Chapter 13: Bombardment
The first of Trena’s infrastructure to be impacted were the facilities in Trena orbit just as dawn was beginning to break over the main continent. The sky show was awesome. It was a meteorite show to beat meteorite shows. The pre-dawn sky over the main continent was streaked by the smaller asteroids. Then the early morning sky was punctuated with the explosions from the impact of the asteroids colliding with satellites, apace stations and other parts of the orbital infrastructure. The sensors that the evacuation command had place both in orbit and on the ground to record the event caught the drama. One big rock took out High Port Station that Alice Jones had been stationed on a month or so before. The militia had determined that this station would be the first one. They had also determined that it was fully expendable. They wasted none of their precious defense resources to protect the now abandoned military space station. Not even the AIs were aboard any longer. Only the expert systems were still operational. With newly formed orbital industries consortium being responsible for their own defense, the Mountain’s computers had been programmed to ignore much of the orbital infrastructure. Although the orbital infrastructure would last 48 hours, most if not all of the space stations, satellites, space docks, and other facilities in orbit about the planet were destroyed. Including the immense space dock the Industries had made their headquarters in.
The crown and the evacuation command had tried to convince the owners of the Orbital Industries that they were in great danger. That there was almost nothing they could do to stop the asteroids from damage if not destroying many of their facilities. They had made a decision to abandon many of the warehouses, and factories. They had decided to put all of their resources to defending a few of the high value facilities such as the immense space dock. What Orbital Industries were hoping was that that their orbital defense system would get the bigger chunks. They had programmed their defense system to only target the rocks that were not going hit the ship yards and then only those that would cause serious damage. The system had been working for a couple of days taking those rocks out from long distance that they knew would impact their stations. They had also placed smart mines out a few hundred miles from the big ship yard. They were hoping that mines would take out some of the bigger rocks and keep the station safe for the two days it would take Trena to move away from the asteroids. The mines would self-destruct a few days after the asteroid danger was over so they wouldn’t become a hazard to navigation. As the rocks approached the mine field the mines start taking out the biggest rocks. They took out thousands of rocks, creating smaller rocks of all sizes; creating a bigger problem for the point defenses on the ship yard. There were now so many asteroids approaching Trena that the defense system which was swamped to begin with was overwhelmed much sooner than planned. It tried valiantly as it came on and began taking out the largest pieces, but now there were now so many larger pieces that one or two were bound to get through. And through they did.
Although the yard was highly automated, it still had a large population on board. They had moved a good many of their people onto ships and had taken them out of harm’s way. But there were over a thousand people on the yard. Partly because they wanted to show how tough they were and prove they could survive the impacts. The owners though were aboard because they had too much invested, not just financially; but psychologically to leave. They had to prove to their compatriots that their plan was going to work. If they didn’t stay on the yard it would be like they didn’t have any faith in the plan they put together. They were in a hardened shelter in the center of the ship yard watching the defense of the ship yard do their thing. They watched in horror as the system ran dry and one big rock wasn’t even touched. The rock hit with such force that it detonated the fusion plant on the ship yard causing the entire yard to be destroyed.
After the orbital facilities on the daylight side of the planet were destroyed it was the main continent’s turn. The space junk screamed as it reached terminal velocity falling towards Trena. The first rocks fell on the capital city of Trenaport. The heat generated by their passage lit up the sky over the city. The Convention Center was ground zero for one of the rocks. As it approached the center the light generated by the heat of its passage was captured by the crystalline structure of the center, splashing multicolored light throughout the predawn skies of Trenaport. The first rock to hit wasn’t that big, only about thousand pounds. It didn’t need to be a big rock. When it hit the Convention Center all of its energy dissipated in flash of light as intense as any nuclear weapon ever set off. The wave front washed out from the impact blowing everything before it down. As it did it was joined by the others of the swarm that was falling on Trena. One large hunk of sky junk of several hundred tons hit and that destroyed Trenaport. The resulting crater was over twenty miles in diameter. It was like Trenaport had never existed. The supplies that they had so carefully hardened around the city were destroyed in the blink of an eye.
As Trena turned on her axis, the asteroids rained havoc on the planet. One large asteroid fell into the ocean causing an underwater earth quake. The tsunami roared towards what had been Trenaport. It arrived and filled the still smoking crater with water taking much of the punch out of the wave. A small island that had been a recreational area was destroyed next. The asteroids spent all of six hours falling on the ocean before it was the Outback’s turn. It was a large continent that had been mostly uninhabited prior to the evacuation.
