by Saxon Andrew
Jimmy started shaking his head, “Ayet’s recording of that planet didn’t show anything near that.”
“But what it did show was a planet covered with manufacturing plants and spaceports covering a huge amount of its surface; and remember, that planet’s surface is close to three-times what we have on Earth and it isn’t a water planet. Do you remember seeing that spaceport disappearing over the horizon it was so big?” Jimmy sighed and nodded. “Now I know that billions of ships didn’t fly in to go after Ayet when he attacked the Guild Building. But more than a hundred thousand flew by your children where they were holding position above the planet. They were moving in pretty much everywhere around the planet.”
“But there weren’t two-billion, Juan!” Summer interrupted.
Juan nodded, “No, there weren’t. So, the question is, where were they, not if they exist. Remember that one of the main functions of the Mercenary Guild is to accept contracts from various civilizations in their community to attack the one the contract is taken out against. They are also hired out to defend planets. We know that the Guild Civilization has around six-million members, right?” Jimmy and Summer nodded. “If only ten-percent of them purchase an attack contract a year, that means the Mercenary Guild will be fighting at 600,000 planets a year. Getting their pilots killed is how they control their over-population, Jimmy. And when the Guild Master heard that you have a hundred-thousand of his former pilots…”
Jimmy sighed, “He knew we were no threat to him. You’re right, he should have laughed me out of the court.”
Leit nodded, “If they send a really large percent of their forces next time, the pilots will be ordered to forget firing at us and to just ram our ships. Even if we killed them at a hundred-to-one ratio, we’d all die.”
Jimmy turned to Juan, “Why are we building ships that take so long.”
“We have no choice, Jimmy. The Urriks have a natural advantage in their ability to handle high-G turns. It takes a lot of technology to overcome that natural advantage.”
Summer looked at Juan, “So, why didn’t he?”
Juan’s brow furrowed, “Why didn’t who what?”
“Why didn’t that Guild Master laugh Jimmy out of the Law Center?”
Jimmy said, “I noticed when I was threatening him, he wasn’t looking at me.”
Leit nodded, “No, he wasn’t. He was looking at Kee.”
Kee nodded, “He should have been. I’m going to kill that child of a groab!”
Jimmy shook his head, “I’m pretty sure he wasn’t worried about you coming across the room to kill him; there was something else.”
Kee looked around and said, “What else was there?”
“I’m not sure,” Jimmy responded. “But he was worried about you.” Jimmy sighed and looked at his military leaders, “So, what do we do now?”
“Well, we can’t wait for them to arrive here to launch their attack. We’ve got to hit them on the way in before their transports can launch their fighters. The new Pounders will help that process.”
“If you intend to use them away from Earth, they’re all going to have to have stardrives installed.”
Suzette interrupted, “No problem; every one of our warships are having a stardrive installed. We’ve been doing that for a while.”
“Why?” Jimmy asked.
“Because any of them should be able to be sent out on scout duty. The stardrive’s units are incredibly simple to install. It just takes two emitters, a controller on the panel, and a connection to the reactor.”
Jimmy looked at them, “I’m sorry I wrote a check with my mouth that I can’t cash.”
Ed smiled, “Don’t be.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’ll send enough forces to handle a hundred-thousand of what he thinks are normal white Ships. We actually have closer to two hundred-thousand when you include the new pilots from the community and cities.”
“Where are we getting the ships for them?” Rachel asked.
“Your grandfather left us about fifty-thousand with dead pilots on board.”
Rachel flinched, “I forgot about those.”
“Well, they’re being modified. They should be ready in time.”
Jimmy looked at Juan, “You were being extremely conservative in your estimate of how many ships they have. The numbers might be a lot higher.”
Juan shrugged, “Possibly but I doubt it.”
“Why?”
“Remember the massive factories and space ports on the planet are there for a reason. They have to build ships to replace the ones they lose. The planets they’re accepting contracts to attack in the guild have been civilized far longer than Earth. They’re all advanced civilizations and, I’m pretty certain they all have advanced warships to defend them. The Mercenaries lose a lot of ships in those contracts. Like I said earlier, it’s how they control their population.”
Jimmy shrugged, “I hope you’re right.”
Reddy said, “We’re told when we become pilots that if we want to live and not starve to death that we will stay in our ships at all times. I asked one of the smarter crew members, why so many were needed. He smiled and said, ‘You’ll find out in a very short time’. I didn’t understand him then but after most of those that became pilots with me were gone, I knew what he was saying.”
Kee looked at Reddy, “How did you manage to survive so long?”
Reddy shrugged, “One of the pilots that had been around a long time told me late one night on my radio, ‘stay close to home!’.
“You were allowed to talk to each other?” Spring asked.
“Yes, we had to be able to communicate with each other during a battle to coordinate our attacks. Anyway, I made sure I never moved very far from a transporter. I’d stay with the ships ordered to protect the transports even when I wasn’t given that order and I was always able to get back on a transport before it left. The last mission, where I was left behind, I was directly ordered by one of the masters to go with the rest of the attackers after the fleet of Strikers. Evidently, they get a report when a pilot has survived longer than normal. That’s what happened when my friend was directly ordered to engage in a battle and he died.”
