by TS Paul
“Boris we know. He is our protector. Without him, all of us would have been killed a long time ago. This story is not something I know.” Yana stared at Tina.
Boris was a force of nature in her lost homeland.
“Yana’s right. Boris is why all the Russian kids and their families joined us. He saved many people. After the base attack, the government tried to move in, and Colorado wasn’t safe for us anymore. My mother took my brother and me to the underground base in Australia.” Tina reached over the seat and patted Maxim on his shoulder.
Jeo looked surprised. Even out in the asteroid belt, he had heard parts of this story before. It amazed him these kids talked about it so calmly. “Sorry to disappoint you but we aren’t going to Australia. Anyone else care to hazard a guess?”
“Romania.”
“I’m sorry Ron. Did you say Romania? It’s in the opposite direction, but we could be taking a long way around. Why would we go there?” Jeo looked at him.
“It’s where Michael and Stephen came from. TOM too. My dad said that was where TOM’s spaceship landed and stayed for a thousand years.”
“Interesting. Sorry, Ron. Not Romania though that does sound like an interesting place to visit. I bet they have a lot of wide open spaces that would be a good place for Wechselbalg to hang out.” Jeo smiled.
“One last guess. Anyone?”
Yana spoke up. “I would guess Russia, but I know that is the wrong answer. Too much trouble there with our benefactor Boris’s secret war against the state. Too risky for us. China is my second guess, but they hate TQB too much to let us move about freely.”
“You are right that China is wrong. Even though China surrendered to our Empire after attacking us, they are still trying to steal our technology. That would be a very unsafe place for us. As would Russia. Sorry, Yana. I can’t take you to your homeland.” Jeo’s smile was a sad one.
“No. Russia isn’t my homeland anymore. My place is here in the new Empire we have sworn to. All of you are my family, and this is my homeland now.” Yana sat forward and motioned to everyone.
“We have studied both modern and ancient architecture styles. Now we will take a look at one of the biggest things man has ever created, the Great Wall of China.” Jeo smiled.
“But, you just said we weren’t going to China!” Maxim blurted out.
“I did. The wall wasn’t built just in China or I should say the China as it exists today. Historically, China was a lot bigger than it is now. The Great Wall that most people are familiar with has only been in existence for a thousand years. There are parts of the wall over two thousand years old.” Jeo pulled up a map on the screen. It showed several colored lines tracing their way across China, Mongolia, Russia, and the Far Eastern section of India.
Jeo pointed to a bunch of lines around the Northern part of modern China. “This is where the tourists all go. Those parts have been restored and are in the five or six-hundred-year range. The sections way up by Russia are right at a thousand years old.” Pictures flashed on the screen of neat and orderly sections of walls with guard towers and hundreds of tourists.
“What interests us are the sections built during the Han dynasty. Construction started on these over two thousand years ago. The Emperor at the time wanted to protect his country from invaders called Huns, and he wanted to collect taxes on what was known as the Silk Road. Walls that were even older already stood in many of these places. They were reinforced and built up, so they were more effective.” Jeo traced on the map lines far to the west of China.
“What is the Silk Road?” Tina stared at the map.
“Good question Tina. Just a small bit of history. The Silk Road was the overland trade route from Europe to Asia. This was the road that Marco Polo took to China and parts east. He is credited in Western history with discovering Asia.”
Jeo laughed at some of their expressions.
“I know it sounds ridiculous. There were entire civilizations out there that according to history were lost until a guy from Italy found them. History is written by the victors. Always remember that. The guy that lost the battle rarely gets his book written. Poor Marco may have been credited with finding Asia, but those from what is now the Middle East had always known where it was.” Jeo paused. He glanced at the video screen and could see all eyes riveted on him. Even those of Peter from the other ship.
“Arabic and Persian traders were braving the Silk Road centuries before Marco Polo. Those traders go all the way back to Greek and Roman times. Alexander the Great, a Greek, led an army all the way to India before getting himself killed. It was only the knowledge of Asia that was lost.” Jeo smiled.
“I got off track, and I do apologize. The Silk Road. So you are a trader, and you manage to make it all the way to China with your money still part of your belongings. You spend everything you have to buy the most you and your caravan can carry. Many in the West wanted spices, silk, Jade, porcelain, and other rare items. Once loaded you travel the highways attempting to get home with the treasure you bought. The army can only be at one place at a time. Bandits were as thick then as they are now. They would attack the caravan or exact tolls. Each time you wanted to cross a mountain range or bridge, there was a guy there to take a piece of your pie. Sometimes the bandit was the government of whatever province you were in!”
“But if they were robbed along the way, why do it?” Nestor asked.
