“Why so many?”
“Aircraft engineers say if they used too few, it would just rip the plane apart in the air, so they needed more to accomplish it with minimal risk. Even then, if the pilots had fought too hard their planes would tear apart.”
“At that point, they were trying to minimize damage…” The President went silent for a few moments before Vance interrupted him.
“Sir, we have incoming reports from NASA that are frankly damned unbelievable,” Vance admitted.
The President wiped his face with his hand and sighed, “Lay it on me, we have an asteroid or something about to hit the world?”
“No, not that bad. Well, let’s be honest I don’t think that bad.”
“So?” The President pushed, “what other shoe is about to drop?”
“Sir, something is heading this way from the Asteroid Belt where TQB was mining and manufacturing and Sir, excuse my language, but it’s a big motherfucker.”
The President stared at his liaison for a moment, “How…big?”
“At least a thousand feet or more.”
“You know,” the President admitted, “If I didn’t have to worry about the whole world going up in flames I’d be on the sidelines cheering TQB on. A thousand feet?” He watched Vance nod his head before shaking his own, “I guess that spaceship is how she is going to take a country that has a billion people and two and a quarter million in their military and build a cairn for them you can see from space.”
“Sir?” Vance asked, confused.
The President waved his hand in a throw-away gesture, “Nothing. Make sure we are ready if something overflows from their fights, but also make sure we have our nation prepared in case we suffer problems.” The President stood up when Vance interrupted him.
“Sir, you think they even have a chance?”
The President looked down and smiled with resignation heavy in his voice, “When you push, and push, and push someone trying to act civil, and strip away all reasons to stay shackled with the irons of civility you are left with Death and Her Four Horseman. The crying over the dead is about to occur. Call the Joint Chiefs, we need to make sure we have our people prepared as quietly as we can.” He pursed his lips and added, “And raise the DEFCON to Three.”
Vance nodded sharply.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Pacific Ocean
Black Eagle One came down and had barely stopped when the hatch opened, and Bethany Anne jumped out of her Pod. She turned to catch Ashur, who had jumped out and placed him on the ground.
TOM, keep my eyes under control.
It would be easier if you worked to keep your anger in check.
I’m done being peaceful, TOM. I tried that with the Black Cabal, and you saw how that worked out. I’ve listened to the council of those I hold dear, and I held my hand and applied justice. I did this as a testament to allow others a chance to see if their ideas of justice would work effectively.
I understand, and I see that it didn’t work, but I can’t exactly understand why.
Because those with power rarely respect restraint, she finished.
Twenty minutes later, alarms started blaring across the two ships and then they started slowly lifting from the water to head west by northwest.
It took an hour to pull her people together from the two ships needed for this meeting. She had her Guards, Peter and Todd, Stephen and Barnabas, Dan, Nathan and Ecaterina, both Captains Thomas and Maximillian Wagner, Jean Dukes, and others in the meeting room. The chairs were separated by an aisle going down the middle. The room had a white screen on the wall in the front.
She stood in front of them, in her combat outfit and no one doubted she was getting involved. “I’m here,” she started, looking across the room, “to explain what I’m about to do.”
She lifted her chin a little, “I stayed my hand from vengeance and allowed justice to try her hand with our enemies. You have heard from Nathan what those in Europe would have tried to do while we were busy with China. We saved two, who are incarcerated now.” She started walking in front of them. “I judged twenty-two more and tossed their worthless asses into the Etheric. Now, China has been involved, and they upped the game. Apparently, they need a more substantial message than what has been provided so far.”
She stopped, and her face grew grim, “We have the PLA base location that houses their covert and black Ops groups. It is located in a remote area outside of Mianyang. There is a small airstrip allowing access. While I could go in and pummel the shit out of it with pucks, that isn’t the type of response I plan on sending as it isn’t personal enough. I’m going to knock on that door and provide my answer to their assassination of our people. They took six lives minimum from me. I’ll respond by taking six hundred of theirs. They want to fight? Fine, fuck them. I’ll kill them where they stand, where they sleep, where they eat and where they live.” She turned to two in the front row, “Peter and Todd, stand.”
Peter, Guard of Bethany Anne, Queen’s Bitch, and Guardians Alpha stood up. Todd Jenkins, Lead of the Guardian Marines stood next to him, ramrod straight, looking ahead.
“Yes, ma’am!”
