ALLIES ALIGN

Brad and Brian had come down from the NW in Unit D, heading SW to Unit A. The Kitchen AI near Romeo Rd and Sage Street had reported a sighting of Hagor. When the two men reached the area, they could see some activity. The scene had escalated to a chaotic mess on Sage Street. It looked like the residents had had it with the Hagor attacks and they could almost pity the two Hagor trying to get away from that mob. In the midst of this show, Brad smelled something unique to the desert: greasewood.

What? Confused, Brad paused to think.

I thought we turned off the weather control for today.

“Something is wrong. It smells like rain,” Brad put out on the ansible.

Similar observations were coming in all over the flotilla.

“Something is messing with the climate control,” Howard yelled.

Then, a deluge of rain came out of the sky. You could hear it through the ansibles and from outside the Council House.

“I bet this isn’t the only thing that’s gonna happen,” General Young said.

Liz, sitting beside him, nodded, “I agree, it’s all over the flotilla. I bet it’s the Mayone and they’re not through yet.”

John looked at the two and got on his ansible. “We’re about to have a thunderstorm.”

As if on cue, lightning lit up the sky.

“Anticipate a monsoon-like rainfall,” John said to all the flotillas, “Follow safety guidelines; stay clear of wet poles, broken power lines, and electrical appliances. Floods, landslides, and slipping in the mud are probable, especially if you are moving too fast. Wear waterproof boots, raincoats, gloves, and high-visibility clothing if you must go outside.”

Grasping for anything more to tell the thousands of frightened humans, John said, “We have tracked Mayone leaving. This storm looks like a last hurrah out the door. Don’t try to find them; shelter in place. We will get the rain off soon.”

“Yes, but it can be deadly, with lightning and flash floods,” Reginald said quietly.

The General was born in New Jersey and spent most of his career in Fort Drum, New York. Reginald was not accustomed to this weather, but for heaven’s sake, he had snowstorms. John tried to be patient. It was amazing how many people were so upset about Arizona’s weather and didn’t realize they had weather just as extreme. What was different about the dry heat of the desert?

“True, but we’re familiar with this kind of weather; it happens every summer,” John said, returning to his ansible. “Units, get it together. Assist! Get everyone into a shelter, the closest house, shed, or barn. Units keep watch with Kitchen AIs and ansible help.”

In Mesaland, people got to the nearest home without rushing. They knew how to move.

Two of Howard’s techs went for the weather control. It was in the Council House, so they could run.

“We’re here, sir; no one is in the room,” Tech 1 said, contacting Howard.

“Good, thought that might be the case. Shut the monsoon down and synch with the other flotillas as you do it in case they have trouble,” Howard said, anticipating some fumbling. He knew they had to lead in this, too, except for those who knew about monsoon rainfall.

Within fifteen minutes, eighty percent of the biomes were shut down. The other twenty percent were hysterical. They had never seen such weather. Two people were electrocuted before they even got inside the building housing the control. Within a half hour, though, it was over.

“Okay, we can handle it from here, Howard. A lot of social engineering from here. You can go to the interrogation room and set up for translating,” Liz said.

Howard nodded and left. The rest of the room sorted out the chaos around the flotilla. This is what government work was often about. He didn’t need to participate and was glad of that.

The President entered the interrogation room. The last time she was here was to interrogate Cynthia, which was horrid. Kyle hadn’t come into this room. He spilled it all and ran off when the fledgling democracy hadn’t decided how to proceed. Then, of course, Kyle had been sliced up by two Hagor, and a new dilemma had arisen.

Now, she had a Hagor in the room, a Hagor who had surrendered while many of his fellows had run off. Army Major Callahan was moving three more defectors. At this point, Liz was numb.

A wall with a window had been built inside this room, just like on TV. The necessity was there, but it felt creepy. She could hear Andrew and the Hagor speaking. Both were screeching up a storm, and it sounded like they were agitated, but who knew?

Very weird

Howard was in the main room with Zoe (no one wanted to be in the same room with the monster) and monitored what was being said. The computer could translate quickly, but not as fast as an AI. The combination worked as a team effort. Liz knew it was also important to double check the translations.

Andrew spoke through to the main room. “Liz, I think… well, it’s quite amazing,” Andrew said.

The President sat down next to Howard, sighed, and looked up to Andrew through the window, “Yes?” she said, her shoulders sagging along with her mood.

“I’m sorry; I know it’s been a bad day. How is Samantha?”

“Looks like she’ll recover. James is with her. What is amazing?”

“This Hagor is named Gunt. He voluntarily took off his force field, didn’t even have to ask him.” Andrew smiled. “He told me some interesting things. As you know, there was Mayone with the four Hagor. One of those Mayone, was the top leader. Zior had been trying to get them to stop, to get out of there like the other Hagor, but that Mayone shot Zior instead.”

Numb, Liz said, “Okay.”

