Verron_Birth of a Nation

by Douglas Varnell

  Brigadier General Hall approached the visitors and welcomed the President and his staff on board, he then turned to Paul and said, “Thought I’d give you a quick sit-rep. So far all the surviving Russian smugglers have been placed in regeneration, 12 out of 16 crew members on the French Trawler have also been put in, only three of the German’s were bad enough, the blind one and two others that were on deck. Only five from the Navy Frigate, two blind and three badly exposed. Everyone else so far has been triaged and given anti-radiation injections. We will be here several more hours screening the remainder of the Navy crew, most of those in regeneration will only require twelve hours. The others will need a few days. Lucy has accelerated the process as much as possible but a few of those Russians were almost dead. Dr. Verron and the medical staff are also treating other illnesses; diagnostics have been set up in the ships regular outpatient clinic. Dr. Meese is handling that.” Justice leaned over and whispered to Paul, “He found two cases of HIV positive already and wondered if we should do an entire screening. We left it up to you to discuss it with the Captain of the Navy Frigate; it’s above our pay grade.” As Brigadier Hall was finishing the update, Amber and Katelyn were walking by headed for the Football Game. Amber stopped by and was introduced by Paul, “Mr. President I’d like you to meet Colonel Amber Hall-Verron, Princess Amber, second in line for the throne of Verron and Commander of the Verron Air Force and my granddaughter as well as Brigadier Hall’s daughter.” Amber smiled and replied, “Nice to meet you. It looks like this place is about to be full of Presidents. General Zarman told me to tell you that he has cleared a helicopter to land inside the ship. Evidently the President of France, Francois Hollanda and his DGSI Director, Patrick Calvair is on their way, should arrive any time.”

  Paul looked at President Hensley and asked, “Have the two of you met?” He smiled and spoke softly, saying, “You think Malone is a hand-full, wait till you meet Francois.” The President walked around casually with Paul and shook hands and greeted the Earthlings and Verronians on board, making a point to meet the Captains of the Royal Navy frigate and the German Container Ship. They had made their way closer to the radiation triage area when the echo of helicopter rotors sounded through the hanger door. One of the Marines acted as ground control and directed the Airbus H225 Helicopter to a good safe landing spot. Ten French Security Police exited the Airbus first, followed by President Hollanda and Director Calvair. The President looked around the inside of the ship and looked at Colonel Zarman, when he greeted him, as if it was beneath him to speak to a lowly Colonel, especially one not in a French Uniform. He looked across the hanger and saw President Hensley. Leaving his other passengers behind, he headed for the only familiar face. He shook the American President’s hand and took a very casual look at the man standing beside him. Paul wasn’t certain if he should laugh at the man’s arrogance or throw him off the ship. President Hensley did the introductions, “President Hollanda, I would like to introduce King Paul Verron. This is his ship and his people are treating every person exposed to radiation.”

  Before he could continue, Hollanda cut him off; looking at Paul he said, “So you are the one responsible for this mess. I’ll see to it you are formally charged for this reckless endangerment of French citizens. Why your actions could be considered a declaration of war. I plan to see to it that everything is handled properly. I have brought the most experienced French experts on the treatment of radiation exposure to make certain my citizens get the best of care. I expect you will pay reparations for their losses.” Before he could continue, Paul decided to take a page out of the Tala notebook of diplomacy. He cut the French President off in the middle of his blathering and informed him in his own language, “Let me make myself perfectly clear Mr. President. On this ship, I am in command, not you. Furthermore, if you think we are at war, then consider the fact that when Verron is at war the first thing we do is kill all the leaders; starting at the top. We find it very effective in ending wars quickly. If your experts would like to study our methods in treating radiation exposure, I’m sure my people will be willing to teach them. I am in the middle of solving a problem that was caused, not by my people, but by Russian smugglers and criminals. I do not have time to waste listening to you puffing out your chest and trying to act in charge. I am not impressed. Now if you would like to stick around and learn something, and lend moral support to your people, you’re more than welcome onboard my ship. But if I hear one more outburst like you just had I will personally throw you off my ship, possibly without your helicopter. Do I make myself clear?” Francois looked behind him to see if he was going to get any support from his DGSI Director, but he was busy observing 24 Verron Marines carrying weapons like nothing he’d ever seen and decided it was best to do as King Verron said. He extended his hand and introduced himself, saying, “I look forward to learning more about you and your country.” Paul called his daughter, Dr. Desiree Verron over from the triage and asked, “President Hollanda has been kind enough to offer support for our operation. If you will please show the doctors around and explain what we’re doing, I’d appreciate it.” All those around were surprised when she, in excellent French, answered, “OK, Dad. If you gentlemen will follow me, I’ll show you around.”

