Mace nodded. “Select an area on Earth they can inhabit and make it as ready as you can. We’ll get things rolling here.”
Over the two days that followed, twelve million Targarians were moved to Earth, along with the nine hundred microwave stations. Favia was contacted and a plea made for more stations. Three hundred eighty were offered and accepted.
As the last of the transports lifted off Hardy for the heavens, Mace ordered the Rogers to the ground and the ramp was lowered. He walked down to the end of the ramp and then spiked a metal rod into the ground.
Johnny asked. “What was that for?”
Mace smiled. “It was a leftover claiming tag from our work with Frado Knuttin and the UF. If the Karthians show, which they will, they’ll have to think twice before trying to claim it for their own. They try to remove that marker and they risk war with the UF.”
Johnny chuckled. “That ain’t the UF’s marker. They didn’t plant it.”
Mace nodded. “Technically, no. But the Karthians don’t know that. And if I can convince Mr. Knuttin to file the claim, it at least keeps this planet from the Karthians. We’ll no longer have it, but neither will they.”
Johnny patted Mace on the back as they walked back up the ramp. “You’re nothing but a troublemaker. Anybody ever tell you that?”
“My mom used to.”
Johnny smiled. “I always liked your mom.”
A week of peace passed. The Targarians were busy once again attempting to build up a community. This time they had resources to begin the process, and Humans seemed eager to help where they could.
A scout ship reported the Karthian visit to Hardy. Five hundred ships lingered in orbit, not risking a visit to the ground of a planet owned by another species, a species they had one previous encounter with at Rhombia. The thrashing they had taken there had convinced their admirals that Hardy was now off limits. The following day, the five hundred ships parked over Earth space.
Stark opened a comm. “As I feared, our days are numbered.”
Mace replied, “They were numbered anyway. You were just too pigheaded to see it. Have they made any demands?”
Stark sighed. “They won’t return my hails. I believe this to be only an attempt to breed fear.”
Mace laughed. “Well, it’s working. Mr. Knuttin has already canceled his trade shipments. The UF doesn’t want to be involved, even if they one day will be.”
Stark asked, “How do you mean?”
“The Karthians are now their neighbors. They fought them once at Rhombia and soundly drove them back. If the UF decides they want more space, they will look to expand this way, because they know the threat. Or at least think they do.”
Stark rubbed his chin. “Astute thinking, Mr. Hardy. I must give you credit. I didn’t think you capable.”
Mace smiled. “That’s one of your downfalls, Stark. You think you’re brilliant and everyone else is an idiot. What you fail to grasp is that even idiots have brilliant thoughts from time to time.”
Johnny laughed. “Did you just call yourself an idiot?”
“Don’t be helping him.”
Humphrey turned. “Multiple wormholes opening, Mr. Hardy. Ships coming through by the hundreds. Looks like they’re bringing the fleet.”
Mace said, “Johnny, call everyone in. Looks like today is the day we determine Earth’s fate.”
Johnny turned. “Well, definitely somebody determines Earth’s fate.”
The comms were made and within minutes the full crew was coming aboard. “Listen up, everyone. This may be our last fight. If we win here, the Karthians may decide we are better left alone. This is our planet, our ground, our home. I expect you’ll all give it everything you have and then some. It will probably take that. Our fleet is small, but our determination big. And those microwave stations out there… Favia indicated they made improvements to the initial designs. She couldn’t say what, just that they are supposedly better. And this time around we have a lot more of them.
“I’ve shared our tactics with Stark, so we should see similar shuttle assaults from his Marines. If we can make a heavy enough dent in their force early on, we might just drive them off without having to sacrifice ourselves. We’ve tried everything we possibly could. Determination is about all we have left.
“I’ll add one more thing. If you’re the praying type, you’ll want to do that now. And if you’re not, well, those who are could use your support. I expect the fighting to start in the next hour, so make your peace and prepare for the worst. This fight is not only for our freedom, but for our existence. We’ve tried about everything we can. This stand has to work. As a final say, as Shakespeare’s Caesar said, ‘Cry Havoc! And let slip the dogs of war!’”
Johnny chuckled as the comm closed. “Where’d you pull that one from? I never took you for Shakespeare.”
“I think I’ve wanted to use that since the first time I heard it as a teenager.”
Liam Hobbs said, “It’s a worn-out phrase, Mr. Hardy. Perhaps something more like Churchill: You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else.”
Johnny laughed. “You trying to create an international incident here? How about something more along the lines of: Never, never, never give up.”
Liam nodded. “I suppose that would work too.”
Mace turned to Humphrey Mallot. “Everyone aboard?”
Humphrey replied, “All accounted for, Mr. Hardy.”
Mace gestured as he sat. “Take us up to the fleet, Mr. Hobbs. We’ll wait it out there.”
As before, the Karthian ships came all at once. The large number of microwave stations took a heavy first toll before a new weapon was unleashed. Tens of thousands of small missiles filled the space between the attackers and the orbital stations. The Human fleet attempted to destroy as many as they could, but a second wave pushed past into the stations. Three quarters of the Earth defense shield was taken out all at once. A third wave of missiles finished the job.
The Human fleet countered with more than five hundred assault shuttles while her warships moved into the fight. Karthian ships swirled, jinked, and cut back and forth in an attempt to keep the shuttles from attaching. Nearly half were destroyed when a fourth round of the small but powerful missiles were unleashed.
