Annihilation Series-Searching for a Hero (9 page)

“Just how would I do that?”

“I’ll come up behind you and you use the reverse teleport I used to beat you the first time. You’ll emerge directly behind me and we can end this.” Avery started laughing. “What’s so funny?”

The conversation took place as the two ships screamed around the game zone disappearing and reappearing at an incredible pace. The piloting skills on display were remarkable.

“I’m here because of pride and arrogance. Those are two friends that can get you killed. We thought we are indestructible and now here we are. I will not have this exercise given to me. The only way for this lesson to have meaning is to suffer the effects of losing. I insist you do your best to win this; I can tell you right now, that’s what I’m going to do.”

Avery listened to the silence and heard, “You are much more than I thought Mr. Smith.” Avery’s buzzer went off and he knew that the underclassman could have ended this exercise at any point of his choosing. He turned his ship around and headed back to the space port where he found the other three seniors waiting on him.

The three rushed up as he exited his ship and Jon yelled, “He was given a better ship!”

Avery scowled at Jon and shook his head, “Oh, grow up. He kicked our butts and you know it. Our arrogance is what did us in. We’ve stopped working on getting better because it was so easy to win the games. Be thankful we’ve been shown how much we have to learn and enough time to work on it before we graduate.”

Avery turned and walked toward Ping’s ship that had just landed. The three seniors looked at each other and Charlie smiled, “You know he’s right. Let’s go take our medicine.”

• • • • •

Ping exited the ship and saw Avery walking up. As he arrived he stuck out his hand, “Congratulations; you deserve the victory.”

Ping smiled and shook Avery’s hand, “It wasn’t easy.”

The participants knew that everything being said was being fed to the student center. They tried to hear what Avery said as he leaned in close and said something in Ping’s ear.

“You know as well as I do that you could have ended this before we made our second teleport. You reduced our shame by drawing it out and for that, I thank you.”

Ping smiled, “Thank you, Sir. I hope to fly with you one day.”

Avery nodded, “Count on it, if I have anything to say about it.” The other three arrived and shook Ping’s hand. Ping knew their anger was gone. The Fleet Controller showed up and said, “Congratulations, Mr. Kendel.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“Are you going to tell me how you did that?”

“No Sir.”

The Controller stared at Ping with a serious expression and then broke out into a huge grin, “I didn’t think you would.”

• • • • •

Mios and Jodie were jumping up and down at the huge bet they had won. They were singing and dancing in a circle. Nicole remained in her seat and stared at a close up of Ping on the giant monitor. His eyes were on fire and she shook her head. Why did she refuse to believe him? This was more evidence he was right. She looked down and thought about the implications if he was right. She smiled and looked up at the monitor again, staring at the handsome cadet with the striking eyes. He knew…and it appeared he was OK with it. She shook her head and her smile became huge. She jumped up and started dancing with Mios and Jodie.

T
he next two years flew by at the Academy and, as everyone expected, Ping won the coveted Kosiev Distinguished Warrior award for the highest rated Pilot. Mios and Jodie graduated with honors and were married just before they left for their first assignment. Ping was sent to the Fleet Admiral’s strike fleet where he joined the best Searchers in the fleet.

Nicole returned to Ross where she rejoined the Royal Family and performed the duties of her position. Prior to leaving, she contacted Ping on his communicator. “I assume you’re off to fight for the Realm.”

“I am; what are you going to do?”

“My father would only allow me to attend the Academy if I promised to return and carry out my official duties.” Nicole paused, “Ping, when am I going to be able to come see you?” Ping’s expression turned serious and he was silent. “What are you thinking?”

“That’s not ever going to happen, Nicole.” Nicole was shocked speechless. Her mouth fell open and she couldn’t think of anything to say. Ping saw her shock and felt awful but he continued, “I refuse to have my destiny controlled by outside forces. I will be free to make my own decisions.”

“What am I supposed to do about this!?!”

“Go and live your life. You’ll be fine.”

“Are you that incredibly naive? There will never be happiness if you walk away.”

