by Libby, Seth
Quickly, Liam moved on to his next target. Similar explosions began to bloom throughout as transports erupted in flames. Spotting the explosion of a nearby transport, he saw one Scorpion fighter engulfed in flame only to break free of the fire and wreckage.
“Sparrowhawk, you okay? You looked pretty close when that transport blew,” asked Liam.
“I’m good, Arch Angel, just got my tail singed a bit,” answered Callen.
Liam and the rest of Necro Squadron dove on another transport, spraying it with energy bolts. The shields soon collapsed, and the transport exploded.
A voice cried out a warning over the comm channel. “Enemy fighters inbound!”
Looking up, Liam spotted incoming Shenkar fighters.
“Necro Squadron, break. Engage those fighters! Sparrowhawk, continue after those transports!”
“Give ’em hell, mate!” Sparrowhawk replied.
December 21, 2012, 1:37 p.m.Zombie, Terran System
Evan pulled back on his flight stick, depressed one of the lower pedals, and sent his fighter into a dive. Squeezing the trigger on his flight stick, he saturated his target with energy. He was already pulling his fighter around to line up another target as his first target exploded. Coming into a lull in the battle, he looked toward Earth, and quickly he keyed the squadron frequency.
“Arch Angel, two transports seemed to have broken through our lines and are entering the Earth’s atmosphere.”
Evan didn’t have to wait long for Liam’s response.
“Necro Squadron, break off and follow me. We need to get those transports.”
Evan pulled his fighter around and fell in behind Liam and Tim. Crystal, Steve, and Dimitri soon joined them as they sped toward Earth.
“Where do you think they are headed?” Steve asked over the comm.
“Trajectory indicates they are headed toward North America, I think the secret of Hanscom is out,” said Tim.
December 21, 2012, 1:41 p.m.Shenkar Command Base.
“Commander Kruyt, we have lost twelve transports already!” shouted a Shenkar warrior.
“Where are our fighters??!” demanded Kruyt.
“Inbound now, sir . . . uh, sir, what about the Tryliene?”
Kruyt had completely forgotten about the Tryliene. The Supreme Commander had warned him about the battlecruiser. The battlecruiser probably had enemy troops on board, readying themselves to assault the command base. Try and take this station? How foolish these humans were. A battlecruiser couldn’t possibly carry enough warriors to take a command base of this size. Still, Kruyt had heard that these humans known as Templar Knights were very skilled in space--maybe they were equally skilled in ground combat.
“Send all warriors to the docking ports. I want everything that lives on the Tryliene exterminated!”
Kruyt smiled to himself at the thought of the humans exiting the Tryliene and coming face to face with the entire might of this command base.
Kruyt’s thoughts were interrupted as the entire station shook violently with the sounds of an incredible explosion, sending any standing warriors to the deck.
Quickly, Kruyt attempted to stand, but the command base continued to violently shake, increasing with intensity. Kruyt had just enough time to think maybe he had underestimated the humans before the entire command base erupted in one massive explosion.
December 21, 2012, 1:43 p.m.EDF George Washington
“Sir! The command base!”
Saunders switched his attention from the battle going around him to the command base. A massive explosion illuminated the entire lower half of the base as fire exploded out into space though the massive bay doors. Several areas exploded outward, indicating hull breaches on a massive scale. That thing is going to explode, he thought to himself. Hastily, he activated the fleet net.
“ATTENTION, ALL EARTH FORCES. PULL BACK. I REPEAT, PULL BACK! THE COMMAND BASE IS GOING TO BLOW!” Saunders shouted into the comm.
Immediately, all Earth forces began to break away, retreating toward Earth. Energy cannons kept up the rapid fire as humans and Shenkar continued to assault one another as they retreated. However, none of the Shenkar warships moved to follow--seemingly unaware of what was transpiring behind them.
The seconds ticked by slowly as they ponderously attempted to move out of range of the impending explosion. Saunders felt for the Earth warships that had suffered heavy damage and were either floundering in space or moving slow due to damage to their propulsion.
