Earth Station (Station Series Book 1)

by Martin Schroth

  “Thank you, Mary. I had an office set up for you down the hall. I would like to meet with you over lunch to discuss some of the responsibilities I have in mind for you.”

  “Sounds good. I know that you still have some things to discuss so I will take my leave.” With that, Mary left to find her office.

  “I’m not 100% convinced, and I don’t think Mac is either. Just don’t share anything critical with her yet. Can you do that?” Mike asked with a concerned voice.

  “Not to worry, I’m basically going to get information from her, not give it to her.”

  I’m going to let Mike and Mac stew on this for a while. Let them keep an eye on Mary and hopefully they will see what I see in her.

  “Do we have anything else? Okay, then, meeting is adjourned. John, could you stay after. I have something I need talk to you about.”

  “No problem,” John said as the rest of them filed out.

  “What do you need, Jake?”

  “How are those robots coming along?”

  “We tested our prototype up and down and I believe we got rid of most of the kinks and bugs. The assembly line is up and running. We are able to construct one robot per day, with another day to run tests. Currently we have three ready to go including the prototype. Each robot can only be linked to one individual. Its processor needs to be programmed to accept that individual’s brain waves. In order to link to another person, the processor would have to be removed and replaced.”

  “Keep cranking them out. You might consider ramping up another assembly line if we find that these robots are a valuable tool. But that is not why I had you stay after. I would like you to assign one of these robots to me. I am getting a little sick and tired of sitting at a desk. I need to get out into the action. It seems that being the emperor means that I have to be locked up and protected. If I were linked to one of these robots, I could go on missions and remain perfectly safe. I think that would satisfy the rest of them.”

  “The prototype is linked to me but I don’t see why we couldn’t link one of the others to you.”

  “Do that for me and then place the robot up in ESSC. If a mission comes up that I want to go on, I can have the robot activated and linked.”

  “I’ll be back in a little while with one of the geeks so that we can scan the part of your brain that needs to be imprinted on the robot. After we finish, I’ll bring you the headset that will allow you to hook up. By the way, we incorporated Dr. Skrimov’s FTL communicator into the robot and the headset so your link will be in real time no matter how far you are away from each other.”

  “That sound great. Thank you, John. I look forward to getting out of here, even though it’s by proxy.”

  John left and I got back to my work. A few minutes later, my com beeped and Mike appeared on the wall screen. “We might have a small problem. I’ll be right over to brief you.”

  Mike arrived after a few minutes. “What’s the problem?”

  “It seems the defense secretary is not as dumb as we thought. He has realized that we are monitoring his every word, so he has taken to writing his instructions to his troops and having them hand delivered. We have been unable to read those instructions. We have, however, been tracking the letter carriers and observed what is happening after the instructions arrive.”

  “What good will that do?”

  “We can’t get much advance warning because we don’t have the commands that were sent, but by observing the troop movements, we are able to anticipate what they have planned. It’s not an ideal situation but it is workable.”

  “What have you found out?”

  “We still are able to monitor his communications with the major part of his command. The paper commands take too long and would be obsolete by the time they got to where they were supposed to be. However, I believe that he is using it to set up a special ops mission. The main attack will really be a distraction from the special ops team that will actually try to penetrate Bodhi. I have to say it for the guy, he is a very good strategist.”

  “Can we keep on top of this?”

  “It shouldn’t be too much of a problem. I believe that the team he put together is operating under strict voice and radio silence. They are only communicating through written word. We won’t know what they are going to do but we will be able to follow them wherever they go. I am going to get with Paul to put together a special team that can rapidly move to intercept them. It won’t be long now.”

  “Get everybody who needs to know up to speed. This is not going to be pretty.”

  “I’m on it. I will let you know the minute that he gives the order to attack.”

  “Thanks Mike.”

  I was really hoping it wouldn’t come to this. Why can’t we all get along?

  August 16th, 2112

  “Their staging area is just north of El Paso. They are almost ready,” Mike informed the rest of the Executive Committee.

  “Paul, I think that we need to get some of our shuttles in the air,” I said.

  “Already done. Your alter ego robot is on one of them,” Paul said with a smile.

  “Which one?”

  “You’re flying with Nik.”

  “What else do we have?”

  “Our supposedly clandestine special ops group has already crossed the border into Bodhi. I estimate that they will take up positions just outside of Earth Station in under an hour,” Mac said. “I’m taking charge of that little group; Mike is monitoring the rest of the situation and has overall tactical control. We will be in constant communication when the shit hits the fan so that we don’t step on each other’s toes.”

  “I’m going to issue condition yellow. The residents of Bodhi need to get into their shelters before it’s too late.” With that, I sent out the code that would put Bodhi on imminent danger mode. “Charlie, let me know when everyone is secure.”

  “There are still some people outside of Earth Station that may not get the signal, I’m going to head out there and get them inside,” Charlie said. “I’ll com you when everything is battened down.” With that, Charlie left.

