Earth Fall_To the Stars

by Raymond L. Weil

  Lisa gazed intently at Mark. “We need a new ship. Kamuss indicated they have two large shipyards orbiting Bator Seven. Let’s design a battleship to return to Earth in. The Voltrex battleships are larger than Trellixian battlecruisers. Can you imagine what a ship of that size would be like if equipped with Jelnoid technology?”

  “A battleship,” said Mark, his throat tightening. “We don’t have the time! We need to be back at Earth in four or five months at the most. It might take several years to build such a battleship.”

  “We do have time if they have one already under construction or nearly complete,” Lisa replied. “The Voltrex race, from what sampling we’ve seen, stands only slightly taller than humans in general. It wouldn’t take many modifications to change one of their ships for our use. We could also ask that they station one of their war fleets in our solar system once the fleet’s been fully updated with Jelnoid technology. If we do that, the Trellixians will dare not attack Earth again.”

  Mark looked thoughtful. Lisa’s suggestions had merit. “We could require they build a fleet for us. Once it’s finished, their own ships could return to their space.” Suddenly Mark saw Earth’s situation in the solar system reversed. If they had battlecruisers and battleships the size of the Voltrex, they could make Earth permanently safe from invasion. The population could expand, and the world could return to more of a semblance of normal.

  “When we get to Bator Seven, I will arrange a meeting with Commander Kallon, who seems to be in charge of the system’s defenses. I’m sure they have a civilian administrator heading their government as well. We’ll arrive there sometime tomorrow. Lisa, I want your group to work up a proposal to submit to the Voltrex. I will also need one of you to present it.”

  Lisa looked uneasy. “Why one of us?”

  “I’m a military officer,” Mark replied. “I’m not used to negotiating deals. I think one of you would do a much better job.” Mark had no intention of screwing this up. “Besides, any one of you can answer the technical questions the Voltrex might have better than I can.”

  Lisa looked at Brett and grinned. “I guess you just volunteered.”

  Brett let out a long sigh but then winked at Lisa. “For some reason I knew you would say that.”

  -

  Kamuss was in his quarters, speaking with Lieutenant Commander LeLath. They were sipping Shaloo, a fruit drink from one of the primary Voltrex worlds.

  “They seem like reasonable people,” Kamuss said as he held his large cup in his hand. His mate had introduced him to Shaloo, and it always reminded him of her anytime he had the sweet and spicy drink.

  “They’re desperate,” LeLath said. “If we don’t help them, their world will fall to the Trellixians. Their race will become extinct.”

  Kamuss let out a deep sigh. “It seems we’re both desperate. We cannot hold out against the Trellixians without major advances in our weapons. Everything we need is in that ship of the Humans.”

  “They will have demands,” warned LeLath. “I suspect those demands will involve helping their world.”

  “As we would, if the situation were reversed.”

  LeLath took a long drink of her Shaloo, her face breaking into a grin. “I love this fruit drink. I’ve never understood why members of our race drink alcohol when something like this is available.”

  “I think if the Humans make reasonable demands of us, we must accept them, even if it means sending warships to keep their home world safe.”

  “We could lose a lot of ships doing that,” said LeLath, narrowing her eyes.

  “Not if those ships possess the Humans’ weapons technology,” replied Kamuss. “The Humans have something we want, and we have something they need.”

  “Our ships.”

  “Yes, that ship of theirs is only one-third the size of one of our battlecruisers. You saw what it did to the Trellixian vessels attacking it. Imagine those weapons on one of our battlecruisers or even a battleship. We could send the Trellixians back where they come from. They would never be a threat to us again.”

  “It would be honorable if we and the Humans agree to an alliance and share our technology,” said LeLath after a moment. “It would be a positive thing for both races.”

  Kamuss nodded. “I believe you’re right. We’ll be at Bator Seven early tomorrow. Commander Kallon has already contacted Fleet Command, and he has been granted the authority to negotiate with the Humans. More ships are being rushed to the Bator System in case the Trellixians launch an attack in an attempt to destroy the Human ship.”

