Wemar immediately began the process of placing an aggressive programming package into the memory of the flyers. This would prevent any further incidents of the type she had just witnessed. She produced a Kajan equivalent of a smile as she thought of their infantile attempts at resistance. So puny and ineffectual.
Wemar's attention then moved to her sisters, sharing with them her recent discovery. Together they then returned to the problem of fully adapting their body’s immunity to the native ecosystem. Their reptilian brains, having finally come up to speed in the warm environment, were now totally engaged in the forthcoming colonization.
The defense of Earth had just taken a hard left turn.
UFO Park
Taklimakan Desert, China
Malik saw the strange airplane in the distant sky. He first saw it yesterday as he led the way for his family’s wagon. As a teenager in a nomad family, his ever growing sense of manhood, and his father’s stern guidance, led him to the solitary tasks that provide safety to his family and tribe. Tending the flock of sheep at an early age taught him to be aware of predators, and to protect his sheep from them. Plus that carried the added benefit of being accepted by the tribe when he stood before the wolf and chased it away. He had never been so scared in his life as when he had come face to face with the ferocious creature. But charging the wolf while swinging a stick had frightened it away. The other tribesmen, hearing his loud call, had come running to assist, but it was his bravery everyone spoke of that evening.
And Shaylayla had smiled at him.
Shaylayla was the oldest child of another tribal family. They were nearly the same age, and had played together as children, but that had stopped suddenly when Shaylayla began menstruating. After that she was kept apart, as per custom, from all of the men until such time as a mate was chosen for her. Of course all agreed that Malik was the most likely mate, but he had yet to secure the means to support her. That was in his future as a boy of fifteen wasn’t old enough yet.
Still, seeing her smile had gladdened his heart and filled him with pride. Maintaining that position of respect became the driving factor of his young life. Reporting a distant airplane simply wouldn’t do to enhance that, so he said nothing.
Today, however, was different. Today the airplane had flown from the distance to directly overhead, circling them for nearly an hour as the tribal caravan came to a stop and all the men gathered to discuss the unusual event.
“It is different,” said Harbol, Shaylayla’s father.
“Yes,” Malik said unbidden. He worried his comment would be taken as that of a child, and not as a serious member of the tribe. “I saw this flying in the distance yesterday.”
“You said nothing?” his father asked.
“There was nothing to say,” Malik replied. “I see airplanes sometimes, and this was not unusual until it circled above us.”
“That is true,” Jennal said. As the leader of the council which ruled the tribe, his opinion carried much weight. “It is the mark of a man,” he continued, “that he not waste time with child curiosities, but devote his attention to matters of importance to his family and tribe.”
Malik’s father, Jonte, visibly swelled with pride. He had sat quietly as his son’s bravery was discussed after the wolf attack. The tribal council had added Malik to the more responsible tasks. This reflected well on not only his son, but on him as well.
“What shall we do?” asked Harbol.
“Malik?” asked Jennal.
Surprised at the honor of the question, Malik paused for a moment before replying “Continue as before unless something unusual happens. Then we should report this to the army in Ruoqiang.”
Jennal raised an eyebrow at Malik and asked “Do you not think this is unusual?”
Malik, caught off guard by the question stood still for a moment. As the pause lengthened, he finally opened his mouth to speak.
Jennal chuckled as he spoke instead. “I tease you young Malik. You are quickly becoming a man, and you speak thoughtful words. But allow old men to seek humor where we find it, especially in a young man full of new ideas. You are growing up well Malik, and you make your family proud.”
“Now young man, lead us not to Shaylayla‘s side, but to Ruoqiang so we can report this unusual airplane.” The men laughed out loud at Malik’s discomfort.
Jonte nodded his head as he joined the laughter. His son was becoming a man.
