Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
*** HESHER ***
C haos ensued among the humans. Arguments over who believed Hesher and who didn't broke out in so many languages, the translator embedded in the communication system couldn't keep up. Hoping the confusion would ease on its own, Hesher stayed silent.
Lydia was not that patient. She shouted into the midst of the fighting, "Silence!
" It caught them off guard, and they obeyed.
"You sound like petulant children! You don't have time to argue over who's telling the truth.
You have to place your trust somewhere or lose control of Earth.
I brought you a solution, and you're so busy deciding whether it's real that the true enemy gets an advantage.
I'll send our recordings and submit to questioning, along with my crew, before an alliance is signed.
You will discover that we are truthful. But, for now, you must let it go.
Have some faith in my judgment. Hesher needs all the information you can give him on the aliens if you want Earth as we know it to survive. "
"We have seen what appeared to be men turn into gaseous fumes, speak in the language required by our homelands, and take over businesses, keeping humans in them as slaves.
Why should we doubt that these men are dragons?
The unbelievable has become the norm for us," the Alpha Station leader reasoned.
"We need help, and they are willing to give it. I say, take it."
"What if it's a ruse? Even if we choose to believe they are weredragons, what if they want Earth for themselves and realize this is a good time for a takeover?" the Spanish Prime Minister asked.
Lydia and her crew laughed out loud. Sophia came forward and said, "With all due respect, sir, we've seen their planet, and I can guarantee they don't want ours. It's the paradise we've all dreamed Earth could be."
"If we had desired Earth we could have taken it long ago. We are not that kind of species. We have soldiers, but we only fight when necessary. We do not seek out wars or take over worlds. Our own is enough. Please, tell us what we need to know. We are drawing closer to Earth as we speak. Soon your enemy’s ships will detect us," Hesher declared.
"We've had a breakthrough in the last few hours," the U.S.
President admitted. "Some of the aliens don't like the way their leaders treat humans.
They have chosen to seek refuge, defecting to Earth's government.
It seems the other worlds they have taken were not as intelligent or likeable as we are.
We have learned so much from them. They can take the form of any species, as their usual state is just gas.
They have been trying to explain how they can solidify it, but so far it is boggling even our greatest minds.
Languages come easy for them, almost like a game.
Their goal is to infiltrate businesses, take over, and enslave the workers.
Then they move on to the government and do the same.
When they are done, you are either a slave or dead.
Many have already given their lives. Earth is the largest, most populated and diverse planet they have ever tried to conquer.
It has become complicated for them. We fight back.
We protect each other. Most of all, we don't accept slavery.
We are willing to die in order to keep our freedom.
They admire us, and that perplexes them, but we are told it won't stop the takeover.
Only the ability to destroy them will make them leave us alone.
You are right. It is a form of fire that we require.
Oddly, they don't think it exists. They believe that they are invincible.
They have ceased trying to hide their intent, openly attacking the places they expect our leaders to be. "
"We are going to need to get our ships through your protective shield.
Our plan is to send one ship to each of ten cities all over your planet.
Our weredragons will seek out the obvious targets first. That would be those attacking the governments.
Military would come next, for we are certain that would be the perfect place for them to hide and still follow through on their agenda.
Then the businesses if necessary. Once they see that they can indeed die, we think a retreat will be called for. "
"Commander Hesher, you make it sound easy. However, they do have access to our weapons. They have guns of all kinds, knives, swords, crossbows, and a few lasers taken from those who have died. I assume you are flesh and blood. They will kill some of you. Are you sure you want to aid us?"
"We have committed to this battle, and we know the risks.
We have no death wish, so we must make the first strike a surprise attack.
They will not see us as dragons until it is too late.
That will lessen the casualties. The military fight is where we will lose many unless we find a way to make them become their true form, thus unable to wield a weapon," Hesher reported.
"When the time comes, I have an idea that if implemented correctly and at the perfect time, can give you that advantage. I will talk it over with the other leaders and see if it can be coordinated in their countries as well. We won't let you fight our war alone," the president declared.
"Tell us where you want to enter through the shield, and we will open it large enough to allow your ships in, but only for a matter of seconds. The enemy ships will try to follow and we won't allow it. So, make sure you are accurate and fast," Alpha Station stated.
"We won't enter over the cities of our choice.
They'll be watched by the enemy ships and those on the planet.
We'll come in above smaller cities and travel by ground to the larger ones.
Suggestions from your countries would be appreciated.
We want to enter the U.S., Germany, Russia, Spain, England, Australia, Brazil, Egypt, France, and Japan.
We'll pick another ten when these governments are safe," Lydia explained.
"I'll get the exact locations and send the coordinates to your ship, Captain Valor. How soon will we be able to detect you?"
"Three hours or possibly less," she replied. "A group of ships this large might become noticeable far earlier. We prefer to enter during the darkest hours, traveling on land to reach our destinations by sunrise."
"Transportation will await you. Be mindful of our citizens, Commander Hesher. They won't understand what is happening. We can't warn them as it would mean giving away your surprise attack. They will be frightened, and some may be armed. If at all possible, don't harm them."
"We will avoid them when we can or do our best to disarm them without causing harm."
"I'm signing off for now," Lydia added. She shut off communication with Earth but kept her link open to the Talonian ships. "I apologize for their distrust and lack of belief. They will come around to a clearer point of view once this is over. An alliance is sure to be welcomed."
"Tolerated possibly, but not welcomed," Maxxus proclaimed.
"There will be an uneasiness remaining no matter what we do for them.
