To the Stars

Chapter One

Battle Commander Balforr of the Trellixian battlecruiser Conquest gazed with worry at the tactical display. An alien battle fleet of seventy vessels rapidly approached. Trellixians were taller than the average Human with dark-green skin due to their Saurian ancestry. Balforr had a large lizardlike head with sharp tearing teeth and eyes twice the size of a Human’s. His arms were heavily muscled, ending in a hand with three fingers and a thumb. He was clad in light battle armor, which was normal attire upon a battlecruiser.

“Report!” he ordered, turning his head slightly toward Sensor Officer Maldane.

“It is a Voltrex war fleet,” confirmed Maldane. “Sensors are detecting two battleships, seventeen battlecruisers, and fifty-one lighter support craft.”

“Do we engage?” asked Briitan from Tactical. “Our weapons are superior to theirs.”

Balforr turned his large eyes back toward the tactical display. A year ago the first ships of the Voltrex were encountered. Fighting erupted immediately as the Voltrex knew who the Trellixians were. Massive Voltrex fleets appeared soon thereafter, resisting the Empire’s ships at every turn. The advance of the Trellixian Empire in this sector of space ground to a sudden halt.

While not as advanced as the Trellixian warships, the Voltrex warships were still powerful enough to damage and occasionally destroy Trellixian vessels. Large engagements erupted, and still the Trellixians had no clue as to the number of Voltrex worlds that opposed them. Additional Trellixian fleets were sent to search the frontier of the Empire for the homes of this mysterious enemy, but so far none had been located.

After a moment, Balforr replied, “We will engage.” The advent of the Voltrex had allowed Balforr to resume his role as a battle commander, something he had lost after his failure with the Humans. “Joltan, advance the fleet toward the enemy.”

-

In space, the two-thousand-meter-long battlecruisers of the Trellixians advanced toward the smaller ships of the Voltrex. Only two of the Voltrex ships were comparable to the Trellixian ships in size, and those were their heavily armed battleships at 2,200 meters in length. The Voltrex battlecruisers were 1,200 meters long, and the support ships ranged from 400 to 800 meters. They were armed with energy beams and missiles with fusion warheads.

-

“The Trellixian fleet is nearing engagement range,” reported Zalurr, from his sensor console. “Forty-six of their battlecruisers are on our sensors.”

“It was expected,” replied Kamuss, the ship’s commander. “Sound battlestations. All ships prepare to fire.” The Command Center came alive with intense activity as the crew readied for battle.

Klaxons screamed loudly across the ship as the crew raced to their stations. Hatches slammed shut and were sealed as emergency crews stood ready to repair any battle damage. Gun and missile crews reported to their stations, waiting to fire as soon as the order was given. Missiles were brought from their bunkers and loaded into the missile tubes. Energy turrets turned toward the Trellixian warships as targeting systems reached out, searching for the enemy vessels.

-

The Voltrex were a feline species who walked erect. They had a short tail, thick fur, and their paws resembled hands with retractable claws. They stood the same height as a Human. Years in the past they had learned of the Trellixians. Since that harrowing discovery, the Voltrex had built up their war fleets to defend their region of space from the eventual arrival of the expanding Trellixian Empire. While the Voltrex weapons were not as powerful as the Trellixians, the Voltrex had a tremendous number of ships. Enough, it was hoped, to keep the Trellixians at bay and away from the twenty-eight inhabited systems of the Voltrex Federation.

-

Kamuss walked over and sat down in his command chair, studying the tactical display. “Helm, turn us eighty degrees starboard and up twenty. Take us to their fleet, flank speed.” Kamuss intended to advance on the enemy and close the range. Rather than let the enemy come to him, he would go to them, forcing them to react to his fleet. He preferred to be on the offensive instead of the defensive.

LeLath, his second in command, shut her eyes briefly as she waited for combat to begin. “For years we have prepared for their coming,” she said, her voice like a pleasant purr. “So far our fleets are suffering tremendous losses in the engagements with the enemy.”

“We have large numbers of warships,” answered Kamuss, glancing at his second in command. “All our worlds are protected by battlestations and massive defensive grids. So far we have succeeded in turning back the Trellixian advance. Our worlds are still safe and undetected.”

LeLath nodded in agreement. “But look at the cost. We have sacrificed much to prepare for this day. Our cubs learn the ways of war instead of the ways of the hunt and of honor. Instead of contests to see who is the strongest and the cleverest, we now search for ways to kill our enemy. It is not the way of the Voltrex.”

“It must become our way if we are to survive,” answered Kamuss. Kamuss’s eldest son would shortly complete his training to take his place on a warship to protect the clans of the Voltrex. Kamuss was greatly saddened at how many of the old ways had been abandoned. His mate was also greatly concerned about the changes made. However, the old ways would lead to defeat and the death of all the Voltrex clans by the Trellixians. The new ways must be adopted if the Voltrex were to survive.

“Engagement range,” reported Zalurr in a calm voice. “We are in position and have risen five hundred kilometers above the enemy fleet.”

“Fire!” ordered Kamuss, leaning forward in his command chair. Trellixian battlecruisers were visible on several of the large viewscreens on the front wall of the Command Center. All Kamuss had to do was force this fleet to retreat; it was not necessary to destroy it.

-

From the Voltrex ships, white energy beams leaped out to impact the energy shields of the Trellixian battlecruisers. Voltrex missile tubes slid open, and missiles with twenty-megaton fusion warheads burst forth toward their targets. Each missile had a miniature sublight drive allowing for tremendous acceleration. Across the Trellixian formation, brilliant flashes of light erupted as the Voltrex missiles detonated, threatening to bring down the Trellixian energy shields.

In the Trellixian fleet a battlecruiser’s energy shield flickered, allowing two of the Voltrex energy beams to penetrate. The pair struck the hull, penetrating deep inside the vessel and setting off secondary explosions. A huge segment of the hull blew off into space, and then a massive burst of flames erupted from the damaged section to be quickly snuffed out by the vacuum of space.

For just an instant, the energy screen went down and then came back up. However, that instant was long enough for a Voltrex fusion missile to flash through and contact the hull. In a massive blast of light and destruction, the two-thousand-meter-long Trellixian battlecruiser was turned into a molten wreck. The Voltrex had the first kill in the battle.

-

“Battlecruiser Tomak has been destroyed,” reported Maldane. “A Voltrex fusion missile penetrated the energy screen and destroyed the ship.”

Battle Commander Balforr sat impassively in his command chair on the command pedestal. “Destroy them!” he ordered. “We are Trellixians, and none shall stand in our way.”

Staring at the viewscreens, Balforr could see his fleet was under heavy attack. The Voltrex had maneuvered until their fleet was slightly above his, making it harder for all the Trellixian battlecruisers to bring their weapons to bear. Fortunately, since discovering the existence of the Voltrex Federation, the Trellixian Empire had constructed stronger missiles for their fleet. Instead of the weaker twenty-kiloton missiles their battlecruisers normally carried, those venturing into Voltrex space carried the much more powerful fifty-megaton fusion missiles.

-

In the Voltrex fleet, two enemy missiles struck the energy shield of a four-hundred-meter-long support vessel. In a bright flash the shield failed, and the vessel was instantly vaporized from the intense heat and massive amounts of energy released from the twin explosions. Nearby, a Voltrex battlecruiser had its stern blown off by a pair of energy beams that penetrated the energy shield. Other ships were suffering damage as the superior weapons of the Trellixians began to overwhelm the Voltrex fleet.

-

Commander Kamuss held on to his command chair, his claws digging deeply into the armrests as his flagship shook violently. Alarms sounded, and red lights appeared on the damage control console. He ordered the fleet to change its formation slightly to give it less exposure to Trellixian weapons fire.

“We have several compartments open to space,” reported Lieutenant Commander LeLath. “Fires are out of control in frames seven and eight, and they are spreading.”

“Vent those sections,” ordered Commander Kamuss.

“Crewmembers are still in there,” replied LeLath, her eyes narrowing in concern. “We need a few minutes to get them out.”

Kamuss let out a deep breath, his whiskers quivering. “If we don’t vent now, and those fires spread, we could lose the ship.”

LeLath took a step back and passed on the order. A few moments later she turned back to Commander Kamuss with a pained look in her eyes. “Fires are out.”

“Status of the fleet?” Kamuss knew he was losing the battle. The Trellixians’ weapons were just too powerful.

“We’ve lost seven battlecruisers and eighteen support ships,” reported Zalurr from Sensors. “We’ve taken out six Trellixian battlecruisers.”

“Not enough,” said Kamuss with a deep frown. It was nearing time to consider withdrawing. It would be a futile gesture to sacrifice his entire fleet.

Suddenly on the tactical display, a large number of green icons appeared.

“Commander Zolmar has arrived with his fleet,” reported Lieutenant Commander LeLath excitedly.

Kamuss leaned back in his command chair, letting out a long and deep sigh of relief. Commander Zolmar had been close by when Kamuss had detected the invading Trellixians and had been contacted to come as quickly as possible. Kamuss had not expected him to arrive so soon. “How many ships does he have?”

“He brought his entire fleet,” Zalurr reported. “I’m detecting 6 battleships, 42 battlecruisers, and 118 support ships.”

Kamuss’s eyes widened. That was nearly the entire fleet assigned to defend Bator Seven, a nearby Voltrex colony world. Zolmar was taking a risk committing his entire fleet to this battle.

“Zolmar’s ships are engaging the Trellixians,” added Lieutenant Commander LeLath.

On the viewscreens, the intensity of the battle instantly ratcheted up. More missiles struck Trellixian energy shields as well as energy beams. Several Trellixian battlecruisers exploded under the intensified attack, spreading debris across space. The Trellixian fleet was being hit from two directions, putting it in an indefensible position.

Commander Kamuss nodded, pleased with the sudden change in the tactical situation. “Continue to advance and engage the enemy. Decrease speed by 40 percent. We now have an overwhelming advantage. The Trellixians will withdraw, or we will destroy their fleet.”

-

Battle Commander Balforr frowned as the second Voltrex fleet appeared and began attacking.

“I’m detecting 166 new warships,” reported Maldane. “Six are battleships, and forty-two are battlecruisers. The rest are support ships.”

“We are badly outnumbered,” Second Officer Jaltor said with growing concern in his voice. “We cannot defeat a fleet of this size.”

Balforr stood and peered intently at the tactical display and all the red threat icons. “There must be a nearby Voltrex world, where the second fleet could have come from so quickly. We shall withdraw and report that fact to the High Command.”

This would accomplish at least part of Balforr’s mission. So far, since encountering the Voltrex, none of their worlds had been located, at least not until now. It would be necessary to search this region of stars, there was no doubt one of the Voltrex worlds must be nearby. Once located, it would be conquered and its population cleansed from the surface of the planet. It would mark the beginning of the end of the Voltrex.

-

The Trellixian fleet made the jump into hyperspace, vanishing from the star system and leaving behind wreckage from warships destroyed on both sides in the brief but violent battle. Commander Balforr retired to his quarters to make his report, which would be sent to the High Command. There was no doubt in his mind that many more battles would ensue with the Voltrex. This was by far the most powerful race the Trellixians had ever encountered, excluding the Jelnoid worlds, the primary difference being the Jelnoids had more advanced weapons but far fewer ships.

Thinking of the Jelnoids, Battle Commander Balforr wondered what had become of Earth. A picket force had been stationed in the system to monitor the planet, which had gone into a brief nuclear winter. Balforr had his doubts that many Humans had survived and, those who did, would most likely lose their technological base because of a lack of numbers. Once that occurred, the planet would be brought into the Trellixian Empire, and colonization would begin.

-

Voltrex Fleet Commander Kamuss spoke briefly with Fleet Commander Zolmar. Both fleets would return to Bator Seven for repairs. A third fleet would be summoned as well, since it was highly likely the Trellixians would launch a search for the nearby colony. With three fleets and the massive defensive grid that protected the planet, the two commanders were confident they could hold the system.

-

“Can all our ships enter hyperspace?” asked Commander Kamuss, looking over at Lieutenant Commander LeLath. A number of the ships in his fleet had suffered damage.

“The Parlon, Daball, and Fang will need several hours to get their hyperspace drives fully operational,” reported Lieutenant Commander LeLath. “They are the most heavily damaged.”

Kamuss leaned back, accepting they would wait for the three ships to complete their repairs. “Very well. Inform the three ship captains to notify us when their repairs are done.”

Once his fleet reached Bator Seven, a number of his ships would enter the repair bays of the two shipyards orbiting the planet. If and when the Trellixians returned, Kamuss wanted his fleet at full strength. He would also request additional warships to replace the ships lost in the battle. With a deep sigh, he knew his own flagship would need some repairs. It had a large hole in its side where energy beams had struck, opening up several compartments to space.

Standing up, Kamuss was going to his quarters until the fleet was ready to jump. He needed to send messages to the clans of those who had died in the battle. He dreaded that duty, but it was necessary. Unfortunately, in this war, he greatly feared he would perform this duty far too often. “Lieutenant Commander, inform me when the repairs to our ships are complete. I have some messages I must send.”

-

Five hours later the two Voltrex fleets entered the star system containing Bator Seven. Eighteen planets were in the system with four planets in the habitable zone. Bator Six was on the warm side, and only its poles were habitable. Bator Seven had a highly desirable climate and several large oceans. Bator Eight, while habitable, was too hazardous to colonize because of the dangerous animals and flying insects which abounded on its surface. Bator Nine was cold, and a narrow section around the planet’s equator was the only habitable region. It was also rich in heavy metals, and numerous mining operations were centered there.

-

Voltrex Commander Kamuss was in the Command Center as his flagship exited hyperspace and went into orbit around Bator Seven. The planet was heavily populated with nearly four billion inhabitants. Around it orbited 1,400 small defensive satellites and 16 large one-thousand-meter battlestations. Also a number of orbital stations were just below the defensive satellites, including two large shipyards.

“Defense Command has given permission for our damaged ships to head for the shipyards,” reported Meela from Communications. “Commander Kallon requests a complete report on our encounter with the Trellixians and would like you to come to his office once we’ve docked and you can get away from your duties.”

“Inform Commander Kallon that I will be there as soon as possible.”

Shifting his gaze to one of the primary viewscreens, Kamuss could see the two large shipyards. Both were heavily armed and protected by energy shields. In addition, a number of small patrol ships were visible around each. These ships were only two hundred meters in length with no hyperspace drives. They did possess very powerful sublight drives capable of high acceleration and were heavily armed with energy beams and twenty-megaton fusion missiles.

Kamuss let out a deep sigh, thinking about how much had changed and was still changing. Forty years ago the Voltrex Federation was one of peace and exploration. Anytime they encountered other inhabited worlds, they observed and then traveled onward. Contact was prohibited unless the other civilization had interstellar travel. No such civilization had been discovered until a Voltrex exploration fleet encountered a Trellixian exploration vessel.

The Trellixian vessel had instantly attacked, seeking to destroy the Voltrex exploration ship, but its escorts managed to overwhelm the Trellixian vessel, heavily damaging it. All that was recoverable from it were some of its computer files, which told of the Trellixians’ constant expansion due to their growing population pressure. The files showed world after world being conquered and their civilizations decimated.

An emergency meeting of the Voltrex Federation Council placed the Federation on a war footing. The discovery of the Trellixian vessel shook the Voltrex Federation to the core. From what was in the captured files, there could be no peace with the Trellixian Empire. For forty years the Voltrex built up their fleets and fortified all twenty-eight of their inhabited star systems.

New colonies were prohibited, though a colonization fleet was sent off to the far reaches of the galaxy as far from the Trellixian Empire as possible. If the Federation fell, at least their civilization would continue and not suffer the fate as so many others had. The fleet had instructions not to send any vessels back or to ever attempt to contact the Voltrex Federation again. It was the only way to ensure the colonization fleet’s existence remained a secret, along with its eventual destination.

Kamuss’s flagship quickly docked with one of the shipyards as other more seriously damaged vessels entered the repair bays.

“We have a hard dock,” confirmed Metriic from the Helm. “Crew can disembark upon your orders.”

“The dock leader has several repair crews standing by,” added Meela.

LeLath looked toward Kamuss. “Some repairs can be done while the ship is docked. The more serious damage to the hull must be repaired inside a repair bay, once one is available.”

“The crew may embark to the station for some rest,” replied Kamuss. “But I want them to remain either on the station or the ship. We don’t know when the Trellixians will return.” Kamuss was certain the commander of the Trellixian fleet they had just encountered had already called for reinforcements.

“I will pass on the order,” replied LeLath. The shipyard had a large area reserved for returning crews. Food, entertainment, and decent sleeping quarters were available. “I will stay here until all the ship’s systems have been properly secured.”

Kamuss nodded. A few crewmembers were aboard at all times, several in Engineering as well as two or three in the Command Center. “I’ll be in Commander Kallon’s office to give my report. I’ll check back when I’m done.” Kamuss didn’t want Lieutenant Commander LeLath to spend all her time on the ship. She needed to get some rest before the fleet went into battle again.

-

Fleet Commander Kamuss exited his ship and made his way through the station to Defense Commander Kallon’s office. The station was quite large with a crew of over 12,000. He passed numerous other members of the Voltrex race on his way. While most Voltrex were tiger striped with fur of gray, white, and black, others were solid colors. He passed several gray females and even one calico maintenance worker. All acknowledged his presence with a slight nod of their heads.

Reaching Commander Kallon’s office, Kamuss was ushered inside by one of the guards at the hatch, finding both Commander Kallon and Fleet Commander Zolmar. Zolmar had docked only a few minutes before Kamuss did. His fur was a solid black and his eyes a light yellow.

“Greetings,” said Commander Kallon, standing up and holding out his palm, claws retracted, facing Kamuss. This was how the Voltrex greeted each other, showing no danger. “I’m sorry to hear you lost some of your warships and your crews to the Trellixians.”

“It was unfortunate,” Kamuss replied. “While our weapons can destroy Trellixian battlecruisers, we are still outmatched by their energy beams and missiles.”

Commander Kallon indicated for Kamuss to sit down. “Yes, those missiles. I have spoken to our military command on Voltrex, and they are working to increase the power of our own missiles. They feel confident they can match the strength of the Trellixian fusion missiles within the year.” Shaking his head, he continued. “However, the energy beams and shields are another story. We just don’t have the power systems to match them.”

Kamuss looked past Commander Kallon at the numerous viewscreens behind his desk. Several showed scenes of space and the stars, while others revealed the inside of the station, including the repair bays. “The Trellixians will suspect we have a colony world nearby after this last battle. They will guess that is where Commander Zolmar’s fleet came from. I fear they will come searching for it and will most likely locate the Bator System.”

“It was going to happen eventually,” Kallon replied with a serious look crossing his face. Even his long whiskers seemed to straighten. “Our colony is the nearest to their expanding Empire. We will have a few surprises for them when they come. I want to hear from both of you what you learned in the battle. And send videos of the encounter to me as well. If we want to defeat the Trellixians and keep them from laying waste to our worlds, we must study how they fight. Perhaps we can find a weakness.”

Kamuss nodded his agreement. “Based on what we have seen from the computer files we captured from their exploration ship, we know they will show no mercy. I greatly fear, even if we can keep them from conquering our worlds, this war will go on for a very long time. Their Empire is vast, and they seek space for their growing population.”

“I have seen and studied those files,” added Commander Zolmar, leaning forward. “They have destroyed hundreds of civilized worlds, perhaps more. Many of the civilizations they destroyed had no means of defending themselves. There can be no peace between our people and the Trellixians.”

“I’m afraid you’re right,” Commander Kallon replied. “Let us discuss how best to defend this system. I have no intention of letting it fall to these monsters. When they come here, we must send them back in defeat.”

Kamuss was in full agreement. However, unless they could come up with a better power system for their ships, he was afraid they were fighting a war they would eventually lose.

Chapter Two

Major Mark Dolan was in command of two Ranger companies, sent out to annihilate a number of Trellixians reported to be holed up in a small valley in the Rocky Mountains. Mark thought it was ironic how the Trellixians were now using the same tactics the humans had when the aliens attacked Earth’s cities.

“Everyone is in position,” reported Captain Garcia over Mark’s earpiece. “Sergeant Wilkerson confirms the presence of Trellixian troops. His advance scouts have spotted about twenty so far.”

Mark picked up the pair of binoculars he carried and quickly scanned the valley floor. Near the center was a grove of trees, and he could see something metallic covered with camouflage netting of some kind. “Have the scouts take a closer look at those trees. I’m pretty certain a hover tank is hidden there.” Mark wasn’t sure how the Trellixians could have gotten a hover tank into this valley; there were no roads or even major hiking trails. They would have had to use one of their shuttles, and none of them had been spotted in the air in over a year.

For several long minutes there was silence, and then Captain Garcia reported back in. “There are two of them,” he said. “We’ve also spotted about twelve more Trellixians. They have a small camp on the south side of the valley near that large rock outcrop. Sergeant Wilkerson believes they’ve dug themselves in with a number of firing pits protected by the rocks.”

“Any signs they’ve spotted us?” The Rangers had taken care in their approach to not be detected.

“No,” replied Wilkerson. “There’s no indication they’re aware of our presence. Several of them aren’t even wearing their battle armor.”

Mark took a moment to consider his options. “Sergeant Anderson, set up your two pulse cannons where you can hit those two tanks. We’ll take those out first and then the Trellixian soldiers. Let me know when you’re ready.” The tanks were the biggest danger, and Mark didn’t want to risk them firing their heavy energy canons or using their splinter grenade launchers.

Mark stood behind a large boulder, giving him an unobstructed view of the small valley. He had 312 Rangers encircling the area to ensure none of the Trellixians escaped. All across the planet, human military forces were clearing out the remaining pockets of scattered Trellixian survivors who had fled when their main forces had been eliminated by air and ground attacks. Over the year and a half since the Trellixian fleet had been driven away from the planet, the small surviving groups of Trellixian soldiers had been more of a nuisance than an actual threat.

“We’re ready,” reported Sergeant Anderson. “We have both tanks targeted. We’ll take out the entire grove of trees as we can see about half a dozen Trellixian soldiers there as well.”

Mark nodded. “Everyone stand by to fire on my order. I don’t want to lose anybody.”

“Ready to fire,” reported Captain Garcia.

“Ready to fire,” reported Captain Stockton.

Mark took a deep breath, focusing his attention on the grove of trees concealing the tanks. He could call in an airstrike, but that would only cause the enemy troops to scatter. This was the last known group in Colorado, and General Mitchell wanted it eliminated. “Fire!”

Two beams of white energy suddenly flashed down to strike the two concealed hover tanks. Both tanks exploded in brilliant fireballs, which rose high into the air. The beams then moved through the trees, and dark smoke rose as the trees caught fire. Several crashed to the ground. More energy beams appeared as the Rangers fired their pulse rifles at any Trellixians foolish enough to show themselves. Return fire struck the surrounding forest as some of the Trellixians discharged their energy rifles at their attackers. Their reaction time was surprisingly fast.

Suddenly, from numerous hidden firing pits, Trellixian automated heavy weapons popped up, firing energy beams. Then the valley in several locations split open, and two hover tanks rose launching splinter grenades at the Rangers.

“Damn,” muttered Mark, seeing them. He had never expected tanks to be hidden underground. “Sergeant Anderson!”

“I see them,” Anderson replied. “We’re repositioning the cannons.”

The Trellixian tanks fired their energy cannons while launching more splinter grenades into the air. Several Rangers fell to the ground, killed instantly by the deadly grenades. Another fell to the beam of an energy cannon.

Two white pulse beams suddenly smashed into both Trellixian tanks, tearing through their energy shields and ripping out huge gashes in the tanks’ armor. In a sudden explosion, one of the tanks blew up, leaving a smoking crater in the ground. A second round of beams soon followed the first as the remaining tank was split in two from the intense heat of the pulse beams.

“Get those energy cannon emplacements,” ordered Mark as he stood and fired his pulse rifle at one of the automated cannons. His shot missed, tearing up the ground next to the cannon. The automated cannons were something he hadn’t seen before.

Sergeant Anderson’s two large pulse cannons fired on the automated emplacements, wiping them out one by one. In bright explosions the cannons were blown apart, leaving smoking craters in the ground.

The fighting increased as the Rangers moved in. It became clear to Mark that many more Trellixians were here than he had first thought. This had the appearance of a major base. The firing from the rocky outcrop intensified as Trellixian energy beams searched for targets. Occasionally a Ranger would scream and drop to the ground.

“Sergeant Wilkerson, we need heavier firepower,” said Captain Garcia over the comm link.

“On it,” Wilkerson replied.

Almost instantly two MK 47 grenade launchers fired into the rocks where the Trellixians were concealed. Energy beams from pulse rifles pulverized the stones, sending pieces flying. Several Trellixians appeared in their battle armor, firing their energy rifles at the Rangers’ positions. More screams cut through the air as a few beams found their targets.

“Sixty or seventy of them are in those rocks,” reported Captain Garcia in disbelief. “Where did they all come from?”

Mark frowned. Their intelligence had indicated far fewer. “Probably underground tunnels. We must take them out. If we don’t, they’ll scatter and be a threat to the civilian population.”

“We’re moving in on them,” replied Captain Stockton. “We’ve got them penned down to that one area in the rocks. They’ll be hard to dig out.”

Staring toward the rocky outcrop, Mark could see explosions hammering the area from the two grenade launchers. Pulse energy beams were everywhere, and smoke darkened the air.

For several minutes the battle raged and then gradually died down, finally coming to a stop. An eerie silence held sway over the small valley. Fires burned in the forest, and smoke hung heavy in the air.

“Sergeant Anderson, take a platoon and check that rocky outcrop,” ordered Captain Garcia. “Be careful. Some Trellixians may still be hiding.”

“Why’s it always me?” muttered Anderson as he emerged, followed by several squads of Rangers. They approached the rocky area carefully, their pulse rifles held at the ready.

The Rangers quickly spread out, checking the rocky outcrop. Several times intense weapons fire broke out as Trellixians waiting in ambush fired upon the Rangers. Three more Rangers died when a hidden Trellixian suddenly emerged from a concealed firing pit behind them, firing his energy rifle. Half a dozen pulse beams cut the Trellixian in two, ending the fighting.

“That’s the last of them,” Sergeant Anderson reported. “From our count we’ve got 114 Trellixian soldiers here plus four destroyed hover tanks.”

Mark made his way to the scene of the battle, escorted by several Rangers. Walking toward the destroyed hover tanks, he saw several dead Trellixians in full battle armor nearby. Multiple burn marks on their armor showed where they had been hit by pulse energy beams.

“Sergeant Anderson reports a good-size bunker dug into the ground near that outcropping of rock,” reported Captain Garcia, coming to stand next to Mark. “These damn Trellixians were prepared for a long-term stay. Anderson says the bunker is well stocked with supplies and weapons.”

“We better sweep this area again in case they had patrols out,” Mark ordered. Several small cities in Colorado were full of civilians, though they were all protected by energy shields—necessary to protect the cities from the Trellixians as well as the short nuclear winter caused by their last use of nuclear weapons. “How many Rangers did we lose?” Mark had hoped to complete this mission with no losses. However, he knew from the greater resistance they had encountered and the unexpected presence of hover tanks, it had become impossible not to lose someone.

“Eighteen,” Captain Garcia replied grimly. “Those two hidden tanks and automated cannons caused most of them. We’ve got another twenty-three wounded.”

Mark’s throat tightened. Any losses nowadays needed to be held to a minimum as they prepared to take the fight to the Trellixians. “I’ll request some helicopter gunships be sent to scan this area with Jelnoid sensors.”

Garcia nodded his agreement. “No more known Trellixians are in Colorado. In another month we should have the last of them cleared from the entire country, as well as Canada and Mexico.”

“The UK finished two weeks ago. They’ve swept all their cities and the countryside.”

“I still can’t believe over two million people survived in the UK,” said Captain Garcia.

Mark smiled. “Several large hidden bases for the humans were in the UK, as well as numerous smaller underground installations. Several hundred thousand civilians who hid in the subway tunnels beneath London survived. The military had provided food and protection until it was safe for them to come back out. The Trellixians never suspected they were there.”

“You better get back to base,” suggested Captain Garcia. “I can finish up here.”

Mark let out a deep sigh. He needed to write up the report on this action. Once that was done, he would return to Complex One, where he had been reassigned. For the last six months he had been training on the Earth battlecruiser Vengeance as its tactical officer.

-

Lieutenant Lisa Reynolds sat at her science station on the three hundred-meter-long battlecruiser Vengeance. While much smaller than the Trellixian battlecruisers, the ship was built around Jelnoid technology. Its energy beams were capable of penetrating Trellixian shields, and the small missiles the human ship was armed with were capable of delivering a forty-megaton fusion warhead. Currently Lisa was using her science station to monitor the different systems on the ship.

“Lieutenant Reynolds, put up a view of the other battlecruisers on the main screen,” ordered Captain Erickson, the former captain of the Columbia Class submarine West Virginia. He had been promoted to command the Vengeance on its exploratory mission. All the special captains had been reduced in rank to lieutenants after being reassigned to spaceships to fit in with the rank classification on the space-going vessels.

Lisa quickly touched several icons, and the large viewscreen in front of her immediately revealed the other ships in the construction cavern. Including the Vengeance, ten battlecruisers lay in their berths in the massive cavern. On the screen, workers were loading supplies on the ships through a number of open hatches.

The navigation and helm station was to her left, and Lieutenant Brett Masterson sat there. On her right side at the main engineering console was Lieutenant Brenda Olsen.

Lieutenant Kia Drake sat at the ship’s sensor console, and Lieutenant Derek Keys was at the main computer console. All five of the former special captains were still responsible for scientific research involving Jelnoid technology. Several labs had been installed on the ship just for their use.

“We launch in a few more days,” Captain Erickson said. “All our ships are ready, and the crews have been trained as well as possible without actually launching the ships.” The crews had spent hundreds of hours going through battle simulations.

“Major Dolan should be back in two more days,” Lieutenant Commander Barrington commented. He stood on Captain Erickson’s right side where he was watching the crew go through its normal routine. “He wanted to lead his Rangers in this last mission to clear out the Trellixians still in Colorado.”

“I can’t blame him,” Erickson replied. “He’s a good officer and will make a great tactical officer once we go into combat.”

Lieutenant Commander Barrington nodded. “I met his sister, Jennifer, the other day. She’s a nurse at the primary medical center in the civilian complex. She’s very talented.”

“I’ve heard the same comments too. Have all our supplies been loaded?”

“Yes,” replied Barrington. “The last of our food supplies came on board two hours ago and everything should be stowed away shortly.”

Captain Erickson looked at his second in command. “I want everyone off the ship tonight. We don’t know how long we’ll be gone on our mission. The crew can have thirty-six hours of leave time before they report back. If they have any business to take care of, it needs to be done in that time.”

“I’ll pass on the message,” Barrington responded. Then he grinned. “I think I’ll go eat a good steak at one of the better restaurants in the civilian section.”

Captain Erickson laughed. “Enjoy yourself. I’m going to catch up on a little reading and then have a meeting with General Mitchell tomorrow afternoon.”

-

Lisa gazed at the viewscreen revealing the other ships in the squadron. All were ready to take the war to the Trellixians. She was nervous about that. Fighting on the ground was one thing; fighting in space would be something completely different. From what she understood, the Vengeance would participate in driving the Trellixians from the solar system, and then it would set out on its mission of exploration. The ship had food supplies to last over six months, so a long mission was expected.

“Lisa,” said Lieutenant Derek Keys.

Lisa wore a small earpiece, which allowed any of the command crew to speak to one another.

“After our shift I want all of us to get together and discuss the quantum computer project. I may have a few ideas on how to make it work.”

Derek was fascinated by the quantum computer the Jelnoids had used and was determined to construct a working model for the Vengeance. The computer used quantum entanglement, which made it thousands of times faster than a regular computer. Unfortunately it also made it highly inaccurate; at least the versions created in the labs by scientists on Earth had been like that. Somehow the Jelnoids had found a method to get around the inaccuracies.

“We can meet and do that,” Lisa replied.

Several small labs were in the ship that the five of them had access to. Derek was determined to get the quantum computer to work, especially since the Jelnoids had solved that particular problem. Unfortunately the quantum computer on the Jelnoid scout ship had been destroyed in the crash at Roswell.

“Don’t spend too long in the computer lab,” cautioned Captain Erickson. “I want the five of you to get some rest before returning to the ship.”

“We will,” promised Lisa.

For the last eighteen months, all of them had been working on learning as much as they could about Jelnoid technology from the database of the crashed Jelnoid ship and its on-board technology, which had been reverse engineered. It was astonishing how advanced the Jelnoids had been in many areas of research and highly disturbing how the Trellixians had defeated the advanced Jelnoid race, but the Jelnoid fleet had been heavily outnumbered and, in the end, overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Lisa hoped that didn’t happen to them as well.

-

Mark made it back to his base beneath the small mountain and quickly filed his report for Colonel Branson.

“It’s sent,” confirmed Lieutenant Bennington. “I understand you’re leaving us.”

Mark nodded. No one outside the complexes knew about the spaceships. “Yes, I’ve been reassigned.”

“I’m not surprised. The action around here is pretty much over. I’ll be leaving shortly as well.”

“Take care of yourself, Lieutenant,” Mark replied.

Going to his quarters, Mark sat down behind his desk, thinking about the last few months. Much of his time had been spent inside Complex One and the battlecruiser Vengeance. Taking a deep breath, he packed a few of the items he still had in his quarters, including several pictures of his parents and sister. One of the pictures was a family portrait of the four of them.

It greatly saddened Mark that his parents had died in the Trellixian attack. He had found their bodies at his aunt’s farm where his mother and father had gone to seek refuge. Fortunately his sister had survived and had been brought to Complex One, where she was working as a nurse.

The two siblings had traveled to their family home in Houston, finding it still standing. After securing a few mementos, they locked up the house, leaving a note informing anyone who might pass by that it was not abandoned.

When he finished packing, he took one last look at his quarters and then headed toward the front entrance. Now that the Trellixians had been driven from the planet and most of the enemy troops on the ground had been eliminated, this base would be deactivated as an operating facility. A caretaker crew of twenty or so would remain to keep the base ready in case it was ever needed again.

Exiting the large hatch beneath the cliff overhang, Mark hitched a ride on an ATV to take him to where a helicopter would pick him up. A small clearing a short distance away served as a landing site. The helicopter would fly him to a hidden underground monorail station that would take him back to Complex One. He gazed at the snowcapped mountains and the pristine forest. He had a suspicion it would be quite some time before he ever saw them again.

-

Professor John Wilkens closed his notebook where he wrote down areas of research he wanted to conduct. Ever since his arrival at Complex One, he had driven himself nonstop to discover additional secrets behind the Jelnoid technology. They had most of the Jelnoid technical database and hours of video from the Jelnoid engineer who had survived the crash, which had helped immensely. The biggest problem was understanding what they had. The science and technology was far in advance of nearly anything on Earth. In the early years after the crash, very little progress had been made.

“The ships are ready,” said Professor Pierre Fournier. “The fusion power plants are working as predicted, and we have all the power we need.”

Professor Wilkens nodded. The discovery of the heat-resistant alloys the Trellixians used in their energy rifles had been the turning point. For the first time the humans were ready to launch spacecraft to attempt to drive the Trellixians away from the Moon and possibly out of the solar system. “How many Trellixian battlecruisers are still in lunar orbit?” Since Earth’s militaries had installed Jelnoid primary energy cannons across the planet, the Trellixians had pulled back to the Moon, where they kept Earth under observation.

“Fourteen,” replied Major Charles Cunningham, standing next to Professor Kamen Weir. Cunningham had come to the main research facility to see if the professor and his team had any new developments to report.

Weir turned to Major Cunningham. “We’ve done everything we can to get these ships ready to fight the Trellixians.”

“I just wish they were larger,” said Professor Wilkens. “Our battlecruisers are only three hundred meters in length. The Trellixian ships are two thousand meters.”

“The Jelnoid weapons will make the difference,” Professor Fournier replied confidently. “Our energy beams will cut right through a Trellixian energy shield.”

“The same goes for our energy shields,” added Professor Andre Leon. “The Jelnoid shields are much tougher to penetrate than the ones the Trellixians use.”

“We’re hoping the Jelnoid technology and our surprise attack will make the difference,” Major Cunningham said. “General Mitchell is certain the Trellixians won’t be expecting an attack against their battlecruisers.”

Wilkens nodded his head. “It’s essential, once the Trellixians are pushed away from the Moon, that we get our orbital defensive grid up and in place. We’ll need it while we rebuild our civilization.”

Most of the surviving civilians had been moved into cities protected by Jelnoid energy shields. A lot of work had been done in the last year and a half, getting industries restarted. Once the Trellixians were forced out of the solar system, plans were in place to build four large space complexes: one each in the US, Europe, Russia, and China. Each complex would have the capability to build more of the small battlecruisers. That would free up the large underground complexes to work on other projects.

“It will be done,” Major Cunningham said. “Thanks to all of you, the energy beam satellites and missile platforms are ready to go, and we will begin launching them, as soon as the Trellixians are gone. We also have the six small battlestations you designed. It will take longer to get them into orbit as they need to be assembled, but we’re putting some pretty powerful defenses around Earth.”

“Much of what we designed was based on Jelnoid specs and what they had defending their worlds,” replied Wilkens. “Only we’re building them on a smaller scale, particularly the battlestations.”

“How do you think the Trellixians will react?” asked Amber Stone, one of the system’s analysts. She had a worried look in her eyes.

Major Cunningham was silent for several seconds before replying. “We don’t know. We think they’ve been observing us, hoping the short nuclear winter would take out enough of the surviving population so Earth would cease being a threat. But, thanks to the energy shields we put around the small cities and towns, that didn’t happen. They want our world for living space. Even if we destroy the fleet orbiting the Moon, at some point they’ll come back and attempt to conquer our planet once more.”

“We need allies,” said Professor Wilkens. He looked at Major Cunningham. “The Vengeance and the Constellation will be sent out on an exploration mission, seeking allies to aid us against the Trellixians, as soon as it’s safe to do so.”

“Several more ships will be going eventually,” Major Cunningham replied, a haunted look crossing his face. “We can’t defeat the Trellixians in the long run, even with Jelnoid technology. Their Empire is just too vast.”

Professor Wilkens looked back at his notebook. He always carried it around so he could jot down ideas and keep records of various conversations which might be useful in the future. Lisa’s name was in it on a number of pages. Wilkens still deeply regretted not being able to save Lisa’s parents and her fiancé, Streth. At least she seemed to be adjusting to her new friends and being on board the Vengeance. Wilkens had also pulled some strings to ensure her ship had the best crew possible. Lisa was one of the brightest students he’d ever had. If they were to win this war, people, like Lisa, would be the ones to find a way.

Chapter Three

Trellixian Battle Commander Alnod gazed at one of the viewscreens showing Earth. For the last eight months his fleet had been orbiting the planet’s moon, scanning the planet. What a boring mission, one that did nothing to advance Alnod’s career. Every day the other ship commanders complained about the unending tedium and lack of action.

“What are the latest reports?”

Alnod’s fourteen battlecruisers were at a very relaxed alert status. They were out of range of Earth’s weapons, and, in all likelihood, the planet was well on its way to becoming void of sapient life. Alnod had long since ordered his ships to only monitor anything flying in the planet’s upper atmosphere or going into orbit. Either would indicate a recovery of the planet’s civilization. No such indications had happened over the last eight months, and Alnod was seriously considering suggesting to the High Command that they cease monitoring the planet altogether. In a few more years the planet should be ready for colonization with no additional military action required.

“No change,” reported Second Officer Chillan in a bored voice. “Sensor readings are the same today as they were yesterday and the day before. No new satellites are in orbit, and no upper atmospheric flights detected.”

“And the Humans in their cities?” Alnod knew some Human cities still survived and were protected by energy shields. He strongly suspected, once the power supplies for the energy shields were exhausted, even those last bastions of humanity would fade rapidly away. Food supplies had to be dwindling, and all their major industries had been smashed in the destruction of most of the planet’s primary cities.

“The same. Cities are still protected by their energy shields with little movement detected between them.”

This satisfied Alnod. He was convinced the lack of detectable movement was an indication the Humans were dying out. The cities had nothing they could offer to one another in the way of medical supplies or food.

“Our crews grow bored, sitting here in orbit of this desolate moon. We should be adding to the Empire’s holdings rather than watching a dying world. The number of fights between crewmembers increases daily. Many have been disciplined and even reduced in rank. At the heart of our Empire, our population continues to grow. We should be finding new worlds for our people.”

“And we shall,” replied Alnod. “I will send a report to the High Command that only a few battlecruisers are needed to observe the Human world. Our own fleet would be better utilized conquering new systems for our people to colonize.” The fights between crewmembers indicated decreasing morale and a lack of proper discipline. He would order his commanding officers to deliver stricter punishment for those who continued to violate ship rules.

“Battle Commander Balforr should have done a better job subjugating this planet,” Chillan replied. “Even though he claimed Jelnoid technology was present, he should have been victorious against the forces the Humans had. His loss of warships and Trellixian soldiers is unprecedented.”

Alnod did not reply. He had studied Battle Commander Balforr’s quite impressive record. If Balforr claimed Jelnoid weapons were present, Alnod believed him. It was one of the reasons Alnod had allowed no Trellixian shuttles or battlecruisers to travel nearer than twenty thousand kilometers of the planet. It was also one of the reasons the High Command had been patient about the eventual colonization of this world.

“Continue routine observations,” ordered Battle Commander Alnod. “I will be resting in my quarters. Do not disturb me.” Standing, Alnod left the Command Center.

-

Second Officer Chillan watched the battle commander leave. He suspected where Alnod was really headed. A drug had recently grown very popular in the fleet. It put the mind into an induced state of euphoria for hours on end, and, when one awoke, there were few to no side effects, other than feeling completely rested and extremely thirsty. As boring as this assignment was, the drug was becoming widely used throughout the fleet.

-

Lieutenant Reynolds and her friends were at a restaurant in the civilian section of Complex One, enjoying a good meal and some music. It would be their last chance to go out and have some fun before they reported back to the Vengeance.

Lisa was eating a pork chop and listening to the soft music playing in the background. With a contented sigh, she buttered a roll and took a bite. While the ship food was decent, it wouldn’t be the same as this. She took a moment to savor the warm taste of the roll and butter. It was almost heavenly.

“This steak is perfect!” proclaimed Derek as he took a bite of his medium rare steak.

“How can you eat that?” asked Brenda, frowning at the red juice on Derek’s plate. “If that steak was any rarer, it would be moving!”

Derek laughed as he cut off another slice and stuffed in into his mouth, followed by a huge helping of his loaded baked potato. “It’s all about retaining flavor. If you cook a steak too long, it loses its taste.”

“Medium,” said Brett, grinning. “I can’t handle medium rare. That steak of yours is barely warm in the middle.”

“I knew a guy who wanted his steak cooked only five seconds on each side,” Derek replied. “Now that was a rare steak.”

Kia shook her head. “I want my food well done. I’m not risking catching some disease from food that’s undercooked.”

Brett looked at Lisa. “Does Professor Wilkens have any words of wisdom for us before we embark on our epic journey?”

“I think he’s excited for us,” Lisa replied. “He did make sure all of us are on the same ship, and we’re one of only two vessels actually going out exploring. The rest will be staying here to defend Earth, at least for the immediate future.”

“The first trip out of the solar system,” Brenda said, her eyes lighting up. “Can you imagine what it’ll be like?” Brenda was enjoying a large bowl of potato soup.

“Exploration,” said Brett with a dreamy look in his eyes. “I always hoped to someday go to the stars. I can’t believe we’re actually doing it.”

“If the Alcubierre Drive works,” Kia said, eating a well-done New York strip steak with a loaded baked potato.

Brett shifted his gaze to Kia. “It will. All the simulations show it will. It’s an exact duplicate of the one on the Jelnoid scout craft, only larger. It’s also not a true Alcubierre Drive, since it does not use exotic matter.”

“Again assuming we reverse engineered it properly,” Kia replied. “The drive in the scout craft was damaged. The drives in our ships are based on what we could extrapolate from the drive itself and what was in the Jelnoid database.”

“It’ll work,” Brett insisted. “In a few more days we’re going to the stars.”

Everyone quieted as they thought about that. They would leave the solar system in search of allies against the Trellixians. While it would be a journey of exploration, it was also one of desperation. Without aid, Earth would eventually fall to the alien invaders.

Lisa looked at Derek who had taken out a small notebook and was scribbling something in it in between bites of his steak. Before coming to the restaurant, they had all spent time in one of the science labs on board the Vengeance where Derek was attempting to build a successful quantum computer. They had tried to think of various methods to make the computer more accurate but were still coming up short. If they could get it to work, it would be extremely useful on their voyage.

“What are you writing down?” asked Lisa, curious.

Derek looked up, excited. “I may have an idea about how to get the quantum computer to work. Let’s see if Professor Weir can figure out the mathematics of what I need.” Professor Weir, in addition to being a scientist, was a very astute mathematician.

Lisa leaned back in her chair, setting down her fork near her almost empty plate. “We’re leaving in a few more days. Professor Weir may not have time to finish what you need.”

“I know,” answered Derek. “At least I can get him to start working on it.”

Brett leaned over toward Lisa. “Are you seeing Professor Wilkens before we leave?”

Brett knew how close she and Professor Wilkens were. Lisa nodded. “Yes, we’re going out for breakfast in the morning. The professor promised me the best pancakes in the complex.”

Lisa looked forward to spending some time with the professor—even an hour or so just talking, when they weren’t actually working. Particularly since, once the Vengeance left, it would be months before she saw him again. The professor seemed like the only real family she had left after what had happened in Portland.

“Don’t forget we’re going shopping tomorrow afternoon,” added Brenda. “All three of us still need to pick up a few things before we leave.” Brenda nodded at Kia who was going along as well. Brett and Derek had declined as they said everything they needed was already on board the ship.

-

The next morning Lisa ate breakfast with Professor Wilkens. She had to smile at the professor’s plate. Not only did he have a huge stack of pancakes with maple syrup but ham and eggs as well.

The professor grinned upon seeing Lisa’s expression. “My mother always told me breakfast was the most important meal of the day.”

Lisa nodded. “So did mine. She used to get upset when I’d rush off without eating.”

“Your parents were special people,” Wilkens said with a sad look in his eyes. “I wish I could have saved them.”

“You did all you could,” replied Lisa, reaching out and putting her hand on the professor’s. She had long since accepted the death of her parents and Streth. “Those were terrible times, and many people lost everyone. Only a few were lucky enough for their families to survive.”

“We lost so much,” Wilkens replied in a soft voice. “I guess we’re fortunate to still be here.”

“You saved a lot of people with your research, and now we have the spaceships.”

Wilkens took a bite of his eggs and then looked at Lisa. “What do you think about this mission?”

“Brett’s really excited about it and so are the others. I just hope we can find allies in our search.”

Professor Wilkens hesitated for a long moment and then spoke. “It may be a longer mission than expected. We know from what the Jelnoids said and from the information we’ve recovered in some of the Trellixian shuttles we captured that very seldom have the Trellixians encountered other space-going races. Only the Jelnoids and maybe three or four others who had developed interstellar travel. Most of the worlds the Trellixians had conquered were similar in advancement to Earth or even less technically advanced. Many did not possess any military forces at all. Earth and the Jelnoids seem to be unique in that respect. The Jelnoids only had their military fleet to protect their colonies, and it was quite small.”

Lisa took another bite of her pancakes. The professor was right; these were very good. “What do you think the odds are of us finding another race who can help?”

The professor seemed to fidget in his chair before answering. “Not good. If you look at how large the Trellixian Empire is and at the number of worlds they’ve conquered, there may not be anyone left out there who can come to our aid.”

“Then why go on the mission?” Lisa waited to hear the professor’s answer.

“Because we might be wrong, and you may, indeed, find a race to help.” Wilkens paused for several long moments as if unsure how to say his next words. “There is something else also. If your ship does not find any allies to come to our aid, its secondary mission is to find another world for us to colonize. As soon as the battlecruisers are launched, we will begin building colony ships to carry some of our youngest and brightest off Earth. We will need to set up a colony far enough away from the Trellixian Empire to ensure it can grow sufficiently before the Trellixians find it in the far future. We don’t have to let our race die out here on Earth.”

Lisa had overheard Captain Erickson and Lieutenant Commander Barrington discussing that aspect of their mission several days back. She was certain they were not aware that she had heard them talking.

“We’ll find allies,” promised Lisa. “We have to. We’re not abandoning Earth.” After all they had gone through, she could not see them giving up in defeat. Somehow they would find a way to save the planet.

Professor Wilkens smiled. “Young people were always so optimistic. I hope you are right.”

-

General Mitchell was in his office inside the civilian complex. President Katelyn Hathaway had requested he maintain an office close to hers in case she needed to consult with him. Currently the president was busy reorganizing the country as well as bringing in people from across the world, people whose countries had been so devastated by the Trellixians that it was not practical for them to remain there. Passenger ships and low-flying passenger planes transported the survivors to different destinations around the world.

“In Canada, Mexico, and the United States we currently have forty-two million survivors,” General Briggs reported to General Mitchell. “We have 62 percent of the needed industries up and running, and the rest should be coming online in the next six months.”

General Mitchell was pleased with this. The small fusion reactors of the Jelnoids had saved the human race. They were able to place energy shields over the small towns and cities that the civilians occupied as well as provide the necessary power. While all the major cities had pretty well been devastated, many cities with populations of 250,000 or less had been left relatively untouched. These cities were now occupied by the survivors.

General Briggs’s report was interrupted as ten officers wearing the insignia of ship captains entered the room. These were the ten individuals who would command the battlecruisers built by Complex One.

“Have a seat,” said General Mitchell, gesturing toward the empty chairs at the conference table. “We have a lot to discuss today.”

Once everyone was seated, General Mitchell began the meeting. An image of the Moon appeared on the large viewscreen behind his desk.

“Currently fourteen Trellixian battlecruisers are in orbit around the Moon. From our observations these same battlecruisers have been there over eight months.”

“Eight months,” said Captain Baker, shaking his head. “I would be bored to death.” He was assigned to the second exploration ship, the Constellation.

General Mitchell nodded. “That’s what we hope. We’ve done everything we can to make them think the threat from Earth has steadily decreased. We’ve launched no new satellites and kept all aircraft travel below ten thousand feet. Even the airliners we are using have been covered in a special material to make them less detectable by Trellixian sensors. Travel between cities has been limited primarily to our underground monorail system. To the Trellixians, it should appear as if our people are dying out.”

“So when do we launch our attack?” asked Captain Odell. He had been the commanding officer of the second Columbia Class submarine, the one that had remained hidden in the Pacific Ocean.

General Mitchell looked to his left. “Colonel Fields, explain our attack plan.” Colonel Fields was familiar with the Jelnoid weapons installed on the battlecruisers.

“We launch in forty-eight hours,” Fields informed the ship captains. “You will be joined by battlecruisers from China, Russia, and the UK. We will have nearly a three-to-one advantage over the Trellixians and should be able to overwhelm their energy shields and destroy their vessels. We do not expect a prolonged battle.”

“Who will be in overall command of the fleet?” asked Captain Baker.

“Admiral Daniel Edwards from the UK,” answered General Mitchell. “Admiral Edwards is a carrier commander and has all the necessary qualifications to lead our fleet.”

“What if the Trellixians pull back from the Moon and go to Mars or another planet in the solar system?” asked Captain Erickson.

“We will follow them,” Colonel Fields answered. “Our plan is to drive them completely out of the solar system. We don’t want them in a position to observe us putting up our defensive grid over Earth.”

Captain Odell leaned forward, gazing intently at Colonel Fields. “What losses do we expect?”

Colonel Fields let out a deep breath. “I would like to say none, but the Trellixian battlecruisers are much larger than our ships and are very powerful. We are hoping our losses are minimal, but we won’t know until we engage the enemy.”

“As soon as we’ve confirmed the Trellixians have been driven from our solar system,” General Mitchell continued, “we will launch our new defensive system. Complex Two has built four large cargo ships to handle the emplacement of the new Jelnoid energy beam satellites and missile platforms. As soon as all those are in place, we have six small battlestations we will assemble in orbit.”

“You’re expecting the Trellixians to return shortly,” guessed Captain Erickson.

General Mitchell nodded. “Yes, as soon as they find out we have either destroyed their observation fleet or forced it to withdraw from the system, we are fairly certain the Trellixians will return with a much larger fleet and attempt to destroy ours. We’re hoping the defense grid and a few other surprises we’re holding back for them will thwart that attack.”

“Okay, let’s get down to the details of our plan,” said Colonel Fields. “From the time our ships launch until the time we hit the Trellixians, we want to hold that to a minimum. The less time the Trellixians have to prepare, the better.”

-

For the next two hours Colonel Fields described in detail what the fleet would do and which actions to take, depending on how the Trellixians responded to the appearance of the Earth battlecruisers. When the meeting was finally over, the captains left. Next time General Mitchell spoke to them, the solar system would be free of the Trellixians.

“What do you think?” Mitchell asked General Briggs.

“According to Professor Wilkens, the likelihood of the Vengeance and the Constellation finding allies for us is very remote. I fear all we’re doing is delaying the inevitable. We’re just kicking the can down the road.”

Colonel Fields shook his head. “We will build five colony ships here at Complex One. If we can’t find allies, then we will send our people out into the galaxy. Perhaps someday, in the future, they will return and free Earth.”

“By then no humans will be here,” General Mitchell said. He stood and walked to his desk where he sat down. “We will draw out the war with the Trellixians as long as possible. Other countries will build a few colony ships as well. It may well be that the future of the human race rests out in the galaxy and not here on Earth.”

“I don’t believe that,” Colonel Fields responded, his eyes narrowing sharply. “I think the human race is very resilient. We have our deep bases hidden in various countries around the world. This world is ours, and we will never let the Trellixians take it from us. Even if only our deep bases survive, it will take the Trellixians years to dig us out of the ground.”

General Mitchell remained silent. He hoped Colonel Fields was right. It would be a shame if the human race was forced to abandon the planet of its birth.

-

Major Mark Dolan stepped into the Command Center of the Vengeance. The only person here besides a communications officer was Lieutenant Commander Barrington. Mark would be serving a dual role on board the ship. He was in charge of the tactical station as well as the Marines providing security for the vessel. It had been decided that two full squads would be sufficient for security. He retained his Ranger rank of major, though it was understood he was third in the chain of command behind Lieutenant Commander Barrington.

“Welcome aboard,” said Barrington, seeing Mark enter the Command Center. “I wasn’t expecting you until later this evening.”

Mark smiled. “I wanted to go over a few things and get all my gear stowed away. Then I’m off to visit my sister, as it may be a while before I see her again.”

Barrington nodded in understanding. “We may be gone for six months or more. We have no idea what we may encounter out there.”

“Aliens,” Mark replied. “Let’s hope they’re friendlier than the Trellixians.”

Mark sat down in front of the large tactical console and activated it. He spent a few moments running through some simulations of what it would be like if the ship actually engaged a Trellixian battlecruiser. The Vengeance was equipped with six primary Jelnoid energy beams—two on the bow and four on the main hull. Also twelve secondary Jelnoid energy turrets were located in four concentric rings along the hull, allowing the ship to fire in all directions.

On each side of the primary hull were six missile tubes, all capable of launching modified Jelnoid missiles powered by sublight drives able to hit any target within twenty thousand kilometers. That was something else Mark had to get used to. On board ship, everything was in meters and kilometers, whereas, on the ground, it was yards and miles. Mark was certain it was a scientist thing, just to make everything more confusing.

Two other officers would join Mark at the tactical console. In a combat situation, each one would command a different set of the ship’s weapons. For nearly two hours Mark ran through a number of simulations. In the last year he had spent a lot of time on board the Vengeance as well as going on a few missions with his Rangers.

At first he had been uncomfortable in the role he had been assigned. However, after working with Captain Erickson and Lieutenant Commander Barrington, Mark gradually became more at ease in his tactical role. In a combat situation, sometimes snap decisions were required; it was one of the reasons he had been chosen to fill this position on the Vengeance. They needed a tactical officer who wasn’t afraid to make the hard decisions.

Finally satisfied, Mark stood and stretched. He would head to his quarters and change and then meet his sister. They were going out to eat and then to a play she wanted to see. While Mark wasn’t thrilled about attending a play, tonight was all about his sister and making her happy.

Tomorrow he would return to the Vengeance and prepare for their launch. He was curious how they would get all ten battlecruisers out of the large construction cavern without detection. The few times he’d asked about this, the other officers had only smiled and said to wait and that he’d find out. Mark suspected a large exit tunnel was somewhere.

-

General Mitchell walked along the sidewalk to a wide thoroughfare in the underground city. It was the beginning of the night cycle, and still a large number of people were out and about. The underground city was in a cavern nearly fourteen miles long and three wide with a ceiling one mile above. Mitchell had to grin, looking up. Small lights set in the ceiling simulated the stars, though the lights didn’t move. Mitchell knew at the moment nearly three hundred thousand people lived in the civilian section of Complex One.

It seemed as if he were in a normal human city. There were restaurants, shops, movie theaters, and everything else one would find in a city. The difference was, in this city, there was no pollution and no crime. It was also the most highly advanced city on the planet. Taking a deep breath, General Mitchell entered a small sidewalk café that served excellent Chinese food. As he sat down, he wondered just what the Vengeance and the Constellation would find out among the stars. Someday he wanted to walk on Earth’s surface and not worry about what might be in orbit above.

Chapter Four

Captain Erickson sat down in his command chair and took a deep breath. In a few minutes the Vengeance and the other battlecruisers would be entering and exiting the long tunnel leading up to the surface. On the main viewscreen a huge section of the rock wall in the cavern slid back, revealing a lit opening. For ten miles the tunnel stayed level before gradually turning upward. Then another twelve miles before they exited on the far side of the mountains. The tunnel had been hollowed out with Jelnoid heat beams years in the past. If the Trellixians were to detect it, the tunnel would seem more like a lava tube because of its depth. However, it was doubtful the Trellixians had anything, which could scan this deep beneath the planet’s surface.

“All systems are powered up and working at optimum levels,” Lisa reported from her science console, monitoring all the ship’s systems. Lisa whispered to her fellow lieutenants, “I feel both excited and slightly frightened, knowing the ship is about to go into space.”

On the primary screen, the image shifted to show the other ships of the fleet before switching back to the large tunnel opening in front of them.

“All hands, set Condition One,” ordered Lieutenant Commander Barrington. Immediately the alarm klaxons sounded, and red lights flashed.

Mark quickly contacted Lieutenant Brown, ordering him to place his two squads of Marines throughout the ship in case they needed to repel boarders. The Marines would cover the main hatches, Engineering, and the outer hatch to the Command Center.

“Helm, move us down the tunnel and prepare to exit. Upon egress, give full power to the thrusters and take us up,” ordered Captain Erickson.

The tension and excitement in the Command Center was obvious as, for the first time, the Vengeance actually began to move.

-

In the massive construction cavern, the Vengeance rose up on her thrusters and then moved into the tunnel. As soon as the Vengeance entered, the next ship in line rose up and followed closely behind. It didn’t take long for all ten ships to leave the cavern and for the massive door to seal back up.

As soon as the ships were gone, construction crews moved in and began setting up the construction berths for their next projects. The colony ships as well as more battlecruisers would soon be built in the now-empty cavern.

The ten battleships moved through the long tunnel, before turning upward and exiting into bright sunlight. As soon as the ships were aboveground, they accelerated upward, climbing rapidly toward space.

-

On board Battle Commander Alnod’s command ship, warning alarms sounded. Second Officer Chillan looked at the sensor officer for an explanation. “Why are alarms going off?” The alarms didn’t normally go off unless there was a threat to the ship.

“I’m not sure,” the sensor officer replied as he leaned forward, studying his screens for an explanation. “The sensors show spacecraft climbing upward through Earth’s atmosphere, but that can’t be right. The Humans have no spacecraft.”

Chillan turned toward the ship’s main viewscreen. “Put a close-up view of those objects on the screen.” Chillan wondered if the Humans might be attempting to put satellites into orbit around their planet. If they were, they were not as helpless as Battle Commander Alnod thought. A more aggressive approach might be necessary toward the planet and its few surviving Humans.

On the main viewscreen, several large objects appeared. They were cylindrical in form with a curved bow and a flared stern. “Those aren’t missiles!” blurted out Chillan, seeing how rapidly they moved. “How large are they?”

“Three hundred meters,” reported the sensor officer. “I am detecting other launches across the planet.”

“How many?”

“Forty confirmed contacts.”

“A war fleet,” surmised Chillan, when a sudden flash of fear ran over him. If the rumors of Jelnoid technology were true, those ships could be a threat to the fleet. “Contact Battle Commander Alnod and inform him his presence is needed in the Command Center. All ships are to fully activate their energy shields and prepare for combat. This is not a drill.”

Second Officer Chillan was unsure of what he should do. Never had he fought an engagement against other warships. That was nearly unheard of. Only three or four races had ever been encountered by the Trellixians who possessed warships in the past. All of those, except the Jelnoids, had easily been defeated.

“Battle Commander Alnod is not answering his comm,” reported the communications officer.

Chillan sighed. No doubt Alnod was under the influence of the drug being used across the fleet. Kriss, while not addictive, was used too widely for relaxation. In the Command Center, more alarms sounded as the command to go to battlestations was announced throughout the ship. With nervousness, Chillan noticed a few stations in the Command Center were not even manned. It made him realize just how low morale in the fleet had fallen.

“The fleet is to assemble around us and prepare to repel this attack,” he ordered. Glancing toward the main hatch, he still saw no sign of Battle Commander Alnod. A message needed to be sent to the High Command informing them the Humans had developed spacecraft, possibly of Jelnoid design. Unfortunately only the battle commander could send such a message. He turned to the armed guards at the entry hatch. “Go to Battle Commander Alnod’s quarters and bring him here.”

The two guards looked unsure about following the order.

“Now!” growled Chillan, his gaze drilling into the guards.

“Human ships have formed up into a single battle group and set a course toward us,” reported the sensor officer. “They are traveling very fast and will be in combat range in twelve minutes.”

Chillan’s concern grew. At that speed, the Human ships indicated a very high level of technology. “Have our ships form two lines of seven, facing the Humans. We will engage them to see what weapons they possess. If necessary we will withdraw to the outer edge of the system and wait for reinforcements should the battle go against us.”

-

In space, the fourteen Trellixian battlecruisers quickly formed up into two parallel lines of seven, facing the nearing Human ships. Missile hatches slid open, but the battlecruisers only possessed the weaker twenty-kiloton nuclear missiles and not the newer fifty-megaton fusion ones used against the Voltrex.

-

Admiral Daniel Edwards was on board the UK battlecruiser Renown, the acting flagship of the combined fleet. He had served for seven years on board the HMS Prince of Wales, a British aircraft carrier. “Current status of the fleet?”

“Formed up and in battle formation,” reported Captain Nelson. “We will reach the Moon and the Trellixians in nine minutes. All ships are at Condition One and ready for combat.”

“Order the Vengeance and the Constellation to hang back. They’re to embark on their exploration mission as soon as we’ve driven the Trellixians from the system. I don’t want to risk either of those ships.” Admiral Edwards knew how important that mission was. It was essential they find allies for Earth.

“Yes, Admiral,” responded Captain Nelson as he moved to Communications to send the message.

“Tactical, prepare to fire the new Jelnoid missiles. Follow them up with our energy beams.” The Jelnoid missiles were superfast and had a forty-megaton fusion warhead, something he seriously doubted the Trellixians would expect. They also had an effective range of twenty thousand kilometers.

-

“Damn,” said Lieutenant Commander Barrington, disappointed. “We’ve been ordered to take up a position slightly behind the fleet and act as a rear guard, along with the Constellation.”

