Randall removed the top of the container and began to feed the ice cream to her slowly.
“Awww! He’s feeding it to her with a long-handled teaspoon! I want to find a man like that!” Penelope was completely enthralled and almost trembling as she watched.
The room was growing colder and soon he could see goose bumps on her arms and legs. Bite after bite he used her favorite treat to bring her closer to him until they were nose-to-nose. Once she was leaning as far forward as she could, he would give her a small portion then kiss her between bites.
Verna whispered softly. “Mmmm! This is sooo good! And you are sooo obvious! You’d take the ice cream right out of my mouth, if I’d let you.”
“Who, me? I’m not about ice cream.” Like a small boy in a candy store his eyes were locked onto her.
“You look cold, but there’s only a little left.”
“I am cold, but you like me that way.”
“Well, it is better for cuddling and I don’t see you running away or covering up.”
As she leaned in to kiss him again, Verna glanced toward the window. “Do you think they’ve seen enough?”
“Nah, leave it open.”
Verna shook her head as she got up and went to draw the curtains. “You would!”
“Hey! I ain’t ashamed!”
Verna reached for the cord to close the drapes, and as she did she looked directly at the lieutenant’s window and mouthed to them, “Good night, ladies.”
At that point they all froze in place, but as the curtains closed tight Penelope managed to ask, “Did she just say, ‘Good night, ladies?’”
Addison was in a mild state of panic. “That she did. We’re busted!”
Sela just laughed. “Sooo busted! Eat a hearty breakfast, ladies. We die at dawn.”
“Do you really think they’ll kill us?”
“Oh yeah!”
“Without question.”
“Hey, it was Addison’s idea!”
“That’s right! She held a gun to your head and made you watch. You know Commander Randall will run over you, if you throw her under the bus. You know how he is about being a team.”
“There’s only one thing we can do then.”
“Hara-kiri?”
“Exactly! And before the first photon comes over the mountain!”
Chapter 9
Randall woke several hours later to the sound of Verna singing in the shower. Soon after, he had breakfast on the table when Verna came into the kitchen fully dressed and ready for her staff meeting. Looking up from the base scandal sheet, Randall was surprised to see her in a standard dress uniform, including skirt and two-inch patent heels. As she entered the room she turned completely around for him then asked how she looked.
“You look… nice. Like my mom going to work.”
“Nice? Your mom!”
“I’ve told you before, but you keep asking. I like the cover. The cap is cute, the rest…”
“You know this is regulation, but then I know you. Too loose, too long. I want them to hear what I have to say. I need them staring me in the eyes, not at my legs.”
“You asked, but at least your ankles are visible.”
Verna frowned at him and shook her head. “Let’s change the subject. Breakfast looks lovely. I wasn’t expecting all of this.”
“It’s not much, just eggs, sausage, grits, biscuits and for you, Kona. By the way, you should ask Barrett for a raise. That stuff ain’t cheap!”
“Isn’t cheap. What are you having?”
“Pancakes; they are cheap.”
The smell of coffee filled the air and took her back to her happy place. Verna smiled as she lovingly cradled her cup with both hands as though it might break at the slightest touch. Closing her eyes, she slowly brought the steaming resurrection fluid to her lips, savoring the smell and flavor as she spoke to the cup.
“Ohhh! Oh yeeess! Dear, yummy Kona, with three sugars and four real creams! You are so wonderful, straight from Mauna Loa!”
“Mauna Loa!”
“Yes, the coffee, it’s from Mauna Loa.”
“You can tell that from one taste?”
“Of course, the south district, actually. Ohhh yes, mmmm!”
“Are you going to drink it, or do you and that cup need a room?”
“I’m sorry but you know what this stuff does to me. This is just so… very nice! Thank you!”
“You’re welcome, but I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting the Kona to be like catnip for you. You have a kind of glazed look and your voice has a soft erotic lilt right now. I just thought you might like a little something to get you through the morning.”
“Oh, is that what this is? I thought it was your usual, ‘Thank you for last night’ offering.”
“Yeah, that too.”
Verna blushed as she giggled. “You’re welcome.”
“And I don’t know why you rave about Kona so much. The way you do it, it’s only half Kona; the rest is cream and sugar. You’re practically a diabetic, Kona flavored, milkaholic.”
Verna smiled as she inhaled the cup then proceeded to fill herself completely. “I’m sorry to eat and run, but I have to get to my staff meeting. Everyone will be there. I’m anxious to know how things are going with the Russians. What do you have going for today?”
“The lieutenants are supposed to be making sure 107 is back to one hundred percent and I’ll be joining them in a few minutes. If things check out, we may take a second stab at finding more spy platforms this afternoon.”
Verna smirked as she replied under her breath. “Good luck with that and be careful.”
A few minutes later as they were leaving together she stopped at the door to give him a quick peck and in her best Marylyn voice she purred, “Don’t worry about the catnip, or the lilt. It usually wears off after three or four hours.”
