A New Reason To Fight: An Intergalactic Romance

by T. J. Brandow

  “Mother! I’ve got to get back to mother!” Donna shouted out urgently as she got to her feet and headed for the door.

  “Now Private Stevens, you need to remember that you are obligated to serve in the mission we have called you here for. You cannot go home right now!” the General commanded.

  “But you heard that psycho. He’s coming for our loved ones! It’s obvious to me that the fight is going to be on our home turf this time,” she insisted.

  “Eventually, yes, but for the time being we need to be focused on what the most immediate target will be. As far as we know, they have yet to find out where you live and where the location of our new base is. We’ve have taken the utmost care to make sure that no one aside from our own personnel knows anything about any of us.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel any better. I at least have to warn mother. Can you get her to a secure location where her safety is in less jeopardy?” She asked.

  “Yes, that much we can do,” the General reassured her. Donna took a deep breath, and seemed to be somewhat consoled by this.

  Chapter 2:

  Over the course of the next two days, the rest of the defense squad arrived at the new base. Soon the entire crew was back together for the first time since the battle at Guanthan. Both the males and females were settling into the new barracks getting reacquainted.

  “So you and Dedron moved in with one another, then?” Laura said to as she looked in the mirror and brushed through her short, brown hair.

  “Yes we did. We have a place way out in the woods. You will have to come and stay there with us when this is all over.” Donna answered. She lay in a lower bunk bed with her hands behind her head thinking about how happy they had been before she and Dedron got the call from the general.

  “I’m a little bummed. I thought we were going to have a little more time off than we ended up with,” Laura said, looking out of the window.

  “Well, I guess the Remoir aren’t going to plan their invasions around our vacations,” Donna answered, making Laura turn towards her and laugh.

  “Too bad. So, Frembor’s son mentioned you by name in his message. We need to handle him before he comes for you,” Laura said.

  “You can say that again,” Donna said. She was about to say something else when the door of barracks was opened. Kadija walked in wearing a colorful, traditional Tanzanian dress and head wrap. Despite her dark skin, her face lit up when she saw her two friends. Immediately she hugged Laura and went over to Donna’s bunk to hug her.

  “Kadija, you look gorgeous. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in traditional clothes before,” Donna gushed.

  “I was all set to go on a trip with my fiancé when I got the call from Dedron,” Kadija said.

  “Yeah, I think we were all a little thrown off by the call.”

  “We knew the situation going into this. It’s like having a job where you’re on call twenty-four seven,” Donna said.

  “I hate this time just before the briefing when we don’t know what the first plan of action is,” Laura said, turning towards the window again.

  “I know what we should be doing: making sure that this Captain Perbron doesn’t try to harm any of our loved ones,” Donna stated.

  “The general told me that they were sending men to take our families to a safe and secret location,” Kadija shared.

  “Yeah, he told us all the same thing, I’m sure, but I don’t like it,” Donna said, sitting down on the bunk.

  “Why, what do you mean?” Laura asked.

  “I don’t think it’s wise to take them to one location all at once. Think about it. If the Remoir were able to gain intelligence that led them to that location they could kill or capture our loved ones all at once,” Donna reasoned.

  “I never thought about it that way, but you have a point,” Laura said.

  Just then, a long, loud horn sounded across the base announcing the need to report to the meeting hall. Kadija, Laura, and Donna walked down a long, winding path through a large quad and wooded area to the new meeting hall. It was sleeker and more modern than the older facility where they had met. The building was shaped like five large triangles balanced on various points. A large conveyor in front of a narrow doorway suddenly appeared out of the side of the compound just a few feet away from the women.

  “Wow, they spent a little bit more money on this facility,” Laura remarked. The others nodded in agreement and stepped onto the escalator-like ramp. Once they reached the landing, two familiar faces were there to greet them.

  “Well, well, ladies. I must say that having some time off has made you more radiant than ever,” David said with a grin.

  “So, as usual with you I don’t know whether to take that as a genuine complement or as a back-handed one, but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt,” Donna said as she went over to hug him. David seemed to enjoy hugging her more than she liked, holding on for a bit too long.

  “Good thing you have me here to keep him in check,” Ken said, scratching his reddish hair. One by one, they all hugged one another and walked on towards the meeting room. Even the chairs of the meeting room were an improvement over the old meeting rooms’. They were plush and comfortable, made of Saturnean leather.

  “Nice chairs,” Laura said. Dedron was at the front of the room next to General Barron, discussing the agenda of the meeting. Langur, the tall Lanthan, was already there seated in the front row; his long, tube-like eyes turned towards his old friends.

  “Langur, how are you?” Donna said, going up to him. He got to his feet and squeaked a happy greeting.

  “Donna, you look splendid. Laura, Kadija, you are a sight to behold,” Langur said. Unlike their earlier interactions with him, he was talkative and friendly since the first mission they’d been on together.

  “You too,” Donna said. The group sat down as the general cleared his throat and prepared to address the group.