  Paul had one of his Marine Captains show the U.S and French Secret Service to the dining hall so they could relax with something to eat or drink. He did not want them following him around the ship like a bunch of stray dogs. Several of both agencies went over to watch the Football game, followed by King Verron and the two Presidents. The game was tied 2-2 and Cali was dribbling the ball downfield. She quickly passed it off to Tala and she set the ball up for Chase who took his shot from about fifty feet away and hit the upper right corner of the goal to score for Verron; 3-2 Verron. Paul could see that the Dragon Guard were trying to be as sporting as possible and hold back their true potential, but he knew they were also too competitive to let the other team win. They had drawn a crowd of spectators cheering them on in German, English and even some of the Russians serving as Verron Marines. It was indeed an international event. Paul and President Hensley walked around meeting and greeting the spectators and hesitantly Francois followed. He was telling the Captain of the HMS Iron Duke, Commodore Charles Bradberry Colson, that he would hold a briefing after he had a chance to make his rounds, when Marcus Verron stepped onto the hanger floor with a bull-horn and announced, “T-Bones, Tater-Tots, Fresh Salads, Strawberry Cobbler and Sweet Tea. If you’re hungry, come and get it.” The football spectators began to thin out and those watching from high up on the ship decks began to take the hover sleds to the hanger floor. Paul called over Colonel Zarman and told him to have his Marines lock-up their weapons and join the others to eat. When Paul was turning to leave, he noticed a pile on the floor being watched by one of the Marines. He thought, “Where else would you need a guard to watch the knives, daggers and laser wands so people could play soccer.” He had the guard doubled; he didn’t want one of the wands in the wrong hands.

  Paul followed the crowd to the dining hall and watched in wonder as his Mother, Michael Verron and two Chefs from the Mansion prepared steaks for close to 500 people. Ninety-nine was assisting them and had made the sweet tea and even helped with the cobbler. Paul suddenly remembered that small hooved feet do not work well playing soccer, but he was certainly a regular diplomat as he moved among the guests making sure they had plenty to drink. He was proud of how Jesserrica, Inga and even his ex-wife Gail were serving the seamen and soldiers like they were family. Paul realized he was starved and had just invited the two Presidents and their staff to join him for a bite to eat when Colonel Zarman called him over and discreetly informed him, “Dad just called from the bridge, there’s a HM Coastguard AW189 SAR helicopter on its way, requesting permission to land. He claims that Prime Minister William Camber is on board, accompanied by none other than Prince Harry.” Paul laughed saying, “We will soon be able to have our own international summit meeting. Who’s next the Pope? Tell th
em they are cleared to land and find out how far out they are.” Colonel Zarman smiled as he left, saying; “If I’d known life was going to be this interesting I would have come with Dad instead of finishing my enlistment. I can’t wait to see what happens next. By the way, the Guard scored another goal just before I came in. It’s 4-2 Verron. The Brits are going nuts. I hope Prince Harry gets here to see the rest of the game.” Pausing a moment he turned back to Paul, asking, “Should I alert the Commodore that the Prime Minister and Prince are on the way?” He thought a moment and replied, “No, he would just make a big dog and pony show out of it and all his men would be drug away from their activities to make him look good. Besides, there are already a King, two Presidents and dozen Princes already on board.” The Colonel smiled at the casual way his leader dealt with political boot licking. Paul was starving, but had no time to sit; he really needed to see what was happening on the bridge and in medical. He had Jesserrica trim the steak off the bone, put it on a hamburger bun, slather it with mayo, add some Famous Dave’s spicy pickles and hand him a Diet Coke. He was eating as he left his guest to enjoy their meal. While he headed toward the elevator he heard cheers from the hanger; it was now 5-2 Verron.

