The Fate of Terra Ch. 08

Pandora gave a derisive snort, 'They wouldn't have even been able to spot them if not for the alien ships braking.'

'When will they get here?' Michael asked.

'Roughly 36 hours at their current speed of deceleration,' came the reply.

'Hostile?' he asked, dreading the answer.

'They're warships, master. Though they have large bulbous-shaped vessels in the center of their formation I can only guess are carriers.'

He sighed, knowing that probably meant an invasion force. Michael hoped the world leaders could make contact with them, but doubted they were getting out of this without at least a show of force. The couple approached the situation room, usually where they identified threats around the world and conducted missions.

Standing outside was a gray-bearded man in black gleaming combat armor with a silver snake wrapped around a dagger emblazoned on his shoulder. Marcus Weber had been a Green Beret before he became disillusioned with the US government after some politician had ignored intelligence reports and pulled strings to send his team in to secure a refinery that he'd had vested interests in. The master sergeant was the only survivor when they'd walked into an ambush and he'd lost the use of both his legs and was left for dead. Although he pulled through, he had a lot of bitter feelings to deal with over the years.

After Michael had contacted him roughly two years ago and he underwent several treatments to regain the use of his legs. He finally became fully functional when the nanites had been developed and he'd sworn himself to Michael ever since. Marcus now led the troops and trained them relentlessly, determined not to squander his second chance.

Michael nodded to him and said briskly, "You have 28 hours to complete the pickup. At 32 hours we go to lockdown and nothing comes in or out." Marcus returned the nod and strode off, already talking into his mike. He knew there were over 800 relatives and loved ones from all over the world on that list and this would be cutting it close. Flying shuttles would leave from the hangar below through a series of tunnels, coming out from the side of a nearby mountain.

The couple strode into the situation room. Three of the seven world leaders Pandora had contacted were on the large holographic display in the center of the room. Michael sat in a leather high-backed chair that had been welded to the floor. Kat sat on his lap and they held each other in worried silence. "My mother?" she asked in a soft voice. Michael nodded his head reassuringly.

When all seven leaders were on the screen Kat got off his lap and walked to one of the work stations around the room, most of which had occupants furiously typing away and monitoring the situation. Michael leaned forward and Pandora brought up the video she'd managed to obtain using her telescopes, far advanced from what the rest of the planet had available. Michael explained their timeframe and that they needed to get their people in place, silently so as not to cause a panic or give away their intentions to the invaders.

"Maybe they're not actually going to attack," the French president announced. "Perhaps they only wish to trade."

The Russian and Chinese leaders scoffed and President Whitmore explained, "That's why we'll try to open negotiations first, but if all else fails we won't have time to deliberate a course of action." There was some more exchange, but it quickly became apparent that they wouldn't know anything new until the aliens arrived. * * * * * They came not with threats and demands, nor with greetings and messages. They didn't respond to any of Earth's broadcasts.

As they encircled the planet, Michael thought back to the theories he'd read about the unlikely chance that extraterrestrials would think in similar patterns as humans; the idea that they could be so completely different that people would never be able to understand their motivations. Watching their ships, Michael thought to himself, 'Or maybe they 'are' like us and they simply see our forces as being so pitiful they won't even bother to open communications.'

"Any luck on penetrating their systems?" he asked.

"No, master," Pandora responded. "They don't appear to have much, if any, security, but it'll take time for me to decipher the language."

From out of the carriers came thousands of huge gray rectangular dropships and one enormous spherical ship. They all descended on the planet and every country began mobilizing their air forces. All eyes on the planet watched as the spherical ship hovered over the White House where the president was broadcasting his message of peace and welcoming the aliens. An invisible beam shot out from the bottom of the sphere, the air shimmering where it touched. A second later there was an explosion and dust and debris flew in all directions.

