by Ben Winston
Adam sat there staring at the private for a few minutes. “If this is some kinda of prank, private…”
“No, sir! It’s no prank! She is waiting for you at the gate,” the man said throwing a thumb over his left shoulder to indicate the big weapon emplacement.
'The gate' was a gate in the chain-link fence the drones had put up to keep curious people from accidentally walking into the force shield. Adam quickly put his gear back on and followed the private to where a very attractive black woman in Terran Marine Uniform waited. She wore an arm band that had the rank of a master sergeant and the insignia of air-defense artillery. As he approached, she came to attention and saluted.
The woman spoke, “Sir, my apologies for disturbing you this late in the day. However, a potential problem has been identified by my superiors. I have been instructed to brief you. I am Master Sergeant Tonya Miles, Terran Marine Corps.”
Adam returned her salute. “Lieutenant Colonel Adam Wells, U.S. Army. What’s the problem, Sergeant?”
She put her hand to her ear and spoke, “Control? Raise cannon two; maintenance mode please.” She turned as large doors opened and a rumbling was felt through the ground. A huge weapons platform rose into the evening light; looking like a large headless statue. Each of the ‘arms’ were short and ended in what looked like two forward pointing ‘fingers’. “Sir, the problem comes from this, our anti-aircraft defense cannon. Those finger looking appendages are actually high-velocity; high-speed cannons not dissimilar from your Vulcan, air defense gun. This one, however, fires rounds at a very high speed, that is not only does that thing fire at about a thousand rounds a second; the rounds themselves have a hyper-sonic muzzle velocity.”
“Hyper-sonic?” Adam asked, amazed at the weapon displayed before him.
“Yes, sir. Between twenty and forty times the speed of sound.”
“Holy shit! So what’s the problem?”
“Well sir, I don’t know how much you know about physics, but do you know what a sonic shockwave could do to anyone near this when we fire it?”
When he shook his head no, she put her hand to her ear again. “Control, Test fire procedure on cannon two-bravo; One round, ice, Confirm safe trajectory of zero, nine-zero, at five percent power.”
Everyone froze as the huge gun spun effortlessly in place and pointed straight up into the sky. As it started to move, the barrels on the inside left cannon started to spin very rapidly and a soft whine could be heard.
Suddenly, Adam felt like the air had been sucked out of his lungs, and the whole world moved in his vision followed by a series of sharp, rapid, multiple booms that sounded like thunder on speed. It staggered him, but didn’t knock him down. His ears were ringing and his heart was racing. “Mother of God!”
Tonya snickered, but agreed with him. She put her hand back to her ear piece. “Thank you, control. Proceed with ground clutter and contour mapping before retracting the gun.” She turned back to the Colonel. “Now do you begin to see the problem, sir? If I have a couple of fighters coming in, say over Central Park east, and I need to fire, I’d take out the whole east side of the park.”
“I see. Have you figured out a way to keep that from happening?” Adam asked.
“Yes, sir. Our engineers have developed a sort of dampener to be installed on the surrounding buildings. That will be happening shortly. Now, I've received orders that we are to fit you and your men with armor and weapons; the armor will protect you from the shockwaves, but any civilians in the area are going to get the full brunt.
The bright boys up on the moon have figured out a way to generate a dampening field that will help the structures, but the human ear is too sensitive to be protected. So, we've also been authorized to make hundreds of pairs of special hearing protectors. They are to be handed out to as many people as will take them. I'm sure several will be taken to be checked out, but that's okay, we can make more. I've been asked to ask you and your men to begin handing them out to all civilians. If you need more, just let us know.
Just then the maintenance access hatch opened to allow the construction drones to leave. They rose into the air turned toward different directions and seemingly disappeared.
“What? Where are they going? How did they…” Adam asked.
“Those are the construction drones going out to install those dampeners I mentioned. We are cloaking them so as not to cause panic if anyone were to see them away from here. The devices they are installing will also be invisible. We don’t want any of them to be removed since that would most likely mean destruction for the building it was supposed to protect,” Tonya explained.
“Well, I guess that explains how come we haven’t seen you get resupplied. I was going to ask you about that.”
“I’m sorry, Colonel. There are some things we are not allowed to tell you, but we haven’t been resupplied, we don’t need to be. Every installation is completely self-sufficient. I can’t tell you how. I have also been authorized to give you visual identification cards for all our craft as well as what we know of enemy craft.”
As they where talking, a lone construction drone had been moving boxes to the gate. Tonya asked the drone for one pair of the ear guards and one stack of the ID cards.
The drone beeped and a panel slid open revealing her requests. She took them and the big drone moved off to finish its task.
“What is that thing, exactly?” Adam asked.
