Battle For Earth

by Daniela A. Wolfe

  I shook my head and forced such thoughts out of my head. They left me feeling so… maternal. Fortunately, Lily provided more than enough distraction. She grabbed me by the arm and forced me down the corridor where we’d set up a makeshift mess. Everyone was waiting there, even Farris, who’d been propped up in the corner. Most of the color had returned to his face and I could have almost led myself to believe he’d completely recovered were it not for the bandages on his chest.

  “Happy birthday! I made you breakfast!” Becca beamed grabbing my free wrist and with Lily’s help, the two of them forced me down into a seat.

  “Where’s Neada?” I looked around.

  “She went ahead to do some scouting. Don’t worry she’s already eaten.”

  I surrendered to Lily and Becca and let them serve me. Normally our meals consisted of soup made from whatever increments we could scavenge, which often included some type of meat and whatever else we could forage outside of the city like berries or edible roots, but the dish Becca put in front of me was far better eating than I’d seen in since well… ever. The meal consisted of a slab of meat and an assortment of steamed roots and greens we’d picked up since coming to the Anaheim area. The whole meal smelled faintly of garlic and onions which would almost certain help mask the gamey taste of the deer meat.

  Where my sister had managed to find the garlic and onions was beyond me. There were a number of wild varieties that grew outside the Scottsdale area and it didn’t seem that unlikely that they might also be found in California. On rare occasions back when I was a head cook I remembered the Qharr supplying wild garlic and onions to our stocks. It had been one of the rare treats that I could ever remember being afforded in my time spent at the compound, but I’d often been forced to stretch them into a meal intended for very large groups of people.

  That being said our own food stocks could have been stretched into several meals and I did try to point this out, but my protestations fell on deaf ears. Becca and Lily were adamant that I partake. Even Farris seemed dead set on forcing me to eat, but that might have been purely out of self interest. It wasn’t often that a slave, or resistance fighters for that matter, ate so well. Finally, I relented and consumed the meal without further clamoring. The meat was probably one of the best things I’d ever tasted, the roots and greens left a lot to be desired, but they were more edible than the usual fair so I ate them without any complaints. It went without being said that the doctor was the only member of our group who didn’t partake of the steak. Fortunately, he had been given a large bowl of soup to sip on instead.

  We finished our meal and I was about ready to pronounce that it was time to leave when Lily put her hands on my shoulders and forced me back into my seat. “We’re not done with you yet, birthday girl.”

  The doctor left the room only to return a moment later with a box in his hand. I knew even before he set it down on the table in front of me that it was intended for me. It was my birthday after all. “Come on guys you didn’t have to do this,” I said craning my neck to look up at Vakrexid who was standing there wobbling back and forth on his feet.

  “It was Vakrexid’s understanding that birthdays were an important human cultural celebration.”

  “I don’t really deserve any of this. I’ve been a perfect ass.”

  “I know,” Becca smiled placing a hand on my shoulder. “But you’ve turned over a new leaf. Consider it a celebration of the new Lexa. Just open the gift, we’ve all put a lot of work into it.”

  “Nobody ever celebrated the new me,” Farris grumbled from the corner.

  “That’s because the old Farris was a royal pain in the ass,” Lily bit back. “Lexa was just out of sorts for a little while.”

  It was a pretty harsh thing to say, but Farris had tormented Lily for years. Was it any wonder she still had some lingering resentment?

  To his credit, Farris to the comment in stride and merely shrugged. “Fair enough, Just open the box, would you? I’d like to find out what it is those two–” he stopped point at Lily and Becca each in turn. “–have been sneaking around inside that damn box.”

  I did as he suggested and pulled the top off the box. Inside, I found a new double holster, which looked to have been crafted from leather. “Told you I’d get you a new one.” Lily beamed as I held the holster up in front of me.

  “There’s another gift inside from me,” Becca added blushing and brushing phantom hair away from her face. Clearly, she hadn’t quite gotten used to having shorter hair. “We, uh, could only find one box.”

