{"id":2424,"date":"2018-04-15T07:15:08","date_gmt":"2018-04-15T12:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=2424"},"modified":"2018-04-21T10:31:27","modified_gmt":"2018-04-21T15:31:27","slug":"master-of-violence-part-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=2424","title":{"rendered":"Master of Violence – Part 11"},"content":{"rendered":"

Master of Violence<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

by AJ Marks<\/span><\/p>\n

Part 11<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Angie followed in silence for a bit before her curiosity got the better of her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d she asked as they continued to hike though the forest.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you see,\u201d Jack said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll need some things first\u00a0 I think we can find what we need in the rubble of the shopping center, there was a cell phone business there and we might be able to find a portable solar charger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, okay, but what does that have to do with anything?\u201d Angie asked.\u00a0 Sure a charged phone would be nice, but without a signal it was useless.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd somewhere over there is a connection that you can get a signal out, especially to your uncle,\u201d Jack said.\u00a0 \u201cThat means we can watch, observe what\u2019s going on and send information back to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that will help?\u201d Angie asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they come to free us, they\u2019ll need all the intelligence we can give them, and we can send pictures as well,\u201d Jack said.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s lucky you have an uncle so high up, he\u2019ll know what to do with that information, and perhaps be able to send us information back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Angie nodded her head, all this spy stuff really went over her head.\u00a0 She had no idea what to do.<\/p>\n

A short while later they arrived at the shopping center complex and Angie was able to get a better look at it.\u00a0 It was a pile of rubble<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to look around, see if you have a signal, and keep an eye out for anyone,\u201d Jack said to her.<\/p>\n

She nodded and pulled out her phone taking a second for it to boot up before she watched and much to her surprise, she had a signal, a weak one, but it was there.\u00a0 She looked up and scanned the area a bit seeing no one at all except Jack who was being cautious.<\/p>\n

Angie wondered a bit as she looked on, where were all the people to help clear the rubble away?\u00a0 Had they all been killed by this alien group?\u00a0 If not then where were they?\u00a0 It all seemed almost surreal to her as she looked on before spotting something she wished she hadn\u2019t.\u00a0 A body, or at least an arm of someone under the rubble.\u00a0 She almost went over but fear of what she might find stopped her.\u00a0 It could be the arm of someone she knew.<\/p>\n

Jack came scrambling back to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a signal?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, weak, but have one,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood,\u201d he said. \u00a0\u201cGot a charger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Angie looked on at the package, something she had never bought, considered buying but due to the slow recharge rate she never really considered it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t I just call him?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cTexts will be the way to go, we can prepare it ahead of time and spend less time here, and with texts we can send pictures,\u201d Jack replied to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, so, now what?\u201d she asked him.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, we do some field work,\u201d Jack said.<\/p>\n

Angie wondered what he meant by that as they made their way off to another spot.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Mark waited as the final people sat down in the room.\u00a0 HQ called him back down to the surface for a meeting which had been hastily scheduled.\u00a0 The captains of all six warships of the Earth defense force were here.\u00a0 As the admiral entered the room Mark had a good idea of what the meeting was about.<\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate you all coming on such short notice,\u201d Richard said to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d Mark asked getting the meeting underway for everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cSenator Isa is going to be heading out to Sierra tomorrow,\u201d Richard said to them.<\/p>\n

