The nervous nods around the table confirmed they had distinctly heard his warning. Even surly Rasshur Grr appeared subdued.
Satisfied he had made his point, Hisspat Zeck ordered, "We will use the slow and deliberate approach to the planet as Sub-Commander Jorrin suggested. Let us first draw out the defenses the humans may have developed and destroy them before we begin cleanup operations to prepare the planet for colonization."
Pressing a green stud on his control panel, Zeck pointed to the display of planet number five with its many moons and said, "I have programmed the master computers aboard all the mega-liners to place their ships in a parking orbit around the largest moon of the fifth planet from the sun. No one aboard those ships will be awakened from stasis until I so order. Once we have subdued the general population of HG-281, I will decide how quickly the mega-liners will be landed for debarkation."
Rising from his seat, Zeck ordered, "Prepare your ships for immediate travel to HG-281. Hold your approaches at an orbital distance of 230,000 miles. Once I'm sure the mega-liners are safely in orbit around the moon of the fifth planet, I will join you and determine how I want to proceed. Dismissed!"
***
The atmosphere was tense in the Staff Conference room as everyone studied the top secret briefing reports General Blunt had just passed around the conference table. Waiting patiently for everyone to absorb the information in the summary, Blunt considered the loss of Pioneer 10. The datastream from the Pioneer 10 probe had ceased. Imaging from the Voyagers indicated the Chrysallaman fleet had either captured or destroyed Pioneer 10. Odds favored the capture and later destruction of the probe. Blunt knew if he was in charge of the incoming fleet, he would have seized the probe to study its technology and capabilities in hopes of learning more about the beings who created it.
The scary part for Earth's defenders was the certainty the Chrysallamans were now on the very outskirts of the solar system, a mere 4 hours away from Earth if they continued on at light speed. The battle for possession of Earth was literally only hours away.
"What a way to have to spend Halloween!" Blunt wryly thought, chuckling to himself as he considered the irony of an alien attack occurring on the day many people dressed up like monsters.
Shaking his head to clear out the cobwebs of daydreaming, Blunt saw everyone was looking to him for guidance and said, "Major Kurstow, please report on land based ballistic missiles."
Major Amanda Kurstow leaned into the table and said, "All land based missiles are ready for launch in the U.S., Russia and China. There are a total of 6,000 missiles available, but only 50% of them will be launched at the incoming alien ships. Every missile has been retrofitted with a guidance system tuned to the harmonics of the gravity drive that powered the scout craft captured at Roswell in 1947. The launch codes will all be controlled from our servers here in Nevada so all missiles will be fired simultaneously. The range of the missiles is a paltry 9,500 miles, so to make the use of the weapons appear realistic, we're going to have to hold launch until the enemy fleet is almost upon us. I believe the launch should be held until the enemy is around 5,000 miles out."
Recognizing the uncomfortable expressions around the table, Kurstow explained, "I realize the missiles' range is short, but frankly it helps feed the idea to the Chrysallamans our defense against space invaders is practically non-existent. There is little likelihood any of the missiles will strike a target. In fact, we're hoping the Chrysallamans will use the missiles as target practice which will enable us to monitor and analyze their weapons and the ability of their spacecraft to maneuver. At least we will get some idea of what we're up against."
Colonel Stoneman had been taking some notes as Kurstow spoke, and as she paused momentarily, he said, "So we have 50 mother ships with 5 scouts each. A launch of 3,000 missiles calculates to 60 missiles per mother ship or 12 missiles per scout. Surely we ought to get a couple of hits out of all that hardware."
Kurstow shrugged her shoulders and replied, "We can't be confident of any direct hit. The alien ships are equipped with gravity drives and light speed capability. They can literally jump their saucer 186,000 miles away from one of our missiles in one second! That's why all the warheads in the missiles are fitted with proximity detonators. Any missile coming within 1,000 feet of a gravity drive harmonic will automatically detonate. We're hoping at the very least the electromagnetic pulses emitted by the nuclear explosions will have as much effect on the saucer electronics as they would have on Earth-bound electronics."