  I set the holster down, and grabbed the second item from the box and dropped it almost immediately. I blushed and turned to Farris who was grinning from ear to ear. It was a bra, patched together from an assortment of mismatched fabric.

  “You said your bra was tight so I pieces one together with some scraps I found. I think it should fit you better than the one you’re wearing now,” Becca said. “Sorry it’s the best I could do on short notice.”

  I grabbed her and pulled her close. “I love it. Thank you. It’ll be nice having one of these things that fit properly.”

  “I-I’ll try it on later… somewhere a little more private,” I said glancing at Farris who chuckled and shook his head.

  “Try the holster on then,” Lily grinned. “I’ve been working on that since we picked up our new ride. Had some help from Rayland… and the doctor.”

  “The doctor?”

  “Yes,” Vakrexid answered for her. “Vakrexid helped cure and tan the leather.”

  “You did that?”

  “Indeed, Vakrexid learned to do so while I was still just a small caprixi under the tutelage of the wise descending perglexigonis of the catamarxek swamp lands.”

  “I have no idea what any of that means, but thanks doc.”

  “Vakrexid is most pleased to hear you say that,” he tooted then spun out of the room.

  “Well,” I said glancing at the doorway. “I guess that’s that. Lily, Becca, get ready we’ll be leaving once Janet returns. And as for me… I have bra to try on.”

  

  It was another half an hour before we finally departed. It only took me a few minutes to try out my bra, which was far more comfortable than my previous one. Either my sister was really good at eying measurements or she’d had help from Lily. There was an odd thought… then again Lily had been pretty handsy the last few times we’d made love.

  I cough, and glanced at Lily who smiled and took my hand. I felt my cheeks burn and didn’t say another word. There were some things that were probably better left a mystery. Neada took the lead, she was more familiar with the terrain than the rest of us–having spent most of her free time in the last few days exploring the city–and she seemed to have a better grasp of where we were going.

  We caught more signs of movement than we had on our previous trip and on several occasions I even saw a human or two lurking in the shadows, but none passed close enough for me to get a good look. I’d hoped we might run across the kids we’d encountered on previous visit, but they never showed their faces. I checked for them once we’d reached the house, but there wasn’t even the faintest whiff of their presence. Even the mattress, soiled and stained as it was, had disappeared from the premises.

  We settled inside, and waited for the day to pass into night. We had a long wait on our hands, and the time just seemed to drag on. Becca and Lily dozed off waiting, but Neada and I remained awake, silent sentries gazing out the shattered windows into the darkness of the night.

  When I convinced myself nothing was going to happen, my enhanced eyes finally spotted shadows moving through the darkness on Crocker Street. I nudge Lily and Becca awake, and turned to Janet. “Someone’s coming. This has gotta be it.”

  Neada nodded. “I can’t see anything. Are you sure?”

  “Positive. I’m going to sneak around back. You guys keep your weapons trained on the street. If you see phase blasts open fire immediately.”

  Neada nodded, and I t
urned away crawling out the back window and leaping down to ground. I landed on my feet and found my way around the house and dove into a thicket of bushes that were growing like weeds along the side of the house.

  I didn’t have to wait long, the shadows stopped in front of the house a moment later and I drew one of my phase pistols clasping it tightly in my hands. There were about a dozen figures standing in the street, one of them, a woman was issuing commands, but she wasn’t speaking loud enough for me to make anything out. I had to get closer.

  I crept through the bushes and then using the shattered remnants of the wood fence, that had once divided the lawn from the next house, as cover I crept across the yard until I was less than five feet away than the nearest figure. It was the woman, and there something about the way she held herself that seemed so very familiar. When she turned toward me the light from the moon provided just enough illumination to give me a good look at her face and I quickly realized why she seemed so familiar. The woman was Mara.

