Chapter 12

Even with that many, they still seemed to be endless as they rushed forward. I smiled again as the third set went off, drastically slowing them. I believe that we had destroyed at least ten thousand before the first ship reached the shield.

I nodded to the others as they started to send out energy blasts that were taking ten at a time. Soon enough, there was a huge junkyard of wrecked and destroyed ships in orbit.

The others were taking a heavy toll on the enemy, though I could see that they were tiring rather quickly. As they started to drop from exhaustion, we started to step in. First, the old crew started to take forty to fifty each time.

We had started to devastate the enemy though there were still too many. Still, when Alice and my daughters started to take a hundred at a time, they finally started to thin a little.

I had just joined them, taking a thousand, when I felt them trying to breach the weak point. I wasn’t sure that I could get two points though, but I was going to try.

Some of the first of the few had partly recharged and were back at it. That’s when I heard a shout throwing a shield around one of the females. Damnit! I was close to losing a few of them if I didn’t end this soon.

I was starting to get angry that we were going to lose a bunch of people. In fact, I was so mad that I released the most powerful blast that I ever had. I heard everyone near me gasp as it hit the middle of the fleet. They said that it hit and washed through the fleet, taking over ninety percent that were left.

Andy caught me as I went down. I smiled as I felt the blast start to eat away at the fleet. I could swear that it didn’t stop as it went all the way through their ranks.

Good, I thought, the others should be able to finish this. I tried to fight it, though a minute later the darkness took me.

Thankfully, what I had done actually made what was left pause and back up out of what they thought was range. I could feel that they were actually confused as they looked at what was left.

It gave everyone a chance to rest and recharge. I sighed as I sunk further, the other four were still a few hours away. I was in the gray mist again as the four races were congratulating me.

No, I thought there was still enough out there that they could kill a great deal of the earth. I was shocked when I was suddenly on the lead ship, and they were coming out of their faster than light travel. I know my mouth was hanging open as Xeinther smiled at me.

You said that you were hours away, how? I was asking.

We knew that they would be listening, misinformation gets them most of the time. I smiled at what he said.

With them stopped momentarily, the advancing four fleets started to lay waste to the Xetrons.

An hour later it was over though, as I well knew, this was just the first wave. I looked at the four representatives with a worried look. I know that they have a second wave coming.

They aren’t going to stop ‘til they manage to wear us down. I am going to have to go there and possibly put an end to this. This, of course, had the other four there worrying.

Bill, we all know that you are very powerful. It is an entirely different thing to take on a whole planet.

I nodded my head; I have to I can’t see any other way. I only took a few thousand from the first wave, it barely helped.

That may be true, though if you expire, then it would amount to almost the same end. You are the hope of all of them you have to live.

That’s all good, though what good am I if I allow them to die? I want them to survive not give their lives for nothing.

What makes you think that them dying will be for nothing? Almost every one of them realizes what not succeeding will mean for them and the earth.

I sighed; I made a promise to myself that I would not let them die. I want to try and keep that promise.

Xeinther sadly shook his head, as noble as that is, I am afraid that it isn’t always possible. All we can do is make sure that their sacrifice was as noble as the cause.

I tried to talk without losing my temper. I don’t really care if the cause is that noble. I DO NOT intend to lose anyone. That is unacceptable to me.

I was afraid that I had gone too far when Xeinther and the other four slightly shifted away from me.

I apologize to all of you. I feel very strongly about this. As all of you have said, I have done things that none have ever seen before. Who’s to say that I can’t do what I said I could?

I saw all four of them turn and look at each other, seeming to have a conversation between the four of them. Your last statement is very true, Dutenner of the Escalees said. His fish-like body vibrating with excitement.

So, if it is so true, then why am I feeling that all of you have doubts? I thought to them.

The praying mantis, Skatnes of the Herithons, spoke up. You are powerful, more than any of the four races has ever seen. You have to remember that you are new to this. We are afraid that you will try to do much more than your energy and body will allow.

