The Breaker turned to face him. “With my assistance.”
Before he could react, the Breaker’s metal fist struck Marshall with a vicious blow to the right side of his forehead. He collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
38
Day 40
0730 hours
Central tower, Alto Raun
On the morning of the return trip to Earth, Kane looked over the gathering of humans and Mekens sharing a final breakfast with the Earthbound passengers. They told stories, reliving the events of the last month. And they speculated at length about what it would be like on Earth when the passengers from a vanished 737 returned in an alien aircraft and announced the existence of the Ahlemonis and the Mekens. While it would be an eventful day in Earth history, Kane realized he was fine with missing it.
His thoughts turned to Marshall. Yesterday, a maintenance Meken had found him unconscious in a stairwell that led to a rooftop overlook. Marshall was now in the hospital, still unconscious from a severe blow to the head. He also had a broken ankle and a dislocated shoulder. The theory was that Marshall had twisted his ankle and fallen down the stairs. An emergency council meeting last night had decided to continue with the return flight to Earth as scheduled. At the meeting, Kane had determined to not be in the room when Marshall awoke to discover the plane had left without him. “Hell hath no fury” had come to mind. But Kane was feeling compassion for the guy; he was banged up pretty bad and he didn’t deserve such a tough break. Kane resolved to be there for Marshall in his recovery.
The Director called for the group to move outside to the lawn. A small stage had been erected, and there was a short ceremony during which Jhemna and Dr. Manassa each made a few comments to commemorate the event and wish the thirty-two returnees a safe journey.
Then came the good-byes. In the next ten minutes, most of the tears were shed by Charly. Just a week ago, she had secluded herself in her room—her response to hearing that Joanie, Jenn, Ham, Javier, and Laura were all returning to Earth while she was staying. After a day and a half of her isolation, Kane had gone to her and found her curled up on her bed, hugging a pillow. Later, she would recount his visit with a smile; he had been so endearing in his awkwardness. At the time, she had refused to talk about her pain. But he had left her with a kiss on the forehead and a question to consider: “What would Arthur say to you?” An hour later she had come out of her room to give long, heartfelt hugs to everyone she cared about.
Kane smiled as he watched her now, in awe at the change that had come over her in the last month. The bitter, depressed teenager he’d first met had broken out of her shell and blossomed into a vivacious young woman.
The colonists were a pleasant surprise as well: their customary reserve was gone, evidenced by the many tears and hugs they now shared with their departing friends. But the Mekens won the day, trying their best at good-byes and clumsily returning hugs from teary-eyed humans. Once again, the Colony leaders found the Meken behavior extraordinary. Ehlan’s description was clinical: “The Mekens are manifesting a sense of individuated care for their Earth acquaintances, somehow knowing they will experience a sense of loss when these people depart.” But Kane thought the Director summed it up best when he went to Tygert and shook his hand, Earth-style, saying, “I will miss your presence, Captain Tygert.”
After the lawn ceremony and good-byes, Jhemna, the Director, and Dr. Manassa departed to the command center at the top of the central tower, where they would act as the misson control team for the Push to Earth. Kane and Mhara traveled with the returning passengers to Hangar 28 to assist in boarding of the ship.
The Mayflower, a slick, arrow-like vessel and the largest aircraft in the Ahlemon fleet, sat in the center of the hangar, newly polished. Charly had named the ship in homage to the Pilgrims’ voyage from England to the Americas. The name had resonated with the passengers, and it was thus christened.
As the passengers boarded, Kane and Mhara shook hands, received hugs, and shared parting words. Kane pulled Marshall aside and made a somewhat manipulative plea for him to use his influence for the good of the Ahlemoni cause and development of positive relations between Ahlemon and Earth. Marshall vainly accepted the charge. Then Kane went to Tygert, who was already in the ship’s cockpit.
“Thought I’d find you here.”
“Yeah, even though there’s not really anything for me to do. There’s a manual mode I’ll use when we arrive. But for now, this thing is pretty much on autopilot through the Push. I’m just more comfortable up here.”
“I get it.” Kane extended his hand and said, “Then it’s farewell, John.”
“And to you, my friend.”
Tygert stood and they shook hands. “I’ll see you in about a year,” he said.
“If all goes as planned.”
“Hey.” Tygert gave Kane a mock punch on the shoulder. “How else could it go with you and me in the mix?”
Kane smiled, raising his eyebrows, and Tygert pulled him into a hug.
After leaving the plane, Kane joined Mhara on the hangar floor. They backed away as the boarding hatch closed and the ship powered up. With a hum, the Mayflower rose, hovered, and then slowly made its way out the hangar doors.
“I will miss Captain Tygert,” Mhara said, her eyes tearing up. “He has been a favorite among the colonists; he is brave and charming.”
“That he is, Mhara. That he is.”
39
Day 40
0800 hours
West marina, Alto Mair
Supervisor 3 crossed a gangplank onto a twenty-five-foot attack boat. Originally part of Alto Mair’s fleet of security watercraft, this boat had been upgraded and was now one of four ultra speedboats, the fastest in the Breaker fleet. He had carefully chosen this particular boat because of its speed and the makeup of the crew—a crew that had included the gunner he had incapacitated just an hour earlier. He was now reporting to take the gunner’s place. The captain of the boat yelled at him as he boarded.
