by Nick Braker
“Let’s go.”
The alien ship hovered over the ground, its thrusters leaving no trace on it. No heat or other recognizable exhaust emanated from the ship’s engines. It was truly alien. The ship descended the remaining few feet, nestling itself within a clearing barely large enough to contain it. Its ramp lowered, emitting a loud hiss as the air equalized. Fully extended, the ramp gently touched the ground.
“Computer controlled, I bet,” Greg said, standing with Asher at the top of the ramp.
“Why did you feel the need to tell me that?” Asher asked.
“’cause he’s an egghead,” Brandon answered.
Greg flipped Brandon off.
The smells of the forest air replaced the artificially clean air within the ship. The scent of pine was strongest but several other pleasant odors were present. He inhaled deeply. It felt like home and it reminded him of a clearing near his old home that had a worn, unmarked path through the surrounding trees. He caught himself wishing for it even though it was from another place and time in his life.
“Let’s go, gents. We are on a mission from God and he doesn’t like to wait,” Asher said.
He led them through the trees, winding their way through partial trails and dead ends, eventually escaping the tree line. From there they followed a general easterly direction. Between Asher and Greg leading, the quartet reached the beginning edges of the city. A few minutes later after telling Brandon to shut the hell up when he tried to point them where to go, they spied a restaurant. A fast food taco joint called Taco Gringo beckoning them in to satisfy their hunger. Greg opened the door and the rest filed in. With Asher up front and Greg bringing up the rear, they stood in line. Asher scanned the menu when his eyes drifted down to the backside of a young woman. She wore jeans and a matching denim jacket. The material was faded but it looked good on her. Her blond hair was up in a ponytail, tied with a matching blue elastic band.
I got time.
He faced away from her, gave himself a few seconds and backed up.
“Oops,” he said. “I am so sorry.”
She stared at him. Several seconds of awkward silence followed as Asher intentionally kept quiet.
“It’s okay,” she said. “My fault. I was tryin’ ter figure out what I wanted to order and wasn’t payin’ attention.”
Her heavy English accent was charming. His hand shook as the painful memory of Beth speaking in kind tried to surface. That memory wanted to bring its painful friends with it.
Not now. My friends need me. There is no time for this.
Asher relaxed.
“My name is Asher. I’m visiting England with my friends. I hope I’m not being too forward but I had to introduce myself to you.”
He paused, giving her time to respond, ready to keep talking if she didn’t say anything soon. She did.
“Carol. Pleasure to meet ya’,” she said, giving him all the signs she wanted to talk. “American?” she asked.
“Yes, and I’m damn glad to meet you, Carol,” he said, extending his hand toward her.
She tried to shake his hand but Asher just held it there.
“Ever have someone tell you how photogenic you are?” he asked, stepping closer to her.
She winked at him.
“No, but I’ve heard ‘em tell me that with smaller words. Ye are quite forward, now, aren’t ye? I ‘ave to say--”
The other girl with Carol leaned in behind her.
“Awright geeezzaa. He’s full ov ‘imself. Don’t let ‘im get yew, sister,” she said.
“Gawdon Bennet! Shut da ‘ell up, girl. Okay?” she said. “Forgive me’ friend ‘ere, she doesn’t know when ter keep ‘er mowf shut.”
“No worries,” Asher smiled at her, staring into the second girl’s eyes.
“Oh... sorry... my--” she stammered and finally just turned around to give her order to the cashier.
“Ash,” Greg said, interrupting him. “I need to speak with you, now.”
Asher glared at him.
“Really. Now?” he mouthed.
Greg nodded.
“Give me a second, my mentally handicapped friend needs attention. Okay?”
She nodded.
“I need to order anyway.”
Greg kept his voice low.
“Ash, we don’t have any money on us.”
“Shit, what do I pay you dudes for? No one has any cash?” Asher asked.
“Apparently, you don’t pay us at all,” Greg quipped.
They shook their heads.
“I have an idea,” he said.
They returned to the ship, fully loaded with bags of tacos. Once aboard, Jules took the ship straight up, creating a sonic boom in its wake and a plume of white steam rising into the sky.
“Not very stealthy but better to get in and out quickly,” Jules said.
The tacos improved everyone’s mood. They ate on the command deck as Jules brought the ship into a hovering position over the South Pole.
“I have to tell ya,” Brandon said, motioning with his hands. “This is the best water and taco meal I have ever had. Damn, it’s good.”
They all nodded.
“And it was free. Courtesy of Carol of England.” Asher said. “For some reason, the tacos taste even better free.”
Brandon burst out laughing and the rest of the guys joined in.
“Perhaps you will fill us in on how you pulled that off?” Mira asked.
“Maybe someday,” Asher said, grinning.
He finished his food and started walking the outer section of the command deck. It was comforting. The array of computer systems and displays still held no meaning for him. He needed to learn these systems but right now was not a good time. They had short and long term goals to finish and the most immediate was stocking up on food and water. Jules had retired to her, well, his quarters to take a break. He roused himself from his musings and found himself standing next to Mira. A flashing yellow light on her station console had caught his attention.
