by Saxon Andrew
Ed took a deep breath and forcefully blew it out, “Thank God for that!”
Suzette smiled, “Your idea was a good one. I wanted to be the first to tell you.”
“Thank you, Suzette. That is going to save a lot of our pilots.”
“Don’t mention it. I’ve started working on the rear gun idea but it will be slow going until the engineers are available. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be! If we win, they’ll be coming back in larger numbers and it might be good we don’t reveal it initially.”
Suzette tilted her head, “Do you think we’ll win?”
Ed smiled, “It takes their beams a full minute to breach the Striker’s hull. I suspect that they won’t be given that much time. At least that’s what I’m hoping.”
Suzette stood up, “See you later.”
Jillian looked at Ed and said, “There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”
Ed put his finger on Jillian’s lips, “If it has to do with us, you need to hold it.”
He removed his finger and she said, “Why?”
“You and I are not going to be flying in the same ship during the coming fight. We can’t allow ourselves to be so worried about what’s happening to the other that it causes us to lose our focus.”
Jillian stared at him and sighed. A few moments later she said, “Ok. It will have to wait. I understand what you’re saying and you’re right. But I will not wait for another fight without our having a discussion!”
Ed stared at her and nodded, “Fair enough. We need to get our squadrons up and practicing.”
Jillian smiled and said, “Ok.” She walked away and Ed shook his head; she had never given up on anything this easily. Jillian smiled all the way to her Striker; she heard what she needed to hear.
• • •
Rachel looked at the three-Strikers holding formation with her ship and said, “We need to face it. We need more time to really get a feel for handling our ships.”
“Time is not something we have, Sis.”
“Do you know something?”
“I had a dream about three white ships moving our way. I could tell they were on the way now,” Ayet replied.
“The scouts haven’t reported anything.”
“They’ll take some time getting out of Andromeda where the scout can see them; trust me, they’re on the way.”
Rachel shook her head, “Those white ships won’t have any trouble getting us in their sights.” Rachel paused and her head went back. “I want to try something.”
“What?” Spring asked.
“You know how we have the ability to disappear?”
“Yes.”
“All of you do it now.” Rachel stared at the four-Strikers and asked, “Are you doing it?”
“I am. But you know we can still see each other.”
“Follow me!” Rachel turned and flew toward the giant freighter that was being moved toward Earth. It was going to be moved into the Atlantic Ocean and hidden there. It was made to function underwater and shouldn’t be harmed. Rachel pressed a button and said, “Control Center, do you see any traffic around the Freighter?”
“That’s a negative.”
Rachel and her siblings were directly in front of the giant vessel. “Check again, please.”
“There is no traffic anywhere around the Freighter. Four satellites have confirmed it.”
“Thank you, Control.” Rachel turned away from the Freighter and John said, “Is what I’m thinking true?”
“Yes. It appears our ships are hidden when we use that talent.”
“How do we use this?” Spring asked.
Rachel smiled, “You can’t hit what you can’t see. We will try to save any of our Strikers that are in danger. We’ll have to work alone and make sure you stay out of the path of any ships, theirs or ours, that are moving toward you.”
“That won’t be easy,” Ayet said.
“All right, here’s what we’re going to do for the rest of the afternoon. One of us will be chased by the other three and will try to avoid allowing us to come close. Got it!”
“Yes!” They all replied. “I’ll go first.” Rachel hit her drives and accelerated away. By the end of the day, they were ready.
• • •
Later that evening, Alex looked at Rachel, “I don’t know if I can deal with you flying a Striker.”
Rachel leaned against his shoulder and sighed, “Darling, we all have to pay a price to stay alive. I’m thankful you’ve learned the control room systems so I can do it.”
Alex smiled softly, “I had no choice.”
“Why is that?”
“If I wanted to be with you, that’s where I had to go.”
Rachel closed her eyes, “I’m so sorry. I’ve put you through so much. You don’t deserve it.”
“I’d follow you into a fire to be with you, Rachel. Are you sure this is necessary?”
“I had a dream, Alex.” His head went back and she looked in his eyes. “I was flying a Striker and was chasing a white ship. I know this has to be done.”
Alex sighed, “You and your dreams.”
“You were one of them, my love.”
Alex put his head on top of hers, “Just…just don’t take any chances. My life would be over without you.”
“If I don’t do this, the Community will die and I’ll lose you. I have to do this.” Alex nodded and Rachel wondered if he would be so understanding if he knew she was expecting their first child.
• • •
The Urrik Guild Master looked at the Big-Head’s apprentice and lowered his head until it was even with his eyes. The Apprentice said, “My Master has asked me to bring this document to you. He managed to get the last two Law Centers to approve it because the four others passed it. The coordinates of the Gread who entered into your original contact are on it and he apologizes for taking so long.”
The Urrik said in a deep threatening voice, “Your Master should have been more efficient with the first four!”
“He is shamed by his slow response to your request and he asks that you choose another Big-Head more worthy of your Guild. He cannot bear his shame and hopes you find a better representative.”
