by Phil Price
“Fuck. If this is ever confirmed, it would cause a worldwide panic.”
“Maybe. It certainly would create a new way of thinking about religion. I’m sure it would cause unrest across the globe too. God versus Allah would kinda be a moot point. In a way, it may be a blessing. It’s hard to blow things up for a cause that you believe in if the cause is proved to be false.”
“I suppose you’re right. What do we do now?”
“Head back to London. The Director-General is with the PM, briefing her on the events. He wants all operational heads back at Box 500 this evening.”
“Traffic’s going to be a bitch,” Hargreaves replied, buckling his seatbelt.
“Believe me. Traffic is the least of our concerns,” Spencer replied as the black Audi pulled away from the kerb, heading south.
Thirty-One
The Biflux System
“They are altering course,” Rex said.
“Significantly?” Torben responded, placing his graff in the cup holder next to his chair.
“No. I’m guessing that they are to rendezvous with the other ships that lie in wait above Lundell. So, they are heading around the moon to the far side.”
“How far are they in front?”
“9,000 miles.”
“Okay. Let’s put our foot down. I want them in our sights by the time we reach Lundell.”
“Okay, skipper,” Rex replied, pushing the ion drive almost to its limits.
Torben activated his pilot. “Commander Spelk.”
“Torben. Where are you?”
“A few hours from Lundell. We’re gaining on the craft, which has altered course slightly. By the time we reach the moon, we’ll be right on top of them. What news your end?”
“Not good. We sent up a few craft, in an attempt to scatter them. They destroyed them. They are heavily armed and prepared to fight to the death. The Lomogs have sealed off command with a ring of steel around them. Our greatest concern is that the craft you’re tracking has a nuclear weapon on board. If that goes off, it’s game over for all of us.”
“Understood, Commander. I will call back when we have the moon in sight.”
“Okay. Be safe, over and out.”
“Over and out,” Torben replied, breaking the connection. “Shit. They may have another warhead.”
“That’s not good. Like Spelk said if they detonate that on Lundell, it will wipe out the Lomogs and the Biflex people. The resistance will have succeeded.”
“Let’s try not to think about that. Let’s catch them up and monitor them. The craft is a freighter, it will not be armed with anything that would harm us. Let’s stick to them. It may make them do something rash.”
“Fraken?”
“Yes, Commander.”
“Hameda has made contact with us. She is demanding that our ships move aside, allowing her to access to the Lomogs’ compound.”
“And?”
“The Lomogs refused. It is down to us to stop the invasion.”
“I’m coming up on Lundell. Their craft is now stationary, with several ships surrounding her.”
“Okay. It looks like our craft are about to engage. It’s going to get pretty hairy in there. I suggest that you move away to a safe distance and maximise your shields. Stand by, Fraken.”
“Okay.”
A few minutes went by, the static on the communication the only noise in the cockpit. Kyra walked in, sitting down next to Torben. “Any news?”
“We’re standing by. Something is happening.”
Before Kyra could reply, a voice crackled over the airwaves. “Fraken,” Spelk said.
“Commander.”
“They’ve just issued another threat. If we don’t allow access they are going to crash into command, detonating the nuke.”
“Oh no. Can your craft reach them in time to stop the attack?”
“Negative. The surrounding craft are laying down fire. Can you see that from your vantage point?”
“Just about. I can see flashes.”
“We will not be able to stop them entering the atmosphere, should our crafts fail to take them out. Hang on. Many craft are moving, heading towards our orbit. I think they are going to try and break through the barricade.”
“Shit,” Rex said. “This looks like it could be the end.”
“Commander, stand by,” Torben said. “Rex. I have an idea.”
“Many of the advancing craft have been taken down,” Zowie informed Hameda. “However, they have Ion cannons on the ground. We will not stand a chance against them.”
“Do you think we could land and penetrate the command post?” Hameda said, her voice edgy.
“I doubt it. There are hundreds of turrets, each aimed towards our position. Once we break through the upper atmosphere, they will unload on us.”
Hameda pressed a virtual button on the display. “Brothers. This is Hameda. It looks like the Lomogs are going to try to stop us landing. I want all craft to descend. Take as many advancing craft as you can. And then take out their ground defences. Ankart. Your craft is to stay close to ours. Hold your position.” Several voices came through the ship’s speakers, all agreeing to engage. Hameda watched in rapt concentration as the resistance began advancing on Lundell, bright flashes emitting from their canons. Ullar and Zowie stared, frozen like statues as they watched many of the attacking craft. A shadow fell across the cockpit, blocking out the sun’s ray as Commander Ankart’s ship sat a few hundred feet above them.
“We’ve lost several craft, but so have they,” Zowie stated, watching the heads-up display. “We’re down to seventy-eight ships, all heading for command. Most of their advance party have now been taken out. But their ground defences are taking us out.”
Hameda opened communications. “Aim for the ground cannons. Take them all out!” she barked. They all watched as explosions rocked the surface of the moon a hundred miles below them. Flashes of red and white peppered the surface as the resistance scored numerous hits to the ground defences. After ten minutes Hameda’s last ship crashed into the mountain behind the command, engulfing the surrounding forest in flames.