Stacey, who'd been manning one of the stations, cried out in surprise and grief. Michael glanced at a tech he'd assigned to the task and the man gave a thumbs-up saying, "They made it! Signal's still coming in strong..." Stacey glanced up in shock and Michael explained that her father had been broadcasting from the bunker under the White House. Michael noticed the rubble and knew someone would have to dig him out, but at least he'd made it.

Every country with the capabilities began launching nuclear missiles towards the ships in space just as the aliens began knocking out all the satellites surrounding the planet. Michael ordered Pandora to take control of the missiles and lead them in and to also provide her own sensor information to each country. Michael made a gesture and said, "Launch Operation Terra." He knew that as soon as the signal reached them, missile platforms would be appearing from the dark side of the moon to begin launching his own missiles at the aliens.

Meanwhile, close to 50,000 AI-controlled craft, dubbed "Furies," would be launching around the world and joining various countries' scrambled fighters to hit the dropships, many of which had already landed and were unloading troops. Each Fury was a 28ft long drone that was powered by Pandora's prototype nuclear engine. They had two thrusters for maneuverability, two miniature ion cannons that fired balls of light-blue plasma that exploded on contact, and a reinforced shell made of ionized metal.

Michael didn't know if it was arrogance or ignorance that caused the aliens to underestimate their nuclear capabilities. Surely they received radio broadcasts detailing what these missiles would do on the way here. Whether they simply ignored that intelligence or confused them with fantastical science-fiction broadcasts, it proved to be a critical mistake.

The spherical shape had been moving towards New York when it was hit by no less than three cruise missiles capped with 200 kiloton warheads fired by an Ohio-class submarine off the Atlantic Coast. There wasn't any fizzle against the shields like in that "Independence Day" movie. The first missile hit the shields and the entire craft was jarred sideways, falling out of the sky due to the EMP. The second hit and blew junks out of its hull, shredding it to pieces. The third missile was overkill. It hit and pulverized the remaining segments, melting them together, and leaving unidentifiable chunks to hit the ground.

In space, by the time the invaders finally realized they could be damaged by these things, nearly a fourth of their numbers had been destroyed. These were ballistic missiles carrying many times the yield of the cruise missiles. The alien ships tried to hit them with their rays before they could reach them but there were thousands of them and they had to watch the ones coming from the moon as well. Additionally, Pandora was guiding them so they behaved erratically, calculating the most efficient trajectories without being predictable. As they watched, a rocket-propelled hydrogen bomb struck a carrier and they saw its huge metal frame disintegrate before their eyes. Michael realized that the metal in their hulls had to be much weaker than what Pandora was using.

On the ground, desperate fighting was taking place. The tall bipedal creatures armored in some kind of grayish material ran out of the dropships in the hundreds toting blaster pistols that shot invisible rays which shredded body armor. Soldiers and civilians fought side by side to repel the invaders. Tanks and aircraft tried to hit the dropships before they reached the ground, but they were proving to be much more maneuverable than anything they'd seen before, though they couldn't operate as fast as Pandora's craft in the atmosphere. They also had weapons of their own and were laying waste to anything that got near them. The Furies were proving to be a match however, and were using their superior numbers to gang up on the attackers and pour fire into them. * * * * * Aurora and her bridge crew had watched the broadcasts with solemn expressions once their disbelief had worn off. They looked up to see a shadow of one of those gray dropships descending on their vessel and knew their time was up. She felt herself start to tear up and bowed her head, 'Sorry, Michael. I guess I couldn't join you after all.'

The startled gasps of her crew drew her head up sharply and she saw two black craft rising out of the water on either side of the ship. They both opened fire on the approaching dropship, one moving in front of the Oases of the Seas as a shield and one rocketing towards the alien vessel in an attempt to ram it. Whereas the dropship's invisible rays barely caused the AI-controlled craft to slow, though it did melt through a considerable amount of its metal plating, the balls of plasma riddled the alien craft with holes. As the balls burst on impact, the substance they left behind continued to melt through the metal. By the time the black craft finally collided, the burned-out hulk of the dropship was smashed to pieces. * * * * * Michael sighed in relief, having watched the action take place. He'd assigned two of the Furies to remain under the ship, invisible to sonar, and guard Aurora at all times.