Part III
Combat
“War is hell, but actual combat is a mother fucker”
- Colonel Dave Hackworth, USA
Chapter 37
Onizuka Air Force Base
Sunnyvale, CA
Lieutenant Spurtig looked at the screen and did a double take. Told to expect an exodus from the orbital craft, he was not disappointed.
"Captain," he called. "Multiple outbound bogeys. Looks like multiple re-entry trajectories."
Captain Haley nodded and picked up the phone for yet another call to Colonel Newburg.
“Captain, there are three groups, not two.”
“What?”
No. 10 Downing Street
London, England
As Prime Minister William Westmorten hung up the phone he turned to the Downing Street Chief of Staff. “Send Jimmy in.”
Moment’s later Secretary of State for Defence James Throckmorten entered the room. “Jimmy, the Americans were just attacked again, this time in Southern California.
“The president has ordered a strong defense. We need to be prepared for the same thing. What assets do we have available to attack the aliens in Morocco?”
Jimmy stood stock still, pausing while he thought. He then marched over to the Prime Minister’s phone, pressed the speaker phone button and said “Get Clarence for me.”
General Sir Clarence James, Chief of the Defence Staff quickly answered “Sir, I was just about to ring you. The Americans have fired upon a new UFO near Los Angeles. They are ramping up across the board. I recommend we do the same”
“You read my mind Clarence. What can we do over Morocco?”
“Morocco’s not the problem sir, we’ve got a group of UFO’s headed to the Tenere Desert near the border between Chad and Niger.”
“Not Morocco?” said the Prime Minister.
“No sir, Niger or Chad. Not sure where exactly it will touch down. Plus another one headed toward Australia.”
“Australia too, shit.”
The Prime Minister shook his head. “General, get over here soonest,” he said as he slammed down his hand on the telephone switch, hanging up the connection. He hit it again and said “Get me Australian Prime Minister Fitzhu.”
Police Station
Ruoqiang, China
The policeman listened politely. Airplanes circling in the skies above uninhabited desert was unusual, even when reported by nomads. He wrote the report, had the tribal elder put his mark on it and he signed it as well. He then put it in the bin for his Captain’s attention.
His Captain was a far worldlier figure than the lowly policeman. He was aware of the reported UFO’s in the rest of the world, far away from this outpost on the edge of an empty desert. He quickly notified his superior and the message was soon in Beijing itself.
At this point, no one knew that this was soon to be considered Casus Belli by their northern neighbors. Jus ad bellum it was not, but then winners write the history books, and who knew if those books would even be written by human hands? And if not, who would even care?
The stakes were high indeed.
CIA Headquarters
Langley, Virginia
Jonathan Fraile push his chair back and stood. A mathematician from MIT, his expertise was in quantum refractive analysis. Married with four children, his wife was also a civilian government employee, serving with the Army at nearby Fort Meade.
The paper on his desk was troubling. Troubling indeed. A UFO in Peru, a second in Morocco, a third UFO in Australia, a fourth in California, a fifth in Chad and now it l
ooks like a sixth in China. Where will it end?
After a discussion with his section chief resulted in the tasking order to position a KH-11 keyhole satellite above the Taklimakan desert in China real time imagery was soon in play.
Holloman Air Force Base
Alamogordo, Arizona
Flight after flight of F-15 Eagles took to the sky and turned West, heading for Edwards Air Force Base. They were combat loaded with live ammunition and told that there was a strong possibility of contact with aircraft of the same type the Navy shot down.
Pilots, especially fighter pilots, are a confident breed. Captain Harold Bradley was no exception. He had been called shit hot from the day he strapped on his first Eagle, and now as commander of a fighter squadron with two Iraqi kills to his credit, his fellow pilots looked to him for instruction and inspiration. To date, he had never let them down.
But today was different. Today's enemy didn't play by the same rules.
RAAF Base Curtin
Derby, Australia
Near the small town of Derby on the north coast of Western Australia lies the Royal Australian Air Force base Curtin. This is one of the RAAF's three 'bare bases', facilities built and left inactive and available for urgent need. Like today.
