by Saxon Andrew
Tilly looked Mike in the eyes and said, “Is what Bowen told the assembly true?” Mike didn’t flinch at the question…but he didn’t answer it. “Is it true!?!”
“I was really hoping you wouldn’t ask me, Tilly.”
“You would have stood by and watched them blow their planets into rubble.” Mike nodded. Tilly looked away and shook her head, “We’re no better than those self-absorbed egotists on Earth.”
“Tilly, would you have ordered our troops into that killing ground knowing that most of them would die along with the majority of that planet’s population?” Tilly stared at Mike in silence. “Now you need to answer me.”
Tilly lowered her head and shook it, “No, I couldn’t have done it and I thank God that it wouldn’t have been my decision to make.” Tilly looked up and said, “Bowen would have ordered it.”
The corner of Mike’s mouth went up, “That’s why he was selected to go to the Assembly. What do you think would have happened if we sent Adams?”
Tilly burst out laughing, “He would have volunteered to pull the trigger on the beam blasting the planet.”
Mike took Tilly’s hands in his and said, “I’m bothered by what happened as well. If Bowen hadn’t been there…I don’t know what we would have done.”
Tilly nodded, “However, he was there and we have a new weapon that gives us a chance against them.”
Mike blew out a breath, “And we will return the magazines because I do know who we really are. I will do my best not to do anything to disappoint our resident idealist.”
Tilly smiled, “That is what I was looking for, Mike. Bowen deserves it.”
Mike lowered his head, “Are you ready to go back to bed?”
Tilly smiled and pulled herself up from her chair and pulled Mike toward the bedroom. “I have something else to discuss with you.” Mike smiled and followed her.
• • •
Jesse sat in his chair on his Q ship with Elle sitting in his lap. They watched as holograms appeared and disappeared as Peter showed them various images of Gracken on the surface of Fippen. Jesse shook his head and Elle said, “So much death.” She looked at him, “If you knew what you know now, would you do it again?”
“I would.”
“Are you certain about that, Jesse?”
Jesse smiled, “It brought us together and saved our families. That’s reason enough to have done it.”
Elle snuggled into Jesse’s chest, “So many of our warriors are going to die trying to remove the Gracken.”
Jesse sighed, “And if I hadn’t done, where would those warriors be?”
Elle’s lips pursed together, “I guess you’re right, they would all be dead along with everyone on Earth.”
“Don’t feel bad; at least humans are alive and making a difference in the universe. Life is a struggle and I do not intend to lose this one.”
“What if Mike doesn’t choose to risk the warriors?”
“Then we’ll do what we can with or without his help.”
“You sound like Bowen.”
Jesse looked into Elle’s eyes and said, “No, he sounds like me.”
“That’s why I love you sooo much.” Jesse pulled his wife close and kissed her on the cheek. She pushed her head into his chest and closed her eyes. She had seen enough horror for one day.
Jesse heard her soft breathing and knew she was asleep. He used his left arm and reached over his shoulder and pulled his helmet over his head. He didn’t want to wake Elle by speaking. He thought, “Pete, could we do anything to save this planet by ourselves?” Pete remained silent. “Pete?”
“I’m reluctant to answer. The only thing we could possibly do is to go in and burn the center of every city.”
“How would that save the planet? We’d kill more than a billion of the civilians.”
“Yes, but it would remove the Gracken in the skyscrapers. Enough on the edge of the city would survive and they could start over.”
“What’s the probability of us surviving the effort?”
“Not very high.”
“Why not?”
“We’d probably burn the first hundred cities successfully due to the element of surprise. However, that’s when the Gracken would pull all their Beamships together and fire on us as we made our next attack.”
Jesse looked at Elle asleep on his chest and Pete heard his thoughts, “That puts a different light on this, doesn’t it?”
“It does. I can’t risk killing Elle.”
“Now you know how Mike feels about sending in the troops.”
Jesse thought a moment and sighed, “Yeah, I guess I do.” Jessie placed his head on top of Elle’s and closed his eyes. Pete jumped away from Fippen. Continuously watching the Gracken kill civilians indiscriminately could sour anyone. He was not going to allow his friends to make a bad decision.
• • •
Bowen jumped to Sparta and went to his quarters. He spread out on his bed and thought about what had happened in the Assembly. He could still see the Celean’s expression when he asked the Assembly not to blast the planets. He felt bad about the lie. He knew Mike would never send the Spartan Military into a position that was tantamount to suicide…but he had to do something. Momentum was running toward the planet’s destruction. He was as shocked as much as the others when the Celean offered the new guided sliver. He shook his head and decided that he was going to have a discussion with Mike about the new weapon. He heard a knock on his door; he got up and opened it. Faye was standing there with a plate of chocolate cookies, “I heard you come in and I thought you might enjoy a snack.”
Bowen shook his head, “Faye, you shouldn’t do this.” She smiled at him and pushed the plate into his hands. Bowen grabbed it to keep it from falling and Faye turned and went to her next door apartment. Bowen sighed and took one of the cookies and took a bite. He closed his eyes as he chewed and was amazed at how good it was. Faye had been feeding him since they arrived on Sparta. He stood in the doorway and stared at her apartment. He put the plate on the floor, walked over to Faye’s door, and knocked. Faye opened her door and her brow was furrowed. Bowen said, “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with your unit?”