“Special-purpose, intelligent robot, basically. We call them drones because they are mostly controlled by a remote computer system. Now, here is the hearing protector. As you can see, they look just like normal the ear protectorion worn by construction workers. They have been tested, and will eliminate ninety-nine percent of the damaging noise, while still allowing the wearer to hear. The electronics inside them are all standard Earth technology so we’re not letting anything slip by giving them to you. Each case has several of the batteries that they need to work, but if the battery fails they will still protect the wearer, they just won’t be able to hear anything else until they take them off. All of the other installations will be, or are doing the same thing we are. So there should be no shortage of supplies. We will allow your troops on the site to remove the boxes. I am told to instruct you that we are also monitoring your radio frequencies in case of emergency. So if you need anything, we will answer to 'missile command' or 'missile control'.”
Adam nodded as he issued orders for troops to collect the boxes. “Sergeant, we've heard so many different things about you folks; everything from you being human, to kidnapped humans that that are controlled by aliens. I don't mean to be rude, but what are you folks, exactly?”
She chuckled, “Colonel, I grew up on the lower-east side. When my husband was killed by the gangs, I skipped paying rent for a month, took my welfare check and moved. I didn’t want to lose any of our children the way I lost their father. I ended up in Reno, Nevada, finished high school then went to college all on a special program they had there. I got a job as a correctional officer at a prison and worked there until I was recruited by these people.
"It was the best choice I ever made. No discrimination, no gangs, no drugs and my kids! They are out-of-this-world happy! My oldest is planning on becoming a fighter pilot after he finishes a Master's Degree degree in astrophysics. The twins are about to graduate high school but haven’t decided what they want to do yet.”
“You can’t have children that old! What are you? Twenty-four?” Actually he though she was younger, but the level of competence and maturity she had shown had to come from a more mature person.
“You think I’m twenty-four? Try thirty-three. My oldest is seventeen and the twins are fifteen,” Tonya answered him.
“They’re graduating from high school at fifteen! That’s unheard of! When will your oldest get his degree?” Adam asked.
“He still has a semester and a half to finish his graduate degree. But lately he has been making noises about going all the way to PhD. We have an excellent school pro
gram set up; where the kids pretty much learn at their own pace. Mine got a later start than some so they are older than the average for graduation. The hardest part for them was making the move in the first place. It took some getting used to, adjusting to living on the moon, then another planet.”
“It sounds too good to be true. There has got to be a fly in the ointment somewhere,” Adam said.
“Other than the fact that we are at war, I don’t know what it would be. We do have a completely different culture than what would be allowed here on Earth. Personal freedoms have much more value. Religion has no political power at all, but it is protected as a personal freedom. It’s pretty much a different world than the one we left behind. I imagine a lot of people might have a problem with that, but the system is just, fair and makes sense.”
“Damn, where do I sign up?” He chuckled. “My daughter needs that kind of environment. She’s starting to get into the drugs and is hanging out with some real trouble-makers at school.”
Tonya chuckled. “No offense, sir, but you wouldn’t be accepted until your commitment to the army down here is completed. One of the customs is honoring oaths. It’s a tradition that is so old and carries so much weight that it has the force of law. Even verbal oaths are honored. If one of us ever uses the words; ‘I swear to you…’ you can count on it happening. There are no crooked politicians, if someone makes a campaign promise, they can be dismissed from office for not fulfilling it.”
“Wow, that sounds even better. I bet the kids had a hard time adjusting to that! It seems every time I turn around my daughter is saying the words ‘I promise’ about something or another. Wait, I didn't think you guys have been up there all that long. How can you have traditions?” Adam asked.
“When they started it, the Admiral and the rest based our society on the race that built our first starship; Star Dancer. That's where we get most of our laws and customs. As for kids and the whole 'I promise' thing; unless emancipated, only such oaths made to parents are binding until the child reaches their majority or have lived among us long enough to know better. New people have to wear a special bracelet until they have acclimated to our culture and customs. That way if they mess up, no one really holds them accountable for it; instead, they are simply informed of the transgression. Of course there is the common sense stuff like you don’t open an airlock with out a suit, you don’t kill, rape or steal. Anything else can be taken to an adjudicator,” Tonya explained.
“No drugs or gangs?” Adam asked.
“Some drugs are legal to use in off duty hours, such as alcohol and marijuana and a few others, but surprisingly enough, no one seems to use them all that much. We have other things to distract us. For example, you can attend college, for free, at anytime you wish. You want to learn to play the guitar? Sign up for a class. Video games, movies, music; anything you want to do is usually available anytime you want to do it.”
“What about medical and living conditions? Come to think of that, if you’re here, where are your kids?” Adam asked.
“The twins are at home with my spouse. Jacob is on the moon base attending classes. Our medical science is also pretty advanced and we have some excellent doctors. As for the living conditions… well, let’s just say that I absolutely love our house. It overlooks the harbor and faces west, so we get to watch the suns setting over the ocean in the evenings. The kids all have their own rooms complete with their own bathrooms and entertainment systems. I should mention that the entertainment system is also their computer and telephone. They attend classes over the network via the planetary administrator's office. But attend field trips, dances, and other get-together with kids their own age and skill levels. It’s really a neat system.”
“It sounds like it. You’ll have to give me your phone number so I can call you in three months when my current enlistment is up. They were going to promote me to full colonel to keep me in, but I don’t think it’s worth my family. I’ll have to think about it some more and talk it over with Marge,” Adam admitted.
