Battle in the Stars (Marston Chronicles Book 4)

by D Patrick Wagner

  After looking at another screen, Juro responded, “Four hours, Sousui.”

  “We are going to need to move quickly. We will, this one time, break security protocol. Get me the five lower scout teams on a group com.”

  “Hai.”

  After a few moments, all five leaders checked in.

  “All teams, form up with Shoui Nakano.”

  “Hai, Sousui,” Taketa heard from all five leaders.

  “Shoui Nakano, you are to lead an assault on this caravan. Use the warbots. One for a frontal attack, two to a side.”

  “Hai, Sousui.”

  “Use the warbots to first destroy the vehicles. Then personnel. Nightshades will attack personnel.”

  “Prisoners?’

  “None. Everyone, everything in chameleon.”

  “Hai, Sousui.”

  “Attack as soon as all five teams have formed up.”

  “Hai.”

  “Set a live signal so that we may observe and record.”

  “Hai, Sousui.”

  * * * * *

  Using the electric carts and with the warbots sprinting, the four Nightshade teams found Shoui Nakano and Kaihei Ono. Within three hours of Sousui Oishi’s orders, the trap was set. The alien convoy unknowingly drove towards the mountains and between the invisible killers.

  The point warbot fired first. At the mumbled instructions from Shoui Nakano, it fired its rocket launcher twice and exploded the lead vehicle, causing the ruin to blast into the air and burst into flames, covering the area with vehicle scraps and alien carcasses, while causing a shower of scalding fluids.

  Nakano and Ono opened fire. The squad marching with the vehicle succumbed to the withering onslaught. This signaled the other four teams and their warbots.

  The leaders mumbled commands. The warbots fired. Vehicles exploded in spectacular fashion. The entire convey lay in burning, twisted ruin within the first fifteen seconds. All warbots and Nightshades opened up on the alien survivors as the four-legged creatures scurried, trying to locate their attackers.

  A random, un-aimed beam struck a warbot, burning its chameleon suit, destroying its ability to remain invisible. All of the still-living aliens momentarily froze, staring at the five-meter, metal monster destroying everything it aimed at. The bugs resumed fire, this time focusing on the now-visible warbot.

  Another stray beam struck an invisible Nightshade, burning through and killing her immediately.

  The visible warbot took fire. All warbots and Nightshades fired back. All of the aliens died.

  The Nightshades and warbots, with weapons raised, carefully approached the now-destroyed convoy. They found nothing living or active.

  “Sit-rep, Shoui,” Oishi demanded.

  “Mission accomplished, Sousui.”

  “Casualties? Warbots?”

  After seeing one of the Nightshades check the fallen warrior and shaking his head, Nakano replied, “One Nightshade down, Sousui.”

  “Who?”

  “Kaihei Fujita.”

  “Too high a cost. Bring her back.”

  “Hai. Ono, get a cart. We are taking her back home,” Taketa heard.

  “Hai, Shoui.”

  “Warbots?”

  “One damaged, Sousui. How much, I don’t know. But mobile.”

  “Send it back. I will release a replacement.”

  “Hai.”

  “And have all teams return to their observation posts.”

  “Hai.”

  Aboard Frigg

  The loneliness of command sat heavily on Fleet-Admiral Weiskoff as he stared at the viewing screen displaying the remainder of Cencore’s humanity. For years, decades, he had steered his people in the direction of strength and power. Now he steered his people in the direction of flight and fear. Sitting at his desk in the ready room of his flagship, the now-leader of Mankind knew he needed to pull himself out of his moroseness. Pressing his com button, he reached out.

  “Mr. Lembeck, please contact Money Gulper.”

  “Aye, aye, Sir,” he heard.

  “Money Gulper here.”

  “Weiskoff.”

  “Welcome, Fleet-Admiral. What can I do for you?”

  “That is such a dumb name for a ship, Captain Bauman.”

  ‘Yes, I agree, Sir. But what can you do? Civvies are civvies, after all.”

  “Yes. Well, what you can do is keep Money close.”

