Talosian Chronicles 6: Armageddon (5 page)

"As for letting the people know; it's time. They have to have time to prepare for the coming fight. They have to learn where the shelters are, stock up on supplies and clean water; make sure loved ones are home or close by. Folks, even if you do start helping us fully, as you have agreed, the time has come for the rest of the planet to know what's going to happen to them," Luke replied.

"They are not ready for that information yet. Our police agencies will be overwhelmed, and economies will crash," the American Ambassador replied. "We won't need aliens to destroy the planet, we'll do it ourselves!"

"You're not planning on telling them at all!" Ian replied. "Ladies and Gentlemen, they have to know! They deserve to know, so they can prepare! There isn't a sole on this planet that will not be effected by what's coming! The people have to be told; the have the right to know!"

"Admiral Williams, Councilor Belden, perhaps I may offer a suggestion?" Admiral H'joles spoke for the first time. Many of the Ambassadors appeared to be surprised at seeing an alien among them.

Ian nodded to him. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the United Nations, may I present Fleet Admiral H'joles, Chief of Operations for the Alliance of Races Military. He has already begun assigning forces to our sector to assist us in our defense. He is the also the senior military commander of our allies.' Ian turned to H'joles again. "Please Admiral, if you have an idea we would like to hear it."

"Thank you. The concerns of the Ambassadors are not unfounded. However, they are also not insurmountable. The issues brought up can be addressed and dealt with in an amicable fashion. Let us address the issue of public security first. I agree that the scale of this event would be far more than any planetary constabulary could deal with. In the Alliance, it is not unheard of for the civil authority to appeal to the military for assistance in times of need. The crisis facing us certainly qualifies.

"Just before this meeting began, I ordered the immediate dispatch of three more infantry, two more armored and one more artillery divisions to the Sol sector. Those troops should arrive within two to two and a half weeks. I just received word that Admiral Goya of  New Talos will be sending crews for some of the completed warships as well. I know these additions will not make up all of your shortages, but perhaps it can relieve some of it.

"As for the planet, I can understand your reluctance to devote troops to this effort. You are still having difficulty in believing this attack is coming based on the method in which this information was given to us. You do not have your own proof of the existence of these abilities. Then I will offer this in addition to our warnings; for the last two stand months, we have seen a marked and massive increase in Imperial forces near the two forward most bases closest to you. At present, Imperial forces are six hundred percent higher than we have ever seen them in a single theater and more ships are arriving daily.

"We have already begun moving forces from other, less active theaters, to bolster the defenses in this quadrant. However at their current rate of increase, we will not be able to field the force necessary to counter them without leaving other sectors completely defenseless. They are preparing an overwhelming and massive force for an incursion into your area.

"Even without the warnings given us by the Benesians, you are the only viable target in that quadrant. In the eleven hundred years this war has been fought, we have never seen a military build up of this magnitude before. We are sending every ship and ground unit we can spare, however, if you do not do what is being asked of you, the defense of your sector will fail.

"To this end I propose the immediate and unilateral equipping of all Earth forces with advanced military weapons and armor. The equipment can be made to self destruct if it is tampered with, much like you have done with the bunkers. There is also the fact that the advanced equipment can be shut down remotely if the need arises. Once equipped, the military would fall under the control of Admiral Williams until the emergency is over and the equipment is returned. At that time, the soldiers can also be returned to their nation.

"With stun equipped civil defense aided by the planetary military, civil unrest can be controlled in as non-violent a way as possible. The economic concerns mentioned earlier are also valid, but I am not an economist. However, I do know there are ways a governing body can control and protect such a structure in times of emergency. Ambassadors, this is very much one of those times. You
are
going to be attacked, every instinct I have, as well as my three hundred years of military experience is telling me that. Evben with your cooperation the outcome of this fight is very uncertain. I do know that if you chose to not do everything you can to prepare, your entire race will become a sad memory held by those of us that survive you.

"I know that none of you are familiar with me or the Alliance Council, Earth itself is not a formal member of the Alliance. The Terran defenses led by Admiral Williams and governed by the Terran Council are members, however, are. As they have sworn to protect and defend you, we, as their allies must also assume that role. As the military leader of all Alliance military forces, I have offered my advice and opinions as mandated by my position. I thank you for giving me your time."

"On behalf of the United Nations," The Secretary General began but paused. "No, on behalf of
all
the Nations of Earth, we thank you for your advice Fleet Admiral. Admiral Williams, is there anything else you would ask of us before we begin deliberations?"

