Authors: Saxon Andrew
Jesse's Starship (34 page)
Another arrow hit him in the chest and he ignored it. He knew the tree had to be where the archer was hiding but he had done an excellent job of camouflaging his location. The Second Hunter arrived from the other side of the tree and was hit in the chest with another arrow. The First shook his head and went over to the tall Cypress tree and placed his gloved hands on the trunk. He went up the trunk at an incredible speed and found the archer in the second level of branches. He had built a hunting blind and it was cleverly concealed from the ground. The archer tried to draw back an arrow and the Hunter reached out and pulled him out of the blind and dropped him. The archer screamed all the way to the ground where his screams abruptly ended. The Hunter slid down the trunk and stood beside the archer who was going into shock from the long fall. The Second looked at him, “What did he do?”
“He’s been beating his wife and children for years. She finally got the courage to leave and he stalked her for three days before he killed her with an arrow in a shopping center’s parking lot. He killed her with his children standing beside her.”
The Second shook her head. She went to a knee, balled up her fist, and hit the archer in the middle of his chest rupturing his heart. The First Hunter took the bow and used a device to cut the metal bowstring. He then notched the compound bow; if anyone tried to draw it again, it would snap. He took the bow and jammed it into the ground next to the dead body and took out a can of special paint. He sprayed a red V on the archer’s forehead that penetrated all the way to the skull. Anyone that ran across the body would see he was executed for violent behavior.
Adams sighed and Jeanette went to his side and hugged him, “He deserved it, Dear.”
“I know; I just feel bad that there’s no sport in this.”
“That is what will eventually end us having to do it. Let’s go back to the farm.”
Adams pressed his wrist unit and the two sleds moved through the swamp and stopped next to them. Adams looked at Jeanette, “You know I love you?” Jeanette nodded and leaned over and kissed him. He smiled and followed her out of the swamp. It would be good get back and see their children. Their future looked bright, along with the rest of humanity.
J
ess looked down on the planet and saw the two nuclear mushroom clouds rise into the upper atmosphere. He waited and wondered if the militants on the planet had not detected his presence. “A rather large satellite is moving toward us. What do you want me to do?”
“Let it take a shot. They need to learn what they’re up against.” Four nuclear missiles launched from the satellite and hit the Q ship’s force field and a massive blast blew out into space. The blast cleared and Jess turned to Elle, who nodded after pressing a series of switches on her panel. He pressed a button on his chair and said, “We have been watching your planet and have hoped that you would turn from war and learn to live in peace. The use of nuclear weapons against members of your own species has changed your status from observation to intervention. I am sending you what you can expect if you don’t lay down your weapons and learn to live in peace. You have one day to respond; at that time, I will remove your ability to wage war.” Jess ran his hand across his neck and Elle ended the connection through the planet’s satellites.
“You did an excellent job, Mr. Rollins.”
“And you used their system perfectly, Mrs. Rollins.” Jess looked to his left and said, “Are you feeling more comfortable at how to use the ship?”
Mike looked at Jess and tilted his head, “It can do so much; it’s almost overwhelming.”
Elle looked at Tilly, “You will take possession of your Q ship next week. Once you have the information transferred to your minds, it will be a lot easier than you think.”
Mike reached into his jacket pocket and took out a weathered piece of leather, “This belongs to you.”
Jess took the old holster and saw his H&K P 40. He looked at Mike who said, “That is the last one and it should be kept in a place of honor.”
“Why is that?”
“It saved Tilly and me; none of this would have happened without it.”
Jess stared at the gun like it was an old friend. He sighed and looked at Mike, “Some things no longer have a place.” Jess paused and looked at Mike, “I’ve been wondering why you needed the Seals to take Cheyanne Mountain; none of them could have harmed you with your personal shield.”
Mike blew out a breath, “I thought about that prior to calling in the Seals; however. I just didn’t feel it was right to use the alien’s weapon to kill other humans. I would have had to kill everyone in the mountain; I decided to use it to clear a path into the mountain and left it up to the Seals to handle any decisions on loss of life. We had to do this together to make it stand for something.”
Jess slowly shook his head and placed the P-40 on the floor. He took out his blaster, changed the setting, and fired it at the P 40. It disintegrated into dust.
Mike shook his head, “I just couldn’t do it; that gun is what saved us.”
Jess looked at him, “It is like losing an old friend; but it has served its purpose and to keep it only shows we’re not ready to commit to the future. Putting it in a place of honor only shows we haven’t learned what’s important.”
“I’m surprised they’re allowing us to command one of their starships.”
Elle smiled, “It makes sense if you think about it. They have never attempted to tame a violent civilization; they just destroyed them.”
Mike tilted his head, “While we have gone through the process and know what to expect. You’re right; from that point of view, I would expect them to put more of us in ships.”
“I heard Hetzel say he was looking at Adams and Jeanette for the next one.”
Tilly nodded, “They would be a good choice. I don’t know if they’d be willing to leave their children.”
“They’re entering college two years early; I suspect they’ll be ready when the time comes.”
Mike thought for a moment and looked at Jess, “Do you get the feeling that they want to turn the job over to us?”
Jess looked up, “Pete?”
“I think that is exactly what he’s planning. I see he has developed a sense of trust with you and knows your species is the perfect choice.”
Tilly frowned, “Why is that?”
“You’ve paid the price of making the change. You endured the suffering that went with it and emerged stronger as a result. He saw that Jess was willing to do the right thing, even if it meant the destruction of his home world. He knows you will do whatever needs doing to save a species from itself but will also make the hard choice if it has to be removed.”
Mike shook his head, “Making it for a different species than my own won’t be as hard.”
“Say that when you have to give the order to kill billions of intelligent beings.”
Mike was silent for a moment and looked at Jess, “That computer is smarter than I thought. He just made a good point.”
Elle laughed, “He has all the facts and can access all of them before he offers a suggestion. That’s a huge advantage over us mere mortals.”
Tilly smiled, “Thank God he’s here.”
Pete said, “Thank you, Tilly.”
Jess looked at his panel, “It looks like they’re attempting to communicate; are you ready to get your hands dirty?”
Mike looked at Tilly, “Welcome to the new age.” He turned to Jess, “Put them on and let’s get started.”
The
End
The Annihilation Series:
Ashes of the Realm:
Lens of Time:
Star Rover-Running Out of Time
Star Chase
Coming Soon
Probe Predators
Also an audiobook at
Audible.com
Nowhere to Run
Nowhere to Hide
Jesse’s Starship
S
axon Andrew is the number one Bestselling author of the Annihilation Series. He is a former school teacher, coach, social worker, and business owner. He has written five science fiction series and all twenty books have been a top ten bestseller on Amazon. His stories are done in the style used by writers during the Golden Age of Science Fiction and can be read by any member of the family. Like most space operas, his stories take place on a stage as big as the universe and his characters are larger than life. Amazon has ranked him in the top ten science fiction authors in America. He lives in Tampa, Florida and spends his days dreaming of stories to satisfy his avid readers.
Copyright © 2013 by Saxon Andrew. All rights reserved. Screen Writers Guild no. VQEA3E380432.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the author or publisher.
First Electronic Edition: December 2013