Darkest Hour: Liberation War Book 1

by John Walker

  “The problem is we’re damned if we do, damned if we don’t,” Jacks explained. “Once that thing is destroyed, we’ll be on borrowed time to prepare for a full-scale war … if not invasion. They’ve made their intentions clear by kidnapping our people and turning them into … essence.”

  “Understood.” Ted sighed. “I’ll do what I have to do from this end. Will you have trouble getting the fighters you need to intercept the alien shuttles?”

  “No, I’ve already got them ready to scramble. We’re just waiting for the inevitable launch of those things to come down here.”

  “Very well. Keep us informed and do what you have to do, Colonel. We brought you all together on this project because you’re the ones who know. This situation is definitely one we’re going to follow your lead on. Captain Miller’s escape from that … that mothership will go a long way toward showing we have the right people for the job, too.”

  “Heroics, I get it.” Jacks smirked. “Maybe we should tell the press about it.”

  “When you have everything in motion, that wouldn’t be a bad idea. Look at what’s happening all over the planet. We need people to see this isn’t the end of the world but the start of a new one. Humanity isn’t alone and everyone knows it. Now we have to show them that we can carve a place for ourselves in this universe one way or another.”

  “Understood. Talk to you soon, sir.” Jacks killed the com and turned to Doctor Meyers. “Report on the mothership. Have we seen any activity?”

  “Nothing yet,” Meyers replied. “Maybe we’re wrong and they’re not going to attack after all. They might leave. Our people did give them a serious run on their ship. It wouldn’t be surprising if they cut their losses. Don’t you think?”

  “You underestimate the mercenary spirit,” Jacks said. “These creatures need their victory, they need the money. More importantly, our people escaped because they made a mistake, one they won’t make again. Our people were conscious when they arrived and their escape caused all this. When they grab another batch … well … they’ll be more careful.”

  “That sounds ominous.” Meyers turned away, peering at his scanner.

  “More than you know.” Jacks got on the line to ensure the fighters were on ready status. He needed to coordinate with units all over the world. His contacts in Germany and Australia committed their people and multiple aircraft carriers were ready as well. When those things came down, they’d be prepared for them.

  And we’ll begin the first offensive against an alien threat. God help us. This is a new kind of war.

  Chapter 9

  Dexter didn’t have time to go through any sort of dossiers so he had to go with what he had. Of the thirty marines available, he picked the ten with the most combat experience. A couple were fresh out of boot and he passed them over. All of them wanted to go. He didn’t doubt their hearts but he’d seen enough unqualified men die in battle for one day.

  “Environmental suits, rifles and grenades,” Dex said. “Keep it reasonable. The shuttle’s going to be full of explosives on the way up and, potentially, hostages on the way back. Once you’re geared up, I’ll give you a briefing. I’m hoping for a reasonable schematic before we leave and we’ll go over it. Break and meet back here in half an hour.”

  Operation Broadsword was fully staffed.

  He broke off and headed into the barracks to prepare himself. A quick run through a shower and change of clothes helped him recover sufficiently from his ordeal and he rushed out to find someone who could get him in touch with Avania. She was on board the Leviathan and he didn’t have time to get to that hangar and back on the ship.

  Dex grabbed a technician in the hallway. “Hey, how do I contact the Leviathan? What channel should I use?”

  “Oh, um … try twelve.”

  “Thanks.” Dex stepped into a room with several computers and interrupted some men chatting over them. “Excuse me, I need to contact the Leviathan on Channel Twelve. Can you help me? It’s urgent.”

  “Sure, just use the com unit on the wall there.”

  “I … have no idea how.” Dex shrugged. “Sorry, man. I’m new to all this. Give me a hand?”

  “Yeah, no problem.” The tech came over and tapped the screen. “Hit this, type in the channel and tap connect. They’ll answer in a few moments.”

  “Thanks, man.” Dex complied, leaning against the wall.

  “Leviathan Control, this is Madeline.”

  “Hi Madeline, this is Lieutenant Dexter Pollard. I need to speak with Captain Miller or Avania. Whichever one you can muster. It’s a bit urgent. I’m the one leading the invasion of the mothership and I have some questions.”

  “Hold one moment please.”

  The speaker clicked twice before someone picked up again. “This is Miller.”

  “Hey, Warren, it’s Dex. I’ve got the men assembling but I was hoping we could get some kind of schematic or … something … of that place. Do you think Avania can provide it or should I go by memory? Might not really have time for her to give us anything of value but it doesn’t hurt to ask.”

  “If you’re just there to save the people and get the hell out,” Warren said, “then you already know where to go. Hit the shuttles first, expand out to the converters and place the bombs. I noticed you’re taking five nukes with you. I’d spread them out if at all possible. Put them near those converters. Should cause quite the bang. How many people are with you?”

  “Ten. All of them are battle hardened marines so I know they’ve got my back on this one and they’re all pretty invested too.” Dex chuckled. “These guys thought they had their hands full when you and I were there, wait until they get a load of these bad asses. And we’re going in better armed. Those alien pricks are about to have a bad day.”

