The Assassins Guild II: Defending the Colonies

by Saxon Andrew

  “How many battles have you fought in, Captain?”

  The woman’s expression turned hesitant before answering, “The colonies have not had a war, Admiral. You knew the answer to that question before you asked it.”

  “I did, Captain. Where are the major weapons located on the alien’s largest warship?” The woman was silent. “What’s their maximum speed?” She remained silent. “What’s their turning radius?” Rachael stared at him and Tal said, “It appears you are not the most experienced one here and your ego can get you killed. You were not involved in the development of the weapons on your ship and have no practical knowledge of their capabilities. Quite frankly, I see you as a liability and hope you can survive this mission.”

  “What are your credentials, Sir,” she asked defensively.

  “I was in the first Epy Class ship that went out to scout the aliens and was present watching them invade Australia. I’ve flown this new ship hundreds of hours and know its strengths and weaknesses. I was also ranked number-two in the Assassins Guild.”

  Rachael’s expression gave away her fear. This Admiral was not someone to be trifled with, “Perhaps I was out-of-line, Sir.”

  “You were, Captain. Most colonists look down on Earth believing they aren’t as advanced or as cosmopolitan as the colonies. I learned quickly that most of the people in the colonies are full of crap and full of themselves. Just so we understand each other, you will follow my orders without question. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, Sir!”

  “Introduce your crew, please.”

  Racheal looked to her left and the view on the monitor changed showing a young man, “This is Dan Higginson; he was the officer over my team of scanners on the warship I commanded.” She turned to her right and smiled, “This is Dorman Smythe, he was my weapons officer and is also my fiancé.”

  Tal heard Jan take in a sharp breath and he glanced at her. Her expression showed rage and pure hatred. He glanced at Jeremy and saw his expression mirrored Jan’s. He turned back to Rachael and was thankful that he was the only one on the monitor, “When do you plan to have the wedding?”

  “We’ve agreed to wait until this war is over.”

  “Have you been waiting long, Captain?”

  “Why are asking, Sir?”

  “If you’ve just come together, I’ve found new couples can be distracting to each other.”

  “That’s not an issue, Sir. We’ve been together three years. Like I said earlier, he was my weapons officer.”

  “Good.” Tal looked at Greg, “Please look at the file I sent you earlier and go over the information we’ve collected on the alien’s major warship with Captain Meadows. Once you complete that assignment, contact me.”

  Greg nodded and wondered what was going on, “Yes, Sir.”

  Tal ended the contact and turned to Jan, “WHAT IN NINE HELLS IS GOING ON!?”

  Jan’s face was a mask of rage, “THAT’S THE SOB I LEFT BEHIND TO ESCAPE!!”

  Jeremy added in an angry voice, “HE’S EVEN WORSE THAN I THOUGHT!!”

  Tal turned back to Jan, as she sneered, “He was cheating on me the entire time!!”

  Tal said forcefully, “Both of you be quiet and answer my questions. Jan do you believe that Captain Meadows knows about you and this Smythe fellow having an affair?”

  “AFFAIR!!! I DIDN’T HAVE AN AFFAIR!!”

  “Jan, he’s engaged to Captain Meadows, of course you had an affair with him.”

  “I don’t like her either! The big hussy!!”

  “Jan, answer my question!”

  Jan glared at him and said through clinched teeth, “No! She probably didn’t know about it!”

  “So, does she share any blame for what happened between you and Smythe?”

  Jan continued to glare at Tal and then said in a quieter voice, “No, I suppose she doesn’t.”

  “So, you are projecting your feelings about him to her and that’s not right; can you see that?”

  “But she’s an egotistical witch!”

  “There you go, doing it again. I agree that the Captain is somewhat full of herself, but I’ve seen bigger egos. Can you divorce your feelings for Mr. Smythe from Captain Meadows?” Jan glared at him and then nodded slightly. Jan, this is important!”

  “I’ll do it!” Jan said angrily.

  Tal turned to Jeremy, as he started to speak, and raised his hand, “This conversation is between Jan and me. Hold your comments until I finish!” Jeremy sat back in his chair in silence, but his expression betrayed his thoughts. Tal turned back to Jan, “Tell me why you hate him?”

