by TS Paul
Looking closer at the smaller girl’s tablet, Yana replied. “Is that why we all got notices to check with medical before the term starts?”
“It was Dr. Running Wolf’s idea. According to her, we weren’t checked properly for hidden medical issues. They have a new scanner set up in medical to take care of that. It uses some of the new Yollin and Kurtherian medical technology. Meredith says it only takes a half hour from start to finish to diagnose you.”
“Meredith? The E.I.? Is she who you get all this information from?” Yana glanced at Tina’s face.
“Not completely. I have lots of friends around here. You forgot I grew up at the base in Colorado. TQB and the Etheric Empire is made up of many of my friends.” Tina smiled.
“Your inside information is why we love you, Tina,” Yana smirked at her.
“And here I thought it was my charming personality.” Tina started laughing.
Ron turned away from the constantly updating screen to see his two classmates laughing. Girls.
“Maxim and Nestor just took out the rest of the aliens. That moves us up to second place. We could possibly win this one!” Ron looked excited.
“Ron, just remember that we three died in our pods. Just because it looks like one, this isn’t a game. We could die for real. Todd says that the pod simulators are really close to real life, but they are missing something from the experience.” Tina’s voice changed to a more serious tone.
“Todd. Isn’t that your brother? How does he know so much about pods and real combat?” Yana stopped laughing.
“Like many of the younger boys, he’s obsessed with the newer pods and pilots. Mom let him drag one of these units into our old bedroom. He practices on it almost every day. Some of the pilots have even given him, and his friends check rides a few times. He didn’t qualify for the Academy, but Uncle John says he’s a shoo-in for pilot training.”
“Cool! When we finally get to that point, maybe he can give us a few pointers.” Ron beamed at Tina who only smiled back.
Yana shook her head. “OK lovebirds. Let’s go congratulate the boys. We have to start packing anyway. Tomorrow we start the next phase.”
The three students started threading their way through the over fifty pod simulators. When they started, there had been only a dozen or so available. The competition and team building they created forced the Administration to get more for the kids to use.
“Congratulations!” Ron yelled when he spotted Maxim towering above a small group of students.
“Is nothing. Just an exercise in teamwork.” The large Wechselbalg looked past Ron to Yana. “Sorry I couldn’t get to you, the alien ships were too thick.”
“I shouldn’t have charged off like that. After Ron and Tina had got killed in the game, I went rogue. I should be the one to apologize. You and Nestor at least kept us in the game. Did you see the rankings?” Yana patted Maxim on his shoulder.
“Yes. We are number two. Is a good score. Bravos got a first place target painted on them now. Better to be second, for now.” Maxim edged his way out of the crowd of other students.
“How’d you do Nestor?” Ron looked to the smaller Wechselbalg boy.
“Seven kills. My new lucky number. You need to grow eyes in the back of your head, Ron. The aliens kill you from behind every time, you need to be less predictable.” He pointed to the walls of the room. Vid screens were on playback showing the deaths of many in the room. The E I running this room only played vids associated with students actually present. Less hurt feeling that way.
Ron winced at the vid of his death. “I’ll try to work on that. Congrat’s on seven kills. It was pretty hairy there for a while.”
“Da. I mean yes. It was. Do you think they upgraded the programs that run the simulators?” Nestor thumped one of the simulator units as he walked past it.
“We could ask one of the Ds. They should know.” Ron glanced behind him to see if the others were following.
“Not necessary Ron. Those two ladies work hard enough without us bothering them. I’ll just ask Tina. She seems to know everything.”
The group of five students left the games room headed for the dorm section. Over the break, a few changes were made to the program structure. Dorms were now shared accommodations. There was still a girls and boys side, but they all shared a suite of rooms. One of the purposes of the Etheric Academy was team building and cooperation.
What better way to do that than toss them together 24/7?
“Be sure to pack the items on the list,” Yana yelled at the boys as they all pushed to get through the hatch. She put her hand on the hatch controls and triggered the door. With a Whoosh, the hatch closed and sealed the room. Total seal wasn’t required while inside the school, but they all had agreed that practice makes perfect. If there was an emergency blow-out or accident, they would survive it.
Yana checked her own list to be sure. Another change this term was space suits and helmets. They now kept them in their rooms. After the last Earth attack on the base precautions were taken just-in-case. Everything they did had a purpose, most weren’t very clear yet.
“Hey, should I take my camera?” Ron was digging in his trunk at the foot of his bed.
