Ray was speechless they were both in there? They couldn’t be! What they were describing would mean the death of one of them! Ray turned to say so when she spoke, “No Ray, neither of us will die. You might say we are one being now, I, Nali, used almost all my life force to protect you the last time we were back on home plane. I, Elizabeth, have had a love of you for many years, though you always seemed too busy to notice me. I didn’t have the courage to approach you, that first time, I almost died when you asked me to,” Leaning close she kissed him and whispered, “Thank you Ray, though it was almost pure lust, I enjoyed that more than all of the times with others put together.”

Ray eyes shot open and a stupid grin lit up his face, and then just as suddenly it was gone.

Ray held Elizabeth close, Christ he thought he wasn’t sure just how he felt about either one of them. Yes, it was true he was starting to develop feelings for both, though he wasn’t sure you could actually call those feelings love. “Both of you,” Ray started, “I can’t tell you how I feel at this moment I am so unsure I do feel more than friendship for both of you, but love? I don’t know yet, I have to think about this before I can answer I don’t want to lose either of you but I an so unsure.”

“Ray,” Elizabeth started, “both I and Nali are now dependent upon each other, though we can survive if you can’t come to love us,” here Elizabeth sighed, “it would be hundreds of times better if you did. Know that we can never separate again, our life forces are sustaining each other, you see we were both about to die,” here Elizabeth lowered her head and her voice. “I was so happy you finally wanted me Ray, I have for a while now, I just found out last week that I WAS dying but not any longer.”

Ray was astounded, he thought he knew everything about all the people that worked at the office, well shoot that theory all to hell! “Have you told work?” Ray asked.

“No, I was going to inform them next week, then Nali came to me, she offered me a chance to live. It seemed we had a common bond, you. I jumped at it, anything I can do to be with you longer is worth what ever hell or task I would have to under take.” Elizabeth explained.

Suddenly the voice changed, “It wasn’t hard to save her or myself the combination of both our life energies were more than strong enough to sustain the both of us.”

“I understand pretty much the how and the why. The only thing I am not understanding is why me? I am nobody really, I…” Ray started. Here Elizabeth put a finger to his mouth.

“Oh Ray, you are a lot more than you say, I know who you are, I have for a long time, John is just a figure head you are the true talent behind the company.” The shocked look on his face being a telling sign. “I thought so, plus you are a hero to the BLEMS as you call them, you have obtained a range of energy far higher than any other human.”

“Still you 2, I don’t feel special nor any different than anyone else,” Ray confessed.

“Yes we know, as I have come to understand this is usually the mark of a true hero, one who feels that they are just doing what they are supposed to. In a lot of cases, they even feel it is what they think anyone else would have done but they are usually so far from the truth it is pitiful. You are more than special Ray, you have not only given life back to a whole world but saved countless lives. You have also stopped for quite a few years the advance of the Chortons this in turn has allowed a few of the their next targets to advance further than the Chortons could possibly take and might even be defeated. Problem is they adjust faster then any but you can, you are the first EVER they have gone against that can adjust faster than they can. It is also why the queen wants you to breed.” Elizabeth said.

Sighing Ray knew he had to do something to stop them but what? He only had his self though he was learning a few tricks now that did seem to be working.

Thinking a moment Ray realized just what Elizabeth had just said, the fact that he adjusted faster than they did. The problem was that the last time he had barely been able to drive the power frequency that high, great he thought just what I needed to fail, when I’ve come this far. Finally after an hour Ray’s head started to hurt, it wasn’t the fact that he had adjusted as fast as he had it was HOW he had adjusted. The more he thought about it the more confused he seemed to get, great here I have a way to beat them and I haven’t a clue to just how I did it. Lying down Elizabeth was at his side in a moment, “Ray?” She asked, “are you feeling alright?”

“I’m not sure Elizabeth, I’ve just gotten a shock finding out not one but two people of life forms or whatever are in love with me. I can’t even come up with an answer for that, I’m just so tired.” Closing his eyes he was immediately asleep, then he was traveling again to the BLEMS planet.

