Eternal Damnation Page 7

  Not precisely.

  She landed the ship and switched the conversation to her com badge. Fuming, she marched into the base headquarters, her boot heels pounding the pavement. "It makes no sense to destroy New York." It wasn’t the same as taking out an important military installation, government stronghold, or high population center. It would be tantamount to taking out Paris of the vampire’s day and age when they left Earth. The Louvre was a cherished museum with irreplaceable works of art, but hardly the target that would place mankind’s existence in jeopardy.

  "That’s a warning. Their next target will be a very highly populated, strategic area…."

  Oh no! "Kuatar…" They’d wipe out the council as well as their main military base of operations, not to mention a dense population of civilians.

  "That would cripple us. We’ve just instituted Project Eden and are transporting the council to their alternative shelters as we speak. We’ll use our backup base of operations.

  "Remember, it’s better to lose your life than your soul if you can’t escape. Get your ship out into space and start anew if there’s no other choice. Even if our world doesn’t survive, humanity must."

  Zanna choked back her moans. The Eden Project had finally been invoked.

  "Roger that." Zanna put a kiss to her fingertips and touched the com button. This was the first time in many years that her mother had been placed in jeopardy. Usually it was she going into the heart of battle, she who faced death headlong, not the admiral. The admiral had been cocooned in the safety of the ruling council chair for the past decade. But now, all of humanity faced annihilation.

  Weary, exhausted, Zanna swiped at the perspiration on her brow and slicked back her unruly hair. As much as she longed to shed her coverings and step into the dry shower, there was no opportunity.

  "Good luck, Mom." She never called her mother anything but ‘Admiral’ during official communications, and the endearment threatened to choke her. "And you remember." It was easy to say you’d give your life for the worthy cause in the abstract, but another to be faced with it. As many battles as she’d fought, she still had to make a new determination every time and then follow through. But this was the first time the ante was so very high.

  My very soul.

  And the souls of billions of innocent civilians rode on her next move. She couldn’t let them down.

  Even if that meant ending their temporal lives?

  Theology had never been her strong point and the burden weighed heavily on her shoulders. Barely a Christmas Catholic, she rarely stepped foot inside a chapel, even her ship’s. So she found it particularly disturbing that she was struggling with its confusing ramifications now.

  Perhaps before, she had assumed she would ascend into Heaven. Now that outcome wasn’t so certain. The end held an entirely different meaning.

  Closing her eyes, she held her arms straight out and stood still while security scanned her and took an imprint of her eyes. She chafed at the two minute wait which felt more like two hours, wishing they’d speed the painfully slow process up.

  "Signing off, daughter. Take care. Love you."

  Embarrassed that enlisted personnel overheard her mother’s intimacies, she lowered her lashes and spoke lowly into the com. "Ditto."

  "Not ditto. Say it this time."

  Her unspoken "it could be for the last time" propelled her to voice the sentiment. Instead of her normal response of "Roger that," she fought back a tear and uttered a heart felt, "I love you, too, Mom."

  The troops snickered behind her back as they scuffled around.

  "I’m human, too." And right now, being human was nothing to be embarrassed about. One way or the other, they may not be human for very much longer. Didn’t they realize that?

  "Okay, soldiers, the levity’s over. Back to your posts. Today’s not the day to mess with me." Not that she ever had patience for shenanigans and disrespect on duty, but she had no patience whatsoever this day which might be Earth’s last.

  She stepped into a teleporter and mumbled, "High military command post." Within seconds she was whisked three floors underground to the battle room. Without bothering to excuse her interruption, she barged into the meeting underway, and announced, "It’s imperative we deploy immediately. We need to launch all battle ships and start Evacuation Plan Eden."

  Several shocked gasps rent the air as all gazes devoured her. "Eden!"

  "The ruling council is already moving to safer locations. We cannot risk the wait."

  "But the enemy’s fleet barricades our way, threaten safe passage."

