"While the capabilities of the Destinnee have been tested in a virtual environment, actual combat hasn't been possible. I don't think it wise to engage the Asiddians in a full scale battle without first testing our offensive and defensive capabilities against a live opponent."
"I agree," Heinbaum responded. "The only weapon the Asiddians have used so far is the laser beam. We know nothing about other weapons they may have let alone their method of power generation or propulsion systems. Based upon the video of the second attack on the warship Winged Death by the Salterr, the Asiddian computer system reacts with lightning speed to any attack. Recall that it targeted and fired the instant the Salterr FLITed into range. I don't believe we'll be able to pull off a surprise attack. Their computer system simply reacts too swiftly."
A calm easy going male voice said, "Without empirical data upon which to base a decision, I must have the opportunity to engage an Asiddian mainframe computer one-on-one in order to ascertain whether my reaction times are equal to or faster than its reaction times. Based upon my design and recommendations from Dr. Heinbaum, I will strangle its processor into submission with my superior calculating speed and intellect."
"Well said Lloyd," Heinbaum agreed.
"Heiny, it sounds to me like Lloyd is suffering from undue influence," McPherson growled. "Have you been toying around with his language circuits?"
"Only where necessary. His vocabulary was far too polite and skewed toward military jargon. The few changes I programmed simply made him more personable."
"Sounds to me like you copied your ego into the poor devil and cursed him forever."
"I don't expect a feeble mind such as yours to be able to fathom the richly nuanced personality traits Lloyd now enjoys as a result of my inputs."
"Enough!" Tom ordered. "I want constructive comments and suggested solutions. Do your bickering elsewhere."
Glaring at the pompous greasy haired scientist, McPherson said, "I've been worried ever since the Salterr was ambushed by Yuri-Milost and her thugs."
Shaking his head and frowning, he continued, "During questioning, Leonard Trakutel told us he'd programmed the FLIT gens to self-destruct when the Salterr arrived at Chrysalis. I'm not comfortable with his claims. If something went wrong and the units didn't self-destruct, the Asiddians may have reverse engineered our Kinetic Energy technology. If they got their hands on a working FLIT gen, we have a real problem. They may be able to duplicate it and at least match if not overwhelm our energy source."
Silence filled the room as the implications of McPherson's warning sent a chill down everyone's spine.
"Since we need a warm-up to determine if our new systems can take on an Asiddian battleship, I have a candidate," Amanda said. "According to the reports of the Salterr encounter with Winged Death, the Asiddian battleship Rock Smasher arrived in the Cuddlur System just as the Salterr FLITed away. The Rock Smasher crew is undoubtedly on highest alert after discovering the burned out hulk of their sister ship. I propose we go say hello to Rocky and exchange some house warming gifts."
"The Rock Smasher is isolated by its distance from Chrysalis. Since it only has light speed capability, it won't be able to radio for help or escape us by running," JnnWall added.
"He's right," McPherson agreed. "Since it's just the one ship, I say we let 'em see our approach and watch how they react. If their main laser weapons can't harm the Destinnee, they just might unleash whatever other weapons they have in their arsenal to destroy us."
Nodding toward Heinbaum, he continued, "Heiny can suggest some sensors for Lloyd to deploy for analysis of the energy signatures any new weapons they throw at us. If we survive the encounter the information we get should be invaluable."
Pausing a moment, he added, "If we don't survive the encounter then we sure as hell wouldn't stand a chance against all the Asiddian battleships orbiting Chrysalis."
Jason said, "Based on our field trials I believe Lloyd is fast enough to give us the advantage over Rock Smasher. I think Major Kurstow's suggestion is the best way to proceed."
Chellsee declared, "I understand the wisdom of an encounter with the Rock Smasher, but we have the benefit of instantaneous travel and surprise on our side. I say we ghost as many Asiddian ships as possible and use the Scout ships to land infiltration units near the Royal Palace in Trissalic."
"If Whatsit is still alive Lass, he can take care of himself. We won't do him any good by getting ourselves killed going blindly into battle."
