Stars & Empire: 10 Galactic Tales

by Jay Allan

  Michael Kirby frowned at reading his most recent orders. Brian had just handed him the latest communication from the Control Center at Vesta. He read them again with a heavy frown crossing his face.

  “We’re to return to Vesta immediately for possible assignment to Holbrook Station,” he read aloud, looking over at his second in command. “What do you make of these orders, Brian?”

  “All hell’s broken out on Earth,” Brian responded in a strained voice. “This sounds to me as if the Raven is going to be used for some type of rescue operation.”

  “We’ll have to ask someone else to keep an eye on our mining operations,” said Michael, thinking about which one of the other prospectors he could trust. He also knew that whomever he asked would demand a hefty fee.

  “Get the crew ready; tell them we’re returning to Vesta immediately,” Michael ordered. He hoped this ordeal with the aliens hadn’t frightened Susan too much. He also wondered just how bad the situation on Earth was. If he was being ordered to be prepared to go to Holbrook Station, then it must be grim indeed.

  -o0o—

  Mason was in his office going over the latest reports from his people. Ethan Hall had already begun converting two of the cargo ships to handle evacuees. Keith Davis was busy with his engineers preparing to start blasting the first of the new tunnels. Lori Wright had just finished talking to him about what she could do to increase food production as well as recycle their air and water. She had also requested that they try to procure some additional environmental equipment. Some of it he could get from Jornada, the rest he would have to check on.

  Mason looked up at the large viewscreen on the far wall of his office. Normally it showed a scene from inside Smithfield or of the stars. Now it was showing the latest video feed from Luna City. The view was of the Earth, highly magnified. There were very few areas of blue sky now. Storms were increasing, and conditions on the surface were rapidly deteriorating.

  He had Cheryl Robinson working on a list of people they were going to try to find and rescue. He was recalling several of the prospecting ships because they were the only ships he had at his disposal with powerful enough engines to land on Earth and take off again. He knew that Michael and a few others could be depended on to do whatever was necessary.

  Cheryl was compiling a list of scientists, engineers, technicians, doctors and others that would be needed if Vesta, Luna City, and Mars Central were to survive. Fortunately, a number of the brightest were already working for Smithfield or were at Luna City or Mars Central. Mason planned to send ten prospecting ships to Holbrook Station to assist in the evacuations and the search for specific individuals. Their main priority would be the people on the list that Cheryl was compiling. They would also be used to salvage certain equipment that was needed by the space outposts.

  Before proceeding to the station, all ten would be docking at Vesta and undergoing a minor refit to allow for passengers. According to Ethan, he could quickly modify two of the prospecting ship’s four small cargo holds to handle survivors. He already had the plans worked up and work crews on standby, and was fairly certain he could complete the modifications on all ten ships in four days if they worked around the clock. Mason knew the bigger job was going to be explaining to the ship captains why their ships were being modified.

  “It’s getting bad on Earth, isn’t it, Sir?” Adrienne asked as she gazed with fear in her eyes at the viewscreen. She had just stepped into Mason’s office to ask him a couple of questions about the disaster. “My parents are down there somewhere.”

  “Where do they live?” asked Mason, knowing that most of the people that lived on Vesta still had family living on Earth. Everyone was going to experience losses in this disaster, some more than others.

  “Seattle,” replied Adrienne, slowly. “I heard from the news reports that Seattle was struck by a tidal wave, but I don’t know how bad the damage is.”

  Mason was silent as he mulled over what to say to Adrienne. He knew that the tidal wave, which had struck Seattle had been nearly two thousand feet high as it rolled across the city. The odds of her parents having survived were minuscule.

  “There have been a lot of disasters across the globe today,” Mason spoke in an understanding voice. “It’s hard to say who has managed to survive; all we can do is hope.”

