Heirs of Planet Life 2 - The Origin Of Life

XV - Merko's Return

"My dear, something very bad is about to happen..." He started to say and Lorena stood up, startled.

"What is it, my love?"

Her husband took a deep breath before continuing. He hated lying to her, but he knew the protection of his family was above all else.

"As I told you before, I'm a reserve officer in the US Army. Tonight, I received a report from my military unit, putting us in readiness for a possible war. They didn't provide many details, but it seems that some country or military force is wanting to invade our nation."

"Another war? Oh, no! When will humans learn to live in peace? Please, dear, if there's a summoning, make an apology and don't go. I beg you!" She said, holding his hands tightly, her eyes clouded with tears.

"Calm down, Lorena. I'm still not sure what's going on. However, as a reserve officer, I'll have to attend some military meetings if so determined by the Military Command. For now, everything runs in secret to avoid panic."

"I hope you're wise and know the best course of action," Lorena said in anguish.

Merko prepared the things for the trip. Trying to stop a possible war would be too strong a reason for him to be away for a while.

After they had talked some more, he lied on the bed with her and hugged her. Gradually he felt his wife's breathing calm down. He knew that he urgently needed to travel to his planet and save Princess Isadora, and arrest the tyrant Mirov.

***

Meanwhile, in another house nearby, Nicholas and Zara were hugging each other, their heads full of thoughts, in the door of Helen's room. They watched the girl sleep, and wondered when they would have moments like this again. Zara sighed, resting her head on Nicholas's shoulder. No words were necessary between them. They both knew that hard times were coming.

On planet Life, Colonel Fizard presented himself before King Mirov to receive direct orders:

"Fizard, I'm sure Captain Merko will try to return to our planet. We need to eliminate him before he returns and reunites with his friends, creating a rebellion. My spies intercepted a communication coming from planet Earth a day after Merko contacted us. The fact is that he was suspicious of something. My plan to deceive him didn't work; that idiot Counselor Kenan can't fool even a child. So, we'll attack Captain Merko where he's alone and most vulnerable: on Earth. Zara and the earthman won't be able to help him, as well as the terrestrial forces, which are no match for our weapons and soldiers. I want you to travel to planet Earth immediately; find out where Merko is and dispose of him mercilessly. Without a strong leader no one will be able to create a pact against me. We'll hold a meeting to put together a plan of attack. Be here early tomorrow with ten of your best military men. We'll think of a way for you to go to my enemy before he comes to us."

Though he commanded the forces of the tyrant monarch, Fizard cared about his family and the future of mankind. He left the room and stayed at night thinking of a way to reach Commander Merko without causing damage to the Earth's past, nor creating temporal paradoxes that would damage the future of humans. This could bring an end to everything he knew if he weren't careful. When his wife slept, he thought, lying in his bed:

"What risks would there be if Merko reacted and we need to kill many humans? And the descendants of those who die could be our ancestors... How would that change the temporal flow? I need to think of a way to eliminate Captain Merko with surgical precision, without affecting humanity, because its future is our present."

In the morning, the military assembled with the King to draw up a plan in order to kill Merko. King Mirov then said:

"You'll take ten military men and five murderous robots. You'll use five attack ships, each with a robot and the necessary crew members. Start by destroying the planet's major cities and get Merko's attention. He'll certainly appear to defend them and then I want you to kill him or take him prisoner so that I personally see his annihilation. The invasion of planet Earth will take him by surprise and we'll be one step ahead of him. The Terran defenses are fragile in the face of our warlike power, and as far as I know, Merko only has one attacking ship, one Terran friend, and Zara. They can do nothing against our military forces. He can't imagine the surprise that awaits him."