{"id":412,"date":"2015-07-15T12:17:46","date_gmt":"2015-07-15T12:17:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=412"},"modified":"2015-07-15T12:20:16","modified_gmt":"2015-07-15T12:20:16","slug":"legacy-of-the-guardians-part-27","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=412","title":{"rendered":"Legacy of the Guardians – Part 27"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

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

Part 27<\/span><\/p>\n

Admiral Dinen sat in his office, going putting the details to a plan he developed due to the latest intelligence reports. Three other races had been invaded by the Skartians, and asked for help in a newly formed alliance. His came up with a simple plan, attack them in their own territory and force them to protect themselves. When they retreated, the remaining military forces could recapture their territory.<\/p>\n

Several of the other races wanted to invade Skartian space, and George felt a few warships from the other races could not hurt, but he didn\u2019t want to hinder their own military operations. The alliance appeared to be working well so far.<\/p>\n

\u201cSir, you have admiral Cave on the line for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPut it though,\u201d George said, watching Jack appear on the screen.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wanted to speak with me?\u201d Jack said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes sir, I have an idea for an operation, we attack Skartian space,\u201d George said, watching Jack appear slightly shocked, before thinking about it for a few seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm, totally unexpected,\u201d Jack said. \u201cIt might work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hoping that it will cause them to recall their shi allowing them to retake their planets,\u201d George stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm, you know some of them will want to participate,\u201d Jack said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, we can use them, wont\u2019 matter, in fact we might need a few more,\u201d George said. \u201cNot sure how much of an attack we\u2019re going to do. Need to make it appear serious, but avoiding a full confrontation with them if they have that many ships.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI see, you have a drawn up plan?\u201d Jack asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYep, I can send it to you now,\u201d George said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo so, I\u2019ll look it over, and give it the okay, but it sounds good,\u201d Jack said. \u201cHow long would it take for you to gather your forces?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDepends on who else is working with us,\u201d George said. \u201cBut the supply ships got here so we can go any time now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm, I\u2019m going to send you the carrier Hiryu, just finished repairs. Go ahead and start the preparations for the operations, any names for it?\u201d Jack asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about R,\u201d George said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, I\u2019ll get to work on it,\u201d Jack said, ending the conversation.<\/p>\n

George sent off the file and went back to the bridge to start the preparations and inform the Ilderian military of their tentative plans. They would want to help for sure.<\/p>\n

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

The Skartians walked down the hallways, depressed about the latest news. All of his plans had failed and he had no idea why. Of course the last plan had partly succeeded, they had managed to successfully invade three out of the four races, but the plan against the humans and Ilderians failed.<\/p>\n

He walked into his office, sitting down with a heavy sigh. He felt a bit tired, and wondered what he might do next. The humans had proven extremely tough, especially when he thought he had them. They seemed to find way to get out of trouble, counter plans to his plans.<\/p>\n

It felt like they were always a step ahead of them, and he had no idea how that could be. They processed no special abilities, not telekinetic, or anything else. So why did they always win?<\/p>\n

He froze feeling someone else in the room, and looked around. He relaxed slightly seeing no one when a shadow seemed to melt away into a form he knew well, and feared.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have failed, you are now expendable,\u201d it said to him, reaching out.<\/p>\n

\u201cNooo!\u201d he screamed, too late.<\/p>\n

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

Jack glanced up at Steve, as he walked into the room. \u201cHow did the operation calm go?\u201d Jack asked, referring to the mission to explain the destruction of the missiles to the population of Earth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Ilderian captain did wonderfully, and the reception of the population is a concerned, warm reception. The fact he said we have too much potential to destroy ourselves was received positivity, though some are questioning their real motive, but so far, it looks like it will work,\u201d Steve said to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood, guess I\u2019ll be reading about that in the morning news. At least it will cover up for us for now. Did they bring the ship into the atmosphere?\u201d Jack asked, knowing that doing something like that would only validate the operation even more, and dismiss any rumors about it being a fake broadcast.<\/p>\n

\u201cYep, brought it down above the UN building in New York, millions of witnesses,\u201d Steve said. \u201cWhat about Operation R?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack looked over at the clock before replying. \u201cShould be underway now.\u201d<\/p>\n

They both hoped for a positive outcome there as well.<\/p>\n

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

Admiral George Dinen paced nervously on the bridge of the Seydlitz. They had met no resistance at all heading towards the Skartian homeworld, and that disturbed him. He expected to meet some sort of resistance by now. His entire operation was a diversion, and he needed to be discovered for it to work. The fact they had not encountered anything as much as a patrol ship made everyone jumpy. All ships maintained a high level of alertness for a possible trap.<\/p>\n