Blinking her eyes to keep tears from visibly flowing down her cheeks, Chellsee nodded her head and looked away.
"That brings up the other topic we need to discuss," Tom said. "If there are Chrysallamans alive on Chrysalis then how would they have survived, and how can we contact them?"
Dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, Chellsee said, "The Palace walls are full of hidden passages designed to allow the Emperor to escape assassination attempts. I suspect survivors would use the tunnels to secretly leave the palace. Once outside they would go underground. I've read of the catacombs under some of the larger cities on Earth like Rome and Paris. Trissalic is honeycombed with caves that penetrate hundreds of feet underground. If I was on Chrysalis that's where I'd be hiding."
JnnWall replied, "I never knew there were secret passageways in the Palace."
"You were never a slave to the Emperor either. There're many things about Emperor Horcunt and the Palace the general public didn't know."
Turning her attention back to the Tom she continued, "Once FORCE begins to destroy Asiddian ships, surviving Chrysallamans will know very quickly. They'll see the flash of explosions high in the atmosphere as the ships fall prey to Destinnee. When the Asiddians become frightened and angry as their losses mount, their heightened emotions will be quite evident to my people."
The nodding heads around the table showed the others agreed with her analysis.
"But here is the problem. The Chrysallamans will think the Emperor has returned to rescue them."
"Why would they think that?" Heinbaum asked. "The coward abandoned them over 30 years ago. Why would they even consider him their rescuer?"
"Chrysallamans on Chrysalis have no idea humans exist. So far as they know only the Chrysallaman Emperor has the ships, weapons and troops capable of rescuing them. They have no other point of reference. If the Emperor is not present when we arrive at Chrysalis in his flagship then it'll be next to impossible to rally survivors to join with humans to defeat the Asiddians."
"I agree with Chellsee," JnnWall said. "I was in the first group to be awakened from stasis by Whatsit and the humans Jenson and Chang. I have firsthand knowledge of how Chrysallamans reacted in that meeting. They will instinctively reject cooperation with any non-Chrysallaman rescue."
"Then the Emperor will have to go with us," Tom replied. "We'll bring along Hisspat Zeck as well. He can act as the Emperor's bodyguard in the event any Chrysallaman tries to kill the old codger."
Grinning wickedly, Tom said, "If we're lucky, Zeck will die heroically trying in vain to save the Emperor from a successful assassination."
Chapter 2 – Destinnee
Hisspat Zeck didn't like prison life. For one thing the windowless 9 foot square room was kept far too cold for his liking. The hideous orange jumpsuit he was forced to wear clashed with the yellow highlights in his skin. The rock hard shelf the Humans called a bed aggravated his back, and the flat pillow upon which he had to lay his regal head was covered with disgusting brown stains and reeked of mildew. The food was horrid as well. Bland, pasty, cheap. Hisspat had never thought about the relative pleasures of a stasis pod until he was deprived of one. A stasis pod allowed blissful dreamless sleep uninterrupted by the obnoxious snoring of Emperor Terr Horcunt who happened to occupy the adjacent cell. Something had to change, or Zeck was sure he'd go insane.
Zeck was once again counting the number of cinderblocks in the walls of his cell when the door opened and two armed FORCE commandos ordered him out. Relieved by any opportunity
to get out of the claustrophobic dungeon, Hisspat eagerly followed them. His curiosity grew when he was led to a dressing room where he was permitted to change out of the orange jumpsuit into his ceremonial golden robe of conquest with its beautiful deep red epaulets and matching cuffs. Finding the diamond glass tiara signifying planetary leadership on a nearby table, Zeck placed it on his head and studied his reflection in a nearby mirror. Satisfied his appearance was awe-inspiring; he turned to the guards and allowed them to escort him out of the building.
