Tag thought back to her, “Thanks, Darling.” Then he got on his com and called for Commodore O’Donald to bring her ship to Ross to leave for the Dremels Planet. As Tag packed to leave for the upcoming battle, Rose entered his room and said, “Dad, I have to go with you to this battle.”
Tag straightened up and thought to Danielle, “Dear, get down here fast. Rose wants to go to the battle with the Plants.”
Danielle didn’t even waste time sending a thought back; she ran down the stairs and entered the room at a run. “What kind of nonsense are you talking about, Rose?”
Rose stood and looked at her parents and both of them could tell that she was more serious than they had ever seen her. Danielle grabbed Tag’s arm and sat down on the couch in front of Tag’s bed. Rose looked at the floor for a moment and then looked them in the eye. “I am not asking if I can go; I am going.”
Danielle began to tell her daughter who made the decisions in her family but Tag took her hand and made her look at him; he shook his head and then turned to Rose and said, “Help us understand why you have to do this.”
Rose looked at her parents and said, “I can’t tell you and you’re going to have to trust me that there is a good reason for my keeping it secret. I would ask both of you one question; which of the three of us has the best understanding of the war between the Stars Realm and the Plants. I would further ask you which of the three of us has the best psychic skills to see the big picture to make the best decisions. I know you don’t understand but soon I will be ruling the Stars Realm and my decisions will determine the direction that our people will move. I know I’m young in years and it’s hard for the two of you to see me as anything but your little girl; however, I want you to understand that if you don’t allow me to go, then we as a people will lose our souls because of this conflict.”
Tag and Danielle looked at their daughter and Danielle could see that she was telling the truth. Tag looked at Rose and said, “Rose, how can I allow you to go when you don’t have a screen to protect you? Would you agree to allow Atlas to put a screen into your molecular structure?”
“No, I will not allow that; but I will promise to stay at your side during the battle and you know both of us will fit in your shield should it be necessary.”
Rose watched her parents look at each other and she said, “I know it’s early for you to completely trust my decisions and I have tried to simply guide you in the past and let you come to decisions on your own, however, this is not a decision that I can avoid and I can’t manipulate you into doing what is needed. Now you are going to have to decide if the child the two of you produced is really as talented as you think she is.”
Tag looked at Danielle and said, “I will have a chair for you installed next to mine on the bridge, and you will also have to sleep in my quarters so you’re never far from me.”
Rose shouted with glee and ran and jumped into her father’s arms. Tag looked at Danielle and saw her nod her head. Both of them were afraid but they knew the power of a psychic mind from their own experience and their daughter was the strongest psychic they had ever encountered. In the end, they trusted her talents to protect her just as Tag’s protected him.
Tag released Rose and said, “Pack your things now; we have to leave for the Dremels’ system. I also have to stop in Delta galaxy to talk with Cade.”
Rose ran from the room to get her things together. Tag looked at Danielle and said, “I’ve been feeling like something was wrong for more than four months. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was but that feeling disappeared when Rose asked to go. I trust my instincts; there is a reason for her being there.”
“Keep both of you safe, Tag.” Danielle said while hugging him. “My life is on your ship. I don’t want to lose it.” Tommy waddled in on shaky legs and went to Tag and hugged his legs. Tommy had Tag’s brown hair and Danielle’s blue eyes. The little boy looked up at his father and Tag knew he was concerned. Tag picked him up and said, “We’ll be fine; stay here and Take care of your mother.”
Tommy looked into his father’s eyes and then turned and reached for Danielle. She took him from Tag and held him close.
Tag looked at his love and held her tighter; nothing else needed to be said.
The Eldest Leader of the Algeans looked at his display and said, “Destroy that planet; I don’t care about harvesting anything. There are worlds waiting for harvesting, the strangers must be eliminated first. Are your fleets ready and is your plan in motion?”
“Yes Eldest, the largest ships will accelerate to full speed and the rest of the fleet will follow them in. If they are hit, the inertia should carry the pieces not destroyed onward toward the planet. The smaller ships will continue to use them as a screen to hide behind until they reach the planet.”
“The Common is counting on your success. Destroy our enemies.”
“Yes Eldest.”
The Kosiev jumped to Delta Galaxy and Tag commed Cade McAllister. “Cade, are the jump penetrators ready?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, we have them programmed to their jump coordinates and they will be volleyed when the Plant fleet gets five hours inside the jump limit.”
“Why not earlier?” Tag asked.
“Mainly because we think that it will take that long for their entire fleet to enter the system inside the jump limit. We don’t want them to jump away when the shooting starts.”
Tag thought a moment and then asked, “How far will that make them from our front?”
“Three hours.”
Tag just looked at Cade on his display and Cade could see his troubled expression. “Sir, any further out and a massive part of their forces will be able to escape. Some of my staff wants them even closer than that but I’m just not willing to risk it.”
“Are the forts programmed in the event things get close?”
“Yes they are, Sir, and Commodore Roselli has the module that will start their run. The crews will jump just as they leave orbit.”
“Cade, I’m counting on you to provide the barrier that will keep our fleet out of danger. Don’t let us down.”
“Yes, Your majesty.”
Tag looked at Rose sitting beside him on the bridge and said, “Commodore O’Donald, please take us to the Dremels’ Planet.”
Bridget nodded to her helmsman and the ship sounded its jump tone and entered null space.
The Kosiev emerged from null space close to the planet and stopped next to the Rossville. Most of the fleet had not seen the new flagship of the SR Fleet and its two mile length impressed the crews on duty that were able to see it. It was an entirely new design and everyone that saw the Kosiev immediately noticed that there were no lines between its power cells. Tag commed Dorg and said, “Is the fleet ready?”
Dorg looked at the Kosiev out of his viewport and though he had seen it before, he was still impressed. “Yes, we are ready. Please notice that we have mounted mobile launchers on all of the ships so that they can carry double the normal capacity of the new penetrators. Depending on the number of ships they send, we should be ready to destroy the bulk of their fleet.”
Dorg then noticed that Rose was sitting next to Tag and he stood up from his chair, “What is she doing here? This is not a place the Princess should be; what are you thinking?”
Rose pressed her com and joined Dorg and Tag in the conversation, “Oh Uncle, Dorg, you always worry too much. Besides, I have to be here.”
“By the love of the creator, why?”
Rose looked at the Cainth Warrior and said in a soft voice, “I can’t tell you but you’ll understand later; until then, you’re going to have to trust me.”