“It would seem less friendly and more like an invasion if that many of these Bru were sent to Earth. It may be better to leave some behind in the event that something goes wrong and we are all blown to smithereens,” Logan said thinking aloud.
Astrid raised her eyebrow, “There is nothing your military has that can so much as put a dent in anything in our fleet.”
“You can make the smaller transports…Bru, invisible? How?”
“It is quite simple. Basically, your eyes can’t see certain light or colors. When you look into my eyes from here what do you see?” Astrid asked Logan.
“No color at all. Your iris is colorless.”
She moved and angled her head, “Now?”
“Brown.”
She moved again and stood closer to a light source, “Now?”
“Green with some red,” he replied.
“Manipulate the frequency of the light waves…electromagnetic radiation,” Ayla interjected.
“To me, my eyes are simply red-green. To you, they are nearly four colors. There is light and color that your human eye cannot see. Manipulate the frequency and we can make things invisible.
“Okay.” Logan placed the beok on the table and gave the command to see Earth. Instantly a pea-sized version of the planet was hovering above the table. As the data uploaded it increased in size and in a matter of seconds a tennis ball sized version of the planet was spinning slowly as if it were in orbit.
The strong line of storms that were plaguing the Gulf Coast states had moved off over the Atlantic and were heading northeast toward Europe. It was night, but judging by the location of the sun’s light just off the east coast, it would soon be morning and the United States would come alive, with the exception of the citizenry that perhaps after a long Friday night of partying and getting drunk were just getting home or out of jail.
Logan put his hands up to the hologram and the Earth stopped spinning. With his index finger, he tapped the Northeastern United States. The Earth became a flat dimensional map. He looked and quickly found the Chesapeake Bay as it moved north separating the mainland United States as if it were trying to sever the landmass and force the two-thousand four hundred and eighty-nine square miles of the state of Delaware into the Atlantic Ocean. At the northern tip of the bay, he tapped again enlarging the area of the District of Columbia. The city spread across the table in real time. The image was so lifelike that if they could afford the time and if the circumstances were different, they would have enjoyed watching the sun as it rose over the city. As he zoomed in on the target area the early morning moisture could be seen on the buildings and the sounds of commuters on the interstates and city transit could be heard.
“Well, we can’t land on Pennsylvania Avenue or Independence Avenue…that would be better, but since 9-11…we just can’t. We would have the entire might of the United States armed forces on us as soon as we were detected,” Gunner said as if trying to read Logan’s thoughts.
“We don’t want to start a mass panic. We are the good guys here and that may seem like an act of aggression. So, the interstate in the most populated area with as many witnesses as possible, this is where we should set down,” he said pointing to I-395 in the area of the Pentagon then I-695 near Capitol Hill and the Department of Homeland Security headquarters. “We need to draw as much attention to ourselves as possible.”
“Think of the exposure. That’s a lot of eyeballs on us. I’m not a fan of the media, but there’s a lot of cameras and people with cell phones. I think even the interstate in that…area may be seen as a hostile act. I am concerned about how many accidents we will cause if we do that. There will be widespread panic, there is just no stopping it, but panic that results in casualties from accidents is not what I am in favor of,” Gunner said stressing his concern.
“We can stall the engines of the cars in the area,” Astrid noted. “Remember, the Bru will be invisible to the naked eye and by camera until such a time as we want them to see us.”
“What about radar? How will you stall all the cars?” Gunner asked.
“The radar frequency can be jammed. As far as the cars, it happens all the time on Earth. It’s a little more than simply stalling them. Your cars run on computers. A small electromagnetic pulse directed into the computer and wiring and they will—”
“Will it fry the electronics in the cars? Will they be ruined?” Logan asked.
“Would it be better to have a fully functional automobile, or be dead? A car wouldn’t be all that important at that point,” Ayla replied. “Can you target the EMP or will it cause damage in a certain radius?”
“Between one hundred and two-hundred feet,” Astrid replied.
“Regardless, all that EMP stuff has been blown out of proportion? It depends on the car and its wiring. From what I remember, most cars will stop, but not damaged to the point of rendering it useless. Maybe a turn signal will blink until it is fixed. Unless it is an older car, which may be less influenced by it,” Gunner said.
“Most of these cars can be disabled via computer these days,” Logan quickly pondered what he was about to propose, “Different systems and different signals…that would take too long.”
They could feel the transport turn to its portside after exiting celerity. Astrid reached over and place her hand on Gunner’s forearm. She smiled and said, “I need to return to the bridge. We can discuss this more after the turn,” she walked off and disappeared through the automatic metal doors.
“We are asking her to disobey orders?” Gunner said feeling guilty.
“She doesn’t seem too worried. Besides, she hasn’t really agreed to anything. I am surprised that she is at least listening. What if she decides to go along with it and one or more of the officers or crew refuse to follow her? I’m sure that there are protocols for that in this situation?” Logan wondered aloud.
