Earth Fall_To the Stars

by Raymond L. Weil

  Lisa quickly touched several icons, and the large viewscreen in front of her immediately revealed the other ships in the construction cavern. Including the Vengeance, ten battlecruisers lay in their berths in the massive cavern. On the screen, workers were loading supplies on the ships through a number of open hatches.

  The navigation and helm station was to her left, and Lieutenant Brett Masterson sat there. On her right side at the main engineering console was Lieutenant Brenda Olsen.

  Lieutenant Kia Drake sat at the ship’s sensor console, and Lieutenant Derek Keys was at the main computer console. All five of the former special captains were still responsible for scientific research involving Jelnoid technology. Several labs had been installed on the ship just for their use.

  “We launch in a few more days,” Captain Erickson said. “All our ships are ready, and the crews have been trained as well as possible without actually launching the ships.” The crews had spent hundreds of hours going through battle simulations.

  “Major Dolan should be back in two more days,” Lieutenant Commander Barrington commented. He stood on Captain Erickson’s right side where he was watching the crew go through its normal routine. “He wanted to lead his Rangers in this last mission to clear out the Trellixians still in Colorado.”

  “I can’t blame him,” Erickson replied. “He’s a good officer and will make a great tactical officer once we go into combat.”

  Lieutenant Commander Barrington nodded. “I met his sister, Jennifer, the other day. She’s a nurse at the primary medical center in the civilian complex. She’s very talented.”

  “I’ve heard the same comments too. Have all our supplies been loaded?”

  “Yes,” replied Barrington. “The last of our food supplies came on board two hours ago and everything should be stowed away shortly.”

  Captain Erickson looked at his second in command. “I want everyone off the ship tonight. We don’t know how long we’ll be gone on our mission. The crew can have thirty-six hours of leave time before they report back. If they have any business to take care of, it needs to be done in that time.”

  “I’ll pass on the message,” Barrington responded. Then he grinned. “I think I’ll go eat a good steak at one of the better restaurants in the civilian section.”

  Captain Erickson laughed. “Enjoy yourself. I’m going to catch up on a little reading and then have a meeting with General Mitchell tomorrow afternoon.”

  -

  Lisa gazed at the viewscreen revealing the other ships in the squadron. All were ready to take the war to the Trellixians. She was nervous about that. Fighting on the ground was one thing; fighting in space would be something completely different. From what she understood, the Vengeance would participate in driving the Trellixians from the solar system, and then it would set out on its mission of exploration. The ship had food supplies to last over six months, so a long mission was expected.

  “Lisa,” said Lieutenant Derek Keys.

  Lisa wore a small earpiece, which allowed any of the command crew to speak to one another.

  “After our shift I want all of us to get together and discuss the quantum computer project. I may have a few ideas on how to make it work.”

  Derek was fascinated by the quantum computer the Jelnoids had used and was determined to construct a working model for the Vengeance. The computer used quantum entanglement, which made it thousands of times faster than a regular computer. Unfortunately it also made it highly inaccurate; at least the versions created in the labs by scientists on Earth had been like that. Somehow the Jelnoids had found a method to get around the inaccuracies.

  “We can meet and do that,” Lisa replied.

  Several small labs were in the ship that the five of them had access to. Derek was determined to get the quantum computer to work, especially since the Jelnoids had solved that particular problem. Unfortunately the quantum computer on the Jelnoid scout ship had been destroyed in the crash at Roswell.

  “Don’t spend too long in the computer lab,” cautioned Captain Erickson. “I want the five of you to get some rest before returning to the ship.”

  “We will,” promised Lisa.

  For the last eighteen months, all of them had been working on learning as much as they could about Jelnoid technology from the database of the crashed Jelnoid ship and its on-board technology, which had been reverse engineered. It was astonishing how advanced the Jelnoids had been in many areas of research and highly disturbing how the Trellixians had defeated the advanced Jelnoid race, but the Jelnoid fleet had been heavily outnumbered and, in the end, overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Lisa hoped that didn’t happen to them as well.