  “I am, sir. Sitting just off the stern port of Frigg, Sir”

  “Keep her there, Captain. I don’t want anything to happen to her.”

  “Copy that, Admiral.”

  “Could you get Laura on the horn?”

  “One moment, Sir.”

  The Fleet-Admiral didn’t wait long.

  “Hi, Theo. Anything wrong?”

  “Just everything turning to, well, you know.”

  “Yes, I know. How are you doing?”

  “Holding it together.”

  “You’re good at that. You’ll get us through.”

  “How are Jenny and the kids?”

  “You know Jenny. A rock. The grandkids? Acting like they’re on vacation.”

  “I hope we can keep it that way.”

  “You’ll make sure of that, Theo.”

  “Well, we’re almost to the gate. Another thirty-five days and we will be in Atlantius.”

  “I know that you are hurting, Theo. But there is nothing you can do. We have to save as many people as we can.”

  “I know. It’s just so damn frustrating!”

  “But we all must do what we can do.”

  “You’re right, Laura. Thanks for the talk.”

  “That’s what I do, Theo. Now, put on your big boy pants and get this scraggly fleet to Atlantius.

  “Yes, Ma’am. Right away, Ma’am,” Fleet-Admiral Weiskoff joked.

  His wife sighed, knowing the burden he carried.

  Aboard Griffin

  Everyone found the videos, logs and evaluations heart-tugging and nauseating. The videos they saw showed humans being held in domes, starved, sickened and hopeless. They saw humans whipped and tortured to get every erg of energy out of their dying bodies to mine metals and minerals for the bug-like aliens.

  Dinners sat untouched. Eyes watered. Mouths quivered.

  “For the first time, I wish I didn’t possess awareness, Krag.”

  “I know, Buster. Many times I wish I didn’t either.”

  “This is horrible. Why would these aliens do this? Don’t they have compassion? Any sense of rightness?”

  “Apparently not, Your Highness. Apparently they think of us as nothing but a resource. Something to consume. Something to use.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “At the moment, stay with the plan. We can’t stop this with what we’ve got. We can’t make a difference.”

  “Ya, Cap. But maybe Iggy has some ideas. Iggy, did you watch the video? See the Intel?”

  “Yes, Mack. As Princess Analyn said, this is horrible.”

  “So, my question is, ‘Do you have any technology that would help with this, invasion?

  “Well, my creators did have defenses against invaders. But I don’t have access to any of it. My creators worried that I would be too powerful if I had access to weapons of war. And then they just left me. Put me to sleep and left me.”

  Everyone heard the electronic sadness in Igaklay’s synthetic voice.

  “That is so sad, Igaklay. Why did your creators put you to sleep and leave?”

  “I don’t know, Ambassador Suzume. I did everything I could to take care of my people. I helped them in every way I could. Protected them. But they left. Put me to sleep and left.”

  “We will help you and find out why this occurred.”

  “Thank you, Ambassador Suzume.”

  “Please, Keiko. We’re getting off track. People. Let’s stick to what is important at the moment. Igaklay, I mourn your loss. I know what it is like to lose friends and compatriots. To feel alone. I truly do. But we must sol
ve our current problems.”

  “Thank you for your kind words, Captain Marston. You are right. Come to Ballison. I can’t access any of our weaponry. But I can guide you to its location. Maybe help you from losing your fellow humans.”

  “Princess Analyn. Is this alright with you? This new information is something we never anticipated.”

  “Of course it is, Keiko. I understand your fears and your need to help. Besides, going to Ballison is only a side trip. One I and our good doctors very much wish to take.”

  “Thank you, Your Highness. We have no intention of violating our trust with you or betraying our trade agreement. It’s just that, this surprise, this alien invasion has upset our plans and timeline.”

  “Again, Ambassador Suzume, I fully understand. And, I am sure, everyone on board will understand.”

  “I think that we should all retire for the evening. Tomorrow morning we debrief Sergeant Boulos and then we have another jump.”

