by T. R. Harris
And then he saw them, five disk-shaped spacecraft, streaking near him on his port side. Rillor’s ship did possess weapons, but he had seen how effortlessly these strangely-shaped ships had dispatched the mightiest warships in the Juirean fleet. His tiny sentry ship would not stand a chance.
But the other ships did not fire on him, so he maneuvered his 12 ships in a direction heading away from the Earth system, and initiated a deep well, as did all the other ships in his tiny fleet. As they all bolted out of the area, Rillor watched for evidence that they were being followed, but there was none.
After about an hour, the young Commander began to relax. He had escaped the tragedy of the Human attack. How, he did not exactly know.
But he didn’t dwell on his good fortune for long. Rillor would soon compose a message to be sent to Juir, through the communication relays laid during the fleet’s journey to Earth. It would be a message like none before it. It would speak of the greatest military defeat ever suffered by the Juireans in their entire history. And Rillor would be its author.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
The gray bleakness of the lunar surface streaked by below them with dizzying swiftness. Soon the landing craft had wrapped around the far side, and was closing in on the location where Adam had left Kaylor and the Juirean Battlecruiser.
As they approached, Adam also knew there was a possibility that the Klin could have discovered the ship already and destroyed it. If that were the case, then the landing craft would have to return to Earth. The tiny craft only had a range of about 10 light years, and no weapons. There wasn’t much he could do aboard the landing craft to exact his revenge on the Juireans and the Klin. But with a Juirean battlecruiser, that was another matter altogether.
Then another thought crossed his mind: Kaylor may not be there!
The plan had called for Adam to return to Earth to a hero’s welcome, and then he would contact Kaylor and Jym, and have them bring the large warcraft into Earth’s orbit. Human scientists and engineers would then tear the ship apart and learn all her secrets. But Kaylor may have bolted already, once he saw the Juirean Fleet arrive, or more likely, when the Klin started shooting. Either way, Adam’s blood pressure was climbing with every kilometer they put behind them.
Adam activated the coded beacon Kaylor had set up prior to their departure. Hopefully there was someone at the other end to receive it…
“Adam! Is that you?” Jym’s voice cried out through the speakers.
Adam breathed a sigh of relief. At least that uncertainty was erased. Now they might have a fighting chance of making it out of the system alive.
“It’s me. How are the two of you holding up?”
“Do you know what’s been going on up here?” It was Kaylor now. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“No one has, my friend. But we have to get out of here as soon as possible. We’re coming up on your position. Prepare to bring us aboard.”
Riyad had slowed the landing craft considerably, and now they were approaching the crater where Kaylor had landed the giant spaceship. They could clearly see its outline now, completely covered in grayish-white dust, and blending in perfectly with the surrounding monochromatic landscape.
And then in the blink of an eye, all the dust disappeared from the ship when the gravity well was established, forming a perfect circle in the soil of the crater surrounding the ship. Then the massive battlecruiser began to slowly lift off the surface.
As it gained altitude, Riyad brought the landing craft around to its aft section, closing in on the lighted landing bay just under the starboard superstructure. Moments later they skidded to a stop, while large metal doors rolled from each side of the entrance to seal the compartment.
The moment the landing bay was pressurized, Riyad lowered the rear loading ramp of the shuttle, and dazed and bewildered men and women stepped out onto the deck of the Juirean starship.
Adam rushed up to Sherri. “I’m going to need Billy and his men to man the weapon systems onboard in case we have to shoot our way out. Can you get him on that? And have them take the SEALs with them. The sooner they see how things work, the better.”
“What about them?” she asked, indicating the cluster of wide-eyed scientists standing near the loading ramp.
“Hell if I know. Have them go with Billy’s men, too. Just make sure they don’t get in the way.”
“Why’d you bring them along in the first place?”
“It seemed like a good idea at the time. Besides, I can’t tell a supernova from a hole in the head. I thought these guys might be able to fill in some of the blanks.”
“We’ll see.” Then she was off to find Billy Piscopo.
Adam headed for the bridge, with Riyad close behind. As they entered, Kaylor looked back at them from the pilot’s seat. “I hope you have a plan. There are Klin ships buzzing all over the place.”
Adam looked at the tac screen displayed on the forward bulkhead. Most of the Klin ships were now situated closer to the Earth, with dozens of them having formed long lines, which were now moving methodically around the planet.
“What are they doing?” he asked Kaylor. “Are they searching for smaller ships – or survivors?”
“I don’t think so. I think they’re vacuuming the space around the planet.”
“What do you mean?”
“Apparently they’re using their gravity wells to attract the debris from the battle. The space around your planet must be littered with millions of bits and pieces of Juirean spaceships. It would be very hard to maneuver with that much junk left in orbit. It makes sense.”
Leave it to the Klin to have thought of everything, Adam thought.
