by T. R. Harris
As the anger grew within him, Kaddof reeled back and heaved the large rock into the air, out far beyond the edge of the cliff, further than any Juirean could have thrown. He watched as the stone arched out over empty space and then began the long fall toward the surface below. It landed with a series of echoing pings far down the cliff face, ricocheting and chipping other rocks in the process. Soon a mini-avalanche had formed, but one that quickly subsided.
However, as he watched the journey of the stone, Kaddof suddenly had an idea. His chest welled up, and as his head turned toward the sky, he let out a loud, primal Kracori battle cry, the angry sound echoing off into the distance.
He turned and hurried back to the spaceship. Kaddof had a plan, but he only had so much time to bring it to fruition.
Chapter 43
They entered the Primus-Lur system two days later and immediately picked up a score of gravity signatures heading in the opposite direction.
“Any of these contacts Class-5’s?” Riyad asked.
“I have not detected any yet,” Jym said from his station. “And I have a question for you, Riyad. Since no Class-5 can make landfall, this action will have to take place in space. How do you plan on accomplishing this?”
Tobias and Sherri were on the bridge with the aliens; they looked to Riyad and raised their eyebrows.
For an answer, Riyad tapped the top of Jym’s console. “We use this. We’re in a ship belonging to the race of beings who have just conquered the almighty planet Juir. We just make contact and demand they stop. If they don’t, then we will blast them from space.”
“But that would defeat your purpose. You want the ship intact and undamaged.”
“We would not actually fire upon the ship, my little friend. They just have to believe that we would.”
“But a Class-5 is very fast. They may choose to run.”
“Let’s just hope they don’t.”
“Suppose you did not come off so threatening?” Jym offered. “Then the pilot may not run and risk being fired upon.”
“Great idea, Jym. I will certainly consider that — once we find a candidate.”
Jym always seemed to perk up when complimented by the Humans. He turned to his console and renewed his scanning, but now with almost a whistle in his movements.
He suddenly leaned forward. “I believe I have found such a vessel, possibly two, moving in tandem.”
The word went out throughout the ship and the crew began their preparations. The task of taking the other ship was made more difficult from the fact that they did not want to damage it. It would have to be boarded and the crew subdued.
The KFV-A did carry a small shuttle — a very small shuttle — which could only carry four passengers, plus the pilot. It wasn’t fast and didn’t have any docking hatch. If they used the shuttle to access the freighter, they would either have to do it through the ship’s main landing bay or evacuate the atmosphere in the shuttle and spacewalk to the surface of the other ship. They were prepared for either eventuality, with the four SEALs already in the shuttle dressed in spacesuits they had found in the KFV’s cargo hold. Luckily for them, the Kracori were of similar size and bulk as the Humans so the suits fit quite well.
Riyad would stay on the bridge and attempt to talk his way into stopping the ship and to gain access. Sherri was on the bridge as well, yet she was armed with an emergency kit containing all the generic medical supplies she could find in the Kracori ship, just in case.
There were ample weapons within the KFV, all of the energy-bolt variety, which should suffice against aliens. The SEAL’s were ready — in fact anxious — for some action. Adam’s ribs still hurt terribly, but he toughed it out. Hopefully the gravity aboard the freighter would be light. That would certainly help.
As the two large contacts came within extreme visual range, the furthest one out from the KFV veered off and bolted away. The other one hesitated and Kaylor was able to move within weapon’s range. The Class-5 was fast, but it was still within a planetary system and therefore could not engage its deep wells. This allowed the KFV to move even closer.
Riyad fingered the comm button. “This is Kracori vessel double-oh-seven calling the Class-5 freighter on my screens. Please respond.”
Jym looked at Riyad with a quizzical look, and then he whispered, “I do not see such a designation for this ship?
“It’s a top secret designation, my friend,” Riyad answered. He looked over to see Sherri grinning from ear to ear.
After few moments of silence, the comm speaker crackled just before a voice could be heard. “This is the Leerin Vessel 7786. What is your message, Kra … Kracori vessel zero-zero-seven?”
“Greetings,” Riyad said joyfully, following Jym’s advice about being more congenial. “As you are obviously aware, the Kracori race now controls the region, so I am here inquiring about your cargo and destination?”
There was another long pause before those aboard the freighter responded. “We currently carry no cargo, and we were in the process of evacuating the area so as to avoid any conflict.”
“That is understandable,” Riyad said reassuringly. “With your permission, we would like to send a shuttle over to discuss the terms of possibly hiring your vessel for the shipment of some supplies to our forces off Juir. Would you consider receiving a hefty sum in return for your services?”
“In what form of currency would this fee be made?”
Riyad was taken aback. This alien had cut right to the chase, and he was aware that with the fall of Juir, all Juirean credits were useless. He also figured that any currency the Kracori might use would be equally worthless at this time. Riyad smiled and responded. “We are prepared to pay in gold certificates, a precious metal currently traded in many systems throughout the Expansion.”
“We are aware of gold. That will suffice. Send over your shuttle.”
Jym cut the line and Riyad turned to Sherri with a wide grin. “That was easier than I thought.”
