The Fight for Creation: Book 01 - Life Warrior (15 page)

Victoria looked at Mandel and said, “You make sure whatever he wants; he gets.”

Mandel said, “May I request we increase his number of Warriors?”

Victoria smiled, “Absolutely, but make sure he’s ready to do it.”

Mandel bowed and teleported out.

• • •

Dominick stood in front of Jon at attention. Jon said, “I promised you an opportunity to return to the ranks after the mission. Do you still want to go back?”

Dominick smiled, “No Sir, I’m content with my current position.”

“Then you’re not going to like your next assignment.”

Dominick’s smile evaporated and he said, “What is that?”

“I’ve been requested to take command of a larger force. You are going to be promoted to Captain and take command of Zeta Company.”

Dominick shook his head, “Sir, I’m nowhere near your skill level. How can I replace you and maintain the unit’s ability?”

“You thought the same thing a while back. Your platoon led the company down the street. Trust me on this, you’re ready.”

Dominick tilted his head and said, “I guess I’ll find out, won’t I?”

Jon smiled and said, “Yes you will. But don’t feel too bad, the other lieutenants are going to be given a new company and have to start getting them ready from the ground floor. I’ll be pulling some of your NCOs and promoting them to lieutenants so you need to choose their replacements. I also expect your veterans to help the new Warriors coming in.”

“How many companies are we going to have to train?”

“We’re expanding to three battalions. My two brothers will command the other two and they will be selecting their Warriors momentarily. Fleet has built us four electronic training facilities and we’ll start the effort as soon as the new Warriors find their weapons. I need you to take charge of getting them ready for training.”

Dominick smiled, “I’ll get on it.” Dominick saluted, Jon returned his salute, and watched him leave.

“Dern, have you started selecting your warriors?”

“I’m actually handling it for all of us. I’m going to all the divisions and sending the chosen to a central assembly. You’ll need to have your officers present so their Warriors can find them.”

“So you think we should reshuffle everyone?”

“I sense that we should. I know that company of yours is really working well together but I’m feeling that they will be directed to other units.”

Jon thought Dominick wasn’t going to like this but said, “We’ll be there when you’ve provided enough Warriors to fill the ranks. We’ll allow all of them to find their new units.”

“I should be done within a week. I’ll see you then.”

• • •

Colonel Jon Gee moved rapidly through the ranks of his First Battalion and listened. He kept hearing something out of the ordinary and he couldn’t quite find where it was originating. As he turned the corner of the third row of a company he heard it louder. He slowed his pace and stopped in front of a Gillian. The tall black warrior stared straight ahead and wondered what was going on. Why was the Colonel moving so quickly through the ranks? Jon stared into the Warrior’s center eye and said, “I need you. Are you willing to serve in any capacity?”

Amet felt something. He said, “I’ll go where you lead, Sir.”

Jon smiled and said, “Fall out and report to Captain Dominick Calso. Tell him that I want you put at the top of the training list and trained as quickly as possible.”

The Gillian moved almost faster than Jon could see. The Gillian were extremely quick and their agility was second to none. Jon continued moving through the ranks. He found two more of the chosen that possessed a different melody than the others.

Five weeks later, the Warriors selected and had found their weapons. The three battalions were notified to report to the Transport Maria Sieng. Jon stood in front of the new regiment and said, “You have been chosen for this unit because you possess a talent you are unaware of having. We will begin your training immediately and I expect all of you to give me the best you have to offer. Can you do that?”

“YES SIR!”

• • •

Three weeks later, the battalions had been organized into their units and had started their training with the electronic screens. Jon watched the battalions practice and he kept seeing the Gillian looking up at the sky. Jon walked over and looked up with him, “What do you see?”

“There is a ship in orbit that I hear calling us.”

Jon stared at the black Warrior and said, “Us?”

“Your name is what I hear, Sir.”

Jon closed his eyes and didn’t hear anything. He sat down and emptied his mind and then he heard it. He opened his eyes and said, “You will come with me.”

