by Saxon Andrew
He blew out a breath and knew killing Abby Dunhan was not going to be ignored and there was no way that could be kept hidden for long. She was a hero to the Colonies and once word got out her shuttle had been destroyed… He opened his computer and pulled up a hidden file. He saw the fake identification documents were in order and he checked to see if the apartment he rented years ago was still in his name. Good, it was. He pulled up the bank accounts that were in the name of his fake identity and saw that he would be in fine shape financially. But trying to escape what was coming would be impossible as long as the Prime Minister was in power. He had no doubt he would be found if the Prime Minister decided to search for him; he could be very tenacious.
The Prime Minister had been stupid; he allowed his rage to take control and he killed the Parliamentarian. He could talk his way out of any other issues but killing the Parliamentarian was a critical error. Many of the members of Parliament in the Majority Party were starting to question their support of him. And that damnable Abby Dunhan was right; the charter forbade any weapons from being carried into a meeting of Parliament. It wouldn’t take long for the Opposition Party to demand the Prime Minister be punished for violating the law. They would already be doing it, but the next meeting of Parliament wasn’t scheduled for another four days.
He thought about it and after the Prime Minister ended his call with Admiral Bellemy, he asked, “Sir, are you going to need me during the next meeting of Parliament?”
“Why do you ask?”
“There is an issue concerning some of my holdings on Billabong. It might require someone to have an accident and I need some time to go and set it up.”
“Can it wait?”
“The issue is going to be taken to court and I must stop that from happening.”
The Prime Minister stared at the First Assistant and shrugged, “I’m going to declare martial law immediately and dissolve Parliament. I really don’t see any need for you to be there.”
“Thank you, Sir. I’ll be back the next day and you can always contact me on my communicator if you have any questions.”
The Prime Minister waved a hand and contacted the President of Parliament. He listened for a moment and then started screaming at the President. The First Assistant transferred some files from his computer and then erased them. He quietly stood up and walked out of the Prime Minister’s office. He went home and printed the documents on his new identity and booked a commercial flight to Brisbane. He washed the black dye out of his hair exposing his blonde hair; it had been years since he had been a blonde. He put lifts in his shoes, inserted two cheek inserts in his mouth, and brown contacts in his eyes. He left for the spaceport and locked the door behind him. He had prepared for this day long before he was promoted to First Assistant. Somehow, he knew this day would one day come.
• • •
Abby and Rory were in their speeders hanging in open space looking out at the distant stars. Abby sighed and remarked, “I’ve just about forgotten how beautiful it is out here.”
“It’s been a long time since we’ve just sat in space,” Rory replied. “We’ve been so busy raising a family and grandchildren that we don’t get out anymore; it really is beautiful.”
“I wish you were with me. I know how we could pass the time,” Abby said with a smile.
Rory released a huge sigh, “So much time and so little room!”
Abby laughed, “You’re right; two people would never fit in a speeder.” They sat in their ships and stared out at the stars.
Both of them drifted off to sleep and they were suddenly awoken by a powerful transmission, “It’s time to go!”
Both of them jerked wide away and saw Cami on their displays. Rory looked around and said, “Where are you?”
Suddenly, a giant vessel appeared in front of them. It was larger than a Colony Carrier and stunned them. “I’m opening the landing bay door. Enter the ship and meet me on the bridge.”
“Where did this ship come from?”
“The Tanis built it and three others. All four ships are here but I’m only revealing this one until you can fly on board. Get moving.”
Rory saw a giant landing bay door start opening in the side of the giant vessel and moved the speeder toward it. As they approached the giant vessel they were both shocked by just how large it was up close. The entered the giant landing bay and an officer waved them to the right. They flew slowly over to a small clear space next to the wall and landed. Abby said over the communicator before exiting her speeder, “Rory, do you see…”
“Yes. I wonder what’s going on.” Rory raised the cockpit and stepped out of his speeder. Abby joined him as Stoney walked up and smiled, “Please come with me; I’ll take you to the bridge.” Stoney turned and walked away; Abby and Rory followed him as they stared at the giant landing bay.
• • •
Admiral Gemini received the courses for the four hundred Carriers to follow to Britannia and sent them out. This was crazy. Broadcasting those coordinates on an open channel was sheer stupidity. But Bellemy insisted there wasn’t enough time to deliver them to each ship. He waited until every Carrier reported in and he looked at Jacob, “Order the fleets launched.” Jacob turned to his console and issued the launch order. He had not reported the Admiral for what he said and wondered if he had made a mistake not doing so.
Two thousand Garrions launched ahead of the fleets and headed directly toward Britannia. Thirty minutes later, the four hundred Carriers went to full speed and disappeared from New Sydney’s Star System.
• • •
“Admiral, I have the courses being followed by the Colonies’ Carriers.”
“Send it to me.” Grady looked at his console and smiled, “Thank you Charlotte.”
“They broadcast them on an open channel Sir. Getting them was easily done and the scouts you sent here to follow each Carrier won’t be needed.”
Grady shook his head, “Have them followed anyway. Their Commanders are really stupid.” Grady turned to Taffy, “Send the coordinates out to our attack groups and get them moving.” Taffy nodded and turned to her console.
