Worlds Without End: The Mission (Book 1)

by Shaun F. Messick

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  Despite the number of soldiers and rumbling aircraft within the hangar, there was an eerie silence as the entire rebel force sat listening to what was happening two hundred yards above. Adrian turned and gave Sean a confused look. Sean looked back and shrugged his shoulders. Adrian turned his eyes up toward the bay doors. He could hear what sounded like a massive engine rumbling, and metal clashing against metal.

  Out of the corner of his left eye, Adrian saw Celeste slowly make her way to the center of the hangar. "Celeste! Get back here!" he yelled.

  Celeste ignored him.

  Adrian heard what sounded like thunder and jerked his eyes back to the bay doors. He saw two enormous, metallic claws penetrate the center of the doors. Suddenly, he realized what going on. "They're pulling them apart," he whispered.

  "What?" shrieked Sean.

  Adrian looked at Sean with fire in his eyes. "They are ripping them apart!"

  Sean cursed.

  "Chati 1 ? do you copy?"

  "Yes, General," replied the Chati squadron leader.

  "As soon as those doors are ripped open, your squadron is to launch and engage your primary targets!"

  "Yes, sir!"

  Adrian continued to watch in horror as the morning sun began to sneak its rays through the penetrated doors. The claws continued to pull the doors further and further apart. Then, without any warning, the clawed arms dropped down to within one hundred feet of the hangar floor.

  "What the ?" Sean said.

  "Chaties ? engage, now!" Adrian ordered.

  Adrian saw the silver Chaties speed their way up to the surface. All of a sudden, the arms began to fling thousands of red plasma bolts in every direction.

  Adrian yelled as he hit the deck, "All units ? open fire! I repeat ? open fire!"

  Within the hangar, there were thousands of plasma blasts and explosions as the rebel fleet was nearly depleted within seconds. "Jake ? engage now!"

  "Already done, General!"

  Unexpectedly, the plasma blasts and explosions stopped. Adrian and Sean slowly made their way to their feet and looked over the computer monitors. There, in the center of the hangar with her eyes shut and her arms extended, was Celeste. Adrian scanned up and saw what she was doing. "Unbelievable," he said.

  "This is not right," Sean said in an eerie tone. "If her father is supposed to be more powerful than this, we're in trouble."

  Adrian didn't respond as he watched Celeste bend the massive arms with her mental powers. Everyone froze and watched in astonishment. The arms continued to bend upwards until they cracked. A loud explosion permeated throughout the hangar. Adrian shot his eyes back to Celeste. She had fallen to the floor, unconscious. "Kylee ? get two of your men to Celeste and get her back here with me and Sean," he said.

  "Yes, General!" Kylee said as Adrian saw her order two of her men to Celeste with a wave of her arm.

  The two soldiers rushed to Celeste, grabbed her by each arm, and dragged her back to the computer terminals. As soon as the soldiers arrived, Sean rushed to her and checked for a pulse. "She's still alive," he said.

  Adrian took a deep breath. "Good," he replied. He then turned his attention to the three transport shuttles. "Shuttle leader ? go now!"

  "Roger that!" the shuttle leader replied as two of the shuttles slowly ascended to the exit and sped off.

  "General, this is Shuttle 3. One of our engines was hit in the initial attack."

  Adrian looked at the last shuttle that his wife, daughter, and Doc were on. A crew of about five soldiers were there, trying to put out a fire at the back of the spacecraft. "Major Ducal, can you fix that?"

  Ducal's response came back through the communication device in Adrian's right ear. "That's a negative, sir. I don't have any spare spaceship engines lying around."

  Adrian slammed his fist down onto one of the computer monitors. "Kylee, order three of your men to escort the people on that third shuttle to the medical wing. That should keep them safe ? at least for a while."

  "We have incoming!" Sean shouted as he ran next to Adrian and pointed upwards.

  Adrian looked up as black Chaties swooped down from the hangar entrance. Adrian and Sean hit the deck again. Adrian glanced at Celeste, who was still unconscious. "Open fire!" he screamed.

  The entire hangar was again ablaze with plasma fire and orange fireballs from explosions.

  "This isn't going so well, Adrian," Sean said.

  Adrian shook his head. Sean was right. How were they going to get out of this?