Any asteroid field was scanned heavily for any ships hidden. Even fighters were launched to check suspicious things out. Their speed into Skartian space had slowed because of the caution.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny word from the fighters?\u201d George asked, looking on as another group of fighters flew into another asteroid field.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing sir,\u201d the reply came back from the fighter controller.<\/p>\n

The fleet continued further into the Skartian Empire without any sign of their military. George kept them on course for the Skartian homeworld. George felt sure that when they arrived there the Skartians would finally show up, and depending on their numbers he would either fight or retreat. He had to make things real enough for them to call back their invasion fleets.<\/p>\n

\u201cIncoming call from HQ sir,\u201d the communications officer said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPut it though,\u201d George said, watching as Jack\u2019s face appeared on the screen.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are things going?\u201d Jack asked, not messing around.<\/p>\n

\u201cWeird,\u201d George replied back to him, seeing Jack\u2019s confused face. \u201cWe haven\u2019t encountered a single Skartians ship, outpost or anything. Nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing? That is strange, considering reports from the other races say the operation there is completed,\u201d Jack said. \u201cThey encountered only token resistance, and they quickly surrendered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA trap?\u201d George asked. \u201cShould we call off the mission here?\u201d<\/p>\n

He watched Jack think about it for a few seconds, before making a decision. \u201cAll objectives have been completed, but there is a mystery here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShould we continue on?\u201d George asked, nervous about the entire situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, proceed with caution to their homeworld, if they start to attack retreat at once,\u2019 Jack ordered to him. \u201cPatrol, gain intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnderstood sir,\u201d George said, as the screen went dark. \u201cGet me Captain Ahmed of the Boston. He only had to wait a few minutes until the man\u2019s face appeared, having taken over on the battlecruiser when the last captain was injured during the last battle. He was someone who had experience in what George needed done.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral,\u201d Ahmed said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need you to take the Boston and patrol up ahead and report back to me on what is going on,\u201d George said. \u201cThe operations has been successful, but we now want to know why we haven\u2019t seen anyone yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnderstood sir, anything else I should look out for?\u201d Ahmed asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly Skartians, or anything else that might look like a trap for us,\u201d George said. \u201cAnd take a couple of destroyers with you, the Sampson, Adams and Lucus.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well sir,\u201d Ahmed said, as the screen went off.<\/p>\n

George looked down at the scanners once more, wishing he knew what was going on.<\/p>\n

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

The Boston moved forward along with the three destroyers, heading towards the Skartians homeworld faster than the rest of the fleet. Patrolling ahead they were looking for anything unusual, or any sign of other ships.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain, I\u2019m getting something on the scanners\u201d the officer said, causing everyone to look over. \u201cIt looks like wreckage from a battle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDestroyer Adams, go investigate and send your finding to the Seydlitz, the rest continued forward and look for any signs of movement or ships,\u201d Ahmed said, nervously.<\/p>\n

The Adams turned and moved towards the spot with caution to get close scans of the debris. After a few seconds it was confirmed debris from a battle, and that the ship was most probably Skartisn. The other bits of wreckage they were not sure, and sent the details to the Seydlitz, which sent it back to Independence Station.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain, getting signs of an escape pod, and life signs,\u201d Ahmed heard the captain of the Adams say.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain, scanners show life forms ahead, looks like an escape pod from that battle,\u201d the scanner operator said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBring it on board,\u201d Ahmed replied, hoping that whoever was on board would give them some information about what was going on around here. \u201cSecurity to the hangar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several minutes later he was waiting in the hangar bay as the pod was brought aboard. He noticed it was Skartians, and as guards waited nervously the door opened. A wounded Skartian stepped out, stumbled to the ground and looked around in amazement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho would have thought I would be rescued by humans,\u2019 they heard him say. \u201cCan you even understand me?\u201d he asked them.<\/p>\n

