{"id":417,"date":"2015-07-15T12:21:18","date_gmt":"2015-07-15T12:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=417"},"modified":"2015-07-15T12:24:20","modified_gmt":"2015-07-15T12:24:20","slug":"legacy-of-the-guardians-part-29","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=417","title":{"rendered":"Legacy of the Guardians – Part 29"},"content":{"rendered":"

Legacy of the Guardians<\/span><\/h2>\n

by AJ Marks<\/span><\/p>\n

Part 29<\/span><\/p>\n

Steve went over the reports again from the Skartian Empire that Jack had given him. He had spent some time reading it in Jack\u2019s office, before he got a call from HQ on Earth and he left to continue reading. The survivors were still climbing, but it would take a long time for them to recover. Some five thousand had been found, and even now there was operations on Earth to discover the Skartian operatives to help bolster those numbers.<\/p>\n

What disturbed Steve even more, the fact that this group seemed either afraid to take on humanity, or that there was some sort of secret agreement between some of humanity\u2019s leaders and this group. The second option scared him more than the first.<\/p>\n

\u201cGeneral, you have a call from Ambassador Cunningham,\u201d his secretary said, interrupting this train of thought. He activated his communicator seeing Randall\u2019s face appear.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a new problem Steve,\u201d Randall said, not even saying hello, surprising Randall. \u201cThe Dedian Alliance is being threatened by the same race that destroyed the Skartians Empire.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d Steve said drawing out the word. \u201cAnd what are we to do about it? I know some here who are happy that the Skartians were destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know that report of another race helping the Skartians, well this same race is the one who was helping the Dedians. And it seems that they are the race behind the entire war, from the beginning they wanted us wiped out,\u2019 Randall said, causing Steve to think about that thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cHold on, let me get Jack in here as well,\u201d Steve said, punching a button and waiting for Jack to pick up. He now had both Randall and Jack on the screen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d Jack said, sounding civil for now despite Randall was on the line.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome new information about that race which helped the Skartians and, it seems the Dedians and were behind the war,\u201d Steve said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis group was directing the war against us, like they are afraid of us,\u2019 Randall said correcting Jack a bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how long have they been directing this war?\u201d Jack asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince the beginning, from the First World War, they are responsible for all of our losses,\u201d Randall replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are they?\u201d Steve asked, hoping to get a name they could call the enemy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t have a name, they are called the Darnkess or the Shadows,\u201d another voice said before Randall could say anything else. Steve wondered who this new person was as he appeared on the screen next to Randall.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you are?\u201d Jack asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain Sam Uliki sir,\u201d he replied, leaving Steve confused. According to the latest reports Sam should have been in Egypt, not in the Galactic Council.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t be, you\u2019re in Egypt,\u201d Jack said before Steve could say anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cWas sir, I can\u2019t really explain it, at least not yet, but it was increadable. The things I saw and learned,\u201d Sam said. \u201cI know why they fear us, and its that reason why we must help the Dedian Alliance. If we don\u2019t, the entire universe could descend into chaos. We must establish our dominance now over the Darnkess, or else the path before us becomes unstable and dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not making much sense, but if they are the ones behind everything, we owe them some payback,\u201d Steve said, adding his thought to the conversation. He watched Jack sit back thinking about this for a few seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just can\u2019t head off to another race\u2019s space again, the others might view this as acts of aggression,\u201d Jack said. \u201cAnd even if we do, we\u2019re going to be taking on a race that\u2019s thousands of years more advanced than us. Doesn\u2019t sound like an even fight to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s just it admiral, its not technology they are afraid of, but us,\u201d Sam replied. \u201cI know it doesn\u2019t make any sense for an advanced race, but it\u2019s the truth. They can\u2019t control us, that\u2019s how they work. They win battles not by technology, but mental. Think of it as the bully who beats up anyone in school but becomes a wimp the moment anyone stands up to them. That\u2019s them, they deceive and manipulate to get their way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cInteresting analogy captain, so what do we do, show up and they leave. I somehow doubt that,\u201d Steve said sarcastically.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo Steve,\u201d Jack said, obviously thinking about the analogy Sam had used. \u201cIf what Sam said is correct, they fear us, it also means we\u2019re young and can grow stronger. They don\u2019t want that. However we have help with our allies this time. We show a united front, it might be enough for them to back down. If what Sam says then acting now could prevent further war.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cInteresting thinking,\u201d Steve said, turning his attention to Randall on the screen. \u201cYou think the others will help us out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPossible, I\u2019ll talk to the others right away,\u201d Randall said, leaving the call to track down the others.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain, you were in Egypt not long ago, right?\u201d Steve asked after Randall left.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes sir, I managed to get inside the Sphinx and discovered a whole new world. The technology is amazing but will only allow certain people into the room. It did not yield all of its secrets but I saw the council room, and knew what was going on, a doorway appeared and I knew all I had to do was walk through it,\u201d Sam said, not able to explain the technology any more.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sphinx?\u201d Jack said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the same room that Marcus Johnson found way back. He understood what was happening and why he was so passionate about everything. I don\u2019t know if he knew about the Darkness or not,\u201d Sam said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt explains why he was a changed man after he visited Egypt,\u201d Jack said, he then moved away from the screen leaving Steve and Sam looking at each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you saw the council?\u201d Steve asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was like watching a live feed on TV, and I knew one of the ambassadors was using a device to control the others in the room. With that knowledge I knew I had to go there, a doorway appeared and stepping though I found myself standing in the center of the council room,\u201d Sam said to Steve.<\/p>\n

