by Saxon Andrew
“Cleve, what do you think that Commander is thinking?”
“Sir, he has no way of knowing we’re out of Tridents. Now that he’s seen we can kill his ships with one missile followed by beams, I suspect he’s getting very nervous.”
“Sir, the invader troops on the surface are lifting and moving out to their ships.”
Blake smiled, “Continue the attack. I want them to be forced to start weaving all of their warships to stop them from firing on the planet.”
• • •
Nova felt hundreds of beams hitting him and the pain was incredible. He glanced to his left and saw the burning remains of Jinks and Grumble. He and Jerky had four spiders on each of them but he knew he couldn’t last much longer. He saw the storm of beams coming out of the sky and suddenly had a thought, “Jacks.”
“I’m busy, Nova!”
“Jerky and I are going to activate our reflective hides in a moment.”
“You’re what?”
“We originally thought our hides would only reflect energy that hit it back at the source.”
“So?”
“We’ve never used that ability. I’m close to dying and I want to see if it will have any effect on those ships.” Jacks remained silent and Nova said through gritted teeth, “Jerky, go to your reflective hide when I say, ‘Now’.” Nova flinched as another volley of beams hit him and then yelled, “NOW!”
The two Dragon’s skins turned dark green and a massive beam suddenly shot off them toward the atmosphere. The incoming beams continued but the beams reflecting off them were huge in comparison. Jacks and the other Spiders scrambled off the Dragon’s backs and looked up at the sky where the huge beams were heading. Jacks bobbed and thought, “I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that.”
• • •
The Watcher saw the giant creatures on the surface were difficult to kill. Thousands of beams were hitting them and only two of the giants had fallen. He leaned back in his chair and suddenly saw a brilliant flash come up from the planet and blow through three of his warships. It was so hot it burned away the entire rear of one ship and blew a twenty-foot wide hole through the center of another. The beams began hitting his ships and he saw on his monitor they were coming from the creatures on the surface. He looked at his other monitor and saw the Red ships were starting to move back into formations to attack.
“Recall the carriers from the planet.”
“We are ordered to stay until they reveal the location of the planet that sent those Red Ships.”
“If you question one of my orders again, it will be your last act before you die.” The Group Watcher shook his head and said over his communicator, “All ships, move out of low orbit and commence weave formation.”
• • •
Blake saw the Invader Fleet move into high orbit and start weaving. He glanced at his panel and saw the carriers that delivered the Invaders to the surface of Hegoth were lifting off the planet and headed toward their fleet. He lifted his communicator, “I want every scout we have to follow these ships and determine where they came from.”
Blake looked at Cleve, “Have any other planets been attacked?”
“Six of their fleets have entered normal space but have not initiated attacks. I suspect they’re waiting to see what happens here.”
“Then they’ll probably be leaving. Order our scouts to follow them.”
“Yes Sir. Are you sure they’ll leave?”
Blake smiled and stared at the monitor. A few minutes later Aubrey said, “Sir, the other fleets have exited normal space.”
Cleve shook his head and Blake said, “What?”
“I would have thought they would combine those fleets and come here.”
Blake’s eyes narrowed and he picked up his communicator, “I want sub-fleets eight through twenty to jump to Hegoth now.” Cleve’s eyes narrowed and Blake shook his head, “I suspect you might be right. Those other fleets probably jumped to a location where they can reorganize. Our fleets should arrive before they do.”
• • •
The Group Watcher saw the troop carriers entering their ships and he looked at his Eye to see if the other fleets had arrived. “Watcher.”
“Are they here?”
“Our ships are not but more than two hundred thousand of the Red Ships have emerged into normal space.”
The Watcher’s eyes went wide and he whipped his head around to the monitor. The number of Red Ships was staggering and they were still arriving. He looked at his Seeker and said, “Order our ships to jump. Contact the other fleets and tell them to stay away.” The Seeker nodded and the Watcher turned back to the monitor. “You won this time. Next time, there’ll be a different ending.”
• • •
Blake watched the Invader Fleet and suddenly, it disappeared. Blake shook his head and lifted his communicator, “All ships, return to your assigned planets. We are now in a state of war and you will operate according to the regulations for that contingency.” Blake looked at Cleve and said, “I’m taking a scooter out to the Cruisers. You’re in command until I return.”
“Yes Sir.”
• • •
Nova, fighting the pain, had his eyes closed when the beams suddenly stopped hitting him. He opened his eyes and saw Jerky was still alive. Jacks fell down beside Nova, “I’m exhausted.”
Nova trembled and said, “We need to go into hiding.” Jacks nodded and the weary animals moved over to the blasted buildings, reduced their size, and went inside to recover from their ordeal. When Gronk arrived with the other members of the team, they found the Spiders and Dragon were sleeping and they could feel their pain. They reduced their sizes and hid in the burned out buildings and waited to see what they would be ordered to do next.
