Jake asked Valerie, “What is the biggest danger to the worlds that are left behind?”
Valerie said, “The provincial Searchers left behind can destroy planets with their beams. This could get deadly.”
“That’s true, Val, but you know that the provinces have been building their own ships for two thousand years.”
Valerie nodded.
“Did you know that even they can’t manufacture the teleportation circuit boards? All their ships use Algean teleportation devices.”
Sprig said, “And they did not build standard null star drives in their Searchers. Why waste the money with such antiquated technology?”
Valerie understood, “Their ships will be stuck and unable to jump.”
Jake nodded, “And more than ninety five percent of the provincial Searchers are gathered in the fleet to attack Ross. Sprig, if you will allow the Queen to do the honors?”
Sprig handed Valerie a small black box with a raised button on it. Valerie looked at the box and asked, “What happens if I activate this?”
Jake said, “Every Searcher in this universe will be stuck wherever they are currently located. The Searchers from the provinces that are gathering in open space between the Stars Realm and the Algean Galaxy will not be able to jump anywhere in the Realm. If you press that button, those ships will not be able to attack anyone for more than 380 years. Ales Jongo will not arrive anytime soon to lay claim to any throne, much less the Crown of the Realm.”
Fly Girl asked, “How did you arrive at that conclusion, Jake?”
“They don’t have standard star drives on their ships. If their teleportation devices are damaged, their only way of moving is by using their propulsion engines. They will be limited to the laws of relativity and cannot go faster than the speed of light. Since they elected to gather their ships out in open space between galaxies, they’ll have to travel more than 380 light years just to reach the closest galaxy.”
“Can’t someone just jump out and assist them?”
“How are they going to give their coordinates? The teleportation device provides that information and, I’m willing to bet the Castle’s garden, that not one of them has memorized those forty six numbers of their coordinates. Oh, they’ll be able to communicate, but one’s location can’t be determined with communication devices. Those thirty million warships will not take part in any fighting that happens after we leave.”
Valerie thought and said, “What will happen to them?”
Jake sighed, “They’ll have plenty of time to think about their sins. Valerie do you want those ships available to help Ales Jongo take the Crown and force his rule on millions of planets? Those Searchers took an oath to protect the Realm, and they’re clearly violating it. Sometimes a ruler must be able to make hard choices.”
Valerie thought about the billions that died on Del Robles, and pushed the button.
Jake looked around the room and said, “There is going to be war. The provinces are going to fight and planets will die. With the loss of teleportation, it will take hundreds of years before enough ships are built with the old star drives. That won’t stop the war from starting, it will only delay the most vicious portion of it. This process has been building for more than eight thousand years and has a momentum that cannot be turned. After the war, most of the advances of the Realm will be lost and a more primitive life will be the norm for most of the worlds that survive. Once their economies are isolated from other planets, paying to build star ships is not going to be easy. Those Searchers still in the provinces may be modified to the old star drives, but I believe they will fight each other to gain power. One ship won’t be enough for one pilot to rule multiple planets. They’ll just start the war that will eventually spread throughout the old members of the Realm.”
Jake saw the expression of the Gardners, “Don’t think this is a bad thing. The reason the original Stars Realm loved peace so much was because of what they had learned from living through bloody wars. Earth fought numerous nuclear wars in its early history before humans learned the importance of peace. The survivors left behind here will remember the peace and prosperity the Realm provided and will long for what they lost. This is what’s called growing pains. It’s the only way for them to become what they should be. Thanks to you, there isn’t another force left in creation strong enough to come in and conquer the survivors. They’ll have time to learn from their actions.”
Sprig said, “Sometimes you just have to let them fight and learn from the experience.”
Jake said, “Are you ready, Sprig?”
“Have the Brez Division’s ships returned?”
“I believe so. Manny has them at Fleet Command.” Jake raise his com, “Cynthia, are all your ships back?”
“Yes, Jake, we finished the last Keepers’ ship an hour ago. I just arrived a moment ago.”
Sprig pulled another small device and pressed a button on it. The Milky Way Galaxy shimmered and disappeared.
Tag held Danielle as she cried softly on his shoulder, “We defeated every enemy that could have annihilated us. It’s ironic that the one enemy we couldn’t defeat was us. I wish we had stayed. The Realm might still be alive.”
Danielle looked at the map now showing three galaxies together and said, “Love conquers all, Tag. You just have to make sure you never stop loving.”
Tag kissed her tenderly and said, “That is something you will never have to worry about.”
“I know, my love.”
Jake had his arm around Valerie and said, “I think it’s time for a wedding.”
Valerie looked up at him and smiled, “Yesterday is not soon enough.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
A les Jongo and the huge fleet of Searchers were finally getting sorted out into formations for the attack on Ross. Suddenly he heard, “My teleportation board just shorted out. The entire panel is dark.”
Ales quickly looked at his jump board and watched it blink four times and then go dead. Ales stood up and looked out of his viewport as his communicator was overwhelmed with voices, telling anyone that would listen that their jump drives had died. He saw the Milky Way Galaxy off in the distance and it appeared to be as small as a one credit coin. As he watched, it shimmered and disappeared. He asked his computer, “Are we able to jump back to the province?”
“The only way we can go anywhere is with our standard drives.”
Ales felt his first taste of fear, “Can they get us back?”
“Yes; but not for 380 years in real time. I have communicated with the province and they have also lost all of their teleportation devices. We no longer possess a ship that can travel faster than the speed of light.”
“Will we make it back if we accelerate right up to light speed?”
“I will, but you will not. Even at extreme relativity, you will die of starvation two hundred years before I can make it back.
Ales looked out where the Stars Realm’s home galaxy had once been and began shaking. Surely the Queen will not let all of them die. She just can’t let that happen. Then he knew. They had seen his attempted attack on Ross and knew about Del Robles.
He never found out. Twenty Searchers angered at being led into a death trap fired on Ales’ ship and he died instantly. The two Admirals were the next to die. All the other high ranking officers of the Provinces were killed quickly by the angry Searchers. For those that killed them, death smiled and waited patiently. The Searchers just didn’t discover that until much later. Of the thirty million Searchers that came to attack the Stars Realm, only six died of starvation, still years away from home. The others intentionally triggered their ship’s self-destruct circuits.