by Don Viecelli
Sitting next to Jan was Doctor Mun and Doctor James Colbert. Neither was married or had families, so they felt protective of Janice and her son. Janice was worried. Doctor Mun noticed and said, “He’ll be fine, Jan. He knows how to handle himself.” He was referring to Doug.
“I know, but I worry anyway,” Jan said rocking Jules as he sucked on his milk bottle.
“It’ll be over soon,” James added, although he felt more alarm than he showed.
“The Yoyka are a terrible race,” Jan said to Chang-Woo and James. “They won’t stop trying to kill us until they are defeated.”
“They picked the wrong race to attack this time,” James said. “We’ll take the war to them next!”
“I wish I knew what was happening outside,” Jan said looking at the TV screen on the wall. The news reporter on the TV was trying to get an update on the fighting when all of a sudden the screen went dark, the lights dimmed and the room shook. Something bad was happening above them. People began to scream and cry out in fear.
Jan looked down at her son and started to pray. Doctor Mun put his arm around her and tried to comfort both of them. James feared the worst. He knew bomb shelters were strong, secure places, but so many other things could go wrong, especially on a planet with no outside atmosphere and freezing temperatures. He felt helpless.
*****
They did everything humanly possible to stop the Yoyka fighters and enemy missiles from reaching Mars. Lieutenant Kiev would be remembered for his final heroic action to prevent the last surviving Spitka fighter from firing more missiles at Mars. Kiev took out every missile but two that managed to survive his laser fire before plowing head-on into the enemy fighter at sublight speed. The explosion could be seen for thousands of kilometers out in space. The two surviving missiles made their way to their targets and impacted the two domes that protected Haffen City and Polar City South. The explosions shattered the glass sections allowing the atmosphere to escape.
Within minutes the temperature inside the domes plummeting to minus one hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Everyone living inside the cities would have died quickly, except for the fact that all residential and commercial buildings on Mars were designed to prevent this type of thing from happening. They were all built with self-contained atmospheres and temperature control in case the dome protecting the city failed.
The missile strike by the Spitka fighter was not the primary objective of the Yoyka attack. The primary objective was the Nanobot Drone Weapon missiles that followed.
The satellite antimissile defense systems did everything it could to stop the fifteen missiles still on target to hit Mars. All but two missiles were destroyed. One exploded above Haffen City seconds after the dome was destroyed. The second missile exploded above Polar City South. Within milliseconds of each explosion, a dark cloud of nanobot drones spread out over each city and began to descend to the surface to find living human organisms.
The worst fears of the UN military forces had become reality on Mars. They had seconds to react. If the Yoyka succeeded in reaching Mars with their nanobot drones, the decision was made to use thermonuclear EMP bombs to destroy the swarms. The antimissile defense satellite system protecting Mars was also capable of firing neutron bomb missiles as necessary.
One EMP bomb missile was fired at Haffen City and another missile fired at Polar City South. Both missiles exploded near black killer drone swarm clouds sending out lethal doses of low yield radiation that could destroy any type of nanites. The black swarm clouds over the South Pole and Haffen City were mostly vaporized, but some of the nanobot drones had already settled to the ground and was finding its way into damaged ventilation systems where air was processed. The nanobots found its way inside buildings where humans were hiding and attacked them. The injections the Qumru had developed to protect the humans did not work as expected. People died anyway and were consumed by the killer drone swarms.
The bomb shelter shook and alarms began to ring where Jan and her friends were staying. Doctor Mun put his arm around Jan to comfort her. Jules began to cry and Jan rocked him in her arms. She looked at Mun and said, “Something’s wrong!”
“I’ll find out why the alarms are ringing. I’ll be right back,” James said getting up to check on the reason for the alarms. Then the lights went out until the backup lights came on.
The underground bomb shelter under the UN Building was built to be airtight, but the missile attack opened a small crack in one of its outside doors. At first, no one noticed the tiny black nanobot drones as they worked their way inside the shelter. People tried to run and hide from the hideous attacks, but it was too late. Within minutes everyone inside the bunker was dead.
It would take two more EMP bomb missile strikes to completely destroy the NDWs that infested Haffen City after the space battle was over. It would be forever remembered in military war history as the Haffen City and Polar City Massacre where thousands of people died from the killer nanobot drone swarms.
Chapter 36
One Fight Ends
The space battle had reached its climax after thirty minutes of fierce fighting in the dark space around Mars and Earth. It had to end one way or another before more enemy missiles found its way to planet surfaces. Captain Martin knew two nanobot drone weapon missiles had struck Mars, but did not know the damage it caused yet. If he had, he would have gone out of his mind with fury and lost the ability to lead the USS Illinois into battle.
“Where is that Yoyka warship?” Doug asked Control for the second time.
“It has appeared on the backside of Mars heading towards Saturn. It may be attempting to flee our solar system,” Control finally responded.
Doug looked at his viewscreen. Red enemy warship icons were scattered all over space now. Alliance warships were chasing them down one by one. The space between battling warships was filled with thousands of Zoltus and Spitkas dog fighting like World War II air battles of the past. It was a sight no one had ever seen other than in science fiction movies.
