Humble Beginnings

by KA Hopkins

  “How are we going to get them to cooperate?” I asked.

  “Who said anything about asking for their co-operation? Get them drunk, get them laid and then inject them with this. The drug will take effect immediately and will put them out for at least twenty-four hours. You need to get them back here as soon as possible, so I can remove a kidney and keep them sedated for two to three days, enough time for you to get into the Moon base and hide. While under sedation I can plant false memories of the best booze-induced screw session they have ever had. The missing kidney will only make the story better.

  After three days I have to let them go, or there will be an Earth-wide search once their authorized leave expires. Their subcutaneous transponders are detectable from orbit and there are only a few locations on Earth capable of shielding their signals. Since the alien authorities know where these are, they will eventually end up at my shop. I would rather not have them visit, so you have three days at most to find a hiding spot. The DNA transponders will give you free access to the entire base, but once the human maintenance guys reappear, you must ensure the DNA transponders are disabled or the duplicate signals will show up to the Central Surveillance AI. If it was me, I would plan on turning off the DNA transponders as soon as possible to hide any movement history. Once you turn them off, the stealth suits can hide you from the surveillance systems, if you don’t move faster than a walking pace.”

  “So how do we know all of this is going to work?” I asked.

  “Never had any problems before,” Fixer-Bob boasted.

  “How many times have these been tested?”

  “Thousands of simulations in my lab, not so many times in the field though. Truth is you’re the first customers in a long time; the Moon is not exactly a hot tourist destination. What’s on the Moon that’s so important to you?”

  “I would rather not say.”

  “Fair enough, I cannot divulge secrets I don’t know.”

  “On the topic of secrets - why are you helping us?”

  “I like it here. If the Earth gets turned into a part of the Draco Empire a lot of things will change and I prefer they don’t.”

  Since Bob had no faith in fiat currencies he demanded payment in gold. We paid for the suits and the DNA transponders with eighty pounds of gold bars, equivalent to nearly a million and a half US dollars, obtained from a local gold merchant only an hour before. Bob’s price was outrageous - good thing it wasn’t our money. Mother had tied into the internet and lifted several million dollars from a US government account used to pay for Middle East regime change. So much money passed through that account, I doubted the small amount we took would be missed.

  After leaving the pawn shop we boarded Mother, flew out over the ocean and parked on the ocean floor. We needed to plan how to hijack a sister scout ship so we could steal its identity and get Mother upgraded.

  Chapter 15 - Prepping for the Moon

  The plan, like most great plans was simple in concept but daring in execution. The highlights of the plan had us hijack a sister scout ship scheduled for an upgrade at the same time as Mother’s decommissioning, swap identities and allow Mother’s worn out systems to be selectively upgraded while keeping her personality intact. The other ship would then be decommissioned in Mother’s place. The chances of being caught were small as the process was completely automated. After hundreds of years of use, it’s cheaper to abandon the hull and all systems than to try and recycle any of the major components. Recycling is not feasible due to the physics of how the nanobots build and cure parts; it takes significantly less energy to build new than to convert the ship back into reusable basic elements. If we could get the other scout ship into the yard, chances were good the switch would go unnoticed for weeks.

  The success of the plan depended upon timing the attack on the other scout ship to occur, just after they had snatched their human targets. Immediately after the snatch, everyone’s alert levels are at their lowest; the snatch crew is focused on their prisoners, and the flight crew is prepping for immediate lift off. The plan had one small drawback - we were two against eighteen; those are not great odds. We could significantly improve our chances by engaging each of the teams separately; but attacking each group separately was not without risk either, since the element of surprise would in all likelihood be lost.

  Mother confirmed the flight plan of an identical scout ship scheduled to arrive on Earth in three hours. Right on time the scout ship landed and proceeded on its snatch mission. Mother was able to position us above the cloaked ship without setting off any alarms. We jumped from less than 500 feet using standard T10D parachutes and landed within a hundred feet of the open landing hatch. We gained access to the ship’s landing ramp and killed both security team sentries posted in the hatch way. Mother blocked communications between the scout ship and the other alien team members, who were not expecting an attack, so the loss of communications was considered to be a routine glitch.

  Everything was going as planned; then our good friend Murphy decided to make an appearance. The communications blackout caused the snatch team leader to send someone to confirm the fault with the scout ship crew. His display of initiative was remarkable, as Grays almost never show any. Typical of a Murphy intervention, the overly inquisitive alien guard showed up at the worst possible time. He arrived at the scout ship just as we were focused on killing the last of the ship’s crew. He raised the alarm - even though all communication links were blocked by Mother - by shouting a warning to the remaining snatch team members at the top of his lungs (which showed great initiative as Grays seldom speak). For his outstanding devotion to duty, I shot him in the head.

