Tides of Mars (Omnibus Version)

by Ben Winston

  Condel turned around to look, then turned back. “Standard imperial Marine Assault Shuttle. Neat looking, huh?”

  “Jesus! Where are you guys from?” Charlie asked again.

  “That's classified, Corporal,” a man wearing the silver eagle of a Colonel said. Both, Condel, and Charlie came to attention, and saluted the men.

  They returned the salutes, and the women remained at attention. “You tryin' to tell me Luke got here in that, Lieutenant?”

  “No, Sir, That you can see for yourself,” Condel replied. She was still at attention, but she could hear footsteps behind her.

  “Relax, Lieutenant, Grady's bark's a whole lot worse than his bite!” Colonel Janis said from behind her. She turned, and saluted him. Everyone except Colonel Grady also saluted Luke. “At ease, Lieutenant. It's too fuckin' hot out here to stand at attention.”

  “Thank you, Sir,” Condel replied.

  “How ya been, Jim?” Luke said and held his hand, sticking it through the shield. “Congratulations on the promotion!”

  “Been good, Luke. Looks like you've been busy. What the hell's going on out here?” Grady asked.

  “A cluster fuck, Jim. Do you remember my little girl, Ariel?” Luke asked.

  Grady laughed. “Yeah, although the last time I saw her, she was all pigtails and beating up the base bullies.”

  “You knew we adopted her, right?”

  “Yeah, I remember when you did it. She sure was a cute little thing. Is all of this about her?” Grady asked.

  “Yeah, sort of. I take it Neil didn't get a chance to tell you anything?” Luke asked.

  “Not really, he said he'd brief me when he got here.” He turned back to his Lieutenant. “Elltee, why don't you and Rameres head on back. I'm safe here.”

  “Yes, Sir!” the man saluted, turned and he and Charlie started walking back.

  Jim turned back to Luke. “Okay, the children are gone. So what's up?”

  “Ariel's real mother was from another planet. In fact, she was an Imperial Princess, and heir to their throne. She gave up Ariel so she could be raised here, with Earth values. She, Dame Estelle Parker, died in a fight with a group of men that came here to collect slaves.”

  “That made Ariel the new heir to the Imperial Throne. Now, she's taken over the defense of the Empire because the guys that control the slavers decided to start a war. Currently, there is some serious shit heading our direction, and Earth will soon have proof that they are not alone in the universe. To try to limit the panic, very early this morning Ariel used the Red Phone network to inform the world leaders of what was about to happen,” Luke finished.

  “You really believe all that shit?” Jim asked.

  “Do you see any wings on the shuttle behind me?” Luke countered.

  “Well, no, but come on, Luke. You've gotta admit that sounds pretty farfetched,” Jim replied.

  “Jim, why do you think a full Marine assault battalion is being deployed here? If this is bullshit, what are you doing here?” Luke asked.

  “All I know for now, is that we are out here to provide support in the apprehension of suspected terrorists. I would guess that's supposed to be you,” Jim said, but he sounded confused.

  “Exactly, look around you. We're not terrorists. We present no threat against the people of this planet. We're actually trying to protect you from an enemy that would walk all over your kids.

  “These are some seriously bad fuckers too, Jim. Anyone they capture will either be killed outright, or they'll be taken away and sold as a slave after they've been beaten and raped repeatedly. Freedom, and personal rights are concepts they just ignore.

  “You're out here because the powers that be want control of us. Here's the kicker, we don't have to fight you. All we need to do is sit back there, and watch you kill each other because of our shield. We don't want that to happen, so I'm here to try to talk sense into someone,” Luke explained.

  “What shield are you talking about?” the Captain with Jim asked.

  “You see that little line on the ground between us?” Luke asked.

  “Yeah, it looks like something left by the rain,” the Captain said.

  Luke smiled. “It wasn't. It's the dirt ridge created by the shield stopping the sand being blown by the wind.”

  Jim snorted. “Right! You just shook my hand, or did you forget about that?”

  “That's because I stuck my arm through it. I can do that from this side, but you couldn't do it from your side. Seriously, try it!” Luke said.