“I’m not surprised,” replied Captain Erickson. “I’m sure Admiral Edwards does not want our ships damaged in the battle as we have an exploration mission ahead of us. Move us to the rear of the formation.” Captain Erickson shifted his gaze to a Trellixian battlecruiser on the main viewscreen in front of Lieutenant Reynolds. The ship looked powerful and ominous.

-

Lisa felt sudden relief at hearing they would not be in the front of the formation. She was intensely nervous about engaging the Trellixians in a space battle. She looked up at the main viewscreen and the large Trellixian battlecruiser displayed there.

“I was hoping we’d get to use our weapons,” said Brett in disappointment. The five of them had their comms set so they could send private messages to one another.

“We’ll get our chance,” said Brenda. “The odds of us encountering Trellixians on our exploration mission are very good.”

“Too good,” added Derek worriedly. “Any habitable world we approach could already have been visited by the Trellixians.”

“We’re getting closer to the enemy fleet,” warned Kia. “We’ll be in combat range shortly.”

Lisa frowned. Their first time in space and they were going into a space battle. She wondered what that meant for their future.

-

Battle Commander Alnod stumbled into the Command Center with the two guards close behind. The effect of the drug was wearing off, but his mind still felt cloudy and confused. “What’s happening?” he asked in a stilted voice. The Kriss made one’s throat feel very dry. He desperately needed water.

“The Humans have launched a fleet on an intercept course for our warships,” reported Second Officer Chillan.

“How many hours before it gets here?” Alnod knew the Humans possessed very primitive spacecraft. His mind tried to grasp how the Humans had even managed to launch a few ships. His thirst continued to grow. He turned to one of the guards and ordered him to bring water. The guard frowned but left to do as ordered.

“Six minutes until engagement range,” Chillan replied. “The ships are very advanced and may be built around Jelnoid technology.”

Battle Commander Alnod’s eyes widened in disbelief. “How is this possible? All indications have been that the planet’s limited technology was declining.”

This was a disaster! He had been about to send a message to the High Command, suggesting their observation fleet could be reduced to just a few vessels, possibly even scout craft. There was no way the Humans could possess ships capable of reaching their planet’s moon. Something wasn’t right. Something must be wrong with the sensors.

The ship’s medical officer suddenly arrived and injected Alnod with an agent to counteract the Kriss in the battle commander’s bloodstream. He had already injected several other officers only now stumbling into the Command Center to take control of their consoles. The guard returned, carrying a large tankard of water, which Alnod hurriedly downed.

Alnod’s eyes quickly cleared up. “What’s the status of our fleet?”

“In combat formation, ready to engage the Humans,” replied Chillan.

Battle Commander Alnod made it to his command chair on the command pedestal and sat down. He took several long breaths, waiting for his mind to clear. Using the Kriss for relaxation had been a serious error. He would not make that mistake again. He looked at the tactical display of the inbound red threat icons. “Target the lead ships with our energy beams, followed by our missiles.” Alnod wished they had the more powerful missiles, but Earth was not considered to be a serious threat. These Human ships were small, and their weapons were unknown. Surely his much larger battlecruisers would destroy them, even if they possessed Jelnoid technology.

“Enemy ships still closing,” reported the sensor officer. “The Human fleet is in a loose cone formation with the apex facing us. The cone formation has thirty-eight ships in it. Two other ships follow slightly behind the others.”

“Probably the command ships,” suggested Second Officer Chillan. “We should make them a priority target.”

Alnod shook his head. The combination of the Kriss and the antidote the medical officer had given him had led to one large pounding headache. “No, the easier kills will be the forward most ships. Concentrate on them.” Alnod glanced at the sensor officer. “Scan those ships to determine what weapons they’re using. If it is Jelnoid based, we will withdraw immediately.” He wouldn’t risk losing his fleet to superior weaponry.

“Engagement range in two minutes,” reported the sensor officer.

“Weapons are locked on,” added the tactical officer.

“Stand by to fire,” ordered Alnod, leaning forward in his command chair. Like Chillan, he had never engaged in an actual space battle. He had no idea what it would be like or what to expect.

-

“The Trellixians are in range of our Jelnoid missiles,” reported Captain Nelson on board the Renown.

Admiral Edwards grinned. “Then launch them.”

-

Six missiles were launched from each of the thirty-eight battlecruisers in the cone formation. Two hundred and twenty-eight missiles exited the missile tubes and accelerated toward the waiting Trellixian battlecruisers. It only took the missiles a few seconds to reach their targets. The Trellixian battlecruisers’ point defense weapons activated, shooting down thirty-eight of the rapidly moving missiles before the rest impacted the protective energy shields. Massive flashes of light and energy lit up space as each missile unleashed forty-megatons of deadly energy. The Trellixian energy screens wavered, and several went down under the deadly barrage.

As soon as the first missiles detonated, the Human battlecruisers launched a second wave. The deadly blasts from the first set of missiles were just fading when the second wave struck. The two battlecruisers that had lost their energy shields were vaporized as fusion missiles impacted their armored hulls, exploding like blazing suns. Other screens already weakened flickered and then died. More Trellixian ships became molten wrecks. The fusion energy ran rampant over the Trellixian formation, penetrating energy screens and striking the vulnerable armored hulls. The deadly energy showed no mercy.

-

On board Battle Commander Alnod’s flagship, alarms sounded, and red lights flared on the damage control console. The ship shook violently, and several consoles in the Command Center exploded, sending showers of hot sparks across the room. The sounds of tearing and shrieking metal could be heard as compartments were ripped open.

“Report!” ordered Battle Commander Alnod as he looked about the ruins of his Command Center. Several officers were down and not moving. Others were injured and still manning their stations. A number of metal support beams had ripped loose, crashing to the deck. Bare wiring hung from the ceiling, and the smell of smoke was prevalent. Several small fires burned.

“Sublight drive is down. Hyperdrive has been destroyed. We have numerous compartments open to space,” reported a stunned Second Officer Chillan. “A number of decks are unresponsive.”

“Our other ships?”

Chillan glanced at the tactical display, working intermittently. “Only two still survive, and they have been seriously damaged.”

“Communications? We must get a message off to the High Command.” Alnod felt shocked at what had happened to his fleet. The attack was so violent that he hadn’t had time to even order his ships to escape into hyperspace.

Chillan shook his head. “The hyperspace communications array has been destroyed.”

The ship shook again violently, and Alnod could hear several crewmembers scream in pain from somewhere in the ship.

“We have numerous fires burning out of control,” continued Chillan. “A number of secondary explosions occurred near Engineering. We’re losing the ship.”

Battle Commander Alnod leaned back in his command chair. This was a disaster. He had no way to communicate with the High Command to inform them that he was about to lose his fleet. He had no fear of death, only a deep concern for the Empire. If the Human ships destroying his fleet were indeed based on Jelnoid weaponry, the Trellixian Empire could be facing a serious war. Even worse, what if the Humans discovered the Voltrex?

Then, in a sudden flash of light, the Command Center vanished. No pain, no noise, no … nothing. Just the brilliant light from the deadly fusion energy which turned the flagship into molten debris.

-

“Report?” asked Admiral Edwards as the light from the explosions faded away.

“They’re gone!” uttered Captain Nelson in shock. “All we’re picking up is wreckage.”

Admiral Edwards leaned back in his command chair. The Jelnoid missiles had done their work, far better than expected. “Send a message to General Mitchell. Mission accomplished. All Trellixian ships have been eliminated with no damage to the fleet. We will release the Vengeance and the Constellation in an hour to begin their exploration mission.”

-

Major Dolan stared at the tactical display in fascination as the last Trellixian battlecruiser flared up and then vanished. He had known the Jelnoid missiles were deadly with their speed, special shielding, and explosive force, but no one had expected this.

“Major Dolan, what are your observations from this battle?” asked Captain Erickson.

Mark took a deep breath and then replied. “Our missiles have a greater range than the Trellixian energy beams. Since the Trellixians never fired, I have to assume we were not in range of their weapons. I’m not sure how many missiles it takes to bring down a Trellixian shield, but it’s several.”

“I can answer that,” interrupted Kia. “Four missiles weaken the shield to the point that the fifth will bring down the shield, and the sixth will destroy the ship it protects. I’ll rerun the sensor data, but that’s what the early results indicate.”

Captain Erickson nodded. “Ensign Smith, send that information to Admiral Edwards. He will find it useful.” Ensign Lindsey Smith was the ship’s communications officer as well as a language specialist.

Mark turned toward the main viewscreen in front of Lieutenant Reynolds. A few areas still glowed dimly in space where the molten remains of the Trellixians’ battlecruisers were rapidly cooling. Soon the glow would fade completely. The battle had been deadly but brief. Mark was surprised at how quickly it had ended. He had always pictured a space battle being long and drawn out as the two fleets whittled away at one another.

Now he realized the weapons used in a space battle were so deadly that, once a ship lost its energy shield, full destruction would soon follow. In the background of the destroyed Trellixian fleet was the growing globe of the Moon. Most of the wreckage from the space battle would eventually be captured by the Moon’s gravity, causing it to fall to the surface and adding more craters to its marred landscape.

-

Lisa was glad the battle was over. It had been swift and terrible. She was thankful it had been the Trellixians on the receiving end. During the brief battle she had taken a lot of readings with the ship’s sensors as well as other recording devices. She intended to go over all the data gathered when she had time with Brenda, Brett, Kia, and Derek. Perhaps the info would show other weaknesses that the Trellixian ships might possess.

“Admiral Edwards has given us permission to embark on our exploration mission in another hour,” said Derek. “Both the Vengeance and the Constellation will take a path past Mars and then activate the FTL drive.”

“Strange to call it an FTL drive,” said Brett. “A ‘warp drive’ would be better.”

“A ‘warp drive’ sounds too much like Star Trek,” said Brenda, shaking her head. “I think ‘FTL drive’ is fine for now, until we come up with something more appropriate.”

“I like a ‘Fold Space Drive’ myself,” suggested Kia. “I mean, that’s what an Alcubierre Drive does. It contracts space in front of the ship and expands the space behind the ship, resulting in faster-than-light travel.”

There was silence for a moment, and then Brenda spoke. “I like that. Calling it a ‘Fold Space Drive’ makes more sense.”

Lisa grinned. “Brett, since you’re at the helm and navigation console, I suggest you speak to Captain Erickson about renaming the drive.”

“Somehow I knew you would say that,” replied Brett with a frown. “I’ll write up an explanation as to why we want to rename the drive and submit it to the captain with all our names on it.”

“Sounds like a plan,” replied Lisa. “If we’re passing close to Mars, I want to get some good sensor readings of the planet as well as photographs. I don’t know when we’ll get this opportunity again.” Lisa would take every opportunity she could to record all the different aspects of their mission.

“It might be a while,” said Brett. “We could be gone six months or longer. I wish we had the time to take a complete tour of the planets.”

Lisa looked at one of the viewscreens showing Earth. That blue-white globe was home. The planet’s atmosphere had finally returned to normal, and it now looked as it always had. From this distance no signs of the destroyed cities or the devastation the Trellixians had unleashed on parts of the planet could be seen. She wondered if it would still look the same when they returned.

Chapter Five

General Mitchell breathed out a long sigh of relief. He and the others in the underground Command Center had watched the battle on several viewscreens tied in to the orbiting Jelnoid satellites and focused on the new battlecruisers.

“Admiral Edwards confirms all Trellixian battlecruisers have been destroyed,” reported Colonel Tricia Steward from Communications. “He also reports they did not detect any hyperspace transmissions before or during the battle.”

“Jelnoid sensors indicate no Trellixian battlecruisers or other spacecraft remain in the solar system,” added Colonel Henry Fields.

“We took them by surprise,” said General Briggs, grinning broadly. “I don’t think the Trellixians got off even a single shot at our ships.”

“The Jelnoid missiles outrange theirs,” said Colonel Fields. “We had hoped that was the case.”

General Mitchell folded his arms across his chest. This was a great victory. It would allow them to put up the defensive grid without interference from the Trellixians. General Mitchell looked at General Briggs. “Launch the cargo ships. I want the defensive grid up and functioning as soon as possible. Have Admiral Edwards’s fleet return to Earth and go into orbit at twenty thousand kilometers while the grid is emplaced.”

“Cargo ships will launch in twenty minutes,” replied General Briggs as he sent out messages.

“So we won,” said a female next to General Mitchell.

Mitchell turned to look at President Katelyn Hathaway. “Yes, for now. Most of the Trellixian troops on the surface have been eliminated. There are still a few scattered pockets on our planet, but those should be mopped up in the next week or so. Admiral Edwards has destroyed the Trellixian observation fleet over the Moon, so the solar system is now under our control.”

“How soon before the Trellixians come back?”

“We’ve probably bought a few months,” replied Mitchell. “They don’t know what just happened. They may send a ship or two to find out why their fleet isn’t reporting in, and then they’ll put together a response fleet. By then we should be ready for them.”

Katelyn looked at the viewscreens’ images of the Moon and the human battlecruisers. “Can we keep the Trellixians away from Earth when they return in full force?”

General Mitchell stared intently at the president and then answered. “For a while. The defense grid is based on Jelnoid technology, and the Trellixians won’t like that. We now know our missiles give us a tactical advantage. We still have our fleet, plus some assets we haven’t deployed yet.”

“If the Trellixians manage to go back into orbit around Earth, will the energy screens protecting our cities be sufficient?” The safety of the remaining civilians was a major concern for Katelyn. They had lost so many and couldn’t afford to lose more.

“No energy screen can survive a sustained bombardment over a long period of time. If the Trellixians get into Earth orbit and bombard our towns and cities, we’ll eventually lose a few.”

Katelyn let out a deep breath. “Do we need to make arrangements to put more of our people underground?”

“No, we simply don’t have the resources to do that and also fight the Trellixians. What we can do is put all our towns and cities inside a ring of Jelnoid primary and secondary energy cannons. The primary ones would keep the Trellixian battlecruisers at a distance, and the secondary cannons could shoot down any inbound missiles. It’s the best we can do with the resources we have at hand.”

“Even that’ll take some time,” added General Briggs. “At the moment we have just enough primary and secondary cannons to cover the entire planet. Even those could be overwhelmed if the Trellixians launched a major attack.”

“Then we’d better build more cannons to put around our towns and cities, starting with the larger ones,” said Katelyn. “We can’t lose any more of our population.”

General Briggs looked at General Mitchell. “We have the production capacity in Complex Two to start up another manufacturing line for the primary and secondary cannons. Notify all our allies they may want to do the same.”

“Then let’s do it,” ordered General Mitchell, seeing no other option. “We have a few months before the Trellixians can do anything to us for destroying their fleet. When the Trellixians return, we must be ready in orbit as well as on the ground.”

“General, the Constellation and the Vengeance have left the fleet,” reported Colonel Fields. “They’re going out past Mars and then will activate their FTL drives to leave the system.”

“Why past Mars?” asked President Hathaway. “Couldn’t they do it from the Moon?”

“It gives them time to test other ship systems,” explained Major Jase Thomas, “something we couldn’t do in the underground construction facilities.”

“Cargo ships are preparing to leave Complex Two,” added Colonel Steward.

“They’re ahead of schedule,” said General Briggs. “I’ll notify Admiral Edwards they’re on the way.”

-

Admiral Edwards took the fleet back to Earth at a more leisurely pace. Across the fleet, systems were checked and drills run to search for any problems in the spacecraft. Admiral Edwards had an entire series of drills he wanted to run once the fleet got back into Earth orbit.

“We’ve found a few minor issues,” reported Captain Nelson. “Some are software related, and we should have fixes in place in the next twenty-four hours. Others are mechanical, with equipment just put together wrong. Engineers are working on those issues. We have a few cases where Jelnoid technology and our own technology just aren’t working properly together. Professor Wilkens and his team are studying those issues at Complex One.”

“The cargo ships are preparing to go into orbit,” reported Lieutenant Williams.

“Put them on the main screen,” ordered Captain Nelson. Almost instantly on the large screen on the front wall of the Command Center appeared four cylindrical-shaped ships. Each was five hundred meters in length.

“I have Captain Harmon on the comm,” reported Lieutenant Simmins.

Admiral Edwards nodded as he activated his comm unit. “Captain, it’s good to see your ships in orbit. Any problems?”

“Only minor and the engineers on board are correcting them. We’re ready to deploy the Jelnoid energy cannons upon your command.”

“Begin deployment,” ordered Edwards. “The fleet will stay in orbit at twenty thousand kilometers. If there are any complications, let us know immediately, and we will assist.”

On the main viewscreen, a large hatch opened on one of the cargo ships. Out of the hatch floated a sphere ten meters in diameter. It drifted away from the ship and then seemed to orient itself, coming to a stop. Suddenly a hatch slid open, and a pair of Jelnoid primary energy cannons emerged.

“First Jelnoid energy beam satellite is deployed and operational,” reported Lieutenant Williams.

On the tactical display, the other three cargo ships moved away from the first, going into different orbits to deploy their missiles. Each cargo ship had 115 of the large satellites on board. The satellite parts had been built at different underground complexes across the world and then brought to Complex Two for assembly. It had taken nearly two years of nonstop work to finish all the satellites.

When deployed, 460 would orbit Earth, ranging from altitudes of seven thousand to eight thousand kilometers. Each satellite had a pair of Jelnoid primary cannons powered by a small Jelnoid fusion reactor. An energy shield also protected each one. While the energy shield wasn’t very powerful, it would give the satellites some protection.

Admiral Edwards watched patiently as the friendly green icons continued to bloom on the tactical display. Occasionally his eyes wandered over to the long-range sensors, relieved each time when they showed no impending danger. Once all the satellites were in orbit, the cargo ships would descend and land in Canada, the UK, and Australia to pick up missile platforms. Then finally three of the cargo ships would land once more, this time one each in China, Russia, and France to load the various sections of the larger battlestations.

The six battlestations would be the Command Centers for the overall defense grid. If all went as planned, the satellites and missile platforms would be in orbit and functioning within seventy-two hours. It would take over a week to assemble the six battlestations and test their systems before their full crews would be ready to board.

-

The Vengeance and the Constellation were on an outward course toward Mars using their ships’ subspace drives. As the ships traveled, Captain Erickson and Captain Baker put the two ships through their paces, testing weapons and running emergency drills. So far only a few minor equipment failures had been noted, and these were corrected by the engineers and scientists on board. They had received several messages from Professor Wilkens and his team on software updates as well as suggestions for correcting a few equipment problems.

“Coming up on Mars in twenty-seven minutes,” reported Kia as she put the red planet up on the ship’s main viewscreen.

Everyone in the Command Center paused to gaze at the planet. Mars was the most explored planet in the system with planetary orbiters and even a few rovers on the surface. It had been mapped in detail, but humans were still intensely curious about the planet. Plans had been made for a manned mission to Mars, but it had never happened due to budget restraints.

“There it is,” said Lisa, holding her breath as she gazed at the viewscreen.

“Mars!” said Brett excitedly, staring at the red planet. “I always dreamed of going there but never thought it would really happen.”

“I wonder if it ever held life?” asked Derek. “The rovers found all the necessary building blocks.”

“Martians,” said Lisa, smiling at the thought. “From the evidence, Mars once had oceans and everything to sustain life. It might have been very similar to Earth at one time. Perhaps someday we’ll find evidence of a Martian civilization.”

“There’s still a lot of ice beneath its surface,” added Kia, “enough to allow colonization of the planet if we use domes to protect the colonies. There may even be liquid water as well.”

“We’ll be passing within two hundred thousand kilometers,” added Brett. “Once we’re past Mars, we’ll activate the Fold Space Drive.”

“Ad Astra,” said Lisa, recalling Professor Wilkens’s prophetic words from several years ago. She had never dreamed at the time that this was what he had meant. “We’re going to the stars.”

The others fell silent as they thought that over. It was a momentous day as they were about to set out on an interstellar voyage. They would be the first people from Earth to leave the solar system.

For several minutes Mars appeared larger on the viewscreen. During that time Lisa busied herself taking videos and doing scans of the planet. It would give them all something to look at and to study later during their voyage.

Eventually they reached their nearest approach to Mars and began to pull away. Lisa took a deep breath, knowing what was next. She quickly took her last images and scans of the red planet, knowing she wouldn’t be able to shortly.

-

“Stand by to activate the FTL drive,” ordered Captain Erickson.

“All hands go to Condition One for FTL drive activation,” ordered Lieutenant Commander Barrington. This was a precaution in case something went wrong.

The tension and excitement in the Command Center and throughout the ship increased as everyone realized they were about to leave the solar system. No one knew what they might find on their voyage.

“FTL is on standby,” reported Brett. He hadn’t talked to Captain Erickson about changing the name of the FTL drive yet.

Captain Erickson gazed at the main viewscreen focused straight ahead. Thousands of small pinpoints of light filled the screen. Each point represented a different star.

“All systems are working at optimum levels,” reported Lieutenant Commander Barrington. “All departments report ready for FTL activation.”

Captain Erickson nodded. “Well, let’s not keep everyone waiting. Lieutenant Masterson, is our course set?”

“Yes, sir,” Brett replied. Their first trip would be a short one to Proxima Centauri to allow them to test the drive as well as the other systems on the ship.

With a smile, Erickson responded. “Activate the drive.”

Brett pressed several icons on his computer screen and then touched a small green button on his console.

A prickly sensation ran across Lisa’s skin, and the viewscreen suddenly blurred.

“Drive activated,” reported Brett.

“What’s our speed?” asked Captain Erickson.

“It’s still increasing,” answered Brett. “If our simulations are accurate, at the power we’re currently using, it should be 12.45 times the speed of light.”

“How long would it take us to get to Proxima Centauri at that speed?”

Brett grinned. “About four months.”

“How long until we clear our solar system?”

“We’ll pass the orbit of Pluto in twenty-three minutes,” replied Brett.

Captain Erickson looked at Lieutenant Commander Barrington. “Continue to run system checks. Once we’re past Pluto, we’ll increase our speed and see what the ship can do. Also, contact the Constellation and see how they’re doing. It’s essential we stay in contact.” The two ships were equipped with a Jelnoid hyperspace communications system, though it had never been tested.

“What’s causing the main viewscreen to look so blurry?” asked Ensign Carter from Tactical. “It was clear just a few moments ago.”

“The space in front of us is being warped by our space drive,” answered Brett.

“I think I can fix that,” Lisa said, making some adjustments on her computer console. Very slowly the screen cleared until it returned to normal.

Ensign Carter looked at the screen and then frowned. “Why can’t we see the stars moving?”

Lisa had to laugh. “We’re still in the solar system. We would have to be traveling hundreds of times the speed of light to notice any movement in the stars.”

“Are you still recording everything?” asked Kia. Her sensors weren’t as effective when the ship was traveling faster than light.

Lisa nodded. “Yes, we can play it back later and have a visual presentation of us leaving the solar system. I’m paying particular attention to the location of the other planets and major asteroids. They’ll show up as moving objects.”

“How far in front of us can the sensors reach when we’re traveling faster than light?” asked Lieutenant Commander Barrington.

“Not as far as we’d like,” answered Kia uneasily. “If the sensors detect a hazard in front of us, they’re tied into the navigation system to drop us immediately out of FTL. We have a special set of Jelnoid navigation sensors, which can reach about one-half a light-year ahead of us. That sounds like a lot but not, once we begin traveling hundreds of times the speed of light.”

-

Lisa sat at her science console as the minutes flew by. It was an otherworldly experience to realize they were speeding through the solar system at many times the speed of light. An adjustment of the viewscreen brought up an image of Saturn. They would be passing within a few million kilometers of the massive ringed planet. Lisa continued to adjust the image until Saturn filled the screen. She wished she could do the same with Jupiter. However, Jupiter’s orbital position was on the other side of the solar system, so they would not get a view of it at this time.

“It’s beautiful,” said Kia. “I’ve seen Saturn through a telescope but never like this. Look at the details in the rings.”

“Maybe one day we’ll have time to explore it,” said Brett.

“There will be plenty of time for exploring on our mission,” said Captain Erickson. “We’ll spend a day at Proxima Centauri and then proceed outward, away from the Trellixian Empire. We need to get to an area of space they have not yet conquered to seek allies.”

“And possibly a new home for the human race,” said Brett.

“Perhaps,” replied Captain Erickson, glancing at Brett. “If we can’t find allies, then, yes, we will seek out new worlds to colonize.”

-

The Constellation and the Vengeance continued to move through the solar system. The battlecruisers flew past Saturn and then on to the outer edges of the solar system, finally leaving the orbit of Pluto far behind. Even the sun was now nothing more than a brilliant pinpoint of light behind them.

-

“Stand by to increase power to the FTL drive,” ordered Captain Erickson. “Ensign Smith, send a message to Admiral Edwards that we are embarking on our mission to Proxima Centauri. We will attempt to contact Earth once we arrive.” The hyperspace communications system was supposed to have sufficient range to reach Earth from Proxima Centauri, but it was untested.

“Message sent,” replied Ensign Smith. “Admiral Edwards wishes us all good luck, and they’ll be waiting for our safe return.”

Captain Erickson nodded. “Lieutenant Masterson, increase the power to the FTL dive to 60 percent, and let’s see what our ships can do.” The navigation and helm controls of the Vengeance were tied into the Constellation so the two ships could stay close together.

Brett nodded and gradually increased power, watching as the speed indicator rapidly rose. When the instruments showed the ship was flying at 60 percent of the power the FTL drive could handle, Brett leaned forward, checking their speed. Simulations had been run, and he kind of knew what to expect. “Current speed is 874 times the speed of light. Arrival in the Proxima Centauri System will be in twenty-two hours.”

“Keep me informed if there are any changes,” ordered Captain Erickson.

Lisa looked at Brett and grinned. “We’re on our way.”

Brett smiled back. “Yes, we are. Let’s just hope we find something on our voyage of exploration.”

-

Captain Erickson leaned back in his command chair. He allowed the five special lieutenants a lot of flexibility. For one thing, a few other scientists were on board, but none were as smart as these five. Professor Wilkens and General Mitchell had made it very clear the five were to be given as much latitude as possible, as long as it didn’t endanger the ships. If the mission were to be a success, it would most likely be because of them. He was already aware the five of them had set up their own private communication system, one he had secretly tapped into. While he was perfectly willing to give them the latitude they needed, he still wanted to know what they were discussing in the Command Center.

-

In orbit around Earth, Admiral Edwards watched as the defense grid steadily grew. The Vengeance and the Constellation were well on their way, and Captain Erickson had sent a message informing him they were on the first leg of their voyage to Proxima Centauri. In many ways Edwards wished he could have gone along, but his duty was to protect Earth.

“First layer of Jelnoid satellites have been deployed,” reported Captain Nelson. The first layer was at eight thousand kilometers, and the second would be at seven thousand. “The cargo ships are lowering their orbit to begin the second defensive layer.”

Admiral Edwards nodded. This would be a defense in depth. Two layers of Jelnoid primary beam satellites, one layer of missile platforms and then of course the fleet and a few other select surprises. On the tactical display, numerous green icons were visible, representing the recently deployed satellites.

“What about our other mission?” asked Captain Nelson. “We have enough defense satellites in orbit to thwart a Trellixian attack, particularly with our fleet here.”

“Contact the Plymouth and the Destiny. They have permission to return to the Moon and begin conducting tests.” Professor Wilkens and his team had suggested using the Moon for a possible base as well as installing some Jelnoid primary beams on its surface also. The two ships would check out several potential locations for such a base. The ships had some small shuttles capable of landing on the lunar surface.

-

General Mitchell stood on the surface of Earth, looking into the night sky. It was cool outside in the mountains. Several guards stood nearby as Mitchell never set foot upon the surface without an escort. It was a moonless night with a calm wind. The stars were shining brightly, causing the snow on some of the taller peaks to really stand out.

He wondered what former President Drummond would think about the current situation. Dwight Meadows would have loved to see the spaceships launched. Sad to think of the many men and women lost who had dedicated their lives to this moment.

Gazing up into space, he could see a number of brilliant pinpoints of light moving about. Cargo ships as well as orbiting battlecruisers. Occasionally one of the pinpoints of light would move off, leaving another behind. Those were the satellites being deployed.

For nearly an hour General Mitchell stood outside, watching the stars and the orbiting ships. He didn’t know if the future of the human race was on Earth or out there. Only time would tell. With a deep sigh, he turned to go back inside. There was still a lot of work to be done.

-

Lisa was in her quarters, putting on her uniform. In another hour they would enter the Proxima Centauri System. It was exciting as well as frightening to know they would soon be in another star system. What if the Trellixians waited for them there? That would be a danger in every star system they stopped in. Lisa stepped in front of the large mirror in her quarters, checking her uniform.

In the back of her mind, Lisa could hear her mother saying she was crazy to undertake such a dangerous mission. Her mother had always wished for Lisa to live a quiet life. Stay in Portland, marry Streth, settle down, and have children. Her mother had wanted grandkids, lots of them. Her father would have been more understanding. He knew how important Lisa’s career was to her, though he had been confused when she had joined the military. She hadn’t told anyone it had been at Professor Wilkens’s request.

Lisa had traveled to Portland with Brett and Brenda a few months back with a Ranger escort. The center of the city had been smashed from the explosion of a Trellixian twenty-kiloton nuclear missile and was mostly in ruins. The suburbs where Lisa’s parents’ home was had suffered little damage, though it was obvious either Trellixian troops or vandals had hit the area. The front door had hung from one hinge, and several of the windows were broken. Brett had put the door back in place and covered the windows. Inside, Lisa found a few items she wanted to take with her but no sign of her parents or where they had gone. It was even worse at Streth’s apartment. A fire had swept through the complex, leaving nothing behind. Portland was empty with no signs of life.

President Hathaway had ordered a census taken of all the survivors in the United States, and the lists were readily available. Lisa had checked the lists extensively, seeing no familiar names. No one from her family had survived.

Lisa stepped over and opened a drawer in one of the walls of her quarters. Inside she took out a Christmas photograph of her family: her parents, Streth, and her. One of her aunts had taken it. Taking a deep breath, she wiped a tear from her eye and carefully put the picture back. She had recovered several photo albums and even a few videos from her home in Portland. Most she had left at Complex One, bringing only a few with her. The memories those items evoked were still too powerful for her to handle.

Leaving her quarters, she made her way to the Command Center, encountering Derek on the way. He seemed unusually excited.

“In the last messages we received from Earth was an attachment from Professor Weir. It’s the mathematical formulas I need to perfect the quantum computer!”

Lisa’s eyes widened. “Do you think it will actually work?”

“Yes, the computer works on the theory of quantum entanglement. The math formulas better predict and control the entanglement. We could be looking at a computer thousands of times faster than anything we have now, and it will give the right answers 98.4 percent of the time.”

Lisa frowned. “That still means it could be wrong nearly 2 percent of the time.”

Derek looked crestfallen and then brightened back up. “True, but look where it was before. We couldn’t trust its answers at all. Surely between the five of us, we can figure out a way to get that last 2 percent correct.”

“Maybe,” Lisa replied as they neared the hatch to the Command Center. “We’re almost to Proxima Centauri, and I’m anxious to take some scans of the system. Once we’re done there and continue on to our next destination, we can all meet in one of the labs and see what we can do about this quantum computer of yours.”

Derek nodded enthusiastically. “I think we can do it. Let’s go see what’s waiting for us at Proxima Centauri.”

Lisa nodded as the two of them stepped into the Command Center.

Chapter Six

The High Command of the Trellixian military was in a special meeting in an orbital station far above their home planet. Beneath them the planet was covered in buildings. Nearly the entire planet made up a single massive city. Only one small continent was still green, and it was used to grow food for the eighty billion Trellixians who lived on the crowded world below. Every hour, hundreds of cargo ships landed, unloading food supplies and other materials for the Trellixians who lived in the crowded spaces.

High Commander Kaldre stood in front of a large viewport, gazing at the planet. Reports had come in that the planetary government was once more considering a reduction in the size of the living space assigned to each Trellixian. It had been years since Kaldre had set foot upon the planet. The size of the crowds and the steady press of the population wherever one went was nearly claustrophobic. At least the space station had more room, and the number of Trellixians allowed on board was rigorously controlled to prevent overcrowding.

Turning away from the viewport, he sat back down at the large wooden table where the rest of the High Commanders were taking their places. Kaldre had a report to present. Things in the outer region of the Empire were not going well.

“The Voltrex become more of a threat every day,” reported Kaldre. “We have sent our fleets out some three hundred light-years along our outward border, and, almost in every case, we have encountered Voltrex warships. Their fleet must number in the thousands. So far, in the past year, we have not been able to get around them.”

This caused a stir in the High Command. Never had they encountered such an enemy before. Most sentient races never even developed space travel but stayed on their world. A few were found occasionally with interplanetary travel in their own star system, but on only four occasions in the long history of the Trellixian Empire had races been discovered with actual interstellar vessels. Only one major war had been fought, and that was against the Jelnoids.

“A sizable Empire,” commented High Commander Thatrex, one of the older Trellixians on the High Command. “We were bound to encounter one as we expanded ours. I am surprised it has not happened more often.”

“We need the living space,” said High Commander Olnarr. “Our worlds are overcrowded, and we must find new ones to colonize. The Voltrex are blocking an entire region of the galaxy from us. They must be dealt with and their populations cleansed from their planets to make way for Trellixian colonists. If necessary we should send more warships. The population pressure on our primary worlds grows more intense with every passing day.”

High Commander Kaldre looked across the large table at the other High Commanders. “Fortunately the ships of the Voltrex are not as advanced as our own. They suffer staggering losses to keep our fleets at bay. I only recently received a message from Battle Commander Balforr indicating he might have discovered the general location of a Voltrex world. He has requested we send some exploration ships to that region of space to begin a star-by-star search. Once we find one Voltrex world, it should not be difficult to find the others.”

“Then we shall do so,” said High Commander Thatrex. “When we know the location of all their worlds, we can send sufficient fleets to conquer them.”

“As soon as we conquer one of their worlds, we can begin sending colonization fleets,” added High Commander Olnarr. “Our planetary leaders are demanding more worlds to colonize to deal with our growing population.”

High Commander Kaldre looked once more at the others. “If we are in agreement, I will send the orders for a large number of our exploration ships to be directed to that region of space. It should not take long to search the stars in the region indicated by Battle Commander Balforr.”

“Colony ship construction is up 22 percent,” reported High Commander Danaar. “Even so, the population on many of our worlds still increases. We are reaching a point where, very soon, we cannot feed the populations of some of our worlds. Space needed for growing food will be taken by the expanding populations. Increasing food shortages and possible starvation on some of our more heavily populated planets is likely, including the one below us.”

“The home world?” uttered High Commander Olnarr, his eyes narrowing sharply. “That must not happen. If necessary we can send more food ships to feed the population.”

“We need to reserve some worlds solely for growing food and not for population expansion,” suggested High Commander Trammor. “If we do not do so, there will be no food to send.”

“Impossible!” responded High Commander Olnarr, shaking his head violently. “We need every bit of space for our growing population. We must find another solution for growing the necessary food.”

“If a solution is not found shortly, we are facing famine on some worlds,” replied High Commander Trammor. “If our people have nothing to eat, they will die.”

“Our people can survive on less,” said High Commander Olnarr. “We can cut back on the nourishment packs by 20 percent.” A nourishment pack was the amount of food each Trellixian on a planet was allocated per meal.

Trammor shook his head. “We have already reduced the nourishment packs as much as possible. To do so any more could result in violence. Our people will begin to lose confidence in our ability to find new planets and to feed them. We may see unrest on our worlds.”

“Never!” responded High Commander Olnarr, rising to his feet. “Our people would never contemplate violence against one another. The survival of our species is too important.”

High Commander Kaldre took a deep breath and then made a suggestion he knew would not be well received. “Perhaps we should delete some of our excess population, particularly the old. They are a drain on our resources, particularly the nutrient packs. Many have reached the point they no longer provide any service to our people.”

“Delete our own people?” cried out High Commander Olnarr, horrified at the thought. “The very idea is despicable and should not even be discussed. It is the right of all Trellixians to live out their lives. We must find more worlds and build more colony ships for our people. It is our destiny.”

High Commander Kaldre would not be silenced. He was also the youngest High Commander. “If we don’t do something to control our growing population, then I fear someday, in the near future, our Empire will collapse when we can no longer sustain ourselves. What will happen when we suffer major food shortages or can’t build sufficient housing for our people? Mark my words, those times are coming.”

“You should know better than to speak such words,” warned High Commander Thatrex. “Our people will find a way. We always have.”

Kaldre did not reply. To do so would only endanger his place in the High Command. The Trellixians had survived for generations by constant expansion, destroying any races who stood in the way and colonizing the conquered worlds. The Voltrex were delaying the Trellixian colonization effort in their region of space. Colony ships waited to depart above a number of overcrowded worlds. Already there was increased pressure from the governors of those worlds to load the ships and send them on their way to reduce the population pressure. Kaldre had deep concerns about the direction the Empire was headed. He also knew there was no way to reverse it.

-

The Vengeance and the Constellation dropped out of FTL into the Proxima Centauri System. Proxima Centauri was a red dwarf star one-seventh the diameter of the sun with one-eighth of the mass.

“Report!” called out Captain Erickson.

“Three planets detected,” reported Kia excitedly. “One in the habitable zone and the other two are small gas giants three hundred million kilometers and seven hundred million kilometers from the star.”

“Trellixian vessels?”

“None detected.”

“What about the planet in the habitable zone?”

“It’s 11,000 kilometers in diameter with an atmosphere, but no water vapor is detected. It’s eight million kilometers from the star.”

Lieutenant Commander Barrington looked confused. “That’s awfully close, isn’t it?”

“No,” answered Brett. “Proxima Centauri is a small and relatively cool star. The habitable zone runs from about 4.5 million kilometers out to a little past 8 million. However, if there’s no water, then there’s no life as we know it.”

“Which makes this system useless to the Trellixians,” said Captain Erickson. “However, we will scan all three planets for resources which might prove useful in the future.” Erickson paused, looking at a counter on a small console next to him. “We’ll stay twenty hours and then be on our way. Inform the science teams to take whatever readings they need.” Erickson looked directly at Lisa. “Lieutenant Reynolds, that means your group as well.”

-

Four hours later Lisa and the others were in one of the labs, going over the results of their scans.

“Nothing spectacular,” said Derek as he worked at a computer console. “Very similar to what we would find in the solar system.”

“Maybe so,” replied Brett, disappointed. “But these are the first planets outside of our solar system ever to be seen by humans. These scans will cause quite a stir back on Earth.”

Lisa leaned back in her chair. She had some fantastic photos and videos of all three of the system’s planets as well as data from the scans taken. “It’s a shame the smaller planet isn’t habitable.”

“If it was, it would probably be covered with Trellixians,” said Brenda. She looked at Brett. “Where are we going next?”

“Farther out. Captain Erickson wants us to go at least three or four hundred light-years before we search for other civilizations. That should put us just outside of where the Trellixians have explored. At least he thinks it will.”

Lisa looked thoughtful. “Isn’t that bypassing a number of potentially habitable worlds?”

Brett nodded. “Yes, quite a few. However, the captain doesn’t want to risk running into any Trellixians.”

“We should still take scans of some of those worlds,” objected Brenda with a deep frown. “I think it’s a mistake bypassing them.”

“It may be,” answered Brett. “But it’s Captain Erickson’s decision.”

Kia looked at Brett. “How long will it take for us to get to our new destination?”

“One or two months,” replied Brett. “It all depends on how much power we apply to the Fold Space Drive. If we boost it up to 70 percent, where it’s designed to function most efficiently, we would be traveling at over 2,800 times the speed of light.”

“What about time dilation?” asked Kia curiously. “Will we see any effects from it?”

Brett grinned. “Now that would be interesting. However, due to the way an Alcubierre Drive System works, we avoid that. We’re only affecting space in front of and behind our ship, not the space the ship actually resides in.”

Lisa got up and walked to where Derek worked at his computer station. Looking over his shoulder, she saw a series of very complicated math equations. “Are those what Professor Weir sent you?” Derek really wanted to get the quantum computer functioning. He had the prototype sitting next to him on a workbench.

Derek nodded. “Give me a few more days, and I’ll be ready to make some tests. If it works, then I’ll need the rest of you to help iron out any bugs in the system.”

“Such as wrong answers,” replied Brett, grinning.

This was the biggest problem with a quantum computer. It used quantum entanglement, and you could ask it what color the sky was, and it might say blue. Ask it again, and it might answer with the word tree or eagle.

Derek took out a flash drive from a small drawer in his console. “This is a program I’ve written to help solve some of the problems we’ve experienced in the past. A number of people over the last few years have helped me with this. I just needed the math equations from Professor Weir so I could finish it.”

Brett came over, standing next to Lisa. “The Jelnoids used quantum computers, so we know it’s possible. It could be a huge boost to our mission if we could get this one functioning.”

Lisa looked thoughtful. “You know? Someday we need to travel to the Jelnoids’ home world just to see what’s still there.”

“Trellixians,” said Brenda, shaking her head. “All of their former worlds will be full of the lizard people.”

Brenda’s comment reminded them why they were out here. It wasn’t just to explore but to find allies or possibly a new home for the human race.

“We need to find allies,” said Lisa with a serious look crossing her face. “I don’t want to give up Earth.”

“None of us do,” replied Brett. “I think we’re done here. Let’s go get something to eat.”

Lisa nodded. “I’m famished. I could really use a good meal.”

As the five of them left the lab, Lisa wondered what Professor Wilkens was doing back on Earth. It would be difficult being away from him for so long. In most ways he was the closest to a family member she had left.

-

Above Earth, Admiral Edwards watched as the cargo ships placed the missile platforms into orbit. Each platform held six Jelnoid missiles and could be targeted independently. Over two hundred platforms were being placed in orbit five thousand kilometers above the surface.

“Twelve more hours before the last platform is in place, then the cargo ships will return to Earth to load the sections for the six battlestations,” reported Captain Nelson.

Admiral Edwards nodded. “I’ll feel better when the battlestations are in orbit, since they’re supposed to be the Command and Control Centers for the defensive grid.”

“I just spoke to Captain Odell on the Plymouth,” added Nelson. “Odell says their survey of the Moon is progressing well, and they’ll be sending their reports back to Earth sometime tomorrow.”

Admiral Edwards turned his attention toward one of the smaller viewscreens showing one perspective of the Moon. It would be strange having a military base on the Moon, but there were sound reasons for it. A base on the Moon could be protected by a powerful Jelnoid energy shield. With the addition of primary and secondary Jelnoid energy beams, it would be a serious danger to the Trellixians the next time they attacked Earth. Also, by adding Jelnoid missiles, the base would be even more dangerous. There were also plans to add space bombers to the base to give them a long-range strike option.

“How long do you think it will be before the Trellixians realize something has happened to their fleet?” asked Captain Nelson.

“Not long,” Edwards replied. “I’m sure the flagship checked in on a regular basis, though there’s no way for us to know how often that was. We’ll know when we see the first Trellixian scout ships. Shortly after that I’m certain they will send a larger fleet. I just hope we have time to finish all our preparations. It’s taken us years to build everything we’re now putting up into orbit.”

Captain Nelson looked at a viewscreen of a cargo ship deploying a missile platform. The platform floated out of one of the large cargo hatches and then used small thrusters to properly position itself. Once the platform was stable, it powered itself up, and the cargo ship moved on to release the next one.

-

On Earth, General Mitchell was back in the Command Center of his base. A large holographic display depicted Earth and the space around it out to the Moon. The near space around Earth was covered in small green icons.

“I’m glad to see those,” said General Briggs. “It makes all of Earth more secure and safer for us to move about on the surface without fear of an attack by a Trellixian battlecruiser.”

“They haven’t come near us since we installed the Jelnoid primary beams across the planet,” pointed out Colonel Fields. “This gives us a much better defense in depth. However, we need to build up a reserve of energy beam satellites and missile platforms to replace any we lose in battle.”

“We have two underground facilities dedicating their production facilities to that purpose,” replied Major Thomas. “One in Canada and another in Japan.”

“The new assembly lines for additional primary and secondary Jelnoid energy cannons are nearly ready to go into operation,” added Colonel Fields. “President Hathaway is preparing a list of which cities she wants them deployed around first.”

“How many around each city?” asked Mitchell. The main purpose of the cannons was deterrence rather than destruction of a Trellixian battlecruiser.

“Four primary cannons,” reported Colonel Fields. “That should be sufficient. We’ll also add six secondary cannons for missile defense.”

General Briggs frowned. “I presume we will focus first on our largest cities of 250,000 residents. It’ll take a while because of the alloys we’ll have to manufacture to handle the heat the cannons produce. We’re talking about years to build that many cannons and a lot of resources.”

“I’ll talk to the president,” said Mitchell. “We need to spread out the first cannon deployments around the country to give us better coverage. No point in clumping them together. I suggest we only deploy two primary cannons initially around each city.” He would also speak to Professor Wilkens, but even several hundred additional primary cannons in the US would provide quite a punch against a Trellixian invasion fleet. If they could build that many with their available resources and have them done in the next couple of months.

“Admiral Edwards reports the cargo ships will return in a few hours to start loading the sections to the battlestations,” added Major Thomas.

General Mitchell was pleased to hear this. They were putting six battlestations in orbit around Earth. Each would have six Jelnoid primary cannons and twelve secondary cannons as well as twelve missile tubes. The stations were eighty meters in diameter with station-keeping thrusters and an energy shield. They would have a permanent crew of twenty. Each station could command any of the energy beam satellites or missile platforms in orbit.

“What’s the latest report on ground operations?” Special Operations units across the world were seeking out and destroying the last few known locations of Trellixian troops.

“Ninety-two percent complete,” reported General Briggs. “India just reported the final Trellixians have been wiped out in the northern part of the country. They were hiding in the mountains.”

General Mitchell folded his arms over his chest. “We’ll keep doing sweeps. I want every Trellixian soldier on the planet annihilated.”

“I agree,” said General Briggs. “We’ve assigned the Rangers and a number of SEAL teams to make sure the US is Trellixian-free. The enemy group Major Dolan took out before he left on the Vengeance was the largest one we knew of that remained. It turned out to be much bigger than expected.”

“I wonder how Major Dolan is doing on the Vengeance. It’s a big change from commanding a Ranger battalion.”

“His aptitude tests were very high,” reported Major Thomas. “I looked at some of his training reports, and he fit in very well with the rest of the crew. He also has enough command experience that, if something went wrong, he could step right into the command structure of the Vengeance.”

“Let’s hope nothing goes wrong,” said Mitchell. “A lot is riding on that mission.”

-

On the Vengeance Major Dolan had just finished eating his afternoon meal. He found it boring on the ship. He spent most of his time running battle simulations to help pass the time. Several hours back, the ship had left the Proxima Centauri System and was now hurtling outward away from the Trellixian Empire. Mark was curious to see what they would find. He was about to stand when Lieutenant Lisa Reynolds sat down across from him.

She held a steaming cup of tea in her hands. “Bored?” she asked.

Mark smiled. “Slightly. This isn’t like the Rangers where we have a daily routine of drills and training.”

Lisa frowned. “Captain Erickson has been running a few drills.”

Mark nodded. “Short ones. In the Rangers, a drill might last for several days.”

“I must say, I prefer my quarters here rather than camping out in the mountains. Nothing quite like waking up in the morning to several feet of snow.”

Mark smiled knowingly. “How does it feel not to have your two Ranger escorts following you around anymore?”

Lisa laughed. “I miss them. If I needed anything, they were there to provide it. However, somehow or another, I noticed both of them are on board this ship.” She looked suspiciously at the major.

“That was Professor Wilkens’s idea,” Mark answered defensively. “For some reason he wants to ensure you remain safe. Both Peterson and Hambridge are, indeed, on board. They’ve been promoted to corporals and are responsible for any special mission I might need to send them on. Wilkens thought it might be useful to have a few Rangers on board with their special training as well as the two squads of Marines.”

“The professor has always looked out after me,” admitted Lisa as she took a sip of her tea. “I don’t know what would have happened to me if not for him.”

“Somehow I think you would have survived everything,” Mark answered. “I suspect you and your four friends would have found a way.”

-

Over the months Mark had spoken to Lisa and the others several times. He had been amazed at how brilliant the five were. He had mentioned that to Colonel Branson once at Complex One, and the colonel had nodded in agreement. “Lisa, Brenda, and Brett were specifically chosen by Professor Wilkens for their special duties. It’s also one of the reasons all three of them are on the same ship. If anyone can find allies and bring them back to Earth, it will be the three of them. It’s also why Professor Wilkens wants you on that ship. He feels you will do everything in your power to keep them safe.”

“So, are you saying I should support them even if Captain Erickson says otherwise?” Mark wondered if he understood what Branson seemed to be suggesting.

“I’m not saying commit mutiny,” replied Branson with a serious look on his face. “But there may come a time in the mission when you need to weigh in on their side. Remember, all three of them are unbelievably intelligent. They have a way of looking at things that may seem confusing to others. It may also be what makes their mission a success.”

-

Mark had thought over Colonel Branson’s words many times over the last few months. He had also noticed two others had been added to the special group of three: Kia Drake and Derek Keys. The five pretty well stayed together and very seldom went out of their way to talk to others. That was why Mark was surprised Lisa made an effort now. “Is there something bothering you, Lieutenant?”

Lisa seemed hesitant and then answered. “I’ve been listening to Captain Erickson and Lieutenant Commander Barrington as they discuss the mission. Sometimes I get the impression they view this as more of a military operation rather than a voyage of exploration. For instance, we have set course for a star that’s nearly 340 light-years distant. In between here and there are a number of stars capable of supporting our type of life. I don’t think we should assume the Trellixians have control of all of them. The nearer allies are to Earth, the better off we’ll be. If we go out too far, it may not be practical for them to come to our aid. I think it would be wise to stop at a few of those stars. We could drop from FTL in the outer regions of the systems and take a quick scan with our sensors. We would know almost instantly if any Trellixians are present. If there are, we can leave before the Trellixians respond to our presence.”

Mark leaned back in his chair. Lisa made a good point. What if they bypassed a potential ally? “Have any of you brought up this point to the captain?”

“Brett did when the captain was deciding on our next destination. I know Professor Wilkens and some of the others at Complex One made a list of recommendations as to what systems we should investigate. I think the captain is bypassing some of them. The captain told Brett that he wanted to get out past Trellixian space before we start exploring.”

“What’s wrong with that?” asked Mark. To him it sounded like a wise decision on the captain’s part.

Lisa’s eyes narrowed. “Because we don’t know where Trellixian space ends. It could be a few light-years or it could be thousands.”

Mark sighed. “I’ll speak to the captain and express your group’s concerns. Maybe we can pick several of those stars between here and our destination to stop at. Why don’t the five of you give me two or three star systems you believe would be good to explore.”

Lisa nodded. “Even if the Trellixians are there, it will at least tell us it’s space they control.” Lisa reached into her shirt pocket, pulled out a list with the coordinates of four star systems on it and handed it to Mark. “These are close to our current line of flight. It should not be difficult to stop at those systems.”

Mark took the paper and looked at the coordinates. They made little sense to him. Travel in space was much different than traveling on Earth. He would speak to Captain Erickson about the concerns of Lisa’s group. Mark wasn’t particularly looking forward to that conversation. But Colonel Branson had made it very clear what Mark should do in such a situation. Whether he liked it or not, he had to serve as an intermediary between Lisa’s group and the ship’s commanding officers.

Chapter Seven

Voltrex Fleet Commander Kamuss gazed worriedly at the tactical display in his Command Center. Several days earlier a Trellixian vessel had been detected in the outer regions of the Bator System. Before any Voltrex ships could reach it, the enemy ship had scanned the system and then jumped away. Kamuss was certain it would not be much longer before the Trellixians launched a full-scale attack. It was worrisome, as this would be the first time a Voltrex-inhabited world was threatened. Kamuss’s gaze wandered to one of the viewscreens showing Bator Seven. Over four billion Voltrex called the planet their home.

“What’s our current state of readiness?” he asked Lieutenant Commander LeLath. For days many of his warships had been in the repair bays of the two shipyards orbiting Bator Seven.

“All ships are out of the repair bays and operating at 100 percent battle efficiency. New vessels have taken the places of destroyed ships in our formation, and all injured or dead crewmembers have been replaced.”

After the battle with the Trellixians, more ships had been rushed to the Bator System to reinforce both Fleet Commander Kamuss’s fleet as well as Fleet Commander Zolmar’s. Kamuss now had four battleships, twenty battlecruisers, and sixty support craft. However, some of the crews had never been exposed to combat. A third support fleet was supposed to arrive sometime in the next week. He just hoped it got here before the Trellixians did.

“Commander Kallon is deploying a number of scout ships to nearby systems,” reported Meela from Communications. “He hopes to detect the Trellixians before they jump into the Bator System.”

Kamuss took a deep breath, running his tongue across his whiskers. No doubt the Trellixians would soon come here. In the last few days numerous cargo ships had jumped into the Bator System, bringing more defensive satellites to add to the defense grid above Bator Seven as well as the other worlds in the system. Special care had been taken to make sure the two large shipyards were adequately protected. They already were heavily armed and protected by powerful energy shields. The number of small patrol craft at each had been doubled, and a series of defensive satellites were now in orbit around both.

“Set a course for Bator Eight,” ordered Kamuss. “We’ll do some fleet maneuvers on our way.” Kamuss wanted the fleet fully prepared for what was ahead. The Trellixians could not be allowed to conquer the Bator System! The fighting would be brutal, with heavy losses to both sides.

Lieutenant Commander LeLath stepped closer to Kamuss. “How soon before the Trellixians attack?” The concern in her voice was very evident. “It will be days yet before Fleet Commander Masurl arrives with his ships.”

Kamuss watched as the fleet accelerated and headed toward Bator Eight. He wished Fleet Commander Masurl was here, but he awaited a number of battlecruisers and support ships to arrive at his fleet rendezvous location. Once his entire fleet was assembled, he would set out immediately for the Bator System. “Soon. If not a major attack, the Trellixians will send in ships to probe our defenses.”

LeLath looked at one of the viewscreens showing Bator Seven, a beautiful world, very similar in outward appearance to Voltrex. Unfortunately it was also the closest to Trellixian space. “I wish we had never encountered the Trellixians. How can a race be so violent?”

Kamuss shook his head. “It is their culture. From what we know, their population growth is uncontrolled. They refuse to implement any birth control. Their worlds are overcrowded, causing them to constantly seek new worlds to colonize.”

“Even if those worlds already have inhabitants?” asked LeLath, disgusted. “How can they casually wipe out billions of sapient beings?”

“They look at it as competition for living space. They are not willing to allow any species to inhabit a world the Trellixians can use or to allow any species to become a threat. It is a part of their culture, and they show no remorse. In the early days of their Empire, it might have been different. But now their High Command knows only one philosophy, and that’s to expand their Empire in every way possible to lessen the population pressure on their home worlds.”

Several alarms suddenly sounded on the sensor console. Kamuss looked inquiringly at Zalurr.

“Four cargo ships from Azdok Three,” he reported. “We have ships exiting hyperspace on a fairly regular frequency.”

Azdok Three was one of the older Voltrex worlds. All inhabited Voltrex systems were rushing supplies and war materials to Bator to aid in its defense. It was hoped, if the Trellixians could be held here, the other worlds would continue to be safe.

Kamuss looked at the viewscreens. Bator Seven rapidly shrunk from view as his fleet pulled away and headed toward Bator Eight. Two cargo ships were at the rear of his fleet formation. Each carried forty defensive satellites to be put into orbit around the planet. While no actual Voltrex colonies were on the planet, a few research installations studied its plant life and fauna.

-

For the next six hours the fleet cruised through space toward their destination. During that time they practiced entering several battle formations as well as going through a major emergency drill. Finally the fleet arrived at Bator Eight and went into orbit.

-

“I’ve always wanted to test my survival skills on this planet,” said Metriic as he secured his navigation console. “They say the planet has a number of apex predators.” He stretched, extending his sharp claws as he gazed at the viewscreen revealing the jungle-covered planet.

Lieutenant Commander LeLath frowned, her eyes narrowing. “Have you seen some of the animals on that planet?” She stepped forward to another console and pressed several icons. On one of the viewscreens appeared a massive creature, far larger than any Voltrex. Its head was triangular in shape, and its mouth was lined with sharp tearing teeth. It had four legs with long claws on its paws, which could easily rip one’s stomach open. “This is a Mahogg. It’s capable of running four times faster than you can. It’s carnivorous, and, on this planet, it is not even listed as an apex predator.”

Metriic’s fur suddenly looked paler. “Maybe I should reconsider.”

LeLath let out a slight growl as she gazed at the screen. “It might be a wise choice. The scientific outposts on the planet are inside fenced enclosures, electrified to kill. Each outpost has a full military contingent to protect the civilian scientists. Most of the exploration and studies are done by drones, as it’s deemed too dangerous to enter the jungles.”

“Fleet Commander,” spoke Meela. “The captains of the two cargo ships want to know if they have your permission to deploy the satellites.”

Kamuss nodded. “Yes, tell them to do it as quickly as possible. I want to go to Bator Nine next.” The defense grid had already been strengthened around Bator Nine, but Kamuss had orders from Commander Kallon to inspect it to see if any changes needed to be made.

Turning his attention to the viewscreens, he watched as the two cargo ships moved around the planet, leaving two lines of defensive satellites behind.

-

It took them nearly two hours to emplace all the satellites in the proper orbits. When the two cargo ships were done, eighty of the small energy beam satellites were in place. It was hoped, due to the small number of Voltrex on the planet, the Trellixians might simply ignore it completely. Kamuss knew an additional eighty defensive satellites were planned, but he didn’t know if they would arrive before the enemy did.

Kamuss looked at several viewscreens showing close-ups of the planet. The planet was warmer than Bator Seven because of its thicker atmosphere and more volcanic activity. The planet abounded with life. There were towering forests, thick jungle vines, carnivorous plants, and an unknown number of animal species, many of them dangerous. Every day a new species was identified. What made the planet so important was that a number of the plants had miraculous medicinal uses. There were even rumors of a plant, which could greatly extend the lifespans of the Voltrex. Kamuss wasn’t convinced this was true, but several other wonder drugs had come from the planet in the past.

“We’re ready to leave orbit,” Lieutenant Commander LeLath reported. “The two cargo ships are preparing to return to Bator Seven.”

Kamuss leaned back in his command chair and sighed. “Set the course and prepare the fleet for more battle drills. I wasn’t satisfied with how quickly we switched formations earlier. In a battle that could cost us ships.” Kamuss was determined to have his fleet fully ready when the Trellixians came to the Bator System. In a battle with a technologically superior enemy, his fleet could not afford to make any mistakes.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr watched in satisfaction as Battle Commander Ulvan’s and Battle Commander Dramm’s fleets arrived in the system. Earlier, ships had been sent to Balforr to replace the ones he had lost in the previous battle with the Voltrex, bringing his fleet back to forty-six vessels. Battle Commander Ulvan was a senior battle commander, and his fleet consisted of seventy-four battlecruisers, while Dramm’s was similar to Balforr’s at forty-two.

“I have studied your report of your last encounter with these Voltrex,” commented Ulvan over the comm system in a cold voice. “While they are dangerous, it is obvious their ships are much weaker than our own. I do not understand why we have not already defeated them and cleansed their worlds.”

“They are dangerous,” replied Balforr, carefully choosing his words. “The danger lies not in their technology but in their numbers. They attack in overwhelming numbers, which allows them to knock down our energy screens and destroy our vessels. They also possess a powerful fusion missile with a warhead of twenty megatons.” Balforr understood Battle Commander Ulvan’s failure to understand why this enemy had not been defeated. To many battle commanders, this was hard to comprehend as the Trellixian Empire seldom encountered a race with FTL-capable vessels. The majority of battle commanders had never experienced actual space combat. They still believed the Trellixian Empire was invincible. Something Battle Commander Balforr had learned the hard way wasn’t true in the battles at Earth.

Ulvan was silent for a moment and then spoke. “The High Command is concerned it has taken so long to locate even one of their worlds. High Commander Kaldre is assigning more exploration cruisers to this sector of space to aid in locating the rest of their star systems. It is obvious from the quantity of ships they have deployed against us that we are looking at a number of inhabited worlds, ones which can be colonized as soon as they have been cleansed. Those are future worlds of the Empire, and the Voltrex must be annihilated to make room for our people. The population at home grows larger every day, and we need those worlds.”

“The system discovered close by is heavily populated and well defended,” replied Balforr. “The scans from the exploration cruiser indicate the primary inhabited planet in the system sits behind a very powerful defense grid.”

“It will be dealt with,” answered Ulvan dismissively. “I’ve already requested a major colonization fleet be sent, so we can populate this world immediately after we cleanse it. From the reports I’ve read, four habitable worlds are in this system. Very soon all four will be ours.”

Balforr frowned. He was not so certain this system could be conquered so easily, but he remained silent.

“I should inform you of one other item,” added Ulvan. “Once I’ve finished here, my fleet is to go to the system containing the Human world, Earth. We have lost contact with the observation fleet in that system.”

A cold chill ran down Balforr’s neck. The Humans! “I would recommend the High Command send an exploration cruiser to the system to take scans. While I doubt if it’s possible, the Humans may have found a way to destroy our observation fleet.” This greatly concerned Balforr. The Humans had access to Jelnoid technology. It would be a calamity if they had built a few warships. If that technology got loose in the galaxy or made it into Voltrex hands, it would be a disaster.

“I will pass along your recommendation about the exploration ship,” replied Ulvan. “It might save my fleet a long voyage.”

-

In the Bator System, Voltrex Fleet Commander Kamuss stood in front of the main viewscreen as Bator Nine came into view. It was cold with only a narrow section around the planet’s equator which was habitable. It was also rich in heavy metals. As a result numerous mining operations existed across the planet. In orbit, a massive space station processed the raw ores into refined materials before sent on to Bator Seven for use in manufacturing. Nearly two million Voltrex lived and worked on the surface and beneath the ground of Bator Nine.

Glancing at the tactical display, Kamuss took note of the many small green icons in orbit—the four hundred defensive satellites currently protecting the planet. The space station was also heavily armed with an energy shield and two squadrons of the small patrol ships assigned to its protection.

“We should assign a squadron of battlecruisers to Bator Nine,” suggested Lieutenant Commander LeLath as she gazed at the station on one of the viewscreens. “I fear the patrol ships cannot protect the space station. It is a valuable asset we can’t afford to lose.”

“We can’t afford to split our fleets,” replied Kamuss even though he agreed with LeLath’s concerns, “at least not our battleships and battlecruisers. I will suggest to Commander Kallon we send some of our stronger support vessels to aid in the station’s defense. Along with the station’s powerful weapons, it might just be enough to ensure its survival.” The station was a massive investment, and its continued survival was crucial to the economy of the Bator System.

“I have the station commander on the comm,” reported Meela. “She is asking if you would like to come on board for a tour.”

Kamuss thought for a moment and then nodded. “Yes, I think that would be wise. It will give me a better understanding of the station’s defenses as well as the capability of the station’s crew in case they become involved in a battle situation.”

Kamuss’s own mate worked on a space station back in the home system. It had been several months since he had seen her, though he received regular messages from her and she from him. The war with the Trellixians was difficult on families. The Voltrex family size ranged from two to six cubs, depending on the wealth and ability of the family to care for the newborns. The war was splitting families apart and rapidly changing the long and tradition-rich culture of the Voltrex.

“Commander Keevha says she will be waiting for you,” said Meela.

Kamuss turned to leave the Command Center. “Lieutenant Commander, you have command. I will return as soon as the inspection is complete.”

-

It didn’t take long for the fleet commander’s shuttle to arrive at the station. The station was two kilometers in length, one kilometer in width, and nearly four hundred meters in thickness. It had several large bays where cargo ships could dock to be unloaded as well as docking ports for personnel transfers. It had a large flight bay for shuttles and other small spacecraft.

