GALAXY AT WAR - Book 5 - The Paladin Knights

CHAPTER SIX - June 2173 - Greko / Osolieus / Kraptis

CHAPTER SIXJune 2173Greko / Osolieus / Kraptis

...Greko...

The founding members of the Alliance, and Efacihip's handmaidens, entered King Lhev JuQetaw's throne room. It had taken almost two days of solitary meetings, which Rebecca had forced upon the inflexible king, for her to convince him about the advantages of forming this Alliance. Every time King Lhev had snapped and ordered his guards to seize her, and throw her out, she had simply raised her shield and let them wear themselves out trying to get to her.

In the end it was the failure of his guards attempts to subdue her that had convinced him. That and a small amount of controlled retaliation upon himself whereby he realised how vulnerable he and his people actually were. The last words she had said while telekinetically holding him in the air by his throat were, "If I can do this. One little human female who has only known her powers for four months. What do you imagine two varsoomians, who have known their powers for many years and can't be killed in the conventional way, could do? I try not to kill. They have no such conviction." Rebecca had eased a little of the pressure on his throat by then. "You must join us to help defend all the worlds against Zeb' Zeptre's rule. For there is no doubt that he will control the majority of Confederation worlds."

Rebecca had then let him go. "The Confederation, as you know it, will be gone once that happens."

There was no table in the throne room so they all remained standing in front of the king.

"Let me see this document," said King Lhev.

Rebecca took it over then stood back while he read through it. He made a few little grunts here and there as he read and even paused to look up at Rebecca a couple of times as he studied the document.

"I agree to everything but I cannot guarantee that my troops will take prisoners. I'm sure you understand by now that, once the battle begins, it's hard for them to stop. That is hundreds of thousands of years of instinct you will be up against."

"I only ask that they try. I know loss of life will be inevitable. I just want to keep it to a minimum."

"If these two varsoomians are so invulnerable, how do you propose to stop them?"

"I'm probably the only person in the galaxy that can but I know I'm not ready to face them yet. Not even one-on-one."

"Bring the tablet," ordered the king.

A grelite walked over, holding a large flat stone which was smooth on one side. The king placed the treaty on the tablet and signed his name underneath Rebecca's, Emperor Putilnorphille's and Efacihip Ozao'haep's.

He handed the document back to Rebecca and the grelite retreated with the tablet. He rose from his throne and walked over to the balcony he used for addressing his people. Another grelite rushed over to place a robe over the king's shoulders.

King Lhev continued onto the balcony and stopped near the edge. He looked down upon the crowd of grelites gathered below. He waited for a hidden microphone to rise out of the balcony wall.

"Loyal people of Greko!" His voice boomed around the cavern in which the city was constructed. This message would be communicated through every city, town and village across the whole of Greko. "A galactic war has started. Very soon, this war will come to us."

There was a thunderous mixture of voices and applause echoing around the city.

"We will not wait for them to come to us. We will take the war to them. We are joining an alliance to fight against this new threat. The humans, the osolites and the tranchillions are the other members at this time. We may have to fight every other system in the Confederation which has been taken over by this new threat. I will give you all a name. That name is Zeb' Zeptre. A rogue varsoomian. He is the reason for Varso being cut off from the rest of us. He is against his own people as well as the rest of the galaxy's good citizens. The time for us to fight back has come. We will be victorious."