Pray for the Prey Read online

  “I understand that you have come here with a request. I’ve been sent to discuss what you are asking us to do.”

  “I am Boden and I’ve been selected by the worlds that your fleet freed from the Fatal Empire to make a proposal. We learned on our last visit that you are currently being attacked by another civilization from a different galaxy and that is why you moved here. We have also been attacked in the past and it was the Fatal that prevented those forces from destroying us.”

  Chris was shocked at the revelation. “When did that happen?”

  “The last invasion was over six thousand years ago. The invader retreated and the Fatal did not chase them and remove them as a threat. We know they are still out there and without the Fatal, we would be helpless against them.”

  “You could build your own ships and defend yourselves if you choose.”

  “I wish that were possible, but there isn’t much hope that we could ever do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “We have been under the crushing rule of the Fatal for more than four hundred thousand years. The ones they picked to sacrifice on their planets were anyone that showed even the slightest aggressive tendency. They have systematically forced us into populations that have no ability or will to fight. The idea of attacking anyone is abhorrent to us and though we know it has to be done, we just can’t bring ourselves to do it. Perhaps over time our worlds will eventually overcome this inbred quality, but that will be far in the future. For the moment, we are quite helpless against any one that attacks us.”

  “Don’t you worry about telling us this?”

  “Of course, but you would discover our weakness as soon as you made any contact with us. The initial contact with your ship’s commander caused us to wonder if you were possibly someone we could trust with our welfare. The truth of this situation is that we need you more than you need us. It’s just a matter of time until we are invaded again.”

  Chris looked at Jillian and then said, “You should know that we would come to your defense whether you assisted us or not. We do not allow aggressive civilizations to attack innocent planets without responding. The invaders would also be a threat to our colonies.”

  “You don’t know how happy I am to hear you say that. We hoped that you thought like this but we still insist on building the ships for you.”

  “Why? Won’t it take away from your economies to do that?”

  “We are, if nothing else, manufacturers and engineers of the highest order. It’s what we have been forced to become. We built the ships for the Fatal, even though we knew they would be used against us. We chose not to build them as powerful as we could have made them.” The being paused and then said, “By building the tools you need to defend us, we are safer than having you face any invader alone. I’m sure you could use them to help you survive your current war as well.”

  “How do I know we can trust you?”

  The being laughed, “That could very easily be verified by a visit to any of our worlds.”

  “What are your plans now that you’re free?”

  “We will all work together to make this galaxy the most peaceful place in our universe. However, we know that if we are unable to defend ourselves, our new community will fall with the first threat.”

  Chris thought a moment and said, “Take me to your world now. I want to see your society.”

  “I’ve just sent you the coordinates. Please join me there.”

  The ten ships jumped away and a few moments later the Jukebox joined them.

  • • •

  George, Chris, Jillian, and Arvolo sat in the new Command Center on Dundee and watched the two engineers set up their materials to make a presentation. “Why did you need us here?”

  “I know you’re anxious to make your study of M-87, but Dr. Levin requested this meeting and said that our leadership should be in attendance. He’s never been as excited as he is now. Something is up, Chris.”

  “He’s been working with the planets in M-49, hasn’t he?”

  “Yes, and I believe this has something to do with what he’s discovered there. I just think we should all be here for this.”

  “Dr. Morrison also looks quite animated.”

  George smiled, “You’re right RV. I asked what this had to do with and didn’t get an answer. They just said it was important.”

  Chris looked at RV and said, “I understand that we are moving all of our shipbuilding facilities to M-49.”

  RV shrugged and said, “None of our colonies can match the industry on those planets and it will take decades to duplicate their ability to manufacture. We are going to build the weapons used on our ships in the colonies. We’re also moving the fleet academy to a planet in that galaxy. The ship we’ve had it on is too small to handle the massive numbers of new trainees.”

  Jillian said, “I’ve been meaning to ask you about that. How are the Moet and Alliance volunteers panning out?”

  RV smiled, “They are quite motivated. I don’t think Tenah and the Baron expected what happened when they suggested their civilizations join us in our efforts to defend the galaxy.”

  George said, “I understand that they were immediately replaced by elected bodies of citizens that chose other leaders. They still direct their planets, but have lost the power they once enjoyed.”

  RV said, “They didn’t mind the change. They both recognized that they represented a time in their civilization’s history that their citizens now abhor. They have a voting seat in the new body and are content with the direction things are moving.”

  RV looked at George and said, “I suspect you are being kept busy by all the events taking place?”

  George took a deep breath, “Their new constitution requires the chosen leader of our species to have veto power over any of their actions and will handle any issue that may crop up between our cultures. It appears my decision will be binding with no possibility of appeal.”

  Jillian smiled, “What are we going to call our little organization?”