• • •
Three days later, exactly four hours before the scheduled meeting of Parliament, Admiral Gemini was sitting on his command chair staring out of the armored viewport. His Communication Officer looked up and said, “Sir, I have a transmission coming in.”
“Put it on the Monitor,” Gemini ordered.
Jacob looked at him and asked, “Who’s breaking communication silence?” Gemini raised his shoulders.
They looked up at the central wall monitor and saw Devin appear on it. “Admiral, please issue an order for all your Carriers to stop immediately.”
Gemini stared at Devin and saw he wasn’t wearing a Colony Uniform, “Admiral, you know I can’t do that.”
Devin nodded slightly, “I know your fleets are going to attack Britannia and we can’t allow that to happen.”
“What do you mean by ‘we’?”
Devin tilted his head as he answered, “I am an officer in Britannia’s Military. Britannia does not believe in needless killing and we don’t desire to destroy your forces. Please stop your Carriers and have them remain in place.” Gemini stared at Devin in silence and Devin added, “Do you remember the last conversation we had?”
“I do.”
“You were right, Admiral. Your forces are surrounded by overwhelming odds and we can destroy every one of your Warships.”
Gemini looked at his scanning officer, “Sir, I’m not detecting anything.”
Gemini turned back to Devin and said, “I’m afraid your word is not sufficient for me to stop my Carriers.”
Devin sighed and shook his head slightly, “Then pick the Carrier you want destroyed.”
“What?”
“Choose a Carrier and we’ll destroy it. If you desire proof, we’ll give it to you, but we abhor the loss of life that will entail. Pick a Carrier at random!”
Gemini had moved q
uickly up the ranks in the Colonies’ Military because he had a talent for reading the expressions of others. He saw that Devin wasn’t in the least frightened and that he was exhibiting sorrow at the coming loss of life; he wasn’t lying. He was silent and Devin said, “If you won’t select one, we will!”
Gemini looked at Jacob, “Send out an order for all Carriers to come to a stop and remain in place until ordered otherwise.”
“Sir, are you sure about this?”
Gemini nodded toward the monitor, “I’m not but he is. Issue the order!”
Jacob reluctantly issued the order and wondered if he was going to have to execute the Admiral to stop this foolishness.
The four hundred Carriers came to a stop and the Fleet Commanders began demanding to know what was going on. Gemini waited and finally said over the Fleet’s general frequency, “I have stopped your fleets due to a danger to all of your vessels. I have been contacted by Britannia’s Military and have been told that all of your Carriers are surrounded by undetectable ships and they threaten to destroy all of my forces if I don’t comply with their orders.”
Admiral Bishop announced over the frequency, “You are a coward and a traitor! I’m launching my Garrions!”
Gemini shrugged and turned to Jacob, “Looks like we’re going to find out.”
• • •
The huge Carrier’s landing bay doors opened to start launch operations, and more than four thousand high powered blaster beams were fired into the open doors along with a hundred heavy missiles. The Carrier went up in a gigantic explosion. The explosion was recorded by the closest Carrier and sent out.
Gemini and his bridge crew watched the horrific explosion on the tactical monitor and a new face appeared on the center monitor. An old man appeared, and said, “I’m Grady Henricks and I do not desire to kill you. However, if any Carrier attempts to move from its current location or to open its bay doors, I will. We have fought along side many of you in the Core Alien War and we see you as brothers-in-arms. But you’ve been sent to attack Britannia and I will not allow that to happen.”
Every sailor in the Colony Fleets knew the legends about Grady. He was undefeated and had never lost a fight. It took the destruction of three more Carriers before Gemini ordered, “I will not allow any more senseless losses. We’ve not detected their warships and it’s clear they can destroy us. Remain in place and await further orders!”
Grady appeared on every Carrier’s monitor and said, “You will not move from your current location until notified to do so. You may also only communicate among your ships and any ship activating a long-range telepathic communicator will have its hull razed. Please remain in place while this issue is being discussed with the Prime Minister and Parliament.”
Jacob turned to Gemini and saw him shrug, “It appears they have been planning for this to happen.”
“The Prime Minister is right about them, Sir. Britannia is a threat to the Colonies.”
“Jacob, who is attacking who here?” Jacob stared at Gemini and sighed. Gemini nodded, “I suspect Britannia could have defeated the Colonies any time they chose but they haven’t. I think it’s pretty clear who the threat here really is.”
• • •
Grady sat back in his chair and pressed a button, “Have the Garrions ahead of the Colony Fleets stopped?”
“Nyet, Admiral.”
“Do you know if they’re aware we’re holding the Carriers hostage?”
“Da! They know Admiral. It appears every Garrion Pilot is a fanatic and they aren’t going to stop until they destroy Britannia’s Capital.”
Grady sighed, “Do what you have to do.”
Admiral Martov nodded, “I’ll offer them a chance to live, but I don’t think they’ll take it.”
“That’s all you can do Sergey.”
• • •
Senior Captain Killebrew lifted his communicator and said, “We’ll make them release the Carriers once we launch an attack on the planet. They’ll be forced to send their forces here freeing our Carriers to launch their warships.” The two thousand Garrions were rushing in on Britannia and would shortly arrive in orbit. They were spread in two lines with one thousand Garrions in each.
