Shopping malls were all but emptied out and became home for thousands from large cities. This kept many off the streets during the day, but at night they raided anything with a light on.
It wasn’t long until the cities were in complete darkness, and with fewer reporting to work at the power companies, power was not restored to any area it went out. When cars crashed and knocked down a power pole, it was not removed.
The new administration did not discourage the conditions, therefore they continued.
It was too late to stop what had started by sheer neglect. Hannah knew this would be the one thing that would bring down that cruel administration!
Ohtron and his bitrons continued to work nonstop to not only secure the three national parks even better than what was first planned, but he and Ellead also moved much-needed equipment into Yellowstone, which was now called the Yellowstone Settlement One.
Meanwhile, Ellead was now prepared to move his first large group of people to Yellowstone Settlement One for their safety.
They had been overcrowded and needed space to spread out and to settle into. They all needed to feel they still had a home to go to. Their morale had started to break down, and they began feeling the stress of being locked up and confined!
Hannah was shocked by how many did not want to leave Earth, but she understood why. Earth was worth fighting for, but they knew that to survive they needed shelter first.
The weeks had turned to months, and Captain Zee continued to work around the clock to assist Hannah and her people. But he also had a job to do, and that was to rescue those that wanted to leave and take them to Earth II.
As the ranch continued to fill with those refugees seeking a new life was almost filled to capacity, the captain knew he would soon need to leave the ranch and head back to Earth II to unload his next group of refugees.
Meanwhile, back on Earth II Syra was in constant contact with the captain on Earth. She had decided it was time, and he needed to return at the first available time to regroup and allow Earth II to save another group of refugees his ship now held.
Back on Earth, Ellead continued to haul refugees from the second camp to the Yellowstone Settlement. This would continue until all six settlements were empty. The only ones that were sent to the Caldiron Ranch were those that were needed in certain areas to help build the two large cities now operating smoothly on Earth II and to reside there.
Captain Zee had the last of what he carried in his ship unloaded at the Caldiron Ranch in storage for future use. Everything left behind was to be distributed at Hannah’s discretion.
Ohtron and his bitrons were still greatly needed on Earth and they had much work to do to make sure the refugees had everything they needed at the Yellowstone Settlement.
Hannah, Charles and their crew stood there in silence as the Ark Royal prepared to launch. Captain Zee had already done so much for them, yet they all knew, he had a home to return to and was also needed there.
No sooner than Hannah raised her hand to wave goodbye, the Ark Royal was gone. The Ark Royal had been to the ranch twice already, and each time their assistance and supplies had already saved thousands of lives.
Once inside the command center of the ranch, Hannah made her usual call to Earth II.
By the end of the conference, Syra reminded Hannah that things were only going to get worse, and she warned her of dire times ahead. She told them to be strong because many were counting on her.
Syra promised Hannah she would send whatever equipment she could spare, food, medical supplies and any items needed in order to continue to fight to save her people. But it would require a lot of work on Hannah’s part.
Syra had assured Hannah, Earth II would do whatever they could to save as many inhabitants as possible, but that mankind had to first recognize that they needed saving and then have the spirit to fight back.
Meanwhile, Ohtron had completely finished the Yellowstone Settlement and Ellead had started transporting the settlers that would live there. This operation would take some time but should be completed in the next few weeks and this made Hannah and her crew feel hope for the first time in a long time.
Hannah started to miss the refugees that were on the ranch, and she had said goodbye to two groups now, and each time she was not sure if she should be overjoyed that they were going to a new home, or that they had given up on Earth. Either way, she cried herself to sleep each time she had to say goodbye.
Over the next few weeks, Ellead brought only a few to the ranch that had passed the scans. Some had to be rejected because they did not fit the requirements to relocate to Earth II. Some were allowed to live inside the Yellowstone Settlement but were closely watched by everyone.
It would be next to impossible for an imposter to get through the security systems Hannah had in place, but there was always someone who would try!
It was now the year before the elections, and no one was willing to run against the current president. This was of great concern to Hannah. She knew that man would win by default, and if he did, the future would be bleak.
Every possible candidate turned it down because of fear for his or her life. They also did not believe they had what it took to stop the chain of events that had already started or clean up the mess once things reached its breaking point.
Once Yellowstone Settlement was well underway, Hannah suggested the residents have their own election and vote for a leader that would have their best interest in mind. And so, for the first time, that settlement began developing their own governing body.
The first winter at the Yellowstone Settlement was difficult for many as they missed home, they missed relatives that chose not to relocate. They knew their family’s destinies were doomed if they did not relocate.
Back at the ranch, even if they had been operating there nearly 4 years now, no one ever got used to any routine before it would change once again.
