Ashes of the Realm - Death of an Empire (Ashes of the Realm (Book Three)) (27 page)

“You’re right Grace. I’m going to expand my psychic aura for a moment and I want you to tell me what happens.” Trey closed his eyes and expanded his aura until it was outside the ship’s hull.

“Holy…!”

“Watch you language, Alex! There’s a lady present.”

“What happened, Alex?”

“All systems are active and power readings are at forty percent.”

“Good, here’s what’s going to happen. We’re going to teleport to a dead universe momentarily and once we arrive, you will turn on the absorption system.”

“What are we going to absorb?”

“Grace, Cassandra Reese and I are going to come into contact and there will be a release of psychic energy unlike any in the history of creation. I have designed this ship so that fifty percent of that release will be absorbed by the hull. The rest will be released into creation.”

“Will be affected by that release?”

“I suspect you will but you will not be damaged.”

“If that’s the case, I humbly request that I be present when it happens.”

I also ask to be there.”

“Greyson, Jessica, I’m unsure of what effect it will have on you.”

“Even so, I want to be there.”

Trey ran the possibilities through his consciousness and saw that the danger level was lower if they attended, “You may come with us.”

“I will be coming with the Defense Facility as well.”

Trey smiled, “You are also welcome, Gilene.”

“I will also be attending.”

“BC, it wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“I wish Anglo was here to go with us.”

“Me, too, BC.” Trey smiled and sent the universal coordinates to Grace. His excitement grew and he said, “Let’s get this show started.”

The ten mile wide brightly glowing globe disappeared.

* * *

Cassie sat with Jenna and Carter and waited for Trey to contact her. She held her Mother’s hand and said, “Everything will be fine. Don’t worry about us.”

Jenna shook her head, “If anything happened to either of you my life would be over.”

Cassie smiled and said, “No, there is more to your life than just us.”

Jenna looked at Cassie as she said, “I’m going to have a brother before the year is over.”

Jenna and Carter’s eyes grew wide, “What!”

“You’ll be hearing him soon.”

Jenna grabbed Carter around his neck and started crying. Carter held her tight and smiled at Cassie, “That news comes at a rather stress filled moment.”

Cassie smiled, “I know but it is joyous news.”

“Who is he coming here for, Cassie?”

Cassie started shaking her head, “You never cease to amaze me, Dad. Who would you guess?”

“I imagine TK’s daughter is going to need a match.”

“Just don’t tell her until it’s time.”

Carter smiled, “Mum’s the word.”

“Cassie, we’re here.”

They heard Trey’s thought and Carter stood and took Cassie’s hand, “How do you want to go?”

“Pyle has asked to take us if it meets with your approval.”

“That would be great. Pyle, are you up for this?”

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

Jenna hugged them and watched them teleport away. She sat and listened and she thought she felt a thought. She was going to have a son. She looked up at the ceiling and thanked the Creator for the precious gift. She remained still and thought about all the memories of raising Cassie. She felt a warm glow inside her.

P
yle arrived in the dead universe and saw the Robbins surrounded by the other Zeta ships. Even the huge Defense Facility was hanging in space not far from the gathering. Carter looked at Cassie and smiled, “So, how do we do this?”

Cassie tore her gaze from the display and shook her head, “I feel myself being pulled to Trey. You can’t allow us to physically make contact without you between us.”

“I’m not clear on what you mean by that.”

“You are the initial link that will control the release of our psychic power. You must prevent us from rushing into a premature contact. Take my hand and don’t let go. If Trey rushes forward you must use you other arm to keep him away. Once you touch both of us the release will start and you must keep us apart until you sense it stabilizing.”

“Why am I so critical to this, Cassie?”

“Your mind is organized such that it operates more efficiently than anyone in creation. We are going to need that organization to control our power. Without it, we will become a huge danger to this universe.”

Carter thought about it and said, “Then you will wait here until I return. Can you do that?”

“I don’t know. I’m feeling the pull growing as we speak.”

“Pyle, teleport me to the Robbins bridge and take Cassie out of this universe. Wait fifteen minutes and then come back and teleport her to the bridge as far away from Trey as possible.”

