Earth Fall_To the Stars

by Raymond L. Weil

Lisa leaned back in her chair. She had some fantastic photos and videos of all three of the system’s planets as well as data from the scans taken. “It’s a shame the smaller planet isn’t habitable.”

  “If it was, it would probably be covered with Trellixians,” said Brenda. She looked at Brett. “Where are we going next?”

  “Farther out. Captain Erickson wants us to go at least three or four hundred light-years before we search for other civilizations. That should put us just outside of where the Trellixians have explored. At least he thinks it will.”

  Lisa looked thoughtful. “Isn’t that bypassing a number of potentially habitable worlds?”

  Brett nodded. “Yes, quite a few. However, the captain doesn’t want to risk running into any Trellixians.”

  “We should still take scans of some of those worlds,” objected Brenda with a deep frown. “I think it’s a mistake bypassing them.”

  “It may be,” answered Brett. “But it’s Captain Erickson’s decision.”

  Kia looked at Brett. “How long will it take for us to get to our new destination?”

  “One or two months,” replied Brett. “It all depends on how much power we apply to the Fold Space Drive. If we boost it up to 70 percent, where it’s designed to function most efficiently, we would be traveling at over 2,800 times the speed of light.”

  “What about time dilation?” asked Kia curiously. “Will we see any effects from it?”

  Brett grinned. “Now that would be interesting. However, due to the way an Alcubierre Drive System works, we avoid that. We’re only affecting space in front of and behind our ship, not the space the ship actually resides in.”

  Lisa got up and walked to where Derek worked at his computer station. Looking over his shoulder, she saw a series of very complicated math equations. “Are those what Professor Weir sent you?” Derek really wanted to get the quantum computer functioning. He had the prototype sitting next to him on a workbench.

  Derek nodded. “Give me a few more days, and I’ll be ready to make some tests. If it works, then I’ll need the rest of you to help iron out any bugs in the system.”

  “Such as wrong answers,” replied Brett, grinning.

  This was the biggest problem with a quantum computer. It used quantum entanglement, and you could ask it what color the sky was, and it might say blue. Ask it again, and it might answer with the word tree or eagle.

  Derek took out a flash drive from a small drawer in his console. “This is a program I’ve written to help solve some of the problems we’ve experienced in the past. A number of people over the last few years have helped me with this. I just needed the math equations from Professor Weir so I could finish it.”

  Brett came over, standing next to Lisa. “The Jelnoids used quantum computers, so we know it’s possible. It could be a huge boost to our mission if we could get this one functioning.”

  Lisa looked thoughtful. “You know? Someday we need to travel to the Jelnoids’ home world just to see what’s still there.”

  “Trellixians,” said Brenda, shaking her head. “All of their former worlds will be full of the lizard people.”

  Brenda’s comment reminded them why they were out here. It wasn’t just to explore but to find allies or possibly a new home for the human race.

  “We need to find allies,” said Lisa with a serious look crossing her face. “I don’t want to give up Earth.”

  “None of us do,” replied Brett. “I think we’re done here. Let’s go get something to eat.”

  Lisa nodded. “I’m famished. I could really use a good meal.”

  As the five of them left the lab, Lisa wondered what Professor Wilkens was doing back on Earth. It would be difficult being away from him for so long. In most ways he was the closest to a family member she had left.

  -

  Above Earth, Admiral Edwards watched as the cargo ships placed the missile platforms into orbit. Each platform held six Jelnoid missiles and could be targeted independently. Over two hundred platforms were being placed in orbit five thousand kilometers above the surface.

  “Twelve more hours before the last platform is in place, then the cargo ships will return to Earth to load the sections for the six battlestations,” reported Captain Nelson.

  Admiral Edwards nodded. “I’ll feel better when the battlestations are in orbit, since they’re supposed to be the Command and Control Centers for the defensive grid.”