“Perhaps stiff consequences for disobeying an order. You can’t have a military like theirs without discipline. I think we need to find another way. We can’t ask any more of her or the crew. They have bent over backward to accommodate us,” Gunner said walking over to a large window. To his right, off in the distance, he could still see Jupiter fading away and was becoming no more than a small dot on the canopy of space. He never imagined that in his lifetime that he would be able to see it so closely with the naked eye. But there it was. Countless nights he had looked up to the heavens and wondered about life in the cosmos. Now he couldn’t deny the answer. Gunner just wanted to be on the bow of a boat motoring or sailing across some waterway forgetting everything. It was a fruitless thought as he could never forget about Astrid and would not forget that there was an enemy on their doorstep.
“We have three transports here. Not sure why, but we do. What if we make contact…I mean we are legal citizens with good intentions for goodness sake? What if we can take military officials, NASA officials, members of the intelligence community, whoever to physically see the transports? No jumpy cell phone videos. Can you imagine Airforce or Navy pilots geeking out in one of these Bru or Imil Fighters? That would be far better than treating this like a teenager who stayed up past her curfew and had to sneak back to her bedroom. I just don’t get the point in that. I agree with Logan, they need to know that this is real. We need to make a grand visual out of this,” Ayla said.
The turn must have been completed as the thrusters powered up and the Tuega entered stage one of celerity. They would travel between Saturn and the Greeks in their trek toward Earth. Astrid told Gunner that she had preferred this line. This would give them a safer route to Earth.
Abruptly, the Tuega seemed to reverse thrusters and stop its forward motion. Very discernable concern swept over the faces of all who were in his line of sight. Logan’s shoes could be heard clanking across the metal floor of the room as he headed to the eight-foot-tall observation window. Once alive with animated discussion, the room was now eerily silent. Heads turned to-and-fro as anxious eyes peered about in confusion. He could tell by the
expressions on their faces that the default interpretation of the cause of the delay indisputably involved the Kasadu.
The last images any of them could recall prior to departure was of Econ being overrun by fighters appearing out of nowhere to assault the nations of the peaceful planet. Were they followed? He looked out and could see one of the other transports on their starboard and nothing else. Logan was thankful that the haunting vastness of deep space was still silent. The trip across the universe had done nothing to quell that sentiment for him. Space travel was not his thing. He was ready to be on the ground at home in a place he knew and understood.
After a few minutes of hurriedly navigating a confusing maze of connecting hallways and running into dead-ends, Logan made it to the observation room that was on the portside. The third transport was peacefully motionless and nothing seemed to stir.
His relief was short-lived when the air behind him was robbed of its warmth. The piece of telenium sheathed at his side moved as if magnetically pulled. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and Logan wasted no time. He retrieved the telenium and blindly jammed it into the air behind him. The area initially appeared to be devoid of anything living but was met with an anticipated resistance. Electricity shot through the body of the Roo’kall as it became visible. The dagger in its hand fell to the floor. Logan thrust the telenium into the creature’s midsection. He was not familiar with the assassin’s biological makeup and under normal circumstances, for a human, the impact point would have been considered a kill shot. The telenium rendered the point of impact as unimportant since it attacked the entire body of the victim. He could smell internal organs burning by the merciless current of electricity shooting through it. The repulsive creature gyrated then fell to the floor. He was terrified that the ruthless assassins had found them but was relieved that it wasn’t Joseph or one of the kids sneaking up on him via the etutu as a joke or for some other reason. He had relied on the changing metal that it was a legitimate threat.
The Tuega lunged forward as it entered the first stage of celerity again. With the assassin lifeless on the floor, he thought of Sonia, Ayla, and the kids. Logan panicked and ran back to the hallway. He could hear yelling and the popping sound he came to know as laser fire. Logan greatly improved his missed turns and time getting back to the other side of the transport. In the galley, where they all initially gathered, the kids were gone, several members of the Tuega’s crew were injured and one of the guards appeared to have near-fatal injuries as he was on the floor in a fetal position in an expanding puddle of blood holding his abdomen. The once stone-faced agent’s expression was one of grave concern. A medic ran into the room just as Logan was about to walk over and help.
There was a movement to his left, lying across two chairs was a stirring Roo’kall. He assumed it was the one that had attacked the guard. Purple fluids leaked from an injury to its chest area that looked like a gunshot wound. Logan remembered that if it possessed enough energy, it would be able to create a portal and return to the etutu. Logan dove at it and drove the telenium through its hand pinning it to the table. Like the others, it gyrated as its internal organs cooked, and fell to the ground. Purple fluids shot out of the hole in its chest and Logan did all that he could to avoid the spray. After a few minutes the grey epidermis began to darken then Logan retrieved the telenium dagger and used a disposable cloth to wipe the substance he believed was blood from the Roo’kall off of him. The burnt creature reeked, smelling like something that had been dead for a week or better. The odor nearly caused him to lose what remained of the last bland meal he endured in Viennin. Logan pushed back the nausea and looked frantically for Joseph but could not find him.
Logan returned to the room where he, Ayla, Gunner, and Dr. Smith had their private conversation with Astrid. The room was a flurry of activity. Joseph was sitting, staring emotionlessly into the air as people moved wearily about the room. Gunner was bleeding from his hands and face as one of the Roo’kall had attacked him. All Gunner could do to protect himself was raise his hands and punch back. It was Joseph that had stopped the attack. No one was sure what he had done, but the creature was in the corner of the room against the wall bleeding from the corners of its black eyes and out of its ears.
