Disclaimers: This story and all of its characters belong to AJ Marks. Any resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely unintentional.
Story notes: This is a sequel to 'Masters of Violence'. The reader is encouraged to read it first. This story takes place right where Master's of Violence ends..
Masters of War
by
AJ Marks
Part 1:
Jeff Cerial could not believe what he had just heard. Toncor sat stunned as well.
"Did I just hear what I thought I heard?" Jeff asked his blue friend.
"I believe that we heard correctly my friend, this race is asking for help." Toncor replied just as perplexed as Jeff.
"Hmm!" Jeff leaned back in his chair deep in thought. 'I don't know about this, it doesn't sound right!' He regarded the window for a moment more while Toncor sat watching and waiting in the silence of the room. Finally Jeff picked up his phone. "Get me the Saratoga battle group on the line."
"Something wrong?" Toncor asked.
"No, its probably nothing, but, it couldn't hurt to be prepared for anything."
"Sir, the commander of the Saratoga is on the line."
"Thank you!" Jeff said as he picked up the other line. "Admiral Conningham!"
"Yes sir!" Was the crisp reply of the Admiral.
"I hope you have been keeping up with the current situation." Jeff stated and watched the Admiral give a slight nod that he had been keeping up with it. "Good then I won't have to explain, I want you to keep track of the inbound ships. We still are not sure of their true intentions."
"I understand sir!" The admiral replied. "I'll keep the fleet at red alert."
"Good man." Jeff replied watching as the admiral signed off. He then turned towards Toncor who was sitting there watching with undisguised interest at the exchange between him and the admiral. "What are your thoughts my friend?"
Toncor leaned back in his chair before and gave the question some thought. Jeff could almost see the wheels turning in Toncor's mind. Jeff had learned through talking with Toncor that the alien had good thought for someone who came from a race that had had no war in over a thousand years.
"Well." He began. "My first thought is to believe them. I have no knowledge of our enemies using any sort of trickery in their tactics."
"Unless they have changed their tactics against us." Jeff said leaning on his desk, resting his chin in his hands. "Although there is nothing to suggest that they know, or understand the art of war." Jeff closed his eyes feeling the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. He hit the intercom and buzzed for his secretary.
"Yes sir?" The both heard her voice through the intercom.
"Get me the president immanently." He said then clicked the intercom off knowing that she would carry out his orders.
"Have you ever encountered this race?" Jeff asked Toncor.
"No, we are not familiar with this ship type." Toncor answered. "What are you going to do?"
"If its for real, offer them protection, its all we can do." Jeff said. Toncor was about to reply when the President came through.
"You wanted to talk to me Jeff." Boris said to his long time friend.
"We have a situation sir!" Jeff told him.
Robert watched from his seated position as Angie walked through what was one her home. He hoped that her parents had made it out, but judging by the remains he did not think that they had. Sammie was walking with her cousin offering her support. Kevin was sitting next to Robert and the tow of them watched as the two women dug through the remains.
"Do you think they'll find her parents?" Kevin asked Robert.
"I don't know, things are still pretty hectic down here." Robert replied not taking his eyes off Angie. "I hope that they do, but I don't think that they will."
"I don't think so either, I remember when the attack occurred." Kevin said.
""How, you were on Earth, not here." Robert said with a bit of surprise in his voice.
"Sammie's and Angie's moms were talking to each other." Kevin said as he related the whole story about the telephone call between the two sisters. "I think that both of them will take it pretty hard." Kevin said after he finished the story.
"I think Angie knows that her parents are dead, but until she knows for sure there's a part of her that will hope they survived." Robert said looking up at the now darkening sky. "Looks like a storm front is moving in."
"Looks like it." Kevin agreed as they saw a flash of lightning in the distance. It took several seconds before they heard the low rumble of thunder. Kevin did not want to interrupt the two cousins but the impending rain was not something he really wanted to be out in, and Robert was still recovering from his wounds and did not need to be out in the rain. "Sammie!" Kevin said to get her attention.
Sammie looked up from her and Angie's search of the wreaked house to look at Kevin. "What's up Kevin? She asked him.
"Looks like rain is on the way." Kevin said motioning at the sky. Sammie looked up into the sky to see the darkening clouds and saw that they would have to leave soon.
"Angie, looks like we're going to have to leave soon cuz." Sammie said to Angie.
Angie looked up to see the clouds gathering and knew that Sammie was right. Angie still did not want to believe that her parents were dead. Her mind had accepted the fact that they were gone, but her heart was unable to accept it. "I guess so." Angie replied looking at her cousin, who drew her into a hug.
"We'll defeat them." Sammie promised her cousin.
"Admiral, sir!" A young bridge aide said getting the attention of Admiral Charlie Schuppe.
"Yes!" Charlie responded.
"A message coming in from Earth Central, sir."
"Very well, put it on screen." Charlie ordered and turned toward the screen.
"Admiral Schuppe!" Jeff Cerial said as his image appeared on the screen.