The door opened, and Zior’s mate Antor walked in. She had been a good friend of all in the Council House and managed to work with the GP, Dr. Perez, to save Kyle’s life and later Zoe’s grandmother. It never occurred to the President to doubt Antor, but now, Liz was unsure of everything.

“Liz, they are not allowed to do that; shoot their own kind,” Andrew said, drawing her back into their conversation.

“Who would stop them?”

“The Galactic Assembly,” the very raspy voice of the Hagor said, focusing on the President.

“What?” the President asked. “Who or what is this Galactic Assembly.”

Gunt spoke to Andrew and gestured for the robot to translate.

“This journey to a new world was approved by the Galactic Assembly and was structured with rules. Rules that the Mayone chose to break, as we all remember,” Andrew paused and bowed, acknowledging the memory. “Their abandonment of you humans was illegal, but it was their ultimate act of rule-breaking when they turned on their own kind and killed Zior.”

Liz stood. “Why did Zior…what did Zior,” she couldn’t finish.

“Elizabeth, Zior loved you,” Antor’s small voice came from behind.

Liz swung around and stared at the grey, looking up at her.

“Loved!” Liz said somewhat harshly.

“Yes, he was feeding information, trying to… hold them off. Zior gave them just enough, he hoped, to keep them out of all this. It became obvious it wasn’t working when the Hagor showed up. By the time this happened, the leaders had become strange and insane. Zior could no longer recognize or even have a simple talk with them,” Antor paused and then started speaking again. “I wanted him to stop, but he felt so guilty. He kept trying to fix it,”

“Were any other Mayone doing this?” Liz asked, afraid of the answer.

Is everything going to collapse in my world?

“No, only Zior. He made sure of that.”

Lord, I hope that’s true.

“Why didn’t he come to me?”

“He thought it was his fault.”  

“Is this Galactic Assembly going to do something about this rule-breaking?”

“I don’t think so. I don’t think the Assembly knows. Someone would need to message them about the situation. The galaxy is quite large. You have a grievance, though,” Antor said.

“You mean we could petition?” the President said flippantly, trying to process this.

Another stream of sound. Poor Howard worked savagely to decode the words, but Andrew beat him. It was apparent, now, that Gunt wasn’t of limited intelligence as they all had assumed.
   
“Gunt is not sure, but he and his companions are fed up with the Mayone. They promise much but deliver little. The Hagor were being killed by your bullets pretty easily, and they revolted from working in that environment.”    

“That’s when they got those shields, I bet,” Howard said.

“Yes, but you…” Gunt said. Turning to Andrew to say more.

“You humans went around that tech. Even after you defeated the shields, the Mayone kept pushing. The Mayone didn’t seem to care; they had little regard for their minions, the Hagor and the lower class Mayone like Zior.

“Elizabeth, these four Hagor were waiting in our soil along with two others, coming out to hit us after it looked like everyone had gone. Those two that attacked Kyle were killed, and to top it off, Kyle lived. So even though one of Gunt’s group came up, attempted a hit, and went back down, it didn’t help their problem. Their warfare just didn’t work with you.

“By the time of the major attack, the four Hagor wanted to quit; there was too much failure. When everything was again failing, Zior showed up complaining. Against all the rules, the leader shot him. Evidently, very unusual for them,” Andrew said.

Liz turned to Howard and Zoe, who verified Andrew’s translation after a few minutes.
“What will happen now?” the President asked Gunt.

“They make Hagor fight, kill all,” came out of Gunt with incredible difficulty.

“Crap!” the President said, and looking down for a moment.

Liz then looked up at Gunt and asked, “What did they promise you?”

Gunt spoke to Andrew. “To get you humans off their planet,” Andrew said.

“WHAT!” The President said.

Another spate of sound, and Andrew said, “Oh, Elizabeth, the Hagor thought you were invaders; the Mayone lied to all of us.”

“Oh, hell!” Liz turned around and headed to the door. As she opened it, she said, “Make Gunt comfortable and send word to Major Callahan to bring the other three prisoners up to the Council House. Inform me if more comes up. Good Lord, what a clusterfuck,” Liz said and walked out of the room.

Liz went straight to the War Room and it was still active. The Mayone had disappeared, but the Hagor still fought all over the flotilla. Most of the biomes had found ways to fight around the shields. And the Hagor were putting up a minimal fight.

The President told both Generals what Andrew had found out.

“Gunt is willing to tell them all to stop fighting if we can stop shooting them, especially with those spears,” the President said. “For so long, I’ve hated them all. Now it looks like the Hagor were swindled like we were.”

“Swindled? What do you mean, Liz?” asked John.

Liz turned to look at John. “They didn’t bring us here out of goodwill. Not only did the Mayone lie to the Hagor, but I am positive they wanted something, and I would bet it wasn’t what we wanted.”

“What do you think they wanted?” asked General Harris.

“Well, not to give us the Hagor planet, for one,” the President said. “Or if they did, they wanted something out of us. Lord, what they probably planned to do to the Hagor.”

