Studying the enemy craft in front of it, the drone decided to simply use one of its fusion beams. The beam should easily cut through the thin hull of the ship, and it would take only a few shots to destroy the vessel.
-
“I’m getting an energy spike from the alien drone,” warned Lieutenant Morrison. “I think it’s getting ready to fire.”
“Close all hatches,” ordered Captain Greer. “Lieutenant Commander Meadows, send a message saying that we surrender.”
Meadows looked at the captain in surprise and then did as ordered. “No reply, Captain.”
Captain Greer leaned back in her command chair. There was nothing else she could do. She couldn’t believe their mission would end like this.
“All hatches are shut,” confirmed Lieutenant Williams.
“What’s happening!” demanded Professor Tower. “Why won’t they respond? They’re obviously intelligent. Captain Greer, you must do something!”
“They have come to destroy us just as Mr. Wilcox said,” replied Captain Greer, wishing she could do something more. “We can’t outrun them, and we’re unarmed. We’re at their mercy.”
“They won’t fire on us,” proclaimed Professor Tower. “I still believe this is all some alien simulation rigged by Wilcox. That ship is not really there.”
“Massive energy buildup,” reported Lieutenant Morrison, trying to sound calm. “They’re firing.”
On the screen, a blue beam of energy shot out from one of the drone’s turrets, striking the Endeavor near the crew’s quarters. The ship shook violently, and alarms sounded.
“Still think it’s all fake?” demanded Lieutenant Commander Meadows.
Tower did not reply. His face had turned as white as a ghost.
“Major damage to the ship,” reported Lieutenant Williams, as he checked his engineering console. “We have six compartments open to space, and we’re bleeding atmosphere. Power is failing.”
“They’re firing again!”
The Endeavor shook violently. Several secondary explosions rattled the ship, and the lights dimmed. Several consoles stopped functioning.
“We just lost propulsion,” reported Williams. “I can’t detect anything in the back half of the ship. I don’t believe it’s there anymore.”
“We’re going to die!” screamed Professor Tower. “Do something!”
Captain Greer closed her eyes and then slowly opened them. “There is nothing we can do. They came here to kill us, and that’s exactly what they’re going to do.”
“They’re firing again,” reported Morrison, as he closed his eyes.
Greer took a deep breath. This was it. The ship shook violently, and the Command Center seemed to erupt in fire.
-
The Endeavor was shaken by more explosions, and then blew apart in one final blast, hurling flaming wreckage in all directions.
-
The computer in the drone scanned the wreckage, determining there were no survivors, and the ship was no longer functional. It had been blown into thousands of small pieces. Reversing on its axis, the drone headed back toward its base to make its report. The threat had been eliminated, and now the AI at the base would decide if any more steps were necessary.
-
Andrew was in his acceleration couch, thinking. The escape pod was still powered down, and they were surviving on the life support from their spacesuits.
“Do you think the Endeavor managed to escape?” asked Rachael.
Andrew shook his head. “No, once the drone has a target, the drone must then destroy its target. Nothing prevents it from carrying out its orders. Unfortunately the Endeavor had no weapons, and even if it did, it couldn’t destroy the drone. The drone is protected by an energy shield, and none of the weapons so far developed on Earth would be a threat to it.”
Kala looked long and hard at Andrew. She knew that Andrew must be part of the group of advanced Humans who were manipulating the technological development on Earth. “Andrew, I know from what my father has told me who you are and what your people have been doing on Earth. Perhaps it’s time to enlighten Rachael and Professor Marcus.”
Andrew let out a deep sigh. “I guess it doesn’t matter that much anymore. If we’re rescued, you’ll know the truth anyway. And, if we’re not, then what I’m about to tell you will die with us.”
-
For the next several hours Andrew told the other three the complete story about the Human Empire and the Royals and their close friends and family stranded on Earth. Andrew explained how a core group had kept intact the knowledge from the Empire and had passed it down from generation to generation. When he was nearly finished, he told them about Sanctuary.
