“Do it!” Sam said.
Brianna adjusted the frequency on the earpiece until the channel cleared. “Emergency transmission to cloaked vessels in orbit around Earth. Assistance requested. Please respond.” Nothing. Not even static. “Emergency assistance for Earth requested. Respond.” When she still received no answer, she huffed out a heavy breath. “You’re sure they’re there?” she asked Halah.
“I’m sure.”
She opened her mouth to try again then stopped herself. After a tense moment of silence, she said, “You send a message, Torque. Your voice is more commanding than mine. If they can hear us and are from a planet where females are subordinate, they might respond to you more readily. Keep it general.”
He nodded. “Orbiter 3090 to unidentified fighters orbiting Earth. We are tracking five d-orbs heading toward major population areas of the planet. Requesting destruction assistance.” He purposely didn’t identify themselves as Xylon, following Brianna’s lead. Neither of them wanted their orbiter blown out of space by the Egesa if they could avoid it.
“Did either of our messages transmit?” Brianna asked Halah.
“I can’t tell.”
“I’m not seeing any action,” Torque said.
“Let me try,” Sam said.
“You?” Torque frowned. “What the hell difference can that make?”
“If they don’t even know who you are, they’re not likely to help. If they have an alliance with the United States or one of our western allies, I might be able to get them to act.”
“Your arrogance knows no bounds, Briggs.”
“Fuck you, Torque.”
“Stop it. Let him try,” Brianna ordered.
Sam reached for a headset and slipped it on. “This is Lieutenant Colonel Samuel ‘Ramrod’ Briggs of the United States Air Force. There are currently five d-orb weapons heading for Earth’s atmosphere. Request assistance from any fighter vessels in the area. Destruction from the planet’s surface problematical. U.S. squadrons are currently out of range, but will assist shortly. Please respond.”
“Squadrons?” Torque asked with a smirk.
“It never hurts to sound like there are a lot of us on the way,” Sam answered. “If they heard all three messages, maybe they’ll think that multiple squadrons are cloaked and en route out here somewhere.”
The vessel suddenly shook violently and those standing almost lost their balance.
“What the hell was that?” Leila asked, grabbing Sam’s arm for support. “Did someone fire on us?”
“No,” Halah said. “Something just got too close and the space displacement rattled us. Another cloaked ship, moving fast. Maybe more than one even.”
“Why the fuck didn’t we get a collision warning?” Torque shouted.
“Is it the Egesa?” Leila asked.
“I doubt it,” Halah answered over the alarm that finally kicked in, too late to do them any good. She flipped it off. “None of their other ships are cloaked. I’ll see if I can ping our locater off them. We might be able to get some info if I can hit them just right.”
“What’s the status with the d-orbs?” Brianna asked.
Torque studied the satellite views and the data screens. “Still on their targets.”
Sam cursed and dragged a hand through his hair. “What else can we do?”
“From this distance,” Halah said. “Nothing. At our current speed, which is full out, we’ll be three minutes too late.”
“Any info on who passed us, Halah?” Brianna pressed. “Anything from the computer? We need information.”
She shook her head. “Sorry. Not yet.”
“It looks like Beijing and Moscow are going to be hit first.” Torque brought up another screen. “They’re close enough now for Earth to detect and I’d say they’ve been picked up. I’m registering adjustments in some of the satellites. Looks like they’re scrambling to respond. I’m seeing an increase in transmission waves.”
“Can we tap in with the handheld units to hear what’s going on down there?” Sam asked.
“I’ll see.” Brianna grabbed one of the units.
“Sam?” Halah asked. “Do you recognize this activity?”
Sam’s eyes narrowed as he studied the screen.
Damn ship. Torque’s stomach churned at not being able to help. If they’d been flying one of their fully upgraded fighters, they’d have been there by now and could have shot down at least some of those d-orbs before they made it into Earth’s atmosphere. “Well, Briggs?”
