{"id":353,"date":"2015-07-12T12:22:12","date_gmt":"2015-07-12T12:22:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=353"},"modified":"2015-07-12T12:22:12","modified_gmt":"2015-07-12T12:22:12","slug":"legacy-of-the-guardians-part-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=353","title":{"rendered":"Legacy of the Guardians – Part 13"},"content":{"rendered":"

Legacy of the Guardians<\/span><\/h2>\n

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

Part 13<\/span><\/p>\n

The long sleek, powerful form of the battlecruiser Seydlitz crawled slowly though the asteroid field.\u00a0 Heading out for the last trial, the targeting and weapons systems to make sure they were working together.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommence firing run,\u201d Admiral Dinen said, standing on the bridge of the ship.\u00a0 He watched as the crew carried out the order.\u00a0 So far he was impressed with the way the ship handled.\u00a0 If the weapons worked as planned, the Seydlitz would be the fastest and most powerful ship in the fleet.\u00a0 And a ship he would welcome in a war against the Skartians.<\/p>\n

He watched the readouts on the bridge and the ship accelerated to attack speed for the weapons run.\u00a0 Accuracy was only part of the test, but the total package.\u00a0 Would the computers work with the weapons and speed of the ship?\u00a0 He also needed to know if the weapons would be able to function with full power to the shields and engines.<\/p>\n

The Seydlitz\u2019s weapons opened fire on a nearby asteroid, quickly destroying it.\u00a0 Every gun, from the largest to the smallest fired away and for the test would continue for an hour.\u00a0 This would simulate a full scale battle and the engines could provide power for that long without a drop off.\u00a0 Energy was essential to the battle and any drain could endanger the crew.<\/p>\n

George watched with interest during the test.\u00a0 He heard no reports, nor did he see any power drop off in any system.\u00a0 All weapons performed flawlessly, and the targeting system worked as planned.\u00a0 The hour passed quickly and soon the crew powered down the systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cSir,\u201d the head technician said, with a salute and looking at the admiral.\u00a0 \u201cWe should have the test results back within the hour, but, I\u2019d have to say this ship passed with flying colors.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well, carry on,\u201d the admiral replied, returning the salute.\u00a0 George had to admit, the Seydlitz seemed to pass everything.\u00a0 He rarely saw a ship perform so well.<\/p>\n

He thought back to his first deployment on a warship, the Boston.\u00a0 The weapons put a tremendous drain on the engines, and he could feel that in the ship.\u00a0 Shortly after his deployment the ship went back to the docks for upgrades and when it finished the drop in power was reduced.\u00a0 Later classes were more efficient having learned from the previous class.<\/p>\n

He had heard the Paris class had some power drain, and he wondered if the designers had forgotten he lessons from the war.\u00a0 The Seydlitz seemed revolutionary ship.\u00a0 Her multiple systems would allow for half the systems to be knocked out, and it would operate at almost one hundred percent.\u00a0 The most power and heavily armed ships in the fleet, and George could not wait for the ship to be commissioned.<\/p>\n

Walking around the bridge he took his time waiting for the final results of the test.\u00a0 Once it passed, he could make the ship his flagship of the fleet.\u00a0 He also looked forward to the quarters, which were more spacious for everyone, including the admiral\u2019s quarters.\u00a0 His staff would appreciate the additional room the ship had.<\/p>\n

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

Ahmed slowly came to, feeling himself bouncing around in the back of a vehicle.\u00a0 His head, again, felt like someone took a jackhammer to it.\u00a0 He fought down a wave of nausea, and his movement brought the attention of one of the guards next to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see you\u2019ve finally woken up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ahmed said nothing, but looked around.\u00a0 The sun had gone down, and he was no in a van, with two guards, both looking at him.\u00a0 He waited a bit to see what might happen next.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not going to last very long, are you,\u201d the guard said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve seen the leaders knock people down rather quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t fear death, because I\u2019ve seen more than you will ever know in this universe,\u201d Ahmed replied back, watching the guard shift slightly.\u00a0 His reaction gave Ahmed some satisfaction, and the knowledge that the man was not a Skartian.\u00a0 The fact they were using humanity only angered Ahmed, especially considering the fact his religion was being used in their twisted schemes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll see,\u201d the guard finally replied back to him.<\/p>\n

