by E J Gilmour
‘So the aliens set up a siege to stop the population escaping,’ said Michael.
‘Yes, and they must have known the EPHX cannon lenses would eventually decay. I expect they’re waiting for the lenses to fail, and when that day comes the Morosians won’t stand a chance against the resulting invasion, and they are too far away to flee to another system. The result would be complete obliteration of their civilization.’
**
The entire crew had come out of deep sleep. They were approaching the planet. Ethan was in the engine room manually checking all the systems. Acacius, Cynthia, Ivan, Ajax and Gopher were in the living room.
Michael and Sara were in the control room. Sara was configuring an encrypted signal, which she hoped would pass the alien fleet without being detected and would enable her to open a secure line of communication.
‘I will try to open up a hidden communication channel. Let’s hope this works.’ She hit the external com switch. ‘Moros Gamma, this is the Out Drifter. Interworld code AMB712. We are approaching with precious cargo you requested from the Tunnel Makers. Please respond.’ She flicked the switch back. ‘We have to wait, Captain. There is a delay because the signal channel is sent out in six parts and refracted off detectable gravitational fields. Hopefully the signal will only fully reconfigure at the destination.’
A few minutes went by with nothing but silence from the external com.
The com started hissing. ‘…Out Drifter, this is General Khar of the Moros Gamma. We’re glad to hear the good news…’
‘Hello, General Khar. We need a way to pass the alien fleet,’ said Sara.
‘…It’s going to be difficult, Out Drifter. We are reluctant to shut down our EPHX cannons…The aliens have been bombarding the cannons with missiles for weeks. They know the cannons lenses are deteriorating…’
‘You have to shut them down for us; otherwise we can’t get to the surface and make the delivery you need.’
‘…We understand, but the only option we have is to use what remains of our fighter fleet to attack the aliens as we open a way for your ship to approach. If we don’t provide a distraction the aliens will follow you down to the surface and wipe us out. We need about two hours to prepare our fleet for battle…’
‘We are less than an hour away at interstellar speed,’ said Sara. ‘We’ll wait for your signal to approach. We are running a gauntlet here, General; there is a chance we won’t make it. I plan to come out of interstellar speed just short of the atmosphere; then I will make the dash for the surface. How many ships are in the alien blockade?’
‘…The aliens have approximately eight hundred fighters, twenty four smaller cruisers and two main battleships…’
Sara drew a deep breath and put the palm of her hand to her forehead. She closed her eyes and waited a few moments before speaking again. ‘How many ships do you have?’
‘…We have thirty-four fighters, and we have adapted fifteen standard transport cruisers into battle worthy ships…’
She shook her head and her eyes filled with apprehension. ‘General, do you really think you can create a distraction with so few ships?’
‘…It’s our only chance…’ he answered.
Sara didn’t say a word for a few seconds. She simply stared at the console without blinking. Michael knew her mind was racing through all the possibilities. ‘We’ll wait for your signal to approach and provide you with our approximate arrival time through this secure channel.’
She switched the external com to standby and lowered her head. A moment later she laughed.
‘What’s so funny?’ he asked.
‘If I wasn’t laughing I would be crying. I’m going to buy myself a present if I manage to get through this alien blockade.’
‘I know you can do this, Sara.’
‘That makes one of us,’ she said, laughing again. ‘Captain, this is complete madness. I expected a blockade of about one hundred alien fighters, not eight hundred. I hoped to find a gap and run for it, but eight hundred alien fighters! There won’t be any gaps in the blockade. We will have to fight the aliens no matter what I do, and that’s just getting to the surface. Getting away from Moros Gamma will be nearly impossible.’
‘Sara, we have come this far. We can make it.’
‘Captain, why are you always so confident? You never worry about anything.’
‘Fearing the future doesn’t make the future any better. I believe we can do anything if it’s in the realm of possibility, and getting to Moros Gamma is in the realm of possibility.’
