To Earth
Bishop shook his head. Who would have guessed that the Emperor of China Lunar Base was only eleven years old? The real power had been his committee of five, a ruthless group that ruled China Lunar with an iron fist. Bishop was happy to know that this committee was now behind bars on their federation ship, as was the Hirohito, the one directly responsible for the destruction of their scout ship. His military trial would come up in a day, and Bishop was sure of the outcome. In the meantime, both Jack and Scratch were left on China Lunar to care for the base and set up an interim government, but the transition wouldn’t be easy, both for the base and for Jack and Scratch. He knew how badly they wanted to see Earth, but he couldn’t think of anyone better to oversee the transition until a team of specialists could come and take over.
And these base computer programs! Their complexity had baffled everyone and surprised Finley, who was in seventh heaven as he helped Jack and Scratch on their assignment.
Bishop was happy General Hoyt had joined them on their trip to Earth. He looked the general over while trying not to be noticed, and found the general to be even shorter than the last time he had seen him years ago. But what the general lacked in height he made up for in presence. When he walked into a room, thirty years of victories under the most difficult of situations fore-shadowed him. Even his detractors respected him and they all agreed that if there was one person you’d want by your side in a tough situation, it was him. He had flown in hours before on his personal jump ship, and the five of them – Hollander, Bishop, Hoyt, a liaison officer by the name of Litkov and a historian whom Bishop had never met before were now descending through Earth’s atmosphere as they followed the Gravplane sent by HAL.
Bishop didn’t care much for the liaison officer, feeling that the pretty words he contributed confused the situation more than helped it, but he understood that there were times when people simply insisted on having their egos massaged and he knew that the tall, well-dressed Litkov was a genial fellow that got along easily with everyone.
He couldn’t put a finger on what it was that rubbed him the wrong way, other than the fact that he never really knew what Litkov’s personal opinions were about anything. He was secretive about himself and never let any of his personal information slip out, like every CIA agent he knew. No wonder he did so well at poker…
Their computer system had no information on the direction they were heading, but HAL continued providing informative answers. The historian threw out questions faster than HAL could answer them, until HAL finally suggested that he spend time on the instruction units to fill in any blanks. Their computer systems had also been uploaded with everything HAL had in its computer banks, from the events before the cataclysm to the methods used by the aliens in their attack. The hundreds of thousands of terabytes of information would take years to categorize and decades to study as people brought themselves up to date on history they had forgotten existed.
The thought of aliens brought Bishop back to the reality of the situation. As much as they enjoyed seeing the realization of their dreams, the truth was that the war against the bugs was far from over.
The comm system activated with a message from Scratch.
“Captain?”
“Here, Scratch. How’s your honeymoon going?” Bishop asked. The other men smiled as Scratch laughed and replied, “Rubbing salt in the wounds now? Let me remind you I’m in command of a base and have everyone here at my beck and call…”
“Uh, Scratch,” Bishop interrupted. “I’m with the commander and General Hoyt, and we’re curious to find out about your progress.”
There was a silence from the other end as Scratch fought off his embarrassment. “Ahem. Well, Sir, the instruction units are up and running. Jack and I quickly realized that base personnel were kept in ignorance and fear, and that information would be the best cure. Most have surprisingly never seen space and have no idea that Earth even exists. Still, this base has huge potential. The work they’ve done here with the growth domes and power harvesting is truly phenomenal.
“As they’re being instructed, volunteers are being rounded up to help in the repairs and preparations. We expect all to have gone through the instruction units in ten days, and after that a notice will be posted up requesting resumes from those interested in forming a group in charge of running the daily operations.
“The Emperor has been kept on his post but he’s in seclusion so as to not cause any disturbance. Most have never met him and only know of his henchmen, and they were roundly disdained by everyone. The base has been notified that this group is now in incarceration pending a CAH trial. Shinto is keeping an eye on everything and has been very cooperative.
“Other than this there is nothing more to add, but I do have one favor, which is why we called. Can you upload your video feed to us?”
“Good work, Scratch,” Bishop said. “Uploading now. Enjoy!”
They watched as a mountain range came into view, an amazing string of mountains that HAL called the Grand Tetons. They then crossed a semi arid area, and within a few minutes they were back into forested hills. The beauty surprised them, as none had seen a planet this rich in vegetation before.
“HAL, has Earth always been this green?” Bishop asked as he watched mesmerized.
“Yes, more or less. The ice ages would obviously affect the climate, and we’re midway into our next ice age at the moment.”
The gravplane descended through another set of mountains and landed on a round pad that could easily accommodate both ships. On the pad, off to the side, a group of people could be clearly seen as they waited patiently for both ships to land.
As soon as they touched down, Bishop opened the hatch and they walked onto the tarmac. He quickly forgot his uncomfortable feeling of being in the open as he looked around. A slight wind whispered in his ears, and he heard a bird give an eerie, lonely warbling cry far off in the distance. Little jewels of deep blue lakes could be seen in the valleys surrounding them, while the snow-capped mountain tops competed for attention. Although the temperature was cool in the mountain landing site, the heat of an afternoon sun beat against his face and warmed the tears coursing down his cheeks. He looked embarrassingly at Hollander, and was relieved to see he wasn’t the only one crying.
Bishop took control of himself and watched as a tall man in his thirties approached with a woman by his side, followed by a group of others. He looked the man over, noticing that he was slightly taller than the woman, thin and wiry, but with kind eyes. Turning his attention to the woman, he watched as she walked side by side with him, and he smiled as he noticed they were holding hands. She was also tall but elegant and graceful, pretty but not particularly beautiful. Her bearing reminded him of a no-nonsense woman who seemed capable of accomplishing a lot with limited resources. They smiled warmly as they approached the group.
“Welcome, gentlemen! My name is Timothy, and this is my wife Ruth. It is with very deep pleasure that we extend warm greetings from all your friends here on Earth!”
“Mr. Timothy, Madam Ruth, it’s with great pleasure and anticipation that I set foot on Earth, and this among friends!” the commander replied, choking as he said the final words.
