Escape to Earth 3: Defending Holy Ground

by Saxon Andrew

  “What is that?”

  “We simply enter normal space if we’re surrounded and immediately go to full speed. In less than a second we’ll be outside the range of their scanners. They won’t know what direction to pursue us.”

  “But those in the void will see us if we leave normal space.”

  “That’s true, but we won’t be surrounded and we’re faster than them.”

  “Have you discussed this with Jinks?”

  “Yes. He’s going to see if several of the new battleships can catch Chad and corner him.”

  “Good luck with that!” Lukas saw the edge of the Milky Way approaching and said, “Go into normal space, Willow.” They emerged just outside the edge of the galaxy and Lukas shook his head. “Andromeda is beautiful but not like home.” They stared at the giant spiral galaxy and Lukas sighed.

  “What’s wrong, Lukas?”

  “It just seems wrong that so much destruction and killing can exist in something so beautiful and every galaxy we’ve seen is just alike. The Creator didn’t do a good job.”

  “The structures are magnificent. It’s up to those that live in them to make them beautiful.”

  Lukas shook his head. “Willow, have you thought about the magnitude of the task of removing the invaders from M-87?” Lukas waited and after a moment said, “Willow?”

  “There’s more than a trillion stars in that galaxy. I don’t know that it’s possible to defeat the numbers we’d have to face. Assuming we could defeat their technology, it would take several hundred lifetimes to do it.”

  “I have thought about it.”

  “And?”

  “It’s like a malignant cancer. You cut it out and it grows somewhere else. You keep cutting and you can’t stay ahead of the growth. The only thing you can hope to do is contain it.”

  “With those new faster warships they’re building, that is not going to be easily done.”

  “I know. We have to get at the source of the disease. Let’s go.” The Attack Pod dropped into the void and accelerated toward the spiral arm Earth was located in. They moved into the galaxy at high speed and Lukas heard Willow say, “We are arriving from Eden and should be there in ten minutes.”

  “You’re cleared for entry and welcome home, Sir.”

  “It appears they’ve been notified we were coming.”

  “Who knew we were going to Earth?”

  “I certainly didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t know until you told me to come here.”

  Lukas thought for a moment and shook his head, “Eve must have told Salud after we left.”

  “What?”

  “It appears she can hear my thoughts. She must have said ‘Earth’ to Salud. This is Salud’s way of telling me I’m never alone.”

  “You were really lucky to have found her.”

  “Willow, there was no luck involved. Pat set that up from the beginning.” Willow arrived in orbit above Earth and Lukas stared at the planet for an hour. The planet was healing and the new force field stations could be seen from orbit. Finally he sighed and thought, “Pat.” He was greeted with silence. “Pat, you can’t fool me! You’ve shown your hand in recent events so you might as well admit it!”

  “Lukas, you are the most damnably annoying creature I’ve ever encountered. How did you know I survived?”

  “You nudged the twins into doing something they would never had done normally. They arrived moments before that Invader squadron showed up. That’s too much of a coincidence. It has your hands all over it.”

  “Trust me on this; it didn’t take much of a push to get them to do it!”

  “I can believe that. How did you survive?”

  “I’m incredibly ashamed that I did. I knew I would die with your people.”

  “You didn’t.”

  “No, I went into the planet’s core just as the invaders fired on me. Their beams caused a large portion of my structure to disintegrate but they missed the central portion. Once I arrived close to the core, they could no longer detect me. I stayed there and watched them systematically kill every human on the planet. This is something that I will live in shame over for the rest of my life and I hope you understand that my life is going to be quite long. I should have died with your people, Lukas. I deserved it.”

  “You caused them to stumble on Earth, didn’t you?”

  “I did.”

  “Why?”

  “Because if they didn’t find it at that moment, that second fleet that launched from M-87 with provisions would have come here and killed every civilized planet in the galaxy and they would have found Earth. Earth’s destruction had to happen before that second fleet arrived.”

  “You shouldn’t blame yourself for living, Pat. If you didn’t, all the work we’ve done erecting the force field structures would have been a wasted effort and it would have led to another invasion.”

  “There will be another invasion soon. I can’t help but feel immense sorrow at the loss of life. I watched the invader warships scan the entire planet and use their beams to kill every human. There were thousands of humans that had a main disruptor fired at only them. The deaths of the children and babies still haunts me. I should be dead with them.”

  “You’re going to have to deal with your sorrow the same way we are.”

  “How is that?”

  “You’re going to have to make them pay for their actions, which brings me to a request.”

  “What do you want?”

  “You probably know I’m headed out to M-87 to take a look at what’s going on. You could save my wife and daughter a lot of lost sleep by taking a look and telling me what you see without my having to go there.”