Before Steve could reply Jack came back onto the line along with Admiral Dinen. His screen was getting crowded.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral, I have a question, how long would it take you to get to the Dedian Alliance?\u201d Jack asked, surprising everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDedian Alliance, how long?\u201d Jack repeated.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, let\u2019s see,\u201d George said, still looking shocked at the request, but quickly worked with someone off screen. \u201cApproximately twelve hours at standard speed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you finished resupplying the fleet?\u201d Steve asked, now knowing what Jack had planned.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust about to,\u201d George replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood, when you finish head for the Dedian Alliance at once,\u201d Jack said to him. \u201cThere is reason to believe that the same race that attacked the Skartians will attack the Dedians. There are other reasons but we won\u2019t get into that now. The Dedians should be expecting you, and we\u2019re trying to get help from the other races in the Alliance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat type of enemy?\u201d George asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one behind it all George,\u201d Jack said. \u201cThey might run, for some reason hey are afraid of us, but still, expect a fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnderstand, so head to Dedian space and help them defend against some race that destroyed the Skartians. They may or may not fight us,\u201d George said as Jack reaffirmed the order. Steve thought George looked doubtful. \u201cAll right, I\u2019ll follow the order, not sure about it. Anything else you can tell us, maybe what they look like, any weaknesses?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, only to be careful, and do your best. We don\u2019t know the technology of the enemy, but they might have high mental capabilities, but those capabilities don\u2019t work on us for some reason,\u201d Jack said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, I\u2019ll keep you informed of what happens,\u201d George said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood,\u201d Jack said, as George left the call.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just hope they are in time,\u2019 Sam said. That thought echoed in Steve\u2019s mind as well. He did not want to see another race so devastated again.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Randall made his way down the hallway quickly to the meeting area where the others would be. He hoped they were still there, especially after everything that happened lately and that the latest mission might be the most important one.<\/p>\n

Turning the corner he heard the voice of Kinser and Toncor and knew at least two were there. Entering the room he noticed a conversation was already going o which stopped when they saw him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, Ambassador Randall, so glad you could join us. We were talking about you,\u201d another ambassador said, one he had not talked to before.<\/p>\n

