his own from the mountains and caves or cross the sea and join the outposts of humanity in Europe and Africa to muster forces anew.
“Sir..?”
“Yes, of course, let’s go.”
He glanced at his tanks once more. They rolled forward in a line past blasted buildings and across the wasteland swept clear by the Leviathan’s supersonic blast. Their treads creaked and squeaked and diesel engines rumbled and the stench of exhaust floated behind like a foul wake of tainted air. And forward they went into the shadows of the two advancing Leviathan’s no doubt knowing their fate was sealed but doing it anyway because-like Trevor-no alternative remained.
The headquarters unit hastily packed what remained of their gear and followed Trevor as he retreated through the rear of barn. Out back on the far end of a tattered field and protected by a dirt berm sat one of The Empire’s “Eagle” Transports. Those machines had come to Earth from the invaders known initially as the Redcoats then eventually as the Centurians. Humanity had captured several, reverse-engineered the design, added improvements, and now called them their own.
With alien-designed anti-gravity generators providing lift and clean-burning hydrogen fuel to generate thrust, what the boxy Eagles lacked in aesthetics they more than made up for in efficiency.
Soldiers and technicians surrounded the Eagle on all sides working to secure heavy trucks, Humvees, a water buffalo, and portable generators. A palatable aura of panic emanated from the men and women wearing various shades of battle dress uniform. A column of infantry onboard a collection of army trucks and SUVs raced toward the front passing the small encampment on a dusty road.
Trevor and General Fink descended the berm. Far overhead a burning Tomcat barrel rolled in a graceful arc after a ‘Spook’ rammed its rear thrusters.
The two arrived at the transport, walked the short entry ramp, and opened the sliding door with the push of a button. Several of the headquarters techs and soldiers joined them, still more waited behind for the anticipated Blackhawk chopper that planned to spirit them away, if air traffic control could navigate it into the hot zone.
One side of the rectangular passenger compartment offered rows of seats for safe travel, the other side presented an array of communications gear and data banks. A display of exotic weapons-including a Civil War era sword that once belonged to General ‘Stonewall’ McAllister-garnished a small stretch of wall. Its blade glinted silver with a hint of fading crimson.
“Rick,” General Fink called through the open bulkhead that led toward the pointy cockpit, “we’re cleared to go.”
Rick Hauser-Trevor’s personal pilot for years-did not listen to General Fink. Instead, the blond-haired man with glasses walked into the passenger compartment with a red face and gasped, “Sir, it’s the Phillipan. She’s here!”
“What? Hoth is supposed to be up in Denver!”
Unlike Casey, Trevor did not question the reason but, instead, grasped on to one last offered straw. He hurried to the communications array where a technician sat.
“Get the Phillipan on the horn. Rick, how far out is she?”
“Five minutes.”
Trevor turned to Fink and ordered, “Contact the ground commanders. Order a full retreat.”
“Sir?”
“Casey-the Phillipan can bail us out. She can fight a holding action.”
“One dreadnought? Hold off Voggoth’s whole army?”
While victory remained impossible, this last chance at survival infused Trevor with new enthusiasm.
“I gave you an order. Get on it. And find a way to get in touch with Rhodes.”
Casey gulped and sought a second communications port.
“Sir, I’ve got General Hoth,” the comm officer presented Trevor with a headset.
“Hoth, can you read me?”
“Yes, sir. The Denver army was a decoy. I think they loaded up everything on you.”
“That’s right. Good thinking for high-tailing it here. But you may wish you hadn’t.”
“What do you need, Trevor?”
“I need you to pull our asses out of a bad spot, General. They caught us by surprise. They caught me by surprise. Our forces are committed. No reserves; nothing that could put up a rear guard action. We can’t win this fight and we can’t get out of it, either. I need you to hold the line while the army-well, while the ground forces escape.”
No reply immediately came. No doubt Hoth soaked in the full meaning. And as General Hoth had done all his life, he accepted the order without question.
“Understood, sir.”
No words of bravado. No quote for the history books.
Casey Fink interrupted, “The forward armor units are fully engaged. I’m still trying to raise Rhodes. I have this feeling his communications are being jammed.”
Trevor nodded then returned his attention to the Phillipan.
“Good luck, General. To you and your crew.”
“To you too, Trevor. We’ll buy you as much time as we can.”
The massive air ship pivoted slowly like a sumo wrestler stomping into position for a big strike. Below-in the shadow of the mighty flying beast-the armored spearhead of Trevor’s attack force switched gears from forward to reverse. Ahead at the mouth of the mountain pass, the first of the two advancing Leviathan’s stood straight and tall to skyscraper height.
Twin blasts of energy fired from the Phillipan’s bow. They burned the flesh of Voggoth’s ungodly war machine like a laser scalpel slicing across a patient. Thousands of gallons of puss-like yellow bile sprayed out. But the beast did not fall.
A new wave of the hideous Spooks birthed from the mist-covered valley screamed up through the swirling storm clouds, arched across the heavens as bolts of lightning flashed and thunder boomed, then plunged into the upper deck of the dreadnought.
Anti-air Gatling guns fired defensive volleys. A dozen-two dozen-nearly three dozen of the vile missiles fell apart. But nearly the same number crashed into the target. Explosions peppered the flight deck and cracked the closed hangar doors. More pummeled the tower to aft, shaking Hoth onboard his bridge and giving life to flash fires and hull breaches.
In addition to the ship’s main batteries, a swarm of smaller gun ports to the underside rained missiles, smart munitions, gravity bombs, and artillery-caliber shells toward the enemy.
One of Voggoth’s hovering coral-red platforms shattered in the fury of the storm. A Chariot flyer suffered a direct hit, spewed smoke, then fell like a rock and rolled down a mountainside. An uncountable number of formerly-human monks disintegrated in the fire.
But still they came, pouring through the pass.
A terrible noise arose from the lead Leviathan: a sound like an air raid siren building louder and louder as it swallowed air from the sky. The turbulence from the vortex shook the Phillipan side to side but she did not retreat. Instead, the energy banks of the ship’s main batteries raced to beat the Leviathan to firing power.
The monstrosity ceased pulling in its deadly wind and began to stoop to obliterate the retreating rows of armor and vehicles.
The Phillipan fired again, this time at lower power but practically into the maw of the stooping beast. The blasts of energy tore at the monster’s top half and-through good fortune or great aim-severed several key tendons on the towering beast’s frame. The air pressure building to lethal force inside the monster worked against it. An explosion of air followed the explosion of the Phillipan’s attack, detonating long before Voggoth’s pet could aim at the fleeing humans.
Instead, the wind radiated out at a higher altitude, blasting into the Phillipan at less than supersonic speeds but at a force to be envied by hurricanes.
Hull plates already damaged from the bombardment of Spooks tore away; the cracked hangar doors ripped apart; radar and communications antennas atop the tower broke like matchsticks; and the entire dreadnought spun around 180 degrees and listed like a ship on stormy waters.
