“Kicking ass and taking names, ArchAngel, SS1 out.”
—-
Coach never saw the hand. He had turned when he saw John get up and start an attack from behind the alien he was trying to slow down. When he turned back, just that split second was enough to miss the alien’s mechanical enhanced attack that cracked through this helmet, and hit his skull hard enough to crush it.
—-
“Krghfth!” Kiel yanked his hand out of the alien’s helmet, organic matter splattered all over his hand. “Alien brains - disgusting.”
He was about to continue up the hallway when he was pushed forward by a sudden weight on his back, “Kiel, you have an alien on your back,” Malo hissed in laughter from behind him.
“No kidding, really? I hadn’t noticed.” Kiel replied.
—
“Captain!” Melorn called out, “We have an incoming vessel. Just arrived on sensors, Sir,” Melorn looked over to Captain T’chmon, “It is big.”
“Big? Show me.”
Melorn called up the specifications and shot them to the Captain’s data grids, “What is this,” he pointed to the information Melorn had provided, “Royleen? This is no ship we have seen before.”
Royleen looked at the information, “That ship is pushed by advanced gravitics, Captain T’chmon. I can’t be sure right this second, but that could be Kurtherian technology. Old, perhaps, but it is very possible.”
“Sheaght!” Captain T’chmon slammed his arm down and hit the communication button, “Kiel, recall your team. Grab what you can and pull back, we must leave and consider this new information. NOW!”
—
Kiel turned and pushed back into the wall squashing the alien on his back. He was satisfied with the abrupt, loud and irritated chittering from the alien. “Bet that hurt, you bug.” He was in the middle of upgrading his power efforts again when the Captain called them back. He twisted quickly, throwing the alien off his back to land about three body lengths away and called over his team’s comms. “This is Kiel, grab what you can, we are recalled back to the G’laxix Sphaea. I want this fast, I want this professional. Don’t let the little aliens see any mistakes.” He received a fair amount of the hissing laughter over the radios.
—
“Gott Verdammt praise the galactic overlords,” Penn breathed out, “they are leaving.”
“Sir!”
Penn stabbed a button, “This is Penn, Go.”
“Sir, this is Sergei of the Russian group, they took Ivan with them when they left.”
Penn’s lips compressed… “Dammit, ok, I will notify ArchAngel, Penn out.”
Another light came on, and Penn hit the receive button to hear, “Penn, this is John.”
Penn responded, “Penn here.”
“Penn, the aliens have bugged out. We lost one, we have one that needs medical attention and a few that need rest. We had two small leaks that have been patched temporarily, but need final repairs.”
“Who did we lose, John,” Penn asked, wondering who he wouldn’t wouldn't see in the halls anymore.
“Adarsh is hurt and,” John paused, his voice slightly cracking, “we lost Coach, Penn.”
Penn closed his eyes, “Understood, John. Keep the patches solid and get Adarsh to medical. Put Coach’s body in stasis, we’ll send him off right, John. Penn out.” Penn released the button.
He looked around his office, at the little things he knew Coach had helped him get working, or jury rigged to get working. He looked at the chair where he and Coach had talked, swapping stories of his time in the Navy and Penn’s time from England.
He shook his head, then screamed as he slammed his hand on his desk, “FUUUCK!”
It took a moment for the sound of his slap to fade away. He rubbed his stinging hand, thankful the pain helped get his emotions together.
He would have to remember Coach later, he had a space station full of people that needed his attention and a report for ArchAngel.
QBS ArchAngel’s Bridge
“ArchAngel, this is Bethany Anne, status?”
Gabrielle answered the call, “Bethany Anne, ArchAngel. The Space Station was attacked, one dead, multiple in ICU, many others need medical attention. We have one abducted by aliens.”
“What do we have around that will stop them?” Bethany Anne asked.
“ArchAngel can’t see them well at the moment. We have incoming information from SS1, and we have two empty pods that are near them. They have Ivan, from the Russian group.”
“Ram that ship with the pods Gabrielle, stop them, slow them down, something.” Bethany Anne called back.
Her voice was as cold as ice, “We don’t abandon our own, EVER.”
—
“Kiel, are your people on board?” Captain T’chmon asked over the comm system.
“Sir, we are. The captured alien is being transferred to Scientist Royleen’s lab.”
“SIR!” Melorn cried out, “We have incoming!”
“What?” he asked, surprised. They knew where the other ship was and had plenty of time. They were, in fact, already leaving.
