The Star Chronicles: Book 01 - Battle for Earth

by Rod Porter

  “She’s not dead. I know it,” Troy reflected. “What about you? Which colony are you from?”

  “I’m not from any colony,” said Jackson with a tone that made Troy feel like he would not be getting any more information. But he figured he’d try:

  “You were a nomad?”

  “No.”

  “A merc?”

  “Not quite.”

  Troy gestured to Tommy. “What about you?”

  “Come on, mate. Doesn’t take much brains to tell I was a nomad. You think I got these scars on my face by living in some colony? We didn’t hide underground like some scared insects. We were camped out in an old abandoned building one night. The roaches came down on us hard. Killed my three brothers. But I’m glad they didn’t have to come here. I lost a lot just like you did. We all have. But like Jackson said, in here we have each other. Welcome to our family, Troy.”

  Troy lay down on the bed. “I can’t die in here. I have to find my wife. I know she’s alive. I can’t die in here.”

  Jackson leaned over. “Just stick with us. We might not be here much longer.”

  SLAVE LABOR

  Zap!

  Another electric shock stung Troy’s back. He and all the other prisoners had been fitted with small devices for use whenever they were outside their cells. If they took a break and rested for too long, it would shock them. If they were working too slow, it would shock them. There wasn’t much incentive to work, so the aliens used the shocks and the threat of torture or lack of food.

  Today Troy’s gang was working on a foundation for some kind of structure that was of particular importance to the aliens. The work pits were very unpleasant. The workers had to trudge through the mud, carrying stones, planks of wood, and some kind of metallic substance. If they weren’t carrying the building parts, then they were digging out the foundation. The shovels were blunt tools, and the muddy surface added to the tedious task of shoveling hard earth. It was not uncommon for an exhausted prisoner to lose concentration and slam the front end of a shovel on his foot, since it was buried in the mud.

  There was also some sort of insects that could be found from time to time, sliding through the filth. They seemed to be akin to earthworms, but earthworms were not poisonous. With a person’s bare feet stuck in sludge inhabited by poisonous insects, there were quite a few cases of ‘worker poisoning.’ If you were unfortunate enough to get stung, you would not know it until the work period was over. The mud kept the burning dormant, but it contributed to infection, which often required amputation.

  To Troy’s dismay, he had been partnered with Mickey. The pair shared a set of shackles each work day. At first, Troy had found Tommy’s attitude towards the young boy a bit cruel, but he began to realize just how annoying little Mick could be. At some points, Troy wanted to yell in the kid’s ear: ‘We are slaves! Stop being so damn happy about it!’

  Mickey never stopped talking and asking questions: about the outside world. About Troy’s colony. About his knowledge of the downfall and before. The biggest problem was that the boy set a frustratingly uneven work pace. The best person to be chained to in the work pits was someone you could establish a fluid rhythm with. Try as he might, Troy could not get in sync with the teenager.

  “Mick, for the last time, try to get in a rhythm. When I dig in with my shovel, you empty yours off to the side. When I bring mine up, you dig yours in, and I empty mine to the side okay? I’m getting tired of being shocked.”

  Mickey smiled. “Okay sure. You got it-ahh!” Mickey yelled out as he absorbed a shock that sent him down to one knee. Both Troy and Mickey’s backs had been tanned by their excessive shock intake. It took a minute and some deep breaths for the kid to recover. “Sorry,” he said. “I got it though. I don’t mean to let you down. I’m sorry.”

  Troy stopped and looked at the boy.

  “You’re never letting me down, Mick. We’re friends. I wouldn’t rather be chained to anyone else.”

  It did Troy’s heart good to see the gratitude in Mickey’s eyes as he dug back in with renewed vigor. Troy had lost a good deal of weight since his capture; however, the prisoners were given two meals a day. After all, what good were starving weak slaves?

  A buzzer sounded and the prisoners dropped their shovels thankfully. Still chained to their partners they pulled themselves up out of the pits. After forming their single file line, they headed to the double door exit for their lunch.

