THE VROL TRILOGY

by SK Benton

  "How did this happen? It can't be possible! They were at least two years away!" cried Jennie.

  "No idea, baby, but we have to launch the fleet now."

  "Admiral, how many Juggernauts do we have in space?" Max asked over the comm.

  "All present and accounted for, Captain. Get your ass to the Reagan and go to Vera, immediately. Attack anything you can get on your scanners. The Constellation and the George Washington are remaining in Azul space in case those bastards get past us."

  Come on, Jen. We're going to our ship. Mom, keep Liliana here with you. Pops, are you coming along? We could use your help."

  Draagh's face lit up as he slipped them directly to the bridge of the ADF Ronald Reagan.

  Azul System Space

  Crews were scrambling like mad as Captain Max Gunnarsson took the command chair on the second-newest ship in the Azul fleet. On his port screen Max could see the Revolution, pulling forward on fusion-ion drives. If what he believed was true, they were at an extreme disadvantage, being without side space capabilities. However, he, his grandfather, his father and his uncle could move around - much faster than a ship with a hook drive.

  "Dad, I'm sure you heard. We're being attacked. The Vrol have breached Azul System space. I believe it's time for some fun."

  "I am already at your side, my son," said Michael, who had suddenly appeared to Max's right, dressed in standard military fatigues and causing a few crewmembers to jump back, startled.

  Max yelled, "New technology, people. Get back to work." Then addressing his father, he said, "We need to locate the ships that keep popping in and out of side space. In the meantime, G and I are going after the ships around Vera. Can you see what you can do?"

  "Certainly, Max. My brother and I shall get right to work."

  Michael disappeared from sight, causing an equivalent reaction from most of the same crewmembers that had seen him arrive.

  "Sir, what was that?" asked a female ensign.

  "That… was my father, Ensign. Get to your station. We're going to Vera."

  ###

  "Vrol are victorious. Now Vrol feed. We hunger."

  "Sharga, what happened? I don't understand?"

  "We transported our fleet to the system of the man. Now we feed."

  "But… how? How did you do it?"

  "We are Vrol. The craft that you provided was integrated into our collective."

  "Oh my god. My little ship brought the entire Vrol fleet to Azul?"

  "Not all. We maintain 33% of our numbers. The remaining Vrol shed off on entering the void and are lost to us. This matters not. We now feed."

  What have I done?

  ###

  "Captain, we will be in striking reach of Vera within six hours," said Lt. Hofferson, the Reagan's pilot.

  "Very well. I want all Draeders fueled and ready to depart once we are within 300,000 kilometers. Do your calculations.

  "Admiral, we have you on our scanner. We're an hour behind. What are your orders?" said Max over the comm.

  "Bring the Reagan around Vera's dark side. That is if you aren't attacked upon arrival. I'm sending out Draeders and some heavy-weapon attack craft as escorts as soon as we arrive. God, I hope we're not outclassed. We're certain to be outnumbered."

  "Unless the Vrol improved their firepower, I think we'll be okay in space. Remember, we exhaustively studied vids of their invasion of Earth, and the Earthers fought them off pretty well, even with their primitive tech."

  "No worries there. The Revolution has some new deep scanning equipment, and I have a map I want you to see. We can go over it on the comm if you like. I'll send it to your personal console."

  "Where are you?"

  "In my quarters, why? Oh… hello."

  Max had easily slipped to Bagatelle's quarters, without bothering to ask if his brother-in-law was decent.

  "Oh crap, sorry, G," he laughed, looking away from his naked commanding officer.

  "You could have asked if I was dressed, you know," Bagatelle mused, not really being bothered in the least. He quickly put on his undergarments and touched a panel of lit icons on his desk, causing a glowing map to appear, while buttoning up his uniform of the day.

  "This is our deep space scan as of 23 minutes ago. All of these red dots represent an alien craft. Vera aerial forces are already combatting the Vrol, and I am pleased to say they aren't as hard to destroy as we had feared."

