Trapped in Time-Extinction
Read Trapped in Time-Extinction Online
Authors: Saxon Andrew
Tags: #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Science Fiction, #Alien Invasion, #First Contact, #Galactic Empire, #Genetic Engineering, #Hard Science Fiction, #Military, #Space Fleet, #Time Travel, #Teen & Young Adult, #General
Book three
Extinction
Contents
Chapter One
A
ndy looked out of his front door at the sheets of driving rain as the hard wind blew them through the community. The rain was cool in this hot climate; it had blown over the mountains to the west and the high thunderheads cooled the water vapor before it condensed out and fell. He shook his head. This weather was driving him crazy. He had the ships being provisioned to sail East to take on the Destroyers and would have sailed had it not been for some issues with getting the crews organized.
He looked outside and shook his head. It was a very good thing it had taken another day before the first ships were sent out. He stood on top of the wall and watched as the first eighty ships began moving away from shore. Maxius appeared at the top of the wall and was winded from the climb. Andy walked over as Maxius was bent over with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath, “Why did you rush up here, Max?”
“You have to stop the fleet,” Maxius said between hard breaths.
“Why?”
Maxius tilted his head and point to the west, “Zeck says a huge storm is coming. We could lose all our ships and crews if they’re caught out in it.”
Andy knew Zeck was furious that he had not allowed him to go with the fleet. He just wasn’t in good enough physical shape to make the trip. He was probably trying to delay the fleet long enough for him to go with them. Andy shook his head and pointed to the west. What he saw stopped him from saying Zeck was not being honest. Over the distant mountains was a black line of clouds with intense flashes of lightning he could see clearly from where he was standing.
Andy grabbed his glider pack and buckled it on. He jumped away from the cliff wall and pulled the release chord. He had planned to join Annelise and Dereck after the fleet had begun sailing but he had to stop them now! He flew down to sea level and circled the Flagship twice before landing on the rear deck. “You have to turn the fleet around!”
Derek looked at Andy and his eyes narrowed, “What!?”
“There’s a storm coming…a big one. You have to send the fleet north and anchor it in the harbor. The storm will be here by late afternoon.”
Derek looked at the cliff and couldn’t see beyond it. He turned the ship and Annelise ran up from below deck, “What are you doing turning north?” She saw Andy and said, “Is something wrong?”
“Zeck says a storm is coming and that if our ships are caught out in it, we could lose the fleet.”
“Do you think he’s being honest?”
“I don’t know; however, there is a massive buildup of black clouds over the western mountains. I can see lightning from the top of the wall.”
Annelise shook her head, “Dereck, steer for the harbor.” She leaned out over the rail and yelled, “Get up the flags telling all ships to follow us!!”
Annelise watched the rest of the fleet continuing East for a few minutes and then they began turning north. Paul and Ana saw the Signal Flags and Paul shook his head, “Why are we changing course?”
“I have no idea but I did see Andy fly to the flagship.”
Paul shook his head, “This doesn’t make sense. We’ve busted our humps getting everything ready.” Ana could only shrug. By midafternoon, they knew the reason. Clouds were moving over the cliff and the air smelled like rain. The fleet made harbor just as the first sheets of rain blew through. They furled their sails and anchored as the wind changed from ten miles an hour to forty miles per hour in frequent gusts. The ships were rocking in the harbor and the rain was a solid wall as it blew through the fleet. Everyone was trapped on their ships; a small boat would never make it to shore through the squalls.
Andy sat out the storm in the Captain’s Cabin and felt an adrenaline rush. This storm was one of the worse he had ever been in and he had never been on a boat during a storm. He held on tight to the table that was bolted to the floor and saw Annelise was able to stand and move around the cabin. “There’s going to be a mess below deck.”
Andy looked at her, “What are you saying?”
“Andy, we have provisions for a twenty week voyage. Those provisions weren’t tied down to handle a storm of this magnitude. It will take us a few weeks to get everything back in order. That’s assuming this is not the first of several storms.”
“What do you mean ‘several storms’?”
“The last time I saw a storm this bad, it was followed by three more each hitting within two weeks of each other. I don’t understand the weather pattern that causes it, but I heard an old Destroyer Captain say he had seen it happen four times in his life. He said he learned from the first one to never set sail in less than four weeks from the end of a major storm like this.”
Andy grabbed the table and held on to his chair as the ship leaned to the left and then righted itself quickly. He looked at Annelise, “Are you suggesting we not set sail for another month?”
“Andy, this is the worst storm I’ve ever seen. If this is the first storm of a series of storms, the others will be much worse.”
Andy stared at her, “Could the fleet have survived this storm out at sea?”
Annelise hesitated, “Some could have made it. We would have lost ships. However, it will take longer than four weeks to sail across the ocean. If a second storm worse than this caught us, we could lose all ships.”
“We’ll give up our chance at surprise if we don’t leave now.”
“Which would you rather have, surprise or a fleet to make it happen?”
“You’re serious about this?”
“I am, Andy. I was lucky to be close to shore when the first storm hit. There was a harbor for us to hide in and my ship barely survived. The second storm was much worse than the first but we saw it coming in time to pull the ship in shallow water and anchor it. The only thing that saved my ship was we were traveling close to shore. We’re not doing that, we’re sailing straight across.”
“And if we sailed along the shoreline?”
“It would take too long and you’d lose the element of surprise. Their southern scouts would see us coming and launch rockets to warn the city.”
Andy knew how to fly. None knew it better than him. He didn’t know much about sailing a ship. He clung to the table and knew that he wouldn’t want to be caught in open waters in this foul weather. He looked at Annelise, “And what if a second storm doesn’t come within four weeks?”
“Then it’s not a pattern and we can set sail.”
