The Star Cross
pair
of red icons fell off the tactical screen.
    Andrew Randson
breathed a little easier. At this rate, they would win the battle, and then, as
soon as possible, he intended to take a shuttle to Houston and evacuate his
family. He knew others would be doing the same thing.
    “Destroyer Brant is down,” Lieutenant Brooks reported grimly, as the friendly green icon
representing the small destroyer vanished from the sensor screen.
    Kurt winced at
that news. It was the first ship under his command he had ever lost.
    “Enemy ships
are showing an energy spike,” Lieutenant Brooks informed them, per one of her
sensors. “They’re activating their hyperdrives.”
    Kurt switched
his gaze to a large viewscreen just in time to see one of the two remaining
enemy battlecruisers jump away. On the tactical screen, other red threat icons also
vanished.
    “Their last battlecruiser
is too damaged to jump,” Brooks reported, as the enemy ship turned toward them
with its weapons firing. “They’re attacking!”
    Kurt felt the Star
Cross shudder slightly as an energy beam struck the ship’s screen.
    “Some type of
ion beam is hitting us,” Lieutenant Brooks reported, looking at the data on one
of her sensor screens.
    “The shield is
holding at 84 percent,” Captain Randson said.
    “Particle beam
is recharged,” Lieutenant Mays stated, as she targeted the alien battlecruiser.
“Firing!”
    -
    The deep blue particle
beam smashed into the Glimmer Fire , flashing right through its weakened
defensive energy screen. A huge hole was blasted in its bow, and the ship
seemed to lose all power. Two heavy KEW rounds from the human’s bow cannons plowed
into the Profiteer ship, traveling nearly its entire length, and then the vessel
detonated in a blaze of light as too many vital systems were compromised.
    -
    “All enemy
ships have either jumped or been destroyed,” reported Lieutenant Brooks,
breathing a sigh of relief. “We have control of Earth orbital space.”
    Kurt nodded,
allowing himself to relax. This battle had gone far better than expected. “Get
me Captain Watkins. I’ll have the Vindication check out the shipyard. We
may need their Marines to secure it.” Kurt turned his attention back toward one
of the viewscreens, which showed Earth.
    “Now let’s try
to contact someone down on the surface and see just what the hell is going on!”

Chapter Two
     
    Denise Hunter looked
up at the star-studded night sky with renewed hope, after hearing the recent
horror stories on the few news broadcasts they had been able to get. For two
weeks the world had been held in the tight grip of their alien conquerors. At first
the governments of the world had refused to cooperate and had paid a terrible
price in the loss of a number of cities. Denise knew that, in the North American
Union, both Chicago and Washington, DC, had been struck. Hundreds of thousands
of people suffered from radiation sickness. The total number of dead from the
attacks remained unknown but was believed to be in the millions.
    Over the last
few minutes she had seen brilliant flashes of light, briefly lighting up the
night sky in a furious frenzy. She knew she watched an ongoing battle being fought
in space. The only ships Earth still possessed that could rally such a fight was
her brother’s fleet, which had been at Newton on maneuvers.
    “Please let it
be Kurt, and please keep him safe.” She spoke softly, as the flashes died away.
The last few weeks had been terrifying, and she was ready for the nightmare to
end.
    “Is it Uncle
Kurt?” asked Bryan in his childish voice, looking up at the flashes.
    At six years old,
he didn’t understand the recent events or what the bright flashes in the night
sky were.
    “They’re
pretty,” he said with a big smile.
    “They’ve
stopped,” Alex said, standing just behind his son. Glancing about the neighborhood,
he could see a lot of people outside, looking up toward space and speaking
excitedly.
    “Are the
pretty

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