by Ben Winston
“No, it looks brand new. But does it work?” Dentin asked.
“Let one of your guys fire it with your own ammo,” Alan suggested. The new rifle was given to a soldier who pulled the magazine out of his own M-16 and loaded it. The soldier stepped a few paces away from the pavilion and indicated the direction he was going to shoot.
“Wait a moment, please,” Alan asked. He keyed up his comm-unit to the ship; “Stacy, Private Jones is going to test fire an M-16 in the direction he is facing. Is the area down range clear?”
“Yes Commander, all clear for about eighty miles. I’ll notify the rest of the team. Also sir, there are a number of aircraft inbound. I have two F-16s from Peterson, two Apache attack helicopters, and four Huey helicopters. ETA is about thirty minutes for the helos; the fighter jets will be flying over us in less then ten.”
Alan sighed. “It looks like your bosses are acting quickly. You’ve got about thirty minutes before the brass gets here. Your man can go ahead and fire.” Alan nodded to the soldier.
The trooper fired a couple rounds in single shot, switched to three-round burst, and fired the rest of the magazine. He expertly cleared the weapon, made sure the bolt was locked to the rear, and dropped the magazine out.
As the man walked back to the pavilion, Alan spoke again; “As I was saying, the reason we can’t let this technology get into Earth’s hands is because it would destroy your economy. Do you see the stamp from Colt Firearms on that weapon? How about a serial number?” When the trooper shook his head after examining the weapon, he handed it back to Alan. “It cost nothing but power to make that rifle. I used no ores, nor did I use any physical labor to do it. What do you think would happen if all of the sudden, any product you could want was readily available and cost nothing to make? Trade would collapse, and prices would soar while wages stopped. The other reason is that I could ask the drone to make a nuclear bomb and it would, about as quickly as it did the rifle.” Alan could see the faces of the men pale as the implications of that sank in. “There are worse weapons than nukes, gentlemen. The one blessing is that anything alive cannot be replicated, so biological weapons are out. But that does still leave chemical weapons.” He paused to let those truths sink into the men. “I imagine in a short bit of time, there will be CIA and NSA operatives crawling all over here trying to get their hands on some of this technology. We are not going to let that happen. We are not a threat to you or the people of this planet; in fact we are here to protect you,” Alan said. “Now, I need to let this drone go do its primary job, or it’ll get thrown off schedule.” He turned to the probe and told it to execute its program.
“Now,” Alan said, turning back to the men. “You have questions. You have about twenty-five minutes to get them asked and answered. After that, who knows if the others will let you back over here to ask!”
"Uh, I'm a little confused about something; you introduced yourself as a Colonel, but your Officer addressed you as 'Commander'?" Dentin asked.
Alan grinned. "I can see how that could be confusing. My military rank is 'Colonel'. However, since I am not only the commander of the Raptor, but also a Base, I am addressed as 'commander'. In our military the title of commander is both a rank and a position. For example a ship's captain holds the rank of Commander and is addressed as such, but really anyone that holds a position of leadership can also be called 'commander'."
"That would give me a headache," Dentin replied. "So how do you tell them apart? Obviously a ship's commander would have more authority than say a lieutenant in command of a platoon."
"The tell is in the uniform for each position," Alan explained and used his own armor, a hologram of Commander Williams also in armor, and a standard Marine in armor.
Dentin shook his head. "That's a little confusing, but understandable I guess. So I introduce you as 'commander' instead of Colonel?"
Alan nodded. "Yes, but for me, either one would be fine."
Shortly after the helicopters landed, Alan was called back to the pavilion. There he found a man that looked very sure of himself and his authority. While he did wear a military uniform, he did not wear any rank insignia. Alan immediately knew what that meant.