• • •
Cashion listened to his combat frequency and sat down on a burned vehicle. The invading ships had jumped away. He looked at his visor and saw his men were hiding in the buildings on the outer edge of the buildings. The giant blasts from the center of the city had stopped and he wondered if the creatures had survived. He clicked his communicator, “Fall in and take a knee.” He watched his platoon move out of the buildings and saw that he had lost only two of his troops. As he waited for his men to gather he began receiving communications from other cities on the planet. “Thank you for the information on the Dart Shooters. They’re the only thing that saved us.”
He thought all of Earth’s ground forces had been wiped out but it appeared many had managed to survive the Invader onslaught. He looked at his platoon and said, “Look around these buildings and see if you can find some provisions until we can go back to our base.”
“Sarge, I think there’s not much left of our base.”
“Why do you say that Lefty?”
“I saw a massive blast from that direction.”
“Then finding provisions is more important as a result; get moving.” His men scattered and Cashion looked at the Dart Shooter he had slung over his shoulder. He wondered how it penetrated the Invaders force field and armor. He knew he didn’t expect it to work but nothing else was stopping them. It must have something to do with the pulsating force field used by the enemy. He walked over to one of the invaders and examined the dead body. There was a tiny hole in the chest of the armor and there didn’t appear to be any other damage. He looked inside the Invader’s helmet and saw its head was punctured in multiple places. He rubbed his hand over the armor and felt many raised bumps all over it. Suddenly, it struck him; the dart had ricocheted inside the armor and torn the Invader’s body apart. He shook his head and hoped the company that created the dart shooter had not been destroyed during the invasion. This weapon was the only thing Earth had to hold them off. He looked up at the sky and wondered if this weapon would work against their warships. He decided that would have to be decided by greater minds than his.
• • •
Blake entered the Bridge of the Nemesis and looked at Grant, “Where is your mate?�
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“She’s listening to us on her ship.”
“How is she…” Blake paused and said, “She has a Spider with her.”
Grant nodded, “Telee’s sister to be exact.”
“Telee has proven to be invaluable to us.”
“We’re learning about all they can do as time passes, Admiral.”
“I’m curious as to why you didn’t assist us against the Invader’s Fleet?”
“We have less than a thousand warships, Admiral. At what point would you have to take them on without us? I decided that if it looked like you were in danger, we would intervene. However, I felt like you needed to learn everything possible in this first fight before the real war kicked off. Did you learn anything?”
“We’re out gunned.”
“Yes, but you killed more of their ships than you lost.”
“That’s only because they were forced to remain above the planet to defend the troops they dropped. If they were free to maneuver…”
“They would have wiped the floor with your fleet.”
“Exactly.” Blake paused, “One thing that bothers me is that they have scouts in subspace that we can’t see.”
“We’re bringing in some help to see if we can’t do something about that.”
“How are you going to remove them?”
“Telee’s Sisters can hear them and can move in on their ships. We’re going to take our scouts into subspace and I need you to spread your ships out and fire on them as we bump them into normal space.”
Blake nodded and said, “I’ll bring in additional ships when you’re ready to begin.” Blake paused, “Did you learn anything about them?”
“This was a very small incursion. This civilization had a huge number of warships and they intend to use them. The only thing holding them back is they have not learned Earth’s location. However, I don’t know how long they will wait before they start major attacks.”
“How do you feel about that?”
Grant shrugged, “I have mixed emotions.”
“It wouldn’t bother you to see Earth destroyed, would it?”
“Earth killed Avalon.”
“No, the leaders killed Avalon. Once the people of Earth learned about it they overthrew the government.”
Grant stared at Blake and said, “What are you going to do about the conquered planets?”
Blake stared into Grant’s eyes and after a moment said, “The new Prime Minister has ordered our forces to leave the planets we invaded. He’s recalling our troops and warships.”
Grant shook his head, “So you removed all of the conquered planet’s warships and arms and now you’re going to run away and leave them to the tender mercies of this new invader?” Blake remained silent and Grant said, “How is this any different than what you did to Avalon?”
“You’re right. This change in leadership has happened so suddenly that we’ve not had a chance to get our collective feet on the ground and decide what to do.”
Grant stared at Blake and heard in his mind, “Grant, this Admiral does not intend to leave them unprotected. You should withhold judgment until his leaders make a decision.”
Grant nodded and saw Blake heard Telah’s comment as well.
“Admiral, I’ll assist you with the Invader’s scouts after you determine your future plans.”
Blake blew out a slow breath and nodded. He left the bridge and went to his scooter. He left the Nemesis’ landing bay and pressed his communicator, “Aubrey, I need you to get whoever is the new Fleet Commander on my channel.”
“Sir, the new Commander is Channing Tatum.”
“No kidding. I thought he was dead.”
“It appears his death was highly overrated.”
Blake flew the scooter into the Triton’s landing bay and entered the tube to the bridge. He arrived and found Cleve waiting on him, “Sir, one of the non-coms on Hegoth found a weapon that penetrates the Invader’s ground forces’ armor.” Blake’s eyes narrowed, “Sir, it might hold a key to defeating their force fields.”
