Uplift (26 page)

There was a bit of crying, but no screaming when the security folks were using the training modules. Some took them easier than others. Everyone seemed to have recovered a bit by that evening, but they were drained. They tried conversing with each other in some of the languages, and pretty soon they all were laughing, and chowing down.

“How about it gang?” I asked. “You still with me on this?”

Word spoke up – surprise – surprise. “Boss. I knew a guy that knew he was reincarnated from a Russian prince. He spoke fluent Russian. Don’t see that is much different than this stuff.”

“Thank you for your half-assed support Word,” I said.

Joey got everyone’s’ attention. “The images were so real. It was like it was someones memory. The different species, and the threat – the emotion I felt when the Horde being was holding that woman, was intense…with you boss.”

The others all agreed. There were in this together.

Hangar 3, Mid-Atlantic Regional Space Facility

Captain Thomas Pates was a believer. He had joined the military when the funding for graduate work at CIT had fallen through. Normally, he would have finished his dissertation, but he had gotten disgusted, and joined the military. Nine years later, and he was a captain in the Special Forces stationed at Ft. Bragg. He had fallen for the military life, and was considered a rising superstar. He had been on missions all over the world, but he had never seen anything like that training module. He was fluent in a few languages besides English, and conversational in a few more.

He knew these alien languages were legitimate because of the context presented with them. They showed the aliens’ customs, and mannerisms that could not be fabricated. He felt these modules were made from some beings’ memories. He was now en route to see if he could get someone inside to come out, and negotiate with him. The brass had said that they would pull everyone back if all the sites allowed military personnel to monitor all the operations. They also were supposed to supply training module sets for his people. Well – maybe they’ll talk with me. He radioed his perimeter team, and told them he was going to talk with the people in hangar three. He ordered a squad to cover him as he approached the hangar.

Carole had Corvette hack into the SF command post electronics, and had been listening to all conversations, and radio communications. She had made recordings of everything, and then played them back in sync with her time rate. Corvette had been busy duplicating modules since she heard Captain Pates’ suggestion. She had Corvette make up a box of fifty modules. Corvette had linked to Richard in Linville through Corey, and discussed their dilemma. They didn’t discuss anything else. Corvette said the Captain was walking to the hangar, which gave Carole a couple of hours of accelerated time to get ready: put on a set of BlackArmour, get a prototype light saber, an ultraviolet laser stun gun, plus produce a box of modules.

They blinked the field, she stepped out, and the WALLUP crew reinitiated it behind her. Might as well call it a light saber she thought. She felt exposed even though she had her personal field switched on with audio frequencies enabled. Corvette was feeding her view directly to Richard through Corey.

“Captain Pates. We agree. Here are fifty modules. Make sure people who get these are emotionally balanced as they can be quite painful, and unsettling.”

Captain Pates looked at his soldiers next to him, and started speaking in Trade – one of the alien trade languages he had just learned. “
How did you know what I wanted?
” he said in Trade.

Carole was quick on the uptake, and responded in the same language. “
We tapped into your communications, and listened to your conversations with the brass. Do you think they will do what they said? How will we know who will be placed at each facility? We will make sure they have unencumbered communications with Admiral Simpkins, or whomever you designate. We have quite a few new weapons to show you. The ship inside this hangar, the WALLUP, is almost ready for it’s maiden voyage. You are welcome to bring a whole squad aboard after they have language training. We are going to need help soon.”

“So you really think the Horde will show up soon?”

“We think…”
she paused as she listened to Corey for a few seconds.
“
They, or a surrogate race, will scout our system very soon. We have no sensors in place yet to even let us know if they are in system. We are ready to emplace sensors, as best we can, and give the military access to data. We don’t want to be in this alone. We are building the technology, but aren’t quite ready to turn it over to one nation – other nations are even worse. We’re trying to figure a way to get them to all work together, but it is not happening.”

“Would you escort me to the command post then? It would mean a lot. I do suggest you keep your field on. Is that the weapon that Mister Patterson used to cut those pulse rifles in half? Does it project a two-dimensional plane of force?”

Carole laughed. “A scholar…engineering background?” she said in English.

“No. Physics… almost finished my doctorate at CIT.”

“I’m afraid a lot of physics is going to need to be rewritten.”

“Ma’am. The math, and languages are the reasons I believe you. Shall we?” he motioned with a slight bow, and arm movement.

Carole laughed, and gave the box to the soldier with the most inclination to point his pulse rifle at her. The soldier had to sling his rifle to carry the box – which was her point.

Captain Pates saw that, and walked beside her back to the command post.

    
Command Post — Mid-Atlantic Regional Space Facility

The group arrived at the command post. Captain Pates went in first. Carole had Corvette monitor the communications, and any conversations inside. The captain came back out and stated the Admiral and Colonel had agreed to meet with her privately. They said they needed five minutes to seal the approval with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

Carole,
Corvette said.
They just told Admiral Raymond Detweiler they were about to take you into custody, and they thought they could use you to force Patterson to drop shields at all the facilities. They said they’d talk with you, and give the order to the troops when you left the command trailer. They plan to arrest Captain Pates as a traitor.

Carole was stunned. They couldn’t do anything to her could they – guess they could drop a net, or something, over my whole field. Carole asked Corvette…can you mimic the Admiral’s and Colonel’s voices. You can patch into their communications, and make it sound like them couldn’t you. You can play back anything we heard couldn’t you?

Richard cut in. What are you thinking? He asked through Corey, and Corvette.