Ahmed watched as the lead guard told the Skartian yes. After a few seconds Ahmed stepped forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho attacked you?\u201d he asked, watching the Skartian struggle for a second before saying anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, only that they mean to wipe us out, they are headed to Sartar,\u201d he said, mentioning their homeworld. \u201cThey came out of nowhere, fighting like demons, and ignored out pleas to surrender.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve never seen them before?\u201d Ahmed asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, never, we were overwhelmed before we even knew what hit us. I barely made it to the escape pod before the ship was destroyed, and I watched as they destroyed escape pod after escape pod. Somehow they missed me,\u201d the Skartian said, and seemed to suffer from shock.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe almost missed your escape pod, is life support systems are damaged, probably why they overlooked you,\u201d Ahmed said, knowing without rescue he would have died long before making it to a nearby planet.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake him to med lab to be treated, I\u2019ll be in my office,\u201d Ahmed said taking off. Things seemed to be getting real strange, an unknown attacker, one who seemed to have no conscious in killing survivors. Even though the Skartians and humans did not like each other, they never did that after a battle. He sat down at his desk informing the bridge to continue on to the Skartian hoomeworld then quickly called Admiral Dinen.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain, what\u2019s the situation?\u201d Dinen said, answering the communications on the bridge of the Seydlitz.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe discovered something, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d Ahmed replied, wondering how the admiral would take this next part. \u201cWe stumbled upon some wreckage, and found a life pod and an injured Skartian. He said they were attacked by a race he had never seen before. They were headed straight to the Skartian homeworld. We\u2019re on our way there and keeping our eyes open for anything,\u201d Ahmed told him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not good news,\u201d Dinen replied, scratching his chin in thought. \u201cContinue on your way, we\u2019re continuing behind you, be careful captain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahmed signed off before sighing. He rubbed his temples to relieve some of the pressure that had built up lately. He had no idea what to expect anymore. A simple operation had turned into something far more complex than anyone had imagined. He stood back up and headed to the bridge to check on the progress. Nothing else had been encountered.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain, the Skartians homeworld is coming into range, still no sign of enemy ships,\u201d the scanner operator said, sounding a bit nervous. Ahmed sat down in the command chair, knowing the attitude he portrayed would feed to the others and willed himself to not be nervous.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny signals?\u201d Ahmed asked, getting a no in reply from the communications station. \u201cA strange mystery indeed,\u201d he said more to himself. Getting this far into Skartian territory confused him tremendously. If there was an unknown enemy attacking the Skartians homeworld he expected to hear some communications. \u201cConcentrate scanners to the front, see if we can get a picture of what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

He watched the scanning operator work quickly. \u201cSir, I\u2019m not getting much from the planet, life signs are minimal,\u201d the officer said, his words echoing throughout the bridge. They all knew that there would be millions of people on the planet.<\/p>\n

\u201cContact Admiral Dinen at once,\u201d Ahmed said, knowing this conversation would be even more mysterious than the last one. \u201cSettle us into an orbit around the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

He received a reply from the helm then looked down to see the admiral\u2019s face. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re about to arrive at Skartar, but its not pretty,\u201d Ahmed said. \u201cScans are reading almost no life, we\u2019re settling into orbit but we see no signs of whatever took everything out. There are some signs of life, and evidence of planetary bombardment, but little else to solve this mystery.\u201d<\/p>\n

He watched the admiral think about that for a few seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cShall I send a team down?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but wait until we are there, scan the surrounding areas for anything and pick out the best possible sport for a landing,\u201d Dinen said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes sir,\u201d Ahmed replied, signing off and carrying out the order.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cGet me Admiral Cave,\u201d George said, looking over to the communications. He shared a glance with the captain of the Seydlitz who had listened in on the conversation. They both knew something strange had gone on. Jack\u2019s face appeared on the screen. \u201cAdmrial, we have a new situation. I sent the battlecruiser Boston up ahead to Sartar, and found it almost barren.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Jack said. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on out there? Have you sent a landing party down?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo sir, we\u2019re still a bit behind, but we have sped up to arrive at the planet. Captain Ahmed is having his group scan around the area and planet for any activity,\u201d George replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, keep me updated George,\u201d Jacks aid, as the communications ended.<\/p>\n

George sat back down going over all the information they had. Some unknown group attacked the Skartians and, by the looks of things, wiped them out, or done a good job of it. He looked down to see they would arrive in an less than an hour at their present speed, and ordered it to be increased.<\/p>\n

The bridge remained quiet as news about what happened filtered down. The scanner operator remained glued to his screen, watching for anything that might indicate a trap. George almost preferred a trap over what they had encountered right now.<\/p>\n

They finally arrived at the planet without encountering anyone at all. The entire situation seemed surreal to him. He then ordered the communications to contact the Boston.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral, I\u2019ve pinpointed a good spot for the landing parties,\u201d Ahmed said to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood, inform the Ilderians and Yettipians as well. I want both of them there as well, they might see something we don\u2019t,\u201d George said, as the coordinates were transferred to the Seydlitiz.<\/p>\n

He watched as minutes later three shuttles left their ships and descended down to the planet\u2019s surface. The pilots relaying what they say, entire cities reduced to nothing but wreckage. They even sent a few pictures back to the Seydlitz, and George looked on amazed at the destruction on the surface of the planet.<\/p>\n

End part 27<\/p>\n

Continued in part 28<\/a><\/p>\n

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

Legacy of the Guardians by AJ Marks Part 27 Admiral Dinen sat in his office, going putting the details to a plan he developed due to the latest intelligence reports. Three other races had been invaded by the Skartians, and asked for help in a newly formed alliance. His came up with a simple plan, […]
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