Ortiz pointed down to the little white alien beside him. The creature seemed as placid as ever, but there was something unsettling about his face. The creatures had slits for mouths and large eyes without expression. As far as Lee could remember, the projections atop its head that appeared as thin wisps of hair seemed less ordered than it should be. As he looked closer, he realized the smooth white skin of the multi-dimensional being was covered in fine wrinkles, causing the normally ageless face to appear ancient.
“Captain Pearce…” The creature’s lips moved for once as it spoke. “I have come to offer you and your people assistance in this time of tribulation.”
“I don’t understand,” Lee said, looking back to Ortiz for clarification. “You said you were evacuating. Why is Earth being evacuated?”
“I’m not sure how to describe it, Lee. The Elf came to me and the next day the skies turned dark and these … things … appeared above the planet. We’d been told it was a solar storm causing the disturbance, but it was a lie. I managed to get back to the Hope and get us out of there in time, but I think thousands more didn’t.”
“What things?” Lee asked. “I don’t understand what you mean.”
“I can’t really describe it, son. The first thing was a shimmer of blue, and energy surrounding the planet…” Ortiz stepped to a nearby chair to sit. “I want to call them ships, but they weren’t like anything I’ve ever seen before. They seemed to appear and then disappear at random.”
“They are a species of creature that should not be here,” the Elf said. “They have come from another place to conquer, and we have no control of them or their technology.”
“Tell them the rest,” Ortiz said with a sigh. “Tell him the truth.”
“Captain Ortiz, you are correct. The time for deception is gone. We have no power over these creatures because we have no power whatsoever.”
Lee was startled at the confession. The power of the elves had only been revealed late in the war, but he had come to understand they were close to god-like in their abilities. They could control the systems of anything they had designed or touched. It was their intervention in the evolution of the Ch’Tauk species that had ultimately led to the invasion of Earth. For the little creature to admit the loss of their abilities was astounding.
“But I thought you drew your power from other dimensions, or other realities or something?” Lee asked, mouth agape at the little creature. “How is this possible? Does it have something to do with whatever happened to Earth?”
“You are essentially correct, Lee Pearce,” the creature said. “We existed between the dimensions, travelling at will to alternate realities and planes of existence. The crossing has cut us off from this, however.”
“The crossing…”
Lee was interrupted by the door. Alice stepped into the room, still dressed in her flight suit. She looked around the room for only a moment before letting out a slight squeal and running over to Ortiz. Lee stepped back from the small creature as Ortiz pushed himself up into the young woman’s embrace. Alice had confided in Lee that she had adopted the old man as a kind of father during the war, and when the Ch’Tauk had absorbed her memories and skill they had also taken on her need for him. It was the reason they’d attacked the Hope and boarded the ship instead of blasting it from the sky. She had always felt guilty about the attack, and still loved the old man like a father despite his retirement.
“This is all touching, but I don’t understand any of this,” Browning’s voice echoed over the reunion. “Can someone explain just what the hell is going on?”
“It is an invasion,” Ortiz said, pressing Alice away and turning to face the screen. “It’s an invasion from the other side.”
“The other side?” Browning said with a smirk. “What are you talking about? We’ve got demons or something?”
“Nightmares,” Ortiz replied. “More like nightmares.”
The comm beeped again and Lee stepped over to answer it. Before he did, he noticed Alice step to the table and activate the projector. She appeared to want to show the old man what they had been working on, like a child showing off a finished project. When the image of the strange ship popped into sight, Ortiz staggered back. Alice helped him into the chair and tried to calm the man. Lee pressed the comm button.
“Farthing?”
“Captain, Sweet Liberty Too has arrived. The strike team is heading to the sickbay.”
“Bring the admiral here and get Melaina and the others too.”
“Aye.”
The comm blinked off and Lee turned back to the table. The projection of the ship had changed since the last time he had seen it. It looked more organic than before. The sweeping shape along the dorsal section appeared more like folded wings than reactor fans or anything else he recognized. Browning’s description of demons seemed to be growing more apt by the moment. Lee stepped to Ortiz and knelt.