Professor Marcus slowly shook her head. “Andrew, this all sounds so fantastic. If not for the Endeavor detecting the Druin drone, I don’t know if I would have believed it. It’s hard to imagine that over one thousand Human worlds are out in the galaxy.”
“There are,” replied Andrew. “And they are all much more advanced than Earth, though, at the present time, they are under the rule of the Confederation. Personal freedom on those worlds will have been limited, and research into many fields banned.”
“My dad found the ruins of Andrew’s people on Cyprus,” explained Kala. “All Andrew just told us is revealed in paintings on a cave wall. There are advanced mathematical equations and scientific proofs there too. Also paintings of advanced spacecraft battling each other and eventually ships coming to Earth. Father found a treasure trove of books in a stone sarcophagus.”
Rachael looked at Andrew. “Do you believe this Sanctuary is out here?”
Andrew hesitated for a long moment. “Maybe. If it’s not, then everything we’ve tried to do on Earth will be a waste. At some point in Earth’s development, the scientists will discover a faster-than-light drive. Once the Druin stations monitoring the Solar System detect a ship leaving the system, the AI in charge will notify the Druins for instructions. It’s very likely the Druins will instruct the stations to launch their attack drones and use antimatter weapons to drastically reduce Earth’s population.”
Professor Marcus looked stunned. “But why?”
“It’s how the seven races controlling the majority of our galaxy operate. No other race can be allowed to become a threat. That’s what the Human Empire did, and the Druins were sent to put us in our place. They wiped out our fleet, destroyed many of our cities, and executed all the leaders in our government, as well as part of the Royal Family.”
Kala asked the next question. “Why is this Sanctuary so important?”
“My people believe it’s inside a major asteroid or even a moon around one of the outer planets. Our people managed to build a secret base there, in case one of the seven races attacked the Empire. The base is capable of building spacecraft. Or I should say, advanced warships. They’ve had over one thousand years to build a fleet. Someday we’ll retake our Empire and free the hundreds of Human worlds under control of the Confederation.”
“You want Earth to be a part of that, don’t you?” asked Kala accusingly. “You want us to become a part of your war.”
Andrew nodded. “Yes, we’ll need people. You must understand, the Confederation considers all Humans to be under their control, including Earth. As long as Earth remained primitive, it was not a threat, but that’s changing rapidly now. Even if my people had not interfered, the Druins would have come eventually.”
“So what do we do now?” asked Rachael. She hated being confined inside the spacesuit. She wasn’t claustrophobic, but being cooped up in one for six hours or more in a small escape pod wasn’t exactly her idea of how to spend a pleasant stress-free day.
Andrew let out a deep sigh. “We wait and hope my message reached Sanctuary. Even if it did, there’s a chance they might not respond for fear of revealing themselves.”
“Then we may die in this pod?” asked Kala. It meant she would never see her father again.
“Let’s hope not,” replied A
ndrew. “I suggest we all get some rest. It’s better to sleep in these pods, as it will conserve energy and life support.”
-
Time passed with all four of them trying to sleep. It was difficult, and sleep came in short naps only. Finally, six hours had passed since the escape pod had been ejected from the Endeavor. Rachael reached forward and turned the power back on in the pod. It would take a few minutes for the now functioning life support system to bring the temperature back up and to raise the air pressure in the small cabin.
Finally a green light came on, and Rachael tentatively removed her helmet and then smiled. “It’s safe.”
The other three quickly took off their helmets, and they all sat here, looking at one another.
“What now?” asked Kala. She looked at Andrew. “I don’t suppose you have some futuristic communication device with you?”
Andrew laughed. He pulled out his laptop from a small case he had brought with him. “How did you know?”
Everyone looked at Andrew in astonishment as he activated his laptop.
“Even if you can send a message, it will take hours to reach Earth from here,” said Rachael.
