Dahlia's Deception (The Annihilation Series) (18 page)

“They are eliminating threats to their existence.”

“But most of those they kill do not represent a threat to them.”

“We have been observing the many universes that exist and have seen a common thread over the long eons we’ve lived. Even on single planets that have not developed space travel, many of the groupings on them have viewed the others as enemies. We’ve watched, as more planets than you can count, have died in nuclear fire, as the groupings on them attacked each other with total disregard of what the end result of their actions would lead toward. We’ve seen civilizations that are peaceful change over time and attack their neighbors. Most of them have found little difficulty rationalizing a reason for their actions. We will not do anything that would cause a being to lose their life. We’ve lived by that belief and we’ve found peace in our existence.”

Sprigly said, “How do you rationalize the thousands of dead ships killed by your planet?”

“We didn’t kill them.”

“The field around your planet did and you created that field.”

The Crystal was quiet for a moment and said, “I needed to look at your minds and find what I need to explain the difference. I see that all of you are familiar with quicksand.” Ping looked at Dahlia and she nodded. Sprigly also leaned forward showing he knew as well. “If you are walking across a desert and suddenly find yourself being sucked waist deep into sand that is closing around you, do you accuse the sand of killing you?”

“No, but it was the sand that tried to kill me.”

“Could you have avoided the trap the sand represented?” The question was greeted by silence. “One need only carry a long pole and stab the ground in front of them to avoid being killed. Our creation is full of things that if you stumble in on them, they will kill you. A black hole, for example, in open space with no dust or stars around it will kill you faster than you imagine as it sucks you into its singularity. We built our field to maintain our privacy and ensure we would not be disturbed. The ships you see here ignored the warnings their instruments gave them and they attempted to cross our field. They, in effect, stumbled into quicksand.”

“But they couldn’t see you.”

“Did they see the many dead ships?” Ping slowly nodded, “They chose to ignore them and are victims of their choices. We will not kill any life form and will not intervene to prevent them from the consequences of their choices.”

“If I begged you to give us a ship to use against our enemy, would you do it? Please remember that my people fought and died to defend you.”

The Crystal was silent for more than eight minutes and the glow coming from it grew in intensity. Finally, the glow softened and it said, “You have found the only thing that we would consider in honoring your request. We do owe you for your prior actions. However, if I tell you that if I give you a ship, which is impregnable to your enemies, and, as a result of that gift, all of the people in your civilizations die. Would you still make your request?”

Ping was subdued by the Crystal’s statement. He looked at it, “Can you tell me how that would happen?”

“You would have to take that ship and duplicate it.” The Crystal paused and said, “Let me go about this another way. You currently have close to a hundred thousand ships to use against your enemy. If you could immediately convert all of those ships to match the one we give you, what impact would that have on the war you’re fighting?”

Dahlia said, “It would be huge.”

“If every one of those ships began killing one enemy ship every minute of every day, how long will it take for you to eventually destroy all of the ships they have right now at this moment?” Sprigly’s branches fell and the Crystal said, “Your species has always been good at calculations.”

Ping said, “How long?”

“Eighteen thousand years and that would not include the ships they build during the time you go out to kill their production facilities.”

Dahlia said, “We could modify the millions of ships the Realm possesses.”

“They would have to be modified in this Creation and the portals they use to come here would weaken the barrier causing an immediate attack by the Five you are fighting. The Realm would be destroyed before you could modify a thousand of them. Once their ships are loose in the Realm, you will have to pursue them through two different universes. They would still have the portals to escape to other universes and you would never completely eliminate them.

Dahlia shook her head and said through clenched teeth, “I don’t care if you don’t see them as evil; my people are going to be exterminated by them.”

“And you are justified in doing all you can to prevent that. However, that has nothing to do with good or evil; it has everything to do with survival.”

Ping said, “The balance of Creation is getting skewed.”

“Certainly the ones that only want to live alone and in peace measured against those that choose to attack anyone they encounter are getting out of balance.”

Ping looked up at the glowing Crystal and lowered his head, “Isn’t there some mechanism that would prevent that imbalance?”

“That is why you came here.”

Ping started smiling and raised his head, “I do not request a ship. Thank you for communicating with us and we will leave you in peace and not return.” Dahlia and Sprigly looked at Ping and Dahlia started shaking her head. Ping saw her and said before she could protest, “He’s right; if we take the ship, everyone dies.” Dahlia started thinking furiously but couldn’t see what Ping was talking about.

The Crystal Being smiled, “You are like the one that came to us the first time. He taught us the meaning of wisdom and the value of life.”

Suddenly, the Searcher appeared in normal space above the Planter’s Planet. Dahlia looked at Ping and was too confused to be angry. Ping said, “If we start using an invincible ship, what do you think the Five would do?”

Dahlia thought furiously and after a moment moved back in her chair. She looked at Ping, “Would those ships be invisible?”

“No and I suspect their hulls could not be covered in nemite.”

“The Five would see us building them here and launch an overwhelming attack against us.”

“And we couldn’t build them anywhere else because the facilities to do it are only here. They would also suspect the Realm is behind the ship and accelerate their attempts to develop a portal to invade the Realm. We’re too far along in this war for the ship to make any significant difference. At the end of the war the only ones still living will be the pilots of the few ships we could build. Even if we managed by some miracle to win this war, how do you think our civilization would be seen by all the others, if we possessed a ship that powerful.”

“Every civilization would be afraid of us.”

“And all it would take is for a momentary letting down of our guard for our planet to be destroyed. We would be forced to become like the Five, always searching for those that would threaten us.”

“You make it sound like they are justified in their behavior.”

