The Zeta Grey War: New Recruits

by D F Capps

  “Sure. How did you come up with the name, Ceti Research?”

  He glanced around to make sure no one was within hearing range.

  “I named it Ceti Research in recognition of the profound help and support we’re getting from the people of the Tau Ceti star system.”

  Diane stopped and faced him. “I thought we were being helped by Etnar, from the Andromeda Council.”

  “We are,” Theo said. He lowered his voice. “You should have seen the device President Andrews got from Etnar. It was about the size and shape of a quarter. All I had to do was set it down next to one of our network computers and it loaded all of the designs and specifications for your fighter craft and the particle beam cannons onto our database. It was amazing.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “And the Tau Ceti connection?”

  He nodded and grinned. “We still needed help in understanding and implementing the advanced designs. That’s where the people from Tau Ceti came in. They helped us with everything.”

  Diane looked around. “Are they here now? Could I meet one of them?”

  Theo’s grin spread across his face. “Actually, you already have.”

  I have? she thought. Not you, I hope. That would be really awkward.

  “He works here. He’s my second in charge.”

  “He’s here?” Diane asked. “Could he tell me more about the Zeta Greys? I’m feeling really frustrated by all the compartmentalization and security at Peregrine Base. I need to know more. It’s important to me, maybe vital to our fight against them.”

  Theo extended his arm, pointing down the hall. “Sure. His office is right over here.”

  He escorted her through several halls and into a large room.

  “You were here with Etnar,” Diane said. “Charlie, right?”

  Charlie was sitting at his desk. He motioned to the chair across from him.

  “I have a few things I need to check on,” Theo said. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

  Charlie smiled. “You’re wondering about the Zeta Grey hearing ability.”

  Diane was surprised that he knew.

  “Admiral Hollis forwarded your concerns to us. We’re putting together a sound-based communications system. Infrared suppression will also be built into the new flight suits.”

  Diane’s mouth dropped open slightly. They were taking her suggestions seriously.

  “Yes, we are,” Charlie said. “I can read your thoughts, quite clearly, actually. Close your eyes for me. Breathe in and out. Slow your mind down. Can you do that?”

  Diane wondered what he was up to. His request seemed harmless enough, so she did what he asked.

  His thought came into her mind: Let’s try an experiment.

  She opened her eyes and looked at him. He simply sat there gazing at her. She hesitated briefly, then closed her eyes again.

  His thought came to her again: Clear your mind and relax.

  She breathed in and out slowly, relaxing more with each breath. This was just like the meditation exercise Dr. Cowen taught her.

  Very similar, his thought replied in her mind. Good. Slow your mind down even more. Relax.

  But how? she thought.

  Unclutter your mind. Let go of your doubts. Are you willing to trust me?

  She hesitated, but then thought, Yes.

  Ask.

  Who are you? she thought.

  First you need to understand what I am.

  Okay, what are you?

  I am a bridge between your civilization and mine.

  A bridge?

  My mother was what you refer to as a contactee. My father is from the Tau Ceti star system. They met when she was a young human, what you call a teenager. A relationship developed over many years. They came to love each other very much, even though their time together was limited. My mother made the decision to have a child with him. He didn’t ask, she did.

  She must have really loved him, Diane thought.

  She still does.

  So you’re . . .

  Half Tau Cetian human and half Earth human.

  Your mother?

  Raised me here. I spent most of my time learning the ways of Earth humans. I also spent some time with my father on his ship.

  Did you . . .

  Go to school? No. There was no need. Through my father I gained the equivalent of several advanced college degrees in a matter of weeks.

  Telepathically?

  Yes, through question cascades, just as you are doing now.

  Who is your father?

  He is an emissary to your world. If you are successful in defeating the Zeta Greys, he will become an official ambassador from Tau Ceti.

  She was stunned. Charlie was the son of a future ambassador from another star system.

  In a telepathic society we don’t have names; we know each other intimately through our thoughts. A name serves a purpose only in an anonymous society, such as yours.

  Anonymous?

  Because you don’t communicate mind-to-mind, you don’t really know each other. You remain anonymous to each other except for the name chosen for you at birth.

  You have a name—Charlie.

  A compromise. In my father’s world there are no names, but my mother insisted that I have one if I was to live here, on planet Earth. So, Charlie, a single name.

  The compromise between your mother and your father, she thought.

  Yes.

  The history of the relationship between Charlie’s mother and father flooded into her mind. It was as if she had grown up with them as well as her own mother and brother. Two lifetimes, shared instantly and intimately.

  The Zeta Greys? she asked.

  Are an artificial telepathic society. The small Greys do not think for themselves. They are the worker class. They follow orders. The taller Greys can think, gather information, analyze and pass questions up the chain of command. You can consider the taller Greys as middle management.

  To?

  Usually an Insectoid.

  A what?

  The image of a seven-foot tall, green creature, like a giant praying mantis with folding forearms, a rounded triangular head, and large multi-celled eyes appeared in her mind.