An armored van was waiting outside the jail, and Hisspat was surprised to find Emperor Horcunt already seated inside. The Emperor was dressed in his golden Imperial Robes which had been cleaned of the blood from his broken nose and the stab wound to his leg inflicted by Whatsit when he interrogated the obstinate head of state. Hisspat decided it would be best to let the Emperor hold onto the belief he was the chosen planetary ruler of HG-281. There'd be plenty of time to console the washout after he came to the realization the humans had chosen Zeck as their sovereign.
"What's happening?" Horcunt asked.
"I have no idea Majesty. Perhaps the humans have finally realized their inferiority and need our advice and guidance."
"My thinking exactly. The first thing I'm going to do as I begin my compassionate reign over this backwoods planet is rename it. Dirt is not an appropriate name for a planet. Chrysalis II is much better."
"I think the name is Earth not Dirt.”
"Earth. Dirt. Same difference," Horcunt answered with an imperious sniff.
***
The concrete tarmac between the three aboveground warehouses at the Nevada facility was bustling with activity as Tom stepped off the elevator. Forklifts placed skid after skid of food, water and medical equipment in neat rows. Four hundred FORCE commandos stood at parade rest nearby with their packed duffels lying by their feet.
Tom strode into the glaring sunlight and gazed up at the clear blue sky. Not even a high altitude jet trail marred the perfect view. Taking a deep breath he savored the beauty his eyes beheld and whispered a short prayer of hope this wouldn't be the last time he was able to enjoy life on Earth.
A whistle drew Tom's attention. Off in the distance he spied McPherson looking his way. Acknowledging McPherson's waving arm, Tom headed towards him. Heinbaum shouldn't be too far away.
Dr. Heinbaum was crouched over a laptop computer punching its keyboard. McPherson and Ernest Longarrow were peering over his shoulders at the screen. Longarrow was Heinbaum's lab assistant. Navaho Native American by birth, he held a Master's degree in Microelectronics from UCLA. His patience while working with the peevish quick tempered physicist was legendary. He converted the doctor's ideas to physical reality.
Two other members of Heinbaum's team were missing on Chrysalis and presumed dead. Dr. Miguel Roemer was a 20 year old quantum physics prodigy who'd been recruited straight out of Cal Tech by FORCE to work in the ultra-secret laboratory hidden in the desert 135 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada. Standing 6 feet tall with the rangy build of a soccer player, Roemer had the youthful appearance of a 15 year old. He’d given up trying to grow a mustache to make him look older. His hormones and baby-face simply wouldn't allow whiskers to sprout in any meaningful quantity. Even his voice still sounded high-pitched. His Spanish mother had gifted him with genes for golden brown skin and coal black hair. His American father had gifted him with a sloping tip nose and blue-green eyes.
Also missing was Dr. Jamins GooYee. He was a Chrysallaman scientist recruited to help Dr. Heinbaum study Chrysallaman energy tech. GooYee was the leading scientist in high energy physics and used to be a firm believer there’d never been a creature born who could match the knowledge or telepathic powers of native Chrysallamans. Needless to say, the knowledge and abilities of Dr. Heinbaum and his team had changed the big lizard's mind. Gooey as he was known to his Human friends stood 6 feet 3 inches tall and usually wore the Chrysallaman equivalent of a white lab coat. He even used a plastic pocket protector in his left chest pocket with at least 2 pens of different colors sticking up from the protective sheath. He had personally invented the FLR or Folded Link Radio from Heinbaum's notes about creation of the K-Wave bandwidth.
The K-Wave transceiver used a communication signal based on kinetic energy that was untraceable and unjammable. It wasn’t a line of sight form of radio communication, and nothing had been found that could stop or dampen the signals. Using K-wave transceivers, one person standing in China could speak to another person standing in France as if they were right next to each other. The K-wave transmitted through the core of the Earth without losing any signal strength.
Gooey had gone one step further. Working with a miniaturized version of the Buckminster fullerene containment system used by the Chrysallamans to enable fast-as-light travel, he'd discovered how to make an oscillation in a FLIT fold link. Instant interstellar communication was the result, and it was fundamentally as important as the FLIT tech for instantaneous travel.