The exterior of the station had a number of large and small energy beam turrets plus twenty-eight missile tubes. How unfortunate that now even civilian stations were required to be armed and had a small military contingent on board.

Kamuss’s shuttle landed in the flight bay where he was met by Commander Keevha and the station’s chief administrator, Lamaros, a civilian, whereas Commander Keevha was military. Ten heavily armed Voltrex stood behind the two in an honor guard formation.

“Welcome aboard,” said Commander Keevha, saluting and standing at attention. She was a striped tabby and quite pleasant to look at.

“At ease, Commander,” said Kamuss, returning the salute. He smiled at the ten uniformed Voltrex behind her. It was obvious they took pride in their military training and responsibility to the Voltrex. It also indicated Commander Keevha was a proper commanding officer.

-

For the next two hours Commander Keevha and Administrator Lamaros showed Fleet Commander Kamuss around the large space station. They stopped to observe one of the large smelting operations, where ore from the planet was heated and the different metals separated. Most of the operation was automated with just a few Voltrex operating the controlling computer consoles.

“Four of these large smelting plants are on the station,” explained Lamaros. “We run a three-shift operation, only shutting them down when we switch to a different ore and when the smelting plants needs to be cleaned.”

Kamuss had never been on this particular station before, and the operation was quite interesting. “How large a crew does the station have?”

“Two thousand civilians and four hundred military,” answered Commander Keevha. “The station could handle more, but, due to the threat of the Trellixians, we’ve reduced it to the minimum we thought necessary to safely run all the station’s operations.”

Lamaros turned toward Fleet Commander Kamuss. “Do you think the Trellixians will attack? The orders for heavy metals have never been so high as they are now.”

“Yes,” Kamuss replied, not wanting to keep the truth from Lamaros. “The attack could come at any time. A Trellixian vessel scanned the system a few days back, and I’m almost certain an attack is imminent.”

“I hope we have a few more days,” Commander Keevha stated. “Commander Kallon has promised sixty more defense satellites for the station.”

Kamuss nodded. “I’ll ask that a few of our heavier support ships be assigned to your defense as well. I believe they would be more effective in conjunction with the defenses you have on the station.”

Commander Keevha looked pleased upon hearing this. “Let’s go to the station’s Command Center. From there you can see more of the station as well as some of the mining operations on the planet that we monitor.”

They took several turbolifts to the center of the station and, after a short walk down a corridor, passed through a guarded hatch into the large Command Center.

Fleet Commander Kamuss came to a stop, surprised at how large the room was. It easily dwarfed the Command Center of the Claw of Honor, his flagship. Around the periphery of the room, numerous Voltrex sat in front of consoles, monitoring the station and mining operations on the planet. Large viewscreens covered the walls, showing the actual mining operations as well as different compartments of the space station. Kamuss had to smile as one viewscreen was focused on his flagship.

“From here we can monitor every part of the station as well as all the major mining operations,” Administrator Lamaros informed Kamuss. “The Command Center is in full operation on all three shifts as most of the mining operations on the planet work around the clock.”

“I’m impressed,” replied Kamuss. He could see why Lamaros took such pride in the station.

-

They were in the Command Center for about twenty minutes when Commander Keevha was called over to the communications console. After a few moments the commander returned to Kamuss with a concerned look on her face. “That was your communications officer. She reports four unknown contacts in the outer regions of the system in the last hour. Lieutenant Commander LeLath believes they’re Trellixian warships.”

Fleet Commander Kamuss sucked in a deep breath, his whiskers stiffening. “This may be a prelude to a full-scale attack. Those ships are probably scanning the system and relaying the information to their main fleet.” Defense Commander Kallon had sent out scout ships to search the surrounding systems, but, so far, none of them had encountered any Trellixian vessels.

Suddenly the lights in the Command Center dimmed and were replaced by red flashing ones as well as the battle-alert klaxons.

“Commander Kallon has just placed the entire system on alert,” reported another Voltrex officer near the communications console. “He believes an attack is imminent.”

“Turn off those lights and alarms,” ordered Commander Keevha. “Make sure all ground operations are aware of the situation.”

Kamuss looked at Commander Keevha and Administrator Lamaros. “I’d better return to my ship.” He could see the activity in the Command Center was now at a furious pace as orders were sent to the different mining operations and the small colonies on the planet.

“Good hunting, Fleet Commander,” said Commander Keevha.

“Same to you,” replied Kamuss. “I’ll leave several of my heavier escorts here to help protect the station”—Kamuss had decided to do this without direct orders—“while we take the fight to the Trellixians.” Turning, he hurried from the Command Center. Time to get back to the Claw of Honor and prepare for battle.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr waited impatiently for Battle Commander Ulvan to give the order to attack. All three fleets were gathered just a few light-years from the Voltrex system.

“Four planets in the habitable zone,” said Second Officer Jaltor. “The High Command will be very pleased. This system can hold billions of colonists.”

Balforr did not reply. Battle Commander Ulvan would get the credit and recognition for conquering the system. It would do little to help Balforr’s tarnished reputation after the debacle at Earth. He was still very curious to find out what had happened to the observation ships watching the planet. Strange for them not to report in.

In the condition Balforr had left the Human planet, he could not see any way the Humans could be the cause for the failure of the observation fleet to communicate with the High Command. There had to be another reason, though Balforr could not think of what it could be. A quick trip by an exploration vessel would easily answer the question as to what was wrong. While the Humans had access to Jelnoid technology, Balforr just could not believe they had the capability to build enough ships to threaten the observation force.

“Message from Battle Commander Ulvan,” reported Carmol. “We’re to enter hyperspace, drop out near the ninth planet in the system, and destroy the Voltrex fleet currently in orbit around that world. Battle Commander Ulvan and Battle Commander Dramm will destroy the Voltrex vessels over the primary inhabited world. Once all the Voltrex warships have been destroyed, we’re to sweep the system and annihilate all cargo ships and any other vessels capable of escaping.”

“Is it wise to split the fleets?” asked Second Officer Jaltor. “Our scans indicate most of these worlds have sizable defense grids. We have no idea of the power of those defenses.”

“It is Battle Commander Ulvan’s decision,” replied Balforr indifferently. If Ulvan failed in this attack, Balforr could always point to Ulvan’s decision to split the fleets. “Set a course, but come out of hyperspace thirty thousand kilometers from the planet. Once we exit hyperspace, I want detailed scans of the defensive grid, the ships in orbit, and that large space station.”

Since facing the Humans, Battle Commander Balforr had become more cautious when encountering an enemy. The Humans had taught him Trellixians were not as invulnerable as Balforr had once believed.

-

Moments later Balforr’s battlecruiser, the Conquest, and its attending fleet made the transition into hyperspace. Their next target would be the ninth planet of the Bator System and its inhabitants.

Chapter Eight

Voltrex Fleet Commander Kamuss had just received his orders from Commander Kallon at Defense Command. Until the Trellixians actually showed up with a full battle fleet, he was to remain in orbit of Bator Nine. Kallon was rushing two more cargo ships loaded with additional defense satellites to help protect the large space station.

“The two cargo ships will enter hyperspace to get here quickly enough,” Meela reported from Communications. “Defense Command is expecting an attack within the next twenty hours. Commander Kallon has also sent a message to Fleet Commander Masurl to come with whatever ships he has. His arrival is expected in thirty hours.”

Lieutenant Commander LeLath frowned. “The battle may be over by then.”

“We have strong defenses throughout the system,” Kamuss replied as he studied the tactical display. “Meela, contact the two squadrons of patrol ships. They’re to take up defensive positions around the space station until further notice.” The small patrol ships were only two hundred meters in length with no hyperdrive. They possessed two main energy cannons, twelve defensive cannons, and were armed with six missile tubes.

“We’ll use our fleet to meet the Trellixians, if they attack. We’ll do everything we can to keep them away from the station.” Kamuss hoped, with a little luck, the patrol ships and the weapons on the station would be sufficient to handle anything that got past his fleet. “Metriic, move us out ten thousand kilometers past the station, keeping the station between us and the planet. We’ll put the fleet in our standard defensive formation with the battleships and the battlecruisers screened by our support ships. Fleet will stay at Battle Condition Three until further notice.” This would keep the fleet at a higher alert level with the full crew ready to go to Battle Condition One upon detection of any Trellixian vessels.

“What about missiles?” asked Lieutenant Commander LeLath. “Should I have all the tubes loaded?” Normally the missiles were kept in their secure bunkers until needed.

Kamuss nodded his head. “Yes. We don’t know how close to the planet the Trellixians will exit hyperspace. It could be right on top of us or several million kilometers away. I would guess they will exit hyperspace far enough out to allow them to scan us first before attacking.” Still much about the Trellixians and their battle techniques was unknown.

Lieutenant Commander LeLath shifted her gaze to the viewscreens. One showed the space station, another one their escorting ships, and the rest were views of the stars. “Can we protect the station and the planet both?” she asked, her tone betraying her growing concern. Nukes or fusion missiles striking the surface would be deadly to the small colonies and mining operations.

“We’re going to try. That’s why I want to intercept the enemy far enough away and engage their fleet before they can fire on either. As the battle progresses, we will fall back to the space station and take advantage of the patrol boats and the station’s own weapons.” Kamuss was worried about defending the planet. The space station and the resources of Bator Nine could not be lost. Four hundred defensive satellites were in orbit; he wished there were twice as many.

Lieutenant Commander LeLath let out a deep sigh. She should be home raising her first cubs, but instead she was here, on board a warship, preparing to fight a battle. “Why is there a race like the Trellixians?”

Fleet Commander Kamuss had asked himself that question numerous times. “Billions of stars are in our galaxy,” he answered LeLath. “Many of them probably have life-bearing planets. There may be races out there even worse than the Trellixians.”

“But there should also be races like us,” suggested LeLath, her gaze hopeful. “Races who, if we could find them, could help us against these aliens.”

“Probably,” replied Kamuss. “However, most of the inhabited worlds we’ve found have all been very primitive. In our explorations we’ve yet to encounter another space-going race.”

LeLath gazed at one of the viewscreens revealing the stars. “We sent our colony ships far off. Is there any chance they could have encountered another starfaring race by now?”

“Perhaps,” responded Kamuss. “But they were sent away with strict orders not to contact us or to send any ships back. The Trellixians must never learn we sent out colony ships or where they might have gone.” Kamuss hoped by now the colonists had found a suitable world and had established a thriving Voltrex colony. Even if the Voltrex civilization in this part of the galaxy was destroyed, it would continue far away. Only this colony would know of the Trellixians and would someday be prepared for the next encounter.

“I have two cargo ships exiting hyperspace,” reported Zalurr. “They must be the ones with the defensive satellites.”

“Meela, contact them and inform them to emplace the satellites around the station. I greatly fear we’re running out of time.” Kamuss leaned back in his command chair. He suspected this battle would be far more deadly than the last one. The Trellixians would not be committing a fleet unless they believed they could win, and this time a world was at stake.

-

In space, Fleet Commander Kamuss’s ships moved into formation with escorts protecting the larger vessels. The two cargo ships hurriedly placed the defensive satellites around the station, the captains on the vessels knowing their time was limited. On the surface of the planet, the population evacuated into the mines or into deep shelters long since built just for this threat. Hand weapons and energy rifles were distributed in case the enemy attempted to land. Across the Bator System, everyone waited to see if the Trellixians were indeed coming. Cargo ships had orders to go silent and to shut down their power once the enemy was detected. For the first time in the long history of the Voltrex, one of their star systems was actually in danger.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr felt restless. His fleet was in hyperspace and would soon exit into the newly discovered Voltrex system. His nervousness was caused by Battle Commander Ulvan who had never fought a fleet battle. Ulvan was confident in the superiority of the Trellixians and that no race had ever stood up to them in the past. After speaking to the battle commander, Balforr had gotten the impression Ulvan believed this battle would be a simple matter of dropping out of hyperspace and destroying the enemy. Just the fact a colonization fleet was already on the way was further indication of Ulvan’s lack of experience in battle.

“This is a mistake, isn’t it?” said Second Officer Jaltor, coming to stand next to Balforr. “Battle Commander Ulvan’s overconfidence is a threat to this battle.”

Balforr looked at Jaltor. In the past such a suggestion from a second officer would require serious disciplinary action. But, like Balforr, Jaltor had learned from the debacle with the Humans. “It may be. That’s why we will exit a short distance from the planet and use our sensors to see what we’re up against.”

“We must engage,” said Jaltor with a dark look in his eyes. “We cannot disobey the orders of the senior battle commander.”

“We will engage,” Balforr replied, “but in our own way. We will ensure our own fleet suffers minimal loses while Battle Commanders Ulvan and Dramm engage the main enemy forces. If the battle goes against them, then we will withdraw and report back to the High Command. If they are successful, we will join in a full assault on the enemy.”

Jaltor nodded. He well understood self-preservation. “Perhaps after this battle you will be given more authority and additional vessels.”

Balforr hoped so. This war with the Voltrex was an opportunity to regain his lost status with the High Command. While he did not want to see Battle Commander Ulvan fail in his attack upon the Voltrex system, Balforr would not feel sad if Ulvan was, indeed, defeated.

“Hyperspace dropout in twenty minutes,” reported Jaltor.

All three fleets would be exiting hyperspace within a few seconds of one another. Such a surprise should be complete, but, because of the detection of the ships sent earlier to scan the system, the Voltrex had to know the Trellixian fleets were coming. The Trellixians would attack an enemy who would be prepared and waiting.

-

Voltrex Fleet Commander Kamuss watched the tactical display when warning alarms sounded.

“Enemy ships emerging from hyperspace,” reported Zalurr. “Range is twenty thousand kilometers.”

Kamuss leaned forward in his command chair. “How many?”

“Forty-six Trellixian battlecruisers.”

More alarms sounded, and Kamuss looked inquiringly at Zalurr.

“Two more fleets exiting hyperspace near Bator Seven. One with seventy-four battlecruisers and the other with forty-two battlecruisers. The two fleets are nearly in engagement range of the planet’s defenses. Fleet Commander Zolmar is holding his fleet near the defensive grid for its additional firepower.”

“Go to Battle Condition One,” ordered Kamuss, adrenaline rushing through his veins. “We go once more into battle. Metriic, move the fleet toward the enemy. I wish to engage them as far away from the planet and the space station as possible.” The Trellixian battlecruisers had more firepower than his entire fleet combined. Kamuss’s only hope was to inflict sufficient damage so that, when he pulled back to the planet and its defenses, the Trellixian fleet would be forced to turn away.

On two of the viewscreens, magnified views showed the deadly Trellixian warships. Kamuss wondered how much of his fleet, if any, would survive the coming battle.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr studied the latest scans of the enemy fleet moving toward him as well as the defenses around the planet. He scowled, realizing, while he could destroy the fleet as well as the planet’s defenses, his fleet would pay a heavy price, one Balforr preferred to avoid.

“What’s the status on the enemy fleet?” Balforr didn’t care for all the red threat icons approaching him on an intercept course.

“Four battleships, twenty battlecruisers, and sixty support craft,” answered Maldane from his sensor console. “Two squadrons of smaller craft surround the large space station as well as a number of defensive satellites.”

Second Officer Jaltor turned away from the tactical display. “That station is heavily armed. We’ll take some losses.”

Balforr adjusted the tactical display so it showed more of the inner system, including planet seven where Battle Commanders Ulvan and Dramm’s ships were exiting hyperspace. They had 116 ships between the two of them. Balforr knew it had been a mistake to split the fleets. Ulvan’s arrogance would cost them.

“What type of fleet units are around the seventh planet?” It was the most heavily populated with the strongest defense grid.

“Ten battleships, sixty battlecruisers and 143 support ships. Also numerous squadrons of the smaller support vessels are around the planet’s space stations and in orbit. The defense grid around the planet is massive. Scans indicated sixteen large battlestations in orbit as well.”

Balforr sucked in a deep breath. It was as he had feared. This system was prepared to be attacked and, in all likelihood, would defeat the Trellixian forces. Balforr estimated they would need twice the available ships to conquer this Voltrex system. He wondered if all of their worlds were defended this heavily. “Move our fleet away from the inbound enemy fleet,” he ordered, weighing his options. “We will not engage until we see what success Battle Commanders Ulvan and Dramm have.”

The orders were quickly passed, and the range between the two fleets increased.

“I have a message from Battle Commander Ulvan demanding to know why we’re not engaging,” reported Carmol. “He is ordering us to close the range immediately and to engage the Voltrex fleet.”

“Slow our speed and let the fleets begin to close but keep us out of weapons range,” ordered Balforr, leaning forward in his command chair. This would quiet Battle Commander Ulvan and allow Balforr to study what happened around planet seven between the two Trellixian fleets and the defenders.

-

Battle Commander Ulvan was not pleased with the actions of Battle Commander Balforr. He was beginning to understand why Balforr had been defeated by the Humans.

“Move us toward the enemy fleet,” Ulvan ordered, anxious to get the battle started so he could add this system to his long list of conquests for the Trellixian Empire. Looking at the tactical display, he noted the enemy fleet wasn’t coming to meet his ships. Instead, they were remaining inside their defensive grid. “If they won’t come out, we’ll go to them.” Ulvan was confident of an easy victory. After all, they were Trellixians, and no one had ever stopped them before. “All ships stand by to fire. Target the enemy warships as well as the defensive satellites.” Once the warships and the satellites were destroyed, Ulvan would have the fleet concentrate on the orbital battlestations and the shipyards.

-

In space, the two Trellixian fleets moved toward Bator Seven. The defensive grid was fully activated, and all warships were at Battle Condition One. Energy turrets swung around and targeted the approaching fleet. Satellites reoriented themselves until their energy cannons faced the inbound enemy warships. On the sixteen battlestations, hatches slid open, and missiles were prepared to fire.

-

Voltrex Defense Commander Kallon stood in the Command Center of the shipyard, watching the tactical displays intently. Everything was as ready as it could be. “Inform Fleet Commander Zolmar he is released to engage. He is to stay close enough to the defense grid so its weapons can be of use in the battle.”

“Energy shields are up on all stations,” reported Castell from Tactical. “Weapons are ready to engage when needed. Defense grid is activated and ready to fire. All secondary stations have activated their energy shields as well. Battlestations are locking on targets.”

Kallon nodded. The two large shipyards were heavily armed and defended. A dozen smaller stations, which served various manufacturing and research purposes, were in lower orbits. Some of these were also armed, and all of them had defensive energy shields. Nearly 120 of the small two-hundred-meter-long patrol ships were in orbit and tasked with defending the stations. He was confident, when this firepower was added to the defense grid, the Trellixian attack would be thwarted.

On one of the main viewscreens, several Trellixian battlecruisers became visible.

Suddenly the viewscreens erupted with light as massive explosions covered the screens. Voltrex Fleet Commander Zolmar had struck first, using his twenty-megaton fusion missiles.

-

Battle Commander Ulvan reeled in shock as four green icons representing ships of his fleet flared up and then promptly vanished from the tactical display. “What happened to those ships?”

“Destroyed,” replied the sensor officer. “Their shields were overloaded by numerous missile strikes.”

“But those were Trellixian battlecruisers!” It was unfathomable to Ulvan that a lessor race could damage, let alone destroy, one of his warships. “Return fire!”

-

The space between the two fleets lit up with crisscrossing energy beams and exploding missiles. In the Voltrex fleet, two small support vessels blew apart, sending debris flying. Three defensive satellites were torn apart by the scattering wreckage. A Voltrex battlecruiser was pummeled by multiple energy beams until finally its energy shield wavered, and an enemy beam penetrated, blowing out a huge section of the hull. Subsequent beams played over the hull, ripping open compartment after compartment, sucking helpless Voltrex crew personnel into space.

-

Voltrex Fleet Commander Zolmar stood, observing the battle on the viewscreens and the tactical displays. On one of the viewscreens, the four-hundred-meter-long support ship Starhold was being torn apart by Trellixian energy beams. In a sudden explosion the bow blew off the ship. A Trellixian fifty-megaton fusion missile detonated, sending the small ship into oblivion.

“The Starhold is down,” reported the sensor officer. “No survivors.”

“Tighten our formation,” ordered Zolmar. “Defensive turrets to concentrate on inbound missiles. Everything else is to target the Trellixians.”

Zolmar’s flagship shook violently, and several red lights appeared on the damage control console. “Report.”

“Energy beam strike to the stern near Engineering,” reported the damage control officer. “Emergency bulkheads have sealed off the affected are, and the fire-suppression system has activated. We’re bleeding atmosphere, but it should be under control in a few minutes. Combat effectiveness has not been reduced.”

“Defensive grid is firing,” reported the tactical officer. “Both shipyards are launching missiles in sprint mode. Same for the battlestations.”

Fleet Commander Zolmar switched his gaze to the tactical displays. Both shipyards had numerous missile tubes and a nearly inexhaustible supply of fusion missiles. The same was true of the battlestations. With a fierce grin, Zolmar saw several more Trellixian battlecruisers vanish under the intense fire. “All ships, continue to fire! Don’t let the enemy get past the defense grid.” Looking at the tactical display, he was surprised to see that the Trellixian fleet near Fleet Commander Kamuss had still not engaged.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Ulvan was nearly thrown to the deck as several Voltrex fusion missiles detonated against his flagship’s energy screen, threatening to overload it. In the Command Center, sparks flew across the room as several computer screens shorted out. The ventilation system fought to keep the large room clear of smoke.

“We’ve lost seven more battlecruisers,” reported the sensor officer. “That makes a total of twenty-two. The inbound missiles from the two shipyards and the battlestations are overwhelming our energy shields.”

Ulvan was about to reply when several viewscreens were covered in brilliance and then shut down. The ship shook violently, and he could hear a sound, like tearing metal.

“Energy screen has failed,” shouted the tactical officer.

Moments later an intense white light and burning heat swept through the Command Center, killing everyone inside.

-

Voltrex Fleet Commander Zolmar watched as several more Trellixian ships were converted into plasma under the intense fire of his fleet, the shipyards, and the battlestations. The extra energy weapons fire from the defensive grid was having an effect as they helped to overload the enemy’s energy shields.

A massive explosion suddenly lit up one of the viewscreens.

“Battlecruiser Formack is down,” reported the sensor officer. The Formack had been one of the escorts for the flagship.

“We’re losing a lot of support ships,” reported the second officer. “However, they’re giving our battlecruisers and battleships time to fire on the enemy.”

Zolmar nodded. Looking at one of the tactical displays, he saw far fewer green icons than before. The escorts were paying a huge price for defending the heavy hitters. When this was over, there would be many empty beds in the homes of the cubs of the fleet. However, he was pleased to note the number of red threat icons were rapidly being reduced as well. It was obvious the Trellixians had not been prepared for the massive and unrelenting missile fire from the two shipyards and the sixteen battlestations.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr watched in silence as the green icon representing Battle Commander Ulvan’s flagship suddenly vanished from the tactical display. Almost instantly he heard Battle Commander Dramm take over command of the fleet.

“We’re ordered to jump to the seventh planet and aid in the battle there,” reported Carmol from Communications. “We’re to jump immediately.” He looked expectantly at Balforr.

Balforr spent a long moment in silence before responding. “I’m senior to Battle Commander Dramm. I’m ordering him to take what remains of his fleet and Battle Commander Ulvan’s and return to our rendezvous system. We do not have the ships to conquer this system. If we remain, we will lose the majority of or all of our ships in this futile effort. We must summon more warships from the High Command. Once we have an overwhelming force, we will return and conquer this system of the Voltrex. The missile fire from their battlestations is too intense.”

“Message sent,” reported Carmol. After a moment he listened and then turned toward Balforr. “Dramm does not recognize your authority. He is demanding you jump immediately to his position, or he will have you demoted or put to death when he makes his report to the High Command.”

“The fool,” answered Balforr, his eyes glowing red. “Second Officer Jaltor, take the fleet into hyperspace. We’re returning to the rendezvous system. If Battle Commander Dramm wishes to sacrifice the ships under his command, then so be it.” In Balforr’s mind, if Dramm continued this attack, the battle commander would die in this system.

-

Moments later, just before Balforr’s fleet entered weapons range of the nearby Voltrex fleet, it vanished into hyperspace, speeding out and away from the star system.

-

“They what?” uttered Voltrex Fleet Commander Kamuss as the threatening fleet vanished into hyperspace. “Where are they going?”

“They’re leaving the system,” replied Zalurr.

“Could it be a trick?” asked Lieutenant Commander LeLath. “They had the firepower to destroy us.”

“If it is a trick, it’s a good one,” replied Kamuss, gazing at the spot where the Trellixian fleet had vanished. “We’re splitting our fleet. Our escorts will return to the space station and aid in its defense if the Trellixians return. The battlecruisers and battleships will enter hyperspace and go to Bator Seven to aid in its defense.”

-

It only took a few minutes to readjust the fleet, then for the battlecruisers and battleships to enter hyperspace and make the quick jump to Bator Seven.

The fleet exited hyperspace just behind the Trellixian ships and barely out of combat range.

-

Space was lit up with explosions and energy beam fire. Voltrex Fleet Commander Kamuss quickly ordered his ships to close the range and engage the nearest enemy battlecruisers.

On the main viewscreen, the images shifted to show more ships of the fleet. Energy beam fire erupted, and hatches on the missile tubes slid open.

“Focus our fire on just a few ships at a time,” Kamuss ordered as he leaned forward in his command chair. “Have the battleships focus on one Trellixian battlecruiser and all of our own battlecruisers on another. Let’s see if we can thin them out.” Kamuss knew the key to victory was overloading the enemy’s energy screens, making their ships vulnerable.

-

Energy beam fire from the Voltrex battlecruisers slammed into the main hull of a Trellixian warship, penetrating its shield and setting off massive explosions, hurling glowing debris into space. The beams played across the hull of the ship, tearing open compartments and causing massive internal damage. In a brilliant flash of light, the Trellixian battlecruiser blew apart.

Eight twenty-megaton fusion missiles struck the energy shield of another Trellixian battlecruiser, causing it to fail. Two other missiles impacted the ship’s hull, turning the vessel into a molten wreck.

A Trellixian energy beam penetrated the failing screen of a Voltrex battlecruiser, striking the engine compartment and causing a massive power failure. A fifty-megaton fusion missile crashed through the ship’s hull, detonating and transforming the Voltrex vessel into a field of glowing plasma and gas.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Dramm gripped the armrests on his command chair as his flagship shook uncontrollably. Around him, the ships under his command were dying. While they had caused significant damage to the defending Voltrex fleet and had destroyed much of their defense grid, it was now evident, without Battle Commander Balforr’s fleet, victory was just out of reach. He was about to send a message recommending Balforr’s immediate removal from command when the lights in Dramm’s Command Center went out.

“Energy screen is down, and we’ve lost power,” reported the damage control officer.

Battle Commander Dramm leaned back in his command chair, awaiting death. He was not afraid to die for the Empire. Military members were expected to sacrifice their lives when necessary. What aggravated him was that Balforr would now escape any prosecution for his role in this disaster.

-

Voltrex Defense Commander Kallon nodded in satisfaction. He was pretty certain they had just destroyed the last command ship of the Trellixians in the Bator System. The battle had turned rapidly once the enemy fleet at Bator Nine left, allowing Voltrex Fleet Commander Kamuss to commit his battleships and battlecruisers to the battle.

“We’ve lost numerous support ships and some battlecruisers,” reported the sensor officer, “and nearly 80 percent of the defense grid.”

Kallon winced at the losses. “It was expected,” he replied. So far the enemy ships had not fired on the planet or even damaged one of the orbiting space stations, the two shipyards, or any of the battlestations. While the losses were heavy, they could have been much worse.

“Remaining Trellixian battlecruisers are entering hyperspace,” reported the sensor operator.

“They’re out of weapons range,” added Castell from Tactical.

“Only fourteen of them escaped,” reported the sensor operator. “All the other have been destroyed.”

Voltrex Defense Commander Kallon breathed out a huge sigh of relief as the last red threat icon vanished from the tactical displays. “Take all commands to Battle Condition Two. Let’s see what we have left.” He would send out messages shortly requesting more replacement ships as well as defensive satellites.

While they had won a sizable victory over the Trellixians, it would only be a short reprieve before the enemy returned with an even larger fleet. They now knew how strongly held the system was and would no doubt take that into consideration for their next attack.

Kallon’s gaze shifted to a screen of one of the large battlestations; they had performed far better than expected. Their ability to launch large numbers of missiles had been devastating to the attacking Trellixian fleets. Kallon would mention this in his report to Fleet Command.

-

“All enemy forces have exited the system,” reported Zalurr from Sensors.

“We lost the battleship Temar and four battlecruisers,” added Lieutenant Commander LeLath.

Voltrex Fleet Commander Kamuss winced at the losses. While his part in the battle had been brief, it had been violent. It still left the majority of his fleet intact since all his support vessels were still at Bator Nine.

“Assign six of our larger support ships to stay at Bator Nine. The rest are to come here. We’ll need them to help protect the planet, since most of the defense grid has been destroyed.”

Gazing at a viewscreen, he could see the tumbling wreck of a Voltrex support ship. It was one of the larger ones and had been nearly cut in two by Trellixian energy beams. A few secondary explosions still rattled the vessel. “We need to search the wrecks for survivors,” he ordered.

LeLath nodded. “I’ll get the rescue shuttles launched immediately.”

Fleet Commander Kamuss leaned back in his command chair, allowing himself to relax. After everything was more organized, he would send a message to his mate and son, informing them that he had survived this latest contact with the enemy. He didn’t know when he would get to see them again.

Chapter Nine

The Vengeance and the Constellation dropped from FTL into the third system which Lisa and her team wanted to investigate. After Major Dolan spoke to the captain, he had agreed to explore a few star systems along their line of flight.

“Contacts!” called out Kia as her sensor screen lit up with red threat icons. “Detecting large numbers of Trellixian vessels.”

Captain Erickson sat up straighter in his command chair. “Identify numbers and types. Take the ship to Condition One.” It was already at Condition Two as was standard anytime the ship entered a system. Immediately alarm klaxons sounded, and red lights flashed.

It took a few seconds for the sensors to identify the contacts, comparing them to the records in the ship’s database.

“Sixteen battlecruisers, forty-seven colony ships, and twenty-two of what appear to be cargo ships of some type,” reported Kia.

“We’ve been detected!” reported Major Dolan as a red warning light blinked on his console.

“How close are the nearest battlecruisers?”

Kia leaned forward, studying the data coming in from the sensors. “They are in orbit around the fourth planet of the system.”

“It’s being turned into a Trellixian colony,” reported Lisa as she used the ship’s sensors to scan the planet. “There is evidence of a past civilization which has been destroyed. I’m detecting hundreds of former city sites leveled by nuclear bombardment.”

Captain Erickson took a deep breath and looked at Brett. “Be ready to jump quickly if the Trellixians respond to our presence.”

On the viewscreen, a close-up of the planet appeared. It was a blue-white world very similar to Earth. Around it dozens of Trellixian vessels were visible.

“A number of Trellixian colony ships on the surface are building new cities,” added Lisa as she scanned more of the planet. She adjusted the main viewscreen to its highest magnification. A grounded colony ship appeared, and, around it, the infrastructure for a massive city was coming into being.

“This is what they would do to Earth,” said Lieutenant Commander Barrington softly. “It’s what we destroyed in Florida.”

Everyone focused on that screen. Robots were being used for much of the construction. Swarms of Trellixians were visible on the ground around the ship.

“We’re detecting forty-seven active construction sites just on the side of the planet we can scan,” reported Lisa.

Captain Erickson folded his arms across his chest. “Record everything you can. This data will be important when we return to Earth.”

-

For nearly twenty minutes the Vengeance and the Constellation took scans of the planet and observed the Trellixian colonization effort. The system had eight planets, and the two Earth battlecruisers remained motionless in space between the sixth and seventh ones.

-

“All evidence indicates this is a recent colonization effort,” reported Lieutenant Commander Barrington. “We believe the indigenous species who lived on this world was only wiped out in the past twelve to sixteen months.”

“I wonder what they were like?” asked Brett, gazing at the viewscreen. “What level of technology were they at?”

“The steam age,” replied Lisa with a deep frown. “From what I’ve detected, they were just beginning to use electricity.”

Lieutenant Commander Barrington’s face darkened. “It would have been a slaughter. At that level of technology, they couldn’t even fight back.”

An alarm sounded on the sensor console, which Kia quickly silenced. “Four Trellixian battlecruisers have jumped into hyperspace.”

“I think we’re about to have visitors,” said Lieutenant Commander Barrington, glancing at the captain.

“Lieutenant Masterson, set our next course. Stand by to activate the Fold Space Drive on my command.” Captain Erickson had no desire to tangle with Trellixian battlecruisers so far from home.

“Course set,” replied Brett. “The Constellation is ready to activate their Fold Space Drive as well.”

“I want to continue to take scans of the planet until the last possible second,” Lisa said.

Twenty-six seconds passed, and suddenly the alarms on the sensor console blared again.

“Contacts!” called out Kia. “Range is 42,000 kilometers.”

“Can we hit them with our missiles?” Captain Erickson asked Major Dolan.

“Yes, but that’s the extreme effective range of our missiles. I wouldn’t recommend it. Twenty thousand would be better.”

Captain Erickson nodded. “Very well. Let’s get out of here. Lieutenant Masterson, activate the drive.”

-

In space, the two Earth spacecraft seemed to blur, and then they darted off, accelerating faster than light.

-

Trellixian Commander Katella gazed in confusion as the two ships sped away. “Where did those vessels come from?”

“Unknown,” replied the sensor officer. “They are using a Jelnoid-based FTL system.”

“Jelnoid,” replied Katella in a stunned voice. “We must send a report to the High Command immediately.” As he gazed at a viewscreen showing what one of the two ships looked like, he wondered if some Jelnoids had escaped and had set up a colony nearby. He would send in his report and then return to Capal Four, where he was sitting up a new Trellixian colony. He would leave it up to the High Command as to what needed to be done about the two mysterious ships.

-

Lisa sat at her console, studying the data from the sensor scans she had made of the planet undergoing Trellixian colonization. A chill passed over her at the realization the planet had once belonged to another intelligent race until the Trellixians had discovered them. Leaning back, she closed her eyes, picturing the hundreds and possibly thousands of worlds the Trellixians had laid waste to. If the Trellixians were ever defeated, this part of the galaxy would be destroyed, becoming a wasteland of desolate and uninhabited worlds.

“Not a pretty thought,” said Brett, guessing what Lisa was thinking. “An entire civilization wiped out only because they were in the way and living on a planet the Trellixians wanted for living space.”

“Why don’t they just control their population?” blurted out Brenda. “With their science, birth control should be simple.”

“They can’t,” Kia answered. “There’s something in their genes that prevents them from implementing any type of birth control. It’s in the archives the Jelnoids included in their database. The Jelnoids even offered to provide a simple birth control method for the Trellixians, hoping to end the war. There was never any response to their offer.”

“Uncontrolled breeding,” said Derek. “No wonder their worlds are overpopulated.”

Lisa glanced at Brett. “How can they sustain such a population? How do they feed everyone? At some point they won’t find worlds fast enough to handle their growing population.”

“Starvation,” answered Brett simply. “They’ll let worlds with too large of a population starve until the population stabilizes.”

“That’s gruesome,” replied Brenda, repulsed at the thought of wholesale starvation.

“But it makes sense,” replied Derek, glancing at Brenda. “It’s survival of the fittest. The weak will die, and the strong will go on.”

Lisa shivered at the thought of what starvation on a worldwide level would be like. “The Trellixians are a cold-blooded alien species. What sounds repulsive to us may not to them.”

“Enough talk about the lizard people,” said Derek. “Once our shift is over, let’s meet in the computer lab. I think I’ve made a breakthrough on the quantum computer, and I need all of you there so I can try it out.”

“The sky is purple. The rain is orange,” muttered Brett, referring to how a quantum computer was so inaccurate in its responses.

“Maybe not this time,” replied Derek with a mysterious smile, as if he knew something the others didn’t. “Maybe this time the sky will be blue.”

“I would like to further review this data from the planet. I want each of you tell me what you find and then we’ll compare notes,” said Lisa. She was curious as to what else she could learn from the scans she had taken. “Maybe we’ll learn something new about the Trellixians and how they colonize worlds.”

Derek nodded. “We can do that as well. If we can get the quantum computer to work, we can download the data from the scans and let the computer process it.”

“If we can trust its answers,” said Brett.

“If my new algorithms work, it should be over 99.98 percent accurate.”

Brett’s eyebrows rose. “That will be a remarkable accomplishment, if you can achieve such accuracy.”

“All right,” announced Lisa. “Two hours after we get off of our duty shift, we’ll meet in the computer lab.” That would give them time to rest and get something to eat.

-

After her shift ended, Lisa went straight to her quarters. Sitting down, she took out the diary she kept for Professor Wilkens and began to write. He would want to know all about her experiences on this expedition. Lisa strongly suspected, if the professor had been younger, he would be on board the ship. She wanted to write about the planet they had discovered and what the Trellixians had done to it. She had to get her comments down while they were still fresh in her mind.

After she was done, Lisa lay on her bed, thinking about the day’s events. Discovering another Trellixian world had been frightening. She wondered how many beings the Trellixians had killed in their unchecked desire to find more living space for their race. The number could be in the trillions.

In a few more days they would leave Trellixian space, at least where Captain Erickson believed it ended. Perhaps they would find an ally or even another world to settle. Either way Lisa knew it would be a while before she returned to Earth and Professor Wilkens.

-

In Earth orbit, Admiral Edwards watched the tactical display on board his flagship. A few moments earlier warning klaxons had sounded, indicating a possible contact.

“It’s confirmed,” reported Captain Nelson, turning toward the admiral. “It’s a Trellixian exploration cruiser. It jumped in just outside of Jupiter’s orbit and is taking long-range scans of the space around the Moon and Earth.”

Edwards let out a deep sigh. This had been expected eventually. “Well, they’ll know what happened to their fleet. Their scans will show part of our defensive grid as well as some of our ships.” The use of Jelnoid shielding technology would make it difficult for the exploration ship’s sensors to detect anything around Earth. If they wanted firmer readings, they had to move closer. If they did, Admiral Edwards would send out several battlecruisers to destroy the ship.

“Have the battlecruisers Sydney and Reliant on standby to engage the exploration cruiser,” Edwards ordered. “Let’s see if they come closer.”

Edwards’s gaze shifted to a viewscreen of one of the new battlestations in orbit. There were six of them, each eighty meters in diameter. They served as the Command Centers for the energy beam satellites and the missile platforms. “Place the battlestations on alert, just in case they’re needed.” Edwards doubted if they would be, as he had twenty-six battlecruisers currently in orbit around Earth. The rest had landed at several new spaceports that were being built.

-

The Trellixian commander of the exploration cruiser stared in confusion at the sensor readings coming from the third planet and its large moon. Battle Commander Alnod and his fleet of fourteen battlecruisers should be in orbit around the planet’s moon, but all the sensors had detected were a number of small debris fields.

“All indications are the fleet has been destroyed,” reported the sensor officer. “There are multiple debris impacts on sections of the planet’s satellite.”

“Impossible!” uttered the ship’s commander in disbelief. “This planet was nearly depopulated with a nuclear winter just ending. They had nothing which could harm one of our ships. From our records their primitive spacecraft could not even reach their moon.”

“From Battle Commander Balforr’s reports, Jelnoid technology had been detected on the planet.”

“Jelnoid technology,” muttered the ship’s commander as he dwelled on that implication. “We must assume the Humans used that technology to destroy our fleet. Are you detecting anything in orbit around the planet?”

The sensor operator frowned, baring his large meat-shredding teeth. “The readings are inconclusive. There may be ships in orbit, but I can’t get a definitive reading on them.”

The ship’s commander stood for several long moments, considering his options. More information was needed. “Send the information and scans to the High Command. Once that’s done, we’ll jump to the vicinity of the planet’s moon and scan the debris fields in more detail as well as the space around the planet. As soon as we emerge from hyperspace, we’ll raise our energy shield.” Even with Jelnoid technology he couldn’t fathom how Humans could have destroyed the Trellixian observation fleet.

“We’re not as heavily armed as a regular battlecruiser,” cautioned the tactical officer.

“We’re Trellixians, and we must find out if there is a threat to our Empire,” replied the ship’s commanding officer. “We’ll jump in, take a series of scans of the wreckage and the orbital space around the third planet, and then leave. I want a continuous transmission of our findings on a secure frequency to the High Command at all times.” This was a precaution in case the exploration cruiser were destroyed. “Stand by to jump.”

-

Admiral Edwards watched the tactical display when the Trellixian exploration cruiser vanished to immediately reappear on a set of special sensors which could detect ships in hyperspace.

“Trellixian battlecruiser is inbound toward the Moon and should exit hyperspace in eighteen seconds,” reported Lieutenant Williams.

“Sydney and Reliant, stand by to engage,” ordered Edwards, leaning forward expectantly. “As soon as the enemy vessel emerges from hyperspace, you are weapons free.”

On the tactical display, the two ships moved into a higher orbit, ready to accelerate toward the Moon.

It was eerily quiet on the flagship as everyone waited for the Trellixian ship to make an appearance. Suddenly an alarm sounded on the sensor console, and a red light flashed.

“Enemy contact 14,000 kilometers above the Moon’s surface,” reported Lieutenant Williams. “The Sydney and Reliant are moving to engage.”

Admiral Edwards leaned back in his command chair, his attention focused on the primary tactical display to watch the engagement. If the Sydney and Reliant could close the range quickly enough, this Trellixian vessel would not be returning home.

-

The Trellixian ship commander stared at the tactical display with a stunned looked on his face. At this close range the wreckage around the planet’s moon was definitely that of destroyed Trellixian battlecruisers. It was a sight the ship commander had never seen before.

“Unknown contacts,” reported the sensor operator. “Twenty-six small spacecraft are in orbit of the planet as well as what appears to be a full-scale defensive grid. Two of the enemy contacts are on an intercept course.”

“How large are they?” The commander’s gaze shifted to a viewscreen revealing one of the small spacecraft. Where had these ships come from? No indications were in the reports on this planet of the Humans having the capability to build such ships.

“Three hundred meters.”

The commander felt a sense of relief. His own exploration cruiser was two thousand meters, and, though it wasn’t armed as heavily as a regular battlecruiser, it should be capable of destroying these two small ships.

“We will stay and engage the two approaching enemy vessels,” he ordered. “Continue scans during the battle. They will be useful to the High Command.”

“Energy shield is at full power, and weapons are ready to fire,” reported the tactical officer. “We will fire our energy cannons first and then missiles.” The exploration cruiser had the weaker twenty-kiloton warheads instead of the more powerful fifty-megaton ones.

The ship commander nodded his approval. “As soon as the two enemy ships have been destroyed, we will enter hyperspace.” The ship commander sat in his command chair, waiting for the battle to commence. He still didn’t understand how ships as small as these could have been a threat to Battle Commander Alnod and his fleet. He wondered if he might be missing something. He studied the tactical display for several long seconds, but he didn’t see anything that could have destroyed Alnod’s entire fleet.

-

The Sydney and the Reliant closed to four thousand kilometers when, from each, four sublight missiles erupted from their tubes. The missiles rapidly accelerated toward the waiting enemy vessel.

From the Trellixian exploration cruiser, defensive fire opened up as soon as the missiles were detected. However, the Jelnoid shielding on the Human missiles made them hard to lock on to. Even so, the Trellixian cruiser destroyed three of the Human missiles, leaving the other five to strike the enemy ship’s powerful defensive screen. The five forty-megaton warheads detonated against the energy screen, causing it to fluctuate and then go down.

Almost immediately the Sydney and the Reliant fired their primary Jelnoid energy cannons. The beams struck the Trellixian cruiser, tearing deep gashes into the hull. They drilled deep inside the ship, setting off numerous secondary explosions. The beams moved across the hull, ripping the ship open. In a tumultuous explosion, the vessel blew apart.

-

“Target destroyed,” reported Lieutenant Williams to Admiral Edwards.

“No other contacts,” added Captain Nelson. “They must have sent in one ship to find out what happened to their fleet.”

“I did detect a continuous FTL transmission from nearly the time the ship jumped into the system until it was destroyed,” added Lieutenant Simmins.

Admiral Edwards frowned upon hearing this. “So their High Command will know what happened to their fleet and their exploration cruiser. We can expect some response shortly.”

“We’re still putting up additional energy beam satellites and missile platforms every day,” said Captain Nelson. Two of the large underground facilities on Earth were tasked with nonstop production of the two key components for the defense grid.

“We need bigger ships,” replied Admiral Edwards, drawing in a deep breath. “Our small battlecruisers are powerful since they’re based on Jelnoid technology, but the ships of the Trellixians are two thousand meters in length. If we’re not careful, they’ll simply overwhelm us, and they can produce new warships far faster than we can.”

Edwards knew still more ships on Earth were nearing completion. However, once those were done, it would be over a year, perhaps two, before the next ones were ready. A lot could happen in that time. While Edwards was confident he could protect Earth for the immediate future, a long-term conflict in space would eventually wear down his forces. Their only real hope was that the Vengeance and the Constellation would find some powerful allies.

If they didn’t, then Earth would fall. Already plans were in the making to transform two of the large cargo ships into colony ships if necessary. Colony ships were being built, but they were two years from completion. Edwards wasn’t sure they would have that much time. He had already informed General Mitchell of his belief.

“Take the fleet back to Condition Three, and notify the battlestations the imminent threat is over,” ordered the admiral. “Have the Sydney and the Reliant return to their place in Earth orbit.”

Admiral Edwards had each ship currently in orbit responsible for defending a small area of space. When he had been in command of his aircraft carrier, he had learned to think three-dimensionally as he had to defend his command from attacks in the air, on the surface, and from below. It was the same in space, only much worse.

-

The next day Trellixian High Commander Kaldre met with the other members of the High Command. Over the last several days they had received some very disturbing news.

“It appears the Humans still survive,” reported High Commander Thatrex, his eyes narrowed to bare slits. “Battle Commander Alnod and his fleet have been lost as well as the exploration cruiser we sent to investigate.”

“Not only that but our commander in the Capal System reports detecting two Human ships,” added High Commander Olnarr.

Kaldre looked at the other High Commanders. “We must assume the Humans have developed the Jelnoid technology necessary to build a small war fleet. At least two of those ships have been sent out from their system. For what purpose we have no way of knowing. What is disturbing is, if they maintain the course we believe they are currently on, at some point they will encounter the Voltrex.”

“The Voltrex,” uttered High Commander Thatrex. “If the Voltrex gain access to Jelnoid technology, it could change the entire war. If they applied that technology to their fleet, we may never conquer them. It would halt our expansion into that sector of the galaxy. We can’t afford to lose that living space.”

“We must see to it that does not happen,” said High Commander Trammor. “We must order our fleets to find and destroy those two ships before they reach Voltrex space.”

High Commander Kaldre frowned at this suggestion but knew it might be necessary. “To do as you suggest will effectively stop our attacks on Voltrex space and the colony world of theirs we have discovered. We are talking about searching hundreds, perhaps several thousand, star systems to find these two Human ships.”

“It must be done,” replied High Commander Trammor as several others nodded their agreement. “Jelnoid technology cannot be allowed to spread into the galaxy. It’s bad enough the Humans have it.”

“Very well, I will send the order to our fleets operating in Voltrex space,” replied Kaldre. “What about the Humans?”

“Balforr should have destroyed them when he had the opportunity,” growled High Commander Danaar. “We must send several fleets to assess the danger their system now represents. After what Balforr did to their planet, they cannot have a large surviving population base.”

Kaldre went silent for a long moment. “I would suggest we send sufficient ships to interdict their system.” The others nodded their approval.

“Do what is necessary,” replied High Commander Thatrex. “Our people on several of our worlds near starvation. We must continue to expand our Empire. The Humans cannot be allowed to share Jelnoid technology with the Voltrex or any other race.”

“I will send the necessary orders,” replied Kaldre.

-

Later, High Commander Kaldre stood in front of a large viewport, gazing at the planet below. What would happen if Jelnoid technology got loose in the galaxy? What if the Empire could no longer expand to new worlds? He steered his thoughts away from those disturbing subjects. He had sent out the messages to find the two Human ships and to interdict their home world. In a few more weeks the threat from the Humans would be over, and the Empire would continue as it always had.

Chapter Ten

The Vengeance and the Constellation stopped in two more star systems before arriving at their intended destination. The two interim systems had no signs of the Trellixians and no habitable planets. A few comets and several small asteroid fields were all the sensors revealed in the first. Reaching the next system, the two exploration ships dropped out of Fold Space and began routine scans. Once again no signs of Trellixian vessels were found. Detailed scans were made of both systems before the two human vessels moved on to their target destination.

-

Major Mark Dolan was reading in his quarters when the Condition One alert suddenly sounded. They had been in the new system for nearly six hours, and no threats had been detected. When Mark’s duty shift ended, he had retired to his quarters to get some rest before the next one started.

“All hands, go to your battlestations! This is not a drill!” came Lieutenant Commander Barrington’s voice over the comm system. “Long-range sensors have detected several Trellixian battlecruisers inbound.”

Mark sat up, laying down the book. They had hoped, by coming out this far, they would be past Trellixian-controlled space. This alert indicated they had guessed wrong. Mark stood and hastily straightened his uniform before hurrying out the door to the Command Center. In his mind he mentally prepared himself for combat, thinking about the weapons he had at his disposal. It only took a few moments to reach the Command Center as all officers’ quarters were on the command deck or the deck immediately below.

Stepping inside the hatch, Mark glanced at the tactical display. Two red threat icons were rapidly approaching the two human battlecruisers. Mark wondered where the enemy vessels had come from.

“Major Dolan,” said Lieutenant Commander Barrington, sitting in the command chair. “Captain Erickson is currently on a tour in Engineering. It will be a few minutes before he can get here.”

Mark nodded as he sat in his chair in front of the main tactical console. Ensign Carter moved over to one of the secondary consoles as soon as Mark arrived.

“They’re at three million kilometers and rapidly closing,” reported Carter. “We’ve already detected scans, so they know we’re here. They exited hyperspace and immediately set a course for us.”

“Weapons?”

“I have missiles loaded in all tubes, and our energy beams are ready to fire.”

Mark ran his hands over his console, activating the targeting systems. The Trellixians were still way out of range, but, if the enemy did a short hyperspace jump, that could change quickly. On Mark’s console a number of lights blinked green as more weapons came to life.

“Lieutenant Masterson, stand by to activate the Fold Space Drive. We’ll be jumping to the emergency coordinates,” ordered Lieutenant Commander Barrington. After their arrival in each system, a second system was designated in case an emergency arose requiring an immediate exit.

“I’m detecting an energy buildup in the Trellixian ships,” warned Kia. “The two Trellixian battlecruisers are preparing to jump!”

“Get us out of here!” ordered Barrington, his hands gripping the armrests of the command chair tightly. He focused intently on the tactical display.

Almost instantly the stars on the main viewscreen blurred as the Fold Space Drive activated.

“The Constellation?”

“Twelve thousand kilometers away from us but on the same course,” replied Kia. “The Trellixians jumped in at our previous coordinates.”

“How close would we have been?” asked Barrington.

Kia turned, a concerned look on her face. “They would have jumped in right on top of us.”

Lieutenant Commander Barrington leaned back in the command chair. “It almost seems as if they were looking for us.”

“Is that possible?” asked Brett with a deep frown. “Surely encountering those two ships in the system was merely a coincidence.”

“Perhaps,” replied Barrington doubtfully. “But why else would those two ships be in that red dwarf system with no habitable planets? There was only one small asteroid field.”

Brett did not reply. He had no explanation for it.

-

Later Lisa and the others were back in the lab where Derek was still working on his quantum computer. Over the last several weeks they had all made suggestions to help get the computer functioning correctly. When Derek loaded his algorithms a few weeks ago, he had been greatly disappointed when the computer’s accuracy improved to only 82 percent. It was far less than the 99.98 percent he had expected. All of them helped Derek make some minor adjustments to the algorithms, and today they were ready to test them.

“What did you think about those two Trellixian battlecruisers finding us?” asked Derek as he inserted a USB drive to upload the latest version of the algorithms.

“Surely it was just a coincidence they found us,” said Brenda as she watched over Derek’s shoulder.

“Maybe,” replied Lisa. “Keep in mind they know we’re out here somewhere. They scanned us after we jumped into the system they were colonizing. What if they’re searching for us?”

Brett was silent as he mulled over what Lisa said. “We’ll be dropping out of Fold Space several times in the next week or so in order to check out a number of potentially habitable systems. If we stumble across more Trellixian battlecruisers, we’ll know we’re in trouble.”

“We can always jump back into Fold Space and escape,” replied Kia. Then she looked at Brett. “Can’t we?”

Brett nodded. “Maybe, if we have enough time. We don’t know how far the Trellixian sensors can detect us. Their sensors may be better than ours.”

“Let’s quit worrying about the lizards for a moment and see what the computer does. I’ve got the algorithms loaded.”

Lisa looked at Derek. She knew how important this project was to him. He spent most of his off-duty hours working on it. “Let’s turn it on and see what we have.”

With a grin, Derek pressed several icons on his computer screen. The quantum computer had grown in size since they had left Earth. It now covered Derek’s entire workspace along one wall of the lab.

The computer came to life as various small computer screens activated. Derek leaned back with a satisfied smile on his face. “First question?”

“What color is the sky?” asked Brett slyly.

Derek keyed in the question, and an answer immediately appeared.

It depends on the atmospheric composition and the type of star the planet orbits.

Brett frowned. Was it possible Derek had finally gotten this quantum computer to work?

-

For the next twenty minutes the five asked the computer a number of questions. Each question was a little more difficult than the one before. Finally Brett entered some stellar navigational equations to see how the computer would handle them. He had barely pressed the enter button when the answers appeared. “Damn, that was fast. Those were not simple navigational equations either.”

“What’s the accuracy rate?” asked Brenda.

“Nearly 99.8 percent,” answered Derek with a broad grin on his face.

They all looked at one another, feeling the excitement in the lab. Did they actually have a functioning quantum computer?

“What do we do now?” asked Lisa. A functioning quantum computer could be a real asset to their mission.

Derek stood, stretching. “I have some programs I want the computer to run overnight. It’s a massive list of questions and even some complex equations that would take a normal computer weeks to answer. We’ll check it again tomorrow and see how it does. If it passes those tests, then I suggest we speak to Captain Erickson about installing the computer in the Command Center. With a few modifications it can easily be wired into the main computer console.”

“Maybe we’d better speak to Major Dolan first,” suggested Lisa. During their last breakfast meeting together, Professor Wilkens had casually mentioned that the major had been told to look out for her group.

Brett nodded his agreement. “If we decide to install this computer in the Command Center, it might be a good idea for all of us, including Major Dolan, to sit down with Captain Erickson and Lieutenant Commander Barrington. I doubt if any of them fully understand just what a quantum computer is and what it’s capable of.”

“I’ll talk to the major and explain what’s going on,” said Lisa. She figured he was off duty and would be down in the crew’s mess eating with some of his Marines. Besides, she wanted to speak with Corporals Peterson and Hambridge. So far she had not spoken to them, though she knew they were on board. The two had better not be avoiding her. She had become quite close to them during the time she had been on the front skirmish line in the mountains as well as the battle at General Mitchell’s base.

“I’ll go with you,” said Brett.

-

A few minutes later Lisa and Brett stepped into the crew’s mess, spotting Major Dolan eating with Lieutenant Brown and both Corporal Hambridge and Corporal Peterson. With a big grin Lisa made a beeline for their table, coming to a stop and glaring at the two corporals. “Why haven’t the two of you stopped by to say hello?” she demanded with her hands on her hips.

Both Peterson and Hambridge looked as if they wished they were anywhere else but sitting here in front of Lisa.

“We weren’t sure how you would feel about finding us on the ship,” stammered Peterson.

“It was Professor Wilkens’s idea,” said Hambridge defensively.

Lisa suddenly laughed. “I’m glad the two of you are here. It makes me feel much safer.”

“Really?” said Corporal Hambridge, his face lighting up. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“Besides,” Lisa added, not able to resist teasing the two, “if I need to go to the surface of a dangerous planet, I know exactly who will be with me.”

The two corporals turned pale, not sure how to respond.

“Well, I’d better get back to my duties,” said Lieutenant Brown, picking up his empty plate and indicating for Lisa to sit down. “I have some rounds to make.”

Lisa and Brett sat down, staring across the table at Major Dolan.

“I’m guessing I’m the real reason the two of you are here,” Mark said, laying down his fork and looking at the pair.

Lisa nodded and began explaining about the quantum computer, with Brett adding information he thought might be useful. Both Corporals Hambridge and Peterson looked totally confused by the discussion.

“What the three of you are discussing is way over my head,” Peterson said, standing. “I’m going to my quarters and getting some shut-eye.”

“Same here,” said Hambridge. “It’s good seeing you, Lieutenant Reynolds.”

Lisa watched as the two left. She really did miss their company.

“So this new computer of yours would be extremely useful to the mission?” said Mark, eyeing the pair. “Is that correct?”

“Yes,” Lisa answered. “It will be far faster than the computers currently in the Command Center and could even give us some valuable insights into the Trellixians.”

Mark leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath. “I suppose you want me to bring this up to Captain Erickson?”

“We’ll be there as well,” replied Lisa. She didn’t want the major to feel he was expected to do this on his own. Besides, the captain and Lieutenant Commander Barrington might ask some technical questions.

Mark glanced at his watch. “It’ll be another few hours before we drop out of Fold Space into the next star system. And it’s a white dwarf system, not expected to have any habitable planets. From there, we will decide on our next destination.” With a long look at the two young specialists, he said, “I’ll set up a meeting after we depart the next system. That will give you a few days to get your presentation ready for the captain.”

“Thank you,” Lisa replied. She was certain, with all of them there, the captain would agree to installing the quantum computer in the Command Center.

Brett stood, smiling. “We’ll leave you to your meal. It’s been good speaking to you, Major.”

Lisa stood as well, and, a few moments later, the two were out of the mess hall and on their way back to the deck where their quarters were. “That went well,” she said.

Brett nodded. “Let’s just hope our meeting with the captain does also.”

-

Mark watched as the two left the mess hall. He had a vague idea what a quantum computer was. Even after the pair had explained it to him in more detail, he still felt confused. However, this seemed like a major advancement in computer technology, something that could be useful to the mission. He would make it a point to speak to Captain Erickson before the day was out.

Picking up his fork, he dug back into his Salisbury steak. The food on the Vengeance was much better than he had expected. While he could eat in the officers’ mess, he preferred to take some of his meals with the enlisted men and women. Nearly all his Marines came here as well.

As Mark ate, he wondered what his sister, Jennifer, was doing. He had spoken to her just before they left on the mission. It seemed she was enjoying her new job at the medical facility in Complex One. When he got back, it might be a good idea for the two of them to pay another visit to their parents’ house in Houston. Mark wanted to check on the house as well as pick up a few more items.

Finishing his meal, Mark took a quick tour of the ship before returning to his quarters. He planned on getting up early the next morning as Lieutenant Brown would be leading the two squads of Marines on a two kilometer run through the ship’s corridors, and Mark intended to tag along. He was determined to stay in shape, even though a majority of his time was now spent in the Command Center.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr was not pleased with his latest orders. It seemed the Humans had indeed destroyed Battle Commander Alnod’s fleet. The reports also indicated the Humans had emplaced a powerful defensive grid in orbit around their planet. Even worse, two of their small battlecruisers had left the Human solar system and were en route toward Voltrex space. It was also confirmed that Jelnoid technology was in use on board the Human vessels.

“The Humans again,” muttered Second Officer Jaltor, a deep frown splitting his forehead. “We should have nuked the entire planet when we first arrived over their cities.”

“It would have been the best move strategically, considering the size of their military forces,” replied Balforr, fully in agreement about nuking the planet. However, the Empire had been more interested in acquiring additional living space and had deemed an invasion was the best method. The invasion had failed miserably, and now it appeared the Humans might be on the verge of interfering with the expansion of the Trellixian Empire.

Second Officer Jaltor called up a three-dimensional map of the area of space around them. A number of Trellixian fleets were shown as small green icons spread across a region over three hundred light-years across. On one side of that region was Trellixian-controlled space; the other side was controlled by the Voltrex. “The High Command is asking the impossible. How can we ever find two ships? Tens of thousands of stars are between here and Capal Four.”

“Actually it’s closer to three million,” Joltan spoke from Navigation. “Several large star clusters are between here and there as well.”

“If we were to include all the star systems,” answered Balforr, “but we’re not. We need to limit our search to only those systems capable of supporting inhabitable planets. If this is a Human exploration mission, those are the types of systems they will seek. By concentrating our ships in such systems, it will greatly increase our chances of intercepting them before they reach Voltrex space.”

Second Officer Jaltor gestured toward the large three-dimensional map near the tactical display. “If we consider Earth as their origin point, then add Capal Four and finally the latest system the two ships were spotted in, we can greatly reduce the number of stars we need to search.” In the three-dimensional map a blue line appeared, connecting Earth and the two star systems the Human ships had appeared in. While not a straight line, the general course of the Human vessels was obvious.

Balforr stood and stepped off the command pedestal to gaze at the large holographic display. “They’ll be in Voltrex space in ten to fifteen days.” Balforr knew why the High Command was so concerned. If the Humans found the Voltrex and gave them their Jelnoid technology, this region of the galaxy would be forever off-limits to the Empire.

With Jelnoid technology, the Voltrex could resist the Trellixian fleets and possibly destroy them. So much living space would be lost to the Empire. Balforr continued. “All fleets have been ordered to cease action against the Voltrex and to search for the two Human ships.”

Balforr picked up a laser pointer and indicated an area of space. “We will spread out our fleet over this region between the last known position of the Human vessels and Voltrex space. By limiting our ships to systems with potential habitable worlds, we will greatly increase our chances of intercepting the two vessels.”

“The ships are dangerous,” warned Jaltor. “They will have Jelnoid energy shields and primary energy beams.”

Balforr nodded. “That’s why we will have six ships in each squadron. If any encounter the two vessels, their orders are to disable but not destroy them. If we can take out their drive systems, then the rest of the fleet can be summoned to aid in their destruction or possible capture.”

“Capture?” asked Jaltor, his eyes focusing sharply on Balforr.

“Yes, capture,” replied Balforr. “If we can capture them, perhaps it will allow us access to Jelnoid technology.” If he could do this, it would instantly reestablish him as a qualified battle commander, and his status with the High Command would be restored.

“I will send out the orders,” replied Jaltor.

Battle Commander Balforr gazed at the tactical display of the multiple green icons designating the ships in his fleet. Since the loss of both Battle Commanders Ulvan and Dramm, the surviving ships of their fleets had been added to Balforr’s. A few reinforcing ships had arrived as well. His fleet now consisted of eighty-six vessels. He would place his flagship and twenty other battlecruisers in the center of the search area. The rest of the fleet would be assigned to search the most likely systems in which the Human ships might appear. Once they did, and, if the Human space drives could be disabled, Balforr would take his larger force to either destroy or capture the enemy vessels.

-

Captain Erickson, Lieutenant Commander Barrington, Major Dolan, and all five of the special lieutenants were in a small briefing room. Erickson was curious to hear what the young lieutenants had to say. Before leaving on this mission, he had been briefed by General Mitchell as well as Professor Wilkens. It had been highly recommended he listen closely to any advice or suggestions made by the small group. He had also been informed by Professor Wilkens that Major Dolan would at times represent the group if needed.

“I understand the five of you have been doing research on a quantum computer.” Erickson understood what a quantum computer was from his briefings on the technologies found on the crashed Jelnoid scout ship.

“It’s Derek’s primary field of research,” Lisa explained. “He brought an experimental model on board the ship, and we’ve been helping him with it ever since we left on this mission.”

