by John Coon
This hybrid offered unmistakable evidence the Confederation spoke the truth. Upon closer examination, he discovered the pod’s surface bore an official seal of Ra’ahm. The hybrid’s final words also confirmed its origin. What drove the chief sovereign to create these monsters? Did his agents stow this hybrid away in an alien solar system for use at a future time? Were hybrids lurking in other hidden corners of the galaxy, existing as a backup plan to keep Delcor in power?
Xttra glanced up from the pod. Sam stood on the other side, also staring at the dead hybrid. Concern and fear took root in his face. The Earthian shuddered and finally averted his eyes. It seemed bitterly ironic to Xttra how his entire world had turned upside down again because of another encounter with Earthians.
Xander rigged up a makeshift harness to keep the corpse from falling out of the vertical pod while Kyra sealed the pod door. Running lights along each side of the pod clicked from red to blue once the device enacted a fresh hibernation cycle.
“Hopefully, the same systems which preserved the hybrid in stasis will keep its body from decomposing during our return journey to Lathos,” Kyra said. “We need the specimen intact if possible.”
Sam turned and gazed at the sealed hibernation pod. His expression gave Xttra a distinct impression the Earthian expected the hybrid to spring back to life again and escape from the pod.
“How long was that hybrid inside this pod before we found it here on Mars?”
Kyra cast her eyes skyward.
“Since the end of the Separatist War. That means a hibernation period of at least 40 years.”
Sam scratched his head.
“How did this alien survive so long? And how did this pod maintain sufficient power to preserve said alien on a barren planet?”
Xttra stooped down and examined panels above running lights on both sides of the pod. Each panel corresponded with specific functions ranging from life support to internal power.
“The pod’s power cells generate energy from a small antimatter chamber,” he said. “If the cells were fully charged when this pod was brought to this planet, they can supply enough life support power to preserve the hybrid in stasis for 100 years—but only with a steady supply of nutritional supplements, of course.”
Sam’s mouth dropped open.
“100 years? Are you serious?”
Kyra shot him a worried frown.
“It’s clear to me Delcor hid this hybrid in your solar system for a specific purpose. The question now is if his agents hid more hybrids elsewhere.”
Xttra did not want to ponder the scenario she put forward any further. Sleep grew hard enough without bringing other unwelcome thoughts into the picture. He anchored his mind on completing two specific tasks—chasing down and neutralizing the infected Earthian and returning home to Calandra before it grew too late. That left no room for tackling unseen problems elsewhere.
“How soon before we’re flight-ready again?” Xttra straightened up and cast his eyes toward the bridge where Cavac continued making repairs. “Giving the Earthian vessel too much of a head start is asking for additional trouble later.”
Kyra moved closer to a button connected to the ship’s internal communications system and mashed it down. Cavac had already restored communications—along with a few other basic primary systems—before the others boarded the ship again.
“Do you have some good news for me?”
“I’m making steady progress.” Cavac’s voice crackled over the internal speakers. “Antimatter injectors and primary thrusters are back online. Thetians don’t construct high quality ships, but at least their designs are simple to repair.”
“Excellent. We’ll meet you on the bridge.”
Kyra turned and faced the others inside the cargo bay.
“We’re back on track,” she said, beckoning them forward. “Our hyperlight engines are at normal operating capacity again, so we should regain lost ground quickly.”
Xttra flashed back to what unfolded for him and his crew when they first approached Earth. Language and technology barriers stymied their original efforts to communicate with Earthian leaders. Once they entered the planet’s atmosphere, the Earth Defense Bureau sent attack vessels to shoot his scout ship down. Fears of a repeat attack flooded his mind.
He cocked his head at Sam as they entered the bridge.
“If we pursue the other vessel back to your planet, can you guarantee your fellow Earthians won’t deploy attack vessels to shoot us down?”
Kyra stopped and wheeled around.
“Shoot us down?” she repeated.
