The Star Cross

by Raymond L. Weil

  It took only a few seconds for the interceptors to reach their targets, and the sky was suddenly full of bright explosions.

  “Did we get any of them?” yelled someone over the comm channel.

  “I can’t tell,” several others responded.

  “Look! To the northwest, a shuttle with smoke pouring out. It’s going to crash!”

  The major looked, and he saw the falling shuttle impact the ground, leaving a large smoking crater.

  “Scratch one,” someone called out in an excited voice.

  Major Hanson said nothing. He knew the warheads in those missiles were much more powerful than the ones in the interceptor missiles the F-75s carried.

  A target lock tone suddenly sounded on his console. “I have a target lock,” he announced. “All Eagles, engage.”

  Moments later the sky was full of more contrails and jet fighters screaming through the air. Explosions lit up the sky, but now the shuttles were firing back. Energy beams flicked down, and, whenever they struck an aircraft, it exploded in a ball of fire.

  “They got Jenson,” called out a frightened pilot.

  “Swenson and Gallagher are gone too,” another pilot replied. “Our missiles are having no effect!”

  Major Hanson breathed out a deep sigh. He knew their cannons would have no effect either.

  -

  On the ground, the chief of the air force watched as his planes were blasted from the sky. “Call them back,” he ordered, as he studied the sensor screens. “We’ll lose all of them if we don’t, and I refuse to throw away their lives needlessly.”

  “Sending out the recall,” the officer at the comm station replied.

  The air force chief looked down at the polished floor, even as the comm channel lit up with a message from the government office in Canberra. “Don’t answer,” he instructed the comm officer. “I’ll turn in my resignation tomorrow.”

  -

  The Profiteer and Dacroni shuttles continued downward unmolested, as the remaining human fighters flew off to escape the fighting. From what the aliens had learned in the smaller cities, numerous small and large stores held huge amounts of gold plus valuable jewels. Those would be their first targets.

  On the ground, the Australian army deployed moving tanks and armored vehicles into hastily evacuated city streets. They might not be able to destroy a shuttle, but a Profiteer not within the protection of his ship would be a different matter.

  In Sydney nearly two thousand soldiers fanned out, blocking major intersections and setting up choke points. They knew the Profiteers would be looking for gold, jewels, and other valuables, possibly even art. Snipers were placed on the roofs of buildings, covering the entrances to the stores most likely to be hit. Reserves were called up, but it would be hours before they could assemble and be armed. Soldiers checked their assault rifles and crouched down out of sight. Everyone was now waiting to see what the Profiteers would do.

  In Canberra, the government was in a near panic. The Profiteers hadn’t responded to their latest offer. In desperation another offer was made. This time it included the last offer of five hundred gold bars plus ten thousand carats of other valuable gemstones. The government waited with bated breath, hoping for a response.

  -

  “Five hundred bars of gold and ten thousand carats of gemstones,” gloated Second Profiteer Lantz with greed glinting in his eyes.

  “A good offer,” replied High Profiteer Creed with a satisfied smirk. “Contact the humans and tell them we accept. However, because of their failure to offer this to begin with, their city of Sydney will be stripped of all its wealth. After all, I promised Clan Leader Jarls he could have 40 percent of anything his mercenaries take from the cities. He’ll have to be satisfied with the one. Call back our shuttles and inform Clan Leader Jarls that his own shuttles may strip the human city.”

  -

  In the air above Sydney, a dozen profiteer shuttles suddenly stopped their downward descent and rose into the sky. On the ground, the troops cheered, as the enemy retreated. But then, in the distance, they saw other shuttles coming toward them.

  -

  Lieutenant Blake Everton stared as two large shuttles landed in a nearby park. A third circled overhead, and suddenly bright beams of light speared down, blowing apart two military tanks. Billowing smoke and flames erupted, blotting out the sunlight. From the two landed shuttles, dozens of aliens swarmed forth. They were of human height but with a bulkier form. They had very short necks, making it look like their heads sat on their torso. Each was covered in some type of dark gray battle armor.