I will always be wary regardless of any alliance made.
How many centuries did it take before your countries began to work together?
I sense that they remain wary, despite their agreements.
We all mean well when we speak of an alliance, however, there will be those on both sides who see the other as lesser beings.
They will willingly use the allied world for their own purposes, yet never treat them as equals. "
"If that is how you think, then why did you not fight the king's decision? Why did you come with us?" Hesher asked.
"One does not have to like what is necessary. They just have to do it. As the future king, I must get the best alliance possible. The words in a document can be twisted if not written to exact specifications. I will see that it is."
Tension remained high aboard the ships as they drew closer to their destination.
It should have been a time for sleep or at least rest, but the crews found it impossible.
The sky darkened as evening fell. They quietly slipped between the alien ships.
They were detected, but the enemy didn't attack or try to stop them.
Hesher assumed that the ships had only a pilot on each of them and didn't care to engage fully staffed warships of unknown origin.
Communication was done silently, and Kelan's secure devices made it unlikely the enemy would read the messages.
The Talonian ships parted. Hesher's hovered over the coordinates for a small city outside of Washington D.C.
waiting for the shield to open. The shield would drop in a rotation, allowing one ship in at a time.
Otherwise, the ships traveling to other countries would miss the window of opportunity to enter Earth's space.
Hesher and Lydia would be the first and the longest, to accommodate two ships instead of one.
When the shield opened, Lydia went in ahead of Hesher.
In the unlikely event that the leaders of Earth were treacherous and waiting to destroy the foreign entities, the Outreach II would act as cover.
They need not have worried. All was quiet.
The ships landed outside the small city in large fields of grain.
Unmarked trucks were waiting on the bordering roads.
Awestruck drivers watched the crews spill out of the spaceships and move toward the trucks.
"Won't the people who live here question our presence?" Lydia asked as she stepped closer to a truck.
"No, ma'am, the city was evacuated. All the cities your ships are landing in were emptied.
I'm not sure what excuse they were given, but it must have been a doozy.
They all lit out within an hour or two. The aliens haven't bothered with little towns yet.
Maybe the townspeople were told they were coming," the driver told them.
"By the way, we have a name for them now.
They're called Xycon. Sounds too cool for such a bad species.
The ones that gave themselves up are spilling their guts.
Funny as it seems, they want to live here as citizens. "
"It's not as strange as it sounds," Lydia answered. "I expect there will be more species wanting to share Earth soon enough. We'll want to have humans on their worlds too. You want to be one of the first?"
"No way! I like it here just fine. Bring the friendly ones on, I say. The more exotic, the better. I like changes, but I don't want to leave home to find it. Let it find me. Hop on the trucks. We have a schedule to keep, and these trucks aren't built for speed."
Overhearing the conversation, Hesher laughed, and even Maxxus smiled. The country accent was charming, and they could feel the sincerity coming off the man in waves. He was easy to trust. They doubted there was a mean bone in his body.
Hesher climbed into the back of a truck, making sure it was the same one Lydia was in. He sat beside her on the bench along the side and whispered, "I missed our nights together. I did not get much sleep without you near."
She whispered back, "I didn't either. Stay alive so we can fight over what to do next."
"I plan on it."
The driver shouted to them, "Your second ship is down safely in England. The third is through the shield. Fourth spot is opening."
"It's working," Lydia expressed.
"We will be fighting soon. Where are you going to hide? Your crew could have stayed on the ship," Hesher commented.
"We're not hiding! We know how to use weapons. We intend to protect you from guns and lasers. We'll shoot them out of people’s hands before they can hurt the weredragons. "
"I cannot allow that, Lydia. I have to keep my mind on what the enemy is doing. I do not need the extra worry of you or your crew getting caught in our fire. Stay away."
"I don't take my orders from you. We've been told to get to rooftops and disarm as many of our citizens and the Xycon as we can. We won't be in your way, but you can't keep me out of the fight."
Hesher's anger grew steadily. "Your leaders are fools! Your crew is not trained for battle. You are not soldiers. I forbid it!"
"Don't ever say that to me! I do as I please. Even if it wasn't my orders, I would still be fighting. Who do you think you are? What supposedly gives you the right to forbid me to do anything?"
Hesher growled, drawing the attention of others in the truck.
His chest heaved from the effort to calm himself and lower his voice.
He glared at the men who dared stare at him, causing them to drop their gazes to the floor.
Through gritted teeth, he replied, "You are mine, and that makes you my responsibility.
Your crew is part of you, so they are mine as well. "
"I belong to no one in that way. Yes, I gave myself to you freely, and in that way, I am yours. But you don't own me. I'm not a slave. If you insist on treating me as one, then we should just say goodbye now."
Her words caused an awful pain to shoot through Hesher's chest. He had not meant his declaration in the way she had taken it.
He knew she would not let herself be controlled and it was not what he wished for her nor what he meant to convey.
Losing her, either in battle or because of his own stupid words, was not an option.
How could he explain what he was feeling and calm her anger?
Going to war with this disagreement hanging over his head would get them all killed.
Only three words came to mind, and they were more frightening than any enemy had ever been.
Yet, he knew that now was the time to say them.
He took a deep breath, but his voice still shook as he said, "I love you. "
Lydia gasped, and a single tear rolled down her cheek.
His words were so unexpected, coming in the midst of an argument.
This giant, muscular man was giving her his heart, despite his misgivings over a relationship that might have no future.
All the barriers that she had built to protect her own heart exploded at that moment. She replied, "I love you, too."