  LeLath finished off her Shaloo and set down her cup. She stood to leave. “It’s hard to believe, but the fate of our worlds and the Human home world might very well be decided in the next few days.”

  “Let us hope we make the right decisions,” replied Kamuss.

  -

  Major Dolan sat in the command chair, watching the viewscreens as the ship dropped from hyperspace. Only about half the screens were working due to the damage the ship suffered from the Trellixians. He also knew how lucky they were to be alive. The Constellation had been destroyed, and that could just as easily have been the Vengeance.

  “We’ve dropped out of hyperspace sixty thousand kilometers from Bator Seven,” reported Kia.

  On the main viewscreen, a garden world appeared—blue-white and very similar to Earth. Several large oceans were visible.

  On the tactical display, thousands of red threat icons blinked into existence.

  “Change those to friendly,” ordered Mark.

  On one of the viewscreens, a Voltrex one-thousand-meter battlestation appeared.

  “We’re picking up hundreds of spacecraft in the system,” reported Kia. “A massive defensive grid surrounds Bator Seven, consisting of over 1,600 defensive satellites and 16 large battlestations. We’re also detecting over 400 warships of various classifications.”

  Mark felt a massive sense of relief. He now understood why the Trellixians were having so much trouble conquering the Voltrex. “What about the shipyards?”

  The viewscreen changed once again to show a massive structure.

  “That station is six kilometers in length and has what appears to be numerous repair bays,” reported Chloe. “A second similar station is in orbit as well. Both appear to be heavily armed, and small armed craft of some type are on patrol around them.”

  Even as they watched, the massive hatches leading to one of the bays slid open, and lights flashed around the entrance.

  “We’ve been directed to enter that bay,” said Ensign Smith. “Fleet Commander Kamuss asks if we can do so under our own power or if we need assistance.”

  Mark looked at Brett. Mark would prefer to enter under their own power, so they would not look nearly as helpless. Once they entered that bay, there would be no turning back.

  “We have sufficient station-keeping thrusters still available to handle entering the bay,” Brett replied. “Our subspace engines are up to 15 percent, so we can handle everything from here.”

  “Ensign Smith, inform Fleet Commander Kamuss we can handle everything and will proceed directly to the repair bay.”

  Moments later the tractor beam holding the Vengeance vanished, leaving the ship to move under its own power. Fleet Commander Kamuss’s battlecruiser moved away, giving the Vengeance space to maneuver.

  “Lieutenant Masterson, take us in.” Time to meet their newfound friends and to see what the future held. Taking a deep breath, Mark wondered if he was doing the right thing. He would know very shortly.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Trellixian High Commander Kaldre crumpled the latest reports from Battle Commander Balforr in his hands and tossed them against the far wall of his quarters. A low growl of anger came from his throat. One of the Human ships had been rescued by the Voltrex, while the second one had been destroyed. This was a disaster, and perhaps only a few members of his race fully understood the ramifications. He dragged the nails of his right hand across his desk, making deep marks in the
wood.

  If the Humans shared their Jelnoid technology with the Voltrex, the war in that sector would escalate completely out of control. More resources would be required, ones needed instead to build more colony ships and to feed the growing Trellixian population. Warship construction would be drastically increased.

  Kaldre pulled up Battle Commander Balforr’s record on his desk computer. The commander’s record was exemplary until the initial debacle with the Humans, which continues to this day. Balforr had brought dozens of worlds into the Empire. His tactics were sound, and he was dedicated to the continued expansion of the Empire.

  Kaldre looked at the large viewscreen in his quarters revealing the capital planet of the Empire that his flagship orbited. Eighty billion Trellixians lived on the planet, with colony fleets leaving every day. Even so, the population steadily increased. On the surface it was one continuous city. The city had buildings reaching nearly to the clouds plus levels dug deep beneath the surface. He didn’t know how soon, but, at some point, there would be no more room for their growing population.

