Genesis

by Lawrence P White

  “Yes, sir. That’s what the Alliance is all about. We will not permit the strong to enslave the weak.”

  “High standards. Just where do you fit into all of this?”

  “I’m in charge.”

  Grayson raised his eyebrows. “I thought you said you were from Earth?”

  “I am. I won’t be in charge forever, only until we find someone better qualified, but whoever runs the Alliance has to be able to pull the trigger. Until I find my replacement, I’m determined to get the Alliance up and running.”

  “And just how successful have you been?”

  “We’re off the starting blocks. That’s about all. The An’Atee understand the dilemma they have placed themselves in, and they are doing a great job in every area except one: they just can’t pull the trigger. But they’re willing to do anything else. My organization, the Alliance, supported entirely by the An’Atee so far, is engaged in a number of significant projects aimed at stopping this war, and resources are not a problem, but when these projects come to fruition, there won’t be anyone to execute the plans. That’s where you come in. The Harbok need help, and so does Earth. Our goal is to bring both civilizations into the Alliance, but we have to prove our worth first. And we will.”

  “Pretty lofty goals. You really think you can pull it off?”

  “We have to, sir. Failure means more lost civilizations, and it means chaos across the galaxy. Our plan isn’t perfect, it will probably undergo lots of changes, and it might never be for everyone, but without some sort of interstellar alliance, emerging worlds won’t stand a chance. We’ve already seen how this Fourth Race is enslaving the worlds they’ve conquered. I mean to put an end to it.”

  The two men walked in silence for a time, then Greg added, “There is one more important detail you should know. The Harbok recently sent a one-way message to the An’Atee, an ultimatum essentially forcing them to remain within their own realm and to discontinue further exploration of space. That might include Earth. We haven’t pressed the bounds of the ultimatum yet so we’re not certain, but if the Harbok discover my presence here, they won’t hesitate to exact payment on multiple levels, beginning with me. I have been very discreet coming here, and I will continue to be discreet. So will you. Whatever hiring process you establish has to remain secret from the Harbok.”

  “But you want to see the President.”

  “No, but I have to. I don’t think we can abscond with a bunch of important senior citizens without attracting attention and without help. Besides that, I need to prepare the groundwork for my return. One of my personal objectives is to bring Earth into space, into this Alliance.”

  They again walked in silence for a long couple of minutes, then Greg said, “So, there you have it, Admiral. The An’Atee need help, the Harbok need help, and the way space travel works, there’s nothing stopping this Fourth Race from bypassing the Harbok and just coming straight to Earth, so Earth needs help as well. My hope is that this Fourth Race doesn’t know about Earth yet, because we would be easy pickings. Will you help, sir?”

  “It’s a great story, but I’m far from convinced it’s real despite Max Henderson’s interest in you. I need proof.”

  “I brought a few trinkets. Full proof will have to wait until after dark.” Greg reached into a pocket and pulled out a flat, black wafer. He placed it in the admiral’s hand and said, “Squeeze the corner, any corner.”

  Grayson squeezed, and the wafer unfolded into a photograph, a three-dimensional picture in perfect focus. The picture showed Greg on the bridge of a space ship, the forward screen filled with symbols of all kinds. Grayson studied the picture, then shrugged.

  “Anyone can make a picture.”

  “You have to admit, it’s a pretty remarkable picture, sir.”

  “I grant you that, and the material is interesting. I don’t see any creases from its unfolding. Obviously, that’s you in the picture. What are you doing?”

  “Trying to stay alive. It was taken during the battle in the Asteroid Belt I told you about. The picture is quite famous on Ariall now.”

  “It’s not incontrovertible proof that your story is true.”

  “I know. It’s only to whet your appetite. I can’t exactly be walking around Annapolis with antigravity generators and blasters on my belt. Here’s something a little more recent.” Greg handed him another piece of soft material that resembled the picture in some ways.

  Grayson took it and studied it. “It looks like a picture of Annapolis. What’s the big deal?”

