by Aer-ki Jyr
“Six kilometers wide?” Scott said in dismay.
“They started building it over 10 years ago,” Jenkins added. “This has been part of the master plan since Star Force’s inception.”
“Is that master plan in here too?” Greg asked, hefting his computer pad.
“No,” Jenkins answered ironically. “But you’re going to get the full brief after we land from Director Davis himself. I suggest you save any more questions for him.”
The six trainees exchanged glances, then watched their approach to the city intently. Upon closer inspection, only part of the surface of the city was smooth, the rest had patchy holes with support ribs exposed. It actually reminded Paul of the second Death Star, except that it was nearly flat on top, with a slight curve that dropped sharply at the edges.
When the Mantis flew over the edge of the ocean city Paul realized that the surface wasn’t uniform at all. There was a smoothness to the design, but with various numbs and flat spots spread out sporadically. Down the center of it all was a system of runways for fixed wing craft, large enough to accommodate even the heaviest of jumbo jets.
Scattered throughout the runway spokes were smaller landing pads for the VTOL craft, one of which they were headed for. As they lowered down towards their mark, the city’s size grew exponentially, with Paul and the others realizing that the size had been an optical illusion. The normal sized runways were in fact quads, with neutral zones in between. The pad they were coming down on was also visually deceptive, in that it wasn’t one pad, but a cluster of 21 with a number of support structures interspersed between them.
“This place is insane,” Ryan commented.
“Wait till you’re inside,” Jenkins said, holding tight to his restraints as they descended rapidly. A long minute later they touched down.
“I’ll show you to your quarters,” Jenkins said as they all unstrapped and headed aft. “You have three and a half hours downtime before the assembly. Get something to eat and a fresh change of clothes. You might also want to hit the track for a few laps to shake out of your legs, just don’t go wandering off. First time here it’s easy to get lost.”
10
Paul found himself sitting in a small amphitheatre that was only a 5th full along with the other A-7 recruits as several men onstage conversed with each other. Eventually one of them took the dais as the others retreated down into the seats.
“Welcome,” Davis said as he looked out at the 100 candidates clustered together in the front most rows. “I apologize for keeping you in the dark as long as we have, but as you’re about to see it was with good reason. My name is Sean Davis, Director of all Star Force operations. You,” he said, pointing at the recruits, “are to become my counterparts in the coming days, leading Star Force into an uncertain future. Before we get into that, however, you need to get caught up on recent history.”
Davis activated a large display screen behind him, nearly the size of a tennis court.
“18 years ago I held the position of CEO of the Pegasus Corporation, the multi-national entity that spawned Star Force, when an archeological discovery was made in Antarctica.”
The screen showed a map of the southern continent and the position of the find.
“It was an accident. A Pegasus biologist was studying a rare find of vegetation amongst the snow and ice. Buried just below the surface was a heat source that supported the Santa grass that she was investigating. The upper edge of that heat source was stumbled upon by the biological expedition and an excavation team was sent to discover exactly what they had found.”
Davis altered the screen to show a grid of photos of the dig site.
“What they uncovered was a massive pyramid, buried beneath the surprisingly deep Antarctic soil. It is constructed of a material unknown to us and emits a low amount of heat. It appears as if stone, but it is not. I can tell you that it is the hardest material ever discovered and it absorbs energy directed at it. Our laser mining tools had no effect on the material, and it took many conventional diamond coated drill bits to bore a hole through the outer structure and gain entrance.”
The pictures shifted to the interior while the left half of the screen manifested a wireframe diagram of the entire pyramid.
“What we found inside we never revealed to the public, nor any nation, corporate entity, or individual outside of Pegasus. To this day, the site in Antarctica remains a secret, as we continue to study the technology within, which is far more advanced than anything we could have imagined.”
Paul squinted at the images, trying to pull it all together. The rest of the trainees were at a similar impasse.
“The pyramid has, among other things, a central computer system that we were eventually able to gain access to. Those who built it used a language different from any known on Earth, and to be honest we haven’t completely figured it out yet, but with a limited vocabulary established we were able to retrieve some valuable information about who built it, what happened to them, and what implications it has on the future.”
Davis altered the images again, this time showing a number of large skeletons.
“These are images from our first days inside. We counted over 400 skeletons. As you can probably deduce, they are dinosaurs. Some varieties of which have not been found anywhere else on the planet to date.”
Davis paused, letting what he had said sink in and preparing to deliver what had been traumatic news to others. Some had refused to accept the truth, others had thought he was joking…he hoped the recruits would take the news better, so he had decided to just tell them straight out.
“The origins of life on this planet have been accounted for by two predominant theories. The first of which is creation by an intelligent, all powerful being or God. The second is the gradual evolution from simple protein chains up through the millennia to current day Humans. What we learned in Antarctica is that neither story is true.”
“The skeletons that you see here are the remains of the builders of the pyramid.”
