“Oh, I know we are not without hope, Dr. Schäuble.” The agent replied, “Not only is Dr. Tooch very good but our Agent Mr. Jameson can be quite crafty as well.”
Dr. Schäuble looked at Agent Weisz for a moment before nodding his head in understanding. He had been wondering which of the people on the trip were plants for this group all along. While he suspected half the crew, he had not expected the occasionally brash capitalist Mr. Jameson to be one.
Dr. Schäuble thought to himself, Keep one's’ eyes open and one's’ brain willing, and you can learn something new every day.
—
“Captain Forstal?” the voice rang on the bring, “Call sir.”
“I’ll take it in my stateroom,” Captain Forstal replied.
Jack picked up his coffee from his chair and walked to his stateroom, closing the door behind him. The call came ringing in, and he picked it up, “Captain Jack Forstal here.”
Jack listened for a moment, his eyes opening slightly at the level of the political person on the other side. He pursed his lips, “Sir, I’m not going to begin to track down how you came about reading the early documents from myself and the crew related to the incident in the Antarctic. However, I reviewed everyone and signed off as them being the truth.”
The man on the other side of the line, apparently not hearing something he wanted to hear, started getting warmed up.
Jack pulled out his chair and sat down. He had been in the profession long enough to know that for blow-hards like this, let them rant and rave and then send them on.
Sure enough, after a couple of minutes, Jack was able to interject, “I might understand how you could think that, but it simply isn’t true. TQB did not fire on any Navy vessels. They did appear very close to our ship, but it was in a defensive position as the four U.F.O.s came back to our location once they lost track of the TQB vessel. In the estimation of myself and my crew, TQB was trying to protect our ship and did not, at any time, instigate or aggravate the event with the U.S. Navy.”
Jack pulled the phone away from his ear and reached to grab his coffee, taking a sip, then another, before he set it back down and continued his talking.
“Well, I’m sorry to aggravate you sir, but those documents have all been signed appropriately, and they will not be modified. Perhaps you can discuss this situation with someone higher, sir.”
Jack winced when the man, in frustration, yelled and slammed the phone down. Jack hung up his phone and sat back, thinking.
This was the second request to change the records he had received this week.
QBS ArchAngel
Bethany Anne sat in the Captain’s chair, reviewing some notes from Yuko’s efforts in Japan and an update from Barnabas on Tabitha’s ongoing investigation.
The click-click-click of Kael-ven’s four legs could be heard, and soon he arrived at the bridge, asking permission to enter.
“Permission granted,” Bethany Anne called out and turned in her chair to watch the alien move amongst the chairs to come to her.
“You wanted to ask me something, Captain?” When she sat in this chair, Kael-ven refused to call her anything else, but her role at the moment. In a way, she understood and agreed with him.
“Yes, I do. This has to do with your support promised for your ship. As always, if I go beyond your personal ethics, please explain them to me.” She recognized his chittering for agreement before the translation node spoke in her ear.
“Good. Down below in the ice cave my team is about to wake up some humans who have been asleep for a while, we believe they do not know anything about the rumors and truth swirling about regarding my group, aliens, and space.” She reached over and grabbed her water, “So, I want to wake them up, but I want you to be there with me.”
“Me?” Kael-ven asked, surprised. “Why would an alien down there help the humans wake more easily?”
“Because, everything we have been able to deduce says they contacted, or received contact from, aliens a long time back. The theory we have going is if those we wake see an alien with us, they might be more receptive to us, not less.” She put the water back down, “Probably the only group this will ever work with, by the way. Damned happy you are around.”
“Ok, but why ask me? Standing with you somewhere is wholly within the contract, Captain.”
“Yes, it is,” she agreed, “but here is the second part, Kael-ven.” She paused a moment then asked, “What do Yollins know about acting?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Chapter 25
Tokyo, Japan
Akio took point as he and the team supported Yuko’s trip to the building for the National Diet, the upper and lower houses of the legislature.
This time, like before, Yuko had argued, and Akio had agreed to no swords. He had, however, added a significant amount of hidden weapons.
Some, in plain sight. Yuko understood her role and allowed him to provide the hairpins she would wear in case he had need of them.
Furthermore, many materials did not set off the metal detectors she expected they would go through.
Once inside the building, they were directed to a smaller meeting room. Two guards outside of the room confirmed their identities. Yuko and Akio were the only two to enter.
Two minutes later, three additional men joined. The five of them respectfully bowed, and the first started the discussion.
“I appreciate you doing this, Vicereine. We have difficult news coming from our contacts in the United Nations for Queen Bethany Anne.” None of those in the room sat down.
“We appreciate your support,” Yuko provided, “what can you tell us?”