In the first few hours The Sanctuary had not been harmed. The rocks; as if they knew there were people living in the mountains fell around it missing it completely. But finally the continent could stand it no more, and suffered an immense earthquake. Plates began moving and that movement caused The Sanctuary to be crushed as the mountain above it became structurally unstable by the plate the asteroid fell on. The Sanctuary was destroyed killing everyone who had sought refuge in its hardened bunker a mile below ground.
The rocks continued to fall. Nothing in orbit was safe. It took only a couple of days for Trena to move along in its orbit. The orbit was being changed from the beating that Trena was taking. The orbit was being pushed more toward the primary. If the dust cloud that was now planet wide had formed from the constant impacts, and the debris they forced into the atmosphere, made life impossible, where Trena would end up would cause the planet’s surface to be too warm to support life. The few survivors of the orbital industries quickly deserted the remnants of their facilities and sought to sue the crown for letting them stay one the space stations and habitats. Duke Horton’s regents saw the law suit, and ripped it up in front of the orbital industries attorney.
McKay, Trena’s moon, was nowhere in the path of the asteroids. Though affected by Trena’s orbital change it would take years for the orbit to become stable. It would take up an orbit all of its own about the primary. McKay would become the territory’s capital. It would still be a transshipment point for all the cargo between planets in their portion of space, but the volume was drastically affected by the loss of the orbital industries and the loss of the Republic of the Stars and the Theocracy ports. Though not much in the past, the little bit of freight from those smaller star nations were significant. As the years went by the remains of the Trenan star nation became trading partners with Home and enjoyed the protectorate status that Home provided them.
Epilogue
The crowd had been growing for hours. The small space port outside of Ellis was crawling with people. Not just the new colonists of Home, but the interstellar news media. They were there to witness a rare event; the coronation of the very first monarch of a world. It wasn’t just the news media; but dignitaries from around this portion of the galaxy. Diplomats, presidents, kings and queens from worlds near and far were present. The list included Maxwell, the Earth Emperor, and Qau’lin, the Ruler of the Thonian Realm. The two of them wanted to show their continued support for the people who had evacuated from Trena to Home. They sat with many other dignitaries awaiting th
e arrival of the abdicated queen of Trena and the soon to be inaugurated queen of Home.
Finally the landing craft came in low over the space port made one pass and landed. As soon as the engines were shut down and the line chief made sure the safeties were in place, the ramp of the LC 4 opened. As its ramp grounded, a band made up of the former members of Trena’s symphonies began playing ruffles and flourishes. While they played, a solitary young woman descended the boarding ramp. Queen Agatha. When the crowd saw her they burst out in applause. The sound was almost a physical wave, assaulting her. As she approached athe podium that had been set up, the crowd got almost deathly quiet.
“Good day,” she began speaking, “Many months ago I swore to you that I would get every last mother’s child to safety. With the arrival of Abigail Wilson, the last mother‘s child to leave Trena and now the last child to be safely landed on Home I have completed the task that I set upon all those months ago.” As she said Abigail Wilson, the daughter of her marshal, the last child to be officially evacuated from Trena came down the boarding ramp. She carried a now beaten up and disheveled stuffed teddy bear. She approached the former queen.
“Thank you Aunt Aggie,” She said to the young woman who she had first met months ago in her mother’s kitchen.
“You are very welcomed,” The young woman took the child’s hand in her own and walked with her to the foot of the ramp to await the arrival of Jill.
With the former queen and the soon to be princess of Home now in position the Galactic Representative, in the person of Amanda Gray, the former ambassador to Trena from Earth, now the Galactic Council Representative to Home began speaking.
“This world is called Home,” Ambassador Gray spoke, “The very word home is charged with emotion. Such emotions of refuge, of shelter, of security and of peace come to mind when the word home is spoken. And while a home came be source of great turmoil, it can be place of tranquility, of joy! The people of Home have come together in an effort to end their turmoil and formed a government. The people of Home through their newly installed government confirmed the owner of this world as their first monarch.
“It is with great pleasure then, that I introduce to the people of Home their initial monarch.” Lady Gray spoke clearly.
With that, Jill dressed in a white business suite came down the ramp of the landing craft to step on a world, that she had up to a few months before, had no idea that she owned. She came down on her own, with no escort. At the foot of the ramp Aggie and her sister fell in beside her and escorted her to where the ambassador stood at the podium. As she was escorted to the ambassador her father dressed in his splendid Trena Mounted Patrol uniform escorted two home patrolmen and two home guardsmen who were carrying the Rock. The symbol of the fealty the monarchs of Trena had sworn to the people of Trena upon; that Jill would swear her own fealty to the people of Home upon. They placed it before the podium.
