Reaching the main checkpoint, Stevens and Griffith climbed out of the jeep. The checkpoint had been covered with a large metal roof to allow the soldiers beneath it to stay out of the falling and blowing ash as people were processed. Four more of the Light Assault Vehicles were stationed there, with their weapons aimed at the main gate. Forty of Captain Steven’s marines were on duty ensuring that no one pushed through without permission.
The checkpoint was open twenty-four hours a day as they attempted to process all the people seeking entrance. There had already been several unfortunate incidents when people had been told they could not enter but would have to wait outside. In one of those instances, two marines had been killed. Currently only people with a useful or needed skill were being allowed inside. The majority of the vehicles were being turned around and sent to the growing tent city outside the fence.
“My wife and kids arrived yesterday,” Griffith commented with obvious relief in his voice as he gazed at the turmoil outside the gate.
He had been frightened for their safety, knowing they had a long drive from Albuquerque to reach Jornada. He had managed to get a hold of them just before the phones quit working. They were now safely in one of the large tents just south of the spaceport with other military families awaiting evacuation.
“I’m glad,” Captain Stevens replied. He knew a lot of others hadn’t been so fortunate, though helicopters from White Sands and the nearby air force base were being sent out hourly to bring additional military families in as well as important civilians.
He was just about to add something else when he saw a scuffle suddenly break out between two marines and four rugged looking men. A moment later, gunshots rang out and both marines fell. The four men started running, heading toward the distant spaceport. Instantly one of the machine guns on one of the Light Assault Vehicles swung around and opened up, taking the four out. All four men dropped to the ground and lay still. Additional marines raced out to check them as medics rushed over to the two fallen marines.
“How are they?” Stevens demanded as he ran quickly over to his fallen marines.
“They’re dead,” one of the medics answered with a frustrated look on her face. “They were shot at point blank range with armor penetrating rounds and never stood a chance. The rounds went right through their body armor.”
Lieutenant Griffith came up and shook his head; he had gone to check on the four men that had murdered the marines. “All four of them are dead,” he announced. “At a rough guess it looks as if they were drug dealers that thought they could buy their way in. When the marines refused, they shot them.”
“Murderers!” a man hollered from outside the fence.
“Let us in!” a woman screamed.
“What right do you have to keep us out?” an irate man’s voice yelled.
“Open the gate or we’ll tear it down!” threatened another.
Captain Stevens looked at the gathering crowd that was quickly turning into a mob. The gate had been closed after the shooting. “Lieutenant, call headquarters and tell them we’re going to need reinforcements at the main gate. Tell them about the shooting and that things are about to get out of hand.”
“Yes, Sir,” Griffith replied as he sprinted toward the communications shack that was nearby.
Stevens then ordered all of the civilians that had been busy processing the new arrivals to move back and he had his marines take up positions facing the gate with their weapons at the ready. Looking at the growing mob, Mark estimated they were facing several thousand people with more joining every moment. If they attempted to rush the gate, he would have no choice except to open fire. It would be a bloodbath, as he knew the machine guns on the four assault vehicles would be deadly at this close range.
Several tense minutes passed as he watched the mob grow; a few were throwing rocks at his marines as the demands for entry grew. Hearing a noise behind him, he saw with relief that reinforcements were coming down the road. Another six Light Assault Vehicles, as well as four heavy tanks, led the way. Behind them came a full company of army rangers.
The civilians, upon seeing the tanks, quieted down and backed away from the fence. Major Anderson jumped out of his jeep and came up to Captain Stevens. “Report,” he snapped, not liking what he was seeing.
Mark quickly explained what had happened and why he had called for reinforcements.
“You did right, Captain,” Major Anderson replied as he quickly assessed the situation. He then walked over toward the gate and picked up a microphone that was hooked up to a number of large public address speakers.
“I am Major Anderson and I expect you to listen. We have limited space inside the fence, and only those we feel are essential to our survival are currently being allowed admittance.”
“What about the rest of us?” a woman shouted. “Are we just going to be left to die?”
“No,” Major Anderson responded in a steady and commanding voice. “We are going to try to save everyone we can. Right now we are being overwhelmed with refugees.”
“What about food and water?” another man demanded in a loud but calmer voice. “We’re running out; our children are hungry.”
“We are aware of the situation,” Anderson replied as his eyes swept across the crowd. “Starting tomorrow, we will be setting up a number of mess halls outside the fence to furnish food and water. It won’t be anything fancy, but you should be able to get by. We’ll also be setting up several medical facilities as well as more processing stations. One word of caution; all of these facilities will be well protected, and I will not tolerate any threats to the military or civilian personnel that will be manning them.”
“You’re going to take all of us?” the same man who had asked about food and water spoke.
“Everyone we can,” Major Anderson promised. “You just need to be patient, and we will do everything in our power to keep you safe.”
The mob seemed to calm down and began to break up, with many going back to their vehicles or tents. A number stood around talking and then after a few minutes even these left the vicinity of the closed gate.