Paul stirred in his seat along with the other trainees. Dinosaurs?
“They call themselves the V’kit’no’sat,” Davis said, continuing on. “There are many races within the greater group, each as intelligent, if not more so than Humans. They are immensely powerful, highly territorial…and not originally from this planet.”
Davis altered the display to a star chart with various colored dots and interconnecting lines.
“We were able to retrieve a map of their holdings at the time the pyramid was lost to them, approximately 106,000 years ago. They were, at that time, in possession of at least 2,000 star systems, perhaps more. Detailed records outside of the local region are sketchy, so we don’t have an exact accounting, but we do know that our star system is located in what was their frontier region so to speak.”
Davis paused again, looking out at the recruits and gauging their reaction. None of them spoke, but he could see in their eyes that they were intently curious. That was a good sign.
“According to the last records, a schism had formed within the V’kit’no’sat in what we’ve come to call the Raptor Rebellion. It seems they utilize a rigid caste system, which the Rit’ko’sor, what we call Raptors, refuted after more than a million years of collective history. A civil war broke out, during which the frontier colonies were either lost, abandoned, or simply forgotten.”
“We don’t know exactly what happened on Earth, but there was a battle fought, as evidenced by the remains in the pyramid. Why neither side prevailed or chose to remain is a lingering mystery, but after the battle the pyramid auto-powered down after a period of inactivity and remained in waiting mode until we discovered it and began to figure out how to make things work. To this day, we have nominal control of the pyramid’s functions, yet we have barely scratched the surface of their technology.”
“What small discoveries we have made have been incorporated into Star Force technology, which as you all know is considerably superior to that from any other corpo
ration or nation. We are slowly revealing what we have learned, so as to not tip our hand, but our current technological assets are considerably greater than what we have made available to the public, which is why we’ve been able to take on the massive construction project that you are currently sitting in.”
“That said, let me emphasize that the technology of the V’kit’no’sat is so far beyond us that we may never understand it all. What we are working with now is essentially sticks and stones compared with their lightsaber. We are completely outclassed…and therein lies the ultimate problem.”
Davis sighed. “I’m sure many of you are already thinking ahead to the unspoken questions. Where are they now? What happens if they return? Are they friend or foe?”
He adjusted the display again, going back to the visual records of the skeletons.
“There was one race whose skeletons were not found inside the pyramid, oddly enough. According to the records they were present in the colony world, as well as assigned to duty within the pyramid. We even discovered special living quarters for them at the summit. They are a diminutive race by comparison, with no standing in the V’kit’no’sat. They were a slave race, one of many, but they were the most prominent, the most widely used and, arguably, the most valuable. They were used as soldiers, assassins, cannon fodder for the larger battles, scouts, techs, and any other tasks that their small size and dexterity afforded them.”
“You’re talking about us,” one of the recruits interrupted.
Davis nodded slowly. “Yes. Humans were brought to this planet, this colony of the V’kit’no’sat, as their slaves.”
There was silence for a moment before Paul decided to speak.
“Hostile then…” he concluded.
“Very, from what we’ve been able to glean from their records. I know this is a lot to take in all at once, but the reason why you’re here is because you’re the best this planet has to offer. You’re physically strong, highly intelligent, and moreover you’re troubleshooters, adaptive rather than imitative. You learn fast, and seek out the truth by instinct rather than by instruction. Already you are analyzing what I’ve told you, piecing together the threads, gauging our chances and the difficulties ahead…and realizing why it was imperative that this be kept a secret from the rest of the planet.”
Paul flinched as Davis called him out. That’s exactly what he had been doing.
He glanced to the side, looking at the others. A guy two seats down looked back and they made eye contact, both realizing that they were more alike than either of them had accounted for.
“I created Star Force with the singular purpose of developing a counterbalance to the threat we face, not just from a potential return of the V’kit’no’sat, but from the other alien races out there, and there are many according to the databanks. We aren’t a match for any of them, and the only reason we survive to this day is because of our anonymity. It is our greatest strength, but something that we have absolutely no control over…nor can we assume that it will last forever.”
“I don’t know how to prepare for this threat…because there is no way we can win if they do return. We are vastly outmatched, which you will learn the finer details about in time. We can’t close the technological gap in ten years, a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand…and there’s no way of knowing how much further they’ve advanced in the past 106,000 years.”
“Bottom line is, if they come back we can’t win. So what do we do?”
Davis let that question hang in the air until someone decided to answer it.
“We run,” Sara said, two rows down from Paul.
Davis smiled. “We can’t even do that, at the moment. We have one planet, limited technology, and no clue what we’re really up against. You’re here to change that.”
He changed the screen to a view of Atlantis.
“While we are training you to become the best that you can be, I’ll be attempting to unify the rest of the planet and begin the push for the colonization of space. This city will become an embassy of sorts…neutral ground in the politics that have been choking off any real progress on that front. Star Force will attempt to guide the colonization rush once it begins and seek to avoid the conflicts typical of such events throughout our recent history. This we have already begun, but once Atlantis is complete the push to space will begin in earnest.”
