“Are you crazy? Those meteors would tear through our ships and never even slow down.”
She managed a small smile. “So I’ve been told. However, I’ve been given three unmanned ships that I can position in front of one. They’ll be programmed to fire their weapons as long as they can. If that does nothing, then we’ll see what happens when they collide with the thing.”
He again went silent because something she said seemed odd. She still wasn’t telling him something. Whatever it was; it wasn’t going to be good. Then it came to him. “NO,” he shouted. “I won’t allow you to do that. I’ll do it.” If she was controlling those ships, it meant that she would be the last Sky’lord in orbit. And that meant her primary job was to ensure that the entrance and iris were rendered inoperable.
Yet again, she bent over, took his face in her hands and gently kissed him. “It’s my job.”
“L’elle, there is no way I’m going let you stay behind to ensure that the entrance and the iris are secured.”
“We’re not going to blow the two emergency tunnels. Those lava tube systems are so extensive, no one will ever find their way to the Glass. After I’m sure that the entrance is sealed and the iris can’t be closed, I’ll make my way to one of them.”
“Even if I would consider letting you do this, it still won’t work. They could easily follow your ship’s emissions.”
“I’ll set the automatic pilot and program it to land in the southern hemisphere. It may be the only ship that survives. We can recall it if and when the danger passes. Meanwhile, I’ll eject and wing it to the emergency tunnel. They won’t be able to follow me.”
“Still too dangerous. And, there’s absolutely no reason that I can’t do it.”
She smiled. “Think you’re sending a woman to do a man’s job?”
He didn’t return the smile. “No. I think I’m sending the love of my life on a fool’s errand.”
*****
“Hail them,” commanded L’elle.
A moment later, “No response.”
“Cycle through every known frequency”.
“Yes ma’am.”
Ten minutes later, “Nothing. No response.”
“Launch the probe.”
“Probe launched. Approaching the large rock directly ahead.”
“When it lands, initiate drilling sequence.”
“Yes . . . wait. The probe hit some kind of force field. It’s been rendered inoperative. I guess we can confirm that these rocks are manned.”
“Not necessarily. Could be an automated defense system. However, it does mean that they are ships. Let’s see what happens when I put us directly in their path. If they’re manned, they probably won’t rely on their shields. They’ll either take evasive maneuvers or shoot us out of the sky.”
For a moment, her co-pilot forgot himself. “L’elle, are you crazy?”
“Playing one of my hunches. If I’m right, it will just veer off to avoid a collision then resume its course.”
“And if you’re wrong?”
“Good question.” She flicked on her radio. “To all ships, I’m taking us in front of that first meteor. If they don’t veer off, I’m ordering all of you to return home at full throttle. When you get within communications range, tell Command to initiate the evacuation plan.”
“L’elle.” It was one of her lieutenants. He was going to volunteer to do what his commander and friend was about to do.
“Forget it, fly boy. I appreciate the gesture.”
“Kon’dor will kill me if anything happens to you.” He was only partially kidding.
L’elle smiled. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Might want to avoid him for a few years.”
A barking laugh came over the radio. “Thanks a lot. Good luck.”
*****
“Command.”
“This is Command.”
“We can confirm that the meteors are manned ships. All radio communication efforts failed so we cannot confirm their intent. Attempt to divert their course proved ineffective. The maneuver did, however, cause their lead ship to emit a random series of light bursts. Purpose unknown. Recommend immediate implementation of evacuation plans.”
“Understood. Did you sustain any casualties?”
“No,” responded L’elle. “All ships returning to base. We are about a day out. The swarm is about a half day behind us.”
“Thank you, Tertiary Kommander. Upon entering orbit, contact us for further instructions.”
“Yes Sir.”
*****
While L’elle was on-route to meet the meteor swarm, Kon’dor began to plan for the evacuation of the populace should that become necessary. His first order of business was to meet with a select group of lead scientists from the University, the Medicus General from the League of Medical Practitioners and the Arch Patriarch of the Temple of Appreciation, who was the closest thing to a religious leader that the Sky’lords had.
“Thank you all for coming. You have been briefed on the situation that we face as well as the decision to evacuate to the Reverie Glass as a plan of last resort. What I need from this assembled group is just one thing – a consensus on what intensity level I should set for the Glass. Remember, we have no idea how long we will stay inside. So I open the discussion for anyone who has an opinion.”
They all did.
The Arch Patriarch suggested a negative setting of three. Her rational was it would make the populace that much more appreciative of all that they had once the emergency had passed. It could also serve as penance for any sins that each individual may have committed. No one else agreed.
The Medicus General wanted a high pleasure setting to offset the emotional strain of being invaded and the uncertainty of their stay inside the Glass.
Those from the University agreed with the chief doctor’s rationale but thought a mildly positive setting would be most appropriate – a setting high enough to offset the strain but not high enough to cause addiction or permanent behavioral changes.
Kon’dor agreed with this group and, by a show of hands, a pleasure setting of two was agreed upon.
