by Ben Winston
"Many believed that organized religion was one of the major forces in world politics, like the big corporations and the like. Maybe the Cabal eliminated them because they didn't want the competition?" Jarad said and shrugged. "Very little about these assholes makes a lot of sense. I guess that would explain why the Vatican has condemned the Cabal and all those that support it. I don't think I ever heard of a Pope ever coming that close to condoning active violence against anyone. Even the Muslim leaders are very against these guys. A few of the more radical extremists have even called for open jihad against the Cabal."
"What I don't get is if these assholes are so bad, why are people supporting them?" Pro-V asked.
"By and large, they aren't; at least, not willingly," Jarad explained. "There are some folks that are supporting them like the KKK and a couple of neo-Nazi groups, but mostly, they are kidnapping people and reprogramming them into obedient slaves for their regime. That's the rub in all of this, most of the folks we are fighting are not there willingly or by choice. They've been turned into zombies." Jarad grinned and nodded at Z-Lay.
"Yo, check it; they's in the tunnels," Prov-V said and nodded at the holograms in front of Jarad.
"How do the drones see in there?" Chissandra asked.
"They have a multi-spectrum scanning suite," Jarad explained. "They use a combination of sonar, laser, infra-red, motion sensing and visible light, along with a couple of other things not yet available on Earth. All combined, they can give us a clear image of the tunnels in detail and lit up like daytime."
"Damn, they found George and Pokey," Z'Lay said. "How'd they get in a cage?"
"The bars are electrified. Look, a power line fell on them on top. I'm starting to think their death was an accident," Jarad replied. "In the larger projects like this one was, some of the remotes used in the work would double as security units when work was shut down. Basically, automated sentries that would detain would-be vandals and thieves until the police could arrive to take them into custody. That looks like a holding cell."
Jarad had the drone slowly turn around so he could see the whole area. "Yeah, look there and there, those mining remotes are still active and are watching the entrance area. It's the site security system."
"I thought dat shit was illegal? Automated security was too dangerous?" Carlos asked.
"Only in public areas. In closed areas like this where the public was not supposed to be their use was allowed as long as they didn't have any lethal weapons. All we should need to do is find the terminal controlling them and shut them down," Jarad replied and typed in a few new commands for the drones. "I think we just found you folks, a new place to live."
Further conversation was interrupted by the arrival of one of the rebels. "Yo, Pro-V man, we gots a prob with some of the quads, we need some decisions made." The young man grinned. "The gizmo's are freakin' my peeps."
Chissandra turned toward the person. "What's to freak out over? They're fixing up our stuff!"
"Not exactly Gadget," the guy said, using Chissandra's gang name. "They want to take them apart. We need those quads if we get hit."
Pro-V tapped Jarad on the shoulder. "Come on, they gonna need talked to again."
Jarad picked up his tablet and sent the data to the ship to be recorded, before following the man over to the area some of the vehicles had been brought into.
Three drones were sitting back from the vehicles, waiting for the people to move out of the way. Pro-V took charge immediately. "Yo, what's up wit' 'tis shit? We told you what's happenin'. What the deal?"
"They gonna tear 'em down, V-man! 'At's bullshit!" one of the former gang members said. "They gonna do the bikes too!"
"Actually, all they are going to do to the bikes are replace the engines with hydrogen power units. Completely quiet, don't need fuel, and about twice as powerful," Jarad replied. They'll beef up the suspensions a little to help compensate for the increase in power, but other than that, they'll be the same bikes.
"As for the quads, they're gonna get just about the same treatment, but in their case, the frame will need to be replaced as well. So, yeah, they'll have to tear down the quads, but it won't take very long, and they will only do two at a time," Jarad explained. "Trust me here, you're gonna love what their gonna do to your rides!"
"But we didn't know they's gonna rip 'em apart!" the spokesman said. "We need them if we get attacked!"
"Guys, these won't even be the finished product, just an upgrade until we can get your real stuff built. Tell you what, gimme one bike, and ten minutes. Let me show you," Jarad said, grinning.
The speaker frowned but nodded and pointed to one of the smaller bikes that looked like it had seen better days. "Let's see you fix that up, we been having a hard time keepin' it running since Gadget was hurt."
Jarad nodded and used his tablet to instruct the drones. It took a moment, but the drones beeped at him and literally attacked the smaller bike. One drone lifted it into the air while another began removing the engine and transmission. The third drone removed the front forks and began restructuring the metal of the frame.
While the group watched, fascinated by the rapid destruction and reconstruction of the bike that no one realized it only took the drones about six minutes before they set the bike back on the ground and backed away.
"There, it's finished. The drones report that this bike is now equivalent to a 250cc. The suspension and frame modifications look to be the same done to the more powerful supercross bikes. It can carry up to a thousand pounds with no loss of power or over stressing the frame. They do warn that it will also do well over a hundred miles an hour on a straight run, so you should be careful of the speed. They included a weak shield generator in place of the fuel tank; it won't stop a direct hit or a missile, but it should help protect the rider from 'lucky' shots," Jarad explained. He got on the bike and pressed the 'on' button. There was a slight whine as the engine started up. He put it in first gear, and dumped the clutch, the rear tire broke loose and he spun an impressive cookie right there on the floor. Easing up on it considerably, he turned and rode it up a set of metal stairs to the second level and off the catwalk back onto the floor. The bike acted like it had jumped a curb.