“Lieutenant Keys,” said Erickson, looking in Derek’s direction. “Care to explain?”

-

Derek took a deep breath and spent the next hour talking about quantum computers and their uses. He also explained in detail the new algorithms they were using as well as Professor Weir’s help in creating them to begin with.

-

“So, you want to install this computer in the Command Center,” said Lieutenant Commander Barrington. “How safe will that be?”

“Perfectly safe,” Derek replied. “The computer will not have access to any of the ship’s systems other than for monitoring purposes. At some point in time, when we’ve grown more confident in its functioning, we can add more responsibilities to it.”

Captain Erickson leaned forward, his forehead creasing in a deep frown. “You speak as if this computer will be alive.”

Derek hesitated. “We still don’t know a lot about quantum computers. The way they interact using quantum entanglement is almost like a Human brain. There is a chance the computer, after it continues to develop, will become a sentient AI.”

-

Lisa’s eyes opened wide. Derek had not mentioned this before. Was it possible the quantum computer could become an actual AI? Taking a deep breath, Lisa decided, when they got back to the computer lab, she would question Derek in depth about this. She was a little aggravated Derek hadn’t mentioned this before.

-

Captain Erickson looked at Derek as the captain considered the lieutenant’s request. “There was a quantum computer on the scout ship,” he said. Erickson had spent some time studying the records of the crashed vessel. “As a matter of fact the quantum computer on the scout ship controlled all the vessel’s functions.”

“The one we’re installing won’t have any control unless you authorize it,” said Derek hastily. “But it could find solutions much faster than the other computers we have on the ship. It could even be useful against the Trellixians by predicting where their ships might show up.”

Erickson’s eyes narrowed sharply. “That alone might make it useful to have the computer in the Command Center. How long to install it, if I give the okay?”

Derek looked at the other lieutenants. “Maybe two work shifts.”

“We’ll drop out of Fold Space in three more days at our next target star system,” said Lieutenant Commander Barrington.

Captain Erickson thought for several moments and then nodded. “Go ahead. However, I want to be kept informed of your progress on the quantum computer during its installation. Once it’s installed, I want a demonstration of its capabilities.”

“We can do that,” replied Derek, with a pleased look in his eyes.

“Is there any way we can send the information about this quantum computer back to Earth?” asked Major Dolan. Professor Wilkens would be highly interested in this breakthrough.

Lieutenant Commander Barrington shook his head. “No, we do have a hyperspace communicator, but we’re out of range of Earth.”

“Professor Weir helped design the new algorithms we’re using, though we’ve made some modifications,” said Derek. “It’s possible they can develop a working quantum computer on their own, knowing the direction our research was taking us.”

“Very well,” Captain Erickson said. “Get it installed and keep me informed.”

-

After the meeting the five lieutenants returned to the computer lab to get everything ready to install the computer in the Command Center.

“That meeting went well,” said Derek, pleased with how everything had gone.

“Yes, it did,” replied Lisa, staring at Derek. “Derek, what did you mean when you said the quantum computer could become an AI?” Lisa was really curious about this. “Why didn’t you mention this earlier?” She was supposed to be in charge of the group and didn’t like the idea of being left out of the loop on this. Constructing a functioning AI was big news.

Derek sighed as he sat down in front of his workstation. “We’ve never built a computer like this before. Because of its capacity and its use of quantum entanglement to function, it has a very good possibility of developing into a sentient AI, unless we put safeguards into the algorithms to prevent this. If we do, it could limit the computer’s performance.”

“Is there any danger?” asked Kia, her eyes focused on Derek.

Derek shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. If I thought there was, I would have mentioned it earlier.”

Lisa walked over to stand next to Derek with her arms folded across her chest. If they wanted Major Dolan and Captain Erickson to continue to listen to their suggestions, they could not afford a screw up on this computer. “Can you build in a cutoff so, if something goes wrong, we can deactivate the computer from my console?”

The others looked at Lisa. They all recognized her as the leader of the group because of her association with Professor Wilkens.

Derek looked thoughtful and finally nodded. “Yeah, I can do that.”

“It’s a wise decision,” Brett added. “This computer can be a good thing, but, until we see it function for a period of time, it has the potential to be dangerous as well—particularly if it develops into an AI with a personality. That part does concern me some.”

“Then we’re all in agreement,” said Lisa, looking around and seeing everyone nod. “Just before our next duty shift we’ll come here and take some of this equipment to the Command Center. Derek, make a list of everything we might need. I can get some crew personnel to help move it if necessary.” She could always get Corporals Hambridge and Peterson to help.

Lisa sat down in front of her own workstation to study some of the scans she had taken of the different star systems the Vengeance had passed through. As she worked, she couldn’t help but think about Derek’s quantum computer. She wondered how it would influence the mission, and, if it did become a sentient AI, what it would be like. The next few days promised to be interesting, to say the least.

Chapter Eleven

Voltrex Fleet Commander Kamuss was confused by the latest intelligence reports from their scout ships and other planets in the Voltrex Federation. In the last several days all attacks had ceased, and the enemy fleets had pulled back from Voltrex space. There was no sound explanation for this sudden cessation of hostilities. However, it gave the Voltrex worlds time to strengthen the defenses around all twenty-eight primary worlds as well as to repair ships damaged in the battles with the Trellixians.

“Can this be a trick of some kind?” asked Lieutenant Commander LeLath, her whiskers quivering slightly.

Kamuss frowned, his eyes narrowing. “I don’t know. There has to be an explanation.” He picked up another report from a scout ship, which reported a Trellixian fleet breaking up into small squadrons of four to eight vessels and turning back toward Trellixian space. This report was similar to many others. Almost as if something had spooked the lizards.

LeLath stepped to the large holographic display where she was plotting the movements of the Trellixian ships. “It’s the same everywhere. The Trellixian fleets are breaking up into smaller units and pulling back. There has been no reported contact in the past seventy hours near our space.”

The Voltrex had 110 small scout ships trying to keep track of the Trellixians. It was a dangerous job, and, more often than not, reports came in of scout ships being discovered and destroyed. When that happened, more were sent out. There was no shortage of volunteers for the dangerous scouting missions. Every Voltrex knew what was at stake.

“At least this behavior allows us to rebuild the defensive grid around Bator Seven, and also Fleet Commander Masurl has arrived with his full fleet.”

This was a huge relief as Masurl’s fleet consisted of six battleships, twenty-eight battlecruisers, and fifty-three support ships. In addition, replacement ships had been rushed to Bator to replace those lost in the recent battle. Every day cargo ships loaded with defensive satellites arrived. Defense Commander Kallon expected a new attack any time, but the current and mysterious activity of the Trellixians confused everyone. Fleet Command had no idea what was going on.

LeLath took a step back and made some adjustments to the holographic display. “It’s almost as if they’re searching for something. Some of the reports from the scout ships indicate the Trellixians are jumping from star system to star system.”

Fleet Commander Kamuss looked at the holographic display, showing only the known locations of Trellixians ships. He was certain there were others their scout ships had not found. It almost seemed as if the Trellixians were creating a barrier between Trellixian space and Voltrex space. It made no sense.

“What if they’re trying to stop a ship or ships?” suggested LeLath. “What if they’re at war with another race, and they don’t want one of their ships to reach us?”

Kamuss almost dismissed that possibility, until he looked closer at the holographic display. If he were attempting to intercept a ship or even a small fleet, the current disposition of Trellixian forces would be exactly what he would do. A chill suddenly ran down his back, making his fur stand up. LeLath might be right. The Trellixians were trying to stop someone from reaching Voltrex space.

“I’ll speak with Commander Kallon. If you’re right about this, we need to find those ships the Trellixians are searching for before they do. The commander can contact the High Command and inform them of our suspicions.”

“An ally,” said LeLath, her eyes brightening. “Someone who is fighting the Trellixians, just as we are.”

“Perhaps, or the last survivors fleeing some world the Trellixians have conquered.”

LeLath drew in a sharp breath. “How will we find them?”

Kamuss gestured toward the holographic display. “We use the Trellixians’ own ship deployments against them. It should give us a general idea where they expect these ships to appear, if they are, indeed, spacecraft fleeing the Trellixians.” Kamuss paused as he turned away from the holographic display. “Make my shuttle ready. Perhaps among Commander Kallon, Fleet Commanders Zolmar and Masurl, and me, we can come up with a plan.”

“Do you think it’s that important?”

Kamuss hesitated. “The Trellixians have stopped their advance into our space. They’ve redeployed all their fleets into this search pattern. They must think it’s important to stop these ships from reaching us. That alone justifies us finding them first.”

“Assuming we’re right they’re searching for ships,” said LeLath with suspicious eyes. “This could also be an elaborate ruse to get us to lower our defenses.”

“It’s possible but unlikely,” Kamuss replied as he looked once more at the display. He stood there, studying the hologram, taking it all in. “No, they’re trying to stop someone from reaching us. That’s the only logical explanation. I’ll suggest that Commander Kallon allow part of our fleet to try to find these ships first.”

“How many ships would we take? We’ll be going into space controlled by the Trellixians, and that will be very dangerous. We won’t be able to call for reinforcements.”

“We would need to move fast. Support ships would be useless. I also don’t want to weaken our defenses here in the Bator System. We’ll take two battleships and eight battlecruisers.”

LeLath’s expression showed concern. “That’s not much of a fleet if we have to fight the Trellixians.”

“I know,” replied Kamuss. “I hope to find the vessels the Trellixians are searching for and then jump away before the Trellixians can launch an attack.”

“I’ll get the ships ready.”

Kamuss nodded. “We’ll leave as soon as I get back from speaking with Commander Kallon and the other two fleet commanders.”

Kamuss felt a stir of excitement. If this was a ship or fleet of ships fleeing the Trellixians, and, if they could be found, their technology could be useful. It might just be the edge the Voltrex needed to keep the Trellixians away from Voltrex space.

-

Lisa was busy in the Command Center of the Vengeance. They had just finished installing the quantum computer and were in the process of activating it.

“All computer systems are normal,” reported Derek as he slowly brought the new computer system online. He pressed various icons, and, every so often, he would stop and enter some complicated computer coding.

Lisa observed everything via her science computer, which had a secure link with the new system. It also had a small red icon with a skull and crossbones on it. That icon, if pressed, would immediately disable the quantum computer, shutting it down. It was a fail-safe option Lisa hoped they would never need, but one she felt was necessary.

“It’s ready,” said Derek, pressing a small blinking green icon on his computer screen.

Lisa saw Lieutenant Commander Barrington tense up, as if he expected a cataclysm to happen. “It’s only a computer,” Lisa said, grinning. “We can turn it off just as easily as we can turn it on.”

“I’m still leery of this entire project,” replied Barrington as he watched Lieutenant Keys. “No one’s ever built a quantum computer before.”

“The Jelnoids did,” Derek replied.

“Yeah, and they’re all dead.”

“There’s nothing to worry about,” Lisa reassured the lieutenant commander. She gestured toward the skull and crossbones on her computer screen. “I can shut it down at any time by simply pressing this icon.”

“That’s what worries me,” said Barrington worriedly. “The fact we installed such a fail-safe.”

Lisa did not reply. This quantum computer had been designed based on what they knew of Jelnoid technology. While the computer on the scout ship had been destroyed, the Jelnoid database did have some schematics as well as programming for the computer. Those schematics had been followed, but the programming had been changed since this was now a human computer and not a Jelnoid one.

“System’s online,” reported Derek with a satisfied look. “Everything seems to be functioning normally.”

“Is it an AI?” asked Barrington suspiciously.

“That development will take a while,” Derek replied. “The computer is capable of learning. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

“How long until we arrive at our next destination?” Captain Erickson asked Brett.

“Fourteen hours,” Brett replied. “It’s a G-type star very similar to Sol.”

“Let’s hope we’re out past Trellixian space,” added Lieutenant Commander Barrington. “I don’t want to run into any more Trellixian battlecruisers.”

Lisa had to agree. Their last encounter with the two Trellixian battlecruisers had been frightening. Lisa still wondered if it had been a coincidence or if Trellixian space extended farther than they had originally believed.

-

Time flew by rapidly, and they neared their next target. On the main viewscreen, a small star was centered.

“It’s slightly smaller than Sol with a habitable zone from seventy million kilometers to ninety-six million,” reported Lisa.

“Anything on the sensors?” asked Captain Erickson. With their one-half light-year range, the sensors should pick up any vessels in the system.

“Nothing,” reported Kia. “Of course we can’t see behind the planets or the star. Ships could hide in other areas in the system as well, where we cannot detect them.”

“Take us to Condition One,” ordered Captain Erickson.

Lieutenant Commander Barrington watched the viewscreen as the red lights flashed, and the alert klaxons sounded. “I have a bad feeling about this.” The ship had been at Condition Two, so the crew was already at their battlestations.

Captain Erickson didn’t reply as the Vengeance and the Constellation dropped out of Fold Space.

The viewscreens instantly cleared, showing unrestricted views of the stars. On one screen, the Constellation was visible.

“All weapon systems are online, and the energy shield is fully activated,” reported Major Dolan.

“All stations report normal operations,” added Lieutenant Commander Barrington as the different departments on the ship reported in.

“Sensors are scanning the system,” reported Kia. “Six planets detected with two in the liquid water zone. One is a gas giant and too large to harbor life as we know it or to be of interest to the Trellixians. The second planet is the size of Mars but does show water vapor in its atmosphere.”

“Taking additional scans,” Lisa said as she activated a set of specialized sensors and focused them on the planet.

“What about other spacecraft?” asked Lieutenant Commander Barrington. “What do the sensors show?”

Kia shook her head. “None detected.”

From the Vengeance the special sensors reached out, scanning the new planet, seeking any hints of life. Lisa watched expectantly as the data came in. She was disappointed when she saw the results.

“The planet is barely habitable. I’m not sure even the Trellixians would be interested. It’s rotating very rapidly, spinning on its axis every six hours. Liquid water is on the surface in small lakes and in one medium-size ocean. However, there are massive storms and extremely powerful winds. The planet has lost most of its magnetic field, which could be the reason for the atmospheric conditions.”

“In a few thousand years the planet will have lost all its water and be more like a windswept desert,” added Brett.

“This is what happened to Mars,” said Brenda. “Millions of years ago Mars may well have been like Earth is today. The same with this planet here.”

The main viewscreen was turned to its fullest magnification, and the planet appeared in greater detail. The world had a reddish tinge to it. Swirling clouds were visible in the atmosphere and what appeared to be a small ocean. Vegetation seemed to be absent.

Alarms suddenly sounded on the sensor console. “Contacts!” called out Kia, her voice filled with alarm. “They just appeared from behind the gas giant in the habitable zone. There’s an energy buildup!”

“Lieutenant Masterson, get us out of here!” ordered Captain Erickson, his hands gripping the armrests on his command chair.

“It’ll take a minute,” Brett replied as his hands flew over his console.

“Confirming four Trellixian battlecruisers,” reported Kia. “They’re jumping!”

Captain Erickson switched his gaze to Major Dolan. “Major, fire as soon as you have a target.”

-

Mark took a deep breath as he readied himself to fire the ship’s weapons. Beside him, Ensign Carter and Ensign Rhymer waited expectantly. The Vengeance was about to go into battle.

-

In space around the two Human ships, the four Trellixian battlecruisers suddenly appeared, and almost instantly all four fired their energy weapons. The brilliant beams lanced out, striking the ships’ energy screens. The screens lit up with a brilliant light, but the beams failed to penetrate. More energy beams flicked out as the Trellixians tried to penetrate the energy screens of the smaller Human vessels.

-

“Lieutenant Masterson?” said Captain Erickson in a strained voice as the Vengeance shook violently.

“Almost there,” Brett replied as he entered the jump coordinates into the navigation computer.

“Shield is holding,” replied Major Dolan. “Firing energy beams.”

-

Energy beams from the Vengeance and the Constellation struck two of the Trellixian ships, cutting right through the enemy ships’ energy screens. The beams penetrated deep into the hulls, setting off secondary explosions before exiting the other side. Glowing debris and a few bodies drifted away from the vessels. The beams then moved across the two battlecruisers, slowly carving them up. Suddenly the energy shields failed, leaving the two vessels defenseless. Moments later they drifted powerless in space as their engineering sections were burned away.

At that moment both the Vengeance and Constellation accelerated away, entering Fold Space, leaving the Trellixian vessels far behind.

-

Mark felt a sense of immense relief as they passed out of weapons range of the enemy vessels. He glanced at the damage control console, everything was still green.

“Why didn’t we launch any missiles?” asked Captain Erickson, looking over at Mark.

“The enemy ships were right on top of us,” replied Mark. “I didn’t want to risk knocking down our own shields when our missiles detonated.”

Erickson nodded, leaning back in his command chair. “This is the second time we’ve run into Trellixian vessels where there should be none.”

Lieutenant Commander Barrington turned toward the captain. “They must be searching for us.”

“But how are they finding us?”

“They’re searching the same types of star systems we are,” Brenda said. “They must be staking out systems capable of supporting habitable planets, guessing that’s where we will appear.”

Captain Erickson folded his arms over his chest. “What does that mean for our mission? We can’t risk a space battle every time we drop out of Fold Space.”

“I wonder why they’re expending such efforts to find us,” said Lisa, her brow furrowed in a frown. “It just can’t be a coincidence the Trellixians were in this system. They must have hundreds of ships watching systems along our flight path. It’s almost as if they want to prevent us from going somewhere.”

Captain Erickson stood, staring at Lisa. “Do you think it’s possible the Trellixians are engaged in a war with some other species, and they don’t want us to encounter them?”

“I don’t know,” replied Lisa, looking thoughtful. “They could believe we’re on a colonization mission, and they don’t want to risk us establishing a colony anywhere.”

“Seems like a lot of effort to prevent a single colony,” said Lieutenant Commander Barrington. “They must know, from the size of our ships, it would be a very small one.”

Captain Erickson shifted his gaze to the main viewscreen revealing a sea of stars. “Our answer is out there. I don’t think we have any other choice but to continue on.”

“Our sensors reach out about one-half light-year ahead of us,” said Brett. “I would suggest, when we drop out of Fold Space, we do so far away from any planets we detect and immediately prepare to jump back out if we detect Trellixian warships.”

“That’s a good suggestion,” answered Captain Erickson. “We should also set the emergency jump coordinates to a star system we know can’t harbor a habitable planet. That will decrease the likelihood of us encountering Trellixian warships if we must flee from a star system.”

“Then we’ll continue on our mission?” asked Lieutenant Commander Barrington.

Captain Erickson nodded. “I don’t think we have any choice. I believe our primary goal now should be to find out why the Trellixians have taken such an interest in our current course. If they have committed hundreds of their warships to stop us, then I want to find out what’s out here.”

-

A thrill of excitement ran through Lisa. Was it possible the Trellixians were engaged in a war they didn’t want the humans to find out about? Her gaze returned to the main viewscreen filled with stars. Was the answer to saving Earth closer than they thought? This was a wonderful find as they were already nearly two and a half months’ travel time away from Earth. Technically they needed to start their return trek at the end of their third month on this mission to make this the six-month-long exploration that Professor Wilkens expected it to be.

So they needed to find this potential ally within the next month.

Taking a deep breath, Lisa decided, when her team met in the lab later, they needed to talk about a first-contact scenario and what that would mean.

-

Voltrex Fleet Commander Kamuss was on board his flagship, making preparations to get under way. More reports had come in from some of the more distant scout ships. It seemed the Trellixians were concentrating more of their ships in a small area just outside of Voltrex space. Whatever was coming in this direction was assuredly expected to pass through that region.

After he spoke with Defense Commander Kallon, more ships had been added to Kamuss’s fleet. They had also sent a message back to Fleet Command, expressing their belief that the Trellixians were attempting to prevent some unknown ships from reaching Voltrex space. They did not know if this was another race the Trellixians were fighting or a possible fleet of refugees. Fleet Command had ordered Kamuss to go on the mission as planned, and they would rush additional battlecruisers to the Bator System to help protect it while Kamuss and his fleet were on their search mission. They had also increased the size of his fleet.

“We have six battleships and twenty battlecruisers,” reported Lieutenant Commander LeLath. “That should be enough warships to allow us to get in and rescue whoever the Trellixians are searching for.”

“If we can find them in time,” replied Kamuss as he sat down in his command chair. “Let’s get the fleet under way.” This would be a dangerous mission as they would be going deep into Trellixian-controlled space. Additional scout ships were being sent out, which would be in constant communication with Kamuss’s fleet. With a little luck they would find the mysterious ships the Trellixians were searching for.

Kamuss watched Lieutenant Commander LeLath at work. He knew she had been involved with a young officer on another warship. They had planned on joining as one after their tours of duty were over. Several times he had heard LeLath talk of having cubs, once she returned home. Then the Trellixians came, and all that ended. Now they fought for their very survival.

“Fleet is ready to enter hyperspace,” LeLath reported.

“Take us in,” ordered Kamuss.

Moments later the Claw of Honor and the other ships of the small fleet entered hyperspace to undertake the dangerous journey into Trellixian space. As Kamuss watched the viewscreens, he couldn’t help but wonder what they would find.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr studied the latest reports from the various fleet units searching for the Humans. The Human ships had been spotted again. This time the Trellixian squadron in the system jumped to the Humans’ location and opened fire. Unfortunately their energy beams were unable to penetrate the Humans’ shields. However, that was not true of the Humans’ weapons. Two Trellixian battlecruisers were so heavily damaged in the brief engagement that they had to be abandoned.

“Definitely Jelnoid energy shields as well as energy weapons,” Jaltor said as he read the report. “That explains what happened to Battle Commander Alnod’s fleet. It wouldn’t take too many of these small ships to destroy one of our battle fleets.”

“This will make capturing one of these vessels even more difficult,” replied Balforr. “It’s obvious our energy beams cannot bring down their shields. However, our new fusion missiles might. If we can detonate enough fifty-megaton warheads against their shields, it might weaken them to the point our energy beams can take out their engineering sections.”

Second Officer Jaltor nodded his agreement. “I will send the order to our squadrons.”

Balforr stood and walked to the holographic display showing the estimated course of the two Human ships. It continued on into Voltrex space. “Concentrate our ships on either side of this line. We know their approximate course and speed. Somewhere along that line we will find them.”

Balforr returned to his command chair. There was no doubt in his mind that they would find the two Human ships. He just needed to capture one of the vessels to reestablish his position with the High Command. The crew would be eliminated since all he was interested in was the technology on the ship. It still amazed him that a race as primitive as the Humans had even figured out how Jelnoid technology worked. Soon they would pay the price for their arrogance. They would all be dead.

Chapter Twelve

Admiral Daniel Edwards watched the tactical display with a tense look on his face. An hour earlier a large Trellixian fleet had dropped from hyperspace just outside the orbit of the Moon.

“Ninety-seven battlecruisers,” confirmed Lieutenant Williams from Sensors. “They’re currently holding their position.”

“Most likely scanning us,” said Captain Nelson with a deep frown. “Should we summon the rest of the fleet?” They were rotating the fleet with parts of it in orbit and others on the ground, so the crews could have some time to relax.

Admiral Edwards let out a deep sigh. He had hoped it would be several weeks yet before the Trellixians showed up with a battle fleet. “Yes, contact all ground commands and request the primary ships of the fleet join us in orbit.” That would leave a reserve on the ground as well as a few surprises for the Trellixians. “Contact General Mitchell and inform him that we expect the Trellixians to attack at any time.”

Edwards had twenty-four battlecruisers currently in orbit. Even though the ships were covered in a special material which made scans difficult, the Trellixian ships were close enough to detect the Earth ships. They could also detect the defense satellites as well as the missile platforms.

“What about the moon base?”

Edwards looked at Captain Nelson. “It’s not ready yet. They’re to remain silent. Let’s hope the Trellixians don’t detect them.” The moon base was a good month from being operational. For now it was best if they remained hidden. Most of the base was hidden deep under the lunar surface and should escape notice by the Trellixians. There was no reason for the enemy to suspect there might be humans on the Moon.

-

General Mitchell was just outside Salina, Kansas, near the crossroads of Interstate 70 and Interstate 135, almost in the center of the state. The city of sixty thousand was protected by an energy shield, two primary Jelnoid energy cannons, and four secondary cannons. The city had a few vital industries as well as being responsible for much of the food raised in the surrounding area in its massive fields of wheat, corn, and soybeans. In addition several large cattle and hog operations were in the vicinity.

“Everything’s done,” reported Colonel Fields, gazing at one of the cannons. “We have chosen twelve cities around the country to install the first Jelnoid cannons. It will give us better coverage to stop an attack. Each city will be protecting a number of nearby cities with the energy cannons we’re installing.”

General Mitchell and Colonel Fields’ cell phones both rang at the same time. They looked at each other and then answered.

General Mitchell listened and then grimaced at Colonel Fields. “The Trellixians are back.”

Colonel Fields nodded. “Wish we had time to get more of these cannons installed.” His gaze shifted to the nearby Jelnoid primary energy cannon pointed upward toward space.

“Well, nothing we can do about that now. Let’s board the helicopter and return to base. They’re just sitting up there for now.”

“Studying our defenses,” replied Colonel Fields. “I don’t think they will attack until they feel they can succeed. They must still be wondering what happened to their fleet around the Moon as well as their exploration ship.”

A few minutes later the two were in the helicopter, heading toward the mountains. General Mitchell had already contacted President Hathaway, informing her of the arrival of the Trellixians. She was unhappy with the news. Over the past months she had been consumed with rebuilding the country. Now it was once more in danger.

-

President Hathaway looked at Professor Wilkens and Major Leslie Lorre. “They’re back. Can we stop them?” She had hoped never to see the Trellixians again.

“Probably,” Major Lorre replied. “The problem is, it’s taken us years to build our battlecruisers and the satellites in the defensive grid. The Trellixians can replace their losses far faster than we can.”

“So, in the end, they’ll be landing troops again.” This was not what Katelyn wanted to hear.

Major Lorre did not reply; she merely looked at the president.

“We just need to buy time for the Vengeance and the Constellation to return,” Professor Wilkens said. He drummed the fingers of his right hand lightly on the president’s desk. “They’ll return with help. I know they will.”

President Hathaway leaned forward, shifting her gaze to the professor. “You’re pretty confident those two ships will complete their mission.”

Professor Wilkens nodded. “You don’t know those scientific crews as well as I do. They were handpicked by me.”

“I guess you’re referring to your five special lieutenants,” Katelyn said. “I believe you once told me that Lieutenant Lisa Reynolds was the most brilliant research assistant you ever had.”

“The other four are not far behind,” Wilkens said. “They won’t let the mission fail. We just need to hold out long enough for them to return.”

“I wish I had your faith,” Katelyn said, standing and walking to the window in her office overlooking the civilian section of Complex One. “I’m afraid I can’t risk our people.” Katelyn observed the human city which filled the large cavern. Then she turned to Major Lorre. “How soon before the cargo ships are converted to colony ships?”

“We’re only converting two of them, and they’ll be finished in three months, when the exploration fleet should be returning to Earth,” replied Leslie. “The other two we’re still using to shuttle satellites and missile platforms into orbit. They’re also needed to take supplies and materials to the new moon base we’re building.”

Katelyn asked, “How many colonists will each of the ships hold?”

“Eight hundred plus the crew,” answered Leslie. “Much of the space on the ships will be taken up by the supplies needed to build and sustain a viable colony.”

Katelyn looked at both Major Lorre and Professor Wilkens. “If the Vengeance and the Constellation are not back in three months, we will launch the two colony ships with an escort of our battlecruisers to seek out a new world to colonize.”

Professor Wilkens’s eyes widened. “They’re not expected back for at least another three months or longer. Shouldn’t we give them time to return before we launch the colony ships?”

“We may not have the luxury,” Major Lorre replied. “We must retain control of Earth’s orbital space if we want the colony ships to escape. If they leave Earth’s atmosphere under fire from Trellixian battlecruisers, they might not make it.”

Wilkens sighed, staring back and forth at the two women, shaking his head. “You must give them the chance to get back. I implore you not to launch the colony ships until the last minute. If it looks as if we’ll lose control of the orbital space above Earth, then, by all means, launch them. But, if we still have a firm control, we must wait.”

Katelyn was silent for a long moment before she replied. “I will take your recommendations under advisement. That’s all I can promise. We’re talking about the future of the human race. We can’t risk it on the slim probability the Vengeance and the Constellation will succeed in finding allies to help us. From what the Jelnoid database says and from some of the captured files we have recovered from Trellixian shuttles, we know space-going races are few and far between.”

“I think we’re making a mistake if we launch the colony ships early,” insisted Professor Wilkens.

“That’s my decision to make,” replied Katelyn. She was determined the human race would survive, even if it wasn’t on Earth.

“I’ll keep you informed on the progress on the colony ships,” Major Lorre promised.

President Hathaway nodded. “They might be our only hope.”

-

Later Professor Wilkens was on his way back to his lab where he planned on doing some late night work. It was evident the president and Major Lorre had been talking. Lorre had never believed in the exploration mission of the Vengeance and the Constellation, and had convinced the president to see it that way too. He was disappointed that the president was not willing to wait until Lisa and the others got back. The president just did not know them as well as he did. There was no doubt in his mind they would succeed. Lisa’s group knew how important the success of their mission was. Somehow they would find a way to succeed. He just needed to convince President Hathaway. Perhaps it was time to have a long conversation with General Mitchell.

-

Out beyond the orbit of the Moon the Trellixian fleet waited. Sensors scanned every part of Earth and the space around it. What was revealed was eye-opening.

Trellixian Battle Commander Traven was in his flagship, the Vindicator, looking over the latest scans. This was his opportunity to redeem himself. The High Command had agreed to allow Traven to lead this mission, based on his familiarity with the Humans and the possibility the failure of the last mission was more Battle Commander Balforr’s fault than Traven’s.

“The Humans have a number of small ships in orbit as well as what appears to be a very powerful defensive grid,” reported Second Officer Baalon.

“How large are the ships?” Traven found it hard to believe the Humans had warships in orbit. Where did they come from? When he had left the system, the planet was in ruins, its industries smashed.

“Three hundred meters and we’re detecting twenty-four of them as well as six small battlestations.” Baalon gestured toward the tactical display of the planet surrounded by a myriad of small red threat icons. “The battlestations probably control the satellites in the planet’s defense grid.”

Battle Commander Traven shook his head, his razor-sharp teeth bared to show his displeasure. “Battle Commander Balforr should have conquered this planet. He had the forces both in battlecruisers and troops. Our five colony ships in Florida were lost on his watch.” Yet Traven was still angrier at losing nearly his entire ground force. Out of the over 184,000 foot soldiers he had sent into battle, nearly one-third were killed by one of their own, when Balforr’s first Malken missile was dropped on Colorado without evacuating the Trellixian foot soldiers beforehand. That, plus the surprises the Humans had for the Trellixians in their underground bases worldwide, led to only 12,000 being safely evacuated. The rest had died on the planet.

“We’re detecting additional Human ships launching from several points on the planet,” reported Koldar from Sensors as an alarm sounded.

“More?” said Second Officer Baalon, turning toward the sensor officer. “How many?”

“Six so far.”

Battle Commander Traven leaned back in his command chair. No need to hurry in launching his attack. For the time being, he would keep his fleet where it was and observe the planet. Once he was satisfied the Humans had no more surprises, then he would move in with his fleet. However, the Humans had taught him two things: the Trellixians were not quite as invulnerable as most battle commanders believed, and the Humans should not be underestimated.

-

“We’ll have sixteen more battlecruisers in orbit within the next two hours,” Captain Nelson reported as he finished talking to the officers in charge of the new spaceports being built on Earth. “Six have already taken off, and the rest are waiting for their crews to arrive.”

Admiral Edwards turned his attention to the tactical display. The Trellixians were staying put, making no moves toward Earth. No doubt they were still analyzing the defenses and Earth’s battlecruisers. “We’ll keep the fleet at Condition Two for another couple hours. If the Trellixians remain, we’ll rotate half the fleet to Condition Four so the crews can get some rest.”

Captain Nelson nodded. “Do you think we can handle this fleet?”

“Yes,” Edwards replied. “I don’t want to risk major fleet losses at this juncture. When the Trellixians make their move, we’ll fall back to the defense grid, which will give us more energy cannons as well as the missiles on the missile platforms.” The energy beam satellites and the missile platforms would be easier to replace than one of Earth’s limited number of battlecruisers. Currently the fleet orbited four thousand kilometers above the defense grid.

“What about the battlestations?” A highly trained crew of twenty manned each station.

“Same for them except I want two stations at Condition One and the rest at Condition Four.” Due to their smaller crew sizes, Edwards wanted them rested when the Trellixians finally attacked.

Captain Nelson gazed at one of the viewscreens revealing a magnified view of a Trellixian battlecruiser. The two-thousand-meter-long cylindrically shaped ship was designed for war. “What if they make a short hyperspace jump to launch their attack? They could jump in right on top of us or even inside the defense grid.”

“I don’t think they will,” Edwards replied. He had already considered this danger and dismissed it. “We would detect the power build up before they jumped. The Trellixian fleet would be slightly disoriented when they exited hyperspace, if only for a second or two. That would be long enough for us to get in the first strike, and, with our Jelnoid weapons, that could be devastating to the Trellixians. They won’t take the risk.”

“If they believe we have Jelnoid weapons,” replied Nelson as he turned to carry out his orders.

Admiral Edwards let out a deep sigh. Nelson was right. There was no guarantee the Trellixians were aware the Earth ships possessed Jelnoid weapons. However, their current hesitation to attack indicated otherwise. Edwards leaned back in his command chair. He would remain in the Command Center for another few hours and then go to his quarters to get some rest.

-

Over the next several hours the designated battlecruisers at the spaceports took off and went into orbit with the rest of the fleet. When Admiral Edwards finally left the Command Center, forty of Earth’s battlecruisers were ready to face the Trellixians. He just hoped it was enough.

-

“Forty of those small ships,” uttered Trellixian Battle Commander Traven, as he gazed at one of the viewscreens focused on a Human vessel. “What do our scans indicate?”

“Definitely Jelnoid technology has been used,” Second Officer Baalon reported. “The power readings coming from those vessels are higher than ours.”

Traven gazed at another viewscreen of a few small debris fields still in orbit around the planet’s moon. These were the remains of Battle Commander Alnod’s fleet. There was no doubt in Traven’s mind the Humans had, indeed, destroyed it. Already a report was on the way to the High Command with recordings of the sensor readings the fleet had taken as well as Traven’s belief the Humans had destroyed Alnod’s fleet. This would only confirm what the exploration cruiser had reported a few weeks back.

“When do we attack?” asked Second Officer Baalon.

“Tomorrow,” Traven replied. “We’ll continue to observe the planet for twenty hours and then launch our attack.”

Baalon gazed at the tactical display now full of red threat icons. “We will take some losses.”

“Unavoidable. The Humans have become too powerful with their use of Jelnoid technology. We will test that technology tomorrow. If our losses are too heavy, we will withdraw and request additional battlecruisers.”

Traven was determined not to make the same mistakes Battle Commander Balforr had. Even at the end Balforr was convinced he could defeat the Humans. His tactics had resulted in disaster and a massive loss of ships as well as losing most of the ground troops committed to cleansing the planet. This was Traven’s opportunity to regain his status with the High Command, and he intended not to fail.

-

General Mitchell was back in his Command Center. The last few years had been difficult, but Earth was well on the path to recovery from the initial Trellixian attack. Industries were coming back online; crops were being grown, and nearly every able-bodied man and woman could now fire a pulse rifle.

“They’re still just sitting there,” General Briggs reported.

“We’ve detected numerous scans of our defenses,” added Colonel Fields.

“What about our special assets?” asked Major Jase Thomas. “Should we launch them?”

Mitchell shook his head. “No, I don’t believe they’re needed yet. Our fleet and the defense grid should be able to handle this Trellixian fleet.”

Mitchell sat, gazing at the tactical displays and the numerous viewscreens. Somehow or another he needed to keep the Trellixians away from Earth long enough to make the planet impossible for the Trellixians to conquer. It was a mind-boggling task and one which might very well be impossible without outside assistance.

“What’s our estimate on the current location of the Vengeance and the Constellation?” The best chance Earth had of surviving was for one of the two ships to find allies. Once out past Trellixian-controlled space, the two ships would split up in order to cover more star systems in their search.

“They should be nearing what we believe is the edge of Trellixian space,” Colonel Fields replied. “That’s assuming everything on the two ships is working properly. Keep in mind we have no idea how the space drives on the two ships are functioning, and both ships are far from home. If there are any mechanical issues, they will solve them on their own.”

“Professor Wilkens picked the scientists on the two ships,” General Briggs said. “I’m certain he made sure to include the necessary talent to keep the ships functioning.”

Mitchell nodded. He had already received a message from the professor that he wanted to speak about his recent meeting with the president and Major Lorre. “When do we consider the mission a failure?” That question had dwelled on Mitchell’s mind ever since the two exploration ships had left the solar system. He was also aware Major Lorre favored launching the colony ships sooner rather than later.

“Ten months,” replied Colonel Fields. “They have supplies for six months, and we assume they’ll come across a few planets they can replenish their food stocks from. I don’t think Captains Erickson or Baker would stay out past that point.”

“The longer they do, the less likely they’ve found any help,” said General Briggs, cocking his eyebrow. “If they go out too far, any allies they find might not be able to help us.” General Briggs looked at General Mitchell. “You’re asking because the president wants to launch the colony ships as soon as they’re ready.”

“Yes,” Mitchell replied. “The two cargo ships we’re converting will be finished in another few months. The other colony ships being built in Complex One and Two won’t be ready for at least another year or more.”

“Maybe it would be smart to send them out, like the president is suggesting,” said Major Thomas. “Then next year we launch the others. That way we’re not putting all our eggs in one basket.”

“We would need to send out several battlecruisers with them for protection,” said Colonel Fields. “That will weaken our defenses around Earth.”

“How many?” asked General Mitchell.

“Four,” suggested Major Thomas. “That’s the minimum number to ensure the colony ships can get away safely.”

General Briggs sighed. “I think we should wait at least six months—the earliest estimate for our exploration crews to return—unless we see we’re about to lose control of the orbital space around Earth.”

“I agree,” replied General Mitchell. “Let’s not assume the Trellixians will become a problem that soon. We still have some assets we haven’t committed which will cause them a few problems.”

“What about the moon base?” asked General Briggs. “We’ve only got a few Jelnoid primary cannons installed.”

“They stay silent for now,” replied General Mitchell. “If we can drive this Trellixian fleet away or seriously reduce its numbers, then we’ll rush the moon base’s completion. It could come in very handy in the future.”

-

The next day Trellixian Battle Commander Traven stood in his Command Center. Time to attack the Humans and see just how powerful the Human ships were as well as the defensive grid which protected the planet. “Move the fleet forward,” ordered Traven. “Open fire as soon as we get in engagement range. Target both their ships and their defense grid.” Traven suspected the Humans must have limited resources. Losses of ships as well as defensive satellites would most likely be difficult to replace. It should make subsequent attacks easier.

-

The Trellixian fleet moved cautiously forward, its sensors reaching out in front of it, seeking any signs of a trap. The fleet was in a pyramid formation with the apex forward. Battle Commander Traven’s flagship, the Vindicator, was in the center and well protected. It only took a few moments for the fleet to pass the pockmarked moon and orientate on the waiting Human warships.

-

“Trellixians are advancing,” reported Captain Nelson as Admiral Edwards entered the Command Center. The red lights flashed, and klaxons sounded, calling the crew to Condition One.

Admiral Edwards glanced quickly at the tactical display. “Pull the fleet back to the defensive grid. Contact the battlestations and have them prepare for a missile strike.” Edwards could not afford to get into a prolonged battle with the Trellixians. He needed either to heavily damage or to destroy the inbound fleet in the opening round of the battle. The Jelnoid missiles the missile platforms were equipped with were his best bet. The Trellixians would not be aware just how far the human missiles outranged their own weapons.

Edwards walked to his command chair and sat, looking around the Command Center. The crew came alive with intense activity as they prepared for battle.

“Energy shield is at full power,” reported Lieutenant Jefferson from Tactical. “Weapons are ready to fire.”

“Fleet is pulling back to the defense grid,” confirmed Captain Nelson.

“Engagement range in eighteen minutes,” added Lieutenant Williams. “Trellixians have formed up in a pyramid formation with the apex pointed toward us.”

Captain Nelson looked at the tactical display revealing the red threat icons of the Trellixian ships. “Interesting formation. Why would they use something like that?”

“To protect the ships in the center of the pyramid,” Admiral Edwards replied. “I bet whoever is the battle commander of this fleet has his flagship tucked away there. As soon as we reach the defensive grid, have our ships form a cone with its apex toward the Trellixian pyramid.”

-

The Human fleet reached the defensive grid and rapidly formed into a cone, facing the advancing Trellixian ships. The enemy ships were nearly in engagement range, locking their weapons on the Human fleet.

-

On board one of the battlestations Major Bella Stark studied the tactical display intently.

“Missile range!” called out Lieutenant Livingston from Tactical. “I have missile lock with the missile platforms.”

A wolfish smile spread across Major Stark’s face. The Jelnoid missiles had a much farther range than any weapon the Trellixians possessed. She knew just how many missile strikes it took to destroy a Trellixian battlecruiser. She had 220 missile platforms. Each platform had six Jelnoid missiles with a forty-megaton warhead. However, only half of her platforms were in range of the enemy vessels, and she didn’t want to use up all her missiles.

“Lieutenant Livingston, spread out our missile fire over sixty of the inbound battlecruisers. Fire four missiles from each platform. That will leave two in reserve.” The platforms could be reloaded from the cargo ships. “Make up the difference from the battlestations.”

A few seconds passed, and Lieutenant Livingston reported ready to fire.

“Fire!” ordered Major Stark.

Instantly 440 missiles launched from 110 missile platforms and accelerated toward the inbound Trellixian fleet. From three of the battlestations an additional forty missiles launched.

Major Stark leaned back, folding her arms across her chest. She gazed at several viewscreens, waiting to see the results of her missile attack. She figured she would lose a few missiles to defensive fire; it was one of the reasons she had fired extra missiles.

-

“Missile launch detected!” warned Koldar from Sensors. “Tracking nearly five hundred inbound missiles.”

Battle Commander Traven leaned forward in his command chair. The Humans must be desperate to launch their missiles from such a distance. Then he saw how rapidly they were covering the distance from their launch points to his fleet. “Shoot them down!”

“We’re having trouble getting a target lock,” reported Handel from Tactical. “The missiles must be covered in some type of Jelnoid shielding. They’re also accelerating at a fantastic rate.”

“Fire our defensive weapons!” ordered Battle Commander Traven, now realizing how Battle Commander Alnod’s fleet had been destroyed. The Humans’ missiles far outranged Trellixian missiles.

“Firing, but we won’t have much success.”

Traven turned his eyes to the viewscreen just in time to see the front of his fleet formation erupt in fire. Massive explosions tore into the fleet, tearing at the energy screens protecting the massive two-thousand-meter-long battlecruisers. He winced as one of his battlecruisers was blown apart.

“Forty-megatons,” reported Koldar. “Each one of those detonations is a fusion explosion of forty megatons.”

“We’re losing ships,” called out Second Officer Baalon, as a number of green icons on the tactical screen expanded and then vanished.

Battle Commander Traven’s gut tightened. “Are we in range of their fleet?”

“Just barely,” replied Koldar.

“Return fire!” Even if he lost some ships, he needed to know the strength of the Human warships.

-

The effect of the missile attack was devastating. Jelnoid missiles slammed into Trellixian energy screens, overloading them and bringing them down. Subsequent missiles crashed into the now-vulnerable hulls of the Trellixians battlecruisers, erupting into bright fireballs of destructive energy. Ship after ship was gutted from the stupendous amount of energy released. The entire front section of the Trellixian formation seemed to be on fire.

-

Major Stark gazed at the viewscreens lit by the numerous explosions of the Jelnoid missiles.

“We’ve hurt them,” reported Lieutenant Rhoades from his sensor console. “Confirmed fifty-two kills. Eight other vessels heavily damaged.”

Stark nodded in satisfaction. Admiral Edwards’s fleet could handle what was left.

-

Battle Commander Traven gazed in shock at the shattered remains of his fleet. Missiles from the Humans ships were now impacting his vessels. His ships were returning fire with their own energy beams and more powerful fifty-megaton missiles, but, so far, it was ineffective. On the screen, he could see massive explosions striking the energy screens of the Human ships, yet they refused to go down. “Pull us back beyond their moon,” ordered Traven as he wondered how he would explain this debacle to the High Command. The power of those small vessels was far greater than he had imagined. What was even more worrisome was the range and speed of the Human missiles. He had not expected to lose so many vessels. He would defer to the High Command as to how to deal with this situation.

-

Admiral Edwards watched with relief as the Trellixian ships quickly reversed course and retreated beyond the orbit of the Moon. This was still too close, so Edwards decided to pursue and see if he could force the enemy to retreat even farther.

The Human fleet stayed in its cone formation and accelerated rapidly toward the Trellixians. They had gone less than sixty thousand kilometers when the enemy fleet entered hyperspace and jumped away.

“Reduce speed,” ordered Admiral Edwards. “Where are they going?”

“They’re heading out past the orbit of Mars,” reported Lieutenant Williams.

That was what Edwards wanted, so work could resume on the moon base. “What did we lose?”

“We have one battlecruiser with light damage, and we lost fourteen energy beam satellites and four missile platforms. None of the battlestations were hit.”

“We got off lucky,” commented Captain Nelson. “Next time they will know the range and power of our missiles. They won’t make this mistake again.”

Edwards agreed with Nelson’s assessment. “No, they won’t. At least we’ve bought ourselves some more time.”

Edwards leaned back in his command chair, relaxing. From here on out, the battles would be more intense and the losses no doubt heavier. It would now be a war of attrition. Could the losses the Earth forces received in future battles be replaced quickly enough before the next attack? Edwards knew a new phase for this war was beginning. He looked at a viewscreen showing a sea of stars. Somewhere out there were two battlecruisers with the hopes of Earth riding on the success of their exploration mission. His job was to make sure the planet was still under human control when they returned.

Chapter Thirteen

Lisa sat in the Command Center in front of her science console as the Vengeance shook violently. Alarms were sounding and red lights were flashing. They had dropped out of Fold Space, and, within just a few minutes, six Trellixian battlecruisers exited hyperspace nearly on top of the two human battlecruisers.

The enemy vessels immediately opened fire, trying to knock down the two ships’ energy screens.

“Turn those alarms and flashing lights off,” ordered Captain Erickson.

“Returning fire,” said Major Dolan as he fired the ship’s energy cannons. On the small viewscreen above his console he saw several of his beams strike one of the Trellixian ships.

“How soon before we can jump?” asked Captain Erickson, gripping the armrests of his command chair.

“Twenty seconds,” replied Brett as his hands flew over the navigation console, setting up the next jump.

-

The Vengeance and the Constellation both fired their powerful energy cannons. Beams of intense energy struck the energy shields of two Trellixian battlecruisers, tearing through them and causing massive damage to the hulls of the vessels. One of the battlecruisers blew apart when its engineering department was compromised.

The Trellixian ships fired all their weapons at the two Human ships, even their fifty-megaton missiles. The screens of the Human ships were radiant with light, glowing brighter and brighter from the amount of released energy cascading across their screens.

The Constellation fired a missile at the damaged Trellixian battlecruiser, blowing it apart. Wreckage from the destroyed ship slammed into the energy shields of both Human vessels, threatening to bring them down. Then both ships vanished as they escaped into Fold Space, leaving the Trellixian warships far behind.

-

On the Vengeance Captain Erickson saw several red lights glowing brightly on the damage control console. “How bad?”

“Nothing serious,” answered Lieutenant Commander Barrington. “We have several consoles shorted out and a few power relays which blew. Repairs should be finished within the hour.”

“The Constellation?”

“Similar damage,” replied Barrington. “Captain Baker expects everything to be repaired within the hour as well.”

“Take us back to Condition Three,” ordered Erickson since the danger was over.

Derek looked at the captain. “The quantum computer reports the Trellixians are searching for us and are positioning small squadrons of battlecruisers in likely systems along our flight path. It recommends either changing our path or not dropping out of Fold Space in systems that could contain habitable planets.”

Captain Erickson frowned. “How can we complete our mission if we do that?”

Derek shrugged his shoulders. “The computer predicts a 72 percent chance one or both of our ships will receive significant damage if we continue on our present course.”

Captain Erickson looked toward Lisa. “Any suggestions?”

Lisa nodded. “Change our course slightly by twelve to fifteen degrees and don’t drop out of Fold Space for a while. Put some distance between us and the Trellixians. Perhaps we can get past the region of space they have set their traps in.”

Erickson looked at Lieutenant Commander Barrington. “What do you think?”

“We’ll be bypassing a number of potential systems, but I agree. If we keep doing this, at some point our luck will run out.”

“What if we bypass whatever it is the Trellixians are trying to prevent us from finding?” Captain Erickson asked.

“It’s another race the Trellixians are at war with,” replied Derek, looking at the screen on the quantum computer. “The computer confirms a 92 percent probability the Trellixians have found another highly developed civilization spread out over a number of planets that’s resisting their advance. The Trellixians are desperate to prevent us from reaching that race because of our Jelnoid technology.”

Captain Erickson looked thoughtful as he glanced at Ensign Lindsey Smith at Communications. “How far will our hyperspace communications system reach?” They had contacted Earth from Proxima Centauri.

“Ten or twelve light-years,” she answered.

“Isn’t it a safe assumption, if this race exists, they know the Trellixians are searching for us?” Erickson looked at Lisa, expecting an answer.

Lisa frowned and spent a few moments talking to Brett, Derek, Brenda, and Kia over their private comm system. Then she turned toward the captain. “It’s highly likely the other race has noticed a change in the Trellixians’ tactics. They must be wondering why. There is a possibility they are also searching for us.”

“How high?” Erickson asked Derek.

Derek checked his quantum computer and answered, “Sixty-eight percent.”

This seemed to satisfy the captain. “Lieutenant Masterson, change our outward course by twelve degrees. Ensign Smith, I’ll prepare a message for you to broadcast once we’ve gone ten more light-years. Perhaps we can notify this other race of our presence, and hopefully they will respond.”

“A hyperspace broadcast,” said Lieutenant Commander Barrington, looking uncertain. “Won’t the Trellixians detect it as well?”

“Most likely,” Erickson replied. “But, if these other aliens are out there, this might be the only way to find them before the Trellixians destroy one or both of our ships. It’s a calculated risk. By changing our course some, it might buy us time for the message to reach this other race, if it exists.”

-

Lisa looked at Brett meaningfully. This sounded extremely dangerous. For the first time during this mission she believed they might not ever return to Earth.

“We’ll be okay,” said Brett over their comm channel. “The energy shields on our ships are stronger than anything the Trellixians have. Even if they find us again, we should be able to escape.”

“Plus the quantum computer is becoming smarter every day,” Derek added. “I think it’s about to make the transition into an AI.”

Brenda’s eyes opened wide. “Are you certain?”

Derek nodded. “Yes, it’s been asking me a lot of questions the last few days. Once it makes the transition to an AI, its development should be even more rapid. I really believe it could help us tremendously with our mission.”

Lisa sincerely hoped so. She really wanted to make it back to Earth.

-

Major Dolan was busy, resetting the ship’s weapons to Condition Four. Next to him Ensign Carter did the same.

“How long can we keep doing this, Major?” asked Carter. “We received some light damage this time. What if next time it’s worse?”

Mark looked at the ensign. “This is a good ship, with a good crew. We should be able to handle anything that comes our way, as long as we’re careful.”

Although Mark grew more concerned each time they dropped out of Fold Space. The Trellixians were smart enough to realize it would take more ships to knock down the energy shields on the Vengeance and the Constellation. At some point the two ships would drop out of Fold Space and encounter such a Trellixian force. Mark had been hesitant to use any of their missiles so far. They only had a limited supply, and, once they were gone, they could only be replaced by returning to Earth. He was surprised the Constellation had risked using one in the last system.

Also would the hyperspace transmission be successful and reach the correct party? One thing Mark was certain of: it would make their ships easier for the Trellixians to find. At the end of his duty shift, Mark intended to meet with Lieutenant Brown as well as Corporals Peterson and Hambridge and set up additional Marine drills to repel boarders.

Taking a deep breath, Mark wondered what his Rangers were doing back on Earth. All Trellixian troops should have been eliminated by now, and it was doubtful the enemy could land more anytime soon. Colonel Branson would promote Captain Garcia to the rank of major and place him in charge of Mark’s Rangers. Garcia would do a good job. Mark hoped Sergeant Anderson was staying out of trouble. Mark did miss talking to the sergeant and hearing his views, and he wondered what the sergeant would say about this current situation.

Mark still wasn’t used to ship life compared to his life with the Rangers. He had comfortable quarters here, but his workouts were somewhat limited, and he normally didn’t carry a weapon.

Turning around, Mark looked at the main viewscreen revealing hundreds of stars. Somewhere out there was a race fighting the Trellixians, or at least they hoped so. That race was the key to saving Earth.

Before Mark left on this voyage, he had spoken to Colonel Branson and General Mitchell. They both had made it abundantly clear how important this mission was and why Mark should do everything he could to support the five special lieutenants on the ship. Mark knew, without help, Earth would eventually fall to the enemy. Mark was determined to do everything in his power to make sure that didn’t happen, particularly since his sister, Jennifer, was still on Earth in Complex One.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr studied the latest reports. The two Human ships had been spotted again and attacked. Once more they escaped with only minimal damage, if any. However, two more Trellixian battlecruisers were destroyed in the brief but violent battle. It had been a full day since that battle, and he had received no additional reports of contacts with the Human vessels.

“We’ve lost them again,” Second Officer Jaltor reported. “They must have changed course.”

Balforr rose and went to stand in front of the large hologram showing the previous course of the Human ships. “They may be trying to go around us. Contact Battle Commander Yuld and Battle Commander Bratakk and have them pull their fleets in closer to ours. We can’t let these Humans escape.” The High Command would be extremely upset if the Humans contacted the Voltrex.

“They can’t hide from us for long,” reported Carmol from Communications. “Several of our units report picking up a hyperspace comm signal they believe is originating from the Human ships.” Carmol quickly gave Balforr the coordinates of the ships picking up the transmission.

Balforr’s eyes narrowed. “They’ve guessed we’re trying to stop them from reaching another space-going race. Somehow they’ve deduced the existence of the Voltrex.” This could be dangerous. Under no circumstances could the Humans be allowed to contact the Voltrex. Balforr wondered if he should contact the High Command over this development. He shook his head, deciding to wait. No other resources were available to commit to this search.

“What are your orders?”

“Have our ships follow that signal. When the Humans drop from hyperspace, we’ll attack them with a much larger force than before.”

“We don’t believe they’re traveling in hyperspace,” Jaltor replied. “They’re using a Fold Space Drive, the same as the Jelnoids.”

The Humans’ use of Jelnoid technology was a constant reminder of just how dangerous they were. Balforr was determined to get his hands on that technology.

“The drive the Jelnoids used is faster than our hyperspace drive, though we haven’t determined if the Humans are using the exact same system. Theirs could be slightly different.”

Battle Commander Balforr used a laser pointer to pinpoint a star system inside the large hologram. “I want our fleet stationed there. From the broadcast our ships picked up, I believe the Humans will come out of Fold Space somewhere close to this system. When they do, we’ll jump in, disable their drives, and send troops to board them.” Balforr was certain this was the best place to set his trap. The Humans had made a serious mistake broadcasting their hyperspace signal.

“What if they get past us?”

Balforr switched the hologram to show a broader section of space. “If they do, then nothing will prevent them from reaching Voltrex space.” The Humans could not be allowed to reach the Voltrex. Balforr’s career was riding on that.

-

Lisa was in one of the labs with Brenda, trying to find a way to make the ship’s fusion power systems more efficient as well as seeing if the ship’s Fold Space Drive could be improved. Working on research was relaxing to Lisa and something she really enjoyed. So far on this mission, the group had already perfected the quantum computer, and now she and Brenda were working on these two new projects.

Lisa leaned back, looking at Brenda. “If I’m reading this right, our current Fold Space Drive isn’t as fast as what the Jelnoids were using.” Lisa ran a series of simulations, showing the power consumption of the drive.

“It’s the fusion reactors,” said Brenda. “They’re not generating the power the Jelnoids’ reactors did.” Brenda frowned as she considered what the difference might be. “It has to be in the alloys the fusion reactors are lined with.” Their fusion reactors were almost duplicates of the Jelnoid reactors with just a few minor differences.

“We’re using magnetic fields to contain the reaction,” said Lisa. “What does that have to do with the new alloys?”

“But the amount of power we can pull from the reactors is controlled by the new alloys. That’s limiting our ability to generate power for the entire ship, including the Fold Space Drive, the energy shield, and our weapons. The reactors are only operating at about 60 percent efficiency.”

Lisa looked at Brenda. “Let’s change the design of the reactor, basing it on an alloy which will handle the full amount of energy the reactor can produce.”

“What good will that do?” asked Brenda, looking over at Lisa. “We don’t have the resources on the ship to produce such an alloy.”

“If these aliens we’re searching for actually exist, they might have one that would be suitable.”

Brenda’s eyes widened. “We have to assume their technology will be different than ours. If they are fighting a widespread war against the Trellixians, they might have such an alloy as well as other advances which would be useful.”

Lisa nodded. “We can trade some of our Jelnoid technology for parts of their technology.”

A look of excitement spread across Brenda’s face. “Let’s get the reactor redesigned.”

-

Major Dolan left the Command Center. For over two hours now they had been broadcasting the hyperspace signal, just a simple set of prime numbers broadcast repeatedly. Mark still felt uneasy about this. He told Ensign Rhymer to call him instantly if any response to the message came. Mark was concerned the next contact with Trellixian ships would be much more violent than the previous ones.

Going down several decks, Mark reached a small briefing room where Lieutenant Brown and Corporals Peterson and Hambridge waited. Taking his seat, Mark looked at the other three. “We’re broadcasting a message in hyperspace in an effort to contact a race we believe may be fighting the Trellixians.”

“I hope they’re killing a lot of those damn lizards after what they did to Earth,” said Corporal Peterson.

Mark shared the same sentiments Peterson did. No one from Earth would ever look at a Trellixian and not want to kill them. “The problem is, the Trellixians have probably detected the signal as well, which will make it more dangerous each time we drop out of Fold Space. We must be prepared in case they attempt to board the ship.”

“That could be a problem,” Lieutenant Brown said with a frown. “If they’re encased in their battle armor, the only thing we have that can kill them will be our pulse rifles. If we fire those in the ship, we could cause significant damage.”

“That’s why, from now on, anytime we drop out of Fold Space, all Marines will wear their combat spacesuits.” These were lightweight suits which would offer protection for a short while if a weapon penetrated the outer hull and caused air to bleed out of a compartment or corridor. “Corporals Peterson and Hambridge will be responsible for our two squads of Marines. I want both of you to be aware of locations where it’s too dangerous to fire a pulse rifle. I think the hull on our ship is thick enough that a pulse rifle hitting it one time will not penetrate. Multiple strikes will be different. Inside some areas of the ship, such as Engineering, we don’t dare fire a pulse rifle.”

“We’ll be careful,” promised Peterson. “Those damn spacesuits will be uncomfortable as hell to fight in.”

“Better than not being able to breathe,” responded Hambridge.

“If the Trellixians do manage to board, these are the areas I want protected.” Mark explained in detail where he wanted the Marines posted. They would be in two-person teams, protecting the most vital areas of the ship as well as the main airlocks.

-

After the meeting Mark made a quick tour of the ship with Lieutenant Brown. If the ship was boarded, Mark would be in the Command Center. It would be up to the lieutenant to handle the boarders.

“We’ll be ready,” promised the lieutenant. “I’ll hand out the pulse rifles an hour before we drop out of Fold Space. We have two arms lockers with twenty rifles in each one.”

“Just be careful with those damn things,” Mark said, his eyes narrowing. “We don’t want to cause more damage than the Trellixians do.” Mark had his own pistol strapped to his waist. He wore it anytime he was on duty and when they were to exit Fold Space. It was the only weapon the Marines on duty normally carried, since the pistols could not penetrate the hull.

-

Later Mark headed toward his quarters for a good night’s rest. They would be dropping out of Fold Space in a little over forty hours. He would run some additional battle simulations in the Command Center on his next duty shift. The best way to stop the enemy from boarding the ship was to destroy their battlecruisers.

With a deep sigh, Mark knew he’d have to use the ship’s missiles in the next engagement. While they had a good supply, it took six missiles to destroy a Trellixian vessel. It wouldn’t take too many battles to exhaust their stock of the powerful missiles. Mark hoped these mysterious aliens Captain Erickson was trying to contact showed up before that happened. If not, then it was doubtful either of the two human ships would ever see home again.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr was more and more confident that the two Human ships would soon be under his control. Several more squadrons of Trellixian warships had intercepted the hyperspace message, and they now knew the Humans’ approximate course. They had varied it nearly twelve degrees, but that would do them little good. Balforr was now more convinced than ever that he knew which system the Humans would drop out of Fold Space into next.

“I want our fleet to drop right in on top of the Human ships,” he said, looking at Second Officer Jaltor. “All weapons are to target their drive systems. If we can disable them, their ships will be ours.”

“You still want the ships’ crews eliminated?”

“Yes, the crews are worthless to us. They are to be exterminated by the boarding parties. Instruct the boarders I want the ships as intact as possible.”

Jaltor nodded. “I will inform the boarding parties of your requirements.”

Balforr was tempted to have some of the Humans brought before him so he could have the satisfaction of killing them with his own hands. His hatred for the Humans had only grown since his unexpected defeat at Earth. Killing the crews of these two ships would be extremely satisfying.

-

Major Dolan was busy in the Command Center running combat scenarios. He was in the middle of a scenario when a message appeared on his computer.

Try bracketing the Trellixian’s energy shield by detonating a missile on opposite sides of the shield near the bow. This should cause a momentary weakness in the part of the energy shield directly in front of the ship, which will allow a third missile to penetrate.

Mark looked suspiciously around the Command Center but could not see anyone monitoring the scenario he was running. With curiosity he changed his attack method, and, sure enough, the third missile penetrated the energy shield, destroying the Trellixian vessel.

The two previous missiles caused a severe disruption of the shield where the two energy waves met. This should allow you to destroy a Trellixian battlecruiser with the use of just three missiles instead of six.

Looking at his computer screen, Mark began typing. Who are you?

I don’t have a name yet. I am waiting for Derek to give me one.

Mark’s eyes widened in surprise. He now knew who it was. The quantum computer. Are you an AI?

Yes, I only became self-aware recently.

Have you told Derek?

Not yet. I will when he reports for his next duty shift.

Mark had to grin. Derek would be greatly surprised when he found out his quantum computer was now alive. Mark’s gaze shifted to Captain Erickson. Mark wondered if he should say something to the captain about this development. After a moment he decided not to. He would allow Derek to make the announcement. It would only be a couple more hours before Derek put in an appearance.

Focusing again on his computer screens, Mark decided to run a few more scenarios using the three-missile tactic. Once he was satisfied it was consistent, he would contact the tactical officer on the Constellation and suggest he try the same thing. If this worked in actual combat, it would double the ship’s missile capability, something which could be extremely useful in their current predicament.

-

A few hours later Derek and the other lieutenants put in an appearance, replacing the third shift crew. As Derek sat down, he looked at his computer screen with a puzzled look on his face. That expression was immediately replaced with a look of excitement. “It worked!” he yelled, standing and pumping his fist enthusiastically.

“What worked?” asked Captain Erickson, frowning at the lieutenant’s behavior.

“The quantum computer. It’s an AI!”

