First Strike - An Earth@War Novel

Office of the Secretary General

United Nations Headquarters, Earth

May 25, 2487, 1417 UT

Vincente Colón sat at his desk preparing for his weekly lunch with members of the General Assembly. One of his favorite parts of the job, this involved meeting with his colleagues informally, without the pressure of politics and discuss Earth’s real needs. He found that many times, the best work was done during these lunches. And, of course, the food served at these lunches was top notch. As he was preparing to leave, his comm unit chimed.

“Yes?” the Secretary General asked his Administrative Assistant.

“Defense Minister Weber is asking to see you. He says it’s urgent,” came the reply.

“Send him in,” Colón said. Alex entered the room briskly closing the door before he spoke.

“Mr. Secretary General, Kylar II is under attack by Batronian spacecraft. Damage to Naval Base Oscar and the fleet appears to be severe,” Alex said, the stress clear in his voice.

“They what?” Colón exclaimed running his hand through his thinning gray hair.

“Sir, we have confirmation through multiple sources.”

Colón press the button on the comm unit. “Cancel all of my appointments,” he ordered his Administrative Assistant. He turned to Alex. “Have the Batronian Embassy secured. No one is permitted to leave the Embassy. I will arrange for the Batronians to be transported back to Batron at my earliest opportunity.”

“Already working on securing it, sir,” Alex replied having known this attack would require those measure as a first response. He was still in shock at the news. The fleet appeared to be caught completely off guard and Alex knew the casualties would be high.

“Get the First Fleet underway just outside of our system to protect Earth.” The first fleet was headquartered at Naval Base Alpha in Houston, TX with the fleet in docks above Earth. Like the rest of the navy, unfortunately there hadn’t been the funds to keep training up. However, with a direct attack against one of Earth’s systems, precautions had to be made. “All available ships,” he added.

“Yes, sir,” Alex replied.

“Recall all military personnel and active all reserve units,” Secretary General Colón said. “God help us.”

Near Fourth Fleet Headquarters

Naval Base Oscar, Kylar II

May 25, 2487, 0738 Local, 1418 UT

The intensity of the attack seemed to be subsiding as Andrew made his way back to Admiral Morris. As Andrew told him that the message had been broadcast to the fleet as well as to the Minister of Defense, the Admiral pulled out a cigar and lit it. A Third Class Master-at-Arms, equivalent to a civilian police officer, arrived and saluted Admiral Morris.

“Sir, headquarters for both Carrier Squadron One and Battleship Squadron Three have been destroyed. Destroyer Squadron Ten’s headquarters have been damage, but should remain standing,” the Master-at-Arms reported.

“Survivors?” the Admiral asked.

“At least a few from Carrier Squadron One. I imagine the same with Battleship Squadron Three. Destroyer Squadron Ten should be better,” The attack had practically seemed to stop, although a few Batronian spacecraft were descending and strafing personnel with lasers.

“Very well, dismissed,” Admiral Morris said. The master-at-arms saluted and left quickly. “Wilson, go over to the Space Center and get me a damage report.”

Aye, sir,” Andrew replied as he turned toward his vehicle.

ESS Argentina (D-868)

Near Kylar II

May 25, 2486, 1418 UT

“Here they come!” the XO exclaimed as the 75-mm guns began firing at the incoming spacecraft. Several were hit by Argentina’s guns and many more were forced to break formation to avoid being hit as they passed by. The spacecraft zipped over, under and around Argentina. As the XO observed, he noticed that the gunners seemed to be missing more than they should. During the War at Masic Point, he was on the 75-mm guns and the accuracy of the gunners appeared much better than now. But had it been at the beginning of the war? he asked himself.

“Bring her about!” the Captain ordered.

“Aye, sir,” Commander Williams said. “Helm, come to 243 by 170.”

“Captain, the first wave of spacecraft is leaving Kylar II. I show their heading 110 by 290,” Ensign Singleton said as he watched both waves carefully on the sensor display.