Adam studied the screen for a moment, and then he made a decision. “We’re just going to have to take our chances. Trying to sneak out of here probably won’t work. It will take too much time, with too much chance of being spotted.” He turned to Riyad. “I say we us the moon as a shield and just bolt out of here as fast as we can.”
Riyad just cocked his head. “Sounds as good as anything.” He turned to Kaylor. “You can recycle the generators several times before initiating the well. Really build up a big charge. The well will be incredibly deep right from the start.”
Kaylor’s head bobbed back and forth. “That should work. We just have to make sure we don’t overload the generators. But that will get us away in a hurry.”
“Exactly, and then we’ll use Adam’s zigzag technique once we’re clear of the system, just to make sure we aren’t followed.”
Kaylor turned back to his controls. “It will take about 10 minutes to recycle the generators enough. Then I’ll punch it.” Kaylor looked over at Adam, and his mouth spread into a wide grin.
The alien’s learning, Adam thought, returning the wide grin. We just may get out of this after all...
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Riyad’s plan worked like a charm, and after about eight hours and several zigzags, Adam was feeling confident they had escaped the system without being followed. They were away from Earth and safe from both the Juireans and the Klin – at least for the time being.
Now all he needed was a plan.
Throughout the journey to Earth, as well as the week he’d spent cloistered in the warehouse at Little Creek, a plan had been percolating in the back of Adam’s mind. And now with the addition of the 18 SEALs he had onboard, the plan was looking even more promising – if they weren’t too late.
Two days later, Adam walked onto the mess deck and spotted several of his new crew there, eating processed meals and all in a more relaxed mood. Most of the groups at the tables were clustered into groups of three. Sherri had matched each of the SEALs with one of Billy’s men, along with one of the seven scientists aboard. The tasks were divided among each team member.
Billy’s men were responsible for training the SEALs and the team’s scientist in the operation of the ship, including its weapon systems, food modules, grooming stations, etc. They also set everyone up
in individual staterooms.
The SEALs were to teach the civilians all they could about the weapons and gear the SEALs had brought along with them in the two trucks down in the landing bay. They were also to be taught basic tactics and strategies, at least enough so they wouldn’t be too much of a drag when operating with the SEALs.
The scientist in each team was there to help explain the astronomical and scientific aspects of their journey – if possible – and to also to learn how the systems aboard the ship worked from a technological standpoint. It appeared as though all members of the teams were finding the arrangement very exciting and mutually beneficial.
Lt. Tobias approached Adam, followed closely by Kaylor and Jym. The lieutenant had quickly accepted the two aliens as friends, experiencing only a brief moment of discomfort upon meeting the two of them. After all that had happened over the past few days, Lt. Tobias was proving to be one of the most adaptable people Adam had ever met. Nothing seemed to faze him.
But as he walked up to Adam, he had a frown on his face. “I’ve called all the people onboard to the mess decks,” he began solemnly. “Kaylor intercepted a message from Earth just before we – what do you call it, bolted out of the area – and I believe we all need to hear this.”
“Yes, sir. No problem.”
Five minutes later, everyone on the ship was in the large eating area, seated at tables and looking at Lt. Tobias, who stood next to Jym. The gravity for this part of the ship had been adjusted so that the two aliens wouldn’t have to suffer so much during the meeting.
“Gentleman, and ladies,” he said to the room, acknowledging Sherri and the two female scientists. “Kaylor intercepted a message that was sent out from the President of the United States. It was sent about twelve hours ago, just as we were leaving the moon—” Tobias stopped and smiled. “I’m sorry, it’s just so hard to say that and realize what’s happened over the past 48 hours.” He looked down at Adam, sitting next to Sherri in the first row of dining seats. “I’ll get used to it, as I’m sure all the rest of y’all will, too.
“But back on topic: The message seems to have been sent to all TV’s, radios and even cellphones that had power. According to Kaylor, the Klin must have some way to beam messages directly to these devices without the use of satellites. It means that the people back on Earth will have better communications following a disaster of this magnitude than would be expected, seeing that all communication satellites were knocked out by the Juireans.”
“It also means the Klin will be able to control all communications,” Adam threw in, his face grim and hard as a rock.
“That’s true, Mr. Cain. But I felt it was important that we all hear the message. Some of it relates to us.”
Tobias looked directly at Adam for a heartbeat, before nodding to Jym to begin. The diminutive alien pressed a button on the controller he held and the main screen behind Tobias came to life.
On the screen was an image of President Daniel Ryan, his once-tanned face now looking gaunt and sallow. He was sitting at a desk in a room with the seal of the presidency attached to the wall behind him. He looked tired and his overall expression was one of stunned resignation.
But as the camera focused on him, the 56-year-old president licked his lips and firmed his jaw, while his dark eyes stared straight into the camera.
“Good evening,” he began. “I am broadcasting from a secure bunker outside of what remains of Washington, D.C. I will explain to you in a moment how it is that you can be receiving this message when all other communications, including cellphones, TV and radio have been disrupted. In a moment, all will become clear.