“What right do you have, just coming here and taking private property for your own use? I demand that you cease this project immediately, lay down your weapons and surrender to us, or we will have no choice but to use force. Do you want us to fire upon you, 'Commander'?” The man was a total asshole. He had been obnoxious and offensive since he had landed in his helicopter over an hour ago. He no more than touched the ground, and introduced himself, before he started making demands. He even went so far as to use the title ‘Commander’ in a condescending way when he addressed Alan.
For Alan, it was all he could do not to laugh in the man’s face. The only thing that kept him from breaking out in laughter when the man introduced himself as ‘Agent Smith’ was the fact that the man actually was serious. He acted and looked the part of ‘Agent Smith’ from the matrix so well that Alan wondered if the writers had modeled that character after this man.
“Agent Smith, we are not simply confiscating this land. We have the permission of the corporation that owns it. However, you are not here with their knowledge or consent. If you persist in your attempts to bully us, or hamper us in our mission here, I will have to call the legal owners of this property and inform them of your unauthorized presence,” Alan said.
The Agent stood glaring at him for all of two full minutes before he changed tactic. “I am attempting to execute a federal warrant to arrest you for weapons violations and several violations of the anti-terrorism laws. If you do not cease and desist this minute, I will order these troops to open fire on you and your men. Do you really want to force a confrontation?”
“No, but apparently you do. If you really want to open fire at us, go right ahead. I’ve already warned you what would happen. We don’t even need to fire back since your weapons can’t harm us. I would recommend you have several of your helicopters warm up, because you are going to have casualties…”
Smith interrupted him, “There! You’re threatening us! Major, arrest this man! If he attempts to resist, kill him.”
Alan sighed. “You’re making a huge mistake, Smith.” He turned and walked back toward the Poseidon. Behind him, he could hear the shouts of the commanders as they got their men ready to assault the landing area. Alan stopped and turned around. He yelled, “Major Dentin! Remember the rock! Watch the ricochets!” He saw the man stop and think, then smile and nod to him.
Alan went into the Raptor to take a nap and check for updates on the rest of the progress in the system. As he was lying back on his bunk, Andreya snuggling up to him, he heard the US troops open fire.
“Idiots!” Andreya snorted as she laid her head on his chest.
A while later, Alan was awakened by someone shaking his shoulder. He looked up into Andreya’s loving eyes. “The assault is over; Major Dentin is asking for you.”
“I wonder what happened to Agent Smith?” Alan asked rhetorically. “I’ll be right there. Do you think they’ve learned their lesson enough for us to fore-go the armor?”
“Well, the rest of the team would prefer to get out of their armor for awhile, and the sun is going down. However, they were stupid enough to actually attack…” she left the rest unsaid. Alan silently agreed with her.
As quickly as he could, he climbed back into his armor. He mentally grumbled about having to wear the bulky suit, but it did offer damn near as much protection as being inside the Raptor.
“How are the drones doing?” he asked as he dressed.
“They are about thirty-nine percent finished. We're going to have the troops move four of their vehicles; three of them are where the runway is going and the other is sitting on the spot where a missile battery is supposed to be. We have power in the underground areas finally and most of the living quarters are built. The perimeter fence is finished and Kevin is just about finished setting up the main sh
ield generator," Andreya reported.
Alan leaned down to kiss her; a tricky maneuver in the heavy suit. “We’ll sleep in shifts. Since I just had a nap, get two of the others in here for a six hour break. I’ll grab something to eat from the portable replicator out at the pavilion,” he told her as he left.
When he stepped out of the Raptor, he noticed a great deal of activity from the troops. He walked to the edge of the landing site shield and ordered a six-inch sub sandwich and a Pepsi from the replicator. He glanced up at the soldier who was guarding the pavilion. “Major Dentin asked to see me?”
“Yes sir, I told them you were here,” the trooper indicated the radio mic attached to his helmet. “He should be back out in a minute.”