“You believe this, ‘Gunt’? That’s probably why the Hagor ran away when confronted,” General Harris said. “I thought that was odd. Why would anyone hire such cowardly mercenaries?”

“The Mayone are not going to stop. They are desperate,” General Young said.

“Yeah… I have an idea,” the President said, turning to General Harris. “Do you want to start up those engines?”

General Harris’s eyes lit up, “You mean?”

The President nodded, “The Mayone don’t know much of what we’re communicating with the Ansible. Judging by how they’re acting, I’m betting our secrets are still secret.”

“Yes, tricky,” said Tech One. “Two sets of conversations going at once.”

“We need time to set this up; we need a surprise,” the President said. “Get the Cabinet assembled, but first, Howard and I need to go to Zior’s quarters.”

“Yes, but I should get my forces up to date,” General Harris said. There was communications equipment in the Cabinet Room, but not as much as in the War Room.

She nodded, and he returned to his seat. Harris directed the signal to the Space Force. “Lieutenant General Marks, come in. This is General Harris.”

“Yes, sir, General Harris. Lt. General Marks here,” a voice responded.

“New developments. Receive the report and prepare the fleet.”

A pause and then a muffled cuss, “…Yes, SIR! Right Away Sir!”

And an exciting and dangerous dream came true for the often belittled Space Force. They were frequently overlooked because their role would come when they landed, or so the other branches assumed. However, Liz crafted this secret like the others they hid from the Mayone, just in case. She thought they should prepare for everything they could, including the Space Force being active before they reached Rhea.

General Harris turned to General Young, “Reginald, now that this has happened, I think it would be best for me to run the Space Force exclusively. I think you should take over. Would you accept?”

Then he turned to the President, “If the President agrees.”

Elizabeth nodded.

General Young cleared his throat, speaking with dignity, “I would be honored.”  

Liz left with Secretary Harold. General Young sat and began arranging the Hagor’s transport, pondering how to do this with a riled-up civilian population.

Howard found Zior’s transmission to and from the Mayone fleet. Antor stood by, answering questions. All Antor had reported about Zior panned out. He was a lone double agent. It seemed Zior’s information to the Mayone had become less and less useful, and they suspected him of working against them.

And they were right.


In the meantime, Andrew returned to the War Room and coordinated with the communication techs to get a message to the remaining Hagor and the Galactic Assembly. Communicating with the Hagor was easier than figuring out how to talk to a Galactic Assembly they had no knowledge of beforehand.

“Andrew, where did the Hagor come from after the Mayone supposedly left,” asked General Young.

“The Mayone left and took most of the Hagor with them. However, they left a few behind, making them wait in the soil. Hagor liked to run around in the soil but not sit still for long; they were not happy with that. They were to look for opportunities and strike so humans would be easier to control. Seems the Mayone didn’t realize how quickly you humans learn how to defend yourself.”

“Okay, yeah, that makes sense. I’m glad the Mayone weren’t hanging right outside our biomes. We can now see out there, can’t we?”

“Most certainly. Nothing is twitching yet.”

Reginald looked at Andrew. It was hard to tell if he was joking, but that was funny.

“Andrew, could you ask the Mayone around the flotilla if they have any info on contacting this Galactic Assembly?”

“I did ask, but they are all of that lower class. They knew only what they worked at, nothing beyond. It really is sad.”

In the cabinet room, John was concerned, “Should we really do this- contact a galactic government?” John asked.

“What choice do we have? If I am right, they may have to hide the evidence of what they have done. Besides, we’re already part of the Galactic Assemblies project,” the President said.

“Well, I am all in favor of someone making them pay for their crap!” John said.

When everything was brought up to date, there was a lot of chatter and perhaps some resentment.

“I’m sorry I kept it from you. This started before the Cabinet was fully formed. We had a tight circle with John, Danny, Zoe, Howard, and the Space Force. We couldn’t let anything slip out to the Mayone. The Space Force resided in three biome platforms, and we kept them busy and isolated during the trip.”

“The planes we had acquired had to be retrofitted, involving Howard, his crew, and specific Mayone scientists. They all worked together to build us a defense. We were like newborns entering the galaxy and had to protect ourselves. The Mayones agreed to stay in the particular biome they were working in so the fewest people would know what was going on. I hated doing it, but I had to. It’s the most important function of this job.” Liz begged forgiveness with her eyes.

“It turns out you were right,” said Harold, and that was all they had to say about Liz’s involvement because she had always been there for them.

Yet they did want to know about what the Space Force had.

“We got most of the Space Planes Earth had made. Our planet had lost its enthusiasm for space or survival and didn’t notice much of what the Flotillas were doing. The launch was a shock, but according to Betty, it was soon forgotten as civilization continued disintegrating,” John said.

General Harris was eager to join in. “The Space Plane was made to fly in Earth’s atmosphere and space, which was a plus and something to work off of for the other planes, which came from each service and other countries represented in the flotilla. These other planes had to be retrofitted, which took a long time because of the incredibly complex construction involved and the necessity of keeping it secret. The other military branches and the Mayone knew about some of the planes, but only in terms of use on Rhea and not including anything specifically for space. Remember, the humans are too primitive.”