Andy nodded slowly and said, “We’ll wait four weeks. I just can’t risk that big of a loss to the community.”
“I think that’s a wise decision.”
It didn’t take four weeks, the next storm arrived in three and it was much worse than the first. Several ships were capsized in the harbor. The plan to attack was delayed indefinitely.
• • •
Andy stared out at the rain and knew he had lost the element of surprise months ago. There was one more storm to go and soon the wind was going to shift back from the East. The planned invasion would be delayed another six months for the wind to change again. He shook his head and closed the door. Melody was reading on the bed and Andy smiled as he saw her waist getting bigger. This was at least one good thing that happened out of the delay. He would be here for the arrival of their baby. Melody saw him staring at her, “What?”
“You’re so beautiful.” Melody put the book down and patted the bed next to her. Andy climbed on the bed and Melody moved into his arms and closed her eyes, “I’m glad you’re still here, Andy.”
“Me, too.”
Melody opened her eyes and looked up into his face, “Are you…really??”
Andy sighed, “I feel this giant weight to get things done before the asteroid arrives. But I don’t really know when it’s coming… so, I may just be putting too much pressure on myself. The Destroyers have to be handled.”
Melody lowered her head and closed her eyes, “I know. But I’m still happy you’re here with me.” Andy pulled her close and closed his eyes. In a few minutes, both of them were asleep. The rain and wind continued to howl outside but for them, there was peace in each other’s arms.
• • •
The Commandant waited on his throne and felt his nervousness. The fleet had not returned and it should have been back by now. He didn’t want to pull that former Admiral in but he didn’t have anyone else. He saw the Admiral entered his chamber and come to a stop in front of him. He saluted and lowered his head. “Admiral, our fleet is overdue.”
“Yes Commander.”
“Do you have any ideas why that’s so?”
“It could be due to two reasons, Commandant.”
“And they are?”
“They could have been defeated by this new enemy.”
“What’s the other?”
“The Maelstrom could have sunk them on their return voyage. The storms have been the largest in many years.”
“But at least one ship should have survived to return.” The Admiral shrugged. The Commandant stood up, “ONE SHIP SHOULD HAVE RETURNED!”
“Sire, the second storm was the worst I have ever seen. Following so closely on the heels of the first, which left high seas behind it, I’m not certain any ships would have survived.”
The Commandant sat down. “I have to know what happened. If the fleet was sunk, it would have left an incredible debris field.”
The Admiral nodded, “There is one other possibility.”
“What is that?”
“They could have defeated this new enemy and still been close to shore when the first storm arrived. They might have remained there until the traditional four storms passed.”
The Commandant stared at the Admiral and said, “There is still one storm left.”
“There is.”
“The final storm is usually not as bad as those preceding it.”
The Admiral shrugged, “This particular Maelstrom is different from all the others. The fourth could be much worse.”
“That’s a chance you’ll have to take.”
“Sire, did you say me?”
“You are going to take a ship and go see what happened.” The Admiral stared at the Commandant and saw his evil smile appear. “Unless you’re too frightened to make the voyage.”
“No, Sire. I’ll go and see what happened. My loyalty is to the Nation.”
“You should pick a good crew and leave immediately. I have a ship waiting for you in the harbor.” The Admiral nodded, saluted, turned and left the room. The Commandant looked at his Top Leader, “Make sure his family is watched.”
“Yes, Sire.”
• • •
The Admiral left the Government Building and walked quickly toward the harbor. After ten minutes, a man fell in step with him. “Is everyone on board?”
“They are. How did you know you were going to be sent?”
“I saw a ship being prepared. I wasn’t sure but when he called me to his chambers, I knew what was coming. What have you done with the ones on board?”
“They have been removed. I’ve had the warriors that sailed with you to gather at the harbor. They should be on board now.”
“And my family?”
“They were with us when we left for the harbor. They should be at the ship. We left a slave at your house to tell anyone that comes to take them hostage that they are on the other side of the city visiting.”
“That shouldn’t slow them down much.”
“The slave doesn’t know the address; only the neighborhood.”
The Admiral smiled and saw the ship ahead, “Cast off the ropes and let’s get moving. We need to be out of cannon range before they learn they missed my family.”
“Yes, Slayer.”
“Call me Admiral. I no longer like that name.”
The soldier smiled, “Yes, Admiral.”
• • •
The Admiral ran up the gangplank and the ship unfurled its sails. It began picking up speed and moved quickly out of the harbor. The Admiral kept watch on the cannon batteries on each side of the ship as they sailed into the mouth of the harbor and tried to keep the ship centered between them. He looked back toward the huge city and saw lights coming on close to shore north of the Government Building. He looked up and saw the sails were full of wind and the ship was tacking at its best speed. He kept his eyes on the Commandant’s location and watched for what he knew was coming. “How much further?”
“A mile and a half, Admiral.”
Suddenly, a rocket launched from the Government Building and exploded with six loud blasts. The Admiral thought about what was happening at the gun batteries and could see in his mind the commanders wondering what was going on. The six reports meant that the batteries were to fire on an enemy. First they would look out to sea and, with a dark sea, it would be difficult to see very far. When it dawned on them that the Commandant wanted them to stop his ship, it would take several minutes for them to move the cannons to fire. He heard another six loud blasts and knew the Commandant was probably growing angry. Someone was going to pay for this. He smiled as he heard the first cannons fire. He glanced ahead of the ship and saw the two geysers erupt on each side of the ship. Those were the ranging shots. The other cannons were now being adjusted. He heard six more blasts from the batteries and waited for the shells to arrive. One shell hit beside the ship and the other five blew giant geysers behind it. The Admiral turned and yelled, “Make the turn and keep the wind in the sails.”