Sacrifice

By Mike Adams

A race to cross a river before the aliens see them
Jacks Company and the 12 ex-captives they rescued were able to slip away undetected for the moment but a giant alien encampment lies directly in their way and there’s a river to cross before more aliens catch up to them. Not all of the rescued civilians is as grateful as they should be.

More human captives headed for the stewpot!
Captured by aliens when Winter Haven fell another group of Rangers is facing a horrible end. One of them is Ciara Cassidy's friend Lieutenant Miranda Balestiere

A starship returns
The Marco Polo has jumped back into Earth’s system with 1,000 wounded Rangers and volunteers onboard.

An incredibly risky rescue mission
On the Cairo, the stay behind group is ready to leave for their rendezvous with the Jacks bringing needed supplies

“They say it's 200 feet straight down over a raging river and the slide across is over 900 feet long. I can't wait to go first! This will be so fun!"
- Fuka Hayakawa, age 15, squad 3, Jacks Company, 2nd year student New Hope Academy, member of the 'Spider Monkeys' group of lead climbers.

"I was limping on a turned ankle and the aliens were kind enough to give me a ride. They hung me upside down on the side of one of their rhino-crocs. With all the blood flowing to my head I slept really well and I think I might be even smarter now!”
- Lieutenant Hanna Smit, communications officer, Colonial Rangers, New Hope Colony, Netherlands.
If you liked the first books of the Fierce Girls At War series you will love Sacrifice, the 18th installment of the saga of the ‘fierce girls’ war against the aliens. Click the BUY NOW button at the top and continue your journey now.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mike Adams
• Release date: Apr 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463832356

Mike Adams

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Staten Island, NY. Mike has a BS in Business Admin from Wagner College and an MBA from SDSU. A retired US Navy Lieutenant Commander, Supply Corps (Logistics), a former small business owner, and part-time substitute teacher. he's visited 6 continents and 36 countries, speak Spanish, some German, a little Italian and a little less French. He currently lives in Chula Vista, CA with his wife Chris.

Book preview

Prologue

Lunch

May 5, 2127

Day 219

New Hope Academy, New Hope Town

After her morning exo-biology class, Commander Rick Cassidy’s daughter, 15-year-old Ciara Cassidy, and her friend and roommate from the Asia Katey Kennedy headed for the school's cafeteria for lunch. They wanted to eat before the Rangers living in the school gymnasium came in at 1 o'clock; before that it was just for students and staff. There were two full companies of Rangers, almost 400 of them, living in the gym on cots. It wasn’t a bad alternative compared to tents; at least they were inside and had restrooms and showers close by. The two girls entered the cafeteria, which was located across from the B2 classroom building and the new dorms where many of the students’ parents were living since being forced to evacuate from the eastern settlements, and looked for their friends Carmen Rojas and Sonja Dubrovski. Katey pointed towards a table by the front window, There they are! I see Lena's with them too, and who is that? I can’t see her face.

Ciara looked and recognized the bright red ponytail, That's Willow.

The Irish girl gaped in surprise, What? That's Willow? When did she dye her hair like that?

A few days ago, she said. I saw her last night down in the laundry room.

The two friends made their way through the crowd saying hello to other friends and classmates on the way. Sonja saw them coming and grinned, It's about time! We thought maybe you weren't going to make it.

The Irish girl chuckled and pointed her chin at Ciara, Her miss a meal? You must be kidding!

Willow Pruitt, a just about to turn 17-years-old Canadian, turned around and smiled at them, Hi Ciara, hi Kates, what do you think?

The fire-engine red hair? Get a costume that shows a lot of cleavage and a sword and you’ll look like a superhero! Katey told her laughing.

Willow grinned, I left them in my closet. I only wear them at night and I've got a mask and a cape too!

Outstanding! The two friends hugged and Ciara and Katey took the two empty seats the other girls had saved for them. Danish 15-year-old Lena Halstrom and her older sister Jana, and Willow and her younger brother Cory, had traveled to the colony on the colony supply ship Asia with Ciara and Katey. Six other students had been aboard but three had gone back to Earth just a week after arriving at the colony when their parents found out about the alien invasion. Their parents hadn’t been considered essential personnel so they weren’t asked to stay nor had they volunteered to do so.

Ciara sat down next to Carmen and put her arm around her. She gave her a hug and said, Hey, Carmen. Did you hear? Your mom moved into the same bunkroom as my aunt Chloe.

