“Okay…”
“The weapon you need is at Sagittarius A*.” That was pronounced Sagittarius A Star.
“Where?” I asked.
N7 spoke up. “That is at the Galactic Center, Commander. It is in fact a supermassive black hole.”
“Just like Abaddon’s space-time continuum,” I said. “What are you trying to pull, Holgotha?”
“The android is incorrect,” Holgotha said. “Sagittarius A* is not the Galactic Center. It is the center of your galaxy. That is approximately twenty-seven thousand light years from here.”
“But Sagittarius A* is still a supermassive black hole, right?” I asked.
“The Fortress of Light orbits the supermassive black hole,” Holgotha said. “At least, the last time I checked it did.”
“How long ago was that?”
“That is not germane to the situation.”
I felt my blood pressure rising, but refrained from cursing. In a tight voice, I said, “This sounds like a goose chase. Twenty-seven thousand light years away…is that right?”
“That is correct,” Holgotha said. “The weapon is in a vault inside the Fortress of Light.”
“What is this fortress exactly?” I asked.
“One thing at a time, Commander,” Holgotha said. “Twenty-seven thousand light years is too far for your moon-ship to transfer in one bound. It will take several teleportations. Once you arrive there, the key I give you will allow you entrance into the Fortress of Light. There, the key will lead you to a weapon with the power to slay Abaddon. Return with it, and humanity along with the Jade League will gain a chance of surviving the coming war.”
I plopped down onto the bench. “You want us to teleport to the center of the galaxy while the Super Fleet heads to Earth?”
“That is my best recommendation toward your ultimate victory.”
“Well…first,” I said. “Can you send a message for me?”
“Of what nature?” Holgotha asked.
“Telling the admiral of the Grand Armada to start heading to the Solar System,” I said.
Holgotha was silent for a time. Finally, he said, “Yes, I am willing.”
“Great,” I said. “Now, explain the Fortress of Light to me.”
“The key can do that.”
“This is a Forerunner key?” I asked.
“In truth, no,” Holgotha said. “The key belongs to the Fortress of Light. It will agree to do these two acts for you as the price for its freedom.”
“What?” I asked, rubbing my forehead. “This is beginning to sound weird.”
“That is due to Abaddon and the Jelk,” Holgotha said. “Like me, they are special entities. That calls for special weaponry. Why else do you think the Jade League has been losing this long conflict since the beginning?”
It dawned on me that I might be touching upon the true purpose of the Forerunner objects. A captive key to the Fortress of Light in the center of our galaxy…that sounded strange, all right, and interesting. What was Abaddon? Why did we need a special weapon to kill him, one found in something called the Fortress of Light?
I looked up.
“Since I wish to forestall another round of tedious conversation,” Holgotha said. “I am about to give you the key. Your time is strictly limited, Commander. The Super Fleet is approaching fast, and I’m sure Abaddon has other surprises in store for you. This is the great showdown. The Dark One has made a miscalculation, however. I am sure he did not foresee my cunning with the Obliteration Protocol. Now, it is up to you.”
I stood up. “What does the key look like and when do I get it?”
“It is on its way to your speedster. Since it cannot withstand the black hole radiation, I have let it out a different port.”
“There’s another way in to see you?” I said.
“None of that will ever matter to you,” Holgotha said. “Good-bye, Commander. I bid you a blessing in the Creator’s name. You have the weight of the galaxy riding on your shoulders. If you fail…your race along with the Forerunner machines are most certainly doomed.”
-12-
The next few weeks were a blur of activity. It’s hard to remember what happened in exact order.
I imagine that’s how the workmen at Pearl Harbor felt after the Battle of the Coral Sea against the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II.
After the treacherous Battle of Pearl Harbor, where the Japanese sucker-punched the U.S., the American Navy had to make do against the stronger Japanese Fleet, at least stronger in the Pacific at the time. Some of the remaining U.S. carriers met the Japanese in the confused Battle of the Coral Sea. The Japanese sank the Lexington and damaged the Yorktown, as well as sinking some other, non-carrier American vessels. The U.S. had struck back, sinking a Japanese flattop.
