Please enjoy this story, and feel free to comment on it. I can use all the advice I can get, as I have just started trying to write.
I was watching a science show, the other day. In that show it showed a probe that contained things from Earth, in the hope first contact was made. The show started me thinking, what if first contact went horribly wrong?
Prologue: The Awakening.
For centuries, the human mind has been intrigued by space. Untold millions of faces have looked up from our humble planet, towards the sky and wondered "are we alone? Is there anyone else like us... out there?" Our curiosity has known no boundaries. For centuries we have been sending up probes into space. First we sent them to explore the planets and stars themselves. Lately, those probes have not been to explore the stars or planets, wondering about planets, and stars, is a thing of the past, but to see if there were any other races out there. In a joint venture from all of the countries, we sent up one hundred satellites, each one equipped with the coordinates of Earth, pictures of the human race, computer games, CD players with the languages of Earth, and other things... We hoped and dreamed of a race much like ourselves, finding one of those probes, and making first contact with us...
Years past... then decades... then, finally, centuries... eventually the human race got bored of waiting, and many of them forgot all about the probes... Then first contact was made... not in the way dreamed of for centuries, with the aliens coming down in one of their super advanced space shuttles, ready to shake the hand of human ambassadors, and ready to form a new alliance, but in the form of an attack... A preemptive strike was launched. Aimed at wiping out all life on Earth... The aliens sent forty ships, roughly the size of our tanker ships, to the capital cities of each of the World Powers. For unknown reasons, only twenty of those ships exploded. The other twenty were recovered intact. After the initial finger pointing and blaming at each other, for the attack, the people of Earth United, a new alliance was formed: the alliance became known as the Mutual Earth Defense Force, (or MEDF). All the countries of the Earth cooperated like never before: resources were pooled, classified weapons were brought to light, and armies joined, all with the overriding threat of beating back this new threat... After many attacks, and counter attacks, the enemy fleet was eventually beaten back. Earths civilian population lost few people in that war. The army lost hundreds of thousands.
Two hundred years past after the End of the First Interspecies War. Even then, the human race did not forget the spirit of cooperation shown two hundred years prior. Significant advances were made in all fields: New drugs were created from the alien technology recovered. These drugs were proven to be able to cure all forms of cancer, and completely remove all other forms of disease. New weapons were also designed. Weapons capable of more shear destruction then ever before. Fleets were built and launched, tasked with defending our galaxy, from any outside attacks.
The vigilance of the defense of the planet, lasted fifty years, and then the human race became more relaxed, some would later say, overconfident. Fleets were retired, advances in war technology started coming slower, until there were no more significant advances made. Discoveries across all fields slowly ground to a halt, before stopping altogether.
Some thought the aliens would never appear again... They were wrong. Two hundred years later, they are back.
Chapter One: Friends, or Foes?
Present Day: Two Hundred miles above the far side of Saturn. New Earth III, Space Station.
Robbert Thames tapped on the sheet of glass infront of him. Twenty more minutes on this worthless shift, he thought as he stared, utterly bored, at the inky blackness, dotted here and there with small white lights, on the other side off the glass. At the height of six foot four inches, and towering a full head and shoulders above the rest of the forty man crew, Robbert was an oddity on the New Earth III. Born to a wealthy New England mother and father, Robbert had grown up in the life of privilege: his every wish and desire granted. But that was not enough for Robbert. At the age of sixteen, a new life beckoned, and he enrolled in the MEDF Space Marines as soon as possible. Lacking the connections needed to advance far, Robbert was assigned the position of Radio and Electronic ships communicator, and was shipped out to the Mars Space station to begin training. Ten years later found him on New Earth III, a backwater military research station, so old very few even remembered why it had been built and sent out so far from Earth, in the first place. All Robbert knew was that this was a career ending place, and that he stood very little chance of ever being recognized by the brass, so far from Earth. Not that there was ever much chance of a radio man ever being recognized. Robbert thought as he idly played with the Microphone hanging from the headset he was required to wear at all times during his shift. Ten more minutes...
Then there was a bright flash far outside the window. Far out, directly infront of the window, the light faded just as soon as it had come. The twinkling lights from the stars slowly appeared to dim, then black out completely. "What the hell?" Robbert whispered, wide awake now. Then a ship appeared in the blackness. Then two, then three... Before long twenty ships came into view. "Captain!" Robberts’ voice cracked. Robbert swallowed and tried hard to keep his voice as close to its normal level as possible. He tried again. "Captain…, this is Robbert Thames, Radioman, I think you better get to port side as soon as possible."
Two Decks Below: Port Side, New Earth III, five minutes earlier.