  -

  Mark made it back to his base beneath the small mountain and quickly filed his report for Colonel Branson.

  “It’s sent,” confirmed Lieutenant Bennington. “I understand you’re leaving us.”

  Mark nodded. No one outside the complexes knew about the spaceships. “Yes, I’ve been reassigned.”

  “I’m not surprised. The action around here is pretty much over. I’ll be leaving shortly as well.”

  “Take care of yourself, Lieutenant,” Mark replied.

  Going to his quarters, Mark sat down behind his desk, thinking about the last few months. Much of his time had been spent inside Complex One and the battlecruiser Vengeance. Taking a deep breath, he packed a few of the items he still had in his quarters, including several pictures of his parents and sister. One of the pictures was a family portrait of the four of them.

  It greatly saddened Mark that his parents had died in the Trellixian attack. He had found their bodies at his aunt’s farm where his mother and father had gone to seek refuge. Fortunately his sister had survived and had been brought to Complex One, where she was working as a nurse.

  The two siblings had traveled to their family home in Houston, finding it still standing. After securing a few mementos, they locked up the house, leaving a note informing anyone who might pass by that it was not abandoned.

  When he finished packing, he took one last look at his quarters and then headed toward the front entrance. Now that the Trellixians had been driven from the planet and most of the enemy troops on the ground had been eliminated, this base would be deactivated as an operating facility. A caretaker crew of twenty or so would remain to keep the base ready in case it was ever needed again.

  Exiting the large hatch beneath the cliff overhang, Mark hitched a ride on an ATV to take him to where a helicopter would pick him up. A small clearing a short distance away served as a landing site. The helicopter would fly him to a hidden underground monorail station that would take him back to Complex One. He gazed at the snowcapped mountains and the pristine forest. He had a suspicion it would be quite some time before he ever saw them again.

  -

  Professor John Wilkens closed his notebook where he wrote down areas of research he wanted to conduct. Ever since his arrival at Complex One, he had driven himself nonstop to discover additional secrets behind the Jelnoid technology. They had most of the Jelnoid technical database and hours of video from the Jelnoid engineer who had survived the crash, which had helped immensely. The biggest problem was understanding what they had. The science and technology was far in advance of nearly anything on Earth. In the early years after the crash, very little progress had been made.

  “The ships are ready,” said Professor Pierre Fournier. “The fusion power plants are working as predicted, and we have all the power we need.”

  Professor Wilkens nodded. The discovery of the heat-resistant alloys the Trellixians used in their energy rifles had been the turning point. For the first time the humans were ready to launch spacecraft to attempt to drive the Trellixians away from the Moon and possibly out of the solar system. “How many Trellixian battlecruisers are still in lunar orbit?” Since Earth’s militaries had installed Jelnoid primary energy cannons across the planet, the Trellixians had pulled back to the Moon, where they kept Earth under observation.

&nb
sp; “Fourteen,” replied Major Charles Cunningham, standing next to Professor Kamen Weir. Cunningham had come to the main research facility to see if the professor and his team had any new developments to report.

  Weir turned to Major Cunningham. “We’ve done everything we can to get these ships ready to fight the Trellixians.”

  “I just wish they were larger,” said Professor Wilkens. “Our battlecruisers are only three hundred meters in length. The Trellixian ships are two thousand meters.”

  “The Jelnoid weapons will make the difference,” Professor Fournier replied confidently. “Our energy beams will cut right through a Trellixian energy shield.”

  “The same goes for our energy shields,” added Professor Andre Leon. “The Jelnoid shields are much tougher to penetrate than the ones the Trellixians use.”

  “We’re hoping the Jelnoid technology and our surprise attack will make the difference,” Major Cunningham said. “General Mitchell is certain the Trellixians won’t be expecting an attack against their battlecruisers.”

