Ashes of the Realm - Greyson's Revenge (3 page)

“Did you see any women or children in those broadcasts?”

Anglo was silent and Scotty figured he was replaying what he had seen. “No. It appears the tapes were edited.”

“What do you think now?”

“Have the Zord take a look at her. I just can’t see her not knowing. She is not that stupid.”

Scotty looked at Julie, “Can you take responsibility for her?”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

Nathan said, “I would suggest assigning her to June to assist her in her tasks.”

Julie looked at Scotty and said, “Where did you come up with that idea?”

“June’s father betrayed her; perhaps the two are kindred spirits. She might see that deception is an art that evil knows and uses well.”

“I’ll do that, Nathan. Thank you. Send her down when you’re ready, Anglo.”

“Nathan’s gone to get her and explain what we’re going to do. She’ll arrive momentarily.”

“I need you to go back and check on New Ulmerton while we’re at the Stars Realm Defense Facility. I’m sure they’ll come looking for us now if they weren’t already.”

“I’ll leave as soon as I teleport you and BC beyond the jump limit. However, I don’t believe he will be using his most advanced ships to find us. He’s certainly afraid now and that will slow him down.”

“Thank you, Anglo.”

Nathan opened the door and found the Princess had fallen asleep. He saw her eyes were puffy and it appeared she had cried herself to sleep. He saw she was quite pretty, even with puffy eyes. Her long brown hair hung halfway down her back and made her appear regal. She wasn’t tall, only a couple of inches over five feet, but she appeared taller. Her open expression and bright eyes told him that she was not dumb. Something was done to deceive her just like June had been fooled by her father. He entered the room and touched her on her shoulder and said, “Your Highness, I need you to come with me.”

Mallory’s eyes flew open and she jerked away from Nathan.

“You are not going to be harmed but we are sending you away from our ship. Please come with me.”

“Where are you sending me?”

“Down to a planet. You will work with one of the residents until we decide what to do with you. You will perform the tasks given you or we will put you in prison. I think the tasks will be better than staring at four walls all day and I encourage you to choose that path. That’s all I’m going to say.” Nathan held out his hand and she took it as he helped her stand. She followed him to the small bridge and looked out the viewport at the planet below.

“That’s the planet of the Zord, isn’t it?”

Anglo and Nathan were both shocked. Anglo said, “How do you know that!?!”

“That mountain chain to the west and dense forests give it away. I’ve had dreams about this planet since I was a very young child. I searched our computers for years before I finally found it.” She turned suddenly and looked at Nathan with an expression that showed shock, “You were in some of my dreams. I remember your face now.”

Anglo sent a recording of what just happened to Julie. “You will arrive momentarily. I hope your dreams weren’t nightmares.”

Mallory slowly shook her head, “No, they weren’t. I’ve not had the dreams for years and it’s hard to remember them.” She looked at Nathan and said, “I do remember your face.” And then she was gone.

Nathan thought about what she said and wondered what it meant. Anglo thought about what she said and wondered if this was a possible psychic event. If it was, he had been given no choice in bringing her to Bristone. He started seeing that something was happening and the Princess was going to play an important role. Perhaps he was hasty in his perceptions. He replayed her reactions again and began to wonder.

“Nathan, we’re going back to New Ulmerton as soon as Emperor Robbins leaves. If you need anything from the planet, better go now.”

“Thanks, Anglo. Send me to wherever Timmy is located at this moment.” Nathan disappeared from the bridge. Anglo thought about the Princess. He tried to think about what made him want to kidnap her and couldn’t come up with a reason. As soon as he heard the newscast about her, he made the decision. All other possibilities were dismissed. That wasn’t how he normally functioned. This had to be a psychic event and something big was going to happen that involved the Princess. These events always happened for an important reason. He worried about it until he left for New Ulmerton. Psychic Events didn’t always have good results.

Julie was walking across the clearing with Mallory in tow. She had introduced her to Scotty just before he teleported out to BC. Mallory had bowed to Scotty but hadn’t said anything since. She remained silent as they walked toward the human community. Julie noticed she kept looking up in the sky and she said, “You’re looking for a Zord aren’t you?” Mallory was startled by the observation but nodded. “Would you like to see one?” Mallory stopped walking and stared at her. Julie could tell she was frightened at the prospect. “You’re afraid of them.”

