The Alal: Book III of the Virago 4 Series

By JW Luff

When Jake first arrived on Virago 4, he found a world that had been destroyed by war 30 centuries ago. Before his first tour ended he’d discovered what had caused the planet’s destruction. On his next trip he discovered the terrible truth of why it had happened. And now he and the rest of the inhabitants of this world are going to find out who caused it all. A creature known by the ancient people of Earth as the Destroyer; it has no problem wiping out an entire planetary population for profit. And now just as it was about to collect on an endeavor that has spanned thousands of years, its property along with the profit was stolen. It knows who is to blame; the human Jake Simms, and it’s time to deal with these creatures once and for all. But first it will do a little recruiting on the humans’ home world. It has discovered someone from Jake’s past. They shouldn’t be too hard to convince. Besides revenge is such an excellent motivator.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Sep 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781304432032

Book preview

The Alal: Book III of the Virago 4 Series

The Alal

First Edition

Copyright 2013 JW Luff

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-304-43203-2

By

JW Luff

Cover Art By: Lucy Arredondo

To James and Juanita Luff

My parents,

Thank you for loving me

And teaching me about Jesus

CHAPTER 1

So this is how it’s going to end, he thought. It was such a waste for a life that had so much potential. He couldn’t understand why he had to be the one to bring the news. There were plenty of other individuals that wouldn’t be missed. This would have been the perfect time to have an assistant. After all, that’s what they were good for. Well, it was too late for that now. He made his way deeper into the labyrinth of passageways, all the while trying to come up with every excuse he could think of. Every excuse that is that would have kept him from being on his current mission. The closer he got to the end of the main hallway the colder it got. Even with his thick exoskeleton he could feel the cold permeating his body. As he passed by an ice-incrusted wall he caught sight of his reflection. Such a waste, he thought, as he admired the creature that looked back at him. To a human he would have closely resembled a giant cockroach, about 6 feet long red and black in color. No, he thought, this magnificent body would never court a female and fertilize her eggs. There would be no passing on of his genetic material. And finally his journey was over, there before him was the Master’s lair. Located several hundred feet beneath the surface of a frozen moon, circling a gas giant, that in turn orbited a red dwarf star. The lair itself was a pit of liquid methane. As he walked up to the edge he peered over the side. He couldn’t see the pool of bubbling death because of a layer of ice fog hiding its surface. The cold liquid was the least of his worries; it was what resided in it. Well, it was time to get this over with. M..M...M..Master? he said timidly. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to wake him. No one could blame him for that. But it wasn’t meant to be.

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO DISTURB MY SLUMBER, the creature in the pit demanded?

We have news, Master, he said.

NEWS….WHAT NEWS, the Master asked?

News of a Reaper Mission, thought lost, he answered.

VERY WELL, WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY SO, the creature in the pit asked? HOW SOON CAN I EXPECT IT, AND ABOVE ALL HOW MANY WERE HARVESTED?

Ahhhhhh, he couldn’t bring himself to answer."

SPEAK UP, the Master demanded.

The ship was destroyed, he replied, All were released,

AND THE KEEPER, the Master demanded, as the pool began to boil.

The Keeper was lost also, he replied. He waited; there was a moment when he thought that the Master’s reaction wouldn’t be too bad. But no, just delayed.

GRRRRRAAAAAAHHHHHHH. The creature in the pit screamed. The sound reverberated through the chamber causing the ice encrusted walls to crack. Pieces of the ceiling rained down on the unfortunate minion. Before the news bearer could run, a tentacle shot out of the pit and wrapped around the poor insect. He was lifted up and suspended over the center of the pool. Now he was hanging upside down covering his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. As he uncovered his face, he watched an enormous eye emerge from the ice fog below him.

DO YOU HAVE DATA, the Master asked?

Yes, he said, taking out the portable recorder. It floated out of his grip and came on. The creature’s telekinetic powers activated it and a holographic image began to swirl in midair. Symbols unrecognizable to anyone else except the creature in the pit and the one he held. Finally the image merged into a scene. The Master studied it closely; it was a view from inside the saucer. There were 2 creatures standing facing each other. They were wearing primitive pressure suits. The time line indicated that this was the last image taken before the ship was vaporized. The data stream also indicated that the device held by one of the creatures was the source of the destruction.