Sam raised his hand and shook his head.
“Relax. If you set your communication systems to the correct frequency, I can talk to the bureau when we reach Earth and fill them in on everything.”
Xttra narrowed his eyes and studied Sam suspiciously for a moment. The Earthian did not strike him as one eager to sacrifice his own skin to let his people destroy this spaceship. Then again, Xttra could not afford to ignore any plausible scenario when dealing with this treacherous alien race.
He turned and glanced at Kyra.
“If you want my advice, we should establish communications from a safe distance around the Earthian moon.” Xttra pointed his thumb back at Sam. “His people are violent and reactionary. No need to purchase us more trouble than we’re already facing.”
Sam answered him with an annoyed frown.
“I promise you’ll be perfectly safe with me aboard. Trust me for a change.”
Kyra swung around and marched to the pilot’s chair.
“Xttra is right,” she said while settling into the chair. “It’s not you who we doubt, Sam. We’ll go to your planet’s moon and stay in orbit until you contact your Earthian leaders before going any further.”
Xttra, Sam, Xander, and Cavac all took seats on the bridge and strapped in for launch. Kyra fired the primary thrusters. The usual whoosh and hum greeted Xttra’s ears. Primary engines seemed to be working adequately.
The red rock Martian surface receded from view as their ship barreled through the thin atmosphere’s upper reaches. Kyra and Cavac extrapolated correct coordinates for Earth based on information Sam shared with the group. Cavac plotted a course to the Moon and the ship quickly jumped from orbit around Mars.
Were they too late to stop the Earthian vessel from reaching Earth? The question flashed through Xttra’s mind as Mars receded from view. They lost an entire day while Cavac made repairs. If the artificial wormhole the other vessel created remained stable long enough, they might already be entering orbit or landing on the planet’s surface by now.
What would the two rogue colonists tell their fellow Earthians? Would they trick Earthian leaders into attacking the Thetian ship before Sam had a chance to make contact and explain the situation? A reactionary Earthian attack against a ship not from their world was not unprecedented, and that knowledge only escalated a growing fear burrowing into every corner of Xttra’s soul.
He lost track of how much time passed before the Moon appeared in visual range. Kyra slowed the main engines and guided their ship into orbit around the Earthian satellite. A loud beep from one of the sensors resonated through the bridge.
“I’m detecting a Ra’ahmian sensor array near the dark side of this moon,” Cavac said.
Sam shot Xttra a questioning look.
“Sensor array?”
“How do you think we programmed your language into our translators?” Xttra replied. “We intercepted transmissions from your planet and fed your language through my scout ship’s central computer.”
“We can do the same thing here,” Kyra said. She cocked her head at the navigation station. “Patch us into the sensor array, Cavac. Feed the transmissions through the speakers, so Sam can help us pinpoint the necessary frequency to communicate with his people.”
Xttra scoffed. A satis
fied smirk popped on his face as he leaned forward in his chair.
“Ra’ahmian made sensor arrays are well protected. You can’t just hack—”
“I patched into the sensor array,” Cavac announced, cutting him off. “Looping the transmissions through the internal speakers now.”
Distorted voices broken up by static blasted from the speakers. Xttra flinched and crinkled his eyes and nose at the sound. Cavac fiddled with a small knob on his console and the static lessened. Voices grew more distinct and refined. Each one spoke at a rapid pace. Xttra wondered if he should put a translator in his ear like the others. He recognized few of the words these voices said.
Xttra shot a puzzled look at Sam. The Earthian tilted his head, crossed his arms, and studied the nearest speaker above him.
“You picked up a signal from a Spanish-language TV broadcast,” he finally said. “Keep trying.”
Another transmission soon replaced the first one. Xttra sank back in his chair and nodded. This one used the same Earthian language as Sam. Two people spoke. One described an unseen Earthian dribbling a ball and running ahead of a second Earthian in an animated voice.