Looking around Ray saw that something was indeed wrong, he’d just checked with them a very short time ago. It was at that moment he felt the presence of an almost palatable evil, reaching out Ray tried to find where it was only to almost hit a wall. Reaching down further Ray drove the frequency up higher, ah! There, he had it now, at that moment he felt the almost slimy legs of something grasp at his mind. Shaking his head he was quickly free, then he felt several more entities attempt to enter and hi-jack his mind. Now he was pissed off! Lashing out he felt each of the creatures scream as it’s mind was destroyed, behind it all he still felt the palatable evil he had before.

<Ah! Treg Trag! Your mind has become stronger indeed! I shall enjoy breeding with you even more. I will have you fill me with your seed till I am close to exploding! We will need to enlarge your seed injector so that the teeth of my seed receiver can properly hold you and force you to breed me!> Came a voice from the evil presence.

Startled only a moment Ray reached out and tried to shred everything he felt from it. Caught by surprise the Queen was injured before throwing up her defenses.

<You vile Treg Trag! No one harms me! I shall have you soon! I have sent half a trueton of ships to bring you to me, soon Treg Trag soon.> Then the voice was gone Ray started to shake just the mere thought of sex with anything that resembled those spider things creeped him out. Ray knew that they ere on the way he had to prepare more defenses before then. Starting with the boxes, he began to make 9 more this time though, he tried to incorporate a little something that might deter the spiders from that little inside his shield, warp trick they had used last time.

Thinking a moment he began to feel the energy of the BLEMS, hmmm if when the spider creatures attacked he could change their energy signature, then they might have a chance. This though Ray thought was going to take a lot of planning. Calling the BLEMS, he began to question them about a great many things, he could feel the attitude of the BLEMS starting to change about him. Finally hours (it seemed to Ray) later Ray thought he might just have a plan to possibly stop the invaders dead in their tracks, damn he hoped so.

Everything ready Ray set up a direct link to the leader, thing is it was extremely hard to do. Almost as if he was strong but no where near strong enough to do everything he needed to. The plan set, Ray knew that only an hour or 2 off the planet would be days or weeks to them, thank god it was the week end. Feeling the pull then something else Ray bid the BLEMS fare well then was snapped back at an incredible speed. Opening his eyes he saw that Elizabeth was bending over him a look of extreme worry etched on her face.

“Ray you were gone for a few hours, is everything all right?” she asked.

After Ray explained all that had went on and the precautions he’d made Nali spoke up, “Yes Ray, I feel you have dealt with the coming attack far better than I think they will expect. Ray, they will try to entrap you again, you must be careful. If we were to lose you, it would mean the end of both of us.

Elizabeth and I are not yet able to travel to my home world. Please be very careful, trust nothing.”

Ray looked at her as if she were crazy a moment, then realized that everything that she’d said was true. He didn’t watch close enough and always seemed to think that he was stronger than his attackers were. Ray was about to thank her when he felt a sharp cry from the leader, telling Nali he had to go, was back on the planet in no time. As he had expected they were once again trying to open portals inside his shields. He could see thousands of the invading spiders walking out of the portal into open space, then the vacuum over took the portal and several hundred ships imploded, taking even more nearby ships with them. The only problem was this was like a drop of water in a full bucket. Then the bombardment started, though this time with 18 of his devices there was hardly any strain at all. Ray was a little worried though, considering the sheer number of ships they could easily over power the shields in a matter of hours.

Ray sat on the ground Ray tried to think of something that could help, sure he could think and the ships would explode. Problem with that was he didn’t think he had the energy to do that, especially with the Queen out there somewhere plus the fact that he, had obviously pissed her off when he tried to destroy her. Guess she didn’t like getting a taste of her own medicine, feeling helpless for once on the receiving end of an attack. I need to destroy her Ray thought, I hurt her so I’m afraid she’ll never give up, if only I could… that was it! It all depended if he could pull it off with more than one at a time. Concentrating Ray found the 4 weakest minds controlling the weapons of 4 ships at the front of the ships. Taking control was fairly easy and took no energy at all. With this control he had all 4 start firing at the ships behind them in rapid succession, smiling Ray watched as hundreds of ships were destroyed before the 4 were fired upon. Ray reached out and could ‘hear’ the spiders screaming that the Treg Trag was using a tactic he’d used before and to watch for him on the ships.

