Conflict!

by Dale Moorhouse

  One of his warriors, a small kittenish looking female who calls herself Pooky, was able to get in the building by using a convincing “look, there is a starving kitten” act. She was irresistible to POTUS’ youngest daughter who picked her up and brought her inside as the guards looked on smiling. There is nothing more distracting to a young horny male than an attractive young woman going all googly-eyed over a poor, defenceless small animal. Good on you, Pooky.

  Once inside and after being fed some chopped up steak, Pooky let her real nature out. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when that happened. The upshot was we were getting real-time intel from inside the building where the family was held, and the guards were none the wiser. The daughter even asked one of them to get her a cat box and some cat food and two hours later both appeared in the hands of a smiling guard. If I were this guy’s boss, I’d have had his guts for garters. Guess even bad guys are hard up for getting good help these days. Pooky was smart about it though—only the daughter and POTUS knew about the spy in their midst. The first message I had her relay to POTUS was “dispose of the phone.”

  Pooky found all of the bugs and cameras in the first five minutes she was in the large cabin. She also found the dead areas where the cameras couldn’t see. One of them was the small half bath off the kitchen and the short hallway beyond. It ended in a door that went to the outside, and she had the daughter unlock it and pull back the security bolt during one of her trips to use the toilet. One of the small warriors checked the outside of the door and discovered a bolt installed there and managed to work it open, so the only things keeping the captives from leaving were roving guards and the operators watching the surveillance cameras in the guard offices.

  There was a small clearing in the trees just large enough for an Elsie to set down and another similar clearing only twenty meters beyond and it was looking like we might be able to get everyone out without drastic measures when the guards were tired and looking forward to shift change set to happen at 0400. The night was colder than usual since the cloud cover had dissipated, and only small patches remained. The guards were huddled in the trees trying to stay warm instead of walking their routes like they were supposed to.

  At 0340 two Elsies dropped down to the clearings with their hatches already open, and five warriors disembarked from each to meet the ground team. Sarge’s teams led the warriors to the gold-bricking guards, and some anaesthetic gas was released upwind. The guards were asleep within seconds. One warrior was guided to the building where the monitors were, and he found the guards dozing in their chairs. He gassed them then waited for the evacuation to begin. His job was to disrupt the camera feeds until the Elsies are ready to lift. He would be the last one aboard.

  Seconds later, the unbolted door to the cabin opened silently, a young couple with two children quietly stepped out and were guided to the nearest Elsie followed by the other couple and their three kids. Everyone was hustled into the Elsie and strapped in. The five warriors gathered outside and kept watch while POTUS, FLOTUS with their youngest daughter and her fiancé were guided to the other Elsie.

  As soon as both families were aboard there was a rustle in the bushes by each Elsie; ten small warriors boarded each ship followed by their larger companions and the Elsies rose into the night. Once clear of the trees, the doors swung down, sealed and the Elsies streaked for home. I checked the mission clock, only three centas had elapsed between touch down and lift off, and no one died this night. Thirty centas later the Elsies touched down in their hangar on Mother of Glory.

  Ewan McFarrel was there to greet his people and Sarge was with him wearing the cat equivalent of a smile. When the warriors assembled in the hangar, they were loose, relaxed and pleased with themselves. Ewan ordered them to a debriefing, Sarge and his warriors followed right along. Bebe came in with a small detachment of warriors and asked POTUS and his family to follow her to their quarters at Terran HQ where they would be checked over by medical staff and debriefed. The party was tired and disoriented not to mention somewhat cowed by the Mmrrreeowwn escorts, so not much was said on the short walk or the lifts up to the fourth floor. The warriors escorting the party weren’t armoured but Mmrrreeowwn are a bit taller and heavier built than Terrans.

  Elaine and I met them at the lifts, and we were accompanied by Dimitri and Svetlana so the first people they saw when they stepped off the lift were Terrans and I could see the tension drain off them. Bebe came up to me and said with a smile, “Your guests are here, and the young ones look like they could do with some cocoa before they retire to their quarters. The adults look like they could use something a little stronger.”

  Elaine had arranged for Sasha to meet us in the dining room, and she was waiting when we all trooped in. Sasha and Svetlana introduced themselves to the children, and Sasha asked, “After you adventure tonight I bet someone is thirsty for some hot chocolate and perhaps a cookie if your moms don’t mind. Does anyone want some cocoa? The older children were up for it but the youngest, I guessed to be around three, looked like he was about to burst out screaming. Sasha saw this and had the child's mother come with her, heading for a table with cups, pots of cocoa and plates heaped with cookies. When the youngest one saw the cookies, he burst out laughing and begged his mother for one. She mouthed a silent thank you to Sasha, who smiled and nodded in return. Within minutes the kids were settled at the table eating cookies and guzzling cocoa. Pooky showed up, and Edgar took her over to the table. The kids really brightened up then.

  Elaine and I herded the adults over to the lounging area after we took them by the side table where adult beverages and snacks were waiting. I told them, “As soon as you have wound down a little we will have our med-techs do a quick check then I’d like to debrief you. We will process the mothers first so you can take your kids to your quarters. The whole process should only take about fifteen to twenty minutes and will be handled by Elaine and Vanilla, some of our best med-techs.”

