Verron_Birth of a Nation

by Douglas Varnell

  It was a short trip to the indoor firing range at the weapons factory. They were greeted by Kary Verron, Chase Verron and Daniel Verron and escorted to the indoor range completely shielded with Verron Steel, allowing them to shoot virtually any weapon inside the 200 yard long range. The CIA Deputy Director had to do a double take when he looked down range to see what was being used for target practice. It was no shock to see a couple of old APVs and a deuce-and-a-half being used, but at one hundred yards away was parked a Russian T-14 Armada Battle Tank, the pride and joy of the Russian Army. Chase saw him looking and asked, “Would you rather we stole an Abrams from Fort Hood?” The Admiral shook his head and replied, “I’m surprised you didn’t.”

  For the first demonstration Chase hung an entire dead cow from a lift 25 yards away. He took a typical military issued AR-14 with a 5.56 round and shot the hunk of beef and you couldn’t even tell it had been hit. He then held up a single 5.56 round with a white tip, chambered it and shot again. The entire cow vanished in a flash of light. Daniel next rolled an eight foot square of ceramic metal composite backed by a four inch thick sheet of hardened steel; the cutting edge of tank technology for the U.S. Army. Chase once again chambered a 5.56 white tipped round and handed the gun to the Admiral, saying, “Think you can hit it in the middle. I’ll move it closer if you like.” George looked at the kid they called Bullseye and respectfully replied, “I think I can manage.” He hit the target dead center of the small bullseye in the middle and everything but the four corners of the composite vanished. Chase chambered two more round and allowed him to shoot at the closest APV. George smiled as he blew two perfectly shaped 4 foot diameter holes in the transport. Daniel then handed the Admiral a 9mm pistol and had him shoot the remainder of the APV. The rest of it disappeared before his eyes. Chase next chambered two 7.62 rounds in a ragged AK-47, one normal round and one with a white tip. This time General Hall hit the second APV with the standard round with no effect. The second shot literally made the entire APV vanish in a blinding light. The Deputy Director couldn’t imagine taking out an entire APV with a single rifle shot. General Hall handed the rifle to George and allowed him to shoot the 2 ½ Ton Truck. One shot with the 7.62 and he would have taken out two dozen soldiers, if it had been loaded with troops.

  Daniel walked out next with a Barrett .50 Sniper rifle. He showed George a depleted uranium armor piercing round, smiling because he knew the Admiral recognized it as the newest model being developed by the Pentagon. He positioned himself on the floor in the prone position; using two sandbags and the bipod attached for support. He fired one round into the T-14 Tank. Through the field glasses Paul handed to the Admiral, it was plain to see that it made a good hole, but did not go all the way through the Russian armor, he’d have to point that out to the people at the Pentagon. With a big grin on his face, Daniel handed George a white tipped .50 round. He inspected it and handed it back to Daniel, who fired the round center mass of the big 50 ton multi-metaled tank. The light was intense and the tank was gone. Paul couldn’t resist, saying, “One good sniper could take out an entire company of tanks. Our friends on Klelta just ran a trial of a 25mm version of this round. It disintegrated a four hundred foot ship; the round had a two hundred foot kill radius. Amber says it left a hole over fifty feet deep. Ask Samantha, she was there.”

  A few minutes later Chase walked out onto the firing range in a suit of body armor made with Verron Steel. He held in his arms an AR-15 Assault rifle. Daniel eagerly picked up the AK-47, shoved a full clip into it and opened fire on his cousin. The AR-15 was torn to pieces; the body armor was completely un-scathed. Chase then retrieved one of the Verron made assault rifles and positioned it across his chest. They took turns firing 5.56, 7.62 and even .50 Armor piercing rounds. Nothing damaged the armor or the rifle. Daniel grinned as he held up a 7.62 Whitematter round and chambered it in the AK-47. George held his breath over the fate of this brave young man. On impact, the light flared as usual, the body armor was not even scratched. As Chase walked toward his assassins, General Zarman described the suit, informing him, “It comes equipped with an exoskeleton that can lift up to 500 hundred pounds and handle a leap from an aircraft 100 feet in the air, has IR, Night Vision, Lifeform Recognition and weapons recognition targeting systems, it is sealed and safe against chemical attacks and can even be worn as a survival suite in outer space and a man can run up to 25 mph while wearing it.” Paul added, “But it does not come with two pair of pants. Seriously, we are all tired of seeing men and women hurt while trying to fight terrorists around the world. We can now take the war to them without fear of any of our people getting hurt. I don’t know about you, but I like those odds. Keep in mind, the same material used in that body armor can be used to build military aircraft and ground vehicles. No more roadside bombs or being taken out by a Stinger missile. Our people will be safe on the ground or in the air. They thanked Kary and gave a special acknowledgment to Chase and Daniel and headed for their next stop.

