Universal Code

by William Songy

  “How far away?” he asked.

  “Eight hours at the most, we don’t know,” Astrid was looking into his eyes. Her concern was evident.

  “There is more that you are not telling me,” Gunner asked.

  “We are hearing that a military force may be headed toward Earth too. We have intel that a military strike has been ordered and that a fleet is headed in that direction. It is much smaller than what is headed here. They don’t fear the military capabilities of the nations of Earth. I guess they don’t think they need a whole lot of firepower,” she said. “Despite its size, it is a deadly force.”

  “So, we are leaving one war zone, for another? When will they reach Earth?” Gunner pushed for more information.

  “The good news is that something happened that may slow down the Earth attack. We don’t know when. No one has really put eyes on the fleet or any of its assets heading there yet. You must get back and make your leaders understand. You have to get the information to them and prepare the best you can. The threat here is more imminent at this point. But I believe that they will attack Earth even if just to cause chaos,” she touched his shoulder, then walked away.

  An hour later Logan, Ayla, Sonia, Gunner, Joseph, Duncan, Stephen, and Ariel arrived at the hanger. They were divided into two groups of four and loaded onto two Bru that would take them to the transport that was awaiting them just out of orbit. They could feel the pounding waterfall on the top of the Bru as it flew out and into the open air. In a matter of seconds, they were above the planet staring at distant stars and the vastness of space.

  “We can’t see Earth, the sun is in the way,” Ayla said to Dr. Smith. Giving him a recounting of their trip to the alien planet.

  Logan began to like Econ during the short duration of their stay. There was so much that he wanted to see and experience. Most of their time was spent in the facility exchanging information and helping with Sonia’s recovery. They had yet to take a trip into the capital city of Auslet and meet the locals and experience the culture. It would have been fascinating to see how they went about their daily lives in comparison to that of the Americans on Earth. Logan knew they would eventually have to return, but one thing he learned on their initial trip to Econ was that he did not like space travel. He dreaded the return trip but longed for home. He considered asking Joseph to take him back via the etutu if it were possible. It would never happen since Ayla would never want to go back there again. Abandoning her was not an option. They were far too close for that now. Logan wanted to take a good final look at the planet knowing that there would never be a return trip to Econ in his future. He pulled out his cell phone, which had been rendered useless except for the camera feature and snapped a few shots of the planet from above. The storage on the card was running low, but it was all that he could access since his gear was packed up.

  Logan turned and looked at Ayla as she cupped his hand which was resting on her left thigh. She was smiling and her face was lit up with excitement as she looked out of the windows toward the planet and its moons. As he seemed to do multiple times a day, he admired her beauty. He recalled the day she grabbed his arm and kissed him on St. Lucia. He initially thought that she was one foot out of the loony bin but couldn’t help indulging her. Logan was glad for that chance encounter and was thankful that he was afforded the opportunity to get to know her. Where all of this would lead them was still a tremendous unknown. Logan found himself pondering that question more often than not. The reality of their situation took his mind again. What would happen to Earth or Econ? What could they do to prevent it or to fight back?

  Astrid accelerated the Bru and in a few minutes, they were exiting the atmosphere beyond Econ’s gravitational pull and were making their way toward a field of hundreds of transports. Seeing all the large transports reminded Logan and Gunner of the ports on Earth overrun with cargo ships to the point of making navigation very difficult and risky. The Bru moved into the direction of the hanger on side of the Tuega, the leading spacecraft that had transported them to Econ. They watched in horror as Kasadu forces exited celerity two-hundred and fifty fighters at a time and immediately dropped out of formation and entered the atmosphere. The first wave of Schwan and Anbar fighters began firing upon every satellite and defense mechanism orbiting the planet leaving little more than bits of debris and fire hovering over the clouds. The second wave nosed downward toward the surface and was out of view in seconds. Wave after wave, they just kept appearing out of celerity.

  By the time the third wave appeared, the officers on the transports, without any need of formal communication, pointed the might of their firepower on the location where the fighters were appearing and began to unleash a barrage of lasers. While taking out nearly a third of the newly arriving Kasadu forces, this also made them a necessary target. The transports simply did not have the ability to outmaneuver the Schwan and Anbar fighters, half of which broke formation and began an assault on the field of transports.

  “We are under attack! Hundreds of Kasadu fighters! Engage thrusters!” Astrid commanded as they approached the Tuega. The giant transport’s laser cannons discharged forming a blue circular wall around the Bru giving them protection and guidance to the hanger. The ship was in motion as Astrid piloted past the opening and set the Bru down, in what turned out to be a less than graceful landing in the hanger of the moving spacecraft. “Let’s get into celerity,” she ordered. The Tuega lurched forward with such force that the Bru slid from its landing station before it could be secured and slammed into a second Bru. The three transports disappeared into celerity while helplessly watching the initial assault on Econ.