"Okay, Alex, your turn. What is the status of the F-35 Lightning fighters?" Blunt asked.
Looking down at his keyboard, Colonel Fields opened a file folder and clicked to display an image on the overhead monitors. A photo of an F-35 Lightning aircraft in flight appeared on the screens.
"Looks like a fairly ordinary fighter jet, right?" he asked as he looked around the table.
Seeing several heads nodding, he continued, "Well it's not. What you are now seeing is an advanced aircraft powered by Heinbaum Kinetic Generators. Every offensive and defensive weapon is likewise powered!" he proudly announced.
"This baby is designed to fly at Mach 12 but also hover like a helicopter! It can maneuver so quickly we had to design special flight suits for the pilots to protect them from the G-forces generated during flight."
Shaking his head as he looked around the table, he said quietly, "The weapons are nothing short of amazing! There are three high-powered cutter rays installed on the craft. In fact, the scientists don't call them cutter rays anymore because they're so powerful. The official name is now the McPherson Atomizer or MA. Each MA can slice through the center of an aircraft carrier literally as fast as the F-35 can fly over the ship!"
"You said it also has defensive capability?" Colonel Jason Stoneman asked.
"Yes," Fields replied. "If you look closely at the image on your screens," he began. "Here, let me magnify the photo so you can see the small details."
"Now look for the thin wire-like structure encircling the aircraft from nose to wingtip to tail."
Everyone peered closely at the screen image and began nodding their heads. Fields continued, "That thin wire is a continuous loop of the ceramic composite material created by Dr. John Heinbaum. The wire loop acts like a super powered electro-magnet. The kinetic generator feeds so much energy into the loop it creates a magnetic envelope or bubble around the aircraft. In tests, the bubble is so powerful it repels all known projectile weapons including air-to-air missiles. The bubble also provides complete protection from Chrysallaman cutter and heat rays. The kinetic generator on the aircraft simply absorbs the energy from the rays and uses it to strengthen the protective bubble!"
The mood around the table had definitely brightened with Colonel Fields report, but he quickly tossed cold water on everyone.
"Problem is there are only fifty F-35's in service," he said, shrugging his shoulders and frowning. "Lockheed Martin has ten more under development but they won't be ready in time for the arrival of the Chrysallaman fleet."
Smiles fell off faces all around the table, replaced by glum stares. Fifty F-35's against the incoming Chrysallaman horde of 300 spacecraft.
Recognizing he needed to change the subject, General Blunt tapped his pen on the table for attention and said, "Doug, why don't you bring us up to date on the activation of our civilians."
The reports presented so far by Kurstow and Fields had driven Colonel Douglas Jenson into a gray funk. It was hard to maintain a positive outlook when the odds seemed so stacked in favor of the invading lizards. Glancing sideways at Major Becky Chang, Doug saw her grin and motion for him to begin his report.
Smiling back at her, Jenson entered some commands on his keyboard and a map of the world with its continents appeared on the overhead monitors. A light red color covered North America, most of South America, Europe, Australia, India, China and Russia. Only South Africa and a few small spots in Turkey and Saudi Arabia were shaded in red.
"Major Chang's ide
a of promoting the vitamin elixir as the cover story for the activation has proved to be brilliant. Seems like humans just love the idea of greater muscular strength, sharper eyesight and enhanced hearing. Heck, the promise of a 30% longer lifespan was enough to get most people willing to take the treatment."
"What about the flu-like symptoms from the activation? Did the public buy the President's assurances about the harmless adjustments everyone would feel during the first night after taking the pill?" Kurstow asked.
"They did. Right after the President announced the Feds were going to give out the elixir for free, he and the First Family all took the elixir on the live broadcast. CNN, FOX and all the major networks carried the feed almost non-stop. I'll have to admit the President took the flu symptoms with stoic determination. The next morning, the President demonstrated on live TV he could do 50 one-handed pull-ups without even breaking a sweat. After that, the elixir literally flew off the drug store shelves!"
