The Icarian Legacy Collected Edition: Brave Souls - First Strike (Volume 3) (45 page)

As he looked at the reports that were flowing in he was constantly tapping on the floor with his right leg. It was an old habit that he always exhibited when he was nervous.

The rest of the crew was pretty much the same. They were all manning their posts and they all exhibited the same restlessness the admiral did.

Aria watched them and in a way compared them to her last crew. She learned a lot during the past year about them. She felt their presence though out the ship. The ship was as ready as it could be. The repairs the humans did even with their primitive technology increased the power of the ship and it was almost at full readiness. All the AI’s were on full alert far longer than their human crews.

On board the Argus Anaya was doing the same with her crew. Only here Admiral Johnson was calm. He was old and had vast experience of command and knew that he had to inspire confidence to his crew and to the fleet. As she watched him she was the first to notice the exiting probe from the warp point. The information from the long placed Icarian probe arrived shortly after.

“Admiral…”

Johnson raised his head and looked at the AI. The look on her face told him all.

“The probe just transitioned through the warp point. They are here.”

“Send a fleet wide alert and get me a contact with Earth and the Federation Council.”

“Yes Sir.”

“Do you have a reading on their numbers Anaya?”

“Yes sir. It is not exact but we are looking at six hundred plus contacts sir.”

Everyone went quiet as she said the number. Johnson stayed silent for a second and then broke it.

“Thank you Anaya. Send the alert.”

As the alert was sent all ships went to full power and closed in on the warp point. More than two hundred ships closed in and prepared to fight to the last in order to stop the enemy from destroying their world.

It took just a moment to establish a link with Earth.

Unary was conducting a meeting with the federation council as the call came in. It took a minute for one of his aids to deliver him the information. At the same time the presidents of the most powerful nations received it too.

As he listened to the aide he just nodded. The day they were all waiting for was finally here.

He looked at the members of the council. They represented the most powerful nations of the world and he noticed that they knew.

“Put the link here Dither.”

“Yes Mr. President.”

The young aide’s face was white. It was obvious that he was afraid but as he activated the link he regained his composure and the color returned on his face.

On the other side of the screen he noticed the face of Admiral Johnson. Two more screens activated showing the faces of general Taylor and Admiral Levin.

He greeted the two military officers of the federation. They responded back. He had a good cooperation with both of them in the past two years. It was still obvious that they responded to their governments first but as time passed they were slowly getting used to the idea of serving the federation, not just one nation.

Then he turned toward the third face and the most important one.

“Admiral Johnson.”

“Mr. President.”

Unary stood up and paced towards the screen. He wanted to be closer. He felt no fear. He was ready for what he knew was coming.

“They are here?”

“Yes.”

A small murmur was heard behind him. He quieted it with one look.

“Do we know how many?”

“The estimates are six hundred plus Mr. President.”

Everyone went silent at hearing those numbers. They outnumbered the human fleet three to one.

The president felt a small stir inside him but didn’t allow it to show. He kept his calmness and spoke with a firm voice.

“Are we ready admiral? Is the fleet prepared for what will come?”

The answer came fast and with a firm voice.

“Yes Mr. President. We are ready to do our duty.”

“So it begins…”

“Yes sir.”

“You know what you have to do Tim, god speed and good luck to you.”

“Thank you Sir.”

The link went dead. At the same time he turned towards the other two officers.

“I will be with you in just one moment gentleman?”

“Yes Mr. President.”

He turned towards Dither.

“Dither schedule a press conference in half an hour, I want a worldwide coverage.”

The young men nodded and left the office.

He then turned towards the two officers.

“Are you ready gentlemen?”

General Taylor was the first one to answer.

“The ground forces are already responding Mr. President. When the news arrived it was received by everyone. They are taking their assigned positions. You need to inform the population. They probably know but you will have to make that address.”

“I know Jack. In half an hour the world will know that we are at war.”

“Yes Mr. President.”

As he turned to Levin the admiral responded.

“I’m leaving in twenty minutes Mr. President to take command of the defense fleet in orbit. All the satellite systems and defense platforms on the planet and in space are going active and at full power as we speak.”

“Are we ready admiral?”

“As ready as we can be Mr. President. All that could be done has been done. Now all that is left is to look at juggernaut that is coming our way and knock it out, or die trying. We will die before we leave them to reach Earth. The fleet will do its duty.”

“That is all we can ask from you admiral. I leave you to your duty.”

“Goodbye Mr. President.”

The link went dead.

Unary turned towards the council members.

