Neptune's Massif

by Ben Winston

  "Oh! I forgot that we were meeting you guys here!" Alan admitted. "I've been so focused on the other stuff I had to get going I just spaced it out. At least Andreya remembered!"

  "Not a problem, Mr. Carlson. At least you made it here, that's what actually counts!" Robert replied.

  "Call me Alan," he said as he shook hands with the men. Both asked him to call them by their first names as well.

  "So, Alan, what can you tell us about the gentlemen we will be visiting today?" John asked.

  Alan chuckled, "You could probably tell me more about him than I ever knew!"

  "Probably, but nothing beats the personal impression. How you describe him is almost as important as what you tell us. It gives us an insight into the person we are recruiting," Robert replied. "We get to see him through your eyes, not just from the cold facts."

  "Ah, I understand," Alan replied. The waitress arrived to take their order so the conversation lapsed for a few moments. When she left, Alan told the pair about the man he knew. He admitted that it had been a few years, but he honestly couldn't see Sensei Nokisuno changing all that much.

  "I doubt he has either. From what you have told us about him, he is a very level headed, and reasonable person." Robert replied but he was frowning. "John, there is something odd about this, though. Sensei Nokisuno will join us, but won't be alone. However, I can't get a single image of the other person."

  John looked at his brother closely. "It isn't one of those 'ghosts' we were told to look out for is it?"

  Robert quickly shook his head. "No, there won't be any problems with this person, I just can't tell you who it is. By the way, yes, the trucking team you mentioned earlier will join us; through them we will gain three more couples. All will be freighter pilots. You need to go speak to them soon though."

  "Okay, I think you should probably explain what just happened to Alan and Andreya while I go handle this other matter. Uh, Alan, when you return to Phoenix, would you be willing to take a couple of extra people with you?" John asked.

  "Sure, you're both precogs aren't you?" Alan asked. "That's how you know who to approach to recruit."

  "You guessed it," Robert replied as John excused himself to go speak to a man and woman that looked to be truckers. "What we do usually freaks people out the first time we do it in front of them. Of course, we knew you two would be safe. For the record, I'm the precog; John is a human lie detector and clairvoyant."

  "What's the difference between a precognitive and a clairvoyant?" Alan asked.

  "Precogs can see into the future somewhat. Clairvoyants can see other places either in the past or the present. Both of our abilities have some conditions with them, for example, John has to be speaking to the person to use his lie detector. He has to touch something or someone related to the object or place he wants to view. In my case, I needed you to focus your thoughts on Sensei Nokisuno in order for me to 'find' his time line." Robert explained. "Mrs. Laskar, who is the most powerful precog we know of, doesn't need any focus, she just sees things before they happen, usually only major events though. She'd be insane if she could see everything."

  Chapter 2

  Centreville, Virginia

  United States

  North American Continent

  Planet Earth, Sol System

  Sol Sector

  The small group remained at the truck stop outside of Centreville, Virginia for a bit longer than Alan thought they would. It turns out that John had indeed gotten the interest of the couple. They were a married 'sleeper team' that drove independently. They were having more and more difficulty finding loads to keep the truck moving. If the truck didn't move, they didn't make any money. They had been considering selling their truck and going back to work for one of the larger transportation companies when John approached them.

  It took a little convincing for the pair to believe him, but in the end, they agreed to park the truck for a week and see exactly what John was offering them. Of course, John had to pay them to park the truck since they still had bills to pay, but he was authorized to do things like that when it was needed. The Terrans still had companies set up that could be used as fronts for things like this. In fact, the original company that Ian had set up for the community in New Mexico was still a viable company, although it was being watched like a hawk and any activity was ruthlessly investigated.

  After buying the couples meal and writing them a check for the next week, John told them they would meet them here at the truck stop later that day to take them to the moon. The couple said they would be there and went to make arrangements for the large tractor and trailer. Parking a truck for a week was not unheard of and pretty routine for truck stops. Drivers sometimes took time off the road just for short vacation. In a lot of cases, the drivers wouldn't actually leave the truck stop, which meant more business for them.