With all six small settlements now empty, all security removed, the land was once again open to anyone who wished to occupy it or reclaim it.
By now, so many foreign nations were now enemies of America, there would be no more allies. Several wanted to occupy the land as the government began to break down, but the president wanted all of it for himself.
This was not part of the original deal, and that is when China and Russia both began fighting each other over who had the right to claim America.
Both nations had an equal investment in American businesses, and both had spies planted in almost every state. Then the fighting was not just between those two countries, it was with America too.
It was getting very dangerous for the Ark Royal to return anytime soon, and Hannah expected a war to break out at any moment and informed Syra back on Earth II of the situation at hand.
By now, many of the president’s followers had gone astray. They were too busy trying to save their own lives to care whether he won the election or not.
Ohtron had completed Settlement Two which was Yosemite and the Sequoia Settlement Three was now complete as well. This would be all the land that they could save, and it was starting to look like those three settlements were all that would be left of America in the coming years.
Ellead never let up on transporting refugees around the clock but the operation was often slowed down for various reasons. Each settlement of freedom which is what everyone referred them as had equal amounts of refugees but also had all that they needed in order to survive and live out their lives in safety.
Some tried to smuggle in weapons, drugs, alcohol, or just flat out lie about who they were! Many never realized that they could not get away from the scans, and those scans were nearly instant.
If the scans rejected them, they were turned away and never got a chance to even see the shadow of Ellead or Ohtron and his bitrons.
There really wasn’t much that Captain Zee could do on Earth but transport people back to Earth II, and Hannah suggested to Syra that he stay on Earth II and perhaps start readying himself for batt
le should it come to that.
There was no more time to recruit refugees for Earth II; it was time to save what they had or lose it.
Hannah’s fear was that if it became necessary to save those now living in the settlements of freedom, which many had referred to the three settlements as such, that would be the time he would be needed again. But if it came to that, it would mean they had lost the battle to survive.
It was agreed that unless things got really bad, Hannah and her crew would continue to concentrate on the settlements of freedom, making sure that all inside them, were safe and well cared for.
By the time the president won his second election by default, no one seemed to care anymore. He sat in the White House and had virtually no followers.
The streets were a battle zone, and the land became worthless to the man who wanted it all. He now had it all, for what little it was worth. He had brought a once great nation to its knees, foreign governments controlled large sections of the East Coast and were closing in on Washington, D.C.
By the president’s fifth year in office, he had taken America from a once prosperous nation to near bankruptcy. Martial law had been in place far too long, but it was keeping some fighting down to a light roar.
All the occupants of the settlements of freedom closely monitored the world outside with fear for the nation as a whole. But they had a lot of work to do to rebuild some sort of law and order if they were going to survive.
Oftentimes, each settlement tried to elect Hannah, but she insisted she did not want that post anymore. She had simply gone through too much to be a leader in that capacity.
She now preferred the position she had. Hannah no longer wished to be a president or a leader. Saving her people had become priority one to her and to all that served on the ranch.
It was now time to cut off any new recruitment for the settlements of freedom. By this time, any new request was from those that once apposed Syra when she was on Earth. The requests they were getting now also opposed Hannah, and all her efforts to bring down a cruel man who was leading America to destruction. To those, she turned a deaf ear.
They had fought in the streets and destroyed cities one right after the other and then expected to be forgiven as they begged for food, shelter and clean water.
Then the news hit that was like a shock wave across the country! Both the president and vice-president resigned, and the highest office went to the speaker of the House, Rebecca Holmes.
There were still almost three years left in his term and he had already relocated to the island he had old President Trevil and his brother living on. He must have been thinking he would be safe there.
But an uprising had started the day he resigned, and many fought to find the location of that island because all they could think about was killing the men.
The president knew that those thousands of lawsuits would eventually catch up with him, especially now that he had hardly any followers.
He had broken some of the richest men who had backed him from the beginning. The ones that survived were out for blood and so Hannah decided perhaps she had better plans for those four men and their futures!
Ellead was called on for a secret mission; Ohtron and his bitrons were needed more than ever. They were now preparing for a mission and a lot depending on their success.
Hannah, Charles and their crew of 35 put their heads together to come up with a plan. If they could make an example out of those four men for the crimes against humanity that they had committed, it just may discourage others from repeating what they had done.
Four of those men were responsible for the near destruction of democracy and freedom in the U.S and for several hundred thousand lives over time from his deliberate fires and bombings. To think they got a pardon was just beyond Hannah’s understanding.
Hannah knew they would need alien technology to pull this one off, and it would be seen by the world. They knew they would need Syra’s blessings from Earth II and her input.
