“I’ll tell him. He also wants to know how we’re coming on the energy weapons and the energy shield for his base. Without them he doesn’t think he can hold it against the Trellixians. He also believes it’s only a matter of time before the enemy locates it.”
Once more Vice President Hathaway turned to Professor Wilkens. “Professor?”
“Two weeks and we can get him some secondary energy weapons,” Wilkens replied. “We’re still a long ways off from producing the primary ones such as the Jelnoids used.”
“How effective will those be?” asked Cunningham.
Professor Wilkens leaned forward. “They should take out a hover tank or one of the Trellixian’s attack craft. They will be useless against a battlecruiser.”
“I think that will help,” Cunningham said. “If we can destroy the hover tanks and the attack craft we just might be able to hold the base. What about an energy shield?”
“A weak one,” replied Wilkens, rubbing his forehead. “It should stop a nuclear missile and possibly the Trellixian energy beams. We won’t know for sure until we can test it.”
“If we can get this equipment to General Mitchell it just might save his base,” said Cunningham. “We have a lot of troops and people under and around that mountain.”
“Make it happen,” ordered Vice President Hathaway. “That’s our primary remaining military facility and we can’t afford to lose it. Also make preparations to evacuate that base if it looks as if it’s about to fall. We can’t lose all those people, particularly General Mitchell.”
Katelyn stood and walked to a large window overlooking the primary industrial complex in the hidden facility. From here she could see hundreds of people at work. “What’s the latest progress on ad astra?” She had been stunned when President Drummond had taken her aside and told her about it. Even standing here and looking at the real thing made her shiver.
“On schedule,” Wilkens replied as he joined her at the window. “Two more years and we’ll be ready.”
Katelyn looked at the professor with a grim smile in place. “I just hope we’re still here in two more years.”
“We will be,” Wilkens said. “This facility is buried so deep beneath the surface the Trellixians have no way of detecting it. If necessary we could destroy the tunnels leading to it and it would take the enemy years to dig down to us. We’ll complete ad astra on schedule. The question is how many will still be alive?”
Vice President Hathaway looked to Major Cunningham for an answer.
“We have quite a few people in our secure facilities here in the US as well as in other countries,” he began. “Hundreds of thousands have fled into the mountains and we’re rounding them up and taking them to more secure locations. People are in hiding all across the country. It’ll take the Trellixians a long time to search the entire planet.”
Katelyn knew he was talking about the deep tunnels dug into the mountains. Some of them were several miles long. The sides of the tunnels were filled with bunk beds where people could sleep. Enough food and other supplies had been stored inside to last several years. There would be little privacy but the people sequestered there would be safe, or at least it was hoped they would be. Across the country people were hiding in storm cellars, basements, subway tunnels, and anywhere else they could find protection.
Katelyn stepped away from the window. “Keep me informed.”
Major Cunningham nodded. “We will.”
-
Later Katelyn was in her office, again standing at the window looking at the massive civilian complex. A miniature city was out there. It had taken years to build but it brought a semblance of normalcy for those who lived and worked here. With a deep sigh, she returned to her desk. It seemed as if the paperwork never stopped. There was growing pressure on her to be sworn in as president. She knew it was the right thing to do but she hesitated still. She had been good friends with President Drummond. It was hard for her to accept he was dead but she knew he was. She would wait another week and then allow the ceremony to take place. The country needed a president even if the country was only a fraction of what it once was.
-
Sergeant Tucker inspected the four large tents they had just set up, each one capable of holding twenty-four people. They were a dark green and blended in well with the surroundings. The tents were insulated to help keep the cold out. One entire truck had been loaded with the tents and cots that went with them. It had taken a while to get the tents set up as they had to find room beneath the towering trees.
“It’s done,” said Corporal Owens with a tired look on his face. “At least everyone will have a place to sleep tonight. We should have the showers and latrines finished in a few more hours.” The guardsmen were working as quickly as possible to get everything finished. They had the help of a lot of the civilians with the tasks to be done.
Sergeant Tucker nodded. They had run a water line to a small stream a couple hundred yards distant. They had a water purifier so drinking water would not be a problem. They had even set up a small generator to furnish lighting inside the tents. “How’s Corporal Strong coming with the choke point?”
“We’re ready. We have all the supplies from the trucks moved and he has both M240L machine guns set up. I’m going back with Privates Lance and Stockton later to set up the claymores. Corporal Strong hasn’t had any real experience with them.”
It looked to Sergeant Tucker as if Corporal Owens had something else on his mind. “What is it, Corporal?”
Owens hesitated and then answered. “We’ve got thirty-two guardsmen to defend this valley. Including the choke point and the posts we need to have set up around our camp we’ll be spread pretty thin. Do you think some of the civilians could volunteer to strengthen our perimeter? I also wonder about hunting. There are a lot of deer and elk around. We could use the extra protein. MREs are fine but we’ll get tired of them pretty quickly.”
