Defending Earth-Discovery Means Death

by Saxon Andrew

  “That’s the planet we’re going to use.”

  Jack looked at him, “Why that one?”

  “Well, I’m not partial to any predator as big as that one that can fly.”

  Jack nodded, “Me neither.”

  “Amber, take us to that planet and make sure you avoid any Feeder Probes that might be in that planetary system.”

  “I’m using the barrier to approach the planet. Is everyone ready?”

  “Give us a few moments to activate two chairs.”

  “Commodore Nelson has already done that. Jack and Olivia’s armor is already installed on the chairs. They are also connected to the ship’s scanning systems.”

  Rocky looked around, “Where are they?”

  “You’ll have to move the kitchen table against the wall. They’re currently under the floor and will rise when the table is moved.”

  Jill smiled, “Clever.”

  “Yes it is. The Commodore didn’t want to take up the little bit of space we have to hold meetings. They’ll be removed when you bring the ship back to have the new missile magazines installed.”

  “Jill, go to your cockpit. Jack, help me move this table.” Jill left the kitchen as they lifted the table and moved it to the wall. Two chairs rose out of the floor and Rocky said, “Get in your armor. I’ll let you know when we’re going down to the planet.”

  “What are you planning?”

  “Jack, we need to choose a community and watch it closely to learn how it functions. Once we have a feel for that, we’ll decide how we’re going to meet your Feeder.” Jack nodded and Rocky walked up the corridor toward his cockpit.

  Jack looked at Olivia, “I’m glad he’s going down with me.”

  Olivia shook her head, “Fleet would have a duck if they knew about it.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he and Jill are the only ones standing between the Feeders and their finding the Alliance. He shouldn’t be doing this.”

  “Even so, I’m glad he is.”

  “I could defend you.”

  “Olivia, please don’t take offense, but I really believe he can do that and possibly find a way to prevent the deaths of the inhabitants.”

  Olivia sighed. “Let’s get in our armor.” Jack nodded and went to his chair.

  • • •

  Four days passed and Jill saw Rocky was feeling the pressure. She activated the private channel between them and said, “It’s not too late to call this off.”

  “I’ve considered that. It might be better to just go to a planet without predators.”

  “Then let’s do it.”

  “I can’t knowing what will happen if we do.”

  “You’ve allowed others to die in the past.”

  “And every time it was unavoidable. In this instance, I can’t walk away from this.”

  “How much longer are you going to watch them?”

  “We’re going in tonight.”

  “What??”

  “Nothing is going to change. There’s a weather front moving in and we’ll be below the cloud cover. I’m going in first to start the predators gathering outside the community; the Feeder won’t see my presence. Jack will come in afterwards.”

  “How are you going to hold off the predators and keep an eye on Jack?”

  “That is what’s been making me hesitate.” Rocky ran his fingers through his hair and blew out a breath, “Jill, if it has to be done, I want you to have a disruptor targeted on the forest outside the community. If I can’t hold them back, burn it to the ground. I’m hoping the Feeders will think a lightning strike from the front started the fire.”

  “Are you sure about this?”

  “I might want you to start a fire behind the predators forcing them toward the community, if I can keep them at bay long enough.”

  “What about the locals?”

  “I sincerely hope they can swim.”

  Jill nodded and listened to Rocky tell Jack and Olivia what was going to happen. She shook her head and knew she owed Rocky big time for this. She prayed the plan would work.

  Rocky looked at the three and said, “It’s time. I’m going down in armor to see if I can call the Predators out of the forest. Once I’ve completed that task, Olivia, you will take jack to the community and drop him outside the Feeder’s residence.” Rocky looked at Jack, “Have you completed armor training?”

  “I have. I know how to use the jump boots on silent mode.”

  “Good! Jill, I need you to keep a close eye on those predators. If they start moving toward the community, you’re going to have to burn them.”

  “I thought you wanted me to keep a disruptor needle targeted on that Feeder?”

  “You can’t do both?”

  Jill shook her head, “Cute! You know I can.”

