by T. R. Harris
“Thank you, sir, but it’s just me here. Most of the guys with families have already taken off. The sergeant gave them permission.”
“Very well. I appreciate your dedication to your country, Airman. Carry on.”
“Yes, sir,” and the Airman saluted again, this time with a little more crispness in the motion.
The convoy proceeded through the gate and turned left on Lee Road. The narrow, two-lane road took them west of the runways, where they could see numerous fires burning off to the east, the eerie light dancing through the thick smoke.
Captain Allen had learned that the shuttle had been moved to Langley and placed in a hanger off of Lindbergh Way near Taylor Street, where NASA scientists and engineers could begin to study its operation. Apparently, most of the aeronautical community was not aware of the Klin, and so they still marveled at the chance to study the advanced technology of an actual alien spacecraft. Adam was sure the people at the NASA facility were ecstatic beyond belief at the opportunity that had been dropped in their laps. He also knew that come tomorrow, their entire reality would change forever.
The people in the Humvee were relieved to see that there was no damage to the buildings at this end of the base, and even more so as the huge hanger came into view on their left. It was a large building, with a corrugated door towering thirty meters tall and forty wide. The hanger door was shut, and there was small entrance door set just to the right.
Tobias slid out of the Humvee and approached the door. It was locked, but he could see light coming through its tiny opaque window, as well as from the various other windows that ran along the top of the wall. There were also various cars still in the parking lot along the west side of the building. With an alien spacecraft to examine, Tobias couldn’t image that the place would be closed for the night.
He banged on the door, and after a moment, a voice called out from the other side. “Who is it?”
“Lt. Andy Tobias, United States Navy SEALs. Open the door.”
“This is a secure facility, Lieutenant. Do you have clearance?”
“Cut the bullshit, pinhead. You know what’s going on out here. And we know you have an alien spaceship inside. So open the fucking door, or we’ll blow it open.”
Tobias could hear the latch being released, and then the door cracked open. Tobias pushed his way through, followed quickly by Adam, Sherri, and Riyad, along with Peanut in full tactical gear. The room inside was brightly lit, with about a dozen scientists, all in their ubiquitous white lab coats, standing around staring at them.
“What’s going on?” a skinny man closest to the door asked. “There’s been some kind of horrible attack, and we’ve lost all contact with the outside. No phones, no internet, no T.V, nothing.”
“Aliens, my friend,” Riyad said as he passed the scientist. Behind him came a dozen more SEALs. “They’ve come for their little toy you have here,” he teased, as a look of terror spread across the faces of the scientists.
The shuttle was sitting in the main hanger area, facing inward, with spotlights aimed on it and the rear panel open.
“Get this door open,” Tobias commanded, indicating the main hanger door, and several of the SEALs set off to make it so.
Adam stepped up next to him. “We need to turn it around and get it outside.”
“Roger that.” Tobias told two of his men to climb on the tractors that had originally pulled the craft inside the hanger and to swing it back around. The shuttle was not built with wheels, just runners, so when the men began to turn the craft, the screeching of metal on the concrete floor was deafening. But soon the behemoth was turned and scraping its way onto the tarmac outside the hanger and into the smoky evening air.
“Where are you taking it?” the lead scientist asked, his voice frantic. “We don’t know how it works yet. We’ve just started our analysis.”
“We’ve got that covered,” Tobias said, dismissing the scientist with a wave of his hand. Then he turned to face the wiry and pale-skinned man. “Besides, come tomorrow, you’re probably all going to be out of a job!”
Once the craft was outside, Tobias ordered that the two supply trucks be driven into the large troop bay at the rear of the shuttle. Riyad hurried past the large trucks and went forward into the pilothouse to begin charging the generators.
Sherri stood with the non-converts, Billy Piscopo by her side, engrossed in conversation.
Adam approached Lieutenant Tobias and offered his hand. “Thanks for everything, Mr. Tobias. I really appreciate the risk you’re taking by helping us. I hope everything goes well for you down here after we leave.” And then out of the corner of his eye, Adam noticed as all the SEALs disappeared into the rear of the shuttle. Adam turned back to the lieutenant, his eyes wide.
“You didn’t think we’d let you have all the fun, did you? We’re coming with you, Mr. Cain. All of us.”
Adam was stunned. He never imaged that the SEALs would be coming along, too. “But sir, what about all your families and friends?”
“I’m one of those swinging bachelors, Adam, as are all the other SEALs who have volunteered for this mission. Of course, I do have an ex-wife, but she wouldn’t give a damn where I end up, just so long as I ain’t botherin’ her. I figure a few thousand light years away should make her happy.”
And then Billy Piscopo stepped up to the two of them. “I’ve been talking with the guys, and we’d like to come along, too, if that’s okay?”
“Are you sure? You know we’re probably never coming back to Earth.”
“We realize that. But we also believe we’re going to be treated just like you were if we stay. No one’s going to believe us about the abductions, and how we were treated by the 2G’s. And the government has kept us locked up for a week, even before the attack. I don’t think they were ever going to let us out, just so we could run around free to tell our stories, especially not now.”
