Jesse's Starship 3: Joshua's Walls (7 page)

“That was the last thing she said.”

The Male didn’t like seeing the Queen upset but there was no way to prevent it. If he tried to delay her fear, it would only grow. “I fear she and her new home have been killed.”

The gigantic Queen began rapidly changing colors and after an hour returned to her normal bright orange color. She said to the Male, “It appears something new has been added to our conflict. We must find out what it is and develop a counter.”

“I will launch a probe to see what happened.”

“You should delay the launch until enough time has passed for the Monsters to leave.” The Male flashed orange for an instant and turned to leave the Queen’s Chamber.

• • •

Two weeks later, a sterile Queen entered a small vessel and mentally activated the bio-systems controlling it. The only electronic system on board was the star drive and it was not activated until the small ship had cleared the golden glow around the Weg Home World. As soon as the small ship moved into clear space. The jump drive and the other electronic systems went to full power. The small Queen had limited intelligence but followed her instructions to the letter and pressed the one button on her control panel. The small ship disappeared.

• • •

The Giant Queen watched the small Queen’s view as she arrived at her silent daughter’s home; she forced herself to control her anger. Nothing remained of the home but a large cloud of dust that had begun to fan out into a belt orbiting the distant star. How did the Monsters do this? They didn’t possess the means of destroying a planet. Suddenly, she saw the small Queen’s view turn and look at a small strange looking metal ship that suddenly appeared close by. The strange ship fired a beam and she saw no more from her daughter.

• • •

The Queen remained calm and thought about what she had seen. She replayed the recent conversations with her deceased daughter and focused on a being that was with the Monsters at the last confrontation. There was only one of them with the Monsters and it was incredibly small compared to them. That being must be the one that built the ship that fired on her probe and killed her daughter’s home. She brought the image into clarity and sent it to the Male, “A new enemy has joined the Monsters. It must be this new enemy that destroyed my daughter’s home. I will notify all my daughters about it. In the meanwhile, you must locate this enemy and find a way to eliminate it.”

The huge Male Weg focused on the image and left the chamber.

• • •

Adams looked at Jeanette, “You were right.”

“These creatures must have a way to communicate across the stars. When the communication stopped, they had to come and see why.”

“What do you think about this new war we’re getting into?”

Jeanette sighed and looked at Adams, “Your suggested retirement now looks better. This is a war the youngsters will have to win. I’m tired to my soul of all the killing.”

Adams slowly nodded and put his arm around his wife, “Who do we transfer our ship to?”

“You know the answer to that.”

“If the two of you are leaving, Josh and Prissy should be my new masters.”

Jeanette nodded, “Even Tuffy sees it. I’m worried that Josh and Prissy have more bravery than good sense. They might rush in when running would be the best option.”

“They’re going to be that way with or without a Q ship. At least it would increase their odds of survival.”

Adams nodded, “I’ll notify Alex and get Prissy on board to start the imprinting process. Josh can do it later.”

“That would be good.”

• • •

Josh was on board Rumel’s Flagship and listened as the huge Gracken explained how the Weg invaded a planet. “The ship the Weg use to launch a Queen into space is a unique creation. It is impervious to most blasters and can withstand an incredible amount of heat. It takes numerous blaster hits to destroy it.”

Josh’s eyes narrowed, “Are you saying your warships can’t shoot them down?”

“No, I’m not; but it takes more than one ship and they come in at an incredible speed. You would think the ship would burn up in the atmosphere but the heat of entry actually helps the Weg’s ship penetrate the planet’s surface.”

Josh watched the video of a Weg ship hitting a planet and winced when it hit, “You mean to tell me they crash into the surface and survive the impact?”

Rumel nodded, “Our scientists have no way to explain how that happens. However, the crater from the impact is much smaller than it should be with an object that big hitting at that speed.” Rumel looked up from the video, “I think it could be compared to an armor piercing round we once used, it goes in small.”

Josh nodded, “Yes, but then it expands.”

“It appears their ship does not.”

“Couldn’t you fire a weapon into the channel it creates?”