  Chapter 31

  Alarms began to scream warnings of an impending attack in the hanger and SINSTER chambers. The greatest fear that had resided in the back of the minds of even the most disconnected citizens of Econ was upon them. The flashing lights and the deafening monotonous sounds of the alarms drowned out the slamming of hard soles against the cold stone pavement of the hanger floor as soldiers took to their fighters armed for war. The call that had been the concern of generations of military personnel was upon them and it was time to answer it.

  While SINSTER was under the direction of the Chief Executive, it was not technically associated with the Department of Defense. Due to this, Einar and Cyperien were grounded and would have to rely on others to fight the battle. Not by an order given to them by the President or Art, but due to the fact that they were no longer members of the military. Intelligence and code enforcement was their primary job description. During their time in the Space Force, both had many fantastic visions of what it would look like when the war that was talked about for generations finally came. As they sat on the precipice, Einar and Cyperien were eager to be a part of it. Not driven by the desire of being perceived or remembered, whichever the case would be, as a hero, but for the pride of defending their nation. They wanted to bring justice to those who so callously sought the destruction of sovereign, peace-loving nations. For each member of the Kasadu, there would be a trial by laser met with an instant judgment.

  They looked at each other as hundreds of men and women ran with haste, laser-focused on the task at hand as they boarded the Imil fighters without any concern for returning. There was no fear, just the commitment to their oaths, and trust in their training and abilities. Thrusters fired up and the Imil Nomo’s darted out of the hanger.

  “I can’t just sit here. I feel like a coward!” Einar said frustrated by the circumstance.

  “It isn’t our MO anymore. We don’t have a choice. What can we do?” Cyperien said as his fellow agent began pacing. It was only a matter of time before he did something unadvised.

  “We have two perfectly good, fully armed Imil Nomos over there. We are better pilots than any of those greenhorns out there. We should be out there gunning down the Kasadu,” Einar said then turned and began walking toward the empty craft.

  “‘Greenhorns,’ we have a better Space Force than that. Our military is the
best trained in the universe. I’m with you, though. Sitting here is tough. We take orders, from the Director—” an explosion from above their heads rocked the hanger causing both men to instinctively take a protective posture. Dust and a small section of the stone ceiling crashed to the ground fifty feet from their position.

  Einar stopped, turned and replied, “Well, you can tell him that out of fear for the safety of that craft that I had to make the swift decision to move it out of the hanger and get it to safety.”

  “Really! That is how this is going down?” Cyperien asked with a wry smile somewhat amused by the prospect of accidentally engaging the enemy while innocently moving a very expensive military asset. He was completely in agreement with Einar, but how could he leave without telling Octave? She would surely try to talk him out of it. This was war and there was no way anyone who loved their country could sit by and watch and do nothing. It was foolish to tell an able-bodied citizen to do nothing. His country, his planet was under attack and there was a sense of duty to defend it regardless of his position. The only consequences that mattered at that point were making the Kasadu regret their act of aggression and slaughter them until they were no more than a chapter in a history book. This had been coming for a long time and out of the fear of conflict, those in leadership became cowards and in a sense were complicit in allowing the Kasadu to become strong, which led to their current situation. If either of them had anything to say about it, the member nations of the Kasadu would pay dearly. With very little encouragement needed, Cyperien was walking behind Einar toward his Imil Nomo. The two men gave each other a look that clearly noted that there was no turning back once they left the hanger but neither cared at that point.

  They lifted off and exited the hanger. A light began to flash, and a voice came over the speaker, “Agent Einar Akre you are ordered to return to the hanger.”

  “Sir, I can’t do that. I need to move the craft to a safer location. The hanger ceiling may have been compromised. This is an important asset that needs to be protected.”

  Cyperien chuckled at Einar’s comment as he knew it was greatly exaggerated. A distressed voice called out, “Enemy craft are exiting celerity…about 250 at a time. Coordinates 39.755858 -131.191340!” a male voice said.

  “There are reports from Lugdu, Caria, and Paro that they are basically attempting to carpet bomb the large cities with CT45 Scat missiles. Localized surface to air defense are taking out about roughly thirty percent of incoming. They don’t need any satellite guidance but are enabled and were preset to take out strategic targets. Fire and forget! Government facilities, communication, munitions, fuel, and the grid are being targeted. They want to make the planet go dark.”

  “Scat missiles, when you want to send your very best,” Einar replied.

  “Strategic! They are difficult to take down. Fast, elusive, and nearly invisible. Tough to shoot down. A cluster can turn a city into piles of debris in a matter of seconds,” Cyperien responded grimly.

  They arrived at the coordinates given to them just as a new wave of fighters appeared. Sitting at the ready were twenty or so members of the Viennin and Lugdu forces who were already opening fire in the direction of the incoming threat. The Anbar and Schwan fighters instantaneously fired back as they dove into the atmosphere intent on the mission at hand, which was not engaging the enemy in space, but only doing so after the Schwan were able to release their payload of Scat missiles into the atmosphere.