Jarad parked the bike and got off. "They gave it a very small anti-gravity stabilizer too. So, what do you think? Should we fix up the rest of your stuff?"
"Yeah, that was the shit! But what about the quads and side-by's? They gonna take longer, right?" the man said.
"Yes, they will; more needs to be done to them and one drone will work on it at a time. One drone will work on the bikes, while the other two work on the four-wheelers," Jarad replied and waved them all in closer. "Come 'ere, let me show you something you're gonna love!"
When the group moved in to see what Jarad wanted to show them, the drones got to work on the vehicles.
Jarad had his tablet display the image of a prototype vehicle Mandi had designed. "This is an urban assault tank one of our brighter engineers came up with. It's a little too big for what you guys are gonna need, so we modified them a bit."
The image shrunk down to the size of some of the side-by-side ATVs the rebels had. That was were any other resemblance stopped. "The assault variant will have a dual mount laser turret on the roof capable of self-targeting or control by a gunner riding under it. The driver sits here in the front and has two fixed mass drivers that he will have control of. The units will have holographic camouflage, shield generators, short duration anti-grav pods and a fuck of a lot of speed on the ground. It'll be six-wheel drive with an improved suspension that should allow it to go over just about anything, with the AG pods, you jump over what you can't drive over. They are pretty heavy, though, so its top speed will be limited to about ninety miles an hour. The roof turret can be replaced with a missile launcher or particle cannons in about an hour.
"There is also a cargo as well as an ambulance variant that should help you, folks, out a lot." The next image Jarad brought up was completely strange.
It looked kinda like a motorbike, but it didn't have wheels. "This is a hover-bike. The commercial version can hit speeds of around two hundred miles an hour, it has a passive restraint system to help keep the rider in the seat. We made some adjustments that you might find useful.
"Because of the extra gear, the speed was reduced to just over a hundred twenty, but it will have shields and a holographic distortion field. It won't make you fully invisible, but it will make you very hard to see. We considered mounting some small weapons on them, but considering how difficult it would be to aim them, even with computers to help, the idea was scrapped."
"When can we get those?" someone asked.
"They are going to take longer to build and will require equipment we haven't gotten set up yet. Once we get you folks into a safer base, we'll get the equipment set up, and they can start getting them built," Jarad replied.
"Man, those guns would sure come in handy! Too bad we can't get a couple of them built now," another person said.
"Folks, as much as you need these weapons you have to keep one very important thing in mind; as soon as you use any of this stuff, the Cabal will know exactly where you are. Most of this tech is easily detectable by the zombies. Yes, you will be able to hurt them now, but what that really means is that they are going to come after you a lot harder than they have been. You're going to advance from an annoyance to a threat. You're going to see tanks, real soldiers, fighter planes, the whole mess. We brought you the tools you need to fight them, but it also means this shit is going to get real very fast. The entire game has changed now. We'll help you as much as we can, but keep in mind we're trying to help the rest of the planet as well, and it's a pretty big place."
"Yeah, that's somethin' I wanted to ask ya about before you talked to the Alliance but didn't get to; we gots us lots of volunteers right now. Could we send a bunch back wit' you to get some trainin' then swap 'em out as we go? More of us could get real training that way," Z-Lay asked.
"I don't know, big man. It's a good plan; I'll have to see if we can make it work," Jarad replied.
The drones found the control units for the remotes in the tunnels and got them shut down. Jarad and Z-Lay led a recon mission into the tunnels to see if they could be made to house the resistance. Although the drones had shown the extent of the excavations, they were still impressed with the utter size of the place.
They had agreed to place the main living areas just off the main strip tunnel, close to where the access tunnels joined the main tunnels. As Amos had warned a good deal of the tunnels were bare rock, but it was surprisingly dry and well ventilated. The use of maintenance drones would be required to make the place livable, but it didn't take long for the small settlement to take shape and for people to begin moving in.
Many folks had worried about living underground but Jarad had borrowed from the moon base design to help the folks adjust to the conditions. Sheness and the two other doctors quickly got a small hospital set up for the treatment of the wounded, Injured and sick.
Hydrogen generators were used for power in most places, but the large-scale replicator would require a small reactor for power. That project actually took the longest to finish since it would have to be heavily shielded to prevent detection. One of the things Randy and Z-Lay had insisted on before allowing anyone into the new base was a full medical check to see if anyone had been tampered with.
The group that had been with the command section and the majority of the fighters had all checked out as clean, however, when some of the rescued folks were brought in, problems started. Several people had small tracking devices implanted into them, and eight more showed signs of the mental conditioning the Cabal had been using on some people.