“Very well. XO, make sure we are concentrating on the second wave. Ensign Singleton, track the spacecraft from the first wave. Maybe we can figure out where their carriers are.” It was obvious to all that the spacecraft had to have come from carriers. There were no bases close enough to Kylar II to launch the spacecraft from.

“Aye, sir,” Al replied.

Captain McCollum watched as Argentina came around and was shocked at the condition of the rest of the fleet. Most of the ships were severely damaged, many now drifting in space. ESS Peru (D-860) was entering Kylar II’s atmosphere and quickly became engulfed in flame as the heat of reentry enveloped the ship. Ships were never intended to enter a planet’s atmosphere and the result was catastrophic. Flames surrounded the ship and pieces broke off as the ship began tumbling. It would be too late to use escape pods, so all Captain McCollum could do was pray that they abandoned ship before the ship hit Kylar II’s atmosphere. The Captain watched as half of the Batronian spacecraft from the second wave began firing on the tattered fleet.

“Missiles inbound forward!” Al shouted studying the sensor display.

“Decoys,” the Captain replied. “Left thrusters to full. Bow thrusters up full.”

The ship began to turn slowly. The gunners adjusted their laser fire, bolts steaking out from the 680-foot long ship’s six 75-mm twin gun mounts. An explosion from a missile that hit one of the decoys shook the ship. The second missile struck the forward part of the ship. A blast of bright light filled the bridge window. The explosion rocked the ship, knocking most of the bridge crew off their feet. Power failed leaving the ship dark for a few seconds before emergency lighting came on.

Apartment Building 14

Naval Base Oscar, Kylar II

May 25, 2487, 0740 Local, 1420 UT

When she had first started dating Andrew, Kaitlyn had noticed a door labeled “Emergency Shelter”. It had never occurred to her that she would one day need it. Now, she led the others through the door and into the basement of the building. As they emerged from the stairs, they found a large room with emergency supplies including water and first aid kits.

“What happened?” a woman asked Kaitlyn.

“I think Batron is attacking us,” Kaitlyn replied.

“Why?” the woman asked as she began to cry.

“I don’t know,” Kaitlyn said. She placed the toddler on the floor near her mother. Like most of the servicemembers on the base, Kaitlyn noticed that the attack had slowed. “I am going to see if anyone else is in the building,” she told the young mother, then headed to the stairs. She looked down at her engagement ring as she began to climb the stairs. Please God, let him be okay, she prayed silently.

Enroute to Naval Space Center

Naval Base Oscar, Kylar II

May 25, 2487, 07411 Local, 1421 UT

Andrew was racing as fast as he could toward the Naval Space Center. He could see from a distance that the control tower was gone. Smoke was rising from several areas of the Space Center, thick and black. Like everyone else, Andrew noticed that the attack had stopped, but he also knew that there was no all-clear signal and that meant the attack wasn’t necessarily over.

His hands were shaking. How could this happen with no clear warning? he asked himself. He couldn’t help but wonder how many people died today? And what about Kaitlyn?

Andrew never looked up, so he didn’t see the second wave of Batronian spacecraft descending as they approached the Space Center. Hell, he didn’t even know that there was a second wave. And he didn’t see the lead craft release the bomb that exploded directly in front of his vehicle. The explosion blinded him as the vehicle rolled three times before coming to a stop as blackness overtook Andrew.

Near Fourth Fleet Headquarters

Naval Base Oscar, Kylar II

May 25,2487, 0742 Local, 1422 UT

Admiral Morris, cigar in mouth, walked in the open as the second wave hit, in what appeared to be as an open defiance; almost as if he was daring the Batronians to shoot at him. Missiles and bombs poured down around the heart of the naval base. Explosions near and far roared as the attack began in earnest again. How did I miss this? Admiral Morris asked himself.

