“What?” asked Calvin, hearing it for the first time although several others around the table had previously been told that by the Psiclopes.
“Having found one of these spirits,” continued Arges, “we then try to put them in positions where they will be required to exhibit their talents, so that we can watch and see what happens.”
“So that’s why you told the president I had to come?” asked Calvin. “So that you can watch and see what happens if I succeed?”
“What happens if you fail is just as important,” remarked Steropes; “however, due to the nature of warfare in space, it is highly unlikely that we will still be around to observe if you fail. Warfare on Earth was much better.”
“So this is all a big game to put me into bad situations to see what I’ll do?” asked Calvin.
“You need pressure to make a diamond,” answered Arges. “It is a similar process with you, although sometimes the material cracks and is destroyed. Either way, the outcome has meaning to us.”
“Wait a minute,” interjected Night. “You said that warfare on Earth was better. Did you have something to do with the Chinese war?”
“I might have made some suggestions to certain Chinese leaders to speed up the process,” replied Arges. He looked around the table and saw that over half of the Terrans’ jaws had dropped open. “What? They probably would have come up with those ideas on their own, eventually.”
Night’s chair hit the floor, overturned as he stood up suddenly. Calvin and Top also stood. “I...lost...friends...in...that...war...” grated Night. “And now I find out that you started it? Commander Sheppard, you better lock them up right now, before I kill them.”
“This meeting is at an end,” agreed Commander Sheppard. “Security,” he commed. “Come to the conference room immediately. I have three prisoners to take to the brig.” Looking at the Psiclopes, he could tell that Arges didn’t understand the physical danger that he was in. From the looks in the soldiers’ eyes, they were all within seconds of killing the aliens. Preferably with their own bare hands. “Come with me,” he said to the Psiclopes. “It’s time to go.”
“What?” asked Arges as they walked out the door. “It was a valid experiment to determine whether Calvin had a hero spirit...”
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, WASP-18 System, August 31, 2020
“I have resolved the data transmission problem with the Emperor’s Paw,” said Solomon. “You should now have access to the star data that you have been requesting.”
“Thanks, Solomon,” replied Calvin with a touch of sarcasm. “It’s good to finally get it.” He looked at it for a few seconds, his smile evaporating. “Could you please mark enemy systems in red and friendly systems in green?” Calvin watched as the systems began changing color. “Oh, fuck...” he whispered. Shaking his head, he asked in a louder voice, “Comms officer, could you please get me the Terra?” he asked.
“Sure, sir,” said the communications officer. Within a few seconds, Captain Griffin was on the screen, sitting in her command chair. Captain Yerrow was standing next to her.
Before he could say anything, Captain Griffin spoke, “I take it you’re looking at the star map that Solomon just sent over?”
“Yes ma’am,” replied Calvin. “The Psiclopes weren’t lying about one thing. The Drakuls are on our doorstep.”
“Ah, I see what you mean,” said Captain Yerrow. “We didn’t have the data on your home system or some of the ones surrounding it. You are correct; your society has been very lucky.”
There were only two systems between the Drakul home world and Earth. One of those systems, Lalande 21185, was a nexus system. When the Drakuls started adventuring away from their new home planet, they had a choice of three directions when they reached Lalande 21185. One stargate led to Ross 154 and then immediately to Earth. The other stargate led to Gliese 876 and then to 54 Piscium, which is where they had run into the Archons.
“Based on information that we were sent by the Archons,” Captain Yerrow said, “the Drakuls swept into the system you have labeled as 54 Piscium and surprised the forces there. After a brief but fierce battle, the remaining Archon forces withdrew to the next system, HD 10180, where they had a colony on the planet Malak. A stalemate has ensued since then; the Archons have been unable to get back into 54 Piscium, but they are holding the Drakuls, barely, from going any further in that direction.”
“So they’ve got one of two choices as they build up their forces,” said Calvin. “They can either continue to beat their heads against the wall trying to get into HD 10180, or they can swing around the other way.”