“Is not on the list. Bring anyway. We can always send it back if we have to.” Maxim was rolling his clothing.
“My friend Roger in Delta class said they had Jeo last term.” Ron was pulling items out of the trunk and laying them all around him.
“Did he tell you what they did for classes with Jeo?” Nestor looked up.
“He did. They studied Earth engineering as well as spaceship construction. Jeo took them on a tour of some of the cool monuments back on Earth. They went to a man-made island in Dubai called The Palm.” Ron sat down on Nestor’s bed.
“Why name something after your hand, that’s kind of dumb?” Nestor scratched his head and turned to stare at his younger teammate.
Ron started laughing. “Not that kind of palm. This is an island in the shape of a palm tree. It’s the largest man-made island in the world.”
“So it’s in the shape of a tree? Why?” Maxim tossed his duffle into the growing pile and sat on his bed.
“The country’s rulers use it as a tourist attraction and resort area. Dozens of hotels are set up there.” Ron pulled out his tablet and showed the other boys a map.
“If they can do that, why demand the Queen’s technology? It doesn’t make any sense to me.”
“Because they can’t stand us having something they don’t! My mom says it’s all so stupid. Politics and greed all wrapped up in one package. They claim they are going to share everything with the rest of the world but you know that’s not true. Would the leader of Russia share with anyone?” Tina stepped into the room followed by Yana. Each carried a large duffle bag.
“That guy? He wouldn’t give his own mother a free bowl of borscht. I see your point.” Maxim looked away from Tina and back to Ron. “Did Roger tell you where else they went?”
“Who’s Roger?” Tina sat down next to Ron and put her arm around him. Ron’s cheeks turned a bright red color.
Ron wiggled a moment as if trying to get comfortable. Tina poked him in the stomach. “Who. Is. Roger?”
“Ow. That hurts.” Ron frowned at Tina and rubbed his stomach.
“Quit being a baby. Who’s Roger?” Tina held up a finger as if to poke him again.
Ron held up his hands in a stopping motion. “He’s a guy I know in Delta Class. They had Jeo last term.”
“Roger. Isn’t he that big guy with the funny haircut? If you talk to him again make sure you tell him he looks like a grown-up Eddie Munster.” Tina poked him again for good luck.
“Eddie who?” Ron thought he knew most of the other kids and that was a new one.
“Never mind that. So where else did they go?” This was from Yana who sat down across from the duo.
Feeling just a bit trapped Ron froze. “Uh.”
“You broke him, Yana.” Tina leaned over him
and pinched Ron’s knee. “Wake up!”
“Ow! What was that for?” Ron jumped, rubbing his knee.
“Answer the question. Where else did they go?” Tina smiled at him as she said it.
“Roger said they went to Peru to look at some lines drawn in the desert that can only be seen from the air. A place in Ethiopia called lalibera or something like that.”
“Could that be Lalibela?” Nestor made the word sound Italian.
“Yes! How did you know that?”
“I know stuff. That is where they have churches hewn out of the rock in one giant piece right?” Nestor smiled.
“Yes, Roger said that Jeo wanted them to see what men could do with their bare hands if they needed to. Machines are, but a tool. True ingenuity comes from the brain. They went a few other places in Africa as well as Hoover Dam on the Colorado River.” Ron pinched Tina back. She didn’t even flinch. All she did was smile at him.
Girls were scary.
“They were flying all over the place. Maybe that’s why Peter is coming with us. For protection. I know the US government is really upset.” Yana nodded her head.
“Maybe. I don’t think the Queen cares what that government does. Besides what can they do to us?”
CHAPTER FOUR
The American President was livid. His advisers cringed away from his desk as he raged. Papers littered the floor as he tossed things left and right. “Can’t you idiots do nothing right? Those people and their pods pop up everywhere, and we just let them! If they don't give us the technology, we will just take it. Shoot them down next time. I’m sure our scientists can find something worthwhile in the wreckage!”
Major General Thomas Vlákas winced at the words, ’shoot them down.’ He, unlike his predecessor, actually read the reports and the Intel concerning TQB. The US arsenal didn’t have anything that could touch them. Oh, they could fight them on the ground and win if they had to. Overpowering them with sheer numbers was possible. The problem was the pods. None of the missiles would lock onto them. The General had heard of some technology in some of the skunk works that might make a difference, but he didn’t have access to it.