“I have been in communications with most of the surviving world leaders, and they have authorized me to speak on their behalf, because from this day forward all the inhabitants of the planet Earth will have a new identity, one that transcends countries, languages, politics and religious beliefs. From this day forward, we will all be known simply as Humans. I will now explain.
“Approximately 18 hours ago, the planet Earth was savagely and indiscriminately attacked by military forces from an alien race of beings called the Juireans. I know this is hard to believe, but you must. It’s true. These creatures came to our world to exterminate the Human race, and I mean every last man, woman and child on our world. As it turns out, these aliens were lead here by one of our own, a traitor who has brought such death and destruction to the Human race as we have never known before.”
Adam felt himself go weak and his jaw fell open. Sherri placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. We know the truth,” she said. And then the President was continuing.
“I will not go into details about that now. As the days, weeks and months go forward you will learn more regarding this person. What I am here to tell you tonight is this: The worst of the attack is over – and the enemy has been completely destroyed!”
The President paused a few moments for affect before continuing.
“Even as one alien race has brought horrific death and destruction upon our world, another has come to our rescue. This other race is called the Klin, and they have attacked the Juireans and completely destroyed their fleet. In addition, the Klin are, at this very moment, bringing much needed food, water and medical supplies to the people of the Earth. In addition, they have advanced technologies which will allow them to extinguish the thousands of fires that are raging around the world, and will bring new building materials and construction methods that will help us rebuild our cities in a fraction of the time it would normally take after such a disaster. They are also bringing new energy sources which will allow us all to have the power we need as we rebuild our planet. With the Klin’s help, we will survive.
“Some of us have been aware of the Klin for a number of years, but never could we have known the extent of gratitude we would feel toward them at this moment. Without their help, the Juireans would have succeeded in exterminating all of humanity.”
Then he leaned forward, as a vein in his neck began to pulse. “But I have to tell every last surviving member of the Human race that our fight is not over. In fact, it has just begun. The Juireans control an empire of stellar systems in the main part of the galaxy, so this conflict – this war – has only just begun. The Juireans have been defeated in this battle. But they will return. They have a much larger military force than what has been defeated here today.
“We are at war, my fellow Humans. This is a fact that we must all accept. And before you ask, there can be no negotiated peace. The Juireans do not negotiate for peace. These creatures are set to destroy us as a race, and they will not rest until we are gone.
“But we do not have to accept this fate. With the help of the Klin, we can fight back. We can fight with every ounce of our being to avenge the death of what I’m being told will be over one billion of your fellow Humans. One billion! One seventh of the entire population of the Earth, wiped out in a few short hours, and with no warning or provocation.
“We cannot, we will not, let this travesty go unanswered. We will fight! And we will fight for our very survival. And once that is accomplished, then we will continue to fight for our mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers – for all those who have died today – in a senseless and evil act of genocide. Call it revenge if you must, but the Human race will not let this act go unpunished. We cannot, we will not, let the Juireans get away with what they did to us today!”
The President’s voice was trembling, and tears were welling up in his eyes. It was several moments before he could continue. When he did, his voice was smoother, calmer.
“It has been learned that our friends and allies, the Klin, have, for the past 50 years or so, been secretly recruiting people here on Earth to help them when they would eventually let their presence be known on Earth. The Klin have sought to be brothers with Humanity, but they needed the timing to be right. Unfortunately, they had to act prematurely, as they came to our rescue today. These Human recruits are very familiar with the Klin technology and their m
ethods. Since the gravity of Earth is much higher than the Klin are accustomed to, the assistance they are offering will be delivered through these individuals. I beg you to give them all the cooperation and respect possible. They are here to help.”
He paused again, and actually dabbed at the tears in his eyes before continuing.
“And as we dig ourselves out from under this planetary catastrophe and begin to rebuild, we must also begin preparing for the battles that are still to come. The Klin have offered to help us build fleets of spaceships capable of defeating the Juireans. And they suggest – wisely – that we take the battle to them! Rather than wait for the Juireans to regroup and rearm, and then return to our homeworld to once again wreck havoc upon its surface, we must take the fight to them! We must return the terror that they have brought to us, and give it back to their own worlds. We must make them feel the pain that we are feeling at this very moment.
“I apologize if I sound emotional and vengeful, but I cannot help myself. When a billion of my fellow Humans have been massacred so savagely, I can’t help myself. And neither should you hold back the emotions you are feeling. Every one of us who have survived will know someone who did not. This tragedy is greater than any we have ever experienced before.
“Our cause will now be greater than any cause before it. We are united now as one race – the Human Race – against an enemy which we are being offered the means to defeat. We have no choice, my fellow Humans. It comes down to whether it will be the Juireans who survive, or will it be the Humans. I choose the Humans!”
The President’s image was then replaced with that of the Secretary of Homeland Security, Phyllis Conrad. She began by introducing herself to the rest of the world who did not know her, and then went on to detail how the disaster relief was to be handled.