Mark understood, the trip would take almost a day to do the jump.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are no warships going with him and his mission is one to make contact with this race and see why they attacked us,\u201d Richard said to them.\u00a0 \u201cHowever, until such time that we can determine exactly what they want, our mission is to defend this system.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes that mean the government is finally giving us more funding?\u201d another captain asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cA slight increase, not much,\u201d Richard said.\u00a0 \u201cAnd we\u2019re supposed to improve the defenses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow, almost all of the old defenses have been dismantled, and those which remain will need a lot of work to get functional,\u201d Mark heard another person say.\u00a0 He had to agree, at one time Earth did have a defensive perimeter, but over time the stations had been shut down and dismantled, or changed to serve another purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cWere going to try to get any of them back in operation, and as quickly as possible,\u201d Richard said.\u00a0 \u201cI realize it won\u2019t be easy.\u00a0 As a result, the defense of Earth falls to us.\u00a0 We have no idea the ability of the enemy, how strong their weapons are, or how large a force they have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAny good news?\u201d Mark asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, I know I\u2019m asking a lot of you and your crew.\u00a0 Right now you are the only defense we have to protect the planet,\u201d Richard said to them.<\/p>\n

Silence hung in the room as they all understood what it was the admiral was telling them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I can speak for us all, we\u2019ll do our best,\u201d Mark said.\u00a0 \u201cIf they come they\u2019ll get a fight they never expected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several others joined in.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood, I know we can count on you,\u201d Richard said.\u00a0 \u201cNow, we\u2019ll be placing a lot on the Enterprise and her crew as well, being the largest warship.\u00a0 The biggest problem is deployment of the fleet, and where to put them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo we have any indication of the direction the ships came from when they attacked Sierra?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a general direction,\u201d Richard said.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not very specific.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, we should use that direction to estimate where they might come from if they attack us.\u00a0 It would give us a better position, especially of the Enterprise,\u201d Mark said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou really think they will attack us?\u201d one of the others asked.\u00a0 Mark recognized him as the captain of the cruiser Wasp.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are some who think they are peaceful, only expanding their empires and attacked us by mistake,\u201d Richard said giving voice to the doubt.\u00a0 \u201cHowever, the fact we still have no contact with Sierra is concerning.\u00a0 Their attack, as we have so far understood it, was textbook.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut were not the communications affected by the explosions?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, the communications were jammed just before the attack began, and it occurred way before the first explosions occurred,\u201d Richard said.\u00a0 \u201cIn a way the weird conspiracy sites got the timing correct.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know anything about their technology, how many ships, or other important matters though, its asking a lot of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, the President knows, but at the moment we do not have the time.\u00a0 We can only start doing something, and a lot of senators are waiting to hear what this mission to Sierra yields before signing on anything,\u201d Richard said to them.\u00a0 \u201cI wanted each of you to know what we are up against.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they are this enslaving race, I\u2019d rather die fighting for freedom,\u201d Mark said to them all.\u00a0 They all nodded their heads in agreement.<\/p>\n

Mark knew they had a lot of things to do if they were to be ready for any invasion and actually defend this planet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is one more thing,\u201d Mark said causing them all to turn towards him.\u00a0 \u201cIts in regards to my niece.\u00a0 As we all know she sent a text using her phone, everything confirms it, but I have a concern.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat concern?\u201d Richard asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe probably on a cell plan, and when they don\u2019t get paid they\u2019ll cancel the service,\u201d Mark said watching them all nod.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen we need to get her service and make sure its not cancelled,\u2019 Richard said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll make sure it doesn\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d Mark said.\u00a0 It was a thought he had while on the shuttle down.\u00a0 If her service was cancelled their one contact on Sierra would be gone.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Jeff walked into the office having been summoned by the President.\u00a0 He had a feeling he knew what the meeting was about.\u00a0 Senator Isa would be approaching Sierra any moment now and they were expecting to hear the results of what happened.<\/p>\n

Entering the office he noticed several others, including Richard and Toncor already in the room sitting down.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome in,\u201d one of the aides said motioning to several chairs.<\/p>\n

Jeff made his way over and sat down hoping he would have good news in the next couple of hours.\u00a0 He put on the small translator in his ear as he sat near Toncor.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave they arrived?\u201d he asked Richard who was sitting nearby.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, still waiting to hear from them,\u201d he replied back.<\/p>\n