  “Olivia, I need you to hold the ship in the barrier above the Feeder’s residence. I will be joining Jack there as soon as he drops. You need to be ready to drop the moment Jack gets the readings he needs.”

  “Admiral, I’m going to drop ten feet behind him and hold the ship in the barrier.”

  “Can Jill target the Feeder that low to the ground?”

  Jill nodded, “I’ll use a disruptor on top of the ship. Jack, just don’t get close enough to hug that Feeder.”

  “I really don’t like doing this in armor.”

  Rocky smiled, “Wait until you get a good look at the Feeder’s claws. I suspect you’ll feel differently.”

  “What are you going to do about the inhabitants?”

  “If I can control the predators, I intend to wake them up.” Rocky looked around, “Alright, let’s do this. Olivia, take us down.”

  Olivia and Jill walked toward their cockpits and Jack looked at Rocky, “I’m a little nervous about this.”

  “If you weren’t, I’d really be concerned about allowing you to go down. Fear is what helps us to avoid making mistakes. Get what you need and let me know immediately when it’s done.”

  Jack nodded and Rocky moved to the entry port. He looked at his tactical visor and saw the community was still and unmoving. It was 2:15 AM and there were no guards out; the Feeder did not allow it. Hopefully it would see that was a mistake. Rocky saw the ship suddenly leave orbit and appear twenty feet above the ground just outside the community’s perimeter. He looked back at Jack and smiled, “Break a leg and tell the Feeder to smile.” Rocky jumped out of the port and disappeared. The port closed and the ship was instantly back in the barrier hovering ten feet off the ground.

  • • •

  The Feeder was enjoying his evening meal. This older inhabitant was highly intelligent but he had lived too long. He stunned him and went into his mind to take a look at his memories. He felt the being’s fear and knew it would grow as he took his time looking around in its mind. Fear always made the meal more satisfying. He saw the birth of the victim’s first child and smiled as he erased the memory. The fear level rose and the Feeder thought, “I’m going to take everything you love and then I’ll finish you. He saw the marriage and smiled, this was always a good memory to take. The Feeder suddenly stopped and turned his attention outside its living quarters. There was something, something, it couldn’t quite grasp what he was sensing. Then he felt the presence of numerous predators moving close to the community. It smiled and thought to the stunned inhabitant, “Be patient, I’ll be right back.” It stood and walked toward the door.

  • • •

  Rocky hit the ground and turned toward the forest. It was overgrown with thickets and thorn bushes and presented an almost impenetrable wall between the community and the tall trees. He extended his mind and began sensing the huge predators moving around looking for prey. He sent his thoughts to ten of them and they stopped, looked toward the community, and began moving through the forest. They towered over the thorn bushes and thickets and easily swept them aside as they began their march toward the being summoning them. It was impossible to ignore the summons. Rocky felt them coming and they were picking up
speed. “Now, Jack!”

  Olivia moved the light ship over the cleared land in front of the Feeder’s residence and moved the port out of the barrier. Jack opened the port and leapt out. Olivia closed the port then moved the ship back in the barrier. Jack activated a device that was attached to the front of his armor and it began scanning for thought patterns different from his. He walked closer to the Feeder’s door and saw on his visor that the needle on his device was swinging wildly left and right but each swing was getting smaller. He listened to the Feeder terrorizing his victim and felt an anger that threatened to overwhelm him. These creatures were pure evil. He watched the needle and the swings were getting smaller and smaller. He looked back at the door and heard the Feeder tell his meal that he would be right back. He stepped away from the door and the needle’s swing was barely moving. But it hadn’t locked in on the thought pattern, yet. The door swung open and the Feeder stepped out and stared at the huge armored figure in front of his home. Jack entered the Feeder’s mind and froze it. He had no idea how he managed to do it but the Feeder was unable to think or move.

  A second later, Rocky arrived with a hand blaster and yelled, “Hold your fire, Jill!”