Rumel shook his head, “That’s the strange thing. The ship blows through to more than two miles into the planet’s surface at an incredible speed and the channel it creates is closed up behind it as it penetrates. Evidently, the ship is shaped such that the rear of the ship collapses the tunnel as they move through it.”

Josh stared at the image on the monitor showing the Weg Ship two miles underground. “What happens then? Does the Queen start laying her eggs?”

Rumel shook his head, “There is no way they could launch a ship with a fertile Queen. The ship would explode from the number of eggs being laid in it before it lifted into space. No, a Weg Male is on the ship with the Queen and he will be consumed by her as soon as she finds a place suitable for laying her eggs. The Male cuts a pathway to the chosen site, digs a chamber, and that is when she will consume the male. Once she eats her mate, she will start laying her eggs.”

“I noticed in this video the Weg Ship hit a mountainous area.”

“That’s what makes this so impossible. The ship blasts through miles of hard rock and still survives. Our scientists believe that if the ship hit normal ground, it would penetrate through the planet’s bedrock and possibly enter into the planet’s molten mantle. By hitting a mountain, the Queen and her mate can move to an area above the molten mantle and carve out a chamber. The heat from the planet’s core will assist in hatching her eggs.”

“How long does it take them to hatch?”

Rumel shrugged, “We’re not completely certain but our best guess is somewhere between thirty and forty eight hours. Once they hatch, they begin eating the soil around them as they start cutting channels; they’ll be full size and deadly in less than a day later.”

Josh shook his head. He looked at Rumel, “Have they tried to land a ship here?”

Rumel looked out of the main viewport at the Gracken’s Capital planet below and nodded, “More than three hundred times. That’s why we keep so many ships in orbit above the planet. In more than a hundred of their attempts, the only way we stopped them was for a ship to deliberately move into the Weg’s path.”

“With what result?”

Rumel tilted his large head, “Our ship is destroyed but the Weg’s ship is slowed down enough for it to be targeted and destroyed.”

Josh nodded slowly and put his hand on his chin. He thought furiously and after a moment said, “I wonder how that ship would stand up to a Q ship’s beam.”

Rumel smiled, “That is something we are all looking forward to finding out. That beam could be a difference maker in this war.”

Josh nodded and wondered how long that would remain true if the Weg had enough time to develop a counter to it.

• • •

Colonel Jackie Yokawo stood on the hill and looked down as the First Brigade practiced using their jump boots as a unit. She shook her head and fought to keep her composure. Only sixty percent were airborne at the signal. The lift was ragged and many of those that were tardy hit warriors above them. She saw the recording of the Gracken jumping away from a Weg dig and they all jumped at the same moment. She chuckled, except for Cliff. He was slightly below them.

She thought about the difficulty her warriors were having at responding to the jump signal and decided that the Gracken must have better reflexes than humans. Something had to be done or humans would be little more than Weg food in their first land action. She knew her CO was off planet but she sent the recordings of the jump efforts to him with her comments. She expected him to contact her and replace her with someone who could make it happen, but…he didn’t.

• • •

Josh stood outside the Alliance’s Assembly Chamber and waited for the session to end. He had taken a shuttle to the main Governing Planet without permission and hoped Alex wouldn’t be angry. He waited for three hours before the Alliance Representative’s began filing out of the Chamber. Finally, Mike Sanders walked out talking with Hetzel. Mike saw Josh and smiled, “Josh, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you here?”

“Sir, I need your help.” Josh looked at Hetzel and said, “And yours as well.”

Mike saw Josh’s tension and looked at Hetzel, “Do we have a room?”

“I’ll go see if I can free one up.” Hetzel looked at Josh, “Should anyone else be present?”

“If your top Weapon Designer could be present, it would help a lot.”

Hetzel nodded and walked away. Mike pressed his collar, “Tilly?”

“Yes love.”

“Are you still here or did you give up and leave?”

“I can’t understand how it takes so long to say nothing. Does everyone in the government just love to hear themselves talk or is it a genetic flaw. I have to tell you…”

“Tilly!”

“Yes.”

“Josh is here and is asking for a meeting. Are you able to join us?”