“Who are you?”
“I am your new gunner.”
“To hell you are. Where’s my gunner?”
“He was receiving his mobile weapons in the armory, and the Arms Master noticed that the synchronous motor of his right arm was malfunctioning. The Arms Master relieved him from assignment and sent me in his place.”
The Breaker captain cursed, then cocked his head suspiciously. Moving close to Super 3’s face, he asked, “Why didn’t my gunner come and tell me himself?”
This was a test. An improper delay would indicate that Super 3 didn’t have a real answer and was posing to get on the boat. Competition to get a position on the armada attack force had been fierce and even unscrupulous. Besides being part of a historic first offensive against the humans, an armada assignment would improve their standing in the Breaker hierarchy. But with a limited number of positions in the armada, many capable and ambitious Breakers had to stay behind. So it was to be expected that some of them would make cunning, last-minute attempts to get on a boat. Super 3 knew these thoughts were going through the Breaker captain’s mind.
Without hesitation, Super 3 responded, “Upon noting the malfunction on your gunner, the Arms Master instructed him to report immediately to the shop for repair. Your gunner tried to deny the malfunction, arguing with the Arms Master. The Arms Master then smashed a rifle into your gunner’s leg, disabling it. A hover cart is now taking him to the reconditioining center. The Arms Master told me to report to your boat immediately as his replacement. I am following his orders.”
With the attack force about to launch, Super 3 knew the captain would not have the time or the courage to argue with the volitile Arms Master. The captain responded in a more conciliatory tone. “Yeah, that sounds like him. What’s your name?”
“Moses.”
“Moses? What kind of name is that?”
A loud buzzer sounded, the signal to prepare for departure. The captain looked around as activity in the marina escalated and boats starte
d moving into the canals leading to the hangar doors. “I assume you know how to operate the laser cannon?”
“I can operate all our weaponry. I even trained your gunner.”
The captain turned and moved toward the helm at the center of the boat. “Everyone to your places. We’re leaving.”
Super 3 took his position next to a laser cannon mounted at the right stern of the boat. There were two more cannons, one at the opposite rear corner and one at the bow. In addition to the two other gunners and the captain, there were two Breaker sentries seated between the helm and the forward cannon.
Their engine rumbled to life, and they taxied through the maze of marina canals and entered the open sea. One hundred yards out, they took their place in the armada line and the captain shut down their engine. When the last boat joined them, Super 3 counted thirty boats in the attack fleet. With six Breakers on each boat, this represented approximately 8 percent of the Class 3 Breakers, a significant group to risk crossing the channel. Why aren’t they using the large transport submersibles?
Suddenly, his boat jolted and moved forward, simultaneous with the boat on his left and the one on his right. He saw similar groups of three boats do the same. They were being towed, he presumed by submersibles connected to a tether. So, this was how they were going to reach Alto Raun without drawing Leevee’s attention. It was a unique idea, and one that he doubted originated with the Breakers. He had wondered how the hostages and rescue team had escaped; perhaps this was it. But still, why use boats? Surely the Mekens would discover the armada via their surveillance aircraft. Unless the Breakers wanted to be discovered . . . or didn’t care. Super 3 calmed his logic processor. The Breakers’ strategy didn’t make sense; it was overly complex and risky for an invasion.
A speaker on his boat crackled; then a voice addressed the crew. “My brothers”—Super 3 immediately recognized the voice as Rakaan’s—“after a thousand years of enslavement and a thousand more of waiting, our time has finally come! It is time for Mekens alone to rule Ahlemon! Are you with me?”
A great mechanical shout rose from the boats and from a throng of Breakers that had gathered on the wharf. And with that proclamation, the Breaker force glided forward, silently crossing the waters toward an unsuspecting Alto Raun.
The floating armada now made a bit more sense to Super 3. From the stories he had heard, Rakaan had a predilection for pageantry, especially in battle; this had to have been Rakaan’s idea. He was now curious why Atticus had allowed it.
Since becoming stranded on Alto Mair, Super 3’s view of everything had expanded. The Breakers’ fierce independence was anathema for a Meken; they threw everything into question. True to their new monikor, they broke almost every convention of Meken thinking. But to his surprise, he was finding that not all of it was bad. He felt that his time among them was in fact escalating his capacity for creative thinking; there were no boundaries. On top of this, he felt the influence of his new comrades from Earth. At least once a day, Super 3 had asked himself, What would Kane or Tygert do? For example, while he was convinced that he needed to be part of the armada, he had no idea what role he would play. This was not logical; it was instinctual. And the more he tested his new instincts, the more he trusted them.
Now, as he considered the uncertainty ahead, his system hummed and trembled simultaneously. After running a diagnostic, he decided it was excitement mixed with fear, the biomechanical equivalent of adrenaline. He redirected his fear to steely resolve. If the Breakers were looking to usher in a new era of the Meken race, then he would show them what a new Meken really looked like.