Sonia was sitting on a chair with a dagger in her hand trying to catch her breath. The dagger’s blade reminded him of a trench knife. Purple covered her upper body. On the floor to her left was a dead Roo’kall. It was mangled and looked mutilated. He walked over and observed the body. From the top of its head down to the lower sections of its veiny legs, thousands of punctures and cuts covered its body. Deep dark crevices were all that was left in the area where its eyes used to be. The purple substance was running in all directions across the floor.
“Are you okay?” he asked somewhat fearful of the answer.
“Now that there is one less of these in the universe…yes…great,” she flicked the dagger down sending a loud clang of metal on metal as it passed completely through the chest and met the floor. The impact shook the body, giving Logan a cause to wonder if it was truly dead. After a second glance, Logan realized nothing could survive the injuries it had sustained.
Looking around, he did not see anyone armed with any kind of laser weapon or any injuries from one. Where did all the laser fire come from? Logan wondered. Then he considered the bridge and ran out of the room. Logan was alarmed to see that the metal pocket doors were open. He passed cautiously through the opening and immediately realized that two members of the crew were injured and several dead Roo’kall were near the wall to his right. One assassin had fallen into a sitting position supported by the wall and the other was sprawled out on the floor facing the ceiling. Both were riddled with burn holes in the chest and face areas from the lasers. Astrid turned her head to see him standing there as the Tuega’s crew moved about giving aid to the injured and removal of the dead invaders.
Astrid looked angry and didn’t turn when she spoke to him, “Can you help tend to your injured? As soon as possible we will reach Earth. We will not risk another attack. After the injuries have been treated, gather everyone and get down to the Bru so we can launch the second we stop. I want to get you home before there is another attack. I have given orders and the coordinates on the Bru will take you to your Nation’s Capital as we discussed earlier,” Astrid said continuing to look forward, “if you will excuse me, I have some work to do.”
He was unsure what to say and decided on a courteous nod and backed out of the door. As they were en route to the room to assist with the injured, Logan looked once again for the kids in the meeting room but found no trace of them. When they returned to the galley, Joseph was sitting in a chair next to Ayla. Logan moved quickly over and sat next to him, “Where did they go?”
“Away. They will be back soon,” he noted emotionlessly while staring him in the eyes.
“So, they are okay? We will be in celerity in a few minutes. They won’t be able to find us if they wait too long…right?” Logan asked.
“Yes. They are close.” Joseph’s countenance changed and the brow on his forehead came down over his eyes, “I will not go with you.”
“Why?”
“I am afraid that they will keep coming for us.” Joseph appeared to be angry, not afraid.
“Then we will keep killing them. We are family. I know that doesn’t mean a lot to you yet because of all you have been through, but you will understand. We are here for you. To protect you. Please, come with us. We are stronger together.”
He paused for a second considering Logan’s plea and nodded his head in agreement, “You need to tell Gunner to go see the Commander.”
“I just spoke to her. Why?” taken back by the comment.
“Did you notice that she did not turn to you?”
“She was upset about being attacked,” Logan said.
“She was stabbed in the stomach. She is bleeding. She didn’t want you to know because she does not want Gunner to worry about her. She will die if not
treated soon.”
Gunner overheard what Joseph said. He ran out of the room and back to the bridge. The doors were still open, and he didn’t stop running until he was past them. Astrid was still sitting at the helm directing the craft. She saw his reflection and did not turn around to face him but simply said in a rather weak tone, “You need to get to the Bru so you can launch as soon as we arrive. We can’t risk another attack.”
“Not without you,” he replied. “You are hurt. There is a lot of internal bleeding. You need to get medical help…now,” he said anxiously while moving toward her.
The pilot next to her looked over, leaned in and noticed her stomach. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Gunner, “Commander, you need to go to the infirmary!”
She raised a hand, “I have to get them home safely first,” she said before becoming overwhelmingly weak.
Astrid slowly began to slide out of the chair, no longer strong enough to hold herself up. Gunner caught her and guided her gently down to the floor and pulled open the lower section of the uniform exposing the two-inch puncture wound. Gunner’s hands were covered with her blood as he looked on. She was certain to have major internal damage. A medical team stormed the bridge and shoved Gunner out of the way. Astrid became lethargic and could no longer answer the medic’s questions. In a matter of seconds, she was on a gurney headed for emergency surgery.
Gunner approached the door to the Bru. Everyone was seated and waited on him to bring them good news about Astrid before locking down and pressurizing the cabin. His hands were clean, but Astrid’s blood covered his shirt and pants. Logan threw back his lap belt and approached him.
“Well?” Logan asked with a concerned look.
“I don’t know. She lost a lot of blood. Look you all have to go,” Gunner said. “I can’t leave until I know that she’s okay.”
Logan looked at him and understood why he wanted to stay. He would have done the same if he were in Gunner’s shoes.
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