“I’ll be there momentarily. At least this meeting won’t have wasted words and wasted time sprouting …”

“I’ll see you shortly, Love.” Mike looked at Josh, “I hate to admit it but she’s right. For someone like my wife, who says what she has to say, these meetings drive Tilly crazy.”

Josh smiled, “How do you tolerate it, Sir.

“I allow Hetzel to run the meeting and I play games on my terminal.”

Josh burst out laughing, “Are you serious?”

“Tilly had one of the engineers here develop a game called, Shooting Snakes, and it has become a big hit both here and back on Earth. The locals here don’t know what a rattlesnake is but they appear to see it as a dangerous alien. Putting the sights on a snake at long distance is challenging.” Mike looked around and leaned in close to Josh, “I beat my best score during this last meeting.” Josh laughed and wondered how Mike seemed to never age. His energy and enthusiasm were amazing. Hetzel motioned them from across the vast foyer and Mike said, “I think we’ve found a room.”

Josh looked around the vast structure and saw hundreds of rooms lining the walls, “Couldn’t you have just ordered one to be made available, Sir.”

Mike nodded, “I could.” He looked at Josh, “However that would be impolite to the guests that come here to use our facilities. Some meetings taking place here waited for years to be assigned a room. I’m working hard to teach the Representatives that we’re here at the will of our citizens. Not the other way around. By the way, how’s Alex doing?”

“Fine, Sir, but he doesn’t know I’m here.”

Mike’s eyes narrowed, “Is this a good idea going over his head?”

“Sir, if I wait to go through channels to meet with you, how long do you think it would take? Alex would insist on going through channels.”

“He’s not going to be happy with you about this.”

“Sir, I can visit my Godfather without asking permission, can’t I?”

Mike smiled, “You’re so much like your parents. The sneakiness of your father and the stubbornness of your mother. How are they doing?”

“They both retired last week, Sir.”

Mike’s eyes narrowed, “That’s not at all like them. Why?”

Josh shrugged, “I think they didn’t want to be around and watch their children die.”

Mike stared at Josh, “Are you being serious?”

“I am, Sir.” They arrived at the door to the meeting room and Mike saw Tilly waiting inside. She stood up and rushed over to Josh and gave him a huge hug, “How’s my favorite Godson?”

“Great, Tilly. I’d like a copy of that new game.”

Tilly opened her large purse and pulled out a small case, “Here ya go. See if you can beat my score.” Josh smiled and returned her hug.

A
lex was reviewing the status of the training exercises taking place on Sparta and didn’t like what he was seeing. The jumps were awful. Captain Weston opened his door and said, “Sir, The Leader of the Alliance requests to speak with you.”

“Put him through to my monitor.” Alex turned his chair to face the large wall display and saw Mike Sanders appear. He was sitting at a conference table with ten other beings but it was the one sitting next to Mike that bothered him. His eyebrows narrowed as he said, “General Adams, you’re away from your post.”

Mike looked at Alex, “Commandant, my Godson contacted me and told me his parents had retired from the service. Is this true?”

Alex turned his attention to Mike and said, “It is, Councilor.”

“What did you do to cause this? You know how important they are to our efforts against the Weg.”

Alex was stunned by the question, “Nothing, Sir. This was a decision they reached together. I was just as surprised as you are.”

“I asked Josh to come here to discuss the possibility of getting them to accept a position in our Government. I gave him all the information about the positions and asked him to try and prepare them to accept. Was I out of line to ask him to come and visit me and his Godmother?”

Alex stared at Mike and shook his head, “No, Sir. I would just like to be notified if he’s going to be away from his duties.”

Alex saw Josh’s nervousness as Mike said, “I really didn’t anticipate it would take more than a couple of hours. However, while he was here, I asked him about what we’ve learned about the Weg. He shared the videos he has with me. Why have I not seen them?”

“Sir, I sent them to you more than two weeks ago.”

Mike shook his head, “Alex, the Alliance is not Sparta. You have no idea of the bureaucracy I have to deal with every day. I want you to contact me directly in the future with developments as they happen. Can you do that for me?”