  “Or at least a worse one,” Warren replied. “I need to get to the bridge. You’ll get a com unit with your environmental suit. You’ll want to link up with us so we can keep in touch throughout the operation. We’ll be on exfiltration duty so you’ll definitely want to let us know when.”

  “No doubt. Okay. I’ll catch you soon, Captain. Thanks.”

  Dex headed back out to the barracks and checked out one of the environmental suits. He thought they would be bulky things that restricted movement but they reminded him of the outfits the aliens wore. They were formfitting and the helmets offered excellent visibility. The oxygen tanks weren’t even that heavy.

  This won’t be so bad. Dex examined the tech attached to the tanks but he couldn’t figure out what any of it did. Some kind of reprocessing unit maybe? Who knows? I’ll ask later if it becomes important.

  The rest of the men rallied outside and he joined them. “Okay, guys. Let’s go over the plan and what we’re going to do up there. I don’t have a schematic per se but I’ll tell you what I know and what’s at stake. These aliens have zero empathy for us and they are only bringing people up there to kill them. You’ll want to shoot to kill in every engagement.

  “Here, I’ll start from the top about what we experienced and go from there. Hopefully, we’ll be ready to go at that point. My experience began when I got sucked into the ship by a strange, white light …”

  ***

  Captain Micky Chilton flew the F Twenty-Two raptors for just over six years. That put him in the heart of multiple wars and police actions, thrusting his unit into intense aerial combat. He grew up with a military family, his father an airman while his mother worked as a computer technician.

  Both his parents retired long before he took his post in Germany but they were both proud of his accomplishments. Earning his master’s degree in aeronautics was one thing but when he got his wings, that was a real celebration. Eight generations of his family served the military and he became the first to fly.

  His father tried but vision impairment kept him out of the program. The news broke his heart and his career stopped at master sergeant. Though he was able to put in his twenty, his zeal was sapped by having to work in fields that never interest
ed him. The passion he showed for the sky drove Micky on, pushed him to do what his father could not.

  When he received his deployment orders for a major fight in Southeast Asia, there were nerves at his going away dinner but his parents knew what it meant to be a soldier. They didn’t throw out platitudes about coming home or being safe, merely kept him company for the night before he left.

  Since then, he’d racked up near sixty kills along with countless hours of recon and escort duty. He rose to the rank of flight lieutenant, commanding his flight in the air. They had enjoyed peace time for the past several months but when the strange object came to Earth, his entire base was put on standby.

  They were ready for a fight but Micky felt uneasy about going into battle with a totally unknown enemy. Their fights often came with questionable intelligence but no matter how bad their information was, they at least understood the basics of what they were getting into. The equipment they faced didn’t deviate much from their own.

  The opponents Micky faced tended to have inferior aircraft. Near enough that they could still be deadly but not so much that solid training and good maneuvers couldn’t win the day. Fighting with aliens took on a whole different set of problems. No one on the base knew anything which meant a totally blind engagement.

  Micky joked about such things while he was in school. Some of his friends applied for positions at the Space Agency and they talked about what it would be like to face down aliens. Their idle talk became a startling reality when the thing showed up and the smaller objects came to Earth.

  When operational command confirmed the strange objects were flying around, every flight was put on high alert. Different bases even launched a couple of squadrons but none of them engaged. By the time they arrived, the things were already on their way back to space. The news stated that thousands upon thousands of people were abducted.

  If they came back, Micky hoped he’d have a shot at them. The audacity of these creatures offended him. To come down, take people and simply leave? If that was the case, they treated the Earth like a grocery store … though that analogy suggested eating. He definitely hoped that wasn’t the case.

  Micky’s unit consisted of three other pilots, each veterans of multiple conflicts. He’d known them for a long time, especially Dino Corelli. They attended university together though Dino was two years behind him. He’d just received his promotion to First Lieutenant and didn’t seem to have any intention of slowing down.

  Dino came from a humble home. His father worked as a painter and his mother stayed home. An only child, he joined the military right at eighteen to pay for college. He got a taste for flying, especially the speed. He talked about trying out for one of the stunt pilot programs but needed more time behind the stick before they’d consider him.

  Second Lieutenant Donna Kendrick joined the team more recently, replacing a pilot who retired out. Like Micky, she came from a military family, following the tradition by joining the air force. She received her pilot’s license before signing up in an effort to stack the odds in her favor for operating fighters.

  Patrick Farmer came aboard just a month before Donna. He was an orphan from New England, quiet and unassuming but a hell of a pilot. His natural talent put him above and beyond some of the brightest newcomers Micky had seen in his short career with the air force. Having Patrick join worked out great for them.

  “Micky!” Major Reilly shouted from his office. “Get in here!”

  Micky didn’t want to leave the TV in case they finally offered newer information. They covered responses from all over the world. Looting and rioting happened all over. He was able to contact his parents and found out they were alright, staying in their country home well away from any of the action.