  “I have no idea and I’m open to any suggestions.”

  RV said, “Ask the new members of our little group to gather suggestions and allow the new legislature to select the best one. You can always veto it if you don’t like it.”

  George stared at RV and then nodded. He looked over at Meisa and she left to send the request to the new leaders of the Alliance and Moet.

  Jillian said, “You didn’t answer my question about how the Moet and Alliance trainees are doing?”

  RV sighed and said, “I hate to say it, but they are better than us in many areas.”

  “Why is that?”

  “The Moet are perfect for the Needles and Attack Craft. I’ve often said that it takes three arms to really fly those ships and the Moet can grow four or more if they want. They also have two brains that can each handle either weapons or defenses. They took to the small craft like they were made for each other.” RV paused and then said, “The warriors coming from the Moet and Alliance have been at war with each other, and God only know how many invaders, for millions of years. We’ve only been at it for less than a decade. I know we’ve been fighting among ourselves for thousands of years but that has been land battles. Those two have been fighting space battles before humans walked erect. They have a natural predisposition for it.”

  The room was silent as the attendees looked at each other and Chris finally asked, “Are we going to give them command of a main battleship?”

  “They don’t want it. They prefer having humans in command positions. It seems they don’t trust their instincts when given too much power.” RV saw them relax and he said, “However, I am going to place quite a few of them in command of our battleships.”

  Chris said, “I’m nervous about that.”

  “Don’t be. We don’t have enough seasoned sailors to take command of our new ships. I’ve seen too many commanders show reluctance to take action when the situation required it. These new recruits won’t have that weakness. I’ll s
creen the ones selected and make sure they are trustworthy. We need to make sure that we don’t allow the Moet and Alliance citizens to get the feeling that they are second class citizens in this new venture. Allowing them to occupy roles of leadership will help us in the long run.”

  Chris looked at George, “Do you agree with this?”

  “I suggested that RV take a look and see if it was possible. The Moet and Alliance have a huge respect for us and what we’ve done for them right now. That can erode quickly if we treat them as second class citizens. It’s the right thing to do. We’re also going to allow free movement between all of our member planets.”

  Chris slowly shook his head, “I guess the confrontation with the Moets and Alliance has jaded me. I’m just not comfortable trusting them.”

  “Keep in mind that the former leadership of those civilizations pretty much kept their populations in bondage, closely resembling slavery. It is those other planets that I trust, Chris. They will not return to the bindings that held them in poverty and submission for so long.”

  Meisa had returned and was listening in to the conversation. She said, “You need to visit one of their planets that was not a capital and you’ll see that they are very different from what you’ve seen.”

  Dr. Levin walked up to the table and said, “We’re ready if you’ll just move your chairs over to the main wall display.” The four moved across the room and Dr. Levin said, “We’ve discovered something quite remarkable about our new friends in M-49. They told us they were great engineers and manufacturers, but we discovered when we went to set up their factories to build our ships that they made an understatement.”

  George said, “What do you mean?”

  “Their factories are the finest work of robotics I have ever seen. They fed our plans for a main battleship into their computer and it came back with a list of eight thousand improvements in our design.” He paused and saw the amazement of the group. “Most of them were small things but two of them were significant.”

  “What were those Dr.?”

  “The first was a lens that can now focus and direct the beams from our main guns.”

  RV said, “Are you serious!?!”

  “Yes I am; and they can be fired continuously without melting.”

  RV looked at George and said, “That beam can penetrate a Violet force field if we can fire it longer than three seconds. This makes a huge difference.”

  “Actually, the second discovery reduces the time you need to fire it.”

  RV stared at Levin and looked at George before he said, “And that discovery was?”

  Levin turned to George and said, “You gave us the first combination of materials to strengthen our reactors. We then collected information from an Alliance and Jenze battleship which increased our reactor’s power to what it is today. We’ve discovered that the ships that were used by the Fatal used a power source that used elements which only included the first two of our current chain. However, there are six others below those two we are not currently using.”

  George stared at Levin in shock. RV saw George’s expression and said, “What are you thinking?

  George looked at RV and then said to Dr. Levin, “Have you tested it?”

  “Yes.”

  “And?”

  “We’re going to need to increase the size of the containment area in our reactors.”

  Meisa sat up and said, “Are you serious?”

  “Very.”

  “How much larger?”

  “Double.”

  Meisa said, “Oh my God!”

  Chris said, “What?”

  George said, “That containment vessel was designed to handle ten times its current power. Dr. Levin is telling us that our power is being increased a hundred times what it is now.”

  “Actually, it’s seventy five times. We’re building in some space for safety reasons.”

  RV said, “Our ships aren’t big enough to carry a reactor that’s twice as large as our current ones.”

