The Kryl Queen

by Chris Burton

  “Jonathan…it makes sense for the Halo to lead from the front and be amongst the first to engage the Kryl. This is something we have always said. There are competent ships within the fleet and the command deck has been set up on this ship. Transferring it elsewhere will just increase the delay. Anyway, I don’t get it. We will have to wait for the second tier to catch up before we attack the Kryl anyway. Why don’t we just accept the fact it is going to take longer and then we go at the same pace?”

  “I agree with you; but Admiral Martin does not.”

  “Which means what? This is your fleet…you are an Admiral. Surely you get to decide whether it splits or not. Are we not better off in greater numbers?”

  “Yes, I have always said that. Martin was quite specific. If I go against him; all that will happen is that I may face a disciplinary. If we get this right, that won’t matter. Okay; but I will need to engage the support of the other commanders in the task force. Let’s get them here for an emergency meeting in say four hours. In the meantime, get John Arnold to come and see me again.”

  * * * *

  Arnold joined Jonathan Hoskins in his state room. They both sat and Hoskins poured coffee before he spoke.

  “I know you have taken this badly John and rightly so. But you are not responsible. I decided to bring the Romany with us. Clearly she was not up to the job. The loss of lives rests with me. As for the Belmont, I am afraid the culpability lies with their CO. He decided to double back and assist the Romany. This was my fault though as I made no specific order to stop cruiser commanders from offering assistance. We are lucky; we did not lose more ships.”

  “I am not taking this personally, nor should you. I am just a little shocked; I have not witnessed such total devastation and loss of life before. I am a scientist not a soldier.”

  “And these events will probably live with you forever, as indeed they do with all of us. But we have to move on. I am wrestling with whether I should split this fleet and I need your input to help me decide which way to go. Have you had the opportunity to review the incident on the Romany?”

  “In part, yes. But a full investigation will be carried out. I think we just have to rethink the whole thing. If there is an issue with heat and the ships drive systems then in those vessels the radiation shells should be moved to the fore sections of the ship.”

  “Which is dangerous and a logistical nightmare.”

  “Yes; but having said that, as long as we plan and we exercise extreme caution, it should not take too long. We are looking at twenty-two vessels and in most cases the best way to transport the shells will be externally. The other issue being storage availability in the fore decks of the ships. There are not many logical places to keep the shells on any of the effected ships.”

  “I understand. I do need to have a plan in place quickly though. Let me have something more substantial to put to the command team in two hours.”

  Arnold left the Admirals state room and headed back to his laboratory. His team already brought up the schematics of each of the affected ships and started to plan the transfer of the radiation shells.

  Two hours later, Arnold returned to meet with Admiral Hoskins.

  “So, what do you have?”

  “A miss-match of crew quarters, conference facilities, mess rooms and even an armory. Virtually every ship is different, but we have now established safe locations. With the exception of four ships, the route to the front of the ship will have to be external. The path for which is long winded. First exit the store room to the nearest exit portal, then load via top loading shuttle doors, disembark and return at the front of the ship and entrance via the nearest portal. Each stage will have to be carefully planned, to ensure the correct temperature and conditions are adhered to. Pressure is also an issue, we will need correctly balanced umbilical shoots for transport from shuttle to ship and the process must be slow and methodical. I estimate two hours per ship and I would want to do one at a time.”

  “So, two days to effect the changes. Doesn’t sound too bad.”

  “At least two more to make the new storage spaces ready. I have to urge caution Admiral. I cannot overstress the danger here. Stress tolerances are critical. We have seen how volatile these things are, just in terms of temperature. They are not designed to be moved until we fire them.”

  Hoskins saw the look of anxiety on the scientist’s face. He opted for a conciliatory response, but he still needed to reach a conclusion on this. “I understand the complexities and the dangers involved. I assume this is still your preference. We face a further delay either way…but we have to find the safest option overall.”

  “Then it has to be this way, sir. With your approval, I will arrange…”

  Hoskins interrupted the scientist. He needed to meet with his commanders first.

  “I will speak to my command team and get back to you.”

  * * * *

  The process of transferring the radiation shells from the aft to the fore section of twenty-two cruisers was underway, following approval from the command team. John Arnold had already supervised two transfers. The third was so far going smoothly. The charge shells were transported on mobile transport boards which hovered a meter above the floor. They were in the process of negotiating the umbilical shoot between the cruiser and the Eagle shuttle. The Artificial Gravity control had to be balanced correctly between the shoot and the shuttle, with the mobile transport board itself calibrated precisely to ensure transportation was as smooth as possible. The problem was this board was not. As the board entered the part of the shoot which sat above the cargo bay hold, its computer correctly advised it was too high and it should reduce its altitude.

  “Allow the board to drop down, Lieutenant. Just as last time.”

  “She is going down too fast.”

