Stars & Empire: 10 Galactic Tales

by Jay Allan

  Bracing themselves, they went back outside and through the main gate. Captain Stevens and Lieutenant Griffith trudged through the deep snow toward tent city. Over the months, more permanent barrack style buildings had been added, and most of the smaller tents had been done away with. The temperature was now slightly below zero with blowing snow, which had become quite common. As usual, visibility was limited, and they had to use the guide ropes to make it to the first of the two designated locations. The first was a small barracks building that families lived in. Opening a heavy door, they stepped into a small room where they could hang their parkas.

  “Damn, it’s even cold in here?” Lieutenant Griffith complained as he pulled off his heavy parka and hung it up on one of the hooks.

  Mark nodded as he hung his own up and they both went over to the other door. Opening it, they stepped quickly through so as not to let too much of the warm air escape. Heat was everything now in the survival camps. Looking across the small barrack-like room, he could see a number of curious faces turn toward him. Most of the people were sitting or lying on their bunks, reading or talking. A few were sitting at tables placed down the center aisle, playing various card or board games. In all, there were about forty people in the room.

  One of the men stood up from where he had been sitting at a table and approached Mark. “What do you want?” he asked in a tired voice. Most of the people in the room had been in tent city for ten months or more waiting for their turn to go up to one of the new habitats being built on the Moon or Vesta.

  “We’re looking for a family called the Nelsons,” answered Mark, evenly. There had been very little trouble in the camp over the last several months, particularly since the barracks had been completed. There were still some people living in large tents furnished by the military, but at least those were heated.

  “Jonathan!” the man called out, yelling at an older man sitting on a nearby bunk next to a woman of the same age and a younger man who looked to be in his early twenties or late teens. “The captain wants to speak with you.”

  The man looked up with surprise and standing up walked over to Captain Stevens. “I’m Jonathan Nelson,” the man said nervously. “What can I do for you?”

  “Your family has been selected to go to Vesta immediately,” Mark replied. “Congratulations.”

  “Why us?” asked Jonathan, feeling confused, his eyes growing wide. He knew neither he nor his wife had any special skills that could be of use on Vesta. He was an accountant and his wife had been a loan officer in a bank.

  “Did you have a son or daughter that was abducted by the aliens?” Lieutenant Griffith asked.

  “Yes, they took my son,” replied Jonathan, sadly. “He was a lieutenant in the marines.”

  Mark smiled. That explained why this family had been moved to the front of the list. “A few days ago some alien ships showed up in our solar system, bringing with them some of our lost military personnel. They escaped from the Kleese, who are the ones that ordered the abducting. I believe your son is one of those that made it back.”

  “Wade is alive?” Jonathan spoke, his eyes lighting up with hope.

  “It seems that away,” Mark replied with a nod of his head. “If you’ll gather your belongings, I’ll have a jeep come by and pick you and your family up in about two hours.”

  “Thank you,” Jonathan said, reaching out and shaking Mark’s hand. “My wife has been having a hard time dealing with Wade’s abduction; you have no idea how much this means to us.”

  Mark nodded; it felt good to be able to deliver some good news for once. Turning back to Lieutenant Griffith, “Now we need to find Janice Williams.”

  -o0o—

  In the Jornada Operations Center, Lawrence Henderson, Marsha Trask, and General Wainright were having a meeting in one of the small conference rooms. They were discussing the appearance of the new aliens and what it might mean to the scattered survival centers spread across the planet.

  “The food situation is still a big concern,” Marsha informed them as she read the latest reports. They had been using orbiting satellites and Holbrook Station to communicate with other survival centers. “Even with the new packaged food rations we’re getting from Vesta we barely have enough to feed everyone two meals a day. There’s been some grumbling, but so far nothing has come of it.”

  “We still have plenty of baked bread from the stores of flour we’ve been able to round up,” General Wainright mentioned. The cooks at the two military bases nearby had their ovens going around the clock to keep up with the demand. He knew it was the same at the other camps. “However, in another few months we’ll even run out of that.”

  “Mason says these new aliens will be able to greatly speed up the construction of new habitats as well as growing food,” responded Lawrence, leaning back and folding his arms across his chest. “Even so, it’s going to be several years before we can get everyone off the Earth.”

  “I don’t know if we can survive on the surface that long,” General Wainright commented with concern in his voice. “Power is going to be a big problem soon. Some of the survival centers are relying on diesel and gasoline to run their generators, and that fuel isn’t going to last forever.”

  “These Kiveans have promised to allow us to use some of their ships to expedite getting people off the planet,” added Lawrence, thinking about what they needed to do. “I just wish we had someplace safe to send them.”

  “I spoke to General Stockton earlier today,” spoke Wainright. “He says the temperature fell last night to nearly twenty below at his camp.”

  “The volcanoes are still erupting, though I understand that Yellowstone has calmed down considerably,” Marsha said. “We are still recording earth tremors every day. The weather isn’t going to get any better for quite some time.”

  “This winter is going to last for decades,” added Lawrence, shaking his head. “I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to return to the Earth. With what the Kleese did to our planet, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes are going to be the norm for centuries to come, I’m afraid.”