“What is it?” Lee asked. “I’ll call the doctor.”
“I’m alright, Lee. It’s just … just…” His skin had turned pale under the deep tan. “Where did you get that image?”
“We pieced it together from data retrieved all over the Alliance,” Alice added. “It was Chang’s idea.”
“Ron?” Ortiz replied. “How did he get this?”
“What is it?” Lee asked, standing again as the door opened.
“It’s them,” Ortiz replied with a gasp. “It’s the nightmare.”
“It’s the Gizzeen,” said Admiral Ronald Chang as he entered the room. “And we’re too late to stop them.”
28
“Captain Browning,” Chang called past Lee to the screen. “What is the operational status of Trinity?”
“Admiral Chang … you’re under arrest for treason,” sputtered Browning, trying desperately to regain her composure.
“I don’t have time for this, Captain,” Chang ordered. “Do you have operational awareness of Trinity?”
“Sir, I—”
“Unless the next words out of your mouth are yes or no, I wouldn’t bother. Everyone you are currently looking at is guilty of all kinds of treason right now, and you are about to help us. Now do you have operational awareness of Trinity?”
“He’s been like this since we picked him up,” Connor Jakes said as he entered. “Still bossy as hell, like we didn’t just rescue his sorry butt.”
“Shut up, Jakes,” Chang said without looking at him. “Captain?”
“Yes sir,” Browning said finally, responding to the tone in the man’s voice. “She’s back on Earth awaiting you.”
“Not anymore,” Chang said, looking around the room and seeing the little white alien for the first time. “If she isn’t here by now, she’s gone. The Gizzeen don’t keep trophies.”
“Admiral…” Lee said as the man stepped past him to the Engineer. “What are the Gizzeen and what the hell are you talking about? Are you saying Trinity is gone? What could do that?”
Chang moved to the little white alien and knelt. Without answering Lee, he moved his head as close to the little creature as he dared. The creature looked back into his eyes with a calm gaze. It took an eternity before Chang stood again. He never broke his gaze on the Elf, however. Instead, he straightened his plain uniform and cleared his throat.
“You’re the one, aren’t you?” he asked the creature. “You’re the one who visited me on Baal during the war. The one who warned me about them.”
“Yes,” the alien replied. “As much as we ever take a single form, this is the entity you spoke to.”
“Is it ready?” the man said, concern tinging his voice as the Engineer nodded back. “I guess we aren’t as prepared as I promised we would be. I’m sorry.”
The creature looked back to the admiral as the man turned away. Lee noticed the little creature’s shoulders sag beneath the white robe it wore. It was such a human gesture from the seemingly ethereal alien that it startled Lee. The door opened once again and Henry Moore stepped in, quickly seeing Captain O
rtiz and moving to speak to the man. Melaina Petros entered just behind him, wringing her hands with nervous tension.
“Captain Ortiz,” Henry started. “Emma? Have you seen my wife?”
“I’m sorry, Henry, I haven’t, but there are a lot of ships out there.”
“I know you’re all confused and scared about what is going on outside, but we don’t have a lot of time. Lee, I’m going to need you to get us out of this system, and fast.”
“Admiral, I—” Lee started.
“Browning, can you move?” Chang asked the screen.
“Well, we’ve got M-space drive on-line, but navigation’s shot…”
“Good enough, Commodore. Relay to the fleet we need to move out. We’ll slave your ship to Resolute’s navigational system and give you a tow. Let’s go back to our staging area for the invasion of Earth. You remember the coordinates?”
“Aye,” Browning responded with wide eyes at the admiral’s use of her former rank. “I think I need to—”
“There’s no one to call,” Chang said. “Earth is out of reach for now, and the Alliance doesn’t have a clue what they’re facing.”