*****
Since he was in charge, Kon’dor took it upon himself to begin moving two groups – those from the Gateway to Perpetual Tomorrows and the Sanctuary of Everlasting Yesterdays – who would be the most difficult to relocate. He didn’t want anything to slow down the evacuation of the bulk of the Sky’lords. It might prove unnecessary but he could not take that chance. Those involved were actually thankful that he allowed them the extra time.
In lieu of the remaining four trips to the Reverie Glass, he asked the eight young people from his class to help out.
“Does this mean we graduated?” asked TK.
“With flying colors”.
“Lame.”
*****
Next on his to-do list was the Archive of Achievement. It needed to be protected for two reasons. First, it held proof of the accomplishments of the Sky’lord race. And second, it might contain information that the enemy could use either against his own people or against other races.
Like the Sanctum of Reverie, the Archive utilized the ancient cave system created by yet another extinct (and adjacent) volcano. The amount of available space to grow the Archive was virtually limitless and it could tap into the same power source as the Reverie Glass. Since all the artifacts within this museum were functional, some required enormous power to work. It was also virtually impervious to all natural disasters. As it turned out, it would prove equally invulnerable to alien invasion.
But there was only one way to ensure that. After a brief discussion with the Chief Archivist, it was agreed that he would seal the massive door to the entrance of the cave. With the help of a contingent of the Space Corp to assist, they would divert the adjacent tributary into the natural basin where the entrance was located. They had some experience with this since it had a propensity to overflow in late spring. Once flooded, the entrance would be virtually invisible and totally inacce
ssible.
*****
“Command.”
“This is Command.”
“We are now in geo-synchronous orbit above the population center. Awaiting your instructions?”
“Tertiary Kommander, have your fleet return to the surface. Upon landing, they should proceed directly to the Reverie Glass to join their families.”
“Yes sir.”
“You will use the emergency ejection system so your co-pilot can do the same.”
“L’elle, I’m staying with you. Tell them.”
She ignored the young man. He was married and had an unseemly number of children. “Yes sir.”
“Kommander L’elle,” said the voice filled with both admiration and sadness. “You will remain in orbit. This facility will be closed. Your only point of contact will be Citizen Kon’dor. After you confirm that the swarm is indeed landing and you make visual contact with the occupants, you will relay that information to him. He will detonate the charges for the entrance and the iris. Once you are certain that both have been rendered inoperable, you will make haste to one of the emergency tunnels and join the others at the Glass. Do you understand?”
“Yes sir.”
“If either detonation fails, you will use your weapons to finish the job.”
“Yes sir.”
“L’elle, you will not – I repeat will not – try to engage the enemy. Please acknowledge.”
“Understood.”
There was a moment of static filled silence. “On behalf of all Sky’lords, we thank you for your service. Good luck, Kommander.”
“And to you, Sir.”
*****
It began to rain fire. Hundreds of manned meteors hit the upper atmosphere and began to glow cherry red. L’elle watched with morbid fascination hoping against hope that they would simply burn up.
They didn’t.
“L’elle . . . L’elle what’s going on?” It was a very worried Kon’dor.
“They’re here. What’s really weird is that they aren’t slowing down. I can’t imagine how they expect to survive impact.”
“Maybe they don’t. Maybe their mission is to sacrifice themselves to annihilate us.”
“Why?”
“Somehow they perceive us as a threat.”
L’elle had another thought. “Kon’dor, while I waited for their arrival, I had one of my feelings.”
The man gritted his teeth – expecting the worst. “Tell me.”
“Based on their speed, it appears that they left their point of origin at the about the time our people recovered the Reverie Glass.”
“That can’t be a coincidence. Are you thinking that it’s the Glass they’re trying to destroy? Maybe we’re using it wrong. Maybe it was a weapon that threatened the existence of these aliens. Now they want it wiped out of existence.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
“So if we destroy it, maybe they’ll leave us alone.”
“Or maybe they’ll think we now have the technology and could build another one.”
“This isn’t going to end well, is it?”
“I don’t know, my love.” Just then, a particularly large meteor came into view.
“Wait a second,” and she positioned the three unmanned ships in its path and opened fire. A few seconds later, the ships exploded from the impact with the meteor. “Well that didn’t work. The three ships were destroyed. Kon’dor, set off the explosives.”
“Okay. After you confirm everything worked, I’ll wait for you outside the Glass. We’ll go in together.”
“No. When those meteors make landfall, there’s going to be quakes and landslides. I’m not going to let you risk getting injured just to be gallant. Get inside the Glass.”
She was forced to smile when he replied, “We both know that’s not going to happen. Setting off the first charge now.”
The explosion caused a good section of the volcano to slide down and bury the entrance to the Sanctum. The bridge over the gully collapsed. Oddly enough, the sign welcoming visitors flew into the air and landed on top of the rubble where the door once stood.
“That worked,” L’elle reported to her love.