  “Let them get close, and then open fire,” ordered Blake over his comm, as the aliens made their way cautiously down the empty street. The civilians had been ordered to stay in their homes and to not come out until the all clear was sounded.

  “What weapons are they carrying?” asked Lance Corporal Phil Stewart.

  “They supposedly have an energy rifle,” Blake replied over his comm. “Don’t fire until I give the order.” Blake had forty soldiers under his command. Half were concealed on the nearby rooftops, and the rest had taken cover behind vehicles, doorways, and down several side streets.

  With apprehension Blake watched the aliens come closer. Looking at them, he realized these must be the Dacroni mercenaries he had heard so much about. That greatly concerned him, as it implied they were trained how to fight.

  -

  The Dacroni worked their way down the street, heading toward the largest jewelry store in the city. Their heads moved from side to side, as they searched for any potential danger. Suddenly their leader motioned for them to stop, while he checked some device he carried. Looking around in what appeared to be anger, he called out some commands, and the Dacroni with him suddenly raised their rifles and began blasting away at the hidden soldiers.

  -

  “They spotted us!” yelled Lance Corporal Stewart.

  “Open fire!” ordered Blake, as he raised his own assault rifle and took aim at the nearest Dacroni mercenary. Blake was inside the open door to a clothing boutique across from a jewelry store.

  Weapons fire rang out, and, with satisfaction, Blake saw several of the Dacroni drop to the pavement, unmoving. Then the orbiting shuttle poured down a deadly fire of energy beams, blasting the tops of the surrounding buildings and hitting the vehicles in the street, hiding Blake’s soldiers. Smoke filled the air, and it became difficult to see. Occasionally Blake could hear the piercing scream of one of his soldiers as he or she was hit.

  Out of the smoke appeared two dark shapes. Blake targeted the first one, firing a short burst into the Dacroni’s chest, seeing the alien drop his energy rifle and fall to the ground. The second Dacroni raised his rifle and fired at Blake, who felt a strange numbness and dropped his assault rifle. What happened? He thought. Looking down he saw a smoking hole in the center of his chest. Falling to his knees, he felt dizzy and faint.

  “Foolish human,” the Dacroni said, striding up to Blake. He raised his rifle and fired one more time.

  -

  Across Sydney the fighting was much the same. A few Dacroni mercenaries were taken out, but the orbiting shuttles made the military pay a dear price for each Dacroni they killed. In the end, the fighting died out, and the looting began.

  The Australian army, realizing they could not stop the Dacroni, ordered its soldiers to stand down and withdraw from the areas the aliens were targeting. The loss of human life wasn’t worth it, and the city was already heavily damaged from the fighting. Numerous buildings were on fire, and some of the streets were now impassable. Firefighters were told to wait until the aliens left in their shuttles, before responding to the destruction. Above Sydney a dark pall of smoke covered the sky. The fighting was over, and, once again, the aliens had proved they had control over the Earth.

  -

  President Mayfield paced in the situation room, while General Braid and Fleet Admiral Tomalson stood nearby. Raul sat at a table, alone.

  “At
least we know they can be killed, when they’re out of their shuttles,” commented General Braid, as he turned from a viewscreen, showing a satellite shot of Sydney.

  “We already knew that from the incident in Youngstown,” replied President Mayfield. “At least the Australians managed to hold the damage down to just one city.”

  “But who will be next?” asked Raul Gutierrez. “We see a pattern developing, where the aliens are increasing their demands. It seems our monthly tribute’s no longer enough.”

  “It’ll be up to Fleet Admiral Vickers to stop this,” Fleet Admiral Tomalson answered. Captain Randson had left the previous evening. Already Tomalson was making arrangements to find and locate the necessary people Kurt needed to crew his new warships.

  “If we can last that long,” replied President Mayfield grimly. He knew it was only a matter of time before the same demands made of South Africa and now Australia were made on the North American Union.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Fleet Admiral Kurt Vickers watched with deep satisfaction as the battlecruiser Trinity exited the large construction bay of Newton Station. She moved out slowly, using her thrusters, while the outside lights around the bay flashed.

  “I can’t believe she’s ready,” Captain Randson said, as he stood next to Kurt, seeing the activity on the shipyard.