Mallory looked up at the sky and said, “They’re huge, their jaws are terrible, and they are incredible predators. I’ve studied them since I was very young and the information about the ones on El Prado says they are incredibly quick for a carnivore their size.”

Julie said where Mallory could hear her, “Zreeg, are you close by?”

“Yes, I’m about two minutes away.” Mallory heard the thought and looked at Julie in amazement. “I have someone here that is really frightened at the prospect of meeting a Zord. Do you have time to come and say hello?”

“I’m on my way. I’ll turn my color shifting off.”

“That would be a good idea. We’re in the clearing.”

“I know.”

Mallory looked at Julie and said, “Those creatures are able to communicate telepathically?”

Julie smiled, “Yes. They are telepathic and are very gentle creatures. Relax. If it would make you feel better, stand behind me.”

Mallory saw a giant form moving through the sky and she jumped behind Julie. She looked at the giant Zord as it flew in and her eyes were huge. Zreeg flared his wings and came in for a soft landing in front of Julie and Mallory. Julie smiled and said, “Zreeg, this is Mallory Jongo.”

Zreeg looked at Mallory and said, “She’s the evil King’s Daughter.”

Mallory yelled, “He’s not evil!”

Zreeg stared at Mallory and then looked at Julie, “She doesn’t know what’s happening.”

Julie looked at Zreeg and turned to Mallory as she said to Zreeg, “Has she been prevented from seeing the truth by her father?”

“Yes, it appears so, however, she has all the evidence she needs to know the truth of what we’ve shown her.”

Mallory squinted her eyes and asked, “What do you mean?”

“You think those recordings you saw were fabricated by us to deceive you. You missed seeing part of one recording that would have proven it to you.”

Julie tilted her head, “What are you saying, Zreeg?”

“This one has been promised to an officer in the King’s military. I can see from her thoughts that the King, that officer, and she are the only ones that know about the bethroval.”

“Is he right?”

Mallory nodded.

“How does that prove anything, Zreeg?”

“If no one knows about their relationship, then how could anyone fabricate photos about the one she is supposed to marry?”

Julie looked at Mallory and then up at Zreeg, “I’m not sure what you mean; show us what you’ve seen.”

Mallory saw the video of the women and children slaves being brutalized by guards. The vision moved in closer to one officer that was kicking a child in the ribs as he drug a woman by her hair. The officer turned around and Mallory saw his smiling face. It was Canton. “No! NO!!” Mallory collapsed to the ground.

Julie bent down quickly and lifted her head onto her lap and Zreeg said, “She missed seeing that when she originally saw the video.”

“Wait with me, Zreeg. She’ll need help.”

“She has a good heart and an open mind, Your Majesty. She really didn’t know. It appears she was deliberately deceived by her father.”

Julie hit her com, “Anglo.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Zreeg has confirmed that the Princess didn’t know about the evil things happening on New Ulmerton. Her father has not allowed her to see the truth.”

Anglo hesitated and said, “If that’s the case, her dreams must be psychic visions. You should try and discover what those visions are.”

Julie felt a touch of fear and said, “If they are psychic visions, you had no choice but to bring her here.” Julie turned and said, “Zreeg, can you see those dreams?”

“No, they are not in her consciousness. All she really remembers is our planet and Nathan’s face.”

Anglo said, “I’ll tell Nathan he was right. He knew she didn’t know and I didn’t want to believe him.”

After a few minutes Mallory groaned and opened her eyes. She saw Julie looking down at her with a concerned expression; the Zord was gone. “Where did the Zord go?”

“He’s still here.” Mallory looked around and saw nothing. “Now relax, I’m going to let him turn off his color shifting. Are you ready?” Mallory sat up and nodded. Suddenly there was the giant Zord right next to them.

Mallory looked at Zreeg and said, “How do you do that?”

“Our skins take on the color of things behind us. We blend in with the background.”