“Great. I’ll give you a minute to get above the lens.”
“No need. I can see it well enough from here.”
“Setting off the charge now.”
From her vantage point, L’elle could see a section next to the volcanic rim that held the iris explode in a shower of rock and dirt. “I can confirm the explosion. Let me try the iris.” She had her onboard computer send a ‘close’ command to the mechanism. To her horror, it started to move . . . then stop. “It’s not completely destroyed. I need to finish the job.”
“Be careful.”
She flew in and fired a dozen or so volleys at her target. This time the iris failed to budge. “It’s done.”
Before he could answer, the meteor shower began to make impact with the planet. Over the next ten minutes, one ship after another struck with unimaginable force. Much like a flurry of punches from one fighter to his opponent’s body, the planet took a devastating beating. And the Sky’lord civilization, created over a millennium, suddenly ceased to exist.
Chapter 8 – Love letters from L’elle
“Kon’dor. Kon’dor.” Only static. “Kon’dor”.
“L’elle. L’elle, can you hear me?”
“Yes. What happened down there?”
“Felt like the end of the world.”
“It was my love. There’s nothing left.”
A few heartbeats of silence then, “No matter. We can rebuild. Now, it’s time for you to join me. Get to one of the tunnels.”
“I will. First, I want to see what these aliens look like.”
“L’elle, don’t be foolish. That can get you killed.”
“I’ll be in and out before they realize it. One of those meteors fell well outside the crash zone of the others. Stay on the radio . . . this will only take a minute.”
“Please don’t.”
“Kon’dor, I want to see the face of the enemy that destroyed our civilization.”
It was useless to argue with her. “Okay. But do it fast.”
She didn’t bother to answer. She turned her ship and headed for the enemy. Pushing the control forward, she dove almost straight down – pulling up at the very last second.
What she saw horrified her. The front of the meteor swung opened and out crawled three creatures, the likes of which she had never seen before. “Kon’dor . . . they’re like giant bugs.”
“What?”
“The aliens . . . they’re like giant bugs. They walk on four . . . um; I guess you call them legs. They’re purplish in color and seem to be about eight to ten feet tall. I’m going to blast one to see what happens.”
“L’elle, don’t.”
“Why not?”
“If there’s any chance for a peaceful resolution to this, destroying one of them will not help. Please, leave the area, find the tunnel and get here as fast as you can.”
“I guess you’re right. Okay, I’m heading for the tunnels.” But she knew what she would find when she got there. She had always known.
*****
Back to the Future Onboard the Gracie
“Okay, let’s scan that sign so the AI can decipher it.”
Skotti took the ancient artifact from his girlfriend and did as she asked. “Done.”
“Computer, compare the information scanned to Galactic Standard. Decipher the message.”
“Working.”
“How long will this take?” asked Bree.
“Analysis complete,” came the artificial voice.
“Never mind,” replied the winged girl with a smile.
“What is the message?” asked Serenity.
“Ninety-five percent probability it means ‘my love’. Five percent probability it means ‘my lover.’
“So I’ll ask again – why leave a sign that says ‘my love?”
“I d
on’t think it’s a sign,” replied Skotti.
“What does that mean?”
“This thing,” and again he held up the rust-encrusted object, “is a container of some sort.”
“It’s only about an inch or two thick.”
“More than enough room to store a diary.”
“Skotti, tell us what you’re thinking,” quizzed BreeZee.
“I think under all this rust and corrosion we’ll find that this object is hollow. And I think the person who wrote those words – my love – was trying to preserve his thoughts and feelings about someone he lost.”
“You mean his love died?”
“No . . . well maybe. However, I think the author knew he was about to die and these were his last words. Words he wanted preserved for the future to see.”
“That’s a lot of speculation,” replied Jax’x. “How did you come to that conclusion?”
“We’ve seen bits and pieces of spacecraft and the meteors which probably destroyed them. This was part of that wreckage. We’ve seen the impact craters from those meteors. We know that a civilization that once lived here is gone. It’s not much of a stretch to think they were destroyed by these space rocks. I know it’s just conjecture but maybe one craft survived. With his world destroyed and no place to go nor anyone to go to, this last pilot wrote about the one person that meant the most to him.” The others were skeptical until he added “If I was about to die, I would want the world to know how much I loved Serenity. It just feels right.”
Sparky’s mouth dropped open while the other two girls sighed a very loud ‘ahhhhh’.
*****
Back in time
“You knew, didn’t you”?
“It was a . . . strong probability,” responded L’elle. The young woman had sensed that the tunnels would collapse.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Kon’dor was hurt that she hadn’t confided in him; and devastated that he would never see his love again.
“You had a job to do. And I did too.”
“You didn’t have to volunteer,” he replied accusingly – but only because he was overwhelmed with grief.
Defending her decision would just hurt him more. “Kon’dor, you are the love of my life. I am so very thankful for the time we had together.”
Gracie - Box Set #6, Part 2 of Ever After [an Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood novel] Page 7