“Admiral,” Lee shouted above the sudden chorus of voices. “We have been all over the galaxy looking for you. Would you mind letting us know what you are talking about?”
“Captain Pearce, what I’m about to say is going to sound crazy. I’ve had enough people telling me I’m delusional for the last year to begin believing it myself, but, as you can see, I was right after all.”
“Admiral, what you said about Earth,” Henry said, stepping closer to the man with anguish on his face. “What do you mean Earth is out of reach?”
“Henry, I’m sorry, but we can’t worry about that right now,” Chang replied, turning back to the screen. “Captain Browning, I need you to—”
There was a roar of pain from Henry Moore as the man launched himself at Chang. Before anyone could react, Henry grabbed Chang by the shoulders, lifted him and slammed him back down and over the table. Chang let out a cry even as Henry Moore pounded a fist into his face. Jakes and Lee moved in fast, grabbing Henry’s arms and dragging him from the admiral. Chang slid from the table to the floor, landing on his knees with blood running from a cut cheek.
“You bastard!” Henry cried. “You dragged me away from my wife to come find you and all you can say is We can’t worry about her? What the hell is going on?”
Chang looked up just as Henry kicked out, striking the man across the face again even as Lee and Connor dragged him away. Chang fell forward onto the deck, blood now flowing from the open cheek. Alice moved to the comm panel and called for Demsiri, but the small Engineer waved a hand. He moved closer to Chang, gently lifting his head and holding the damaged cheek with a delicate hand. As the crew watched, the cut on Chang’s face closed itself tight. The blood running down his face and neck seemed to absorb back into his skin. Chang blinked his eyes and nodded to the Elf as it pulled away.
“Thank you,” the admiral said. “Henry, I deserved that, but if you ever touch me again I’ll strap your hide to the front of this ship and run you through an asteroid field.”
Henry roared again as the admiral took his feet. Through all of this, Ortiz seemed to be observing with a calm detachment. He finally stood from the chair and moved to Chang, examining his face briefly before looking down at the creature.
“I thought you said you had no more power,” Ortiz asked. “That seemed pretty impressive to me.”
“To repair is all that is left to us,” replied the creature. “But it has its limits as well. We cannot bring your grandson back to you, Alfredo Ortiz.”
Alice caught her breath as she saw the expression on Ortiz’s face. He had not believed his family was still alive after the invasion, and the joy in his soul when he had learned of his wife and grandson had been enough to sustain her when he left. The revelation he had lost his beloved family was nearly overwhelming to her, and she saw it on his face as well.
“Oh my God,” Alice said, stepping closer to him. He waved her off, and stepped back to sit. Chang straightened his uniform again and turned back to Lee.
“I apologize to all of you,” he began. “What you have all been through has been my fault, and you should all hate me for it, but we really don’t have time for any of this. The Gizzeen are coming and we need to move before they take us as well.”
“Admiral, who are the Gizzeen?” Lee asked, releasing Henry to Jakes, who was still trying to hold the man back.
“The Gizzeen are from the other side of M-space,” Chang replied. “Another dimension of space just out of reach of ours.”
“That’s impossible,” Melaina said from the corner. “M-space only works in one direction. You can go in from our side and leave back to our side. You can’t cross over. It doesn’t work that way.”
“It does now, Doctor,” Chang replied. “The Gizzeen have been trying to break through for a while. During the war, our little friend here came to us after an incident in deep space. What we recovered from that crossing was the data you’ve been retrieving on your little field trip.”
“Field trip?” Henry yelled at the man. “People have died for this, Admiral. Good people who didn’t deserve what the Alliance did to them.”
“If you mean the Ixloab or the Raoists, they aren’t as innocent as you might think,” Chang explained. “They’ve done their share of killing and rebellion, and don’t you forget that.”
“Ron, just tell us who these people are and what they’re doing here,” Lee asked, putting a staying hand up to Henry. “You owe us that much at least.”