“Admiral!” a familiar voice called out from behind him. Turning around, Morris saw Rear Admiral Kilgallon, his uniform covered with dust and debris.

“Frank, you are a sight for sore eyes. Are you okay?”

“Yes, sir,” Frank answered looking around. “They got us good, didn’t they?”

“Yeah,” Admiral Morris said watching as another missile struck a building in the distance. “Now we’ll have to make the bastards pay.”

“I agree,” Frank said. “But, we are being hurt badly. He looked up and saw a ship burning as it streaked across the sky, a ship that was never built to enter a planet’s atmosphere. It burned bright looking like a meteor. Most of the ship would burn up during reentry and what remained would hopefully hit the ocean. If it did crash into land, it would mean even more casualties and most likely, civilians ones at that.

“God help us,” Admiral Morris said as he too, watched the falling ship.

Naval Space Center

Naval Base Oscar, Kylar II

May 25, 2487, 0743 Local, 1423 UT

Max Finley opened fire on two spacecraft that descended on the space center as part of the second wave. The BA-75 spit out bolt after bolt, chasing after the spacecraft. Carlos was drenched in sweat as he continued to load charges for Max. The charges were heavy and after firing scores of shots, Carlos was wearing down. Only fear and adrenaline kept the young man going. Two additional spacecraft appeared on the horizon heading toward Max’s position. Damn, these things are fast, Max thought as continued to fire. He saw a bomb drop from one of the spacecraft as it passed over him.

“Incoming!” Max shouted as the bomb dropped toward him. He leapt from the gunner’s seat and dove to his left with Carlos landing right beside him. A flash of light, a deafening explosion and an intense heat surrounded him seeming to fill the entire world. Max closed his eyes and covered his head, curling into a ball in an attempt to make himself smaller as debris fell on and around him. Then, Max felt someone shaking his shoulder and saw Carlos, his mouth moving but producing no sound. I can’t hear, Max realized as he began to panic. Max struggled to his feet, shaking his head. Slowly, sound started returning as he looked at the destroyed gun.

Batronian Attack Spacecraft 1842

Over Naval Base Oscar, Kylar II

May 25,2487, 0743 Local, 1423 UT

The Batronian pilot watched his bomb explode, taking out the gun, then banked his spacecraft to the right, lining up for a run on his primary target, the control tower. Coming out of the turn, he realized that the control tower had been destroyed in the first wave. He reached for his targeting computer and selected his secondary target, a large hanger to the right of the control tower. He brought his craft to the appropriate heading and quickly determined the secondary target had also been destroyed. Apparently, the attack was more successful than anticipated. A stream of laser fire forced him to bring his spacecraft to the left.

With both the primary and secondary targets destroyed, the pilot’s orders were to find a “target of opportunity”. He scanned the Space Center looking for a target. Other than some 75-mm guns that were firing at the spacecraft, which wasn’t large enough to bother wasting his two missiles on, he saw nothing else at the center. He brought his spacecraft to the left searching beyond the center. He saw a four-story building that appeared undamaged. He locked his missiles onto the building and fired both of them, then brought the nose up and banked left. He saw both missiles slam into the base of the building and watched it collapse.

Thrilled by his success, but out of weapons, the Batronian put his spacecraft into a steep climb and headed back into space.

Naval Space Center

Naval Base Oscar, Kylar II

May 25, 2487, 0744 Local, 1424 UT

Max had just gotten back to his feet when he saw the missiles in the building in the distance and watched it collapse.

“Here!” he barely heard Carlos say although it was obvious that Carlos was yelling as he handed Max his L-29. As Max loaded a charge pack into his weapon, he could once again begin to hear the rumbles of bombs and missiles exploding and the noise of lasers being fired, though just a dull roar compared to what it should be. I hope I haven’t lost my hearing forever, he prayed.

“Corporal Hanks wants us to help over there!” Carlos shouted, pointing to where the building had collapsed.

