THE TSCHAAA INFESTATION
VOLUME 2
THE TSUNAMI
MARSHALL MILLER
Blue Forge Press
Port Orchard | Washington
The Tsunami
Copyright 2017
by Marshall Miller
First eBook Edition
November 2018
First Print Edition
November 2018
Interior design by Brianne DiMarco
Cover design by Brianne DiMarco
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever, except in the case of short excerpts for use in reviews of the book.
For information about film, reprint or other subsidiary rights, contact: [email protected]
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, locations, and all other story elements are the product of the authors' imaginations and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or other elements in real life, is purely coincidental.
Blue Forge Press
7419 Ebbert Drive Southeast
Port Orchard, Washington 98367
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DEDICATION
To my wife, who puts up with my ramblings and ranting, and serves as the two-legged mother to our four dogs.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This is the Second and Revised Edition of THE TSCHAAA INFESTATION, a three-volume chronicle of what was once referred to as “the War and Peace of alien squid invasion novels.” Thanks to the hard work of my publisher, Blue Forge Press, specifically Jennifer and Brianne DiMarco, I now can present a new and improved version of a long labor of love and creativity. I have had many people help me in learning my craft of being a ‘Wordsmith.’ This is a career and an endeavor of beating words and phrases into a finely tempered work which, like a blacksmith does with steel fresh from the forge, cuts with a clean blade, but ideas rather than wood or flesh. At the same time, like a samurai's katana mentioned in the series, it can also bend to new concepts and opinions without breaking due to its flexibility.
Of course my wife, Sheri, has often times been a Writer’s Widow as I disappear for hours on end, especially late at night, to hone my craft. Thus, without her understanding and support, this would have been a still borne offspring.
Author and Esquire Thomas Mengert helped me with the first editing of this work of speculative fiction as well as suggested a companion volume of short stories. Thanks for all the hours spent with me and this futuristic War and Peace.
My good friend Gregory Brashear, an accomplished local teacher, was a sounding board for many of my ideas. Truth be told, a main character of the series is based on his life and adventures. I'll let the readers figure out which character fits this mold.
Peter Stockwell and all the other members of Kitsap Literary Artists and Writers helped provide ideas on designs, marketing, and publishing. The Bremerton Kitsap Access Television interview show Peter and I do on a monthly basis is an outgrowth of this group. The KLAW show was the reason I met Jennifer and Brianne and became affiliated with Blue Forge Press, which is leading to bigger and better things. Sometimes it takes a while for “good things and people” to come into one's life.
I hope all “wannabe” Authors read my artistic endeavors and think “Hey, I can do that!” For writers must write. We all hope that what we write will find a group of readers who will appreciate our ideas, concepts, and the worlds we create as we spin our web of ideas. Especially when those ideas involve humans being cattle for invading alien squids.
In closing, I also must thank all the people I have met and worked with over the years as yes, you all provided models and fodder for my characters and stories. Hopefully, those who knew me will read my books and say “Hey! Cool!”
As a final thought, remember:
Watch The Skies! The TSCHAAA COMETH!
THE TSCHAAA INFESTATION
VOLUME 2
THE TSUNAMI
MARSHALL MILLER
CHAPTER 1
Tsunami
Collins English Dictionary
British Dictionary definitions for tsunami
tsunami
tso͞o-nä'mi
noun (pl) -mis, -mi
1. A large, often destructive, sea wave produced by a submarine earthquake, subsidence, or volcanic eruption. Sometimes incorrectly called a tidal wave.
2. A sudden increase in or overwhelming number or volume of objects or occurrences.
Ex: The tsunami of Olympic visitors
Word Origin: Japanese, from tsu (port) + nami (wave)
I am an Avenging Angel, a warrior. I need no honor, no praise, no frills. I do what I do for the glory of God, to help my people.
-Quote from Abigail Yamamoto, fka Abigail Young, the Avenging Angel.
So, you ask and I help, Boss. Simple as that. You are loyal to me, I return the favor. Besides, how many women have the chance to kick the boss’ ass on a weekly basis without being fired?
-Heidi Faust, former Coast Guard Petty Officer, bodyguard and martial arts trainer to Director Adam Lloyd.
-Excerpts from the Literary Works of Princess Akiko, Free Japan Royal Family.
Appendix 25 of The Great Compromise; Assembled Quotes
THE ARIZONA/UTAH BORDER
Torbin Bender marveled at the ease with which Andrew, the robocop—a nickname given to the cyborgs by humans—set the large Falcon spacecraft down on Interstate 15, about four hundred yards south of the Arizona/Utah Border. It had been a quick trip of some two thousand miles at a speed of over Mach 3. Even damaged, the Falcon was smooth and responsive. One second, hauling ass—the next, hovering and setting down. The inertial dampening system made it feel as if they had been slowly floating on a calm river.