  Jim held his hand out flat, and pushed it toward Luke. Right above the line, he got the weirdest look on his face, and he jerked his hand back. “Fuck me!”

  Luke nodded. “See what I mean? You didn't push very hard, so it didn't push back, but if a bullet hits it, it'll bounce off like it hit concrete.”

  “So how does air get through?” the Captain asked.

  Luke shrugged. “Hell if I know, but it does. I can still feel the breeze coming from your direction, but if you look closely, you'll see the sand it carries, stops.”

  “It lets light through and air through, we could always gas you out with CS,” the Captain said.

  Jim Grady just shook his head. “No, it wouldn't. Chemical Smoke or tear gas isn't actually a gas. Its tiny crystals that are carried by the air. If this stops this fine sand, it'll stop that. Besides, I'm sure they have another way of dealing with that, don't you?”

  “Yep. The armor we wear seals up, and can be used even in hard vacuum,” Luke said. “Condel, could you put your helmet on please?”

  Without replying, Condel popped her helmet on, and sealed it with a slight hiss. Because it was so bright out there, the visor automatically polarized against the light.

  “Damn, I'd like to order a couple of million of those please?” Jim said grinning.

  “I'd love to give them to you, Jim, but the tech involved would be too much for the planet. Besides, if we gave them to you, we'd have to give them to everyone else too,” Luke said. “We can't favor one nation over another, even if we came from it.”

  “Yeah, but how good are they? Will they stop a bullet?” the Captain asked.

  Luke grinned, looked at Jim and nodded toward the Captain. “Are you sure he works for you? He's asking questions like a spook.”

  Jim grinned. “He is a spook. We loaned him the uniform and gear. I think it's his job to see what he can either steal from you or find your weaknesses.”

  “Okay, that makes better sense now,” Luke said and once again offered his hand this time to the Captain. “Colonel Luke Janis, Imperial Terran Marines.”

  The man ignored the hand. “Smith, United States of America.”

  Luke snorted, and lowered his hand. “Okay, to answer your question, Agent Smith, you could hit Condel here in the jugs with a tank round, and you might piss her off. The suits give the soldier a strength boost, so that tank would probably be scrap after it fired.

  “To answer a couple of your other questions, you could drop a nuke on us, and all you would achieve is the deaths of the population of Henderson, probably most of Las Vegas from the fall out, several thousand rattlesnakes and assorted spiders and bugs.

  “The shield can be tuned to filter out even the light if we need it too, and nothing, not even chemical or biological weapons would get through it. In the meantime, one of our smaller ships could take up a parking orbit overhead, and turn this whole desert into a sheet of glass. Are you getting the picture here, son?” Luke asked. “This shield was designed to withstand orbital bombardment by weapons this planet hasn't even thought of building yet.”

  “So you say. Personally, I haven't seen the proof and my report will reflect that,” Smith said. He was looking at the ground as if shielding his eyes from the sunlight.

  “Tunneling won't help, either. Only the top half of the shield is above ground,” Luke said, “But as you say, you have no proof. Jim, can I borrow your sidearm for a moment?”

  Jim, grinning, took it out and held
it where Luke could reach it.

  Luke chambered a round, showing it to the Agent as he did so. Condel, knowing what he was going to do, walked a little bit away. She turned and faced him. Luke aimed, and fired, twice. Hitting her on the chest plate over her heart. She hadn't even flinched. Kneeling down, she picked up the two bullets, and brought them back.

  She handed the bullets to the Agent, and stood close enough for him to inspect her armor.

  “Not even a scratch!” The Agent said.

  “Sorry about shooting you, Condel,” Luke said.

  “No problem, Sir. If the demonstration saves even one of their lives, it’ll be worth it,” she replied over the external speaker.

  “Okay, so let me get all this straight. Your daughter, Ariel, is some long lost Princess of some alien empire. That empire is at war, and that war is coming here to Earth. In an attempt to warn us, she co-opted the Red Phone and told all of this to the world's leaders.

