“I was planning to teleport the mother ship into the heart of the hottest star in our universe.” The room stirred at the idea. “However, it won’t work.”
“Why not,” Twig asked?
“When I teleported Angel’s ship to my location, which was a very dangerous thing to do in hind sight, however, I wasn’t thinking clearly at that moment; the three inside her ship were left behind. It appears even our teleportation screens are ineffective against this material. This also means that we will be unable to teleport any kind of weapon into their ships.”
“Every time we discuss these creatures they seem to become more powerful and dangerous,” Tag observed.
“Not necessarily, Your Majesty. I have been concerned from the start that these creatures may see all of the ships and planets we’ve hidden behind the red screens simply by reading the energy emissions coming from them. They may be invisible visually to them but the planets stand out like a flaming torch with the energy it emits. After I killed the three Eight Legs, their entire fleet searched the system looking for them. Our ships emit energy but they obviously didn’t see Angel’s ship. The only way they found her was by the shadow that her ship cast on the moon’s surface. It defies all odds that one of their smallest ships just happened to be located where that shadow was cast.” Matt paused and the room could see his anguish. Matt took a deep breath and continued, “However, it gives us information that is vital. I think this mother ship is here to scout our universe and see if it warrants a full invasion. Right now it is only going to planets that show intelligent life, however, the full invasion would examine every star. We know how to bend light around planets psychically. If we can prevent the member planets from casting a shadow then they should truly be invisible to them. I think the data supports that they ignore any kind of energy and use their vision only that allows them to see those systems that have intelligent life. It may be that the substance they use to cover all of their creations prevents them from seeing energy. When they look at a galaxy, all they see is where intelligent life is located; I don’t think they even see the stars.”
“That is the first good news I’ve heard,” Danielle responded. “What else have you surmised?”
“We don’t need to waste time hitting them with any energy weapons. If they are immune to teleportation then I think we can rule out all forms of energy.” Matt looked at Sprig.
“You are probably right, Searcher; but we still should verify that beyond all doubt.”
“Then you have to hit them outside the jump limit and jump away immediately. Make ten fast, and I do mean fast, jumps and then teleport away. I hope they can’t follow fast enough and conclude that they missed arriving at the last jump track before it dissipated. Reading jump tracks, since they use the process to travel, is probably something they are capable of doing. We can’t reveal that we can jump inside the jump limit or use teleportation. This race is so old that they may have the information in their stored data that would allow them to develop the processes if they ever suspect that it is actually being done.”
“We could also land all our ships and just ignore them until they leave,” Tag said.
Matt looked at the King of the Stars Realm and said slowly, “I have thought about that, too, Your Majesty. However, that would be a weight on our civilization that would ultimately lead to our downfall. Are we going to sit by and watch millions of civilizations we were unable to contact be killed as we hide? The Reg didn’t leave that ship because they wanted to help. They left it because their civilization is in decline because of the horror of what they are unable to stop. I could feel the pain they felt for all the ones that have been killed. We are here today with an opportunity to stop these creatures and save all of the universes in creation. If we ignore that opportunity, what will we become after they leave? I have tried to find a reason for Angel’s death and until this moment I have only suffered because I can see no reason. The odds of what happened to her are so high against it happening that it staggers my sense of reality but I now know that it was for a reason and the death of these universe killers must be it. I do not believe that we should just hide, Your Majesty.”
Danielle looked at her husband and he saw her expression. She didn’t need to say anything, he could feel her. He felt her love and remembered when he vowed upon learning that she was going to have their first child that he was going to make sure that they would be safe even if he had to destroy the entire Alliance of Worlds that was bent on annihilating the human race. If he could have hid then, would he have allowed that danger to always be shadowing their lives?
Danielle watched Tag closely and could see the struggle he was having and then she saw him decide.
“Even if we die in this struggle, to turn away from this fight and allow so many to be destroyed would be something that I believe would kill us just as certainly as the Eight Legs. We will not turn away at this critical moment.”
As Tag spoke, Danielle thought back to that meeting that had changed both of their lives so substantially twelve hundred years ago. Rose called them in to a meeting of the First Family where all of the representatives of every Stars Realm member and Rose had been attempting to choose the military leaders of the future. The meeting had lasted six days and no one could agree on any selection until Rose had presented a radical choice. After very little back and forth, all the members agreed. Danielle and Tag arrived and found the entire assembly and Rose waiting in silence for them. Danielle took one look and knew something monumental was going on.
Rose stood and said, “Mom, Dad, the elected representatives of the Realm have decided who is to lead us in the coming years. We have struggled and we could not find consensus until I suggested a leader we could all trust.” Rose paused, looked at the First Family and then said, “I hereby abdicate my throne and the First Family has voted unanimously that Thomas Anglo Gardner, Sr. will be named the new King of the Stars Realm.”
Tag’s mouth fell open and he said, “I cannot and will not accept this position. You are so better qualified than I that this is a bad decision. What possessed you to even consider this?”
“Come sit down and let me explain.” Tag and Danielle took their seats in front of the gathering and Rose said, “We know the Eight Legs are coming. It could be a week or it could be a thousand years, however, we know without doubt that they are coming. Whoever leads the Stars Realm must possess psychic talents; one of which is the ability to sense when danger approaches. Dad, your sense is the strongest in our family; there’s no sense is even thinking about denying that much.” Tag looked at her and then nodded. “Further, your talents lie in the province of being a warrior. Tgon-Gee says that you are death incarnate and cannot be defeated. Dad, the Realm now needs a warrior to lead it into the future; it needs you.”
Danielle said, “What she’s saying has merit, Darling.” Rose looked at Danielle and Danielle thought, “Uh oh!”
“This is where you will have the most trouble with what we are asking of you; the Realm requests that you allow Atlas to extend your life spans again.”
Danielle stood and said, “We will not!”
Rose looked at her mother and Danielle saw the sadness in her eyes. “Mom, none of Cassandra’s or my children have manifested any psychic skills. They do not possess the necessary vision to know when danger approaches. The Realm needs a ruler that has the psychic skills that you, and I, possess. Mom, I need to be with my children and move them from Castle Gardner. They cannot succeed me and they need me close to them. If you do not accept this role, then I will be forced to it and I say to you from my heart that I cannot continue in peace.”
Tag saw her sorrow and said, “Tommy and Cassandra can take your place.”