  Jill yanked her finger off the trigger but put her index finger right back on it. “JACK, DO YOU HAVE YOUR DATA?”

  “I do.”

  “Step back so I can kill it!”

  “Not yet.”

  “WHAT!”

  “I need you to take the inhabitant this Feeder has stunned to the other side of the river.”

  “ARE YOU CRAZY?”

  “Do it, Admiral. I can handle this one.”

  Rocky looked at the Feeder’s mind and saw it was frozen. It was struggling with all its power to break out of the bonds in its mind but was not able to do it. “Jack!”

  “If we leave now, the inhabitant will die. Take him across the river.”

  Rocky shook his head and ran inside the building. He picked up the inhabitant, carried him out the door and looked at Jack. He stared at his tactical and saw all the inhabitants had heard nothing and were still asleep. He took a breath, “If I leave to take him across the river, I’ll lose control of the predators. I’m barely holding them back now.”

  “I will not allow him to die if it can be avoided, Rocky. Please, there has to be a way to save him!”

  Rocky sighed and activated his link to Olivia, “Bring the ship behind Jack and be ready to pick him up as soon as I release the predators. Jill, fire a disruptor behind them and start a forest fire.”

  “What about the locals?”

  “I’m thinking about that, Olivia. Just be ready to do it on my command.”

  Rocky turned to Jack and heard him speak to the Feeder, “It’s not as fun when you’re the one trapped, is it? Jack smiled, “It doesn’t matter who we are. You will do what I command. Start walking toward the forest and don’t stop until you arrive at the edge. I will release your mind momentarily.” Jack stepped aside and the Feeder started walking out of the community. Jack turned to Rocky, “Now would be a good time to get the locals moving.”

  “Not before you get in the ship. Olivia, come get him!” The port on the light ship appeared three feet off the ground and Rocky nodded toward it as his brow began sweating. “GO!!” Jack turned toward the ship, ran, and leapt through the port. Rocky watched the port disappear and he focused all his energy on the predators as he carried the inhabitant behind the Feeder’s dwelling. Suddenly, the giant creatures released a roar that rattled the buildings. He held them back as long as he could while they screamed loud enough to wake the dead. Rocky saw inhabitants running out of their homes toward the river. He held on and finally activated his jump boots as he lost the battle keeping the predators at bay. He shot up over the village and looked at his visor.

  The predators were coming at an incredible speed. “Burn the forest!” He saw the intense needle hit and sweep for more than eight hundred yards behind the charging predators. He landed on the opposite side of the river and put the inhabitant down. He looked across the river and saw hundreds of the locals were in the water swimming his way. He hoped they all survived but it was out of his control now. He hit his jump boots and lifted a thousand feet in the air. He hovered and in a moment saw the ship’s port appear directly in front of him. Just as he entered, he heard the wailing scream of the Feeder. He went through the port and fell to the floor in exhaustion. Jack rushed over and helped him out of his armor, “Are you ok?”

  “Jack, if I had the energy I would beat your ears.”

  “Did you save him?”

  Rocky stared at Jack standing over him and rolled his eyes, “Yes.”

  Jack smiled and took Rocky’s hand. “Good!” He pulled Rocky to his feet and walked him to his quarters. Rocky fell into his bed and groaned. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “Tell Jill to drop a probe and get us out of here. I had no idea how being forced to focus that much would take everything I had. I’ll…”

  Rocky’s eyes closed and Jack shook his head. Rocky was right, he was stupid. He put Rocky’s life in danger by forcing him to do too much. “What’s wrong?”

  Jack looked over his shoulder and saw Jill rushing into the room. “I made a mistake, Sis.”

  “What?”

  “He’s passed out from exhaustion. Get an IV out of the locker and start it going.” Jack looked at Rocky and whispered, “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” Jill heard her brother and saw something in his expression. Whatever happened, Rocky was someone her brother now valued. She had to find out what happened on the surface, but first, the IV.

