Ancient Birthright (55 page)

The music transitioned into the wedding march, and the rear office doors opened a final time as Becca stepped into the room on Saigg’s arm. She had changed into a flowing wedding dress that left her shoulders bare. The fitted bodice was covered in lace and seed pearls. A seven-foot train flowed behind.

“Who gives this woman to this man?” asked the minister.

“Her family, the crew of the
Universe Explorer
does,” answered Saigg in a strong voice before he passed her hand to Striker, and turned to take a seat next to Ginny Metzler.

“I still can’t believe you managed to get all this arranged in a matter of hours,” Saigg whispered to Ginny.

“It comes from years of frantic calls from Harold about a pending deadline on seeming impossibly short notice. I have an entire roster of go to people on speed dial,” Ginny whispered back. “Harold even managed to get the video feeds from all the cameras linked into
Jerrod
for transmission to the
Universe Explorer
.”

The ceremony took less than fifteen minutes. Then the Minister had the newlyweds turn and face the audience. “I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Mathew Striker.” The applause was deafening. Striker took Becca in his arms and planted a very—very long kiss on her lips.

Rather than a formal receiving line, the newlyweds began circulating through the crowd, so that Striker could renew old friendships and acquaintances and introduce his new wife.

Colonel Bitman’s cell phone rang, he answered, but only spoke for a few minutes.

He clapped his hands for attention. “The FBI agents have arrived. I asked for them to be escorted here. Saigg if you would take the kids and wait in the office until we can explain everything, I think it would be best.”

“I understand. We will wait until you are ready for us,” Saigg said.

#

Bitman had Beldon and Cindy join him at one of the long reception tables, and he asked Striker and Becca to sit next to him on his other side.

When the FBI agents entered the room, they all stood for introductions. Rather than have the agents waste time asking questions, Bitman requested that his friends be permitted to tell their story from the beginning, without interruption. When they were finished Bitman asked, “Well agents, what do you think? Has anything you’ve heard been helpful with your investigation?”

One of them answered, “That was one hell of a fairy tale. Unfortunately, there is not one piece of solid evidence. Where’s this spaceship and these aliens? In addition, your claim to have been to the Moon and back in less than a day is ridiculous. It takes days to travel to the Moon.”

Bitman stood and looked about the room. “If you’ve been to the Moon installation please raise your hand.”

The agents looked surprised at the number of hands that went up. The raised hands included a well-dressed couple seated with two young children.

“Sir, you indicated that you and your family have been to the Moon. What is your name what do you do for a living, and when did you go to the Moon?” asked one of the agents of Harold Metzler.

“My name is Harold Metzler, and I’m the CEO and President of Discovery Television Networks. My family and I went to the Moon very early this morning and returned to Earth about four hours ago to attend this wedding. I currently have a crew at the Moon installation working to produce an extended television series to introduce the crew of the
Universe Explorer
to the population of Earth. My family and I have talked with members of the
UE
’s crew at great length and shared food and drink with them. We’ve found them to be friendly, intelligent, humorous, and truthful to a fault. I do find your calling the crew of the
Universe Explorer
aliens a bit troubling, since they originated from Earth. I think the more correct term would be ancestors.”

Bitman surreptitiously signaled to Airman Mays to get Saigg and the children.

“Your testimony is still not hard evidence. I’m afraid we are going to need actual physical proof before we can lend credence to any of this,” the skeptical agent said.

“I guess we could just take you there and show you,” a young voice said behind the agent who’d just spoken.

“Yeah right, this has gone far enough…” the two agents turned to confront the speaker. Their eyes bulged as they encountered Dantee and the three other luzzons.

“Everything that Beldon and Cindy told you is true. If you need proof, then come with us when we return to the Moon after the wedding party is over. However, we won’t be able to bring you back until sometime tomorrow. After partying half the night, we’ll need a little sleep,” Dantee said.

“Saigg, if you would like to join us, the agents may have some questions to ask you.”