“That is correct,” said Captain Yerrow. “The Drakuls do not always make what you and I would call rational choices, in part because they breed so quickly, but I know which way I would go.”
“Through Earth,” said Calvin and Captain Griffin at the same time.
“Unfortunately,” said Captain Yerrow, “yes, that is correct. Through Earth.”
“We’ve got to expedite what we’re doing here and get back as soon as possible,” said Captain Griffin. “I don’t know when they’re going to get there, but it’s going to be soon.”
“One more thing,” said Captain Yerrow. “The system you have labeled as 54 Piscium, we know by the name its inhabitants gave it, which is Graecium. It has two planets that are inhabited, or at least they were inhabited prior to the Drakuls getting there. One of those planets is Olympos, the home world of the Psiclopes. No matter what the Psiclopes did to us, I wouldn’t wish a Drakul invasion on even them.”
* * * * *
Chapter Forty-Eight
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, WASP-18 System, September 3, 2020
“We’ve got everything loaded into the replicator,” reported the special projects officer, looking at the view screen at the front of the bridge. The screen was split to show the bridges of the three other ships. The senior officers on each of them nodded; the humans all smiled. Everyone was ready to get back home with the replicator and their new ships. Hopefully, home would still be there when they got back. Having to wait for the remains of the spacecraft carrier to be loaded into the replicator had been hard on everyone. Necessary, but hard.
“OK,” said Captain Griffin from the left screen on the bridge of the Terra. “Let’s get this show on the road. She looked forward on her ship to the Mrowry sitting at the helm. “Helmsman, proceed to the stargate. Nice and easy.” She looked back to the rest of the starship captains. “As planned, we’ll go through first, followed by the battlecruiser, then the Paw, then the Gulf.” As it said it would, the Terra was towing the replicator, which had the initial 50 feet of the Class 5 replicator already beginning to emerge from it. The battleship had to accelerate smoothly to keep from overstressing either of the replicators. Stopping it would be much harder.
It didn’t matter; they were finally headed home.
Bridge, TSS Terra, Epsilon Eridani System, September 4, 2020
“Domus, this is the Terran Spaceship Terra,” called the communications officer on entry into the Epsilon Eridani system. “We’d be awfully obliged if you would deactivate all of the mines you have placed here at the stargate.”
“How do we know you are really Terran?” Domus Control replied.
“This is Captain Lorena Griffin, commanding officer of the Terra,” responded a voice from the ship. “Hopefully you recognize my voice.”
“I do, skipper,” said the voice from the planet. “This is Lieutenant Park Ji-hyun of the Domus Defense Force. Welcome back.”
“Thanks, Lieutenant Park,” said Captain Griffin. “It’s good to be back.”
“That’s a nice ship you’re driving,” noted Lieutenant Park. “Did you bring me one, too?”
“No, but I brought home the store,” replied Captain Griffin. “You can pick out one of your own.”
“Sounds good,” said Lieutenant Park.
“Do me a favor,” said Captain Griffin. “Please let everyone planet-side know that we won’t be sta
ying long. We have to get back home.”
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, In Orbit Around Domus, September 4, 2020
“Terran Spaceship Vella Gulf, this is Domus Control,” radioed the ground station.
“Domus Control, this is the Vella Gulf, go ahead,” replied the communications officer. The forward screen lit to show one of the therapods in their small communications room. The therapods’ princess stood behind him.
“Hi,” commed the princess to Calvin. “I’m glad you made it back safely.”
“I see that you have the replicator and medibot working,” Calvin replied. “I take it the medibot has worked out how to do implants for your race.”
“Yes,” replied the princess. She switched to normal speech. “The replicator you left here is operational and appears to be working as it is supposed to. The medibot is also working, although it is not functioning as I would have expected.”
“What is wrong with it?” asked Calvin.
“It is not respectful of the individuals being augmented,” she said. “No matter who goes in, it always seems to find something wrong with the person.”