“What are you going to do?”

Carter smiled, “Take some precautions.”

Carter disappeared before Cassie could move.

* * *

Pyle returned fifteen minutes later and heard Carter say, “Teleport me back on board.”

Carter appeared and saw that Cassie was shaking from the pull to get to Trey. Carter walked up and smiled at Cassie, “Now we can go.” Cassie smiled and Carter stunned her with a small stunner. He caught her before she could fall to the floor and lowered her gently. “Pyle, send me some bindings.”

The leather thongs appeared and he bound Cassie tying her feet and arms. He gently picked her up and lifted her over his shoulder, “Ok, Pyle, send us.”

Carter appeared on the bridge and saw Trey lying on the floor bound with the tongs he had used to restrain him. Carter rushed forward and laid Cassie on the floor next to Trey as she regained consciousness. He knew he only had a second as both of their bindings were blasted away by a blue field. He reached and gripped Trey’s hand and simultaneously gripped Cassie’s arm. Both of them fell back to the floor and a blue flash blinded Carter as it erupted from his body. He felt the extreme power coursing through his consciousness and he fought to bring it under control. It was like trying to channel a flood into a small funnel and he struggled to get it contained. After two minutes he felt the power rushing between the two lovers on the floor slow and begin to smoothly flow back and forth. He pulled Cassie closer and without releasing Trey’s hand placed Cassie’s hand in his. He then rolled away from the couple. The blast of blue energy from their contact blew out of the ship and instantly moved out into all creation. Every universe, every dimension, and every place between them was blasted by the blue flash of psychic energy.

The Zetas around the ship were knocked off line and unconscious. Alex and Grace lost themselves in the flash and joined the other cybernetic brains in sleep.

The Orange Beings felt the flash and left their hiding places to rush back to their home world. The Fourth Councilor and the Distributor were stunned by the wave that blew through them and felt a greater fear than the one they had of their former family. The magnitude of that blue flash frightened them and they knew that the Creative Force had a new power that was being unleashed.

Every creature with psychic ability felt their power increase. The ones that felt the greatest impact were the Zord. Their entire species was now connected telepathically no matter where they were. There was no longer a limiting distance to their communications and their ability to move between universes was no longer dependent on their armor.

* * *

Trey returned to consciousness and saw Cassie open her eyes and scramble quickly over and throw herself on top of him. She hugged him as tightly as she could and leaned down to kiss him. They finally broke the kiss and Trey said, “You are more beautiful than I have ever seen you in my thoughts. I love you, Cassie.”

She laid back on top of him and held on. The release was all she had ever thought it would be. The Zetas came back on line and discovered they no longer needed their coms to communicate. Greyson thought, “It appears we are now telepathic.”

“And our skins are loaded with more blue energy than we absorbed from those stars we collected.”

Greyson looked at his board, “You’re right, Jess. I wonder what we’re going to do with it?”

BC said, “We’ll be told soon enough.”

Carter watched his Daughter and saw her joy. He thought, “I wish Jenna could see this.”

“See what?”

Carter jerked in surprise, “You can hear me?”

“Just like you’re in the same room with me.”

Carter smiled and sent what he was seeing mentally. Jenna saw Cassie in Trey’s arms and felt her heart melt. Then she felt Carter’s love and thought, “Perhaps you should come home and give me that spanking you promised.”

Carter started laughing and soon found himself on the floor trying to control his spasms. “Hey, it wasn’t that funny.” Carter laughed even harder. And Jenna joined him as she saw his thoughts. “Perhaps it was.” Carter couldn’t catch his breath.

* * *

Trey and Cassie stood and Cassie held onto Trey. Carter watched the couple and could feel their strength, “What happens now?”

Trey opened his eyes and thought, “Alex, are the two of you alright?”

“Yes we are. We are now fused with the ship and we share a common consciousness. You have strengthened us immensely.”

“I need you to go back to the Empire and pick up the crewmembers Cassie has chosen. Greyson, we need to make a short trip with you.”