  Paul had enough time to spend a few minutes with General Zarman discussing the briefing he intended to hold for the guests aboard the R4. Looking out over the ocean 3000 feet below, he was amazed to see even more ships on the water and now there were small planes circling along with the helicopters. The Atlantic Ocean looked like a parking lot. There were now two cruise ships that veered off course so their guests could see a real spaceship. He looked at Jim and laughed saying, “We should let Camil do her Alien thing and send her out in one of the hover craft. It would be good for a few laughs, don’t you think?” Jim shook his head and answered, “If you do, make sure you send out Hon and 99 with her.” He left the bridge and headed down to medical. There was a lot of activity in the medical regeneration bay. With only the regeneration operation performed, primarily focusing on healing and not trying to rejuvenate, the progress was astounding even to Paul. What was normally done back on Verron in a week was now being completed in hours. Only the very worst cases would require more than twelve hours. After discussing this with his brother Dr. Joe Verron and Tlase, it was decided that of the Russians, the blind British and German, and half of the French Trawler would end up spending a few days back on Verron before being released from the regeneration treatment. Dr. Verron then pointed out a few of the men who had lost limbs at some time in their life; they were regenerating their lost hand, foot or limb. After realizing most of these men would be cured of radiation exposure well before a leg or arm could regenerate, Paul and Joe decided to let them remain in the tank until regeneration was complete. It seemed like the least they could do for those who had almost lost their lives. One hundred and seven people had been exposed badly enough to require immediate regeneration. Every one of them would have been dead within 48 hours if not for the capabilities of this medical facility. The Xhondarians really knew what they were doing. Dalhia recounted a time during the Xhondarian Civil War when an antimatter reactor had blown on a Battle Cruiser; five hundred died instantly. If not for the R4’s medical capabilities an additional 800 would have soon joined them. The deck of the hanger was a huge triage bay, selecting only the very worst for regeneration. Others could be regenerated later if they could be stabilized.

  By the time Paul made it back downstairs, the two Presidents and Israeli Defense Minister Barak were talking with Brigadier Hall and Colonel Zarman about the capabilities of his Marines and the Verron Spaceships. The French DGSI Chief and CIA Director Brannon were listening intently as he described the make-up of his Marines and Air Force. When they began to asked questions of him to determine if he was involved in the JUSTICE hostage rescues, he looked at the approaching King and saw him nod his go-ahead. Brigadier Hall informed them, “I had nothing to do with the hostage rescues, or capture of the terrorists or smugglers. That was all King Verron and my son Prince Hunter.” The surprised men looked at Paul; Israeli Minister Barak replied, “Very impressive work King Verron. I would like to meet this Prince Hunter.” Brigadier Hall spoke up saying, “It will have to wait till later; he’s off fighting a war on another planet as we speak.” Paul heard Lucy in his implant informing him that the British helicopter was five minutes out. He looked at his audience and informed them, “In five minutes we will be receiving another guest. It seems like the Prime Minister and Prince of England has a greater interest in what’s going on here than anyone else. I hope you gentlemen will join me in welcoming them. I’m glad I delayed my briefing now. We will be able to include them in it as well.” It wasn’t long until the whine of turbines and wash of rotors resonated off the walls of the hanger bay. Paul noticed how small a helicopter looked as it entered the cavernous opening, landing near the French helicopter. Before the rotors stopped moving, four sharply dressed Royal Navy Police exited the helicopter to secure the area. Seeing a waiting group standing nearby, they did a double take as they recognized two Presidents standing in the group. In a moment, Prime Minister William Camber climbed from the side door of the Coastguard helicopter followed by the 6 foot 2 inch, redheaded Prince Harry. Now pushing 40, he was still a strikingly good looking man. The two men immediately recognized the welcoming party and approached with smiles and outstretched hands. To Paul’s surprise, President Hollanda made the introductions, saying, “Gentlemen, may I introduce King Paul Verron. He is the owner of this incredible flying fortress and has taken full control and full responsibility for this regrettable incident and is making it right.”