“Okay,” Max said. Carlos and Max began to make their way to where a pile of debris was standing where Apartment Building 14 had stood.

Barracks Third Regiment, First Battalion, Company C, First Platoon

Naval Base Quebec, Omar IV

May 25, 2487, 1725 Local, 1425 UT

On Omar IV, the working day had ended and First Platoon was getting ready for liberty. Phil and Dave were planning on heading over to the enlisted club with a few other members of the platoon to shoot pool and drink a few beers. Since arriving at Omar IV, the two had quickly befriended several other members of the platoon, many of which were amazed with Dave’s shooting skills. Dave and Phil had already showered and were dressed in their civilian clothes, ready to leave as soon as the others were ready. It was a hot day on Omar IV, with temperatures reaching the low 90s, so a cold beer sounded perfect.

“You ready?” of the other troopers asked.

“Yeah,” Dave replied. As he stood, he saw Sergeant Pachenko jump up from his desk and dart from the office into the barracks.

“We just got put on alert level delta,” the Sergeant said. Delta was the highest alert level for naval bases. It required that all personnel to be recalled to the base. The base was placed on lockdown so that no one left the base and all ships that were able to were to get underway were to do so.

“What? On a Friday evening they want to run a drill like this?” Phil asked. He had looked forward to getting to know the other troopers better.

“It’s not a drill. Batron has attacked Kylar II. We’re going to war,” Sergeant Pachinko said.

“Shit!” several people said. Everyone quickly started to change back to their uniforms. Minutes later, a Private showed up with cases of extra charge packs for the L-29s.

ESS Argentina (D-868)

Near Kylar II

May 25, 2487, 1426 UT

Boatswain Mate Apprentice John Bennett was assigned to Repair Locker Two during General Quarters. Repair Two was responsible for damage control for the forward part of the ship. John was in a pressurized suit making his way forward to where the last missile had hit. Electrical power was still out and the emergency lighting cast strange shadows hindering the already reduced field of vision offered by the damage control suit. John was a hoseman on the #1 firehose team. This was hard work since the hose was heavy and hard to maneuver through the narrow passageways of the ship. Thankfully, John hadn’t been out of bootcamp long enough to lose the extra strength you gained during it like most naval personnel did as they served on ships.

The team arrived at a door leading to a storage locker. As the Team Leader opened the door, flame shot from the room passing over the head of the Number One Hose Team. John instinctively ducked his head as the Number Two team turned on a low velocity stream creating a mist to shield the Number One Team from the flames. The Number One Nozzleman turned on the hose on high velocity and aimed at the base of the fire, sweeping left and right. The team moved forward into the compartment advancing on the fire and dousing the flames. John was sweating as he helped drag the hose into the space.

“I need a reflash watch,” the team leader said. A crewmember advanced with a portable fire extinguisher, her job to be sure the fire didn’t reignite when the remainder of the team exited the storage locker and moved to the next space.

On the bridge, Commander Williams was on the comm unit with the Chief Engineer.

“Power will be restored shortly,” the Chief Engineer reported.

“Thrusters?” the XO asked

“Working on it. That last missile interrupted the fuel flow somewhere. As soon as we determine where, we’ll know more,” the Chief Engineer said.

Commander Williams looked out the bridge windows. The Batronians were well outside of her range now, so her guns were silent, although they could fire at any time since each gun mount had its own backup power system. Every time Pete saw the destruction surrounding Kylar II, he felt like he just took a punch to the gut. They really caught us with our pants down, Pete thought as he watched the explosions where missiles struck more of Earth’s ships. As he stared at the destruction surrounding Kylar II, the lights came back on.

Down below, John Bennett felt blinded by the lights when they suddenly returned. The hose team had arrived at the Forward Thruster Control room, a compartment that was not normally manned. It was located at the forwardmost part of Argentina on the second deck. The team leader opened the door to the space and air was immediately sucked from the passageway, an indication of a hull breach in the Thruster Control Room. John’s suit increased pressure automatically to protect John in response to the change of air pressure caused by the hull breach.