We have not been able to identify these beings, the insect said. The grip that the Master had on him was beginning to cut into his exoskeleton. If something didn’t happen soon, there were going to be two pieces dropping into the pool.

I KNOW WHAT THEY ARE…… the Master growled. Suddenly without warning, the minion was tossed onto the side of the pit. The insect stood up and realized maybe this was not the end.

READY MY SHIP the creature in the pit said to the minion. As he scurried away, he thanked fate for saving him.

SO…. the Master said, looking at the image suspended in midair. IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME….HUMANS.

CHAPTER 2

He had spent a lifetime admiring her kind before. And this wasn’t the first time he’d been stopped in his tracks by her beauty. However she wasn’t far away behind some security fence or passing out of reach. On this occasion Jake Simms stood close enough to reach out and touch her. He had to admit while admiring her sleek lines; she was dangerous as well as beautiful. For a brief moment in time it was just him and her. It was said that better men than him had died trying to tame her. That might be so, but for right now it wouldn’t hurt to at least touch her. There was no one around, what harm would it do? Just as he reached out, he heard a familiar voice behind him. It stopped him in mid reach.

I don’t think those Marine pilots would appreciate you getting drool all over their jet, Laura Simms said.

Jake just smiled; it was like he had been caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. He continued his reach, touching the cold metal. Yep, he thought, she was a lady, all 23,000 pounds of her. The AV-8B Harrier that Jake was admiring was one of six that now resided on the Alien Starship as it approached Virago 4. The trip had only taken 3 days to cover the more than 250 light-years. 36 hours to reach a safe distance from Earth so the ship’s star drive could be activated, where upon the device created an artificial wormhole so the vessel could instantly jump to the Virago star system. Then another 36 hours to transit to the 4th planet at sub light speed.

Jealous, Jake asked as his wife joined him next to the Military jet?  

Of course not, Laura answered, what woman wouldn’t be thrilled to see her pilot husband pinning after something nicknamed ‘the widow-maker?

How did you know about the Harrier’s nick name, Jake asked, smiling at her obvious sarcasm?

Do you think I just sleep during all those airplane shows we watch, Laura asked?

Their 30 plus year marriage had survived when others hadn’t because of compromise. Laura had let Jake drag her to air shows while he went shopping with her. Each time the one that was doing what they enjoyed made sure that the other one got to do something they found pleasant also. A trip to the mall for shoes always meant lunch at Jake’s favorite restaurant. And those air show trips were always complimented with one of Laura’s chic flicks. Each one watching out for the other one, the system had worked for over 30 years. Now in their fifties, the couple was embarking on an adventure that most twenty year olds would find overwhelming. It had all started the year before when Jake had answered an internet ad for aircrews. Due to the bad economy the middle-aged pilot had been out of work for sometime. The initial interview had alluded to an overseas assignment, working with another group on an archaeological operation. They couldn’t say where exactly, security reasons. The rumor was somewhere in the Middle East. Probably for some country that didn’t want its neighbors to know it had a bunch of Americans doing archeological work within its borders. Also the applicant could have absolutely no prior military service. It was all very confusing, especially the man that was in charge of the project. One Richard Davenport had taken an instant dislike to Jake and had done everything just short of firing him to get the Christian pilot off of the project. His favorite tactic was ridiculing Jake’s faith. When that hadn’t worked, the government official had tried to leave him behind. Jake was sent to pickup a Cessna 185 and was supposed to meet up with the rest of his group. Davenport had hoped a huge weather system would prevent Jake from joining them. However an anonymous phone call had guided Jake to a new rendezvous point. Landing on what he thought was a blacked out secret military base, Jake found out the reason for all the secrecy. The base turned out to be a giant alien starship. They said the posting was outside of the country. Off planet does qualify as out of the country. The newly hired pilot soon discovered he was now working for a top-secret government organization. And that our government had been working with extraterrestrials for over 60 years. And the anonymous phone call had come from none other than a grey alien. They were in route to a world that 30 centuries prior had been completely sterilized. To top it off the advanced aliens that were transporting the humans insisted on them working with another species They did say he would be working with another group, they didn’t specify that it was human. Their new partners in this extra planetary endeavor turned out to be giant intelligent ants. Although fearsome to look at, Jake soon became close friends with one, even teaching the 6 foot insect how to operate earthly aircraft. And that was another requirement; getting used to all the different aliens. The Nergal which meant watcher in Summerian, were the advanced aliens that brought the humans and ants together. They were a species that lived for thousands of years. Looking something like a giant squid from Earth except they were 40 feet long with 2 rows of eyes circling their bodies. And they also swam in a tank of liquid methane. Bob was a grey complete with oversized head small skinny body and black almond shaped eyes. Originally Bob had been a creature resembling Earthly corral, but the Nergal had transferred his soul into the bio-engineered body so he could join them on their trips across the galaxy.