  Once the new recruits had been taken care of, John returned to the group and told them he was ready to go. They paid their bill and left for a small martial arts school on the outskirts of town. Above the school was a small apartment occupied by the owner and main instructor Sensei Michi Nokisuno.

  Just as Alan was about to knock on the door, it was pulled open by a small young woman. "It’s about time, I was beginning to wonder if you had changed your mind!" She said then cocked her head to one side. "Oh, the truckers gave you a hard time, I understand now." She turned and called out. "Uncle, your friends are here!"

  Robert smiled at John and nodded. "I guess that explains why I couldn't see anything about her!"

  John laughed and nodded his agreement.

  "Excuse me Miss, but you knew we were coming?" Alan asked.

  "She's like me, Alan," Robert said. "That's why I couldn't see anything about her earlier."

  The young woman nodded. "I'm Mulan by the way, uncle will be right out; he is busy trying to decide what to take with him."

  "Alan-san!" an elder oriental man said from the door to the living room. "It is indeed good to see you again! I almost did not believe her when Mulan said you would be coming to see us."

  Alan bowed to the gentlemen, as did John, Robert and Andreya. Alan spoke. "Sensei! It is good to see you well. May I introduce my companions, John and Robert Swan and this young woman is Andreya Star."

  Mulan hadn't left yet and was staring at Andreya in a very rude manner for oriental custom. Michi noticed. "Mulan! Where are your manners!" he turned to the group. "I apologize for my niece's rude behavior. She usually doesn't stare like this."

  In flawless Japanese, Andreya replied. "I take no offense, Master Nokisuno. Considering her abilities I most likely appear quite strange to her."

  Michi bowed to Andreya in acceptance of her explanation. "Welcome to my home. Mulan has told me that you have come to take us on a great journey, and that you will need my skills as an instructor. She has told me that you are no longer a part of that agency and that your current undertaking is very important. You will need us. We are almost ready to go." He turned to the small woman. "Go finish packing. We will be leaving shortly." Mulan bowed and ran from the room.

  "How old is she?" Alan asked.

  "She turned eighteen last month. However, she has taken after her mother's family thus retaining their stature. She has been one of my best, albeit more challenging, students," Michi said. This let Alan know that little Mulan was as deadly as she looked innocent. Michi taught the art of Ninjitsu as well as others.

  John turned to Alan and smiled. "Well, I have to say this is the easiest recruitment I've ever been a part of!" Robert smiled at his friend, but turned to Michi. "Master Nokisuno, I am unfamiliar with your customs so please forgive my seeming rudeness. We would be happy to answer any questions you might have or assist you with any affairs you might need to take care of before we depart."

  "Mr. Swan, there is no need to apologize for not knowing Japanese customs, after all, we are in the United States. As for questions, I do have some. Mulan was unable to tell me exactly where we will be going. She said the moon,
then she said we would be going to Hawaii. Her vision was very vague in this regard."

  "We will be going to the moon at first, Sensei. My team is not yet ready to begin training. The extra time will serve to get you accustomed to our culture and to learn how we have come to be where we are. We will also be giving you a very complete medical check up and treating you for anything found there. Once that is finished, if the people are still not ready, I am sure there is something we can find to occupy your time," Alan replied. "Once my team completes the phase of training they are in now, we will be going to a small training and testing facility on the big island of Hawaii. That is where we would like you to undertake the training of my team. Unlike the agency, you will be aware of what our mission is and can help us plan it from the beginning."

  "I appreciate that Alan, but you were always one of the few I trusted. No matter what they did to try to cloud your judgment, you always knew when they sent you on a 'bad' mission. I knew you couldn't always avoid them, I also knew that your superiors were less than pleased with your results in that type of mission. I am very pleased you were able to make good your escape," Michi replied.

