Earth Fall_To the Stars

by Raymond L. Weil

  “Do you want to be transferred to the Fury with Major Dolan?” asked Brenda.

  “Maybe. I need to think about it some more.” Lisa wasn’t sure what she should do. Major Dolan would need an experienced command crew. When the Fury and the Vengeance finally returned to Earth, both ships would have a mixed crew of Voltrex and humans. It was the only way to fully crew both vessels.

  Brenda took a sip of her coffee. “The battleship will be very powerful with all the Jelnoid technology we’re putting on board. Derek is even thinking about moving Chloe to the new ship. If Major Dolan agrees, Derek wants Chloe to have more access to the ship’s systems. He’s convinced, in a battle, Chloe could make a huge difference.”

  Lisa frowned. “I don’t know about that. Chloe, for all intents and purposes, is still very young. In some ways she remains childlike.” Lisa knew this from some of the questions Chloe asked.

  “She’s learning,” agreed Brenda. “The other day she asked me questions about why more of the crew were not paired up to create new crewmembers. I had Derek point out some files on human reproduction in the computer which she did not have access to. I was actually surprised at how much information in our main computer Derek has kept from Chloe. When I asked him about it, he said he didn’t want her AI matrix to become overloaded with data she would have even more questions about.”

  Lisa grinned. “He’s treating her like a child. I’ll speak to him and see what his actual plans are for her continued development.” Then Lisa’s face took on a more somber look. “However, I still want a kill switch on my console. That’s all we would need is a runaway AI taking control of the ship.”

  Brenda put down her coffee and took a bite of her chicken sandwich. “A Voltrex battleship is 2,200 meters in length. That’s over seven times the size of the Vengeance. The Fury will have three of our new fusion reactors on board. The reactors are each twice the size of the ones on board the Vengeance. I’m still trying to fathom the firepower the Fury will have.”

  “A lot,” said Lisa. “More than our entire fleet back home does combined. Keep in mind, the new reactors will make our energy beams stronger, the energy shield more powerful, and increase the speed of our Fold Space Drive.” Lisa was excited thinking about what the Fury would be capable of. She also had to admit that she would feel much safer on the battleship.

  Brenda’s eyes narrowed. “I wonder what’s going on back home. Do you think the Trellixians have attacked again?”

  Lisa looked across the table at Brenda. Lisa was deeply concerned about what the Trellixians might be up to. “It’s possible. We have our fleet, the defensive grid, and a few surprises General Mitchell is keeping in reserve. With a little luck, when we get back, Earth will be just like it was when we left.”

  “I hope so,” Brenda replied. Then a sly grin crossed her face. “What do you think about Brett?”

  “What do you mean?” stammered Lisa, her face flushing slightly.

  “He’s been paying a lot of attention to you recently.”

  “We’re just good friends,” replied Lisa.

  Brenda leaned forward, making sure no one could overhear her. “I think he would like to be more than just good friends.”

  Lisa was not sure what to say. She liked Brett, but she wasn’t sure if she liked him in that way. She still wasn’t fully over losing Streth, but that was now a long time ago. Perhaps it was time to move on.

  “Come on, Lisa. You could do a lot worse.”

  “I’ll keep in mind what you said,” Lisa responded carefully. “I’m just not sure if I’m ready for another relationship. Maybe when we get back home, I’ll consider it.”

  Brenda leaned back and took another sip of her coffee. “Don’t wait too long. There are not a lot of guys around like Brett.”

  Lisa knew Brenda was right. Something she needed to think about in particular once they returned to Earth. Everyone had lives that needed to be rebuilt. She wasn’t the only one who had lost people important to her; nearly everyone had.

  -

  Fleet Admiral Edwards was getting more and more frustrated with defending the solar system. The Trellixians continued to snipe at the defensive grid. Nearly the entire outer ring of satellites, both the real ones and the decoys, were now gone. Edwards had pulled his fleet back to the second defensive ring and the six battlestations to better protect what was left.