Saigg rounded the table, pulled a chair out, and turned it sideways, so he could sit without jamming his dorsal spines into the chair back. “Ask me anything you want to know.”

“You speak English?” stammered one of the agents.

“English, French, German, Spanish, some Russian and even a little Chinese and Japanese as well as several languages not spoken on Earth for more than two-hundred million years. What languages do you speak?”

“Ah...English and a little high school Spanish. I can’t think of any other question to ask you at this time,” the agent said as he looked at his partner for his input.

“Then I think it’s time for the wedding celebration.” Bitman signaled for the food to be served and the music to begin.

Saigg stood and turned to Cindy. “May I have this dance. I want to see if the steps Beldon has taught me work as well when I dance with a female.”

Beldon bent down and scooped up Dantee. “I guess it’s just you and me kid,” he said in his best Bogart voice as he carried her off to the dance floor and began dancing.

Bitman pulled out the chair across from the lead FBI agent. “I think we need to have Beldon and Cindy confront Hooker. You keep asking for proof. If Hooker thinks he’s alone with them and maybe Striker and Becca, I believe they can get him to admit to what he and his men have done. He may even tell us who gave him the orders.”

“Let me make a few calls, and see if I can get Hooker flown out here. It may take a few days to arrange everything,” the agent told Bitman.

Reedn walked up behind the FBI agents. “You guys hungry? I am. Come on let’s get some food.” He grabbed the hand of the closest agent and gave a tug. “Hi, I’m Reedn. What’s your name? It must be cool chasing bad guys…” Reedn’s chatter faded as he and the agent headed for the food line.

The remaining agent told Bitman, “Hooker will be on a plane from DC sometime the day after tomorrow. The Director of the FBI is going to be part of the escort. He said he was contacting a few more people to accompany them.”

“I’ll get a room set up where Hooker won’t know we’re watching the confrontation. Until then, there’s plenty of food and a wedding to celebrate.”

Chapter-65

“Hold on a minute Carrie. What the hell is that?” seventeen-year-old Kevin asked as he pointed to a line of charred mesquite and brush. The bright red Jeep wrangler with oversized tires and two feet of ground clearance pulled to a stop next to a black line that disappeared into the distance.

“It’s pointed directly at Kirtland,” Carrie said as she put the Jeep in gear and turned to follow the line of blackened desert. “It’s straight as an arrow and the soil looks like its melted. Something sure focused a lot of energy here.”

“What could have done this? Do you think it was some kind of energy weapon or laser?” Kevin turned to look at his girlfriend’s face.

“I don’t know, but I think we better tell my dad about this. He can ask the sheriff to come out and have a look at it.”

“I know your dad works for the Associated Press, but do you think it’s wise to tell him before the authorities have a chance to check it out?”

“That’s precisely why I’m going to tell him first. Once we tell the authorities, you know they’ll make it disappear just like they did that report we made about seeing that silent black plane headed for NRAO. I’m still getting phone calls at all hours telling me I just thought I saw the delta shaped plane. This way my dad can hire a helicopter, come out, and take pictures for proof. Grab the zip-top bags out of the lunch basket, I want to get some soil and plant samples to show dad.”

“Do you think this has anything to do with the laser attack on the International Space Station?” Kevin asked.

“If it does, then Kirtland must be involved. Holy Mother of G… you don’t suppose our government destroyed the Space Station?”

Chapter-66

“Mr. President, this is General Crookman at NORAD. We’re picking up a large object going into a stable orbit around the Moon. From the size of the return, this thing must be close to ten miles long and about three to four miles wide. Should I send out a military wide alert?”

“Keep the report in house for now, General. Is General McAlister still at NORAD?”

“Yes, Sir. He’s confined to quarters until charges can be filed.”

“Release him immediately and send him back to his unit.”

“But, Sir, if the other nations of the world find out he’s responsible for destroying the ISS and killing all the scientists working there, the U.S. will be ostracized for not keeping him locked up and prosecuting him for his crimes. It will look like you condoned his actions.”