Carmen gave her little smile, "Yes, she told me last night when she came over for dinner. Her, your aunt, Ms. Vericiano and Lieutenant Alvarez are all there together. We knew Araci from the Marco Polo." Carmen and her mother Marisol had traveled to the colony on the colony transport ship Marco Polo expecting to join her dad, Captain Vicente Rojas, the commander of the Chilean detachment that had come in on the Asia with Ciara. The shock of learning that he had been killed along with nearly half of his detachment at the Second Battle of McKinley Pass the previous summer had been terrible. They could've gone back to Earth on the Marco Polo when it left 10 days after their arrival and a record-setting offload of its cargo barges but Señora Rojas had insisted on staying. She had been doing her best to help the surviving troopers who had lost half of their officers and so many of their friends and compatriots. Marisol was now living in the residence where all of the female officers in New Hope Town were staying. Ciara's aunt Chloe O'Brien had come in on the Australia with her sister Nicole, a Ranger in the American detachment that came in on the starship. Chloe would be taking over as colony business manager for the family business, Stellar Enterprises, while Nicole was now in Villa De La Montana with her detachment as was their older sister Lieutenant Bridget O'Brien, an officer in Colonial Security. Lara Vericiano had also come in on the Australia and had learned that her brother, Captain Andres Vericiano, the commander of the Brazilian detachment had been killed at Southport on the first day of the invasion.

On her own Ciara had taken Carmen under her wing and introduced her to some of her friends. The Chilean girl’s spirits were recovering and after a rough first couple of weeks at the beginning she’d found her place at the school and had done well enough for her first two short semesters at the New Hope Academy. The second of those month-long semesters had ended two weeks before and a new one had begun after a two-day break.

With the Australia staying at the colony at least until the Vitus Bering's arrival and with the Vitus Bering not due in for another seven weeks, the new semester was going to be the first full two-month semester since the Marco Polo had left to return to Earth. Not knowing that the North America would end up staying for a month instead of a quick turnaround and departure like the Asia had gone through, the school's top administrators NHA Director Roger Summerfield and the Academic Director Penelope Winston had decided on a shorter semester that would end soon after the North America was due in. That way some of the fourth-year students might be able to finish and graduate, then return home to attend university on the North America. The cargo supply ship however had stayed for over five weeks and another short semester had followed the first. Almost all of the 50 students who left on the North America had finished their Academy education and graduated. The normal two-month summer semester that had begun a few days later hadn't actually started until well into the summer.

Sonja had been at the New Hope Academy since arriving on the colony transport ship Amundson a month before the invasion began. The young Russian had arrived with her mother Natasha and they’d been reunited with her father Gregor, the senior manager for Aricola Mining based in Novo Napoli, and her older sister Nikola. They’d been separated for almost four years and the reunion had been emotional and joyous. Nikola had graduated eight months earlier but she’d stayed on working as an intern at the school in order to spend some time with her sister and mother before returning to Earth to attend university and face another long separation. Then the invasion started and Nikola was missing along with Ciara's dad and all the others from the school’s spring internship tour of the eastern settlements. They’d all been on the transport Cairo when it had been shot down by the alien ships’ plasma cannons when they’d inadvertently flown over the fleet that was on its way to the southern coast near Southport. The transport had flown north into the mountains beyond the coast and hadn't been heard from since then. There were indications however, strong ones, that the people on the Cairo had fought the aliens the previous summer and had done some serious damage to them. When Ciara arrived at the school Sonja and two of the other girls who had missing family had asked to be her roommates. Amber Sleight’s cousin River Sleight, a 15-year-old second year student, had been on the internship tour, as had Akiko Hashimoto’s 18-year-old sister Saki, who had needed just one more semester to finish her New Hope Academy education.

Smells good, Ciara said, looking at the piles of Chinese noodles with chicken on each of the four girls’ plates.

Is good, Sonja said. Go get yours while there’s still some left.

Good idea, Katey agreed. Let’s go! They left their packs on the seats and headed for the serving line. The line was not very long and they grabbed trays and some plastic utensils. She asked Ciara softly, How do you think Carmen's really doing?

Ciara sighed, "Good days and bad days, you know? I, at least, have hope, so I can take a positive attitude but her dad died fighting and there's no doubt about that. She hadn't seen him in over eight months, since his detachment left on the Asia. I'm glad Lena had an open spot in her room when Janine graduated and left on the Marco Polo. She’ll be okay, I think. She knew Miranda, too." Ciara stopped talking; she could feel the pain of losing her first and best friend among the Rangers. Lieutenant Miranda Balestiere, the Admin officer for the Chileans had disappeared when the aliens had taken Winter Haven nearly two months before.