  There was a little grumbling at that, but POTUS stepped in and told them just to tough it out, it was better than what was going to happen back on Terra. I pulled him aside and asked what he meant by that, he said, “I overheard one of the guards bragging about getting the duty to escort us to one of their black sites. The way he said it made it sound like a one-way trip. That’s why I was so desperate for your help, and I want to thank you for that. If there is anything I can do to make up for the past, please tell me what it is, I’ll make it happen.”

  “There is no need Mr President, just seeing your family safe and unmolested is enough.”

  “Please Jase, don’t call me Mr President, it's just Steve now.”

  When I looked at him, I could see tears building in the corners of his eyes, and I got the feeling he was sincere.

  The debriefing went quickly and when we were done, and all but Steve and his wife Amanda have gone to bed, Will and Reba joined us. Steve immediately jumped to his feet and greeted him. Amanda was a little unsure but was soon chatting with Reba and Elaine, and they’d drawn away from us a little so the three of us could talk.

  Will said, “I would have been here a little earlier, but I’ve been talking with the Speakers of both houses in Parliament, they have agreed to offer you asylum in Canada until your national crisis is over. I would also like to extend your family an invitation to stay with us at our residence while we work to resolve any issues the US has. It may take a while, and you are welcome for as long as it takes. The place a substantial old pile and it is just Reba and me with our daughter Rebecca. It would be nice to have more people around for a change.

  “You would also be a huge asset in future dealings with the US. We have our experts, but they don’t have the benefit of having been born, raised and living in the States, and they could use your guidance. You will not be asked to betray any national secrets just to assist in understanding the minds and motives of the people we are dealing with. Take a couple of days to think about it and feel free to ask questions.”

&nbs
p; 3

  WILL AND REBA WENT BACK to Ottawa two cycles ago. Steve McLeod and his family accepted Will’s offer of asylum and returned with them. Rebecca asked to stay and work with Sasha in the creche for a few cycles to see if she fit in. The youngsters have taken to Rebecca like ducks to water, and she was getting on well with the staff who all seemed to enjoy her enthusiasm. Sasha asked her to take over administering the science fair and Rebecca scheduled the judging of the projects for this cycle at 0600.

  Elaine and I were on the panel of five judges, and we were thrilled to see what the kids had come up with. We have seen several projects submitted both by individuals and teams and most have been demonstrations of adaptations of existing tech, and some are even practical. We heard hints of something revolutionary to be revealed, but so far we hadn’t seen it.

  We were waiting for the last project to be demonstrated, and there was some thumping going on behind the stage curtain. I was getting curious because we hadn’t seen Squirrel Paws and her team or Tuxedo, who was supposed to join us.

  The stage got quiet, and the curtain rose. Tuxedo was standing there in full battle rattle, holding a contraption that was a close mockup of his double-barrelled rocket launcher. Squirrel Paws, Sonja and Roni came forward and explained what their project was all about. They were calling it a recoil damper and to demonstrate their invention they have asked Tuxedo to fire the simulator, first without their device and then with.

  Tuxedo dropped to one knee and brought the simulator to rest on his right shoulder then fired it. What happened next explained why the kids weren’t shooting it themselves—Tuxedo was pushed so hard he slid back across the stage almost three metres. He reset the simulator and Roni stepped forward and fastened a rectangular box to the underside of the barrels of the simulator then stepped back.

  Tuxedo fired the simulator and remained in place with almost no movement in his shoulder or upper body. He reset the simulator again and stood. This time he fired both barrels at once, there was a slight movement of his shoulder about equal to what I would see if he fired a conventional shotgun. I was loading for him when he'd fired a real launcher on the Proxima mission and even hard mounted to the ship it moved him around a lot. This was a definite improvement!

  Sonja and Squirrel paws took the simulator from Tuxedo and reset it, each taking a turn firing it. They were only seven, so it took both of them to hold it up. It moved them around a bit, but the recoil was so well attenuated neither of them had an issue with it.

  The three youngsters moved to the front of the stage with their simulator and bowed to the parents and observers. The audience was so awestruck that someone so young would even recognize the problem much less do something about it; they were speechless. Elaine looked at me, then stood and began applauding. Soon the rest of the Terrans present were doing the same, and the Mmrrreeowwn soon followed suit. It was clear to all who won the top prize.

  Tuxedo came forward and picked Sonja and Roni up in one arm and Squirrel Paws in the other and hugged and nuzzled them then thanked them for allowing him to demonstrate their invention.

  Later, when we were leaving the creche, Rebecca came up to us smiling and said, “It is such a privilege to work with the Three Musketeers. They are absolutely the most thoughtful and intelligent students I’ve ever met. These kids are going to move the world one day and that day will come sooner than anyone suspects. I need to be a part of their development and a part of what Terrans and Mmrrreeowwn are accomplishing here. I want to talk to my parents, but I should do it in person. Will someone be able to take me back to Ottawa in the next couple of days?”

  Tuxedo smiled, “Yes, I’m sure that can be arranged. I’ll see if we can get you a flight down tomorrow. I know the commander of our small flotilla and have some pull.”