Ian nodded. "There is. I am in need of two positions to be filled on my command staff, at least for this battle. After careful review of their records, I would ask that General Feng Dou Shan of People's Republic of China Army, as well as General Gabriel Lefeet of France be temporarily assigned to me. Both men have unique skills that would be of great help in the coming fight. I would ask that any aides be limited to one per man and that we have the final say on their inclusion.

"I understand the need for you to talk this over and make decisions. However, keep in mind that time is very short. If we are to accomplish all that needs to be done in the time remaining to us, we have to act now; immediately. I will issue orders to begin the production of the equipment we will need to arm your military. As it is, I'm afraid there will not be time to produce the heavier weapons, but we will do what we can. I only ask that you please make your decisions as quickly as possible."

"You will do as the Fleet Admiral said then, you will arm our troops?" the American Ambassador replied.

Ian nodded. "I will, we are a member of the Alliance, and Admiral H'joles is my superior officer in that regard. Also, I agree with him that we can prevent the misuse of that equipment if we need to. Also, even if you could begin reverse engineering the equipment, you simply will not have the time to do so." He grinned like a shark. "If we do survive this, and you refuse to surrender the equipment loaned to you, we can track it. We'll simply recover it as we would anything else stolen from us.

"We'll add the production facilities to the fighter bases and other larger installations because that would be the fastest and the easiest to do. I'll also come up with a solution for the police as well. In the past, there have been many reports of police abuse and brutality. That will no longer be the case; while equipped with advanced gear, every moment an officer is wearing that gear will be recorded. Defendants will no longer be able to claim police brutality or mishandling of evidence as
everything
will be recorded.

"I honestly don't know how quickly we'll be able to make it happen, but we'll do what we can. You need to prepare your people, your nations, for the arrival of allied, non-human troops. I
will
be dispatching them to the planet to assist in this effort." He paused. "You will notice I did not say 'friendly' non-human troops. Keep in mind these being will be seasoned Alliance Marines; I doubt they will have a very high bull-shit tolerance."

"Admiral, who will have command of these Alliance forces?" The French Ambassador asked.

" I will need to have ultimate command of all military forces Alliance as well as Earth military, for the battle. However, while they are assisting civilian authorities, that authority will have local command within reason. For example, no Alliance Marine will be authorized the use of deadly force against civilians. They won't need it. You could literally run down one of these guys with a semi tractor and all you would do is wreck the truck and piss off the Marine. Once we get them the gear, the civilian authorities will be the same way.

"After the local authority, will be the national government, then the UN and then me. Keep in mind, these are nothing more than peace-keepers; they will not fight a war for you against another country. In fact, they will have orders to prevent that from happening. They will have the authority to use deadly force for that.

"Make no mistake here, Ambassadors, their orders will not be open for interpretation or any political double-talk. The spirit of those orders is as important as the words. If I order them to prevent all hostilities, that means that they will do exactly that; nothing more and nothing less," Ian finished.

"Admiral, what of the non-aligned nations that are not part of this body?" the South Korean Ambassador asked.

Ian put a firm look on his face. "Nationalist agendas will not be tolerated by anyone for the duration of this emergency. That will be… explained to our more reticent brothers. I'd really like to see the North Korean leadership accuse a Cronian Marine of being an American spy!"

As an image of a Croaning Marine took form beside a current image of the North Korean leader, several of the Ambassadors chuckled. Ian continued. "People, we're still not interested in taking over, although for the time being it may seem like it. We just need to get through this, we'll back off and you can return to your daily routines. I swear this to you."

The Secretary General nodded. "I think that is the one fact everyone here can easily agree on Admiral. However, based on the videos you showed us, there is a good chance that we are going to take considerable damage. So much so that we may not be able to recover, what will happen then?"

"Mister Secretary, we are not so heartless we would fight this war and leave you laying in the mess after it. We will be here to assist all of you as much as you
request
. We will help as much as we possibly can for as long as you will need it. It goes without saying that emergencies will be handled without request on a case by case basis."

The UN excused themselves then to deliberate and to contact their leaders. Luke and the Terran Council approved Ian's proposed actions before they too excused themselves to get back to work on their own civilian preparations. Leaving Ian and Admiral H'joles.