The Prime Minister nodded, “There are many, many members of the UN that are attacking TQB with charges, some of them outrageous. However, the outrageous then make the highly unlikely seem plausible. It is not just one group, either. There are many countries, smaller ones and larger, who are working to suborn and implement rules and regulations against TQB. Due to our acceptance of Queen Bethany Anne’s legitimacy, we have been attacked on multiple fronts. It is unlikely, without Japan suffering significantly, that we can continue to hold the same level of support outwardly as we have been doing so far.”
“What kind of time frame do we have, Prime Minister?” Yuko asked.
He blew out a breath, “I doubt we have more than three months, Vicereine.”
Boston, MA - USA
Fred walked into the room, stopping at the chess table. He looked over the pieces and grimaced. He was playing Charles now, and so far, he hadn’t figured out a way to get out of checkmate in three moves.
He continued into the empty room and raised an eyebrow.
There was a manila envelope in his chair labeled ‘National Intelligence Estimate - TQB Antarctica.’
Fred picked up the document and set his papers down before turning around and just dropping into the seat. The older he got, the more the body gave way. It was a shame, really. His mind was in tip-top shape, he was more powerful, with his brother David and their friend and partner Charles, than many small countries and the cold hearted bitch Time was stealing it all away.
Death came for everyone, it seemed, except for those in TQB.
He started unrolling the string that kept the envelope closed and slid his hand inside to pull out the report. Fred had worked hard to get the three ship captains to change their reports.
But the bastards wouldn’t do it.
As Fred’s eyes read through the report, a small smile began to play across his features, and a small twinkle appeared in his eye.
Oh yes, yes yes! Fred heard the other two men coming in and he turned around to see David walk in first, with Charles behind him.
“Was this you, Charles?” He asked as he held up the National Intelligence Estimate.
“It was,” he replied as he looked down at the chess board. Noting nothing had changed, he continued into the room.
“Well played, how did you get it changed?” Fred asked.
�
��Senior Military needed the NIE quickly,” Charles answered, sitting down, “so, opportunity number one.” He pulled out his laptop and opened it up, “The National Intelligence Officer has a grudge against TQB, and I was able to have a couple of IC Analysts word their responses in such a way that the NIO could choose, and show he had cause, to tweak the response. He did so, such that TQB was now the aggressor in the dust-up down south. When that,” he nodded to the document in Fred’s hand, “gets circulated, everyone with a grudge against TQB is going to pile on.”
Fred looked down at the paper and started reading from the top and murmured, “Check Mate.”
Schwabenland, Antarctica
It had taken Barb and Frank two weeks to find an appropriate person to help the team. Dr. April Keelson knew the history, she was German, she was both a medical officer and understood engineering.
Finding her had the same chance as finding a purple spotted unicorn. Actually, a little less likely than the unicorn. But, Barb and Frank had done it. Dan had decided to take her interview himself, and it had been pretty eye-opening.
Dr. April Keelson had been abrupt, in his face, and very hard to impress.
Until he took her on the Pod ride that Barb had suggested, then she became putty in his hands. It was, Barb had said, a take on something Jean Dukes had said one time. Find the right lever, and you could get a female to change her attitude in a second.
—
Cold. She was so cold.
She heard the same gurgling noises of liquid moving through pipes she remembered when she laid down to wait for the aliens to arrive. But in reverse, leaving the stasis chamber.
She and her people had lost hope after so many decades, so much time waiting for her contacts to come and pull them out of this frozen wasteland, and allow them to join them in space. Away from the hell of war, or the subjection of her people to the cruelty of those who didn’t understand they had been forced to work with Hitler.
Maria felt the slow introduction of warmth to the stasis chamber. It was a design provided to them from her benefactor.
She had provided her full belief and support to the engineering team that what they built, would save them all for the time when they could go to the stars. Now, she would find out if it was true.
Had they been saved?
The chamber’s top hissed as fresh air came into the system. She had two humans, dressed in medical gear appear over her. One, a female spoke, “Maria Orsitsch?”
Maria nodded.
“Ok, lay still while we figure this out. I’ve only done this five times and so far, I’m good five out of five so don’t ruin anything for me,” the abrupt woman with a German accent said to her.
Maria’s mind was racing. Why was a German woman helping her? What happened to the plan?
The doctor released the mask from around her face, and gently pulled it away from her hair, “Sorry, you are going to be in there a few more minutes. The aliens didn’t do anything for hair growth, and we need to cut some away.”
Maria nodded, weakly.
“Doctor?” Maria heard a voice from behind the abrupt woman. She turned and nodded to someone and the two medical people stepped aside, and two new faces replaced the previous.
Except, this time one was an alien.