The Urrik raised his massive hand and smashed it against the Apprentice’s head crushing him into the floor, “I hope he can find a better apprentice!” The Guild Master spent four months trying to find a Big-Head to sign the document finalizing it and knew he had made a big mistake by allowing his anger to get the best of him. He finally had to petition the Law Center to assign him a Public Big-Head to sign the document. The price he paid for the idiot was ridiculous. And he was warned by the Enforcer that if he harmed one of the Law Center’s Big-Heads, they would cancel the document, fine him a fee he’d not believe, and not allow him to go to the coordinates in the document.
• • •
Joker and Jester sat in their Striker staring out at the edge of the Andromeda Galaxy. The striker’s optical scopes were trained on the place where trouble would appear and they were bored by the long wait. They were due to be relieved in three-days.
“Jester.”
“Yeah, Jokie.”
“How are we able to see anything moving out of Andromeda? It’s a quarter billion light years from us and we’re expected to see them as they emerge.”
Jester shrugged, “I think it has something to do with the stardrive field around us. We’re not part of the normal universe and we see things that would not be possible otherwise. I think in this space we’re in, whatever it is, there is no limit on seeing things as they actually happen. I’ve noticed that when I shut down the Stardrive, all the stars on the edge of Andromeda change location. When I turn it back on, they return to what they were. It must allow us to see things in real time with no delay. That’s the only answer I can come up with. I may be wrong, but if something happens at Andromeda, we’ll instantly see it if we’re inside our Stardrive’s field.”
“Do you think we can win aga
inst the White Ships?”
“By we, do you mean Earth or us?”
“Yes.”
“Cute, I don’t know about either.”
“Will we get back in time for us to go to our Strikers?”
“WHAT!? YOU DON’T LIKE FLYING WITH ME?!”
“I’d rather fly with you.”
Jester sagged in his chair, “Honey, Earth needs both of us fighting this coming battle.”
“I know, I just…”
“I know.” Alarms began blaring and Jester put his eye on the Optical System’s eye-piece. “Three large white vessels were exiting Andromeda. We’re getting out of here!” Jester flipped the Striker and went to full speed. They passed a Striker with a single-pilot two days later and let him know trouble was coming. He informed a third in another day and continued at full speed toward Earth. He arrived and announced the coming white vessels.
Alarms started blaring in the Community and the three cities’ underground facilities. The announcement went out that final preparations be made to shut down their power systems in eight-days. The Strikers were recalled from training and armed. The Mercenary Transporters were coming and tensions began rising.
• • •
“Commodore, when are you moving your Strikers?”
“When the Striker closest to Earth arrives, we will launch and move around the Pacific Basin.”
“You don’t want to leave sooner than that?”
“No, General. They need to eat and be well rested before we leave. Their anxiety will only grow when they arrive at their launch positions around the Pacific.”
“Keep me informed.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Juan shook his head and was thankful he put Ed in command of the Navy. He wouldn’t have thought twice about sending the Striker out immediately. Ed knew the mind of sailors and knew giving that much time to anticipate and worry about what was coming would weaken them. He had his own ball of string to unwind. His troops were going to have to man the satellite defenses and the giant Rail-Cannons in the mountains surrounding the valley. They had to be kept hidden but ready to respond in an instant if the Community was threatened. He already saw the tension in his weapon operators. Ed was right, too much time to dwell on what was coming was not a good thing.
Chapter Eleven
Ed stood in front of the gathered pilots and said, “Just to make sure we all understand, the center transport will not be attacked. The Mercenary Leader on that ship is considered sacrosanct and if we kill or injure him, every civilization in their civilization will be required to send forces to punish us. Let’s try to keep it to just us and the Mercenaries. Any questions?”
“Sir, are you sure about the magnetic-balls not hitting us?”
“It is possible if you fire at one of our Strikers from less than fifty-yards. I hope I can assume none of you are that dumb. Any other questions?”
“You’ve determined we have a minute before their beam takes out our ships?”
“That’s how it was in the last confrontation, however, take nothing for granted, get out of the beam and don’t take a chance on it. Anyone else?” His question was greeted with silence. “Look, we now have a weapon that will take them out if you hit them and if you have to fire and keep firing, then do it! Rachel Carpenter, I want to see your unit after dismissal. Dismissed!?” Rachel and her four siblings walked up and came to attention, “Yes, Sir?”
Ed looked at them and shook his head. The twins were not sixteen and Ayet and Hope looked like kids. “I’ve been watching your maneuvers and I don’t want you mixing it up with the White Ships.”
“Sir, if we weren’t the Director’s children, would you be making this order?” Ed stared at Rachel and she said, “Because if you wouldn’t, what message are you sending to the Fleet? There are twenty-pilots that have trained less than we have. Are you ordering them to stand off?”
Ed glared at Rachel and said, “You know the Community depends on your family to keep us warned of what to expect. Those twenty-pilots you just referred to aren’t able to do that. If one of you is willing to stay in the community, then I’ll change the order.”