  Liberation

  We had suffered so much loss at the hands of the gray skins, but we would soon have our chance to bring them to justice. The final battle was coming and everything was riding on us, but were we up to the task?

  Chapter One

  All my senses were screaming that we’d just walked into a trap and if I didn’t act, we were all going to die. So I leapt to my feet and lunged at the woman, locking one arm around her neck and with the other I rested my pistol against her temple.

  “I don’t know what the hell is going on here, but I want answers. Who the hell are you?!”

  The woman tried to break free from my grip, but she didn’t have near enough strength. I squinted against a sudden influx of illumination as all of the woman’s companions trained their lights and weapons on me, but my eyes adjusted in mere seconds.

  “I’m Mara Briggs.”

  God she even sounded like Mara! “Wrong answer!” I growled forcing her away from her companions. “I was there when Mara died. I checked her lifeless corpse for signs of life. Hell, I even helped bury her. Why don’t you try again and tell me who the fuck you really are?”

  The faux-Mara tried to push herself away again, but my grip was like iron. “You’re with the resistance then?”

  I didn’t answer, but the impostor seemed more than willing to talk for the both of us. “I know this must be confusing for you, but the Mara Briggs who stayed on Earth was a clone. I am too, the original, died during the war.”

  “Why should I believe you?”

  “We’re with the Earth Reclamation Fleet. We’re the ones who sent the message; we’re here to implement the plan to retake Earth.”

  I felt my resolve begin to buckle. The United Earth Defense Fleet had used clones during the war. It wasn’t that unlikely that the E.R.F. would use clones too. I loosened my grip and let faux-Mara slip free, but kept my weapon trained on her as she spun around to face me. She didn’t look angry as I had expected, but her features were soft and her eyes wide as she looked me over.

  “Rebecca?” she turned to her companions and held her hand up. “Lower your weapons!”

  I grimaced, my new form did bare a passing resemblance to my sister as you might expect from siblings, but the differences were obvious to anyone who had seen the both of us. This wannabe-Mara, assuming she was telling the truth, would only have memories of my sister as a child. Was it any wonder she’d mistaken me for my sister? “The name’s Lexa. Becca is my sister.”

  “Lloyd and Muriel had another daughter? So they lived through the invasion.”

  “Not exactly.” I shook my head looking around the empty street. What if a patrol ship passed overhead and spotted the lights? “Why don’t we take this inside? I’d rather not draw any undue attention.”

  Dupli-Mara nodded, and signaled her subordinates to follow as we made our way back to the house. I stopped her just in front of the door. “I’ll warn you now, you’re presence here may not be very well received. I’m not the only member of my group who remembers Mara’s death. Keep your friends outside. You can bring one or two of them up, if you’re concerned for your safety, but it’s bound to get a little crowded if they all come along.”

  She nodded and held her hand up to the men. They stopped in the middle of the yard and not a single one of them moved to follow her in to the house. Six took up guard around the door, and formed a half-circle around it. The remaining five guards circled around the building presumably to take up watch on the other side. My fingers twitched a bit watching them, particularly since our experiences with the Nesters, but I doubted they’d be much trouble since the weapons they were carrying were all phase-based.

  She nodded, her eyes widening as she got her first real look into my eyes and I turned away leading her up the stairs where the others were waiting. I hesitated before taking the stairs, glanced back at Mara and shook my head. I stepped up from the final step and Lily was the first on her feet to greet us.

  Lily gasped and brought her hand up to cover her mouth. “M-Mara? Good lord, h-how is this possible?

  “Mara?” Becca asked. “As in aunt Mara? Didn’t you say she was dead?”

  “She says she’s a clone.” I grimaced and glanced back at her. “She knew about the message from the E-R-F. I think she’s who we’re supposed to meet.”

  “Mara,” I paused and held my hand out to my sister “This is Becca.”

  “Rebecca dear, you don’t know how good it is to see you after all these years,” Mara said staring at my sister with a gentle smile on her face. “It was so hard for me to leave Earth knowing that your parents and you would be forced to remain.”