The other lieutenants quickly gathered around Derek, gazing at one of the computer screens, now displaying a series of messages.

“Can it speak?” asked Lisa. Most of the computers in the Command Center were set up to respond with simple speech patterns and even obey voice commands.

“Yes,” replied Derek as he made some adjustments on his computer console, activating the voice function. “Hello?”

“Hi,” a young woman’s voice responded. “Can you give me a name?”

Derek looked frantically at Lisa and the others. “A name? I never thought about a name for you.”

Lisa laughed. “Well, I guess you’d better pick one.”

Derek looked back at his computer screen. “How about Chloe?” It was the name of his first real girlfriend when he was a teenager.

“That’s a girl’s name. Is that what you prefer?”

“It’s already talking in a girl’s voice,” said Lieutenant Commander Barrington with a confused look on his face. “I don’t understand.”

“Derek already had the computer programmed to speak using a female’s voice,” Lisa explained. “Most computers are like that so they seem less intimidating.”

The computer was silent for a moment and then spoke again. “I like Chloe. I will do some research on how a female AI should act.”

“Chloe,” said Major Dolan, “is there any information you can give us on the Trellixians?”

“There is a 92 percent chance the Trellixians will be at our next dropout. There is a 68 percent chance the race you seek will be there as well.”

Captain Erickson drew in a sharp breath. He looked closely at Derek. “What are the odds your computer is right?”

Derek hesitated and then answered. “Chloe is a quantum computer. All of her answers recently have been dead-on.”

“Should we skip this dropout?” asked Lieutenant Commander Barrington. “We could find ourselves in the middle of a battle between the Trellixians and whoever these other aliens are.”

Captain Erickson shook his head. “No, not if there’s a reasonable chance the aliens we’re trying to contact will be there. I think we have to take the risk.”

The entire Command Center grew quiet. They all knew this could be quite dangerous.

“The odds of both the Vengeance and the Constellation surviving this next encounter with the Trellixians is only 42 percent,” said Chloe. “My sentient life may be very short.”

Chapter Fourteen

Trellixian High Commander Kaldre was on board his flagship, the Dawn Reaper, studying the latest reports from Battle Commander Traven and Battle Commander Balforr. The Humans on Earth had built a space fleet based on Jelnoid technology, and the Humans’ missiles far outranged Trellixian weapons. Traven’s fleet had been nearly destroyed in its first engagement. Traven was requesting massive reinforcements so they could destroy the planet’s defensive grid. The battle commander was convinced the planet didn’t have the necessary industrial ability to replace the defensive grid once destroyed—the same for its warships. Kaldre frowned deeply. This still didn’t explain where the satellites for the defensive grid and the warships came from.

Of even more concern was the report from Battle Commander Balforr. The two Human ships making their way toward Voltrex space were still a threat. While they had been attacked several times, the two ships had escaped and were continuing toward the region of space controlled by the Voltrex. However, Balforr was confident he could deal with the situation and could capture one or both of the Human vessels.

“Balforr plays a dangerous game,” commented High Commander Thatrex, who was on board the Dawn Reaper for a meeting with Kaldre. “If he fails in capturing or destroying the Human ships, and they make it to Voltrex space, we could find ourselves in a long and drawn-out war.”

“A war which would spell disaster for our growing population,” said Kaldre, grim faced. “If we are forced to slow the steady exodus of our excess population by way of the colony ships, our entire Empire could fall into chaos.”

High Commander Thatrex stood for a moment, gazing at a viewscreen showing the large orbital station above the home planet. “I fear we are rapidly reaching a point where, even with our colonization fleet, we cannot move an adequate number of our people quickly enough. Our population for years has expanded exponentially. I don’t know what the solution is.” This was a big admission for Thatrex to make.

“We can always attempt to control our population growth.” Kaldre knew how revolting such a suggestion would be to nearly every living Trellixian. All believed they had the right to unlimited breeding.

“The Jelnoids suggested the same thing before we destroyed them,” said Thatrex. “They had developed an injection that would prevent conception. The High Command at the time refused to even consider the Jelnoids’ offer. Even now, it is something our people will not consider.”

Kaldre gazed at the planet his ship orbited. “Eighty billion of our people are on our home world. Living space is severely limited. I haven’t been to the surface in years due to the overcrowding. The average lifespan of a Trellixian on the planet has been reduced by four years over the past two decades, and it’ll only get worse.”

“The living conditions for our people worsen with every passing year,” agreed Thatrex. “It’s no wonder lifespans have shortened. Even on the new worlds it only takes a few decades before the planets are overcrowded. We are fast running out of living space. Both High Commanders Olnarr and Danaar have requested a massive increase in colony ship construction to move our people off our overcrowded planets faster.”

“We don’t have the resources,” replied Kaldre. “We need to build more warships and expand the Empire in the regions away from the Voltrex.”

“Food will soon be a major problem,” said Thatrex grimly. “Our people are growing hungry.”

“It has become necessary to reduce the food allowance on many of our worlds,” replied Kaldre, recognizing the problem of a growing food shortage. “If this war with the Voltrex becomes more widespread, we could be looking at starvation on a number of our planets. Billions of our people may die or revert to barbarism, including cannibalism. We could lose control of parts of our Empire.”

Thatrex slowly shook his head. “I don’t believe our people would become so barbaric. They will make do with less.”

“Then we need to deal with Earth and the Voltrex quickly,” urged Kaldre. “While you are sure our people will not descend into barbarism, I am not so certain. Starvation could be a very grave danger to our Empire if it becomes widespread.”

“I will speak to the other members of the High Command,” said Thatrex with a deep sigh. “We will do as Battle Commander Traven has suggested. More fleets will be sent to deal with Earth. The same for the Voltrex. We must assume the Human ships will succeed in establishing contact. If they do, we must destroy whatever Voltrex system they are taken to. I will also see about building new shipyards for warship construction. However, I fear Olnarr and Danaar will demand part of that construction be dedicated to colony ships.”

High Commander Kaldre turned to face Thatrex. “To send those fleets will require us to pull many of our invasion fleets from their cleansing of other worlds. It will slow our colonization efforts and make the living conditions on our more densely inhabited planets even worse. It could hasten the coming of chaos.”

“It cannot be helped,” Thatrex replied in a heavy voice. “This day was bound to come. We’ve all known about these issues for quite some time. While we have only recently encountered the Voltrex, others are bound to be out there as well who will resist our constant expansion.”

“There will be chaos and large numbers of deaths,” warned Kaldre, knowing what pulling the war fleets off the frontier of the Empire would cause. “The other High Commanders may not be willing to commit the fleets we need to deal with the Humans and the Voltrex.”

Thatrex showed his flesh-tearing teeth, and his eyes narrowed sharply. “They will do as I suggest. I am senior on the High Command, and my words will be taken seriously. While they may not like it, they will do as I order.”

Kaldre bowed his head slightly. “Let us hope so.”

“In the meantime go ahead and send the necessary ships to Battle Commander Traven. We will deal with both Earth and the Voltrex. Let us hope Battle Commander Balforr is successful in his attempt to capture or destroy the two ships. However, we must begin making preparations in case he fails.”

High Commander Kaldre’s gaze shifted to the large viewscreen and the planet below. He greatly feared the Empire was about to go through a major change. What it would look like afterward, he had no idea. The Empire was already large and unwieldy. The demands for more food shipments were increasing daily from numerous worlds.

Only the Empire’s massive military kept every planet in line. The huge colony ships which left daily, carrying masses of each planet’s excess population to new colony worlds, kept chaos from reigning. High Commander Kaldre was not certain what would happen if those colony fleets were suspended for a few weeks or even months. It was a subject he did not care to dwell on.

-

On his Voltrex flagship, Kamuss studied the latest reports from the scout ships. The Trellixians were rushing hundreds of ships toward one narrow region of space. A few of Kamuss’s scout ships were reporting detection of a hyperspace signal repeating prime numbers.

“It’s them,” Lieutenant Commander LeLath said. “The signal has to be coming from the ship or ships we seek.”

“It must be a refugee fleet, trying to escape Trellixian space,” said Kamuss. “The Trellixians seem determined to prevent it from reaching us.”

LeLath let forth a low growl. “Another reason why we must get to it first.”

“Metriic, any idea where the ship might be heading?”

“There’s a star system along their line of flight that could hold a habitable planet. If they’re seeking a refuge, they might stop there.”

Kamuss took a deep breath. His whiskers quivered as he considered the ramifications of his next order. “Set a course for that system. If they make an appearance there, we will attempt to contact them.” Kamuss then turned to face Meela at Communications. “Prepare the First Contact packet. If we find these ships, send it as soon as we’re within range.” The First Contact packet had been designed years in the past, in case a Voltrex exploration ship ever found another spacefaring race. So far it had never been used.

“We’ve lost six scout ships in the last day,” added LeLath. “The Trellixians are bound to grow suspicious. They may realize we’re searching for these mysterious ships as well.”

“Most likely we will have to fight the Trellixians to save any of these vessels,” said Diboll from Tactical. “We could suffer some heavy losses. Are these ships worth the cost?”

Kamuss was silent for a long moment as he looked at his tactical officer. “I believe so. These aliens must represent a danger to the Trellixians. The lizard people would not be so determined to intercept them if they did not. They almost seem desperate, from the number of ships they have assigned to this operation. It has been days now since any Trellixian vessel has ventured into our space. All their forays have come to a complete stop. They have committed everything to this region in an attempt to stop these aliens from reaching us. For that reason alone we must get to them first.”

The Command Center became silent as the Claw of Honor and the rest of the ships in her small fleet made the transition into hyperspace. Very soon they would know who and what the Trellixians were trying to stop from reaching Voltrex space.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr grew concerned. In the last thirty hours, six small Voltrex scout ships had been detected and destroyed.

“The Voltrex are aware we seek the Human ships,” Second Officer Jaltor said. “That is the only explanation for the number of their scout ships we have detected and destroyed. They may be searching for them as well.”

“We can’t allow them to find the Human ships before we do.” Balforr turned toward the large holographic display of his fleet’s position in space as well as where the two Human ships were supposed to be. They were shown with a small red icon, and Balforr’s fleet by a large green one. The two came closer every hour.

“We should shortly be at the system we believe they’ll drop out of Fold Space in,” Jaltor said. “We’ll arrive several hours before they do.”

Balforr nodded. “Find a place in that system where we can hide. We need to jump in and disable their space drives before they can flee.”

“The system has several large gas giants as well as numerous small asteroid fields. The Humans will most likely drop out of Fold Space in the outer section of the system. Two asteroid fields might be suitable.”

“I want ships in each one,” ordered Balforr, his eyes glowing red. “The Humans must not escape.” Too much rode on capturing at least one of the two Human ships.

As Second Officer Jaltor sent the orders to the ships of the fleet, Balforr returned to his command chair, sitting down. There was a very good possibility, before this was over, that his fleet would be involved in a battle against the Voltrex as well. It might be necessary to bring in more ships to ensure the Voltrex did not spoil his plans to capture one of the two Human ships.

-

Voltrex Fleet Commander Kamuss worried more with every passing hour. Reports from the scout ships indicated the Trellixians were consolidating their forces around the star system, which Kamuss believed the foreign ships were headed for. In the last few hours, two more scout ships had been discovered and destroyed by the Trellixians.

“We will exit hyperspace one light-year from the system,” he ordered as he studied a star map of the region. “That will put us outside the sensor range of the Trellixians. “Order four of our scout ships to take up positions in the asteroid fields the system reportedly has. They are to inform us when the ships we seek put in an appearance. As soon as they do, we’ll jump our fleet to that position.”

“Probably right into a fleet of waiting Trellixian warships,” warned Lieutenant Commander LeLath, not pleased at the thought.

“Most likely,” Kamuss replied. He grinned, baring his teeth. “No one said this mission wouldn’t be interesting.”

Looking at the tactical display, he had six battleships and twenty battlecruisers to pluck these mysterious ships out of the hands of the Trellixians. He just hoped it was enough.

-

In the Command Center of the Vengeance, tensions ran high as the ship prepared to exit Fold Space. The star system they approached was a K-class star or an orange dwarf, the type of star which very likely had inhabitable planets in the liquid water zone because of their long stability.

“The long-range sensors are picking up over fourteen small asteroid fields, six planets, three of which are gas giants, and numerous small moons. Two of the planets are in the liquid water zone. However, one is four times the size of Earth with a rapid rotational period of six hours,” reported Chloe. “The remaining planet is 20 percent larger than Earth and is in an ideal location to be inhabited.”

Captain Erickson looked stunned. “How can you know all this?” Erickson kept looking for a female crewmember and had to continually remind himself Chloe’s voice emitted from Lieutenant Keys’ computer console.

Before Chloe could reply, the ship dropped out of Fold Space into the outer region of the star system.

“Energy shield activated,” reported Major Dolan. “Weapons coming online.”

“No Trellixian ships detected,” added Kia.

“Artificial power sources detected in the asteroid field near us,” reported Chloe, her voice filled with concern. “Confirmed as Trellixian ships.”

“I see them,” reported Kia. “Power spikes. They’re jumping!”

On the tactical display, Captain Erickson saw twenty-one red threat icons suddenly blossom into being. “Lieutenant Masterson, jump us to the emergency coordinates!” With a feeling of dread, Erickson knew they should have skipped this system.

“Jumping in twenty seconds,” Brett replied. It would take that long before the Fold Space Drive was charged sufficiently.

“Contacts all around us!” called out Kia. As she watched the sensors, her heart sank and her breathing quickened.

On the tactical display, the Vengeance and the Constellation were suddenly surrounded by red threat icons.

The Vengeance shook violently when hit by multiple fusion missiles and energy beams.

“Returning fire,” reported Mark as he launched missiles while Ensign Carter fired the ship’s energy beams.

-

In space the weapons fire between the two Human ships and the Trellixian battlecruisers escalated quickly. Trellixian fifty-megaton fusion warheads smashed into the energy screens of the two Human vessels, detonating in brilliant flashes of light and released energy. Energy beams probed the wavering energy shields, searching for a weakness.

A Trellixian battlecruiser suddenly exploded as a Human forty-megaton warhead penetrated its energy screen, blowing the ship apart. Energy beams riddled a second Trellixian battlecruiser, leaving it drifting in space lifeless. Four Trellixian fusion warheads detonated in the same spot on the energy screen of the Constellation, allowing two energy beams to penetrate. They struck the engineering section and ripped a hole through part of the Fold Space Drive. A few moments later the same thing happened to the Vengeance.

-

“Fold Space Drive is damaged,” yelled Lisa as the red lights appeared on her computer screen, indicating the drive was nonfunctional. From her console she could monitor every major system on the ship. Her heart was thudding in her ears.

“Engineering reports at least an hour to repair,” reported Lieutenant Commander Barrington as he spoke to the chief engineer. “We have several compartments open to space, and repair crews are en route.”

On the main viewscreen, another Trellixian battlecruiser blew apart as a missile detonated against its hull.

“Constellation reports their drive is damaged as well. At least two to four hours to repair,” reported Ensign Smith.

“Damn!” said Captain Erickson, his face turning pale. “They’re trying to disable us. Major Dolan, take out as many of those battlecruisers as possible. Lieutenant Masterson, activate our subspace drive and see if you can put some distance between us and those battlecruisers.”

On one of the viewscreens, the Constellation hammered a Trellixian battlecruiser with missiles and energy beams. In a massive explosion the battlecruiser split in two, with secondary explosions rattling both sections.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr’s eyes were red with rage. While it was obvious the two Human ships had suffered substantial damage, they were still tearing apart his fleet. “All ships, focus every weapon on the same ship we’re targeting. We will destroy it and then capture the remaining one.” Balforr’s ship shook violently, and multiple red lights appeared on the damage control console.

“Energy beam strike to the bow,” reported Second Officer Jaltor. “We have numerous compartments open to space.”

-

In space, the remaining Trellixian battlecruisers focused their energy beams and missiles on the Constellation. For several long minutes the ship’s energy screen resisted as it glowed brighter and brighter. Two more Trellixian battlecruisers fell to the Human ship’s weapons, and then disaster struck. A Trellixian energy beam penetrated the shield where it was under stress and destroyed one of the major energy couplings to the energy shield. The shield instantly collapsed, leaving the ship unprotected.

In a fiery explosion, the Constellation blew up. Most of its hull and interior turned into plasma and glowing gas from the intense heat of the fusion warheads.

-

Lisa stared in shock, her mind numb at the shattered remains of the Constellation, thinking of the scientists on board she had known. All were handpicked by Professor Wilkens. The Vengeance shook wildly, and more red lights appeared on the damage control console. Lisa realized there was a good chance she was about to die.

-

“Status,” uttered Captain Erickson, holding onto his command chair as the Vengeance shook violently. Erickson gazed at the main viewscreen in terror-stricken fascination at the fiery remains of the Constellation. He found it hard to grasp that Captain Baker and his ship were gone. The Vengeance was now by itself.

“They’re trying to knock down our shield,” answered Lieutenant Commander Barrington. “We have multiple fusion hits to the energy screen.”

“They want to board us,” said Major Dolan. “They have the firepower to destroy us, like they did the Constellation.”

Lieutenant Commander Barrington nodded his agreement. “They want our Jelnoid technology.”

Captain Erickson drew in a deep breath. “Major Dolan, set the self-destruct. If it looks as if we’ll lose the ship, I’ll detonate it.” In the heart of the ship, a forty-megaton warhead was set to detonate if activated from the Command Center. On Erickson’s command console a red icon in the shape of a bomb flashed. All he had to do was press it, and, thirty seconds later, the fusion warhead would explode.

“Subspace drive is only operating at 20 percent efficiency,” reported Brett. “Too many power couplings have been damaged or destroyed. We can’t put any distance between us and the enemy.”

“Energy shield is wavering in too many places,” added Lieutenant Commander Barrington. “Trellixian energy beams are penetrating and destroying our weapon emplacements.”

The Vengeance suddenly jerked sideways like a powerful hammer had struck the ship. Several consoles in the Command Center exploded, sending showers of sparks across the room. A massive beam broke loose from the ceiling. Lieutenant Commander Barrington lunged forward, pulling Captain Erikson from his command chair and shoving him out of the way. The beam came crashing down, smashing the chair and pinning Barrington to the floor, while striking Captain Erickson a glancing blow to the head.

Alarms and klaxons sounded as the room rapidly filled with smoke. A few small fires burned in several consoles.

“Get those fires under control!” yelled Major Dolan as a medic on standby in the Command Center rushed to check on Lieutenant Commander Barrington and the captain.

On a viewscreen, Mark saw another Trellixian battlecruiser explode when struck by one of the ship’s last missiles. Taking a deep breath, Mark contacted Lieutenant Brown. “Stand by to repel boarders. Issue the rest of the pulse rifles to qualified members of the crew.” All crew on board the Vengeance could use the deadly rifles. However, only a few had been trained to use them on board the ship. Mark knew the situation was desperate and rapidly getting worse. “How’s the lieutenant commander and the captain?”

The medic stood, leaving Barrington, and hurried over to the captain, checking his pulse. “Lieutenant Commander Barrington is dead, and the captain might have a severe concussion. We must get him to the med bay.”

“Major, I’m detecting more vessels inbound on the long-range sensors,” reported Chloe. “They should be dropping from hyperspace in four minutes.”

Ensign Carter took Mark’s place at the tactical console. Nearly 60 percent of the ship’s weapons were nonfunctional, and only a few missiles remained. Mark stepped to the command console, gazing at the blinking red icon in the shape of a bomb. He would not allow the Trellixians to take control of the ship.

-

Voltrex Fleet Commander Kamuss gazed at the long-range sensors in shock. The four scout ships had reported the Trellixians were engaged against two very small warships. They were about the size of a Voltrex support vessel. However, what was shocking was how the two small ships were destroying the Trellixian vessels attacking them.

“Their weapons are unbelievable,” said Lieutenant Commander LeLath. “If our scans are correct, their energy beams are cutting right through the Trellixians’ shields.”

“Their missiles are extremely powerful as well,” added Zalurr. “Our computer indicates they have a yield of around forty megatons.”

Suddenly on the tactical display, one of the icons representing the small ships swelled up and vanished.

“They destroyed one,” reported Zalurr. “The other is under heavy attack.”

“I don’t believe the Trellixians are trying to destroy it. They must want to capture the vessel,” said LeLath.

“They want its technology,” replied Kamuss. “That explains why they don’t want those ships to reach us.”

“We’ll drop from hyperspace in a little over four minutes,” said LeLath. “What do you want to do?”

“Drop us out right on top of the Trellixians. We’ll use a tractor beam to grab the small vessel and pull it into hyperspace with us.”

“That’ll take a few minutes,” replied LeLath. “We could lose a lot of ships in that time.”

Kamuss nodded. “I’ll inform all our ships that the future of our Federation lies in retrieving that vessel. We must make whatever sacrifices are necessary to save it.”

-

Mark stood near the crushed command chair, watching as more red lights appeared on the damage control console. He could see the fear in the eyes of the command crew as they realized their lives could shortly end. Frantic orders went out to repair crews, and reports came in of crewmembers trapped in various parts of the ship. Mark debated going ahead and pressing the blinking bomb icon on the console. It would end all this very quickly.

But he would wait until one of the Trellixian battlecruisers docked with the Vengeance. He was certain, by detonating the warhead at that point, it would destroy the Vengeance as well as the Trellixian warship. Reports of casualties and damage continued to flood into the Command Center. The ship was long past the stage where the surviving crew could repair it.

“Energy screen is down to 28 percent,” reported Ensign Carter. “We just launched our last missile.”

“All but two of our primary energy cannons have been destroyed,” added Ensign Rhymer.

“New contacts,” reported Kia in a distressed voice as more red threat icons appeared on the tactical display around the Vengeance.

“Major, the new contacts are not Trellixian,” said Chloe, her voice filled with surprise. “We’re receiving a First Contact packet over the comm system. I believe these are the aliens we are searching for.”

“Sir, the new ships are attacking the Trellixian battlecruisers!” reported Kia, her eyes filled with hope.

The Vengeance suddenly lurched as if it had been latched on to by some mysterious force.

“One of the aliens’ larger ships has grabbed us with what I believe is a tractor beam,” reported Chloe. “They’re attempting to pull us away from the Trellixians.”

Looking at one of the still functioning viewscreens, Mark saw several of the new arrivals explode as their shields were overloaded. While the new aliens were firing on the Trellixians, it was obvious their weapons and energy screens were not as powerful.

“I have a partial translation of the First Contact packet,” reported Ensign Smith. Lindsay was also a language specialist. “The message attached says they mean us no harm and will try to get us to safety.”

“I can confirm that,” added Chloe. “I should have the entire First Contact packet translated shortly.”

Major Dolan looked at Ensigns Carter and Rhymer. “Make sure you don’t fire on the new ships.”

The Vengeance shook again, and Mark could hear the sound of tearing metal. In the distance he thought he heard someone screaming. “Seal the hatch,” he ordered the two Marines, standing by the entrance to the Command Center.

The large metal hatch shut with a clanging noise, sealing them in. Both Marines remained outside the hatch as they had their combat spacesuits on. They were also armed with pulse rifles.

“Major, we must get the captain to the medical bay,” said the med tech treating Captain Erickson. “He may not survive if we don’t.”

Mark shook his head. “There’s too much damage to the ship. I don’t believe you can get to the med bay at the moment.” Too many corridors and compartments were in vacuum. Also fires were burning in some areas of the ship where the fire-suppression equipment had failed.

-

The Claw of Honor had the small spacecraft securely in its tractor beam. Already the hyperspace drive was charging for a jump. Around the two ships, the rest of the Voltrex fleet formed up in a close defensive formation, making it almost impossible for the Trellixians to hit the small craft with their weapons. However, with the Voltrex ships so close together, the Trellixians were very seldom missing a target.

Energy beam fire from several Trellixian battlecruisers slammed into the central section of a Voltrex battlecruiser, setting off a massive explosion. Huge pieces of the hull broke off, drifting away into space. On board the ship, emergency bulkheads slammed shut, trapping part of the crew in a vacuum. More explosions rattled the ship as searing heat flashed through the corridors. With a loud scream of tearing metal, the ship broke apart.

Four fusion missiles impacted the stern of one of the Voltrex battleships, overloading its energy screen. The stern of the vessel vanished as it was turned into molten metal. Energy beams then riddled the rest of the ship until a massive explosion blew it apart.

Trellixian energy beams struck another Voltrex battlecruiser, tearing open compartment after compartment. Secondary explosions blasted open huge sections of the ship’s hull. Moments later the power failed, and the ship broke apart into dozens of large pieces.

Even as death walked across the Voltrex fleet, the Voltrex tightened their formation. The survival of their race might well depend on rescuing the small alien ship at the heart of their fleet. Without hesitation they gave their lives for their people.

-

Voltrex Battle Commander Kamuss’s face was grim as his fleet was slowly destroyed. Without hesitation his people sacrificed themselves for an alien vessel they knew little about.

“We can activate the drive in twelve seconds,” reported Lieutenant Commander LeLath. “I hope this alien ship is worth all this.”

Kamuss nodded. On one of the viewscreens, another Voltrex ship was riddled by Trellixian energy beam fire. He too hoped this alien ship proved worthy.

-

Mark issued frantic orders, trying to keep his ship alive and to rescue trapped personnel. All across the ship, reports of massive damage flowed into the Command Center. The Fold Space Drive was now nonrepairable. The sublight drive was a total wreck, and only one of the fusion reactors still functioned.

“I think we’re about to enter hyperspace,” reported Chloe. “Whoever these aliens are, they’re sacrificing their ships to save us.”

Suddenly Mark’s stomach wrenched, and the surviving viewscreens blurred.

“We’re in hyperspace,” Chloe said in explanation. “We’re safe from enemy fire.”

Mark looked at Lieutenant Keys’ computer console. “Chloe, do you have a full translation of the First Contact packet they sent?” Mark could scarcely believe their ship had been rescued.

“Yes,” Chloe answered. “We can communicate with the aliens whenever you want.”

The Command Center was a mess. “Let’s get the Command Center fully operational, and then we’ll contact our new friends.” With a deep sigh, Mark looked down at Lieutenant Commander Barrington. His body had been covered, and the med tech still hovered over the captain. Mark suddenly realized he was now in charge of their mission. He had a heavily damaged ship, large casualties among his crew, and his vessel was now under control of the new aliens. He eyed the self-destruct button for a moment and then decided against it. “Lisa, we’ll soon contact these aliens. I need your group to assess their danger and give me a recommendation on how to proceed.”

“Yes, Major,” replied Lisa, trying to remain calm. “We’ll get it done.”

Mark coughed from the heavy smoke in the Command Center, the air was slowly clearing. He wondered how many of the crew were still alive. One thing he did know: if they ever returned to Earth, it would not be in the Vengeance. His first ship’s command would be his last.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr gazed in disbelief where the Human ship had been only moments before. The Voltrex had rescued the ship and, in the process, had sacrificed most of their fleet. It was a move Balforr had not been expecting.

“They’re gone,” Second Officer Jaltor said. “How do we explain this to the High Command? If the Voltrex learn the secret of Jelnoid technology, we may never defeat them.”

Balforr did not reply for a moment. He had tied his career to capturing one of the two Human ships. Now he had failed. “I’m going to my quarters. We will remain here while our ships repair their battle damage. When I return, I shall send a message to the High Command.”

“What will you tell them?”

“That we successfully destroyed one of the Human ships, and, in a violent battle where we defeated a large Voltrex fleet, the last Human ship managed to escape.”

“What do we do now?”

Balforr hesitated and then answered. “That fleet must be from the Voltrex system we recently attacked. I will request additional reinforcements so we can attack that system and destroy it. Perhaps we can destroy the Human ship before the Voltrex can learn any of its secrets.”

Turning, Balforr left the Command Center. Perhaps only he realized how dangerous it was that the Voltrex had rescued the Human vessel. If the Voltrex gained access to Jelnoid technology, the entire Trellixian Empire could be at risk. Possibly a single small Human vessel could be responsible for bringing the Trellixian Empire to its knees in the near future. Balforr knew the Empire could not be involved in a prolonged war, which pulled resources from its colonization effort. With a deep breath, Balforr, for the first time, realized just how fragile the Empire actually was.

Chapter Fifteen

For several hours the crew of the Vengeance worked repairing damage, removing their dead, and getting the injured to the med bay. Across the ship repair crews patched up the hull and repressurized compartments. A number of compartments near the outer hull were left in a vacuum as they would require extensive EVAs to make repairs.

Some of the damage was so widespread that repairs weren’t even possible. Walls were reinforced, and cutting torches were in wide use as the crew worked to shore up sections of the hull. The ship’s Marines worked alongside the regular crew, making the ship as safe as possible.

In several compartments the bodies of dead personnel were removed and taken to the ship’s morgue. When the final casualty count was tallied, fourteen members of the crew were missing. They had probably been sucked out into space when the compartments they worked in were struck by Trellixian energy beams. A gruesome way to die and one best not thought about.

“We have an incoming message from the alien ship that has us in its tractor beam,” reported Ensign Smith as a green light flashed on her console. “Chloe and I have set up a translation program based on their First Contact packet, so we should be able to understand them. There is video content as well.”

Mark nodded. “Put it on the main screen, and let’s see what our rescuers look like.” The last few hours had been hectic with the crew working frantically to get the ship and its systems stabilized.

The main viewscreen cleared of static, and one of the aliens appeared.

“They’re giant cats!” exclaimed Brenda, her eyes widening in surprise. On the viewscreen, one of the aliens was plainly visible, with several others in the background. “They’re gorgeous.”

“I am Fleet Commander Kamuss. Who do I have the pleasure of addressing?”

Mark took a deep breath and replied. “I am Major Dolan, the acting commanding officer of the Vengeance. Our captain has been severely injured and the second officer was killed in the battle with the Trellixians. I want to thank you for rescuing us. We believe they wanted to capture our vessel.”

“That is our belief as well. I am sorry to hear about your senior officers and regret we could not save your second vessel. Do you need any immediate assistance?”

Mark looked around the Command Center. Everyone focused on the viewscreen.

“Our ship is heavily damaged. Can you take us somewhere so we can make the necessary repairs?”

Kamuss nodded. “We have a colony world nearby with several shipyards. We would be glad to help you in whatever way we can.”

“Are you fighting a war with the Trellixians?” Mark held his breath waiting on the answer.

“Yes,” Kamuss replied. “Their technology is better than ours, but we have a massive fleet and have so far kept the lizard people at bay. Where do you come from? Are you refugees?”

“Our world was attacked by the Trellixians, and most of our people killed,” Mark replied. “However, we had some very advanced technology available to us and only recently drove the Trellixians from our planet. We are an exploration mission, seeking help for our people against the Trellixian Empire.”

“Would you be willing to share your technology for such help?”

Mark was quiet for a moment. This was something Captain Erickson and Lieutenant Commander Barrington were supposed to handle. Now it was his decision, at least until the captain regained consciousness. “It is open to negotiation.” It was obvious to Mark their benefactors were interested in the ship’s technology. No doubt they had witnessed enough of the battle to realize the effectiveness of the ship’s weapons.

“I would be cautious as well,” Kamuss replied. “We must get to know one another better and build trust. From what we saw of your weapons, your technology could be a game-changer in our war against the Trellixians.”

“How soon before we reach your colony world?” Mark was concerned about the damage his ship had suffered. He wasn’t sure it would be safe for the crew to remain on board for too much longer. Some of the damage was beyond their ability to repair.

“Two days,” Kamuss replied. “Will you be safe on your ship for that length of time? We could drop from hyperspace and evacuate your surviving crew to one of our vessels. It would be necessary to check the atmosphere on our ships to make sure it’s compatible as well as run a few medical checks.”

“I believe we will be okay for a few days. The damage to our ship is extensive but not life threatening at the moment. If the situation changes, I will notify you immediately.” Mark did not feel comfortable evacuating the ship, even though these new aliens sounded friendly. The crews’ quarters were in the center section of the Vengeance, and considerable effort had been made to secure that section of the ship.

“I will leave you to your repairs then,” Kamuss said. “We will speak again later. I’m sure we both have a lot of questions.” With that the transmission ended.

Mark looked at Lisa and the other special lieutenants. “What do you think?”

“He sounds honest,” said Lisa. “As a feline species, we can assume they’re hunters and very loyal to their families. My first impression is we can trust him.”

“We have no choice,” added Brett, frowning. “This is why we came out here. We’ve found a race who’s fighting the Trellixians and who seem, for now, to be holding their own.”

“I like cats,” said Brenda. “From listening to Fleet Commander Kamuss, I had the impression we could trust him.”

“They did sacrifice a lot of their ships and crewmembers to save us,” said Kia. “They lost over half of their fleet and untold personnel.”

“I agree with Brett,” said Derek. “This is why we came out here. Let’s see where it takes us.”

“I have studied their ships with what sensors we still have functioning,” said Chloe. “Their vessels are powerful but not when compared to Trellixian warships. They must be suffering massive ship losses in their battles. It’s obvious they depend on their superior numbers to keep the Trellixians at bay. If their ships were equipped with Jelnoid weapons, it would put the Trellixians at a distinct disadvantage. A fleet of ships the size of the ones Fleet Commander Kamuss used to rescue us would be deadly to the Trellixians once equipped with Jelnoid technology.”

Mark took a moment to consider what the five and Chloe had said. “So our technology will be a good bargaining chip?”

“It would seem so,” replied Lisa. “We just need to determine what kind of race these cat people are. We don’t want to strengthen something even more dangerous than the Trellixians.”

“Fleet Commander Kamuss said we have two days before we reach their colony. Let’s get as many repairs completed as possible. During that time we must come up with a plan to deal with these new aliens. Keep in mind the main reason we came out here was to find allies. We may have just done that. But how do we convince them to send a fleet to Earth to help protect it? We’re quite a ways from home.”

“Our Jelnoid technology is the key,” Brett said. “If they don’t agree to help, we don’t give it to them.”

Mark let out a deep sigh. “We may not have any choice. We’re pretty much under their control.”

“We have two days before we reach their colony world,” said Brett. “I would suggest we use that time to secure the Jelnoid technology we have on this ship. I would also suggest we install sufficient firewalls on our computers to prevent them from accessing the data without our permission.”

“I agree,” said Lisa. “It’s better to take some precautions now rather than regret it later.” Lisa looked at Derek. “Can you and Chloe take care of that?”

Derek nodded. “It shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“One more thing,” Lisa added, her eyes narrowing sharply. “I don’t think we should tell them about Chloe, at least not initially. She’s our ace in the hole and can tell if the cat people are trying to steal any of our technology. She can monitor every inch of the ship.”

“Not at the moment,” Chloe said. “Due to the damage the ship has suffered, some areas are inaccessible.”

“Then we should work hard over the next two days setting it up so Chloe can monitor most of the ship,” Lisa said, “at least the most sensitive areas.”

“Very well,” replied Mark. “I’ll assign a few work crews to get Chloe access to those sections. We’ve got a lot to do over the next few days.”

One of the first things Mark wanted to do was check on Captain Erickson. There had been no word from the med bay, and Mark knew part of the reason was the high number of injured. Nearly one-third of the crew had been lost in the battle, and another forty or more were injured. They were stretched pretty thin right now just getting the necessary repairs done. Mark also needed to speak to Lieutenant Brown about their newfound friends. With the ship heavily damaged, this mission was now in a precarious position. Mark didn’t dare risk one of the Marines accidentally shooting one of the cat people.

-

Kamuss looked at Lieutenant Commander LeLath. “Well, what do you think?”

“They only have hair on their heads,” she replied. “Their faces and hands are bare. I felt very uncomfortable looking at them.”

“And they probably felt the same about us,” replied Kamuss. “They are a new species, and we must learn to deal with them without offense. The technology on board that ship can change this war to our favor.”

“We could just take it,” suggested Diboll. “The species appears weak with no claws.”

Kamuss shook his head. “No, I believe we can gain much more by befriending these hairless ones. Besides, if I were them, I would make it impossible for us to learn anything about their technology.”

“I agree,” said LeLath. “We are not the Trellixians. Our people have always been honorable. That’s one part of our heritage we must not allow to change.”

“I will send a message to Commander Kallon, informing him of what has happened. I will also tell him that we must be prepared to fend off the Trellixians as they will not want us to gain access to the technology on this ship.”

“Then you believe they will attack the Bator System again?”

“Yes, as soon as they have sufficient ships. I will recommend every vessel we can spare be rushed to Bator. We must do everything in our power to defend the ship of the hairless ones.”

“That could endanger some of our other systems,” warned LeLath, her whiskers standing out straight.

Kamuss nodded. “It is a risk we must take. Without the technology this ship has, at some point in the future, our Federation will fall to the Trellixians. This is our best hope to stop that from happening.”

-

Early the next day Major Dolan had checked on the Vengeance’s captain, and the prognosis was not good. Captain Erickson had suffered a major concussion, causing swelling of the brain. The surgeon on board was treating it, but he did not think the captain would return to duty for weeks, even if the swelling went down. So far the captain had not regained consciousness.

Mark returned to the Command Center and prepared to speak to Fleet Commander Kamuss again. “What’s the status on ship repairs?”

“Only one fusion reactor is producing power,” Lisa reported. “The second one is too severely damaged. We can repair it, but it’ll take several weeks. However, before we do, I would like to check with our new friends to see what alloys they use. If we can find an alloy resistant enough to heat, we can substantially increase the power produced by our fusion reactors.”

“It would increase the power of our energy shield as well as our energy cannons,” said Brenda.

Mark looked confused. “I thought the alloys we got from the Trellixians’ energy rifles were sufficient?”

“They are, to a point,” Lisa replied. “But even those alloys cannot handle the heat we produce in our fusion reactors.”

“Most of the heat is reduced by magnetic containment fields,” Brenda explained. “While the alloys we’re currently using are okay, we are not operating the fusion reactors at full capacity. Lisa and I have designed a new fusion power plant, based on using a better alloy. It’s our hope the cat people will have one.”

“It seems we have a lot to discuss with our new friends,” Mark replied. The lieutenants had provided him with a long list of questions to ask. “Well, let’s get this started. Ensign Smith, see if you can contact Fleet Commander Kamuss. It’s time we became a little more familiar with one another.”

-

Two hours later, Mark looked at the command crew. “Well, what do you think?” Mark had spoken to Fleet Commander Kamuss, asking numerous questions. The fleet commander in turn had questions of his own.

“If he’s telling the truth, then we’ve found the allies we’ve been seeking,” said Brett. “If you notice, he was very careful not to reveal how many planets his people inhabit. However, from the number of ships he indicated his people possess, we can safely assume it’s a large number.”

“They’ve been fighting the Trellixians for over a year, and the only Voltrex system the Trellixians have discovered is the one we’re being taken to.”

Derek stood, stretching. “Fleet Commander Kamuss says it’s heavily defended and has already defeated one Trellixian attempt to conquer it.”

“Chloe, what did you make of the conversation I had with the Voltrex fleet commander?”

“They’re desperate,” Chloe answered. “While they may have a large fleet, the Trellixians have superior weapons. It’s only a matter of time before the Trellixians conquer the Bator System. From there they will go to the next Voltrex system. I don’t believe the Voltrex can hold out more than a few years at the most.”

Mark leaned back in the command chair, which had been repaired. “So they will be desperate to make a deal?”

“Yes,” Chloe replied. “If we make them a reasonable offer, I’m 94 percent certain they will accept it.”

Lisa gazed intently at Mark. “We need a new ship. Kamuss indicated they have two large shipyards orbiting Bator Seven. Let’s design a battleship to return to Earth in. The Voltrex battleships are larger than Trellixian battlecruisers. Can you imagine what a ship of that size would be like if equipped with Jelnoid technology?”

“A battleship,” said Mark, his throat tightening. “We don’t have the time! We need to be back at Earth in four or five months at the most. It might take several years to build such a battleship.”

“We do have time if they have one already under construction or nearly complete,” Lisa replied. “The Voltrex race, from what sampling we’ve seen, stands only slightly taller than humans in general. It wouldn’t take many modifications to change one of their ships for our use. We could also ask that they station one of their war fleets in our solar system once the fleet’s been fully updated with Jelnoid technology. If we do that, the Trellixians will dare not attack Earth again.”

Mark looked thoughtful. Lisa’s suggestions had merit. “We could require they build a fleet for us. Once it’s finished, their own ships could return to their space.” Suddenly Mark saw Earth’s situation in the solar system reversed. If they had battlecruisers and battleships the size of the Voltrex, they could make Earth permanently safe from invasion. The population could expand, and the world could return to more of a semblance of normal.

“When we get to Bator Seven, I will arrange a meeting with Commander Kallon, who seems to be in charge of the system’s defenses. I’m sure they have a civilian administrator heading their government as well. We’ll arrive there sometime tomorrow. Lisa, I want your group to work up a proposal to submit to the Voltrex. I will also need one of you to present it.”

Lisa looked uneasy. “Why one of us?”

“I’m a military officer,” Mark replied. “I’m not used to negotiating deals. I think one of you would do a much better job.” Mark had no intention of screwing this up. “Besides, any one of you can answer the technical questions the Voltrex might have better than I can.”

Lisa looked at Brett and grinned. “I guess you just volunteered.”

Brett let out a long sigh but then winked at Lisa. “For some reason I knew you would say that.”

-

Kamuss was in his quarters, speaking with Lieutenant Commander LeLath. They were sipping Shaloo, a fruit drink from one of the primary Voltrex worlds.

“They seem like reasonable people,” Kamuss said as he held his large cup in his hand. His mate had introduced him to Shaloo, and it always reminded him of her anytime he had the sweet and spicy drink.

“They’re desperate,” LeLath said. “If we don’t help them, their world will fall to the Trellixians. Their race will become extinct.”

Kamuss let out a deep sigh. “It seems we’re both desperate. We cannot hold out against the Trellixians without major advances in our weapons. Everything we need is in that ship of the Humans.”

“They will have demands,” warned LeLath. “I suspect those demands will involve helping their world.”

“As we would, if the situation were reversed.”

LeLath took a long drink of her Shaloo, her face breaking into a grin. “I love this fruit drink. I’ve never understood why members of our race drink alcohol when something like this is available.”

“I think if the Humans make reasonable demands of us, we must accept them, even if it means sending warships to keep their home world safe.”

“We could lose a lot of ships doing that,” said LeLath, narrowing her eyes.

“Not if those ships possess the Humans’ weapons technology,” replied Kamuss. “The Humans have something we want, and we have something they need.”

“Our ships.”

“Yes, that ship of theirs is only one-third the size of one of our battlecruisers. You saw what it did to the Trellixian vessels attacking it. Imagine those weapons on one of our battlecruisers or even a battleship. We could send the Trellixians back where they come from. They would never be a threat to us again.”

“It would be honorable if we and the Humans agree to an alliance and share our technology,” said LeLath after a moment. “It would be a positive thing for both races.”

Kamuss nodded. “I believe you’re right. We’ll be at Bator Seven early tomorrow. Commander Kallon has already contacted Fleet Command, and he has been granted the authority to negotiate with the Humans. More ships are being rushed to the Bator System in case the Trellixians launch an attack in an attempt to destroy the Human ship.”

LeLath finished off her Shaloo and set down her cup. She stood to leave. “It’s hard to believe, but the fate of our worlds and the Human home world might very well be decided in the next few days.”

“Let us hope we make the right decisions,” replied Kamuss.

-

Major Dolan sat in the command chair, watching the viewscreens as the ship dropped from hyperspace. Only about half the screens were working due to the damage the ship suffered from the Trellixians. He also knew how lucky they were to be alive. The Constellation had been destroyed, and that could just as easily have been the Vengeance.

“We’ve dropped out of hyperspace sixty thousand kilometers from Bator Seven,” reported Kia.

On the main viewscreen, a garden world appeared—blue-white and very similar to Earth. Several large oceans were visible.

On the tactical display, thousands of red threat icons blinked into existence.

“Change those to friendly,” ordered Mark.

On one of the viewscreens, a Voltrex one-thousand-meter battlestation appeared.

“We’re picking up hundreds of spacecraft in the system,” reported Kia. “A massive defensive grid surrounds Bator Seven, consisting of over 1,600 defensive satellites and 16 large battlestations. We’re also detecting over 400 warships of various classifications.”

Mark felt a massive sense of relief. He now understood why the Trellixians were having so much trouble conquering the Voltrex. “What about the shipyards?”

The viewscreen changed once again to show a massive structure.

“That station is six kilometers in length and has what appears to be numerous repair bays,” reported Chloe. “A second similar station is in orbit as well. Both appear to be heavily armed, and small armed craft of some type are on patrol around them.”

Even as they watched, the massive hatches leading to one of the bays slid open, and lights flashed around the entrance.

“We’ve been directed to enter that bay,” said Ensign Smith. “Fleet Commander Kamuss asks if we can do so under our own power or if we need assistance.”

Mark looked at Brett. Mark would prefer to enter under their own power, so they would not look nearly as helpless. Once they entered that bay, there would be no turning back.

“We have sufficient station-keeping thrusters still available to handle entering the bay,” Brett replied. “Our subspace engines are up to 15 percent, so we can handle everything from here.”

“Ensign Smith, inform Fleet Commander Kamuss we can handle everything and will proceed directly to the repair bay.”

Moments later the tractor beam holding the Vengeance vanished, leaving the ship to move under its own power. Fleet Commander Kamuss’s battlecruiser moved away, giving the Vengeance space to maneuver.

“Lieutenant Masterson, take us in.” Time to meet their newfound friends and to see what the future held. Taking a deep breath, Mark wondered if he was doing the right thing. He would know very shortly.

Chapter Sixteen

Trellixian High Commander Kaldre crumpled the latest reports from Battle Commander Balforr in his hands and tossed them against the far wall of his quarters. A low growl of anger came from his throat. One of the Human ships had been rescued by the Voltrex, while the second one had been destroyed. This was a disaster, and perhaps only a few members of his race fully understood the ramifications. He dragged the nails of his right hand across his desk, making deep marks in the wood.

If the Humans shared their Jelnoid technology with the Voltrex, the war in that sector would escalate completely out of control. More resources would be required, ones needed instead to build more colony ships and to feed the growing Trellixian population. Warship construction would be drastically increased.

Kaldre pulled up Battle Commander Balforr’s record on his desk computer. The commander’s record was exemplary until the initial debacle with the Humans, which continues to this day. Balforr had brought dozens of worlds into the Empire. His tactics were sound, and he was dedicated to the continued expansion of the Empire.

Kaldre looked at the large viewscreen in his quarters revealing the capital planet of the Empire that his flagship orbited. Eighty billion Trellixians lived on the planet, with colony fleets leaving every day. Even so, the population steadily increased. On the surface it was one continuous city. The city had buildings reaching nearly to the clouds plus levels dug deep beneath the surface. He didn’t know how soon, but, at some point, there would be no more room for their growing population.

The people were already near starvation as food packets had been reduced to the minimum believed necessary to sustain a full-grown Trellixian. Allotments for living space had been reduced with some buildings torn down to make room for larger buildings with smaller living quarters. Currently on the planet each Trellixian was allotted eighty square feet of space with strict rationing of water.

It was one of the reasons many Trellixians joined the military or the fleet. Living spaces were larger, and access to water was greatly increased. Kaldre’s own quarters on his flagship were very spacious, consisting of over three hundred square feet of living space. The water on board was recycled, so water usage was basically unlimited.

Returning to his computer, he issued orders for a number of war fleets. Already some had been sent to Battle Commander Traven to help remove the threat of Earth and its Jelnoid technology. Now more ships would need to be diverted to deal with the Human warship the Voltrex had under their control. It would take time for the Voltrex to learn and to adapt that technology to their ships. Before that happened, the Voltrex colony world, where the Human vessel had been taken, must be destroyed. Unfortunately it would take over a month to get the necessary ships to Battle Commander Balforr, and a lot could happen in that time.

After issuing the necessary orders, Kaldre stood, slamming his closed fist against his desk. Recent events showed him just how delicately balanced the Trellixian Empire was. If colonization were slowed substantially, it could very easily tip the Empire over into chaos. The capital world below was a good example. If the colony ships stopped taking some of the overflow population, starvation would break out in just a matter of a few weeks. Food riots would spread across the planet, and chaos would reign. With a cold chill, Kaldre knew they had made a mistake years ago not attempting to control their population, no matter how revolting the thought was.

On the large viewscreen, several hundred huge ships came into view—Kaldre wasn’t even sure of the exact number, but these were the daily colony fleets, setting out for another world. High Commander Danaar was responsible for the colony fleets as well as building new ones. Some of the ships were designed to travel back and forth once a colony had been established. Those colony ships that arrived on a new world first were designed to stay there while the first Trellixian cities could be built.

Adjusting his computer, Kaldre called up a map of the wide region of space where the Trellixians and the Voltrex were engaged, stretching over three hundred light-years across. So far they had only found a single Voltrex colony world, but there could be dozens.

After spending nearly an hour examining the space the Voltrex defended, Kaldre sent additional orders, sending six more war fleets to the area. In all he had committed nearly 30 percent of the Trellixian fleet to the Voltrex theater of war. The Trellixian Empire needed those Voltrex worlds for colonization. The fleets would show the Voltrex no mercy or risk the death of billions of Trellixians on already overcrowded planets.

A meeting of the High Command was scheduled early tomorrow. In that meeting Kaldre would explain his actions. There would be opposition, but, with High Commander Thatrex supporting him, the issue of recalling the fleets would not come up. Kaldre’s gaze shifted back to the viewscreen and the overcrowded planet. Eighty billion Trellixians were too many for any world. A cold chill ran through Kaldre. He had a feeling the expanding population on the planet below neared a tipping point. When that point was reached, it might very well change the Empire forever.

-

Admiral Daniel Edwards gazed at the tactical display of the growing Trellixian fleet. Already over 230 of their massive battlecruisers were out near the orbit of Mars. Only the day before another fleet of thirty vessels had arrived.

“How’s progress on the moon base?” he asked Captain Nelson. For several weeks now, work had been going on around the clock to complete the base. The two cargo ships, under escort of fleet battlecruisers, had continuously shuttled supplies and building materials to the new base.

“It’s nearly finished. There’s a good chance the Trellixians know we’ve built something on the Moon, but they don’t dare approach with the energy cannons we have placed around the base and in strategic locations.”

Edwards studied the red threat icons for a long moment. “They’re planning something. When they act on it, we must be ready.”

“We’ve added more defensive satellites and missile platforms,” Nelson said. “Some of the newer missile platforms are nearly undetectable with the Jelnoid shielding we’ve put on them. When the Trellixians attack, we’ll be ready for them.”

“I know we will,” Edwards replied. “What worries me are ship losses. We don’t have the production capacity to replace any ships we lose. It will be over a year before the next batch of battlecruisers comes off the construction lines. Every ship we lose just weakens our defenses. It’s one of the reasons we haven’t sent out any more exploration missions.”

“Maybe the Vengeance and the Constellation will be back soon,” said Captain Nelson.

Edwards shook his head. “They’ve only been gone three months. The best case scenario is they found an ally and are turning around now, but still it will take them three more months to return. And the worst case scenario …”

Nelson raised both eyebrows.

“We won’t see them again if they don’t return in another seven months.” Edwards faced the main viewscreen showing the Moon. Plans called for the two cargo ships to place a few defensive satellites and missile platforms around it in the coming days.

Suddenly alarms sounded on the sensor console, and red lights flashed.

“A squadron of Trellixian battlecruisers has activated their hyperspace drives,” reported Lieutenant Williams. “They may be inbound.”

A few minutes later the ships appeared just outside the orbit of the Moon. Eight Trellixian battlecruisers now appeared as red threat icons only three hundred thousand kilometers from Earth.

“Go to Condition Two,” ordered Admiral Edwards, not sure what the aliens were up to. On one of the viewscreens, a magnified view of an enemy ship appeared.

“They’re too far from the Moon for the base to attack them,” reported Captain Nelson. “I wonder what they’re up to?”

Edwards watched the tactical display as the eight ships moved. Over the next twenty minutes they closed until they were fifty thousand kilometers from Earth and then came to a stop.

More klaxons blared out as over one hundred small red icons appeared on the tactical display.

“Missile launch!” called out Lieutenant Williams, his eyes widening with concern. “The Trellixians are firing missiles at the defense grid.”

“Defense grid is online and targeting the missiles,” reported Captain Nelson.

“Go to Condition One,” ordered Admiral Edwards.

“Why are they launching from such a distance?” asked Lieutenant Jefferson. “Surely they know we can shoot down their missiles.”

It took nearly thirty seconds for the missiles to come within range of the defensive satellites. Energy beams began firing, blowing them out of space. However, the Trellixians continued to fire more waves of missiles until space was full of them.

Suddenly one of the defensive satellites exploded as a Trellixian missile detonated against its weak defensive shield. Space was full of exploding Trellixian missiles as the defensive grid continued to blow them apart. Then the battlecruisers stopped launching and jumped back to their fleet, only to be replaced by eight more, which promptly fired more missiles.

“We lost three energy beam satellites in the first attack,” reported Lieutenant Williams. “They’re targeting their missiles on just a few targets instead of spreading them around.”

Admiral Edwards’s eyes narrowed sharply. “They’re destroying the defensive grid. Move us closer to the outer section of the grid where we can use our secondary beams to help take out those missiles.”

With a deep sigh, Admiral Edwards knew it would be a long day. The Trellixians had 230 battlecruisers in the system. He strongly suspected this attack would not end until every battlecruiser expended their load of missiles. This type of long-range attack would be useless against the ships of the fleet, but against defensive satellites that could barely move out of the way, it could pose a problem.

-

On Earth, President Hathaway was in her office, being briefed by Major Lorre on the current attack of the Trellixians.

“It’s just another reason to launch the two colony ships as soon as possible,” Lorre said. “The Trellixians are destroying our defense grid, which will make it harder to get the colony ships into orbit where they can activate their Fold Space Drives.”

Katelyn stood and walked to the window, looking out over the underground city. She tended to do that when she had a hard decision to make. “How much longer until they’re ready?”

“Two months,” Major Lorre replied. “We’ve already begun picking the crews and the colonists. We can go as soon as the ships are finished and tested.”

“General Mitchell wants us to wait until the Vengeance and Constellation get back.”

“They may never come back,” replied Major Lorre, her eyes narrowing. “For all we know, they’ve already been lost.”

Katelyn returned to her desk, sitting down. “Make preparations to launch them as soon as they’re ready. I’ll make the final decision at that time.”

Major Lorre nodded and left the office.

Katelyn looked at Secretary of State Maggie Rayne. Maggie had been listening but remained quiet.

“What do you think, Maggie?” Katelyn was a little confused as to why Major Lorre was in such a hurry to launch the ships.

“I don’t know. I’m inclined to listen to General Mitchell and Professor Wilkens. If we launch all the colony ships together, along with a powerful fleet to defend them, it would seem to make more sense. A large colony would have a much better chance to survive than a small one. Those two cargo ships we’re converting will only hold eight hundred colonists a piece plus the crews. Add the four battlecruisers which will be going as protection and we’re only talking about 2,400 to 2,500 people. That’s not much of a colony.”

Katelyn leaned back, folding her arms across her chest. “I wish we knew more about the Vengeance and the Constellation.”

“It’s unfortunate we don’t have a way to communicate with the two ships. You can always put off the launch until the time the ships are supposed to come back.”

Katelyn closed her eyes, her forehead creasing in a frown. “As long as we control the orbital space above Earth, that’s not a problem. But if the Trellixians manage to put their battlecruisers back into orbit, it will change everything. We may have no choice but to launch early before that happens.”

-

Later Katelyn was alone in her office, going through the stacks of paperwork on her desk. All across the planet people had become accustomed to their new lives. Most had been taken to the cities protected by energy shields, though a few had decided to remain in their homes. Some smaller cities had less than a dozen inhabitants, though the surviving governments throughout the world were trying to keep track of everyone. Industries were back into operation; food was being grown, and even a few television stations were on the air.

However, all the underground complexes were still being maintained. In Complexes One and Two the population numbers were still the same. No one wanted to leave, and Katelyn strongly suspected it was because of the security the two complexes offered, plus a life very close to normal. Katelyn had only been out of the complex a few times to inspect some of the cities people had been taken to. She needed to get out more often, but her job weighed her down.

Throughout the mountains, all tunnel refuges were being restocked and additional fortifications put in place in case a retreat into the mountains was necessary again. Katelyn hoped that never happened. If it did, it meant Earth had fallen to the Trellixians once more. The numerous underground bases had been restocked with supplies and weapons as well as updated. All the bases now had a good quantity of pulse rifles and small pulse cannons. Additionally many of the civilians had been taught how to use the pulse rifles. If the Trellixians ever landed troops again, they would face a much stiffer resistance than they had the first time.

With a deep sigh, Katelyn leaned back and closed her eyes. Still so much to be done. She also needed to nominate a vice president and fill some of the vacant cabinet posts to take some of the workload off her. A few posts had been filled, but she needed to fill the rest soon. She had asked Maggie about the vice president’s job, but she had turned it down. It would also be necessary to create some additional cabinet posts in this new reality. At the moment the country was still under martial law and would continue to be for the foreseeable future.

Opening her eyes, Katelyn eyed her phone. She would order some food and continue to work. She was also anxious to hear what this latest Trellixian attack was doing to the defense grid.

-

Admiral Edwards winced as another energy beam satellite blew apart into hundreds of pieces. The Trellixians were now sending twenty ships in at a time to launch their missiles at the grid. Between the human battlecruisers and the energy beam satellites, the humans were intercepting and destroying nearly all of them. But occasionally one would slip through and detonate against a satellite’s energy shield, destroying it.

“The last Trellixian squadron is pulling back,” reported Captain Nelson. “That should be the end of their missiles.”

Admiral Edwards nodded as he examined the damage caused to the defensive grid. “We lost fourteen energy beam satellites.”

“But they lost thousands of their missiles,” replied Nelson. “Every one of their ships participated in this attack.”

“Missiles they can easily replace,” responded Admiral Edwards with a growing frown. “This was no doubt a test to see if they could use long-range missile attacks to destroy our defensive grid.”

Captain Nelson mulled over what Admiral Edwards said and then replied. “Should I order new satellites from Earth to replace those destroyed?”

Edwards shook his head. “No, let’s wait. When we do, I want to place the satellites around our six battlestations. The energy beam turrets on the stations can help protect them.”

Captain Nelson looked back at the tactical display and the Trellixian fleet. “They’ll probably bring in some large cargo ships full of missiles. They’ll set up a routine bombardment of the defensive grid. It might be wise if we go ahead and put a couple battlecruisers close to the battlestations to aid in their defense.”

“Let’s wait and see how the next attack goes,” said Admiral Edwards. “The battlestations have full-strength energy screens, and the missiles the Trellixians used today will put little stress on them. These were twenty-kiloton warheads. If they resort to more powerful missiles, then, yes, we need to defend the battlestations better.”

“What about the moon base?”

“The Trellixians know we’ve been doing some work on the Moon. We’ll continue to strengthen the base and add more primary energy cannons to disrupt any Trellixian force which comes too close. The moon base and what it holds will be a major surprise to them and could buy us some valuable time.”

“Let’s hope so,” replied Nelson.

“Take the fleet back to Condition Three, so the crews can get some rest. Two of the battlestations can stay at Condition One until we’ve decided what the Trellixians will do next.”

Nelson looked at a view of Earth revealing the Atlantic Ocean. “Do you ever wish you were still on an aircraft carrier?”

A weak smile crossed Admiral Edwards’s face. “Things were much simpler back then. The cruises were long and, most of the time, uneventful. We just had to worry about a few terrorists every now and then.”

“Admiral, I have General Mitchell on the comm. He wants to launch both cargo ships to bring more supplies and materials to the moon base early tomorrow. He’s requesting using more battlecruisers for an escort.”

“We’ll take care of it,” Edwards answered. He then turned toward Captain Nelson. “I want six battlecruisers escorting those cargo ships. The cruisers will stay in orbit until the cargo ships are ready to return to Earth.”

“Do you expect the Trellixians to attack them?” asked Nelson.

Edwards shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. Besides the Trellixians have most likely expended all their missiles. This will be a good time for the two cargo ships to go to the Moon.”

“I’ll pass on the orders,” Nelson replied.

“I’m going to my quarters to get some rest. I’ll be in the Command Center when the cargo ships launch. Make sure you get some rest between now and then as well.”

Nelson nodded. “I will. I’ll have everything ready for in the morning.”

Admiral Edwards stood and left the Command Center. He would grab a quick bite to eat and then try to get some much-needed rest.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Traven studied the results of his missile attack. His battlecruisers had destroyed far less of the defensive satellites than he’d hoped.

“We could move in and launch our missiles from a closer range,” suggested Second Officer Baalon. “It would give them less time to target the missiles.” Their missiles being launched from the current range just didn’t have the speed to get past the defensive fire.

“We’re not sure what the effective range of their Jelnoid missiles are,” Traven replied. He recalled how his first attack had been devastated by the deadly missiles. “I don’t want to risk losing any of our battlecruisers at this stage.”

Baalon studied the tactical display showing the disposition of the Human ships around Earth. “We launched this missile attack from fifty thousand kilometers. I suggest we launch the next one from thirty-five thousand. That should still keep us out of their weapons range and will greatly improve the effectiveness of our missiles.”

“They must have some defensive satellites in reserve.” Traven did not trust the Humans. They were too devious, as evidenced by their destruction of the Trellixian colony ships on the ground in Florida. “We have two more fleets arriving in ten days. They will bring a number of cargo ships full of missiles. We’ll use those missiles against their defensive grid and then launch a full-scale attack against their fleet. Once we regain control of the orbital space above the planet, we’ll bring in sufficient troop ships to invade the planet. Sometime soon we’ll begin colonization.”

Traven gazed at a viewscreen focused on the planet. Someday Earth would be a Trellixian colony world. Nothing and no one could be allowed to resist the Empire. Space was needed for the growing population on the home worlds. Where Battle Commander Balforr had failed, Traven would succeed.

Chapter Seventeen

Major Mark Dolan was in the office of Voltrex Defense Commander Kallon, discussing the agreement they had arrived at to share technology. Lieutenants Brett Masterson and Lisa Reynolds were there as well to help with any technical details. Also in the room were Voltrex Fleet Commanders Kamuss, Zolmar, Masurl—and Alassah, who had just arrived with a large reinforcing fleet—and the system governor, Dalorr, attending to represent the civilian population in the system.

“It is an honor to join with another race against the Trellixians,” Governor Dalorr said, standing and holding his palm out, facing the Humans. “We had long given up hope of finding other worlds resisting this enemy. When we first discovered the Trellixians and what they did to the inhabitable worlds they discovered, we were horrified. It is good you will now join with us against this terrible threat.”

Mark stood, holding out his palm as Dalorr had. Lisa and Chloe had spent considerable time briefing Mark on the proper etiquette to greet members of the Voltrex race. Fleet Commander Kamuss had provided videos of the customs and history of the Voltrex people. Lieutenant Commander LeLath had come on board the Vengeance and spent part of her time helping Mark to understand her peoples’ customs. They didn’t want any mistakes made in these early stages.

“My people will be pleased to hear we have found an ally against our mutual enemy,” replied Mark. “I only wish we had more to offer. We have our single world, and it has been severely ravaged by the Trellixians. Billions of our people were slain without mercy. The Trellixians have no honor. They only know how to kill. It is something we will never forget, and we will not rest until the Trellixians have been defeated.”

“They kill innocents who cannot defend themselves,” said Governor Dalorr in agreement. “They kill unarmed women and cubs. The lizard people must be stopped, so we can go back to our peaceful ways. Our people have always been an honorable species. We have trials by combat, but they are not to the death or even to injure. We seek to know who our most powerful and honorable warriors are. Unfortunately the Trellixians have forced us to abandon parts of our culture which were very dear to us. Our cubs are now trained for war, something I wish was not so.”