"The temporary increase of fluoride in the public drinking water supply was hardly noticed. There was so much hullabaloo in the media about the vitamin elixir the fluoride increase went virtually unreported."
"What's the significance of the red colored areas on the global map?" Colonel Stoneman asked.
"The red color indicates the areas where the majority of the population has been activated. The Middle East and Northern Africa pose a problem because many Muslims believe vaccines are made of harmful substances. As a result, the polio vaccine was never accepted by many of the people in those areas, and we can't activate a person who isn't carrying the dormant virus."
At that moment, the intercom speaker beeped and General Blunt tapped the key to accept the caller. The voice on the other end of the line was Staff Sgt. Beale.
"Sir, we have a feed from the Hubble I need to display on your monitors!"
Blunt said, "What key do I need to press to get the picture?"
"F7, Sir. Press F7," Beale responded.
As Blunt pressed his F7 key, an image of the moon appeared on the overhead monitors; however, it was the other objects near the moon that grabbed everyone's attention.
Beale said, "I'm going to pan the Hubble hi-rez camera."
The view immediately began moving to the left. The mother ships of the Chrysallaman fleet swung into view, one after the other as Beale turned the camera.
"The mother ships have formed themselves into a ring around the Earth at a distance of 230,000 miles, which happens to almost coincide with the Moon's orbital path. None of the mother ship scouts have been released from their berths. We have counted 49 mother ships. After establishing orbit, they haven't changed position."
"That's not all, General," Beale continued. "The Opportunity rover on Mars has spotted a new formation in orbit around Jupiter's moon, Ganymede. The Chrysallamans have put the craft from the shaft of the arrow in orbit around it."
Blunt placed his elbows on the conference table and steepled his fingers. Looking hurriedly around the table at each member of his Staff, he said, "Looks like the Kurstow-Fields theory about the nature of the vessels forming the shaft of the arrow was correct. The ships in orbit around Ganymede are colony ships."
Thinking quickly, General Blunt nodded to himself and said, "Sgt. Beale, keep me posted about the ships in orbit around Earth. If there is any change, notify me immediately. Blunt out."
Blunt smiled at his Staff and said, "Well, we've had almost 70 years to prepare for the return. Let's hope it's enough. Prepare your forces for imminent battle. Major Kurstow, you are authorized to fire the missiles when the enemy ships reach the 5,000 mile mark. Remember people, we have to let them get comfortable. Just enough resistance to show we're trying to defend our world as best we're able. If the Chrysallamans get the slightest idea we have weapons that could annihilate them on the ground, they'll pack up immediately and leisurely dispose of us from the safety of high orbit. We won't get a second chance to get them in close. Dismissed!"
***
As the colossal mega-liners slipped into orbit around the largest moon of the fifth planet of the HG-281 solar system, General Hisspat Zeck breathed a sigh of relief. He double checked the master computer's instructions to the liners to make sure all their stasis pods would remain active. His military force had to subdue the planetary vermin on HG-281 before he could allow the release of any civilians. Not only was it protocol, it was also the most convenient for him. Civilians always had weak-minded, emotional do-gooders scattered amongst them who might take offense at the slaughter of innocent inhabitants of colonization planets.
He could hear the whiners even now. "Live and let live. Spare the children. Spare the elderly. Blah. Blah."
Shaking his head at the stupidity of civilians, General Zeck reclined in his couch before the master control panel of his ship and keyed the toggle activating his gravity drive. As the VrrSilliac Xur sped toward HG-281, he hummed a little tune of happiness.
Approximately 45 minutes later, the VrrSilliac Xur coasted into position behind his orbiting fleet of mother ships, and Hisspat Zeck pushed the stud putting him into communication with his Group Leaders.
"Is everything in readiness?" he queried imperiously.
All five groups responded affirmatively. Zeck imagined he could hear a low humming growl from the mother ships as they prepared to move toward their targets.