  Pain stifled her and she massaged her forehead. "We’ll have to fire the canons to clear passage and send armed escort. They won’t be able to follow all of our vessels."

  An elderly man rose unsteadily to his feet and smacked the table with his titanium cane. "Suicide! We can’t send innocent civilians into space to be blown to smithereens."

  A woman with striped black and white hair that fanned across her shoulders, glared at her. "Aren’t you being too rash, dear? One ancient city isn’t sufficient cause to raise the panic on Eden. Armageddon must be eminent…."

  Didn’t they understand? "Annihilation is probable. That is the only way Eden can be invoked. I do not take it lightly nor should you." She didn’t dare add that it might be themselves self-destructing rather than the vampires blowing them up, but the end would be the same. If they were lucky enough that the vampires blew them up instead of stealing their souls….

  "You don’t have the authority to invoke Eden," the old man said glibly.

  "No. I’m just the messenger. Verify with the council, but don’t waste any time doing it for every second puts your life in further jeopardy. If you want to play Russian roulette with your own lives, remember you’re responsible for billions of others. Do you want that sin to follow you into eternity? I wouldn’t." With that she squared her shoulders and made her way to the closest teleport station where she teleported to her ship.

  "Captain’s on the bridge." Lieutenant Ananta snapped to attention as the others fell into place and saluted.

  "Call the crew in. We’re leaving immediately. Code Eden."

  Several crew members sucked in their breath. Ananta stepped forward. "Permission to speak, Captain."

  Zanna nodded, her heart heavy. "You may speak, Lieutenant."

  "The Eden? Is our situation truly that hopeless?"

  "I wouldn’t announce it if it wasn’t. The alternatives are to accept their terms of complete surrender or complete annihilation. Frankly, people, I don’t care for either alternative. Do you?"

  Voices buzzed loudly and she sank into her chair, exhausted, but determined to press forward. "How long will it take for the crew to return?" With teleporters, anyone on the planet should be able to reach the ship within four or five hours unless they were deliberately out of communication.

  "Is anyone on leave?" She hated to abandon anyone, but she couldn’t endanger the entire crew for the sake of a few.

  "The entire crew’s reported in, Captain. All are onboard except for Conrath and Majeski. Their estimated time of arrival is one hour."

  She prayed one hour didn’t make the difference between life and death. "Tell them to get onboard in half an hour." She didn’t care if the crew thought her too stringent. It was for their benefit. For humanity’s continuance.

  "Instructions, Captain?" her second-in-command asked, his glance sliding slyly at her.

  "Let me address the crew and then we shall prepare battle stations. Intraship monitor on."

  A high-pitched whine alerted every one onboard to the ship-wide message. She stood, straightened her battle-stained uniformed, and mustered as much poise and confidence as she could. The crew could panic or stand stalwart, all depending on her demeanor in this crucial moment.

  "I won’t beat around the issue. You all know that we instituted a ship-wide recall. You also probably know that Project Eden has been mandated. For those of you who don’t, the ruling council has launched
Project Eden. Hopefully you and your loved ones have taken the warnings seriously over the years and have set your com frequencies and contact stations so that you may reunite once the threat has been eliminated. Do not, I repeat, do not try to contact them now. The enemy may be monitoring our comcasts. I know many of you have families that you’ll be worried about and that you wish you could be with them during this crisis."

  She inhaled deeply, trying not to blink too often even though her eyes grew dry and achy from the effort. She well knew the importance of direct eye contact to keep her crew as calm and focused as possible. "The best way to protect your loved ones is to give a thousand percent effort to your duties and fight this menace. Our fleet will be launching at 1600 hours sharp, sooner if further attacks occur."

  Ananta provided her a glass of water and she took a grateful sip. She set the glass on the podium, and pointedly looked several crew members in the eye. "We will engage the enemy while the Constellation and the Nebula escort the civilian transport vessels to safety."

  When Majeski tried to slip into the back of the room unobtrusively, she said, "For those of you who arrived late, you will need to replay the briefing on your holomonitors as soon as this session has ended."