“I present to you Jillian Wilson,” Amanda Gray continued when the party had reached the podium. Amanda waited a moment for the applause to settle. “With me are Agatha McAllister and Marshal Wilson who will be the Queen’s regents.”
Another round of applause erupted from the assembly. Jill looked out and saw a sea of faces including the entire the corps of cadets, who were the most vocal. The sound was almost overwhelming.
When the applause subsided, Amanda continued, “Lady McAllister will witness the oath of office Jillian Wilson will take.” Agatha nodded, “Miss Wilson, are you ready to take the oath?”
“I am,” Jill said. Although she said she was ready she wasn’t sure she was. The oath, which was mostly symbolic, was a method to unite the people of Home.
“Jill Wilson do you agree to become the first monarch of the Kingdom Home,” Lady Gray asked.
“I do,” Jill replied.
“Then repeat after me.” Lady Gray said as the girl put her hand on the Rock, “I, Jillian Wilson do hereby swear this oath of fealty to the people of Home,. mMaking this solemn oath with no reservations, and of my own free will!”
“I swear to protect the people of Home against all enemies foreign and domestic. To abide by the charter as presented to the Galactic Council that further protects all persons on or about the environs of Home.”
“Then finally I swear to faithfully serve the people of Home, to provide for their defense, and their welfare, assisting the people of Home in the pursuit of a future that will bring prosperity for all of my people!”
The oath concluded.
Then surprising Jill and all who were there, two cadets brought forward a crown. Mitch escorted Lamile, who Jill realized was carrying Aggie’s crown. It was the crown that the young queen had last worn on her own coronation some ten years before. She looked to Aggie who nodded. Not knowing what to do, Jill knelt before her friend as the two cadets brought the crown forward and presented it to Aggie. Aggie took the crown off the scarlet satin pillow and placed it on Jill’s head.
“Arise,” Aggie said, then turning to the assembled citizens of Trena she continued, “It is with great pleasure that I present to the people of Home and the Universe at large, Queen Jillian I, the inaugural monarch of Home. Long may she reign in peace and tranquility!”
With that the assembled citizens of Home thundered “Long live Queen Jill!”
When it subsided, Lady Gray said, “Her majesty has a few words she wishes to say.”
As the crowd settled a bit, Jill steeled herself for the words she would speak. Finally, as a near hush came over the crowd she began to speak, “Thank you for the great honor you have bestowed on me. I will honor you by being the best that I can be.
“I have given great thought to what I would say today,” Jill continued, “But in the end it came down to a simple thing. I have seen how our people are living on Home, how some are living in the containers that brought their goods from Trena. How some are now living in the homes built for them from the precious resources of Trena, and some not even that. My father swore an oath that he would get every last mother’s child to safety, he has done that. I will not dishonor his or Queen Agatha’s effort to get us to safety. Because of this, until every last mother’s child has a safe and secure place to sleep; my family and I will not live in the residence that my grandmother is building for us. I cannot live in a dry, secure place while so many of our people have no proper home to sleep in.
“I will be working tirelessly to help get every last mother’s child under roof!” Jill spoke with passion. “I will be meeting with my regents, and those of you who can help to get this done in the next few days. We will get you under roof.”
The assembled citizens of Home were quiet as their young monarch spoke. Everyone had seen the palace that the girl’s grandmother was building. It had caused some dissention among the people who had no building to live in. Yet most had understood that, as the owner of the planet she could have a home built for her and occupy it before anyone else had a place for themselves.
“As you have requested that Queen Agatha be one of my regents, I am nominating her to be the first of Home’s Nobility. It is fitting that the last monarch of Trena be the first noble woman of Home. I present to you Lady Agatha McAllister, my regent.”
Shocked the former queen nodded a tear slowly creeping down her face.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Jill said, “and the sooner we get to it the sooner we’ll be able to finish getting everyone under roof. Thank you for the great honor you have bestowed on me. Together we will work to make Home great!”
With that she concluded her remarks and walked to a reviewing stand and watched the parade that had been set in her honor.
After Thoughts
Well that is my first novel. I hope you enjoyed Every Last Mother’s Child as much as I did writing it.
Since this was published I have published another novel: To Forge a Queen. The story of Jill Wilson. Her journey from marine brat to queen during the evacuation of Trena.
These are but t
wo stories of the Trena evacuation.
I am working on other stories of the evacuation. Over time I will publish them.
Please let me know what you think of the story by emailing me [email protected]. I look forward to your comments.
Bill
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