“Once again, how do they know you won’t turn on them?”
“Yes, that is one of the major arguments. Believe me there are some of them who would see their whole species disappear before they would fight.”
“That’s nuts.”
“A very human response. The way they do it is they maintain total control of the ships that can rapidly voyage between the stars. Believe me; they keep that technology under wraps.”
“Looks like the wrong people, uh what did you call them?”
“Reptilians, they look like two-legged lizards with big bad tails.”
“Well, your Reptilian opponents already have that technology.”
“Yes, but they haven’t perfected it yet. They still disappear or blow up from time to time, but they are a danger.”
“Well, why didn’t your people fight them?”
“Oh, we did and made a good showing for ourselves in space battles. I’ve fought them in space and on the ground as well.”
“Only, there are not enough of you.”
“Bingo.”
“So you recruit from the dregs of human society, where the governments will not notice you. If anyone comes back with wild stories, he’s just a wino, and who listens to him?”
“You got it.”
“So how are we doing?”
“Well like I said, we did okay overall.”
“I hear a ‘but’ coming.’”
“Yeah, you see, between their designers and ours, we came up with some small ships that really kicked their butts in a space battle. However, we had one land battle with them.”
“Didn’t go too well?”
“That’s an understatement. We were slaughtered. A human is no match for these things. They are strong, have large teeth, and that tail is fierce. We badly overestimated how effective our infantry weapons would be against them. If it were not for our superior air cover, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. We lost the majority of our ground force.”
“I don’t like the idea of being cannon fodder, or lizard bait.”
“Neither do I, but we’ve stopped their advance, at least temporarily. However, to win, we need to win on the ground.”
“That’s a problem. What do you plan to do about it? I don’t think you will ever be able to get enough soldiers to fight if the losses are going to be that great,” Smith reasoned.
“You are correct, and we’ve been working on technology that will make the human being extremely hard to beat. It’s not perfected and has raised serious challenges. It creates another problem. Your governments will not want us to bring you back with this technology unless they can control it. We can’t allow that, and our friends are terrified that Earth’s governments will get their hands on it.”
“You seem to have problems within problems, but the main one remains. You have a terrible enemy and are in mortal danger,” Denver observed.
Something on Fitz’ belt beeped. “Yes?”
“I’ve got to go. Look, not a word to anyone and I’ll see if I can get permission to convince you on the Moon.”
“Well, that would do it for me.”
“Do it, you mean convince you that I’m not lying or convince you to join us?”
“Let’s just get to the Moon first. Right now I need to think about this.”
“Okay, but not a word to any of the others.” With that, Fitz was off.
Smith sat down on the rim and stared off into the distance. This was more than he was ready to take.
He watched in silence as they brought in several people who could just not make it. They would be paid all right, but he doubted if they would be made an offer.
An offer of a job, as what? These people, whoever they were, wanted him to be a soldier in some sort of French Foreign Legion, without the French. Was it possible? No, it could not be, could it? Was it possible the government had caught him and was trying to get him to flip out or publicly discredit himself? No, he was not that important.
What do these people really want?
Chapter 7: Decision Time
It was surreal; nothing made any sense. What was he doing in the crater of an extinct volcano, talking to someone he hardly knew about something that went against common sense? He looked from the far away vista to the small encampment and back. What was going on here, and what was he going to do next?
“Man, this story is over the top, and now I can’t even get out of here.” He sat on the rim of the volcano for a long time. Several more people came stumbling up to and over the rim. How many made it, and how many would hang around after they heard Fitz’s wild story?
At the very least, I probably should get back to something resembling civilization before I turn these people down, he figured. Okay, what do I have going here? Divorced, parents gone so no one will notice if I throw in with Captain Nemo and company. Back home I don’t know how far people are willing to go to fight the corrupt system or if I should even try.
What if he’s telling the truth? No man, that’s too weird. Okay, so what’s really going on?
“They recruit from the lost and forgotten part of society. They weed out the physically and mentally less capable. They bring us up here to test what, our physical ability? No, there are better ways to do that. They are looking for emotional stability and mental toughness,” Denver reasoned aloud with himself.
So, now they have the best they can find after putting in quite a bit of effort, and then run them off with some wild story. What’s the deal? “I don’t know – third base,” he said aloud.
The only thing that makes sense is the secret society, Captain Nemo hypothesis, Denver thought to himself. Okay, they want people to join them; they do not have enough to make babies or something. If the little, green guys and the lizard men are not the answer, then where did the technology necessary for the flying buses come from?
That is a mystery, one that I could work on by learning what I can about the buses. I’ll start there. With stiff limbs, he got to his feet. I’m going to find out what is really going on around here.