“That doesn’t matter, release him immediately and get him back to his unit.”

“Yes, Sir. I’ll have him on a flight within the hour.”

“General, start feeding the tracking data on that craft approaching the Moon to the ALS detachment at Kirtland. I want the unit ready to fire once General McAlister arrives.”

“We can start sending the tracking data immediately, but calculating a clear firing window will take several days. We are just now getting stable orbits plotted for all the debris cast off by the damaged ISS. The Russians and Chinese are both sending investigative teams to examine the wreckage. The Russian launch will take place later today, and the Chinese ship lifts off early tomorrow morning. My orbital plotting team will need time to track the two craft and plot their movements. Once that’s done, we can begin looking for a clear firing window that will permit the laser to attack the spaceship approaching the Moon. I must advise you, Mr. President, what General McAlister did to the ISS might be classified as an accident, but once he’s released and if his unit opens fire again, any plausibility of calling it an accident goes out the window. It’s my opinion the other nations of the world will see his actions as an act of war.”

“Thank you for your opinion, General Crookman, but from now on, keep them to yourself. We’re the strongest, most advanced nation on Earth. No one is going to declare war on us for something as insignificant as killing a few scientists. If the Russian and Chinese spacecraft get in the way that’s too bad. In fact, leave them out of your calculations and get McAlister a firing window ASAP.”

Chapter-67

“How is the show coming?” Beldon asked as he entered the communications room of the Moon installation.

“We have the first two-hour segment finished except for the voiceovers, leader, and trailer. It will take about six more hours of editing to finish it. The second episode is almost half finished. Our biggest problem is too much footage,” Harold said.

Beldon pulled a chair over and sat.

“Between Reedn’s enthusiasm over learning the techniques of making movies, where he filmed hours of mundane life on the
Universe Explorer
, and the archive of data stored in the library here on the Moon, we just don’t have the time to go through everything.”

Beldon shifted uneasily. “Reedn’s excesses were my fault. I asked him to film normal everyday life so the people of Earth could see that the souls on the
Universe Explorer
were just people.”

Harold nodded his understanding. “The subject matter is not a problem, the volume is. I’m thinking after these two initial programs, we’ll do an extended series of three episodes. Each will be two hours, and give the viewers a brief look into life on Earth two-hundred and thirty-million years ago with a transition to life on an interstellar spaceship as we introduce the crew of the
Universe Explorer
.”

“I like it. I want to tell you how much we appreciate your network taking this on.”

“Are you kidding. This is the scoop of the century,” Harold laughed and elbowed Beldon. “After we’ve had a reasonable time to absorb the history recorded in the archives here, we will do a lengthy series that covers everything we’ve learned. That will also give us a chance to contact some of the world’s leading historians to work with us.”

“Are you doing all the work here on the Moon?”

“We’re streaming the video down to our studios as we complete the segments and the script writers there are developing the dialogue for the voiceovers. So far we’ve managed to keep a lid on any leaks by limiting the number of people working on the project. However, as we get closer to airtime and have to uplink the programs for satellite distribution, all bets are off. The distribution staff is huge, and the program will be viewed by hundreds of people just before it goes on the air.”

“The
Universe Explorer
should arrive the day after tomorrow. I’m a little worried about it getting this close to Earth without knowing the status of the laser at Kirtland. There are any number of space scanning radars that will be able to pick up the
UE
now that it is inside the orbit of Mars. Prime Garuu reported that they had recovered the decoy PTO and planned on refueling it and sending it on ahead of the
UE
as they settle into their parking orbit behind the Moon. Hopefully, if someone does take a pot shot at them, they will go after the decoy again,” Beldon said.

The door opened, and Cindy came in carrying Soleene. She walked over to Beldon and handed him his daughter. “I’m going to help Becca and Striker get their living quarters in order, so I need you to watch Soleene for a couple of hours. I just fed her, so she will probably fall asleep soon.”