Jeff turned to Toncor.\u00a0 \u201cHow are your repairs going?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well, it will still take some time,\u201d he replied back.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood to hear,\u201d Jeff said back.\u00a0 He knew that the mission had taken a way to translate better with the aliens in the computers.<\/p>\n

A few more people went in and out, mostly aides going about business before one appeared excited about something.\u00a0 Jeff watched as the President was quickly informed of whatever was going on and noticed her face indicating the news did not appear to be good.<\/p>\n

Another aide walked in and informed Richard of something and Jeff had a feeling he would have to wait to see what had happened now.\u00a0 He only had to wait a few seconds before Richard stood up to address them all.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt appears that the expedition to Sierra is over,\u201d Richard said to them all.\u00a0 \u201cWe learned a few minutes ago the Princess Royal was destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff felt a bit of shock at the news, something he had prepared for yet still had hoped did not happen.\u00a0 He waited patiently to hear more of what had happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Princess Royal did manage to send information about this alien race which we didn\u2019t have before,\u201d Richard said.\u00a0 \u201cAlready our intelligence is going over the information that we\u2019ve learned.\u00a0 But, it appeared they never tried to engage in any diplomatic relations before opening fire upon the ship.\u201d<\/p>\n

That bit of news surprised Jeff as he fully expected there to be some sort of exchange of information.\u00a0 However to not have any contact seemed shocking.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey hit the jump engines first, otherwise they would have been able to escape,\u201d Richard said to them all.\u00a0 \u201cThe Princess Royal\u2019s crew managed to send back a lot of information, including the entire engagement which we can use to evaluate their weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n

The news seemed to be somewhat helpful, but it also meant that they were at war.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m headed to congress now, I\u2019ll be presenting that in light of recent events that there exists a state of war between us and this unknown alien race since the moment they attacked Sierra,\u201d Natile said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll have my support madam President,\u201d Jeff replied seeing the other two senators in the room.\u00a0 Greg quickly agreed but Otto, the one who had been hesitant before seemed still to reluctantly agree.<\/p>\n

The group quickly walked out leaving Jeff and Toncor who hadn\u2019t said anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, not what I expected to hear,\u201d Toncor finally said.\u00a0 \u201cI truly hoped to learn I had been mistaken, this Dark Race was in fact friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll find we don\u2019t roll over easily,\u201d Jeff said to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if the effort is useless?\u00a0 Then what?\u201d Toncor asked him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen we\u2019ll die free,\u201d Jeff replied back to him.\u00a0 He knew the statement meant little to Toncor who had no concept of such actions.\u00a0 He never considered the thought they might die for freedom.\u00a0 For his race it was all about living at all costs, even if you lived a slave\u2019s life.\u00a0 It was an idea Jeff couldn\u2019t handle.\u00a0 The idea of no freedom seemed unreal to him.\u00a0 Living in a small ship on the run never seemed like a reality he wanted to live in.<\/p>\n

Sure there had been a few sci-fi shows depicting such things, none of them ever considered the living in a ship forever on the run.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I must cast my vote,\u201d Jeff said standing up.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are voting in favor, are you not?\u201d Toncor said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I expected, especially as I learn more of your people and planet,\u201d Toncor said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what have you learned?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat your race is different, as is your planet,\u201d Toncor said.\u00a0 \u201cEverything about your planet and history is violent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, not everything about us is violent,\u201d Jeff replied as they walked out of the room and towards the Congressional hall.<\/p>\n

End part 11<\/p>\n

Continued in part 12<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Master of Violence by AJ Marks Part 11 Angie followed in silence for a bit before her curiosity got the better of her. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d she asked as they continued to hike though the forest. \u201cDon\u2019t you see,\u201d Jack said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll need some things first\u00a0 I think we can find what we need in […]
Continue reading…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[3,83,28,5,12],"class_list":["post-2424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-original","tag-aj-marks","tag-master","tag-original","tag-sci-fi","tag-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2424"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2431,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2424\/revisions\/2431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}