  “I just received a report from Earth,” said Captain Nelson. “President Hathaway is considering launching the two colony ships.”

  Admiral Edwards frowned at hearing this. “Are they ready?”

  “Yes,” Nelson replied. “The final system checks were done yesterday. The crews and the colonists are already boarding.”

  Edwards shifted his gaze to the large number of red threat icons out beyond the orbit of Mars. Nearly four hundred Trellixian battlecruisers were there. “Can we delay the launch?”

  Nelson shook his head. “No, the president is determined to launch.”

  Edwards straightened his shoulders and shifted his gaze to one of the viewscreens of the Moon. The moon base was still there and functioning. The Trellixians were aware of it, though they had done nothing about it. “The colony ships can’t activate their Fold Space Drives until they’re well past the inner defensive ring,” said Edwards. “The Trellixians will detect the ships when they clear the planet’s atmosphere, as well as their escorts. I don’t think we have any choice but to provide additional escorts with our fleet until the ships can activate their drives and get past the Trellixians.”

  “Damn!” said Nelson, frowning. “We don’t need to fight a space battle with our battlecruisers at this point in time.”

  “I know. I’ll contact General Mitchell and see what he suggests.”

  Edwards greatly feared the president was making a colossal mistake by launching the two colony ships now. As long as the inner defensive ring and the battlestations were intact, the launch could wait. At least Edwards felt it could. The Constellation and the Vengeance would be back in another couple months. Edwards was convinced the president should at least wait until the return of the exploration mission before launching the two colony ships.

  -

  President Hathaway was in her office with General Mitchell, Professor Wilkens, Secretary of State Maggie Rayne, and Major Lorre.

  “The colony ships are ready to launch,” said Major Lorre. “The crews are on board and the last of the colonists will board sometime tonight. We can launch the two ships tomorrow, along with their escorts.”

  “It’s a mistake,” said Professor Wilkens, his growing aggravation with Major Lorre evident in his expression. “The Constellation and the Vengeance will be back in another two months or so. We must wait for their return.”

  Major Lorre shifted her focus to the professor. “Our outer defensive ring has been destroyed by the Trellixians. Each day our control of the orbital space above Earth grows less and less. We must launch immediately, or we might never be able to launch.”

  “If the Constellation and the Vengeance return with allies, there may not be a need to launch,” countered Professor Wilkens.

  “What if they’ve been destroyed?” Major Lorre asked the professor. “There’s no way for us to know what’s happened to the two ships. We can’t delay this launch.”

  President Hathaway looked at General Mitchell. “If we don’t launch tomorrow, how much longer can we hope to maintain control of the space around Earth?”

  General Mitchell hesitated. He was having a hard time deciding what to do in this situation. Part of him said, Launch now and don’t take any chances, but another part of him was saying, It would be a mistake. “We still have the inner defensive ring, all the battlestations, and the fleet. I think we can maintain control for another few months. We also have our moon base as well as a few other assets we haven’t committed yet.”

  “The Trellixians have nearly four hundred of their big battlecruisers sitting out past the orbit of Mars,” said Major Lorre, her gaze on
the general. “What would happen if they jumped all those ships into Earth orbit? Could you still maintain control?”

  General Mitchell slowly shook his head. “Not if they were determined to take control and if they weren’t concerned about ship losses.”

  “So you’re saying we could lose control of the orbital space around Earth at any time?” asked President Hathaway, her eyes narrowing.

  “It’s doubtful,” replied Mitchell. “The Trellixians don’t seem to want to risk massive ship losses right now. We believe they’ll continue to try to weaken our orbital defenses before they attack.”

  “But you can’t guarantee that,” said Major Lorre. “They could jump in tomorrow if they wanted. If the Trellixians had their battlecruisers parked in Earth orbit, could we still safely launch the colony ships?” Major Lorre looked at the general, waiting for an answer.

  “No, it would be too dangerous.”

  President Hathaway leaned forward in her chair, placing her hands on her desk. “I don’t think we have a choice. We’ll launch the colony ships tomorrow.”

