Read Escape to Earth 3: Defending Holy Ground for Free Online

shook her head, “Sir, I don’t detect any frequency being used by those ships.” Chad looked back at the monitor and raised his eyebrows. They had to be communicating. It was confirmed a moment later when one of the Silver Ships moved out of the formation and began accelerating toward his formations. He looked at Audrey and she raised her hands and shrugged, “If they’re using a frequency, it’s not one I can detect.”
    Chad saw the single Silver ship approaching and he shook his head. If they weren’t using a frequency to communicate, how were they… Chad looked up and focused his thoughts, “If you’re sending your ship to test us, I would highly recommend against it. We have no desire to fire on your vessel.” The single Silver Ship slowed and stopped. Chad took a breath and thought, “Why are you attacking my ships?”
    Everyone in the human fleets heard mentally, “To determine if you’re worthy of communication.”
    “Exactly how do you make that determination?”
    “If we are unable to destroy your ships, you are worthy of communication.”
    “I would think that the ones you couldn’t destroy would be a bigger danger to you. Why would you destroy those who can’t harm you?”
    “To prevent them from becoming a danger.”
    Chad had to admit he saw the logic of the statement but didn’t like where it was headed. “And what happens if you can’t destroy my ships?”
    “We’ll open communication with you to allow you the opportunity to leave our domain.”
    “Is there any way for me to negotiate a settlement that would allow us to stay?”
    “No!”
    “I want to make sure I understand what you’re saying. If my ships can defeat your vessels, how would you force us to leave?”
    “We would call on our partners to combine against you.”
    “And if we volunteer to leave, would you allow us to go in peace?”
    “No, you must be punished for violating our space.”
    “Is this planet that important to you? Are your planets over populated?”
    “We do not live on planets. We live in our ships.”
    “Then why would you want to stop us from using this one?”
    “You represent a current or future danger to us; you must be removed.”
    Chad looked around his bridge and shook his head, “I know where this is going.” He pressed his panel and said, “Greg, I don’t want to do this but I want you to take the Clearwater out to meet that ship. Use all of your reactors on the force field. I don’t want you to fire on that ship if you can avoid it.”
    “It doesn’t sound like they’re going to give me a choice, Admiral.”
    “There’s too much at stake here to make a mistake. Move your ship now!”
    Chad looked at the tactical monitor and thought, “I’m sending one of my ships out for you to make the determination if we’re worthy of communication.”
    “That would be good.”
    The Clearwater moved outside the gravity limit and accelerated toward the silver vessel hanging in space. As it approached to within ten miles, the Silver Ship fired a massive red energy beam at the Clearwater. The beam struck the force field and splashed off. Chad looked at Audrey, “What do the sensors indicate?”
    “The red beam is not nearly strong enough to overcome the force field, Sir.”
    Chad turned back to the monitor as the Clearwater continued to move slowly in on the Silver Ship. It stopped less than half a mile from it and hung in space while the red beam continued to splash off its force field. “Why have you not returned our fire?”
    “I have no desire to harm you.”
    “Part of the determination is to see if you can.”
    “I would prefer that we just assume we can and leave it at that. We do not believe in attacking those that are weaker than ourselves. We also don’t believe in attacking those that are stronger either; for more than the obvious reason. My species is not aggressive.”
    “You will fire on that vessel or it will be ordered to your planet to attack those on the