Suddenly Killebrew heard over his communicator, “You will turn around, move ten thousand miles from the planet and disengage your weapons.”
Killebrew looked at his stealth scanner and didn’t see any warships near his command. He smiled and ordered, “Scatter and launch missiles!”
Killebrew suddenly saw thousands of giant brilliant blaster beams erupt from above the planet and surround his forces. Each beam was at least fifty miles wide and they all overlapped each other. The beams then swept in on each other vaporizing the two thousand Garrions.
• • •
Grady appeared on the monitors on every Carrier and they saw he was angry. “We asked the Garrions sent to attack Britannia to call off their attack and move away. They ignored us and moved in to launch missiles on the planet. We destroyed all of them! There was no sense in making us do that!! I pray none of you will force us to kill any more of the Colonies’ brave sailors!”
Gemini looked at Jacob and shook his head. “What are you thinking Admiral.”
“I believe that telepath caused me to be promoted to Fleet Commander so that they wouldn’t have to kill everyone in the Colonies’ Fleets. I told him I would not waste the lives of my sailors.”
“How did you know that telepath was being truthful Sir?”
“The same way I know that you are an agent of the Prime Minister, Jacob.”
“You knew about that?” Gemini nodded. “How did you know I wouldn’t turn you in?”
“I didn’t. But I treasure your friendship and it’s not your fault for what I believe.”
Jacob glanced at the monitor and blew out a small breath, “That’s the same reason I didn’t say anything.”
“Thank you Jacob.”
“No; thank you Admiral.”
Gemini sat back and said, “I do wonder how Admiral Bellemy was convinced not to launch our Garrions. He couldn’t have come up with that plan alone.”
“That telepath probably had something to do with it.”
Gemini chuckled, “I suspect you’re right.”
Chapter Fifteen
Four giant spaceships moved silently by one of the four Carriers holding position out in New Sydney’s Star System. They were not detected, and they flew smoothly to New Sydney and moved into low orbit above the Colonies’ Capital. Massive landing bay doors opened, and thousands of small landing craft left each of them and headed toward the planet’s surface. The landing craft were invisible and the hundred warriors that jumped out of them were wearing armor that made them invisible as well. The Warriors hit the ground running toward their assigned targets.
The Britannia Scouts above New Sydney had provided a complete report on the location of every soldier or defensive position in and around the city. The invaders had their blasters set on stun and they used them wisely as they took control of the Capital. It happened so fast the invasion wasn’t reported until it was too late to stop it. An elite group of warriors dropped on the Parliament Building and disabled the guards as they moved inside.
• • •
The Prime Minister had just stood up a few moments earlier and announced, “I am declaring martial law in the Colonies and Parliament will be suspended until further notice.”
The President turned to him, “What’s going on?!”
“Three days ago I launched the Colonies’ Fleets to go to Britannia and remove their warships.”
The Representatives began all talking at once and the Leader of the Opposition Party yelled, “YOU DO NOT HAVE THE POWER TO DO THAT WITHOUT PARLIAMENT’S CONSENT!!”
The Prime Minister turned up the volume on his microphone and the sound was deafening, “LOOK AT THE WARPOWERS ACT!” The room became quiet and he lowered the volume. “It was clear in our last meeting Britannia will not cooperate wit
h us and I was left no choice.”
Before anything else could be said, a lady sitting at a communication terminal against the wall jumped to her feet and screamed, “THE CITY IS UNDER ATTACK!!”
Everyone looked at her and then the doors to the chamber were blown open and more than a hundred giant warriors rushed into the room. They had deactivated their invisibility circuits and before anyone could move, the Representatives were surrounded by warriors holding shoulder blasters pointed at them. The Prime Minister immediately pressed a button and his chair was surrounded by a force field. One of the warriors used his suit jets to fly across the chamber and landed beside the Prime Minister’s chair. He took a device off his belt and touched the force field with it. The force field flashed as it shorted out and the warrior raised a shoulder blaster and held it at the Prime Minister’s head.
A giant warrior walked through the doors and deactivated his combat helmet. Everyone in the room gasped at what they saw. The huge Grang looked around and said in an amplified voice, “Everyone will remain where they are and if any of you attempt to use a weapon, you will die.”
The Prime Minister looked at the Grang Commander and sputtered, “Your…your species is…supposed to be extinct.”
The Grang smiled, “Our demise has been highly exaggerated.” He touched the communicator on his shoulder and fifteen Grand and DoRen Warrior pushed a large cart into the entrance and began working on it; the device was large, about eight feet square on each side. In about ten minutes, lights started flashing and the Grang touched his communicator, “It’s operational Sir.”
• • •
The four Carriers holding position out from the planet received an emergency message that the Capital was under attack. Admiral Heard ordered the Carriers to form up in attack formation and to launch their Garrions. As the Carriers rushed in toward the planet, a face appeared on Admiral Heard’s monitor, “Admiral, the Prime Minister and the members of Parliament are being held hostage and if you continue moving toward the planet, we will execute them.”