  She let her gaze pinpoint different crew members this time. Most wore expressions of stunned disbelief and grief. "Now is the time for questions."

  Zanna fielded several questions, most concerning the absolute necessity of abandoning their homes and fracturing humanity. "Project Eden will plant humanity throughout the galaxy, making it less vulnerable. It would not have been instituted lightly and only in the direst of circumstances. Our best scientific minds will be working on solutions to allow us to return home safely."

  Ananta covered her mouth and cleared her throat discreetly. She slid a piercing look at Zanna.

  "With the exception of a few strategic outposts which will serve as seeds should any threat to humanity occur again."

  "Are the planets where the outposts are stationed as habitable and beautiful as Earth?" one of the older crew members asked as he rubbed his chin, worry lighting his eyes. "Will our children and grandchildren know such joys like we knew growing up on Earth?"

  Zanna delved into her memory and didn’t like the answer but she wasn’t in the habit of lying to her crew. "No. None of the planets have the lush greenery we’ve enjoyed on Earth. But they are habitable and will sustain life. They will provide sanctuary and let us start anew. They are no more harsh than the salt licks of Utah when settlers reclaimed it in the nineteenth century. And we have far superior technology and information to aid us that they didn’t have."

  A young ensign jumped to her feet, her lower lip swollen from where she had worried it. "We shouldn’t have to leave! We’ll stand and fight to the death!"

  Several members of the crew jumped to their feet and echoed her sentiments.

  Zanna nodded to the security personnel who marched to the perimeter of the crowd to maintain order in the room, where they stood at parade rest. "This is not a democracy and we are not voting. Take your seats or do I have to call this assembly to attention?"

  Once every one sat down again, she took a deep breath. Here goes. "Our eternal souls are in jeopardy if we stay, not just our temporal lives. The vampires have made it clear they mean to turn us into them. Unlike in our ancestors’ day, the vampires have the technological means to assimilate all of us. I can’t promise every vessel will escape, but it’s our best chance to preserve humanity."

  Ananta sidled up to Zanna and whispered in her ear. "We have a full crew. Conrath has boarded. The enemy has launched more attacks, on Washington, DC, and Kuatar."

  Zanna’s heart sank and she nodded. They weren’t just attacking cultural centers anymore. "The signal’s been given from High Command. This time, God willing, we will annihilate the serpent that threatens our paradise. Battle stations!"

  Zanna sprinted for the bridge followed closely by her senior officers. The ship rocked under an especially ferocious attack, tossing her halfway down the corridor on her ass. Pain slashed through her temples but she scrabbled to regain her equilibrium and stand steady on her feet. Stabbing at her com badge, she yelled to be heard over the explosions. "Status? Shields on full and lift off as soon as the systems are up!"

  She switched com links and called to the engineer. "Are those engines up yet? If we don’t leave now, we might become a permanent part of the terra firma."

  "No pressure, right, Captain?" Wyatt’s steady voice almost purred through the lines, and she could envision the engineer’s mocking smile. Even the threat of eternal damnation barely phased him. Although she’d never asked to know for certain, she didn’t peg him to be a religious man. He wouldn’t believe in eternal damnation.

  "None, just extinction of our planet. Status now, Commander!"

  "You okay, Captain?" Ananta dashed to her side and put a steadying arm around her waist. Together, they ran for the bridge teleporter.

  "No broken bones." At least not any important ones--only her skull where she’d just cracked it on the deck.

  She spoke lowly, but forcefully, into the com badge. "If ever you were to come through for us, this would be that time. How much power can you give me? Enough to get us into space?"

  "Into space but not to fire more than one or two photons and maintain life support."

  Holy nebula! She resisted the strong urge to massage her forehead. "Crank her up unless you want your baby to become part of the rubble." Everybody knew his ‘baby’ was the Endicron herself.

  His grating teeth told her she’d hit the mark. "Full power will be yours in a jiff."

