Firestorm Mountain

by Raymond L. Weil

  “Ships are ready for departure,” Second Officer Jaltor reported.

  Commander Balforr nodded. Balforr was taller than an average Human with dark-green skin due to his saurian ancestry. The commander had a large lizard-like head with sharp tearing teeth and huge eyes.

  “We’ll leave in two hours,” Balforr replied, his eyes looking coldly at the ship’s main viewscreen. “I wish to make one more sensor sweep of the planet, particularly the deeper parts of the oceans, to confirm no major Olcon population centers survived.”

  Second Officer Jaltor frowned. “Some areas of those oceans are twelve kilometers deep. Our sensors have difficulty scanning at those depths.”

  “I am aware of that,” replied Balforr, turning to gaze with narrowed eyes toward his second in command. “However, I want those areas scanned anyway. If we detect nothing then I’ll feel it’s safe for us to depart this world, leaving it in the hands of our foot soldiers.”

  “It will be done,” replied Jaltor. “We’re also leaving several battlecruisers in orbit until the first colony ships arrive. If any Olcon communities have been overlooked, our reserves are capable of making short work of them.”

  “I believe in thoroughness,” responded Commander Balforr. “We were given the responsibility of clearing this planet of its inhabitants to make room for the continued expansion of our race.”

  “And we have done that. This race did not have the capability to defend itself against our superior weapons,” said Jaltor. “Have you heard what our next mission will be?”

  Commander Balforr recalled the FTL transmission from the High Command, informing him where to take his fleet. “A world called Earth,” he answered. “It’s in the early stages of interplanetary spaceflight and its population must be annihilated before they become a serious threat to the Empire. They’re a warlike species and additional ships and soldiers will accompany us on this mission.”

  “A warlike species,” mused Jaltor thoughtfully. “It’s very seldom we encounter such a civilization. Has the High Command suggested how we should deal with this race?”

  Balforr showed his sharp teeth and nodded. “Subterfuge and negotiations to begin with. We have much to offer that this species will be highly interested in. While we talk we will learn their strengths and, more importantly, their weaknesses.”

  “It is a wise decision,” commented Jaltor.

  Balforr turned toward the navigation officer. “How long will it take to travel to Earth’s star system?”

  The navigation officer spent a few moments studying some star charts on his computer screens. “Three weeks travel in hyperspace. The system is far out on the very edge of explored space.”

  “I am curious as to why the High Command chose our fleet for this mission,” said Jaltor, some confusion evident in his expression. “Other conquest fleets are much closer.”

  “Due to the difficulty of this particular mission,” Balforr responded. “Our fleet has the highest efficiency rating in using limited resources to annihilate civilizations which inhabit worlds needed for our expansion.”

  Jaltor nodded his understanding. The planet Earth would be the fleet’s next conquest and the race that currently inhabited it would become extinct.

  -

  Three weeks later at the White House, a special meeting was in progress. President Edward Drummond, Vice President Katelyn Hathaway, General Allen Mitchell, Secretary of State Maggie Rayne, and NASA Head of Operations Dwight Meadows were watching a live transmission feed from USSTRATCOM.

  “When did we first detect them?” asked President Drummond, his brow furrowed in a deep frown. On the large video screen, a group of objects that resembled bright points of light were visible. What made these unusual for deep space objects was that they were all in formation.

  “They appeared in our system a little over four hours ago,” Meadows replied. “They dropped out of hyperspace and proceeded immediately to set a course for Earth.”

  Vice President Hathaway drew in a sharp breath. “Is it them?”

  “From all indications this is a Trellixian invasion fleet,” replied Meadows. “We’ve used several of our more advanced space telescopes to take photos of the ships in the fleet and they match what’s in our secret database. Those are Trellixian battlecruisers.”

  President Drummond leaned forward and looked at General Mitchell. “Any recommendations?” This was a day Drummond had hoped would never come. It was also one they had been preparing for.

  “We go with plan Alpha. We can activate it within minutes of transmitting the warning. I just wish we had had a few more years to prepare. Not everything is as ready as I would like it to be but we’ll make do.”

  President Drummond stood and walked over to the large window overlooking the capital. His face revealed the stress of the moment. “This is the end of our world as we currently know it. Things will never be the same again.” Drummond stood for a long minute in silence, dwelling on the thought that, in a matter of a few months, most of the world’s population would be dead and its major cities in ruins; then he turned toward the others. “General Mitchell, transmit the message. Also take us to DEFCON 2. Maggie, get on the phones, talk to our allies and inform them of the situation. They know what needs to be done.”

  Maggie nodded. As secretary of state, she had a secret list of who to contact.

  For years they had known this time might come. Preparations had been made but the Trellixians had come too soon. Earth’s defense plan would need modifying and they would have to hope for the best. With a deep sigh, President Drummond returned, sat behind his desk, and stared at the others. His face took on a look of deep concern and seriousness. “I’ll address the nation tonight and inform them we are no longer alone.”

  “How much will you tell them?” asked Maggie worriedly.

