Earth Fall: Invasion : (Book One) Read online

  Earth Fall: Invasion

  A Earth Fall Novel

  (Earth Fall: Invasion, Book 1)

  By

  Raymond L. Weil

  USA Today Best Selling Author

  Books in The Earth Fall Series

  Earth Fall: Invasion (Book 1)

  Earth Fall: To the Stars (Book 2) March 2018

  Website: http://raymondlweil.com/

  Copyright © January 2018 by Raymond L. Weil

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover Design by Humblenations.com

  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 purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the author.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Epilogue

  Earth Fall: Invasion

  A Earth Fall Novel

  Chapter One

  In the Earth year 2027, on the seas of the planet Borth, a large fleet of primitive sailing vessels were gathered below a rapidly descending two-thousand-meter-long alien battlecruiser. Hundreds of ships with tall masts drifted in a tight defensive circle, their crews on watch for the mysterious attackers destroying their world. A sense of impending doom lay over the fleet as most crewmembers had seen their homes ruthlessly destroyed. City after city had burned beneath the heartless ravages of advanced weapons fire. Buildings had burst into flames and crumbled as the air was sucked away in the superheated updraft of the mushroom cloud that arose above the destruction. Only a few sailing vessels far enough away from the blasts had survived. Now they were gathered together, awaiting their fate.

  -

  Talog Dumas stood upon his sailing vessel, gazing into the cloudless sky. His ship was on the outer edge of the fleet. A speck high up steadily grew larger. With a chill, he recognized one of the hated spacecraft which had come to his world to destroy it. His people were a peaceful race, dedicated to living in harmony with their world. They had developed just enough technology to allow for trade and to communicate with one another over the long ocean distances.

  “What do we do?” asked Marcol Dumas, Talog’s brother. “Our homes are gone and our families have perished in the energy fire from the alien ships.”

  “I fear we can do nothing,” replied Talog, seeing the sadness in his brother’s eyes which was in his as well. “We have no weapons and all our communication attempts with the aliens have met with failure. Our home city has been destroyed as well as all the others. Only a few fleets of our sailing ships survive. I am afraid this is the end of our race.”

  Talog looked sorrowfully about his vessel. For years he had cruised the oceans of his world, trading between the numerous floating cities. He looked back at his brother. Their families and nearly everyone else they knew were gone. “I fear, brother, that shortly we will be joining the rest of our people.” Stepping forward, he put his arms around Marcol, hugging him.

  Looking upward, he saw a circular hatch open on the spacecraft. He knew doom had come to the fleet. A few vessels hastily set sail to evade this enemy but Talog knew there was no escaping what was about to happen.

  -

  From the Trellixian battlecruiser a single missile exited an open hatch and accelerated toward the assembled ships below. In a massive explosion, the twenty-kiloton nuclear warhead detonated 1,500 meters above the clustered vessels. Beneath it, the water turned instantly into superheated steam. Ships burst into flames, and others simply disappeared. The rush of inbound air and steam soon created the tell-all mushroom cloud associated with a nuclear explosion.

  As the blast radiated outward, the masts on the remaining ships were filled with hurricane-force winds and were torn away. The blast and accompanying wave of water caused many of the vessels to capsize. When the mushroom cloud dissipated all that remained were a few scattered pieces of wreckage drifting on the surface.

  -

  Talog found himself in the water. He had been blown off the deck of his ship from the force of the blast. Looking desperately around he saw no sign of his brother. A few others were in the water nearby, calling for help, but no one he recognized. His people were excellent swimmers and could swim underwater for hours as they had gills which they could use to breathe. Talog knew swimming away was useless; they no longer had any place to go. He could do nothing but wait for death and hope it was quick. He was ready to join his family and friends in the afterlife.

  -

  The battlecruiser descended lower and powerful energy beams flicked out, playing over the wreckage, ensuring no one lived. Where the beams touched wood, canvas, or survivors, flames flared up briefly and then died out. Shortly the calm ocean water was devoid of any wreckage as if the fleet of sailing ships had never existed. The commander of the battlecruiser, satisfied his mission was a success, ordered his ship back into orbit to seek other targets.

  -

  In the water Talog resurfaced and looked around. The spaceship rose higher into the air and soon vanished from sight. With a deep sigh, Talog scanned the ocean near him, seeing no other survivors. Kicking his webbed feet he swam toward a nearby island which had a small underwater village near a deep ocean trench. His only hope was the enemy had missed that village and he could find refuge there. If not, perhaps he could find enough in the wreckage to allow him to survive.