“Because the robbers didn’t take it all. If they did that the merchant wouldn’t come back and the bandit would starve. It was a bit of giving and taking. The merchant would start out with ten packhorse’s filled with treasure but only had two or three when he returned home. The items he brought home were worth more than ten times the price he paid. Many of the spices were the things of Kings. It was worth the trouble to try each time to bring back more than the time before. The Wall helped to protect the merchants from the bandits. But to do so, they too required a small payment but not as much as the bandits, of course.”
The kids laughed. “So, that was the Silk Road in a nutshell. Where we are going is Mongolia. Right on the edge of China but far enough in avoiding much of the recent nastiness.” Jeo traced the section on the map.
“This was rebuilt many times when China ruled the area. After the rise of Genghis Khan, much of China’s area was reduced. Protecting China wasn’t the goal of The Great Khan. Conquering Europe was. But I will let you read up on that on your own. I made sure to have the pertinent bits downloaded to your tablets. It’s a good read and very interesting. My favorite quote from that time period is ‘he made a desert and called it peace.’ Research that phrase and you will discover why the Queen reduced the Shan mountains to dust to make a point. It could have been Beijing.”
Jeo waved his hands in the air. “Enough history. Check your monitors and behold. One of the oldest sections of the Great Wall of China. The pod will land in a moment. We are camping out tonight.” The monitors showed a ruined wall that stretched for miles across dusty plains and sparse forest. It only vaguely resembled the one from the pictures with all the tourists.
Both crafts settled down in a clearing next to a larger section of the ruined wall. A small bit of forest was to their rear. The rest was rubble filled and desert-like.
Peter used the ship's sensors to scan the area and other than very few small animals there was no sign of humans. “It looks clear. Remember if there is any sign of trouble, return to the pods first. Does everyone understand?”
All the kids signaled their understanding. For Tina and Ron, this was their first time on Earth in a while. All of them took deep breaths as soon as the pod opened. “We’ll make camp over there by the ruins. I ordered tents and camping supplies for this adventure.”
Peter and Alpha Class started unloading the pod as Jeo directed.
“Why am I doing all the work?” Peter asked as he dropped several large bags that looked to contain tents.
“Because you are much stronger than I am.” Jeo smiled at him.
“Oh. Ok.” Peter began to plot his revenge.
When it came time to pack up, he would find somewhere else to be.
If any of the students or instructors had been paying attention, they might have noticed a pair of gleaming eyes watching from the closest surviving wall parapet.
~~~~~~~
“There is too little information to call a general alert. My boss told me to activate all the border defense units in the area. There is at least one unit of the General Purpose Force on training maneuvers in the province. I can get them to help on a temporary basis. Command has promised us at least one of the Mi-24 Hind helicopters. All the rest are down for repairs. The central city defense force has two ZSU- 23-4s that they promise will get here by morning. I don’t know what effect they will have on TQB, but they should keep the Chinese from us.” Shing looked at the map and pointed out the locations of units.
“You did all that in a day?” Rong was only able to get the local commander to release five platoons of Security troops.
“My cousin works in Central Command. But the answer to your question is yes. There had better be something there, or my head is on the block. Yours too.” He pointed at Kwan who was still shaking in his boots.
“My commander promised me five platoons of Security troops, but they have tanks.” Rong smiled.
Shing pursed his lips. “Do you know what kind?”
“T-34 and T-54s is what he said.”
Shing shook his head. “Those are relics. If we run into bandits, they might be useful, but I doubt it. Did Kwan pinpoint where they could be hiding?”
Rong looked down at the map. “Here. According to him, there is a section of the Han wall here. Kwan says this spot here has a small tower still standing.”
“Really? And you never told anyone, did you? Your own little treasure hunt.” Shing glared at the little thief.
“Why is that important?” Rong knew about the tower too. He remembered playing in it as a child.
Shing took in a deep breath and let it out. “The antiquities department put out a call for historical locations they could use to attract tourists a few years ago. That one sounds perfect for them. Your arrest is getting closer and closer.” He pointed a finger at Kwan.
Staring at the map, Shing did some math in his head. “Order all available units to meet us right here tomorrow morning at 0900. We will send the border patrol out as scouts. They can prevent the men from escaping.”
“Is TQB technology that valuable?” Kwan finally spoke.
“More than you and your entire family could ever come up with. The nation that holds it could rule the world.”
Kwan’s jaw dropped open.
~~~~~~~~
“What is our status?” General Chun sat leaning over a huge well lit map table.
“Special forces will drop in at 0800 to secure the outer perimeter. Satellite scans only show small animals and a few isolated human forms. They may be hidden. One of them is a well-informed scientist.” His new aide read from a report.
“Air Command has committed a light squadron of Chengdu J-20s. They will be on standby and circle to the East if needed. Regular People's Army units will enter the field from here at 1000 hours. The terrain is rough, and only our APC’s and light tanks can traverse it.” Colonel Jung marked the units on the map.