  She drummed her fingers against her thigh as she emerged onto the bridge and headed for her command seat. "Screen on," she told her com officer. Immediately she wished she hadn’t for a blinding flash of plasma was released from an enemy vessel, directed at them.

  To the engineer she said, as she gnashed her own teeth and clutched the arms of her chair, "A jiff had better be right this second or we’re going to be one big plasma ball. Full thrusters now!"

  "You got ‘em, Captain." Wyatt screamed a wild yahoo, almost deafening her and making her jump.

  At almost that precise instant, the engines roared to life and the Endicron lifted off. The young navigator maneuvered the vessel out of harm’s way, banking hard astern. Having anticipated his move, Zanna had activated the force field around her chair to keep her in the seat.

  "Split screen. Get High Command on the line." Her gaze drilled into the enemy vessels. How had her ancestors known that they would return to ravage the planet and herd them up? It had been irresponsible to foist them off on future generations. The Eden Project told her all she needed to know--her ancestors knew the fiends would be back.

  Right or wrong, she cursed all of them.

  It was a wonder it had taken the vampires almost three hundred years to return to wreak havoc and ruin.

  Her mother’s picture popped onto the view screen. Relief alleviated the grief etched over her ashen features when her gaze locked with Zanna’s. "We’d feared the worst. Project Eden isn’t going well. Already, we’ve lost several vessels. Civilian vessels."

  Zanna fought the urge to bow her head and weep for all the lost souls… No! Not lost souls if they didn’t die in the vampires arms.

  Or had they? Lifting her head, she tried to give her mother a small smile but couldn’t muster one. "How did they die?"

  A small smile graced the admiral’s lips and she made the sign of the cross over her chest. "They had a good death."

  Jabesh snorted. "What’s a good death? Nothing’s good about death, especially when it’s premature."

  She turned her gaze upon the least favorite of all her officers and explained what should be obvious. "Their souls will rest in peace."

  So why wasn’t that enough? Her soul wept for the lost children. For Earth’s lost future. How dare the vampires assuage their blood lust on them!

  Zanna stood tall and lifted her chin
regally, gazing into the almost identical eyes she’d known since birth. She berated herself for delaying the Endicron’s entry into the battle, but wouldn’t waste precious energy on that now. "We will do our utmost to ensure that the rest of the vessels escape safely. May God preserve."

  Her mother veiled her eyes and bowed slightly. "And you."

  "If the family reunion’s over, we could use some leadership."

  She ignored the sneering man and delivered the order that had been balanced on her lips. "Engage our old friends. Let’s give them something else to think about. Draw their fire."

  "So we’re the mouse?"

  She stared cross-eyed at the supremely annoying man and wondered if it would work to make a sacrifice of him to the vampires. After two seconds she rejected the thought. His blood would probably be tainted so that the vampires wouldn’t want him. Who had ever advanced him to the rank of officer much less commander should be busted to private. "Would you rather be the canary?" she asked dryly.

  "May I remind you that this isn’t a joking matter, Captain."

  "Whose joking? I take soul-threatening matters extremely seriously, too seriously to waste costly energy quibbling with one of my senior officers over trivialities." Senior pain in the ass.

  "Ah, Captain…" Genco, weapons officer, pointed at the view screen, his onyx eyes wide. "Incoming at two o’clock. Fire the photon cannons?"

  She didn’t know!

  She stabbed her com button. "Wyatt, do we have those photons yet? Say yes or you’re terminated--permanently."

  "Yes. Fire those shooting stars, now. Fry those bastards."

  Zanna nodded to Genco. "Now!"

  Swiveling in her chair, she shouted to the navigation lieutenant, "Hard astern."

  The young officer scowled as his gaze wavered between his console and the view screen. "There’s so many of them I can barely maneuver around them. They must be like freakin’ cats, breeding all the time."

  Or they had converted several hundred donors to their ranks which seemed more likely, although vampires were reported to be extremely sensual creatures that put great store in mating--like the vampire in her dreams….