In any case, Yorktown limped back to Pearl Harbor. U.S. Naval Intelligence knew the Japanese were planning another attack—the coming attack on Midway. Admiral Nimitz of the Pacific Fleet had two good carriers left, the Enterprise and Hornet. Besides that, he had seven heavy cruisers and the damaged Yorktown to face the coming might of the Imperial Navy.
The Battle of Midway would be one of the most decisive in War World II. The Americans went into it as underdogs, utterly turning the tables on the Japanese. One of the keys to that victory had been the carrier Yorktown.
When it steamed into port, the authorities estimated it would take ninety days to repair the internal and leaking damage. Fourteen hundred yard workmen toiled around the clock for two days, and then the desperately needed carrier was ready for war. One reason everyone had worked so hard was that Admiral Nimitz had realized navies had entered a new era of flattops and air wings. The battleships, cruisers and destroyers counted for far less in terms of sea superiority than the new carriers.
I suppose the same might be true for us. With the moon-ships, Abaddon and his allies had introduced a new type of spaceship. A regular fleet would take weeks, possibly even months to get to a location, one a transfer ship could reach in three seconds.
That got to me thinking. How many moon-ships did Abaddon have? It must be a strictly limited supply. Had our captured moon-ship struck here first, or had it hit elsewhere before we captured it? That seemed like a critical question.
The fact that Abaddon hadn’t loaded up the Super Fleet on his moon-ships and simply transferred here showed he must have one or two at most left. Otherwise, he could carry his entire fleet on the surface of the moon-ships. Either that, or there was some other factor I didn’t understand yet.
“We have to multiply our fighting power,” I told the others. “Catapulting a few rocks doesn’t cut it. Loosening a handful of fighters was a mistake on their part. The way I see it, we should land the Earth and Mars Fleets on the moon-ship. We’ll take everything with us wherever we go.”
“No, no, no,” Diana said. “That would leave Earth defenseless.”
She was as striking as ever, if a little older. The Amazon Queen with her glorious figure and stunning features had taken full advantage of the alien tech we’d come across these past years. She’d used it to enhance her already overpowering beauty.
Diana ran the Survival Party. Her chief opponent was Murad Bey, the leader of the Holy Compact Party. Diana was Prime Minister, while Murad Bey led the opposition. Today, inside the cabinet room, Murad Bey’s representative smoked a huge cigar. He was a squat, tough-looking bald man with a dark complexion, a former worker on a Saurian world who had taken to Islam with gusto.
Murad Bey had refused to come to the cabinet meeting, sending Abu Hawkblood instead.
“Tell him, Hawkblood,” Diana said.
The squat man smoking his cigar stared at me. “I’m unsure about this,” he said in a hoarse voice. “Isn’t there an old Earth saying regarding the situation?”
One of the things I’d noticed about the human immigrants from the Saurian worlds had been their intense desire to become Earthlings. Abu Hawkblood had it bad. He was a strict Moslem who read history every chanc
e he had.
“Sure there is,” I told him. “The best defense is a good offense.”
He smoked it over, finally slapping the table. “There! That is what I think.”
Diana shook her head. “That’s because the Earth isn’t precious to you like it is to me. It isn’t thick in your blood.”
Hawkblood scowled. “I love the Earth dearly. It is my new home, my only home.”
Diana laughed at him scoffingly.
Hawkblood puffed harder, sending up a smelly cloud of smoke. “Maybe the Prime Minister has a point, Commander. We need the fleets at home to protect Earth.”
“Come off it, Hawkblood,” I said. “She’s playing you. She knows your weak point.”
“I am not weak,” he said.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Is that true, Commander?” Diana asked archly. “Don’t you think of all of us as weak? We’re not bulging with muscles like you.”
“You are bulging, though,” I said, glancing at her bosom.