  • • •

  Rocky opened his eyes and saw a white ceiling. He squinted and, after a moment, remembered the ship’s ceiling was grey. He took a deep breath and tried to lift his head. He managed to get it off the pillow but a wave of dizziness force him to drop it back. “I’m sorry, Admiral. I messed up!” Rocky turned his head and saw Jack standing beside his bed. He groaned as another wave of dizziness washed over him as Jack said, “I endangered your life due to my stupidity.”

  Rocky kept his eyes closed and took deep breaths. After a few minutes he opened his eyes. “That inhabitant was the leader of that community. I didn’t know that until I dropped him off. His community is going to need him to rebuild their homes.”

  “None of them were destroyed.”

  Rocky looked to the other side of the bed and saw Jill and Olivia standing there, “What?”

  “I fired the disruptor so the prevailing southerly wind would blow the fire north. A few buildings on the edge were burned but the rest were unharmed.”

  Rocky closed his eyes and said, “Good shooting.”

  “Admiral, I acted like a complete idiot.”

  Rocky kept his eyes closed, “Yes, you did.” There was long moment of silence and Rocky said, “Did you learn anything?”

  “I did. It won’t happen again.”

  “Yes it will. Next time you’ll carry him across and I’ll get in the ship. He was worth saving.”

  Jack stared at Rocky and Olivia said, “Are you alright?” She waited for an answer and said, “Rocky, are you ok?” Jack stared at Rocky and said, “He’s out again.”

  A nurse came in and looked at the monitor, “He’s going to be fine. The three of you need to leave and let us do our job.” Jack looked at Olivia and Jill and nodded. They left the room and jack shook his head, “I feel so bad about this. I had no idea he was hanging on by a thread.”

  “Willow was monitoring him and said that she has no idea how he managed to keep those predators from attacking. She says they have an extremely powerful mind and he was holding back twenty of them at the end.”

  Jack looked at Jill, “I will not jeopardize the mission again. I acted stupidly.”

  “You gathered the information you needed to make your device operate.”

  “I could have done that without putting him in danger.”

  Jill tilted her head and shrugged. Olivia smiled, “O
ne life is worth the effort and I think you’ll find that Rocky agrees with that sentiment. We need to get back to Fleet Operations and set up the plan to start mass producing your invention.”

  Jill put her hand on Jack’s arm, “I’ll make sure he’s ok. You need to go.” Jack looked back at the hospital room and sighed, “Let’s go do this.” He looked at Olivia, “Are you sure you don’t want to stay?”

  Olivia looked at Jack and shook her head, “I’ve lost him. I think being here would only cause him pain.” She looked at Jill, “Take care of him.” Jill nodded and watched them walk away. She sat down on a bench in the hall and thought about what had happened. Rocky and Jack were not ones to forgive. Both of them were hardened by their life experiences. Jack had been hurt when he was sixteen by a girl that betrayed him. It took a year before he could open his heart. He found Genève when he was eighteen. Now…, Jill shook her head. Humans made mistakes. Neither of them were ever going to find a perfect partner; they just didn’t exist. She thought about Graham and wondered if she had also closed her heart. She thought about that until Rocky regained consciousness.

  Chapter Eight

  “Admiral, I think you’ve fully recovered and I’m signing your release.”

  “Thanks, Doc.”

  “You have visitors. I’ll send them down while you’re getting dressed.” Jill smiled and stepped out of the hospital room. Rocky went to the closet and took out his uniform. He started dressing and thought about getting back into Feeder Territory.

  Jill sat on the bench outside of the room and looked up the long hall. “OH CRAP!” The High Leader was coming down the hall. This was not good. Claudrel arrived at the door and looked at Jill, “I understand that you’ve done an outstanding job. I’m proud of what you’ve become.”

  Jill said in a shaky voice, “Thank you, High Leader.”

  Claudrel nodded toward the door, “Is our boy in there?” Jill nodded and Claudrel knocked.”

  “Come in.”

  Claudrel opened the door and Jill saw Rocky’s expression. She shook her head as Claudrel closed the door. She almost listened in but suspected the High Leader would know. This was not good.