Zowie looked up at Hameda, his face stricken. “All our craft have been wiped out, but most of their Ion cannons have too. I count three left, dotted around the command post.”
“Very well. Commander Ankart. Head for the command post. Full fire on the cannons. We will shadow you.” Hameda turned to Ullar. “Go to the warhead. Prep the timer for thirty seconds and stand next to it until I give the order. If we’re going out, they’re all going with us.”
Thirty-Two
“Do you think it will work?” Rex said as he punched coordinates into the ship’s computer.
“Not sure. I don’t think anyone has ever tried it before. I was never told not to try it,” Torben replied, the first flutterings of fear taking hold of him.
“How do we do this?” Kyra asked, gripping the armrests of her chair.
“Rex, Hameda’s freighter is a few hundred metres behind the other ship. We need to do this quickly. You need to get directly above them, matching their speed. Then, engage the Singularity drive.”
“Okay, here goes nothing,” he responded, pushing the throttle forward.
“Hang on,” Torben said to Kyra, taking her hand. “Things could get a little bumpy.”
“Hameda. A ship is approaching our rear. It’s moving fast.”
“What kind of ship? Military?”
“Negative,” the pilot replied. “It’s an exploratory vessel.”
“Then what the hell is it doing tracking us? Can we speed up and lose them?”
“No. It’s coming in fast. If we speed up, we run the risk of hitting Commander Ankart’s ship.”
Hameda pressed a button on the console. “Commander, we have a ship approaching our rear. Can you take it out?”
After a brief pause of static on the line, Ankart replied. “Engaging our rear cannons now. Slow down, Hameda, so we have a better chance of destroying it.”<
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“Slowing down,” Zowie said, the ship’s inertia making Hameda almost stagger forward. She gripped the seat in front of her, waiting for the Ion cannons ahead to unleash their power on the unknown ship approaching.
“Whoever you are, you’ve picked the wrong ship to mess with,” she said, smiling. “See you in hell.”
“Skipper, the attack ship is about to fire on us.”
“Shields up, Rex,” Torben said urgently, sweat peppering his brow. “Make evasive manoeuvres if you need to.”
A white pulse appeared a few miles ahead, racing towards them across the void of space. Rex moved the controls to his left sharply, Shimmer050 veering out of the way of the onslaught. “They mean business, skipper.”
“So do we. We have little time, Rex. We need to do this now. Whatever it takes, give it your best shot.”
“Here goes,” the hominid replied, closing the gap on the old looking freighter. He matched their speed easily, swerving the ship to its right as another bolt of cannon fire shot passed them. Shimmer050 moved upwards slowly until the two ships were almost touching.
Alert, alert! Proximity warning. Please alter course, a computerised voice rang out across the cockpit.
Rex’s green fingers hovered over the holographic icon in front of his face for a second as he said a silent prayer. He activated the Singularity drive, his stomach lurching as the ship dropped violently into the vortex underneath.
“What the fuck’s going on?” Caroline shouted as the villagers staggered and slid across the room.
“I don’t know,” Gemma said, steadying herself against the wall. An alarm sounded across the ship, the villagers looking worried as they clutched their loved ones to them. Before Caroline could reply, the ship lurched downwards, the Welsh woman’s feet leaving the floor as the ship jumped from one side of the universe to the other.
The ship’s alarm continued to sound for several seconds, Shimmer050 spinning helplessly out of control until Rex managed to engage enough thrust to slow them down to a standstill. They sat in silence, watching as the old looking freighter continued to spin in front of them, propelled by the force of the wormhole’s vortex. After a minute, the ship floated a few miles from their position, facing them. “Rex, open all communication frequencies,” Torben said quietly, his hand still gripping Kyra’s.
They waited a few minutes until a voice crackled over the airwaves. “Unknown craft. Who are you, and what the hell have you done?” It was a female voice, loaded with menace.
“This is Shimmer050,” Torben stated. “We are under the command of the Lomogs. You were about to destroy our command post. I made sure that didn’t happen.”
“How? Where the fuck are we?”
“I made the jump, using our Singularity drive to transport us to another point in space. You are now 13,000,000,000 light years away from Biflux. You are out of their reach. Your plan has failed.”
The line went dead for a few minutes, the three of them waiting nervously for a response. “If what you say is true, then I order you to return us to Biflux.”
“You have no authority over me. And you have no authority here. It’s over, Hameda.”
“So, you know who you’re dealing with. Well, I have one more weapon at my disposal. If we are to die out here, you’ll join us.”
“Rex. Get us out of here,” Torben said after he’d ended communications.
“Where do we go?”
“Head towards Earth. We can outrun them while we think of a plan to destroy them.” Rex needed no further instruction as he engaged the ion drive. The ship shot forward, veering away from the other craft.
“They are following us, skipper.”
“I expected them too. Increase to full power. We have to get some good distance between us. How long will it take to reach Earth?”
“Based on our velocity, just over a day,” Rex said as he checked the ship’s computer.
“Okay. Kyra. We need to speak to the villagers. Let’s go.”