Fifteen minutes later the tiny shuttle skidded to a stop in the cavernous cargo bay of the freighter. Adam was at the pilot controls and he gasped, having never seen a room as large as this one aboard a starship.
Once the atmosphere was replaced in the huge chamber, Lt. Tobias cracked the hatch and they all stepped out into the room. The gravity here was very light, either because that’s the way the crew liked it, or because it made maneuvering cargo easier. Either way it made the bulky spacesuits the SEALs wore easier to operate.
There was no crew visible so they moved quickly to one of the airlocks doors off the landing bay and entered another, smaller room.
Still no crew.
“Adam to Riyad, come in.”
“Riyad here.”
“I thought you said they’d be glad to see us? We’re supposed to give them a shit-load of money after all. You’d think they’d send someone down here to get it, wouldn’t you?”
“One would think. I will call the ship again and check.”
Adam and the other SEALs were in one of the control rooms for the landing bay; Tindal tried one of the side doors and found it to be unlocked.
“There’s a really wide passageway out here; must be for hauling forklifts full of cargo around. I think I see someone at the other end.”
“Be careful, John,” Adam said. “Remember, these things think we’re Kracori.”
The four of them moved out into the passageway, which was indeed huge in its own right, easily fifteen meters wide. “There’s someone,” Chief Rutledge called out. There was a tall, slender creature about fifty meters away waving at them.
The SEALs formed up with their flash rifles ready. Adam knew it would be hard to appear non-threatening while cradling the weapons in ready-position. But they were aboard the ship now, so whatever happens from now on should be-
Suddenly a dozen or more flash bolts lashed out at them from various points at the other end of the passageway. Both Lt. Tobias and Adam were hit, but the bolts were at level-two and through
the thick fabric of the spacesuits, all they managed to do was knock them off their feet.
All the Humans opened up with their own weapons, their bolts much more accurate than those of the freighter crew. The passageway was lined with dozens of crates and the SEALs scrambled for cover behind some of the closer ones. At the other end of the passageway, about two dozen armed aliens were also weaving their way through the crates toward them. And that’s when Adam first spotted the Juirean.
“Do you see that?” he called out to the others.
“Yeah, I see four or five more. What are they doing here?” Tobias asked through his comm.
“They’re probably hitching a ride, too. No telling how many are here. John, see if you can make it to that stack of crates on the left. That should give you the high ground,” Adam said.
“On it!” The other SEALs laid down cover fire while Tindal literally jumped the ten meters or so to the stack of crates in question. The gravity — or lack of — made them all feel like they could fly.
Several of the aliens had fallen to the fire of the Humans, including a couple of the Juireans. Adam and Tobias moved a little closer on the right as Tindal covered for them. His aim was true and three more aliens died.
The Juireans and ship’s crew began to fall back, and the SEALs took the opportunity to rush the end of the passageway. There was a narrow exit there where about a dozen aliens were all trying to squeeze through. Adam and Tobias opened up, sending indiscriminate bolts of blue energy into the mass of aliens. It was a slaughter. Within a minute a large pile of dead aliens had formed at the doorway.
Tobias climbed onto the bloody mass and looked into the connecting corridor. He saw three aliens running as fast as they could in the opposite direction. There didn’t seem to be any more around.
Adam searched through the stack of dead and pulled out six dead Juireans. The rest of the dead were of two other races he did not recognize, but they had died just as easily as the Juireans.
Adam was covered with blood, as were the other SEALs. They stood among the bodies, panting heavily from the exhilaration of battle. Just then his comm buzzed.
“Cain here,” he said between breaths. “We’ve suppressed most of the resistance. Approximately fifteen aliens down. It looks like the others aren’t itching for a fight. The ship should be ours.”
“Eh, that’s great news, Adam,” Riyad said, even though the tone of his voice did not match his words.
“What’s up, Riyad, you sound odd?”
“It’s because we just got a message in from the fleet.”
Adam’s heart skipped a beat. Normally any contact with the fleet would be good news. But lately….
“Go ahead. What did it say?”
“This is a little awkward, but it seems as though they have made contact with Earth. The attack failed, Adam. It failed. The Earth is okay.”
Adam looked around at the other SEALs, all their expressions displaying a look of shock, yet slowing moving toward glee.
“Oh, and Adam, the fleet has turned back toward Juir, and they’ve dispatched a forward strike force at maximum well. They should be picking us up in about two weeks-”
If Riyad had said more, Adam couldn’t hear it over the cheers of the SEALs. They clasped each other and slapped backs. They would soon be picked up by their fleet and be back among their own kind!
Finally, once the celebration had died down some — and the SEALs remembered where they were — Tindal and Tobias took up defensive positions at the doorway, weary of any counterattack.
Adam looked down at the mass of bloody bodies lying at his feet, looked up at Chief Rutledge and simply said, “Oops!”
Chapter 44
Three of the larger Kracori starships positioned themselves at equal distance from the giant space rock, lined up at about nine hundred meters apart. The rock itself was only about half a kilometer in width, and nearly the same in depth, however, even with gravity drive, the three ships would have difficulty moving the massive boulder.
