“Chief, I come bearing gifts. I have a simulator for this beast and multiple files on maintenance and operations that the AI Grub was able to translate. They are also looking through the POWs for anyone that knows this bitch. Main problem is that almost all of their pilots and crews were over on the other ship when we blew a hole in it. This ship did not ordinarily have our raider on board, so the best they could do is connect external power and tie it down. The engineers that are coming over to incorporate the weapons will also be reviewing all systems. If you don’t agree with me when I say we are mission ready we don’t launch, fair enough, Chief?”
“Sir, I have absolute confidence in your leadership. It’s great to be working with you again. Now if only we were working boats instead.”
“Carry on, chief. We will catch up later.”
Gray Panther Space Academy, Arizona
19 August 2128
“My butt is dragging and I have sore muscles I did not know existed, but damned if those fighters ain’t the bomb,” Scott was saying to everyone in the shower. The new simulators had the ability to simulate pulling g-forces as they maneuvered so pilots had to be tightly strapped in to avoid being bounced around the flight deck while having to flex muscles to avoid passing out from the force of the Gs. For one of the rare times he didn’t even notice the gals from the flight showering as he replayed the ten hours of simulator time in his head. The fighters required constant attention to navigation, ships status, maneuver, as well as monitoring threats, all the things the AI on the shuttle did for the pilots. The experience had left a bad taste for some as they realized the maneuvering ability of the fighters was less versatile than the shuttles as they had to plan new tactics to work with their new fighters. Simple formation flying had each of the cadets initially fighting with their ships until they learned where they did and did not need to compensate to keep in formation. Autopilot of the ships was crude and did not inspire confidence among the cadets. Scott was brought back to the present with the snap of a wet towel across his ass.
“Come on, Scotty. Let's go over the flight deck configuration, if you can pull yourself out of the shower today.” Bronia was laughing as she lined up on him again with the towel and he realized they were alone in the shower. Looking at his assailant he quickly turned his water to freezing and directed it at the tall blonde as he turned to hide the effect she was having on him.
“Sure, give an old man a few more minutes peace and I’ll help you with your homework,” Scott replied starting to redden as he hoped she had not noticed.
Bronia left the shower feeling good, Scotty was always good for lifting her spirits when she wanted to feel appreciation for her feminine assets. She also realized she was starting to be attracted to him for both his wisdom and that he was always a gentleman and she found she liked the added respect it entailed. He was also the one that always seemed to find the best way to teach her new things when others seemed to give up on her. She knew he was interested in her but wondered if it would be right for them in reality to hook up after they graduated with the effect it would have on the flight and her two brothers who were still overly protective of their little sister.
Gray Panther Head Quarters, Arizona
23 August 2128
Dan looked at the occupants around the table reflecting on each one. “Abby” Bahadur, at his left, was for all purposes his second in command, he was also the one responsible for production and planning of all equipment. Next to him on the other side was William "Black Jack" Black, ninety eight, the commander of all ground forces. At his side sat Colonel David “Dusty” Rhodes, seventy, senior ranking pilot. At the other end of the table Butch "Butcher" Bad, seventy two admiral of the space fleet was quietly talking with Lieutenant James Young, 30, ops forces commander, and former Marine. He was the only person at the table who had not been rejuvenated with nanites. Grub, the avatar from the Flem space ship materialized in the last chair. Dan silently laughed to himself as he often did debating to ask Grub if he had found any evidence he was related to Earth's ground hogs as the only difference was that he was six foot tall and had fangs.
“OK gentlemen, let's get this over with. I know you all have busy schedules, we’ll start with Abby. So what have you got to report for us today?” Dan started.
“Well, now that the ship builders have all come online; they have actually made up for the time they played “slow down” we are doing good. Our in-house manufacturing has been going smooth without any problems for making shuttles and assorted weapons. We are well beyond the numbers needed for the Gray Panthers and could easily look at selling or supplying to the Army. That’s my snap shot for the moment.” Abby turned and nodded towards Grub to proceed.
“Good morning all. Mining for raw materials has started to slow down in the United States. I would like to be allowed to tunnel through waste centers and recycle those materials. There are also many offshore deposits of waste that can be recycled as well. I believe your green movement would be happy with that. The operations on the moon have stayed at full capacity and even at the present speed and quantities being mined and processed it will take eight thousand years before a new source is needed in the absolute worst case scenario. The power project to establish power plants for each major population source is working well, there has been agitators from groups demanding we remove the defensive beamer batteries that are part of those systems, except for a few cities on each coast that agree with these agitators there are no problems. I predict if they are successful in having the batteries removed, when the free power is gone and they see the cost of producing their own power now that there is no longer a national power grid they will relent quickly. I have been able to review the requirements for the ships Nike and Bia, their original engines were intended for in system use. The new engines are FTLMS, Faster Than Light Multiple Speed. Rather than just defend this system, the new engines will take the battle to your enemies door step. The engines on the captured ships conform to those usually found by their species, barely faster than light, these restrictions are primarily because those engines that are FTLMS were only made by the Flem and were very expensive, no one has been able to copy the technology yet. Repairs to both ships and the raider continue to proceed without any major problems. This concludes my report,” Grub stated as he leaned back in his chair.
