“Check the chamber to make sure we didn’t miss anything,” ordered Thomas. “Hide the warhead in that foliage where it won’t be found.”
“We’ll bury it,” said Sergeant Bixt.
A few minutes later they were ready to go. Thomas stepped up on the dais and looked at the dead Queens. There were several smashed eggs there as well. There was no doubt the Queens were dead. “Let’s go. We need to gather our other Marines and our wounded and get out of here.”
“What about Captain Adams?” asked Corporal Coyle as they left the chamber. “If she’s too close to the Queen’s chamber when the nuke detonates there’s a good chance the explosion will kill her and her Marines.”
“I know,” replied Thomas. “But it’s a risk we have to take. By detonating that nuke we will ensure any other egg chambers and Queen eggs are destroyed as well. There’s no other way to ensure the success of this mission. Captain Adams would do the same.”
Leaving the chamber they had the hover tanks turn around and then the Marines took off down the tunnel at a jog. Some of them were helping to carry wounded.
Thomas spent a few moments examining his HUD to see who they had lost. He felt his heart stop when he saw some of the names. Private Josh Henderson, Private Lindsey Graham, and Private Marvin Stout had all lost their lives in the battle outside the Queen’s chamber. There were many others as well but those three he had known the best. Two had been in his first squad and of course Private Stout was known to everyone.
-
It didn’t take them long to reach the junction where Corporal Haley was waiting with the wounded. Most of them were much better and could stand on their own. The Queen egg was there as well.
Thomas looked at the egg and then turned to his Marines. “We need to get back to the assault ships as quickly as we can. If we hurry, we should be able to make it just before the nuke goes off.”
“After killing the Queens we don’t need to be fried by our own nuke,” said Brian. “I’ll help with the wounded.” He headed over toward Leah and started speaking to her.
The Marines moved through the tunnel at a fast trot never slowing down. On their way back to the assault ships they didn’t see any signs of any more Zaltule. The hive was strangely quiet.
Thomas breathed out a long sigh of relief when they reached the large entrance tunnel where the three assault ships were waiting. Thomas made sure all of his Marines were headed toward the assault ships. He turned to see Sergeant John Pepper walking up to him. Sergeant Pepper had been with Captain Adams.
“Where’s the Captain?” asked Thomas not seeing her anywhere.
Sergeant Pepper shook his head. “She didn’t make it. We encountered heavy resistance deep in the hive. There must have been thousands of them. The deeper we went the more Zaltule attacked us. We killed thousands. In the end they overran us killing most of our Marines. When the captain saw we couldn’t go forward any further she remained behind with one platoon to give the rest of us a chance to escape. Even so, only 38 of our Marines made it back to the ships. We lost everyone else.”
Thomas felt a knot form in his stomach. With the loss of Captain Adams that left him in charge. “We managed to breech the Queen’s chamber and take out the Queens. We also set the nuke to ensure all the egg chambers are destroyed.” Thomas checked his timepiece seeing they only had a few minutes left. “We need to get everyone inside the assault ships before it detonates.”
“We set ours as well,” replied Sergeant Pepper. “We put it in a side passage where we thought the Zaltule might overlook it. “It’ll be ten more minutes before it detonates. We wanted to give you as much time as possible to complete the mission.” Sergeant Pepper gestured toward the Queen egg being loaded on board one of the assault ships. “What are you going to do with that? Our orders are to kill all the Queens.”
Thomas grinned. “With a little luck, it will be our ticket out of here. I don’t think the Zaltule will fire on us if they know we have one of their Queen eggs.”
“I hope you’re right,” replied the sergeant. “We’d better get on board before the nukes start going off. The ships’ energy shields should be able to protect us.”
Thomas nodded and hurried over to the assault ship Destiny, seeing the Queen egg was already on board. Looking around he saw most of the Marines and the hover tanks were loaded as well.
Going on board the ship, he went up to the Command Center.