Looking into the compartment, a liquid was flowing from a broken pipe and through a hole that was approximately four feet around in the hull of the ship. Damage to the deck, bulkheads and overhead, as well as to the pumps in the room, indicated that this was where the missile had hit.

“Secure that leak,” the team leader ordered a crewmember pointing at the ruptured pipe. The crewmember came forward and followed the pipe back to a cutoff valve and shut the valve stopping the flow of fuel.

“Okay, let’s get a patch on that hole,” the team leader said. The hose handling team laid the hose down as a large 5’ by 5’ piece of metal was brought forward. The damage control team wrestled the patch into position. Once the patch was in position, a Second Class Hull Technician came forward with a welding torch and tacked the patch to the hull.

John looked at the sensor on his wrist and watched as air pressure began to rise. Looking around the room, John could see that the damage to the forward thruster controls was severe and even without mechanical knowledge, knew that it would not be easily fixed. Another fire team showed up to relief John’s team who were running low on oxygen and need to return to the repair locker to get new canisters.

On the bridge, Commander Williams got word from the Chief Engineer that the forward thrusters were out of commission. Argentina would need a tow home.

Remains of Apartment Building 14

Naval Base Oscar, Kylar II

May 25, 2487, 0750 Local, 1430 UT

Carlos and Max approached the collapsed apartment building, sweating heavily by both the stress and the run. As they approached the building, it seemed unlikely that there would be any survivors. Corporal Hanks was directing people in the effort.

“I hear someone!” a trooper shouted. Three other troopers joined him. “There’s a shelter below,” he said noticing that there were stairs leading down, buried by debris. As the troopers began digging, Max heard a Batronian spacecraft fly by. He looked up and watched as a missile struck the spacecraft. The spacecraft pitched forward and Max saw the pilot eject as flames engulfed the craft.

“Corporal!” Max yelled as he pointed at the pilot who was descending slowly by parachute.

“Grab your weapons!” Corporal Hanks ordered Max, Carlos and two other troopers. Max grabbed his L-29, checked his power cell and flipped of the safety. Corporal Hanks led the four troopers toward the descending pilot.

ESS Argentina (D-868)

Near Kylar II

May 25, 2487, 1437 UT

Argentina drifted in space no longer able to maneuver with her thrusters frustrating everyone aboard. Albert Singleton watched the Batronian spacecraft regrouping on the sensor display and then turning away from Kylar II.

“Captain, the Batronian spacecraft appear to be departing. Same heading as the first wave 110 by 290,” Al reported.

“Very well,” the Captain said looking out of the angled bridge windows at the destruction left behind by the Batronians. He was angry At the Batronians for attacking and at the fleet commanders for not warning them. How could something like this happen? the Captain asked himself like everyone else was doing that dark day.

“I don’t know what to expect next. If they want to invade, there’s not enough left to stop it,” Captain McCollum replied. “But let’s prepare in case. Load M-4 missiles in launcher 1 through 3 and 5 through 7 and M-7 missiles in launchers 4 and 8 in case there are stealth ships around. Make sure all guns are ready to fire and electrical power has been fully restored throughout the ship.”

“Aye, sir,” the XO said as he turned and left the bridge.

Home of Admiral Morris

Naval Base Oscar, Kylar II

May 25, 2487, 0800 Local, 1440 UT

Rose Morris looked out over the base from the porch that Bill and her had sat almost every evening since arriving her for duty. She looked in shock at the smoke rising above the base and the debris streaking through the sky as pieces of ship plummeted from space. Rose knew the death toll would be beyond terrible. And she knew that the war her husband, as well as others, were trying to avoid, had finally come.