  “Only that we’ve detected a group of what appears to be spacecraft approaching Earth and we expect to make peaceful contact with them shortly. There’s no reason to panic or be concerned. I will tell them we always considered this a possibility and have prepared for it. I’m also ordering all the markets to close for the next forty-eight hours until the shock of my announcement wears off.”

  “What if the aliens attack as soon as they arrive over Earth?” asked Vice President Hathaway.

  President Drummond shifted his gaze to his vice president. “That’s a possibility and why we’re going to DEFCON 2. If they attack we’ll be ready to resist but I think they’ll want to talk first. Our military analysts believe they’ll desire to learn as much about us as possible. Our goal is to extend those negotiations as long as we can to buy time. Every week, day and hour we can drag this out the more people we may be able to save.”

  “Will any of us be safe in the end?” asked Maggie, worry evident in her eyes.

  President Drummond hesitated and then answered. “I don’t know. We’ve had time to prepare but the science isn’t ready. We can only do the best we can and pray to God some of us survive.”

  The room grew quiet as they thought about what was ahead of them. How do you resist an enemy who has never known defeat? Looking around the room they all also wondered how many of them would still be alive one year from now.

  -

  In Portland, Oregon, Lisa Reynolds was relaxing in her parents’ house, watching TV. Lisa was twenty-eight years old, a brunette, and a corporal in the army. She was currently home on leave and spending time with her folks.

  “Any plans with Streth for the weekend?” asked her mother from the kitchen where she was busily preparing dinner. “Why don’t you give him a call and see if he can come over and eat with us?”

  Lisa let out a deep sigh. Her mother was anxious for her and Streth to get married and have children. “I have two more weeks of leave, Mom. Streth and I are going away for the weekend to the mountains. We have reservations at a small ski resort so we can have some alone time. He’s out of town on business and won’t be back until sometime tomorrow.”

  “How m
uch longer until your military service is over?” her mother continued. “I don’t understand why you enlisted anyway. You had a great job at the research center and Streth is making good money with his real estate business. The two of you should have been married years ago.”

  “Another year in the army,” answered Lisa. Her mother had been against her enlistment from the very beginning. They had had several heated arguments over it but Lisa had joined anyway.

  She enlisted because her former college professor suggested she do so. He had explained to her he had a special job waiting for her once Lisa’s enlistment term was up. Why a stint in the army was so important confused her, but Professor Wilkens was one of the top theoretical nuclear physicists in the world and qualified people everywhere were dying to work with him.

  After speaking at length with the professor and having a frank talk with Streth, she had enlisted for four years in the army with an additional four years in the Inactive Ready Reserve. It was curious, though, as most of her time in the military involved working with the latest technology and even in several key research projects; far different from what she had expected. As soon as she had finished boot camp, she had been assigned to several installations doing research regarding top secret communications devices and weaponry.

  She was startled when a loud high-pitched noise came from the TV.

  “The Emergency Broadcast System has been activated. In ten minutes the President of the United States will make a special announcement. No need to panic or grow overly concerned. The president will address a developing situation.” The announcer’s voice went silent and on the TV screen a large countdown timer appeared.

  “What’s going on?” asked Lisa’s father as he came into the room, gazing at the TV.

  “I don’t know,” replied Lisa, confused. She had never heard of the president doing this before. “The president’s making a speech in a few minutes. It must be important if he’s using the Emergency Broadcast System.”

  Her father nodded. “That will allow him to be heard across all the TV stations as well as radio. I wonder what’s going on?”

  “Well, dinner’s nearly ready so I hope whatever he’ll say will be short,” Lisa’s mom said as she came in from the kitchen, putting her hands on her hips and frowning at the TV.

  Both of Lisa’s parents sat down on the sofa, gazing nervously at the screen.

  “I hope they’re not cutting the power again,” Lisa’s father said with a worried expression on his face. “It was out the day before yesterday for nearly six hours.”

  “I don’t understand why they can’t fix the power problem,” complained Lisa’s mom. “How am I supposed to cook with no electricity? I don’t think our government has any idea how hard they’re making our lives. Why, just the other morning I couldn’t even vacuum.”

  Lisa didn’t reply. Her mother paid little attention to the news and didn’t understand the state of the country’s power grid.

  In the American northwest power shortages had become more frequent in recent years. As nuclear power plants shut down and the switch was made to wind and solar, the lack of sufficient power for the power grid had grown. Also many environmentalists didn’t want wind or even solar plants constructed in most areas. The general idea seemed to be, yes, we need the plants but not in my area.

  Hundreds of projects were tied up with environmental red tape slowly working its way through the EPA. Politicians claimed in another few years sufficient wind farms would be operating to provide additional power and the power shortages should come to an end. However, for most people, the numerous brownouts were a sign the politicians were more worried about themselves than the average person.

  The three sat quietly, waiting for the president’s speech. The timer continued to count down until it reached zero and then the emergency broadcast symbol vanished to be replaced by the American flag and a voice introducing the President of the United States.

  On TV screens around the world and on every radio and media station President Drummond’s voice rang out.