  “Then we move out into the solar system,” Wainright said evenly, accepting the fact that the Earth would no longer be the Human race’s home. “The Moon, Mars, and the asteroids will become the new Earths.”

  Lawrence nodded in agreement his eyes focusing on the general, “I believe you’re right. It may only be our distant ancestors that get to return to Earth someday. I don’t believe it’ll happen in our lifetimes.”

  “Strange to think that no one will be living on the planet,” Marsha murmured in a quiet voice. “Even so, there are a lot of records and pieces of history we will need to think about retrieving some day. I suspect there will always be a few scavenging missions occurring on the Earth somewhere; it won’t be abandoned completely.”

  -o0o-

  Outside the Operations Center, the snow continued to fall. Personnel in large snowplows were working nonstop to keep the blowing snow from drifting across the three runways. Due to poor visibility and stiff upper winds all shuttle launches had been canceled for the day, and the valuable shuttles had been placed in their hangers to await the time they could be safely launched.

  In the barracks and the large tents, hundreds of thousands of people huddled around heaters. In the barracks, the heat was better circulated but people still wore light jackets to help stay warm. In the large, enclosed tents, people felt the chilling temperature as it penetrated the fabric walls. They wore heavier coats and took turns going to stand next to the heaters. Many were coughing, and doctors and nurses were now making regular rounds to all the barracks and particularly the tents, passing out cold and flu medicines.

  Around the world, it was the same in all of the survival centers. Even in Australia, where another large survival camp was located, the temperature was hovering near zero. They had less snow than other camps and were anxiously waiting for the day when it would be their turn to be taken to the new habitats being built on the Moon, Mars, a
nd Vesta. Many were on the verge of giving up hope.

  All around the world, the major cities were dark. In New York, Chicago, Paris, London, Berlin, Stockholm, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Moscow, and Peking there was no movement and no lights. Around the Ring of Fire in the Pacific, volcanoes were still erupting, and the fault lines were still generating earthquakes. Daily, large tidal waves struck the shores of every country that bordered the large ocean. Even the Atlantic had its own problems as underwater volcanoes and fault lines continued to cause devastation.

  There were no longer any known survivors outside of the survival camps. Food had become non-existent, and sources of fuel for portable generators had long been used up. Forests were dead, as well as all the multitudes of wildlife that had once existed on the surface of the planet. Only in the deepest parts of the ocean did life still hang on.

  -o0o-

  Mason was at his sisters. She had invited him over to spend some time with the kids and Michael. He strongly suspected she wanted to ask him about the Kiveans; everyone was curious about the new aliens that had suddenly put in an appearance. Susan had also invited his secretary, Adrienne, over as well. Mason wondered if his sister was trying to set him up with his gorgeous assistant.

  “How’s progress going on the Armageddon?” Mason asked as he sat down on the sofa across from Michael. Susan and Adrienne were busy in the kitchen cooking supper and the two kids were out back playing.

  “Those Kivean engineers really know what they’re doing,” replied Michael, allowing himself to relax in his large, oversized recliner. “They’re all over the ship tearing out systems and replacing them with their more advanced ones. I was in engineering earlier today, and they were installing a new fusion reactor. One of them told me that when they were finished it would be capable of generating four times the power than what our original nuclear plant had been capable of.”

  “That’s good,” responded Mason, knowing they would need the added power for the new weapons and energy shield the Armageddon was being equipped with. Then, leaning forward, he asked the question he was really curious about. “What about this new Space Fold star drive of theirs?”

  “It’s amazing,” answered Michel, his eyes lighting up. “It warps space, making the distance between two points less. The more power that is applied increases the warping effect, allowing the ship to travel even faster. From what I understand, our own scientists had experimented some with this but could never create a working model.”

  “We can finally travel to the stars,” Mason said with a sigh, knowing that now when they finally could it was not safe to do so.

  His dreams of someday exploring other stars had been crushed with the appearance of the Kleese. Now, after what the Human military escapees and the Kiveans had told him, he knew the galaxy for the most part was a very dangerous place.

  “How soon before the modifications are done with the Armageddon? I want to get the Phoenix in as soon as possible so we can start on her.”

  “Four more weeks and all of the modifications will be finished. The Kiveans will have their two assault ships finished in a couple of more days, then they will bring in two more. They want to add the new particle beam weapons to all of their ships.”‘

  “I spoke to the Kivean Marken this morning,” Mason said as he recalled that informative conversation. “They have already begun drilling out a new habitat for their race in a nearby asteroid. Their plan is for a habitat ten miles across, which should be adequate for their people. Marken believes they can have the full habitat done in less than twelve weeks.”

  “Are they going to put weapons on the asteroid?” Michael asked, not sure if he felt comfortable with an alien race having a military presence so close to Vesta.

  “Yes,” Mason replied. This had been a concern until he had spoken to Marken. “They’re going to be installing railgun and pulse fusion beams for protection as well as a number of particle beam cannons. They have requested that we furnish some military personnel to operate the weapons systems, as well as a few squads of marines in battle suits for a security force.”