  "So, no antimatter missiles yet?"

  "Oh no, just ordinary ordinance. In fact, their craft are rather brittle."

  "But there are thousands of them," said Max.

  "Yes. 23,000, in fact. Well, 22,735 as of now."

  "Those are paltry numbers. We need bigger gains G, and quickly. Wait - look at that grouping. The dots are disappearing quickly. I wonder what's happening."

  Max and Bagatelle watched in amazement as large clusters of red dots were blinking off. The odd thing was that there were no green dots, representing Draeders, in the vicinity.

  ###

  The two most powerful archangels in the Universe streaked through space, wings extended and being used to more effectively tear up Vrol techno-organic matter as they plowed through individual ships. They were decimating aliens on a rate ten times faster than the Azulian Draeders.

  "Gabriel, I wish Max were here with us. He would so enjoy this. In fact, I do not believe I ever taught him we could do this."

  "Did you not take him into space? I thought you would have at least showed him this base skill."

  "I had planned on doing so, but the arrival of the insects was unseen by any of us. Look - a larger craft. Let us attack it together. Alone, one of us would only make a significant hole in its hull."

  Gabriel nodded and followed his older brother, reveling in their wanton destruction of the parasitic species.

  The two rammed into the side of the craft, roughly the size of a football stadium, each peeling off from the other as they shredded Vrol tech into microscopic detritus. Exiting opposite sides of the craft, they split it into two, and turned back, they went through it yet again, this time leaving a massive explosion in their wake. Targeting another group of craft that were nearing Vera's atmosphere, they were both pleasantly surprised to see their father whiz past them, taking out multiple ships with a combination of brute force and thermonuclear cantuses.

  "Father is such a show-off, but what he does is logical. We need to clean this up and save as many human lives as possible," said Gabriel.

  "Agreed. No Vrol touch down. He who destroys the least buys the drinks."

  Mija-El, the Taxiarch, slipped over to a large cluster of Vrol craft and situated himself in its center. Determining his position would inflict maximum damage, he enveloped himself within his folded wings as a form of protection.

  It looked like an antimatter bomb had gone off, and 5,000 alien craft were obliterated in a microsecond.

  The reckless archangel floated in space, near unconsciousness. Gabriel was quickly at his side, touching his brother and causing healing particles to flow through the Primulus' body and reviving him.

  "Brother, what you did was risky. Are you that much of a cheapskate? I shall buy drinks tonight. Worry not," said Gabriel as he pulled Michael to another grouping of alien ships.

  "Gabriel, we don’t pay for drinks… dork," laughed Michael, "but thank you. I believe I did overextend myself."

  "Let us allow Father to concoct such wanton destruction. I was rather enjoying attacking the larger craft with you. Are you now well?"

  "Yes. However, it appears some bugs have made it to the moon's surface. We shall need a new bet."

  The brothers slammed onto the firm ground, shaking the soil with the intensity of a magnitude 7.0 earthquake, and nearly knocking nearby Vera troops off their feet. Gabriel drew his dual swords, which resembled scimitars, and started to hack and slash his way through the attacking horde. Michael, on the other hand, drew two khukuri knives (which were made for close-quarters combat), and consistently charged bug
s, flipping over them and piercing their upper spinal columns before his feet touched the ground. It was like watching an Olympic gymnast perform endless front flips while leaving trails of green ochre in his wake. Bugs dropped to the ground where they stood, permanently disconnected from the hive mind, and quickly dying in the process.

  Hearing a commotion, Gabriel turned around and saw King Krynos running through a mob of bugs, knocking them over like bowling pins, his katana flailing around and decapitating anything that got close. He bellowed out in joy, reveling in the wanton bloodshed. It was what he lived for - to do battle with worthy foes, and he found these strange insects to be worthy of his wrath. His leathers were starting to shred from alien blades and weapons fire, but nothing stopped him.