"I'm sorry to have dropped that on you like I did, Ian. But at this point, I don't think anything they could do with the advanced technology they could steal will matter. You know as well as I do what the probably outcome of this is going to be. We may win the fight, but Earth is going to lose people and more likely than not, it's governments. Even if they somehow manage to survive this, they will never be able to return to what they are now, you know that," H'joles said.

"Yes, I do. This fight is going to change them on a very fundamental level. Sir, I am going to issue orders to my remaining Raptor teams to disable or destroy the Nuclear, Chemical and Biological weapons they have hidden down there. I know that one of them will try to use those weapons in this battle and we can't allow that to happen. I'm not going to ask for permission, I am simply going to do it. I'm telling you in the event I will have to answer for my actions," Ian said.

H'joles nodded his understanding. "Ian, such an action is actually expected of you as an officer in the Alliance. The chemical and biological weapons are banned in the Alliance and the nuclear weapons have no business in the hands of civilians anyway. Removing them is part of your duty as the protector of your people.

"I also understand that you will catch hell from Earth for doing it. The choice is yours, but I do support the action. Will you inform the planetary leadership of your actions?"

"Only after the fact, Sir," Ian replied. " It'll damage what trust exists between us, but it has to be done. The use of those weapons can only hurt this planet more in the coming battle. I don't think it'll matter at all after the battle."

"I understand there are quite a few fission reactors on the planet providing power to the population. What will you do about those?" H'joles asked.

"I will be ordering them shut down and replaced with temporary fusion rectors of our design. Ours have safeguards in them to prevent detonation due to the fighting. It's already been planned for as part of the defense installations taking place on the planet. If I'm not mistaken, several of them have already been replaced and the dangerous material disposed of," Ian explained.

"You are doing everything you can for your people, Ian. Call me is you think of something else we may be able to assist with," H'joles replied.

Ian bowed and thanked him before the call was disconnected. Ian sighed, smiled at Alex, and they returned to his office to get back to work.

New Talos, New Mexico

Earth, Sol System

Sol Sector

In the desert of New Mexico, near where New Talos had been destroyed, Alan and his team climbed out of their modified Raptor dressed in their combat armor. The shuttle that had come with them began to unload its cargo of construction drones, while Kevin and Carl set up the portable shield generator to cover the two shuttles’ landing area. Alan didn’t think it would take long for someone to notice that people had returned to this area.

One drone immediately began tunneling down, while another drone put up a safety fence. All but two of the drones followed the first down the hole; those other two simply waited beside the shuttle. The plan called for the construction of a large underground fighter base. The orders had said that stealth was no longer a consideration, but the need to defend themselves would be. Admiral Williams had spoken to the world leaders, so they knew what was going on, but that didn't mean they were happy about it. Out here in the middle of nowhere, anything could happen. 

Very shortly Alan could hear the approach of many diesel-powered vehicles. Andreya had told Alan that the troops nearby knew they were there shortly after they had unloaded.

“Is the shield up yet?” Alan asked.

“Yes sir, switch to combat display in your visor for the perimeter,” Kevin, one of his team members, replied.

Alan sighed; “Thanks Kevin. Remember folks, we are protected from them, but they aren’t protected from us. Let’s not do anything that will cause them to fire at us and hurt themselves, okay? I’ll try to talk to their commander once they get here. Andreya, please have one of the drones build some kind of open-air shelter near the perimeter where our 'guests' will arrive. Include a table and a few chairs. Make sure it’s outside the perimeter, though. I don’t want to bring anyone inside the shield unless I have to.” 

No response was given, but Alan noticed one of the drones speeding off to the task. He made sure his pulse rifle was secure to his back before walking slowly after it. “Andreya is with me; please bring a small holo-drone. Stacy, stay on the ship and monitor site security. The rest of you, go about your duties, but try to make sure you are clearly seen at all times. I’ll let you know when to start the drones building the landing areas. Stay in your suits until we get shelters built. The desert can dry you out quick, and we aren’t used to it.” 

Major Dentin was tired of this duty. Why were they out here guarding a stretch of desert anyway? He had been told the reason his unit was out here, but the Marines had quartered this area and still found nothing. Now, the Marines had returned to Twenty-Nine Palms and the Army had been ordered to send a full battalion out here to the middle of the New Mexico desert. The Major, as well as his men, would much rather be back at Fort Carson doing their normal training maneuvers. Instead, the Pentagon wanted them out here, miles from any form of support, for months at a time; just to watch the desert. So what if something strange had happened out here? Nothing had happened since, and in the Major’s opinion, nothing was going to be happening anytime soon. It was a colossal waste of the taxpayers’ money to have all their equipment loaded onto trucks and shipped down here just to perform maneuvers in the desert. The Army had a fine facility for this already sat up at Fort Irwin, California. 