“Keep the gate closed the rest of the night,” ordered Major Anderson, turning around to address Captain Stevens. “I will return in the morning with more soldiers and we will address the growing problems outside the gate. Most of these people are just frightened, but it only takes a few malcontents to cause problems and we need to try to weed those out. If necessary we can set up a detention center for those with criminal records.”
“Yes, Sir,” Mark replied, glad the situation hadn’t gotten any worse. He watched as Major Anderson climbed back into his jeep and headed back toward the spaceport. Then, turning to Lieutenant Griffith, he began giving orders. “I want those tanks positioned to cover the main gate. Spread those other Light Assault Vehicles out across our perimeter.”
“Where do you want us?” an army ranger captain asked as he stepped up next to Mark.
“Place your men one hundred yards east and west of the main gate,” Mark ordered. “I don’t think we will have any more trouble, but a good showing of force will help deter any thoughts of attempting to get over the fence or through the gate.”
“I’ll deploy my rangers,” the captain replied as he turned and walked toward his outfit.
“That was close,” spoke Lieutenant Griffith, shaking his head.
“I know,” replied Mark, letting out a deep breath. “But I guess we can’t blame most of them. They’re frightened, and the world they know is ending. Many of those people out there are just families trying to survive. If we were in their shoes we might be acting the same way.”
Griffith nodded. He knew that the captain was speaking the truth. He himself would have done anything to save and protect his own family.
-
Mason was at his sisters meeting with his brother-in-law Michael Kirby. The two children, Candace and Karen, were outside playing with friends.
“I can’t believe this has happened,” sp
oke Michael, shaking his head in disbelief.
“So many people have died,” Susan said with sadness in her eyes. “The alien’s attack has left billions dead. It seems so strange not to have any Earth media stations broadcasting.”
“How many are we going to be able to save?” asked Michael, leaning back on the sofa and gazing inquiringly at Mason. “Where are we going to put them all?”
“Those are difficult questions to answer,” responded Mason, taking a sip of his coffee. He put the coffee cup down on an inn table and gazed over at Michael. “We’re going to try to put as many as we can inside the new habitat we’re building here on Vesta.”
“How many?” asked Susan, knowing that it would take years to finish the new habitat. “It isn’t even close to being ready.”
She knew how long it had taken just to build Smithfield; three generations of their family had worked on it. Their parents had died in an accident shortly after Smithfield had been completed. She wished they could have lived so they could see how it looked now. They would have been so proud of what all Mason had done.
“We’re putting all of our resources into it,” responded Mason, knowing the herculean task that was in front of them. “The new habitat, when completed, will be able to hold nearly two million people.”
“What about the Moon and Mars?” Michael asked. “Surely we can expand Luna City and Mars Central?”
“Luna City for sure and eventually Mars Central, but it might take us years to get everyone off the Earth.”
“Do we have that much time?” asked Susan, glancing at Mason and feeling glad that all of her family were on Vesta. She tried not to imagine the horror others were going through who had family either missing or trapped on Earth. She knew what the local media stations were reporting and the news from Earth wasn’t good.
“We’re going to try to build some facilities that will allow people to survive until we can get them off the planet.”
“I watched the news broadcast tonight,” Susan spoke with a heavy frown. “The weather on Earth is getting bad, and they say soon the air may not be breathable.”
“We’re seeing to that,” Mason replied, gazing at his sister. “General Wainright is working with Lawrence, and they are building some new barracks and other facilities that will enable people to survive for quite some time, even in the bad air. The military has a lot of breathing masks that they can hand out if needed.”
“Just what are the plans for the prospecting ships you’re having modified?” Michael asked, finally getting to the question he was most curious about.
He had a suspicion he wasn’t going to like the answer. He had been aboard the Raven earlier and seen some of the modifications being made. Entire sections of the interior hull were being ripped out. It had pained him to see his ship being torn apart that way.
“There are a number of people on Earth that could be invaluable to our continued survival,” explained Mason, leaning forward in his chair. “Only the prospecting ships have engines powerful enough to safely land on Earth and take off again. We’ll be sending the prospecting ships down to try and locate these people. Then later, we may need them to salvage whatever supplies we can find off the surface of the planet.”
Michael nodded; he had suspected something of this sort. “We’re going to become scavengers. That could be dangerous,” Michael said as he thought about going down into Earth’s now polluted atmosphere and the steadily worsening conditions.
“Mason, you’re not asking Michael to do anything unsafe, are you?” Susan asked accusingly, not wanting Michael to risk his life in the endeavor that Mason was suggesting.
“We will take every safety precaution possible,” Mason assured her.
Susan heard the alarm on the oven in the kitchen sound, indicating the roast she was cooking was done. She stood up to finish setting the table and get the rest of the food ready. At least tonight, they could all have a decent family meal together. Later, she would have a long talk with Michael about this new mission that her brother was suggesting.