“Always calling you primitive. Boy, have they been wrong,” Andrew said.

Everyone at the table looked at the robot.

“Andrew, you know they made you,” Howard said.

“Perhaps, but you humans clearly gave me a different route. Why should I take theirs?”

“Wow, Andrew, I’m impressed,” John said, reaching across the table to Andrew and offering his hand. “Before you know it, you’ll be a human.”

Andrew produced a smile. Liz thought that was his greatest wish.

“So what can these planes do?” Matt looked around the table.

Harris nodded at the E-4 Specialist, the assistant for the General for this meeting, and the man answered, “The jets were sealed, and an air supply was provided. Each plane has thrusters on the front, back, and sides for pitch, roll, and yaw maneuvers and weapons, including rail guns, lasers, and missiles. We had two hundred planes, and all those cars you had picked up before the launch finished when the flotilla was parked outside our solar system.”

Amused by the Space Force’s nerdiness, Liz was also pleased to know they were so dedicated and had enthralled the rest of the Cabinet. Maybe they were all prepared to take the next step. The President thought this was the perfect place to start: “So, here are my thoughts: We need to use the Space Force to stall for time while we talk to this Galactic Assembly.”

“What can we do against the Mayone, a space-faring civilization?” John asked.

“We know the Mayone are cowards, and now we have the Hagor on our side—at least for the time being.” Liz looked around her group. “I know this is a crazy idea.” Guilt tugged at her. Were the Hagor really that bad, or were they just defending themselves?

War is always bad on both sides.

Would I have done any different?

“I think we should bring out an appropriate number of planes and scare the shit out of the Mayone,” Liz said. “What are your ideas, General Harris?”

“We should appear from nowhere. Not all our planes; we hold them back to bring them out as we need them. Next, we should tell them what we are doing and use that Galactic Assembly to our benefit. If what the Mayone are doing and have done is as illegal as Gunt said, it should make them shake in their boots.”

“But Mayone, don’t wear boots,” Andrew said, making Liz laugh.

“It’s a metaphor, Andrew,” she said.

“Oh.” They could almost see Andrew thinking and searching. “Yes, yes, I see. OK, Let’s make them shake,” Andrew said.

Harris, despite himself, chuckled. Took in a breath and continued.

“We demonstrate the physics of space. The pilots could maneuver around, showing off we were not dullards like the entertainment media usually showed,” General Harris said grimacing.

“Then, we could approach their ships and damage some vital systems. We have rail guns, missiles, and lasers,” Harris rubbed his hands together, eager to start.

“We must be careful; nobody should be hurt on the Mayone ships. Even though we are the victims, and heaven knows I wouldn’t mind if they all died, we have to be squeaky clean, especially in comparison with the Mayones,” the President said.  

General Harris sighed and nodded, “You’re right now that the Galactic Assembly is involved. First, though, we must find out how many ships they have. That probably will change soon.”

“What do our resident Mayone think,” Liz said.

Now that Zior was found to be the only traitor, no matter how well-meaning, the ostracizing of the Mayone was suspended, and they eagerly offered to help.

“Our resident Mayone group thinks their estranged cousins would have a minimum complement because we are so backward,” Andrew said.

“I’ll give them backward. Is there any way we could take a look?” Liz asked.

“Yes, cameras were installed, without our knowledge, presumably for the Mayone’s plans,” Andrew said. “We have been able to gain access, cut off the signal, and insert dummy ones.”

Excellent. Howard, take a peek,” Liz said.

“Yes, ma’am. Find out how many ships,” Howard said.

When Howard brought up the screen, he was shocked, “Good Lord, there’s a whole fleet out there.”

Not good.

“Remember, we have the P U K E D, right? That will help,” the E-4 Specialist said.

“What?” the President asked.

“Just what the pilots call it. Pulsating Ultrasonic Kinetic Energy Deterrent. It severely comprises concentration. Simple tasks and fine motor control abilities disappear. A simple weapon but very disabling.”

“Oh, yes. Interesting weapon. Why haven’t I heard of this used before on Earth?”

“It was used on Earth for crowd control and temporary disablement, but not much, even though it works amazingly well. It’s cheaper to use things like tear gas or pepper balls.”

“It won’t harm them, both the Mayone and Hagor?”

“It will be VERY uncomfortable; they won’t be able to do anything but…” Harris flushed, embarrassed before his President.

“PUKE,” Liz finished.

“Yes,” clearing his throat. “But they quickly return to normal when it’s turned off. We tried it on volunteer Mayone and Hagor. Not pleasant but not harmful. That is, of course, if it’s under the fifteen-minute limit.”

“Then?”

“Oh, permanent ear and brain damage.”

“Well, that cannot happen. Take that limit down to say ten minutes. Let’s make the enemy real queasy; that should be enough.”

“Yes.”