“Of course you’re welcome, Billy. All of you are,” Adam said, turning back to Tobias. “But you do realize we may not even make it off the planet before someone takes us out, either the Klin or the Juireans.”
“We live our lives on the edge of a sword all the time, Mr. Cain. We’re wasting time standing out here discussing this.”
“Aye, aye sir. Let’s get aboard.”
Adam then ran over to the scientists, who had all gathered in the opening to the hanger. “All of you need to clear out! We’re going to initiate a gravity well, and when we do, this entire building is going to be ripped to shreds. You have five minutes to get as far away as you can.”
“A gravity well?” someone yelled out from the group. “Like a singularity? That’s amazing! Take me with you!” And before Adam knew it, four of the scientists ran forward and into the back of the shuttle.
“No, you can’t—” and then he stopped. Adam had never had scientists around before, especially rocket scientists like these guys. They could come in handy…
What the hell, he thought. The more the merrier. “Anyone else want to come along? It will be one hell of a ride…”
To his amazement, three more of the men in lab coats sprinted toward the shuttle, with not a single one of those remaining raising a word in protest. Adam was sure that if it were not for familial ties, every one of the scientists in the hanger would have jumped at the chance to fly aboard a spaceship.
Adam ran for the back of the shuttle just as the last of Billy’s people were entering. He stood at the controls, just inside the troop bay, and waited until he was sure all were in. Then he pressed the button causing the ramp to lift and seal the compartment.
Since the spacecraft had been built as a landing craft, there were plenty of bench seats along both sides of the fuselage for the troops. The SEALs where busy helping all the other passengers strap in for lift off. None of the SEALs knew that the trip into space would be as smooth as a silk, but all Adam did was smile at their efforts as he rushed past them on his way to the pilothouse. They would learn soon enough. Yet even if th
e ride itself would be smooth, he was sure a few of them would lose their lunches when the gravity wells were initiated. It was just a rite of passage for star travelers…
The pilothouse aboard the landing craft was spacious, large enough to comfortably fit all its current occupants. Riyad was in the pilot’s seat, with Sherri, Tobias and Chief Rutledge strapped into seats just behind him. Adam slipped into the co-pilot’s seat next to Riyad and fastened his harness.
He looked out the starboard view port to see if the remaining scientists had cleared the area, and once satisfied, he turned to Riyad. “We definitely didn’t overstay our welcome, did we?”
“Who knew the guests would be such bores. Are we ready?”
“As ever – punch it!”
As the singularity popped into existence above them, the shuttle began to fall into it, lifting gently off the surface of the Earth. The hanger building next to them was ripped to pieces, with debris streaming past the view ports and up into the darkness of the night sky above. Once the craft was about two hundred meters off the surface, Riyad initiated the internal gravity wells. Their stomachs heaved, as the wells fought for dominance over their bodies; Adam could hear the intake of breath from Tobias and Rutledge behind him, but not a peep from Sherri or Riyad. Maybe he should have warned the others in the landing bay…
Soon the lights from hundreds of fires burning throughout the Hampton Roads area of Virginia began to grow ever smaller as the alien spacecraft gained altitude. As they climbed, Adam could see traces of more fires burning further north, near Richmond, and moments later, it looked as if the whole of Washington D.C. was one big fire.
All the occupants of the pilothouse looked out at the darkening landscape of the planet Earth, now spotted with thousands of fires. As they peered out the viewports, not a word was spoken. They all knew that the loss of life would have to be in the millions worldwide, if not more. This was their home, their race, and so many had been unceremoniously butchered without any remorse or guilt. Millions of Human beings!
On the screen before him, Riyad could see literally hundreds of contact transponders in the space above them. Their own transponder would identify them as Juirean as well, which would help them achieve orbit. At least that was working in their favor. But so far, the Klin had not acted. Any moment now, the bombardment of Earth would resume, and more people would die…
Chapter Thirty-Five
Overlord Yan’wal couldn’t stand it any longer. He had tried to remain in his quarters as long as possible and let his subordinates do their jobs. But that wasn’t going to be possible. There were just too many inconsistencies with this whole Human-affair that his mind was about to explode. He had to be where the action was.
Lord Giodol had joined Canel on the bridge, and the two of them were hunched over Canel’s tac screen at his station. They both straightened up as Yan’wal approached.
“Please continue,” Yan’wal said. “I just came to see how the attack is progressing.”
Giodol and Canel shared a glance at each other, and then Canel spoke, “Better than anticipated, My Lord. As soon as batteries are charged the fleet is continuing to drop bolts on the planet. There has been absolutely no resistance.”
“Doesn’t that seem strange to the two of you?” the Overlord asked.
Giodol nodded. “Yes, My Lord. It is completely inconsistent with what we were led to believe. We’re at a loss as to what has happened.”
“I suppose we should be grateful—”
“My Lords!” a tech called out, but a split second later the UN-444 heaved upward suddenly, sending everyone on the bridge flying into the air; the ship surged again, as they all crashed back down to the floor. Alarms were blaring, and there was a rumbling vibration felt in the cold metal of the deck.
Yan’wal lifted himself up. “Status!” he screamed out.
