The War of Pawns (The Human Chronicles -- Book Three) (17 page)

Chapter Twenty

Captain Nathaniel Allen had been with the SEALs since the mid-nineties.
 
He was also a Mustang, starting out enlisted, and then converting to the officer corps through OCS in 2002. As such, he related well with all the men under his command, even if he demanded nothing but perfection out of each and every one of them.

Nate Allen was also as tough as they came. He was an unquestioned patriot, a fitness expert, and a man with a purported IQ in the high 150’s. His name had already been published for advancement, and he was currently just awaiting Senate approval before putting on his star. Soon he would be Rear Admiral (Lower) Nathaniel Allen, United States Navy.

Lt. Andy Tobias watched the distinctive vein on the captain’s left temple pulse rhythmically, literally mirroring the senior officer’s heartbeat. All the men in the command had come to recognize the vein as a warning signal when the CO was about to lose his temper – which was often. Tobias had come to accept the CO’s outbursts as simply training exercises. SEALs were expected to operate under the most stressful of situations, and what was more stressful than being dressed down by a superior officer? But this was no training exercise.

“This is some bullshit, Andy,” the CO finally said after taking at least a minute to digest the information Tobias had just relayed to him. ‘Do you believe Cain?”

“He has no reason to lie. He didn’t ask to be beamed up to an alien spaceship, or whatever happened to him in Afghanistan. And the others around him seem just as sincere.”

“So, according to him, these aliens – the Juireans – are going to attack, and then these other aliens – the Klin – will stop them before we’re completely wiped out? Is that about right?”

“Yes, sir.” Tobias said. “And I have to say, sir, you’re taking this news about aliens pretty calmly.”

“I watch the movies, Andy. I never believed we were unique anyway. But now we’re caught up in some fucking power struggle, and about to be sacrificed like pawns in a chess game.”

“I hope Adam is right about the Klin stopping the attack.”

“And if he is, we have to be ready.”

“What do you mean?”

Allen leaned forward and picked up a pencil off his desk. He always had a yellow legal pad nearby which he would quickly sketch out strategies, maps, or just doodles. It helped him organize his thoughts. He began to scribble on the pad. “We have to assure that our men survive the initial attack,” he began. “You say these aliens – the Klin – believe the attack will be concentrated on population centers, and more-than-likely, military installations, airstrips and the like. Things they can easily see from space.”

“That’s right.”

“What we need to be prepared for is if the diplomacy fails.” Tobias knew Allen shared his same belief about the effectiveness of negotiations. “Andy, I want you to contact all the other CO’s of the Teams and get their men on standby. If the notice comes, I want as many of them as possible to beat feet for the nearest desert, mountain, wilderness or even ocean, that they can get to and to lie low until after the attack. Then arrange for a recall signal and rendezvous points for the Teams. Also, arrange for supplies to be transported out of the population areas and to these points.” He was scribbling on the pad, drawing lines and circles helter skelter on the page.

“Aye aye, Captain. And what about Cain?”

While devising the first plan, Allen’s disciplined mind had also been formulating a second. “After you contact the CO’s, I have another mission for you and your Team. In the meantime, I will be heading for D.C. I want to be front and center when these negotiations start. Be ready for my signal, go or no-go.”

And then he started detailing the special mission he had for Tobias and his men.

Chapter Twenty-One

If it weren’t for the dire seriousness of the situation, Matt St. Claire would have been jumping for joy at the prospect of going aboard an alien flying saucer. Like most American males, he had spent a lot of his boyhood days dreaming of being an astronaut, or fighting aliens like Buck Rogers. And even when the practicalities of life and talent led him to his current occupation, he still enjoyed all the science programs he managed to catch. He was also an avid fan of blockbuster science fiction movies, as well as the Sci/Fi ebooks he was constantly downloading into his Kindle Fire.

But now he sat in what was being referred to as the common room aboard an actual alien spaceship, accompanied by his three Human companions, along with a short gray thing with large black eyes, smelling like wet-dog and serving them drinks.

Even though St. Claire had grown accustomed to being around aliens, it had only been the Klin that he had direct experience with, and the Klin were very human–like in their appearance. These other things, the Jakreans they were called, were entirely different. While the image of Jakreans was probably the most common depiction of aliens in Human culture, actually seeing one in the flesh was still a creepy experience – and St. Claire was having a hard time taking his eyes off the creature.