  The cafeteria was as bleak as every other room in the camp. The good part was that it didn’t smell like the work pits, but by now Troy had gotten used to the less than sweet smell of his new home. The metal seats were always cold when they ate, but the food was always warm. Today they were given sloppy joes. The buns were warm and the meat made Mickey’s and Troy’s mouths water, even though the source was questionable. The warm aroma of French fries was intoxicating. Yet the structure of mental torture and abuse was still evident. The prisoners were given one helping at each meal only. Today they got one sandwich, and a helping of fries that they finished in about a minute’s time.

  Another unsettling condition for the prisoners was the total absence of their captors. There were no guards, no surveillance cameras, no one-way mirrors, not one single piece of evidence that there were aliens close by. Troy never thought he would have been desperate to see an alien sentinel, soldier, or anything that would make sense of the whole situation, perhaps give him some closure to accept the fact that he was in fact an alien prisoner. The only signs that the prisoners were slaves were their chains and the godforsaken shockers attached to their backs.

  The fact that the prisoners could not talk to one another made things worse. With the exception of their chain-gang partner, and their cell mates when they were locked down, the prisoners were not allowed to speak to one another. Men and women were kept strictly segregated, save for a few seconds after every meal period.

  Troy cursed when he realized he had finished his lunch. He always told himself that he would savor the meal: the aroma, the heat against his face. But he always ate it in a rush. The memory of the interrogations never left his mind. The devastated feeling he had felt when they took away his food was something he never wanted to experience again. His eyes had begun to close when he heard low mumbling.

  Not even chain-gang partners were allowed to talk in the cafeteria.

  The mumbling was coming from a man at the end of the table, and he was gradually getting louder. “I’m hungry. I’m hungry,” the man said softly. Then. “I want more food!” he erupted. “I want more! My fries! You took everything! Are we here? Oh, my God!”

  It was not uncommon for someone to crack, especially during meals. Troy would have liked to tell him to shut up, but then he would have been given the huge shock that sent the man unconscious. The man’s head fell into his plate, and he did not move. He was in for days of severe unpleasantness.

  The petty torments continued from there. The only time the opposite sexes were permitted to see one another was when they filed out of the cafeteria and back to work. They would pass one another through a hallway that was cut down the center by thick plated glass. Many of them searched through the glass intensely, looking for that one they would think about for the rest of the night.

  The men undoubtedly looked tired and spent, but the women looked much worse. They filed down the hall in a stupor. Zombies would have seemed more lively. They were pale white, in most cases, and rail thin. They looked spent and exhausted, as though they did not want to go on living. Something about them was different. Whatever they were going through, it had to be different from the men.

  It wasn’t until he saw Kara that Troy stopped moving. The line was held up, which was against regulation. Without even realizing it, Troy lunged at the glass, banging on it like a madman. Kara looked up and did the same. They were both yelling things at the other but they could not hear their voices because the glass was soundproof. Before they knew it, they were both shocked unconscious.

  ANSWE
RS

  “You said we might not be here much longer. What did you mean?”

  Jackson seemed reluctant to answer Troy.

  “Why the sudden interest? You never asked before.”

  “My wife is in this place. Carrying my child.”

  “Are you sure?” Mickey bolted upright from his top bunk. “That’s great Troy. When is she due?”

  “That’s just the point, Mick. I don’t know. I have no idea how long we’ve been prisoners, but she can’t give birth here. Who knows what they’d do with a baby? An infant’s of no use to them.”

  Tommy chimed in with his negative energy, but he was genuinely concerned. “Are you sure you saw her? Seems like a hell of a coincidence. Maybe it was a dream.”

  “You don’t think I know my own wife?” Troy trailed off. “She didn’t look good. Something’s been done to her. Something’s not right; I could see it in her eyes. I’ve got to find her. Which leads me back. Jackson, what were you talking about?”

  Jackson pondered his next words carefully. “The Unconformed…You’ve heard of them?”

  “They’re a myth,” Troy said. He was beginning to lose his patience. “Look, Jackson, no riddles. Just tell me what’s going to happen.”

  “The Unconformed are very real,” said Jackson coolly.