Ahmed got a bit more comfortable waiting to see what might happen next.\u00a0 He felt sure the next stop would be the headquarters of the Skartians on Earth.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, how much further?\u201d Ahmed asked the guard, who chose to ignore the question.\u00a0 The guard probably had orders to not answer any questions as they continued to ride on in silence.<\/p>\n

The van started to slow, the sped up a few times and he figured they were approaching their destination.\u00a0 The van then stopped and the doors flew open revealing several armed men.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet out,\u201d the guard said, giving Ahmed a slight push.<\/p>\n

He managed to get out despite a small stumble, mostly due to the push and the shackles.\u00a0 A quickly look around he spotted several armed guards, and a very well-armed fort.\u00a0 Another guard shoved him to the ground before being picked up again and dragged across the compound to where several buildings stood.<\/p>\n

Once inside the building Ahmed notice his brother, standing off to the side along with the other three men he had seen last time.\u00a0 He briefly wondered if he should activate the call to begin the mission.<\/p>\n

Ahmed was led through the building into a room with couple of chairs, and despite the cleaner appearance, he had no doubt it was designed for torture.\u00a0 He guessed someone higher up would be meeting with him.\u00a0 The compound had heavily armed guards, heavily fortified, and he figured there would be casualties when his people arrived.\u00a0 He waited a bit to see what might happen next, or if the next person he saw was a Skartian.<\/p>\n

They pushed him roughly into the chair and tied to it, which did not surprise Ahmed at all.\u00a0 He fully expected some sort of rough actions.\u00a0 He consoled himself with the knowledge he could signal for help at any time, and the fact his parents were already out of the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, who am I meeting this time, another lackey?\u201d Ahmed asked, knowing that he would not get an answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cShut up,\u201d one man said, backhanding him across the face.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll be asking the questions.\u201d\u00a0 Ahmed recognized him as one of the Skartians from earlier.\u00a0 The alien looked at him, then left the room leaving only the guard from the van and his brother in the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou always did have a smart mouth,\u201d his brother said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least I still have my honor Aziz,\u201d Ahmed replied back to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking for the infidels in America,\u201d Aziz replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou really don\u2019t understand do you, I don\u2019t work for the US government at all,\u201d Ahmed replied back at him.\u00a0 \u201cThe people I work for are much higher up, they know many things and have no allegiance to any country.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother grandiose idea and scheme,\u201d Aziz taunted back at him.\u00a0 \u201cYou used to stare up at the stars all night long wondering if there was intelligent life out there, wasting away.\u00a0 Well dear brother, the answer is no there is not.\u00a0 Another part of your life wasted away, which got you nowhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one person\u2019s opinion,\u201d Ahmed replied back, knowing so much more than his brother.\u00a0 He would be amazed at the truth in the universe, and he had seen aliens, and so had his brother but did not realize it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, and you\u2019re opinion is wrong,\u201d his brother replied, walking back to the door.\u00a0 \u201cI guess I thought you\u2019d be able to see what we\u2019re trying to do.\u00a0 I guess I was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahmed watched his brother walk out of the room and sadly shook his head.\u00a0 If his brother understood the truth, he might have a different understanding of who he followed.<\/p>\n

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

Sam walked down the street looking for his hotel.\u00a0 He picked an interesting spot to go on vacation, Egypt.\u00a0 Most people would never consider such a place, go somewhere more civilized but he had a reason for being here.\u00a0 Of course a vacation during war was a bit rare, especially with the war so young.<\/p>\n