The problem with moving the rock came not with the power of the ships pulling it, but rather with the proximity of the ships to one another. Nine hundred meters was way too close to create effective singularities. They would have to be very shallow and constantly monitored for any crossover. Still, with three ships pulling, the rock would move.
Each ship sent down forty massive cables to the surface and secured them with explosives charges, sending the grapples deep into the solid nickel and iron asteroid. No one in the fleet had ever attempted such a feat, unlike the massive mining ships that were specially designed for this kind of work. But nevertheless they tried, and soon the tiny wells were engaged … and the rock began to move.
The tiny asteroid field was located about two million kilometers from Juir and if Kaddof had any chance of his plan succeeding in time he would have to have the asteroid in position in less than three weeks. The bulk of his forces was already embarking on their various starships and would be bolting out of the area in four days. Kaddof and a small contingent would remain in-system to see his final solution to the Juirean problem all the way to the end.
His remaining six ships would not leave any lasting gravity waves for the Humans to follow, so Kaddof felt secure in his actions. He had not even informed the Ludif Council of his plan.
As the momentum of the small asteroid grew, the transit time toward Juir began to shorten. His own ship stayed off at a distance and watched the tow units, and with each successive day, Kaddof grew more excited. Soon the planet Juir loomed ahead.
Kaddof had tried to have the scientists attached his fleet provide him with the best trajectory and timing that would send the asteroid directly down onto the Kacoran Plain, but they had been unable to do the proper calculations. And besides, even if they had, he doubted if he would have that much control over the rock the closer it got to Juir. The best the scientists could provide was an estimate. It would have to do.
At the proper moment, the three tow ships detonated explosive bolts that released the massive cables and the rock was free. Over the intervening two weeks, the asteroid had increasingly gained speed and momentum until it was now traveling at close to ten thousand kilometers per hour. This was far below the normal velocity for a traditional impact event, but it would have to do. It would not be a planet-killer, but it would cause considerable dishevel across the entire surface, lasting long enough for most of the surviving Juireans to die in the aftermath.
The asteroid entered the atmosphere and immediately began to heat up, its leading edge glowing molten red, with great plumes of fiery material trailing off and creating a long tail of black and white clouds behind it. The actual impact took place about one hundred kilometers out to sea and off the coast of Juir City. Kaddof would have to be satisfied with that.
The ocean at the point of impact was about two kilometers in depth so it was only a millisecond from the time the asteroid contacted the ocean’s surface before in plunged deep into the rocky surface of the planet itself. Instantly, billions of liters of seawater were flashed into steam as the giant rock continued into bury itself deep into the planet to a depth of over two kilometers. A great outpouring of molten ejecta flew out of the massive crater in all directions, sending projectiles of fire onto land surfaces at a distance of over five hundred kilometers from the impact zone. These fireballs ignited massive conflagrations in the forests of Juir and soon it looked as though half the planet was on fire.
Kaddof watched from orbit with a wicked grin. He saw the great gray cloud of ash, rock and water vapor erupt out from the impact crater, to be caught up in the planet’s prevailing winds. Over the next two days he watched as the deadly cloud encircled the planet and spread from pole to pole. Soon the entire surface of Juir was obscured by a uniform gray cover — a color appropriately matching that of Kracori skin
Satisfied, Kaddof gave the order. It was time to return home.
The impact event had set off massive earthquakes within a thousand kilomet
ers, followed immediately by incredible series of waves, many over a hundred meters high, that spread out in circular ripples, sweeping across islands and shoreline all around the Southern Sea.
Within minutes of the impact, the first great wave sweep in over the white sand beaches located two kilometers from the outer suburbs of Juir City — what was left of it — and traveled inland at over a hundred kilometers per hour. It washed over the smoldering ruins of the city, scrapping away everything down to a depth of ten meters. Then the giant wave ran up to the very base of the Kacoran Plain and slid upwards to half the mountain’s height. When the water receded, it took with it millions of tons of boulders and soil, now deposited on the long sloping plain leading back to the ocean.
All around the planet, the long strings of refugees fleeing their burning cities and already suffering from days of being without food or shelter, were suddenly choking on the suffocating ash and smoke cloud that was everywhere. Those within five hundred kilometers of the impact also experienced rain of fire and a blistering heat wave that swept over the area, killing them instantly. And these were the lucky ones.
Although Kaddof had already departed for Eilsion by this time, he knew that the next phase of his plan would be the most long-lasting and devastating for the planet Juir. With the entire surface of the planet now covered in a thick cloud of ash and smoke, temperatures began to drop precipitously. Within a week of the impact, temperatures had plunged twenty degrees below normal. And then the snows began to fall.
Within a month of the attack, the cloud encircling the planet had all but dissipated, but now a great sheet of ice and snow covered much of the planet. With the reflective quality of this white sheet, stellar radiation was sent back off into space. Temperatures dropped even more.
By the time the Humans arrived, the planet Juir was a nearly-uniform ball of thin, white ice. Any Juireans who had survived the initial Kracori attack were now long-dead, either from starvation or the cold.