Randall chuckled a bit then followed her out the door and down the sidewalk. As always Verna took the ramp to the right and headed for HQ while he stood where the walkway forked for a few moments watching her go. Sela had just finished loading replacements for the missiles she had used the day before when she noticed the commander ogling his wife.
“Osiyo, sir!” (Hello)
The commander’s gaze remained on Verna. “Osda sunalei, Lieutenant.” (Good morning)
“Do you ever get tired of watching her… walk, sir?”
Randall grinned. “No… I don’t, not even when she’s in that uniform.”
“You’ll be happy to know the ship is one hundred percent. Except for some superficial charring from laser impacts, we found minimal damage but no explanation for the loss of power.”
“At least there was no physical damage. Among other things, the captain is on her way to a meeting to discuss that issue right now. Hopefully, they’ll figure out what causes the power to drop and how to prevent it.”
Verna entered the auditorium and quickly made her way up the stage steps. Instantly the low rumble of two dozen officers’ talking ceased, as every eye turned to follow her progress. The captain stopped next to the podium then turned to face the men, but when she did she was somewhat surprised to see a relaxed, happy smile on every face. Her first thought was that there must be something wrong with her uniform. Quickly she glanced down but found all was in order. Again, she looked at the men and then it clicked just as the general entered the room. The collective smiles were ones of appreciation.
Verna shook her head then barked, “Attention!” Just one word from her and the men were silent. Seeing them respond so quickly made it hard for her not to smile.
Barrett seemed to be in a hurry as he came to the podium. “Thank you, Captain. At ease and please be seated.”
Second Lieutenant Lucy lowered the lights before activating a large monitor next to the general.
“We have a lot to cover so let’s get started. Here’s the sitrep for this morning: The fleet is now back to one hundred percent for the first time in almost two years and all is quiet along the Five
Million Mile Line. With no obvious threats currently, our alert level is at two.
“Now, to tie up a few loose ends concerning the search for the remains of those lost in our engagement with the Gorgon. I am pleased to report all missing personnel have now been recovered and returned to their families for proper interment. Every disabled ship was found to be unsalvageable, but a few pieces of the reptiles’ ships were recovered for analysis. At this time, we believe all major debris has been collected or crashed into the moon. Therefore, the combat area has been removed from the hazardous navigation list.
“Several Gorgon bodies were recovered as well and have been turned over for examination and research. On a side note, the cave in the Grand Canyon has been cleared and permanently resealed. Captain Starr’s archeological team is now well into their analysis here at HQ and any inquiries concerning those artifacts should be directed to Charlotte Foster, Vincent Francis, or Oliver Hullett, over at Alien Eradication and per their respective specialties. Captain Starr, is there anything from your team you’d like to report?”
“Yes, sir. My team would like to join us by phone to give a brief synopsis of their findings to date.”
“A long as the reports are brief that will be fine.”
“Thank you, sir. Everyone here knows about the events with the Gorgon and the lives lost in the cave in the Grand Canyon. It took Sergeant Brown and his men two months and a cost of twenty-seven lives to clear the reptiles from the cave and tunnels. It took DSSF another six months to bring everything they discovered back to HQ for analysis. Now, my team is ready to share their initial findings. What they have to say is nothing short of amazing as well as terrifying.
“Lieutenant Lucy, put them on speaker.”
“They’re ready, ma’am.”
“Vincent, are you ready?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Excellent, you start then pass it along; highlights only.”
“Yes, ma’am. Good morning, General, this is Vincent. Basically, my main function for the team is to appraise and evaluate the artifacts from the cave. In a nut shell, the accumulated wealth of precious metals and stones are beyond human comprehension. The number and weight of the items we found is so great that if it were all to be released into the global economy at one time the bottom would fall out of every world market. Gold, silver, platinum, diamonds; anything you can name that is currently considered valuable would sell for pennies on the dollar. Precious metals selling for more than one hundred dollars per ounce today could soon be purchased for about ten cents per ounce.
“The same would be true for all metals and stones. We have enough solid platinum ingots to build three Nimitz class super carriers and overlay them with two feet of gold inside and out. Name any stone you like, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, on and on, and we could give every man woman and child in the U.S. five carats of each stone. We used shovels to load raw diamonds into 55-gallon drums that were moved by forklifts into a 500,000-square foot salt mine. Have you ever seen a diamond as large as a bowling ball? We have more than two hundred of them. To see it all truly boggles the mind.”
“Thank you, Vincent, we get the idea. Charlotte, you’re up.”
“Good morning! This is Charlotte and I’m in charge of identifying and cataloging all the human and alien cultures represented by the artifacts found in the cave. When we began our study the first thing we needed to do was identify the exact nature of the find. Was it a treasure house or a library or a museum? The unanimous conclusion was, it’s all three.
“After eighteen months of careful examination and by using the CVERS data base, I have identified seventy-two human cultures dating back to 5,000 B.C. and more than fifteen alien races from as many different star systems. Thanks to the linguistics key provided by the Rigelians we are beginning to decipher the alien texts found with their corresponding treasure.