  “I just spoke to Captain Odell on the Plymouth,” added Nelson. “Odell says their survey of the Moon is progressing well, and they’ll be sending their reports back to Earth sometime tomorrow.”

  Admiral Edwards turned his attention toward one of the smaller viewscreens showing one perspective of the Moon. It would be strange having a military base on the Moon, but there were sound reasons for it. A base on the Moon could be protected by a powerful Jelnoid energy shield. With the addition of primary and secondary Jelnoid energy beams, it would be a serious danger to the Trellixians the next time they attacked Earth. Also, by adding Jelnoid missiles, the base would be even more dangerous. There were also plans to add space bombers to the base to give them a long-range strike option.

  “How long do you think it will be before the Trellixians realize something has happened to their fleet?” asked Captain Nelson.

  “Not long,” Edwards replied. “I’m sure the flagship checked in on a regular basis, though there’s no way for us to know how often that was. We’ll know when we see the first Trellixian scout ships. Shortly after that I’m certain they will send a larger fleet. I just hope we have time to finish all our preparations. It’s taken us years to build everything we’re now putting up into orbit.”

  Captain Nelson looked at a viewscreen of a cargo ship deploying a missile platform. The platform floated out of one of the large cargo hatches and then used small thrusters to properly position itself. Once the platform was stable, it powered itself up, and the cargo ship moved on to release the next one.

  -

  On Earth, General Mitchell was back in the Command Center of his base. A large holographic display depicted Earth and the space around it out to the Moon. The near space around Earth was covered in small green icons.

  “I’m glad to see those,” said General Briggs. “It makes all of Earth more secure and safer for us to move about on the surface without fear of an attack by a Trellixian battlecruiser.”

  “They haven’t come near us since we installed the Jelnoid primary beams across the planet,” pointed out Colonel Fields. “This gives us a much better defense in depth. However, we need to build up a reserve of energy beam satellites and missile platforms to replace any we lose in battle.”

  “We have two underground facilities dedicating their production facilities to that purpose,” replied Major Thomas. “One in Canada and another in Japan.”

  “The new assembly lines for additional primary and secondary Jelnoid energy cannons are nearly ready to go into operation,” added Colonel Fields. “President Hathaway is preparing a list of which cities she wants them deployed around first.”

  “How many around each city?” asked Mitchell. The main purpose of the cannons was deterrence rather than destruction of a Trellixian battlecruiser.

  “Four primary cannons,” reported Colonel Fields. “That should be sufficient. We’ll also add six secondary cannons for missile defense.”

  General Briggs frowned. “I presume we will focus first on our largest cities of 250,000 residents. It’ll take a while because of the alloys we’ll have to manufacture to handle the heat the cannons produce. We’re talking about years to build that many cannons and a lot of resources.”

  “I’ll talk to the president,” said Mitchell. “We need to spread out the first cannon deployments around the country to give us better coverage. No point in clumping them together. I suggest we only deploy two primary cannons initially around each city.” He would also speak to Professor Wilkens, but even several hundred additional primary cannons in the US would provide quit
e a punch against a Trellixian invasion fleet. If they could build that many with their available resources and have them done in the next couple of months.

  “Admiral Edwards reports the cargo ships will return in a few hours to start loading the sections to the battlestations,” added Major Thomas.

  General Mitchell was pleased to hear this. They were putting six battlestations in orbit around Earth. Each would have six Jelnoid primary cannons and twelve secondary cannons as well as twelve missile tubes. The stations were eighty meters in diameter with station-keeping thrusters and an energy shield. They would have a permanent crew of twenty. Each station could command any of the energy beam satellites or missile platforms in orbit.

  “What’s the latest report on ground operations?” Special Operations units across the world were seeking out and destroying the last few known locations of Trellixian troops.

  “Ninety-two percent complete,” reported General Briggs. “India just reported the final Trellixians have been wiped out in the northern part of the country. They were hiding in the mountains.”

  General Mitchell folded his arms over his chest. “We’ll keep doing sweeps. I want every Trellixian soldier on the planet annihilated.”