“I recognize some of these words,” he said.
Sam looked over at him and smiled.
“Another TV broadcast. Sounds like we picked up an NBA game between the Lakers and the Warriors.”
“Lakers and Warriors?” Xttra repeated. “Are those two Earthian tribes?”
“Basketball teams,” Sam said, correcting him. “Basketball is a sport we play on Earth. A popular one. And I think we made it back from Mars in time to catch the NBA Playoffs.”
Kyra snapped her head around.
“Let’s focus on catching the infected Earthian.”
Sam flashed an annoyed frown but said nothing. Both he and Xttra refocused their attention on listening to Earthian transmissions. They sifted through more signals filtering through the sensor array. One after another did not connect back to the Earth Defense Bureau. Xttra sensed tension building on the bridge. Irritated scowls and sharpened tones in the Confederation officers’ voices only confirmed his suspicions.
“That’s it!” Excitement infused Sam’s voice. “We’ve picked up a bureau radio channel.”
Xttra instinctively cocked his head at the internal speakers. A dry voice repeated multiple questions to an unidentified silent Earthian. He had no context for words spoken on the transmission, but the first Earthian’s tone grew increasingly persistent.
Sam edged forward on his chair and tapped his fingers on the armrest.
“Can you match the transmission frequency? We need to communicate with the bureau and warn them the Magellan is headed to Earth.”
Cavac nodded without looking at him. His eye and ocular implant remained fixed on a communications console bordering the navigational console.
“Already working on patching into your Earthian radio channel.”
“How do I talk with them from here?”
Kyra glanced over her shoulder and beckoned him forward. Sam unlatched the safety restraints on his chair and approached the helm. He crouched down next to the pilot’s chair.
“This activates the ship’s external communicator.” Kyra tapped a square green button on the helm console. “Press down on the button until it clicks, and it will open a communication channel. Press down a second time to release the button and sever the channel.”
Once he adjusted the communicator to match the designated Earthian frequency, Cavac turned and gave Sam an abrupt nod. He reached over and pressed the button in the same manner Kyra showed him.
“Can you read me?” Sam rose to a standing position again. “This is Sam Bono from the Earth Defense Bureau. Patch my signal through to Director Marks at once.”
“Sam?’ A surprised husky voice finally answered after a minute of silence. “Where are you? Deep space tracking picked up your warning beacon from Mars a few days ago. We were readying a rescue mission.”
“The threat on Mars is neutralized,” Sam replied. “But a bigger threat remains.”
“Bigger threat?”
“Alien venom infected one of our colonists. She and a second colonist stole the Magellan. They’re headed to Earth.”
“What?” Director Marks’ voice climbed in pitch as he soaked in Sam’s revelation. “We spoke with the Magellan pilot less than an hour ago and gave him permission to land.”
Kyra’s mouth dropped open and her eyes grew as large as plates.
“Are all Earthian leaders this dumb? Why would you do such a foolish thing?”
“Who is that?” Director Marks’ voice grew flustered. “Where are you, Sam?”
“I’m onboard an alien ship orbiting the Moon,” Sam replied. “Listen, you can’t let the Magellan land under any circumstances. Send out drones. Fire missiles. Do what you need to do.”
“For a simple medical emergency?”
Sam sighed and pressed his palm to his forehead.
“Whatever they told you is a lie. Norah Baker is becoming a hybrid, like the ones which overran Travis, Texas 14 years ago.”
Silence greeted Sam. It continued long enough for Xttra to wonder if a glitch severed their communication channel with Earth prematurely. He hoped that was not the case. These violent Earthians would jump at the first excuse to shoot their ship down once it reached the planet’s lower atmosphere.
“A Rubrum hybrid?”
Director Marks’ question pierced the silence like a sharp blade. Xttra sensed a newfound terror couched in the Earthian’s voice.