  Adrienne nodded; she knew from the look on Mason’s face that her parents were probably gone. She took in a deep breath and tried to control her trembling. It was all she could do not to break out into tears. Holding up her head, she gazed at Mason, seeing the compassionate look upon his face. “If you need me, I will be at my desk. The ten prospecting ships should be docking shortly. I believe the Raven will be arriving first.”

  “Susan will be glad to hear that,” Mason responded with a nod. He wished there was something he could say to make Adrienne feel better. He knew she didn’t have any family here in Smithfield.

  Mason watched her go back to the outer office to her desk. He let out a deep breath and shook his head. The day was nearly over and there still was so much he needed to do. In the morning, more shuttles would start launching from Jornada. Mayor Silas had already given the orders to drastically increase fuel production at their facility at Luna City.

  There were two shuttles equipped to carry fuel to Holbrook Station as well as the International Space Station as needed. The two shuttles were already being loaded and sent with full fuel tanks to Holbrook. Silas was already in the process of converting a third shuttle into another fuel tanker. If they were going to conduct all the rescue operations they were talking about, they would need massive amounts of fuel. Fortunately, it could be produced on the Moon.

  -o0o—

  Beneath Cheyenne Mountain, General Alex Dreland felt the Command Center shake as another earthquake struck somewhere close by. To be felt inside the mountain indicated it had to be of strong intensity, as the complex rested on 1,380 special springs that could handle a thirty-megaton nuclear blast. From reports in the past hour West Spanish Peak in southern Colorado had erupted, spewing ash and magma across southern and central Colorado and the upper Texas Panhandle.

  “Do we still have contact with Peterson Air force Base?” Dreland asked. Peterson was the nearest military airbase and part of the command network.

  “No,” reported Colonel Allison, shaking his head. “The last communication we received from General Pittman indicated that they were evacuating to White Sands to help protect Jornada.”

  Dreland nodded his head in understanding. He knew that for General Pittman to remain at Peterson would have been suicide.

  “We’re losing contact with more of our military bases every hour,” Colonel Allison continued with growing worry on his face. “If this keeps up, we won’t be able to contact anyone in another twenty-four hours.”

  General Dreland gazed at the multiple screens covering the huge wall of the operations room. Most were filled with static, while a few still showed views from operational satellites. “General Wainright has been speaking to Lawrence Henderson at Jornada. It seems they are going to try to evacuate as many people as they can to Luna City, Vesta, and Mars Central.”

  “Evacuating Earth,” Allison responded, his face turning pale at the idea.

  “I don’t think there’s any other choice,” replied Dreland, rubbing his forehead with his right hand. “Even our people here have reported that we will soon be in a nuclear winter scenario much worse than any predicted in our simulations.”

  “What do you want us to do?” asked Allison, staring at the commanding general. He knew it was already too late for them to leave the complex with the ash coming down heavily outside.

  “We contact all of the remaining military installations we can and have them send everything that flies to General Wainright and General Pittman at White Sands. Troops, planes, helicopters, supplies; anything that may help in moving survivors off the planet. I will also be issuing orders giving General Wainright full command of all surviving U.S. military force
s.”

  Colonel Allison nodded; he realized this was the end. His family had been living in Denver, and he knew he would never see his wife and young daughter again. The falling ash outside made travel impossible. He hoped their deaths would be quick.

  General Dreland went to his office to sit down and pass on the necessary orders while they still had some communications ability. He had always been a dutiful commanding officer, and being placed in charge of the Cheyenne Mountain facility had been the highlight of his career. He found it fitting that this was where it would end.

  CHAPTER 4

  Lieutenant Wade Nelson awoke with a start. He opened his eyes and felt a brief moment of disorientation as the world around him slowly swam into sharp focus. He could hear moans and complaints from other men and women. Sitting up, he looked around; nothing seemed familiar. Where the hell was he? About a dozen other marines were in the small room looking as confused as he was at their new surroundings, a few of which he recognized.