Doug was only concerned about one thing at the moment; finding the Yoyka warship that fired twenty nanobot drone weapon missiles at Mars and almost destroyed his ship.
“Plot an intercept course!” Doug ordered his navigator, Lieutenant Donna Gromsky. She looked nervous, but was an exceptional space navigator and quickly entered the coordinates.
“How long before we can fire Orca missiles?” Doug asked Control.
“We will be in range within ten seconds, Captain.”
Doug silently counted down the time. He looked at his speed indicator. The warship was increasing speed to catch up with the enemy warship. They would reach two hundred thousand kilometers per second by the time he could fire his Orca drone missiles. The irony of space warfare was the faster warships moved the harder it was to hit enemy targets. The corollary to this was the farther away warships were from each other, the easier to target and destroy enemy missile fire. The end result was you still had to get close to each other in order to use your weapons with any chance of success. That’s why warships carried fighters, used laser beams and railguns in battle. You had to get up close and personal to kill your enemy. Doug planned to do just that with this Yoyka warship that may have killed a lot of people on Mars. He was not going to let it escape.
“Approaching firing range,” Control calmly reported eight seconds later.
Doug checked the distance to the target. The Yoyka warship had detected his approach and was now firing missiles at his ship.
“Increase power to shield! Prepare for missile impact!” Doug ordered. He did not turn away from the incoming missiles yet.
Two seconds passed. Doug said, “Fire three Orca drones at target!”
The ship shook from firing the drones. The Orca drones could change speed and direction in space after firing, but they were already moving incredibly fast. Each Orca carried five nuclear tipped missiles with fifty megaton explosive yield. Five missiles could easily take down the Yoyka warship’s energy shield. An a
dded plus; the drone could be retrieved if it missed its target.
Doug was certain the Yoyka Commander could detect when the Orca drones were fired and realized missiles were on its way. The only problem is he would not know where they were. The Orca drones were cloaked and undetectable by enemy scanners until they hit the enemy shield.
Doug immediately ordered Control to avoid the incoming enemy missiles and shoot them down before they impacted their ship. All but one missile was destroyed before it exploded against their shield without doing any major damage.
The USS Illinois was on direct intercept course with the Yoyka warship. They would pass close to each other in seconds. It was time for the Yoyka Commander to find out just what the humans were really made of.
*****
First Commander Trolga was seated in his command seat on board the Zeenta warship watching the Human warship attempting to intercept his flight. He ordered, “Fire missiles at that warship!” Trolga noticed the warship was identified by scanners as the same one he thought they destroyed earlier before attacking the red planet called Mars. He smiled knowing the humans were too late then and would be too late now to do anything about it.
Second Commander Qunta announced, “We are detecting missile launch!”
“Initiate laser defense systems! How many missiles fired?”
Qunta hesitated before answering. “We cannot determine, First Commander!” He was confused by the missing data on his monitor.
Trolga knew what it was. He had been warned by other Commanders during the space battle about a new weapon the enemy was using since the new Holtu fleet arrived. It had changed the course of the battle. Dozens of his warships had already been destroyed by this new weapon. It could not be detected before it impacted and destroyed his ships. There was only one thing he could do.
“Change course now!” Trolga ordered.
Trolga watched on his viewscreen as the missiles he launched early at the enemy warship all were destroyed but one. The enemy was still approaching and would pass in front of him shortly.
Suddenly, a massive explosion rocked his ship, throwing his crew from their seats if not tightly strapped in. Lights dimmed, alarms blared out, but damage was minimal.
“Shields are down, Commander!” Qunta reported knowing how defenseless they were.
Trolga remained calm. He had survived worse attacks than this. “Fire everything we have at that warship as it passes!” Their only hope was to destroy the enemy before it destroyed them.”
*****
Doug watched the Yoyka warship change course suddenly to avoid the Orca drones that were on target to hit it. The Yoyka Commander must have been forewarned to anticipate this, he thought. Doug was certain the Yoyka did not know about the new Orca drone weapon until they started losing their warships by the dozens during this space battle.
The viewscreen lit up. “One Orca drone impacted enemy warship; two missed the target! Enemy shield is down!” Control announced.
It was time to finish this bastard off. Doug ordered, “Fire railgun as we pass. Do not stop firing!”
The USS Illinois shook each time the electromagnetic railguns fired kinetic energy projectiles at the Yoyka warship. Doug watched as thousands of tracer rounds followed the projectiles to the target with yellow streaks of light.
The Yoyka warship ran head-on into the line of fire. The kinetic energy projectiles ripped large holes in the front and both sides of the hull opening up the interior to the vacuum of space. Debris started pouring out of the holes before explosions began ripping the warship apart down the length of the ship. It began to spin out of control.
Doug watched the destruction impassively. He turned to Lieutenant Gromsky and said, “Turn us around and reduce speed.”
When the USS Illinois was facing the Yoyka warship that was still spinning freely in space, Doug gave his next order, “Fire two nukes at that ship!” He was in no mood to look for survivors. This fight was over.
