by Saxon Andrew
Jeanette nodded, “Like flying a Raptor or other high performance warplane.”
“Yes.”
“What’s the range?” Howey and Mendrel looked at each other and Jeanette didn’t like their expressions, “Don’t tell me I’ll have to get close enough to kiss them.”
Howey tilted his head, “Two miles would be effective. However, at high speed maneuvers, you might need to pucker up.”
Jeanette started shaking her head and Mendrel smiled, “If we can eliminate the shell casings, you’ll be able to carry double the load of ammo. You’ll have six cannons to use so fire a spread of projectiles and let your target run into them.”
“And if that doesn’t work?”
Mendrel smiled, “Like Howey said, pucker up.” Jeanette closed her eyes, put her hands on her temples, and rubbed them. “You should know that you will probably only need to hit their warships with just one shell.”
Jeanette opened her eyes, “Oh?”
“You’ve seen the explosion a single sliver causes, haven’t you?” Jeanette nodded. Mendrel pointed to the huge projectile standing next to the work table, “That shell holds the explosive force of about fifty thousand slivers. The armor piercing nose will penetrate the hull and the explosive mix will detonate once the nose stops.”
Jeanette took the handgun out of her holster and ejected a sliver. She went to the 120 mm shell and held the sliver up to it. It was miniscule in comparison. She shook her head as Howey smiled, “Picture your sliver increased to the size of that projectile.”
Jeanette reloaded the sliver and smiled, “It looks like we’re going to have a blast.”
Mendrel nodded, “And then some.”
• • •
Tilly looked at the two community leaders and waited for them to stop yelling. Benjamin Drazek was screaming that his community needed a city of their own to build their places of worship and to retain their culture. Mohammed Al Shezek was screaming that the Jew was right and none of his community should be forced to live with them. Tilly listened to them and remained silent. She sat in a chair out in the open air and slowly rocked back and forth as the two leaders yelled their demands. After forty five minutes they stopped yelling and Ben said, “Have you heard one word I’ve said?”
“Yes, I’ve heard them all. I’d repeat them but I don’t have another forty five minutes to waste.”
Ben’s face turned red and Tilly said, “Do all of your citizens now have a family carrier to get them where they need to go?” Ben stared at Tilly, looked at Mohammed, and then nodded. “So any of your people can go to anywhere on the planet in less than an hour and probably anywhere on this continent in less than fifteen minutes.”
“Yeah, so what?”
“If you built your places of worship out in the middle of the wilderness, everyone in your community could go and worship from anywhere in less time than it once took to walk to your temple.” Ben and Mohammed continued to stare at Tilly. “We are not going to repeat the same mistakes that we made on Earth. All of us are a part of one community now and all of us will respect, defend, and fight to protect everyone on this new planet we’ve made our home. You can build your places of worship wherever you choose; however, all of us will live together and build one community. If you’re unhappy with the way the immigrants have been settled here, tough. Everyone is free to worship anyway they choose and no one will be allowed to interfere in that right. However, we will build a world where all of us live together in peace and work together to make this world something special. If you had issues back on Earth, you need to leave them there and try something new. We are not going to separate our warriors into different races or ethnic groups. We will all fight together. We will also all live together. Now I recommend you stop this noise you’re making and adjust to the new society we’ve created.”
Ben’s face turned angry, “And if we choose to not follow your demands?”
“You can live in the forest without your carriers and all the other facilities we’ve had built for you. Nor will we provide you with any materials to survive.” Tilly paused and said, “Did I mention that the forest is not located on this continent.”
“This is extortion!”
“No it’s not. You will stay there until we can transport you to another uninhabited planet where you can start fresh and live the way you choose. Of course, you’ll have to defend yourselves against the Gracken should they find you.”
Mohammed stared at Tilly and said, “You know our people will never agree to this.”
Tilly stood up, “Then you should go communicate with your people and shut up. I suspect they’re here because they know the old ways won’t work anymore. I suspect you two are reluctant to accept that new paradigm.” Ben stormed off and Mohammed lowered his eyes and stared at Tilly through his eyebrows. “If you think that expression bothers me in the slightest, you’re wrong. Go and tell your followers what I’ve told you. I no longer have the time or the patience to put up with your childish behavior.”
Mohammed followed Ben and they railed at how the planet’s leadership was totally out of touch with reality. They agreed to get their communities together to see if they could get them to come together to get things done. That is exactly what Tilly was hoping they would do. The two communities met in the Chitza-nitza’s square and Ben presented the stubbornness of the new world’s leadership. Mohammed agreed and said that each community should have its own city and not be forced to live scattered among others.
David Drezek looked at the pretty, dark skinned woman standing next to him in the crowd and smiled. “I really hope you don’t move away.”
Jaleh looked at the young man and said, “Why is that?”
“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve seen on this new world. It would be a shame to lose you.”
Jaleh chuckled and smiled. She remembered when she led the charge of women to board the transports to this new place and now saw the leaders were trying to recreate the old world. She looked at David and said, “Excuse me for a moment.” He nodded and she said, “Don’t go anywhere; stay right here.” David’s smile grew much larger.