  “Our leaders then ordered us out here to capture you so we could steal all your tech for ourselves. That about sum it up?” Jim asked.

  Luke shrugged. “You got the first part right, I'm not sure about your orders, but we do know enough to know that it was your unit that was deployed. Your orders were pretty generic capture orders. I assume that the reason Neil isn't out here with you is because he's waiting for his real orders to arrive via courier.”

  “Truth be told, Jim, we simply don't have time for this shit. That war fleet is due to arrive here soon so we need to be concentrating on how to deal with them, and not the shit down here. I do know that Ariel asked that this area be considered a Consulate. I guess the Prez declined her request.”

  “Why would he grant it? You can't just come in here and tell us we are vassals of this empire, and proceed to tell us what to do. That's not how this works. We are a sovereign people, we have rights and laws. Laws you are violating by being here. The only reason this attack is happening is because you brought it here. We want you to leave. Take your war, and the rest of your bullshit, and clear out,” Agent Smith said.

  Jim looked at the Agent and shook his head. “Agent Smith. I've known this man for well over twenty years. I've even served under him in some pretty hairy situations you're not even cleared to know about. If he says we need to be worried about this, then you better damn well bet there is something to be worried about. Now shut the fuck-up, and deal.”

  “What are you gonna do if the bad guys drop troops on us?” Jim asked Luke.

  “Then you’re gonna have a lot more Imperial Marines on this planet than just the Royal Guard battalion here. We don't have time to train up enough of you to fight these pricks, so we're gonna have to do it ourselves. My advice would be, try to keep everyone out of the way and hope to hell they don't start tossing WMD's like the one they tried to detonate in Las Vegas a couple of months ago,” Luke said grinning at the look on Agent Smith's face.

  “Jesus Christ on a crutch! No bomb went off, and it still did that much damage? What the fuck happened there?” Jim said.

  “Hang on a second, guys,” Luke asked. He keyed his mic. “Thumper two-two-four, this is Janis. Could you turn that boat around and bring it a little closer to us? Once you’re down, please ask the Sergeant Major to set up his pavilion for us? It's getting hotter out here.”

  “Can-do, Sir. Watch your toes,” a voice said from Luke's suit speaker.

  Luke looked back up at his friend. “Sorry, this is gonna be a long day, and I wouldn't want any of us getting heat stroke. The Sergeant Major will be setting up an awning for us. He'll also bring out some other stuff like a table and chairs.

  “One of those things will also be a shield gate that will allow you to cross through the shield so we can sit and talk. Do I have both of your words that you won't try to use that gate as a means to attack or infiltrate this compound?”

  “Even if Smith agrees, you know it'll be a lie. But unless the General over-rules me, you have my word, provided we get the same promise,” Jim said.

  Luke chuckled, and walked past both men, then turned and walked back, through the shield. “How about I promise I won't attack either; will that do?”

  Jim chuckled. “Yeah, that'll do. I should probably post guards and all that, just to keep the curious away. Do I have your permission to move the first platoon up?”

  Luke nodded. “Go ahead. I'll let my folks know too, so they won't panic. I'll also have them increase the opacity of the shield here so no one walks into it.”

  As the two men issued their orders, the Agent watched the big, bulky shuttle move around like it weighed nothing. There was no exhaust or roaring of engines, just a slight hum which died out once it gently settled to the ground.

  Once Luke had finished, Smith nodded toward the shuttle. “Anti-grav?”

  “Yeah, it sure comes in handy, and it beats the hell out of rotors or jets,” Luke replied.

  “I suppose that's another secret you can't share with us?” Smith asked.

  One of the men setting up equipment paused and looked at him. “Pardon me, Sirs. But it wouldn't do any good to share it with you. You've already developed the principles used; ours are simply much more refined.” He turned to Luke. “Where would you like the holo-table set, Colonel?”

  “Right here, so there's plenty of room around it. Thanks for taking the time to do this for me, Tah'askis,” Luke said.

  “No problem, Sir. It gets me off the ship for a bit,” the man said, getting back to work.

  Jim, having finished giving his orders as well, asked. “I'm confused. How is it that 'aliens' know our language?”