  “There’s a resistance.” Troy said mockingly. “There are a group of humans out there who are capable of fighting the plague.”

  “Exactly.”

  Jackson was deadly serious, but Troy was not buying it. “And just how do they resist the plague? How do they deal with the treacherous colonies? You’re starting to piss me off.”

  “It’s true, mate.” Tommy’s tone turned serious. “Living as a nomad, you see and hear a lot of things. 'Course everyone’s heard the stories of the resistance, but I’ve seen them with my own two eyes. One night a drifter came calling to our camp. We were pitched in a valley between columns of mountains. An overhang on the cliff gave us some cover, and the camouflage roofs of our tents kept the aliens off balance. If we were quiet enough, they would pass right over us in their confounded sentinels.

  “The drifter, she was real mysterious, hardly spoke at all. She was dressed in some type of outfit I’d never seen the makings of before, but her long brown trench coat cloaked most of her body. Told us that the aliens had a fix on our camp and’d be sending sentinels and soldiers out to it the following morning. Naturally we took her prisoner. Nomad’s code: trust no one. Tied her up and secured her in one of the tents. Then we gathered together and talked about what she had said.” Tommy laughed. “We decided that she was probably a spy and that we’d kill her. Only problem was, when we came to the tent to question how she knew this information, she was gone. Just up and vanished. The guards outside had heard nothing. Next morning, the sentinels came just like she said. We had moved the camp in the middle of the night.”

  “That’s your proof?” Troy laughed. “A woman saved your camp and now suddenly the Unconformed are real?”

  “I hope so.” Mickey had been listening to Tommy’s story, transfixed.

  “When were you all going to let me in on this secret?”

  “When you were ready to ask, Troy.”

  “Well, I’m asking, Jackson. But let’s get this straight: I want my wife first. Before whatever you’re hinting at goes down.”

  “What’s her name?” Jackson asked.

  “Kara Williams.”

  “Okay. Give me a few days. I’ll let you know if she’s here.”

  Troy was amazed. Then it came together in his head. There had always been something different about Jackson. He could tell when they first met. The pieces were starting to come together. “So if the Unconformed are real, why would they risk exposure or capture by helping us escape?” Troy offered. Then he began to get excitement in the pit of his stomach as he interpreted Jackson’s silent gaze: he must be one of them! And he must be important! Maybe there was a resistance! And maybe he and his wife and his child could be together outside these walls.

  “I’ll find your wife if she’s here,” Jackson said, disrupting Troy’s day dreaming. “But you have to tell me if you’re in.”

  “Why?” Troy joked. “Are you guys going to kill me if I’m not?”

  He saw the look on Jackson’s face that said: yes, we’ll kill you. Then Tommy’s face that said: yes, we’ll kill you. Then Mickey’s face that said regretfully: we’re friends, Troy. But yeah, they’ll kill you.

  Troy recognized the new mood. He felt a new closeness to his cellmates. He looked at them as his adopted brothers and had come to love them. But now it was different. He felt a new sense of pride when he shook Jackson’s hand. “I’m in.”

  REUNION

  “How did you find me?” Kara did not look well. She was pale. Her fingers were thinner than Troy remembered. Her once-vibrant eyes were devoid of the sparkle that had captivated him the first time he had seen her years ago. The once-beautiful brown hair that ran to the middle of Kara’s back had now been cut shoulder length and was frizzed and disheveled. She had dark rings around her eyes, her lips were swollen, and talking required more effort than it should.

  Troy was relieved that the rest of her body was hidden underneath her blanket. The bulge of her pregnant stomach was still there. “I’ve got friends in high places,” Troy smiled a painful smile. “How do you feel?”

  Kara bravely staved off tears but not the sudden contortion in her face that revealed that struggle. “Like I’m in a terrible place.”

  Troy could not dispute her words. He had often wondered how big the prison camp was. It had turned out to be bigger than he thought. Kara had been quarantined like many other women. There were rows and rows of rooms made up of large crude steel cages, like dog pens. There was ample room inside: fifty square feet, to be exact. There were God knows how many of these cages. Hundreds of women must have been in this area. From what Troy could tell, it was the equivalent of a sick bay: a makeshift hospital.

