When the scanning got to the southern United States the screens lit up. There, in the southern tip of Florida was a massive electromagnetic signature. On closer inspection, it was clear that this was only the human ship’s building site. I sighed and was about to ask the scientist to move on when he held up a hand to stop me, frowning.
“Look there.” He pointed to a smaller mark originating from a warehouse near the site where the ship is being assembled.
“What is that?” I asked. The massive signature of the ship was masking a smaller but equally bright source of electromagnetic frequency. “Are those more weapons?”
“It’s certainly possible,” the scientist responded, “but it could be anything really. It could be that there are parts for the ship stored there…”
“Or it could be another raid.” I finished. I took out my phone and called Jackson. “You’ve got a problem.”
When we got off the phone, I turned back to Ka’thak. “I must ask for your help yet again.”
“Of course.”
I unplugged my tablet from the screens and we ran from the room. A group of guards joined us and we ran for a shuttle. Once aboard a soldier handed me an oversized set of armor and a gun. Both would do me very little good offensively if we were heading into a real battle but it was better than getting ripped in half by gunfire. I dialed Jackson on my phone but got no answer. He was still at AstroTech headquarters. If he wasn’t warned, he’d be walking right into a trap.
“It’s all right, Doctor,” Ka’thak said, patting me on the shoulder. “I’ll get ahold of him. Radio.”
“Jackson, it’s a diversion. Get out of there and head towards the construction site. There are more weapons. It’s a raid.” The commander spoke into his radio. I stood rooted to the spot, thoughts racing. If there were more weapons, Jackson and his men weren’t just heading into a raid, they’d be heading into a slaughter. I doubted that the group had brought enough weaponry or armor to stand a chance in a full-on attack. And here I was, stuck on a shuttle without any way to protect a single one of them.
14
Jackson
“Let’s move!” I called into my radio for the soldiers who had returned to our shuttle and sprinted out of the facility.
“Where are you going?” Cady called after us. I didn’t answer him. Alexandra had just told me that there was a massive energy signature outside of the ship’s construction area. There was no way of telling what it was but the safest option was to treat it like another imminent attack. The soldiers who were lounging around jumped to attention and got to work. I swore to myself as we took off from where the shuttle was standing. I should have known that the security chief was full of shit. While we were making small talk about security measures these bastards were hiding the source of the beam weapons on their own grounds.
When we were back in our shuttle and airborne I called over the radio to the construction site to report our flight pattern and request permission to land. The soldier on the other end of the radio gave clearance and asked if there was some kind of problem. I had to wonder if we were flying off on a false alarm. Just because they found some kind of weird electromagnetic energy signature didn’t necessarily mean that another attack was imminent, and it wouldn’t do for us to start blowing holes in things randomly. As we approached the landing site alarms sounded and the blinding blasts of beam weapons flew past our shuttle. Before anyone could prepare two of the beams managed to clip our wings.
“Not a false alarm after all,” I muttered.
The aircraft dropped precipitously, engines firing hard as the pilot struggled to maintain course control. When we got close enough to the ground I ran into the cockpit and thumped the alien pilot on the shoulder.
“I’ve got this! Go!” I shouted. He nodded and ran to join the rest of the soldiers. I sat at the controls and struggled to keep the aircraft level. Behind me, I heard the snick of the soldiers clipping into their harnesses. I managed to hold the shuttle aloft long enough for them to drop to the ground. They hit the ground running, cords snapping back to the fuselage with several large clangs. Once I was satisfied that the last man had freed himself I pushed the throttle forward. There weren’t a lot of great places to land, but I saw a perimeter fence not far away and aimed for it. I managed to drop the ship just in front of the fence and was able to slow my speed enough to execute a controlled crash.
Once the ship stopped moving, I grabbed a weapon and jumped out. The scene before me was like something out of a movie. The scream of beam weapons and gunshots permeated the air, mixed with the shouts and howls of soldiers on both sides. The alien soldiers were doing their best to hold their position but couldn’t gain any ground against the enemy. For every one of us, there were a dozen of them. The enemy kept themselves too far out of reach for our forces to use their physiology or claws and the weapons we kept on our ships were nothing compared to a fully equipped group with technologically advanced munitions. It was like trying to fend off a wolf with a stick. The wolf only got more angry.
I ran to the fighting line and dove into the dirt as one of the beams arced over my head. Trying to take cover was useless; the beams left deep scorch marks across everything they touched. One or two of our shots managed to take down a soldier wielding the cannons but when one fell another grabbed the weapon to take his place. Nearby, another group of soldiers were taking shots from on top of an armored vehicle. The sky was dark enough now that I could only see flashes of enemy faces as they fired. No balaclavas this time, their rage and bloodlust were on display for all to witness.
I readied myself for the next blast of electricity when I heard a faint popping noise coming from ahead of our position. The enemy soldiers who had been steadily working their way forward turned, swinging their weapons with them. Sparks showered over the battle as their beams caught equipment and power lines.