“In order to pursue both agendas, Star Force must develop a military of its own, in addition to our corporate angles. This must be done in secret as well, so that we can secure and stabilize our own planet before we begin exploring and expanding to others.”
“But do not misunderstand me…we are not attempting to take over the world. Other than Atlantis and our other ground based facilities, we will have no interaction with the surface. All our focus will be on orbit and beyond. We cannot, under any circumstances, allow the move to space to become World War III. To safeguard against that, Star Force must develop a peace keeping force stronger and larger than any nation. Right now there isn’t a single nation with military assets in space, which gives us the opportunity to get established there first…before any potential fireworks can break out.”
“You will be the first of that peace keeping force. You will be the trailblazers. You will build Star Force’s fleet from the ground up. I don’t know how to do that, and really no one else does either. You have been selected for your learning skills, and learn you will have to as we go about this endeavor. First in your training, which will be extensive and intense. We will teach you everything we can…but after you graduate from your basic training, you will be the leaders. You will be in charge.”
Davis let his gaze sweep over each and every one of the assembled 100.
“I know this is too much to thrust upon your shoulders…but this is the reality of the situation we face. If any or all of you do not want to do this, we’ll find you another position within Star Force. Your contract will be honored, and you will still be required to keep the extremely valuable secret I’ve shared with you, but leadership is not something that can be demanded of someone. It has to be accepted.”
“The question before you is this…will you accept the challenge of leading Star Force, and our planet, into a bleak and uncertain future?”
Paul exchanged glances with Greg, who was sitting on his right. The former NFL running back cracked a smile.
“Hell yes.”
Integration
1
May 27, 2043
“Get down!” Jason yelled, tackling Paul and knocking him below the barricade just before a three shot salvo from a hidden paintball turret zipped over their heads, splashing blue paint against a short tower three meters away.
“Thanks,” Paul muttered as Jason pulled himself and his elbow off of Paul’s chest. “Where did that come from?” he asked, getting to his feet but keeping his head low and out of sight.
“Far left, one of the short pillars.”
“I’ve never seen one there before.”
“Me neither, must be a sleeper…or they changed up the course without telling us,” Jason agreed, pointing two parallel fingers towards the target.
Emily, across an open ‘kill zone’ and hunkered down behind another barricade, nodded her understanding. She popped her head up and fired off two of her own paintball rounds at the target atop the turret, both missing wide. She ducked back down quickly, successfully drawing return fire.
Jason took advantage of the diversion and took aim on the .4 meter wide sphere atop the dual mounted, remotely-controlled paintball gun turret and quickly nailed it with three green-splattered hits. The turret barrels sank down several inches, indicating that it was temporarily disabled.
“Go,” Jason ordered.
Paul and Jack didn’t hesitate. Weapons in hand they leapt up over the edge of the low barricade and ran forward to the next. Jason followed a second later and slid in behind cover as another turret tracked and littered the air with paintballs. One of them hit him in the shoulder on
his way down, numbing his arm and causing him to drop his weapon.
“Damn it,” he swore, tucking his backside up against the barricade as he sat and massaged his arm. The paintballs were laced with stun energy, interfering with the nervous system on contact with the body…and the damn charge even soaked through his clothes where the paint wouldn’t.
Paul slid out of cover, grabbed Jason’s weapon, and scooted back, drawing some more missed shots from the turret off to the right. “How bad is it?”
“Completely numb,” he complained behind his dark safety glasses, the only protection they had from the painful little balls.
Paul laid Jason’s weapon next to his leg as his teammate continued to try and work the numbing energy out of his arm. “Stay put and keep watch on our aft. If you see Jenkins or any of the other trainers sneaking up again, give ‘em hell.”
“Get going,” Jason said, taking a one handed grip on his paintball gun then pulling his feet up underneath him in a crouch. His right arm lung limp, with his senseless fingers brushing the floor of the Atlantis training chamber…one of many that their trainers had been kicking their asses in during the past six months.
“Rover incoming!” Paul heard Randy yell. “Left flank.”
Paul circled around Jason and put himself in between his wounded friend and the treaded mini-tank that he could now faintly hear coming up the ‘street.’ He and the other 9 of his teammates were positioned in barricade rows 7, 8, and 9 out of 23 total, with row zero being the guarded bunker with the mission end button sitting atop a chest-high pedestal inside.
The training exercise was a classic ‘capture the flag’ scenario, with his team entering on the wide end of a 60% cone centered on the flag, meaning barricade row 23 was the widest and least defended, with each subsequent row narrowing down until the far end of the room was barely 15 meters wide where the bunker stood. Four ‘streets’ were visible, radiating out from the bunker entrance and running in straight lines up through the barricades, leaving wide kill zones for several strategically placed turrets.