  Very dangerous, very powerful telepathically and physically.

  Here?

  Sometimes. Not often.

  But the small Greys?

  Workers. When they encounter a new situation, they pass questions and observations up the chain of command telepathically and wait for new orders.

  Time delay?

  Depends on the situation. For conditions similar to past experiences, a few seconds. For something entirely new, ten to fifteen seconds.

  Interesting. Is telepathy affected by distance?

  Yes and no. For weaker minds, such as the small Zeta Greys, effective telepathic communications are limited to several miles. For the tall Greys, a thousand miles or more. For the Insectoids, there is no effective limit.

  You and your father?

  If he’s within your solar system, I can communicate with him.

  Is he here now?

  Yes.

  She took a deep breath and slowly breathed out.

  Life in your father’s world?

  In a natural telepathic society, with every thought known by everyone around you, conformity becomes imperative. Any thought, or the beginning of any desire, outside of the accepted norm becomes known and is rejected by those around you. Self-discipline and focus are instilled in you from the very beginning. That never changes.

  Your society has rules?

  Yes, an extensive set of rules everyone learns and follows.

  The Zeta Greys have rules?

  Much more so than a natural telepathic society. They are very regimented.

  And here on Earth?

  Earth human thoughts and desires are not normally registered in the conscious mind of other Earth humans. You remain anonymous, not connected, not part of the whole of society.

  Alone?

  Yes. E
arth humans remain separate, unconnected, billions of tiny islands, isolated by a vast ocean of doubt, unknowing.

  But you and I are communicating mind-to-mind.

  You are strongly intuitive, that opens a path that I can use.

  And love? she thought.

  One of many attempts to connect with others.

  Many?

  Fear, anger, guilt, resentment, bitterness, hatred, culture, religion, class, race, educational status, social status, language . . . All are attempts to connect with others in one form or another.

  But most of those things tend to divide us.

  Yes, they do. This is why you, as Earth humans, are still at war with each other. This is why the Zeta Greys control your world. They have unity of purpose, unity of mind. You do not.

  But aren’t your people at war with the Zeta Greys?

  As a matter of survival, yes. They make our response necessary.

  Are there other human races?

  Yes, many. The Andromedans are a very advanced human race.

  Etnar has a name, Diane thought.

  Contrived, for your convenience.

  Are they at war?

  No. Their advanced technology protects them.

  But with their advanced technology, they could easily win against the Zeta Greys, Diane thought. They could wipe the Greys out.

  To kill serves no purpose to them. Life is sacred. Violence serves no purpose, has no value. They seek only an end to war and violence. Nothing more, nothing less.

  But the Zeta Greys?

  Part of the answer you seek is a matter of biology. In the Corporate Alliance, the Insectoids, the Reptilians, and the Greys each have a single brain. As such their only purpose is to prey on others. Being telepathic doesn’t change that.

  We, as humans, Charlie went on, have a double brain; the result of billions of your years of evolution. We have the simple brain of the reptiles and the insects, what you call the limbic brain. We also have a mammalian brain, which creates the tribal or herd mentality. Through the mammalian brain Earth humans organize and band together based on race, religion, culture, and ideology.

  A three dimensional image of the human brain appeared in Diane’s mind. The limbic brain was red in color. Behind that was the Cerebellum in pink. Above and surrounding them were the eight lobes of the mammalian brain, colored from blue to gold, back to front respectively.

  But, most importantly, Charlie’s thoughts continued, we also have what you call the frontal lobes. This gives us the ability to transcend our lower instincts for violence, killing, and conquest resident in the limbic brain, and to overcome the separation and distrust of the mammalian brain. Through the frontal lobes, Earth humans can transform themselves and their lives into a state of cosmic communion with their interstellar human neighbors.

  Like you?

  Yes. Like the Tau Cetians, Andromedans, Sirians, Vegans, Pleadians, and hundreds of other human races.

  How do we become like you?

  Through knowledge, tolerance, understanding, patience, kindness, to help, support, guide, and especially a willingness to be of service to others . . .

  And to love?

  Yes. To love unconditionally is the last barrier. When you Earth humans can connect through your heart, your mind will open, you will hear the thoughts of others, you will feel their emotions, you will connect with each other’s inner lives. When your people can accomplish that, war among yourselves will become impossible. Then it will be time for you to join us, the rest of the human family, out among the stars.

  She opened her eyes and said aloud, “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” Charlie said.

  Diane got up and left.

  She was dazed. Her mind was spinning. She tried her best to not let it show.

  Chapter 49

  This changes everything, she thought. It wasn’t just the words he shared with me; it was the images, the history, and the relationships. My God. I had no idea I could get whole sections of information all at once like that.

  It’s basic biology taken to extremes. Insects, reptiles, and computers: Single function brains evolved into incredibly advanced technology and telepathy, yet they retained their basic predatory instincts. That’s why the Zetas are here; they’re natural predators. They see us as prey, cast into the artificial structure of a corporation based on profit and loss, assets and liabilities. They see us as assets to be seized, used, and turned into profit.