“I am at your service, Sire.”

“Greyson, we are not Royalty.”

“You might get away with that with others but we know who our loyalty lies with.”

“Thank you, Grace; lets dispense with the honorifics until the appropriate time, please.”

“We will do as you command.”

Carter listened and knew what the ships were thinking, “Where are you going?”

“We’re going back to Bristone’s Universe.”

“Anywhere in particular?”

Trey and Cassie smiled, “We’re going where it all started.”

“Do you mind if I go with you?”

Trey looked at Cassie and she said, “Go back to New Hope and pick up Jingo and Grang and come back here as quickly as possible. We’ll be leaving in fifteen minutes.”

“Pyle, take me there.”

Carter disappeared and Cassie looked into Trey’s eyes, “I would prefer to do something else right now.”

Trey smiled, “Me, too, my Love.”

“Well, first things first; Greyson, take us onboard.”

“Grace?”

“I’m going. The rest of you come with me to New Hope.”

The Zetas disappeared from the now completely dead universe. Not even one celled creatures survived the psychic blast.

* * *

Carter, Jingo, and Grang arrived after eight minutes and Trey pulled Cassie over and said, “Fathers, this is my wife Cassie Robbins.”

Jingo looked at Grang and they looked back at Trey, “Uhhh, when did this happen?”

Cassie rushed forward and hugged the small Cainth Warrior, “My Grandmother married us yesterday.” Jingo reached up and hugged Cassie around her waist. She was six feet tall and towered over the five foot four inch Jingo. She moved and hugged Grang around his waist. The Seven foot six inch Magrum towered over Cassie. Grang put his arms around her and gave her a little hug, “Congratulations.” Grang nudged Jingo and he jerked and said, “Yeah, congratulations.”

Trey smiled, “We have been waiting for each other our entire lives and the moment has finally arrived where we can be together. We will have the Ceremony after we return from our trip.”

Jingo looked at Trey and felt his joy. He also felt the increased power of his adopted son. “Where are we going?”

“We are going to have a conversation in our former universe.”

Grang grunted and said, “Bristone?”

Trey smiled, “No, El Prado.”

The three looked at each other and Carter said, “Wasn’t it destroyed?”

“No. There wasn’t any intelligent life left on the planet and it was spared when the Invaders attacked. Greyson, if you will take us there?”

The five looked up at the main display and saw their former home. Jingo slowly shook his head, “I miss this place.”

Cassie smiled, “There’s no place like home.”

Grang took a deep breath, “No, there isn’t. This is where I killed Madeline and had my life spared by my brother.”

Trey put his arm around Grang’s shoulders and pointed at the display, “And this is where you were prepared to make me the Warrior I had to become.”

Cassie smiled, “Both of you have done such a wonderful job of raising my husband. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Jingo stared at the birthplace of his first child and the fight during the Night of the Torg. He remembered all the nights gazing at the stars with Scotty, “Why are we here?”

“I wanted you to witness the destruction of the Invader’s ships first. I also want you to witness the next important event in the Empire’s history.”

“What event is that?”

“The return of the Realm.”

* * *

The three thousand foot long white ship teleported into El Prado’s orbit and saw the four thousand foot long bright white ship hanging in orbit over the planet, “Do you recognize that ship?”

“Yes, it’s an old Zeta ship.”

“I didn’t think there were any of them left behind.”

“The Defense Facility had twenty of them in its inventory. This must be one of them.”

“I thought those ships weren’t supposed to be released.”

“They weren’t. I’m not sure about why it was.”

“We can handle it, can’t we?”

“That old design poses no threat to us. We need to see if it can tell us what caused that psychic wave and why all the planets have been destroyed in this universe. Something happened here that was disastrous. We need to find out what it was so we can tell the Crown.”

“That’s as close as we’ll allow you to come.”

“It’s an old Realm frequency.”

The Searcher said, “We will hold our position. We need to ask a few questions if you don’t mind.”

“We do mind and suggest you go back and bring someone here that has the authority to carry on a conversation with us.”

The Searcher felt his anger and said, “You will answer my questions.”