Walking up to his hotel, which was close to where he wanted to go in the morning.\u00a0 Of course he spend the last hour looking at it, as if the building was trying to speak out to him but he could not understand the language.<\/p>\n

He felt too excited to sleep, even though that was the main reason he was granted a vacation, to relax.\u00a0 His commander thought the pressure from constant active duty had finally made him crack.<\/p>\n

Sam knew that his psychic abilities concerned his commander, and the last of sleep might be interfering with his abilities.\u00a0 Sam did not say that it happened most when he was asleep.\u00a0 For some reason his ability seemed to increase after falling asleep, which contributed to his lack of sleep.<\/p>\n

He almost laughed at the thought.\u00a0 Most people thought using his powers drained him, in fact it was almost the opposite, he felt better.\u00a0 Of course one small problem, his power seemed to be increasing lately, something he did not understand.<\/p>\n

Finally checking into the hotel, he made his way to his room.\u00a0 Slumping into the bed, he picked up a few of the tourist pamphlets and maps he had taken earlier.\u00a0 Looking at the information on them, he never realized when he fell asleep.<\/p>\n

Sam jerked upright, feeling another presence in the room.\u00a0 Looking around he spotted the same hood figure standing next to the bed, as if waiting for him to wake up.<\/p>\n

The time approaches, be ready to act!<\/em> It said, the same strange voice from earlier.\u00a0 Blinking the figure disappeared.<\/p>\n

Sam woke up to find the room empty.\u00a0 He wondered if perhaps he was going crazy, especially considering he seemed obsessed with some old, ancient building, and a strange hood figure kept talking to him.\u00a0 He wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery before he totally went insane.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cSo, how are you liking our hospitality?\u201d a man said, walking into the room.<\/p>\n

Ahmed looked up to see another man walking up to him.\u00a0 A close look and Ahmed noticed the indicators of a Skartian, which made three known ones.\u00a0 He looked at the others who walked in with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in worse places,\u201d Ahmed replied, smiling in satisfaction that the smirk on the Skartians\u2019 face disappeared.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are a fool,\u2019 the Skartian said, striking Ahmed once more.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll learn what everything is about soon enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t wait,\u201d Ahmed replied sarcastically, trying to clear the ringing in his head only to be struck again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI bet\u201d the Skartian said.<\/p>\n

Ahmed looked back at the Skartian wondering if now was the time to call in the troops, or if she should wait a bit longer.\u00a0 He figured the leader of the group was about to show himself, and if he could hold on a bit longer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe shall see what you have to say, though I doubt it will be anything that\u2019s important,\u201d the Skartian said, smiling back at Ahmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it will be you who will impressed,\u201d Ahmed replied under his breath, watching the Skartian head towards the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cBring him,\u201d the Skartian said, ordering two others nearby.<\/p>\n

Ahmed was roughly grabbed by the guards and forced to stand up once more.\u00a0 Walking out of the room and back to another area where several people were waiting for him.\u00a0 He looked around, noticing the one man, Osama bin Laden in the group.\u00a0 The man did not look well, and in fact appeared to be sickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will kneel in front of the masters, pig,\u201d the guard said, forcing Ahmed to his knees.<\/p>\n

He looked around the group and carefully noticing that bin Laden did not appear to be a Skartian.\u00a0 He touched the small microchip underneath his fingernail, and slightly touched it twice, the signal to begin the mission.\u00a0 Now he only had to delay until they arrived.<\/p>\n

End part 13<\/p>\n

Continued in part 14<\/a><\/p>\n

Comment below or send to AJMarks01@aol.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Legacy of the Guardians by AJ Marks Part 13 The long sleek, powerful form of the battlecruiser Seydlitz crawled slowly though the asteroid field.\u00a0 Heading out for the last trial, the targeting and weapons systems to make sure they were working together. \u201cCommence firing run,\u201d Admiral Dinen said, standing on the bridge of the ship.\u00a0 […]
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