Free Pray for the Prey by Saxon Andrew Page B

free of your control. As far as the ones you have on the planet’s surfaces, we’ll allow the local populations to determine how they want to handle them. However, we are here to complete the task of removing you from this galaxy. In exactly ten minutes, we are going to destroy your planet. We feel it’s appropriate to give you that much time to say whatever you choose to whatever deity you might worship.”
    The King shouted at the Commander, “Attack them with our ships!”
    “I hope you don’t mean the six thousand you had in this system. They are no longer available for you to use. We removed them on our way in to your world.”
    “You can’t do this!”
    “We really don’t want to, but we have seen what you are and the universe will be a better place without your world in it.”
    An officer ran in to the room yelling, “Our fleet has been destroyed by three ships. They are now taking station around our planet.”
    “Is there nothing we can do to save ourselves?”
    “I think the hostages you tied to poles and shot capsules into asked you the same question. What was your response?”
    The Earth ships that had destroyed the Grey Ships remained at the planets they had freed and relayed the conversation into every electronic device on every planet. Since most of the planets had been forced to use the language of the King, they understood what Chris was saying. Soon large crowds began moving toward the buildings where the Governor and the governor’s lackeys were located on each planet.
    “What have we done to you? You have no right to do this.”
    “I could ask you the same thing about all those you murdered during your festival, but that really isn’t the issue. Incidentally, you have three minutes remaining. The issue is that your soul is black and you are past redemption. Make the best of what time you have remaining. You have murdered your last hostage.”
    Chris watched the clock and then it reached all zeros, he pushed the button on the weapons panel and felt the vibration of the launch. A Heavy Striker shot out of its launch tube and it blew into the atmosphere at nine tenths light speed. The gravity device returned its full twenty thousand pound of mass just before it entered the planet’s atmosphere and it blew the atmosphere away from it at twenty thousand miles per hour. The Striker hit the surface and blew a ten thousand mile wide crater more than two hundred miles deep into the planets crust. Two other strikers hit the planet simultaneously on two other sides of the doomed world. The planet blew outward and broke apart into giant chunks of land that flew away from the surface faster than the speed of sound. The video of the planets destruction was sent to all the captive worlds and the celebrations immediately began and continued for weeks.
    Arvolo said, “I think just one heavy striker would have done the trick. Three was massive overkill.”
    Chris watched the planet’s destruction and said, “Are you sure just one would be enough?”
    George said, “Chris, the wind blowing away from the impact would have scoured the planet’s surface clean. My analysis shows that the winds would have gone completely to the other side of the planet at eight hundred miles an hour. The following earthquakes would have finished everything else. Arvolo’s right, one would do it.”
    “Perhaps the two of you could assist me in completing a task I am behind on.”
    “What is that?”
    “I need you and Admiral Arvolo to scan for uninhabited planets for our colonists. I’ve found one planet but I need five more rather quickly.”
    “We’ll be glad to help; just give me a few minutes to send the fleet back to the Space Docks.”
    “You’re not sending them to Earth?”
    “No, we’re going to continue to operate outside our galaxy as a precaution. We’re pretty much accustomed to it now.”
    “I’ll go ahead and start searching for viable planets.”
    “Thanks Admiral. I’ll have Jillian send you