  There was a Light Destroyer piloted by Tala and Cali waiting for them when they exited the Weapons Factory. As soon as the four passengers boarded they headed for the Spaceship Factory. The Admiral was enjoying the beauty of the mountains below wondering just how fast they were blasting by them when Paul told him, “Admiral if you will look out your window you will see the Troop Transport Ship I plan to use for infiltrating enemy territory with body armored commandoes completely undetected.” The Admiral moved closer to the window to get a better look and saw nothing, and asked, “Where should I be looking? There is nothing out here.” As the Admiral looked out the window Paul spoke into his com-unit and said, “Ok; uncloak.” Suddenly there were four large ships the size of a Chinook Helicopter in the sky mere feet from the Destroyer. Amber waved from one, 99 waved from the second, Bruce Lee was in the third and he had to laugh as he saw his wife, Captain Sullivan, grinning at him as she piloted the fourth. Paul ordered, “Cloak!” and the four ships once again disappeared. General Zarman patted George on the back and asked, “Don’t you wish we had those when we ran raids into Afghanistan and Pakistan? Well, now we do.” It didn’t take much longer until they were on the ground at the Air Force Base. George was looking in amazement at the thousands of ships in the air and on the ground. Marcus Verron greeted them and gave George a tour of the manufacturing facility. When they described the firepower of a Gljarne Class Destroyer he actually prayed that the U.S. Army never had to face a weapon like this, but when they toured the Verron Man of War he had feelings of impending doom to think that this kind of firepower was needed to fight an enemy from beyond the galaxy. He turned to Paul and asked, “You really are convinced that there are forces out there that will require this kind of firepower to defeat?” Paul replied, “I’ll show you footage of a battle where we have already faced 500 ships, most, bigger than this one.” They left the plant and did a quick tour of the mountain training base then crossed the mountains to see the mining and steel operation, did a fly-over of the farming district and ended up at the oil fields, before returning to Capital City. By the time George was dropped off at the Klelta Palace he knew that Earth needed King Verron much more than King Verron needed Earth.

  That evening, George and Samantha enjoyed a nice dinner in the Market Place accompanied by Renee, Amber and Paul Verron. This restaurant was owned by a Russian Chef and featured Lamb dishes like he had never experienced. Paul, Amber and Renee all spoke fluent Russian to the staff. The next morning Paul met them in the lobby of the Palace and escorted them directly to their living room in Annapolis. Their daughter screamed and jokingly asked where her parents were, then cried as she embraced her healthy and well father. Paul embraced George then Samantha and said, “Have fun explaining all this to your staff outside. See you Thursday at the White House” and then disappeared. George looked at Samantha, saying, “There is something to be afraid of when a man can do that. Don’t you think he’s scary?” Samantha remembered the T-Hog incident and Amber’s comment that all of the Guard could do wh
at she did then remembered Paul in the Jxansa Gha battle with humans and droids and his game of chase through the mountains and replied, “He is probably the scariest man alive.”