Jaleh walked through the crowd and many of those present remembered her having the courage to rush the Hunter’s lines and get them on the transports. The crowd parted and she walked through them and walked up the steps to the stage. Mohammed saw her coming and knew trouble was on the way. He nudged Ben who was yelling in the microphone and Ben saw the crowds moving to allow the young woman to move to the stage. He stopped yelling and Jaleh walked up on the stage and stared him in the eyes. She held out her hand and Ben, after a long pause, handed her the microphone. He could hear the crowd and the sound wasn’t supportive.
Jaleh looked out at the massive gathering and silence descended like a thick fog on a calm ocean. “How many of you are afraid for your lives at this very moment?” Everyone in the crowd looked at each other and no one raised their hands. “How many of you were afraid for you lives back on Earth?” The entire gathering raised their hands and most were yelling how they were in fear every day.
Jaleh looked at Ben and Mohammed and then looked back at the crowd. Silence descended again. “These two claim to speak for us. They want us to go back to the way things were on Earth. I tell you now that I feel safer with the people of Israel standing with me here. And I hope they feel the same. I will not live in fear ever again and the new leaders of this world understand that the only way for us to come together into a true community is for all of us to care for each other and make it our goal to fight for all of us.”
The crowd erupted in cheers and screamed their agreement. They started chanting a rhythm and then began dancing. Jaleh turned and looked at Ben and Mohammed. She handed Ben the microphone as she stared them down. “Take your message of hate and division somewhere else. We won’t listen to it here.” She turned and walked off the stage and joined the groups dancing as she moved through the crowds.
Ben lifted the microphone and started to speak
but saw it was wasted effort. He took a deep breath and blew it out. Mohammed looked at him and said, “I think our temples should be located close together.”
Ben jerked his head around and stared at him. “Why?”
“So that those families with members of different faiths can meet after worship.”
Ben’s anger was close to rage but he paused and thought about the statement. “Do you seriously see that happening?”
Mohammed said, “Look toward the back of the crowd about two hundred feet from the left edge.” Ben looked out from the stage and tried to see what Mohammed was talking about. “Look for a tall young man wearing a green military uniform.”
Ben looked closer and saw the young man Mohammed was describing. Jaleh was dancing with him. It was Ben’s oldest son. Her smile could be seen a long way off. He stared closer at the crowd and saw they were all dancing together. Most of the young were dancing with partners from a different community. Ben looked at Mohammed and saw him extend his hand. The corner of his lip went up and Ben took it. “This time, we’ll do it right.” Mohammed nodded and they moved off the stage into the crowd and joined in the dance.
• • •
Jeanette roared into the atmosphere and ran out of the Q ship as it landed at her residence. She found Joshua sitting on the front porch with his school’s lead educator. She looked at Josh and saw the petulant frown on his face and sighed, “What did he do this time?”
“He disrupted the class during physical training. He challenged the instructor and told everyone that they were idiots for taking part in the exercises.”
Jeanette looked at Josh, “Is this true?”
Josh’s mouth was a sneer, “What if it is?”
Jeanette stared at her fifteen year old son and knew she didn’t have a choice. To treat him differently would only send a bad message to the students he had disrupted. Jeanette looked at Mr. Tanner and sighed. She pressed her collar and heard Tilly answer, “Yes, Jeanette. How may I help you?”
“Please send a carrier from the DV-8 facility.”
There was a pause and she heard, “Who will it be taking?”
Jeanette saw Josh’s expression change from sneering to concern. “Josh Adams.”
“Oh, Jeanette; I’m so sorry.”
“Send it, Tilly.”
Mr. Tanner looked at Josh, “Perhaps this can be avoided if you’ll just agree to participate in your education without disruption.”
Josh stared at his mother. There’s no way she would send him away. He looked at her and yelled, “I loved living on Earth and you forced me to leave. I had a great life there and you made me give it up!”
“It was Earth’s Leaders that determined you had to leave.”
“It was you…and Dad. I was respected and loved there.”
Jeanette shook her head, “No you weren’t. You weren’t loved or respected by those around you; you were feared.”
“YOU’RE CRAZY! MY FRIENDS LOVED ME!!”
“They knew your parents were Hunters; they feared you. You were too blind to see it.”
“You never allowed them to come to our home!”
“They never came because they were too afraid. You’re too blind to see reality and now you’re going to be with those who think like you.”
Josh sneered, “Dad will never allow it.”
Jeanette pressed her collar and heard, “Hi, Love. What’s going on?”
“I’ve ordered a carrier to take Josh to the DV-8 facility.”
“Do you really think this is called for?”
Josh smiled an ‘I told you’ so grin and Jeanette said, “I do.”
“I’ll come home tonight. I know how upsetting this is for both of us but I support your decision.”
Josh’s smiled evaporated as a carrier landed and three armored warriors stepped out. One raised a stunner as they approached, “Who is the one we’re here to pick up?”
Josh looked at Jeanette and started shaking his head, “Mom, you can’t do this. I’ll straighten up.”