The ships surrounding the planet were shooting down most of the missiles aimed at them, but as fewer and fewer of them survived the onslaught there was less firepower for them to bring to bear. It quickly became apparent they would soon be overwhelmed. As if realizing this, each of the alien ships turned and began retreating out of the system.

However, as they were leaving, each ship released a bulging projectile back towards the planet. These bombs were slow and ungainly and Michael understood why they hadn't used them in defense. The missiles rocketing towards fleeing ships began retargeting towards the incoming projectiles and enormous explosions began lighting up the screen. Only two managed to make it into the upper atmosphere where Furies were waiting to take them out.

The retreating ships ran for roughly ten minutes before, in a wave projecting outwards as the signal reached them, they slowed to a stop and remained in position, floating in space. "Got them, master. I still don't fully understand their language, but I've managed to understand how the computers control their systems," Pandora informed him.

"Disable everything but life support systems and park them on the moon," Michael ordered. "See if you can do the same for the remaining dropships and let the governments know that they are under our control." Focusing back on the land battle he saw that it was mostly over but that isolated enemy forces were still holding out in places with lots of vegetation or infrastructure. He tapped his mike, "Marcus, send the teams out that have the mech armor to help clean up." 'Pan, start broadcasting to cities near where those nukes went off that the cancer centers we set up to use nanobots will accept cases of radiation sickness.'

Looking at the feeds from around the world, Michael saw people coming out of the woodwork, realizing that the danger was over and that they had survived. Not just survived, but overcome an enemy they didn't even know they had; one with access to superior technology that had been prepared to kill them or enslave them or worse.

They began cheering their victory. There was a feeling of unity between the races. People from different countries and social classes had banded together to shout their defiance at those wanting to take their freedom and their right to live. There was one voice that shouted to the stars that here lies the human race. If the aliens wanted a fight, the people of Earth would give 'em one.

Michael felt his spirit rise and his pride for humanity grow. They would bounce back from this and they would be stronger for it. Then his spirit plummeted and he felt a sharp pain in his chest as he saw the estimated casualty numbers scroll across his screen. 'Dear God... Over six hundred thousand lost and counting.' He grew pale and his vision swam. He felt bile rise in his throat. So many lost... His responsibility...

Kat saw him and reached out to deliver a hard slap that knocked his head back, though he barely registered it. "Don't you DARE blame yourself for those deaths," she shouted. "You did all this," she gestured around the room, "on a hunch! And it wasn't even your hunch. Because of you the human race is still alive to grieve for the fallen, but you need to stop that shit until after we get them back." Her eyes blazed and Michael saw an intensity in them she'd never displayed before, even when she was acting as a mistress, "We WILL get vengeance for this. YOU will lead the strike on wherever these fuckers came from and we will pay them back a hundredfold. Don't even think about wallowing in guilt now!"

The room was silent as everyone looked at the two. There had been considerable confusion about Kat over the previous months and how much authority she wielded. It wasn't unusual to see her walking around naked except for Michael's jacket draped around her and most just thought she was just a pretty face. Now, they realized she was the strength behind their leader and a new respect formed for the red-haired beauty.

Michael looked at Kat, his lifeline and anchor. The fiery goddess had reached down into the depths of his depression to shake loose the despair that had taken hold of him and give him back his purpose. His eyes cleared and he pulled her in for a kiss, trying to display the intensity of his love through his touch. As they pulled away they stared into each other's eyes and shared something neither could explain. Kat saw he was back and sat at his feet, wrapping an arm around a leg, and leaning her head against him. He reached out a hand and entwined some of her hair in his fingers.