A few hundred yards away I could see the uniforms of Army infantry as they advanced towards us. One of the black-ops soldiers fired his beam weapon into a group of three grunts who had dropped to take a firing position, the light making me see spots and cutting my depth perception to nothing. When I was finally able to see again there was a massive eruption of energy from the truck. A beam wider than a man shot from a concealed weapon hidden by blacked-out armor. It arced towards the group of human forces fighting side by side and I watched horrified as they disappeared in a haze of blood and bones. The enemy had taken to improving their weapons while we were off playing scavenger hunt.
This was suicide. The chaos of the initial attack had done its job; it didn’t matter how many they had killed or what information they had or hadn’t managed to get their hands on. This enemy was unstoppable. We weren’t—couldn’t be—prepared for this.
We had been too busy chasing our tails to realize that by the time the enemy chose to reveal themselves that it was too late. It was dawning on me that it was possible that I would die here, reduced to a cloud of blood and brains by a nameless killer. What a stupid way to go.
I decided that if I was going to die, my last duty on this earth was going to be keeping them away from the human ship as long as possible. The particle beam weapons made the enemy slow but they could do a lot of damage. If they got close enough to the ship they would easily rip the hull apart and all of this would have been for nothing. The human race would die horrifically, and possibly so would Ka’thak’s people, dead by my own hands. I hadn’t yet escaped my fate as a murderer. I laughed, the high of battle coursing through my veins. The sheer horrible joy of it all was intoxicating. Perhaps I’d go to Valhalla.
I checked my ammunition. I didn’t have a lot on me to begin with and my supply was running short. I had only two reloads left. After that, it would be hand to hand or nothing. I had to be more judicious with my bullets. I had long discarded the alien pistol. It was too unwieldy in this environment for someone my size.
The alien troops fell back to regroup, but the fighting was chaos. The emergence of the truck-mounted p
article beam gun had spooked the allied soldiers into fighting distracted. Despite our best efforts to keep the enemy penned in, handfuls of them were breaking through the line and sprinting towards the construction site.
I ran to the side of one of my soldiers, his chest heaving as he tried to stem the steady flow of blood from a wound in his side. There was no helping him. I removed my helmet and pressed my forehead against his, letting my gun fall to my side. The steady tak tak tak of the gunfire faded from my ears as we sat in the dirt together. I could hear him murmuring as he prayed, preparing for the end.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…
If things had to end, I suppose this was going to be easier than the slow death that awaited the rest of the world. I concentrated on slowing my breathing and thought of my family. The warrior’s breathing was slowing now, his whispered words coming in gasps. He reached to his belt and thrust the short sword into my hands. No words were required. I unbuckled his chest armor and pushed the point of the sword through a soft spot on his belly. The stroke cut through his circulatory system perfectly, stopping his heart.
After what felt like an eternity a noise pierced the calm in my mind. An enemy soldier bellowed as he ran towards us, gun raised. I said one last goodbye to my brother and stood. I took aim with my pistol and waited. The man took two, three, four steps towards us. I hooked my finger through the trigger well and squeezed.
Before the bullet hit, the man fell and I stared, uncomprehending. It wasn’t possible that I could have hit him that cleanly. I went to examine the body. Across the man’s back was the scorch of a beam weapon. Through the dark, I saw the glow of another shuttle. Ka’thak. Thank gods.
The ship screamed through the air. Boom, boom, boom. The sound of the heavy cannon was deafening. I heard the roar from my fellow soldiers go up as the enemy realized they were surrounded on three sides now. The appearance of alien reinforcements brought fresh life to the allied forces and they rushed in, screaming. I saw two aliens and a human leap onto the bed of the truck where the largest gun was hidden and throw the operator to the ground where a well-placed shot kept him there. Another pair of humans ripped the enemy from the truck’s cab and started to drive the truck away. Their pathway led through a clump of remaining black-ops soldiers and cut through the group of men easily.
In spite of their overwhelming disadvantage, the enemy did not falter. The men rushed outwards, their group splintering into rivulets of black uniforms scattered among the varicolored groups now focusing fire towards them. I had to admire their spirit; most men would have gotten on their knees and given up by now. That didn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy shooting them. The sound of bodies hitting the ground and the shouts of the dying was music to my ears. We lost a few more before the fighting was finished but together the threat was vanquished.
15
Jackson
“Brother.” Ka’thak walked from the shuttle and head-butted me softly. “I’m sorry. We weren’t here in time.”
His breathing was irregular and he was trembling. I idly wondered if their species cried. I certainly felt like breaking down myself—the adrenaline of battle was wearing off and I felt my hands starting to shake.
“Captain, you were here just when we needed you.” I placed my hand on his shoulder and turned to the battlefield behind us, strewn with bodies. The human soldiers were making the rounds, looking for survivors, but from what I’d seen the enemy had fought to their last breaths. I didn’t expect we’d find any of them left alive.
I saw the alien-human team that had taken over the gun on the truck working busily to dismantle it from the truck bed. I made a mental note that we would have to arrange to transport it back to Ka’thak’s ship. We gathered the remaining soldiers from my squad together and loaded ourselves onto Ka’thak’s shuttle. As I stepped on I was surprised to see Alex settled into a harness in the back of the craft. She was halfway hidden in oversized battle gear, hunched down as she turned an alien handgun back and forth idly.
