Dark Vengeance (37 page)

We watched as the surface of XiTau pulled away as our orbit around it slowed. The combat chatter continued to fill the bridge’s com system. Everyone’s attention became locked on the main viewer, waiting for Sharma’s coordinates to come into view.

The planet turning below us gradually slowed to a stop. At standard magnification everything on the surface looked normal. Sharma looked over at me as though he was seeing things we weren’t.

“How much magnification can you give us on Mr. Sharma’s coordinates, Mr. Collins?”

“As much as you want, Captain. The atmosphere is very clear although I am reading dust and debris from explosions on the surface. I can make it look like a drone view, if you’d like.”

“Let us see it on the main viewer, Mr, Collins.”

“Coming up now, Captain.”

As the viewer zoomed, it gave us a high res image of rooftops, with small gardens and parks laced with gold colored streets. It appeared to be an expansive shopping and recreational area probably created expressly for the wealthy. But on this day, no shopping or entertainment was taking place. Eruptions of brown dust and debris were blocking the view of several areas. There were wrecked vehicles on the streets along with other scattered trash. A heavy line of what appeared to be military equipment and personnel formed a border line north side of the complex. Heavy weapons were being fired continuously.

“Mr. Murphy, at what longitude is their fallback line?”

“Twenty-three degrees, twenty six minutes south, Captain. Everything happening is below that.”

“Give me a tactical map with our nearest landing craft on one of the side screens.”

“Here it is, Captain. Fortunately none of our first wave objectives fell directly within that area. Our closest team is more than 100 miles north.”

“Elise, transmit to all units, and to the rescue carriers waiting to go, no landings or incursions are to be made below twenty-three degrees, twenty six minutes south on the main continent. Anyone who has orders to do so, those orders are cancelled. Contact Electra for new coordinates.”

“Transmitting that now, Captain.”

We turned back to the main viewer. R.J. leaned over and spoke. “Whatever is going on down there, XiTau forces do not appear to be doing well. They keep withdrawing, trying to hold, and then withdrawing further.”

Armstrong said, “I don’t understand this, Captain. Who are they fighting? It looks like troops in black uniforms.”

“Mr. Collins, can you magnify further on some of the combat areas?”

“No problem, Captain. Eighty-percent magnification, coming up.”

And as the image zoomed in, we all sat aghast, squinting to try to understand what our eyes were seeing.

“Spiders?!” exclaimed Armstrong. “Someone correct me if I’m mistaken but those are giant spiders!”

R.J. remained speechless. There was an ominous silence on the bridge, even with the continuing communications chatter of our troops on the ground.

Elise in an unusual moment of outspokenness declared, “It is spiders, Captain! They’re fighting giant spiders!”

“Mr. Collins, give us the rest of your magnification, please.”

“Aye, Sir,” he said in a distracted tone.

The new image was even more difficult to comprehend than the last. Our view was precisely from overhead. XiTau soldiers were firing briefly, then running away. Following along in their paths were groups of spiders the size of small trucks, but they did not bear all the physical characteristics normally associated with the species. They had human heads, and torsos, and human arms and hands that were carrying and firing weapons. At the same time two large lobster-like claws on each side were snapping and grabbing.

Someone on the bridge gasped. We all sat shocked by the horror of it. Elise called out again, “Captain, there’s a call coming in from team Zulu.”

I had to pull myself away from the arcane scene. “Put it on, Elise.”

“Captain, this is Patterson, leading the Zulu team. We have been approached by XiTau militia members who are deserting and asking to surrender. What are your orders?”

“Mr. Patterson, disarm them, take them into custody, and stand by. I’ll be right back to you.”

“Patterson, standing by.”

“Mr. Collins, where is Zulu team located?”

“I’ve got it, Captain. They are the team farthest south. The one about a hundred miles from the fighting.”

“Elise, open a channel to Patterson.”

“Go ahead, Captain.”

“Mr. Patterson, tell those individuals asking to surrender that those who disarm and come in peacefully will be given safe haven, and transportation off of XiTau after all our people have been recovered.”

There was a long pause before Patterson replied. “Yes, Sir. I’ll spread the word.”

“And Patterson, take every precaution to protect your team and your spacecraft. Remain locked and loaded. Confine those prisoners to a heavily guarded holding area. Do you understand?”

“Completely, Sir.”

I looked back at Elise. She looked like someone on the edge of panic but holding on. “Elise, do you think you could send Command a summary of everything that’s going on down there?”

“Yes, Captain. …Captain, now Alpha team is calling in.”

Wilson’s face appeared on the view screen. He looked frustrated. “Adrian, we getting reports from all over. It’s the same everywhere. Little or no resistance, just a whole bunch of civilians who are begging to be rescued. What are your orders?”

“I’m initiating Phase 4, Mr. Mirtos. Standby to begin loading them on board the carriers.”

“Thank God, Adrian. Mirtos out.”

“Elise, I know I’m overloading you. Please pause from your report and dispatch the Phase 4 go signal to all carriers.”

“I understand, Captain. Coded signal sent.”

“And Elise, add to your report to Command that we are offering asylum to the XiTau militia members who surrender to us. And ask Command if they wish us to engage the alien hostiles who are invading XiTau.”

Elise looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.

I nodded to her and gave a somber smile. “It’s okay, Elise. Just send it.”

“Yes, Captain.”

The full scale melee quickly began. Large carrier shuttles began diving toward the planet’s surface from nearly every direction.

R.J. looked over at me and shook his head. “Can you imagine what it’s like down there? You realize what has happened, don’t you?”