Jeanette shook her head, “If you had said that before I made the call, I might believe you. After all the lies about doing better, I no longer trust your word.” She looked at the three warriors and said, “This is the one.”
Josh stood up and suddenly ran off the porch. He made it fifteen feet before he was dropped by the stunner. Mr. Tanner shook his head as the carrier lifted with Jeanette’s son on board. “He’s one of the most intelligent in his class. I think he’s bored by what we’ve been teaching.”
“Don’t blame yourself, Mr. Tanner. This was coming for a long time. It had to be done.” They watched the carrier disappear and after Mr. Tanner left, Jeanette went inside and wept. She was still weeping when Adams arrived and took her in his arms.
• • •
Jesse and Elle looked at the panel and knew trouble lay ahead for another of the Assembly’s planets. A Gracken Scout Warship had moved in above the planet and was running scans of the population centers. Jessie sighed and looked up, “Pete, are the guns loaded.”
“I’m moving the belts into them now.”
“We’re going to have to do this fast; once they see us they will hit their drives.”
“The guns are actually designed to hit targets moving toward us or are stationary. I’m certain they won’t be able to get underway before we get off a volley.”
“I’m a little nervous about using the new Sliver Rounds instead of the spent uranium the guns were designed to fire.”
“The tips are still uranium; the projectile behind the tips are sliver technology. They should penetrate before they explode.”
Jesse put on his helmet and activated the targeting program. “You know, Pete, you could actually fire the guns yourself.”
“Computers are not given the freedom of complete control over any weapons systems. I could fire them but then you would be responsible for moving the ship so that the guns are aligned with the target.”
“You know neither of us could do that as fast as you.”
“Thus, you pull the trigger.”
Elle continued to stare at the Gracken Scout and shook her head, “Pete, do you really think these small rounds will do anything against a ship that large?”
“The designers say they will. I’ve read in their developmental reports that the rounds could have been made larger but it was believed that would have been overkill.”
Elle shook her head, “That ship is four times our size and the scanners report it’s heavily armed.”
“We’ll find out, shall we?”
Jesse looked at the target tracker in his visor, “How are you going to approach it?”
“I’ve thought about coming in broadside to it but that is where the majority of their blasters are located. I think the best route would be to come in straight over the bow and fire the guns the length of the ship. The first place we’ll hit will be the bridge and, if their rounds do work, we’ll immobilize the ship.”
Elle smiled, “And if they do happen to get underway they’ll be moving toward us.”
“Exactly right.”
“Alright Pete, take us in.”
“I’ve sent a call to Jeanette to bring her ship here as well.”
“Why?”
“Her ship is equipped with the cannons. If we miss, she might be able to take it out.”
“Should we wait for her to arrive?”
“She has our location and I’m concerned that two of our ships here might be detected. She’ll jump in the moment we start our attack.”
“Count it down, Pete.”
• • •
The Gracken Ship Commander stared at the wall display and smiled. This planet was full of advanced technology and modern metals. It would be a great source of wealth for him and his crew. The finding fund was huge and this planet would be richly rewarded. He looked at his scanning team and said, “Do you have what you need?”
“We’re doing one more scan for their power plants. The initial re
turn is off the chart. There are thousands of high grade reactors on the planet that will power many of our citizen’s cities.”
Suddenly the alarms went off and the force field around the giant scout cut off all scans. “We have an enemy vessel coming head on at high speed.”
The Gracken Ship Commander said, “Get us underway and target it with our top blasters.”
The bridge crew stared at the monitor showing the approaching ship and then went to their tasks. That brief moment of looking at the monitor proved fatal.
• • •
Jessie saw the giant dark brown warship grow in his visor and the cursor in the targeting program overlapped the X and he pulled the trigger on his console. The thousands of shells leaving the bow of the Q ship were incredible and he marched the six lines from the General Electric Gatling guns down the length of the scout.
• • •
The Gracken Ship Commander saw sparks coming from the enemy ship rushing at his vessel and that was the last thing he saw. Two thousand rounds of high explosive blasted through the Gracken’s hull and blew away the bridge. Every Gracken was blown apart as the rounds moved further down the ship’s hull. The explosions blowing up through the punctured hull of the scout could be seen in the wall display and Elle was amazed at the damage being done to the giant vessel. The Q ship passed the end of the giant ship and turned to make another run as Jeanette’s ship arrived and fired two cannon rounds into the bow and rear of the ship. The two explosions ignited the Scout’s reactors and a giant explosion blasted the scout into vapor. The planet was safe, for the moment. Scouts worked alone for selfish reasons and the Communications Leader never got a call out before the bridge was destroyed.
Jesse watched the ship explode and smiled, “That was good shooting, Jeanette.”
“I’m not really sure it was needed. My computer tells me that pretty much every living Gracken on board had been killed by your run.”
“Pete?”
“She’s right. Everyone on board was killed by either being hit directly by one of the rounds or blasted by the ensuing explosion. We somehow managed to miss hitting the reactors which would have exploded the ship.”