Bethany Anne walked to stand in front of them, “Your Queen calls you and your people to stand behind her on this mission. This is retribution, this is in response to attacking my people. Will you honor your agreement to follow me into this future, and provide the response I demand?”
Todd turned slightly to look into Bethany Anne’s face, his eyes dark and angry, “We will follow you into hell and climb out the other side on the bones of our enemies, or be carried out on our shields.”
Bethany Anne smiled slightly then winked, “Yes ma’am would have worked, but I rather like your answer.”
She turned to see Peter smirking who replied, “Fuck yeah!”
Her eyes dimmed a little, “Men, prepare the Guardians, we go to war.”
Both saluted and stepped around her to leave the meeting.
She turned and walked back to the front of the room before turning back around to address those on the boats, “We will hit them in the water, in the air, on land, and in space, and cyberspace. They will feel the pain financially, diplomatically, and militarily. They will sue for peace, or they will be crushed.”
Her face went a shade darker, “I was asked by the President of the United States if I would consider peace? I told him China had two choices, they could kill me,” she smiled and lifted her arms out beside her, turning her hands up, “They tried.”
The grins around the room told her they knew what was coming next.
“Or they could sue for peace after they know deep in their collective psyche that if they fuck with me again, I’ll use the bricks of the Great Wall of China to erect the highest cairn in the world on top of the dead of their military.”
“Today, we are not on the side of Heaven, but the righteous side of Hell and you will deliver the retribution of the Queen Bitch.”
She looked around, “It’s time the world understands I avenge my people.” She paused, before adding, “Are there any questions before I give you your final orders?
In the back, Jean Dukes stood up, “Bethany Anne, we would like to give you something before you go.”
Bethany Anne cocked her head to the side, sensing that others in the room knew what was about to happen, “Yes?”
Jean turned to pick up a wooden box from next to her. Coming down the aisle between the chairs she made it to the front when John Grimes stood up and turned to hold out his hands. Jean placed the box in his hands and popped the two locks she had on it before turning to Bethany Anne.
“You lead us, not from the back, yet not always from the front. Where you are needed, you go. You trust us to do the necessary, to keep our guns clean, our powder dry. Whether that means real guns or metaphors for our jobs. The Bitches have been patient enough to explain the method to your madness, sorry, your fighting.” She grinned as others in the room chuckled.
Bethany Anne’s eyes
flicked to John, but he was studiously not looking back at her.
I’ll get you for that too, Mr. Grimes, she thought.
Jean continued, “With help from many on these two ships, we would be proud if you would consider accepting these,” she turned and opened the box. Inside, in red velvet, lay two pistols. They were gun metal gray, sleek and deadly with wood knurled grips. Additionally inside the box were four more magazines for the two pistols.
“Each magazine carries six hundred gravitic shots. Modified after the rifles, you can adjust the power. They are accurate to about eighty or a hundred meters.” She stepped back so that others in the room could see Bethany Anne. “They will be linked to the next person who holds them and flicks on the power by pulling back the hammer. The hammer isn’t necessary, I just happened to like how it worked.” She grinned.
Bethany Anne looked at the woman and smiled. John turned the box to show those in the room and then back to Bethany Anne and lowered it.
Bethany Anne pulled her two .45’s out of their holsters, made sure the safeties were on and handed them to Jean. Then she reached in and pulled out both pistols, and those in the audience watched as she moved them around and worked them from different locations.
She looked out over the audience, and lifted both, aimed up at the ceiling. Pausing just a second, she cocked the hammers back and held them tight.
Everyone in the room heard the small computer voice, “Ownership Biometrics Accepted.” A huge cheer went up from everyone in the room, and she had to smile at her people. Her smile turned wistful, she hoped she would be able to see these smiling faces in forty-eight to seventy-two hours.
Bethany Anne holstered the two pistols, pulled the small holster belts over them and locked the them. Finally, she adjusted the holsters to the heavier weight so they wouldn’t fit wrongly on her body.
Looking out allowed her eyes to touch everyone there, testing their determination and finally exhaling. “I need to see Captains Maximillian and Wagner. The rest of you, please get with your people and let them know we go to war. Dismissed.”
She smiled at everyone who passed her by, most of them giving her thumbs up or similar votes of support as they hurriedly left to get prepared.
She turned to her Captains, “Captain Bartholomew Thomas, you are at this moment relieved of the command of the Polarus to take over your next command.”