Bishop thought it a good choice of words, noting that his title had been avoided by the general. A warm hug from Ruth was given to all and that left the general flustered, but it was soon followed by a hug to each from Timothy, something he learned from the Russians. Introductions worked themselves around and eventually a brief silence hung in the air.
Bishop broke the silence and asked, “A few minutes ago a bird cry was heard in the distance. What was that?”
“It was a loon,” Ruth said smiling.
“Ah. It was…very beautiful.” Bishop made a mental note to look it up later.
“Please follow me to the greeting room where some refreshments have been prepared and we can talk. We have much to discuss.”
As they walked into Base Freedom USA, the general asked Timothy, “Have you been updated on China Lunar?”
“Yes. HAL kept me informed. That was quite a… daring mission.”
Litkov, following closely behind interrupted and said, “We apologize for involving ourselves in an already delicate situation, but the destruction of our scout ship warranted that we come after those responsible. Universal laws cover…” his words trailed off to a whisper as a Guard-Bot moved quickly towards the group of men. Bots had never been used in space, not only because Maxon suits were available but also because fully autonomous robots were unreliable and unpredictable. Thinking he was under attack, the General grabbed at the non-existent sidearm usually at his side, but the Guard-Bot stopped inches from Timothy.
“What is it Junior?”
Bishop had watched with curiosity.
“I was asked to transmit a message to you, Sir.”
“Can’t it wait?”
“No, Sir. Priority one. This is the message. “First Lady, New World Leader, Commander, General and guests. We are Earth Alliance. Would you and your group please join us for dinner and a meeting immediately? The coordinates have been downloaded to General Hoyt’s ship, and invitation has been extended to Jaclyn and Jason presently on China Lunar. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, but the urgency of the situation demands it.”
The bot stepped back as it allowed the import of the message to sink in.
“HAL, is this for real?” Timothy asked.
“Yes it is, Timothy.”
“Well then. If you don’t mind gentlemen, I’m starving. Let’s not keep them waiting,” he said.
General Hoyt eyed the Gravplane suspiciously and said, “Mr. Timothy, perhaps you can come in my ship?”
Timothy looked the sleek craft over and said, “I’ve been curious about your craft. Perhaps you can tell me about it on the trip over.”
“Happily,” he said, and they all entered and made themselves comfortable. Ruth had beaten Timothy to the copilot seat, and Junior took up its station near Timothy.
“Sir,” Bishop asked. “Does this bot follow you around everywhere?”
“Unfortunately yes, Captain Bishop.”
“HAL has specifically instructed me to accompany you everywhere except in…” the bot replied, but Timothy interrupted and said, “He gets a little sensitive when he feels he’s not appreciated.”
After looking at his wife who was busy talking to the general as he prepped for flight, he leaned over and whispered to the Captain, “I could tell it not to follow me, but then my wife…you understand. It’s easier this way.”
Bishop smiled and thought that the more things change, the more they stayed the same.
They made small talk, with Timothy asking various questions, first about the ship, then about the fleet, and eventually about an estimate as to how many humans there really were in space. After only fifteen minutes Timothy could clearly see snow under the viewport and asked, “Where are we heading?”
“According to the information your base computer gave, we’re heading in the general direction of the arctic circle,” the General said. “My comp has been informed that ETA is ten minutes.”
A Base in the arctic! Timothy shouldn’t have been surprised at the existence of a base there. He had guessed as much earlier. But Earth Alliance there too? That surprised him. He watched as the ship did its final approach to the coordinates given, and although they could see nothing at first, soon a ring of lights appeared encircling an obvious landing area in a nondescript field of snow and ice.
The General landed the craft in the center, and as soon as he touched down the whole pad silently descended into the ice as the roof closed in after them.
“Welcome First Lady, Gentlemen. Would you like us to tractor your ship to a landing bay?” the voice said over the ship’s loudspeaker. General Hoyt was immediately put off as he realized that somehow Earth Alliance had gotten control of his intercom system.
Hoyt watched as the pad continued to descend, but his instruments told him they were still on the surface. He looked up through the cockpit glass and saw the dome now hundreds of meters above his head as they continued to descend.
“Sure,” he said, not knowing where to go anyway and curious as to how much control the Alliance Council really had.
After a few more seconds the pad slowed and eventually stopped. The walls had already transitioned from ice to rock about two hundred meters before.
They all felt the ship rise and thread its way towards one of a series of tunnels that converged to the landing pad. It slipped into one, and once inside they traveled a short distance to another large chamber. They could clearly see a series of craft parked in well lighted bays running along the rock wall, with two empty bays at the furthest end. Each docking bay had a number, and they were quickly guided to the one marked “BAY 14”. They felt a slight bump as it settled to the ground. General Hoyt was surprised at the size of the facility and the fact that his instruments still told him they were on the surface.
“That was the smoothest tractor beam I’ve ever felt,” Bishop said.
“What’s a tractor beam?” Timothy asked. “We have no such technology.”
“I apologize for correcting you, Sir, but it appears that some of you do,” the General said. Bishop noted that he immediately recognized two of the craft parked in the bays.
The General opened the door and they all walked out and inspected the closest craft.
Captain Bishop turned to an unusually quiet Hollander and said, “Commander, two of these ships are duplicates of our craft. How can that be?”
The commander didn’t reply because his attention had been focused at a ship near the other end of the chamber. It was obviously under construction, but Hollander could clearly tell that it was their brand new space/atmospheric fighter, still top secret and in the final design stage. Their computers were still working out the flight and space dynamics of the vehicle, but here was one already half finished. Not knowing how to respond to such an enigma, he stayed quiet.
Eventually their gaze turned back to the chamber. Natural rock walls coincided with manmade walls, leaving them all impressed with the craftsmanship. The air in the chamber was cool and surprisingly dry but not cold.
General Hoyt looked troubled, but he didn’t say anything. He waited until their hosts decided to show themselves, figuring that if they were trying to impress him, then they certainly had.