The next time he saw Fitz was back in the command bus. He and another TAC officer were looking over a screen. “I think we should forget it and pick them up,” said the TAC officer who appeared to be in charge.
“I think so too. At least our failure rate is getting better. Must be the economy. Now we are getting a better class of the down-and-out,” said Fitz.
“That’s it. I’ll send someone to pick up what’s left. You do the sales pitch.”
“That’s never fun,” said Fitz as he glanced up at Denver. “By the way, I’ve got one excellent prospect, but he wants us to show him we are not up to something else.”
“How?”
“He wants to discuss it on the Moon,” answered Fitz.
“That would convince him?”
“He says it would, at least, convince him that we are not crazy.”
“Yeah, but wouldn’t that just frighten people away?”
“I don’t know, but we need to do something,” said Fitz. “We are losing a lot of people we have put through the screening process. It shouldn’t happen at this level.”
“Maybe we’ve gotten so accustomed to spaceflight and our visitors that we don’t think it such a big deal anymore. When confronted with something way outside their experience, they panic and bolt. You see if you can sell enlistment, and I’ll see if I can sell your idea.”
“Great. Good luck,” responded Fitz.
Smith had been observing. Fitz walked over to him. “Okay, let’s break it to the rest.”
“And hope for the best,” added Denver. Together they left the bus and headed toward the mess tent.
“I spoke to one of your bus driver-pilots. He doesn’t know how it works either. He just flies it.”
“Been checking out my story?” asked Fitz.
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“As best I can.”
“You come to a decision yet?”
“I’m still holding out for the moon. Besides, I haven’t heard your offer yet,” joked Smith.
All eyes were on them as they entered the heated space. Fitz made a slow pass around the room speaking to people on his way to the coffee pot. Denver found a place where he could keep an eye on Fitz and the group. Many of the people they had started with were missing.
The attrition rate was rather high. I’ll bet we’ve lost most of those that went through the shelter I came from. I wonder how many will be lost now, Denver thought.
He watched the crowd as Fitz started. It was a little disappointing at first, no mention of little green men, just how tough we were. He did promise travel and high adventure, though. In this long-lasting recession, pay would be enough, or so Smith thought.
Throw in travel and adventure and I’m there. He wondered about the rest. A couple of them looked somewhat interested.
“Okay now, you will be called in as individuals or couples, paid, and made offers.” He called the first name, and they disappeared into a small room.
Soon he called another, but what happened to the first? There must be another exit.
Denver got up and went outside to see what had happened to the first interviewee. He soon found him sitting alone in a bus. The next came out and joined him. He could see them talking.
Eventually, he found another bus located some distance away. Only one man sat in it. He approached it and struck up a conversation.
“Hi, how did it go?” asked Denver.
“Well, enough. I guess you told them you would accept their offer.”
“It seemed interesting.”
“Well, I’m all for getting out in the galaxy, and this seems my only shot. Besides, I’ve got to see this technology.”
“Yeah, me too. Well, I think we’ve got some time, I’m hungry. I’ll see you,” said Smith.
“He said to stay here.”
“Oh, I don’t think they’ll mind.” He stood and stepped off the bus. Next, he returned to the first bus, presumably with the ones who turned them down. He stepped aboard and sat down without a word, looked out the window and pretended not to be listening.
“Well, if I had known we were with a bunch of nutcases, I never would have walked up that mountain,” one tall, lean man was saying heatedly.
Another added, “Even if it is true, I don’t want to get shot a million miles from nowhere.”
“Well, they can’t be telling the truth. This has got to be some sort of government experiment, some way to get rid of the homeless or something.”
“Well, all I know is, I don’t need it.”
Slowly the bus was filling up, and people kept talking. He got up from his seat, left without a word, and made for the second bus. It had three people in it now. Better get back to the mess hall, he thought.
When he entered, he saw Fitz. “I was beginning to wonder what happened to you.”
“I was out doing a bit of reconnoitering.”
“Really, find anything interesting?” asked Fitz.
“Yes, I did. You are not doing so great, and most of them don’t believe you.”
“We kind of figured that.”
“You got word about taking us to the Moon to make the offer?”
“Not yet.”
“I think if you make this offer on the Moon, you’ll do better.”
“Why?” inquired Fitz.
“What you are asking people to believe is just too much. Besides, put people in a totally different environment from what they are accustomed to and they might behave differently.”
“We kind of hoped the top of this mountain would do that.”
“Apparently, it’s not enough.”
“Mmmmm,” responded Fitz scratching his chin. “Maybe you are on to something. Hang on a second.”
With that, he took out his com and called. They were still working on it, but it didn’t sound too promising.