Alan nodded his thanks and sat down to begin eating his sandwich. Major Dentin had moved his vehicle closer to the pavilion but it was still at least fifty yards away. The man exited his vehicle and walked over to the tent. “First off, let me tell you that I’m sorry that I had to order that attack against you. That man was a moron and ignored everything you warned him against. As a result he stopped a stray bullet and had to be taken to a hospital. There are still a couple of his men running around here, but I don’t think there will be any more attacks – at least by us.”
“Do you need any help with the wounded? Did they all get out okay?” Alan asked.
The Major smiled; “We got the most seriously wounded out of here; the others will have to wait until morning. Since their wounds are not life-threatening, the choppers won’t risk flying at night. I appreciate your offer of help; however, I’m still worried about the repercussions of accepting your aid.”
“I’m not. If these people can help those men, I say let them,” another man said as he approached.
“This is Chief Warrant Officer Adams, our medic. Doc, this is Commander Carlton. Doc, if we let these people treat our soldiers, you know damn good and well that those soldiers will be put through every test imaginable once we get back to Fort Carson.”
“I’d still like them to take a look. I’m not comfortable with the conditions of a couple of those men. It was the fuckin’ spooks that ordered the grounding of the choppers until morning. I tried to tell them that we still had wounded out here, but unless it was directly life-threatening, they wouldn’t listen.”
Alan put his hand to the earpiece communicator he was wearing, “Andreya, who‘s still on duty?”
“Kevin and Sheryl,” came the reply.
Alan smiled. “Have them grab the portable med unit and get out here, fast. They are to wear side arms only.”
“Understood. They’ll be there in a minute.”
“Thank you, Commander. I think you might be right to assume this could be a trap. I haven’t seen those other spooks around for a few minutes,” Chief Adams said.
“Can I get either of you anything to eat or drink?” Alan offered. “I think your guard there could stand to be relieved as well; he looks tired.”
Actually the guard looked like he was ready to attack Alan for the sandwich and Pepsi. His stomach was growling loudly enough for the other three men to hear it.
“When’s your relief supposed to be here, Pitzini?” the major asked.
“He was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago, Sir,” the private said.
“Go get something to eat and tell your relief I want to see him ASAP,” the major said.
“Yessir!” The Private said as he ran off.
Just then Kevin and Sheryl trotted up carrying a large box between them.
“Doctor Adams, this is Kevin and Sheryl. Since they are part of a Raptor team, their rank is ‘Officer’. While on duty and our military, they are accorded the respect due to the first officer of a ship. The equivalent rank in your military would be that of Major. Take them to your wounded.” Alan turned to the two carrying the med unit. “No funny business. Do not draw your weapon unless you need to protect yourselves or your patient. With the shields, I really can’t see that happening. Just diagnose the young men unless it’s an emergency and Doctor Adams agrees.” The two nodded.
“Just for the record, I’m not a Doctor, I’m a Physicians Assistant, or PA. This way please.” He said as he led the two Raptor team members into the small camp that was being set up.
“He’s a good medic. He’s been with the unit for years,” the Major said as he watched them go.
“Before I came out here, Andreya told me that we’re going to have to ask you to move some of your vehicles before morning,” Alan said to change the subject. “The drones are ready to build more of the surface facilities.”
Another trooper trotted up and saluted the two men. “Sir, Pitzini said you wanted to see me?” he said to the Major.
“Do you have a reason for being twenty minutes late relieving the guard at this post?” the Major asked in an even voice.
“Sir, we were setting up the TOC and Sergeant Grimes told me to continue with that,” the trooper answered.
Dentin turned back to Alan; “Which vehicles do you need moved?”
Alan asked Andreya and got the information. He asked for the hologram to be displayed again, this time of the surface only – with the positions of the Army vehicles on it.
Alan pointed out the vehicles that needed to be moved and suggested new positions for them. After making sure he knew what was needed, the soldier ran off to get the Bradleys moved before it got too dark to do so safely.