  The Agency’s attempt to contact the aliens also held his interest. He wanted to know more, especially if they came back and started trouble. Anything he learned might help in an engagement with this new enemy. Then it dawned on him that Reilly might be putting his flight out there.

  They’ve come back!

  Micky hurried into the office, offering a crisp salute. Reilly returned it and pointed to the chair. “Sit down. I just got off the horn with Colonel Wyman Jacks. Do you know who that is?”

  “No, sir.” Micky shrugged. “Army? Name sounds army to me.”

  “Space Agency,” Reilly replied. “He’s already spoken with the brass here and has operational command of our unit. He’s fielding us against those aliens when they return. And before you ask, he’s convinced they’ll be back soon. Some of the abducted people escaped from the aliens.”

  “Some?” Micky frowned. “What happened to the others?”

  “Gone.” Reilly looked away for a moment, shaking his head. “Anyway, these invaders will be back for more. Jacks has a plan to deal with this threat but he needs our help. We’re going to be hitting those things with everything we’ve got, trying to commit some damage. He did say it won’t be easy … or safe.”

  “When is combat safe?” Micky asked.

  “This is different,” Reilly replied. “These things have some kind of energy field around them and they’re tough. Weapons might not penetrate them but the concussive force of our missiles and guns could get through. I don’t think you’re going to like the next part of this … I know I found it difficult to swallow.”

  “Can’t wait,” Micky muttered.

  “We’re not taking these things down,” Reilly said. “We’re supposed to cause damage but not destroy them. In other words, hit them with everything we’ve got until it becomes obvious we could knock it out of the sky then back off. It’s instrumental to the plan to hurt them only.”

  “What kind of plan did they make? Because I don’t think a bloody nose is going to do shit to these guys. If they’re taking our people, we need to put those smaller vessels down the hot second they break atmosphere. Hit them with everything, full squadrons and anti-aircraft weapons if at all possible.”

  “Yet, the orders are to do what I said.” Reilly shrugged. “I’ll be honest, I don’t get it but brass told me to trust him and I’m telling you the same. Agency guys have been working through the problem since the aliens arrived. I’m pretty sure they have a better idea of what they’re doing than we do.”

  “I’ve seen what they can do.” Micky pointed toward the TV outside. “Have you watched the news? They lost some space ships to that thing! If that’s your idea of them doing a fantastic job … or even that they know what they’re doing, I have to respectfully disagree. You really need to talk to the commander … or anyone … to get them to tell this … Jacks guy off.”

  “That’s enough, Captain,” Reilly said. “I get why you’re pissed, it makes sense but this isn’t the time to give me grief or for us to go against our orders. They have a plan, we’re part of it and we will execute our part to the letter. Now, will you be able to follow these orders or shall I get someone in here who will?”

  “Sir,” Micky lifted his chin, “there’s no need for that. I’ll follow my orders as given.”

  “Thank you.” Reilly sighed. “I’m sorry you feel this way, Micky. Believe me, I hope we find out what they were up to when they’re all done but knowing our luck, all of this will end up classified and we’ll never hear another word about it. Regardless, we will perform our duties as we always have: efficiently, honorably and expeditiously. You good?”

  “I am, sir.”

  “We’ll have a full briefing with the team in ten minutes. Until then, you’re dismissed.”

  Micky headed back out to the others and sat down to watch the TV until the briefing. They’d be going up against the aliens after all, meeting the unknown threat. Part of him felt terrified at the prospect but the daredevil in him looked forward to the chance. Nothing on Earth would challenge them like this.

  What a story we’ll have when this is over.

  ***

  Jacks sent a message to everyone involved in the operation, letting them know the key players were all in place
. The engine ignition sequence started for the Leviathan and it would be prepared for launch at a moment’s notice. Fighters all over the world sat ready to meet the alien threat and the marines armed themselves, prepared to infiltrate the mothership.

  He addressed the press one more time and once again, they asked a question which could not have been known outside of his staff. They wanted to know about Avania, about what the aliens looked like and what motivations had been discovered already. He couldn’t understand how it was possible they hadn’t caught the leak yet.

  So immediately after the conference, he dragged Madison into a conference room and closed the door.

  “I assume you listened in,” Jacks said, “heard their questions?”

  Madison nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  “There’s no way they should’ve known about our guest … except for this God damn leak! Tell me you have some information. I don’t recall you sending me the investigators you put on this task either.” Jacks paused. “Are you the one doing it? Is that why you’ve been blocking the investigation?”

  “Sir! No!” Madison clenched his fists. “I’ve got people looking into it but it’s not exactly easy. There are hundreds of devices in use here and they’re not all locked down. People are doing research, communicating with colleagues and working through any of a hundred problems. Finding one person in that mess isn’t simple!”

  Jacks continued to glare at Madison, staring into his eyes. He finally looked away. “I’ve locked the Leviathan down as far as communications goes. Nothing’s coming out of there. Of course, someone might’ve said something prior to the lock down but … I don’t know. I can’t see any of them doing it. They’re soldiers and they all know better.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you,” Madison replied.