She leaned back in her seat. ‘My people believed they could hold back the alien invasion of Gazar Prime, but their belief didn’t stop the aliens destroying my home world; no amount of confidence could halt the destruction. I understand about being positive, but some things are just impossible. It’s a matter of being realistic. A realistic person would never attempt to break through this blockade.’
‘What about hope?’
‘Hope is a dangerous word in my life.’
Michael looked out into the distance. He knew one of Sara’s gifts was that she was so pragmatic and methodical about life. This way of thinking had driven her to be extremely efficient, and she was certainly one of the best pilots he had even met. She believed completely in cause and effect, and nothing would sway her belief. She had lost hope in the idea of hope itself when her home world had been obliterated. She simply couldn’t dare to hope again as she had faced the desolation of life after all hope was lost.
‘Sara, trust me; I know we can do this,’ he said confidently.
‘Can I really trust the Epherian Emperor?’ she asked with a dash of sarcasm, raising an eyebrow.
‘That’s up to you.’
‘Will you use your magic if we get into trouble? If you say yes I just might hope a little.’
‘It’s not magic; it’s science.’
‘I’m sorry, Captain, but what you do is not scientifically possible.’
‘It’s only seems like magic because you don’t understand it. You have to understand that the End Machine would know our exact location if I used my powers.’
‘The End Machine or eight hundred aliens fighters. Which would you prefer to fight?’ she asked.
‘Neither, but certainly not both at the same time.’
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Michael watched the navigation console as the Out Drifter drew closer to Moros Gamma. He expected to drop out of interstellar speed at any moment.
‘The aliens know we’re here,’ said Sara as she reached up and drew down the combat visor. ‘Are you ready, Captain?’
He nodded as she switched to normal speed. The ship drastically slowed and Moros Gamma appeared in their viewing panel. The planet was relatively close to a small red dwarf star.
Sara instantly veered to the right and downward and then turned the ship back toward the planet, increasing the engines to full power.
Michael couldn’t see the blockade. ‘Where are they?’
‘Above us,’ she yelled.
A moment later a cascade of bright laser beams lit up the darkness of space; it looked like it was raining lasers. An explosion rang out and the Out Drifter rattled. The electronic shield instantly dropped to fifty-five percent.
‘We have three hundred fighters on our tail,’ she yelled as she brought the Out Drifter into a spiralling evasive maneuver. The space surrounding them was lighting up with plasma blasts and rockets were whizzing by. Sara fired every weapon she could. The Out Drifter had over eighty rockets remaining, and she unleashed every last one in an attempt to hold back the alien pursuit.
‘Here is the rescue party!’ she said.
Dozens of ships were approaching from the planet. A heavy blast rang out, and the Out Drifter shook again. The entire control console switched off and went completely dark; a moment later the console flickered on again and powered up. Michael breathed a short lived sigh of relief. The life support emergency light started flashing.
; ‘Captain! We have a hull breach! We’re losing oxygen!’
‘How long?’
‘Not long! There’s a small hole in the ceiling of the cargo bay. I’m closing off the cargo bay doors and isolating the area.’
‘Is everyone out of there?’
‘They’re in the living room, but Ethan is in the engine room.’
She hit the internal com switch. ‘Ethan, I have to seal you in! We have a hull breach.’
‘…Do what you need to do…’ replied Ethan.
Seconds later the Morosian fleet rocketed by and engaged the alien fighters in close combat. The Morosian squadron was an assortment of rundown rust buckets. The battle erupted behind them. Sara’s entire focus was on getting to the surface of the planet. The shield was at three percent, and the hull breach was destabilising the ship. She was straining to keep control. They entered the planet’s upper atmosphere and the ship started to shake.
A group of alien fighters broke away from the main battle to follow them.
‘Captain, divert what’s left of the electronic shield to the upper side of the ship.’
Michael couldn’t see her reasoning. ‘Shouldn’t we protect the back?’
‘Not unless you want to be cooked by the friction as we pass through the atmosphere. We need to protect area where the heat shield has been breached.’
