ArchAngel, Operations
Lance called out, “Peter, Todd, a moment, please.” The two from the Queen’s Guardians waited while most of those who had been in the meeting filed past them.
Dan was there with the General.
“Sir?” Peter asked and Todd nodded.
“You need to make sure your guys know to stay behind those that are armored, Peter.” Lance told him. “Dan can tell you more, but this is likely going to be a tough operation. Your people are a little happy happy to run ahead of the game. Hold them tight this time, got it?”
Peter and Todd nodded and both answered at the same time, “Yes, sir!”
Dulce Lake, New Mexico, USA
Patrick Brown stepped out of the unassuming building and looked around. The main entrance to the facilities below was in an old looking, rundown, metal shed of a building with rust coming down the sides, off an old highway in some trees.
He had argued for closing it and Ztopik had effectively overruled him. They were to place a massive amount of explosives and when they saw the first few invaders, they would let them get into the building and fight their way to the large elevator.
Then, the death and mayhem would occur.
Patrick waved to the three guys still installing the explosives and turned around to go inside and back down.
With his recent luck, he would be stuck out here when TQB came calling.
ArchAngel, Medical
Dr. April Keelson walked over to the bed where Anna Elizabeth rested. She was healed, but it was best to monitor the energy usage for the nanocytes for at least twenty-four to forty-eight hours after an event if it was possible. Plus, she was concerned that Anna would have issues after being shot.
The internal trauma to other organs had been bad. While Bethany Anne’s nanocytes were certainly some of the best, Anna Elizabeth was still in pretty bad shape when she arrived.
“How am I today, doc?” Anna asked, a bored expression on her face.
“Still wanting to get out of here?” April asked and checked the readings.
“Of course, I feel fine.” Anna replied. “All I have to do is sit here and read. I’m rather caught up on my reading at the moment and…”
“And,” Bethany Anne cut in and startled both ladies, “you are just as bad at staying still when you believe you’re fine as I am. The problem,” she said to Anna, “is you have new medical nanites in you. These nanites are using the pathways in your blood to draw energy from the Etheric. These pathways fail eventually, and then they take energy from your blood before they quit working. That draws your energy for personal use down and could, potentially, do more harm than good. You’re out of the worst danger, but if you need energy are you ready to drink a cup of blood?”
Bethany Anne’s blunt question caught Anna by surprise.
“Did you say, drink a cup of blood?” she asked, looking at the doctor to see if she would confirm what Bethany Anne just said.
Unfortunately, she did.
“Yes,” Dr. Keelson agreed. “You will notice the IV. While the hydration and the nutrients are important, it’s there to deliver blood if you need it.”
“Uh,” Anna looked from the doctor’s face to Bethany Anne’s and then back again. “Well, can I get something to do, at least?”
April decided that she would use this explanation the next time someone wanted to leave medical earlier than she thought prudent.
“Sure,” Bethany Anne said. “As one of my new assistants, you have a lot to catch up on. We’ll talk later.”
Bethany Anne started walking away, then just disappeared.
Anna, mouth open and eyes shocked, turned to Dr. Keelson. “Did she just say assistant?”
“As a matter of fact, she did,” April agreed. She reached into her lab coat and pulled a slip of paper to hand to Anna. “She told me to give you this if you woke up and she had already left the ship.”
Anna unfolded the paper and on it, written in blue ink, was a short message signed by Bethany Anne.
I told you some years ago, you work for me now. - Bethany Anne
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
ArchAngel, Bethany Anne’s Personal Suite
Bethany Anne pursed her lips and considered what her people were about to do. It would, without a doubt, put them at odds with the United States if the government found out.
Was it worth it?
As far as ADAM and Frank could figure out, this UFO advanced technology organization was not known to the government at any level. Frank had heard rumors back during the Truman administration in 1947. But he hadn’t followed the information too deeply as his own work with the UnknownWorld was real, the idea of aliens was laughable.
Well, who was having the last laugh now?
Certainly not Bethany Anne.
If they encountered technology superior to TQB’s, too many of her people would be killed tonight in this raid. But, without knowing the challenges, they couldn’t decide to engage in bombardment on U.S. soil in good conscience. Plus, with the sheer size of the underground cavern systems there was no way for them, yet, to know where they were.
They found the outside protective details over the last couple of days and their drones could not go any further. Team BMW decided that an organic drone might be advisable, but it was impossible to create anything quick enough to support them in this operation.
So, the choice was go in on foot or leave the whole thing for another generation to figure out.
Bethany Anne snorted.
That sounded like the political hacks of just about every country down there. Vote for more taxes and refuse to tackle the hard problems that might get them voted out of office.