  “HE’S A CHEATER, A LIAR, AND MANIPULATOR!!”

  Tal agreed, “All very bad character flaws. However, didn’t you tell me you wanted to leave him but couldn’t bring yourself to do it?” Jan was looking off to the side. “Does finding this out really surprise you, Jan? You felt you needed to leave him but didn’t do it.”

  Jan’s jaws were tight, and she sighed, before answering, “No, I guess not. I felt there was something bad about him that I couldn’t put my finger on.”

  “Jan, you are at, what I call a crux, and the path you choose to take now will affect you for the rest of your life. You will choose one of two paths and you must choose the right one.”

  “What are you talking about, Tal?”

  “Knowing what you now know, would you have any difficulty walking away from Mr. Smythe?”

  “NO!” Jan insisted.

  “Don’t answer too quickly, Jan. I know many people that were betrayed by another person and they rationalize their way into taking them back. Are you certain you could put him behind you?” Jan stared at Tal in angry silence. Tal continued, “I suspect you’d like to see if you could take him away from that Captain and make them both pay for his sins.”

  Jan took a quick breath, “The thought has just crossed my mind.”

  “People always want what they can’t have,” Tal replied. “However, the question you have to ask yourself is do you really want him with his flaws? You knew before coming to Earth that you needed to leave him. Have those feelings changed?” Jan shook her head furiously. “You should be looking at this as a present.”

  “What?”

  “Jan, you need only remember what you were feeling and now know you were justified in those feelings. What happened today proves that you are not easily fooled and that you should listen to your feelings in the future. However, intense emotions change us. Great love makes us better. Hatred makes us worse. Hatred consumes us and colors how we see the world around us. Your hatred for him will cause you to look at every man interested in you in the future with suspicion and wonder if he’s like Mr. Smythe. You’ll look for it and will find it, even if it’s not there. Admit it; there have been a few men on Earth that have shown you interest and you turned them away because of what you’ve been through.”

  Jan lowered her eyes and nodded, “Yes, you’re right.”

  “Have you ever been bitten by a dog?”

  Jan’s eyes flew open, “No! What does that have to do with this?”

  “I’ve been bitten numerous times while trying to get close to a target. I’ve always tried to not harm the dog that bit me. Do you know why?” Jan shook her head. “It was only doing what its nature demanded. I didn’t start hating all dogs because of the ones that bit me. The biters are nothing like those that are loving and gentle. I just learned to recognize the behaviors the biters exhibited and avoided them. Mr. Smythe is a biter. He doesn’t deserve your hatred and wasting your emotions on him is folly. It won’t change him, and it will only make your life less than what it could be. If you give him your hatred, he is still a part of you. He doesn’t deserve your attention, feelings, or anything else. He only deserves to be ignored and cast aside from your attention. Giving him your hatred only hurts you.”

  Jan took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, “It’s just so hard to control my emotions, Tal.”

  “No, it isn’t, Jan.” She looked into Tal’s eyes, “
All you have to do is make a decision to feel nothing for him. Every time you start to feel your emotions well up, repeat your decision to yourself.” Tal had a twinkle in his eyes as he finished, “I suspect your disdain will run him crazy. Showing him emotions will confirm to him that you had feelings for him. He doesn’t deserve to know that.”

  Jeremy leaned forward and said, “He’s right, Jan.”

  Tal turned to him, “The same is true for you.” Jeremy blew out a breath and nodded.

  Tal sat back in his chair and was silent. Jan finally asked, “What are you thinking, Tal?’ Tal looked at each of them and then shook his head. Jan said softly, “Tal?”