  “I’ve already spoken to Rear Admiral Wilson about my plans for the Trinity,” responded Kurt, as he turned toward Andrew. “I’m moving the Kepler, Trinity, and the Dante into a lower geostationary orbit on the other side of Newton. That will put the three ships between the sun and the planet.”

  Andrew nodded his understanding. “So, when the Profiteers and the Dacroni jump in, they won’t detect the ships, which will be hidden by Newton.”

  “That’s the idea,” Kurt answered, folding his arms across his chest. “We’re also emplacing the rest of the hyperspace detection buoys around the Solar System. If Captain Watkins detects the Profiteers jumping toward Newton, he’s to leave the Newton Princess and his two destroyers and bring the Vindication here immediately.”

  “Do you think we can stop them?”

  Kurt nodded. “From what we learned on Kubitz, their entire motive is profit. If we can destroy enough of their ships in the early part of the attack, I think they’ll break off and return to Earth. Before they can call in reinforcements for a more powerful attack, we’ll have the defense grid installed. Once that’s done, they won’t even consider attacking Newton again. It would be too costly.”

  Kurt looked back at the viewscreen and the Trinity. She was almost an exact duplicate of the Star Cross, and Captain Cheryl Anniston would be a good commander for the ship. She was strong willed, a good tactician, and extremely intelligent. They had also found enough qualified spacehands with fleet experience to fill the empty billets on the ship.

  “Which exploration ship is next?” Randson asked Kurt.

  It had been nearly two weeks since Andrew had returned from Earth, and they were hoping the Newton Princess would return shortly with its first load of potential crew personnel.

  “The Carlsbad will be next,” answered Kurt.

  Kurt looked at another viewscreen, which showed the other four exploration ships in a slightly lower orbit beneath Newton Station. Even as he watched, one of them broke orbit and began moving toward the shipyard.

  An alarm suddenly sounded drawing everyone’s attention toward the sensor console. This new alarm was set to warn them of ships approaching in hyperspace.

  “Admiral, the hyperspace buoys are detecting two inbound ships,” reported Lieutenant Lena Brooks as she studied the data. “They’re coming from the direction of the Gothan Empire.”

  “The Dallas and the first cargo ship we sent to get more hypermissiles,” suggested Andrew, gazing intently at the tactical screen, now showing two red threat icons far outside the system.

  They had sent another cargo ship and the light cruiser Sydney to Kubitz to get more hypermissiles to replace the ones lost on the Lansing.

  “It’s time for them to return,” Kurt said, as he gazed at the screen. “Take the fleet to Condition Two as a precautionary measure.”

  Andrew passed on the order, and shortly alarms and klaxons sounded, calling the crew to their battlestations.

  Kurt hoped it was their two ships and not two Profiteer or Dacroni vessels about to drop in and pay them an unscheduled visit.

  Several minutes passed, and the two ships in question dropped out of hyperspace six million kilometers from Newton.

  “It’s the Dallas and Plymouth,” confirmed Lieutenant Brooks, as her sensors quickly identified the two ships.

  “I have Captain Marsh on the comm,” reported Ensign Pierce. Her eyes suddenly took on a stunned look. “Captain Marsh reports they have Private Lucy Dulcet on board!”

  “Lucy,” said Andrew, taken aback “How?”

  “I guess we’ll find out shortly,” Kurt said. “Have them dock at Newton Station, and I’ll meet them there.”

  “Yes, sir,” replied Ensign Pierce, as she relayed the admiral’s orders.

  -

  Kurt took a small shuttle to the shipyard and was waiting anxiously at the docking port for the Dallas. He had been extremely relieved to hear that Private Dulcet was on board the light cruiser. It was one more loose end that had been tied up from their trip to Kubitz. He was curious to hear how she had been rescued or if the Dacroni had just released her.

  Captain Simms came down from the Command Center to watch the docking and to speak with the admiral.

  “The engineers have come up with a way to put a temporary energy shield around the station,” Simms said, as they waited for the large hatch to open. Four Marines armed with assault rifles stood next to them with wary gazes on the hatch, on alert in case someone other than a human came through.