  Wilkens nodded his head. “It’s essential, once the Trellixians are pushed away from the Moon, that we get our orbital defensive grid up and in place. We’ll need it while we rebuild our civilization.”

  Most of the surviving civilians had been moved into cities protected by Jelnoid energy shields. A lot of work had been done in the last year and a half, getting industries restarted. Once the Trellixians were forced out of the solar system, plans were in place to build four large space complexes: one each in the US, Europe, Russia, and China. Each complex would have the capability to build more of the small battlecruisers. That would free up the large underground complexes to work on other projects.

  “It will be done,” Major Cunningham said. “Thanks to all of you, the energy beam satellites and missile platforms are ready to go, and we will begin launching them, as soon as the Trellixians are gone. We also have the six small battlestations you designed. It will take longer to get them into orbit as they need to be assembled, but we’re putting some pretty powerful defenses around Earth.”

  “Much of what we designed was based on Jelnoid specs and what they had defending their worlds,” replied Wilkens. “Only we’re building them on a smaller scale, particularly the battlestations.”

  “How do you think the Trellixians will react?” asked Amber Stone, one of the system’s analysts. She had a worried look in her eyes.

  Major Cunningham was silent for several seconds before replying. “We don’t know. We think they’ve been observing us, hoping the short nuclear winter would take out enough of the surviving population so Earth would cease being a threat. But, thanks to the energy shields we put around the small cities and towns, that didn’t happen. They want our world for living space. Even if we destroy the fleet orbiting the Moon, at some point they’ll come back and attempt to conquer our planet once more.”

  “We need allies,” said Professor Wilkens. He looked at Major Cunningham. “The Vengeance and the Constellation will be sent out on an exploration mission, seeking allies to aid us against the Trellixians, as soon as it’s safe to do so.”

  “Several more ships will be going eventually,” Major Cunningham replied, a haunted look crossing his face. “We can’t defeat the Trellixians in the long run, even with Jelnoid technology. Their Empire is just too vast.”

  Professor Wilkens looked back at his notebook. He always carried it around so he could jot down ideas and keep records of various conversations which might be useful in the future. Lisa’s name was in it on a number of pages. Wilkens still deeply regretted not being able to save Lisa’s parents and her fiancé, Streth. At least she seemed to be adjusting to her new friends and being on board the Vengeance. Wilkens had also pulled some strings to ensure her ship had the best crew possible. Lisa was one of the brightest students he’d ever had. If they were to win this war, people, like Lisa, would be the ones to find a way.

  Chapter Three

  Trellixian Battle Commander Alnod gazed at one of the viewscreens showing Earth. For the last eight months his fleet had been orbiting the planet’s moon, scanning the planet. What a boring mission, one that did nothing to advance Alnod’s career. Every day the other ship commanders complained about the unending tedium and lack of action.

  “What are the latest reports?”

  Alnod’s fourteen battlecruisers were at a very relaxed alert status. They were out of range of Earth’s weapons, and, in all likelihood, the planet was well on its way to becoming void of sapient life. Alnod had long since ordered his ships to only monitor anything flying in the planet’s upper atmosphere or going into orbit. Either would indicate a recovery of the planet’s civilization. No such indications had happened over the last eight months, and Alnod was seriously considering suggesting to the High Command that they cease monitoring the planet altogether. In a few more years the planet should be ready for colonization with no additional military action required.

  “No change,” reported Second Officer Chillan in a bored voice. “Sensor readings are the same today as they were yesterday and the day before. No new satellites are in orbit, and no upper atmospheric flights detected.”

  “And the Humans in their cities?” Alnod knew some Human cities still survived and were protected by energy shields. He strongly suspected, once the power supplies for the energy shields were exhausted, even those last bastions of humanity would fade rapidly away. Food supplies had to be dwindling, and all their major industries had been smashed in the destruction of most of the planet’s primary cities.