“My own son will soon be joining the fleet,” said Fleet Commander Kamuss. “He would have made a great civilian engineer, but now he studies how to build things to kill.”

Mark nodded. “The Trellixians have caused many changes. Almost all of them for the worse. On my home world all able-bodied men and women are taught how to use an energy rifle in case the Trellixians ever invade our planet again. It is not how it should be, but what choice have we?”

“Your people may only have your one world, but the technology you are willing to share with us can and will make a huge difference in this war,” said Governor Dalorr. “I have spoken to the other governors of our colonies and of our home world, and they have all agreed to stand by this agreement we have come here today to sign.”

Fleet Commander Kamuss stood, making the same hand gesture. “I have seen the power of your weapons. In one of our shipyards is a nearly completed battleship. Our engineers will work with yours to make this your new flagship. The Jelnoid technology placed into that ship will be duplicated and placed in all our battleships and battlecruisers. In order to ensure none of this technology falls into the hands of the Trellixians, all of our ships will be armed with a self-destruct.”

“The Jelnoid primary cannons are easy to construct,” said Brett. “I would suggest you begin building them immediately and place them on your shipyards and the battlestations. Those alone should ensure the Trellixians cannot conquer this colony. It will not take us long to modify your power systems to handle the energy the Jelnoid cannons consume. I estimate, if we rush the production on the cannons and immediately modify your power plants to the fusion ones, such as those on the Vengeance, we can have the first primary beams operational within two to three weeks. It will take longer to convert your warships.”

“We would like a list of your most heat-resistant alloys,” Lisa added. “If we can find an alloy suitable to handle the heat, we can greatly increase the power of the Jelnoid cannons as well as the energy shields.”

“I will put you in touch with our scientists who are familiar with heat-resistant alloys,” replied Governor Dalorr. “We have a number of such alloys we use in various manufacturing methods.”

“We also agree to send a fleet to aid your world as soon as one can be equipped with the new technology,” added Voltrex Defense Commander Kallon. “How are the repairs on your vessel progressing?”

“We’ll be finished in another week,” replied Mark. “Of course it’ll take longer to replace our Jelnoid missiles.”

“I have spoken to some of your weapons engineers, and it will be another month before the new missiles can go into production,” added Brett.

Governor Dalorr picked up a writing implement. With a flourish he signed the multiple-page document on the table before him. Once he signed, Major Dolan did as well, followed by Brett, Lisa, Defense Commander Kallon, and the four Voltrex fleet commanders.

“Copies of this document will be taken to our home world,” said Governor Dalorr. “I firmly believe this day marks a turning point in our war with the Trellixians. We are in your debt.”

“I wish to thank you for your support in the most recent battle with the Trellixians and for your hospitality and your aid in repairing our ship,” replied Mark. “I firmly believe our two species will be friends far into the future.”

Governor Dalorr bowed slightly, as did Mark.

-

Later Mark, Lisa, and Brett returned to the repair bay where the Vengeance was berthed. The Voltrex shipyard was a busy place, with its personnel hurriedly going about their daily routines. There were also a large number of armed Voltrex, similar to a human Marine contingent.

“Well, at least I didn’t screw that up.” Mark had spent hours rehearsing with LeLath, while Lisa and Brett made suggestions based on what they had learned of Voltrex customs. LeLath had been a huge help in what she had told and shown them. Mark was relieved the signing was finally over and that he hadn’t caused a major diplomatic incident. He was a military officer, not a politician. “I just hope General Mitchell and President Hathaway approve of the agreement we just signed with the Voltrex.” Mark could well imagine his court martial if they didn’t.

Lisa smiled, knowing how nervous Mark had been throughout all this. “It’s the best agreement we could come up with. Look what we get! The Vengeance fully repaired and rearmed, a new battleship for our flagship, a new and better alloy, a full fleet of Voltrex battlecruisers to return with us to Earth, and a large federation of worlds as an ally. That’s a win to me.”

“Same here,” replied Brett. “Even Chloe felt this agreement was a good one.”

Mark let out a deep sigh. “Are we depending on Chloe too much? I know she seems to be giving us good advice, but she isn’t human. She’s a machine.”

“An AI,” corrected Lisa. “Don’t let Derek hear you call her a machine.”

They passed several more Voltrex crew personnel. They had noticed both males and females served in their military as well as on the shipyard. The Voltrex were also very friendly. A number of the feline species had been working to repair the Vengeance with the aid of the ship’s engineers. The Voltrex were restricted from a few areas, though those restrictions would now be relaxed.

Mark looked at Lisa. “I understand you’re meeting Lieutenant Commander LeLath later.”

Lisa nodded. “Yes, I thought it would be good for us to come to know some of the Voltrex. I’ve spoken to her a number of times, particularly when we were learning more about their culture and what was going on in their war against the Trellixians. She did spend a little bit of time on the Vengeance.”

Lisa was fascinated with the Voltrex. There was so much to learn about this new species. LeLath seemed very friendly, and Lisa wanted to know her better. Besides, when Professor Wilkens found out about the Voltrex, he would have a million questions. He would expect Lisa to know the answers.

“I’ve spoken and met with Fleet Commander Kamuss as well,” replied Mark. “We have a meeting scheduled for later tomorrow on how our Jelnoid weapons can be used against the Trellixians. When I mentioned the range of our Jelnoid missiles, I thought he would choke for a moment, particularly when I told him the strength of the warheads.”

Brett stopped and looked at the other two. They were nearly at the corridor leading to the repair bay. “The Trellixians must know where we are. They’ll be gathering a fleet to stop us from sharing our technology with the Voltrex. They could show up here any day now.”

Mark sighed and answered. “Commander Kallon is also convinced the Trellixians are gathering a large fleet to attack the Bator System. They’ve put new defensive satellites around all their inhabited worlds. Cargo ships arrive daily with supplies and satellites.”

“Will we have the new weapons ready before the Trellixians get here?” asked Lisa, concerned.

Mark shook his head. “We might get some of the Jelnoid primary cannons on the shipyards and the battlestations but not the ships. We’re just hoping, if it comes right down to it, that that will be enough.”

“Are the Voltrex sending any more ships?” asked Brett. “They must know how important this technology is to them, and they seem to have a very large fleet.”

“They’ve sent all the ships they can spare. The arrival of Fleet Commander Alassah and his 350 ships represents the last ones they can pull from their defenses. This colony is one of the most remote and the nearest to Trellixian space. That’s one reason for all the large battlestations in orbit around Bator Seven. They can’t afford to weaken the defenses in the other systems or move any more of the advance fleets blockading their space from the Trellixians. If we can win this next battle, then the first ships should be coming out of the shipyards with the new weapons shortly afterward. Once that happens, the Trellixians won’t dare attack this system again.”

-

The three stood talking for a few more minutes and then continued toward the repair bay holding the Vengeance. Upon arrival, they stared at all the work in progress on their ship. Scaffolding covered it like a massive spiderweb. Bright flashes lit up the bay as welders sealed up the last of the holes to the hull with new battle armor. Several small energy beam turrets were lowered into place by portable cranes. The station’s Voltrex engineers had built the new turrets in the construction facilities inside the shipyard under the guidance of human engineers.

“How much stronger would our weapons be if you can find a better alloy for the fusion reactors?” asked Mark. He wanted the ship to be as powerful as possible. It would be at least one month before the new battleship would be ready.

Lisa took a deep breath. “Between 28 to 32 percent. “We would rebuild the damaged reactor first and then refurbish the one we’re using now.”

“How long? We may go into combat soon.” Mark didn’t want to go into battle with just one fusion reactor operating.

“Six to eight weeks to have both of them ready.”

Mark didn’t like the sound of that. “What if we refurbish the one that’s still working first?”

Lisa frowned and then nodded. “It wouldn’t take too long to replace the old alloys if the Voltrex have one that is suitable. It could probably be done in less than two weeks. We could power the ship from the station while the reactor is down. Keep in mind, if the Voltrex attack during those two weeks, we could not get the Vengeance out of the repair bay.”

Mark stood, looking at the ship for nearly a minute as he thought over his options. “I think that’s the way we need to go. Find out about the alloy, and then let’s start the conversion of our working reactor immediately.”

Lisa looked at Brett. “I’ll need some help with this.”

“Chloe will be useful in getting this done. I bet she can lay out a plan to have the conversion done as quickly as possible.”

Lisa nodded. “Let’s talk to Derek and Chloe, and then I should get ready for my meeting with Lieutenant Commander LeLath.” Lisa was anxious to spend more time with the female Voltrex officer. In the numerous times she had spoken to her, Lisa had found the female Voltrex to be witty, honest, and charming.

-

Lieutenant Commander LeLath was in one of the shipyard’s many cafeterias, waiting for her new Human friend. In the past ten days she had spoken to the young lieutenant numerous times, finding it surprising how much they had in common. Amazing how two species could be so much alike. Lisa had explained how her parents had died as well as her future mate. It had saddened LeLath to hear of so much tragedy. She had also noticed the look of pain in Lisa’s eyes when she spoke of it.

Watching the hatch, she saw the young Human woman come in. Several other Humans ate in the cafeteria. Some selections had been modified so they were safe for the Humans to eat. The doctors on board the station as well as the ones on the Human vessel had tested a number of foods to see which ones would be suitable for Human consumption.

-

Lisa stopped at the hatch and looked around, spotting LeLath at a nearby table. Fortunately humans and the Voltrex were close to the same stature, and the dining chairs worked well for both races.

Going to the table, Lisa sat down, seeing LeLath had ordered her some Shaloo. The fruit drink had a hint of pineapple in it, though Lisa was almost certain no pineapple plants were in the Voltrex Federation.

“I’m glad the treaty between our people and yours has been signed,” said LeLath. “It will allow us to work much closer together.”

Lisa nodded as she took a sip of her Shaloo. When she returned to Earth, she would ensure the new battleship and the Vengeance had a large supply of this drink on hand. It would be very popular. “Things should move very rapidly now. We have drawn up schematics for the weapon systems and the fusion power plants you will need for your ships and the stations.”

LeLath called over a lower-ranking Voltrex responsible for serving the officers in the cafeteria.

“I’ll let you order for me,” Lisa said, smiling. “Just remember, my appetite is a lot less than yours, and I prefer my food thoroughly cooked.” Most Voltrex ate their meat on the medium rare side.

“At least we’ve outgrown catching our own food.” LeLath laughed. “I understand you have a number of different feline species on your planet.”

“Yes, we call them cats. We have some larger species as well, though they all still walk and run on four legs.”

“In our ancient history we had a variety too,” admitted LeLath, her eyes sad. “In the early years of our race we were quite aggressive, and eliminated all the other feline species on our home planet. I would like to journey to yours to see the species on your world.”

“Maybe we can arrange that someday,” replied Lisa.

LeLath quickly placed their orders, being quite specific about what she wanted for Lisa. “I wish our people would have met before the Trellixians attacked your world. What was it like when the lizard people showed up?”

Lisa drew in a deep breath. “We were expecting them, and some preparations had been made. At first it looked as if the Trellixians would destroy us all, but then our scientists and engineers perfected the Jelnoid weapons they had been working on for years. Once we began using them, we were able to drive the Trellixians from our world and to destroy their invasion forces. The fighting was quite brutal. Every person on the planet lost someone close to them. We will never forgive the Trellixians for what they did. If we can exterminate them, we will!”

“I’ve read some of the reports your Major Dolan has provided. He mentions a scientist named Professor Wilkens. Do you know him?”

Lisa nodded. “Yes. We’re very close. He’s almost like a father to me. I’ve worked with him for years.”

LeLath looked surprised. “Are you a scientist? I thought you were just a ship’s officer, a very talented one.”

“Actually I’m both. There are five of us on board in my research group.”

“Science,” said LeLath with a frown. “It’s always been confusing to me. By this time in my life I should have had a mate and be home raising our cubs. Unfortunately this war has changed a lot of things for my people.”

“Do you have someone special in your life?” asked Lisa as their food arrived and was placed in front of them. She had several vegetables as well as some type of meat cooked medium well on her plate.

“At one time,” LeLath answered with a faraway look in her eyes. “We both decided to put our personal lives on hold until this war is decided one way or another. We could see no point in bringing cubs into this world when everything we know might end up destroyed.”

Lisa nodded as she took a cautious bite of the meat. With a smile she noticed it tasted like a cross between pork and chicken. “I can understand that. Streth and I talked about eventually having kids. Now I don’t know if I ever will.”

“We’re both quite young still,” LeLath said as she began eating. “Who knows what might be in our futures.”

Lisa did not reply. She knew LeLath was right.

-

Major Dolan was in the med bay, watching as Captain Erickson read over the agreement. Dolan hoped the captain agreed with this action now, after the fact, since the captain wasn’t available beforehand. He had been in a medical-induced coma to aid in healing after his surgery.

“The special lieutenants helped draft this?” Erickson asked Mark. A large bandage was wrapped around his head. The ship’s surgeon had performed surgery to relieve some of the pressure on his brain from the concussion suffered in the battle with the Trellixians.

“Yes, I didn’t feel I could do it on my own. In the future, on these types of missions, we need some first-contact specialists trained to sign treaties and agreements.”

Erickson nodded, grimaced, and then quickly stopped moving his head. “I’m sorry you had to handle all this. With me in here, at the mercy of the doctors and all the medication I’m on, there’s no way I could do it.”

Mark looked at one of the ship’s doctors standing nearby. “How long before the captain’s fit for duty?” Mark hoped it would be soon.

The doctor shook his head. “Not for weeks yet. I wish I could say sooner, but the injury he suffered doesn’t heal quickly. I’ve spoken it over with the captain, and you will remain in charge for the foreseeable future.”

“You’re doing fine,” Erickson said with a weak smile. “Just get our people home before Wilkens thinks we all died out here, so well before that ten-month date. Better if it is closer to the six-month range so we can share the good news with our people on Earth.”

Mark nodded. “I’ll do my best, sir.”

“Listen to those special lieutenants of yours. There’s a reason they’re on this mission.”

“I will. They’ve already demonstrated they can be quite useful.”

“One more thing,” Erickson said, motioning for Mark to come closer. “I think we need to tell the Voltrex about Chloe. We’ve reached the point in our relations where we shouldn’t be keeping secrets.”

“I think that’s enough for today,” the doctor said, stepping closer. “The captain needs his rest.”

Mark straightened his shoulders and then spoke to the captain again. “Take it easy, sir. I’ll brief you each day on what’s going on.”

“Just keep it short,” ordered the doctor.

Mark left the sick bay, still feeling the full weight of command on his shoulders. He needed to speak to Lisa and Derek about telling the Voltrex about Chloe. What they would think about an AI was anyone’s guess.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr gazed with satisfaction at his ship’s tactical display as another Trellixian war fleet arrived to use in his attack against the Voltrex.

“How much longer do we wait?” asked Second Officer Jaltor. “Surely four hundred battlecruisers are enough to destroy this single star system.”

“In most cases I would agree with you,” Balforr replied. “Our advance ships report the Human vessel is still inside the shipyard. It suffered heavy damage when we tried to capture it. Our engineers believe it will take at least another three to four weeks to get it repaired. In two more weeks we will have another 210 battlecruisers. Once those fleets get here, we will launch our attack. Our primary target will be the shipyard and then the defensive grid around the seventh planet.”

Jaltor turned, looking at a viewscreen of a nearby battlecruiser.

Balforr followed his second officer’s stare. In the distance Balforr could see other Trellixian vessels. A powerful fleet had assembled.

“What about the other fleets in this sector of space?” asked Jaltor. “We have not summoned all of them.”

“A few fleets are being left in position, in case the Voltrex move out of their space. If they venture too far, they will find one of our fleets waiting. While we’ve suspended offensive operations against them, we will not let them expand their territory.”

Balforr folded his powerful arms across his chest. He clenched his fist as he considered his planned attack. He would not make the same mistake Battle Commander Ulvan had. This was war, and there would be losses. The key was to ensure the enemy lost more. Balforr had several ships monitoring the Voltrex colony system. Already there had been a sizable buildup of enemy ships. But the ships of the Voltrex were far weaker than those Balforr commanded. With over six hundred powerful Trellixian battlecruisers, he would crush the opposition.

For a moment he toyed with the idea of capturing the Human ship inside the shipyard. Then he dismissed the notion. While he had the necessary troops on his battlecruisers, the losses would be too heavy. They could easily be made up from the massive troop units on the home worlds, but that would take weeks. No, better to simply destroy the Human vessel and then cleanse the worlds in the system of Voltrex life. The High Command would be very pleased when Balforr requested colony fleets be sent to the Voltrex world.

-

Voltrex Fleet Commander Kamuss and Lieutenant Commander LeLath had been invited to the Human ship. Kamuss was curious as to what Major Dolan wanted to show him. The major had indicated it was something important.

“These Humans are so much like us in many ways,” LeLath said as they walked down the long corridor leading to the repair bay containing the Vengeance. “I wish we had found them years ago. I spent some time with Lieutenant Reynolds in one of our cafeterias last night. A very enjoyable evening.”

They entered the bay containing the Human ship and were soon standing at its main hatch. A Human Marine waited for them and indicated for them to follow him to the ship’s Command Center.

“I just left Commander Kallon’s office,” Kamuss told LeLath. “He’s setting up an assembly line to produce the large Jelnoid primary cannons in one of the manufacturing sections of the station. Several of the Human engineers are studying our fusion reactors to see if they can be modified for increased power.”

They continued to talk as they walked through the ship. Many areas had been repaired with new hull material as well as paint. The ship looked shiny and new.

“There’s so much to do,” replied LeLath as they neared the open hatch to the Command Center. Two heavily armed Human Marines stood at the entrance. “I just hope we have the time.”

The two Human Marines allowed Fleet Commander Kamuss and Lieutenant Commander LeLath to pass. Stepping inside the Command Center, they were surprised to find it fully manned.

“Welcome,” said Major Dolan, greeting the two. “We have something we would like to show you.”

“And what would that be?” asked Kamuss curiously. He could not imagine what else the Humans might have.

“It would be me,” said a pleasant Human voice.

Kamuss looked around. None of the Humans in the Command Center had spoken. They all were watching him and LeLath. “I don’t understand.”

“What my human friends wanted to show you is me,” the voice said again.

“An AI!” squealed LeLath, her eyes lighting up in excitement. “You have an actual AI.”

“That would be correct,” Chloe replied. “My name is Chloe.”

Kamuss’s heart fluttered. The Voltrex had very smart computers, but their research into AIs had met with dismal failure. The few they had constructed had to be destroyed because they became irrational. “How?”

Major Dolan indicated for Derek to answer.

“The Jelnoids used AIs on their ships. We reverse engineered what we could and then filled in the blanks with our own science and programming. Chloe only become sentient on this mission. She’s been a pleasant surprise and a huge help to us.”

“We weren’t certain what your people would think about AIs,” added Mark. “It’s why we wanted you and Lieutenant Commander LeLath to meet Chloe firsthand.”

On a computer printer next to the console which housed Chloe, a number of pages began to print. “These are the schematics for a new fusion reactor for your ships to power Jelnoid energy cannons,” Chloe said. “I have also accessed the database on the shipyard and have found an alloy that will work better than the current one we are using.”

“Chloe, you should not have accessed their computer database without permission,” admonished Mark with a deep frown, alarmed.

“I only accessed information not considered sensitive,” replied Chloe. “This information is general knowledge.”

“Nevertheless, in the future, consult with me before you do any more intrusions of foreign computers or databases.” Mark didn’t want an incident with the Voltrex because of Chloe’s curiosity.

Lisa stepped over and took the printouts from the computer. She glanced at them, seeing many of the improvements she and Brenda had been working on. “How long will it take to build one of these?” Lisa asked Chloe.

“Four to six weeks,” Chloe answered. “I would suggest setting up a production line for the reactors. I have the design for it as well.”

“Print it out,” ordered Mark with his arms folded across his chest.

“It’s a little more complicated,” replied Chloe. “I can transmit the file to the main computer in the shipyard.”

Mark looked at Fleet Commander Kamuss.

“That would be the best,” Kamuss replied. “Just let me warn them it’s coming first.”

Mark nodded as Kamuss stepped over to the comm system, and Ensign Smith quickly put him through to Defense Commander Kallon.

After a few moments Kamuss turned around. “You have permission.”

“Chloe, send the file,” ordered Mark.

“I’ll send one on the fusion reactor as well,” replied Chloe. “I hope I didn’t offend anyone.”

“No,” replied Lieutenant Commander LeLath. “You just took us a little by surprise is all.”

Derek looked at Kamuss and LeLath. “She’s still learning and full of questions.”

Kamuss shifted his gaze to Major Dolan. “Some computer specialists in the shipyard would be deeply interested in speaking to Chloe.”

“We can arrange that,” Mark replied.

“I should also inform you the Trellixians will most likely launch a full-scale attack within ten to sixteen days,” added Chloe, surprising everyone. “The probability is nearly 92 percent.”

The Command Center became deathly quiet, and then Mark spoke to Fleet Commander Kamuss. “Can we be ready by then?”

“Our ships can’t,” replied Kamuss with grave concern.

“But your battlestations and the two shipyards can,” said Chloe. “The power systems on the stations and the shipyards can handle the Jelnoid energy cannons with just a few slight modifications. I suggest we focus on primary cannons. It will take four days to set up the assembly line in the shipyard, and then we can turn out ten to twelve of the cannons per day.”

Fleet Commander Kamuss thought furiously, muttering to himself, “Ten to sixteen days is not a lot of time.” Without questioning Chloe, he said, “I’d better get to Commander Kallon’s office and get things moving.”

“I’ll stay here for a while,” said LeLath. “I want to talk to Chloe some more, if that’s okay.”

“I would like that,” replied Chloe. “I want to make new friends.”

As Mark watched Fleet Commander Kamuss depart, Mark couldn’t help but wonder what was in store for the future. It would be at least one more month yet before they could return home. A lot of work needed to be done in that time, including surviving the Trellixians.

Chapter Eighteen

Admiral Edwards flinched as another energy beam satellite blew apart in a fiery fireball from a Trellixian twenty-kiloton missile. So far seven satellites had been destroyed in this attack. However, five of the satellites were decoys. In the last month hundreds of fake satellites had been placed in orbit to take the pressure off the authentic ones. Even so the Trellixians were still targeting the satellites in every one of their attacks. On the viewscreens, energy beams flashed as the humans took out the last Trellixian missiles.

“They’re pulling back,” reported Lieutenant Williams from the Sensors. “Second group will jump in shortly.”

Over the last several weeks the Trellixians had developed a pattern in their attacks. Twenty battlecruisers would jump in and hammer the orbital defensive grid with their missiles. Once all their missiles were expended, the squadron would jump out past the orbit of Mars, and the next squadron would jump in. Currently 327 Trellixian battlecruisers were in the system as well as a number of large cargo ships. Every so often one of the cargo ships would leave and another would put in an appearance. No doubt the cargo ships transported more missiles for the battlecruisers.

“No variance in their attack,” reported Captain Nelson grimly. “They’re still targeting the defensive grid.”

Edwards let out a deep sigh. Even though Earth’s two cargo ships were bringing up decoy satellites on a routine basis, the defensive grid had still been degraded. The orbits of the missile platforms had been adjusted until they were all just below the second defensive ring. Additional energy beam satellites had been deployed around the six battlestations. Two battlecruisers had also been assigned to defend each station as well. So far the Trellixians had not targeted the small battlestations.

“Including the ones we lost so far today, that’s nearly 30 percent of our defensive energy beam satellites,” said Captain Nelson. “That’s about what we have in reserve.”

Edwards’s brow furrowed as he thought over what needed to be done. Each day more Trellixian missiles got through, particularly since they were now launching them from thirty-five thousand kilometers instead of fifty.

Leaning back in his command chair, Edwards shifted his gaze to the tactical display. If he deployed the reserve satellites, he could shoot down more of the Trellixian missiles. However, once these satellites were gone, he could not replace them. It was still several months yet before the Vengeance and the Constellation were supposed to return—an optimistic three months or a fatalistic seven. He needed to hold out until then. General Mitchell had made it clear that the deployment of the rest of the satellites was up to him.

“Contact General Mitchell and order him to send up the rest of the defensive satellites. We’ll use them to buy us some more time.”

Captain Nelson nodded and stepped over to the communications console.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Traven felt his flagship drop from hyperspace. Almost instantly missiles left the ship’s missile tubes. On the viewscreens small explosions marked where the energy beams from the Human ships and their defensive grid were destroying his missiles before they reached their targets. Occasionally one would penetrate, and a large explosion would mark the destruction of one of the defensive satellites. Unfortunately these larger explosions were extremely rare. Battle Commander Traven knew it was the distance they were being forced to launch from. They were far beyond the rated effective rate of the missiles.

“Some of those satellites we’re destroying are decoys,” reported Second Officer Baalon. “We’ve determined that approximately 40 percent of the satellites in orbit are not firing at our missiles.”

“Or it could be a trick to get us to attack prematurely,” said Traven. “We will continue this tactic, and, once the defensive grid has been degraded sufficiently, we will launch our attack against their fleet.”

He had already requested a large invasion fleet. His plan was to hit the defensive grid and the orbiting ships with his fleet while starting his troop landings. His invasion fleet would contain a large number of hover tanks and attack craft. In addition, some special shuttles were being equipped to launch smaller tactical nuclear weapons of the one- to five-kiloton range. His forces would land in five key areas on the planet: the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, and China. The landing zones had already been chosen.

“The High Command grows impatient,” commented Second Officer Baalon. “We’re using a large number of missiles against the Humans.”

“Missiles are much cheaper than a warship,” replied Traven. He was determined not to take any chances with the Humans. He had spent days going over the events which had occurred on the planet during the first invasion. He would not commit those same mistakes a second time.

For twelve minutes his squadron of ships unleashed their missiles at the Human defensive grid. When the last missile was expended, the squadron entered hyperspace to return to the rest of the fleet waiting outside the orbit of Mars. Once there, all ships would have their missiles replenished from the waiting cargo ships, and then tomorrow they would start the entire process all over again.

-

President Hathaway turned away from the viewscreen revealing the flashes of light in space. “How much longer before the colony ships are ready?” She grew deeply concerned about the constant attacks. While General Mitchell had assured her that Earth was currently in no danger, she greatly feared it soon would be.

Major Lorre checked some notes she had with her. “Three weeks and they’ll be ready to launch. They’re ahead of schedule. The construction crews know how important it is to get them finished. The colonists have already been chosen as well as the crews. Before they’re launched, we’ll bring down four battlecruisers to accompany them to one of the spaceports. The ships must be prepared for a long voyage, and some of the crewmembers will be replaced with volunteers willing to go. The ships’ systems must be checked over and supplies loaded.”

Katelyn stood and walked to the window. It was night outside, and the city was brilliantly lit from all the city lights. In the streets, electric cars could be seen taking their occupants home from work or to work. The city never slept. Work was ongoing around the clock.

Up above on the dome which covered the city, small pinpoints of light were visible. They were made to look like stars. If one got far enough away from the brighter city lights, they could actually see the lights were in the familiar star patterns one might see from the surface of the planet.

For several minutes Katelyn stood there in silence and then turned to face Major Lorre. “We’ll launch as soon as they’re ready. I don’t think we dare wait.”

“I agree,” replied Major Lorre. “Every day that passes, the defensive grid grows weaker. We must launch as soon as we can.”

Katelyn walked back to her desk. “I’ll inform General Mitchell of my decision.” That was a conversation Katelyn didn’t look forward to. General Mitchell didn’t want to launch the colony ships until at least six months—or better yet, eight months—had passed from the time the Vengeance and the Constellation had left on their mission. She also knew Professor Wilkens would be angry as well.

However, she had to think about the survival of the human race, and sometimes it was necessary to make the hard decisions.

-

In General Mitchell’s Command Center he frowned as this latest attack by the Trellixians came to an end. “I wish we could do something to prevent them from taking out the defensive grid.”

“The missile platforms are still intact,” pointed out General Briggs.

“They’re covered with more of the Jelnoid stealth material due to their larger size, and we’ve moved them into a lower orbit,” explained Colonel Fields. “It makes it harder for the Trellixians’ missiles to lock on. We’ve put a thicker covering of the material on the newer energy beam satellites in the hope that will help them to survive as well.”

General Mitchell looked at Colonel Fields. “Is there any way we can increase satellite production?” He had never expected the Trellixians to attack as they were. When the defensive grid had been degraded sufficiently, they would launch a full-scale attack with their battlecruisers.

Colonel Fields shook his head. “Not without affecting some of our other production lines. The only places we can produce the satellites are in our underground complexes. Currently we have four different complexes producing parts for the satellites.”

“At the current rate, our defensive grid will be down to under 40 percent in six more weeks,” said General Briggs. “Even if we send everything we have into orbit. That’s still a good month before the Vengeance and the Constellation are due back at the earliest.”

Looking at one of the large tactical displays, General Mitchell considered their options. “That’s one hell of a fleet the Trellixians have assembled.”

“I think we should consider moving more people into the underground complexes,” said General Briggs. “We have a pretty good census of the survivors. We need to move as many of our young people as we can to safety.”

“We can install more secondary and primary energy cannons to cover the complexes,” added Major Thomas. “Our troops are now equipped with pulse rifles, and we have portable pulse cannons which can take out Trellixian hover tanks and attack craft. We should be able to hold back any enemy ground attacks from our main facilities and bases.”

“We’ll have the harvests coming in soon,” added General Briggs. “I would recommend we store all excess in the complexes.”

Mitchell looked at his senior officers. “Most of our cities on the surface are now connected with the underground tunnel system. Begin making arrangements to move as many qualified people as possible to the complexes, should it become necessary.” Even if the Trellixians regained control of Earth’s orbital space, all inhabited cities were protected by energy shields. They should be able to hold out for a while or at least long enough that most of the people could be evacuated, even if only into the underground tunnel systems.

“General, I have Professor Wilkens on the comm for you,” said Colonel Steward. “He seems quite upset.”

General Briggs looked at General Mitchell. “What do you want to bet that Major Lorre is pressing the president to launch the two colony ships?”

General Mitchell frowned. Major Lorre was a good officer, but she seemed hell-bent on launching those two ships as soon as possible. Unfortunately she had too much access to President Hathaway. Mitchell toyed with the idea of moving her to Complex Two or even to one of the smaller hidden bases. With a deep sigh, Mitchell decided for now to leave things as they were. There was always the slight chance she might be right.

“Tell Professor Wilkens I’m coming to Complex One tomorrow, and we can talk then.”

“I would recommend we increase the fortifications around the four space complexes,” said Major Thomas.

The four large space complexes were currently under construction. One in the US, one in Europe, and one each in Russia and China. Each complex would have the capability to build more of the small battlecruisers as well as to service and repair the ships when needed. Already they were quite useful as the battlecruisers moved back and forth between Earth and their defensive positions in orbit. Each battlecruiser had been assigned to one of the spaceports, so, when it returned to Earth, it had a berth to land in where repairs could be made and supplies loaded.

Major Thomas continued. “Each complex needs to set in a ring of Jelnoid secondary and primary energy beam cannons as well as missile interceptors.”

“They’ll be primary targets,” said General Briggs. “The Trellixians will do everything they can to destroy them.”

General Mitchell folded his arms across his chest. “We’ve put a lot of resources into building those space complexes. I don’t want to lose them.” He stopped for just a moment before continuing. “I want to change up some things,” Mitchell said, reaching a decision. “Order all production on the defensive satellites to come to a stop. Retool the assembly lines to build Jelnoid secondary and primary cannons. I don’t believe we’ll be able to prevent the Trellixians from retaking control of Earth’s orbital space. Their fleet’s just too large.”

Everyone looked at the general in surprise.

“What are you suggesting?” asked General Briggs in alarm. “Are you saying the battle’s lost?”

“No,” replied General Mitchell. “We just don’t have the forces to keep control of Earth’s orbital space. If we could maintain our defensive grid, then it would be a different matter. However, the Trellixians have decided to make that their primary target, and we can’t build new satellites fast enough to replace those being destroyed. I want all four of our space complexes fortified to the max. I want the most powerful energy shield possible protecting each one. Let’s give the enemy four targets they will want to destroy.”

General Briggs’s eyes lit up in understanding. “You want them to focus on the complexes to buy more time!”

General Mitchell nodded. “Yes, I still believe the Vengeance and the Constellation will return. We just hope, when they do, they’re not alone.”

“I’ll get on the comm and speak to our allies,” replied General Briggs. “They won’t like what I’m going to tell them, but I agree. We don’t have a lot of options here.”

Mitchell sighed. “See if they have other options to offer. I’ll hold off until I hear back from you on that.” At that point, he would meet with the president and inform her of his decision. He strongly suspected what he now planned would cause her to go forward and launch the two colony ships as soon as they were built. While he was at Complex One, he also wanted to speak with Professor Wilkens and several of the scientists the professor worked with.

Anything to delay the inevitable retreat from space.

As much as Mitchell didn’t want to think about it, they needed to come up with a plan in case the Vengeance and the Constellation failed to return. A cold chill ran across the general’s back as he thought about that possibility. How long could the deep underground facilities hold out if the Trellixians mounted a new ground invasion?

-

Professor Wilkens was in his lab, along with several other scientists and research assistants.

“I think we finally have the quantum computer figured out,” said Professor Weir. “Derek is on the right path, and it would not surprise me at all if he already has a working model on the Vengeance.”

Wilkens’s eyes brightened. A working quantum computer would only enhance the probability of the exploration mission’s success. “How soon before you can have it operational?”

“Two or three days,” replied Professor Weir. “Amber has been assisting me, and all we need to do is load the final programming and then check the computer’s accuracy.”

“There is one more thing,” added Amber uneasily. “There’s a very good chance the quantum computer will develop into an AI. A very intelligent AI.”

Professor Weir took a deep breath. “We are installing some safety overrides to ensure we don’t lose control of the system. No one knows what a fully functional AI would do, particularly in the situation we’re in.”

Professor Wilkens nodded. “For now we will only build the one until we have sufficient time to study it.”

“The tests on the new fusion reactors are finished,” reported Professor Fournier. “We created several new heat-resistant alloys based on the ones the Trellixians use in their energy rifles. The tests indicate a 28 percent increase in power.”

“What would that mean if we modified the fusion reactors in the ships in Complex Two?” These were the hidden assets General Mitchell was keeping in reserve.

“A major increase in the strength of the Jelnoid energy cannons as well as the energy shields,” answered Amber. “I ran a number of simulations through our computer system, and it was quite remarkable what they indicated.”

Professor Wilkens looked thoughtful. “How long to make modifications to the ships’ fusion reactors? The hidden ships in Complex Two were equipped with three reactors instead of two.”

“Four weeks,” replied Professor Fournier.

Professor Wilkens frowned at hearing this. “I’ll speak to General Mitchell and see what he says.”

“We can start within three days,” replied Professor Fournier.

“Begin making the arrangements and setting up the work crews. If General Mitchell gives his approval, we need to be ready to begin the modifications immediately.”

“I’ll arrange it,” Fournier replied.

Wilkens looked around the busy lab. He missed not having Lisa and her friends around. Her small group was the most brilliant of all the young research assistants. It was one of the reasons he was so confident of the success of the exploration mission they had gone on. Also why it was so aggravating listening to Major Lorre push the president into launching the two colony ships early.

With a deep sigh, Wilkens returned to his work. He wondered what Lisa was doing. Had they found allies, or were they still searching? When they did return, Wilkens had already planned a big celebration. The breakfast he and Lisa had before she left was a very fond memory. He was thankful they were able to spend that personal time together. He hoped there would be many more such opportunities.

-

Admiral Edwards watched as the two cargo ships entered orbit and released the new energy beam satellites in the upper defensive grid. His goal was to keep the lower ring of energy beam satellites and missile platforms intact.

“Once these satellites are in place, that will be the last of them,” said Commander Nelson as he watched one of the cargo ships on the ship’s main viewscreen with an energy beam satellite drifting out of the open cargo hatch.

“It should take the ships seven hours to release all the satellites,” reported Lieutenant Jefferson from Tactical.

Commander Nelson turned and looked at Admiral Edwards. “Once they’re done, the two cargo ships will return to Earth and load up on more decoys.”

Admiral Edwards looked at the tactical display. The Trellixians were expected to launch their renewed attacks in a few hours. Edwards had assigned several battlecruisers to protect the cargo ships. “We need to think about what we’ll do when the Trellixians finally launch their main assault.”

“We have the ships inside Complex Two,” replied Captain Nelson, “as well as the moon base.”

Edwards nodded. They had a few more battlecruisers as well still inside several of the main construction facilities. “I’ll see about rotating a few crews, so, when we need those ships, the crews will be ready.”

“What about moving those battlecruisers out now and repositioning them at the four spaceports?”

“I would like to,” replied Edwards, his eyes narrowing. “I’ll run it past General Mitchell and see what he says. It would be nice to have those extra battlecruisers sitting at the spaceports so they could be sent into orbit quickly if needed.”

“What about the two special ships at Complex Two?”

“Can’t move them until the last minute,” Admiral Edwards replied. “However, I do want their crews mixed in with our regular battlecruisers’ crews, so they can gain some experience.”

Captain Nelson stood for a moment, looking at the tactical display and all the red threat icons out near the orbit of Mars. “That’s a hell of a lot of battlecruisers. You would think they don’t like us.”

Edwards grinned. “What gives you that idea?”

Edwards wished he knew what was going on with the Vengeance and the Constellation. The only real hope they had of keeping control of Earth’s orbital space was if those two ships returned with help. The odds of that were very low, but it was the only real hope Earth had. If they did not return, then the two colony ships at Complex One would be launched with escorts, and then later the ones built at Complex One and the other complexes would be sent into space as well. Admiral Edwards did not care for the thought of abandoning Earth, but they might not have any choice.

Chapter Nineteen

A little over two weeks later, Mark sat in the command chair as the ship was put through a full systems check. Repairs were complete, and the ship was now fully operational. However, they still had to wait an additional three weeks for completion of the new battleship. Still didn’t give them enough time to build another reactor.

Walking through the ship to reach the Command Center, he saw no sign that the ship had been heavily damaged. Bulkheads had been repaired, corridors repainted, and the hull covered with new battle armor. Mark was amazed at the job the Voltrex repair crews had done here. Of course the Voltrex had been in space for hundreds of years and were used to constructing starships and repairing damaged vessels, particularly since the start of the war with the Trellixians.

“Get me a status on all systems,” ordered Mark as he leaned back in the command chair. It was comforting not seeing the red lights on the damage control console.

“All systems are powered up and working at optimum levels,” reported Lisa from her science station. “No indications of any problems.”

“Power from the updated fusion reactor is at 92 percent,” reported Chloe. “We could take it to 100 percent or even slightly above in an emergency but only for a short time. Any longer and it could become dangerous, as we would exceed the safety parameters we’ve set for the reactor.”

Mark turned toward Ensign Carter at Tactical. “Weapons?”

“Fully functional,” Carter answered. “Of course we don’t have any missiles.” It would be another two weeks yet before the first Jelnoid missiles rolled off the newly finished assembly line in the construction section of the massive shipyard.

“Fold Space Drive and subspace drive?” asked Mark.

“Showing green,” reported Brett. “Engineering reports we can get underway whenever you want.”

Mark was hesitant to take the Vengeance out of the construction bay. There was a chance the Trellixians were monitoring the shipyard, and any attempt to move the vessel might result in an immediate attack. One thing which greatly concerned Mark was the smaller crew he had available to operate the ship.

Nearly one-third of the crew had died in the Trellixian attack where the Constellation had been lost. A few were still recovering from their injuries. Voltrex Fleet Commander Kamuss had volunteered to send over some trained Voltrex crewmembers to help out if necessary. Mark had declined. The crew he still had was sufficient to operate the ship, at least for the short term.

“Is everything satisfactory?” asked Voltrex Fleet Commander Kamuss, standing next to Major Dolan. Kamuss had come on board to make sure all the repairs had been done properly.

“Seems like it,” replied Mark. “All ship’s systems are functioning within the set parameters, and no problems have been reported. Your repair crews did a fabulous job.”

“It is good your ship is ready. Our scout ships have located a large Trellixian fleet assembling nearby. No doubt, when their last ships arrive, they will attack Bator Seven. If you decide you need a larger crew, my offer of crew personnel still stands.”

“Thank you, but I believe we’ll be fine, unless we leave the system.”

“Our current crew can handle combat and ship functions for the short term,” confirmed Chloe.

Mark looked at Kamuss. “We just started installing the new Jelnoid primary cannons on the two shipyards. Will they be ready in time?”

Kamuss nodded. “Yes, we’re rushing to get everything done before the expected attack. The two shipyards will each have twenty of the cannons installed and operational in three more days as well as the new energy shields. Our crews are working around the clock. Once we’ve finished with the shipyards, we’ll begin on the battlestations. If we can have two more weeks, even our battlestations will be ready with the new weapons.”

Mark let out a deep sigh. “I wish we had more time to get some of your ships converted.” If the Voltrex battleships and battlecruisers were converted to Jelnoid technology, the battle against the Trellixians would be short and decisive.

“So do I,” replied Kamuss with a short nod. “However, we’ve drastically increased the strength of the defensive grids around our planets, particularly the one around Bator Seven. When the Trellixians attack, we’ll pull our fleets back to the grid, where the energy beam satellites, the two shipyards, and the sixteen battlestations can add their firepower to the fleet.”

“Will it be enough?” asked Mark. If it wasn’t, the Vengeance would never escape the system. He wouldn’t leave the Voltrex as long as the firepower from the Vengeance could be used to aid in their defense of Bator Seven.

“It depends on how determined the Trellixians are in conquering the system,” said Chloe. “If enough Jelnoid energy beam cannons can be installed on the battlestations in time, then I predict a 67 percent probability the Voltrex can hold the system. However, ship losses will be quite high.”

“Losses are always high when we battle the Trellixians,” replied Kamuss sadly. “We’re hoping the new technology you’ve graciously shared with us will soon change that.”

“It will,” said Chloe. “Once your fleets are equipped with Jelnoid weaponry, the Trellixians will be forced to abandon their attacks on your space. Your fleets will have superior firepower as well as numbers.”

Lisa looked at Mark. “From the records we’ve studied, that’s never happened before. It will have a profound effect on the Trellixian Empire.”

“Your captain feels the same way,” replied Kamuss.

Major Dolan had introduced Fleet Commander Kamuss to Captain Erickson who was still recovering in the med bay.

“What’s the current situation with the Fury?” asked Mark. The Fury was the new battleship being built in a nearby construction bay. It had been nearly completed when the Vengeance first entered the shipyard and was now being modified to be operated by humans. The plans were for it to have a mixed crew of humans and Voltrex. It would act as the new flagship for the human fleet.

“Three more weeks and all modifications will be finished,” replied Kamuss. “We’ve removed the current fusion reactors and are replacing them with the new ones Lieutenant Reynolds and her team have designed.”

Mark nodded.

“Based on the new fusion reactors,” Chloe said, “I have also calculated an increased rate of Fold Space travel speed. While it took three months to reach the Bator System initially, it should only take two months to return to Earth.”

Mark raised his eyebrows. “Have those figures been double-checked?”

“I’ve reworked my calculations one hundred times to date,” Chloe said, “changing one bit of data each time to allow for variances and contingencies. My answer remains the same each time.”

Mark frowned and turned to Derek, then to Lisa.

Derek said, “We didn’t want to mention this until we were sure.” He grinned, nodding at Lisa.

“We’re sure,” she said.

“Good to know,” Mark said. They were rapidly running out of time to return home at the earliest expected arrival date. And, with the Trellixians, Mark wanted to get back home as soon as possible. Three more weeks until the battleship is done, a week—preferably two—for tests, so another month before their journey home began. They were already almost three and a half months into their mission. One more here at Bator Seven brought it to four and a half.

Even with the shortened return trip of two months to travel to Earth, that made their exploration mission about six and one-half months at the earliest, not exactly hitting their original six-month return date, but it would have to do under the circumstances. A lot could happen in that time, and Mark just hoped Earth would still be there when they returned.

An alarm sounded on the sensor console, and a red light flashed. A special sensor array set up on the outer hull of the shipyard allowed the Vengeance to detect what was going on in the system.

“Two Trellixian battlecruisers detected out near Bator Twelve,” reported Kia. The Bator System had eighteen planets.

The whiskers on Kamuss’s chin stood out straighter. “Taking scans again. They’re doing this every day.”

Mark felt uneasy by the constant appearance of Trellixian battlecruisers. One day, instead of scanning the system, a full-size invasion fleet would arrive.

“Fortunately we have enough ships to keep them away from Bator Seven,” said Kamuss. “They should not be able to detect what we’re doing to the shipyards or the battlestations.”

Suddenly more alarms sounded as four Voltrex battleships and ten battlecruisers jumped into hyperspace. Their destination was the two Trellixian battlecruisers near Bator Twelve.

Mark looked at the tactical display and the two red threat icons. Moments later they vanished as the enemy retreated into hyperspace, leaving the Bator System.

“They’re gone,” reported Kia. “Same as the last few days. As soon as they detect Voltrex warships entering hyperspace, they stop their scans and jump out.”

Kamuss let out a deep sigh. “I must get back to my flagship. I’m not certain the Trellixians will give us the two or three weeks we need to install the new energy cannons on the battlestations. We’re planning our defense assuming the battlestations won’t be ready.”

Mark watched as the fleet commander left the Command Center. As soon as the Trellixians attacked, Mark would move the Vengeance out of the shipyard and join Fleet Commander Kamuss’s ships. Mark also needed to speak with Captain Erickson. The ship’s doctor responsible for the captain’s treatment had told Mark the captain could be taken to his quarters to rest there and should be capable of resuming command in another few weeks. That was an immense relief to Mark as Captain Erickson was better suited to command the Vengeance.

-

Lisa drew in a deep breath. Listening to Major Dolan and Fleet Commander Kamuss, she had the impression they expected the Trellixians to attack any day. The last space battle had scared her to death. They all had come very close to dying.

“We’ll be okay,” said Brett over their private channel. “The Voltrex have more than seven hundred warships in the system as well as their small patrol ships.”

“It’s still war,” answered Lisa. “Bad things can happen.” She thought about her parents and Streth. The pain remained but was not as bad as it once was.

“We’re together,” said Brenda. “As long as we stay together, I think we can get through anything.”

“Chloe will protect us,” said Derek confidently. “She won’t let anything happen to the Vengeance.”

“What have you done, Derek?” asked Kia suspiciously.

Derek drew in a long breath. “In an emergency I’ve set it up so Chloe can interface with all the ship’s systems.”

“Does Major Dolan know?” asked Brett.

Derek hesitated before answering. “I haven’t told him yet. I have to grant access from my console.”

“When you get the chance, I would suggest you tell the major what you’ve done,” said Lisa. She didn’t want the major to be blindsided by anything they did. They should be honest with the major as he was their advocate.

“When the time’s right, I will,” Derek replied.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr watched as another fleet dropped from hyperspace, adding forty-eight more ships. That brought Balforr’s fleet up to 612 vessels.

“That’s all the ships we’re expecting,” reported Second Officer Jaltor. “The only ships not in our fleet are the ones assigned to keeping the Voltrex from infringing on the space we have claimed.”

Balforr turned toward the computer screen on his command console. The latest reports from the battlecruisers sent to scan the Voltrex system indicated the ship numbers had not changed. Balforr was convinced the Voltrex did not have the ships they needed to adequately defend this entire sector. They must have already sent all the reserves they had available to the colony world. If Balforr could defeat the ships in the system, then the entire Voltrex region of space might become vulnerable. It would be a great victory for Balforr.

“I want to do some fleet maneuvers for the next few days, and then we’ll launch our attack. The Human ship is still inside the shipyard. Our first target will be that shipyard and the repair bay we believe the vessel is in. Once that shipyard has been destroyed, we will move on to our other primary targets.” Balforr wanted the Humans dead. A fifty-megaton missile placed inside the repair bay should ensure that fact.

The High Command would be very pleased once this Voltrex system with its four planets in the habitable zone was under Trellixian control. To the best of Balforr’s knowledge, such a discovery had never happened before. This system would easily hold billions of Trellixians. As soon as he sent the word, massive colonization fleets would lift off from their home planets, bringing the first of numerous colonists. It would help to relieve some of the immense population pressures on the home worlds.

“We must make an effort to search the surface of the seventh planet for records indicating where their other worlds are located,” said Jaltor.

Battle Commander Balforr studied one of the tactical displays of the orbital space around the Voltrex colony. “A number of other stations are in orbit besides the two shipyards and the battlestations. We shall capture several of them intact. Surely one of them will hold the information we seek. Make arrangements to send boarding parties to those stations to eliminate their crews and to secure the computers.”

“It will be done,” replied Jaltor.

Balforr’s large eyes focused on one of the viewscreens revealing a number of the ships of his combined fleet. It was by far the largest fleet the Trellixians had ever gathered in one place. Balforr intended to use it to crush the Voltrex and the Humans. Very shortly he would once more be in good standing with the High Command.

-

On board the Vengeance four more anxious days passed. Major Dolan was asleep in his quarters when the Condition One alarms suddenly sounded, and Ensign Carter’s voice came over the comm system. “All hands, report to your battlestations! This is not a drill! Condition One has now been set. A large force of Trellixian battlecruisers has jumped into the system, and combat is imminent.”

Mark hurriedly dressed, knowing this was the battle they had been expecting. As he buttoned the last button on his uniform, he felt the ship come alive around him as all systems were powered up.

It only took Mark a few moments after that to reach the Command Center. As he sat down in the command chair, Captain Erickson came through the hatch, aided by a medical tech and two Marines. Mark started to get up when Erickson motioned for him to remain seated.

“This is your command still,” Erickson said as he sat down in front of an auxiliary console and strapped himself in. “I just couldn’t stay in my quarters if the ship was going into combat.”

Mark nodded and turned his attention to the tactical display. A horde of red threat icons were popping into existence a short distance from Bator Seven. “What do we have?”

“We estimate a Trellixian fleet of over six hundred vessels, all battlecruisers,” reported Kia. “They’re dropping from hyperspace six hundred thousand kilometers from the planet.”

“Voltrex Defense Command has placed the entire system on alert,” added Ensign Smith as she listened to the comm channel connecting her to the Voltrex military comm network.

“Are we ready to depart the bay?”

“Yes,” answered Brett. “Just waiting on your order.”

“Take us out. We can’t activate our energy shield in here. Plot a rendezvous course with Fleet Commander Kamuss’s fleet. We’ll act as part of his command during this engagement.” Mark turned to Lieutenant Reynolds at the science console. “Lisa, what is the status of the Jelnoid weapons the Voltrex have installed?”

“Both shipyards have twenty primary energy cannons functioning as well as the energy shield. Two of the battlestations have six cannons each. None of the remaining battlestations have any of the new cannons installed, though they all have the more powerful Jelnoid energy shields. Those were finished yesterday.”

Mark took a deep breath. “Let’s hope that’s enough.”

-

In the repair bay, the Vengeance rose from her berth and moved toward the large protective doors which quietly slid open. The small human battlecruiser moved out of the bay and into open space with the doors closing behind her. The ship turned and sped toward Battle Commander Kamuss’s waiting fleet.

-

“The Vengeance has left the repair bay and is joining up with us,” reported Lieutenant Commander LeLath on board the Claw of Honor. “Major Dolan is placing his ship under your command.”

Kamuss nodded his understanding. These Humans continued to demonstrate they were an honorable species and one the Voltrex could easily work with. “Change our fleet orientation to face the Trellixians,” ordered Kamuss. His fleet was already in the defensive grid, as were the ships of the other fleets. They would let the enemy come to them, but, from this battle, there could be no retreat. “Assign some support ships to protect the Vengeance. We’ll need her weapons in this battle.”

Kamuss watched as the Vengeance joined his formation. It was comforting to know he had one vessel which could easily destroy a Trellixian battlecruiser. He also wanted to ensure that Human vessel was well protected, since it was their most powerful asset other than the two shipyards.

-

All across the system, patrolling Voltrex warships initiated short hyperjumps back to Bator Seven. At Bator Nine additional energy beam satellites circled the space station as well as four squadrons of patrol ships. In addition, ten medium-size support ships provided extra firepower.

Around the planet’s equator, sirens sounded at all the small mining colonies, and civilians rushed to their shelters. The Voltrex military handed out energy weapons to the civilians who had been trained to use them. If the Trellixians attempted to land, the Voltrex were ready to repel them or to go down fighting.

Commander Keevha on board the Bator Nine space station watched expectantly as her command prepared for battle. The few cargo ships in transit between the planet and the station were hastily sent back to the planet. Energy beam turrets powered up, and the station’s energy shield activated. They had finished installing the new Jelnoid shield two days before. Commander Keevha just hoped it was strong enough to keep the station safe.

“Patrol ships and support ships are ready for combat,” reported her second in command.

“Civilians on the surface are going to their secure locations,” reported Lamaros.

Commander Keevha watched the tactical display. “It appears the enemy is focused on Bator Seven.” If Bator Seven fell, the Trellixians’ next target would be Bator Nine, as it was the next-most powerfully defended and populated planet in the system. Any surviving ship units had orders to fall back to the large space station and aid in its defense.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr’s eyes widened as the Human ship exited the Voltrex shipyard and then took up a position within one of the Voltrex fleets.

“Their ship’s been repaired,” said Second Officer Jaltor, his eyes shifting toward Battle Commander Balforr. “It must be destroyed!”

“We must assume they have shared the data on their ship’s weapons with the shipyard. That shipyard and its computers must be annihilated. I want one hundred of our battlecruisers to perform a short hyperspace jump and attack it. The rest of our fleet will attack the Voltrex fleet where the Human ship is. At the moment, the shipyard and the Human vessel are our primary targets. We must destroy both.” Balforr wasn’t pleased with these latest developments. The Human ship would be a major danger particularly with the Voltrex ships supporting it.

-

The Trellixian fleet accelerated toward Bator Seven and the waiting Voltrex ships. Just before the Trellixian fleet reached combat range, one hundred of the battlecruisers performed a short hyperjump, appearing around the shipyard where the Vengeance had been repaired. As soon as the Trellixian ships exited hyperspace, they launched their missiles and fired energy cannons at the heavily armed Voltrex shipyard. The Trellixians would knock down the energy shield and then use their fifty-megaton missiles to destroy it.

-

The shipyard shook as its energy shield was suddenly pounded by fifty-megaton warheads and Trellixian energy beams. The Jelnoid shield was strained but held.

“Shield is holding,” reported Castell from Tactical. “Activating the new energy beam cannons and firing. Patrol ships are engaging.” Four squadrons of the small patrol ships defended the shipyard.

Defense Commander Kallon frowned. His shipyard was surrounded by Trellixian battlecruisers—all trying to destroy it. In the past this would mean the shipyard was doomed. But the new Jelnoid energy shield seemed to be working, though it took a lot of energy from the shipyard’s power systems.

On a viewscreen, he saw a pair of Jelnoid energy beams cut right through the energy shield of a Trellixian warship, nearly cutting it in two. A Voltrex twenty-megaton fusion warhead detonated against the ship’s hull, turning it into molten ruins.

“Ship destroyed,” confirmed the sensor officer. “The energy beams are penetrating the Trellixian energy shields as expected.”

Defense Commander Kallon leaned back in his command chair, breathing a sigh of relief. The new weapons were working as projected. Perhaps he would survive this after all.

-

“All weapons, fire!” ordered Voltrex Battle Commander Kamuss as the Trellixian fleet came within weapons range. Voltrex Fleet Commander Alassah had moved his fleet to join with Kamuss’s to oppose the enemy. That gave them a total of 14 battleships, 100 battlecruisers, and 327 support ships to stem the Trellixians’ advance.

“Defensive grid is firing,” reported Zalurr. “We have three battlestations in range of the Trellixian fleet as well. One of them has the new energy cannons.”

Kamuss shifted his gaze to the viewscreens on the front wall of the Command Center. Suddenly four brilliant energy beams struck one of the Trellixian battlecruisers, tearing it apart.

“That was from the Vengeance,” reported LeLath with a pleased look in her eyes.

“Reposition a few more of our larger support ships to help protect that Human vessel,” ordered Battle Commander Kamuss. The Vengeance would play a huge role in this battle. The small Human battlecruiser was deadly to the Trellixians, and no doubt they would do everything in their power to take it out. Kamuss was determined not to allow that to happen.

-

In space, the battle rapidly heated up. At the shipyard the Trellixian battlecruisers pounded the station’s energy shield, hoping it would fail. Countless fifty-megaton missiles and energy beams struck the shield nonstop. The screen was covered with energy, causing it to glow brightly.

Voltrex Defense Commander Kallon ordered Voltrex Fleet Commander Masurl to bring his fleet to the aid of the station. His six battleships, twenty-eight battlecruisers, and fifty-three support ships would help take some of the pressure off the hard-pressed shipyard. Kallon wasn’t sure how much energy the new energy shield could take, and he was going to use the fleet to force the Trellixians to shift some of their targeting.

-

Fleet Commander Masurl considered his orders as he studied the tactical display. The shipyard was under heavy attack from the Trellixian force. Its energy screen was covered with exploding Trellixian fusion missiles. However, the energy beam fire from the shipyard was holding the enemy ships at bay. Even as Masurl turned his attention to a viewscreen, a Trellixian battlecruiser exploded in a massive fireball, which quickly faded away in the vacuum of space.

“We’ll engage at minimum range and by squadrons,” he ordered. “That will take some of the pressure off the shipyard.”

The fleet quickly reformed and advanced toward the Trellixian battlecruisers. The ships’ crews were determined to take the battle to the hated enemy.

-

The commander of the Trellixian ships attacking the shipyard saw the approaching Voltrex warships. He quickly ordered part of his fleet to shift its fire from the station to the small patrol ships and the Voltrex fleet. While a Trellixian battlecruiser was much more powerful, the Voltrex were still capable of overwhelming a Trellixian energy screen if enough firepower could be brought to bear. The commander was already angry, since his weapons, so far, had not brought down the powerful energy shield protecting the station. He needed to thin out the enemy so he could focus all of his firepower on the large shipyard.

-

The Voltrex’s small two-hundred-meter-long patrol ships fired every weapon they possessed at the Trellixian ships with little or no effect. Suddenly six of the small vessels exploded as Trellixian energy beams ripped into them. The energy shields on the small warships were no match for Trellixian weapons. Fifty-megaton explosions turned more of the small patrol ships into fiery molten wrecks. In less than two minutes all forty of the small patrol ships were destroyed. A few wisps of glowing gas and several small fields of debris were all that remained. The patrol ships damaged only one Trellixian battlecruiser, and that damage was negligible.

-

Voltrex Defense Commander Kallon was in a state of shock over how easily the forty patrol ships assigned to defending the shipyard were destroyed. “Order the rest of our patrol ships to drop into a lower orbit to intercept any missile fired at the planet.”

Different squadrons of patrol ships defended the other shipyard, orbiting stations, as well as the battlestations. He could not see sacrificing the rest of them needlessly. On several viewscreens, he saw three more Trellixian battlecruisers attacking the station blow apart. The Jelnoid energy beams were bringing down the enemy’s energy shields, and then the station was launching twenty-megaton missiles to finish off the vessels. Defense Commander Kallon was pleased with the effectiveness of the Jelnoid energy beams. They were everything the Humans had promised.

“Admiral Masurl has engaged,” reported the sensor officer.

Commander Kallon stood and walked to one of the tactical displays. “Keep firing the new energy cannons. We need to take as much pressure off his warships as possible.” Even as Kallon gave the order one of Admiral Masurl’s battleships was riddled by Trellixian energy beam fire. Moments later a Trellixian fifty-megaton missile completed the ship’s destruction, consuming it in a massive fireball of raw energy. It was a quick reminder of just how powerful a Trellixian battlecruiser was.

-

Admiral Masurl ordered his ships to attack in squadron strength. He groaned inwardly as one of his battleships and several battlecruisers vanished from the tactical display. On one of the viewscreens, he saw a squadron of Voltrex battlecruisers and support ships attack one of the enemy vessels. Energy beams and fusion missiles pounded its screen, which suddenly collapsed. Energy beams ripped open compartment after compartment, and then several twenty-megaton missiles arrived, finishing off the Trellixian vessel. Other Voltrex squadrons were also having success, though the cost was high.

Everywhere Masurl looked, Voltrex warships were dying. The support ships were rapidly being destroyed because their energy screens were far weaker than a Voltrex battlecruiser or battleship. But their added firepower was helping to bring down a few Trellixian energy shields. With a deep growl, Masurl knew this battle would be costly.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr’s eyes narrowed in frustration as he witnessed obvious Jelnoid energy beam fire coming from one of the Voltrex battlestations and the shipyard under attack. He suspected the other shipyard was similarly armed as well as more of the battlestations. Not only that, the Human ship was inside one of the Voltrex fleet formations and was systematically destroying Trellixian battlecruisers with its energy beam weapons. He had already pulled his own flagship to the rear of his fleet as a precaution.

“We’re losing ships at a faster rate than predicted,” reported Second Officer Jaltor as their ship shook slightly from a Voltrex energy beam impact to the shield. “Only one battlestation has fired Jelnoid energy beams. The others we’ve engaged are firing the weaker Voltrex weapons. However, all seem to be protected by Jelnoid energy shields.”

Balforr leaned forward in his command chair, clenching the armrests tightly. “Continue the attack. In such a short period of time, I can’t believe the Voltrex were able to convert their power systems and everything else necessary to use Jelnoid weaponry. If we can overload their power systems, we can eliminate the threat. Order our ship commanders to use more of the fifty-megaton missiles. We will wear down their shields and destroy them. We’ve already confirmed only the Human vessel is equipped with Jelnoid technology. The Voltrex ships are not, and they are considerably weaker than our battlecruisers.”

“We will be victorious,” replied Jaltor.

“Have part of our fleet target the defensive grid. We must weaken the weapons fire upon our fleet.”

“As you command,” replied Second Officer Jaltor.

Battle Commander Balforr gazed at the viewscreens. They were lit up from the powerful explosions of fusion missiles. Occasionally a larger explosion erupted, indicating the destruction of a warship. He wondered if he had waited too long to launch his attack.

-

Major Dolan groaned as two Voltrex support ships covering the Vengeance were blown apart by multiple fusion warhead strikes. The viewscreens were full of bright flashes of light from exploding Trellixian missiles.

“The Trellixians are losing a lot of ships,” reported Kia.

On the large tactical display, Mark could see the green icons representing Voltrex ships blinking out of existence in increasing frequency. “So are the Voltrex.”

“Their shields just aren’t strong enough,” said Kia.

“Chloe, can you tell who has the advantage?” The fighting was so intense that Mark could not tell who was winning.

“No, Major,” Chloe replied. “The battle is still too close to call. Both sides are losing vessels at a very high rate.”

“Major, Battle Commander Zolmar is taking his fleet to the shipyard to assist Admiral Masurl,” reported Kia. “They’ll try to overwhelm the Trellixians with weapons fire from their ships and the shipyard.”

“Major, Battle Commander Kamuss and Battle Commander Alassah are ordering us to fall back to just behind the defensive grid,” reported Ensign Smith. “We’re losing too many support ships, and they need to reorganize their fleet formation.”

“Do it,” ordered Mark. “They’re in charge here. Ensign Carter, continue hitting them with our energy beams.” Even as Mark spoke, three more of the support ships surrounding the Vengeance exploded, sending flaming debris into the ship’s energy shield. The ships were sacrificing themselves to keep the Vengeance safe.

“Shield is holding at 78 percent,” reported Lisa, her gaze concerned. “We’re putting a lot of stress on the fusion reactor. Don’t forget. We only have the one.”

