The War of Pawns (The Human Chronicles -- Book Three) (27 page)

But as he walked up to Adam, he had a frown on his face. “I’ve called all the people onboard to the mess decks,” he began solemnly. “Kaylor intercepted a message from Earth just before we – what do you call it,
bolted
out of the area – and I believe we all need to hear this.”

“Yes, sir. No problem.”

Five minutes later, everyone on the ship was in the large eating area, seated at tables and looking at Lt. Tobias, who stood next to Jym. The gravity for this part of the ship had been adjusted so that the two aliens wouldn’t have to suffer so much during the meeting.

“Gentleman, and ladies,” he said to the room, acknowledging Sherri and the two female scientists. “Kaylor intercepted a message that was sent out from the President of the United States. It was sent about twelve hours ago, just as we were leaving the moon—” Tobias stopped and smiled. “I’m sorry, it’s just so hard to say that and realize what’s happened over the past 48 hours.” He looked down at Adam, sitting next to Sherri in the first row of dining seats. “I’ll get used to it, as I’m sure all the rest of y’all will, too.

“But back on topic: The message seems to have been sent to all TV’s, radios and even cellphones that had power. According to Kaylor, the Klin must have some way to beam messages directly to these devices without the use of satellites. It means that the people back on Earth will have better communications following a disaster of this magnitude than would be expected, seeing that all communication satellites were knocked out by the Juireans.”

“It also means the Klin will be able to control all communications,” Adam threw in, his face grim and hard as a rock.

“That’s true, Mr. Cain. But I felt it was important that we all hear the message. Some of it relates to us.”

Tobias looked directly at Adam for a heartbeat, before nodding to Jym to begin. The diminutive alien pressed a button on the controller he held and the main screen behind Tobias came to life.

On the screen was an image of President Daniel Ryan, his once-tanned face now looking gaunt and sallow. He was sitting at a desk in a room with the seal of the presidency attached to the wall behind him. He looked tired and his overall expression was one of stunned resignation.

But as the camera focused on him, the 56-year-old president licked his lips and firmed his jaw, while his dark eyes stared straight into the camera.

“Good evening,” he began. “I am broadcasting from a secure bunker outside of what remains of Washington, D.C. I will explain to you in a moment how it is that you can be receiving this message when all other communications, including cellphones, TV and radio have been disrupted. In a moment, all will become clear.

“I have been in communications with most of the surviving world leaders, and they have authorized me to speak on their behalf, because from this day forward all the inhabitants of the planet Earth will have a new identity, one that transcends countries, languages, politics and religious beliefs. From this day forward, we will all be known simply as
Humans
. I will now explain.

“Approximately 18 hours ago, the planet Earth was savagely and indiscriminately attacked by military forces from an alien race of beings called the Juireans. I know this is hard to believe, but you must. It’s true. These creatures came to our world to exterminate the Human race, and I mean every last man, woman and child on our world. As it turns out, these aliens were lead here by one of our own, a traitor who has brought such death and destruction to the Human race as we have never known before.”

Adam felt himself go weak and his jaw fell open. Sherri placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. We know the truth,” she said. And then the President was continuing.

“I will not go into details about that now. As the days, weeks and months go forward you will learn more regarding this person. What I am here to tell you tonight is this:
 
The worst of the attack is over – and the enemy has been completely destroyed!”

The President paused a few moments for affect before continuing.

“Even as one alien race has brought horrific death and destruction upon our world, another has come to our rescue. This other race is called the Klin, and they have attacked the Juireans and completely destroyed their fleet. In addition, the Klin are, at this very moment, bringing much needed food, water and medical supplies to the people of the Earth. In addition, they have advanced technologies which will allow them to extinguish the thousands of fires that are raging around the world, and will bring new building materials and construction methods that will help us rebuild our cities in a fraction of the time it would normally take after such a disaster. They are also bringing new energy sources which will allow us all to have the power we need as we rebuild our planet. With the Klin’s help, we will survive.

“Some of us have been aware of the Klin for a number of years, but never could we have known the extent of gratitude we would feel toward them at this moment. Without their help, the Juireans would have succeeded in exterminating all of humanity.”

Then he leaned forward, as a vein in his neck began to pulse. “But I have to tell every last surviving member of the Human race that our fight is
not
over. In fact, it has just begun. The Juireans control an empire of stellar systems in the main part of the galaxy, so this conflict – this war – has only just begun. The Juireans have been defeated in
this
battle. But they will return. They have a much larger military force than what has been defeated here today.

“We are at war, my fellow Humans. This is a fact that we must all accept. And before you ask, there can be
no
negotiated peace. The Juireans do not negotiate for peace. These creatures are set to destroy us as a race, and they will not rest until we are gone.

“But we do not have to accept this fate. With the help of the Klin, we
can
fight back. We can fight with every ounce of our being to avenge the death of what I’m being told will be over one billion of your fellow Humans. One billion! One seventh of the entire population of the Earth, wiped out in a few short hours, and with no warning or provocation.

“We cannot, we will not, let this travesty go unanswered. We will fight! And we will fight for our very survival. And once that is accomplished, then we will continue to fight for our mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers – for all those who have died today – in a senseless and evil act of genocide. Call it revenge if you must, but the Human race will not let this act go unpunished. We cannot, we will not, let the Juireans get away with what they did to us today!”