  Tal was staring straight ahead as he said, “Everything I just said to you is true. But I’m not following my own advice.” Jeremy and Jan were silent, and Tal continued, “The three-of-us are out here to punish the aliens for killing someone we loved very much.” Jan nodded slightly. “But the aliens that killed Ste and Sha were killed in the attack. I can’t kill the aliens that killed them, they’re already dead. But I’m blaming every alien for Sha’s death and none of them were involved in killing her. That’s like trying to kill every dog because of the ones that bit me. The aliens on their warships are no different from me. They have families back home and are following the orders of the ones leading them. The aliens that killed Sha and Ste didn’t even fire their weapons at them. Ste crashed into their ship to prevent them from getting our technology. But now I find myself out here determined to make every one of them pay for what happened. I’ve allowed my hatred of them to consume me.”

  “But they deserve it, Tal!”

  Tal locked eyes with Jeremy, “And when the war ends, will my hatred for them go away?” Jeremy saw the pain in Tal’s eyes and shook his head, as Tal added, “No, it won’t. My hatred for them will fill the rest of my life and make me bitter and mean. I have to let my hatred go.” Tal looked at them, “And so do you.”

  Jan’s eyes were moist as she agreed, “If you can do that, then letting go of my feelings for that scumbag will be much easier.”

  Tal nodded slightly, “We have to do it. We are not out here to wantonly kill; we’re out here to keep them away from Earth and the colonies. If circumstances force us to kill them, then so be it. But just like when I tried not to kill the dogs that bit me, the aliens deserve the same consideration.”

  Jan sighed, “I guess after putting everything in perspective, especially your thoughts on the aliens, I don’t have any more anger toward Smythe. I don’t need to try and harm him, he’ll do that on his own.”

  Tal smiled slightly, “Very well said, Jan. I need to introduce you to Captain Meadow’s crew; are you ready?” Jeremy and Jan looked at each other and agreed they were.

  Chapter Eleven

  Captains Meadows and Ward appeared on the ShaKa’s monitor and Tal greeted the crew of the Americas again, “I’ve neglected to introduce my crew to you and your crew, Captain Meadows.” Tal smiled before saying, “Captain Ward’s crew met them before we left Earth. Tal expanded the view and tilted his head to his right, “My Scanning Officer is Captain Jan Stevens-Albritton.” He then nodded to his left, “My weapons officer is Captain Jeremy Stevens-Albritton. They are brother and sister and were brought to Earth by their father when the aliens attacked Australia.”

  Jan kept her expression neutral and saw Dorman’s stunned expression. Jan looked at Captain Meadows and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Captain”

  Jeremy added, “Likewise, Sir.”

  Rachael missed Dorman’s shock by staring at the monitor, “Admiral, did I hear you right that they are both Captains?”

  “You did. Captain Ward outranks them because he’s senior. However, you are senior to both of them by a few hours.”

  Rachael fought to keep a neutral expression before she smiled and responded, “It’s pleasure to meet you as well.” Dorman had nowhere to run. How did Jan get on that ship? Rachael’s eyes narrowed slightly, “I believe I met someone in the main lab with the last name Albritton.”

  Jan nodded, “My mother is the lead technology scientist in the lab.”

  Rachael nodded, and Tal added, “Before she came to Earth, she was the Number One ranked assassin in the Guild.” Dorman felt a chill run down his spine. If Jan told her mother about them…he was a dead man. He glanced at Jan and saw she had a cool demeanor and no expression he could read. Even her brother wasn’t giving anything away. If Jan told Rachael about them, she wouldn’t need to tell her mother, Rachael would kill him. He couldn’t stop the flood of scenarios from running through his head. In all of them he ended up dead.

  “Why did the guild’s top-ranked assassins go to fight for Earth?” Rachael asked.

  “We didn’t!” Tal answered. Rachael’s expression showed she didn’t buy it. “We went to Earth to fight for humanity. We’re not fighting for Earth or the Colonies. We’re fighting to insure our species survives.” Tal paused before continuing, “Captain, you’ve seen the technology being developed on Earth, who is better prepared to take on the Aliens, Earth or the Colonies?”

  “Obviously Earth’s warships are more advanced,” Rachael answered.

