Ashes of the Realm - Greyson's Revenge Read online

  Anglo teleported in above the planet immediately after the ship building facility exploded. He saw the Princess below and teleported her on board an instant before he teleported out. Two Gamma ships screamed in from the Castle for her protection but arrived a second too late. Those Gammas saw that the crowd on the ground was in total turmoil. Someone had taken the future Queen. They both felt fear at what Daulun was going to do in response. Someone had ships that could teleport and there was no way to prevent them from attacking New Ulmerton without warning. Then they heard Daulun on their coms and, once again, knew trouble was just ahead.

  Mallory Jongo was speaking to a crowd when she heard the crowd in front of her start screaming and pointing above her head. She looked up and saw a silver screen just above her drop on her. The next thing she saw was a dark haired man sitting in a chair on the bridge of a small ship lifting a hand weapon. He stared at her and she said, “I guess I’m not at Alesport anymore?”

  Nathan smiled, “No, you’re not. You’re on board a Bristone Searcher and we’ve taken you hostage. We intend to hold you until our issues with your father are resolved. Please sit down and follow my instructions.”

  “How did you move me here?”

  “I’m not going to answer that question but you need to understand a few rules to ensure your safety.”

  Mallory stared at the young man and said, “You know my father is going to find me and kill you?”

  Nathan smiled, “I don’t know about that. He’s at his best killing defenseless planets. I don’t think he’ll do as well against those that are capable of fighting back.”

  Mallory’s expression turned hard and she sneered, “That’s a lie! I know my Father and he would never kill a defenseless planet!”

  Nathan smiled and slowly shook his head, “It appears to me that you really don’t know your father if you believe that.”

  “How dare you. I’ve known him my entire life and he possesses a good heart. He protects defenseless planets from being attacked and brings them under his protection. He fights slavers all over this galaxy. You’re a liar.”

  Nathan saw the woman’s anger was real. He stared at her and without looking away said, “Anglo, would you show her what happened at Haldale.”

  Mallory saw the large display on the wall illuminate and saw a small white ship in orbit above a blue and green planet. She recognized the white ship as one of her father’s Searchers by the markings on its tail section. She heard the planet’s leader attempting to surrender to the small ship and asking what he had to do to comply with their planned invasion. The leader insisted that there were no weapons that could be used against them and he wanted to avoid harm being done to the population. Over and over the planet asked for instructions to avoid bloodshed. Then she saw three more white ships appear and she heard her father’s voice.

  Nathan watched as she listened to her father question the Searcher. The callousness of his tone was obvious. When he ordered the planet destroyed, she sat down. She recognized the ships because of the NU on their tailfins. She watched as the Searcher fired into the planet blowing it apart killing millions of people. She turned and looked at Nathan with tears in her eyes. She tried to be firm but her expression showed bewilderment. She looked from the screen to Nathan and didn’t say anything but Nathan could tell she wanted him to tell her it was all a lie. Anglo said, “How did he explain all the slaves that he brought to your planet?”

  Mallory turned to the speaker on the wall, “He said they were slavers that his fleet captured attacking defenseless worlds. They’re being punished for their crimes.”

  Anglo said with dripping sarcasm, “Are you that incredibly naive? Since when do women and children attack planets and take slaves? It is you that is the liar or your stupidity is beyond belief.”

  “What women and children?!”

  The display began showing video after video of women and children digging the foundations of buildings on New Ulmerton. Some were toiling in mines. Others were working in fields. She watched as the guards beat and brutalized those that weren’t working hard enough to suit them. Some were hit with blasters to teach a lesson to the others. She looked closer and recognized the cities where they were working. She turned and said, “You manufactured these recordings. They can’t possibly be true. I’ve seen those cities and there are no women or children slaves.”

  Nathan looked at her shaking his head and she saw his pity for her. Nathan turned and said, “Let her hold on to that belief, Anglo. If she really believes it, she is innocent of any wrong doing.”

  “Nathan, do you think for a moment that she’s that incredibly stupid?”