"Each of you has a copy of my survey mapping of HG-281. I have clearly marked the territories assigned to each of you. For confirmation, I have projected a copy of the world map on each of your control room monitors. Cherx Group, your assignment is North and South America. Commander VunnRer Slizzt, remember the western region of North America was where the scout was crippled. Don't underestimate the defensive capability of the vermin of North America."
"Acknowledged," was the only reply from VunnRer Slizzt.
"SSizz Group is assigned to the area marked Western Europe. Commander Tuurket Axxdo, that area has a large population in highly dense urban buildings. It should be just to your liking," Hisspat Zeck said as an evil sneer curled up his lips.
"They will feel the heavy weight of my boot on their necks," came the nasty reply from Tuurket Axxdo.
"Commander Rasshur Grr, your Whegg Group and the Rryys Group are assigned to the Eastern European and Russian land areas. You and Commander Gwess Hakwerr will work cooperatively. This is a large area of land with a sizeable population concentrated mostly in the Central and Desert regions. If necessary, you will provide limited backup for SSizz Group."
"Understood," came the replies from Rasshur Grr and Gwess Hakwerr.
"Commander Shurryek Jorrin with his Zyrtzz Group is assigned to the China and India corridor. This land is the most densely populated area on the planet."
"My ships are at the ready," replied Shurryek Jorrin.
All the indicators on his master control panel glowed green. Grinning broadly as he imagined how the Chrysallaman history books would favor him as they regaled his adventures subduing and capturing the jewel-like planet HG-281, General Hisspat Zeck said, "You are free to attack! Good hunting!"
With those words, 49 mother ships slowly began moving toward Earth.
Chapter 19 - Earth
50,000 Miles From Earth
The image of planet HG-281 filled the view screen in the master control room of the sub-commander Gwess Hakwerr's mother ship. He had to admit Hisspat Zeck had found a very appealing world for colonization. Blue water covered large portions of the globe, and the varying shades of green color on the land masses indicated a verdant landscape filled with lush vegetation. Typing in a series of commands on his input console, he ordered his computer to display all machinery orbiting the planet. Instantly, hundreds of orange tinted dots arrayed themselves across his screen.
"Interesting," he mused. "The bipedal humans have formed an orbital network of mechanical satellites. I wonder what their purpose might be?"
Keying another sequence of commands into his keyboard, he had the master computer analyze the o
utput of the various satellites and found they were primarily communications hardware. The largest of the satellites was a conglomeration of tubes with long, wing-like appendages Hakwerr recognized as solar power panels. His sensors indicated there were six human animals aboard the satellite, and he almost laughed out loud at the primitive construction.
The ring of mother ships had closed to within 45,000 miles of the planet's surface, and so far, the only indication the humans on the planet had seen the Chrysallaman ships was the increased communications now clogging the electronic net connecting all the satellites together.
Flipping the switch on his ship-to-ship communicator, Hakwerr advised all the other group leaders of his findings.
Rasshur Grr answered him rather matter-of-factly, "One of my group is targeting the primitive, tube shaped pile of garbage as we speak. Ah, there it goes!"
Just as he finished his sentence, the image of the largest satellite exploded in a cascading shower of flaming debris. There was so little oxygen in the satellite the flames winked out almost immediately, leaving only drifting pieces of black glass and metallic structural beams.
"That ought to provoke a reaction," Hakwerr grinned.
40,000 Miles From Earth
General Tom Blunt watched in horrified fascination as the Hubble telescope captured the destruction of the International Space Station. One moment the ISS was on his screen, the next it was blown into a thousand pieces.
"Six lives gone!" he muttered and pounded the top of his desk in anger, splintering the thick, wooden top as if it was made of balsa wood.
Looking ruefully down at the bashed in top of his desk, Blunt quickly rose from his chair and rushed out of his office toward the communications suite. Hurrying over to the pulpit on the raised platform, he turned on the giant, wall-sized monitor and brought up a Hubble transmission of the destroyed ISS with the approaching mother ships in the background. A digital meter was now displayed in the upper right hand corner of the screen showing how far out the alien fleet was from Earth. 40,000 miles.
The Origin of F.O.R.C.E. Page 28