“The bums in Central Command canceled my unit’s drop; another regiment was chosen to replace us. All of the training efforts are being directed to the forces taking part in the coming invasion. I’ve been given two weeks liberty. I’m bored to tears, Bowen. I’ve got twenty plates of cookies in here and I’ve run out of things to cook.” Bowen started smiling and then he started laughing. Faye looked at him and said in an angry voice, “It isn’t funny.” This only made Bowen laugh harder and after several moments, the corner of Faye’s mouth went up and she started laughing with him. She shook her head and said, “Would you like some more cookies. I have more than I can ever eat.”
Bowen dropped to his knees and held his ribs. Faye could only watch him and sigh. Finally Bowen collected himself and said, “Why have you been bringing me food?” Faye’s expression changed and she didn’t say anything. Bowen stood up and saw her expression, “Tell me why, Faye.”
“I guess I like looking at you.”
“WHAT?”
Faye tilted her head to the left and raised her shoulders in a shrug, “I like looking at you; there, now are you satisfied!”
She started closing her door and Bowen put his hand up and stopped her. “Faye, I am not all that. I’m really not much to look at.”
“I thought the same when I first met you…but over time…I don’t know…you grew more handsome every time I saw you.” Faye lowered her eyes and said, “Bowen, you’re embarrassing me. I’ll see you later.”
She tried to close the door again and Bowen kept his hand on it. Faye was about five feet five inches tall, brown hair that hung to her shoulders, and brown eyes that would look right through you. She had a body that was incredible and he knew how strong she had to be to be a Spartan Warrior. “Faye, are you really mad about missing the invasion?”
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Faye’s head came up instantly and she sneered, “You have no idea! My unit trained for months getting ready and now we’re knocked out because not enough of our troops can master being a flier. It’s just not fair to the rest of us that did.”
“Have you thought about possibly leaving the warriors?”
“Are you out of your mind; I love what I do.”
“What if you could love something else more?”
Faye’s head went back and she stared at Bowen, “What in God’s name would that be?”
Bowen took a breath and said, “I need a copilot on my Q ship. Would you consider taking the position?”
Faye could see Bowen’s nervousness. She was stunned by the offer and she couldn’t speak. Bowen saw her expression and took his hand off her door. He turned to go back to his apartment and Faye stepped out in the hall, “Does that mean we would be at the invasion?”
Bowen stopped and looked at her, “And at every other one after it. We would also be involved in any space battles taking place above the planet.”
Faye smiled, “I find the idea of space battles very sexy, Bowen.” Bowen’s mouth was open and Faye stepped out of her doorway, closed the door, walked up to Bowen, and pushed him toward his door. He backed up and she followed him into his quarters. Two hours later, Bowen had a partner and discovered that the cookies weren’t the most delightful thing in his apartment.
Chapter Seventeen
“Alex, what have you learned about the new slivers?”
“We have had to learn to slow down on our rate of fire. The warriors can actually hit what they shot at with this round. Going full auto would only blow the Gracken into tiny pieces. That’s a waste of good ammo.”
“Are they that good?”
“Better, Sir. It’s a remarkable thing to see a round chase a Gracken around the corner of a building.”
“How long is it going to take for us to be ready to go?”
“The troops are ready now.”
“Are you serious?”
“This new round allows us to fire in a manner we’re accustomed to using. It’s no longer necessary to send a wall of slivers to stop a Gracken Charge. You illuminate the ones in front of you, fire the rounds called for in your visor, and illuminate some more.”
Mike nodded and said, “I’m not going to risk the entire force to see if this works. We will drop on one city and if it proves successful, we’ll drop the other units.”
“The Gracken will have advanced warning of our new capabilities.”
“Let them; it’s time they started learning what fear feels like. We’re going to launch the invasion in forty eight hours. You need to select the units that will drop on the first city.”
Alex nodded, “Yes Sir.”
• • •
Mike put the communicator down and saw Tilly staring at him. “What?
“I’ve been sitting here thinking about all that has happened since we landed.”
“And?”
“I find it amazing at how well our citizens get along with each other. Doesn’t that surprise you as well?”
“Not really.”
“Oh?”
“There are too many armed warriors walking around for anyone to get out of line too much.”
Tilly stared at Mike for a moment and leaned back in her chair, “Do you know the group that didn’t want to come here and had to be forced at gunpoint to leave Earth?”
Mike shrugged, “It was the Americans that were forced to turn over their handguns and rifles.”
“How would you possibly know that?”
“I felt the same way, Tilly. I felt naked without my guns.” Mike ran his fingers through his hair, “I hated having to make that decision. However, it was either remove them or have Earth blasted into rubble. The Alliance would never allow millions of weapons to be left in the possession of our citizens. I didn’t like doing it then and I still hate that it had to be done.”
“It appears they’ve come around. Most of our best warriors are from that group and their families.”