  “No!” objected Professor Wilkens heatedly. “I’m telling you that it will be a huge mistake.” He looked at General Mitchell, seeking support.

  “It’s the president’s decision,” replied General Mitchell.

  “We launch,” said President Hathaway in a determined voice. “General Mitchell, see to all the arrangements. It’s essential those two ships and their escorts get away safely.”

  Mitchell nodded. “We’ll do everything we can to protect the colony ships.”

  -

  The meeting ended with everyone except Maggie Rayne leaving.

  “Did I make the right decision?” Katelyn asked Maggie.

  “Not according to Professor Wilkens,” Maggie replied. “But the professor is pretty attached to the crews on the Constellation and the Vengeance, particularly the science teams.”

  Katelyn stood and walked over to the window. It was the day cycle, and the underground city was brightly lit. The streets were busy with everyone going about their daily routines. “I’m not sure General Mitchell fully agrees with my decision.”

  “In the end, it’s still your decision. Don’t be doubting yourself.”

  Katelyn turned to face Maggie. “The decision’s made. We’ll see tomorrow if it’s the right one.” Katelyn hoped it was. Those two colony ships might very well represent the future of the human race. They just had to get away safely. To delay their launch might ensure they never would.

  -

  The next day Fleet Admiral Edwards was in his command chair, waiting tensely for the launch of the two colony ships. They would be escorted by four battlecruisers. No one knew where their eventual destination would be as it would be up to the ship captains to locate a distant world to colonize. Once they left Earth, the likelihood of ever hearing from them again was nearly zero.

  “Five minutes to launch,” reported Captain Nelson. “The fleet is at Condition One, and the defense grid is online. The battlestations are at Condition One as well.”

  “Let’s hope everything goes as planned,” said Edwards. “I want to know if a single Trellixian battlecruiser moves.” It was early morning, and very shortly the Trellixians would start their daily bombardment of the defense grid. The launch of the two colony ships and the four protective battlecruisers was scheduled to take place before the Trellixians began their daily attack.

  -

  President Hathaway was in her office, listening to the reports from General Mitchell’s Command Center describing the launch of the two colony ships. Four battlecruisers from the spaceport in the United States would take off at the same time to serve as escorts.

  “An hour from now the six ships will be in Fold Space and safely on their way,” said Major Lorre with a satisfied smile. “We are ensuring the future of the human race.”

  “Let’s hope so,” replied Katelyn, unsure of herself. This entire process made her feel very nervous. She hoped she hadn’t made a colossal mistake.

  -

  In the command base everyone watched the viewscreens. “Colony ships are proceeding down the launch tunnel,” reported Major Thomas. “The four battlecruisers will take off and join them in formation as soon as they exit.”

  “Keep an eye on the Trellixians,” ordered General Mitchell as his gaze shifted to a nearby tactical display revealing all the red threat icons out beyond the orbit of Mars. “As soon as those ships exit the atmosphere, they will know this is not a normal launch.” He greatly feared the Trellixian reaction to the launch of the ships.

  General Briggs looked at General Mitchell. “You think there will be a response?”

  “Yes,” Mitchell responded. On one of the viewscreens, the first colony ship exited the tunnel and began its climb upward.

  -

  Trellixian Battle Commander Traven was in the Command Center of his flagship when an alarm sounded on the sensor console.

  “The Humans have launched two more of their cargo ships, but these are under escort by four of their battlecruisers,” reported Koldar from the Sensors.

  “Put them on the viewscreen,” ordered Traven, growing suspicious.

  On the screen, two five-hundred-meter-long spacecraft appeared surrounded by four of the Humans’ small battlecruisers.

  “Those are not the same ones we normally see,” said Second Officer Baalon. “Those two have been missing for several months.” Baalon could tell from the marking on the vessels.

  Traven had a feeling he could not allow these ships to achieve orbit. Something didn’t seem right. “Is there any chance these ships could be colony ships, and the Humans are trying to escape?”

