by TS Paul
Jeo only stared at Peter. “But…” Peter shook his head no.
“But…” Jeo was completely without words.
“I really am sorry Jeo, but my orders come straight from the Queen. You and the students in this room represent far more than your job or class position. The future of our Empire and access to our technology lies within all of you. I can use a computer, but I can’t build one. Unlike your escapades with Delta Class, this adventure will have security and fewer pods. The countries of the world are not our friends anymore. They only want what they can beg, borrow, or steal from us. We can go, but not until tomorrow. I have to make a few arrangements first.”
“Well, hell. We can’t take even a small trip? What if it was to one of our allies?” Jeo looked at Peter with a puppy dog face.
Peter scrunched up his face and looked at Jeo. “What ally?”
“Schwabenland. What they did down there boggles the engineering mind. Isn’t the Queen in negotiations with them?”
Peter just stared at his new charge. For a moment, he pursed his lips and looked to one side. “How do you know about that? I was under the impression that those particular negotiations were secret. The technology those people are using is not up to our standards, but it is unique for something created seventy years ago. You need to tell me just how you found out about it, though. We have very few intel leaks and like to keep it that way.”
All five members of Alpha Class looked at each other. Schwabenland? What was that?
“Uh, I may have interacted with a scientist friend of mine trying to decide how a certain group used magnetic and steam power technology to lift and support their base. We were drinking and…”
A hand came up, “Stop right there.” Peter shook his head. “I swear the Queen should just put those three on leashes! If it were up to me, I would muzzle them too. I’ll take care of it. DO NOT talk to them about it or any other vaguely top secret projects without checking with the Queen first. Just don’t. I will contact flight control and have the experimental pods readied. We are only looking, not getting out and walking around.”
Jeo waved at Peter. “Fine. I appreciate it.” He turned toward the students.
“Now in the 1920s and early 1930s, there was a group of mystics in Germany called the Thule Society. They had a small group of women amongst them known as the Vril or Vril Maidens. They were mediums and claimed they were in contact with aliens that lived in Alpha Centauri. These aliens gave them technology that was far beyond anything on the planet at that time. Using implosive, rather than explosive, technology they constructed the first spaceship. With the aid of the Nazi’s, the Thule group built a base in Antarctica on territory that Germany explored and claimed in 1938.”
Peter looked up from his tablet and frowned. Someone has definitely been talking-out-of-school! He only knew about Schwabenland because he had been there. The background wasn’t something you could just find on the internet. Those three were going to be the death of him he just knew it.
“… so they were still there. In 1946 the US Government sent a military expedition to search for this hidden base. The public reason was investigating the territory, looking for threats, and doing cold weather testing. They were attacked by strange flying craft and Admiral Byrd, the leader of the expedition, went missing for over three hours during a mission. It is assumed that during that time period he made a truce with the Vril. In 1952 they came to Washington, DC to ratify that truce with President Truman.”
“Wait… Mr. Jeo, uh, sir? How come none of this is in history books? I mean, wow, flying saucers and Nazis? You would think a news journalist would be all over that one.” Rob spoke up.
“Just call me Jeo. It was in the papers. There were over four hundred reports of flying saucers and alien craft that year. It was in that same year that Project Blue Book by the US Air Force was starting to track the reports. Interestingly enough, there was an earlier project in 1948, after the Antarctica fiasco, doing the same thing. So, the Thule or Vril people were real. The base was real, and now the Etheric Empire is in communication with them. This is important to us for a variety of reasons.”
Tina raised her hand. “Jeo? Was it the Vril that attacked the Navy ships in Antarctica not too long ago?”
Jeo glanced at Peter. Peter raised an eyebrow and looked back at him. “Those were someone else entirely. If I say who, I think Peter over there might eat me.”
Tina and the others all turned to look at the Guardian commander. Peter was muttering curses under his breath and shaking his head.
“Let’s discuss the reasons they are important to engineers before that happens. Remember this was the 1940s. Technology was limited to combustion based engines and very primitive electrical grids. The alien messages to the Vril gave them magnetic technology. The ship design and other tech used an enormous amount of energy and were not very efficient. Our Alien adviser TOM thinks this disparity in tech to energy is based upon the tech base of Germany. The Aldebaran aliens were trying to help the Vril build up to a stronger level. The base in Antarctica was to be the test base for new tech and also to be used as a refuge for those in the society. The German craft you found on the moon, most likely came from Schwabenland. If we were landing, we might ask them about it.” Once again he looked to Peter who now had a not so nice gleam in his eye.
“The base itself is composed of one-hundred-ton rock walls supporting thousands of tons of ice. How has it been constructed thousands of miles away from any form of construction equipment? When we visit, I will show you the wall I’m talking about. That is if Peter will allow it. Peter?”