“Don’t worry, Maria. My name is Bethany Anne, this,” she nodded to the alien on the other side, “is Kael-ven. Rest and gather your strength.”
The alien chittered something and then it was translated. He spoke in the language of the Aldebaran’s, “Welcome back, Maria Orsitsch, we look forward to talking to you soon.”
The doctor spoke up, “You two go now, we have a lot to do,” and pulled the lady back out of the way.
The doctor didn’t fail to see the one tear making its way down Maria’s face.
Meeting room - QBS ArchAngel
The room was full. Bethany Anne had requested all of her top people, and many of their second level people as well. For example, not only was Jean Dukes there, but her main second was, as well. The first row included her father, Patricia, Dan, Frank, Barb, Stephen, Barnabas, Admiral Thomas, Captains Wagner and Jakowski, Nathan and Ecaterina and a roomful of others as Bethany Anne stood up front.
The Yollin’s had not been invited to sit in.
She stared out at the group and in moments, the talk had stopped. Bethany Anne smiled to the room. “We have had an interesting time for the last few months.” She started walking back and forth down at the front as she spoke. “First, we have received everything we could ask for from our Japanese connections regarding manufacturing tools. I understand that the effort to build the Yollin mining equipment is ahead of schedule?”
William nodded from the second row.
“Good, we have food, we have shelter, and we have water, thanks to Dr. Brown-Williams and Marcus. We have a plan for our first Battle Station.”
“What’s the name?” Bobcat asked, and Bethany Anne stared at him, “Sorry!” he looked around and slid a few inches down in his chair.
“I’ll get to the name in a moment, Bobcat,” she replied and then continued, “We have our first alien acquisition up and running with better armament. It worked very well, I might add. The teams went for a joyride in an area with plenty of rocks, and I understand they defeated the rocks soundly.”
She smiled as a few up in the top of the rows started whistling and clapping.
“Just remember, you murdered defenseless rocks,” she chuckled, “that weren’t shooting back.” She paused, “But, that brings us to our challenges at the moment.”
She stopped walking and looked up to her people, “We still need to be here while we get the Battle Station built and it would behoove us to see if we have any additional people that would, or could, help us when we go through the annex gate. We have a lot of intelligence coming up from Earth, and I daresay they are really, really unhappy with us. In fact, our companies are taking a serious pounding in the stock markets…”
She smiled, “If we actually still had an ownership percentage in the companies, I might be worried.” There were some chuckles when a few realized that she sold her portions of the companies when they were worth the most. “Now, we have moved into precious metals and other tangibles that can be traded without traces. Unfortunately, I’m afraid our name is going to be mud.”
Bethany Anne stood a little straighter, “The reason is ... I refuse to provide the technology and alien access the world is demanding. Further, they really don’t like that such a small group is thumbing their collective noses at them. Finally, they scream bloody murder when we allow people, of their own free will, to leave their countries and join us. The problem, as they see it, is we are grabbing the cream of the crop.”
She shrugged, “The way I see it, slackers and malcontents who are allergic to hard work and those missing a backbone don’t want to take up the call.”
“AD AETERNITATEM!” Someone called out, and soon everyone took it up, “Ad Aeternitatem! Ad Aeternitatem! Ad Aeternitatem!” Bethany Anne smiled and put up her hands, after three or four more calls and the group quieted down.
Bethany Anne surreptitiously wiped a tear from her right eye, “Damn, ArchAngel, are you getting the dust out of here?”
“Yes,” the EI answered, her face showing up on the large screen behind Bethany Anne, “I am. Don’t blame my air purification system on your inability to handle the overload of emotions you have going on!”
Ok, who the fuck is giving me away to ArchAngel?
>>Uh, that might have been me.<<
Seriously ADAM? Damn, a pretty female EI comes along, and you go and stab me in the metaphorical back.
>>She asked a question, I answered.<<
She’s getting sneaky. Good job.
>>Good...Job?<< ADAM answered, confusion coloring his question.
I’ll explain why some other time.
“I’m sure it was random, ArchAngel,” Bethany Anne answered to a few chuckles in the audience.
“As I
was saying, we are getting hit pretty hard. So, I’ve decided that we are going to lay low for the time it takes us to build our new home, the QBBS Merideth Reynolds. I want to get it as far along as possible. Perhaps, if we don’t show ourselves, the noise and pissed off people will go away.” She got a ‘woot woot’ from the audience from the few that caught her naming comment. She glanced at her father, who had a small smile on his face, nodding his agreement with her name choice.
There was some murmuring out in the audience that had to do with hiding out. “That doesn’t mean we won’t visit Earth, but we will need to be more circumspect about it,” she clarified.
My Ride is a Bitch Page 26