“I really didn’t understand that until the Reg managed to make me see it. It really doesn’t matter whether they are justified or not; we are one of their targets and we have to try and survive against them. It’s really not a question of good and evil; both of us think the other is evil and we are good. Like the Reg said, it’s really a survival issue; nothing more and nothing less.”

“But we have no chance against them.”

“That’s not what he said.”

Dahlia thought for a moment and Ping saw a small smile on her face, “No it wasn’t, was it?”

Ping nodded and Sprigly was confused. He was lost and remained that way until Pare told him. Even then, he didn’t believe it.

• • •

Dean appeared on their display, “I’ve been worried about you.”

“We’re fine; it just took longer than we planned.”

“The probes in the Five’s territories are starting to detect numerous attempts to open a portal.”

Ping looked at Dahlia and turned back to the display, “They’re attempting to open a portal. They won’t succeed for a while so we need to continue our attacks.”

“How do you know that?”

“A rock told me.”

The display went dark and Dean’s brow was furrowed, “A rock?”

• • •

Ping said, “Pare, move the Searcher back under the nemite barrier.”

“I thought we were going to use it.”

“Not until the nemite coating is applied. It can be detected until that’s done.”

Dahlia looked at him, “You must sense something?”

“I do. I have a very high sense of danger at using this ship in its current state. The danger disappears if I have it coated.”

Dahlia nodded, “Do you think it was detected?”

“I only sensed the danger when we arrived here. Evidently, taking it there was not dangerous.”

“To who?”

Ping tilted his head and after a moment smiled, “That is a very good question.” Ping closed his eyes and started looking at numerous scenarios in his mind. After an hour, he opened his eyes and said, “Get your fishing rod; we have some time to relax.”

“Are you serious!?!”

“What, you didn’t like what I caught for you last time?”

Dahlia sighed heavily, then smiled and teleported out to get her frying pan and blankets. This time, she teleported a tent to the stream’s bank with a pad to sleep on. Tess, Dean, and Victoria arrived a few hours later and Ping explained all that had happened. They were confused about what he was trying to explain but felt Dahlia would do what needed to be done.

• • •

“Your Majesty.”

The Rageon looked at his Fleet Admiral on his display, “Yes, what is it?”

“One of the probes we left outside the star cluster we’re disputing with the Black Civilization has picked up a reading near a star at the edge of the cluster.”

“What sort of reading?”

“It had the same frequency as the ships that invaded here.”

The Rageon Ruler jumped out of his chair, “That has to be where those ships are hiding. I want a fleet organized to investigate. Wait to send them until I contact the others to gather their ships to go there as well.”

“Is that a good idea?”

“We can’t go alone; it would cause the Beasts to launch an attack against us. If they have to be there, we might as well bring the others into it.”

“All of our planets are being defended by our fleets.”

“Then only take ships from a few of them to form a fleet. We can afford their loss if we can kill them where they live.”

“I’ll issue the orders but I won’t move the ships until you order the investigation.”

“That’s wise; issue your orders accordingly.”

• • •

The huge Beast looked at the data the Rageon sent and called in his Fleet Commander, “Didn’t we scan this star system when we invaded?”

“We scanned it from a distance; there is no habitable planet in that system.”

“Are you certain about that?”

“Yes Sire, I am.”

“Well, it appears there’s something there that has some connection to the ships that invaded us from that other place. The Rageon are taking a fleet to investigate and I am not going to allow them to go without us being there.”

“Do you think they’re being honest?”

“Does it matter?” The Admiral could only shrug. “Issue orders to form a fleet to go with them.”

“All of our ships are at our production planets.”

The Master looked at the Rageon’s message and looked back to his Admiral, “They say they are removing all the ships from several of their minor production planets to form a fleet. I suspect they are smart in doing it that way. We’ll follow their example. Issue the orders accordingly.”

The Admiral showed his reluctance but lowered his head, “I will do as you want, Sire.”

• • •

Dean looked at his wrist unit as it beeped. He stepped away from the fire and contacted his Second–in-Command in the control room, “What’s going on?”

“The probes have detected the Five are starting to organize a fleet in each of their territories.”

“Where are they getting the ships to do it?”

“It appears they are taking them from their minor production planets. They’re leaving from ten to twenty undefended to gather their ships.”

“Hold off attacking those planets until I get back to you.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Dean went over to the fire, “The Five are each gathering a fleet. They’re removing ships from their smaller production planets.”

Tess looked alarmed, “Do you think they’ve found us?”

Ping closed his eyes and after a moment shook his head, “I don’t sense that.”

“Then what are they doing?”

“I have no idea. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.” Dahlia’s expression showed concern. Ping saw it, “What do you see?”

“This gathering is happening rather quickly on the heels of our visit out to the edge of the cluster.”

Ping stared at her and then started shaking his head, “That has to be it.”

Dahlia nodded, “Your sense of danger there is the key factor in seeing it.”

Tess watched them and said, “What in the blue depths are the two of you talking about?”

Dahlia looked at her, “Ping sensed using the Searcher Vessel without coating it with nemite was dangerous. However, he didn’t sense danger at the edge of the cluster. That has to mean our ship was detected out there.” Dahlia turned to Ping, “Do you think the Reg knew this might happen?”

“Think about it and you tell me.”

Dahlia closed her eyes, “They knew.” Ping nodded.

Dean said, “Knew what?”

“That our ship was detected by the Five. I suspect both the Rageon and the Beasts have probes outside our disputed space to detect if either of them sent ships here. They must have detected the Searcher.”

“What makes you think they knew?”

“They sent our ship directly out of their field to here. They didn’t want the probe to get a line on us as we left.”

“Are they in danger?”

Dahlia looked at Ping, “No, the only ones in danger will be the Five if they show up there and act in their usual manner.”

Sprigly leaned back, “I would have thought they would have just prevented us from coming there to ensure their privacy.”