by John Walker
“Don’t think you’re out of scrutiny yet. In fact.” Jacks gestured for the marines to come closer. “Guards, take him to the brig and confiscate any electronic devices he has.”
“Sir! Are you kidding?” Madison eyes went wide and as the two guards grabbed him, he struggled against them. “This is absurd! You have no proof! No …”
“No proof?” Jacks lifted a brow. “Interesting conclusion to jump to there. I think you can sit the rest of this one out, Madison. We’ll talk when this is over and if you’re not the leak, I’ll apologize profusely. If you are, then son … that will be a bad day for the both of us, I promise you that. Take him away.”
“This is ridiculous, Colonel!” Madison yelled as the marines dragged him off. “I can’t believe you’d do this! Come on, I’m in the middle of a lot of work! You can’t just pull me out right now! You can’t!”
“I just did!” Jacks shouted back. He took a moment to relax, drawing a deep breath before entering the control room. Fortunately, there was too much going on in there for anyone to have noticed or overheard his conversation. He took a seat, bringing up the most recent reports from all sectors.
Everything seemed to be going according to plan.
Jacks was torn about Madison. He wanted to be done with the leak question, wanted to know it was taken care of. At the same, the man had been his friend for a long time. The thought of him speaking out of turn killed him. If he hadn’t exhibited so much suspicious behavior, Jacks never would’ve had him detained.
We don’t have time for shady. Not in the middle of this situation.
***
Avania finished cleaning up then stepped into the bedroom to look at the clothes left for her. A bland pair of black trousers and a white blouse sat on the bed along with some socks. Her boots were on the floor and her jacket was hung up near the door. The rest of her clothes were gone.
I hope they know how to clean those properly. She got dressed, surprised to find the attire fit fairly well. Drawing on her boots, she stood before the mirror. Her hair was a mess from the shower but she didn’t have anything to fix it. Combing her fingers through it helped a little bit. I look terrible.
A knock on the door drew her attention but she had no idea how to open it. The guards locked it anyway. “Um … come in? I believe you locked me in here so there’s not much I can do to admit you.”
The door slid to the left and Warren stepped inside. Avania sat on the bed, regarding him with what she hoped was a neutral expression. He didn’t speak right away but stood there, looking her over in an appraising manner. Perhaps he’s decided to be somewhat more reasonable now that he’s returned to the safety of his people.
“I’d like to invite you to come up to the bridge,” Warren said. “So you can become familiar with our tech before we launch. I’d also like to introduce you to the crew up there. Once things happen, we probably won’t have much time for pleasantries.”
“You’re taking this vessel against theirs?” Avania asked. “Do you have a plan?”
“We do.” Warren explained how they intended to use the marines and the shuttle they stole to plant the explosives. “There doesn’t seem to be a way to do this without letting them take more people … and they must be preparing to do so if they’ve stuck around. That’s your assessment, right?”
“Yes,” Avania replied. “They have no reason not to, especially after losing lives and equipment. The more essence they steal here, the more they’ll be able to salvage later. The owner will make a huge profit, the captain will walk away a hero regardless of the damage done.”
“Then we have the advantage of them having to come to us.” Warren gestured over his shoulder. “Shall we go?”
“Certainly.” Avania rose, following him into the hallway. They paced down the hall to an elevator. The guards stayed behind. “You’re not worried about me enough to bring the soldiers, hm? And here I thought I was dangerous. That Jacks fellow certainly seemed nervous.”
“Dex vouched for you.”
“But not you?”
“I’m not there yet.” Warren looked over at her. “I’ll need a better understanding of your culture and your part in it. Frankly, I don’t trust you. Your casual disregard for our people up there made me wonder how you’re any better than they are.”
“Seriously?” Avania glared at him, struggling to keep her voice low. “I took a road of practicality and you wanted to throw your lives away. Perhaps your species hasn’t matured to the point of understanding what it means to pick a fight you cannot win, but my people have learned that survival trumps empty sacrifice.”
“What about when you suggested they had enough and we could just escape? What about all the people you wanted to condemn then?” Warren stepped close so their noses were nearly touching. “Then we went and proved we could succeed. What empty sacrifice happened there?”
“The one in which you threw lives away while charging the conversion station,” Avania said. “They took nearly a quarter of a million people and we returned with less than a hundred and fifty!”
“Which is better than five!”
Avania stepped back. “I agree but had you left when I suggested, you would’ve been back here to confront them with your war ship sooner. We would’ve saved time.”
“I suppose we’re going to have to agree to disagree on that.”
The doors opened. “If you wish.” Avania boarded the elevator. “Shall we? I may not have agreed with your methods or your plan, but I’m going to do everything in my power to assist with its success.”
“And why is that?” Warren joined her. “What’s it to you if we succeed or fail?”
“Where do you think I’m going to be when this is over?” Avania asked. “Do you think I can teleport myself home? You’re about to destroy the only wormhole capable vessel within ten-thousand light years. This place needs to be safe so we can collaborate. Your people have entered a larger world.”
“I think we’re ready for that.”
“Not remotely,” Avania said. “But you will be.”