Katey patted her on the shoulder, "Yeah, I know, sorry. Hey, maybe you should take Carmen to the VR range and teach her how to kill aliens and demon wolves. I'll bet she'd like that. I know I do, not that you’ve taken me there more than three times since we've been here for, what, six months?"

Ciara grimaced, "Ugh. Sorry, and I think you're right, that's a good idea. I'll have to check with First Sergeant Lonergan and reserve a time. Maybe a group thing, you know. Special cases, you know? Kids with missing sisters and all, Carmen's dad, and my roommate from the Asia, who I’ve already done some work with; I think I can sell it."

Katey smiled at her, That’s great! Maybe you can get your aunt and Naomi to come. Adult supervision, right.

Ciara grinned and snorted, I'll ask.

When they returned to their table, Sonja said, "My dad told me that the Vitus Bering is bringing more than 300 new students in."

Really? said Lena. How many do you think would be leaving then?

Not as many, probably. Some might just go back and another group will graduate after this semester. Even so, the dorms might not have enough room for all of them and they’ll have to find room for some more classrooms.

I thought your dad was out working on those volcano sites, said Ciara.

"He's just come back this morning. He took me out for breakfast, my mom too. He's meeting with the Colonial Administrator today, and General Jamison, then he's going to go out to that new thing on Gamma next time the Australia goes there for a drop, the day after tomorrow he said."

What's that new thing on Gamma? You mean Gamma the continent? asked Lena.

Da. They're building a secret base over there and some people will be moving there as soon as they are ready for them.

I didn't hear about that, said Lena.

It's a secret, silly, Sonja grinned and held her finger up to her lips. Don't tell the aliens.

The Danish blonde snorted, I won't. Hey Ciara, are you playing soccer this semester?

Ciara grinned, You know it! I'm going out for the junior varsity team. I’m taking tennis too. That was my first class this morning.

Carmen said, I can play. Maybe we can have a game after school.

Ciara grinned, "Yeah, let's. Not today though, I have to get to the base range for my instructor shift. Besides, I haven't played since last summer. I’m so out of practice, balls were going everywhere but over the net. It got better after a while but if you just want to hit the ball around, that’d be great."

The Chilean smiled, "Sí, yes, that sounds good. Soon though, okay?"

Sure.

Lena then told them, Speaking of soccer, there's a game this afternoon between the varsity boys and some Rangers.

I thought it was the girls playing, said Willow.

That's tomorrow, Ciara told her. They're playing a team from the British detachment.

They're living in the gym, right? said Willow between bites.

Yeah, they’re part of Charlie Company.

Willow then asked, Who are the boys playing?

Lena swallowed some noodles, then answered, I think it’s the Hungarians.

Are you sure about that? I haven’t met any Hungarian Rangers, Ciara said. I’ve seen Rangers from all the other detachments over at the base. There are Bulgarians here with Hammer Company though.

Okay, maybe it was the Bulgarians.

I’ll try to make it. Then Willow said, I want to take archery but they said there were too many signed up already.

No surprise there. Ever since the varsity guys started training some of the Rangers and volunteers, everybody wants to try, said Sonja.

Willow tilted her head at that and asked, Didn’t most of the varsity boys graduate and go home? I know most of the varsity girls were with the internship tour.

Sonja replied, True, but not all of them graduated and some of the junior varsity moved up and some of them are working with the Rangers now.

Carmen asked, Why archery? Can they really use bow and arrows against the aliens?

Ciara chuckled, You haven't heard about the explosives, have you?

What? What do you mean, explosives?

Well, my aunt Molly, before she and my dad…, you know, she came up with this idea of attaching these detonators to the arrows and crossbow bolts. The idea was to use them against demon wolves. They don't make a big explosion, just enough to blow a hole in a demon wolf’s hide armor or a Raagaa’s chest. They haven't had enough extra rifles or ammo for all the volunteers so a few hundred were sent here, we have our own range, to learn how to use them. I took the class last semester. First, you learn how to hit the target you’re aiming at, then you add the detonator, it fits over the bolt or arrow shaft, they have to take the arrow heads off first. It makes it kind of heavy and can really throw your aim off but you try it a few times without explosives first to get a feel for it so you can make the adjustment then you get the explosive kind, students even get to try a couple of those. That’s really fun, blowing things up, you know? You can shoot an arrow or a bolt up and over something they’re hiding behind when you can't see them to shoot them with a rifle.