*****
The last thing First Commander Trolga saw as his viewscreen flickered in front of him was two missiles headed straight for his warship. He knew he was about to die and wondered what Emperor Rahta would think when he learned the outcome of this battle. Perhaps he would send a larger warfleet to destroy these Humans. Perhaps, Rahta himself would experience something similar in the battles to come. The only thing Trolga knew for certain was he would not live to see the outcome. A moment later, everything went black.
Chapter 37
Earth Battle
Vice Leader Di received news that Mars had been hit with two nanobot drone weapon missiles. It was necessary to use thermonuclear EMP bomb missiles to destroy the swarms before they could spread to other regions of Mars.
Di’s problem now was to prevent the same type of NDW missiles from striking Earth. He quickly reviewed his position. They were approximately twenty-five million miles from Earth, which was half way between Mars and Earth. There were almost one hundred Yoyka warships heading his way. Di had a smaller space force to try and stop the enemy warships. It was time to use all their weapons against this enemy and destroy them.
“Instruct our fleet leaders to use the new weapon now!” Di ordered.
Miata complied with the order. “Instructions sent to all fleet leaders, Vice Leader.”
“Fire Orca drone missiles!” Di ordered First Leader Miata.
Miata checked her monitor. The firing tubes had already been loaded. She instructed Control to fire the drones.
“Orca drones have been launched,” Control announced a moment later.
Di watched on his viewscreen as twenty Orca drone missiles sped towards their targets. The Orcas were cloaked so only their icons appeared on the viewscreen. The Yoyka warships would not see them coming. Only those fortunate or smart enough to use evasive maneuvers against any missile attacks would survive in the next few seconds.
“Five seconds to impact!” Miata said tracking the Orcas as well.
“Fifteen out of twenty Impacts confirmed, Vice Leader!” Miata reported five seconds later.
Di was watching the same results on his screen. The first drones reached their targets and exploded their nuclear missiles causing enemy shields to fail. Five drones missed their targets and would be sent new target information if any warships were in their area.
He immediately ordered missile launch of nuclear tipped missiles to finish off those enemy warships with energy shields no longer protecting their ships. Di had what the humans called ‘sitting ducks’ waiting to be picked off. He wasted no time.
Numerous large explosions filled the dark space around them. Yoyka warship icons disappeared from the viewscreens tracking them. At least fifty percent of the enemy fleet had been destroyed or badly damaged. To further increase the chance of victory, the arrival of the Holtu fleet appeared on Di’s viewscreen. Now, the enemy was trapped between Allied forces.
“Vice Leader, Five Yoyka warships have made it through our lines. They are headed for Earth!” Miata announced suddenly.
Di knew immediately what they planned to do. He checked their sublight speeds. Each was traveling over two hundred sixty-nine thousand kilometers per second. They would reach Earth in less than three Earth minutes. He could not stop them with missiles. There were no Zoltu fighters in the area.
“Send word to Earth Defense Forces immediately. They will have to stop them,” Di ordered Miata. She sent the message.
There was nothing more Di could do now. There was a fleet of Zoltu fighters protecting Earth space. They were equipped with Orca drone missiles as well, which could easily destroy Yoyka warships.
Di waited patiently to see what happens. The Earth based Zoltu fighters engaged the warships when they came within range. Before the Orca drones could attack and destroy the warships, the five Yoyka warships fired a hundred missiles toward Earth. They were not nuclear missiles. They were all identified as NDW missiles. It was up to the UN Earth based military defense force to stop the missiles at all costs.
The Zoltu fighters did everything they could to stop the missiles from reaching Earth. Some of the Zoltu fighter pilots used their planes as weapons on purpose to stop the missiles when they ran out of fire power. As valiantly as they tried, they could not stop all the missiles. Forty out of one hundred missiles made it through their lines.
The next line of defense was the satellite laser defense systems and ground based anti-ballistic missile defense systems. They knocked down ninety percent of the missiles that made it through the Zoltu fighters. That left four NDW missiles that made it through and exploded over large population centers around the globe.
The UN Defense Group military commanders hesitated before authorizing the use of tactical Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) missiles to destroy the dark swarms of nanobot drones as they swirled to the ground and began attacking humans that were not hiding in protected shelters. This allowed the nanobots to replicate as designed. They quickly spread throughout the immediate populated areas.
The EMP missiles use electromagnetic fields and gamma radiation especially designed to destroy the nanobots without destroying all buildings in the blast area. It was theorized that most humans already exposed were killed by the nanobot swarms before the bombs were used. Regardless of the method used to stop the spread of the killer nanobots, millions of humans died in the attack. This would forever be remembered in human history as The Nanoweapon Attack.
Chapter 38
Mars
Captain Martin on his warship USS Illinois, was called back to Mars to support ground efforts. Doug had already been informed about the destruction that occurred in Haffen City. He was worried sick about his wife Jan and their child Jules. He could not get through to anyone he knew on the ground near Haffen City.
“We are approaching Mars, Captain,” Wing Commander Drake informed him. Drake had been called up from Flight Control Tower to the Command Center to act as Executive Officer.