  “Hello fellow members of the Defense Squad. I’m sure many of you have been anxiously awaiting this briefing so that we can begin our mission. I will only be here with you for a brief time as I am expected on sector 17 on Planet Gourgan. You will be joining up with us there, but you will be on a more covert mission as is the way with the Defense Squad. Your mission is to infiltrate the intelligence apparatus of the Remoir. As you know, they relay most of their information through word of mouth. They do not save information anywhere but in their memories for fear of having it stolen or found out. Therefore, you will have to capture key strategists and make them talk.” The general took a deep breath but did not alter his serious expression.

  “Does that involve going to Remoir?” Ken asked.

  “Possibly. At this point, we are still gathering intelligence to determine the next move on the part of the Remoir,” he replied.

  “General, sir, with all due respect it seems obvious to me what we need to do. We need to be ready for the Remoir when they come for our loved ones as Commander Perbron said they would,” Donna said.

  “Private Stevens we have talked about this. I told you I had sent men to make your families safe. As we speak, they are being transported to a safe house.”

  “Sir, is that really the safest course of action? We already know that the Remoir are capable of gathering good intelligence about our intentions. Shouldn’t we behave as if this might be a possibility again?” Dedron fidgeted behind General Barron where he stood. He was afraid that Donna was going to find herself charged with insubordination.

  “What are you suggesting?” he asked.

  “I am suggesting that it may not be wise to house them all in one place and transport them all at once,” Donna said.

  The general was silent as if considering her words for a moment.

  “I think that our plan is sound, Private Stevens. We are going to Planet Gourgan to gather intelligence and trace the Remoir’s intentions. After we have more information, we will decide on the next phase of your mission. The Remoir have an organization not unlike our own CIA that
shares information and gathers intelligence about their enemies. We have reason to believe the Remoir are going to attack in sector 17 again. They are targeting it for a reason: it is a new, pluralistic settlement with citizens from all over the known universe. This is just the kind of unity that is the antithesis of what the Remoir stand for: conformity and control.”

  “And how do we know that they are going to attack there? It sounds like they are more than likely headed for Earth to me judging from the message I heard,” Donna argued.

  “And do you not think, Private Stevens that it would be wise if you sent your enemy such a message to throw them off the trail?” the General countered, his face looked smug.

  “Sir, if I told my enemy that I wished to harm them, I would follow through on my word,” Donna said, crossing her arms. For a moment she and the general faced off, then the General went back to his speech.

  “So, you will embark on the journey to Planet Gourgan tomorrow. From there we will assemble with more of our forces to mount a defense at Kembark, the next largest settlement on the planet. This settlement is most likely their next target. Are their any questions, besides any more from Private Stevens, that is,” he said.

  The others were silent. Once the general was gone, Donna turned to leave the meeting hall on her own. Dedron ran to catch up with her, putting his hand on her shoulders.

  “Donna, I can’t believe you talked to the general that way. I’ve seen other soldiers who had their heads bitten off by him for less,” he said.

  “Maybe he respects me,” she said, cocking an eyebrow.

  “As well he should, but we are going to have to follow his orders as always.”

  “Why Dedron? Do you want to tell me that you think we shouldn’t be more concerned about Perbron?”

  “Maybe the general is right. Maybe he is trying to throw us off the trail?”

  “I can’t afford to take that chance,” she said, as she stormed off towards the barracks.

  “Do you want to come go on a walk with me?”

  “I’m sorry, honey. I just really need to go lay down for a while, I think,” Donna said.

  “I’ll see you later, right?” he asked.

  “Of course,” she said, giving him a reassuring kiss on the lips.

  “Ok. Donna, I love you,” he said. Donna’s face immediately lit up. This was the first time he’d ever expressed such a sentiment out of the blue.

  “Good to hear. I love you too, babe. I just want to be alone for a little while,” she said.

  “I understand,” he said, turning away.

  Once the others in the barracks were asleep, Donna got out of her bunk and began to pack some items in her bag, including many weapons such as a laser pistol, two blaster grenades and an energy beam for more hand to hand combat. She tried her best to make as little noise as possible, but an energy beam fell out of her bag, causing Laura to sit up in her bed.

  “Crap!” Donna said.

  “Donna, what are you doing?” Laura asked in a sleepy voice.

  “Laura, you didn’t see me. I’m going home to make sure that nothing has happened to mother. She is the most important thing in the world to me, and I just know that I have to get back there as soon as I can. You know how it is when your gut tells you something. You have to listen,” she said.

  “Well let me come with you then,” Laura said.

  “No, I don’t want you to get into the trouble that I’m likely to get into for this. All the same, I don’t care if I’m tried for insubordination if it means I can save the life of my mother.”

  “You don’t think the soldiers in our own army can protect her?”

  “That’s not enough reassurance for me, sorry. Get back in bed, Laura. You never saw me leave and don’t know where I went. Is that understood?”