  “I come to you tonight with a stupendous announcement. The question as to whether we are alone in the universe has been answered. Earlier today our satellites and telescopes detected a group of mysterious objects in the outer regions of our solar system. These objects have been identified as spacecraft which are on an intercept course with Earth.” President Drummond paused, gazing steadily at the camera.

  “So far we have not been able to establish contact. Our linguists are working on this problem and expect to communicate with our visitors in the next few hours. Our military is on alert but I don’t expect any problems establishing peaceful contact with these new friends from space.”

  President Drummond paused once more and, after a moment, began again. “We can learn so much from them and them from us. The inbound spacecraft will arrive in Earth orbit early tomorrow morning. We will have made contact by then, and the next time I speak to you I will be announcing our new visitors. As I said earlier, there is no danger. Head to work tomorrow as normal and go about your regular routines. This is an amazing time, something we will all remember.”

  With those final words the screen went blank and then returned to its regular programming to be almost immediately preempted by newscasters ready to discuss what the president said. It was obvious they had been provided some information by the government about the inbound spaceships.

  “Aliens!” said Lisa’s father in disbelief. “I never expected this.”

  “There are no aliens,” spoke up Lisa’s mother, sounding aggravated. “It’s just an excuse to turn off our power more often. Let’s eat dinner before it gets cold.”

  Before Lisa could say anything her cell phone rang. With surprise, she saw it was Professor Wilkens. “Yes?” she said tentatively, not sure why the professor would be calling her.

  “Lisa, in a few minutes you will receive a recall order from the military. I’ve arranged for you to be assigned to a special unit as my representative.”

  “I don’t understand.” She hadn’t spoken to Professor Wilkens for several months.

  “All is not as it seems,” Wilkens said in his fatherly voice. “We have known about these aliens for quite some time. You cannot reveal to anyone, not even your family, what I am about to tell you. These aliens are not coming as friends but as conquerors. We have made a few preparations for their expected arrival but we’re not ready yet. They came too soon. I need you to act as my eyes and ears and to learn everything you can about the capabilities of these aliens and what we can do to defeat them. Once you have you’ll be brought to me.”

  “Yes, Professor, I understand.” Lisa felt a cold chill run down her back at the professor’s words. She didn’t know what else to say.

  “I am going to hang up. You will receive your recall orders shortly. You have also been promoted to the rank of captain. At some point in time I will have you report to me with your findings and then you’ll help me with a project I’m working on. Just remember the words ad astra.” With that the phone went dead.

  “Ad astra,” she whispered. Lisa recognized it as a Latin phrase meaning, to the stars. At that moment her cell phone rang once more. Looking at it she recognized the number from the military base she normally reported to. First Professor Wilkens’ call about a possible war with invading aliens plus his mysterious reference about ad astra and now the military’s call. With a deep sigh, she wondered what other surprises they had for her as she answered her phone again.

  -

  The next morning, in orbit, Battle Commander Balforr gazed upon the planet he had come to conquer. Like so many other inhabited worlds, it was blue-white in color. He was surprised at the number of satellites in orbit as well as the large quantity of space junk. All this would have to be cleared before the colony transports were summoned.

  “Commander,” said Second Officer Jaltor. “The Humans are still attempting to contact us. Should we reply?”

  Balforr gazed at some data on a co
mputer screen near him. He was astonished at the sheer number of nuclear weapons detected on the surface of the planet and even on oceangoing vessels. Some of these vessels, containing nuclear weapons, moved beneath the surface of the oceans. It was as if this planet was on the brink of an all-out nuclear war. He couldn’t allow the use of those nuclear weapons as they were dirty warheads and would release large amounts of radiation, making the planet useless for colonization. The nuclear weapons of the Trellixians were designed to limit the release of radiation and what radiation was created faded away within thirty hours.

  “Open up a communications line to the planet,” ordered Balforr. “I will speak to them and offer to establish discussions on how this first contact can be mutually beneficial to both our races.” As with most races at this stage of development, the Humans would be anxious to learn from the Trellixians. Contacts such as this had been done hundreds of times in the past and would continue in the future. It greatly simplified the future invasions.

  If everything worked as the dictates of the High Command had suggested Balforr would position his battlecruisers over the most important targets in prelude for the attack. It would take days or possibly weeks to locate all the weapons on this planet. Once that was done, they would come up with a battle plan to conquer this world with minimal losses to the Empire as well as a method to quickly eliminate this planet’s nuclear arsenals.

  “We’ve established contact with an entity on the surface known as NASA,” reported Jaltor. “I believe it’s responsible for this planet’s space operations.”

  Balforr nodded. This NASA would be a prime target. Touching an icon on the computer screen in front of him he prepared to address the representative of this world on his viewscreen. Showing his teeth he knew this world could have no idea of its future. Looking at one of the viewscreens, he surveyed the large amounts of water and the major landmasses evidencing this world as prime colonization territory. Several billion Trellixians would soon be brought to this planet. Not only that, a large number of moons and asteroids were suitable for mining. In the not-so-distant future this star system would become an important part of the Trellixian Empire.