Invasion: Journal Three (Shockwave Book 3)

by Hammer Trollkin

  The bright flash was seen as a reflection of Communal’s rage, though it was actually cyber slight-of-hand, masking delivery of the code containing the trap that would be Sybil’s undoing. That Communal had called for Sybil to come through his door to reach safety pushed her all the more to exit through her own door.

  Fierce, in turn, credits Communal for the success, pointing to the incredible quantum level trap he devised. His theatrical performance during the encounter with Sybil was superb. She never suspected Communal of the attack, not until the very end.

  We are all thankful, to both of you! Yet, there’s so much left to do in this war.

  And now, I’ve accidently thought of the future and our looming invasion of Cygnus Prime. With that has come a wave of weariness while the events of the day wash over me one last time. Our struggle has only just begun.

  *COMMUNAL: Hi, Viz. I’ve got something to cheer you up. Be a guest on my INtelicast tomorrow. It’s the monthly Lunchbreak Live with Communal’s Qubits INtelicast. Have you caught the show yet, on Intelinet.hum. The live show is a big deal, and it’s tomorrow. I’m really in a bind. With the Sybil world coming to an end business, I haven’t booked a guest. Could you do that for me, Viz? How about, you and Para?

  “What can I say, after you really did pretty much save the world? How about this, I’ll do it if Para will.”

  “What is it, that Para’s going to do?

  “Hi, Para. That’s timely of you. Communal wants us to be on his INtelicast show, tomorrow. I guess he hosts lunch for a live audience once a month.”

  “Sure, Lunchbreak Live with Communal’s Qubits. First of all, what’s for lunch? Just kidding. I’d love to do that. What should we do to prepare?”

  *COMMUNAL: No need for any preparation. I’ll send a car for you at 11:30. This will be so much fun!

  “Hey, Communal, Para had a good question going. What do AIs have for lunch on your show?”

  *COMMUNAL: Actually, Lunchbreak Live is mostly for humans. There are not many AIs with mobility. Not yet. For those in the audience, I’ll have a nice setup of goose-juice. You will find it interesting, about half the followers of Communal’s Qubits are human. They don’t just show up for lunch, though that is certainly a draw. It makes for good program promotion. And, you always have to be taking care of business. See you both, tomorrow. I’ll ping your pid when the car is on the way.

  “How large is the live audience, Communal? Unlike Para, I tend to dislike large gatherings.”

  *COMMUNAL: Not so large. Of course, large is rather a relative term. Oh! Frankie’s calling, got to go. Bye!

  “Communal? What do you mean large is a relative term? Do you have some surprises in store for us? You do that sort of thing, Communal. You’re a surprise a minute. And, he’s gone. Grrrr.”

  ***

  LUNCHBREAK LIVE, COMMUNAL’S QUBITS. DEPLOYMENT.

  Hello, friends! This is Frankie, your host for the Lunchbreak Live edition of Communal’s Qubits. Thanks to everyone for sliding in to the INtelicast. A special welcome to our studio audience! Alfonso, how is that lunch. Tasty? Alfonnnnso. Hi, there. How’s the lunch? Excellent. Reginald, how about the goose-juice? Hippity-hop it is! I’ll take your word on that.

  Don’t look now, friends in the audience, but... Oh, go ahead and have a look at those stats. The show is trending higher than normal. Actually, it’s heading toward a supertrend. And the likely reason for that is our special guests who about to arrive, live, in the auditorium. You all know them, the sister heroes of both interstellar invasions, Viz and Para! Oh my, here they are now. It really is Viz and Para. I don’t know what to do with myself. Uhhh, Communal, take it away.

  Sure, Frankie. A warm welcome to one and all. It looks like the force of fandom has Frankie a little lightheaded. Just a sec. Hey, one of you guys in Production, go look in on Frankie, will you? Okay, thanks. Frankie will be fine, folks.

  Today, our thoughts are definitely in-focus on the massive troop deployments. With that, it seemed a grand idea to invite the sister heroes to the show. Let’s get to know them a little better, especially their amazing capabilities. As it should happen, Solcom recently loosened many of the Article-3 rules. With that, the ladies can now display more of their extreme force multiplier assets. Now, with no further ado, please give a warm welcome to Viz and Para!