Ray withdrew laughing that this new tactic was working better than he thought it would. Reaching out he tried to find more weak minded weapons operators, the first 20 he touched were all weak, what the hell? What, was it a prerequisite that in order to fire the weapons you had to be an almost slush brain? Ray wasn’t sure he could take all 20, taking 6, he once again started to fire this time getting a few hundred more ships than before, this time he actually heard the Queen screaming at her soldiers to find him before most of the fleet was debris. Hmm thought Ray the Queen couldn’t actually feel him then… wait! That had to be it she was sensitive yes but only when he had his power on a frequency that she was used to or was below where she was at the moment. Interesting Ray thought I can feel where she is but she nor any of her army could feel him not while he was shifting his energy higher. Ray quickly released the first 6 and took the next even as the fleet opened up on them Ray had the operators destroying hundreds more.

That ought to keep them busy a while trying to find me, give the shields a chance to rest. Ray knew that soon they would catch on so time to change tactics. Reaching out Ray had to go hundreds of miles to find the Queen not only NOT with the fleet but quite a distance away. Reaching in he saw that the Queen was still trying to recover from the last attack. Christ Ray thought what an ugly, disgusting, repulsive creature she was. Several creatures almost a mirror of her were crawling around her tending to her, feeding her, taking her waste away, stimulating her, Ray could only guess it was he sex entrance. Shuddering he saw several lines of teeth lining the inside of the opening, fuck this he thought I have got to kill this thing. He saw that she had some type of helmet on it was obviously what he had felt clamp down on her mind when he attacked her earlier. Counting again Ray had at least 10 attendants plus the Queen, great never can make it easy. Reaching over Ray grasp the helmet, he’d have to do this quickly he didn’t know just what the attendants would do.

Quickly ripping all the lines loose Ray reached in the Queens mind ripping at everything he could as the Queen began to scream. Watching he saw the attendants reach for weapons, still pulling at the Queen Ray killed the first 2 that approached him (he’d found their vital brain function center earlier). The Queen still screaming in pain was trying to reach Ray, that is ’til she saw the 2 dead attendants, the others started to fire at Ray as he killed another 2. Finally Guards were starting to arrive pulling as much more as he could Ray vanished, Breathing hard Ray found that he was now exhausted, the tugging back to earth was increasing every minute. The leader floated to him as a blue energy wave shot out of it into Ray, ah! Damn that felt good!

Suddenly the visage of the hulking Queen appeared of the planet in front of Ray, “You!” She screamed, “you dare to hurt me! You dare to come aboard my ship! No longer will I try to mate with you, I will send every ship, every agent, every assassin to destroy you, no one in my empire will rest ’til you lay at my feet. You killed 4 of my daughters, making you the foremost enemy of the empire I will….” suddenly she was screaming, Ray had reached out again this time he had 4 of her 8 legs and was bending them at angles they were never meant to go in.

Ray could only smile when she started to scream even louder then there was the sickening snap as each leg was not only broken but also snapped off.

For several minutes the Queen screamed then Ray finally spoke, “I have some advice for you, leave and leave these beings alone. You have already lost more than twice what you ever have, in ships and soldiers. I have many, many ideas I haven’t even begun on yet, the shield and portal directors was only one idea I had. Oh, you can come back but I swear that it will mark the end of your race, look at yourself you’re already half dead, but come if you wish, I’ll finish the job!” With that another of the Queen’s daughters grabbed her head then collapsed, dead at the Queens claws.

“We will never rest Treg Trag, NEVER!” the Queen screamed.

Sighing Ray took hold of a sixth daughter snapping the brain center loose, “I suggest you leave now before I kill all of you!” Ray growled. This time the Queen didn’t stop screaming in fact it was getting so loud that Ray was starting to get a head ache. Pulling back Ray waited for them to leave, he almost wished they didn’t, though killing all of them now would solve a lot of problems. Ray was about to reach out to start the ships firing on each other when almost as one they all turned to leave.

“Know this Treg Trag, we will return, I will bring every trueton of my ships to destroy you, this planet will be a dust ball when we finish I promise you, no one kills any of the royal family and lives, NO ONE!” Came the scream of the queen then it was silent. Ray watched as the fleet started to accelerate then were gone. Ray almost fell when he couldn’t feel them any more, damn it! He’d pushed his self past the point of exhaustion, he’d lucked out the Queen could have easily destroyed him, with a final look around Ray was snapped back to earth. Looking at Elizabeth he smiled weakly then passed out he swore he could hear Elizabeth and then Nali screaming as he started to fall. Damn no movie on this flight?

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