A discerning eye would perhaps notice another man. Especially as he is resting against the handrail, and smoking a pipe. Every now and then, this tall man glances down at Radclyf. Sitting deep in thought, an uneasy feeling of being watched overcomes him. Snapping his head up and looking around, he sees nothing unusual. The man at the handrail has gone. The only sign of his presence is a tell-tale wisp of smoke that dissipates quickly in the breeze. Radclyf becomes suddenly alert, and his instincts tell him something is wrong. Every fiber in his body is screaming 'danger'.
At the end of the trip, Radclyf hangs back to peruse the other passengers, but no one stands out. Finally disembarking, he gets through customs to his waiting car easily enough. Flashing his passport to the driver, he gets in and tries to rest during the long trip.
He considers his team and knows that they are as prepared as possible. Having handpicked these veterans from a long list of accomplished soldiers he’s encountered over various covert missions, he feels a great sense of pride in his team.
Paul, aka 'Da Bomb', is their resident demolitions expert and can pretty much operate any ground vehicle as well. He’s also a hit with the ladies, which only adds to his ever-growing ego.
Jim brings not only his communications skills, but it's also said that he is able to build a radio with the proverbial ‘spit and wire.’ Well, the truth is a little different. He was on a strike mission where the small team he was with found themselves trapped in an underwater cave. With enemy forces closing in on the surface, he managed to boost his transmitter, and in Morse code, call in an airstrike saving them all.
Then there’s Henry, poor old Henry, their medic. He is a mountaineer, and the team’s eldest, at thirty-eight. He has a few potted plants that he takes with him from barracks to barracks, earning him his nickname, 'Pots.' Some people mistakenly think his nickname is 'Pops' instead, due his age, but they are soon shown the error of their ways. His family heritage is market gardening, which he has never fully abandoned.
Radclyf is very happy and proud of his men. They have proven themselves both individually and as a team many times over. Radclyf smiles a little at his team of “old guys”. With Jim being the youngest at thirty-one, his team is definitely old, considering their profession.
Location:
Planetary Orbit
Earth
After hours of waiting, the video conference detailed in the text message from the orbiting space fleet begins. Around the globe, many government and religious leaders sit at their computer terminals as instructed. They are about to be a part of the largest video conference ever held.
Again, the metallic and artificial-sounding voice sounds. “Be prepared to receive the words of Regent Voknor of the Gamin.”
The creature, Regent Voknor, is again seated on his throne. The alien is draped in the same multi colored garments as before, rings glint on his three long clawed fingers, if the claws can be called fingers. The bright, yellow eyes stare out over the long teeth-filled snout. The eyes blink, and the vertical lids close. They reopen quickly, then he speaks. “I greet you with the respect due to all leaders. I am sure you have many questions, but first the Gamin will allow communications to resume for your citizens.”
With a nod and a wave of his hand, Voknor indicates to someone, or something, off camera. On Earth, technicians are amazed and baffled as television channels are restored to normal. Internet communication, which had also been hampered, or even blocked in some areas, is again functioning properly. Cell phones come back online. It's as though nothing had happened to the satellites at all.
Regent Voknor then continues, “In time, we shall place new satellites, but for now, this fleet shall allow your various peoples to return to a normal life. They can have their entertainment, which will make your task easier. Two landing craft will repair the damaged areas and provide training facilities for those that volunteer. Your medical and science technologies are insufficient to meet our needs, and thus, will be enhanced. We will land more craft as deemed necessary. Shipments of various metals and foods will be sent to the two primary locations. Those that supply the materials requested shall receive our gratitude; those that do not, will not. I will answer questions now.”
The questions are initially timid, as most are fearful of repercussions, however, as the talks progress, and Regent Voknor seems amenable, the questions become more and more brazen. However, during these talks, it is made abundantly clear that these visitors from space will take what they want. We can either provide what is asked for, or die.
The bureaucrats end up debating who will pay the costs, which employment opportunities will be created, and the like, as Regent Voknor makes promises of technology to all who agree. However, not everyone is happy with the outcome. While publically they smile, and even agree, privately many are saddened. One man in particular, has paid very special attention to the proceedings. What else can be done against such an obviously superior force? He ponders. No matter the way it's all presented, Earth is now a prison, with all of us at the mercy of those orbiting above. They will provide new satellites, new medical, and mining technologies. They will help us live longer, be healthy and happy, oh, yes. The Russian President is not alone in wondering what else is next as he considers his Matryoshka doll. To him it is not only symbolic of his homeland, but also represents political dealings. This meeting with Regent Voknor is very political. But what is it they really want from us?
The Gamin also promise to provide technology for a new power source. This source is a radioactive-free method of nuclear fission, and has something to do with harnessing radioactive nuclei as additional energy. The end result is more energy, and no radiation; other than that, the politicians have no real idea of what they are getting in exchange for their full cooperation.