  * * * * *

  For everyone, even Buster, the night dragged. Everyone slept fitfully. Buster and Vidhee carried on conversations and attempted to analyse their way to a solution. Morning came. Everyone, with the exception of Tribune Ambakai, his Guardsmen and Princess Analyn’s maids, straggled into the galley.

  “Your Highness, Master Varrini. Tea?”

  “Thank you, Ambassador Suzume. Mint, if you will.”

  “As you wish, My Princess.”

  “I’ll get mine.”

  “It’s no trouble, Master Varrini. Sit back down.”

  “Alright. Ginger, then. With Lemon. Thank you.” After half-rising, the Elonian engineer sat back down.

  “Eh, Gopai, since you’re there, I’ll take coffee. Black.”

  “Yes, sir, Sir Mack.”

  “Now, Gopai, I thought we got past all that. No ‘sir’. Just ‘Mack.”

  “Yes, Sir Mack. Anyone else?”

  Both Krag and Keiko responded with their requests. Krag for coffee. Keiko for Oolong tea.

  While Gopai performed his tasks as vassal, everyone just sat, or in the case of Buster and Vidhee, stood. Once everyone had there hot or lukewarm drinks, Krag sat a little straighter, donned his persona of the Department of Sedition Commodore and prepared for his communique with the Sasanian Sergeant.

  “Ready?” Krag received nods all around.

  “Igaklay, would you please open the channel to Sasania?”

  “I’ve been monitoring the Sasanian quant-com, Captain Marston. Sergeant Boulos, with his squad, is in the communications room.”

  “Thank you, Igaklay. Sergeant Boulos. Can you hear me?”

  Igaklay took his position as translator and translated Krag’s question into Farsi.”

  “Yes, Commodore. Very clearly.”

  “Good. I and my staff have reviewed your Intel and we have some questions.”

  “I don’t know if I can answer them, Commodore. That intel is five months old.”

  “And there has been no intelligence gathering since then?”

  “No, sir. Commander Toma has ordered us to remain in concealment. He’s waiting for a rescue.”

  “These aliens. From your Intel, they arrived in a fairly formidable fleet. Is that fleet still in Yeni-Persia?”

  “There’s no way of knowing, Sir.”

  “Again, no intel gathering. I get it. There is nothing you can add to this report?”

  “No, Sir. Just that Sasania is in a lot of trouble. We need as much help as we can get.”

  “I understand, soldier. Help is on the way. Just stay dug in. I will be out of contact for the next few days. Three days from now, be prepared to deliver a current sit-rep. And, again, this conversation, that communication room, with everything in it, is to be kept secret at all costs. Is that clear?”

  “Crystal clear, commodore.”

  “Signing off, Sergeant. Thank you for all you have done.”

  “And thank you for giving us some hope, Commodore.”

  “Your end of the communication has been terminated, Captain Marston.”

  “Thank you, Igaklay. Well, we don’t know anything more than we did reviewing the intel. Comments?”

  Krag looked around the table. He saw three humans and six Elonians slumped, forlornly staring at their drinks, thinking on the cruelties of intelligent beings.

  “Time to jump. Sue, calculate our next jump point. Buster, help her. Igaklay, if you would, could you check their calculations?”

  “Of course, Captain Marston.”

  Everyone stood. The Princess returned to her quarters and maids, followed by sir Mahajani. The four humans headed for the bridge. Buster and Vidhee followed. Gopai bussed the galley and hurried to catch up. Varrini returned to his cabin. After everyone took their places and strapped in, Krag ordered, “Jump us, Buster.”

  Everyone blacked out.

  Chapter 04

  Trotzig Command Van

  Hank worked his custom tablet, finishing the connection to the holo-projector which stood ready in the center of the command van’s small conference table. Lawrence Gregor, Harriet Gregor, Randy Roth, Evert Keller, Telly Grimes, Lanzo Cardoza and Dean Benton all sat in their seats, waiting for the presentation to begin.

  After finalizing the connection, Hank tapped an icon and a three-dimensional image displaying one of the harness devices popped into existence.