Lt. Young got up from his chair and proceeded to give his brief. “Our training of dissimilar combat seems to have been a success; now my Opposition Forces need to actually use some effort to win any engagements,” Young said with a smile. Then continued, “With the size of the GPs increasing I would like to triple the size of the OPFORCE so that we can give more realistic training to more units, we are not able to take on all challengers, and many of my men need some down time. I have been told of a mission for my flight and we are all ready to take it to the enemy, if the mission ends up being a go.”
Admiral Bad stood and proceeded with his portion. “Both our original ships are working better than anticipated, crews have been quick to learn their jobs and have made numerous improvements. The addition of the new engines will be the topping on the cake. We still need to figure out just how many ships we need, and to accept the fact we will need to partner up with the Navy to crew them, after we get the games over with concerning command and control of assets. I think it is important to help the Navy to modify their ships to the task at hand. We provide the material and expertise and they can use their manpower to do the conversions. I see them protecting earth as we take the battle to the enemy and destroy their fleet before it gets too close to home. When the repairs are finished to the captured ships and our four newest ships launch, I recommend we go on the attack at that time. In the interim, I’d like to use our raider to sneak and peek, and maybe make a little mischief behind enemy lines.” Dan looked to Black Jack. “And what have you got Jack?”
“Dan, we have our strategies, and tactics mapped out, we have to figure out how far we are going? Do we give the enemy a bloody nose a
nd tell them to go away, or do we wipe them out as a species so no one else will want to mess with us. Do we beat their ass and occupy their planet? Will they have allies unknown to us that will try to get retribution on their behalf, depending on what we do, or will we just get our asses kicked into extinction?”
Grub replied to the open questions, “Most likely when they see our technology and determination to defend ourselves they will back off and look for easier pray. They are out for power and profit, it is not personal for them. Most likely they will make an offer either for your professional services or for your ships.”
Dan stood and waited a sec until all side chatter ended. “The only thing I see to do for the moment is to put everything into the raider mission to get as much intel as possible. Admiral Bad, as I understand it, the raider can hold ten indigenous fighters and two shuttles. The fighter crews are still in training for two more weeks and the raider itself is still having familiarization issues and maintenance problems. Did I miss anything?”
“No sir, your information is all current. Since it is not in the best of shape, we not only are learning as we go along we are replacing anything that appears worn or suspect. The crews and maintainers for the raider were all killed on the other ship when we detonated the shuttle in their bay. The crews and maintainers for the major ships appear ignorant on the ship and aren’t cooperating other than showing how to connect power to it from the ships bay.”
“Excuse me, Admiral there is one alien familiar with the raider but has been overlooked. He is actually one of the Jacka Mercenaries; he was what translates to cabin boy. During the attack he was not with the rest of the crew. According to tradition, if we want his help we will have to negotiate with the senior mercenary for his services. I only discovered that he existed when he was overheard talking with the other POWs about his duties on the raider. From what I have deduced, he is a sort of outcast among his own since he is a dwarf. The only reason they let him live is that there is a ceremony that babies are killed after failing a test of spirit, he passed the test and was allowed to live. He is too small to be a warrior so he is what they call a techie, one that supports the warriors,” Grub informed the group.
“Here is our plan then, Butch, Dusty, and Captain Young coordinate everything you need so you are mission ready in three weeks. Abby be sure to give them any assistance they need materially. Black Jack, start opening dialogue with the Army about joint training and operations. Butch, same deal for you with the Navy. When you have their requirements, give them to Abby so he can figure things out. I will work with the politicians about raw materials, might be easiest to setup a location in Africa. If nothing else it looks like we’re done here.”
Young just sat for a moment as the others at the table congratulated him on his promotion. While happy with the promotion, he worried, what type of mission he was heading into?
Arizona Space Ship Cornucopia in lunar orbit
23 August 2128
James “Jimmy” Brewster painfully opened his eyes as he felt he was not alone. The door to his station was open and it was filled with the bulk of Chief William “Guns” Wright. “Chief, why did you poison me last night?” He barely croaked out from his hangover as he felt another presence. He slowly cautiously reached for the top of his sea bag when a furry weight landed on his stomach. Looking up he saw an orange six legged cat weighing at least 80 pounds looking down from his chest adorned in what looked like a blue uniform. “What the hell is this, Chief?” He started to holler as the cat belched a noxious fume as Jimmy pushed it to the ground jumping up to avoid the lethal cloud. Guns was fighting back the tears as he finally got his breath back to reply. “Jimmy meet Tabby, our new crewman, Tabby this is Sgt James “Jimmy” Brewster.”
“I’m very pleased to meet you, may I call you Jimmy?” The orange ball of fur asked.
“Nice trick chief, have a speaker box in his little uniform?”