Willow nodded, I was wondering what those banging noises were. I thought they were coming from somewhere off campus.

Ciara shook her head, No, the range is all the way at the west end of campus, far from the dorms and classrooms buildings. Hey, I almost forgot…

Katey eyed her, What?

There’s a new eatery going up right across from the west gate by the pool complex.

"Really? They’re opening something new now?" Lena asked in surprise.

"Sure, why not? My aunt Chloe, I told you she was taking over as colony manager for Stellar Enterprises which helps get them going, she said the people who’ll be running it came in on the North America but some of the stuff they needed to get it going just came in on the Australia. So now they've got everything they need and they started putting up the building a few days ago. It should be open in a couple of weeks."

What kind of food? asked Willow.

Ciara shrugged, Uh, I don't know. I didn't ask. Asian food, maybe, or maybe Mexican? Whatever, we should try it when it opens, whatever it is.

Katey grinned at Ciara and batted her eyes without saying anything. She was one of the few who knew that Ciara was actually part-owner of Stellar Enterprises as proxy for her dad and Molly Pickford as long as they were ‘unavailable’. Sounds like a good idea to me. You buying?

Ciara rolled her eyes at her, We'll see. I need to check with Naomi and Chloe before I spend any more of my dad's credits.

They were all nearly finished eating when data pads all over the cafeteria made beeping sounds announcing that a new message had come in. Willow had hers sitting on the table and she looked at it. Hey, there’s gonna be a dance next week.

Katey leaned over to read the message, A dance. Where? We can't use the gym with all the Rangers there.

No, it'll be down in the bunker that's under the soccer field, in the big rec room. When the plans for the school had been drawn up, they included a series of underground tunnels connecting the various building to be used in case of bad weather. The students frequently used them when it was raining. The tunnels were also connected to some watertight bunkers designed to provide shelter in case of a bad tropical storm or even a tsunami. Within the bunkers were some large spaces that had been converted into recreation rooms for the students. One of the larger spaces was located beneath the soccer field and was big enough to hold several hundred people comfortably, the dance would be held there.

It’ll be fun, said Willow. I went with Brandon Sleight last time. He’s really nice, good looking too. We had a lot of fun.

You really like him, don’t cha? said Ciara with a grin for her friend.

Yeah, I guess. I feel bad for him though. He misses his sister River a lot but he tries not to show it.

Yeah, we know, believe me, Ciara said with a nod at Sonja.

Chapter 1

Lieutenant Miranda Balestiere

May 7, 2127

Day 220

Raagaa camp 460 miles southwest of Winter Haven

It wasn’t until they'd passed through the stretch of forest that the captives realized the extent of the alien camp. For as far as they could see to the north and west there were hundreds if not thousands of the Raagaa tents that looked like the yurts once used by the people of Mongolia. Each one represented at least a dozen of the Raagaas who preferred to sleep close together.

The group they were with had made camp before nightfall when they reached a river flowing from east to west after passing through a wide valley that had gone on for miles. They’d been roped together at the neck in groups of seven or eight as they hobbled forward under the hot summer sun. At the river they were allowed to slake their thirst and were given Ranger ration bars to eat from the stocks the aliens had brought with them. They were grateful to be able to lie down and sleep even though they were tied together in groups of three or four at night. Surprisingly the aliens had let their captives sleep in instead of rousing them soon after dawn as was the norm.

The reason why became obvious three hours after breaking camp. They’d followed the river going west until they reached a lake bordered by trees to the north and east, with hills on the south side and to the west a 100-foot-tall wall of rock topped by what they thought, based on the vegetation they could see growing up there, might be a flat plateau. There were small groups of Raagaas all around the north and east sides of the lake, a few hundred in total. When they reached the lake the group of about 200 Raagaas that surrounded the 23 prisoners turned north and followed the shoreline for a quarter mile before it turned west. There they moved into the trees and continued north for another two miles before leaving the forest and entering open country.

My god! Look at them all, Sergeant Selena Vega said with a groan as she surveyed the tableau before them. Vega was a Colonial Security officer from San Antonio, Texas. Like most of those with her specialty, Vega had been a police officer before joining the Colonial Ranger Command’s law enforcement and safety division. They were walking down a long easy slope; the land beyond the woods was at least forty feet lower. It gave them an excellent view of the alien camp. There must be ten thousand of them, maybe more.