  -

  The battle commander of the Trellixian fleet looked down at the once inhabited world his ships had conquered. A sentient ocean-dwelling species had inhabited the blue-white globe with their tall sailing ships, traveling from city to city. They had adapted to living on both the land and in the deep ocean waters. The Olcons, as they called themselves, had spread their civilization across their world, including numerous small chains of islands. Where their massive cities once floated on beds of kelp now only blackened ruins remained. Across the entire planet every visage of civilization had been wiped out. The last Olcon oceangoing ships had been annihilated wherever they gathered for mutual protection.

  Currently Trellixian soldiers in heavy combat suits were sweeping the planet and the deeper parts of the oceans to ensure there were no survivors. Already word had been sent back to the Trellixian High Command advising them the planet Borth was now ready for colonization. Sometime in the next six weeks the first of hundreds of colony ships would arrive. Within ten years the planet would be a thriving Trellixian world.

  “Ships are ready for departure,” Second Officer Jaltor reported.

  Commander Balforr nodded. Balforr was taller than an average Human with dark-green skin due to his saurian ancestry. The commander had a large lizard-like head with sharp tearing teeth and huge eyes.

  “We’ll leave in two hours,” Balforr replied, his eyes looking coldly at the ship’s main viewscreen. “I wish to make one more sensor sweep of the planet, particularly the deeper parts of the oceans, to confirm no major Olcon
population centers survived.”

  Second Officer Jaltor frowned. “Some areas of those oceans are twelve kilometers deep. Our sensors have difficulty scanning at those depths.”

  “I am aware of that,” replied Balforr, turning to gaze with narrowed eyes toward his second in command. “However, I want those areas scanned anyway. If we detect nothing then I’ll feel it’s safe for us to depart this world, leaving it in the hands of our foot soldiers.”

  “It will be done,” replied Jaltor. “We’re also leaving several battlecruisers in orbit until the first colony ships arrive. If any Olcon communities have been overlooked, our reserves are capable of making short work of them.”

  “I believe in thoroughness,” responded Commander Balforr. “We were given the responsibility of clearing this planet of its inhabitants to make room for the continued expansion of our race.”

  “And we have done that. This race did not have the capability to defend itself against our superior weapons,” said Jaltor. “Have you heard what our next mission will be?”

  Commander Balforr recalled the FTL transmission from the High Command, informing him where to take his fleet. “A world called Earth,” he answered. “It’s in the early stages of interplanetary spaceflight and its population must be annihilated before they become a serious threat to the Empire. They’re a warlike species and additional ships and soldiers will accompany us on this mission.”

  “A warlike species,” mused Jaltor thoughtfully. “It’s very seldom we encounter such a civilization. Has the High Command suggested how we should deal with this race?”

  Balforr showed his sharp teeth and nodded. “Subterfuge and negotiations to begin with. We have much to offer that this species will be highly interested in. While we talk we will learn their strengths and, more importantly, their weaknesses.”

  “It is a wise decision,” commented Jaltor.

  Balforr turned toward the navigation officer. “How long will it take to travel to Earth’s star system?”

  The navigation officer spent a few moments studying some star charts on his computer screens. “Three weeks travel in hyperspace. The system is far out on the very edge of explored space.”

  “I am curious as to why the High Command chose our fleet for this mission,” said Jaltor, some confusion evident in his expression. “Other conquest fleets are much closer.”

  “Due to the difficulty of this particular mission,” Balforr responded. “Our fleet has the highest efficiency rating in using limited resources to annihilate civilizations which inhabit worlds needed for our expansion.”

  Jaltor nodded his understanding. The planet Earth would be the fleet’s next conquest and the race that currently inhabited it would become extinct.

  -

  Three weeks later at the White House, a special meeting was in progress. President Edward Drummond, Vice President Katelyn Hathaway, General Allen Mitchell, Secretary of State Maggie Rayne, and NASA Head of Operations Dwight Meadows were watching a live transmission feed from USSTRATCOM.

  “When did we first detect them?” asked President Drummond, his brow furrowed in a deep frown. On the large video screen, a group of objects that resembled bright points of light were visible. What made these unusual for deep space objects was that they were all in formation.

  “They appeared in our system a little over four hours ago,” Meadows replied. “They dropped out of hyperspace and proceeded immediately to set a course for Earth.”

  Vice President Hathaway drew in a sharp breath. “Is it them?”

  “From all indications this is a Trellixian invasion fleet,” replied Meadows. “We’ve used several of our more advanced space telescopes to take photos of the ships in the fleet and they match what’s in our secret database. Those are Trellixian battlecruisers.”

  President Drummond leaned forward and looked at General Mitchell. “Any recommendations?” This was a day Drummond had hoped would never come. It was also one they had been preparing for.

  “We go with plan Alpha. We can activate it within minutes of transmitting the warning. I just wish we had had a few more years to prepare. Not everything is as ready as I would like it to be but we’ll make do.”

