Darkest Hour: Liberation War Book 1

by John Walker

  “Captain Chilton?” A familiar voice shouted his name and a moment later, strong hands grabbed Micky’s arm. “It’s you! God, it’s good to see you!”

  Patrick stood there, holding him tightly. “I thought you were dead!” Micky hugged the man. “When you ejected, we saw that thing shoot you! We swore you were gone!”

  “Me too! There was a bright flash … and I blacked out. I swore I died. I mean, seriously, there was no way I didn’t bite it, right?” Patrick stepped back, bumping into someone as he shrugged. “But here I am! It wouldn’t be a miracle without those marines, though. If it hadn’t been for them … hell, I don’t know what would’ve happened but it didn’t look good.”

  “No.” Micky thought about the body outside that had been burned up by the blasters. “This shuttle thing they’ve piled us on is interesting. I have no idea how it works. Did you find a cockpit or anything?”

  Patrick shook his head. “No, and I was one of the first people on board so I got a good look before it got crowded.”

  “Lieutenant!” Someone shouted outside, a sound that chilled Micky.

  “I’d better check that out.” He paused. “Look for the others. Dino … Donna. Maybe they got grabbed, too.”

  “I will! See you in a minute.”

  Micky hurried off the shuttle and found two of the marines surrounding a third, trying to help him. It took a moment to see what was wrong but the light made his leg glisten. Part of the environmental suit had been seared into the flesh, melted into him. Another one of those beam weapons. He’s lucky it didn’t take the whole limb off.

  “Excuse me,” Micky stepped forward. “I’m Captain Chilton, USAF. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  The wounded man looked him up and down. “I’m Lieutenant Dexter Pollard, marines. You a pilot?”

  “I am.”

  Dexter nodded. “Then maybe you can help. We’ve got to get this shuttle out of here.” He turned to one of the other marines. “Jumie, how long before the bombs go off?”

  “Less than twelve minutes.”

  “And we’re sure we have everyone on board?”

  Jumie frowned. “There might be people left but we had to hurry. This was a smash and grab, sir.”

  “I counted just over a hundred and fifty people,” Denton stepped forward. “There … likely were a lot more … but this is what we could get.”

  “Are we it?” Dexter asked.

  Micky counted four marines, five if he included the dead one.

  “Yes, sir.” Denton nodded. “We got hit hard on that last push. I don’t know what happened to Derreks. He was right here.”

  “He’s gone,” Jumie said. “Came to help at the last converter … took a shot to the head and another three to the body. Went down … in … well … he’s done.”

  “Couldn’t bring him back?” Dexter asked.

  Jumie shook his head. “Sir, he was pretty much melted.”

  Dexter cursed. “Understood.” He looked at Micky. “When we get on the shuttle, Jumie will pull the remote module. We have to launch the thing and get the hell out of here. Hopefully, we can land it on Earth again.

  “I can try to help …” Micky shrugged. “How different can it be?”

  “Oh, you’ll see.” Dex sighed. “Get on board, guys. Let’s do this.”

  “Get them!” Buzzing weapons barked down the hall, blue beams cooking the air around them. Jumie returned fire as he withdrew toward the shuttle. Denton grabbed Dexter and dragged him on board while Micky laid down suppressive fire, sidestepping for cover. The aliens seemed to be making a last-ditch attack, an eleventh-hour assault.

  “Close the door!” Jumie shouted. “LT, get the door closed!”

  “I’m trying!” Dexter shouted. “Keep them back!”

  People started shouting inside the shuttle as the aliens appeared before them, five in all. They unloaded into the room. Men and women hit the deck, those that weren’t quick enough were cut down. Jumie and Denton blasted away. The final marine took a volley to the chest and legs, ending him in a second.

  Micky went prone, shooting the aliens in the legs. Each time he scored a hit, one of them collapsed, screaming in agony. The marines finished them off. The fight lasted thirty seconds, possibly less but when the noise stopped, the cries of the wounded replaced the gunshots and buzzing.