Sam nodded. “The Earth’s missile defense systems are being activated. Here, here and here.” He pointed to various locations. “They’re going to try to intercept the orbs. That’s my guess.”
“They won’t be able to fully activate those systems in time,” Torque said.
“Any action in response to our messages?” Brianna slid the handheld into her belt. “I can’t get anything on the vid-cell. It’s not strong enough at this range.”
Halah checked the screen. “I’ve got something. The ships that passed us are moving into a military-style formation around Earth. The supply ships spotted seem to be aligning.”
“How can you tell that?” Brianna asked. “I see the supply ships but I don’t see anything else.”
“It’s slight. There!” Halah pointed. “And there. See the displacement as they’re moving. I loaded a software program into the computer databanks that can identify a positioning vessel or vessels based on an in-progress theorem of mine. It’s not perfect yet, but more accurate than not, from what I can tell.”
“But are they friend or foe?” Sam asked.
“The ships are firing on the d-orbs!” Halah announced before anyone could respond to Sam’s question. She flipped the view on her data screen so everyone could see what was happening. “They got one. Two. Egesa fighters are moving, trying to find them.”
“They’re firing while cloaked?” Brianna asked in astonishment.
“Seem to be. From the trajectory of the beams, it looks like several ships are firing, which should help to confuse the Egesa. But if they don’t get out of here fast, Daegal will get a lock on them. Three d-orbs destroyed. Now… All of them. Wow.”
Sam let out an audible sound of relief.
“Not quite.” Torque tapped the screen. “Look.”
Sam stepped closer. “What?”
“They were too far down in the atmosphere. They all weren’t completely destroyed. Some disintegrated, some blew up, but the planet is being pelted right now by debris. This is different than the sling rocks. Some of these chunks will take out large areas.”
“Shit!” Sam stepped away and paced. “I’ve never felt so damn helpless in my life.”
Leila came forward. “Casualties?”
Halah turned toward her. “They’ll be high. No cities will be destroyed, but the damage will be major.”
“Any further response from the Egesa?” Brianna asked.
“They’re in a search pattern,” Halah replied. “They’re trying to figure out what the hell happened, I imagine. We’ll be within range of Earth in one minute.”
“No point in cloaking,” Torque told her. “They know we’re here.”
“Not if those messages never went through,” Brianna responded. “We have no idea who those other ships are, if they responded because of our message or on their own. They’re obviously not Egesa, but until we know who they are, I want to keep a low profile. Go ahead and cloak us until we assess the situation.”
“Will do.” Torque hit the controls.
“What’s the status in Colorado?” Sam asked. “That’s where the exchange contact is and where we’ll be making contact.”
“Where is the general area on the screen?” Halah asked. “Point.”
“Here.”
“Checking.” She brought up the satellite. “A lot of damage. Zoom me into the right coordinates for a closer look.”
“There.” Sam tapped the screen.
Halah made some adjustment
s and shook her head. “Could be better.” She turned to Brianna. “Where’s the nearest Xylon substation around this location? Do you know?”
“I can plug in the formula. The computer will have the information.” She tapped the screen several times until a green dot appeared. “There. They’ll be underground.”
“If they were deep enough in the station, they’ll be all right.”
“I’ll check it out once we get down there,” Torque said. “Then we’ll coordinate with you and Briggs,” he told his sister.
“What about me?” Leila asked.
Sam turned toward her. “You’ll need to stay with us until we make contact. Then we’ll hand you over to my colleague. She’ll help you coordinate with the scientists. If she’s still alive.”
Leila nodded.
“What’s the plan if your contacts were taken out?” Torque asked.
Sam shook his head. “It’ll be difficult. The only thing we’ll be able to do is try to move up the chain of command and hope they don’t toss us in confinement, thinking we’re nutty and a danger risk. Very few people are aware of this exchange.”
“Any actual indication that the Egesa know we’re here yet?” Brianna asked.