  The snatch and remaining security team members, nine in all, burst out of the house firing their energy beam weapons at everything in sight. At first glance their “spray-and-pray” fire looked pretty undisciplined, however, their aim was far more accurate than expected. They were able to move within fifty feet of the landing ramp before Marc or I were able to get a clear shot at any of them. Faced with superior numbers and firepower, we had no way to attack or break contact and retreated into their ship. Things looked grim until Mother decided to use the lower plasma cannon to lay down suppressing fire. There is no stun setting on this weapon system and it has a nominal range of fifteen miles, depending upon atmospheric conditions. Even on the lowest power setting, the plasma cannon destroyed everything within the blast radius that wasn’t heavily shielded.

  Marc and I exited the alien scout ship, slightly stunned from the blast effects.

  “Whoa!” I said as we looked at the circle of destruction around us. The only thing still standing within the 200 foot blast zone was the scout ship, a few blackened trees and part of the house’s chimney. With the family vaporized, the mission was now officially a bust, so I had Mother beam us up. Failed mission or not, we were lucky. If Mother had not shown initiative and acted when she did, Marc and I would not have made it out of the firefight. Marc called out, “Thank you for the covering fire; next time how about we dial back the power a bunch.”

  “You’re welcome. For the record, I did try to limit the damage.” Mother said.

  “It’s the thought that counts.” Marc said.

  We now had a scout ship to change identities with, but still needed a family to turn over to the alien experimental lab. I did not like it; but there was no other way. We were going to have to snatch another family.

  To cover Mother’s destruction of the house and yard, we severed the main gas line running through the neighborhood and took off. Mother connected to the other ship’s AI invoking the command override, and directed it to follow us. The command override is a failsafe feature in the event of crew incapacitation - it allows another ship’s AI to take control and pilot the craft.

  It only took a couple of minutes for the gas leak to reach the correct fuel/air mixture and find an ignition source. In this case it was a barbeque left on at a neighbor’s house. The resulting explosion nearly leveled the rest of the bl
ock, killing more people. It seemed no matter what decision we made, it resulted in death.

  The deaths of so many innocents did not sit well with me. I fully understood that in war some will die so others might live, but these people were killed for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. If so many innocent deaths was the price to pay in a fight against the aliens, I had to ask myself: how many lives were we prepared to sacrifice to save the human race?

  It was not just the sacrifice of so many that questioned my faith in what we were doing. For the human race to have any chance of survival and deal with extraterrestrials on an equal footing, we needed a single voice to represent us at the ULIR. Judging by how ineffective the United Nations (UN) is, I had little confidence in finding a single, effective, unbiased voice to represent all of humanity. Was I so arrogant to believe that Earth could have a better future under an oligarchy I helped to appoint, instead of the Global Elite? Just stopping the Global Elite from colluding with the aliens was not a solution. Some form of unified global government had to be put in place to fill the void, or anarchy would ensue. Anarchy would be the worst outcome, as some other alien race could use the resulting chaos to invade Earth.

  Under Mother’s direction both ships flew out over the ocean and hid a 1000 feet below the surface. It did not take us long to plan our next phase. Snatching a family was not an issue; figuring out who we should snatch, was. How could we pick a family knowing that death was their fate? We did not have a lot time since our dry dock upgrade slot was only a day away. I was sick to my stomach thinking about just randomly adding more innocent victims to the long list of casualties in the battle for planet Earth.

  Mother listened to Marc and I discuss our moral dilemma and saw that we needed help. She had a suggestion: she had access to the database of humans who had long collaborated with the aliens.

  “If ever there were a group of humans that deserved accounting for the consequences of their actions, it would be those who profited and lived like royalty off of the suffering they caused so many others.” Mother said.

  Mother called up a list of human/alien collaborators on the main holographic monitor; it was depressingly long. Marc and I took a quick look at the list and one name was familiar: a well-known federal politician who was suspected of making his fortune through pharmaceutical insider stock trades. He used his position to pass regulations that directly benefit drug companies, then authorized the kidnapping of random test subjects by police and federal agencies for the alien experimentation labs. The use of human test subjects instead of lab animals shortened the clinical trials by years, saving the medical companies billions in drug development costs. We had our target. Mother plotted a course to his home.

  Hovering over the target’s house, Mother hacked into the local police database and pulled up his security detail. Only a couple of changes were required to make a break in the security coverage between three and four a.m. - the time when many people are most sound asleep. Even though our target lived in a gated community, heavily protected by private military contractors, with roving police patrols and a marked police car in the driveway, few anticipate a silent assault from above.

  Mother, completely invisible against the night sky, dropped the landing ramp. Marc and I jumped from 500 feet and with a slight five knot wind at our backs landed only a hundred feet from the back of the house. It struck me as ironic, how we had an alien scout ship piloted by a sentient AI, and we were still using parachute technology invented nearly one hundred years ago. We left the parachutes where we landed, in the middle of the manicured lawn, and used the beam weapons to silence the guard dogs and knock out the security system. Marc snuck around the side of the house to confirm the police detail was gone. No car was in the driveway; we were a go.