  Jumie helped Micky to his feet and they turned, looking over the corpses of several fallen allies. Some were injured, others unconscious but they lost at least fifteen in the sudden and final assault. The doors began to close, sliding up from the floor. Dexter shouted for Jumie to get into the maintenance hatch.

  The doors sealed shut, locking in the cries of the wounded and the stillness of the dead. Micky found Patrick, thankful to learn he’d survived. He found Dino who was on the floor, unconscious with a graze to his left arm and right leg. A nurse moved amongst them, checking people over.

  “Thank God we made it,” Patrick muttered.

  “Not quite yet,” Micky replied. “When this thing is on the move and we’re well away from that … shop of horrors … then we’ll have made it. Until then, we’re in trouble still.”

  “Bombs go off in six minutes!” Denton shouted. “Move it, people! Get this thing rolling!”

  Micky let his head droop. “See what I mean?”

  “Bombs?” Patrick called out. “What bombs?”

  “We didn’t just come here for you guys,” Denton said. “We had to take that thing out, too. And believe me, what we brought will do the trick, but if we’re not gone soon, we’ll go with it.”

  “Fantastic.” Patrick looked at Micky. “You’d better go see about trying to get us launched, sir. I kinda doubt these marines have any clue about what they’re doing. At least with flying.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.” Micky headed over to Dexter, clearing his throat as he approached. “Did he get that module removed?”

  “Yeah, you think you can get this thing out of here? Cause I sure as hell can’t squeeze up there and Jumie’s already complained about the ideas of hitting the wrong button.” Dexter grunted, leaning against the wall. He favored the injured leg. “I can get you on a com link for some help if you want a try.”

  “I’d love a shot,” Micky said. “Just get me up there.”

  “Jumie!” Dexter shouted. “Hurry the hell up, man! Time’s wasting!”

  “It was stuck!” Jumie called back. “I didn’t jam it in there that tight … anyway, it’s out now. Step aside. I’m coming out.”

  Dexter pulled off his helmet and pulled off his headset, handing it over to Micky. “The person on the other end of that should be able to help you. I hate to put pressure on you, but we really need you to hurry. Everyone in here, those who are left, their lives are in your hands. Good luck.”

  Jumie slipped out of the hole and stepped away. “All yours.”

  “Thanks.” Micky rolled his eyes, put on the headset, and pulled himself into the tight space. If he’d been any larger, there was no way he’d have fit up there but as he drew closer to the controls, it widened enough for him to move about. Who the hell maintains these things that’s so damn small? Seriously, how’s this make sense? “This is Captain Chilton. Hello?”

  “Captain Chilton?” A woman’s voice sounded surprised. “What happened to Lieutenant Pollard?”

  “He handed this to me so I could get some help launching this shuttle,” Micky replied. “Time’s of the essence. Are you the one who’s going to walk me through this?”

  “Hold on, I need to transfer you.”

  Micky laughed at the comment while taking in his surroundings. A panel to his left was open, revealing some sort of electrical board. When he looked up, a video screen lit up the area with a map of the Earth. Levers stuck up on either side with buttons at the end of them. Waiting killed him inside and he whispered for them to hurry.

  “Hello, this is Avania. I’m on the Leviathan and I’ll do my best to help you launch that shuttle. Are you there?”<
br />
  “Yeah, I’m here,” Micky said. “Go for it. What do I do? I see two levers and a screen. Pretty much all I’ve got.”

  “The screen should be showing you an image of the Earth. Tap it.”

  Micky did, causing the screen to flash. “Um … it’s flashing.”

  “Good. Grab the two levers. There are buttons on top. Hit them both at the same time and hold them down.”

  “What’s that going to do?” Micky complied, his thumbs hovering over the buttons.

  “It will override the clamps holding you in place. Hit them both and you’ll be dislodged from the vessel and start toward Earth. I recommend you hurry.”