“I hope they understand why it had to be done. I think the orders that require any Spartan Warrior who is not on duty to carry their Sliver Handgun and keep their force field active at all times when out in public was something they could identify with.”
“I’ve wondered why you did that.”
“Tilly, all the crazies were not left on Earth. The Ruling Council on Earth deliberately made many of the known crazies board the transports.”
“There’s not been any trouble.”
“Most of the dangerous ones were moved to Delphi on the western continent. Those that were border line insane aren’t crazy enough to start anything with ten million Warriors walking around, armed behind a personal force field.”
“Life on Delphi is dangerous.”
“Tilly, I’m not going to allow you to make me feel guilty about sending them there. I am not going to endanger our civilians by allowing them loose in our population.”
“I’m not trying to do that.”
“Good. That is not a decision that I feel bad about. Take a look at what some of the residents of Delphi have done to each other. I think you’ll understand.”
Tilly sighed, “At least there are enforcers there to protect the bulk of the residents from the most insane ones.”
“Some of them are incredibly ingenious at what they’ve cooked up. It’s a shame they waste that much intelligence on harming others.”
“Is that the only reason you ordered the warriors to be armed?”
“It was a good reason but not the real one.”
“Oh? What other reason is there?”
“What would happen if the Gracken were able to find Sparta?”
“Don’t even suggest that, Mike.”
“What would they encounter if they came to attack Sparta?”
Tilly thought a moment, “They would probably run into a buzz saw.”
Mike smiled, “You’re right. The Warriors would scatter and every Gracken on the surface would be a target. We also have more than a hundred planetary Q beams around all of our communities and they would pay a heavy price to land.”
Tilly nodded and her eyes widened when Mike said, “The Alliance has completed ten orbital fortresses that are pretty incredible. If the Gracken show up, they’ll be jumped in immediately.”
“Why aren’t they here now?”
Mike blew out a breath and said, “Because there is also a possibility of them finding Earth. They’ll be sent where they’re needed.”
Tilly shook her head, “Earth would be defenseless.”
Mike nodded, “The orbital forts would hold them off long enough for us to come and offer assistance.”
“Would we do that?”
“We’ll have to see when the moment arrives. Hopefully, it won’t be an issue.”
“Mike, I’ve never asked what part of the Galaxy Sparta is located in. How far are we from Earth?”
Mike smiled, “Our planet is not in the Milky Way, Tilly. We’re in a galaxy more than half a million light years away.”
“That would make us hard to find.”
“Almost impossible.”
Tilly thought a moment and said, “That’s probably true of the Gracken as well.”
Mike’s brow instantly furrowed, “What did you just say?”
“It just seems to me that the Gracken wouldn’t attack the Alliance if there was a chance of their planets being found. They would have remained in hiding if there was a chance of discovery. That planet busting beam would be something they would not want to face.”
Mike started shaking his head, “The Alliance has been searching in the wrong place.” Mike walked over and lifted Tilly out of her chair and hugged her, “You are amazing.”
“What did I do?”
“See what we’ve been missing.”
• • •
Mike went to his panel and pressed Bowen’s frequency. Bowen appeared on the bridge of his Q s
hip and there was a young woman with him. Mike’s eyebrows went up as Bowen said, “Yes Sir. What do you need?”
Tilly was looking over Mike’s shoulder and said, “Where are your manners, Bowen? Who is there with you?”
Bowen’s face turned red as he said, “Excuse me, Tilly; this is Faye Allison. I’ve asked her to be my co-pilot and she’s accepted.”
Tilly smiled, “It’s good to meet you, Faye. I know you’re going to enjoy flying a Q ship.”
Faye smiled, “Bowen was familiarizing me with the systems. This ship is incredible.”
“Yes it is.”
Bowen interrupted, “Do you need me for something, Sir?”
“I do. Will you contact the Celean Representative and ask him to contact me on my frequency.”
Bowen waited a moment hoping Mike would tell him why he wanted the contact but Mike didn’t say anything else. Mike’s eyes narrowed and Bowen said, “Yes Sir; I’ll contact him immediately.”
The panel went dark and Tilly said, “Faye is quite attractive.” Mike nodded and waited. Tilly contacted Jeanette and told her about Bowen’s new partner. Jeanette smiled and planned to get Adams to call and embarrass his old Seal Partner.
Mike listened to Tilly plotting with Jeanette for three minutes, when the Celean appeared on Mike’s display, “Your representative to the Assembly tells me you wish to speak with me.”
“I do; I was hoping you could help me with an issue.”
“What issue is that, Commandant?”
“I’ve been thinking about where the Gracken might be located. Has the Assembly fleet been able to find their planets?”
“No, they have not. They must be cleverly hidden to have avoided our searches.”
“Where have you looked?”
“Most of the inner core of our galaxy.”
Mike stared at the Celean and after a moment said, “How do you think the Gracken found the Assembly’s planets?”
The Celean shrugged, “I really don’t know. I suspect one of their ships stumbled on one of them.”
Mike leaned back in his chair, “Jesse’s Q ship computer, Peter, told him when he first stole the ship that the Alliance found violent worlds by tracking the particles that blow out of a nuclear explosion at multiples of the speed of light.”