  Raptor Poseidon

  Lunar Transfer Orbit

  Selene, Earth's Moon

  SOL System

  Sol Sector

  After retrieving William and Alice Smart from the truck stop, Alan led John and Robert, who had their own vehicle, back to the hidden Raptor.

  At the ship, John and Robert said their good byes to the new people and left to resume their normal recruiting duties. Alan made sure everyone was on-board before closing the hatches and lifting the ship off the ground.

  "Andreya was the one that was actually flying the ship, but Alan figured that his passengers would like to see a person actually in the cockpit. Once they left the atmosphere, he returned to see how his passengers were doing.

  Will Smart looked awed and Alice looked a little apprehensive. "Are you okay Mrs. Smart? You're looking a little shell shocked," Alan asked.

  "To tell you the truth Commander, I didn't actually believe this was real, but it’s getting harder and harder to keep believing that." She replied.

  "What makes it so hard for you to accept? I mean, other than the obvious of course," Alan asked.

  "Are you kidding? We're in space! Space! As in no longer on Earth! But, aren't we supposed to be weightless right now?" She asked.

  Alan smiled tolerantly. "This ship is equipped with artificial gravity generators. If you would like, I can turn them off to prove it to you."

  "I wouldn't do that, Commander!" Will replied. "She doesn't have a very stable stomach!"

  "Well, we'll be on the Moon in a few minutes. Once there, you can look out one of the view ports, or step into a specially marked area to experience actual lunar gravity. It's pretty neat to be able to jump like twenty feet into the air. I heard that one particularly strong individual jumped so high they had to gradually increase the gravity to bring him back down. He actually escaped lunar gravity!" Alan said conversationally.

  "I'd like to see that person!" Mulan snorted. "Lunar gravity may be weaker than Earth’s, but it isn't that weak!"

  Andreya nodded agreement. "The man would have to have the skeletal structure of a grasshopper and the mass of a marshmallow!"

  Mulan giggled at the mental image Andreya evoked and nodded to the larger woman.

  Alan rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay, so it's a myth, but it sure feels like you could when you get in there."

  "What I can't figure out is what two out of work truck drivers are going to do in space?" Alice replied.

  Alan smiled. "The same thing you do on Earth, if that's what you love. We need freighter pilots and crews just as badly as we need military personnel; probably more so, we need the people to haul the raw materials to the places they are needed."

  "That's all well and good, but neither of us knows jack about flying. It'd take us years to get up to speed enough to be of assistance," Will replied.

  Alan shook his head. "Nope. I'd guess you'll be ready for your own ship in about a month. I think the hard part for you guys is going to be finding a crew. The main difference between a semi and a freighter is the size of the load and the vehicle. Freighters can be huge! Bigger than the Heavy Cruisers we have for defense."

  Andreya nodded confirmation of his statement. "The largest recorded commercial freighter is an Antairian heavy transport. It is so big that it can only dock at special facilities and has an empty mass three times that of the standard Talosian Heavy Cruiser."

  "While I'm sure those are very big ships, we have no idea how big that is since we've never seen either one," Alice replied, shrugging.

  The lights in the room dimmed and a hologram took form over the table. The image was the Star Dancer as seen from the side. "This is the Terran Defense Forces Heavy Cruiser Star Dancer. Just in front of her is the Raptor Poseidon in which we are riding."

  "Uh, where is the Raptor? I don't see it," Will said reasonably.

  "Oh!" Andreya said innocently, "I'm sorry, let me zoom in a little." The image shot in so the overall image of the Star Dancer was but a wall behind the image of the Raptor. As it zoomed in more, one could see the side hatch was open, and Andreya was standing in it waving. "That's how big a Heavy Cruiser is."

  "Holy shit!" Alice said. "There are ships that big out there?"