-
Commander Higgins saw Lieutenant Nelson enter the Command Center. Ever since the Marines left the three assault ships had been under constant attack. Several thousand Zaltule had appeared from smaller tunnels, hurling themselves at the defending Marines and hover tanks. Fortunately the superior firepower from the three assault ships energy turrets had managed to keep them at bay. Zaltule had also attacked from outside the hive but the assault ships and the Marines had managed to hold them back. There had been several large waves of Zaltule attempting to get into the hive.
So far there had been no ship attack from the outside though a large number of Zaltule assault ships were hovering just outside of weapons range. The short-range scanners also indicated another large wave of Zaltule warriors was assembling to make an additional attempt at storming the entrance.
-
Thomas looked at his timepiece, seeing the first nuke was due to explode any second. “Is the ship’s energy shield up?”
“Yes,” replied Commander Higgins. “I ordered the shield up as soon as the last Marine made it on board. The same is true of the other two assault ships. We can leave at any time.”
“We have two nukes set to go off shortly. I don’t know if we’ll feel anything here or not as both of them are deep within the hive.” Thomas had no sooner uttered those words when the ship shook violently. Thomas’s eyes went to the viewscreens hoping the entrance tunnel wasn’t going to collapse. He saw some dust come up from the main tunnel but little else.
“Confirmed nuclear detonation,” reported Lieutenant Braggs. “Depth was approximately three kilometers.”
Thomas looked over at the Commander. “Is there any way to establish communication with the Zaltule?”
Commander Higgins looked doubtful. “We know their frequencies but I doubt if they’ll respond.”
“They’ll respond,” replied Thomas, “once I tell them we have a Queen egg on board.”
Commander Higgins looked inquisitively at Thomas. Thomas had his suit helmet open. “What do you have in mind?”
“I’m not sure yet. Let’s just see how desperate the Zaltule are to get the egg back.”
“Won’t that defeat the purpose of this mission?”
“Depends on what they offer,” replied Thomas. He had an inkling of an idea but it depended on what the Zaltule said.
-
War Overlord Tetus was furious. In the last few minutes they had recorded nuclear explosions deep underground in two of the hives. From the depth of the explosions there was no doubt the Queen chambers had been destroyed.
“The Humans are requesting to establish communications,” reported the Zaltule at the large communications console. “They claim they have a Queen egg on board one of their ships.”
War Overlord Tetus’s multifaceted eyes widened at hearing this. “What of our assault ships?”
“We have assault ships at all three hives,” reported the Zaltule at tactical. “All of our attempts to take the entrances of the hives from the Humans have failed. Our assault ships can destroy the Humans when they attempt to escape.”
“What’s the status of the third hive?”
“Not good,” replied the Zaltule at communications. “The last report indicated some of the Human warriors were approaching the Queen’s chamber.”
Tetus reached a decision. One he did not care for. “Inform our assault ships not to engage the Humans. Tell the Humans we will contact them shortly.” Tetus wanted to wait until he knew for sure about the Humans’ attack on the third hive.
-
> “We have a reply back from the Zaltule,” reported Lieutenant Rann with a surprised look on his face. “War Overlord Tetus will speak with us shortly.”
Commander Higgins looked over at Thomas. “They’re scared. It indicates to me our other operations were successful. It’s possible the Queen egg you secured is their last Queen.”
Thomas nodded. If that was true he needed to figure out how to use the leverage the Queen egg gave them. What would the Zaltule be willing to offer for the safe return of the egg? At that moment the ship shook again as the second nuke detonated.
“Confirmed nuke detonation,” reported Lieutenant Braggs.
Commander Higgins shifted his eyes to Thomas. “Lieutenant, we can’t give them the egg. If we destroy it, the war against the Zaltule will be over. In a few decades there will be no Zaltule.”
“We’ll destroy it if it’s necessary,” replied Thomas. “Let’s see what the Zaltule are willing to offer first for its safe return.”