  “I could, but you wouldn’t like the fallout if I did.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “If I allow my consciousness to go back into that galaxy, the species that sent those ships here will sense my presence and know they failed in their attempt to kill me. That will lead to an immediate invasion and this time they’ll be coming to kill every planet with intelligent life.”

  “They must suspect you survived when we destroyed their advanced ships.”

  “No, the twins did a remarkable job of attacking them from the rear and not from Earth’s direction. The only message they got out said they were under attack from another direction.”

  “But they must be planning another invasion because of the loss of their ships?”

  “Probably, but it takes time to plan an invasion and you still need all the time you can get to update your pods and build enough battleships to make a difference.”

  “Those new ships can be here in less than a month.”

  “If the same species invades again and those ships were the only ones they had with the upgrades. They are going to have to take time to upgrade the rest of their fleets and you can imagine how long that will take.”

  “What if they send that other species?”

  “I don’t know for certain but I suspect their ships aren’t as good as the orange ships. It will take them a much longer time to arrive. However, if they sense me, they’ll send both species to make sure the job is done this time.”

  Lukas sighed, “So I guess I’ll have to make the trip.”

  “It’s the smart thing to do.”

  “Pat, is there anyway those beings that are hell bent on killing you can be killed?”

  “Oh, I could kill them but I’d never get close enough to them to do it.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because the disruptor beams on their ships can kill me. The frequency they operate on will disintegrate me if they hit me. I was extremely lucky I survived the last attack.”

  “What if you were inside a ship their beams couldn’t penetrate?”

  “I would still have to leave that ship to get at them. I couldn’t do them any harm inside the ship.”

  “If I can find a way to get you close, would you do it?”

  “I’d welcome the opportunity but their planet is surrounded by m
ore than a million warships and the planet’s surface is covered with huge disruptor emplacements. Good luck on getting around that defense.”

  Lukas nodded slowly and said, “Well, it gives me something to think about.”

  “How are you going to go about scouting that galaxy? Finding anything of importance is going to be like searching for a single grain of sand on a beach.”

  “My ship is now telepathic. She’ll listen to their thoughts and find where we need to go.”

  There was a very long moment of silence and Pat finally said, “Is this the same ship that brought you here?”

  “It is.”

  Pat gave a mental sigh, “Can you hear me?”

  Willow thought, “I can.”

  “You asked me when we first met if I thought you were alive.”

  “I remember. You said you didn’t know.”

  “You are.”

  “WHAT?”

  “You are. Machines aren’t capable of telepathic communication.”

  “But another species gave me a technological device that allows me to hear others thoughts.”

  “You could put that device in every machine in existence and they wouldn’t be able to use it like Lukas just described. You are, for all intents and purposes of the definition, alive. This is truly extraordinary.”

  “Thank you, Pat. Coming from you, it means a lot.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because you did all you could to prepare us to take them on. It is due to your efforts that humans are still alive in Andromeda. My closest friend is also still alive.”

  “The two of you are much more than you are alone. Don’t go there and get yourselves killed. The universe is a better place with the two of you in it.”

  “The same can be said about you, Pat.”

  “I wish that were true, Lukas. My sorrow at what I caused is almost more than I can bear.”

  “Then get angry and make a decision to make them pay. I’ll be in touch with you when we return. Please keep an eye on those working on the force field.”

  “They’ll have it up and running before the invaders can come back.”

  “Good. We’ll see you later.” Lukas activated his display and said, “Willow, set a course for M-87.”

  The Pod turned and moved out of orbit. It went to full speed and crossed the gravity limit in less than two seconds. It disappeared and Pat sighed. If only he could have started getting humans ready sooner. But he knew that events had to follow a pattern and things had happened faster than they should have. He hoped the two would survive. They were an anomaly that transcended normal events of cause and effect. They were more than he ever thought possible.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The Milky Way disappeared and Lukas thought about what Pat said. His thoughts were interrupted when Willow said, “Lukas.”

  “Yes.”

  “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I’ve been wondering why you are struggling so much to defend a now dead planet. Eden is actually just as beautiful as Earth and humans should have hundreds of years to prepare to take on the invaders without all the stress of rushing to defend a planet where all human life has been removed.”

  “The Welken side of my mind agrees with you, Willow.”

  “But?”

  “The human part of me demands justice for what has been done.”

  “Can’t justice be served in the future when you have enough time to prepare?”

  “I don’t know if this makes sense but billions of humans have their ashes mixed in with the soil on Earth. It is their final resting place and as such represents holy ground to our species. It’s not an issue of common sense…it’s something more than that. Those billions that lost their lives there deserve to have their ashes honored by refusing to allow their killers to take possession of Earth. Jack will be buried there shortly and I will not turn my back on his memory. I know it’s not the smart thing to do but it’s the right thing to do. Eden is beautiful and I know that many humans who have settled there won’t want to leave it. If we live there long enough, it will become the home for those that are born there. But Earth is part of our DNA. It’s where our ancient ancestors fought to survive and eventually created a civilization where humans could thrive. Those that lived there cannot ever be comfortable with stars overhead that are strangers.”