“Mr. President, none of our planes are a match for them. Look at what they did to the French aircraft. I have a copy of the original report. The pods stayed right of the wingtips of the French fighters. Anything they fired at those ships, pods or cargo containers bounced right off.” General Vlákas grimaced. “The best we can do is try to contain them. Short of crashing into them we don’t have anything to touch them in the air.”
“Then do that! We are talking about the security of our country!” The president shook his head in disgust. “Why my predecessor bowed down to these people is beyond me. I promised on the campaign trail to do something about this so called Etheric Empire and I will. What about on the ground? If they land can we arrest them?”
US Attorney General Adam Mukesh leaned forward in his chair. “Yes, Sir. We certainly can. All of these people have effectively given up their citizenship. If they were loyal Americans, they would have turned the technology over to the proper authorities. Only we can use it to its full potential to help the world.”
“Good. That is the sort of fire I want to hear! Arrest them if they land. Or if possible, shoot them down. I need that technology… I mean to say the United States needs that technology. Good meeting. Everyone go back to work.” The ruddy-faced President stood shook a few hands and strutted from the room. Secret Service agents lining the walls followed him out the door like ducklings following their mama.
The Attorney General was still seated. He wrote several things on the pad in front of him and pulled out his phone typing furiously. General Vlákas barely looked at the lawyer’s direction as he crossed the room. Tyonna Knowles, the current Chief-of-Staff had also stayed in the room. She was surrounded by many of the camp followers that populated the current administration.
“Excuse me, Ms. Knowles?” The General tapped the youngish looking woman on the arm. She reacted by turning in his direction. Tyonna was not known to be a trusting or even sympathetic sort of politician, but he didn’t have much choice.
“Something more to say General? I found your previous comments to be counterproductive and against everything we stand for here.” The woman’s beady little eyes cut right into him.
“I was only telling the truth, ma’am. Our current technology isn’t enough to stop them.”
“Then find something that will! Why else do we spend so much of our, this country's, money on people like you? Fix it. What about that military base that doesn’t exist? Use one of the alien ships you have there to attack them.” The Attorney General’s entire attention was now on Thomas.
“Are you talking about Area 51? The proper name for that particular base is Groom Lake or Hominy Airport. It’s a test facility. All our spy planes and weapons tech come from there.” Thomas had investigated Area 51 when he finally had the rank to gain access.
“Don’t give me that. Neither the President or I am an idiot! You have alien ships and bodies there. I’ve seen all the movies, so I know. Why are we not using the technology?”
“Ms. Knowles, there are no spaceships at Area 51. Trust me when I say this. I checked the place out myself just last year. No spacecraft. What they are working on is related to TQB, but only trying to match their speed and maneuverability. Weapons are useless until we can catch them.”
The Chief of Staff only stared. “You are telling me an untruth General. I was a prosecuting attorney for over ten years. I know when people are lying to me.”
“I’m not lying. I did investigate Groom Lake. There are no alien spacecraft there. At least there aren’t any now. There may have been something there in the 1950s. The pentagon’s records are a little sketchy about that time period. I did find a report of fighters in 1967 shooting down an unknown craft, but there is no trace of it anywhere. I did find one word in our files that many of the conspiracy nuts love to use.”
“What word is that?” The Chief of Staff peered into his eyes.
“Majestic. Any search I do comes up empty. Even the file I originally found it in has disappeared. Like a ghost-in-the-machine, this Majestic whatever they are doesn’t leave a clue. As I told you before. We don’t have possession of a spacecraft. Not officially.”
“I do believe you are telling me the truth. Interesting. I will do my own research then. I suggest you do as the big man asks and shoot the damn pods down! He wants results. If you can’t do it, he will find someone that can. Good afternoon General.” The tall woman strode from the room. Like the president before her a large group of interns and hangers on trailed after her.
“Majestic.” The General said the word again. Too many unanswered questions there.
~~~~~
Jìshù was exhausted. The hunt had taken them into the wilds of Mongolia. Already they’d had to dodge several roving patrols of border guards. He desperately wanted to report their activities to his bosses, but Chang would not allow it. They might be wearing the uniforms of the People's Army, but they were all bandits. For the moment they were safe in a small canyon, but Chang wanted to continue on.
“Give it to me.” Jìshù looked up to see Chang looming over him.
“What do you want? I have nothing.”
“Either give it to me now, or I will take it. You won’t enjoy the second option. Now give it to me! Now!” Chang held out his hand.
Timidly, Jìshù pulled out his last link to Beijing and his own possible freedom from his companion. “Here, take it.” He thrust the satellite phone at Chang.