Calvin laughed, remembering when he received his implants. “Based on my experience with medibots, it’s functioning normally. Whoever programmed them obviously had a warped sense of humor.”
“I don’t get it,” replied the princess.
“Me, either,” agreed Calvin. “Hey, how many do you have implanted? As you may have noticed, our navy has grown a little, and we could surely use a few more sailors.”
“I think you will be pleasantly surprised,” said the princess. “We have made a lot of progress since you left.”
Domus Shuttle 01, Domus, September 5, 2020
The shuttle touched down so softly it didn’t wake up Master Chief. “Welcome to Domus and thanks for flying Domus Air,” said a voice from the cockpit over the intercom.
Calvin woke Master Chief, and they went out with Night and Top to see the new formation of local troops. Figuring that he knew the flight crew, Calvin stopped by the cockpit to thank them for the flight and was surprised to find that it wasn’t a Terran flight crew; both the pilot and the WSO were therapods.
“Nice flight,” he said, recovering from his surprise. “Thanks.”
“We aim to please, sir,” said the WSO. “We’re looking forward to flying with the navy. We would like to join one of the crews when you leave.”
“Wow,” said Calvin, “the princess wasn’t kidding when she said that you guys had made a lot of progress while we were gone.”
“Yes sir, we have tried,” said the WSO, smiling to show a mouthful of razor sharp teeth. No matter how many times Calvin saw it, the mini-tyrannosaurus rex smile was chilling up close. “We already had a lot of materials ready; we just needed the replicator that you dropped off the last time you came by.”
“I’m Calvin,” said Calvin. “I’m looking forward to flying with you.”
“We know who you are, sir,” said the pilot. “I’m Teksssellisssiniss, and this is Ollisssellissess.”
“Got it,” said Calvin, “Tex and Olly. You’ll fit right in.”
Both of the therapods gave their version of a smile again. “Thank you,” said Tex. “We are looking forward to it, too.”
Domus Army Parade Ground, Domus, September 4, 2020
“You’ve done a great job,” said Calvin to the four Terrans that had been left behind to organize the beginning of the Domus Army. He looked out at the first two platoons. They had four squads of 10 soldiers each, made up of a mix of the humanoids and therapods. Another 200 more troops were scheduled to go through the implant and modification process. They didn’t have all of their equipment yet, because one of the rifle components was in short supply, but they were rapidly turning into a capable group.
“Thank you, sir,” replied Sergeant Jacob Hylton, the most senior of the men. “It helped that Contreras was a hero of the royal family.” He indicated Cabo Segundo Cristobal Contreras, who was standing in front of one of the platoons, acting as its platoon commander. The Chilean had been instrumental in saving the life of the therapods’ princess on their first mission. “Anything we ask for, we get,” he continued. “We have also received the best of both nations’ militaries. They want to learn and are trying their hardest. It makes the group easy to lead.”
“Well, you’ve made great progress with them,” said Calvin. “I spoke with the chain of command before we left, and I’m authorized to give you a little assistance. Staff Sergeant Chang is going to be staying here to assist, for one.” He turned to Top.
“Top,” he said, “I know you have a family back home, but would you mind staying for a little to take charge of the formation of the Domus Army? We can work out the family stuff when we get home.”
“Yes, sir,” replied Top, “I could stay and do this for a bit.”
“How about you four?” Calvin asked the group that was already in place. “You feel like staying on a bit longer, even if it means reenlisting for another tour?”
“Yes, sir,” they all chorused.
“We’re doing good things here,” said Contreras, “Like I said, it is exciting to lead people that want to be led.”
“In that case,” said Calvin, “come with me.” He called the platoon to attention and lined up the men in front of it. “Private First Class Spence and Corporal Wayne, you are first. Repeat after me.” He read them the oath of office for enlisted soldiers, which they faithfully repeated.
“Congratulations,” said Calvin after he had finished. “I give you Staff Sergeant Spence and Sergeant Wayne.” Both men had been advanced two ranks.