“I’m sorry; I’ve made my decision.”

Nicole’s wrist unit went dark and she ran to her room and cried. He was sentencing her to a life of loneliness and despair. She hated him for his selfishness. She boarded the Royal Yacht a day later and left for Castle Gardner. Even Victoria couldn’t remove the gloom from her older sister. Something had died in her and her family mourned the loss of the daughter that had once brought joy to everyone she encountered. Nicole became little more than a lost spirit counting the days of a long troubled life ahead of her.

• • • • •

Ping felt the storm inside his mind after speaking with Nicole but he forced it aside and refused to listen. He forced a smile and went to say goodbye to Mios and Jodie.

• • • • •

She stood up and pounded her hand on the panel, “I can’t believe it! That piece of scum is not worth the uniform he’s wearing. Are you sure he’s the one!?!”

“I am and I must confess that this is a surprising development.”

“You’ve got to be wrong; too much is riding on him.”

He shook his head, “No, he’s the one.”

“You have to have made a mistake. Please tell me there’s someone else.”

“Give him time; perhaps he’ll come to his senses.”

“There’s not much time left.”

“I know.”

• • • • •

Lex looked at the Algean on his display, “Have you found out anything?”

“It appears whoever is attacking our ships has developed technology specifically designed to defeat our ships.”

“I’m not sure what you mean?”

“The reading from the Searcher’s destruction indicates that the weapon being used by the attackers is designed to defeat technology that falls within the frequency range of all Realm developments. They would not be as effective against other civilizations.”

“How could they have developed weapons that are only targeted against us?”

“The only answer is they have studied our ships and developed their weapons from that examination.”

“But we’ve not lost any ships. No one has ever captured a Searcher intact.”

“That’s the only answer. They have to have taken possession of a number of Searchers.”

“Why do you say it has to be more than just one ship?”

“Because you have to destroy some items in order to determine if what you’re doing is working. They have to have at least a thousand or more.”

Lex was confused, “Where would anyone ever have access to a thousand Searchers?”

“Has the Realm ever lost a thousand of those vessels?”

Lex shook his head and started to respond, but then it hit him, “The Realm hasn’t.”

Sprigly looked at him knowing he wasn’t saying something. “But…”

“There was someone else who lost millions.”

Sprigly looked shocked for a moment and then got it, “The Dukes.”

Lex nodded and picked up his communicator, “I want all ships notified that I am issuing a Crimson Priority Order. We are going to start a search.”

Sprigly said, “Uhh, excuse me, Admiral.”

Lex looked up from his display, “I suspect the Cats should be able to find what you’re looking for.”

Lex stared at Sprigly and then rolled his eyes, “Cancel that order.” He turned off his communicator, “Will you contact them and tell them what we need?”

“I will, Admiral.”

• • • • •

Three weeks later, fifty thousand Searchers arrived in open space between galaxies and found the vast derelict ships. There were millions of Rovers scattered over a wide expanse of open space. Ping, Mios, and Jodie were three of those assigned to go and inspect the ghost ships. The air was somber on all the ships of the Realm. The presence of death was palatable and the horror the pilots that flew those ships endured was unimaginable.

“Ping, this is horrible.”

“Starvation is not a good way to die, Jodie.”

“Why didn’t they leave?”

“The pilots knew if they used all their energy to accelerate as close to light speed as possible, they wouldn’t get halfway to another galaxy. The system that allowed them to be located worked with the teleport systems and once the Algean device destroyed those systems…well, they would not be found.” Ping paused, “I guess they decided they would rather die with their fellow warriors than in isolation flying toward a place they would never reach.”

“This was pretty cold blooded to maroon them out here.”

Ping sighed, “Mios, these fleets were gathering out here in secrecy to go and attack the Milky Way and the Algean’s Galaxy. They did what had to be done. These ships were traitors to the Realm and were going to destroy it.”

“Did they know what they were doing?”