A massive explosion lit up the darkness of space as the command base finally exploded. Fire engulfed nearby Shenkar warships, destroying them. Wreckage from the command base exploded outward, slamming into Shenkar warships that had been out of range of the fire. The deadly rain of battlecruiser-sized chunks of shrapnel tore through the Shenkar fleet on their way toward the retreating Earth fleet.
“All ships, ignore the Shenkar. Target the incoming wreckage.” commanded Saunders.
Immediately, all surviving Earth warships trained their weapons on the new threats and began to fire. Of the wreckage that penetrated, the deadly volley of energy missed most of the Earth’s warships. Of the warships that did suffer damage, none was life threatening.
Once the wreckage was no longer a threat, the Earth forces again returned their attention to the remaining Shenkar forces. Of the Shenkar, only a handful of warships remained: a battlecruiser, four cruisers, and two destroyers. Saunders did not take this lightly as the Shenkar still had many fighters about. Earth fighters swerved in and out of the wreckage in pursuit and destruction of the Shenkar fighters. With the destruction of the command base, it appeared that the Shenkar had suffered a demoralizing hit that seemed to take something out of them. The Earth forces were rapidly destroying any threat that presented itself. Saunders sat back in his chair and breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the Earth would survive to live another day.
“Sir, two enemy transports were able to penetrate our defenses and entered the Earth’s atmosphere roughly ten minutes ago. One of the Templar squadrons broke off and pursued them down, but it looks like Hanscom will have some company before very long.”
“Well, there is nothing we can do about it until we finish up here. Still, you better warn Hanscom they have two enemies inbound.”
December 21, 2012, 2:17 p.m.Hanscom Air Force Base
Private Jorkins lead Leah down a passageway past barricades that were being hastily erected. They passed dozens of soldiers who were looking as if they were expecting a massive battle judging by the weaponry being set up.
“What is going on? How many Shenkar are coming?” she asked as they ran along.
“Shenkar troop transport complement numbers are roughly around one thousand shock troopers. We have two transports that just landed, so we are facing two thousand shock troopers. We have roughly an equal amount of marines here. We don’t know exactly how tough these bastards are, but our little Meshtrell friends have said they are superior soldiers.”
“Well, then, where are you taking me?” Leah asked.
“We have been ordered to take all civilians down to the deepest part of the base near command control. You should be safe down there. The Shenkar will need to get through our entire force first.”
Leah didn’t reply but just let Private Jorkins continue to lead her. They soon came to stairs and began to descend. They descended in silence, flight after flight of stairs, for the next fifteen minutes. An eruption of gunfire from above caused them to halt their descent. Looking up, they could clearly hear what could only mean the Shenkar had arrived. They stood there, transfixed, looking up the stairs as they listened to the battle above. It wasn’t long before something about the fight began to bother Leah. The sounds of gunfire seemed to be getting louder. Leah grabbed Private Jorkins’s arm and pulled him down the stairs.
“Private, we need to move, can’t you hear?!? That battle is coming closer. I don’t think it is going well up there.”
Private Jorkins looked dumbfounded as he looked
from Leah to back up the stairs.
“Come on, Jorkins; we need to move!”
Finally, Jorkins seemed to come to his senses. He nodded at Leah, then moved off quickly down the stairs. The sounds of the battle above followed them as they ran down the stairs for another fifteen minutes. When they reached the bottom, they were met by six heavily armed marines.
None of the marines said anything to them; they just nodded at Jorkins. One of the marines then turned and swiped a card down a security terminal to the left of a massive steel door. A low grinding noise could be heard as the door swung open. Even though the door was two feet thick and made of solid reinforced steel, it still moved with relative ease.
The door was already closing as Leah and Private Jorkins ducked inside. Just before the door sealed shut, the clear sounds of gunfire could be heard as well as the shouts of men. The scariest part, though--which sent shivers up Leah’s spine--were the guttural sounds of what could only be the language of the Shenkar.