  A crunching sound followed and the three man support team scrambled down the entrance bay doors to the floor of the Eagle Cargo Bay. The board’s gravity function failed and it plummeted to the floor, scattering its contents across the cargo bay. Three Radiation Charge shells lay on their side. One impacted badly with its outer shell clearly dented.

  Arnold acted quickly and decisively. “Shut the cargo doors and release the umbilical. Pilot, get us to safe distance…about ten thousand meters…now!”

  He knew he had no choice. If he could get the Eagle away from the Cruiser, she would be safe as would the remaining charges on board. He and the Eagles crew would not survive.

  “Ten thousand meters, sir.”

  Arnold knelt down beside the damaged shell and examined it. If the shell had permeated into the inner membrane, gas would escape and ignite with the oxygen in the atmosphere. There was no outward sign of any gaseous discharge. “Okay…this unit is damaged. We need to examine the others and then prepare to expel them into deep space. If they don’t implode we can safely destroy them.”

  He moved across and examined the other two separated units. Both were intact and undamaged. Carefully, he moved them back onto the gravity board.

  “Get these shells secured and make ready for transport to the fore deck.”

  Arnold turned his attention back to the other shell. He already knew what he had to do.

  A pressurized discharge unit was housed in the mid section of the cargo bay. It was designed to allow space walking and followed the age old principle of entering, depressurizing, releasing and then re-pressurizing. This is itself was fraught with danger, but he had no choice; no one else knew what to do and this was his baby. He entered the discharge unit and closed the door. He felt the radiation shell, it was warm to the touch, even from within his protective gloves; a sure sign she was about to blow. He wasted no time in strapping himself into the body harness and then checked the shell again. Was it getting hotter?

  He opened a comm.link to the pilot and left it open as he began the depressurization process
. He had no idea how long he had.

  “Pilot. I am about to release the shell from the midsection discharge unit. We need to pull away swiftly as soon as I release it, but remember to keep it steady, we still have the other charges on board. I will keep this link open.”

  Arnold felt the unit again. Now it felt hot. The depressurize process was nearing completion. Did he have enough time or was this his final resting place…at least he had saved the cruiser this time.

  Finally still, the process was complete and Arnold manually released the docking clamps. The outer door opened exposing the unit to the blackness of space. He felt an instant tightening on his protective suit as the force of outer space tried to grab him and squeeze him through the small release space. It was now or never. He pushed the shell through the cavity and let go. In a fraction of a second it had disappeared as it was sucked out into deep space. He did not waste time watching the charge; he had no time to lose. He closed the exit hatch and restarted the pressurization process. When would the charge go? Would it go?

  The answer was immediately as he felt the full force of the resultant explosion. The Eagle was forced backwards several thousand meters before the pilot regained inertia. Finally, the cabin returned to normal pressure so he was able to open the inner bay pressure door and return to the cargo bay. He headed straight for the cockpit.

  He was relieved, but knew the job was far from over.

  “Okay, gentlemen. That crisis is over. Let’s get back to the ship and get these shells stored. I think we have learned a lesson. Let’s hope it does not happen again.”

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  The Ground Battle

  SED launched their first sorties against the Kryl Personnel Carriers just twenty-four hours after President Roslyn’s statement. It was clear from the start that the Kryl would target Earth’s megacities and with attacks on New York, Chicago, London, Tokyo, Rio and Moscow; their intent was clear. They would literally sweep the target humans off the streets.

  Admiral Yamoto ordered fifteen hundred Jump Ships to be deployed and the Kryl immediately responded by flooding Earth’s skies with vast numbers of Kryl Fighters.

  On the ground, battalions of SED troopers were organized into defensive screens surrounding the larger cities in twenty-two key population centers. Clearly they were outnumbered. The order was given to deploy all two hundred and fifty thousand combat droids from Exeter to protect London. These mechanized units stood alone apart from a few hundred Special Forces soldiers, outside the British Capital, against over two million Kryl combat drones. The sky turned orange, following explosion after explosion. This was Hell on Earth.

  It was no surprise that London was selected as a key Kryl target. The huge metropolis was anchored by two key Alpha space ports, with a population spread over a wide area. Its position both separated and yet adjacent to mainland Europe made it both a defensive stronghold and a hub for attacking sorties for other key European cities. The Kryl wanted London…but the SED would not let it fall.

  * * * *

  Colonel Pat McCarry headed up the Q5 Special Forces unit, which was tasked with the urgent defense of London. He had assumed command of the two hundred and fifty thousand combat droids and assembled them quickly via ground attack personnel carriers to surround London. The droids were concentrated in three key areas: Aldershot, Rochester, and Colchester.

  The Kryl started to land drones at five main areas, Guildford, Crawley, Harrow, Slough, and Ilford, with drones either taking to the streets in their thousands or moving forward towards central London in mechanized land carriers. Already they had made ground and large numbers of humans were targeted, loaded, and removed. The Kryl were collecting their new food supply.

  McCarry was on the ground on the outskirts of Guildford. He was witnessing the Kryl’s ruthless collection process for the first time.