\u201cActually I need to talk ambassador Kinser for a quick second please,\u201d Randall said, loking around and finding the Ilderian.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is the problem Ran Dall?\u201d Kinser asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need your fleet to join ours, it\u2019s headed to Dedian Alliance space to thwart what might be another attack like the one on Sartar,\u201d Randall said, watching uneasy as the others looked on at that bit of information.<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm,\u201d Toncor said, rubbing the top of his bald blue head with his hands. \u201cYou realize you might be too late. The attack could already be underway. Leaving now could expose others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut doing nothing means they will be destroyed for sure. As long as there is a chance to save them, we must take it,\u201d Randall said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I\u2019ll talk to my government and get their support,\u201d Kinser said.<\/p>\n

\u201cUs to,\u201d the Heckian ambassador said, indicating the alliance they had formed, the other two nodded their head yes to confirm where they stood.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood, have what forces you can report to Admiral Dinen at Ilder,\u201d Randall said. The admiral would take charge of the fleet and organize the force better than he could.<\/p>\n

The four ambassadors left the room heading to the offices to contact their governments. It now left Randall with a group of ambassadors he rarely talked to, aside from Toncor.<\/p>\n

\u201cRandall, I wanted to say sorry for the way you were treated lately. Our military forces are small and only for defense, they would not do much for an attack like this,\u201d Toncor said to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, and I understand. I don\u2019t think many races have much in terms of military power. I actually like the fact most races are peaceful, give me hope for the future,\u201d Randall said. \u201cProviding a united front though, that is just as important against this shadowy race.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen we shall stand with you,\u201d one said.<\/p>\n

Randall had good news to tell those back home after all of this. And hoped it would allow for better relations between them all.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral, we have incoming communications from a group of Ilderian ships that wish to join us, and reports of Heckian warships on their way as well,\u201d the communications officer said to the admiral.<\/p>\n

George looked over at the officer before asking how long it would take for them to arrive. He was informed it would take about thirty minutes. He had orders to leave right away, and the fleet had finished its supply. He decided to turn once more to the Boston and her crew, bringing up the captain.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral?\u201d Ahmed asked,<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain, I need you and your patrol group to go on ahead again, take the Iklerian destroyer Yeghre with you as well. I\u2019m waiting on a few more ships from our allies before heading int, but we need to know what we\u2019re up against, if anything,\u201d George said to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnderstood, we\u2019ll move out right away,\u201d Ahmed replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood, keep in contact, we don\u2019t know what to expect, or the enemy\u2019s capabilities,\u201d George said to him, but knew Ahmed was the right man for the job. He sent the relay to the Yeghre to join the Boston and then waited for the remaining ships to show up already thinking of ways to use the reinforcements.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Jack waited for any new information, knowing that the fleet should be leaving soon, and any information from Randall. He looked up at the communications as a report of the Boston leaving to scout ahead of the fleet, and reports of allied ships heading to join up with the fleet.<\/p>\n

\u201cSir, Ambassador Randall wishes to speak with you,\u201d the communications officer said, looking over at Steve, who merely nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cSteve, thought I\u2019d let you know what\u2019s going on,\u201d Randall said. \u201cBeen talking to the others, they want to join up and are sending ships. I\u2019ve already informed Admiral Dinen about it, and HQ should be getting formal requests. However they are sending only what can get there quickly, the rest is being formed up into a defense fleet in case one of us s attacked.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood thinking,\u201d Steve replied, as Jack looked on, not wanting to say it was a good idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaven\u2019t talked much to the Dedian ambassador, only that he requested our help in this,\u201d Randall said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we\u2019re expected, that will make things easier,\u201d Jack said, speaking up. He did not want this to appear as an invasion. Now only time would tell if they made the right decision.<\/p>\n

End part 29<\/p>\n

Continued in part 30<\/a><\/p>\n

Comment below or send to AJMarks01@aol.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Legacy of the Guardians by AJ Marks Part 29 Steve went over the reports again from the Skartian Empire that Jack had given him. He had spent some time reading it in Jack\u2019s office, before he got a call from HQ on Earth and he left to continue reading. The survivors were still climbing, but […]
Continue reading…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[3,32,28,5,12],"class_list":["post-417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-original","tag-aj-marks","tag-legacy-of-the-guardians","tag-original","tag-sci-fi","tag-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=417"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":433,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417\/revisions\/433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}