Ephemeral-D - Human Diaspora

The moment of escape

Most of the human fugitives, military and their families, survivalists from camps all over the country and other people rescued along the way, came from Gales shore, Alaska, by boat through Diomede Islands to Russian territory. It wasn't an easy route, hundreds died through combat or radiation poisoning.

Desperate and scattered groups of survivalists rival to reach the promised location in the Xinjiang Desert, China. This is where the Xemx would take them out of the now poisoned and imprisoned Earth. Chet is among General Furlong's rescue team, for several months all of them desired to see the mighty desert, thus it represents freedom from alien bondage. Cold and dry, this is the perfect place for the Xemx rescue spaceship to descend in safety. Everyone that got this far experienced high doses of radiation, a trademark of the Pemakan invasion.

Chet reclined over the truck window. The desert wind was blowing on his remaining hair.

"I'm not feeling well. The effects of the antiradiation tablets are fading out."

He put his head out of the window and threw up.

"There's nothing left in my stomach. The pain is killing me."

"Hold on Chet. We're almost there. I can already see the desert plains." Colleen said.

"Wait a minute. What the hell!"

She put the military grade binoculars.

"Pemakan forces ahead!" Colleen shouts in the radio to the other vehicles.

"Resistance as expected. Stop the convoy and prepare the Xemx's blasters!" Furlong said.

Soldiers got out of the trucks in haste, descended the mounted gun base to the sand terrain. In less than five minutes there was an arc formation of blasters charged ready to fire against the Pemakan Moving Towers.

"All blasters ready to fire Sir!" Furlong's second in command, Daze Reid, said.

"Concentrate the firepower on the central towers. Fire at will!"

The blasters charged. Beams came out like a concentrated column of glowing energy. It took one minute for it to reach the towers. The charges damaged the central tower disabling its weapons.

Garret witnessed the battle unfold with his hyper reality interface. He can't use the spaceship heavy firepower but released the fighter drones to aid the arriving human convoys.

"We can't let them escape. Furlong is among the fugitives, he mustn't get out of my leash!" The Pemakan commander said.

"You'll have his head Gorganol," said the Colonel in Chief, "but don't let your son's death cloud your judgment. We all know and predict this escape, we're just slowing them down to not be in their faces we couldn't care less. After all Earth is ours, and not even all the leading species in the galaxy could do anything. Our presence fills the Xemx with dread. We're in their courtyard."

The moving tower's turrets aimed at most of the convoys coming from the east side of the desert. Pemakan forces retaliated and hit hard a convoy northeast from Furlong's location.

"Initiate mortar strike! Now, full force on the northern tower!" Furlong said.

The blasters needed time to aim and recharge. One truck carried the blaster's batteries and powered all the others, therefore, they couldn't lose this vital asset.

"Hurry, send the order to all groups to install their beacons. We have little time. The Pemakan troops are closing on us." Colleen said.

"All groups deploy the beacons now. The spaceship will send the atmosphere transporters when the signals are online."

Albeit the chaos of the battle, all groups positioned and activated the beacons in a choreographed manner. Pemakan offensive forces flanked the weaker human groups and destroyed their beacons before they could connect to the spaceship, therefore, the Xemx couldn't send the rescue transport to their location. The surviving convoys pinpointed their location and defended the landing area with the remaining ammo.

The help wasn't immediate, and many convoys perished.

"There they are. Hurry men, all for the Xemx transports now!" Furlong said.

Before he could shut his mouth, a puff of dust engulfed all around him with a muffled sound. A minute later Chet found the remains of Furlong on the floor. Disoriented and dying from radiation, He couldn't honor Furlong at that moment and went to the salvation transport. Colleen saw her father dead and froze.

"Continue the attack. Reduce their numbers to a minimum. Any other uprising to deal with?"

"No Sir. There's no other organized revolt on Earth. Furlong is dead Sir."
"Good, let's get back to our routines. The capitol demands to develop the Commerce Trade Routs from Earth to our nearby partners. Dismissed." Gorganol said.

The commander left the control room.

Back in the battlefield Colleen is over Furlong's dead body.

"There's nothing we can do Colleen, see, the transport is waiting for us, we must go now! There will be no second chance." Chet said.

"No! Let go of me." Colleen said.

The transport door closed. Hundreds of men, women and children crammed inside without light or comfort.

Garret had the same experience when he left us. Wait for me son, I'm coming for you, thought Chet.

...

To be continued in the Ephemeral-D game.