  “The collection vehicle stuns its victims, then just scoops them up and deposits them in the top of the vehicle. There isn’t an order to it—they are just dumping their bodies. It’s barbaric.”

  “Yes, Lieutenant Sparrow, I quite agree. Okay…I have seen enough. Target the scooping arm and the plasma weapon. Avoid hitting the central area at all costs. Once we have this unit downed. Get the people out of there and get them somewhere safe.”

  “Where, sir? The Kryl are destroying everything around us. That’s what is forcing the people outside. It is brutal, but very effective.”

  “We need to put them somewhere. Can we set up some shield protected areas? I suspect the Kryl will leave these alone.”

  “I’ll ask Sergeant Wilkes to set one up. There is a recreation area, two hundred meters north of here. Its tree lined; we can use the trees as extra cover.”

  The Lieutenant ducked as a Kryl fighter’s plasma pummeled the ground, ripping up the pavement, just meters from their shelter, a battle damaged house, just off the main street. The response was swift as a Rapier took chase, targeted and brought the fighter down on top of a block of apartments. He winced as he recognized the telling signs of death.

  How many people took shelter in that block? he thought.

  * * * *

  The order to take out the Kryl collection vehicle had been carried out swiftly. Two combat drones, which were impervious to plasma fire, traversed the last hundred metes at a pace, firing their combat pulse rifles as they ran. With pinpoint accuracy the collection vehicle was stopped in its tracks. The droids had then continued on to the next vehicle. These droids are incredible he thought. Why can’t we have more of them!

  “The protected area has been set up in the recreation area, sir. I will start to get the people to safety. Do we have any more of these droids?”

  “Lots of them, but they are stretched far and wide. Okay. Lieutenant I am out of here. Spread the word; the droids are effective at taking out the collection vehicles and get someone to help the medics clear them out. They can’t do it on their own.”

  The battle continued with huge blasts to the north and west of the Colonel’s current position as a Kryl fighter, targeted the shuttle which now hovered fifteen meters from the colonel’s current location. He ran towards the shuttle, dodging a further explosion to his left, grasping the grab handle, he pulled himself inside and the shuttle lifted off and departed at speed.

  * * * *

  On the other side of the Atlantic, President Roslyn reviewed the latest figures with his Defense Secretary.

  “Doesn’t look very good does it? How can they have infiltrated so deeply and so quickly?”

  “Shear number of troops and the method they are deploying them, Mister President. It’s the same across the globe, with the possible exception of London, where the combat droids have been deployed. Our fears about them were unfounded.”

  “I am sure even London will not hold for long. Okay, lets see where we are tomorrow. At this rate, the Kryl will have collected a hundred and fifty million within a week and will have taken fifty percent of the world’s major cities.”

  The Defense Secretary departed, leaving Roslyn to reflect on another bad day. How much longer will we have to wait for the fleet to arrive? All could be lost if they don’t arrive soon.

  Roslyn had known this would happen. He knew they were outnumbered and that the Kryl would wreck havoc and kill millions as they seized control and collected the human sacrifices. He knew the best option was to reopen discussions and make a new agreement. At least then there would be peace.

  It’s too late now; too many people have been affected by this. There is no way the people of Earth will stand down from their crusade to remove the Kryl. They will fail, but they will not back down.

  Part Four

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  The Malchian Leader

  Three weeks later, Sorgan, the commander of the Malchians arrived back in Earth’s solar system, on his way to meet Trieste in her sa
nctuary, aboard the Queen’s ship.

  His visit was unscheduled, but it was clear someone had followed his progress very closely. Safrec stood in front of him as he approached the Sanctuary entrance.

  “Sorgan, may I speak to you before you join the Queen?”

  “I would he happy to meet with you. I am sure we have much to discuss but my Queen is expecting me.”

  Safrec stood his ground.”No. That was not a request. I will speak to you before you enter. You must understand your relationship with the Queen has changed.”

  Sorgan expected as much. He had communicated with the Queen through his mind, several times in the last few hours. She told him, she had mated with the Kronan to sustain her life and it meant nothing. Safrec was not the chosen one.

  He moved forward confrontationally to within a half meter of the Kronan, staring straight at the Kryl leader, with his chest puffed up. A typical sparring stance between two warring Kryl.

  “Nothing has changed. The Queen explained the nature of your relationship and your physical actions. Your job was to sustain her life until I returned. Now I am back, so please stand aside. I will speak to you later.”

  The Kronan said nothing at first, but pushed himself forward, increasing his postulating stance. Their bodies were virtually touching. He waited patiently for Sorgan to respond.

  “You have pushed yourself too far. You have no idea how much power I have. I can crush you into the ground in a flash. You will stand down and meet with me. Then you can see the Queen.”

  “Don’t be a fool, Safrec. You have long asserted your powers exceed mine. I have long suggested they don’t.”

  “You have no caste Malchian. You have no power.”