“Mind if I go and find out if there is any interest? If I’m the only one who is interested in finding out if you guys are for real or not, it might not be worth it.”
“Okay, you’re next. After you’ve heard my offer, you can go and get a headcount of the ones who might change their minds if they were shown that this is all real.”
They went into the small room where the others had gone. “Okay, Fitz, I mean Commander, what’s up?”
“First, let me pay you.” He counted out money, real money - gold.
“Where did you get that?”
“From here on in your payment will be in gold. No matter where you go, it will always retain its value, and you can turn it into the local currency. Fair enough?”
“Fair enough.”
“What we are doing is putting together an army to fight the Reptilians, as I explained. There are many among the Greys and our own leadership who don’t think this is a good idea. The ones we work for are the commanders in the field. They see the need for human fighters on planetary surfaces.
“As I explained, we really screwed up letting the Reptilians get star-drive technology. We are also partly responsible. After all, it was a joint venture. Now, Earth’s in danger too.”
“If the Earth is in danger, why don’t you just go to the governments and ask for troops? It still seems the best idea,” argued Denver.
“Seems a reasonable approach until you think it through. To which government or governments are you going to give this technology? If you give the technology we are developing to one country’s government; now you have decided who will dominate the world.
“Next, we have no control over the troops, their training, deployment, even which battles are fought. That technology would put an end to my organization’s ability to separate itself from the world’s governments.
“And how long would it take for the governments of Earth to try and dominate the Greys? If you keep at it, you can probably think of more reasons not to enlist the governments of the world in this effort.”
Denver scratched his chin. “I never thought about it in those terms, but now your organization could become a danger to the Greys.”
“Yes, that argument has been made. However, we’ve been around for a couple of centuries and have no history of conquest. They know this. Besides, they keep the really good stuff, like the star drive to themselves. Only their people man those ships. Once inside a star system, it is a combined command. For smaller ships and ground ops, that’s all human.
“So what do you say? You want in?” Fitz eventually asked.
“What do you plan to do with the legion once the war is won?”
“Now that is a bit delicate, and one of the main arguments against using humans from Earth to fight. What do you do with them once the war is over? I suppose they could be dropped off back on Earth. Don’t know if that is such a good idea.
“Another group of the Greys want to keep it around, in case of emergency; most want to retire it as soon as possible. In truth, we don’t know. What we do know, is that you will have the best technology in the known galaxy, you will have high adventure, and you will be well paid.”
“Well, I don’t have any pressing engagements right now. Maybe I could be persuaded to go along if you can convince me this is for real.”
“That can be done only on the Moon, I take it?”
“I can’t think of a better selling point, can you?”
“I’ll tell you what. You see how many takers there are, and I’ll check in to see what they’ve found.”
“Be right back,” Smith replied.
The discussion on the bus had quieted a bit, and all eyes were on Smith as he went aboard the bus for those who rejected their offer. “Okay, can I have your attention, please? I guess we all know why we are here on the ‘G
roup W’ bus.”
He looked around; no one said a word. “Well, I told them that I might be interested if they could show me that all this is real. The only way to do that is take me to the Moon.”
“Whoa, you really think they can do that?”
“I don’t know, but they got us here didn’t they? Apparently, according to their story, Earth is in danger too, and they did pay in gold. So far, they’ve done all right by us. I’m willing to see if they can lay all their cards on the table and show me this is real.”
He took a deep breath, “Anyone else interested?”
“What do you mean, on the Moon?”
“Yep, if they can do what they say they can and take us to the Moon, I’m in.”
One guy raised his hand. “I’ll believe them if they can do that.”
A woman, part of a couple spoke up, “I’d be interested in listening, on the Moon.” Her boyfriend glared at her in disbelief.
“Well, you ain’t getting me up there where no one can survive,” offered another.
He felt he had better segregate those who will be willing to listen after this effective demonstration. “Okay, if you are willing to listen, on the Moon, please come with me.”
He stepped off the bus and waited. He could hear the voices. Two guys were quick to get off and join him. The woman stayed and argued with her boyfriend.
“If you go with them, I don’t think I’ll still be here when you get back.”
“Yeah, but this has been coming for a while hasn’t it?” She picked up her rucksack and headed for the exit. Another recruit followed her.
“Let’s go,” said Smith and he led them back to the mess hall.
Fitz was clearly pleased as he walked in.
“Okay, show us what you got,” said Denver folding his arms across his chest.
“All right,” said Fitz looking like he had just gotten away with something. “They’re willing to do it your way.”
“My way?”
I have another bus for us. Please come with me.”
They waited outside for a few minutes until the bus settled down. Without further comment, they boarded, and Fitz closed the door.
Hell Fighters from Earth Page 8