The scientific breakthroughs by Dr. Heinbaum and his team were impressive, but even the best equipment and plans had a tendency to skew sideways when reality stepped into their path. A perfect example of reality's interference was the Chrysallamans' unexpected use of a kamikaze attack strategy to destroy the shield protected F-35 Lightning fighters. Despite the protection the shield had provided each aircraft to Chrysallaman cutter rays and heat beams, many of the F-35's had been destroyed by the simple expedient of suicidal ramming. Heinbaum and his team had discovered a way to improve the defensive screen and now it was powered by a FLIT gen and was permeable by Human energy weapons.
The ability of Chrysallaman spacecraft to maneuver at light speed eliminated Human reaction times as a viable option for flight control. Only an advanced computer operating in nanoseconds could hope to defend against such lightning speed. Lloyd was the answer, but he had no real-time battle experience. Lloyd was an artificial intelligence computer developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency more commonly known as DARPA. Conceived as a Layered Logical Object-Oriented Yottabyte Domain, the AI was designed to control the missile defense shield of the United States. Preferring the name Lloyd, the AI computer had the capability to track thousands of incoming nuclear missiles and destroy them with hypersonic projectiles fired from magnetic rail guns before the missiles ever became a viable threat.
The power produced by Heinbaum Kinetic Generators and the destructive capability of MA weapons had rendered nuclear missiles obsolete overnight. Not wanting to waste his time reinventing the kitchen sink, Dr. Heinbaum had decided Lloyd was better suited to be the central computer for Earth's first outer space battleship. Control of the light speed capable spacecraft was the perfect way to use Lloyd's vast data stores and ultra-fast computational abilities.
Miguel Roemer had supervised the installation of Lloyd into the Destinnee before he'd departed with Doug and Whatsit on the Salterr mission to Chrysalis. As Lloyd familiarized himself with the overall structure and electronic systems in the ship, he analyzed the fundamental design of the telepathic tokens. Working with Miguel, Lloyd discovered a way to use the tokens to communicate telepathically with humans and Chrysallamans. Wherever there was a telepathic token on the ship, Lloyd could speak to and hear from anyone with telepathic abilities near the device. Lloyd became something of a rock star with the Chrysallaman crew members on Destinnee since they'd never been able to interact with computers except by manual keystrokes. If Lloyd had fingers he would've spent quite a bit of his time signing autographs for the fawning Chriks.
As Human modifications to the Destinnee were completed, the new systems for offense and defense were tested in every way Jerome McPherson could imagine. Asteroids half the size of the Moon had been destroyed by the MA weapons installed on the massive craft; however, asteroids aren't flown by experienced pilots and don't shoot back at their attackers. Lloyd and the Destinnee needed to challenge a fully functional Asiddian battleship to prove their readiness for combat.
&nb
sp; ***
"Good morning gentlemen. Have all the modifications been completed?" Tom asked.
Glancing up from the computer monitor he'd been studying, Heinbaum replied, "The last changes were finished a couple of hours ago. Colonel Stoneman went for a test flight and should be returning shortly."
"Excellent! Have our special guests arrived?"
Pointing west at the armored van just coming around the corner of a warehouse, McPherson said, "Here they come now. This should be very interesting."
The van pulled up and guards opened its rear doors. Hisspat Zeck was the first to exit, and he bowed as Emperor Horcunt stepped out. Peering around at the assembled company of soldiers and believing they were an honor guard for him, Horcunt regally lifted his chin and strutted toward General Blunt. Zeck followed him at a respectful distance.
Striding up to Tom, Horcunt looked at him imperiously and said, "Realizing the truth of Chrysallaman superiority is a first step on the journey of enlightenment. As you kneel before me, your education will begin forthwith. My benevolent rule coupled with instructional punishment for transgressions will eventually bring all humans to new heights of rapture. You may now grovel before me."
Evolution of F.O.R.C.E. (The Origin of F.O.R.C.E. Book 3) Page 2