‘Will three percent be enough?’ he asked as he diverted the remaining power of the shield to the top of the ship.
Sara ignored the question; she went into a trancelike focus as she guided the ship through the atmosphere. She kept a blistering pace, as fast as she possibly could with a crippled ship. A group of alien fighters were gaining on them and had entered the atmosphere.
Michael watched the shield system indicator; one percent remaining. He looked out through the viewing panel and could see the mountain ranges below. They flew through some scattered clouds descended on a downward gradient toward the surface.
Sara reached forward and hit the external com switch. ‘General Khar, this is the Out Drifter. We have entered the atmosphere with fourteen alien fighters in pursuit. We need a navigation signal to follow to your docks. Do you have any ground based defences? Our ship is damaged. We can’t hold off these fighters. They’ll be on us in less than a minute.’
‘…We’re sending a squadron of combat air-vehicles to assist,’ said General Khar. ‘Our land based cannons will make light work of them if they keep following you. The navigation signal is on. Keep a steady line of approach…’
Sara glanced at Michael. ‘We are lucky this time,’ she said.
A moment later a squadron of about fifty air-vehicles appeared in the distance. Sara followed the signal and seconds later the squadron flew past and attacked the alien fighters behind them. The alien formation split as the battle erupted. They continued to descend and followed the navigation signal which led them into a deep canyon between two rows of towering mountains. They then followed the base of the canyon and arrived at an immense cliff face which made up the side of a mountain. A huge spaceport was carved directly into the mountainside. The entire area was crowded with battlements and heavy turret guns of every variety.
Sara slowed the ship down and entered through the great opening which led into a gigantic cavern. There were a series of landing platforms; most of them were empty. A group of people were waiting for them at one of the last platforms. Sara gently landed and shut down the reactor. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
**
Gartax sat in his raised command seat in the dark and dingy central chamber of his fleet battleship. A subtle red glow lit the entire area, and the chamber was kept moist by dripping condensers in the ceiling. Gartax had always felt at home in dank environments.
He sneered down at his five advisors; they trembled in fear as they looked up at him. Gartax hated everyone and everything in existence, even his own race. His mind fed on the feeling of hate. Hate drove him onward, and it was hate that gave him his power. He craved power alone, because in his corrupt mind he could only see two real possibilities for any living creature: power or vulnerability, and he despised vulnerability with his entire being. He was the master of the entire fleet, and it was precisely through his commitment to hate and the accumulation of power that he had climbed through the ranks to his position.
He clearly remembered the defining moment when he had killed the former Fleet Master with his bare hands. The overwhelming feeling of power he felt in that moment had stayed with him ever since.
‘Why haven’t we found the exiles?’ he asked bitterly in the harsh alien language.
‘Our scout ships have searched constantly,’ answered Akemak, who was one of his longest surviving advisors. Akemak had been an advisor for five months, which was far longer than any other advisor had previously survived in the same position.
‘Not good enough!’ growled Gartax.
Akemak took a step back and lowered his eyes. He dared not say another word or disagree with the Fleet Master. From the far side of the command chamber appeared an alien with large dark eyes that were tinged with purple. His skin was a pale shade of grey which reminded Gartax of himself; there was a striking resemblance. He felt a little less hate for this newcomer for this reason alone. The alien’s name was Fraxon, an ambitious youngster who had climbed quickly through the fleet ranks. Fraxon crossed the floor and stood before Gartax.
‘I have personally located the exiles,’ he said proudly, bowing his head low.
Gartax felt a rush of excitement rise through his body. ‘Speak!’ he howled.
‘The exile ship was seen by our fleet guarding Moros Gamma.’
‘Moros Gamma!’ repeated Gartax with a doubtful sneer. ‘If you are mistaken I will have you cast into the vacuum of space.’
‘I have verified the unique design and specifications of the ship myself. I am completely sure the exiles landed on Moros Gamma. I would not bring you this information unless I was sure. I expect you to kill me if I am wrong, but I am not wrong.’