“The base’s primary defensive shield will be operational before the morning. In three days, the fighters and other ships that will be stationed here will begin to arrive. We're building this base so that the American military can have personnel stationed here to act as liaison. We are adding helicopter landing areas and the runway will be long enough for you to land just about anything you want to land. We'll provide hangers for your craft as well since only our craft will be allowed below the surface into the main hanger facility,” Alan informed him.
“I can hear a ‘but’ coming. The spooks are going to go ballistic trying to get spies in here to capture some of your technology,” the Major countered.
“Yeah, they will. We have ways of knowing who is who. For one thing, we will issue the IDs that will be required for entry. We will man the guard posts controlling entry, and no unauthorized weapons will be allowed past the main gate. Those restrictions will go into effect when we bring the main shield online tomorrow. Basically, I’m kicking you guys out, but if you want to leave some troops for observers, I'll allow that, but only if they are unarmed. I’ll need to know about them by noon tomorrow.”
“What happens if we are ordered out and they drop a nuke on you? You are conveniently out in the desert,” asked Dentin.
Alan shrugged. “The shield can withstand the blast. As long as everyone is either underground or has their eyes protected the only thing that will do is kill a few million snakes and assorted bugs.” Alan didn’t tell him that two nukes would be enough to breach the shield.
“There is no weapon or force on this planet you are afraid of?” the Major asked.
“Actually, yes there is; the force of public opinion. What good would it do us to try to protect a people that have such distrust for us that they endanger themselves by continually trying to interfere with our work? We also fear the collateral damage caused by useless attacks against us by the native militaries. What we are trying to protect you all from is so much beyond your ability to defend against that your government has no clue how badly outmatched they really are.” He turned around and pointed at the Raptor. "You see that gun snuggled up against the nose of the Raptor there? That gun was designed for ship-to-ship combat in space. It can put a single round completely through an M1 Abrams tank from two hundred miles away with pinpoint accuracy and enough velocity to kill everyone in the tank from the impact alone. The laser cannons mounted on the wing tips can vaporize one unprotected human or a whole office building from orbit. We carry missiles that hold enough firepower to remove New York City from the face of
the planet.
“Major, that is just one of thousands of combat craft we have. Now, the enemy that is coming here to destroy this planet has almost the same capabilities we do. Our ships are stronger and have more raw fire-power, but they will outnumber us radically. Their mission is to remove us from the universe. There is a much bigger picture here than no one on this planet wants to realize. The governments are too used to getting their own way when it comes to who does what. It is our sworn duty to protect you from them, but at the same time we also have to protect you from yourselves.” Alan finished.
“That sounds pretty arrogant, Commander. Why would we need you to protect us from ourselves? Shouldn’t we be allowed to make our own mistakes?”
“We do let you make those mistakes. I was speaking of the fact that we have stopped a hell of a lot of terrorist attacks oursleves and let information slip about others. We are taking other steps to get rid of some of the worst drug lords by working with Interpol and causing ‘accidents’ that destroy crops. We are not here to take over, Major. Nor are we here to tell anyone how to live. Our whole purpose is to protect this planet.”
“What about all the people starving, or suffering from disease? How can you let that continue?” Dentin countered.
“Actually, we haven’t been letting it continue. There is a small fleet of shuttles that make daily runs from the Moon to drop food and medical supplies in countries that need them. I'll grant that most of those supplies are probably being grabbed by bad people, but we do know that at least some of them are getting to those that need it.
"Have you noticed lately how many commercials there have been claiming that ‘your efforts have helped so many, and if you would just give more…’ Well, the money gained from donations hasn’t actually done much since it was all getting used up in the administrations of each organization. We’ve been dropping food and medicine into the worst spots for most of the last couple of years. Once this emergency is passed, maybe we can do more, but our main focus is going to be defense. It will be up to your people to help with damage control and dealing with the casualties. No matter how you slice it, there are going to be lots of casualties,” Alan said grimly.