The reason the humans and the ants were recruited to work together was to answer the question; what happened? For some unknown reason this once vibrant world had been completely transformed. The planet's former inhabitants although similiar in size and shape to a human were actually reptilian. What used to be the Southern region had been replaced by a deep ocean and the soil and rock was scattered over the entire surface. Now 3000 years later life was slowly returning to the dead world. And there was something else; they had discovered quite by accident that the former inhabitants had left booby traps in the form of mines. Although the weapons were harmless to humans and ant technology, it was lethal to the advanced aliens. This was very unusual since the planet’s former occupants had been about as technologically advanced as Earth in the 1950’s. So at first all movement on the surface was accomplished by human aircraft. While transporting personnel and supplies to the various dig sites Jake and his alien copilot Fred had stumbled upon a secret government plan to steal an alien flying saucer. Normally this wouldn’t have concerned Jake; however the saucer’s sub light drive was damaged. This meant to get the saucer back to Earth; they would have to activate the star drive while still on the surface of Virago 4. Since faster than light travel was accomplished using artificially created wormholes, this would have meant the destruction of the planet, and everyone on it. Jake and his friends had managed to steal the saucer and keep it away from Davenport and his group until the advanced aliens had returned.

When they found the alien saucer it was determined the craft’s arrival coincided with the planet’s destruction. And that it had been the cause of the world’s demise, and even the source of the advanced mines. However further investigation had revealed that its arrival was no accident. The ship’s previous owners were a benevolent race called the Ea, a form of intellegent fish. They were a highly technical and religious species that were very careful about allowing their advanced technology to fall into the wrong hands. The planet the humans named Virago 4 had been populated by a race of beings that were embroiled in a religious war. So focused on the destruction of their enemies in the South, the Northern region used the alien’s advanced technology to grind their adversaries out of existence. They discovered too late that in doing so they had doomed themselves and everything else on the planet’s surface to extinction.

I don’t think you have anything to worry about, Jake said. There is no way the military is going to let me learn how to fly this plane. The Marine fighter was part of a newly formed squadron that had been hastily assembled to come to Virago 4 and train with the Warrior ants. Ever since the Earthly Military had tried to steal advanced technology they had been banned from the project. But now, at the Ant’s invitation the United States Government had sent a small contingent of Marine fighters and Special Forces to train with the Ant Military. The object of Jake’s affection was the Marine Corps ground attack jet the AV-8B Harrier. The advanced fighter was referred to as a jump jet, because it was capable of vertical takeoff and landing. But that versatility came at a price. Like most jets it had an intake in the front for its powerful engine. However instead of a single exhaust, its thrusts was distributed between 4 moveable nozzles, allowing the machine to not only takeoff and land vertically but even hover. Many a pilot had found out just how hard it was to tame the advanced fighter. Designed in the 1960’s at the height of the Cold War by the British, its original concept was to carry out nuclear attacks in an environment where runways had been destroyed in the initial attack. However its mission changed along with the world, in a sense rewriting the book on Battlefield tactics. Now commanders had a jet fighter that could be based just behind the front lines. Although primarily used for ground attack, the versatile jet could even hold its own in air to air engagements.