Sergeant Tucker thought about it for a minute. They were spread thin and fresh meat would be nice. “Ask around for volunteers. Add them into our rotation. As for hunting, Private Stark has a suppressor on his rifle. He’s also a pretty good shot. We can send him out tomorrow to see what he can find. He needs to be careful as we don’t know how many people or other military personnel are out there.”
“I’ll tell him,” Corporal Owens replied.
“Sergeant, when will we be able to go home?” a woman asked from behind him.
Turning, he saw Andrea Sanchez. She was a single mom and her twelve-year-old son was a good friend of Private Sloan’s.
“Probably not for a long while,” Tucker replied. “The aliens are everywhere. This is the only safe place I could think of to go.”
Andrea frowned. “Surely the police and the military can drive these things away. That’s what we pay taxes for.”
Tucker let out a deep sigh. Several in the group still didn’t fully realize what had happened. “Most of the police are dead as well as many in the military. It may be a long time before we can return to our homes.”
“What? Like a few months? I’m not the camping type. There are bugs out here and my son’s allergies are acting up.”
“We’re making everyone as comfortable as possible,” Tucker answered. “If your son is having allergy problems have him see Corporal Briggs. She’s a medic and should have some allergy medicines.”
“I will,” Andrea said. “I’m also writing a letter to my senator. They should never have allowed these aliens to come here.” With that, Andrea turned and walked off.
Tucker shook his head. He would speak with Private Sloan and see if he could better explain to Andrea just what was going on.
Heading back to the cabin, he wanted to look at the maps they had found in one of the cabinets. They were very detailed and if the aliens entered the mountains he needed to figure out where their most likely entry points would be. One of the reasons he had chosen this area was due to its inaccessibly. He also didn’t expect too many other people to ta
ke this route.
One other thing concerned Tucker. They had plenty of supplies for six months or so but at some point, it would be necessary to send foraging parties to some of the nearer towns. That would involve using the trucks. They had removed several engine parts to ensure no one else could take them.
On his way to the cabin he noticed several propane cookstoves had been set up and large pots of stew were cooking. The stew was from dehydrated packages they had found at the convenience store; supplies stocked for campers going into the mountains.
Stopping on the steps of the cabin, Sergeant Tucker paused, looking around. From the cabin, several snowcapped peaks were visible. It would soon turn much colder and the snow would begin to fly. A gentle breeze blew and he could see the wind generator turning. It seemed so peaceful here. If one didn’t know better it would appear like a normal camping trip to the mountains. Tucker shifted his gaze to the distant narrow section of the valley; the choke point. He hoped the aliens never found this valley but if they were here to exterminate the human race as he had been told by his superiors, at some point in time they would come to this valley. When they did Tucker would be ready for them.
With a deep sigh, he went into the cabin. He greatly feared if they were forced to leave this valley to go up higher in the mountains most of the people with him would not survive. He shivered, thinking about the Donner Party. Back in 1846 they were stranded in the Sierra Nevada Mountains during a snowstorm. Half had died and the survivors resorted to cannibalism to survive. He was determined not to allow anything like that to happen to his people. This valley was their new home and Sergeant Tucker was determined to defend it, even if they all ended up dying here. Leaving it was really not an option.
Chapter Eleven
Battle Commander Balforr watched the tactical display as Battle Commander Jabale’s fleet entered orbit. The fleet had twenty battlecruisers, fifteen troop transports and five colony ships. Each colony ship held eighty thousand colonists in stasis.
“What’s the situation in Florida?” This was one of the southern states in the country where little fighting had occurred. A large part of Florida was surrounded by water. He had placed troops and hover tanks across the northern part to ensure no enemy could reach the colonists. There would also be two battlecruisers tasked with patrolling this area. That would leave a large area for the colonists to settle in. The High Command would be pleased with the settling of these first colonists.
“Pacified,” Second Officer Jaltor replied. “All resistance has been crushed and troops have swept the areas where the colonists will go. A few Humans may still be in isolated pockets but they will be no threat.”
Balforr formed a fist with his right hand. These Humans had proved to be a huge problem. On most worlds the fighting would have been over and the first colonists already settled. Balforr should have been off to his next target several weeks ago. The High Command was demanding daily reports of his progress pacifying this world. If this problem with the Humans was not settled soon, it would be a dark blemish on Balforr’s record.
“Inform Battle Commander Jabale he can land the colony ships at the sites we’ve picked. As a precautionary measure he’s to assign one thousand of his soldiers to each location.” Balforr would not take any risks with the safety of the colonists.
The colony ships were designed to land on the surface. Once down they would begin awaking the colonists from stasis. Each ship was capable of building a fully sustainable colony. Once the five sites were up and running more colony ships would be summoned and the new Trellixian cities would continue their expansion.
In time each one would have over two million inhabitants. By that time Balforr was confident the fighting on this planet would be over and massive colonization could begin. This world had sufficient living space for over eight billion Trellixians. Eventually colonies would be set up on the fourth planet as well as on some of the larger moons in the system. Mining operations would begin and space stations constructed to handle the raw materials this system would provide for the Empire.