A rush of cool air alerted them that the bay doors they had come through were opening once again. They turned to look as a black, unusual looking Klinger came in silently through the doors and landed in the other empty bay. The pilot’s hatch opened and both Jack and Scratch jumped out of the ship and made their way to them. After a round of greetings and introductions, most of the group waited patiently for someone to show up, except for Jack and Scratch who ran from one ship to another looking them over.
“Once a fighter pilot, always a fighter pilot,” Bishop said to Timothy, who laughed at the comment.
Eventually their interest was focused on the new fighter being built and they spent most of their time looking over the lines and technical aspects of the craft, talking to each other excitedly over the specifics. An exterior panel sitting on a workbench had them intrigued, and they spent a few minutes analyzing the shimmering surface. After a few minutes, Jack tore herself away from the craft and walked back to Bishop.
“Someone is watching us.” She turned to look in the direction she was sensing, closed her eyes and concentrated. “Someone’s coming. One person. A woman. Scratch! Our host is coming!” Scratch came over to join them.
They turned to look in the direction Jack had been looking. In their line of sight was a large blast door big enough for large craft to go through, and a small door next to it. Within moments the small door opened and a short, roundish woman in her mid-sixties, with a round face and jet-black hair came out to meet them. Bishop noted her body in particular. She was draped in a heavy cloak, open at the front to reveal an embroidered dress that would be short on most women but almost touching the ground on her. It was obvious that she was fat, but her appearance was pleasant and her face harbored a warm smile and happy eyes. She looked the group over one by one as the group did the same to her. Timothy, feeling uncomfortable with the silence, was about to introduce himself when she said, “Aksutik! That means ‘greetings’ in my native language. This is no place for introductions. Come.” She waved them over and entered back into the small door.
The whole group barely fit inside the room on the other side of the door, but they managed to squeeze in. In front of them was a security door made of heavy steel and well defended. This one opened without any command to reveal a corridor that led to a large inner room with a security desk in the middle. As they passed through the corridor Jack guessed they were being scanned, and said so out loud. The woman leading them turned and smiled but said nothing. She led them past the security desk and the four people manning it, but all they did was wave and smile. Their shape was similar to the woman’s, round and with a heavy layer of fat. She eventually led them to an elevator which took them up, and Jack counted the seconds it took to reach their floor four levels up. On exiting, she turned to Bishop and said, “A LOT of people in this base.”
She led them to a large round room with a surprisingly round table. It looked to be able to seat about thirty people. The table had a dinner setting on it, with fine linen and cutlery. Standing behind the table at regular intervals were surprisingly tall waiters waiting patiently. The room itself was ornately decorated, and lining the walls were holographic images of Earth and Space scenes from the past – the cataclysm, the first WF ships rising from their docking bays, various groups of people including Mr. Grey and his wife and Jonathan Diaz, and so on. Bishop noted that nowhere was there a representation of the council. On the domed ceiling was a painting that Bishop immediately recognized, a copy of Michelangelo’s Sistine chapel paintings, in particular the one where God was giving life to Adam. He stood there, his head tilted back as he looked in astonishment at the incredible artwork overhead.
The woman leading them gave him a moment and said, “It is a perfect representation, you know. Even the dome of the ceiling matches the curvature of the Sistine Chapel. This is one of the nine rooms housing a representation of his major work at the Chapel. We also have an extensive art collection. You may see more later on if you wish, but for now, please wait.” She left the group, after stealing a glance at Timothy.
The door hadn’t stopped closing when a group of enthusiastic people walked in, greeting Timothy and the rest and eagerly hugging them all as they patting them on their backs. Bishop felt like a homecoming hero, and he noticed Hollander and Hoyt also enjoying the welcome. A few came up to Timothy and Ruth and gave them a second hug, until the greetings and introductions had made their rounds. Jack and Scratch were also hugged but Bishop noticed Jack squirming and Scratch stealing glances at her regularly. Whatever was happening, Bishop guessed Jack didn’t like it. It didn’t seem to be affecting the group though, as they appeared oblivious to her discomfort.
The waiters asked them to take their seats. There was no indication on who was to sit where, and the group waited patiently while Bishop and the others took seats. Bishop looked the enthusiastic group over and wondered if the Council would somehow be joining them, but the table was completely filled by the time everyone had sat down.
‘More wasted time,’ he thought to himself. He could see Hoyt growing more and more impatient, but he stayed quiet. It seemed like whatever answers they came here for were going to have to wait. His frustration quickly disappeared as carts quickly arrived carrying trays of food, the aroma wafting through the air.
Before they started eating, one of the waiters approached and said loud enough for all to hear, “The Earth has a neurotoxin that was introduced by the enemy. Most people here have acclimatized themselves to this neurotoxin, but those from the World Federation ships have not. To protect you, our guests, we have included in your meal an antidote that must be taken as soon as possible. It is tasteless and odorless, but I felt it necessary to inform you before you started eating. You will find the antidote blended in with the first aperitif that will be served, the stuffed mushrooms in a white wine sauce.”
They looked at each other and Hollander kicked himself for not having checked the atmosphere before they disembarked. Timothy looked over at Hoyt who seemed as if he was going to protest, and he spoke up and said, “It’s true. All my life I’ve taken precautions on how to protect myself against these toxins. My own tribe has received this antidote. There’s no noticeable reaction.”
None of the others said anything as they stared at their food reluctantly, and to break the impasse Ruth took a moment to say a private grace, and then picked up a fork and started eating. One by one the others followed, until finally General Hoyt joined in.
Two hours later, Bishop couldn’t believe the meal he had just completed. He had never eaten pork chops before. He had heard of pork of course, but the species had been lost hundreds of years before. The salmon was also something they had all only heard about, and although he wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about it, the smoky taste and texture was definitely interesting. And the wine! He had never had anything like it and had to remind himself to be careful with the amazingly complex and intoxicating drink.