Julie smiled, “Would you like to take a ride?”

Mallory looked at Julie, “On him?”

“Yes. Come on. It’ll be fun.”

Zreeg lowered his front foot and lifted Julie to his back. He put his foot in front of Mallory and after a brief hesitation she sat down. Zreeg raised her to his back and Julie said, “Hang on.” Mallory wrapped her arms around Julie’s waist and Zreeg lifted.

Mallory felt her heart immediately go into her throat and closed her eyes. After a few moments she opened them and saw the forest far below. She closed her eyes again and then slowly opened them. The view was incredible. She saw the community off to the right and the mountains in the distance. The light haze that covered the forest below made everything look eerily beautiful. She felt at peace but then she knew she had to ask a question, “Julie, where did the slaves go when I went to open that medical facility? The video I saw Canton attacking those slaves was taken in that city but I only saw male slaves when I arrived.”

Zreeg said, “I can answer that, Your Majesty.”

“Go ahead.”

“When BC scanned the planet to see if you were still there he looked at the entire city until he found you. He shared that scan with Julie and I can see what happened to prevent your seeing them.”

“Show us Zreeg.”

The two saw the view of the city from space and then it grew closer and closer to the ground. The view stopped and a section of it grew larger. As it came closer, they saw thousands of women and children in a compound just south of the city. The prisoners were shabbily dressed, malnourished, and most were lying on the ground. The view backed out and then moved in closer and Mallory saw herself at a podium in front of the medical facility ten miles from the compound. She saw the Director of the facility on one side of her and Canton on the other watching the crowd closely. She knew the view was real. There was no denying that view.

Julie said, “I suspect you were flown in to the event from the north so you wouldn’t see that compound. I also suspect your travel while you were there was restricted to a limited area.”

“They said it was for my safety.”

Vreeg said, “I think they were right to do that. If any slave could get close to you they would have attempted to harm you. Their hatred for their captor is real.”

Mallory grew silent and Julie said, “Zreeg, take us down to the community.”

She remained silent for the rest of the day.

“B
C, are you ready to move in?”

“I am.”

“Grang, you want to say anything before we go?”

Grang leaned back in his chair and grunted.

“I’ll take that as a no. Take us in BC.”

The small white ship moved toward the jump limit and slowed as it approached. It stopped and BC said, “Grace, have you decided about helping us?”

“Yes, I have. I’ve decided to send you two teleport boards from the old Searchers repair inventory. They’re an older model and were manufactured before the Gammas. However, I’m uncertain if the defense computer will allow me to send them out to you.”

Scotty said, “What seems to be the issue?”

“We’ve had a major disagreement over my decision and I’ve warned him not to interfere with my decision or I’ll do all I can to remove him from the facility.”

Scotty stood and said, “Don’t send them, Grace.”

BC and Grace both said simultaneously, “What?!”

“Grace, your facility has the most dangerous weapons in this universe. You must not do anything that would weaken your defenses. It’s more important that those weapons are protected and prevented from being taken by those that could harm helpless civilizations. You must avoid doing anything that would weaken your ability to prevent their being taken. We appreciate your willingness to help us but I will not accept them under these conditions. BC, take us home.”

Suddenly they heard, “You’re willing to face defeat at the hands of the Searchers at New Ulmerton?”

Scotty thought a moment and said, “If it means weakening your facility, absolutely. If your advanced weapons were released into our universe, the resulting harm would be far worse than those six Searchers. I can’t accept that happening. We will deal with them with what we have.”

“Grace, I will not stop your boards from being sent.”

“What changed your mind?”

“This one understands the danger we represent. His refusal to accept our help when he needs it desperately has satisfied me that he will keep our existence secret. It also shows me that he doesn’t seek our advanced weapons.”

“Would you allow me to update his two older ships to the Gammas?”

There was silence and finally they heard, “Only Anglo. Jessica’s beams and screens are already stronger than BC’s.”

“What?!”

“BC, she was built for the Kosiev. Of course her armament would have to be strong enough to handle a Gamma. I will not allow a ship of that power anywhere near this facility. She can stay at the jump limit to be updated.”