  “But the colonies were trying to penetrate Earth’s labs looking for a reason to go to war. They were unaware of the aliens and really believed their warships were superior to Earth’s. Ka and I came to Earth to insure the colonies didn’t get an agent inside the main lab and to help Earth develop advanced weapons to take on the aliens.” Tal saw Rachael’s expression remained neutral as he continued his explanation, “We both recognized that mankind’s best hope lay with Earth. If the colonies attacked Earth, they would have had their hats handed to them and that probably would have precipitated an attack by the aliens. As it turned out, the aliens grew impatient waiting for the colonies to attack Earth and launched an invasion. Who are you here fighting for, Captain?”

  “I was sent here by the colonies, Sir.”

  “That’s not an answer to my question, Captain.”

  “I’m here to fight against the Aliens, Sir.”

  Tal leaned back in his chair and put his hand under his chin, “I think I have your answer.” Tal sat up straight and said, “I’m going to order attacks on the alien warships immediately and I want you to follow my orders exactly as they’re issued. Captain Ward, you will move to the right-end of the alien line and commence your attacks upon arrival. Captain Meadows, you will go the left-end of their line and do the same. Now this is important, you will not destroy an alien ship unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

  “Why not, Sir?” Greg interrupted.

  “Both of you will remain silent until I complete your orders!” Tal said with a glare at Greg.

  “Yes, Sir!” Greg answered.

  “If we severely damage one of their warships, they will be forced to move ships out of their lines to go and provide aid to the crew of the damaged ship. It will slow them down and cause them to have to reorganize their advance. If you do destroy one of their warships, so be it, but damaging their ships should be your main goal in attacking them.” Tal saw Rachael’s expression and asked quickly, “Is there something wrong, Captain?”

  “Sir, I understand that you lost your wife to the aliens. I would think you’d want to kill as many of them as possible.”

  It was getting more difficult for Tal’s to hide his emotions, “Captain, sometimes we have to put the welfare of humanity ahead of our personal feelings. This happens to be one of those times. While we’re talking about humanity’s welfare, neither of you will allow your ships to be captured by the aliens! You will self-destruct your ship if there is no other way to prevent the aliens taking it. Is that clear!?”

  Greg nodded, and Rachael shrugged. Tal stared at her and shook his head slightly, “Captain, if your ship is captured by the aliens, Captain Ward and I will make sure the ship that captures your ship is one of those that is completely destroyed. They can’t outrun us, and we’ll detect your ship.” Rachael’s expression showed
her shock at Tal’s statement. “Frankly, I think you’re out here playing at war and if you give me a good reason, I’ll ship you back to Earth faster than your ship can fly! You got that!”

  “Yes, Sir!” Rachael instantly responded fearing she had made a mistake with this Admiral.

  Tal glared at her and ordered, “Move to your area of responsibility and start your attacks!”

  The monitor went dark and Jan snickered, “I thought Dorman was bad, but she takes the crown. They deserve each other!”

  Jeremy shrugged, “I think this explains why he wanted to be with you, Jan.”

  “WHAT?!”

  “I watched him listening to her and he was embarrassed. I think he’s stuck in the relationship with her and can’t get out.”

  “Jee! How can you defend him?!”

  “Don’t tell me you didn’t see him roll his eyes and shake his head.” Jan shrugged. Jeremy continued, “He’s still a creep in my opinion but I can understand why he wanted to be around someone like you instead of that ditz.”

  Jan turned to Tal, “Are you listening to this?”

  “Jeremy is probably right, Jan! She’s kept him close to her and if he tries to back out, she’ll ruin his career in the Colony Military. He still deserves it, but I don’t see how anyone can stand to be around that self-serving, pompous, egotistical, arrogant…”

  “I think we understand, Tal,” Jan interrupted.

  “She’s probably going to get herself and her crew killed out here and that will be a waste of a fine warship!” Tal added trying to regain control of his temper.

  “Why don’t you just ship her back?”

  Tal fell back in his chair and started shaking his head, “I’ll be accused of being jealous of her. Everyone will look at her credentials and agree that I don’t want anyone here that would be a challenge to my authority. I’m going to be forced to wait for her to mess up by the numbers before I can save her from herself.” Tal snorted, “I don’t believe it will take long.” He turned to Jan, “Do you have a target for us?”