A tear ran down her face, not only because of the destruction and the loss of life, but because Rose understood what a war would mean to those serving in uniform. She knew how the War at Masic Point had affected her Bill. He came back a changed man. She still loved him, of course, but the war changed him. And she knew this war would change those who fought it. And this thought, more than anything else brought tears to her eyes.

Near Remains of Apartment Building 14

Naval Base Oscar, Kylar II

May 25, 2487, 0800 Local, 1440 UT

Corporal Hanks led the four men into a wooded area that the Batronian pilot had descended into. The men moving slowly and cautiously, made their way through the palm trees. After several minutes, Corporal Hanks spotted the chute. He held up his fist signaling the others to halt. His eyes darted from tree to tree looking for any movement. He signaled for the others to cover him and moved forward, his L-29 at the ready. Then he saw him. The 6’7” thin build of the Batronian pilot was unmistakable, clearly alien.

“Halt!” Corporal Hanks shouted, stepping out to where the pilot could see him, weapon shouldered and aimed directly at the pilot’s chest. Of course, Hanks knew that the Batronian couldn’t understand him, but he hoped with the weapon pointed at him, the pilot would get the point. Batronian faces are hard to read and Hanks had no idea how the alien would react. He was relieved when the Batronian raised his hands in an obvious act of surrender.

“One of you, tie his hands,” Corporal Hanks ordered. Max and Carlos covered another trooper as he advanced and bound the Batronian’s hands. Max’s hands trembled as he aimed at the pilot. Partially because of adrenaline and partially because of the natural repulsion that human beings felt about killing another being.

“Piece of shit!” the trooper, a Private shouted, shoving the alien to the ground and kicking him twice.

“That’s enough!” Hanks shouted. “No one will harm the prisoner unless he attacks or tries to escape. You two”, he said indicating Max and Carlos., “head back to help with the rescue efforts. We’ll escort the prisoner to the brig.”

Near Headquarters Fourth Fleet

Naval Base Oscar, Kylar II

May 25, 2487, 0804 Local, 1444 UT

With the attack apparently over for now, Admiral Morris ordered search and rescue operations to begin. He also began to think about defenses if Batron decided to invade. If they did, he wasn’t sure how much of a resistance Earth could put up. Both the fleet and the base were in shambles. There wasn’t much in the way of spacecraft or anti-spacecraft weapons. Still, they had to try.

“I want the base secured. What is the status of the System Monitoring Center?” he asked a Lieutenant, a member of his staff.

“The System Monitoring Center has been destroyed. The Communications Center has been heavily damaged, but we are still receiving messages. ESS Argentina has been monitoring the system, but she is adrift, so she probably won’t be available for long. We do know that the Batronian spacecraft have left the system and there are no reports of any of their ships in the system,” the Lieutenant reported.

“Okay, get a message to the carriers. I want them in the system ASAP. How bad did they hit the fleet?”

“Bad, sir. Very bad. I don’t have the numbers, but most of the ships have been damaged and many destroyed,” The Lieutenant said. Admiral Morris could hear the shock in his voice.

“We need some protection. Get the carriers back here. Have them send half of their spacecraft to us now to give us something to defend ourselves with,” Admiral Morris ordered.

“Aye, sir,” the Lieutenant responded. He saluted the Admiral, then he walked away to carry out the orders.

Where’s Wilson? The Admiral wondered.

Remains of Apartment Building 14

Naval Base Oscar, Kylar II

May 25, 2487, 0835 Local, 1515 UT

Max and Carlos helped remove the last of the rubble allowing the survivors huddled in the basement to be freed just after 0830. As a woman with an infant and a toddler was freed, she pulled Max aside. “Did you find the girl who save us?” she asked hysterically. Max looked at her blankly. “She went to check and see if anyone else was in the building,” she said tears filling her eyes.

Max told relayed what the lady had said to Corporal Hanks. The troopers responded and began to dig desperately, searching for the missing woman. An hour later, the body of Kaitlyn Ryder was pulled from the rubble.