He overheard someone asking about what powered the base, and the answer was a geothermal heat collection system that provided more than sufficient power to operate both the base itself as well as the ‘Inuit’ village on the surface. Bishop didn’t know what an Inuit was, and didn’t ask.
“We’re hundreds of meters below surface level, and I’m guessing we’re about two hundred meters below rock level. Why so deep?” Bishop asked.
“Although the ice level changes little,” one called Aku said, “…there are numerous water currents and rivers at rock level. This causes instability in the ice, and caverns appear and disappear over time. At this depth, we are largely unaffected by these water currents. And of course, there is the protection this gives us.”
Most of the others also asked a lot of questions, and he was happy to see that every one of them was answered. The bigger and more important questions were left for this mysterious council they were eager to meet.
Finally, Hoyt asked a man sitting two seats down, “When will we have a chance to meet with Earth Alliance?”
The group looked at each other and gave a hearty laugh. One of them said, “You can call me Nun. And we are Earth Alliance.”
Everyone stopped talking when they heard those words. The incredulity on their faces was obvious as Nun continued, “Perhaps you were expecting someone else? I assure you, we are who I said we are.” He nodded to the waiters who removed all their plates and utensils and placed steaming pots of coffee and cups on the table.
“My ‘family’ has been expecting you all for quite some time, and it has been a very long wait. We are very happy to have you here.”
“You sound as if you know everything about us,” Jack said, eyeing his reaction.
“Not exactly everything,” a woman near Jack’s left said. She was the one who originally greeted them and was called Nan’mtek. “We have been following your progress…”
“and the progress of this whole group…”
“and of humanity in general…”
“for many centuries,” a number of the group said, one after the other.
Bishop found it hard to follow the disconcerting conversation but nobody commented on it. He watched Jack close her eyes and concentrate.
Nan’mtek continued. “When the World Federation ships left earth, we embedded a hardware chip in all computers that permitted constant…supervision. Of course, technology has changed and arrangements were made since then to keep us regularly informed of the progress made. This allowed us to plan appropriately. It also gave us hope as we kept track of almost every human, making sure that none got lost in the depths of space.”
“Pardon me for being rude, Ms. Nan’mtek, but it sounds like spying to me,” General Hoyt said.
“Well, call it what you will, but the ones supervising this ‘spying’ are freely in your midst. Their designation isn’t hidden at all.”
“You mean Anderson, and others like him,” Bishop interjected. “The Council Intelligence Agency.”
“Yes. At no time have they hidden their identity or who they reported to. If they openly admit they are in constant contact with us, is it spying?”
“But I thought…” Hollander said, and cut himself short as realization sunk in.
“Surely you can’t blame us for your disbelief, can you?” Nan’mtek said with a smile.
Bishop laughed at the perfect cover. An agency that said it contacted a council that no one believed existed. It was brilliant.
“I can understand your point of view General, but please consider it from our perspective. Our mandate as given to us by humanity was to ensure the survival of the human species. The only way we could do so was to make sure that we could eventually stand united against our enemies. Ironically, our survival also depended on us separating and staying that way for a period of time.”
“Because if we had remained together in the beginning, the aliens could have wiped all of us out in one massive attack,” Timothy said.
“Yes, Timothy. During the centuries it has been both heart wrenching to see our losses and heartwarming to see our gains in our struggle to survive and live as a human race. But live we did! Humanity has adapted, learned and grown. Advances have been made, both technologically and morally too. And then of course there was the master stroke against the alien home-world! Bravo to our heroes!”
“Thank you, Nan’mtek. I appreciate your explanation, but I still feel like we’ve been spied on,” General Hoyt repeated.
“I understand but assure you, General, that it was not our intention. Consider this. The transfer of information has gone both ways. No doubt you found it useful knowing the whereabouts of the alien home-world.” She waited for an answer. Bishop had no idea where the information had come from, and it appeared that Hoyt didn’t either. Even Jack had opened her eyes and looked at Hoyt curiously. “For your info,” she continued, “it was discovered by an illegal rim-trader looking for a shortcut. We verified it with one of your spy drones, and uploaded the info to our CIA operatives.
“And what of your new fighter now under development? Have you noticed that experimental technologies have worked unusually well, with little or no glitches? And what of the nuggets of information that allowed for advances in propulsion, weapons and overall efficiency?”
“That wasn’t you…I mean, how could that be you?” Hoyt said.
“Wasn’t it? Well, it wasn’t me specifically, that’s for sure. My knowledge of science is limited at best. It isn’t my job. But I assure you, it was us. Have you not noticed your computers getting…smarter, almost prescient? Their suggestions given to your scientists have almost always originated here as a result of our own research.
“Take for example quantum physics. Recent discoveries have given us insight into many areas of our defense programs, areas that a smaller group of scientists traveling in resource limited ships that constantly engaged enemy craft couldn’t possibly consider. For example, Jack, that maneuver you did – the Jackson-Briggs maneuver.”
Jack was surprised to be addressed but replied, “Yes, what about it?”
“It started here over four hundred years ago. Two of our scientists worked out the hypothesis, but it was just recently that it was proven to work. It has taken us twenty years to leak these modifications to your fleet, and twelve years ago we implanted the thought into you and other top fighter pilots while you and they slept.”
Nan’mtek saw the worried look on Jack’s face and quickly added, “Don’t worry Jack, all we did was repeat the words Jackson-Briggs over and over through your room intercom while you were in REM. When you woke up, you obviously did research and found the information we downloaded into the ship computer.
“And then there’s the cloaking device. General Hoyt, during the last nine and one half years, your scientists worked on building and perfecting the Cloak. But it was only ten years ago that we cracked the formula Jonathan Diaz handed over to Mr. Grey. Once we understood it, we immediately contacted one of your scientists through one of our usual channels, passed on the information and made sure it went where it should. The result of course is the home world destruction and your new stiletto class fighter.
“This is the research we’re talking about, and a lot of it originated right here.”