“We are at our destination,” Andrew stated to Torbin, who was seated beside him in the co-pilot seat. “We will have to wait a while for the Republic of Deseret representatives to show up. We did not give them much notice. Do you wish to step out and stretch your legs?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact I would, Andrew. Being cooped up in that cell for twenty-four hours with a chain around my ankle was not exactly stimulating.” Torbin thought, once again, that he saw a hint of a smile at the corners of the cyborg’s mouth. The visor that protected Andrew’s eyes kept Torbin from seeing them, but he assumed they would have a bit of a twinkle. Andrew had a very well developed sense of humor for a mechanical man, even as it tended to being a little droll.
“Follow me, please. Please grab that small cooler from behind the passenger seats. It contains beverages and food.” Torbin found the cooler and followed Andrew down a ramp that had seamlessly extended from the bottom of the Falcon.
They exited the craft, Torbin’s eyes slowly adjusting to the sunlight as he took in his surroundings. The Falcon had landed facing north, approximately the same direction as Interstate 15. Four hundred yards farther up the Interstate was an imposing, twenty-foot high barrier fence. Constructed of metal matting, the type used for hurry up tactical airfields since World War Two, it stretched as far as the eye could see along the Arizona/Utah Border and beyond. Torbin gave a short, low whistle.
“That must have taken some time and effort to build that. I haven’t been in his area for a long time. The Mormons really built this to keep people out? Or was it to keep their people in?”
“Probably a bit of both, Torbin Bender,” Andrew replied. “It extends to cover some seventy-five percent of the Republic’s borderline. Near Wyoming and Idaho, double ten foot tall chain link fences with concertina wire span most of the border. No matter what part of the border you are near, long distance cameras and periodic patrols keep an eye out for ingress and egress.”
Torbin squinted
as he gazed up the road. “Andrew, is that a small gate across the freeway up there?”
“Yes, Captain. The gate wheels open to allow for one large truck at a time to pass. When that moves, then our company has arrived.”
Torbin sat on the edge of the entrance ramp and opened the cooler. Inside were some soft drinks, sandwiches, fruit, and crackers. “Andrew, do you want anything? Hell, I don’t even know if you eat regular food. I never thought to ask.”
He detected a hint of a smile from the cyborg. “My brothers and I can eat solid food, but we prefer high protein drinks if we want some form of traditional sustenance. We do have part of a stomach to process food, modified to be more efficient than a human one. We produce less waste as we use up most of the bulk, which is contained in a waste storage bin that we empty. But we use another form of energy for daily operation.”
Andrew quickly produced a six inch square of unknown material from a hidden compartment. “This is an organic based photosynthesis power unit. It is a highly efficient system that produces a continuous trickle charge, which allows us to operate much as a large plant does. It permits organic metabolic function in the human part of our bodies.”
Torbin glanced at the some seven foot frame of the Robocop. Andrew seemed to sense his gaze, answering, “Yes, approximately forty-five percent of me is still human organic material. My hands, face, neck, and most of the major muscle groups in my torso and extremities, are still organic. My male member is also still intact and fully organic.”
“Since you brought it up, why? Are there female robocops somewhere with whom you can do the nasty?”
This elicited a full smile from Andrew. “No, Captain, we are only males. The original robocops, were grown from Gigantopithecus DNA, allowed to grow to adulthood, and then modified. The Tschaaa found that the vat-grown individuals seem to lack a certain… spark I might call it, that man born of woman has. Therefore, they recruited candidates from the human general population. Naturally born and raised individuals seemed to adapt more successfully to the modification of the interfaced cyborg form, with better decision-making ability.”
“The original question still stands. If you do not mate in cyborg form, why the old trouser snake?”
“Keeping genitalia helps with testosterone production that seems to help with our overall function. But yes, we can experience sexual stimulus, through this.” Andrew produced a very slender, almost flimsy looking, strand of wire from a panel in his torso. “This plugs directly into an access port connected to the pleasure center of my human brain. With my information system interface, I have the equivalent of a complete holographic experience, an induced hallucination that is real to me.”
Torbin stared “Man, don’t let most human guys get a hold of that. We would stay hooked up to it twenty-four hours a day, never getting anything done.”
“That is why, Captain, this connector is so fragile. After a few uses, it breaks down, and will not make a connection. We then have to obtain another from a central supply. Our human parts give us great advantages, but with them come potential dangers. We could easily become addicted to a false reality, just as a regular human becomes addicted to drug-induced hazes. Occasional use is a good stress reliever, and keeps us connected to our human side. This also seems to help us in our decision making process.”
Andrew tucked the photocell plate and the thin connector back into hidden recesses of his large frame.
“What made did you decide to be… modified?”
The enormous cyborg paused in thought for a moment. “I was a very large, clumsy, twenty-one year old computer ‘geek’ on a full scholarship to a local university when the first rock hit. On track to get a well-paying job with either the government or a major computer company, I was well advanced in my studies. The Invasion began, and I hid on campus.”