Peter sighed. “I spoke to my boss and passed a message up the line to the Queen. We can visit Schwabenland, but no landings. In fact, we will have the local EI control the ships, so there are no deviations. The Empire is still in negotiations with the Vril, no reason to poke-the-bear and piss them off. Please inform the EIs where you specifically want to go.”
He went back to typing.
“Great! Go dump your stuff in the dormitory. Samantha can show you the way. Then meet me in the construction hanger in an hour. Bring your spacesuits and helmets just in case. Accidents do happen. I’m sure Peter will meet us there.” Jeo motioned to Samantha and then left the room.
Peter watched Jeo leave and shook his head.
This was not going to be a fun assignment.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“General Vlákas? We are almost there.” Lieutenant Buckley touched the General on his arm. They were on an Air Force transport plane rather than one of the more luxurious ones. Very few pilots were given clearance to enter what is known as Dreamland airspace. Even fewer landed at the Groom Lake facility. A daily cargo service did exist, and that was the easiest way to get there.
“What? Buckley is that you? Are we there?” The General had been napping and wasn’t all that awake yet.
“Almost, Sir. The pilots tell me that we will land in a few moments. They advise for you to have any orders available to be examined. The security is very tight.”
“Hmmph. We will see about that. They will answer my questions, or I will shut this place down.” The General stared out the small porthole at what appeared to be desert and small hills.
~~~~~~~
“Who did you say is on that plane?”
“General Vlákas and his aide. He bullied his way on board and ordered the pilot to take off. My spies in Washington say he’s here to investigate the anti-pod defenses as well as our research into gravitic engines. One of our people let slip that we had never been able to get ‘the’ engines to work before.” Director of Special Projects Kenneth Bigham rubbed the back of his own neck and shook his head.
Why did he have to work with idiots?
“I hope he is no longer in that department and we have had the loose-lips conversation with him?” His assistant director Charles Williams nodded.
Charles smiled. “He’s on his way to the research station on Little Diomede. They are conducting bird impact st
udies as well as oceanographic studies he can help with there.”
“Really? I thought he was a theoretical particle physicist? I had no idea we even had a current base way up there.” The Director is only worried about the base personnel. His assistant did the off base and more reclusive people.
“It’s not permanent. He will learn the meaning of loose lips really quick.”
“As long as it was taken care of. I don’t need to know the details. Is there anything here for Vlákas to find?” The Director looked out his office window at the flight line.
“The Majestic file and all the artifacts were moved after the last time he was here.” As soon as the word Majestic was uttered Director Bigham whirled around to confront his aide.
“Do not Speak that word here. It was slips of the tongue that got us here in the first place. Damn it, Charles! Do you want a visit from them again?”
“Yes, Sir. Sorry.”
“Show the General whatever he wishes to see. Play dumb when it comes to them or anything about TQB. Refer him to me if you falter. That should be fairly easy for you. Just act normal.”
Kenneth stared out his window after Charles left. All he ever wanted to be was a scientist. He took the director job with an eye to the future. Sometimes he wished he never heard the name Majestic or even met them before.
It was three administrations ago, his first week on the job and he could remember it like it was yesterday.
The new Director of Special Projects position came open, and he snatched it up. His schooling was in experimental engineering and development, but his parents had forced him to minor in business administration. Making the leap from hard science to leadership had not been a hardship. The money was better too. His first week was filled with documentation and light instruction by a veritable sea of government helpers and paper-pushers. Kenneth was tired and had returned to his office to rest and continue to read. There was a Director’s log book of sorts that kept track of the job and what it entailed.
“Welcome back Director Bigham.” Kenneth spun around to see a large, robust looking man sitting in the chair behind the door shaded in darkness.
“This is a private office. You are not authorized to be here, and I’m calling security!” Kenneth took two steps toward his desk and froze. A loud zinging noise echoed in the room. He couldn’t move at all!
“Please don’t move anymore. My… friends wouldn’t like it. We have a great deal to discuss you and I. I would prefer it to be civil and calm but if you wish to be frozen for all of it, I will understand. What will it be?” The man had a soft-spoken voice.
Kenneth shook his head or at least tried to. He managed to make a small grunting noise.
“Oops. I forgot.” The man looked toward Kenneth’s desk. “Fix him please.”
There was another humming noise, and Kenneth could move. “Who are you?”
“Ah, good. Your choice Director?”
Kenneth longed to run for it or grab his phone, but there was another in the room beside this man. “Calm. Please.”
“Excellent. Now have a seat.” Ken felt a chair scoot forward and catch his legs from behind. Without turning around, he sat.
“How much do you know about the history of this place? Better yet. How much do you know about Aliens?”
Ken could only stare at the man. What was this? Was he one of those UFO nuts that kept trying to sneak onto the base?