  When I got back to my office, I had a stack of calls from our Asian and Israeli friends and checked in with them to see what progress they’ve made. I got through to the Asian consortium of South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan first, and they had good news. A Japanese scientist, Toshi Yamura, who was too old to immigrate gathered up a bunch of his fellows and they’d made a breakthrough in the welding process needed for working hull metal. Using some of the new shielding technology, they can now weld hull metal without killing the welders with the long-term effects of exposure to gamma and microwave radiation. Toshi wanted to send some samples up for testing to make sure the expected quality was met before beginning new hull sections for Mother of Glory. I told him “We have a flight coming down tomorrow. How large are the samples? If you can give me some dimensions and weights, we can figure out what vessel to send.”

  “I can have those for you in one hour, Toshi told me.” He continued, “We have been making the power generation and water purification plants in a kit form almost non-stop since you left and we are selling them all around the world at cost plus shipping. Several large conglomerates have threatened to take us to court, but nothing has come of that yet, so I think they are just blowing off steam.

  “On a different tack, what did you do to the Americans a couple of days ago? So far, no one is making accusations, although I learned enough about you when you were here last to know your work, Jase.”

  I chuckled and responded, “What can I say Toshi, I’m a sucker for people who need help. If the bad guys had left Steve McLeod’s family out of it, I probably would have done nothing but when innocents are dragged into a bad situation merely because someone has a problem with their father I can’t just look the other way. There is little room for complaint now on either side. The hostages are safe, and no bag guys were hurt, making this movie.”

  “I won’t be discussing my suspicions with anyone, in any case, Jase. I really try to keep out of other’s troubles.

  “It is good to hear from you Jase, please come down for a visit, you and your friends are always welcome here. The shield technology has been a better equalizer for us in both trade and international relations than any pile of weapons could have been, all four of our countries are doing well.

  “Oh, one other thing, India has expressed interest in joining our consortium, which would be an advantage for us in terms of space and labour. They are willing to trade their nuclear arsenal and all of their missiles for shield tech and are willing to allow Confederation oversight to make sure it happens. I’m sending the contact info to you now.”

  “Wow, they were only lukewarm when we took their immigrants last year, what happened? How are they dealing with their large number of Muslim people? When we were last here, there were any number of fatwas and a declaration from their clerics we were devils or devil worshipers.”

  “The Chinese, Jase. They have been getting very aggressive along the border with India although there have been no direct threats like the South Koreans and we have been getting from North Korea. The bellicose little fat-boy launched a few missiles after the South put up their shield. It would have been funny if that nasty little package hadn’t taken his failure out on the relatives of those in South Korea.

  “As to the Muslims, many have seen the good that has come to the less developed countries and have begun questioning the wisdom of their clerics. One of the seven pillars of their faith, charity, is interpreted to mean ‘the willingness to give is a step towards godliness’. Some Imams have picked up on the mood and will of their people and are backing away from the more fundamentalist leaders. This is seen as a decisive advance by leaders in India.”

  “That is interesting, Toshi, I can only hope that attitude grows and India comes on board. Their space program is, and their expertise would be an asset.

  “Concerning Korea, what would happen in North Korea if their leadership was eliminated?”

  “Nothing good, Jase. Better to let his own people deal with him. My sources say it is likely to happen very soon, especially now that the Confederation is back.”

  “Ok, Toshi, I will leave it for now, and I hope you are right. I will let you know when we will be down as soon as you can get the carg
o specs to me. Goodbye for now.”

  My next call was to Moshe Berlin in Tel Aviv, who told me, “Israel is sheltering close to ten thousand Jordanians and a nearly equal number of Druze who smuggled themselves in from Lebanon. Many want to serve in the coming ‘Just War’ against the ‘Peril From the Heavens’. Their leadership has presented the Plague as a great evil being cast from heaven by Allah and the Mmrrreeowwn, with their allies in the Confederation, as Allah’s sword of wrath seeing Allah’s will be done. A very clever way of spinning the facts and making them palatable for the fundamentalists while supporting a more moderate view.”

  “Moshe, I’ll pass the word to Dimitri and Stan, who will be overseeing these kinds of operations. My role has shifted to assembling the fighting force and leading them to destroy the Plague.”

  “Yes, I heard that from Sol Rosenblum a couple of days ago. Congratulations on the rescue, by the way. None of the reports we are receiving actually tie your name to the events at Camp David but my operatives in DC are telling me stories of small groups of cats observed on their IR monitors about the time the operation took place. As far as we know, no one else has any kind of proof, and we sure aren’t going to talk. Your people did a first class job on that one. Even the forensics people the contractor brought in weren’t able to find anything substantive. Our Mossad operatives could take lessons from you.”

  “That is high praise, Moshe. How is the factory coming for building the subassemblies for mothership hull segments coming along?”

  “We are waiting for the welding process certification. As soon as that comes through, we will be in a position to accept the materials we need to begin fabrication. The final assembly area is not ready yet. While we have space available for something that large we are not sure building something so huge and launching it to space is practical or economical. We suggest lifting the subassemblies to space and performing the final assembly there.