Mas, said Lieutenant Miranda Balestiere, who was walking beside her. I think each one of those tent-things holds twenty or more of those monsters. I’ll bet there are at least a thousand of them down there.

Now we know where they’re taking us, said Master Sergeant Connor Reese, a British shuttle pilot.

It would be quite fine with me if there is a good hotel with a nice restaurant up ahead, said Captain Catherine Nay, a French trauma nurse.

With an in-house masseuse, I hope, Miranda added.

Bien sûr, Cat Nay agreed. I wouldn’t call it a good hotel if it didn’t have such a basic service.

Of course, you wouldn’t, Miranda returned with a snort. I’d be happy just to sleep on a nice soft mattress for a change.

Keep dreaming, said Reese.

###

Miranda Elena Balestiere was born in Valparaiso, Chile on March 10 in the year 2100. The very intelligent 5’9", 140-lb. South American beauty had dark-brown hair and light-brown eyes. Her father Carlo was a captain in the Chilean Navy and her mother Regina was an elementary school teacher. The youngest of three children, Miranda’s brother Gino was also an officer in the Navy, and her sister Alena was a pediatrician.

As intelligent as she was beautiful, Miranda was near the top of her class when she was spotted by an agent for a modeling agency in her second year of high school. She signed a contract at age 15 to be the face of the Latin American operation for a well-known international cosmetics firm. Her face appeared in advertisements for cosmetics and clothing all over Latin America, earning her enough to pay the full cost of her university education, to buy a nice apartment and take vacation trips to Europe, Asia and North America.

In 2121, a friend of her father was just starting to look for people to represent their country for when Chile sent its first contingent of Colonial Rangers to the New Hope Colony. Their country had applied to become a sponsor nation for the colony and starship programs and their acceptance was expected within the next two years. One of its first contributions to the program would be a detachment of soldiers plus some support personnel who would join the Colonial Ranger regiment at the New Hope Colony. At that point the government expected that it would be a least three to five years before a detachment would finally be sent out since their sponsor agreement was still under negotiation but they were already beginning the recruitment and selection process.

This friend of her father, a senior Colonel in the Chilean Air Force, was already aware of Miranda’s modeling career but when he learned that she was earning high grades at the University of Santiago where she was studying history and political science, he realized that she would be an outstanding candidate, if she was interested. The Colonel sought her out during her fourth year at the university and Miranda jumped at the opportunity. Like many people she had followed the colony program ever since she was a little girl but she’d never really thought much about going there herself since her country was not involved with it. Chile's pending acceptance into the program had changed that but she’d still seen no way to be part of it anytime soon so she concentrated on her studies with an occasional modeling assignment to pad her bank account.

The Colonel's pitch was straightforward – she would have to complete her education then accept a commission in the Air Force as an administrative and personnel specialist. She would have to accumulate two years of service at a base somewhere before formally applying but her slot would be waiting for her. Although her intelligence and education were basic requirements to become an officer, they were not in themselves enough to get chosen as part of Chile's initial contingent to go to Earth's first colony in another star system.

The fact was that Miranda was both very beautiful and quite well-known because of her modeling career, and that had made all the difference. Fair or not, many nations sent only attractive female officers to the Ranger program because some of them inevitably would become the public face of the colony program in their home countries. Miranda understood that this was part of the deal and she was interviewed on several occasions before the Chileans boarded the cargo supply ship Asia in May of 2126 for the six-month long trip to Tau Ceti 4, the home of the New Hope Colony. Once or twice a month during the voyage, she sent short video features about life aboard the starship leading up to their entering jump space. After leaving jump space she did some short stories about the colony planet, the Tau Ceti star system and their pending arrival at the New Hope Colony. These latter reports were transmitted to the outbound colony transport ship Amundson which would forward them to her government after making their jump back into Earth’s solar system.

Besides the public affairs aspect, her job as an Administrative officer for the Chilean Rangers included taking care of any support personnel who might be going in the future. This group could include communications specialists, medical personnel and aircrew personnel for the anti-grav shuttles and the big cargo transport landers used at the colony. She was to become acquainted with all of these men and women, keep their records up to date, record citations, process promotions, and help them deal with family problems that might arise back on Earth during their three-year tour of duty which included the six-month transit each way to the colony and back. Administrative officers were also the primary liaison between the military personnel and the national government representatives at the