I looked at four of the beings there, why in the hell did this feel like I had heard it before? Look the four of you, if I have to give my life for this world, I will.

I saw all four of them look at each other with small smiles on their faces. This we know, though with the power you have, it shouldn’t be necessary.

I just shook my head as I looked at them again almost in non-belief. I wasn’t about to forsake anyone, nor would I. A moment later, I was flying far faster than I had before, again I was above the same extremely hot and bright world.

I was again floating down at an extremely quick rate. As before, I was floating above a very large staging area with a great number of vats. Vats that I recognized, I pointed at one, watching it explode, then a few others.

I could hear the screams of many of the misshapen Xetrons. I kept pointing as the vats started to explode faster and faster. The only thing was that was just one room. I started to go to as many of the rooms as I could.

I had cleared quite a few when more of the huge Xetrons appeared. This time they all had strange energy guns that they started to point at me. I waved a hand at them, watching them fall, though I forgot behind me.

The first beam wasn’t bad as I quickly changed my energy signature then took, them out. The next set that hit me wasn’t bad, though I could see that they were trying to get my signature.

It was about that time that I sensed the same huge Xetron from before. Hmmm, it still appeared to be hurting, so I sent another energy wave toward it. I smiled when it again screeched and drew itself into a tight ball.

The little pause I did almost cost me my life as I pointed at a few more vats. By now the screams of the dying Xetrons were beyond painful. I was pulling out when a beam hit my foot, causing me great pain.

Luckily, I was almost faded when it hit me. I was snapping back with pain crawling up my leg. Then it headed down my other leg and up my chest. I hit my body at full speed in more pain than I had ever felt.

For a moment, I saw my daughters, Alice and my old crew as they gasped and screamed. Apparently, my body was convulsing pretty badly.

I thought that the four races would step in to help, nope. I guess that they were pissed at me for going off like I had. I just sat there feeling the worst that I ever had.

It seemed like years and not days or hours that I finally came out of it, screaming. Trina and Bell were there in a second as I tried to move, first mistake. Then I tried to talk, second mistake.

I finally felt healing from two, then three places around me. My daughters I recognized, though not the third,’til I barely managed to get an eye open.

I had what had to almost be a smirk as what they were doing was slowly, very slowly helping. All I know is that as soon as my head cleared, I was again visited by the four races.

Bill? I heard Xeinther’s thoughts in my head. We have been worried since you left like you did. We felt you on the Xetron home world, then we were afraid that you had passed. We felt nothing from or of you at all.

I was hit by a beam as I was leaving, I kept changing my energy, though it appears that their weapons were able to adjust almost as fast as I did. I hopefully did enough to hamper them, here.

I then opened up to let them see what I had seen as I did what I did. I saw that they were all astonished as I went from room to room. Though some of them turned away, as the misshapen Xetrons started to scream.

When I found the huge Xetron from before, they were all shocked. Xeinther turned toward me, his mouth slightly opened. Bill? Do you know who that large Xetron was?

When I shook my head no, he and the others stared at me.

That was the leader of the Xetrons, the true evil behind their conquering drive. As for the vats, that was the new army that it was raising. We aren’t sure how many you destroyed, though it was a great number.

I was nodding my head as I had thought that, so did it help?

All four of them looked at each other as if I were a child asking a simple question.

It did, the praying mantis, Skatnes thought. Though it also might anger them more. This is an old and, unfortunately, proud race. Even we of the four races are still having problems with them to this day.

We have, as your race would say, beaten them back quite a few times, to no avail-the fish-like creature, Dutenner said. From what we saw, you destroyed well over half of their reproduction machines.

I was staring at them with my mouth open, half? What did those vats make that many, I asked?

Oh yes, Xeinther replied. You destroyed well over ten rooms. Each with at least a hundred vats, as you call them. Each vat could produce a thousand offspring, ten thousand per room, ten rooms, a million.

I was still staring with my mouth hanging open, a million. You’re telling me that I destroyed a million? Why in the hell am I finding that so hard to believe? I thought.