  "Father, it appears Krynos is having a lovely time. Did you bring him?" asked Gabriel.

  "No, my boy. He came through his office portal to the underground base and emerged like a cyclone. Is he not enjoying himself? Once we have dispatched these vile creatures I am certain he shall throw quite the party back home."

  "Have at ye, O denizens of Hölle! Feel the sweet caress of my tasty blade and know the nothingness of eternal death!" yelled Krynos, as he carved a slaughterous path in his wake, disconnected alien skulls flying through the air as he did so. Only one with strength such as Krynos' would be able to effectively decapitate the alien invaders so easily. And even though Michael and Gabriel possessed such power, they chose to use more eloquent methods of killing their foes. Still, the brothers momentarily stopped and watched the lycan king, amused with his battle skills.

  "Wow. Remind me to buy him a beer," Michael laughed out loud.

  "Not if I buy it first," mused his brother. "Tell me, I have not seen those knives in many years. Are they truly that effective?"

  Michael twirled his kukhuris around, one per hand. They were weapons capable of dealing a massive amount of damage in close-quarters combat, each weighing nearly a kilogram. They were, for lack of a better description, short chopping swords, and Michael provided a quick demonstration of their effectiveness. Turning, he slipped ten meters over to a centipede and bifurcated it along its length, splitting it into two parts, which perversely flopped on the ground, spewing green ochre over anything nearby.

  Krynos grabbed two bugs and slammed their skulls together; overriding any shielded protection they had from the Brood Carrier, and pulled the bodies apart, with the smashed skulls sticking together slightly.

  "Now that's gross," laughed Michael, as he went back to his routine of jump-flipping and disconnecting spinal columns from brains.

  Within two hours the brothers, along with their Azulian allies, had virtually eliminated the Vrol ground troops, just in time for the Revolution and the Reagan to arrive and address the Vrol spacecraft in orbit around the moon. Dozens upon dozens of Draeders had already left the docking bays of their respective battle cruisers and were directly engaging with the Vrol craft, which turned out to be frail in comparison. Human technology had advanced significantly since the days of the Exodus, and the Draeder pilots had little difficulty eliminating their foes.

  "Admiral, it appears the Vrol craft aren't protected by the same shields that the ground troops enjoy," Max said over the comm.

  "Perhaps it is because that infernal Brood Carrier is no longer in the area," responded Bagatelle.

  "Gentlemen, once the Brood Carrier departed the shields were no longer available to the ground troops. There must be a distance limitation to its effectiveness," informed Gabriel. "We suddenly found it quite easy to dispatch the vile creatures. Our work is done here. I would like to board the Revolution, with Michael, assisting Max on his ship."

  "Come on over, Gabe," said Bagatelle. "Always nice to have a god of the universe on the bridge."

  "We are not gods, G, you know that," added Michael.

  "Close enough."

  "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades," joked Max.

  "And antimatter bombs," said Bagatelle.

  "Which we can't use while there are any friendly forces nearby. My dad just showed up, and we're going around the far side to perform clean up. Then I assume we're going Brood hunting?"

  "Correct, Max. Where is Draagh?" asked Bagatelle.

  "I am near the base, my sons. A couple of these so-called centipedes managed to find the entrance to the underground base, and I was able to eliminate them before they could do any harm. I am off to search for their main craft yet again"

  "Commander, please take us to the far side of Vera, full ion-fusion drive," Max directed his lovely wife, who had taken over pilot duties of the massive craft. Jennie was an experienced pilot, but the Reagan practically flew itself, so her task was effortless. In a matter of minutes, the Reagan was cruising in orbit over the arid moon, scanning for signs of enemy craft. Finding none, they moved out of orbit and headed straight back for Azul, which had just started to experience the second part of the Vrol invasion.