With renewed resolve, he took a deep breath and punched a code into the display on his armrest. The walls began to rumble and the holodisplay shifted to show a spinning 3D representation of a long, sleek black ship with silver bulk letters down the side that read, INTREPID. The walls of the situation room- now the bridge, turned white as the cameras displayed the Alaskan landscape, huge clouds of rising dirt, snow, and ice attesting to where they'd come out of the ground. The 5 mile long dreadnought hummed as it turned towards the sea.

"Pan, start moving the alien vessels from the moon to those air force bases belonging to nations on the Council. Have four Furies surround each one and let people know they still contain live crews. I'm sure they'll want to study the technology. Save a couple from each class of ship for us to take apart," Michael commanded. "Have the construction bots start their work on the moon."

"Of course, master," Pandora enthused, seeming to take great joy in flying the ship.

They heard the patter of running feet just as two troopers that had taken up station outside the bridge were bowled over when they'd tried to stop the approaching twins. "It's a spaceship!" cried Aki, full of wonderment and joy.

Michael grinned at her enthusiasm as he opened a communication to the White House bunker, "it's showtime, Mr. President." The man gaped at his screen, not believing what he was seeing, and nodded absently.

The world's nations would find themselves in a time of great transition as they mobilized for war. They would have to give up much of their independence and tradition in the hopes that they would be fairly represented in the new Council of Terra. Pandora, using the navigational charts from the alien vessels, had calculated that it would take the invaders three months to travel to their star system from the time they realized something was wrong. By then, Terra would need to be able to respond to the threat. * * * * * The Oases of the Seas was moving back to its base in Alaska, currently off the Russian Coast, when they spotted it. Aurora's eyes widened as she saw the gleaming ship approach, many times the size of the Oases. Leaving the bridge and going out on deck, she gripped the railing as she studied its graceful, yet imposing bulk.

The floating city was completely smooth, but she saw indentations that looked like they could be gun ports. While longer in length than in width, it was not rectangular nor did it look like a blimp. Instead, it had elegant arcs that curved inward and gave (as she'd later learn) the 120 massive ion cannons the largest possible range of fire without hampering themselves or the four railgun turrets. All the weapons were inside the ionized metal hull which was coursing with nanites, able to reform damaged parts so long as energy could be transferred to them remotely.

Her bridge crew watched on in stunned silence as the Intrepid loomed over the cruise ship and a relatively small shuttle shot out the side and floated down to where she was leaning on the railing. As it got level with her it moved to within a few feet, hovering over the edge of the Oases. A hatch opened and Michael appeared holding a hand out to her, "Your ship awaits, Captain." Her heart thundered as she reached out and grasped his hand. * * * * * The shuttle landed in the hangar and Michael, along with his girls and two troopers exited down the ramp. The five were met by their parents who'd been in the first wave of pickups. He was surprised to notice Jennifer holding Takeshi's arm and suspected they had found comfort in each other's presence while watching the action. He was glad, whatever came of it. Both had pretty lousy luck in the dating scene since they had lost their significant other. After hugs all around, they began moving. Michael ordered Pandora to set a course for Washington D.C.

The party took the lift up to the park and caught up. Michael could tell his parents were amazed at some of the revelations, but they didn't seem to be shocked into disbelief either. Takeshi spoke up, "So Michael, the Japanese government wants me to serve a seat on this new council that's being formed. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Michael grinned. "You're a good choice with the little empire you're already running." He sobered, "Each of the 13 seats will be initially led by a leading world nation and they'll be responsible for other countries and areas around the world. Get your section in order quickly and if you need to reinforce policy, Pandora's AI-controlled craft will be at your disposal."

Takeshi nodded solemnly. "Are you going to be on one of these seats?" he asked cautiously.

Michael shook his head. "I'll leave the politics and the running of the world up to the Council. I'll be separate to your military and will act as an outside observer that will only intervene in extreme situations."

After saying goodbye to their parents, the five took a lift to their shared rooms, Aurora gawking all the way. Upon entering the office, Michael said, "As captain you can meet with people here or in the conference room set up across from the bridge."