  “Doubtful,” replied Baalon. “They must be carrying something important into orbit to be protected by the Humans’ battlecruisers.”

  Traven made a quick decision. “Prepare the fleet for combat. As soon as those six ships exit the planet’s atmosphere, we will jump in and destroy them.”

  Second Officer Baalon frowned. “We will lose some of our battlecruisers if we do that.”

  “We already had two Human ships roaming the galaxy. I won’t take a chance on allowing any more. We will jump in, destroy all six of those ships, and inflict as much damage as possible on the Human defenses. I also want to target the spaceports they’ve been building on the planet. Once that’s been done, we’ll jump back out and review the battle. It should tell us how degraded the Humans’ defenses are. I would like to call for the invasion fleet as soon as possible.” Traven had a large invasion fleet ready to be summoned when he felt the time was right. He also knew the High Command was growing impatient. Perhaps this attack would speed things up to their satisfaction.

  -

  Fleet Admiral Edwards’s eyes widened in shock as every red icon representing the Trellixian ships out past Mars suddenly vanished.

  “Trellixian fleet is jumping,” warned Lieutenant Williams. “All of them.”

  The fleet was already at Condition One for the launch of the colony ships. “Move the fleet closer to the colony ships,” ordered Edwards worriedly. “Do we have a course on the Trellixian fleet?”

  “Earth orbit,” replied Lieutenant Williams. “If I had to hazard a guess, they’ll jump right on top of the colony ships as they clear the atmosphere.”

  “Damn!” uttered Captain Nelson in alarm. “They’ll be wiped out. I was afraid something like this would happen.”

  “Prepare the defense grid to fire,” ordered Edwards, trying to stay calm. “Use of the missile platforms is authorized.” He intended to do everything in his power to protect those six ships.

  Admiral Edwards’s gaze shifted to the large viewscreen in front of him, revealing the two colony ships and their four battlecruiser escorts exiting Earth’s atmosphere. “Make sure they know what’s heading for them.”

  “They’ve been told,” replied Captain Nelson. “Their energy shields are going up even as we speak.”

  “Contacts exiting hyperspace,” ca
lled out Lieutenant Williams.

  On the tactical display, red threat icons appeared around the colony fleet. Some were nearly in Earth’s atmosphere.

  “They’re in range of some of our ground based energy cannons,” reported Captain Nelson. “They’re firing. Missile platforms are locking on as well as the energy beam satellites.”

  Suddenly the viewscreens were filled with light as fusion explosions went off. Nearly all were launched by the Trellixians as they hit the colony fleet. At the same time energy beams from Earth and the defensive grid struck the Trellixian ships. In several massive explosions Trellixian battlecruisers were blown apart, hurling debris in every direction, some of it impacting the shields of nearby vessels.

  “Missile platforms are launching,” reported Captain Nelson. “Do we keep any missiles back in reserve?”

  “No,” answered Fleet Admiral Edwards, leaning forward in his command chair. “We need to hurt the Trellixians as badly as possible.” The Trellixians had to be forced to withdraw. Four hundred battlecruisers could do severe damage to the Earth fleet, the defensive grid, and the battlestations.

  “Our fleet is coming within weapons range,” reported Lieutenant Williams.

  “All ships to fire as they lock on targets,” ordered Edwards. He felt a chill looking at the tactical display. It was full of red icons, vastly outnumbering the green ones representing his battlecruisers.

  “Energy shield is at full strength, and all weapons are online,” reported Lieutenant Jefferson.

  “Engagement range,” called out Lieutenant Williams.

  Fleet Admiral Edwards squared up his shoulders. “Fire!”

  -

  President Hathaway stood and looked at Major Lorre as the reports of the Trellixian attack on the colony ships came in. “What’s happening?”

  “It’s the Trellixians. They’ve jumped right in on top of our ships.” The satisfied look had vanished from Major Lorre’s face to be replaced by one of worry.

  Katelyn felt a weakness in her knees and sat back down, the color draining from her face. “Can they get away?”