Earth's Last Days: The Invasion

Sitting in the council room, Chief Bridge Officer Drel typed the information into the computer so that when they revealed the information to the humans, they would see it for themselves. Council Leader Vorik sat in the head seat with Fleet Commander Lerian beside him.

They had sent officers to retrieve the Nelson twins, Zack and Carrie, who would no doubt bring their mates, Shadick and Shelia.

"I think we should call Guard Commander Drevick and Gate Commander Seeran as well," Council Leader Vorik suddenly stated. "They are high-ranking. Although I need to change Seeran's title since we no longer have gates. They need to know as well."

"They will bring their human mates also," Fleet Commander Lerian reminded Vorik.

"Yes, I believe they will. I will also let them," Council Leader Vorik stated evenly. He was not happy about having to reveal the darkness that his people had done. All he felt was shame. He was the fleet commander at the time. It was his order to his people to attack the planet. That order was passed down from Council Leader Tosh. Tosh may be dead, but the shame of following the order he gave remained, not just for him but for all Ramesians.

Lerian pressed a button on the panel in front of him, then typed in Seeran and Drevick's comm link. "This is Fleet Commander Lerian. We have discovered information regarding the destruction of the planet Earth. You are needed in the council room immediately to discuss the information," Fleet Commander Lerian stated, then closed the communication. He looked around the room with a sigh. Now, they needed to wait for those attending to arrive.

Nearly ten minutes later, the council room door slid open, and Zack, Carrie, Shadick, and Shelia walked in. Right behind them was another guard who had brought the mountain city leader, Keith. Keith didn't know where to go, so one of the guards had to escort him.

As they all walked in, Lerian gestured for them to sit at one of the seats at the large council table.

Just as they did, the door slid open again, and Seeran, Aleigha, Drevick, and Hope walked in.

Council Leader Vorik sighed, seeing that all the mates were present. Lifting his hand, he gestured for them to sit also.

Aleigha looked at Council Leader Vorik. "If we're all here, then you have some bad news to tell us, don't you?" she asked, watching her friend closely. Although they were friends, she normally showed him the same respect and gestures as everyone else.

Council Leader Vorik nodded. "That, I believe, is an understatement," he breathed.

Aleigha could tell right away that Vorik did not want to talk about what he was about to tell them.

Once everyone was seated, Council Leader Vorik began to speak. "When we called to evacuate the planet, the Chief Bridge Officer was ordered to scan the planet. At the time, we were unsure if it would work itself out, and we could all return to the surface. Obviously, returning was not an option. We had the scan analyzed. When they analyzed the information from the can, it was discovered that the cause of the evacuation was needed."

Zack understood the situation right away. He held his hand up to speak, not giving any real time to be offered the chance to speak. "I have a feeling I know what you're going to say. If the planet was compromised because of the invasion, it wasn't your fault. That was on Council Leader Tosh," he told Vorik, then turned to Keith. "I don't know you, but I do know that you are not from the domes, so you don't know all the information. When the Ramesians invaded, they were all under a controlling serum forced on them by their previous leader. They were basically forced by their previous leader to attack us. It was Fleet Commander Vorik, who is now Council Leader, who stopped the invasion. He fought alongside the rest of us to save as many of the remaining humans as possible, going as far as hiding us all from Tosh. When Niki killed Tosh, she handed the leadership to Vorik. Niki is Aleigha's older sister," he said, pointing to Aleigha.

Keith eyed Zack, his features like stone. "Noted," he said evenly. He didn't want to listen to the circumstances of the invasion. He was angry that it was the alien's fault the planet was destroyed. He didn't care why it happened, only that it did happen.

Council Leader Vorik sighed. Turning to Chief Bridge Officer Drel, "Bring up the scan," he ordered. He sounded reluctant to show them.

Drel pressed a button, and the hidden screen on the wall lit up. Everyone turned to the screen as Council Leader Vorik began to speak again. "The blasts that were used to pinpoint structures also compromised the tectonic plates. They shifted in a way that caused them to allow pressure to build up in the planet's core. When the planet exploded, it was due to the pressure building up, which had no more space to build pressure. That is why it exploded. There was no more place for the pressure to build up."

Keith eyed Council Leader Vorik. "So, you turned our planet into a bomb?" he asked. His eyes narrowed at Council Leader Vorik. His voice was disgusted, yet sarcasm laced his words.

"So it would seem," Council Leader Vorik responded.

This time, Aleigha spoke up. She turned to Keith, seeing the older man's hostility toward her friend and leader. "You can't blame anyone on this ship. The controlling serum their leader used on them forced them to attack; without it, they would have never invaded in the first place. We all fought to liberate them from that serum. Since they are no longer being controlled, they have been doing what they can to help everyone left."

"And those creatures their blasters created?" Keith shot back, still not caring. His focus was on what the invasion did to the population and the planet.

"Those creatures, we dubbed zombies, are all cured. At least those that we found. We've been looking for survivors and trying to help them. Before you ask, I was one of those zombies, so I know what I'm talking about. I was saved. After the controlling serum dissipated after Tosh and then Commander Grev were killed, everyone went back to normal."

Everyone in the room stayed quiet, watching Aleigha and Keith argue.

"You're sticking up for them?" Keith yelled. His face was turning red from anger.