‘Why would they go to Moros Gamma?’
‘I do not know,’ answered Fraxon.
Gartax turned to his advisors. ‘Capture them! Divert every available ship to the blockade at Moros Gamma. Take these exiles alive and bring them to me in chains.’ Gartax could hardly contain his excitement. ‘You have done well, Fraxon. You may have Akemak’s position as Fleet Advisor. Akemak, I condemn you to live out the rest of your life alone on an uninhabited mud world. There you will find plenty of opportunity to pursue your ambitions among the worms.’
Akemak collapsed to his knees. ‘Fleet Master, please; I have served you well.’
‘Not well enough. Take him away!’ growled Gartax, sneering and baring his sharp teeth. Three guards appeared from openings in the side of the chamber. They roughly grabbed Akemak and proceeded to drag him across the floor. Gartax watched until Akemak was gone and then chuckled in pleasure. He looked back to his remaining advisors. ‘Return my ship to base. I will inform the Master Shadow.’
**
Michael was the first to leave the ship. A gathering of about twenty men were waiting for them on the docking platform. They were rugged mountain men with long beards, and they were all wearing mountaineering clothes. Ajax, Ivan, Acacius and Cynthia followed Michael over to greet the Morosians.
A tall and proud looking man with a long grey beard, dark eyes and strong features stepped forward from the group. He examined the crew for a few moments before speaking.
‘I am General Khar. I am the leader of the Morosians. Welcome to our world. You are the first visitors from another world to come to Moros Gamma since the alien siege began six years ago.’
‘My name is Captain Michael of the Out Drifter. We almost didn’t make it. Passing the blockade wasn’t easy.’
‘We understand the difficulty. Every ship we sent to help you was lost. We were forced to reactivate the EPHX cannons immediately after you entered the atmosphere. Our ships couldn’t return even i
f they wanted to.’
‘I’m sorry to hear about your loss,’ said Michael.
‘It was a necessary sacrifice,’ said General Khar sternly. ‘Those men did what they had to do to save our people. We Morosians believe in sacrificing ourselves for the survival of our people. This is the only reason we have endured and our neighbours no longer exist.’
‘It was a noble choice they made,’ agreed Michael.
‘It was not their choice. They followed my command,’ said Khar indifferently.
Khar stared at Michael for a long moment. The strain in the General’s dark eyes was clearly evident, and there was a similar look in the eyes of every other man in the Morosian group. The constant threat of complete obliteration had taken a heavy toll.
‘Did you bring the lenses?’ asked Khar.
‘All of them,’ replied Michael.
‘Good. We are grateful to you. Honestly, we did not expect anyone to come, or rather, we did not expect anyone would be able to reach us. You are welcome to stay in our city until you are ready to depart. We will pool together the one billion credits for the transfer. It will take at least a day to gather the money.’
‘We’re not in a rush. My mechanic needs to repair my ship. We had some minor hull damage as we fought our way through the blockade; it’s nothing we can’t fix, but we need a day or two to complete the repairs.’
‘Our mechanical engineers will be willing to help if you require assistance.’
‘Thank you, General Khar.’
**
Sara, Ethan, Dog-Two and Gopher agreed to stay with the ship. Ethan had enlisted Gopher’s help, as it turned out that Gopher had worked as a mechanic before becoming a thief. Ajax would have preferred Gopher to stay in deep sleep until they could drop him off on an appropriate world, but Michael wanted to give Gopher a chance in much the same way he had given Ajax a chance.
Michael, Acacius, Ajax, Cynthia and Ivan were led by General Khar and his men to the far side of the docking platform. A series of elevator doors were set in the rock wall.
‘These elevators take us deep underground to Hadeseron, our last remaining city,’ said General Khar. ‘The aliens destroyed our surface cities in their first assault. We lost two thirds of our population. We were forced to move the remaining population to Hadeseron, which was an underground mining town before the war.’