  “I agree,” said General Briggs. “We’ve assigned the Rangers and a number of SEAL teams to make sure the US is Trellixian-free. The enemy group Major Dolan took out before he left on the Vengeance was the largest one we knew of that remained. It turned out to be much bigger than expected.”

  “I wonder how Major Dolan is doing on the Vengeance. It’s a big change from commanding a Ranger battalion.”

  “His aptitude tests were very high,” reported Major Thomas. “I looked at some of his training reports, and he fit in very well with the rest of the crew. He also has enough command experience that, if something went wrong, he could step right into the command structure of the Vengeance.”

  “Let’s hope nothing goes wrong,” said Mitchell. “A lot is riding on that mission.”

  -

  On the Vengeance Major Dolan had just finished eating his afternoon meal. He found it boring on the ship. He spent most of his time running battle simulations to help pass the time. Several hours back, the ship had left the Proxima Centauri System and was now hurtling outward away from the Trellixian Empire. Mark was curious to see what they would find. He was about to stand when Lieutenant Lisa Reynolds sat down across from him.

  She held a steaming cup of tea in her hands. “Bored?” she asked.

  Mark smiled. “Slightly. This isn’t like the Rangers where we have a daily routine of drills and training.”

  Lisa frowned. “Captain Erickson has been running a few drills.”

  Mark nodded. “Short ones. In the Rangers, a drill might last for several days.”

  “I must say, I prefer my quarters here rather than camping out in the mountains. Nothing quite like waking up in the morning to several feet of snow.”

  Mark smiled knowingly. “How does it feel not to have your two Ranger escorts following you around anymore?”

  Lisa laughed. “I miss them. If I needed anything, they were there to provide it. However, somehow or another, I noticed both of them are on board this ship.” She looked suspiciously at the major.

  “That was Professor Wilkens’s idea,” Mark answered defensively. “For some reason he wants to ensure you remain safe. Both Peterson and Hambridge are, indeed, on board. They’ve been promoted to corporals and are responsible for any special mission I might need to send them on. Wilkens thought it might be useful to have a few Rangers on board with their special training as well as the two squads of Marines.”

  “The professor has always looked out after me,” admitted Lisa as she took a sip of her tea. “I don’t know what would have happened to me if not for him.”

  “Somehow I think you would have survived everything,” Mark answered. “I suspect you and your four friends would have found a way.”

  -

  Over the months Mark had spoken to Lisa and the others several times. He had been amazed at how brilliant the five were. He had mentioned that to Colonel Branson once at Complex One, and the colonel had nodded in agreement. “Lisa, Brenda, and Brett were specifically chosen by Professor Wilkens for their special duties. It’s also one of the reasons all three of them are on the same ship. If anyone can find allies and bring them back to Earth, it will be the three of them. It’s also why Professor Wilkens wants you on that ship. He feels you will do everything in your power to keep them safe.”

  “So, are you saying I should support them even if Captain Erickson says otherwise?” Mark wondered if he understood what Branson seemed to be suggesting.

  “I’m not saying commit mutiny,” replied Branson with a serious look on his face. “But there may come a time in the mission when you need to weigh in on their side. Remember, all three of them are unbelievably intelligent. They have a way of looking at things that may seem confusing to others. It may also be what makes their mission a success.”

  -

  Mark had thought over Colonel Branson’s words many times over the last few months. He had also noticed two others had been added to the special group of three: Kia Drake and Derek Keys. The five pretty well stayed together and very seldom went out of their way to talk to others. That was why Mark was surprised Lisa made an effort now. “Is there something bothering you, Lieutenant?”