-
Mason was walking down the sidewalk toward his small home a short distance away from his sister’s. It was twilight in the habitat, and he could hear a few birds calling in the distance. He was in a residential neighborhood and children were out playing and laughing. Everything seemed so normal; it was hard to believe the disaster that was still unfolding on Earth. Mason stopped at a small park and watched a family playing on one of the swing sets and slide. The father was pushing his young daughter on the swing, listening to her squeal in delight each time he made it go higher. The young mother had her son over at the slide, encouraging him to slide down and promising to catch him at the bottom.
Mason watched them for several minutes, almost wishing he had a family of his own. Perhaps someday, when things settled back down, he would have to consider it.
Chapter Six
Wade was out of breath. The training room had been modified and they had been divided into four squads of twelve each. The room now contained numerous obstacles of various shapes and heights, which they had to maneuver around or could hide behind if they so chose. They had been provided with what looked like a large assault rifle with a thicker than normal barrel. The weapon fired a beam of blue light, and when it hit an opponent, it disabled the part of the battle suit it struck. If the beam struck an arm or leg, that limb instantly became disabled. If it struck the chest or the head, the entire battle suit became immobile. The bad thing was when you fired off a shot it allowed your opponent to instantly spot your location and return fire.
Wade was currently standing behind a large metal obstruction with Corporal Stern and Private Dawson at his side. Glancing at the HUD in his helmet, he saw that four of his squad were already down, and several others were partially immobilized. Immobilized squad members showed as red and partially immobilized ones showed as amber. The war game had been going on for nearly four hours.
“What now, Sir?” Private Dawson asked as he looked around the obstruction, only to quickly jerk his head back as a blue beam narrowly missed him. “They seem to have us pinned down.”
Wade nodded; it had taken them a while to work their way through the obstacles to this position, dodging enemy fire the entire way. Two of the other squads had been completely immobilized and were out of the game. The other remaining squad was behind a series of low mounds fifty yards away and had so far refused to move from their protected position. The other two squads had been wiped out when they had attempted to rush them across an open area. Wade had played it more cautiously, preferring to snipe at the other squad whenever one of them made a mistake and allowed themselves to be exposed. He figured there were still six or seven effective members of the other squad left.
“Sir,” spoke Corporal Stern as she leaned back against the metal obstacle and looked up. “This thing’s nearly twenty feet high, if I could jump to the top of it I could see over the mounds the enemy are hiding behind and pick them off rather easily.”
Wade looked up and thought over Stern’s suggestion. She was right about being able to see over the enemy’s position, but she would be exposed and would quickly be immobilized. However, he had an idea how to make her suggestion work. She had already demonstrated that she was the best shot in the squad; she just needed a few precious seconds.
“Okay,” Wade said after a moment. “But here is what we’ll do.” Wade quickly communicated his plan to the rest of his squad who were waiting behind other protective barriers. No one was going to die in this scenario, but Wade did have an idea as to how they could win.
Moments later, Wade and Dawson both stepped around the metal obstacle and began laying down a heavy covering fire for Corporal Stern. She backed up and then took a short run, bending her legs, and then jumped her ten-foot battle suit to the top of the obstacle. The rest of Wade’s squad also began firing trying to pin down the enemy. Blue beams crisscrossed the open space, and occasionally Wade could hear one of his marines swear as they
were hit.
On his HUD, he saw two more of his squad fall to the enemy’s weapons, and then the firing stopped. He started to move forward and saw with surprise that both of his legs and one of his arms was immobilized. He glanced over at Private Dawson and saw him laying face down next to the metal obstacle. His entire suit had been shut down. He heard a loud thump and, looking to his side, saw where Corporal Stern had jumped to the floor. Through the shield on her helmet, he could see her grinning.
“They never knew what hit them,” she bragged with a laugh.
“You’re a damn good shot, Corporal,” Wade commented in acknowledgement.
“Training simulation is over,” Marken’s voice announced over the suit’s com system.
Wade thought he could detect a trace of satisfaction in Marken’s normally calm and cold voice.
“All suits are now reactivated,” Marken added.
Wade felt his limbs unfreeze, so he walked over to Private Dawson to help him up.
“They got me as soon as I stepped around the corner,” complained Dawson, shaking his head in frustration. “I only got a few shots off.”
“But it was enough to distract them and allow me to take them out,” Corporal Stern said. “They weren’t expecting to be fired upon from above. At the height I was at they were all exposed.”
“Good job, Lieutenant Nelson,” Marken spoke as the red-skinned alien made a sudden appearance. “You have learned that the suits give you mobility to take advantage of your enemy’s weaknesses. It was a brilliant move to jump one of your squad’s battle suits to a higher level to give you the tactical advantage. No one else on the other squads thought about using the strength the battle suits give you to take advantage of that.”
Wade nodded but didn’t say anything in reply.
“Tomorrow our ship will be rendezvousing with our main training and trade station for this section of space. All Humans will be transferred to the facility and finish your training there.”
Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction (The Galactic Empire Wars) Page 10