  “Find the area of your house, Admiral, and press on it.”

  Grayson studied the picture for a moment, then pressed. The picture zoomed in on his neighborhood.

  “Can you find your house?” Greg asked.

  Grayson quickly grasped the concept as similar to what he did on his personal computer with certain programs. He pressed on the location of his home, and the picture zoomed in on the house. Grayson was in the picture, reaching for the knob on the front door of his home.

  “What time did you get home last night, sir?”

  “It was late, around ten o’clock.”

  “Press on your wrist in the picture.”

  Grayson hesitated, looked hard at Greg, then he pressed. The picture zoomed in on his watch. The dial indicated a few minutes before ten o’clock. Greg sensed the admiral’s thoughts whirling.

  “I got home just in time to catch the news,” Grayson said. “It was dark out. How was it possible to do this in the dark?”

  “It’s not child’s play, sir. Stick with me on this, and I’ll show you.”

  “You have my attention now. May I keep it?”

  “Keep both of them. They’re not incontrovertible proof, but they’re a beginning. Use your discretion in showing them around, but you’re under no restrictions.”

  Grayson took a deep breath and let it out. “You’re right, it’s not incontrovertible proof, but I am not aware that this technology exists anywhere on Earth. If you’re a nut, you’re very well connected. If your story is true, and if you’re really in charge of this Alliance of yours, I guess I should be calling you ‘sir.’”

  “You might one day, Admiral, but not yet. The Alliance is in its infancy. We have, at most, some two million employees. Some of them, when they discover the full nature of our plans, which definitely include fighting and killing, might not stay on the payroll. That’s my problem. In the meantime, the position I’m offering you reports directly to me. In addition to hiring, organizing, and training whoever we bring from Earth, you will likely command any fleets we send into battle, and you will hold a seat on the Executive Council of the Alliance.”

  Greg stopped talking. They walked in silence again, following the sidewalk around a bend. Eventually they returned to the gate in front of the Grayson’s home. The admiral stopped and faced Greg. “I’m still not fully convinced.”

  “Assume I can convince you, sir. What then do you say?”

  “I haven’t been a warrior for a long time, Mr. Hamilton, yet your story intrigues me. I would hear more.”

  “There’s not much more to tell. But, sir, I am not here because you’re a warrior. There are lots of warriors out there, lots of better warriors than you and me. I sought you out because you are first and last a peacemaker. I believe you know what I’m talking about.”

  “I do.”

  “Your recruits have to be of the same persuasion or they’ll never fit in with the An’Atee. First and Second Contact are still happening and are definitely not done deals yet. We could lose everything if we bring the wrong people. Hotheads are easy to find. Can you find cool heads, sir? Heads who are good warriors, yet good statesmen as well?”

  “Sure, but most of them are old men. Wisdom seldom resides in the young, Mr. Hamilton. That’s why people like me spend so much time teaching.”

  “Admiral Grayson, old men are precisely who I am looking for. Can you find me a hundred? Or five hundred?”

  “Easily a thousand, but what
good will we be? I’ll need young men for front-line fighters, and it sounds like you need pilots.”

  “Pilots are acceptable but not essential. Spaceships resemble planes, but space tactics more closely resemble naval tactics. If a man has commanded a ship, I can teach him to command a spaceship, including you. I also need experts to develop tactics and strategies. You will command fleets, Admiral, just like you did here on Earth. You will need individual fighters, and you will need admirals to pull it all together. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Then start thinking about people you want to call. You’ll be entering a society with pretty advanced medical technology, so old is okay. Maturity is what counts. Your men will be representing Earth, they’ll be leaders, and they’ll be called upon to make some hard decisions.”

  “If you say so, but even our astronauts have trouble out in space with weightlessness, loss of bone mass, muscle tone, and all that. They spend a lot more time being sick than they admit publicly, and they’re in the prime of their lives.”