Andrew shook his head. “No, this uses hyperlight technology. Communication between here and Earth will be instantaneous.”
Professor Marcus’s eyes widened. “That means all those messages we were receiving on the Endeavor were real time?”
“Close,” replied Andrew. “Some of the messages, due to the distance involved, were probably delayed by a few minutes or maybe a little more.”
Andrew pressed the Transmit icon on his laptop and waited patiently for an acknowledgment. For nearly ten minutes the little icon continued to blink, and then it changed to Connection Verified. Andrew activated the small speaker on the laptop, so everyone could hear what he said and could also hear the response.
“Major Henderson, this is Andrew. Can you hear me?”
“Loud and clear,” replied the voice over the laptop. “Is there a problem?”
Andrew took a deep breath. “I can confirm a Druin interdiction system surrounds the entire Solar System. The Endeavor was attacked and destroyed by a Druin attack drone. When we became of aware of the drone, I informed Captain Greer of the situation. Part of the crew elected to stay on the ship and attempted to outrun the drone. The rest of the crew were ejected into space in four of the ship’s escape pods. I’m currently in one of the pods with Rachael Newberry, Kala Wright, and Professor Adrian Marcus.”
“Damn!” uttered Major Henderson. “Andrew, we have nothing that can come out and rescue you. I don’t know what to say. We knew there was a remote chance something like this might happen. We were hoping that it wouldn’t.”
“I sent a directed emergency message toward a number of asteroids, hoping one of them contains Sanctuary. Our only hope is that they received the message and will send a rescue ship.”
“That’s a long shot,” replied Major Henderson. “Even if they receive the message, they may not respond.”
“I know. Something else you need to be informed about. Kala’s father, Professor Charles Wright, has found the cave on Cyprus. He’s about to reveal our existence to the world. I’ve already informed Brett.”
“We’re already taking steps to handle that situation. Our secret for the time being will remain safe.”
“You won’t harm my father?” asked Kala, worry in her voice.
“No, we won’t,” replied Major Henderson. “Your father will be taken aside and the situation explained to him. If he refuses to listen, no one will believe him. We already have people in place, removing the artifacts from the cave. When your father returns, all he will find are some primitive drawings on the walls, and a few shattered pieces of old pottery.”
“It will ruin my father’s reputation,” gasped Kala.
“We’ll see that your father is taken care of,” promised Major Henderson. “He’ll be just fine.”
“Major, will you talk to my parents?” asked Andrew. The possibility of not seeing them again bothered him.
There was a short silence, and then Major Henderson responded. “I will speak to them. Andrew, you must know that, even if Sanctuary sends a ship, they might not return any of you to Earth.”
“I know,” replied Andrew. “We’re willing to take that risk.”
“We can’t risk too much communication. We don’t want the Druin interdiction system to detect it. Our best protection is that they don’t know about us.”
“I’ll contact you once every three or four hours. We’ll hold our communications to a minimum.”
“Very well,” replied Major Henderson. “Good luck, Andrew. I wish there was something I could do.”
“I knew the risk when I volunteered for the mission. Talk to you later.” With that, Andrew turned the power off on his laptop.
Rachael looked at Andrew. “What did he mean that, even if we’re rescued, we might not be returned to Earth?”
Andrew took a deep breath. This was hard for him as well. “Sanctuary is our best hope for a future and to eventually free the worlds of the Human Empire. Nothing can risk endangering that secret. If Sanctuary does send a ship, we might be required to live out the rest of our lives there.”
Everyone was silent. No matter what happened, their lives would never be the same. They might never see their friends and families again.
-
The hours passed by slowly. Three more times Andrew contacted Major Henderson and informed him of their situation. As time passed, Andrew wondered if Sanctuary would respond. What really concerned Andrew was that, if Sanctuary were on the other side of the sun, then his message would never have reached it. Andrew might be waiting for a rescue that would never come.