  The initial wave of Anbar fighters began the suicide mission of taking out the armed space stations and communication satellites orbiting the planet. This actually provided a benefit to the Allied forces and gave them time to get their Space Force pilots airborne and on the offensive. The space stations were armed with twenty laser cannons meant for providing for an initial defense in regard to such an attack. The initial wave seemed to perfectly time their entry in a window between the defense systems allowing them the opportunity to fire off the first rounds, which in some cases had proven effective. This allowed the larger Schwan fighters carrying the Scat missiles to drop into the atmosphere unscathed and release their payloads.

  “When is the last time you saw an Anbar? Weren't those decommissioned like a hundred years ago? I guess they are disposable…not really meant to return,” Einar said.

  “I don’t know. Looks like they made an upgrade to the thrusters. Actually, moving pretty good. Faster than I remember. Still boxy and easy to hit though. Smart to set up an exit point just outside of the atmosphere and attack right out of celerity. Good thing we knew they were coming. But I wish that we had known where the breach would occur. That puts us at a bit of a disadvantage right now. We need to take out the Scat!” Cyperien said surprised and almost dejected by the initial success of the Kasadu forces.

  Ovtave was in the command center tracking the locations around Viennin that were under assault. The voice over the speaker broke her concentration, redirecting her thoughts. It was her husband’s voice. She didn’t believe it at first, he was only supposed to go to the hanger to help the members of Space Force get airborne. There was no doubt who it was. Why? The thought was immediately snubbed out by the answer. How could he not do something? The fear in her intensified knowing that he was now on the front line. She put her hands over her face for a second and said a prayer and gathered her thoughts.

  Cyperien and Einar decided to engage the slower but more powerful and dangerous Schwan fighters to keep them from reaching the atmosphere. It was the Schwan that were carrying the Scat missiles, which were raining down apocalyptic devastation on select cities and facilities across the planet. While missile defense systems were engaging the advanced and elusive Scat missiles, the majority were able to reach their targets resulting in unprecedented devastation. The advancements to the missiles, the sheer numbers of those launched, and the manner in which they were being used was an overwhelming force no nation on the planet had ever experienced before. While in the hundreds with each arriving squadron of fighters, one dead Schwan fighter would save ten maybe even a hundred times that of the Anbar. The Anbar charged providing just enough time and distraction to allow the Tisht pilots to enter the atmosphere and rain down terror on the nations of Econ.

  Cyperien made quick work of the Anbar as Einar was able to get off a round at one of the Tisht spacecraft headed for the atmosphere. He was rewarded with the beautiful red-orange fireball of success as it exploded before releasing its payload. He jerked the craft to the port to prevent damage to the Nomo. To his right, he looked on as several hundred Imil Nomo piloted by the Viennian Space Force took formation and began to cut down the incoming spacecraft as soon as they exited celerity. While there was no way to know how many of the Kasadu forces were in line to attack, it seemed as if they were getting the upper hand.

  “This is Captain Illuve of the Lugdu Air Force. Flew over the border into Capetes following a hostile and found that there is another entry point over Capetes. They are not being engaged. Where is the Space Force of Capetes? Thousands are coming in over here,” was anxiously reported before the radio went silent.

  “If Capetes stayed home and didn’t engage, they are just letting them use the air space as a landing point there is no telling how many Scat have been launched. Well, we know who sold out!” Cyperien said in disgust.

  As he approached, Einar helplessly watched as the Schwan began birthing death and destruction as the sky over the coast was filled with deadly Scat missiles. One target instantly became eleven as the munitions were released. The thrusters immediately ignited and each darted away toward their intended destinations. “Thousands approaching from the Sea of Alum,” Einar said as he opened fire hoping to get lucky and take out some of the missiles.

  The attack was well planned and extremely effective. As the Schwan fighters released their loads, some followed the missiles and fired upon anyone attempting to intervein, rained fire over the cities, or simply crashed into other valuable targets with no intentions of leaving alive.

&nbs
p; It was clear that the attack was focused on the nations of Viennin, Lugdu, Caria, and Paro, the nations with the strongest and most diverse economies on the planet and major contributors to the Baraza Zima. Incoming reports were that laser fire and missiles were so concentrated that in some locations the sun was completely blocked as they rained down over the major cities of each nation. As communications satellites were destroyed, coordinating efforts became impaired.

  Einar locked on a Schwan and pursued it. He heard the chatter about the damage the Scat missiles were unleashing across the planet. The level of destruction that had occurred already despite the conflict being about an hour old was difficult to fathom. Out of desperation, he unleashed a barrage of lasers while on the tail of the Schwan which accelerated nose first in a downward trajectory toward the city. It appeared that the pilot planned to fly into its intended target and commit suicide before he could stop it. As he nosed down, Einar experienced brief weightlessness and was pinned back by the G-forces as he attempted to catch up. Despite max thrust, the gains were painfully slow. He was too far out of range for anything in his arsenal to have a chance to be effective. From afar, he could see the extent of damage already levied on the capital city of Auslet. His heart sunk as they grew closer to the government building complex. The Schwan fighter pulled up. Einar fired but was too late. He observed in horror as ten missals fell from the belly of the craft and darted toward their intended targets. Einar pulled up, fired, hit the fighter and ended its part in the conflict but was seconds too late.