“We have taken two strong bolts to our aft section. Generators are offline,” a voice cried out in the confusion.
Canel climbed back in his command chair. “Where did the bolts originate?”
“Immediate vicinity…Another inbound!”
Everyone on the bridge felt the explosion from deep in the bowels of the massive ship. Lights went out, replaced quickly by battery-powered backups. Then the sickly surge of weightlessness swept over the bridge.
“The wells have evaporated, My Lord!” Canel called out.
“That’s obvious, Strategist,” was Yan’wal’s wry reply. “What is the status of the fleet?”
Canel buried his face in the data streaming across his screen. “Wide-spread losses. The enemy…they, they were dark.”
“Explain yourself.”
“Apparently there are now hundreds of defenders emerging from dark status. They are all within the perimeter, firing right off our ships!”
“I knew it!” Yan’wal said to no one in particular. “It was a trap. Can we maneuver?”
“No, My Lord. The first bolts took out our generators.” Canel then turned in his chair to face the shocked look on Giodol’s face, along with the disgusted expression on Yan’wal’s. “Even our weapons systems have been disabled. We are defenseless.”
The three senior Juireans just stared back at each other. There was nothing left to say. The enemy – be it Human or Klin – could now simply lay off and pepper the largest ship in the Juirean fleet with as many bolts as it took to destroy her – and there was nothing they could do to stop it.
Chapter-Thirty-Six
Moments after merging with the massive Juirean fleet in orbit around Earth, Riyad began to cautiously weave his way past huge battlecruisers and bolt platforms. Some were visible through the viewports, while dozens more were simply red dots on his screen. He did not want to make a beeline for the moon, but rather to appear as if he was shuttling between ships, all the while growing ever closer to his ultimate destination.
Suddenly, off to their left, a bright flash of light assailed their eyes. It was much brighter than a bolt launch, and as everyone in the pilothouse turned to look, a massive explosion filled their view. And then another, and another.
Adam craned over so he could look at Riyad’s screen. There were hundreds, if not thousands of bolt launches tracking toward the red dots. Many of these launches were right next to the Juirean ships. And then the sources were revealed, as gravity drives were being activated on hundreds of smaller contacts, all interwoven within the ranks of the Juirean ships.
The Klin Fleet! Or more correctly, the Klin Fleet manned by the 2G’s, Adam thought. And then a sickly feeling grew in the pit of his stomach. He was right.
“What’s happenin’?” Lt. Tobias asked from his seat.
“It’s the Klin, LT,” Adam said. “They’ve been sitting out here in what’s called a dark status all along, with only minimum power output. And they’ve been here since the beginning. That’s the only way they could have gotten within the Juirean lines.
“You called it, Mr. Cain,” Tobias acknowledged.
“And they could have stopped all the attacks!” said Sherri, voicing the thought running through all their minds.
“Heads up, everyone!” Riyad called out. “Now that the Klin are attacking Juirean spaceships, we’re in a shitload of trouble.”
He was right. The nav screen had designated the Klin ships with blue dots, distinguishing them from the Juireans based upon the energy signatures they gave off. They could now see graphically just how many of the Klin ships there were, easily twice as many as the Juireans. And they were streaking between the larger Juirean ships, strafing them with bolts of unbelievable intensity. Even if their numbers were not as high, the strength of the Klin weapons would have been enough to easily defeat the Juirean fleet.
The land craft’s only chance of successfully running the gauntlet of Klin ships came from the fact that it was so small and unarmed. So with all pretense now gone, Riyad deepened the well and shot off for the moon. They ended up traveling a zigzag course, so as to avoid getting too close to any of the Kli
n ships, but within a few minutes, they were skimming the surface of the moon, barely 10 kilometers above the surface. None of the Klin appeared to be following.
Now all we had to do was get to the far side of the moon and locate Kaylor and Jym, Adam thought. And once that’s done, then we have get out of the system in one of the only Juirean battlecruisers left intact, and all the while avoiding the hundreds of Klin buzzing around the area looking to blast anything Juirean to smithereens. Simple…
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Guard Commander Rillor, in the Light Quarter-Ship UA-14, saw the devastation being exacted on the Juirean Fleet from his position as an outer perimeter sentry about a light year out from the Earth. He, and the other two ships in his squadron, maintained guard duty over the nine supply ships that lay off their aft sections, while 12 other squadrons, guarded the hundred or so other supply ships that had accompanied the fleet to Earth. He couldn’t believe what his screen was showing. It was impossible, and yet he was seeing it with his own eyes.
As communications were broken with the fighting ships of the fleet, Rillor was at a lost as to what action to take next. He had never operated on his own before, and now he could see dozens of the smaller contacts that had destroyed the fleet moving in his direction. Without a command decision, his entire squadron, along with all the supply ships, would be destroyed as well.
Yet before he could act, he began to receive links from the other sentries. They were all under attack, and suffering catastrophic losses.
The young Guard Commander had no choice. He opened a link to the other sentries with him, as well as to his supply ships. He would lead them out of the area at flank speed, and attempt to return to Juirean space. They would leave immediately.