Chun chewed on the knuckle of his left hand. It was a bad habit from his youth. “What about local Mongolian forces? Do we have enough firepower to keep them away from our lost troops?”
Colonel Jung sucked in a breath. “Sir, the light tanks should be able to handle anything they have. The last report I had was this area only had T-34s.”
Chun chuckled. “My Grandfather served in those during the Great Patriotic War. You’re right Colonel. Even our light tanks will cut them like a hot knife through butter. I spoke to General Kou myself. He will support us to the East and lend us troops, if needed. According to Beijing, the technology is the most important thing to China at the moment. They have sent orders to commit whatever and whoever to the pursuit. Keep their support in mind. Find them and become a hero of the people. Simple.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“… I had no idea what was happening. One minute Weres my age were protesting against what they called Vampire Rule, and in the next, gunfire was everywhere. Remember, this was the first time many of our people had even seen a vampire. They assumed that Bethany Anne, being new, was weak and ineffectual. Boy, were they wrong about that! She had these four humans with her, and they were some scary dudes. If you said or did the wrong thing, they would just shoot you! My father and Gerry, the Pack Alpha, were there, but I really thought I was dead. Imagine my surprise when she says I’m to be trained by her guards. Those four were the very first Bit….uh, Guardians.” Peter sat on a large rock. The nearby crackling fire pit lit the clearing with flickering shadows.
“Were you scared?” Tina stared at him across the fire.
“Yes. I didn’t know what to do. Breaking Rule One is a death sentence. When I saw Nathan Lowell there, I almost pissed myself. But then I met the Queen for the first time and knew true fear. The way she looks at you can make you feel so small sometimes. She simply does not put up with troublemakers of any kind. Respect her, learn from her, and love her, but never, ever betray her. Several members of the Pack found that out years later.”
“What about you, Jeo?” Ron asked.
He smiled, “She gave me a job. The thing about TQB that upsets much of the world is that we collect the best of the best. Our Queen doesn’t allow talented people to be wasted. I was in a dead-end job working for a guy that hated people. He only wanted to line his own pockets. Somehow ADAM and the Queen found me and hired me. For me, the rest is history.” Jeo tossed a fresh log on the fire, sending sparks cascading into the sky.
Ron stared into the fire. “I’ve never been camping before. This is nice.”
“I would say I’ll bring you again, but this may be our last trip to Earth for a while unless you count Australia. Too many wars and conflicts are going on right now. Use our recent experiences as the example.” Peter looked across the fire at Ron.
“Why did we leave Washington so fast? We barely had time to put on the seat restraints,” Yana asked.
“Yana, the controlling EI notified me that five or six groups of aircraft were headed in our direction. I can’t take the chance of one of you or the pod falling into their hands. It’s like here. The first sign of trouble, and we leave. Jeo understands that this is a security issue, not one of education.” Peter waved in the scientist’s direction.
“Jeo, can we look around some?” Tina stood up from the fire.
“Sure. Take one of the portable lights and a buddy. Please stay in sight of the camp.”
Tina grabbed Ron, and they ran over to the ruined wall section. Maxim and Nestor started chuckling.
“Am I missing something?” Jeo looked over at Peter, who was smiling.
“You don’t see it?” Said Peter grinning at him.
“No. What am I missing?” Jeo looked back at Peter.
“She likes him. They could make a good couple. Never been in love or infatuation, Jeo?” Peter raised an eyebrow at him.
“Oh. Oh, I get it now. Sorry. I spend too much time in dark rooms staring at computer screens.”
“You think?” Peter replied.
The Wechselbalg boys started laughing at the expression on Jeo’s face.
~~~~~~~
Ron finished kissing Tina and stared up at the stars. “It’s hard to believe we live up there.”
Slipping her arms around Ron, Tina looked down into his face. ”Why do you say that?”
“It wasn’t all that long ago we were in Colorado. The Queen and her people move fast.”
“True.” She looked away from him and began to check out the ruins. Her spotlight showed extremely worn stonework with very faint traces of decoration or ancient graffiti. The section of wall they were parked by contained a small tower with rooms.
Her light passed over the entrance to a room, and a flash of something shiny caught her attention.
“Ron?” Tina shone the light into the ruined doorway, and two gleaming eyes looked back at her. She made a short cry of surprise.
Her abbreviated scream broke Ron away from his observation of the sky. At the same time, Peter came running toward them, drawn by her cry of fear.
“What is is? Are you alright?” Ron almost fell over as he spun around quickly.
Peter appeared at her side with guns at the ready and a snarl on his face. “Where’s the danger?”
“There’s something in there!” Tina pointed at the doorway. “I saw eyes watching me from in there.”
Peter breathed in a deep breath. “I don’t smell anything but nature. Shine the light again.”