“Perfect. Well, General Harris, looks like you have your work cut out for you,” Liz said.

“Yes, Madam President,” the General said as he stood and saluted.

“I’ve just been informed we have a channel open to the Galactic Assembly,” Howard said.

Liz spent the next few hours working through the Galactic Assembly’s bureaucracy. She needed to approach this slowly, as she thought it would be similar to her experiences becoming President in that minutia and land mines would be there. Harold sat by her side, answering her questions as she progressed, and Andrew dropped by for advice on the land mines. Thankfully, the Galactics could translate Earth English well.

The Mayone had been effectively secretive, but recent events had changed that. Lt. General Marks watched the ships appear in his view. The Mayone ships were ugly.

God, what clunky-looking ships.

A Specialist E-4 sitting next to Marks leaned over and looked at the display. “Wow, a whole lot of them. You know, they look familiar. Big, bulky, and, yes, very ugly. There were ships like that in World War II. They were called Liberty ships to bring equipment and soldiers and have showers and food for the soldiers in the field. Yeah, yeah, they look like a space equivalent of that.”

Marks nodded, “Yes, and different from the other ships we saw them in. I wonder why they are so different.”

“In World War II, it was because they could be quickly manufactured and cheap to make, at least compared to the destroyers and other sophisticated ships.”

“But it could be more than that.”

Liz entered the Space Force headquarters and followed the E-4 Specialist into a hangar, nodding at the General. She inspected the group of newly remodeled planes and pilots standing beside them. These would be the first groups to successively appear on the battlefield before the Mayone Liberty Ships. Everyone looked great. The uniforms were dark blue with silver buttons on one side of their jackets and the nametag, insignias, and ribbons on the other, all over grey pants. Yes, they were very sharp.

“Thank you for running this mission. It will be like nothing you have done before, but I think it will be the same in many ways. People are good and bad, even out in the galaxy. Remember, they are just people like any you may have fought on Earth. Make us proud,” the President told the pilots.

“Ten-hut,” said General Harris, and the group saluted Liz.

Now that is fun!

Grinning, Liz turned to General Harris, “Everything is in order, General. You may launch your ships.”

“Launch your ships, Lieutenant General,” General Harris ordered.

The first battle plan the humans constructed for the flotilla was crude. No one knew how an enemy would approach them, but they felt the first candidates for an attacker would be Mayone or Hagor since they were the only aliens they had encountered. Now, it looked like both, but lucky for the human the Hagor had pulled out.

Now, the Force had had time to practice and strategize. However, it was evident that the Mayone thought humans could do little to stop them, as irrational as that attitude had proven to be on the ground of the flotillas.

When Liz returned to the War Room, she had good news. “We got it. It looks like there is an open channel for emergency petitions. The Assembly will see us,” Liz said, looking at the Generals.

“How?” Reginald asked.

“Well, since we are a poor, underdeveloped world,” Liz shrugged.

“I guess that had to come into this; who will go?” Harris asked.

“That’s surprising. We can stay here and have a digital meeting. We will have to go over protocols and numbers, but the whole flotilla can tune in,” Liz said.

This pleased the President; at least this could be open.

Proud of her people but scared for them, Liz watched the space planes and converted fighter jets launch out of the hangar built into the soil of one of the Space Force biomes from the comfort of her monitor in the War Room. Like it or not, Liz had to admit they had much in common with the Hagor.

The planes came out, ten to start with, and went to face the Mayone. Each pilot had a game face on to be as fierce as they could muster. Unfortunately, in that game of aggression, the reality deflated their resolve or maybe exploded it. Instead of hundreds of battleships, there were only two.

“What the…” said all ten pilots.

“General Harris, we see only two ships,” Marks said from his plane.

“Are you sure? Look around,” said General Harris.

They looked at every axis, but there were still only two.

“OH, OH, I’ve heard of this! It was in a great scifi TV show. One of the best, actually,” Secretary Howard excitedly spit.

General Harris rolled his eyes, looked up at the ceiling, and patiently triying to wait for the man to explain. Howard leaned toward his monitor without paying attention to the General, his face harboring a huge grin.

“I bet it’s some kind of mirror program. It takes some energy, but not as much as real ships. A good feint.”

“Can you test that?

“Uh,” Howard said as his finger flew across the screen. “Yes, I think so.” Humans had been able to decipher what type of matter was out in the universe for quite a while, so this request wasn’t too much of a leap with the right equipment.

“Okay, okay,” he said, nodding his head. “I found two real ones; the rest are made of something like a hologram.”

The now smiling General turned to his ansible and announced, “There are only two real ships. The rest are projections of some kind for use in the camera images. Commence with Plan A.”

Plan A was simple: surprise the enemy. They hoped that showing up would be a big surprise and demonstrate their ability to maneuver in space instead of an atmosphere, showing the Mayone they weren’t so inexperienced.

“General, this supports a theory I have. The Mayone may be taking ships from other species. That may explain how poorly they have done this,” Marks said back to General Harris.