The real battalion commander, Lt. Colonel Ferguson, had been called back to Colorado for some kind of general staff meeting. Dentin sighed; well, at least they had war games to play while out here. He finished putting on his gear and walked out to where his command staff was assembling. They were to make an assault on one of the larger hills in the area. They would move out to their staging area, then begin the mock assault.

They had only been moving for about a half hour when the lead unit reported that someone was out here. Several figures and two strange aircraft were moving around in the desert. What they were doing was unclear at this time, but the people seemed to be wearing some kind of medieval armor.

Dentin felt his heart lurch. This was the real reason they were out here, to watch for this. He immediately grabbed the radio handset. “This is delta-six-four actual. Flash priority! All units stop, I repeat stop in place and await further orders. Alpha two-two, keep a close watch on those visitors. All commanders report in person now!” He switched radios; “Whisky Base, this is delta six-four. Activate plan ‘Grifter’, I say again activate ‘Grifter’, over."

“Delta six-four, I acknowledge, ‘Grifter’. The trucks are on their way. Good luck.”

Plan Grifter was the contingency plan if the troops actually found someone out here that didn’t belong. Dentin had a brief flash of doubt that he might be activating the plan early but the report said that the people seemed to be wearing armor? In the desert? Hell, it was only oh-seven-thirty now, and he was already sweating. Anyone dumb enough to wear heavy armor in this heat was either crazy, or… or was exactly what Dentin had been told to watch for.

“Roger whiskey base, pass the word immediately. I want the strike force ready as soon as possible. Delta six-four, out.”

He turned to his own crew, who were watching him in curious silence. He knew they would all be able to hear the briefing he was about to give his company commanders, so they would learn the truth soon enough. “Drop the ramp, we have a major change in plan. Strip all the blank ammo out of your weapons and the Bradleys’ guns. We’re getting live ammo. Olson, you head up the line and pass the word to strip out all the blanks and get ready to reload fast. Evens, you head back down the line. It’ll be full combat load, boys, now go!” The two young men ran off to relay his orders.

Looking back along the armored column, he could see the approaching trucks led by the Sergeant Major himself. Each truck held live ammo for a platoon of the battalion’s vehicles, and had been sitting under cover and guarded back at the cantonment area. The drivers must have known their assignments well, because each truck pulled up to a vehicle. Two men, the driver and one other, jumped out and took up defensive positions with their M-16’s while calling instructions to the vehicle crew. Each crew jumped to comply; everyone seemed to be sensing the importance of this event. At least nothing weird had started happening yet.

The company commanders had arrived, so he turned to give them the briefing he was sure none of them would believe.

“Okay, I know you have questions; trust me, you’ll have more in a few minutes. Do any of you remember the report of a military tanker plane crashing out here last year?” He paused as most of them nodded. “Well, that’s not exactly what happened. What I was told was that there was a small town here. I was also told that it had been completely destroyed. I mean not even a twig left. Now, the thing that confirms this is that it happened right in front of a battalion of Marines. There had been some kind of major battle and the town had taken a hell of a beating.

"As it turns out, that town was really a base for those guys up in space that say they are defending us from aliens or some such. We got word a few days ago that these folks would be coming back here to build a new base. It seems they've told the UN that a huge battle is coming and they need to build defenses on the planet.' Seeing the look on his people's faces he shrugged. "Hey, that's what I was told. Anyway, since they actually showed up, our orders have changed.

The group of captains and lieutenants grumbled but let the Major continue. “The real reason we are out here is because of this. We are to observe and try to capture or grab as much of their technology as we can for analysis. We are not to
actively
interfere with them, but getting their tech was stressed several times. Other than that, we are to secure the area and keep them from leaving. We are not to engage them; no shooting unless we are shot at first."

He looked each of the men in the eye. “Gentlemen, I honestly have no idea what is really out there. We can only operate on what we are told by our superiors and execute the orders given us. I know you have questions about this, but I simply don’t have the answers to give you.” He sighed and turned to the map one of his staff had set up for him. Here’s what I want. Corporal Anderson placed our friends about here. Terrain won’t let us surround them, so I would like us to deploy in a line…” He continued to issue orders, finally having to move aside as his staff loaded his vehicle with its ammo. Orders issued, the commanders returned to their own units to set those orders in motion.