Many governments around the world publicly proclaim the success of the conference. With telecommunications back online and a new power source soon to be made available, they have much to boast about. Most governments insist that civilian air travel is now safe, and that people should return to their work places. The two cities that were devastated are somehow overlooked, as is the way with politics. Some of the world’s governments, however, feel cheated and left out. Overshadowed by the larger, more powerful nations, these smaller nations are left feeling bitter and resentful. A few of these smaller nations are looking at the way events are unfolding, and can see unusual opportunities presenting themselves.
Regent Voknor spends time with a few individual leaders as he works diplomatically to achieve his own goals. He seems to relish in the political maneuvering that takes place. Without a single Gamin casualty, he has achieved much this day. The world’s main governments have capitulated, making his task so much easier. Better to have the indigenous willingly provide what they need rather than having to coerce them. Force takes so much more effort, and is very inefficient.
As soon as the talks are over, Regent Voknor assigns his forces their various tasks. He ponders the planet below as he considers the needs of his people. A few of these mighty spacecraft descend toward the planet below, each with its own agenda.
The Russian President is not alone in wondering what has transpired during the individual sessions.
Chapter Five - Arrival
Location:
Manhattan Island
New York
One of the massive landing crafts heads for the devastated area in Manhattan. The spacecraft is enormous, and has massive armor plates covering it. Some of these plates are pitted and dented, while some are scorched. The ship is two miles wide at her midsection, and at least five miles long. It casts a menacing shadow over much of the island as it approaches. Her nose section is narrow, sleek, the mid-section plump, followed by what would seem to be monstrous engines filling the rear. As it approaches, a strange shimmering can be seen beneath the ship, extending the entire length and breadth. The sound that accompanies the alien spacecraft sends shivers up and down the spines of the few survivors in Manhattan. It
is a humming sound, but an odd humming with a varying pitch, mixed with sudden clangs and loud screeches that accompany the spacecraft as it descends. Gases seem to be venting from the descending monstrosity as it gets ever closer. Sections of armor plating retract, exposing what can only be described as windows. This human element suddenly brings home the fact that these creatures may not be as alien as they seem. Beneath the spacecraft, huge sections slide away revealing dozens of landing struts. Each is the size of a skyscraper, and they begin to extend noisily downward. Once they make contact with the ground, they open, allowing strange-looking tracked vehicles to exit from ramps. At about ten feet wide and over thirty feet long, the vehicles are dwarfed by the mighty craft. Even before the vessel has fully landed, these vehicles start to collect debris from the ground. After a short period of time they head to the spacecraft’s mid-section, where a massive ramp rests on the ground. The open ramp, leads up, and into the darkness that is the vessel’s innards. As these small ground vehicles go about their tasks, it is impossible to tell if they are manned. With a final volley of clangs, squeals, and hisses, the spacecraft comes to rest, lowering itself onto the landing struts. The ominous humming stops in an instant, so suddenly and completely it's almost a shock unto itself. The main sounds now come from the numerous smaller ground craft, which look somewhat like bulldozers. Dual blades bend inward and upward, diverting material into the midsection. Judging from the dust emanating in large clouds, this material would seem to be getting pulverized. From there, the material disappears further inside, where it presumably is stored until unloaded.
An alien-sounding voice pierces the air as unintelligible noise. It drones on for a short time, then it, too, stops.
Onlookers from far away armed with binoculars, peer in awe and wonder as more sections of the upper hull retract, revealing additional windows. Finally, a huge section of the ship’s central mass retracts, exposing another array of windows.
A single gunshot rings out in the distance as a citizen fires at the alien craft. This is followed by another, then another, as more people join in. The alien craft seems completely oblivious to the hostility directed at it. Soon, the shots diminish, then cease altogether.
The New York City police department has set up road blocks preventing the curious from approaching the destroyed bridges. Media crews that arrive are allowed to film and conduct interviews of the survivors, but none are permitted to try and cross. New York City is declared a no-fly zone, effectively trapping any would-be survivors.
Within an hour, large swaths of debris have been removed. Within four hours, these cleared areas start to merge, until the entire region under the mighty spacecraft is clear. Nightfall finds these 'dozers' still busy as they constantly clear an area, head up into the ship’s main ramp, then return shortly thereafter. The morning light reveals how industrious these creatures are, as massive bridges now extend into the city proper. Many new buildings can be seen near the spaceship, some single story, some up to five stories high.
The morning also brings about another surprise, and a transmission interrupts New York's radio, cable, and satellite television, to bring a brief message.
“We of the Gamin herby inform the citizens of New York that replacement quarters are being constructed. All who require residence need to register at one of the bridge crossings. Designations are resident, worker, and student.”