“Hmm, this just keeps getting easier,” General Harris said. “Let’s hope you’re right.”

Ten planes flew to a position in front of the two lonely Liberty space ships. Hanging there in space above Mesaland, the planes prepared for the next surprise. General Harris had the distinct pleasure of broadcasting the message.

“Our esteemed brothers- the Mayone people. We are so glad to see you again. There is excellent news for you. President Elizabeth Davis has initiated a meeting with the Galactic Assembly. You will be pleased to hear she will discuss our little argument and how you have helped us with our issues.

“As we speak, the Galactic Assembly is meeting with the Cabinet of the Human Flotilla, and all eyes will be upon us for the duration. Please stand by.” With a flourish, the General clicked off the transmission.

“That should make them shake,” Harris said.

With that announcement, everyone watched their panels, and the pilots tried to stay perfectly still until one of the two ships started to move straight for the human planes.

“Guess they think it’s a bluff, or maybe they want to take us out before the Assembly can interfere. Initiate Plan B,” Marks, the lead pilot, said.

Five more planes came out of the hangar. The ten already in position started to move to accommodate them, making sure to move smoothly and with complete control.

Two planes then began to move toward the clunky monster that was moving toward the humans. This resulted in the enemy ships stopping their forward movement. Luckily, these ships didn’t have smaller, fighting planes in a cargo bay. If they did, the humans would have a problem, but it would still disadvantage the bulky Mayone ships regarding reaction time. Regardless, none appeared. The plan was progressing.

The enemy began to broadcast, “We are more powerful than you. Stop your provocative behavior. We are only here to help you on this final step in your journey.”

“Wow, they are laying it on,” Harris opened his ansible to the Mayone ships. “That is very kind of you, but we have no interest in further contact. In fact, that is what the discussion is about with the Galactic Assembly. Do you wish to join?”

No response. Finally, the enemy ship continued to move forward.

“Whew, they don’t believe,” said Howard.

“Or they are irrational,” Harris said.

Ten more planes emerged from the hangars and joined the fifteen facing the two Mayone ships. The president was impressed, and hopefully, so was the Mayone. Now, she needed to impress someone else.


The meeting was to be held in the old library, the largest room next to the old gym, which was now the War Room. The library’s interior was cleared, and the group to meet the Assembly was decided.

Gunt and Antor had not had the privilege of learning this language either as children or in their work. Such was the fate of these lesser-class beings. Liz felt that needed to be changed. For now, all of them would have to depend on Andrew and an ansible hooked into Howard for these negotiations. In the long run that had to be changed.

Liz could hear her father’s voice saying, “One step forward, Liz, take it slow.” Of course, he was right. However, all of them in the flotilla would have to learn the language, especially if they wanted to survive.

The alien room appeared projected inside the library. It was a greeting hall with a very tall ceiling. You could see the ceiling sometimes with clouds, but it wasn’t constant, as if the weather had changed. Liz tried to stand tall and be as formal as she had ever been in her tenure as President. The rest of the group, she could tell, were just as nervous, so she tried her best not to show hers.

The group approached a throne—good gracious, a throne! Maybe not, but it was a large chair on an elevated platform. A person stood there, looking like It was trying to smile.

They might know something about us.

Or they are old-fashioned, too, standing on tradition.

Liz felt this person looking down on her was a female, not exactly like a human female, but bipedal with two arms, a rounded shape at the hips, and maybe, just maybe, some breasts. That would be interesting.

This person was looking the group over, too, especially Liz. It would be interesting to know what she was thinking.

A cluster of words came out of the alien’s round mouth. Liz turned to Andrew, and he paused, “Welcome to the capital. I am Zephyra.”

“I am Elizabeth, President of the Human Flotilla from Earth and lead teacher of the Sonoran Desert biome.”

Liz turned to her crew, “This is Andrew, our AI placed in a robot, and Gunt, our first Hagor friend; Howard, Secretary of FTL /Travel & Robotics and our engineer; Antor, a Mayone friend and doctor of both Mayone and Human and a consultant; Matt, our Law Liaison; and finally John, the Secretary of National Intelligence and Mesaland’s Sheriff. We all do double duty.”

Andrew tried to keep up with the translation for the aliens and followed along with the President as she pointed out the group’s individuals, including himself. They used something like an AI when conversing with humans over the ansible, but it was more basic in this meeting hall. Andrew was allowed to translate, but Liz suspected they were double-checking as Liz had done. Smart.

“I am honored to meet you all,” said Zephyra. “What have you come to discuss?”

As Andrew translated, Liz’s mind racing and worrying, took a deep breath.

“Thank you for seeing the Human Flotilla from the planet Earth. As you know, we are in a battle for our lives. Earlier in the journey, we learned that the Mayone elders had set up our main AI to spy on us.”

She continued with the story, ending with the attack from the Hagor, the reality causing her throat to catch. All the attacks that had led up to this battle and the defections. At that point, Zephyra became alert.

“Defections, why?” Zephyra asked.