“That’s not very chivalrous,” Diana said. “It’s yet another example of your disdain for the rest of us. We’re supposed to leap to whatever you say. Well, you know what, Commander. I’ve had enough of that. Either the people’s vote counts for something or it doesn’t.”
“Votes must count,” Hawkblood said. “It is the Earth way.”
“This isn’t about votes,” I said, feeling my temper slipping. Had Diana gotten better at these kinds of conversations or had I lost my grip?
“You want to take everything we’ve worked so hard to build,” she said. “Then—”
“Hold it,” I said, standing up.
Diana glanced at Abu Hawkblood as if to say, “Look at him, ordering us around again.”
I sighed. “Diana, I’m not a parliamentarian. I don’t have your skill at public speaking, nor am I a politician. I’m a soldier, an assault trooper. Fighting is my game. I understand battle strategy. Abaddon is coming fast, and we only have a little time left. He has a Super Fleet. Holgotha has predicted complete victory for the enemy unless I can kill the unkillable alien. The only way—”
“Creed, Creed,” Diana said, “spare us your ringing rhetoric. It won’t work on us. This time—”
“Stop,” I said. “I’ll meet you half way. Keep the Earth Fleet. I’ll take the Mars Fleet.”
“No,” she said. “We need it all. What if another moon-ship appears?”
“What happens if ten moon-ships appear in the Solar System?”
“They won’t,” Diana said.
“You don’t know that.”
“Come off it, Creed. You must have figured it out already. If Abaddon had a horde of moon-ships, he could have landed his Super Fleet on them and transferred here. Surely, the enemy only has a few of them. Yet, Abaddon could do what you’re doing, and load one up with battlejumpers. We need every ship we have for a fighting chance at defense. The truth is, even with the Earth and Mars Fleets, we have too little to protect our home world.”
I lost my temper. Instead of shouting, I gathered my folder and headed for the door.
“What is this?” she asked. “You’re walking out on me?”
I regarded her while counting to ten. “I don’t have time for this, Diana. Political maneuvering is a pastime with you. To me, our situation is life and death. You don’t seem to realize just what’s at stake.”
“That’s not true or fair,” she said. “I just don’t see it your way. How about you try to see our point of view?”
“It’s wrong,” I said.
“Well, you know what. That’s why we vote. This isn’t a dictatorship. You have a plan. I have one, too. Each side builds warships as fast and as hard as we can. Then, our giant fleets crash against their giant fleets. Maybe we outfight them. Maybe we lose. What we don’t do is strip our world of everything after having just survived because we had fleets in place against the attacking moon-ship.”
“Our fleets gave us the moon-ship—”
“That’s another thing,” Diana said. “I claim the moon-ship is under parliamentary control. Our military—”
She fell silent, staring at my .44 Magnum, which I’d drawn. “Is this a military coup, Creed? Are you taking over?”
“What’s really going on here?” I asked. “I can see your point about wanting the Earth and Mars Fleets here. Yeah, your plan made me mad at first, but I’m seeing it now. You can’t be serious about wanting the moon-ship, though. We lose if I don’t use it.”
Diana stared at her hands, which were intertwined on the table. “The world is terrified, Creed. They know we all almost died. If the fleets go…there are going to be riots all over the place.”
“You’re not answering the question about the moon-ship.”
“You’ve lost touch,” Diana said. “You’ve been so busy with your wars, with your steroids and bio-suits, that you’ve lost your humanity.”
“I’m going to ask you one more time,” I said.
“You will drop your gun, Commander.”
Keeping the .44 aimed at Diana, I peered over my shoulder. Abu Hawkblood aimed a stubby little palm-gun at me. It wasn’t of Earth-make. I glanced into his eyes, which were hard and glittering with intensity.
“You’re not human,” I said.
“I am,” Hawkblood said. “But that’s neither here nor there. You are my prisoner, Commander. If you don’t put down your weapon—”
I moved, swiveling toward him.
Hawkblood beamed a milky substance from his weapon.