“Well, there are other things that you will have to consider before you could make a final decision anyway and I can’t tell you about those until you are serious about joining. I’ll tell you what, you give me your name and address, and I’ll have one of our people stop by and see you in a couple of months. Provided we are all still here and the planet has a breathable atmosphere,” Tonya chuckled.
“Are these… enemies, really that bad? With all your advanced technology you can’t be more confident of beating them back if and when they do show up?” Adam asked.
“Sir, you’re a soldier, you know better than to ask that question. The only absolute in war is death. We are doing everything we can do to make sure we don’t lose the planet. I can tell you that if they show up here, they are going to be in for a serious fight. When the Admiral's plans get finished, we'll be one of the most well protected planets in the Alliance.”
Adam nodded agreement. ”When do you want to start with the armor and weapons upgrades for my soldiers?"
"I'll get with you tomorrow morning and we can work up a schedule. It's getting kind of late tonight to get into that, and it'll give us a chance to finish our adjustments for the equipment here," Tonya replied.
"Great, I'll look forward to it. Thanks for the hearing protectors; I'll get my folks distributing them ASAP," Adam replied.
“You’re welcome, Colonel. Just holler if you need anything more,” Tonya said by way of parting.
The following morning, Tonya arrived in the command tent shortly after Adam finished his morning shave. He was about to go to breakfast when the Terran Master Sergeant intercepted him.
"Good Morning, Sergeant. I was about to go eat breakfast, care to join me?" Adam offered.
"Actually Sir, if you can wait a few moments, I'll buy you breakfast. I have a surprise for you and your men," Tonya replied, grinning. "You might want to include your officers if their not busy."
Adam gave the order for the company commanders to report to the Operations Center immediately before turning back to Tonya. "If I may ask, what's with the armor? Are you expecting trouble?"
Tonya was still grinning. "Nope, this is for demonstration purposes for you and your men. I brought my pulse rifle as well." She turned slightly so Adam could see the weapon attached to her back.
"I'd ask all the questions I have right now, but I have a feeling you're going to be answering them for me in a few minutes anyway," Adam replied smiling.
"I hope I do, but feel free to ask after the explanation. If you think of something later, you can ask any of my knuckle-draggers too. They are actually the ones going to be doing most of the work," Tonya replied.
The first of the company commanders arrived then and Adam began introductions. As soon as all the men arrived, Adam looked at at Tonya. "Okay Sergeant, we're all here."
Tonya nodded to him. "Thank you Sir. Gentleman, acting on the orders of my commanders, and with the full agreement of the United States Military, in addition to the emergency shelter, we've built a small base for your battalion here underground. At oh-two-hundred this morning, I was informed that base is now complete and ready for you and your men to move in."
"You built a base here?" one of the Captains asked, astounded.
Tonya nodded. "We did. Our part of it is on a small annex, but for the most part, the rest of it is yours. It includes sleeping quarters, a firing range to train on the new weapons, and armory as well as a motor pool for your vehicles. It is attached, by a restricted access corridor to the civilian shelter at the north end of the park and will be sharing the medical facilities with that shelter.
"We worked around the various underground stuff here, like the subway and sewer systems, gas mains and electrical runs. Some stuff, like the gas mains and the electrical were rerouted in some places, but every thing's finished now and it's ready for you to move in. If you'll follow me, I'll give you a tour," Tonya finished.
"You've only been here for what, two weeks? How did
you get all of that finished in such a short amount of time?" another Captain asked.
"We have advanced construction methods and use drones for most of the work. A lot of what those drones do is still classified, but it turns out to be safer and much much faster than current methods. The places near the subway won't even know a train just went by; the walls are sound and vibration dampened." Tonya explained. "We even incorporated some of the ideas we used for the moon base as well as other underground installations to make living underground more tolerable."
"Like what?" Adam asked.
"Like each of the residence quarters have windows you can open and feel a breeze, holograms outside the windows project almost any scene you would want and the computer then replicates that environment. It's pretty neat; you can almost forget you're actually underground," Tonya explained as she led the men to a small area off to the side of one of the weapon emplacements. A small maintenance drone was waiting there for them.
Tonya stopped them. "Gentlemen, this is what we call a maintenance drone. Units like this one are what take care and maintain all of our facilities. They fix broken equipment, keep the place clean and are even capable of emergency medical treatments. Because most of the equipment in here that we will be letting you use is classified, only these units will be allowed to work on it. If anyone else tries, the equipment will self-destruct."
"Sergeant, what wrong with us using our own stuff?" one of the officers asked.
"Nothing at all Captain. Except that our equipment is mostly voice activated, is capable of accessing multiple data feeds at once, and can provide you with instant, encrypted communications that are very difficult to jam. Since your men will be wearing our armor, this system was decided on. It will give you, as commanders to make better, more informed decisions since you can access every bit of data that your troops in the field have - even visual." She turned to the drone. "Please deactivate the hologram and protective shield."