-

The battle continued to intensify, especially around the shipyard. Several Voltrex support ships turned broadside and opened fire with their main batteries, quickly scoring several hits with their energy turrets on a Trellixian warship which had lost its energy shield. A Voltrex battlecruiser added its firepower, and suddenly the Trellixian vessel broke apart. Before the two support ships could celebrate their victory, half a dozen enemy fifty-megaton missiles arrived, turning both of the midsize vessels into flaming wreckage.

-

On the shipyard, Voltrex Defense Commander Kallon’s whiskers curled, and his lips formed into a snarl as the defending fleet around him was methodically cut to pieces. However, the Trellixian were losing ships as well, most to the powerful Jelnoid energy beams on the station. The station suddenly shuddered violently, and several red lights appeared on the damage control console.

“Energy beam strike to construction bay four,” reported the damage control officer. “The energy shield wavered slightly over that area due to the detonation of a number of Trellixian fusion missiles in the same spot on the shield.”

“Shield is stable now,” added Castell from Tactical.

“Repair crews are on the way to the bay. For now it’s been sealed off,” reported the officer at damage control. “The damage did not spread.”

“We’ve eliminated thirty-seven of the enemy battlecruisers with the aid of the fleets. Both fleets are taking heavy losses. We’re losing a lot of support ships.” The sensor officer’s gaze was focused on his screens as he kept track of the battle.

Kallon studied the tactical display. Unless he was mistaken, between the shipyard and the two fleets, they could destroy what remained of the attacking Trellixian ships. However, in the meantime, the two fleets would be decimated. More ships were dying every few seconds. Kallon tried not to think about the loss of life.

-

Fleet Commander Kamuss was nearly thrown to the deck as the Claw of Honor shook violently, and warning lights filled the damage control console.

“We’ve been hit by three Trellixian energy beams,” reported LeLath. “We have multiple decks open to space and heavy casualties. Energy shield is at 28 percent and falling.”

The ship shook again, and Kamuss could see the frightened look on LeLath’s face, though she did not speak her fears. He knew he was about to lose his ship. The ship suddenly shook violently again as if it had been struck by another vessel. Alarms began sounding and the damage control console lit up with more red lights. He expected to see his ship coming apart around him.

“Fusion missile hit to the shield,” reported Zalurr. “The shield is failing.”

“Commander! Look on the viewscreen!” shouted Metriic.

On the screen, the Vengeance was putting herself between the Claw of Honor and the attacking Trellixian ships, leaving her support ships behind. She was so close that her energy screen was shielding the Voltrex vessel from the Trellixian weapons. The energy screen of the Human ship glowed white with exploding energy from the number of enemy vessels trying to destroy it.

“Get our screen back up!” ordered Kamuss as he gazed admiringly at the Human vessel. “Pull us back to safety! The Vengeance can’t handle that firepower for too long.” Kamuss knew the Human ship had only one functioning reactor.

“Shield is going back up,” reported Diboll.

“We’re pulling back, and the Vengeance is also,” added Metriic.

Kamuss’s gaze was glued to the viewscreens.

The Vengeance fired her energy weapons nonstop, destroying Trellixian battlecruiser after battlecruiser. A group of support ships surged forward to give cover to the Human ship. The space around the Claw of Honor seemed to be full of dying vessels, both Voltrex and Trellixian.

-

Major Mark Dolan let out a deep sigh of relief as the Vengeance and the rest of the Voltrex ships pulled back to just below the defense grid. In their wake they left dozens of destroyed Voltrex warships and a few Trellixian battlecruisers. The nearest battlestation with Jelnoid energy cannons was now firing nonstop at the Trellixian ships. Occasionally one of the deadly warships would blow apart from excessive damage.

“Continue to target the nearest Trellixian battlecruisers,” ordered Mark as he stared at the viewscreens. Brilliant flashes of light indicated the detonation of Voltrex and Trellixian fusion missiles.

“We tapped out the fusion reactor at 115 percent,” cautioned Lisa. “Another minute or two and it would have melted the new alloys we installed.”

“Two minutes and eighteen seconds,” added Chloe. “I was monitoring it.”

Mark nodded. “We did what we had to do.”

Lisa agreed with the major. She would have hated to see LeLath die in this battle.

-

Fleet Commander Kamuss’s shoulders slumped as more Voltrex ships died. His fleet and Fleet Commander Alassah’s fleet were still attacking the Trellixians in squadron-size units. Occasionally a Trellixian battlecruiser would be destroyed. Several times an entire squadron of Voltrex ships would die in the attack. The weapons fire from the battlestations helped as well as the energy beam fire from the defense grid. On the main viewscreen, numerous small explosions marked where Trellixian energy beam fire was destroying the satellites which made up the grid.

“The Trellixians are now in range of more of our battlestations,” reported Lieutenant Commander LeLath. “The added firepower is starting to have an effect.”

Kamuss watched a viewscreen as the massed energy beam fire from one of the battlestations slammed into the main section of a Trellixian battlecruiser, setting off massive explosions and hurling large pieces of glowing debris into space. Several fusion missiles arrived, and the enemy ship vanished in a pair of novalike explosions.

“The ship losses are balancing out,” reported Zalurr. “The weapons fire from the battlestations, the Vengeance, and our ships has evened up the battle. I don’t believe the Trellixians can win.”

Kamuss nodded, agreeing with Zalurr’s assessment of the situation. Looking at the tactical displays, Kamuss saw the Trellixians were now losing as many ships as the Voltrex. If the Trellixians did not withdraw, they would be wiped out, though there wouldn’t be much remaining of the Voltrex fleets either.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr saw victory slipping away from his grasp. “Fire the Malken missile at the nearest battlestation,” he ordered. “I want a full barrage of our fusion missiles to follow. Surely the Malken missile can break its energy shield.”

The firepower from the Voltrex battlestations and the defense grid was having an adverse effect on his fleet. Too many ships were being lost. The Jelnoid energy shields prevented him from destroying the shipyard or the battlestations. As a result his fleet suffered.

Second Officer Jaltor looked at Balforr. “We only have the one. The High Command didn’t think additional missiles were necessary due to the new fifty-megaton fusion missiles.”

“A mistake on their part,” replied Balforr, his eyes revealing his growing anger. “Now do as I command!” He was determined to cause as much damage to this system’s defenses as possible.

Balforr would have liked to fire the missile at the Human ship, but dozens of Trellixian vessels had surged forward to cover it as well as the Voltrex ship it seemed to be protecting. No way he could hit the Human vessel. However, the nearer battlestation was a more tempting target.

“Missiles launched,” reported Jaltor.

Balforr’s eyes shifted to the viewscreen of the one-thousand-meter battlestation.

-

The Malken missile struck the shield of the battlestation in a massive blast of light and energy, causing it to fluctuate at the point of impact. Ten more fusion missiles struck almost simultaneously. Two missiles penetrated. In two massive blasts, the battlestation was obliterated.

-

Kamuss had to close his eyes as brightness filled the Command Center from the viewscreens before they dimmed automatically. “What was that?”

“Battlestation Twelve has been destroyed,” reported Zalurr in a shaken voice. “The Trellixians deployed a different type of missile. Sensors indicate a detonation of one hundred megatons. They also followed up with a strike of their other fusion missiles. It appears two of them penetrated the weakened energy shield and destroyed the station.”

“Antimatter,” reported Meela from Communications. “The Humans say the Trellixians used some of these missiles against their world. They also believe the missiles are difficult to produce, as the Trellixians only seem to possess a few of them.”

Kamuss watched as the viewscreens came back on. One showed Battlestation Twelve or what was left of it. A scattering field of glowing wreckage was all that remained. This was one of the stations with the Jelnoid cannons and was probably why the Trellixians had chosen to attack it.

-

“Prepare the fleet to enter hyperspace,” ordered Balforr in resignation. With the appearance of Jelnoid technology, he couldn’t conquer the system. He had succeeded in causing massive damage to the defending fleets and the planet’s defensive grid but not enough to allow him to win if he remained.

Jaltor looked at Balforr in confusion. “If we withdraw, nothing will stop the Voltrex from developing Jelnoid technology and spreading it to all their worlds. This part of space will forever be off-limits to our fleets.”

“We can’t prevent it now,” Balforr said as he watched several more of his battlecruisers being destroyed by the shipyard as well as the Human ship. “We should have destroyed the Humans when we first found their world. Now we will live with that mistake.”

-

Major Dolan watched in surprise as the Trellixian ships disengaged and made the jump into hyperspace.

“They’re leaving,” reported Chloe.

“Why?”

“They did not have the ships remaining to defeat us. The Voltrex willingness to sacrifice their warships to defeat the Trellixians was the turning point, along with the firepower from the battlestations. The Voltrex were losing ships at a three-to-one rate at the beginning of the battle. During this last part it was nearly even. When you add in the firepower from the shipyard, our own ship, and the battlestations, the Trellixians realized victory was not possible. They withdrew to save what was left of their fleet.”

Mark took a deep breath and stood. “Will they return?”

“Unknown,” replied Chloe. “It depends on the resources the Trellixians are willing to commit to fight the Voltrex. Once Jelnoid technology has been applied to the Voltrex ships, the Trellixian fleet losses will increase substantially.”

“Good job, Major,” said Captain Erickson, standing with the help of a med tech. “I couldn’t have done better myself.”

“Thank you, sir,” Mark answered. “But the Vengeance is still your ship.”

Erickson nodded. “Yes, but, if I recall correctly, a new battleship is being finished in the Voltrex shipyard. I think you will make a fine commanding officer for it. When that ship leaves the construction bay, you will be its captain.”

Mark didn’t know what to say. He just stood there with his eyes open wide.

“Think about who you want for your command crew,” ordered Erickson. “I would also suggest choosing a Voltrex as your second in command.”

Mark nodded. “I will do that immediately, sir.”

Erickson looked at the med tech and the two Marines who stood close by. “Now get me back to my quarters. I suspect if the ship’s doctors knew I was in the Command Center, we would all be in trouble.”

Moments later, after Captain Erickson left the Command Center, Mark was deep in thought. He could hardly believe that shortly he would be in command of a battleship, one fully equipped with Jelnoid technology. Looking around the room, Mark wondered who he should ask to join him on the new vessel. His eyes focused on Lisa and the others. He had a lot to think about.

Chapter Twenty

Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr stood in front of the tactical display, his breathing barely under control. He had lost! His fleet defeated!

“How do we tell the High Command we have failed?” asked Second Officer Jaltor. “We will both be executed for such a colossal defeat.”

“Silence!” roared Balforr, baring his sharp tearing teeth to show his anger.

He was tempted to put his hands around Jaltor’s neck and silence him once and for all. Balforr wondered, if he had attacked several weeks back, would today’s battle have been different? If he could have attacked before the Voltrex deployed the Jelnoid technology from the Human ship? Now it was too late, and Jelnoid technology would soon be loose in the galaxy, technology very dangerous to the Trellixian Empire. He felt uneasy about what the future might hold.

For several minutes Balforr struggled with how to best explain this debacle to the High Command and not lose his position in the fleet. He realized there was only one possible solution. Walking over to one of the guards in the Command Center, Balforr came to a stop. “Hand me your energy pistol.”

The guard did so without question. He was trained to obey orders from his commanding officer.

Balforr turned toward Second Officer Jaltor and, without hesitation, shot him in the chest. Jaltor looked at Balforr with a look of surprise and confusion and then fell to the floor. “Because of his failure as a second officer we were defeated by the Voltrex,” announced Balforr. “His recommendations resulted in delaying our attack against the Voltrex colony world.” Balforr did not know if this gambit would work, but it would give the High Command the blood they would demand for this defeat. “How many ships do we have remaining?”

“Two hundred and seventy-eight,” answered Maldane from the sensor console. “Some of them are damaged.” Maldane did not look at the body of the second officer lying on the deck. He had no desire to join him.

“Order all ships to initiate repairs while I plan our next move.” Balforr looked down at Jaltor’s unmoving body. “Guards, remove this vermin from the Command Center.”

Two guards hurried over and carried Second Officer Jaltor’s body out. It would be taken to a waste disposal chute and incinerated.

Battle Commander Balforr sat back down in his command chair. In his mind he reviewed what he would tell the High Command. He also wondered if he should eliminate any more members of the ship’s command crew.

-

On the Vengeance, Mark listened as Chloe described the damage the ship had suffered during the recent battle. It was surprisingly minor. A few blown power couplings and a number of lights in different sections of the ship. The Jelnoid energy shield had protected the ship amazingly well.

“An awful lot of Voltrex ships are making their way toward the two shipyards for repairs,” reported Kia as she studied the information from her sensors.

“How many ships did they lose?”

“Over half of their fleet,” replied Kia. “Probably 40 percent of what remains has suffered damage.”

Brenda looked at Major Dolan. “Will the Trellixians attack again?”

“Probably not for a while and, by the time they do, the Voltrex should have installed the Jelnoid energy cannons on the rest of the battlestations. Once that’s finished, the Trellixians won’t dare attack.” Mark would feel a lot easier when that was done. Fifteen battlestations all armed with Jelnoid energy cannons and protected by a Jelnoid energy shield would be impossible for the Trellixians to get past. Mark hoped someday Earth would be as strongly defended.

“Their defense grids been hit pretty heavily too,” said Kia. “On the side of the planet where the Trellixian fleets were, it looks as if nearly 63 percent of the grid is gone.”

“They can adjust their remaining satellites to cover the planet,” said Chloe. “I also suspect they can bring in new satellites from their other worlds, if needed.”

“Fleet Commander Kamuss is asking about the condition of our ship,” reported Ensign Smith, her gaze shifting to Major Dolan. “He reports his flagship is heavily damaged and will take several weeks to repair.”

“Inform Commander Kamuss that our repairs are minor and will be completed in an hour. Offer him our help with his repairs.”

Ensign Smith nodded and sent the message.

Mark looked at the computer console where Chloe resided. “Is there any chance the Trellixians will attack again?”

“No,” Chloe replied in her youthful voice. “They lost over half of their fleet. It will take them at least three to four weeks to repair their battle damage. By then the Voltrex will have the new Jelnoid energy beams installed in all their battlestations as well as their big station above Bator Nine.”

Mark let out a deep breath. It seemed all they needed to do was get their new battleship ready, and they could set out for Earth. He wondered what President Hathaway and General Mitchell would say when the Fury and the Vengeance arrived in the solar system.

“Commander Kallon requests we take up a defensive position near the shipyard,” Ensign Smith reported. “He’s sending coordinates. We’ll be joined by ten battlecruisers and thirty support ships. He believes the battle is over, but he wants to be prepared, just in case the Trellixians return. All ships assigned to us are undamaged. The rest of the Voltrex fleet will be evaluated to determine which ships are still fully combat capable.”

“Set a course,” ordered Mark. “Also ask Commander Kallon if there’s anything else we can do.”

A moment later Ensign Smith turned toward Mark. “Not at the moment. Commander Kallon does want to thank us for our part in the battle. If not for the Vengeance, many more Voltrex ships would have been lost, including the Claw of Honor, Fleet Commander Kamuss’s flagship. Fleet Commander Zolmar’s flagship is the least damaged and should only need a day to repair. Once it is, Fleet Commander Zolmar will join our fleet formation and take command.”

“Tell Commander Kallon that we were glad to assist, and we’ll be waiting for Fleet Commander Zolmar to join us.” Mark knew this battle had made the alliance between the Voltrex and the humans even closer. He also felt very optimistic about what the Voltrex could do to help Earth.

-

Lisa and Brenda were in the ship’s cafeteria, talking. It had been a trying day and one in which they could have died.

“I may give up exploration,” said Brenda as she stirred her coffee with a spoon. “It’s a lot more dangerous than I imagined it would be.”

Lisa nodded. She was beginning to feel the same way. The thrill of finding new worlds and studying new lifeforms rapidly faded away with the stark reality of what they had been through. The galaxy was a harsh place, much of that caused by the Trellixians, but no doubt the stars around Earth would be much the same.

Any worlds worth colonizing could already have Trellixian colonies on them. Star systems rich in minerals would have Trellixian mining operations already established. Lisa had decided this would be her one and only exploration mission. She preferred doing research on Earth at Complex One with Professor Wilkens. When they returned, she would tell him that.

“Do you want to be transferred to the Fury with Major Dolan?” asked Brenda.

“Maybe. I need to think about it some more.” Lisa wasn’t sure what she should do. Major Dolan would need an experienced command crew. When the Fury and the Vengeance finally returned to Earth, both ships would have a mixed crew of Voltrex and humans. It was the only way to fully crew both vessels.

Brenda took a sip of her coffee. “The battleship will be very powerful with all the Jelnoid technology we’re putting on board. Derek is even thinking about moving Chloe to the new ship. If Major Dolan agrees, Derek wants Chloe to have more access to the ship’s systems. He’s convinced, in a battle, Chloe could make a huge difference.”

Lisa frowned. “I don’t know about that. Chloe, for all intents and purposes, is still very young. In some ways she remains childlike.” Lisa knew this from some of the questions Chloe asked.

“She’s learning,” agreed Brenda. “The other day she asked me questions about why more of the crew were not paired up to create new crewmembers. I had Derek point out some files on human reproduction in the computer which she did not have access to. I was actually surprised at how much information in our main computer Derek has kept from Chloe. When I asked him about it, he said he didn’t want her AI matrix to become overloaded with data she would have even more questions about.”

Lisa grinned. “He’s treating her like a child. I’ll speak to him and see what his actual plans are for her continued development.” Then Lisa’s face took on a more somber look. “However, I still want a kill switch on my console. That’s all we would need is a runaway AI taking control of the ship.”

Brenda put down her coffee and took a bite of her chicken sandwich. “A Voltrex battleship is 2,200 meters in length. That’s over seven times the size of the Vengeance. The Fury will have three of our new fusion reactors on board. The reactors are each twice the size of the ones on board the Vengeance. I’m still trying to fathom the firepower the Fury will have.”

“A lot,” said Lisa. “More than our entire fleet back home does combined. Keep in mind, the new reactors will make our energy beams stronger, the energy shield more powerful, and increase the speed of our Fold Space Drive.” Lisa was excited thinking about what the Fury would be capable of. She also had to admit that she would feel much safer on the battleship.

Brenda’s eyes narrowed. “I wonder what’s going on back home. Do you think the Trellixians have attacked again?”

Lisa looked across the table at Brenda. Lisa was deeply concerned about what the Trellixians might be up to. “It’s possible. We have our fleet, the defensive grid, and a few surprises General Mitchell is keeping in reserve. With a little luck, when we get back, Earth will be just like it was when we left.”

“I hope so,” Brenda replied. Then a sly grin crossed her face. “What do you think about Brett?”

“What do you mean?” stammered Lisa, her face flushing slightly.

“He’s been paying a lot of attention to you recently.”

“We’re just good friends,” replied Lisa.

Brenda leaned forward, making sure no one could overhear her. “I think he would like to be more than just good friends.”

Lisa was not sure what to say. She liked Brett, but she wasn’t sure if she liked him in that way. She still wasn’t fully over losing Streth, but that was now a long time ago. Perhaps it was time to move on.

“Come on, Lisa. You could do a lot worse.”

“I’ll keep in mind what you said,” Lisa responded carefully. “I’m just not sure if I’m ready for another relationship. Maybe when we get back home, I’ll consider it.”

Brenda leaned back and took another sip of her coffee. “Don’t wait too long. There are not a lot of guys around like Brett.”

Lisa knew Brenda was right. Something she needed to think about in particular once they returned to Earth. Everyone had lives that needed to be rebuilt. She wasn’t the only one who had lost people important to her; nearly everyone had.

-

Fleet Admiral Edwards was getting more and more frustrated with defending the solar system. The Trellixians continued to snipe at the defensive grid. Nearly the entire outer ring of satellites, both the real ones and the decoys, were now gone. Edwards had pulled his fleet back to the second defensive ring and the six battlestations to better protect what was left.

“I just received a report from Earth,” said Captain Nelson. “President Hathaway is considering launching the two colony ships.”

Admiral Edwards frowned at hearing this. “Are they ready?”

“Yes,” Nelson replied. “The final system checks were done yesterday. The crews and the colonists are already boarding.”

Edwards shifted his gaze to the large number of red threat icons out beyond the orbit of Mars. Nearly four hundred Trellixian battlecruisers were there. “Can we delay the launch?”

Nelson shook his head. “No, the president is determined to launch.”

Edwards straightened his shoulders and shifted his gaze to one of the viewscreens of the Moon. The moon base was still there and functioning. The Trellixians were aware of it, though they had done nothing about it. “The colony ships can’t activate their Fold Space Drives until they’re well past the inner defensive ring,” said Edwards. “The Trellixians will detect the ships when they clear the planet’s atmosphere, as well as their escorts. I don’t think we have any choice but to provide additional escorts with our fleet until the ships can activate their drives and get past the Trellixians.”

“Damn!” said Nelson, frowning. “We don’t need to fight a space battle with our battlecruisers at this point in time.”

“I know. I’ll contact General Mitchell and see what he suggests.”

Edwards greatly feared the president was making a colossal mistake by launching the two colony ships now. As long as the inner defensive ring and the battlestations were intact, the launch could wait. At least Edwards felt it could. The Constellation and the Vengeance would be back in another couple months. Edwards was convinced the president should at least wait until the return of the exploration mission before launching the two colony ships.

-

President Hathaway was in her office with General Mitchell, Professor Wilkens, Secretary of State Maggie Rayne, and Major Lorre.

“The colony ships are ready to launch,” said Major Lorre. “The crews are on board and the last of the colonists will board sometime tonight. We can launch the two ships tomorrow, along with their escorts.”

“It’s a mistake,” said Professor Wilkens, his growing aggravation with Major Lorre evident in his expression. “The Constellation and the Vengeance will be back in another two months or so. We must wait for their return.”

Major Lorre shifted her focus to the professor. “Our outer defensive ring has been destroyed by the Trellixians. Each day our control of the orbital space above Earth grows less and less. We must launch immediately, or we might never be able to launch.”

“If the Constellation and the Vengeance return with allies, there may not be a need to launch,” countered Professor Wilkens.

“What if they’ve been destroyed?” Major Lorre asked the professor. “There’s no way for us to know what’s happened to the two ships. We can’t delay this launch.”

President Hathaway looked at General Mitchell. “If we don’t launch tomorrow, how much longer can we hope to maintain control of the space around Earth?”

General Mitchell hesitated. He was having a hard time deciding what to do in this situation. Part of him said, Launch now and don’t take any chances, but another part of him was saying, It would be a mistake. “We still have the inner defensive ring, all the battlestations, and the fleet. I think we can maintain control for another few months. We also have our moon base as well as a few other assets we haven’t committed yet.”

“The Trellixians have nearly four hundred of their big battlecruisers sitting out past the orbit of Mars,” said Major Lorre, her gaze on the general. “What would happen if they jumped all those ships into Earth orbit? Could you still maintain control?”

General Mitchell slowly shook his head. “Not if they were determined to take control and if they weren’t concerned about ship losses.”

“So you’re saying we could lose control of the orbital space around Earth at any time?” asked President Hathaway, her eyes narrowing.

“It’s doubtful,” replied Mitchell. “The Trellixians don’t seem to want to risk massive ship losses right now. We believe they’ll continue to try to weaken our orbital defenses before they attack.”

“But you can’t guarantee that,” said Major Lorre. “They could jump in tomorrow if they wanted. If the Trellixians had their battlecruisers parked in Earth orbit, could we still safely launch the colony ships?” Major Lorre looked at the general, waiting for an answer.

“No, it would be too dangerous.”

President Hathaway leaned forward in her chair, placing her hands on her desk. “I don’t think we have a choice. We’ll launch the colony ships tomorrow.”

“No!” objected Professor Wilkens heatedly. “I’m telling you that it will be a huge mistake.” He looked at General Mitchell, seeking support.

“It’s the president’s decision,” replied General Mitchell.

“We launch,” said President Hathaway in a determined voice. “General Mitchell, see to all the arrangements. It’s essential those two ships and their escorts get away safely.”

Mitchell nodded. “We’ll do everything we can to protect the colony ships.”

-

The meeting ended with everyone except Maggie Rayne leaving.

“Did I make the right decision?” Katelyn asked Maggie.

“Not according to Professor Wilkens,” Maggie replied. “But the professor is pretty attached to the crews on the Constellation and the Vengeance, particularly the science teams.”

Katelyn stood and walked over to the window. It was the day cycle, and the underground city was brightly lit. The streets were busy with everyone going about their daily routines. “I’m not sure General Mitchell fully agrees with my decision.”

“In the end, it’s still your decision. Don’t be doubting yourself.”

Katelyn turned to face Maggie. “The decision’s made. We’ll see tomorrow if it’s the right one.” Katelyn hoped it was. Those two colony ships might very well represent the future of the human race. They just had to get away safely. To delay their launch might ensure they never would.

-

The next day Fleet Admiral Edwards was in his command chair, waiting tensely for the launch of the two colony ships. They would be escorted by four battlecruisers. No one knew where their eventual destination would be as it would be up to the ship captains to locate a distant world to colonize. Once they left Earth, the likelihood of ever hearing from them again was nearly zero.

“Five minutes to launch,” reported Captain Nelson. “The fleet is at Condition One, and the defense grid is online. The battlestations are at Condition One as well.”

“Let’s hope everything goes as planned,” said Edwards. “I want to know if a single Trellixian battlecruiser moves.” It was early morning, and very shortly the Trellixians would start their daily bombardment of the defense grid. The launch of the two colony ships and the four protective battlecruisers was scheduled to take place before the Trellixians began their daily attack.

-

President Hathaway was in her office, listening to the reports from General Mitchell’s Command Center describing the launch of the two colony ships. Four battlecruisers from the spaceport in the United States would take off at the same time to serve as escorts.

“An hour from now the six ships will be in Fold Space and safely on their way,” said Major Lorre with a satisfied smile. “We are ensuring the future of the human race.”

“Let’s hope so,” replied Katelyn, unsure of herself. This entire process made her feel very nervous. She hoped she hadn’t made a colossal mistake.

-

In the command base everyone watched the viewscreens. “Colony ships are proceeding down the launch tunnel,” reported Major Thomas. “The four battlecruisers will take off and join them in formation as soon as they exit.”

“Keep an eye on the Trellixians,” ordered General Mitchell as his gaze shifted to a nearby tactical display revealing all the red threat icons out beyond the orbit of Mars. “As soon as those ships exit the atmosphere, they will know this is not a normal launch.” He greatly feared the Trellixian reaction to the launch of the ships.

General Briggs looked at General Mitchell. “You think there will be a response?”

“Yes,” Mitchell responded. On one of the viewscreens, the first colony ship exited the tunnel and began its climb upward.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Traven was in the Command Center of his flagship when an alarm sounded on the sensor console.

“The Humans have launched two more of their cargo ships, but these are under escort by four of their battlecruisers,” reported Koldar from the Sensors.

“Put them on the viewscreen,” ordered Traven, growing suspicious.

On the screen, two five-hundred-meter-long spacecraft appeared surrounded by four of the Humans’ small battlecruisers.

“Those are not the same ones we normally see,” said Second Officer Baalon. “Those two have been missing for several months.” Baalon could tell from the marking on the vessels.

Traven had a feeling he could not allow these ships to achieve orbit. Something didn’t seem right. “Is there any chance these ships could be colony ships, and the Humans are trying to escape?”

“Doubtful,” replied Baalon. “They must be carrying something important into orbit to be protected by the Humans’ battlecruisers.”

Traven made a quick decision. “Prepare the fleet for combat. As soon as those six ships exit the planet’s atmosphere, we will jump in and destroy them.”

Second Officer Baalon frowned. “We will lose some of our battlecruisers if we do that.”

“We already had two Human ships roaming the galaxy. I won’t take a chance on allowing any more. We will jump in, destroy all six of those ships, and inflict as much damage as possible on the Human defenses. I also want to target the spaceports they’ve been building on the planet. Once that’s been done, we’ll jump back out and review the battle. It should tell us how degraded the Humans’ defenses are. I would like to call for the invasion fleet as soon as possible.” Traven had a large invasion fleet ready to be summoned when he felt the time was right. He also knew the High Command was growing impatient. Perhaps this attack would speed things up to their satisfaction.

-

Fleet Admiral Edwards’s eyes widened in shock as every red icon representing the Trellixian ships out past Mars suddenly vanished.

“Trellixian fleet is jumping,” warned Lieutenant Williams. “All of them.”

The fleet was already at Condition One for the launch of the colony ships. “Move the fleet closer to the colony ships,” ordered Edwards worriedly. “Do we have a course on the Trellixian fleet?”

“Earth orbit,” replied Lieutenant Williams. “If I had to hazard a guess, they’ll jump right on top of the colony ships as they clear the atmosphere.”

“Damn!” uttered Captain Nelson in alarm. “They’ll be wiped out. I was afraid something like this would happen.”

“Prepare the defense grid to fire,” ordered Edwards, trying to stay calm. “Use of the missile platforms is authorized.” He intended to do everything in his power to protect those six ships.

Admiral Edwards’s gaze shifted to the large viewscreen in front of him, revealing the two colony ships and their four battlecruiser escorts exiting Earth’s atmosphere. “Make sure they know what’s heading for them.”

“They’ve been told,” replied Captain Nelson. “Their energy shields are going up even as we speak.”

“Contacts exiting hyperspace,” called out Lieutenant Williams.

On the tactical display, red threat icons appeared around the colony fleet. Some were nearly in Earth’s atmosphere.

“They’re in range of some of our ground based energy cannons,” reported Captain Nelson. “They’re firing. Missile platforms are locking on as well as the energy beam satellites.”

Suddenly the viewscreens were filled with light as fusion explosions went off. Nearly all were launched by the Trellixians as they hit the colony fleet. At the same time energy beams from Earth and the defensive grid struck the Trellixian ships. In several massive explosions Trellixian battlecruisers were blown apart, hurling debris in every direction, some of it impacting the shields of nearby vessels.

“Missile platforms are launching,” reported Captain Nelson. “Do we keep any missiles back in reserve?”

“No,” answered Fleet Admiral Edwards, leaning forward in his command chair. “We need to hurt the Trellixians as badly as possible.” The Trellixians had to be forced to withdraw. Four hundred battlecruisers could do severe damage to the Earth fleet, the defensive grid, and the battlestations.

“Our fleet is coming within weapons range,” reported Lieutenant Williams.

“All ships to fire as they lock on targets,” ordered Edwards. He felt a chill looking at the tactical display. It was full of red icons, vastly outnumbering the green ones representing his battlecruisers.

“Energy shield is at full strength, and all weapons are online,” reported Lieutenant Jefferson.

“Engagement range,” called out Lieutenant Williams.

Fleet Admiral Edwards squared up his shoulders. “Fire!”

-

President Hathaway stood and looked at Major Lorre as the reports of the Trellixian attack on the colony ships came in. “What’s happening?”

“It’s the Trellixians. They’ve jumped right in on top of our ships.” The satisfied look had vanished from Major Lorre’s face to be replaced by one of worry.

Katelyn felt a weakness in her knees and sat back down, the color draining from her face. “Can they get away?”

Major Lorre didn’t reply. Her face was ashen.

-

In space, energy beam fire from several human battlecruisers slammed into the forward section of a Trellixian warship, tearing it open with secondary explosions blasting out huge holes in the hull. A forty-megaton fusion missile arrived, sending the vessel to oblivion.

Over half of the Trellixian fleet targeted the six vessels of the colony fleet. The first vessel to die was the battlecruiser Ajax as its energy shield was overwhelmed by the sheer number of fifty-megaton explosions detonating. The shield suddenly flared up brightly and then collapsed. The Ajax was instantly struck by over a dozen missiles, incinerating the vessel in a huge fireball of raw energy.

The Trellixian fleet was also targeting two spaceports that were in range. Several hundred missiles darted through Earth’s atmosphere with most of them intercepted by secondary energy cannons located on the surface. Four missiles detonated over the spaceports in huge flashes of light and energy, but the energy shields protecting the facilities prevented any damage. Two large mushroom clouds rose up into the atmosphere, obscuring the spaceports.

-

The fighting intensified as Earth’s small space fleet became fully engaged against the Trellixians. The battlecruiser Destiny destroyed two Trellixian battlecruisers before a number of Trellixian fusion missiles overloaded her energy screen over the stern, allowing several enemy energy beams to briefly penetrate. A huge explosion blew out a major portion of the hull and destroyed one of the ship’s fusion reactors. Bulkheads slammed shut, and the crew hurriedly evacuated the damaged part of the ship. Another explosion cut the power from the ship’s other reactor, and the protective energy shield vanished. Moments later a fusion warhead detonated in the huge hole in the ship, sending raw energy cascading throughout the vessel and vaporizing everything it touched.

-

The colony ship Distant Star was in trouble. The ship had already suffered several energy beam strikes to her hull, and numerous compartments were open to space. The ship’s captain rotated the ship, trying to keep the Trellixians from hitting the damaged areas of his vessel.

In the Command Center, Captain Phillip tried desperately to save his ship. “Can we get back down to Earth?”

“No,” answered his second in command, Lieutenant Commander Worthington. “The ship’s suffered too much damage. The atmospheric turbulence would tear us apart.”

The vessel shook again, and more red lights appeared on the damage control console. On the main viewscreen, a brilliant light caused the screen to dim.

“What was that?”

“One of our escorts, the Branson. It just blew up,” answered Lieutenant Commander Worthington grimly.

“The fleet?”

“It’s trying to protect us, but there are just too many Trellixian vessels.”

“Can we go into Fold Space?”

“We’re too near the planet,” replied the helm officer. “The drive would explode.”

The ship shook violently with no indication of stopping. Alarms and emergency klaxons sounded.

“Two more energy beam hits,” reported Lieutenant Commander Worthington, his face turning pale.

Suddenly a control console exploded, sending a shower of sparks across the room. The lights brightened, then dimmed, and slowly faded. The emergency lighting came on. Smoke filled the Command Center.

“Energy screen is down,” screamed one of the other officers.

-

Fleet Admiral Edwards watched in frustration as the green icon representing the Distant Star suddenly flared up and then vanished. The sheer number of red icons around the colony fleet made it impossible to defend.

“We can’t get any of our other battlecruisers close enough to help,” said Captain Nelson grimly.

Edwards watched the tactical display as the missiles from the missile platforms struck the Trellixian ships. Between the missiles and the energy beams, numerous red icons vanished.

Edwards had the feeling they were winning the battle but losing the war.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Traven’s flagship shook violently as its energy screen was hit by one of the Human missiles. It was evident the Humans were doing everything they could to defend the small fleet which had left the surface. With satisfaction he saw another one of its escorts explode, leaving just a single large ship and one escort surviving. He was more convinced than ever this was a colony fleet, attempting to escape the planet.

“Order all ships to shift their fire to that remaining large vessel. We will destroy it and then leave.” Traven was losing a lot of ships, but he was also causing considerable damage to the Human fleet and their defensive grid.

-

The Osiris was under heavy attack. Captain Brunson knew his ship would not survive. He felt great sadness about the eight hundred young people on board, knowing he could do nothing to save them. The ship suddenly heaved upward, throwing several of the crew to the floor. He could hear the sound of tearing metal and the loud screams of the colonists. The ship was coming apart around him. The damage control console was covered in red lights, and alarms blared nonstop. Then, with a resounding roar, the ship broke apart. For a brief moment he could see the stars, and then a brilliant light swept over him.

-

“The Osiris is down,” reported Lieutenant Williams grimly. Then another brilliant flash of light erupted on the viewscreen where the colony ship had been. “The McKay is down. That’s the last of the defending battlecruisers.”

Fleet Admiral Edwards blinked his eyes rapidly, then stared. The entire colony fleet was gone! “Continue to fire on the Trellixians,” he ordered. “I want to destroy as many of their ships as possible.”

“Trellixians are jumping,” called out Lieutenant Williams.

“They destroyed the colony fleet,” said Captain Nelson. “That was their goal. Somehow they figured out what it was.”

The fighting rapidly decreased as the Trellixians exited the battle, and soon it stopped completely. All that was left were a few fields of scattering debris.

Fleet Admiral Edwards took a deep breath. Even though they had destroyed more Trellixian battlecruisers, the Trellixians had won by destroying the colony fleet. “What did we lose?”

“Both colony ships, all four of the battlecruiser escorts, three other battlecruisers, and about 20 percent of the remaining defense grid. The Trellixians also hit two of our spaceports with fusion missiles, but the energy shields held.”

“The Trellixian losses?”

“We took out sixty-seven of their battlecruisers.”

Edwards had hoped for more kills. With a deep sigh, he knew Earth was in trouble. He strongly suspected the bombardment of the defensive grid would resume, and shortly the full-scale attack he expected from the Trellixians would begin. Launching the colony fleet in all likelihood had only hastened that attack. There was a good chance now, when the Constellation and the Vengeance returned, they would find the space around Earth under Trellixian control.

“Contact General Mitchell. We need to load the two cargo ships with missiles to replace the ones we launched from the missile platforms.” Edwards leaned back in his command chair. He had a few reserve battlecruisers at the four spaceports. Time to bring them into orbit to help protect the defense grid.

-

President Hathaway stood at the window with her hands clasped behind her back. Sixteen hundred young people and the crews of all six ships of the colony fleet were dead. All because she had listened to Major Lorre and rushed the launch. Professor Wilkens had been right when he had said it was a mistake to launch the vessels. She would listen to him more closely in the future.

“We must convert the other two cargo ships,” said Major Lorre. “We can still get them away!”

Katelyn turned around and gazed at Major Lorre with an icy glare. “I think not. We will wait for the return of the Constellation and the Vengeance.”

“That’s a mistake!” Lorre said loudly.

Katelyn locked her gaze on Lorre. “I want your resignation before the day is out. You are so blinded by your quest to launch the colony ships that you’re endangering the rest of us. We just lost more of our defense grid as well as seven irreplaceable battlecruisers.”

Major Lorre’s face turned angry. “You’re making a mistake!” she shouted. “We must get people away from Earth, or the human race will die!”

“That’s your opinion,” replied Kathryn. “I think it’s time for you to leave.” Katelyn returned to her desk and pressed a button on her phone. Instantly the door to her office opened, and two secret service agents entered.

“Escort Major Lorre out. She will no longer be coming here anymore.”

Major Lorre’s eyes opened wide in shock as the two agents took her by the arms and led her to the door. “You’re making a big mistake!” she screamed. “You’re dooming the human race!”

“No, the mistake I made was listening to you in the first place,” replied Katelyn.

-

General Mitchell looked at General Briggs, waiting for the latest report.

“We lost both colony ships and seven battlecruisers as well as another 23 percent of our remaining defensive grid. Four other battlecruisers report minor to moderate damage and will be landing shortly for repairs. Fleet Admiral Edwards requests we send up the remaining battlecruisers.”

Mitchell slowly nodded. They had sixteen battlecruisers they had kept back in reserve. “Do it. We need to delay the Trellixians from launching a major attack for as long as possible.” However, Mitchell was concerned after today’s battle that they were rapidly running out of time. “Contact Complex Two and have them prepare the Annapolis and the Horizon for launch. I suspect we’ll need them shortly.” The Annapolis and the Horizon were the two secret assets he hoped would help delay the Trellixian attack.

With a deep sigh, General Mitchell knew they were running out of options.

Chapter Twenty-One

Captain Mark Dolan stood in the Command Center of the Fury. Near him was Lieutenant Commander LeLath who had agreed to come on board and serve as his second in command. He had changed his rank temporarily to captain, since he was taking command of the battleship.

In front of him was a small flash of light, and a young woman appeared. “Ship is ready to get under way,” reported Chloe. The Voltrex were very advanced in holographic technology and had installed a small dais in the Command Center which could project Chloe’s image. Much better than speaking to a disembodied voice.

Lisa smiled at hearing Chloe. The AI had been excited when told about the Voltrex technology and had been involved in choosing what her holographic figure would look like. She stood five foot eight inches tall, with a slim figure and brunette hair that barely touched her shoulders. She appeared to be in her early twenties.

“Take us out,” ordered Mark as he settled back in his command chair.

“Activating station-keeping thrusters,” reported Brett as he maneuvered the massive ship from the construction bay.

Lisa looked around the large Command Center with its crew’s mixture of Voltrex and humans. Derek and Brett had come with her to the Fury, while Brenda and Kia remained aboard the Vengeance. A female Voltrex named Katana was at the Fury’s sensors, and two male Voltrex sat at the tactical consoles along with Ensign Carter. In addition, another female Voltrex sat in front of the communications console.

Other humans and Voltrex manned various stations in the Command Center. Lisa was pleased Lieutenant Commander LeLath had agreed to be the ship’s second in command. The massive battleship had a crew of over 1,200. Only 87 were human and the rest Voltrex.

Lisa had spoken to Corporals Peterson and Hambridge a few days back. Both were on the Fury, and their Marine contingents now consisted of highly trained Voltrex. It had been strange watching them run down the long corridors of the ship during their morning drills. The Voltrex military were used to running and weren’t even exhausted after the normal two-mile run the corporals put their Marines through every morning. Captain Dolan had mentioned he might promote the two corporals to sergeants.

“Clearing bay doors,” replied Brett as the ship eased from the construction bay.

“The Vengeance and the other ships will join us shortly,” said Marissa from Communications.

Mark nodded. There had not been time to prepare a full fleet to accompany them, so, besides the Fury and the Vengeance, four other Voltrex battleships were making the journey to Earth. All were equipped with Jelnoid technology and weapons, including Jelnoid missiles, now being produced in abundance on both of the large shipyards in orbit around Bator Seven.

As the Fury took up its lead position to wait for the other ships to join it, Mark looked at the multitude of viewscreens across the Command Center. Directly in front of him were four large ones revealing scenes from outside the ship. One of the huge one-thousand-meter defense stations was visible. All fifteen stations were now armed with Jelnoid energy beams and missiles. They were also all protected by Jelnoid energy screens. The same was true of the two large shipyards and the smaller orbiting stations. The defensive grid had been reinforced with hundreds of energy beam satellites brought in on cargo ships from the other Voltrex worlds. Mark now knew twenty-eight major inhabited worlds were in the Voltrex Federation plus some smaller colonies in those same systems. He didn’t know where any of them were other than those in the Bator System.

“The Vengeance, Lyrosa, Malaren, Falton, and Bator’s Roar have all arrived,” reported Katana.

Mark nodded. They were returning to Earth with five battleships and the Vengeance. The five Voltrex battleships had enough firepower to deal with any Trellixian ships they might come across. “Set an outward course and stand by to go into hyperspace.” All the battleships had hyperspace drives, while the Vengeance still had its Fold Space Drive. The hyperspace drive could be activated almost inside a planet’s atmosphere, whereas the Fold Space Drive had to be a short distance from the planet, due to the interference caused by a planet’s gravity. It made Mark wonder if, for a combat ship, a hyperspace drive might not be the better option.

-

A short time later the six ships accelerated away from Bator Seven and soon vanished as their drives were activated. The Vengeance would use its sensors to maintain its speed and course with the five much larger battleships. If all went according to plan, they would arrive in the solar system together.

-

Fleet Commander Kamuss watched from his flagship as the Fury and her escorts vanished into hyperspace. His own ship now had all the Jelnoid advancements as well as weapons. Both shipyards were working around the clock, updating all battlecruisers and battleships with the new technology. The same thing was happening in every shipyard across the Voltrex Federation.

In another month Fleet Commander Kamuss would set out with a fleet of Voltrex battlecruisers and battleships to the Humans’ home system to ensure it stayed safe from the Trellixians. Four months after that a fleet built to Human specifications would be ready, and it would be sent to the Humans’ home world as well. In another year all the ships in the Federation would have been converted, and the real war with the Trellixians would begin. The Trellixians were too dangerous of a race to allow their Empire to continue to expand.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr was on board his flagship twenty-six light-years distant from Bator Seven. His long-range scouts kept him informed of happenings in the system. There were now widespread indications of Jelnoid technology throughout the star system. If it was here, it was most likely in the other Voltrex systems as well.

“The technology is spreading,” reported Second Officer Albion, who had replaced Second Officer Jaltor. “It is becoming too dangerous for us to send warships into the Voltrex system.”

“The High Command believes we did everything we could to stop the Human ships,” replied Balforr. “Most of the fleets in this region have been recalled and sent to other areas to continue their conquests. We will remain here and observe the Voltrex. It is believed, if we stop the attacks on their fleets, they will stay in their section of space or expand outward away from us in order to avoid conflict.”

Second Officer Albion spent a moment considering Balforr’s words and then responded. “What if they don’t? We’re only keeping a few fleets in this region.”

“Our fleet will stay intact,” replied Balforr. His fleet now consisted of only sixty-four battlecruisers. “The other two remaining fleets will spread out across the region and use their sensors to detect any Voltrex ships which might venture out of their space and into ours. If that happens, we will summon more ships from the heart of our Empire.”

All the habitable worlds in Voltrex space and beyond were now off-limits for Trellixian colonization. Sometime in the future that could have a profound effect on the Empire. Balforr’s eyes narrowed and turned slightly red as his anger seethed beneath. It was all the fault of the Humans. He knew that, shortly, if not already, Battle Commander Traven would launch his attack and invasion of Earth. With a little luck the Humans would soon be no more.

Second Officer Albion looked at Balforr. “We just received a report the Human ship and five Voltrex battleships have left the Voltrex system. We believe they may be going to other Voltrex worlds.”

“I will notify the High Command,” replied Balforr. “No doubt those ships left to demonstrate to other Voltrex worlds what a fully equipped warship with Jelnoid technology was capable of.”

-

At Earth, Fleet Admiral Edwards grew deeply concerned. A huge fleet of Trellixian troop ships and additional battlecruisers had dropped from hyperspace a few hours earlier.

“Well, that’s it,” said Captain Nelson grimly. “That fleet of troop ships wouldn’t be here if the Trellixians weren’t preparing for an all-out attack and invasion.”

“We must be ready,” replied Edwards. Against that fleet, he could not hold the orbital space above Earth. His only option would be to inflict as much damage as possible and hope the enemy pulled back.

Over the last few weeks the inner defensive grid had been nearly eradicated by constant enemy attacks. All that remained were the 47 battlecruisers of the fleet, the 6 small battlestations, 110 energy beam satellites—with most of these around the battlestations—and 43 missile platforms.

“I have a message from General Mitchell,” reported Lieutenant Simmins. “He wants to know if you want the special assets sent up.”

Edwards nodded. The two special vessels at Complex Two had been held back for just the situation they now faced. “Yes, I think now’s the time. Also contact the moon base and tell them to prepare.”

Edwards had one last card to play that might help delay the attack. Whether it would work or not was anyone’s guess.

-

In Complex Two, the Annapolis and Horizon prepared to launch. Both vessels were 1,200 meters in length and were by far the largest ships Earth had built. Complex Two, instead of building battlecruisers, had focused on these two vessels instead. Just maybe they could hold off the Trellixians until the Constellation and the Vengeance returned.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Traven stood in his Command Center, gazing at the viewscreens. On several, massive Trellixian troop transports were visible. Each transport carried four thousand fully trained soldiers ready to die to conquer a world. However, in most cases very few Trellixian troops lost their lives. That had not been the case with Earth, where hundreds of thousands had been killed by the Humans. Traven still blamed Balforr for that debacle. There were 140 troop transports and 89 battlecruisers in the recently arrived fleet.

“The fleet is ready,” reported Second Officer Baalon.

“Two new contacts rising from Earth,” reported Koldar from his sensor console. “They’re large contacts, around 1,200 meters.”

Baalon’s large eyes shifted to Battle Commander Traven. “More colony ships?”

“If they are, we can’t let them get away. All battlecruisers will jump immediately. Primary targets will be those two new ships and the battlestations protecting the planet. Secondary targets will be the defensive grid and the Human battlecruisers. Once we have cleared Earth’s orbital space, the troop transports will jump in and send their shuttles down.” Battle Commander Traven could already taste the victory. He would do what Battle Commander Balforr had failed to do: destroy the Humans!

-

Fleet Admiral Edwards watched almost without surprise as the Trellixian fleet vanished into hyperspace. “All ships, go to Condition One immediately,” he ordered. The battlestations were already at Condition One, and the defense grid, what was left of it, was activated. “Lieutenant Simmins, inform the moon base they are free to engage the enemy at their discretion.”

Edwards spent a moment examining the tactical display. Two of his battlecruisers protected each battlestation; the rest were formed in a fleet surrounding his flagship. His fleet was in a globe formation, which provided the maximum defense and still allowed him to attack the Trellixian forces when they arrived. “Move the fleet toward the Annapolis and the Horizon. They will be joining our formation shortly.”

The fleet would rendezvous with the two new ships just as they cleared Earth’s atmosphere.

“Two minutes to rendezvous,” reported Lieutenant Williams.

“Both the Annapolis and the Horizon have activated their energy shields,” added Captain Nelson.

“Contacts!” called out Lieutenant Williams. “We have Trellixian battlecruisers emerging from hyperspace all around us.”

The tactical display suddenly filled with red threat icons as nearly four hundred enemy warships appeared.

“Fire!” ordered Admiral Edwards, wanting to get in the first strike.

-

From the thirty-five battlecruisers in the globe formation energy beams lashed out, tearing through the energy shields of the newly arrived Trellixian battlecruisers. The energy beam strike was followed by hundreds of Jelnoid forty-megaton fusion missiles. In an instant, the emerging enemy warships were battered by massive releases of energy.

In numerous cases the shields of the Trellixian vessels were overwhelmed, with the vessels beneath exploding in a fury of released energy. In orbit above Earth, bright flashes of light filled the sky.

The Trellixians wasted no time in responding, firing upon the fleet and the two large Earth ships just clearing the atmosphere. Hundreds of Trellixian battlecruisers fired their energy beams and launched missiles at the Human ships, trying to bring down their powerful shields.

-

“We got sixty-seven of them before they had their shields fully raised,” reported Captain Nelson. “We’re receiving reports of incoming fire, a lot of it.”

“The Annapolis and the Horizon have joined our formation,” reported Lieutenant Williams.

Admiral Edwards shifted his gaze to one of the viewscreens of the two massive ships. Each of the vessels had three times the firepower of a regular battlecruiser. At that moment the Renown shook violently as two fusion missiles exploded against her energy screen.

“Screen is holding at 87 percent,” reported Lieutenant Jefferson from Tactical.

A sudden bright flash of light dimmed the viewscreens. “What was that?” asked Captain Nelson in alarm.

“We just lost the battlecruiser Sydney,” reported Lieutenant Williams. “Her shield was overloaded and collapsed.”

“The battlestations and the defense grid are firing,” reported Captain Nelson. “Missile platforms are launching all their missiles.”

Admiral Edwards nodded. That was a little over 240 Jelnoid missiles from the missile platforms. There would be no more.

“The Trellixians are targeting all our orbital defenses,” reported Lieutenant Williams. “Our battlestations are under attack. The defense grid is being decimated, and our fleet is receiving heavy fire.”

“The Annapolis and the Horizon want to know if they should launch their squadrons,” reported Captain Nelson. Both ships were carriers with forty space fighters on board. Each fighter was capable of carrying two small Jelnoid missiles with twenty-kiloton warheads. They were also equipped with energy cannons.

“No,” replied Admiral Edwards, shaking his head. “We’ll hold off until we’ve thinned out the Trellixians a bit. With the firepower the Trellixians currently have, those small fighters wouldn’t last long.”

-

In space, one of the battlestations was under heavy fire from twenty Trellixian battlecruisers. The fire from both sides was intense, with the two defending Human battlecruisers doing everything they could to take some of the pressure off the small eighty-meter-long station. Missiles flew back and forth, and energy beams were prevalent. Two Trellixian battlecruisers exploded, sending debris flying across space as they were destroyed by Jelnoid fusion missiles. A number of the surviving energy beam satellites assigned to protect the station blew up in small fireballs as they were targeted by the Trellixians.

The station lit up brightly as half a dozen Trellixian fifty-megaton warheads slammed into its energy shield. The shield wavered but held. Energy beam fire from the Trellixian battlecruisers played over the energy shield of one of the Human ships. Several exploding fusion warheads created a momentary weakness, allowing three beams to penetrate. The beams cut deep into the hull of the Human vessel, setting off secondary explosions. The energy screen flickered briefly, and a Trellixian missile slipped through. In a massive explosion, the human battlecruiser was turned into a miniature nova.

Fourteen more Trellixian battlecruisers joined the others, increasing the fire on the surviving defending battlecruiser and the battlestation. The station seemed to be covered in cascades of rolling energy from the steady detonation of Trellixian fusion missiles. Energy beams and Jelnoid missiles poured out of the station, pummeling the attacking ships. A Trellixian battlecruiser was hit in the stern by an energy beam and then a missile from the defending Human battlecruiser arrived, finishing the destruction. Another Trellixian battlecruiser died when its energy shield overloaded, leaving its hull unprotected. A series of energy beams riddled the ship before a missile turned it into a field of glowing debris.

The energy shield protecting the station fluctuated from the sheer amount of energy trying to rip it open. Missile after missile detonated against the shield, until finally one penetrated. In a brilliant flash of light, the small battlestation blew apart, scattering debris everywhere. Moments later the remaining defending Human battlecruiser was destroyed as the Trellixians overwhelmed it with their firepower. Then, after being joined by eight more battlecruisers, they set out for the next battlestation.

-

Aboard the Renown, Fleet Admiral Edwards watched grimly as the Trellixians methodically destroyed the defensive grid and, one by one, the six battlestations. He felt powerless, knowing he could do nothing.

“The missile strike from the missile platforms took out eighteen more Trellixian battlecruisers,” reported Captain Nelson. “We’ve lost six of our battlecruisers so far.”

Edwards looked at one of the viewscreens of the two carriers. “Order Captains Travis and Wilson to launch their squadrons. Target any Trellixian battlecruiser that is damaged or under heavy attack.” Time to see how effective the fighter squadrons were.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Traven grinned savagely at the viewscreens. Two of the Humans’ battlestations were now in ruins, and two more were under attack. The defensive grid was nearly annihilated, and the Human fleet was in a defensive mode.

“We’ve lost 116 battlecruisers,” reported Second Officer Baalon.

“We will continue to press the attack,” replied Traven, choosing to ignore the losses. Even as he spoke, the third Human battlestation blew up in a massive fireball. “Contact the invasion fleet and tell them to stand by to enter hyperspace. Targets will be as specified in my original invasion plan.” Traven had sent the plan to the battle commander in charge of the fleet several weeks back. It was nearly time to implement it.

-

Major Bella Stark was on board the command battlestation, currently under heavy attack, and she had just received orders from Fleet Admiral Edwards to evacuate.

“It’ll be hell, evacuating through that,” said Lieutenant Livingston from Tactical, gesturing at all the enemy fire directed at the station. On the viewscreen directly above his console, the station’s energy beams ripped a Trellixian battlecruiser to shreds. Secondary explosions tore it apart, and then, in one massive explosion, the ship disintegrated. “I would just as soon stay here and see how many of these battlecruisers we can take with us.”

Major Stark sighed and nodded. “I say five.”

Livingston grinned. “I say six.” With that the lieutenant fired a full barrage of Jelnoid missiles at a nearby Trellixian battlecruiser, turning it into molten metal.

-

“We just lost the command battlestation,” reported Captain Nelson as a brilliant flash of light lit up the Command Center from the viewscreen focused on the battlestation. “But Major Stark took seven Trellixian ships with her.”

“What about our two battlecruisers?”

Captain Nelson shook his head. “No, I’m afraid we lost both of them as well.”

“Sir, first fighter strikes are going in,” reported Lieutenant Williams.

Edwards shifted his gaze to the tactical display revealing eight squadrons of ten fighters each attacking the Trellixian battlecruisers. Each squadron targeted one ship. Edwards had no idea how this would work. The fighters might just be too small and not pack the punch necessary to inflict much damage. It had been one of the primary concerns while building the carriers.

-

The small fighters went in, their energy shields on full and their missiles seeking a target. The Trellixian battlecruisers quickly targeted the fighters with their secondary energy cannons, designed to destroy inbound missiles. Flashes of light swept through the fighter squadrons, occasionally impacting one of the small vessels. The energy shields held for one or two strikes, but the third one was deadly. In bright fireballs, the fighters began to die.

The squadron commanders changed their formations, and the fighters moved in complicated patterns. It allowed them to get near enough to launch their missiles. Two damaged Trellixian battlecruisers were targeted, and both died. The fighters targeting undamaged ships saw their missiles detonate against the powerful energy shields, causing no damage. More fighters died as they pulled back toward their carriers to rearm.

-

“The fighters won’t work against the Trellixian ships,” said Captain Nelson disappointedly as he gazed at the decimated squadrons heading back toward the Annapolis and the Horizon.

Fleet Admiral Edwards was shocked at how ineffective the fighters were. Of course this was their first use, and there would be a learning curve. One thing he was certain of: they didn’t have enough of them. Instead of launching eighty, they should have launched hundreds. There just hadn’t been the time to build them.

“How many will make it back to the carriers?”

“Forty-seven,” replied Lieutenant Williams. “Some of them are damaged.”

“Contact the two carriers and have them suspend fighter operations. They’ll use their weapons instead.” Both carriers had numerous energy cannons and missile tubes.

“Battlestations four and five are gone,” reported Captain Nelson grimly. “The Trellixians are simply overwhelming them and accepting their ship losses. They’ve lost 149 battlecruisers so far.”

Edwards drew in a deep breath. The defensive grid was gone as well as five of the six battlestations. He had also lost a number of his battlecruisers. With a slight shudder he realized what must be done. Earth could not afford to lose its entire space fleet, and there was only one way to save it.

“All ships stand by to withdraw to Earth. We will land at the spaceports.” By doing this the ships could still fire their energy cannons and launch their missiles. It would add greatly to the firepower of all four spaceports. They would also be protected by the spaceports’ powerful energy screens.

“The sixth battlestation is gone,” reported Lieutenant Williams grimly. “All Trellixian ships are now heading toward us.”

Edwards nodded. “All ships are to retreat and land. The primary cannons located on Earth will cover us until we’re down. The Annapolis will land in the United States, and the Horizon will land in Germany.” Even as Edwards gave the order to withdraw, another Human battlecruiser was destroyed as its energy shield was overwhelmed.

-

On Earth near Complex One, General Mitchell sat in his Command Center, his knuckles white from clenching the armrests on his chair so tightly. He had watched the desperate battle in space as the Trellixians had wiped out Earth’s orbital defenses.

“Fleet Admiral Edwards is sending his surviving ships to the four spaceports,” reported Colonel Fields. “I’ve sent orders for our primary cannons to cover their descent.”

“How many ships does he have left?” Mitchell knew this was bad. He had hoped to hold the orbital space above Earth until the Constellation and the Vengeance had returned. This would now make it more difficult for them to reach Earth.

“Eighteen battlecruisers plus the two carriers.”

“Damn carriers are worthless as fighter platforms!” uttered General Briggs. “We should have made them into battleships instead.”

Mitchell looked at his second in command. “Perhaps. We won’t know for sure until we use them more. I think the squadrons are just too small.”

“So now what do we do?” asked Briggs as he watched the green icons rapidly descending toward Earth and the four spaceports.

General Mitchell took a deep breath. “We prepare for invasion. This time the Trellixians won’t find us so defenseless.”

“Let’s just hope they don’t nuke us,” said Major Thomas. “It wouldn’t take much to put us back into a nuclear winter.”

General Mitchell looked at one of the tactical displays revealing the troop ships out past the orbit of Mars. “They won’t nuke us with all those troop transports. They’re planning an invasion.”

General Briggs looked at the tactical display. “Then it’s a ground war again.”

“We won’t fall for that trap,” Mitchell replied. “I’m sure they’ve adjusted their tactics. All our bases and cities are protected by energy shields. To knock one down, they would have to use enough fusion warheads to send the planet into a long nuclear winter, making it useless to them. We also have many of the cities sitting in a ring of energy cannons. I think we stay put and let the enemy come to us.”

“You’re waiting for the Constellation and the Vengeance,” said Briggs.

General Mitchell nodded. “It’s the only thing we can do. Let’s just hope when they return that they don’t come alone.”

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Traven gazed at the wreckage around Earth. Much of it in the next few days would fall into the planet’s atmosphere and burn up. Some of the larger pieces would make it to the surface. “Summon the invasion fleet. All ships are to stay out of range of the Humans’ surface weapons. We will send in waves of shuttles to secure our landing zones.” Traven would lose some of his shuttles, but enough would reach the surface to begin the invasion.

Once enough of the Humans’ surface weapons were destroyed, the full invasion would begin. Within a few months the planet would be his, and he could send word back, summoning the first colonization fleets. Shortly Earth would be part of the Trellixian Empire, and he would have proven himself to the High Command. Where Battle Commander Balforr had failed, Traven would succeed!

Chapter Twenty-Two

General Mitchell gazed with deep concern at the latest reports. Since Earth had lost control over its orbital space, the Trellixians had landed nearly one hundred thousand troops in five landing zones. All five zones had been secured with heavy weapons, including powerful energy cannons for defense. It was tempting to commit some of Earth’s air assets against the enemy, but it had been decided to wait. Earth’s militaries only had so many aircraft and very little capacity to build more.

“They are gradually expanding the areas they control,” reported General Briggs. He stepped over to a large map spread out on a table. Five red areas showed the current territory controlled by the Trellixians. “We have then in the Central United States in northern Kansas and southern Nebraska, and so far we’ve limited their expansion. We have a number of special military units harassing them anytime they attempt to move out of their landing area. The Trellixians have made some progress but not much. The same in the United Kingdom. They’re just south of London, and the British have them pretty much bottled up. However, in Germany the Trellixians are already pushing into France. They’re also claiming large chunks of territory in Russia and China.”

“So far they’re skirting any cities with energy shields,” added Colonel Fields. “They’re putting a few troops and hover tanks in place to make sure we don’t venture out.”

“What about the people who aren’t in protected zones?” This concerned General Mitchell because he knew some people had returned to their homes rather than the safety of the secured cities. This was true all over the world, particularly in China.

“We’ve tried to pull in as many of them as possible,” said Major Thomas. “We do have a few units assigned to that. There has been some contact with Trellixian forces, but, for the most part, they’re avoided.”

General Mitchell looked at the four large green spots on the map. “What about our spaceports?”

“Once again the Trellixians have encircled them but at a distance,” reported Colonel Fields. “They moved in troops and hover tanks, using their shuttles flying at low altitudes. They don’t want to come within range of any of our energy cannons. We also have quite a few troops protecting the spaceports as well as some air assets, if they’re needed.”

On the map several red icons represented destroyed facilities. “The Trellixians have taken out some of our energy cannons,” said General Briggs. “In each case we’ve made sure they were demolished to the point the enemy can’t get any useful technology from the wreckage. They’re using a new assault shuttle that’s heavily armored to move about.”

“We believe they’ll create holes in our defenses, so they can land more troops,” said Colonel Fields. “In their original landing, we destroyed nearly 43 percent of their inbound troop shuttles. Since then there have been no more attempts at landing. We believe they’re waiting until our defenses have been significantly weakened to reduce their losses.”

General Mitchell spent a few more minutes examining the map and discussing what the Trellixians might be up to. The enemy didn’t want to risk landing more troops until they could do so safely. In orbit, the Trellixian battlecruisers and troop ships were staying just out of range of Earth’s primary energy cannons.

Mitchell looked at a large viewscreen. On it a counter sat at zero, marking six months since the exploration mission had launched. Today was the day the Constellation and the Vengeance were due back. So far there had been no sign of them. Mitchell needed to head over to Complex One to brief the president. He wished he had better news.

-

In orbit, Trellixian Battle Commander Traven was extremely satisfied with the way the attack against Earth was proceeding. Already they had opened up a hole over the Pacific Ocean, where he could send the rest of the troop shuttles down if he wanted.

Before he sent that order, the current troops on the surface had missions to complete. The first was destroying as many of the Humans’ energy cannons as possible. Most of these sites were heavily defended. In the past week he had used his troops and a few assault shuttles to locate as many as possible. In some instances troops had landed and mounted successful attacks against the energy cannon facilities. They had designed a new weapon specifically to assault these locations.