“If they do, they’re not concerned,” Torque told her, turning back to the instrument panel.
“Wait.” Halah flipped a screen. “Look. Egesa sting fighters are offloading from Daegal’s main ship. They’re moving into a net formation to cover the planet.”
“There must be thousands of them,” Sam said in awe.
“A small force, compared to what they could have brought here. They obviously weren’t expecting much resistance,” Brianna said to him in return. “What happened to those other ships, Halah?”
“Gone. I can’t find them. Looks like they cleared the area before getting hemmed in by the Egesa.”
Torque stood from his chair. “Get us down there, Halah, before they engage an energy shield and block off access.”
“I haven’t tested the transport control yet.”
“We’ll have to chance it.” Brianna grabbed her jacket and slipped it on. “Gather your equipment, everyone.” She checked her weapon and shoved it into its holder on her belt as the others scrambled to get ready.
* * * * *
Planet Earth, State of Colorado, U.S.A.
Underground Tracking Facility
Jaeda finally made it back to the control area. It still looked intact, but chaos had erupted. She rushed over to Kirk’s station. “What the hell happened?”
“Those meteors I was tracking entered the atmosphere and started hitting the planet. Then we picked up what looked to be alien crafts coming in, heading fast to five different cities—all capitals, including Washington. Our military, and the military in each area, engaged their missile defense systems. Before anyone could fire on the crafts, they were destroyed.”
“By whom?” Not her contacts.
“Unknown.” He handed her the datasheets. “The fragments, some still large in size, hit and caused major damage.”
“Was that the jolt I felt earlier?”
Kirk shook his head. “That was one of the meteorite chunks—small potatoes compared to these larger fragments. The upper levels on our south side were hit hard.”
Her heart clenched. “Casualty reports?”
“Specific numbers unknown at this time. Look at this.” He led her over to another screen. “Now we’re tracking thousands of small ships orbiting the planet in some sort of pattern.”
Damn it. She recognized those ships. They were sting fighters. Now she knew for sure who was out there even though she’d pretty much already figured it out. This just confirmed it. Earth needed help and they needed it fast.
“What happened to you?” Kirk suddenly asked, looking her up and down. “You’re covered in grime.”
“I got stuck in the elevator.” If it hadn’t been on its way down to the lower levels when the facility was hit, she might have been one of their casualties.
“Stuck? I didn’t receive a report of any malfunctions? They always come across my panel. Damn equipment. How’d you get out?”
“I got out. That’s all that’s important. What’s the military’s response? Have you heard from General Adair? Are we still functional?”
“Yes, the United States is still functional. We’re at Defcon 2 right now, as far as I know. His section and several others were hit by debris. His staff didn’t make it, Jaeda.”
“Is he—”
Kirk raised his hand. “He’s all right.”
She gulped and nodded, holding in her emotions.
“He’s here in the facility and coordinating.”
“I need to see him. And get me some specific damage and casualty numbers. What’s the news reporting? Are you monitoring?”
“Mass chaos. Panic in the streets. The interstates are becoming jammed as people are trying to get out of the cities. Emergency rooms are overflowing. Not much looting of supplies yet, but that’s just a matter of time.”
A man rushed over and whispered something in Kirk’s ear.
He nodded. “Martial law has just been declared.” He lowered his voice. “Outside video feeds are being shut down to contain panic in the facility. Only the control room, the weapon’s section and security will still be receiving. We’re supposed to report the blackout to any others as a malfunction.”
Jaeda nodded. They needed to maintain order and calm here, as much as possible. Seeing the devastation would only make the staff want to leave or bring their families here for protection. She couldn’t blame them. But they couldn’t accommodate everyone and they couldn’t run this facility without the staff. Fucking alien bastards.
* * * * *
Deep Space
Daegal roared as he plunged his cock into the female bent over in front of him. He didn’t care if he was being too rough. He needed to work off his frustration. Plus sex always dulled his ever-present pain.