“What does this yellowish blinking light mean?” he asked.
“I do not know. It came on as you walked up. It’s a warning indicator due to its color. I will need a moment to ascertain what it is trying to tell me,” she said, working the controls on the panel.
“Let’s take it seriously and find out quickly,” he said.
Asher’s words came out with a little more volume than usual. He willed himself to relax.
“Absolutely, I... wait a second... there are two dots on the screen now. They just appeared at the right edge there,” she said, pointing to them. “Do you see those?”
Asher leaned in to peer closer at the monitor.
“Uh, yes, doesn’t that give you the impression something is coming at us?”
“Oh my, yes, it does,” she said.
“Heads up,” Asher yelled across the bridge. “We’ve got incoming!”
Chapter 10
THE ALIENS STRIKE BACK
Zara spun around in her chair.
“Where is Jules?” she asked. “Do we need to run?”
“Greg, get Jules up here now,” Asher ordered. “She’s in my quarters.”
“Where the hell are your quarters?” Greg asked, his face reddening.
“The big room--”
“Never mind,” Greg said, cutting him off. “I bet I know,” he yelled, running down the ramp to the floor below.
Asher bolted toward the pilot section. He jumped up just a few feet away from the chair and then realized his mistake. He was now heading through the air toward the far wall of computers and monitors. He sailed up and well past the pilot seat. The lower gravity was the last thing on his mind. He deftly stopped himself from damaging any of the systems, pushed off and landed on the upper deck that surrounded the center command section.
“You have 76 seconds. Take your time, sweetie,” Mira said.
Her voice was not her usual calm but she seemed in control. Asher maneuvered around to the small set of stairs that cl
imbed to the staged area. He slid into the pilot seat, moving his hands over the controls. The controls were alien and not intuitive. He remembered most of what Jules had shown him earlier but nothing was working as he moved his hands. She told him that the ship interpreted the pilot’s intent and action into thrust, acceleration, direction and pitch. She indicated that the ship executed the pilot’s intentions even in the event that severe inertial forces hampered his or her hand gestures. It didn’t read one’s mind but it could analyze and predict what the pilot wanted to accomplish. Right now, his hand gestures weren’t moving the ship anywhere. The sound of several thumps grew louder. They came from the ramp area. Jules hopped up the ramp on one foot trying to squeeze back into her alien pants along the way, her upper torso completely exposed as she entered the command section’s lower floor. Greg was behind her, making sure she kept her balance. He handed the alien shirt to her and she started to put it on. Nearly shirtless, she climbed into the now empty pilot seat.
“I was keeping it warm for you,” Asher grinned.
He couldn’t help but stare at her partially exposed torso. She was indeed a very attractive woman but she apparently wasn’t too concerned with that at the moment. She hit a panel with the palm of her hand and the station lit up like a mini Christmas tree.
Oh yeah, I have to activate it first.
She moved her hands over the two control panels. Immediately the ship responded.
“Where are they coming from, Mira?” she demanded.
“Sending you the feed now,” Mira replied, trying to remain calm.
Asher grabbed hold of the station next to him and maneuvered his way to the command chair. Interestingly, he had concluded with Jules earlier that this seat’s intent was for the captain of the vessel. He liked the idea of sitting there but he didn’t really want to be in charge.
The ship darted away from the pursuers. Jules deftly adjusted course and speed as they shot through Earth’s atmosphere. The ship’s shields flared to life.
“Shields are up,” Seph yelled.
Asher took it all in. Across the room and to his right, Mira focused on the two ship’s trajectories while Seph, just behind him, examined each of the ship’s critical sensor monitors from her station. Zara was the source of a slew of clicking noises as her hands flew over her keyboard. The computer fed her technical information on the incoming ships on which Mira had already focused the sensors. They had it all under control.
The two ships were smaller but his instincts told him they were in deep shit. It was nearly a full minute of activity all around him as his crew went to work on evading the other alien craft. Greg was seated near Seph’s engineering section, then Weston and Brandon to his left had found a spot near two stations. He had no idea what those stations did. Jules sat just in front of him and to his right with Zara to her right.
Mira’s eyes showed deep concern but she kept her cool when she yelled.
“They are firing on us!”
The ship took a hit, jerking hard left and tipping forward. It righted itself immediately, which was Jules’ doing. She flicked her right hand and twitched her fingers and the ship then darted a sharp right. The view screen brightened as the moon appeared dead center. Mira glanced up at Jules from her station.
“What are you thinking, girl?”
Mira had already guessed something in Jules’ actions. He hoped it was because they were close friends. It was too uncanny otherwise.
“I am going to take us into the gravity well of the moon and slingshot us around it,” she replied. “They are obviously faster than we are and I have to do something to get us away from them.”
“You are not serious…,” Mira trailed off.
The ship took another hard hit that shook it so violently all eight of them were thrown from their seats. Asher landed close to Jules who hit the deck face first. She struggled trying to get to her feet. He was close enough to push her hard toward her chair. With her upper torso still showing through the unbuttoned shirt, Asher had to control his thoughts as the distraction got the best of him. Between the two of them, she was back in her seat and once again flying the ship. She gave him a quick nod and mouthed the words I am okay. Her face on the left side was an angry red but she seemed otherwise unharmed. Angling the ship to the horizon of the moon, she accelerated the craft.