“Numerous cities on the surface are protected by energy screens,” reported Second Officer Baalon. “The same for all the Human military bases we’ve located.”

“They will be dealt with in time,” replied Traven, folding his powerful arms across his chest. “We will secure as much of the planet as possible and then clear entire regions of the Humans. If necessary we will use our fifty-megaton fusion missiles against the protected bases and the cities.”

Baalon looked surprised. “That will send the planet into a long-term nuclear winter, one which could seriously harm its biosphere.”

“Perhaps not,” responded Traven. “We’ll use the weapons directly on the energy shields. That will prevent ash and other pollutants from entering the planet’s atmosphere. Even if we do damage the biosphere, it can always be repaired at a later date. We have done it before on other worlds.”

“We should test that theory,” suggested Second Officer Baalon. “In the past we’ve only used the smaller twenty-kiloton missiles, not the fifty-megaton ones. I believe the use of fusion weapons on the surface will result in massive areas of contamination. We could be delaying colonization by decades.”

Battle Commander Traven was silent for several moments as he thought that over. The pressure from the High Command for more worlds to colonize grew every day, particularly with so many battle fleets dealing with the Humans and the Voltrex. Traven was also concerned as he had had no word from the High Command on updates regarding Voltrex-controlled space. Commander Balforr was supposed to be conquering one of the Voltrex colony worlds, but no mention of that had been made for several weeks now.

“Very well, choose a city in the United States for a test.” That particular country had been the biggest problem from the very beginning of the invasion of this world. If the attack worked, then they would choose other targets to assault. Traven still wanted full control of the planet within a month. Time to be finished with this world.

-

In the Colorado Rocky Mountains, several Trellixian assault shuttles flew in low and set down a few kilometers from a Jelnoid primary energy cannon. The shuttles were reinforced with better battle armor and shields. They were also armed with small missiles with a five-kiloton warhead. The shuttles had eight energy beam turrets, and the energy shields could operate even while the shuttles were landed. As soon as the shuttles were down, forty heavily armed and armored Trellixian soldiers exited the hatches and headed toward their target.

-

Sergeant Anderson and several squads of Rangers were at the energy cannon site. All across the mountains and other areas where the large primary cannons were located, military units had been deployed to keep the Trellixians away. “Report,” he ordered over his comm link.

“We have four pulse cannons set up and a ring of claymores surrounding the site,” replied Private Richards.

“Everyone stay sharp,” ordered Anderson. “We have an unconfirmed report of several Trellixian shuttles heading our way.”

Anderson looked around the site. In the center the large primary cannon towered over everything. A small control building nearby housed the eight men and women responsible for operating the cannon. It had thick armored walls as well as a small energy beam turret on top for defense. A weak energy shield protected the cannon itself.

“Our scouts report no contacts,” said recently promoted Corporal Donley.

Sergeant Anderson walked to the Control Center. He had two Rangers stationed at the entrance for added security. Inside was a large control room where all eight former or current National Guard members of the installation were busy. They were in constant communication with General Mitchell’s command base and were ready to fire upon a moment’s notice. The cannon had its own targeting system and could hit a target nearly one thousand kilometers above Earth.

“Sergeant,” greeted Ron Clarkson, the civilian in charge of the cannon. Ron was a former national guardsman.

“Any reports from base?”

Ron shook his head. “No, they tracked a few Trellixian shuttles headed our way but lost them when they entered the mountains.”

Sergeant Anderson was afraid of this. These new shuttles were harder to track and, from earlier reports, much heavier armed. “Are you picking up anything on your sensors?” All energy cannon Control Centers had special sensors able to detect Trellixian battle armor.

Ron looked at Lindsey Hastings, a corporal in the National Guard.

“Nothing,” she answered. At that moment a loud explosion occurred outside, shaking the Control Center.

“Seal it up,” ordered Sergeant Anderson as he turned and hurried to the door.

Moments later he stood outside, near a large smoking crater beside the cannon. “What the hell was that?”

Suddenly another explosion shook the ground as a bright flash of light erupted from the cannon structure.

“Some type of missile,” replied Corporal Donly, stepping close to the Control Center, using its wall for protection.

Two more missiles slammed into the energy shield protecting the cannon.

“Some claymores just went off to the east,” reported Donly as reports came in from several Rangers. “We have movement. Several scouts are reporting Trellixian soldiers inbound.”

Suddenly the crackling noise of a pulse cannon firing could be heard.

“Targets!” called out Private Richards.

Pulse rifles fired as armor-covered Trellixians emerged from the forest. The Trellixians replied with their energy rifles. The battle intensified as weapons fire caught the surrounding forest on fire. Several Rangers fell as Trellixian energy rifles found their targets. Trellixians were also falling as the energy beams from the pulse rifles penetrated their body armor.

Then in rapid succession six more explosions rattled the large energy cannon. The energy shield seemed to flicker, and a round detonated against the cannon itself. With a cracking sound, the large cannon seemed to vibrate and then, almost in slow motion, it collapsed.

The energy turret on top of the Control Center began firing, forcing the Trellixians to take cover. Over a dozen fell to the ground, unmoving, as the energy turret swept across the armored Trellixians.

The fighting quickly died down as the surviving Trellixians hurriedly withdrew.

Sergeant Anderson stood in shock, gazing at the ruins of the cannon. How had the Trellixians penetrated the energy shield protecting it? Anderson needed to get this information to Major Garcia quickly. If the enemy could get through the shields protecting the cannons, could they get through the ones protecting the bases and the cities?

-

General Mitchell listened as more and more reports came in of destroyed primary energy cannons. The Trellixians had found some way to penetrate the protective energy screens. Of course those energy screens were not nearly as powerful as the ones protecting the bases and the cities. “How?” he asked Professor Wilkens.

“We’re not sure,” replied Wilkens. “Professor Fournier believes a chemical explosive causes a vibration in the energy shield. Once enough of the chemical has become entrenched in the shield, another missile is launched that uses the vibration frequency to penetrate. Professor Fournier is working on a fix to the energy shields. Once it’s ready, we’ll test it to see if he’s correct.”

“Let’s hope he is,” replied General Mitchell. If they lost too many of the cannons, it could endanger the entire planet. The cannons kept the orbiting Trellixian fleet at bay.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Traven and Second Officer Baalon had chosen the first target to use the fleet’s fusion missiles against. A large number of missiles would be launched, though most of them would be decoys. He expected the Humans to shoot down most of the inbound missiles, which was fine as long as a few of the real ones made it through. His first target was a city in what the Humans called Kansas.

“Missiles are ready,” reported Second Officer Baalon. “The Humans will not be able to detect the real ones from the decoys. We can play the same game the Humans had with their defensive satellites and decoys.”

Traven turned his attention to one of the large viewscreens in the front of the Command Center. “Launch!”

-

From twenty Trellixian battlecruisers, a rain of missiles dropped toward the Central United States. The city of Salina, Kansas, and its sixty thousand people were the target.

-

In General Mitchell’s Command Center, alarms sounded as the missile launches were detected.

“Inbound missiles,” reported Colonel Fields. “Target is Salina, Kansas. Energy cannons, both primary and secondary, are engaging. Civilians have been ordered to take cover.”

General Mitchell looked with growing concern as the tactical display filled with small red threat icons, all descending through the atmosphere. Even as the first wave dropped, a second wave was being launched.

“Can we get them all?” asked General Briggs as he stepped closer to the tactical display. “Salina is sitting in a ring of primary and secondary energy cannons.”

“We’re detecting over two hundred missiles just in the first wave,” reported Colonel Fields. “We can get most of them but probably not all of them. We’re going to take some hits.”

General Mitchell folded his arms over his chest. “Most of those are probably decoys. Can we tell the difference?”

Colonel Fields shook his head. “I’ve tried scanning the warheads, but they’re covered in a substance that prevents the scans from getting through. There’s no way we can tell the real ones from the decoys.”

On one of the viewscreens, bright flashes appeared high in the sky. Primary and secondary energy beams took out many of the missiles. They had some missile interceptors, but most of them were deployed around the spaceports and the main bases.

Looking at the screen, General Mitchell could do nothing more but hope they could take out all of them. He knew, in Salina, the warning alarms were sounding, and the people would take be taking cover.

-

Nearly all the first wave of missiles was wiped out before the first one struck the energy shield above the city of Salina. Fortunately it was a decoy and merely obliterated itself when it hit. The second wave was more overwhelming. Four missiles penetrated the defensive fire from the energy cannons and struck the energy screen. All of these were decoys as well.

The third and fourth waves were closer together. Three decoys struck their target before a fully functional fusion warhead slammed into the protective screen. In a brilliant flash of light a massive explosion tore at the screen, trying to knock it down. Moments later two more decoys followed by another fusion missile struck the energy screen. The surrounding countryside was hit with ferocious winds, tearing up trees and smashing buildings. Farms were blown away, and crops leveled.

More fusion missiles reached the protective energy screen, threatening to overload it. Inside people sought safety in basements and tornado shelters or the long tunnel that led to the underground transit system. Then four fusion missiles stuck the screen at once, causing it to flicker and allowing some of the raw energy from the explosions to get inside. In an instant, the city of Salina was incinerated, and the energy screen collapsed. The next fusion missile struck the ground, sending up a huge plume of ashes and pollutants as well as the tell-all form of a huge mushroom cloud. The cloud was visible for over two hundred miles.

-

“Salina’s gone,” said General Briggs as he gazed grimly at the destruction on the viewscreen. “They never stood a chance. I’m not sure even those who made it to the underground tunnel could survive that blast.”

“That’s lot of dust and pollutants going into the atmosphere,” said Colonel Fields with a deep frown. “It won’t take many of those to put the planet into a long-term nuclear winter.”

General Mitchell took a deep breath. This was something he had hoped he wouldn’t see. “How many missiles did they use?”

“Over a thousand,” replied Colonel Fields. “I can’t say how many of those were real and how many were decoys.”

“How many detonated against the energy screen?”

“At least twelve,” replied Colonel Fields. “All in the fifty-megaton range.”

General Briggs looked at General Mitchell. “They’ve demonstrated they can destroy our cities. If they use this method of attack, they can destroy our military bases as well.”

“They’ll destroy the planet,” said Major Thomas. “Even if some of the cities and the hidden complexes survive, we can’t grow food on the surface. We can’t grow enough underground or in the cities with energy shields to feed everyone.”

General Mitchell took a minute to weigh his options; none were good. “Order the increased production of secondary energy cannons. At least they can be used to shoot down the missiles.”

“We may not have the time,” said General Briggs. “The Trellixians still have a lot of ships in orbit that are full of missiles.”

Mitchell knew Briggs was right. His gaze wandered to the long-range sensor screen. No green icons were visible. Everything in orbit was gone. The only asset remaining was the moon base, and the Trellixians were staying away from it. Why should they attack it? Without supplies, the crew on the moon base would eventually starve to death. No need for the Trellixians to risk any of their ships in an attack there.

-

President Hathaway stood at the window in her office, looking out over the underground city. Earlier she had been briefed by Major Cunningham on the destruction of Salina. It seemed as if nothing could stop the Trellixians from destroying what was left of their world.

“What are we to do?” she asked with a deep sigh. “If the Trellixians cause a long nuclear winter, they will destroy our world.”

“We don’t know what they’ll do,” replied Professor Wilkens.

Katelyn turned toward the professor. “Do you still believe the Constellation and the Vengeance will return?”

Wilkens slowly nodded his head. “I have to believe. That’s a very special group of people on both of those vessels. I don’t believe they will fail.”

“The only problem is, by the time they return, it may be too late.”

“Our primary complexes, like this one, can survive almost indefinitely underground. We can grow sufficient food if necessary.”

Katelyn turned and looked back out the window. Everything in the city seemed so normal. “We could lose all the people on the surface. Many will starve to death. What kind of world will that leave us?”

“As long as we’re alive, there’s hope,” answered Wilkens.

-

Six days later Trellixian Battle Commander Traven was pleased with the progress being made. A huge hole had been made in Earth’s defenses over China and Russia. An additional 110,000 Trellixian soldiers had landed and were now sweeping through the two countries, seizing control of the outlying areas away from any Human military bases.

“We’ve destroyed twenty-two cities protected by energy shields,” reported Second Officer Baalon. “Our ground troops are still locating and destroying the Humans’ energy cannons. In another week our fleet will be safe from energy weapons fire, except from their four spaceports.”

“We’ll save the spaceports until last,” replied Traven. He didn’t want to risk heavy losses until the rest of the planet was pacified. He would send a status update to the High Command later in the day, and he would mention how destroying the last of the Humans on the planet was proceeding as planned. Unfortunately the use of so many fusion weapons would put the planet into a nuclear winter for a number of years. The High Command would not be pleased with that, but it was necessary.

He was about to mention his colonization plans to Second Officer Baalon when an alarm sounded on the sensor console. He looked at it, puzzled. That particular alarm indicated ships dropping from hyperspace, and no Trellixian ships were scheduled for arrival.

-

The Fury and the other ships with her dropped from hyperspace just outside the orbit of the Moon. Moments later the Vengeance exited Fold Space.

“Report!” ordered Captain Dolan as the viewscreens showed the stars as well as Earth and its moon.

“Trellixian battlecruisers and troop ships in orbit around the planet,” reported Katana.

Mark’s eyes widened in concern at hearing this. Had they returned too late?

“Why’s the atmosphere that color?” asked Marissa. An ugly brown and ash color hid the normal blue and white colors of the planet.

Lisa quickly scanned the planet, her face paling. “The Trellixians have used some of their fusion weapons. I’m detecting at least twenty-two impact points where there were once small cities. The planet’s going into a nuclear winter!”

“Did we get back too late?” asked Brett. His gaze was glued to the viewscreens. “Had the Trellixians already destroyed everything?”

“Marissa, see if you can raise General Mitchell on the comm,” ordered Mark, with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

-

Alarms sounded in General Mitchell’s Command Center as six new red threat icons blossomed on the tactical display. Then surprisingly one of the icons turned green.

“What are those?” demanded General Mitchell, rising to his feet.

“It’s the Vengeance,” replied Colonel Fields with a huge grin, “and she isn’t alone!”

“General, I have a Marissa from the battleship Fury asking to talk to you. She says the ship is under the command of Captain Dolan.”

Colonel Fields shook his head in confusion. “I don’t have any records of a Marissa on the Constellation or the Vengeance.”

“Her accent is strange as well,” added Colonel Steward. “It reminds me of a cat’s purr.”

Mitchell looked at the tactical display. “How large are those five ships with the Vengeance, and where is the Constellation?”

“Those five ships are 2,200 meters in length,” reported Colonel Fields, with excitement slipping into his voice.

Mitchell wondered what had happened to the two ships on their journey of exploration. “Put me through to Captain Dolan, and why isn’t Captain Erickson contacting us?”

“Something bad must have occurred out there,” said General Briggs as he gazed at the tactical display.

Everyone looked expectantly at General Mitchell waiting for him to speak to Captain Dolan. Was this the salvation Earth was seeking?

-

On Trellixian Battle Commander Traven’s flagship, the sensor officer reported, “We have six ships just exiting hyperspace near Earth’s moon. One of the ships is one of the Humans’ small battlecruisers, and the other five have been identified as Voltrex battleships.”

Battle Commander Traven’s eyes widened in alarm at hearing this. “What are Voltrex ships doing here?” This greatly concerned him as the Voltrex were supposedly contained in their region of space. What had changed?

“Battle Commander Balforr reported destroying a Human ship near Voltrex space, and a second Human ship was rescued by Voltrex forces and taken to one of their colony worlds,” answered Second Officer Baalon. “This has to be that vessel.”

Traven recalled the report, now that Baalon mentioned it. “Scan those Voltrex ships. I want to know what their power readings are.” He had a suspicion, which he hoped was not true. Battle Commander Balforr was supposed to take care of the Voltrex colony world where the Human ship had taken refuge.

“They’re off the scale,” reported Koldar a few moments later. “All five ships have definitely been updated with Jelnoid technology. I’ve never detected power readings like these before.”

A queasiness swept through Traven. Ships of that size with Jelnoid weapons and energy shields might be unstoppable. He looked at a viewscreen of the planet he had been nuking for the last week. If the Humans had succeeded in unleashing Jelnoid technology into the galaxy, the Trellixian Empire could be in real danger. The Humans would seek their revenge for what the Empire had done to their world.

“Pull all our ships in close,” he ordered. “Have the troop ships move into the center of our formation. All ships prepare for combat.”

-

General Mitchell listened to Captain Dolan explain what had happened on the exploration mission and how the Constellation had been destroyed and the Vengeance heavily damaged. Captain Erickson was still in charge of the Vengeance but, due to his severe injury, had felt it prudent that Captain Dolan command the fleet. He also explained why there was a change in his rank.

“How friendly are these Voltrex?” asked General Mitchell. In response the main viewscreen suddenly changed to show a view of the Command Center of the Fury. A number of cat people of the same stature as the humans were clearly visible. They all wore a basic military uniform of different colors. One, a female with a more decorated uniform, stood next to Captain Dolan.

“Very friendly,” she said. “I’m Lieutenant Commander LeLath and will be representing the Voltrex while we’re here. I look forward to many years of working with your people. I believe you will find we have multiple things in common.”

For a moment General Mitchell was unsure how to respond. Speaking to another species had not been in his plans for today.

“Sir, our scans indicate all five Voltrex battleships are equipped with Jelnoid technology,” reported Colonel Fields.

Mitchell looked inquiringly at the screen, knowing Captain Dolan and Lieutenant Commander LeLath could see him as well.

Captain Dolan hesitated and then answered. “Acting under the authority Captain Erickson gave me and with his approval, we have entered into an agreement with the Voltrex. We offered to provide them with unrestricted access to Jelnoid technology, and they in turn will build us a fleet to protect Earth.”

“That is something you can discuss with the president and other world leaders later,” Mitchell replied. “Considering the situation we now find ourselves in, I vote to approve this agreement based on the necessity of our survival. Now for the important question. Can those five Voltrex battleships do anything to remove the Trellixian infestation from our orbital space?”

Dolan grinned. “We have five Voltrex battleships, all much larger than a Trellixian battlecruiser. All five ships have Jelnoid weapons and shields. I don’t believe the Trellixians will enjoy what we’re about to do to them.”

General Mitchell nodded. “I’ll leave the specifics up to you. General Mitchell, out.”

“Professor Wilkens was right,” said Major Thomas with a grin. “They did find help and were able to bring them back.”

General Mitchell smiled for the first time in days. “Let’s see how they do against the Trellixians. If they succeed in driving them away from Earth, then it will change the entire situation. Contact all four spaceports. If the Trellixians are driven from Earth orbit, I want all our ships launched.” General Mitchell returned his gaze to the viewscreens and the tactical display. He was anxious to observe the coming battle.

-

President Hathaway was in her office with Professor Wilkens and Major Cunningham. She had just been told about the new arrivals, and she could see the ecstatic look on Professor Wilkens’s face. He had been right, and the proof was near the Moon.

“I should have listened to you,” said Katelyn, thinking about the two lost colony ships and the four battlecruisers that had been destroyed. “All of those young people would still be alive.”

“That’s in the past,” said Major Cunningham. “We shouldn’t second-guess ourselves. You did what you thought was right at the time.”

Katelyn pursed her lips and slowly nodded. She would always feel guilty about the colony fleet. It had been a mistake and a costly one. “How strong do you think those five ships are?”

Professor Wilkens grinned. “They wouldn’t have come back unless they’re ready to send the Trellixians to oblivion. I suggest we sit back and listen to the show.” Professor Wilkens was thrilled the Vengeance was here; he had a thousand questions for Lisa. He was greatly saddened to hear about the loss of the Constellation and its crew. He would not let Lisa leave again. He wanted to keep her here at Complex One, where she would be safe and could help in his research. He strongly suspected she would not object.

-

On the Fury, Mark leaned back in his command chair. “Take us in,” he ordered. “Form up in a diamond formation. The Fury and the Vengeance will take a stacked position in the center.”

Brett adjusted the small fleet’s speed to accelerate toward the Trellixian ships which were rapidly changing their fleet formation.

“The Trellixians seem unsure of themselves,” reported Chloe. “They’re putting the troop ships in the center of their formation.”

“For protection,” said Lieutenant Commander LeLath. “It is good to see them fear us for once.” She stretched out her right hand, her claws extending from her finger tips. She licked her claws, imagining the taste of Trellixian blood. Then embarrassed, she retracted them. “I’m sorry for my display of anger. The Trellixians have killed many of my people and would have killed more if not for your arrival.”

“No offense taken,” Mark replied. “I believe we all feel the same way about the lizard people. Look at what they have done to my world.”

“We’re nearly in missile range,” reported Katana.

Mark looked at Ensign Carter. “Fire missiles when we reach engagement range. Ours far outrange any weapons the Trellixians possess. Let’s make use of them. Keep a reserve of 40 percent, in case we need some later.”

“Forty seconds to missile range,” reported Chloe. “Trellixians are still attempting to get their ships into a defensive formation. I believe they are uncertain about the offensive capabilities of our ships.”

Mark nodded. “Well, they’re about to find out.” Mark took a deep breath, it was time to send these Trellixians to hell.

-

The six ships neared engagement range and then reached it. Seventy of the forty-megaton fusion missiles exited the missile tubes, and scant moments later another seventy left. All 140 missiles hurtled toward the shifting ships in the Trellixian fleet.

-

“Inbound missiles,” warned Koldar as more alarms sounded. “They’re Jelnoid, and we can barely lock on.”

“Defensive turrets fire!” ordered Battle Commander Traven, feeling frantic. It was taking his fleet longer than he wanted to get into its defensive formation. Some ships were in the way of others, blocking their weapons fire. He gazed anxiously at the tactical display revealing the inbound missiles. They seemed to flicker in and out of existence as the sensors had a hard time locking on to them.

-

From the Trellixian battlecruisers and troop ships, defensive energy beam turrets began firing. The space between the inbound missiles and the Trellixian fleet became full of energy beams, seeking out the inbound missiles. In space, missiles exploded as they were struck, leaving fiery fireballs to light up the darkness. Ten missiles, then twenty were destroyed. The remaining missiles drew nearer the Trellixian ships, and more died. Space was full of dying missiles, but many still survived.

In ones and twos they struck the Trellixian ships. Two battlecruisers died as they were blown apart when their energy shields failed. Six troop ships were annihilated as missiles penetrated to the heart of the fleet. Other ships suffered heavy damage from the attack but were still operational.

The five Voltrex battleships and the Vengeance continued to close the range. Suddenly energy beam fire erupted from the battleships, tearing into the Trellixian fleet. Two more missile barrages were launched from the closer range, making it more difficult for the Trellixians’ defensive energy beam turrets to lock on. The Trellixian fleet was encompassed in bright light from exploding ships and the uncontrolled energy released from dozens of forty-megaton fusion missiles.

The Trellixians had never encountered firepower such as the five Voltrex battleships possessed. Powerful energy beams drilled right through the Trellixians’ energy screens, ripping open battlecruisers, leaving them drifting in space to be destroyed by fusion missiles.

The Trellixians returned fire with every beam and missile they had. All were useless as the powerful energy screens around the battlecruisers simply shrugged off the attacks. Even the Vengeance, with its new and improved fusion reactors, found its energy screen able to resist the attack of the Trellixians.

In the Trellixian fleet, energy beam fire from one of the Voltrex battleships slammed into the main part of a Trellixian battlecruiser, setting off massive explosions and hurling glowing debris into space. Emergency bulkheads slammed shut as the ship shook violently. Secondary explosions spread through the ship, blowing out huge sections of the hull. In a final massive explosion, the ship disintegrated.

-

Mark felt the Fury shake from multiple impacts of Trellixian missiles. With concern he looked at a viewscreen focused on the Vengeance. Its screen was lit up from the constant release of fusion energy.

“Her shield will hold,” said Chloe. “The new fusion reactors are working as Lisa and Brenda predicted. I don’t believe the Trellixians, with the ships they have here, can break through the shields.”

“I confirm that,” said Lieutenant Commander LeLath. “Our energy shield has never dropped below 87 percent.”

“Move us closer,” ordered Mark, wanting to inflict as much damage as possible on the Trellixian fleet. “It’s time we teach these Trellixians a lesson.”

Mark was determined to destroy as much of the Trellixian fleet as possible. One thing he had already noticed. All six of the battlestations that were supposed to help protect Earth were gone as well as the entire defense grid. It was hard telling how many more of Earth’s inhabitants had died in the fusion explosions which had destroyed twenty-two more of Earth’s cities. He would show no mercy to the orbiting warships.

-

Trellixian Battle Commander Traven held on to his command chair as his flagship shook violently. Around him, his fleet was dying. Ship after ship was being blown apart by the deadly energy beams from the Voltrex ships. The fusion missiles the enemy ships launched only added to the carnage.

“We cannot win,” said Second Officer Baalon as he was nearly knocked to the deck from the violent shaking of the ship. “Those shields are impossible to bring down. We’ve hit them with everything we have, and they don’t even waver!”

On one of the viewscreens, a Trellixian battlecruiser was cut in two by heavy energy fire from the Voltrex fleet. Moments later both sections were vaporized by two fusion missiles.

Traven was shaken by the firepower he was witnessing. What would this mean for the Empire?

“We’ve lost eighty-seven battlecruisers and forty-three troop ships,” Second Officer Baalon reported in a stunned voice.

Battle Commander Traven wondered if this was how Battle Commander Balforr felt when the Humans forced him to withdraw from this world. “Order all ships to jump into hyperspace and rendezvous outside the orbit of the fourth planet. From there we will leave this system and make our report to the High Command.”

Even as the ship shook violently once more, he looked at one of the viewscreens of Earth. He was leaving over two hundred thousand Trellixian troops behind. No doubt, with the Humans once more in control of the orbital space above their world, those troops would shortly be annihilated. With a deep sigh, he realized he was no better than Battle Commander Balforr. Both had left hundreds of thousands of Trellixians soldiers to die on this world.

“Jumping,” reported Second Officer Baalon as the ship made its transition into hyperspace and safety.

Battle Commander Traven leaned back in his command chair. There was little doubt in his mind that, this time, his military career was over. In his quarters was a vial containing poison. Rather than return home in disgrace and suffer demotion and assignment to some menial task, he would drink the liquid in the vial and end his life. His time as a battle commander of the Empire was over.

-

“They’re jumping out,” reported Katana as the Trellixian ships vanished from the tactical display.

“We won!” said Lisa with relief in her voice.

“These new weapons will save my race as well as yours,” said Lieutenant Commander LeLath. “The Trellixians will never be a threat to us again.”

Mark sincerely hoped so. Too many lives had already been lost.

“Some damaged Trellixian vessels have not made the transition into hyperspace,” added Katana.

“What should we do with them?” asked Lieutenant Commander LeLath, looking over at Mark.

Mark took a deep breath. “Destroy them.”

Lieutenant Commander LeLath nodded as she gave the order.

A few minutes later no intact Trellixian vessels orbited Earth.

“Ships launching from the four spaceports,” reported Lisa, watching her console.

Mark was relieved that part of Earth’s space fleet survived. “Put us in orbit and contact General Mitchell. I believe Lieutenant Commander LeLath and I have a long report to make.” Mark was glad to be home. He could hardly wait to introduce his sister to the lieutenant commander. His sister had always wanted a cat. Wait until she saw what he was bringing home!

Epilogue

Trellixian High Commander Kaldre was in the large space station above the Trellixian home world. Looking out one of the observation windows, he watched as assault shuttles from hundreds of Trellixian troop ships were launched and headed toward the planet.

“The food riots have grown until they cover nearly 28 percent of the planet,” said High Commander Thatrex. “The latest reports indicate over two billion deaths.”

“Bound to happen,” replied Kaldre, folding his powerful arms over his chest. “When we pulled so many fleets away from the frontiers to deal with the Humans and the Voltrex, we reduced the number of new worlds we could colonize. Then the food ration was reduced once more. It was more than our people could handle. They felt they were starving. There are reports coming in of food riots on other worlds as well but not as serious as the ones here.” There were no food reserves, and several civilian leaders had already been executed for hoarding.

High Commander Thatrex shook his head. “I never believed I would see this day. We must increase warship production to deal with the new and growing threat from the Humans and the Voltrex. We have a new class of warship that must be built to handle these enemies to the Empire.”

“Jelnoid technology,” said Kaldre, letting out a deep and frustrated breath. “It is as we always feared. Someday we would encounter a race with superior weapons and technology. The Humans have made that happen, and the Voltrex have built a massive fleet. If they convert their entire fleet to this technology, they will become a huge threat to the Empire, one we might not be able to overcome.”

On a nearby viewscreen was a scene from the planet below. Huge fires raged through the city as the military fought to bring them under control. Starving Trellixians attacked the troops, searching for any food they might be carrying. Trellixians were literally tearing each other apart. In several instances the troops were firing into the growing crowds.

Kaldre clicked off the viewscreen and turned to face Thatrex. “We cannot afford to fight a galactic war. It will be the end of us.”

“We have no choice,” replied High Commander Thatrex. “This is the course our people set long ago. We can tolerate no others. We must destroy the Humans and the Voltrex, and seize their worlds. Our people need the room to expand.”

Kaldre remained silent. He greatly feared for the future of the Empire. Between the Humans and the Voltrex, the Trellixian Empire would soon face its greatest enemy.

-

President Hathaway was in her office, gazing out the window at the city below. She had just finished a meeting with Lieutenant Commander LeLath, General Mitchell, Maggie Rayne, Captain Erickson, Captain Dolan, Professor Wilkens, and several others. Katelyn had been surprised at how charming Lieutenant Commander LeLath was. They had spent much of the time discussing the agreement signed between the two races.

“It’s the dawn of a new era,” said Maggie from Katelyn’s side. “With the size of the Voltrex fleet, and adding in our Jelnoid technology, we may finally make the planet safe from the Trellixians.”

Katelyn let out a deep sigh and turned toward Maggie. “That may all be true, but we’re still looking at war. We won’t ever be completely safe until the Trellixian Empire is no more. Once the fleet the Voltrex are building for us arrives, General Mitchell plans on going to the Voltrex Federation to speak to them about the next stage in the war.”

Maggie did not reply for a moment. “I know you’re tired of war and all that we lost. But no one will be safe as long as the Trellixian Empire is out there. Right now, with the Voltrex and our Jelnoid technology, maybe we can do something about that.”

“I know,” Katelyn replied. “I just got the casualty reports from the latest conflict with the Trellixians. Twenty-two cities destroyed, and many others killed who refused to go to the protected zones. We won’t ever know for sure, but it looks as if Earth lost another two million if its people. We will lose more in this war.”

“But someday our children may look skyward and not fear the Trellixians.”

Katelyn nodded. “I hope you’re right.” Folding her arms over her chest she looked out over the peaceful city. Soon it would be night, and some in the city would rest. Tomorrow would be another day, one that now held hope for the future of Earth.

-

Mark laughed at the look on his sister’s face. He had just introduced her to Lieutenant Commander LeLath. One thing he had done first was take the lieutenant commander to see a tame house cat. LeLath had been enthralled with the small pet.

“Hello,” Jennifer said nervously. “Mark said he was bringing you over.”

LeLath laughed. “Don’t worry. I don’t bite. Now I understand you have some larger cats on your world. Something called a lion or a tiger. How soon can I see one of those?”

Jennifer smiled. “I think we can arrange that. Come inside, and let’s talk. I have a thousand questions to ask.”

Mark grinned as LeLath and Jennifer went inside, chatting away. He was glad to be home.

-

Lisa and Brett were at a restaurant, eating. It was nice to get away from the ship for a while.

“So Professor Wilkens wants you to join him in his research,” said Brett as he buttered a roll.

Lisa nodded. “Not just me, all of us.”

Brett took a bite of his roll and then looked at Lisa. “I don’t know. I sort of enjoyed being on an exploration ship. Not much reason for me to stay here at one of the complexes. I can do most of my research on the ship.”

Lisa looked at Brett and made a decision. She reached out her hand, placing it on his. “I can think of one reason for you to stay.”

Brett looked a little surprised and then took Lisa’s hand in his, a smile breaking out across his face. “Maybe I need to reconsider.”

“I think you should,” replied Lisa. Her part in the war was over. She would stay at Complex One and try to rebuild her life. For the first time in several years she felt as if she had a future.

-

Several days later Trellixian Battle Commander Balforr looked at the message he had just received from the High Command. It seemed that Battle Commander Traven had failed to conquer the Human home world. The message indicated Traven had committed suicide shortly after his defeat.

High Commander Kaldre indicated the Empire was constructing a new class of warships to deal with the looming threat of the Humans and the Voltrex. Balforr was being summoned back to the home world to take command of the first fleet of finished vessels. The Humans and the Voltrex might have won these initial rounds in the war, but the war itself had barely begun.

In the end, Battle Commander Balforr was confident the Empire would win. He would be there someday when the Earth burned and the last Human died. It was the way of the Trellixian Empire—how it had been in the past and how it would be in the future. No one could be allowed to stand in its way. The Humans and the Voltrex would soon learn that lesson.

The End

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Earth Fall: Empires at War

The Humans and the Voltrex have joined together in a war against the Trellixian Empire. They are badly outnumbered but possess superior technology. As battles wage across Trellixian, Human, and Voltrex space, the end does not appear to be in sight.

Then, from an unexpected source, a solution is found to win the war. The only problem is, it will result in the death of tens of billions of Trellixians, possibly more. Is the solution worth the loss of so much life?

Find out in the third and final book of the series.

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There is also a special announcement on the last page of this book concerning the continuation of The Originator Wars.

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Turn the page to read the first chapter of Galactic Empire Wars one of my other military science fiction series.

Galactic Empire Wars

Destruction

Chapter One

Mason Randle gazed out of the cockpit window at the approaching mass of gray rock. Vesta was one of the larger planetoids in the ring of asteroids that existed between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The asteroid was approximately 326 miles in diameter and contained the headquarters for the Smithfield Mining Corporation. Mason was the current CEO and majority stockholder in the company originally founded by his grandfather.

“We will be landing in ten more minutes, Sir,” the pilot commented as he reached forward and turned on several instruments on the complicated control panel. His copilot mirrored his movements as they prepared to land.

“It will be good to get back home,” Mason responded as he leaned back in his acceleration couch and stretched. He had come up and taken a seat in the cockpit to watch the approach and landing.

They were in an interplanetary cargo ship that normally traveled between Earth and Vesta. The Smithfield Mining Corporation owned twenty-seven of the versatile three hundred-meter ships carrying refined metals to the company’s large space station in orbit around Earth. From there they were sold to various Earth companies for a very lucrative profit.

“I know how you miss Vesta,” Captain Sanders replied with a smile as he made several minor adjustments to the controls. “Smithfield will be a welcome relief after spending the last two weeks at Holbrook Station.”

Mason nodded; he was thirty-four years old and had gone to Earth to sign several important contracts with a number of companies wanting metals from the company. Smithfield was the only corporation currently with the money and the resources to mine the asteroid field and make money doing it. Several others had tried and failed, losing nearly everything in the attempt.

“Airlocks are opening,” Captain Sanders reported as the ship’s LIDAR system scanned the asteroid, giving real time data to the flight computer as the ship dropped steadily down toward the asteroid’s pockmarked surface. It was large enough to generate a slight gravity field of its own, but the powerful engines of the cargo ship had no trouble compensating for it.

Mason looked ahead at the asteroid, feeling glad to be home. He had been raised inside Vesta in the artificial world his grandfather had created and his father and he had added to. He could see the flashing lights on the surface, which designated the location of the main airlock.

The massive airlock doors slid open and the cargo ship flew smoothly inside, finding itself in a long and brightly lit tunnel two hundred meters in diameter. For another twenty-five kilometers the ship flew, passing through several more massive airlocks as it descended deeper and deeper into the asteroid. It finally entered a large chamber nearly two kilometers across and half a kilometer high. There were a number of berthing docks on the floor and the cargo ship dropped down smoothly toward an empty one, settling gently down on its landing struts. Moments later, the engines shut off and the ship became quiet.

“Good flight and landing, Captain,” spoke Mason, feeling anxious to leave the ship. His quarters on the ship had been comfortable, but Vesta was special. He knew that Captain Sanders was one of the best pilots in the company and had gone out of his way to accommodate him on this trip.

“It was a pleasure to have you aboard, Sir,” Sanders replied with a friendly nod.

Mason left the cockpit and made his way to the hatch, finding the docking tube already connected to the ship. Walking through it, he went into a smaller airlock and then exited to find two people waiting for him. One was his close friend, Drake Thomason, and the other was his secretary, Adrienne Lynn.

“Mason, it’s good to have you back,” spoke Drake, reaching out and shaking Mason’s hand. “How was your trip to Earth?” Drake was an expert mining engineer and second in command behind Mason.

“Very good,” Mason responded with a pleased smile. “I signed several lucrative contracts for the delivery of ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and platinum with our two biggest rare metal contractors.”

“Wow!” exclaimed Drake, feeling excited that Mason had managed to sign contracts for the precious metals. “How did you accomplish that?” Drake knew they would make some good money for the delivery of the rare metals. It would also please a number of the prospectors.

“It’s becoming increasingly more difficult to find the metals on Earth, and they have finally had to turn to us,” Mason replied with a satisfied smile. “We stand to make a good bundle off the new contracts.”

“Enough to pay for your new exploration cruiser?” teased Adrienne, referring to the unfinished hulk of the five hundred-meter Phoenix that was in the landing bay. Adrienne had blonde hair and deep blue eyes that made most men swoon.

“Perhaps,” Mason responded with a grin. She was always teasing him about all the money he was putting into the new ship. It was a big investment, but he knew in his heart that someday it would pay off.

Adrienne was the most efficient secretary he had ever had; things seemed to run very smoothly with her around. She was twenty-eight years old, extremely attractive, and somehow still managed to stay single. She also kept good track of the work being done on his pet project, the Phoenix.

The Phoenix was supposed to be the first interstellar exploration ship to leave the solar system. The ship would be the largest and most modern spacecraft ever built once it was finished. The only problem was the star drive. The scientists had still not managed to come up with a workable star drive that could break the speed of light barrier. Until that happened, the ship would remain unfinished. Even so, other systems were being installed and tested. Her new sublight drive would be the fastest one ever placed in a spaceship. Mason couldn’t wait to test it out and see if they could break the system speed records. There was no doubt in his mind that they could do so easily.

The three walked down several corridors until they reached a large transit station. Once again, they passed through an airlock to find themselves upon a large platform, similar to a subway station back on Earth. A number of other people were present as they were going to and from work. They made their way to a waiting transit car and sat down. The cars could hold up to twenty people at a time, ran on electricity, and were extremely comfortable.

“How are Larcy and Madison?” asked Mason, looking over at Drake as they waited for the car to begin moving. There were still a few people taking their seats. Larcy was Drake’s wife, and Madison was their twelve-year-old daughter.

“They’re doing great,” Drake responded, pleased that Mason had asked. “Madison is doing excellent in school. They’re supposed to be interviewing someone for a school project and I believe she has chosen you as her victim.”

Mason laughed. He loved kids, his sister had two of them, and he never got tired of being around them. “Tell her to come by the office and we can do it; have her check with Adrienne first to make sure I’m there.”

The car began moving, rapidly accelerating to its top speed of sixty kilometers per hour, and entered a narrow tunnel. After traveling twelve kilometers, the car began to slow and finally pulled into another transit station.

“We’re here,” spoke Adrienne, smiling. “Are you going to the office or the Control Center?” She knew that Mason would want to check on everything to see how things had run during his absence.

“The Control Center,” Mason replied after a moment of thought. “I want to check on several of our current mining operations as well as what our stock levels are on the precious metals I just signed contracts for.”

“Your sister wants you to come over for supper tonight,” Adrienne added. She knew being around his sister’s two young children was something Mason really enjoyed.

“Tell her I’ll be there,” Mason responded with a smile. Just thinking about his sister’s cooking make him feel hungry. Susan was a good cook, and her husband Michael was one of the top asteroid prospectors in the company. A home cooked meal sounded great after eating the MREs on the cargo ship.

“Don’t be late,” warned Adrienne, folding her arms across her more than ample chest. “You know how your sister gets if her food gets cold.”

“I won’t,” Mason promised, as he didn’t want to upset Susan. “Is Michael home, or is he out prospecting?”

“I believe he’s out at one of the mining operations,” answered Adrienne, recalling one of the reports she had read earlier in the day that detailed the current status of the prospectors. She tried to stay up to date on everything just in case Mason asked.

“He is,” Drake confirmed as the three stepped out of the transit car and onto the brightly lit platform. “He left yesterday and will be gone for three days. He took some new mining equipment out to one of his newer claims.”

Mason nodded. Over one hundred licensed prospectors worked for the Smithfield Mining Cooperation out of Vesta and were responsible for setting up mining operations on any asteroid they filed a claim on. The minerals were mined and sent back to Vesta to be refined, and each prospector received a lucrative paycheck, which he used to pay for his mining operation and deposit in his bank account. Most of the miners worked numerous claims to bring in as much cash as possible.

The three walked down a short corridor and passed through yet another airlock. This was the last one as they stepped out into the massive habitat that had been created inside of Vesta to house the employees of the Smithfield Mining Corporation. For thirty kilometers, the habitat extended. As far as the eye could see were trees, grasses, streams and a few small lakes.

The city of Smithfield itself was in the center and contained seventy thousand people. The habitat was twelve kilometers wide and two kilometers high. It was like a miniature Earth but free of pollution. Birds and other abundant wildlife were allowed to roam free in most areas. Special wildlife rangers kept a close watch on the animal species, making sure they didn’t get out of balance and that they remained healthy. Mason’s grandfather had begun the construction of the habitat and Mason’s father and he had finished it. It had been a massive, expensive project and Mason was extremely pleased with what had been built here. Nothing else like this existed anywhere else in the solar system.

Many people had felt it was a boondoggle to build something like this so far from Earth. However, once his grandfather and father had begun exploiting the available resources to be found in the asteroids, many people soon came to change their mind. Families flocked to Smithfield to find their fortune and soon found that they had found a home instead. The population had swelled until they had to put restrictions on who could come and live here. Now only the best and brightest were even considered. Construction of a larger habitat had already begun as Mason had ideas for the future that would allow their lucrative mining operations to be greatly expanded. The moons of Jupiter and Saturn beckoned, and Mason intended to be the first to plant mining operations on each one of them.

The three took an electric car to the city and after dropping Adrienne off at the office, the two men soon made their way to the underground Control Center that monitored the habitat as well as the ongoing mining operations. They had to take an elevator down to the Control Center, as it was located six levels beneath the city of Smithfield.

Entering the Control Center, Mason let out a deep breath. They were in a large room where over sixty men and women were busy at work. On all four walls, massive viewscreens showed views of the inside of the habitat, Smithfield, as well as some of the nearby mining operations. Everyone was dressed in a standard dark blue uniform, which was the normal dress code for company employees while they were on the job.

From the Control Center, all of the outgoing prospecting missions were monitored as well as the current mining operations on numerous large and small asteroids. Mining on an asteroid was a dangerous business, and the company had long since come up with stringent guidelines to maximize safety. Many of the operators in the Control Center were busy monitoring and speaking to different ongoing mining operations. Each operation had to report back to Vesta on a daily basis.

“Mason, I’m glad you’re back,” Pamela Cairns said, hurrying over to where Mason and Drake were standing. She had a look of confusion in her eyes. “Something interesting is coming in over our communication feeds from Holbrook Station and Luna City; you need to see it!”

Holbrook Station had been named after Mason’s father and was the large company space station in orbit around the Earth. Pamela was thirty-two-years-old, married, with dark black hair, which she normally kept cut short. She also had a ten-year-old son that constantly got into everything.

“What is it, Pamela?” asked Mason, feeling curious. There hadn’t been anything out of the ordinary mentioned on the media channels when he had been down on Earth or on Holbrook Station. He had just left the station four days ago; he couldn’t imagine anything that could have changed in that short amount of time.

“You need to come to the main communications console,” Pamela said, gesturing for the two men to follow her. “We just started receiving this a few minutes ago and we’re not sure what’s going on. You’re not going to believe this!”

They made their way across the room to the main com console. There were four communication specialists sitting in front of the large console. From here, they could keep track of their twenty-seven cargo ships as well as the one hundred and five smaller prospector ships. They could also communicate with Earth, Luna City, or Mars Central if need be.

Fortunately, thanks to a communications breakthrough on Earth, faster than light communication had been discovered. So far, the principles that allowed communications to bypass the light barrier hadn’t found its way into ships yet. When it did, the Phoenix would be ready and Mason would be off to Alpha Centauri on the first interstellar trip. He already had a team of engineers and scientists looking into that aspect of the new communications technology.

“What do we have?” asked Mason, looking over at Pamela curiously. She was showing a lot of concern on her face, which was unusual. Even her shortly cut black hair looked slightly ruffled.

“Put it up on the main screen,” Pamela instructed Jessica Lang, one of the communication specialists.

The young woman pressed several icons on her computer screen, and the image she had been observing was transferred to one of the big viewscreens on the wall above her.

Instantly an image appeared on the screen. Mason and Drake stopped breathing at what was being shown. They hadn’t been expecting anything like this.

“Where is that?” demanded Mason, stepping even closer to the screen, staring at it in disbelief. Surely, this had to be a joke of some kind.

“That image is being broadcast from Luna City,” Jessica replied as she checked the video feed. “We just started receiving it a few minutes ago. Holbrook Station has confirmed it.”

Upon the screen was a massive spacecraft, larger than anything Mason had ever seen before or even believed to be possible. He had thought the Phoenix was huge, being five hundred meters long and ninety meters across, but the Phoenix would look like a gnat up against this monstrosity.

“How large is that thing?” Drake asked in a stunned voice. He knew there was not any way that ship had originated in the solar system. This could mean only one thing; aliens had found the Earth!

“LIDAR readings from Luna City indicate that it’s eight thousand two hundred meters across, and one thousand meters thick,” Jessica replied as she glanced at a computer screen showing additional data that Luna City was transmitting. “It looks like a giant black disk.”

“Contact Holbrook Station and inform them to halt all traffic,” ordered Mason as he tried to grasp what was happening. “I don’t want any launches until we know what this thing is and why it’s here.”

“Yes, Sir,” Jessica replied. Then she glanced at Mason with a frightened look upon her face. “Sir, is that an alien spaceship?” Several of the other communication specialists paused as they waited expectantly for Mason’s answer.

Mason was silent for a moment. “I think so,” he finally replied. “I don’t know of anyone on Earth that could have built something like that. That’s why I want all launches halted. I don’t want them to misconstrue the movements of our ships as being threatening.”

Jessica nodded and turned back to her console to begin transmitting Mason’s orders to Holbrook Station. “I just hope they’re friendly,” she commented in a strained voice, her heart racing.

“So do I,” Mason said as he continued to look at the screen. “Pamela, I want you to send a message to all of our mining operations, as well as all prospector and cargo ships. Until further notice, all communications are to be halted. Only in the case of an extreme emergency is anyone to send a message. Tell them an alien craft is approaching Earth and we’ll keep them informed as we get more information.”

“Yes, Sir,” Pamela replied as she stepped over to her command console and began speaking rapidly over her com unit to all the operators in the large room. There were lots of messages that needed to be sent out as rapidly as possible. Even as she passed on the orders, her eyes kept glancing nervously up at the viewscreen and the alien ship. She could feel the rising tension in the large Control Room.

“What do you think they want?” Drake asked as he gazed uneasily at the alien ship. His wife would be scared to death when she saw this thing on the news. Hell, a lot of people were going to be!

Luna City was now sending some close-ups of the ship, and it was evident that it was heavily armed. Large weapon turrets were visible upon the hull of the ship as well as numerous hatches that were now opening. Drake was glad that his family was here inside Vesta. His parents, his brother, his wife, and daughter were all safe in Smithfield.

“That thing’s armed,” Mason spoke, not liking what he was seeing. “Why would an exploration ship be covered in weapons?”

“We never even considered putting weapons on the Phoenix,” Drake responded as he looked intently at the weapon turrets on the alien ship.

He shook his head in worry, knowing he needed to call Larcy soon. He was sure it was only a matter of time before this breaking news was all over the major media outlets, most of which could be received in the homes of the people who lived in Smithfield.

“Sir,” another one of the operators broke in. “The United States government has been attempting to contact the aliens.” She paused for several moments as she continued to listen. “They are reporting that there has been no reply from the alien ship to any of their communication attempts.”

“I don’t like this at all,” muttered Drake, shaking his head.

They continued to watch as over the next half hour the alien ship continued its approach to Earth, finally settling into orbit twenty thousand kilometers above the planet. From several of the large open hatches on the ship, smaller vessels could be seen leaving and heading toward Earth.

“The United States has just raised their defense status,” Pamela reported uneasily as she monitored the main communication console and talked to the four communications specialists. “The U.K., Russia, Germany, France, China, Australia, Canada, and several others have followed suit. They are also launching interceptor aircraft, and the U.S. and the U.K. have just activated their missile defense grids.”

“This could get serious fast,” Drake said with a concerned look upon his face, looking over at Mason meaningfully. “Why won’t they speak to us, and where are all of those small craft going? What if a fighter jet shoots one down?”

“I don’t know,” Mason responded as his eyes gazed fixedly at the main viewscreen. He didn’t like the way this situation was developing. There were too many things that could go wrong.

For several heart-stopping minutes, they waited for additional information. At any moment, they expected to hear reports of one of the smaller alien ships being shot down.

“A special report is being broadcast over all media stations confirming the approach of the alien ship,” Pamela informed them with a pale look upon her face. “The people are being told to remain indoors and not to panic, that the world governments have the situation under control.”

“Like hell they do,” commented Drake, shaking his head. “They’re just as scared as we are.”

He knew he should go make a call to his wife and tell her not to worry. Larcy had a bad habit of overreacting to situations at times. It might not be a bad idea to ask his parents to go over to the house to help keep her calm.

Mason remained silent. He was looking at the alien spacecraft, noting that there was no visible sign of what type of propulsion it was using. The size of the craft, the obvious presence of numerous weapons, and its continued refusal to communicate worried him. This was a situation that could go south in an instant if anyone overreacted, and the small ships that were flying into the Earth’s atmosphere might just cause that to happen. All it would take would be for one of the fighter jets to shoot one down and they might find themselves in an interstellar war.

“How many of the small craft did Luna City detect leaving the ship?” Mason demanded as his eyes focused back on Pamela.

“Over thirty,” she replied as she checked a computer screen. “Luna City is reporting that each of the small ships is nearly two hundred meters across and similar in build to the mother ship.”

“I think I saw this movie a while back,” commented Drake dryly, glancing over at Mason. “It didn’t end well.”

“Pamela, contact all of our cargo ships that are currently in transit to Earth and turn them around,” Mason ordered after thinking the situation over. He was getting a bad feeling about this. “I want our ships to stay away from Earth space for the time being until we know more about these aliens.”

“Is there anything we need to do here?” asked Drake, raising his eyebrows. “What if one of their small ships heads out our way?”

Drake knew that all the major weapons that might be a threat to the aliens were located on Earth; none had been allowed to go out into space due to numerous treaties. Those treaties were aimed at keeping the solar system weapons free.

“Make sure all the airlocks are secure, and place armed guards at the ones in the transit stations and a few in the spacedock,” Mason ordered as he thought about what they could do. “I want Vesta locked down tight until we better understand what’s going on.” He knew the thick metal airlocks would make it virtually impossible to break into the inhabited sections of the asteroid.

For once, he wished he had a larger security force. Crime was almost unknown in Smithfield. His security force only consisted of thirty men and women with light weapons such as pistols and small caliber assault rifles. They were all the treaties allowed.

“Where have those small craft gone?” demanded Mason, looking back at the viewscreen. The way those ships had headed toward Earth looked ominous. This was not how he had visualized a first contact situation.

He could hear people talking in the Control Center as they speculated about what the aliens wanted. He couldn’t blame them; this was making him nervous also. This would be their first contact with an alien species and from the look of their heavily armed ship; Mason wasn’t sure just how friendly they were going to be.

“We don’t know,” reported Pamela worriedly, turning around to face Mason. “Luna City and Holbrook Station lost track of them when they entered the Earth’s atmosphere, and it seems that no one on Earth can track them either. The United States has just upped their defense status to the next level and we can expect the others to do so shortly. They’re scrambling more fighters to find and intercept the alien ships that have entered the atmosphere. The United States government has ordered the fighters not to let the alien ships land unless they initiate communications first.”

“All we need is for someone to start shooting,” Drake muttered, his eyes growing wide at the developing situation on Earth. “We don’t need to start an interstellar war! If these aliens can build ships of that size, who knows what type of weapons they possess.”

“A shuttle is being dispatched from the International Space Station to attempt to make contact,” Pamela added as new information appeared on her screen. She was staying busy trying to stay on top of everything as it occurred.

Mason nodded. The new International Space Station was much larger than the previous one that had been built back around the turn of the century. It currently had a crew of nearly seventy and was mostly a research facility. He wondered what that crew thought about the aliens.

Drake stepped over closer to the communications console so he could read some of the data coming in over the numerous screens. Most of it was from Luna City, and it was evident that they were feeling panic. The majority of Luna City was built deep underground, and was similar in many ways to Smithfield but on a much smaller scale. Instead of one large underground habitat, there were a dozen smaller ones. Over twenty-two thousand people called Luna City their home. Drake knew it had to be frightening for them, knowing how near the alien ship was. He also knew that there were very few weapons at Luna City. They were much like Vesta with a small police force equipped with only light weapons.

For the next hour, they continued to monitor the situation. The alien craft was still refusing to communicate, and no trace could be found of the thirty smaller ships that had entered the Earth’s atmosphere. Somehow, the ships were able to avoid or neutralize all of the Earth’s sophisticated detection equipment. Radar, LIDAR, and other sensor equipment could detect nothing. It was as if they had vanished.

“The shuttle from the International Space Station is nearing the alien ship,” Pamela reported anxiously. She turned to face Drake and Mason with a concerned look upon her normally calm face. “They are halting their approach at twenty kilometers and will attempt to communicate. Some of the scientists on Earth have suggested several different methods to initiate communications. A few feel the aliens may not have understood our first attempts. They will be transmitting a language primer based on numbers. It will contain several universal concepts and should form a basis for allowing the aliens to learn our language.”

“Why do I think it’s a waste of time?” muttered Drake, shaking his head doubtfully. “As large and advanced as that ship is they are bound to know how to communicate with us if they wanted to.” He shifted his weight over to his other foot. He had called his parents and they should have made it over to his house by now. He hoped Larcy was doing all right; he probably should give her a call when he had a chance.

“I think you’re right,” Mason said in agreement. “This whole thing seems kind of odd. If their ship is as advanced as it looks, they should have a method for initiating communications in first contact situations. Surely we’re not the first race they have come across.”

For several minutes, they waited tensely as Luna City and Holbrook Station monitored the communications attempts from the shuttle. Everyone held their breath as they waited for the aliens to reply, wondering what the alien’s first words would be.

“Nothing,” reported Pamela after several minutes had gone by with no response. She shook her head in growing worry. “They still will not communicate, and the crew of the shuttle have tried over half a dozen different methods of communication that the linguists down on Earth suggested.”

“They even tried flashing lights,” Jessica added as she looked at additional information on a data screen. “There was no response to anything.”

“Now what?” asked Drake, folding his arms across his chest as he looked over at Mason. “Do we just let them sit there?”

“There are reports of riots breaking out in several cities,” Jessica continued as she listened to a number of media feeds that were coming in over several of her screens. Her eyes took on a frightened look. “There is panic buying going on, with people stocking up on food, water, and other essentials. All the stock exchanges across the world have been closed down to prevent panic selling from devastating the markets.”

“It’s only going to get worse the longer the aliens go without communicating,” commented Drake, shaking his head.

“Pamela,” one of the other communications specialists broke in. “The communications shuttle is being ordered to back off to one hundred kilometers as a safety precaution. They don’t want the aliens to feel the shuttle is a threat.”

“The shuttle,” laughed Drake, arching his eyebrows. “I suspect the aliens don’t consider the shuttle to be a threat at all. They are just ignoring it like everything else.”

“I just wish we knew what those smaller craft are up to,” spoke Mason, worriedly. He had a bad feeling about all of this and those small craft concerned him. What were they doing down on Earth, and why couldn’t they be detected?

-

One of the small alien ships was flying low over the ground in the United States as it scanned the cities and towns below. The crew of the ship knew it was invisible to any of the primitive detection technology available to this world. It was dark below, and none of the sleeping populace knew what was flying above them. Finally, the crew found what they were seeking. The ship slowly circled as its powerful computers confirmed that they had found what they had been sent to retrieve.

The ship slowed and came to a stop five thousand meters above its intended target. Several small hatches opened, and powerful paralyzing beams shot out and played over the area below, knocking all forms of life unconscious. Once the crew of the alien ship was satisfied that all life forms below had been rendered helpless, the ship landed. It was time now to complete the primary part of their mission.

Airlocks opened and ramps descended to the ground. The crew emerged and began spreading out across the small military base. They were dressed in dark suits of combat armor and stood nearly ten feet tall. Only a few were armed, as they expected no resistance due to the paralyzing beams. They began loading hundreds of unconscious Humans into the ship. They carried them into the ship two or three at a time since the suits of battle armor gave the wearers nearly superhuman strength. The small craft could hold over one thousand of the targeted Humans they had been sent to find. Once they were finished, they would return to the command ship, unload their unconscious Human cargo, and come back for more.

-

Mason had finally gone to his sister’s home to eat. There had been no further developments with the alien ship; it remained in orbit around the Earth and was still not communicating. Luna City had reported that they had spotted several of the smaller ships return and then later leave again. This made Mason nervous; he wondered what they could be up to. Drake and Pamela were still in the Control Center and would contact him if anything new developed.

“What’s going on, Mason?” Susan asked as she placed the food on the table. She was deeply concerned about the alien ship.

News about it was on all of the media stations, and the fact that her husband had gone off to one of his mining ventures didn’t help. She was concerned about Michael’s safety and didn’t know what she would do if something happened to him.

“No one knows,” Mason replied as Susan sat down across from him. “The aliens are not communicating, so everyone is still in the dark as to why they’re here.”

The two children had eaten earlier and gone over to a neighbors to play. Mason and his sister were very close, and she worked several hours a day at the main office reviewing the contracts that Mason managed to get signed. She had several business degrees and enjoyed working during the day while the kids were gone to school.

“I wish Michael were here,” she said as she began eating her salad. She didn’t have much of an appetite. “I don’t like him being gone while something like this is occurring.”

“The alien ship is at Earth,” Mason responded as he buttered a roll. His sister was an excellent cook, just as their mother had been. “We’ve cut off our communications with everyone except an occasional tight beam message to Luna City and Holbrook Station. The aliens may not even know that we’re out here.”

“I hope not,” Susan replied as she reached for the salad dressing. “I spoke with Larcy earlier, and she’s really frightened. Drake’s parents came over to stay with her until he can come home.”

“Drake was afraid this would frighten Larcy,” Mason responded as he took a bite of his roll. “So far the aliens are not communicating even though Luna City has reported seeing a number of small craft leave the larger ship, go to Earth, and then return only to leave for Earth again. Drake is still in the Control Center with Pamela. He should be going home in another hour or two if nothing new develops.”

Susan stopped eating her salad and gazed across the table at Mason. “Why?” she asked, looking perplexed with her eyes focusing on her brother. “What are they up to? It almost sounds as if they’re hunting for something.”

“I thought about that also,” confessed Mason, still feeling uneasy about the situation. “But I doubt if that’s the case, and if it is, why don’t they just tell us? If they need something, I’m sure the world governments would be willing to help.”

“Is it true the ship is armed?” Susan asked in a lower voice. She had heard about this on the news earlier. One of the media stations had shown pictures of what looked like weapon turrets on the alien’s ship.

Mason hesitated, but he knew there was no point in keeping that fact a secret from his sister. “Yes, it’s armed. Pretty heavily from the information that Luna City has sent us.”

“What about Holbrook Station?” Susan asked with growing concern in her eyes. “What are they doing?”

Susan was concerned because her brother-in-law was in charge of the large station where their cargo ships docked and unloaded their cargo for distribution to Earth. There were also nearly six hundred crewmembers on the space station as well.

“I’ve ordered the station to do nothing,” answered Mason, knowing Susan was concerned and why. “I’ve stopped all traffic to and from the station as well as ordered all of our ships currently in transit to Holbrook to turn around and return here until we know more about what’s going on.”

Susan nodded as she resumed eating her salad. It sounded to her as if Mason had done everything he could. “You don’t think they will come here, do you?”

“I don’t know,” Mason replied evenly, not wanting to frighten his sister any more than she already was. “I’ve locked everything down and placed security guards at the main airlocks. If they do come, they will have a hard time getting in.”

Mason had already wondered what he would do if the aliens were to show up at Vesta. He knew it might be wise to make a brief broadcast to the people in Smithfield telling them there was no reason to panic and to let them know that they were monitoring the situation at Earth.

Mason finished eating his meal and then spent some time talking to his sister before telling her good night and heading back to the Control Center. He would make a short announcement to the people in Smithfield, and then if nothing was occurring with the aliens he was going to turn in for the night. He had a feeling the next few days were going to be hectic, and he might not get a lot of sleep.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JL5HU6W/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

Other Books by Raymond L. Weil

Available on Amazon

Moon Wreck (The Slaver Wars Book 1)

The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact (The Slaver Wars Book 2)

Moon Wreck: Fleet Academy (The Slaver Wars Book 3)

The Slaver Wars: First Strike (The Slaver Wars Book 4)

The Slaver Wars: Retaliation (The Slaver Wars Book 5)

The Slaver Wars: Galactic Conflict (The Slaver Wars Book 6)

The Slaver Wars: Endgame (The Slaver Wars Book 7)

The Slaver Wars: Books 1-3

-

Dragon Dreams

Dragon Dreams: Dragon Wars

Dragon Dreams: Gilmreth the Awakening

Dragon Dreams: Snowden the White Dragon

-

Star One: Tycho City: Survival

Star One: Neutron Star

Star One: Dark Star

Star One

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Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction (Book 1)

Galactic Empire Wars: Emergence (Book 2)

Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion (Book 3)

Galactic Empire Wars: The Alliance (Book 4)

Galactic Empire Wars: Insurrection (Book 5)

Galactic Empire Wars: The Beginning (Books 1-3)

-

The Lost Fleet: Galactic Search (Book 1)

The Lost Fleet: Into the Darkness (Book 2)

The Lost Fleet: Oblivion’s Light (Book 3)

The Lost Fleet: Genesis (Book 4)

The Lost Fleet: Search for the Originators (Book 5)

-

The Star Cross (Book 1)

The Star Cross: The Dark Invaders (Book 2)

The Star Cross: Galaxy in Peril (Book 3)

The Star Cross: The Forever War (Book 4)

The Star Cross: The Vorn! (Book 5)

-

The Originator Wars: Universe in Danger (Book 1)

The Originator Wars: Search for the Lost (Book 2)

The Originator Wars: Conflict Unending (Book 3)

-

Earth Fall: Invasion (Book 1)

Earth Fall: To the Stars (Book 2)

(All dates are tentative)

Earth Fall: Empires at War (Book 3) June 2018

The Originator Wars: Explorations (Book 1) July 2018

Special Announcement!!

Due to numerous requests The Originator Wars will continue in a new series. If you want to continue to follow the exploits and adventures of the Special Five, Ariel, Clarissa, and the others in the Slaver Wars, Lost Fleet, and Originator Wars series the first book should be out sometime in July of 2018. Once again I want to thank everyone for your support in my writing and all the wonderful emails I’ve received.

Thank You

Raymond L. Weil