Zack stood up, ready to defend or fight if he needed to. "Absolutely. We are from inside the dome. We witnessed what had happened. The Ramesians were forced to invade. They had no choice. They were controlled like puppets," Zack hissed. "We would all be dead if he hadn't fought his own leader to save us all."

Fleet Commander Lerian looked around the council room. Everyone was tense. Those from the dome were posturing to protect Council Leader Vorik against Keith. Even those who had never left the ship were eyeing Keith, preparing for him to attack their leader.

Carrie suddenly laughed. All eyes turned to her. She looked like she had just realized something funny. Zack slowly sat down, staring at his twin, a question in his eyes.

Looking at Keith, Carrie smiled. "I can see you are upset with the leadership. You may not come out and say it, but I can see it in you. You weren't there, so you don't know this, but in their culture, a leader can be challenged if the majority of the population allows it. They allowed it when Niki challenged Tosh. Her winning means she is the true leader of the people. All the people. Not just humans but Ramesians as well. She chose to give that leadership to Vorik. Niki, being the true leader, Vorik can't be challenged. I'm pretty sure if he was, no one would allow it. Niki is the one who has to be challenged. If you don't like the leadership, talk to her. I warn you, though. She is a better fighter than most."

Keith's eyes narrowed as he sneered. "Who's this Niki?" he asked. It was clear he forgot when he was told.

"That would be my sister. Obviously, she's human like I am. I was the world champion weapons master for my age group before this all started. My sister is far better than I am. She just didn't compete. Neither did our youngest sister, but she could fight, too. It was a family thing. If you challenge Niki, she'll kill you. We saw what happened after the invasion. We witnessed the struggle between the people against their leader to liberate them. They feel the shame of what they did. I know because many of them told me. They had no choice, but they still feel the shame of what they were forced to do. If it weren't for Council Leader Vorik and Fleet Commander Lerian, you would have been left behind. They chose to find those still hiding and evacuate all of you so all of you didn't perish with the planet. You will find that most of the humans who know what happened during that time will protect Vorik with their lives. You should also know that I will kill anyone who tries to go after him or my sister."

Carrie smiled again, her gaze going to Vorik, then Keith. "I have a newfound respect for Council Leader Vorik. The very fact that he was willing to tell us the cause of the planet's destruction, even though it was from the invasion, tells me the strength of his integrity. I have always known he is a good leader. Now I know there is no one better. Many would choose to hide that fact to try and keep the peace or not want to divulge that it was their fault. I prefer honesty. Even when being honest is hard because of the magnitude of the circumstances."

Keith turned to Carrie, his eyes wide in anger. "The circumstances change nothing. They destroyed our planet!" he bellowed.

Hope glared at Keith. "It changes everything," Hope shot back at him. "Haven't you been listening? The fact that they were being controlled. They had no will of their own. That changes the circumstances of the invasion. The one responsible is dead. We all are just trying to pick up the pieces and move on. He's telling us the truth, which is showing us he will keep no secrets from us."

Council Leader Vorik turned to Keith. "You were brought here as a representative of your group and all those who were outside the domes. Carrie and Zack represent all those who were in the dome. What I need to bring to your attention is that you were told so that you can decide if you wish to tell your people or not. If so, we need to find the best way to tell them. I choose to tell mine. I choose to tell them what took place without keeping it a secret. You must choose if you want to tell them and the best way to tell them."

Zack nodded, understanding the purpose of the meeting. His gaze turned to Council Leader Vorik. "I think we should tell them. I don't like secrets either. Everyone from the domes knows what took place with Tosh. We all know the serums used to control the people. Everyone involved is dead. The fact that the consequence of the invasion was the total destruction of Earth does not change the fact that the invasion was done against your will."

Council Leader Vorik nodded, then looked at Keith. "Do you agree we should inform everyone of the circumstances of the destruction of Earth?" he asked.

Keith nodded curtly. His jaw was tight as he eyed Council Leader Vorik.

Council Leader Vorik pulled the device off the panel in front of them, pressed a button, and then started speaking. "Attention passengers and crew. Prior to the evacuation of Earth, a scan was done on the planet to find the cause of the anomalies. We needed to find out when it would be safe to return to the surface. The scan has just been analyzed. It has just been determined that the cause of Earth's destruction was the targeted beams used to pinpoint structures during the invasion. The beams used caused the tectonic plates to shift in a way that allowed pressure to build up in the Earth's core. Once there was nowhere else for the pressure to build, the planet exploded. I regret to inform you that it was our own invasion of Earth that ultimately destroyed the planet."

Keith looked at Council Leader Vorik in shock. "You told everyone. Everyone on this entire ship that it was your fault."

Council Leader Vorik narrowed his eyes at Keith. "I will not keep secrets that can have such a great impact on our combined community," Vorik told him evenly. "We are a community. There are humans, Kreq, and Ramesians on this ship. We must live as one community, or there will never be peace."

Shadick smiled, reached over, and pressed a button, shutting off the communication, then looked first at Keith, then at Council Leader Vorik. "The whole ship just heard that." After the announcement, the communication had not yet been turned off. The entire ship heard Keith, then Council Leader Vorik's last words.

Aleigha laughed, turning to Keith. "You just pointed out to everyone on this ship one of the many reasons we respect Council Leader Vorik. He has done everything he can to help and protect us after their previous leader was challenged and killed, actually, even before he was challenged and killed. Vorik cares about everyone. Not just his own people, but all of us as well."