  “Oh, Admiral, this is going to be so much fun. You and your men are in for an awakening! I medically retired from the army with serious, permanent wounds. The An’Atee returned me to perfect condition. We’ll give everyone a few more years of usefulness. Didn’t I say my offer would intrigue you?”

  “It does, but unlike the rest of the apostles, I’m like Thomas. I have doubts. I want to see and feel the wounds. I want proof.”

  “And you shall. Tonight. Until then, I’m a little short of cash. Will you buy me dinner?”

  Chapter Four

  Grayson was reluctant to go far with Greg, so a remote place in the mountains was out of the question. Instead, he drove them to a Crab House just off Route 50 on the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay. Grayson checked in with Max Henderson every 30 minutes as he had promised. They lingered until after dark, then Grayson drove down a side road that paralleled the bay until he judged they were out of sight of civilization. Greg raised a communicator to his lips, spoke a few words, then settled back to wait.

  It took a while—the ship had to be careful. After all, the Harbok maintained a base on Earth and had forbidden exploration by the An’Atee. His ship had the latest updates to the cloaking device, but every time they turned it off, they took a chance that a nearby Harbok ship would see them.

  Grayson soon began having second thoughts about accompanying a complete stranger to this dark, remote place. He took off his seat belt and rolled down his window, then he left his hand near the door handle while giving serious thought to escape. He even glanced out the window to see how difficult the shoreline would be to run along.

  Only the shoreline wasn’t there any longer. In its place, a dark, forbidding shape dominated his view of the bay. Greg spoke into his communicator, and an opening appeared in the ship directly beside them, the interior only dimly lit. Grayson stared, then the whites of his eyes turned back to Greg with a look of incredulity on his face.

  “I’m really not a nut, sir,” Greg said softly. “Will you join me?” The admiral got out of the car, turned to lock the car, then had second thoughts and simply threw the keys on the front seat. Greg led the way, motioning for Grayson to enter the ship first.

  Arlynn greeted the admiral, followed by Captain Tolland. Kannick joined them after reactivating the cloaking device. After completing introductions, Arlynn greeted Greg with a hug, then the two of them turned to Grayson.

  He stood spellbound, not with having met aliens who seemed entirely human to him, but with the ship. They had entered near the front of the ship, the bridge. From where they stood by the entrance lock all the way to the nose of the ship, they appeared to be standing on glass. The Outside filled their view. But the nose of the ship, the forward screen as it was referred to, also held all the navigation information the crew used. Like a giant heads-up display, the front of the ship showed Outside as clearly as if there were no barrier. Figures scrolled slowly around the periphery of the screen, all in a language utterly foreign to the admiral. Unquestionably advanced, the ship bespoke its alienness.

  “Admiral, welcome aboard. You have just met your first alien beings,” Greg said.

  Tearing himself away from the forward screen, Grayson turned with a questioning look to Greg, then he perused Arlynn, Kannick, and Tolland with a questioning stare. “Aliens?” he asked defiantly.

  “These three are An’Atee,” Greg said. “Arlynn and Kannick are members of my Executive Committee. Arlynn is Earth’s representative until an Earthman is chosen, and Kannick is the Harbok representative, again until the Harbok choose their own representative. Captain Tolland agreed to act as your mentor, to help you through the minefields you’ll be navigating during the coming months. She is the only one here with first-hand knowledge of the enemy, this Fourth Race.”

  “You’ve fought them?” Grayson asked her.

  “No, sir. None of my people have fought them. I led a secret mission to study them.”

  Grayson studied her, then he turned and did the same to Arlynn and Kannick. His gaze shifted to take in the ship, and he nodded. He believed. Turning back to them, he said, “It is a pleasure and an honor to meet you. I’m slightly overwhelmed.”

  “We can help with that part, sir,” Tolland said. “Greg told us about you. In his mind, you are a living legend. We hope to convince you to help us, but to do that, we need to convince you that we are who we say we are.”

  Grayson nodded. “You seem entirely human to me.”

  “Physically, we are human. The technology you see is definitely alien and more advanced than any on Earth. Are you prepared to join us in a voyage?”