“Why do they want the more experienced pilots’ dead?” Summer asked.
Leit shrugged, “It really doesn’t make much sense, does it? But that was the life we led as one of their throw-away tools.”
Jimmy looked at Ed, “You wanted this meeting to plan the next defense?”
Ed looked at the Urriks with him and said, “Yes, we did. We need your approval to leave Earth to take them on elsewhere.”
Jimmy looked around at the attendees and said to Suzette, “How are the surface defenses going?”
“We pretty much have all the cannons installed but after hearing what might be coming, we’re woefully short on the ammunition needed.”
“Then start manufacturing what you’ll need. However, I suspect if we’re successful, they’ll take us out anyway.”
Jillian said, “Why do you say that.”
Jimmy sighed, “I’ve wondered why that Guild Leader would pay so much for the right to attack us.”
“He was angry about the lost ships,” Kee suggested.
Leit shook his head, “When has that ever bothered them?” Kee looked at Leit and then shrugged.
“When he said that he placed a claim on Earth because C-lem had not done so, he revealed his hand.” Everyone stared at Jimmy in silence. “He intends to sell our planet to the highest bidders in the Gread Civilization. It’s like selling lake front property, he won’t have to improve it or make changes, that’ll be left to the purchaser. But if we hold them off, and they’ve managed to remove our fleets before they arrive, we’ll be seeing a few more asteroids coming our way. They’ll give up on taking us out with their ships and send an asteroid to impact Europe.”
Suzette shook her head, “We’ll be able to shatter them.”
“Even small rocks that hit cause massive
damage, Suzette. Could you hit them all?” Suzette shook her head. “And a half-mile long piece of rock that hits in Europe will send out a shock wave blowing across the continent taking out all of our surface defenses around the cities and community.” Jimmy looked at his Commanders, “If you don’t stop them, then Earth is pretty much toast.”
“Dad?”
“Yes, Hope.”
“Perhaps it’s time we started looking.”
“For what, honey?”
“Another planet where we can possibly send some colonists.” Everyone in the room stared at her in silence and Hope said, “Spring told me something a while back that I found interesting.”
Jimmy looked at Spring, “What is that?”
“After the impacts, a star was found that had seven planets the size of earth circling it; it’s named Trappest 1 and three of those planets are in the habitable zone. You told me, when I was much younger, and I asked about someday going to other planets that it would be a very long time before we would be able to settle the one we have much less go looking for others.” Spring shrugged, “So, I’ve not mentioned it again.”
Jimmy looked at Ed, “Find out where that star is and go take a look.”
“We don’t have the time or the capability to even think about settling another planet,” Patrick said.
“No, but if any of our ships survive, they should have a place to go. Throwing their lives away in a lost cause here is not something I’d want.” Jimmy looked at Ed, “Go and see what’s there.”
“Yes, Sir.”
• • •
Ed and Jillian sat on the Pounder and looked out at a sunrise that rivaled any they’d ever seen on Earth. Ed sighed, “It’s not Earth, but it’s damn close.”
“Most of it is underwater.”
“So is Earth, Jillian.”
“The animals look…I don’t know…different.”
Ed smiled, “Different planet, different evolution. The largest predators do remind me of dinosaurs. I wonder how long they’ve been around?”
“The dinosaurs on Earth would probably still be alive today except for the asteroid impact that killed them; nothing could compete against them. The impact allowed small mammals to gain a foothold, Ed.”
“The Ice Age, about fifty-thousand years ago, might have taken out a lot of them.”
Jillian nodded, “It didn’t have to, the asteroid had already done the job.”
Ed shrugged, “Just like us.” Jillian looked at him and nodded. “This is a good planet for the Gread.” Jillian nodded again. Ed sighed and fired up the drive-units, “Let’s take some recordings and get back home. We have a lot of work to do.”
“You fly and I’ll record.” The Red Pounder two-seater lifted and they flew around the planet. Ed knew that some scientists once believed that the dinosaurs, if they had survived, would have eventually developed intelligence. That did not appear to have happened on this new planet. One of the larger predators would have eaten a T-Rex like a milk-dud. Ed smiled, but it wouldn’t stand up to a Rail-Rifle.
• • •
Ed and Jillian arrived back on Earth and sent his recordings to Jimmy. They immediately met with the Urrik Leaders and began planning how to meet the coming attack. Leit looked at Ed and said, “Reddy believes that we should attempt to try and save the pilots on the transports that are coming.”
Reddy sighed, “Leit, I just don’t see that happening.”
Leit turned to him, “Why have you changed your mind?”
“I didn’t consider just how many transports they might be sending. We will have to try and take them out as quickly as possible and there will not be an absence of Mercenary Masters to keep issuing orders. The pilots they’re bringing don’t have the intelligence to go against their orders. If they sent several hundred, we could take them out and talk with them afterwards but I don’t see that happening.” He looked at Ed, “Do you?”