Not everyone had been running through the mental reprogramming. In fact, most of the folks had simply been taken to forced labor camps and put to work. Other had been left to live in their homes but told to report to work details at various places in the city. It was the last group that had most of the tracking devices. Once those had been removed, they were allowed into the new base.
The people that had been programmed were taken out to a remote part of the city and left there. No one felt good about it, but at the present time, there was no way to help those people.
Several small tunnels had been dug to different places on the surface where the rebels would keep their vehicles. The main entrance to the tunnels would be modified to allow a small shuttle to enter and fly a short way down the main tunnel. The building would still look the same on the outside, and still look like it was locked up and sealed. A lot of work remained to be done, but Jarad and his people's time was up. It was time for them to return to the moon and the duties waiting there for them.
The shuttle would be full of wounded, but command was working on figuring out how to make Z-Lay's plan a reality. Greg had even asked for volunteers to go down on the first pick-up flight to help the rebels while their people were getting trained.
During the attack on the two major airports in the area, that was the distraction for Jarad and his team to escape, Greg was contacted by a very unusual individual.
"Attention Alliance Rangers, my name is Ranger Fighter Harkness Thyreen late of Imperial Drellian Security. I would have words with your leader; Ranger Fighter Greg Albright," A man's voice, speaking accented English, said over the Hypersled comms.
"I'm a little busy destroying your fighters at the moment, what can I do for you Ranger?" Greg replied he was somewhat distracted by the fighters he was currently engaging.
"I can see that. You are doing very well, too. I wish to speak to you in person if at all possible. I assure you it will not be a trap, nor is this a ploy. I believe you have a custom here called a 'white flag'. I would invoke that custom at this time, on my honor as a Ranger."
"A white flag means a temporary truce, Ranger Thyreen. All I see right now are your forces trying to kill my team," Greg replied.
A moment later, every cabal fighter in the air turned and went to full power to the north, away from the area. Greg's sensors indicated poorly shielded antimatter reactors in all of the planes.
"I have cleared the fighters out. I have also ordered all the ground forces to retreat to the main terminal at McCarran. I will meet you, unarmed, at the east end of the main runway. You may bring your team with you, as I know there is no trust between us yet," Thyreen replied. "You have my parole, Ranger, no harm will come to you and our forces will not attack."
Greg was skeptical. "This is most likely a trap guys, but he does have my curiosity going. Abraxis, please record and retransmit this meeting back to base. Ladies, let's go see what our enemy wants."
"Be careful, Greg. They could easily kill us down there," Bella said.
"That's why the two of you are going to remain in your sleds with the weapons armed and ready. I'll get out and talk to him, then we'll leave," Greg replied.
"Be very careful here, Rangers," Abraxis advised.
Greg nodded and reopened the connection. "Okay Ranger, we'll be right down. Under the terms of a white flag, you also have my parole that no harm will come to you and we will not attack."
"Unless you break the truce, then you will be the first to die!" Bella said.
"I will not harm you or your mate, Pilot," Thyreen replied.
"No offense, Ranger, but it's not just you we are worried about here," Jolene added.
"That I can understand, Finder. However, for the time being, it is safe for us to speak," Thyreen replied.
During the conversation, Greg and the girls had descended to the appointed place. Jolene was back and to the left, while Bella was closer and to the right, it was clear her weapons were trained on the person standing beside an old hummer. Greg landed closer to the man and got out. The man stepped away from the vehicle and approached Greg. He held his hand's palm outward to show he was unarmed. Greg removed his helmet and met him half way.
"Ranger Fighter Greg Albright, Alpha team Alliance Rangers. What can I do for you Fighter
Thyreen?" Greg said by way of greeting.
Harkness sighed. "You are much younger than I was led to believe. Fighter Albright, I wanted to speak to you to ask you why we are fighting? We have the same goals."
"What would those be, Fighter Thyreen? I don't remember one of my goals being the subjugation of the human race," Greg replied.
Harkness shook his head. "That is not one of my goals either. However, in order to get the assistance I needed from the world leaders, I needed to make some concessions. I am speaking of the destruction of the Drellian Empire and the rogue computer intelligence called Abraxis Prime."
"I'm afraid you might have misunderstood our intentions then, Fighter. Our immediate concerns are for the protection of the people of Earth as well as the defense and protection of our sector of space from your Empire. Why would a Drellian Ranger want the destruction of the Empire and the Prime Nexus? I thought you were conditioned into absolute obedience?"
Harkness nodded. "I was. They broke that conditioning when they sterilized my homeworld because the people wanted better health care and living conditions. The Empire has grown corrupt and the Emperor insane. It needs to end. The only force in the universe that could be capable of doing that is another Empire with enough might to destroy the Prime Nexus.
"This Alliance you are forming isn't going to be enough. If we don't start working together, the Prime is going to hit this sector with two thousand ranger teams and simply destroy everything and everyone in it. We don't have very long either. I don't know what you think your planning with those big ship gantries up there, but they aren't going to stand much of a chance against the force Prime is going to send here.
"We need to have a strong leader willing to do whatever it takes to get the military we are going to need to survive what's coming here," Thyreen explained.