  Alan nodded. "Yeah, there are even bigger ones. In all honesty, Star Dancer would be classified as a battleship or aircraft carrier by Earth standards, but the Talosians classified her as a cruiser since the mission it was designed for was colonial seeding and protection. That being said, she also carries a large force of fighters that she can launch and recover during combat operations. Right now, she's the only ship we have."

  "If she is that big, how big is the facility that built her? It isn't the one we're going to is it?" William asked.

  "Mother's ship was built many thousands of years ago in a large ship yard orbiting the Talosian home world. Historical records show that facility was capable of building or servicing two ships of the Heavy Cruiser class at the same time. It was destroyed along with the rest of the system when the Caldarians triggered a nova in the system primary." Andreya replied. "You'll get all of this as a history lesson tonight while you sleep. You'll understand more then."

  "Mother?" Mulan asked curiously. "I thought you said you were artificial?"

  "I am; the resident AI of the Star Dancer created my programming with the assistance of the computer specialists of the Star Dancer as well as those on the lunar base. She is as close to a mother as we can get. So, we call her mother," Andreya said.

  "You're artificial?" Alice asked. "An android or something?"

  Andreya nodded. "This is an android type body. However, for the purpose of clarification, my 'brain' is actually in the ship. Which really makes this body little more than a drone."

  "You're a lot prettier than any computer I've ever met!" Will said to which Alice slapped his arm.

  "Thank you. We do try to be as human-like as we can, in order to work more efficiently with humans," Andreya replied. "Alan, we are on final approach. Do you want me to handle the landing, or do you still want to sit in the chair and look important?"

  Mulan busted out laughing at the look on his face, and even the quiet Michi smiled at Andreya's tease. "Young lady, you might be what is called an artificial intelligence, but there is nothing of the heartless machine about you. However it happened, there is a soul in your machine. It is a kind one, I believe."

  "Thank you, Master Nokisuno. I think that is the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me," Andreya replied.

  Reception Area

  Phoenix Base

  Selene, Earth's Moon

  Sol System

  Sol Sector

  "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Phoenix Base!" Alan said as they stepped off the Raptor.

  "...And the independent nation of Terra," a young man said as he approached them. "Hello everyone! I'm Gene
Hall, Recruitment Office liaison officer. You can call me your Welcome Wagon and guide to getting familiar with all of this." He gestured vaguely around him. "We know how overwhelming all of this can get."

  "You're telling me! I didn't even really believe it until we got here!" Alice said.

  Will chuckled. "I believe it, but it just isn't 'real' for me yet. I'd heard some pretty weird stuff on the radio about you folks, but I just thought it was a ploy by the news agencies to get people's attention away from something else. Since we now live on the moon, does that make us ‘Lunatics’?"

  "You're the only ‘Lunatic’ I know, William!" Alice said, grinning at her husband.

  "Conspiracy buff?" Gene asked, chuckling along with everyone else at the couple's antics.

  "Not really, but it's hard not to see the trees in the forest some days," Will replied shrugging.

  Gene grinned and nodded. "I was a bit of a conspiracy nut when I got here. Before I learned the truth of everything going on around here, I felt like I was finally justified in all my beliefs. It was a real shock to discover I was way off base on a lot of stuff."

  "Like what?" Alice asked.

  "UFO's and the aliens called Grays, mainly. Yes, there were UFOs, but nothing like what we believed. As for the Gray aliens... well, those were completely off. Anyway, I'm here to guide the two of you through customs and all the other stuff you'll need to know. I'll help you get set up with a place to live and lined up for any knowledge you would like to learn while you're here. I understand you are interested in become civilian freighter drivers?" Gene asked.

  "Yeah, that's what we had in mind. But I for one would like to see what else is up here. This is a whole new world for us," Will said, and Alice agreed by nodding her head.

  "You said the two of us, what about Master Nokisuno and little Mulan?" Alice asked indicating the other two new people standing there with them.