Bishop saw the barely concealed shock on Hoyt’s face. Hoyt couldn’t get over the fact this woman knew so much about top secret projects, but he had no reply. It was obvious this ‘partnership’ had been there since the very beginning.
“Keep in mind that if we had lost all links with you, you would all be dead now.”
“How so?” Hollander asked, curious.
“Most early WF ships had positron drives. We strongly encouraged continued work on jump and particle drives for redundancy’s sake, and this saved our collective hides.
“Once our research established that large scale continuous contact with phased, concentrated positron emissions resulted in permanent brain damage, our scientists worked furiously to continue development on the alternatives. At the same time, we sent out a priority one signal to retrofit all ship drives to Beta-9, Nady, Glo-mese-4 and Striase Orbital. All drives were retrofitted within six years and any high ranking officers showing signs of dementia were replaced, thanks to our CIA officers.
“Today, the work continues. No doubt you’ve noticed the new models of fighter craft undergoing construction or testing in our hangar. Did you notice the rather small, unimpressive and odd looking ship in Hangar Three?
“We did,” Scratch said. “What is it?”
“It’s a test vehicle for our new Dark Matter Drive, or DMD for short. It will revolutionize space travel.”
“Why is the skin of the craft unfinished, then?” Hollander asked.
“I am so glad you asked. This is thanks to Jack and her original discovery of the stealth craft, the one you have in your bay and have been studying. Science officer Stasi has not yet given you the full report that he has just completed. We have, however, worked simultaneously with him on this.”
Bishop could see Hoyt glowering as he considered the implications. “I assure you General, Mr. Stasi had no idea he was being watched. And yet, look at the results his intelligence and our abilities have wrought. This is indeed a metamaterial, as Jack’s Rapier had originally identified. Its structure is intriguing and what we discovered and the changes we have made will be a nice modification to all future builds. Let me demonstrate.” She turned to one of the attendants. “Bring in a panel.”
After a minute, the attendant came back with the same panel Jack and Scratch had been looking at earlier, in the shape of a thruster cowling. The optical qualities were unusual, and they moved their heads in different positions, watching parts of the surface appear and disappear.
“This is the same material that the stealth fighter was made of?” Hoyt asked, recognizing the similar properties.
“Somewhat. Watch.” Nan’mtek shone a handheld diagnostic laser on the one end while pointing to the other. They could clearly see the laser signal absorbing into the material, but were surprised as the signal exited on the other end of the curved surface.
“How does it do that?” Hollander asked, fascinated.
“I’m sure I am bursting Mr. Stasi’s balloon,” Nan’mtek said laughing, “…but I’ll continue anyway. This metamaterial is composed of three layers. The outer layer is a thin coating of nanotubes. As you know, nanotubes transport energy, as many of your fuel cells can attest to. However, they also transport light, or photons. These nanotubes have been grown in specific directions to transport most of the light they receive from one point to another.”
“So, it’s bending light, but passively.” Hollander was impressed, as were the others.
“Exactly! But it gets better. The third layer is composed of C60 grown over a mold, which gives this strength, but the second layer is our own invention. In the early 21st century, we were experimenting with how light affects matter at the quantum level. At first, no one had documented this but eventually, it was proven that light does affect matter dramatically.”
“Excuse me,” Ruth asked, “…but why is this a surprise? Everyone knows light affects matter. That’s how vegetation survives.”
“I’m sorry Ruth, I should have been more specific. I know that not everyone here has studied up on quantum mechanics.”
“I was wondering when we were going to get to this,” Jack said.
Nan’mtek smiled, knowing she had brought up the subject much earlier but never amplified on it. “Think of it this way. You are familiar with geckos, right?”
“Of course. They can climb anything,” Ruth said.
“Have you ever wondered how?”
“Well, not really, but I’d imagine they stick to the surface.”
“Yes and no. They do adhere, but in a way you are not yet familiar with. Their pads are not sticky in the least. Quite the opposite really. Think of it. Have you ever seen a gecko with dirty feet?”
Everyone laughed, and Ruth replied, “Well, I’ve never bothered to look.”
“I have.” Timothy said, as Ruth look gave him a curious look.
“You have? Why?” Ruth said.
“I was curious. And, you’re right. Their pads are always clean. They have an interesting surface, like fingerprints.”
“Yes,” Nan’mtek agreed. “The truth is, a gecko can climb even a perfectly smooth surface. The reason is because of quantum principles. The ‘fingerprint’ pattern you saw, Timothy, is actually much more complex. Without going into specifics, when you look at this pattern with a SEM, you’ll see structures only one or two molecules wide. These bind with surface molecules at the sub-atomic, quantum level. A gecko has 109 of these structures, and you can literally hang 40 kilograms from it as it ‘clings’ to a ceiling.”
“That’s phenomenal!” Ruth said.
“Getting to our metamaterial here, the carbon filaments in this third layer also display similar unusual properties, bending and curling up when in direct contact with light. At the time this allowed for a variety of utilizations: nano-engines, more powerful solar cells and so on. Now we use it to trap light that hits it directly. Any photon entering nanotubes exits at predetermined spots, and photons hitting any area not captured by nanotubes is captured by the carbon filaments underneath. Although this produces energy, it is far too little for us to use. However, the ‘glint’ Jack saw while performing the Jackson-Briggs maneuver will not happen on our craft.”
“So, what happens if this new fighter crosses in front of a star and travels through an alien’s field of vision?” Scratch asked.
“Light from the star hits the nanotubes, travels along these channels or tunnels and exits at a predetermined point on the opposite side. It won’t be perfect, but you’ll see a slightly dimmer and out of focus star for a brief second if you’re looking hard. This craft really will be invisible, for all intents and purposes. One added benefit is that the metamaterial can withstand laser pulses in the second range. As you know, most laser pulses last only 200 milliseconds.”
“Any other goodies?” Hollander asked, liking the new changes more and more.
“As you know, the stealth fighter we appropriated is very light – a necessity because of its simplistic gas drives that help keep the craft undetectable. But what if you could power a craft with a far stronger, but still undetectable drive?”