Alan watched as the Bradley fighting vehicles spread out in a line formation. He was kind of glad this wasn’t the Marines he would be dealing with; they had a tendency to shoot first and apologize later; especially after what happened here during the battle.

As they approached he watched them deploy their troops. He knew normal doctrine would have had them deploy their troops farther away, and advance slowly under cover from the powerful twenty-five millimeter cannons mounted on top the vehicles.

In the center of the formation, and slightly behind, Alan could see the command vehicle. The only discerning features that identified it were its position and the number of radio antennas it had. Alan waited a few more minutes then walked slowly forward, hands lowered to his side, and open to indicate he was unarmed, but not surrendering. He made sure his armor’s shield was active as well. He knew the armor could withstand multiple hits from one of those cannons, but he really didn’t want to find out for sure.

Cautiously, one platoon of soldiers crept forward, weapons trained on him and at the ready, to surround him in a semi circle. “Halt!” Alan was ordered. “By the authority of the United States government, I am placing you under arrest in connection with the events that took place here last year; lay down on the ground now!” The trooper said.

Alan glanced at the soldier’s uniform before replying, “Sgt. Grant, I would like to speak to your commanding officer. I’ve set up a shelter from the sun to discuss this. You may accompany us to insure his safety.” Moving slowly, Alan tuned and began walking back to the shelter.

“Get on the ground, now! Or I will be forced to fire!” The soldier replied.

“No, you won’t. Your orders are to capture our technology and possibly detain us. Not to kill us. I’ve made no threatening moves against you or your men. Please pass along my request; I’m sure you guys are getting hot out here,” Alan said reasonably and continued to walk. The platoon followed him cautiously, never lowering their weapons.

After Alan had returned to the small pavilion, he sat down on one of the chairs to wait. Shortly, another platoon moved to the command vehicle and prepared to escort what Alan assumed to be the force commander.

Alan once again stood as they neared the pavilion. Making sure his armor was safe, he extended his hand. “Major Dentin, it’s nice to meet you. I am Colonel Alan Carlton, Special Operations branch of the Terran Defense Forces.”

The astounded Major shook hands and replied, somewhat automatically, “Major William Dentin, U.S. Army.” He seemed to shake his head a moment in confusion, then narrowed his eyes. “Colonel, I have orders to arrest you and your people and to confiscate your equipment. Do you intend to resist us?”

Alan chuckled; “Absolutely, Major. I would ask that you don’t attempt to fire any of your weapons at us, since we are shielded and the attempt would cause the bullet to ricochet, potentially harming one of your own soldiers. Further, we cannot allow you any closer to our ships since they might accidentally cause harm as well. I can tell you that you might want to bring your tents and other supplies up from your cantonment area since we are going to be here for awhile.” 

“Just what the hell are you planning on doing out here?” Dentin asked.

“We're here to build a fighter base for the defense of this planet. As you can see, work has already begun. If you'd like, I could show you exactly what we have planned. Major, I used to work for the NSA, I know what’s going to happen out here. By tonight, there are going to be special ops teams crawling all over this desert trying to get in here. Just some friendly advice; if one of those crazy fools starts shooting, duck and cover.”

“You are human then? You’re not some alien from another planet? I thought that sounded a bit hokey.” The Major looked relieved. “What are you wearing? It has to be over a hundred degrees already and you’re not even sweating.”

Alan chuckled; “Yes, I’m human. I’m even from Earth, though not all of my people are. There is a long story here if you really want to know it all, but I should tell you that there are aliens as well as humans not from Earth. In fact some of those aliens will be stationed right here after the base is built.

“What I am wearing is a suit of our combat armor. It can function in any atmosphere we’ve been able to dream up and can withstand most Earth weaponry, though I might actually feel it if you shot me with one of the twenty-five millimeters.”

“Okay, we can’t see this ‘shield’ you keep telling us about. How do we know you’re telling us the truth?” Dentin asked. “I mean no offense, but I don’t think my superiors are simply just going to take your word for it.”

Alan turned slightly, to look at the Sergeant that had spoken to him before, “Sgt. Grant, would you please throw a rock, like you were pitching a baseball, at one of the ships?” He gestured to the ships behind him. “But do it a little ways away from us.”