“Mira, get me a trajectory. I need to know how close,” Jules snapped at her.
Jules had given Mira an order but Mira still struggled to climb back into her chair. Asher didn’t see how she hurt herself but she moved too slowly to not be injured.
“I got it already. Feeding it to you now,” she replied.
Her reply was a bit too breathy. Mira was hurt.
“Jules,” Seph yelled. “Your little stunt in England damaged several systems. As you can see, we just lost the main view screen. We are not going to make it.”
“You always say that, Seph,” Jules replied.
“Yeah,” Seph exclaimed, her voice breaking. “And for good reason. This ship is in shambles, partially thanks to you. I just finished gluing it together.”
“Keep your cool, gal,” Jules said. “Remember your blood pressure. I know what I am doing.”
Jules pushed the ship faster. Even with very little atmosphere the various gases on the moon were overloading the shields. Seph was frantic as she worked to supply the ship’s engines and shields with more power.
“I am cutting life support and all power to the lower deck. We are overloading both engines and shields. Damn you, we are not going to make it,” she said, her voice warbling.
“Hold on, girl. Hold on,” Jules whispered.
Seph’s face was filled with uncertainty and fear, as was Mira’s. Mira struggled to stay calm. The fall had hurt her and she favored her right hand as she worked the station’s controls. At least those two were in control. Zara, though, was close to a breaking point. She was wide-eyed and breathing fast. Her emotions were getting the best of her. Fight or flight was setting in and she vacillated between the two. This was the part where he came in.
“Zara,” he barked, getting her attention.
Her head snapped up from her computer screens focusing on him.
“Hold it together. We’re going to get through this. Focus on your job. That’s all you need to think about,” Asher said.
Zara’s eyes were still locked with his and he returned the look with all the assurance he could put behind it. He had to make her believe everything was okay and radiating confidence was far better than just words. For an instant it seemed she would break.
“We’re going to make it,” he said.
She squared her shoulders and nodded. She even managed a faked, half smile. The strain flowed out of her as her muscles relaxed and her mind went from focusing on dying to focusing on her job.
“I have something,” Zara squeaked out. “Unless they are trying to deceive us, the two ships do not have shields as strong as ours. They compensate for it with fire power and speed.”
Asher’s poker face had worked on Zara. It was on display for everyone in the room. He knew the drill. They were looking to him, again. Inwardly, he winced at the responsibility. He shook off that chain of thought. Greg, Weston and Brandon had made it back to their seats. Brandon was hurt. He bled from a hit to his head.
“Weston, check on Brandon,” Asher yelled.
Weston nodded and dashed over to Brandon.
“Jules, I like your idea but how did you know? Never mind, just make it happen. Seph, do what you can to hold this ship together. Mira, keep giving us an update since we don’t have a main view screen working anymore.”
He felt blind. On the other side of those metal walls were two ships pursuing them, trying to blow them out of the sky. The worst part was only Mira had a view of it and only from a top down perspective. They were on the sunless side of the moon, which made it difficult to physically see anything but it didn’t matter, the other two ships had view screens.
“They are
behind us at 9.62 miles and gaining,” Mira said.
“Jules?” he asked.
“We are about to feel the effects of the moon’s gravity well. We will pick up speed in three... two... one.”
He could feel it. The pull was tangible now. The pull of acceleration increased even as the ship went faster.
“One of the ships is breaking pursuit and changing course,” Mira yelled.
“Likely to meet us on the other side if they can,” Seph burst out.
Asher nodded. Seph was right.
“That’s what I would do,” he said to no one in particular.
“Seph, shields and engines?” he asked.
“Holding... sir,” she hesitated, opening her mouth but she didn’t comment further.
He pondered that last word. Seph was only doing this under orders. She had already made her position clear that they were pushing the ship too much. Sounds of groaning metal grew around them. The shields were taking a pounding from billions of atoms and molecules that made up the moon’s atmosphere. Even the smallest molecules, traveling fast enough, could create micro fractures in the hull if they got through the shields. They needed speed to get out of danger but that was now the reason they were in danger. It put them all within an instant of destruction. The ship’s shields were keeping them alive by deflecting an enormous amount of material away from the hull. The energy required to operate them drew more and more power.
“Jules, are we at least halfway through the sling shot effect?” he asked.
“No, we are 23.4% there,” she said.
Seph shook her head at him.
“The shields are in bad shape,” she added.
“Pull up now,” he ordered. “Get us out of the atmosphere.”
She moved instantly. Her fingers and hands twitched over the panels and the effect was immediate. The change in inertia was felt by all of them. The force pulled them up toward the ceiling. It dawned on Asher that the ship was upside down in relation to the moon. The ship’s engines were taking them away from the moon and the force was pushing them up as a result. He grabbed hold of the seat, hard. Where were the gravity well generators?