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Authors: Stephen Arseneault
Tags: Sci Fi & Fantasy
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home. Being an observer did not sit well with my psyche. I thought several times of just turning the ship back towards the fleet and going at it alone.
But I had another person on-board. I had no right to throw Shepard's life to the wind along with my own. And what right did I have to take this incredible craft that I was piloting for my own. Were there not others who were willing to give their lives while following orders? I was not a troublemaker, but I was having a difficult time with what I considered to be sitting on the sidelines.
Our world would be in turmoil in only three short months. The alien fleet had us way outgunned. Our best weapon was our speed and they had found a way to counter its benefit. I felt like I was sitting on the train tracks and my shoe was caught under a rail. The train was barreling down upon me and my foot would not come free.
I thought about my mother and father yelling at me to at least do something. I thought about my aunt, uncle and cousin and how the aliens had taken them from me. Then I thought about my grandfather and about what he would say or do.
He would tell me to stay strong, to be patient and to give it my best when the time came for action. It was his image that brought me courage, it was his image that gave me confidence and it was his image that rallied my flagging spirits.
When the time came for battle I would either stand or fall. Earth and all I knew might perish, but it would not be because of my lack of trying. I would fight the good fight and I would fight to win.
Man's survival lay in the balance. We were in need of a miracle and with each passing day the chances of that miracle happening seemed to be slipping away. Would Man come up with a solution to this debacle? Would we be able to overcome the overwhelming odds? I sat back in my chair looking at an image of the alien mega-ship cruising along. I wasn't so sure of our chances.
Chapter 5
The fleet was fast approaching. We had 18 days until its arrival. A new attempt at stopping the incoming alien assault had only inflicted minor damage. More than 500 active skinned nukes had been launched and set in the path of the incoming attackers. The nukes were dropped into position with timers set to arm and fire upon the alien’s arrival; we called them "space mines."
The alien fleet had altered course slightly, traversing only an edge of the mine field. Upon detonation of the nukes, estimates were that 147 alien fighter craft had been destroyed. A second field had been laid out only to have the alien fleet maneuver around it using random course changes. Space was such an immense place.
Our factories had been working night and day. Our cities fortified and our military trained. The stress at home was overwhelming with some dropping from the workforce due to the inability to function with the tiresome schedules and the threat of the coming war.
Production had slowed just when it was most critical to our survival as a small percentage of the populous was beginning to crack, some had given up altogether. Even the politicians in their daily speeches of encouragement were beginning to show signs of fatigue. Man was teetering on the edge of destruction and hope of victory and survival was beginning to wane.
The Military Command had a grim outlook with simulations turning in billions of deaths with some of the best-case scenarios. Some had gone as far as calling for an Earth ship to be built that would carry a chosen few far away from the coming menace.
They would fly to the stars in search of a new home for Mankind. But the masses were not interested in putting forth effort to ensure Man's survival. Their interest lay in the survival of themselves, their world and the lives they still had to live. Their desires were to save all living humans and not just a select few. The Earth ship idea had been met with extreme resistance.
Outside of the cities, efforts were made to construct underground bunkers. Many had the notion
But I had another person on-board. I had no right to throw Shepard's life to the wind along with my own. And what right did I have to take this incredible craft that I was piloting for my own. Were there not others who were willing to give their lives while following orders? I was not a troublemaker, but I was having a difficult time with what I considered to be sitting on the sidelines.
Our world would be in turmoil in only three short months. The alien fleet had us way outgunned. Our best weapon was our speed and they had found a way to counter its benefit. I felt like I was sitting on the train tracks and my shoe was caught under a rail. The train was barreling down upon me and my foot would not come free.
I thought about my mother and father yelling at me to at least do something. I thought about my aunt, uncle and cousin and how the aliens had taken them from me. Then I thought about my grandfather and about what he would say or do.
He would tell me to stay strong, to be patient and to give it my best when the time came for action. It was his image that brought me courage, it was his image that gave me confidence and it was his image that rallied my flagging spirits.
When the time came for battle I would either stand or fall. Earth and all I knew might perish, but it would not be because of my lack of trying. I would fight the good fight and I would fight to win.
Man's survival lay in the balance. We were in need of a miracle and with each passing day the chances of that miracle happening seemed to be slipping away. Would Man come up with a solution to this debacle? Would we be able to overcome the overwhelming odds? I sat back in my chair looking at an image of the alien mega-ship cruising along. I wasn't so sure of our chances.
Chapter 5
The fleet was fast approaching. We had 18 days until its arrival. A new attempt at stopping the incoming alien assault had only inflicted minor damage. More than 500 active skinned nukes had been launched and set in the path of the incoming attackers. The nukes were dropped into position with timers set to arm and fire upon the alien’s arrival; we called them "space mines."
The alien fleet had altered course slightly, traversing only an edge of the mine field. Upon detonation of the nukes, estimates were that 147 alien fighter craft had been destroyed. A second field had been laid out only to have the alien fleet maneuver around it using random course changes. Space was such an immense place.
Our factories had been working night and day. Our cities fortified and our military trained. The stress at home was overwhelming with some dropping from the workforce due to the inability to function with the tiresome schedules and the threat of the coming war.
Production had slowed just when it was most critical to our survival as a small percentage of the populous was beginning to crack, some had given up altogether. Even the politicians in their daily speeches of encouragement were beginning to show signs of fatigue. Man was teetering on the edge of destruction and hope of victory and survival was beginning to wane.
The Military Command had a grim outlook with simulations turning in billions of deaths with some of the best-case scenarios. Some had gone as far as calling for an Earth ship to be built that would carry a chosen few far away from the coming menace.
They would fly to the stars in search of a new home for Mankind. But the masses were not interested in putting forth effort to ensure Man's survival. Their interest lay in the survival of themselves, their world and the lives they still had to live. Their desires were to save all living humans and not just a select few. The Earth ship idea had been met with extreme resistance.
Outside of the cities, efforts were made to construct underground bunkers. Many had the notion
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