  They were in a rectangular room that seemed to be constructed of some type of gray metal, and there was a large metal hatch that served as a door. Two rows of narrow bunks stacked three high were against opposite walls. He felt something strange around his neck and reaching up, felt a thin round metal collar. It was no more than a quarter of an inch thick and felt cool and very smooth to the touch. He could detect no clasp or any way to remove it.

  “Where the hell are we?” asked Private Phil Dawson, swinging down from the top bunk to land on the floor. He swayed unsteadily on his feet as he fought to keep his balance. “This sure as hell isn’t our regular marine barracks!” Then his right hand went to his neck, feeling the small metal collar, and a look of astonishment crossed his face as he looked over at Lieutenant Nelson. “Where did this come from, Lieutenant?”

  “I don’t know,” answered Wade, as he saw that everyone in the room was wearing one. The collars were silver with a light bluish tint. “I would suggest that we leave them alone for now until we know what they’re for.”

  “What’s going on?” asked Dawson, wanting an explanation.

  The last thing he remembered was going to sleep in his bunk.

  “I don’t know,” replied Wade as he examined their surroundings more closely. The room they were in was about twelve feet wide and twenty feet long. On one end was the hatch and on the other were some narrow lockers and what looked like a normal door.

  Lieutenant Nelson stood up and walked slowly over to the metal hatch, feeling surprised at how rubbery his legs were. His entire body felt weak and out of balance. Grasping the handle on the hatch, he tried to turn it but nothing happened; they were locked in. He wondered if they were on some type of navy ship. He just couldn’t remember how he had gotten here.

  “We’re not going anywhere soon,” he spoke, turning back around to face the seven men and four women that were in the small room. “We’re locked in.”

  One of the women sat back down on her bunk, looking frightened. “I don’t understand; the last thing I remember was being on guard duty at the main gate and now I’m here.”

  “Does anyone remember anything?” asked Wade, looking around the small group. He noticed that a few of the marines were fully clothed while others were standing around in just their undergarments.

  “I don’t remember anything other than going to bed,” one of the other women spoke as she opened several of the lockers to see what they contained. “We seem to have some spare uniforms in these lockers.”

  Wade nodded as several of the group went over to find uniforms that would fit. After a few minutes, they were all fully dressed and standing around looking at one another. Everyone gathered around Wade waiting for an explanation since he was the only officer in the room other than Corporal Jamie Sterns and Corporal Brandon Perry.

  “What now, Lieutenant?” Jamie asked, her eyes focusing on Wade. Jamie had been in the lieutenant’s unit and was relieved that he was here with them.

  “We wait,” replied Wade, knowing they had no other choice. “We’re locked in and sooner or later someone is bound to come and unlock that hatch.”

  “I wonder if this involves that alien ship?” asked Private Lisa Hays. She had been the one on guard duty.

  “You think we’ve been abducted?” Private Dawson spoke, his eyes growing wide at the thought. “I’ve read about that in UFO books.”

  “Abducted!” Private Eugene Russell spoke derisively with a halfhearted laugh. “That’s ridiculous.”

  “We don’t know what’s happened,” Wade broke in with a frown. “We just need to wait and see how this plays out.”

  The others nodded; they searched the small barrack like room and found no weapons of any type, not even a knife. They sat down on the bunks and began talking in quiet voices, stealing occasional furtive glances at the locked hatch. Everyone had the same questions on their mind. What was on the other side and where were they?

  Wade wasn’t sure how much time had passed when they all heard a noise at the hatch. Their eyes instantly went to the metal handle as it slowly began to turn. The hatch swung inward, and everyone gasped at what was standing there. Wade slowly stood up and tried not to show panic.

  A man was standing there, but one like Wade had never seen before. He was taller than Wade at well over six feet. His skin was a light red, and his arms seemed to be slightly longer than normal with long, narrow fingers on his hands. The face was humanoid with narrow eyes, no eyebrows, a wider than normal nose, and his ears were small. The most unusual thing was that there was no hair at all upon his head. Wade knew with a sinking feeling in his stomach that he was looking at an alien.