  Micky pressed the buttons. A cold breeze hit him in the face and the shuttle began to rumble. A moment later, the marines cheered.

  “You did it!” Dexter shouted. “You launched this thing! Way to go! Thank God!”

  We’re not out of this yet. Micky thought. “What do I do now?”

  “The screen should now change and show you the direction you are going.”

  Micky looked up and saw the open space. He guessed the next part, shifting the controls in the opposite directions. A marker on the side of the screen showed they were going down. I get it. These are basic maneuvering controls. He leveled them out and continued going straight. “What’s minimum safe distance from that thing?”

  “I can’t be sure,” Avania said. “I’ve never seen your weapons at work. However, we have moved some distance away. The moment it goes up, you will likely lose power. At that point, you’ll be waiting for a rescue. Good luck and we’ll see you soon.”

  “Wait!” Micky shouted but the line already went dead. What the hell did she mean about our weapons? He shook his head. That’s the least of my worries right now. He swallowed hard and kept them steady, flying away from the mothership. He allowed himself to feel some relief, some sense of accomplishment.

  They managed to escape after all but the bodies below, the death toll sobered any sense of real accomplishment. Such a cost. Micky wondered what the next move was, what humanity planned to do. He wanted in. One way or another, he intended to be involved in the response to these aliens and the war they brought to Earth.

  There was no way he was going back to his flight after what happened. No, he needed to see this through to the end.

  ***

  Avania turned to Warren. “The shuttle is away. They’ve escaped.”

  “Yes!” Warren clapped Victoria on the back before standing up. “That’s great news. Thank God. How long before the bombs go off?”

  “Less than five minutes,” Nicolas said. “Why aren’t they abandoning ship?”

  “Because they don’t know what’s about to happen,” Avania said. “When we fell back, they must’ve felt like they’d driven us off. They have time to finish their repairs and get out of here.” She shook her head. “Pathetic … they should have been better about their scans. These fools really are the bottom of the barrel.”

  “Not that they could do anything about the bombs now anyway.” Warren motioned to Nicolas. “Switch the screen to them. I want to see this happen.”

  Nicolas changed the camera and Avania watched as it zeroed in on the collector ship. Purple and yellow globes dumped from the hull breach which they still hadn’t sealed. She frowned at that, surprised to see it. They must’ve been too busy to bother, thinking they had to deal with their intruders.

  First they tried to flee then they went to deal with them? What are these maniacs doing?

  It dawned on her that they might not have had any idea how to contend with the things thrown at them. They never ran into opposition. Firing on the Earth ship was clumsy. Yes, they did plenty of damage but they could’ve destroyed the ship with some thoughtful targeting. Instead, all they managed to do was hurt the Leviathan, not even cripple it.

  Their EMP toy failed so they didn’t know what to do. “Truly, these mercenaries were not the best. That’s how we succeeded. They’re little more than hired hands. Basic workers and lapsed soldiers.” Avania shook her head. “Incredible. I suspect they’ve long since forgotten the discipline of whatever military training they had. Fortunate for you in many ways.”

  “Not so fortunate for all the people who died because of them,” Warren said.

  “I do hope you know what I meant by my comment,” Avania replied. “I was not undermining the losses but stating that the collectors made many mistakes … the biggest one being that they came here in the first place. If any of them lived to tell the tale, they would lament this visit for the rest of their lives.”

  The collector ship burst, pieces flying in all directions. Massive chunks spread out as a secondary blast tore the rest of it to pieces. Some drifted, others rocketed away but nothing could’ve survived the blast. Shards of metal turned red temporarily and winked out as the cold of space quelled them all, swallowing the fury of the destruction in the silence of the void.

  Avania expected the humans to cheer, to carry on and show some level of excitement but they remained solemn and quiet. She didn’t know what they were feeling or thinking. Was this a lamentation for their dead? A moment of silence for their success? She didn’t want to intrude and merely sat there, watching.