“Fucking posers, I won’t shirk the hard decisions,” she muttered as she walked into her closet. “ArchAngel?”
“Yes?”
“Tell the Bitches to suit up. Tell my father to drop the ships and remind those on the G’laxix Sphaea that they need to drop off the cache of gear in Europe once they’re done with Yuko and Akio.”
Bethany Anne stripped and grabbed her skinsuit. Her armor had most everything she needed on the outside of the suit, even special swords and protective scabbards.
Cancer doesn’t leave the system peacefully. When you find it, you fight it tooth and nail. The U.S. had a cancer, and it was up to her people to fight it.
She put on the skin booties, then took a step and disappeared.
—
Bethany Anne stepped out of her receiving chamber, rooms now known as TCs or teleportation chambers, into the armory. She didn’t teleport, but it became shorthand for what she did and she had learned to just go with it, the truth was too annoying to beat into everyone’s head.
“Hey, look what the cat dragged in!” Darryl called out as he allowed Eric to snap his chest protection into place.
“I’ll find a cat to pee in your suit and shut the last lock if you keep that up,” she retorted.
“Ooohhh GROSS!” Darryl’s face showed just how distasteful that thought was to him. “Have you smelled cat piss?” Bethany Anne tapped the side of her nose. “Yeah, then you know,” he told her as he shook his head, trying to get rid of the thought.
She nodded and walked over to her footlocker, looking down at it. “So, this is it, huh?”
“Yes,” came Jean’s muffled voice from behind John. Bethany Anne leaned over to see Jean on the floor with a few tools messing with something on John’s left knee.
“Problems?” Bethany Anne asked.
“Fucking second shift failed to reset a catch on the last test and we didn’t have any code to catch that failure. I’ve got to reset fifteen of these cherry-assed-twat-muffins before I can reset…the…” there was a loud SNAP and then Bethany Anne saw pins around his knee connection all disconnect, then reconnect and lock in place. “There, that will teach you to fuck with me, you metal mutant,” Jean muttered and started grabbing her tools and stood up.
Jean smiled like she was about to fire off one of the b
ig guns her team had dreamed up. “All right my Queen, let’s get you suited up.”
Bethany Anne snickered. You had to love a person who enjoyed their job and was made for it. Bethany Anne was pretty sure Jean Dukes’ name was going to be admired on a lot of worlds.
If they weren’t busy cussing her out.
NORAD, USA
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is a United States and Canada bi-national organization charged with the missions of aerospace warning and aerospace control for North America. They had been having fits trying to track TQB ships for the past four years.
Now, they had incredibly sensitive tools someone quipped could find a pimple on a bird’s ass.
Like always, they were on alert to see who might spot a TQB incursion. Since no TQB requested flights were on tonight’s report, it would be a feather in anyone’s cap to be the first to find and confirm an unapproved approach.
Days later, NORAD’s best would be going through all of the recordings from this evening to figure out how they had missed all of the activity.
Because, apparently, TQB hadn’t been trying to stay off the radar before and NORAD had no idea just how good TQB’s new anti-radar truly was.
NORAD might be able to spot a pimple on a bird’s ass, but apparently they couldn’t spot over twenty massive shipping container sized ships flying down from outer space toward New Mexico.
At least, not when TQB didn’t want them to.
ArchAngel, 300 Miles above New Mexico
General Lance Reynolds watched the data coming in from the drones and the ships that had landed. There were three landing zones that split up those heading into the cave system. They had figured out the likely main entrance to the base, but Lance told everyone not to focus on that location. The main entrance would be well defended, or well protected somehow.
That didn’t mean they would ignore it, on the contrary, once the drone confirmed their suspicions they would have a very small group strike up top.
Carefully.
Twenty minutes later, ArchAngel verified Lance’s suspicions. “General, we have confirmation from our drones that there is explosive residue outside of the main entrance.”
“How far outside the front door?” Lance asked as he nodded to a support person to bring up the three dimensional view of the building.
“Up to thirty-three meters, sir,” ArchAngel replied. An orange line started drawing itself around the hologram as the drones figured out where new dirt had been unearthed. Twice, the drones had sniffed unknown chemicals. The mix was something ArchAngel didn’t have the characteristics for in her database.
“ADAM?” Lance called out.
“Yes sir?” he replied.
“Do you have anything on those two unknown chemicals?” he asked, highlighting the two rows of unknown data.
“One moment, General,” ADAM said.