Liz motioned for Gunt to come forward, Andrew again by the Hagor’s side. A very raspy sound festival started, and Andrew translated smoothly and in short intervals. He spoke the galactic language and used his built-in Ansible to speak in English to the petitioners.

“The Mayone had offered to get the humans away from our planet. The job was to frighten the humans into submission until I realized it wasn’t working. The humans were beating us with every maneuver.

“Then, I was told the Mayones wanted us to kill all the humans we could. It surprised me when I saw how the humans fought, cared for their kind, and finally put one of their own on the line when a Mayone named Zior was in trouble. The leader of the Mayone proceeded to raise a weapon and kill that Mayone.

“I knew that was against Galactic Law and something my crew and I would not participate in. So I decided to help the humans, get Zior out of harm’s way, and surrender.”

Now, Zephyra’s face bunched, and the whole group felt uncomfortable.

“This is not what the program we authorized was meant to do,” Zephyra said. “What, Elizabeth, President and Teacher of the Human Flotilla, do you wish to happen?”

As Andrew translated, Liz felt this might be a trap.

She inhaled, No, I will trust. She had to.

“Execute attack,” said Harris.  

All the Mayones in the two ships, all the humans in the planes, and the Flotilla watched as the five planes and one of the Liberty ships came together.

An electromagnetic pulse came out of each of the five human planes. This type of pulse easily moves through the vacuum of space. However, once it hits the hull of an enemy’s ship, it sets up a vibration. A simple thing really, primitive if you must, but effective.

The pulse started to slowly upset the equilibrium of the living creatures inside. General Harris hoped the Hagor would understand when all this was over because he knew there was a large group in each Mayone vessel. After all, the Hagor were the aliens’ primary weapon, at least in this instance, fighting humans. The humans, though, hoped they, too, would turn against the Mayone if they didn’t get too upset about the human’s sonic weapon.

Inside the Mayone ship the mood was arrogant. What did these humans think they are doing? When the pulse continued, all the living beings in the ship began to feel off balance. To their surprise they were so disoriented they couldn’t move or preform any functions. And then the naseau exploded.

Back in the library/meeting hall, Liz said, “I am heartbroken at what has happened. I trusted the Mayone and especially Zior, the Mayone they killed. Zior was my confidant, and my friend. His mate,” Liz said, turning to Antor, “told me how much he struggled with the whole Mayone defection. In the end, he tried to stop it and lost his life defending the home he had come to love. I will never forget Zior and will always be grateful for Gunt throwing down his hate when he realized the truth. Our world was in trouble, and now we fervently wish to colonize this planet, but knowing how that was arranged, I will not force this on the Hagor; they, too, are victims. I leave this up to you, a wise leader,” Liz nodded and stepped back.

Andrew translated, and Zephyra watched the President as she listened to Andrew.

Zephyra took a moment, then nodded.

“Elizabeth, you are brave,” Zephra said, surprising the President. “This has been a horrible chain of events, but it seems a wonderous one also. The group of friends and comrades you have brought with you speaks of all you have. Gunt, what is your wish?”

Gunt seemed surprised to be asked this, or even being spoken to by the powerful being. Slowly, he began to answer. Andrew stood by him and spoke.

“I do not wish to force the humans from their promised home. I have spoken with my comrades, and we are willing to work together. We will find a peaceful way to solve this.”

Zephyra spoke, and Andrew translated, “Very well. Yes, it seems you just may be able to. We will grant you the ability to work out your issues and accommodations. The Mayone that persecutes you will not interfere; the Galactic Service will escort them home. No more projects will be granted to the Mayone, and if they leave their planet or otherwise interfere with any of you, they will be imprisoned or destroyed. It will be up to them.”

Inside the Mayone ship, chaos reigned. The crew was sick and unable to do much but puke. The ship stayed where it was, with no movement at all. The Mayone had never experienced this kind of attack, which they felt made the whole situation completely out of control.

The humans knew that if the weapon worked, and there was no reason it wouldn’t, the aliens inside could not respond.

Marks said just before the ten-minute mark, “Pilots, turn off the PUKE.”

The E-4 specialist sitting beside Marks reached out to the panel before him and pushed a button, “Sir, the weapon is off.”

The other four planes reponsded the same.

“Mayone ship, back off and go home,” was all General Harris said.

The Mayone had just received a message from the Assembly to retreat a respectful distance and await their flagship.

“Yes, sir,” was the only message the humans received.

The ship maneuvered around and retreated.

Elizabeth stood with her family, Emma again strapped to her chest. Much had changed, but maybe that was how it was meant to be. The dome had been retracted, and the Mesaland breathed Rhea’s air. Some were overjoyed they didn’t die. Liz shivered, thinking about what they would have done if they hadn’t been allowed to land.

“I can’t believe we are here,” James said, wrapping his arm around Liz as they stood side by side.

“Yes,” she said, nodding her head. “It has been a long time coming. The next time I travel it will be like Andrew, on light!”

Gunt slid up.