I’d already hurled myself to the side, though. The milky substance grazed my arm, burning fabric. At the same time, I brought up the .44. Three times, I pulled the trigger. Each time, nothing happened.
“Drop it,” Hawkblood said, grinning at me. The tricky devil must have something in place to retard gunpowder reactions.
So, I dropped my gun, kicking it as I charged. The .44 sailed at him. He beamed it, realized his mistake and tried to retarget me. He should have shot me when he had the chance. Before he could fix his mistake, I drew my Bowie knife and stabbed it through his chest, lifting him off the floor.
Hawkblood groaned. He tried one last time to bring his palm-gun around. I slapped it out of his hand. Then, I flung him off my blade onto the floor.
The man coughed blood, staring at me. “You moved so fast. I didn’t realize. I didn’t…”
I crouched beside him, wiping his blood on his clothes. That made him grin. After that, he shuddered, his entire body moving in one long spasm. Then, he stopped breathing, as he was dead.
I stood up wearily and glanced at Diana. She sat almost frozen in her spot at the head of the table. The others in the room sat rigidly as well. I went to her. Only her eyes moved, watching me.
I began moving her thick hair, searching her scalp until I found a tiny device there. My heart thudded. Was the thing embedded into her brain? That would be awful. I tugged. It came free, exposing a needle-thin sliver several millimeters long.
Diana gasped, collapsing onto the table. Then it was her turn to shudder.
I stayed with her the next several hours, and called down several shuttles full of assault troopers too. It was a good thing I did.
Maybe you’ve already guessed it. We’d unknowingly rescued Jelk-trained sleeper humans from the corporation frontier planets. Hawkblood had been among the most successful of the sleeper agents.
The next week was mayhem on Earth. Despite everything, I took time to help hunt down Jelk-trained ringleaders. A short, very brutal civil war followed.
A little shy of a million people died. Most of those came from a nuclear bomb detonating in New London. Murad Bey was dead, had died a month ago according to the study of his exhumed corpse.
Hawkblood had been running the Holy Compact Party for several weeks already. He’d put quite a few of his operatives in places of power. That made it easier finding them now.
After the brutal week, it was over.
I spoke with Diana in her
hospital bed in Brinktown. It was in Old Canada where Moose Jaw used to be.
“Creed, they came so close,” she said.
“The Jelk are cunning. We should have been more careful with those we rescued. It’s just…”
“I know,” she said, patting my hand. “Poor Murad Bey. He had his faults, but he loved Earth. He loved humanity.”
“He’ll be avenged,” I said.
“By the way, I agree with your idea. Take the Earth and Mars Fleets. We’ll keep building battlejumpers.”
I shook my head. “I’m not leaving Earth defenseless. The civil war showed me how precious our planet is. I’m giving you everything but for a few fighters. It’s not easy to say, but you were right and I was wrong.”
“Creed,” she said, staring up at me.
“There’s more,” I told her. “I spoke with Baba Gobo. He told me he’s never sending another Starkien ship here again. I stopped him before he could say more. I won’t bore you with the whole talk. I convinced him this is the end. If we win but Abaddon chases off all the Forerunner artifacts—”
“The Starkiens will enter the Solar System to help defend us?” she asked.
“In a few days,” I said.
“What about the accord?” Diana whispered.
“If I kill Abaddon, I can protect the Starkiens and give them full rights. I have a feeling I’ll have something over the artifacts as well. If I fail to kill Abaddon, none of this is going to matter anyway.”
“But—”
“Baba Gobo saw the logic of that. The Forerunner artifacts seem to be the critical feature. Why else did Abaddon use the moon-ships against them? That being so, we must protect the artifacts at all costs. That means the entire Starkien Fleet is coming. If Abaddon sends a moon-ship loaded up with starships, Earth will have a fighting chance.”
“What if Abaddon hits the Starkien planets?”
I shook my head. “The Forerunner artifacts are the thing, Diana.”
“You’re going to need warships with you.”
Fortress Earth (Extinction Wars Book 4) Page 7