  Chapter 29

  It was Monday afternoon in Washington D.C. The rain outside had not slacked up since Saturday. It had been a grueling Sunday evening and Monday morning for George and Samantha. They were tired, hungry and a bit wet from dodging the rain as they were shuffled out of their home and immediately taken to George Washington University Hospital to be given a complete examination, that included blood work, X-Rays, MRI’s, DNA verification and a fingerprint check. Once they verified that this 35 year-old man was in fact the 60 year-old Deputy Director of the CIA and that this attractive 30 year-old was actually 46 year-old Captain Samantha Sullivan of the United State Navy, they were herded directly to the office of the Director of National Intelligence James M. Grasper. No one could explain the new leg, absence of diabetes and rejuvenated bodies. Still dressed in the same clothes they had worn when they left Verron, they were noticeably underdressed compared to those around them. The President’s Chief of Staff, Clarence Malone, George’s boss, CIA Director James T. Brannon, National Security Advisor Susan Brice, Director of Homeland Security Charles Jackson and Samantha’s boss, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dorsey were all a bit put out by the sudden emergency meeting in the DNI’s office. The always outspoken Chief of Staff, the President’s right hand man, was one of the first to question, “Just who does this King Verron think he is, telling the President of the United States that he would be in his office at 9:00 AM Thursday? The President already has a full schedule that day, beginning with Israeli Minister of Defense Moshe Barak.” Samantha, who was more than a bit upset by the way they had been treated, responded, “I have no doubt that Minister Barak would find what Paul Verron has to talk about more interesting than the agenda set by the White House.” George gave his audacious wife a smile of approval and added, “Gentlemen, we are simply the messengers. I believe that after the outer-space rescue, the verification of what was done to my wife and I, and the terrorists that have been delivered to our offices, we would be wise to take this man serious.”

  National Security Advisor Susan Brice was fairly new in her position and had not been in office when the hostage rescues were accomplished, and only a hand-full of people knew about the terrorists and weapons dealers the CIA had stashed away in a secret place. She looked questioningly at Samantha, who was the same age and color as her and asked, “Would you like to start from the beginning. All of us have bits and pieces of information and notes from your two debriefings, but you and your husband seem to have more knowledge about King Verron and his intentions than anyone in Washington. Please humor me and the others and tell your story again, beginning with the rescue operation and ending with this somewhat miraculous return from Verron.” Samantha was feeling a bit spunky now and the regeneration and enhancement treatment left her constantly hungry, she demanded, “Get my husband and I a Turkey on Rye and something to drink and I’ll tell you everything you’d ever want to know, but we haven’t eaten since we arrived back from Verron and I’m starving.” James Grasper’s secretary quietly left the room and called the local deli. Samantha began with her impression of Paul Verron and all his staff and family she had met. When they realized the level of experience possessed by those he had commanding and serving in his military and running his country they realized he wasn’t some third world dictator with delusions of grandeur. She continued to describe the R4 Rescue vessel and the weapons on board, the knowledge and capabilities of his crew that went far beyond simply military application, briefly telling them about how Amber had been speaking over the head of one of Japan’s most respected scientists, in fluent Japanese. She went on to tell them how the ship is capable of actually resupplying and repairing a damaged ship while in outer-space. They really paid attention when she said, “He claims that the ship could actually contain a full nuclear or antimatter explosion inside the repair bay and sustain no operational damage to the ship.”

  They spent the next three hours describing every aspect of their trip to Verron. Several had looks of utter disbelief when Samantha described the people and the military capabilities of every planet she visited, the ability to travel across the Universe in minutes, the great resources of steel, oil and precious metals at Verron’s disposal. When she described the game of “catch me if you can” no one is the room quit grasped the impossibility of just what they had done except General Dorsey, who had flown fighters in the Air Force. His face was almost ashen to think that someone could so drastically out class the best fighters Earth had to offer. All of them paid especially close attention as George and Samantha described the weapons, body armor and stealth aircraft they saw tested and that King Verron intended to sell to the United States and its Allies. Samantha almost quoted word for word what Paul Verron’s intentions were for the U.S. and its Allies. George was impressed with her memory as she told them, “I asked King Verron what his agenda was and he told us, “The total elimination of terrorists on Earth, economic and military superiority for the United States and her allies, making inter-galactic travel possible, eliminating the choke-hold OPEC has on the world, curing every major disease that now take the lives of people on Earth; cancer, AIDS, diabetes, Ebola, Sickle-cell Anemia and more; and unification of military efforts toward a common cause. That should be enough to begin with. You could also add developing trade and commerce between Earth and billions of people in other worlds.” The room was silent for a few minutes as the various Directors pondered on what they had been told. It was so unbelievable it was difficult to digest.

  Finally the President’s Chief of Staff spoke, saying, “I personally feel that this Verron fellow is a bit presumptuous to believe he can simply change the way our entire political system works. I do however see enough evidence now from what you two have told us that there could be a lot to gain if this man can do what he says. Defeating terrorists and saving the lives of U.S. soldiers would play really well when it’s time for reelection and the putting OPEC in their place and curing diseases make it even better. I’ll convince the President to see King Verron on Thursday and leave it up to him to decide what to do with Minister Barak. I agree he would also be interested in what Verron has to say.” When they were dismissed the CIA Director shook George and Samantha’s hand and declared, “This Verron fellow has done some pretty remarkable things over the years. At least now we have a name and a face to go with JUSTICE and an explanation for the weapons he used. You both are evidence to me that he delivers on what he says. I’ll see you at work tomorrow and I expect you to work like a 30 year-old.”