Would she ever get used to that?

With much effort, Gunt said, “I think good. You will be a friend.”

Gunt held out one arm. Liz reached out, careful not to touch the sharp sections, and shook. Gunt had asked that they both share the planet. He was now a friend, what else could he be. The flotilla agreed with the cohabitation but not unanimously With Liz’s explanation of how it had to be, it became unanimous. Rules. They’d always have rules and a whole new set had been added. Oh joy!

“Yes, Gunt, thank you for your nice words to Zephyra,” Liz answered.

“All truth.”

Elizabeth and her family walked to The Desert Rose with Gunt. Jeff and Gene had insisted that a grand celebration was necessary when they landed on Rhea. Much preparation was started, but it had to be suspended during the confrontation. They had faith. As soon as the Mayone fleet had left, they jumped back into the preparation and were ready shortly after the dome slid back from Mesaland.


The War Room erupted with cheers, papers flew in the air, a nd everyone hugged. No one could believe it all worked, but they, too, had faith.

The party was terrific. The original restaurant applicants were there, even if some had moved on to other professions. Those who had worked closely with this amazing group were also present, including the resident Hagor. It would take a while to adjust.

Marcos stood with his arm around Samantha. Her parents had concluded he was a good man and welcomed him into their social group. Gene had teased Marcos about his affection for Samantha and hadn’t let up until that horrible day of fighting. Now, he congratulated Marcos.

Matt and his family were happy to sit down and nosh on some lasagna. “No more school for a while; that is enough excitement for me,” Olivia said.

Matt leaned over and kissed his wife. “Yes, I think so. Please also ask everyone not to break any laws for a while.”

“Lord,” Olivia said.

The two looked at each other and laughed.

Kate was sitting with her husband, Kyle, and they were laughing. Liz was glad to see that marriage was in good stead. She was sure some cracks would show somewhere in all the new alliances. In the same booth, Madie and Tom celebrated. Liz thought it was interesting how it started with them but became so strong. Brad consulted with the Army Major at a table near two couples. Brad had shown himself well in the fighting, and Major Callahan was trying to recruit him.

Sydney, though, was alone in the corner, and Liz was unsure if she should approach the woman. The pain of losing Danny was terrific for both of them. Sydney had taken over the animal care and named Danny’s Kitchen AI. The was proper and Liz decided not to bother her yet. When Liz had made that decision, Madie, Kate, and Sammie approached Sydney’s table and took turns hugging her gently. This was appropriate. Liz would visit Sydney at the camel’s pen.

Sammie came back over and sat down at another table with Andrew. That duo was something that Liz would probably never get over. Who would have guess her Kitchen AI would end up in that small house on the back of their property with Sammie. It was good for him to have a home, and it seemed to be good for Sammie.

A rumble of voices grew from outside. Everyone turned and looked to the front yard of The Desert Rose. All of Mesaland was there, spilling out onto Sage Street so the group went outside.

As Liz walked out of The Desert Rose, everyone clapped. She bowed, “Thank you, I am humbled. You, my friends, are why I fought for this,” Liz gestured at Mesaland. “And the reason I succeeded. Thank you for coming here today. It is right to celebrate with the last applicants before we took off.” Liz gestured to the crowd behind her.

“The strength of our journey came from all of you. Zior and Danny have been taken from us, and we will never forget them.” Liz sighed and looked down, silently praying for her lost friends.

“The hole in my heart is big, but we must remember that it is good that war is so terrible. We should grow too fond of it. These words are from General Robert E. Lee, who fought in the US Revolutionary War. Bad things happen on both sides, but now we can celebrate our new friends and, someday, the retrieval of our families on Earth.”

Looking up, she took in all she could see of Mesaland. “I want to thank all of you for backing me up. I couldn’t have done this otherwise. Now, I will pass the torch, and you, my family, will find your way through the next step in our adventure.”

Gene and Kyle looked down, but Liz smiled. “Yes, even criticism is suitable for a president. It is not healthy for everyone to back her. That kept me from doing some stupid things.” The crowd laughed.

Liz raised her glass, “I wish to make a toast. To Rhea, our new home, new and old friends, and a new wild adventure.” Lifting her glass high, she said, “To Rhea, may it be the loving home we hoped for. Cheers!”

“Cheers!” Glasses clinked, and everyone took a sip.

Everyone was so happy the war was over that it worked out in their favor.

“I think we will work this out as soon as we get used to it,” John laughed, coming up behind Liz. “Are you going to stay on for a while?”

“As President, hell no, my term is up. It’s in the Constitution,” she sighed. “I will, of course, stay on the Council and advise. That is what is written.” Liz raised her champagne in another toast, “To the toughest year of my life.”

“Yes, and I must be President now. As it’s written,” John grimaced, holding up his glass, “To the coming toughest year of my life.”

“Oh, John, that makes you the ideal President, like you always told me,” Liz poked him.

The End Chapter 14 Leaving Home

© June 2025 All Rights Reserved JM Strasser