“Hey, sister,” I exclaimed, a lopsided grin lighting my face.
“Hey yourself.” She looked at me from head to toe. “You stink.”
“I know, blood and brains again. I really have to make a habit of showering after getting attacked by insane men with guns that vaporize you.”
“Sit down, you moron. What do you need?”
“A piss, honestly. Turn around, princess.” She rolled her eyes and turned as I found a disposable container that suited as a urinal. Nature’s callings returned with a vengeance after a battle.
“Anything else, your royal highness?” Alex asked, her fingers tapping impatiently against her leg. A smile played on my lips until I heard the heavy thunk of an alien stepping into the cockpit of the ship.
“Lt. Colonel.” Ka’thak rumbled. “Catch me up.” The alien sat in a jump seat and ripped open a hydration packet. He gobbled the bioplastic strip and drank deeply.
“We got led on a wild goose chase, sir. That is to say that while we were busy playing detective, the enemy was able to heavily fortify their position. Had it not been for the human military members and for your timely arrival, our ass would be grass. Sir.”
Ka’thak sighed, a low growl rippling up from his chest. “I am utterly sick of how stupid your species is. It appears that you lack the forethought to conceptualize of the future. It’s no wonder your people have barely left the planet.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Alexandra mumbled.
“The time I spent with Mr. Proctor wasn’t terribly enlightening,” I said. “The man’s locked up so tight you couldn’t shove a dog tag up his asshole.” Alexandra snorted a laugh. “He partnered me with some security guard flunky and led us on a fake tour while they were obviously alerting the enemy as to our presence. It’s clear that they’re working together with the people who attacked us. This is only a short halt in the offensive. They’ll come again, and again, and again.”
Ka’thak snorted.
“I don’t buy it,” Alexandra said. “This guy has a guaranteed ticket off the face of the Earth. He’s one of the most brilliant businessmen to rise to power in the last century. There’s absolutely no reason for him to sabotage building the human ship. Why risk blowing a hole through it?”
“I know it sounds insane, but I can’t figure out another angle for these people. There’s obviously something they’re covering up. I was puzzling about what could possibly motivate soldiers of this caliber to fight with such abandon. Proctor must have some reward waiting for them.”
“Corporate shitbags, I wouldn’t be surprised if they found some bullshit way to turn this fight into profit. Guys like Proctor are only after one thing—cash. They don’t give a rat’s ass if they run over hundreds of people in order to do it. Predation at its finest.”
“In any case,” Ka’thak interrupted. “We have proven time and time again that we are able to resist them. My only concern is that the next time it won’t be so easy—or that we won’t be so lucky.”
“It’s a moving target,” Alexandra said, sitting up in her chair. I was finally getting used to her incurable habit of jumping in anytime an idea struck her. It's even almost cute. Almost.
“It’s a moving target so you can never quite put your finger on it. They’re using an age-old manipulation tactic. First, they’ll sweet-talk you, then they’ll distract you, then they hit you. We just have to figure out a way to keep them from hitting us like this again.”
“How do you suggest we do that?” Ka’thak spoke up.
“I cannot believe that these words are coming out of my mouth. Pre-emptive strike. You hit them fast and you hit them hard. Take out their infrastructure so that they can never rebuild enough to attack you ever again.”
“I thought you hated the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq,” I said. “You were telling me how your boyfriend at the time sig—“ Alexandra held up a hand to stop me. Okay, no boyfriend talk. Oops. Got it loud and clear.
“
My feelings on the ethics or morality of human warfare hardly matter now, do they? The point is that it’s an effective tactic. We’ve got the beam cannon on the main ship and enough fighters to bomb the place into the dirt. Give your men the night to rest and in the morning rain down hell.”
I could tell this wasn’t sitting well with my commander. His people put a high price on honor and obliterating an opponent that was not actively trying to kill you did not fit his definition of honorable combat.
“I feel that I must focus my efforts on the defense of our people,” Ka’thak said. “We will assist you as much as possible, of course, but I cannot guarantee that we will be able to come to your rescue should further attacks happen.”
16
Alexandra
“Damn.” Jackson exhaled as we neared the site of the alien ship. Floodlights illuminated the entire area and every gun on the ship was live, muzzles pointed outwards. It looked like something out of an alien apocalypse movie. For all I knew, we were in one now.
I walked to the edge of the shuttle and stared. It looked like the entire colony was on high alert. Ka’thak returned from the cockpit of the ship.
“They’ve put the ship on lockdown,” he said. “The council made the best decision that they could in my absence and I happen to agree with them. Apparently one of the humans went live on the internet with the full story of the supernova along with every very detail of our arrival on the planet. Your people know that only a few thousand are going to be saved.”
“Shit,” I murmured. The truth was bound to get out eventually, but we had assumed that we had more time. I pulled up a browser window and found exactly what he was talking about—it was trending on the front page of YouTube. I pulled the video up and pressed play. A black background was lit with a single spotlight. In it, a slight figure entered the frame. They were clad in a black hoodie and black pants, their face hidden by a fox mask. From the camera angle, it was impossible to tell if they were male or female.
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