Jasper came over the comm. “We’re losing this and losing it bad. Do we pull back to the Alpha site? Do we fight ‘til the end right here?”
“I don’t have the answer,” said Mace. “I’m beginning to think the Alpha site might be the better option, but we’ll need to get our people from the cave.”
The hull of the Rogers rumbled and jerked as a half dozen Karthian cruisers focused their efforts on her.
Humphrey yelled, “We have six ships after us, Mr. Hardy! Those weapons will be doing severe damage if shots get coordinated, which I expect they soon will be.”
Johnny said, “I can’t get attached! Might be time we make a run to the cave and call this fight over!”
Mace returned the comm to Jasper. “Mr. Collins, we’re cutting out. There’s nothing more we can do here.”
Jasper nodded. “I have my transports loaded with as many people as they can carry. We’ll be escorting them out. Mr. Hardy, good luck and be careful. I wanna see you at the Alpha site. I’m thinking it may be time to become pirates in Karthian space. It won’t get our worlds back, but I’m certain I can exact some revenge.”
The comm closed as the remains of the Targarian fleet turned toward Alpha Centauri. Jordan Crawford’s shuttle was soon aboard the Rogers, with Johnny, Jane, and Jenny close behind. The door to bay one was opened as they pulled alongside.
Five Karthian laser pulses impacted the bay area all at the same time. The Human ship jerked violently and shuddered as two decks of the port-side of the ship were ripped apart and set afire.
Liam yelled, “Breaking away! Mr. Tretcher, you’re on your own!”
Humphrey added, “Two decks afire! We have casualties!”
Mace foll
owed with, “Mr. Hobbs, get us home! Johnny, get to the cave!”
The aft of the Rogers took repeated hits as she raced toward the atmosphere. Bulkheads were sealed as the ship became a fireball as it sped down through the air. Two further strikes to the back of the ship shut down one of the gravity drives; the room that held the controls was violated and filled with flames.
Liam yelled, “We’re coming in hard! Brace! Brace! Brace!”
The Rogers swooped in, slowing with all the power she had left. As Liam pulled back hard on the controls, a move that had no more affect than an soft pull, the Rogers leveled off. As she headed into a valley on the opposite side of a mountain from the cave, three additional laser pulses crippled her remaining drive.
The once great ship dropped into the trees, skidding along as it carved a path of destruction into the forest floor. Tree trunks and dirt and rocks flew as the lower decks were shredded by the impact.
After what seemed like an eternity, the Rogers came to a stop. Flames began to spread as their hydrogen store spewed fuel from a tiny but deep hole in its redundant linings. A hundred meter tall column of fire billowed up from the back of the ship and the cruisers chasing behind turned away in victory to pursue other targets. The Rogers had seen its last fight.
~~~~~
Once again, this Human is asking for your help! If you enjoyed the book, please leave a review on the site where it was purchased. And by all means, please tell your friends! Any help with spreading the word is highly appreciated! I have a free science fiction eBook short story, titled “THE SQUAD”, waiting for anyone who joins my email list. Also, find out when the next exciting release is available by joining the email list at [email protected]. Visit the author’s website at www.arsenex.com for the rest of the series and other works!
Thank you for reading my work! I hope you have a great day!
Stephen
Books by Stephen Arseneault
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SODIUM-AMP-OMEGA trilogy series
SODIUM - A six-book series that takes Man from his first encounter with aliens all the way to a fight for our all-out survival. Do we have what it takes to rule the galaxy?
AMP - Cast a thousand years into the future beyond SODIUM. This eight-book series chronicles the struggles of Don Grange, a simple package deliveryman, who is thrust into an unimaginable role in the fight against our enemies. Can we win peace and freedom after a thousand years of war?
OMEGA - An eight book series cast a thousand years into the future beyond AMP. The Alliance is crumbling. When corruption and politics threaten to throw the allied galaxies into chaos, Knog Beutcher gets caught in the middle. Follow along as our hero is thrust into roles that he never expected nor sought. Espionage, intrigue, political assassinations, rebellions and full-on revolutions, they are all coming to Knog Beutcher’s world!
HADRON Series
HADRON is an eight book modern day Human survival story. After scientists using the Large Hadron Collider discover dark matter, the world is plunged into chaos. Massive waves of electromagnetic interference take out all grid power and forms of communication the world over. Cities go dark, food and clean-water supplies are quickly used up. Marauders rule the highways. One group of citizens takes a stand. Can they make a difference? And the devastating EM waves, where are they coming from? A benevolent species will arrive in their spaceships to rescue the Human race. Only, are they really so benevolent? Is our little corner of the Milky Way a hostile place? With HADRON we’re about to find out.
ARMS Series
ARMS is an eight book series set in the future. Earth was nearing an apocalyptic event. Two competing colony ships were built, taking five million inhabitants each through a wormhole to a pair of newly discovered planets. The planets were settled and soon after the burgeoning colonies looked to the surrounding star systems for ownership and expansion, an expansion that led to a centuries long war between them. A truce was declared after the aggressor side began to lose ground. The competing worlds are two years into that truce.
Tawnish Freely and Harris Gruberg are genetically engineered Biomarines. They we made and trained for fighting in the Great War. With the war halted and their service commitments ended, they find themselves struggling to live among a population that fears them. Work is found with the delivery of illegal arms to the outer colonies. Things go awry when they discover their illicit and yet lucrative dealings may just be the catalyst that brings back the Great War. They are determined to prevent that outcome from happening.
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