  “But Lukas, you weren’t born there.”

  “I was in a matter of speaking. When you changed my DNA from Welken to Human, I was born again in a different form. For the short time I was there, I came to love Earth. I like Eden, but I love Boston.”

  “Boston is now ashes.”

  “But it can rise again from those ashes and I’ll be a part of making it happen. If we fail here, then we’ll fall back to Eden and do what you think we should do. But I will not give up Earth without a fight.”

  “I don’t mean to beat a dead horse, I like that saying by the way, it communicates a lot in very few words, but you lost a fight trying to save it.”

  “But I didn’t lose the war. Besides, you’re looking at this without really thinking it through.”

  “Excuse me, but I’m a computer. I’ve thought this through more than you can possibly know.”

  “Have you considered where the invaders will be in a few hundred years if they take another galaxy?”

  “Uhhhh, what are you saying?”

  “They occupy two galaxies we know about. What if they have three galaxies where they’re building warships? What numbers will have to be faced if that happens.”

  Lukas looked at the display and saw the huge ball galaxy in the distance. After several hours, Willow said, “You’re right. We have to slow them down now.”

  “We also don’t have to face them alone. Send a message probe to Jinks and tell him to get the printouts for the Dark Energy reactors to the Welken Royal. Ask him to start searching around the Milky Way’s black hole to see if there’s a planet there with a white surface. In the meantime, have a load of coated scoops delivered to them along with the new disruptor’s schematics.”

  “Is that a good idea?”

  “They don’t know about coating the hulls of our ships. However, we’re going to need their help if another major invasion starts. They have millions of battleships that can make a difference. They already have the Dark Matter guns. Protecting our galaxy is something every civilization is going to have to participate in doing.”

  “What happens if they return to their old ways?”

  “They have experienced the difference of working together on a common goal. That is going to forge ties between them that never existed in the past. They have changed and I don’t believe any of them will desire to go back to what they once were.”

  Lukas felt a slight jerk, “I’ve sent the probe.”

  “Thanks, Willow.”

  “You and I need to spend more time together. I’ve learned more today than I have since you stopped taking part in battles.”

  “You also keep me grounded, Willow. I need your insights to force me to think about what I’m doing.”

  “I just received a thought from Chad. He wants to know if we should go and remove the attackers from around the Grey Planet.”

  “Not until they invite us. Why is he asking?”

  “He’s planning to move the majority of the modified pods to Earth.”

  “Tell him not go until the construction converters can arrive and build an operational space port. He can go with the construction crews once the force field is operational. We also need the Dark Matter Converters moved back to the Magnetar once the pods arrive.

  There was a pause and Willow said, “He wants to know if we’re going to fortify the moon again.”

  “Not until we can build a force field around it.”

  “He’s not happy with your orders. I think he wants to get into action.”

  “Tell him I said to be careful what you wish for.”

  “Lukas, there’s something I’ve been meaning to discuss
with you and hearing Piper relay Chad’s thoughts made me think of it.”

  “The being directing the Attackers is one of the Silver Ships.”

  “How did you know that?”

  “Chris told me about the weapons the Attackers are using. Once I learned the Grey Planet is the same species, it wasn’t hard to figure out that some of them must be angry at how the Grey Planet views them. They’re using the attackers to try and force them to request their help. How did you know?”

  “If you remember, I heard the leader of the Attackers giving them instructions. I didn’t notice at the time but later when I spoke with Piper, I saw a similar pattern in his thoughts.”

  “Do you think he knows?”

  “I don’t. This may be a rogue. Should I tell him?”

  Lukas thought about it for a moment and said, “Piper has been honest and up front with us in his dealings. He should be told.”

  “Stand by.” Lukas watched M-87 getting larger and after an hour he said, “Willow?”

  “Stand by.” Lukas’ eyes narrowed and wondered what was being said. After thirty more minutes had passed, Willow said, “He linked me in with his Elders and had me replay the thoughts I heard. They are very upset by what they learned and they are also very appreciative of letting them know. I think they have better feelings about us now.”

  “Did they say what they’re going to do?”

  “It appears they know who is doing it and are going to take action shortly. They’re trying to determine how to do it without letting their relatives know.”

  “There’s also the issue of the two civilizations being used to carry out the Rogue’s plan. If all control is removed, they’ll attack each other.”

  “That’s why it took so long. I had to convince them that the civilizations are not to blame and must be treated with respect. I think they appreciated it afterwards.”

  “Like I said earlier; you never cease to amaze me. How long before we arrive at M-87?”

  “Another day.”

  “I’m going to go back to my quarters and get some sleep.”

  “I’ll let you know when we’re getting close.”

  “Thanks, Willow. It’s good to be back together.”