“I’ve confused you. Sorry. This base was created originally to investigate technology that we acquired from a few non-public sources over the years. Is there an alien spacecraft here? The answer as you know is ‘no.’ Was there one here? Yes, there was. More than one actually.”
The man chuckled. “Don’t look so shocked. We, America, had a huge boost in technology after the past couple of major wars. Where did you think it all came from? Tubes to microcircuits in less than a decade? We’re good, but not that good. I work for an agency in our government whose job it is to find new technology and exploit it. Harry S Truman authorized our beginnings.”
Ken started to say something, but out of the corner of his eye noticed movement. Two smallish humanoid figures were making their way around him. They had gray skin and elongated limbs. He could feel his jaw drop open.
Aliens!
“You can call me Two. We call my associates the Twins. I represent Majestic and you and I are going to be good friends.”
Ken shuddered in remembrance. Just finding out aliens were real was a shock to the system. Protecting that secret was one of the hardest things he had done to date. He needed to report this and hope to God that the spillover didn’t hurt him or his people.
~~~~~~
General Chun studied the large map on his wall. So much area to search. The ancient Great Wall of China stretched across the northern historical border. It was not continuous as many in the press and tourist groups would believe. Much of it had been dismantled and used for local building supplies.
Broken sections littered the landscape many miles deep into Mongolia and the very edge of the Republic. Somewhere out there was the key to his eventual rise to control of all of this and beyond.
They just needed to find two men and one monster.
Without looking, he yelled to his aide. “Have they found them yet?”
“Sir. Not to my knowledge, Sir.” Wang was the third aide in as many weeks. He was fresh from China’s version of OCS and had very few preconceived notions of what was right or wrong. Only the Party was what was important. He never questioned what became of his predecessors.
“What about the other searchers, has any of the technology been recovered?”
“Sir. According to my sources, General Xi in the Eastern Provinces has intercepted what appears to be some of what Beijing is looking for. Several security battalions are en route to him as we speak for protection.” The Lieutenant smiled. At least something had been recovered.
“Damn.” General Chun turned away from the map and his dreams of Empire building. His desk was littered with maps, folders, and empty coffee cups. All of these he brushed aside uncovering a cell phone and picked it up to make a call.
“Major Lee? I have a job for you. General Xi from Eastern Command has come into possession of some technology that is very dear to my heart. I need you to acquire it for me. Yes, you may use explosives. Be aware that there are several security groups headed in that direction. Beijing wishes the items as well.” The General nodded several times as he listened to the caller at the other end. “What? Triple? Fine. Fine. Same deal as usual. Yes, I will pay in hard currency. Understood.” He hung up the phone and waited.
“Sir! Did you just…” BLAM! The sound of the shot was loud in the small room. Chun’s bullet hit the lieutenant dead center in his forehead. Blood cascaded across the wall. There was pounding at the door as his security team came crashing inward!
“General! Are you alright?” Black suited soldiers scanned the room guns at the ready, searching for threats.
“I’m fine. I caught the lieutenant making false statements and leaking critical intel. Tell the security group to search his quarters, interrogate his bunkmates, and bring in his family. Standard procedures.”
He needed to get dumber aides. That was the third one this month.
~~~~~~
“Did we lose them?” Jìshù peered at the distant tree line.
“Maybe. They will pursue regardless, we killed two of their people. You heard the officer as well as I did. They believe we possess the technology they search for. They won’t stop searching for us. We must capture the beast and force it to reveal the hiding place. This is more than a hunt now. Now, this is for our survival.” Chang began checking his weapons.
“We don’t have anything! The group we surprised, oh so many days ago were just families. Can’t we just tell them that?” Jìshù didn’t want to die.
Chang’s face grew dark. He loomed over the smaller man. “Do you truly believe in your heart of hearts that we will be believed? Since yo
u brought it up, let’s remember what happened several weeks ago shall we? Or do you not remember the details?”
Jìshù shuddered. He remembered, and he wanted to forget. The screams and roars still haunted his dreams at night. It was just supposed to be a raid. Technology acquisition was the ultimate goal, not genocide!
He was supposed to be in charge of the technical team.
Word had reached his command that members of the Sacred Clan were fleeing through the province. A panel van with forged registration purchased petrol and supplies from a vendor at the city marketplace. Looking for a reward, the vendor’s wife turned her husband and the van into local police.
“It may be just a family dispute, but we have to check it out. Any mention of the Sacred Clan and Beijing loses their minds. Does your technical team have any clues about what we are supposed to look for?” The local army post was only about to provide four strike teams to help with the arrest. Local trackers were standing by in case any of the enemies escaped. Capture if possible was what the orders had said. All belongings were to be turned over to the science team for investigation.