With the door sealed, she turned her attention back to where she now was. For the first time, as they ran, she noticed a slight difference in the surroundings. This passageway was narrower in comparison to the one they had been traveling before. Also she noticed several barriers that had been erected. Unlike the ones above, these were more solid and would provide greater protection for the soldiers currently taking up positions behind them. She noticed there was another thing different from the soldiers above: the soldiers down here were better outfitted. They wore the same battle armor she had seen Liam in and carried futuristic-looking rifles. Several soldiers were manning larger guns that were set on tripods. The mounted guns had power cables that ran from the base of the guns down to small square black boxes.
“Those are our new heavy-energy guns,” said Jorkins.
“Huh?” asked Leah.
“I saw you looking at the new guns. I figured you might be wondering what they were,” he explained.
“Oh, okay, but what are those cables that come out of the base of them?” Leah asked.
“They need continuous power from the small power unit you saw to feeds them energy. It’s kind of like continuous ammunition, although they will overheat if used for too long. We set them up here ’cause those that you saw are all we have so far. Most that were made were used for the defense of key areas like the new base that is being built in Texas or the shipyards up in space. I also think they have a huge contingent of them wherever the President is in hiding.”
“You would think they would have had more protection here. Isn’t it where the Templar Knights are trained?” Leah asked.
“It was, but most of the facilities have been moved to Texas as of last week. That’s why you were allowed to come in and pick up Lieutenant Commander Brennan’s effects. The complete changeover was scheduled for next week.”
Leah remained silent as they continued weaving their way past barricades. They came to several junctions but still continued moving forward until they reached a set of doors. Pushing the door open, Private Jorkins entered first and held the door for Leah.
The sounds of people speaking in hushed tones greeted Leah’s ears as she entered. Dozens of civilians were gathered in small groups of five to six, talking low. Mothers pulled their children to them as they sat off in corners, trying not to be noticed. Several people around the room also looked to be praying.
“Okay, I need to rejoin my line. You should be safe here, Ms. Aecrin.”
“Thank you . . . uh, I don’t even know your first name,” said Leah.
“It’s Sean, ma’am,” answered Jorkins.
“Well, Sean, thanks, and you keep your head down,” Leah advised.
Jorkins smiled, then gave a slight nod, turned, and left. Leah watched him leave, then walked over to a chair and sat down. Off in the distance came the sound of an explosion, and then the sounds of battle seemed to draw closer. Sighing, she sat back and allowed herself the thought that if there was an afterlife, then maybe she would be seeing Liam soon.
December 21, 2012, 2:58 p.m.Hanscom Air Force Base
Liam jumped down from his fighter and was already running toward where the command center was located. Evan and Tim followed behind while the others of his squadron began landing after they had destroyed both Shenkar transports. He pulled his plasma sword free as he ran, pushing his legs as fast as he could go.
Liam had spotted Leah’s car at the visitor parking lot as he had come in for a landing. It had been random luck at best that he had seen her car, but he knew it on sight. Her black-and-white car would stand out anywhere. She had often joked about her “cow” car, but he knew she loved that car. The question was, why was she here now?
As he rounded a corner, he came upon a squad of Shenkar warriors. Activating his plasma sword, he vaulted up and over to land in their midst. His sword was a blur of motion, and in mere seconds, the squad lay dead all around him and he was off again. Evan and Tim came around the corner just as he finished, but they did not stop. They only glanced down at the bodies that lay cut to pieces all about the ground. They then too were off again in pursuit of Liam.