  We broke into the home by shooting a hole through the patio doors and made our way upstairs. Marc decided to break tactical doctrine by splitting us up, as the bedrooms were in separate wings of the mansion. To prevent any chance of escape, or raising an alarm, we stunned the family members with the beam weapons while they slept. We bound their feet and hands with plastic cuffs and dragged the unconscious family members by their heels, down the stairs to the main floor. A quick check confirmed no alarms had been set off. We dragged them outside and Mother beamed us all aboard, total elapsed time seven minutes. To cover our escape, we cut the main gas line; the resulting explosion completely leveled the mansion. Who knew natural gas was so dangerous?

  Mother took us into a geocentric orbit since it was quicker than returning to our ocean hiding spot. As Marc and I stripped out of our combat gear the father came to. There was no doubt about it, he was unhappy with his new accommodations; he started to shout at the top of his lungs calling out to the non-existent police and paramilitary security details. I walked into the holding cell to admire his performance.

  “You there, do you know who I am? I have very powerful friends who will fuckin’ bury you, your family and everyone you have ever known. You are about to have a world of hurt unleashed upon your ass making the fires of hell seem like a vacation. Now, I am a reasonable man: let me go and I’ll spare your family.” I stood there, saying nothing, which only further enraged him.

  His ability to rant and rave was nothing short of amazing as he continued with admirable vigor for someone his age. He managed to carry on for almost five minutes, seemingly without taking a single breath. I had a couple of options to shut him up and decided to try reasoning with him first; Option A didn’t work as he continued his rant with increased vigor and volume. My second attempt, a solid kick in the chest certainly did the trick. I seemed to have gotten his attention and he began to understand the seriousness of his situation.

  “With all due respect, I think a little of my background is in order to help you understand my position. I’m one of those nameless victims your alien snatch squads targeted for medical research, which allows you and your family to live your one percent lifestyle. Your threats are a waste of your and my time.

  By the way, please don’t insult my intelligence by telling me you were just doing your job and your family is innocent and had no idea of the crimes you committed on a daily basis. I can understand the alien threat to Earth necessitates harsh measures and sacrifices to protect the people of Earth. However, everyone in your family profits obscenely from your abuse of power. The fortune you made from the suffering of others is a crime against the very humanity you claim to be protecting. For the first time in your life there are significant consequences for your actions. How does it feel knowing none of your co-conspirators, lawyers, or corrupt courts can save you? It’s long overdue for you and your family to make the sacrifice you so easily expected others to make for your benefit.”

  He could barely contain his fury as he spat out, “Who made you judge, jury and executioner? This is a travesty. I will not tolerate this, I have rights!”

  I could not believe what I just heard. After all the crimes he committed against humanity, he still clung to the notion that it was acceptable to disregard others rights, but his own were sacrosanct. “Let me ask you a question: how are your rights superior to those of your victims; did any of them receive justice in the eyes of the law? Don’t bother to answer. I’m not the one you have to convince…think of me as the delivery boy - what happens to you next is up to your alien friends.

  Before I forget, if you were hoping the transmitter in your watch will allow your alien friends to rescue you - we removed the watch and a few other transmitters you probably had no idea were implanted in your body. There is no evidence left whatsoever that you are part of the alien conspiracy leadership.

  I’m now going to have Mother question you about your role in the alien conspiracy leadership, its organization and operations. My suggestion is to be honest with your answers, or nasty things will happen. Be advised, I’m already in a shitty mood today - a good number of innocent people were killed because of this mission.”

  Crushing the hope of someone you are tryi
ng to get information out of is not a recommended interrogation technique. Mainly because the true believers would much rather die before giving up any useful information. I did not think he was a true believer; actually I was betting on him being a pussy.

  Despite all his threats and bravado, his life of privilege - country clubs, years of bullying those around him and never being told “no” - did not give him the strength of character to deal with what world governments call “enhanced interrogation techniques.” We didn’t even have to torture him much, just took him out of his comfort zone a little bit. The interrogation started off with a few hours in a sauna with only a gallon of liquid PEG (polyethylene glycol) to drink. For those who don’t know the scientific name, it’s sometimes jokingly referred to as colon blow. It’s a powerful laxative used to ensure the entire large intestine is cleaned out, mostly to permit a camera to be inserted through the rectum to perform a colonoscopy. Actually, the procedure sounds much worse than it is; once you are over fifty you’ll probably get to experience it firsthand.

  Eventually, the heat of the sauna caused the prisoner to overcome his fear of antifreeze poisoning; he consumed the glycol, every last drop. We then stripped him naked, hung him by his ankles upside down, and let nature and gravity do the rest. After only a few hours of being covered butt to head in his own liquid shit, he was more than happy to tell us everything he knew. With Mother leading the questioning, never forgetting a single answer and able to cross reference his answers with her database, it was simple to separate fact from fiction. When our captured friend tried to mislead or lie to us, Mother quickly caught him. It’s one thing talking shit, but actually gagging on your own leads to quick changes in behavior. Our prisoner gave up a long list of military defense companies, major banks and senior government officials working with the Grays.

  The scope of the Global Elite’s betrayal of mankind was worse than anything I had imagined. This was not a case of a few bad apples, but a list of the who’s who in the world. If what we were told was true, humanity was not in a little trouble; the Global Elite had all but sold out humanity.