  “Ok. What this little thingamajig is, we don’t know. What we do know is that it is designed to be worn. And that it consists of four main components. The first is, obviously, the harness. It goes over the shoulders, under the crotch and buckles in three places. Once a person, or being, or whatever, puts it on, it won’t come off without manual intervention.”

  “What’s the harness made of?”

  “Some kind of synthetic material. Very tough. A poly-carbon complex molecule. Just scanning it didn’t give me any definitive results. I would like to get my hands on it and figure out its chemical composition.”

  “Of course you would. The Canister?”

  “That’s next, Mr. Gregor. I compared it to the information we have on the larger canister that Captain Marston had been contracted to obtain.”

  “You mean ‘steal’.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Yes, Mr. Grimes. Abscond. The two are identical, varying only in size. From that, I can deduce that they both performed the same function. What that is, I haven’t a clue. Only further testing will discover that. This one is for personal use. The other one? Something larger. Some kind of vehicle? Not sure.”

  “Did any of the scans reveal what’s inside?”

  “No. none. I didn’t want to bombard it with any penetrating waves. I didn’t know what would happen. I just did an external scan. Diving deeper will require a more controlled environment.”

  “Any ideas on that?”

  “I’ll get to that at the end. Dean came up with the idea.”

  Everyone looked at the young man, which made him squirm.”

  “This next part, the box mounted to the base of the canister, I believe is the power source. I don’t have any proof as there are no readings of any emanations, but giving the positioning, it seems logical. Notice this purple, rectangular light. I think this is the gauge. Again, just a guess. The fourth part of the assembly appear to be controls. Dean figured that out.”

  Again, everyone looked at Dean. Again he squirmed.

  “Dean, tell them your theory.”

  “Ok. Well, um, Doctor, everyone, I play a lot of games on my tablet. I have a special addition for that. A control console. My console has a joy stick for moving the action figures and various buttons for performing different tasks, like activating a particular character or firing weapons or changing perspective. That unit, with its own strap, looks like it is to be held in your hand, or an alien paw, or something.”

  “So, it’s the controls for this contraption.”

  “Yes, Mr. Roth. As you can see, there is a small joy stick. I would say, to be controlled with the thumb, if the aliens w
ho created this have thumbs. Then there’s a slide. About where the index finger would rest. And to one side, out of the way, a button. I would say that this is the on/off button. Just a guess.”

  “Your conclusion, Hank?”

  “Simple. Someone wears it and controls it with the hand-held control unit.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Ya. That’s the entirety. Can’t say more until we test the contraption.”

  “You have a plan.”

  “Ya, Mr. Gregor. We take it out somewhere. Jimmy it so it fits our android and have it push the button.”

  “That’s your test?”

  “Ya. Making sure it doesn’t go boom.”

  “Why would it explode? Someone’s wearing it.”

  “I don’t think it would, Mz. Gregor. Just being safe. One step at a time.”

  “So we push the button somewhere way far away.”

  “I have an idea.”

  “What, Randy?”

  “Out in the plains. Away from everybody. Not on anyone’s land, shared by all. There’s a winter cabin. Rock built. Well insulated and protected. Wranglers and cowboys use it when herding cattle or horses. It’s pretty remote. We can use that.”

  “Hank. You want to test this thing?”

  “Absolutely, Mr. Gregor.”

  “And me!”

  “Dean is like a cold, Mr. Gregor. I can’t get rid of him.”

  “Nope. Dean stays with me.”

  “But!”

  “No but’s. We keep the group as small as possible. You stay with me. Who else?”

  “Obviously the android. Lanzo, I think. We need to record and transmit the results.”

  “Well, I’m going. Something might need fixing. And Merle. Something might need lifting.”

  “Ok, Telly. Merle. That’s four. No more. I want to keep the risk factor to a minimum. The rest of us can watch from here.”

  “I’ll send the coordinates so that you can find the cabin.”

  “Thanks, Randy.”

  “Telly, Hank, tomorrow morning, grab one of the rigs. We’ll set up here and then you pull out.”

  “Will do, Boss.”

  Gregor saw the gleam in Hank’s eye. He saw that his lead scientist was mentally dancing a jig, anticipating his playing with a new toy.