Liam reached the entrance to where central command was located. Marines lay dead everywhere, far outnumbering the Shenkar dead. Upon entering the underground complex, Liam immediately came upon roughly thirty Shenkar warriors. Liam had to admit that they recovered quickly at the sudden appearance of a lone human. They raised their rifles in unison, but Liam’s hand came up quicker, sending forth bolts of electricity. Shenkar screamed as a dozen died immediately with gaping holes burned through their throats, nearly cleaving their heads off. The sickly smell of burnt flesh permeated the air as Liam closed the distance with the now-stunned Shenkar. His sword was a blur as he cut into their midst. He weaved his deadly dance through the Shenkar, severing limbs and decapitating them when the opportunity arose. Then he was off again, leaving a few remaining Shenkar warriors alive but writhing on the ground in pain.
Evan and Tim entered at this point and only slowed slightly to make sure the remaining Shenkar were no threat before they were off again.
“Do you get the feeling he doesn’t need our support?” asked Evan.
“Maybe we should have brought popcorn and beer,” Tim said, smiling.
“Popcorn and martinis.”
“What?” asked Tim.
“I would prefer martinis over beer,” replied Evan, a slight smile on his face.
“Well, I will get you all the martinis you want when this is over. Now we just need to make sure everyone is safe. Which brings me to Liam--why is he being so reckless in this? He is rushing headlong down these halls with seemingly no regard for his own life. Do you think his mind has slipped again from the sight of all the dead above?” asked Tim.
Evan knew the reason for Liam’s blind rush into the complex; he had spotted the reason upon his approach to landing.
“No, he is driven by a purpose--or more like a person. For some reason, the girl he is in love with is present on this base. I knew her, and I spotted her car upon approach. If I spotted it, then Liam most certainly did, and he will tear this base apart to make sure she is okay.”
“But how does he know where she is?” asked Tim.
“I would imagine he came to the same assumption I did. There was probably no time to evacuate the civilians, so they brought them down into the complex in hopes of keeping them safe. The question now is, are we too late?” Evan said grimly.
December 21, 2012, 2:58 p.m.Hanscom Air Force Base
An explosion sounded just outside the room Leah was in. Men could be heard shouting as the constant sound of gunfire mixed with the high-pitched sound of energy rifles. Looking around, mothers clutched at their crying children and roughly double were now praying.
With a deafening explosion, the double doors to the room exploded inward, one of them tearing free and flying across the room. One unlucky older woman was in the path of the steel door, and a sickening crunch sounded as the door collided with the woma
n. She collapsed to the floor dead, her skull crushed. Soldiers backed into the room, their guns firing. Private Jorkins was there, running back and beginning to upend tables to create makeshift barriers.
“Everyone get behind a barrier . . . NOW!” yelled a marine who looked to be in charge.
Everyone scrambled to get behind cover as soldiers spilled back into the room. Some were firing back down the passageway while others helped or, in some cases, pulled wounded soldiers into the room. One of the retreating soldiers crumpled to the floor with a hole burned through his forehead. Several soldiers tossed grenades down the passageway, and loud explosions sounded as they detonated.
Under the constant barrage of fire from the Shenkar energy rifles, many of the barricades began to come apart. Leah was crawling from barricade to barricade, helping the wounded soldiers as best as she could. The air was full of the smell of burnt flesh, the floor slick with blood. The return fire was coming more slowly now as marines began to fall to the floor more often, either grievously wounded or dead.
Leah heard a roar suddenly and looked up quickly to see a massive Shenkar warrior vaulting the barricade. She rolled out of the way just in the nick of time as the warrior came down in the spot she had just been occupying. Pivoting on his heel, the warrior drove the stock of its rifle into the face of a nearby soldier. The soldier crumpled to the floor and didn’t move. Leah wasn’t sure if he was dead or just unconscious.
Private Jorkins was suddenly at her side, pulling her back as he tried to aim his rifle at the massive Shenkar warrior. Bullets sprayed across the Shenkar’s armor but didn’t seem to do any damage. With a fluid motion, the Shenkar closed the distance, his hand igniting a plasma sword as it moved. Before Private Jorkins could even try to adjust his aim, the Shenkar drove the point of his sword through Jorkins’ chest.