  “The same. Cities are still protected by their energy shields with little movement detected between them.”

  This satisfied Alnod. He was convinced the lack of detectable movement was an indication the Humans were dying out. The cities had nothing they could offer to one another in the way of medical supplies or food.

  “Our crews grow bored, sitting here in orbit of this desolate moon. We should be adding to the Empire’s holdings rather than watching a dying world. The number of fights between crewmembers increases daily. Many have been disciplined and even reduced in rank. At the heart of our Empire, our population continues to grow. We should be finding new worlds for our people.”

  “And we shall,” replied Alnod. “I will send a report to the High Command that only a few battlecruisers are needed to observe the Human world. Our own fleet would be better utilized conquering new systems for our people to colonize.” The fights between crewmembers indicated decreasing morale and a lack of proper discipline. He would order his commanding officers to deliver stricter punishment for those who continued to violate ship rules.

  “Battle Commander Balforr should have done a better job subjugating this planet,” Chillan replied. “Even though he claimed Jelnoid technology was present, he should have been victorious against the forces the Humans had. His loss of warships and Trellixian soldiers is unprecedented.”

  Alnod did not reply. He had studied Battle Commander Balforr’s quite impressive record. If Balforr claimed Jelnoid weapons were present, Alnod believed him. It was one of the reasons Alnod had allowed no Trellixian shuttles or battlecruisers to travel nearer than twenty thousand kilometers of the planet. It was also one of the reasons the High Command had been patient about the eventual colonization of this world.

  “Continue routine observations,” ordered Battle Commander Alnod. “I will be resting in my quarters. Do not disturb me.” Standing, Alnod left the Command Center.

  -

  Second Officer Chillan watched the battle commander leave. He suspected where Alnod was really headed. A drug had recently grown very popular in the fleet. It put the mind into an induced state of euphoria for hours on end, and, when one awoke, there were few to no side effects, other than feeling completely rested and extremely thirsty. As boring as this assignment was, the drug was becoming widely used throughout the fleet.

  -

  Lieutenant Reynolds and her friends were at a restaurant in the civilian section of Comple
x One, enjoying a good meal and some music. It would be their last chance to go out and have some fun before they reported back to the Vengeance.

  Lisa was eating a pork chop and listening to the soft music playing in the background. With a contented sigh, she buttered a roll and took a bite. While the ship food was decent, it wouldn’t be the same as this. She took a moment to savor the warm taste of the roll and butter. It was almost heavenly.

  “This steak is perfect!” proclaimed Derek as he took a bite of his medium rare steak.

  “How can you eat that?” asked Brenda, frowning at the red juice on Derek’s plate. “If that steak was any rarer, it would be moving!”

  Derek laughed as he cut off another slice and stuffed in into his mouth, followed by a huge helping of his loaded baked potato. “It’s all about retaining flavor. If you cook a steak too long, it loses its taste.”

  “Medium,” said Brett, grinning. “I can’t handle medium rare. That steak of yours is barely warm in the middle.”

  “I knew a guy who wanted his steak cooked only five seconds on each side,” Derek replied. “Now that was a rare steak.”

  Kia shook her head. “I want my food well done. I’m not risking catching some disease from food that’s undercooked.”

  Brett looked at Lisa. “Does Professor Wilkens have any words of wisdom for us before we embark on our epic journey?”

  “I think he’s excited for us,” Lisa replied. “He did make sure all of us are on the same ship, and we’re one of only two vessels actually going out exploring. The rest will be staying here to defend Earth, at least for the immediate future.”

  “The first trip out of the solar system,” Brenda said, her eyes lighting up. “Can you imagine what it’ll be like?” Brenda was enjoying a large bowl of potato soup.

  “Exploration,” said Brett with a dreamy look in his eyes. “I always hoped to someday go to the stars. I can’t believe we’re actually doing it.”