  “We all know our jobs so let’s get to it.” Barry was still on the space station and is monitoring the situation from up there. John left for engineering, Paul returned to ESSC and Phil to the computer ring. Dr. Clay set up in sickbay, getting ready for any casualties. Myself, Mac, Maggie, and Mike remained in the conference room which is now our overall command center. A bunch of electronic stuff was moved in here earlier so that we can monitor and communicate with all our factions.

  “Things are beginning to happen, they just left the staging area. Their personnel transports are on their way and will be here in about thirty minutes. Aircraft have left, presumably to soften the target before the troops arrive. Our shuttles are moving to intercept.”

  I put my headset on and instantly found myself in the cockpit of Nik’s shuttle. I turned my head to look at Nik. “Glad to see you could make it your highness. Take over weapons while I fly this crate.”

  “Got it.” This is great. I’m really going to enjoy this.

  As we approached the incoming aircraft, Nik said, “the geeks and squints came up with something you will really like. We can lock onto the enemy’s onboard computer and cause the pilot to eject. Then a little tap of the EMP weapon and the aircraft is history. It will lose all control and crash into the ground. Look down at your board. It’s pretty self-explanatory.”

  I looked down at my tactical board and saw what Nik meant. “I’ve got a lock on the closest aircraft. Sending the eject signal now.” As I looked at the main monitor in front of us, I saw the pilot eject. “EMP sent.” A few seconds later, the enemy aircraft shut down and fell like a rock. The explosion when it hit the ground was pretty impressive. As I looked around, other aircraft where disabled and crashed. “How many of us are out here?”

  “We have fifteen of our shuttles on this mission. That should be plenty.”

  Back at the command center, I opened my eyes. “Mike,
how many aircraft did they send?”

  “Looks like fifty. We have already disabled thirty-five of them. The rest should be out of commission in about five minutes.”

  “We have three shuttles taking care of our special ops that crossed the border earlier. Uh oh, we are missing one of the operatives. He must have snuck away from the main group somewhere along the way.”

  As we watched, a shot rang out from a location just outside the entrance to Earth Station.

  “What just happened?” I asked.

  “Wait one second.” Mac was receiving the status of the attach on his headset. “Charlie has been hit. He was outside getting the last of the stragglers inside. It’s serious, he is being transported to sickbay now. By the way, we got the son of a bitch who shot him.”

  “Dr. Clay, this is Jake. What’s Charlie’s condition?”

  Dr. Clay appeared on one of the screens. “Not good, I don’t think he’ll make it. The damage done was extensive and he has lost a lot of blood. Do I have permission to download him into a matrix? He is still somewhat conscious and knows what is happening.”

  “Do it now.”

  “We have to transport him down to the computer ring. Let Phil know we are coming and that he needs to be ready.”

  “He’s been notified and will be ready by the time you get there.”

  Charlie has been an invaluable member of our team. We can’t lose him. I’m going to get that smug son of a bitch sitting behind his desk in DC.

  A few minutes later, Dr. Clay was back on the screen. “We’re down here and we made the transfer. Just in time. Charlie lost consciousness a minute or so after the transfer. He’s going fast.”

  “Keep me updated.” I looked up at the rest of them and they all had a concerned look on their faces. “He’ll be okay,” I said optimistically. “What else is going on?”

  “There are only two aircraft left to deal with. The troop transports were all disabled as soon as they touched down. We used one of our new beam weapons to seal the doors. They are all trapped inside,” Mike said.

  “What are we going to do with them?”

  “We have another new toy that John made for us. We can extend the graviton field from our transports to cover their troop transports. Then we lift them and return them to the staging area north of El Paso. We are doing that as I speak. I have a view of the Defense Secretary if you would like to see him have a meltdown,” Mike said with a smile on his face.

  “Make sure that you record it. I would like to look at it later. Right now, we have to finish this.”

  “One of their aircraft is headed toward El Miguel. Nik is in pursuit.”

  I put my headset on and closed my eyes. “What’s the situation Nik?”

  “I’ll be ahead of that guy in a few seconds. He flies like a maniac and I have not been able to get a lock on him. I’m glad you are here. I’ll fly, you shoot.”

  We passed him but I was unable to get a lock on him. Approaching El Miguel, he slowed and fired a missile. I got the lock on him then and down he went. Nik raced to intercept the missile. It was too late to knock it down. The next seconds went in slow motion. Nik placed the shuttle in-between the missile and El Miguel. It struck us. Our shields did what they could but it was not enough. We lost all power. Nik tried to regain control. “Eject now Nik, that’s an order from your emperor.” Nik still tried to save the shuttle. “Now Nik!” I yelled. He finally punched the eject button and was gone. I turned and hit the self-destruct. The shuttle disintegrated immediately.

  Back at the command center, I ripped the headset off my head. “Shit, that hurt!” I said. I was still connected to my robot when it came apart.

  John came on the screen, “I saw that. Nice move. You are going to have a headache for the next hour or so. I suppose you want me to get you another robot?” he asked sarcastically.