  "It appears our foes are engaging in a game of hide and seek. They are popping in and out of side space, and dropping off masses of space vessels, which are then getting into atmosphere and releasing their flying caste," said Draagh.

  "Oh crap, we won't be there for hours. We have three of battle cruisers in orbit, but they'll need our help. I swear, when I get my hands on Johnson, if he's even still alive, I'm gonna wring his neck," said Max

  Michael looked at his son with a mild grin, saying, "Max, while you may not avail yourselves of your invention, I believe that Gabriel, Father and I might be able to hasten your arrival at your planet."

  "How's that, Dad?"

  "Gabriel, Father, please join me on the bridge of the Max's ship. What I plan shall require our combined might."

  "Oh crap, what are you gonna do?"

  The Reagan was on full red alert, sirens blaring, as all Draeders were docking, except for a contingency of two dozen, which were to remain in orbit and fight off any errant Vrol ships. No one on the massive battle cruiser knew what was going to happen, aside from Max and Jennie, and even they had no idea how it would happen.

  Outside the hull and on the top of the ship stood Draagh, Michael and Gabriel, holding together the vessels that contained their ghanlos. They had never before attempted what they were about to do, but knew it was possible. Still, they would be severely taxed after transporting an entire battle cruiser through space.

  If anyone were outside the ship the brilliance created by the combined ghanlos would have easily blinded them. The light was akin to a small sun, which slowly grew until it encompassed the entire craft. Then, without a sound, the Reagan disappeared out of Vera space and suddenly appeared in orbit around Azul. The three Prīmulī slipped into the bridge of the Reagan, each looking a bit pale, which caused Max some concern.

  "Hey, are you guys okay? Hell, I remember pops almost passing out after taking us to the Rhönen for the first time," said Max.

  "We shall be fine, my boy. What happened so many months ago was completely unexpected, the headless Ryder Johnson's craft entering into my sphere of influence without warning. We planned this sojourn, so we were well prepared," Draagh informed his grandson. "However, we should want to rest and nourish ourselves. We shall be back shortly."

  "Okay, sounds good."

  "I do have a question."

  "What’s that, Pops?"

  "Where is the commissary?"

  "The officers' mess is through that port-side door and to the stern," said Jennie, pointing to the left.

  The three Prīmulī then surprisingly walked through the door and left the crew on the bridge. Numerous junior officers were looking out at what they shouldn't have been able to see - Azul. They knew it would have taken many long hours to get home, but there they were, their shiny blue planet plainly visible in the forward view screen.

  "Captain, how are we in Azul orbit? Did you manage to get the hook working?" asked one of the ensigns at a surveillance panel.

  "Um, no, Ensign. It's a… umm, a new short-range techno
logy," Max uneasily stated.

  Chapter 30 - Panic

  Gadreel and Samyaza stood in a small room where Len Johnson was attached to the Brood Carrier, numerous organic, tube-like devices connected to the despot, resembling an alien life-support system.

  "This is most vile, Brother. Why are we on this putrid vessel?" Gadreel asked his older sibling.

  "We merely assist in the destruction of the monkeys. I believe they shall need our help getting their troops to the planet's surface."

  "And what of this craft's shield transmission? It does not function when out of range, and certainly not when in the void."

  "I have developed a cantus that sends their perverse signal through the Hub, at a risk, I must say. If our infernal uncle decides to, he could trace the signal and thus find our location."

  "Do you think he will attempt to do so?"

  "There would be no reason for him to. Also, I have created a number of devices that appear to be transmitting the shield - decoys, if you will. That should keep them busy while we go about our tasks."

  Gadreel nodded and grew a smirk. "Then I believe it is time to bestow the gift of death to the monkeys. Shall we begin?"

  The brothers slipped into a massive chamber, the size of a small city, which was filled to capacity with ground bugs, centipedes and flyers. Unable to slip the entire army at once, they started to port small groups to the most populated areas of Azul's major cities - New Sydney, Buenos Aires and Bern.