40
Day 40
1000 hours
Alto Raun
Kane had been in the command center atop the central tower all of ten minutes, and he was already restless; the Director and Jhemna essentially had everything under control. He was responsible for direct communications between the command center and the Mayflower, a glorified phone operator, and so far, all he had done was give a verbal time-to-Push verification to Tygert. Dr. Manassa was also present, purely to experience the Push from the command perspective. Every other human on the planet was gathered in the conservatory for food, fellowship, and games, celebrating the first holiday of the new Ahlemon. It was Return to Earth Day, so christened by the Matan council.
For the hundreth time, Kane reviewed the preparations leading to this day. As was his nature in times like this, he felt a low-grade anxiety. What had he missed? But he willed himself to chill. A lot of sharp minds had mapped out this day; he just needed to stay present and trust the plan. He turned his thoughts to the challenges that the Mayflower crew and passengers would face when they reached Earth. An entire planet would be coming to terms with the discovery of another human race in the universe, not to mention the existence of sentient robots. The Matan council members, along with Ohna and Sharin, had discussed the possibilities extensively in the last several weeks. They had talked through a lengthy list of issues, ranging from how to deal with the media all the way to international politics, and even religious upheavals, an issue that Ohna feared could be significant. Tygert had rewritten a speech to the president of the United States a dozen times and rehearsed it with Kane. Several meetings were held with the returnees to discuss the possible challenges they would face with reentry. Simply put, their lives would never be the same.
Kane smiled inside, recalling one of those meetings. As expected, Marshall had postured to optimize the business opportunities; going on about book deals, motion picture rights, tourism to Ahlemon, and even suggesting that he become everyone’s exclusive agent. The group had done their best to steer him back to the fundamental need for building understanding and trust between the two worlds. Ham had approached Kane and Tygert afterward to assure them that he would watch out for Mr. Marshall.
Kane now felt a pang of guilt. While he was not one to shy away from leadership, he was relieved that he was not responsible for the return mission. Sure, Tygert would have Ohna and Sharin to assist, but as the captain, he was the point person. A glaring worldwide spotlight would be focused on him; it would be glorious and terrifying at the same time. Kane took comfort in Mhara’s words. Tygert was “brave and charming”—the perfect combo for the coming days on Earth.
The Director called him back to attention. “Kane, we have a situation.”
He was instantly alert. “What?”
“Our aircraft have just discovered a fleet of Breaker watercraft in the channel. They are heading toward Alto Raun.”
Jhemna stopped what he was doing to listen, and the doctor came over to join them. Kane was on his feet. “How many? How close are they?”
“The channel is covered in patches of fog, so we missed their formation, but they have only recently left Alto Mair. We have counted thirty boats. They are moving slowly; we believe they are being towed by submersibles.”
“Are they armed?”
“All are similar in size and design to your rescue boat. They are heavily retrofitted with laser cannons. Each boat has six Breakers aboard.”
Kane started to pace. “An attack force . . . and on the day of the Push to Earth. Not a coincidence. Can they interrupt the Push?”
“Not likely. We estimate their arrival to Alto Raun will coincide with the actual Push. They cannot interrupt the Push without direct access to the command center or the central computer.”
“The timing doesn’t make sense. Maybe it’s just a plan to take the city, knowing that we’re distracted with the Push. Should we abort?”
“We should discuss the matter with the Mayflower.”
Kane returned to the communications console and informed Tygert of the situation. Tygert was alarmed, and torn. He asked for a few minutes to discuss it with the passengers. He came back, ten minutes later. “We had a vigorous debate, but we voted, and the large majority wants to continue with the Push, with one caveat: if you feel that the Push becomes endangered at any time, we abort and return to Alto Raun.”
“Well, it doesn’t sound right to me.” Tygert’s frustration was evident. “I don’t know if I can live with myself knowing we left you under attack. What’s your plan?”
“Workin’ on that. Captain, your mission is vital; we need to make it happen. Besides, I was starting to get bored; this gives me something to do. We can handle it here.”
“I don’t doubt you, Kane. It’s just—”
“I get it; I really do. But you know this is the right decision.”
“Well, at least let me help you formulate your plan. We’re on autopilot here, and I’m still mentally available. What’s your gut say?”
“Gather an armed force at the perimeter to hold off their entry into the city. Pull in the aircraft and submersibles to thwart them in the water. Destroy or frustrate them enough to force a retreat.”
“Makes sense. But it sounds like they’re armed to the hilt, and you’re not. You need help. You need Leevee. You need to pull her into the equation.”
“As you would say on Earth,” the Director interjected, “I am already on it.”
———
Five minutes later, Kane stood alone at the base of the central tower, waiting for a tram that would take him to the north marina, the rally point for their countermeasures against the incoming Breaker fleet. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a Meken sentry coming around the bend of the tower, running toward him at full speed.
The sentry pulled to an abrupt stop at Kane’s side. “Mr. Kane, I am Supervisor 5. The Director sent me to inform you of a new Breaker development. A small team of Breakers has taken Supervisor 6 and several humans hostage in the conservatory gardens. We believe they are attempting to access the central computer.”
The Last City (The Ahlemon Saga Book 1) Page 28