  “Greetings,” the man spoke as his eyes swept across the room. “I am Marken of the Kivean race; I will be responsible for your group as long as you are on board this ship.”

  “Ship?” spoke Wade, noting that Marken seemed to be unarmed other than what looked like a small metallic rod that he carried at his waist.

  “Are you an alien?” Private Dawson asked his eyes growing wide at the thought. “Are you from the ship that was in orbit above the Earth?”

  Marken eyed Dawson for a moment before replying. “Yes,” he spoke in a steady voice. “You and a number of others have been taken aboard to serve the Kleese.”

  “Wait a minute,” spoke Wade, taking a cautious step closer to Marken. “We are marines and serve in the United States military, not for these Kleese you speak of. What’s going on?”

  Marken eyed Wade and then motioned to someone behind him. It was the same with all new recruits. There would be some initial confusion followed by refusal to accept their new situation. He had been through this before and knew exactly what to do. In the end, they would do as told.

  Everyone in the room stepped back as a tall metal figure suddenly appeared in the doorway. The figure stood ten feet tall and looked like a massive robot. Unlike Marken, this thing was obviously armed. The thing’s armor was nearly black with some dim red lights glowing at various junctures. The weapon it carried on its left arm was long and tubular and was focused on the marines. No one said anything as they gazed in shock at the metallic figure in front of them.

  “This is a Type One battle suit,” Marken explained in a calm and lecturing voice, seeing that the appearance of the battle suit was having the desired affect. “You will all be trained to use it and become part of the Kleese military.”

  “What if we refuse?” asked Corporal Stern, her eyes staring at the battle suit in astonishment. She had never seen anything like it before. It was beginning to sound as if they had indeed been abducted from Earth. This was like something out of a science fiction movie, only now it seemed that she was a part of it.

  “That would not be wise,” Marken replied with a slight shake of his head. “I am sure that by now each of you have noticed the metal collars you are wearing. Each collar contains a chemical that when exposed to any type of light or air will explode. I can assure you the result is quiet messy and unpleasant.”

>   Corporal Stern’s right hand went to her collar and then fell back down as she gazed at Marken in bewilderment. She could not believe what she had just heard. “Why would you do such a thing? That’s barbaric!”

  “It ensures obedience,” he replied in explanation. “Now, if everyone will follow me, we are due in the main indoctrination hall for your first briefing.”

  “How is it that you can speak our language?” asked Wade, realizing that Marken was speaking nearly perfect English.

  “I’m not,” Marken replied, his narrow eyes focusing sharply on Wade. “While you were asleep our medics emplaced small translation devices in your brains. They are programmed with all the known languages for this section of the galaxy.”

  “You operated on our brains!” Private Dawson yelled, horrified at the thought as his hand went to his head, searching frantically for any sign of where they might have drilled a hole in his head.

  “You won’t find and evidence of the procedure,” spoke Marken, growing tired of this group. “Now, follow me.” Marken turned and walked out of the door.

  The being in the body armor indicated with his weapon that the marines should follow.

  “I guess we have no choice,” commented Lieutenant Nelson, motioning for the others to follow him.

  Nelson stepped out into a brightly lit corridor and fell in line behind Marken with the rest of his group close behind. The slight clanking noise from behind them indicated the individual in the body armor was following.

  As they walked, they saw other aliens leading more soldiers from Earth. Some were obviously of the same race as Marken, but several others were just as obviously not. All were humanoid in form, but with minor differences ranging from skin color to general body build.

  “I don’t like this at all,” Corporal Stern whispered worriedly as she stepped up next to Wade. “What do they want with us, and is this ship still in orbit over Earth?”

  “I think we’re about to find out,” Wade said as they approached a large wide open hatch where other soldiers and their escorts were already entering.