarter with every experience she had. No one else could have made the changes in the Needles attack plan as quickly. He knew he did need her for the meeting. Especially if this George was as smart as he was given credit for. They boarded the new attack craft and Arvolo took his seat in the pilot’s chair. Cyanna leaned over and kissed him on the cheek as she took her sensor chair and he smiled. Well, he did like having her around. She took his board to hers and set the guidance on auto as she came around and jumped into his lap. Just before he kissed her he decided that the real reason was the second.

• • •

The Command Team waited for RV to arrive and were discussing all that had happened when the speaker come on, “Is this a formal meeting or informal?”

Jeff went to his board and said, “Why do you ask?”

“I need to dress appropriately.”

Jeff looked at George wearing a tank top and flip-flops and said, “Informal.”

George looked at Jeff with raised eyebrows and Jeff said, “The Admiral also doesn’t like to wear uniforms.”

George smiled and said, “Imagine that.”

Dolly put her head in her hand and shook it. George saw her and shrugged, “There’s a time and place for everything.”

Dolly continued shaking her head and said, “Will you please tell me when the time for you to wear your uniform arrives because I’ve not seen it yet.”

“I wore a tux at your wedding.”

“With Flip-flops.”

“But they were shined.”

“George, no flip-flops have ever been made that can be shined.”

“I have a patent leather set, sis.”

Dolly looked at him with disbelief and Meisa said, “He’s telling the truth. They’re patent leather so he won’t have to shine them. He just dusted them off.”

Dolly fell back in her chair and Jillian said, “He has his flip-flops; you have your smooth file.”

Jeff laughed and Dolly said, “Don’t get started.”

Jeff raised both hands and smiled.

Chris reached under the table and took out a set of flip-flops and took off his shoes. Dolly jerked her head at him and he said, “Hey, I’m a civilian now. Besides, did you take a good look at that piece of cloth you wore to our last dance?”

Dolly looked at Arnold as he loosened his tie and put his feet on the table. She started laughing when he saw he was wearing a pair of satin slippers. “Not you, too?”

“I suspect it’s going to be a long meeting. I might as well get comfortable.”

Arvolo and Cyanna entered the room and they saw he was wearing a Cuban shirt and a pair of baggy pants. The pretty blonde woman with him was in her Naval Uniform. She looked around the table and said, “I feel overdressed.”

RV said, “I told you.”

Dolly said, “Take your jacket off and make yourself at home. You’ll know better next time.”

Cyanna shook her head, “I still don’t know if I can bring myself to dress informally.”

RV said, “I’ll order it. You won’t have a choice.”

George watched the Cuban closely and decided that he liked the Admiral. He had a quick smile and his eyes were bright. He and the blonde were an item. He leaned back and let Dolly run the meeting. He needed to get a feel for this Fleet Admiral. Could he make the hard decisions that were going to be required? Well, let’s wait and see.

The Command Team listened as RV and Cyanna went over the recording of the recent fleet action against the Violet Fleet. George noticed that RV deferred to the blonde when questions arose about the tactics used. Hemon asked a direct question of Arvolo, “What if your Needles had not been able to change their initial attack plan in time? Wouldn’t you have lost a lot of them?”

Arvolo said, “Yes.”

Hemon said, “And you were willing to take those losses?”

“Yes, I was.”

“Why?”

Arvolo leaned back in his chair and said, “If we had delayed then the Blue Giants would have lost most of their fleet against the advancing fleet. That Fleet would have also split up and gone to attack planets with large populations. We had a limited window of opportunity and we had to use it or lose it.” Arvolo paused and said, “I suspect some of you were of the opinion that we should have called off the attack because of the possible losses we would suffer.”

George said, “And you think that would have been a mistake?”

Arvolo noticed that George had remained silent and that this was his first question. He smiled and said, “You are not one of the faint of heart, Sir. You knew that we had to have an idea of how effective our ships would be against their technology. That was the main reason for the attack. Saving the Blue Giants was just a byproduct of what happened.”

Jeff said, “We are considering giving the Blue Giants our technology.”

Arvolo looked at Jeff and shrugged, “The Violet Civilization will be coming for them. It would help us in the long run if they could take out as many as possible before we have to face them.”

Hemon said, “So, you’re in favor of giving it to them.”

“Only if they agree not to use it against us.”

“How could you trust they wouldn’t?”

“If they say they won’t; they won’t.”

The statement brought the room to silence. George smiled, “How can you make that assertion, Admiral.”

Arvolo said, “I spent days listening to their transmissions while I learned their language. I don’t know if you realize this but they’re telepathic. It’s difficult, if not downright impossible, to lie when the one you’re communicating with can hear your thoughts. Their entire culture is built around direct and brutal honesty. If they agree to use our technology only for defense, that’s exactly what they’ll do. If they can’t, they’ll refuse to take it.”

George looked around the room before he asked, “What do you think the Violet Civilization will do next?”

“They’ll be coming back looking for trouble.”

“Do you think their war with the Yellow Ships might delay them?”

“Would it delay you if the same thing happened to us?”

George shrugged.

Jillian said, “The only way they were able to attack was by winning a major battle and having additional ships available. Now those ships are gone. They are in a much weaker position than before they came here.”

Arvolo shrugged as well.

Chris said, “You still think they’ll come?”

“Who’s the bigger threat?”

George laughed out loud and said, “Bravo, Admiral.”