She followed him out of the cockpit, her legs still trembling. “I cannot believe that worked.”
“Nor can I. Remind me never to do it again though.”
“How do we destroy them?”
“That’s what I want to find out. I am sure that Earth can lend a hand.”
They walked into the room, the villagers looking over expectantly. Caroline, Gemma and Sarah strode over, Caroline limping slightly. “What the fuck just happened?” she said, her voice strained.
“We made the jump. The ship that we were tracking was about to unleash a nuclear bomb on our people. We made sure that didn’t happen. Sorry for the bumpy ride. Fortunately, we made the jump without any damage to the ship, just a few minor injuries. Are you okay?”
“I’ll live. Twisted my ankle though, but I’m sure it will be okay. So, where are we?”
“Close to a red planet, not far from Earth.”
“You mean Mars,” Sarah said, her voice edged with excitement. Other villagers headed over, wanting to hear what was transpiring.
“Yes. We are about one day’s travel from Earth. But we have a problem. The other ship is following us. It intends to detonate the bomb, destroying us all.”
Cries rang out from the villagers. “You’ve got to do something,” a woman yelled.
“We are doing something,” Torben replied, trying to settle the group of humans standing around him. “Caroline, I need you to come with us.”
“Okay, Gemma and Sarah need to come too.”
“As you wish. The rest of you, stand by. I will arrange for more food to be sent through to you. The other ship is not as fast as us. We are already several hundreds of miles ahead of them. They have no other weaponry, just the bomb. If they detonate it now, we’ll be too far away for any damage to affect us. Be calm. We shall give you an update when we have it.” The five of them left the room, heading for the cockpit at the front of the ship. As they walked in, Rex turned, shocked by the humans that stood gawping at him. “Rex, this is Caroline, Gemma and Sarah.”
“Hello,” Rex said, switching to English seamlessly. “Welcome to the best view in town.”
The three women smiled, liking the furry face that smiled back at them. “Hello”, they all replied, Caroline’s eyes drawn to the hexagon on the hominid’s chest.
“Rex is my pilot and a good friend.” He turned to the women, his face serious. “The other ship contains the leader of the resistance, Hameda. She is responsible for the death and destruction where we’ve just come from. She dropped the bomb on Valkash, which nearly killed you all. If she has her way, she will destroy our ship, and everyone on board.”
“So, how do we stop her?” Caroline asked tentatively.
“What weapons do you have on Earth?”
“We have loads,” Sarah replied. “We have planes, tanks and ships. We also have nuclear weapons, although no one would ever launch one. It would result in a world war.”
“Okay,” Torben replied. “What do you have that flies?”
“Planes,” Sarah responded. “We have fighter jets. Thousands of them.”
“Would they be able to shoot a ship down?”
“I think so. What do you two think?” she said, looking at Caroline and Gemma.
“Definitely,” Caroline responded. “We have over two-hundred countries on Earth. Our own country, along with America, has enough firepower to bring down most things. What are you thinking?”
“If that ship detonates the bomb, it will destroy us. We’re stuck here now. I’m not going to risk another jump leaving Hameda in this solar system. She could wreak havoc. How many planets are there in your system?
“Eight,” Gemma replied confidently. She looked at the other two, smiling. “Discovery Channel is amazing. Earth is the only planet that has life on it. The others are just lumps of rock, ice and gas.
“Okay. Does your planet have the technology to engage the other craft out here?”
“No,” Gemma said. “We can barely make it outside o
ur own orbit. We’ve only visited our moon a few times and that was years ago. If they are going to get involved, they need to do it on Earth.”
“Planet coming up,” Rex stated, making the others look out of the cockpit windows.
“Jesus Christ!” Caroline said. That’s…Mars.”
“Oh, my,” Gemma said, her eyes widening. To think, we’re the first people to ever see that. It’s beautiful.”
“Fuck,” Sarah said. “I wish my phone had some charge in it. That would look amazing on Instagram.” Caroline and Gemma looked at her, smiling. They all linked hands, watching in amazement as the red planet grew larger on their port side. Silence descended over the cockpit for a few minutes, Torben and Kyra also admiring the planet, an angry slash running across its surface.
Finally, Torben spoke. “Rex. Open up communications with Earth. See if anyone is reachable.”
“Okay, skipper.”
“I need you with us. If anyone answers, you will need to speak to them, telling Earth the situation. Can you do that?”
“Of course,” Caroline said.
Rex opened up communication lines, sliding his fingers across the virtual display until static erupted inside the cockpit. It reminded Caroline of her childhood, trying to tune in her grandfather’s shortwave radio. “There is no one on the line,” Rex said.
“Caroline, I want you to relay a message. Hopefully, someone on Earth hears it. We have less than a day’s travel. We need Earth to be ready for us.” He pressed a button on the console, nodding at the woman.
“Err, hello. This is Caroline Dixon. I was abducted from Belbroughton a few weeks ago. I know this is going to sound crazy, but I am on the ship that took us, heading back towards Earth. We are in trouble and need your help. Please respond, over.” Torben released the button, nodding in satisfaction.
“Over?” Gemma said, smiling.