Ed slowly shook his head, “No, I don’t.”
“Why not?” Kee asked.
“Because you frightened the Supreme Guild Master.”
“Don’t blame me!”
“I don’t. But I believe his worst fear is pilots that can think for themselves. That is what frightened him and he knows those of you that have developed your minds must be removed no matter what the cost. If what we suspect about their real numbers is even half-accurate, they’ll not be sending just a few hundred transports. He sees a huge reward in taking possession of Earth to sell to the Gread and also fears your existence. He’ll be sending unimaginable numbers to insure it happens.”
“You don’t think we can win.”
Ed sighed, “Leit, when I first fought two of the White Ships that came with the Gread, I would have lost if I had to take both of them on. How many White Ships can you take on and win? And while you’re considering that, keep in mind that they will be ordered to ram your Hitter.”
Leit stared at Ed and saw out of the corner of his eye Reddy and Kee shaking their heads. “I could avoid twenty or so and take out some of them as I avoided them.”
“What about a thousand of them?” Leit stared at Ed and, then shook his head. “What Reddy said is accurate; we have to take out as many transports as possible before they launch their fighters. But we can’t prevent all of them from launching.”
“But Jimmy says the Supreme Guild Leader will only send enough forces to fight a 100,000-ships?”
Ed stared at Kee, “I saw that Guild Master’s expression. I believe Jimmy said that so our fear wouldn’t get out of hand; he saw it as well. He knows.”
“So, what can we do?”
“We’ll kill as many of them as possible. I’ll leave what happens to insure our survival to other minds greater than mine. I’m a warrior and I’ll focus on my job.” Ed looked around, “Like all of us.”
“Where’s Jillian?”
Ed smiled, “Morning sickness, Kee. Thirty gravities can’t stop her but a good dose of nausea can.”
“Congratulations on your coming child.”
“That’s why we’re here, to protect our families and children.”
“The Pounders will have to play a major role in what’s coming.” Ed nodded.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ed stood with Suzette and Winny in the launch cave and looked at the Strikers and Hitters preparing to exit. “Why have you asked me here?”
“Ed, we’ve been making modifications to the Strikers and Hitters Rail-Weapons.”
“Do tell.”
“We’ve made the bow guns and cannon rotate as they fire,” Winny said.
“Why?”
“They will produce a funnel ahead of the ships that will produce a wide killing zone. With the numbers coming, we tried to come up with an idea of how to make them more deadly.”
Ed walked around to the nose of a Striker and said, “They do look different. Just how large will this killing zone be?”
“About a mile in diameter a mile out from the ship.”
Ed whistled, “Now that is a development. Won’t it take a lot more ammunition to do this?”
“Yes, but we’ve changed the projectiles.”
Ed looked at Winny, “Why.”
“We’ve determined that the current rounds are really over-kill. The way they expand on contact obliterates any White Ship they hit. A smaller round will take a White Ship out of action as well, even if the damage is slightly less.”
“What difference will that make?”
“It will triple the ammo a Striker and Hitter can carry.”
Ed smiled, “Now that is what I like to hear.”
“Most of the ships have been modified and have been loaded with the new rounds. It’s up to you to come up with a way to use them in combat.”
“I’ll certainly start working on that.” Ed looked around, “Where’s Patrick?”
“Jimmy has him working on another project. Winny has taken his place.”
Ed smiled, “You have an extraordinary wife, Winny.”
/> “Don’t think I don’t know it. I really don’t deserve her.” Suzette punched him lightly on the arm.
“Thanks, what you’ve done has made the difference in our survival, Suzette. These modifications can make a huge difference in what’s coming.”
“Give them hell, Ed.”
“Oh, I will.”
• • •
Jimmy looked at Derek, “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes, Sir. Are you sure about this?”
“No, but it must be done.”
“Yes, Sir.” Derek walked out of Jimmy’s office and he stared at his computer.
• • •
It had taken close to a year for the funds to be collected and delivered to the Supreme Law Center. But the last were hauled in to the room and placed in front of the Lead Enforcer’s podium. The Supreme Guild Master smiled, “I believe you owe me a contract.”
“Is there any way for me to persuade you not to go through with this?”
“I told you that four-billion would insure your defense.”
“Would it stop you from doing this if used only for that purpose?”
“Why are you so bent on stopping me?”
The Lead Enforcer took a deep breath and said, “What would happen to the Guild if you are greatly harmed by what you’re planning?”
“That won’t happen.”
“But what if it does?”
The Supreme Guild Master thought a moment and shrugged, “I guess it would take a while to replace what I lost.”
“And what would be happening while you’re doing that? Could you still honor your defense contracts? Could you accept contracts?”
“Probably not until the replacements were built.”
“That alien who spoke at the end of the hearing was right. If you aren’t able to maintain order among the members, then a massive number of your members would take the opportunity to right previous wrongs.”
The Supreme Guild Master stared at the Lead Enforcer and shrugged, “But that’s not going to happen. Their puny hundred-thousand-warships will be eliminated easily.”