Amet smiled, “Yes Sir.”

Jon sent a message to Admiral Mandel and told him what he wanted. The Admiral thought he was crazy but agreed. Jon was gone for a month but when he returned he came back in three white ships that shined brighter than any ship in the fleet. The three giant transports were glowing with a light that was different from any other ship in the Realm.

The crews in the ship yard that had been asked to rebuild the three ships had no idea how the Captain and Colonel had gone about selecting the various weapons and reactors put on the ships, but when they finished the job, the readings stunned them. The Creator’s Song was the most powerful transport in the fleet. Amet was promoted to Captain to command her and was directed by Jon to go and select the crew to fly it. He was introduced to the other two Captains that were chosen to command the other two ships and they sat down to decide how to make the ships into something special. Dianne Trulio and Dera Dorg also heard the different melody and could feel their ships singing to them. What really confused the builders at the ship yard the most was there was only one weapons panel for all of the thousands of weapons on the ship and it only had one control; an on-off toggle switch. That board was not even connected to the ship’s computer but went directly to the reactors that powered the weapons. It made absolutely no sense. How were they going to be controlled?

Most of the interior of the ships was rebuilt to house and transport one battalion of Life Warriors. The selected support personnel performed their jobs flying the ship and over time, they began to hear music.

• • •

“Jon, our ships are ready.”

“And your Warriors?”

“They, like yours, have been ready for months.”

Teg said, “Jon, we’ve decided that you are the one whose talents best qualify to lead our Units. You should accept the rank of Admiral and make the necessary decisions to move us forward.”

“I don’t care about rank.”

“We know that, but there are those that you are going to have to force to get out of our way that do. You’re going to need the authority to tell them when they need to go and pound sand.”

Jon laughed and thought about it, “Dern, you’re the tactician. You need to come up with the plans of attack and I’ll make sure they’re implemented properly. Teg, I need you to continue to develop the weapons we’re going to need. That’s where your strength lies.”

“We both know that Jon. Make it happen quickly, please. You’re going to need the authority to allow us to perform without interference.”

Jon thought a moment and then pressed the frequency that he had hoped to never use. Queen Victoria appeared on his display and said, “How can I help you, Jon.”

“My brothers have voiced a concern that we might run into trouble with other Realm forces that would prevent us from having freedom to do what we think has to be done.”

Victoria smiled, “Jon, you also think that’s a problem as well.”

Jon sighed and said, “Yes, I do your Majesty. Many of our senior officers don’t like taking orders from junior officers.”

Victoria pressed her console and Admiral Mandel appeared on her and Jon’s display. Mandel said, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Admiral, please notify all forces of the Bristone Realm that Fleet Admiral Jon Gee Robbins has overriding authority over all of the Realm’s Military.”

Jon didn’t like where this was headed but the Admiral said, “I will send that message immediately.”

“That includes you as well, Admiral.”

“I never thought it wouldn’t, Your Majesty. I will not be a problem for the Regiment.”

Jon said, “Your Majesty, I really prefer to just use my first and middle name.”

Victoria smiled, “It is your last name that will make following your orders easier to accept for all of our forces. They know the power of your last name and the history it carries. It’s time you accepted who you are and use it proudly. I’m sure it would mean a great deal to your parents.”

Jon stared at her and said, “I am humbled by your wisdom, Your Majesty. Thank you.”

Victoria smiled and the display went dark. Jon sat back in his chair and wondered about using his adopted father’s name. The secession hung over his head and he still wanted no part of it. He sighed and contacted Teg and Dern, who immediately called for a celebration.

Jon scheduled a mock attack on a planet using all three battalions and cleaned up the landscape with the two divisions sent to compete against them. After they completed the training attack, the brothers felt pride in their warrior’s accomplishment. The two generals that were defeated resented the power given to this new Admiral but decided to review their judgment. This Admiral beat them soundly and they hoped that regiment was going to be part of any attack they made in the future.