It was actually almost two minutes later when ADAM came back. “I have spoken with Yollin Scientist Royleen and he has tentatively identified that chemical makeup as an explosive used for mining operations. Depending on the quantity, he says to stay a least a hundred meters away from it.”
“A hundred fucking meters?” Lance said, shocked. “Shit.” He saw ADAM draw a circle a hundred meters around both targets directly on opposing sides of the building. “That would kill everything inside the building and outside as well,” he commented.
Lance looked again and pointed out two areas in the hologram. “I bet you the drones have missed two more locations equidistant from these two locations. Basically the four poles in a circle,” Lance said more to himself, but ArchAngel took it as a command.
“Checking, General,” ArchAngel replied. Less than a minute later, ArchAngel confirmed the additional two locations.
Lance wanted to spit, but there was nowhere to spit in his operations room. “Dammit. If we go knocking on this front door, it’s going to be blown away.” He grabbed a cigar and unwrapped it, stuck it in his mouth to chew on, unlit.
“ArchAngel, patch me in to Dan.”
Immediately, he had Dan on the comm. “This is Dan.”
Lance got right to the point. “Dan, ArchAngel is downloading data about new chemical traces we found up near the main entrance. Make sure the drones and other chemical sniffers know it and mark it. Royleen says to stay a hundred meters away from this shit.”
“Wow, that bad?” Dan asked.
“Yes and more so for you guys underground. He says it looks like mining explosives,” Lance explained.
“Well… fuck.” Dan said. “Understood and thanks.”
Lance changed channels. “Bethany Anne?”
“Here,” she replied.
“ETA?” he asked. He had barely finished his request when a holographic digital timer, counting down, appeared in his operations tank.
Two minutes till midnight.
—
Captain Kael-ven T’chmon, First of the Yollin Mercenary Group DeathBringers turned when he saw Kiel look up.
He smiled. Bethany Anne’s new dropship design for his people was very nice. It took into account both those in mech suits and those without, such as himself. They were locked into the Etheric Empire’s communication comm suite and if he was honest with himself...
It was frightening.
These humans knew war, and they knew war like a species designed by the gods for it. If these humans had been, or could be, roped into fighting for one of the seven Kurtherian Clans? Well, perhaps he and his people needed to support Bethany Anne.
Because with Kurtherian technology he wasn’t sure he knew of a species that could fight them if their whole world was involved.
It was a problem now. For his species to survive, did he need to make sure this particular woman was able to defeat his own people?
Kael-ven pushed the concern aside, and focused as the dark crimson painted dropship slowed to a stop. The ship had her vampire skull design painted on the side and a zero one beside it.
The door opened and Kiel mumbled a particularly impressive set of Yollin expletives. Bethany Anne jumped off the dropship and her men followed behind her, all of them in their mech suits. The suits relied less on massive motors for speed and power like theirs, but instead used Kurtherian Etheric driven motors that were much smaller, allowing for more refined suits.
Kiel turned to his captain. “I will give up my whole pay for this operation if they will build me a set.”
Captain Kael-ven turned to his military leader. “Are you speaking ahead of yourself?”
Kiel shook his head. “Captain,” he nodded towards the humans. “I’m military, through and through. I need one of those suits.” There were agreements muttered behind Kiel as his people, in their own suits, grumbled. They went from being the Mighty Yollin Mechanized Unit with advanced suits and abilities to feeling like they received their mech-suits from the used spaceship yard on the third moon of Asht’rix.
And everyone knew you didn’t trust anything that came from Asht’rix without checking it out.
Twice.
“Told you,” came a male human voice from behind them.
Captain Kael-ven and his people turned to see Peter and two of his men behind them. “Tonight, you guys,” Peter nodded to the few females in the group, “and ladies, are going to find out what it is like to fight behind the most fucking badass leader in the galaxy.”
“Aren’t you getting in a suit, Guardian Peter?” Kiel asked.
“Oh, I am,” Peter said. “But it isn’t good for me to hold my form just sitting around doing nothing.”
“You are going to change, and then get into a mechanized suit?” Kiel asked, shock plainly evident as his mandibles hung open.
“Kiel,” Peter shook his head. “How the hell do you think I plan on keeping up with my Queen?” He laughed. “Dude, you are about to go on the operation of your life. Trust me.”
Peter started undressing and the two guys next to him opened the cases they had brought. “She’s he
re, so I won’t try to go off the reservation now.” He twisted his neck left and something popped. He did the same thing to the right. Then, his voice went deeper. “It’s time to take the fight to the enemies of my QUEEN!”
The Kurtherian Gambit Omnibus 05 - The Fans Version: My Ride is a Bitch - Don't Cross This Line - Never Submit Page 50