  The people were already near starvation as food packets had been reduced to the minimum believed necessary to sustain a full-grown Trellixian. Allotments for living space had been reduced with some buildings torn down to make room for larger buildings with smaller living quarters. Currently on the planet each Trellixian was allotted eighty square feet of space with strict rationing of water.

  It was one of the reasons many Trellixians joined the military or the fleet. Living spaces were larger, and access to water was greatly increased. Kaldre’s own quarters on his flagship were very spacious, consisting of over three hundred square feet of living space. The water on board was recycled, so water usage was basically unlimited.

  Returning to his computer, he issued orders for a number of war fleets. Already some had been sent to Battle Commander Traven to help remove the threat of Earth and its Jelnoid technology. Now more ships would need to be diverted to deal with the Human warship the Voltrex had under their control. It would take time for the Voltrex to learn and to adapt that technology to their ships. Before that happened, the Voltrex colony world, where the Human vessel had been taken, must be destroyed. Unfortunately it would take over a month to get the necessary ships to Battle Commander Balforr, and a lot could happen in that time.

  After issuing the necessary orders, Kaldre stood, slamming his closed fist against his desk. Recent events showed him just how delicately balanced the Trellixian Empire was. If colonization were slowed substantially, it could very easily tip the Empire over into chaos. The capital world below was a good example. If the colony ships stopped taking some of the overflow population, starvation would break out in just a matter of a few weeks. Food riots would spread across the planet, and chaos would reign. With a cold chill, Kaldre knew they had made a mistake years ago not attempting to control their population, no matter how revolting the thought was.

  On the large viewscreen, several hundred huge ships came into view—Kaldre wasn’t even sure of the exact number, but these were the daily colony fleets, setting out for another world. High Commander Danaar was responsible for the colony fleets as well as building new ones. Some of the ships were designed to travel back and forth once a colony had been established. Those colony ships that arrived on a new world first were designed to stay there while the first Trellixian cities could be built.

  Adjusting his computer, Kaldre called up a map of the wide region of space where the Trellixians and the Voltrex were engaged, stretching over three hundred light-years across. So far they had only found a single Voltrex colony world, but there could be dozens.

  After spending nearly an hour examining the space the Voltrex defended, Kaldre sent additional orders, sending six more war fleets to the area. In all he had committed nearly 30 percent of the Trellixian fleet to the Voltrex theater of war. The Trellixian Empire needed those Voltrex worlds for colonization. The fleets would show the Voltrex no mercy or risk the death of billions of Trellixians on already overcrowded planets.

  A meeting of the High Command was scheduled early tomorrow. In that meeting Kaldre would explain his actions. There would be opposition, but, with High Commander Thatrex supporting him, the issue of recalling the fleets would not come up. Kaldre’s gaze shifted back to the viewscreen and the overcrowded planet. Eighty billion Trellixians were too many for any world. A cold chill ran through Kaldre. He had a feeling the expanding population on the planet below neared a tipping point. When that point was reached, it might very well change the Empire forever.

  -

  Admiral Daniel Edwards gazed at the tactical display of the growing Trellixian fleet. Already over 230 of their massive battlecruisers were out near the orbit of Mars. Only the day before another fleet of thirty vessels had arrived.

  “How’s progress on the moon base?” he asked Captain Nelson. For several weeks now, work had been going on around the clock to complete the base. The two cargo ships, under escort of fleet battlecruisers, had continuously shuttled supplies and building materials to the new base.

  “It’s nearly finished. There’s a good chance the Trellixians know we’ve built something on the Moon, but they don’t dare approach with the energy cannons we have placed around the base and in strategic locations.”

  Edwards studied the red threat icons for a long moment. “They’re planning something. When they act on it, we must be ready.”