  Becca didn’t look like she was quite sure what to say. She smiled and nodded at Mara and shrugged at me as if hoping I could give her some direction. I cleared my throat and turned to my aunt’s clone. “This is Lily, she’s our tech expert. She’s gotten us out of some tough scrapes with her knowledge and experience.”

  Mara nodded and her gaze seemed to linger on her eyes. She pursed her lips and turned to look on Neada who was standing a bit back from the others and looked pretty uncomfortable. “This, is Janet Neada, a Nester.”

  “Nester? I remember that term; it was mentioned during your initial contact.” Mara raised an eyebrow and glanced at me. “I watched a recording of the original message.”

  “We’re separate from the resistance. We’ve managed to keep our culture and traditions alive by remaining hidden from the gray skins,” Janet stepped forward and held her hand out to Mara.

  “Fascinating,” Mara smiled and shook Neada’s hand. “We didn’t anticipate that a separate faction would arise.”

  “And you Lexa,” Mara continued turned back to me. “You both look so much like your mother and your father I can see a bit of him in you both. Tell me what’s become of your parents? And young Jellfree? He wassuch a bright young boy.”

  “Our parents are dead,” I bit my lip and glanced at my sister. “As for Jellfree, he’s– well it’s pretty complicated, but you’re looking at him… her. It’s a really long story.”

  “I suppose if it’s a long tale. It may be one better told another time.” Mara raised an eyebrow and stared at me with a thoughtful expression before turning to the rest of the group. “Well now, we’ve come a long way. I’m sure you have a lot of questions.”

  “You could say that again,” I glanced around the room. “But I’d rather discuss things somewhere a little more secure. I don’t want to take any risks. You never know who might be listening in in a rat hole like this. New Anaheim may have been left abandoned by the Qharr, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have eyes and ears in its decaying ruins.”

  She nodded. “Point taken. Perhaps you could suggest a more fitting location?”

  “Back at our ship.”

  Mara studied me, and pursed her lips. She looked ready to object, but instead she smiled and held her hand out. “Show me the way.”

  

  “Now about that
complicated story of yours,” Mara said glancing back at me as we made our way through the ruins. “We have a long walk ahead of us, it seems like a good time to tell it as any.”

  I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh before I turned to her. “You first. Failing some complicated ruse put on by the gray skins, you obviously haven’t been on Earth all this time. Tell me how you got past the shield grid around Earth and the network of defenses.”

  “The Rhiannon device,” she said. “It’s an experimental leap drive that can jump within centimeters of the intended destination from light years away. It’s the only way we could have leapt through the shields and survived. Normally, when you leap you will often arrive significant distance away from the destination, say several kilometers, it’s not usually an issue when you’re traveling over long distances through the emptiness of space, but when you’re jumping through a planet’s defensive grid you can imagine what sort of problems you can run into.”

  “I understand better than you might think,” I bowed my head. “A while back when fleeing the Qharr we were forced to activate our ship’s leap jump drive. By some miracle we made it, but we took a hit from one of their weapons before the drive activated and crash landed. It’s how you, the other Mara, died.”

  “I’m sorry. This must be very strange for you,” she glanced at me frowning as she looked into my eyes.

  I chuckled and bit my lip. “I’ve become accustomed to strange things.” I blushed, glancing down at my breasts. “After what’s happened to me I don’t think there are a lot of things that really surprise me anymore. Although, I admit seeing your face really threw me through a loop.”

  “Tell me, what has been done to you. Are the Qharr responsible?”

  “In a way, I guess you could say they are. If they’d never invaded Earth I never would have ended up like this, but the real culprit is the K’teth symbiote I’ve become joined with. She changed me when we first joined, so that it would have a female body to carry her offspring,” I turned away. “It’s taken some time, but I think I’m finally at peace with who I’ve become.”