Chapter 3

William passed a note to Scott as he continued to address the globe. He glanced down at what was written.

Initial computer estimations were based on conventional nuclear weapons. The iLOX seem to have used something different, explosions were at half a mile above the ground, perhaps to ensure that the infrastructure would be usable by them. As a result of the height of the explosions, and the fact that we have built underground, the death toll is much, much lower than initially estimated. Reports now suggest only three hundred and sixty thousand people have died. Probes also advise that the iLOX nuclear devices are 'clean', meaning there is no fallout to deal with.

Scott's shoulders visibly lost some of the tension that had been there and he looked up into the camera that was focussed on him.

"My friends, the saints appear to be smiling down upon us. I have just learned that the casualties from the iLOX nuclear attack are far less than we have a right to expect. We have still lost many, too many and my anger at these invaders is only matched by my anger at our own failure to defend you. They have caught us with our pants down. Many thousands are dead, but the toll could have been far higher because the force fields that should be there to protect our cities have not been maintained. Work is already underway to rectify that.

"There is another fault that we need address quickly. The Earth has been peaceful for so long that it seems you have become complacent about your safety. We are not prepared for a ground assault on the planet and I'm afraid that that is a real possibility. I need men and women to volunteer to train to form a defence force. There is also a need to re-tool some of our manufacturing capability to begin to make the weapons and other materials that a defence force will need. We don't have much time to do all this.

"The coming days and weeks seem set to be a real trial of our courage and desire to keep our planet alive and free. I know you will all respond to the challenges we face. I promise to do the best I can and to keep you informed of everything that is happening - even if it's bad news - I will be honest with all of you. I can do no less. Now, I must begin to set other plans in train. Pray for the Earth my friends and play your part. Alba gu Brath!"

Scott jumped down from the dais and called for the Admiral, asking him to lead them to whatever he used as a control centre, his operations room. Admiral MacCulloch led Scott, the girls and Mac along a corridor and through a door marked Transport Room. Scott knew what to expect, but explained things for the others.

"Mac, girls, this is a transport hub. Our friends have developed technology that can transport us anywhere in seconds so long as that place also has a transport hub. A small force field will be generated around your body and then you will be pushed at over two thousand miles an hour to your destination. Computers and tractor beam technology will guide you and make sure you don't collide with anything. It might be better to close your eyes the first time, as I understand you can experience some vertigo at that speed."

Scott chose one of the many stations in the room and lay down on his back. He felt an amazing thrust and his body was suddenly hurtling forward. Seconds later he came to a halt and found himself in a room that was virtually a carbon copy of the one he had started from. He stood and joined the Admiral who was waiting for Scott and the others to complete the trip.

Mac, Helfe and Tara appeared almost simultaneously and the girls explained that Fiona and Eilean had elected to remain at the President's residence to care for the children. Scott asked that William be summoned to joint them here, wherever here was.

The Admiral led off once more and exited the Transport Room, heading down a passageway and entering another room. Scott followed behind and entered the new room, taking in the many video screens and stellar charts on the walls. In the centre of the room was an electronic display of the Earth's surface with blinking lights all over it. Scott assumed the lights represented population centres of strategic assets of some kind.

The Admiral had just begun to explain what the various video feeds were showing when the same AI that had alerted them to the nuclear strike appeared once more. Scott was beginning to dread the appearance of the hologram. At the same moment an alarm began sounding throughout the room, lights began to blink rapidly on one of the stellar maps and the main plasma screen in the room flashed to show wave after wave of space craft.

"Your Grace, Admiral, the iLOX cruisers have returned and have launched one hundred and fifty transport ships. I'm assuming they are full of troops. From their heading it looks like they are bound for Asia."

"Thank you computer. Well, Admiral, it would seem the iLOX barrage was intended to clear some room for them to form a bridgehead and now the storm-troopers are on their way. Do we have anything on the ground to throw against them?"

"Nothing I'm afraid your Grace." The Admiral replied disconsolently.

On the plasma screen a Broadsword suddenly appeared and began to fire torpedoes at the iLOX cruisers. The cruisers quickly returned fire and then another two Broadswords appeared and joined in the battle, pulse cannon and torpedoes evident on both sides. The first Broadsword began to turn its attention to the transport ships and its pulse cannon began to tear into them.

"What ship is that?" Scott asked.

"That is the USS Dalriada your Grace." The AI responded.

"Open communications with the Dalriada please." He asked urgently.