  “Yes,” Laura answered reluctantly as she lay back down. Donna took off across the quad towards one of the hover cars on the edge of the compound.

  Chapter 3:

  Just as Donna got inside one of the green military-issued hover cars, someone knocked hard on the window. Astonished, Donna looked out and saw Dedron glaring at her.

  “What do you think you’re doing, Donna?” he asked.

  “I’m getting out of here to go check up on mom and don’t try and stop me,” she said. Dedron went around to the passenger’s side and managed to open the door before Donna hit the lock button.

  “Donna, do you have any idea what kind of trouble you are going to be in if you leave now? Also, what is it that you think that you can do to protect your mother that the soldiers can’t do?”

  “Dedron, I have to go and check up on her. Something deep within my gut is telling me that I need to go home right now. I am going and there’s nothing you can do to stop me,” she said. Dedron sat there with her in silence for what seemed like an eternity.

  “Well?” she asked.

  “If I can’t convince you to stay, then I’m coming with you,” he finally said.

  Donna stared at him in disbelief.

  “But you are the captain! You have to stay. You’ll get into trouble!” she insisted.

  “Well I suppose we will have to be in trouble together. My first priority is to make sure that the love of my life is safe. I can’t let you do this all on your own. Let’s go before I change my mind,” he said.

  Before the first light of day spread out across the base, they were on the highway heading back towards Nashville. Both of them switched off their communicators, knowing that the General would be trying to contact them to find out where they had gone. For a long time they rode in silence until Donna broke it.

  “Are they going to put us in jail for this?” she asked.

  Dedron, who’d taken over the driving, looked over at her for an instant.

  “I suppose that depends on what happens. If your instincts are right and we stop something horrible from happening, it will have been worth being in trouble,” Dedron said. Secretly, he was quite worried about the decision that they had made, but he was determined to stick by Donna.

  The miles passed by with uncertainty and doubt as the deserts gave way to the eastern forests. They drove as fast as they could to reach Donna’s mother’s house, and finally reached it twenty-four hours after they left New Mexico. They took turns driving while the other person slept in order to make the best time that they could. As soon as they pulled up into Donna’s mother’s driveway, they could see that something was not right. The front door was wide open.

  “MOM!” Donna yelled as she got out of the passenger side and ran up to the door with her laser pistol in her hand.

  “Donna, wait. It may not be safe!” Dedron called behind her.

  Donna didn’t listen. In a flash, she was inside the house looking around.

  “Mother? MOTHER?” she yelled, but there was no answer. There was a broken glass on the floor of the kitchen; an obvious sign of a struggle.

  Donna ran through the house looking for more clues, but could find nothing. When she got back to the kitchen, Dedron was standing there shaking his head.

  “Where are they?” Donna said, her voice cracking in panic. Dedron put both of his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye.

  “Honey, take a deep breath. They are obviously not here.”

  “But where are they? Obviously the Remoir must have gotten to her before our soldiers did. I knew this was going to happen!” Donna said as she paced back and forth across the floor.

  “Ok, we need to figure out where they’ve taken her. Let me turn my communicator on and see if I can contact the soldiers that were supposed to rescue your mother,” Dedron said. As soon as he switched on the communicator, it began to glow red indicating that someone had repeatedly been attempting to contact him. General Barron had left several angry and frustrated messages. Dedron ignored these and found the local contact for the Defense Squad. Immediately, he attempted to reach the communicator of Sergeant Rogers who was in charge of the rescue operation.

  “Hello,
Captain Fildred,” a weary voice answered.

  “Sergeant Rogers, are you alright?” Dedron asked.

  “I’m alive, but that’s more than I can say for most of the rest of our men. The Remoir came just as we were about to rescue the family members of the Defense Squad and attacked us. I have no idea how they knew of our location or our operation, but they beat us to the punch.”

  “Where are you now and where did the Remoir go after they attacked?”

  “I don’t know exactly. I’ve got several men trying to track their movement. Once they attacked our group, I pretended that I’d been hit so that I wouldn’t meet the same fate as the others. Once they were gone, I got up and did the best I could to follow them. I followed them on foot because they destroyed our transport vehicle. They were headed towards the east, in the direction of Nashville, TN.”

  “So they attacked the soldiers just before they kidnapped mother,” Donna said.

  “We need to determine where they were headed next,” Dedron said. “Sergeant, do you need for us to help you?”

  “No I’m fine, Captain Fildred. There is a back up unit on its way to pick me up.”

  “Private Stevens and myself are going to try and pick up the trail of the Remoir. When the back up unit reaches you, we can join forces,” Dedron stated.

  “Yes, as soon as I’m with them, I will call you back to find out your location,”

  “Roger, over and out,” Dedron said.

  “Where are we going to look? They could be anywhere by now!” Donna said, feeling herself becoming emotional. It was all she could do to hold back the tears as she thought of the possibility of losing her mother to the Remoir like her father.