Chapter 15

A.D. 2022-2023

"Alpha flight, this is Bravo One. I read two flights, five each, can you confirm?"

"Bravo Leader this is Alpha One. That's a roger on the spooks! Distance sweeps show no other bogeys."

"Roger Alpha. Ten targets. We'll wait 'til they're between us and the planet to jump 'em. They'll have to fight their way back past us to get home. Pickets One-Four through One-Seven and Three-Four through Three-Seven, you get any that continue Earthward. Charlie leader, keep an eye on our six. Don't want any surprises from behind. If any get past us going out, you can have 'em!"

"Will do, Bravo. Any more come sniffing around we'll give 'em something else to think about."

"They're closer to me, Alpha, so I've got the lead. We'll push 'em your way and pinch 'em in the cone. Good hunting!"

"Roger, Bravo Leader. Meet you in the middle!"

"Bravo flight, this is Bravo One, we've done this a million times in the sims, now we get to do it for real. Wait for my signal to form the cone, and don't show 'em what we've got until you have to. Here we go, single squadron attack formation, Go!"

The aliens detected the Yuee fighters almost as soon as they emerged from behind the Moon and changed course to avoid them, their course and speed calculated to outrun the reaction drives that were standard for Earth forces. The deception couldn't last long without the tails of fire and condensation from the rockets normally found on Earth fighters, so Bravo One got back on the horn.

"Okay, they're committed. Let's close the gap and give 'em something to think about. Hopefully they won't notice Alpha closing in."

With drives maxed out, they were almost on top of the alien ships before the alien pilots could react, and just as they had practiced in the sims, Alpha and Bravo flights joined forces, merging into a single cone that covered most of the possible escape vectors while allowing the UE forces to fire at the enemy at will without danger of hitting each other. The aliens accelerated toward Earth but the UE ships were already on top of them, and carnage ensued. Three, four, six then seven of the alien ships went up in balls of fire. The picket boats, lying in wait, got another before the final two swept into an upper atmosphere skimming orbit and slung their ships around the planet, heading outward on a different vector than that on which they approached. Fearing a possible trap, the UE commanders recalled their flights. Only two of the UE ships did not make it back to their base on the Moon.

"Yes!" Caprio's fist pumped in an uncharacteristic gesture as he watched the video feed from the United Earth Defense Fleet. For the first time in memory, the alien fighters, without having had a chance to reach their targets on Earth, were in retreat! "Take that, you alien assholes!"

The President's cabinet watched in amusement - those who weren't engaging in their own celebrations - as the normally reserved President enjoyed a brief release from his usual restraint.

"Not bad for a lame duck, eh?!" He asked of no one in particular.

Thanks to the delays in redesigning the ships that were to use the gravity drive, this success had come just a month too late to help Oskar Caprio retain his Presidency. The election results, of course, weighed heavily on his mind these days. So much left to do! His successor was a good man, no doubt, but it was so hard to let go with so much remaining to be done.

"This is what I wanted to see!" Caprio told Gretchen as they left the situation room. "I will go back to private life a happy man knowing we have accomplished this!"

"I think there is much more that you can be proud of, Sir," his secretary said quietly, for once not consulting her ubiquitous PDT.

"And what would that be?" The President, still euphoric after the victory, asked absent-mindedly.

"Have you forgotten what you have had to accomplish to get this victory, in just a few short years?" Gretchen replied. "You have raised the standard of living for about sixty percent of the Earth's population, not just in a few countries, but throughout the world. You have made nations and peoples who have traditionally been at each other's throats work together to accomplish near impossible tasks. The economy and subsequently the prosperity of most of the people of Earth are soaring, and the gap between rich and poor has dwindled. Much of the Earth's population now boasts membership in a new, international middle class, and ignorance and illiteracy are at an all-time low. History may remember you as the First President of United Earth, or as the President who achieved victory over the alien invaders, but some of us will remember you as the President who saved Earth from itself."

"You are too kind, Gretchen," Caprio studied his secretary. "We must, you know, give these invaders some credit for those accomplishments. If they had not attacked, no one would have been able to accomplish those things."

"Be that as it may, sir," Gretchen replied, "Earth was lucky to have chosen you as its first President."

"Humph!" Caprio grunted turning to study one of the paintings on the wall of the presidential palace so his secretary wouldn't notice the moisture rimming his eyes.

"But I have made promises to the people!" Newly elected President Claudio Ramirez complained as he went over the data that President Caprio had laid out for his review.

Ramirez had made those promises. Playing on the public sentiment against unification that had been fomented by most of the national governments, he had won election by a narrow margin over the incumbent.

Caprio shrugged. "You may keep your promises, or you may keep the aliens at bay, and maybe, just maybe, run them out of the solar system. This is not a game we have been playing here, Claudio, no matter what the so-called leaders of the nations would like us to think. If you start subdividing Earth again, you will face the same problems I faced before the union was formed. You must choose whether you wish to be remembered as the President who reneged on his campaign promises because they didn't make sense, or the President who opened the doors to the alien invasion, but kept his campaign promises."