The first of more than a dozen cargo aircraft to arrive was a de Havilland DHC-4 Caribou loaded with personnel and equipment. F/A-18 Hornets, arriving less than two hours later, found ready hangers, barracks and the mess hall up and running. Soon the fighter/bombers were headed southwest at 600 Knots across the Great Sandy Desert to investigate reports of UFO’s landing.
Captain Branson led his quartet of Hornets in a combat spread as his on board radar first detected the alien patrol.
“Talley-ho,” he said, “Two bandits, 150 kicks and angels thirty. Let’s be careful boys. We’re not here to shoot ‘em down, so take pictures and get the hell out of here.”
“Yes sir,” echoed the other pilots as they tried to fly a grid that covered everything below, yet still dodging the UFO’s and their game of tag that would have such fatal consequences.
Vandenburg Air Force Base
Lompoc, CA
Major Jesse Abrahms heard the scramble horn and hit the door at a dead run. His group was at plus fifteen, meaning that they were expected to be airborne within fifteen minutes of the loud obnoxious sound.
Every member of the 32nd Tactical Fighter Wing was extremely aware of the situation down south. The brief warning broadcast was quickly passed to all members of the Wing and they were now feeling the pressure of expectation. There were quite a few combat veterans from the Gulf War among them, but this was different. This time they would be defending American Soil rather than a desert kingdom half way around the world. Their families now depended upon them to protect their very lives. So inspired, the various crews were beating their best turnaround times and combat efficiency was very high.
Major Abrahms was going through the check list anxiously. He had been told that any alarm would be real and his adrenalin was pumping hard. The F-16 bubble canopy closed over his semi reclining form as he finished the list. His aircraft taxied away from his revetment and the Airplane Captain, Master Sergeant Ian Harris, gave him a salute worthy of a White House review. Major Abrahms returned the gesture with the traditional pilot’s salute that ended with a thumbs up.
He taxied out onto the flight line and waited in line behind other Falcons headed for the skies and combat. Two by two, they turned and accelerated down the strip, losing contact with Mother Earth as they rotated for the heavens. His turn arrived and his bird smoothly transitioned from ungainly ground vehicle to graceful airborne predator. Just like its namesake.
"Watchdog, Watchdog, this is Falcon one-two on button three," Major 'Buzz' Abrhams said, checking in with the E-3 AWACS controlling the engagement.
"Falcon one-two, orbit angels forty-five, repeat, angels forty-five. Negative bogeys at this time. Expecting inbound from the east in one five minutes. Standby for my signal."
"Roger, roger," was his only reply as more aircraft checked in.
'Buzz' took a long look around him and saw the bright glow of the California coastal communities at night. The luminescence of the cities and the air around them was breathtaking to behold. Almost as far as the eye could see was the gleam of lights twinkling in the smoggy air. On the horizon, the Mexican border was etched by the lack of light running in a straight line.
'Buzz' switched over to his squadron channel and called to make sure all his ducks were in a row. Then he switched back in time to hear that F-18s and F-14s were coming on line from Miramir Naval Air Station. All taking directions from one E-3 Sentry AWACS orbiting just east of Los Angeles.
Thus began the final night of 'Buzz' Abrhams' life.
F-15 Eagles
Blocker three-seven
Captain Harold 'Overrun' Bradley lined up to take on fuel from the orbiting KC-135 tanker. His concentration was total as he eased the big fighter up under the left wing of the converted Boeing 707. The fuel probe was flying below the Boeing's slipstream as he made contact with it. One wrong move could easily throw the heavy probe against the Eagle's canopy and destroy it. At over two hundred knots, a cracked canopy would come apart, delivering all the refueling nightmares at once. These thoughts were at the forefront of Harry's mind as fuel began to flow into his near empty tanks. That's when the shit hit the fan.