  “These Kiveans really don’t like fighting, do they?” Michael said in surprise. “It sounds like they’re going to be depending on us to protect them.”

  “The Kiveans are willing to fight,” Mason replied. “They’re just not very good at it because they don’t have the aggressive tendencies that we do.”

  “So they furnish the technology, and we furnish the military,” Michael said after a moment.

  “Yes, I spoke to General Mitchell, and he has suggested that we allow a number of the military people that escaped with the Kiveans to handle their defense. He has suggested setting up a small military base upon the asteroid to ensure the Kiveans stay safe. Their technology and knowledge are going to play a key role in our future.”

  “I guess I can live with that,” responded Michael, taking a deep breath. “I’ve seen those battle suits they were using; it’s astonishing what they’re capable of.”

  “Yes, Lieutenant Jeffries demonstrated one for us as well,” added Mason, recalling how amazed he had been at the suit’s capabilities. It was like watching a one man army.

  “Supper’s ready,” announced Susan, stepping into the room with a pleased smile. For once, she had everyone here at the same time. “Go wash up, and Michael, go yell at the kids. It’s about time we all sat down and had a meal together.”

  After washing, Mason went into the dining room where Adrienne was busy putting the food on the table. “Hello, Adrienne,” Mason said in a pleasant voice. He noticed that she had her blonde hair tied back and was wearing a knee length skirt. Her legs looked really nice.

  “Hi,” she replied with a friendly smile. “I’m glad your sister invited me over to eat. It’s been a while since I had a home cooked meal. Most of the time I just fix something simple for myself.”

  “Susan’s a great cook,” Michael responded as the two kids burst into the room. The two girls, Candace and Karen, were eight and ten years old and normally just full of questions. They quieted down somewhat when they saw Adrienne.

  “Is she your date, Uncle Mason?” Karen asked curiously as she sat down at the table and looked at him, expecting an answer.

  Adrienne laughed and her face flushed slightly at seeing the sudden uncomfortable look upon Mason’s face. “We’re just good friends,” she explained with a smile.

  It was at that moment that Michael came in and noticed the flushed look on Adrienne’s face. “The girl’s aren’t misbehaving, are they?” asked Michael, suspecting that they probably were. He knew how his girls could be at times.

  “No, they’re just fine,” replied Adrienne. She had always enjoyed being around kids and hoped to have several of her own someday.

  Susan came in carrying a bowl full of hot rolls and set them down in the middle of the table. “Let’s eat,” she said, sitting down in her chair.

  “When are we going to get to see one of the aliens?” Candace asked her eyes wide with curiosity. “Do they look like the monsters in the movies about space aliens?”

  “No,” replied Mason, chuckling. “They look almost like we do. Some of them will be visiting Smithfield in the next few days, so you might get to see one.”

  “Are they mean?” asked Karen, worriedly. “The ones that came the first time were.”

  “No,” replied Mason, shaking his head as he reached for a roll and a knife to butter it with. “These are very friendly.”

  “I met Harnett today,” Adrienne commented as she took a bite of her salad. “She seems quite polite and was telling me about their advanced medical practices. She’s going to meet with some of our medical staff and explain what the Kiveans have to offer as far as medical technology goes.”

  “I think our doctors are going to be fascinated by the Kivean’s nanite technology,” commented Mason, knowing how valuable it could be. “Harnett is Marken’s life mate.”

  “Life mate?” repeated Susan, looking confused. “What does th
at mean?”

  “It’s the same as being husband and wife,” Mason explained as he took a bite of his roll. There was definitely nothing better than home cooking, and Susan was a great cook.

  The conversation at the supper table continued, with numerous questions being asked about the Kiveans. The kids finished eating quickly and asked to be excused to go back outside and play with several of their friends. Once they were gone, the look on Susan’s face became more serious.

  “How soon before these Kleese come back?” she asked, putting her fork down.

  “We don’t know,” responded Mason, looking over at Michael. “The Kiveans erased all traces of Earth from the Kleese’s records, but they still have a general idea of our location from their initial survey mission. Marken thinks three to six months and they’ll manage to find us again.”

  “What then?” asked Susan, worriedly. “Surely we can’t stop one of their big disk ships. What if they come to Vesta?”

  “We will be ready for them this time,” Michael assured her, reaching out and taking her hand. “We’ll have the Kivean ships as well as the Phoenix and the Armageddon. With the new weapons and defenses the Kiveans are giving us, it won’t be like the last time.”

  “I hope not,” replied Susan, giving Michael’s hand a gentle squeeze.

  “By the time the Kleese return we will even have Vesta more heavily armed,” Mason added. “With the new particle cannons the Kiveans are giving us, the Kleese won’t dare come anywhere near us.”

  Susan nodded, but she was not feeling near as confident as the two men were. It sounded to her like they were going to war!

  -

  Later, Mason walked Adrienne back to her home. She lived in a small apartment building on the outskirts of Smithfield.

  “Your sister seems very concerned about the Kleese returning,” Adrienne commented.

  “I can’t blame her,” Mason replied with a sigh. He had been pleasantly surprised at how much he had enjoyed Adrienne’s company. “She worries about Michael and the kids.”