  “We got the last aircraft and all but one of the troop transports has been returned to their staging area. It’s a riot watching them cutting their transports apart to get their men out,” Mike informed us with a smile.

  “Everything is secure. There are no more new threats to deal with. Time for payback,” Mac added.

  “We are broadcasting on all frequencies to the American people letting them know about the corruption that is rampant in the US. Evidence has been sent to trusted law enforcement and they have started to make arrest,” Maggie informed us.

  “I had Barry build us a detention facility in orbit. We need to take all those bastards there. Contact the authorities and let them know we are going to be picking up their prisoners shortly. John, hook me up to another robot. I want to go get the Defense Secretary myself.”

  Later that day, I walked into the Defense Secretary’s office. His secretary said the standard line, “you can’t go in there.” She looked a lot nervous facing a tall robot. I hit the door and it fell in to the ground. That butthead was cowering behind his desk. Walking over to him, I grabbed him by his collar and lifted him to face me. “What do you think of that podunk backwater country now?” Carrying him out of his office, I passed the secretary who had her mouth wide open but nothing was coming out of it. “I suggest you hide. The authorities will be here shortly to mop up the rest of you.” The shuttle ramp came down as I exited the building. I had the secretary in a vise grip as I carried him on board. He was crying and I believe he shit his pants. Throwing him to the deck, Marcus came over and hogtied him. “Get us back to Earth Station.”

  “Yes sir,” Nik responded.

  He had been picked up shortly after the engagement ended and was itching to get back in the saddle. That kid has balls and I want him as my pilot every time I go out. As I said before, Mike raised one hell of a son.

  August 30th, 2112

  Two weeks have gone by since the attempted invasion. Most things are back to normal.

  “It’s been an interesting few days to say the least.” Barry has come down from SS1 for our meeting today. “Barry, could you give us a report on the detention facility?”

  “Certainly. The facility is in geosynchronous orbit. It has two hundred cubicles for our detainees that contain a bed, shower, toilet, and small desk. There is a central common area that includes a cafeteria, recreation area with pool tables, exercise machines and some other games. There is a video room where they can watch one, of over a million movie titles. All the major players in the corrupt US government have been placed there or are in the process of being transferred there. We don’t have any personnel on board, everything is automated.”

  “How are they reacting to their situation?”

  “For the most part, they are subdued. They are a bunch of cowards when they are faced with authority. One of them however, tried to escape. He was a commander in the special ops. It seems he thought that he could escape on one of the supply ships that docks with the facility to replenish the food processor. The supply ship is unmanned but has a hatch on the side in case we need to get inside for repairs or whatever. This guy jumped out of the airlock and actually made it to the side of the supply ship before he froze solid. We placed his frozen body in front of the observation area of the common room. We’ll keep him floating there for a few days to remind the rest of them that escape is a foolish option. There have also been a few fights. Since they are alone up there, they must learn to work with each other. A lot of them did not learn how to share or get along with others. They must have missed that lesson in kindergarten.”

  “They’re getting what they deserve,” Maggie added.

  “Mike, you’re up. What is happening in the US?”

  “Only the leaders of the corruption are in the orbital detention facility. The rest of them are under arrest and each case is being evaluated. Some will spend some time in jail and others will simply be reassigned. I don’t believe that we should punish the low-level grunts who were just following orders. Many of them are good people and were convinced by their leaders that what they were doing was for the good of the country. New elections are being set
up to replace the president, vice president and many of the senators and representatives. The succession for the position of president has jumped to number ten on the list which is the Secretary of Labor, Anna Myers. All the persons above her had some questionable events in their past or present. By the vote of congress, what was left of it, they confirmed her as the president. ESSI is monitoring the elections to make sure they are on the up and up. The whole process should be finished in a couple of months.”

  “What about the military?”

  “The leadership there has been pretty much gutted. Most of them were appointed by the former Defense Secretary. It will be a while before they get it all sorted out. ESSI is monitoring that situation also. We have made it perfectly clear to the rest of the world that they are not to interfere with the US. They are currently under our protection until they can reorganize their military.”

  “What is the reaction from the citizens of the US?” Maggie asked.

  “They are taking it very well. A channel has been set up so that they can be kept up to date on what is happening. Another channel has a list of the detainees, and by going to the interactive mode on their tvs, they can tap on a name and find out the charges against them with a summary of the evidence. They can also contact the authorities if they have information which might be pertinent to any of the detainees. For the most part, life is pretty much back to normal for the average citizen. It never really changed much for them, only the top levels of government and the military are in shambles.”

  “All this news is very encouraging. I think we might gain a valuable ally when the dust settles. I also have a surprise for you all.” I opened a drawer in my desk and pulled out a matrix cube. Setting it on my desk, the holo projector on its side activated and Charlie appeared sitting at his seat.

  “How are you guys doing?” Charlie asked.

  Maggie began to cry and the rest of them gave up a rip-roaring cheer.