  Kurt looked at them for a moment and then turned toward Captain Simms. “We really need to find a better weapon than assault rifles. Firing armor-piercing rounds on the station or even on one of our ships is just asking for trouble.”

  “Is there something on Kubitz that would work better?” asked Simms thoughtfully. “Perhaps they have some energy weapon or even a stun gun.”

  “We know the Profiteers use energy weapons,” Kurt answered. “I’ll have Lieutenant Tenner check into it. Now what did you come up with on the energy shield?” A noise at the hatch drew his attention, and he saw it open. The Marines tensed, holding their rifles at the ready.

  “If we place one of the destroyers against the incomplete hull structure of the flight bay, the ship’s emitters will allow us to activate the energy shield. We’ll need to make some adjustments to the destroyer’s emitters though.”

  “What if we used one of the exploration ships instead?” suggested Kurt, as the door swung completely open, and Captain Bridget Marsh stepped out. She instantly stopped, upon seeing Kurt, and quickly came to attention and saluted.

  “Too big,” Simms answered. “It’ll work better with a destroyer.”

  “At ease, Captain,” Kurt said, returning Marsh’s salute. “I understand you have our lost Marine with you.”

  “Yes,” replied Marsh with a somber look on her face. “However, there’s a problem. A Dacroni mind probe was used on her, and she doesn’t remember who she is. Grantz rescued her from one of the Kubitz pleasure houses, where she was working.”

  “A pleasure house,” Kurt said, his blood boiling. “How did that happen?”

  “They emplaced some false memories to make her think she belonged there. She’d been there for a number of days before Grantz rescued her.”

  Kurt had to focus to fight down his rising anger. “Where is she?”

  “Dr. Jelk is with her, and they’ll be out shortly.”

  “Dr. Jelk,” stuttered Kurt, his eyes growing wide. “She’s here?”

  “Yes, she’s been treating Private Dulcet and insisted on coming, since we didn’t have anyone familiar with the effects of this mind probe device the Dacro
ni used. She was very insistent, and Lieutenant Tenner didn’t think it would be a problem.”

  Kurt heard other voices coming toward the hatch, and soon Private Dulcet, dressed in civilian clothes, and Keera stepped through. Lucy looked at Kurt, and, from the look of confusion on her face, he knew she didn’t recognize him. He swore silently to himself and vowed that he would make whoever did this pay.

  “Hello, Admiral Vickers,” Keera said with a pleasant smile. “Do you have a medical facility on this station where I can take Lucy?”

  “Yes,” Kurt answered. “Captain Simms, will you please escort Dr. Jelk and Private Dulcet to the station’s medical center.”

  “Yes, sir,” replied Simms. Motioning toward Dr. Jelk, he said, “If you will please follow me, I’ll take you where you need to go.”

  “I’ll talk to you later, Keera,” Kurt said, his gaze meeting hers.

  “I was counting on that,” Keera said, as she turned to follow Captain Simms.

  “Where are we?” asked Lucy with a frightened look on her face. “Why can’t I go back to the pleasure house? I liked my work there.”

  “Everything will be fine,” Keera said in a soft and reassuring voice. “Just trust me. The people here will help take care of you.”

  “Don’t leave me!” pleaded Lucy. “I don’t know anyone else.”

  “I’m not leaving you,” Keera promised.

  As the three walked down the corridor, Kurt turned toward Captain Marsh. “Do you have a full report of what happened?”

  “Yes,” Marsh replied. “Lieutenant Tenner sent a report and interviews with both Profiteer Grantz and Avery Dolman.”

  “Dolman was involved too?”

  “Yes,” Marsh answered. “From what I understand, one of Dolman’s informants told him about Private Dulcet’s location.”

  “Do we know who did this to her?”

  “The Dacroni on the orbiting battleship,” Marsh answered. “It left shortly after the Star Cross did.”

  Kurt nodded; his anger faded slightly. If that were true, then the Dacroni battleship that had died with the Lansing was the guilty party. Those involved had already met a swift and deadly justice for their crime.