  Then there’s the cloned body angle: Our bodies provide the basic building blocks for their bodies, and for their food. They didn’t come to share technology with us. The technology and power they offered was bait, and we swallowed it hook, line, and sinker.

  Humans—advanced humans—like Charlie and his father, are much more evolved, brain-wise. We have dual layered brains: We have a choice, but too many of us function from the simple reptilian section of our brain: fighting, stealing, and taking from one another, focused on the selfish, greedy little reptilian layer of our brains. No wonder we can’t get along.

  The mammalian layer of the brain is better. At least groups of people get along and band together, but none of the groups get along well enough with each other. We’re still at war; one group against another. Insects, reptiles, then mammals, and finally the emerging awareness within the frontal lobes. But do we actually use the higher section of our brain? Apparently not, at least rarely. No wonder this world is in such a mess.

  So how do I change the situation? I have to start with me. Charlie said my intuitive ability was a path he could use. Maybe I can, too. Maybe that will open my real human brain.

  * * *

  “You look really wired,” Theo said as Diane walked through his office doorway.

  “Yeah, I—that was really intense.”

  Theo nodded. “You get used to it after a while. Any other questions?”

  She shook her head.

  “Good. I’ve arranged dinner, if you have the time.”

  She smiled. She had never felt both this nervous and excited at the same time. It felt nice. “This sounds like a date.”

  “It does, doesn’t it?”

  He smiled and opened a door at the back of his office.

  “With all of the security, this is about as private as it’s going to get.”

  The doorway led into his apartment, which was moderate in size and spartanly furnished. A small table had been set up, complete with tablecloth, two tall white burning candles, two chairs, two place settings, two small vases, each holding a single flower, and a heated stainless steel covered dish in the center.

  “It’s not fancy,” he said. “But under the circumstances, I hope it will do.”

  She smiled. “It’s wonderful.”

  They talked as they ate, getting to know each other better. He reached across the table, resting his hand on the tablecloth. She smiled and placed her hand in his. After a pause in the conversation, he got up and extracted two small plates of red velvet cake from the little refrigerator. They held hands as they finished desert.

  Finally he stood, lifting her hand. She followed and stepped closer to him. She kissed him without hesitation. It was a long, wonderful kiss that tingled from the top of her head to the ends of her toes. She hugged him, held him close to her. Desire built within her. She wanted more, but didn’t know if this was the right time. Too much was happening.

  “Can you stay?” Theo asked.

  Diane lowered her head. “As much as I would love to . . .”

  Theo held her tight. “It’s okay,” he whispered in her ear. “I don’t want to understand, but I do.”

  She kissed him again and slowly pulled away. “I have a war to get back to. The Zetas are more active at night. I have to be there.”

  He held her hands in his. “Of course you do. Be safe, be careful. Now that I’ve found you, I don’t want to lose you.”

  She nodded. “Me, either. I just don’t know when . . .”

  He kissed her gently. “Until then.”


  * * *

  Diane gathered her squadron in the corner of the cafeteria the next morning.

  “We’ve been looking at this all wrong,” she said.

  All she got were puzzled looks in return.

  “What do you mean?” Clay asked.

  Diane grinned. “What do you do when you discover your home is overrun with insects and reptiles?”

  Clay shrugged.

  “You call the exterminator,” Helen said.

  Clay glanced at Helen.

  “Exactly. We’re not underdogs fighting a hopeless battle. We’re not the orphan squad—we’re the exterminator squad. We’re here partially because we don’t have families. That doesn’t mean we’re expendable; it means we have to focus a hundred percent on our job with no divided loyalties.”

  Diane looked at the faces of her teammates. She had their full attention.

  “Our world is being overrun by simple-minded pests in flying saucers. Technologically advanced, yes, but the end result and the methodology is the same. This world is ours. We are the top predators on this planet and the Zeta Greys are the prey—they just don’t know it yet. We’re exterminators. We kill saucers and Zeta Greys. Period. That’s our job.”

  She put her hand out into the center of the group.

  “Are you with me?”

  The other pilots and RIOs placed their hands on hers.

  “Huaah!” they yelled together.

  * * *

  Sean Wells spent most of the day reviewing his articles and investigation documents over the phone with his editor. Now that the White House had officially notified the twelve news outlets that they could run with the attempted assassination story, it was time to include the story on Conrad Kaplan and what he was doing.

  “These are very dangerous people,” Ed said. “I don’t want any of them coming after you.”

  Sean shrugged. “I’ve received death threats before. It’s just a part of dealing with greedy, crooked people. This won’t be any different.”

  Ed replied urgently, “This guy has trained killers on his payroll.”

  Sean nodded in agreement. “In Africa, not here.”

  Ed’s devil’s advocate personality was pushing through again. “You don’t know that. Kaplan could be one of the people behind shooting down Marine One.”