  Colonel Amber Hall-Verron was sitting in her office at the Marcus Verron Space Center doing an analysis of usage for the cyborgs General Kirxno was going to be sending soon to train with her men. See could see a lot of uses for them, but wondered how well they were going to interact with human soldiers. So far her Marines had done well accepting the Tecalna and Klelta and even the multi-colored Androids of Beriya, she hoped they would be as receptive to something that looked like it came from the set of I-Robot. Her door opened without a knock and she was about to get angry at the intrusion when she looked up to see Hunter and Vladimir coming through the door. She jumped up immediately and hugged her big brother, saying, “Where have you been. We’ve missed you around here. We’ve had a lot going on.” He smiled at his enthusiastic sister and replied, “Vlad and I have been on Darsai trying to prepare 5000 soldiers to fight 200,000. Their good people, but the odds are not in their favor. Lucy contacted us with some information we asked her to dig up and I need a ship and a crew for, he looked at his Earth watch to calculate his time to target, 6 hours from now.” Amber gave Vlad a hug and asked, “What kind of ship you need?” Hunter smiled and answered, “Well, I’ll leave that up to you. After-all you’re the one with all the experience as a pirate.” Amber grinned a devilish grin, and stated, “You want to steal a ship?�
� Vlad quickly jumped in and told her, “A big ship, loaded with Russian manufactured weapons on their way to Iraq by way of Turkey. We decided that we will be doing the world a service by stealing the ship and putting the weapons to a better use.” Amber asked, “How long will we be gone?” Hunter responded this time, saying, “As short a time as possible. We ID the ship, haul it onboard an R4 and take it directly to Darsai. I’m trying to wait for the cover of late night rains expected in the area where the ship is scheduled to be traveling or we could go now. Once we drop it off in Darsai, Vlad and I won’t need you anymore. In fact, I’m trying to coordinate times so we arrive in Darsai in the middle of the night as well.”

  Amber put out a call to the Dragon Guard to come to the Space Center to help her crew with a flight. Within an hour the Guard enthusiastically greeted their leader and was telling tales of their latest visitors and the Space Ship rescue and 99’s future female companion. Vlad disappeared for a while to visit Jesserrica, assuring them he would be back in no more than two hours. He reminded them that they needed to arrive a little earlier to make certain they find the right ship. While they waited for Vlad, Hunter had Lucy once again show the observation video she had of two Russian ships being loaded in two different harbors on the Baltic Sea. He also showed them the communication intercepts between the Russian Mob, Russian Military Leaders and interested parties in the middle-east.

  The R4 ship was prepped and ready when Vlad arrived. As he headed for the R4 he asked Amber, “Does everyone have body armor? You can bet these people will not be glad to see us and they will be armed.” Amber shook her head and replied, “As much as Grandpa drills it in our heads to never go anywhere without our forcefield or body armor, there are times I feel like I should be sleeping in it. Ours is on board, what about yours?” Vlad pointed behind him at Brigadier Hall lugging two totes of body armor toward the ship. He commented, “He caught me while I was talking to my wife. Paul has been driving him nuts preparing for the meeting with the President. Everything is set now and it’s up to Paul and General Zarman to deal with it. Your Dad needed an escape from Verron.” This time they didn’t ask Tala to stock the food for the short trip, instead, Chase and Daniel had the cafeteria at the Space Center provide three dozen BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, chips and sodas. As soon as they arrived carrying the bags of food and cases of drinks, the group departed for Earth to hijack a ship. Justice told Amber, “You know sweetheart, I think you should paint a Jolly Roger on the side of this ship instead of a Dragon. You’ve become a regular Anne Bonny. Maybe you should make a fashion statement and wear a patch.” Amber made a slight ‘arrrr me maties’ as she walked away and headed for the control room. It didn’t take long to reach the upper atmosphere of Verron and Tala had Lucy set the coordinates directly to an altitude of 10,000 feet, 200 miles due east of the Brittany Region of France and 100 miles north.