  Lisa seemed hesitant and then answered. “I’ve been listening to Captain Erickson and Lieutenant Commander Barrington as they discuss the mission. Sometimes I get the impression they view this as more of a military operation rather than a voyage of exploration. For instance, we have set course for a star that’s nearly 340 light-years distant. In between here and there are a number of stars capable of supporting our type of life. I don’t think we should assume the Trellixians have control of all of them. The nearer allies are to Earth, the better off we’ll be. If we go out too far, it may not be practical for them to come to our aid. I think it would be wise to stop at a few of those stars. We could drop from FTL in the outer regions of the systems and take a quick scan with our sensors. We would know almost instantly if any Trellixians are present. If there are, we can leave before the Trellixians respond to our presence.”

  Mark leaned back in his chair. Lisa made a good point. What if they bypassed a potential ally? “Have any of you brought up this point to the captain?”

  “Brett did when the captain was deciding on our next destination. I know Professor Wilkens and some of the others at Complex One made a list of recommendations as to what systems we should investigate. I think the captain is bypassing some of them. The captain told Brett that he wanted to get out past Trellixian space before we start exploring.”

  “What’s wrong with that?” asked Mark. To him it sounded like a wise decision on the captain’s part.

  Lisa’s eyes narrowed. “Because we don’t know where Trellixian space ends. It could be a few light-years or it could be thousands.”

  Mark sighed. “I’ll speak to the captain and express your group’s concerns. Maybe we can pick several of those stars between here and our destination to stop at. Why don’t the five of you give me two or three star systems you believe would be good to explore.”

  Lisa nodded. “Even if the Trellixians are there, it will at least tell us it’s space they control.” Lisa reached into her shirt pocket, pulled out a list with the coordinates of four star systems on it and handed it to Mark. “These are close to our current line of flight. It should not be difficult to stop at those systems.”

  Mark took the paper and looked at the coordinates. They made little sense to him. Travel in space was much different than traveling on Earth. He would speak to Captain Erickson about the concerns of Lisa’s group. Mark wasn’t particularly looking forward to that conversation. But Colonel Branson had made it very clear what Mark should do in such a situation. Whether he liked it or not, he had to serve as an intermediary between Lisa’s group and the ship’s commanding of
ficers.

  Chapter Seven

  Voltrex Fleet Commander Kamuss gazed worriedly at the tactical display in his Command Center. Several days earlier a Trellixian vessel had been detected in the outer regions of the Bator System. Before any Voltrex ships could reach it, the enemy ship had scanned the system and then jumped away. Kamuss was certain it would not be much longer before the Trellixians launched a full-scale attack. It was worrisome, as this would be the first time a Voltrex-inhabited world was threatened. Kamuss’s gaze wandered to one of the viewscreens showing Bator Seven. Over four billion Voltrex called the planet their home.

  “What’s our current state of readiness?” he asked Lieutenant Commander LeLath. For days many of his warships had been in the repair bays of the two shipyards orbiting Bator Seven.

  “All ships are out of the repair bays and operating at 100 percent battle efficiency. New vessels have taken the places of destroyed ships in our formation, and all injured or dead crewmembers have been replaced.”

  After the battle with the Trellixians, more ships had been rushed to the Bator System to reinforce both Fleet Commander Kamuss’s fleet as well as Fleet Commander Zolmar’s. Kamuss now had four battleships, twenty battlecruisers, and sixty support craft. However, some of the crews had never been exposed to combat. A third support fleet was supposed to arrive sometime in the next week. He just hoped it got here before the Trellixians did.

  “Commander Kallon is deploying a number of scout ships to nearby systems,” reported Meela from Communications. “He hopes to detect the Trellixians before they jump into the Bator System.”

  Kamuss took a deep breath, running his tongue across his whiskers. No doubt the Trellixians would soon come here. In the last few days numerous cargo ships had jumped into the Bator System, bringing more defensive satellites to add to the defense grid above Bator Seven as well as the other worlds in the system. Special care had been taken to make sure the two large shipyards were adequately protected. They already were heavily armed and protected by powerful energy shields. The number of small patrol craft at each had been doubled, and a series of defensive satellites were now in orbit around both.