When Hannah contacted Syra, Syra agreed it was the perfect plan from what she knew of it so far! That was when the planning kicked into high gear.
Then it was late that night when Ellead headed for the island with Ohtron and his bitrons to work under cover of darkness with a full shroud on.
Several service bots were under disguise and traveled with them and were made to look exactly like well-known Russians, from the faces to their voices. It would have been difficult for anyone to tell them apart from the real Russian agents.
Ellead landed quietly and no cameras could see him. The island was heavily secured, and they would have a lot of work to do and fast.
The main house was scanned, and all five men were found staying up late watching pornography on the main screen television. Two presidents, two vice-presidents, and a president’s insane brother! All of them had been gambling and drinking for hours and now settled down to the television.
Their wives and other family members were found in different beach homes fast asleep.
The liquor was flowing, and the men were half lit. Each service maid was removed and tied up, then one of them, scared half out of her wits, was ordered to enter the room and ask one of the men to help her carry the tray of snacks and drinks.
When one did not return, another got up to find out where the other had gone until the last one had left. The last maid had been tied up, and the porn continued playing until morning and it was not until then that they were missed.
The island security could only record the men being led out of the main beach house with Russians. No signs of liftoff from any helicopters or boats could be seen from any security camera.
Ellead quietly landed on the ranch that night and all four men stayed tied up and blindfolded. The bots spoke only Russian in front of the men, and this made it even more realistic.
Their cells were actually just four rooms in the ranch house storage building adjacent to it, but the holocom unit made it appear as Russian interrogations and prison rooms. In all appearances, they were in a secret Russian camp.
The men had no contact with anyone from the outside and also not with each other. Hannah decided to just let them sweat it out for a few days while she and her crew regrouped!
The news media was buzzing over the kidnapping. This turned Russian against Russian on American soil. No one had permission to kidnap the men, and this caused a lot of exposure Russia was trying to avoid.
They had been working in the shadows from the beginning. But with the kidnappings, they knew much of their operations would have to be put on the back burner for some time.
This really pissed off all who were connected to the Kremlin.
Meanwhile, back on Earth II, Syra was watching the entire operation! Syra knew that in order to try to fix the problems America had, they would need the people to sever their ties with Russia first.
Since Hannah was doing so well so far, Syra contacted Hannah and gave her the go-ahead to do whatever was needed. But Syra believed the Ark Royal still had work to be done.
The ship needed some upgrades to become something more than a cruise ship! She needed to be something more than a transport and rescue ship. She would now be set up as mostly a battleship. She was still capable of rescues and that was still an active duty of the ship and Captain Zee loved the new plans.
The work on the Ark Royal began right away, and Syra knew time was running out. She asked all her people of Earth II to do what they could to help save Earth.
To save Earth, they had to first save the United States. It was once the most powerful country in the free world, and it would once again be that, or we have all failed, Syra told her people.
Syra reminded them that without their help, Earth was surely going to perish. That could not be allowed to happen unless all of Earth II had done all that they could do.
Never in all of Syra’s life, had she fought harder for anything than this. But the one thing she was certain of, she would not give up on Earth unless Hannah did!
That was a promise she made to everyone who could hear the sound of her voice.
When Syra spoke, Hannah and her crew listened in back on Earth and this brought Hannah to tears that day.
Syra was not one to get angry, everyone that had ever known her knew she was as graceful and as beautiful as anyone could ever imagine.
If Syra sounded angry, one had to question the situation. Her early days on Earth had taught Syra how complex the social system was.
However, the political system was beyond her. It was nothing like her home planet Zhian. Much of it troubled her greatly, but she had always known there was nothing she should or could do about it.
She had learned how humans could turn against each other very quickly and she barely had time to keep up!
Yet, in her heart, she knew she and Hannah were the ones to save Earth if it could be saved. Together they would save it and leave it with a glimmer of hope for the future. Earth would get a second chance if Earth II had anything to say or do about it.
Once Syra learned that Hannah had some Zhian DNA, she was determined to allow Hannah the full control of the mission she had been given; after all, they were related.
Syra called a private meeting with her husband James Caldiron and ask them how he felt about what was going on, on Earth!
“James, are you okay with what is going on?” Syra asked.
“No, I am not, my lovely wife! I feel bad that Hannah, who is much younger than our twins, has had to fight so hard!” James replied.
James was not one to get too involved. His ancestors migrated from England and when they bought the Caldiron land, James was the sixth generation to live there.
When James asked his parents for more information on his family lines, he was always told to just run the ranch, it’s what the Caldirons had done since they had migrated to America!
His parents were in their 40s when he was born, and that was all James ever really knew. He had never questioned his life or his purpose until now!
The Chronicles of Syra Omnibus Page 31