“Like the Dark Matter Drive?” Hoyt said, as he realized where she was going.
“At that point, it no longer matters what the underlying surface of the ship is made of. Here we have a hybrid – a craft with a powerful new drive, decent firepower, and it’s almost undetectable. The underlying structure is crystanium, but its atomic structure is significantly different from the one in use now. It is much stronger and just as light. And the surface will have these new panels, making it to all intents and purposes invisible. We’re also recalibrating all WF and Fighter sensors to pick up the enemy craft by doing what Jack had suggested earlier, scanning for obvious ‘holes’, or shadows left by the stealth craft in reference to the background. Because our material bends light so effectively, this new generation of fighter craft will have no ‘holes’.”
“How soon can I have one of these?” Scratch said. Everyone laughed.
Bishop and the upper command members thought quietly about what Nan’mtek had said. Hoyt spoke up and asked, “So why all the secrecy? All the hidden messages to scientists, pilots and so on? Why not just…” he cut himself short as he realized the answer.
“Exactly, General. If the aliens had gotten any idea on the sort of work we did here, they would have attacked. This would have given them access to top of the line research and development, and it would have been a death stroke to the human race. That’s why each WF ship had one CIA agent, and each agent was unusually quiet. He couldn’t reveal anything, because if he did, it put everything at risk. Encouraging the belief in a legendary but now non-existent council added to the unbelievability of the whole arrangement, which suited this issue perfectly.”
“So who here does that research? Wouldn’t it take huge resources?” Ruth asked.
“Processing power is of course shared with the bases and a large number of people are collaborating, including many scientists in the WF ships. Really, we’re a very small part of the picture as many work on this research, but what we do here can perhaps be better understood if I just show you instead. All of you.”
Nan’mtek got up, and everyone else rose with her. She led the group off to the door from where she came in, and they walked into another short hallway that led to a heavily fortified door, with a much more modern Guard-Bot standing near it. Bishop could clearly see the inconspicuous but definite defense systems lining the ceiling along this corridor. Once the door opened, the group gasped at what was revealed.
Although they faced another round room, the similarities ended there. This one was approximately fifty meters wide, and it brimmed with electronics, housing a command center that oversaw the operations of the base they were in. The base itself was far bigger than they had ever guessed. Each wall had a screen that displayed multiple views of ongoing operations, and Timothy and Ruth went to the centre of the room so they could get the full picture. The first display was a video feed of a large subterranean ore processing center. A robotic ore carrier came out of the large tunnel and dumped the ore into a crusher. From there it was washed, and taken through different processors until the final product emerged on a conveyor belt. They followed the process, wondering how the base disposed of the tailings, but they couldn’t see how it was done.
“Computer,” Timothy said. “What happens to the tailings?”
“All materials that we can use are extracted and stored until needed. The tailings are cleaned up and shipped eight kilometers to a large natural cavern.”
“What sort of materials are being extracted?” Ruth asked.
“Iron, copper, zinc, aluminum and traces of gold and other metals are being removed and refined.”
“Where do you get the supplies needed to run this?” General Hoyt asked as he listened in.
“The base is almost completely self-sufficient, General,” Nan’mtek said. “But we do have different stations around the earth that supply us with those necessities we can’t get here. A two thousand kilometer underground railroad brings it in from a port in Old Alaska. Don’t forget, we’ve had over seven hundred years to perfect our operations.”
“How many people occupy this base?” Bishop asked.
Nan’mtek looked at Nun, who said, “As of last count, we stand at four thousand six hundred and forty.”
They looked at each other, surprised at the number. “How do you grow enough food for everyone?” Ruth asked.
“Some of the food is grown remotely and cared for by our people and locals, but most of it is grown here.”
Nan’mtek took them to another display, this one showing a series of large rooms filled with hydroponics equipment. Numbers under each room showed relative humidity, temperature and light levels, and the progress to a mature crop.
They continued to walk from screen to screen, impressed at the operation. The base power supply screen was particularly impressive, displaying the heat pumps and low pressure generators that supplied power to the base.
Eventually they made their way to the screens displaying the R&D and engineering department. They looked on as a variety of equipment was being built, tested and repaired. Men and women in casual clothing studied readouts as others worked in their individual bays. Bishop and Hoyt could clearly recognize a number of the ships and equipment in the room.
“So why was there a half-assembled fighter in the docking bay?” Jack asked. “Were you just trying to impress us with the new metamaterial?”
“We knew that some of your group would recognize the highly classified fighter, and that this would lead you all to hypothesize in the general direction of the truth,” Nun said. “It was ready for a small test flight to calibrate the grav units. The fighter will return to R&D very soon. I think you will be very pleased at the new fighter’s capabilities. Aside from what was considered, it is also torpedo or gravity bomb capable.”
“Speaking of which,” Nan’mtek interrupted, “We’re very interested in your ship, Jack. Do you mind if we poke around?”
“If it will let you,” she replied, not liking the idea very much.
“We’ll treat it tenderly, and you can have it back anytime you like,” Nan’mtek said, seeing her hesitation.
“I’m not kidding. It may refuse to allow you to poke.”
“We gathered as much when we lost communication with the Klinger’s ship comp,” Nan’mtek said smiling.
“One more question,” Timothy said. “Base Mother Russia is in desperate need of equipment. You being so well supplied, why didn’t you provide them with what they needed to keep the base running at optimal?”
“For the same reason no one else knew of Base Arctica. The situation has now changed, and of course we will be helping as needed. We’ll get into this in a few minutes.”
They left the control room and converged in a library filled with books on every wall. Bishop looked up once again to see, painted on the ceiling, an exact copy of Michelangelo’s three primary paintings depicting Noah’s Story. Several servants came in asking if anyone needed anything, from coffee to cognac. Several chose the latter as they sat down waiting to see what the council really had in mind.
Nan’mtek looked around and waited until everyone was served.
“Women and gentlemen. We now come to a crucial part of our visit.