Captain William Pierce was the model of efficiency as he strolled the windowless portside science lab: hands clasped behind him, back ram-rod straight. At 76, Pierce was the type of captain who preferred to know each and everything about what was going on in his ship at any given moment, and the best way to do that, he reasoned, was to know what the crew was doing. Even after being stationed on the New Earth III for twenty long years, William Pierce knew there was still much to be learned, both about the crew, and their jobs. Out here, so far from Earth, it paid to be a little lax with the rules, a lesson hard learned from his first command. Pierce knew his crew members had nothing to lose, he also knew that they knew it: out on the dead-end station, being dishonorably discharged was considered one small step from continuing to serve. Pierce had earned the distinction of being the only man to voluntarily serve aboard the New Earth III. Sick and tired of the politics and red-tape that was so abundant on Military ships, and space stations, closer to Earth, Pierce had wanted to get away from it all, and so he did, as far away from Earth as the military could take him. Pierce was also the type of man who knew when he was outclassed, and he knew he was outclassed in science by the five man crew currently on shift in the science lab. "So, crewman," Pierce said as he strolled up behind one crewman who was hunched over a microscope peering intently down through the lens "What exactly are you doing?" Pierce resisted the urge to smile slightly at the crewman’s' obvious discomfort. Before the crewman had a chance to respond, the panel on the wall crackled to life. "Captain!" a voice said, sounding weird, somehow. Not terrified, but whatever it was, Pierce could not quite put his finger on it. What is it now? Pierce thought as he strolled over to the wall. "Yes?" Pierce said once he got closer to the wall panel. "Captain...," another pause, then the voice continued, sounding more in control "this is Robbert Thames, Radioman, I think you better get to port side as soon as possible." "I am already on port side." Pierce replied, before realizing he might as well not be on the portside of the ship at all, for all the difference it made. If the "problem" was internal, there was no way he could know about it, much less fix it from where he was. If the "problem" was external, he could do just to same to change it. Pierce paused a moment, then collected himself "Disregard the last communication, crewman... I am in the science lab currently, what is so important?"
"They are not moving..." the voice replied, hesitently, almost self doubting..
"What is not moving?!" Pierce bellowed into the wall panel, loseing all attempts at self-control. "My God man, just come out and say it. What the hell is so important?" One word issued in reply to the captains order, and that word sent chills up the spines of all six people in the science room.
"Aliens." Robbert replied. Then pressed on quickly. "They-"
"-That is enough crewmen," Pierce interjected "I am on my way." Turning Pierce ran out of the room, but not before taking note of the ghostly white faces of the other men in the room. Word will spread fast on this ship. Pierce thought as he ran for the nearest room with a window.But if they really are aliens that will be the least of my problem. Rounding the corner Pierce barrolled towards the doors, which had just enough time to automatically open for him before he crashed through. What he saw stopped him dead in his tracks. Out on the otherside of the window, many miles distant floated twenty ships. "Send a message, crewman. "Pierce said automatically, while his brain raced to catchup with what he was seeing, "full band, all frequency, visual and radio, 'We are under attack, hostile alien forces'. After that, send a direct video link to Earth, I want them to see that fleet. Perhaps the boys on Earth will know what we are dealing with." Because I sure as hell do not. Pierce added silently to himself.
"Yes sir." Robbert replied.
"And in the meantime, keep me posted, you said they are not moving now? If that fleet moves so much as a nano-inch, I want to hear about it. Is that clear?!"
"Yes sir." Robbert said. Robbert paused a few minutes, then spoke out of turn, "It is very strange, sir... The fleet warped to where you see it now... But Radar indicates they have not moved from where you see them now. No online weapons detected... then again, with that level of technology who can be certain?" Robbert asked.
"You have a point crewmen." the captain replied "How long until help arrives?"
Silence resounded over the link, two minutes passed, then, just as Pierce was about to yell into the panel, Robbert responded "We are in luck sir, there was a routine fighter training mission going-on near Jupiter, they should be here within twenty minutes... They are only loaded with dummy rounds, something about real-time-simulations or some other crap, but the enemy does not know that... As for the rest of the fleet, Earth has not said anything...however..."
"No need to finish that sentence." Pierce replied, knowing fullwell that even if Earth's full fleet had been operable it is likely they would have done any good against the ships now floating silently on the otherside of the window. "I understand." Pierce turned and walked towards the door, feeling his age. I am getting to damn old for this. "I'll be in my quarters crewman. You know where to reach me."
"Yes sir."
Near Jupiter: Two minutes before now.
"'Hoot', form up on fourty meters behind my right wing and let's nail that sucker." Jasen "Rainman" Jones voice crackled excitedly over his radio link.
"Roger that Rainman." came the reply. As "Hoot, who's real name was Tomas Earl Jones, replied, he brought his XLJ interplanetary fighter up and over the canopy of Jasen's craft, just a little too close for comfort, before easily easing it back into the requested position.
"Woah there 'Hoot', go a little easy on the stick, I'd like to make it back to Earth, if at all possible." Jasen admonished.
"Yes sir." Tomas replied, a little sheepishly. "I guess I just got a little carried away... ETA five minutes."
"No big deal, you are the novice on this flight after all." Jasen said, adding a slight chuckle at the end.
EDIT: Any critism you can offer is welcome. I am not sure how to write the first Chapter, I have the rest of the story planned out, and where to go, it is "setting the stage" which is the hardest for me. If you have any suggestions, or comments, or complaints, please add them
.~John
.