"Multiple Bogey's inbound," came the call from Watchdog as forty-six fighters were vectored toward a growing number of alien aircraft. While his concentration was on his task at hand, namely holding formation as his Eagle hungrily drank fuel, his subconscious mind was following the call of AIM-54C missile launches. The Phoenix was not available to Air Force planes so the Navy got first crack at the Aliens.
He willed his Eagle to drink faster as he was afraid he would miss all the fun. He had good reason to worry, but he didn't know it yet. He was one of the lucky ones.
F-14 Tomcats
Pincer Two-One
Commander Larry 'Squeal' Neal urged his Tomcat to even greater speed. In ACM, or Air Combat Maneuvering, energy is King. The greater speed and altitude one possessed, the higher their energy potential. One of the attributes Larry taught at 'Top Gun' was the attainment and conservation of energy. He was about to practice what he preached in actual combat.
Commander Neal had joined the Navy too late for combat in Vietnam and he had been assigned to the USS Kitty Hawk in the Sea of Japan during the Grenada invasion. During Panama, he was off the coast of Korea, training with the ROK (Republic of Korea) Army, and during the Gulf War, he was on one of the eight Carriers not anywhere near Kuwait. He was acknowledged as one of the best of the best by being ordered to Top Gun at Miramir as an instructor, but he had spent his entire military career training for combat that had never materialized. Finally, he was going to get to see the elephant.
"Fox four, Fox four" he called over the combined tactical net as the massive Phoenix missiles came off the rails of his swing wing fighter plane. The F-14 Tomcat is big, bigger than almost any other fighter aircraft. It is capable of speed greater than Mach two and the missiles just fired accelerated away, eventually reaching a speed of Mach five plus. He watched as the projectiles from his plane were rendered ineffectual by one of the most incredible sights he had ever witnessed.
Watchdog, E-3 Awacs
Over Southern California
The radar technicians, members of the 965th Airborne Warning & Control Squadron out of Tinker AFB, were busy directing the onslaught of aircraft when the intricate dance of the blue flashes took place. There were fourteen Alien aircraft in the first wave with six more coming behind. The first fourteen had at least two Phoenix's each targeted and were over seventy miles distant when the interception took place. Or rather, the intended interception. The Aliens glowed briefly before a Phoenix flashed into nonexistence.
Thirty-two missiles, each costing over one million dollars apiece, were destroyed by these flashes of bright blue
light.
The fourteen aliens continued over the west coast of California, their minor maneuvering stabilized with the passage of the threat. The F-14s out of Miramar were the also the next group to engage with shorter range Sparrow missiles. These are semi-active radar homing, meaning that a radar beam from the launching aircraft must continue to paint the target right up until the missile hits, or misses. Fired first by the Tomcats, they were quickly joined by Navy F-18 Hornets and Air Force F-16 Falcons. Over sixty missiles were in the air.
It almost became boring in repetition. Almost, until one realized the repercussions of failure. Anything that came within seven miles of the Aliens was turned into white hot incandescence by a brilliant flash of blue. It was only hardware for a while, until the manned vehicles came into the Aliens apparent seven mile limit. Then it became wholesale slaughter as the aliens began targeting of their own. Of the forty-six original aircraft only thirteen survived. 'Overrun' and his F-15s were ordered out of the area without engaging. News of the devastating loss was relayed to Washington as the E-3 crew watched the consequences of failure.
UFO Landing Zone
Ludlow, California
Less than twenty miles north of Twenty-nine Palms Marine Corps Base, Ludlow lies in the Mojave Desert, along US highway 40. This small desert community was about to become the center of the newest Alien colonization site.
The fourteen craft in the first wave started patrolling the night desert skies and the six follow-on craft turned to flying a grid type pattern. The six began dispensing a chemical that turned into a green fog that settled onto the now cold sand of the desert below, extinguishing any and all life it encountered.
These Few Brave Souls Page 18