“We stand at the threshold of an event that will affect the human race’s survival. This is not an understatement. Our computers have calculated a ninety-eight percent chance that the aliens will attack in the next year. Our gut feeling tells us it is a certainty. We feel strongly that they will attack before the year is up, which of course brings us to the first point.
“We need to regroup. We need to join forces to fight this common enemy, and to make this fight the last one. They have been weakened by the attack and destruction of their home-world, and this next event may be the end-all, one way or the other. We need to collaborate openly - simply because time is of the essence. Will you join us openly, pooling our resources so we can defeat the ants?”
General Hoyt looked at Commander Hollander and said, “We of course have to confer with the rest of our generals, but it comes down to this. We agree an attack is imminent and we also know that it’s imperative the aliens be stopped and destroyed, but we are presented with two issues. Massing our forces here removes our ships from their duties of protection in certain hot-spots. We’re spread thin as it is. We don’t know for certain that the aliens are combining their total forces against Earth, which means of course that we could be leaving millions of people undefended as we regroup here. In other words, I’m not sure it’s possible to bring all of our ships here. The second issue is one that Jack can better explain.”
Jack stood up and addressed the group. “While I was marooned on Beta-9, I came across another alien species that had been captured and used by the ants. At first I wasn’t sure why they were useful to them, but it soon became apparent.”
“We are aware of the species you are referring to,” Nan’mtek said. “Species 002. But please continue.”
Jack was put off by the reference to this number. Species 002 was the vermin found on the crashed scout ship 700 years before, but she continued anyway. “I found that the ants were establishing a major hive, possibly even the base for their new homeworld, but they were also using these aliens as a way of telepathically communicating and controlling humans.” Jack expected to see a reaction of shock on the faces of the Alliance Council, but there was none. General Hoyt was equally surprised he didn’t see one. The only people that reacted were the Liason Officer Litkov and the historian, both of whom had of course heard unconfirmed rumors of such but had remained incredulous until now.
“Actually Jack, the ants have used this alien species for thousands of years as a way to telepathically communicate with each other. It is a symbiotic relationship.”
“How is that possible? I witnessed indescribable cruelty towards the aliens by the ants…”
“And what you saw was real. But let me ask you this, Jack. Were you able to discern any time period to the events you witnessed?”
“No. Not really. The events unfolded in my mind in such a way as if it seemed…beyond time…I’m not sure how to explain it.”
“We suggest that the events that were shown to you appeared as they did because the concept of time is viewed differently by those creatures. What you saw was events that transpired very recently, within the last thirty years or so. And they came about only after a mentally deficient Hive Queen took it on itself to experiment with humans.
“The symbiotic situation changed. The crab-like aliens refused to adjust to the introduction of a new species in the mind-link they had with the ants and rebelled against this deficient Queen, and so they ended up being…processed in the expedient and efficient manner you would expect from an ant. The end result is that these crab-like aliens have apparently decided to change loyalties, to come to our side.”
“What was the benefit to these crabs?” an unusually quiet Hollander asked.
“THAT is the question,” Nun said. “There are obvious benefits to us. Jack, you have a strong telepathic power, you sense people’s thoughts and emotions. Reports have it that your ship is astounding in its capabilities, and I feel that we have only scratched the surface. But, how does this benefit them? Is it only protection they seek, or are they searching for some sort of symbiotic relationship with us like they now have with the ants? Or do they want more? Perhaps they decided to change loyalties because the tide of war has turned. Or maybe it’s simply insurance, a connection to both groups in case one gets exterminated. Or,” and Nun started smiling now, “it could simply be true altruism on their part – one species trying to help another.”
“How can we find out?” Timothy asked.
“We need to time to absorb clues and get new ones. But the alien ship that crash-landed 700 years ago gave us our first one.”
“How?”
“Well, it crash-landed because Species 002 sabotaged it.”
Voices exploded as everyone questioned this new information.
Nan’mtek stood up as she tried to quiet everyone down. Eventually she said, “Why is everyone so surprised? Do you think alien craft crash-land on their own?”
“That’s not the point,” Timothy said. “How did we not know about this? As far as I can see, this is completely new information. I thought the creatures on the alien ship were vermin or food.”
“Yeah, and you now drop the bomb that they were the crabs we know,” Jack added.
“That initial thought of vermin was not ours, but it was… encouraged. Once Species 002’s capabilities were studied, it was quickly decided that this matter was too complex, with far too many questions to be allowed access by the general public.”
Nan’mtek didn’t tell them that two had survived the crash. She hated lying, but felt that to tell the whole truth on the matter would only cause greater disturbance. She was now going to lie again. “Before you comment, please keep in mind that this was the only information kept from the scientists at the time. It still is complex, and we still have no definite answers as to their purpose.
“General Hoyt, one thing is certain. We have become a new commodity for the ants. They want the Earth – there is no doubt about that. But they also want us. We supply them with a new-found, CONTROLLABLE strength, and because of this, these aliens will come here, to Earth, and they will do it because WE are here. And if they can’t have us, then they will make sure no one or no thing can have us. That’s why it’s imperative that this situation come to a conclusion, one that’s to our benefit.”
“But this new hive was destroyed, together with that deficient Queen,” Jack said. Doesn’t this mean the end of our problems?”
“No,” Nun said, interrupting. “All the alien ants know about Beta-9. And…” Nun looked at Nan’mtek, “…there are more hives, and many more humans now working with them.”
The comment drew shock from the group as pandemonium broke out for a second time.
“Please!” Nan’mtek said, and the group eventually quieted down.
“Information has been downloaded to each CIA agent, with instructions to fill all Captains in this time.” Nan’mtek smiled at Hoyt and Commander Hollander in turn. “As for you, Jaclyn, Jason, you’ve bought us time. It’s time now to put this to good use.”
“What makes you think we can win this war if they do come?” Ruth asked, once the shock had passed.