At first shocked, Captain Thomas caught on to the second part of her command and then smiled, “My turn?”
She nodded, “Captain Bartholomew Thomas, do you accept the responsibility of the QBS Defender, the first Puck Battle Destroyer and will you accept those responsibilities of commanding your crew in space, and the missions I so designate, on your honor?”
Captain Thomas snapped a salute, “Yes Ma’am, I will.”
She held out a hand, and he shook it, “Then Bart, I need you to take command of the ship. You will grab three Pods and take four members plus your XO to work with you. Most of the ship is automated at this time. However, I need you and your team to learn and figure out what you would change for the next version. The E.I. for the ship is waiting for you to name it.”
She turned towards Captain Wagner, “Captain Wagner, I hereby promote you to the Captain of the Polarus. Is your second in command ready to take over the Ad Aeternitatem?”
Max smiled, “Yes ma’am, she is.”
Bethany Anne grinned and held out a hand and spoke as they shook, “Tell her I apologize for the somewhat crazy promotion. Once this stuff with China settles down, we will do our best to have a more normal ceremony for everyone.”
Max smiled and replied happily, “I think Natalia would be fine with skipping the ceremony, most of us don’t enjoy standing up in the heat hearing an Admiral blather on about … uh, about…” his face flushed, Max Wagner started stammering and then just stopped talking.
Bethany Anne regarded Max like a scientist regarding a new lab helper. “No, keep going.” she put her finger facing down and twirled it in a circle, “I’m sure as the Admiral of our little group, I’d be happy to hear what you don’t want me blathering on about?”
Captain Thomas waited about eight seconds for Max to get a good sweat going before interrupting, “Bethany Anne, I need Captain Wagner here to grab Captain Jakowski to discuss personnel changes?”
Bethany Anne regarding Max one more time before surreptitiously winking to Captain Thomas, “Fine, maybe the most recent Captain of our group can advise her previous Captain how to not stick his foot in his mouth so eloquently?”
“I’m confident,” Captain Thomas started before cracking a smile and chuckling, “That Natalia will make an effort."
Bethany Anne smiled, nodded once to both men and stepped out of the meeting room.
“Could I have possibly stuck my foot further in?” Max whispered as the two men watched her leave.
“That wasn’t bad, she was pulling your chain a little. Hell, I should tell you about the time I thought I had called my XO who was over on the command ship and lit into him before realizing the person I was talking to was the Group Commander.” The two men started walking out of the room themselves. “He waited patiently for me to end my perhaps annoyed comments to let me know who was on the line. He waited two months before admitting to me that he thought it was the most hilarious thing ever, not telling me sooner, and it wasn’t a big deal to him.”
PLA Base, Inland China
“Major General, you called?” Colonel Jai saluted his commander. Once his team made it back, they had gone through after action report meetings individually to discuss what had happened on their bungled operation in India.
“Yes, Colonel, please close the door behind you and take a seat and we will discuss the findings.”
Jai turned and closed the office door then took the offered chair.
Major General Xue reviewed the paperwork on his desk, “We have gone through your team’s after-action interviews. It is unfortunate what happened on the operation, while we note issues related to not having cameras to see that the employee entered the building on the far side unexpectedly, we see that your team did not hesitate to implement the actions necessary to finish the mission. Sometimes, bad situations occur. This will, unfortunately, go into your jacket as a yellow offense. You will not be relieved of command at this time. Should this happen once more, no matter how unlikely the event, the next finding will require you to give up any hopes to furthering your career. Is this understood?”
Jai nodded his understanding.
“I suggest, in the future, that when you…” Xue was interrupted by the ringing of his phone. He leaned forward to pick it up, his face showing he was annoyed. “Xue here, why am I being interrupted?” He listened. Jai noticed that his eyes narrowed together, “They are sure? You want us to go on base alert on this?”
Jai sat closer to the edge of his chair, leaning on the balls of his feet.
“I understand,” Xue leaned forward to hang up the phone turning back. “Colonel, this base is going on alert. We have lost satellites that are above the mainland.”
“Not our satellites that look out over the U.S. or others?” Jai asked.
Xue shook his head, “No. We believe we are about to be attacked.”
“Who would attack China?” Jai questioned, confused.
SUED FOR PEACE (The Kurtherian Gambit Book 11) Page 21