-
Deep inside the third hive the few surviving Marines had fought their way into the Queen’s chamber. There were only twelve of them left and they knew there was no way they were getting out. Without hesitation the sergeant in charge gave the order to detonate the nuke. He looked at the other eleven Marines who were covered in black blood from the Zaltule they had slain.
“We have done our job,” he said over the comm. “It’s been an honor to have served with you.”
Moments later the nuke detonated, vaporizing the Marines and everything else inside the chamber.
-
On board the battlestation, War Overlord Tetus felt numb when he was informed of the detonation of a nuke deep inside of the third hive. It was a feeling he had never experienced before. There was no doubt in his mind all the Queens were dead. “Contact the Humans. I will speak to their leader.”
War Overload Tetus was now coming to believe the truth of what Supreme War Overlord Harmock had said about the Humans. Perhaps it was true the Humans were equal to the Zaltule in their fighting ability.
-
“I have War Overlord Tetus on the comm,” reported Lieutenant Rann.
Thomas stepped over to the comm and spoke. “War Overlord, I believe I have your last remaining Queen egg.”
“Your will return it immediately or your ships will be destroyed,” replied Tetus coldly. “My fleet will not allow any of your vessels to escape. You will die here if you do not follow my orders.”
Thomas took a deep breath. “If you destroy my ship you will be killing your last Queen. I don’t believe you want to do that.”
There was silence over the comm for several seconds and then the Overlord’s voice returned. “What is it you want?”
Thomas had been thinking furiously of what demands to make of the Zaltule. “I want to ensure the Zaltule never attack the Solar System or the Alliance in the future.”
“If I agree to that, will you return the egg?”
Thomas decided to see how far he could push the Zaltule. He was not certain how good their word would be. They had lost too many good Marines and fleet personnel to risk the Zaltule failing to keep their promise. “No, there are several more items you must agree to. I want your fleet destroyed and the battlestation destroyed. I will allow you to keep one hundred battlecruisers. In return I will give you the Queen egg. You must also leave this area of space and agree never to return.”
There was silence for several long moments. “We are the Zaltule. We do not obey lessor races. Give us the Queen egg and I will spare your lives.”
“No,” replied Thomas firmly. “You have five minutes to agree to my demands and at that time I will destroy the egg and it will be the end of the Zaltule race.”
Several minutes passed before Military Overlord Tetus spoke again. “I will agree to destroy half of my fleet and the Zaltule will leave this area of space never to return. We will not attack the Solar System or the Alliance.”
Commander Higgins looked over at Thomas surprised at Tetus’s offer. “I never would have expected him to agree to even that.”
Thomas nodded. “He’s desperate to get the Queen egg. Let’s see how much further we can push him.”
“I want all of your assault ships destroyed, all but five hundred of your battlecruisers, and the battlestation,” said Thomas. “You will leave this area of space immediately to some other distant section of the galaxy. The Solar System and the Alliance will be off limits to any of your ships.”
-
On board the battlestation, Military Overlord Tetus was seeking a solution to his dilemma. He had to have the Queen egg or his race was doomed. “I will agree to your demands if I’m allowed to keep the battlestation and one thousand of my battlecruisers.” Tetus knew with that he could reestablish the Zaltule as an Empire in another section of the galaxy. It was not what he wanted but in order to get the Queen egg and preserve the Zaltule race he did not see what other choice there was.
-
Thomas looked over at Commander Higgins who nodded. “I doubt if we’re going to get better than that.”
“I agree,” replied Thomas over the comm. “I want to bring all of my assault ships up into orbit where we can witness the destruction of your fleet. Once I’m satisfied you are doing as agreed, I will turn the egg over to you.”
“Agreed,” replied Tetus. “I will be in contact with you later. Be warned if you fail to return the egg I will destroy your ships.”