With a deep sigh, Andrew saw it was time to contact Major Henderson again. Talking in the escape pod had grown less and less over the hours as each of them became lost in their own private thoughts. Pressing the Connection icon, Andrew was surprised when nothing happened. He checked his laptop but could find nothing wrong.
“What is it?” asked Kala, seeing the aggravated look on Andrew’s face.
“My communicator has stopped functioning.”
Suddenly a strange voice came over the laptop. “This is Lieutenant Cleo Ashen of the Sanctuary cruiser Destiny. We will be docking with your escape pod shortly. Make sure your helmets are on in case something goes wrong. The pod will barely fit into our cargo hold.”
Andrew felt a flood of relief. “This is Andrew Wilcox to the Destiny. We’re putting on our helmets. Thanks for coming to get us.”
“We’ll talk more about that when you’re on board.”
Kala looked at Andrew with an excited look on her face. “We made it! They came.”
“It appears that way,” replied Andrew. “Now let’s put our helmets back on. I’m sure all of you will have a million questions to ask once we’re on board the Destiny.” Andrew had a lot of questions to ask as well.
-
The minutes passed slowly by and then they felt a slight jarring. Several times they heard scraping noises, and Andrew winced, realizing just how tight a fit the pod must be to get inside the ship’s cargo hold. After another minute or two, the communicator on Andrew’s laptop activated.
“It’s safe to come out now.”
Rachael unfastened her safety harness and then very carefully reached for the hatch. She pressed several buttons and pushed a large lever, which slowly moved. With a loud hissing noise, the hatch sprang open with bright lights shining in. Several people in spacesuits waited to assist them from the escape pod.
“Come with us,” said one of them. “We’ll take you to some temporary quarters, where you can clean up. Captain Masters will speak to you as soon as you’re ready.”
The four followed the two crewmembers out of the cargo hold and down a short corridor. Andrew was shown one hatch to enter and the women another. “You will find a shower and the necessary toiletry items you need to make yourselves pres
entable. You’ve spent a lot of time in those spacesuits, and I’m sure you’re ready to get out of them.”
“A shower sounds fantastic,” said Kala, with a smile. “Thank you.”
Andrew stepped into the cabin indicated, seeing a bed, a couch, and a desk. A small door to one side indicated where the shower and other facilities were located. Andrew quickly stripped out of his spacesuit and used the facilities and then took a long relaxing shower. He knew the water in the ship would be recycled, so he was not concerned about using too much. Opening a small cabinet, he found shaving supplies and everything else he would need to make himself presentable.
When he was satisfied with how he looked, he opened the door and stepped back into the cabin, finding a ship’s uniform laying on the bed. His spacesuit was missing. He quickly put on the uniform, finding it was very close to his size. He also found a pair of shoes and socks as well. When he was finally dressed, he sat down on the couch allowing himself to relax. His desperate plan to contact Sanctuary had worked. Sanctuary had responded and had sent out a rescue ship. He now knew Sanctuary did, indeed, exist.
He also suspected that Major Henderson would realize the same thing, since all contact with Andrew had come to a sudden stop. With a smile, Andrew knew he had succeeded in his mission. He had located the Druin observation system, as well as Sanctuary, though not quite as he had planned. Andrew felt extremely sad that Captain Greer and the others on board the Endeavor had died. He wished things had turned out differently, but there had been no way to predict how the Druin interdiction system would react to the Endeavor’s approach.
Trying to relax, he wondered what the meeting with Captain Masters would be like. There was a good chance the captain was an actual Imperial from over one thousand years ago. Andrew knew thousands were supposed to have gone to Sanctuary and into cryosleep. It only made sense for them to awaken an experienced captain and crew to send on this rescue mission. Andrew also wondered how long it would take to rescue the other escape pods.
-
Time passed, and finally the door to his cabin opened, and a young woman stood there. “I’m Lieutenant Commander Audrey Banora. If you will come with me, I’ll take you to the captain.”
The Forgotten Empire: Banishment: Book One Page 11