The delegation had boarded the spacecraft in an isolated section of the base commonly referred to as Area 51. They had flown there aboard a military 757, and been hustled aboard the spacecraft almost immediately.

The Klin Ambassador had been there initially to welcome them, and to tell them that the Juirean forces were now only a day away. The Jakrean crew would take them to a position located just outside the Kuiper Belt, approximately one light year from Earth. There would be a second ship on station to monitor the communications, if any, between the Juireans and the Humans, and to relay information back to Earth. Since traditional transmissions would not allow for the real-time display of information, this second ship would be linked to the Klin communication relays so that the President, along with all the other leaders of the world who had been brought into the loop, would know instantly whether the negotiations had succeeded or not.

Then the Ambassador had departed the ship.

Once in space, the Human delegation had been escorted to the pilothouse, where they had marveled at the incredible views of faster-than-light space travel. The ship blazed through the solar system, taking a scenic route past Mars, Jupiter and Uranus. Saturn and Neptune were not in position for the tour. But even this temporary distraction did not last long. Soon, the four members of the delegation were all sitting solemnly in the common room, lost in their own thoughts.

Matthew St. Claire rubbed the spot behind his right ear where the translation device had been implanted. Even though he had been aware of the aliens for several months now, he was just now realizing how far advanced their technology was, and what little knowledge they had actually shared with the Humans. The President had been right –
what had they been providing to us all these years?
Tokens? Trivial items? Now here he sat in an interstellar spacecraft, and he had absolutely no idea how it worked.

They soon reached the point outside the solar system from which the Klin reasoned the Juireans would be the approaching. The second ship was far away, further into the system. The Klin were aboard that ship, but all St. Claire had with him were the three other Humans and a handful of short, hairless creatures. And approaching them was a force of 500 powerful spaceships, capable for destroying an entire world.

If ever a man felt alone and utterly helpless, it was Matthew St. Claire at the moment the alarm sounded, signifying that the Juirean fleet had arrived…

Chapter Twenty-Two

Juireans, for the most part, are very patient beings. They’re calm and methodical in their movements, and this trait carries over into their tactics and strategies. But after two months aboard the
UN-444
, and heading for a conflict of which he had no sure feeling as to the outcome, Senior Overlord Yan’wal Ra Melk was ready for some action.

His original plan had called for his fleet to receive advanced intelligence from Guard Commander Lod-fin as to the defensives and capabilities of the Humans. Yet no contact had been made with Lod-fin for over a month and a half. His disappearance only added to Yan’wal’s trepidation. It was obvious that the commander had encountered an obstacle that he was ill-prepared to overcome, and to Yan’wal, that only meant one thing. Lod-fin had been confronted by the Humans.

Because of the situation with Lod-fin, the Overlord had proceeded into the Far Arm with extreme caution. He had lost contact with Lod-fin only 200 hundred light years into the Arm, which meant the Humans may have a presence that spread much farther from their homeworld than first anticipated. So for several weeks, his entire fleet had been on high alert, not knowing when the first contact would be made. This heightened state of readiness had placed additional strain on all his personnel, including himself.

But no contact had been made, and now they were fast approaching the system where the planet Earth was located. And they were going in completely blind.

The Overlord was on the bridge of the
UN-444
, conversing with Overlord Giodol and Fleet Strategist Canel when the advance ships first received the message. It was a simple carrier wave transmission, and his ships were nearly upon the transmission source before they even had a chance to hear it.

Canel ordered the center of the fleet to stop their approach, while the flanks were to continue and encircle the signal’s source. The senior personnel adjourned to the communication center to hear the message.

“The message is being broadcast in Juirean,” Senior Counselor Haden observed. Haden was Yan’wal’s personal counselor and had been with him for over 20 years. He was the most trusted advisor the Overlord had in the room.

“Then let’s hear to it,” Yan’wal commanded, and soon a brassy voice sounded over the speakers.

“To the approaching Juirean forces, we are representatives of the planet Earth. We have come out to greet you and to request a meeting between our two races so that we may resolve any issues between us. We do not intend you any harm. Whatever you have come to believe regarding our race and our intentions toward the Juirean Expansion are false. I repeat: They are false. All we ask is for a meeting before you engage in a course of action from which there is no turning back. Please respond.”

“The message is on a loop,” Haden said.

“It could be a trap, My Lord,” Strategist Canel said. “The fact that they knew of our coming and—” he looked down at the data that was streaming across the screen before him, “the source of the link is a spaceship of very advanced design.”