Saxon Andrew: A rose grows in weeds

“I suspect you’re right.” The Dremel said. “We expect them to enter our system soon and we assumed your ships were the initial scouts they send out. I’m sorry we attacked you so quickly but we have to try and destroy the initial contact by the monsters before they can communicate our position.”

Dorg gave a sigh of relief, “I’m glad to hear you say that, we don’t share our technology with aggressive races. After Klas told us about your warning his people about the coming invasion, we felt we should come and help you if we could.”

“We are a peaceful people but we had to build the ships that attacked you. Though we are peaceful by nature, we will not submit to destruction without putting up a fight. I have turned on a beacon with a laser designator pointed at your ship. If you will follow it down to the planet we will meet and talk with you about why you came to our world.”

“I’ve got it sir,” Lt. Glensh said. “I’ll send the coordinates to your shuttle.”

“Thank you Lieutenant. Klas if you’ll join me let’s go meet our new friends.”

Admiral Dorg sat in a room surrounded by the twenty Elders of the Dremel. He began speaking while Klas translated, “I am sorry for our sudden intrusion into your system but we have come to see if there is a way that we can help you in the upcoming conflict with the plant creatures. We have saved some of the Pydres from their planets destruction and they told us of your warning them. I came to investigate to see if your race could be helped by my government.”

“Just how do you think you can help us? Nothing can stand up against the monsters. We’re working hard to build transports to try and save some of our population but we just don’t have enough time or capacity to build enough ships in the time we have remaining. Some of our population has already left for a planet further out on the arm of this galaxy”

Dorg looked at the old Dremel and said, “Perhaps we can buy you enough time. I want to discuss the possibility of using your world as a base to be the center of our fight against the plants. We will do all in our power to protect your world in return for using it to be the center of our fleet operations against them. I recognize that our efforts against them will bring huge numbers against you, but if we don’t help, you will be destroyed and consumed. Perhaps we can buy you enough time to save your people.”

“Do you think you have any chance against those horrors?” the old Dremel asked.

“Honestly, I don’t know but that’s why I’m here; to begin the fight against them and see if we can stop your destruction. If you agree, we will not leave you to stand alone; we will fight them with you.”

The twenty Elders began talking among themselves. Dorg thought the Dremel looked like very thin Humans. They were about 6 feet tall and were bipedal like humans. Their hands had five digits just like the Humans but had no thumbs though it appeared that their fingers could bend in multiple directions. Their face was similar but had no hair and the nose was flat on its face. The lips were thin and the chin very pointed. Their skin was gold in color. They moved very smoothly with an economy of motion that made them look slow but it was difficult to maintain their pace when following them. Finally the speaker said, “Klas says that he was saved by your people and he has seen goodness in you. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. We agree to start working together and we thank you for your help.”

Suddenly a Dremel in military uniform ran in and started talking quickly. The twenty Elders got up and began talking on their communication consoles. “What’s going on, Klas?”

“A plant scout ship had just jumped into the outer system on the other side of their sun. It can’t see their world yet, but it’s moving in system and will see the inhabited planet within ten hours. All of their ships are on this side of the sun. They were not prepared for the scout to enter the system from that direction.”

“And so it begins,” Dorg thought. “I hope we’re ready.

The Algean scout ship came out of star drive and the ship leader looked at his board, “Looks like nothing in this system.”

“Sensors indicate that there are other planets on the other side of the star,” the systems operator answered.

“Are there any in the habitation zone?”

The systems operator looked at his board again, “Gravity readings indicate that there is a planet inside the zone for life to develop.”

The ship leader looked at his readings and ordered, “Plot a course around the sun and take readings on the planets as we pass. There may be life we can harvest and we should make sure.”

The systems operator turned the ship toward the closest planet.

Admiral Dorg asked Klas to get the Dremels attention so he could make a suggestion. The Dremel were all talking on their communication consoles so he had to yell to get them to hear him. The leader stood up and said, “We are in the middle of a crisis. What do you want?”

Dorg said while Klas translated, “Why don’t you let us attempt to destroy the scout. We are much better armed than your ships and we can jump to where ever the scout is located. What I need from you is a distraction to take their attention for just a moment. Can you set off a nuclear explosion on one of the asteroids on the other side of the sun and give me the coordinates of the scout?”

The leader told the other Dremel to stop making plans and to listen. They turned from their consoles and listened as he told them of Dorg’s offer. One went back to his console and spoke for a few moments and then said something to the Leader. “We have a small ship armed with a nuclear missile on one of the asteroids on that side of the sun. He will fire it into another asteroid close by when ordered. Why do you want him to do that?”

“I need something to distract the scout for just a moment as we come out of our jump so that they won’t communicate. We’ll jump in directly behind the scout just as the explosion goes off and attempt to destroy it. I’m hoping that being inside the jump limit the emergence of a star drive near them will be discounted as a sensor error. We need to do this an hour after the scout has crossed the jump limit.”

The Leader looked at Dorg for a moment then said, “Are you sure your ship can destroy it? That scout is the same size as your ship and heavily armed.”

“From what I’ve seen of your ships, we have a much better chance than you do. None of them could get through our screens.”

The Leader stood and was struggling to make a decision but finally said, “Nekrn, give him the current coordinates of the scout and prepare to fire the missile.”

Dorg left his chair and went back to the shuttle to go back to the Rossville. He told Klas to stay with the Dremel and translate his communications.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Klas asked.

“No, you need to stay and make sure these leaders don’t do something that would cause the Plants to start communicating with their home world. Plus, we need to time this down to the second. Keep your com open, I’ll let you know when I’m back on board.”

Dorg ran into the shuttle and sent the coordinates to his jump and weapons officer. He ordered the primary beam charged and two needles loaded with 40 hornets each. As he entered the bridge he asked, “Do we have them on visual yet?”

Glensh said, “We’re getting a feed from the Dremel ship that is going to fire the missile and we’ve locked our jump system to come in twenty miles astern of them.”

“Klas, ask the Dremel how long after launch before the missile hits the asteroid.”

“They say 15 of your sems from launch.”