  Dr. Levin shrugged and then turned to Dr. Morrison who said, “You’re right; they’re too small. We are going to have to build a different ship than the one currently being used by the fleet.”

  RV looked at Dr. Morrison and asked, “How will it be different?”

  “Our current main battleships are 1,800 feet long. The new one will be close to a mile.”

  “Five thousand feet!!!”

  “Yes, but that won’t be a problem. Our new friends can and will build ships that big for us rather quickly.”

  “And how many sailors will be needed to crew these ships?”

  “Actually, not many more than you’re currently using.”

  RV shook his head, “How is that possible?”

  “Our current design has almost two thirds of the crew manning the beams and main guns on the ship. With this new design, there will be no need for the standard beams. Every beam will become a main gun. They will be scanner guided and the power used will be selected by the one firing the weapon. They also have a computer that will direct all of the weapons on the ship. That computer is absolutely amazing and if I didn’t know better, I’d have thought it was alive.”

  “Does it fly the ship as well?”

  “Under normal conditions it does; however, in combat a pilot will have to fly the ship.”

  George said, “What are you going to do with all the space not used by the crew?”

  “Make no mistake; the numbers of sailors on the ship will go up. We’ve never liked the idea of our main battleships not having Needles for their protection. We’re building two hundred and fifty launch tubes that will hold three Needles.”

  “What about the attack craft?”

  “There will be more than a hundred places on the hull where they will be docked. The main reason the ship has to be so long is the reactors will have to be located along the middle of the ship with a three hundred yards spacing between them. The living space for the crew will be built around them.”

  RV said, “Just how maneuverable will this new ship be? I don’t want to give up our ability to change course quickly.”

  Morrison smiled, “With the additional power, the thrusters will be able to generate more thrust. Our new ship will also be weightless. The new ship will run circles around the old one. At least our computer models indicate that it will. The additional crew members are needed to support the small ships. Maintenance and flight operations will need at least three hundred crewmembers.”

  Chris asked, “Can we use this new power in our smaller ships?”

  “No, we can’t. The reactor needed to make that possible would be bigger than the ship.”

  George smiled, “Not if we just added a couple of the new elements to their reactors. The increase in power would be enough to make them stronger.”

  Morrison looked at Levin and he shrugged. Morrison turned back to the group and said, “We’ll have to experiment with that possibility. We’ll let you know what we determine.”

  Meisa said, “It will work. The current reactors are able to handle ten times more energy. We don’t need that much more power to make those ships deadly to a Violet Ship. The Jenze used different reactor material for their large and small ships.”

  “Like I said; that’s something we will have to experiment with to make that determination. However, I do suspect you’re right.”

  George said, “This is great news. When will the first ship be available for testing, if they can actually build one?”

  “Ten weeks.”

  “That soon?”

  “That’s what they tell me. They’re waiting on approval to start.”

  George looked at Chris and Jillian and said, “Your trip to M-87 will be delayed until after that ship is ready.” Chris started to protest and George said, “I will not send you to that galaxy unless you are in our most powerful ship. You also need to be there is make sure your scanners and time fields are installed properly. It will also give your crew the time to learn how to fight the new
ship.”

  Chris shut his mouth and then said, “Why are you worried about taking our current ship?”

  “How many aggressive civilizations exist in that galaxy? And you also have to ask why the two we’ve run into so far are forced to exist out on the outer edge of that galaxy? We don’t know what kind of technology exists in the rest of that giant and I’m not going to take a risk if we can avoid it. This is not optional.”

  Chris looked at Jillian and she looked at George and said, “Yes, Sir. We will follow your orders.”

  George said, “Get off that formal tone with me, Jillian. What if I were going?”

  Jillian was surprised by George’s forceful response and Chris sighed and said, “Ok, we’ll do it your way.”

  Jillian smiled and said, “I guess we’ll have to hone up on our dancing skills.”

  Dr. Morrison shook his head, “I suspect you will need every moment available to learn how to use this new ship. Make sure your crew is prepared to come back and assume command of one of them.”

  George looked at Meisa, “You should go with Dr. Morrison and see if you can assist with this new reactor. I’ll join you when I catch up on my to-do list.”

  Meisa smiled, “I’ll see you when I’m finished. You won’t get that done for quite a long time.”

  “You’re probably right. However, you are the reactor expert. This could be a difference maker if we can make it happen.”

  “I’ll go with Chris and Jillian to the construction site.”

  Jillian said, “Great; that will be fun.”

  RV said, “I would like to go take a look at this new ship as well.”

  “Leave someone in charge in your absence.”

  “Bob or Kenny can handle it. Admiral Hardy will need to go with me to take part in our smaller ship’s development. I’ll make sure I stay in contact.”

  George nodded and looked at the picture of the new ship on his display and thought, “Dolly, I’ll send your killers a message soon.”