“The Gizzeen,” said the little alien suddenly, “are your own counterparts from the other side. They are an aggressive, intelligent race who evolved along similar lines, but they have taken a different path than peace.”
“This ship,” Chang said, indicating the projection hovering above the table,” is designed to make the crossing as a prelude to an invasion. It requires an amazing amount of power. The first time they tried a crossing the ship was destroyed in the attempt because they could not draw enough power from this side.”
“So they need some kind of power source?” Lee asked, looking to Melaina, who was staring at the projection again. “What power source are they using on Earth?”
“Not on Earth,” Melaina said, her voice suddenly grave. “It’s Sol. They’re using the sun. That’s what was disrupting travel and transmissions. They’re using the sun.”
“Correct, Doctor Petros. The Gizzeen are using stars to cross over into our galaxy,” Chang said. “The information encoded on the computer core we retrieved showed us navigational charts and historical records. There are some stars in our galaxy which are in the same place as in their reality. They can use these places to launch an invasion into our space and conquer our galaxy.”
“Why would they do this?” Jakes asked. “I mean, why our galaxy? Don’t they have one of their own?”
“Their galaxy is similar to ours, but much older,” the alien replied, not looking at any of them. “Their universe is dying.”
“They need our reality to survive. Once they gain a foothold in our galaxy, they’ll come across in waves. Their technology is more advanced than ours. If we can’t stop them here, they’ll overrun us and conquer everything on our side.”
“So how do we stop them?” Lee asked. “We don’t exactly have a lot of help out here.”
“Help is on the way, Captain Pearce,” said the Engineer. “The forces of this galaxy will need to rally to defend it.”
“That’s what Trinity was supposed to do,” Chang explained. “We equipped her with the strongest armament we could and made her our best hope to stop them. There were going to be twelve of them in the fleet. Enough, we thought, to stop the threat and push them back across the divide. If that ship is gone, we’ll need to rally everyone we can to make a stand.”
“Alright, so the Alliance is on its way,” Lee said. “We’ll hold up here and stop
them with whatever we’ve got.”
“It won’t be enough, Lee. The Alliance is still too young. We thought we’d have more time to eliminate the dissenters and make ourselves strong enough. We need to pull back and regroup out of this system.”
“Wait,” Jakes said, stepping away from the calmed Henry Moore to speak to Chang. “What do you mean you were trying to Eliminate the dissenters? D’ya mean the Ixloab? You set this whole thing up, didn’t you?”
“Captain Jakes, we did what we felt was necessary to—”
“Captain Pearce,” Farthing’s voice interrupted the admiral. “There is a disturbance out here. We need you on the bridge.”
Lee looked to Chang before moving. The man stared back without remorse. There was a moment when he thought the admiral might speak again, but it passed without a sound. Lee moved quickly then, heading to the bridge with the group in tow. When the doors opened on the small command center, Lee was immediately taken with the image on the large projection.
Tendrils of blue energy were rapidly filling the view. Streaks of golden light flashed like lightning from within that energy. Patches of stars were being obscured by wisps of cloudy energy as the fingers arced across the sky. Lee moved to his command chair and called up the holo-display, trying to deduce its speed. The display showed no movement from outside. They showed nothing to explain the blue tendrils, only open space above Jupiter. A deeper scan showed nothing beyond. The inner planets and even Sol, the mother star, were gone in a rapidly expanding sphere of nothing.
“We’re too late,” Admiral Chang called from the door. “They’re here.”
A flash of energy coalesced from the cloud. Blue-white and hot, the energy registered on Lee’s scanner. It swirled up from the tendrils, spinning in an absurd parody of the M-space vortex. From the center, a small, dark spot formed and grew. A ship, similar to the one floating above his table, was birthed into reality from the energy spree. It was silhouetted against the bright vortex, too bright for Lee to make out details. As it emerged, more spots opened, like candles suddenly lighting up around the first, entering normal space.
Resolute Alliance (The War for Terra Book 6) Page 23