The d-orbs he’d sent to Earth were supposed to take out the planet’s leaders so his Slave Masters could simply materialize down and take over the planet in the midst of all the turmoil. That plan had failed.
He still didn’t know who had destroyed the d-orbs. His people were working on it. They’d identified an old-time Xylon fighter ship in the area right before they cloaked but that was of no concern to him. It had probably been left in the area, prior to his attack on their planet, to support the Xylon Warriors still on Earth. They’d picked up a partial message from the ship but static had drowned out most of the words. One ship posed no threat. If one of his fleet commanders wanted to destroy it if it popped up on their tracking again, that was fine, but not a priority.
With a groan, he pulled his cock out of the female. “Turn around.” He pushed her to her knees. “Suck me off.” Her pussy wasn’t tight enough to make him climax. He plunged his fingers into her hair as she slid her lips over his shaft.
One of his high-level assassins entered his quarters. A former Xylon Warrior re-initiated and turned to his side. The man hesitated until Daegal motioned him forward. “You have a report?”
“The sting fighters have surrounded the planet.”
“Any new information on who destroyed our d-orbs?”
“Not yet.” His gaze momentarily dipped to the woman who was licking and sucking as if she were in a race for her life. “The only other ships in the area besides that lone Xylon fighter are a convoy of supply vessels. They haven’t responded to our comm attempts. They may be under robotic control.”
He wouldn’t make that assumption. “Someone with a hell of a lot of fire power is out there. Find them!”
The man nodded and backed out of the room.
Daegal’s fingers tightened in the female’s hair and he shouted as he came down her throat. As he pulled out, he kept coming and shot his seed over her face and tits. “Wear it, you stupid bitch.” After he was fully spent, he pushed her away. “Leave me. You’re useless.”
The woman
scrambled away like a frightened slave.
He cleaned himself up as he thought of his strategy. Earth’s military wouldn’t be able to hold them back for long. He would begin to contact the planet leaders and demand their surrender. If they refused, he’d destroy Earth one region at a time, while he gathered up as many humans as possible for harvesting. He needed their spinal fluid and he would have it—one way or another.
Chapter Four
State of Colorado. U.S.A., Planet Earth
The Xylon crew stood in an open area—exposed and vulnerable. Torque and Brianna immediately drew their weapons and scanned their surroundings. After a moment, Brianna visibly relaxed. “It’s clear.”
Torque re-sheathed his disruptor as he continued to study the area. No buildings or people stood nearby. The location looked barren and devoid of life, as if nobody had ever stepped foot on the land.
A light breeze ruffled his hair, which had grown too long now to be regulation. He pushed the strands out of his face. The temperature was warm but the air held a hint of coolness to it. A mountain range stood in front of them. Beautiful in its majesty.
At the sound of sirens, he turned the other way. Smoke rose high into the air as fires raged in the distance. The smell of fuel assaulted his senses. When he looked up, he spotted Egesa sting-m orbiters low in the atmosphere. Though he recognized they were unmanned monitoring ships only, those vessels must be an intimidating sight to the humans.
“Are they going to fire on us?” Sam asked.
“No,” Brianna responded. “The low-hanging vessels are just sending back data to Daegal and his fighter ships.”
Torque kicked at the dirt beneath his feet. He planted his fists on his hips. “Well, hell. We’re in the middle of fucking nowhere here. Now what? What’s wrong with Halah?”
“No. We’re good,” Sam said. “I know where we are.” He pointed north, in the direction of the mountain range. “This way.”
The crunch of small rocks under their boots and the low wail of far-off sirens were the only sounds that accompanied them as they walked. After several paces, a new sound caused Torque to look up. A formation of flyers passed overhead. Earth jets he assumed from the design. They would prove of little help against the sting fighters and even the sting-m monitoring ships, though they could take out Egesa foot soldiers if they spotted them and had the ability to fire on ground targets.
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