***
Meyers finished off another coffee, wincing as his stomach gurgled. He hadn’t drunk so much since college and even then, he limited it to two full pots during a cram session. The caffeine didn’t help anymore. Adrenaline did most of the work but his hands were starting to shake.
This is never going to happen. The thought made him slump in his chair. With the mothership quiet, he wondered if they might be stuck there. Did Captain Miller and his people do enough damage that the aliens couldn’t leave? Maybe they were stranded. Unfortunately, the shield was still up.
Any direct attack was doomed to fail.
The council asked him about nuclear weapons. He talked them out of even trying it. Any projectile attack of such a nature could simply be knocked out by the EMP attack. At least, he was fairly confident in his assessment. Like so many political animals, they jumped to the nuke option entirely too fast.
Meyers sat forward, preparing to grab another cup of coffee when his computer buzzed. His eyes darted to the screen and he gasped. Several dots appeared near the mothership. The shuttles left the nest, approaching the Earth with an ETA of twelve minutes. They spread out, plotting courses to various continents.
“They’re coming!” Meyers shouted. “The objects! They’re on their way! Colonel! It’s time!”
“We hear you,” Jacks replied. “I’ll get the fighters in the air. Give the Leviathan the launch order. This is it, people! We are operational status.”
Meyers grabbed his head set and jammed it against his ear, connecting with the Leviathan. Excitement made him tap his foot. Years of work were about to be put to the test. Theories, countless meetings, and arguments all culminated to the order he was about to give. Now to find out if we were as clever as we thought. Now, we earn our place in history.
***
Warren gave Avania a quick tour of the bridge and let her sit at the empty science station. She logged in and bec
ame familiar with the computer. Part of him didn’t want to give her unfettered access but he tried to get over his suspicion. The enemy was in space, not on his bridge. Regardless of whether she pushed his buttons, she was certainly on their side.
He sat in his chair, looking over all the reports that came in since Delgado started working on the launch sequence. The engineering staff went through quite a trial to get their department operational. Warren turned to Victoria, brows furrowed. No wonder she was so excited about me getting back.
“You just didn’t want to contend with any more disasters, right?”
Victoria blinked, all innocence. “What? Me? Intentionally leave behind the absolute worst work for you? Nonsense. Really.”
Warren chuckled. “Uh huh. Okay then.”
“So … be straight …” Victoria glanced at Avania. She lowered her voice. “Do you trust her?”
Warren leaned close, whispering back, “if it hadn’t been for her, we wouldn’t be here. None of us knew how to fly that shuttle thing.”
“How’s the one we stole going back to the ship?”
“They’re putting the module back in as soon as they get the go.” Warren frowned. “Don’t know who the hell they’re going to get to cram themselves in there but I hope they pick someone thin. You haven’t experienced claustrophobia until you’ve seen how the maintenance and manual controls are set up. Seriously, I’m going to have nightmares.”
“I think I’ll pass then.” Victoria turned to her own screen. “I hate tight spaces.”
“Captain,” Madeline nearly shouted, “um … Doctor Meyers is on the line. He’s said we should launch immediately!”
“What?” Warren looked over his shoulder. “Send him over here. Avania, can you check the scans? Did they launch their shuttles finally?”
“Checking,” Avania tapped the screen on her console. “This equipment … so slow. Who designed this interface? Did they have any concept of intuitive control? And what about … oh. Yes. It appears they have launched the shuttles. If I’m reading this … thing … properly, they are on their way down.”
Victoria smirked. “Apparently, our gear does not meet the standards of the princess.”
“I guess not.” Warren got on the line with Doctor Meyers. “We’ve confirmed the shuttles are on their way down and we’re going to launch. Open the doors. The maiden voyage of the Leviathan begins now.”
“Got it, Captain,” Meyers said. “Good luck and Godspeed.”
Warren clicked the com over to Delgado. “Chief, this is the captain. Mind igniting those engines?”
Delgado hooted into the microphone. “Been waiting to do that all day, sir. Get ready. This beast is waking up.”
“Here we go, Victoria,” Warren said. “This is it. This is the moment. How do you feel about it?”
“I’m sure I should be excited … afraid … nervous … but if I’m to be perfectly honest?” Victoria shrugged. “I think I’m just relieved.”
“That’ll do, Commander.” Warren turned his attention to the screen as the hull began to tremble. The engines ignited. As the ship awoke, he gripped his chair tightly. He’d waited for that moment for years. It was supposed to be a positive experience, one for the whole human race to watch on television and cheer.
Instead, they raced toward a fight, combat with a new enemy. Maybe this will unify the world against a common threat. Maybe we’ve found the one thing that will overcome all our petty squabbles. Causes like this often come with a heavy price. I hope we don’t have to pay it all at once … or any time soon.
If the Leviathan proved successful, if they destroyed the mothership and saved all those people, then the real work would begin. The fleet would need to be armed, people educated, personnel trained and the entire world prepared for the war to come. Humanity’s arms race would shift into high gear.