“Somehow, I survived. My larger size helped to scare off troublemakers, and some of smaller survivors latched on to me. I was forced to use my size on a few occasions to inflict pain and discomfort on some predatory humans. I was luckily the victor. small group and I scavenged a living for the next year.” Andrew momentarily focused on the small freeway gate ahead, then continued.
“After the first rock strike, front men and some of the flying squads put the word out that the Tschaaa were looking for volunteers to become robocops. After months of a nuclear winter and near starvation, with no surviving family and a perpetual thirst for knowledge, I leaped at the chance.
“I had figured out—with the assistance of a few scientifically-inclined persons— what the early cyborgs were, and how they must operate. My size helped to convince the Tschaaa that I was a good candidate. A month of an induced near coma state, special surgical procedures to implant Tschaaa nanite and organic material, and additional information software, and I woke in my new form.
“Many of my modifications were brought online by using direct connections from the data systems to my brain. False hallucination stimulus was used to train me how to use my hard and software.When I first woke up, I attempted to stand up and I almost fell over. But my automatic interfaces took over, and I did not fall. Within a week, I was over ninety percent ‘online’. A few days later, I was as you see today, a paragon of strength, ability, and virtue.”
Torbin, caught off guard, took a moment to realize that Andrew was joking. He laughed. “Good one, Andrew. You caught me there. You definitely kept your sense of humor.”
“And that Captain, is one reason why I think that I and my two hundred forty nine brothers, from Earthborn humans, are a step up from the original ship-born cyborgs. We have an additional element the last classes of robocops lack, giving us a superior operation, just as they have over the vat grown. A ‘spark’ is the best way I can describe it.”
Torbin then saw Andrew as an enhanced being, rather than a robotic creature. The database interfaces with his brain and nervous system had boosted the man’s intellect, his speed in processing and reaction to stimuli, and how he completely saw the world around him. He wished he could see the world through Andrew’s enhanced eyes. Then he might understand what the cyborg really thought.
“Any regrets, Andrew?” Torbin inquired as he opened a soft drink can.
“I think I would have liked to have had a family—a wife, children. The importance the Tschaaa put on their young had reinforced that idea. But I made my decision. I have enjoyed my new ‘life’, especially doing such things as dropping you on your head.”
“Ha, ha, very funny. But I suppose I can’t be angry at you. You saved my ass from being torn apart and eaten. I owe you. Especially since you’re helping to take me home.”
The cyborg looked at him. “You may thank me for protecting you, even though I was ordered to take you into custody. I had to make decisions that seemed to go against the entire original programing concerning our relationship with the Tschaaa, but we were given a level of autonomy unheard of before we were created. My brothers and I have evolved past what the Tschaaa believed we would be. I can tell that you by the questions you and the Director ask, that you have suspected it. You see the human part in us first, rather than the alien or robotic parts. I will tell you, the human part appears to be primarily in control now.”
Torbin sat still. He almost felt that any second, some Tschaaa creation would suddenly appear; then the blasphemy that Andrew had just committed in suggesting the Tschaaa weren’t in complete control of their creations, would be punished. And both of them would be permanently erased as well.
Andrew spoke. “Your body language and demeanor indicate that you are wondering if the gods would suddenly strike me dead for espousing heretical ideas. I will now tell you something that only you will know. I do this because of who you are, of what you are.”
Torbin broke in. “I don’t know what in the hell you think, but I’m just a grunt, a Jarhead Marine. I do what I am told, fight who I must. That’s all.”
Andrew stood silent for a moment. Then he continued.
“First, don�
�t worry that the interface with the Tschaaa will somehow alert them to my musings, or to what I am going to tell you. Some of my fellow engineers and I have forgotten more about computer interfaces and informational systems than the best Tschaaa computer engineer will ever know.
“The Tschaaa are geniuses when it comes to organic matters, DNA manipulation, interconnecting organic materials and making them work in ways unknown to humans. In computer technology, artificial intelligence, they have built on information discovered on alien worlds, by other species. They have developed organic informational systems and artificial organic brains of a high level. The Tschaaa developed an excellent organic miniature brain that operates their weapons guidance systems. They are efficient at what they do, but have been developed for specific functions, rather than general capabilities.
“The Tschaaa are highly structured, and not all that adaptable. Their thinking has also become stagnant, and they not open to new ideas. The expression ‘dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century’ would certainly apply to much of Tschaaa society. Only the disaster in their food supply forced them to develop the technology and the will necessary to move over half their population for a near thousand years to Earth. They are lucky the oceans of Earth are so welcoming to their species.”
“So, the Tschaaa have limitations,” Torbin commented. “We figured that out years ago. It still does not tell me why you think I am something special.”
“Be patient, Captain Bender. I am getting there.” The robocop straightened himself. “I have run thousands of computer simulations through my interfaces. I input the Director, his effects, the effects of those around him, expanding outwards to all humans who I feel are connected directly to the Occupied States and the Tschaaa. I watched and waited, tweaking the data as I observed something had changed.” The cyborg hesitated, as if processing new data, then continued.
The Tsunami Page 1