  “To the stars?” Grayson asked, gulping.

  “Yes, sir, but not yet. We only get one shot at that, when we’re on our way home. We cannot allow the Harbok to know we’re here on Earth. Still, we can show you a few things that will convince you.”

  She led the admiral to the forward seat, the command seat, and helped him get settled. She took the seat behind and to the right of that seat and commanded the ship. The admiral watched as they glided out over Chesapeake Bay and submerged without fuss. Then Tolland commanded the ship to rise vertically to some five thousand feet. They hovered over the nation’s capital without fear of discovery, then they headed west toward the Allegheny Mountains. After cresting Skyline Drive and crossing the Shenandoah Valley, she brought the ship to a stop just inches above the forests of the Blue Ridge Mountains, miles from civilization. Arlynn then took the admiral’s arm and led him through a complete tour of the ship, ending up in the lounge immediately aft of the bridge for refreshments. The admiral seemed dazed, even a little tired, and Greg felt for him. He had received similar treatment.

  “What’s next?” Grayson asked.

  “Camp David, sir,” Greg answered solemnly.

  “Too risky for the President,” Grayson answered instantly. “There’s no way I can assure his safety.”

  “We’re all taking risks here, Admiral. I don’t require the President to come alone, but word of this ship and of our purpose here cannot become public knowledge. Those are my parameters.”

  “Very well. Let me think.” He thrummed his fingers on the table, then he got up to pace. “How about Andrews Air Force Base?”

  “Are you willing to evacuate it? No one else can be permitted to see us.”

  “Maybe. How about a carrier at sea? We could send everyone below, though that presents considerable risk to the carrier.”

  “Your call, sir. We’ve even considered Area 51. We would fit, but people would see us. The President is welcome to bring all the security he wants, provided only a limited number of individuals holding absolute trust know who we are. This is all for your own protection. Weapons will not hurt this ship, but word of the President holding council with aliens would definitely disrupt global politics.”

  “Agreed. How much time do I have to set this up?”

  “Tomorrow works.”

  “I w
as afraid you’d say that. I’d better get busy.”

  Greg held out a communicator and said, “Take this with you. Keep in touch, okay?”

  Admiral Grayson shrugged. “Try to stop me,” he said, his eyes sparkling as a grin lit his entire countenance. Here was hope beyond his wildest dreams.

  * * * * *

  None of the proposed locations worked for the President, though Greg was fairly certain it was his security people who were vetoing everything. Grayson convinced Greg that cooperation at this point would pave the way for greater trust later, so Angie dropped them off in a remote field where Grayson picked them up.

  He ushered Greg, Arlynn, and Kannick into the Pentagon Situation Room the next day. Secret Service officers were everywhere. President David Rhodes and his National Security Advisor, retired General Shoemaker, followed by Max Henderson, Chief of Naval Operations, joined them moments later.

  Greg stood across the table from the President while everyone else spread out around the room. Greg wore a simple, dark blue waistcoat without rank over a white shirt and dark blue pants. The President was impeccably attired in an expensive, gray, wool suit, still the working uniform of Washington, DC. The two of them evaluated each other silently.

  The President spoke first. “Welcome, Mr. Hamilton. I understand this to be a meeting between heads of state. Are the surroundings suitable?”

  “Quite, Mr. President, except for the number of attendees.”

  “What works for you?”

  “The fewer the better. Your call, sir. With due respect to the Secret Service, they are not essential to this meeting. The number of attendees here must be strictly limited—for your benefit, not my own. My associates and I are unarmed.”

  “I guess you know that presents a problem?”

  “I know how the system works. My request stands.”

  “Very well.” The President considered briefly, then he turned to one of the Secret Service men. “You stay, Tom. Please excuse the rest of your men.” The two held eye contact for a time, then Tom nodded his head. As his men withdrew, the President pulled out a chair opposite Greg. “Admiral Grayson assures me that we are not in danger of picking up alien germs from you. I hope you’re right.”