“A different hybrid laid waste to our Martian colony,” Sam said. “Aliens from Lathos rescued me and helped destroy the first hybrid, but we were unable to prevent Cliff and Norah from taking off from Mars.”
“Aliens from Lathos? Like the ones you encountered out in Utah?”
“I don’t have time to explain all the details. We need to move fast. Where’s the Magellan’s current location?”
“It entered the thermosphere a little while ago.”
“Understood. We’ll try to intercept it before they cross the Karman line.”
Sam snapped his head toward Kyra.
“The Magellan is entering Earth’s upper atmosphere. Can you intercept it before it lands?”
Kyra stared at the helm thoughtfully for a moment while appearing to weigh scenarios in her mind. She finally glanced over at Sam and answered him with a confident nod.
“Faster than a cala scurries up a fraxa tree.”
Sam gave her a puzzled look.
“What’s a cala?”
Kyra turned and faced the helm again, ignoring his question. She fired the primary thrusters and the ship zipped out of orbit from around the Moon.
“What’s a cala?” Sam repeated, this time looking over at Xttra for an answer.
An image of Bella popped into his mind. Xttra smiled as he thought of Calandra’s treasured pet. She darted around the apartment with limitless energy at times and often got under foot along the way.
“A small, furry, and energetic Lathoan animal,” he said. “Calandra and I keep one as a pet.”
“You also have pets on your planet? Fascinating.”
Earth grew larger on the horizon. Shadows partially cloaked the blue-green orb. The planet’s natural beauty contrasted so powerfully with the ugly, violent natures of Earthians who called it home. Xttra tried to prepare himself mentally and emotionally for dealing with an inevitable return to Earth. Now, with their ship nearing low orbit, a mixture of fear, anger, and sadness besieged him. This swirl of emotion gripped him as tight as a mokai bird seizing fresh prey.
“Our sensors have locked on the Earthian deep space vessel,” Xander said. “It’s descending through the planet’s upper atmosphere.”
“Plot an intercept course,” Kyra said, glancing over at Cavac. “Let’s
bring down that ship before it can land.”
Cavac nodded and entered coordinates into the navigational computer. A new course targeting the Earthian deep space vessel popped up on the main helm holoscreen. Kyra tapped the route, highlighted in red, with her finger and then shifted the primary thrusters to a higher speed.
The distance between their ship and Earth fell away with blinding speed. Xttra studied the blue tinge of atmosphere with anxious eyes as their ship reached low orbital range. Images of Earthian attack vessels firing weapons flooded his mind. He refused to let himself assume they were safe with Sam on board. The presence of Kevin and his fellow soldiers offered no protection from lethal attacks while retaking his scout ship from Earthian leaders.
A loud beep echoed through the bridge.
“We have the Earthian vessel in visual range,” Kyra said. “It’s headed for a green land mass on the daytime side of the planet.”
“That’s North America,” Sam replied. “My home continent. They’re trying to land in the United States.”
Kyra glanced at the forward station where Xander sat.
“What’s our weapons status?”
“Thetian ion mines are at one-third power.”
She shot him a disappointed scowl.
“Wonderful. That will have to be good enough.”
Xttra turned his attention back to the windshield as their ship dipped below a bank of white clouds. At once, the Earthian vessel appeared below. It grew from a distant dot to a full-sized ship within seconds.
“Target the engines before they can fire their weapons again,” Xttra said. “And activate our shields.”
Kyra sighed.
“I know how to bring down a hostile vessel,” she said. Her eyes remained fixed on the holoscreen before her. “If I want assistant piloting from you, I’ll ask for it.”
An energy shell enveloped the outer hull. Two ports opened and ion mines launched from the belly of their ship. Each mine resembled a giant metallic egg spiraling toward the Earthian vessel.
A pair of blinding flashes lit up the sky between the two ships. Flames and smoke billowed out from remnants of a solar arm and a secondary engine exhaust port on the left side of the Earthian vessel.