  “Para, quit shoving me. Communal said there wouldn’t be a large audience. Look at all the people. That’s a large crowd by anyone’s definition. How come I hear my own voice in my ear?”

  “You’re streaming live, Viz. Everyone can hear you.”

  Viz has a bit of a blush going. “Oh. Uhhh, hi, everyone?”

  Para is all smiles and waves. “Hello, all you beautiful people in the auditorium, and to everyone who slid in for the cast. Reggy! May I call you Reggy, or do you prefer Reginald? Thanks. I love your housing, Reggy. Did you pick out the color scheme yourself? It’s so perfect for you!”

  Communal strolls over to Viz and Para, with a tip of his Stetson, to escort them to the guest seats, in this case a plain wooden military bench. “Please, have a seat, ladies. Sorry it’s not all that comfy. The accommodations were arranged by the guys in Production, who evidently decided it would better fit the shows deployment theme.”

  Viz is still a bit flushed. “Thanks. We’ll make do.”

  Communal nods. “And that is what you do, isn’t it, Captain? You make do, whatever the situation. That’s what wins wars. Tell us, Viz, you must be excited to be moving up the ranks, taking on all that responsibility.”

  Viz has a small glare going. “Look, Communal. I have never liked being responsible for people, much less in command of them. There is zero excitement. It’s just, well, I don’t feel like I have a choice. And you can be certain of one thing. I will do whatever is in my power to put an end to the Empire of Cygnus Prime, and whatever it is above them that may be pulling their strings, to the extent I can get my hands on them.”

  Communal is silent for a little longer than might be expected. “Yes. Yes, I believe you will. Para? What do you think of Viz, as captain? And, what about you? I’m sure you are eager to climb those ranks?”

  Para starts out with a gleaming smile, then settles into a look of contemplation. “Well, I think it’s awe-stounding that Viz is Captain. She should be in leadership. Me? I don't desire that kind of authority. Unless it's kids, they're cool, and a lot of fun. Grow ups, though, they’re another thing. Much less trying to take charge of the very best soldiers in the entire galaxy. Even when I invert to 25 times stronger than the average trooper. Even with that, and... Oh, I better leave it at that.

  “Anyway, even when inverted, a lot of those guys still scare the snot out of me. The best soldiers in the entire galaxy! Hoorah! But whatever it takes. Live Viz said. I’ll do what has to be done to end the Empire.”

  Communal stands. “We want to save plenty of time for audience questions and participation. But first, how about a little demonstration? I hope it goes without saying, I am not one to brag. All of you regular followers of the program know that to be true. But, it is merely fact, this housing is seriously military-spec strong. I can’t get into too many details. Let’s just say, I think I can best the sisters in a friendly tussle. Call it a challenge, if you will.

  “Don’t worry, dear friends, these two have practiced martial arts for many years. No one will get hurt. We’ll just have a friendly little contest.”

  A large padded mat then descends from the high ceiling and unrolls on the floor. Communal strolls over and faces the audience, his back to the sisters, performs some impressive fighting stances, then raises his hands above his head to the cheers of the audience. “How about it, girls? Two to one. If one of you taps-out, your team loses. And if I slap the mat, I lose. Don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on you. Go ahead. Make your way to the mat, if you dare.”

  The audience is roaring with cheers, and laughter, which prompts Communal to turn. Viz and Para were standing in the middle of the mat before he finis
hed his challenge.

  Para has a challenge of her own. “How about we up the challenge, Communal? If you lose, you donate an amount equal to your last month’s INtelicast income to the charity of your choice. If we lose, we will do the same.”

  Communal points at Para. “I love it! Yes! Frankie! Are you up to being the referee? Excellent!”

  Para has a wolfish grin. “Not everyone has been to the fights, Communal. Maybe you should explain again that when you tap-out, when you slap the map, it means you definitely lost the match.”

  Communal points at Para again. “Ha! I see what you’re doing there. It is you, one of you, that will tap-out, when YOU lose the match.”