  Paul extended his hands and noticed Prince Harry looking to his right at a bunch of shirtless sailors playing an exciting game of soccer. Paul shook Harry’s hand and said, “Verron versus Great Britain; the first ever intergalactic Football match.” They began to walk towards the indoor makeshift playing field, followed by the others. Soon, Royal Navy Sailors began to recognize their Prime Minister and Prince and began to snap to attention or garb their shirt to cover themselves. Prince Harry immediately told them to carry on and enjoy themselves. An embarrassed and angry Commodore Colson soon arrived apologizing for his men and that no one had informed him they were coming, then giving a dirty look toward King Verron. Paul looked at the two British dignitaries and told them, “These men have been through a lot in the past 12 hours and since it’s my ship, I decided that they should have the day off. Once their friends are out of the medical bay, then you can have them back.”

  Prince Harry smiled at Paul’s audacity; he wouldn’t even speak to Commodore Colson like that, considering he was a distant relative and a member of the Royal family. The soccer game came to a brief halt as the sailors began to wonder what was about to happen to them now that the Commodore had arrived. The Dragon Guard came over to get a drink of water during the brief break. Prince Chase and Prince Daniel both had removed their shirts to play and didn’t have an ounce of fat on them; looking hard and tough. The girls had removed their commando shirts and wore matching gray tanks. They had muscles like a gymnast and in fact Tala and Katelyn had been training with one of the Russian transplants to Verron who had been an Olympian in her youth. Paul was going to do quick introductions to the Prince and Minister and realized he had not introduced them to the others. Turning to the Leaders of the United States, France and Great Britain and the staff members in attendance and taking special note to be sure he included Minister Barak, Paul began, “Gentleman this rough looking bunch composes most of my Dragon Guard, the most elite fighting unit in history and they also happen to be members of the royal family; may I introduce, Princess Amber Hall-Verron, Colonel and Commander of the Verron Air Force, Prince Chase Verron, Major, Fighter pilot and weapons designer, Prince Daniel Verron, also a Major, Fighter pilot and weapons designer, Princess Katelyn Verron, Captain, Flight Instructor and Test Pilot, Princess Tala Verron, Lieutenant, Flight Instructor and Test Pilot, Princess Calanyo Verron, Captain, Fighter Pilot a
nd Commander of the Tecalna Army and Air Force, Princess Camil Verron, Lieutenant, Fighter Pilot and Undercover operative.” As they looked on, Cali switched from soccer star to movie star and looked just like Jennifer Lopez. Paul continued, “You can see how her talents could come in handy. You met Pavel “99” Verron serving the tea in the dining hall. He is a Lieutenant Colonel, Flight Instructor and Verron’s oldest living citizen. Last but by no means least; this is Prince Hon IV of Klelta. He is a Major on Verron but holds the rank of Commanding General of the Klelta Commandoes and Air Force.”

  Paul looked over to see that Tala was smitten by the Prince. It was obvious she had just developed and instantaneous crush on the handsome redhead. Prince Harry asked the surrounding Seamen “Are we winning?” They all began to mumble their embarrassment. One spoke out and laughed saying, “Theirs no bloody way to score with the Incredible Hulk playing goalie.” Harry looked at Hon as the big man smiled, he asked, “What’s the score. I’m sure your making a respectable show of it.” Tala jump into the conversation, saying, “It’s 11-2 Verron and I scored 4 of those points.” One of the British playing the position of guard smiled and told the Prince, “She’s too bloody fast and too bloody short and she moves like a ferret. We don’t know what the bloody hell to do with her.” Tala looked at the big sailor and replied, “Tell ya what I’ll do. There are 10 minutes left in the game. You swap sides with me and I’ll score some points for Great Britain.” Harry and the Prime Minister laughed and Minister Camber said, “Perhaps we should pay more attention to Football practice for these Navy blokes. This is embarrassing.” They didn’t swap and Tala scored 2 more points in ten minutes, showing out for the Prince. Final score 13-2 Verron. A hungry bunch of Dragon Guard and Royal Navy Seamen headed for the dining room to chow down. They had become the best of friends.