Rachel saw John and Spring starting to get angry and Rachel raised a hand, “Sir, we will fight together and I promise you that the White Ships will not see us near them.” Ed tilted his head and Rachel added, “Sir!”
Ed knew he was missing something but he didn’t have a clue what it was. “Good enough. You’re dismissed.”
They walked away and Jillian saw them high-fiving each other. “What are they up to, Sir.”
“I have no idea and I don’t have time to figure it out. However, they are up to something.” A pilot walked up and asked Ed a question and Jillian watched the children until they disappeared; she didn’t see any frowns from Jimmy’s children. But Ed was right, she needed to get with her Task Force and make sure they understood their orders. If something happened to them, the Director was to blame.
• • •
“Guild Master, why are we bringing so many of us to search for just two of us?”
“What if it was you that was missing? Would you be asking that?”
“I suppose not. But three-transports seems a little overkill.”
“That’s what we do, overkill.” His apprentice nodded and backed away. The Guild Master also thought it was overkill but one had to keep their apprentice in line. Why was that Gread so late returning? He’d soon know.”
• • •
Ed heard General Alverez announce over the community’s PA system, “All Strikers, board your ships and start launching immediately! We’ll be shutting down the power to the launch-caves’ doors after all of you are away!”
Ed walked up to his Striker and Jillian appeared behind him, “Ed!” He turned around and she hugged him. She released him and ran toward her ship. Ed blew out a breath and gripped the ladder. He didn’t have time for this!
Strikers were leaving the cage ten at a time and Ed raised his hand and saw his unit salute in response. He heard the drive-units running smoothly and he pushed the control Lever forward. His Striker shot out of the cave and gained altitude with the nine-strikers in his unit forming up behind him. The ten ships climbed into orbit and flew over the North Pole at maximum speed. They arrived over the Solomon Islands and landed on Guadalcanal in the old military airbase. Six other striker units landed on several other New Georgia Islands in the Solomons and waited. They shut down their drives and put their reactors on standby. Maybe the Mercenaries wouldn’t see anything and would just leave.
• • •
The Three-Mercenary Transports came out of their Stardrives close to the Moon 200,000 miles out from Earth. “Move forward and give me a running scanner report,” The Mercenary Guild Master ordered.
They arrived 50,000 miles out from Earth and came to a stop. “Guild Master, this planet has been recently hit by a large asteroid. There is also evidence of another hit on the other side of the planet.”
“What evidence?”
“We’re picking up large readings of salt hundreds of miles in from the shoreline; the water on this planet is filled with salt. That would indicate an asteroid hit in one of the oceans causing massive waves.”
“Ummm…that might indicate that the Gread caused those impacts.”
The Scanner Craftsman was pointing out to his apprentice how he made the determinations and said, “Or the planet’s gravity may have caused one asteroid to calve and break into two pieces. The local population appears to have been wiped out by the impacts. There are numerous satellites circling the planet, which indicates the civilization on this planet was somewhat advanced before the impacts.”
“What do you mean ‘somewhat’?” The Master asked.
“We saw no structures on this planet’s moon or the red planet we passed during our arrival.”
“Are you detecting any electronic emissions?”
“No, Guild Master, I am not.”
“Where is the Freighter the Gr
ead used to come here?”
“I am not detecting its clearance code.”
“Master, I have run a scan of the space around the planet and I’m finding pieces of metal that match our White Ship’s hulls.”
Alex lifted his microphone in the control room and said over a short burst, “The gig is up, they’ve detected pieces of their ship’s hulls.”
• • •
Ed shook his head, “Damn, we didn’t get them all!”
• • •
“Launch our ships, I want a through scan of that planet!” White Ships began pouring out of both sides of the three-transports and headed toward Earth at high speed.
Ed heard over his ship-to-ship frequency, “Do you think they can detect us?”
“No, Graham, I don’t. We landed among the buildings of the old airbase and the metal should prevent us being seen. The other units were ordered to find cities to hide in and picking out our Strikers will require a close flyby to see us. Just sit tight.”
• • •
Twelve-hours passed and the Communicator Craftsman said, “We’ve not found any trace of electrical activity or the Freighter, Master.”
“Those two ships of ours didn’t just kill themselves. Something here had to do it.” The Communicator shrugged. “Are you finding any native lifeforms?”
“It does appear that a few small groups of the inhabitants have managed to survive in primitive conditions.”
Alex listened to the conversation being intercepted by a spy-satellite and said, “Uh-oh!”
Jimmy looked at him, “What’s going on?”
“They’ve found some of the survivor communities.”
“Do we have an idea of how many white ships they have?”
“I don’t have an accurate count but nine-hundred left one of those transports.” Alex raised his hand and said, “Stand-by!” He pressed his earphones against his head and sighed, “That Leader has just ordered his ships to kill every community they’ve found.”
Jimmy shook his head and was caught between stopping them or allowing them to proceed. He could do nothing and the Mercenaries could still find them. He knew launching the Strikers would give away that there was an advanced community on Earth but…at last count, more than ten-million human survivors were scattered around the planet. He looked at Alex and said, “Launch the Strikers.”