Commander Higgins shifted his eyes to the viewscreens showing the Zaltule assault ships a short distance from the hive. Even as he watched they began to go back up toward orbit. “Can we trust this Military Overlord?”
“No,” answered Thomas. “But they do want the Queen egg back. As long as we have it I suspect they’ll do as we have demanded.”
Commander Higgins frowned and then spoke. “We have no idea what other ships the Zaltule have in other systems. We may be missing a large part of their fleet.”
Thomas nodded. “I’m aware of that. However, if we can get the Zaltule to destroy most of their ships in this system they will no longer be a threat to the Solar System or the Alliance for years to come.”
“I’ll contact the other assault ships. We can monitor all of this better from orbit.”
Thomas let out a deep breath. He hoped he was doing the right thing. If not he knew he would face a Court Martial when they returned to the Solar System.
-
Military Overlord Tetus was facing Overlords Praveen, Vaxdol, and Haler. “Our information indicates all the Queens in the hives have been killed, All the Queen eggs, except one, have been destroyed.”
“And the Humans claim to possess this egg,” said Overlord Praveen.
“Unfortunately it seems so. We have reports from Zaltule who survived the nuclear blast in the hive that the Humans were seen dragging the egg to their ships.”
“To face defeat from an inferior race is unacceptable,” said Overlord Vaxdol. “How did this happen?”
Tetus looked at the viewscreens showing the nine Human assault ships going into orbit. “We never planned for an actual physical invasion of the hives which is exactly what the Humans did.”
“Supreme Military Overlord Harmock claimed toward the end of his reign the Humans might be equal to the Zaltule,” said Overlord Vaxdol. “Is that possible?”
Tetus nodded his triangular shaped head. “After what happened here with their fleet and the physical invasion of the hives I would have to say it is possible.”
The other Overlords were quiet as they considered the implications. None cared for the position they now found themselves in.
“What do you recommend?” asked Overlord Praveen.
“In order for our race to survive we must do as the Humans have asked. We will keep one thousand of our battlecruisers and the battlestation. We will leave this section of the galaxy and set up a new Zaltule Empire far away from the Humans. Fortunately we have other ships the Humans are not aware of including the
fleet I sent to hunt them down earlier. We will still have a sizable force.”
“Will we ever return?” asked Overlord Haler.
Tetus blinked his multifaceted eyes. They looked red in color. “No, we shall set up our own Empire and use it to expand across the galaxy. Perhaps sometime in the distant future we may encounter the Humans again but I think it is best for our race if we leave them alone.” This was difficult for Tetus to say. He had always believed the Zaltule were superior. Now he was not so certain.
-
Several days passed and Thomas watched from the Command Center of the Destiny as the Zaltule sent a major portion of their fleet including all of their assault ships into the system’s sun. They had an actual signed agreement with the Zaltule as to what was going to happen. Thomas didn’t know what Admiral Kelly and General Timmons would think about him and Commander Higgins signing on their behalf.
Once Thomas was satisfied the Zaltule had kept up their end of the agreement he used a drop ship to deliver the Queen egg to the Zaltule battlestation. Shortly after unloading the egg the drop ship returned, the battlestation and the attending battlecruisers made the transition into Fold Space and left the system.
“They have abandoned a lot of Zaltule on the surface of the two habitable planets in this system,” said Commander Higgins. “Our scans show millions of Zaltule still on the surface of the two worlds.”
Thomas nodded. “They crammed as many as they could on board their battlestation and remaining battlecruisers. The rest are being left to live out their lives and die on the two planets. For them, there is no future.”
“So, what do we do now?” asked Commander Higgins.
Thomas let out a deep breath. “We go home and see what the repercussions of what we just did are going to be.”
“You know we could be facing a Court Martial,” said Higgins.
“Yes, we could be. But I still believe what we did was right.”
Thomas turned to leave the Command Center. He was meeting Brian, Leah, and Kinsley in the ship’s cafeteria. They had a lot to talk about.
Final Conflict Page 29