  Viz looks a little guilty. “Are you sure you want to do this, Communal? You’re going to lose, you know.”

  Communal crouches down a little, so his facial receptors are eye level with Viz. “I find that highly unlikely.”

  Frankie made his way onto the mat, and slipped off his shoes, as the others move out of the center. “Fighters, face me.” They formally bow to the referee. “Fighters, face each other.” They formally bow to each other. “Fighting stances!” The fighters take ready stances. “Begin!”

  Viz and Para disappear. Communal slowly moves around the mat, knowing they would cloak, ready for anything. Communal disappears. Then the three fighters reappear, with Communal face down on the mat, held fast by Para.

  Viz is sitting on the mat gazing in Communal’s facial sensors. “Do you give up?”

  There are numerous ooohs and aaahs coming from the audience. Communal can barely move as he lifts his head just a little, resulting in a grinding noise from straining gears. “Not to fear, dear audience, yours truly has an out from this situation. When I initiate my forcefield, you will hear the characteristic whine of the spin-up, then two seconds later the energetic shell will push out with enough force to dislodge anything. Even inverted Para. It will not harm her, or Viz. But the field will hold them at bay. Then, I shall close in for a win.”

  Viz continued to gaze into Communal’s receptors as she pulled out a small package from her pocket, and opened very carefully, so only Communal could see inside. “Do you give up?”

  Communal’s receptors opened wide. “Don’t do it, Viz. The INtelicast will do a flutter-bye. Total crash. I will need to reboot.

  “Yes, I give up. I’d tap out if I could move.

  “How did you get your hands on... that? And how did you even think to bring it?”

  Viz shrugged, as Para helped Communal to his feet. “Oh, Communal. We knew the INtelicast theme was focused on troop deployment. And we know you, Communal. There was bound to be some sneaky trick to get us to do a demonstration, what with the loosening of Article-3 rules. We’re always ready, Communal. We have to be.

  “These days it is necessary to know ourselves, and to know our enemy. In that way, we will defeat them.”

  With that, Frankie pronounced Viz and Para victors, and everyone settled in, wide-eyed, for the rest of the INtelicast.

  *C: Viz was invited to close out the cast with a thought about her SpecOps team, especially as they ready for deployment.

  She said, “Shockwave is who we are. More than that, it is what we must become. Pray for Shockwave. Pray for all of humanity. And pray for those suffering in the grip of the Empire.”

  ***

  A SLEEPY MISTAKE

  It’s May 17th. We’re barely done with the PAIN Machine and now it’s time to meet with our senior officer in preparation for deployment. No doubt this will be an exciting meeting for team Shockwave. And look at this, a new look to our Shockwave secure meeting room. As if I might not be able to find my own seat, here’s a nice holoplate floating above a new chair that at least looks comfy. Looks can be deceiving.

  It looks like someone left a window open. There’s a nice breeze coming in, enough wind out there to get the trees waving. A stellar scent of flowers. Mmmmm, I smell lilacs. There it is, a purple flowered lilac bush waving in the breeze. A bee just buzzed by outside. But we’re in the middle of a building. You know, secure meeting room and all. Tee sprung for the full holorama deal with sight, sound, smell, and feel. I bet it was Granny T who put all this together.

  Wait, now I smell blueberry muffins. Those, I can almost taste. And they’re real, as a smiling Marj walks in displaying a platter of fresh muffins with extra blueberries. Ping! That will be the briefing report on my pid. We have an hour to absorb the information, with the actual meeting starting at 09:00.

  Here come the rest of the team in a slow shuffle. I wonder if there will be any special guests? It’s going to be hard to focus. No one is chatty though, with more of an introspective vibe. It’s all a little surreal, with us about to invade them.

  We could really use some more time to get ready, but it’s a matter of logistics. One world, little old Earth, against an empire of 50 worlds, or more. Can you imagine their combined resources and industrial capacity? Despite our resolve, we could never win a contest of military preparation.

  First up on the invasion schedule is Kreahaam, our bridgehead to Cygnus Prime.