The G’laxix Sphaea shook violently two times, moments apart. Those on the bridge were violently tossed around. The lower comms specialist was thrown from her seat. Alarms sounded throughout the ship. Captain Kael-ven T’chmon called out, “Get me damage reports! B’chai get us out of here, then confirm all cloaking is sound. I want us away from that ship! Weapons figure out how we just got hit!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Lance looked around the inside of the container and nodded. Two Guardians shut the doors, and it slowly rose up into the air, taking off into the morning light. A few of the scientists bitched something horrible, and the wag about had a heart attack when Lance told him all the computer equipment was going in the other container. Nothing would be ‘floating around to hit someone upside their head’.
Unless, of course, the wag wanted to ride in the shipping container? Lance was turned down, pity that. The scientists and government people found their cries, whining, logical arguments and pleading crashed against the man and crumbled into dust. He was quite willing to let them stay in the desert with potential ISIS attacks arriving in just a few hours.
One man threw a tantrum, tossing his backpack of papers onto the sand and sitting down. Lance looked at him briefly, then ignored him. The man was surprised when no one from Lance’s team helped him, talked with him or even tried to coax him into the container. When one of the Guardians was asked if they were going to help him, he just replied, “He is an adult. He is free to commit suicide by ISIS bullets or stupidity, whichever he chooses.”
The man had come running up with two minutes to spare.
Akio, the General, Robert and Terry all stood. Lance locked down everyone in a seat. When one person was complaining about having to buckle in, the container suddenly shifted slightly down. None of the four men had much of an issue keeping their balance, but the recalcitrant guy started clicking his belts like they were oxygen and he was underwater.
Lance pulled his tablet out and looked at it. There was a message from ADAM.
WAS THAT HELPFUL?
Lance smirked slightly and turned the tablet to Akio. If you paid attention, Akio’s face had many expressions, you just had to look for them. His eyes opened just slightly, and his lips relaxed into what Lance would call a smirk on any other man.
Lance texted back that it was and put the tablet up.
“Dad?” He heard Bethany Anne’s voice in his ear.
“This is Lance, go Black Eagle One.” he replied.
“Status?”
“Mission accomplished, pulling out twenty-three live ones.”
“Excellent. The ArchAngel is helping SS1. We are going to have to figure out what Coach and Adarsh did to find the alien ship which we have lost at the moment. Adarsh is unconscious but expected to wake within thirty minutes. Then, we are going to head to the gate. TOM believes this is going to upset their mission, and they
are likely to try and leave. We are moving to the moon right now.”
“Understood. Where do you want me to deliver the packages?”
“Well, I can’t stick them on ArchAngel which was my original plan. The Australian base is now empty, and the last few groups are waiting for the ArchAngel out at Moon Base One’s location.”
“Colorado?”
“No, that just gets them back into play too quickly. I suppose if I simply keep them, then it’s kidnapping.”
“Usually.” Lance smiled. He noticed she wasn’t upset over the concept, just the annoyance it would cause.
“Ok, let’s do this…” she replied.
—
Captain of the USS Harry Truman took the call, “Hello Mr. President.”
“Hello, Captain. I appreciate everything you and the men and women of the U.S.S Harry S. Truman are doing there in the Mediterranean to help Operation Inherent Resolve,” the President started. “I’m here to request one quick fifteen-minute favor that can mess up your situation, but I promise it will be interesting to you and your people.”
“Whatever we can do, let us know,” the Captain replied. Inwardly, he was hoping it wasn’t visiting dignitaries or anything of that sort. His people were tired, several weeks past their original deployment end date and babysitting wasn’t something he wanted to ask them to do.
“You are going to be visited by a very rare flying container,” the President started.
“Sir, not to interrupt, but can they land on our ship?”
The Captain was surprised when the President laughed, “Captain, I’m not laughing at you, I promise. This craft does not need an airfield, and before you ask, it is not a helicopter. Those that are on the craft are either members of an expedition that was rescued out of ISIS territory or members of TQB. Captain, whatever you do, be pleasant with those members. I assure you, they will be respectful to you and your people.”
“Understood, Mr. President.”
“I imagine you do, Captain. That’s because the Navy doesn’t have slow people at the command of one of our aircraft carriers. We will deliver an update on how we expect to pull those who are staying behind back off your ship.”
“Couldn’t they just drop them off on land?” he asked.
“I’m sure they could, but this is what they wanted to do. It seems some of the men in the group wanted to see an aircraft carrier in action, Captain. Two birds, one stone.”
“They want to see what WE can do? Don’t they have ships that go into outer space?”
“Well, sure. But how many of them roar off of decks in the middle of the ocean?” the President replied, “There is something that their Pods don’t supply that feeds a man’s soul, Captain.”