“Get that soldier on my ship and debrief him. Has Stockard replied?”
“Not yet, Sir.”
Blake went to his command chair and fell back. He fumed and waited.
• • •
Channing looked at Dennard and said, “Please tell me why I shouldn’t have you arrested and tried for treason?”
“Sir, if you were going to do that it would have already happened. Why don’t you quit wasting time and let me get to work bringing some kind of order out of this chaos.”
Channing stared at the former Admiral’s Executive Officer and saw he wasn’t intimidated. He had questioned every member of the Admiral Hall’s staff and a pattern quickly emerged. Those that were against the former Admiral had nothing but good things to say about Dennard. Those that were going to be tried had nothing good to say. But how could he be sure? He looked at Dennard and said, “Why did Admiral Hall keep you as his Executive Officer?”
“Because he was too incompetent to keep the fleets organized.”
Channing continued to stare at Dennard and said, “What would you do now?”
Dennard sighed heavily and shook his head, “You are also incompetent to be in your position. If you haven’t noticed, our forces have been attacked by an unknown aggressive civilization and they appear to have more powerful ships. You should have spoken with the Admiral on the scene of the attack and see what we’re up against. What have you done, Sir?”
Channing smiled and said, “You are promoted to Fleet Admiral and I expect you to bring order out of this, Admiral.”
Dennard stared at Channing and said, “What does the Prime Minister intend to do about the planets we’ve conquered.”
“What do you mean?”
“Does he intend to abandon them?”
“He intends to withdraw our forces and give them back their freedom.”
“Do you agree with him?”
“What are you saying, Admiral?”
“We have removed all of their warships and weapons. If we withdraw our forces, they are defenseless against this new enemy. You should also keep in mind that the current incursion by that civilization was done to determine Earth’s location. Earth is the real target of that civilization and I would prefer to fight them somewhere else than here. So what’s it going to be?”
“Get in touch with the Admiral at the scene and I’ll discuss this with the Prime Minister.”
Dennard stared at Channing and said, “If you intend to leave them defenseless, you’re going to need to find another Admiral. I refuse to stand by and watch innocent planets destroyed because of our actions.”
Channing smiled; he had his answer. He lifted his communicator and pressed a special frequency button. A face appeared on it and he said, “Father, you need to make a decision.”
“What is that?”
Channing began speaking and fifteen minutes later he ended the call. Dennard had stood by and waited for an answer. Channing looked at Dennard and said, “We are releasing the fleets around Earth to join our fleets out in the civilizations. The Prime Minister requests any knowledge learned during the incursion that might help against this new enemy.”
Dennard smiled and extended his hand, “Sir, I apologize for my earlier remark and I must humbly refuse the position you’ve offered me.”
Channing’s eyes narrowed and he said, “Admiral, you were right, I’m not competent to hold this position.”
“Sir, you are the only one that can hold it and get things done. Having someone in command that can make things happen is much more important than having a commander that can’t.”
Channing stared at Dennard and after a moment said, “You are promoted to Admiral and will command all of our forces both land and space. You will tell me what you need to win this conflict and I’ll do my best to deliver it. Now please, get things moving.”
“Yes Sir.”
• • •
“Admiral.”
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p; “Yes, Captain.”
“Admiral Dennard is on your channel requesting to speak with you.”
“Who is Admiral Dennard?”
“He was Admiral Hall’s Executive Officer.”
Blake’s eyes narrowed and he pressed the flashing button on his console, “This is Admiral Blake.”
“Admiral, I have been given command of our armed forces and I’m sending twenty fleets out to you to defend the conquered civilizations. I need to know anything you’ve learned that might help us defend those civilizations.”
Blake smiled and said, “One of our Sergeants discovered a weapon that penetrates the Invaders Ground Forces armor. There is a possibility that this weapon might also work against their warship’s force fields.”
Dennard looked away from the display and then looked back, “I’m sending a team of specialists to meet with him to see if it has any merit. They will arrive in less than six hours. Please have him available and anyone else that might add to the meeting.”
“Yes Sir.”
Dennard looked at Blake and smiled, “You did an outstanding job, Admiral. Keep up the good work.”
The screen went dark and Blake saw his bridge crew were smiling. “Cleve, plan to meet with the specialists coming in and come up with something that will work against this new enemy.”
“Yes Sir.”
• • •
Blake tuned his board to a frequency and heard in his mind, “The Genetics heard your conversation, Admiral. They’re getting the ships ready to go after the hidden scouts.”
“Thank you, Telee. I’ll move the other ships in now.”
“That would be good, Admiral.”
Chapter Thirteen
Grant looked at Telah, “Are you ready?”
“I’m going to start issuing instructions and start moving in on one of those scouts. I’ve told the Dragons to keep the hull covered so the scout we’re moving in on won’t see us on his scanner.”
Grant nodded and said, “Ana, you have the ship. Telee, you should issue your instructions verbally so Ana can hear you.”