Because if they did not gather the force of arms required to deal with this new threat, the entire world would be in jeopardy. First defense, then allies. There were others out there and Warren vowed to find them. A common threat might bind them together with other species and if those sick bastards were collecting other races, it wouldn’t take much to rally them to the cause.
Chapter 10
Micky Chilton powered up his fighter and prepared for takeoff. He checked in with the others, each one taxied up. They received their go order to attack the shuttles descending on their area and for them, it meant a ten-minute flight to their destination before contact.
Rules of engagement were clear: hit them with everything they had and don’t hold back. Unlike human targets, these opponents were to receive no quarter. He supposed the Geneva Convention didn’t apply to aliens though he guessed some sort of resolution would have to be passed at some point if they truly went to war.
Then again, who’s going to complain? Micky frowned at the thought. I bet most of the fighting takes place far from here.
“Phantom One,” the ground control technician’s voice squawked in his ear. “You are cleared for takeoff. Mission is go. Godspeed.”
“Thank you, control,” Micky replied. He pressed the throttle forward, his stomach dancing in anticipation and excitement. His guts always responded to the promise of action, to the thrill of flying at Mach two. Their most recent missions involved a lot of dogfighting, especially when they helped quell a well-funded uprising Southeast Asia.
The wheels rumbled on the tarmac then went silent as he lifted off, climbing toward cruising altitude.
Phantom Two was Dino and he followed with Dana as Phantom Three and Patrick rounding them out at four. They formed up in a vanguard and altered course, heading for their intercept point. The objective was to start hammering the thing before it got into a populated area.
In the event they put it down, no one wanted civilian casualties from the shuttle crashing into a city block. Their operational theater occupied a bunch of open fields with a couple farms. Chances of anyone dying in a crash were slim. If the aliens abducted more people, that represented another problem entirely.
I doubt we’re going to knock this thing out of the sky. Micky thought. But we’re only one squadron going against this device. God knows how many units are being thrown at some of the others … and if other countries have decided to respond to this threat without coordinating efforts with us.
“I saw this thing on TV,” Dino said. “They’re huge.”
“That’s what she said,” Patrick replied.
Micky rolled his eyes. He thought to respond but he knew someone more qualified was about to.
“Not to you lately,” Donna threw out.
“Ha ha,” Patrick quipped over the laughter of the others.
“Big means you won’t miss,” Micky said. “Not like that sortie in the Sahara. Remember that? Couple buildings in the middle of nowhere. Nothing around but rocks and a couple of shacks holding radio equipment and you put that smart missile right into a sand dune. That was pretty spectacular.”
“You know, as a leader you’re supposed to build me up,” Dino said. “I don’t feel all that built up right now. I told you, the sand interfered with my visibility. I swore I was right on target.”
“How was visibility?” Patrick asked.
“One hundred miles,” Micky replied.
Patrick laughed.
“That’s enough out of both of you,” Dino said. “I’m done. Let’s focus on the mission, huh? You know, fighting aliens so they don’t come in here and take our people? Destroy our way of life?”
“Take our jobs?” Donna offered.
Everyone laughed again.
“You’re a laugh out loud riot today,” Dino added when they all settled down. “You ever think of taking that act on the road? Make a little extra money or something?”
“Can’t.” Donna sighed. “Gotta stick around here and make sure you guys don’t get in trouble. I think that’s why I was offered the job, come to think of it. Babysitting.”
“Woman’s work,” Patrick said.
“I didn’t say they gave the job to you,” Donna replied.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Micky interrupted. “Remember the briefing about this thing. It may have a weapon that can knock out our electronics so go straight for manual ejection if you have to.”
“I really like this fighter,” Patrick said. “I will be so pissed off if those assholes knock this one out. I’m not kidding.”
“Yeah, we’re all attached,” Dino replied. “Keep focused and moving. It might be hard for them to target us if we’re hauling ass. Are we thinking we hit them with missile runs? A couple gun passes and call it?”
“We don’t have much more than that,” Micky replied. “We should see it shortly.” They came over a hill and he gasped, eyes widening as the shuttle came into view. The rounded object was easily five times larger than their fighters and it moved seemingly without any thrust. He allowed himself a moment of awe. “Jesus Christ.”
“Wow …” Dino breathed. “TV didn’t do that thing any justice. That’s intense. Can you even believe it? I mean, wow. And it’s moving pretty fast too. Clearing some ground. We’re going to have to hit it fast if we want to avoid the city. I honestly didn’t think it would be able to go that quick.”
Patrick added, “I can’t wait to find out how the thing moves. What sort of propulsion is that? How does it stay aloft?”
“That,” Micky said, “is for someone else to figure out … a person not about to go toe to toe with the thing. Line up your attack run and let’s get this over with. I’m going in first. I know it’s probably tempting to give them all we have right away but I want to test the waters first then coordinate our strikes on the second pass. Here I go.”
Micky pressed the throttle forward, engaging the afterburners. The fighter responded as extra thrust pressed him into his seat. The familiar sensation of heavy g force closed on his limbs, compressing his stomach. Every part of him trembled with the vibration of the aircraft, pushing full speed.