I go in, stun them, and then order the SF troops under Pates to the WALLUP. We get them inside, and give them the module training. The friskier ones, we turn loose in rural Virginia, or the moon…I don’t know. A few of them may side with us.

You’re kidding…right? Special Forces troops are conditioned to follow the shittiest orders on the planet. They go places, and do things that make regular soldiers quake.

Yeah…but Colonel Crap for Brains here, would give the order – well…Corvette would, and then we’d take off, and cut off all communications.

It would take the cooperation of Captain Pates…

Oh…you mean the guy they plan to court martial, and send to Leavenworth…

…see your point. Will take us about twenty minutes to get back to you. How long before the WALLUP is ready to fly? …and – I know, you don’t mean a whole battalion.

It should have been ready in a day, but it will be about thirty minutes from now – normal time ‘til it’s ready.

Okay. Watch yourself. We’re headed your way. All my crew has had the module, and are, supposedly, with me. We’ll see. Good luck, Richard said.

“Okay Captain. Let me go in first please,” she said.

“Not sure…” he started to say, and then saw her expression.

“You need to leave your weapons with me,” he said.

“Don’t think so Captain. I am not going in there defenseless with people who have tried to arrest, or kill me. Not ready for that leap of faith.”

The captain shrugged because he knew he couldn’t do anything much through her shield. He could see the slight distortion it caused, and her mouth was slightly out of sync with her words so he knew she still had it on. He motioned her to have at it.

Carole stepped into the trailer, and noted that there were three soldiers inside besides the Admiral, and the SF Colonel. She nodded as they motioned her to have a seat in mid-trailer. She pulled her stun pistol, held down the trigger, and stunned everyone inside ‘til they collapsed. She then carefully stunned them again with short individual bursts to the torso. She didn’t want to kill anyone. She then had Corvette mimic the colonel’s voice over the radio, and ordered Captain Pates into the trailer.

She had her saber out as he came in, and his eyes grew wide as she motioned him to come in, and sit down. She held her finger to her lips, and said – “
You need to hear this before you sound any alarm
,” she said in the alien Trade language. She had Corvette play the recording of the conversation between the Colonel, and the Admiral – including his pending arrest as a traitor. Colonel Masters then went on to talk about how he disliked Captain Pates, and ‘didn’t like the little prick – always thought he knew it all.’

“Okay…knew this guy was going to try to set me up to keep me from getting promoted, but this is a bit much. I thought we had a deal,” Pates said.

“Thought we did too ‘til I heard what they were plotting.”

“Some setup you have ma’am…alien tech?”

“Yep. No wires. Can I have your word you won’t try to turn me over to the government? I promise to try to save this country – this planet. Would you, or the Colonel, order your troops to enter the hangar, and go with us? I can mimic short orders over the radios, if you’ll tell me what to say. I’d like to include any people you think we can trust to go with us. You could order them, or the ‘Colonel’ could.”

“My company only then. How long will they stay out? You know someone will find them unconscious in here in no time. No communications will alert them if nothing else. Can your tech simulate orders from here?”

“Yes Captain, but we’ll need your jargon. It would sound weird from a civilian pretending to be a real soldier.”

“Okay. Shit. They’ll bury me no matter what I do after this…okay. Use this radio, and the Colonel’s voice, and say this to all the troops. I’ll talk with my company.”

He proceeded to tell her what to say, and how to respond. Corvette would keep up the masquerade for a while after they left.

He had Carole step out of the trailer without her shield on, but fast enough so no one outside could see the interior. Pates told one of his SF soldiers to escort her to the hangar, and make sure she got back okay. He had another guard the door, and let no one inside. He led the others to their bivouac area.

Colonel Masters’ voice ordered all Pates men to return to their bivouac area when they were relieved at their posts. He then ordered another company of troops to relieve all of Captain Pates’ people immediately.

Bivouac area — Mid-Atlantic Regional Space Facility

“Look Rodriquez. I don’t know why we’re supposed to get our full kit, and move out. The captain told the lieutenant to get us mustering out in ten minutes. We have a lot of kit – talking to you is not getting us ready. Move it.”

“Sarge. You know the butter bar hasn’t been with Bravo Company, but for two months. I heard he transferred out of first battalion, 5
^th
.”

“You use a term like “butter bar” around me again, and I’ll make ‘on report’ seem like paradise. Move it. We have four minutes now.”

The company mustered outside, and the captain had squad leaders gather around him. “The colonel has chosen us to go on a little trip. It will be dangerous, and something no unconventional forces have ever done. He chose US for this.”

“Because we’re the best sir…” someone said in the back.

“No…because he hates my guts,” replied the captain.

There was a pause as the soldiers absorbed what he said, and then the veterans chuckled. They liked this leader.

“Let’s move out. Check for noise. Move to hangar three folks…at a quick march. Sergeant Garcia. Did you get Thibault, and Gilbert’s gear?” Pates asked.

“Yes sir. I had volunteers,” he said, and looked at Rodriquez, and Tarkington struggling under a double load.

                                             ****

Colonel Masters’ voice came over the radio, and explained that Bravo Company was moving to hangar three to intercept an incoming shuttle. They were to take up positions inside the hangar. His orders were acknowledged, and then Captain Pates ordered his people to move out. The company approached the hangar just as Patterson’s shuttle came into view, and entered the open hangar bay of the WALLUP. Captain Pates led troops aboard, and Carole had four of the prettiest female crew show them the way to their new quarters.