"Communications channel established your Grace, you are patched through to Captain MacFergus."

"Well met cousin, I'm Scott mac Fergus and I seem to be in charge down here for the moment. I don't want to distract you from the excellent work you're engaged in, but I need to tell you that we can't afford any of the iLOX transport ships to make it down to the planet's surface. If necessary I want you to follow them into the atmosphere and take them down, take them down hard!"

"Roger that, that was my plan anyway. There's too many of them though and I'm pretty sure some of them are going to get through"

"Captain, how many troops do you have on board?" Scott asked.

"I have two hundred Special Forces troops. What did you have in mind for them?"

"Captain, we have no ground forces at all and I need something on the ground that I can depend on, even if that's only to feed me intel. Can you transport your men down? You're unlikely to need them up there at present.""

"I can do better than that. If we use the Transport Rooms, I can get you the Special Forces from the other Broadswords up here too. How does fourteen hundred Special Forces troops sound?"

"Thin, very thin, but better than nothing. Make it happen for me Captain."

"Aye, aye, MacFergus out."

"Admiral, I count three Broadswords engaged here, where are the other four?" Scott asked.

"Two are on sentry duty further out in the solar system and two were damaged in the original assault your Grace."

"Admiral, I think your sentries can safely confirm the enemy has been sighted! I want them in this battle and I want them in it now! How badly damaged are the other two?"

"The shield generators are off-line and it will be several days before they are fully repaired." The Admiral answered.

"The troop carriers are only lightly armed. I want those two ships in the Earth's atmosphere between the troop carriers and Asia. Can they make a jump into the atmosphere?"

"It has never been tried before your Grace." The Admiral replied, a concerned look coming over his face at the prospect.

"Admiral, this is a fucking emergency! The Earth is being invaded in case you hadn't noticed and Asia has no defences. I'm sorry Admiral, I don't mean to be offensive, but when things get desperate, we sometimes have to try desperate measures. Order the captains of the two damaged Broadswords to jump into the atmosphere immediately and take up defensive positions above Asia. I want them to seed mines in front of the enemy transporters and I want chain mail deployed over the main population centres."

"As you command your Grace, but I don't know whether this will work."

Scott looked on as the Admiral followed his instructions and within minutes a further two Broadswords appeared and began to engage the iLOX cruisers. Once the cruisers were sure the transport ships had a good start they decided it was time to bug out and Scott could see them disappear as they made jumps to god knows where.

"Mac, find out how the Special Forces are going to be landed and where. I feel a need to spill some alien blood and perhaps you and I could join our troops for a little while. I also need to see the damage and visit those affected." Scott said.

"You might be ready for that your Grace, but perhaps I need to find something more suitable to wear first!"

Scott glanced at Mac and laughed as he realised he was still in the clothes he had worn for the St Andrew's celebration ball.

"Your Grace! It has worked; we have two Broadswords in the Earth's atmosphere above Asia. The remaining iLOX cruisers are heading straight for them, the Dalriada is driving them on."

They turned to watch the large plasma screen once more. The view was split between a camera that must have been on the Dalriada and another that must have been on board one of the other Broadswords, within the Earth's atmosphere. They could see the flare as each of the smaller transport ships entered the atmosphere, the friction heating the hulls to a fiery glow. The Dalriada was firing steadily at the ships, picking some of them off.

The small transports were darting about, trying to avoid the incoming fire. The USS Fife and Fortrenn had sown a minefield as soon as they had completed their jumps and the unfortunate iLOX craft now found themselves entering the atmosphere into the middle it. The Dalriada also now made a jump, avoiding the minefield and getting in front of the transporters to add its firepower to that of the other two Broadswords.

Everyone in the operations room was silent as they watched the drama unfold, the three Broadswords trying to pick off the iLOX ships that made it through the minefield. There were still quite a number of them and Scott was chewing the inside of his cheek nervously, as he watched them getting closer and closer to the planet's surface.

The rate of fire from the Earth ships was immense and explosion after explosion showed how successful they were at targeting the enemy, but Scott could see that they weren't killing the iLOX fast enough. He watched as a number of the transporters made it down to the surface, plunging into dense canopy of the Asian jungle and becoming hidden from sight. Scott could see beyond the canopy to the blast damage that had been created by the iLOX nuclear attack.

"AI, how many of the iLOX craft have made it through?" Scott asked once the skies were clear of all but the three Broadswords.