  It was dark and miserable, with the aliens notably absent. There were periodic wails from some of the prisoners. Most of them were exhausted. It seemed that Kara was here because she was pregnant, but Troy could not be sure. It relieved and terrified him at the same time.

  Kara coughed. “Your friend must have some serious pull. How the hell’d he get you out of the cell block? I haven’t had one single visitor other than you. Did one of the roaches bring you?”

  “No. I haven’t seen one since I’ve been here. I went to sleep and I woke up here.”

  Kara slowly shook her head. “Sometimes I think this is all a bad dream. I wish they’d just show themselves.”

  “I know what you mean, babe.” Troy stroked her hair and cleared her bangs from her face. “I’m so in love with you.”

  Tears started to roll down her cheeks. “Troy, I don’t want our baby born in here.” She began to cry. “Things were going to be good back at the colony…”

  Of all the horrible things that had happened to Troy since his capture, seeing his wife like this was the worst. His heart was aching, and his tears began to fall. He was not even aware that Kara’s hand had his in a vise grip until he regained his bearings. Wiping his face and clearing his nose, he looked into her face. “Our child isn’t being born in here. Something is happening Kara. We’re getting out of here. The friend I got. The one who’s the big deal. I think some people are coming to get him out,” Troy realized how ridiculous he sounded. “They’re going to get him out of here, and as many people as they can. I’m his cellmate, so I’m definitely a priority.”

  “What about me?” Kara asked.

  Troy could not bear this situation much longer. “I don’t go anywhere without you. I’ll take this guy hostage if I have to. I don’t care what it takes.” He squeezed her hand. “Do you hear me, Kara?”

  She squeezed his hand back and nodded. “I’ll hold you to that.” Then she pulled him in and kissed him.

  “I had given up hope.” She kissed his hand. “I
love you so much.”

  Troy was not pleased when he awoke back in his cell. “Why the hell am I here?”

  “I understand why you’re upset,” said Jackson. “You have to realize how difficult it was for me to get you in there to see her. By all rights you should be dead. If the plague find anyone in an area of the camp they’re not supposed to be, they kill them.”

  “I’d take that chance,” Troy said. “I didn’t ask you to bring me back here.”

  “For you and your wife’s sake be glad I did.”

  Troy calmed down and sat on his bunk. “They’ve got the women cooped up like a bunch of dogs. It’s revolting. My wife…They’ve got her strapped to a bed on her back all day. Even I know that’s not good for the pregnancy. You’ve got to get me back to her, Jacks.”

  “We’ll see.” Jackson sounded indifferent again.

  In a fury, Troy lunged at Jackson. “Now!”

  Jackson stepped to the side and hooked underneath Troy’s armpit, spinning him through the air and pinning him down onto to the ground. “Don’t, Troy.”

  Tommy and Mickey watched from Mickey’s top bunk. The discrepancy in their sizes made their sitting on the top bunk a comical image. Their card game was nowhere near as interesting as the altercation.

  Troy could not break from Jackson’s hold. “Let me up,” he said.

  Jackson thought about it, then let him up.

  The blood Troy wiped from his nose must have been caused by the impact of the shoulder throw.

  “You’re a smart guy,” Jackson said. “You’re tough, and you’re strong. We could use you.”

  Troy was not flattered. “What, in the resistance?” Troy stepped to face Jackson. “Let’s get one thing straight: I’m thankful for everything you’ve done for me since I’ve been here. I’m thankful for all three of you.” He looked over at the other two on the top bunk. “If it weren’t for you guys, I’d probably be dead, and I certainly wouldn’t have gotten to speak to my wife again. But,” he said as he looked back at Jackson, “I don’t give a damn about the resistance. Or about you or anybody else in this place. When you guys get out of here you can join up. I don’t care. But I’ve got a family to look after. That’s all I care about. I lost a lot of things in the downfall, and I lost even more when these bastards invaded our planet. But I’m not going to lose my wife and my kid.” He backed away from Jackson and turned around. “Now send me back to her.”