On Jake’s return to the planet he had brought his wife with him. They had settled into their new life with the other colonist. All the while waiting for the chance to tell their college bound children and friends where they were living. The government had decided that the project was still highly classified, in part mainly because of the Brookings Report. This report commissioned in the 1960’s warned of possible unpleasant ramifications, if news of extraterrestrial life were ever revealed to the general population. It further warned of the breakdown of religious institutions if the truth was made known. So a veil of secrecy was pulled over the entire operation from the beginning. The government especially didn’t want anyone with any religious convictions anywhere near the project. This was the primary reason that Richard Davenport had done everything in his power to get rid of Jake Simms. One of the first things Jake found out was not only did the advanced aliens, know of God they actually knew God. And that He had not only sent His son to Earth but to every other planet with intelligent life. So as to create a bridge between God and His children. The only breakdown was going to come from those who didn’t believe in Jesus Christ. So Jake was asked by the aliens to keep this to himself, giving the human race a little more time to get its act together. In an ironic twist our government kept the existence of aliens from the public. While the aliens kept their knowledge of God from the government. With one middle-aged Christian pilot stuck in the middle. On his last trip to the planet Jake was working with a science team at a remote location. It was supposed to be a milk run. Just fly some scientist out to a remote valley and check on some strange readings. While on location Jake had discovered the reason the planet’s population had been destroyed. Someone or something had sent the Ean ship to the planet. Knowing the primitive population would use the advanced technology to destroy their enemies.  And then they tricked another species to bring a device known as an Ebih. The strange contraption literally harvested the souls of the planet’s former inhabitants as they passed from this existence to the next. The stolen souls were destined to be placed into manufactured warriors and tricked into fighting for the Armies of Darkness. The Warrior Ants had succeeded in defending the colony from the horde of guardian robots that were activated when they found the device. Even Jake’s wife Laura had earned quite a reputation among the Ants. Trapped in a basement closet with a group of children and a 100 year old shot gun. The middle aged woman had made good use of the weapon allowing the children time to escape. Before the machines overwhelmed the small woman, her tally of kills rivaled that of some of the Warriors.

As Jake stood next to the Marine jet on the packed hanger deck, he turned and focused his attention on his partner for the last 30 plus years. On their last trip he had come very close to losing her. It was only by the grace of God that the two of them had survived. He had spent most of his adult life in various aircraft cockpits criss crossing the United States. So much of that time was spent without Laura; he had woken up in hotel rooms reaching out for her only to realize she wasn't there. The first time he had come to Virago 4 he was alone and he had missed her terribly. Now they were together, although he still went out on assignments she was much closer. And their time apart was limited. But as dangerous as this off world adventure could get, Jake couldn’t shake the feeling they were part of something much bigger. The human race was running out of time. The Nergal had told Jake that the Armies of Darkness were gathering. The out come was spelled out in the Bible, right there in the Book of Revelations. All you had to do was read it and you knew who would win, God. Mankind had to choose which side it was going to be on. All the other religions with their contradictory doctrines only confused people. It was easy for the average person to turn their back on it all and live their lives the best they could. To them, God, if He even existed was someone far away. Most other religions were trying to reach up to God, somehow trying to come up to His level. Christians knew that a person could only be saved by grace. No one could ever make it up to God’s level on their own. The Creator had placed a void in each of His creations that only He could fill. It was there for a reason, so everyone seeking to fill that void would find it in the Lord.

Outside, the massive alien starship was dropping into Virago 4’s atmosphere. The gravitational dampeners did their part to ensure the vessel’s occupants didn’t feel a thing.  Inside it felt like the ship had never left Earth. They were so much more advanced than we were, Jake thought. Would we ever get that far, or would we destroy ourselves like the previous inhabitants of Virago 4? Things were starting to get busy on the hangar deck as the crews began moving the various aircraft into position for departure.

Its not that I want you in this thing, Laura said as she gestured toward the jet. But, why wouldn’t they let you fly it? I thought Fred was going to start training.

He is, but our government isn’t trying to make brownie points with my species, like they are with Fred’s, He replied. Jake remembered his alien copilot; it wasn’t that long ago on his first trip to the planet the he and Fred had stood on this very hanger deck and climbed into a Cessna 185. On that day the ant’s flight training had begun along with his curiosity about Jake’s faith. Two days later Fred asked to read Jake’s Bible, which was a clear violation of direct orders from Richard Davenport. Of course Jake couldn’t turn his friend down. God’s words are powerful and it wasn’t long before the alien asked to be baptized at the first church established by the human race on another planet. And now the Ant royalty along with members of its Warrior, Engineer, and