  “We’ve added more defensive satellites and missile platforms,” Nelson said. “Some of the newer missile platforms are nearly undetectable with the Jelnoid shielding we’ve put on them. When the Trellixians attack, we’ll be ready for them.”

  “I know we will,” Edwards replied. “What worries me are ship losses. We don’t have the production capacity to replace any ships we lose. It will be over a year before the next batch of battlecruisers comes off the construction lines. Every ship we lose just weakens our defenses. It’s one of the reasons we haven’t sent out any more exploration missions.”

  “Maybe the Vengeance and the Constellation will be back soon,” said Captain Nelson.

  Edwards shook his head. “They’ve only been gone three months. The best case scenario is they found an ally and are turning around now, but still it will take them three more months to return. And the worst case scenario …”

  Nelson raised both eyebrows.

  “We won’t see them again if they don’t return in another seven months.” Edwards faced the main viewscreen showing the Moon. Plans called for the two cargo ships to place a few defensive satellites and missile platforms around it in the coming days.

  Suddenly alarms sounded on the sensor console, and red lights flashed.

  “A squadron of Trellixian battlecruisers has activated their hyperspace drives,” reported Lieutenant Williams. “They may be inbound.”

  A few minutes later the ships appeared just outside the orbit of the Moon. Eight Trellixian battlecruisers now appeared as red threat icons only three hundred thousand kilometers from Earth.

  “Go to Condition Two,” ordered Admiral Edwards, not sure what the aliens were up to. On one of the viewscreens, a magnified view of an enemy ship appeared.

  “They’re too far from the Moon for the base to attack them,” reported Captain Nelson. “I wonder what they’re up to?”

  Edwards watched the tactical display as the eight ships moved. Over the next twenty minutes they closed until they were fifty thousand kilometers from Earth and then came to a stop.

  More klaxons blared out as over one hundred small red icons appeared on the tactical display.

  “Missile launch!” called out Lieutenant Williams, his eyes widening with concern. “The Trellixians are firing missiles at the defense grid.”

  “Defense grid is online and targeting the missiles,” reported Captain Nelson.

  “Go to Condition One,” ordered Admiral Edwards.

  “Why are they launching from such a distance?” asked Lieutenant Jefferson. “Surely they know
we can shoot down their missiles.”

  It took nearly thirty seconds for the missiles to come within range of the defensive satellites. Energy beams began firing, blowing them out of space. However, the Trellixians continued to fire more waves of missiles until space was full of them.

  Suddenly one of the defensive satellites exploded as a Trellixian missile detonated against its weak defensive shield. Space was full of exploding Trellixian missiles as the defensive grid continued to blow them apart. Then the battlecruisers stopped launching and jumped back to their fleet, only to be replaced by eight more, which promptly fired more missiles.

  “We lost three energy beam satellites in the first attack,” reported Lieutenant Williams. “They’re targeting their missiles on just a few targets instead of spreading them around.”

  Admiral Edwards’s eyes narrowed sharply. “They’re destroying the defensive grid. Move us closer to the outer section of the grid where we can use our secondary beams to help take out those missiles.”

  With a deep sigh, Admiral Edwards knew it would be a long day. The Trellixians had 230 battlecruisers in the system. He strongly suspected this attack would not end until every battlecruiser expended their load of missiles. This type of long-range attack would be useless against the ships of the fleet, but against defensive satellites that could barely move out of the way, it could pose a problem.

  -

  On Earth, President Hathaway was in her office, being briefed by Major Lorre on the current attack of the Trellixians.

  “It’s just another reason to launch the two colony ships as soon as possible,” Lorre said. “The Trellixians are destroying our defense grid, which will make it harder to get the colony ships into orbit where they can activate their Fold Space Drives.”

  Katelyn stood and walked to the window, looking out over the underground city. She tended to do that when she had a hard decision to make. “How much longer until they’re ready?”

  “Two months,” Major Lorre replied. “We’ve already begun picking the crews and the colonists. We can go as soon as the ships are finished and tested.”