“Because they’ve suffered heavy losses,” Nan’mtek said. “Because they’re desperate and want to control our threat. Because they don’t know about Jaclyn and Jason. And they’ll come because they’re afraid we may find out the truth about the crabs.”
“What about the black ship, the one we blew up?” Scratch said.
“Ah, yes,” Nan’mtek said. “That, Jason, is an enigma. We do know it was probably not intended for Earth, although we can’t be sure. The Hive Queen on Beta-9 was erratic in her thinking to say the least. But we’re sure any surprises awaiting us will reveal themselves sooner rather than later.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Timothy said. “We need to come to a consensus here on our plans.”
“Exactly Timothy. The council agrees you meet our requirements as New World Leader. This message will be transmitted shortly in every language and through every method to every human being in the Galaxy. As for our joining forces, General, what say you?”
The general looked at Hollander and said, “I presume you have a plan in place.”
Nan’mtek smiled. “We’re always planning,” she said, and winked at Hoyt.
“We recognize the authority of Earth Alliance. We always have, even though we haven’t heard anything from you for centuries. Our assurance of loyalty has been in our Anthem, in our Declaration of Mankind and even in our flag. Still, this issue is so important that it has to be discussed among us. It will take at least a week before we get back to you on this. In the meantime, we have resources that can be put to use in bringing all bases up to proper working order and we also have civilian ships that would deeply appreciate the chance to re-supply and possibly even… repatriate if that is the correct term. Many of our crew have been under immense stress lately and I’m sure they would appreciate some R&R. Can we send a committee over to speak to you, Mr. Timothy, on arranging these things?”
Timothy looked at the general and agreed. “The first order of business as I see it General is preparing our bases for an attack. Anything you can do to help is deeply appreciated. Perhaps your military strategists can also get together so we can coordinate our efforts?”
“We can,” Hollander said, as both he and Timothy looked at Nan’mtek, waiting for her confirmation. After she nodded, he continued: “But I want to make one thing very clear here. This combination of forces here will only work under the following conditions:
“One. That this plan, once it’s revealed to the pertinent people, be kept Top Secret. If details leak, we’re doomed. Two. The ants must come to the conclusion that all available resources must be spent in gaining Earth, meaning that they all have to be here when that day comes. Three. That Earth has to somehow appear defenseless for obvious reasons. They cannot smell the trap. Four. No more secrets.”
“Amen!” Timothy said, agreeing.
“And five; his probably won’t be enough. We need a breakthrough, or help, from the crabs, from other aliens, whatever. Some more of those ships like the Klinger would be good, or at least information on its barrier.”
“Agreed, Commander,” Nan’mtek said. “That’s why we want to analyze the Klinger. As for help, we’re already working on it and have a number of possibilities.”
There were agreements all around as different committees were suggested for each of the points mentioned. Once preliminary agreements were worked out, Nan’mtek turned to Timothy and said, “We have done our job, Mr. World Leader. Now it’s up to you. Lead! People, may I officially introduce our new leader, Mr. Timothy Paul and First Lady Ruth Paul. Goodbye, everyone.”
With that, the council members slowly walked away from everyone without another word.
“That was weird,” Scratch said.
“What happens now?” Ruth asked, looking around. Before anyone could answer, the door the council members went through opened again and one of the waiters they had seen earlier approached.
“My name is Diknor Ulip. You may call me Diknor Ulip. The council wishes that I express their invitation for all of you to stay as long as you would like. I can arrange rooming and a tour of the base for anyone interested, and I am most informed on the generalities of this complex. Feel free to ask any questions. Will all of you be staying?”
Ruth looked at Timothy and she said, “It’s getting quite late, but you should meet the commander of the base…”
“Commander Kit-Na is already waiting for you, Mr. Paul, First Lady. He has been informed by the council ahead of time.”
Surprised, Timothy looked at Diknor and finally said, “Very well then. I would appreciate meeting him and also staying the night if possible. Can you arrange an early flight back to Base Canada? Perhaps we can hold our meetings there too?” he added, looking at Hoyt and Hollander.
Diknor nodded and turned to the others.
“I should leave,” Jack said after looking at Scratch. “We have a lot to accomplish on China Lunar and a honeymoon to get to.” She was a little confused as to who she should answer to seeing as Timothy was now the leader General Hoyt had admitted allegiance to, but in the end she decided that they could fill her in on the finer points of the situation when necessary.
Bishop and Hollander felt the need to leave and prepare for the meeting they would soon have with Timothy, but Hoyt wanted to inspect the base and also stay the night.
“Very well,” Diknor said. Perhaps I can take those leaving through our main hydroponics dome and our R&D lab? It is well worth the detour…”
Before anyone could leave, Diknor motioned all to wait while he stood quietly listening. Finally he said, “I am to inform you that another group of guests has arrived. You may be interested in meeting them.”
He waited for a minute until the door that Nan’mtek went through opened once again.
A tall, man, with deep blue eyes and a ruggedly handsome appearance came in through the door, together with another two men and one woman. Hollander’s jaw dropped as he recognized the person, and Jack and Scratch were in shock. Nobody said a word as the four walked in, in full military uniforms. One single medal was proudly displayed on their chests.
“So, I see you guys started the party without us,” Keenan said.
They were all too stunned to say anything at all, but one by one they reacted, came towards the four and gave them the hero’s welcome they deserved.
“Diknor Ulip!” Scratch said laughing. “I think I can safely say that this group will be getting nowhere tonight as we get happily drunk!”
***
The next day saw each group get together to say their collective good-byes. Ruth made sure to hug each one in turn and both she and Timothy thanked them for their time. She looked at Jack closely and whispered in her ear, “Congratulations on your marriage! Timothy and I were also just recently married,” she said and smiled. Jack genuinely smiled in return as she gave Ruth a strong hug back and whispered, “Congratulations on your pregnancy!”
Ruth, feeling embarrassed at the suggestion she was gaining weight, said in reply, “I’m not pregnant.”
Jack replied, “Yes, you are, First Lady,” and gave her another hug.