The cat plunged his claws into Jimmys legs as he said, “I am right here sergeant please don’t disrespect me again or you will wake up dead! Do we understand each other?”
Between the pain of the claws and seeing the cat's lips moving, he sat down in shock. “Sorry there, Tabby you’re my first talking cat.”
“I am Short Blade of the Clan Claw of the Jacka race. From the start of known time my people have been the deadliest mercenaries the galaxy has known. I have been contracted to help you learn about this ship. I have been part of the ship's crew for five years and consider this ship home. I hope we can serve well together.”
“Then I guess we’ll just have to call you "Short Blade," where did the name Tabby come from?"
“Your Chief thought it was a funny joke, though I do not understand the humor in it.”
“I’ll explain it to you later, Short Blade. How about we get you settled in and you can give me a tour of the ship and what you know about it. I’m guessing you have a translator built into your skull like they did for us?”
“I will show you where I stayed on the ship then show you what my duties were. I was the only Jacka in the crew, the rest were all Libra. The chief engineer originally wanted me because of my size since I could get to parts of equipment without having to tear things down. He said he respected that I always worked hard and he took pleasure in teaching me new things since I respected his knowledge. He also looked after me with the rest of the crew. The majority of the crew were draftees, or could not find any other type of work elsewhere. There was much theft and dereliction. The Captain was always hitting the bottle and did not care about anything other than leaving the ship and going back to their home world. Members of my race are usually hired to be what you call cannon fodder, they are never hired to command or crew ships, although some let themselves get hired out with their own ships. I hope one day to afford a ship of my own.”
Gray Panther Housing, Arizona
25 August 2128
The sky was overcast and seemed the world was gray. No building was left standing and smoke seemed to rise from the Earth itself. Smoke from the buildings and cars was thick but not strong enough to cover the smell of burning flesh that was so dense it could be tasted in every breath. No person seemed to be free of injury as everyone either walked in a daze or just stood where they were waiting for someone to either help them or tell them what to do. Dan, was having trouble fighting the bile as it rose in his throat when he heard the soft scrape of footsteps dragging behind him, turning he saw Juanita walking awkwardly towards him, her clothing had been burned off and the left side of her face was melted as her hair had also been burned off. She continued towards him then simply fell to the ground and began to combust into flames. Dan tried to go to her and could not move, looking down he saw he was melted from the waist down into the concrete of the street. Loud vibrations from engines seemed to echo from all the ruins as huge black ships started to descend down from the clouds. Looking directly up a ship was coming down on as Dan tried to run even as the ship began to crush him underneath it as he welcomed his release.
“Dan, Dan, wake up you’re having a nightmare.” Juanita continued to push on Dans chest trying to force him to wake. In a blur she found herself suddenly under Dan as he grasped her by the throat with both hands and squeezed. Scratching at his face she started to feel light headed from suffocation as he finally awoke.
Looking down on Juanita, Dan released his grip as he pushed himself off her and tried to make it to the bathroom before he fell to his knees retching up the contents of his stomach. Rolling over on his back Dan felt exhausted as his face and torso dripped sweat onto the carpet. Getting up he turned and looked at Juanita, after seeing she was alright he continued to the shower to clean himself. The cold running water did nothing to wash the images from his nightmare away as he finally got out and quickly toweled himself before joining Juanita and apologized. He could not bring himself to explain his nightmare and simply said it was the war, letting her think it had been one of his recurring nightmares of the Iran war. Looking at t
he clock and seeing it was only 0300 hrs, Dan simply donned his sweats and tennis shoes and said he was going for a run. Opening the door was like entering a sauna as he sprinted out into the dark. Running all out, the pain in his chest and muscles progressed to a numbness as he continued to run all out. An hour later he found himself outside his headquarters building. Entering the building the pair of guards sitting at the reception desk watching security monitors glanced up at him for a moment then jumped to attention after realizing who it was. Dan just ordered them to carry on as he headed for the elevators. Exiting in sublevel twenty Dan stood in front of a nondescript door for a moment until it opened for him. Opening to a long tunnel, he hopped into a truck and drove the ten miles until the tunnel ended. It appeared to just end until Dan walked up to the wall then passed through it. A huge cavern materialized as Dan once again marveled at the size of the space ship. Walking towards it, a six foot tall hairy apparition appeared before him.
“Daniel, how many I help you?” Grub asked, while trying to analyze why Dan would be here dressed the way he was at this time.
“Grub, what are the odds of us surviving a war with the Libra? Best and worst scenario?” Dan asked softly.
“If an aggressive offense is initiated before they can get to our solar system, there is a good possibility no loss of life or damage will be inflicted on Earth.”
“What do you consider an aggressive offense Grub?”
“A fleet of at least a hundred ships of the same size as either Nike or Bia. They would need to make a maximum demonstration of their power or the Libra would counterattack in force themselves. Their invasion fleet must be totally destroyed followed by a strong warning. Anything less could include the total destruction of Earth.”
Gray Panthers: Earths Revenge Page 9