The message to Battle Commander Jabale was sent and after a few minutes a reply was received.
“The colony ships will begin their landing descent in twenty minutes,” Jaltor reported. “Battle Commander Jabale is sending a battlecruiser with each colony ship as an escort.”
“That’s not necessary,” Balforr replied with an angry frown. It indicated disrespect toward him from Battle Commander Jabale, doubtlessly because of how long it was taking to cleanse this planet of its native population.
“Should I inform Battle Commander Jabale of that?” asked Jaltor as he turned toward the communications console.
The anger inside Balforr subsided. “No, he is only doing what he feels is necessary to protect the colonists.” Balforr was displeased with Jabale’s display of disrespect but he was a battle commander and could make tactical decisions on his own without Balforr’s permission.
-
In the hidden Command Center deep beneath the Rocky Mountains, General Mitchell sat and stared at several large viewscreens showing the new arrivals.
“The new fleet has twenty battlecruisers, fifteen troop transports, and five huge ships,” reported Colonel Henry Fields. “We’re assuming those five largest vessels are colony ships.”
“Any idea where they may be going?” asked Mitchell as he studied the big ships on the viewscreens. The new ships were easily three thousand meters in length and five hundred meters in diameter. They reminded Mitchell of just how much power the Trellixian Empire wielded to build vessels that large.
General Briggs turned toward General Mitchell. “Over the last week the Trellixians have expended a lot of effort in Florida to clear it of all combatants. We don’t have any effective forces there anymore. We were forced to pull them back or risk their being annihilated. That has to be the destination of those colony ships.”
“Vice President Hathaway does not want any Trellixian colonists on Earth,” Mitchell said with a deep frown. “I find I have to agree with her.” He greatly feared once the planet was colonized, it would be next to impossible to drive away the Trellixians.
“We would have to use one of our Columbia Class submarines,” suggested Major Thomas. “The West Virginia can be moved closer to Florida to carry out the strike with her Tomahawk cruise missiles.”
“Are they nuclear?” asked General Briggs. “It will take a nuke to destroy those big ships.”
“They’re nuclear,” General Mitchell replied. “We modified several of the Columbia Class to handle Tomahawks as well as Trident D5s. They are currently sitting on the bottom of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.”
“How close does the West Virginia need to be to carry out the attack?” asked Briggs.
Major Thomas let out a deep breath. “The closer the better. The Trellixians won’t be expecting this but the Tomahawks only fly up to eight hundred miles per hour. The ones with the W80 warheads have a range of around 1,500 miles. The Tomahawks on the West Virginia have been modified with Jelnoid technology to allow for a greater range and speed. They are also protected by Jelnoid shielding technology. The Trellixians may not even detect them until they reach their targets.”
“Let’s hope the Trellixians don’t detect the Tomahawks.” General Mitchell paused. He hated risking one of the Columbias; they were the most powerful weapon platforms he had remaining. “Order the West Virginia to move 120 miles off the Florida coast, no closer.”
“When she launches her Tomahawks she can sit down on the Blake Plateau. There’s an area around 150 miles out that should provide a good place for the sub to hide,” said Major Thomas. “She’ll be in over two thousand feet of water. The West Virginia has modified Jelnoid armor over her hull which allows her to go deep; we think as deep as six thousand feet. It should also help to shield her from detection.”
“Will the Trellixians be able to spot her when she launches the Tomahawks?” asked General Briggs.
“Maybe,” T
homas replied. “The Columbias are the closest we have to a stealth submarine with the added Jelnoid technology. If she can get far enough away from the launch area, there’s a chance the sub can remain undetected.”
General Mitchell looked back at the viewscreen. “It appears those five ships are moving closer to Earth. We’ll continue to monitor them.”
“I’ll send the order to Captain Erickson to move the West Virginia to the Blake Plateau. It will take him about twenty-six hours to get there.”
“Is it dangerous moving the sub that far?” asked General Briggs. “If it takes the sub that long to get to its launch coordinates, it must be over five hundred miles away. Will the aliens detect that constant movement?”
Thomas shook his head. “Not with its Jelnoid armor and its propulsion system.”
“Keep me posted on its progress,” ordered General Mitchell. “If we can take out the colonization transports, it will demonstrate to the Trellixians we can still hurt them.”
General Mitchell leaned back, folding his arms across his chest. The last few weeks had been stressful. Washington, DC had fallen, there was the loss of Major-General Saunders in the UK, the destruction of the Hadron Collider, and now the Trellixians were preparing to colonize Florida. Mitchell needed the advanced weapons from the underground research facilities and he needed them yesterday.
Professor Wilkens had called earlier outlining the timeline for the weapons to be ready. He had promised delivery of the secondary energy weapons in two weeks. The firing bunkers for the weapons were already being built. Two weeks was a long time under these circumstances and a lot could happen between now and then. The pulse rifles seemed to be facing delay after delay.
Earth Fall: Invasion : (Book One) Page 15