Jon pressed the general frequency, “I’m proud of you. You’ve done an excellent job and we will be going active tomorrow. Thank you for all your hard work. It’s time for us to get in the fight.” Jon pressed his wrist unit and teleported aboard the Creator’s Song. He looked at Amet and said, “Notify Fleet that we are now active.”

Amet stared at Jon and said, “What about the others?”

“They are ready as well.”

“Do you want to participate in a major campaign or have one just for your regiment?”

Jon thought a moment and said, “We’ll participate with other units in the first mission. They need to learn how to work with other units. Each battalion will work with three different groups on their initial run.”

Amet turned to his board and activated his com. Jon thought about the four thousand warriors and wondered why none of the White Warriors had been chosen. The more he thought about it the more troubling it became. He thought, “Dern, Teg, do you have a moment?”

Teg said, “Give me about three minutes. I’m meeting with my staff.”

Dern thought, “What’s up?”

“Dern, do you have any White Warriors in your ranks?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Does that trouble you?”

“I haven’t really thought about it. Why; should it?”

“Those warriors are the most powerful weapon in the Fleet. They are screened and tested to a level that’s unbelievable. They are generally considered the best the Realm has. Yet none of them are in our ranks and trust me on this; I spent a lot of time going through their ranks.”

“Hi Guys, what’s going on?”

“Link with me Teg and catch up on what we’ve just said.”

“I don’t have any in my ranks either.”

The three were silent and Jon said, “I just don’t understand why not a single one of them heard the trace.”

Teg said, “I think the answer lies in how they’re different from the ones that did hear it. At least that’s what I suspect.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m guessing here, so please note that I have no hard evidence to support it; however, the one difference between our warriors and the White Warriors is their armor.”

Something clicked in Jon’s mind. “That has to be it. Those Warriors are our best but cannot hear the trace. It must be that their armor prevents it.”

“The armor is in their DNA. I suspect that blocks the trace from being heard.”

Dern said, “The trace comes from another creation. It takes a rare individual to hear it. It stands to reason that elements from this creation inside a warrior’s body would prevent it.”

Jon thought a moment, “Call your companies together and ask if any of them have dental work like fillings, implants, or have any other appliance in their bodies.”

The two brothers left the link and Jon assembled his battalion in the assembly room. They stood at attention and Jon said, “Do any of you have dental fillings, orthopedic appliances or any other foreign material in your bodies. If you do, step forward.” No one moved. “None of you have any foreign material in your bodies?”

A Begen said from the back rank, “I do have a sliver of metal embedded in my skin.”

Jon walked forward, “Show me.”

The Begen held out his arm and Jon looked at the scaled thick skin and saw a small discoloration just under the surface. Jon knew that the Begen was average in his use of his weapons compared to the other warriors in the company and he said, “I want you to go to the infirmary and have this removed. Report back here as soon as it’s done.” As the Begen moved out Jon said, “Why did you keep it there?”

The Begen turned around and said, “To always remind me that a grinding wheel and a sharp piece of metal are not a good combination.”

The Warriors laughed and Jon said, “We are now on the active list. I’ve included us for inclusion in any major campaign that might happen, so I expect you to work with any other units we’re assigned to fight with.”

Jon continued to give directions to the company and the Begen came back in with a small bandage on his arm. Jon turned around and said, “Activate your armor.”

The Begen twisted his wrist unit and immediately said, “By the Creator!”

“What.”

“The Melody is so much louder. I didn’t realize just how beautiful it is.”

Jon smiled and looked at the Warriors, “Dismissed.” Jon linked with his brothers and told them what he learned.

Teg said, “You know what this means?”

“No, what?”

“We can now eliminate those that can’t hear the trace when we call for units to examine. We also need to take another look at those that were barely below the threshold before. It may be just a simple matter of removing a filling or other item and replace it with an organic substitute.”