With one hand, I rubbed my eyes to refocus. “Please summarize for me, oh Great One.”

“For some reason they were invaded by the spidermen a few days ago. The rich owners and government officials sent in their militia and then promptly got the hell off XiTau. They left the slaves to fend for themselves, probably told them to continue their duties until they returned which I seriously doubt they have any intention of doing. The bastards abandoned every person down on that planet right now. It’s just a miracle we launched when we did.”

Sharma looked back at us and nodded. “I agree with the Commander’s appraisal, Captain. The XiTau militia appears to be no match for the invaders. They were sent there to fight just to give those in power time to escape.”

We waited and watched in stunned silence. It took a full fifteen minutes for Command to respond to Elise’s summery report. Provose’s image again appeared on the screen. It was the first time I had ever seen an admiral look confounded. “We concur you must continue the evacuation as planned, Captain Tarn. We will accept the XiTau soldiers who choose to surrender, as you’ve suggested. But as for the invaders, please send the directive that our forces are not to engage them in any way. Please do that immediately. It is imperative. And please acknowledge these instructions as quickly as possible.”

Armstrong said, “He’s giving XiTau over to the spiders.”

R.J. looked over. “What would you do, Commander?”

Armstrong shook his head. “I’m so glad I don’t have to decide.”

Sharma cut in. “There’s something else, Captain. I have scanned space in every direction. I do not see any spacecraft other than ours. There are more and more spider people appearing on the surface. They cannot be coming from any spacecraft delivery system. They appear to be emerging from holes in the ground as well as openings in the surrounding buildings, openings that are not part of the original architecture.”

“Like star gates, Parth? Is that what you're saying?” I asked.

“Perhaps. I do not know the answer, Captain.”

“Elise, would you raise the Alpha and Bravo team leaders please?”

A moment later both faces appeared split-screen. “Wilson, Perk, there is a new development on XiTau. There is another species invading XiTau in the southern hemisphere. The XiTau troops are all there and losing that battle. Zulu team is the closest to that mess and is already getting XiTau troops who want to surrender and be given asylum. Command has issued orders to accept their surrender and to give them passage off the planet when our other civilians are clear. Zulu team will be needing assistance and probably a lot of it. Contact them directly and divert whatever resources you can as your rescues are completed. And last but not least, spread the word, under no circumstances are you to engage the invading force. You’ll know them when you see them. They look like… giant spiders. Zulu team may need your help to fall back to stay clear of them.”

There was a long pause with odd looks from both Wilson and Perk. Finally Wilson could not stand it. “What?”

“You heard me. It’s a bloody battle going on down there. We don’t want any part of it.”

“You did say spiders? Right?” asked Wilson.

“We’ll send you some telemetry.  Move fast. We need to wrap up and get out of here.”

“With you on that,” replied Perk.

“Tarn out.”

Elise spoke, “Captain, another message coming in from Command.”

“Go ahead, Elise.”

Once more Provose’s image appeared on screen. “Captain, we decided the situation is stable enough that we will be leaving the asteroid cover and heading your way. I’ll be in real time distance in about 30 minutes. We’ll talk more then. Provose out.”

The pandemonium of the civilian evacuation began, adding to the task of assault team management on the ground. We continued to monitor the little XiTau war going on in the southwest while still listening to dispatches from the company commanders in place around the globe. Perk and Wilson had their hands full just replying to requests for clarification about the fighting south of Zulu team. Thirty minutes later, the first refugees began lifting off the planet, heading for various spacecraft for the ride home. Electra was poised to receive several hundred as necessary and a very short time later, Lieutenant Arnes called in to say the first carrier was putting down in the main hanger. His transmission was cut off abruptly at the sound of screaming, crying people hurrying to offload so the carrier shuttle could go back for more.

Two hours into the airlift, Zulu team and those who had arrived to support them had to be pulled back because the spidermen were gaining too much ground too quickly. More than one hundred XiTau soldiers had struggled their way to that base camp asking to be rescued. A small mountain of weapons had formed from their disarming.

Provose’s command shuttle arrived in orbit nearby. Provose called in, asking me to meet him on a private channel in my ready room. I turned the bridge over to R.J. and closed myself in the port ready room, happy to privately express my concerns to the Admiral.

“We estimate the op will wrap up in another two hours and we’ll be on our way. Do you agree, Adrian?”

“Yes, Admiral.”

“How many have you brought aboard?”

“One hundred and forty-eight at last count.”

“Is something bothering you, Adrian?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“It is to me.”

“The Spiders. They are kicking the ass of the XiTau military.”

“You have sympathy for them?”

“No, Sir. But why won’t the Spiders attack Earth at some point in the near future? Wouldn’t it be better to face off with them here on XiTau, instead of waiting for them to come find us on Earth?”

“A reasonable supposition, Adrian. But, put your mind at ease. We know the Salantian Spiders will never attack Earth or any of its neighbors.”

“Salantian Spiders? You have intel on them? How can you be so sure?”

“Because, Adrian, they’ve already attacked Earth once and lost and they never return to a planet where they were defeated.”

“What do you mean they already attacked Earth once? How is that possible?”

“Adrian, do you remember all those conspiracy stories from way, way back, about Earth being secretly attacked by alien creatures, but the governments of the world covered the story up?”

“Are you saying it was true?”

“Yes.”

“But how could we have possibly defeated them when the XiTau military of today with highly advanced weapons doesn’t stand a chance?”

“We were ready for them, and we had help from another planet much more advanced than us.”

“And the whole thing was covered up?”