The President’s voice was trembling, and tears were welling up in his eyes. It was several moments before he could continue. When he did, his voice was smoother, calmer.

“It has been learned that our friends and allies, the Klin, have, for the past 50 years or so, been secretly recruiting people here on Earth to help them when they would eventually let their presence be known on Earth. The Klin have sought to be brothers with Humanity, but they needed the timing to be right. Unfortunately, they had to act prematurely, as they came to our rescue today. These Human
recruits
are very familiar with the Klin technology and their methods. Since the gravity of Earth is much higher than the Klin are accustomed to, the assistance they are offering will be delivered through these individuals. I beg you to give them all the cooperation and respect possible. They are here to help.”

He paused again, and actually dabbed at the tears in his eyes before continuing.

“And as we dig ourselves out from under this planetary catastrophe and begin to rebuild, we must also begin preparing for the battles that are still to come. The Klin have offered to help us build fleets of spaceships capable of defeating the Juireans. And they suggest – wisely – that we take the battle to them! Rather than wait for the Juireans to regroup and rearm, and then return to our homeworld to once again wreck havoc upon its surface, we must take the fight to them! We must return the terror that they have brought to us, and give it back to their own worlds. We must make them feel the pain that we are feeling at this very moment.

“I apologize if I sound emotional and vengeful, but I cannot help myself. When a billion of my fellow Humans have been massacred so savagely, I can’t help myself. And neither should you hold back the emotions you are feeling. Every one of us who have survived will know someone who did not. This tragedy is greater than any we have ever experienced before.

“Our cause will now be greater than any cause before it. We are united now as one race – the Human Race – against an enemy which we are being offered the means to defeat. We have no choice, my fellow Humans. It comes down to whether it will be the Juireans who survive, or will it be the Humans. I choose the Humans!”

The President’s image was then replaced with that of the Secretary of Homeland Security, Phyllis Conrad. She began by introducing herself to the rest of the world who did not know her, and then went on to detail how the disaster relief was to be handled.

At Lt. Tobias’s nod, Jym cut the transmission.

There was a long moment of silence in the room, as each of the expatriates sought to absorb the words just spoken by the President. And then Tobias stood before them again.

“First of all, I want to say to Mr. Cain that he has my full support and confidence. Everything he has told me regarding the Juireans and the actions of the Klin has come true. And now the Klin – the people who set up the entire attack on Earth – are being welcomed on Earth as heroes, while Adam is being labeled a traitor. I know it’s not true, as do y’all. But this will be a terrible burden for him to carry. He must never believe that he is carrying it alone. We have joined forces with him, and as such, will be labeled accomplices. I hope you’re okay with that, ’cause that’s just the way it is.

“And now there is something I must do. Mr. Cain, can you please come up here?”

Adam was still in a daze, and his knees were weak, but with Sherri’s prodding he rose to his feet and joined Lt. Tobias. As he turned to face the crowd in the room, spontaneous clapping and cheers rang out. Adam didn’t know what to do; he was embarrassed and humbled. Lt. Tobias put his hand on his shoulder, and then raised the other one to still the room. When they were silent, Lt. Tobias turned to Adam.

“Mr. Cain, I know I’m the rankin’ officer aboard this ship, but I must defer to your expertise in regards to the field of battle we now find ourselves on. Therefore, I’m awarding you a field commission to the rank of Captain.” He held up his hand as Adam began to protest. “I don’t know if I’m authorized to do so, but I just did, so live with it sailor. And the first thing that must be established in any complex organization is a chain of command. With your permission, Captain, I have a few suggestions.”

Adam just nodded awkwardly. “Yeah, sure,” was all he could manage.

“As Captain, you will be in charge. Then according to experience, I believe it should be Mr. Tarazi and Ms. Valentine – sorry, I meant Sherri. Then it will be me and Chief Rutledge. Our two alien friends, Kaylor and Jym, will be our resident expert consultants. Everyone should defer to them on all matters having to do with the foreign societies, ships and equipment we will encounter. I suggest, with the Captain’s permission of course, that the scientists appoint a liaison who will speak on their behalf. The rest of you, SEALs and civilians, will all be integrated into a military-style chain of command. As time goes by, I’m sure there will be some adjustments to this order, but for now let’s see how it works. Any words Captain Cain?”

Adam had never been a confident public speaker, but he knew everyone in the room – with the exceptions of the scientists. So he turned to the room and surveyed the faces. Having just lived through the most harrowing year of his life, where everything he ever knew and loved was taken from him, Adam knew these men and women were in for the shock of their lives. He had to do what he could to help prepare them for it.

“Thank you, Mr. Tobias. I only accept this commission because of the unique experience I have, along with Sherri and Riyad. It will not be long before all of you are old star-traveling salts as well.” He forced a crooked grin, which quickly faded.

“But to get serious, the three of us were abducted by the Klin, and had to adapt to life in the alien universe by ourselves. Billy and Chris, even you and all your men had each other for support. That was very important. We, on the other hand, had none of our own kind to help us through. Personally, I was fortunate enough to have met Kaylor and Jym, and they have saved my life on more than one occasion. But as we all begin this new chapter in our lives, just remember this: We have each other. You will find that we will often be the only members of our race for hundreds, if not thousands of light years. We must stick together, we must support each other and we must always have each other’s backs.