  Most of this briefing report is a rehash of old news. The Looking Glass portal gate positioned at the dwarf star Sleepy leads to Kreahaam. The world of the invading bugs. 40 light years from Earth. I know, at first it doesn’t make sense that the bug world, Kreahaam, is relatively close to Earth. The bugs were one of the first people to be conquered by Cygnus Prime. That was thousands of years ago.

  The Primers were quick to realize the potential of their new vassals. Those of Kreahaam were perfectly suited to become the shock troops of the Empire, and they were sent out in all directions to invade suitable planets, and set up portal gates. And they eventually reached Earth, on the edge of the Empire’s 1,400 light year frontier.

  The original bug world must have been relatively close to Cygnus Prime. True, when the Empire conquers a people, it often moves them to another system, thinking people would be less likely to revolt when removed from their homeland. You remember, there would likely be less of a patriotic yearning if your original home was light-years away and unreachable. But in those early days of empire, the Primers had only pushed out, at most, 10 or 15 light years.

  I did some digging. The recent move of the Kreahaam people to the edge of Empire space is the second move that has been forced upon the bugs. Here’s how the bugs came to be located relatively close to Earth.

  THE WAR OF ASCENSION.

  The location of the original bug world is lost to the murky depths of time. But we do know they were forcefully moved to a different planet not quite as close to Cygnus Prime. Bugs are formidable foes. Primers were well ahead technologically. Yet, to equip their vassals as successful invaders required sharing a good deal of tech in the form of ships, gates, and weapons. Having a larger moat around castle Prime made sense to the Empire royals.

  All went well for more than 1,000 years, unless you happened to live on one of the conquered worlds. That came to an end when a large-scale rebellion broke out on the newish bug world, around 150 Earth-years ago. It was rather amazing that the coup was staged by a group of common Kreahaam soldiers and workers rather than some quarreling queens. There was no complicity by any of the queens or their consorts, and they were able to quash the rebellion with no outside assistance, though it was a difficult undertaking.

  The Empire royals didn’t care who instigated the coup. Wild bugs are frightening. Those of Kreahaam were labeled a threat and moved to the farthest reaches of the Empire. That was the star system we knew as Trappist-1, and now as Kreahaam. There are two habitable planets in the system. The living conditions are reasonable. Those of Kreahaam are quite adaptable and have done well there.

  With the new bug world at a safe distance, the Empire strategists decided queen control over the small nest colony on a ship was satisfactory, and decided to continue using the bugs as an expeditionary force. On a ship there is no opportunity to inhibit pheromone control to the extent necessary for a deter
mined individualism to surface.

  No bug queen wants to suffer the indignation of another planetary move. With that, maintaining order is of paramount importance. All levels of bug royalty are cautious to retain full control on their new planets. As can be understood from the rebellion, individual bugs are very capable of autonomous activity. But, as the propaganda line plays it, without the leadership of the queens, chaos would reign. The royal establishment of queens is not only beneficial, it is necessary.

  Kreahaamtowne, on Earth, serves as further proof of the potential for successful bug autonomous society, apart from queen dominance. Those of Kreahaam have become model citizens within the Solar League. They function well as individuals with just a modicum of coaching. Recognition of that potential is important when considering a type of government for post invasion Kreahaam. How’s that for a nice blast of optimism?

  As it now stands, within the nesting culture of Kreahaam there are several levels of supervision, as established over millenia. The first level of society is similar to a large friendly neighborhood, or community, on Earth. It is the local nest, with an area queen. Most of the people know each other to some extent. If a bug were to stroll into his or her favorite bug pub, everyone would know their name.

  The next level is a colony. It is a large community of nests, similar to a city on Earth. There is a queen mayor. Next there is a super-colony. That would be more like an entire country. Or, an entire planet in the case of those of Kreahaam. But what would happen if there were two entirely separate planets, in the same system, populated by bugs?

  Most analysts are of the opinion Empire leadership knew the move would result in trouble among the bugs, because of the two planets, and wanted to observe how they would handle the situation. Those of Kreahaam had historically lived on one planet. The Empire insisted the bugs inhabit both planets, it would be more productive that way. From that came the War of Ascension.