“History says most of them didn’t; but their allegiance was to the Dukes first and the Realm second. They would have followed their orders.” Ping paused and then said, “The Bristone History says their communication systems were operational and that millions of the planets left behind, after the two galaxies of the Realm left this universe, listened to their distress calls for more than a year before the frequency they were using was shut off. There was no way to find them and there were no operating teleport systems left behind. These ships were doomed and there was no escape.”

“I see the airlocks on millions of these vessels are open.”

“Mios, starvation is a cruel mistress. I imagine I would rather end it quickly toward the end. At least the explosive decompression of open space would end their suffering quickly.”

“Why aren’t there any bodies floating around?” Jodie waited for an answer, “Ping?”

“When people are starving, they’ll do things they would never do normally.”

Mios shuttered, “Cannibalism.”

“It only delayed the inevitable.”

“Ping, why are we here?” Ping didn’t say anything and Mios said, “You’re in the Admiral’s strike fleet. Surely, you were told something.”

“Mios, fleet believes that there is a civilization that is planning to attack the Realm. Two of our ships have been destroyed and the Algeans think the attacker must have had access to Realm technology to build ships to counter us. They believe that ships from this location were taken and studied.”

“I thought Searcher Class Ships would self-destruct before falling into an enemies’ possession?”

“Jodie, some of these ships have blaster burns on them. I suspect enough of them were damaged to allow them to be collected.”

“Who fired blasters at them?”

“I suspect that before the Searchers finally accepted their fate, there was some blame placed on those that trapped them here. There must have been a mini civil war during the initial discovery of what happened. I know I wouldn’t have taken this without some anger.”

“I do notice that there are gaps in the ranks among those with blaster burns.”

“Where do you see that, Mios?”

“I’ve just sent you the coordinates.”

Ping hit his communicator, “Captain Elliott, I wish to take two Searchers and examine some of the ships in this fleet.”

“Why?”

“One of my friends has spotted a gap in the ranks among the ships that have blaster burns. I’d like to take a closer look.”

“Send me your findings.”

“Yes Sir.” Ping activated Jodie and Mios’ frequency, “Come with me. We’re going to take a look.” The three ships left the ranks of the ships surrounding the giant fleet and moved into its ranks.

“Ping?”

“Yeah, Mios?”

“If what you say is true about another civilization building to attack the Realm, if they did take ships from here, don’t you think they might be watching these ships to make sure they’re not disturbed.”

Ping had been feeling a sense of danger the moment he arrived at the ghost fleet but had chalked it up to the depression of seeing the magnitude of death. He focused on the feeling and hit his communicator, “Sir, is there a possibility that we might be watched by those we suspect came here?”

“What do you mean, Kendel?”

“I suggest you order our ships into the ranks of these ships; we might be attacked if they are keeping watch.”

Captain Elliott saw the danger a moment before ten thousand of his ships exploded.

• • • • •

Ping saw the Grey Ships appear and start firing on the Searchers outside the millions of dead ships. He hit his teleport board to join the fighting and nothing happened. He activated his null jump drive and it was also not working. He hit his panel and Commodore Jenson appeared, “Sir, we are under attack by a fleet that is twice our number. A teleport and null drive suppression field has been activated and we are unable to jump away.”

Jenson’s expression showed his shock and he said, “Hold out, I’m sending help.”

Ping looked out at the battle and saw that the Realm’s Searchers were being chewed up. Whoever the enemy was, they had managed to get close enough to open fire before they were detected and their plan was extraordinarily good. Only ten thousand Searchers managed to make it into the ranks of the derelict ships and they were being pursued by more than ten enemy ships each.

“Mios, Jodie, move into the center of this fleet and use the Searchers to shield yourselves until help can arrive. Stay close to the area of the blasted ships.”

“Why there?”

“That’s where they’re getting the ships to study and they might be reluctant to fire indiscriminately. Now move!”

Ping watched the enemy dispatch fifty ships to kill him and his friends. They were coming fast but his ship was faster. He knew help would not arrive before they were attacked. His fear was palatable and his mind seemed to explode. He flew his ship into the center of the blasted ships and suddenly stopped next to a dead Searcher Vessel and turned off all his power. “Ping, where are you?”