Distant Hope

CHAPTER 10 - PARLIAMENT BUILDING

Enemy forces entered the bunker quickly and brutally killed anyone trying to stand in their way. All the politicians and staff huddled were hustled back to the Parliament building.

Many feared their fate not knowing what was to come.

Lisa returned to the parliament building with Senator Nireen both stood near each other as a tall grey alien walked in surrounded by soldiers bristling with guns.

The alien looked to the room defiantly knowing he had won. Around him stood other aliens dressed in different colours.

Lisa looked to the room most of them were terrified. Then more soldiers appeared surrounding the chamber.

The alien spoke briefly in a high pitched tone "You are now under the rule of the Iquan we claim this world for our people. The Alliance as you know it is over. Any opposition will be crushed."

As a demonstration several politicians were shot.

Fear soon gripped the room as Lisa looked around the sight of human and alien blood oozing on the carpet reminded her of her military days. She thought he had put that time behind him.

However she knew that Edenia had been conquered. She also knew that the Alliance would fight on despite losing the capital.

For hours the aliens circled. Eventually some were allowed to leave. Lisa headed back to Johns apartment alone. As she walked she saw alien troops on the ground heavily armed.

She walked into his apartment and looked into his wardrobe that housed his old military uniform. She looked at it as memories flooded back of her time with old colleagues and the battles they had fought.

The sight of the politicians being shot angered Lisa and she knew a lot of them were peaceful people.

She briefly thought of Lisa wondering were she was hoping she was safe and the message would get out. Yet that was not going to be enough thought Lisa.

She muttered to himself "I need to leave this planet."

She knew that he couldn't do anything on Edenia the planet was already taken she had to mobilise the opposition.

She turned on the TV to see that a number of senators and congressman had been executed since the Iquan invasion. On the news it was announced that military governors were now in charge of different parts of the planet and any opposition would be severely dealt with showing how a Meon family had resisted and had been executed.

There was a knock on the door. Lisa was wary and she had not been expecting anyone.

As he opened the door he was surprised to see Senator Nireen "Senator."

The Senator walked in and Lisa was surprised to see her it was the first time she had come to his place.

Lisa looked to her and could see that she was distressed as she sat on a blue fabric sofa "Lisa everything has gone to pieces out there."

Lisa emerged from the kitchen with an earl grey tea.

"Thanks" she said appreciatively as she took the hot drink.

"Lisa its really bad out there."

Lisa nodded "I know I've been hearing reports all day. It seems they any opposition is quickly crushed."

Senator Nireen looked to him "I watched you in the chamber. You were calm almost unafraid of what was happening around you."

Lisa nodded "I've seen death too many times. You know I served in the military before working as a freighter captain. I had hoped all that was behind me."

The Senator nodded "Can we drop formalities for a moment I am not a senator. I am speaking to you as a friend."

Lisa nodded "Whats on your mind?"

Nireen continued "At some point the Iquan are going to come after me. I am far to dangerous to be kept around. At the moment they are being careful. Many people have gone over to their side."

Lisa listened intently "There is little we can do here."

Nireen shook her head "There are a few things you can do. I need you to leave Edenia and go and meet my brother General Nireen."

Lisa looked to her curiously "Me leave, how all our ships are impounded."

Nireen smiled "Come on you and I have worked closely together. We fought hard to make the Alliance work. I do not want to see all that work gone. Yes our planet is occupied but the Alliance must continue. I have a ship located about thirty miles from here. Its a private ship under my name. Only I and my staff know of it."

Lisa looked to her "I am not abandoning this planet."

Nireen nodded "You are the only person I trust. Edenia is gone as I have said the Alliance needs to survive."

The Senator got up holding her half drunk cup of tea "Your are our best hope. The Alliance I fear is not strong enough to defeat the Iquan we will fight yes but there will come a day when we can't. I need you take my ship and get out of here fly to Zantaya use your military experience tell them of what has happened here today. Leave now. A car is waiting to take you to the ship. Thirty minutes from now the Iquan are going to come and kill me. They know I am here."

Lisa shook her head and looked at her before going to the Senators car.

Yet there was no driver just an empty air car with a route to the ship on the cars internal satellite navigation system. Lisa got in and started to drive.

Up above Johns apartment exploded in a large fireball that sent shards of glass and debris to the ground. Lisa knew the Senator was dead and she had been killed because she knew too much.

She drove for miles her mind whirring with the conversation she just had with Senator Nireen. She arrived at the ship it was a small shuttle.

The shuttle was small, square and grey metallic. Inside where two long benches with a single seat for the pilot controls. As she walked over to the pilot controls she saw a note written by Senator Nireen "Best of luck."

Lisa looked around and settled in closing the shuttle bay doors she quickly powered up the shuttle and noticed it was equipped with a hypergate engine.

She flew the shuttle high above Edenia and out of the atmosphere. Yet she was surprised at the lack of attention but wondered if the shuttle had some kind of masking technology that hid it from the enemy.

She opened up the hypergate heading for Zantaya.