“Really?” the Captain questioned, “What’s that?”
“Fire and noise, Captain, fire and noise. Jets scream off of your deck, and even for Presidents, just between you and me, that’s cool as shit.”
“Yes, Sir!” the Captain agreed, smiling.
Space Station One - L2
Bethany Anne took a few minutes to see the damage to the outside of Space Station One from her Pod. “Take me in, ADAM. I’ve seen enough.”
A few minutes later, Bethany Anne and her team were exiting their Pods on the deck. Gabrielle was waiting for her when she got out. Ashur jumped out behind her and chuffed. Bethany Anne looked to the dog, “Ok, go get something to eat,” she told him and then turned back to Gabrielle. “Report.”
“Adarsh is awake and explaining what they did. Team BMW is creating our own, much bigger, version of this for the ArchAngel and transmitting the schematics to the Defender so they can build their own version.”
The two women started walking towards the exit from the deck to get out of the way. “Did we hurt them?”
“Yes, scans showed damage once we knew where to look, and they suffered acceleration issues. However, within two minutes they did something, and we lost them again. SS1’s juryrigged sensor wasn’t strong enough to follow them when they passed ten thousand kilometers.”
“Ok, when is the funeral for Coach?”
—
There were six around the casket, friends, and Guardians, providing Coach a Royal Guard as the Queen stood next to it. She laid a hand on the casket, then walked to the podium and faced the group.
“Coach was a man I am proud to say I had on my team. He came, he saw, and whether it was with knowledge from his time in the Navy, from his life, or with duct tape, he seemed to have a solution for all of the challenges thrown his way.”
“He knew that his future, as well as ours, would unlikely be easy. He also knew it was guaranteed not to be safe. But, he lived as he wanted. Using his skills, and putting himself between those who threatened, and those he loved. That, the placing ourselves between dangers and those we hold dear, is our call. Ad Aeternitatem, Coach. Till we meet again on the other side, your name will be in my heart. We shall not forget your sacrifice.”
ReaLea, Kris and Bree, faces wet with tears and makeup running, watched the coffin take off from the deck of the ArchAngel and slip through the field as it headed towards the sun. Bethany Anne had requested all of the original team members, including the still healing Adarsh, travel over to the ship for the ceremony. After the casket had slipped through, Bethany Anne turned to her people.
Her contralto voice started, “We have been attacked by an alien species. Based on the analysis and from our own alien contact, they are looking to research our system. To steal our resources, and enslave our people to work for them.”
“Further” she continued, “they have a gate to go back home. They want to take the knowledge of who we are, where we are, and our capabilities, with them. We were lucky they did not see our ship until this point. Now, it is very likely they are aware we have considerably more capabilities than they thought, and we are both a problem and a prize.”
She looked at the group, then looked into the cameras sending her face to her people, “Attend me, my Guards, My Guardians, My Elite and My People… We have had war declared on us again. This time, it is by an inimical society seeking to follow a commonly-held premise that those who have the power, have the right to use that power however they want. Well… Fuck them!”
Her eyes flashed red, “They have made a catastrophic mistake and are an eternal enemy of the Queen Bitch and Her People. Hear my response to these atrocities visited upon my people.”
She spoke louder, looking up at the ceiling, “ArchAngel!”
The ships E.I. responded, her voice filling the Pod deck, “Yes, my Queen?”
“Take us to the Annex Gate at maximum speed once we allow those who need to go back to SS1 to leave. We will kill or capture this enemy, No Surrender will be allowed, is this understood?”
“Yes Ma’am, I have heard the command. ‘No Surrender’ has been instituted. All Lockdown Protocols on this ship are removed. Leviathan Battleship ArchAngel is now fully operational and will fight until victorious…”
There was a slight pause from the speaker system, “Or dead, my Queen.”
The roaring of those in the Pod Deck threatened to cross the vacuum of space to join with those who had listened and watched from the Space Station, the Moon Base, and the Defender.
The first war between the Queen Bitch and aliens had begun.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Yollin Deep Space Ship - G’laxix Sphaea
Royleen walked around the table which held his one subject. He had hoped for a female, but he understood why the Captain had to leave. At least the attack on the G’laxix Sphaea hadn’t harmed his area. Yes, a couple of helpers had to clean up a few things that had been tossed around, and one container made of transparent material had broken, but that was all.
The subject was strapped down, unconscious. The alien had been very aggravated upon arrival. Fortunately, Royleen had already loaded the systems in his lab with the limited speech core between Yollin and this alien’s language.
WE HAVE CONTACT (The Kurtherian Gambit Book 12) Page 23