"Sir!" Charlie replied to his superior.
"Relax Charlie, I just finished talking to the president and I would like your input on a developing situation here at Earth." Jeff said. "About thirty minutes ago we were contacted by some incoming ships," Jeff paused for a second before continuing on. "They want political asylum."
"I don't understand?" Charlie questioned, confused by alien's approach.
"Neither do we Charlie, that's why we wanted your opinion about the situation." Jeff told Charlie.
"Well, I would be a bit cautious about them until we are sure about their intentions are known." Charlie said. "Do you want any of our ships to return to Earth?"
"No, I think that the Saratoga Battle Group can handle anything that comes along, I just wanted you to be aware and maybe put your fleet on alert just in case." Jeff said.
"I'll keep that in mind, thanks." Charlie replied. "Is there anything else that I need to know?"
"No, but I would like you to keep in touch in case anything comes up." Jeff said.
"Ok, will do." Charlie said and they signed off.
Charlie turned to his aide and began to give orders. "I want someone to monitor the transmissions from Earth, and I also need the Titan to be ready to leave as soon as possible if need be."
"Yes sir! Anything unusual that we should be monitoring for?" The aide asked.
"Just listen for a attack, or complete silence form the Saratoga battle group." Charlie told his aide who looked a bit shocked.
"Right away." The aide left to carry out his orders.
"I want the fleet on yellow alert and all weapon stations manned and ready on a constant basis." Charlie told the captain.
"Right away." The captain said and turned to his bridge crew. "All right, you heard the admiral, yellow alert."
"Yellow alert, this is a yellow alert. All personal are to report to their battle stations, this is not a drill." The intercom said as people on the ship raced to their battle stations wondering what was going on to initiate a yellow alert. This alert usually meant that they could be attack at any moment, however enemy forces were not in range.
Kevin looked down at his communicator when it went off and noticed that the ship had been put on yellow alert.
"Sammie!" Kevin yelled to his friend who looked up from where she was with her cousin with a question on her face. "The ship has been put on yellow alert, we need to get back."
"Right!" Sammie replied to Kevin then turned her attention back to her cousin, Angie. "Come on Angie, its time for me to go back to the ship."
"I think I'll stay here for a while." Angie said. "My friend, Jill lives not to far from here, I think I would like to stay there."
"I'll go with her." Robert said, that relieved Sam from leaving her cousin alone.
"Ok, I'll try to talk to you later to tell you what's going on." Sam said.
"Be careful!" Angie said as Sammie and Kevin started toward the shuttle. Sammie glanced back over her shoulder and yelled back that she would be.
Robert hobbled over to Angie and put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a comforting hug, which she fell into. "Come on, let's get going." He said to her not letting her go.
"I'll help you on over to her house." Angie told him, and together they walked over to her friend's house.
The crew of the Saratoga watched the silent ships creep into Earth's space without much more contact. Both sides were waiting to see what would happen next. The Earth defense forces were on high alert and ready for the slightest move from the alien ships. Although the scanners did not indicate whether the alien ships were Kalliki in origin. They said that they were not, but Earth's government was not taking any chances.
The Saratoga's gunners and pilots waited nervously as the new skips approached. So far with all the contact with the Kalliki they had never used trickery to approach. This did not mean that the Earth Defense Forces were going to take a chance.
The commander of Spaceport two waited as the alien ships neared his station. The other two stations had been evacuated shortly after learning of the approaching ships. The commander was only slightly concerned about the incoming ships because he had the only manned station. His station had been recently rebuilt and although the station did not have any weapons, it was fitted with a defensive shield generator. The shield would not completely protect the station but it was more survivable than the other two stations.
A squadron of fighters from the planets surface waited nearby flying the protective CAP around the station. The fighters were the one thing that the Kalliki could not match in firepower or numbers yet. The closest they had been able to come was their shuttlecraft, but no one expected that to last long and already new designs were under development.
The alien ships seemed to understand that they were viewed as a threat and continued their slow approach to the nearest orbiting space station. When they got within range they asked if they could send a shuttle over to begin the process of diplomacy between the two races.
The commander of the station nodded his approval and a couple of minutes later a shuttlecraft appeared. Looking at the shuttle a thought occurred to the commander. It appeared that all shuttles looked alike, like the designers of the shuttles all put some thrusters on a box, and perhaps some form of wings but not much. Three fighters formed up around the shuttle and the commander knew that the fighters were taking close scans for life forms and any form of a bomb. He received the word that the shuttle checked out and he gave final permission for the shuttle to dock.
The commander made his way down to the docking bay to greet the new arrivals.
When he arrived in the docking bay he noticed that the amount of armed guards was double the normal amount. He felt a bit safer as he noticed that they were ready for an attack just in case. The door swung open and the guard seemed to become tense as the aliens appeared and the guard noticeable relaxed as they aliens did not appear to be threating.
The commander felt better as he saw that the aliens did not have any weapons on them, this would probably be peaceful like he had hoped.
End Part 1
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