“Well I guess our meeting is over gentlemen. You are free. We all have jobs now and it is time we go to them.”

No one spoke. They just nodded and shacked hands before leaving.

He stood for a while in the empty hall when they left.

He made a short call to his family and smiled as he heard the voice of his daughter. He said his goodbyes and then left the hall and went to the conference room.

The world waited for what he had to say. As the news reached about the conference everyone already knew. But there was no panic. As the channels went dead and the image of the president of Earth appeared on the screen billions across the globe looked at him.

He blinked as the lights and the thousands of cameras and microphones turned towards him.

He heard the announcement as he exited on the stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen I give you the President of the Federation.”

Once before almost three years ago he remembered delivering a speech that was heard and transmitted all over the world. It was the speech he gave on the day he was made president. Today he remembered the pride he felt on that day, and drew power form it.

He had no speech prepared but he didn’t need it. Not for what he had to say.

As he looked at the cameras he stayed quiet for several moments. Then he spoke.

“My fellow citizens, I stand before you today not as a president of a country, not as a leader of a civilization, but as a citizen of humanity.

I offer my prayers to the heavens just as you do.

The day we all waited, the moment we all feared and prepared for the past years is finally here.”

A stir moved through his audience in the hall in Geneva.

“Moments ago I was informed by our fleet commanders that the enemy fleet exited hyperspace in Proxima Centaury and that they will be in this system by the end of this day.

But instead of fear I say to you to hope, to get ready to fight, and support the forces and listen to them in the days that are coming.

You need to know that all that can be done has been done. All the necessary steps that could be taken to stop them have been taken.

The human thirst for excellence, knowledge, every step on the long ladder of science, every… adventures reach in to space and in our history, all of our combined modern technologies and knowledge, even the wars we fought in our past, distant and modern, have provided us the tools we need to fight this terrible battle, this war that is now coming to our doorstep.

Through all the chaos, thorough all of the wrongs and the discord, through all of the pain and the suffering in our long history, there was one thing that has nourished our souls and elevated our species above its origins, and that is our courage, our wish to see the unknown.

The dreams of an entire planet, all of our combined prayers are focused to those brave few souls traveling in to the heavens.

As we speak the fleet is moving in and getting ready to engage in battle...to hold the line against the night, to fight one last time for all of us. May we all, citizens world over, may our world, our civilization see this events through and walk out in to the light united and strong…

Good speed and god luck to you.”

Lights flashed as he finished his speech and left the stage. The speech was delivered everywhere, even to the fleet.

The AI’s thought it was important and felt the power that that speech gave to everyone who heard it. They could see the soldiers standing a little taller and a determination on their faces. There were a lot of shows on the net, lots of novels, games, movies that showed a moment like this.

And they could see that what was shown in to those things now on the faces of their crews. There was no fear, no panic. There was nothing but silence and iron determination not to fail.

The Dacarians were in for a rude awakening, and one that they will never forget.

While the fleet prepared itself on Earth the population quietly dispersed in to the country side and to the prepared shelters. Those that stayed in to the cities continued their work, and did the things they dreamed of.

Humanity was at peace, and calm before the storm that was now just hours away.

Those that believed in god prayed and gathered in to the churches, the mosques, the synagogues and the temples, for the first time Muslim prayed along Christian and Hebrew. The faith that divided them for so long now united them in to a single prayer, prayer to every god where ever he might be, to give the strength to those brave few souls, to give them hope and power to keep the line, and stop the night before it consumes the light.

They prayed for their Spartans up there on the far edge of the solar system.

                                   CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

27 June 13.10 hours

Proxima Centaury

It took a little over four and half hours for the alien fleet to reach the warp point. Once they reached there they remained in place for several more hours. The delay was because of the last preparations of the crews of all ships and the needed repairs.

Voran watched as the fleet lined up in to formation before the warp point and ships started disappearing in to its vortex. He turned towards Sokar.

“So it finally begins.”

“Yes my lord.”

“Is the rear guard ready?”

“Yes my lord, the 27th squadron formed and deployed thirty arns ago.”

“Good. Kerak is a good commander.”

After this Voran turned and looked at the screen that was showing the warp point. It less than a minute the Ahairna and the entire fleet except fifty seven ships disappeared in to the warp point and started their transition through it to the Solar System confident in their superior power and victory.

Fifty seven ships stayed behind. Four battleships, one light carrier that suffered damage to its engines that took longer to be repaired, four heavy cruisers, ten light battle cruisers, eight destroyers, twelve frigates and eighteen corvettes. The ships deployed in loose formations around the warp point.