At first, people ignore the message, but as the day wears on, a few, mostly the curious and homeless, head to the new bridges. Each bridge is open, and has no walls or gates. A scattering of small buildings rest off to the sides. The New York City police now allow people to cross in either direction unhindered. The few survivors from Manhattan are ferried under police escort to hospitals for treatment and questioning by authorities.
George’s family finds that after the brief media circus, they are still homeless. With all their possessions gone, they find the aliens’ offer worth investigating. With most of their friends and family missing and presumably killed by the asteroid, George has no one left to turn to for help. Without a place to live, and nowhere to work, George has little choice but to seek the only option left. With a sour taste in their mouths, George and Lisa lead Johnny across the bridge and into the Gamin Quarter, as it has been named by the media.
George enters the nearest building, and is surprised to find a room with many chairs and a desk that encompasses one corner. Behind the desk, a wall plaque shows a grotesque alien face inside a multicolored circle. There is no one behind the desk, though a closed door resides next to it. As George approaches the desk, an alien appears, or perhaps it’s a projection, but he can't tell for sure. The greenish-colored alien is a little taller than the average person, with what looks like bony projections on the underside of its forearms. The six-inch snout is full of teeth and the vertical yellow eyes are quite disconcerting. A handful of curious people have followed the Stantons inside, and two of these people now scream and flee in terror. George is not frightened, nor is he angry at them, even though he feels as though he should be.
“I am a representative of the Gamin. Welcome! Are you here for residence, work or education? Please place either hand on the scanner, state your complete name, and your preference.”
The top of the desk has a clear area that is easily within reach. George examines it and assumes this to be the scanner. He looks at his wife and states. “I have worked all my life, as did my father, and his before him. I will earn whatever offerings these aliens have. I will not accept charity, even from these destroyers.”
Lisa smiles at her husband and nods as she gives her support. George places his hand on the clear area, and selects work. She also selects the work option, but makes sure that Johnny's selection is residence only. Once done, the desk displays a simple diagram showing the three of them in one box. They each tap a 'Yes' option, after which, the nearby door swings open revealing a number of colored lines. The desk instructs them to follow the yellow line. The mighty spacecraft, though far in the distance, still dominates the skyline as a reminder that these aliens are here for a purpose.
When the first few people to approach the desk are not zapped, blown up, or have some other strange experience, others start to show up. Once scanned, each person is instructed to follow one of the colored lines which start at the back door.
The yellow line leads George's family toward a nearby apartment block. The line stops at the metallic-looking front door. Entering the foyer, the family spots a list on a nearby wall. Most of the numbers have blank spaces next to them making the word 'Stanton' stand out even more. They find their assigned living quarters consist of five distinct rooms. There are two bedrooms, a bathroom with a shower, toilet, and sink. There is a kitchen, and a lounge area with a large wall panel that seems to serve as a TV screen and a communications system. George looks at Lisa and wonders what the future will hold. Johnny runs off to claim his room and to check out all the ‘cool things’ as he calls them. Looking around their assigned quarters, George wonders what these Gamin could want. First, they destroy, and then they build and offer work. This is such an unusual situation. Though George and Lisa have selected the work option, they find no happiness at the idea of working for the alien invaders.
The first day finds very few people taking up the offer of hospitality. The following morning, George and his family find they are free to leave without hindrance. George tests a few doorways and happily discovers that he, Lisa, and Johnny, are able to open their own door, but none of the others. They head to the city to shop for some basic necessities for their new home. Word spreads quickly about these comfortable apartments that are not only free, but seemingly without restrictions. The people who live in them are able to come and go as they please.
George notices that each building contains many units, seemingly designated depending upon choice. It also becomes clear that residents have smaller rooms as opposed to those who make the worker or education selections. The smaller accommodations consist of a single
main room which doubles as a lounge and bedroom. The kitchen area occupies one corner of this room. A small bathroom is the only additional space. Some people are assigned quarters with separate bedrooms, and once families start to take advantage of this offer, they are pleased to find even larger accommodations. The variety seems bountiful and yet quite efficient, as no one has too much space. Lighting is quite subdued; the entire ceiling seems to brighten upon entry. Each unit has one wall that doubles as a massive display. Occupants throughout slowly figure out how to use everything.
One huge single story building is, what can only be described as a mess hall. It is vacant at this time, but is clearly designed to feed a lot of people, perhaps hundreds at a time. More similar buildings are being constructed by various machines. Some of these machines are robots, androids, or aliens in special suits; it is not possible to tell exactly what they are yet.
The morning of the second day finds many more people taking up the aliens’ offer of a place to stay. Those who select work or education receive messages on their wall screens informing them that the following day they will begin performing their assigned work or schooling. Some people are excited by this; others are scared, so scared that they leave, never to return. George and Lisa are quite apprehensive about what is to happen to them and their son Johnny.
Initiation Series: Series One Compilation (Terran Chronicles) Page 9
