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Authors: John P. Gledhill
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comparatively slowly, looking out for any Dropas or human activity.
Verton couldn’t understand it. There was nothing, it was as quiet as the proverbial grave, yet ten minutes ago the skies were full of activity. Below him he could see Andrews Air Force Base. It was totally desolate, abandoned by its inhabitants. Nothing below him or even around him was stirring.
He was not to know, however, that he was being closely watched.
Glued to the console and monitoring Verton’s every move, Terry had decided to play the long game. After all they still had the advantage that the Annunaki didn’t have a clue where they were or how many they numbered.
Verton was allowed to fly over Washington unchallenged.
**
Tannacha thought long and hard, Verton and his squadron had not come across any signs of life for the last half an hour, even though they had flown over Washington and New York and the surrounding terrain. It was time to recall Verton and the squadron back to the main fleet. That way they could piece together what little intelligence they had, and at least plan a way forward.
Terry watched closely as the squadron left Earth’s atmosphere and joined the main Annunaki fleet, which had now regrouped about six hundred miles above Australia.
**
Tannacha sat down in the main conference room on board the Nephilimis. His chair stood at the head of a large, metallic, rectangular table, almost surgical in appearance. All of his commanders were present and each of them had their own feelings of dread, a shared, total terror of their supreme commander.
Tannacha looked calm enough as he reviewed the screens in front of him, even though they made extremely difficult reading. Nineteen assault vessels, two troop transports and their cargo of ten thousand ground troops lost, and not a sign of the enemy.
Tannacha finished reading and stood up slowly. He began to move round the table, in the direction of an extremely nervous-looking Verton. He stopped behind Verton, bent over his left shoulder and thundered:
‘How can you disrespect me like this, Verton? I don’t understand you. I gave you one simple task, and you screwed it up completely.’
Turning to the rest of the commanders he shouted:
‘Where are they? How are they doing this?’
Tannacha returned to his seat. He was well aware two major mistakes had now been made, both mainly down to complacency. He looked at each of his commanders in turn. All of them were quiet and unresponsive, desperately fearful of provoking a savage attack from Tannacha, aware also that so far he had acted out of character by not simply slaughtering someone in response to the initial defeat.
Tannacha stood up again and, shaking his head, glared at Verton.
‘I’m going to give you one last chance, Verton. Take seven assault ships and a troop transport with one thousand troops, and find out where that ground fire came from. Eliminate it and set up a safe ground base. Fail me and you will wish you were dead already!’
Verton stood up and bowed.
‘I will not fail you, supreme commander.’
The eight ships left the mother ship and descended vertically towards Australia. Verton had learnt his lesson: don’t take this now hostile planet for granted. He was going to be as covert as possible on this mission.
Just west of Rat Island on Australia’s western coast, Verton’s wing slipped into the still waters of the Indian Ocean. Heading west towards the Cape of South Africa, deep in the depths, Verton felt more secure, his destination the Atlantic. After all it had served him well once before.
**
They were west of Cape Town, just coming over the Walvis Ridge, and south of Saint Helena. Now deep in the south Atlantic ocean.
Suddenly Verton’s proximity detector lit up. It was not an electronic signature but a contact nevertheless. He signalled the wing to full stop and defensive stance, while he
Verton couldn’t understand it. There was nothing, it was as quiet as the proverbial grave, yet ten minutes ago the skies were full of activity. Below him he could see Andrews Air Force Base. It was totally desolate, abandoned by its inhabitants. Nothing below him or even around him was stirring.
He was not to know, however, that he was being closely watched.
Glued to the console and monitoring Verton’s every move, Terry had decided to play the long game. After all they still had the advantage that the Annunaki didn’t have a clue where they were or how many they numbered.
Verton was allowed to fly over Washington unchallenged.
**
Tannacha thought long and hard, Verton and his squadron had not come across any signs of life for the last half an hour, even though they had flown over Washington and New York and the surrounding terrain. It was time to recall Verton and the squadron back to the main fleet. That way they could piece together what little intelligence they had, and at least plan a way forward.
Terry watched closely as the squadron left Earth’s atmosphere and joined the main Annunaki fleet, which had now regrouped about six hundred miles above Australia.
**
Tannacha sat down in the main conference room on board the Nephilimis. His chair stood at the head of a large, metallic, rectangular table, almost surgical in appearance. All of his commanders were present and each of them had their own feelings of dread, a shared, total terror of their supreme commander.
Tannacha looked calm enough as he reviewed the screens in front of him, even though they made extremely difficult reading. Nineteen assault vessels, two troop transports and their cargo of ten thousand ground troops lost, and not a sign of the enemy.
Tannacha finished reading and stood up slowly. He began to move round the table, in the direction of an extremely nervous-looking Verton. He stopped behind Verton, bent over his left shoulder and thundered:
‘How can you disrespect me like this, Verton? I don’t understand you. I gave you one simple task, and you screwed it up completely.’
Turning to the rest of the commanders he shouted:
‘Where are they? How are they doing this?’
Tannacha returned to his seat. He was well aware two major mistakes had now been made, both mainly down to complacency. He looked at each of his commanders in turn. All of them were quiet and unresponsive, desperately fearful of provoking a savage attack from Tannacha, aware also that so far he had acted out of character by not simply slaughtering someone in response to the initial defeat.
Tannacha stood up again and, shaking his head, glared at Verton.
‘I’m going to give you one last chance, Verton. Take seven assault ships and a troop transport with one thousand troops, and find out where that ground fire came from. Eliminate it and set up a safe ground base. Fail me and you will wish you were dead already!’
Verton stood up and bowed.
‘I will not fail you, supreme commander.’
The eight ships left the mother ship and descended vertically towards Australia. Verton had learnt his lesson: don’t take this now hostile planet for granted. He was going to be as covert as possible on this mission.
Just west of Rat Island on Australia’s western coast, Verton’s wing slipped into the still waters of the Indian Ocean. Heading west towards the Cape of South Africa, deep in the depths, Verton felt more secure, his destination the Atlantic. After all it had served him well once before.
**
They were west of Cape Town, just coming over the Walvis Ridge, and south of Saint Helena. Now deep in the south Atlantic ocean.
Suddenly Verton’s proximity detector lit up. It was not an electronic signature but a contact nevertheless. He signalled the wing to full stop and defensive stance, while he
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