  Nathan looked at Mallory and said, “Yes, I do, Anglo. And it’s your anger over the destruction of Haldale that prevents you from seeing the truth. Leave her with her beliefs. The flyers will confirm them for you.”

  Anglo was silent for a long moment and said harshly, “Put her in a room and leave her there.”

  Nathan looked at Mallory and nodded toward a door, “Come with me, Princess. We will not harm you; it’s your father whom we have our issues.”

  Mallory didn’t want to believe what she saw but the pity of the young man was genuine. That more than anything else started her fearing what she had seen was possibly true. She walked off the bridge with her mind in turmoil and was taken to a small room with sleeping quarters. She walked in a daze and the young man helped her sit down. She looked at him as he turned to go and said, “Why would you deceive me like this?”

  Nathan looked at her, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely, Princess. The only one deceiving you is yourself. I do believe you don’t know what’s really happening on New Ulmerton. How you could not know says a lot about your lack of involvement with your citizens. I can see it’s obvious you don’t want to know the truth.” He turned and stepped out of the room, locked the door, and returned to the bridge. Mallory looked at the door with his expression burning in her mind.

  She wondered who had kidnapped her and what was going to happen next. She didn’t want to believe what she saw and knew there had to be more than what she was shown. Daulun would not kill a planet without a justifiable reason. He just wouldn’t! Would he?”

  “You did what?!

  “I kidnapped the King’s Daughter, Your Majesty. She’s on board now.”

  “What possessed you to do that?”

  “Because I could; I saw the chance and took it. Every newscaster talked about how much the King and the citizens love his daughter, though I personally don’t think that sadist could love anything but himself. Quite frankly, I’d do anything I could to hurt him after what he did to Haldale. This seemed like a good way to start. If he loves her, we can use her against him. It also forces him to go on the defensive to protect him from being taken.”

  “And what happens if he calls our bluff? Are you saying we would kill her? You know I would never allow that.”

  “Noooo. I know that’s the wrong thing to do, but if it will slow him down in his search to find us. He can’t use the Searchers and their scanners and that makes it worth the effort. If he eventually discovers our location and knows she’s on the planet, he might not be so quick to destroy us.”

  Scotty looked at Julie as she listened in and she said, “What are you going to do with her? If you bring her here, she’ll know where she is. Only one planet has the Zord. She could tell the King.”

  “I really don’t intend to give her back until we resolve our issues with her father. She won’t be telling anything to anyone. The value of taking her is that he now see’s we can take him if he lowers his defenses. He won’t learn she’s here unless he finds us. This is just a way to make him think twice before he acts. Now that we have her, he must be worried about us taking him next. He’ll be forced to utilize his ships to protect him and that’s worth the taking of the Princess.”

  “He could just board one of the Searchers and avoid us?”

  “I’ve seen the slaves on his planet longing to revolt
along with news about failed assassination attempts on his life. If he leaves for an extended period, one of his lackeys would try to overthrow him and assume power. No, he knows he’s forced to stay at his capital. He can take brief trips but he can’t leave for long.”

  “How do you know that, Anglo?”

  “There are a number of his relatives that believe he should not be the ruler. His entire family is bloodthirsty and I’ve heard the newscasters report that he’s had four attempts on his life over the last ten years. Most of those attempts were made by his relatives. They all said that was why his daughter had more than sixteen hundred security agents at the speech she was delivering. His family wants to remove any chance of a succession. No, he’ll be forced to stay close to home.”

  Scotty took a deep breath and then he heard Nathan say, “She doesn’t know what her father has done. She thinks he’s attacking slavers and bringing them back as slaves to punish them. She refused to believe he ordered Haldale destroyed.”

  “Is that true, Anglo?”

  “If it is, she is either incredibly naive or outright stupid.”

  “How old is she?”

  “Around nineteen or twenty.”

  Scotty shook his head, “Nathan is probably right. Most young people are very idealistic at that age. She probably doesn’t know and her father must have deliberately deceived her.”

  “How could she not know, Scotty!?! I watched the newscasts and saw thousands of slaves working in the background.”

  “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.”