  Warren finally spoke up, sitting down. “Tell Commander Harden to finish rescue operations. We’ll provide support. Inform control of our success … though I know they just saw it themselves. Congratulations, everyone. We just won our first battle. Let’s hope we have as much success in the future.”

  Epilogue

  Dirk Reidel sat in awe with everyone in the news center as they watched the destruction of the massive object that had menaced Earth for the better part of the day. The threat appeared to be over. When word got out to all the places without power, maybe the violence could finally end.

  Humanity survived a hostile encounter with alien invaders. Nothing could be more inspirational than that. The Agency stepped up and proved themselves with a victory. After a harrowing day of uncertainty, terror, and finally redemption, the roller coaster ride came to an unsteady halt.

  But this was not the end of it. Anyone with half a brain realized that much. The aliens would be back eventually and when they came, it would not likely be so easy to put them down. People might take a deep breath of relief but they would quickly follow it up with questions of what happened next.

  The military and the Agency would need to partner, to prove to the world that they were ready to protect the planet and the whole of the human race. Dirk doubted they’d have any shortage of volunteers. The event might even bring nations together who fought for generations, though that might be more optimistic than realistic.

  Wyman Jacks promised a final update for the day about the events but he let them know that the Leviathan did its duty and they were conducting rescue operations for the ship that had been hit with the EMP earlier. They’d all be returning home soon and from there, the next steps could begin.

  Dirk finally felt as if he could take a break and he left the anchor desk to use the bathroom and stretch. As he paced down the hall, his colleagues clapped him on the back and congratulated him on handling himself well. It had been a grueling day but one of the most rewarding of his career.

  He looked forward to covering the next part of the story, the next thing that would catch the world’s attention about the aliens. But hopefully, it could wait for another day. Just then, he wanted to crawl into bed and pass out for the next twelve hours. Someone else could cover the aftermath. He was there for the real story.

  And I’ll be here for the next one, too. Good night, world. You made it to see another day.

  ***

  Warren sat in the briefing room with Avania and Victoria. They waited for Jacks to come on the line to discuss the concluded rescue operations and next steps. The Seeker saved the Probity and ended up needing to get the marines off the shuttle. The thing lost power immediately upon the collector ship going up in smoke.

  The Probity suffered a t
ragedy. While they were able to save five of the crew members, twenty-five perished when the EMP attack struck the ship. The ship itself could be repaired but almost all hands were lost in the process, including Commander Singer. Warren knew the man well. He’d be missed in the fighting to come.

  One hundred ten people survived the escape of the collector ship, leaving countless dead. Warren had hoped for better but the situation was tough. The marines did what they could, brought as many out as possible. When the aliens threw a parting shot, they did the most damage. It was a cheap stab by those who knew they’d lost the fight.

  The Leviathan lost ten crew members with another twenty requiring medical attention. It was better than Warren thought but still painful. Their first time out should’ve been a celebration, a major success of humanity but instead, it turned into a blood bath of human lives and destroyed alien technology.

  Jacks came on the line, “can you guys hear me?”

  “We hear you,” Warren said. “Have you received our report?”

  “I did. I know it probably doesn’t feel like it right now, but good job. You’ve given humanity a lot of hope with what you did today and saved a lot of lives to boot. Now we can lick our wounds and move on. Any thoughts about what that means? Now that you’ve been up there and given the ship a shake, I thought you might have some insight.”

  “If I may,” Avania said, “the first step that needs to be taken is to study the chip I gave you. Then, send your smaller ships to salvage as much of the technology as you can. You’ve proven to be clever enough to build this ship, and it is a marvel given what you know now, but you can learn a great deal. Especially with my help.”

  “What exactly can you do for us?” Jacks asked.

  “I can assist with interpreting the data,” Avania replied. “I’m not a technician but all of us learn the basics of maintenance for our technology. I have a fair understanding of how wormhole drives function. That may be able to assist you with the construction of such a device.