  President Drummond stood and walked over to the large window overlooking the capital. His face revealed the stress of the moment. “This is the end of our world as we currently know it. Things will never be the same again.” Drummond stood for a long minute in silence, dwelling on the thought that, in a matter of a few months, most of the world’s population would be dead and its major cities in ruins; then he turned toward the others. “General Mitchell, transmit the message. Also take us to DEFCON 2. Maggie, get on the phones, talk to our allies and inform them of the situation. They know what needs to be done.”

  Maggie nodded. As secretary of state, she had a secret list of who to contact.

  For years they had known this time might come. Preparations had been made but the Trellixians had come too soon. Earth’s defense plan would need modifying and they would have to hope for the best. With a deep sigh, President Drummond returned, sat behind his desk, and stared at the others. His face took on a look of deep concern and seriousness. “I’ll address the nation tonight and inform them we are no longer alone.”

  “How much will you tell them?” asked Maggie worriedly.

  “Only that we’ve detected a group of what appears to be spacecraft approaching Earth and we expect to make peaceful contact with them shortly. There’s no reason to panic or be concerned. I will tell them we always considered this a possibility and have prepared for it. I’m also ordering all the markets to close for the next forty-eight hours until the shock of my announcement wears off.”

  “What if the aliens attack as soon as they arrive over Earth?” asked Vice President Hathaway.

  President Drummond shifted his gaze to his vice president. “That’s a possibility and why we’re going to DEFCON 2. If they attack we’ll be ready to resist but I think they’ll want to talk first. Our military analysts believe they’ll desire to learn as much about us as possible. Our goal is to extend those negotiations as long as we can to buy time. Every week, day and hour we can drag this out the more people we may be able to save.”

  “Will any of us be safe in the end?” asked Maggie, worry evident in her eyes.

  President Drummond hesitated and then answered. “I don’t know. We’ve had time to prepare but the science isn’t ready. We can only do the best we can and pray to God some of us survive.”

  The room grew quiet as they thought about what was ahead of them. How do you resist an enemy who has never known defeat? Looking around the room they all also wondered how many of them would still be alive one year from now.

  -

  In Portland, Oregon, Lisa Reynolds was relaxing in her parents’ house, watching TV. Lisa was twenty-eight years old, a brunette, and a corporal in the Army. She was currently home on leave and spending time with her folks.

  “Any plans with Streth for the weekend?” asked her mother from the kitchen where she was busily preparing dinner. “Why don’t you give him a call and see if he can come over and eat with us?”

  Lisa let out a deep sigh. Her mother was anxious for her and Streth to get married and have children. “I have two more weeks of leave, Mom. Streth and I are going away for the weekend to the mountains. We have reservations at a small ski resort so we can have some alone time. He’s out of town on business and won’t be back until sometime tomorrow.”

  “How much longer until your military service is over?” her mother continued. “I don’t understand why you enlisted anyway. You had a great job at the research center and Streth is making good money with his real estate business. The two of you should have been married years ago.”

  “Another year in the Army,” answered Lisa. Her mother had been against her enlistment from the very beginning. They had had several heated arguments over it but Lisa had joined anyway.

  She enlisted because her former college professor su
ggested she do so. He had explained to her he had a special job waiting for her once Lisa’s enlistment term was up. Why a stint in the Army was so important confused her, but Professor Wilkens was one of the top theoretical nuclear physicists in the world and qualified people everywhere were dying to work with him.

  After speaking at length with the professor and having a frank talk with Streth, she had enlisted for four years in the Army with an additional four years in the Inactive Ready Reserve. It was curious, though, as most of her time in the military involved working with the latest technology and even in several key research projects; far different from what she had expected. As soon as she had finished boot camp, she had been assigned to several installations doing research regarding top secret communications devices and weaponry.

  She was startled when a loud high-pitched noise came from the TV.

  “The Emergency Broadcast System has been activated. In ten minutes the President of the United States will make a special announcement. No need to panic or grow overly concerned. The president will address a developing situation.” The announcer’s voice went silent and on the TV screen a large countdown timer appeared.

  “What’s going on?” asked Lisa’s father as he came into the room, gazing at the TV.

  “I don’t know,” replied Lisa, confused. She had never heard of the president doing this before. “The president’s making a speech in a few minutes. It must be important if he’s using the Emergency Broadcast System.”

  Her father nodded. “That will allow him to be heard across all the TV stations as well as radio. I wonder what’s going on?”

  “Well, dinner’s nearly ready so I hope whatever he’ll say will be short,” Lisa’s mom said as she came in from the kitchen, putting her hands on her hips and frowning at the TV.

  Both of Lisa’s parents sat down on the sofa, gazing nervously at the screen.