“As for you four,” continued Calvin looking at the other men, “your oath is a little different.” He read it off with the soldiers repeating it. Top had heard it often enough that he recognized it as the oath that officers took. What was this all about?
“Congratulations, Captain Smith,” said Calvin reaching into his pocket to pull out the army officer insignia for a captain. He pinned it onto his collars.
“Really?” asked the former senior enlisted. “Shit, sir, a captain? What did I do to deserve that?”
“The size of this army is growing,” said Calvin, “and it needs outstanding officers to lead it. One of my last trips to Washington, DC, was to get permission to put officers in place for it. The Terran high command may send someone to replace you at some point, but the promotion and commission is official from the U.S. Army’s point of view. You’re now a captain and in charge of the Republic of Terra’s army contingent on the planet. You’ll need help with this task.” He continued down the line to Chang, Spence and Contreras.
“Congratulations, First Lieutenant Chang,” said Calvin as he pinned on the shiny silver bars. He moved to the next person in line. “Congratulations, Second Lieutenant Spence,” Calvin said, pinning on his new insignia. He moved down to Contreras. “I also spoke to Sebastian Rojas, the Chilean General of the Army, and he confirmed that your promotion is official. Congratulations, Second Lieutenant Contreras.”
“Thank you, sir,” the new officer said.
“Don’t thank me,” said Calvin. “I just sentenced you four to a lot of work. If you still want to, you can thank me the next time we come through here.”
Shuttle Boarding Tube, TSS Vella Gulf, Epsilon Eridani System, September 6, 2020
“I’m going to miss you, buddy,” said Calvin. “It seems like we’ve been in this together for a long time, even though it’s only been a couple of years.”
“Yeah, I’ll miss you too,” agreed Bullseye, who was staying behind to run the rest of the navy’s operations until the Terran Navy could send more senior people to take it over, as well as to assist Lieutenant Colonel Ordonez with the new Class 5 replicator that they were also leaving behind. Bullseye didn’t feel like he was qualified to run the ‘navy’ stuff, especially as a former air force officer, but he was the most senior person that could be left behind, so it fell to him. Calvin was also leaving a couple
more pilots (Lieutenant Miguel Carvalho and Lieutenant Nadia Rasputin) and another WSO (Lieutenant Jackson Taylor) to assist him. Calvin knew he would be fine. If they needed another shuttle, they could just go ahead and make one.
“Good luck!” Calvin called as they headed up the boarding tube to the shuttle. He wondered when, or if, he’d ever see his friend again.
* * * * *
Chapter Forty-Nine
Squadron CO’s Office, TSS Vella Gulf, Lacaille 8760 System, September 13, 2020
“Can I talk with you a minute?” asked Steropes from the doorway. Commander Sheppard had released the Psiclopes from the brig the day before. Once cooler heads had prevailed, he realized that they hadn’t really broken any laws that he was aware of. He really had no reason to hold them, aside from their physical safety. Since their release, Brontes and Arges had mostly decided to stay in their rooms. Most people had heard about Steropes’ exploits on Keppler-22 ‘b,’ so he was relatively safe from harm; no one wanted to mess with a tai chi master.
“What?” asked Calvin, annoyance in his voice, as he looked up from his paperwork. Just because the Psiclopes hadn’t done anything ‘illegal’ didn’t mean that Calvin was OK with their actions.
“I just wanted you to know that I had nothing to do with the Chinese,” Steropes said. “I believe that Brontes and Arges once told you that our society recognizes four paths that can be used to achieve ultimate enlightenment.” Calvin nodded. “My wife followed Karma, or the path of right action,” continued Steropes. “She would never have allowed them to do that if she were still alive, nor would I have allowed it to happen in her memory, had I known about it ahead of time. I know it doesn’t make any difference, but I just wanted you to know.” He turned to leave.
When the Gods Aren't Gods: Book Two of The Theogony Page 34