  “They've known of us for a long time, Jim. However, these two have since learned the language. It's not their native tongue,” Luke said. “In Condel's case, Captain Br'aset sent her out here because she was the only person on duty that could speak English. We do have translators they could have used, but this was easier.”

  Luke went on to explain exactly what happened on July 4th in Las Vegas and everything the Fleet had done to prevent the disaster.

  “Was it your fleet that provided all the extra tents, medical supplies, food and water then?” Agent Smith asked.

  “No, at the time, the Fleet was engaged with other things. The extra supplies were provided by House Parker. Everything provided was from Earth, and paid for by House Parker,” Luke replied.

  “What the fuck is 'House Parker'?” Smith asked.

  Luke grinned. “The Imperial House to which Earth belongs, it's a political entity. Ariel is the nominal head of the house, but Alexis Moran runs it for her. She does a damn good job too.

  “Before you get too freaked out, Smith, by Imperial decree, Earth and the sector of space surrounding us is technically only an Imperial Protectorate. As such, you are free to govern yourselves without imperial interference.

  “The Empire, up to this point, has been responsible for protecting and keeping Earth ignorant of extra-planetary matters. Unauthorized landings here were forbidden, as well as trade of any kind. Until this war started, Earth was quarantined for its own protection. That is no longer a possibility, so here we are.”

  The Marines and Techs finished setting everything up, and nodded to Luke. Luke lifted the control panel on his left forearm and activated the gate that was between the two fully suited and armed Terran Marines.

  “Come on in guys, and get out of the heat. Water?” Luke offered. He also motioned for Condel to remove her helmet, and have a seat.

  Smith hesitated a moment, stopping Colonel Grady from going through the gate. Jim looked at the man. “Smith, don't be more of an idiot. How are you going to learn anything by standing out here?” When Jim walked through the Gate, the Terran Marines came to attention. Jim automatically said, 'at ease', which caused both to relax.

  However, when Smith entered through the gate, neither guard moved at all. The implications of which were not lost on the spy.

  Just as he was about to sit, Jim stopped, stood back up, and touched his ear. “Yes Ge
neral?” He walked away a few steps.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I.S.S Tides of Mars/I.C.V. Divine Light

  142 degrees north, 62 degrees west trans-solar orbit

  Sol System, Sol (Horon-A) Sector.

  Fleet Admiral Gr'eis, Commanding.

  “Good morning, Ariel,” Cole said.

  “Yeah,” Ariel replied groggily. “It is morning. I won't argue with you there.”

  “You know, Sweetheart, I'm gonna have to break up with you just so I can go back to the barracks and get some sleep!” Bri'tell added, sleepily.

  “Only if you take me with you!” Ariel added as she sat up, swinging her legs off the bunk. “Jesus! If I knew this job would be like this, I would have told grandpa to forget the whole thing!”

  “Would you like me to make your coffee?” Cole asked, sounding sympathetic.

  “Yes please, Cole. I think we're both going to need it this morning,” Bri'tell said. “I know I sure do.”

  Ariel stood and stretched. Bri'tell grinned and made a grab for her. She laughed and jumped out of reach. “You behave yourself! If I let you grab me and pull me back in that bed, neither one of us will get anything done today!”

  He grinned roguishly. “I don't see that as a problem!”

  “You dirty-old-man! Three hours last night didn't wear you out?” Ariel replied, playing.

  Grinning, Bri'tell swung his legs out of the double bunk, and sat up. Ariel chuckled at him as she headed for the small cleaner. “So, what's been happening, Cole?”

  “You have several communications requests awaiting you from various heads of state, the foremost among them being the Secretary General of the United Nations. I moved her to the top of the list, since you mentioned using the United Nations as a contact point for us.

  “I have also made arrangements with the United Nations communication center for that purpose. While they thanked me for the speedy arrangements, I did receive a rather strongly worded memo from their manager about warning them next time we, and I quote; 'Decide to overrun their com-center with irate world leaders demanding immediate contact,' end-quote. I've spent the night deferring said world leaders until you could handle the requests.