“We now know aliens come in many shapes and sizes, and the few alien races we have actually encountered to date are only the tip of the iceberg. The evidence shows many races have visited Earth only once, but others have come and gone many times, with at least two established colonies in places that no longer exist, i.e. Antarctica and an island that is now completely underwater, Atlantis. The texts show that Atlantis was an ancient alien-human hybrid colony that as legend tells, sank into the ocean in less than a day about 3,000 years ago.
“As you might have discerned by now, it will take dozens of trained scientists and archeologists a life time to completely digest all the information that is available to us now. On a personal note, I look forward to being part of it all.”
“Oliver, wrap it up for us.”
“Hello, this is Oliver. My job is to decode and decipher all the things that can’t otherwise be identified as part of any recognized culture. For instance, we found a dozen dinosaur size eggs that turned out to be alien eggs. Even though they had been dormant for centuries, when they were placed in an incubator after twelve weeks they hatched. What emerged was unlike anything native to this planet, and it turns out Captain Starr encountered these same creatures on Mars. When fully developed they resemble a Rottweiler, only much larger and due to their DNA manipulation, their bite is poisonous. It seems they were originally mammals that were hybridized with a poisonous insect. When they were given the street name of Rottweiler Bugs the term was actually very accurate.
“These animal-bugs grew rapidly and became extremely aggressive. So much so we had to put them down. Their remains are being studied by genetic scientists who will endeavor to understand how their existence is even possible. There are more and different eggs we have yet to try and activate but the main theme to all of it is that one of these alien races is very good with gene manipulation. For the race of aliens doing this kind of dark lab experimentation, flying monkeys or a land-shark would be a real possibility. It is terrifying to think of the mutations that could be created by combining several aggressive species.
“But with all we have mentioned today, and knowing that many of the aliens associated with the collection are mortal enemies, the most intriguing mystery we have to solve is which alien race put together such a vast and inclusive compilation of wealth and artifacts?
“Over the last year and a half, a great deal of thought and effort has been put into solving this question and we were forced to a very disturbing conclusion. It appears the treasury was put together by an advanced race we have yet to meet, and that is unknown to any of the aliens associated with the collection. Even the Rigelians have no clue.”
“That should sum it up, General.”
“Excellent! Our sincere thanks, Captain, to you and your team for the vital work being done to find answers to many age-old mysteries that threaten our very existence. Now on to other matters. As of 0600 this date, Commander Bill Collins reported Pandora is now on station at the FMML and beginning her first patrol under his command. Good luck to the Nephilim. They’ll probably need it. Electra is on her way back to the yard for two weeks of down time and resupply to be followed by near Earth patrol.
“Closer to home, a number of recent incidents alerted us to the fact we have a new space and surface threat from a race Captain Starr has identified as the Emim. While they are from a planet more than 150 light years away, we believe they have had a sleeper cell on Earth for the last eight to ten years and only now have they emerged for purposes known only to them. At this time, they have effectively shut down the entire Russian air force.
“Many of their characteristics are similar to the larger aliens with which we are already familiar, with the Emim being the most aggressive and thorough of the lot when it comes to confrontation and annihilation of their enemies. To this point they seem to have focused most of their attention on the USSR with only a passing interest in DSSF, but we expect that to change in the very near future.
“This may be a bit of a shock to many of you, but over the last thirty days the Emim have suppressed the Russian military so severely that they have asked us for assistance in
dealing with them.
“To that end, Captain Starr has developed a plan to liberate the Russians. If the plan is successful it will not only remove the aliens from Russia but the planet as well. DSSF resources have been deployed, including four Interrogator Interceptors and a Cestris fighter. Commander Pinnick is overseeing theatre operations that began almost 48 hours ago, and early reports indicate they are off to a good start having re-established control over thirty percent of Russian air space.
“Moving on to space based operation. As of yesterday, Vindicators will no longer be utilized as fighters onboard Pandora or Electra. However, a pair will remain on both ships for life boat and shuttle purposes.
“The USS Carl Jackson will begin service November 1 as the first Predator class battleship in the fleet. Her crew will consist entirely of experienced crewmen and officers handpicked from Electra, Pandora and those who survived Athena. Captain Mike Knowles has been given the first command. Her specifications are classified, but I can share with you that Electra and Pandora will be replaced by Predator class ships in less than a year.
“At this time, I would like to put an end to the scuttle butt that we are planning an operation to liberate humans currently being held by the Nephilim. Those rumors are just that and nothing more. After due consideration it has been determined that proper recon for exact numbers and locations of any humans that remain is not possible at this time. Therefore, no rescue will be attempted until such time that we have the intel needed to successfully complete such a mission. Any humans who may be within the Nephilim domain are considered lost. Our focus remains on planetary defense and the prevention of human abduction.
“Now, before we go to departmental meetings, I have some news many of you will be glad to hear. As of 1600 hours this coming Friday a new lounge will begin operations at the Yard called Sagitta Cantina. The Cantina will replace the old mess hall and be open to all NASA, DSSF and Rigelian crews. Off duty personnel will find many forms of entertainment and food including alcoholic beverages, but be aware, those who cannot conduct themselves in a professional manner will be barred from participation!
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